Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or DC
The look of the Avengers introduced in this chapter are based on their appearances during Marvel Now. On the DC front I based the newly introduced Justice League reserves on their New 52 designs, save for Black Canary whose costume is based on the one seen in Arrow, with Zatanna wearing the costume she wore during Trinity War.
This arc is partially based on the Throne of Atlantis arc during Justice League and Aquaman, with several details skipped over, but I've tried to make what's happening clear. Fans of a certain character in Young Justice might be pleased to know I'm introducing him (a new 52 version of him) as a potential candidate for the expanded Justice League, his look and the look of the other members of the Atlantean military was based on their appearances in Flashpoint, Ocean Master's however is New 52 look and attitude.
The Redeemer
Chapter 6: Earth's Mightiest heroes
Cade Hunter had seen great tragedies caused by both human will and nature itself. He witnessed the 9/11 bombings during a time he had lost his powers, had worked as a relief worker in Thailand when the tsunami hit, as a child witnessed through his eyes the blood his father had shed as a mob enforcer and as a super powered being caused tragedy first hand when he attempted to erase evil from the universe, decimating the Inhuman people in his search for Maximus, causing a prison break in an attempt to kill the criminals where they rested and distracting the heroes from their true enemy Muramasa. Despite seeing all of that death, the bodies floating on the surface of the water still bothered him. Men, women and children, entire families were dead because of one man.
"Orm, King of Atlantis, guilty of WAR!" Cade yelled.
Arthur Curry had tried to escape Atlantis for most of his life. It had started with his father, taking him across the world, taking him skiing, skydiving and mountain climbing. Eventually the call of the ocean became too strong for both of them, Arthur's father took a job working at a lighthouse and Arthur spent his days on the beach. He proved himself a unnatural swimmer, he could breath under water for extended periods of time, survive the deepest depths and swim like a jet across the water. His father eventually told him his true origins, that his mother was the princess of an underwater kingdom. It sounded so farfetched that even Arthur doubted his father's sanity. Then he discovered that everything his father said was true, the day extremists from Atlantis tried to kill him. He followed them to the underwater city and discovered his birthright as the eldest of the Queen's children. His brother Orm welcomed him with open arms. But years after leaving the throne to Orm, Arthur saw the lack of emotion in his brother's eyes, even as Arthur turned against Earth's mightiest heroes.
Aquaman's hand gripped the neck of the League's leader Batman. Though the blonde haired man was strong and could easily break his neck, Batman showed no fear. Not that he underestimated Aquaman. People mocked him at times, saying he was a fish activist which was far from the truth, Aquaman regularly went to a restaurant and ordered fish and chips. The common misconception was that the only thing he could do was talk to fish, he didn't talk to fish, he telepathically accessed their primitive minds and pushed them into helping him. Another common misconception was that he was weak. As Superman grabbed Aquaman's shoulder, Batman got a good idea of how strong the man really was. He slammed his fist into the Kryptonian's face, throwing him back.
"Why did you do that?" Wonder Woman demanded, pointing her sword at Aquaman.
Arthur pushed Batman back and deflected Wonder Woman's sword with his trident.
"You don't understand, I have to make it look like I'm in charge Wonder Woman, I have to show Orm that I'm capable of handling this, that an attack isn't necessary," Aquaman explained.
"Then help us drive him back," Wonder Woman retorted.
Batman got off the floor, the boat they were on was already beginning to flood. He looked towards Aquaman as he pushed Wonder Woman back. The blonde haired man wore an orange mail shirt with green gloves and trousers. His belt had some kind of A symbol on it that resembled a shell. Unlike Wonder Woman and Superman, Batman had encountered Aquaman before, mere moments before the flood attack in Gotham happened. He had apprehended Scarecrow when the fear monger tried to flee Gotham by boat. Batman didn't approve other metahumans interfering with his city, but he wouldn't deny that Aquaman was a hero. He also couldn't deny what he saw in Aquaman's eyes, desperation. Arthur was desperately torn between loyalty to two worlds.
"What would you be doing if the Amazons attacked?" Aquaman asked, blocking another strike from Wonder Woman.
"They would not attack without justification," the princess retorted.
