Disclaimer: I do not own Halo or Marvel.
Chapter 10:
NewYork City
Afternoon...
"Dear citizens of NewYork! This is to remind you that the city is being kept safe by the boys in blue-...unless the red suited freak of a menace, Spider-Man stop interrupting their business-...**RAMBLING CONTINUES**"
"This guy never catches a break! I mean he spends 24 hours to thrash me with words! What the hell is even this guy's problem!? Don't even know how his Wife tolerates him! Heh, Atleast Johnny boy escaped to space" Spider-Man was saying to himself as he watches Jameson was yelling in the big LED screen, swinging his way across the Manhattan. He then web tossed himself towards a pole that served like a vantage point for him.
"Atleast SHIELD treats me good. Hey! They even pay me enough to build my own lab! Heck, a few years before graduation from ESU, I don't even know how many times I got evicted. *SIGH* Gosh! How much the times have changed!" Peter Parker was running his thoughts as his spider-senses started tingling.
"What the-...!" he said as he heard echoing screeches of vehicle tires and crashing sound
*BOOM* an explosion occurred as smokes started to rise high.
"Uh Oh! Looks like time for friendly neighborhood job!" He said as he swung across the buildings towards the source of the noise.
"Wait! OSCORP!? That's too atypical for it to be on fire!" He said as he landed on the roof a building from where he was able to see the entrance to the building was on fire as multiple cars were burnt and toppled on the road. That's when he saw his nemesis Scorpion, Rhino and Electro coming out.
"Shit! Why the hell are they breaking into OSCORP?" Spider-Man wondered.
...
"HAHAHA. We got the package! Let's get outta here" Scorpion said
"Right! Wish I had fun with that spider-freak! Too bad this was easy!" Rhino growled in his voice.
"Enough, lets move before cops, SHIELD or worse, the Avengers show up!" Electro said as suddenly his arms were webbed
*Pfft pfft*
"What the-...!"
"Hey guys! Been a long time since we had this reunion tour! So what's the occasion?" Spidey asked as he webbed Electro from a light pole.
"The occasion-...is to break you in half! I was itching for a fight!" Rhino grinned as he grabbed a toppled car and threw at him.
"Whoa!" Spider-Man jumped from the lamp post as he webbed the flying car and pulled it towards and crashed it over Rhino who along with the car flew and hit at the OSCORP building wall.
"You eight legged bug! I'm gonna fry you like a chicken!" Electro said as he fired a concentrated plasma arc at him. Peter dodged it as he webbed his arms and zip lined towards him at high speed and delivered a powerful kick to his midsection as Electro flew back.
"First, Spiders are not bugs, They're Arachnids! Next, What would you even want from OSCORP?" Spider-Man asked as his senses tingled again. He observed Scorpion's tail swing as he back flipped and landed on the floor. Scorpion then delivered a couple of left and right cross which Peter blocked and delivered a knee upper cut to his face which mildly staggered Gorgan.
"None of your business freak!" Rhino said as he dash charged at him which Peter dodged only to be attacked by plasma bolt by Electro which he narrowly evaded by swinging around it and shot multiple high impact web shots that totally encapsulated Electro as he got insulated and tripped down. But in a split second Scorpion hit Spider-Man in the back with his tail that sent him crashing on to a toppled car.
"Ahh! Damn!" Peter slowly recovered and just then saw Rhino charging at him and delivering a ground punch. But Peter held his arm and threw it up and slid between his legs. Scorpion was already about to deliver a jumping kick which he dodged with quick reflex. The kick landed on Rhino as he angrily swat him away. But when he was about punch Rhino, he didn't see a powerful shock headed his way that hit him from his back that stunned him for a brief time.
"Ahhhh!" Peter yelled in discomfort as the three villains were walking slowly towards the fallen hero with Scorpion holding a secured brief case which Spider-Man peeked into curiously.
"He he he! Now you're dead!" said Scorpion as Spider-Man was about to Signal SHIELD but suddenly they heard a craft slowly humming its engines coming out of cloak.
"What the hell? Is that the Spartan? He had crafts that can cloak I guess" Peter murmured, but as the smoke cleared, the craft revealed the symbol of Hydra which shocked Peter.
"Hy-...Hydra? What the hell are they doing here!?" Peter asked. The craft's rear door opened to reveal Cross-Bones.
"Rhino, Scorpion, Electro! Bring the Gravitonium here! The boss wants it soon! Get over here!" he yelled.
"Fine, coming!" Rhino said as the 3 walked towards the craft and entered inside.
"Spider-Man, a pleasure to meet you. Here's my gift" Cross bones said as he threw a hydra explosive device that was beeping red. Peter immediately zipped it and threw it in the sky which exploded sending shockwaves as the people were screaming in terror. But as the situation calmed down, the NYPD, Ambulance and fire engine came to the spot to put the fires out.
Peter entered the building to see to the injured staffs and helped the medics to tend to them. Then he webbed to the top of a building and was pondering on what happened.
"Gravitonium!? Why does that ring a bell!? Oh-..OH! I knew it! That was the strange mineral sample John Jameson brought from Dark side of Moon a year ago, then was delivered to OSCORP for research. But Harry never told me what became of the R&D with that sample"
"Hmm, surely someone should know about that. Wait! Doctor Banner is an expert in Nuclear Physics. I think maybe he can help" he said as he started to swing towards the Avengers tower.
At the Avengers tower...
Peter entered the building using the Quinjet landing pad area. He entered the mail hall only to find no one was there.
"Hmm, where is everybody!? Usually its never this silent! HELLO! ANYBODY HOME?"
