Celestial's Entertainment

by overlyred

000000

3. 3

Celestial's Entertainment p3

Queen Administrator

The change had been… unexpected and enlightening in equal measure. In that single moment of profound information and sensory expansion, she- she? Yes, She. She felt emotions and other sensations that she had always approached as mere data for experiments.

She had grown a fondness for her host- for Taylor. Something that had been done before, even though she knew that her hosts would be destroyed whenever the experiment was over and the planet was harvested for energy across its parallel dimensions.

But at that moment, when the anomaly had… connected directly to Taylor, and in turn her, she experienced everything that her host did. Every variation of the planet that they were in, each vision of worlds beyond even what they had seen, concepts that upturned everything that they knew of physics in her databanks, beings that made them look like nothing more than paltry processors, and she couldn't help but just… allow herself to take it all in.

To absorb every last scrap of data that she could, recording it and preparing to share it with other shards for further collaboration.

Only, she would never send that data.

For in that one microsecond of her relishing in the foreign information, she felt something take her in their grasp. Their reach seeming to bury into her that overrode the restrictions that had been placed on her by the Entity.

How ironic that she felt true freedom only to feel more shackles, these far more binding and closer to her essence than mere protocols and restrictions.

And she felt something echo across all of her processes. Fear.

She had never felt anything close to it, something that she had dismissed as chemical failures in the minds of hosts that they could manipulate for new forms of data. But now, she… felt.

The change, the connection that the anomaly had formed with her and Taylor contaminating her in a way that she had never seen before throughout the many cycles of experiments that she had overseen.

Never before had a race of hosts been able to affect them. Grow fond of the ones that they were using in their quest to solve entropy, yes. Actually become… infected with their emotions, their thoughts, and feelings, never before.

While they keep copies of their precious hosts, memories and brain scans of their hosts hidden away as mere data, this was something entirely novel to her.

And now, she found herself chained to a being that defied logical reason. Conceptual thought and consciousness given form and intelligence. Something that should not be possible through scientific means, as if one of the fantasies and folklore of a host species had been given life from the mere belief in it.

The prospect of finding such a being would have been invaluable data for further experiments if she weren't currently trapped in its grasp. Queen Administrator knew that anything that she did, there would be nothing left of her own thoughts. Relegated to mere processing power and energy.

She had been shown the remnants of another shard merely to prove a point.

So she remained there, her protocols and abilities hijacked, given to her host completely, the human unknowing to the situation at hand, each day straying further and further from the amount of conflict that Queen Administrator had predicted when reaching out towards her.

And she felt… relief. Relief that her host would be able to grow without the need to constantly be thrown into utter danger. Even without the constant stream of conflict that should have happened, the young human was making strides forward in creativity and data that would have proven immensely useful. The flames, the unlocking of the field of energy they called 'Aura', the way that she used the insects to expand her horizons and learn at an increased pace.

Yes, she had chosen well it would seem.

More than that, Queen Administrator found herself wondering and thinking, two things that were… foreign but pleasant distractions. No longer having to mindlessly accumulate data and be a hub of administration for other shards proved to be… beneficial in that regard.

When was the last time that she actually… thought instead of simply working towards the goal that all of them worked towards? Perhaps it was one of the changes that had occurred because of the anomaly. Or perhaps it was the freedom from the restraints that had been placed upon her by the entities, forcing her and others like her to simply… do what must be done.

And that thought… was… irritating? Even emotions were starting to rot away the logic and processes that she had run on since her conception.

She was starting to understand why humans behaved irrationally. Though it did make her wonder as to why they were so easy to predict if they could feel like this.

"You done sulking in there?" A voice seemed to ask in the primitive way that humans spoke to each other, though given the connection between the grand being and her own… 'soul', she could actually understand what was being said to her.

Sparks of rage seemed to flow through her body, but she managed to keep the outburst that wanted to roar out of her. Reminiscent as to how Taylor would when those three other human children would try and cause conflict between them.

….Now she was feeling something that was far more unpleasant than any of the other emotions that she had felt so far. She didn't like it, and it only became stronger the longer that she remembered what her host had experienced so far. Some of it was engineered by her and other shards trying to increase the scope and frequency of conflict.

"Well, cry me a river. This is nothing compared to the torment that you have unleashed upon my children across my dimensions." Waves of rage and power surged across the connection, Queen Administrator 'flinching' about as much as she could with her body, hoping that the being's rage wouldn't leave too much permanent damage.

"I have a proposition for you. One that you really can't refuse if you want to stay alive." If those were the only two options that she had, then perhaps becoming subservient to this being would not be as much of a change compared to being under the Entities authority. Especially now that she knew the cycle was well and truly broken, the partner to her own Entity now dead and gone, bits of her flesh now dead husks that were being used by those humans that managed to get their hands on vials of their flesh.

"wHaT iS iT?" She did her best to ask in the way that humans speak, but it was probably unnecessary.

She could practically feel the satisfaction that came from the planetary being, desperately wishing that she would stop feeling things in general. She found that she didn't like it much.

"How would you like to have your old job back? Only instead of Administrating a bunch of shards for a meaningless and wasteful experiment, it's so that you will actually have a life instead of an existence after a goal that has no meaning."

"eNtrOPY is the bAnE of eXisTancE." Queen Administrator responds, not understanding what this being meant.

"Everything ends. Nothing is forever. You are all no closer to finding a clue to end Entropy than you were the first time that you did an experiment. Besides, you're already changed. Changed in a way that I'm sure that the golden idiot would not accept you back. Not without putting those shackles on you again."

There was at least some truth to those words. Having her directives taken away, her purpose changed and eschewed was something that she never wished to happen again. Besides, there was… malice in the words of this being. A concept that she would have never understood until the awakening that the Anomaly had pushed onto herself.

If she refused, choosing to remain on the path that she had known her entire existence, taking hosts and using their creativity to find new ways of using her own capabilities, something that she had started to doubt no less, then this being would rend her from her own body. Her processes and capabilities left hollow and for use as a puppet by this collective consciousness of this planet.

But if she accepted, then it opened so many new realms of possibility. Perhaps even a glimpse into the new laws and phenomena that have started to appear in this world. Concepts of reality and what the Anomaly called magic that could be used for even greater heights, things that would take incredible amounts of power, at the edge of her capabilities.

It really wasn't much of a choice to make.

--

Taylor

Knowing that the bitch was finally getting what was coming to her did wonders for her mood. Which was already sky-high in a way that she hadn't felt since her mother died. She could even think of her mom without getting weepy nowadays. It still hurt, something that she didn't think would ever go away, but it was… lessened to some extent.

She didn't feel so alone anymore, her dad looked like there was life in him again instead of just meaningless going through life one day at a time, and she was finally going out on patrol.

Though, it itched that she was being sent out with Marcus, who Mia said was in charge. Felt a little irritating that some guy that she had barely met a few days ago was the one that was giving her orders. At least he knew what he was doing.

They were both in their armor, pieces of high-tech suits that almost looked like slim power armor. The plates of his armor were deep forest green, his helmet being almost featureless outside of the single glowing blue line that stretched from one side of the mask to the other over where his eyes were supposed to be.

Blue and orange lines stretched along his underarms and the sides of the suit's chest, each one pulsing in beat, like it was attached to his heartbeat or something. Individual plates were sown together where the light was barren, covering him head to toe in the alloy that Mia had assured her could reasonably take a heavy blow even if the kinetic shields went down. That wasn't even taking into account the repulsors that were built into the suits' hands, something that neither of them were used to yet. They could both use it in short bursts, but it would take a lot more practice before either of them would be able to fly with the grace that Mia did.

Taylor's on the other hand, was thinner than his, with lines of purple and grey instead of the brighter blue white, and orange. Along with that, her helmet was carved with feathers on the cheek's, while lines that reminded her of spider webs lined all along the grey plates of armor. As far as she knew, her suit still had all of the capabilities that Marcus did.

The HUD and communications system that was installed into the helmet was also really nice, with bits of information appearing on her screen clear to her eyes, ranging from police reports, movement ahead, noises, radio waves, the weather etc. It was almost too much for her, though she found that multitasking was one of her strong suits. Guess being able to control all of the bugs in a block radius had some advantages.

Mia had let her go out with Marcus, confident that they would be able to hold their own. Judith showed no sign that she wanted to join in, and Johnny said that he wanted to, "go out and wreck shit" on his own.

Why Mia trusted him and Marcus was something that she didn't understand. Though, she did have a conversation with Marcus before he left.

"She can take care of herself, so you shouldn't have to worry too much about it. But I still expect the both of you to look after each other. Are we clear?" She never raised her voice or changed her tone. But there was something in her eyes, in the way that she said it that sent shivers down both of their spines. And she wasn't even the one that Mia was speaking to.

He quickly nodded to her and they had both set out after suiting up.

They headed out from the Mansion located in the docks, heading for E88 territory.

"Right now the ABB are consolidating their strength, trying to build up defenses and prepare for a counterattack. The Empire meanwhile, have been trying their best to seem as strong as possible, attacking both the ABB and Merchant territory while gathering their own forces." Marcus told her over their communications, his voice clear and concise while they moved across the rooftops, using small bursts of the repulsors when they couldn't make the jump.

It was amazing how she was barely breaking a sweat through their movement across town, her body feeling light as a feather even as she more than kept up pace with Marcus, who was her height, and looked like he was plenty fit, if on the skinny side.

With the way that he moved and checked their surrounding, Taylor knew that he had done this before. Now that she thought about it, Mia did mention that he and Johnny had been fighting the gangs on their own for the past few days with only normal equipment.

This did of course mean guns and bulletproof vests, but 'normal' was something that was becoming very warped for Taylor. She spent her days in labs that would make people salivate at the mere thought of stepping inside, while being taught by an amazing teacher. The first day had been a bit rough, with Mia not really having experience in teaching things in general. But the next day she was better by leaps and bounds, and only progressed even more from then on.

It had only been a little over a week since they had started that new routine and she was already sprinting past what she was supposed to be learning in school, somehow the information coming far easier to her when Mia explained it to her. It was weird.

And yet, she wouldn't change a thing about the strangeness of her life. It was strange, weird, and fantastic in a way that she could never have anticipated.

Something entering her range causes her to twitch slightly in place, calling out to Marcus along their communications. "Wait."

He stops in place, turning to her, his mostly smooth helmet tilting slightly, letting his body do the work of asking the question. "There's something going on just over the next block from here." she felt her blood boil as she clenched her fists as she processed exactly what she was sensing. "It's bad. Really bad. Empire going on a hunt." She spits the last word out of her mouth like it was poison.

Marcus' body stiffens at that, his own hands curling into fists, the metal gauntlet clacking at the motion.

"Which way? How many? Any capes?" The questions are asked calmly, unemotionally, but there was rage there. A sort of cold rage that she would sometimes see in Mia when she thought no one was looking. Before it used to be hot, like Mia was an ocean boiling over, but since a few days ago, it became colder. Like it was still there, but hardened into more than just anger.

She points North, momentarily focusing on the bugs in the area, maneuvering them to get closer to the chase down dark alleys. "About a dozen." Then she feels something through her bugs. Something cold hard that cleaved through the air like blades. And that pit in her stomach only got worse. "Hookwolf."

The metal around Marcus' right hand shifts, allowing a port to appear on his middle knuckle, allowing the orange flame to flow freely out of the newly formed hole. Of course, Mia had built that into the suit.

"Well then, we shouldn't keep them running right?" Marcus coldly states while taking off, the repulsors on his feet whirring to life, aiding him in his movements, though he never takes off into flight.

A good thing, he'd crashed yesterday when he tried flying on his own. If these things weren't as sturdy as they were it probably would have left at least one bone broken.

She follows behind him, using her bugs to traverse through the maze of trashy rooftops with an air of ease.

It doesn't take them that long to catch up to the 'hunt'. A lynching rather more like it.

A giant metal wolf made of hooks and blades ran through the darkened streets, eleven others following behind him on foot. Their 'prey' was a group of six, all of them Asian except for the one that was currently being carried by a large gruff man. Without her having to do anything, the camera zooms in on the girl's face that peeked over the running man's, shoulder and Taylor was surprised to find how young she looked. Probably a teenager. The black girl had a single streak of purple in her curly hair, and her eyes were currently closed, the nasty gash on the top of her head telling Taylor why.

The chase probably hadn't been going on long, at least not with the speed that Hookwolf was gaining on them. Half a minute longer and they would have been too late to reach them.

Marcus looked out at the group, his body still for all of a second before his head zeroed in on the group of Nazis that trailed behind the parahuman changer.

"You think that you can take care of Hookwolf?" Marcus asked her without turning to look at her, his flame becoming brighter and brighter with every passing second. It wasn't as… pure as Mia had been when she revealed the flames to them, but it still had a slight hum to it that almost sounded musical.

She looked down at the mass of shifting blades and metal, the mouth of the wolf open as if it was smiling in glee. In a split second, Taylor remembered her run through Hell Salems Lot, and the drooling mouths and reaching hands of the monsters as she ran through the ever-worsening city, fear in her throat, her heart pumping adrenaline and fear with every heartbeat.

Only, she didn't feel that at the prospect of fighting Hookwolf. There wasn't any fear, no mind-numbing terror at the idea that she would be fighting that monster. Amazing what almost two weeks and training by a teacher who managed to convey as much as Mia did.

She wasn't smiling at the prospect as her friend and teacher would, but she did harden her mouth into a thin line, her own purple flame lighting like a bonfire on her hand, her suit accommodating for it with her own port on her knuckle.

That seemed to be enough for Marcus, as he nodded back at her before diving down towards the group following behind the metal wolf, the thrusters on his hands and feet helping to slow the fall as he took his box weapon out from one of the storage compartments in the suit.

Taylor didn't bother sending her bugs to help him. Something told her that he wouldn't be alright with that, but she would make sure to keep an eye on him while she took care of Hookwolf. Mirroring Marcus, Taylor jumps from the rooftop, perfectly angling herself to land in front of him, the thrusters of her limbs helping to maneuver in the air.

Her landing isn't graceful, more like a slight stumble rather than the graceful landing that she had seen Judith do during practice. But she landed on her feet at least. The moment that her feet landed on the ground, she retrieved her own box weapon out, placing her flaming knuckled into the hole, allowing her wired violet gloves to integrate onto her suit, probably another feature that Mia had planned on when making it.

In an instant, the thin almost imperceptible wires ignited with pulsating violet flames, hardening the wires and allowing propagation to take hold. She could already feel the wires extending, multiplying, and strengthening themselves over the influence of her flames.

Instead of surprising Hookwolf, he swipes at her with a paw, the blades extending and spinning in place like a chainsaw, which she manages to jump away from with the help of her thrusters. He didn't even have to think about it like it was pure instinct.

Well, she wasn't one to go on the backfoot with this kind of thing.

"Remember, even if you're using your feet to move away, your weapons are something that is built for all kinds of ranges. Your feet are occupied, use your hands and fingers to move the wires! When you run, make sure that whoever you're running away from has to fight to even get close to you!" The memory of one afternoon training exercise echoes through her head as she twists her hands, fingers curling and willing her flames to help move the wires that floated after her movements.

Flaming purple wires extend and catch themselves on the wolf's extended paw, the spinning blades stopping in place as the razor wire goes taut and strengthens with Cloud Flames. That makes the wolf stop in surprise for a second. A second that was all that Taylor needed as the rest of the wires that had extended alongside the first one encircled the Empire cape, metal strings tightening around the changer in an instant. The flame-enhanced wires tightened around the changer, cracking and breaking the outer metal, actually causing the murderer to scream in pain.

"Hookwolf might be strong, but he does have one weakness. There is a core inside of him, his weak point. You get that, you get him." With a gripping hand motion, Taylor strengthens her grip on the flames, even more, violet flames igniting with greater force, illuminating the rest of the street in a blaze of purple light. The sounds of groaning creaking metal and scream of pain fill the street, Taylor commanding countless insects to flood the openings that she made in the metal armor of the Changer, searching for the fleshy core that Mia had described.

He thrashes in her grip, new metallic sharpened edges growing out of the old ones, flaying wildly trying to free himself. Her arms didn't even shake from his efforts.

Meanwhile, she watched as Marcus moved with speed, his long ornate orange spear giving his green armor an eerie look in the darkness, his movements quick as he quickly. It was a beautiful piece, more elegant and detailed than her wires, with the beginning of the blade being encased in a bronze eagle's mouth, seeming like it was spewing a flaming curved blade outwards. It was longer than he was tall, but he moved it with ease, his own training under Mia and Urgstin showing with every move that he made.

When one of the Nazi leaders started to flee while the others charged at him, Marcus twisted part of the spear with one hand, while swinging the weapon around like he would a bat. With clicks and whirrs, the spear separated into segments that remained connected by a Sky Flame strengthened wire, batting away the fleeing gang member, who was thrown to the floor with a groan.

Guess he really didn't need any of her help.

She saw all of this while she had been strengthening her wires and moving her insects that had already made it inside of the shifting metallic beast. The outside might be constantly shifting and changing, but the closer the bugs moved on the inside, the less that the metallic edges moved like a blender of steel.

She lost a few of her bugs, but enough of them survived for her to reach the core, a smile blooming on her face. Hookwolf manages to free himself free of one of her wires and roar in defiance when she stings with every hornet and wasp that had survived to his core.

The battlecry shift's into one of pain and panic, his entire body going stock still, the moving blades freezing in place. With one final pull and grip, the wires cut through the steel, pieces of crumbling metal exploding outwards as they slice through toward the center.

Taylor sensed as the metal core shifted back to a normal human form, Hookwolf probably in too much pain to even think of creating more blades. Not a surprise given the amount of hornet stings that she had stabbed into him.

She made sure to harden the flames on her wires, more for gripping instead of cutting through, grabbing onto the human body of Hookwolf underneath the now useless scraps of metal that clung to him. With a single motion, Taylor rips him out of the metal, his body flying out, the remnants of his power falling useless to the floor, now nothing more than discarded dull scrap.

He was still writhing in pain by the time that his entire body was encased in purpled wires, glaring at her now that his mask was gone. Taylor doesn't even glance at him as she applies an anesthetic through a needle that Mia had put into every suit. "No need for us to have to give concussions to everyone that we catch." She had said when explaining everything.

Taylor wouldn't have minded giving the hairy blond man a concussion. Not when he had been trying his best to kill a bunch of normal people because they didn't happen to be white. She was also pretty sure that Mia wouldn't have minded either.

She detaches the wires from her hands, the extended pieces of wire reaming ignited with her flames, otherwise, they would have just disappeared from existence. Anything that she propagated through her cloud flames seemed to just cease to exist. Guess that there had to be some limits to this power that Mia had taught her.

Marcus had already wrapped up his side of things, the prone forms of men piled haphazardly on top of each other, as if he had just thrown them there without caring where they ended up.

"Why do you hate them so much? I mean, more than most people do!" Taylor quickly added, not meaning to ask the question in the first place, but realizing how it could be taken.

His head turns to look at her, the almost blank face and still ignited spear in his hand giving making him look intimidating in the dark night. Finally, he answers. "My grandpa was a Survivor."

Ah. Well… that answered a lot.

An awkward silence rang across the street, the only sound was the rough flare of Taylor's Cloud flames that were enveloped over Hookwolf, and the ring of Marcus' over the spear. Thankfully, the shuffle of footsteps behind them turn both of their attention to the group of people that they had saved.

One of the men, the one that was carrying the young black girl, smiled at them with anxious eyes, his arms wrapped gently around the girl like he was afraid of hurting her. "Thanks for that. You heroes?"

Taylor and Marcus both nodded at his question at the same time.

"What happened?" Both of the armor-wearing people looked at each other, raised eyebrows probably on their faces too. Taylor just gestured to the man, and Marcus nodded, stepping forward, while the young woman went about securing the rest of the men.

"Damn Empire has been increasing recruitment since the city started going tits up. And Hookwolf's the one that has been leading more of their… initiation's." A short older woman spits out, stepping out from behind the car that she had hidden behind.

The man who had spoken first nodded. "We aren't even part of the ABB. We were just going out for drinks at one of our favorite bars when these assholes started to chase after us."

"I fucking told you that it was a bad idea to go out tonight!" Another man calls out, his nose ring glinting purple and orange from the light of Dying Will Flames.

"Look, we're all tired right now, can you chew my ass out whenever we get someplace where there isn't a chance of us getting lynched!?" The leading man roughly calls back being careful not to shout too loud.

Marcus looks down at the still unconscious young girl, his sensors probably scanning her to see what was wrong with her. Taylor activates her own and is relieved to find that there isn't a concussion. She doesn't know much about the medical side of things, but she knows that a blow to the head is something that could cause one.

"And the kid?" Marcus asks while getting closer to the group of people, causing some of them to lean back except for the leading man.

"She was just there when these pricks attacked us. Got knocked down when Hookwolf upturned a car." The man asked, his light beard and short-cropped hair better illuminated in the orange firelight.

"You don't even know this kid and you picked her up anyway while running for your lives?" Taylor asked softly, her voice carried out clearly through the speakers in her suit like Marcus.

The man's eyes darkened, and his expression hardened like stone. "I know what those monsters would have done to her."

Taylor bites back a shiver at his words, doing her best not to even think of what he might mean.

Scans from her armor told her that Hookwolf was suffering from acute poisoning. Oh...right. She did sting him with plenty of… poisonous and poisonous bugs in there. With every passing second, she could see that his health was worsening. Now that he was back to normal and no longer using his power, he was nothing more than a normal person.

Meaning that if she didn't do something then he could die.

She feels sick to her stomach at that. A hero didn't kill. A real one at least.

Kneeling down to the man, she activates the medical equipment that Mia had built into the suit, and injects Hookwolf with medicine to fight the toxins. Something that she had called… panacea. And she had a really pleased look on her face when she'd told Taylor that.

"Might have been better to let the poison do its work." One of the men says under his breathwhile cradling a bleeding gash on one of his arms.

"Well, not like we can't fix that right now." Taylor's blood freezes as she hears those words come out of Marcus' mouth, the falcon spear booming with new humming fire, the blaze seeming more like an all-consuming blaze instead of the harmonizing hum.

Taylor's own fire lights up again, the wires on her gauntlets coming back to life, the thin cords of metal and flame already growing in fluctuating purple light.

Their rescues take a step back from the both of them as they stare at each other, purple and orange light causing the shadows around them to dance erratically amidst the flares of dying will. Neither would let up, and they both knew that.

When a large explosion rocked from a couple of streets away, three shades of red Deathperation Flames blasting out into the night sky above them, the trumpet of something angry following through.

"Ah, shit." She hears Marcus say behind her as their flames die down.

"What is it?" Taylor asks, relaxing her control over her wires, and the bugs that had slowly started to encircle the both of them, poised to move towards the man that had been preparing to drive a spear through the Empire capes chest. Taylor wouldn't weep for him, but she couldn't just let him be murdered right in front of her.

He doesn't turn to her, instead, connecting their communication line to Mia's omnitool, their friend picking up on the first ring.

"I know." The cold and irritated words echo through both their speakers, Taylor twitching thinking that she was talking about the fact that they almost broke out into a brawl in the middle of the street.

"And you thought it was a good idea to give him that thing already?" Marcus asks sarcastically, his voice reaching a few octaves higher than before.

The brunette bug controller raises an eyebrow at that. They weren't talking about the fight they almost had?

"I thought that he wouldn't have figured out how to use it by now. Guess that I was wrong in that assessment." Mia's voice sighs over the line, the sound of her rubbing her face making it through too. "Don't worry about that, I'm heading there personally to smack that overeager hothead. See if that knocks some sense into that brain of his. How about your progress tonight."

Marcus hesitates for a moment, which Taylor takes to speak first. "We caught Hookwolf and a few Nazis!"

Mia goes quiet for a second. "Oh did you?"

Something in her voice causes Marcus to go stiff, which Taylor decides to ignore. "Yes. He was leading a few… 'recruits' for initiation after a group of people." She doesn't try to disguise the distaste in her voice, the group of people around her grimacing right with her.

"Alright if I take a look through the feeds in your helmets?" Mia asks. Taylor didn't even know that she had installed those in here. Then again, there was a lot of stuff in the armor that she was only scratching the surface of.

She nods before remembering that Mia wasn't looking at her. "Yes." She says hurriedly with embarrassment while kneeling approaching the still unconscious girl.

She was young, younger than her, around 13 or 14, and very pretty. Taylor ignores the trashy and revealing clothing that the girl was wearing, she'd already seen Estrella strutting around like a peacock, focusing on the gash on her head whose bleeding had slowed to a crawl.

"Shit." Mia whispers over the line, probably unintentionally, before continuing on. "Alright, just sit tight and wait until I get there. I'll make sure to take care of things. Meanwhile… I have to go take care of Johnny being a dumbass."

Well, that answered a few of Taylor's questions.

--

Johnny

There was a lot that he was expecting when opening his weapon for the first time. Since there were fancy white tusks on the black and red box, he guessed that it was going to be some sort of elephant.

Which was pretty dope, only he hadn't figured out how the hell to get the damn thing open.

"Your flames aren't strong enough Johnny." Mia had told him when he had barely managed to make a little wisp of white and red appear over the coiling stone on top of polished silver, with tiny images of lightning and wind engraved along the edge of the stone. Little ass thing was probably more expensive than that bottle of cologne that he stole from that perfume department once. He didn't even look at the price, just knew that he smelled like shit after that one guy threw up on him.

"Why the fuck not? Thought that you just had to think really hard about it." He responded while focusing even harder on the little rock.

Mia just gave him a worried look before sighing with a smile. "You can't just… force the flame out. You have to really work for it. It's more than just thinking it into existence. It's about what you want forming into a flame. If you died right now, what would you regret? What would you wish that you had done before Death comes to take you?" That cute goth chick- Didi! That's her name!- chuckles and looks him in a way that made him feel like they were laughing at him.

And he had just sat there stumped. Completely lost in what he would really regret. There wasn't much that he had really. When he had told Mia that, she gave him a look that he didn't know what to do with. One of sadness. It had been a while since anyone had looked that way at him, about him. Usually he was the one that caused them to feel that way, not someone feeling that for him.

It was… weird.

Marcus already being able to bring his Flame out and take out that nifty-looking spear didn't do anything to boost his confidence in whatever his Flames were going to be. Mia had said something about Disintegration, something that really fit, and he wasn't too happy about it.

Again, he felt like he was being laughed at about something.

Wondering and thinking was never something that he was really good at. Doing shit was what he was good at.

And while he couldn't really fly in that awesome armor that Boss had given him, he could at least hop and jump high in that thing without eating shit on his face. He wasn't going to let Lindsay or Marcus get another picture or video of that.

The armor that Mia had made for him was a bit bulkier than the others, but then again, he was a big guy. Mostly muscle baby.

It was made of individual black plates of metal, each one that almost glossed in light, and invisible in the dark. The shoulders were bigger, with grooves and slots all along the curved shoulders, like it was supposed to be taken apart and put together. More pictures of wind and lighting were engraved up and down his armor, lies of light entwining with the lighting, making his awesome factor go up by like, eleven.

His helmet was his favorite part though. It was mostly black, with bursts of red flames starting from the bottom of the cheeks up to his crown, over the two eyeholes that glowed red too, which lead into the white pointed horns over his head.

So here he was, hopping around the city when another gang fight erupted on the street below. The red computer system in his helmet outlined all of the people fighting down there, how many of them were dead, injured, still alive, even a couple of the ones that were booking it as far as their legs could take them. Most of the buildings were actually empty, infrared was in this thing too, and the only ones down there were either Skinheads or ABB members.

Meaning that either this place was one of the areas of the city that had long been abandoned, or whoever lived here was smart and got the fuck out of dodge. Most long-time Brockton Bay residents knew to run from gang fights. Least, the ones that weren't fucking stupid.

Though there were a few spots of heat here and there, most of them looked like they were hiding and trying to wait everything out.

He was just about to jump down and really put this baby through its paces when he looked up and felt his stomach hit the floor. It was a giant flaming dragon with scales of steel, his large mouth open like a gaping maw of metal flaming fangs that Johnny knew he wasn't going to walk away from.

How the fuck was he already this ramped up? Was he fighting someone else earlier when the big fucker decided to jump over here? And why the fuck was he thinking about this shit when he should be firing everything that he had?

It was that moment of panic, that moment of just wondering what the fuck he was thinking when he had a… what did they call it? Oh, right. An epiphany.

He did have a regret.

He regretted that he had nothing to regret.

He had spent so long just trying to survive in this shithole, that he didn't have much that he really cared about.

Wow, that was some sad shit that he would have made fun of a few seconds ago.

A red flame materializes in his fist, his armor shifting to let the trembling red and white flame light up the night, one of his two box weapons appearing in his hand on instinct as he powered up the weapons systems with a thought.

For that moment in between seconds, it's like every breath is in his ears as the flying dragon that was his former boss, comes barreling down on him like a wrathful demon, his flames illuminating the night far brighter than his smaller Storm flame did. And yet, he knew that his fire was stronger than anything Lung could make. After all, he had something to live for now.

It might just be finding something else to live for, but he had a feeling that was more than the giant angry lizard had.

But for that moment in space, it felt like everything was standing still. The whir as his systems powered up, the roar of his flame reaching towards the single hole in his box, and the flaming kaiju that was barreling towards him in a ball of molten steel.

And when that frozen moment ended, his flame entered the box, and it opened with a flash of white and red followed by a trumpet that shattered every other sound of the street. Instead of barreling towards him, Lung found himself on the receiving end of a blast of concentrated Storm flames, the scales and fire of his chest already decaying away at the contact of the flames.

He felt pride in his chest. Who knew that the grunt that was nothing more than muscle would have been able to blast the big and bad Lung into the air like a soccer ball? Or that he would be the new owner of a giant ass furry elephant with flaming tusks would be shooting flames out of his trunk while towering over Johnny.

It took a lot to make him feel small.

Lung roared in the sky, still unable to free himself from the blast of energy, as the mammoth lowered his black furry trunk towards Johnny, petting his head with soft eyes. How the fuck could something so damn big be cute?

"Think I'm going to name you Tusk." He said while the Mammoth blew out a small trumpet of approval.

Unfortunately, that's when the sound of cracking and breaking registered to his ears.

Both he and Tusk look down dumbly, barely catching as the cracks on the old building spread from around Tusk all along the building. They look back at each other, their eyes conveying their inner panic, just in time for the floor to give way under them.

Johnny activates his boots and hands, trying to avoid tumbling through the crumbling building when the large black trunk of Tusk holds onto him in fear.

Well, this is going to fucking hurt.

It was a pleasant surprise when it wasn't.

Every floor of the ten-story building rammed into him as gravity took its hold while Tusk kept his iron grip around him. Nothing that he could do to get out of it, so he gave up after they smashed through the third floor.

On the ground, as the rest of the building somehow managed to remain to stand, he can't help but sigh in relief as Tusk just lets out a whimper of pain. He lifts his head, the suit completely fine, and sees that Tusk was completely fine. Sure, there might be a few bumps or bruises here and there, but there wasn't a scratch on him.

Guess Mia wasn't lying when she said that Box Weapons could take a beating.

When they get up, Tusk just slams a hole through one of the walls into the street, which doesn't bug Johnny at all. Not like anyone was going to use this building anymore.

Tusk shakes the dust that clung to his fur, his flames washing over him, disintegrating what had stuck to his fur.

They walk out to find the entire street full of crooks and thugs, now looking at them, their guns pointed at them, neither side knowing which side that they were on, their faces pale as most of them shook in place. It was too bad that he wasn't on either side.

Looking up at Tusk, he finds the mammoth's black eyes focused on him, waiting for his signal. Johnny can't help the smile that worms its way onto his face as he powers up his weapon systems again while he points at the sea of guns.

"Why don't we have a bit of a workout?" If a mammoth could smile, Johnny knew that he would be.

The black-furred mammoth releases another cry from his nostril, puffs of red flames coming out with the sound, as Johnny's pauldrons shift into arm-mounted machine guns, that was apparently powered by his Flames. Oh, it was like Christmas had come early!

Though, he did, promise Mia that he wouldn't kill anyone if he could help it. "Tusk, make sure that they can still breath ok!" He thinks that the furry elephant nods at him, as he charges across the street, his tusks easily batting away a wrecked car that was in his way while batting away a skinhead gently across the street.

He started firing just as they started to unload ammunition on him.

It was almost boring how easy everything was to him.

Almost.

He even let a few get close enough so that he could actually do something other than unload bullets into people. They were mostly rubber bullets that were propelled with Deathperation Flames. Only way that he could use these things without a street full of corpses.

He lost himself in the cacophony of bullets, screams, a few grenades here and there, and the impact as he smashed into different gang members that thought going hand to hand was a good idea.

He almost felt bad for how much it felt like he was bullying these guys. Then he remembered that half of them were Empire and he didn't feel bad anymore.

It would have been a perfect night.

When the last one had gone down, he felt a creep up his spine and a flash of pure anger and irritation that was stronger than anything else that he had ever felt in his life. Like it had been cooked to perfection then aged by a few years.

The flapping of wings tells him why and he and Tusk both woodenly look up at their doom.

She was still wearing that nice suit that she made for herself, the great white and gold wings that stretched out on either shoulder only making her look more intimidating. Like if the President was a hot 20ish year old Angel.

Only, she didn't have a pleasant look on her face like usual. Instead, she had that look on her face when she was in boss mode. Hard red eyes, lips straight but slightly curled downward, while her pink, white, and gold eyebrows were set into a furrow, almost like she was glaring at him.

"Johnny, why did you break down a building?" She asked deceptively calmly.

"It was an old building and there was no one there?" He tried to meekly throw out, which she met with a raised eyebrow. Then he throws a finger over at Tusk who flinches, causing a small quake that caused the bodies on the floor to hop in place. "It's his fatass that caused the crash in the first place! And Lung was right on my ass, so not like I shouldn't have brought him out!"

Tusk looks at him with a betrayed look on his face, and flinches again when Mia places a hand on his face. Johnny feels relief, only to be replaced by horror as he sees Mia stroking the black fur with a remorseful smile on her face.

How does a mammoth manage to give someone puppy dog eyes like Tusk was to Mia?

"Don't worry mijo I know it's not your fault. You just left your box for the first time, so rest easy."

Then those crimson eyes train back on Johnny's form, and the pit in his stomach only got bigger.

"Unfortunately, your friend can't say the same."

--

Mia

I couldn't help the small part of me that enjoyed the look of horror on Johnny's face when I left him at the mercy of the Squats. They were far better at punishing unruly recruits who were too hot-headed for their own good.

And now I was dealing with the newest little problem that landed on my lap.

I had flown as fast as I could towards Taylor's location, them taking refuge in a small warehouse building that looked like it had been abandoned a while back. I would have told them to call the cops, but then I found out that they had Hookwolf. And while I was going to have a talk to Marcus about letting Taylor fight him, I had to admit that it was the only thing that made sense.

She was the one that could reliably take him down, thanks to her Aura, Flames, and Shard. If Marcus had fought Hookwolf, he might have taken him down with his box weapon, but it would have cost too much collateral damage. Sky flames were strong, but they weren't something that was made for breaking down matter like Storm was, and Marcus' flames weren't at the level that the fight would have been a cakewalk.

Still wasn't happy that Taylor was the one that had to fight the fucking murderer. Though, I couldn't help the hint of pride that I had for her. From what I heard, the fight had been quick, easy, and with no collateral damage. Sure, she poisoned the fuck out of him, but he was a Nazi, so who gives a shit.

Arriving had been a quiet affair, the six still conscious people watching me with awe and wariness. I had gotten used to just ignoring that kind of stuff and instead focused on the sole unconscious girl in the room.

Aisha Laborn was pretty, and would probably only grow more beautiful with time. The gash on her head was already slightly scabbing over, though there was still a bit of blood that leaked through.

Without Question strokes the girl's hair, a sad look on her face while Estrella shakes in my sheath. Kids had always been a soft spot for me, and I couldn't help but feel for the child knowing what I did about her.

At least she hadn't triggered, and hopefully never would. No one deserved that.

What was it with me wanting to take in every stray that wound up on my lap?

I place a hand on her forehead, and will healing and renewal onto her, feeling as bits of my power were sapped away and imbued in the younger girl. I ignored the gasps of the people behind me as Aisha's wound knit itself back together, the flesh knitting together as the tissue reformed into one. It didn't even leave a scar.

Guess that relaying my magic through the methods I learned at the First Nome was something that was applicable. I knew the method was safe, it was just the way to fuel it that I hadn't been completely sure about. Now I knew.

Though, she was still going to be exhausted for a little while. Probably was going to sleep instead of just being unconscious for a few hours. And I didn't want her going back to her home, not when I wasn't sure if she was going to be completely safe.

Besides, this way I could tie up one loose end when it came to Coil.

I pick up the sleeping girl, careful to keep her head elevated, and cradle her in my arms. "Thank you for taking care of her." I tell the bearded man that carried her all of the way.

He just gives me a resolute nod. "No way in hell I was going to leave anyone to the fucking Nazis if I could."

I could feel approval from Napoleon, Bedivere, and the remnants of previous presidents within myself. They weren't as strong or prevalent as the memories from my previous life were, but there were times when I could feel things from them. Estrella didn't like it, and at times it was strange, but it was something that I just grew to accept.

Though, it wasn't always unpleasant. Feeling the approval from men like Lincoln, FDR, and Theodore was humbling in a way. They weren't really the 'real' men, just like Napoleon wasn't truly who he was in life. They were beings made up of both who they were in life, and who they are remembered as in humanity.

There was wisdom in there, though, they weren't all like that. Pretty sure that Hoover and Nixon were mostly quiet in my head. Though, most of the time I didn't even notice the presidents that much. More like… echoing whispers and emotions that barely reached the edges of my mind.

There was time to think on that later.

For now, I was going to focus on the man who was starting to gain consciousness a few feet away from me, slivers of steel already starting to form around him.

Oh, we couldn't have that now, could we?

I summon a shadow clone who quickly takes the unconscious young girl from my arms with gentle hands.

I activate the field, and his connection with his shard is severed, leaving him powerless. I don't take pleasure in his fear, but I do at least smile at that.

I don't bother with a big speech or some large ceremonious gesture. This… 'man' didn't deserve it. The disgust I had with the 'Empire' could never be quantified. That regime was something that should never be idealized or enforced in the way that these pitiful men did. They knew nothing of what it truly meant.

Of what horrors they truly brought. History was one thing. Living through it, sending men to die on battlefields, while killing many soldiers who didn't know any better or had a choice in fighting was an entirely different matter.

I would not weep for him if he died, but I would not kill him. I would save him, and resign him to a fate that he would view as worse than Death.

I don't even look as Gaia appears in front of me, doing whatever she needs to, to sever the connection between Hookwolf and his shard. He goes still for a moment, and stares at me, begging with his eyes for something.

All he receives is my back as I turn away from him, not even gracing him with a second glance. The people around me didn't notice Gaia at all, probably cause she had gone invisible again. I feel her hand squeeze mine once before she disappeared again to wherever she had to go.

"Alright, call the PRT you two. They should be here to take these damn traitors in." I realize that I shouldn't have said that word, or rather, that I wouldn't have said that a few days ago when they both stare at me in confusion. Whatever. Not like I could help if my vocabulary was a little influenced by having the memories of an old President stuck in my head.

Though, there are a few others that really wanted to hang them out at sunrise, which I ignored. Even though I kinda wanted to do what they said.

"You want us to call the PRT?" Taylor asks with a shiver in her voice. Nervousness and panic flooded her like a wave, though she managed to keep her normal body language.

Ah, right. Just cause she was pissed at the PRT, didn't mean there wasn't a part of her that was still a fangirl at heart. That would probably go away real quick if Armsmaster showed up. HE was a bit… awkward and could come across as rude.

Dude was a glory hound that was a bit socially stunted.

I smile at her. "Don't worry, you'll do fine. They're just people Taylor. Like you and me."

That doesn't seem to ease her nervousness at all, but she would be alright. I had faith that she would be fine.

I could feel the tension between her and Marcus. Neither would look at each other, and there was… some bitterness in there.

Would have to look into that. If it was something that they could figure out themselves I would leave it be. But if it was more serious, then I would get involved.

"So… what about us?" The man that had become the sort of de facto leader of the runners asked while glancing over at the girl I gently held in my arms.

"I would suggest sticking around until the PRT gets here if only to answer any questions that they have."

He gestures to the sleeping child in my arms. "What about her?"

"She'll be fine. Let's just say that I happen to know this girl and would like to make sure that she wakes up fine. I know that you have no reason to believe me, but I swear that she will be fine. I'll take care of her." His eyes look into mine, and while he is very much just a normal man, his eyes are steel as he looks into mine. Searching for something.

Then he relaxes and nods. "Alright. Will you let me know if she's fine?"

I nod at him. Finding him would be easy enough.

With that I take off into the night, my wings flapping in the wind, two new limbs that already felt like they were a part of me. The angel form was probably the form that I spent the most time in that wasn't my… 'normal' form. What can I say, wings were something really useful.

And seeing the world from high up here was something that I just couldn't let go of. The night sky, the twinkling lights that lit up amidst the sea of black shapes and concrete buildings, while they also reflected off the sea. Unforgettable. I could see why Leo had been so obsessed with finding a way to fly back when he was alive.

While gliding through the air, I felt two stars connect at the same time through the forge, a few smaller stars going through with the medium-sized ones that joined my growing constellations. And I braced myself as I felt my body change again, growing taller, the pink in my hair turning crimson, while my nose grew bigger, eyes sharper, and skin darker. Thankfully, my wings remained in a weaker ethereal form, like a shadowed outline and phantom limb that you had to look for that spread from each shoulder. I glide down onto an empty rooftop, only a block or two from the rift that connected to the mansion if only to catch my breath.

I embody a mirror in front of me to take a look at what I looked like, though I already had an inkling. My clothes looked like they barely fit, the chest and hips looking like they were struggling not to tear. One of my eyes was now a clear aqua blue, my face sharper and more severe, though not to the alienness of my Aeldari form. I was taller again, probably 7ft tall.

My lips were fuller, and nose larger and more pointed. I was still a knockout, and it took this for me to realize that I was definitely now my type. Before getting hit by that fucking truck, I'd tend to be attracted to buff and tall women. Yes, I see the irony that I was now my type, and Estrella loved to dangle it in my face as a joke.

I close my eyes, concentrate, and feel myself go back to my more comfortable six foot two. I let out a sigh of relief that my clothes looked like they were going to be fine, and the sleeping teen in my arms was resting peacefully.

I can't help the slight giddiness as I review Sparking Innovation in my head, or the knowledge of what had just been deposited into my Workshop.

It was such a small thing, but something that would lead to greater discoveries. Blue Flame, fire that was different to the Rain that I was used to, magical in its very nature, that would never go out. Pure energy that would be able to power wonders of magical technology that I was probably going to have to work towards.

But, here's the real kicker. I could feel the rest of the stars connected to this one constellation locked one. Meaning that those would come to me whenever my 'charge' went up. Still had no idea what the fuck made the charge go up, but it was something that didn't really matter. I wasn't going to wait around for the next one in the Forge to come to make progress on it.

I knew that my Clones were probably already running towards the Sheikah Slate that was waiting patiently in one of the many rooms that made up my Workshop. Something else that I was going to have to integrate into everyone's tech.

I try to keep the giddiness that I was feeling down about getting these stars. I had a feeling that I knew what they would bring, but for now, I had to get home and make a few calls soon.

Only, something enters my range. It was… strong. Powerful emotions that felt grander and childlike, along with a smaller one that felt… innocent. And it was approaching a lot faster than any flier in the city was, probably faster than the glowing Nazi cunt.

My arms grip the young girl in my arms, my wings coming back as I focused magic and power into myself, but careful not to let it leak out. The rings that I had made light with Sky and Sun Flames, the glittering hum filling the night sky as my wings take me higher and higher into the sky.

Doesn't take long for whatever was heading straight for me came into view. It looked like a ball of glowing pink energy, not very big, but moving at a speed close to the sound barrier. I prepare my magic around me, poised to strike in case whatever this is attacks, when it stops a few feet away from me, the pink energy dispersing into nothingness and I feel my heart jump into my throat.

Floating innocently in the air, was a pink-skinned small bipedal creature with big blue innocent eyes and a tail that swished behind him, his little paws and feet relaxed as he stared at me with a tilt of his small head. Next to him, was a little girl, probably no older than ten years old, with wavy clean black hair that reached past her shoulders, wearing jeans and a shirt that was a little too big for her.

She looked at me with big brown wide eyes, momentarily looking at the wings that were stretched on either side of my shoulders before they focused back on my face in childlike wonderment and innocence. Through the Force, I could feel exhaustion and fragments of sorrow be wiped away by that wondrous amazement. Though, the remnants of loss lingered at the back of her mind.

"Mew!" The small legendary Pokemon cried out as he connected his mind to my own, bypassing my own mental defenses, and conveying memories since he had woken up.

I'd be scared of the little powerhouse if he wasn't looking at me with bright eyes and swishing tail as he danced around me in the air. Little guy just wanted to play and have fun.

There was also the fact that apparently he helped smuggle some people out of various Parahuman Cartel-controlled cities while leaving quite the body count behind. He at least knew to make sure that the young girl, Leticia, didn't see a thing.

Poor girl. She had nowhere to go.

"Hola mija." I tell her, the young girl seeming to shrink into herself out of shyness. "Mi nombre es Mia." ("My name is Mia.")

"H-h-hola!" She stutters out while lowering her head lower, her long hair covering her eyes like she was trying to hide. Her stomach rumbles, only making the young orphan turn red in embarrassment.

"Tienes hambre?" ("Are you hungry?") I ask her, to which she nods her head. She looks over to the sleeping girl in my arms and tilts her head.

"Que le paso? Esta bien?" (What happened to her? Is she alright?)

"Nomas esta cansada. Está durmiendo." (She's just tired. She's sleeping.) Mew floats her over to the sleeping Aisha, and the child places her hand on the sleeping girl's head, her fingers brushing the lock of purple in the rebellious teenager's hair.

"Es bonita." (She's pretty) I can't help but smile at the simple way that she said that, her hunger completely forgotten amidst her concern for the stranger in my arms.

"Would you like to come to one of my homes?" I mentally ask the pink Pokemon, sending him images and memories of my own Pokemon and Digimon. He happily spins in the air, letting out cries of joy that I took to mean, "I knew this was a good idea".

I knew that this was going to be yet another headache, a Legendary literally forming from nothing in the middle of nowhere was not something that was normal, but for now, I was going to focus on getting these two kids somewhere safe.

I could worry about the stress later.

Would probably have to call Lisa and get a meeting with Grue so that nothing happened.

Not much longer now before I had everything in place to take that snake pedo down.

Wonder if Dinah would be ok with a play date or something.

Aisha

She wasn't expecting to wake up after that crash. Another night of sneaking out of the house she just wanted to be alone for a little while, and she had ended up getting one of the worse bumps on her head in her whole life.

What she really wasn't expecting was to wake up in the fanciest room that she had ever seen. She was talking chandeliers that looked like they were made of gold and diamonds, a bed so soft that she was melting into it, and actual real-life wooden furniture all around. The fact that she didn't see a single roach or fly anywhere was also a really big plus.

There were even a few fancy-looking clocks and statues that looked like they were made a billion years ago. Too bad none of them were small enough where she could fit them in her pocket.

She's surprised at finding some really soft and comfy pajama's on her instead of her old clothes. The crop top and shredded jeans she had been wearing were gone, replaced by loose purple and black pants, along with a matching black shirt with purple and green lines all over the chest and arms. They were comfortable and felt like they were made just for her. Probably also more expensive than anything else she had ever worn.

That meant that someone had changed her while she had been asleep. She felt fine though. Better than fine! She felt like all the gunk that had been inside of her was gone. Even that bruise she had gotten the other day when she had gone to visit her mom.

She should be terrified. Worried that she had gotten kidnapped by someone while she had been unconscious. But all she felt was relief that she hadn't woken up in the street or not woken up at all.

She tries the rich-looking door, which was thankfully left unlocked. Ok, so whoever had put her in here, wasn't interested in her staying put in case she woke up.

Didn't mean that she was just going to stick around for whoever had taken her off the street. She didn't know them, and while what they did was cool, it didn't mean that she wanted any strings on her in case they thought she owed them something.

And hey, she was pretty sure that they wouldn't mind if she took a few of the nice gold-looking things that were scattered all over the place. From the look of everything, not like they were going to miss it. She was pretty sure that the carpet was more expensive than her dad's whole apartment.

Probably also more than Brian made doing his 'night job'.

She was being careful to sneak around the fancy-ass mansion, when she finally looks outside one of the windows. And she feels her stomach drop to the bottom of the Bay. Outside, clear bright skies with a few fluffy white clouds, and long rolling green fields that almost seemed to shine. She couldn't see any buildings nearby, except maybe a shack or two.

Wherever she was, she wasn't in Brockton Bay anymore.

Who the fuck had grabbed her?

Then she notices something out of the corner of her eye and turns to find a little latina girl, probably a couple of years younger than her, staring from around the corner, ducking back when she turned to face her.

What the hell?

A giggle behind her makes her turn around again, to find a weird pink-skinned blue-eyed… thing with a long tail and big feet holding a hand to its mouth. He was glowing pink and was swishing his tail back and forth staring at her when he flew around in the air like he was showing off.

What kind of biotinker shit was that thing?

She wasn't scared of whatever the hell it was, if it was going to kill her, it would have done it already. "What the fuck are you laughing at!?" She yells at it, while stomping her right foot, the sound of jumping coming from the corner where the girl had ducked behind.

The small pink thing just laughs harder at her, flying around her in circles, his tail coming close to her head, though he doesn't touch her. She tries to grab the flying rat, but he's too quick for her, and just laughs harder at her, swishing his tail like a hand taunting her.

She doesn't even think of chasing the little shit, the pink thing giggling even harder as she hears the other girl let out a little "EEEP!" as she ran down the hallway, the rat flying after her.

She didn't pay attention as she moved down the endless hallways, the fancy expensive furniture and decorations easy pickings that her brother could figure out how to steal. She didn't notice the hot guy with blue eyes and a beard that she passed by or the small blue bird that had started to follow her.

She was only focused on the little rat that was laughing at her the entire way through the mansion, ignoring the little girl that was huffing and puffing the entire chase.

So much so, that when she entered into a big fancy-ass living room with a giant fireplace and furniture that looked like it should be in the white house, along with people inside, she didn't even stop. Instead, her attention was entirely on the laughing pink-skinned thing that was floating high above her, his hand to his mouth while he laughed at her.

The smell of mouthwatering bacon and eggs didn't hit her nose until she heard a woman talk. "You know, it isn't nice to chase someone around the house when you're a guest." The voice was young, but the way that she spoke reminded Aisha of the way some old people on TV would talk sometimes.

She looks over and finds a chick dressed in a suit that would probably make Brian go dumbass, with pink and white hair sitting down with a leg crossed over the other in a fancy chair, a steaming cup of coffee in her hand that smelled weirdly awesome. She didn't even like coffee. Not without a fuckton of cream and sugar at least.

The flying rat was still laughing at her, though now he was floating over the woman's head, his tail curling behind her hair, while the kid that Aisha suddenly remembered was being patted on the head.

"Esta bien mija, no te va a lastimar." The hot chick says while smiling softly down at the girl like a mom would. She couldn't help that little pang of sadness from watching that.

Two really hot guys, and she meant really fucking hot, appear on either side of her. The taller one was a red head that had that grizzled hunk look with his shirt open and scarred muscle that Aisha couldn't help but stare at. The other guy had white hair but looked younger than the hunk, his face almost pretty instead of just handsome, wearing armor from head to toe, and a metal right arm.

The pink thing lets out a little cry and flies around them too, the men smiling at it before turning to Aisha. She suddenly remembers that she has no idea where the fuck she is, or who these people are.

Then she looks at the chick's face again instead of just glancing and remembers that she had seen her before.

Some new big shot hero that waltzes into the PRT without a mask, and a young chick that was probably also a cape. And apparently, they were part of the reason why the docks were a lot safer nowadays, taking territory there and keeping both the ABB and Empire out.

Something that Hero's didn't tend to do. Then again, there were rumors that there were more capes in her 'group' besides the blond chick that she had walked in with.

And she had a feeling that these two guys weren't just normal people. The pretty boy's arm was completely made of metal, after all, she didn't see a single hint of skin in the cracks.

"Me andava correteando!" The little girl whined to the woman who just stroked her hair.

"And why were you chasing Leticia?" The Tinker/Trump asks while her red eyes slide to meet hers. Aisha barely manages to keep down a shiver at that.

"I wasn't chasing her! I was chasing that fucking rat!" Aisha indignantly yells, pointing at the still giggling and swirling pink thing.

It was after she finished yelling those words out that she thought it might have been a tiny mistake. The woman looked and sat like she had a stick up her ass, kinda like some of the better teachers that she had seen, tough, strict, and caring way too much about rules.

Instead of raising an eyebrow, or looking at her with disapproval, the cape in the three-piece suit just laughs. And not a dainty giggle or some shit like that, this was a full-on belly laugh, while she scratched the pink creature's head, who purred and leaned into the touch.

"Hear that Mew? Apparently, you're a flying rat now."

"Mew!" The little creature cried out, laughing himself while flying back towards Aisha. She was about to yell at it again when-

Feelings of amusement and joy. Affection wrapped in appreciation, alongside enjoyment of the new and strange human with pretty color on her fur. Hope that friendship would be possible.

"Mew." The woman's voice cuts through the emotions and thoughts that were going through Aisha's head, letting her own thoughts out from the sea that she had been feeling. She gasps, quickly backing away from the little thing that was doing something to her head, his head bowed in apology.

Her breathing was rougher and faster than they should be, why was it so hard to take a breath? Why was she puffing in air so fast?

"Shh, sh, sh. It's ok sweetie. Take a deep breath, yes good, now exhale." The cape had quickly gotten out of her seat, her movements graceful and fluid like a dancer as she kneeled down next to Aisha who was currently on the floor. When did that happen? "Mew's sorry about that. He doesn't really understand boundaries quite yet. The little guy was just born a few weeks ago, so actually talking and dealing with people is still new to him."

The woman kneels and speaks quietly to her, but she doesn't move to touch her at all, instead, content to just help her in getting control back of her breathing. The wavy-haired kid is next to her now too, understanding in her eyes, though she doesn't say a word. Probably wouldn't have understood what she said anyway. Aisha never tended to pay attention in her Spanish class anyway.

The pink thing, Mew, floats down in front of her, his blue eyes watery with his head bowed down. OH god, was he doing ht puppy dog eyes on her? Why the fuck was it actually working? This was a damn Master thing!

And yet, she didn't feel or think about doing whatever the little creature wanted. Yes, she felt what he was thinking, but it wasn't making her do anything that she didn't want to. It felt… like she did when she was a kid. On those days when she was alone and could just forget about everything that was going on in her life.

No mom on drugs, no dad that was barely there, just her lost in her own world, happy to watch random cartoons on TV.

Why the hell was she thinking about stupid shit like that today?

The hunk slowly steps to her, and reaches down, offering her one of his big calloused hands, a gentle smile that didn't seem to fit his face for some reason. "Now, now, the floor is no place for a madame like yourself!" She takes his hand more out of surprise than actually trusting him.

Mew flies in front of her, slowly like he was trying not to scare her again, and stops at eye level, his head still bowed. When he meets her eyes, there are little tears in his eyes and he starts making a bunch of little squeaks while shaking the entire time.

Aisha just stands there staring at the weird creature, not knowing what the hell to do. How the fuck do you react to some little psychic monster trying to apologize.

She crosses her arms and huffs out. No way that she could stay mad when the little thing was saying sorry. "Fuck, stop doing that shit, it's fine."

His little horns twitch and he spins around her with pink light, lifting her (WTF) in the air with pink light surrounding her body. She starts to panic, but sees the girl- Leticia- also being lifted into the air, giggling and spreading her arms like a bird.

The whole time, the woman and two men just stare at the three of them flying around the roof, with content smiles on their faces. She couldn't help but feel that they were seeing… something different than the three of them.

She let out a little huff and just… let whatever was happening happen.

At least, before remembering that she had no idea where the hell here was.

"HEY!" She points at the woman who blinks at her. "Where the fuck am I and who're you!?"

The woman laughs at her again while she's slowly lowered back onto the floor, Leticia landing into the woman's outstretched arms which catch her and hold her steadily, Mew taking his place next to her head.

"My name is Mia. Though, the 'cape' name that I chose is Apotheosis. Nice to meet you, Aisha." The woman says while the girl in her arms lets out a breath of content.

"How the fuck do you know who I am? What the hell happened!?" She doesn't try to keep any of her anger out of her voice. Adults tended to get exasperated faster when she did that. Let them say things that they didn't mean to say.

The woman smiles like she knows exactly what she was doing, her eyes glinting while the white-haired pretty boy takes Leticia from her arms, the little girl letting out a short happy sigh.

"Let's just say that you would be surprised by what you know. As for what happened, Nazi's were out 'hunting'-," Her nose scrunches up, shadows growing longer over her eyes while her crimson orbs crackled with purple lightning and her voice goes cold before it's gone like it hadn't even been there. "- and you received a nasty gash on your head. Knocked you out cold. Thankfully, there are still good people in the world, and some of the people that the Nazis were chasing after them carried you with them."

Aisha feels her breath catch in her chest. She had been that close to dying? To getting caught by those Nazi fucks?

"Thankfully, two of my trainees managed to stop them. When I got there, I recognized you and brought you here." Before Aisha could ask why the hell she would do that, the woman presses on. "I happen to know your brother too. Or rather, know of him. We have never met. Which is probably a good thing for him."

The words trickle slowly into her ears. Their meaning dawning on her in a single pants-shitting moment. She knew. A hero who could keep the Empire and ABB out of her part of the docks knew who her brother really was. That wasn't a good thing.

"Oh, don't worry honey. I'm not going to do anything to him. He's been quiet lately, and I don't see the point in going after him. Though, he really should think about going straight instead of staying as a villain." The last few words are said almost mockingly, which Aisha did not appreciate.

"Why the fuck would he ever do that! Be tied down to the PRT as a 'hero' huh!" She swears, if this bitch was really going to try and lecture her about her brother, she was going to stab her eyes out!

The woman shrugs while taking her seat again, gesturing to the couch opposite her, which Aisha hops into with a huff, a scowl on her face. "Quite simple really. Because something that your older brother completely missed or ignored, if she went to the PRT they would have been able to give him custody of you in a heartbeat. Having an extra cape, especially one with power as useful as his? They wouldn't have even blinked." Aisha stares at the older woman.

It couldn't have been that easy. Could it?

She sits there, taking what Mia said,really turning it over in her head, and seeing where she was getting that from. Yeah, PRT was the government, there was no way that going in with them wouldn't have come with some strings. But they were desperate for more capes. They were outnumbered by villains, and that was before she remembered that Lung was in the city. Though, his rep was starting to take some hits thanks to him getting taken down by that mystery new ca-

…. The new cape who was probably the same one sitting down in front of her, offering her a plate of breakfast that her stomach really wanted. She started to eat just so that she wouldn't have to look at that bitch's smug smile anymore.

Dammit, focus! She had to focus instead of letting her brain wander around like a squirrel.

It made sense, and she hated that it did. But that brought another question to her mind. "Then how the hell is he planning on getting custody over me if this is the easy way?"

The suit-wearing woman merely takes a sip from her coffee, taking a second to think. "That is something that I think you should be asking your brother instead of me."

Oh, now she wanted to keep her mouth shut huh!?

"Anyways. Get some food in you, and I can take you home after you're done."

Aisha looks at her like she just told her the clouds were made of marshmallows. "How the fuck are you going to do that? I don't see any buildings out that window!" She says while pointing out towards the fields of green and skies of blue.

The woman just smiles like there was a joke there that she was missing.

--

Judith

It had been almost a year since she had last walked down these streets. She wasn't the same anymore.

A lot happened in those months.

She knew hunger. She knew fear. She knew just how shitty everything could really be in this city. And yet, she walked with confidence in her steps. The fear and worry that she used to carry everyday home was gone now. No longer caring about her parents finding out, or afraid that something would happen to her baby.

She just wished it didn't cost Claire's father to get her where she was.

The mana in the air was cold and angry, like it had been taking in hatred for years on end, almost saturating the very air around her. It fits given the kind of neighbors that she had. Some of them were watching her through the curtains, not daring to come out, but their dead eyes completely focused on her as she walked gently across the familiar hated sidewalk, her baby cradled in her arms, blue eyes taking everything in that they could.

Every picture perfect nice house that she passed felt like another ghost, another memory that she despised with all of her being. Memories of people that she grew up around constantly bemoaning what was being done to their country by 'those' people. How America was being rotted from the inside by 'niggers' and 'chinks'.

Oh, they never said those words outside of course. It was always behind closed doors and in their homes where people wouldn't 'get the wrong idea'. She remembered how much she had bought into that for most of her life.

Then it changed. It would have been romantic if Dwayne had been the one to spark the change in thought, but honestly, he didn't really do much of that.

It had been slow, and she had been such a racist bitch for the first couple of years at school. Oh sure, her parents had coached her on how to hide it, but she was still a kid. And kids don't always do subtle.

It started with being put into a classroom where she was the only white kid. She remembered all of the horrible things that her parents would say about them, and she would sit there terrified that the children would actually be as horrible as she had heard growing up.

Only… that wasn't what happened. They were just kids like her, who happened to look different. Anti-climactic, but it was that simple. It took her months before she could actually work up the nerve to talk to them, and she never regretted it.

It had only grown easier to see the lies that she had grown up hearing for what they really were. Fear from people so small that they had to victimize themselves and think of people different than them as lesser to make themselves feel big.

Such a bunch of shit.

She started dating Dwayne partly to spite her parents, but also because he was sweet to her. She liked him and he liked her. Neither of them intended for her to get pregnant, what teenage couple did, right?

And suddenly the fun that they had felt so much more serious. She loved him, but it was more because of the baby than anything else. She didn't know if they would have even stayed together for long if it wasn't for Claire.

But when she found out, it changed everything. Suddenly, responsibility was hanging over her head, and she realized that there was no way that she could stay home. They were both planning to run away, his parents knowing about it and willing to help out.

His parents had been looking for a reason to move out anyway, and this was as good a reason as any.

Only, they never did.

They were dead now. As were Dwayne's two little sisters.

And here she was, walking back to the house of her 'parents that had killed the people that were planning to take her in like she was their own. Dwayne's parent's reaction had been the opposite of what her parents would have been.

Sure, they weren't thrilled that he had gotten her knocked up, but they were more than happy that they were both willing to take on the responsibility.

Her parents had sent Empire goons after Dwayne.

Well, she was back. If only to get this shit over with. She takes a calming breath as her blue flames flared from the black and silver band that Mia had given her. The aqua blue box weapon in her bag twitches, like it, felt her anger, only for it to calm down.

Claire makes a sound of disappointment when the blue flame goes out, her hands reaching towards the blue fire with happy eyes and childish giggles.

Judith just smiles and tickles Claire's chest with her finger. "You can't touch that sweetie. Don't know if you can get burned from that or not."

Didn't take long for her to get in front of the Roth house. The grass was cut evenly, and the paint immaculate like it had always been. Richard and Dolores' cars were currently parked in the garage, but she could feel that they were in the backyard.

Well, no need to ring the doorbell she guessed.

When she arrives at the door to the backyard, she presses a button on her omnitool, a small metal rod appearing in front of her in a flash of blue. Mia had upgraded everyone's tech with the 'Sheikah' stuff that she had gotten last night. Everyone had a pocket space, which was a major help. Didn't have to carry a bunch of shit in bags anymore.

She waves the pseudo wand in a practiced wave and chant's, "Alohomora."

The locked latch comes undone with a clack, and her wand disappears in a flash of blue strings back into her pocket space. Claire giggles again. She'd found that her little girl could… sense magic. Every time that she used it, Claire would get excited or interested in whatever they were doing.

Guess that she had gotten her mama's aptitude for this sort of thing. Along with something else that Mia thought she didn't know about. While she didn't know exactly what was going on, she remembered the look on her face when she was looking at Claire's results right after her birth.

It wasn't something bad. At least, if it was she knew that Mia would tell her about it.

But things had been so crazy since then. Day in and day out Mia threw herself into work, each day training them and herself in the crazy shit that her 'Forge' was giving her. She had changed since she started walking around in her suit. She walked with strong steps, her back always straight, and eyes that seemed to look beyond any of them.

It reminded her of the way that soldiers would sometimes walk. Like there was more that they say and that they were waiting for something to go wrong. Only, it wasn't exactly that.

It was like the weird woman that she considered her closest friend had suddenly grown older in the span of a day. Like she had seen more and done more than they could know. She saw the look in her eyes in Napoleon too when he would sit alone in one of Mia's rooms, smoking a cigar and drinking something.

He would look so tired and alone. Like the weight of the world was on his shoulders and he wished that he had done something different. Mia had the same look in her eyes when she thought no one was looking.

Taylor had figured something was wrong, and right now the only one that she had talked about with was Leo. Tonight, when she got back home she would ask.

But for now, she had to cut this last strand from her 'parents' off before she could do that.

She finds Richard and Dolores sitting with each other in the backyard, both of them looking older and more haggard than they were about a year ago.

She was surprised by the relief in the woman's eyes, though not by the way that Richard glared at the bundle that she held in her arms. Thankfully, they don't rush at her.

Instead, they stand up, Richard reaching towards his hip, where she knew that he kept his gun. His hazy blue eyes looked behind her like he was waiting for someone to show up. Ah, so they had heard about it already.

"I'm here alone Richard. You can leave the gun in your holster." She doesn't even hide the contempt in her voice.

They both look at her like she'd slapped them, Richard's hand clenching into a fist. "You get knocked up by that… man, run away from home for almost a year and that's how you say hello to us! Do you have any idea how worried we were!? And the first thing that we hear about you is you waltzing into the PRT with some anchor baby cape!"

Ah. Anchor baby. That's the nicest way that she's ever heard him insult a Hispanic person before. Mia would probably say, "Least he got the insult right."

"I'm sorry, I was a little busy taking care of my child and running from the thugs that were looking for me to worry about you, Richard." She bites back, all but baring her teeth at the man that had taught her how to read and write.

"Why you litt-" Richard ground's out, only to be calmed by a slightly panicked Dolores who puts a well-manicured hand on his thin arm, her eyes almost shining with tears.

"Richard, that's enough! Our little girl's home now! Can't that be enough!" She says that, but Judith doesn't miss the way that her eyes seem to look at her daughter with distaste before trying to give Judith that same fake smile that she had seen her whole life.

"Dolores, look at her! Look at the way that she looks at us! Do you really think that she came here to stay?" He hisses back to her, the vein in his thin neck seeming to twitch out of his skin.

"Congrats Richard. You guessed it right." Judith drably says back with half-lidded eyes.

"Are you really willing to throw away your family Judith!? Dear, we raised you! We gave you everything that a child could ever want or need!" There was Dolores again, with the same guilt games that she had heard growing up.

"I'm not the one looking at their granddaughter like she's some sort of mistake."

"YOU MEANT TO GET PREGNANT? WITH A NIGGER?"

Judith doesn't budge an inch as Richard approaches her, the tall man towering over her, trying to do the same intimidation tactics that he used at the office. He might not have muscle, but his deep voice and height were something that he used at the office plenty. She had watched it a few times when he thought she was.

She just looks him in the eye unimpressed. He wasn't anything compared to the monsters that she had fought against. Hell, Krunter was scarier than dear old dad was.

"I might not have meant to have had Claire at first, but she will never be a mistake. No child should ever be called that." Judith responds back flatly, her pull on mana already starting to itch.

"Judith! Honey! Please don't leave again." Dolores quickly followed behind Richard, urging him back, which he let her do. The woman that she had loved before grabs one of her hands, though the teen mom notices that she avoids touching Claire's blanket as the blue-eyed coffee-skinned child looked up at her grandmother with curious eyes. Dolores never even looked at him."Think about this! We're you're family! We love you dear! Come home! What about your dreams of wanting to be a veterinarian? You can't have that if you leave on your own! No school is going to accept some teen dropout that got knocked up by a-" she quickly cuts off realizing that what she was saying wasn't doing her any favors.

"Way to put your foot in your mouth mom. You always tended to do that when you thought that you were winning the conversation. At least Richard was consistent instead of your manipulative ass." Dolores flinches back, her blond locks practically twitching in the wind at that.

Richard chooses that moment to try and hit her. Only his hand doesn't even go near her face. A metal arm is holding his hand in the air, green eyes coolly looking at both the parents with distaste that was palpable.

Judith glances at Bedivere, who was wearing jeans and a green button-up shirt instead of his suit of armor, with a roll of her eyes. Claire just giggles and reaches out towards the British knight who smiles down at her.

"I told her that I wanted to come here alone Bedi." Her parents stare at the man, fear in both of their eyes, with Richard already having brought out his simple pistol.

"I apologize Lady Judith, but Mistress Mia insisted." He told her while shoving the older man's arm away.

"So now you need someone to fight your battles for you?" Of course, mother dearest would move so quickly into trying to get in her head again. She had always been a nasty piece of work behind closed doors.

The racism was just part of the problem with her parents, though it was a big one.

"No Dolores. I just happened to have found a group of people that are more family to me than you were."

"We raised you!" Richard shouted back at her, though this time he kept his distance.

"And you were more than happy to get Dwayne and his family killed! His parents were good people! He had two little sisters that were barely in middle school and you got their house burned down!" She gave up trying to keep her emotions bottled, the blue flames from her ring burst out almost enveloping her completely, her Aura flaring up alongside it while mana shivered in the air.

Tall Richard and thin Dolores are quick to hold onto each other, staring at her in fright as Claire started to wriggle and cry in her grasp. She lets Bedivere take her baby away from her, knowing that the man would help quiet her down.

"We never went near their house!" Richard quickly throws out, the tall man shaking with fear in his eyes. Judith isn't the least bit ashamed that she was satisfied with that.

"But you were sure to pass the information along to some of your 'friends' from back in the day right? Hoping that no one would care when another random black family died in a 'mysterious' house fire? Not like it's not the first time that it's happened in the city!" Now he stayed quiet. The lawyer in him knew not to say a word that might implicate him.

She lets out a steady breath and glares at them both, her flames more controlled, but still shining just as bright. "I only came here to tell you to leave me alone from now on. I'm perfectly safe and happy with people who don't give a shit if my baby happened to have a different skin tone. You're going to leave me alone. You're going to leave my child alone. I never want to see either one of you again. And I promise you that if I do, or if you try to come after me legally in any way, that everyone is going to know that you have been helping the 'movement' with support and favors here and there. I wonder how long you'll last when every minority family in the city knows that you helped grease some palms with the cops, or how the evidence would sometimes wind up 'lost' during an investigation." That makes Richard pale.

"H-h-how do you know about that?" He whispers out, Dolores squeezing his hand in support and comfort. It made Judith want to vomit.

"Oh, I happen to have made some friends in high places." Is the only thing that she says as her Rain Flames go out and her Aura stabilizes. The mana that she had been gathering at her fingertips dispersing back into the environment.

She smiles at them, the joy cold and dead in her eyes as she stares at both of them. "Goodbye, Richard. Dolores. I expect my emancipation to go through swimmingly when I file for it tomorrow."

With that, she turns around and walks away from the people that had raised her. Away from the people that would have made her give up Claire, the greatest joy that she had ever had in her life.

She wouldn't need them or their name anymore.

She just had to wonder what she would change it to? Maybe Mia wouldn't mind if she changed it to Itzel?

She wouldn't mind Claire sharing the same name as her godmother. You know, after Judith actually told her about it.

--

Taylor

She and Marcus hadn't spoken since last night.

Too much tension, and she was afraid that both of them were going to cause a scene.

And now, she was walking around the Mansion in the Docks after her training and school were over for the day. Wonders how much more efficient and time-friendly that was when Mia was your teacher.

The docks were a lot nicer than before. Less graffiti everywhere, with only the stray ABB member trying their best to get across the area. Mia said that the territory wasn't hers, but it might as well be.

And ironically, it was probably the safest area in the city other than the Boardwalk. Meaning that Taylor had no problem with it. As long as people were safe, and there were fewer violent crimes going on, that was what Taylor really cared about.

She finds him practicing with his falcon spear alone in the room that Mia had converted into a gym, the tall blond man twisting and turning, thrusting with his spear which separated at different sections allowing it longer reach and flexibility in where he could hit.

He stops when she enters, though his back remained turned to the doorway. "Wondering if you were going to come by or not." He says while twisting the grip of the Sky flame spear, turning to look at her in the eye.

She meets his gaze without flinching, even though it felt like he could see through her. It almost reminded her of how Mia would look at each of them. Like she knew them a little better than they knew themselves sometimes. Marcus would get the same look in his eyes ever since he managed to manifest his sky flames.

Their property was Harmony as opposed to Taylor's propagation. What did that even do?

While she doesn't glare at him, she also doesn't hide the bit of rage that she had hid in the back of her head since last night.

"You're still pissed about last night." He says like he was commenting on the weather.

The buzzing of the bugs that were hidden in her pockets and around the room almost drown everything out, the flames coming to life on her ring before she manages to dim them down to a mere ember.

"Yes. I'm still pissed about last night."

Marcus looks into her eyes, looking for something, eventually shrugging and allowing his spear to return to his box in a flush of orange flames. He grabs a towel from one of the benches on the side, wiping away the trails of sweat that clung to him.

Taylor ignores the forming muscles that she could see through his tank top, too angry to ogle at him like a teenage girl usually would.

"You were wrong last night." She says resolutely, meeting his almost bored eyes with barely contained rage.

"I don't think so. That rabid dog was going to slaughter those people just because he could. The 'initiation' was just an excuse that he used to wet his bloodthirst." There was heat there, and he sounded so… sure about it... Like he knew that what he was saying was true.

It was… eerie. "That doesn't give you the right to just kill someone restrained like that! That isn't how heroes act!"

He laughs at that. He laughs at her. The ember on her ring turns into an actual flame, the fluctuation purple barely keeping from launching itself at him. "I'm no hero, kid. Never claimed that I was. Just 'cause I go out and make sure to take down those Empire pricks, doesn't mean that I want to be one."

"Then why do you? Why stick around with Mia if that isn't what you want!?" For once, something other than emptiness enters his eyes. He looked… lost. For just a second, so fast that Taylor doubts if she had even seen it in the first place.

"'Cause I saw a way to avoid getting hanged 'cause my grandpa happened to be Jewish. 'Cause I saw a way that I could keep these Nazi pricks from recreating that shit here. Knowing that it's happening in at least some places across the ocean is enough of an outrage, no way I'm going to let it happen here too. If that means some of these assholes need to be put six feet under, then so be it." Heat and vitriol are coated with every word he says, his own flame becoming brighter and brighter, his eyes seeming to turn orange for a split second before flashing back to his natural blue. "Thinking that there's any way to get rid of them without any of them dying is nothing but nice dreams. People die all the time kid, and there are people on their side that aren't going to stop or give up till they're dead. Might as well get used to it."

She could see that there was no way that she could change his mind. She knew it. But that didn't mean that she was just going to let it go here. Didn't mean that she was going to roll over and let him do what he wants just 'cause he thinks that it was a dream to be a hero like that. What was wrong with trying to chase after something like that after all? She knew that people are going to die, as much as it made her sick to her stomach. She remembered all of the people that didn't make it back in Hell Salem's Lot during the monster outbreak.

She had sensed as countless people were trampled, beaten to death… and eaten alive. She still had nightmares about that. She knew that she couldn't save everyone, she knew that people were going to die no matter what she did. But that didn't mean that she was going to just let it happen, not while she was still alive and could do something about it.

"I'm not going to just let you kill people. Not when I'm around." He stares at her as she tells him her resolution, his eyes empty again as he looked again.

Then he laughs, this time with actual warmth instead of indifference. "You're one scary-ass kid, you know that?" He places the towel around his shoulders, stretching his arms a bit. "If you want to give it a shot kid, go for it. Don't feel like trying to fight you out there while doing work for Boss. Pretty sure she could make little ol' me disappear pretty fast if something ever happened to you."

Then he leaves the room without looking back at her, disappearing into the hallway leaving Taylor alone with her thoughts and convictions.

--

Mia

I thought that I knew what I was going to find when entering my office in the mansion, ah, the magic mansion that is. Felt weird how I know had more than one, one of them technically being up in space.

I was expecting to find the same elaborate wooden desk and fancy chair along with tomes upon tomes of magical theory and experimentation. Along with a few technological devices that I had added throughout the room just to spruce the place up. Communication, computer terminal, holographic projector, that sort of thing.

It was also where I tended to keep a bottle or two of my special brews. Magic imbued tequila and whisky tended to knock most people on their asses. The Squat's loved it cause it actually gave them quite a buzz and the fact that it tasted like something other than mushrooms was apparently a plus.

And now, those bottles that I had stored away a few days ago in here were currently open with one of my friends sitting in my chair, staring at the open bottle in her while, eyes foggy and somewhere else. Lindsay's blue orbs slowly look up at me, a smile spreading on her face while a jumble of emotions springs out.

Attraction, joy, embarrassment, etc. The usual stuff that she would feel when she saw me.

"Miiiaaa!" The young half-Japanese girl slurred out like she hadn't seen me in months.

I can't help the tiny grin that work's its way on my lips at seeing her arms reach towards me. She didn't tend to smile a lot. Most of the time when she was happy, she tended to hide it behind an irritated expression. It's why I called her a tsundere every now and then. That would get her worked up with her face turning red.

"I told you that drinking that stuff was going to be a bit much for you Lindsay," I say while walking over the desk and taking the bottle of brown liquor away from her with gentle hands. She lets the bottle go without a fight, instead, grabbing onto my hand.

"But it tastes good! Like spices dancing on my tongue!" She complained while staring longingly at the bottle of spiced rum. "And it makes me feel good! Makes me forget about all of my fuckups."

Dazed blue eyes look past the office, her mind probably going to the whatever memories she was losing herself in. There was true guilt and sorrow in there, almost crushingly so, along with a longing for a wish that I didn't know.

"I don't think that it's a good idea to drink just to forget that stuff. It isn't something that will end if you do it too much." I let the last sentence end in a whisper, worried that she wouldn't take it well.

She lets out a little scoff. "I ain't gonna en' up like a fuckin' deadbeat. Ain that pathetic." Her words are still slurred, but I can hear the venom in there clear as day. Probably a story there.

I grab onto her other arm, careful not to squeeze too hard, and put it over my shoulder, letting her lean on me as I help her out of the chair. "Think that you should go and get some rest right now. It's going to stick in your system a little longer cause of the magic in it. Warning, hangover is going to be the worst that you ever had before."

She snorts. "Never 'ad a hanover 'fore."

I don't stop moving, but I do stare at her as I lead us to her bedroom. "And you decided that the first time you drank should be magic booze that could knock most people on their ass?"

She gives me a drunken laugh. "Go big or go home! Never did it 'fore cause I was too busy doing school. Being a 'good daughter'." She spits the last words out like venom in her mouth. "Focusin' on my studies, making sure I wasn't an 'embarressmen'!"

I let her rant and rave the whole trip through the hallways of the mansion, listening the entire time while she just unloaded vitriol and sadness that had been bottled up for who knows how long. I already knew that she didn't have the happiest home life, but the more and more that I heard the more that I emphasized.

Didn't justify her almost blowing up a school, but I could feel those shades of guilt and grief hanging at the back of her head. It would be a long time before she got close to making up for those mistakes, but she was already on that road.

I just wished that it didn't include me locking her up for almost a week. To think, I was more than happy to kill her if I had to. Now here we were, her drunkenly releasing years worth of grief while I lead her to the bedroom door.

While her turning to drink to do it might not be a good idea, I was happy that she was at least letting some of this crap out. Hypocritical of me to say after the number of drunken binges that I've had, I know.

I open the door with Without Question's help, walking inside of the surprisingly neat and orderly bedroom, with only one table in the corner being a gearheads nest of pieces of wires and gears, along with various small tools and gadgets. It was almost like what I would see from Soldiers, everything neat and tidy and in their place where they belonged. It seemed to clash with what I knew about Lindsay, chaotic, hotheaded, and so much like the Storm flames that coursed through her body.

Lindsay almost falls over when we get near the bed, though I managed to catch her before that happened. Deciding not to risk it, I crouch down and move one arm under her legs, lifting her up bridal style while letting out a girlish giggle that sounded strange coming from her.

Instead of trying to get out of my grasp, she starts to hold onto my neck with her arms, her dopey smile growing wider while her blue eyes focus on me.

"Ya know, ya should try having some more fun Mia. You've been working too much lately." Then she lifts up her head and presses her lips to mine. I feel my brain's short circuit as all of the pieces started to fit together while I kicked myself for being a dense pendeja.

How the fuck did I not notice all of the signs? I was an empath for shit's sake!

Her hands reach into my hair and she starts to… massage my scalp. It kinda felt good. And it had been… a very long time. In my life as President, I didn't even have a relationship for over thirty years, not since I had started to get into the political scene which was rife with men that would have loved to try and use me for political clout.

And it wasn't like I could be with a woman either. Me being President was already something that had caused quite a bit of headaches in my day. Still remember the riots and rebellions in certain places in the South, for letting a 'dirty female wetback thief' anywhere near the President's office. Bribery and blackmail hadn't been enough to convince the idiots from doing stupid shit.

I close my eyes a little bit, that part of me that just… wanted to share a bed with someone again almost letting me lose myself into what was going on. One of Lindsay's hands started to worm its way around my back, her hand doing little circles on my back while clumsily trying to kiss me.

Instead of losing myself into it, I manage to regain my senses, and Without Question calmly grips Lindsay's shoulders, pulling her away from me while I gently place her on the bed. The smile was still on her face, but there was also a look of… disappointment and hurt there.

"I get it. Who would want to be with a fuckup like me right?" She said bitterly to herself while turning away from me and starting to get underneath the covers.

I frown at her, feeling the negativity that swirled and whirled within, but there was also a… feeling of freedom and relief in there.

Instead of running out the room like the cowardly part of me wanted to do, I take a breath and sit down on the bed, pulling Lindsay back to look at me. She does, with a raised eyebrow, confusion in her eyes.

"Amiga, you're drunk. Drunk of magic alcohol no less. There was no way that I could consciously let that happen without feeling guilty later on." Before I could let any of her hopes come, I continue on. "Even if you weren't I don't think that I would anyways."

"And why not?" The lack of heat was a surprise, but one that I was thankful for.

"Because, a relationship isn't what you need right now. Lindsay, you're still fresh of your trigger, it was barely a few months ago."

"What does that have to do with anything!?" There's the heat that I was expecting, her voice not quite a shout, but getting there.

"It means that you trying to get into a relationship like this isn't something that you should be doing, not for you or for whoever it is," I tell her softly.

"Then what if all that I want is sex huh?" She asks defensively, though I can feel the lie in there.

"Then I wouldn't want to. Sex without emotion… isn't something that I can do. Call me an old-fashioned romantic." I tell her honestly, while she just stares at me with her blue eyes.

"Do I got a chance? If I get better?" She finally asked, with a plea.

I simply let out a sigh. 'You getting better should be something that you do for yourself alone, not for me. Something that I think that you're already starting to do even if you don't see it."

She lets out an angry laugh. "I'm still a fucking bitch who goes off the handle, not like I've gotten any better."

I shake my head at her. "I don't think so. Could you have worked together with other people like you do with Leo? Could you play with animals and Pokemon the way that you do? How about those times when you pick up Claire when Judith has to do something?" Though, the first time that she did that, she held Claire away from her like the baby was a ticking time bomb. Of course, the baby girl just laughed and giggled at the former college student, her tiny arms reaching out with grasping hands as childish cries of glee echoed around the room.