It was a statement born of ignorance. Hours ago an American submarine hit Atlantis with missiles. Morally speaking the Atlanteans were right to retaliate against the military, throwing an armed naval freighter into Metropolis. Everything else after, the flood attacks on Gotham and the attack on Boston wasn't justified, it was a reaction born out of fear and hatred. Batman looked towards the king of Atlantis, Aquaman's brother Orm. The ruler held a silver trident in contrast to his brother and wore a suit of black and purple armour, a red cloak hung off of his shoulders and his helmet had red and silver lenses over the eyes. Orm raised his trident and slammed it against the water. Bolts of lightning crashed down on Superman and Wonder Woman, throwing them away from Aquaman.
"If you can not bring me the man responsible for the death of our people, then we will demand justice, a punishment on the surface world to fit the crime committed against us. Thousands of our people are dead, our brothers, what will be the price for their deaths?" Orm asked.
"Orm please, what happened was an accident, if you take Atlantis to war it will be our people who suffer for it," Aquaman said.
"I sincerely doubt that brother," Orm grinned as bodies began rising from the water.
Aquaman and Batman widened their eyes, they not bodies of the dead but the living. They were bound in green and black armour and wielded weapons shaped like sea shells. But the foot soldiers were not alone, war machines floated on the surface of the water, tanks and war cannons began levelling their guns on the buildings of Boston.
"Rise Atlantis, rise and claim our REVENGE!" Orm yelled.
"REVENGE!"
The heroes of Earth and Atlantis looked up at the sky. Rain batted off of Cade's armour, helmet and all. His energy wings blared behind him and his helmet opened, shaping into the maw of a dragon.
"What manner of creature have the surfacers created?" Orm asked.
Cade roared and flew straight towards Orm. A sword materialised in his hand and the sword glowed with fire.
"You turn fire against me, I am a king of Atlantis, but on the surface I am a master of storms," Orm raised his trident, calling bolts of lightning down on Cade and the other heroes.
"ORM DON'T! Arthur yelled.
Batman fired his grappling hook, pulling himself onto a nearby rooftop.
"Cyborg we have a situation in Boston, the brunt of the Atlantean army is focusing on the city, what can we spare?" the dark knight asked.
Cyborg stood in the Justice League watchtower, a giant satellite that orbited the Earth.
"My god," he gasped, looking at the devastation in Boston.
He looked at the monitors that showed situations throughout the world. Flash was running across the beach areas, assisting with mass evacuation. Shazam was flying across the ocean helping boats caught in the storm. Overall the situation was getting worse and with an army rising to attack Boston there was only one option left.
"We need to call in the reserves, expand the League," Batman said.
Cyborg nodded his head and then focused on the image of Cade. The new super human (new to the Justice League) was fighting against the lightning, seemingly absorbing the energy to make his wings larger.
"On the surface I am master OF THE OCEAN ITSELF!" Orm yelled.
Pillars of water rose up from the ocean, forming water dragons. The beasts roared before colliding with Cade. They dragged Cade into the ocean and shaped into funnels that began pushing Cade deeper and deeper into the depths. His wings had been extinguished and his armour was creaking, threatening to shatter. Cade himself however, like an animal continued to roar with the Atlantean army swimming past him. He tried to struggle against the coils of water around him but part of his helmet broke off, revealing his glowing red eyes.
"KILL YOU! KILL YOU! KILL YOU!" he yelled repeatedly as he was dragged into the depths.
Sven opened his eyes and lunged forward. He rubbed his forehead and tried to control his rapid breathing. His heart was pounding and not because of what he had been doing with Carol. The blonde haired woman beside him moaned as she woke up. Sven smiled as her fingers poked at the scars on his back. They were probably the only scars he and Cade shared, the first time they manifested their energy wings the appendages actually burst out of their backs. Carol sat up in bed and kissed Sven's shoulder.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked.
"Nightmare, or it was probably a vision, its not the first time I've had it," Sven said.
He got off the bed and put on his slacks. Carol wrapped the bed duvet across her chest and walked to Sven's side.
"You have been under a lot of stress, recruiting for Coulson, training Virgil, helping me with Kamala and even making time for your family," Carol explained, rationalising Sven's pain.
