Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize
Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.
Thanks a lot to HRwriter897 for help with the 'Olympus' plot again, and also to Brainstorm Sorcerer and gussygus28 for their help with many other parts of the chapter.
Enjoy.
TW: Thank you for the review, glad it was fantastic, and glad you loved the team-up. True on Magneto. You're fine on the double post.
Gallifrey 22.3: Thank you for the review, glad it was excellently done. Oh yeah, lots of muscle, and yes, some more recruiting to do. Indeed, I've some in mind from both, especially SW.
DCMarvel heroes: Thank you for the review, glad it was marvelously written. Thanks, but this one was more Brainstorm than me. No, Magneto hasn't. Agreed on the Injustice League. They did try to recruit people who'd great power or magic or skill or everything (Megatron and Doctor Doom) but those ended horribly, but they'll get powerful members later.
Guest: Thanks for the review and glad it was nice. Two more is right.
Chapter 33- Sleeping Beauty's Nightmare
Earth-21, Washington DC, The White House
President Martinez's address was aired live everywhere.
"My fellow Americans….I know that the American people….that the peoples of the entire world, were shaken by contact, as well as by what occurred here in our nation's capital last night. These are incidents beyond terrorism and politics. These are unnatural disasters, events of a scale and nature unseen in all of human history. With the help of the private sector, namely efforts coordinated with Queen Industries, a recovery and repair fund is being established to help cities like D.C. get back on their feet after….folks, we're all a little out of our depth here, aren't we? Fortunately, we have a rising generation of Heroes, to assist us not only in rebuilding, but in defense. Heroes like Metropolis' "Man of Steel", the capital's very own "Wonder Woman", and the hammer wielding warrior who resembles a Viking, wields lightning and has power nearly on par with Metropolis' Man of Tomorrow."
Outside, Clark, Diana and Thor were listening, as Clark commented. "As of last night, I've gone toe-to-toe with two beings in the last year who come as close to being actual "Gods" as I've ever seen."
"The likes of which do no favors to Godhood", Diana commented with folded arms.
"Not so much", Superman agreed, then turned to Thor. "But I've also been helped by one, and I can't be more grateful for that."
Thor smiled, Diana telling Clark. "To the people of this land, their Heroes- people like you and me…are seen as Gods, are they not?"
"Someone I used to be allies with recently said I was no better than a "God of Old"", Clark told them. "No accountability. Present only to punish or assist."
"I have a feeling whoever said this just seems to not like you, for he could not be more wrong", Thor assured Clark. "I have known many people during my long life, and you are amongst the noblest of them."
Superman nodded gratefully. "Thank you, I appreciate it."
"As for this talk of Godhood, you may not be one, but you will have to get used to some worship. That is just how people are", Thor pointed out.
"I get what you mean, its just that worshipping isn't sitting right with this farm boy", Superman revealed to him.
"Having descended from trans-Dimensional Greek God-beings, perhaps I am a bit better equipped to "go with it"", Diana noted.
Clark then turned to Diana. "In the coming weeks, an associate of mine will be setting up a hub for my team's Watchtower network here in D.C. It can be made available to you, assuming you're staying stateside…?"
Diana now told the both of them. "After much discussion with my Queen, I have decided to remain here, as an envoy and representative of the sovereign island nation of Themyscira." She looked out at the city. "My sisters, my people….are not to be feared…but embraced. I will prove to the world- Man and Woman alike- that any who act on their beliefs in pursuit of truth and justice can make a difference."
"Those are quite the noble sentiments, Princess Diana of Themyscira", Thor praised her. "I know you shall succeed in this endeavor."
"And Steve?" Clark inquired.
"I do believe I shall be seeing more of that boy…" Diana said, Clark sharing a look with Thor and flying off for a bit.
Diana turned to Thor. "You look at me as if you know me."
"Someone close to me…a very old friend….she looks just like you", Thor told her. "And now, after seeing all that you are capable of, I truly see more of her in you. She would definitely want to meet you."
"I look forward to meeting her one day as well", Diana responded with a smile. "It shall be difficult, I imagine, with me being an outsider, and the rest of the world having a different way of life."
"It is", Thor admitted. "You may not be a God like me, but you are descended from them, and a warrior as well. I feel sometimes the others do not understand me too well, but I would not trade the friendship I have with my team- the Avengers, for all of the Realms together."
Diana knew why Thor was saying this, and looked into his eyes, assuring him she would go to the Hub silently. Noticing a braid of dark hair on his head, she then asked. "What is that braid of dark hair you have?"
Thor sighed, looking emotional now. "It belonged to my brother- Loki."
Diana was confused, for based on what she had heard, Loki was not Thor's brother. But perhaps, in this other Universe, things were different.
She also noted Thor's use of 'past tense', as he continued while pacing around. "He was...a little misunderstood, and that was my fault. I was always stealing the glory, casting a shadow, I made him feel like he didn't belong with me. It drove him to acts of madness, something that cost us both, and our family, dearly." Thor choked back a sob as the image of his mother fading away to Valhalla flashed in his mind. "At the end of the day, despite our shortcomings, Loki showed me that he was my brother. A hero. I just wish everyone else could have seen it."
"You saw it", Diana said, putting a hand to his shoulder. "I am sure that is all that matters to him."
Thor gave a smile of his own, appreciating her efforts. "You have my thanks, Diana Prince." The two noticed Hercules and Hippolyta having a tense discussion nearby, and walked over to them.
"I promise you; I am nothing like him", Hercules was telling Hippolyta. "To tell you the truth- if I see him myself, I shall be the one to send him to the Underworld. Having seen part of it myself, I can promise you it is not a pleasant place."
"So?" Diana inquired of her mother.
"Outside of their name, they have no similarity at all", Hippolyta said, turning to her daughter, then back to Hercules. "I am not sure I can be at ease around you still, but I can see you are nothing like the vile Hercules of our world. I would even say that me not being at ease around you is my own fault, not yours."
"I understand why", Hercules said to her, then turned to Thor. "It is your good fortune that I was brainwashed, and then knocked out, or I would have stolen all the glory due to how mighty I am!"
Thor chuckled, as did Hercules, the former saying. "I would have liked to see you try."
Looking between Thor and Hippolyta, Hercules added to the latter. "Besides, if you were anything like my Hippolyta…well, I've an Asgardian, I wouldn't have been afraid to use him."
"What's that about?" Diana asked in confusion.
"I had a version of you who is a crazy chick hounding after my ass for thousands of years!" Hercules groaned, Hippolyta having to smirk at imagining that.
"Surely you are exaggerating", Thor said to Hercules and laughed, only for the Greek Hero to whisper to him.
"She's like my version of the..." Instead of speaking, he wiggled his fingers in a way that only seemed to click with Thor.
"Oooooooh." He turned to the confused Amazons. "The reaction is completely warranted, trust me."
"Yeah, and the last thing I need is another one of you trying to love me to death!"
"Love" is the farthest thing on my mind when I dare punish myself by thinking of you, for good reason."
"Well, I know you're not going to get me to try to marry you, for good reason."
"The mere thought makes me wish to drive a sword into my own gut and rid myself of both intestines, and life."
"...oh good. Glad we sorted that out." Herc chuckled as he clapped Thor's back. "Talk about dodging a bullet."
Dream World
A Nightmare on Elm Street theme plays
Freddy Krueger stood in his boiler room, like usual, running the knives on his fingers across the wall. "Those annoying masked bitches! Green Arrow and Batman, they really had to come in the middle and ruin everything! I was having so much fun having that unique spin on my shtick, especially when I killed that poor ill girl."
He let out bone-chilling laughter, then snarled. "Then, those two little shits came around!" He grinned once more. "But now, it does not matter. Whatever that fucking guy behind the goddamn voice did to me, it has increased my powers beyond what they used to be, even at my best. Now, it is time to make my grand return to Springwood, and see my children bow down to me in fear! I can even get revenge on that Lori bitch and finally kill Alice!"
Freddy laughed once more, when, a blue portal opened up in front of him.
"What the fuck is this?" Freddy wondered now, before his curiosity got the better of him and he stepped through the portal, finding himself in a black void of sorts. "Huh?"
Sensing something, Freddy turned around and was actually stumped by what he saw!
A bunch of animal-like creatures of different shades, all surrounding him slowly, moving closer bit by bit.
Freddy, however, felt he could understand them all. The voice had clearly increased his power so he could do this.
"You….are creatures just like me in a way, aren't ya?" Freddy inquired.
While these creatures were unable to truly speak, due to his increased power, Freddy could 'hear' th energy they radiated as words.
"We know who you are, Freddy, and what you're capable of", one creature looking like both a cat and a dog 'spoke' to him. "We're the Nightmares amongst the Dream Eaters, and we want your help in spreading fear across various worlds."
"Various worlds, you say? Sounds like fun", Freddy had to say.
"These two boys called Sora and Riku have sabotaged our plans until now", another one looking like a panda told Freddy. "We were seeking the Keyholes of the worlds submerged in sleep, but they stopped us."
"Sora is someone who brings the light wherever he goes. And because of Riku, it was impossible to get him", another one looking like a cat said.
"Hearing of this little bitch Sora is making me puke. And because of that…..I will help you!" Freddy declared with a grin, feeling himself and the Nightmares sharing power now, his own power increasing even more because of that. "Besides, I've got time to kill before I head back to Springwood…..literally!"
Traverse Town
Sora was having a good time hanging out with the good Dream Eaters aka the Spirits, and was telling them of his new friends who'd helped rescue him. "Goku had a cool stick, a flying cloud and energy attacks. Naruto uses this thing called 'Chakra'. Aang can use the air as a weapon due to this 'airbending' technique of his. Ahsoka is a keeper of peace called a Jedi and uses these lightsabers and an energy called the Force. Ciri is a warrior from her world. Percy Jackson is a Demi-God like my Hercules is, and is Poseidon's son. Atreus is the same, and is the son of this person called Kratos. Spider-Man has these cool webs he uses to swing around. Superboy is really strong and can fly and shoot lasers. Ben has a watch-like device he uses to turn into these aliens with different powers. Harry is a Wizard and uses his wand to do magic. Alice is young, but has good fighting skills. Dawn, I helped save her once, so she returned the favor, and she has some good magic power too, plus she has this Key energy within her which helps in opening portals."
The Spirits enjoyed hearing of it all from the looks on their faces, as Sora said. "Its always good to make new friends like these. I'd love to meet them again sometime soon."
At that moment, the Spirits suddenly froze, sensing a disturbance, making Sora stop as he looked at them all.
"What's wrong?" He inquired, only to sense it himself due to his vicinity to them. "Oh no!"
The Spirits seemed to communicate with Sora, as he felt it all, and noted grimly. "It looks like these Nightmares aren't done after all. And they have…an ally?" Sora's eyes widened. "He is even worse than them, isn't he?"
He looked ahead, the Spirits gathering behind him, as he thought about it, then said. "This new ally of theirs could be quite bad. I think we should get some help."
The Spirits seemed to agree, and Sora smiled. "I think its time for you to meet the friends I just told you about."
Earth-205
"You want Anna?" Sam asked in horror. "Why?"
"Out of the way", Uriel threatened, stepping forth, when a mechanical hand pushed against his chest and stopped the Angel dead.
"Not another step." Anakin warned as he and Obi-Wan returned their lightsabers to their waists. He could sense these men were not Demons, far from it, but they did possess humans, something they could detect now that they know what to look for. Lightsabers would only kill them if the possession stopped.
"I know she's wiretapping your Angel chats or whatever, but it's no reason to gank her." Dean defended. The fact he had to defend at all shocked him, all Anna's gone through, this is how the Angels help? Okay, not surprising with Uriel, but Cass?
"Don't worry." Uriel pushed away Anakin's hand and smiled at Dean. "I'll kill her gentle."
That was when the Negotiator stepped forward with his brother. "I don't think so."
"That's not your choice." Kenobi, Skywalker, and the Winchesters looked to the reluctant Angel. There was pain in his voice. Regret.
"But it is yours." Obi-Wan told him gently. Something was wrong with this "Angel". Everything about him was different, the aura, the way he was perceived in the Force, it did not belong in this world. It was something more.
"Yes." Uriel cut in. "And she dies."
"You're some heartless sons of bitches, you know that?" Dean snarled angrily.
"As a matter of fact, we are." Castiel looked back up at them. "And?"
"And?" Sam was horrified. What was wrong with these people? "Anna's an innocent girl."
Castiel shook his head. "She is far from innocent." Anakin and Obi-Wan shared a look.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam inquired.
"She's missing something." The Angels, Winchesters, and Demon turn to the Jedi. Anakin eyed them both, before focusing on Uriel. "Something you have."
"We don't end her; you'll allow something worse than this abomination you've been screwing to live." Uriel told them hastily with a bite aimed at Ruby. "Now give us the girl."
Both the hunters and the generals looked to each other, an understanding passing between their eyes before they nodded, then faced the Angels.
"Sorry. Get yourself another one. Try JDate."
Amusement filled Uriel, as he was glancing between each of the men. "Who's gonna stop us? You four?" Then the malice returned to his voice as he moved for Ruby. "Or this Demon whore?" Uriel grabbed the Demon and threw her forward, towards the cabin window, shattering the glass.
He made to march to the door when that same metal hand that stopped him before punched him, the strength enough to stagger him. He eyed Anakin with disgust while the Chosen One only glared at the Angel. "We got this."
"Protect the girl." Obi-Wan focused on Castiel as Uriel moved to Anakin.
Uriel tried to punch Anakin a few times but Anakin blocked or dodged, before decking Uriel's face, grabbing his arm, and spinning around to flip him to the ground, only for Uriel to instead grab his back and hurl him to the ground.
Uriel drove his fist down, but Anakin raised his hand. Inches from his face, Uriel's punch stopped, gritting his host teeth while the body was forced back as the Jedi stood back, the Angel broke free of the telekinetic hold, only for a powerful invisible push to send him back into a tree.
"There's more to you than orders, my friend. I can see it." Obi-Wan tried to reach to the reluctant Angel. He could feel pain, doubt, fear in this being. This was Castiel no doubt, the Angel that saved Dean. "You don't have to do this."
Cass breathed heavily and suddenly his body tensed. Obi-Wan felt something take hold of Cass' body, something he could not see, even with the Force, but could feel it wrap around the Angel's body like the Force would. When it was released, Castiel opened his eyes and said robotically. "I'm a soldier of God. I have to do my duty." With that, the Angel walked to the cabin.
"So do I." Obi-Wan placed himself in front of Castiel. Not wanting to hurt him, Cas tried to tap his head, but Kenobi grabbed his arm and in return, placed his own hand over the Angel's head. What followed was torrent of pain for both, Obi-Wan and Castiel groaned, feeling their minds being squeezed. Cas forced his hand forward onto the Negotiator's head and grabbed his arm as well. It went beyond sedation, their powers collided and clashed. An internal struggle took place, one that caused the windows of the cabin to shatter and the rocks and everything else to float around the two.
Obi-Wan saw through half-lidded eyes Castiel's own orbs glow, and he saw…light.
Anakin was thrown across the ground. Uriel teleported in front of him and grabbed him by the throat, but Anakin's mechno-arm slammed down, breaking the grip. His left arm reared back, the Chosen One pushed it forward with the weight of the Force behind it, just as Uriel did the same thing.