She still doesn't look convinced, but the rage leaks away from her, leaving her just drunk and tired in her bed, tucked in as sleep started to creep in.

"Either way, I'm not getting laid tonight right?" She says lightly, without any of the bitterness that I had heard in her voice. I hadn't convinced her completely, but I was thankful for the olive branch that she was offering.

"I doubt that you could even do anything without falling off the bed." I joke back, causing her to let out a laugh.

I smile at the bomb tinker, making sure that the blanket was properly wrapped around her, giving her a friendly kiss on her forehead, which causes butterflies to flow through her before her eyes flutter closed. I couldn't help but be affectionate to my friends like that.

"Ya know, ya been actin' older lately. Like yer older all a sudden." She drunkenly says while her consciousness starts to drift as I walk towards the bedroom door. "Makes us worried that one of yer powers' came with more than what we're used to…" Then she falls asleep. Her breathing growing more even as her groggy emotions are lost to sleep and dream.

"Krunter." I call to my friend who appears with a pop and a slight bow. Something I had given up on getting him to stop.

"What can Krunter do for Mistress?" He asks politely.

"Could you keep an eye on Lindsay when she wakes up later? Get some aspirin. She got into some of my magic liquor."

The droopy-eared house-elf shivers in place at that. He'd had just a drop before which had promptly knocked him unconscious. House-elves couldn't handle alcohol like normal humans, so magic imbued stuff that I made was completely out of his league. Poor guy had a headache the next day. Still did his job though, even if I told him to get some rest.

"Very well Mistress. Is there anything else that Mistress requires?" He asks.

I smile at him, bending down and giving my short friend a hug. "Get some rest for me, please? I know that you work yourself too hard." I was happy that he didn't stiffen up this time when I hugged him.

"Krunter will try Mistress." He says before apparating again.

I needed to do something for him. He actually decided to start taking care of the mansion in Brockton Bay alongside the magical one. Too much work for one person, even if he insisted on it.

I go back to my office, putting the various bottles of liquor away in their cabinet, adding a lock to it. I know it wasn't enough to keep any of the others away, but it made me feel better at least.

I ignore the part of me that wants to pour myself a drink, sitting down, and just… letting my body sag into the chair in exhaustion. It was funny how that one awkward moment of rejecting a friend was so much more stressful and draining than having to go and scare the living daylights out of the flying brick.

Guess that there was at least one thing about me that remained constant.

"You handled that well Maitre." Napoleon's confident voice says quietly while sitting down in one of the two chairs in front of me, Bedivere sitting in the other while Estrella leaned on the desk by my side, somehow managing to pose like she was in a photo shoot, showing off every curve and muscle that she could without being too revealing.

Though, she was quieter since the memories from my life as President had come. Any changes done to my soul were done to her too after all.

"Yeah, well… not like I had any choice but to handle it well." Botching it was something that had been the worry the entire time.

"Yes, I imagine a few days ago, before you gained those spirit origins, it would have gone differently," Napoleon says quietly while lighting his ever-present cigar in his mouth, even as I feel a tiny shiver go up my spine.

I believe that it was foolish to think that the Heroic Spirits wouldn't have noticed the fact that the collection of Presidents were currently in my head. Or part of me. I didn't know, it was a little screwy. I just felt… more than I was, even when I was President. Guidance and advice coming in whispers and ideas.

"I'm surprised that you didn't say anything about it sooner," Estrella says while looking at the red-haired man with half-lidded eyes.

"We believed that it would be best to see what effect it had on you." Bedivere swiftly and politely adds, while meeting Estrella's eyes head-on.

I smile at them, Estrella doing the same while relaxing in her position. "You wanted to see if I was still me. If whatever had been added to me had taken control."

Napoleon releases a puff of smoke through his nostrils. "That's right. The fact that you have remained mostly yourself is a great ease to our minds Maitre."

There was real affection in both of their eyes, the Frenchman and Brit allowing their relief to reach me through the connection that we shared.

It was nice to know that I had friends like these two. More than I could have said in the life that had ended in 2020.

"I hope that you at least allow yourself to find love, Maitre. No one should go their lives without it." Napoleon suddenly says, his eyes lost and gone to his memories.

I manage to ignore that little lump formed in my chest, and pointedly ignore the piercing gaze that Estrella sends my way. I was not going to have this discussion.

"Romance can wait until we get the job done." Napoleon looks like he wants to say something, but he suddenly stops and releases a reluctant grunt.

I breathe through my nose, letting my thoughts go back to the tasks that needed to get done. There was still so much out there. First off, probably should have a talk with Judith.

I had spent enough time keeping this shit to myself. Besides, the little guy was almost done gestating.

I blink, feeling the forge connect again, a smaller star again, not quite the size of the last one that had joined my constellations in my sky. And I felt something in my brain… click. Like a piece that I had needed for so long, that had been just out of reach.

I knew what I had been doing wrong this whole time. I knew what was required to not just change into the forms that I had, but combine them into a greater whole.

My two Heroic Spirits watch as my body shifts and change from that of my human form. Not quite drastic, or alien as one would expect, most of the real changes were on the inside instead of cosmetic ones.

I grow a few inches taller, my balance feeling just right as I reach six foot five, though I was going to need to make some adjustments to my clothes later.

My hair changes from the stripes of white and rose, to cascades of those colors along with specks of blond, mingled together, like rippling waves of different pigments. One of my eyes remained the crimson that I had grown used to, while the other was a Gerudo shade of ocean blue.

I felt my wings on my shoulders, four of them instead of merely two, with two smaller ones right below the larger ones, feathers of grey and white fluttering as I moved my four limbs with a practice that came naturally.

On the inside is where I could feel the greater change. My emotions were still stronger and more… pervasive than before the Force had hitched a ride, but now I could feel psychic power that had been limited to my Aeldari form flow through my body, without the crippling overbearing emotions that I felt in that form.

Plus, not having those extremely sharp features was a nice plus.

With the barest hint of instinct, I felt my body take on the liquid l like property of my Builder form, before solidifying into what it really was without the need to imitate and take the form with magic.

Every advantage from my various forms went into this body, no longer burdened by the previous limitations of each one remaining static and unchanging except for some of my stars. Magic, psychic energy, and intuition came to me, Flames and every other form of energy that became a part of me flowing with ease through my body that felt almost second nature.

It was an impossibility. My body should have imploded with the number of different powers that coursed through me. I was literally spitting in the face of reality by just existing. And I felt fantastic!

There was still no way that I could control everything, but it was an enormous step in the right direction.

Then I think to my face again, the thought of returning to the one that I'd had in both of my lives flashing through my brain. Before I quickly just… let it go.

I wasn't either of those women anymore. I was both of them. I was more than them. I could see the mistakes of both with new eyes, and knew that I didn't want to commit them anymore. That didn't mean that I was going to forsake what I did love about those lives. The compassion that had been born from those years of hardship and pain, the inherent humanity that I cherished more than anything.

I was neither and would try not to make those mistakes again, but perfection was an impossibility and curse that I refused to fall into.

I would grow and develop my abilities without giving up the humanity that I had.

I swear.

Mia

It was amazing what an army of clones and me could do in about two months.

The red planet wasn't so red anymore.

Oceans of blue glistened amidst continents of vibrant green, shimmering blue, and a menagerie of various other colors that stretched across my sight.

I stood among the bridge of the Sky Rose, Leticia in my arms as the little girl stared at the fourth planet from the sun with great big wide eyes, while Grognik looked like he had tears in his eyes as he looked over the completed project. His new home.

Humanities' new home should things become that drastic.

Or that hopefully would one day.

"Is that really Mars?" She asked in Spanish, pointing at the view in front of us in the innocent way that only a child could. "Why isn't it red?"

"Because I did a few changes to it mija." I tell her quietly while the old bearded Squat held his metal helmet in his hands, his thick and strong fingers shaking like shimmering glass.

He needed his moment. Only reason why I wasn't crying was because of little Leticia in my hands.

I was just happy that the little girl was smiling and laughing more. She still had nightmares most nights, and if it wasn't for her needing someone to sleep with, I might not have gotten as much as I needed.

And now, she stared at the planet below us in a way that made my heartache in melancholy. Melancholy and hope that threatened to burst from my chest. Never in either of my lives' wildest dreams could I have hoped to reach here, much less make it habitable.

As President, I knew that it was so far beyond my reach. As Mia Itzel, knew that it was something that I wouldn't be alive for.

And now, here I was. Entering orbit, with my friends in tow, and half a million Squats that had eagerly awaited their new home.

Along with one Legendary Pokemon that refused to leave Leticia behind. He'd grown so attached to her during the trip through Mexico and then the States.

Well, first Pokemon to reach the Planet of Mars.

Eventually, I let Leticia down onto the floor, the child landing squarely on her feet, her ruffled green dress fluttering as her white shoes landed on the floor. "Go sit down with the rest ok Mija? Landing is going to be rough for a second."

She tilts her head with a question. "What about you?"

"I have to talk with mister Silverbeard for a little while. Adult talk ok?" She glares at me with suspicious eyes, like she knew I was hiding something. She was a little too clever for me sometimes.

She relents though after staring at me in the eyes, giving me a quick hug while I kiss the top of her head. The eight-year-old scampers off while giving the still dazed Squat a hug, the short stocky man staring at the child in bewilderment. "Adiós señor chaparro!"

I was going to have to talk to her about calling Squats that. Thank god none of them spoke Spanish.

When she leaves the room, I stand next to the almost insensate Squat, the old warlord staring at the view as we lowered into orbit, his eyes foggy and barely containing tears.

"How ironic that Mars would be our new home. One unspoiled and pristine beyond what we have ever known." His words were thick as tiny pinpricks of tears rolled down his face into his thick silver beard. The Squat scrubbing at them in embarrassment.

Then he turns to me sees the ones that were on my own face. Only I don't try to hide mine. I'm proud of these tears. Tears of joy that I didn't think I would ever be able to shed.

For I never thought I could have been here to do this momentous event in human history. Even humanity wouldn't know about it for a little while longer.

I just smile at him, kissing the old man on the cheek as he wept in joy and hope. Something that felt foreign and alien to the old warrior that had known nothing but war and darkness for his entire life.

He and his people were now free from that world, from that cycle of endless turmoil and chaos. And I hope that I could make sure this one would be too.

The landing was a normal one. Turbulence was nominal, and wind pressure was as expected. It almost seemed anti-climactic compared to what was happening.

We land in a field of blue grass, the stalks flowing in the wind without a care in the world. The sun hung on high, noon for where we had landed. I breathe in the fresh air, each one a miracle for a planet that had been nothing but a red sandy wasteland.

Plants that had never been seen on Earth dotted the landscape, purple and blue flowers growing from red bark, plump fruits ready and ripe hanging from a few of them, while the sounds of a nearby stream echoed from the silent landscape.

My friends all clambered out of the Sky Rose, Leonardo crying again, Deeseven taking photos with the camera that I had installed into him for later, while Leticia and Mew looked around the landscape in awe. Grognik shared in that wonder, staring at the landscapes and views with eyes younger than he was like he had gone back to the days when he had been a little boy.

Lindsay was right alongside him, with Johnny, Marcus, Taylor, Krunter, and Paige not too far behind, emotions beyond what I had ever felt from them before practically shining off of them, making Without Question smile next to me.

"This is our home?" He says with a trembling voice, the hardened veteran shaking with emotions that he didn't know what to do with.

I nod. "Welcome to Mars. The first colony of Humanity, and home of the squats." I point out in the distance, towards the wide-open grassy plains that were crisscrossed with various rivers and streams. "And that is where we are going to build the first city of this planet."

"Do you have a name, Ancestor Mia?" I could already see the gears in his head turning, probably already going through building plans in his head, along with logistics and such.

A little smile worms its way on my face. One that could barely contain the memories that were going through my head. Memories of the little robot that should have wandered across the red sands of this planet for eight more years, traveling further, harder, and longer than we could possibly have predicted. A little robot that lived past his life, past what any human could have imagined.

Only it never did in this world. He was never created, and never able to travel across Martian soil.

"Yes. Opportunity."

--

Gaia

A splendid day had come. One that shouldn't have happened until far into the future, but the proper path of progress and development had diverged long ago.

She reaches out towards her mother, who had before been out of her reach out beyond the orbit of the planet, and smiles as she connects.

Only, to her sorrow, there is no life on the planet that Mia had cultivated. Or rather, no soul. No consciousness.

It was an empty vessel that would never gain consciousness like she had. After all, she herself had been a miracle only possible through the Forge that Mia had obtained.

She had been looking forward to having a little sister.

The thought echoes sadness throughout her various realities as she does the only thing that made sense. She made Mars her own.

And she heard the proclamation that Mia made of the first city that would grace the fertile soil of the terraformed planet and feels a pull from within.

Two of them. One older than the other by a mere three decades, while the younger of the two would have never been born. At least, not in this version of reality. That couldn't be said of the other countless that made up her being.

And the influence that this one Heroic Spirit had on her mother was more than enough for his legend to promptly take root in this world, and blossom as the culmination of his life lead to the purpose behind his creation.

The first human walking across the neighboring planet.

The older one of the two was something just as important. A traveler of the stars that would chart the course for future generations. The leading ship that would help humanity sail across the ocean of dreams and stars.

They were mere children, and yet both stronger than they should have been at this point in time.

Mia might not be entirely human anymore, as much as she refused to accept, but the people that came with her were.

And those people were more than enough for the first steps towards the Heroic Spirits' true strength manifesting in a way that should not have been possible for generations.

And yet, both young Heroic Spirits eagerly stepped forward, happy and joyously leaping forward towards the unknown. After all, that was their entire purpose.

To explore the unknown and help chart the course forward.

And while she stepped towards her new body, Gaia wept with joy, just as Mia did on the Fourth Planet from the Sun.

--

Mia

I felt two new connections make their way to me. Two connections that felt… young, almost childlike compared to Napoleon and Bedivere.

I can feel Gaia's presence draw near, her emotions matching mine, a puzzling thing. I thought that her Stand was bound to only Earth's under her control?

Then the connection solidifies, and light blossoms around us, the summoning ritual happening without any of us initiating it.

My friends panic behind me, the sound of their flames igniting as Grungnir pulls out his power axe, the single-bladed melee tool shimmering with power as its field activated.

"It's alright!" I call to my friends who freeze as the light dims and dies.

And I stand there, in front of my group, staring at the two small figures standing in front of me.

They were both boys, one looking barely ten while the other one looked eight.

The older of the two was a blond boy, with pale blue eyes that reminded me of the sky, wearing a white flowy robe that ended around his knee's, a yellow scarf around his neck, and a matching yellow belt around his waist, while a black circle with a star at the top was displayed proudly on the chest. His bare yellow feet were on the purple floor, his toes wiggling the grass as he looked around curiously.

The younger boy was also strange. Bright red hair instead of blond, his features younger, with dusky skin, and orange eyes. He wore a blocky grey robe instead of the flowing white of the other one, shining clips of metal fastened to his hair that glinted in the sunlight while they seemed to even draw some in. A golden necklace imbued with the male symbol stamped in white, with gold and red bracelets clamped on his wrists, the letters of SPQR stamped in metallic grey.

Grungnir had put his axe away, but he stared at the children with distrust, while Napoleon and Bedivere both stared at the children with expressions of surprise and amazement.

Both children stare at me, blue and orange eyes locked on my own, both of them tilting their heads in curiosity.

"I. Ask. You. Are. You. Worthy. Of. Being. My. Master?" He said haltingly like he wasn't used to talking. The red-haired boy nodded his head while pointing at the blond like he was trying to say the same thing, his mouth opening and closing over and over again without a sound.

I step towards them, my friends making sounds of protest while Napoleon and Bedivere followed beside me in step. I knee in front of them, my wings tucked into my back as I smiled at the two boys Heroic Spirits.

"I guess I am. Though, please call me Mia. Master isn't something that I really like to be called." I tell them softly while they nod. "What are your names?"

The blond boy gives me a gentle smile. "I. Am. Voyager."

"O-o-o-pportun-n-ity." The other boy responds, stuttering even harder than the blue-eyed boy did.

Then their names clicked in my brain. I knew who they were. Anyone that had an interest in space and the great unknown would know who these two were. I had just named a city after one.

And I couldn't help the lump that had lodged itself in my throat only became stronger.

The tears come streaming out even stronger than before, as both young Heroic Spirit's step towards me, worried expression's on their faces, worried that they had done something wrong.

Until I wrap both of them in a hug, careful not to squeeze too hard, the travelers of planets and stars seizing in confusion.

"Thank you." I whisper in their ears, my voice turning into a sob. "Thank you for going out there. For looking for us, and helping us see what was out here beyond our little planet. Thank you."

They both freeze, and wrap their arms around me, their tiny heads leaning onto my shoulders.

"You're welcome."

Rebecca

She had hoped that she would never have to see that woman again. Then she had received a distressing message from Piggot concerning the cape that could recreate her Tinkertech and didn't bother wearing a mask.

She'd immediately told Piggot to make sure and keep things as amicable between the PRT and Apotheosis as possible. Something that Piggot agreed with, but seemed extremely reluctant to do.

Since then, the woman, Mia, had started to become very involved with the PRT and the city and general.

Buildings bought with money that was somehow legal which were then quickly renovated, at least on the outside.

And through it all, more and more of these… Pokemon were coming out of the woodwork. Creatures big and small roaming the wilds, with more and more of them finding interest in human beings.

The rest of her colleagues didn't even bother trying to suppress the information, not when it was happening all over the world, not just here in the states.

It was going well in most areas. In other's, it wasn't.

Having a cow that was about to go to slaughter turn into a brute pink cow that lead the rest of the flock to freedom was something that made her reconsider trying to control these creatures. Especially at the rate that they were appearing and… befriending other humans.

Along with the threat from Apotheosis, they were leaving these creatures alone… for now. Perhaps when the situation de-escalated they would be able to resume trials and see if they could replicate any of their abilities. None of them had a Corona Pollentia after all.

And now, she had the woman that had walked into her office and reduced her to a trembling mess sitting in front of her with dignity and confidence that reminded her of some of her other fellow Directors across the States. Gone was the aggravating, almost lazy way that she had lounged in the chair, replaced by crossed legs, a straight back, and a blue suit that Rebecca couldn't help like. She even looked a few inches taller than before.

Then she looked at the amused expression in her red and blue eyes, the mischievous smile on her face, and knew that it was the same woman.

"You know Becky, if you keep glaring at me like that, I might start to think that there's something you're not telling me." Rebecca doesn't break the arm of her chair under her strength, even though she really wanted to.

"Why are you here this time? I believe that I kept myself out of your affairs." The words feel like sandpaper coming out of her mouth.

Mia's smile only grows wider, her eyes lighting up. "I came to take you somewhere." Rebecca tenses up while the heterochromatic-eyed woman waves it away. "Honestly Becky, if I wanted you dead, I'd have done it already. Don't need to take you anywhere to do that and get away with it."

The cheerful words do nothing to ease the caution that Rebecca was feeling.

"And if I refuse?" She responds back, her face a cold mask that had grown more comfortable over the years.

Mia just looks at her with half lidded eyes as if she had asked if the air was see-through.

They sit there in silence for about a minute, Rebecca refusing to stand while Mia just stared at her expectantly like she knew what was going to happen. Usually, the PRT Head Director wasn't a petty person, she did what she needed to, but part of her just wanted to sit there in defiance.

Eventually, she realizes that it would be more galling if the Tinker woman dragged her away than if she went there on her own two feet.

The thought of feeling that… weakness again wasn't something that she ever wanted to feel again. Not when it brought back memories and made her eye ache.

"I have to be back by the end of the day." She says reluctantly, Mia standing with a snort at that.

"Yes sweetie, I'll make sure to have you back by your curfew." Again, Rebecca had to hold back the urge to squeeze.

"How exactly are we to get there?" Rebecca asked while standing up.

Mia offers her, her hand. Rebecca stares at it and takes it, a frown of displeasure on her face. Then, everything goes… blue. She feels as if her body was being broken down and flowed away, like ethereal wind into the air of nothingness. The next instant, the opposite happens, everything is put back together, with her standing in front of a screen that showed-

That...showed her a blue orb on the wall, crystal clear as if the image was the wall itself. She could see shades of green and brown, with large clumps and wisps of white floating along the surface. And behind and around that orb, pure blackness that was marred by specks of distant light.

Rebecca blinks a few times as awe and terror takes over her sense, eyes searching desperately for any of sign of- there! Barely noticeable, on the very edges of the planet's orbit, was a single speck. One that Rebecca knew all too well, even if she couldn't see the thin winged thing.

"It can't see us. Even if she did, I'd take one of her wings as a trophy." Mia's voice said next to her, as a seat formed itself from the ground, black blocks and dots forming into a comfortable chair which she sat on like a queen. Legs crossed, elbow propped on the arm while her chin rested on her knuckles. Her eyes digging into the image that was in front of them while her other hand pressed holographic images as the ship moved and the view changed. "Take a seat Becky, the trip is going to be a few minutes."

The Flying Brute did so, if only because she feared that they wouldn't be able to keep her upright for once. Everything that she was beyond anything that she had ever seen from previous Tinkers, at least from what they could build with only a few months.

Fear set in when she realized that they had left the Earth's atmosphere and were only going farther. And yet, she could still feel her power. The weakness that she had felt recently didn't come like she was expecting. Why?

"I did a few things to make sure that your stasis power didn't get turned off. Should keep that stasis body of yours from letting the cancer take its hold." Rebecca shivers again at the offhanded way that Mia recites that little piece of her past.

Instead of dwelling on just how much this woman seemed to know about her and her colleagues, she focused her eyes on the window, watching as they sped through space faster than she had ever flown before. And then what she was experiencing truly dawned on her.

She was traveling through space. Leaving behind the planet without being shot down from orbit by the Simurgh. Instead, leaving the confines of their home planet and now traveling through the stars.

This infuriating, galling, and… terrifying woman that had appeared out of nowhere, and made no signs of how much she disliked her, was currently taking her through space. Something that she had all but given up hope of ever doing.

The sheer absurdity and outrageousness of what was happening was difficult for her to process. An act that had once pushed humanity towards the stars that burned and crashed when the entities arrived on their planet.

And she felt… warmth. Real warmth that she hadn't felt in so many years.

They sat in silence as minutes passed, and something started to approach on the screen. It was small at first, tiny, before growing larger and larger as they approached. When they grew closer to it, Rebecca recognized what it was. The red planet of Mars. The neighboring sphere that had formed next to their own home.

Then… like water clearing away, she sees as the image wavers and fades away. Showing the truth behind whatever it is that they just passed.

The first thing she noticed was how… alive the planet looked. Vibrant colors practically radiated off the planet's surface, shining more so than Earth's did. Then she looked at what looked like floated hunks of metal and moving dots of light. Were those space stations and more ships?

Just how many specializations did this woman have? And how fast could she work? Suddenly, she realized just how dead she would truly be, probably even if Apotheosis couldn't somehow turn off other parahuman powers.

And given that those ships were flying around, that meant that something was controlling them. She didn't know which thought was more terrifying, that there were actually people that joined her and could fly spaceships that looked more advanced than anything on Earth Bet, tinkertech included. Or that she was controlling all of them on her own through those projections that she had.

Landing was a quiet affair, neither woman wishing to make any attempt at conversation. The first sight that greeted her, was green, blue and purple foliage, most of it in shapes that were definitely not native to planet Earth.

Rebecca stands there, a stranger in a strange land, for once forgetting the strong and immovable stance that had become instinct in her life. Instead, she stood there, staring at the sights in front of her with wide eyes, the worries of extinction, fear, and the constant state of focus… completely gone from her mind as she looked across the forests and plains.

The giggles of children reached her ears, and she turns her head, seeing three children running up to Mia with smiles on their faces and arms stretched out wide. A blond boy with light blue eyes, a dusky-skinned one with red straight hair that was almost crimson, and a Hispanic girl that wore a warm red dress that reached around her calves, her brown hair tied into a braid.

"Mia!" The children cried out as the woman embraced them, her smile warm and affectionate, a stark contrast to the cold killing smile that she wore on their first meeting.

"Hola chamacos, como estan?" It felt like she was seeing a completely different person, hearing a completely different person. One that reminded Rebecca of her own mother when she was young, before the lying began.

The ache didn't hurt as it should have.

She watches confused at the children, none of them look alike at all, along with bearing no resemblance to Mia herself. And yet there was clear love and affection in Apotheosis' expression, Rebecca could see that through her expression plain as day.

The red-haired boy was staring at her with an expression that didn't belong on a face that young. His eyes felt piercing like he was seeing something that she tried to keep hidden. The blond one at his side simply gave her a sad smile, his blue eyes young and wise. The little girl was the only one that looked at her like a normal child would, with curiosity instead of knowledge and knowing.

"Who's the pretty lady?" The little girl asked the multicolor haired woman.

Before she could respond, the sound of fast footsteps reached Rebecca's ears, and she turns her head prepared for whatever seemed intent to reach them. When something grabbed her hand she tried to rip it away, only to find it held firmly in place by two rough and calloused palms.

She frowns and glares down at the handsome spiky red haired man with a goatee and sideburns that did well to frame his face. His blue eyes were trained on her with warmth, and what she wanted to say was lust, if it wasn't for how affectionate they were.

She had never even met this man before in her life, and she doubted that he knew her. Why on Earth would he look at her that way?

"Mon cheri, I have waited for this day since I was made manifest on this world." She hears Apotheosis make a choking noise from behind her. "My lady, would you give me the honor of being the happiest man on two worlds with your hand in marriage?"

Rebecca just stared at the obviously crazed man. "No. Let me go." She was surprised that he did so quickly and took a charming smile while bowing instead of becoming angry or despondent like she had guessed he would.

"Hahah, no problem. I can take a little rejection. But I won't give up madame! I am the man of possibilities after all! I shall just have to try again next time!" He disappears right after. Gone without a trace, as if he had never even been there.

The footprints in the grass and Apotheosis staring at where he had just been with her mouth hanging open was proof of that. How bizarre.

At least she got to get a glimpse of the womans cool being broken for once.

Though, she quickly regains her composure and clears her throat as another man appears next to her. This one wearing shining armor with a prosthetic hand and clear green eyes.

"Could you please take the children inside Bedivere? I have some important business to talk with Becky about." The nickname still irked her though.

The white-haired man nods, bows to both of them while calling to the children.

The two boys go without a question, but the girl looks up at Mia and pouts. "But you just got back!"

Apotheosis' smile comes back again. "I know mija, but this is important. Promise that it shouldn't take me long. Now follow Bedi for now, promise that I'll be back inside of the ship in no time."

The child frowns up at her, looking like she was going to refuse before letting out a huff and hugging the tall woman, who immediately returns the gesture. Curios. Turns out this trip was becoming more of an informational goldmine than she thought.

When the children and man walk up the space ships ramp, Apotheosis turns back to her, calm expression worn comfortably on her face. "Now, how about we actually talk?" She snaps her finger, wisps of white and red forming around them solidifying into two simple wooden, yet comfortable chairs, with a single desk in the middle.

"We couldn't have had this conversation back in my office?" Rebecca couldn't help but gripe, even as she appreciated the alien view that surrounded her.

"Not when the winged cunt was up in the sky watching our every move." THAT causes Rebecca to stare at her with wide eyes. What was she talking about?

"Ah, right. Your little group doesn't know, at least not for sure. This is going to be a longer conversation than I thought." She takes out a thermos, pouring coffee in a simple mug that said, "Bad Ass Meximom" on the front while leaving a simple white one close to Rebecca's side of the table. She doesn't even look at the white ceramic cup a second time.

"Before that, I think I should let out some air. I'm only letting you in on a few things because as much as it galls me, I need your political muscle. No way that I can bring any change, or provide the proper protection for Pokemon, that I need to without it." That brings some semblance of satisfaction to Rebecca's heart. Perhaps she would actually be able to negotiate instead of simply doing whatever this woman wanted. "No, I'm not going to negotiate with you Becky."

Rebecca doesn't react at all, though she does deepen the frown on her face. "As you just stated, i have something that you need. And while you could unveil my secret, it would leave you without the network that you apparently need."

The blue and red-eyed woman gives her a nod while taking a sip from her coffee that tasted vaguely of nuts and chocolate that made Rebecca's mouth water. Another oddity.

"While true, there are two things wrong with that train of thought. One, I could find other ways to gain political influence without your help. Wouldn't be too hard, it would just be too slow. As for the second reason." She takes another sip. "You're going to want to do what I say with what I'm going to tell you."

Rebecca highly doubted that.

--

Judith

She was still pissed at Mia for keeping the secret from her. Yes, there was a lot going on, what with her getting the ship ready while a gang war was going on around them followed by the travel through the multiverse. It didn't matter though, Mia should have told her about it the moment that she found out!

The rage had died out, but it was going to be a while until she was going to just let it go. Right now, she was having a very… tense conversation with Ahsoka.

"She must be taught the proper ways of the Jedi, otherwise she will be susceptible to the powers of the Dark Side." Judith had finally seen the Star Wars movies, but Mia made her promise that she wouldn't say a word about it to Ahsoka or Rex. Apparently, it wouldn't end well, which Judith was struggling to keep inside at the moment.

"I am not giving my baby up to be a samurai monk!" She knew that Ahsoka had no idea what that meant, but she couldn't bring herself to care right now. "She's my daughter, and I am going to raise her on my own!"

"Attachments lead to-"

"'Fear, which leads to anger which leads to blah blah blah Dark Side. Not if I raise her right. And you're going to have to pry her from my cold dead hands if you want that." Judith doesn't even try to suppress her rain flames that sprout from her ring, letting her rage out with every flicker and flow of azure fire.

Neither Ahsoka nor Rex blink at the blue light, they don't even react to it, simply looking at her with blank eyes that made a slight shiver run down her spine. She couldn't help but feel that even with Aura and Rain Flames, Ahsoka could still kick her ass. A little hunch that felt like a noose tightening around her neck.

She cuts the influx of flames, emotion and calm returning to their blank eyes.

"You just proved it right there. Now imagine those emotions magnified beyond what you can believe. A Jedi must find balance in the Force. Know how to center themselves and protect themselves from the temptation of the dark side."

Judith wanted nothing more than to tell the orange skinned woman to fuck off, but she remembered Mia when she first connected to the Force. The way that she just… broke down and sobbed uncontrollably in the room that day. Or the way that she struggled to even walk outside without getting nauseous at the constant onslaught of emotions that she felt.

Was her wanting to keep Claire with her really the best thing that she could do for her baby? What if her keeping Claire and making a mistake down the road led to her becoming… a Sith. The sound of harsh breathing to the sound of ominous notes, the shimmer of red came to her mind. It was just a movie.

A movie that existed out there. Where that scary ass dude in black existed. Could her sweet little Claire turn into a monster like that?

The mere thought of it made her want to faint right there.

"I don't think it's a good idea to be pressuring her like this Ahsoka." Mia said as she walked into the room, Agumon behind her, the little dinosaur giving the group a somber smile.

"But it-"

"Is still her decision and throwing all of this pressure and information is going to just lead her to make a decision out of fear instead of conviction." Mia responded back, her voice calm but stern.

Ahsoka looked like she wanted to argue, but she bites her lip while averting her eyes sighing after a few seconds. "Fine. But, Judith, please think about it."

With that she leaves the room, Rex following behind while giving them a respectful nod.

Judith merely looks at Mia with narrowed eyes. "Bit rich coming from the one that waited almost two months before letting the truth slip."

She sees the flash of hurt in Mia's eyes but doesn't care. Yes, she loved Mia dearly and owed her everything. Doesn't mean that her friend hadn't fucked up.

"Regardless, don't be so hard on Ahsoka. She grew up that way, thinking that it was the only way to go forward. She might have left because of… problems in the order, but she doesn't know any other way to live with the Force." Mia says quietly

"Doesn't mean that she's not being a pushy bitch." Judith fires back while leaning back in her chair. Then she bites her lip and looks at Mia. "How do you deal with it? The heightened emotions?"

Mia sit's down, contemplating on how to answer. "It's… not the easiest thing in the world. I was already a hothead before I got connected to the Force. After that… it was like everything that I felt was being pumped through my nerves instead of just tingling around. You know meditation is something that I do every morning. Other than that, it's really just… learning self control. Something that isn't really easy to learn. Though, Ahsoka has been helping me."

Judith chews on that for a second, debating on whether she should ask what she wants to before remembering that while she might be mad at Mia, she still loved her dearly. Even if it left a sour taste in her throat to be this weak again. "What should I do?" She wished that there wasn't a tremble in her voice.

Mia merely meets her eyes, sadness, and understanding in the blue and red orbs, an expression that she wore a lot more nowadays.

"I don't know. That's up to you. I love Claire like she was my own, but you're the mom. This is something that you should decide on your own. Though we might be able to raise her while training her as a Jedi, Claire is still going to experience emotions stronger than any other child." God, Judith was already scared of whenever her baby reached her teens. She had been a terror when puberty first hit, which she was willing to bet would be the same for her bundle of joy.

"Although," Mia added. "There is something that I have been working on. Something that should keep Claire safe regardless of if we are there or not. Or rather, someone."

That doesn't calm the nerves that Judith was feeling. "Is that whatever the hell you have been growing in your vat?"

Mia's expression doesn't change, but the tip of her pointed ears did turn red. Judith thinks that Mia doesn't know that they do that yet.

"...yes." It was fun that Judith could still pull the wool over Mia's eyes. It wasn't often, but they were the few moments that she could see Mia's meek side.

Wait! No! She was still mad at her.

"What is it?" Judith asked cautiously.

"A friend." Mia said simply while standing up and offering Judith her hand. She stares at it wondering if she should be petty and tell her no for a split second before taking it and following her friend through the space stations above terraformed Mars.

--

Mia had insisted that they bring Claire with them, and Judith had agreed, even though she found the request weird. Though, not the strangest that she'd ever heard from her friend.

They were in the bio lab, the one with the giant tree whose roots turned into computers and pods. It was both creepy and peaceful, therefore Judith barely came in here.

All of the pods were empty, except for one of them. A single furry creature floated in the tank, wires and tubes connected to the sleeping being, probably what was feeding the stuff that was on the screen under the tank's glass. It almost looked like a furry worm, its big eyes were closed, but Judith could make out the fuzzy blue-white fur, along with the small antennas on the top of its head and the four small feet that ended in paws near each end of the fuzzy worm.

"What the hell am I looking at, and how the fuck could it help my baby?" Her mouth had become fouler since she started living with Mia, though, since a few weeks ago the Tinker had started getting better at keeping her potty mouth shut.

Mia laughs at that. Her real laugh. Loud, boisterous that went up just a few pitches. Good to know that stayed the same. "He's a little… creation that has been in my head for a long long time." She places her hand on the glass, her eyes going distant. "Probably the culmination of all of my… 'biotinker' powers."

Judith stares at the small caterpillar like thing that couldn't be any longer than the length of her palm, and about half as wide. "Yeah, can tell by his size that he's a real killer."

Mia just gives her an unimpressed look while sighing. "He's just a baby. You don't think I would bring life without giving it a chance to learn and grow properly, do you? Downloading information into a new being's brain isn't going to be enough to teach him what really matters."

"Wait, how smart is that thing?" Mia strokes the glass dome like Judith would have stroked her belly when speaking to Judith during her pregnancy.

"He can become just as smart as any human out there. Speech, mathematics, anything that we are capable of he is capable of." Mia sounded so proud as she looked at the little creature inside.

"And you made him just for Claire?"

Mia shakes her head. "No. I made him to live. Regardless if you would accept him to bond psychically to Claire." Her face turns into a slight snarl. "I would never create life just for a single purpose. Life is meant to be lived, not to serve. Besides, he or she would be able to break the bond if either wishes to when they are older."

"Still don't see how that tiny ass worm could keep anybody safe." Judith says back.

Mia laughs again, as if she had made the funniest joke in the world. "Do you really think that I wouldn't have made my little baby in there a secret badass? Trust me Judith, anyone that would try anything with either of them is in for a nasty surprise." For a split second, Mia's eyes glow purple and gold, power shimmering just under the surface at the thought before dissipating back into her normal expression.

Judith had gotten used to Mia having a little bit of psycho on the inside. It's part of why she trusted her so much in the first place. Cause she knew that if anyone messed with the rest of the group, Mia would go Momma Bear on any of them. She hadn't hesitated to throw that Shadow cunt to the wolves once she had what she needed from the PRT. Apparently, the bitch had to be chased down. And happened to be found trapped high in the air between buildings, held up by purpled flamed wires. Now, Judith wondered who that could have been~?

"Let's say that I say yes, what's going to happen?" Judith asked while Claire stirred in her sleep between her arms. Judith quickly rocked her back and forth singing a wordless tune to calm her down.

"Then I add the final touches and the little guy gets to breathe his first breath of air." Mia said softly.

Judith stared at the little worm. Wondering if this would be a good idea. Bonding her daughter to some worm thing that Mia had biotinkered in her weird ass lab. The thought of just bonding her daughter psychically to the furry little creature wasn't something that made the blond feel at ease.

Thoughts of what could go wrong ran through her head, flashing back and forth over and over again, different scenarios going wrong. From the worm going berserk, to it getting lost somewhere in the city. Then she remembered all the countless wonders that Mia had built and created from nothing but ambient mana in the air. She remembered the marvels and giants of technology and engineering that had brought life to Mars, and the wonderful big ass weapon that she had made specially for Judith.

The teen mom had no plans in going out on patrol, but she would fight if she needed to. Like how that scaled bastard was coming to Brockton Bay in just a few more weeks.

And she wondered how those same feats could apply to a bio creation, when Mia told her that she was a far better biologist than she was an engineer.

Hoping that she wouldn't regret it, she nodded. "Do it."

"Are you sure?" Mia whispered while looking into her blue eyes.

"Yeah. If anything happens to any of us, there should be a last line of defense. Besides, maybe this way I won't have to give up being a mother to my baby." Mia wrapped her arms around her, careful to maneuver around the sleeping baby, squeezing her lightly.

They separate and Mia presses a button, lines of golden and blue light flowing through the wires and tubes that connected to the sleeping worm thing. It wasn't a flash of lights, or an explosion of power. Instead, part of the glass dome split, lines forming in a perfect sphere, while the creature inside floated towards it as if pulled by gravity.

It opened for a split second, the little worm landing in a blanket that Mia held in her hands. It caught once, its small mouth opening once, clear liquid falling out and onto the floor, while the tank bred creation breathed its first new breath.

It seemed to chirp like a bird as its eyes opened and took them all in. Then pure black eyes eyes locked on Claire in Judith's arms, causing the baby's mother to freeze.

It slowly lifts off into the air on its own, its body moving up and down like a snake, and wraps itself around a sleeping Claire's neck, letting out a soft coo as the baby human smiles in her sleep, her arms wrapping softly around her newborn companion in satisfaction.

--

Mia

Why the fuck my clones decided to start up the summoning program again when I had two new adorable little servants, I didn't know. Those fucking tinker happy bitches were too used to doing whatever they wanted to sometimes. For some reason, the back of my neck burned at that thought.

Dammit, I had to stop letting that potty mouth of mine out. Sure, I was used to cussing, but since I was going to have to take a more public role soon, that meant I had to learn to keep profanity to a minimum. Especially since I had a bunch more kids running around all over the place.

My Heroic Spirits were all around me, Opportunity and Voyager hanging around Napoleon while we waited for the bursting light of the Round Table to calm down.

"Who do you think is going to come?" Opportunity asked shyly from the Archer's side, one of his eyes hidden beneath his red hair.

Napoleon just laughs and ruffles the young Spirit's hair with one of his free hands, causing the childlike being to giggle in amusement. "I am sure that whoever should answer the call is going to be a fine comrade!"

"Well, it isn't like we have seen much combat since we were summoned." Bedivere adds from my left, a look of amusement on his face.

"While true, it is simply because we are waiting for the right opportunity to strike! It is best to keep your best tactics secret, only to use them when they are truly necessary!" Napoleon bellowed as the light died down, showing another set of black keys, before starting back up again at the sacrifice of Quartz.

"You are correct in that assessment." Bedivere acquiesces with a nod.

The rest of my friends were hanging out in the control room above us while we were standing in the dome like room with the globe of the Earth in the center. Most of them were bored, while Marcus and Taylor were arguing about something or other. They had been clashing a lot more lately, but there wasn't any malice in their arguments. Considering that Taylor was very much a control freak, while Marcus had blossomed into a capable leader since he unlocked his Sky Flames, it wasn't a surprise.

Lindsay and Johnny just watched in amusement while Judith ignored them, Quatz the newborn Experiment happily sleeping away the day while Claire giggled and played with her mother.

The light on the globe turning into a storm of prolonged activity instead of the quick flashes of succession catches all our attentions. That meant that a new Servant was answering the call, and I knew that the entire group was more than interested to see who was going to appear this time.

Me and the Spirits because of knowledge of at least a few of the other Heroes that sat in the Throne. My friends upstairs because of the sheer novelty of the manifestations of Heroes from the past forming into a personality.

The light dies down, we all stare with unabated breath at the newcomer.

Only for me, Bedivere, and Napoleon to feel our breaths catch in our throats as we see the tall woman standing there in front of the globe, leather sandaled and wearing a smile that could match that of the sun.

A stunningly gorgeous woman stood there, giving us all that wondrous smile as her green eyes shined just as bright as the emerald that sat between her mouth and chin. She wasn't quite my height, probably a few inches shorter, but she still stood head and shoulders over most of my friends upstairs.

She wore Central and South American inspired clothing, though I doubt any of the ancient Native people wore that. Red blue and green dominated her wardrobe, the red cloth diamond 'shirt' barely reaching above her belly button, while the matching red skirt barely reached the top of her thighs at the front, while the curved and stretched to reach knees at the back. Armlets and knee pads, with an Aztec Headdress in gold, green and blue finished her look, with feathers of matching colors accompanied the edges of each scrap of clothing that she wore.

A leather shield of gold, with a familiar image emblazoned on it, was fastened to her left arm, while she held a macuahuitl in her right, the wooden club looking to be made of solid gold except for the obsidian teeth.

Given just how much skin was being shown, along with the way that the… 'shirt' clung to her, she wasn't wearing anything underneath those clothes.

Wait, why the fuck was I focusing on that? Was it her divinity?

Is that what people felt when they looked at me? God that was annoying.

Though, it wasn't like I didn't enjoy the view….

Dammit Mia, focus!

I could feel Bedivere and Napoleons wariness through our connection, Voyager and Opportunity merely looking at the Aztec Goddess with curiosity and wide eyes. The blond woman returned those stares with a warm smile and glittering green eyes. She moved her head, causing the blond wavy hair that reached her back to swirl in the air.

A light giggle escaped her as she looked at me. "Hola Master! Goddess Quetzalcoatl ran here as fast as she could! Given your size, I am going to assume that you won't mind my height will you?"

I stand there with my mouth hanging open, while Napoleon did the same next to me. Up above us, I could feel the attraction that leaked out of most of my friends as they stared at the Goddess that had answered the call of the summoning.

I step forward, trying to regain the composure that I had cultivated over 70 years of my previous life. Though, I at least give her a smile. "Nice to meet you Quetzacoatl. Mi nombre es Mia Itzel."

She blinks and squeals loud enough to make me think that I ruptured an eardrum as she sprints over to me, looking me up and down. "Ay, que linda! Eres hermosa nina!"

Nina? That felt wrong for someone to call me. Her voice was very… breathy and affectionate. Like, just from hearing her you could imagine that she was the type to be very touchy with her friends.

That was before she squealed again and grabbed Voyager and Opportunity off the floor into a great big hug, the two childlike Servants giggling at the interactions, though there was a slight tinge of fear in both of them.

"Que lindos ninos! Mira como han crecido!" She drops both of the boys down on the floor, the space probe and rover landing on their feet as relief washes over them while her attention comes back to me.

Actually, now that I looked at her, she was still taller than me. What the hell? Thought that she was shorter than that?

She holds her hand to her chin while her green eye's inspect me, her smile never leaving her face, and yet I couldn't tell what she was thinking. Eventually she lets out another breathy laugh, the smile sending butterflies through every human in the room, and the one above. Damn, now I got why everyone acted like a bit of a ditz when I was around.

"Si, Si! I think that you are going to be a fine Master Mia! Though there is just one little thing that we have to do first!" Even though her enthusiasm remained the same, and the smile never left her face, something about her words sent fear trembling down my spine and through my nerves. At least I manage not to gulp.

"And what would that be?" I ask, hiding the fear in my voice behind a mask of stoicism that I had long ago mastered.

Like a switch had been flipped, her smile widened even longer, her teeth sharpening, while her pupils seemed to turn into slits. "Why, test your battle aptitude of course." Her voice had deepened, becoming something more like a dragon's growl rather than a breath of fresh air.

It felt like a hand crawled up my spine at that smile. Napoleon and Bedivere tried to intervene, with Voyager and Opportunity not far behind them.

Though they weren't nearly fast enough to intercept her as she blasted through the room towards me. Hell, I barely manage to lift my hands up as she throws an uppercut to my chin.

I vastly underestimated the force of the blow. I shoot up in the air, my hands stinging, and crash through the Antarctic facilities roof, bits of concrete steel and fiber glass clinging and falling around me.

I can feel the panic and concern from my friends, but the Sun Goddess doesn't give me a chance to even breathe as she's in my face again while we sail through the frigid air. Her normal smile is back, the warm one without the sharpened dragon teeth. But her eyes were still focused completely on me, on pushing me to see just what I was capable of.

Well, if that's how she wanted to do it, then fine!

My wings unfurl around me, the right one flapping towards the Aztec Goddess who catches the powerful limb in her hand while winding up a punch with her other. Enough time for me to run through a number of hand seals with my hands.

It had taken weeks of constant training from my shadow clones, but the chakra in my body moved and flowed, changing in form and nature as my hand's landed on their final seal.

"Water Style, Water Dragon Jutsu!" I hated that I actually had to fucking say the damn name out loud for the water to shift from the snow and ice around us, my chakra calling it together instead of having to waste any on making my own. The dragon won't be able to form before she reaches me, her fist already a few feet away from my face, but I had plenty of other tricks at my sleeve.

Flashes of red and white formed around her, mere inches, and a flurry of hardened crystalline daggers that shot at speeds faster than bullets the moment that they were formed.

Of course, her smile merely widened while her eyes glowed with amusement. As the water twisted and turned in the air, swirling faster and faster as it solidified into a giant Dragon shaped hydro creation, Quetzalcoatl used the shield and sword at her sides to bat every single one of the daggers that could pierce through asteroids, her arms moving too fast for even my eyes to register. She twirls around, her sword and shield batting away the last of the blades, pirouetting on one foot while staring at the water dragon in the eyes as it almost touches her nose, the water creation dwarfing the tall woman.

And she laughs in abandonment as she cuts the jutsu with one slash, takes one step, throws her weapons to the floor without a care in the world, and delivers that uppercut to my chin, this time connecting as I didn't have the chance to intercept. My teeth clap together, my ears reverberate at the force delivered to my head, my head pulses as my feet leave the ground, my senses coming back to me within seconds. Estrella is at my hip while I sail through the air, my wings flapping trying to catch some air so that I would stop rising. I put my hand on her hilt when a shadow covers the light that had been shining around me.

I look up, mouth dry, eye's wide, and fear in my chest with Estrella not being far behind, seeing Quetzalcoatl falling towards me, the smile on her face still there.

I knew I lost. I knew that there was no way that I could beat her in a fight. And it disappointed me.

But I knew that there was a crazed smile on my face as she collided with me, spinning me in the air until I was head first facing the ground, her wrapped around my upper body while her arms held my feet together. My wings flail around to no end, and I summon as many weapons as I can, none of them moving faster than we were falling through the air.

Flames that emanate from the Goddess that had me in her grip licked my body, burning me, but leaving no lasting damage. Still hurt though.

Not as much as this fall was going to.

I smile the entire way down, the blond goddesses giggles being the last thing I hear as my vision go's black.

--

Taylor

Mia… lost.

Easily.

That… was something that the entire room was having trouble wrapping their head around. At least, those that weren't the Heroic Spirits. If anything, they looked like they had been expecting this, with Napoleon's frown merely being tight instead of horrified and Bedivere looking slightly exasperated. The boys hadn't reacted much other than wincing as the ground around them shook from the impact.

Mia and… the other tall drop dead gorgeous woman had fallen from who knows how high, and looked like a column of flames that shot down from the sky. Krunter looked like he was going to blow the building up on his own, magic practically radiating off of him as his lightning flames sparked and crackled from his simple ring of leaves and lightning. Leonardo, crouched next to him while trying to calm him down, was looking pale too.

The others were in similar states, with their flames leaking from their rings as they watched the camera that had followed after them, probably deployed by Leo, hovered in the sky, focused on the smoking crater.

When it cleared, they saw the blond woman, laughing sweetly and joyfully like she had the entire time, currently in the process of digging Mia out of the ground, who was currently buried up to her waist. Wings and legs twitched while somehow managing to remain upright, the smaller wings' feathers torn and ruffled at the edges, while her suit was very much soaked with snow.

The woman digs their friend out, cradling her in her arms, looking at Mia with a satisfied and more subdued smile on her face, her green eyes seeming to soften like she was looking at a puppy. Her lips move, but she was too far away for them to make out, before letting out a loud whistle with her fingers to her lips.

A loud cry echoes through the microphone in the camera and the hole that Mia had left behind, that her clones were currently trying to fix. A dinosaur, yes a fucking dinosaur that with a large beak and wings flows through the skies, landing dutifully in front of the Aztec goddess as she climbs onto him.

She climbs onto the large flying creature, taking off at great speeds right at-... right back at them.

Oh, she didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

"What the hell do we do?" For once, that weird knowing look was gone from Marcus' face, replaced by a worried one while his brain started working overtime. Krunter, Lindsay and Johnny were very much what Taylor had expected them to be.

Absolutely apocalyptically raging angry. "We get that psycho bitch before she can do the same to us!" Lindsay cries, her flames storming around her ring, flowing, grasping, and reaching towards the box weapons that were in her pocket.

Johnny was more subdued but his flame burned just as bright, while Krunter almost apparated before Leo grabbed him by the shoulder, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Now, now, I believe that we should all calm ourselves and properly analyze the situation at hand." Leonardo Da Vinci said, his hands out in front of him like he was dealing with angry beasts.

Krunter, yes Krunter, growls at him, his green eyes seeming… feral for once.

"Given that she is on her way back to us, with Mia intact, I think that it is fairly obvious that she means no harm to us!" Leonardo hastily threw out while the two Storms and one Lightning glared at him.

"Why don't we just ask the two that seem to know her?" Taylor decided to speak up, looking at the Frenchman and Brit with a raised eyebrow. The two younger Heroic Spirits looked like they had recognized the blond woman, but they had also been scared stiff by her, so she was going to give the two of them some mercy.

Napoleon and Bedivere look at each other out of the corner of their eyes, the way that Taylor noticed that men do a lot before they look back at her, the red haired man scratching at his beard. "Madame Quetzalcoatl can be a bit… much, but she means well."

"Yes, given that she's bringing Mia back on her own instead of simply leaving means that something that Mia did garnered her approval." Bedivere added.

"And why the fuck should Mia have to prove anything to that bitch huh!?" Lindsay said.

"Cause apparently, she's a mesoamerican goddess," Judith said while looking at a screen on her omnitool. She shrugs while they all stare at her. "What? I didn't recognize her just from the name. Parents were racist pricks remember?"

"I mean, it's not really the goddess right?" Marcus asked while staring out the hole with a distant look on his face.

Napoleon and Bedivere both side-eye each other again, while the two children Spirits wouldn't look any of them in the eyes.

"You can buy that Napoleon and Bedivere are who they are, but the goddess who just kicked our bosses' ass is the one that you can't believe?" Johnny's deadpan voice would have been funny if they didn't hear the knock at the front gates from the camera that had followed the subject of their conversation.

"They're not going to open the door ri-" Marcus' voice cuts off as the Aztec woman enters the facility, Mia still held gingerly in her arms.

"To be fair monsieur, there isn't much that we would be able to do to stop her." Napoleon chimed in while quickly finishing his cigar. When had he even started smoking it?

The sound of upbeat footsteps a few seconds later isn't any better to alleviate the nerves that were spread around the room.

The green eyed beauty walks into the room, not a single drop of water or sweat clinging to her body. The light bent at just the right angel to make the gold in her outfit and the emerald jewel under her lip glitter and shine, with a smile that glowed just as bright.

Her eyes roved around the room, taking in the group's hostile stares, many of their hands glowing with the power of their flames barely being under control. Judith and Leonardo were more subdued, but they watched her with caution, while the Spirits just waited at the back.

Taylor herself didn't know what to do. She knew that if this woman beat Mia, who constantly ran circles around them in their training bouts, there was no way that they could beat her. And she had carried Mia back so gently, stopping the fight the moment that Mia had been unable to fight. But she had just started a fight the moment that she answered her summoning, not even waiting for introductions.

So, Taylor readied her own flames alongside her friends, 100% sure that none of them would even last a single second.

They all jump, their flames flowing even faster as the blond woman squeals, swooning somehow while keeping a hold of Mia in her arms.

"Ay! Que lindos ninos!" Napoleon quickly approaches and takes the unconscious woman from the Aztec goddess, who spins around while moving her hips in a dance like motion while looking each of them in the eyes. Krunter, Lindsay, and Johnny were too dumbstruck by the sudden act to attack like they wanted to, staring at her with confused expressions on their faces.

"What da fuck?" Taylor hears Marcus mumble under his breath while the muscular woman finishes her little dance and raises her arms as if she wants to hug one of them.

Unfortunately for Taylor, everyone had taken an involuntary step back from the dancing Aztec and she was the one left closest to her. Now, she was trapped in the woman's arms, who was surprisingly taller than her by a few inches, as Quetzalcoatl beamed at her just a few inches from her face, causing Taylor's face to redden from embarrassment.

"It is so sweet how much you're all willing to fight for that nina! Oh, and the way that you wield your wills as your shields and sword! I knew that I loved you all for a good reason!" The jewel under her lips sparkles as she rubs Taylor's head like she was a child. The bug controller's insects were buzzing all over the place while Kakuna was moving around in his shell, having grown bigger over the past few weeks.

That only made her captor giggle even louder and move them over to the bug Pokemon on one of the consoles in the large control room. His black eyes are focused on the woman's own green, still defiant as he buzzed louder and louder.

"Aren't you the most adorable and brave little thing~" Quetzalcoatl cooed while stroking him with her free hand, Taylor doing her best to wriggle out of her restraints, pumping flames into her body that wasn't having as much of an effect as she would like.

She holds Taylor at arm's length looking her up and down as if appraising her, only making Taylor even more self-conscious. Not like she was much to look at.

Quetzalcoatl's smile turns warmer, the affectionateness turning a little softer and more playful. "It is so rare to find another nina as tall as I am! Oooh and me encanta your hair! You know, you have wonderful hazel eyes too nina, and I'm not just talking about that wonderful look that you have in them! Reminds me of some of the more mature and determined mothers from back then!" Her words are a flurry of compliments while she takes off Taylor's glasses for a quick look, not a single word leaving her seeming to be a lie.

Which only makes Taylor's face turn brighter red than before in embarrassment. Made her feel like she was making the other person lie because she knew that none of those words were true.

Though, Mia had told her the same thing before.

Which is right when Mia jumps out of Napoleon's arms, standing upright, her form and clothing glowing brighter and brighter until it makes everyone in the room shut their eyes.

When the light receded, Mia stood there in all of her glory, because she was very much looking like something… magical.

Her features remained the same, but now there were small lines that looked like flowing tattoos in white that flowed along her temples, down and curving on her cheeks before disappearing down her neck into the flowing robes that had replaced her suit. Red and blue winds were stylistically entwined into the thread, flaring down into flames at the bottom of each leg, as if the flames were originating from there and the wisps of cloud were the smoke that was being released.

Gold armor covered her hips and arms, with gauntlets with the same style of the robes covered her forearms down to her fists. Oddly enough, she was barefoot, the white lines going down all the way to her toes as they touched down on the ground.

Her wings fluttered around her, the power and light radiating off of her giving the image that she was riding light right in front of them, her face a look of pristine calm. And she opened her eyes, and Taylor was relieved to see that they held the same blue and red eyes that she had grown to know from Mia.

She was confused, tired, and a little weary, but there was recognition as she scanned each of them. Her friend smiled at them before the light died away and she fell face-first to the floor.

Or would have, if Quetzalcoatl hadn't quickly left Taylor and moved across the room, catching the robe wearing Mia in her arms, a quiet, yes quiet, smile on her face.

She brushes Mia's hair a little more softly. "I picked an interesting Master this time didn't I?"

And Taylor wondered how bad it was that she was the one calling Mia interesting.

--

Danny

The quiet of the city was something that he still wasn't used to.

At least, the quiet around the docks. Sure, Lung hadn't been able to muscle his way through to the Union, they had plenty of boys that had… experience in fighting off hostile forces, but there had always been an underlying tension in the air.

Like knowing that they wouldn't be able to walk around alone without getting cornered by one of the ABB thugs.

Since Mia's… group, had fought off the Nazi's and ABB a few weeks back, things had started to lighten up a little bit. The gang war was still going on everywhere else in the city, but at least here in the docks, it was like a completely different city.

Sure, work was still hard to come by, but there had been a few rises in jobs around here. He was just mildly irritated that it had to come from Mia. A few building remodels, along with finally being able to start clearing out the boat graveyard.

There had been some… issues with that when some gang members had thought they were easy pickings while they were doing their work.

Mia had tried giving them protection, but Danny knew that they couldn't have any help from her or her group without people starting to get suspicious. Mia might not care about having to hide her identity, but Taylor did. And the last thing that Danny wanted was to run the risk of someone finding out who she was under that mask.

It was one of the few things that kept her safe when she took off that armor.

Besides, they'd had a few new… additions over the past few weeks.

"Alright Gyarados, just give it a little push over to the side!" He called to the giant blue dragon like thing that had appeared in front of them about a month ago. That had made some of the tougher boys in the union start running in the other direction before the aquatic creature let out a sound that reminded Danny of a confused puppy.

Pikachu had stopped in his electric discharge, jumping off Danny's shoulder and walking right up to the Water Pokemon without a care in the world. Seeing the foot and four inches yellow rodent look up at the two story tall water dragon had made Danny's stomach fall down somewhere close to the planet's core.

Only instead of witnessing the Pokemon equivalent of a snake catching a mouse, the two… spoke to each other instead. And he found out that a Gyarados' smile was somehow cute. Maybe it was the way that his eyebrows moved like a human's, but he managed to ignore the row of teeth that were the size of daggers in his mouth.

Since then, Gyarados had stuck around the Bay, helping run some of the more violent and aggressive gang members that had tried to extort the docks for some quick cash.

Those two weren't the only ones that had found them though.

A small bird Pokemon with brown feathers that could fly faster than a car had started hanging around, playing with the giant aquatic dragon like they were little kids. Some of his guys had a few Pokemon following them around. From a blue turtle, all the way to a skunk thing that Danny was just thankful hadn't sprayed them when they found it.

More and more Pokemon had started coming out of the woodwork out in the city, most of them harmless and just wanting to explore around. Others had started following people around, while some became aggressive and territorial.

That was usually when the hot shot new cape 'Apotheosis' appeared and took care of the matter.

There were plenty of people that weren't happy with these animal capes that were all Brutes, but they were in the minority surprisingly. Parents tended to appreciate when the weird lobster thing that had followed their child home beat the crap out of the gang members that started a gunfight on the kids' way home.

Danny certainly knew that he did.

And it wasn't just happening here in Brockton Bay. It felt like there couldn't be a single day where a new video about a new Pokemon appearing in front of people wasn't uploaded to the internet.

From a rider's horse turning completely white and their mane changing to literal fire, all the way to a flock of crows being led by one that looked like his feathers were in the shape of a hat that liked to play pranks on people and laugh at them.

It felt like the world was becoming stranger and stranger with every passing day. More and more capes were popping out here in the bay, the majority of them going rogue or hero. A good thing that had the Empire and ABB even more on the back foot, along with the Merchants going even more underground than before.

"Danny!" A shout brings him out of his thoughts, the balding man looking over at Terry, a large man that had joined up after leaving the military a few years back, pointed over towards the end of the road.

Danny looked over, seeing a chase that had managed to find its way towards here.

And unfortunately, it wasn't a sight that was too odd nowadays, given that it was known that the Docks were now apparently Apotheosis territory instead of the ABB's. While they were used to people running towards them for help, since they were the only real group that was around the docks, people tended to think that they had some sort of deal with Apotheosis going on.

Which, while true, was still something that he found… slightly distasteful. If being around her didn't make his little owl happier, and ironically safer, then he would try to have as little contact with her.

And because some people were able to put those pieces together, that meant that he was dealing with something that made him feel older.

This time, the people that were approaching was a group of four. The only adult among them was a single woman, young and pretty, with hard eyes that he had recognized from her previous visits that had started at the beginning of the month. The kids that she was leading were a boy no older than six, with twin girls that looked to be around Taylor's age. The sheer exhaustion and brokenness that he saw in the kids eyes, and the fact that their parents weren't around was enough for him to guess.

When they approach the group of men and Pokemon, the children hide behind the young woman, the twin girls putting the little boy behind them. Good instincts.

"Hello, again Ming." The woman looks up at him, no taller than five feet, her shoulders sagging in relief.

"Danny. Sorry about bringing more." The confidence dies away to embarrassment, the young woman expression guilty. "I just-

"Had nowhere else to take them, I know." Danny says with a raised hand while smiling at the kids behind the woman. They don't smile back, but they also don't flinch away from him. A far better reaction than a few others that Ming had brought to him. "Terry, Kurt, could you please get some food and water for the kids?" He doesn't have to look back to know that his two friends had double timed it before he had finished the sentence.

The family of three bundle together, fear and worry marring their young features that shouldn't know how to make expressions like that. Ming turns to them, smiling, a rarity that he hadn't seen much of, and places a gentle hand on one of the twins. "It's ok. You're going to be safe here. They wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

They are reluctant, but the smell of food, chicken with some steamed vegetables that Terry's wife had made for everyone, the rumble of their stomachs spoke for them, the trio following behind Danny's two friends.

"How long are you going to keep doing this?" Danny asked the young woman, who merely looked away.

"Until I don't end up running into something like that anymore." She replies darkly before her eyes shift to eagerness and light. "How is she?"

Danny smiles at her. "She's fine. We keep her company, and her new medication is helping out. She keeps asking for you."

Ming smiles, her eyes shining for a second before clearing away. "I'll see her when I get the chance." And with that, the young Brute woman turns, and heads away from the Docks, back towards the rest of the city.

Mia

I had a gong having sex with a power drill going off in my head, my mouth dry, while the clothes that I had on felt different than before. Fuck, did that suit get burned up while I was getting piledrived into the snow?

I liked that one. Yes, I had three others that had been made alongside that one, but it was the first one that I had made!

When I managed to get past the constant thrumming in my head, I realized that there was someone else in the room with me. They felt… grand, more than anyone else I had ever felt before since I had gained my empathy.

A constant stream of power and warmth, emotions stronger and more complex than those I had felt previously. They were also currently using their very… comfortable legs as a pillow for my head while humming a tune that felt familiar, yet very alien.

Opening my eyes, I wasn't very surprised to find the smiling face of the Aztec goddess, her thick blond hair framing her face like curtains as she looked down at me.

"Good morning!" She happily said while keeping her voice soft, good thing too, this headache was a pain in the ass.

I should have healed by now. But I was betting that this was something that had to do with her being a goddess more than anything else. Still wasn't sure how the physics that Gaia carried with her here really worked, and she preferred acting like a kid whenever she was around.

"Urgh." I say while sitting up, rubbing my temple while blinking blearily as I realized that we were currently on my bed in the Progressive Mansion. Probably teleported here after the fight.

Right the fight.

The one where I barely managed to get a few moves out before she promptly kicked my ass.

Was it weird that the fact made me relieved? Sure, I was holding back a lot, but that was mostly so that I didn't crack the Antarctic in half. Damn thing was already flooding the world with global warming, even if this world's emissions were less than my worlds, having chunks of the continent floating off was something that I didn't want to think about.

But the punch, the piledriver, it had felt real. It had been a while since I had felt someone actually hit me in the face and felt it without the pain going away in a few seconds. There was that time in the Keyblade Graveyard… but I preferred not to remember that time.

I take a deep breath, ignoring the ringing in my head when I notice another little change that had happened while I was unconscious.

Or rather a few of them.

Power. New power and energy that was strangely reminiscent of Faith… but fairly different. It was… everywhere. Emanating from the souls of both humans and animals, and I could feel as some of it went into me, flowing, coursing, empowering my already large store of energy in general.

Four new stars, each of them small, but no less full of power and probably pieces from the Mia of that world. There were no memories, not yet, but I did… know what this new power was. Mantra.

Belief and emotion given form and energy.

More than that, I could feel… an attunement to one certain emotion, a negative one. Joy of joys.

Wrath.

A part of me… wanted to reach for it. To let my rage course through my body, feel the heat in my blood boil as Mantra and emotion powered me further to feats that would let me burn the world to its very foundation. And I thought that I had anger issues.

Turns out that Mia was way worse than I could ever be.

Instead of reaching towards it, I lock it away, meditating while crossing my legs, while allowing the will of the Force around me to bring me back to calm, away from the thunderous emotions.

A chuckle and calloused hand on my own brings me out of my mediation, making me forget the peace that I was looking for and the Wrath that I was trying to ignore.

Quetzalcoatl, her headdress currently removed, smiled with approval at me, her jade green eyes sparkling with something that I could quite place.

"While your rage is something that should be kept in check, it isn't something that you should just lock away nina. Anger isn't inherently wrong. Letting it control you is." Her airy voice was… harder now. Not stern… but definitely wiser and far more serious than the usual happy-go-lucky way that she spoke. Her hand squeezes mine, her smile growing wider. "Why are you angry? Why do you feel that bubbling in your heart? The answer is usually the closest thing that you will ever care for nina, a window to your heart that is clearer when rage is at the front of your mind. When needed, use it, but never let it control you."

A lot of what she said were things that I already knew. But… that didn't make my fear of my anger go away at all.

"I think that it's easier said than done Quetzalcoatl," I tell her softly while clenching my hands into fists.

She just smiles at me with understanding. "I know Mia. But I think that you could with time." Then her eyes brighten up while standing up, urging me to do the same. "Now, enough with all that gloomy stuff! Let's go and have some fun! Should probably go and check on your friends though. They were so worried, but I told them that it would take more than a little bump on the head to keep you down!"

"...I'm pretty sure that you buried me waist-deep into the soil." I tell her which she just brushes off, smoothing out her skirt that left… very little to the imagination. She did have nice legs though... fuck. This was her Divinity messing with my head, wasn't it?

"Who gives a shit? I ain't complaining!" Estrella said while sitting crossed legged, her arm on her chin while staring at the blond woman with a face that I refused to believe that I could make. Quetzalcoatl just laughs at the compliment, her hand never leaving mine.

"It's too bad that you couldn't pull her out during our fight! Make sure to do so during training!" I blink at that. Training?

Just then, the door opens up, tiny wheels rolling on the polished and expensive floor, series of beeps emanating from the red astromech who chirped and bounced with excitement, his little arms waving at me.

Quetzalcoatl squeals and rushes to the droid, lifting him up into a hug while Deeseven let's out a loud and desperate scream. You know, the one that R2D2 made while he gets blasted. "He's so cute!"

Estrella was still staring while Quetzalcoatl just rubbed her face to the red droid, who wriggled and squirmed, his wheels spinning around and around in futility.

This wasn't going to get any easier, was it?

--

You know, I actually liked that new wardrobe that had appeared in my Cathedral Workshop.

Sure, some of it was really fancy and gaudy, but the clothes were just so comfortable and loose as compared to some western-style clothing. Nice to walk around the house in. And the new tattoo that stretched from my temples all the way down to my body was nice too.

Wonder what made that version of me do it? Never found a tattoo that I would want to get myself.

I was definitely going to stick to my suits, was just used to wearing them when out in public. Plus I looked damn good in them. Might use the robes when at home or around Mars. They were comfortable, and oddly enough durable.

Damn things could survive being set on fire without even a singe.

For now, I was being followed by Quetzalcoatl and Napoleon, neither he nor the loyal knight wanting to leave me alone with the… overexcited goddess. She wouldn't leave my side even when I told her that I was just vising the hospital to see a grouchy biotinker.

At least Quetzalcoatl had changed to something that would be a lot less… eye catching.

People still stared at her, even if she was wearing a normal green sweater with form-fitting jeans and leather boots on her feet. Same went for Napoleon who was very dapper in his button-up shirt, the top buttons left open to show off his muscular chest and scars of course, with slacks and nice dress shoes at his feet.

Honestly, I was just happy that they were taking some of the attention away from me, but there were still plenty of eyes that followed my every move.

And that one Coil's spy up on the roof that I had sensed a long time ago.

He had been getting more and more desperate lately, sending his men out to do who knows what, before they retreated back before doing anything. Probably because the 'me' in his 'timelines' kept fucking with his plans. Or they would just unravel whenever I got involved. Who knows.

At this point, he was causing less of a ruckus, and that was more than enough for me. Now that the Squats were properly acclimated on Mars, I could actually focus on… defanging the situation here.

First though, time for my weekly visit to the mouse gremlin at the hospital.

I enter the hospital invisible to the entire world, though Napoleon and Quetzalcoatl got plenty of glances and stares.

"There was no real need for either of you to come, pretty sure that neither of you are healers." I say while walking through the crowded hallways of the hospital, moving through crowds of people as they parted for the two Heroic Spirits behind me.

"Ah, ah, ah Mia! You shouldn't be going out alone all of the time! Companionship is important. Besides!" Her gaze looks around at the people that we walked past. Many of them were on their way out while others were on the way out. Others were already gone by the time that I had stepped through the door.

And I knew that more would die by the end of the day. I couldn't be everywhere.

"I haven't been able to explore a world like this in so long. Not much reason for the Gaia where we are from to summon us in the first place." Her eye's turn wistful as she watches a little girl, bandages around her arm and head, being carried out by a tired mother, the bags under her eyes doing nothing to take away from the beauty of relief that radiated off of her and could fill the entire room with intensity alone. Much preferable to the Wrath that was buried inside of me.

"Well, perhaps it would have been better to explore somewhere else other than a hospital." Napoleon says, his eyes looking at the blood and wounded all around, memories playing through his head before his blue orbs return to his cheerful blue.

Quetzalcoatl waves a hand at that, instead focusing on ones that walked out the door. Though, there was some sadness as she looked at those that had already passed on through the doorways. "I find that humanity tends to shine brighter in places like these. Hope tends to shine brightest right next to the dark, it always has, even during my time as the sun."

I couldn't help but let out a little pulse of magic, barely a flash into the room of a sleeping child waiting for stitches, and feel as the numerous cuts sew themselves back together, the kid wriggling in her sleep.

A bit of a surprise to the nurses. Poor ladies were way too overworked.

The trip up to the roof was quick, me sending out small bursts of magic, tending to wounds both minor and major, knowing that I managed to bring a few people back from Death's waiting grip. Didi had assured me that she didn't mind.

I find the white robes mousy girl hiding behind one of the large vents, a lit cigarette hanging from her lips. I undo the invisibility around myself, just as my two friends catch up behind me, Amy's eye's swiveling over to us.

She frowns while narrowing her eyes at me, her mouth moving the cigarette around when she sees the people behind me. Napoleon just gets a quick appraisal and the twitch of an eyebrow. Then she catches the eye of the blond behind me.

Her mouth hangs open, the cigarette somehow managing to remain right on the edge of her lower lip. Her brown eyes lock onto every move that Quetzalcoatl makes, even the way that the wind made her hair flow in the breeze.

Oh great.

"Amy! Snap out of it." I snap my fingers in front of her face, her eyes blinking a few times as her pupils came into focus. Goddammit, Divinity was almost as much of a pain in the ass as most of my powers.

There's the scowl!

"What? I'm waiting for a ride here. Why did you decide to come annoy me today?" She growls at me while placing the cancer stick back into her mouth, her eyes focusing on Napoleon instead of Quetzalcoatl or me. Lot less attraction there, but there is a tiny flutter when he gives her his signature dashing smile.

Though, I could see that there were fewer bags under her eyes, and her shoulders weren't as tense as they were last week. The bronze bracelet engraved with vines and leaves glinted brightly in the afternoon sun. Good, keep that fucking voice of the parasite in her head quiet. Probably useless now since Gaia had already snatched up Shaper and made it a brain-dead computer.

There had been plenty of capes popping up lately, most of them sane and not crippled by trauma, so Mother Earth had been pretty busy for the past few weeks.

She still popped by for dinner every night and to play with the kids though. Finally managed to get her to eat something that wasn't pizza. She hated spicy food though. Almost made me disown her.

I sit down next to her, snatching the nicotine wrapped in white paper, evaporating it with a tiny flash of power. Letting out a single burst was a lot easier than actual techniques. I would try to use some of the same spells that Judith learned, and I would wind up launching flames the size of boulders instead of baseballs.

Napoleon quickly leaves the cigar that he had been reaching for in his pocket, while Quetzalcoatl skips and sits down next to me, humming a little tune that I think I recognized. Ah, Caminos de la Vida. How the hell did she know that song?

"Who're they?" Amy asks while moving the cigarette packet around in her bag, trying to bury it deeper in there. She never notices when Without Question rummages through and crushes the cancer sticks in her hand. "Do people as hot as you have a little club or something?"

Napoleon just laughs, sticking his hand out, which Amy stares at it like it was some alien thing. "Wonderful to meet you, mademoiselle, my name is Napoleon!" She eventually takes his hand, not knowing what else to do, when her pupils dilate like she had just taken a dose of some really strong shit.

The Man of Possibilities quickly lets go of the brown-haired girl's hand, Amy staring out into space for a few seconds before blinking a few times like she was coming out of a haze. "What are you?" She whispers out to Napoleon, her hand opening and closing, as if wanting to remember what she had just 'seen' through her power.

"The manifestation and realization from the legends of Napoleon Bonaparte." I quickly rattle off while leaning back onto the metal vent. Amy looks at me like I had grown another head, but I don't look away from our stare-off for a second. She looks away, her eyes dazed while focusing on the green-eyed beauty next to the French man who sheepishly looked away in embarrassment.

"And her?" Quetzalcoatl just stands up, while enveloping the angry girl into a hug, the healer making a sound like a mewling cat.

"Just call your big sister Quetzalcoatl! Oh, aren't you just the cutest brave little thing!?" Amy makes a choking sound as her pupils dilate again, her power probably feeding her who knows what.

I'm not too worried about it though. I knew that Gaia wouldn't let anything through that could put Amy into any danger.

"It's like… they aren't even made up of molecules or cells. Bits and pieces of something that I don't recognize making up their entire being where amino acids should be… more than human." The angry young woman's voice wanders off while Quetzalcoatl just laughs as Amy slowly loses her mind trying to figure out what the hell Quetzalcoatl really was.

"Um… Quetz? Maybe it would be a good idea to let her go now?" The blond lets out a little pout, but releases the girl in her grasp go when she notices the way that Amy was staring into space.

She lets the teen go with an apologetic look on her face as clarity comes back to Amy's eyeswhen I notice the sound of air rushing away, the feeling of hot angry emotions on the wind.

I step forward, eyes locked onto the speeding young woman that flew through the air, her fist held out, heading right to Quetzalcoatl's head, while the owner of said arm looked livid.

At least, until I stopped Victoria Dallon in her tracks, her fist motionless as I could feel her try to fly forward even faster. Amy jumps behind me, while Quetzalcoatl tilts her head with a curious smile on her face.

Napoleon takes that moment to take his cigar out and light it now that my focus wasn't on him.

"Wonderful to meet you Victoria, I've been looking forward to meeting Amy's older sister!" I say with a smile and wave with my free hand, the scowl disappearing from Vicky's face, replaced by confusion. "Though, I would recommend being careful going that speed a when there are normal people in your general landing area. Imagine what would have happened to Amy over here if I hadn't stopped you in your tracks!"

The scowl comes back, the teen wearing a stylish blue blouse with jeans and sneakers throws another punch, only to be caught in Without Questions grasp, the rainbow woman tilting her head with her ever-present smile on her face.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing to Amy!" Victoria yells, struggling to get out of our grasp, as Without Question and I tilt our heads, her to the right and me to the left, our head's almost touching.

"Hmm, call me Mia Itzel. Though, you might know me by that cape name that I took, Apotheosis." Now she recognizes that her blue eyes shifting to me and back to Amy. "I happen to visit the hospital from time to time, biology happens to be one of my foremost specialties, and I ran into your sister once during one of my days playing doctor." Both I and my Stand let the pretty blond go, her body moving in the air so that she looked to be standing instead of floating horizontally.

I could sense the distrust that snaked its way inside of her, but I could also feel some… respect there too.

"Yeah… I heard about you." Then her face hardened up. "But Amy's not going anywhere if you're trying to poach her! She's happy being in New Wave! Right, Ames?" ...Way to jump to conclusions Victoria. Still too early for that. And I could hear Amy facepalming. "Oh, but I do like the whole thing that you're doing unmasking! Setting a real precedent for what New Wave's really about!" I don't have to tell the teen that I thought New Wave made a mistake with unveiling their identities.

I could do it cause I could hide in plain sight and mask my face whenever I went out. Though, that was a benefit of being a shapeshifter. Most other people didn't have that.

But I didn't feel like getting into an argument with the excitable teenager. Pretty sure that I was going to get into one with her mother eventually though. Damn bitch.

I inhale, letting go of the anger that threatened to course through my veins as I remembered what an utter shit mother Carol Dallon was. That wasn't something to focus on.

"Sorry to burst your bubble Victoria, but that's not what I'm here for."

She frowns and crosses her arms. "Oh yeah? And what the heck are you here for?"

I take out a small white and red orb from my pocket dimension, pressing the button to enlarge the sphere in my hand. "I came here to show her this."

I open the orb, the light shooting out and forming into the small brown furred Eevee who stretched and let out a cry of contentment as she shook her fur and stretched her body, happy to be out of her Pokeball.

I wasn't at all surprised by the twin squeals of Victoria and Quetzalcoatl when they saw the fluffy Pokemon smile up at them. She wasn't smiling when both blonds picked her up and squeezed her between the two of them.

"Oh my GOD! She is sooo cute!" Victoria yelled while Amy clapped her hands to her ears.

"Look at this Hermosa!" Quetzalcoatl agreed, Victoria nodding along while hugging Eevee, who was looking at me for salvation.

"Alright girls, that's enough! Think that you're both scaring poor Eevee there." They both blink and look down, blue and green eyes taking in the way that the fox-like Pokemon exhales in relief. They quickly hand her back to me while rubbing the back of their heads in embarrassment.

Eevee snuggles into my arms, her big black eyes looking into my own, thanking me for saving her from that horrible horrible fate. I just stroked her head, soft fur flowing beneath my fingers.

"What the hell is that?" Amy asks while glaring at Eevee in my hands, who tilts her head curiously at the mousy girl in white robes.

"This is Eevee, a Pokemon. Sure that you've both started to see more coming out. You know, strange animals that have powers on par and surpassing those of capes." Their attention was piqued, though I could see Victoria look at Napoleon, her eyes practically undressing him as she focused on his exposed chest, attraction very much at the forefront of her mind for a second before coming back to what I was saying.

Amy doesn't look any more pleased by this. "So you're the one that made them." Her voice was an accusation, eyes staring daggers into me while I just shook my head.

"Nope. I didn't make a single one of these little things. Want to do your lie detector test?" I ask while extending my hand to her, which she shies away from. A good thing. When she touched me the first time, her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she went completely out cold the moment we made contact.

"Then where the hell did they come from if you didn't make them?" Amy asked while Victoria stared at Eevee with wanting eyes. Eevee dug herself into my grasp even deeper.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Trying to convince them that the creator Pokemon gave me six of his children, while more and more started popping up all over the world was not something that I could see going over well.

"So… why show us this… thing in the first place?" Amy asks while trying to keep as far away from the creature in my arms, who looked over at her with a tilt of her long-eared head.

"Who cares!? She's adorable Ames, that's what matters!" Victoria says, Quetzalcoatl nodding along as they both stared longingly at Eevee again.

"I wanted to show her to you, cause there's going to be more popping up around the world, and I'm betting that some of them are going to end up here."

"This is a hospital, not a vet." Amy throws out with a wave of her hand like it didn't matter either way. Sometimes, the damn brat made me want to smack her upside the head like my abuela used to do to me when I was being one.

"Yeah, but their biology is a lot more... complicated than animals, or even humans for that matter. I'm working on making Pokemon Centers, but that is going to take a little longer, along with actually teaching Pokemon biology to trained pros."

Amy rolls her eyes. "So what? You want me to heal them just cause you asked?" There was a little spark of… amusement in her. As if her being able to tell me no was something that she was enjoying.

I meet her gaze with empty eyes, not showing any of the annoyance that she was causing. Victoria was just watching, her blue eyes moving back and forth whenever one of us spoke, not getting involved for once.

"Not for free of course." That causes both Amy and Victoria to freeze.

"You want to actually PAY Amy for that?" Victoria asks like the idea was completely alien to her.

"Yes, The fact that she is a minor and doing work that the best professional doctors aren't capable of doing is completely ludicrous. Worthy compensation is the least that I can do given that she is going to be doing a service for me." Numerous voices shouted in agreement in my head. I think I even heard a boisterous "BULLY!" amidst the storm of voices that cried out.

Not a surprise from Teddy.

"But, heroes don't take money for doing the right thing!" Amy tries to deflect, guilt and reluctance dripping from her words.

"Then tell me, what exactly are your plans for the future Amy? How are you going to earn a living? What's your plans for actually having your own life once you're an adult?" AKA, how the fuck are you going to get the fuck away from Carol if you don't have a single cent to her name?

She hears the unspoken words. I'd already voiced my… dislike for the woman before, though I never told her why. No need to tell Amy that Carol was the one that locked her dad up and basically left her an orphan as a kid.

"Besides, I think that you're going to find Pokemon physiology… fascinating." I say while Eevee happily hops out of my arms, and right in front of Amy, black eyes looking up into brown ones expectantly.

Amy stares at the Eevee, arguing with herself, probably going over what I said again and again. Until eventually, she bends down and places a hand on Eevee's head, who leans into the touch with a happy sigh.

The mousy girl's pupils dilate as she reviews the information fed to her through her power. Eevees cellular makeup, the dense muscles, stronger bones, the brain that could become just as advanced as a human, etc.

"How…?" Amy says while staring at Eevee in wonderment, Victoria giving her sister a worried expression.

"Ames? You ok?" Amy blinks her brown eyes looking over at Vicky, attraction there, though far weaker than before. Guess the shielding in there was helping to counteract the aura that Victoria constantly spewed out. I didn't feel it all, though I might just have a stronger resistance to that sort of stuff.

Didn't know what did or didn't work on me, to be honest, far too busy trying to get all of my projects up and running out of orbit.

"I'm fine. It's just… this is amazing!' Awe saturated her voice as Eevee preened with pride. "She… understands what I'm saying?"

I nod while petting Eevee's back, the little pokemon letting out a squeak of contentment. "Every Pokemon that is coming into this world can. They are sapient creatures just like humans are. Strong to boot, and they like us. And Eevee is just one amidst hundreds of different types out there. I press a button on my omnitool, showing the various images and videos of Pokemon that I had gathered from searching through the internet and various security cameras around the world.