"I'm sorry I didn't make much time for you, we missed our dinner date," Sven sighed.
"We had to take down a giant robot, besides last night…and I suppose this morning more than made up for it," Carol grinned as Sven blushed.
"Yeah I haven't done that in a while," Sven rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"You could have fooled me," Carol wrapped her arms across Sven's neck and kissed him.
"What are you two talking about? And why are the curtains drawn?"
Carol widened her eyes, whilst Sven gasped in embarrassment. As Carol covered herself with the bedding Sven opened the curtains. Two teenagers were on the other side of the window, one with his face pressed against the glass. The teenage girl stood behind him was Carol's protégé and successor to the Ms Marvel name. Kamala Khan was one of several humans with Inhuman heritage on Earth. Sven and Carol found her in New Jersey when her powers manifested, coincidentally Kamala was a big fan of Ms Marvel. The Pakistani-American girl wore a red suit with a black domino mask and a black top with yellow trimming and the Ms Marvel symbol across her chest. She also wore a red scarf and a pair of black boots, all of which had yellow trimming.
"I told you now was a bad time Zack," she chided her companion.
Zack bought his face away from the window and looked at Kamala with a confused expression. Sven smiled at his son, the scientists hadn't determined whether or not Zack was his true son or just an alternate reality version. He had been conceived by Sven and Wanda Maximoff when she had altered reality, creating the House of M. Zack took after Sven, looking identical to him as most males of the family were. His hair was red but had begun taking on a more brown colour like his mother's. As Ultimate, the fourteen-year-old boy wore a grey suit with a mask that covered his nose, mouth and ears. Red markings ran across the suit, joining with the pads on his knees, elbows and the edges of the mask that stretched past his ears like horns.
"What? What were they doing?" Zack asked.
Sven shook his head at his son's naiveté. The boy was like a reflection of himself at that age. He turned and widened his eyes slightly as a light enveloped the room. The light faded as soon as Carol finished changing into her costume. She placed a hand on her hip, almost showing off her new costume. Ever since she took the Captain Marvel name Carol had taken to wearing a suit that had a reverse colour scheme to Mar-Vell's. She only used her mask though for space missions, and her costume included a sash around her waist. Sven followed her lead and changed into his own costume. Red and grey armour swept over his body, forming small wings on his back and gauntlets around his arm.
"Patrol or training?" Sven asked, his voice echoing through his helmet.
"Neither, we're going to get some help at the mansion," she said firmly.
"Yes ma'am," underneath his helmet Sven smiled and followed the former air force pilot out of his apartment.
Reconstruction of New York, or perhaps more appropriately the construction of a new city altogether had been going smoothly. People called Earth an Avenger's world and the term was appropriate. Slowly but surely the Avengers were becoming the uniting point for all super heroes. Steve Rogers was president and Tony Stark was the face of the rebuilding effort. Stations that provided clean energy to entire cities via the arc reactor system had been placed across the world, like new oil pipelines. The Iron men androids were the ones responsible for construction and defence of what many people across the world called the Arc network. As for the Avengers, two significant teams of Earth's mightiest heroes had been formed, one stationed in Stark Tower, the other in Avengers mansion. The Avengers unity division had been set up with a roster of both old Avengers and X-men with the intention to reinforce Charles Xavier's ideal of humans and mutants working together. Aeon landed with Captain Marvel and their protégés outside of the gates to the mansion. They looked at the grand mansion, a place that had once belonged to Tony Stark. Technically it still did, but the building was as iconic as the Xavier mansion, it was the home of a group of heroes, it had endured attacks from outside and even within and had been a place where fond memories had been built. Carol swiped her Avengers ID card through the scanner at the door, opening it for Sven and Zack.
"Have I done something to offend you Rogue? Cause if not I'm about to!"
Zack and Sven both had surprised expressions on their faces. They were both surprised by the fact that Rogue and Janet Van Dyne were both being antagonistic towards one another. Sven began to get a good idea of why, the fact that Rogue had replaced the original Avengers roster picture with that of Charles Xavier. Rogue was known for her sassy behaviour, some people didn't react well to it. The leader of the unity division, Alex Summers looked down from the staircase and hastily made his way down to his teammates.
"I think for the sake of civility Rogue we can put the portrait someplace else," he said.