Their powers collided. Glaring at each other, Anakin and Uriel only pushed harder, until the latter felt his feet slipping back. Pushing his other hand for more strength, Uriel could feel the sweat run down his host's head before looking back up at the Jedi. One moment, he was gritting his teeth and narrowing his eyes at the more powerful Jedi, and one blink later, he was thrown against a tree, then crashed into the ground, before being held aloft, only to be met by the metal fist again. Anakin grabbed the Angel by the throat, before feeling the Force wash against him in waves, he turned and saw with shock, Obi-Wan grappling with the other Angel, on their feet in identical positions, and the Force causing everything around them to orbit around them. Even nature felt the power as the branches of the trees swayed with the power, and thunder sounded from above.
Then, a bright light surged from the cabin, the thunder boomed louder before Castiel was forced out of Obi-Wan's grip, a shadow with wings appeared below him before he disappeared. Anakin turned back and found Uriel thrown away by that same power that he felt came from the cabin. When nature returned to a calm state, everything, from glass, sticks, rocks and branches, that floated around Obi-Wan and Castiel's battle dropped to the ground. Kenobi himself fell to his hands and knees, panting as Anakin rushed to his side.
"Master?" Anakin looked at him in concern. No matter what happens between them, he will always be his teacher, and the closest thing to family he has aside from Padme.
"I'm…I'm fine, Anakin." Obi-Wan gasped, clutching his chest before Anakin grabbed his arm and helped him stand. "That was...unpleasant."
Looking to where Castiel was flung to before disappearing, Anakin remembered how that battle between the Force and the Angel's powers collided. "What happened?"
Obi-Wan blinked as his head finally stopped spinning to think. What did he see, what did he feel when he connected to Castiel? "I don't know how to explain it." It was a complicated thing that Kenobi was still trying to understand himself.
They heard someone approaching and found Dean staring at the scene. "Damn." The hunter looked between the surrounding damage to the area, and the blood on Anakin's lip with Obi-Wan looking like he's recovering from a hangover. "I'm glad you're on our side."
"Dean, what happened?" Kenobi inquired as he found the strength to stand alone.
"Oh yeah, that." Dean turned back to the cabin. "You're gonna want to see this."
Sharing a concerned look, the disciples of Qui-Gon Jinn followed the elder Winchester to the room Anna was put in, with Sam bandaging Anna's bleeding arm, and Ruby looking at a strange sigil painted in blood on the mirror.
"What did you do?" Obi-Wan asked her gently.
"I sent them away", Anna gasped in pain while staring at the sigil. "Far away."
Earth-21, Washington D.C.
Thor, now in his Donald Blake disguise, walked past some people who were protesting against the things not considered normal, their boards saying stuff like 'Humans first', while he saw Clark, now in his usual disguise, speaking to an old woman, clearly his adoptive mother.
"Then you already have an answer, don't you?" She finished saying to him, when Clark turned to see Thor arrive.
"Mom", Clark made the introductions. "Meet Thor, the Norse God of Thunder from a different Universe. Thor, meet my mom, the woman who raised me- Martha Kent."
Thor held out his hand, that a very awed Martha shook. "You're…the Norse God of Thunder?"
"Yes."
"From another Universe?"
"Yes."
"…..Wow!" Martha had to say. "Pleasure to meet you."
"I am quite honored myself", Thor said. "You must be a remarkable woman to raise a fine young man as Clark."
"Why thank you so much", Martha said, clearly blushing as they dropped hands, Clark groaning, while Thor looked down, noticing the warmth and kindness in her tone, yet also sensing a fire in her that reminded him of his own mother, recalling the moment when Kurse had killed her, and he was too powerless to do anything.
"I believe it is time for me and Hercules to take our leave of this world", Thor then told Clark.
"So, do you need any help with that?" Clark inquired.
"We do not, for my hammer can transport us between Universes now", Thor revealed, to Clark's surprise. "Part of what happened during our battle against the robot."
"…Right."
Earth-199999, Avengers Compound
"RILEY! I'M COMING, MAN! I'M COMING!" Sam shouted after his wingman, flying as fast as his Falcon suit can move. He was so close; he could see the fire and smoke on Riley's gear. If he didn't get there…Sam can't even imagine it. He had to save him.
Natasha flipped someone to the ground, then was suddenly held in a chokehold by someone else.
The madame looked at her. "Sloppy. Pretending to fail. The ceremony is necessary for you to take your place in the world."
"I have no place in the world."
"Exactly."
"Nat! Come on! Wake up!" Rhodey, with his faceplate open, shook Natasha's shoulders, but the woman barely blinked at him. "Okay, after this, you can never call us lazy again." He hoped the sass would miraculously cause her to snark back. There was nothing.
A crashing, not coming from the battle of behemoths caused Rhodey to step out of the tree line surrounding the Compound, his attempt to get a safe distance from the fighting, not that it did much from the power between Hulk and the massive Mutant causing even his armor to shake. Rhodey's faceplate lowered, and his HUD zoomed in to see Tony and Banner's mechanical monster of an armor come to life.
"Well damn."
Mastermind grabbed at his hair, the panic rising inside him almost making him rip it out. "No no no, this is not good." That last illusion on the Hulk only caused it to freeze up for a moment, then after that, it seemed to rile it up even more. The mental manipulator looked into the monster's mind, and he will never go back. And Mastermind thought he had problems.
The real issue though is that his illusions are useless. The only two affected were Black Widow and Falcon. Captain America was blocking him somehow, War Machine is completely blocked off by whatever Stark invention the man built, Hulk is a no go, and…
"Where's the archer?"
Mastermind never even thought about Hawkeye. Why would he, all he has is a bow and arrow. But if he can't even find him-
The Mutant's forehead was hit by an arrow. Rather than pierce through, it latched onto his head and delivered an electrical discharge through his brain. Mastermind groaned and convulsed before finally collapsing to the ground.
From a distance away, on the other side of the Compound, Clint lowered his bow. "I've done the whole mind control thing before. Not a fan." He tapped his comms. "Cap?"
"Clint, where are you?"
"Tried get some distance, see if Juggernaut had any more friends. He did."
Natasha clutched her head as waves of migraines assaulted her. "You couldn't have found them earlier?"
"Snuck out with the rest of the base staff."
"I nearly kissed a tree, man!" Sam's voice snapped over the comms. It did not help her migraine.
"This ain't over yet, guys." Rhodey reminded them as he helped Nat stand.
"He's right. JARVIS gave a report. Tony and the Four are trying to stop Magneto. But the X-Men are being attacked as well. We're on our own."
Natasha pushed away from Rhodey and groaned from the shockwave coming from the battle. "Next time we let Thor leave, let's make sure we find his replacement first."
The Hulkbuster suit flew at Juggernaut, grabbing him and slamming him to the ground while flying forth, breaking the ground due to the impact and flight. However, Juggernaut kicked Hulkbuster, sending the armor flying off to the other side and crashing on the ground, breaking it, while the armor picked itself up.
Before it could do anything, though, Juggernaut charged at it and punched it so hard it was sent flying off back into the building, crashing inside of it.
Hulk suddenly landed on Juggernaut's back, driving his fists into the back of the domed helmet before Marko turned his body with a backfist that sent the Green Goliath off of him.
"In the back? How unsportsmanlike of you." Cain spat on the ground, saliva and blood mixed together. It made him start grinning. "Now you're getting it." He was interrupted by a repulsor blast, that forced the Juggernaut to take a step back. "That stung, tin can." The magically enhanced Mutant snapped as he and the Hulkbuster approached each other.
Hulkbuster punched Juggernaut twice, before Juggernaut countered, blocking some blows, and then they clashed fists so hard both staggered back.
Hulkbuster then flew at Juggernaut, grabbed him by the throat, and flying forth, slamming him into the building, after which it flew up, breaking the building more with Juggernaut's body.
Then pulling him back, Hulkbuster slammed Juggernaut into the building again while flying up, breaking the building with the Mutant's body, before throwing him up into the air, and firing a powerful repulsor at him which sent him crashing to the ground, forming a giant crater.
Landing on the ground, Hulkbuster rushed Juggernaut, who rushed back at him, their fists clashing, but Juggernaut's power made Hulkbuster stagger back, and he ripped off the suit's arm, before kicking it away.
"Need a hand?" Juggernaut mocked before charging, while Hulkbuster held out its 'stump', pieces of armor flying from the sky onto it to make a new arm, while it used its other arm to fire a repulsor at Juggernaut, making it stop for a brief second, after which Juggernaut charged again, Hulkbuster firing a longer and more powerful repulsor, but Juggernaut blocked with his arm and rushed closer to the armor.
Suddenly, a colorful blur slid at Juggernaut's feet, in time for the Unstoppable to step on a shield, causing a misstep that, with the force of the repulsor, made the Juggernaut stumble. With JARVIS' new arm, the armor flew forward with the fist cocked back, in time for Hulk to burst out of the Compound building with an eerie glow in his eyes, surging forth at the same time, until both monster and machine slammed their fists into the Juggernaut's helmet. The force caused a shockwave that tore apart the ground, sending the Mutant speeding out the Compound, where he tore through trees and dirt before slowing to a stop.
Hulk slammed the ground and roared to the sky when Falcon and War Machine lowered themselves, the latter carrying Natasha, beside the alter ego of Bruce Banner and JARVIS, Steve and Clint running to join them on the scene. "Why do I have a feeling he's gearing up for another round?" Steve asked as he picked up his shield.
"Because you would be right, Captain." JARVIS' monotone voice told them through the Hulkbuster. "Surrounding Mr. Marko's body is a forcefield of mystical origins, it is nigh-impenetrable, hence his durability, coupled with his momentum-based powers, he literally cannot be stopped. I cannot identify the source, but it is the same one currently being generated by the satellites."
"Magic." Rhodey grunted. "Where's Thor when you need him?"
"Doesn't matter where he is." Cap immediately got their attention as he stood ready, while feeling the footsteps of that giant come closer. "Tony and the Four are dealing with Magneto as we speak. We just need to be here when they're done."
Stepping forward, the Hulk's eyes glowed as he glared in the direction of the Juggernaut and roared in challenge.
"RRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!"
X-Mansion
Mimic was thrown through a field and turned in time to see Colossus coming down on him, but the power stealing Mutant disappeared. Colossus looked around and found his head snapped to the side from a punch, before being thrown forward and then tossed back. Mimic walked by him, smirking all the way, before blurring out of sight. Piotr looked around before seeing the dust kick up and coming his direction. With the X-Man moving like a slug in his accelerated perception, Mimic threw his shoulder into the steel-skinned Mutant, only to stumble right through him.
"The fuck?!" The Brotherhood Mutant looked up and saw Colossus still standing, dirty, but unharmed besides the damage already done. Mimic got up and charged again, three more times before Rasputin's lariat smashed his chest, the Mutant sent tumbling through the air before crashing on the ground.
Colossus looked down at his ankle, where Kitty's hand was grabbing him, using her power to make Mimic pass through, before she raised herself beside her taller comrade. "Not so tough now."
Suddenly, Mimic's body was gone, before he was in front of her. Shadowcat tried to phase, but Mimic grabbed her by the throat, and started squeezing. Colossus made to punch but found his limbs bound to his side, and the source was Mimic, the copied metal skin faded but the green and red glow in his hands and eyes told Piotr he was using more powers.
Calvin felt his body was on fire. He could only copy so many abilities before his body gave out, but using them at the same time? Already, his nose was beginning to bleed, so he squeezed tighter, making sure the X-Men couldn't phase out of his own grip, and the metal man couldn't break out of the telekinetic and magnetic hold he had. Kitty's powers couldn't work when his own powers prevented her atoms from going through his, but his attempts at ripping his grip around her neck started to weaken.
"KITTY!" Piotr yelled.
Mimic kept squeezing until something hard hit him over his head, making him stumble forward, dropping Kitty and his hold over Colossus. The X-Man tried to grab him, but Mimic threw the Mutant away with both hands glowing. Turning to his original attacker, the mimicking Mutant couldn't help but chuckle at who stopped him.
"The powerless power stealer." Mimic mocked as Rogue checked on the fallen Shadowcat. He got to his feet and dusted off his suit before marching over. The cured Mutant stood up and faced him. "I wonder if I can still-" A hand jabbed at his throat, Mimic clutched at his larynx, choking, coughing as Rogue looked at him in disgust.
"Shut up, asshole." She said before throwing a gloved punch. This time, Mimic avoided it and grabbed her face.
Then, everything changed.
Powerless or not, the cure did not eradicate the X-gene, merely deactivate it, leaving the possibility of the Mutant's abilities returning. Rogue still had her powers, but they were not active for years. It did not stop Mimic from copying them.
And so he did, Mimic felt the emotions, the memories, the life-force of Rogue absorbed into his own body. For once, Rogue was on the other side of her old curse, feeling the color and strength drain from her body, she could not even find the power to breath.
But then, she found her breath again, and all that she lost was returned, all her strength, and more. It was only then Rogue saw Mimic's body beginning to go skeletal, and she pushed him away, his body going limp as it fell to the grass of the field.
Rogue knew what this meant. Fearfully, she looked down at her hands, that fear causing them to shake as tears welled up in her eyes before the energy in her body left her, crumbling to her knees then falling to the side.
Iceman surrounded himself in an ice dome, even as speedy punches created cracks all over. In retaliation, Bobby spread his hands, spikes shot out from the dome, forcing Pietro to retreat or face implement. Just as he did, a portal opened up by his feet. But this time, he was ready. With everything slowing down in ways Mimic's copied powers could never perceive, Pietro ran out of the way of a barrage of opening portals, running out of range and sight, before finding Blink hiding in the foliage. Faster than the eye can see, Pietro slowed down in front of the pink-skinned Mutant, long enough for her to realize who it is before the speedster's accelerated fist drive into her gut, sending the portal opener rolling along the dirt, clutching her ribs.
Pietro felt no satisfaction from the attack, from any of this, but their…father, needed them. With that thought, he quickly had to dodge out of the way of solar flames burning him where he stood, only for more ice to make him slip, into the direction of another fire. Using his speed, Pietro caused his fist to blur and punch down, shattering the ice. Iceman and Sunspot slid and hovered above him. Sighing, Quicksilver readied for another round.
Seeing their chances starting to slip, Avalanche raised himself from the Earth and saw Mimic out, and Quicksilver ganged up on. Scarlet Witch and the Weather Witch, however, no way he was coming between them. Instead, the Earth-shaking Mutant turned the other way, there was something else he could do.
Baxter Building
The roof of the Baxter Building opened up, unveiling a rising platform with the Fantasti-Car aboard. With protective and impenetrable glass panes for each pod and a sizeable air supply coupled with upgraded repulsor tech engines, the Fantasti-Car was space worthy. Reed checked the diagnostics one more time while Sue fiddled with her fingers, Johnny was steaming with barely concealed excitement, and Ben sat stoically and ready at the pilot's seat.
"Okay, all systems a go. We just need-" Reed didn't even finish before a vaguely familiar Iron Man armor landed on the platform with them. It stood at its full height, letting the Four see the white and black design with touches of gold at the joints and faceplate, and larger thrusters. "Tony, please tell me you're not going to fight a metal manipulating Mutant?"
"Reed, your lack of confidence wounds me, deeply." Tony placed a hand over his heart. "I mean, honestly, how could-"
"Tony!" Tony flinched at Sue's snap. "Not the time."
"Right, good point, later." Tony amended before the thrusters activated, jettisoning into the air.
"Hold on to your butts, lady and gentleman, and Johnny."