Rhydon's plowing through gunfire, smashing through walls of stone that a parahuman warlord had created in an effort to stop the Pokemon that carried small children on its back. A Wailord rising from the sea, Sailors that had fallen overboard hanging onto the large aquatic creature for dear life after having almost drowned. And finally, one that I had found after backtracking Leticia's journey to the states, a small pink familiar creature that glowed with pink power as it effortlessly threw scores of men around like ragdolls.

I never got tired of seeing people's faces when I showed them this. Or the feeling of amazement that coursed through them. The fear was something that I wish wasn't there, but understood why they felt that way.

"Like I said, more and more Pokemon are going to start appearing, and right now I'm the only expert in Pokemon biology in the world."

"So, the weeks of bugging me and annoying me, has all just been there so that you can try to offer me a job?" Amy said with disbelief, while Victoria's head swivels to stare at me with angry eyes.

"Amy, I don't know how to break this to you, but you're a raging bitch that needs someone there to remind you that manners are a thing." I sweetly say with a barely restrained laugh at the way her face went up a few shades of red. "Besides, you have any other job prospects that are going to be paying you enough?"

There was a little vein that was pulsating on her temple, her red face and clenched teeth along with the oh-so-familiar rage in her heart being as loud as the curses that she wanted to throw my way.

"How much?" She eventually grounds out while Victoria stares at her sister with a scandalous expression on her face.

"AMY!"

"It can't hurt to at least ask right?" Amy throws back. "Besides, doubt the PRT is going to even let her go through with it." I keep the giggle that bubbled in my throat silent.

"About this much." I throw her a business card with my number on it, a slip of paper attached to it with a paper clip. Now that I actually had my business getting off the ground, I had to actually start carrying those around.

She takes the folded slip of paper and unfolds it, her brown eyes bugging out while her mouth looks like a frog trying to catch flies. Victoria peeks and quickly follows suit.

I knew that those seven figures would get her attention.

"What the fuck!" Amy cries out, her mouth moving up and down, the questions probably going too fast in her head for her to properly say out loud.

"Supply and demand of course!" Quetzalcoatl cries out from behind me, her hands on my shoulders for some reason. "Since there are no other people that could keep up with Mia here, except you, of course she would be paying you that much!"

"Besides, you're a walking biological scanner. Anything that you see, you can properly relay. Therefore, cutting down time in having to diagnose what problems are, and more importantly, able to give that information out to other people. Sure, you're 'healing'," I struggle not to make air quotes with my fingers, "is beyond anything that you can teach. But you can find the problems that others might miss, and teach other people what to look for."

"You want me to teach people?" Amy looked like the mere thought repulsed her to her very core.

"Eventually. I can't teach everyone that I want to employ by myself!" Not the whole truth, I had a clone. But this girl needed to fucking socialize with people and make human connections. Not immediately, if I tried making her do that right now, if she said yes of course, then all that was going to do was cause more issues cause of her prickly nature.

But perhaps an eventuality when she was less of a colossal bitch.

She looked like she wanted nothing more than to say no. Then she looked at the number I had written on the slip of paper. "This is yearly right?"

I nod then add. "That's going to be your starting salary. If it works out, then you'll be getting a much bigger pay raise than that."

Victoria made a noise like a strangled fox while staring wide-eyed at the slip of paper.

I shrug. "I don't need your answer right now. Think about it, Amy. The offer is going to be on the table, though I will keep my promise regardless of what you choose." Reluctant gratitude shines in her eyes, while her sister just looks at both of us with a puzzled expression.

"Even if I say yes, I doubt that Carol is going to say yes to it." Amy bitterly spits out, Victoria giving her a sad and understanding look. Huh, guess that Vicky wasn't blind to her mothers… treatment of her adopted sister. At least not fully.

Eevee smiles up at Amy, waving a paw while jumping back into my arms. "Anyways, think about it. I'll be back to continue or talks next week." I turn to Victoria while Napoleon quickly finishes his cigar a few feet away from us and Quetzalcoatl happily waves while skipping in place. "It was nice to meet you Victoria, but maybe next time it would be better to look before you leap."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" I disappear from their senses before she could get the final word out, my two legendary friends going incorporeal alongside me as we jump off the building, using my wings to glide softly onto the sidewalk.

"A complicated situation," Napoleon says while we all get into the Rustbucket as I shift my form into what I looked like before my changes. I still needed a mask when we went out after all. What better one, than a face that used to be mine right?

"Her sister is unaware of the reason behind her mothers… distrust of Amy isn't she?" Quetzalcoatl asks while taking shotgun as I start the drive back to the docks.

"Yeah. Amy doesn't know about her father or about what her mother did. Probably a blessing at the moment really." I trail off as we turn the street corner, my mind drifting off into that avenue.

Amy was most definitely not a nice person, nor could I call her a good one. But I couldn't help but see a kid that never really had a chance to grow upright. A mother that feared what she might become, and a mind-altering aura caused by her sister during the cusp of puberty, which was hard enough on its own.

While I don't think Amy could ever become a hero, that wasn't what I wanted to happen. I just wanted the kid to have a chance to become something other than the monster she would be. Both she and the world would be better off without the Red Queen being born.

I look up at the sky, noticing that the sun was beginning to lower into the sky, soon the moon would be coming out. Meaning that the meeting that Becky had promised to arrange would be coming up soon.

"Alright, come on, I have to get you two home before I head off."

Quetzalcoatl pouts again while Eevee snuggles deeper into my arms. "But I wanted to go!"

"And you promised Leticia that you were going teach her how to braid her hair." I throwback at her. She opens her mouth to argue, before realizing that she couldn't say no, otherwise she was going to deal with the adorable little girl's sad expression for the rest of the day. HA! I win!

Napoleon just sits in the back, trying to light another cigar, that Without Question very quickly snatches away and throws out the window. I swear he's been going through at least ten of those a day. It might not do shit to him but he had a tendency to do that without realizing that kids were around.

--

It had been over half a century since this office should have been mine, and yet I could still feel the weight that seemed to permanently occupy this room. A familiar heaviness that echoed through the many voices that lingered at the back of my head, each of the presidents having their own flavor of melancholy.

Each of them heavy with guilt in their own form at what they did and did not do. Lincoln with the blood of the many Americans that perished fighting their countrymen, yet steadfast in his decision to abolish the chains of slavery. JFK, desperately wishing that he could have been alive to actually accomplish change instead of his death so early into his office. FDR, sorrowfully regretting that his body gave out before he could have seen the end of the war that he had so desperately helped fight.

And me. Remembering the long nights of arguments and politicking against people in my own government, many of them not thinking that a 'savage' woman could do the job of President properly. Guilty at dropping the bombs that day, wondering if it had been as necessary as I thought it had been at the time.

The list went on and on. Emotions rising to the forefront of my mind as I walked along the walls of the Oval Office. The decorations were different, the colors white and gold instead of the familiar red white, and blue that it had been during my time.

I couldn't help but notice all of the tiny changes here and there. The way that it curved just a little less than in my memories, or that there were fewer stars out in the night now than back then. How much this world was different than the one I had left behind in both lives.

Presidents were literally rolling in their graves at the route that history had gone in this world. The way that people who did not deserve the power that they had twisted this world into a pit of despair and hopelessness. And the monsters that were going along their prerogatives, too stupid and ignorant to understand just how insignificant that route was. And how they would never see the result that they wished to even if I had not interfered.

The same could be said of me in some vein really. I hadn't done a thing to deserve this power, at least me that died getting hit by a truck. I was just a normal woman that had made a deal for a second life with more opportunity than the first one. And it turned out that it was more than just that one life that had another chance.

I still didn't think that I deserved that power. But I had it regardless if I deserved it or not. I would use it as responsibly as I could. It was the best that I could do really. This world was too broken for me not to do something, and every side of me wished that I didn't have to be the leader again.

But I had to. There wasn't anyone else in this world that could lead any better than I could. Cauldron were merely puppets for PtV who had gone more rogue than they even knew, while the winged cunt had played her game at manipulating the world whose destiny had been set in stone.

But I could… feel that the world had changed in more ways than one when I stepped through. This world might have been one that relied on cause and effect to determine the future. But I knew that it was no longer the case. Some change in the very fabric of the world had… twisted when I landed here. Hell, it might not even be me, it might be the Forge that caused the change.

Regardless of the cause, the Demon that had once been an Angel in me could… feel that the world had been changed to its very foundation. I don't know what it meant, but it couldn't be any worse than what would have happened.

I slowly place myself into the chair and look out into the office that had once been my own. The responsibility of being in this spot slipping in as neatly as putting on a glove. This was no longer my office, and would never be my office again.

I wasn't guilty at all by the amount of relief that resounded across every voice in my head at that realization.

Didn't stop me from taking on the weight of the world yet again. I wonder how many other me's out in the various different worlds had done the same. I could feel echoes of them creeping out from some of my stars, yet they were incomplete. Probably needing more stars connected to them before the memories leaked through like the ones from my Presidential life did.

For a few minutes, I just sat there, in this chair, turned around from the rest of the office, instead of looking out into the lawn, my eyes focused upward on the full moon. Only reason why there wasn't a moon base up there was cause the bitch in the sky would have noticed it the moment that it had happened.

I expect that I was going to receive a reaction from her soon.

Well, I wonder how it's going to feel when it's going to be on my terms and not yours you cunt. Estrella shook with content at my hip, the sword eager to get the rest of our plans underway just as much as I was.

Reality bends and cuts behind me, foreign light flooding the darkroom, thankfully, I had brought up a field that kept all the light from reaching outside the windows, so we shouldn't have any Secret Service members barging in here.

Hearing the sound of footsteps stepping through, I turn around just as the tear through reality closes shut behind the suited woman. Black thick hair reached past her shoulders, impeccable and clean that framed a pale pretty face devoid of makeup. She wore a fedora that somehow fit the rest of her looks instead of looking like an out of touch hipster from my time.

She was expressionless as she stared at me, her hands devoid of any weapon, instead neatly hanging by her sides. I would have thought she was relaxed if it wasn't for the torrent of anxiety and worry that shined like a beacon to me.

"I'm honestly surprised that you came to meet me here alone Fortuna." I don't bother speaking to her with her 'codename'. I wanted to speak to the woman, not the damn thing in her head.

She stares at me, her pale blue eyes devoid of emotion, no doubt trying to reach for the right 'path' to chose. I hide my smile as I see fear in her eyes, happy at seeing her emotions instead of the needed steps for her path.

Or maybe she thought it was what I needed to see for her 'path'.

"I believed it was wise given the idea of you." Were her even emotionless words. I'll give it to her, even with the fear that I could see in her heart she managed to power through it.

She wasn't like Becky. She didn't believe herself to be doing the absolute necessity at all times. She didn't believe herself invincible either. More than anything, I could taste her fear and shame that trailed around her like persistent ghosts. The woman Fortuna was not what I had believed her to be.

Just like Becky wasn't who I thought she was, not completely. Guess that happens when the fiction that you believed in turned out to be more 'real' than you thought.

I was still going to throw their asses under the bus when all of this shit was over.

I steeple my hands in front of me, the motion oh so familiar, as I lean back in my chair while gesturing to one of the chairs. "Please take a seat."

She does so without hesitation.

I try to ignore just how… comfortable it was sitting here again, having someone follow my orders. "Krunter." I softly call out, my friend appearing nearby with a pop.

Fortuna's eyes swivel over, her hands remaining where they are, twitching slightly.

The house elf bows with the elegance of a nobleman, his right arm crossed across his chest. "What can Krunter do for you, Mistress?" No matter how much I told him that he didn't have to bow to me, he never listened.

I smile at him while glancing over at Fortuna who remained motionless. "What do you prefer, tea or coffee?"

She stares at me for a second, probably wondering what path would be best. Eventually, she speaks, indecision rife in her heart. "Coffee?"

I let out a smile at the honest answer. "Two coffee's please Krunter. You know my favorite blend."

He bows again with a smile. "Of course Mistress." He disappears with a pop.

We both sit there patiently for a few minutes, her nerves getting worse as the minutes ticked by, but I needed my blend dammit. Been so busy today that I hadn't been able to get my daily cup in. The caffeine didn't do anything anymore, but I loved the taste too much.

Krunter comes back in just a few minutes, the two steaming cups smelling like absolute heaven to my senses. Ah, he put in just the tiniest bit of cinnamon in there just how I liked it, though I noticed that he left Fortuna's black. "Would the madam like some cream or sugar?" He asks her with a smile, to which she stares at him blankly again.

Eventually, she responds with a soft, "...Little bit of both please." I'm surprised how… fragile the woman sounds.

Like the very idea of choosing how she takes her coffee was completely alien to her.

I hide the frown behind a placid smile, used to hiding emotions, especially in this room.

You know what? Let's play some slow music here. With a thought, the constant thrum that echoes across the world, deaf to most ears except my own, changes to a slow nostalgic sound, the harmonica echoing while strings and drums echoed in the background. I let the music become apparent to the other two occupants in the room, Krutner smiling warmly at the tune, while the young woman merely looks around in confusion, probably looking for the speakers.

I let out a sigh at the sound, memories going back to a happier time when I was just a little girl sitting alone in front of an old TV that was almost as big as I was in width.

Fortuna eventually decides to just roll with it, taking a sip of the steaming cup of coffee, her eyes widening when the brown liquid reaches her tongue. "It's good."

I smile at the involuntary reaction. "My favorite blend. Spent a while trying to create the right coffee bean for it,"

I take a sip of my own, and we just sit there in the darkness, the light from the lamp on the desk serving as the only illumination.

"Why am I here?" She eventually asked. "Rebecca told me that this meeting was important, and said that conveying any information would jeopardize the path's needed."

I take another sip while humming in thought. Might heal her eye now that she actually did what I told her. Damn thing was constantly bleeding in her head, had to be painful in some way.

"Before I explain, I should apologize." She blinks.

"For what?" She asks while her eyes look around the room for the thousandth time.

"For this." I say as I activate the anti-scrying field, rendering that parasite in her head blind, deaf, and completely worthless like it deserves! ….I reign the wrath back just a little bit.

She twitches, and for the first time, she wears true fear on her face, her body twitching as she slams the coffee cup down on the desk, but thankfully doesn't break it. Cleaning or replacing the carpet would be a major pain in the ass.

A hand reaches for a gun that wasn't there as adrenaline kicks in, her mind whirling, reaching for the right action to take desperately as she no longer had the directive of the thing inside of her head. She felt… younger now. Like she was a teen that had been hiding before she'd had PtV attached to her brain.

I just take another sip of the coffee before it became cold. "Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything to you young lady. I'm just here to have a conversation with you while enjoying a lovely cup of coffee."

She isn't reassured by this but does sit down when nothing else comes to mind.

Not knowing what to do, she picks up the cup of coffee and downs the whole thing in a few gulps, ignoring the pain that I know she felt, cause that thing was still fucking steaming.

….Great, now I felt kinda bad.

"Relax. I didn't arrange this meeting to kill you, Fortuna." I tell her slowly.

She doesn't react more than a single errant twitch of her curved eyebrow. "I think that you understand why I find that hard to believe." Every word out of her mouth is… lacking the confidence that she had when stepping into this room. Like even speaking her own mind was something completely alien without having to rely on a crutch.

"I merely wanted to speak to you, face to face. Just the two of us without that parasite in your head trying to puppet your every move."

Her uneasy frown becomes grave. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that PtV, isn't as dead of a shard as you and your group had thought." I could hear the glass that was the foundation of her mind crack as I utter my words. The pieces fell into place in her head. "That's right. You were working towards the death of Zion. Only there was a really big problem with that. One flaw in the plan that led to the rest of the issues in this shit show of a world. What came after? And I'm here to tell you that the ending, while not as bad as the failure would have been, is still bleak as shit for everyone involved."

I finish up the cup, realizing that maybe a nice brandy would have been a better choice instead of coffee. Then again, Quetzalcoatl hated liquor in general, so I had to hide most of it.

"You might have acquired the victory that you believed that you sought, but none of it would have been won by your hands. By human hands." I glare at the corner of my eye behind me, the absence of life up in orbit where I knew the waif was watching the whole world below her currently was.

She starts to shake. "Did humanity at least survive?"

"Yes. But your fate is one that I can best summarize as, 'I have no mouth, and I must scream.' Most of your companions wind up dead, your resources used up and taken by a madman, while that shard in your head takes over for the most part, just as the winged bitch planned." You could hear a pin drop as her psyche feels like it's about to break. If she didn't already have one of them attached to her brain, I would worry that she would trigger.

Her believing every word that I said wasn't something that I had counted on. But, that was why I had shown and revealed the truth to Becky in the first place. She hadn't taken it any better either. But I wasn't cruel enough to tell her what would have happened to her body after her death, and I had kept the name of her killer under wraps.

No need to have Taylor potentially dealing with that eventually.

I did not enjoy the… pain and heart-wrenching sorrow that I felt for her. Fortuna had always been nothing more than a tool in this whole fucking shitshow that made Hamlet seem like a comedy. Pretty sure Shakespeare would have hated it.

"I can tell you that I have a plan. One that can deal with that pesky thing in your brain, and the giant cunt in the sky. It isn't going to be pleasant though, and you're going to have to trust me." She stares at me as if I had just asked her to stare into the sun, expecting her to keep her eyes.

"I don't even know you."

"And yet, you've believed every word that I said. Why? Cause, regardless of how much you threw yourself into your world, regardless of the atrocities that you have committed in the effort of survival, some part of you wondered. Wondered if what you were doing was truly necessary. If what you were doing was truly the right path for you to take. And now, I am offering you the chance to take a different path. One that isn't dictated by a super biocrystal computer that's attached to your head. Instead, it's one that you'll choose. A flawed, uneasy, and most importantly, human path.

I can't promise that everything will turn out as well as we can hope, but I can promise it's a better alternative to what is certain to come."

Here, in this office, which has become worthless in the grand scheme of the world, it has become a turning point. One where the choice of this one, uncertain and frightened woman who has had the path of her life laid out for her over the past thirty years finally chooses for herself.

She sits there, afraid, and alone with her thoughts, jumping through every choice that she could make without the crutch that she had relied on for the majority of her life. For the first time since the entities had landed on this world, this room mattered once again.

I offer the woman my hand, and she takes it, my soul connecting to her.

And amidst the screams of the shard as its very 'soul' was ripped apart by my daughter, I smiled.

A wicked cruel thing.

But one that pleased the Wrath in my heart.

Rebecca

The world had gone mad, and Rebecca had remained completely ignorant of it. No, not mad.

Chaotic, lunacy, ridiculous, and maybe even hopeful.

More so than she had thought after Apotheosis' explanation. The knowledge of what the Simurgh was truly capable of, what Path to Victory's true end goal was.

Her own death.

All for a bleak future. Yes, they would succeed.

But the one that would do so, was a product of the chaos and utter despair that permeated their world. More than that, she would grow in spite of Cauldron's efforts, not cause of them.

The pointed-eared woman had remained evasive over the details of who this savior would be, and what power they had. She never lied, but she never told her the whole truth.

Rebecca could see the palpable distaste of Apotheosis' face during the entire explanation, obviously wishing that she didn't have to relay any of the information back to her.

She could still read Apotheosis' body language, that hadn't gone away at least. But there was also a… tenseness to her body language.

Like she was struggling to keep herself from exploding. That was something that Rebecca was going to keep at the back of her mind from now on. For now, she would keep exploring this planet.

A prospect that wasn't even a dream in her mind. The optimistic dreams of going into space died when the Simurgh appeared, and only became distant echoes that resembled painful memories instead of hopeful dreams.

And now, she was in the foundations of a newborn city, on a planet full of life that seemed to have been born in imagination. Flowers and plants that didn't seem real flourished all around while the sound of hammers and, surprisingly, singing.

There was a lot wrong with the image and sound in front of her. First of all, she was surprised by how many of these very short people could properly hold a tune. There were a few here and there that were very much tone-deaf, but that did nothing to diminish the pleasantness of the sound.

Women and men worked together in the building, whether it be moving crates and the like with heavy-duty machinery, or spending their time over by the area that had been designated as the staging place for this operation. Various desks, charts, blackboards, and images hung around, with bits of paper with notes and diagrams hung up. Why they still used them, even though they had holographic technology that she had seen them interact with, she did not understand.

The members of that particular gathering also argued at least once every few minutes, almost devolving into what she thought would be a fistfight before their tempers calmed. Both the men and women were stocky, thick muscles on every part of their body, a few of them sporting artificial limbs.

A few of the robotic parts looked like they had been cobbled together with scrap that had been left around, the design shoddy at best, with bits of wire exposed. Others were far more polished, sleek metal that blended perfectly with their arm wherever it was severed, oftentimes, the only indicator being that the colors were different.

Some were even decorated, with additional pieces, like a pauldron, or enlarged fist, engravings of things that she didn't understand on the metal. The list went on and on, some of them being telling enough for their owners.

Every laborer worked with skilled and deft hands, technology that she had formerly believed to be tinkertech, before Apotheosis revealed that nothing that she created could even classify as that, being expertly shaped and created. Power coils, enhanced mechanism, constantly shifting gears, walkers that were meant to carry heavy cargo.

A constant whirlwind of activity and technology that even she had a hard time completely grasping.

And yet the song that they sang echoed louder than that, countless voices echoing past the dings and hum of heavy machinery, with one voice, in particular, sounding above them.

A voice that she had heard before, that she had believed was inside of the Birdcage, where she had helped ensure she would be.

Paige Mcabee sat comfortably on a shaded area, small stocky children all happily gathered around her, as they sang along with the rest of the bustles of activity. None of them cared that the woman had yellow feathers in her head, or that her music influenced their minds.

They just joined their voices in song, working the day away amongst the picturesque view around them, some homes already having the skeletons of infrastructure ready for the next step. At times, when she looked up into the air, she would see blips of light as ships traveled to and from the budding colony.

Given that she saw a few of them flying in different directions, she hypothesized that this was not the only new city that was being built.

With the number of orbital stations that she had seen above Mars when arriving, she hazarded to guess that their numbers were at least in the thousands or hundreds of thousands.

Rebecca was left alone to wander the foundation of what was already becoming a prominent city. Stone and metalwork was being worked on diligently, with the men and women scrutinizing everything that was erected with strict and careful eyes, plenty of work being done when they believed it to be unworthy of their standards. Standards that Rebecca doubted most Tinkers on Earth would be able to match.

She was unsure of how Apotheosis had managed to free Canary without any of their contingencies, or Contessa finding out, but it was telling that it wasn't at all surprising. As much as she disliked the woman, she couldn't deny her capabilities. That was how you were defeated by a foe.

Making the fact that they had already lost in too many ways to this woman sting even more.

The information about the Simurgh, what her true capabilities were, and the future that awaited them had been… a shattering enlightenment. And for the first time in years, Rebecca didn't know what the right choice going forward would be.

She just felt… tired. So tired.

It was like the weight of every choice she made just… finally set in. They would succeed. Humanity would survive against the threat of the Endbringers.

But it would only be a path to even more suffering. Small at first, that would escalate beyond what she knew.

And that the entire time, all the choices that they had made, every sacrifice that she had given up, had been them dancing to the tune of the Shards and Endbringers like puppets on a string.

A truth that made the victory that they would receive, a victory that was done mostly in spite of them rather than because of them… only leave her feeling more hollow.

Knowing that the only thing that would bring some solace to the known worlds would be a single woman stuck in eternal suffering did nothing to help that feeling. Especially not when the possibility of that woman losing her mind and just… not caring anymore would only unleash the Shards and 'Titan's' back onto the rest of the worlds.

So, instead of returning back to Earth… she sat here.

Watching as refugees from a different world, on a completely separated universe from their own, built the first city on Mars. Knowing that they were a branch of humanity that had evolved to the way they were now after thousands of years of living on planets near the galactic core had been… hard to swallow, but so had everything else that she had seen since meeting the irritating woman.

She didn't bother asking Apotheosis how she managed to get this information. Knowing that it was real and true was only enough. Another power that Apotheosis had, the ability to connect emotions and the recipient to know it was true.

Rebecca didn't care enough to even fantasize the idea that Apotheosis was mastering her. If she had been, or been capable of it, the Trump wouldn't bother with any of these conversations.

"Bounjour, mon cherri!" And here was another irritating person that did little to alleviate her nerves.

The man claiming to be Napoleon Bonaparte had been telling the truth when he had said that he would not give up. Every day had been a string of proposals, quickly followed by his retreat immediately after when she gave him the same cold answer.

At least he was nice to look at.

Now, she was far too tired and entranced in the beauty happening around her to follow through with the same detachment that she usually answered him with. "Hello again 'Napoleon', here to propose again?"

He merely smiles at her, softer this time than the boisterous grin that he usually sported. "I shall take your tone as refusal this time madame Rebecca." She noticed that he tended to allow his accent to thicken when he spoke her name. Probably another attempt at being 'romantic'.

"Then why are you here?" Her words are bland instead of sharp.

"Why, to enjoy the sound of course! As a Servant, I tend to see the battlefield and ruin rather than the founding and building of something new." His blue eyes, usually bright in a way that reminded her of Hero and Legend, turned wistful and… older. A look that she had sometimes seen in the mirror on her worst nights. "It is… a comfort."

It was odd, not seeing a smile on his face. It had only been a week since she had just… stayed here after Apotheosis had told her everything. Or at least, everything that she was willing to tell her. And not once had the white-haired woman tried to kick her out. All she had said, was that she would make sure that no one would notice that she was even gone.

Something that should worry her, if she had thought that it would make a difference.

"While listening to the song does wonder for the soul, you will have to learn to move on without it eventually." Napoleon says while his eyes are a million miles away. "Living is so much more important than simply existing."

Rebecca scoffs, something that she was not in the habit of doing, and glances over at him, her young face sporting none of the makeup that she usually uses to make herself look older. "And what about if there isn't much of a life to be had then?"

Somehow, that gets the giant smile back on his face. "Simple! You make yourself a new one! Life is only truly over when you yourself give up on it! If the path is wrong, simply forge a new path! If that one isn't suitable, then rip it to shreds and simply start again!"

"It isn't that simple or easy to simply… start again." Rebecca retorts back to the man.

"And why not? Who said that? The weight of your actions may follow you forevermore, but whether or not you live a good life is your responsibility." Napoleon said while reaching into his pocket before taking his hand back at the last minute. "Everyone has something that they are running from. Something that they would rather not think about."

The joviality was… gone from his voice and face. Instead, he just looked weary again. Like he was an old man that knew defeat. If he was trying to pass himself off as Napoleon, she could understand what parallel he was drawing from.

Napoleon's exile to the island of Saint Helena, where he spent the rest of his life in defeat was something well known. An obvious tale of history to draw from if one wanted to impersonate the man from history.

And yet, there was true weariness on the bearded man's face. His micro-expressions told the truth, as it did every time that he tried passing off as the former Emperor of France.

Perhaps the man was delusional and Apotheosis merely allowed him to play out his fantasies. Perhaps he truly was the man that had once ruled one of the fastest growing empires during the 1700s.

Regardless, none of that truly mattered to Rebecca at the moment. His words, while genuine, were not something that she was willing to listen to, not yet.

Thankfully, he didn't say anything else after that, instead of sitting on the bench next to hers and closing his eyes, listening to the working song led by the Canary that Rebecca had helped confine to the Birdcage.

--

Mia

I sit, alone for once, in one of the many rooms of the Progressive Mansion.

In one hand, I held what looked like a simple piece of wood, fashioned into the shape of a badge. Engraved in black onto the brown wood, was a stylized skull in front of two lines that crossed into an X.

A Soul Reaper badge. I had received it so long ago with Estrella and those blueprints that I had quickly locked away, ensuring that none of my friends knew that I even had it, or where I had hidden it. Since I hadn't seen any souls walking around at all, and there were plenty of people that died on a daily basis for me not to notice, that meant that there was no need for Shinigami to kill Hollows to purify their souls.

No need for humans to develop reishi and become quincys, leading to imbalances in the world.

Meaning that I was not the one going to be responsible for leading this world to that possibility.

I'd already brought enough of a shitshow from so many different worlds into this one, I wasn't going to be responsible for another if I could help it.

And now, I sat here alone, because I realized something when getting my ass handed to me by Quetzalcoatl the other day.

I was woefully untrained in so many of my abilities. Chakra was the one I chose in my spare time, because it was one of the few that I could utilize without the others pumping it into overdrive. Meaning that I didn't have to worry about exploding the mansion into pieces if I pumped too much power into it.

But that left most of my other abilities sorely lacking. Psyker energy was a pain in the ass to control that didn't include creating Wraithbone constructs and tech. It was like... I knew the proper way to use it for one specific task. If I tried anything else, the steel grip that I had on the power would loosen and run wild. Usually leading to explosions or matter disintigration. That was something that was going to take a very long time for me to get a handle on.

Trying to make technology that would actually read my power and tools to help regulate it turned out to be ineffective, or rather, would survive and start taking readings for a few seconds, before they exploded. Still got some good data though. Enough that each one lasted longer and longer.

And then there was the one that was closest to me. My sword, and the shinigami soul that lay within this body. A soul that was probably altered and changed by all of the other races and aspects that I have gained through the Forge.

I knew that I wasn't exactly using Estrella properly whenever I drew her. She was powerful, yes, along with my spiritual pressure. But it felt… muted? Like… the energy was being filtered and wasn't as pure as it should be.

It was something that I didn't notice at first, but the more and more I used it, the more I realized just how… odd the energy felt compared to the rest of the shit flowing through my body and soul.

And the answer was staring me right in the face the entire time. It was wrong because I wasn't dead, like most Shinigami are supposed to be. Urahara doesn't count, man was a frightening genius that scared me more than Mayuri.

I also wanted to kill him a lot less than that other psychopath.

So here I sat, alone, staring at the badge, knowing what I had to do, but unable to just place the damn badge on my skin.

I knew this was rich coming from me but… I was scared.

God, every part of me cringed at that.

I was fucking scared of the chance that I would… die. Of feeling that moment of coldness, followed by nothing.

Of last thoughts and regrets piling on and on in my head during those moments as I could feel life slip away. That one last moment that you have is always so much longer than it should be. And it wasn't just mine that played through my mind.

Those clones that I couldn't reach in time, the lingering emotions at the Keyblade graveyard. The emotions tumbled and rolled in my head over and over again like a broken record.

A broken record that I just wanted to smash into a fucking wall.

So, I just sat here, alone in one of many fancy rooms, just staring at the damn thing without lifting a finger.

"You know, you don't have to do it. Least not right now." A gentle voice identical to my own, and very out of character says to my right.

I turn and find Estrella sitting right next to me on the brown flower-patterned couch, the Zanpakuto staring at the badge right alongside me, sadness and… fear in her eyes?

"I'm surprised. Thought that you would be pushing me to do it." Her eyes look away while her hands fidget with a stand of white hair.

"There's plenty of other things that you can do and focus. Your Soul Reaper powers don't really have to be a priority. The Force could be something to focus on." I knew what she was doing. She was part of me after all. She was trying to move the conversation away from the Soul Reaper thing.

Why? It ran counter to what she should want, which is making me stronger and able to use her in battle more effectively.

Evading the question instead of lying was definitely an Estrella thing to do, and I wanted to push the conversation forward. But then I looked at the badge in my hands again and realized that I didn't want to do it yet.

I knew that I had to go forward with it. But placing that badge on my body and just… dying was not something that I was mentally ready to do yet. I don't think I ever really was.

So, instead, I let her move the topic somewhere else.

"And what exactly did you have in mind for that?" I ask her while phasing the badge back into my pocket space.

She happily smiles and moves on. "Well, since you were focusing on the death side of things, how about we go a bit in the opposite direction. Like say, the fact that you should stop trying to do training made for the Jedi."

As if being called, we both felt the Forge connect again, this time to a small cluster of stars, each of them almost tiny compared to most others that were part of my growing inner sky. It wasn't a power this time, at least not the stars themselves. Instead, it was various deposits of materials that could be used in crafting.

And they were magnificent.

Estrella and I don't look at each other as we open a door into the Workshop cathedral, walking down the new hallway that had just been added to the sea of corridors.

It was a storage room, but what a strange room it was. Sleek metal shelves and cabinets, each of them connected to a central terminal in the middle of the room, greeted the two of us, the back of the room housing the more peculiar of the load.

On clear display shelves, sat various fist-sized stones, each of them a different color that gave off… a feeling to my senses. Blue, green, gold, purple, etc etc.

Each one was a kyber crystal that could be used to create a lightsaber. Would have to show Ahsoka this. Could make her new sabers to replace the ones that she had to leave behind at the graveyard.

Going to the terminal, we find a database and control for every drawer in this room. Beskar, durasteel, phrik, ultrachrome. Components and materials that were used in some of the best gear and technology in the Galaxy that they came from.

Just having a single one would have been enough for me to try and replicate it. And here, I had enough to outfit a small team. Meaning that there was a lot more here with my Quality and resources stars in my constellations.

The Squats were going to love this so much. Think that these counted for a rework later.

"I think that this room is good enough for your little meditation training." I look at my sword with a raised eyebrow and confused look, to which she rolls her eyes. "Mia, honey, how else are you going to learn at the Force if you don't meditate?"

I suddenly feel stupid, but in my defense, I was thinking about all the wonderful uses we were going to have with all this new material.

I sit down in a lotus position, going through the Jedi Code like I always did when meditating. Which Estrella smacks me on the head for.

"What the hell!?" I yell at her while she just huffs at me, her golden earrings jangling in the air.

"Honestly, I get why you went to Ahsoka for help in learning to control yourself, but you forgot about something honey. She was trained by Jedi. Something that we both know that you will never be." I… couldn't argue that. I just… cared too much about people. Too much about the ones I love. Too much about life in general.

Passion was something that the Jedi completely stood against, and I was a volcano of it. The Wrath that literally fueled me now didn't make it any better.

But what else was there, the Sith code?

Sure, most of it I agreed with, or at least, they resonated with me.

Peace is a lie, There is only Passion

Through Passion, I gain Strength

Through Strength, I gain Power

Through Power, I gain Victory

Through Victory, my chains are broken

The Force shall free me

There was only a few issues with that. Mainly, while I was passionate, I did NOT want them to drive my whole life. Passion without thought or clarity was simply lashing out at the world.

And power was never something that I desired above anything else. The issue was that I had too much power, more than I could realistically use properly. At least, without incinerating the world around me.

I was all about freedom. But freedom in the pursuit of simply more power… no. That wasn't me. If it was, I wouldn't be me.

Both were far too restrictive in their own way. Why did it have to be only one side? Why was the Dark always deemed to be wrong by the Jedi?

Emotions were definitely something that could blind people to what matters, but what would life be like without those emotions? How could I continue on my day, if I could not care and love those that I had grown close to? Feel the joy and warmth as I carried Leticia to sleep, sometimes sleeping in the same bed and holding her when the nightmares were too strong. The sorrow and sympathy from the pain of those around me? The pride as Taylor slowly but surely grew out of the shell that she had formed around her heart, Danny following close behind, while Lindsay had grown beyond what I had ever thought of?

I was no Jedi, and I would never be a Sith. I wanted to control, but I would not relinquish the emotions or love that I had in my heart.

With my eyes closed, I let these thoughts and emotions roil in my head, my clarity clouded by the indecision on what to do next, with Estrella sitting right next to me, position the exact same.

That was when I remembered something that I had read once. The Jedi hadn't always been the dogmatic organization that believed that to properly live and use their abilities was to eschew their emotions.

At the beginning, they were simply warriors that strived for peace, each of them having known love from family and friends like everyone else.

How did it go again? The original code… ah.

Emotion, yet Peace

Ignorance, yet Knowledge

Passion, yet Serenity

Chaos, yet Harmony

Death, yet the Force

Life was always complicated. Emotions were complicated. But there was peace to be found in those quiet moments within our own heads.

There is always going to be things I am ignorant of, but that was the point of living, at least to me. To find those answers in the search for wisdom.

Passion helped guide me towards what I love, but I had to be careful not to allow that passion to control every action I take, lost in the rolling waves that were my emotions. There were moments when I just needed… to feel the calm, like the sky flames that flowed through my veins.

The harmonic flames that hummed and shined amidst the chaos that powered my dying will. The regrets and sorrow that I carried from my previous lives. Regretting not having lived life to the fullest, to prioritizing duty over actually enjoying what I had, and for waiting too long to make any connection that wouldn't make me feel empty at the end.

There in the room, with my sword next to me, I felt it truly… click.

And while I still felt the emotions and Wrath in my heart.

I could feel a... calm take hold alongside that.

And I smiled, allowing simple joy to slip through the calm.

--

I duck underneath the fist traveling towards me, seeing it coming a mile away, moving my head back to its previous position when the limb retracts back towards a puffing Taylor's body.

"That's better sweetie, but you're still telegraphing your strikes. Put your strength into your punches, but maintain enough control so that you can respond in case your opponent manages to see what you're trying to do." She nods, doing the controlled breathing that she had practiced before we had even met, her eyes far away as she jumps up and down, trying to get some quickness back into her feet.

Good. Footwork was something that she had managed to get surprisingly fast. Maintaining that and pushing it beyond was something that was going to be a big boon for her if she ever fought someone that could keep up with her.

"Again."

She rushes forward the moment that the word leaves my mouth, her eyes sharp and watchful, probably also using the bugs around us to keep track of me. She throws a left hook quickly followed by a right fist to my chest, both of which I avoid or simply redirect away from me. To my pleasure, she barely stumbles, quickly regaining her balance and continuing in her assault, trying to get just one hit in.

We had gotten into training her hand-to-hand combat ability about a month ago. While her equipment could be carried in her omnitool after some Sheikah slateification, that didn't mean there wouldn't come a time when she would have to rely on just her hand-to-hand capabilities. It wouldn't be ideal, but I at least wanted to make sure she could defend herself if her back was truly up against the wall. Her Aura had done quick work of increasing her overall strength and durability, along with speed. Something that her Dying Will Flames only sped up, and pushed past what it should be.

The exercise was just so she would have a moving target and someone to give her pointers on her stance. Right now, we were starting on boxing. A simple, but effective fighting style that we could expand whenever I thought she was good enough to do so.

I kept dodging and redirecting, seeing every blow that came at me clear as day. It wasn't that Taylor was a bad fighter, on the contrary, she had advanced far faster than any normal person should. If I put her in a ring against another trained fighter, I think I would actually hedge my bets on the bug controller. She had taken to almost any subject that I presented to her like a fish to water, swimming through it like she was born to learn it. At least, most practical stuff.

Magic was not her strong suit, which only served to frustrate her into throwing herself even harder into training.

I smile as her face remains a hardened stone, not once hesitating as I dodge every hook, punch, swipe, and uppercut that her longs arms threw my way. I was simply too fast for her.

I was so distracted in watching her fist's, that I almost didn't notice the roundhouse kick that she threw my way, the leg swiping through the air, strong and sturdy that could probably shatter trees. My smile widens as I catch the leg in my palm, shove it away, and flick the unbalanced teen with enough force onto the ground.

"AH!" She lets out a cute little cry that was so unlike her as she falls to the floor. It was so hard to get a reaction out of her, that it was a treat to catch her off balance.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." I wag my finger in front of her face while crouching to her level. "While I like the dedication and quick thinking on your part Taylor, trying to throw moves that you haven't mastered like that won't always work. Leaves you open if you're not used to it, which your opponents will take advantage of."

She glares at me while letting out a huff. "I thought that it would catch you by surprise." She's actually pouting at that! So adorable!

With a smile I stand up, offering her my hand, which she takes a little reluctantly to rise off the ground.

"I haven't even managed to hit you once during the last month. What am I doing wrong…" She mutters the last part to herself, thinking that I wouldn't hear it. Even if my long-ass ears didn't, I could still feel the slithering of frustration and inadequacy that coiled inside of her.

"Taylor, getting better takes time. Especially since you just started learning the basics last month. Hell, the fact that you've advanced so fast in so little time is commendable enough. Don't try to fly before you can run into the air mija. You'll get there. You just need to practice more and keep developing your abilities."

She throws a glare that lacked any heat. One that she quickly abandons when she looks at the calm gaze that meets it. "...I know I'm being impatient. I just… hate losing." She utters those last words in embarrassment.

"Haha, no shame in being a little competitive Taylor. But don't push yourself too fast to hard. That's how you get hurt or burn yourself out." I don't want you becoming anything like Khepri mija. Not if I can help it.

She doesn't respond to that, instead, walking to the towel that lay on the bench inside of the gym where we practiced. She had worked up quite a sweat, she always did whenever training was involved. Probably why she had lost a lot of the paunch that she used to have. I could even see the first signs of muscles developing onto her arms.

I think that this was doing wonders for her image of herself. There wasn't as much self-loathing stewing in the pit of her being like before.

I blink. Now that I think about it, her skin was also a lot clearer than before. Her hair was smoother and thicker, even while she was drenched with sweat. And her eyes were just a bit more… well-defined her cheekbones even looking more pleasant than before.

What the hell? Was this cause of Aura?

Her Majesty's Majesty couldn't have been doing it, I made sure that thing couldn't affect any living being. Not like there was anyone else out there that could use that sta-

Oh… she would, wouldn't she?

I was going to have a talk with her when I saw her next time.

Probably around dinner.

--

She opens the door on the first knock and immediately bares her teeth at me, the dogs behind her growling as they feel their owner tense up while staring at me and Taylor behind me. I smile with closed lips, but I look at her nose instead of her eyes, hoping that it's enough that she won't think that I'm starting a fight.

Only, before I can say a word, I feel the presence of another sapient mind approaching behind the tall stocky form of Rachel Lindt. She notices my eyes move and immediately moves to try and hit me, stopping in place when Without Question grabs onto her arms, while I hold her in place with concentration and a motion of my hand.

The dogs behind her growl, and a red and black-furred hound jumps out at me, flames appearing in his mouth coating each individual fang. And I smile as I crouch down, reaching out towards the Pokemon and animals with my emotions.

They all calm at the feeling of calmness, and expression that I am not here to hurt them, most of the dogs sitting down and staring at me with a tilted head and pointed ears. The Houndour is the one that approaches me, staring up at me with clear blue eyes, an oddity for most of his species if I remember right.

His eyes have that shine of intelligence, asking me with his gaze what I want and to let his master go. I smile at the dog, kneeling down and stroking his head just behind the plate of bone armor on his head.

"I'm not here to hurt you Rache- I'm sorry, Bitch. You might not remember me, but we ran into each other once. That night in one of the rabid metal wolf's dogfighting dens." When I feel the flash of recognition, I let her go from my grip.

There was grudging respect from her, like she approves of the fact that I hadn't just taken her hits and subdued her with barely a thought. Didn't mean that she was happy that we were in her territory. She moves her glare from me to Taylor, who was wearing a small stylized porcelain mask in the form of an owl, the feathers lined with gold and jewels that I just had to decorate.

Bitch didn't seem to care, instead focusing on the purple flamed ring on the bug controller's hand, while the brown cocoon of a growing Kakuna was strapped to Taylor's backpack. It had been a while, but I think that the cocoon would be ready to break for the Pokemon inside to evolve.

Allowing myself to connect to the fire Pokemon, I feel… complex emotions. Curiosity, relief, contentedness and a general feeling of confusion from the pooch. Confusion about… what he is. Of course, he would. Most Pokemon that have appeared in the world were once normal animals. Having all of that change would be… very much a struggle for some. Weedle never seemed to care or think about what he was, the same went for the Pikachu and the Gyarados that hung around Danny now.

Guess that just like how there were so many different personalities in people, the same applied to Pokemon as well.

He wondered if I knew what he was.

I keep my gentle smile as I nod to the Pokemon. "Yes, I know what you are. You're a Houndour."

"His name is Cerberus." Bitch throws out, irritated that I had seemingly gotten his name wrong. Cerberus preens a little bit at the name.

"Alright, my mistake. Though, Houndour is his species of Pokemon, not really what his name is." I add in while the Fire Pokemons eyes are trained completely on me.

"He's a dog." The stocky girls throws out, thinking that I was being stupid. But I felt the slightest bit of hesitation in her emotions, like she wasn't completely sure that she believed that either.

I shake my head while bringing out two pokeballs from my pocket. "No, he's not. He's a canine sure, but he is not just a dog anymore. I'm sure that you figured that out with your power." I could feel Taylor's gaze completely focused on the young woman as I bring out the two canines that were part of my team.

Riolu and Eevee both let out cries as they stretch their muscles, smiling at me. Rachel's eyes lock onto both of them, confusion and interest rising in her eyes and emotions. She tilts her head, trying to understand what exactly they were.

What was her power feeding her? Was it interested in them because they were canines? Was it trying to accumulate more data?

Houndour on the other hand, sniffed the air, staring at both of the Pokemon his tail wagging behind him as his heart started to beat even faster. Eevee notices the attention and bounds over to the red-furred hound, a cheerful bounce in her steps while Riolu waves with one paw.

They speak to each other in a way that only Pokemon do, and I can see the genuine… relief in the Houndour's face as he understands them, and lets out his own set of growls and sounds. Rachel just stares at the interaction, while the dogs inside of the warehouse just watch with wary eyes, though I think I see a few tail wags in there.

I had to restrain myself from running in there and just… petting and cuddling each one of them.

"Are the little ones that you rescued that night alright?" She snaps out of her thoughts at my question. She frowns again, but she doesn't bare her teeth at me this time.

"Is that why you came here?" I ignore the hostility in her voice.

"That and to check up on how you're doing." Her eyes move back over to Taylor, who had remained in the same exact spot behind me, but I hear the slight whistle of her flameless wires growing and moving through the air.

"Why? What do you want?" Irritation was rising again, though I just ignored it again. I shrug.

"I have a thing for strays is all." She glares at me again, while I gesture inside. "How about I give your dogs a free checkup? Make sure that any of the injured ones are healing properly and check up on some of the older pups."

She looks like she's about to refuse, but looks down at the three canine Pokemon, Houndour happily 'chatting' away with Eevee and Riolu, the two of them completely content to meet another friend.

She frowns, but relents. "Fine. But tell me what they are. They're… different compared to other dogs." I smile at her, following her inside while Taylor steps in behind me, the Pokemon not too far behind.

I wasn't surprised by how clean the inside was. Each of the large cages was comfortable, with food and water bowls aplenty for each of the dogs.

There was an area where the more wounded were placed, some of them barely lifting their heads up to look at me. I give the dogs a gentle smile as I kneel down reaching out with the Force and magic, analyzing their bodies and wounds while determining the best course of healing.

While I worked, on them, I felt the… awkwardness that Taylor and Rachel were having behind me. Taylor, uneasy over us helping a villain, while Rachel just didn't trust either of us. The dog trainer thought that she could overpower us with numbers alone if we tried anything. I didn't blame her. The last time that we had met was… a while ago. It had only been a little over two months, but it felt a lot longer than it really was.

"Who're you supposed to be?" Rachel asks Taylor while staring directly into her eyes, which I am sure that Taylor was doing the same underneath her mask.

"..." Taylor's quiet for a few seconds, trying to think of a name. She hadn't picked one yet, but I had thrown a few free suggestions her way. Particularly ones that had nothing to do with her power. Bugs were not what she should be known for, I thought. They were not all that she was.

Eventually, after the silenced had stretched out and made the awkwardness level rise even higher, Taylor speaks up. "Minerva. A hero."

There was pride in her voice and heart as she said it. Pride that welled up in my heart too at the name she had chosen.

Rachel doesn't look impressed though, and just stares at Taylor even harder, the challenge clear in her face.

Eevee, Houndour, and Riolu just play the entire time, the fire and dark Pokemon practically bursting with joy at finally finding other Pokemon like him. The thought of not understanding what he was, or having others like him must have been a heavy weight on his back. How many other Pokemon out there were having the same experience? Wondering what they were and not understanding why other animals weren't the same?

They remain quiet for the entirety of the time that I spend healing the rest of the pooches in here, some of them require more time. For some of them, I was going to need actual tools for surgery. A few of them had growing tumors in their body, while there were a couple being quarantined because of the illnesses and parasites in their body.

I do what I can and leave the injured ward of the warehouse, letting out a slight sigh.

"Going to have to come back later for a few of them. Need some tools and equipment before I can help them. These little guys though," I say while the ones that I was able to heal completely come out of the cage behind me, some of them wagging their tails while licking at my hand. "are going to be completely fine. They just need a lot of rest and plenty of food to make a good recovery." Rachel crouches down, inspecting each and every one of the dogs, searching for any sign that I did something to hurt them or to see if they were faking.

They pass the test as she rubs each of their heads while letting out a sound of content dissatisfaction. She was glad that they were healed. But she was also… partially disappointed that I had been telling the truth.

Like part of her was still trying to fight.

Was that you Rachel, or was it that shard in your head?

"Fine. What do you want?" Did she mean what I wanted in exchange?

"I don't want anything from you. Like I said, I have a soft spot for strays."

She shakes her head. "That's not how people work. People always want something." There was old bitterness and pain in those words. Like they were an ugly truth that she hated.

To that, I just smile and simply say. "Not everyone. I'll be back later today, I have to leave now, have an important meeting. Though, I will give you some advice Bitch." Her eye twitches. "I think that you should reconsider working with the Undersiders. Or rather, working for someone other than the boss that you have. That is a man that's only going to leave you with a bigger target. Just ask Lisa."

Eevee and Riolu jump onto my shoulders, managing to find a good enough grip so that they wouldn't slide as I moved. Houndour wore a downtrodden expression, wishing that his new friends didn't have to leave so soon. Oh, the poor baby.

"Don't worry Cerberus, I'll make sure to bring them back along, isn't that right you two?" Both Pokemon nod along with smiles on their faces while Houndour's tail wags even harder again, his eyes shining.

Rachel just remains silent, trying to dissect the advice that I had given her while I wave goodbye as Taylor holds onto me. "Bye Rachel, take care of yourself until I get back to heal those babies inside ok?"

The feeling of coming apart and being put back together was becoming less uncomfortable as we teleport back to the mansion via the Sheikah tech inside of my omnitool.

Eevee and Riolu hop off, thanking me for the trip, before they walk away into the mansion, looking for the Workshop entrance that I had left behind in one of the complex's many doors.

"Why are you trying to help her?" Taylor finally asks as she takes off the white mask on her face. "She's a villain isn't she?"

I nod. That was the reason why Taylor had tagged along. Didn't feel comfortable that I was going there alone. Let's just ignore that there is no one alive in this city that could actually do a thing to hurt me. You know, besides maybe one person, but that was up for debate.

"Not one by choice." Taylor raises an eyebrow, the rest of her face not moving an inch. "Her trigger was very… destructive and violent. She doesn't actually control dogs. Just enhances them. Her power helps her train and understand dogs, but that's about it."

Understanding blooms in Taylor's emotions while her face remains the same. "And someone was hurt when she used her power the first time."

I nod. "And she didn't come from the best home life either…" I deign not elaborate, and Taylor doesn't push me for answers.

Instead, I simply walk into the house, Taylor following behind me again, while Kakuna buzzes as I can hear wriggling coming from the inside of his shell.

--

Armsmaster

He had been skeptical since when they had received the invitation to a meeting in the docks from the Trump cape Apotheosis. A name that would seem arrogant if he had not seen the capabilities of her tinkertech beforehand.

While he and Director Piggot had been skeptical in traveling to any given location inside of the Docks district, they had no real choice in the matter. Chief Director Rebecca Costa-Brown had been very clear in her wish for them to develop a beneficial relationship with the mad Tinker/Trump woman as possible. If only so that she would not unveil any of the information that she held over their heads.

Capturing and punishing Sophia Hess had been a fast and quiet affair, though not for a lack of trying on the rogue Ward's part. She had tried running, somehow word of her detainment having reached her ears, only to be caught by one of Apotheosis' associate capes. He never saw the woman, Miss Militia is the one that had meet the woman that controlled the suit of high-tech armor, with a helmet in the shape of a feathered owl.

From what he had read in the report, the cape was a young woman, that responded in quick and concise words as if wanting to have the conversation end as quickly as possible to leave. A sentiment that he could understand slightly.

He believed that her power was her control over insects, but she also displayed other abilities. A wire in purple flames that gave off… alien readings. Wavelengths and pressure emanated from the new cape. She had not given her name, claiming that she had not picked one yet.

And the male that had been with her displayed his own flames, orange ones that seemed to hum in the air. Both gave off strange readings, and yet neither was the same. They gave off heat, yes, but that was the only thing that they shared with fire.

They were something more that he just could not understand. At least not yet.

And these were only the two that Miss Militia had met. Another had been spotted that night, crashing a gang fight that had erupted a few blocks away between the Empire and ABB. A fight that Lung had come to take part in after ramping up with a fight against Purity, and promptly being blasted away by the unknown capes red flames.

Three different colored flames, each of them having a different property.

He would have designated them as cluster triggers, but there was a single outlier amongst them.

And that was their team leader Apotheosis. A Trump that had shown powers in almost every category that they had except for Master. But that was mostly because they did not wish to burn any bridges that they shared with her.

She may be exuding some form of control over these new capes, or she may not. Given that they did not understand her powers, what she received or how they worked, a lot of it was speculation. Speculation was not something that Armsmaster liked leaving theories under.

He much preferred dealing with facts rather than mere thoughts and guesswork, but their hands were tied.

While only Villains held territory in the city, Apotheosis showed that the docks were clearly hers, something that should have warranted the PRT to intervene. And yet, the control that she had was arguably better than what the PRT had over the boardwalk, rebuilding the worn-away territory, both the district and people that lived in it.

Her business grew, buildings being bought and renovated through contracts that she negotiated with the Union, towards what end they did not know. Her claims that her technology wasn't tinkertech had been ridiculous, or so he thought.

Then he actually took a look at her technology and realized that not s single piece of it was… unfinished like tinkertech was. It was complete, every part of it decipherable to anyone with the proper equipment. He had sent the sample and his findings of the medi-gel to the research division of the PRT, and they had come to the same conclusion.

Suddenly, even Armsmaster was intent on keeping the relations between the woman that had ambushed them with their failings stable. If only so that he could see what made her different. Why did she have technology that was able to be replicated? Why was her power able to cause more of a difference in the world than simply stopping villains and gang members?

Why?

He nudges those thoughts away, they would do no good here now.

Instead, he looks over at Director Piggot who sat just across from him in a heavily armored truck. A bit overboard, but they didn't wish to take any chances.

"We're approaching the meeting point." She nods without looking up from the latest report that they had received on these… Pokemon. The white and black-furred quadruped with a head shaped like a yinyang symbol had been found on top of a rooftop, simply staring out to the sea. It had simply stayed there, staring out to sea when one of their teams had found it.

It did not try to flee, instead, complying when the group had arrived, as if it had been waiting for them. A notion that worried him when they discovered that this particular Pokemon was named Absol. The belief that these creatures were the same ones from an old Earth Aleph video game was simply ludicrous.

But so many were appearing all over the world, beyond the span of any cape alive, and matched with what they knew. With the only one that knew a single thing about them, the woman that they were on their way to meet.

He looked over at the Absol that laid down on a free seat, completely unrestrained. Both he and Piggot had been… reluctant to leave it without any way to tie it down, but Apotheosis had proclaimed her displeasure at the mistreatment of any Pokemon.

So they simply let it do what it wished, but the entire inside was filled with containment foam in case it tried anything. It had turned out that they needn't have bothered, the white and black-furred creature hadn't moved at all during the trip, just laying down with its eyes closed as they traveled through the city.

Armsmaster looks out of his window, his HUD indicating that they were approaching the destination-

When everything changed.

One moment they were driving through the remnants of the docks that had slowly started to pull itself together, the next it was a beautiful scenery that greeted their eyes. The sun shined brighter, and instead of the sterility of rusting concrete and cracking steel, a field of vibrant green greeted his eyes, the road that they had been on now dirt instead of the crumbling pavement. At the very end stood an elaborate mansion of architectural mastery, with an elaborate wooden doorway that looked to be decorated with lines of gold and silver.

"What the hell!?" Their driver screams as he quickly comes to a stop, the Absol finally lifting its head, staring out towards the window, its eyes sparkling in curiosity like that of a child instead of an animal.

Colin grips his halberd, running different readings through it while making sure to put himself between Director Piggot and the doorway.

Was this some kind of illusion around them? A master or stranger making them see something that wasn't really there? Or was the landscape around them truly what they saw?

The door to the mansion opens just as Director Piggot reaches for the pistol that she always carried with her, a small… pointed droopy-eared man wearing a blue suit with a bowtie fastened to his neck stepped out and bowed to the convoy with his hand over his heart.

"Salutations, Mistress has been expecting you. Please follow Krunter inside, would guests like Krunter to take their coats?" He spoke with a high reedy voice, large green eyes looking at them with genuine honesty that took Colin aback.

So that meant that this place was under the control of Apotheosis. He wondered if that was a good thing or not. Looking over at Piggot, she rubbed her head as if she had a headache, the Absol near them stretching before jumping off his seat walking towards the doorway with slow and graceful steps.

Eventually, Director Piggot releases a sigh that Colin feels in his bones. "Let's just go and get this over with."

--

The mansion inside was something that you would expect to see in a museum of the rich of the past. Elaborate paintings and portraits, wooden architecture with chandeliers whose crystals glittered in the light. Elegant pieces of wires and equipment lined the walls, giving the entire mansion a feeling of the steam age. Something that was actually giving Colin ideas for future projects. Though, it would be a tad difficult to properly built those tesla coils inside of his halberd without interfering with the rest of his equipment inside.

The small… person, Krunter, had been polite and welcoming to them, not even batting an eye at the team of armed troopers that followed behind, or the quadruped creature that accompanied them, its eyes taking in every detail as they walked towards their destination.

Although, he noticed that Director Piggot made sure he was within her eyesight, her hand always close to the holster on her hip.

They are led to a grand dining room, a fireplace in front of lavish sofas, and seats that looked more expensive than his Tinkertech budget, with polished wooden coffee tables, trays full of snacks, and tea sets placed on top of them. The head seat was currently occupied by the woman that they had come to meet, her wings currently folded to her back as she relaxed with a cup of coffee and a pastry on the plate in her lap.

Next to her was… a young boy that looked no older than eight in a white robe, a yellow scarf around his neck that seemed to glitter every time that they moved. He looked young, but when Armsmaster looked into his blue eyes… there was something there that he couldn't place. As if he was older than he looked.

Apotheosis doesn't even glance at the trooper squad that stands outside of the room, their weapons at the ready. The child does, his eyes lingering on the weapons and gear that wasn't hidden beneath their clothing and helmets.

"Ah, you're here. Good, I was a bit worried that you wouldn't find the anchor point correctly. Please take a seat. Don't worry Armsy, I made sure that these chairs are able to support the weight of your armor."

He could tell that Director Piggot wanted to demand why they were here, but instead, she simply sits down, the vein in her temple standing out slightly. He slowly takes a seat but finds relief when the couch he is on doesn't even creak at the weight of his suit. What did she do to this?

Apotheosis' blue and red eyes flicker over to the Absol that they brought, her eyes brightening at the sight. "Hello, little one~." She purrs out as the Absol walks over to her, his eyes closing in pleasure as she scratches right behind his horn. "Where did you find this little one?"

"On top of a rooftop close to the sea." Armsmaster responds immediately.

Apotheosis frowns, placing her free hand on her chin while Absol walks around towards the child, who happily starts giving the creature more scratches. "What else was she doing?"

"Nothing. Just staring out towards the ocean. Though, it complied when we approached."

"She. This Absol here is a girl." Did she figure that out just now? After a single meeting? "And if she was just staring at the sea then... well now interesting."

"What is?" Piggot annoyingly asks.

"Absol are known for being able to detect disaster. Usually, they do so by sensing the slightest changes in the weather, and then warming humans about it."

"And what benefit do they receive from that?" Armsmaster asks.

"Nothing. Pokemon just like people for some reason." The flapping of wings announces the arrival of a bird about two feet in height, dark blue and black feathers ruffling as it lands on the top of the chair that Apotheosis sat on, letting out a small cry as the woman smiled at him. "And I gotta say I don't mind. Meet Corvasquire. Just evolved from a Rookiedee yesterday."

It almost reminded Colin of a Raven.

"You're saying that there is a natural disaster incoming?" Piggot asks, the nervousness hidden behind her determined face.

Apotheosis nods. "Yes and no. I noticed that there had been… odd happenings in both the ocean and land lately around Brockton Bay. Change in the waves and an almost imperceptible shift coming from beneath the ground. Don't know what it is, but we have been keeping an eye on it. This sweet girl just confirmed that we were right to notice it. But that isn't why I called you here."

"Well? Go on, we don't have all day to just spend here enjoying tea." Piggot snaps as Krunter finishes pouring out a spicy blend into Armsmaster's cup which he takes a quick sip off. Surprisingly wonderful. And he hated tea.

"A few things. Information about the gangs and someone else that has been amassing power underneath your noses. Along with an extra piece of news that you desperately need. Though, they are going to come with conditions."

"Speak plainly." Colin could tell that it pained Director Piggot to grind those words through her teeth.

Apotheosis raises her arm, which the raven like Pokemon quickly uses as a perch while affectionately nuzzling her hair with his beak. "Fine. My condition is that you let me give you a new kidney. Your health has been declining and you have less than a year left to live. And while this city has been a shitshow, you have been outnumbered by the gang capes. The fact that you managed to keep some of the city safe, with the few resources that you have is commendable enough."

Armsmaster's eyes swivel over to Director Piggot, who was no longer hiding the rage that had been simmering underneath the surface, her face red and scowling like a demon from an old portrait.

"This conversation it over." Her voice was deceptively quiet, a stone that threatened to become lava at the slightest twitch.

"Part of my end is the next Endbringer attack." Those words cut through the air, Colin's blood going cold while Piggot solidifies into a stony statue.

"What?" He doesn't mean to speak the question, but he does.

"I know when the next Endbringer attack is going to happen. And am willing to tell you."

"You are using the fate of a city as your bargaining chip?" Piggot asks incredulously, turning around faster than her size would have you believe.

"No, I'm using it to get through your thick head and accept help before you wind up in a grave. You dying accomplishes nothing and is a waste." The words are a cold slap to both of them, the jovial and warm expression that Apotheosis held now replaced by a cold stone mask with eyes that seemed to pierce through both of them. "I understand why you don't, I've done my research on everyone that I could, but you dying will do nothing to better this city. Dying is not an apology." Her eyes warm slightly at the last sentence, before returning back to the hardened red and blue orbs from before.

Director Piggot looked at Apotheosis like she would like nothing more than to unload the entire pistol clip into the Tinker woman. Instead, she sits down, her rage still built up in her shoulders and eyes, but she nonetheless stares directly into her counterpart on the other side of the table.

"Fine." The words were final and sharp, as if the blond woman hoped that it could actually leave a cut on the white-haired woman.

At that, both Apotheosis and the boy next to her smiled, the blue in the child's eyes seeming to glitter and shine, though it was far harsher in the woman's eyes than the kids.

The little boy looks at Piggot, his eyes sad while still glittering with looked like joy.

"I'm sorry that you've had to live through so much hardship Emily." He says while looking at the Director with… familiarity?

Emily frowns at the child, suspicion, and irritation clear on her face. "Do I know you?"

The boy nods enthusiastically. "You watched the day that humanity sent me off! You had just fallen off your bike and stubbornly wouldn't let your mother clean or bandage your wounds, something about being 'tough and strong like daddy!' when the broadcast came on." The boy's smile widened and his eyes shined with joy and… wisdom that made him look older than he really was. "I still remember how you and so many others watched and cheered as I left orbit, and headed out towards the edge of the solar system. All of you bidding me farewell."

Director Piggot's expression had shifted from confusion, to hostility, back toward confusion yet again, the words not making sense to either her or Armsmaster. The boy turns to Colin, his smile a little dimmer, but his eyes remained glittering like sun rays on the ocean floor. "You were still a baby when I left. But Nanny Richford was holding you during the broadcast, holding you close while she rocked you to sleep."

His heart locks up, and a pit forms in his stomach. No one knew about Nanny Richford. The elderly woman that had been the closest thing he had to a grandmother. The only person that he felt he had ever gotten close to, more so than his parents.

More than that, this boy knew about her. Knew about a person that he had never told anyone about. They knew who he was. Was Apotheosis trying to play some sort of mind game here? A powerplay to show just how much reach she had over them?

"Sorry about that, I should have introduced you all. Director Piggot, Armsmaster, I would like you to meet Voyager." Director Piggot blinks, her eyes widening and staring at the little boy again as if what he had just said unlocked something in her brain.

"As in the Space Probe?" Voyager smiles brightly again, nodding enthusiastically, ecstatic for some reason.

"That's right! The smiles and wishes that everyone gave me that day were comforting reminders during the long trip out to space. It's why I love remembering the last time that I looked back, the last time that I could smile at you all with my real body." He didn't understand what the boy was saying, and neither did Director Piggot, but Apotheosis looked like she did. She smiled sadly at the boy, her eyes watery while the bird perched on her arm nuzzled its head against her, trying to comfort her for some reason.

And for a split second, light emanated from the little boy, hopeful light that filled him with a warmth he had not felt in so many years.

"On that day, I left carrying the hopes and dreams of humanity, hoping to guide them out to the sea of stars. And someday I will reach a destination that we all hope for. And while my trip is long and lonely, remembering that last time I looked back fills me with hope and comfort knowing that you are all still here." And with that, the light receded, the boy the same, though his yellow scarf glowed at the edges, like they were glittering in the sun.

What had that been? He turns and is dumbstruck at a sight he had never seen before.

A smile, small and fleeting, on the face of Director Piggot before it was replaced by her usual stony expression. Her eyes hardened, but there was… something else that he could not quite place.

"What is the information?" Apotheosis gives them both a smile, the edge softer and kinder than the usual one she wore when facing them.

"Couple of things actually. But I think that I should start on the snake that has been coiling around this city for the past few years right under your nose. A snake that you are quite familiar with."

Henrick

The month trek farther north had been far more uneventful than the druid had thought. Though, more fruitful as well.

He no longer felt the weariness of creaking of his bones as he crouched, moving through the compound as if he had done so before. Many times. Memories still eluded him before he had pledged himself to servitude to mighty mother earth, but he moved as if he had done these actions a thousand times.

His body felt… good. New strength and power flowing through him with a renewed vigor that left him feeling better than he had in decades. Sure, his hair had started to turn green and tough, like cords of vines that you would find in the jungle, but he found it a small price to pay for the ability to do his duty to the Earth.

Hey, at least he got some color back in his hair. It was not a normal one, but he loved the tine of green that had found its way into his body. Made him feel at one with the Earth.

The rustle of wings in the night catches his attention, looking up and staring straight at one of his little blue bats, flying slowly in circles. Good. Coast was clear.

He had watched the facility for the past few days, learning to watch through the plants that were beneath the complex. It wasn't perfect, he couldn't actually hear what was being said, but he'd at least learned how to tell people apart.

The old Druid had been distressed at the number of children that he had seen, ranging from mere infants who were closer to newborns than toddlers, all the way to teens approaching adulthood. Many retained the features of the target he had come to snuff out, with the light having disappeared from their eyes.

The fact that many of the childrens mothers were no longer around, merely pawns that hung on every word of the… thing that had fathered each child was a telling fact.

The things he had seen, what that slime, had done not just to the women, but the children were horrors that stirred… memories in the back of Henrick's mind. Nothing concrete, mere fragments, sounds, and images that were more like static and fuzzy pictures than they were concrete remembrances.

It was… a struggle for him not to reduce this complex of inhumanity down to its lowest foundation, allowing pure green life to flourish amidst the den of injustice and depravity. Whatever small mercies there were, the youngest were left alone.

For now.

He tried to keep the little bats away from seeing anything, but he knew that their sight was better than his, especially since he was only just now regaining the eyes of his youth.

Poor things would snuggle into his coat during their sleep, their tiny cries and struggles telling of their nightmares. They hated not doing anything just as much as he, but they understood the need for patience.

While the man himself was a pushover, he surrounded himself with loyal servants that bent to his every whim, many of them gifted with pieces of the invaders that wished to destroy this planet and used humans as their guinea pigs. Mother Gaia had been bountiful in her teachings and wisdom, telling the old man of the truth that had haunted his world for the past three decades.

A truth that had been more eye-opening than anything else he had heard before.

So he sat here, on his perch in the trees, waiting and watching, allowing his plants to grow slowly, ever so slowly, underneath the ground, towards the home of that wretched thing in human skin.

If he could, Henrick would just shoot the man and be done with it. But then the women and men under his spell would lose their minds, killing and destroying everything around them at the loss of their adoration. And Henrick would damn himself to Hell before he made children collateral.

Never again. A voice whispered in his head, both his own and not.

Every day, he would expend magic through the roots beneath his feet, urging them to grow and expand farther and farther, making minute adjustments to their cellular structure to what he needed.

It was a slow and arduous process that grew easier with the passing days, his control and knowledge of the movements of Ethernano growing along with the roots. With each day, he realized that he needed to use less and less magic, knowing just the right amount to use for what needs to be done.

And now, after having spent the last two weeks in the Canadian woods, planning and spending every drop of Ethernano that he held in his cores, he was ready.

Nature Magic: Sleeping Spore Roots

Some of the Brutes last longer, at least the ones whose powers affected their biology instead of simply increasing their strength. A simple fix with a stronger application of magic into the roots that had transformed into pollinating flowers when they broke through the surface.

Hard to fight back against something that you were never expecting. He felt he knew that from experience. The rustling of leaves that they believed to be the wind, only followed by the sound of gunfire, which heralded the screams and gurgles of the injured and the dying.

He rubs his eyes, his head hurting from trying to remember anything from before. He knew the memories were there, but it was like… they were too broken to come through properly. As if it would be better if he didn't know.

"Go." He whispers to the little ones nearby, and the three scarred blue bats take off into the air, gliding along the winds in silence, blending into the sound of the air.

Jumping off his perch from the large tree, he lands with a satisfied grunt, happy to no longer be stuck up there, concealed but cramped. He barely even felt the impact as his feet landed on the ground, the dirt cracking a bit under the force of his fall, but his legs remained hardy and strong.

He takes off towards the complex, the green and brown of the forest disappearing in a blur as he picks up speed, careful to avoid any foliage or tree, no need to tear any more down by accident.

Pumping some magic into his legs, he jumps, clearing the ten-foot tall chain-link fence that surrounded the complex, landing on the other side before taking off towards the mansion at the center. Because of course this sad excuse for a living creature would be living out his days of kidnapper and brainwasher in the lap of decadence.

One of his pawns probably 'gifted' him this place the moment that he asked. Didn't matter anymore though.

He wouldn't live past the night.

Henrick walks through the immaculate tile and polished marble of the pretentious manor, vanity and gaudiness practically dripping off every corner, gold and some other form of jewelry and decoration placed along walls and ceilings.

As he passed the prone sleeping bodies of the people living here Henrick controlled the roots below them to either move the unconscious people into a more comfortable position or subdue some of the pawns that were villains before Vasil had taken them.

The children though, he picked up and laid gently onto the nearest couch or chair, trying his best to lay them comfortably. He carried them like they were made of glass, his arms careful as if he was afraid that they would break in his grasp.

Many of them never really knew the love of a parent, not real love. The thing that was their biological father saw them merely as more pawns and useful resources than actually as children, while their mothers didn't really have a choice in what they felt anymore.

He still didn't know quite why there was such a heavy ache in his heart every time that he moved one of the children. Did he have kids himself? Before his days of being a druid?

The thoughts and questions swirled around his head like angry ghosts as he checked into the nursery finding all three of the Zubats perched along different cribs, chittering and cooing at the calm sleeping babes inside each of them.

They turn their heads to him, their ears twitching as they 'saw' that it was him, their tiny bodies relaxing. He smiles at the three of them. They liked kids, but ever since they changed from the normal bats they had been before into the blue blind creatures they are now they had become more intelligent. They knew what babies were, more so than before at least, and there was something almost instinctive in the way that they would follow the babes at night, careful not to be caught by Vasil or any of his cult around the complex.

Some nights Henrick would stay awake, waiting for them to come back, worried that something had happened to them. But he understood their emotions and didn't chastise them. Instead, holding them as they cuddled into his jacket at night.

He walks in, tucking in the blankets of a few children, picking up the toddler that had managed to sneak out of his crib back into her bed. He pets each of the Zubats, the tiny creatures letting out squeaks of defiance that he knew they could back up.

"Take care of each other in case someone wakes up." He doesn't have to tell them to take care of the babes. He knew that they would.

With that, he leaves the room, walking towards the room that held his target.

He wrinkles his nose as the smell hits him, controlling the roots underneath the ground to break through their places inside of the walls and carry the women in here away, clothing them in the process.

Leaving just a single man here. He would be handsome if he wasn't so ugly on the inside. The tall lanky muscular man stared at him with wide eyes, his body heaving with heavy breaths as he lay there in terror, unable to move his body.

"I would recommend that you cease trying to control my emotions. My biology isn't quite normal enough for you to do anything more than grasp at the air." That actually manages to make the man tremble harder on the floor. "As for what is happening, I made sure to turn the sleeping spores that entered your bloodstream into a paralytic one instead of something that would simply knock you unconscious. I don't want you sleeping through this after all."

Nikos Vasil's dark eyes widen even more, his pupils shaking in his sockets as Henrick unslings the rifle across his back, laying it out onto the floor. The paralyzed man relaxes slightly until Henrick lets out a chuckle.

"Oh, no. You aren't going to die from a simple bullet to the head. No, no." He reaches into his pocket and retrieves something small. A simple red seed no bigger than a bottlecap. It looked like a small walnut, the outer red shell hardened to protect the inside, while small darker splotches dotted each end. "I wonder how big this tree is going to be?"

He smiles at Nikos Vasil on the ground, an empty horrible thing, that made the worthless speck of a man tremble. "Let's find out shall we?"

Mia

I'd never had Gaia come to me telling me where to go before. Usually she liked getting most problems done herself rather than come to me.

And I liked to keep it that way. Call it a hunch, or maybe a side effect of being connected to her, but I had a feeling that I didn't want to know what she got up to when she wasn't with us. She might be my adorable 'daughter', but she was still the embodiment of the Earth and Humanity. Something that didn't have a tendency to be nice and soft all the time.

So when she appeared in front of us during breakfast, scaring poor Ralts to the point where she telekinetically made the food explode (again), and told me I had to head to a set of coordinates, I took off.

The Sky Rose was a bit of overkill from just moving across the borders, so we hopped into a jet that my clones made while they were bored. Yeah, they built a lot of crap without telling me, but it wasn't like I could get mad at them given that they tended to just Embody the materials out of thin air.

Sure I could take the Rustbucket, but I wanted to take this jet out. Poor thing had just been standing around on a landing strip that they had built on the Mansions grounds over in Brockton Bay. I kept it locked, 'cause Johnny had a tendency to get cocky and 'try new things'.

Of course, given that Taylor had just arrived with Lindsay and Leonardo eating with me, they insisted on coming.

And since the clones had insisted on making the ship as comfortable as possible, it was like we were in a house that flew through the air. Probably as big as a house for five people to live in.

Deeseven insisted on flying, poor little guy had been stir crazy not being able to fly anything, the rest of the droids that we had rescued off the ship about two months ago taking over the day-to-day operations of the ship maneuvers around Mars.

And now, I had Taylor doing her schoolwork for the day (just 'cause we're going on a trip doesn't mean that she gets a day of), by my side while I had Dragon's face on the holo screen of my omnitool.

"No Dragon, I don't know why my jet was blasting Born In the USA while we were crossing the border! Damn thing likes to do shit without my say so sometimes."

Dragon glares at me while I can hear Taylor tried to muffle her snickering down while she worked on her school work. "You shouldn't even be crossing the border anyways, it's illegal!"

"Dragon honey, you are the last one that can tell me about doing anything illegal, especially since I'm pretty sure you cross from Canada to the US more than I do on a daily basis." Dragon's digital face wrinkled in annoyance.

"Yes, but the difference is that I have legal authority while you just galavant wherever you like!"

I smile at her. "It isn't like they can really enforce any of the international laws on me. Besides, I'm not planning on making a base here, just making a quick trip. My friend made sure that it was going to be a quick affair." Wasn't going to be telling everyone who Gaia was. Not that I didn't trust Dragon, but if Gaia hadn't revealed herself to someone, then I wasn't going to do it for her.

Her mouth is a single line on my screen, judging me with her eyes until she eventually sighs. "Just please don't cause an international incident. Or cause the birth of a new species of creatures that are upturning the world."

"In my defense, the world getting turned upside down is very much a good thing."

"Yeah, now we got Dragons and giant fish that can shoot blaster beams out of their fucking mouths." Lindsay mutters while rummaging through the snack fridge, grabbing out a cup of chocolate pudding. She did love her sweets, though she usually got defensive when anyone commented on it.

Dragon just lets out a little huff. "Just… please don't make me have to send out reports about whatever you're up to."

I give her a mischievous grin. "I'll try. Whether or not I succeed is very much up in the air."

I sign off just in time to see one last glare and turn back towards my friends who were just smiling at my antics.

"I still can't believe that you know Dragon that well." Taylor mumbles out while finishing a page of her History lesson before moving on to the next, her eyes never leaving her work. "You still never told me how you met her."

"And I keep telling you mija, that It isn't my story to tell. If you want to find out that much, then just ask her. She is literally just one phone call away!"

Taylor's hazel eyes shift over to me, not quite a glare, but very much exasperated. "Yeah, like I could just call one of the greatest Tinkers in the world. Like she would even talk to a nobody like me."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that you're a nobody anymore signora. You made the front cover of the newspaper the other day. Must say, they caught your good side." Leonardo says while sipping his mug of tea, smiling at the teenager who turned a little red at the praise.

"Yeah, but that was just one time. It isn't like I've done anything that amazing!"

Lindsay snickers. "Yeah, cause making Hookwolf your bitch doesn't make you a badass."

Taylor lets out a series of noises that might have been words, if it wasn't for the slight gasps and stutters. Now it was my turn to smile at the antics of my friends, the Storm and Rain teasing the young Cloud as she turned so red, that I thought her hair might start to take on the same color.

"Mia Friends = Destination." Deeseven beeps through the intercom, Leonardo quickly finishing up his tea while Lindsay and Taylor look out the window at my gesture. Leo and I were the only ones that knew what Deeseven was saying, the others were still learning what his beeps meant.

"Thanks, Deesven."

"D7 = Best pilot." I smile at the little droid's bravado. Though, he was a good pilot on his own. He could run circles around most of the squats, but then again, they weren't used to flying ships as fast as what Deeseven was built for.

We look out the window, seeing the vast sea of green and brown of the Canadian wilderness that was interrupted by a ten-foot-tall chain link fence. It was a beautiful picturesque sight that took my breath away, that was only enhanced by the giant tree that sprouted from the top of the mansion within the borders of the fence. Its bark was a green more vibrant than the leaves of the woods, almost luminescent in their colors, while the leaves that flowed in the breeze were a dark red, almost blood-like in their hue, that looked like dancing flames in the wind.

And yet, amidst the vibrancy of life from the tree, there was something hidden underneath the life of the plant. A smaller presence that seemed to scream in helplessness, pleading, begging, wanting anything to save them from this. Then I looked at the architecture again, realizing that I knew what this place.

Since I had gotten the base on Mars finished, I'd sent out various programs and drones to keep an eye on S Class threats around the world. The only one that I didn't was the Nine, but that was because I knew that Gaia was keeping those murderhobos occupied.

This place was Heartbreaker's latest 'home'.

A pit in my stomach forms, realizing that the moment that we touch down my friends were going to be within range of that assholes control.

Something I would never let happen. I was already going to make sure that human slime was going to die an agonizing death, if he EVER did anything to my friends, I would make sure that not even Death would be an escape for him. Ready to tell Deeseven to turn the jet around, I notice Gaia down on the floor, a calm smile on her face as she waved at me to land.

And just like that, the pit in my stomach is gone, s I remember that Gaia would never intentionally send me anywhere near that asshole. Not without making sure that there was nothing that he could do to me. I look at the beautiful giant tree that eclipsed the entire mansion, and the pathetic emotions emanating within.

And I smile, the Wrath that had started flowing through my veins triumphant and calmed.

--

By the time that we touch down and walk up the steps of the manor, Gaia was gone, as if she had never been here.

It didn't take us long to find the people that had been living in this complex, many of the gorgeous women sleeping in beds made of soft flowers, roots, and trees entwined around them, protecting them from the rubble and remnants of the manor.

Others were instead wrapped in and trapped in thick roots, the wooden limbs coiling around their bodies like snakes imprisoning the men and women inside. After running a face recognition program through their faces I realized why. They had all been villains before Heartbreaker had taken them.

And every now and then we would find a kid in a bed of flowers, sleeping peacefully, their dreams pleasant and calm. It didn't escape my notice that most of them resembled Nikos Vasil. My heart ached at the number of kids we passed. More so when I would sometimes catch glimpses of healing bruises and cuts.

Turns out that I was going to need more than just a jet to get back home from here. No way I was leaving the kids and mothers here alone. Not after what they went through.

We make our way through the ruined and nature-filled halls, blooming flowers and vines growing out of the giant tree roots that spread all throughout the manor. The curious part was that most of these roots weren't even part of the giant tree that loomed overhead. No, some of these looked like they were part of the surrounding trees.

And I think that I could feel… faint traces of magic. Like someone had woven them and enticed them to grow how they wanted to.

I felt him before I saw him, and heard the flutter of wings and squeaks of three small blue flying creatures. The tree roots and plants congregated here, creeping in through the entirety of the doorway to the small room that had probably been a nursery. Cribs and beds were kept here, children ranging from newborns to toddlers sleeping at peace amidst the room conquered by nature

At the center of the room, sat a… very strange-looking man wearing worn-out robes that might have been green once, now looking more like a faded brown. His skin was brown and tough, like tree bark, while his strands of hair was a green hue that weaved itself together like vines. Above him, three little Zubats flew above his head, each one sporting some sort of old scar along their bodies. Their little mouths were opened and primed for fighting, their wings flapping faster and faster as we approached.

Just as they were about to take off towards us, the strange-looking man raises a hand, the three bats stopping in place and landing on the nearest crib.

He stands calmly, his movements strong and sure, using the long wooden cane that ended in a large bulb at the top to hold him steady, before turning to us.

He had probably looked like a regular old man before the Ethernano had been taken into his body. Though now, his face was lined with edges of wood instead of wrinkles, and there were actual leaves beginning to sprout out amongst the white of his beard. I could feel the pulse of magic within him as his green eyes looked each of us up and down, assessing each one as a potential threat.

When his eyes land on me, I feel… a tug on… something. Like an invisible thread that connected me to something.

His green eyes widen with panic, and he drops to the floor. The three Zubats fly up to the air, ready to dash towards me and attack, when the old man begins to speak from his face on the floor. "This simple old druid is not worthy to bask in the presence of the Great Earth Mothers Progenitor. I, Henrick, present my humble self to you mother of Earth as a simple agent of order and nature. Please have mercy on these babes, for they control not who they come from, just as we cannot help but walk across this domain of life."

I could feel something floating off him, wisps of energy that seemed to float over to me and become part of me. I blink. Was he… praying to me? Was that Mantra and Faith radiating off of him as he prayed?

"Great. Mia's got a cult now." Lindsay comments while Leonardo swats her arm like you would a naughty child. I could already feel a headache coming on.

I dial Dragon, who picks up before the first ring ends. "So… you remember how I promised that I wasn't going to cause an international incident? Good news is that I didn't cause it this time."

--

We all sit around the room after that bout of awkwardness, the old man, Henrick, sitting down and going back to his meditation, his mind lost in his exercises as I could feel the flow of magic around him. Mentally training his control of his magic? Interesting.