"Sure, you go right ahead, I'll continue relaxing in the lounge, I'll give the Avengers one thing they do have good furniture, then again they probably have to invest in less," Rogue said.
"Oh I remember, you originally lived in a school, all those students, that explains your irritable personality," Wasp retorted.
"Still both as charming as ever," Carol said.
"Havok we have guests," Rogue dismissively walked to the next room, putting her headphones on.
"Aeon right? Nice to meet you, good to see you again as well Captain Danvers," Alex shook their hands and smiled, his eyes then looked down at Zack, the boy had just hit the three foot nine mark. "You must be Ulti-boy, good to meet you too," he said.
"Its Ultimate now, and this isn't one of those reach out to mutant things is it? Cause I'm not a mutant, and I hate the term anyway," Zack explained.
"Me too kid, and is this the new Ms Marvel, wow her costumes better than yours was," Alex said to Carol as he shook Kamala's hand.
"Good to meet you Mr Summers," Kamala said.
"Everyone seems to be getting on well," Sven said.
"Is that some kind of joke bub?" Logan asked as he walked out of the bathroom.
"Good to see you too Wolverine, you look like you doubt this unity squad is working," Sven said.
"It could do with some improvements but we just need to keep a level head, Cap's prepared a press conference for us, which should be starting in a few hours and I've prepared a speech for it," Alex explained.
He led them into what accounted for the Avengers briefing room. The dining room had been occupied by the current roster, Wonder Man the ionic actor, Asgardian warrior and Avengers founder Thor, Japan's premier super hero Sunfire and Captain America.
"What brings you all the way here Sven?" Cap asked.
"Just checking in on some old friends," Sven said.
"We're friends?" Shiro asked.
"Your ex hasn't destroyed the mansion again," Rogue said as she came into the room.
Zack frowned at Rogue, causing the southern girl to turn her head away slightly. Rogue didn't have a problem with Zack, she liked the boy but his mother was a different story. Wanda Maximoff had been responsible for the depowering of most of the mutant population, leaving only a few hundred left. Ever since the unity team had been brought together Rogue had been watching Wanda carefully, even antagonising her. Naturally Zack would come to his mother's defence.
"Sven's withholding, he's actually been having nightmares, visions really of someone close to him in danger," Carol explained.
"Someone close? Have you contacted all of your brethren?" Thor asked.
"Kyle's here in New York, Lazlo's in San Francisco, Rick and Jack are helping with rebuilding in Washington and Alexis is doing her under cover work," Sven explained.
"What about Virgil and that Gabriel person you've been looking for?" Steve asked.
"Virgil…that's a complicated story but its not him, and Gabriel isn't really someone you worry about , besides this feeling I'm getting its not local, as in on our planet or even within our universe. Its beyond our reality, I never told you guys this but Sieg didn't actually die when he went through that portal, he's still alive, I think he's the one I'm sensing in the other universe."
The other heroes widened their eyes, even the usually stoic Sunfire was shocked.
"If that's the case, you should be calling Virgil, half brother or not he'll want to know Sieg is in danger," Wolverine said.
"Why did you come to us with this?" Rogue asked.
"I kind of agree with Rogue (don't get used to it), Cap and Tony's team would be better suited for this, they have all the egg heads," Wasp explained.
"You guys don't quite get what the issue is here, this is a case of traversing realities, pinpointing from a needle in a haystack where the reality I seek is. That is something that can't be done by a machine but by a person, one person specifically," Sven explained as he turned his head to the doorway.
The ghost of a glare crossed over Rogue's face, Zack however smiled. Standing at the doorway was a woman with dark brown hair. She wore a red coat over a black top, red leggings, boots and gloves. Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch of course also wore her signature cloth tiara. Zack ran into his mother's arms, laughing as she hugged him.
"Sven," Wanda acknowledged the father of her child.
"If there's anyone on this Earth whom could rip open the barriers between realities its Wanda," Sven said.
"You still have so much faith in her I see," Rogue muttered.
Carol shot Rogue a suspicious look. She had no illusions as to why Rogue was with the team. Though Carol herself was initially sceptical of Wanda's regained sanity, the woman was still her teammate and in some ways like a sister to her. Carol had long forgiven Rogue for her actions as part of Mystique's Brotherhood, but if anything was to happen to Wanda she wouldn't forgive her then.