"Watch it you-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!" Johnny's head was thrown back against his chair as the Fantasti-Car rocketed after Iron Man. Despite his face under the strain from the speed they were going, Johnny could not stop himself from loving every second of it. They were going to Space! "WWAAAAHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Space
Magneto sat upon a self-designated throne with the White Queen by his side. Watching the world below him squirm. He was once at the mercy of lesser men before. Not anymore. Now, the lesser men shall kneel, bowing before their power. The power of Mutants.
Seeing the bandana wearing Mutant approaching, Magneto lowered the floating orbs in his hand. "Ah! My dear Forge, how goes the machine?"
"It's already begun, Magneto." Buttons appeared in Forge's right hand, his fingers curled in to push them, bringing up a screen of the Gem glowing brightly, the power flowing into the machine below it. "In a couple of hours, every latent X-gene in the world, will be activated."
"Wonderful." Erik cheered; however, he noticed the look of discomfort on the long haired Mutant's face. "You seem disconcerted, Forge."
"He doesn't want to do this", Ms. Frost said from her place beside Magneto. "Nor does he think we should."
Focusing on the Mutant who created the very base they stand in, Erik asked with honest curiosity. "Why is that, Forge?"
Chewing at the corner of his lip, Forge struggled on whether he should speak. In the end, he went with his gut. "Forcibly activating a Mutant's powers, it could cause physical damage to their body during the change. Then there's the fact that if they didn't activate their powers naturally, maybe there's a reason for it. And even if you do activate every Mutant in the world, some might have mutations that could harm others, or even themselves."
Hearing everything he said, Erik nodded his head. Forge was right, he thought about those very things before. "You are not wrong, on any account, my friend." Frost and Forge looked at the Mutant leader questionably. "However," Forge closed his eyes and lowered his head, he knew what was coming, "we made a deal. You help us, we help you. That is the deal."
With resignation, Forge lowered his head and went back to work. Or, he planned to, before footage from his hand's screen took his attention away. "Sir, it's your daughter."
X-Mansion
Storm fired lightning at Wanda, who blocked with her powers, when Storm fired another bolt near Wanda's feet, damaging the ground and throwing her off as she fell, rolling away on the ground.
Wanda staggered up, barely blocking more lightning from Storm, before hurling the remains of the X-Jet on her. It hit Storm, sending her flying off into the forest, smashing some trees.
Wanda then looked around, deciding she should help her brother, when lightning was heard cracking again, and she looked up to see Storm fly back into the fray.
She fired even more powerful lightning at Wanda, who blocked but the force sent her staggering back and she flew up while still being pushed back, raising huge pieces of the ground as well.
Wanda landed back down while Storm flew forth, shattering the pieces of the ground and striking Wanda with lightning, as she fired her own beam, both flying and spinning in the air, trying to overpower each other.
The beam clash caused an explosion that sent both of them flying off in the opposite directions by many feet, after which they crashed to the ground.
Storm got up first, and looked at Wanda, who was also staggering up. Aiming her hands at Wanda, Storm used her powers to surround Wanda's head in a sphere of air, pulling the oxygen out of her lungs and preventing her from breathing.
Wanda gasped, trying to breathe, but failing, as she fell to the ground. Ororo looked down as the Witch tried to undo her powers, but her own depended on her focus, you can't focus if you can't breathe. There was a coldness in Storm as she watched the younger girl suffocate, but she did not stop. Logan couldn't when he had to kill Jean, so Storm won't until Magneto and every-
A red bolt of electricity threw Storm down, crashing back to the ground. When she gained her second bearings, she sat up and blinked her eyes at the sight before her before gritting her teeth in rage. Magneto, in all his glory, emerged from a flaming portal as he hovered down beside the Brotherhood Mutant.
"Wanda, my dear, tell me you're alright", Erik said with a concern that stunned Storm. He had never acted in anyway other than callous and cold, not that she'd seen. What made the girl special?
Hesitantly, and with deep breaths to regain lost oxygen, Wanda nodded. "I'm fine."
Pietro sped over to his father and sister, panting from a lack of respite. Iceman and Sunspot were the only ones left as they joined Storm in staring down the Mutant leader, who helped Wanda to her feet before stepping forwards, putting his children behind him.
"It has been quite some time, Storm."
"Magneto." She practically spat the name.
Erik looked around, and though his eyesight was better than most his age, he could not find the one Mutant he was looking for. "Where is the Wolverine? I can smell his Adamantium from a mile away, yet it seems he is not here." Storm stayed silent, but Bobby glanced at Sunspot, who looked back at him. "Oh? Has he gone astray? That's unfortunate. We had much to catch up on."
"How did you get your powers back?" Storm demanded to know.
Amused at her bluntness, Magneto humored her. "That poisonous cure Hank injected me with was not permanent, yet I found I was in need of something more. My powers were not returning at a rate I would like, so I found a way to restore them, and so much more." Magneto walked forth, not caring as Bobby and Roberto turned to ice and fire, or as electricity cackled from Storm's hands. "I found the power to activate latent Mutant genes. That is what I intend to do, bring out the Mutants lying dormant on this Planet, bestow upon them their birthright."
"You did this before. Look how that turned out," Storm snipped.
"That was with humans", Erik pointed out. "I learned my lesson then."
"If you did, you never would have come back."
The once good friend of Charles Xavier stopped, gone was his friendly demeanor. If Ororo wanted the monster she so loathed, he would give it to her. "This world's future stands on the edge of a knife, I intend to see it shift into the favor of Mutants."
"Charles-"
"Magneto." Erik raised his hand to his ear at Forge's voice. "I'm sorry."
Earlier, Space
"There it is." Reed pointed out as Tony led them closer to the source of the magical energy now being radiated over the Planet.
Magic.
Had it not been for Victor, Reed would have scoffed at the notion. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, as Arthur C. Clarke said. However, Victor had ranted on the existence of magic, well, ranted was a strong word for Victor, argued passionately is what he should say. Victor was no fool, he was a genius that scared even Reed. His utilization of Quantum technology alone proved that genius, finding a way make seemingly magical feats explainable by science. Then he broke out the actual, unexplainable magic, and Reed knew he was really screwed there. For now.
"So, we're breaking into a big rock."
"Asteroid." Sue corrected.
"Shellhead, you forgetting about the magnetic psycho in there?" Ben asked the Iron Man, before they watched the larger armor's plating collapse, and another, slimmer, red and gold armor with a diamond pattern arc reactor on his chest.
"Meet the Magnetobuster, composed entirely of Carbon nanotubes, in case the day came and someone fought me with magnets."
"Why didn't you just fly here in that, tinman?" Johnny asked as they neared a wall of the base.
"Because, matchstick, the armor isn't built for outside of orbit, not for long anyway." Tony's fists glowed red, and pointed forwards, cutting out a wall big enough for the car to fly through before he followed, fighting through the vacuum before the Iron Man pointed his fists forward again, the lasers replaced by coolant that froze up the entire hole. "Thermal readings say two people here. Both Mutants."
"One of them likely Magneto." Reed believed but proven wrong when Tony shook his helmeted head.
"Actually, no. There's no weird electromagnetic interference. Just a heap of magical energy at the heart of this place. And a LOT of hallways."
"Don't tell me we're gonna split up!" Johnny snapped at them. Four sets of eyes turned to the youngest person there. "Space station, evil, hallways, do you know what this means?!" Susan's hand was swifter than Johnny could imagine as she whacked the back of his head. "OW! You know I'm right!"
"Regardless, your powers and Ben's might not be the most suited for this environment." Given Ben's strength and Johnny…being Johnny, Reed cautioned them. Still, with Magneto and Mutants, better to have them around just in case.
"Sue, I uploaded the map to your computer", Tony told her as she looked down at her wrist, the hologram showing up, with blips representing the heat signatures. "You take care of the boys while Reed and I try and find the source."
"Understood."
"Got it, Stark."
"Protest against-OW!" Johnny rubbed his head as Sue and Ben moved along. "Are you getting stronger?!"
Reed sighed as he and Tony moved hastily to the source, the former wrapping around the latter's armor as they flew. "Let's hope Johnny's complaining doesn't bring back Magneto, wherever he's gone."
"In his crowning moment? Where did he go?"
"I don't know, but we should-AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Reed's body released from Tony and crumbled to the ground in an elongated mess, clutching at his temple as his body shivered and shrunk.
"Reed!" Tony dropped beside him. "Come on, pal, what's wrong?"
The other three members of the Fantastic Four were reduced to similar positions as the White Queen stood in their way. "Forge's defenses should have stopped you." She thought aloud with a frown but shrugged indifferently. "Oh well, what's four more dead humans?"
Ben pushed himself up, using the wall to steady himself as he moved closer, only for Frost to glance at him, increasing the psychic torture, making the Thing heap on the floor. Seeing her distracted, for even just a second, Susan reached into Frost's mind.
As she looked back at the other two, Frost suddenly felt something drip down. She looked down at the floor and found blood. One hand raising to her face, Frost wiped it clear, only to find more blood, coming from her nose. The Brotherhood Mutant made to speak, but her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she slumped to the floor, ending the torture on the Four.
"What did you do?" Johnny asked in shock to his sister. Sue, for her part, shrugged while getting back on her feet.
"I created a small shield inside her brain to cause an aneurysm."
Both Ben and Johnny quickly stepped back from their friend and sister, respectively, out of fear.
"Remind me never to piss you off, Suzie."
"You're good now, right?"
Reed shrugged. "More or less." They flew fast enough to make it through the halls, but it was still much slower than Tony could do, but they needed to be extra careful here. They found one last door, before it opened and unveiled a machine hooked up to a floating red crystal surrounded by an energy barrier.
"You won't get through." The geniuses turned to a Mutant with russet skin, hair tied in a ponytail with a bandana around his head, but the most eye-popping thing were the exposed cybernetic hand and leg.
"Why not? You gonna stop us?" Iron Man challenged but was surprised when Forge only shook his head.
"I don't want to stop you, just stating a fact. It's pure energy, nothing can break through."
"There's got to be something", Reed inquired as he walked over and stretched around the machine.
"Maybe, but I can't help you there."
"And why not?"
"Because I need Magneto", Forge admitted as tears started to well up in his eyes. "He knows a Mutant who can heal anything."
Tony and Reed shared a look. This guy wasn't in it for Mutant superiority, he was just desperate for help. "Magneto is not the only way."
"You got any better ideas?" Forge snapped at the two scientists. "I need something I know won't fail."
"Look, buddy, just tell us whatever you need, and we'll help." Tony's faceplate retracted so Forge could see the sincerity in his eyes. A look that Reed shared. "I promise."
"I don't think you can."
"Don't mean to brag or anything." Stark rolled his eyes at the line Reed used. "But I am one of the smartest men alive, and with Tony, whatever it is, we can help. Only, though, if you can tell us how to shut down the machine."
For a long time, Forge stood there, silent. Staring at each of the men, determining their honesty, could he trust them? He'd seen the wonders on Island M, he knew what they could do, but he hated putting people in danger. But how far is anyone willing to go for the people they love?
Tony sighed before his faceplate lowered. "Okay, forget him. If we can't disconnect it, then maybe we destroy the shiny rock."
"No." Reed and Tony found Forge walking toward them, staring at the Gem of Cyttorak. "The only way to stop it is interrupting the flow of energy. Turn it off, then it stops the magic from radiating the Planet."
"Then how do we stop it?"
Forge kept staring at the Gem, before raising his hands. "Like this." Reed and Tony stepped back as Forge's hands glowed bright green, that same bright green covered the Gem, causing the machines around it to spark. "I can't hold it! Take it!" Forge ordered them. Tony quickly flew over and tackled the Gem away from the machine, and suddenly, the lights of the facility turned off. Forge lowered his hands, panting, sweating, but with a slight grin on his face. "I knew I still had it in me." He hasn't used that power in…years at the least. Forge was lucky he still knew how to do that. If not, that could have taken a lot longer.
"Good job, my friend", Reed complimented the other inventor with a pat.
Forge enjoyed the praise, but then entered a sobering reality, one that forced him to raise his hand to his ear and speak. "Erik, I'm sorry. The deal's off." Forge cut the comms and turned to the two geniuses. "You mind bringing me Planet side? I kind of cancelled my Uber."
"I think we can sort that out."
Earth, Avengers Compound, now
"YOU CAN'T STOP THE…" Marko tried to shout while he charged at the armless, and broken Hulkbuster on its last legs, before Juggernaut suddenly felt faint, and faceplanted into the dirt, his momentum carried him forward, digging up dirt as he went and caked his face in muck.
Cap and the other Avengers approached cautiously, staring down at the unconscious Juggernaut. Hulk wanted to smash him more, but Steve raised his hand to ask him to wait. When indeed, the Unstoppable was finally unconscious for some reason, Steve turned to JARVIS within the giant suit. "Please tell me you have somewhere to put this guy."
X-Mansion
Erik shut his eyes and exhaled through the nose. A myriad of emotions plagued him from the inside. He was so close. So very close.
"This is over, Magneto." Storm's hiss brought him back to reality. Gathering his composure, Erik made to leave one final word, when he stopped. The Earth was beginning to shake. However, that couldn't be true, not in this state, unless the-
"The school." The leader of the Brotherhood looked back at his children. "Where is Avalanche?" Both looked to each other and shook their heads. "The fool." Erik muttered to himself.
"What the hell did you do?" Bobby demanded to know.
Erik stopped and faced him as the shaking got worse. "Any mistake he makes is of his own accord. Pietro, go." The speedster disappeared in a blur. Storm made to throw lightning at him, and did so even after he disappeared, but Magneto only raised his hand, and the lightning struck his palm, absorbing into an invisible barrier around the man. The mistake caused Storm to see a man whose fury matched her own. No, his was greater. "Dare harm my children again, Storm, and no measure of goodwill I shared with Charles will save you from me!"
"…children?" Storm could not believe it, nor could Bobby and Roberto. The speedster Mutant returned, a beaten, bloodied, and bruised Avalanche appearing at their feet as Quicksilver returned by his father's side.
"Gateway." The flaming portal returned and consumed them all. Storm meant to do something, but Bobby pulled her back. She meant to shout at him with a fury she could not release on Magneto, but seeing his face, staring at her with concern, pleading, it started to ebb at Storm's core as lightning flashed. She didn't want to feel like this, the hate, but there's been a hole in her heart that's only gotten bigger over the years.
"Look." Roberto pointed out to the field around them. Another flaming portal appeared, consuming another Brotherhood Mutant. But not this one, Storm looked down at the Mutant that attacked her school, this one Erik left. not even he would attack Charles' school or tolerate those that do.
"Storm, what now?" Bobby asked her, and honestly, Ororo had no idea what to do next.
"Get the others in the infirmary. We're going home."
Earth-205
"So, what do you think?" Dean asked the others as he walked back into the cabin.
"I think Anna's getting more interesting by the second", Sam shrugged in reply.
"Yeah, I agree", Dean nodded.
"Does she know the secrets of the Angels? A weapon? Something they don't want her to know?" Obi-Wan rubbed his beard in thought.
"And what did they mean by "she's not innocent"?"
A snort escaped Anakin. "I'm not so sure that guy had the authority to call someone innocent." He said as he thought back to Uriel. Nothing about him seemed pleasant.
Dean and Sam thought about the Angel, and nodded. "Boy band's right."
Sam continued. "They want her bad, and not just because of the 'Angel radio' thing. I mean that blood spell- some serious crap, man."
Obi-Wan offered. "Anakin and I are able to sense that she's missing something, a part of her. And she knew what this sigil could do?"
"Just popped into her head." Sam informed them before Dean thought back to the encounter.