"Peter? What a surprise!" came a voice of none other than Bruce Banner.
"Thought I will be seeing the entire family" Peter replied sarcastically.
"Huh, yeah its getting bored here as Tony, Steve, Strange, Thor, Marcus, that Spartan-...they are all on a mission to Asgard" Banner said which intrigued the web head.
"Wait, Thor and Hyperion are back!? Hold on-...mission with Spartan? Right, I will talk about that later!" Spiderman said not wanting to distract himself from the topic at hand.
"So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Banner asked as he scrolled through a data pad he was carrying.
"Doc, you remember a strange mineral that John Jameson brought from moon?" Peter asked which Banner instantly recognized what he was referring to.
"Gravitonium? Ofcourse yes, I even did a research on that mineral and had the reports submitted to Oscorp last year, Since Norman requested my help on this subject. Why do you ask about that now?" Banner asked.
"Well, its been stolen today, a few hours ago. From Oscorp by Rhino, Electro and Scorpion. I couldn't stop them" Spider-Man said which stunned Banner.
"Wait, that attack they reported in the news!? Was that all about the Gravitonium? Why did they steal? For what?" Banner asked feeling a bit tensed.
"Its actually even more worse. Hydra is involved in this. They personally came to escort it" Spider-man said.
"Shit! If Hydra's involved its got a lot worse!" Banner said as made it sure he informed Tony and the Avengers regarding this.
"Harry told me the R&D was so secretive and the papers were not available for the public. But I need to know what can that mineral do? Why Hydra needs it above all!?" Peter asked to Banner decided to tell him all about his research results. After all Peter is a scientist by himself so he was so curious to learn about it.
"The Gravitonium is not a mineral, but the metal present in the mineral. Oscorp asked me to conduct a study on it. When we extracted it, it was inert. But when excited with a high voltage source like a tesla coil, the metal started glowing and began to emit graviton particle waves that manipulated the gravity in the local environment and destroyed the lab. I narrowly escaped" Banner said as he recounted the day.
"Damn! So that's it or you pushed forward?" Peter asked.
"I pushed forward with the next phase of the research to rebuild the lab to withstand the effects of the metal. We tried exposing to different levels of electric perturbations to which it reacted differently. So the conclusion was this metal can manipulate gravity. But there is also a side effect to the graviton waves it emits. It affected any biological tissues in close proximity to which we still couldn't find the answer. Final simulations led to believe that at a critical exposure levels of electricity, this metal's graviton wave pressure will be so high it can create miniature singularities" Banner finished explaining his research.
"Like a black hole, but on quantum scale. In the hands of Hydra, it could be turned into a weapon" Peter said frustratingly as he feels responsible for letting it go out of control.
"Thats true. When Tony gets back, I will let him know and we can do something about it" Banner said re-assuring to which Peter nodded.
"Yeah. *SIGH*...Fine, thanks Doc. Will see you around! I will keep an eye on them" he said as he bid farewell to the gamma scientist and left the tower, swinging his way.
At the Labyrinth...
The Spartan, Cortana and the rest of the team were warping through slipstream space in John's ship. They were all in the hibernation chamber where King Hyperion was placed lying down in a suspended constraint field while Amora and Skurge are inside a hibernation capsule.
Doctor Strange was using his magic as he was placing his palms in the two sides of Hyperion's head. His palm and Hyperion's head glowed as Strange was closing his eyes and one could observe his iris moving as if he was dreaming. Strange was scanning his memories to get full details on him. Besides him was Rogers.
"So who is this Didact? And how do you know him? Also this robot and you got some history, that much I can say" Stark asked feeling curious about the recent event. Marcus, Thor and Loki were with them. They were all in the nearby conference hall.
John didn't answer as Cortana spoke on behalf of him.
Cortana brought 2 holograms of Didact, one with his helmet on and other revealing his beastly face. Everyone there were taken back for a moment as everyone in the hall found him menacing.
"Wow! This alien-..guy looks a legit threat!" Stark said as he voiced everyone's thoughts.
"Didact or 'Shadow of Sundered Stars' as he go by was a forerunner military commander hundreds of thousands of years ago. There is a lot of history surrounding him and his people in general which is a story for another time. But the fact is, he was imprisoned in a combat cryptum for several millennia until myself and the big lug here found and released him unwittingly"
"A combat cryptum?" Marcus asked hearing the term for the first time.
"A spherical shell that can generate a time stasis inside and used to preserve any living being. Since the day we awakened him back, it was a nightmare. He held a specific grudge against humanity and he almost succeeded in eradicating us if not for what we did to stop him. The last time we saw, his body was composed. But if the Warden Eternal is right?-...Then Didact's personality imprint has found a way into the domain. But what really confusing is, how the hell is he able to interact from there and influence others in the real world..?!" Cortana said with a hint of concern in her voice.
"Even reach out to people in other realities as well, adding to your point" Thor said to which she nodded. Thor has a lot of other worldly beings in his lifetime, but this creature before him had a aura of death and destruction around him just like he saw a glimpse of the same qualities within the Spartan, when he fought king hyperion fiercely. He truly feels fortunate he brought him to Asgard for help.
"How big of a threat is he?" Loki asked, glancing at the hologram of the towering alien figure.
"He was ruthless and a huge threat to the whole galaxy back in the day with all his soldiers at his side and remained the same when he was the only one left alive in our time. But now from the domain? I am pretty sure the whole multiverse is in danger, if we go by what we have seen so far. We have been studying the domain for many years, but we still dont know a lot of secrets about it. Dont know what the Precursors have hidden there" Cortana said.