"What exactly did you have in mind Sven?" Wanda asked.
"I'll provide you with energy, as well as direction, then you can use your chaos magic to pierce the barriers and open a doorway," Sven explained.
"I get it now, you want a team to go through with you and find Sieg," Alex said.
"This team was partly based on his ideal as well," Zack said.
"That's a smart assumption," Rogue said.
"I'm smart that way, for example on my teams I don't stomach infighting!"
"I think that jab is at you Rogue," Wolverine smirked.
"How have you and Cyclops been getting along?" Rogue asked, causing Logan to growl.
"I know you guys don't get along, but you'll have to once the fighting starts," Sven said.
"Aye, indeed infighting only benefits our enemies," Thor said.
"Well said, but…" Sven put a hand to his head and groaned.
"What's wrong?" Wanda asked.
Alex looked out of the window and widened his eyes at what he saw.
"Guys, it time to suit up," he said.
Rogue and Janet walked to the window and shared Alex in his shock. The sky had literally been ripped open, and a singular object began falling towards the city. They heard an explosion echo in the distance. Alex pulled his cowl over his head and Cap put his helmet on.
"AVENGERS ASSEM…" both men stopped, never finishing the Avengers famous battle cry. Though Cap had declared Havok leader he still at times took command, much to the anger of Rogue, Alex however still kept an open mind.
"Lets get out there and see what's going on," he said.
Sven nearly lost his footing as his armour turned a shade of black, however it instantly turned back into its usual grey shine. Wanda placed her hand on Sven's shoulder, trying to keep him steady. The affection in her eyes caused both Carol and Simon to look at them jealously.
"What is it Sven?" Wanda asked.
"Something from beyond the barrier, from another world entirely," Sven said.
"Then lets go and find out what it wants," Havok said as he opened the door.
Rogue came up behind him, dressed in her green and white uniform with her hood. Wolverine put on his cowl; he was wearing his yellow and blue costume with the Avengers symbol on his left breast. Sunfire put on his famous mask and Wasp shrunk to her insect size, her new costume appeared over her, it consisted of an insect control helmet with a yellow visor over her eyes, a black suit with a yellow 'W' over her chest and a yellow top. Thor however stayed behind, having lost his hammer during the battle with Muramasa. The proud Asgardian warrior cast his eyes to the ground as Aeon, his lover and their protégés joined what some on the streets of New York called the Uncanny Avengers.
Across the barrier, Cade still sunk towards the bottom of the ocean. But on the surface, a band of heroes fought for the safety of the city the Atlanteans invaded. Aquaman fought through squads of soldiers in an effort to get to his brother. Ocean Master lived up to his name, summoning tendrils of water and knocking Superman and Wonder Woman aside. Atlantean tanks moved through the streets, preparing to keep the civilians out of the city. They also began moving equipment towards the centre of the city. The very action of sinking another city didn't sit well with Kaldur'ahm. He was young, only eighteen yet still he saw the pointlessness of war. Kaldur however was a soldier in service of the king of Atlantis, so long as Orm was that king he could no disobey him. Neither could his friends Gar or Tula. The dark skinned Atlantean rested for a moment, running a hand through his shaved white hair. He wore a black sleeveless body suit with red armour on his right arm and shoulder, his suit had red highlights on the hips and the buckle of his belt had the symbol of Atlantis on it. Gar stood across from him with Tula, the young man had black hair and strange purple eyes and wore the same armour as Kaldur but with blue colours. His lover Tula was beautiful and appealing by Atlantean standards, she wore a yellow and green outfit that showed off a lot of skin, including the scale marks on her shoulders and cheeks.
"Is this really the way?" Kaldur asked.
"It's the kings orders, blood for blood," Tula said.
"Vengeance isn't always the answer, and when it is it should be enacted on those responsible, these people had nothing to do with this," Kaldur said.
"Are you sympathetic to the surfacers?" a nearby Atlantean soldier asked.
"Yes, another hour and these people will be like the ones we lost, wondering why it happened to them. Sinking the city may send a message but trapping all of these people with it," Kaldur lowered his head and looked towards the city windows.