"You guys said Anna was missing something, that they had it."
Obi-Wan stroked his beard again. "We are able to sense intent, thoughts, auras with the Force. We're unable to decipher it's meaning, but the symbol, the reaction by this Uriel, their desire to end her. Is it possible that she's a defector?"
"Anna an Angel?" Sam said aloud. "That can't be possible."
"If the magic she used repels Angels, she should have been sent flying too. She's human, parents and all." Dean pointed out before Anakin coughed, gesturing to himself and Obi-Wan.
"We're human."
Dean blinked before countering. "Space humans." Unimpressed looks from the Jedi had Dean focus on the real issue. "Still, something's going with her." He looked at Sam. "We got to find out."
"What are you gonna do?" Sam inquired.
"Anna may have sent the Angels to outfield", he turned to the Jedi, "and you guys may be able to fight Angels, but not all of them. We know they're gonna be back. We got to get ourselves safe now."
Earth-84, West City, Capsule Corporation
Bulma Briefs was fixing Goku's Dragon Radar when a keyhole appeared, and then there was a portal as out walked Sora, with some Spirits behind him.
Bulma screamed on seeing those, as Goku cried out happily. "Sora! Its so great to see you!"
"You too, Goku!" Sora said with a smile, as Bulma continued to stare at the Spirits.
"What….are those?" She asked, pointing at them.
"They're my friends!" Sora told her.
"Its nice to meet you all too", Goku said happily. "Bulma, meet Sora, my friend from another world. Sora, meet Bulma!"
"Hey there, Bulma", Sora waved at her.
"Another world?" Bulma asked in shock.
"Yeah, there are many other worlds outside of our own", Goku told her, then turned to Sora. "Why are you here?"
"Need some help against someone, wanna join up?" Sora inquired.
"Sure thing!" Goku said cheerfully, and ran next to Sora, looking back at Bulma once more. "I'll be back soon! See ya then!"
"…Right. See ya, Goku", Bulma replied, as Sora and Goku went back into alongside the Spirits while it closed.
Earth-199, Hidden Leaf Village
Naruto was walking by himself, waiting for the time of the Chunin Exam Finals, when he felt something, and turned to see a portal open up, Sora and Goku appearing alongside the Spirits.
"Sora! Goku! Nice to see ya again!" Naruto greeted them, then looked at the Spirits. "What are those?"
"New friends", Goku told him.
"We need help", Sora said to him.
"All righty then", Naruto replied happily as he ran forth and joined them.
Earth-125
Aang, Sokka, Katara, Appa and Momo were out of the town that had just turned its anti-Avatar celebration to a pro-Avatar celebration, when a portal opened in front of them.
"What's that?" Sokka inquired, as out walked Sora, Goku and Naruto with some Spirits behind them.
"And what are they?" Katara said, looking at the Spirits in alarm.
"Sora! Goku! Naruto! What brings you here?" Aang asked cheerfully as he ran to them.
"Wait…..these are your friends from the other worlds?" Sokka asked, as it hit him and Katara.
"Yes, and its nice to meet you all", Sora said with a wave.
"Those are Katara, Sokka, Appa and Momo", Aang introduced his friends, the latter two growling and squealing respectively in greeting.
"We're here because we need some help", Goku said.
"All right then, let's go", Aang said, then looked at his friends. "This shouldn't take long, I'll be back soon."
"This will be fun", Naruto said as all disappeared inside the portal.
"And now he is gone!" Sokka groaned.
"He'll be back", Katara assured him.
Universe-208, Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Ahsoka Tano was just coming out of the Jedi Temple when she sensed something via the Force, and turned to see a portal out of which came Sora, Goku, Naruto and Aang.
"You guys, why are you here?" Ahsoka inquired.
"We need some help in fighting someone", Aang told her.
"Things are not good right now. Master Anakin and Master Obi-Wan disappeared through one of these portals", Ahsoka admitted.
"…Right", Sora sighed.
"But….they can take care of themselves", Ahsoka noted. Besides, Master Anakin would follow his instincts in such a situation. And her instincts told her to help out Sora first with this immediate threat.
"Let's go", Ahsoka finally said. "We'll take care of this now.
Earth-1268
Ciri was roaming in the wilderness, only for her magic to pick up a portal opening right before her, and then she saw Sora, Goku, Naruto, Aang and Ahsoka.
"What brings you all here now?" Ciri inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"We need some help against a new threat Sora is facing", Ahsoka told her. "Will you help?"
Ciri nodded and stepped forth. "Of course I will."
Earth-8096, New York City
Peter Parker aka Spider-Man was back home in his room after a day of crime fighting on the weekend, where he was a bit freer to do these things, and they didn't take as much of a toll.
Things were getting worse in the city, as this guy called Kingpin was taking over where Tombstone had left off.
Gwen and Harry had finally broken up, though Harry was too mad to speak with him now, and Gwen was still sorting out her feelings before he could talk with her.
MJ was still there for him, advising him to wait for the right moment with that bright smile of hers, and when she talked, Peter felt things would work out the way he wished them to.
As he unmasked himself, a portal opened up, and he gasped on seeing Sora, Goku, Naruto, Aang, Ahsoka and Ciri.
"Guys!" Peter said in surprise. "What are you doing here!" He saw the Spirit Eaters. "Those your pets?"
"No, just friends", Sora said, Peter nodding.
"Peter, what's going on?" May asked from outside, clearly having heard the portal.
"Nothing, Aunt May, just dropped some books, I'm picking them up now!" Peter said back to her.
"All right", Aunt May's voice said, and then she was heard stepping away from the room, Peter sighing in relief.
"So your name's Peter then?" Sora asked excitedly. "Nice to know that now."
"Why are you all here?" Peter asked again.
"Need some help, want to join?" Ciri asked.
"Well…sure", Peter shrugged, putting his mask back on as Spider-Man joined the group.
Earth-21, San Francisco Bay, Teen Titans HQ
Jay Garrick had felt the defeat of the Black Racer due to the Speed Force, and later met Bart Allen, having been told of it all by him, now wishing he'd done something sooner, instead of refusing to have his broken leg fixed since he'd been afraid of the Black Racer.
But all of this had inspired him to get back into the superhero business, and now he was training these youngsters to be Superheroes, to make a difference once more.
At this time, he was instructing Superboy regarding some things, Stargirl by his side. "Superboy, you are strong and fast, but I can tell you, that's not everything. Sometimes, the enemy might know of your weakness and take advantage of it."
"I know I'm good with my staff, but I might not have it all the time, so I've made sure I'm not a helpless teenage damsel in distress without it", Courtney added to Jay's point.
"You're right", Connor agreed.
"Yes, we'll work on those next time I stop here", Courtney told him, when a portal opened, to their surprise, and then Sora, Goku, Naruto, Aang, Ahsoka, Ciri and Peter walked out, with some Spirits behind them.
"Who're you all?" Courtney asked.
"My friends", Connor noted, turning to Jay and Courtney again. "Guys, these are Sora, Goku, Naruto, Aang, Ahsoka, Ciri and Spider-Man."
"Those people from other worlds you helped out?" Jay inquired, Connor nodding.
"Awww, those look so cute", Courtney said, looking at the Spirits.
"What do you all want?" Connor inquired.
"Some help against a threat. Coming?" Spider-Man asked, as Connor turned to Jay.
"Go, do what you have to", Jay told him, Connor nodding.
"I'll be back", he told Courtney.
"Sure", she said, as Superboy joined the group too.
Earth-164, Camp Half-Blood
Percy Jackson was in the woods by himself, taking a walk. This was the second last day of the Camp now, after this, he'd have to leave for now.
He wished this didn't end, but it was going to.
The wind suddenly picked up, and a portal opened before Percy, whose jaw dropped on seeing his friends from other worlds once more, alongside the Spirits.
"Oh, hey guys!" Percy greeted them. "What are those creatures?"
"They're called Spirits, they're friends of ours", Sora said. "Some trouble is going on. Will you join us, Percy?"
"Yes I will", Percy said, joining them as well.
Earth-447, Scandinavia
Atreus was in the forests by himself, having separated from his father for a little bit, when his senses picked up something, and he turned to see a portal open, his friends walking out.
"I am glad to see you all once more", Atreus greeted them politely, while noticing the Spirits. "But why is it that you are all here?"
"To ask for some help against something", Percy told him.
"Won't take too long either", Spider-Man added.
"I shall aid you", Atreus said with a smile.
Earth-97, Little Whinging
Harry was sitting on a swing, thinking about the return of Voldemort again, and the dead body of Cedric Diggory.
Suddenly, a wind blew, and he looked up to see a portal open, his friends from other worlds appearing.
"Hello", Harry greeted them, then looked at the Spirits. "Huh?"
"Friends", Ahsoka shrugged. "Harry, we are assembling everyone to fight something. Will you help?"
"I will", Harry said as he got up to join them.
Earth-10000
Ben was walking back home at the weekend, only for a portal to appear before him, and he looked at his friends.
"Oh, hi!" Ben greeted them cheerfully, then saw the Spirits. "Are those aliens too?"
"No, they're Dream Eaters", Sora said. "Will you help us out against something, Ben?"
"Oh yeah, I will!" Ben said with a smirk.
Earth-92, Sunnydale, Summers House
Buffy, Dawn, Willow and Tara had finished eating, when the latter three sensed something due to their magic, and then a portal appeared before them, where Dawn's friends were.
"Sora!" Dawn greeted him happily as she ran to hug him, and he hugged her back.
"Hey Sora", Buffy greeted him too, and he waved at her, Willow and Tara.
"These are your friends, Dawnie?" Tara asked her.
"Yeah, these are Goku, Naruto, Aang, Ahsoka, Ciri, Spider-Man, Superboy, Percy, Atreus, Harry and Ben", Dawn introduced everyone, then looked at the Spirits. "No idea about them."
"What are those?" Willow asked.
"I sense they're good", Tara had to say.
"Guys, this is my sister Buffy, and Willow and Tara", Dawn made introductions as they all waved at each other. "Why are you all here?'
"We needed some help against something", Goku told her. "So we're all getting back together."
"Dawnie, I'm not so sure-" Buffy started.
"Buffy, we can handle it", Dawn assured her. "Besides, you've seen what Sora can do. And the others are really good too."
Buffy looked at Willow and Tara, whose eyes said it all, and sighed. "All right, go."
Dawn nodded and they all left.
Earth-1, Andy's cabin
Andy and Alice were watching a show together when a portal opened, and then Alice saw her friends from other worlds before her, alongside Spirits.
"Oh, its you all!" Alice greeted them happily as she ran to them, Andy standing up too while she looked at him. "Uncle Andy, these are the people I told you about! This is Sora, and this is Dawn, then Naruto, Ben, Aang, Goku, Harry, Percy, Atreus, Spider-Man, Superboy, Ahsoka and Ciri."
"Its nice to meet you", Sora greeted Andy.
"You too", Andy said.
"This is my uncle Andy", Alice introduced him. "So, why are you all here?" She looked at the Spirits. "They're cute."
"We need some help", Sora told her. "These are called Spirits and are good Dream Eaters. There are some bad ones called the Nightmares, and they've sensed the Nightmares have teamed up with someone powerful and they are going to make a mess in the Dream World now."
"Huh?" Andy raised an eyebrow. "I might have an idea about it."
"What?" Ahsoka inquired.
"A man named Freddy Krueger, he used to kill children, and got killed by the vengeful parents when they burnt him alive inside his house's boiler room", Andy revealed, to the horror of the group bar Alice, who already knew. "From what I've read up, he returned years later as a monster to haunt the people of that town in their Dreams and kill them. Some say he returned in Gotham City a while ago. I don't know much, but regardless of how powerful you are, he is not to be underestimated in the Dream World. What you say reminds me of him."
"Maybe it is Freddy", Sora said. "In which case we will stop him and the Nightmares."
"I'm going, uncle Andy!" Alice said to him.
"Go", he told her. "Just be careful."
And with that, the Young Legends had now reassembled.
Earth-21, Washington DC
Superman and Thor shook hands, the latter admitting. "You remind me of Steve Rogers, if he had the power of a God."
"I am not a God", Superman said, the two dropping hands.
"No, you are not", Thor agreed. "But you wield your God-like power wisely, which is far more than I can say for many Gods, including myself in my younger years. You and Steve Rogers are reminders for me to continue on the path I have started to be the best person I can be."
"…..I don't know what to say", Superman admitted, humbled by this praise. "Other than 'thank you'."
With that, Thor held out Mjolnir, opening a portal back to his home Universe, looking at Hercules. "It is time for us to return now, my friend."
"Indeed", Hercules nodded, then turned to Superman. "You have great strength. I look forward to having a spar with you someday."
Superman chuckled, then said. "Let's see about that in time."
With that, Thor and Hercules shared one last look with Superman, then walked into the portal, which closed soon after, and Superman flew away.
Earth-205
This Bobby Singer's home, surrounded by a scrap yard, reminded Anakin of Watto's shop, all the scattered and broken pieces of tech the Toydarian had him fix or make for the store. It brought up mixed feelings in the Chosen One. While Dean and the Demon secured Anna in a panic room, the Jedi waited outside for Sam to return with files of Anna's history, to confirm what they already knew. She's not a normal human.
"Anakin." Obi-Wan's voice broke the Jedi Knight from his thoughts. "We need to talk."
"Talking, or you lecturing me?"
"What you did, using your anger back at the church, it was dangerous-"
"It was effective!"
"And you nearly killed the man!" Obi-Wan snapped at his Padawan, who turned silent. Exhaling through his nose, the master calmed down. "I removed half the host's hand, if we're lucky, Alastair regenerated the damage so as to not "inconvenience" him. If not-"
"I killed an innocent man." Anakin's voice was low and filled with guilt. He lost control, yes, but he ran his lightsaber through the man's chest. The blood boiled and the organs burned, it was rare for anyone to survive such an injury. From what Kix told him, Steve's body was quite enhanced, his durability and regeneration from blaster bolts was what kept him alive, especially from Krell's lightsaber. If it wasn't for the bacta, Steve might have died.
"We don't know yet. It is better not to dwell on such a thing." Obi-Wan turned back to what he wished to discuss. "However, that anger was deep rooted."
"I've had a lot of things pent up lately."
"Anakin-"
"I trusted my men to Krell, and he betrayed the Order. He nearly killed my entire battalion and tried to do the same with yours." Anakin finally let it out, the guilt he felt at leaving Umbara. He turned away from Obi-Wan to look at the scrapyard. "Steve saved them, because I wasn't there. I should have known Krell was a traitor."
Kenobi looked down in shame. "He fooled us all."
"Yes, the Jedi are good at fooling other Jedi." This was it. Obi-Wan looked up and found Anakin's anger blooming again. He can understand why. "You and the Council lied to me. The only one in my life since Qui-Gon died, my master, lied to me, used me, made me think the last person I thought of as family was dead!" Anakin shouted at the silent master. His emotions ran wild, the anger, the loss, sadness, it whirled like a tornado inside him. Around him, pieces of scrap started to rise into the air and crashed.