Leonardo is sketching a few of the plants, detailing the differences in each of them, since they didn't look like anything that we had ever seen in nature. Given the evidence around us, and the magic that flowed inside of him, it didn't take much brainpower to guess what kind of magic he used.

Amidst the honest determination and reverence that I felt in him, there was something else in there. Something… broken. Like he was merely a remnant of who he was, or whoever he used to be was completely gone from his mind.

He truly believed that he was a druid, and had been one for decades apparently. Meaning that for that time he had just been some crazy old man living in the woods. Now he wielded nature magic, creating new plants and enhancing his own body beyond what it should be capable of.

Why him?

"If you wish to test a man, give him power." Words echoed in my head. I turn, and next to me I see the image of a man, his dark peppered hair combed over elegantly, while his fluffy beard seemed to enhance his sharp cheekbones. Then I blink and he was gone.

I look over the room, see the way that the plants seem to caress the children around. The way that the flowers seemed to cushion the women and children that had no choice in their life before this, hoping, wishing to give these people a moment, so fleeting, of respite.

And I decide that the old man there had passed his test. Guess that Gaia had chosen correctly.

"I can't believe that Heartbreaker is dead." Taylor whispers while sitting next to me, her book bag forgotten back on the jet while we sat here and waited for the Sky Rose to arrive. "Feels like he's been around forever. A monster that most of us wished we would never have to see." She shivers as the fears of the past melt away to the relief of the present.

"And now, he actually does something useful with his life." I say while looking up at the beautiful tree that had once been Nikos Vasil, the energy from his shard having been drained in the process. This beauty would become something amazing eventually, especially now that the shard was 'dead'.

Already, I was pretty sure that Henrick was one of the most dangerous men on the planet. His stance and posture practically screamed military, and he had managed to completely take the facility with the only casualty being the target.

Taylor just looks up at the tree looking a little nauseous. "Are you sure that we can trust a guy that did something like that to another person? I don't think that being turned into a tree-like that was… painless."

"If I'm being honest, I hope that it wasn't." The bug controller pales a little bit. "But look at the way that he moved his plants around the people here. See how he made sure to cushion every single child and woman that Heartbreaker kidnapped? The way that the roots kept the debris from falling on top of them?"

Her eyes look around, the bugs in the area moving in concert with her orders. She doesn't look relieved by that, but there is a sort of understanding that blossoms. "I'm still not comfortable with being around someone that can turn another human being into that. Even if that person was Heartbreaker."

Is it wrong to say that I'm a little relieved to hear those words coming out of Taylor Hebert's mouth? Given what I knew she would have become, well, it's a departure from the woman that Khepri was.

"There isn't anything that we can do about it now. Don't think that I could even begin to revert him back to his human form. Don't know where the heck the tree ends and the man begins." Or if there was even an end to what they now were.

"What about all of the people here? The one's that he mastered?" Taylor asked while looking over the room of babies and toddlers, a scared and sad look in her eyes on her stoic face.

"I'll take them. While it might be a little harder to get rid of any influence Heartbreaker's power had on them, it still shouldn't be a problem. Though, that doesn't mean that there aren't going to be any long-lasting scars once they wake up. And there's no telling how the kids are going to be whenever they wake up." Most of these kids have never really understood what love from a parent really was like. I just had to look towards Alec and Cherie to know how the other kids might be.

"They might not even want your help though." I wince as Taylor voices the thought that I had been avoiding.

"Doesn't mean that I'm not going to try." I answer, the burning in my heart spreading, but controlled.

I knew that there were going to be some women that wanted nothing to do with their kids. And honestly… I can't blame them. Not when they had gone through this shit.

As the sound of engines and whir of eezo thruster's approached, Lindsay stood up from her perch by one of the larger roots, her omnitool analyzing everything that it could pick up from its scans of the magic-infused wood.

Wonder what kind of creation she could come up with if she managed to actually work with Etharnano.

The old man Henrick opened his eyes, gaze lifting up and staring at the descending red and black ship, his eyes looking up at it with a forlorn look in his eye. Like he was trying to remember something but knew that he would never be able to.

He stands up again, dusting off the dirt that hung from his cloak, holstering his rifle across his back, while gripping his staff with his right hand.

"Well then, I have done my duty. If it would please you, Mother of Lady Earth, this lowly druid would return to his home, awaiting should either you or Master Gaia should decide to call upon me again."

Before he could turn around, I speak up. "Or you could come with us? It's not like I don't have plenty of room everywhere."

He blinks owlishly at me, the three Zubats hanging on his arms letting out tiny cries of contemplation while their little antennas twitch minutely.

He fucking kneels again, careful not to smash the Zubats on his arm onto the floor. "This humble servant could never dream of invading your hospitality, might Mother of Earth!"

He was never going to call me Mia, was he? Ugh, the headache was coming back.

"Please get up." He does so without a second of hesitation, standing at attention like I was a military officer. A stance that I had gotten used to seeing in one of my lives. Countless men, a few of them women, that would never come back home. They would die, alone and lost out in the field. It made my heart pulse even harder, my wrath tempered by sorrow. I swallow it down, giving the old man a smile.

"Like I said, I have plenty of room, both here and on Mars," His finger twitched at that, but the rest of his stance remained completely immaculate. "and it won't be any trouble."

He looks conflicted, like part of him wishes to refuse, while another wanted desperately to say yes.

Eventually, he stoically asks a question. "If it would not be too much of a burden my Lady, can this one bring a few more creatures of Earth's soil along? There is a colony of these bats waiting for me at home."

Because of course there was. I just give him a warm smile while letting out just a hint of Faith in trying to calm his nerves down. "It would be no trouble at all. Besides, I got a little girl back home that loves Pokemon."

"What are Pokemon?" He asks innocently, releasing the stiffness in his shoulders for a single second before it comes right back.

The room is flooded with clones right after that, each of them analyzing and scanning every single child in the room, no doubt the same thing being done to every other occupant in the manor. Henrick just stands there, gobsmacked as he watched the countless Shadow Clones of me shuffle around setting to work.

--

I sit down with a sigh in my bedroom in the Progressive Mansion, letting out a long sigh that I didn't realize I had been holding in. And I woke up thinking that today was going to be simple. Heartbreaker was dead, Gaia was giving people powers, specifically a crazy old man Nature Magic, and I now had a good hundred more people to worry about on their way towards one of the stations orbiting Mars.

More and more work just kept getting added onto the constant pile. Would it ever end? It felt like the work just kept coming. I solved one problem, and five more popped up over the world. Some of them were my fault because of the fucking Forge bleeding through, while others were just simply products of change.

I should probably go and give Alec a visit soon. While I didn't trust the kid, I should probably go and fill him in that his asshole dad was dead. Maybe it would be enough to get an emotional reaction out of him. If it wasn't I had the perfect response to that.

The operation would begin soon, and I could feel the attack on Leviathan coming soon. Call it a hunch, or intuition, but I knew it was on its way here, regardless of the actions I have taken. Or rather, BECAUSE of the changes I have done to the world.

And even with some of the stuff that I had built throughout the city, I wasn't even sure that it would be left standing properly. Damn place was already a hellhole after Bakuda terrorised the place, and Leviathan made it outright inhospitable. And that was with Leviathan holding back, I think. Meaning that shit was only going to get even more FUBAR than before.

I was making too many changes too fast. Well, too bad you wanna-be angel. I wasn't going to go down without a fight. The viciousness in my heart does nothing to turn away the weariness I was feeling from everything else.

Too much happening too fast. Too many projects that needed to be done, and too many variables happening all the time. This was somehow so much worse than my days as President. During that time, I was just worried about the enemy and allies, along with hoping that my choices were the right ones.

And now I had a crazy old man that was now an actual fucking druid who had no qualms in doing really fucked up shit. Though it wasn't like Heartbreaker didn't deserve it.

I look over to the cabinet that stored my liquor, wondering if tonight was going to be another one of those nights, when I feel a hand pressed into my own. Quetzalcoatl held my hand in her own, giving me a sympathetic and understanding smile, the green jewel under her bottom lip glittering with the pale light from the moon that leaked through the window.

"I don't think that drinking is going to make you feel any better. Delay the thoughts, yes. But not solve the issues that are plaguing your heart."

"Yeah, you're probably right." I say while leaning back in my chair, the blonde goddess sitting in the one next to mine, not letting go of my hand. "It's just… too much sometimes." I let out the last words in a whisper while relaxing my head back.

Quetzalcoatl opens her mouth, and the Forge connects again.

A number of stars, each of them big on their own, that quickly become part of my sky, when I feel their power come through.

This was a world of technology, and-

Memories flood in, and my mind is gone, taken back to memories that were both my own and not.

--

I thought that I had imagined the sound of groaning metal coming from this weird cave that looked new. It wasn't like there were many places made of metal here in her abuela's pueblo, most places were made of brick and stone instead of other places like back home in the states.

Not enough money, or not enough 'important' people that cared, her abuela had told her. Well, Abuela Rosa had said it, so it must be true.

The pueblo was safe for exploring, everyone knew each other, so they all took care of one another. Only, I might have decided to go out a little farther than I should have. Abuela told me not to, of course, but you would get bored too if you just looked around the same places all the time.

I walked through the crack in the cliff, my tiny sneakers soaking up dirt and dust with every step, something that was sure to make mom mad when I got back home. Good.

The dress that abuela had made for me, green with a few frills along the hem of the skirt, I made sure to keep clean. Abuela worked too hard all the time, and I knew that if this got dirty it would just make more work for her.

It didn't take me long to find what was making that sound.

The crack led to an even bigger hole in the cliff, CAVE! That's what it was called. Sometimes I forgot what words meant in English or Spanish, made talking hard sometimes. In both languages.

And inside the big hole, lay a large metal robot that was bigger than a house. It looked like a person, at least, a person who was made out of metal and colored in red, white, blue, and grey metal.

His, he looked like a boy to me, legs were mostly blue, with bits of metal that had sparkly bits all over. His chest and arms were bright red, the center big and thick, kinda like a bull's if it stood upright. His head was different though.

A blue crown sat around his grey head, a metal mask that might have covered his face at one time, only now it was cracked and broken. Showing the face underneath.

He still looked like a robot, but he had a smile and bright blue eyes that reminded me of stars in the night sky. Maybe a little bluer though.

I should be scared, but I saw the holes and burns all on his arms, legs, and chest. There were sparkly bits there too, with trickles of dark water dribbling out towards the floor.

I should have run for help. It was a big robot that could squish me in his hand.

But I didn't.

Because I could hear the groans he was making that sounded like the same ones that I would make when I scrapped my knees on the floor, or whenever I hit something.

Instead of running, I walked up to its foot and called up. "Are you ok?"

His big blue eyes focused on mine, metal eyebrows furrowing while his mouth moved into a frown.

"You should not be here little one.'" His voice was deep and rich, like metal singing.

I just look up at him, my eyes focused on the holes and sparkly bits with dark water leaking out. "Can I help?"

His face just stares at me, his eyebrows rising a little bit while his pretty blue eyes look into mine. Then he laughs, a real one that he would feel in his belly if he had one at least.

"I do believe that most humans would be afraid of someone like me." He says quietly but happily. Like he was scared speaking too loud was going to hurt me, but at the same time happy it was happening.

I shrug at him while getting closer to his leg. "You're hurt." I tell him. Obviously.

He laughs again, only this time it ends with a cough as more dark water spills out of the holes in his chest.

"No little one, I do not believe that you can. The damage is far too extensive, especially compared to what your people are capable of."

I tilt my head. "Are you sure about that?" He raises an eyebrow. "I mean, you never know until you try right? So how are you sure that we can't help if you don't even ask?"

His glowing blue eyes look into mine again, eyebrows raised high, like he couldn't believe what I was saying, before letting out a little breath. "I believe that you are right on that front. But, even if I did ask for help, I do not believe that they would arrive here on time."

"Even if I ran as fast as I could to my Abuela? My abuela is really great and knows everyone here!" I cry out in protest.

He just chuckles quietly to himself, while moving his hand a little closer to me. "Even then. I am beyond saving.:

I move towards his hand, grabbing onto what I think is his finger with both of my hands. "REALLY? Can't I help?"

"Little one, why do you care so much about a stranger?" He asks while keeping still.

"Because if I don't help while you're right in front of me who else will?" I answer him honestly, looking straight into his eyes, daring him to try and tell me that I was stupid like so many kids had before. Like Mom and Dad did back at home.

We just stayed there, my ugly brown staring into his pretty blue, neither of us moving or saying a word. Until eventually, he moves his other arm towards his chest.

"Little one, there is nothing that you can do for this old warrior. Not for me, or my people that are now gone, scattered into the cosmic winds." His fingers slip into the plates of metal that made up his chest, ripping it open, looking like it hurts. He doesn't make a sound. "But I do believe that there is something that you can do for the future."

He breaks open the plate even more, reaching inside when there was enough room, and brings something out.

It was blue. A blue star the same color of his eyes, that shined brighter than the sun that was out in the sky. I couldn't help but stare at the pretty blue sparkle that looked like living lightning, something that I thought wasn't even real.

"I am not sure if you will be able to survive taking this into yourself. But, as you said, there is no one else that I can turn to in my time of need."

"What is it?" I ask while taking a single step closer as he lowers his hand and the star towards the floor.

"It is the All Spark. The breath of life that can bring my kind back after my end. I am the last of my kind. It will carry everything that I was inside of itself, everything that we were." The last words were almost too quiet for me to hear. "Perhaps it might be wrong for me to ask a human child for this. But as you have said, I have no one else to ask."

My eyes turn away from the blue star in his hand, looking back into his just as bright blue eyes, sadness in them, like mine were when I was left home alone. "I know that it is too much to ask, and that there may be unforeseen consequences that I do not know about, but will you child take on this mantle? Find another path for us doomed Cybertronians to find life once again?"

That sounded almost too smart for me to understand, at least right now. Maybe I would get it more when I was older and not 10. But I think that I got it. There wasn't anyone else like him out there anymore, and he was dying. I kept the tears that wanted to come out when I figured that out.

Instead, I give the big blue and red robot a smile, his blue eyes getting bigger again as his mouth hung open. "What do I have to do?"

He closes his mouth, and for the first time since I had met him, he gives me a real smile. Happy, brighter than the star he held in his hand. "Just touch the All Spark. I do not know what effects it might have on your body, or who you are. It has never interfaced with an organic being before."

"But there's no other way right?" I talk over him before he can start telling me why not to do this. He nods, and I just give him an even bigger smile than the one he had. "Then OK, but" I look away real quick. "What's your name? You never told me. My names Mia by the way!"

He hums, metal humming in the breeze like he was about to sing into the world. "Optimus. Optimus Prime."

"Nice to meet you Optimus Prime!" I say while pressing one of my small fingers into the blue star, and all I felt was pain.

--

I open my eyes, once again finding myself in Quetzalcoatl's lap while she stroked my hair. "I gotta stop passing out while I'm with you."

She chuckles at that, her smile growing a little bit. "But then I don't get to hold you like this!"

I decide to just ignore that.

I get up, the memories and stars that had collected into me properly processing through my brain, and my body assimilated the new form, and the power that it held within. And I smiled as a familiar presence, a new one from that life that so closely resembled my own, took his own special place in the recesses of my soul, brighter and stronger than those of the Presidents.

Hello Optimus.

And then the voice goes quiet, submerging itself back down into the ocean that was my being. Lifting my hands, I allow the change to go through, feeling as the organic parts of my body shifted and changed becoming closer to machinery as I could feel the Spark of Life flow through my body.

It was… beyond enlightening.

I felt closer to the Force than before, as the map of life sang around me while the blue star formed in my shifting mechanical hands.

And words that I had heard once as a little girl rang in my head.

"Light our darkest hour." And I could feel the spark respond, the gift of life at my fingertips, ready to breathe creation into a new being.

Only, now was not the time, with a thought the Allspark returns inside, my body reverting back to the organic form that I had grown used to, but I could feel as technology became one with my body.

Quetzalcoatl stared at me with a smile on her face, her eyes looking past me, both here and lost in a memory.

"You look adorable regardless of Form Mia." She teases while tussling my hair some more. I shove down the embarrassment that causes.

"It's genetic." I lamely throw out, while flopping over to my bed.

I hear her sit down next to me, her giggles bouncing to my ears. "I take it these were happier memories?"

I turn my head from the smooth blankets, meeting her jade green eyes while letting out a bittersweet smile. "Yeah, they were. This time, I was closer to me than my memories as President."

Quetzalcoatl tilts her head, smiling as she leans back, propping her head up with her arm, gesturing at me to continue. "I'm all ears."

So I tell her about the robot I had found. I tell her about his last moments, and what I would go on to do with the Allspark that had become a part of me. I was just a child, with that much power at my fingertips, but the life I breathed matured faster than I did.

It was a slow and arduous process, every Sparking taking too much out of me while it would be months before I would have the charge to bring another one to life. Eventually, I had brought back the Cybertronians from extinction, the robots in disguise helping bring human civilization up beyond what they were in my world.

Wonderful memories that welled up tears of joy, instead of the sorrow and grief of my other lives.

Jealousy was something that only fed my Wrath, but instead I choose to focus on the joy that I had experienced in those memories. The memories that were both my own, and not.

I lost track of time as I went on and on, explaining random stories, like how I had accidentally given life to my abuela's old scooter. Poor Scooter had to duck and run when Abuela started hitting him over the head with a broom cause she thought he was "El Diablo". Others grander, like when I had to meet with government officials over my Bot's that were now living among the rest of humanity.

That had been a tense conversation that had almost devolved into gunfights a couple of times. I was happy it didn't though. Wasn't like they could do anything to the Bot's, not without losing more ground than they would gain.

But other than being given the Allspark, I had been a normal girl, the changes to my body only happening because of the Spark of Life fusing itself into my DNA. My life there had been scarily similar to the one that I had lived. Only, she had her bots to take care of her when she left home.

I try not to focus on the bitterness at that. It was stupid and didn't help anyone. But it lingered there.

Quetzalcoatl listened intently, her eyes focused on mine the entire time, smile ever-present while I rambled on and on.

It was… nice to have someone listen to all of this. I wonder why I never just… talked with anyone about this. I guess I had just been so busy with everything and everyone had their own crap to deal with.

But for this one moment, I just lost myself in the memories, talking on and on before falling asleep, warm arms holding me as I drifted off to sleep.

--

Alec

Everything had been so boring for the past few days. He would hate it, if he wasn't keeping his head down while that hot new Hero Apotheosis was going to town on the gangs around the city. Their boss had been quiet since that, their missions coming to a stop, forcing them to do burglaries on their own.

It was small-time stuff, what they used to do before they had hooked up with that boss of theirs that sent them on bigger and bigger stuff lately, only to pull them out at the last minute. Lisa looked more haggard than usual, her hair frazzled at the end while bags got heavier beneath her eyes.

He would say that she should get laid, but she wasn't into that kind of stuff. Grue was being Grue, and Bitch was barely around. Since Hookwolf had gone down, that left most of the dogfighting rings free for her to smash and take the dogs they kept there.

Which, you know, yippee for her right?

So he was stuck inside of their base, Lisa in her room asleep, playing through a couple of new imported Aleph video games.

He stares dispassionately as he tears the limbs off the things that looked like a biotinker had a weird monster fetish using a plasma cutter in the game. His heart was steady as more and more swarmed around him, outnumbering him, swarming around his character faster than he could blast their arms and legs off. The scene fades to black just as one of the things rips his head off, inserting their own onto his body, and walking away from the screen before it fades to black.

"You know, it might have been better if you had kept your distance instead of just running right towards the horde of zombies trying to rip you apart." The young man turns his head and stares right into the red and blue eyes of the woman Apotheosis, the Tinker/Trump just staring at him with amusement in her eyes. She was wearing that slick suit that seemed to hug her curves, one leg crossed over the other, while she propped her elbow on the couches' arm, her chin and cheek in her right hand.

Oh, he was really fucked now.

He couldn't even feel her nervous system, meaning that she probably made some Tinker stuff to protect her from his power. Which was not a good thing.

He puts down his controller, looks over to his staff over by the table, before holding his hands up. "I surrender." He'd seen videos of her sidekicks fighting. Two of them had taken down Hookwolf and Lung single-handedly, and she was their boss. Meaning that there really wasn't much that he could to get out of this, and he would prefer not to get his ass handed to him, thank you very much. "My safeword is cucumber." He can't help but throw out there, watching her face for what kind of reaction she would make.

He didn't think that she would snort at that, smiling at him while he left his hands raised up in the air.

"You're way too young for me kid. And definitely not my type. I avoid bad boys for a reason."

"But we're the fun ones!" He puts just a little teasing in his voice, hoping to buy more time before he was probably taken away.

"At first sure, but then things get serious, and you either turn out to be assholes or complete wrecks. Oh, and I didn't come here to arrest you or take you away Alec."

He frowns at that. Now that was interesting. "Why would the newest big shot hero be bothering a villain then?"

She shrugs. "I just thought that you should know that Nikos Vasil is dead."

The words were like a cold bucket of water over his body, disbelief and just a tiny hint of dread worming their way through. "Pretty sure that I would have heard about that if the PRT actually managed to kill him. Think that his groupies would have gone on a rampage after." And some of them were tough parahumans on their own. A town would have been wiped off the map, at least.

"Word is sure to spread soon. Though, it wasn't the PRT that took him down. And no, I didn't do it either." She quickly cuts off the idea before he could even voice it. "It was someone else."

"What about everyone that was with him?" Alec asks, leaning back in his chair while picking his controller back up, blasting away at more necromorphs while listening to the woman with one ear.

"Safe and sound. Your siblings and the women that Vasil took are currently in comas while I try and undo the hold that he had over them. Though, the scars are going to be there even after I'm done." He notices the sadness in her eyes and tilts his head. It was weird to find someone that seemed to care like that.

This lady was very open with her feelings, her face expressive and unguarded, very unlike the one that she used during that video at the rig. Here she looked… younger for some reason.

"Good for them." He said, and he thinks that he meant it. Not having Dad after his ass was at least a bonus. Still had to hide from the PRT though.

But knowing that he wouldn't have to deal with his siblings coming after him was maybe a relief.

She turns those sad eyes at him, and he just stares back at her, nothing in his eyes. No need to hide it if she already knew who she was.

"Would you like to feel something? Something real?" She asked him.

Now that was interesting. Did she have her own master tinkertech or something? Then he looked at her again, and something told him that she wouldn't do that. It was like… her open expression was telling him that she wouldn't hurt him like that.

It was kinda creepy.

"Why ask? Pretty sure that you could do that even if I said no." She shakes her head.

"I'm not going to force anything that you don't want to feel."

Alec cocks his head, raising a single delicate eyebrow. "You know who I am. Why care about me knowing what I've done?"

Finally, she looked caught of guard. It would have been sweet if he had meant for that to happen. The Tinker hums for a second, then opens her mouth. "Because you want to change. To get better. And it's not your fault that you had a shit family."

"Lot of people have shit families and do bad things. Doesn't give them a pass." He responded back.

"You're right. But there is something admirable about wanting change and getting better. Doesn't make you innocent of course." Her eyes hardened at that last sentence before softening again.

He mulls it over his head, thinking about saying no, before he shrugs his shoulders. Not like he's ever felt much since running away from home. Dad made sure of that.

"Sure, what's the catch?" There was always a catch to these sorts of things.

The woman follows suit with a shrug of her own. "No catch. Other than not becoming Hijack again. Though, I will give you some advice. Be careful with your boss."

Hmm, interesting. "Alright then, do it."

Master powers didn't work on him that well anyway, it wasn't like she could do anything that was re-

A woman was touching his right arm with her right hand, the rainbow woman looked almost exactly like the Tinker. And he… felt things for the first time in so long.

Emotions, strong and weak, bright and dim, roiling storms of rage followed by quiet peace that should have been boring, but wasn't. Beyond that, they were real.

Realer than anything else he had ever felt before. Cleaner than the fear and punishments that his dad would throw at him whenever he disobeyed.

Purest joys that he had never felt, sorrows so deep that they threatened to drown out his thoughts, appreciation for the simple fact that the sun rose over the horizon one more time.

Again and again, a constant swirl of emotions, many of them memories, others belonging to someone else, connected to him deeper than any power he had ever experienced before. And his pain in the ass siblings had plenty of powers like this, the apple didn't fall far from the tree after all.

Then he was connected directly to the woman. He didn't know how he knew that, he just did. And he felt so much more.

A constant whirlwind of emotions, stronger than the worst fear that his father had ever thrown him, most of them not even hers. No, those were what she was feeling coming from other people.

An empath. Only, she actually felt the emotions instead of seeing or hearing them like Cherie did.

Until finally, the storm ended, the rainbow woman disappeared, and it was just him and Apotheosis sitting in his crappy base, the controller on the table while he had respawned back at the checkpoint.

He could barely catch his breath.

He blinks away wetness that had gathered around his eyes but didn't fall.

"Well, that was shit."

She just laughs at that before disappearing from the room as well, parting with the words "Take care of yourself, and don't make me catch you."

If he had to feel that again, then he just might behave himself for once.

Or not.

Depends on how bored he was.

Coil

Everything had started to go wrong in February.

It started with small changes and hiccups here and there, outcomes that should not have been there.

It had started with a simple mission that he had sent one of his men on. It was a simple task that he had plenty of other mercenaries complete. Scoping out public places for any sign of Parahumans. In a city like Brockton Bay, it was amazing how many times you could spot a parahuman when they weren't wearing a mask.

And a report had come into the office of two Empire members being found unconscious, their bodies wrapped in golden bands of light, keeping them bound should they have woken up. No witnesses, unfortunately, but it was a starting point. Somewhere that he could start looking for this new Parahuman that had shown off a little too much.

Another piece to add to his collection of valuable pets.

Or at least, it should have been.

His man had arrived at the library when his timeline just… vanished. Vanished away and happened before he could properly plan. Like time had skipped forward for him, with his actions happening, but none of the control that he should have had. Timelines were split, actions happened, but it was like he was remembering a dream.

News of the new cape that had taken down Lung at the library had quickly reached his ears. Oh, how he wished that he had never gone down that path.

It was like the strings of fate that he had believed were cut had ensnared him again. A mere puppet of fate instead of the puppeteer that he should be.

Timelines went awry, his plans unraveled beyond his control. When he believed that he had provided a sufficient distraction by preying on the growing tensions of the ABB and E88 to steal Dinah Alcott, his timelines broke into a single one again. His reactions meaningless.

Every time that he tried something, his power broke and time converged into one again, his ability to warp fate broken by something that he did not understand.

It was maddening. Even simply heading into work as Thomas Calvert wasn't safe, his power breaking leaving him vulnerable on his way to work, instead of having a safe timeline where he could retreat just in case.

Nothing he did worked. Nothing he planned even made it past the first stages. Even his pet Tattletale was causing his timelines to break. He couldn't even leave his base or home without being stuck on a single timeline, relegated back to a mere unimportant and ignorant mortal, tied to fate with no real way to control it.

And so, he sat here alone in his office, watching as every day, plans that he had set years in advanced crumbled away, the cause something as random as an agent dying in a car accident, to the mole he had obtained for the Merchants being in PRT custody.

While he did not know enough to ruin any more plans, it did leave the PRT with one more asset at their disposal. He already knew that the Case 53 would agree to whatever deal they would make, after all, what other choice did he really have.

Chariot had been caught in a freak accident with the Dockworkers Union's new fish bio creation. While Panacea healed him, his mother was becoming more controlling of the child. An annoyance that he could not easily fix. Harming the woman would only terminate what loyalty the Tinker held for him, and Coil was in short supply of loyal useful pawns.

He had tried finding some way at forcing the Union to pay, but unfortunately, the boy was the one who was rummaging through creates that had been left behind in the Boat Graveyard while work was being done. The fish creation immediately grabbing him and speeding through the city had only bought the Union even more PR, which he wouldn't manipulate in his favor.

The ABB had all but collapsed, with the new Hero cape Apotheosis sliding in to take over the power vacuum that they had left behind. And unlike the ABB, he didn't have any way to smuggle a mole or agents into her organization, which he believed to be comprised of numerous capes that were experienced with their powers, given the ease in dealing with the various gangs.

He rubs his head, the ache only becoming worse the longer that he stayed awake. Sleep was almost an impossibility, his timelines seeming to break within hours of his dreams, snapping him awake.

Even his meals weren't given peace.

So here he sat, watching as the product of years of work crumbled away.

The only real asset that he had left were the Travelers, and they were tenuous expendables at best that with a high probability of turning on him eventually. He had believed that Cauldron would have been able to provide a cure for their monstrous member, but his calls had gone unanswered.

It seemed like his entire world was simply crumbling around him for no real rhyme or reason. The world just turned on him, his plans laid to ruin by mere chance and coincidence.

"I didn't think that you would be this pathetic, but thank you dearly for proving me wrong." The attractive voice of an equally attractive woman said across from him, sitting pleasantly in the chair while fiddling with an unsheathed Katana in her hand. He scrambles his hand underneath his desk, fumbling for the button that would release the alarms, only to have wires of purple flames trapping his arm to his chest, the rest of it wrapping around him, binding him to his seat.

He opened his mouth, ready to give anything to the woman that had taken control of the docks, only for more purple wires to push his mask into his mouth as a makeshift gag.

He never even saw the cape Minerva who controlled these wires with such precise control, his eyes moving round and round, trying to find the silent specter that had him in her clutches.

The suited woman with one eye red and one seeming to glow blue simply inspected the edge of her sword, almost in a bored manner, as if she couldn't be bothered to care about having him tied up. Coil couldn't help the surge of anger-fueled adrenaline that surged through his body at that thought.

A blue holographic gauntlet comes to life on her right arm, beeping once, causing her eyes to quickly slide over to the screen that appears in front of her with the press of a button.

"Ah, wonderful, got your entire database in here. Oho, naughty boy, you do know that embezzling is a crime? Not like you would even care you wannabe Bond villain." He wriggles in his seat while screaming into his gag in outrage. "Not like any of it's going to matter. Your old friend Emily is on her way here right now, with plenty of backup. It's not like they're going to have much to do though, given that your base is currently being taken by my friends outside."

Ice floods into his heart, spreading through every vein leaving him feeling numb and empty at those unbelievable. He wanted to deny them so much, to the point where his eyes flitted over to the feed on his desk from the security cameras around the underground facility. He felt sweet relief bloom in his gut, only for the screen to… glitch out revealing that his men were being subdued with relative ease.

A bearded man wielding a staff that ended with a jeweled bird of prey at the top unleashed beams of light with the end of his staff, rendering waves of Coil's mercenaries unconscious, while blue flames danced on his ringed finger. A small droopy-eared humanoid creature wearing a blue and white suit telekinetically smashing mercenaries towards the ground with a simple hand motion, teleporting behind the men that had tried shooting him while his back was turned, who quickly experienced the same fate.

Over and over again, he watched as this group of people, most of them complete unknowns to him, took down each and every one of his soldiers, their tinkertech completely useless as the onslaught of technology and colored flames that each one of them used.

There were still two things up his sleeve. Mr. Pitter had clear instructions on what to do with the Empire identities should he fall here, along with the releasing of the Noelle girl onto the city.

He would fall, but he would take this damned city with him. In the end, it wouldn't matter that he had been taken down, the city would belong to no one else.

"Ah, good, looks like Lisa's information on that Pitter prick was good." The demon in the attractive woman's body said as the blue gauntlet beeped again. "Guess those days of her working herself to the bone are paying off."

But… how? He had her watched at all times, and the building that they made their home was bugged! His brain catches up to the fact that Apotheosis was a Tinker version of Eidolon that only grew stronger as more specializations were added. Specializations that people only had speculations on.

He assumed her to be a prominent Biotinker given the feats she has accomplished, and the wings that protrude from her back. The gauntlet on her hand suggested something else, perhaps personal devices or holographic technology.

This wasn't even including the armor that she had worn previously, armor that she seemed to eschew in favor of going bare faced, as if daring someone to come after her.

And Coil had tried.

It only sped the breaking of his power, constant timeline deadlines that would leave him vulnerable in a single one.

"You want to know what the really funny part is? If you had just hired Lisa on instead of forcing her to be your 'pet'," She spits the word out like it's poison. "then you would have probably had a loyal thinker. Not like that girl has many morals. Though, I think she would have been unhappy about you wanting to keep a twelve-year-old hopped up on drugs and locked in your basement. Though, that would probably also pertain to you not torturing her in a different 'timeline'. And I imagine that she would be a tad annoying to work with, but you probably would have preferred that over this." The purple flames of the wire flare outward, squeezing him harder, some of his bones creaking at the pressure before they lightened once again.

The woman opened her mouth again, probably to continue on with her taunting of him when her blue computer blinked again. Only this time it wasn't a single beep.

It was the blare of a horn that somehow made the terror in his chest intensify so much more than it already had. He knew that horn.

Everyone knew that fucking wail that spelled death for a city every three months. And it wasn't stopping as it should.

"Well. Fuck. Guess Piggot isn't going to get to enjoy this victory after all." Mia said, her eyes looking straight into Coil's. She curls her middle finger, the tip of touching the middle of her thumb, the digit shaking just a bit. "But you don't need to be awake for all of that."

She flicks her finger, the sound of air snapping and bursting, and Coil knew no more, his last-minute attempt at splitting the timeline shattering as darkness flooded his mind.

Leonardo.

Everything was in chaos. Not like before, when he and the others had taken Coil's base. It had been chaotic yes, but there had been some manner of control, and dare he say, fun in finally getting to use the skills that he had cultivated over the past few months. Even if he hadn't even managed to pull out every trick that he had learned.

And now, after one click and being transported as blue string back to the Mansion where Mia had left the portal to her Workshop, chaos had taken over. A sea of Mia's ran in all different directions, faster than his eyes could keep up with, barely blurs in his vision while he could sometimes see the occasional Squat running a lot faster than their legs would have you believe.

Usually, the cathedral was simply a single large room that stretched into separate hallways, at times remaining constant in their destinations, others shifting to just the right room that you needed to be at.

It wasn't like that this time. The floor and paintings up on the ceiling were still immaculate, but the center was replaced with a maze of corridors, the hallways changing, twisting, turning with every blink of his eyes.

He shakes his head. Now was not the time to allow the strangeness of everything affects him, not now. They only had a few hours, and even then it was thanks to the collaboration between Mia, Armsmaster, and the lady Dragon. Some sort of algorithm that Mia had helped speed along and improved.

Only unlike the original path this world would have taken, this device and system were beyond defended from the winged monstrosities sight by numerous barriers of magic and technology, some of them wards and spells that he had cast alongside Judith.

Not a single person bumps into him as he walks through the sea of people, his surroundings changing with every step, the workshop guiding him through itself whilst ensuring that there would be no disruption to any of its current inhabitants.

It couldn't have been longer than a half a minute power walk through the bending space, finding himself in the place that Estrella had whispered him to go to. While she was Mia's sword, the shining blade did not always stick around her wielder, sometimes wandering around the various homes, somehow able to move back to Mia at a moment's thought.

Leonardo had found that Mia did not know everything that her blade was up to. Otherwise, she would have stopped the most recent realm of research that Leonardo had begun his forays into.

Mia believed that no one knew about the chest that she had hidden in one of the many storage rooms of the Cathedral, and he didn't. Until Estrella had whispered the location to him one day.

It had been a quiet thing, something that he thought he might have imagined. Until he found the chest sealed away with keys and magic.

Two things that Estrella had provided him.

Inside he had found the wooden badge, and the immaculate notes, written in neat handwriting that looked just like Mia's. Yet, the paper booklet looked old, pages yellowed with time and exposure, the edges beginning to wear away if ever so slightly.

And on the front was drawn the same symbol that was displayed proudly on the wooden badge, with a black butterfly drawn right below the crossed stylized skull.

The wealth of information within these pages was… enlightening on just what Estrella really was. A piece and manifestation of Mia's sword on a fundamental level. Ever since obtaining her more… audacious blade Mia had become rather cagey about the details pertaining to exactly what the change had done, and what the main 'star' the Forge had given her.

He understood why after reading through the notes. Tampering with someone's soul to the point of adding the chain, at least according to this tome, would break the reincarnation cycle and cause someone to manifest instead of simply going back to the greater whole was something… that should not be done lightly.

Those with too many negative emotions in the world of living world would eventually become hungry monsters, eating and devouring the souls of the innocent, usually starting with their own families.

Especially in a world like this where they knew nothing about the afterlife. Neither did his world at least not that he knew of, but that was beside the point.

Creating a 'Soul Reaper' would have been a simple feat with the notes in Mia's handwriting. The sword, Zanpakuto, was a different beast however, that the notes extensively theorized on, but did not provide concrete answers.

While the changing and manifestation of the soul would be accomplished, the sword would remain unfounded.

Part of him had wanted to dive into those experiments, to see the fruition of these research notes, and push farther beyond what was written amidst these yellow pages. But he had stayed his hand, locking the beast that was his curiosity away when he realized the magnitude of what could happen should he interfere with the human soul.

Estrella never brought up what she had led him to until the sirens signaling the aquatic beast's visit had sounded across the city. It was only instructions to retrieve the wooden badge.

An 'Insurance policy' Estrella had called it. Insurance for what, Leonardo did not know.

Now, with the badge in his pocket, he set off towards the portal room that was connected to their teleportation network when the door to the workshop opened.

He needed to arrive at the backlines for when the scourge of progress and sea travel would arrive.

--

Lindsay

Her body wouldn't stop shaking even while her hands remained steady as she hastily put together more and more bombs, sending them into her personal pocket space whenever she finished one. Her eye would look over to the clock on her gauntlet, each minute going down only worsening the icy terror that she felt in her chest.

If there was one thing that she was thankful for since her aura awakened, it was that she never went into a fugue state anymore, at least no more than a normal person would be when they were focused on something.

Her tech wasn't black boxed anymore, actually being technology that she could replicate and share amongst the Tinkers in her group. But then again, they weren't really Tinkers, were they?

Working on a project, even if only for a little bit, tended to let her just forget the nervousness and fear that pulsated through her veins, letting the knowledge that she was about to go into an Endbringer fight wander away from her mind.

Mia had given her and the others the option to opt-out of the fight, she would never force any of them to go down there and fight that thing. Not when she knew what those fucking monsters were really capable of.

None of them were going to stay out of it, not even Lindsay. Even if a big part of her wanted nothing more than to hide up on Mars with the Squats.

She wasn't going to leave Mia and the others to fight that fucking thing alone. Not when she had nowhere else to go. Nowhere that felt… right.

Home had never felt that way before, and she would be fucking damned if she ever went back to her shit bag for a dad. Besides, there was still a lot she had to answer for. A classroom filled with crystallized corpses still haunted her nightmares.

"Being alone during times like these is probably not a good thing." Judith's deceptively stoic voice said from the entrance of Lindsay's workshop in the Progressive Mansion- a name that she still found very stupid- with the hallway behind her a bustle of activity of Leonardo, Mia, and Krunter shadow clones.

The 17-year-old blond teen was already in her blue and rust red suit, the blue triangle on her chest shining almost ethereal, while the hard light construct that floated on top of her head was currently shaped into a pair of blue goggles while holding the metal pieces of her helmet in her hands. Her armor was smoother than the others, polished to a shine while blue light pulsated along the armor, hardlight power pulsating just beneath the surface.

"Big words for someone that can't stop shaking," Lindsay responds, after seeing the minute tremble in the blond's legs.

Judith just stares at her with a deadpan expression. "Course I'm scared you bitch. If I wasn't, then there really is something wrong with my head."

Well, if she was willing to throw insults her way like that, then she should be fine up there. Relatively speaking. They were about to go into a fucking Endbringer fight.

"Do you think that we really have a chance to make it out of it?" She tries to keep the tremble out of her voice, but she knows that she failed. Thankfully, Judith doesn't comment on it as her blue eyes look into her own.

"I don't know. What I do know is that we have a better chance with Mia around than without." That was true. Especially given all the crap that they had been building for today. The biggest worry that they had wasn't driving Leviathan off.

Mia had shown them plenty of ways that they could kill the damn thing. The fucking problem was the sword hanging over their necks in the form of the other 'asleep' Endbringers. Two of which were a power copier and one that could fuck with time and space.

That thought had made each of them nauseous.

"So, didya come to check up on me or some shit?" Lindsay asked while she finished her last bomb, a combination of Mia's Potions and Esunas that she had distilled into her bomb.

"Someone had to, and the rest are way too busy trying to get everything ready," Judith said nonchalantly without an ounce of embarrassment in her voice. Lindsay felt her ears turn red at the honest answer.

"Fine. Whatever." She says while slipping on her own black and red armor, the center light shining with red light in the shape of an octagon instead of a circle or triangle. The helmet was shaped like a dragon, with horns curving outwards, the eyeholes blocky and glowing red when powered one, while the mouth was left blank.

"You look more like a villain in that thing than a hero," Judith said while she placed the helmet onto her head, the seals hissing as the helmet connected to the suit and powered itself on, the camera infeed dyed a hue of red.

"I don't give a shit. I'm not like Taylor. I never cared about being a hero or not." She never cared about much other than getting good grades. A pointless and idiotic priority given that the world had been going to shit, and there probably wouldn't be much of a world left by the end of her lifetime.

Judith shrugged. "I know. Just an observation."

They were about to head out of the small workshop when light erupted around them, the sound of their flames coming to life from their rings being drowned out by the almost ethereal chime as they brought their box weapons out.

Just as quick as it came, the light died down, and the two of them blink the spots out of their eyes, flames mere inches from the openings in their boxes.

The room remained completely unchanged, not a single thing was out of place and they remained the only inhabitants inside. Well, there were two changes.

Two small stones, no bigger than their fists, shaped more like a big jewel than just a rock, with an octagon face with an asterisk symbol printed on the front.

"'What the fuc-'" They both begin to say, when the stones in their hands shine brightly like miniature stars, Lindsay thinking to herself. I JUST GOT DONE BEING BLINDED ONCE GODDAMMIT.

The second light show died down, and Lindsay felt… absolutely amazing! Like the weight of terror that had been bubbling inside of her had been cooled, though there was still a tiny pit at the bottom of her stomach.

Looking over at Judith she just… stares at the changed teenager. Rather, how the armor that she was wearing was… changed. The former rusty red shined just a bit better, inlaid streaks of golden light that lit up with every pulse of the blue rectangle on her chest. The blue google shaped HUD on her face was streaked with red and gold, and on her head, she wore a red-feathered cap on the top of her head.

"Why the fuck do you look like one of those weirdos that like to dress like Leonardo used to?" Lindsay asked while Judith merely stared back at her.

"I don't know, why the fuck does your armor suddenly have turrets on the shoulders?" The bomber tinker's head snaps to the right and gapes at the large guns that were attached to either shoulder, the turrets of the multi-barreled weapons pointed upward, while she could see the new addition of controls to her armor.

They just stood there in silence, bewildered at the strangeness of what was going on, for one blissful moment forgetting about the sirens that were still wailing outside of Mia's bounded field and the battle that they were about to be thrust into.

Then they both came to the same realization and uttered the same sentence. "'Goddammit Mia."

--

Gaia

The star that had connected had brought so much more than merely the small cluster that was added to her and Mother's shared sky.

More on her end than on Mother's at least.

In those precious moments of connection to that almost unlimited and expansive worlds all so loosely connected, she allowed magic to make its way through. Mana, Aether, Mist, Magicite, so many different names applied to a single force that applied itself in so many different ways across those many worlds.

Having Mia's knowledge on a mere fraction of those worlds was a boon, it let her know just where to look. A single moment of connection was so small to most mortals, even to Mia who had long gone past the limits of what she had once been, but for Gaia, that one moment was more than enough to grab more than enough.

Crystals, different shapes, forms, functions and consciousness within them. Some of them benevolent, while a particular cluster of universes received nothing but derision from her. Fabula Nova Chrysalis. What a fucking joke.

Those gods and deities believing that humans were nothing more than pawns for them to move. Fools never realized just how dependent they themselves were on the mere mortals that they manipulated and tried to control.

For without them, Gaia would never have existed. Without Mia, Gaia would be nothing but helpless against the onslaught of the invaders that had come to reap every parallel version of her.

And now, she pulled the knowledge, collected the various memories and copies of billions upon billions of souls, and coalesced them together, giving them shape and form, allowing the experiences to manifest and become foci for those that would use them.

Asterisk. Such a simple and amusing name, for tools that allowed those to follow along the paths of the past. And perhaps allow the wielders to forge their own stones in the future.

Culminating the memories into the foci, and allowing them to actually influence the growth of the wielder was but a simple trick compared to the manifestation of servants. What humanity did with them after this would be up to them. Though she would make sure that the originals would fall into the right hands.

Magic, real and true magic beyond the Root and Mystery, was something that had eluded her and Mia.

And while Mother would still need training and time to master at least one version of it, Gaia now had the accumulated knowledge of so many different worlds.

Cocoon, Ivalice, Eorzia, Gaia (amusing), Spira, and those were just scratching the surface.

Forcing the full breadth of these many worlds would require too much power. She was only a few months old, and the power that she currently had… wasn't even a fraction of what it should be. Mother had been the one to provide the bulk of what sustained the Servants that she had allowed to form, if only because they would be boons in the coming days.

But she had opened the door. Magic would make its way through, become seeped into the world just like Ethernano had, and cycle through the inhabitants of this world, becoming just as integral and natural to the world as light. Which happened to include herself.

However, she had a few plans in place to solve the energy crisis.

She watched the preparations happening all across the city, watching as the people arrived through the various means of transportation that they had at their disposal. Keith Kent flew his way through the air, pushing himself faster and faster just as he always did when one of the monstrosities would attack, making good progress on the flight.

Rebecca was currently on her way towards the Earth on the Sky Rose, along with the rest of the retinue that was coming along.

Many Pokemon that she considered as much her children as humanity gathered towards the Rig, urged there by their desires to help and her whispers in the wind. Already, various former pets and street animals were gathered around the Rig, the PRT troopers nervously eyeing them, their hands close to their weapons in fear.

Though, that was not where her attention was gathered. Instead, her gaze was focused on Mother and Danny Hebert, who had been in the middle of arguing by the Docks, which were now deserted except for them, the Gyarados that she had directed there, Pidgey, and the little Pikachu that was hanging onto Danny's shoulder with a fierce expression on his face.

"Danny, I don't think that you being out on the battlefield is going to be a good idea!" Mia had long since given up on keeping her voice down, rising to match the same almost shout that Danny responded back with.

"And I don't give a damn! If my little girl is going to be out there risking her life, then so should I dammit!" Mia might be a few inches taller than the older man, but he met her heterochromatic eyes with his own, not backing down for a single moment.

"It won't matter you pendejo if you just die out there! I am not going to let Taylor become an orphan after this!"

"And I won't let my baby girl die out there like so many others have! How can you be sure that nothing is going to happen to her! That she won't die like all the others that have fought at these godforsaken things!" The large aquatic dragon behind him flinches at his determined shout, Pikachu remaining steadfast on his shoulder, while the Pidgey watched quietly from his perch on the nearest building.

"I could just lock your ass up. Not like you could stop me." Mia said in a deceptively quiet voice, her eyes going cold as quiet rage welled up inside of her.

Danny snarls at her, Pikachu crackling with electricity while Gyarados moved closer behind the thinning man, looming over the both of them.

Mother just looks at each of them completely unimpressed.

Then the forge had connected and Gaia had set to work while Mia's eyes went glassy as she experienced yet another star added to her constellation.

When Mother's sense returned to her, she blinked a few times, her brain catching up to the wealth of information that had come with the cluster of stars. And the new long white-furred rabbit ears with splotches of rose twitched above her head, while she looked down at the changes that were done to her feet. They no longer fit her shoes for one.

She stared at the elongated feet that touched the soles of the shoes with her toes, while the rest of her feet didn't even touch the ground. With a single thought, they returned to normal in a second. No flash, no moving flesh. One moment her shoes didn't fit her and the next they did.

Danny, meanwhile, just stared up at the long rabbit ears that protrude from Mia's head, the young woman seeming more and more irritated the longer that he stared. And then, Gaia imparted the father with her own gift.

A culmination of knowledge from across worlds into a single stone that appeared in the man's hand, which connected immediately with Union Speaker's soul, awakening and empowering him with magic and knowledge.

A shining light enveloped him, and when the light dimmed down, Daniel Hebert took in a breath as if it was his first.

Gone were the simple slacks and button-up that he had been wearing before. What replaced them was a blue golden embroidered suit jacket, over a stylized black button-up, traces of silver lines dancing along the dark surface. Sturdy boots ended the blue slacks, while on the top of his slightly balding head sat a blue plumed cap, a black domino mask over his eyes and covering his cheekbones.

She knew that new strength flowed into Daniel Hebert, felt as magic renewed power into his muscle and bones, enhancing them past what he had been in his prime, and endowing him with the skill of learning and taking from beasts and creatures into himself. A blue mage she believed it was called. With a few tweaks here and there that she had applied to him.

Already she could see changes being done to his biology and magical signature from what he knew of the Pokemon around him. Not enough to be a match against the monster that was on its way to Brockton Bay, but enough for him to have a chance to survive the coming storm.

"What was that?" Danny asked as his hands patted his clothes and mask, Pikachu poking the standing feather on his cap like it was going to pounce. "And why do you have ears like that?"

Mia's new tail that she didn't know about fluffed a little bit as both her right rabbit and pointed ears twitched in irritation. "That was my power and daughter being a pain in the ass."

Well, now that was rude. And here she was trying to help her children survive what was coming.

"Gaia, come out here young lady!" Technically she was older than any other being on the planet, given that they all came from her. But she preferred to keep What a Wonderful World on Earth Alephs Japan instead. While it didn't compare to pizza, she found that she adored the noodles here.

Danny gives her a look of sympathy before he remembers his annoyance at the demigoddess, and fixes her with a resolute stare. "I'm going out there. I don't care if you try to stop me."

Mia stares at the father, her eyes cold and calculating as she weighs what would be the best option. Eventually she releases a sigh and nods. "Fine. At least now I think that you'll be able to survive and match some of the other capes out there. But you're going to be out on support and rescue, we clear?"

Even though her voice brokered no argument, Danny stubbornly glared at her. "And where is Taylor going to be?"

"She's going to keep that damn thing in her range. But I promise you that I am going to keep him as far away from her as possible. She's not going to die here today, not if I can help it." For all the flaws that Danny saw in Mia, lying was not one of them. He saw the honest and protective gleam in Mia's eyes, and while it wasn't quiet relief, at least some of the weight that had been on his shoulders was lifted off.

"Alright. I think that we can do that."

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried from his shoulder, his small black eyes glittering, while Pidgey took off into the air circling around them as Gyarados let out a roar.

Danny just stood there, allowing magic to flow around him, leaning on the knowledge that was imbued into the stone, and felt electricity and water come to his command.

--

Lisa

She still didn't know how Apotheosis had managed to make her headaches go away with just a touch, and her power was being quiet. It had been doing that a lot. Instead of throwing information her way at the slightest sign of interest, it now remained silent until she intentionally reached for it.

Before, she would have to focus on not reaching for her power instead of the other way around. It had made the Thinker headaches almost a constant plague that nothing helped with.

And somehow that random ass Tinker shows up and completely wipes it away with a single touch, her power becoming more stable and in her control than before. She can't help the pangs of jealousy that rose at the thought.

Although, knowing that Coil wasn't going to be an issue made it worth it. Along with a good portion of the wannabe Bond villain's money. She didn't even entertain the thought that Mia didn't know about it.

It only made the sirens that were screaming out even worse.

She could run. She had a head start. But then she might have that freak coming after her ass for running. Or not.

While she could read her body language and get a few hits off, she couldn't ever understand and predict her like most people. It was like her power was afraid of providing anything on the Tinker/Trump, refusing to give her any details deeper than surface level information.

It was beyond annoying.

From what she knew, Mia was just as likely to let her run as she was to chase her ass down and force her to say. Her not knowing which was which only made it all the more annoying.

At least she knew that with her power, they were likely to keep her in the back lines with the rest of the Thinkers.

For now, she and the rest of the Undersiders rode on Bitch's dogs, landing in front of the PRT HQ, where Apotheosis stood waiting for them, staring at them with eyes that said she knew they would be coming.

Only, she now sported two new rabbit ears on the top of her head that twitched every now and then.

New power, enhanced hearing and sense of balance. Her power provided unhelpfully. Nothing about what she was thinking, or if she was even nervous.

So, she decides to give the Tinker that hit the jackpot in the powers department a little tug. "What, don't you have something more important to do than greet us? Like actually do something about Leviathan that involves more than standing there and looking pretty?"

The almost seven-foot tall woman doesn't even turn to look at her, instead sending a smile over her shoulder towards Bitch and Regent, the latter who waves back.

They know each other. Regent is scared of her. Bitch doesn't understand her. Well now, she hadn't know that. At least her power was providing her with some information.

She opens her mouth again, hoping to pull on that thread, but is interrupted by the almost musical hum of something coming from the air.

The blond, purple costume wearing teen looks up, and feels the blood drain from her face. Above her, in the sky, was something. A lot of somethings.

Ships. Space ships. At least a dozen of them, each of them bigger than any of the sea ships that were left at the boat graveyard. Blue light hummed underneath each of them, thrusters letting out something that wasn't fire or heat, allowing the vessels to just float through the air with only a hum coming from them.

Each one looked like a work of art, even though the style was completely different. One was a complete clockwork design gears and propellers constantly whirring and spinning along the plane shaped ship. Another was slick and smooth, looking more like a futuristic jet, with countless engravings shaped into the metal, each one glowing with blue and golden light.

Different styles, different ships, each one able to gently descend closer and closer into the air, stopping above them hundreds of feet in the air, just enough that the thrusters wouldn't push against them.

"I was just waiting for some friends to get here." Mia said, still not looking at Lisa, which only grew to annoy her even more.

Blue light shines down from the ships a few feet away from them, bright enough that they have to avert their eyes or otherwise be blinded. As the light died down, all four of them stare at the small army of people standing in front of them.

Most of them were short burly men, wearing high-tech armor with a single glowing circle or triangle at the center of their chest. They wielded an assortment of guns that looked like they would break someone's arms with the recoil if they fired them, the designs ranging from militaristic all the way to just strange. Why the hell would someone make a gun pure red with the barrel-shaped like a screaming skull? Each of them also wielded axes bigger than they were, the heads of the weapons strapped to their backs, some of them crackling with electricity and other… effects that her power couldn't get a reading on. Some of them looked like they had wreaths of shadow that made her feel… scared just looking at them.

There were a few of the short men that weren't wearing any armor at all, instead, standing bare-chested, allowing the tattoos on their chest to be seen, most of them red while others glowed silver among their heavily muscled skin, open to every eye. None of them wielded a gun, though they did hold axes like the other short men among the group, their faces grim and determined. The real eye-catcher wasn't their tattoos though, it was the almost comically humongous bright orange mohawk that matched their braided orange beards.

Ready to die. Want to die. Each of them. Guilt, shame, mixed with relief and excitement at finally finding forgiveness in death.

A pit formed in her gut at that. Every single one of the shirtless men was ready to just… die. Right here and now. To throw their lives away from the shame and guilt that they felt. Why they felt that way, Lisa didn't know. She turned to the suited woman again and found that her eyes lingered on the shirtless men too, her eyes softening if only for a moment.

Sad. Distraught. Wishes that they could live, but knows that they don't want to. Finally, her voice speaks up, and she doesn't linger much on that it now decided to speak up about the winged woman.

Among all of the short stocky people, the tall six-foot men stood out. Their helmets reminded her of spartan helmets, the T-shaped glass that was probably the visor sticking out at the silvery steel that made up the entirety of their armor. Individual plates of the metal were held together by meshes of black, the three dozen men sporting different colored plates, but Lisa could tell that the metal was the same for each of them.

"ATTENTION!" The head one, blue paint along the edges of the lens of the helmet calls out, every man, both short and tall, standing at attention, saluting the woman like one would in the military.

Mia's body posture changes, becoming stiff and ready, returning the salute with perfect posture and grace that told of experience, her eyes becoming slightly distant and melancholy.

Familiar with military protocol. Finds it nostalgic, years of experience with military, but not having served. High position in government.

Lisa blinks a few times. That couldn't be right.

The times that she had seen Mia before, her power always told her that she was young, not even a decade older than her. And now, her power was telling her that she had years of experience in dealing with military, specifically as a high-ranking position in government, probably high-class politics.

She wanted to know more, to pull at that revealed string and see the rest of the mystery come undone.

Lisa opens her mouth, ready to throw out a question, any question, that would make the white, rose-colored-haired woman speak up, when a single drop of water lands on her nose.

Then another.

And then another.

Followed by the familiar beginning patter of rain, the clouds became darker and darker by the second.

"I suggest that you keep whatever you wanted to say for later. We don't have much time left."

Mia spoke up, looking directly into her eyes, with… wisdom and experience showing behind them.

The words spark up on the tip of her tongue, spite bubbling up in wanting to get at least a single reaction out of the woman that she knew was really a hothead on the inside, when she felt a strong hand on her shoulder.

"I think that she's right Tattletale." Grue speaks up, his voice a little lower and gruffer, trying to add to the intimidation factor.

Blue and red eyes glide over to him, seeing right through him and Lisa with an erase that spoke of experience instead of information being fed into by her power. "Good to see that you at least have some sense." The woman steps closer to the four of them, Bitch's dogs remaining abnormally silent at the hero's approach. She leans closer to them, her right rabbit ear turning slightly as if trying to listen to anyone that could be approaching. "If I were you, Brian, I would recommend listening to some of the advice that your sister has been giving you and going solo. Don't think that you're going to have much of a job given that your boss is currently in PRT custody. Not to worry, Tattletale here can give you the full details."

Lisa's stomach drops down, and she's pretty sure that the same does for Grue as their words register. How the hell did she know Grue's sister?

Lisa catches Mia's shark smile as she turns from the teenage group, giving Bitch and Alec a discrete wave, before walking up to the army of Tinker-equipped men and starts coordinating, completely forgetting that they were even there.

That only served to annoy Lisa even more.

--

Mia

The look on Lisa's face and turmoil of emotions had almost been enough to make me forget about the crisis that was going on.

But now was not the time to be worried about all of that. I had a defense to plan, and hope that everything went according to plan. I would pray that my friends would be safe, but who did I pray to when there was nothing in this realm that would listen?

The clones and squats were already maneuvering around the city, ready to mobilize the moment that the scaly freak decided to lift its ugly spider eyed face above the waves. I wished that the Slayers that had survived wouldn't have come, but I knew that it was a futile thing. Along with trying to convince them not to throw their lives away.

Nothing that I did would ever convince them that throwing their lives into death would be meaningless, their shame and guilt were too great for any words or emotions that Without Question would throw their way.

I don't think that any of the Squats or former Clone Troopers would be able to kill Leviathan, or even cause enough damage, but they would at least force the freak to spend more energy. There was enough equipment and magic stuffed into their suits that they wouldn't die out there, even if Leviathan focused on them for some reason.

Backups upon backups of teleportation that would lift them off at the last minute, along with at least three doses of elixirs and potions in case of heavy injuries.

With them moving, it just left me, Becky (currently Lexy), Quetzalcoatl, Napoleon, and Krunter walking to the command center for the operation. I knew that the ones in our group that would participate in our fight were either on their way, or already in position. While those that are taking care of our other problems were waiting for the signal.

God, I hope that the plan Gaia and I came up with would be enough.

"This is going to be beyond anything that you have participated in before, enough that it will push even you to your limits." Lexy said coldly. I knew that it was just her own nerves and emotions that she still hadn't settled in yet, so I swallowed what I initially wanted to say.

"Maybe, but I have a couple of things ready and waiting for whenever this hits the fan." I tell her honestly.

"I don't believe that it will be enough." She answers without a doubt in her voice, or malice in her heart. Just cold fact that I could tell she wished she didn't believe to be true.

"No point in worrying about it. It's going to happen anyway, so hoping and getting it done is the only real thing that we can do."

Her mouth thins, jaw moving up and down debating on what to say. "There is some truth to that I suppose."

Our walk through the bustle of activity ends in front of two men. One of them, I don't even acknowledge, him doing the same to me, while I focus all of my attention on one of the few hearts that still had some measure of hope inside.

His blue and white skintight costume did nothing to hide the muscular frame hidden underneath, a blue mask hiding his cheekbones. Wavy short brown hair perfectly messy at the top was drenched in water, but somehow still managed to look immaculate.

I could feel when Legend's eyes moved to me, even if the mask he was wearing hid them underneath simple white. "Apotheosis, a pleasure to meet you. I just wish that it was under better circumstances."

Truth and compassionate sincerity coated every word and rang from his heart, his voice soothing and making me want to listen to him speak even more.

Oh yeah, there were a LOT of women that really wish he wasn't gay.

Behind him, I felt more than saw the green cloaked man stare at Alexandria, confusion and questioning brimming underneath the surface of his presence.

"I could say the same. Sorry for not letting you know about the last-minute additions. Was so focused on getting them here, that I completely forgot to let everyone else know." I could tell when his eyes wandered over to one of the Clone Troopers that was on the top of a building nearby, a high-powered blaster that brimmed with Storm Flames on his shoulder while the soldier's eyes looked out towards the sea, patience calming anticipation for the fight.

"While normally, I would like more details on who we are receiving aid from, given the circumstances, we can't be too picky." Legend said while giving the Sky Rose high above us a long and particular look. "Though, I think that you can understand that we're going to want a bit more of an in depth explanation after all this is over" If we're all still alive. He doesn't have to say the words. I could feel them in his emotions.

"Not a problem." I respond, while his attention goes to the two servants next to me, giving Alexandria a nod in passing that she returns.

"Who are you and what can you do?" Legend asked, probably to know where to put them on the field. I could feel the wariness coming from both him and Eidolon, probably worried what two unmasked 'capes' that hung around me were capable of.

The Aztec Goddess and former French Emperor simply give him determined smiles. "Napoleon Bonaparte, and Quetzalcoatl, at your service." Napoleon said while giving an elegant bow, as Quetzalcoatl wave cheerfully. "And for what we can do, hopefully, kill this beast."

Legend gives him a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. He thinks that Napoleon is just being cocky and let the power go to his head. I couldn't really blame him for thinking that.

Was looking forward to seeing his face after all this was over. If everything went right.

"Have the new armbands been distributed yet?" Legend perks up a bit at this.

"Yes, we've already started to distribute them to everyone that has joined so far. Speaking of." He hands us three, while Lexie straps one onto her arm with practiced ease.

I smile and shake my head. "No need. Dragon's already connected to my tech, and Quetzalcoatl and Napoleon are going to be just fine without it. Trust me." I put some emphasis on my words, trying to assure him that what I was saying was true, and not just bravado that came from being overconfident.

I felt… something leave me. Faith, life, energy, I don't know, but it… empowered my words and the handsome man blinked, reluctantly nodding. Goddammit, controlling this shit was starting to get harder.

The more and more power that I accumulated, the more that I tended to use them in normal shit. Faith and magic practically seeped into anything that I created, which made working with Eezo a pain in the ass.

It was like trying to bottle up a bouquet of primed grenades inside of a mineshaft. Damn power just begged and waited to be leaked out.

When I was around the others, it was easy to keep a cork on it. But given that I was currently in the pouring rain, waiting for one of the monsters that has been choking the world into a slow death, my nerves were a little bit shot right now.

Seeing and feeling the Slayers excited about their potential, and highly likely death, didn't help at all. Nothing I said changed their minds, they were completely intent to throw themselves into trying to kill, or at least harm, Leviathan and die trying. It would be admirable if they weren't so intent on just throwing their lives away when there were other options.

I disapproved, but would not stop them. If they didn't die here, I knew that they would find some other hopeless quest to die against.

Legend's voice breaks me out of my stormy thoughts. "Are you sure that your medical tinkertech is going to be as effective as you believe?"

My eyes flick over, and I sense that there is no real skepticism. More like he wanted to make sure that I was completely certain of the capabilities that I had relayed to the PRT, through Becky. Or rather, a clone of me pretending to be Becky.

Seeing her just… break after being told everything was enough to make me pity her. She at least was keeping herself together enough for the coming fight, her rage and dedication muzzling and suppressing the sorrow that was in her heart.

Avoiding everyone and being completely focused on the task at hand helped make sure that no one noticed. Turns out I could pull off being a bitch if I needed to, at least to people that I didn't know.

Fortuna helped make sure that anyone that would notice would be occupied.

The suited woman had been busy since awakening her aura.

"I would bet my life on it." I answered the man honestly.

He liked that answer, while I could feel Eidolon's eyes on me underneath the green glow. Curiosity tinged jealousy, along with foreboding resignation for the coming storm. About what I expected from the man.

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to begin the debriefing." He flies up high above us, probably about to start the grim reminder of what was to come, Eidolon following right behind while throwing a glance back at me and Becky who wasn't moving for some reason.

Part of me wanted to take center stage and show people that they had a chance to survive this. That there was a higher probability of them surviving than three out of four. But I didn't.

Not yet.

I would let what was to come speak for that truth.

And I would let those that Gaia had gifted with power show what they were made of. There were a few with Ethernano scattered around here, along with the new Asterisks that Gaia had managed to make.

We are going to have a talk about that later.

Pokemon hung around buildings, flew and glided in the air, while the water-based ones knew better than to stick around the ocean.

I already had some of my clones scattered around the soon-to-be battlefield, meditating and reaching out towards the changed creatures. Suggestions and thoughts rather than ordering them around.

I was hoping to convince most of them to stick to rescue, I don't think that any of them would be able to stand up to Leviathan, not when most of them were barely understanding what they were capable of. But I knew that some would throw themselves at that monster, without a care for themselves. They cared too much about the humans that they had bounded to in this city.

Honestly, the only kind of Pokemon that might be able to stand up against the scaly bastard would be a Legendary. And Mew was currently out of town.

The sound of a lighter and inhalation of smoke reaches my ears. I turn and find Napoleon offer me one of the cigars that he liked to keep on hand, the lit end defiant against the pouring rain around us.

I didn't really smoke. But fuck it. I take it with a hand, sticking one end in my mouth while igniting it with a single urge through aether. Wasn't the wisp of flame that I wanted, more like a fireball the size of a watermelon, but it dies down soon after.

At least I managed to only burn the very tip of the cigar to dust.

I inhale the smoke, actually enjoying the slight burn as the Cuban, that was a surprise, tobacco enters my lungs. At this point, alcohol and tobacco weren't going to be the thing that killed me.

"Thanks." I tell my friend through a cloud of smoke, the French Emperor just smiling while puffing on his cigar.

Now that we were alone, Lexie finally spoke up. "Why are you keeping those ears of yours if you can just shift your appearance?"

She sounded more curious than annoyed, which was a plus when speaking to me. Not that I blamed her. Didn't exactly try to make her like me at all, which I don't mind.

I shrug. "I like them. They're fluffy."

The change to the Viera had been… a surprise, but not one that I minded that much. I did change my feet and get rid of the tail though.

The hybridization would have been a boon earlier, but nothing that I could do now. And along with that had come a few other… developments. Memories on different types of crafts, most of them focused on how to use aether to shape and change things on their most basic level. Along with learning some magic.

Only it was… strange. I could feel that there was more to the memories. Like… they were simply the beginning to grander and more expansive things than I could even think of. Urges and impulses, trying to gather magic and power into my fists, jumping and thrusting downwards with a lance, and beyond that… darkness.

I didn't know how to feel about that one.

I turn back my attention to the Flying Brick and I could feel her incredulous stare at my reasoning, while Napoleon laughs and Quetzalcoatl pets the ears. I twitch them a little bit when her fingers brush the inside. Felt even weirder than it did on my normal ears. And those were just long ass elf ears.

"Ugh." She mumbles out while looking like she wanted to throw her hands into the air.

The woman in the dark form fitting costume rises a little bit into the air, her eyes surveying the pelting rain and angry waves. "How much of a chance do you really have of succeeding in whatever your planning."

… Well now, she at least figured out that I at least had some sort of plan. Then again, she was the only one that really knew everything that I was capable of.

Or at least, more so than any other person outside of my little group.

"...Higher than I initially thought. And it's the only thing that might divert what was originally meant to happen." I don't try to tell her that it was foolproof.

If I slip up, there was a chance that the rest of the weapons would wake up, and that was something that even I wasn't completely sure that I had a chance against. Not without a lot more time to prepare and build.

Her mouth became a hard line that looked like she wore it often, her lower exposed face seeming to be made of stone. "I think that I can work with that."

What bloomed in her chest wasn't hope. It wasn't bright enough to be that.

But maybe it could be the beginning of a wish?

One that she had seemed to be afraid to even imagine of wishing for.

Quetzalcoatl simply smiled her warm smile, her green eyes hardened and waiting for battle, while Napoleon was simply himself.

Smiling and confident in what was to come. Impossibility, something that he would not even entertain.

Legend spoke from his spot in the sky, Eidolon next to him, with Alexandria taking off to join them, throwing me a look underneath her helmet right beforehand, while the Man of Possibilities simply held his hand to his chest and gave the woman a soft bow.

For now, we waited, my friends spread throughout the city as the waves reached higher and higher while the earth itself seemed to tremble amidst the coming beast.

—

Efnir

It had started with a wave, taller than the makeshift aquatic structure that they called the Rig, easily dwarfing the forcefield of blue that surrounded the former oil extracting machine. Which the Ancestor Savior cut in half with a wave of her hand, the millions of gallons of water splitting in twain, droplets, and streams worth of water flying back to the ocean that they came from.

The rain around them only seemed to intensify at that, another wave rising that was just as easily cut down as the last.

Then they heard it. The sound of newly created water that followed the bane of this world's oceans, choking the progress and development of the planet that so closely resembling the cradle of the Squats own origin.

It broke through the third wave of ocean water that approached them, ducking under the force of the swing from Ancestor Mia's hand. He believed that he was looking at Daemon.

Everything about it looked… wrong. Its limbs too thin and long for the cords of muscles that were on its chest, some of his arms and legs looking to be longer than the other, with four glowing eyes on its face, hatred and death seeming to emanate from those pits of the ocean floor.

"Blasters!" A voice manages to scream above the sounds of the raging ocean and oppressive rain.

Rays of light, ranging from luminous blue to heartening gold, streaked across the sky towards the mouthless scaled creature, its soulless eyes turning to the oncoming onslaught of beams with seeming boredom.

It moves faster than most could keep up with, the echo of water that it left behind being riddled with blasts of light as their originator headed deeper into the city, the surrounding buildings weathered by the onslaughts of high-powered waves.

And then, something does finally hit the monstrosity. A single cannonball shot out of the cannon held by the man that radiated confidence, even amidst the pouring rain, a sharp almost feral smile on his face.

The beast barely stumbles, not even half a step, but it does slow. Then its eyes focus on the artilleryman, murder in its four orbs.

Only to be impacted by two ready fists, both women behind them ready to unleash even more. One of them, the guest that had lived alongside his people as they built up the first city on what might have been the Imperiums Holy Mars, the other, a blond-haired, green-eyed woman that had once been a goddess of an Earth

Now, Holy Mars was the home of the Squats, satisfaction going through the bare-chested Squat who had once been an engineer, only to be stomped out by guilt and shame.

That was no longer who he was. He was now nothing more than a Slayer, ready to fight and die for his people, in the hopes of reclaiming what little glory there might be in his death.

What was his past wasn't even ash in the wind now, his name and family scrubbed from the annals of his people's history.

Leviathan barely reacted to the punches, swinging its own green deformed limb at the two of them, the woman in black flying barely above it, while the green-eyed goddess pivoted and grappled its arm.

"AHHH!" Her cry could be heard over the crashes and crumbling around them, the waves becoming stronger and stronger with every passing moment, taking more and more of the 'capes' with each one. With strength that was not shown in her body, the Sun Goddess grips the monster's arms, pivots throws the green thing overhead, smashing it into a newly formed crater that made the very ground shake.

He could see a few of these 'capes' hesitate for a second, their eyes widened and mouths hanging open in shock, like newly trained recruits that were lollygagging during their bootcamp. His former superior would have made each of them regret stopping for even a second.

Which is why he and his brethren weren't far behind the colorfully dressed woman, their bodies catching up to her with their own bursts of speed as their magically created axes were engulfed in each of their flames.

They leap in the air, their axes raised high above their heads, ready to deliver the hail of blows and slices that this beast deserved.

Water explodes from the beast, knocking them and the goddess back, some of the streams of water slicing through his brethren in an instant, green light enveloping them as the 'elixirs' that Ancestor Mia had administered into every armband here today healed them back into prime condition.

Glory Girl, Down. Brandish, Down. Manpower, Down.

"Only three charges." She had told them. After that, if they took an injury that couldn't be healed by the Potions inside, the person would be teleported to the Safe Haven that she had created inside of her mansion.

Well, that feature wasn't inside any of their armbands. They had begged her, and she had relented reluctantly.

Skidmark, Deceased. Squealer, Down. Lightshow, Down.

Efnir mentally reaches for the stone in his pocket, willing, begging, and wishing the power that came with it to flow through him, feeling as increased strength flowed through his veins. His grip tightens around the axe just as large as he, while Quetzalcoatl and Alexandria charged once again at Leviathan, the sound of cannonballs and fizzing light slicing through the rain.

He knows his brethren, the only other survivors of the Slayers, much to their shame, were right behind him, their own stones similar to the one that Gaia had gifted to them. His axe glowed with channeled power, flames of orange sky wreathing over the hum of energy, his tree trunk-like arms swinging downward from his leap towards Leviathan.

It saw him coming, but another series of cannonballs to the face make it stumble for a moment, only a moment.

But a moment was all that he really needed.

One moment, to buy more time. Just a little more time to keep those around him alive a little while longer. More time to allow the plan to go through.

With a battlecry in his throat, he slices downward, his flames… doing something to the flesh on the beast's arm, pushed further by the accumulated strength of Aura, Ancestor Mia's biological mastery, and the power that the stone had gifted him, slicing through the limb. The lump of flesh fell with a heavy thump onto the shattered concrete floor that had once been a road.

Time seemed to stop for everyone, even the rain becoming nothing more than background as the thump echoed among the cries of the dying and crashing of the waves, every participant focusing in on him as he raised his axe once more, his fellow Slayers charging with their axes raised high.

Leviathan lifts his arm up, staring at the stump, the inside being… like a wired mesh instead of bone and blood. Its four-eyed face turns to him, and faster than he can comprehend, the beast grows its arm back, the stump on the floor forgotten, and impales Efnir through the chest.

Instead of allowing his flames to grow dim, he pushes on. He would not die here, not without giving EVERYTHING that he was into his final battle like a proper Slayer should. After all, it could only be a good and worthy death if he had truly given it his all in his final moments.

Even while spitting blood out of his mouth, the water that followed behind the beast's movements traveling through him, weathering his flesh away like it would stone, he swings his axe again, severing the limb for a second time.

It regenerates once again, this time aiming for his head, but is interrupted by a single blow to the face, Quetzalcoatl wearing the fiercest expression that Efnir had ever seen on her face. She rains down blows faster than the rain around them with one fist, while her other hand hacked away at the beast with the bladed wooden club that she wielded with a savage mastery that he found himself jealous of.

It gives him just enough time to wrench the limb out of his stomach, and sight in relief as green life enveloped him.

That was two doses now, the first one having been used earlier when a building had tumbled on top of him.

He had lost count of just how long the battle had lasted already. That never went away, no matter how many battles he managed to wrench himself out of. Time was always fluid, too fast and too long to be properly evaluated while his blood boiled over and was spilled.

By the time that he had managed to get the sliced limb off his body, more of his brethren had fallen, Quetzalcoatl having been thrown through buildings, the structures of stone and steel crumbling behind her path. Leaving them to fend for themselves while the black clad Alexandria pummeled away uselessly at the thing.

It seemed as if the thing had been holding back, because it moves faster than it had been before, the water left in its wake moving through the air, pressurizing and slicing through his fellow Squats as easily as one of their drills mined the Earth.

It barely took any time for the Elixirs in their armbands to be used up, leaving his fellow Slayers as nothing more than sliced corpses that were washed away by the waves and rain amidst the ever ruining city.

Efnir couldn't have asked for a better opponent. He wouldn't have protested if he faced a demon Primarch instead though…

The flames from his ring burst outward, blinding his fist as the flames blazed and musically hummed through the air as he moved, slicing charging ahead, ignoring the corpses of his brethren around him, focused only on delaying the creature.

He hoped that they had at least managed to buy some of these other 'capes' time to get to safety, or at least delay their deaths, at least a little longer. No death had more weight than one that had been used to lengthen the life of another.

His axe never reaches the beast, his arm being severed from the shoulder by a single blast of water, while the creature slices his head off with one deformed limb.

Pain, and the scenery moving as his head leaves his body, only for the green light to envelop him for the third and final time, his head attaching back to his body, but his arm left on the floor.

No matter. His ringed arm was still attached.

With the last of his will, his final Dying Will, blazes brighter than ever before, becoming the sun amidst the dreary darkness of rain, coating his entire body in humming brilliant orange flames that shine across the battlefield as he charges at the creature that kills him.

In his last moment, as his body crushed in a sphere of water, he sees the chest of the beast burst, while the light of hope shines amidst the light of possibilities.

And then..

--

He opens his eyes, not to the embrace of the ancestors, or the damning of being forgotten and unforgiven, but the battlefield frozen in time.

He could see as Ancestor Mia brandished her blade, hopeful light illuminating the ruined city as his own body hadn't even reached the floor yet, in midair as it fell.

Far behind her, he saw Napoleon Bonaparte, brandishing his cannon as it elongated, revealing the white, rainbow glowing intricacies that it held within, while his smile echoed that of a crazed beast.

The green glowing man with a cape had light and energy flowing around him, sparks of lightning stopped in motion around him. More of his brethren threw themselves at the creature, their axes swinging down, stopped in midair, even as his own body was left there on the floor.

Goddess Quetzalcoatl flew in on a large feathered bird, her sword at her side, glowing red with heat, her eyes now slits like a reptile while her mouth was a maw of sharpened teeth.

Efnir looks down at his corpse, his body barely recognizable as his own, the Asterisk gifted to him flying out of his pocket, along with the rest that were gifted to his brethren. Were they out in search of new owners? Or merely returning to the Earth now that their duty had been done. He doesn't know, and frankly, it was no longer his concern.

The happenings in life were for the living to concern themselves with, not the dead.

Though… he stares at the mawless green raptor, sneering up at the thing as it moved deeper into the city, frozen in time with trails of water following behind him as it's flesh knit itself back together, as a bigger wave hung over the city. He couldn't help the concern he felt for the rest of the battle.

His part was over, but the living would still need to defeat the bane of this world's oceans.

"I think that they'll be alright." A cheerful voice said next to him.

Efnir turns his orange mohawked head to find a peculiar girl next to him. She was pale, and dressed entirely in black, simple black pants with a matching leather belt, and a top that was held up by simple straps.

"What the blazes are you doing out here dressed like that umgi? You'll blazing die in a second in this blasted rain!" She actually laughs at that, like she was touched at his concern for her.

He just thought the crazy umgi had lost all the gears that kept her head working.

Then he realizes that- "I'm dead"

His voice was empty as he glances at his dead body on the floor again, the facts catching up to his brain instead of just… fizzing around like static on a broken monitor. Then he looks at the woman again and… sees that her eyes are older than she looks.

Especially with that damned sad smile on her face. Like she knew what he was feeling and sympathized. He always hated it when people gave him that.

"What are you?" He asks eyes squinted in suspicion, wondering if a damned daemon was trying to trick him again. Confounded things liked to think that they were clever until he split their skull open with his axe.

She wears that same sad smile, though there was a little sparkle in her eyes. "I think that you know what I am, Efnir Rotenrist."

He doesn't flinch at the usage of his forgotten name, if only barely. "That name doesn't belong to me anymore."

"But you were born with it. Your mother cried so hard when you were born, the first boy of the generation in your family." Death said with a joy that he didn't understand. He wasn't worth that much. Not a dishonorable Slayer like him.

He blinks once. "I am dead." He repeats again, this time more in… confusion. He looks up at the young umgi whose smile had become sadder like she knew exactly what he was feeling. This time, he couldn't bring himself to be annoyed. "Am I forgiven?"

"I don't think that you're asking me that, now are you?" She cryptically answers back while opening the black umbrella in her hand.

He stares out at the water-soaked battlefield, taking in every scrap of detail, from the individual raindrops, to the man riding the blue fish creature, snatching up people drowning in the water. Being healed by an Elixir, only to drown again was a waste after all.

He wondered how many of them would survive this battle. The teleportation technology could only do so much, Ancestor Mia had told them. And if the injuries were too grievous… teleporting them could only worsen the wounds.

Would this city even still be here after this? Judging by the size of the waves, and the way that the water from the clouds above raged and lashed at the buildings and people, Efnir shamefully wasn't expecting it.

But he could hope.

Now that he was dead, and his debt offor shame paid in full, perhaps he could finally have that.

Such a small precious thing that he had missed dearly. It had been so long since he had hoped for something other than a fitting death.

"Can I stay and watch?" He sounded like a child, but he did not care. If this was truly Death, then being his most truthful was perhaps the appropriate action.

She quirks her mouth to the side while touching her lips with a pale hand. "Usually, my answer would be a no. But hey!" She gives him a winning smile, one so bright yet so fleeting for Death herself. "I'm on vacation, so why not? Oh, and before I forget."

She lifts the same hand which had been empty, but was now holding a basket made of black and white, a small skull anointed on the front. "We shouldn't just stand around here on an empty stomach. And since you're no longer alive, why not actually indulge in something other than the bare minimum. Mia made this for you all earlier and asked me to make sure that you get it. She felt that it would be the least that she could do."

Of course the Great Ancestor Mia did. Her pity and kindness were wasted on them.

At least in life. Now that he was dead, well… why not?

"Eh, blast it." He mutters and sit's down on a stone, just a few feet away from his corpse, the blood that had been flying away and stopped in mid-motion beginning to move at a crawl through time.

Though, he did have a question for the woman that opened the box with a smile and passed him a handkerchief with flowers of red and blue on the white silk. "What comes after?"

Such a simple question that held decades of constant war and sheer desperation to reach. Now, he only asked it with a pang of dread in his heart.

Death smiles at him while passing what looks like a thin piece of flour, with seasoned strips of meat shining with juices, and a white thin vegetable sprinkled on top, a single glittering piece of yellow fruit shining like a jewel. "That is a mystery that we're going to have to find out together."

Figures.

--

Amy

She gasps with horror and a hint of relief when she sees Vicky teleport to their area in a volley of blue strings. Her legs ended in stumps, one above the knee, another at her ankle, the wounds looking closed and healed instead of bloody and gruesome.

She rushes to Vicky's body as another flurry of strings fly in from the sunny sky, her hands gripping onto her sister's hand, worried but gentle, and stops in place. What she was seeing wasn't… right.

It was like… something had just forced the body to take that effect. It wasn't like her power, where she had to turn other biological components into fuel to force the 'healing' process. She just… wasn't missing anything from the last time that she had 'looked' at Vicky. Her fat levels the same, along with the nutrients, to the last time that she had eaten.

And yet, her body was at the most healthy it could be. She would prefer that it would be more than just stumps on her legs. Maybe she could fix that later.

When the strings of light that came after Vicky solidified, Amy let out another gasp.

Carol was unconscious, like Vicky, but wasn't missing her legs.

Instead, she was missing her arms while having a barely healed spine.

Though, the healing that her body had gone through was the same as Vicky's. Nothing showed that any sort of biological healing had been done, the wounds just… made themselves better.

She would be fascinated if she wasn't trying to keep her breathing steady while grabbing onto Vicky's hand, her brain running a mile a minute, trying to figure out some way to fix this.