Most people were too afraid to leave their homes, to even get to higher ground. Wonder Woman and Superman were assisting those still on the streets. Even Batman was firing lines for people to climb up. But the three, the trinity of the League were under fire from the Atlantean military. A squad of Atlantean soldiers raised their rifles, preparing to fire at Batman's grappling line. Aquaman suddenly tackled the soldiers, knocking them out with the flat part of his trident. Batman threw a flurry of batarangs, knocking out three more soldiers before he resumed his rescue operation. Superman took a tank blast to his back and Wonder Woman deflected several blasts with her bracelets. Ocean Master fired a blast from his staff, hitting Wonder Woman in the chest.
"DIANA!" Superman yelled as his lover crashed into the flooded streets.
"You are both my physical superiors, that much I'm willing to admit surfacers, but in you I sense a weakness to magic," Ocean Master said before firing a blast into Superman, throwing him across the streets.
"Those reinforcements had better be quick Cyborg," Batman said.
He flipped in midair, throwing a smoke bomb into a car. The smokescreen obscured the vision of the Atlantean soldiers, allowing Batman to guide several people to shelter. He then ran out of cover, throwing several explosive batarangs to knock the soldiers back. Batman dived under the water as the Atlantean soldiers fired their rifles at him. Slots on his gauntlets opened, launching miniature rockets out of the water, hitting the soldiers and covering them with dust that dehydrated them. A line then shot out of the water, latching onto a nearby building. Batman grappled into a building and began running through it as the Atlantean tanks bombarded the building. He dived out of a window and swung across the street, finishing his travelling with a glide onto a rooftop.
"CYBORG!" he yelled into the radio.
A nearby Atlantean tank raised its cannon to the building Batman stood on. He reached for his grappling hook as the barrel of the tank glowed. Suddenly, the power inside the tank was converted into electricity and drawn towards someone standing on a nearby car. He was an African American man wearing yellow goggles and a blue suit with lightning symbols across it. Black Lightning smiled as he redirected the power of the tank and fired it into a nearby Atlantean squad. An energy blast then flew into an Atlantean VTOL, knocking it off balance. Cyborg stood in the shallow part of the water and fired several missiles from his back. The missiles slammed into the VTOL before a pillar of water rose from the water, drilling into the VTOL's engines and bringing it to the ground. A family clung to one another as the VTOL flew down towards them. But something unexpected happened, concrete suddenly surrounded the family, forming a convenient cocoon that the VTOL bounded off of. The concrete turned into cement and then formed different colours, long flowing pink hair, grey skin, brown arms that shifted between different elements. The elements formed a woman who smiled at the people she had rescued. A squadron of Atlantean soldiers came up on the ridge behind her, only to be knocked back by a sonic scream. Another sonic wave shot through the city, crushing a tank. Batman looked down from the rooftops towards where the sonic blasts had come from. A woman with long blonde hair stood in the shallow end of the water, smacking Atlantean soldiers with steel clubs. She wore a pair of black boots and jeans and a black top that left her midriff exposed, over the top she wore a black jacket with the wrists rolled up, a pair of black gloves and a domino mask that covered her nose and eyes, unlike the mask Batman's partner wore however it didn't have white lenses and instead revealed the woman's blue eyes.
"Black Canary," Batman identified the martial artist as she unleashed her canary cry.
Canary fired an energy blast into an Atlantean tank, blowing it to bits. A red haired woman ran beside him, launching drills of water into the Atlantean soldiers. She wore a green suit that looked like it had been made of fish scales. Batman recognised her as Aquaman's wife Mera. The woman manipulated the water around her, forming pressurised blasts that knocked the Atlanteans around her back. Batman felt a shadow fly over him and looked to the sky. A man flew over the battlefield. He wore a pair of green trousers with gold armoured boots, an armoured harness covered his chest, with clawed gauntlets on his arms, a helmet with a hawk's wings and beak and a pair of life like wings on his back. He dived into the Atlanteans, hacking them with his axe, he had a savage expression on his face, using a blade on his gauntlet to slice a soldier's gun apart.
"Hawkman," Batman fired his grappling hook and swung into the battle.