"You are right." Obi-Wan finally spoke as Anakin looked at him sharply. "We did lie to you, use you…I did. The Council called upon me and I answered, because it was my duty. Can you tell me you would not do the same for Palpatine?" It was Anakin's turn to go quiet. Obi-Wan found an old car to lean against to look up into the sky, as regret filled him. "I am so sorry, Anakin. What we did was wrong, despite our intentions. Yet it seems to be all we do now." Obi-Wan took his lightsaber in hand and raised it with the Force. "The Jedi are peacekeepers, yet now we are generals in a war based on politics, leading an army of forcibly grown Clones. We have changed. Qui-Gon knew it, one of the very reasons the Council disapproved of him was because he did not care for the Order's involvement with the Senate like they did. He listened to the Force, and now, we have lost our ability to do such a thing. The Jedi are not as they should be. We are nothing more than soldiers for the Republic now." Obi-Wan lowered his lightsaber to his hand and found Anakin leaning beside him. "There are so many things wrong with this war, and all we do is fight it. Not end it."
"There can be no peace with the Separatists." Anakin said automatically. "Not after what they did."
"Perhaps." The master hummed at his old Padawan's words. "Yet more Clones are dying, more Jedi. Not all of us have adapted to leadership like you have. Necessary evil has become common practice for us, and I grow tired of the concept."
"If we don't fight the war, then the Republic will be threatened." Anakin told him, his anger was ebbed away as the atmosphere turned somber.
"Yes, a war to take us away from the people who need us. The oppressed, the downtrodden." Obi-Wan countered, to which Anakin could not counter. He was once one of the oppressed, and the Jedi never came for him when he and his mother were slaves. It was the will of the Force that the ship carrying Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Padme was forced to land on Tatooine. "The Jedi is not what it should be."
"How long have you thought about this?" Anakin quietly asked. The words, the point he was making, even if Anakin lived for battle, it was eye opening. How he longed to fly to Tatooine to save his mother, like he promised. How he wanted to free all the slaves. Yet, the Jedi did nothing, even as scum like the Zygerrians continued their slave trade.
Obi-Wan shrugged. "I don't know. I suppose I always felt like this. Perhaps it's Qui-Gon's influence coming into effect, maybe it's the change in the Force that opened our galaxy to worlds beyond, or maybe it's being here." The general of the 212th said softly. After that struggle with the Angel, Obi-Wan felt…different. like everything else in this world, it was hard to explain, but he now focused on the very things that gave him pause. "I am sorry, Anakin. I am sorry. For all of it."
Anakin nodded mutely. The two Jedi lapsed in a moment of silence, not knowing how long it lasted as they reflected upon the older master's words. Only when the sound of the Winchesters' car returning could be heard did they move, awaiting Sam to get out the car.
"Hey." Sam greeted as he shut the door, waving the file before stopping short of them. Looking at the two, he felt he walked in on something important. "You guys okay?"
"We will be." Anakin answered, looking to Obi-Wan and giving a slight nod, one that earned a small smile. Sam looked between the two, confused, but also reminded of emotional conversations he had with his brother, the aftermath. He let the two keep their privacy before gesturing them to follow.
"Hey, Dean!" He called out, Dean popping up a few seconds later as the four walked together.
"How's the car?" Dean asked the important question first.
"I got her. She's fine", Sam assured him, then asked a question of his own. "Where's Bobby?"
"Uh, the Dominican", Dean replied, before adding. "He said we break anything, we buy it." He noticed some stuff was scattered around, but not broken, fortunately, and looked at the Jedi. "That goes for you too!"
The Jedi shared a strange look as Sam asked Dean. "He's working a job?"
"God, I hope so", Dean sighed. "Otherwise, he's at hedonism in a banana hammock and a trucker cap."
"Now that's seared into my brain", Sam groaned.
Anakin piped up. "I didn't understand any of that."
"Lucky you."
Dean asked Sam. "What did you find on Anna?"
"Uh, nothing much." Sam opened the file, putting it on the table so all four could see it. "Her parents were uh, Rich and Amy Milton. A church deacon and a housewife."
"Riveting."
"Yeah, but there is something here in her report." Noting he had their full attention; Sam revealed the important stuff. "Turns out this latest psych episode wasn't her first."
"No?"
They looked at a 'psych evaluation' report in her file.
"When she was 2.5, she'd get hysterical anytime her dad got close. She was convinced he wasn't her real daddy", Sam explained.
"Who was? The plumber, hmmm? A little snaking the pipes?" Dean inquired, making a motion with his hand.
Obi-Wan shook his head in disappointment. "Honestly, Dean." As if Anakin wasn't bad enough. At least he wasn't this vulgar though.
"Okay, I can take judgement from only one person at a time", Dean said, to the amusement of his brother.
"Anna kept repeating her real father was mad, very mad. Like….wanted to kill her mad", Sam told the rest at that point.
"Kind of heavy for a two-year old", Dean had to say.
"Well, she got better, saw a kid's shrink, grew up normal", Sam told Dean.
Before Dean could speak, Anakin tapped Sam's shoulder, getting the Winchesters' attention. He gestured with his head, and they turned to see Anna, looking very upset, Ruby next to her.
"Nice job watching her", Dean told the Demon sarcastically.
"I'm watching her", Ruby pointed out, gesturing to Anna.
"No, you're right", Sam told Ruby, then looked at Anna. "Anna. Is there anything you want to tell us?"
"About what?" Anna asked, as Ruby looked between her and the other four.
"The Angels said you were guilty of something. Why would they say that?" Sam asked her.
"You tell me", Anna said, close to tears. "Tell me why my life has been levelled... Why my parents are dead." She shook her head. "I don't know. I swear. I would give anything to know."
Obi-Wan stepped forwards. "We might be able to help with that."
Enchanted Dominion, Dream World
Princess Aurora was running for her life from something in the middle of the woods. Whatever it was, it terrified her even more than Maleficent did.
She kept running…and running….and running….until she felt too tired, and hid behind a tree. As Aurora panted, she checked to see if the person after her was still there by peeking her head out, and so far, she didn't see anyone, but the sense of fear and unease did not leave.
A Nightmare on Elm Street theme plays
Suddenly, Aurora felt some things grab onto her, and hold her hostage. She looked around, seeing the Nightmares holding her, and gasped in terror, before cackling was heard.
Freddy Krueger walked from behind her, his hands behind his back, then he looked at her with a grin on his face, as Aurora screamed on seeing him.
"Ah, the Sleeping Beauty, eh?" Freddy greeted her mockingly. "My name's Freddy Krueger, huge fan! In fact, I think about what I'd do to a bitch like you if you were real all the time! Now we'll see what!"
He cackled again, then showed her the knives on his hand as she screamed again, and he swung, making light cuts across her face, making her gasp, before he did it again, wounding both sides of her face now.
Aurora was too stunned to speak, as Freddy quipped. "Let's see how much of a Sleeping Beauty you'll be once I'm done with you!"
Aurora wondered if this was going to be even worse than the sleep she'd been put in, as Freddy cackled. "Say good night! Fore-"
He was cut off when a large web struck his face, covering his eyes and mouth, making him stagger back, while he groaned.
"GAAAAAAAAH!" He yelled, ripping the web off, only for Sora to kick him hard, sending him down.
The Nightmares were shocked, and in that moment, Ahsoka aimed her palm, using the Force as they let Aurora go, and she panted, rushing to Sora.
"Sora!" She looked at the rest of the Young Legends as well as the Spirits. "You all saved me! Thank you!"
"No problem", Sora said with a smile. "Brought some new friends too!"
"You're the Sleeping Beauty!" Dawn said in awe. "I can't believe it!"
"Me neither", Alice had to say, confusing Aurora. "We're huge fans!"
Nightmare by Avenged Sevenfold plays
Freddy got back up, glaring at them angrily, the Nightmares behind him. "Children, been a while since I killed 'em, other than that teenage bitch! Wanna be gutted by me, Freddy Krueger himself?" He looked at Sora. "You're the little hopeful bitch, huh? Let's see how you do against me!"
"I'll take you down!" Sora snarled, twirling his Keyblade.
"Good, because I'm gonna enjoy fucking your goody two-shoes ass up!" Freddy said.
Freddy leapt at Sora, as Sora leapt too, the Keyblade clashing with the knives, causing a shockwave to go off as all were sent flying back.
They jumped down, Freddy laughing. "With this new power of mine, you're nothing!"
"My friends are my power!" Sora declared, Freddy hurling a fireball as Sora used 'Blizzard' to counter it.
During that time, the Spirits and Nightmares started fighting, with Lord Kyroo leading Aurora away.
Freddy slid at Sora, trying to slice him, but he side-stepped to avoid, only for Freddy to kick him back, before Ahsoka leapt at him with her lightsabers, only for him to leap back, and he did a gesture with his head as she was sent flying off and falling down, but then Ciri decked his face, staggering him back, and spinning, sliced his abdomen as he gasped, then swung at her as she backed to avoid but got a slice on her shoulder.
Freddy made to charge again, but Ahsoka leapt at him once more and kicked his face, sending him flying back, though he planted his feet in the ground, steadying himself.
"You're some really naughty kids", Freddy grinned and lifted his knives up, doing motions with them. "I think you all need…..a spanking!"
At that moment, Goku leapt at him with his Power Pole, Freddy leaping back to avoid, but it elongated and hit Freddy on the chin, making him fly up at that point, and then Superboy flew, punching him hard as Freddy screamed and was sent flying off again, before Aang summoned a tornado that Freddy was sucked into, and he was spun around in it, screaming in agony, until it dissipated, then Atreus fired an arrow at him that struck him and threw him down, making him crash as a huge crater was made, his hat coming off.
He stood back up, roaring angrily. "You imbeciles!" He did a telekinetic motion as Goku and Superboy were both sent back, while Atreus fell down, but fired an arrow again, only for Freddy to point at it as it turned to dust, while Aang did a motion as a powerful wind came at Freddy but he teleported to avoid, then kicked Aang away from behind.
Suddenly, Percy sliced him from a side, and he gasped as he turned to face him, while Percy kicked him back, then swung his sword again, Freddy ducking to avoid and slicing his abdomen a bit as Percy gasped, but decked his abdomen in return, making Freddy gasp too, when Ciri let out a roar as her magic made Freddy fly back by many feet.
Grunting, he got back up, but Sora struck his chest with his Keyblade, staggering him back as he gasped, and then Connor punched him away again by many feet, only for Freddy to disappear and reappear behind them.
"Surprise, bitches!"
They gasped as Freddy stabbed Connor with his claws, the magic hurting him as he screamed, while he telekinetically flung Sora away, then hurled Connor away too, only for another arrow from Atreus to strike his shoulder as he staggered forth, then ripped it out angrily, healing himself, but Aang hit him with a strong wind that threw him down again.
As he got up and turned to face Atreus and Aang, Ahsoka aimed her palm at Freddy, using the Force as Freddy gasped, finding himself unable to move.
"What are you doing, you twerp?!" Freddy roared, as Ashoka used the Force to throw him around like a ragdoll, making him ram into some trees as he screamed in pain, and then she hurled him up into the air, Aang using some wind to keep him airborne.
"Kame…hame…HAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Goku fired his Kamehameha, while Superboy fired his Heat Vision.
Both struck Freddy at the same time, making him scream in utter agony as an explosion occurred, and they saw Freddy had become toast.
"Did we do it?" Ciri inquired.
Sora's eyes widened. "No we didn't!"
Slowly, Freddy's body reformed, and he stood back up, cackling maniacally. "You can't kill me! This is my world!"
Spider-Man swung around, dodging a Nightmare's strike. "Missed me!" He aimed as his webbing trapped one, while he kicked another away, then webbed two at the same time, his Spider Sense tingling as he ducked to avoid a swing by a Nightmare Lord Kyroo, and pushed his foot backwards, kicking it away.
Ben had turned into Diamondhead, and made a defensive wall of diamond into which some Nightmares crashed, then fell down, though the diamond broke too.
Two charged at him but his hands became pointed as he stabbed through them, taking them out. "Cut 'em!"
He fired, taking three more out.
"Stupefy!" Harry yelled as he fired at a Nightmare, staggering it back a bit, and then aimed at another. "Petrificus Totalus!" That one froze, before Dawn hurled a fireball at a Nightmare Tama Sheep, taking it out, then did the same to a Nightmare Meow Wow.
"They're too many", Dawn had to say, as Harry aimed at an Iceguin Hace. "Stupefy!" As he fired, Dawn hurled a fireball at the spell from behind, increasing its power, and it struck the Nightmare, making it fly off by many feet.
"Thank you", he said with a smile, then looked around. "We just have to hold them off until Princess Aurora is safe and Freddy is defeated."
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A few more Narutos all appeared, and threw shurikens at various Nightmares, damaging them, while one Naruto kicked a Nightmare away, another punching one down, and one more throwing another shuriken to take one out. "I can number more than you. Believe it!"
Alice was running alongside Lord Kyroo, the two leading Aurora away as some Nightmares flew at them but Alice fired with her pistol, staggering some back, with Lord Kyroo slicing at another too.
Freddy tried to trap Sora's Keyblade in between his knives, only for Sora to free it and strike Freddy in the abdomen as he gasped, before Sora fired a blast of magic that struck Freddy, making him fly off and fall down, the blast not stopping, as Ahsoka, Aang and Ciri all used their powers to keep Freddy in place as well.
"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRGHHHHHH!" Freddy cried out, the power boring into him. "NOOOOOOO!"
His connection with the Dream Eaters was gone, and then, the Nightmares all disappeared, Freddy feeling his power decrease as well, and then Sora, Ahsoka, Aang and Ciri stopped.
Freddy was bleeding, as he glared at them all, especially Sora. "You all just got lucky. I'll meet you again Sora, and kill you like the bitch you are!"
"We'll see about that", Sora shrugged, looking at Aurora. "Where did you first see him."
Aurora walked to the tree where she'd been restrained. "Here."
Sora walked to her, as did Dawn, the former putting his Keyblade on Aurora's head, Dawn's hand hovering near it, the Keyblade and Dawn now glowing.
Then, a Keyhole was formed, and it glowed, causing Freddy to scream as it pulled him in, sending him back to where he'd come from.
"Looks like its over", Diamondhead said, the symbol on him beeping red as he turned back into Ben.
"I must say, Freddy was…..scary", Sora admitted. He wasn't the most powerful foe Sora had faced, but there was just something about him.
"Yeah, even Lex wasn't this scary", Connor admitted, and he knew, since he was supposed to be part-Lex.
"Yup. Venom was less disturbing than him", Peter commented.
"The Dark Side that I felt within him….it wasn't the strongest, but he is more evil than any Sith Lord", Ahsoka had to say.
"I think he is worse than Orochimaru!" Naruto said. "And that says a lot!"
"Yes, I found him scarier than Ghostfreak", Ben agreed as well.
"Lord Voldemort did not terrify me this much", Harry said, feeling a little shudder.
"He is not as powerful as any Norse Gods, but he was much worse", Atreus agreed.
"Yes, Chucky was a cakewalk compared to him", Alice said as well.
"Glory was much more powerful, but didn't freak me out as much", Dawn agreed too.
"Yes, just the way he spoke and acted was terrifying", Percy noted.
"I can see that too", Aang sighed.
"He felt even fouler than Bonhart!" Ciri said angrily. And that said a lot too!
"Even I felt a bit scared", Goku admitted.
"Well, either way, it's over now", Sora sighed.
"Thank you for saving me from Freddy", Aurora said to Sora gratefully.
"Well, that's what friends are for", Sora said with a smile, as she looked at the Spirits and Young Legends.
"Thank you to all of you too", Aurora thanked them, then looked at the Young Legends. "Especially you all. You're all so young…but so brave."
"Thank you. We're fans too", Alice said to Aurora. "I'm Alice!"
"You remind me of another Alice I know", Aurora said, and Alice grinned, having a feeling she knew which Alice was being referred to here.
"I'm a fan too", Dawn raised her hand.