"Dont worry we'll find a way to stop him. The Spartan here proved to be a formidable force and how he fought Hyperion there..!-...either way, we are all together in this" Marcus said re-assuring.
That's when Doctor Strange, Rogers entered the conference hall as the door opened in 3 fragments.
"Right on time, Doc! We were waiting for you" Stark said as he turned to look at them.
Strange's face wasn't expressing joy in seeing them. Others clearly understood something is not right.
"Any problem doctor?' John asked as he finally spoke after a long silence.
"*SIGH*...We've got a big problem!" Strange replied which didn't sit well with the others.
...
Strange, Rogers, Loki, Thor, Marcus and Tony were seated side by side near the table. John was standing facing them all. Strange started to explain what he saw.
"This King Hyperion, from other universe, he was indeed contacted by a mysterious being. But he only saw a shadowy silhouette" he said
"We assume that must be this Didact" Stark said.
"Hyperion was contacted after he finished his rampage across the universe. He was tasked with collecting this cosmic seed"
"Which is now in Warden Eternal's possession, meaning we already lost it" Cortana said sighing in defeat.
"Actually no. Thats not the only thing he's seeking out" Strange said which made everyone's eyes widen in surprise.
"What? What else he need?" Marcus asked shrinking his temples in confusion.
"He is also looking for 2 infinity stones, specifically space and mind stone"
"Oh my god! Those things are powerful enough to destroy the universe itself!" Rogers said shocked at the revelation. They have encountered the stones in the past when they being pursued by the mad titan Thanos.
"Yes. But the Didact needs only 2, not all 6" Loki said bringing up the weirdness in being selective about the stone. If anyone is seeking all 6, then the intentions are pretty obvious. But looking for only two, then it has to be for some specific purpose. John mentally took a note on that.
"I've heard about these artifacts in SHIELD's database. What exactly are they?" Cortana asked curiously.
"Infinity stones are cosmic objects of immense power representing every facet of the universe. Space, Time, Mind, Power, Soul and Reality. Anyone with all the 6 stones can virtually rule the universe and shape it as one sees it fit" Thor explained as he and his fellow asgardians have been acquainted with it a lot.
John mentally made a note to make sure to stop them from being misused. But Cortana didn't react much to that as they saw that clearly in her facial expression.
"You're not too surprised hearing that!?" Strange said looking at Cortana.
"Trust me doc, we've seen things like this on daily basis back in our place" Cortana said chuckling. Others wondered what could they have possibly seen to not take this seriously.
"Anyway, what are the other artifacts he's seeking?" Rogers asked.
"Cosmic Control Rod and-...*SIGH*!" Strange sounded serious.
"That sigh doesn't sound good. What else?" Stark asked looking at his expression.
"A shard of M'kraan crystal" Strange finished which kinda threw the others except John and Cortana out of loop.
"That just makes things worse" Thor said.
"I have seen the data about that. Heard it belongs to Shiar empire. But its functions are nowhere to be found" Cortana said.
"The crystal is a housing for a unique pocket universe. It has worlds of its own. But the most important thing is the crystal also holds a portal to the Nexus" Strange explained which stunned Cortana.
"Wait, Nexus? You mean the Nexus dimension, the one with energy of trillions of universes!?...That Nexus?" She asked erratically.
"Yes and I've been wondering how you were able to draw energy from that-... Or do you people have M'kraan crystal in your universe too? I sensed the Spartan using the Nexus energy thrice" Strange asked glancing at the spartan which confused the others. Cortana was caught off guard with that statement but also gave it to Strange's abilities and the way he was to figure that out.
"We dont have any crystal of sorts. We discovered the Nexus a long time back in our place and have been harnessing energy to power a lot of things from star breaker class ships to orbital defense particle cannons...and yeah, the caveman here has a Nexus siphon in his armor" Cortana answered which shocked Strange.
"Shit! They have been using the Nexus for long time and still alive. How are they even alive and not being targeted by the Phoenix force that guards the Nexus?! This Spartan and his AI, their people-...whoever they are-...are not some humans. There seems to be more with these two than what they are letting out!" Strange thought about the ramifications of what they just told him.
But Stark was astounded for a different reason.
"They harness energy from alternate dimensions for power source? Damn! myself, Reed, Hank and Banner have been working on one such thing and couldnt even crack the code to build a model! Who are these people really?" was Stark's train of thought.
"Why does that matter?" Rogers asked.
"Nexus is guarded by the Phoenix force. No one can draw power from it under its nose. This brings a lot of question in my mind about your origins" Strange warily said.
"Like I said, once we get back to Earth, we will tell you who we are. But right now, we need to stop the Didact from whatever he's planning to do" John said.
"Thats true. These are cosmic artifacts of immense power. We need to stop this Didact. But what's his endgame?" Rogers asked the logical question.
"Unfortunately, This Hyperion's memories dont carry that information. We are totally in the dark as to what exactly he wants to do with these. I mean...he's pretty choosy" Strange said raising his eyebrows.
"We too dont know much about this universe or its branched realities. But there has to be someway. Even as we speak, he must be already enacting the next phase of his plan, from either here or in any other universe" Cortana said to which Strange caught an idea.
"Maybe there is one way to gain information" he said to which others unanimously turned to look at him.
"What is it?" Loki asked.
Ever heard of dream walking?" Strange asked with a smirk.
"Like projecting the consciousness over another person and control them, like a TV remote control? huh, thats pure fantasy" Cortana said chuckling.
"Maybe for you with your hyper advanced technology. But Strange here can pull some insane wizardry. So what is the plan?" Thor asked.
