Tales of The Multiverse
Chapter 7
The Gate Keeper
-Sometime later in Cadillacs and Dinosaurs-
"Sheesh, who'd have thought the weather would get bad here?" Batgirl remarked she and her companions were now riding through the rain.
"I don't suppose this Cadillac has a pull over roof?" Hannah asked as she held her hands atop of her head.
"It might've but it was probably removed due to torn fabric no doubt," Spider-Man replied as he checked the spot it would be.
"It's been awhile since I've driven in a storm like this, we should be careful," Felicia said.
"We should try and find a clearing with some thick foliage to rest under, the road will be too dangerous when this wet," Jack called.
"Good idea, I'm already losing traction in this mud," Batgirl replied as she felt the grip of her bike wasn't as good as it was before. However as they all started to slow down as they went into a turn, Felicia's jeep swerved and was going sideways off the path.
"Felicia!" Hannah shouted as she shot into a standing potion as Jack and Batgirl stopped their vehicles.
"Don't move, don't move!" Regina exclaimed as Felicia killed the engine and just held onto the wheel, keeping the tires straight as it then slid up to a ledge of a slope, that lead down to a raging river that had grown in height. Thankfully the jeep seemed to stop right at the edge and no further, with the driver's side to the ledge.
"Nobody move, just let it settle for a moment, and then get out," Felicia stated. But after a few seconds the tires on the driver side began sinking into the soggy soil and started making the car tilt in that direction despite everyone then started to lean in the opposite direction to try and compensate.
"Bail, now!" Mega Man ordered as he unbuckled Lucia's buckle, undid his own as she ended up falling into him, but he put his arms around her and leaped into a nearby tree. Meanwhile Regina and Felicia frantically undid their seat belts as they put their feet onto the seats and quickly stood and started scrambling to the passenger side while running across the seats, Regina then partially hung out as she waited for Felicia who ended up halting suddenly, much to both their surprise.
"Felica, what's..." Regina tried to ask as Felicia looked back, seeing what the problem was.
"It's my foot! It's caught!" she exclaimed, as she found in her frantic haste to get out the seat belt had somehow snagged and twisted around her foot, she gave a few quick jerks and pumps of her leg, flexing and twisting a little to try and get loose but it stubbornly stayed wound up. Regina tried to pull her loose but the jeep started to slide and drop faster, prompting her to grab onto a nearby sturdy brush and tried to keep hold of Felicia but her hand slipped as she then watched Felicia and the jeep plunge into the water below. Felicia held her eyes shut for a moment before turning herself around and got into a partial sitting position to tend to her situation as fast as possible. She managed to pull and untwist the strap enough that she was then able to get her foot loose, feeling relieved as she pushed herself off the jeep and no longer felt the immense weight dragging her down. She eventually burst out of the water, gasping for air before she had to frantically swim and cling to the shore as the river's current was threatening to drag her down stream, but she couldn't quite get a hold of the soggy soil.
"Grab on!" Regina called as she held her leg out from her position, lowering herself down a ways to where Felicia was able to grab onto her ankle, and Regina started pulling themselves back up, although slowly. "Agh...this is really an awkward position," she groaned as she shook a bit violently.
"Then let me ease things up a bit," Spider-Man said as he shot a web strand to Regina's back, and one to Felicia's arm, and he then quickly pulled them up onto solid ground, much to their great relief.
"We should've stopped sooner shouldn't we?" Lucia asked after Mega Man got down from the tree with her.
"Yeah. We got rather lucky at the moment," Mega Man replied.
"This might not mean much, Felicia but..." Hannah paused as she came over and helped Felicia to her feet, as her hair had gotten into her eyes. "Welcome to the club." she half smiled.
"This is almost a routine for you isn't it?" Felicia asked as she lifted her bangs from her eyes.
"A bit. For the record, I've gotten totally drenched...four times I think since I came here," Hannah replied.