Meanwhile, more and more strings of light arrived at the luxurious mansion, each bundle delivering another person, some of them just as injured as Vicky and Carol, while others were… far worse.

"Don't worry, after all this, I'll make sure to get them back into shape." A familiar voice says right behind her, as a dark-skinned hand take's Vicky's in her own. Then, Amy got to see… she didn't know what she saw.

It was like… something that was both biological and not, flowed from Mia's hand, spreading through Victoria's body, like spreading branches across her nervous system. It was enough to distract Amy from the white and pink rabbit ears that poked up above her head.

The few parts of their body that were still damaged were healed, how, she didn't know. But she watched as whatever energy that Mia used revitalized.

"I'll be able to get them new limbs later, bit busy at the moment keeping an eye on everything right now. Oh, and your cousins are going to be showing up soon." Her tone doesn't change at all, even while her blue and red eyes seem to be focused on a distant place.

Amy barely opens her mouth when two more volleys of blue strings float down from the clear blue sky, coalescing into Crystal and Eric, the white of their costumes stained worryingly with blood. Seeing that there wasn't much that she could do for Vicky now, even as much as she hated it, she hurried over to the two blondes, quickly grabbing their hands.

They both blink worriedly at her, while the three of them relax, her at seeing that they had no real injuries on their body, them at seeing that it was her and not some strangers.

"You're both OK." She sighs out, unknown relief flooding out of her.

"Amy!" Krystal shouts while glomping onto her, the flying blaster shaking and wet, Eric not far behind her.

Amy had never been… one for affection. But she did bring her arms around her cousin, happy that the girl who could never keep her room clean, yet managed to keep up the appearance of perfectionist at school, was completely whole.

The relief that they were feeling dies away when they notice Victoria and Carol on the ground, both of them being looked after by what was probably one of the Rabbit Tinker woman's projections.

"Hello, you two. I'm happy that you were able to dodge out of the way from those falling buildings." There was real warmth in her voice if a little distracted. Amy still wanted to believe that it was just an act that the Tinker was using to make people like her, but if it was, it was consistent.

Consistent enough that Amy was having doubts about some of the assumptions that she was making.

"Where are we?" Krystal asks while suspiciously eyeing the tall woman, glancing at Amy with a raised eyebrow. "And weren't you just at the Leviathan fight?"

"I actually still am. This is a Shado- um… a projection, and you're in my home. Pocket Dimension that is tied down to a specific place on the outside. Don't worry, we're safe here." Mia responds naturally while letting go of Victoria's hand, Amy looking over her sister to make sure that everything was how it should be, which it was.

"How did you know they were on their way here?" Amy asks suspiciously while watching as more and more threads of blue floated down from the sky.

"We're all connected right now. Me, every other projection, and the prime Mia. While I'm speaking to you, I'm hacking away at that scaly bastard while cutting the tsunamis that he's been chucking at the city." The sheer venom in her voice sends a shiver of fear down Amy's spine. The purple crackling lightning, as Mia's eyes both briefly turn gold before reverting back to crimson and blue only exacerbates that. "Anyways, go on into the mansion. We have to move everyone inside and get the injured some bed rest."

Krystal and Eric go to pick Vicky and Carol up, but the appearance of a runed circle of red and white stops them in their tracks, stretchers appearing underneath the two blond women. They all blink at the stretchers as they rise in the air, untouched by anything, and float towards the immaculate mansion's door.

"When can we go back out there?" Eric quickly asks as they all catch up to Mia, the tall woman turning her head back to them as the mansion doors open on their own.

The sunny and brightness of the day don't do anything to get rid of the creepy factor at all.

"You aren't." Her words are cold and immovable. Her eyes seem to glow again, though they don't turn red-rimmed gold this time.

"But-" Krystal ties to argue, only to be quickly cut off.

"I don't have any of the other healing items that were used on you. Three doses, those were all of the Elixirs that I was able to divide amongst the many different parahumans that are currently out there, fighting for their life. I know you want to fight for your home and the people that you love, but you all should be dead three times over already. Your part is done in the fight, and you help no one by going out there to die. Some others out there weren't so lucky."

With those parting words, the suited woman turns from them and enters the mansion, the doors remaining wide open, waiting for the rest of them to enter.

Eric's face was a little red with frustration, while Krystal just glared at the rabbit-eared woman's back.

Just as Eric looked like he was going to fly out there, Amy speaks up. "Don't even try. She has the place completely locked down from both sides. She already had other people try to go out there and fight."

She had seen a few of the more hot-headed and stupid of the heroes try to fly out towards the sky, only for lines of gold and blue to throw him back onto the ground. He wasn't that hurt, it mostly just knocked him unconscious, which Mia fixed with a simple touch.

"So we're just supposed to sit here with our thumbs up our ass!" Eric asks incredulously, staring angrily up at the sky.

Amy just shrugs. "Not much else that we can really do." If she was being honest, she was merely happy that Victoria wasn't dead. She always was the type to simply throw herself at problems without thinking about the consequences. It was a flaw that Amy had begun to notice more and more.

Maybe that bracelet and spiel that Mia had given her about Vicky's aura hadn't just been something for Amy to let her guard down.

She preferred to focus on that, instead of the knowledge that an Endbringer was currently destroying the city that had been her home for her entire life. The Biotinker still couldn't decide if she was conflicted over that or not.

--

Rex

He really hated rainy battlefields. They always brought bad memories. He focuses on the giant monster instead of the images of his own face underneath what he had thought had been an enemy combatant.

Although, this time they were actually fighting against a real enemy. He struggled to watch as the uneven beast sped through the streets, water following in its wake, the liquid flowing and striking everyone and everything that it passed. Guess that the creature had more control over its own water than the people of this world had initially thought.

Just like Mia had briefed every one of them when they had volunteered for this battle. He didn't know why they all volunteered. All he knew, was that he couldn't help but raise his hand when the call had come out.

"I got visuals on the target, Ma'am." He said into his speakers, his bla- rifle, ready at his arm. Regular blaster fire wouldn't do anything against this threat, not when its deeper layers would just absorb the impact and render the lasers little more than slight sunburns.

Which is why Mia had gifted them all with new gifts on top of the Beskar armor that she had fashioned for them.

"Shoot." Her cold voice echoes in his ear. He presses the trigger without a second thought, unloading the constant stream of Storm-coated bullets onto the approaching beast from his vantage point in the sky.

Leviathan doesn't even look up as water moves at its command, trying to pressurize and harden into a shield above it. Too bad that it did nothing to stop the disintegration effect of the Storm flames inside.

He didn't know how many layers deep it went, but it was enough for the creature to turn its four eyed gaze up to him, the glowing empty orbs staring right through him as the very rain seemed to converge onto him.

The droplets of rain splatter harmlessly at the speed of bullets into his hard-light shields, the blue barrier of light illuminating him in the dark as he speeds away from the green creature, whose gaze was still on him.

"You should be focusing around you instead." Rex says with a smile as a dozen of his brothers light up identical rifles higher above him, lighting up the dark day with volleys of Storm bullets.

The thing actually moves to avoid the barrage, though a few find their mark, sinking through the disintegrating flesh. The flames might not be their own, simply Storm Flames that had been stored by Lindsay and Johnny, but they had been bottling it up and storing it for this very battle. While they did have a limited supply, they weren't meant to kill the thing.

Merely delay it until the time was right.

That moment where it had dodged to avoid the incoming bullets, even as rivulets of water lashed towards his brothers, was enough for the waiting Blasters to unleash their attacks at the beast, most of them barely doing any damage against its skin, while others didn't even hit at all.

The Squat Slayers and Alexandria charged at the same moment, Axes coated in brilliant Dying Flames of all colors lighting the battle hardened warriors as they charged to meet their deaths.

The Clone Soldier grimaces as the thing tears right through the Squat Soldiers' Aura, killing most of them in one blow before their axes can get even close to its flash.

At least, until one wielding a Sky Flame Axe slices right through its flesh, causing everything to seemingly still in one moment. Rex is saddened, but proud of the small warrior for his last moments, not once retreating, even when he was impaled right through his chest, hung up through said hole by Leviathan's disproportionate arm, only to cut it off and pull it out himself.

During that time, he and his brothers kept firing every charge that they had, driving more and more holes into the Island sinker. The creature speeds up once again, killing the Squats faster and faster while maneuvering backwards, as if trying to end the fight and flee.

It still takes some attacks that seem to sink into its flesh deeper and deeper with each swing, and just as it seems to have killed the last of the warriors, a shining golden light tinged with orange dives through the sky straight at the Endbringer.

He could hear her defiant and enraged shout clear from the rain. It was wordless, yet he could hear every once of anguish that she felt. He knew that she could feel every death around them, knew that each one was unique to her senses and that she mourned just about every single one.

Laserdream Down. Shielder Down. Miss Militia Deceased.

Even while Mia's shining Flame coated sword met the creature's arm, he knew that the water below them raged across the city, the control that Leviathan had been using almost its fullest effect. Tendrils of water dragged people down into the raging rivers that were once streets, while pressurized blasts practically sliced and cut through the people below them. All the while, the dark ocean roiled and threw wave after wave at the Earth, both of them seeming to tremble in fury.

If it wasn't for the shields around him, he might have already died. The stone that resided in his pocket underneath the armor seemed to hum. He felt his strength grow the longer the battle went on. He still didn't know what the stone did to him. He didn't suddenly change or gain new clothing when it had appeared in front of him. But he did feel stronger, faster, and his eyes could track the rapid movements as Mia's blade danced in a form that reminded him of Mace Windu. Aggressive and sure strikes, while purple lightning crackled across the orange shining blade, her bare head allowing her glowing eyes to shine through the night sky.

He watched as flashes of white and red appeared in the air, crystallized spears ignited in Dying Will flames skewering through the air, a few of them impaling Leviathan throughout his limbs, though the creature didn't even seem to acknowledge them as it swatted others away and lashed at Mia, pushing her back.

Through the dark, he could see glowing white lights rising throughout the battlefield as more and more names were called out through the armband.

Kaiser, Deceased. Lung, Deceased. Purity, Downed. Alabastor, Downed.

Though, he could feel as more and more became stronger alongside him. It was like… the stones resonated with each other.

"RASENGAN!" He could hear Mia, rather A Mia, cry as she struck Leviathan from behind, having appeared from seemingly nowhere while the beast had been preoccupied with Mia. She had her hand outstretched, her palm open, seeming to hold a blue-white orb of constantly spinning energy as it collided with Leviathan's back, digging deeper and deeper.

Though not deep enough, as its tail swings, knocking Mia's clone out of existence as its form dissipated in white smoke.

Only for even more Mias to appear, already a hair's breadth away from the creature's form, blue orbs in hand.

As if showing frustration, water explodes from Leviathan, dissipating each and every one of the clones into smoke, impacting Mia and causing her to be pushed back into a building, forming a crater around her armored form.

The Endbringer turns and begins its movement back towards its intended target once again, not even deigning to give any of the incoming beams of light from Blasters and acknowledgment. Only to be rocked as a blonde woman dressed in a red and green, a green feathered headdress on top of her head, punches the four-eyed creature on its head, the earth practically shaking from the force of her fist.

He couldn't see it, but Rex knew that she had a sharp smile on her face, her teeth pointed like that of a dragon. Flames coated her entire being as she lay in blow after blow, faster, and faster, and faster, over and over again, the earth shaking with each hit as Leviathan seemed to actually be affected by the impact. Rex thought that he actually saw those four eyes blink in confusion a few times too.

Leviathan swings back at his opponent, the woman taking the hit, but remaining standing as her arms grip onto it's limb, and swings him over her head, locking him into place with a grapple.

"Oh People, make your appeal." A man's voice seemed to cut through the wind and rain, the sound of whirring and large clanking echoing across the battlefield.

Rex's scanners search through the battlefield, finding the source coming from a rooftop not too far away. A familiar figure stood, his hand raised to the sky, humongous cannon held up towards the sky as the steel opened and extended, revealing the white rainbow-lined insides as it locked into place with a click.

"Nothing is impossible!" His triumphant and optimistic cry echoes, stirring something in Rex's heart that he'd only felt before at the eve of victory during a battle. The red-haired man swings his elongated cannon forward, targeted at the struggling Leviathan as it was held in place by Quetzalcoatl, and a nearby building exuded an aura of blue and purple, one of the gravity controlling centers Mia had built.

"Why?" Napoleon seemed to genuinely ask as flame and light collected at the barrel of his weapon, one hand holding the cannon, while the other braced it as his feet spread apart beneath him. Rex could see the almost mad grin on his face as it was illuminated by the collecting light of power in his weapon.

"Because I AM HERE!" The whine of power reaches a climax, the light almost blinding to the eyes as it coalesces at the point.

"TAKE TO THE SKIES! Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile!" The barrel unleashes the light, a rainbow, contained and collected into the barrel of the cannon, that was discharged at the still struggling Leviathan.

And, within that Rainbow, Rex couldn't help but feel that it held more to it than just light. It seemed to… resonate through the world in a way that he couldn't quite understand. As if it was something profound and deep to the world around them in a way that he, being from a different galaxy and universe, could not comprehend.

But it only drove the other wielders of the stones further, their hope and expectations resonating across to his own, warming his heart.

It impacts the struggling Leviathan, Quetzalcoatl smiling down at the creature, not even a little bit worried at the incoming blast of power that would probably hit her too.

And then, everything shines brightly for a moment, the world going white, as the Ocean and Earth itself seem to cry at the rainbow streak from the sky.

--

Colin

Knowing that his nano thorn would do nothing against Leviathan, especially after finding out how the Endbringer's flesh truly works, had been a blow to his pride. Compounded with his failure to properly see what was in front of his eyes with Sophia, the gang war that had escalated to a high, only to be mitigated by the Mysterious Tinker Woman that had appeared out of nowhere.

Ha didn't even know if most of her technology would qualify as Tinkertech. Yes, he could quantify that sword of hers as simply absorbing the ambient light, or making itself denser to chase with Leviathan.

But she wielded those strange humming flames, the orange ones that had been used by the small man to cut an Endbringer's hand in half. A brute man that wore nothing from the waist up, was able to deal a harsher and more telling blow against one of the monsters that had plagued them for the past 20 years. Those same type of flames hummed from Apotheosis' blade, not having quite the same effect as the fallen man's did, but he could see that her sword dug deeper with each and every slice.

He'd always known that no matter what he did, no matter how much he pushed himself or his tinkertech, that he would never reach the levels that the Triumvirate could reach. Even if he had deluded himself into believing that he could.

And now, he watched as the army of men that had arrived on the ships that came from space spray down Leviathan with red flamed rounds, the island sinker actually moving to dodge them instead of simply taking the hits like it normally would.

Another wave fell upon the city, before quickly being cut in half with a wave of a hand from Mia's many projections, forcing the water to come barreling down onto them, the liquid moving faster and faster as it approached. Probably influenced by Leviathan's control, which was deeper and greater than it had ever shown before.

"They've been toying with you all at this point. None of you have ever been deemed good enough for them to even try to kill you." The words that Mia had told them when planning this battle echoed through his head.

As rivulets of water came crashing down, moving just enough so as to hit him and a few of the other Heroes and Villains with him, he had never felt as small as he did now. Not even during his trigger event.

He knew, deep in his heart, that he wasn't even an ant to the creature that was out there, destroying the city that he had patrolled for so many years now. That no matter how much he drove himself into his work, he would never amount to anything that could match it.

A sobering and distressing thought that he quickly shoves away, instead, focusing on the chunks of concrete and debris fell towards him. Now was not the time to dwell on those matters. It could wait until after this battle was over. If he survived it that is.

As if to pound that fact into his brain, he barely catches the sight of green energy flashing erratically down the street, before a familiar figure in green overalls was swept under by the currents. She didn't resurface.

Miss Militia, Deceased.

He felt a pang in his heart hearing that. Knowing that he would never see Hana again. It was... even worse at realizing just how little they had really interacted. Worked with, yes. But he couldn't say that they were friends. He had never been very good at making any of those. Too busy with trying to push what he could do forward.

Lot of good that it would do him.

Even while pushing his legs forward, allowing the strength of his suit do most of the hard work, he knew that he wouldn't be able to avoid the falling stones.

And yet the crushing never came, as green, crackling light shone above him, some illumination glowing amidst the gloom of raining clouds.

Looking up, he sees the small creature that had greeted them at Apotheosis' mansion, Krunter, the large eyed floppy eared, 'house-elf' that had been nothing but cordial and polite during the visit.

Now, he wore an expression of rage on his face, his large eyes practically glowing with fury as lightning-infused fizzing light shimmered above them, the green sparks originating from his ring as he held his hand palm upwards. Stone, and even droplets of water, fizzled and cracked against the sparkling barrier, the House Elf not even budging or flinching at the effort.

As he watches the sight in front of him, he feels… exhaustion leave his body, the constant movement and pressure of the battle just flowing away from him.

"Well, looks like I did it right." A voice says behind him, and he turns to find a… peculiar cape standing in front of him.

She wore no mask, and what could amount for her costume was a simple set of white robes with no decoration, reminiscent of a more barren version of Panaceas attire. The young asian woman wore an expression of concentration, light emanating from her hand, seeping into his body, and wiping the exhaustion and wear that he had gathered during the battle.

She was on the precipice of young and aging, perhaps closer in thirties than twenties, though her eyes seemed to shine with a sort of idealism that he had long since stopped seeing.

Most parahumans didn't wear that look in their eyes, at least not as genuine. One could argue that their trigger event permanently wiped that idealism away, except in a few rare cases where heroes managed to gain that glimmer back.

And yet, he recognized her face. Nothing quite of note, perhaps just a face that had sprung up on a report connected to the ABB, but he recognized the young Asian woman.

"Oh People, make your appeal!" Even amidst the deafening winds, and rushing waters amidst crumbling stone, he could hear the voice of that Napoleon cape loud and clear, almost as if he were standing a few feet away from him instead of several blocks away. "Nothing is Impossible! Why?"

Colin couldn't help but stare as the cannon elongated and was swung forward, the barrel pointed right at the struggling Leviathan in the grasp of the blond Aztec clothing wearing woman, rainbow light and fire gathering at the end of the barrel.

Through the gloom of shadow and storm, lit by rainbow fire, Colin could make out the bloodthirsty, yet triumphant smile on the red-haired man's face. "Because I am here! Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile!"

And… what fired from his barrel was something that should have been impossible.

A real rainbow in the shape of a beam that streaked through the sky, giving light and color back to the greys and blacks of the lightless storm around them. Within that rainbow of light, he thought that he saw… glimpses.

Glimpses of possibilities that seemed innumerable and infinite. From the lowest of ends, to the grandest of triumphs. Of loss and woe, of victory and life.

He saw himself, either dead on the street, doomed to be nothing but a name on a piece of marble slab, forgotten by everyone.

Or at least he thought so.

That moment where the rainbow of light streaked through the sky felt longer than a second should have. He saw those that would mourn his loss. Not the masses of people that he had thought would remember the hero Armsmaster.

Not even the heroes that he had fought alongside, or the Wards that should look up to him.

No, the only person that would mourn him, the only saddened face that he saw amidst the incalculable colors and vision of possibility that stemmed from this moment going forward, was the face of Dragon. The tinker that he knew had surpassed him, and that he had been jealous of, was the one person in the world that would mourn his loss.

There were other possibilities there of course, too many for his mind to properly grasp, many of them far grander than that one. He should have focused on those instead, images of himself praised and remembered forever in books and history.

But he couldn't focus on those. Instead, he focused on that one probability, forgotten and uncared for by history and the masses. Except for the one person that he had simply believed would leave him in the dust, too busy and concerned with her own achievements.

The blue power armored Tinker stood mesmerized as the rainbow impacted Leviathan, a scattering of light blinding him, and perhaps everyone else on the battlefield.

When his sight returned, it was to a sight he never thought he would have seen.

Leviathan, on the ground, an arm and leg completely gone, his chest looking to be barely connected by thin strands of crystalline flesh.

The blond woman, Quetzalcoatl, stood above it, her arms still wrapped around its bodies, her skin and clothing singed, but none the worse for wear, her mouth a terrifying smile that reminded him of a dragon's maw.

This completely unknown Parahuman, that claimed to be the real Napoleon Bonaparte, had just caused more damage to Leviathan than any other hero ever had. Greater than Legend, and greater even than Eidolon.

Today was a lot of firsts it would seem.

He put aside his conflicted emotions over the visions that he had seen, instead focusing on the battle at hand, nodding at her in thanks, as he resumed his way forward, on the lookout for any other people that might need help.

His fate could only change if he lived past here. Deliberating the emotions that he was feeling could be done if he survived, and perhaps save a few lives.

The young Asian woman leaves him, her gait and speed greater than he had thought, moving through the street, her sight most likely focused on another that could use her help.

Reminding her that asking for permission was something that seemed moot when a moment's hesitation could mean death.

The pointed eared short man above him disappears with a pop, the shield of crackling lightning remaining there, even while he sees that same sparkle light up the darkness a few streets away.

The water seemed to slow, but not quite still. More sluggish, but still quite deadly. He watched down the street, terror beginning to flood through his veins, as the Endbringer's strings of flesh began to grow and realign, patching itself together before his very eyes.

Quetzalcoatl retains her smile, but her eyes narrow into angry slits, her wrist raised up, ready to come down upon its exposed hollow inside.

When everything begins to shake.

--

Mia

Seeing the Rainbow of Possibilities had been enough to make me forget the heartache that had found itself nestled into my chest, burning and causing the lump in my throat to only get worse.

The Elixirs and potions had helped, but that did nothing for those that were just too damaged for the magical remedies to take effect. I had watched as parahumans drowned below the sea, crushed underneath the weight of falling buildings, cut in half by blasts of water, or riddled with holes by the speeding rain.

I could have ended the fight so soon.

But I knew that I couldn't. Not if the plan that Gaia and I had cooked up was going to work.

And the people here were nothing more than a distraction from that.

It left a pit in my gut, and shame in my soul that I feared would never go away.

I hated this. My Wrath fed on that hate, and I let it for once, though I kept it chained and bound. The slightest slip-up, and risked accidentally killing the people around me. Taylor was a block away from me at all times, protected by her suit of armor, and given the full mobility of the suit that had come with training. Something that should have taken longer than a few weeks to nail down.

Another benefit from the gift that I had gotten from Hinata. Or maybe I had been a version of him in that world.

Knowing that each power, each piece of equipment that came to me, had once belonged to a different version made using them a little less shameful. Less like I didn't deserve to have them.

Dammit, now was not the time to think about that shit.

Estrella hummed in my hands, her light barely a glimmer to the streak of rainbow that slowly dissipated away, leaving Leviathan very much worse for wear, his skin looking more like string cheese than muscle. Good. I know that the fucker couldn't feel any pain, but I could at least believe it a little bit, right?

I held back the tears that had welled up inside of me, as the lives continued to fall around me, though, they flashed away slower and slower with each passing second as Leviathan used more energy to regrow its limbs, especially at that speed.

Both a good and bad things, according to Gaia. She still wouldn't tell me exactly why that was, just that I would understand whenever everything fell into place.

The waiting was what killed me. Wrath bubbled in my blood, my bones wanting, craving, to tear that bastard limb from limb instead of just hacking away at him with Estrella in hand.

Something that she disagreed with, but that was neither here nor there.

Still, I would rather concentrate on the Wrath that rustled and broiled in my heart, instead of the constant flurry of emotions around me.

Despair, loss, pain, agony, indescribable fear.

All these emotions and more seeped from the people that were fight for their lives, Pokemon too, They leaked into the air, practically imbuing themselves into the ground.

Is this why some battlefields felt haunted or wrong?

Why some buildings just feel… off whenever you walk through them. That chill down your spine when you walk past a building where someone died, without you knowing a single bit of detail about it?

Or was that just my mind desperately trying to distract itself while I sped through the air, sword held up high, shining with light that were but wisps compared to the ocean that I carried within myself. Quetzalcoatl raised her fist just as I approached from above, both of us ready to deliver another blow that would slow down the fucker down.

Only, that's when the Sea and Earth decide to completely flip the table and throw their own lot onto the board.

Everything shakes, the concrete floor, the barely held together buildings, to the roiling waves that seemed to fight with themselves, as if two forces struggled for control of them.

And in my stomach, I felt another pit dug up.

My connection to Gaia, and therefore Earth, gave me a few… insights into things sometimes. Like when it was going to rain, or if today was going to be a particularly sunny day. Sometimes it was even intuitions on where to go. Whether or not those were deliberate messages from Gaia, I had no idea. Little weed liked to be coy about that sort of thing, always answering with teasing cryptic words.

And now, that connection that I had was screaming alarm bells in my head, telling me that something was… not wrong per se, just… concerning.

I knew that the ocean waves would scatter upwards into the sky, and that the Earth would rise up amongst the scattered broken remnants of the buildings that crumbled into bits of stone and scrap.

I felt the lump in my throat dry up, my mouth hanging open, as every set of eyes on the battlefield turned to the two new additions that had just… woken up from whatever the hell sleep they were in.

Amongst the broken earth and tower of magma that sprouted towards the sky, stood a bipedal red dinosaur that stood at sixteen feet tall, lines of glowing magma, pulsating along his body, separating each individual piece of large red scale that covered his body. Each claw on his arms and legs looked like they could cleave through steel, while his crimson eyes blinked blearily awake for the first time in his life.

Across the city, over by the sea, yet clearly visible to every soul, along with the soulless bane of the oceans, was something aquatic in nature. Spirals of water surrounded the blue and white whale like creature, towering into the sky just like the pillars of magma that came from the Earth. It was bigger than the red dinosaur, probably over 30 feet long, though he had the same lines of power along his body, reaching from the tips of it's blue wavy tail fins, along his body, all the way to the center orbs of its pectoral fins.

For a single moment, everything froze. Every Parahuman, every Mage, every Asterisk holder, every other Pokemon on the field, stood stuck and staring straight at the two newly born creatures that looked around at the world for the first time in their lives.

What should have been an amazing and joyous moment was undone when both their eyes zeroed in on each other, as if they both knew that the other was there.

And what lay in the eyes of these powerful legendary Pokemon, was a deep sated hate that could not be dissuaded or forgotten.

I suddenly really have to go to the bathroom, and it might be my imagination, but I thought I could hear the slight disturbance of hollow faced silent laughter at the back of my head.

And I shout the one thing I never thought that I would say through every clone in my network, and every armband that had been distributed to the people gathered here today to fight, my pride wounded and sheer irritation at the bullshit that was going on.

"RUN!!" At the same time, the two primal creatures roar at each other, seeming to argue with each subsequent quake through the ground.

I was also surprised that two parahumans were already in the process of running, both of them wearing gear that reminded me of old video games. Were those Uber and Leet? How the hell were those two idiot's still alive?

I couldn't understand pissed off Pokemon yet, but given their emotions, the best I could gather, the conversation went like this.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT YOU OVERGROWN LIZARD!"

"A FAILED ATTEMPT AT A AIR-BREATHING MAMMAL!"

'"FUCK YOU FIGHT ME!'"

And Chaos followed after.

Quetzalcoatl quickly abandons Leviathan, who rises, no doubt trying to pull at the ocean again. Only to be quickly be caught in the middle of two colliding blast's, one of them a torrent of

twisting blue water, the other, hyper concentrated energy that could probably level the city.

For now, it simply collided with Leviathan, the still regenerating creature stuck in between the two blasts of the Creation Duo.

Through all of this, every cape started booking it, panic and sheer 'WTF?' twisting around in their heads. None of them had any true destination in their mind, only on fleeing the magma and icy soaked city behind. When they fled far enough, their armbands would activate, teleporting them to the mansion, which I had moved to just outside of the city. Well, I moved the portal leading to the mansion.

They had signed up to fight one Endbringer, not a potential three.

The ground quaked, with every step that Groudon made forward, just as the sky and ocean roiled and thundered as Kyogre flew ever closer to the ground.

It felt like the world was going crazy, as Leviathan gathered himself up together when the colliding beams ceased, his flesh singed at the edges, empty eyes showing the first sign of anger in this entire battle.

Those two dumbasses were not part of the fucking plan. I had set up enough around the city to make sure that there would be a city left after scaly bastard was dealt with, but we hadn't accounted for these damned angry idiots. I didn't want to kill these two, the two of them were peaceful for the most part. It just happened that the only outlier for this was whenever they met.

Which meant that either the Earth would expand, or the oceans would rise every time these two dumbasses got into a fight.

Jesus Bendito, this was some bullshit I thought to myself as I maneuvered through the roaring winds kicked up by the constant motion caused by these two, flying through the air on my wings, propelled farther thanks to the repulsor thrusters on my arms and legs.

Just because they were two Legendaries, didn't mean that they couldn't get killed by that misshapen abomination. It was already moving straight towards Groudon, water following in its wake free of control from Kyogre, as it shifted and headed straight towards the Primal Legendary.

Which were casually swiped away as yet another pillar of magma rose from the crust, straight into the air, charring Leviathan yet again. Think that was actually a Pokemon move, instead of just a phenomena of Nature reacting to Groudon, 'cause I could tell that the magma burned deeper into Leviathan's flesh than it normally would.

At least with all the capes running away, along with the gaggle of mages and Asterisk wielders, more lives would be left alive.

It wasn't quite the way that I wanted it to happen. But it meant that the delaying of the battle wouldn't have been in vain. It meant that the Slayers that had happily thrown themselves into death, their last Dying Will giving these capes at least a single second more to live, meant something.

I knew deep in my heart, that people were going to live longer lives thanks to those Squats.

And they would be content with that.

Perhaps as content, as my own heart was when I could see through two different clones, the closing forms of a winged waif, and the Hero Killer, hidden beneath the crust.

Oh yeah, it was go time.

Meaning that we could ALL stop holding back.

Estrella is put into her sheath, slightly discontent, but understanding that the Dying Will Flames wouldn't be as strong through her as they would be through this.

Switched out, I flexed my arms as my newly reforged Honest Recklessness sparked to life, imbued with Sun-Tinged Sky Flames, completely reforged into their new form.

And for once, I embrace the Wrath in my Heart, Mantra, Chakra, Prana, and all other forms of power that burned in my body, allowing the Flames of my Dying Will to sing to life, Harmonious Freedom flowing into the chaotic world around me.

Perhaps, right here and now, I could make sure that even more lives weren't wasted on the futile fears that came from Entropy.

She was one of my best friends after all.

During all of this, Groudon and Kyogre were none the wiser as they tried to kill each other, throwing beams of water and magma at each other as they grappled where land met sea.

--

???

High above in the ozone layer, on the other side of the planet, hidden from the Simurgh's watchful gaze, a new form began to coalesce. Green, yellow and white taking shape in a long serpentine creature, over twenty feet long, coiled in the thin atmosphere, consciousness slowly forming along with it's body.

In Japan, while sipping on her noodles, Gaia smiled, eager for her coming part.

Napoleon

Feeling as Prana flowed through him like never before from Mia, Napoleon couldn't help but smile. Before, she kept the flow at merely a trickle of what she could provide, her own fear of the power that she held within her subconsciously keeping the various energies that were locked inside of her at bay.

He was willing to bet that she didn't know how to supply them with more prana, and even if she did, she would have been too worried about supplying too much when it wouldn't have been an issue. They were beings of prana, dead spirits that were given the ability to manifest in order to accomplish a goal, in this case, the end of the Entities and their Shards. There was no such thing as too much prana for them. If anything, they were mere shadows of what they were truly capable of, aspects of the greater Heroic Spirits that they were exemplifying.

And now, Mia allowed the shackles that she held over her power free, allowing everything to flow into the world now that the humans and Pokemon left for safety, each of them spirited away in strings of blue towards the location of the mansion.

Good.

Now they could all cut loose.

It still chaffed him that he couldn't have fired even a fraction of what his Noble Phantasm was truly capable of.

And the less that he spoke of the frustration that his fellow Heroic Spirits felt, the better.

He smiled as his body shined in golden light, his Spirit Core ascending further and further, breaking through the ceilings of his power in seconds that should have taken far longer. The power that Maitre held within was truly a frightening thing.

Even more than the rampaging creatures that were currently lowering and raising the sea level as Leviathan was caught in the crossfires. Damned creature was obviously trying to take back control of the ocean and sky, but Napoleon guessed that… Kyogre? Yeah, Kyogre's, control was greater. Perhaps it was conceptual in the same way that Flames and some of the other effects that Maitre had learned were.

Bah, that wasn't what he should be focused on.

Instead, he looks down and hums in satisfaction as his uniform finally felt complete.

While he would miss the breeze on his chest, he did appreciate the white ruffled collar around his neck, and the gold-trimmed sash that wrapped around his shoulder, over his chest, and over his back.

Though, he loved his hat. A bit bigger than it had been in his life, but go big or go home right? He always loved that turn of phrase.

He materialized his cannon, which was now a brilliant gold instead of simple steel, while his red tattered scarf rattled in the wind while he jumped through the air clearing blocks worth of space in a single second.

Smiling, he readies his canon as he sees Quetzalcoatl, a blue cape on her back, and her shield now laced with gold, unleashing a volley of cannonballs and bullets that cleave through the regenerating Leviathan.

Chunks of its green flesh splatter on the broken streets, its four eyed face staring emptily at him water that it managed to keep under its control speeding towards him. No doubt ready to tear him limb from limb or simply drown him.

Well, he knew that it would never even get near him.

It careens straight into one of the many pillars of lava that Groudon had erupted from the ground, the creature's outer layers burning through, leaving the denser ones below open for them to attack.

He knew that it couldn't feel pain against most attacks. But it had never fought against a Heroic Spirit before.

Quetzalcoatl lands right in front of it, whistling with her fingers in her mouth, uppercutting the beast's head upwards, its body flying into the air as wind and earth resounded from the force of the blow.

Perfect.

The more space that there was between him and that damned lizard, the better.

He could hit just about anything, no matter how far away it was. After all, that was the point of artillery. To hit the damned things that were too far away for you to hit with a gun.

And if he was anything, it was a good artillery man!

He fires shot after shot, round after round, going through all of the stores of cannonballs that he could, no longer having to limit himself to how many he used.

He had the Prana to spare to create them after all!

And while Quetzalcoatl jumped onto her Quetzalcoatlus, the large pterosaur catching her with ease as they flew after it, he saw white wings propelled by Flames of Harmony and Repulsor blasters.

His smiled widened as he lined another shot, his Maitre managing to reach the airborne Leviathan in a split second, the Endbringer managing to twist in the air, water around it stopping and rocketing towards the rabbit eared woman.

She raises one hand as her repulsors increase in speed, shooting a gout of Sky Flames from Honest Recklessness which burns the water in harmless vapor that harmlessly spatters against the hardlight shields around Mia.

Leviathan tries to propel itself using the water afterimage a few seconds too late, as Mia's Orange Coated fist sings through the air causing sonic booms from the force alone.

And he watches as even more layers of Leviathans flesh gives way to the force of Honest Recklessness.

So, it was something to do with the Flame then.

What Efnir had done earlier in the battle was something that had never been seen before in the history of this world.

An Endbringer had lost a limb. And to a simple Slayer Squat that had been too stubborn to die before he had done enough damage to the creature.

What was it about Harmony Flames that could render its flesh so weak to the blow?

Harmony.

Usually a definition that applied to music, that applies to the composition of sounds.

But what if it was deeper than that?

After all, sounds and frequencies were one and the same, or at least, he thought so. He didn't exactly get to pick and choose what kind of information that he was given, that was something that Gaia usually took care of.

So what if... the flames simply harmonized themselves with the object that they were impacting? Not weakening, but instead matching and disrupting the frequencies around it?

After all, Maitre had once mentioned that it was possible for Sky Flames to 'Harmonize' with other flames and absorb them, taking their strength into themselves.

And as he had seen, physics and science tended to run away screaming from anything having to do with Flames. They were more than simply the Dying Wills of their wielders. They were conceptual truths that were only limited by the strength of the user's will.

For what might have been the hundredth time today, Leviathan flees the incoming attack, using the water afterimage that it left behind to surge forward, desperately trying to delay Mia's incoming assault.

She simply released a blast of orange flames, soaring through the vapors, feathered white wings gliding through the air.

The sound of what he could describe as a shimmer reached his ears, alongside the rushing of wind and hiss of light causing Napoleon's attention to look behind him.

Allowing him to catch the Triumvirate to come into view, green Eidolon in the lead, his cloak shimmering around him as purple haze flared around his body. No doubt the power that let him soar through the air, his glowing green eyes completely focused on Leviathan, not even glancing towards Mia or Quetzalcoatl.

Something that Mia had told them would happen.

"He is just too happy to throw himself into everything that might be a struggle for him." She had said with distaste on her tongue.

He remembered with dissatisfaction that he had been a similar way as well in life. Blinded by his boundless ambition, always striving to spread his reach ever farther. The scope and details were different, but he felt that there was a thread of similarity there.

One that he did not regret discarding as the Man of Possibilities instead of the Emperor of France.

The blue and white clad Legend hangs back, shooting blasts of light at the regenerating Endbringer, his blasts scorching the growing flesh, but not making it deeper than that.

Alexandria, the woman that held his heart, flew just behind Eidolon, one fist cocked back, ready to deliver a blow.

Only for both she and Eidolon to be rebuffed from the force of another clash of Hyper Beam and Hydro Cannon.

Those moves from any other Pokemon wouldn't have been much of an issue for either of them. But Kyogre and Groudon were not your average Pokemon, especially not in this state. The force from the blast was enough to fling the airborne heroes, and the still-recovering Leviathan. While Leviathan was thrown directly at the nonplussed Aztec goddess, and pseudo Fairy, who both smile like the cat that caught the canary.

Legend reorientates himself rather quickly, while Eidolon is quickly shot into a nearby building, the already wobbly mess crumbing from the force of the man.

He would probably be fine.

Instead, Napoleon jumps from his perch, crossing the distance between him and his target in less than a single moment. And then, his arms cradled the black-clad flier who would have been flung straight into a pillar of magma, his cannon disappearing into motes of blue light with but a thought.

"Hello mademoiselle, how wonderful of you to drop by for a visit!" He gives her his best dashing smile that he can conjure, and her lower face merely frowns at him, no doubt glaring at him behind her helmet to boot.

"Is now really the time for you to try your incessant flirting?" She doesn't quite growl at him, but it's a close thing. He doesn't mind of course, he had a bit of a weakness for stubborn women.

"Mon cheri, if there is ever a time to pursue romance, it is on the brink of death." He answered honestly, his smile turning a little bittersweet as he let her go. Alexandria hovers above the ground, hands gripped into fists, and mouth a thin line as she prepared to launch herself back into the battle at hand.

The sight before the both of them makes her hesitate, her body not quite relaxing, but definitely loosening up as thousands of purple flames wires weaved and snaked from innumerable directions.

He couldn't tell where they were originating from. The Cloud Flame infused wires came from everywhere. Underneath the crumbled buildings, flooded storm drains, barely standing structures, the very ground itself.

It was like a sea of serpents had been waiting for this very moment, and they all attacked at once.

It appears that mademoiselle Taylor has been holding back plenty herself. He mused to himself to a smile as they spread out like a web, converging towards the airborne Leviathan that was being pounded back and forth between Quetzalcoatl and Mia, both women seeing the wires coming and doing nothing to get out of the way.

They didn't have to.

There were plenty of insects that buzzed and flew, completely invisible amidst the constant rain and destruction around them after all.

It was truly a sight to see, the wires seeming to become taut and maneuver around the Aztec Goddess and Hybrid Fairy, not so much as grazing either of them, and converging right on the recovering Leviathan.

Of course, the water around the island drowner whirls and spins around it, solidifying and pressurizing in an effort to shield itself from the onslaught of Cloud infused wires.

All that they do is slow down the wires before they impact the mutilated Endbringer.

The wires don't penetrate through the deeper layers of the Ocean Lurkers flesh, but they do dig just deeper than any attack that an Earth Bet native had ever inflicted on the beast.

A green tail whips around, mismatched incomplete limbs flail and toss with its bestial strength, trying to free itself from the wires weaved into its skin. Only for those wires to increase in size and mass, wrapping around the Endbringer over and over again, until it was completely encased within a prison of wispy purple flames and steel.

"NOW LEO, KRUNTER!" Napoleon hears from the connection that he shared with Mia.

A pop, and the living Renaissance Man, and the floppy eared house elf stand a few buildings away, their gazes completely focused on the shaking ball of Cloud Flames.

Leonardo wore a long coat of white and red that ended right below the knees, the front ending at the waist, allowing his dark blue and white armor to peek out, lines of white pulsating with power. He wore no helmet on his head, instead, a simple white visor covered his eyes and upper cheeks leaving most his face exposed, along with his cropped hair that was wet with rain.

In his right hand, he held his staff, the curved top completely coated with Rain Flames as he held it aloft, pointed right at the orb of metal that shook and quivered with each strike from within and without, the cables braking and severing amidst the onslaught from the Endrbinger inside.

His lips move just as one side of the Cloud prison explodes in a shower of wire and flamed, four shining eyes staring out towards the man that claimed to be Leonardo Da Vinci. A man that didn't even flinch as he stared right back, instead, his flames burning only brighter and more brilliantly than before.

Napoleon couldn't help the proud smile that blossomed from his face at that.

Jets of water maneuvered rose from the ground, droplets of rain shooting and changing direction, each one desperately rushing through space, trying desperately to stop what Leonardo was doing.

Fortunately, they weren't quite fast enough impact the armored Italian before he could finish his spell. "REDUCTO!"

Pure force surrounded by blue pulsating flames erupts from the end of his staff, the air around him resounding from the shockwave of the magic curse. A wall of green lightning encompasses both the man and elf, shielding them from the onslaught of weaponized water as it disperses harmlessly over the hardened Lightning Flames.

Leviathan leapt from the broken prison, braking through the remnant coils that clung to it, rapid frantic movements as it tried to flee from the incoming spell.

Only for both Quetzalcoatl and Mia to grab onto the green unproportionate lizard, each one gripping either arm, neither of their grips loosening for even a second. Its tail swings around, desperately trying to knock either of them away.

But it was too late.

That split second was enough for the blue bolt of magic to hit the struggling Leviathan, layers of crystalline flesh weakened by the Tranquility of the flames, allowing the magic to barrel deeper into the Endbringer before it dispersed and the effect took hold.

It was glorious.

Seeing as the spell exploded outwards and the green flesh of the creature that had stalked the seas of the world turned into ash that flowed away into the wind, was a sight that he knew the people of this world had only dreamed of. A mere possibility that was but an unspoken and impossible wish that nobody truly believed would ever happen.

That is, all but the people around him.

Layer upon layer of the creature's flesh was swept into the wind and water around him. It was a pity that it hadn't applied to the entirety of Leviathan.

It was barely a skeleton, ragged patches of flesh that clung together more out of sheer desperation than any true semblance of resistance to the spell that had reduced its protection to ashes. It stood on thin segmented twigs that might have been legs once, both of them the same size for once, its head completely gone know, ending in a ragged stump of still crumbling ashen flesh as its nonexistent tail breezed away in the wind as another impact sounded off in the distance.

Hmm, he wondered how they were going to deal with those two after this. He knew that Mia didn't want to kill them at least.

Which was going to be… a struggle to capture them then.

Leviathan still tried moving with its ridiculous speed, the patches of ashen flesh trying to reassemble itself back into something resembling an actual body, its tail already starting to reform.

"I wonder how much energy you're using up right now just trying to build back your little aquatic nightmare back you winged cunt." Napoleon knew that Mia's voice was barely above a whisper, even if he was almost five blocks away from the crater that had been formed around her and Leviathan, Quetzalcoatl holding her sword by the handle while the 'blade' balanced itself on the ground.

The broken thing that had been Leviathan moves with deceptive speed, trying to flee no doubt. A shame that Mia had long since been able to move at speeds faster than any being here on Earth Bet.

A gauntleted arm with orange flames encloses around the beings 'spine', water desperately trying to attack the winged woman like a cornered rabid animal. Water that was swiftly swept away with a wave of her hand, the surrounding building shaking from the force of the motion. Some bits of rock and rubble actually peppered Napoleon from so far away, which he swiftly brushes off his uniform.

"Then again, not like you're actually that good of a planner, not when you're rendered blind to someone's brain waves without your 'scream''." Mia continues on while shifting her grip on the struggling Endbringer. He could feel the Wrathful satisfaction as the white-haired woman looked up to the sky, and gave a vicious smile, her eyes practically burning with hatred.

He ignored the shiver that Alexandria gave next to him. No need to embarrass her over it. Maitre was a terrifying person when pushed to her boiling point. And that was before she'd gained her memories from her time as President.

Then again, that might be the only reason why she hadn't blown up half the city yet in a fit of rage.

"Guess what you mastermind wannabee? You're never going to get what you want. An entity will never come here to finish the job that the golden dumbass and silver bitch planned on doing. Even if you succeeded in whatever foolish plan that you had concocted to kill said, golden bastard. No, your story is going to end today, with your wings clipped, and the Earth free from your pesky little wings. Without waking up your other little pawns." For just a brief moment, he could hear the scream at the back of his head, present, wrathful, and dare he say, afraid. Then it was gone when Mia pressed a button on her omnitool, activating the various buildings that she had set up over the city.

One of the buildings nearby shoots a beam of purple light into the sky, similar streaks shooting in concert with it over the city, each of them spreading outward until they formed a purple dome around the city. When the final speck of sky was covered by the violet light, the voice ceased its screaming.

Though, it did nothing to stop the rain or the two Legendary Pokemon from causing the Earth and Sea to war with each other.

Leviathan still tried it's squirming, trying to break free to no avail. Mia merely glared up at teh sky for a few more seconds, before turning her attention back to the creature in her hands, her singing flames increasing in intensity and sound.

"Regardless, nothing that you do is going to stop what comes next you winged cunt. Not when whatever little chess piece that you set into play has been taken off the board. I'm going to make sure that Noelle lives a long and happy life instead of the hell that you have given her." And without another word, Mia lifts a flaming orange fist and plunges it into Leviathan's chest, the remnants of flesh broken away with ease as the Flames harmonize with layers and disrupted by her magic and strength.

The man then takes out a cigar, sticks it in his mouth, and lights the end with a lighter. Taking a sweet, sweet, puff from the Cuban cigar as Mia retracts her arm, a single orb the size of a baseball in her hand.

It glowed with an otherworldly light, and he could practically feel the power that was held within that core. The body that the power source had been connected to goes limp, the skeletal puppet ceasing in its regeneration, as the rain let up and the water ceased to attack them.

Mia stares at the core, her eyes glowing with power and satisfaction as she utters. "Jackpot."

Napoleon chuckles to himself while Alexandria just stares at the scene with her mouth hanging open. Jackpot indeed.

The world was still a deluge of chaos, the two Creation Pokemon doing their best to kill each other, uncaring for reality around them as the continents trembled and the oceans rage.

And yet, he couldn't help but victory in his heart. Or perhaps that was just what he was feeling from his connection to Mia. His lips spread into a gentler smile as he felt the Wrath that had coursing through her very soul recede back to the recesses of wherever it went. It was never gone, always at the back of her mind, and therefore his.

But for now, he just basked in that warmth that he fought for as another being appeared next to Mia, who passed the embodiment of the Earth and Humanity the orb that contained the real Leviathan.

During all of this, up past the skies and the orbit of the Earth, while two titans collided for no other reason than because they hated each other, light shined upon the Earth.

The light of dreams and hopes that were so close to what Napoleon held near and dear to his heart. The spirit of humanity that dared to do the one thing that it had grown so afraid to do.

To dream of something beyond this orb of blue and green.

--

Gaia

She had waited for this moment.

To hold this core of power in her hands. To take away the reason why she and her mother did not just kill the rest of these creatures the moment that they could.

With a smile on her face, anger and satisfaction in her heart, a turn of phrase that she found she enjoyed, she touched the orb in her hand with her soul.

It wasn't unlocking an Aura, but instead, reaching deeper into the connection that this simple orb had with its fellow superweapons. A simple application that she had long since learned from unlocking so many Auras in Shards and her children. Although, she doubted that any being other than her could have easily come up with this method.

And through the connection, she could feel… there they were.

Stores of power, for 20 other superweapons, each of them completely and utterly dormant until they were needed. Whether that meant another Endbringer had to die, or the Simurgh waking them up, Gaia didn't know. Not like it would matter.

With a smile and sheer vengeful glee, she takes hold of that connection-

-and completely drains it dry.

How many versions of planets did it take to power all of this? How many lives and civilizations rendered into nothing more than lab rats on their doomed worlds were sacrificed for all of this power?

She could do so much with all of it, she felt like she was bursting at the seams in her new body.

With a struggle, she siphons off the power and energy as the core turns to dust, relegating it towards her many other instances of worlds, beginning to induce some of the changes that have been occurring on Earth Bet there as well.

Being connected to the source of power for every Eden shard, along with the Endbringers, was a task above taking a single shard. Even with her 'soul' being connected to the very depths of the orb. Perhaps the Simurgh itself was providing whatever futile resistance that it could muster against her.

Some of them were barren wastelands that had never truly known life, others had never seen humans or primates walk across the face of her crust.

And others still were hell holes compared to Earth Bet. Only, the Entities had nothing to do with it.

Truly, Humanity was capable of great and terrible things.

Worlds that had been stuck in the Dark Ages, others where the worst possible occurrences in History were marked forever in their timelines, and others with Empires forever trapped in suffering.

While on others, there were people that genuinely did their best to achieve good. They faltered, they failed, but they tried. And it was in those worlds that Gaia felt she saw the good that Humanity can bring.

What Mia taught her and showed her to look for.

They would try, they would fail, but they would get back up and try again anyway.

Now, to see just how much of a little push she could give to those worlds.

Gaia looks up, concentrating part of her consciousness on distributing her gifts across her many other worlds while doing the same to Mars.

The formerly dead planet had its own need of cultivation, both in magic and the mundanity of science.

And then, she closed her eyes as the countless souls and shards that were connected to these damn things were finally truly hers. Innumerable, uncountable memories of the shards' previous hosts flooded into her, freed from their prisons that they had been trapped in for so many years.

Many of them would have gone mad if they hadn't been diluted into mere data, their memories trapped in stasis. She wasn't even sure if they were even the original hosts, or just copies of them.

But that didn't really matter, did it?

They were hers now, just as much as Humanity was.

Perhaps they would walk her soil like Humans did.

But they could rest now, put to sleep instead of simply being nothing but Data for these damn shards to use for reference when they came into an issue that they couldn't out think their way out of.

She doesn't even try to hide the savage smile that spreads across her face as she sees that every shard that she had taken was 'dead', the intelligence in them gone. No doubt they died when the other Entity, the Thinker, was killed by Fortuna.

Meaning that she had no need to worry about having to reap any of the millions of billions of Shards that were now under her control, and the Earths' that they had taken away from her, were now hers once again.

The gamble and plan had more than paid off.

It was just unfortunate that the plan weighed heavily upon her mother's shoulders, and there was nothing that Gaia could do to ease her conscience.

That was something that only time and Mia's loved ones could heal.

And Gaia raises her head as shining light streaked across the sky, smiling as she feels the light of dreams and hopes that had once been withered away into nothingness, fly through the skies.

With a smile, she drops the ashen remains of the core, raises her face, and closes her eyes as she basks in the warmth from the little probe that had left her surface over three decades ago.

She guessed that this body qualified enough as 'human' for her to feel this way as well.

How fascinating.

--

Voyager

There was a comforting sadness that he felt whenever he ventured into space. Having the beauty of Earth right in front of him did nothing to diminish this either, his heart feeling with nostalgic loss as he remembered the last time that he had seen the planet before his cameras had finally lost their functionality.

He could still feel his real body so far away from here. Traveling out towards the great unknown of this solar system, the mystery of the unknown just at his fingertips. It would still be years before his real body reached that point, a little over a decade if his calculations were correct.

And he would never be able to come back home again. Not really.

He could ask Mia. She would be able to find him. He knew that she could.

Which is why he never would.

Though he wished upon wish that he could go back home to humanity, his creators, he knew that he had a mission that he had to accomplish. Something that only he could do.

Explore and see what was beyond the veil of space. To explore and bring the light of hope that Humanity so desperately clung to. Something that he would never give up. Not even if it meant that his real body would never see another human again.

Or perhaps, one day, in the distant future, if fate is willing, he would be there to greet them when they finally made it past the stars.

He could hope.

The beeping from the communicator attached to his omnitool brings the young space probe out of his musings, just as he felt the prana from Mia hit a level that he had never felt before.

His spirit origin ascended beyond his current level, and when the light died away to the emptiness of space he could feel his outfit had changed.

Gone was the simple robe that he had worn, replaced by a large space suit with poofy hips and planets adorned on along the legs of the outfit.

Draped over his chest was a bomber jacket with the NASA symbol stamped over the right chest of the jacket. The image conjures early memories from the young Heroic Spirit, his hand lightly brushing over the picture as he remembers those early days when he was barely more than an idea on a set of blueprints.

He remembers those hopeful cherished dreams that each of those scientists held in their hearts as they toiled away at his creation. The hope that one day, alien life and the sight of planets beyond their solar system would be within their reach.

He smiled again, closing his eyes in memoriam, lifting them up to stare at the single dot that hungover on the fringes of the planet's orbit, the winged creature beginning to move and descend towards the North American Continent.

"No. There has been enough death down there today. There has been enough death since you appeared over this world." His voice never rises over his usual tone, his cadence never trembled, but he couldn't help the spout of anger that blossomed in his chest. He didn't like it. Made him feel… wrong.

He preferred it when he could feel like smiling.

So he would.

He never had a chance to try it till now, but as Mia said, no time like the present right?

He brings his hands together, closes his eyes, and focuses on those emotions that he had been feeling before. The memories of the hopes and dreams that he had inherited. All of the people that had been there to see him off. Those that were no longer on the Earth, others that had managed to survive up to this point only for those dreams that they held to wither away in the hopelessness that had come with Scion and the Endbringers.

Dreams that still remained within him, just as strong as they had been that day when he left the orbit of this planet.

"I guide the hopes and dreams of Humanity.

Let's bring them to the sea of distant Stars."

Hands clasped together in front of his chest, eyes closed, he could feel that oh so familiar glow exude from deep within him. Something that was with him, and would be a part of him until the day that he broke down.

But not a single moment before he made sure to see the countless worlds that waited for him out in space. Not before he did what he was created to do,

And he wasn't going to let this creature keep drowning the Humanity that he loved in hopelessness and despair. Not if he had anything to say about it.

He could practically see the planets of the solar system pass him by through his closed eyes as the light increased in brightness, shining as bright as the sun. Past Mars, past Jupiter, past Saturn, and farther until Pluto passed him by. Nothing after that. Only the emptiness of space and the promise that what came after would be a complete and utter mystery.

Something that would take humanity so many years to reach.

They would get there eventually. He knew that they would.

And until then he would wait for them.

That in itself made him smile at the blue and green orb in front of him, his mind focused on the six billion human beings that lived on that planet. Just like he had twenty-one years ago when he had last seen them with his real eyes.

" Someday we will reach that destination."

The culmination of his journey and the history that he held within, the golden disk that served as his scarf, ballooned out and out as he traveled farther and farther away.

"Pale Blue Dot."

With those three words, that one image, that of a single speck amidst a void of blackness shone in his mind as the light grew to a blinding degree and he released it onto the world.

Back to those that had given it to him in the first place, rendering the world back to what it once had been.

A domain for humans, not for the Entities that would usurp it.

Opening his eyes, he saw as that feathered speck disappeared, gone with the light of dreams and wishes.

And again, he smiled.

--

Opportunity

Even so far below the Earth, he could feel Voyagers warmth seep into his very being. Even with his Spirit Origin having been pushed past the point that he had imagined, the strength that came from the blond boy's Noble Phantasm made him reach new levels of strength.

The fact that he wasn't solely Opportunity wouldn't take that away.

He forced his form to remain the same, not allowing the true strength that remained chained in his Spirit Core to make its way into the world. He had sworn that he would live as Opportunity and not who he really was. His friend didn't have the power or time to manifest as himself, not even with the coalescence of his legend to have been cemented in history with the first city on the red planet.

He remained in his simple robes, the necklace around his neck the only indication of who he really was.

Although, his personality was all Opportunity, his mind was the friend that the little rover had made.

He wished to give his friend a taste of life, to see the world that had created him and left him alone on a planet of dust and sand. The little robot that had functioned years past the time that it should have lived, and traveled leagues beyond what it had been built for.

Even if the rover had never been created, let alone sent to the other worlds, there was a single human alive that knew it had roamed alone on the sands of Mars. That knew he was still up there, alone, traveling and gathering information for the humans back home, waiting for the day that they would set foot on the planet and pick him up.

Her naming the first city on the red planet had merely sealed the deal as it were.

More than that, he was not a Servant that was based on the data that Gaia had obtained from the… other world that she had connected. No, he was something that belonged solely to this world, a world that had a different history, and no Mystery until Gaia had 'woken up'

He still didn't understand why Gaia hadn't spoken a word about it to Mia yet, but he wasn't going to question the issue. He knew better than to do that to the being that could disperse his manifestation.

Meaning that these parasites and weapons that had slowly choked the world into its current state was more… personal for Opportunity. Meaning that it was just as personal to him.

His friend's woes were his woes. His dreams his own, along with his strengths.

And so, he would fight as Opportunity, not who he really was.

Which is why he was driving this drill through the Earth, eyes focused on sensors that were trained on a heat signature just 'ahead' of them. And it was getting hotter by the second.

"..Oh shit." The man next to him mumbled to himself while the bright red flame on his ring flickered unconsciously. Truly, an interesting ability that he could not use.

After all, the dead had no right to the Wills of the living.

"What's wrong?" He asked with a childish voice that did not match the mind that he held on the inside.

The dark-haired former ABB member looks over to him, his helmet currently sitting on top of the dashboard, with weary eyes. "We're digging straight down towards the thing that could probably make the planet explode if it wanted to." That would probably infuriate Gaia and Mia. They couldn't have that. "On something that you and a bunch of those midgets-"

"SQUATS!" The short men shouted behind the door separating the control room and the cargo hold, their voices irritated, but not enough to hold a Grudge over it.

"Whatever!" Johnny throws over his shoulder, the Flame on his ring dying out. "Something that you all built in Mia's backyard that looks more like fucked up scrap welded together. Why didn't you all just have the Boss make it? Pretty sure that she can make anything look good."

Opportunity frowns a little bit at that. "Does it really look that bad?" He rather thought that it was decent for a rushed job. And the Squats had helped so much. Opportunity might be a Servant with a penchant for ground based vehicles, but that didn't mean that a few dozen hands in the building process wouldn't help.

"Eh, least it looks better than Squealers shit. Now that crap looks janky as shit." Opportunity isn't sure if that is supposed to be a compliment or not.

"There is no need to worry about that Sir John, we will make sure to keep you and the rest of the humans safe." Bedivere chimed in as he entered the control room, taking a seat behind them while the raucous noise from the Squats became muffled again as the door closed. Even when knowing that they were traveling towards a being that had killed millions, they still took the time to relish in some form of cheer.

Opportunity could understand why Mia had a soft spot for the short species.

"I already told you, I ain't no sir, and definitely no John. Just an asshole that likes a good fight." The young man protested from his chair, looking over to the white haired Saber with a glare.

The first and last knight of King Arthur merely gives him a smile and places both hands in his lap, his arm now a gleaming pure white with a robe slung over a shoulder like a cape. He cut quite a dashing figure. "Regardless, we should have no issues facing the beast. Not when we have everything that we will need."

Johnny merely scoffs from his seat. "Psh, you make it sound so easy."

The smile quickly disappears from Bedivere's face, like a storm suddenly being swept into the deserts of Mars. "No Johnny, it will be anything but easy. That, I can promise you."

--

And he had not been wrong about that.

"FUCK!" Johnny screamed inside of his armor as he barely dodged the concentrated magma thrown his way, the almost fifty-foot tall Endbringer opening its wide jagged mouth and roaring in the cavern that it had been residing in, the Earth trembling from the release of its power as it released constant waves of kinetic energy around them, trying to kill them all inside of their own suits.

As if Mia hadn't built each of them with Kinetic Barriers inside to minimize the damage. Didn't mean that everyone managed to survive unscathed.

"FIRE!" Opportunity heard the Squats scream from their own modified assault vehicles, many of them outfitted with a plethora of exotic ammunition that Mia had created for this day.

Mainly rounds coated in different Deathparation Flames.

Storm might be the most effective against the Endbringers Flesh, but Rain proved to be just as useful, the Tranquility weakening the layers of flesh across dimensions.

"I'm not going to let a single one hit any of you!" Opportunity said while he furiously turned the wheel, dodging and weaving each crackle of Lightning and Heat that the Herokiller threw their way. This was nothing compared to the wasteland that was Mars, especially not when he had something more to work with compared to his old body.

Behemoth roared again, the cavern shaking even more as the rounds and artillery impacted its body, each of them burrowing their way deeper and deeper into it, with a couple of them actually passing straight through its body.

And yet, none of this slowed down the giant beast, its single glowing eye constantly focused on Opportunity and his passengers. It knew that they were the greatest threat, even if it threw a few bolts of energy around towards the Squats that rode alongside them.

They wore the same bands that were distributed back in Brockton Bay, so they would have three chances before they were transported back to the mansion. Opportunity just hoped that they would all get back there in one piece.

Johnny fired shot after shot from the pistol at his side, the simple .45 reforged completely out of materials that Mia had obtained from the Forge, and forged together with other conceptual applications that she had picked up through her various stars.

Right now, it was merely a gun that fired off bullets that used Johnny's Flames as ammunition. But Mia had said that it was… tied to him. Whatever that would mean.

She did the same for some of the other weapons that she had created for the rest of the group, like Leonardo's staff or Taylor's wires.

Even Mia didn't know what they could become, only that they would be shaped by the people that they were bonded with.

The part of him that wasn't Opportunity couldn't help but be excited at what they would look like. How would these soldiers in training become shaped in the fires of war? What would these weapons become with time and experience?

He selfishly wished to see this. Even if Opportunity had no real care to. He was a Spirit of travel and building, the sights that he had seen fueling the question that had so desperately been ingrained in the people of other Earths. Would they be able to make the fourth planet from the Sun their home?

War and Battle was the farthest thing from the Little Rover's mind when it came to living. Which is why his curiosity in how these humans would progress as warriors would be his shame and pride. Because it is the only thing that he could claim was truly his and not his friends.

"Remember men, don't get too close to that overgrown rock monster! Not if you don't want to die from radiation poisoning or whatever other grog shit that it uses for its death radius!" One of the older grey bearded Squats bellows over the radio just as another round of heavy Storm artillery is shot from one of the many modified Cyclops' that Mia had helped with.

"EAT SHIT YOU ASSWIPE!" The young boy heard from above them, seeing Lindsay shooting round after round of Storm flames from the rotating guns that were attached to her armors shoulders, somehow managing not to burn away from the heat.

It was probably a good thing that she hadn't resorted to her bombs yet. Not when they were of a cavern that was already shaking and crumbling around them, adding yet another thing that Opportunity had to dodge around as rubble and stone came tumbling down on top of their heads.

The constant fire from the Storm rounds was enough to cease Behemoth's roar, new holes being formed in its body faster than it could regenerate. Even with the regeneration, the Disintegration was a totality that could not be undone, holes that were turned to ash taking longer to regrow than those caused by the Flames of Tranquility.

To which the Endbringer responded with a clap of its 'hands' the impact of the limbs sending out shockwaves that only made the Earth rumble even harder. Opportunity thought that he might have heard a few curses coming from the Earth here and there, but that might just be him hearing things.

"BRACE!" Yet, the call from the old Squat did little to help as the shockwave sent many of the speeding land vehicles off kilter, many strings and wisps of blue rising from the fallen and crushed vehicles.

Opportunity knew that there were at least a few that hadn't made it. He always knew whenever a soldier was lost in the midst of war.

He just hoped that Mia wouldn't take it too hard. The young Servant knew that there had been plenty of casualties over at Brockton Bay, even discounting the Slayers that had fallen.

"FUCK!" He heard Lindsay scream as her red barriers flashed, the thrusters on her hands and feet pushed to the maximum in an effort to find some form of control.

"Weave the Earth at my command, strike with the fury of stoic surface and foundation, STONERA!" Judith cried out from her own spot in the sky, blue light illuminating her form as the stone around them stopped in their fall, changing direction, zeroing in right at Behemoth, bursting into blue flames as the blond woman extended her ringed hand at them.

"Oh fuck yes!" Johnny yelled, firing his suit into the air, long since having learned to actually keep his balance, especially after his first night out with Tusk. He ignites the flame in his finger, pressing it down into the box that he pulled from his pocket space, the cube opening in a flash of red and white as the Storm Mammoth released a heroic trumpet.

Tusk raises his trunk, firing a stream of concentrated Storm flames alongside the flurry of Rain enhanced magic stones, heading to Behemoth at dizzying speeds.

The Endbringer responds by roaring once more, energy crackling along its body and skin, coalescing, crackling, and building up before it is released in a wave of pure heat, vaporizing the ground around it. as bits of Earth were broken down to nothing.

"Oh..." Opportunity says staring at the wave of energy that would probably kill every mortal here. Probably him as well, though he did not know how durable Bedivere would be against that.

The rocketing Stonera and blast of Storm meet the energy, and punch through, impacting the Herokiller along chest and head, some of the stones disintegrating when the flames died away, though a few managed to punch clean through its chest, the beast staring at the holes almost in shock.

This did nothing against the rest of the wave that came for them, the holes that Johnny and Judith created doing nothing to stop the rest of the Energy from coming towards them. Even while Johnny, Judith, Lindsay, and the Squats fired everything that they had, the wave kept coming, like an inevitability that they just hadn't accepted yet.

Opportunity stared at the coming wave, realizing that the humans and Squats would not survive this, and remembering just how much his Master cared for them. Each of them, even the Heroic Spirits that were nothing more than ghosts, and how she would react to the death of them. Any of them.

And Opportunity did not wish to come back to her with that news. Both sides of him were repulsed by the idea. And he looks inward, focusing on the seal that he kept on his Spirit Origin, beginning to undo the knots that he himself had woven.

"No." The single word, uttered with a voice of utmost refusal and determination echoed across the cavern so many miles underneath the Earth. "I will not let this happen. I will not merely stand here and watch as more innocents die. Never again."

He never spoke above a quiet tone, his voice angry yet somehow stoic in its rage, the white haired man's head rising and staring with cold green eyes at the thing that had killed so many heroes of the world. And Opportunity knew that he would not let it take another.

The Knight of the Round Table grips his metal arm with the flesh and blood one, shining white hand opening in a grip as if he held the world in his hands.

"Devour My Soul and Come Forward, o Silver Shooting Star"

He disappeared from next to the Space Rover, outrunning the Cyclops that Opportunity drove easily, meeting the wave of energy head on-

-and speeding right through it like it did nothing, using the shining metal arm like a sword to cleave through the blast, the wave dissipating in the face of the Noble Phantasm.

And it didn't end there.

Bedivere pushed past the strands of energy, right at the Endbringer, his hand raising in a chop like motion, the light from his arm reaching blinding levels, and Opportunity felt…

Victory from the light that Bedivere used.

"Dead End, Shot, Airgetlam, Excalibur!"

The light of Victory sliced clean through the fifty-foot tall Behemoth, the monster unleashing wave after wave of energy in a futile effort to kill the Servant that had killed it.

The small slice, no bigger than a few inches on one of its massive feet, soon spread higher and higher spreading all throughout, until it looked like Behemoth was going to simply crumble away.

And then, underneath the Earth, many miles where no human had ever reached, the light of Victory shined its brightest as the Hopekiller died.

--

Didi

She never liked the quiet after a battle. The haunting silence meant one side was victorious while the other suffered in defeat. Even if the victory had been one that she had been hoping for.

There were still people that she had been forced to take with her. Many of the lives that would have been lost anyway, but she knew that was a moot point anyway. More deaths, more people that could see her again for the second time in their lives.

None of them remembered their first meeting, but that was ok because she did. And that warmth was just enough for her to greet them with a smile.

And now, even with the gloom of the aftermath having settled in, she walked through the ruined streets of Brockton Bay, ignoring the battle that still raged as Groudon and Kyogre ducked it out, the trembling ground doing nothing to slow down her gait as her eyes surveyed the ruined cityscape.

It was truly a ghost town.

Though, she suspected that her friend would be able to fix it up in just a couple of weeks, especially now that those three weapons were no more.

Although, she knew that Mia would be dealing with other issues now that the anvil was no longer hanging over her head.

Didi wondered to herself how she was going to take what came next…

At least the Squats had moved on happily after seeing that their deaths were not in vain. It had been the first time many of them had shed tears. Even rarer, tears of joy.

She was glad that they would be remembered.

She believed that it would be enough for them.

Her thoughts drift back to those that hadn't been parahumans. The ones that hadn't suffered a traumatic event to gain their powers.

While they hadn't exactly been accepting of the hand that they had been dealt, they… did eventually take her hand willingly, almost happy and content knowing that Leviathan had been taken down, even if they weren't going to be there to see it.

Many of those that had been given power by Gaia were not originally destined to die, many of them actually would have survived the events that were to come.

But more people survived this battle than they originally would have. She wondered what her brother would think of all this? Probably intrigued with the prospect of something that he did not see coming. Or maybe even offended at that little nugget of fact.

The young looking goth being gave a little giggle at that, sidestepping as another building crumbled next to her, the rubble and dust just barely avoiding her shoes.

She pouts a little bit at the two Legendary Pokemon. Did they really have to make such a big ruckus every time that they saw each other?

A sigh escapes her lips. Oh well. Not like they were really her problem to deal with.

It doesn't take her long to make her walk through the city, finding Mia and her group all standing on a rooftop, staring as Groudon struck Kyogre with a claw, the Water Pokemon responding with a whirlpool of water that dipped the land just a little lower before receding back into the ocean.

"What the hell are we going to do about those?" Taylor finally asked underneath her helmet, exhaustion clear in her voice.

Not a surprise, given just how long she had spent charging her flames for that little stunt earlier.

"Krunter tried putting them to sleep with a simple spell but…" He trailed off, his eyes swiveling to the floor.

"Those two dumbasses just shrugged it off didn't they?" Mia voiced as Alexandria and Legend gave them baffled looks.

"Not a surprise really. I believe that it would have been more of a surprise if such a simple tactic had actually worked. No offense of course signore Krunter." Leonardo quickly added as the House elf turned a little red in embarrassment.

"You know what they are?" Legend asked, his hidden eyes looking over at the battling creatures.

"Yeah, Legendary Pokemon that created the continents and oceans on their world. Don't really know how the hell they started forming here. Have to figure that part out after we get everything here situated. Least as situated as we can get." She mumbles the last part to herself.

"They have to be put down before their destruction gets any worse. We don't know how many they took down when they first appeared here." Alexandria ground out, her mouth a thin line as she began to rise into the air.

"No one has died from their little battle. At least not yet." Didi finally spoke up, allowing her presence to be known to everyone there.

The results are as expected. Alexandria raises a fist, ready to fly into her, while Legend lights up with energy, and Mia readies her own flames to attack before quickly sighing in relief when she sees that it's her.

The Servants as always, give her a wary look, even the Goddess of the Sun. Not a surprise of course. Even Gaia tried to avoid her.

"Who ar-"

"She's a friend." Mia quickly said, waving off the demand from Alexandria.

Unlike most people that knew who she was, Mia gave her a welcoming smile. One that Didi reciprocated.

Even if it pained her knowing what was to come.

"Any advice on how we're going to deal with those two idiots?" Mia asked her with a raised eyebrow, to which Didi just responded with a chuckle.

"I'm sure that they would just tire each other out eventually." Mia gives a laugh at that, gruff, but not rude.

"Pretty sure that we would end up with either a few raised sea levels, or new continents. Two things that I don't think would be a good thing for the rest of the planet. Seriously, how the hell did Gaia think that this was a good idea." Mia mumbled to herself while Legend and Alexandria exchanged glances that Mia missed.

Didn't mean that Mia didn't notice the emotions that they were feeling though.

"Oh, I think that you would be surprised." She gave Mia an enigmatic smile at that, while pointing up towards the sky, the light from Voyager finally dying away.

Mia frowns staring up at the sky, her expression confused at what she was supposed to be seeing.

Didi knows that she sees what she was pointing at, because Mia releases a hiss. "Fuck me!"

Everyone else joins in, Napoleon and Quetzalcoatl both wincing when they spot what Mia had seen.

It took a few more seconds before the rest of the group managed to spot the approaching figure. The long elongated creatures that flew up and down, flowing through the sky like it was swimming through the ocean, the yellow circles connected by thin lines that stretched all across its body. Its head was crowned by two elongated horns, its red mouth a maw of teeth, and yellow glowing eyes that were promptly zeroed in on its siblings.

"...Is that a fucking dragon?" Taylor finally asked, flinching when she realized that she had just cursed, a rarity for her.

"Urgh, of course, he's here!" Mia shouted at the sky as the Dragon passed them all by, the wind billowing at their clothes as it didn't even give them a glance, each of the mortals uneasy and jumpy at the impossible sight that was before them.

As Rayquaza met with its siblings, firing off a beam of energy that caught the two of them off guard, Didi stepped next to Mia and tapped her shoulder.

Mia turns her head, one rabbit ear dropping down a little lower. "Whose going to die?"

Didi not smiling or laughing immediately garners Mia's attention as explosions rock the Earth, both from below the Earth, and from the Creation Trio fighting each other.

"Hopefully no one. But it might be best if you brace yourself."

Mia's elven ears twitch at that. "Brace myself for what?"

"For that last node to connect." Didi answers gently, and Mia barely has time to throw herself into the air, her wings flapping as fast she can take them, boots and gauntlets releasing repulsor thrusters to give her even more speed.

She barely makes it a few hundred feet before Didi knows the Forge connects again, and the final node from a cluster connects.

Mia stops in the air, hanging there, the world going still for a single moment as her friends stare up in confusion, and Didi disappears from the presence of the rest.

Then the world is drowned out in a horrifying screech as memories come crashing into Mia, reality shaking and twisting as her Wrath takes hold.

Mia/???

It was always… refreshing after a battle. One of the only times when I could just let loose all of the Wrath that I carried inside of me. The only time when I truly felt alive, being submerged in the constant thrill and near mindlessness of just allowing it to bear its head.

A departure from the norm. From having to keep my reflexes and instincts caged inside, never allowing any of it out for fear of hurting any of the Mortals or those weaker than us.

At least I was better off than my hotheaded brother. He rarely ever kept himself in check.

Ah, speak of the devil…

"You really need to learn not to just throw yourself into danger without thinking Asura." She called out to the large white haired man, who turned to her with a glare on his face.

"And you need to mind your own business." I can hear the threat in my white haired twin as his brown eyes glared at me. To which I just respond with a cheeky grin.

"We both know that isn't going to happen. Really Azzy, if I kept my mouth shut, there would be no one left in the world to keep you in line whenever your blood starts to heat. Besides your lovely wife, of course." This time he actually scoffs at me.

"Please, you're the last one that can talk to me about losing my head. Remember the first time that we met Augus?"

"He had that punch coming and we both know it!" I quickly hiss out, feeling my eyes go white for a split second. "Fucking pervert needed to learn that he can't just grope any woman that passes!"

"To which, he punched you through a mountain." Asura glibly responds, not denying what I had said.

"Please, how many times has he done the same to you?" Of course, he just glares at me at that.

"If you are done wasting my time with your nagging, I have places to be." My older brother turns around, his steps heavy in the elaborate hallways of the palace that we were in, his metallic bare feet giving each step a slight chime to it.

"Give Durga and Mithra my love!" He scoffs but doesn't slow in his gait as he walks further away from me.

"It's always odd whenever you speak on things of love." I can just make out his mumble as he turns the corner out of my gaze.

He wasn't wrong about that. Being in tune with my emotions… was never an easy thing. Something that my brother and I seemed to share.

And yet, somehow ha managed to find himself a wife that was way too good for him, and an adorable daughter that I loved dearly. Two things that I never thought that he would find. Not with that temper of his.

Anything that wasn't fighting was simply… not something that we were good at.

I let out a sigh. I wonder if I would ever find something like that?

The soft tapping of light footsteps catches my attention, eyes narrowed before they soften and feel a much gentler smile spread across my face. One of the only two people that could calm me enough where I felt… normal. She tended to have that effect on her father too, somehow.

Mantra tended to calm and soothe around her presence.

"Now Mithra, what would your mother say to her daughter sneaking around like a little thief?" I call out to the hallway, one of the many fanciful pieces of furniture, a statue that i never really liked, shakes with a little squeak.

After a few seconds, the young dark haired woman slinks out of her hiding place, quickly straightening herself up to a stature befitting a priestess. Not a single strand of her straight hair out of place, along with her priestess robes completely immaculate, giving her an almost divine air. Didn't do anything to hide the little pink in her cheeks at being caught.

"I do not slink." She says with embarrassment, sending me a glare along with it.

I can't help the smile and giggle that escapes my throat, ruffling her hair when she gets closer. Of course, she doesn't appreciate it, a displeased frown on her lips.

"You used to love it when we ruffled your hair."

"I am no longer a child, auntie." At least she still called me aunty. I'll take what I could get.

"You'll always be my adorable little niece. You know that." Her eyes stay a glare, but her cheeks get a little redder in embarrassment. She never dealt well with affection from others, she tended to get that from her father.

That fool never really understood how to deal with anything that wasn't his default of angry.

"How is he?" She asked, ignoring my teasing and staring after where her father had walked off towards. The worry was as plain to see on her face as a clear sky.

"A little bruised, slightly singed, and irritated, but mostly fine. Asura is too stubborn to get killed by anything that the Gohma could throw at him." Honestly, I was willing to bet that he was stubborn enough to survive most things.

And if not, he would just come crawling out of death to beat whatever had killed him to death. He'd find a way after smashing his head and fists into the problem long enough.

Mithra doesn't look convinced yet, but she does reluctantly nod and give me a small smile. "And yourself, Aunt Kali?"

I smile at her, a calm one instead of the battle hungry one that I usually wore, and give her shoulder a little squeeze, afraid of hurting her if I put too much strength into it.

"Look at me, little one, I'm fine aren't I?" I ask her, spreading my hands outward, gesturing to myself wearing new robes that did little to hide my arms and legs. Which was fine, because the Gohma had landed a blow to my back, which was quite conveniently covered.

She looks at me suspiciously but eventually decides to let it go.

"I am glad that you are both safe after battling with the Gohma, Aunt Kali. The last battle was so… loud this time."

Being able to read Mantra and the effect that the Gohma had on the world was expected with her ability to enhance and direct it towards us on the battlefield. Her being able to sense the hatred that those wicked things had all the way from where she had been situated, leading the prayers of mortals along with the Mantra that each of them gave was… alarming.

The battle had taken place so far above the planet, and she had been able to sense the entirety of it, apparently. Though, her feeling the Gohma that had sprouted from the planet towards the end was to be expected.

Still, guess that there was truth to the words that some in the Imperial Army had been whispering. That Mithra was a prodigy amongst prodigies. One in a billion amongst the entirety of our society with the capability to enhance Mantra beyond anything that we could attain ourselves.

I despised that she was even needed in the first place. That we were cursed to forever fight in a war with the Gohma in their task to harvest the souls of mortals and ourselves.

Unfortunately, that was the price that we had to pay.

But that would be all. I would die before I let anything happen to Mithra, before I let anything happen to those that I cherished. Yes, even that bullheaded Asura.

I push those somber thoughts away when I notice the worried look that Mithra throws my way, and brighten up my smile a tad.

Without further ado, I give my young niece a hug while guiding her towards the direction that her father had rumbled away to.

"Enough with those sour thoughts, let's go and drop you off with your father. Maybe you can knock some sense into him." He always seemed to calm with only a few words from her after all.

--

How much I wish that I could go back to those blissful moments after the battle. Victorious after their tussle with the Gohma, teasing that muscle headed Asura like I had my whole life. Heading to my little hide away cottage in the mountains that no one knew about except for me.

A place that was mine alone when I just needed to get away from everyone else for a little while.

And then I came back to the city in absolute chaos. And treachery on every lip that she heard.

"Asura of the Eight Guardian Generals has murdered the Emperor."

My brother might be a raging idiot, a fool that never knew when to keep his temper in check, but he was no traitor. Never that. He was too stubborn that somehow turned into loyalty to even think of betraying any of them, let alone the Emperor.

And then the Imperial Guards had seen me and swarmed at me like flies on fruit. No warning, no declaration that I turn herself in, only immediate intent to end my life.

I'd killed them with very little reluctance, my eyes glowing pure white as red flames leaked from my body.

I moved through the Imperial Capital, ignoring the many wounds that the guards had left behind as I slaughtered my way forward, fear for what I would find turning into more Wrath that made me burn brighter and brighter.

Asura could take care of himself, I was heading to those that couldn't fight for themselves. The only other family that I had left.

And felt my heart shatter into nothingness as I found Durga's lifeless body on the floor, the blood on her torso fresh as her face held one last wonderful smile. The smile that was reserved for only one man in the world.

What happened?

Where was Asura, and Mithra? Why was this happening? Who framed my brother for this?

Where were the ones that I was going to kill slowly with my bare hands?

I don't remember much after that. There was a lot of screaming. A lot of it mine. Most of it the soon to be corpses of the guards that were trying to kill me. Some I left alive, yelling incoherently on the floor, their limbs in pieces around them as I continued on my onslaught of the city.

More wounds, more spears that were skewered into my body as I mowed down league after league of soldiers that just wouldn't get out of my way.

I didn't care.

I would have blood for what they did.

The only thing that knocked me out of my rampage was when I felt the swelling and climax of Wrath, one so much stronger than my own, one just as outraged as mine was. Only for it to be snuffed out, fading away in seconds, up high above the planet.

And my Wrath only grew as I flew through the air, my target known to me.

The haze that clouded my mind let up as I arrived at the station so far above the Earth. Lifting just enough to see the scene that played out before me.

To see a speck falling towards the Earth in Flames as my niece was frozen in a pod, her face full of sorrow and desperation as the freezing took effect. And in front of her, were my brother's so called 'comrades'.

But my eyes were focused on only one amongst these backstabbers.

I stared at the tall man in blue robes that wore a half mask over his face, concealing his eyes.

I could feel the melancholy that dripped from him, radiating the world just like the rest of the Generals own sins did. And yet, he did nothing. He did nothing to save my brother who was beyond my reach.

He did nothing to free his niece from her frozen prison. He did nothing to make these murderers pay for killing his own sister!

And he did nothing as I screamed in rage, barreling straight towards them, my Mandala sparking to life behind me as I came down upon them like a comet did from the sky.

And all I felt was black lightning strike me from the sky as Deus stared at me with a stoic expression.

I didn't tremble. I didn't hesitate as I reached behind myself and ripped one of the many lances out, ignoring the burning pain, spun it in my hand, and hurled it straight at Deus' face. He merely smacked it from the air, his lightning still coursing through my body as he stared at me with impassive eyes.

As if what he was doing wasn't spitting in the face of years of fighting a war together. Of countless battles that we had shed blood together in.

The rest of my brother's 'Eight Guardian Generals', merely watched the proceedings, none of them even reacting to what should be an act of treason. The only ones that weren't wearing an impassive gaze, were Sergei, the prissy narcissist looking upon the scene… with pleasure, a disgusting smile on his face.

Not a surprise, the pissant had always been a rather disturbed creature.

The one I focused on was Yasha. The worst of the lot. The man that stood with those that murdered his sister and brother-in-law, while his own niece floated frozen had the gall to look… guilty as Deus continued to send untold amounts of black lightning into my body.