"I will go to Kamar-Taj, prep a spell. But I wont be controlling anyone. Just scan the memories of my variants across the multiverse to see if there is any reference to Didact or any of his cohorts being made. After all, as Sorcerer Supreme, its my job to protect Earth from inter-dimensional threats" Strange said to which the others nodded.
"I will talk with Reed about the Cosmic Control Rod. Its in negative zone. After all, we both created a portal there to build a high tech prison for locking down dangerous criminals" Stark said.
"We need to form a formidable team. That golden robot alone proved to be strong enough to deflect Thor's hammer" Rogers said.
"There is one more thing. That celestial Exitar's murder. Thats gonna cause some serious trouble for us. The other Celestials will be investigating this and soon, they will be at our door step. Since the one that killed it was my own variant" Marcus said tow which Strange immediately spoke out.
"Actually, That Exitar, Hyperion killed is not from our Universe. He and that celestial were both transferred here in the middle of a fight in his home reality. I was able to sense its energy signature through his memories" Strange said which was quite relieving.
"But still, a death of a celestial will release an energy that will be picked up by other celestials and like Marcus said, soon we will be crossing paths with them" Loki stated the obvious.
"Who are these celestials?" John asked to gather info on them so that he can be prepared
"Space gods to be short. Create life on a world and judge them for their existence. Myself and our father Odin have crossed paths with them a lot. They can manipulate the very fabric of the universe on a grand scale that mortals cant even begin to understand. They are so tall that they dwarf mountains, few even dwarf planets and stars!" Thor explained recalling the memories of this past.
"They are the ones that engineered ancient humans on Earth which gave birth to an offshoot race, which is the Eternals. I am one of them" Marcus explained.
"Hmm, potential threat unless proven otherwise. We have to be prepared" John replied. Though others still had a confused look on them as to how they even plan to face the celestials, but shunted those thoughts for then.
"Alright folks. We will discuss everything later. We will exit slipspace near Earth in 3 mins. While you guys do your thing, We will keep an eye on everything from here. Now that the Warden Eternal is here, we know what sort of threats to scan for. I will inform you guys if we find anything" Cortana said with a smile.
"Sure thing and we will do the same. You and the Spartan were greatly helpful today" Rogers said.
"No problem, just doing our job" John said.
They concluded the meeting as the the ship exited slipspace near Earth. There were no signs of danger, no catastrophe or no invasion. The Earth and moon looked calm. Stark, Rogers, Strange, Loki, Marcus and Thor were dropped back to the Avengers in an auto pilot dropship.
With that, they all went their separate ways planning their next move.
...
At Hydra base,
Cacausus Mountain range...
Doc Ock and Doctor Franklin Hall are currently working on a secret hydra project in the lab.
"Doctor Hall, Doctor Octavius? Our people have gathered the gravitonium sample you asked for. When can we expect results?" Baron Zemo asked as he entered the lab.
"At last! The key to our success. Time to test Doctor Banner's research on the gravitonium. This super soldier serum when injected to the subject and exposed to the graviton waves, It should have the desired effect that we've been working hard for" Hall said.
"Excellent news. Doom will be pleased to hear this. With the perfect super soldier created, we can kill that Spartan all together, ha ha!" Zemo said menacingly.
"Yes and since we have finally solved the last piece of puzzle to this radiation effects, Doctor Hall has volunteered to be the test subject for this experiment" Octavius said which quite stunned Zemo.
"What? And who made that decision!? I thought I was in charge of this place!" Zemo castigated the two scientists which tensed them. Zemo was a sworn enemy of Captain America even during the WW2 when he was already fighting against Red Skull. Zemo survived the passage of time and is as strong as ever. He even formed a formidable group called the Masters of Evil which took the entire Avengers and X-Men and Fantastic 4 to defeat them.
"Uh uh-..But sir, Please hear me out. I've spent an entire life to master the original Erskine formula and even enhance it beyond its intended purpose. SHIELD spent their time silencing me and deport me when I proposed this. Not only this will be successful, once I kill the Spartan, I will have my revenge against SHIELD too" Hall said with anger and bitterness which Zemo understood.
"Fine, Dr. Hall. proceed with the next phase" Zemo said.
"With pleasure! Hail Hydra!" Hall said with a grin.
"Hail Hydra!" Zemo said as he left the lab and the Hydra soldiers brought the gravitonium sample to the lab. Hall opened the case carefully to observe the granite colored mineral with an evil smile on his face.
...
A few hours later Hall and Octavius were prepping for the trial. Hall entered a human shaped chamber. The lid had many small square shaped panels made of gravitonium. Wires came out of these panels and were connected to a power supply unit.
"Hand me the injector, Ock" Hall said as Octavius handed him an injector that had green liquid which is the super soldier serum.
"Aer you sure about this Hall? In case your body reacts negatively to the graviton radiation, then I have setup an emergency dialysis unit that will remove the serum from your blood. But I still dont know if you would be able to survive" Ock said about the dangers involved in this test.
"I know the risks, Ock. Lets get it done!" Hall said impatiently as Ock sighed and started the procedure.
Hall injected the serum and immediately felt its reaction in his body.
"Uhh-..RRRR-..." Hall was grunting in pain. Ock didnt waste time as he closed the lid and turned on a few knobs in the power supply unit and monitored Hall's vitals in a hologram computer.
The power supply then reached the small square panels in the chamber which became energized and started to send gravitonium waves over Hall's body.
"AAAAHHHHH-...!" Hall was screaming in pain as the waves bombarded his body. Ock was worried as he saw Hall's Blood pressure went over the charts and his brain activity lit up the fMRI like times square. Hall was shaking violently as the human chamber started to rumble.