He kicked an Atlantean across the face and threw a concussive grenade into another's back. Black Canary jumped over Batman, kicking a female Atlantean soldier before converting her clubs into a pair of nanchaku. She smacked two Atlanteans across their helmets and Batman charged his gauntlets with built in friction devices, creating heat knuckle-dusters that he used to knock out the Atlanteans. The two normally street level vigilantes fought alongside some of the most powerful beings on the planet as equals. Black Lightning punched an Atlantean with an electrically charged fist, just as two of Cyborg's final recruits showed up. One of them was a dark haired woman wearing a black and white uniform, a black cloak, thigh high boots and opera style gloves.
"Snug ot sllehs," the woman chanted, suddenly turning the weapons of the Atlanteans in front of her into shells.
"What good is giving them funny voices going to do…oh I see," the second last recruit said, as if talking to himself.
He raised his red-gloved hands, turning the air around the Atlantean soldiers into helium. It dried out their eyes and throats just enough to disorientate them, allowing Element Woman to smash them with her rock fists. Firestorm smiled to himself, he wore a red suit with a yellow top, the top had numerous glowing atomic symbols on it, his cowl revealed his face and literal fiery hair.
"Good job Ronnie," the face of an African American boy appeared beside Firestorm.
"Thanks Jason, didn't know that about helium," Ronnie Raymond said.
"Read about it on the Internet, Aquaman was once weakened by it," Jason Rusch said.
"Batman, I bought all of our reserve candidates," Cyborg said.
"Zatanna, Mera, I need you to get to Ocean Master's position, where Aquaman is fighting him. If Orm summons a wave big enough to sink the city then you two are the only ones who can stop him. I've worked with the rest of you in the past…"
"Not me Batman, I'm Element Woman, you're super cool," the bright haired heroine said.
"There's something else you need to know Batman, when I got back to the Watchtower with the others we found Dr Shin pretty beat up and Vulko was gone," Cyborg explained.
"Ocean Master seemed just as ignorant as the rest of the Atlantean army is, I think our suspicions were wrong, he didn't trigger the launch from the carrier," Batman explained.
"That's right, Dr Shin told me about Vulko's confession and the surveillance data I acquired confirmed that Vulko was the one who launched those missiles. How or why I don't know, but there's another issue here, the Atlantean army isn't the real threat, not even the bombs they're transporting through the city, its what's coming from the Trench. Those sensors you had me install in the ocean have been bringing back readings, those creatures Aquaman encountered a few months back are coming, and there are millions of them this time," Cyborg bought up holographic images of hideous humanoid piranha creatures.
"Great, the creatures from the straight to DVD Piranha 3," Firestorm sighed.
"Wasn't there already a Piranha 3?" Element woman asked.
"Everyone focus, this isn't unexpected, Vulko wouldn't have triggered this war unless some assurance that he would win, he must have something capable of controlling the Trench. Data indicates that the Atlanteans have two bombs, one moving towards the centre of the city, and another towards the edge, they intend to level the city and then flood the rest of it," Batman explained.
"What's the plan?" Black Canary asked.
"Zatanna and Mera will go and help Aquaman, Cyborg, Black Canary and Firestorm will go after the other bomb and the rest of us will go after Vulko," Batman said.
"You want him dead or alive?" Hawkman asked, landing behind Batman.
"No killing if we can help it, Superman, Wonder Woman," the dark knight called into his communicator.
"What is it Batman?" Superman asked as he threw a tank aside.
Wonder Woman wrapped her lasso around a VTOL and threw it into a squad of Atlanteans.
"A bomb is being taken downtown, you two need to get it out of the city and quickly," Batman said.
Superman fired his heat vision into an Atlantean squad, turning the water around them into steam and dehydrating them so much that they fell to their knees. He nodded to Diana and the pair flew into the city.
"KALDUR! STOP SUPERMAN AND HIS WOMAN NOW!" Orm yelled into his radio.
Aquaman knocked two soldiers aside and looked up at his brother. He saw in place of the scowling conqueror a young dark haired man in a sleeveless red and black suit.
"Arthur, it wasn't people on the surface who caused the incident with Atlantis," Batman explained what he had discovered to Aquaman via the earpiece he had given him.