"Pfft...swell," Felicia forced her own smirk.
-In 1997 London-
Jennifer pondered with her hands in her pockets, one gently holding the Emerald she found in the library, keeping it to herself and felt it was important somehow. How she honestly didn't know but her instincts told her to keep it as safe as possible. However as she was beginning to approach a bridge over a channel of water suddenly she heard the screams and cries of pedestrians in shock and terror behind her, prompting her to stop and quickly look over her shoulder as she turned at the hip faintly, her hands leaving her pockets while her hair whipped around. Her brown eyes grew wide as people ran and stumbled in fear, weird little creatures about the size of small children were bounding and scurrying around. The had two tinny, little insect like legs and feet, and had brownish green scales for their thighs and bodies. Top their "heads" were what appeared to be glowing blue flames that waved around, but most of all, they only had one large eyeball, with a scelara the same blue as the flame, and a red iris. There eyes were wiggling all over the place as they'd make hops and bounds, landing on cars and such before their sights set on her.
"Auh...AHHHHH!" Jennifer screamed as she began to run across the bridge as they scurried along to catch up with her. There was a bit of distance between her and them but they were moving fairly fast. Mustering a fair bit of strength she sprinted across the bridge with a fair bit of speed of her own. She was used to running at this point, before when she ran she'd trip occasionally, and then was just a sorta slow run, and now she was moving with a great bit of speed. While normally not this athletic she figured she'd take up jogging just to be prepared for instances like this. However while partway across the bridge the toes of one of her feet smacked into an elevated slab of stone on the bridge, making her stumble. "Uwwah... . !" her arms waved frantically a bit as her feet fumbled across the ground, she then quickly remembered the railing to her left, prompting her to reach out and grab it. Managing to catch it she grasped it into her right hand as well as her weight fell against it, but there was a firm metallic creak followed by a *BDLINK* when a part of it snapped from the rest of the railing, soon followed by another snap from one of the bases, and quickly followed by more.
"WYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Jennifer shrieked as the railing literally was breaking off from the base and made her fall off the bridge, swinging her out over the water before the bases stopped breaking loose, leaving her dangling for dear life as her legs kicked in the air slightly. Her breathing was fast and erratic as her heart was pounding loudly in her chest and eardrums as she looked down, her lower body swaying a bit as she looked at the water past her feet, but then noticed the water was no longer still, but was in fact beginning to flow and grow rapidly intense with every passing second. She had no idea what was going on but her attention turned to her hands that were beginning to slip off the piece of railing she was holding onto, and saw the creatures were then at the bridge and were watching her, not daring to go out after her. Jennifer didn't have any time to contemplate what sort of action to take as her hands slipped off and made her plunge down into the water screaming. The strong current was making her tumble and spin, gasping for air and splashing wildly to try and correct herself but the water kept pushing her under as it began to glow different soft hues and colors.
However after going under the water one more time Jennifer didn't surface as the colors stopped and the water was beginning to slow down as the police arrived, a number of the creatures were getting pelted by the barrage of bullets and buckshot, going down with single shots and exploding into nothing as Helen arrived on the scene in a panic, having seen Jennifer fall off the bridge ran to where the railing broke.
"Jennifer!" she called out to the water but didn't get a response. Not wasting another second she quickly dove into the water below and swam towards where Jennifer was dragged, but was finding nothing, not a single trace of where she had gone, making her surface. "JENNIFER WHERE ARE YOU!?" her cries echoed but didn't get a response.
-Back in Cadillacs and Dinosaurs-
"That was a bit of a close call with the jeep there ya pulled," Link commented as Felicia sat on a log, her legs crossed while her clothes were still soaking wet. She reached back and undid her ponytail, then whipped her wet hair around a bit while everyone else were under the trees outta the rain mostly.
"It was bad luck my foot got snagged in the seatbelt on the way down, but was lucky enough to slip it out on my own," Felicia remarked before she looked over at Jack. "I am sorry we lost a rather crucial set of wheels at the moment."