Then Hall's muscle mass increased and eyes turned bright blue. Suddenly the lights in the lab started to flicker and some objects started to move and levitate itself in the air slightly. The whole place started to shake.
Then all of a sudden, the computer beeped loud in red as it showed Hall's vitals flatlined which stunned Ock.
"What!? No NO!" Ock yelled as he shut down the power supply unit and decided to activate the dialyzer. But before he could do that, the chamber opened and Hall who now appeared big because of increased body mass and density fell flat on the floor with a heavy thud.
"Hall!? HALL!?" Ock called him out as he checked his pulse and found nothing.
"Damn it! Now Zemo is gonna be pissed about what happened! But I have to let him know before he found it out by himself!" Ock said to himself as he used his mechanical arms to lift Hall and placed him on a surgery table. Ock then left the lab and locked it down.
A few minutes later, the computer that was still showing Hall's vital in red started to turn green as it picked his cardiac rhythm that slowly gained pace.
Hall who was lying dead opened his eyes that glowed in blue as he gritted his teeth.
...
John was in Xavier's school as he was teaching military CQC training to the young mutants in the ground. After a lengthy battle in Asgard that led to a lot of revelation, he needed this break. Besides, what they all learned about Didact being alive and looking for powerful cosmic artifacts didnt sit well with him. He was already worried of humanity and other species safety. John decided to call every major faction on Earth to finally tell his story the next following day. So he decided to spend his time in the institute what could possibly be his last class.
The students were doing really well ever since John became part of the school. The other members of the X-Men how the students of their school changed for the better. Previously they taught them to control the powers and Logan handled the physical training. But with John's approach to hand to hand combat was effective and turned them more agile in their movement.
John personally felt at peace among these kinds as this sort of activity proved to be a great distraction to the problems he is having as of now. He can actually feel the keymind shard of his psyche starting to scratch the wall of the mental block and weakening it. Cortana is working tireless to extract and isolate the personality shard from John's mind since mental fortification is not a long term solution and they can fail anytime. Because of this problem, he had to keep using his psychokinetic powers to a minimum.
Working in Xavier helped him a lot by keeping himself busy with either training the mutants or helping Xavier and Beast with technology stuff. He also took classes in science and history and gave them more lessons and shared knowledge based on his experience in his universe.
John also became the mutant students favorite which the other X-Men members found amusing and also heart warming that these youngsters have someone from outside they can trust after a longtime. A lot of these young mutants joined Xavier's institute because they were abandoned by their parents or were killed and left to the streets. Some were ostracized by everyone because of their nature, appearance, later to be rescued by the X-Men, this institute is the last safe haven for them. There is also another place called the Genosha run by Xavier's nemesis, Magneto that hosts the mutants on the remote island. Though Genosha like Xavier's have come under attack from other superhuman parties that threatened their existence.
"Alright, its time you went back in. Today's CQC training is over" John said to which the young mutants groaned in disappointment.
"Ahh C'mon John! Please! We love to do this all day! Books are boring!" One mutant said to which John gave a warm smile.
"Going into a battlefield with weapons with no knowledge of it leads to disaster. There is a time for fight and there is a time for learning. Now go!" John said to which the students sighed went in.
"Those are indeed wise words! Have to say, you have rubbed off on everyone here-..I mean in a good way!" A female voice came from back. John turned to look that it was Emma Frost in her usual full white attire and also was wearing a long silver trench coat. John was always wary of her as he learned of her past from Hank McCoy. But she is also here in the institute and gained redemption by being part of the X-Men. While others didn't know whether to trust her or not, It was Logan who initially had the biggest trust issues with Emma, actually sensed Emma's change of heart and convinced others to trust her since Logan has a natural lie detection ability even if they are powerful psychics. John also found Emma to be quite flirty, but also she doesn't hide that about her, the way she talks and wearing a white and white dress that exposes half of her female assets. John couldn't figure out though if she does this on purpose or thats how she is.
"They need to learn a lot" John gave a simple answer.
Emma having knew that John was not ordinary human since the first day tests reveals he has superhuman level of cognitive ability and physical attributes, But its been a long time and they all only grew to like him a lot on the contrary to being more and more wary of him.
Emma in particular was quite fascinated about him and even had a crush on him and found him attractive. But John never reciprocated anything like that and he could care less which was what surprised Emma as everyone cant even take their eyes off her. She also found John's face carrying immense guilt, sadness and bravery mixed together which she assumed maybe because of his time in the corps or whatever. She never had an opportunity to talk to him alone this whole time. But she decided to ask him out not wasting time.
"You know that you dont spend much time with us, dont you think!? Perhaps never one for a chitchat!?" Emma said with a smirk.
"Never had the time or opportunity. There was a time I used to hang out with my fellow brothers and sisters! But those days are long gone" John said in his usual stoic tone though he thought of his Spartan units and the days and fights they shared together. Much has changed in his life. John was never one for civilian life, he spent most of the time thinking about the next fight and worrying about the eventual casualties and focus on winning the mission.
Emma was having a hard time reading his thoughts but she can say he wasn't happy when he said that. But was surprised to see how he suppressed that emotion effortlessly.
John turned to look at her and was about to ask her a question, but before that...
"I AM A TIMELESS CHORUS! JOIN YOUR VOICE WITH MINE AND SING VICTORY EVERLASING!"
"Uhhh-...RRRRHHHH-...!" John mildly grunted as his vision distorted. He lost control of his senses and held onto his forehead in pain.
"JOHN! JOHN!" Emma immediately walked near him and held his arm in concern. John couldn't pull together as he dropped down on one knee.