"Well, this is over now", Ahsoka said, looking around. "We're glad you're safe, Aurora."
"Yeah, now you can have a good night's sleep!" Sora told her, and she nodded, as Sora, the other Young Legends, and the Spirits went through a portal, exiting Aurora's dream at last.
Earth-205
Anna laid down in the panic room's bed, Obi-Wan in the seat next to her, with Anakin and the brothers around him, Ruby confined to outside the door thanks to the construction turning the room Demon-proof. A feat that earned Anakin's respect, ever the engineer.
"Anna, I need you to close your eyes and open your mind," Obi-Wan instructed her gently, "think as far back as possible. From there, I'll take over."
"Take over?" Sam asked. "What, like mind control?"
"More like persuasion. Obi-Wan has an affinity for the mind trick." Anakin smirked at his master, who laughed lightly.
"What better way to win a fight by not fighting in the first place."
"Huh, we got ourselves a Space Socrates." Dean commented as Obi-Wan's hand hovered over Anna's head.
"Tell us, who is your father?"
"Rich Milton."
"Look further back, when you were even younger."
"I don't want to."
"Only one look, Anna. Just one look is all we need."
"No." Anna's head was twisting and turning now.
"What is your father's name? Your real father, that is. Why is he so angry at you?"
"No!" Anna's head twisted and turned more, her volume getting louder. "NO! NO!" She suddenly raised herself up. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Anakin's hand raised to keep her body still, while her head snapped side to side.
"HE IS GONNA KILL ME!"
Obi-Wan remained calm even among the shouting, with the door shutting and lights breaking while sparks fell, but Anakin used a barrier to protect the brothers.
Obi-Wan stood up, his hand aimed at Anna as she started slowing down. Eventually she stopped, and opened her eyes as Obi-Wan stroked her head.
"Thank you, Obi-Wan", she said, managing to sit now. "That actually helped a lot. I remember now."
"Remember what?" Sam asked, while Anakin stared.
"Who I am."
"I'll bite", Dean panted. "Who are you?"
Anna revealed who she was.
"I'm an Angel."
Shocked looks from the rest were exactly what she expected.
Earth-1, Keystone City
Time to get out of dodge, Selina thought as she locked the storage unit, throwing the duffel bag containing the Crown over her back before making her way to her bike. As she drove through the lit-up streets of nighttime Keystone, the daughter of the late Don Falcone thought of the men and woman who interrupted the heist. It would have been quick and clean; Alena and she would get the Crown and get their payday by some collector with too much money and free time. That went to Hell when they were interrupted by the hot and cold guys who fought the Flash. Alena supplied the names to the faces, including the younger Snart who tried to hack around the brainy spectacled girl, and failed. Making it to her rented apartment/base of operations, Selina parked her bike and made it to the door and walked in.
And froze at the man in front of her.
"Hello, kitty." Selina glared at the man called Captain Cold. Everyone has a name these days, she thought in some amusement that she hid behind a mask of indifference. "I actually spent the last twenty minutes thinking of that, the least you could do is laugh."
"Not in a laughing mood." Selina said shortly. Snart was leaning on the table fitted with monitors Alena hooked up and used for the heist. Speaking of which, "Where is she?"
"Well…" Leonard looked to the kitchen door, Selina following his gaze before Alena came through, the door, smiling with two cups of tea.
Only to stop mid-step at the sight of Selina, resembling a deer caught in headlights. If possible, that look only intensified based on the unsettling gaze of the Catwoman. "I can explain everything."
"She can't, I can. Kind of the reason why I'm here." Leonard pushed away from the table and happily took the offered tea. "Thank you." He looked back at the still tense thief. "Want some?"
"Prefer answers."
"Don't we all, Selina?" There was a slight widening of the eyes, something Snart caught. "You're good, really good, however, you don't know what you don't know."
"And that's supposed to mean…?"
"You're still sloppy, in places." Snart saw some anger in her eyes blooming.
"Selina," Alena slowly stepped closer to her partner. Or at least, she thinks they're partners. The cat thief who found her and hired her never specified their relationship. "What Mr. Cold-"
"Captain."
"Captain Cold," Alena amended with an embarrassed flush, "is offering might actually be…fun."
Skeptically, she looked at the rival thief, carefully sipping the tea, holding her gaze over the rim of the mug. "What the hell can you offer?"
"Opportunity, sensibility, maybe a bit of fun." Leonard offered as he walked closer. Selina's hand reached closer to the gun behind her waist, even when Snart raised his hand and mug. "Easy, kitty. You have talent, you both do," Alena brushed a strand of hair behind her ear in flattered embarrassment, "yet I know this was all about the money for you."
"Saying it wasn't for you?"
"Not really. This was more so to put my team on the map." Leonard took out a card and handed it to Catwoman. She glanced at the card in his hand, then to the man holding it before snatching it out of his grip, reading the handwritten words and had to stop herself from laughing.
"Rogue Consultants? Really?" She tossed the card back at him.
Leonard shrugged. "We're working on the name."
"What's this supposed to mean anyways?"
"It means that sometimes the bad guys make the best good guys." Snart sipped his tea and began to pace. "Now, I understand the desire for the next big score, to move around, I basically wrote the book. However, sometimes there's some things you can't walk away from, no matter how cold you try to be."
"What is it you're trying to say?"
Snart opened his mouth, but Alena cut in. "They're modern-day Robin Hoods!" She said excitedly, nearly spilling her tea in the process, causing her to wince before setting the mug down. "They rob from the rich and all that."
"Essentially." Snart watched Selina stare back, unimpressed and unmoved. "I get that it may take some more convincing, but I have a good feeling about this."
"Really?" Selina laughed at the ludicrousness of the whole thing. "Listen, hun," Selina walked up to Snart till they were face to face, "we had one fun conversation, but you don't know me."
"I know enough, Selina Kyle." Leonard put emphasis on her name, reminding her he knows more than she knows. "This could have gone down differently; I could have let my rather brawny friend come here and pay you back for that parting gift you gave him."
"Cat's got claws."
"I noted. Whose idea was that?"
"Mine!" Alena raised her hand, but quickly lowered it when she saw Selina's look. Oh she's in trouble later, for sure.
"Crafty." Snart smirked, storing that knowledge for later, before turning to the thief. "I'm not forcing you into anything, but I want you to know that we meant to steal the Crown and return it to Ecuador." That was far from what Selina expected. The Rogue leaned forward to tell her, "Three men were put into the hospital for trying to protect their heritage, one of them was crippled. I hate big wigs like Fairfax as much as the next dishonest man, but we had the means to do something. It's all because of an idea my sister got from some guy in a club, as crazy as that is to believe. Do good by being bad, how does that sound to the two of you?"
That was…unexpected. Still Selina was not exactly jumping to get tied into something with people she doesn't even know. Granted, she knows little about Alena, but trusts her enough to do her job. Speaking of which, Selina noticed the hacker beginning to fiddle with her fingers.
"Why do I have the feeling you already agreed?"
"…maybe because I did?"
"Little miss computer brains here has quite the impressive resumé. Hacked the NSA, the Pentagon, where has a little starlet like you hiding all this time?" Snart again caused Alena to get flushed.
"Oh you know, my parent's basement for a while, until the beauty of cryptocurrency opened up so many doors for real estate."
"A woman after my own heart." Snart's comment had Alena giggling, until an involuntary snort escaped the hacker, making her cover her mouth and nose in embarrassment. "What about you, kitty cat?"
Selina crossed her arms and raised her chin. "What if I say no?"
Humming, the former enemy of the Flash pulled back his sleeve and looked at his watch. "Well, yes or no, I think you might want to come with me." Leonard set down his tea and made for the door, confusing the two women before he turned back. "You know, before Fairfax's goon squad showed up."
"What?!" Alena screeched while Selina glared.
"You were stalling."
"Stalling, waiting to set the trap in motion, either way, you'll want to follow the guy with the plan." Alena and Selina looked at each other, before the former ran to her computers, grabbing everything she could fit in her bag, while Selina ran to the bedroom, returning with a go bag over one shoulder, the duffel with the Crown on the other. Snart waited by the door, counting the seconds on his watch before they finally passed him to get to the hall as he shut the door behind them, turning the lock on the door before finding a glaring Catwoman. He held up the key with a shrug. "I'm honestly disappointed you didn't notice sooner." He threw them up and caught them easily as he strode forward.
The two women followed him to the service elevator, where all they could do is stand and wait.
"How did they know where to find us?" The former temporary partner of Batman demanded to know.
"Julian Baxter. SAS. MI6. Currently a mercenary hired as Fairfax's muscle when he wants a job done. Found you same way we did." Jacques knew every fence in the city, helps to keep an eye on the competition, as well as friends in a few low places that knew where a set up like Alena's equipment would need to be.
"Where's this "we"?" Selina again demanded, if they were being attacked, she wanted numbers on her side, especially after the Riddler cult's attack. There was so much she did not know, and she hated it, putting her life in someone else's hands, someone she far from trusted. That only happened one other time. No offense meant to Snart, but guys in hoods weren't as handsome as a man in a mask. That was when the elevator finally stopped, and the doors separated, revealing, to Selina's concern and Alena's fright, Mick Rory on the other side, growling at them.
"Mick, down boy, no biting." Heat Wave turned his growling to Snart, and knowing his mood, Captain Cold pulled out a plastic covered treat. "Twinkie?"
The pyromaniac glared at both his partner, and the cat burglar, before snatching the twinkie from the Rogue's Mastermind, turning on his heel and marching away. Snart gestured with his hand for them to follow, Alena fearfully doing so as she stepped behind Selina, whispering, "He's even bigger and scarier in person."
The two women followed Snart and Rory to a van, where the third member and only woman of their trio stood nearby, leaning against it and watching the building. More specifically, the window of Selina and Alena's rented apartment. "Six-man squad reeking of military." She informed her brother as they joined her beside the van.
"Inhabitants?"
"Cleared."
"Surprise?"
"Eager to ruin." Mick chuckled in a way that unsettled the newcomers, especially the hacker who clung to the arm of the cat burglar.
"What's going on?" The Gotham-born girl wanted to know.
Snart turned to her with a smirk that said, I know everything. "You didn't really think I was just waiting for you and Union Jack to show up, did you?"
Leverage The Team soundtrack plays
A while ago
Lisa, dressed up in a wig, suit and glasses, knocked on the door of an apartment, a resident opening up. "Yes?"
"There's report of a gas leak", Lisa said, to the resident's shock. "All of you in the building need to leave for a few hours."
"Thank you", the guy said, going back inside to prepare and leave, as Lisa did the same with the other residents.
Mick was in a coverall, tampering with the gas network of the entire apartment.
Now
Snart looked to his bald partner, currently swallowing the end of the twinkie before pulling out a detonator and pressing it. Selina and Alena watched in shock as the windows of the apartment exploded, showering the street with glass while fire and smoke escaped out the openings. "Feel better?"
A happy hum escaped the muscular Rogue as he looked into the flames and pictured the burning bodies already turning to charred corpses. "Oh yeah."
"Your happiness is always a top priority, Mick." Lisa sarcastically snipped, not that her brother's oldest friend seemed to notice.
"With that out of the way," after Snart's words, Lisa and Mick hopped into the van's driver and passenger's seat, respectively while Leonard opened the back and entered, not before looking at the two women. "As you can see, we're more than capable of looking after our own. Tag along, you'll find how good we are as friends. But the price of admission is the Crown."
Alena looked at Selina with her hands clasped together, pleading. Catwoman hesitantly looked at the burning apartment, and the people who caused it. If they were serious…maybe playing with a group could give her the thrill she needs. Plus, they took out Fairfax's men for them, something she was unsure she could have handled alone. They helped them, and showed where they stood in how far they're willing to go.
Nodding, Selina took off the duffel holding the Crown and tossed it at Captain Cold.
"Why not?"
Universe-199999, Asgard
Thor knelt before his father, King Odin, Hercules standing to a side. "And thus, I brought Hercules back, father."
"You have done well, my son", Odin praised Thor's actions, then turned to Hercules, his expression indiscernible. "Hercules, you are welcome to stay amongst us for as long as you like. If you wish to return, Heimdall shall send you back."
"I thank you for your kind offer, All-Father", Hercules said with a bow of his own, not noticing Odin's look.
Loki remembered the meetings with Hercules from before. He was even more of a dumb brute than his brother used to be…..but his strength, it was not to be underestimated one bit.
Later, Heimdall's Observatory
Thor and Hercules stood at either side of Heimdall, who was staring out at Mount Olympus itself, seeing Zeus on his throne in all his grandeur.
"Heimdall, send me and Hercules to Mount Olympus", Thor requested.
"As you wish, my Prince", Heimdall nodded, twisting Hofund as the Observatory started rotating.
"You have my thanks, Heimdall", Hercules said as well, while the Bifrost activated and sucked both Thor and Hercules inside.
Mount Olympus
Zeus was presiding over the other Olympians present. Mount Olympus was a fortified hill-top, with polished, perfectly sculpted pillars that had pointed wings of the same material on either side. The pillars were also carved with the symbols of all Olympians to represent them.
The symbol of the thunderbolt was the largest, due to the fact that it belonged to the King of Olympus.
There were no walls though, just the carved rooftop, and the beautiful pillars. So, it was out in the open, which was how the Olympians preferred it.
Then, the Bifrost glowed nearby, before slowly fading, as Zeus growled. "Asgard." What business could Odin have with him now, after all this time?
A guard came in and bowed. "Prince Thor of Asgard is here, Lord Zeus…with your son Hercules!"
That made hushed whispers break out amongst the other Olympians, as Zeus looked surprised, then regained his composure in a second. "Send them in!"
The guard ran out, and within a minute, Thor walked in alongside Hercules.
"Hercules, my son!" Zeus said, sounding happy for once. "Glad am I to see you back. Where have you been?" He turned to Thor and growled. "Asgard better not have a hand in his disappearance!"
Thor shook his head. "We did no such thing."
"Indeed, father, Thor is the reason I am back here", Hercules revealed. "And I am glad to see you too."
"You have our thanks, Prince Thor", Hestia said to him politely, Thor simply nodding.
"What happened to you, Hercules?" Poseidon inquired. "Where have you been all this time?"
"I was captured and imprisoned in the depths of Tartarus….by Hades!" Hercules revealed, to their shock, but before he could say anymore, he was cut off!
"That insolent buffoon!" Zeus roared in anger as lightning rumbled everywhere, dark clouds gathering. "I shall make him pay!"
"Why would Hades do this though?" Athena wondered, looking confused.
"He hates me and wants the Throne of Olympus, that's why!" Zeus roared.
"But even then, this is not a good strategy", Athena pointed out.
"It was not the Hades of our Universe, father", Hercules then revealed, to the shock of the Olympians.
"What do you mean by that statement?!" Hera demanded.
"As you all know, our Universe is not the only one that exists", Thor explained. "And recently, pathways between many Universes have opened up. Hercules accidentally fell through one of them…into the Tartarus of a different Universe. That Universe's Hades captured and brainwashed Hercules into becoming his minion."
"Until Thor fought me and brought me back to my senses, for which I am eternally grateful", Hercules finished for him.
"We are quite grateful too", Aphrodite said to Thor with a seductive smirk. "Maybe I could show you sometime how grateful I am."
Thor sighed, sharing a look with Hercules who just mouthed 'Don't look at me', so Thor turned back to her. "Your offer is…..very appreciated, Goddess Aphrodite."
"So these pathways into other Universes are more trouble than we'd realized until now", Apollo noted. "We might need to do something about these."