"Don't worry. That area will dry up eventually and we can fish it out later. What matters is we're safe. Plus the badlands and garage aren't much further from here. So you won't have long to walk," Jack replied.
"If we're havin trouble in this storm, Scharnhorst and Hammer aren't fairing any better no doubt," Spider-Man commented.
"I'm willing to bet we were able to get a fairly good head start on em and gain some good headway, so we should make it to this City in the Sea safely," Regina added. Everyone then went pretty silent before their attention drifted towards Lucia as she stood at the very edge of the jungle thicket and held a single hand out, cupping the water in her palm as the rain pelted the leather.
"So strange..." she said softly.
"What is?" Hannah asked.
"That something that can give life and revitalize the earth can be so soft and gentle, yet in turn become so harsh and deadly, capable of death. So strange..." Lucia replied as she gazed off into space.
'She's almost like a child...' Mega Man thought to himself, with how almost naïve and sweet Lucia was, despite having a nearly firm regal air around her, she had this immense vibe of innocence around her.
"HWAAAAHHH! HEEHAH! HMMMMNAH! HAA! HEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLP!" the brief tender moment of silence was broken up by the screams and gasps for air of a girl calling for help desperately.
"Cwahoon!" Hannah yelped as everyone got to their feet and started running for the source.
"Who in the world is crazy enough to have gone out in this weather!?" Batgirl asked, their various boots splishing and splashing against the soggy earth.
"Besides us ya mean?" Spider-Man asked before they saw a stream that had turned into rushing rapids towards a large body of water. Although distant still they saw black hair and a girl's face popping in out of the water, gasping in water before she was swiftly taken to the body of water and submerged. Unknown to them it was Jennifer as she tumbled beneath the water's surface, going deeper and deeper before her feet firmly hit the ground. Stabilizing but lacking air she swiftly tried to swim upwards but a firm pulling on her ankles prevented her from doing so. Her eyes went wide as she looked down, pumping her legs frantically she saw seaweed had wrapped around her feet, ankles and shins firmly, trapping her legs as the seaweed would pull taught and prevent her from moving. Already her vision was going incredibly blurry and her lungs burning as she gripped her throat, unaware of Link diving into the water and rapidly swam towards her. Swiftly drawing his sword he gripped the seaweed at the base and swiped, slicing it free. Feeling a sudden release of pressure, Jennifer frantically swam upwards, Link in tow before Jennifer's eyes widened when her lungs couldn't take it anymore, and ended up gasping, letting out a flurry of bubbles as she blacked out moment before she surfaced and began to tilt onto her back, but threatened to go under again before Link grabbed her and started to swim her back to shore.
"You got her!" Mega Man exclaimed.
"Will she be alright?" Regina asked as Link got close to shore as he began to hoist Jennifer up a bit.
"I think so but..." Link paused as he quickly put Jennifer onto the shore as Jack and Felicia got her arms, but when her stomach hit the ground she lurched.
"HNMMAN! BLUAHG!" Jennifer threw up the water in her lungs, proceeding to cough and gag, gasping occasionally as she gripped the soil hard, Link proceeding to rub her back to help sooth her before she started to climb ashore. "I think I'm gonna be sick..." she rested on her hands and knees while Link climbed out as Mega Man couldn't help but stare at her for a moment, taking note of her appearance.
"Guys, I don't think she's from around here," he whispered.
"I think you're right, her skin is pale. Well...it would be after nearly drowning but...she's not tanned like Jack, Hannah, Felicia, or...anyone here," Batgirl agreed as Lucia then stepped forward.
"Are you alright miss? How did you get here?" she asked.
"I'm not sure...I...was chased by a bunch of monsters...ended up dangling over the water channel which then started to flow and...I..." Jennifer paused as she looked up but couldn't help but stare in complete and utter shock at the onsomble of people before her, more so her surroundings afterwards. "...where in the world am I?"