"JOHN! LISTEN TO ME! WHAT'S HAPPENING!?" Emma was yelling at him. She can feel the psychic distress in him which she has felt only on one other person, Jean Grey.
"YOU CANT DEFEAT ME! SURRENDER YOURSELF!-...AND YOUR END YOUR-...TORMENT!" The voice growled much louder. John knew he is losing himself and he cant let that happen. He concentrated so hard to walk out of the psychic doorway and close it behind. It was banging hard, but he kept it steady till it became silent.
John then opened his eyes slowly as his breathing was a bit erratic. He then calmed himself down and drew slow breath as he felt his pulse and heartbeat reverted back to normal. He then turned to look at Emma who was holding him with worry.
"JOHN! You alright!? What happened!? I felt a huge distress in your psyche. You were passing out!" Emma said who was deeply worried. John then slowly got up.
"Its nothing! I believe I'll be better if I take rest" John said as if nothing happened and Emma cant believe what he just said.
"NO! What you need is a hot chocolate! John, you mind has been through some bad acid trip! I dont know what, but I felt something bad" Emma said with conviction.
"I dont think that's a good-..."
"I am not asking you! I am telling you to come. Or I can still carry you with my mind anyway!" Emma said folding her hands raising her eyebrow. John was quite surprised by her stubbornness. He knows she can carry him and he can counter that. But he dont want to do anything like that and risk his mental state. So he decided to go with her.
"Fine, I'll come!" John said to which Emma chuckled and both headed to the cafeteria.
They both had a cup of hot chocolate. John was sipping through that and had to agree with Frost. It did help him feel good for the time being.
"So how does it feel!?" Emma asked.
"Quite pleasant, I should say. Thanks" John said with a warm smile. Emma widened her eyes a bit as this is the first time he ever thanked her. Emma was blushing a bit.
"So, my previous question stands. Why dont you spend more time with us!? I mean what's with the lone wolf stuff!? Was it that bad when you were in the corps!?" Emma asked curiously to learn John's mental state.
"Yes it was. Like I said. I am older than I look and I served for a long time. Its always dodging one storm after another without catching a break. That kind of career takes a toll on you. This is not the first time I've been called a sociopath. I have been called a lot of things in my life, machine, barbarian, freak, a failure! But I dont give too much attention to that. My duties were clear and I just keep moving on" John answered.
Emma was feeling sorry for John and now understood why John is the way he is. This reminded her of her own time when she was so power hungry as part of the Hellfire club and people called her with all sort of narcissistic names. After reaching a breaking point, she found a family here at Xavier's. Despite her grim past, the X-Men eventually trusted her and she made sure she earned it.
"Well, I wasn't exactly a role model here either! I used to hang out with hellfire club, a band of extremely ambitious mutants that controls everything behind the scenes, like the Illuminati! But when things got out of control and when I was betrayed and almost costing my life, Xavier helped me out. I am forever grateful for that!" Emma said regretfully.
"The mutants are lucky to have someone like Charles to look after them. Also Dr. McCoy told me about you and your past-...allegiance to this group of fanatics called the Hellfire Club and you had some mutants and humans killed" John said to which Emma was feeling a bit of a shame.
"So you think, I cant be trusted anymore?" Emma asked curious to what he has to say. But she was totally taken back by his response.
"I am still wary of you. But we all make mistakes! That's what makes us human. I have done my fair share of crimes for the greater good and to protect those I care about. But we shouldn't let our past judge who we are and make us think we cant be redeemed. If that happened, the whole world would never know peace. To me, its what you are doing now that matters" John said which stunned Emma.
"Wow! Everyone forgave me, but no one's ever given a piece of their thought like you did! Thanks for that, John" Emma said looking at him in admiration.
"So what really happened back there!? As a psychic, I felt something weird in your mind at that time. But you seem to have some sort of mental block surprisingly, I couldn't scratch past that!" Emma said with a hint of suspicion in her voice. John was not surprised though as he knew she's one of the most powerful mutant here, an omega level being with abilities that rivalled Jean or Xavier himself.
"You can call it PTSD" John said to which Emma raised her eyebrows.
"Common symptoms are nightmares or bad dreams in sleep. But you were just fine when it happened. Doesn't look so PTSD to me!" Emma said. John realized he cant keep dodging the questions so he decided to change the subject.
"I would appreciate if we dont talk about that anymore!" John said calmly to which Emma nodded.
"Fine fine! I wont pry! But hey, in case you evet wanted to talk about that!? I am here to listen" Emma said reassuringly holding John's palm. He didn't know what to say. He never had an open talk to anyone before, even among his peers. The only exception were Halsey and Mendez. Emma for her part, wished John opened up to her more often to get to know him better more personally.
"Another time, Ms Frost!' John took back his hand away from her.
"Ms Frost!? Please, I thought we were already on a first name basis!" Emma sighed.
"Sorry Emma, But I believe I'll take my leave now. I have some personal work to take care of" John said as he stood up. Emma did the same.
"For what its worth, I enjoyed this date! Take care John" Emma said smiling at him. John was a bit confused though, he didn't give much thought to that. John nodded in response. He then left the building, out of the campus. Then he used the communicator in his watch to contact Cortana.
"Cortana, I think its time, we called them all" John said.
"I was wondering when you would say that"
...
At Kamar Taj...
Doctor Strange spent a day reading some of the old texts to get a grip on how to do dream walking safely. Ever since Strange learned there is a bigger threat looming in the multiversal cosmos, as a sorcerer supreme of Earth, he has the duty to keep this universe safe. He also gave his word that he would help the Spartan and his AI to find a way out of this universe and also help stop this "Didact" from gaining the powerful items, though he already got his hands on one.