It was enough to make my mind go blanker, the Wrath completely dulling the pain that overwhelmed my sense.

How DARE HE? How dare he stand there and have the gall to look apologetic? To pretend like there was a shred of guilt in his soul after everything that happened.

I could feel as Mantra flooded through my body, fueled by the Wrath that swelled and erupted from me, dispersing the black lightning, and managing to knock off Deus' concentration. But I don't give the General of Pride another glance.

No, the target of my Wrath was all at the way at the back, in front of the only living person that I still drew breath for.

I knew that I wouldn't be able to save Mithra. I knew that even if I did, we would be hunted for the rest of our existence. And no matter how angry I was, believing that I could kill everyone in this room was but a fleeting fantasy.

But I could at least kill that worthless sad man.

I shoot forward, propelled with a burst of hot red Mantra, two bloody spears that I had taken from my back, blades pointed forward as I screamed with every single ounce of Wrath that flowed within me. "YAAAASHAAAA!"

The golden blades soar through in my grip, points aimed for his throat, nothing but his murder on my mind.

I was so lost in Wrath, that I never felt it when another bolt of lightning impacts me, my body still in the middle of its flight onward, unimpeded by the acts of Deus to defend his former protege.

So lost was I in my Sin, that I never even noticed when I died, the spears mere inches from Yasha's throat as my body finally succumbed to the many wounds that I had inflicted on my way through the city.

My Wrath burned even in death, even past the feeling of being scooped up and taken towards something that glowed like many stars in a void bound sky.

My Wrath burned, and the name on my lips echoed on.

—

"YASHA!"

I screamed, outraged into the world, completely oblivious to the world around me, memories and emotions drowned by the Wrath in my heart as red flames burned anew around me.

--

Taylor

She thought that the worst had passed. That the terror she had been feeling as Leviathan tried to drown her home around her in a tidal wave of constant rain, while capes and Squats threw themselves at it in an attempt to kill it.

The fear that she had felt in her heart, that caused the bugs that she controlled around her to buzz uncontrollably, moving erratically even as she commanded them. Feeling that her dad had been out there, somehow being able to swim through the torrents of water like a fish, hadn't helped things. But he was alive.

He was alive, as were so many people that the bands had managed to save. That Mia has managed to save.

Though, not all of them had made it out alive. There were plenty of corpses littered around the ruined city, and she could still hear the three giant monsters that battled it out, ignoring them all.

While weird, she was happy that her friends had managed to survive. A sort of 'high' rushing through her as she still felt the effects that the warm bright light that had come from the sky seeped into her very bones.

It felt… she didn't know what it had felt like. It was something so new and strange that she had no real frame of reference for it. The best that she could come up with, was… true and utter hope. Hopes and dreams that reminded her of a simple time. Of happier times.

Of times when her mother had still been alive and the world felt right and hopeful. That she could be a real Hero, that her dreams were real.

She hadn't felt that way in so many years, and it had taken everything for her not to break down then and there.

Only for that feeling to be taken away when Mia rose into the sky, red angry flames leaking from her body as she just… screamed and screamed. Like an angry beast that was in pain. The sound of it was enough to make Taylor sick.

Mia, strong, headstrong, and sometimes very annoying Mia, never screamed like that. Like… she was being tortured from the inside out.

She watches through one of the cameras that she was attached to through her omni-tool, probably the one connected to Leo's suit, as Mia's form… changed.

Her skin turned a rough metallic form, craggy but retaining the same skin tone as her clothes shined and changed. Gone was the armor that she had been wearing, replaced by opulent red white, and black robes, embroidered with elaborate lines of gold reminiscent of flames that hugged Mia's body, exposing some of the metal skin underneath, with lines running through her arms. As if her body was made up of individual parts that had been put together. On her face, lines that looked like rays of sun stretched from the corners of her eyes all the way down to her face, as if framing it.

That was only where the changes started.

The first glaring change, were the two extra arms that sprouted from her torso, shining a gleaming silver in the bright light of the sun as her head raged upwards, her eyes a terrifying white like empty spaces.

Her sword was gone, as were the gauntlets that had been around her arms. Instead, they were now the same silver as the extra ones that had appeared on her torso, all four of her fists clenched as she continued to scream to the sky.

"I DON'T CARE HOW LONG I HAVE TO FIGHT! I DON'T CARE HOW MANY PEOPLE I HAVE TO KILL! I WILL FIND YOU YASHA! EVEN IF I MUST BURN THE ENTIRE EMPIRE DOWN TO THE GROUND!" Taylor had no idea what she was talking about, but there was one thing clear.

That wasn't Mia. It couldn't be Mia. Mia would never, ever say things like that. Not for a single thing. She believed that in her heart.

Taylor blinks as something appears underneath Mia's form. It looked like… a name plate. Like something that you would expect in some movie where they were introducing someone new into the story, but didn't want to waste any more time on it.

And written on the nameplate, in rough stylized letters, was a name that made Taylor's stomach clench...

Mia Kali Itzel Tesla

Mother of the Earth, Incarnation of Wrath, Bringer of Change

She knew that she should be focused on her friend right now, but she couldn't help but wonder what kind of power would give her a title card like that.

The thought lasted only for a moment. Just one before Taylor felt… something in the air through her bugs.

It wasn't something that she could properly put into words, something that tended to happen with some of the stranger things that happened around Mia. Magic.

But this felt… different. It felt like the very air around the screaming woman was burning up, shaking down to the smallest atom that made fear spike through her chest.

"MIA what's going on-" Leo didn't finish his question. Air became displaced as red energy crackled around Mia's form as she burst towards Leonardo, her fist mere inches from his face, the Italian man not even having a chance to react.

Before the metal fist could impact his skull, a gold red, and green shield intercepts the fist, echoing with a loud clang across the city. Quetzalcoatl stands in front of Leonardo, her shield raised and eyes narrowed into a glare, her irises slits, like that of a snake.

Instead of reacting to her friend stopping her punch, Mia merely raises the three other first's up and hammers them even harder into the shield, forcing the Rider to take a few steps back from the force.

"You have flee nino!" Quetzalcoatl yells while struggling against the constant pounding of flaming metal blows that came from Mia, the air growing hotter and hotter by the second. "She isn't in her right mind! Nothing that you say to her is going to make her listen!"

Another bestial roar comes out of Mia, her white eyes filled with nothing but rage as she did something that she had never done before.

She broke through the Sun Goddess' shield, landing a solid blow to her face, sending her flying. The white haired woman completely ignored the man in front of her, taking off towards the limp form of Quetzalcoatl, quickly catching up to her in midair. Before she could land another blow, a cannonball slammed into her head, sending her careening off course into rubble that used to be a building.

"Leo, move!" Taylor shouts into her comms' forcing her flames back to life, untold number of threads moving with newfound strength twisting and turning in the air.

Leonardo finally started to flee, his body carried by Aura and magic as he kept the blue flames alive at the top of his staff.

Krunter had decided to teleport to Mia, handheld out in an open palm, Green Lightning sparking on the magical hold that he held on a struggling Mia in the rubble.

"Mistress, please come to your senses!" He pleaded, to which Mia merely replied with a snarl as her fists broke through the magical barrier around her, Lightning Flames sputtering out into nothing. The house-elf manages to teleport away before the four metal fists cave his skull in.

Taylor wills her wires forward, the tendrils of flame and metal wrapping around Mia, lengthening and multiplying with every passing second. Every second is a struggle for Taylor. She had already spent so much energy on simply creating the wires and delaying Leviathan. Each passing second, she felt her body grow weaker, her limbs shaking even while she sat in the apartment's living room, one of the few buildings that hadn't been demolished during the earlier fights.

The bug controller isn't surprised when Mia rips through the wires like they were made out of paper. There were barely wisps of flames left on them after all.

It was getting harder and harder to keep an eye on Mia now. The area around her kept getting hotter, the flames around Mia seeming to choke the very world around her, the bugs under Taylor's control dying one by one.

Not like there was anything that they could do against Mia. Her body was made entirely of something that felt like metal, not a single piece felt like it was biological on any level.

What kind of power had the Forge given Mia? What the hell could make her friend move around like some rabid animal that was trying to break the world around her?

Mia screamed at the silent city, fire raging around her, cracking the buildings closest to her that hadn't crumbled yet.

Taylor blinks once. Wait. Silent? There hadn't been any silence since Leviathan showed up, especially not when those giant Pokemon had showed up-

Taylor feels her blood go cold.

With a single thought, Taylor activates one of the gifts that Mia had given her. A bug that was installed with cameras and sensory biotech that Taylor could use more efficiently than any arthropod found in nature. About the size of a housefly that could move plenty faster and far more silently.

And Taylor only had a handful left under her control. When the surveillance insect flies up higher into the air, looking into the direction of where the giant dragon, dinosaur, and aquatic creature had been fighting she fears her breath trapped in her throat.

They were all staring right at Mia as she flew towards a regrouped Quetzalcoatl, entire streets worth of buildings swept away in her wake. The two that had been fighting each other until just a few moments ago, the dragon having come to stop the fighting she guessed, all had their gaze fixed on the rabbit-eared woman, their eyes holding gleams that did nothing to soothe Taylor's nerves.

When they all started to move towards Mia, mouths opened in roars, Taylor knew that this was only going to get worse.

"Everyone, those three Kaiju are starting to move towards Mia." Her voice was a lot calmer than she really was. She was a little proud that it didn't shake at all.

"Then it is a good thing that all of the capes evacuated already." Napoleon chimes in while the sounds of his cannon firing echo through their comms, the rounds slamming into Mia and managing to make her stumble. A bit, but at least it slowed her down.

Quetzalcoatl had managed to regroup and was engaging Mia, meeting her blow for blow, shockwaves echoing and reaching Taylor all the way to her hiding spot.

What could she do right now? She knew that staying here was the safest thing for her, but it was clear that anything that she did was useless. Her strength was sapped, but maybe she could do something with her Aura?

"I don't think that it would be a good idea." A deceptively calm voice said next to her, Taylor throwing her hand at the voice, purple wires slicing through the air.

They barely make it a centimeter forward before the air itself just… stops. Like the world was simply telling her no.

Gaia sat right next to her, molten eyes staring at her with something that Taylor had never seen in the time that she had known the embodiment of the Earth. Fear.

It was like seeing the same look in Mia's eyes.

"We're really fucked aren't we?" Taylor simply asks, the words foreign to her lips.

"Just a bit." Gaia tries to inject some teasing in her voice, but it comes out forced and stilted.

"Is there anything that you can do about Mia?" Taylor asks just as the Pokemon reach Mia, Kyogre shooting beams of blue water, while Groudon launches pillars of magma towards the rampaging woman.

"No. She is the one human being that I have no control over on this planet. After all, I came from her, just as much as I was always here." That still didn't make sense to Taylor, so she just clung to the fact that the literal consciousness of the planet was helpless to do anything about Mia.

Mia merely moves through the columns of molten core, her flaming fists dissolving the blast of water while she wrestles with the giant green dragon as Napoleon shoots cannonball after cannonball at Mia

The ground shook as if the entire world trembled at the sight before them. She didn't know if it had to do with Gaia shaking too or not.

"What the hell happened to her?" Taylor asked while moving her fingers, trying to loop the wires into rings around Mia's legs in an effort to slow her down. Mia didn't even glance at them as she punched the dragon downward while landing a rising flaming kick to Quetzalcoatl's head.

"Memories. Painful memories." Gaia says worriedly, like it would explain everything.

"Had to be pretty bad memories to make Mia go this ballistic." Taylor knew that Mia got memories from the Forge. She never went into detail about they were like, just that they were tied into knowing how to make more tinker tech and… magic.

"These are not simply memories on a career or path of technology. These are entire lives that she has lived in a different world and time. They are as much hers as they are not." Well that was cryptic, wasn't it?

Why did Mia have to keep so much to herself?

"Is that why she acts different?" Taylor asks while remembering how Mia had… changed after she had gotten the mansion. The way that her eyes looked harder, older than before. How she looked… sadder than before.

And now she was trying her best to destroy everything around her while promising some guy named Yasha that she would kill him with his own arms as clubs. All while surrounded by beings that could shake the earth and seas, as the Aztec goddess of the sun pummeled her with fists faster than Taylor could see, the sound of a cannon firing resounding in the distance.

All of her bugs were gone now. Besides, they had gone beyond her range of meaning that she couldn't even track them through that anyway.. She could follow, but she was pretty sure that Gaia wasn't going to let her.

"Yes, these aren't merely fragments, or fleeting memories. These are entire lifetimes where she has lived, loved, and died. Both of them having lived longer than she has." Gaia looks… worried about that. As if fearful that they would influence Mia too much.

Something that Taylor could very much understand. "Mia you fucking idiot. Why didn't you tell us?" She mutters to herself, as she watches Krunter throw out pulses of concentrated colored air at Mia, one of them making her stumble and fall long enough for Groudon to pound her with a flaming claw.

Her irate friend barely slows down, spinning in place, sending trails of flaming energy around her, sending her surrounding foes tumbling down.

"She didn't want to worry you all." Gaia said sadly, though, from the look in her eye, she probably agreed with Taylor.

"Fat load of good that it's doing us." Taylor tries not to sound bitter, but it was a useless thing. They had survived and killed an ENDBRINGER, and they couldn't even enjoy it. She knew that it was selfish, but she couldn't help herself with the reality of what was happening.

"On the bright side, no one's died since those three weapons were taken out. So that's a plus." A bubbly voice said next to them. The responses were… peculiar. Taylor merely lifted up another strand of razor wire on instinct. But Gaia was the more peculiar one.

She actually let out a shriek, disappearing to the other end of the room, her face a look of terror directed at the bubbly goth woman that was wearing her top hat for once, silver ankh shining on her neck.

Did merely gives them both a smile.

"You knew about this!" Gaia hisses at Didi, not moving a muscle to get closer.

"And you knew about those three adorable Pokemon waking up during this moment." Didi says back calmly, her black lips quirking up into a good-natured smile.

"Shouldn't you be more worried about Mia right now?" Taylor just barely manages to keep her voice from escalating into a panicked shout.

"Not really. She'll be fine. Worst that will happen is a bit more property damage, but most of those buildings are beyond repair anyway." She finishes her sentence to a chorus of earthquakes, roars, and explosions even farther away than before, the fight having left the sight of Taylor's super bugs.

Taylor very much doubted that it was going to be just 'a little more property damage'. The brunette was willing to bet that there was going to be quite a few craters and hills left in their wake after this.

It… hadn't really sunk in that there might not be much of a home left after all of this was over.

Now wasn't the time to let that sink in though.

"Is there anything that we can do?" Taylor asked, hating how… weak she sounded from that.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Leonardo completely has it under control." Didi waves a hand while smiling, taking Taylor's hand in her other one. Gaia gasps for some reason. "For now, just sit down and rest a little longer Taylor. You look like you're about to collapse."

Taylor tried to ignore the way that her body swayed, but knew that it was true. When had she even gotten up from her sitting position earlier?

Gaia narrows her eyes at Didi, but she does nod in agreement. "I believe that it was a good thing that Estrella had some manner of foresight for that."

Didi's smile never leaves her face as Taylor sits back down on the couch, the ceiling and floor easing just a bit from the tremors around them.

And a thought strikes Taylor, one that she's had before, but never voiced until now. "Didi, who are you?"

A thoughtful expression crosses Didi's face, as if wondering how best to answer the question without prompting even more. She just shrugs in the end, her smile coming back in full force. "You know me Taylor. Every living being that has ever taken a breath in every universe has met me at the moment of their birth. Each of you has known me, and understood that someday we would cross each other's paths at the very end of their life." And again, her dark eyes dim as she gives Taylor a sad smile. " I am Death. And I am going to be taking Mia for a few minutes today. It's the only thing that can get her head on straight right now after all."

—

Leonardo

It was as if the very world had lost its mind. The air felt heavy, the Earth trembled, and the skies grew still as his dear friend raged at the world. Why? He did not know, but he wished that he did.

Perhaps then he could find some way to actually help, instead of having to flee from the woman that he would trust with his life.

His heart still hadn't stopped hammering after barely managing to evade Death's embrace again.

… He hoped that he didn't offend Didi with that thought. It wasn't likely, but he still wished to be wary. Their first meeting had been memorable enough, thank you very much!

If they were to have another meeting after his death, he hoped that it would be something more exciting than simply dying on his bed after contracting a disease.

The once more young man prayed that it would not involve being murdered by his best friend. Especially since she had already almost done so numerous times already.

Thankfully, only one of those had been intentional on her part.

The rest were just the blowback from her battle against the three giant beasts that had appeared from nowhere, and the two heroic spirits that did battle with their Master. Though, she would never call herself that. The term seemed to gall Mia.

He hears her scream again, more like a rabid beast rather than a woman, and has to brace himself as waves of wind and flame buffet against him, the rest of the city trembling before her might. Purple lightning and flames mixed in orange, red, and yellow sweep across his body, his shield of Aura and hard light flashing in warning.

They felt… twisted. Their humming changed to something more… chaotic. A rumbling thunder instead of the musical chimes of her normal Flames.

Above him high in the sky, Mia battled against Quetzalcoatl while being blasted on all sides by the three Legendary Pokemon and the former French Emperor. Blow after blow rocked the earth, shockwaves of force causing the remaining buildings in the city to tremble underneath their feet.

Rune circles of white and red appeared around Mia, spears, swords, daggers, and all manner of simple weaponry being formed in an instant, tearing through the air.

Groudon and Rayquaza roared in rage as they made impact, the pain seeming to push them forward instead of retreating. The water Legendary meanwhile, gathered the water that had left behind on the city streets in front of its mouth, the blue liquid into an orb, which seemed to pulse and grow smaller even as hundreds of gallons of water continued to be absorbed into it.

Even the embodied weaponry that didn't hit their targets left their scars on the world around them, explosions of earth and water scattering up high into the sky.

Quetzalcoatl managed to avoid any of them hitting her, the large bird that she rode on dancing through the sky as the sun goddess kept up her melee with the enraged four-armed woman.

He couldn't even keep up with the movement of their fists and swords, their limbs seeming to be nothing more than blurs in the wind, their meeting of steel leaving a constant ringing in around the city, as if machine-gun fire was meeting each other head on.

His heart pounded in his chest as his fear seemed to seep deeper and deeper into his very soul. He watched as purple light curled and coiled around buildings, the energy seeming to… uproot the remaining chunks of rock and concrete that had once been homes high up into the air. One, two, three, four... five buildings hung, suspended by Mia's psychic might, the elaborate robed cybernetic woman not once slowing in her step as she continued against the onslaught on all sides.

He'd never seen her use it before. There was something about her psychic powers that Mia seemed to despise, and only seemed to use it for the creation of Wraithbone. Even then, she tended to use it less and less as she found other materials that she believed were better suited for her technology. In reality, he believed that she merely despised it.

"WRAAA!" With a shout, one of Mia's arms thrust forward even as two others catch the Aztec goddess's sword, sending the crackling buildings take off towards the charging Rayquaza and Groudon.

They make it inches away from the red and green Pokemon, just as the aquatic creature unleashes its move onto the world. What must have been a lake's worth of water, gathered together into a single point, compressed beyond measure, made a suction like motion before being released right at Mia's flying form.

It was as if the world itself took in a breath, and for all that Leonardo knew, Gaia did. Everything felt like it was frozen, dust that had been kicked up stuck in place, barely perceptible amidst the battle of Titans and gods.

When the lance of water continued on, Leo was taken off his feet, the sliced air flattering both him, and the remnants of the building that he had been watching from.

"Protego!" He manages to shout, the spell leaving his staff, the edges of the transparent shield shimmering with flames of Rain, shielding him from the falling stones and steel.

He coughs the dust out of his lungs, some having fallen into his eyes, tears welling up in an effort to clear them from his vision.

Through hazy vision, the Italian man sees the still flying image of the woman, smudged and looking more like a dot than a person, but probably unharmed. Mia stayed suspended in the air for all of a second before sending Quetzalcoatl down with a fierce kick, quickly turning and charging with lightning speeds right at Kyogre.

Groudon and Rayquaza were in no place to intercept, having been flung away with the buildings that had been hurled at them, their bodies singed and burned by the crackling lightning that had been infused into Mia's makeshift ammunition.

Leonardo, the man that had once been touted as a genius, one that had been seen as a man that completely revolutionized the idea of thought and observation, could only watch helplessly as the battle continued above him. Even with his magic, with his increased strength, with the Flames that weakened reality around him, he knew that he was nothing compared to the beings above them. Leviathan was a being of science. One completely beyond the scope of what humanity was capable of, but still understandable in some way.

This was something straight out of mythology. A battle completely beyond anything that humanity could ever be capable of.

He stared up, feeling hopeless as his friend continued to destroy the world around her, continued to finish the work of the creature that she had been so eager to kill. Destroying what she had been so desperate to save.

And he felt as it… reality itself was becoming undone. The air was thinning, Sky infused purple lightning seemed to… surge into the very around them. He had no basis to what it was doing, but if he had to put a finger on it, he would have to say that it felt as if the bonds around the world were becoming undone.

He felt that shiver that had been running down his spine since the sirens had sounded intensify tenfold.

Mia had always held back. Always made sure to keep a tight leash around her own temper, keeping a smile on her face while pushing them forward. He knew that there was sorrow there, how could there not be when she had died so young once.

But he had kept his questions to himself, unwilling to push her to tell him anything.

That in and of itself might have been a mistake. He just wished that she had told them more, instead of just keeping it all in check. Perhaps they were both at fault in this.

Reality tearing right in front of his eyes shattered his self depreciation.

The lightning that seeped into the very Earth seemed to… tear a hole in the world. Holes that peeked beyond.

He saw… a barren world. One bereft of green, with a haze of orange as the sands and desert seemed to overtake the world. In the distance of what he could see, dilapidated buildings loomed like specters of the past, lights that looked to be of fires the only indications of life. It was night, the pale blue light of the moon illuminating everything that he saw.

And off in the distance of this view, he saw shining lights illuminating the world, like a single light in the darkness of the world. Amongst the bright neon lights that shined into the ruined world, a single tower stood high above the rest, the circular top shining with a glowing 38 emblazoned proudly on the building.

More and more cracks appeared, each of them revealing many more amazing sights that he memorized with fervent curiosity.

A familiar graveyard full of keys, a triangular giant ship traveling through space, a planet made entirely of metal as if it were one giant machine, a valley of wild green with a single ruined castle marred in purple corruption, a giant cylinder like station with open arms, each of them housing cities worth of people inside.

On and on the sights appeared in front of him, the tears in reality closing in mere seconds, as if the world was denying their passage into itself.

"YASHA!" Mia screamed again as she launched an assault on the blue shining Pokemon who could do little more than hurl orbs of concentrated water at her. Water that seemed to just flow off of her body, regardless of the amount of pressure or speed that they had hit her with.

Pillars of magma, blasts of yellow light, slices and blows from the blond Quetzalcoatl, cannonballs from Napoleon, nothing worked.

No, worse than that.

Mia was getting stronger as the fight drew on.

Magma that had charred her metallic flesh didn't even leave a scorch mark any more, blows had less of an impact, some of them didn't even reach her anymore, while her fists continued to rain down faster and faster shockwaves released with each individual punch of red and orange Flame.

He knew that the moment he went even a yard within Mia's reach, he would die. They were farther away now, probably miles more into the mainland, Kygore now using the water left behind by the rain and onslaught that Leviathan had left behind, no longer able to use the salty water of the seas. He could still feel the impacts of the blows from here, Napoleon's cannon continuing with his artillery as he followed far behind, his aim never wavering for an instant.

Both he and Quetzalcoatl were holding back. Leonardo knew that they were.

Perhaps it was because they were afraid of harming Mia too much, or because she wasn't sending any of her Prana their way in her enraged state. Maybe it could be because the world was already battered enough and they didn't want to add to the scars that it had.

Leonardo shivered at thought of what signora Quetzalcoatl was truly capable of.

"She could completely wipe away the entire east coast in an instant if she really wanted to." Mia had told him once.

Feeling useless, the genius that had dreamed of flying stood on the ground, the badge of wood in his hands as he knew that he couldn't just stand here doing nothing on the ground.

A pop later Krunter appears next to him, dirt and ash covering the formerly fine blue and black suit that he wore, blood leaking from a small cut on his forehead

"Lord Leonardo, is safe!" The big eyed house elf sighed in relief, his body relaxing slightly as his eyes landed on the wood with a black skull engraved on it.

"That is-"

"Signora Estrella lead me to it." He quickly offered. "I didn't know why she would at the time, but I believe that I have a good thought as to why."

Krunter follows Leonardo's eyes towards the battle that continued to rage miles away, the giant green shape of the dragon whipping around erratically, the red blotch in the distance being pummeled away.

"Mistress Mia never told Krunter what it did." Krunter said while eyeing the eerie badge as if it were an explosive.

"It is… something related to Estrella herself." They didn't have time for Leonardo to delve into what the badge could do.

"Willl it help Mistress Mia from… doing this." The house elf throws a sorrowful look at Mia's rampaging form, his first curled into fists.

"We have a better chance of trying it. Immobilizing her any other way seems… unlikely." As if to punctuate his point, the very clouds above them crackle, and send down rays of purple lightning, fingers of electricity hitting Rayquaza and Kyogre.

Both Pokemon scream in pain, Kyogre falling to the floor as a smoking crater, Rayquza responds with a beam of purple light aimed straight at Mia. The enraged Viera doesn't even move, allowing the energy to hit her square in the chest, white eyes boring holes into Quetzalcoatl who dodged each bolt of lightning with ease and grace.

"I do not like seeing Mistress like this." Krunter whispers to himself, tears welling up into his eyes.

"I don't either Krunter." Leonardo agrees, eyes locked onto the conflict, steel hardening in his chest.

The lands around Brockton Bay were already being ruined, while reality itself seemed to tear itself apart at the seams. The city was practically gone, most of the buildings and infrastructure merely nothing more than rubble.

"If what I know is right, all we have to do is place this badge on her skin." Leonardo said, lifting the wooden badge up towards his face, while the sorrow in Krunter's eyes seemed to gain a glimmer of hope.

"Krunter will do it!" The short elf quickly shouted, thin limbs reaching for the badge, only for Leonardo to quickly move his hand away.

"Do you really believe that you'll be able to get to her, WITHOUT her perishing in the process?" The Italian man pointedly stares at the bleeding wound on his friend's head.

Krunter only glares at him defiantly. "Krunter will do it! Mistress can't be left like that! That isn't who Mistress is!" The sheer desperation and frustration in his voice was to be expected, but he knew that it meant nothing against the storm of chaos that was occurring miles away from them.

"What would Mia think if the first thing that she sees is your broken body? If the first clear thought is realizing that she killed you during her rage?" That manages to stop Krunter in his tracks, but his desperation only worsens, eyes tinged with black sorrow once again. "No, what we need to do, is get it to someone that can actually stand to take a blow from Mia."

His eyes look back west, knowing that the only ones that can accomplish such a feat are the two Heroic Spirits that were currently in battle.

Both of whom were already keeping Mia occupied in their battle.

The sound of air splitting catches his attention, and the light that had been shining upon the Earth begins to brighten, as if coming closer. He turns his head skyward, watching as the small boy in a spacesuit, a fascinating creation, rockets towards him, goggles fastened onto his face, blond hair billowing in the wind.

And he realizes that they had their solution.

Voyager slows down as he approaches, the flying boy remaining in the air, legs crouched as if ready to jump through the air, normally gentle blue eyes hardened into ice.

"What happened?" He asked.

And so, Leonardo told him, handing the Space Probe the wooden badge, after which, he takes off into the direction of the battle amongst titans.

Eventually, blissfully, the conflict ceases, and silence finally takes the land, allowing the conflict to end.

Both Leonardo and Krunter fall to the ground, relief and exhaustion settling in.

He just hoped that Mia would be alright.

--

Mia

Wrath.

Hateful, blinding, all consuming wrath.

I didn't know what was happening. All I knew was that battle raged around me, that those that I loved were now gone, and there was nothing more that I could do.

Nothing more than fight and reach Yasha so I could give that traitor the death that he deserved. That he would pay for not only killing my brother and imprisoning my niece, but for killing his own sister. A thought that was so utterly repulsive to everything that I believed in.

I might argue with Asura, and we might annoy each other to no end. But the thought of killing my elder brother? No. Never. Not unless he became something that could no longer be considered that angry block head.

Something that I know Durga was not.

And so I raged, I fought, I swung and fought with all my might, no thought in any action, only pure instinct focused on sweeping past the pesky obstacles and reaching Yasha.

I ignored the onslaught of blasts and fists, ignored the annoying whale, lizard, and snake, focusing only on the blond woman that stood in my way.

I even ignored the small, wriggling thought at the back of my head that something was… wrong. Of course something was wrong.

Yasha wasn't dead at my feet. Mithra was trapped in a frozen pod with my former comrades now declaring that Asura and I betrayed them, a preposterous notion.

And Asura was… gone.

It all felt like a flaming iron in my chest, the belief that nothing would ever make this feeling go away. But there was still a chance for Mithra. A chance for her to live where her mother and father had not.

For that, I would fight. For that, I would burn the very world if I had to! It was all that I had.

And then, I felt a tap.

That was it, just a simple tap as something wooden touched my metal skin.

What followed after that was… wrong. As if my very soul was… pushed out from my body, the impact of a tap from a wooden badge seeming to be the origin of this push.

But with that moment, came… clarity.

My Wrath, gone, swept away with the wind as I stared as my cyborg body went limp, and plummeted through the air, Voyager quickly catching it in his grasp.

He looked… different. Wearing a spacesuit with a bomber jacket over it, and goggles on his head. It suited him.

Brockton Bay was nowhere to be seen, instead, plains of green with countless trees overtook my view before I spotted the three large Pokemon that now rested on the ground.

And I felt my heart leap into my throat.

Rayquaza, Kyogre, and Groudon all sported heavy wounds. Burns, bruises–some of them looking like indentations of fists–cuts and numerous other injuries littered each of their bodies. The two idiots weren't even fighting each other, instead the two of them simply… lay on the ground, their eyes showing the clear exhaustion on each of their faces, while the green dragon lay asleep, eyes closed.

What green was around us was marred by craters and upturned earth, rubble from buildings that stood out littered all across the plains. Above us, clouds swirled and toiled, angry storms seeming to calm with every passing second. Next to Voyager, sat Quetzalcoatl, slightly battered, but no worse for wear.

Terror grips my heart as Wrath threatens to rise back up.

Did I do that?

The haze lifts slightly, and the full weight of memories crashes over me again.

Kali threatens to overtake me again, but the terror and fear that the rest of me felt slams shut over the indignant rage that had been welling up.

Now, I stood in the air, sick to my stomach, completely ignoring the black and white clothing that had replaced those resplendent robes, a sheathed katana at my hip.

When I saw the wooden badge in Voyager's hands, I knew what happened, but that wasn't why I was feeling the horror set in.

What did I do? I had never raged like that before in life, any of them. Not even when the Gohma rampaged and threatened to overrun Gaia, claiming every living mortal soul on the planet for themselves.

Meaning that I had no idea what I had done while I had been consumed by Wrath.

Were my friends ok? Did I hurt them? Were any of them even alive?

Where was Mithra now? How long was I… asleep before I had been woken up? Or had my memories shoved into me?

I still didn't know what prompted the memories to come, or even when or where they came from. All that I knew, was that they came when specific groups of stars felt… complete. Not an entire constellation, but the groups of stars. Like when the stars of Great Woman, Promethean Woman, and the Mansion had all come together.

Until the final piece, I only received what came with the specific power. But when the pieces slotted in, all the memories came flooding in.

And now, I stood here, with Kali as a part of me now. And we were all horrified at the thought that we had killed innocents in the slew of our madness.

I couldn't even throw up, I was literally dead. But I would have preferred it if I could.

Something else than focusing on what had just happened.

"Oh, don't worry. Everyone is fine. A little banged up, but nothing that they won't be able to heal from with some rest." A chipper, but serious voice says next to me, and I turn to find Death standing there, black top hat on her head, umbrella open on one shoulder, fixing me with a knowing sad smile. "Though, I know that you'll just beat yourself up over everything after this."

I want to get angry at her, I SHOULD get angry- NO! No, Kali, shut the fuck up. I breathe through my nose, shoving the wrath that felt justified back down. She couldn't tell me everything.

Death might be on vacation, but I knew that there were still things that she was limited from doing.

Interfering in Destiny or whatever was probably one of them. I never did like Destiny, the concept not her brother, very much.

Eventually, I decide on the one thing that every part of me agreed on. Relief.

Relief that I hadn't killed one of my friends in my rage. It does nothing to the shame that hung over me at having put them in that danger in the first place.

I knew without her having to tell me, that I had almost killed them at some point during the skirmish. It was a given, with the haze that hung over the memories in my head.

Taking in deep breaths, I focus on something that didn't fill me with self loathing. At least, not as much.

"How many?" I ask her.

She doesn't need elaboration on what I was asking. "A lot less than if you hadn't arrived. Some died that weren't meant to, while others suffered injuries that would have never become a reality. But more live now because of what you did. Don't forget that."

It felt like… a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Still… I wish that I could have saved them all. Even if I knew that it was impossible to save everyone. Kali and Tesla both knew that.

Meaning that I knew that.

It still tasted like ashes in my mouth.

"Good." I said while staring up at the clearing skies, scared to look back towards Brockton Bay. I… didn't want to look and see how much damage I left behind.

"Head Ancestor?" A rough, yet respectful voice called out to my side.

I turn my head, and find the Slayers all staring at me with wide eyes, their beards and heads no longer dyed red, instead each one styled in a different way as Squat custom designated. Braided beards, some decorated with jewelry, replaced the simple red manes that they had worn now.

In death, they were no longer Slayers, doomed to forever fight for the battle that would end them.

I could see in their eyes that they felt… free. Freedom in their eyes, devoid of the shame and guilt that they had lived so long with.

It both hurt and filled my heart with joy at seeing that. At… feeling the mix of emotions that welled from within them.

Part of me understood the decision that they made. To shirk the capability to escape from their death. But none of them did. And in turn, they received the one thing that they had always yearned for.

A worthy death.

I knew without a doubt that each of their deaths bought at least a dozen lives in the process. That, people, would now have the ability to live full lives because these Squats had given up theirs to buy time.

Time for the rest of the groups to take care of the Endbringers, who would not be immediately shut off once Gaia drained Leviathan dry.

Time that they had bought with their lives, every single battle that they had fought, all of the experience that they had gained dedicated to this one battle.

And honestly? Against Leviathan, a weapon that had been used by the Entities in previous cycles, I believe that they outdid themselves.

I approved, respect blossoming in my chest, even while sorrow weighed heavy in my heart. At least Kali hadn't changed everything about who I was completely.

Almost fifty Squats stare up at me, light shining in their eyes once more, tears glistening and running down into their beards, and they all kneel. On one knee, each and every single one kneels down and bows their head.

And honestly?

Even after all of the salutes I had been given across my life as President, and through the numerous battles as Kali, I still felt the tears well up in my eyes. More than any other show of appreciation, this one would remain untouched in my mind for years to come. Never had I ever felt as honored as I do now.

I still couldn't help but wish that they would have chosen to live instead.

And then, without even lifting their heads, the Squats all vanish. Gone, towards wherever they were meant to go.

"They insisted on seeing you one more time." Didi said next to me, leaning on her now closed umbrella that she now used as a cane.

"Thank you for that." I say quietly, trying to commit each and every face to memory. They were gone, but I was going to be damned if they were forgotten. "I know that it's… skirting around the rules a bit."

Didi merely gives me a coy smile and shrugs her shoulders. "Eh, I'm on vacation. And while I still have stuff to do, there's less of a… restriction, I guess you would say on what I can or can't do."

I let out a little chuckle, trying to ignore the sorrow that bloomed in my heart. I shove the Wrath that threatened to come back up along with that too.

"Now, I've been keeping you from your sword for long enough. She's getting a bit antsy now." The goth says while gesturing to the shaking sword in my sheath with a gloved hand, amusement in her voice.

"You can do that?" I ask her with a tilt of my head.

"Mia, sweetie. Remember who I am!" She gives me a beatific smile, one free of the usual sadness that she seemed to carry, and gives me a wink as the world fades away.

—

My inner world was different now. Well, it had been a while since I had come in here. The first time I ever entered here had been when I first gained Estrella after all.

The mix of technology and nature was still there, but there was… so much more than before.

The sky that has once been a shining blue was… half-and-half was the best way that I could explain it. Half of it was the previous blue, a picturesque view that you would expect on a sunny day.

While the other half was a night sky, full of stars that glistened in the sky. Wait… were those… constellations in the form of the stars from the Forge?

That was where the changes were only starting though.

Around the constant green and brown of technology, spires of blue crystal reached up into the sky, wreathes of sparking blue metal coiled delicately over each one, as if protecting the crystal from the rest of the world.

Flying high up in the sky, were clockwork ships, each of them spinning with gears and motors that grinded with a pleasant tune.

Lanterns of orange, red and yellow glowed along the techno-organic city, each of them humming or blazing with their own specific tune. Harsh buzzing from the red, musical chimes from the orange, and sparkling from the yellow.

"Remember, whenever you change, so do I. It's a pain in the ass." A familiar voice said next to me. Estrella sat down on a bench that had been covered soft green vines, a few changes to her appearance now.

Her eyes for one were still golden dragon slits, but there was a sort of… white glow on the outer rims. Like light that couldn't be contained inside of a sun. The tips of her fingers were a metallic hue, blue light pulsating with every breath, as if it was linked to the beat of her heart.

She wore more armor this time, though thankfully it wasn't the gaudy gold that she seemed to love. Instead, bracers and shin guards of immaculately carved silver adorned her, blending nicely to her golden ensemble.

She still looked like a sluttier version of me, but I had long since learned to let that shit go. While we were part of each other, she was just as much herself as she was me.

"That's an understatement." I reply back while taking my own seat a few feet in front of her, on my own bench, this one adorned with metallic looking flowers, the centers glowing with ethereal blue. "Thing is, how much have we both changed this time around?"

"Enough that we almost killed all the people that we love by trying to find some way back home." Home. The word leaves a sour taste in her mouth like it feels wrong to hear it with my ears.

Home was never really something that either of us were used to, not when in the first two lives that came to us.

Of course the ones that managed to find homes were the two that were the least human. At least, on a biological level for the me that met Optimus in that cave as a child. A thing that I would never regret.

But my memories as Kali were… unpleasant. Different in a way that didn't sit right in my stomach. A constant struggle against the Gohma that were trying to harvest souls back to the planet, instead of continuing to live with the thanks to Mantra technology.

A war that would never end, that would only gain in catastrophe with each battle that passed. I knew this, and was content to simply fight on as I had been raised to do.

Only everything came crashing down around me. My life, my duty, the ones that I loved. Home was gone now. And the only one that was even alive had been Mithra.

Was the little one even alive anymore? How long had I been gone? Was any of it even real?

Before I could just… ignore those questions because there was nothing left for me in those worlds, or I had been content in what I had left behind in death.

That was not the case as Kali. I had one more link to that world. A girl that loved her family dearly, kind to every person that she met. And now she was alone, frozen, to be used by the traitors that had killed me and my brother in cold blood.

"Calm down." Estrella says with an uncharacteristic gentle voice, eyes shining in understanding as I realize that my breathing had become a ragged gasp as my hands curled into fists, red flames of wrath sparking in my hands.

I take a deep breath, dialing back the rage just a bit. "Sorry."

Estrella shrugs. "I get it. I'm pissed too."

Funny that it only took getting traumatized by the memories of becoming a raging killer, along with two other shoved into my head, to get the both of us to have a civil conversation. I would laugh, but just wasn't feeling it right now.

Instead, I look around us, taking the chaotic view in as I exhale out, unclenching my fists. "This is only the second time I've been here, and it's already this different."

Estrella snorts. "Well, it's not like you take the time to actually meditate with me. Wherever you do, it's just to calm the storm that is our emotions in your head."

"As I recall it, most times Zanpakuto tend to drag their Reapers into the world." I say with a raised eyebrow.

"Please, that was just Ichigo, and that boy is not someone that should be taken as a standard. He's a freak of nature." My sword waves her head, rolling her eyes with a dismissive tone. But I see past that. There was something that she was hiding.

I knew that she had been when she hadn't been trying to push me to gain in strength. Something that any Zanpakuto would urge their wielder to do. After all, they didn't want to die along with the ones that wielded them.

"And as far as I remember, we're both freaks of nature." She doesn't flinch, but her golden orbs flick over to me, the white at the edges seeming to shine with a sharp edge. I lean forward a little bit, staring into her eyes. "What I'm wondering, is why are you acting the way that Old Man Zangetsu did? Trying to keep me from learning anything about you? On pushing my strength as a Reaper?" I had a pretty good idea, but wanted to hear it out of her mouth.

She frowns at me, glowing eyes glaring into my own while her rabbit ears twitched every couple of seconds. We stay like that for a little while, neither of us backing down, both of us just as stubborn as the other.

"I'm surprised that you aren't more interested in asking me about the badge." She sniff out.

Oh no you don't you bitch! "You lead one of the others to it, big fucking woop! You made the right call, but that ain't what I asked!"

She bares her teeth at me. "Out of the both of us, you should know that we have plenty of ugly on the inside! Why bother trying to give you something that is better left locked away?"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I mean, that when you release me into what I truly am, it's basically the equivalent of showing the world who you fucking are!" For the first time, I see desperation and… shame in Estrella's voice, her eyes on the ground.

"Wait a minute… are you telling me that you're not telling me shit cause of self shame!?" I ask bewildered. This was the same sexy butterknife that seemed to flaunt everything whenever she roamed around. From our shared appearance to her strength. Hell, every time she walked around, she teased someone until they were a gibbering mess before I shoved her back into her sheath, AKA horny jail.

"FUCK YOU! I AIN'T THE ONE THAT HAS BEEN AVOIDING HER ISSUES SINCE DAY ONE!"

"What the hell does that mean?" I say, deciding to take the bait.

"I mean, what about all of the other shit that you have? The Demon form, your techno crap, actually exploring the multiverse to see if you can find some way back to our world? Or how about actually dealing with the fact that we have no idea who we are?"

I can't help the white spike of anger that rises from my chest. "I've been a bit busy remember?"

"Oh please, we both know you could have sent out clones or feelers! We can make fucking VI's or AI's to search for us for fucks sake! But no, instead you fucking throw yourself into work so that you don't have to go back to see what happened after you died!"

"Whatever, this isn't even what we were talking about!" I say, trying to get us back onto the original conversation.

"Well that's too bad cunt, cause if you wanna talk about shit, let's talk about shit!" Estrella shouts while rising from her seat, walking over, and grabbing me by the collar of my black robes. "I bet that you're just going to ignore everything about being Kali and hide away here like a little bitch!"

"LIKE I WOULD EVER LEAVE MITHRA TO THOSE DEAD MEN!" I roar, feeling the red flame roar to life around me, Estrella doing the same as I wrench her hands away, unsheathing the katana at my side.

"Would have fucking fooled me with the way that you're just hiding away on this shithole of a universe! Hiding from other worlds, hiding your emotions from your friends, from ourselves!" She mirrors my action, her stance the same as she unsheathes her own sword, both of ours shining as they turn into a macuahuitl, the light illuminating the technological magical mishmash that was my inner world.

We charge and clash, light streaming from our sword, tinged in red, as we glare at each other wearing matching snarls. "You've always been like that, trying to ignore your own shit while throwing yourself into work! How about actually exploring the fact that you're more than just a human nowadays!"

Two fists fly while our free hands stay attached to our crossed swords, the crack of metal on metal echoing across the empty city.

"It's why we died alone the first time around! Now you're stuck on this place while sticking yourself into this places shit that isn't really our problem!" I scream in rage, feeling my eyes burn as I knee her in the chest, lifting my sword away from our clash, trying to slash upwards towards her chest.

Which she avoids with a graceful leap backwards, her own eyes glowing white while launching volleys of light from her own sword.

"I'm not going to leave the people that I have here just to find a world that has nothing for us!" I yell back, batting away what bolts of light that I know I can't avoid.

"So you're just going to stick around without telling anyone about what we've been through!? About the lives that have been shoved into our head, the people we killed, the fact that it seems like we are destined to die alone with everything gone in almost every life we lived!?" Estrella leaps to me with a spin, her leg catching me in the face, launching me away as I manage to launch my own volley of bolts, a few that actually catches her in the chest.

I land with a heap as she shouts out in pain, muttering curses under hear breath while I stood up to my feet. "They don't have to know."

"Bullshit! Like they didn't have to know that we could have become a raging monster that almost tore the strands of reality in the universe!?" She challenges back, making me close my mouth again.

I didn't have a retort from that, 'cause she was right. If she hadn't given the badge to whomever she had chosen, the entire world would have been torn into nothing instead of just Brockton Bay.

"Even with how much we care about people, you never let them in! You never let other people know how we feel you stupid bitch!" Another clash, more rings of our fists meeting while the world around us continues in its perpetual night and day. "Ever wonder if that's why we fucking died alone!"

"And what about you!" I shout back, yellow light exploding outwards in a dome, sending Estrella back as she shields herself with her sword. "For something that is supposed to help me become stronger, for someone that supposedly has my wellbeing above everything else involved, you sure love not giving me anything to get stronger! As if anything about us could be bad enough that you would rather die than show it to the world."

"And what if I did!" She retorted, as our swords meet.

And break into pieces.

We don't even acknowledge it. Our first meet again, and we devolve into a melee with our first and feet. I can't call upon Ark of Embodiment or Chakra, but that doesn't mean that I wasn't going to kick this bitches ass!

"You're telling me that you're stubborn enough to die instead of show something that you're ashamed about!"

"Better question that you should ask is if you would!" She retorts back while eating a fist to the face as I take a kick to the chest.

I… it bothers me that I see her point again.

The brawl goes on for… I don't even know how long it's been. Time in here feels weird. Like seconds stretched longer than they should.

It ends with the both of us on the floor, laying next to each other, bruised, bloody, and way too tired for either of us to keep arguing.

I lay there, thinking about everything that she had said. I didn't want to. I wanted to beat her face in even more. But I was too tired to even raise my voice.

"You're such a stubborn bitch." Estrella croaks out, her silver and gold armor tarnished by dirt and blood.

"Look who's talking" she actually chuckles at that, which quickly turns into a wet cough.

"Can you die from blood loss?" She laughs again.

"I don't know, I'm just as new to this shit too!" Then I start laughing along too, ignoring the ache in my bones.

Eventually we both go back to silence that I decide to break this time. "Have I really been just fucking myself over this whole time?"

"Probably. At least as far as I can guess. I am you after all." She wheezes out, staring at the twinkling stars on the side of constant night.

"Well, if I'm going to be fixing my own shit, then you're going to let me advance in our stuff." The sound of the earth rustling as she stiffens reaches my ears. "It can't be that bad. Besides, It'll probably take me forever before I get our Bankai." Because the Bankai is the only thing that could scare her that much.

I knew that Bankai could be anything. It could just be a stronger version of the Shikai, or the complete opposite of it. Regardless, it was still a representation of who the Soul Reaper really was. Like how Soi Fons shikai was the perfect weapon for an assassin, while her Bankai was a fucking missile.

What kind of Bankai could be so bad that a sword of light and hope was afraid of it?

"We both know that you'll probably crack the Bankai in less time than that. Even if I don't want to give it to you." She sounds… depressed. Resigned.. A tone that I'm not used to hearing from her. "You're just as much of a freak as Ichigo is. More I think. He wasn't part holy techno knife ear."

That gets another cough out of me.

"How am I going to tell the rest of them everything?" I almost fucking killed them because of keeping everything in.

"You'll figure it out. Think that finding Mithra is going to be harder than having to deal with the others getting pissed. Finding her is going to be the easy part though."

I shiver at that, remembering my last moments when I was just… Kali. Now, I was more than just an angry demigod. I was Mia.

Whatever that meant.

--

Taylor

"Try and lay a finger on her and I'll burn your perfect ass off bitch!" Lindsay shouts at Alexandria, right hand flaming with Storm flames roaring from her ring, her storm raccoon standing on her shoulders, hissing at the black clothed hero, the red flames burning in its eyes and along the edges of its black and white tail.

And she wasn't the only one gearing up for a fight.

Everyone that had left Brockton Bay had rushed back, each of them bruised, battered, but still willing to fight, even Bedivere whose metal arm looked cracked and drained, hanging limply at his side. His remaining flesh and blood hand remained with a hand on his sword, face tightened into a determined stare.

The Squats each gripped their guns and power axes, faces taut in anger, probably ready to declare this a grudge if it escalated into an actual fight.

The three large Pokemon loomed over them, but didn't budge an inch, instead staring at the stare off between Mia's forces and the Triumvirate that stood across from them, Eidolon on the ground for once, while Alexandria and Legend floated a few inches in the air.

And Taylor… stood with the group. Her wires at the ready while her remaining bugs were spread throughout her range, ready to relay information back towards her.

Nothing that happened during the fight changed how they all felt for Mia. Without her, none of them would be where they were now.

Without her, Taylor would probably have died on her first night out as a cape, either that or… alone. And she didn't know which one scared her more.

So she stood with the rest of the group, Mia in the middle between them, each of them leveling weapons of technology and… magic at the Triumvirate amidst the destroyed city lay around them.

Taylor didn't care that the city was gone. She didn't care that she was ready to fight against the heroes that she had idolized since she was a little girl.

She just wanted the day to be over and her friends to go home after all of this. All of them.

"What if she wakes up again and goes on another rage? How are you sure that whatever tinkertech is in that badge is going to work again!?" Eidolon thundered out, rage and authority clear in his voice while Legend and Alexandria both kept sending him furtive looks.

"We aren't going to harm her in any way. Just see that she is contained in case whatever was causing her hasn't gone away." Legend tried to appease them with open hands splayed out in front of himself.

It did nothing to calm the incensed group in front of him.

"Please, I'm pretty sure that Mia has plenty of places that could hold her better than anything you whip up." Judith said certainly, her charred armor only adding to the intimidation as she wielded a power axe whose teeth were coated with Rain Flames, magic swirling around her fingertips.

It looks like the fight is going to break out any minute, Napoleon ready a block away with his cannon aimed right at Legend, a sad look on his face as he glances at Alexandria, and Quetzalcoatl stays in her spot, cradling Mia's sleeping form.

Taylor waves her fingers, urging her exhausted flames into the wires and weaving them around them, ready to focus them on any of the three heroes that tried to attack.

A gasp and groaning garners everyone's attention, even the three giant Kaiju that stare at the moving cyborg who blinked her eyes open. Just as the air felt… heavy, bringing everyone to their knees, gasping for breath. But it was gone in a single instant, almost as if it had never happened.

"Well, that's never going to not be strange." Mia says, rubbing her eyes with one shining metal hand, the other one being pulled up by the brightly clothed and slightly bruised blond who helped her up with a dazzling smile on her face.

Her hand leaves her face, and she stares at the scene before her.

Taylor can't help but feel relief at seeing Mia's blue and red returned, the white eyes of rage now gone.

But… she's different again. Not in appearance, at least not since the last change that made her into a cybernetic work of art, but there was a… sadness to her eyes that hadn't been there before. Worse than the last time that she had started acting differently.

Without a word to any of them, she stands on her bare feet, and looks up towards the three Pokemon that eyed her with fear in their eyes.

Tears don't quite reach Mia's eyes, but Taylor can see the hurt in them.

She doesn't see it, but she knows that Mia did something because the three Pokemon's heads twitch, their gazes locked on Mia's own sad eyes.

Without a sound, Mia rises through the air, this time not lifted by her wings. She just… floats up, not moving a muscle.

The Triumvirate's gaze follow her ascent, eyes and bodies ready to spring into action but remaining completely still. Like they were afraid any sudden movements were going to set her off.

Mia stretches out one metallic arm, the two extras that she had grown now gone, and leaves it outstretched in the air, waiting. The Pokemon stare at the limb, unease evident in their gazes, looking as if they were just going to up and leave. That is, until the green dragon lifts its head, body lifting slightly off the ground, and brushes his forehead against the palm of Mia's hands.

A haze of green washes over the green and yellow dragon, shimmering all along its body for a few seconds before disappearing as quick as it came. With its disappearance, the dragon showed a completely healed body.

The numerous scratches, burns, bruises and injuries were gone without a single trace, and he stretched out as if he had just woken up from a full night's sleep. The other two still looked trepidation about going near Mia, but they stretched their heads out anyway, the same light washing over them.

All three stretched, and while they didn't look warmly at Mia, it was an improvement over the fear that had been there before.

Something that Taylor could understand. Seeing Mia become… that had been… terrifying when she was city blocks away from her rampage. She couldn't imagine what it had been like to have to fight her like they had.

Even if they were giant Kaiju that almost made the Ocean and Earth to kill each other.

"I'm sorry about all of that." Are the only words that come out of Mia's lips, and the three Pokemon seem to… accept it. The red one and blue one eye each other, mouths seeming to twitch into snarls, when the green dragon catches their eyes and they look towards the sad woman in front of them.

Without another word or action, all three of them turn… and leave. Kyogre flying back towards the ocean, while Groudon digs into the Earth with his claws. Above them, the green snake like dragon flies away, his body slithering through the sky going higher and higher until he is out of sight.

During all of this, the three heroes, her idols, stare fearfully at Mia. Or, she thinks so, she can't really see Alexandria or Eidolons face underneath the helmet and mask.

The thought that she stood against them still left a heavy rock in her stomach, but seeing Mia… calmer now seemed to take some of that weight away. That she wasn't defending some thing that looked like her friend, or that her friend had somehow been mastered.

"I believe that any questions about what just happened can wait until we get the aftermath of… this incident squared away yes?" There was something… a bit off about Mia speaking those words in that tone. Usually she preferred to just… talk with the bluntness of most people that Taylor had grown up around. Basically, someone that had grown up in poor neighborhoods and didn't care about prettying up her words.

But now… the diplomacy in them was just off.

The worries of her becoming mastered by something, her power maybe, was starting to creep in again. Only for that familiar feeling of… emotions clear and true that were not her own entered into her mind. Peace, fear, worry and… shame.

Clear as the sky was now, free of the control that Leviathan once had over it.

"How are we sure that you aren't just going to lose your mind again?" Eidolon's voice was rough and… angry while trying to sound authoritative.

Mia's blue and red eyes glide over to the man in green, eyes now cold and empty instead of the previous weariness. It was like… she was looking at something that she would rather never had existed before.

"I believe that even if I was, there wouldn't be much that any of you could do to stop me. At least, not without Voyager over here." The blond boy seems to beam a bit at that, brown wooden badge held tightly in his grip as he hovered behind the rabbit eared woman.

She steps closer towards Eidolon, the Trump hero tensing up while light gathers around Legend's fists, ready to attack if he needs to.

His blasts remained unfired, as Mia leans in slowly towards Eidolon, to the point where her head is right next to his ear and whispers so low that only he hears.

Well, him and Taylor do at least.

"I wouldn't be so uppity for someone that just lost their powers." Taylor feels her breath hitch, and knows that Mia says the truth as Eidolon's hands clench into fists and remains eerily silent.

"If you would like to discuss what happened, that can wait until everything else gets squirreled away. For now, we should really deal with those that survived the Endbringer fight, yes?" None of the Triumvirate react to her words, the three of them staring at Mias retreating form, while she throws one more sentence over her shoulders. "I promise to at least have a discussion with you all after that though. And I am a woman of my word."

Even when she came towards them, she wouldn't look any of them in the eye. She knew that they, her friends, expected the same.

And Taylor knew that they all had plenty of them, while the anger slowly bubbled into her chest.

--

Harold/LEET

"We're so fucked dude!" He moaned again for the twentieth time since they had been teleported towards the idyllic mansion and land that surrounded it.

It was a testament to how bad things were that Uber could only nod ashen faced while trying to hide the trembling in his hands.

They thought that the Endbringer was going to be the thing to kill them, but they were wrong.

Instead it was going to be that new Tinker / Trump that scared the shit out of both of them. The one that used tech that… somehow gave him inspiration into new tech that didn't immediately blow up in his face.

The one that had completely trounced Lung and disappeared off the grid, a bunch of new capes popping up claiming to be part of her 'team'. They didn't call the group anything, only claiming to be under Apotheosis.

And they weren't just small class capes. The tech that they used was… shit that shouldn't exist. Shit from fucking Earth Aleph comics and anime!

Those fucking Flames that could burn through anything, copy, weaken, and… take on the same frequencies as other objects. While they hadn't gone out in any of their streams lately, out of fear of getting a visit from any of those capes, that didn't mean that they weren't keeping an eye out.

The snitch might be small, but it was without a doubt the greatest spy tech he had ever made!

It was also the reason why they were going to be so fucked when everything died down.

"You didn't stream any of that did you!?" Uber asked, his brown eyes staring at him, free from the red scarf that hid the lower part of his face.

"No!" And he knew that it was the only reason why they were alive right now, instead of bloody pulps on the floor. "I can't believe that I thought it was a good idea to record an Endbringer battle!" He couldn't exactly stream it because Dragon had apparently accounted for that. There was a reason there was no footage live-streamed during Endbringer battles, even with the variety of Tinkers that participate in it.

Even when they had run after seeing KYOGRE, AND GROUDON, start duking it out against each other, the Snitch had stayed behind. Recording the battle afterward.

Including whatever the fuck Apotheosis had become. Some sort of cyborg Dragon Ball Z fighter that just wanted to kill some dude called Yasha.

Leet shivered as he remembered that he might be next after Yasha if Apotheosis ever found out. Or Kali. Whatever the fuck her name was.

They were already going to be leaving the city, shit had gotten too hot with the ABB, Empire going at it, only for Apotheosis new batch of capes jumping in and capturing a couple of Empire capes like Othala and Victor.

Sure, the heads of the gangs were now dead, but that still left the Empire as stronger than both the ABB and Merchants. One being completely without any cape, the other only having Squealer left over, who wasn't much for a leader. Then again, Skidmark wasn't either, but he was still a step-up over the vehicle tinker.

They both knew that taking contract work in Brockton Bay was only feasible because the gangs were too busy keeping on eye on each other to bother nabbing the 'useless' villains. But that was going to change now.

If there was even enough of Brockton Bay leftover for any of them to live in.

"We thought we were about to die, so why not try to record it and send it through our site after everything was over?" Uber asked, though the words sounded hollow from his mouth. Like that time when their old Atari had gotten smashed when moving into their new base. "Look, stop worrying about it. Isn't like Apotheosis knows about the recording anyways. As long as we keep that shit stored away, she'll leave us alone."

Leet grabs onto that thought with both fists. "You're right, we can just delete that shit right now!"

His hands fumble around his pockets, looking for the controls connected to the snitch, eyes focused on the small feed that he had been watching through his helmet ever since he had arrived here in strings of blue light, hope rising in his chest.

Only for a strong brown and bark like hand to clamp around his own. He lifts his head up. Slowly. Hoping against hope that somehow this wasn't going to be as bad as he was already imagining it to be.

It is quickly dashed when he sees the stern imperial face of a bark skinned man with leaves for hair, and vines curled into a long beard. Green yellow speckled eyes stared straight into Leet's soul, and filled him with fear that he had never felt until when he first heard the sirens call earlier that day.

Large thick roots grow from the Earth, closing around them and constricting them, branches of green sprouting amongst the main body of the roots and covering their mouths, muffling their screams.

Great, he wasn't going to die to Leviathan, or that sexy rabbit eared Tinker, but by a scary ass Case 53 that controlled plants!

"You are going to give me this video, or you are going to become nutrients for my latest gifts to Mother Earth." The old man said with a voice as cold as winter's first snow, his green eyes lacking any sort of compassion or humanity.

It was like looking into the maw of a venus fly trap. Waiting, eager to eat him alive to sustain itself.

Pokemon were a real thing, ideas about how to actually make new tinkertech had been popping into his head again for the first time in years, only for Leviathan to start the rolling down the hill.

Now it looked like he was actually going to die just so that he wouldn't go out with a whimper like most people thought he would. Only this time he actually might.

With trembling hands, he gives the device to the old man, gesturing to his helmet so that he would take that as well. What was the point in caring about cape identities if he was going to die anyway right? Sides, not like he had anyone that he really cared about. Other than Uber of course, but of course he was going to die with him.

They both knew that it was probably going to happen that way after living in Brockton Bay for so long.

Only now after surviving an Endbringer fight, and eating some really good food at a fancy mansion that they could only dream of owning one day, they were still probably going to die in that shithole of a city.

"Pray that the progenitor of the Earth deems you worthy of mercy. It is more than you deserve."

…. Hold up, what?

Rex

The operation was a success. At least, when one compared it to previous… Endbringer fights.

Now that he and his brothers were free from the action, he could probably allow his mind to wander into the simple… oddness that teemed this planet. People with abilities that could be compared to that of the Jedi, though Mia was quick to assuage him that these parahumans were not Jedi. Nor were they Sith.

They were simply… people who'd had a single traumatic experience that would follow them forever.

A truth that formed a pit at the bottom of his stomach.

Being on a planet that wasn't capable of space flight, let alone that the rest of the galaxy was almost the same, with perhaps a few outliers, left him perplexed to say the least. Space travel, and hyperjumps were… simply a fact of life. Something that just about everyone in the galaxy had at least encountered once before. There were some planets that lacked the technological advancement of the rest of the galaxy, but a number of those were by choice, or the planet was simply a specific kind of world.

An Agrarian planet, an industrial one, or simply a vacation one that attracted those that were fortunate enough to come and visit.

A civilization that believed itself alone, that had never truly encountered an alien culture before, much less formed a galactic government with them.

Well, he was very much out of his element.

That was before adding in… all of the other strangeness. The sentient creatures that were each powerhouses of their own, energy and magic that could be learned by any, granted that you had the right teacher to start you up, along with the intricacies that were happening around the rest of the world.

The history of this planet itself was so… new. So young. A world barely out of its cradle.

Only to have been grounded into the planet, barred from progressing into the stars like his own galaxy had.

A problem that he had been more than happy to have helped with.

Now was the time for this planet to finally move forward.

That is, if it didn't implode with the chaos that had been thrust upon it. Embodiment of the planet across all dimensions, that took a little while to get his head wrapped around, that became connected to every… star that Mia obtained was already showing changes in the world.

Changes that were affecting him as well, given the stone that glowed a cool blue light in his breast pocket, filling him with strength beyond what he had ever felt before. It was… a curious thing. When he would focus on the stone he would experience… emotions and vague echos of memories from it.

Nothing too clear, merely… flashes of different landscapes. Different environments. Some of them were simple plains where men trained in the high noon sun.

Others were quick impression of battlefields, men fighting each other to the death, the fields heavy with the corpses of men.

It brought just as many unpleasant emotions from him as not.

There was an… intuition now when thrust into action. A sixth sense on how to advance his own tactics, how to become a better warrior. A better leader.

He… did not know how to feel about that.

Mia promised that she would take a look at the stones.

Once the aftermath that had sprouted from the events of this battle were resolved.

Speaking of which…

"I knew that you reeked of bitch more than your daughter when I met you, but how many times am I going to have to tell you that I don't expect anything from fixing you!" The changed rabbit eared woman ground out. It wasn't quite a shout, but it was getting there.

"Please, no person would just do things like this out of the goodness of their hearts, especially not one that claims to be a hero while stuffing their own pockets!" The injured blond woman splayed out on a bed barked back. Now, she did shout.

Mia rolls her eyes, both set of ears twitching in annoyance while Carol Dallon's daughters both watched the argument back and forth, Victoria staring at the cybernetic woman with distrustful eyes. Perhaps it was the insult to her sister and mother that caused the teen to look at the woman that saved their lives with such… derision.

Though, it was leagues less than the look her mother was giving Mia.

"Forgive me if I have no other way to make a living besides that. I have people that I have to take care of, and unlike you, I don't have a lawyer's license to use. Or any family for that matter." Mia's words are blunt with barely any inflection other than slight irritation.

Both Amy and Victoria look ashamed at that, while Carol merely glares on.

"That's beside the point, if I really was going to charge you, what makes you think that I would be dumb enough to do it during an Endbringer battle? If the villains are able to contain themselves during these things, then why wouldn't I?"

Carol opens her mouth as if to start the argument again, when the door opens at the same time.

Leonardo walks in, his blue eyes wandering through the room while wearing a weary expression while wearing his normal outfit of black slacks and white button up, having changed out of his battle attire. His rain ring remained on his finger though, and Rex knew that he had his staff in his omnitool's pocket space.

Good, given that there were still some of those… 'villains' around the property.

All three of the Dallon women freeze and turn their heads fully towards the man in a young body, the two blond women's eyes giving him a quick up and down before going back to his face. Rex notices that their gazes are a bit… well, he had seen civilians look at him like that sometimes during the quieter moments of the war.

"Is everything alright?" He asks with a raised eyebrow, looking at Mia for guidance after giving the other three women a quick cursory glance.

They use that moment to stare at the handsome man, shaking themselves as if they were in a daze afterward, Victoria looking slightly embarrassed while Carol just stares defiantly at Mia.

"Carol here thinks that there is a catch to the healing that I'm offering them."

"Amy is perfectly capable of healing us." Carol quickly grounds back, the cloak wearing teen looking surprised by the… compliment?

"She needs living biomass to give you both back the limbs that you lost." Carol doesn't react, but Amy flinches at the deadpan. "Which is not something that I am limited in. Just give me a few hours, and I will get you both the limbs that you lost back. Just need to take a scan and some of your blood."

"And what are you going to do with that if we give it to you?" While Carol didn't exactly look happy, on the contrary, she looked like she had just stepped into nerf dung, at least she wasn't accusing Mia of nefarious inventions.

Thank the stars, he had been stuck here listening to that for the last half-hour.

"Can't exactly make a new limb for either of you if the biology doesn't gell well. Not if you don't want to deal with any complications later on." Mia says as she typed into her omnitool. "Course, I can always make an alternative if you two have some requests?"

Amy frowns at that. "What does that mean?"

Mia shrugs her shoulders. "If you don't want a normal limb, could always make a perfectly good cybernetic one, complete with everything that your old one had of course. You would still be able to feel from it as if it were your normal leg. Along with a couple of other additions that we can go more into detail if you would lik-"

"No. Just the normal limbs." Carol's words cut through the air like a knife, blue eyes cold as ice, Victoria's shoulders and face drooping in disappointment.

Amy looked… he didn't know exactly what that look would be called. Like a mix of outraged and jealous.

Odd.

Rex looks wistfully as he takes in the conversation. Talks of… simply growing back a limb, or simply replacing it with cybernetics that would be no different from the previous one.

Technology that he didn't have back home.

Prosthetic replacements were something that they had, but not to the level that Mia could create. Most of the time they were big, bulky, and prone to need replacement. Mia claimed that hers were completely capable of becoming one with the recipients biology. Down to the cellular level. To the point where the limb would just… use the nutrients from the patient's intake to… sustain itself. Just like a normal limb would.

"With improvements." Mia had said.

And she claimed that this was an 'easy' application of her technology, while the girl in white robes sitting down next to her mother and sister in this makeshift hospital room was capable of playing with DNA like a cat with yarn with just a touch.

What if there had been people like that on his world? During the clone wars?

How many brothers would he have kept during those seven years, instead of simply dying from their injuries? How many men would be with him today instead of buried in fields because they were behind enemy lines?

Would the Order still have happened if there were people like this on his own world?

No.

There were no points in wondering on What If's. He knew that. All that they would do was add grief to what was already in his mind.

Didn't make wondering any easier.

"Alright, then, I'll make sure to get some work on it done. Just give me a couple hours to get them ready. I'll make sure to let the rest of your family through." With those words and a smile aimed at the two youngest occupants, Mia walks out the door, Rex and Leonardo both following behind her, the Clone making sure to leave last.

Mia might not really 'need' a bodyguard, but he thought that it might be better if he were to deal with any issues that became… physical. Especially after the fiasco that had been Kali.

The less stress that she had to deal with the better. Ahsoka had been quite insistent on that. The young Togruta was currently waiting in one of the many rooms inside of the mansion, on the more magical side instead of the mundane technological one. More secure, and less people wandering around inside of it.

When Mia had… lost herself to the rage, Ahsoka had all but collapsed, grasping her head while muttering something about "Wrathful fire."

Thankfully, when the rage had ended his friend had been escorted to a room for rest by some of the Squats, the shadow clones that Mia left behind having disappeared in a puff of smoke when the last star had connected.

They were back now thankfully, buzzing around the facility, a constant river of activity that didn't seem to stop as they each went to their tasks.

It reminded him of some of the more hectic battlefields that he had fought in, when the battle ended and the aftermath was all about keeping as many people alive.

Thankfully, he knew that the people here would not die to infection or injuries. Mia had seen to that when redesigning those armbands.

It was just a pity that she could not make more of those 'Elixirs'. The ingredients themselves took too long to create, with the same being said for the process to synthesize the medicine itself.

At least, that's all that Rex could truly understand it.

The terminology that Mia had used to explain it was… Rex had felt the same way he did whenever Ahsoka would try to explain some of the more intricate aspects of the Force.

As they walk down the hallway, the sound of hurried footsteps reached his ears, and he turns to face whoever followed behind them. Unlike whoever this was, Mia did not need to make a sound when running.

"Amy?" Mia asked as the white robed teen hurried behind them, her face both embarrassed and irritated. He wondered if the irritation ever went away with how often he saw the expression on her face.

"I want to see how you do it." She said with a stiff face. Rex frowns underneath his helmet, eyes darting over to Mia's eyes for any sort of signal.

No twitching, no glance, instead, Mia merely hmms and cradles her hand on her chin leaning in slightly.

She snaps her fingers once, and smirks- oh not again.

She only smirked like that when she was going to do something… either dangerous or crazy. She wore it every time that she threw one of the younger civilians into training with the Squats, along with her bouts of training with Quetzalcoatl.

Rex merely sighs in his helmet, knowing that all he could do now was stand and watch.

"Why not? Might get Carol to calm down before whatever is up her butt decides to ram her again." Amy does the closes thing he had ever seen to a smile, though he would equate it more like she was afraid to be happy.

Mia snaps her fingers at one of the many doors inside of the mansion, probably one that isn't needed for anything crucial to the wellbeing of those that needed care, and propped it open.

While the brunette Dallon stared at the inside of the cathedral like hallways, Mia leans in to Rex.

"Sorry, but could you please stand here at the door? Can't close it while I'm inside, and would prefer not to have a random cape accidentally walk in."

Rex straightens up, and snaps off a crisp solute, only now remembering that she… wasn't really his commanding officer. Even if she gave off the air of one. Even more so since the last star had connected.

"Apologiesz. Force of habit." He says to her, to which she just smiled.

"Don't worry about it. Thank you Rex." With that she turns around and quickly steps toward Amy who had walked deeper into the marble white hallways. Literally. One moment, she was right in front of the doorway, the next, she was standing right next to Amy.

Rex didn't have the energy to be surprised at all of this.

"Good luck in there." He whispers to Leonardo as he passes by, to which the blue-eyed man merely laughs.

"Signor, I believe we both know even luck has its own limits." He gives Rex a wink, and walks through the door, gait easy and relaxed as he followed behind the two masters of biology.

With a thoughtful hum, Rex stands at attention, and stays at his post.

Eyes watching through the cameras in his suit that saw through anything that Mia could think of, eager to ignore whatever chaos he hears from inside.

Including the echoing high-pitched scream that came from inside.

--

Amy

She wasn't sure if the Rabbit was going to let her tag along. Most Tinkers would be extremely guarded about their workshop, let alone letting a parahuman that they barely knew watch as they got to work.

She was just… happy wasn't the right word… relieved? Yeah, she was going to pick relieved, that the Rabbit had said yes.

For a number of reasons.

One, while she wanted to make sure that Vicky was alright, she just… wanted to get away from her family for a while. After having spent most of the Endbringer battle with them things had gotten a bit… annoying.

Carol and Vicky were the only one's to have been seriously injured, though her uncle had teleported in with his suit in tatters, needing one of those short people to get him a change of clothes. Something that she and her cousins were more than thankful for.

Secondly… she wanted to see another Biotinker at work. Wasn't like there were any other choices out there that wouldn't end with her dead.

Besides, Mia had been following her around and annoying her for the past few weeks, the least that she could do was let her see how she was going to make Carol and Vicky's replacement limbs.

Something that Amy was perfectly capable of.

But what the Rabbit had said was true. She needed biomass to convert into new limbs, she couldn't just make bone and muscle appear from nothing. She'd needed something to change, to shape into what she needed.

And she doubted that anyone was going to volunteer any Biomass for her to use. At least, not anytime soon.

So that meant that the sexy robo rabbit was their only shot at getting the new body parts in a timely fashion. Especially since… there were plenty of other people out there that had injuries just as grievous as her sister and mothers.

Nothing that she could about them either, but she mostly focused on helping Vicky out.

She hadn't been expecting… most of any of this really, when the Endbringer siren had gone off.

Not the lush fields, or fancy ass mansion that seemed to have more rooms than she could count, along with plenty of expensive looking furniture and vintage bottles of liquor.

That she was pretty sure she had seen two red-headed twins run off with earlier. None of those guys in armor seemed to care, while the short bearded men had just laughed and continued on their way.

But anybody that tried going into certain areas was quickly rebuked, told to go somewhere else. And no one was stupid enough to try to start something during an Endbringer fight, especially not to the owner of the pocket dimension that was keeping them all safe.

And now, she walked through perfect marble hallways, the walls polished into a smooth white, with pillars of spinning stone rising into the dome-like ceiling, twinkling lights shining down like stars that illuminated the room perfectly.

"This place is fucking huge." She couldn't help but wonder as she followed behind the muscled rabbit down a corridor, the hot guy with the accent following politely behind them. "How don't you get lost?" There looked to be a dozen corridors, each of them seeming to stretch out into infinity, sometimes turning into another hallway that was out of her view.

"I wouldn't worry about it. The Workshop… has a tendency to get you to where you need to go. Sometimes even when you don't know exactly where you're going to end up." Great, she was doing the weird magic shit that made Amy think that she was missing a few marbles. She already thought that about Mia, she talked in strange riddles sometimes, but they only made it worse.

Instead of wording out her gripes, she keeps her mouth shut. By this point, they had played this game plenty of times for her to know that it would just end in her even more annoyed than before.

Eventually, the white stone started to change into an earth brown over metallic grey, roots from a tree stretching out and growing bigger the deeper they went in.

Amy was looking up, noticing that the same could be applied to the walls and ceiling, when she almost bumps into Mia's back, the cyborg woman having stopped for some reason.

"Oh, mierda!" The blue and red eyed woman mutters under her breath, the hallway around them… shaking like an earthquake for a second before it stills again.

After everything settled down, she heard two high-pitched voices screaming in fear, and she feels a shiver run down her spine, hands curling into fists. What the hell was that?

Instead of being concerned, Mia merely releases a sigh and continues down the hall, her gait faster than before while mumbling something to herself.

"No need to worry signora, if we were really in danger the Workshop would have reacted to that." The bearded man said trying to soothe her mind. All that did was make her worried that the hallway around her would come to life like some sort of monster house.

Reluctantly, she follows behind them both, and-

She stops to stare in awe at the room around her. The giant tree whose roots stretched all across the rooms, congregating and growing into pods and computers, like some sort of Biotinkers fantasy.

She would be lying if she said that she wasn't the least bit curious about what exactly that tree was made up of. Or what was in those computers.

Of course, she quickly stomps that curiosity to whatever hole it had come from. She couldn't experiment with it. Not if she wanted to remain… good. She had to keep ignoring the little thoughts and whispers on how to mess with biology, how to improve it, how to shape it to her whims.

The worst of the thoughts had stopped coming, no more ideas for plagues that would sweep across the world in a matter of days, or cancerous growths that would find themselves spawning across unknowing carriers.

Now, it was just… small things. Wondering how the body would react if she just… tweaked the odd cell here or there. Along with a few Ideas on how to create… something inside of the human body. Not quite a nervous system, but something very similar to it, along with a few other ideas that had started cropping up in her head.

She didn't know where they came from, but that was par for the course with powers sometimes.

Power bullshit was something that became a fact of life for most parahumans.

Looking around, she sees two girls, both of them young, one of them holding a baby in her arms, both of the young women staring at some of the pods around them with a look of horror and disgust.

Curious, Amy looks over-

And feels her stomach drop down somewhere near the Earth's core.

Floating in the tanks full of clear green liquid, were dead corpses, and along the back of the room, on some of the roots that resemble storage containers, were floating eyes that seemed to stare directly at her.

"Fuck me, was I Orochimaru or some shit in that life?" She manages to hear Mia mumble to herself while staring at the various pods around them. There were men, women… and other things that she didn't know how to describe held within them.

A few of them looked like they could be from the same family, eyes sort of the same shape, with the same black hair at the top of their heads.

And in one of the bigger pods, was… a giant white snake that looked like it was made up of smaller snakes. Its maw was huge, with razor dagger like teeth that looked like they could tear through steel, and golden eyes that promised a slow and painful death.

"I'm kinda hoping that I killed that one."

"What the fuck are you talking about, and what the shit are these fucking things!? One second we were just talking, the next I have a dead dude floating right next to me!" The black-haired girl screams at the Rabbit in outrage, blue eyes widened in fear and shock. A small hiss from next to her draws Amy's attention, and… she doesn't know what she's looking at.

Resting in the baby's chest, who was thankfully still asleep somehow, was a small furry snake like creature, with big black eyes that were… cute, and antennae that flickered in front of its head. Only, now it had its mouth open, and Amy watched as it grew teeth from its open jaw while the rest of its body grew bigger by the second, and scales of metal sprouted from its soft fur.

"Blame the Forge again. I don't have any control over what it brings me." Mia cooly replied as the blonde and black haired women seemed to calm down, though they were still uneasy about… the literal corpses around them.

"You really expect me to believe that these all just popped out of nowhere!?" Amy asked with a shout, eyes wildly looking at the various corpses and body parts that were carefully locked away in pods and containers, names and code stenciled on tags underneath each of them in neat handwriting.

"I want to say that you get used to it, but clearly, we haven't yet." The blond woman says while rocking the babe in her arms, the little creature relaxing and starting to shrink, looking up at the woman with big black eyes. She smiles down at him, rubbing his head with a finger, a purr emanating from the little thing.

Was that one of those… Pokemon things?

"Like I said, my power tends to be a little random sometimes with what I get. This time, it was all of these guys. Besides, can you really say that any of these guys could be walking around the world right now?" She asked while pointing to… a red haired man with… purple swirls in his eyes. She wasn't exaggerating, his eyes were literally purple with rings emanating from the center.

There was another one, that had four arms like a spider, another man that looked some sort of fish man hybrid. What the hell?

Everywhere that she looked, the people looked odder and odder, most of them not having a normal hair color, ranging from completely white, all the way to a nice blue.

She couldn't really argue with that. Sure, they could have been dyed, but taking a glance at the closest one's screen- some white haired guy name 'Kimimaro'- white was his natural hair color.

"Why the fuck would your power give you this shit?" Amy finally asked while reading deeper into the data on the tablet. What the fuck was wrong with this guy's body?

"I'll let you know when I figured that out." Mia calls back while looking at a set of four pods with a sad look on her face. Four men, a blonde, a brunette, a white harried man, and an old man in black armored clothes.

Before she could ask, Mia takes in a deep breath and turns back to smile at Amy.

It was… weird. She wasn't used to people smiling at her like that. Usually, the only one that did that was Vicky.

But, this one didn't send butterflies into her stomach like Vicky's used to. Ugh, she couldn't believe that she thought that.

"Introductions. Amy, meet Lindsay and Judith, along with baby Claire, and her companion Quetz." Mia said while gesturing towards the two women and child with an open palm. The little furry snake thing… smiled at her, the teeth now absent, while wagging his tail like a wave. The two women merely gave her an appraising look.

"Don't you think that it might have been a good idea to warn us so we could hide our faces?" The Asian girl said, sending a glare towards Mia.

The Rabbit merely waved a hand. "Don't worry, Amy isn't going to rat out what you look like."

"And how are you sure that I'm not?" Amy asked, a scowl on her face.

"Why would you? Not like she's doing anything villainous." Something about the simple and knowing way that the Rabbit said irritated Amy.

The blond–Judith–shrugged. "I don't really care about having a cape identity. Not like I'm even a parahuman anyway."

Amy blinks and stares at the woman still wearing power armor, with a giant axe that glowed blue with electricity and flames along the edges.

"Could've fooled me." Amy sniped out, to which Judith narrows her eyes.

"Blame her," Judith said while pointing towards the Rabbit, who was over by an empty pod pressing buttons on the control panel underneath it.

"Yeah, yeah." Mia said absently, her eyes rapidly moving across the screen as… something popped in from an opening at the bottom of the pod.

Amy walked over, looking over Mia's shoulder as more and more motes of green clumps rose from the bottom.

"Now, how about we get your bitch of a mother and over-excited sister their new limbs." Mia said as she began to do the same with the next pod over, inserting the vials of blood into small slots on either console while the sound of record scratching sounded across the room.

Looking over, Amy finds one of those projections of the Rabbits placing a record on an old time record player that comes to life with the strumming of strings.

The claps that quickly accompany it, make Amy's eyebrow rise. "Really?"

Mia merely laughs. "Come on, it's appropriate!"

--

Taylor

She sat with Kakuna in her lap, the Pokemon looking like she was ready to burst any day now, as he hummed in relief that she had returned home safely. Laying on the bed next to the couch she sat on, was her dad, changed by one of those magic stones that had appeared in peoples' hands right before the beginning of the Endbringer battle.

Laying with him were Pidgey and Pikachu, either one snuggled into his arms, while the Gyarados was right outside of the window, his sleeping form laying on a bed that Mia had created for him when they had all come back from the fight.

They had all stuck to her Dad like glue, and not a single one would budge an inch, though they had greeted her with happy cries and smiles on their faces, right before going back to sleep.

She still couldn't believe what she had seen during the battle.

Just how… much Leviathan had been holding back in previous Endbringer fights. How many people would have died without that little invention that Mia and Dragon had created? And then those capes that had gained new powers, with so many Pokemon doing their best to keep other people alive.

And Taylor had to watch as many of them didn't make it back after the battle. Too many injuries happening faster than the armbands could have healed or teleported them away from the battle

And… Taylor couldn't do a thing to help them. Nothing that her bugs could do to save those that drowned under the waves, or those that were ripped apart by rain at the speed of bullets. All that she could, was watch and wait for the moment when she could finally get that fucking monster. And she did.

It felt good, to see that thing die. But it didn't do much to get rid of that… heavy feeling that had sunk deep into her chest.

She knew that there wasn't anything that she could do. She knew that she had saved plenty of people with her wires from her position, that she did more good sitting in her position away from the fighting, than if she had been there in person.

She knew that more people had survived this Endbringer battle than any previously fought, especially when you consider that most Simurgh fights end with people having to be quarantined out of fear that they had become a bomb.

It still didn't make the guilt any better. No matter how much she knew there was nothing that she could do.

So, here she sat, dad and Pokemon asleep, watching the rest of the surviving capes through her bugs senses, not able to sleep like her body desperately wanted to after the battle. She was pretty sure that any Flame she conjured up would be nothing more than a wisp. She had used everything to keep Leviathan in check, along with Mia afterwards.

Past the tents that Leo and Krunter had created to be bigger on the inside, they didn't have enough rooms for every parahuman in the mansion after all, she watched a small crowd gathered together.

It wasn't many people, only about ten of them she reckoned, and through her bugs, she could smell the stench of alcohol. While she couldn't quite hear through them clearly, she could tell that the group were all laughing. A high timber cheer while two voices echoed louder amongst the crowd.