"Welcome to an alternate world and future of earth," Mega Man replied. "Or in this case, your first steps into the Multiverse."
"The...Multiverse?" Jennifer asked.
"It's a bit complicated to explain, and now's neither really the time or the place," Link replied as he took her arm gently and helped her to her feet.
"Right. And while a bit much, all I can ask is just trust us, and you should be fine," Batgirl said.
"What's your name?" Hannah asked.
"It's...Jennifer...Jennifer Simpson..."
"Well, to try and make introductions short and sweet but to the point, I'm Mega Man. And this is Spider-Man, Link, Batgirl, and Regina. And this is Jack, Hannah, and Felicia, natives to this current world," he said, and each nodded or made some friendly wave upon being called. "And this..." he was about to say, but Lucia quickly got closer and reached for Jennifer, taking them all by surprise as she then gripped a pocket on her jacket that was sagging heavily more than the other side, and clearly felt something inside.
"You have a powerful magical item in your possession! It's...incredible!" Lucia stated.
"Whoa, energy sensitive!" Spider-Man commented.
"What are you carrying?" Jack asked.
"I...found this in my world, but...maybe you know what it is?" Jennifer asked as she reached and pulled out the Emerald.
"Say, that looks an awful lot like the Emerald we found in our world!" Link stated.
"It's a different color, but no doubt in the same family," Mega Man added.
"Talk about a double good find," Spider-Man remarked.
"May I hold it?" Lucia asked.
"I don't see why not," Jennifer replied, giving it to Lucia, whom not properly felt the jolt of energy through her fingers but didn't flinch like Jennifer did when she first picked it up. Lucia gazed at it with wide eyes, and was deeply fascinated as she gently cupped it in her hands.
"Such incredible power...I had no idea such a relic existed...is it possible for such a thing to exist without Althena willing it? It's...like one could channel their power through this and become even stronger...potentially even achieve..." Lucia didn't get to finish as suddenly a bolt of energy flew from a nearby treetop, zapped into the Emerald and proceeded to strike Lucia from the Emerald. "AUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" lights flashed as Lucia's hair and cape flowed around widely, everyone was caught off guard before the energy stopped, the Emerald dropping from Lucia's hands and began to roll across the ground as she began to fall backwards limply, and was then caught by Mega Man and Link before Jennifer dove and the Emerald and slammed her palms over it.
"Hmmhmhmhuwahahahahah...AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Neifirst's voice bellowed from the treetops, making everyone look up in surprise and horror. "You played as my unwitting pawn little girl. Who'd have ever guessed you'd show up, with one of the Chaos Emeralds within your possession? It was just what I needed to enact my plot."
"Blast you Neifirst, how long have you been stalking us!?" Spider-Man demanded as he shook his fist in the air while Jennifer cupped the Emerald towards her chest fearfully as she got up and rested on one knee.
"Long enough. Unlike most of you I was "designed" to cope and handle harsh environments and the like. This is nothing," Neifirst replied.
"I...ahhh...I...eheh...c...can't...barely...uhhhh..." Lucia groaned, barely even able to speak.
"Lucia!" Mega Man yelped.
"What in the world's wrong with her?" Link asked.
"Hmhmhmhm...save you strength Lucia. That spell I casted into the Emerald and in turn unto you sapped you of your powers for a time. While normally it wouldn't have worked on you even slightly, but with the Chaos Emerald's amplification qualities, it increased the spell's power by a tenfold. You're now virtually nothing more than a mere human," Neifirst retorted. "Plus you'll need your strength to return to your former, glory, and in turn, unlock your full potential and powers in the process..."
"So you DO know what these Emeralds are! Tell me!" Batgirl demanded.