Arthur widened his eyes in shock. Vulko had been his advisor during his temporary reign over Atlantis but had also been a father figure and friend. He never believed Vulko could betray him, but Vulko had no love for the surface world and he had been Arthur's most vocal opponent of his abdication.
"ORM!" Aquaman yelled.
He ran to his brother, whom took his approach as hostile. Orm raised his trident and slammed it into Arthur's.
"A part of me is thankful to see you alive, but I have a duty as king to destroy the enemies of Atlantis, and you are now one of those enemies."
"It wasn't a human that fired those missiles into Atlantis Orm, Vulko is behind all of this."
"Your royal servant? Lies!"
Cade could hear them all, even as he fell towards the trench. He could feel them as well, the emotions their souls gave off. He could sense Batman's faith in Aquaman, Mera's love for him, the emotions of anger and love that swirled within Ocean Master as he fought with his brother. Aquaman had doubts, as did another called Kaldur. They were all fighting desperately, but for what, there would be no happy ending. Cade looked up, he couldn't see the light of the moon anymore yet he could still feel the will of the people fighting on the surface.
'What's the point, this world doesn't need me, it needs them,' he sighed as he raised a hand to the edge of his helmet.
He was going to crack open the rest of his helmet, let himself drown or be crushed by the depths of the water. But just as he was about to tear the helmet off he felt a hand touch his. Cade looked to his side and saw what should have been a ghost. She was a ghostly image, like an energy form with only her face and beautiful hair showing.
"You're still alive, you're here for a reason, its up to you to find it," she said and smiled as she began floating upwards.
"No, LAURA!" he yelled the woman's name.
"Open your eyes my love, bear their pain, turn it into your strength, we're all here for a reason."
Cade let out a yell as his suddenly began to shine between different colours. First they growled red as he watched Arthur and Orm clash, then yellow as the reserve league fought, his eyes turned an indigo colour as Kaldur looked at the dead bodies floating through the streets, to violent as Mera looked towards Aquaman, orange as the Trench swam towards the surface, hope as Vulko looked down at Aquaman from a rooftop and will as Batman found the former royal advisor. The shifting colours converted to a white colour before Cade's whole world went white. All Cade could hear for a while was his own breathing, and then he heard a baby crying, an explosion, a gunshot, a crash of lightning, a crash and a scream. He quickly realised he was hearing his own cries of agony.
"What…what are you trying to show me?" he asked. "What am I supposed to see?"
He yelled in pain again as his armour was tripped from his body. His suit changed to a white colour. The pain stopped and he floated in front of a box of some kind.
"Open it and see their pain," he heard a voice speak.
"I don't want their pain, I DON'T WANT THEIR WORLD!" he yelled as his suit changed to a red colour.
"None of us did," Hercules, a man he had killed in his world suddenly appeared behind him.
"But we made choices," another dead hero, the original Captain Marvel appeared.
"We struggled through pain," the Kree warrior was followed by Falcon.
"And found redemption through that pain," Bucky Barnes at first appeared in his Winter Soldier guise, before his Captain America uniform appeared around him.
Cade reached towards the box, his uniform changed to a yellow colour.
"Do not fear," Nighthawk said.
"If you are afraid you won't move forward," the former villain's friend Constrictor appeared behind him.
"And if you don't move forward, many more people will be joining us," Quicksilver appeared with his arms crossed.
Cade grit his teeth together as his uniform turned green. He grabbed the edges of the box and lifted it open, releasing a bright golden light that consumed him.
Next Chapter 7: Mighty Amazo
Where was Cade? What does he have to see? Find out in two chapter's time. Next time however Sven, Zack, the Marvels and the Uncanny Avengers join forces with Luke Cage's Mighty Avengers and the newly resurrected Scarlet Spider to fight a threat sent from beyond the barrier, Amazo the android, but he's not just any Amazo as Onyx reveals next chapter.
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, I'm beginning to take the first steps towards Cade accepting his situation and the fact that killing himself will not suffice in terms of finding redemption and Sven is beginning to discover the DC universe too and is even willing to crack open reality to find the person important to him, but what will happen when he and the Avengers discover that its Cade and not Sieg he is sensing? Keep reading to find out