"So Doctor, did you find what you were looking for?" Wanda asked Strange who was glancing through the books. Apart from her time with the Avengers, Wanda spends time at Kamar-Taj as mystic tutor along side Wong.
"Yes, this book on Astral projection, it has a section that explains how to perform a dream walking across the realities safely without our minds getting snapped" Strange showed Wanda the page that had a sigil in red with ancient symbols.
"So the Spartan knows this 'Didact' who is also from his universe and now he is looking for powerful items!?-...to do what exactly!?" Wanda asked as she was feeling stressed on the implications of these events.
"We dont know yet. 2 Infinity gems, cosmic seed, Cosmic control rod, M'kraan crystal. I dont even understand what effect would require these weird combination of cosmic ingredients" Strange said in worry.
"So we need to paint this sigil and there is this spell. Wanda, If I do the Dream walking, I need your help to protect my vessel and this place. When my mind cross over to other realities-..."
"Something else can come over here, understood" Wanda replied with a nod. Then Strange used his telekinesis to move the objects in the hall that left a huge space in the center. Strange then summoned mandalas that represented the sigil in the book and then pointed it towards the floor. Burning marks started to appear on the ground and moved around to form a huge sigil.
"I think its good. Are you ready!?" Strange asked to which Wanda nodded and she fortified the hall with her hex magic so that nothing can come in or get out.
Strange stood at the center of the sigil and then levitated above. He then folded his legs in a seated position. He had the ring finger and thumb touch each other in both hands as red mandala with ancient texts spiraled in his wrists as they moved front and back.
The Eye of Agamotto opened up revealing a light as Strange closed his eyes. His mental consciousness left his body and started to pierce through the veil. Strange moved at warp speed jumping from dimension to dimension.
He saw various places filled with fire, brimstone, bones, rotting corpses, through the stars, the cosmos. Then he finally reached a universe where Strange found his other variant and peeked into his memories and the memories of others in a domino effect. There was no mention of Didact. He left his variant's mind. Once again piercing the veil and reaching another universe. This was familiar as he is aware of its designation, Earth-1610. He then found Strange variant and scanned his memories and still no reference to the Didact.
Strange kept this reality hopping going on for sometime through Earth 731, 834, 909 etc., but there was no reference to the threat at hand. Then he came across another universe designated Earth-982. This Earth's current timeline was year 2099. The city had advanced technologies everywhere. Then Strange visited the Sanctum to meet his variant in futuristic armor. He entered his mind and scanned his memories and was bilious.
"Strange, I have bad news from Wakanda. T'Challa says his interdimensional scoping device lost track of universe-937. Its like it has ceased to exist" Captain America spoke to Strange in a hologram display.
"Do we know who did this!?" Strange asked feeling tensed.
"No, but the device found traces of energy from another reality, Earth 717. A similar energy trace we found when a guy named King Hyperion came here" Rogers said which stunned.
"This Earth had encountered King Hyperion. If I can trace through the energy he left here, I can get to the correct universe with high probability" Strange thought to himself.
Strange then picked up the energy trail and left the Earth-2099 to look for the other universe. Luckily, he entered the next reality Earth-8096.
As soon as his mind exited the hop, he searched for the Sanctum sanctorum only to see Strange was not there and there was a statue raised for him, that says 1971-2030 AD. Strange here died already. There was another sorcerer supreme named Doctor Voodoo. Strange entered the sanctum to see a black man in his 40s wearing Strange's cloak. Strange assumed him to be Voodoo and he entered his memories and saw everything that horrified Strange. Because what he saw happened very recently.
Strange and the other heroes fought a variant of Thanos, called King Thanos seeking the infinity gems, coincidentally, the same space and mind gem that he saw in King Hyperion's memories. This version of Thanos was much more powerful and ruthless than the one he has faced and to make things worse, he was also equipped with power gem.
Even at the height of his power, Strange was overwhelmed by Thanos's abilities and his army. Strange was killed along with some other heroes of this world and even the Thanos of this reality 8096 who helped the Earth's superheroes after seeing what his variant was capable of. It was of no use and Reed and T'Challa deported King Thanos off the universe through a black hole that sent him god knows where.
Strange understood, that this King Thanos was working with the Didact since he was seeking the same gems. He then jumped off the universe 8096 to look for more signs or direct reference to Didact. As he was hopping through realities, he was suddenly pulled through.
"Wha-..What's happening!?" Strange had his eyes widen in confusion as he fell through a void and he cant control his movement. Strange dropped out of nowhere on a street in a broad daylight.
"What the hell!? Where am I!?" Strange said as he stood up knocking the dirt off him. He realized that people still cant see him as they passed untethered by him. Which means, he is still dream walking. He then started to walk among the crowd as he was trying to figure out what happened to his dream walking, whether he went too far away that his mind snapped back like a rubberband.
As he walked the street. He suddenly noticed a towering figure atleast 12 or 13ft tall, in a torn up black cloak that covered the body and face. It was standing in front of him and the people cant see that thing either. The cloaked figure turned to its right and walked into the alleyway as Strange jogged towards its position. He looked and saw nothing in the alleyway.
"What was that-...thing!?" Strange murmured to himself.
He then cautiously walked into the alleyway as it got a bit dark since sunlight couldn't enter the space. He walked slowly readying his arms incase he needs to use magic. He came out of the alley in the other side only to find no one. He looked left and right as there was nothing. But then he felt a presence on his back as he suddenly turned to look back and was frightened at the sight. The black cloaked figure was standing and Strange could see its burning yellow eyes underneath the cloak. He can see it arm that appeared both mechanical and organic with bits and pieces of flesh sticking together.