"What though? They're quite random in how they appear and who they send where", Demeter pointed out. "The ultimate nature of them is probably beyond even us, as strange as it sounds."
"That is not wrong", Hermes had to agree.
"Even then, I believe I should pay Hades a visit!" Zeus declared.
"And why is that?" Artemis now asked Zeus with a confused look.
"If another Hades was capable of this, ours could be too!" Zeus said to them all.
"Are you sure this is the right course of action?" Hephaestus inquired.
"Of course it is, I am going now!" Zeus stood up.
"Stop, father!" Hercules said, surprising Zeus. "What are you doing? Our Hades is not responsible for this! In fact, I found out that the Hercules of that other Universe was a vile man who violated all the Amazons, including their Queen, so if you want to strike Hades down for what the Hades of that Universe did, you must first strike me down for what the Hercules of that Universe did!"
With that, he raised his hands to either side and got on his knees. "Go ahead, father! Strike me down!"
Zeus growled. "I won't!"
"Then stop what you are doing!"
Zeus growled, then sat back down. "We have enemies everywhere, son, especially since these pathways have opened up. We need to drop everything else and focus on them when the time comes."
"What of those who need us?" Thor inquired.
"The mortals? Hmph!" Zeus scoffed. "They are tiny, insolent fools! I have more things to worry about- such as the visions I had of a bald man with pale skin, a red tattoo and two chain blades killing the Zeus of another Universe. It is clear, we have enemies everywhere!"
"Who is this man you saw?" Thor asked.
"I do not know, but I know that enemies like him lurk in every corner", Zeus replied to him.
"From what I see, the enemy is within you, father", Hercules revealed, stunning Zeus. "Until you defeat that enemy, I shall stay with Thor."
With that, Hercules turned around and walked off, Thor walking after him. Zeus cried out. "Stop, my son!"
"I believe he needs time", Hestia counselled Zeus, and he sighed.
"Heimdall!" Thor cried out, raising Mjolnir, and then the Bifrost came down, taking both Thor and Hercules away before fading.
Traverse Town
Sora and other Young Legends were now hanging out happily here with the Spirits, as Alice was saying to Goku. "That energy you use is really cool! Can I use it too?"
"I could try to teach you when I get the time!" Goku said to her with a smile, while Dawn was patting a Necho Cat's head happily.
"They're all so adorable!" She said.
"I know!" Alice agreed, hugging the Necho Cat too.
"After all that fighting with Freddy, this is a good place to relax", Naruto said, lying down, a Frootz Cat near him.
"Yep, let's relax a little here, then head back to our worlds", Superboy agreed.
"Thank you all for coming once more", Sora thanked them.
"We're your friends, Sora, and we'll always help you, and we know you'll do the same for us", Aang said to him.
"Yeah, you're just that kind of guy", Spider-Man said as well, Sora nodding happily.
"Hey, so, I got this device called an extrapolator which can send us between worlds, and Willow and Tara replicated it", Dawn said, then suggested. "Maybe I can give it to you guys so we can meet up more."
"That'd be so cool!" Ben said, and the decision was made.
They would soon return to their worlds, and carry out their usual responsibilities once more, but for this moment, the Young Legends were happy to briefly enjoy the company of each other and the Spirits.
Earth-1, Keystone City
"In a miraculous turn of events, the Crown of Fire, a priceless relic dating back before the Incan Empire, has been returned to its rightful place in Quito's National Museum of Ecuador. No one has stepped forth to claim responsibility for its return after dubious claims of ownership by the heir of the media mogul Fairfaxs, Abigail Fairfax. However, the director of the museum had this to say."
A Hispanic man almost in tears spoke into the microphone as a crowd of people surrounded him, all waving flags. "There are not enough words to express the gratitude of this nation. Ecuador can now say, with pride, that the Crown of Fire has returned home to where it belongs!"
The laptop screen was closed, Abigail got up and moved to the side of his desk, pouring a glass of scotch from the decanter, and downing it in one gulp. Sighing at the burn down his throat, Abigail stood there, thinking, his foot tapping against the floor. Until he threw the glass against the wall, and ran to his desk, sweeping everything to the floor.
"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCKKKKKK!" Abigail screamed to the top of his lungs. The Crown was supposed to be HIDDEN! No one was meant to know it was in the auction house! How the fuck did those thieving bastards find out?!
"Sir?" A voice squeaked from the door. "Do you need anything?"
Fairfax looked to his assistant; his eyes feral with rage. "I need MY BLOODY CROWN! Find me someone WHO CAN GET THE BASTARDS WHO TOOK IT FROM ME!"
Star City, Arrowcave
Oliver, Thea, Diggle and Laurel were training, clashing their sticks, as Sara and Roy trained separately from them at the room's other end, and Felicity was typing on the computer while looking at her teammates training every now and then.
Oliver alone was taking on Thea, Diggle and Laurel, and he clashed with Thea. "Thea, your backfoot is sliding out."
"No its not!"
Oliver whacked her feet, making her fall down, proving he was right.
Then he whacked Laurel, sending her off too, and tried to strike Diggle, who got onto his other side to avoid.
Oliver looked down at the fallen Thea and Laurel. "Just because you can't see me doesn't mean I'm not there. You've got to sense me, even when I'm not in your line of sight."
"What advice do you have for me?" Diggle asked, holding his stick still, and taking a fighting stance. "Humor me."
"You're getting tired, you're dropping your shoulders, and you're opening yourself up." They clashed sticks, before Oliver grabbed Dig's hand and struck his side, then they clashed again before Oliver managed to grab Dig's arm and throw him away as well, taking him out too.
Seeing his team beaten by a vigilante with less experience meant he needed to up their practice. Matt was a natural talent, while he never had the same training as Oliver did, or the same facilities, he could become even better than him if given the chance. Which means he and his team had to shape up, the old-fashioned way.
At the same time, Sara and Roy faced each other, the latter charging the former. He struck with his stick as Sara dodged, then blocked a few times, as both tried to punch but were stopped too. Their sticks clashed again, before Sara twirled hers, hitting Roy's face, and then she struck his stick so hard it was sent flying off from his hands.
Roy tried to hit her but she blocked with her stick, then twirled it around his arm before grabbing him by the back of the neck and pushing him down, hitting the back of his legs thrice, making him limp away, having lost, and he rubbed his thigh.
"I see you haven't lost your touch."
"Unlucky you", Sara quipped before focusing on Oliver's training session, seeing he was about to spar with the other three again.
"Let's go again." Oliver hit the sticks together.
"Pass!" Thea groaned, rubbing her neck. "I keep on running out of excuses for my bruises, and they're from you, not the bad guys. Not to mention, I can only call Roy kinky so many times."
"What?!" Roy shouted from across the room indignantly.
Oliver shut his eyes. "I did not need to hear that." He said in disgust, trying to purge the thought from his mind. He then glared at Roy, who gulped, knowing he was going to get it while training directly with Oliver later.
Sara, meanwhile, laughed at the two archers. "Just say it's self-defense classes. God knows we got our fair share of bruises when dad made us go."
Laurel nodded. "True." She then told the rest. "The streets have been quiet for a while. Prometheus hasn't shown his face either. The time with Matt and HYDRA was the most action we got in a while. And it was you", she looked at Oliver, "and Matt that beat the HYDRA thugs."
Oliver theorized. "Prometheus hasn't been around for a while but he is not off the board. Whatever he's planning, it'll be big. Prometheus is anticipating that making us wait and wonder will make us anxious, unprepared."
"Still, we got to celebrate out victories", Diggle pointed out, keeping his stick away. "We made a new friend with powers, and you and him saved Cisco and Caitlin from neo-Nazis.".
That was when a breach opened at the center of the room, and out walked a familiar, long-haired hitter. He looked around with his arms spread at the lack of reception. "What, no hug?"
"Maybe if you visit more often, we'd miss you", Oliver joked as he approached, clasping Eliot's hand and brought him into a one-armed hug.
"Yeah, but you know the deal. A con to run, the world in peril, it's been a bit crazy."
"World in peril?"
Eliot shook his head. "It's a long story. Things have been hectic, but I'm not here about that." Like a switch, Eliot's demeanor changed. Oliver saw the casualness fade away, and the operator take over. "Those guys you brought back with Daredevil, they were all identified as elite HYDRA agents, once part of SHIELD's tactical division, STRIKE. All of them specialists."
"It took us over a week to find them, only after they attacked one of our friends." Oliver admitted. It was scary how these people were able to disappear, he wondered how they dealt with HYDRA on their Earth.
"Would be concerned if they managed to stick around any longer. The big thing though was their leader: Grant Ward. He's the guy you put two arrows in." The guy Matt fought with, the guy that shot him, Oliver remembered his face, he remembered all of them. He had to when he sent the pictures through to Hardison to inform him and confirm the deaths. "This guy was bad news, he infiltrated SHIELD on a very deep level, even tricked his way on a team with a friend of mine, and trust me, she's no fool. What he did," Eliot exhaled through his nose, "wasn't good, man."
"But he's dead now, what's the problem?" Thea asked, something Oliver himself was thinking about.
"Because you sent pictures of eight dead HYDRA agents. Only seven bodies were found. Ward's is missing."
Team Arrow shared looks of shock, before Oliver and Eliot looked at each other grimly, knowing something was up.
Universe-199999, Asgard
Within the many halls of Asgard, land of the Asgardians, the Aesir, the Norse Gods, they enjoyed a good celebration. Whether it was a mighty battle in which warriors returned victorious, a celebration to those that have left them to join the honored dead in Valhalla, or just an excuse to get drunk and have fun.
This counts as two of those instances.
Asgard's Lady Sif and Warriors Three, along with many of Asgard's rowdy inhabitants watched and cheered as their Prince and the Prince of Olympus chugged down another horn of ale, one of the many they had already drank and continued to down. Thor and Hercules reached the last drop of their ale and placed the emptied horns on top of their heads before laughing at each other. As one, they threw the horns away. "ANOTHER!"
The two Princes witnessed nearly the whole Realm cheer with them before they finally found their place amongst their trusted friends and comrades. Volstagg kicked out a chair for Hercules while Sif pulled one out for Thor, the two sons of Kings nearly dropping onto the chairs. "Oh how I missed how you Asgardians party."
"If you Olympians weren't so high and mighty, you might have learned to have fun." Volstagg piped up before downing his own ale.
"Forget Olympus," Thor cried out, grasping Hercules by the shoulder, "It is good to see you, my friend. Long have I missed our days of revelry."
"You have no idea how much I missed you!" Herc cried out as he gestured around. "I mean SERIOUSLY! The last time we had a party this lively, the mortals still believed the world was flat!"
"And let's not forget who discovered that little fact about Midgard." Fandral bragged while twirling his fine moustache.
Hercules rolled his eyes. "Are you still going on about that? So your Scandinavian worshippers discovered the Americas, big whoop. Where would they be without the Greeks?!"
"Well, they wouldn't be worshipping vile, incestuous bastards." Sif said sharply. Thor and his friends looked at Hercules in concern, his mouth open and finger pointed at the warrior women to speak. Until he promptly shut it.
"True." The half-Olympian son of Zeus admitted sheepishly before smiling at the Asgardian woman. "Your beauty goes beyond just your prowess as a fighter, my lady Sif."
"It also extends to the point of her sword." Hogun spoke up for the first time as he uncaringly twirled a knife along his fingers.
Fandral joined his grim companion. "How suitors often tremble at the sight." He laughed, Hogun joining him at the now suddenly demure Hercules, especially as Thor laughed hard enough that he slammed the table, nearly sending it flying across the bar, but luckily only raised one end before slamming back down, leading to another horn to slide in front of Volstagg.
"Don't mind if I do." The Voluminous cheerfully took the ale and drank it.
Hercules leaned back and observed the party. The drinking, the feasting, the fun! "Oh how I missed this."
"Has Olympus really grown so dour as what I saw today?" Thor inquired as he finished his ale.
Hercules nodded. "In the last century at the very least. Honestly, Zeus has always been paranoid, but since the Cosmic scales were unbalanced by the Universal tears in our plane of existence, he fears, well, everything."
Zeus had a less than pleasant reputation amongst the Asgardians, especially by Odin. Thor knew this, and while many of the human historians were inaccurate in their recollections of stories involving Deities, enough of them involving Zeus were true, no matter how outrageous they seemed, even by divine standards. "Despite what I think of your father, there is merit for his concern."
"Unfortunately, I just lived through such a concern." Hercules pointed out before a bald Asgardian with tattoos on his head dropped two barrels on their table.
"Too much talking, not enough drinking!" Thor and Hercules laughed together before they hurriedly raised their horns to the barrels for refilling. Once they were overflowing, they joined their drinking companions and the tattooed Asgardian in raising their mugs and horns. "Skol!"
"SKOL!"
Thor and Hercules raised the drinks to their lips and chugged plentiful amounts of the Godly made brew before slamming them down. The God of Thunder chuckled. "This is reminding me of the last party I attended on Midgard."
"With your Avengers?" Hercules excitedly asked, before shoving the table away, pushing Hogun down and tumbling over before the famed Demigod pulled his chair closer to Thor and listened. "Tell me more."
"Calm yourself, old friend. There is plenty of time for such tales."
"Not if my father has anything to say about that, or yours." Hercules looked behind him, and Thor followed his sight to a pair of armed and stoic Asgardians. He knew many more stood nearby outside. "Odin One-Eye never did like me, regardless of him offering to let me stay for now." Hercules drank his ale, before stopping himself mid-chug to add, "nor did that ferret of a brother of yours either. Speaking of which, where is that Trickster?"
A somber atmosphere hung over Thor, one that radiated to the Warriors Three and Sif. Hercules may be remembered for his great strength and even thought of as a muscle-bound idiot, thanks to a certain piece of shit of a stepmother, but he was smart of enough to recognize the pain in Thor's eyes.. The Avenger's hand went to a braid of hair tucked behind his ear, rubbing the gold and dark strands tenderly, Hercules watched before his eyes widened when he realized the source of the dark hair. He waited for the Asgardian to finally tell him the unfortunate truth. "He fell."
"By the Fates." Herc groaned, rubbing his head. Loki was a pain, and the son of Zeus was on the receiving end of more than one of his mischievous pranks, but Thor loved his brother, more than Hercules could say about his own family. "I'm-I'm sorry."
"You did not know, Hercules. There is nothing to forgive." Thor tried to smile, one that did not reach the eyes. The Olympian sheepishly pushed his chair back as Hogun returned the table to its original position between the two Princes.
The air between the two was sobering. Sif and the Warriors Three looked to their old friend, looking deep in his mug, trying to find something within the liquid to appease the grief of remembering his brother. He found none.
"You know, I died too." Thor looked up to his slightly taller friend, finding him looking almost offended. "No one ever braided their hair with mine."
"…that was thousands of years ago."
"But I still died!"
"You were made a God!"
"But I died!" Hercules stressed the point comically, and his tactic worked, making the God of Thunder begin a round of chuckling before draining his horn of ale.
"Guess you weren't very memorable."
"Oh now you're just being petty."
"Not my fault people don't like you as much as you think they do."
"You take that back!" Hercules stood, Thor standing with him. The Scion of Asgard and the Lion of Olympus glared at each other, before a fit of giggles erupted from the two of them. The Olympian was just glad to take Thor away from thoughts of Loki. "Ah well, maybe there is some truth to that."