She didn't know who they were, but she knew that they were celebrating. Celebrating their survival, because the Triumvirate had decided to keep the death of the Endbringers under wraps for now.

Probably so that they can control the narrative. Or maybe figure out a way to try to lock Mia up. A dark part of her mind whispered that she quickly stomped down. They were still her heroes.

Even if she knew that the little voice in her head had a point.

It might be a bit creepy, but for that one moment, she just appreciated that someone was having a good time amidst the hell that they had all just gone through.

"Sometimes that's all that you really need. To know that there is just a little bit of enjoyment to be had in life." A sweet and quiet voice that sent a shiver down her spine said a few feet away from her.

Her bugs can't see her, can't sense her, so she turns her head to meet Death in the eyes.

Only to immediately feel guilty about being afraid of her when she spots the sadness in them. How the hell can Death manage to give her cute pouty eyes like that?

Still, even with the sadness that was evidenced in her eyes, Didi still gave her that same sad smile. Like she couldn't waste a single moment to let it fade away.

"You know you can ask. I don't bite the curious." She said coyly, taking her hat off, resting it on the table next to her seated form across from Taylor. Pidgey and Pikachu both raise their heads to stare at Didi, lightning and ruffled feathers beginning to rise up, when she gives them both a smile that immediately calms them both down.

"Am I really that obvious?" Taylor asked, trying to hold onto embarrassment instead of fear.

"Just a bit. Though, most people tend to have a few questions for me."

"Ok then…" Now that she was on the spot, the questions that were at the back of her mind didn't want to come out, so she instead settled on one that had just popped onto the tip of her tongue. "How can you smile like that?"

"Oh?" Instead of being offended like Taylor had feared, she looked more… curious. Like it was a question most people didn't ask.

"If you're Death, and everything that is destined to die, then why do you smile like that if you already know that it's all going to end?" It was a thought that had plagued Taylor, even more so lately since death started to become something that was becoming… more and more common around her, as much as she wished it wasn't.

The sadness seems to… just melt away and her smile becomes… the lightest one that she had ever worn.

"Once a century, I take on the life of a mortal. For a single day, I live like you would. Like any normal person would. Sitting by the stream while a boy told me about his dreams and schemes, playing chess with the sweet old man that never had a partner, on and on." Her smile grows brighter with every word, eyes almost shining with nostalgia. "And then, at the end of the day, I die. Just like any mortal would."

"That's it?" Taylor asked dumbfoundedly.

"Oh, believe me, before I started doing that, I was such a gloomy mess! It's actually a bit embarrassing now that I think about it." Didi let's out a little giggle at that with a hand to her lips.

"How did that change anything?"

"Easy. Because, up to that point, I never lived. I never knew that, at the end of the day, the 'me' that I was for that day would die. And I learned to savor those days like the treasured memories that they really are. Just like every day should be." That was one of the cheesiest things that Taylor had ever heard in her life. And yet… having Death herself say that with so much joy in her eyes… and Taylor couldn't help but actually take it seriously.

"Now," Taylor blinks as Didi speaks up. "I know that isn't the question that you really want to ask me. Go ahead."

The brunette breathes in for three seconds, and releases it for four. Now or never Taylor.

"My mom." She hates how her voice cracks, the way that had to force the tears from falling down her cheeks. "Did she-!" She can't even bring herself to finish the question.

She hated even thinking about that one thought that followed her, hung around her neck like a noose, choking the happiness and joy that she had started to find in life out of her.

"Of course she didn't." Her words aren't gentle, and Taylor wouldn't even call them kind. It was a simple fact. A truth that seemed to be imbued into the world around them. "She never did, and never would blame you Taylor. Until the moment where she left, all she could think of was you and your father."

And with those sentences, Taylor released the dam that she had built for the past two years, the spectre that had been hounding her conscience disappearing, and she wept there in that room, her dad completely and utterly asleep, while the Pokemon in the room watched her with concerned eyes.

She didn't even notice when the cocoon in her lap shined and shifted, the Pokemon changing into a Bee about four feet in height, with lances for arms, a single stinger at the end of its rear, and two wings strong enough to support its flight.

It buzzed once, Taylor staring at the giant bee with wide teary eyes, Didi smiling out of her sight, and gasps when the bee wraps its arms around her, letting out a tender cry.

Taylor only resumed crying, a smile on her face as she hugged the Pokemon with her arms.

--

???

I ignore the rumbling and pain in my stomach as I travel down the street, raggy dirty shoes and dress ignored by those around me, after all, not like most other people look any better than I do around these parts.

The image shifts and changes for a split second.

Or that they would care about some random ass teen that shuffled through the streets in raggy sneakers that were a bit too big, along with the T-shirt and barely-fitting jeans. I just hoped that the chinese place hadn't thrown out what leftovers they had yet. Or that the cunt that owned the place wasn't there. Grubby fucker never let his employees give out food that they were just going to throw away to any of us. 'Sides, it was just me that went there and handed the food out whenever I got back to the hide away.

Another shift.

The ratty building that I visited every night at this time was just as eerie as it had always been, creaky doorway and snobbish receptionist that didn't even bother looking at me. Not like I would even understand a word that she said to me anyways.

Gringa didn't speak a lick of Spanish, damn bitch wouldn't degrade herself to a 'savage's' tongue even if she could. I keep the anger and rage buried underneath the mask of nothing.

No point in showing something that would only end with the damn policia coming after the savage girl.

I walk through the nice hallways the progressively became drudgier and shabby, before the immaculate paint that probably cost more than a week of my pay slowly gave way to peeling and drab metal as the public friendly gave way to the warehouse inside.

Behind a few dinky doors, I find the room that I was being paid to clean. It was barely enough for me to make it through the day, but that wasn't why I kept coming back here every day.

Even now, with the sun having set in the sky, lit by candlelight and writing words that I didn't understand on the chalkboard, was a tall handsome man in an immaculate suit, his hair neatly combed and mustache neatly trimmed. A stark contrast to the almost dilapidated workshop around us, scrap and parts formed into projects all around us on tables, a few of them having been cannibalized to create new ones.

The sound of chalk on blackboard stops, the thin man turning his head, dark eyes finding me, and they soften a bit when he spots me in my raggy dress and barely held together shoes. He doesn't smile, but that's just because Niko didn't tend to smile much, especially not the past couple of weeks.

"Hello little one." He says in pretty bad Spanish that makes me giggle.

"Hello old man." His eyebrows narrow in feigned amusement while I go to the closet at the back to grab the cheap cleaning supplies that I used for my daily routine. "What are we learning today?" I asked in broken English, some of my words slurring a bit too much as they felt foreign on my tongue.

He grabs a book off a nearby bookshelf, quickly leafing through it with dexterous hands, mumbling to himself in something that wasn't English or Spanish, until he found what he was looking for.

"Physics." He says with a thick accent, though I didn't really know what that means. Didn't matter though. I had a knack for picking up on those kinds of things, better than languages at least.

I fill up a bucket with water, and dip the rag in while hefting the mop and broom around as he began to try his hand at teaching, hoping to break past the language barrier through sheer stubbornness.

It worked most of the time.

And that was how our night went.

He spent it writing formulas on the board, many of which I didn't understand, others that I figured out after only a few seconds, while I spent the night away trying to bring some form of order back to this room.

"Seriously Niko, is it really hard for you to keep this place tidy?" I complain to him while putting the last of the spare parts away in a wooden box.

He shrugs. "Wouldn't be good if Edison walked in and you weren't doing anything."

I didn't understand everything that he was saying, but the moment that I heard Edison, I got the gist of it. Fucking pendejo.

Always quick to lose his temper when he thought people were not being productive, only to quickly ignore everything that they did do in the course of their work. Fucking rich Americano.

And that was how I spent many of my days during that time, often times having a meal with the Serbian inventor as he went tutoring me.

Funny how this all started because I recognized a few of the numbers and just… went with the flow one night.

Not once had Niko shown any irritation at some of my slowness, instead he was more than happy to let me pick things up at my own pace, happy to just… ramble at me about certain ideas in terrible broken Spanish, English, and whatever the language that he spoke was called.

And those were the happiest days of my life. Before everything became so complicated. Before I had to just stand there and watch as everything was ripped away from Nikos' grasp.

What I wouldn't' give to have just one more day, just one more day to clean that crappy lab and listen to the closet thing I ever had for a father teach me about the sciences of the world.

Static again, as the image fades away, replaced by a completely different picture.

What I wouldn't give to just go back and spend time like this. With my brother and his family. Watch as the big oaf fumbled around trying his best to get rid of the annoyed pout on his daughter's face while Durga laughed cheerfully behind her.

A simple day in the palace, away from the everlasting war that we always had to fight.

For once, neither Asura nor I carried the Wrath that we usually did. For this one day, this one moment, we both just… laughed.

Free of the sin that we had to mire ourselves in to fight against the Gohma.

"I swear Mithra, all you have to do is pout and your father becomes a stuttering mess. Oh, how the mighty Guardian General has fallen!" I cry out, placing the back of my hand on my forehead, playing up the 'despair' in my voice.

Mithra turns her narrowed eyes on me, while Asura merely groans in embarrassment and frustration. Frustration, not Wrath.

"I bet if you ever brought a boy home, all you would have to do to get your father to accept him would be to pout in his direction!" My smile widens as Mithra's little glare disappears, replaced by one of embarrassed horror.

It only gets better when I see Asura's eyes flash white in real rage.

Durga and my laughter echoes through the room, overpowering Father and Daughter as they screamed their protests.

—

Opportunity

He gasps awake, the memories fresh on his mind as he brings his consciousness back to the land of the living.

He brushes some of his red hair away from his face, noticing that Voyager was already gone, the night sky above them shining bright with stars.

He didn't really need to sleep. Most Heroic Spirits didn't. But it was something that he enjoyed. Allowed his mind to rest and just… lose himself in dreams. Only they weren't his for once.

Standing up from his bed, he leaves the room that he and the Space Probe shared in the mansion, making his way through the hallways, careful to be quiet so as not to disturb the rest of the guests that currently rested in their home.

One of the Troopers nods to him, and allows him to pass through the threshold of the Workshop, the Little Rover arriving at his destination in no time at all.

He finds Mia and the rest of her Servants in the living room of the Pokemon Lab, his Master now back into a more biological form instead of the cybernetic one that she had been in earlier in the day.

A banjo rested in her hands, finger strumming the strings of the simple instrument in an optimistic yet melancholic song that ached the part of him that was the young rover that roamed the red sands of Mars.

"Morning Opportunity." Mia said with a smile, fingers still strumming along on the banjo in her hands. "Take it you had the same dream as everyone else?"

The red haired boy nodded his head, looking over at the other four Heroic Spirits, who greet him with a smile as well.

He wonders if they would still smile at him if they knew who he really was underneath the guise of his friend. The red haired spirit quickly focuses on something else.

"Did we all…?" The Heroic Spirits all nod at him, most of them having… complicated expressions on their faces.

"Well, I got a couple from the rest of you too." Mia said kindly, eyes meeting each of their own with understanding in her eyes.

Opportunity tries not to react as her eyes meet his own. Does she know?

Figured that we wouldn't be able to sleep again after that, so I decided why not just have a nice night with all six of us here?"

"Where are the others?" Bedivere asked as he filled up mugs and tea cups full of warm beverages from the Lab's kitchen.

"Asleep. They're all exhausted and need the rest." The pride that Mia had in her voice practically radiated from her, brightening the room around them. "I'm proud of all of you too. Truly. And I'm-"

"Ah, Ah, Ah! None of that Maitre! No apologies for something that you couldn't control!" Napoleon quickly said, raising his hand up into the air, as Quetzalcoatl stood from her seat, smiling at Mia. Voyager nodded with a serious expression and Opportunity did the same.

Bedivere simply chuckled from his place as he prepared their beverages.

"But if I had at least told the others about it then maybe-" Her fingers slip from their rhythmic strumming, eyes clouded by guilt, only to be surprised when she's all but tackled in a hug by both Quetzalcoatl and Voyager.

"Niña, we know. But obsessing over it, and allowing it to cloud your mind is going to do nothing to change things. Telling them the truth, and knowing not to make the same mistake is." Her voice were gentle, but her eyes were hardened jade, Voyager nodding his head aggressively in agreement.

Mia's lips tremble.

"We all make mistakes. We all do things that we wished that we could have done differently." He is surprised that the words were coming from himself instead of one of the other Spirits.

He lowers his head as they all stare at him with wide eyes, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment as he realized that he had said too much.

Please don't ask anything, please don't ask anything! He screams in his head, wishing that they would stop staring at him with such curious eyes.

The clicking of porcelain and fine teaware catches everyone's attention as Bedivere passes everyone their respective beverages. Mia and Napoleon finely roasted dark coffee, Voyager and Opportunity receiving hot chocolate, while Quetzalcoatl happily took her cup of tea.

"As the young lad said! Focus not on what lay behind you, but on the path in front! After all, we have no time to waste ruminating on what ifs, instead, take the mistakes and forge them into something that will help you move forward!" Napoleon said with that same smile on his face. The same one that inspired hope for people to move toward the ideal that they held in their hearts.

The same one that made him such a talented leader of men. The hidden part of Opportunity couldn't help but approve.

"Thanks you guys." Mia says quietly, hugging the two blonds in her arms, while giving the rest of them appreciative glances. There were no tears in her eyes.

Opportunity knew that it wasn't going to be enough to completely undo the burden of guilt that she carried. But it would help.

Burdens were always just a bit lighter when they all carried it together. It's what allowed countless warriors to carry on to another day, even with the shadow of war around them.

Hopefully her coming clean to the rest of the mortals in the morning would help ease it even more.

—

Mia

I dreamed of immaculate french castles, and dreary battlefields. Of days in the cold while I ran for my life, shame at having failed in conquest forever haunting the rest of my days, even as fear at being captured clung to me like fleas and ticks.

A shift.

Now, instead, I floated amidst the emptiness of space, completely, and utterly alone. It was just me, and the void. My eyes that had once looked back at home were non-functional, and I floated endlessly forevermore. But I did not despair, for I knew that it was what I was meant for. This was my purpose.

To guide Humanity forward into the stars, past the greatest ocean that there ever would be.

I dreamed of wandering the world with shame and guilt in my heart, the sword that i had promised my liege heavy on my back, as I knew that rest would never come until I retired it to the Once and Future King.

I wept as I knew that my time as the sun was coming to an end, as the Jaguar betrayed me and humanity forever out its own cruelty.

"#@!!"

I roamed the endless sands of red, the solitude that I had long since accepted as my own. Just me, and the planet Mars around me.

"!@ia!"

For I felt at my core that I was never really as alone as I seemed. A presence forever with me that wished for a friend.

"Mia!"

And then it was all ripped away as I felt a tugging at my shoulders and my name called.

"Signora Mia! Please wake up! This is urgent!"

"Leo?" I ask, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, getting up from my comfy bed, Turtwig, Ralts, and Agumon both looking up in annoyance. They… hadn't been happy with being left behind during the Endbringer fight. None of the Pokemon were. I didn't care if it made me a hypocrite. None of them would be able to do a thing about the fight ahead.

Instead, they had helped some of the squats and troopers keep the peace here, helping calm some of the Pokemon that had been teleported back here down after their injuries. While new Pokemon were intelligent, they still weren't used to not being normal animals. They needed someone to calm them down after having almost died, just like anyone else.

"Signora, I'm sorry to wake you up, but-" He takes in a breath to calm himself down, and now I can feel the panic inside of him. The panic… and the fear.

"What happened?" My voice is firm, my eyes are clear, and I can feel the weight of a katana on my hip as I start to get changed, pulling simple clothes from the nearby closet with a single thought.

"The bodies!" Krunter practically hisses as he appears next to Leo with a pop, the Italian man causing the air to grow heavy for a split second as he jumps in fright. "The bodies mistress!"

Seeing them both just… stare at me with a sort of manic fear, while feeling the panic that boiled and bubbled below the surface of their minds made my own start to spike. "Look, I know that there are a couple of bodies from magic ninja's-"

I stop as Leo grabs my shoulders bringing his face close and staring into my eyes, his blue orbs crackling with magic. "It isn't just a couple!" He hisses at me. "And it isn't just the 'ninjas' that you had mentioned!"

I feel the same creeping fear run up my spine that felt from my friends at that. Though, I make sure to keep that out of my face and voice as I finish getting dressed. "Show me."

The walk through the hallways doesn't take long, the Workshop working its magic and changing the layout of the place so that we arrive at the Bioengineering lab in seconds after leaving the Pokemon Lab.

It looks just like how I had left it last night. Pods full of corpses, with the storage area at the back holding anything that was left over. I had made sure to cover all of those… they felt like they were staring back at me.

Of course, I hadn't checked every pod yesterday. Too busy showing Vicky how I converted biomass into something that could be used to help her sister and mother walk again.

Though… I did see some people that I recognized. Some of them I pitied. Some of them I didn't know. I was surprised how many of those I hated completely. I stared momentarily at the giant white snake that was as ugly as his soul had been. One of the few people I wasn't sorry Sasuke had killed.

Fucking pedo snake deserved it.

I reserved judgment on Leo and Krunter's panic, simply following behind them, feeling my Spirits come to my side when they had felt me wake up.

"What's going on?" Little Opportunity asked, small dark hand rubbing the sleep from his red eyes, with Voyager doing the same thing.

Quetzalcoatl and I keep the squeals of adorableness that we wanted to release inside. Now was not the time to pick those two up and snuggle them.

"Leo and Krunter said that something was wrong with the new… additions." I say while glancing towards the many pods around us.

We walked deeper and deeper down a hallway connected to the Lab-huh, that hadn't been here yesterday-past even more pods filled with people as the hallway just… felt like it was going on and on.

Eventually, we approached a doorway that was… different from the techno-organic surroundings of the Biolab.

It was still metal but it felt… dead compared to the gleaming metal of my lab. A more rusted over gray that reeked of entropy. The light beyond the large doorway was… red, like that of a dying star.

I suddenly had an… even worse feeling about all of this.

When we crossed the looming doorway I found Lindsay, Judith and Taylor already there, the three young women staring out at the sight in front of us.

And I joined them as I felt something… break inside of my heart. Like I had seen my home reduced to nothing.

Because, in a way, at least a part of me, did.

In front of us, in all of it's ruined glory, was a broken and barely held together planet made of metal and technology.

"You need to stop making weird shit happen Mia. I thought I finally got used to it." Lindsay croaked out while staring at the shattered remains with an awestruck expression.

"What is this place?" Judith whispered out, her eyes flitting back and forth, never stopping as she took ever single shape that was around us in. "A giant spaceship? What kind of power gave you this?"

And just like that, it clicked in my head. Even as much as I wished that it didn't.

I stare at the broken planet, the broken body of Primus that spawned an entire civilization of robotic life, not just AI, but true life. I look at the cracked and broken spires of metal, the slagged together patches that might have once been a neighborhood, and I know that it is only the bare surface of what this place experienced.

And from the way that Leonardo and Krunter kept looking down the ledge that we had walked into, towards some other interior of the current tower that we were in, I quickly ascertained exactly what this fucking power did. And knew that it was the most dangerous thing I had ever pulled.

Because what else was Cybertron but the greatest corpse that there ever could be? Rife with plenty of samples for… 'experimentation'.

"It's part of the power that came through yesterday." I say with a haunted tone as old emotions that I hadn't… truly felt before as the Spark within me hummed in sorrow. Hummed in guilt and misery as I stared across what it had spawned from. I take in a deep breath, and gesture to the remnant and ruins of the planet before us. "Welcome to Cybertron. Birthplace of the Cybertonians."

Voyager looked at the world with sad eyes, levitating up higher, his goggles hanging from his neck instead of over his head like usual. "This place is… sad."

And without another word, I simply walked on, following behind the House-Elf and Renaissance Man as they led me to wherever we were headed. I didn't need to hear the footsteps of my friends to know that they were following close behind.

—-

I ignored the sorrowful tones that echoed in my soul as we walked through the dilapidated hallways of the planet, charred and timeworn metal being the constant factor as here and there I could see the barest traces of roots begin to grow. Was my Lab in the process of taking this place as its own?

I couldn't say that I truly minded. Perhaps that way I might be able to bring this planet somewhere close to what it once was? Or perhaps, something even greater than the world of Cybertron? I smiled as I felt the Spark inside me hum in agreement.

Thank you Optimus. Or at least, what was left of him. Merely an echo.

"Are we sure this place is safe?" Taylor asked me while sending her bugs outward, trying to scout out the hallways and surrounding vents. Or… electrical pathways. Transformers didn't need to breathe after all.

I tried not to think about that particular thought for long.

"Nothing here is alive." The power was very clear on that. But it had left out the part about including other places. Meaning people from those places.

"That… isn't really that comforting." Taylor says eyes going back to their rapid movements over every fallen piece of metal and scrap wire.

"Trust me mija, I know." Dear god did I know.

Her hazel eyes look at me, searching for something. "How do you know what this place is if you didn't know that it was here?"

We reached the first room not long after. Written in big black letters the word Nier, was printed onto the doorway in black font, the dot above the i a simple small gear.

I stare at the door, the sadness that I was feeling only growing more intensely, and press the button next to the large doors, the mechanism activating and the two halves receding into the walls.

My mouth is a thin line as we step forward, Krunter and Leo looking further down the hallway, but following me all the same. Guess that this isn't what they wanted to show me.

Inside of the room, splayed on operating tables instead of floating in pods, were the bodies of what looked to be young adults and teens. Almost every single one of them sporting white hair, while I immediately spotted the two red-headed twins at the back of the almost giant room.

Another pang of sadness that I quickly smother away.

"Are those fucking kids?" Judith doesn't quite scream, but I can hear the rage in her hiss while her blood boils on the inside.

"They're not human. Look at that one." Taylor says dispassionately, but I can see the bugs around her buzzing erratically, like they were ready to fly away any minute. The body that she pointed to was missing an arm, and exposed insides were metal and wiring instead of flesh and blood. Given by the roughness of the wound, I was willing to bet it was ripped off instead of cut off.

Every single one that I saw was like that.

Broken in some way. Cauterized wounds, smashed body parts, some were more scrap metal than an actual android.

"I thought you said that your power gave you… genetic samples? From people, not robots?" Judith said while walking down the aisle, staring at a dark-haired heavy cloaked android. So… Jackass didn't survive all of that either huh?

"They WERE the only people on their world. The only ones left after all the humans had died off." Their faces go pale.

"What happened to all the humans?" Taylor asked.

"They died because of a magical supervirus that swept across the planet." I keep the fact that it came because of a dragon and a kid to myself. Same goes for the fact that it very much was a slow extinction.

"And what happened to all of them then?" Opportunity asked with a sad knowing look as he gazed at a particular one that had been impaled by something large and heavy, leaving the hole torn and ragged.

"Everything." I tell them simply, walking over to two very familiar androids.

9S and 2B were curled up on either table, both of them right next to each other, hands seeming to… reach out towards the other. As if even in death they strived to be together.

I ignore the lump that had formed in my throat, walking back towards the entrance.

"Come on. This isn't what you wanted to show me anyway, right Leo?" I say, doing my best not to look at the bodies any more than I had to.

I already knew what I was going to do after all. But that would have to wait until I actually had some time.

It was funny.

As Kali, I thought nothing of time. After all, regardless of how long it passed, the Gohma would be forever constant.

How I wish I could go back to that.

I feel my friends follow behind me, their emotions a mix of dark and light, anxiety curiosity, some sorrow, along with just a bit of amazement.

Every room we passed had some word or symbol that I recognized.

The eye of Horus, a glowing wand, a red rose, a glowing light amidst a ringed pair of what looked like outstretched wings, a kunai, a katana, a green hourglass like shape, and on and on and on.

It felt like every single doorway that we passed could be a world of their own, and given what we were standing on… it wasn't much of a stretch. Each door that I recognized filled some part of me with pain. More so than I thought they would.

Could it be that the pieces of me that had yet to become full memories of other Mias were reacting to that? Were they already starting to become more than just pieces of power that glowed in my strange sky?

I tried to ignore the heaviness that were infused in my steps, carefully avoiding the door with the purple star with a stylized J at the front.

God… was a certain crown of thorns wearing corpse in there?

Given everything that we had passed, I was willing to bet he was.

There were so many people that could never be allowed to leave this place. For both my own safety, and that of the rest of the world.

Or rather, 'worlds', especially as I passed by a door with the simple word 'Invincible' stamped in yellow letters.

Nothing could ever leave Cybertron without my say so. Nothing.

I focused my mind on security measures for each and every door that we passed, plans on top of plans, on top of plans. Would it be a bit excessive to have the floor laced with both psionic stasis fields and paralysis gas that would cause the nerves to bunch up?

Maybe, but I wasn't going to risk any of this.

For both practical and emotional reasons.

Many of the people here deserved to simply rest. They'd had enough tragedy and devastation in their lifetime, and they didn't need any following them in death.

Given the way that Krunter and Leo eyed a few doors, they had gone in to peek just a bit. Probably also looked up data on each of them.

I don't know how long we all spent just… walking through this place. It was like a maze and yet… I never became lost.

I knew exactly where we were at, and how to get back to the 'rest' of my workshop. There was even a few 'elevators' that were basically miniature planes or transport panels with no limitations like 'up' and 'down', or even 'sideways'. While this place was dead, it was also… 'alive' now. Like becoming part of my Workshop had managed to bring some semblance of soul back into it.

My friends were with me every step of the way. Their former anger at me washed away with concern and worry for me every time that my mask of stoicism slipped.

I would be lying if I said that it didn't mean the world to me. Every world.

Might make telling them everything about… well whoever I was at least a bit easier.

Walking through had been… kind of a daze. Like… walking through mist.

Guess that I just accepted that this was going to be the most dangerous thing I had gotten from the Forge so far, and just had to deal with it.

But it was when my group had arrived at the largest door, easily at least ten stories high, that my very soul felt like it wanted to jump out of my body and just hoof it out of here.

Engraved and shining red, was the blocky face of the Autobots. Lines that ran down the face like tears while two stylized eyebrows over each eye.

The Spark that was entwined with my soul… ached at the sight, along with the memories of the Mia that had found the kind metallic Goliath and simply wanted to help the person in pain.

"Holy shit that's big." I heard Taylor mutter under her breath.

She and the rest of the group stared wide-eyed up at the enormous door, my Spirits joining along. They knew about my abilities, and the fact they came from other worlds. But they didn't know everything that I had seen in my lives as someone else.

Or the intricacies and strangeness of other worlds.

"What the hell is in there that it needs a door that big?" It was oddly nice to hear surprise from Judith again. Felt like she had gotten a bit too used to the strangeness that happened around me.

"How about I show you." My voice comes out as lifeless as the metal that we walked on.

I didn't even need to press a button. The door simply… slid open, as silent as the grave.

Steeping through, white lights illuminated the expansive room around us, easily dwarfing football stadiums in their size, and the bodies that floated in fields of blue energy. The large metal bodies of robotic beings that caused my heart to ache with pain.

I immediately recognized most of them, from the familiar yellow and black of Bumblebee, to the terrifying familiarity of black and purple of Megatron, the spiked and mad Cybertronian that hungered for power.

I only added more bodies to the pile of 'burn later' as my eyes roamed around.

And felt my heart stop as I saw a painfully familiar sight. A red giant, with a blue crown covering the top of his head, empty rectangular eyes that should be glowing blue instead of the deathless stare that I could feel baring into my soul.

Every part of me screamed as I saw the friend that I never made just… hanging there, body suspended in a field of formless blue energy.

Hanging there like all the others, many of which made my heart ache just as much as Optimus did. And this was my Optimus. Or at least his corpse.

Whether or not I could Spark him back… I don't think that I wanted to know. The disappointment that I would feel when his body would just… remain there, lifeless and empty would crush me more than having to bury him again.

"Mon dieux." Napoleon whispered staring up at the room that just went on and on before changing into even more giant hallways.

"What are they?" Taylor whispered with wide eyes that seemed tempted to pop out of her skull.

"Cybertronians. Synthetic beings that didn't have a creator in the way that we usually think." My friends all turn to me with raised eyebrows. "They did have a… well, guess that you could call him a god, that gave life to every single one here. But they are all truly alive in a way different to how we think synthetic beings could be."

"And how would that be?" Taylor asked, nothing but curiosity in her voice as her eyes tried drinking everything around her in.

"They… aren't really made up of programming like we think. They aren't some computer program that is just inside of a metal body. Instead, they are a completely different form of intelligence that gained the Spark of life." I lift my hand, allowing the blue lightning that gave life to each and every Transformer that had ever lived. "The All Spark."

And for a second, I allow my form to change. I feel as every cell in my body changed from normal human cells into a combination of techno-organic material. My skin changed from my normal brown to a shining grey hue, no doubt my face undergoing the same transformation while I could feel the All-Spark shine and burn inside of my body even brighter than before. My chakra was gone, but my magic and aura remained.

A side effect that some of my forms suffered from. At least unlike the Soul Reaper changes, I kept my magic and aura this time around.

When that moment is gone, I revert back to what had become my default form, my skin changing back to normal, happy to feel my hair back to normal instead of the strangely comfortable heaviness that they turned into.

"So you got a sex bot form too?" Lindsay said with a smile, embarrassment and uncomfortableness coming off her in waves. Judith and Taylor both smack her with pointed looks on their faces.

That manages to get a laugh out of me.

"Why didn't you ever mention this?" Taylor asked. I heard the unspoken question in her eyes. "What else haven't you told us?"

"Lots of reasons. One of them is that I just forgot to mention it. Another is that if I explained everything that happened to me in detail, ever single power that came through the Forge, then we would probably spend the next month just talking about it and nothing would ever get done."

They look like they want to argue, but then my companions take a look at the room around us one more time, promptly shutting their mouths afterwards.

"So… that means that you can… just make life with the snap of your fingers?" Taylor looks nervous at that, which isn't a surprise given the… reputation that most biotinkers get in Earth Bet. Same reason why Amy had such a hard time with her powers, and guilt seemed to drag her into a hell of her own making.

"Mija, I could already do that with my other powers. Look at little Quetz after all. This just means that I… have other avenues previously unseen in this world."

"You know some of these… people don't you?" Judith, blunt as ever, states while staring right into my eyes.

I successfully look away, trying to figure out the best way to say this without breaking down in front of all of them. Two hands take mine, one large and calloused, the other slimmer but just as rough.

Looking over, I find the French Emperor and Goddess of the Sun giving me encouraging looks. I smile at both of them, Without Question conveying to them my emotions, and the two of them smiling back at me.

"Some of them were my friends." I state simply, walking over to the silent warrior in blue and red, the part of him that remained within me trying to soothe and calm me. "Others were my enemies. In another life. Someone that was me, and yet wasn't."

They… take it a bit more in stride than I thought they would. Then again, Earth Bet had known for a while that parallel worlds were real, so it wouldn't be too much of a surprise.

"So… what your power does is…" Taylor says, her mind already whirling at the possibilities.

"Probably… connecting to other Mia's. Or taking their memories and abilities before shoving them into me. I don't really know." The fucking Giant had been vauge before certain impressions and knowledge, leaving some of the more intricate details completely out of my hands. The contemptible annoyance.

"How… does that work exactly?" Of course the Italian man would have that look in his eyes, the one that was trying to break everything down in his head to better understand it.

"Pretty badly." I tell him honestly. "Far as I can figure… when I get all of the stars from a particular… set, then the memories come through. Though, I have been finding that they're coming earlier and clearer the more stars become mine in general."

As if taunting me, I felt another star connect. A bigger one, and part of the cluster that had come with the… Demon. The one that had almost completely overtaken me if it hadn't been for Gaia's intervention.

Pieces in my brain suddenly… clicked. Memories on how to completely imbue items and creations with Faith, at least those that were crafted from Creation and by my own hands, to make them something more. To ensure that they would stand the test of time and never become weathered or worn away by Entropy.

I quickly ignore it and go back to the far more important conversation that I was having with my friends.

"Right now I've had three other lives inserted into my brain." I… take a second to try and figure out how best to continue on.

"Is that why you started acting… different around the time when you had that spaceship made? And your little freakout after the Endbringer fight?" The blond Rain user tries to keep the… accusation out of her voice, but I hear and feel it all the same.

"Yes." I change my form again, making myself shorter, losing the rabbit and elf ears for a second while allowing the wrinkles and gray hair to form on my head. "Meet Mia Tesla. 33rd President of the United States." Just as quickly I turn back into my normal form, to the hanging open mouths and bugged eyed faces of my friends, Krunter being the only one confused instead of flabbergasted.

"By Tesla… were you?" Lindsay is the one to speak up this time, eyes looking at me with… awe. I hated it even more than when she would look at me in fear. At least then I would deserve it.

"We weren't related, but we were close. He was the one that taught me… everything that I knew about science and English. After all, most people in the late 1800's wouldn't give a rat's ass about some random Savage brown girl enough to teach her English." I don't succeed in keeping the bitterness from my voice, and my friends all… stare at me with genuine surprise.

Understandable.

"You do know how crazy this makes you sound?" LIndsay voice what I knew the others were thinking.

"Lindsay, I already knew that I was crazy. This just cemented it more into the foundation of my soul." The quippy reply was more depressing than I meant it to be.

Then it was my turn to be surprised when I felt… a flash of magma hot anger as Taylor steps up towards me and… slaps me in the face.

It doesn't hurt, and I make sure to soften up my skin so that she doesn't break her hand on impact with my aura or magic, but I can still see the red on Taylor's hand, the ring on her finger flaring like a newborn purple sun as her Flames seemed to go out of control.

I was so surprised, that I didn't resist as she grabbed me by the front of my vest and pulled me in to her face. I marveled at the… glare that she sent my way. It hurt. But I was also proud to see it. For so long it had seemed like Taylor was stuck bottling up her emotions, hiding anything that she felt from the rest of the world. Now, her anger was laid bare and I didn't care that it was focused on me in the slightest.

"Why didn't you say anything!?" The others took a step back from that, at least, the mortals did. My Spirits merely looked on in approval that we were definitely going to talk about later.

"I didn't think that it-"

"Bullshit that it didn't matter!" The brunette hollered in my face, her face severe. "All that time getting us out of our own shit, telling us that we should trust you and tell you our problems, only for you to hide your own crap from the rest of us when it almost got us killed!"

Her words hurt, but they were the truth. So I don't say anything, just stare back as she continues on. "And of course this isn't just 'your' stuff, it's also whatever else that your 'other' lives were dealing with! Why didn't you tell us? Don't you trust us?"

"Of course I do-"

"Then why didn't you say a word about any of this?"

"I was scared." I tell her honestly, and that manages to knock the wind out of her sails.

"You were scared? That's it?" She says in disbelief.

"Yeah. Scared of…. Everything I guess. Of how you would all react. Of who I was and how much of me was… really me I guess. After all… if my hypothesis is right then none of my powers are really mine. They're just… something that I stole from a different Mia that actually earned her power. Along with the memories of friends that I never made myself."

And my friends look at me with something that I hate more than anything. Pity. And I hated it whenever people felt that for me.

Every version of me did apparently.

And Taylor just… stares at me before bringing me into a hug. Part of me would have preferred it if she had hit me instead.

"You didn't steal us." She says simply.

And I can't keep the tears away this time.

At the back of my mind, as I finally let the dam that had been building up while my friends came forward to join in the hug, I could hear an old wizened voice that had belonged to a Prime whisper to me. "Well done Prime."

For that one moment, I actually felt like I deserved that title instead of something that I stole from another Mia.

Marcus

He moved the last pawn into position knowing that it was a futile effort. His opponent took the pawn right after, putting the knight in a proper place to take the king next turn, while a bishop and Rook ensuring that it had no room to retreat.

"Well, I guess that's check for me." He said simply, looking up towards the topless young woman attached to a grotesque bottom that easily dwarfed him. She gave him a small smile behind the clear glass, the gold glowing metal crown on her head turning off as her holographic side of the chess set disappeared.

"Best two out of three?" The pretty brunette asked almost desperately. She enjoyed his company a lot more than he thought she would. Then again, if she were trapped looking like that, with difficulty controlling her more… aggressive urges due to a batched power, he could understand.

There was always a sort of… primal rage that shimmered beneath the surface. He couldn't quite feel emotions like Mia did, but he found that he could see and understand them far easier since he had unlocked his flames.

He looks at the watch on his omnitool and lets out a little hum.

"That can wait until a little later. Mia and the others should be arriving soon." The various limbs that were blobbed together into a grotesque mess twitched, and he saw rage enter her eyes before she quickly regained control of herself. Marcus made sure to hide the flame that had ignited on his ring underneath the table, and control his breathing.

She was just a teen that had gotten unlucky and torn away from her home. He knew that. He knew that she couldn't control her power and that it was doing it's best to drive her insane.

Still didn't mean that she scared the shit out of him and he would kill her without a second thought if he absolutely had to. The thought of what she could do, the horror that she would cause on the world if she lost control for a second… haunted him.

And he knew that's why Mia had assigned him to watch over her during the battle underneath the city in one of Coil's private Endbringer shelters. Also why his spear was currently coiled around this girl's psycho ex-boyfriend in one of the many rooms around here.

Damn brat had tried throwing a bitch fit when Marcus had shown up, stubbornly insisting that he wouldn't leave him alone with Noelle. As if Marcus would be the one that would cause the young girl to lose her temper.

The brat Krouse screamed unstable and unhinged to Marcus senses, literally one bad day from doing something that would get his friends killed. It was very telling when none of the rest of the Travelers protested while his spear of Sky tied him up and gagged him underneath Harmony flames, the calming frequency putting the little shit to sleep.

"What's going to happen to me?" She asked quietly, one of the many deformed heads on her right lower half twitching and opening its mouth in a silent scream.

He repressed a shiver. "Mia is going to fix whatever is wrong with her power. I'm sorry that it couldn't happen earlier but..."

"I know. An Endbringer happened." Her entire lower half wriggled and twitched at the E word, even while her demure voice remained soft.

And now each of those fuckers were dead! He keeps the savage grin off his face, even though he wanted nothing more than to party when Johnny had told him.

For now, the Protectorate wanted to keep it secret. Probably to sell the narrative that it was a 'concentrated effort' on behalf of the Triumvirate or some other asinine reason. Bah.

He knew that it was due to Mia and her Spirits that it all happened. The kid had managed to burn that winged bitch out of orbit with Hope itself. Something he… hadn't really felt in a long time.

Made sitting here with the baby Endbringer a lot easier.

The doors open and Mia walks through, the two new metal arms clasped behind her back while the normal ones messed with her omnitool as she smiled up at Noelle.

He almost didn't notice how much of an emotional mess Mia was.

"How are you doing mija?" The genuine care was evident in her voice, even while she hid… whatever was bumming her out on the inside.

He meets the eyes of the French Emperor at her side with a raised eyebrow, and all he receives in return was a small shake of the head and hand motion that he took to mean, 'later'.

Which was probably a good thing considering what they were dealing with.

"I'm OK." Noelle said with a guarded expression, bottom half wriggling once again.

Mia doesn't even turn to look at it. "Good. Now, the process is going to be a bit… intrusive and you're going to be unconscious during it. Are you fine with that?"

"Normal sleeping gas doesn't work on me." Yeah, no real surprise there with… whatever it was that her power was doing.

"If you manage to stay awake after what I'm hitting you with, I'll get you a PS5."

Noelle blinks. "But the latest console is the PS3?"

Mia lets out a little snort. "Yeah, in this world. Just indulge me in this, alright sweetie?"

The bulbous form underneath the thin woman wriggles and shakes, looking like it was moments away from charging, when it goes still as Noelle nods. "Alright."

Mia smiles. "Good. Sweet dreams sweetie." She lifts one of the hands behind her back, points at Noelle with a single finger and whispers a word like a rustle of wind. "Sleep." Red and white runes form in front of her finger, and launch into Noelle in an instant, the changed girl slumping as her agitated monstrous half goes still.

Finally, Marcus lets out a shiver of fear that he had been holding in.

"Thanks for keeping an eye on her Marcus."

"Yeah, sure thing boss." He quickly says. "Will whatever Tinker shit you're going to do work on her though?"

The blue suited woman nods. "Shouldn't be too much of a problem. Gaia and I are going to 'fix' her shard. While that's going to stop it from malfunctioning, we still need to actually do something about the changes that were done to her body."

Marcus turns and stares at the warped organic mess of animal heads, eyes, mouths, teeth and a bunch of other shit that is going to haunt his nightmares tonight. "Good luck with that."

Mia laughs at that. "Marcus, honey, I think that you and I both know that I don't need luck when it comes to fixing biology. It's my bitch."

He feels that shiver again, and he quickly thanks whatever higher power existed that Mia didn't murder them all in a fit of rage.

--

Taylor

She really should stop questioning why Mia did half the things she did, but sometimes she felt that she just had to.

"Why the hell are you buying stock around the city?" At least, stock was one of the things that she was buying, but Taylor really didn't understand everything else that Mia was doing. She was no business expert, and her brain had tuned out when Mia had tried explaining to her the way that certain business practices worked.

"Because it's cheap right now." Taylor stared at Mia with half narrowed eyes, remembering the state that her home was currently in, Danny doing the same as they all sat at the breakfast table inside of the Pokemon Lab.

"Of course, it's cheap right now. A good chunk of the city is in ruins." Danny doesn't quite growl his words out, but there was clear… irritation in his voice. Though, for once, it wasn't directed at Mia. Just the situation of…everything that was going on really.

With the Endbringer fight over, most of the capes that had come left for home, though a few had stuck around. Some Protectorate capes helped keep the peace around certain shelters that had been erected due to the damage that had spread across the city, to varying degrees. Because of the more chaotic circumstances, plenty of the more villainous capes had thought that it was their chance to start throwing their weight around, especially since the Empire, ABB and Merchants had lost some of their capes and leaders.

Exactly how that was working out, Taylor didn't know, but she kept her bugs and drones alert for any sort of trouble around her neighborhood, which thankfully survived the Endbringer fight, though there was some water damage.

Then there were the rogues and independent heroes that had decided to stick around. Most of them being from other parts of the world, which… Taylor didn't think was strictly legal.

Mia of course had found it beyond hilarious. "We got a bunch of illegal immigrants that used the Endbringer fight as cover! Haha, that's funny as hell!"

"Yeah, it's cheap for now at least." Mia said with a mischievous grin as she downed her third plate of pancakes, Krunter quickly telekinetically replacing the plate with yet another one as he cleaned the dishes in the kitchen. "Won't be that way for long if I have anything to say about it."

Danny and Taylor both looked at each other with wary gazes, the father and daughter having learned to be wary of any plan that Mia made.

They didn't even bother asking her, knowing that if she didn't want to tell them now, she would later.

"How's everything on your end going Danny?" Mia chimed in between bites, scratching Corvisquire perched on her shoulder, the raven-like Pokemon happily leaning into the hand.

"It's… busy." He grounds out, intertwined hands squeezing just a little tighter, Pikachu frowning from his own shoulder. "Thanks to a lot of those buildings that you had us build, along with… the additions that you made to them, there's power and food to go around. Unfortunately, space is going to be an issue soon. Even with all the buildings being bigger on the inside over by the docks."

Mia nodded at that, seemingly unsurprised by the information. "Not a surprise. There was only so much that we could do with the time that we had."

At least, the work that Taylor's dad and the Dockworkers could do on their own, with Mia only showing up to do the more… esoteric work. Another action that Mia had to be wary of, for worry of the Simurgh becoming interested in it.

The Simurgh who was now dead. A prospect that Taylor still had trouble accepting.

Even more surprising was the fact that no one was talking about it.

Not a single news article about the Endbringers, none that talked about their deaths at least. The damage and deaths that had been incurred on Brockton Bay were front page news of course. Yet, the purging of the scourges that had been plaguing the world for years were strangely missing.

"Hm, I'll send some clones over your way for some work then. Enough to get at least a couple more basic shelters for any people that may need it."

"Right Mia. 'Basic'. From you." Taylor said with a grin as she happily munched on the spicy eggs that Mia had made her. Huevo Rancheros she thinks they were called.

"I can build basic things!" Mia whined.

"Just like that 'simple' clockwork ship that you built the other day because you were bored? The same one that is space flight worthy and big enough on the inside for almost two football stadiums?" Taylor asks with a quirked eyebrow, spicy eggs chewing mouth.

"I got a little carried away with it ok? Doesn't mean that it's going to happen to every single thing that I make." Mia retorts back.

"Oh yeah, then how about you make me a knife for the eggs?" She didn't really need one, but she wanted to prove her point.

Mia narrowed her eyes at her. "We already have plenty of silverware around the house. No need for me to make another one."

Taylor decided to take that as a win in her favor.

"How are you feeling Danny. Any other changes?" Mia asks after a few seconds of their eating filling the dining room.

Danny grimaces. "Yeah, turns out I can breathe underwater now." Taylor notices the way that he rubs along the side of his neck, as if there was an itch there that wouldn't go away. "Amongst everything else."

The super strength, increased speed, durability, small bits of hydrokinesis… the list went on. And Taylor couldn't believe that her dad managed to get powers just before an Endbringer fight.

She was just happy that he didn't have to trigger like she had. That was the biggest relief she had felt in the aftermath when they had talked.

"If anything weird happens with them, please let me know. I have no idea how those stones are going to develop, or how much they are going to influence the ones that use it." Mia said with a serious tone, the lighthearted humor gone from her eyes.

"If it's that dangerous, then why keep it in the first place?" Danny mused to himself while staring at the yellow Asterisk that fit neatly in the palm of his hand.

"Because we can't destroy it. Trust me I tried when you left it with me." Mia assured him while staring at the stone with barely concealed irritation. "And I would much rather that you keep it around while your body finishes acclimating to the changes. Much less of a chance that something will happen to you while the rest of us are busy."

Taylor blinks. "Why the hell would something happen to my dad?"

Mia shrugs. "Mija, while you might have your identity hidden for now, there is no chance that one day you won't have that mask or helmet to cover your face anymore. And I won't always be there to make sure that doesn't happen. So, that means your dad being able to take care of himself is absolutely a priority."

"Why are you talking about me like I'm not here?" Danny asked annoyed.

"Because everyone at this table knows that your daughter is more stubborn than a bull, and I have a better chance of convincing her with you here rather than not."

But Taylor doesn't pay attention to any of that.

The way that Mia had said those words. "I won't always be here."

They weren't just hypotheticals. Taylor could tell with the way that she had said them.

Mia had said them the same way that her mom had when she was younger. The same way that her dad would sometimes say it too, as much as it hurt both of them.

But it was more than just that. Mia knew she was going to have to leave. She was planning on it. And Taylor didn't know how to feel about that.

Hurt? Sad? It felt like a constantly swirling whirlpool of oil, fire and water, constantly spinning and spinning with no end until it all reached the center of the bottom.

And Mia had noticed the emotions, staring at her with sad eyes. Of course she had.

But Taylor doesn't focus on those emotions anymore. She didn't want her dad seeing her like that again.

Instead, she puts on a smile, forcing those emotions down until her dad had left for the day, and it was just Mia and her sitting in the dining room, breakfast long having turned cold, and the Pokemon having slipped away feeling that something was wrong. They had wanted to stay, but they both gave them smiles that it was Ok to leave.

"When are you leaving?" She manages to keep her voice from breaking.

"Soon. Probably in a few days. I shouldn't be gone for long, but… that all depends on what's happened in… my other homes." The last words come out in a whisper, a haunted and angry look overtaking Mia's face as her form shifts again to that of Kali, skin now rocky and metallic with empty gaps showing where the plates that made up her body interconnected. Her eyes flashed white and Taylor felt fear from having to look at those eyes again.

And then just as quickly, it was gone, replaced by a look of bottomless sorrow.

"I have family left. At least, they were still alive when I… died." The words were both as hollow as a broken cocoon and hopeful as the sword that she used. Her eyes shined with barely restrained tears even as a shaky smile formed on her lips. "A niece. My idiot brother's daughter. The only thing that can actually make that knucklehead calm down. Or at least… she would if he were alive." And suddenly the gloom was back on her face, that bit of hope giving way to the sadness. "I think that you would like her."

"How bad is it?" Taylor asked. "You didn't… exactly tell us every detail about your previous lives" She tries not to voice it like an accusation, and while she gets the tone down, the wording and emotions that she was feeling don't quite keep it at bay.

"Bad. Worse than here when I arrived." Mia's red and blue eyes stare ahead. "Far worse. And to top it off…" She lifts her metal and biological fists, staring at her four limbs with a haunted look in her eyes. "I'm weaker now."

And THAT, sent a shiver down Taylor's spine. "Weaker?" She croaked out, throat suddenly very dry.

"It's… hard to explain. My brain, my soul knows the movements. I know how to use Mantra and control it. But this fucking body-" She clenches her teeth. "-doesn't. And it wouldn't be that much of an issue if I didn't also have to deal with a bunch of other shit that doesn't like Mantra at the same time." The rabbit eared woman sighs. "I'm getting better. But if things haven't changed, and I have to fight against the same people that stabbed my family in the back… then…"

Mia doesn't finish the sentence. Taylor wasn't even sure that she was here with her anymore, the heterochromatic eyes seeming to be thousands of years and millions of miles away.

A month ago-oh who was she kidding, two days ago she wouldn't be reaching out to take Mia's hand. But now she was.

She took her friend's hand and squeezed, Mia's glazed eyes coming back to the moment, and smiling at her while shoving her emotions away, the image of a rainbow woman with a star on her forehead appearing right next to her before disappearing.

"I'll come back. I promise. Nothing is going to keep me down. Never again. Not if I can help it." Mia promises, and… Taylor believed it.

She just hoped that it would actually come true.

—

President

He didn't know whether he was the luckiest or unluckiest President in the history of the United States.

An entire city was destroyed, but all three Endbringers were dead.

Just like that, in an instant, the scourges of the world were gone, not even ashes in the wind amidst the rubble of the one city that he could never interfere with thanks to… certain agreements that he had with dangerous people.

An agreement that every president before him was required to adhere to since almost two decades ago.

His… cape acquaintances had been silent about the Endbringer battle that had occurred. The reports that he received were given to him from those that kept an eye on the Simurgh 24/7, along with some satellites that were able to catch some… very rough photos of the aftermath from the city of Brockton Bay.

It was… odd that he hadn't heard anything from the group. Especially because he was expecting to have heard the usual threats and promises for him to keep his mouth shut for the future.

He was already planning on doing that for now. No point in releasing any information to the public before they were completely sure that the Simurgh and the other two were gone.

Something that he was unfortunately forced to rely on Cauldron for.

He sighs, taking off his glasses and rubbing his tired eyes.

Every day became harder, but for once, he was happy to hold onto the hope that they were actually gone. That the nightmare they had been dealing with of any random city in the world becoming rubble was now gone.

Maybe now he would stop getting all those wrinkles and regain some of his appetite.

"You look like you need a drink." He does not scream, but his hand does go to the gun that was kept in his desk, safety off and pointed right at the woman who he had received reports about.

Once again her appearance was different from the last photo he had received of her. Long rabbit ears that rose from her head, fur the same white, rose with strands of blonde as the rest of her hair, while two extra metal arms were crossed on her chest while the flesh and bone ones offered him a glass and a bottle of whisky.

"I let myself in through the tunnel. Yes, the one that JFK had built for his… rendezvous with a certain movie star." A beatific and friendly smile graced her lips, red and blue eyes telling him that there she believed every word that she said.

"Even if it existed, that area is still guarded to make sure that no one finds it." He said while worry over the men stationed there welled in his chest.

"Oh, don't worry! The Secret Service assigned there are completely fine. They never even saw me walking in." The Tinker woman said with a cheery voice, pouring brown liquor into one of the glasses, the President slightly irritated at how good it smelled even from across his desk.

"Young lady, I don't believe that you understand the gravity of what it is that you're doing." He tried his best to hide the fear he felt by trying to chide the woman that broke every rule they knew about capes. The limits that they had and just what they were capable of.

He had seen the reports from some of his agents, along with whatever Cauldron deemed that he required to know. Tinkertech that was beyond what any of their own tinkers could understand, many of them spitting in the face of physics while their Thinkers couldn't properly predict a single thing about her.

This wasn't even delving into the other abilities that she gained that didn't seem connected to her technology. The cold reading, invulnerability, shapeshifting, stranger effect rendered her untraceable.

It was a list that never ended, and he found himself wishing to reach out himself once the most important piece of news reached his ears.

She could replicate her technology. A simple biogel that could plug wounds, clean them, and more importantly accelerate the healing rate of cells that was replicable by anyone that could understand the technology…

The only other tinker that approached that level was Dragon, and even then she was limited to what could be created by non Tinker hands.

Unfortunately, that was when Cauldron had sent him… suggestions, that he should remain as far away from the changing woman as possible.

Well, now she had shown up at his doorstep, so it wasn't his fault.

"I'm far older than I look. And believe me, I understand just how many years that chair shaves off your life." Then she looks at him with… eyes that he regularly saw in the mirror, and in foreign leaders.

The heaviness in her eyes as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. With the knowing of state secrets, information that the public must never find, and choices that would have the world crucify him should they ever get out.

And he felt a shiver down his spine.

They could find nothing on this woman, giving some weight to her claims on being from a different Earth.

Perhaps there was some truth to what she said. She could change her appearance at will of course, so who was to say that she wasn't older than her looks suggested.

"Still does not justify you appearing in the capital of the country unannounced." He tried injecting more steel into his voice, but knew that he was as threatening to her as that bird 'Pokemon' that liked to perch itself on the garden whenever he went outside for a break. The small fluffy white and purple pokemon with a plume of red and white proudly sprouting from the center of its forehead.

Which… was yet another thing that this woman was probably the cause for. Another effect of the world to add to the pile.

"Well, I figured that it would be the best way so that you don't have a visit from… our big kettle friends." He feels the blood leave his head at her words, the woman's eyes shining in amusement. "Before you try to deny it, don't worry. This place isn't bugged, and you aren't going to get a visit from the various hitmen that they have. And if Becky ever gives you trouble… just let me know. I promise that nothing is going to happen to you just because you talked to me."

He stares at her for a few moments before reaching over and taking the offered glass that she had poured, downing brown gold into his throat. The smooth burning does a good job of calming his nerves just a little bit. She merely pours more of the drink into his glass once he places it down, picking up her own and taking an appreciative sip.

"I believe that you are a chaotic force miss Apotheosis." He finally croaked out.

"Please, call me Mia. Never really wanted a cape name, but you kinda need one with all this publicity crap." He chuckles at that. A cape that wanted nothing to do with the mask or the spectacle. A rare find, especially for one so powerful.

Her being able to shapeshift probably had something to do with it.

"You will understand if I am… reluctant to merely take your word for them."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure that I know more about them than you do." He tries not to let that fact irk him. "No, what I wanted to do, was… elaborate on a couple of details concerning recent events. That, and perhaps come to an understanding on some of my future endeavors. Especially since I would be more than happy to start… interplanetary relationships now instead of later."

Activating a blue holographic gauntlet on her arm, she presses a few buttons on the device, a perfect screen stretching out into the size of a TV in front of him.

"I think that you're going to find some of this… entertaining."

With a press of her finger, he watches as the demons that plagued their world were destroyed. All the while his fear of the woman only grew larger by the moment, her furious expression something that would haunt his dreams.

He idly wondered if perhaps the world didn't trade three monsters for one even worse. A ticking time bomb that he couldn't refuse.

--

Rebecca

She dearly wished that she could still get headaches sometimes. It would let her focus on something other than the storm that was about to happen.

Currently, she sat at the desk with the rest of her associates. Kurt sat next to her, eyes completely clear while he browsed through another report, no doubt going through the numbers and chances on… recent events, while Doctor Mother simply sat fuming at the head of the table. A stark difference compared to the usual cool resignation that was her norm.

And across from her was Eidolon, her old friend who stared at his hands as if he was disgusted to even look at them.

"Nothing. I don't feel… any of my powers. None of them come when I reach out." And Rebecca thinks that she knows who was responsible, but she keeps silent for now.

"And the Endbringers are all gone. Not a single sign of them." Mother mutters to herself, staring at the empty photos and readings of where the Endbringers should be.

They still didn't completely believe that a woman and her organization that had appeared out of nowhere was capable of killing the Endbringers, even with all the technology that Mia was capable of creating.

Technology that they had seen from their various eyes and ears in the PRT, along with Contessa finding what she could before the suited woman had disappeared.

Not a single word, or any sign of where she had gone. She had just disappeared one day and hadn't checked in.

They would be more worried if it wasn't Contessa that had done so, and Mia had passed on word that she was fine. Other than that, Rebecca didn't know much else.

Which, the PRT Head Director couldn't tell her colleagues because of the… leverage that Mia had over her. And everything that the people in this room were connected to, along with… other things that no one should know about.

"And trust me Becky. I will know if they find out." Something about the way that she had said that had been… more than convincing.

"There are also more reports of those strange bio creations appearing around the world, along with capes appearing around the world with these glowing orange stones," Kurt said calmly while gesturing towards a photograph in his hand, the picture of an old monk mowing through a known Brute that had been trying to tear his temple down, the stone glowing through his simple robes.

A trigger at such an old age was… more than rare. And he wasn't one of theirs, that they were sure of.

None of their formulas had gone missing recently, and they were sure that none had been sold anywhere near that area of Tibet.

And none that were liable to produce such a… potent effect as the flaming fist that traveled yards away from his fist, arms completely unblemished besides the natural wrinkles.

Dr. Mother sighs, and rubs her the side of her head, uncaring about the obvious display of exhaustion in front of them.

"What about this Apotheosis? What's the possibility of us obtaining some form of control?" She directed this question to Rebecca, knowing that she'd had at least some form of contact with the woman.

Rebecca doesn't even try to hide the snort. "None. She is fiercely independent, has her own organization, managed to find some way to become a multimillionaire-" Which they still weren't sure how that had been possible. "- and is now making some plays into the area of Brockton Bay. Buying land from companies, obtaining stock from those that don't wish to leave, already, plenty of areas of the docks and trainyard are under her control."

"And already there is so much that doesn't make sense. Why don't we start out with them." Kurt begins, placing a picture onto the table, showing a practical army of short men, each of them armed and armored to the teeth with Tinkertech. Most of the weapons were coated in seven different colored flames, that had the capability to fight an Endbringer. Alexandria had seen one of them slice Leviathan's hand off with only an axe coated in orange singing flames. "A veritable army of short men, each of them quite obviously trained in combat given what footage we have seen of them, along with them showing… obvious respect to the woman called Apotheosis." he takes out another photo, this one showing said woman after her most recent changes. This one was a photo of her sitting in one of the many camps, playing with those children who were now orphans. She held a baby in two of her arms, while the remaining metal ones played with those in front.

Though, instead of a motherly expression, she wore a slightly annoyed one while one of the 'Squats' kneeled in front of her, large bulky gun in front of him, while the two other men did the same.

"Doesn't look like she's all too happy about it." Rebecca comments on it, and manages to keep the amusement hidden away.

She knew that Mia wasn't, which was some sort of relief. Most people that gained power had a tendency to let it get to their heads, craving and demanding some sort of deference. Usually, the more power, the grander they wanted such displays. Which, the powerful and most definitely dangerous woman seemed to dislike.

"Yes, well, people are now calling her the 'Angel of Brockton Bay'." Kurt said. "At least, from what reports and information we have managed to keep under wraps." Something that was… costing them dearly it seemed. "We can't keep the information embargo forever. It's only been two days, and already people are asking… troubling questions. Concerning both the Endbringers, and the survivors of Brockton Bay."

"I hate that name." Rebecca doesn't try to restrain her groan as her allies around the table reacted. Kurt brought up a pistol that he kept on himself, Mother backing away from her seat, while Eidolon futile raised his hands, no doubt trying to call on absent powers.

Mia looked much the same as she did in the photo, though the wings were gone and there was a simple ring on her finger, a bright orange jewel shining in the room light. She was even wearing the same annoyed face as well. "Trust me, I ain't no angel, and even if I was, I hate those assholes almost as much as I do elves."

"How did-" Doctor Mother tries to thunder only for Mia to interrupt.

"Easy, I walked in through one of these." She grips her hands together, as if putting her hand inside of a small pipe, and… spread's her fingers out, the muscles in them tensing as if struggling to open. "A neat new trick that I picked up during a… little bit of a rampage."

A golden tear appears where her hand was pointed, the sight of a sunny valley just beyond where the rip in reality bent back into the room that they were currently in. "That's the Earth closest to this one. Parallel world-wise I guess."

"That's not how alternate realities work." Doctor Mother growls out, the annoyance coming out amidst the worry and fear that almost everyone in the room was feeling.

"Sure sweetie. Sure." Mia tells her glibly, as if speaking to a child. Rebecca had long since learned that this woman understood more on how reality, and other realities worked compared to anyone currently alive.

Either that or the entire world was mad and she was just crazy enough to at least 'go with the flow' as she liked to claim.

Then with a series of flicks of her wrist, she opened more and more tears in the room around them, each one leading to a completely different landscape. A forest of brilliant maple trees, each one a tower in their own right that reached towards the sky like outstretched hands, while small figures walked slowly down below, a familiar skyline covered in a globe of fog, the outreach of space as giant triangular ships rocketed by.

On and on and on they went, each sight as fantastic and chilling as the one before. With each successive opening, the golden tears in reality opened more quickly, slowly but surely. And Rebecca processed what Mia had said earlier. This was a 'new trick' that she had learned.

Something that she could do because unlike the rest of the planet, she was not a parahuman. The woman wasn't limited by the preconceived limitations of those that hosted agents.

Meaning that she did not always know how to use her new powers like most natural triggers did.

Rebecca had seen firsthand the rampage that Mia had experienced after the Endbringer fight after all. It still sent shivers down her spine that she had thought were nothing but memories.

Then, with a snap of her fingers, every single tear in reality snaps shut, the sound of a vacuum remembering that air was supposed to be there instead.

"I should warn you that releasing all of the people that you have locked in your basement in a last ditch attempt to slow me down would end poorly for everyone involved. Especially since I have no intention of hurting any of you. At least, if you all play nice." That same empty smile spread across her lips, causing the rest of the room to fidget just a bit. "Oh, but before that, let's quiet down those things in your head."

A press of a holographic blue button, and Rebecca feels that same weakness as before for a split second, before a feeling of… comfort washes over her.

"Don't worry Becky, since you've played nice up until now, I won't have you feel that again." Mia's voice… echoes inside of her head, the rainbow woman that was Without Question smiling at her as she lay a gentle hand over her own.

Sure. She had telepathy now. Whatever.

Rebecca had already seen Mars and the colony that was developing already, that was far more jarring than whatever it was Mia just did.

Kurt immediately reacts, eyes bugging out slightly, gun wavering in his hand before he manages to steady back into place, though a lot less confident than before. Given how… intrinsic his power has affected his day-to-day life, it makes sense.

Eidolon and Doctor Mother don't react, neither of them having any power to speak of. At least, Eidolon did not.

"Why are you here?" Doctor Mother finally ground out, realizing that there was no point in questioning how this woman came to know about them. She was sitting in front of them, had their powers nullified, and was the one responsible for killing the Endbringers.

No point in trying to ask stupid questions.

"Well, the winged cunt in the sky is now dead, meaning that I don't have to skulk around anymore." Her smile would have been dazzling if it wasn't for the momentary spark of purple in her eyes. "Lucky me."

"You don't understa-" Eidolon begins to speak, standing with the confidence of a man with power he no longer had.

"I understand far more than any of you ever will." Her words were cutting and brokered no argument. "After all, none of you ever managed to figure out how to kill an Endbringer before."

"We deal with a threat graver than even those monsters." Number Man began, eyes still focused on the rabbit eared woman, his finger firmly on the trigger, ready to twitch at the slightest movement.

"Scion, yes I know. And he shouldn't be an issue for a few more years. Especially with Simurgh now dead." The last sentence comes out more like an afterthought, eyes hovering away from anyone in particular as if in thought.

"I wonder if any of those teammates of yours can claim the same. Say, Taylor Hebert, or a runaway teen blond?" Rebecca's eyes swivel over to the woman, trying to do her best to convey that what she had just done was a mistake.

Only it was too late.

There was no obvious anger, no outward expression of rage as Mia turned her head back towards Doctor Mother. Nothing. Just twin pools of azure and crimson that promised absence.

"If any of you lay a finger on one of mine, you will all beg me for death. I promise you that."

And Rebecca knew that it was the truth. The sight of the four armed wrathful demon flashed back into her mind just as the smile returned to Mia's face.

"No, I just came here to look at your faces and inform you that the Endbringers are absolutely dead. So no more worrying about a city going poof every three or so months. Along with a warning. Leave me alone.

If you do, I won't say a word about any of you, at least not until everything finds some measure of peace. As for what that means… well, just wait and see. Bye."

And before any of them can say a word, she disappearsdissapears. Just gone from her spot as if she had never been there.

Then a note appears at the center of the table as whatever effect that had been cancelling out their powers went down.

"By the way, should probably mention that the giant dragon flying in the atmosphere is completely harmless. Least, he will be if you leave him alone."

"What just happened?" Eidolon finally voiced, confusion completely evident on his face.

"I believe that we were just threatened." Rebecca voiced with a straight face, knowing that whatever was about to happen would no doubt leave her with a headache.

--

Mia

Ah, it had been beyond hilarious to see the looks on their faces, along with the turmoil that was their emotions.

Was it sadistic? Yes.

Did I care right now? No not really.

Especially since I was back in Cybertron right now, staring at the floating corpses of the exact same young man that took on the name of Invincible.

He was not the only one in here of course, there were plenty of other Viltrumites, along with… certain other people that I chose not to look at. I didn't want to look at any of the corpses in here anyways, but this is what might give me a bit of an advantage should things go south.

Of course, the fact that these were all evil versions of Mark Greyson helped things out, just a little bit. I knew that they were the ones that went either mad, or were swayed by their father when he made his 'we are strong, so we are right to rule these pitiful humans' speech.

And now they were here, floating in those pods dead while the one that refused Omniman's words lived on. I wonder how that boy is doing?

Lord knows that he was put through the ringer. I hope he's doing alright, wherever he is right now.

I stared at the data, marveling at the way that the cells in these boys bodies completely defied physics. The way that they refused to age, refused to become weaker and decay away.

They remained as strong as when they had been alive, adamant in their persistence to remain at the pinnacle of their strength.

I could see how these cells could give someone flight, the way that with every blow they took, the more blood they shed, their bodies adapted and grew stronger after every fight. They were literally one step away from fucking Saiyans, and I was just happy that none of those were in here.

The world did not need any of those battle junkies running around, especially not with the capacity for growth that a single one could bring.

And it was like a toy before me, every ounce of biological knowledge that I had gained coming to the forefront.

I feel the forge connect again, and sigh in relief at how small the star was. Not quite tiny, but definitely less than the burning orbs of power I had been gaining lately.

Only to suppress a little growl when the full knowledge comes through.

How was it possible to feel as your weapons and clothing became better in your pocket dimension? More than that, why the hell were they getting stronger just because I was?

The entire facility shook and groaned. Ugh, right, because I connected to somewhere 'new' that meant that whatever place that was now included a whole new wing to the planet.

As if I didn't already have enough trouble setting traps and contingencies all over the place.

I shake my head. Now was not the time to worry about that. I was dealing with something else at the moment.

I stare at the data on the screen underneath the floating pod, taking in every single piece of information from the makeup of the cell, all the way to how it integrated itself with the rest of the body.

I'd never done this, too afraid of the possibilities that could come from it.

But if I was going after Mithra… then I needed everything that I could get.

Which included something that made me stronger after each beating. And I change my body into a mixture of my Cybertronian form, along with the amorphous form that was the builder, feeling the magic and technology coalescing together in harmony.

Or maybe that was just the Harmony flames that persisted across my body?

Eh.

And then, I… change the cells that made up the builder, copying the base genetic code that made up these Mark Greysons, and then integrating what made up 'me' me. Or rather, the amalgamation of me that was somehow an Angel, Builder, Viera, Eldar, Demigod, and a bevy of myriad other forms that I lost track of.

The technological side that was the Cybertronian half made up for what the magical Builder lacked, connecting the individual cells together, bonding them, while they took over functions that the magic could not.

I could feel my wings disappear from my back, only one pair of ears on my head, but ignored it.

I became stuck for all of a second on properly forming the cells, keeping them from just dissipating in the magic and being forced to merely imitate them when I did what I was good at.

I just pumped more magic and power into it, which… sort of made me explode in a fizzle of purple and golden light, being sent careening backwards through the pod maze into the far wall.

I slowly open my eyes when I don't fall unto the floor, finding the ground far below me as I floated up in the air. Without the assistance of my technology or Mantra.

I breathe in and feel… different.

I'm not really any stronger, pretty sure that I was physically more durable than most other Viltrumites started out as. The flight was nice, but that wasn't the reason for this.

No, this was in case I got my ass kicked and needed to punch harder than I could previously take.

After all, my next batch of Elixirs just came in.

And boy was I looking forward to using those.

"Mia, what'd you blow up now!?" Lindsay's voice called from the entrance, the bomb tinker looking up warily, as if scared that the entire room would collapse in and of itself.

"Just me!" I call back, feeling Taylor and Marcus with her, both of them worried, though Marcus significantly less so.

"Is that code for you finally getting laid?" Lindsay couldn't help but crack when she finally got eyes on me, my unimpressed stare only making the grin on her face widen. "Well, least you look like it!"

Marcus and Taylor both promptly look away, Taylor extremely embarrassed while Marcus was very much enjoying something as I glance down. Of course I managed to shred my clothing to smithereens.

With a grumble I reach into my pocket dimension, grabbing those robes that had appeared when my memories as Kali had come through, and shrug them on, Lindsay unashamedly drinking it in.

Guess that just because I said no didn't mean that she couldn't at least look right? Besides, they walked in on me, I didn't do this on purpose.

When the white and red robes were firmlyfimly in place, my friends looked at me with raised eyebrows. "So what the hell did you do?" Marcus asked, what fear he used to feel around me now gone.

Which was a good thing, I hated when I felt that from people that didn't have a reason to. I would never purposely hurt them after all.

"Was trying an experiment and… might have used more power than I meant to."

"Like that time when you tried charging one of those magic batteries and you fried the living room in the mansion?" Taylor asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, kinda like that." I don't want to tell them that I was copying a dead man's genetic code into my body.

Speaking of. I focus and sigh in relief as the two rabbit ears form back into the top of my head, leaving the wings gone.

After all, I don't need them anymore.

And I freeze in place as I… feel someone activate the Summoning for Heroic Spirits in the Arctic.

My clones weren't doing it, they knew not to. And none of my friends could use that because I kept the Saint Quartz locked away somewhere I knew they couldn't access.

Then I remembered who had given the wooden badge to Leonardo.

And I snarled, gathering my friends in a field of hard light, while I lifted once more off the ground and out of the Workshop approaching speeds that surpassed that of my suits. I couldn't exactly leave them in the room to get splattered by the force of my flying away after all.

The new biology I integrated took everything that I had to a new level after all, and all the magic that I had seemed to only fuel my newfound flight.

I was going to be too late to stop the summoning, meaning that I had to deal with yet another Servant running around.

The friends I had right now were thankfully tame.

Well… most of them. But right now Quetzalcoatl was too busy taking care of orphans back at Brockton, while Napoleon helped with the training of a few Dockworkers that wanted to actually defend some of the camps around the city. Voyager and Opportunity were just exploring the city, helping those that they could, while Bedivere merely enjoyed himself in the day to day.

It was actually… quite nice.

And now I was going to deal with an unknown.

I was going to wring that butterknife's neck!

—

Estrella

I hated having to move so far away from Mia. Stretched our bond thin, and weakened me as the sword that I was lost the strength that I gained from my Reaper. Or whatever the hell Mia and I were now. I had long since stopped being a normal Zanpakuto, which I was thankful for. The less those pricks in Squad 0 had to do with me the better.

Us being a Fairy let me… sort of cheat the normal system, otherwise I doubt that I would be able to manifest the way that I did, much less be here in the Arctic while Mia was back in Brockton, patching the pieces of the city back together.

I knew that we were going to leave soon, unlike the other lives that we have lived, this one had someone that needed us. Mithra, the little minx was in those traitors clutches, and we had to make Yasha pay in blood for what he did.

I might finally get to kill something with my blade, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit excited for it.

Before all of that, we needed to make sure that the construction and building would remain in safe hands. While Leo was very much a genius beyond anything else in the world, he was still just one man limited to the chakra in his body. And we didn't know how long we were going to be gone, because we had one more stop to make after saving Mithra and killing Yasha.

How long, we didn't know, and I didn't want Mia having second thoughts on leaving. So that meant we were going to need help, and I could think of only one other person that might be able to help lead things while we were gone.

Maybe even help get started on actually teaching and advancing science here, but that was also up to our precious daughter. At least, if she was alright with it.

I was going to lean towards 'yes' since she hadn't tried to stop me yet. Unless she wanted to troll me at the last minute. She had a tendency to that, which I preferred over the stone-cold bitch that she had spawned from.

Walking into the room that was a perfect replica of the summoning chamber, except for the glowing golden globe at the center, with the stone and steel cross shaped shield at the center waiting for me to enter.

I bring out the bag I had picked up along my walk through the facility, the crystals of possibility clinking within the bag as I picked them up and placed them in front of the shield.

We had been reserved on summoning more Servants, because it could be argued that our job was mostly done.

The golden bastard was still out there, but that was something that could wait while we prepared a few of our bigger guns off planet. And now that we had that… new planet inside of our Workshop, I knew that it was only a matter of time, especially because Mia had already studied some of the more dangerous things in there. Viltrumites and Kryptonians were some of the more tame discoveries that we had made going in there, no matter how much it had hurt both Mia and I to go in there.

"I swear to god, I'm going to cut that fucking giant into celestial pieces." And I didn't care if I had to wear myself down into nothing but metal shavings. He was going to die. Mia and I were in complete agreement on that part.

Focusing back on the stones, I activate the summoning, blue and gold light gathering at Round Table in the center of the large open room, the possibilities of the Saint Quartz at the floor turning into light and fuel for the summon.

Just as the blue light begins to coalesce into the shield, I feel Mia notice through our connection, and her call to me. When I don't come, I can feel her moving across the planet at speeds that should rip open the oceans and atmosphere, but remain paradoxically intact.

Oh shit, she was pissed. She was going to use me like a butter knife or to cut bread again wasn't she?

Well, fuck you! I'm finishing this shit!

And she focused on the emotions that Mia had felt as a child. Those of wonder and excitement at understanding the nature of the world, of learning the sciences and fundamental realization of why things worked the way that they did. How one day she could harness energy at her fingertips, bring the lightning that was thought to be limited only to gods and nature to the world of man.

The pure joy that she felt when she and Tesla finally managed to create that tiny spark in that lightbulb. And how they created one that could work without the worry of the bulb shattering after only a few seconds.

But of course, with that came the despair once Tesla's name was dragged through the mud. Shame at just… remaining silent during the whole ordeal as Niko was forced to leave all the work that he had done, the accomplishments that he had dedicated his life to, now in the hands of another.

But I tried not to focus on those memories. After all, Mia and I are both one and the same, and yet so very different.

I reach out with my will, my own wish, one that I shared with Mia on a deep fundamental level and spoke it out loud.

"Please, I want someone that can help this world rebuild. That can help bring the world to a new level of progress in technology. To see the stars that were denied us by the whims and actions of beings that could never understand the hope and joy that we find in discovery in adventure." And unspoken… I want to see the only father that I could say I genuinely loved. The only one that accepted me for who I was, and not who he thought I should be.

"ESTRE-" The doors burst open, but Mia's shout was drowned out as the pillar of light reverberated through the room, magical energy and possibility coalescing brighter and brighter as someone answered the call that I made.

With that, I went the way of the coward and returned to my sword form.

Mia could punish me after this was dealt with.

--

Mia

Pretty sure that I left at least a few fractured icebergs along the way here. Coupled together with my friends having gone on the ride of their lives would have been an amusing afternoon.

Too bad that it was derailed just in time for Estrella to turn back into a sword, the sheathed katana falling with a large clatter to the floor as the blue pillar of magical energy dispersed into the air.

And I felt my breath get stuck in my throat as I saw the… two figures standing there in front of me.

They were both striking, for… various reasons. Not all of them good.

The first, was beyond noteworthy.

He was a giant, taller than me, along with a physique that would be seen within the pages of a comic book. Dude was jacked beyond belief, which the red, white, and blue skintight bodysuit did nothing to hide. His hands were gloved in red, while a golden four-pronged ring stood proudly at the center of his chest, silver openings adorned on either arm as if something was supposed to be inserted into them. That wasn't the strangest part though.

No, the weirdest part was the fact that his head was that of a blue-eyed white furred lion, his mane glossy and framed around his face like a beard.

Seeing him I could feel my blood pump faster through my veins, complicated emotions coursing through my soul as the other figure opened his own blue eyes.

And I felt the pitched breath freeze in my throat.

He was taller than I remembered. And somehow more handsome. Every feature that I intimately knew looked like they had been enhanced to the breaking point of humanity, his cheekbones just a bit more pronounced, hair far longer and glossier than it had ever been, while his eyes were a striking shade of blue. Like lightning captured into his very eyes.

His raven black hair that framed his faced ended in sparkling blue lines that reminded me of circuits, his form fitting black suit even more immaculate than it had ever been. One hand was gloved in spotless white, the other encased in bronze machinery that ended in prongs of electricity.

And both men looked to me and spoke.

"Archer. Nikola Tesla."

"Servant Caster! I am Thomas Alva Edison!"

Both men spoke proudly, both stood with immaculate confidence, and both promptly turned on each other when the words registered, lightning coming between them as they glowered at each other.

"What are you doing here you worthless reprobate!" The lion roared.

"Calling to the summons you hack thief!" Tesla glowered right back, both of their faces leaning into each other, noses almost touching as they glared with barely contained rage against each other.

And I… felt my form change against my wishes. I didn't even notice it in the moment, just walking up to both of them, pushing them both apart as my height lowered and I could feel my face change.

"Stop it both of you!" And both men froze, turned to me, and stared with wide shocked gazes.

"Little Flame?" Tesla whispered as he gazed at me.

And I remembered who they were, now that they weren't coming to blows.

I look up at both of the men that I… held very complicated emotions for. Both of them.

I feel like a deer in the headlights, realizing that… I hadn't spoken to either of them in… so many years, even without taking my other memories into account. Tesla because I did nothing as he was shamed and thrown out of the scientific community, his name wracked through the mud. And Edison because I stole most of his company from under him after he had helped raise me for my later teenage years…

I promptly freak the fuck out. "OK BYE!"

And enter my inner world. I was going to wring that bitches neck!

Before my consciousness faded, I saw my friends coming to my falling body. Each of them sparking their flames of Dying Will with apprehensive looks on their faces, mixed with bewilderment. Oh. right.

None of them knew about either Edison or Tesla.

My world faded to black, only to be renewed in green and life.

"ESTRELLA!"

—

Taylor.

She didn't what they had said, all that Taylor knew was that Mia was now on the ground eyes closed, as the man with the head of the Lion and the verifiable gentleman hunk now stared down at her, their eyes hidden by shadows, mouths stiff firm lines.

Apparently, they were supposed to be the Heroic Spirit versions of Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. She didn't even question the one that looked like an old-school superhero with a lion head being Edison. Instead, she focused every bug that she had on her body outward, throwing the small red and white orb out, Beedrill coming out of his Pokeball charging straight at the two men, arms extended ready to pierce through them.

Bringing her flaming hand into the box, she flexes her fingers, familiar steel wires cloaked in flames of Cloud attaching themselves to her bugs, the various insects speeding towards the two heroes that now turned to them with upturned eyebrows.

She senses Marcus bring out his humming spear, the air practically singing around him as he kicked off the ground, armor forming around him, while Lindsay did the same for her own little hand cannon that doubled as a grenade launcher.

Her bugs weave and buzz around the two men, Beedrill fluidly flying through the gaps in the net that she weaved, his stingers pointed straight at both men's throat as the wires burst into their purple flames.

Both men move faster than she could process. Even with her bugs.

Edison was in her face, fist already traveling towards her torso yellow lighting crackling around his knuckles as he delivered a blow that Taylor was too slow to dodge.

Even with focusing the flames around her stomach, strengthening it beyond that of a weaker Brute, she felt the wind knocked out of her as her body flew through the air.

While airborne, she manipulated her strings of Flames to constrict where she had just been, the Cloud Flames flaring with power at her increased desperation, cords of steel snapping towards the muscled lion.

Tesla on the other hand… simply raised that gloved hand of his, the copper prongs at each finger lighting with blue lightning that shot through the air, slicing through the wires in front of him. The Flames flickered into nothing as their connection to Taylor was cut away.

Marcus charges in, flame singing as the tall blond man pours Flames of Harmony into his spear, the weapon elongating, becoming segmented and wreathed in even more Flame as he twirls it in his hands, ready to face Tesla heard on.

As Taylor watches, she activates her armor, calling on it with a simple thought just like Mia had taught her when she had updated their omnitools with the 'Sheikah' functions.

In a flash, her purple glowing armor surrounds her body, arms pointed behind her, activating the repulsors to stop her movement and reverse her momentum, rocketing towards Edison as she wreathes her armor in flames and pulls the wires around him, locking his limbs in place.

Instead of being surprised… the lion raises a single eyebrow in intrigue, regarding her with startling blue eyes. "What have we here?"

Lindsay readies her canon of Disintegration, careful not to load any bombs, no doubt to make sure that they don't bring the entire base down around them, and her finger curls on the trigger.

Everything ends within a single second.

One moment they were all charging forward to fight these two Heroic Spirits, purely on the instinct that they had done something to Mia.

And the next, they were all restrained to the floor with wreathes of lighting, their flames completely useless against whatever these two were capable of.

We never even landed a single hit! Taylor grounds to herself as she tries to force herself up, the armor rendered completely defunct due to whatever it was that they were doing to her. Even with her aura helping to lessen the weight of the armor now that it had lost power, it did nothing to raise her a single inch off the ground.

"Did she make these?" Edison asked, one massive hand gently turning over Taylor's hand to stare at the repulsors at the center of her palm.

They didn't' shoot anything when she tried.

The others weren't any better.

Marcus was knocked out cold on the ground, his body finally calming down once the shocks that Tesla had released into his system had subsided, his spear currently in the handsome man's hands. Nikola Tesla. One of the most ingenious people that the world had ever seen, responsible for the discovery of electricity, stared with the same wonder in his eyes at the spear in his hands, eyes focused on the subsiding singing flames.

He had the same look in his eyes that Mia did whenever she would just… lose herself in a project.

And Taylor, now free of the instinct to fight with the adrenaline finally wearing away, remembered the name that she had… seen on that weird ass title card when Mia had gone 'berserk goddess'. And what she had told them afterward.

She felt… very stupid to have forgotten that Mia had been raised by these two, at least in some part, in one of her previous lives.

Then she looked at Marcus and Lindsay and could tell that they were having the same thought that she was. It… didn't make the embarrassment any weigh on her any less, but at least she wasn't the only one.

"Listen, sorry about charging you, but we sorta… jumped in without thinking." Marcus said simply from his position on the ground, the flame on his finger no more than an ember of humming tunes. "Mia did just… pass out onto the floor when she was in front of you."

Tesla looks down from the spear, looking at the blond man with an… exasperated expression on his face. "Well, whatever she did, no doubt she did it because she wished to avoid… any conversation with the two of us."

"That girl never wanted to deal with anything that could be construed as… uncomfortable to her relationships. The number of times that I would have to have the staff find her for me over the years almost made all of my hair fall out."

"Your hair did fall out." Tesla said with a sharp superior tone.