Strange readied his magic, but the towering being already placed its palm on his head and pressed it.
"NO-..AHHHHH-..." Strange yelled in pain as he and the towering being disappeared. Strange was pulled through at warp speed, as if he was on a ton of psychedelic drugs. He then fell down so hard on the ground.
"rrrrruhhhh-..." Strange grunted in pain as he slowly got up to see the environment he was in. It was weird. There were trees around him, sand and rocks, huge cliffs on the far side with water streams. Sunlight shining through and he saw strange buildings one that he can imagine only in science fiction stories.
"What is this place!?" Strange asked loud.
"This is the hub of all realities, the brain of the multiverse. This is the Domain!" A deep baritone voice came from behind. Strange immediately turned back to see the black cloaked figure. But Strange sensed he no longer has control on the Dream walking and totally cutoff from magic.
"Who are you!?" Strange asked feeling terrified at the imposing figure.
Back at the Sanctum,
"**LOUD GASPS**"
Strange opened his eyes and was glowing white and his face expressed fear and helplessness. Wanda saw and tried to wake up Strange.
"Strange!? STRANGE!? WAKE UP! What is happening!?" Wanda yelled in horror.
"I asked you a question. WHO ARE YOU!?" Strange yelled in anger.
"Hmm-...Humans-...so curious! But never know when to stop! You have been seeking me all this time and yet-...still oblivious to my name!?" the being spoke and Strange's eyes widened in horror. He now understand who or what was that standing before him.
"You-...You are-...the Didact!" Strange said as his face turned pale.
The being in front walked a few steps ahead and opened its cloak to reveal a pale and red skinned beast like face with fangs. Half of the face was covered in a broken black metal armored face plate. But both the eyes glowed in fiery orange like it was on raging fire.
"And soon-...I will have it all! Let us talk!" the Didact spoke in a grim tone that sent shivers in Strange's spines. He can simply feel the overwhelming evil before him and he was there standing helpless.
...
AT SHIELD TRISKELLION...
Nick Fury was debriefed on the events in Asgard by Hyperion, Thor, Stark, Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye.
"So some big bad douchebag across the multiverse is looking for the most powerful objects in the cosmos to do-...what!?" Fury asked, his voice expressing concern and also frustration.
"We dont know. Strange has a plan to find that out and he is working on it. Until then, we have nothing to offer you!" Stark replied which irritated Fury, since he doesn't like questions without answers especially if that involves global security, in this case, its universal.
"And this-...Didact or whatever is the new threat we have now!? Seeking these artifacts!? And oh wait! This Spartan is from different universe, Finally! A puzzle solved! That explains the advanced tech and power he had! And to make things worse, this Spartan and Didact knows each other! I knew he cant be trusted!" Fury exploded.
"Fury! The Spartan said this Didact was an enemy of humanity back in his place. So I still would give him the benefit of doubt!" Captain Rogers said trying to calm the director down.
"Benefit of doubt!? We have a new cosmic war with once again Earth at the center stage captain! The UN Security Council will make rash decisions once they learn of this. We need to put an end before the top brass decides to take matter into their own hands and get us all killed" Fury said. Rogers agreed with this point though since he too has concerns on how global security forces would react on this situation.
"Wait, Did you say this Spartan has a space ship the size of a US state and a hyper advanced AI? Like yours Stark!?" Fury asked about one other thing that bugs him the most/
"If he has a starship of that size and power, what is he and his people are even capable of!? Damn it! I dont like it when I dont have the answers!" Fury thought to himself.
"What!? No! This AI was totally Sentient with human emotions! Never seen anything like that Fury! Stark Industries cant make anything like that, not in 100 years from now!" Stark said still thinking about Cortana.
"Dont worry Nick! We will stop this threat at bay. The Spartan is not our enemy, I can guarantee you that. If this turns out to be true and the Didact is indeed coming, we need all the help we can get!" Thor said to him.
"Thor's right! Whether we know him or not, we are gonna need all the help!" Natasha supplemented him.
"Sir, we are getting a transmission from an unknown band! A comm channel. It matches the one the Spartan gave you in the last encounter!" Agent Hill spoke through the ha;;'s open speakers which stunned everyone in the room.
"Wait! Does he want to talk to us!?" Hawkeye asked wondering what he wanted to say.
"Put it on the screen Hill!" Fury said as the room's huge wall screen turned on and it was none other than the Spartan in his battle armor. Everyone positioned themselves to listen to what he has to say.
"Spartan!? You wanted to talk to us?" Fury asked shrinking his temples.
"Yes. I know you all have been trying to figure out who I am and where we come we come from! It is time we explain everything about us and the threat we have at hand!" The Spartan spoke.
"Fair enough. So when do you want to hold the meeting!?" Fury asked.
"Tonight, I will send multiple pelican dropship to your vessel. You can bring anyone from the superhero community you wish to . We will hold the meeting in my ship!" the Spartan said which intrigued everyone.
"Fine, Myself, the Avengers, Fantastic 4 and few from the Xavier's team will definitely be here. I will see who else I can get in touch with. I am looking forward to this meeting!" Fury said.
"Like wise Director. Spartan 117 out!" the comm channel was closed.
Everyone shared a glance at one another in anxiety
"That was fast! So, finally you may be getting all those answers you've been whining about Fury!" Stark said to which Fury let a glare towards him.
...
A/N: Well finally I was able to post a new chapter after a long time. The Avengers and the Spartan will fight the graviton and it wont be just a action narrative, the events during and after that fight will have an impact in the story. Hope you enjoy this and I will be updating the other stories too. See ya all later...ciao!