"I was only-"
"Bah!" Herc waved off Thor's excuse. "We've been lounging around on Olympus, and if not, we jumped ship to whatever place looked interesting. Only fitting that-BRAAAPPP," Herc burped, covering his mouth before continuing, "you would find a new purpose, especially with these mortal Champions you have found yourself with."
"Aye, the Avengers." Thor nodded. "Theirs is a noble calling. Each one has qualities worthy of note amongst our kind. I am proud to name myself among their number."
"Was it with them you found this greater power?" Hercules questioned and was surprised when Thor quietened. "Hey, you always packed a punch, and a storm for that matter, enough to surprise even me. This time felt different. You felt…unrestrained."
"That feels like a good word for it." Thor sighed as he thought back to what transpired during the period of time Ultron sent him away. To this day he had no idea how much time had passed there, but of one thing he was certain.
It was a world of Demons.
Demon World, a month ago
Thor's body crashed through multiple rock structures. Pain erupted all around the Asgardian's body. Spitting out a glob of blood, Thor was unsure of the outcome of this battle. This Demon, for it could be nothing else in a Realm such as this, was powerful, he hit harder than the Hulk ever did.
A crash before him created a cloud of smoke, which quickly faded to unveil Thor's tormentor. It possessed a centaur-like body, but instead of a horse, the lower body was akin to a lion, with four arms sticking out of its body, each armed with a weapon, two swords of pitch black, a cane, and a shield. It bore a red armor only on the body, yet it's face was covered by a helmet exuding blue flames.
Its appearance alone was a terror, but it's power, even more so.
Pushing himself back to his feet, Thor took a second to regain his bearings and stared up at the towering foe.
"How disappointing. Is this all a God can muster?"
"I thought I would give you a fair chance." Thor said before leaping forward with a fist that was drenched in the blood of thousands of Demons at this point. The Demon thrusted it's shield in the way, a shockwave emerged from the clash but left the owner unphased, while Thor was sent skidding back, his boots digging up the ground before he had to dodge rapid strikes from its swords and cane, until a single slash of the sword struck across his chest. Thor's body crashed against the ground once more. Groaning, the Asgardian prince touched upon the wound that cut through his armor, feeling blood. He could feel his body's healing slowed, the more punishment this monster delivered, the harder it was to recover. Not to mention, the beast was fast, faster than lightning, and those swings only seemed to increase in speed. And the shield, it was impervious to any harm.
Thor was actually getting worried. Without Mjolnir, he was weaponless, he felt naked without the hammer. Weakened.
"Your death is all but assured, just as it is for all who wish to oppose the next Demon King!" The Demon boasted.
"Oh shut up." Thor groaned before rushing forward, kicking up a dust storm in his wake. The Demon's front right paw slashed at Thor but he sidestepped the attack, jumping over a sword strike and jumped, uppercutting the Demon under the chin. What damage he thought he dealt was short lived before the cane in its lower right hand struck the Avenger down. Thor had only milliseconds to react before catching the black blade by the tip before it impaled his body. It took all his strength to hold it back, and even then, his arms were starting to shake.
His body shook when the beast began to laugh. "Face your death!" Thor's eyes widened when the second sword erupted in black and purples fire and was brought down on the God.
The very ground shook as a dome of black fire the size of three football stadiums engulfed the epicenter of the explosion, annihilating everything in range of the Demon's power. When the dome receded, the Demon stood victorious over a bleeding and burnt Thor Odinson. His armor scorched; his cape reduced to cinders. His survival would be miraculous, had the Demon not discarded its swords.
"Tougher than I thought." The Demon smirked before raising its fists. "I'll just crush you to oblivion!"
With that, it began to pound upon Thor's face, breaking the ground underneath him and sending the head of the God of Thunder into the crater that was forming, while Thor bled badly.
Pain descended upon Thor like rain, constant drops that showered his body. His body sunk deeper and deeper into this Demonic world. Weakness was consuming him, a hopelessness. Thor felt life harder to cling to as he tasted his own blood.
"My son."
Thor's eyes snapped open.
"Fight."
The eyes of the prince glowed blue as another fist crashed into him.
"Keep on fighting."
After another fist descended on him, Thor's eyes and body began to glow as electricity cackled along his limbs. As the Demon reared its next fist back, the God of Thunder thrusted his own fist forward, and lightning struck forth, striking the Demon's body and blasting him upwards into the dark sky.
The power, every sliver of pain Thor had felt disappeared as he returned to his feet, feeling energy within his own skin he did not know he had. Electricity arced off his arms and glowed within his eyes. He felt stronger, even more so than when Mjolnir was within in his hand. He felt mighty.
The Demon from before descended back to ground, a massive plume of dust rising in its wake. with a roar, the Demon emerged from the dust, it's swords at the ready, black fire coursing over every weapon it had, and leapt at the Asgardian.
Thor Odinson, God of Thunder, saw the charge and kicked off to meet it. His body flew faster than he imagined, already in front of the Demon's sword, and his fist, covered in lighting, made contact with the darkness, and broke it apart, before surging through to its face. The Demon moved its shield in the way, only for the God's body to break through the once impervious shield and punch the Demon's face.
That section of the Demon World shook as thunder and lightning exploded in the sky, and a dome of celestial lightning spread over the landscape that destroyed everything in sight. Thunder was the music in which played the death of those that challenged the Odinson. Lightning was the instrument of that death.
Thor floated down to the other side of the crater the collision created. With his eyes still glowing, he looked back down to see his enemy, and found nothing remained, nothing but destruction. Turning his head back, he found waves of more Demons in the far distance. And yet, they did not move.
Instead, they froze, and shivered as they sensed the gaze of the God upon them.
They feared him. Good, Thor thought as he took several steps forward, his Godly sight allowing him to see as the Demons stepped back.
Now they know the God of Thunder.
He found himself sensing Mjolnir, and held out his hand, trying to reach his hammer. Powerful lightning was heard booming as a portal opened before him, a portal back to the Earth of his home Universe.
Thor walked towards it, ripping the fur off a dead, black-furred, Werewolf-like Demon, that he put to his back, replacing his burnt red one.
Now in a new attire, Thor casually continued towards the portal, backhanding an attacking Demon, the strike sending a wave of lightning that obliterated not only everything in that direction, but around him too.
With that, Thor walked through the portal, returning home at long last.
Universe-92, The Realm of the Powers That Be, Present Day
Dushan was angrily making preparations to go down to Earth-92 already. The others may not want to punish these so-called Champions as of now, but he did! First he'd go after Cordelia for ditching the amazing Xander and getting together with that idiotic so-called Champion Angel, then those hypocritical brats Buffy and Willow, who treated the great Xander like trash because he was a man and they were women.
He was going to do so many things to their bodies, outside and inside, because that was all women like them deserved! Grinning, he looked at his knife he'd kept on his couch nearby.
"This will work well in removing their dresses so I can show them what a real man feels like! I am amongst their Gods, they must serve me!" Dushan declared with a laugh, only to feel a hand to his shoulder.
"Ah, do you want to join me?" Dushan asked, not caring who it was.
"I may not like those Champions for having it easy, but I do not support this debauchery."
It was Slate!
Gripping his shoulder tighter, Slate whipped Dushan around, the two glaring into each other's eyes angrily.
"You once more tried to cross your limits because of this obsession over Xander you have", Slate snarled, as Dushan continued to glare. "Whenever people like you try to cross their limits, I will be an obstacle in your way!"
"GET OFF!" Dushan screamed, pushing Slate away. He tried to punch Slate, only for Slate to grip his wrist and lower it, then deck his abdomen hard, making him double down in pain, after which Slate kneed his chest, then grabbed him by the head, spinning him around, keeping him in his grip.
"So many times I've tried to tell you….to stay in your limits!" Slate sneered, decking Dushan's abdomen, making him gasp again. "I am a greater Power than you are!" He punched Dushan's chest twice, then grabbed him by the face. "And you tried to not only defy me, but also defile three women out of pettiness!"
With that, Slate spun Dushan around and threw him into another couch, making him groan, and as he turned around, Slate punched him so hard he fell to the couch again, his face bleeding badly.
Then, pinning him to the couch, Slate grabbed Dushan in a chokehold while also holding his face. "The others may not want you dead for now, but they won't mind if you're gone! Your parents should have listened to the town priest and discarded you when a wolf's howling was heard at the moment of your birth!"
He threw Dushan off, then punched him into a wall, as Dushan gasped, then panted, before regaining his composure and smirking. "Wow, Slate. The Champions whom we're supposed to punish, you're supporting them, and opposing me!"
Slate shook with rage as Dushan continued while pointing at Slate. "You're angry because they all got it easier in life than you, and thus became Champions while alive." He smirked. "I still say- it doesn't matter! Buffy and Cordelia want dead men, while Willow is with a woman! So really, you and me, we should show them what real pleasures are like with what we have down there. It will make a huge difference for them and be such a level up!"
Roaring, Slate charged Dushan, grabbed him by the back of the collar, and punched his chest twice again, before throwing him to the ground, and lifting up a table.
"Stupid and evil ones like you have NO PLACE IN THIS REALM!"
Slate was about to smash the table down on Dushan's face, when Behmen burst in, grabbing his hands. "Slate, my friend! STOP!"
"NO BEHMEN!" Slate roared as Dushan crawled back, getting up. "NO!"
"I agree he should not go down there yet, but he is still one of us, we can't kill him", Behmen pointed out to him.
"Thank you for saving me, Lord Behmen", Dushan thanked him.
"Silence, unpleasant ugly fool!" Behmen roared at Dushan, making him back off. "Out of my sight!"
Dushan quickly ran out of the room, as Slate threw the table away. "You should have let me kill him."
"I like him as much as you do, but he has his uses", Behmen told Slate, putting a hand to his shoulder. "Learn to control your anger, my friend. We cannot go around killing each other."
"You are right, my friend", Slate agreed, then picked up Dushan's knife that he'd planned to use during his vile acts. "But I don't think Dushan will be needing this anymore."
He grabbed the blade, and twisted a little, breaking it off, before throwing the now useless hilt away.
With that, he walked out of the room, passing by Adila.
"Slate", she called out, making him turn to her. "That was a good thing you did in there." She smiled at him now. He had good inside of him.
"Dushan is a repulsive being who should have never been made a Power, because these vile acts are all he is capable of", Slate told her. "However, the Champions still deserve to be punished if they stray from our plan. Unlike me, they did not have to struggle! They got it all handed it to them, they were chosen, their lives are so easy. If they cannot follow the plan after all that, they deserve to be punished."
With that, he walked off, as Adila sighed sadly. So many good qualities in Slate, yet so much bitterness which prevented him from seeing the truth.
"Adila, do not try to trap my friend in your feeble words", Behmen told her as he arrived, giving her his usual smug smirk. "Your weak ways are no longer tolerated in the Council, you're only a High Minister because you're Lord Balial's sister. When I become ruler, I will relieve you of your duties, because you are completely useless in your role."
Adila glared at him, but did not say a word, simply walking off, as Behmen just laughed.
Dream World
Freddy stood in the boiler room once more, looking salty. "That Sora brat and those other brats….I'll slice them all! And the fucking Sleeping Beauty!"
Suddenly, his mind shifted to something else. "I was in another world for a bit…" His eyes widened. "So the whole Multiverse mumbo jumbo I heard of sometimes before…its real!" He grinned. "My fear can be spread to other worlds!" Another thought stuck him. "There could be another Springwood out there! Other versions of people I killed! Maybe even…another me!"
He looked ahead. "So many fucking exciting opportunities ahead."
And then Freddy laughed maniacally.
And that's another one done.
Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for all his writing for the Avengers/X-Men/Brotherhood, Earth-1 Leverage and Star Wars/Supernatural plots, and the Thor flashback and Eliot/Oliver scene.
And thank you to HRwriter897 for his help on the 'Olympus' plot and to gussygus28 for his outline for the 'Freddy Krueger' plot.
So Forge changed sides as his reasons for helping Magneto were more personal, and thus the Brotherhood has failed. Juggernaut fainted due to being cut off from the Gem of Cyttorak, mainly because he was chosen by Cyttorak when the Gem gave him powers, unlike Magneto who wasn't Cyttorak's chosen Champion. He was only in Marko's vicinity when the Gem made him the real Juggernaut. So with his connection to the Gem cut off, the damage Juggernaut had gotten caught up to him.
I love Wanda (pre-Phase 4) a lot but Phase 4 has given her a fanbase as deranged as Tony Stark's (I'm talking about the extreme fanatics, not normal fans), so having her lose to Storm was a bit cathartic. And Rogue has her powers back, you can imagine what that'll do to her.
Obi-Wan faking his death in front of Anakin in TCW so Anakin's genuine reaction could sell this ploy is another one of the many incidents I believe made Anakin disillusioned with the Jedi, so they needed to talk about it here.
Earth-1 Leverage Team has been formed, even if they don't have the proper name yet. They even got a flashback and the bad guy having a Villainous Breakdown. Suffice to say, this Alena will be a much better person than she was in canon, where she joined a cyberterrorist group.
Zeus is paranoid AF, as you can see here. And hence Hercules decides to stay with Thor. The Original Demon is from the manga/anime 'The Seven Deadly Sins', not from 'Devil May Cry', but imagine this was a DMC doppelganger of it, and fighting it finally made Thor unleash his true power, which he showed when he returned during the AOU arc. Thor and Loki aren't brothers in Norse Mythology, and I referenced it here on 'Smallville' Earth.
Russell Crowe is still Zeus here, because he could be a great Zeus, but MCU dropped the ball with L . Imagine Connie Nielson as Hera, Daniel Gillies as Poseidon, Ana de Armas as Aphrodite, Logan Lerman as Apollo, Emma Watson as Artemis, Timothy Omundson as Hephaestus, Dylan O'Brien as Hermes, Gal Gadot as Athena, Emma Caulfield as Demeter and Rose Byrne as Hestia. Thank you to HRwriter897 for all castings expect Demeter that I got from Stand with Ward and Queen's Percy Jackson/Arrowverse crossover, so thank you to him for that. These are the MCU Olympians.
Not having a crossover with 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' and 'Kingdom Hearts' when the latter has Dream Eaters AND Sleeping Beauty herself would be a missed opportunity, so we got that too. The scenes where Sora recruited the others were a bit repetitive I admit but I wanted him to have minor interactions with some other characters, and give designations to all these worlds as well. Earth-8096 has 'The Spectacular Spider-Man', 'The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes' and 'Wolverine & the X-Men', as well as a variation of 'Hulk vs. Wolverine', and here, Wolverine would have only met Hulk directly, not Banner, and instead of Weapon X, Ross and his army would interfere during the fight. 'Thor: Tales of Asgard' would have happened too.
Dushan is a disgusting individual, as you can see, but Slate gave him the beatdown he deserved.
Come on, we all knew Ward wouldn't die as he injected himself with the Abomination serum.
Now all this writing for the X-Men has made me nostalgic for the films again, so I'll re-watch them over the weekend, except 'Apocalypse' and 'Dark Phoenix' (which I never bothered with). Been a while since I saw any of these fully, 'Logan' I last saw fully in 2021, and the rest, I last saw fully in 2016, after that, I've only seen clips. I don't like 'The Last Stand' and 'Origins: Wolverine' much but they're still more watchable than those other two. In 'Apocalypse' I only watch the clips of Quicksilver, Wolverine and Magneto. Anyways, time to re-watch all of these on the weekend.
Can you guess who and what MCU Zeus saw in his visions? *Winks* 'The Lord of the Rings' shall return in next chapter.
Hope all enjoyed and see ya next time with another chapter.