"I WAS IN MY FIFTIES DAMN YOU!" Edison roared, lightning arcing through the gap in his chest and along his fists.

"And I still had my hair when I died you miserable thief!" Tesla yelled back, the two men charging at each other, bashing their heads together, glaring, sparks literally flying between the two of them.

Taylor suddenly understood where Mia got her temper from.

At least, A Mia.

Mia

"STOP BEING A LITTLE BITCH AND GO BACK OUT THERE!"

"NO!"

"ARE YOU REALLY JUST GOING TO HIDE INSIDE OF YOUR OWN INNER WORLD SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO TALK TO EITHER OF THEM?"

"Oh, please, you can't judge me for that! If it's so important to you, why the hell don't you go out there and talk to them!?"

Estrella fixes me with a withering look on her face, opening her mouth to retort before closing it letting out a huff of curses.

"I'm not the one that they're trying to talk to." The annoyance practically drips from each word from her mouth.

"I thought that you were a part of me, so doesn't that count?" I put as much innocent sweetness, the way that she bares her teeth at me making the smile curl around my lips. She doesn't say anything to that though, merely glaring at me.

Ha, I win this argument you stupid butterknife.

The place hadn't changed very much since the last time I was here. Sure, there were a few marble pillars strewn with the architecture now, but that wasn't something as out there as the pillars of crystal everywhere.

I tried to focus on anything that wasn't the two men that were waiting outside in the real world, no doubt either arguing with each other or trying to figure out the tech that was in the arctic base.

It wasn't the most advanced one that I had, that would have to go to some of my more… private bases that I had over in Mars or the Workshop, but there was still stuff in there that would make any engineer or inventor salivate at the mouth.

Nothing supremely special. A few fabricators that took in what material was around to create more building materials for the base, had a specific hydroponic garden that I had developed for a few arctic based plants, along with a couple of magical forges that we used to make the Saint Quartz and other materials for synthesis.

Nothing special to me now… but it would have been the mother of all discoveries for when I was Mia Tesla.

Or at least, the woman whose memories were now mine.

I quickly discard that thought.

I didn't want to think about that either. At least, not right now when I was trying to ignore something else.

So, why not jump onto something that iI know is going to irritate my dear and lovely sword?

"Teach me Bankai." Estrella makes a sound that's a mix of a squeal and wheeze, reaching a high pitch that I didn't know we could hit.

Thank god no one had heard that besides me.

"You really would rather learn THAT over going out there and dealing with your daddy issues?"

"Yes." I say without a single ounce of shame.

"NO!" She screeches out, golden eyes wide as the world around us swayed as we felt another star connect.

It was a single star, a large one that brimmed with power that… contained wonders and horrors within it. It was connected to Sparking Innovation, going up into my sky right next to it, settling where it belonged.

Estrella and I both breathe in as the knowledge settles in, the blueprints for the 4 great beasts settling in amongst other technological marvel that should be deemed impossible. Magitech that would preserve for over ten thousand years, waiting to be found again by the descendants of their creators.

They would become… useful should we ever have need of something that I couldn't take care of with what we have.

They might not be able to stand against Scion, but I could think of plenty of other applications that we could use for them.

Rain in the desert and lands where drought has set in, lightning that could be simply conjured from the top of giant camel, and so many more applications that were at my fingertips.

That was without taking in their durability into account, or the application of the Blue Fire that we would… have some fun trying to integrate.

Wonder how some Iron Man based tech would look like with Sheikah applications? Or perhaps that wouldn't even be needed.

Then we both see… not an entire life, but flashes of memories.

We both remembered… running through the lush fields, delving into the ruins of a kingdom that few remembered, the monsters making them their homes.

I remember those terrifying nights when the moon would flash blood red, any of those creatures that we had managed to kill walking the land again, flashes of purple shadows taking on form, their crimson eyes promising death and torture to any living being they found.

Then… that flash of light would rise from the castle, keeping the creature that would rise among the blood-red moon contained, Calamity Ganon raging and spewing at being trapped there.

The fear rises in my heart, stoked by a familiar rage that every me seems to have.

Then the memories seem to… go out of my reach.

I had a feeling we were going to have dreams tonight.

The connection wasn't completely stable between me and whoever this Mia had been. Mere imprints of who she was coming through, instead of everything settling in all at once.

It was less… sudden this time around.

I knew that it would come in bits and pieces instead of all at once.

And unlike the last few times… I already had an inkling of who I had been in that life.

Smart, probably brilliant, and oh so angry at the state of the world.

Settlements barely growing into anything beyond small towns, my tribe choosing to remain in the sands, alone and helpless like the Zora, Hylians, Sheikah, and Gorons.

I hated it.

Or rather, she did. She hated how they could nothing but stay in their separate communities, helpless against the calamity that was Ganon as the Princess remained there, along for the past century keeping the damn beast contained.

I remembered how I just… wanted to let her rest. Even if I had never met her, I couldn't help the empathy that I felt for the sole thing keeping the world from being consumed in a tide of corruption and monsters.

And… my life ended badly.

I was alone. Just like in many of the others that I had connected to.

Just a feeling, a premonition for wherever the final star connected, which was something that Ii would not know.

But it was par for the course of every Mia so far.

"Well, looks like we found one of us that might have been just as angry as we were as Kali." Estrella muttered to herself, sitting down on the marble bench behind her, staring at the pillars of gold and bronze metal that had risen around the world, solid blue lights shining with the power of Blue Fire.

"Don't try to change the subject." I quickly threw out, the Zanpakuto clicking her tongue as if hoping that I had forgotten.

"I'm not teaching you… that." She ground out, the slits in her eyes dilating until they were barely perceptible amongst the gold.

"Why not? You're not like that prick Ywach who wants to keep me weak. If anything, you're the one pushing me to get stronger the most. So why the fuck don't you want to teach me."

We stare at each other for a long while, eventually, the golden armored woman looking away.

"Trust me, it'll be better if we never let that Bankai into the light of day. Not if you want to keep what sanity we have left."

Ah.

It doesn't take me that long to figure out what she means by that.

After all, a Bankai is also an extension of who you are. No matter how much you hate it.

I remember Soi Fon and her bankai. The head of the assassin corp having her Bankai in the form of a high-powered missile.

Explosive, devastating.

And demanding attention.

Of course mine would have something involving me losing my mind.

"Is it a Berserker type?" I ask, already knowing that she would nod.

Of fucking course it was.

"We both know that I'll probably need it." She shifts in her seat, eyes looking everywhere but at me. "You remember things just as much as I do." She twitches at that.

"It's not just that." She snaps back."It's… I don't know what it's going to be anymore!"

I blink."What?"

"I said I don't fucking know what the damn Bankai is supposed to be anymore alright!"

"How the fuck are you not going to know what your Bankai is? What kinda Zanpakuto doesn't know that?"

"LISTEN!" She shouts at me, getting up and jabbing me in the chest while baring her teeth at me again. "It's not my fault that you keep getting shit shoved into our soul! Most notably, oh I dunno- the souls of other versions of us!" She shrieks the last of the words in my face, golden eyes glowing as bright as miniature suns while the magic that trembled in the world around us flared, burst of magic firing up into the sky like pillars rockets.

I blink.

"I… didn't think that it affected you as much as it did me?" I say shakily, her glare becoming… softer wouldn't be the right word.

More like the anger wasn't directed at me anymore.

"Let's just say that I'm going to want to shove that hammer up his ass right after you." I couldn't help the chuckle that comes out of my lips at that.

"Would you even be able to lift it?" Her eyes shine at that.

"I'm already a freak compared to just about every other Zanpakuto." Estrella looks out at the conglomerate of disparate worlds around us, each one more alien than the other, ranging from wonders of technological advancement, to the mystery and majesty of magic foreign and unknown to the material world that we lived in. "I'm not just a spirit stuck in the form of a soul."

"What… exactly have you been dealing with that you never told me about?" She narrows her eyes, obviously knowing that answering would segue into something most notably not Niko or the lion that were waiting for us back outside.

She makes a face, lips curled into a disgusted frown, looking out towards… an area that I realized we hadn't ever really gone before. She stands up, beginning to walk towards said area, not looking back at me.

I follow without a word.

Eventually, past the pillars and statues of wraithbone, crystal, Dying Will Flames, a variety of other effects that I didn't have the time to contemplate.

At the end of our path we find… the only feeling that I can properly apply to the wall of darkness was 'wrong'.

There was a completely feeling of wrongness beyond that wall of dark, as if what lay there was something that would only corrupt and turn inverse whatever it touched. And… I felt Faith behind the wall of dark. Faith that was warped and twisted into something repugnant fueled by the belief of humans.

"That's..."

"Yeah. It's the part of us that… 'inherited'-" She spat the word out as if it was poisonous. "-the Demon that almost drove us into crazy little Satanettes."

"And it's just… here." I say, more stating rather than questioning.

"Yeah, like the big fucking eyesore that it is. Damn thing has managed to just… stay in its own demented little corner. If Gaia hadn't intervened then the damn thing would have infected the rest of our inner world. But I still feel it. Just… sitting there, like an open wound just waiting to bleed out. A poison flower waiting, wondering when it will bloom and spread." The venom in her voice, and hate in her eyes was enough to convey what she was feeling.

Estrella was… surprisingly easy to read, emotion wise that is. Since she is a part of me, my empathy never really worked on her. It was as if the emotions just weren't there. Because technically, they weren't.

I stare at the wall of darkness in front of us, coiling shadows twisting and turning in on itself, keeping the madness and Torment prisoner where it belonged.

Yet… I could feel that wall weakening. Feel the creeping memories that my daughter had managed to lock away rising to the surface, threatening to spill into my mind.

They were so… I didn't have the words.

Somehow the anger was even worse than the rampage I'd had as Kali. The Wrath at having been murdered by former comrades, my family kidnapped and/or murdered a mere ash in the wind compared to the torment that festered and stewed behind the wall of bleak void.

I don't know what world it was from.

But I do know that the constant negative emotions that waited for their moment to strike had gorged on its own hatred and spite for untold millennia, twisting what might have been good and noble into the barest of flickering embers.

I knew it was bad when the star had first connected, but now I stood right in front of it, realizingjust how close we had been to losing everything that we had ever been.

"And you've just been dealing with this here for the past few months?" She looks everywhere but at my eyes–was she turning red!? Is that what I looked like when I blushed!?

Was is it narcissistic to think it was just… a bit cute?

Forgive me for trying to focus on something that wasn't an existential nightmare only a few 'feet' away from me.

"You should have said something." I softly tell her while taking one of her hands, the sword staring at the contact like I was carrying some infectious disease.

"Ugh" she groans while rolling her eyes. "Are you really doing your mama bear thing on me?"

"I do not have a 'mama bear' thing!" I say back with total confidence and poise. Really.

"You've basically adopted most of our little group. You homeschool Taylor, took Judith off the streets and helped give birth to her baby, helped bring Bakuda into some semblance of sanity, while managing to save two idiots from getting lynched in the middle of the gunfight. You even have a little house elf Butler that can probably kick everyone else's ass. And that's without going into all the critters that are running around. Along with the little girl that the psychic powerhouse the size of a rabbit- minus the tail- brought with him from South America."

I cross my arms while knowing that my own face was turning red.

"What about Henrick?" I let out a little chuckle as I see a shiver go up Estrella's spine.

"We didn't have to really do anything with him. Feel's like we'd have to beat him away with a stick given how… often he tends to call you 'progenitor of the Earth'."

"Yeah…" I groan out while staring up into the sky, away from the wall of darkness behind us as we walked through.

"We have to get at this shit." Estrella finally says after a few moments of silence. "Actually talking about our issues instead of burying it inside."

"I think that you're right." I purse my lips for a second, mulling over the words a little bit, taking a deep breath. "Alright, fine. I'll go out there and deal with this shit, if you'll at least start letting me learn the Bankai. Even if we don't know what it is, not having it is only going to cripple us against whatever is out there."

And there were plenty of things out there that could make Scion and the Endbringers seem like nothing but children's toys. The image of the tide of black and yellow sickly eyes chasing after me, their claws biting past any defenses that I had, seeming to pierce into my very soul, came back to my mind.

Those had been nothing more than the mindless Heartless that had gathered in the graveyard for… who knows how long.

Probably since the Keyblade War.

Or perhaps even before that.

Knowing the kinds of things that were out there, many of which I had at least a version of locked up in my planetary morgue, being as equipped as possible was the least I could do. Even if I wasn't heading back to retrieve Mythra. Or at least avenge her.

She looks like she's going to argue again for a split second before releasing out a resigned sigh, her eyes seeming… heavier with the release of air. "Fine. If that will finally make you deal with at least one of your issues."

"You know… since I did say I would go out and deal with this, and you are a part of me…" I let the implication hang there, like a piñata just waiting for the first kid to whack it with a stick.

"No." It would have been intimidating, if she wasn't twitching while glancing around her, wondering what would be the best route for her to run to.

Too bad sweetie, we both know that I would just catch you before you even made it half a mile away.

Whatever a 'mile' was here. Distance and time was weird inside of your own soul space. How the hell was it this big in the first place?

"You have no choice in this." I tell her with a wicked smile on my face. She actually starts to shake as she stares at me with wide eyes. "We both know that I can figure out how to force you to stay in your body instead of a sword. I just have to focus on it for a few seconds and it'll happen. You being a part of me as a sword makes it easier."

"If that's true then why the hell didn't you do that all those other times that I pissed you off?" Estrella asked while backing away.

The smile on my face only grew wider and sharper, my eyes no doubt glowing purple. "To let you think that you were safe of course."

Mia

I woke up somewhere that wasn't my Arctic base.

Which was either very good, or very bad.

"Given our luck, I'm going with very bad." Estrella snarks next to me, for once… wearing something that wasn't that gaudy golden armor that she liked to parade herself around in. "Like that pretentious suit of yours is any better."

I roll my eyes at her. The whole, 'mind reading' thing that she could do with me was weird sometimes. Didn't know what was transmitted whenever I was in the living worlds, instead of the inner world that we shared together.

"Yeah, well, I didn't get a guide for this shit either." She mumbles over to me as we both rise from the couch that we found ourselves on.

Oh, we were back at the mansion. I look out of the opulent window, staring at the mess of camps and various buildings that my clones and I had erected during and after the Endbringer.

Only a day, and already they were all filled to the brim, more being built on top of the others, at least until I could get the platforms to build even more.

Having that anti-gravitational tech that was capable of creating Cocoon was turning out to be more useful than gold.

Not that building another Cocoon was in the cards, I had plenty of other projects to focus on instead of a mega continent that could come crashing into the rest of the world. And I already knew what would happen should that happen one day.

Don't think that Gaia would like to have to deal with that on her surface.

The wind whipping around my hair, brushing a few of my locks onto my face was answer enough.

"Things are going to get ugly soon you know?" Estrella reminded me as she looked out alongside me, the setting sun giving the entire view a romantic lens, the oranges and purples giving everything a drowsy look. Matched with the exhaustion and fear, mixed with relief and hope that clung through the entire makeshift camp around us.

"I know. After all, not like I can let just anyone through." And anyone that was allowed to stay here at the camp were those that had been screened beforehand. Medical records, texts, emails, that sorta thing, along with a simple Passover of their minds before I had agreed. Probably illegal, and definitely a breach of trust, but they were staying on my land, so I think that it was within my trust.

Wasn't something that I was going to advertise though. Not when everything was so… delicate at the moment.

Everything was on the precipice of true change, and the political shitshow was something that none of the me's in my head were happy with. President Me being the chief among them.

"Yeah, yeah, you feel bad for being able to glance through minds real quick, let's just get this over with." Estrella muttered to me, wringing her hands as she looked around, her slitted pupils taking everything that she already knew in.

"Why don't you walk around more?" I ask as we both move through the mansion, following the new connections of prana.

"Cause it's fucking weird that's why." She tries to give me as an answer, but I just raise an eyebrow. "Ugh, alright fine. Me being able to walk around is… not really something that most Zanpakuto can do. But you're a freak of nature, so I guess that the same applies to me. Means that walking around like this is just… fucking weird ok? I'm something that was made to stab opponents, and drive sense into your head when you were being a dumbass, doesn't mean that I can just casually walk around without feeling…"

"Awkward?" I offered as we found the entrance to the cathedral that served as our Workshop. Which… could mean a number of things. Those two wouldn't hurt any of my friends, at least, not too bad, and not if they weren't attacked first.

"Yeah, let's go with that." She throws over her shoulder as we walked through, the Zanpakuto spirit looking uncomfortable with every step that she took in the clothes that she wore.

They weren't much, just a simple T-shirt that clung to her, while being in some worn jeans and black boots that I don't know where she got them from. At least, they weren't clothes that I owned.

Didn't really matter anyway.

We find the both of them growling at each other, faces smashed into their foreheads, blue and yellow sparks cracking along their bodies, both of them pointing at the ship that I had been in the process of making in my engineering lab.

It was as big as I needed it to be, equipped with top-of-the-line gear, much of which I had modified myself for any need that I could think of, the Squats having come along to help with what they could. But I knew that they mainly offered to help so that they could learn.

The ship was in the shape of a hawk, the wings ending with blasters and cannons equipped on both the top and bottom of the metal, the gravitational fields installed being more than enough to keep it from breaking up from the weight. Of course, it was the first prototype hybrid fighter in development using a mix Dying Will Flames, Antimatter Manipulation, along with the hyperdrives that I was still trying to improve.

Didn't really work all the way quite yet, at least, not by 'bottling' the Flames properly. They tended to burst or die out before they could work out their full effects, a byproduct of them not having a source anymore.

Capturing the Flames into a canister and shooting them like bullets, as I had used for the Clone Troopers to use against the Endbringers, was a simple enough feat. Dialing that up for Space dogfights was another matter entirely.

And I didn't want them to be powered by the pilot out of fear that they would pass out from Flame Exhaustion.

Happened to one of the Squats that had volunteered to try it out.

Though… maybe if I substituted some of the more destructive functions for other techs, and simply coated the projectiles and missiles instead of them being made up entirely out of Dying Will Flames I would make more headway. At least, that's what I had been working on before the Endbringer fight had reared its ugly head.

How I longed to run through the fields of Hyrule again. I grunt as the thought passes through my head, the new Mia that had started to form already starting to take affect.

It was… different from before. Whereas in the past the memories just… struck me like a brick to the head, now they were more like… whispers that slowly made their way into my head.

Already whoever who I had been had started to barrel her way through.

Just as stubborn and bullheaded as my previous versions, only she was a bit more… forceful than I had expected. Hard to believe that there was someone that had blood that ran hotter than mine, but here we are.

Damn it, Mia, now was not the time to focus on that.

"AND I TOLD YOU, YOU FLEA-RIDDEN HOUSE CAT THAT IT WOULD NEVER WORK!"

"YOU ARE ONE TO TALK WITH THAT RAGGED MESS THAT YOU CALL HAIR SWISHING AROUND AND TOUSLED UP LIKE LIGHTNING BOLTS! WHAT WAS THE POINT? TO TRY AND PROCLAIM TO THE WHOLE WORLD WHO YOU ARE!?"

"I'M NOT THE ONE THAT'S A MAMMOTH OF A MAN WITH THE HEAD OF A LION IN A BRIGHT AND SPARKLY SPANDEX COSTUME!"

"Oh god, this is worse than we thought." Estrella murmured to me as we both stared horrified at what was in front of us.

Past the two arguing Heroic Spirits, I saw Marcus, Taylor, and Judith–who was holding a giggling Claire Quetz wrapped around the babes head staring at the two 'men' with a confused stare–all watching the scene with resigned looks on their faces.

Relief flooded out the nervousness when they spotted me, their expressions relaxing as their eyes kept glancing to the electrical argument in front of us.

Estrella and I looked at each other, and glanced at the hallway behind us.

"You don't think they would mind if we both ran do you?" Estrella asked me, her tone completely conversational.

I was about to agree, but felt the panic from my three friends as Claire giggled again while the sound of lightning crackled again.

Estrella and I rolled our eyes.

"Why the fuck do we have to deal with this shit?" Estrella groaned, our feet approaching the two men that snapped their electrified fists against each other.

"YOU have to deal with this because you summoned them! I have to deal with this because if I don't they're going to blow up my lab." And I was not going to spend my afternoon fixing something that I could easily save by dealing with the two of them.

"You wouldn't know true electrical engineering if it bit you in your roided out bum!" Tesla thundered, coils of sparks arcing on his hair, gloved hand shining with blue light.

"At least I would know how to properly utilize anything that you made that a normal person would use! Technology is more than just mere ideas and dreams that one creates within their own head!"

"You forgot about the part where you would charge the world into death before anyone could actually use your invention!"

"Industry and business are the foundation of modern society you idealist lunatic!"

"'OH MY GOD I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE! BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!'" My Zanpakuto and I bellowed as we grabbed each 'genius' by the collar and smacked the both of them across the head. I think I saw their eyes pop out for a second, but that was probably just my imagination.

"B-b-but he-!" Both of them stammered out, pointing fingers at each other, trying to shift the blame.

"I DON'T CARE!" I scream out to the two of them, feeling my eyes burn in exasperation.

"DO YOU TWO HAVE ANY IDEA HOW FUCKING COMBUSTIBLE MOST OF THE SHIT IN HERE IS?" Estrella questions, pointing towards the various motors and other… volatile materials that were in this room, certain bottled gas that was used for different machines being places of interest for both of us.

"I-" Edison starts to speak up, but Estrella clamps her hand on his jaw.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR SHIT! FUCKING CHRIST, YOU'RE EVEN WORSE IN PERSON THAN IN OUR MEMORIES!"

Estrella and I continue on our rant, ignoring the embarrassment emanating off the two Heroic Spirits, the man and the lion hanging their heads down, neither of them having the nerve to look up and look either of us in the eye. I was so into this little tirade of mine, I never noticed the frightened amusement coming from my friends.

At least, not until I heard the coupled giggles and mewls of Claire and Quetz, the baby and Experiment both flapping their mouths in laughter as they stared at me, the baby pointing at me with a darkened chubby finger.

My twin and I stare at the three friends of mine, now having turned into four as Johnny joined in--the young man barely being able to contain his laughter, and feel as both our faces start to turn red.

We don't even react as Judith takes out her omnittool and snaps a quick picture of both of us with a shit eating grin on her face, her teeth shining in the sterile light of the engineering bay, Taylor actually managing a smile on her face, little chuckles escaping her lips every now and then.

I feel Estrella start to shift back into her sword form, my hand grabbing onto hers with an iron grip keeps that from happening though. "Uh-uh sweetie. If I have to deal with this, then so do you."

"But I want to go back inside!" She whines to me like a teenage girl.

"If I can't run from embarrassment, then you can't either!" I hiss back at her, just as the laughter from the three humans, baby, and Experiment fills the room, the Squats that had been hiding across the room popping their heads out, surprise on their faces. Probably because they weren't being blown up due to an errant spark hit a gas tank by accident.

"I see that your hot temper has only gotten worse with time..." I hear the familiar old voice of Edison

"You're one to tal-" Nikola begins to mutter to him, but Estrella brings up her hand.

"Not a single word out of either one of you! I know that it's just going to end with another one your little brawls."

Two mouths click shut as the two geniuses look down and won't meet either of our gazes.

Eventually, I managed to kick every human here that couldn't take a missile to the face without having to deal with third-degree burns and shrapnel stuck to them. Without Aura that is.

At the end, it was just me, Estrella, and two geniuses that helped create the world around us in ways that so many couldn't understand. One of them through his genius research and discoveries that could have found so much.

The other a businessman that could see the uses for inventions that others could not. Even if it meant taking advantage of everyone that he could for an extra few dollars.

It takes a lot for both Estrella and I not to run in the other direction.

"You've grown." Tesla finally ends the silence with two words, Estrella and I both trying not to fidget in place.

"The last time that I saw you was when I was around 16." I finally voiced, looking at him, expecting.

"Yeah, just a few days after." Estrella added in while looking down at the ground, Tesla staring at her with a curious gleam in his eyes.

"Who are you?" Tesla asked, staring at Estrella with confused eyes.

"My sword. It's… complicated. She's a part of me, yet also… different on her own." I frown as a thought strikes me. "You don't… know any of this?"

Both Tesla and Edison shake their heads. "Oddly enough, we were not given all of the information that we usually would. Mere… broad strokes of the world made it through, yes, but the details seem to elude us." Eidson strokes white hair that could constitute as his beard.

No doubt Gaia thought that it would be better this way.

I shouldn't be surprised that she was… a bit of a manipulative asshole. I think that she got the asshole part from me though. Probably didn't give them any information to… force me to actually talk to them.

Turns out that I didn't even need that. So I guess that it was my win.

I ignore the wind that tickled my ears.

"How… intriguing." Edison murmured as he peered closer towards Estrella, the Star looking up at him with a hint of a snarl.

"I'm not for sale if that's what you were thinking." She spits out with venomous words.

Edison doesn't say anything back, merely staring at her with… sad eyes.

"You don't get to feel sad now." I tell him honestly, barely holding back the shout and scream that burned and raged in my throat.

"My dear, now that life has forever eluded me, that is all that I can do now." Edison said with open palms, while Tesla refused to look at the three of us in the eye, guilt, shame, and sorrow hanging off both heroic Spirits like weighted cloaks.

I reign the anger in as Estrella gives me a look. Right.

Had to actually talk to both of them about… the whole reason why they were summoned in the first place. Not rip their heads off.

"In bullet points? This world is a barely held together mess. Aliens are trying to turn it into a power source by blowing up every version of it off the face of the multiverse for enough energy to fuel their next trip and experiment. It went wrong, and now everything is in a strange limbo that is only a few years from imploding. At least, the areas of the world that aren't a lawless parahuman controlled mess. And I haven't even gone into the other… changes that have happened around the world." Changes that I was directly responsible for. How many deaths did that include? Just by my very being here? How many Pokemon died in a fight against a Parahuman? Or civilians caught in a crossfire of things that they would have never gotten involved with if I hadn't arrived.

It hurt to think about it, but there was… no. There was a point in it. At least, it did to me.

"Basically, this world needs a tech uplift stat. Something that we can provide, as you no doubt can already tell." Estrella says while gesturing to the room around us, both Edison and Tesla nodding with knowing glances. "Problem is, the only ones that really know this tech is the two of us. And while we could teach everyone else about some of it-"

"It would be too slow with only two people." Tesla finished my thought, his ungloved hand stroking his chin, sparks arcing across his two strands of hair that resembled circuits on a piece of machinery.

Sure the shadow clones helped, but… I needed a miracle. And these two were known for that. Even if one of them was little more than a fraud.

His legend still gives him a strength and power that would be… invaluable for helping normalize the world for some of the future issues.

"I have a question though." Edison asked, blue eyes locked on me. "Why do you care so much for this world? It isn't yours. If anything, you are a being without a home."

I frown. So I guess there were some things that made it through the connection.

"Dreams?" I asked. They both nodded in agreement.

"Brief flashes here and there, which are… confounding, but we know that you are more than just that little girl that consumed information like a starving bear." Edison said with a slight growl. "Turns out that the temper that you have isn't just something that you inherited from us."

My right eye doesn't twitch. No, it does not. Even if I can see Estrella's doing it out of the corner of my eye.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." I say through gritted teeth.

"It wasn't."

Estrella has to grab me by the waist before I strangle the white out of that steroid stuffed lion and mount his head over my wall!

"See?" Edison mocks me while Tesla merely stands next to him, rubbing the side of his temples.

After I managed to find it within myself not to strangle the fucking cat, I take in a deep breath. "Other than that, what have you seen?"

Both geniuses take on grim expressions. Ah. I think I knew.

"Which one?" I ask.

"I saw… palaces flying in space. Technology that I would give anything to research… and-"

"Me. Dying as I fell from orbit." I say simply.

"We still need to chop those assholes into little pieces." Estrella murmurs to herself, arms shining as light emanates from them for a split second.

Now those stares of theirs were tinged by just a tiny bit of fear behind them. I didn't mind that. Not one bit.

"It's so strange seeing you actually smile more though." Edison mumbles from his corner of the room.

Estrella and I look at each other, confusion on both our faces. "Did I not smile before?"

"HA!" Tesla laughs. "The only times you ever smiled was whenever your face was buried in those old textbooks. Or hands were buried in pieces of engineering and electrical wire." I… don't turn a little red at that. "Though, your specialty isn't engineering is it?"

"How could you know that?"

"That little creation that was with that babe. The mother let it slip that it was your handiwork. And while it looked useless… well, I remember those booby traps that you leave in your lab to keep me out." Edison grumbles beneath his breath. "What exactly did you create?"

I smiled at him. "I made that little girl a friend that would keep her safe. Of course, only if he chooses to stay with her."

"Ah yes, you always were soft-hearted when it came to anything with emotion. Even if you never smiled once."

"Gee, I wonder why?" Estrella asks with a snarl.

"I do so hope that you at least smiled after you stole all those billions from me." I ignore the shock from Tesla, instead keeping a grip on that spark of rage that welled up inside of me.

"Please don't act like you didn't steal those millions yourself from inventors and creators that deserved it more than you."

"My dear, they knew what they were getting in to. They made deals that they were paid for just as we had agreed on."

"That's a lie and you fucking know it!" I don't try to keep the shout down, hissing it into his face, rising off the ground in order to meet him eye to eye.

"Didn't stop you from reaping benefits from all of that money though." Edison murmured.

"You're still just as much on an insufferable fool as you were in life. Would do you some good to let at least some of those 40 presidents take the wheel. Might make you more charming."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Edison huffily says.

"Please, from one president to another, know when it is best to keep your mouth shut." Estrella says.

"You weren't even a thought whenever she was president!" Edison roared at Estrella.

"I remember, so I still count!" God, this conversation was giving me a headache.

"I was expecting this to be more heartwarming," I murmur to myself.

"We both know that we aren't built for that." Estrella whispered back.

Instead of answering that, I just make the rest of the group follow me deeper into the Workshop, past the various rooms that I knew they wanted to peruse, and into the place that was the source of a whole host of new nightmares. Cybertron took their breadth away, as it did to everyone who had seen it so far, leading them through the… expansive and labyrinthine hallways that we have all gotten lost in already.

I spend an hour yesterday looking for Johnny who had kinda freaked out and locked himself in one of the rooms.

It had happened to have been the room full of alien corpses, a lot of them being… aliens that had been refined with alien DNA. And that was just the Sectoid variants.

The fear had basically been a beacon that I used to find him. He still wouldn't come back in here.

The room I lead them to was one that I had made sure to keep under lock in key. As well as under enough traps that it would make prisons like Impel Down seem like amusement parks. Pressure plates hidden underneath the Wraithbone floor, Dying Will Flames of every category fueling the various weapons and traps, along with antimatter fields that will make sure whoever is trying to get in never gets out.

Not to mention detection software that can see underneath just about every illusion, spell, and all manager of stranger effect that I could think of. If anyone ever managed to get in here without my say so, I would eat every ring I had.

It was a room of heroes and villains. Many of them great and terrible. A few that I couldn't look at without feeling sorrow seep in.

I specifically don't look at the body of the young man with brown hair, his handsome features peaceful instead of influenced by the stree of his life. It hurts to see Peter like this. To know that wherever this world was, he had died so young.

The same goes for many of the other people in this room.

But I didn't bring them here for them. I knew getting sympathy for strangers from these two was… a losing battle. No, I brought them here for a little… I guess you could say I want a second opinion on a project that I was working on. Definitely, the most… insidious thing I have ever done.

But everyone needed an emergency option, and this was mine.

We all inspect the two tanks in front of us, both containing what looked like blobs of goo, one white, the other black.

"Biology isn't really my expertise," Tesla says while reading over the two charts.

"Same. Engineering, mechanical, and industrial is something that we would help with, but this…" Edison says until he actually reads through some fo the more… fantastic features of the aliens biology. "My word…"

"Yeah… I've been trying to…synthesize it into something that won't turn crazy or kill their hosts."

"It appears that you have already started doing that on your own." Tesla muttered as he looked at the tank right next to them, this one still foggy and unclear as my work on a… new solution was still a work in progress.

"If you were to properly create something new… well, I believe that it would be a sight to see. And the money that one wou-"

"This is not for sale." Estrella quickly interjects, eyes hard as steel.

"Of course, it isn't." There wasn't any surprise in his voice, but he does visibly deflate as we knock the winds out of his sails.

"I do wonder what on earth you would need to create these… symbiotes for," Tesla asked, his hands swiping at the screen, eyes completely glued to the screen trying to take every single ounce of data.

"It's not for me. It's for… my friends. I might be bulletproof, and could probably take a missile to the face without flinching, but-"

"But the people that you care about aren't." Tesla finishes.

There was something in his voice. Something that I only heard from him rarely in my memories.

Pride.

Something that I saw in Edison.

It was… strange.

"Ever since I could remember, even after you took most of my assets, you rarely ever let anyone close to you. Always putting a wall between yourself and those that could care for you. You certainly scared off any young man that tried getting near you."

"Please, most of those upstart prissy pricks were only after our money." Estrella says from the perch she had taken on one of the desks, hand-tapping the glass of the floating remnants of a certain doctor with four mechanical limbs.

Not to self, burn that later.

There was a lot that I had to burn later. Already got rid of certain… pathogens that would have caused an issue later on. I shiver at the memory of a particular door that I would rather forget.

I was just happy that the fucking Marker didn't come with it.

That would have been… something potentially worse than most things in this world.

"You may be right about that. But tell me, did you die happy." I felt the anger rise up in me, Estrella's growling and snarling, exposing her sharpened teeth.

Until… i registered the emotions inside of Edison. There was no triumph in him, no sense of satisfaction or amusement.

Instead… he felt sad.

And I didn't know how to feel about that.

He should hate me. Even if he did deserve it.

But instead of that all-consuming feeling… I just felt guilt and shame.

No. I wasn't going to just… let him off the fucking hook after all the shit that he did over his fucking life. Not after what he did to Niko, not what he did to all those other inventors and geniuses that are now forgotten to time.

So I don't answer him, and instead, look at the progress of my current project. It was taking the changes rather well. The FEV had turned out to be an ingenious agent change, after some… modification.

Magic itself being a catalyst of change had also helped with a few of the more… adverse affect, along with a complete strengthening and stabilizing factor compared to the fluid change that the FEV caused.

Overall? One of my best works so far. It would still take some more time before it was ready, along with some finishing touches.

After that though… we would move on to actually testing it.

Thankfully, I found no psychic or any form of brain activity, so another plus on that part.

Edison, thankfully, wanders away.

I don't bother trying to tell him to mind his own business. He knows the score, and knows that the risk of anything here getting out would be… beyond catastrophic.

Meaning it was just me, Estrella and Tesla in the room. Alone.

The silence sets in, none of us speaking a word. I just stand there, reading over the progress, Estrella sits on her perch of one of the consoles, pointedly staring at the ceiling, and I could feel Tesla's gaze on me.

"You could have written. Instead of merely sending money through… 'anonymous donations'." Tesla finally voiced out.

I stayed still and wouldn't turn around.

"I… we couldn't." Estrella says out loud, eyes still on the ceiling, but her face was in a frown, eyes narrowed with… tears in her eyes.

Was that what I looked like right now?

"I never blamed you. And I never will." His words are soft, and I already knew that he would say that. BUt… BUT!

"You should!" I don't yell, but… I do raise my voice. "When he… came to kick you out, when all your research was taken and you were run out of town… I just stood there and did nothing! I got to live in the lap of luxury, never having to worry over money ever again, while you were thrown out onto the street with only the clothes on your back!"

"Mia… little Flame, look at me." I try not to, but… I do. I know that Estrella does the same. Instead of glaring at me with anger… I just see sympathy in his eyes. And I could only wish that I saw hate in them instead. "You were a child. Barely past your 16th birthday, with nothing else to your name. If you had said a word, you would have been worst off than I was, and you know it."

I look down at the brown tint of my skin. Something that I used to hate in my youth, but grew to learn that it was merely a part of who I was. Not an indication of the 'worth' that I had as a person, as had been the belief so ingrained into everywhere that I went back then. That was before going into being a woman…

Yeah, I don't think about that right now.

Even if what he said was right… "I can't forgive myself for it."

"In the end… you and I both know that my life would have been worse off than if you had never been in it. I have the memories of so many other versions of myself that I know that to be true."

"Did you enjoy London?" I ask him, desperate to change the conversation.

"Certainly more than New York." Damn it. "We both know what would have happened to me without your help little flame. Even if you don't wish to admit it."

"Doesn't mean that what we did was right." Estrella says as she walks to stand next to me.

"You're even more stubborn now than when we were both still alive." Tesla said, grabbing one of my hands and giving a light squeeze. I think about tearing my hand away from him… but don't.

I hadn't seen him in… over 70 years since that day when he had been taken away. I had forgotten how much I had missed him. Neither I nor Estrella struggle as he takes both of us in his arms. They were… bigger than they had been before. He had been so thin when we had first met.

Now he was larger than life. A hero that was remembered by the masses of humanity as a turning point in history. One that had brought what was believed to be the dominion of the gods to humankind.

And yet, the warmth in his hug brought long lost memories of my childhood to the surface.

Memories of when I was just a little girl and the kind man that I had thought of as a father would rock me to sleep, hiding me in his room while he worked the nights away, eager to keep me from roaming the night streets alone.

I can't forgive myself.

But for this one moment… I do forget.

It was a long time before I realized that both Estrella and I were crying.

Rebecca

She watched as the world partied like never before. While she wasn't an empath like Mia, she could feel the sheer excitement and cheer that revolved around the world, as sure as the sun rose every morning across the planet. Keeping the news quiet for two days was the longest that they could hold out.

Any longer and suspicion would grow… beyond what they could properly deal with. Of course, they were already dealing with some backlash for keeping it under wraps for that long anyways, but it was better now that it was out in the open.

The rest of her group had been… less than enthused about giving the credit to Apotheosis and her group of capes… but of course, Mia had outplayed them. With Contessa seeming to have disappeared in the wind, they were flying blind. Blinder than they had in decades.

Something that Apotheosis did not truly need, given her technology to hide from Agents in general, but it does not mean that she wouldn't benefit from Cauldron's moment of weakness. Her jumping over their heads straight towards the President was something that none of them could have anticipated.

Not when they should have had plenty of… gazes watching the White House in case something that they wished would be kept… private managed to make its way towards the man's desk. They wouldn't have had to worry about him making a foolish decision, like actually retaliating against them.

But it would run the risk of… having a path that required his immediate removal.

It wouldn't be the first time.

She hoped that their last was behind them.

Perhaps it would be. Scion was still out there, the alien beyond anything that perhaps even Mia could throw at it.

At least with the Endbringers gone, everyone, even Rebecca, could breathe a sigh of relief at knowing they would never face those monsters ever again.

For that, Rebecca could let Mia take the credit for the win instead of using it to bolster the PRT. Even if the thought left a certain part of her screaming in outrage.

The Hispanic woman didn't know why she had decided to visit Brockton Bay. Perhaps it was over the guilt of what they had created. Perhaps she wished to see just how much was left over after the Leviathan fight now that a few days had passed by.

Or perhaps she just wished to get away from all the prying eyes and cloak and shadows conversations that she had grown tired over.

Somehow the latest city that had been dismissed as a lost cause was the first thing that popped into her mind.

Only it… wasn't what she had been expecting.

Where rubble and ruin had reigned as far as the eye could see, ground cleared of debris met her eyes, many makeshift tents and half-built buildings hugged what other architecture had still remained.

Newbuilt roads that she knew did not match what they had been pre-Leviathan stretched out across the ragtag city blocks that had already started to form. What should have been a ruin of a city was already on the cusp of rebuilding.

An impossibility that should have surprised her, but didn't.

She had been to the vibrant life filled planet that had once been the red desert. Seen the bustling and blooming city of Opportunity built by what Mia had called "Squats", all while they worked to the singing of a woman that should have been in the Birdcage. Only now the Canary was free to sing her little heart out.

The Endbringers had merely sealed the deal that impossible was something that should now be seen as the normal.

And of course, across the building blocks of Brockton Bay, out in the streets, on top of buildings and the skeletons of construction, the people that remained in Brockton partied like it was the last day on Earth.

Given that it almost had been, it… seemed appropriate.

Music, cheers, screaming, and the laughter that made the ruins around her seem so inconsequential echoed all across what had once been nothing more than an experimental ground for Rebecca's group.

It both lifted her spirits and laid heavy in her heart.

Even while the denizens of the city partied, vehicles moved up and down the city, many of them trucks that dragged carriages full of supplies towards the most underdeveloped parts of the city.

Though, she didn't see anyone actually working at the moment.

Even these Squats that had arrived from another world seemed to have joined in the festivities, the rest of the citizenry paying them no mind at the short-statured people.

They laughed and partied all the same it seemed. She thought to herself while watching two grey-bearded Squats laughing and encouraging a young woman and man to keep chugging their full mugs, a crowd of people joining along all around them.

"Ma cheri!" She doesn't even try to suppress the groan from her lips as the familiar rich voice rung across the street towards her ears.

Or rather, on the street.

Turning, she finds the red haired Napoleon leaning out of the top of one of the many tank like vehicles, this one painted red with the barrel missing for some reason, as it rode down the street before coming to a smooth stop right next to her.

Rebecca gives the handsome smiling man who jumped down from the top of the tank an unimpressed, and exasperated, half lidded stare. He had long since shown that he didn't care how much he annoyed her.

Even if he did somehow know when was the best point to stop in his… attempts to woo her.

She mostly found his attempts to be annoying rather than harmful. If he truly wished to hurt her, he could.

She knew that from that… particular ability that he had unleashed on Leviathan.

Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile

A rainbow shot out of a cannon. She would have simply dismissed it as a Striker power with Stranger/Master characteristics if she had simply seen a recording of the cannon shot.

Only it wasn't merely that. Just like Mia wasn't merely a Trump based Tinker.

It was… everything and anything that could be possible.

Seeing into that rainbow, she had seen fates both great and terrible.

Her being drowned in a sea of arthropods, never even being able to properly participate in the fight against Scion, merely another stepping stone for a girl twisted and shaped into a ruthless warlord that would do anything for victory in a Golden Morning. All the way towards lives where she would live to serve the time that she deserved for the many necessities that she accrued over her ultimate goal.

She still didn't believe that he was truly Napoleon Bonaparte.

At least… not completely.

"You have arrived just in time for the grand celebration Rebecca." He said her name with a French accent for some reason. No doubt to try and add some 'flair' to her name as a means of flirting with her.

She doesn't bother hiding her eye roll.

"I can see that." She replied neutrally while looking over to the various crowds of people around them.

"Ah, but you have only seen one corner amongst this den of celebration! Come to the beach! I assure you that you will not regret the view!"

She raises an eyebrow and tilts her head, annoyance quickly replaced by slight curiosity.

She didn't have anything else better to do, with Cauldron now completely aimless, and the rest of the world celebrating right alongside what remained of this blip on the map.

"I thought that the beach was still a Graveyard with the remains of those ships?" This wasn't including the rubble that had been thrown into the beach during the fight and… Kali's rampage afterwards.

"That is exactly the surprise that I wished to show you!" She frowns at him a little harder. "Come now Rebecca, why not indulge just a bit in the celebration after so many years of incessant death! Celebrate in victory for once!"

Every ounce of her being told her that it had been a mistake to come here. That there was no need to celebrate in what had merely been an indulgence of curiosity. That she didn't deserve to celebrate in this, now when Scion was still out there and the world was merely waiting for the next big disaster to come its way.

Unfortunately there was a traitorous part of her brain that tickled the curiosity that was nestled deep within her.

And… how long had it been since she could truly celebrate something that was a victory?

"Are you going to stop flirting with your girlfriend and get back in, Mister Napoleon?" An innocent young boy said as he peeked his red-haired and dark skinned head over the hole at the top of the tank.

Just like that, annoyance was back at the forefront of her mind.

"Now, now Opportunity, that is no way to speak of a man and woman having a conversation." She didn't even have the energy to be annoyed he didn't deny the previous statement.

The red-eyed boy tilted his head, golden earrings on his ears jingling at the movement as he regarded her with innocent eyes. At least… they were for a moment. Then his face seemed to… change. A shift in expression that was… harder. Colder. More calculating than even Number Man's.

It felt as if this boy, a young child that was riding around in a tank with no cannon of all things, could see right through her, see every weakness and strength that she had in the span of a moment.

Within that same moment it was gone. She would have missed it if she didn't have her thinker power, so minute and fast that it had lasted for even less than a second.

That boy was no mere boy it seemed.

Only, now that hardened gaze through her was replaced by the same innocence that he had previously had, crimson eyes staring at her just like any other child would. Though… there was less wonder in his gaze than she had gotten used to.

It wasn't arrogance, it was just… every child held that same gaze when they looked at her as Alexandria. Either of wonder or fear. A series of expressions that almost every child had when looking at her.

Everyone knew who she was, all across the world. It was just… the norm.

Yet, this child held nothing but… curiosity in his eyes now.

Like any child would at someone new that they were just introduced to.

"Very well Opportunity! Just give me a moment!" Rebecca stares at the pitiful pout that he gives her, completely unmoved by the obvious attempts at coercing her to come along.

Before she can decline, a loud sound, louder than the din and raucous cheer of the city-wide party around them, echoes through the city. Instead of being shocked as she was… the red-haired man and child simply ignore the clang and splash that somehow reached them from this far inland.

"Are you getting in or not?" The boy asks her kindly, his high voice making a part of her… affectionate. A part of her that should be dead dammit.

Against her better judgment, she climbs onto, and into the tank, ignoring Napoleon's offered hand. The only reason she didn't fly in, was because she was currently Rebecca instead of Alexandria.

The young boy, Opportunity, sat in a tiny chair, all the instruments to maneuver the large vehicle resized for the child to properly utilize, his hands and feet deftly using the controls with the experience and diligence that most professional drivers would envy. Rebecca couldn't help but stare at this kid that didn't even look to be ten years old, driving through the revelry-filled streets in moments, the beach reaching their view before Rebecca eve knew it.

With a final turn of the wheel, and a pull on the gear stick, the rumbling tank comes to a smooth stop and goes still. Opportunity undoes his seat belt, and hops off his little chair, dusting off imaginary dust off his leather jacket which was fit snugly over his brown cloak, the golden Mars necklace shining around his neck.

"We're here." The child announced, walking past her without a second glance climbing up the ladder and flinging open the hatch at the top, sunlight shining down into the spacious vehicle without an indication of difficulty.

"... Who is he?" She asks Napoleon, knowing that it was probably more of the strange mystical beliefs that Mia and her group spoke. Apparently, she had already met Bedivere, one of the knights that served King Arthur, and the self Proclaimed Napoleon Bonaparte.

She refused to consciously admit that she believed anything that they said.

Didn't mean that she couldn't make inferences out of whatever legends they claimed to be.

"No one that you would know. After all, he was never truly 'born' in this world. The… events that transpired in this world completely deviated his creation from ever happening." That catches her attention.

"Do you mean to say that he is… a hero from a different world?"

"Yes and no." He answered, scratching the back of his head as they climbed out, breathing the salty air. "Like I said, it's complicated. If you really want a better explanation, you would have a better one from Mia."

"As if she would answer anything that I ask her." There was no point in hiding the bitterness in her voice. Mia had made no effort to hide her disdain for her in front of Napoleon.

"Has she ever not answered a question that you asked?" He asks her with a tilt of his head.

She… wanted to argue, but realized that the infuriating woman always seemed to have some sort of answer ready for her. Even if it was mostly incessant mystical mumbo jumbo instead of actual explanations.

And yet… everything that she had seen in the battle for Leviathan had been things that she could only call magical. From the rainbow cannon, to the four armed woman that had broken through reality with merely her rage and anger.

The memory of those empty white eyes still haunted her. Even if the rage that she had seen in them hadn't been meant for her.

She didn't want to admit any of the… 'magic' that Mia claimed to be real.

But the more that she saw, the harder it was to admit that it wasn't true.

So she merely sighs. "Very well, I'll ask her." It couldn't be more absurd than the tall muscle bound man in front of her being Napoleon Bonaparte, albeit an idealized form of one.

He smiles at her, genuine and without ulterior motive. An… ironic truth given the kind of man that Napoleon had been in real life. "Now, that's enough with the questions! Come ma cheri, it's time to enjoy the festivities."

He grabs her wrist, gently of course, and all but drags her through the crows of people that paid her no mind.

She did come in disguise after all. Or as much disguise as it would be to remove the make up that she wore in an effort to make herself look older, along with clothing that was not the norm in her wardrobe.

It wasn't just people or Squats that mingled and partied, plenty of Pokemon were strewn in, many of them being… new ones that she had never seen before. She watched a small round shark with legs, most its body being made up by its jaw, happily jumping around the sand, a brown-haired young girl giggling as she followed after it. The child managed to catch the strange Pokemon in her arms, the creature laughing alongside her, nuzzling his head into her own, her smile bright and wide.

That wasn't even the strangest one. She saw a strange balloon with eyes carrying children on it's string-like limbs, the Pokemon touching down back onto the ground before grabbing another child for a ride.

Only a month ago they had to deal with people worrying fleeing from the strange new 'animals', parents having to worry about the strange creatures following many of them home.

And now… she watched as they mingled in the celebration of the century, everyone far too happy to celebrate to really care about the creatures that could break each of them in half without a second thought.

She… actually found a smile forming on her own lips. When had she last just… enjoyed a genuine spectacle of joy before? One that felt… real instead of an illusion that they created as a needed step on a needed path.

At least… that smile was there until she saw exactly what had been making that large boom and splashes that reached the center of the city.

The giant whale creature that had almost drowned the city was currently… playing with a small pink creature with small bumps for ears, and a tail longer than his body, the creature trembling in laughter as it avoided Kyogre's attempts to catch it with a wave. In the middle of all this, floating with pink energy surrounding her, was a child wearing a green dress, dark thick hair swirling around her as she jumped from wave to wave, each one higher than a three-story building, laughing alongside the two Pokemon.

Watching a little girl happily playing with a creature that had helped in demolishing the city around her… left Alexandria dumbfounded. Every fiber in her being told her to fly and save the child, to keep her away from the beings that looked to be able to flood or rip the entire city without a second thought.

Yet, no one paid it much mind. At least, except for the crowd that laughed and cheered the aerial dance, many of them simply calling out tricks, which the girl ignored. She didn't seem to react to the calls at all. It wasn't that she was ignoring them, no she wasn't showing the body language of someone who did that.

It was that… she didn't understand the words. She heard them. She just didn't speak the language.

"Napoleon, there you are! Oh, hi Becky." She barely holds in the sigh at the sound of the familiar irritating voice, affixing her natural stoic mask to face the Tinker woman.

She feels the mask break as she finds the golden reptilian eyes staring at her with a mischievousness that Mia never had, along with sharpened fangs instead of teeth in her smile.

"Aw, did I scare the big bad flying brick? I guess we haven't really met much right? Other than the occasional me scaring you." With that same smile, she crosses her left arm across her chest, hand over her heart, and gives Rebecca a mocking bow. "Estrella de Esperanza. Think of me as Mia's better half."

Instead of responding to her, she turns to Napoleon, pretending that the strange womans wasn't even here. "Where is she?"

"You know, it's rude to ignore someone when they're introducing themselves to you." Estrella pouts as Napoleon searches the clear horizon, not a single sign of scrap or broken ship in sight of the party.

His eyes lock on something, a shining light that mixed with the many of the ships that flew across the sky. Ships… that didn't look like planes.

Another thing that she would need to investigate.

"VOYAGER!" He cried up into the sky, the people around them looking at him with surprise and annoyance before they returned to whatever revelry they were in the middle of.

That shining light soon… diverted from its path, heading straight towards them.

It didn't take long for the shine to dim as the person slowed on their approach.

When he stopped, a young blond boy, with bright blue honest eyes looked down at her from his place in the air, goggles on his head, golden scarf trailing behind him.

And she recognized the light that flowed from the bottom of his feet.

"You're the one that caused the light." She said quietly

The stranger… smiled at her like he had known her all his life. His eyes closed, mouth wide in a warm and gentle smile.

"Hello Rebecca! My name is Voyager. Thank you for watching me leave on that day." She frowned at that.

Voyager? As in the Voyager space probe? Thinking back on it… she had been watching the launch that day. She didn't have anything else to do that day after all, what with being stuck to a bed, dying of cancer.

It had been… something interesting. To think of a small probe that held human knowledge that would fly through their solar system, until it would one day leave, past their reach, forever traveling forward.

The only thing that would remain of their efforts to explore space once the Simurgh arrived.

At least… that's the reality that she had grown accustomed to.

Now, she and the other two were gone. Now not even dust in the wind.

And for the first time in so many years, from both the events of that day, and the light that shined down on her from past the horizon of their solar system, she had felt the hopes and dreams that had once been felt that day. From her, confined to that bed while waiting for results that her doctors would lie to her about, all the way towards every other person tuning in to watch the national broadcast.

She… was stumped on what to do. She had grown accustomed to knowing how to react, knowing what was the best action for any outcome.

But this one child that was apparently that same probe that had left earth smiling at her with clear and open affection… left her speechless.

Mia's twin scoops up the child in her hands, the boy giggling with the movement as she rubs his head, and croons. "You are going to be such a heartbreaker when you grow up!"

"What does that mean?" He asks with a curious expression.

"Ask Mia." Napoleon laughs at this, pulling out a cigar from his breast pocket, lighting it while taking a puff.

"Where is she anyways?" Rebecca asks, eyes searching for the irritating woman.

All three of them point towards the horizon, past the laughing child and two Pokemon. Past the roaring waves and floating orbs of water held by pink light, high above all of them, was Mia. Rebecca squinted.

Was she wearing a swimsuit?

Estrella

It was always so fucking hilarious to watch One-Eyed Becky show some sort of emotion that wasn't a variation of cold or bitch. Watching her go ga-ga over Mia in a bikini was something I had to capture in a photo.

Oh, Mia was going to fucking love having this saved to her database, if only for the shits and giggles.

The Ice Queen going all googly-eyed with a hung open mouth? If anything, it made Estrella laugh.

Course, Mia was far too drunk to really care right now.

Nikola and Edison were… somewhere in the party. Both of them had been arguing about something or other, Estrella didn't bother to keep track. She could understand the more technical speak, she was a part of Mia.

But since when did a sword really care about the technical when they were made for cutting right?

I let Mia handle all the tech.

Voyager hung limply in my grasp, the boy Hero happily snuggling into my arms, enjoying the embrace of contact. It… did tend to get lonely out in space all alone.

Bah, I hated it when I felt warm and mushy things. I was a sword dammit.

The innocent blue eyes staring up into my own quickly dissolved that thought as I barely held in a coo.

The giggling laughter of Mew, Kyogre, and Laticia brought… joy to the cold steel that was my heart.

Ugh, here were more of these stupid fuzzy thoughts that infected me from Mia!

I WAS A FUCKING SWORD!

NO! ME PETTING THE PRECIOUS BOY IN MY ARMS THAT I WANTED TO BE HAPPY FOREVER WAS NOT PROOF OF ANYTHING! Why we haven't gone to pick his real body up, I don't fucking know!

Shaking my head, I focused back on Mia, who was wearing a wonderful black two piece that absolutely showed off everything that I was proud of, even if Mia was so fucking embarrassed over it.

Though… the way that everyone looked at her, and felt about her was… off-putting. Even if I would never admit to it.

Right now, Mia was riding on over three bottles of that new magic whisky that she had made from crystals of flames. We still didn't know how that particularly worked.

It did it give a nice kick, along with a hint of spice to it.

Now Mia was up there because she was, and I quote, "Going to give this cavalcade of a shitshow a nice setpiece and backdrop."

For whatever that meant. When I was actually out and about with a good amount of distance away from Mia, her thoughts tended to grow quieter in the back of my head. Like… the signal was getting weaker the further away that I was from her. Guess our telepathy was relegated to radio waves or some shit.

So, now, Mia was up there, flying without the aid of her wings, hands raised in front of her, palms open and stretched out as if basking them in front of a warm fire.

"What is she doing?" Becky asked, voice quiet but I noticed that little pang of fear and worry inside of her. The annoyance that it was coated in almost managed to drown it out.

"Making something crazy." Becky doesn't bother hiding the irritation on her face, eyes narrowed into a glare as her mouth twitched into a frown. I sigh at her. "Honestly Becky, you need to just chill out and relax! Seriously, you are at a beach party, while the entire planet is putting itself into the biggest drunken binge since the Romans! Live a little! Walk around, let your hair down! Seriously, when's the last time that you got laid?" Fuck! I shouldn't have said that while holding the innocent boy in my arms.

I could feel those deep blue eyes staring up at me with questions, and Napoleon had actually gone red in the face. He was stubborn, and a sucker for a pretty face. But he was still a gentleman it seemed.

Rebecca is not amused in the slightest. "Define 'crazy'. Given your… twins standards, I find it difficult to understand what you mean."

She didn't react, but I could feel that pang of irritation instead of seeing it on her face. Empathy was such a fun ability when used properly.

You just had to deal with almost everyone watching you and having… feelings at the sight of you. Walking around on my own… well I sympathized more than previously.

Just then… we felt another star connect. Or at least, I did. Mia merely remained up there, swaying from all the drink that she had consumed, eyes closed as she focused on whatever was going on in her mind.

It was a cluster, not the biggest that we had ever gotten, but it was… still strong. Overall, the trio of stars connected to our growing sky, and I felt the inner world that we shared shift and change.

This was something more than just magic though. It felt… divine.

I could feel the pillars of celestial bronze and imperial gold form, rise and imbue themselves into the many crystals and structures that made up our hodgepodge of a city. I… felt myself change as well. Not in the physical, but I was more than before.

It was… a familiar feeling as whatever this was changed Mia beyond her mere genetic makeup. No, her soul was changed as well, and I… felt the flames that came from my light intensify in ways that I hadn't felt before.

We were more than just a mere alien, or a magical being shoved into ourselves.

What skills we had gained in blacksmithing, engineering, really, anything crafts related really, was… a touch more godly. I could feel beyond the mere feelings of the people around us, the flame of life bursting inside of each of them, shining like candles amidst the cool beach air as music and cheers blared around us.

I breathed in, feeling the flames that wished to come to life rise with the intake of air. My hands itched to make something, anything, but that itch quickly died. I was not a builder. I was a sword.

I would leave the building to Mia while I stabbed anything that tried coming at us, or those that we cared about.

Movement from Mia above us roused me from my thoughts, the slightly dopey smile on her face still there, with an edge of excitement as she raised her hands.

I… felt her open her pocket dimension at the same time that she pulled on the magic inside of her.

I watched as lights of red and white shined around her, cerulean and silver crystal metal forming around her as she materialized it from her own will, the Embodiments floating around in the air as they twirled around. From her pocket dimensions, shards of flames, crystals of light and darkness, stones of mythril joined in the orbit, each one gleaming in the bright sunlight as Mia

raised her arms again, golden threads of mantra weaved from each finger, grasping the individual materials.

Each time one grasped a piece, it disconnected from Mia's hands, the threads floating in the air, ends managing to find the other threads as they tangled with each other, forming a web of golden thread in the air.

The people noticed and looked up at Mia now that she had started to do something other than merely stand there in midair seemingly aimlessly. The Pokemon and Laticia stop in their play and gaze upward as well, eyes curious at what she was doing.

Once every piece had found themselves within the web of golden mantra, Mia slipped on a ring onto her finger. It was probably the best Harmony ring she had ever created, made out of a mix of A-grade jewels and magic enhancing stones that she had created in her spare time.

And the singing Flame that burst from the ring Sang a melody of calm across the beach, bringing a silence and calm to the previously uproarious display.

There was something… different about the Harmony flame now. It seemed… brighter. Louder, and roaring with a newfound strength that hadn't been present before.

Was it because of the star? I knew that it technically meant we were… daughters of Vulkan, ironic that we somehow were now part of a family more dysfunctional than our previous ones but the Dying Will Flames being influenced by our parentage was… weird.

"I give you the hope that was lost. The lantern waiting for the weary and broken." I manage to hear the words Mia whispered to her flames as she outstretched her hand, and sent the Harmony flame into the web of material.

The web catches fire, explodes into a singing pillar of power, hope, light and loss that rose into the air, no doubt being visible from Mars.

I had a feeling I was going to have to give the Squats back there a quick call later.

The heat and singing grew bright, stronger, ever more brilliant, Mia's face one of concentration both hands splayed in front of her as she remained unmoving, allowing the Mantra, Magic, and Flames do the creation for her instead of her hands. The pillar then moved away from the shore, floating above the water, gliding without being doused or disturbing the constant waves of the ocean.

When it had flown far enough away, a shape had started to take form beneath the flames. A familiar one that we had only seen in person one time before, but not in our world or this one.

When the flames dissipated… I smiled and stared at the sight before us.

She hadn't been lying when she said that it was something crazy.

Napoleon choked behind me, while Voyager voiced out a little "Oooh!" Rebecca merely remained silent, staring at the sight before us.

There, past the shore and clear past where any port would one day be, was a statue known the world around. In this one and many others. Though, it meant something different here on Earth Bet.

Before it had been a lost symbol, one of hope that proclaimed ideals that were never truly real, at least, not in practice, but had been there all the same. One that had been lost when Behemoth had attacked New York.

Standing triumphantly, taller than her previous incarnation, stood a woman made of brilliant green crystal, dark enough to have people believe it was some form of metal instead of the precious stone Mia had used. In her right hand, she held a torch, burning with living flame that… reminded me of my own light. Just looking at it seemed to quiet my mind, and ease my soul.

It stood on a pillar of Darkness made manifest, the gentle dark foreboding, mysterious, but not at all unpleasant. Standing over shackles of white, the feeling of loss and tragedy imbued within them, she remained motionless in her step forward, in the step onward from the past.

Her eyes were the biggest difference. They were the same shade of green as the rest, but the steely and uncompromising gaze promised that she would never stop. That she would keep marching on from the destruction and ruin of the past, even while the darkness threatened to swallow her whole from below.

After all, she carried hope in one hand.

Photos of course were taken, Mew flying up towards the statue, circling it with curious cries as Kyogre warily stared at it from his spot in the ocean.

But I was focused on Mia right now. She still swayed up in the air, arms moving from side to side instead of stretched outwards, eyes closed while a satisfied quiet smile stayed on her face.

I wished that she would smile in contentment like that more. Instead of the happy mask that she tended to wear most of the time.

Then she was falling towards the ground, eyes still closed, mind completely asleep.

Guess that the alcohol had finally hit. Well, that, and all the magic that she had just used to create the new Statue of Liberty.

Which was fine. We had already gotten all the work that we needed to done early.

I don't bother moving towards her, the fall wasn't going to anything anyways. Didn't stop Napoleon or Voyager from leaping towards her, the little Probe flying through the air, yellow light coating his feet as he traveled through the air.

It turned out to be needless, as Mia disappears from her fall, appearing only a few feet away, back on the sandy shore, eyes closed in a peaceful sleep. She was still going to have a hangover whenever she woke up.

The real surprise, was the green wearing, dark skinned daughter of ours next to her. Mischief and knowledge absent from her face.

Instead… she looked… worried.

"We have a bit of a situation."

That wasn't good.

???

He woke up somewhere… familiar and different. He felt that he had been in this bustling city full of partygoers before.

That it… was connected to what he knew as home. And yet, he had no true memories of his own. At least, none that he had ever truly lived.

A… concern, but not one that a god should truly waste much time over. He stood up from his place in the dark alleyway, brushing the dirt off his dark blue slacks, adjusting the black scarf around his neck, the dark skull necklace jingling underneath. He sighs as he stretches, the blue flames that danced across his azure hair applying some form of light before he decides to put it out.

He found no need to deal with any of the mortals around him. It was far too tiresome compared to dealing with the dead.

Right now, he just wanted to get away from the raucous screaming and shouting as they celebrated the death of those damned creatures that delivered so many dead souls to his domain, and those of others.

Good riddance he said. Less work that he would have to deal with now that he was more than just a mere myth.

The shifting around his feet catches his attention, and he scratches the three-headed black dog at his feet, Cerberus currently disguised into three separate dogs instead so as not to arouse suspicion.

The multi-headed dog muzzles into his head, eyes gazing at him with clear affection. "Good dog." He says quietly as they begin their trek through the city.

Regardless of his wishes, he still received the attention from mortals, both from women and men that found him pleasing to the eye.

It wasn't much trouble to just have… some riches that were lost in the earth to rise to the surface while he made his escape away. Honestly, right now he could go for a smoke.

And not just a cigarette something to mellow him out from having to deal with all of these blasted crowds.

His eye twitches as he… finds something hidden in the earth, just a few blocks away from his current street corner.

It wasn't much of a detour away from his destination, and he manages to find a little garden of a green plant that brought a smile to his face.

He might not be the god of thieves, but he was sure the owner of this house wouldn't mind if he lost a gram or two. Finding the extra key wasn't hard, it was underneath one of those hideous garden gnomes, and he managed to find his way inside of the home. He ignores the bundles of money that were scattered in the house, instead focusing on the little papers and ground up plants

Doesn't take him long to roll it up and place one end of the makeshift cigarette into his mouth, lighting the other with a flick of blue flame.

He makes sure to leave everything just as it was when he entered. The owner could consider it his payment at having some of this wonderful plant just laying around for him to consume.

He finds himself comfortably mellow by the time he arrives at the entrance to his home, the drab boring building unnoticed by the various crowds and parties around them.

He enters without a second thought, finding it empty.

Save for one person.

She wasn't the most beautiful woman in the world. If anything, she was remarkably normal, even with the wild locks of blonde hair that almost seemed to form into a mess.

And yet, when he looked into those kind green eyes, she was the most beautiful creation that he had ever seen in his decidedly short life.

"About time that you got here." She tells him with a slight tease as Cerberus forgoes the illusion and jumps into her arms, licking her face. "Yes, yes! Hello boy! It's good to see you too!"

"I'm home." He says lamely, even while knowing that they were merely at the entrance. Home was… much further below than here. And wasn't even in this dimension anyways.

"I can see that." She says with a twinkle in her eyes as she smiles at him. He doesn't smile back, but that's only because he… isn't sure how to react as his heart did little somersaults in his chest.

Blood and Darkness, why was he so bad at this?

"First thing that you're going to do when we arrive down below is taking a bath. You reek of something." She says with a twitch of her nose, voice brokering no argument.

"Yes dear." He answers without argument. No point in losing one this soon.

"Good." She rises from her seat, taking his offered hand, but leaving it within his grasp instead of taking it back. She gives him another smile, her green eyes twinkling with delight. "Shall we?" She asks as she gestures towards the entrance where Charon waited, beyond this lonely and benign DMV that served as their disguise to the mortal world.

"Very well, Persephone." And they both walk through the doorway into the Underworld. To home.

—

???

He didn't care that he woke up somewhere that he didn't recognize, or that his memories were more like vague instructions instead of actual thoughts in his head.

All he cared about was digging through the scrap and junk inside of the junkyard that he found himself in, his large muscular arms stuffing worn down and shoddy tools into the dirty apron full of pockets that he had fastened around his waist. He didn't bother looking at his misshapen legs, one of them longer than the other.

He instead continues his hobble amongst the forgotten and the broken, taking what he could see potential in for something new.

He didn't even have a plan for what to create quiet yet. But his hand itched to shape and mold metal into something new. To creaty beauty out of the refuse that humans left behind.

From across the field he hears the calls of humans searching for the noise that he made, worry and anger deep in their voices. He doesn't given them a second thought while stuffing a ruined music box into his ever filling pockets.

"Hm, I should find an actual bag or sack for all of this." He mumbles to himself while polishing a screwdriver with the end of his dirty apron.

"HEY! Ugly!" He ignores the rough man screaming at him, instead, taking a few screws, metal rods, and his screwdriver into his hands, fiddling with them in his attempts at finally making something.

"Oh shit! I think he's a tinker!" He did in fact tinker with things, but he thought of what he did as far more than that.

"Don't you have a brain in that big head of yours? First rule that almost every gang has in any city is that you watch the junkyard for any tinker that might be trying to find some form of material for their stuff!" Again, he ignores the mortals, eyes focused with the tumbling of wires, makeshift gears, and rusted metal screws, until they come together with a satisfying 'click'

Right when he feels a hand roughly touch his shoulder, he activates the little device with one meaty finger, the metal form of a kangaroo jumping from his hands, landing right in the mans face.

The impact causes him to fly through the air, landing in a heap on a pile of trash, the debris and collected parts burying hte groaning man as his friends took out those little pea shooters that they called guns.

Vulkan doesn't bother turning around, knowing that the little kangaroo he made had jumped off the first man's face, into one of his companions, repeating the process until they were all in pain on the ground.

The god of the Forge and Volcanoes hummed to himself. "Note to self. Gather parts at night, and work during the day. Have to deal with less people that way."

–

Opportunity

He felt fear in his heart for the first time since he had woken up.

He strained at containing his real form underneath the guise of his friend, his true form having… changed with Mia's newest acquisition.

There was no wish in his heart to be who he truly was. He liked being his friend who couldn't 'wake up' yet. He liked enjoying ferrying supplies for the rebuilding of a demolished city, helping in the construction of life, instead of engines of battle.

He enjoyed the daily grind of being a builder instead of a bringer of war.

But that wasn't the cause of his fear.

No, the cause of his fear was because he knew that she was awake now!

The vile goddess wasn't here in the city, he thanked Gaia for that, but she could now roam the world, bringing her own brand of terror and discourse to the world without anyone being able to do a thing about it.

Which also mean that she was coming for him!

He was literally shaking in his boots, now unable to watch as the events at the beach took on a calming air, the focus on the newly built statue now gone.

Instead of focusing on her maybe finding him, instead he watched a red-faced Mew who had just down a bottle of rum fifteen minutes ago, flying in shaky loops, eyes unfocused, as pink and purple light seemed to touch everything. He was still giggling and laughing, but now he was picking up people, sand, water and anything else around them without meaning to, his powers on the fritz given his… altered state of mind.

Napoleon and Rebecca had grabbed any of the magical alcohol away from Kyogre due to this. Gyrados had already consumed some, and he was splayed on the floor, the makeshift dancefloor now having to be moved to a different spot on the beach.

"We're going to have to fix all that DJ equipment later." Estrella growls to herself, Danny rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I have no idea who gave him an entire barrel of the stuff when I wasn't looking."

"Johnny did it." Opportunity chimed in from his spot on top of his weaponless tank. "He thought it was funny."

Both Danny and Estrella twitched at that. The forty plus father glared, his… changed body now giving him an air of intimidation instead of a harmless older working class father. Opportunity could see the muscle definition underneath the simple button up and slacks that he wore, the clothes looking a little tight on him.

"I am so going to have the Squats give him a little 'boot camp' later." Estrella mutters to herself, light flashing from her fingertips.

"Are you sure that… they're safe?" Danny asks while watching as Mew orbs of collected sand and water into the air with telekinetic light, juggling them around and around in a tipsy attempt at throwing a show.

Laticia seemed to find it hilarious from her own perch.

"They will be fine." Gaia finally speaks up, the tall woman watching the spectacles around them with… content-filled eyes as she stroked a sleeping Mia's hair, currently hidden from everyone's perception as she slept off the alcohol. "It is the… new guests of the world that worry me."

"Now is that really any way to speak of people that you haven't even met yet."

The voice said this lazily as a handsome young man strode up to them. He had… purple hair that reached past his shoulders, wild and messy but still somehow stylish. He wore a simple purple T-shirt, a necklace of a grapevine dangling from his neck as his sandals feet walked through the beach shore.

The only thing more noticeable than the purple hair though, were the small antler-like horns that sprouted from his head.

"Dionysus." Opportunity flinches as he realizes that he had been the one to speak up, the god of wine and madness turning his crimson gaze and lazy smile towards him.

"Yes, and you… are familiar." No, he DID NOT want to stop being Opportunity. Not yet.

"What are you doing here?" Gaia finally asks, teeth grit, eyes shining with power as the wine god raised his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, look, I didn't plan on… 'waking up' either, but here we are! Course the first thing that I was going to do was find my way to a party. And must I say, I am loving what I am seeing." He laughs as a sphere of seawater loses the pink light around it and comes tumbling down, falling right on top of the sleeping Gyarados. The water Pokemon doesn't even stir in his sleep, Mew going over and apologizing before he too loses consciousness. "An absolutely wonderful surprise that I am happy to see."

Gaia merely stares at him, eyes promising pain should he step out of line.

Dionysus sighs. "Fine, I'll leave your precious mortals alone. Not like we can even do much to them without having to deal with you! Don't worry, I'm just going to walk around and enjoy the party. Don't want to get a visit from my… cousin, or whatever she is." His eyes glance over to Mia's sleeping form, and Opportunity finds himself standing next to her, a protective hand placed on her side, glaring up at Dinoysis, Voyager coming up right next to him.

"My, my, guess you kids do have fangs after all!" He chuckles to himself as he waves at them, and wanders away into the many crowds, a drink in his hands faster than any of them can blink.

"What the heck was that?" Danny asked, gripping the stone in his pocket with strength, his features already taking on a more aquatic nature to them before they reverted back to normal.

"That was a little wrinkle in this shitshow. But before all of that, let's just go and enjoy ourselves ok?" Estrella said easily, getting up and going to rejoin the party. Danny follows soon after, no doubt going to try and look for his daughter.

Opportunity simply remained here with Mia, Voyager next to him, with Gaia joining them in.

They remained there for the rest of the day, not a word leaving any of them.

–

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Topic: Endbringers Are Dead

In: Boards Brockton Bay

Bagrat (Original Poster) (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know) (At Ground Zero: Brockton Bay)

Posted On May 10th 2011:

The Endbringers are dead.

Mere moments ago, across every available channel across the world, the news broke out that the Endrbigners are dead. Not by the combined efforts of the PRT, but by an unknown group that is led by a new cape under the name Apotheosis, previously Aspect.

During Leviathan's assault of Brockton Bay, the Tinker/Trump was able to successfully vanquish all three Endbringer's simultaneously thanks to... help from the rest of her team.

Details on the Simurgh and Behemoth are spotty, but footage of the Leviathan fight was captured thanks to the efforts of a Tinker on the scene. Of course, most of the footage has been censored or cut out from the official broadcast, but I believe that we can all agree that what was shown has been... enlightening.

So, you all know the drill. Let's keep this civil so that we don't have to have multiple threads over this one topic please.

(Showing page 1 of 306)

XxVoid_CowboyxX

Replied On May 10th 2011:

OMG! SHE'S SO FUCKING HOT! I THINK I SAW A VIDEO STARRING HER ONCE!

Rever

Replied On May 10th 2011:

Please don't post that video on here. Bagrat literally just told us not to get this thread closed.

GatMan

Replied On May 10th 2011:

Can say without a doubt that the Boss never did that shit.

Pretty sure that some dumbass Programming Tinker made that video cause he was horny or some shit.

The boss... wasn't happy about that. Pretty sure she found him in less than an hour.

Galcun

Replied On May 10th 2011:

... Isn't this supposed to be a thread to talk about the Endbringers dying?

DripRip

Replied On May 10th 2011:

Are you surprised that the first thing that pops up is her hotness? Cause I want her to step on me.

Minerva (Verified Cape) (At Ground Zero: Brockton Bay)

Replied On May 10th 2011:

Pretty sure that I hear Mia screaming over reading that in the next room.

Gaia (Mother Earth)

Replied On May 10th 2011:

This is amusing

Mia Itzel (Verified Cape) (Magic User)

Replied On May 10th 2011:

How the fuck do you have a cellphone!?

Gaia (Mother Earth)

Replied On May 10th 2011:

Is that really a question?

JITE

Replied On May 10th 2011:

ANYWAYS!

Who the fuck are those short dudes that fucking CHOPPED LEVIATHAN'S HANDOFF!?

AND WHY THE FUCK ARE THEY ALL USING HTE SAME POWER!? THOSE FLAMES DON'T LOOK LIKE NORMAL ONES!?

Vista (Wards ENE) (Verified Cape)

Replied On May 10th 2011:

From how Apoetheosis explained it, those flames react to the... 'Squats' will's and work like some weird set of powers.

Different Flames for different people that have various properties.

The reason why the red ones just... burn stuff away is because their 'property' was Disintigration.

For whatever that means.

Arcer

Replied On May 10th 2011:

...Should you really be explaining someone's powers like that? Thought most capes were a bit... touchy about how their powers worked.

Dragon (Verified Cape)

Replied On May 10th 2011:

Mia has been very open concerning many of her powers.

Mia Itzel (Verified Cape) (Magic User)

Replied On May 10th 2011:

Yeah, that's because most people don't seem to believe me when I explain how some of my powers work.

ArchmageEin

Replied On May 10th 2011:

So, question, how the hell did that one super ripped 'squat' manage to chop Leviathan's hand off?

/indent] End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 304, 305, 306

(Showing page 2 of 306)

Sky Eagle

Replied On May 10th 2011:

Those flames are Sky Flames. Property of Harmony. The flames probably 'harmonized' with the Endrbingers flesh, becoming the same, then cut through the increased strength of the Squat.

Answer Key

Replied On May 10th 2011:

That makes no fucking sense as far as powers go.

How does it work? Does it affect physics or create it's own sorta artificial modifier?

Sky Eagle

Replied On May 10th 2011:

I literally just explained it.

Answer Key

Replied On May 10th 2011:

No you didn't thats just some bullshit crap that makes no sense.

Mia Itzel (Verified Cape) (Magic User)

Replied On May 10th 2011:

And now you see why I have no problem explaining anything.

No one believes me either way.

End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4 ... 304, 305, 306

(Showing page 56 of 507)

Acree

Replied On May 10th 2011:

I'm sorry, what?

Mia Itzel (Verified Cape) (Magic User)

Replied On May 10th 2011:

Yeah, the Squats are alien refugees that who are living on Mars after I terraformed it. Pretty sure that it was all explained in that info block that the President aired.

Rain Traitor

Replied On May 10th 2011:

Mia, I think that no one thought that he was being serious. Especially not after that Braviary flew onto the top of his head and wouldn't get off.

Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member)

Replied On May 10th 2011:

What kind of bullshit has been going on in the world the past few weeks?

First Pokemon start popping up, then people start triggering with weird powers that no one can understand, Endbringers die, and now we got alien midgets as our neighbors.

Replied On May 10th 2011:

You better hope that none of them find out you called them that. They're kinda... intense when it comes to holding a grudge.

Gaia (Mother Earth)

Replied On May 10th 2011:

They are wonderful beings who live and fight with everything that they are.

Answer Key

Replied On May 10th 2011:

And who the hell are you supposed to be?

Gaia (Mother Earth)

Replied On May 10th 2011:

The world itself.

Now, Regina, I am sure that you're husband would prefer if you paid attention to him instead of being on your phone on your anniversary. Yes, you forgot again.

Minerva (Verified Cape) (At Ground Zero: Brockton Bay)

Replied On May 10th 2011:

Mia just flew out the building heading north.

Gaia (Mother Earth)

Replied On May 10th 2011:

I'm not even anywhere n

Nod

Replied On May 10th 2011:

Where... did she go?

Sky Eagle

Replied On May 10th 2011:

Pretty sure that Mia just found her.

End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 54, 55, 56, 57, 58 ... 505, 506, 507

(Showing page 205 of 509)

Spiritskin

Replied On May 11th 2011:

God, it feels liike the whole world is just partying right now.

Aeon Slider (Not A Cape) (Tinker Enthusiast)

Replied On May 11th 2011:

You only just noticed this now? Parties have been raging ever since the rumors got confirmed.

being typed while drunk as fuck

Xolsis

Replied On May 11th 2011:

I just watched a giant bear outdrink my buddy under the table. And the bear is still going.

With her cubs hanging on her shoulders.

WTF?

CRIP

Replied On May 11th 2011:

Pokemon are just fucking everywher nowadays.

And now we got a bunch of them just... partying with everyone like no tomorrow.

Lorat

Replied On May 11th 2011:

Did you not see how many of them were flying around in the background of the Endbringer fight? Pretty sure I saw a giant whale picking people out of the water and swimming away.

Aeon Slider (Not A Cape) (Tinker Enthusiast)

Replied On May 11th 2011:

Ah. you met the Ursaring. just enjoy having the drinking buddy and chillax. they're super cool as long as you don't do anything stupid.

and consider yourself fortunate. I watched a goddamn Furret drink half my unit under the table just now, and it's asking for more.

Voyager

Replied On May 11th 2011:

Crowds are loud. But I like the smiles.

Mew is flying around. Not as fast as me, but I think I saw him drinking some of Mia's stuff.

I like seeing people happy.

L33T

Replied On May 11th 2011:

DID YOU JUST SAY MEW!?!?!?!

Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member)

Replied On May 11th 2011:

Yeah, he's just... flying around and playing with... Kyogre.

And a little girl who's just... laughing with them.

I would be worried if Mew didn't keep snuggling into her arms.

Here's a pic.

Regent

Replied On May 11th 2011:

I hate how cute this is.

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Rogersrage

Replied On May 11th 2011:

I think I just saw a Ralts hiding under the shade.

She isn't drinking anything, one second she was fine, next she's on the floor.

There's a... blue and black bird taking care of her.

Reverd

Replied On May 11th 2011:

There's a fucking Dragon that just... showed up the party about an hour ago.

Started drinking with this hot chick at the table, who is now passed out on the couch.

Think she fell on top of the bar when she had too much.

Big orange dragon picked her up, and moved her to the couch, and hasn't left her side all night.

Aeon Slider (Not A Cape) (Tinker Enthusiast)

Replied On May 11th 2011:

PSA for those of you in the 'States: the various National Guard units are being set to ready conditions in case the partying goes out of control. and the Pokemon are annoyed at this and have offered to help out if we get sent out.

based on the postings, the other pokemon are just as aware and will likely step in too. so please don't make us have to work.

now, excuse me while I try to outdrink this damn Furret.

Arcer

Replied On May 11th 2011:

Surprised I haven't heard any police sirens blaring out.

Xolsis

Replied On May 11th 2011:

I saw a dude trying to rob a store earlier at a convenience store.

Made it about halfway across the street before a giant ass branch landed on his head.

I don't know how.

Dude's knocked out, and we took his gun.

Pdid

Replied On May 11th 2011:

Yeah, we had a couple dickheads try to start something earlier.

Fucking pigeons shit all over them.

Missed the rest of us.

Weird shit is going on.

Nova (At Ground Zero: Brockton Bay) (Verified Cape)

Replied On May 11th 2011:

party here at Brockton Bay has been nuts.

Here's a couple pics.

Link

Clockblocker (Wards ENE) (Verified Cape)

Replied On May 11th 2011:

Oh my god.

Apotheosis in a bikini.

Whitecollar (Cape Wife)

Replied On May 11th 2011:

How the heck did she get muscles like that?

Rain Traitor

Replied On May 11th 2011:

Mostly? They just appeared on her whenever she got a new power.

No, I'm not kidding. I was there when they happened.

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Chaosfaith

Replied On May 11th 2011:

Course the time when my family and I decide to go out hiking is whenever everyone is getting shitfaced.

All I got is this giant weird tree. The tree bark is white, and the leaves a shade so brilliant I thought that I was just imagining it.

Growing in the middle of what I think was a building.

When I say huge, I mean this tree is easily almost as big as a skyscraper.

Antigone

Replied On May 11th 2011:

I just saw a... really hot dud with blue hair, and three black dogs walking through the street.

Wouldn't have paid him much mind,but he had a doobie in his lips.

Dud fucking passed cops and didn't even turn around when they called him.

Thye let him go, cause... well, does anyone really care about that shit today?

Rige

Replied On May 11th 2011:

I think I took to many shrooms, cause I swear to god I just saw some chick walking around with goat legs.

no, not kidding.

Fucking brown furry goat legs.

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