"Hmhmhm...indeed I do. At least as far back as I care. So you now have two in your possession out of seven. Only five remains to potentially acquire before I have to come and collect those in your possession. Only time will tell," Neifirst replied. "Take good care of Lucia heroes. She is extremely important. Hmhmhmhahahahahahaaaaaa..." her voice then echoed and faded into the noise of falling rain before Jennifer got to her feet, turning and running to Lucia as she was still be supported to stand.
"I'm so sorry Lucia! I...I didn't mean for this to happen..." Jennifer was on the verge of panicking badly.
"Don't be...it wasn't your fault...I can't be mad at one who...couldn't predict the future..." Lucia replied softly.
"Rrrg! Neifirst came outta nowhere! This is nearly as bad as when Venom up and gets the jump on me at times! She was invisible to my Spider-Sense!" Spider-Man exclaimed angrily.
"Calm down. I think we should be thankful we're even still in one piece after such an encounter," Regina said. "Then again...that does raise some good suspicions. At least to my mind."
"We'll have to unfortunately deal with them as they come, we don't have the luxury to sit and plan all the time," Jack stated as Mega Man and Link carried Lucia over to a dry spot in the jungle and laid her on her back while Hannah knelt down near her, pulling out various medical ingrediants from her pouches and belt.
"So...you're a goddess?" Jennifer asked as she knelt down near her as well, Felicia beginning to pick some stuff from nearby plants and trees.
"A goddess from another world. We met her just as she arrived here, and she's on a mission to find someone important," Hannah replied as she mixed herbs and the like before gently opening Lucia's mouth and began to feed her slightly. "Hmmm...does the name Annet Myer mean anything to you?"
"Can't say it does..." Jennifer replied sadly.
"Was worth a shot. She's apparently supposed to have been in New York, but Lucia got sent here due to...well, the Blue Spire here was the only one closest to a version of New York. Or in this case, The City in the Sea," Hannah said.
"The City in the Sea? New York's got a new...wait..." Jennifer paused as she looked around at the jungle foliage again as Felica came over and poured a liquid into Lucia's mouth, and already she seemed incredibly soothed as she drifted off to sleep. "If we're near..."New York", what's with the thick tropical jungle?"
"Alternate world and future where a cataclysm changed the entire landscape of Earth," Regina replied. "Or so I've been told."
"Now don't freak out, but..." Batgirl said as she got closer.
"But what?" Jennifer asked.
"...there are dinosaurs around," Batgirl replied. There was a bit of a pause as the two simply stared at each other.
"Real...dinosaurs?" Jennifer asked.
"Carnivores to herbivores," Link replied.
"...I'm in for a long journey home," Jennifer mused.
"So, rather oddball question here, least compared to everything else," Felicia said.
"Which is?" Jack asked.
"How are we going to settle the seating arrangements now?" she asked. Everyone did ponder that before Mega Man took a head count, including himself there were ten total individuals. Looking at the Bat-cycle it could fit two people, and then turning to the Cadillac, it had feasibly five sitting spots. So that took care of seven positions. What to do with the other three was proving a touch tricky but, he soon hit upon the positioning for the final three.
"I think I got it," he said.
"Well don't leave us in suspense, what is it?" Link asked.
"Regina, you'll be riding with Batgirl still," Mega Man replied.
"Obviously," Regina quipped.
"Jack and Hannah, you two are still in the front of the Cadillac. Now, for the back seat. Jennifer, Felicia and I will be in the back, and we'll have to have Lucia across our laps while she rests. As for Link and Spider-Man, they'll have to basically sit on the trunk behind us," Mega Man continued. "It might not be the most comfortable but it's the best we got for now. Otherwise one would have to lay across the floor of the car at our feet and that might not be the best position to be in when we end up having to speed."
"Fair enough, we gotta make do with what we got," Spider-Man said.
"Says the man who can easily stick to things like his name sake," Link retorted.
-Within an unknown city-
The rain continued to pour as it slowly drenched a particular modest little house. Inside one could hear the soft clacking of a woman's high heels as her tall, slender pale shapely legs paced up and down the house. Garbed in a red-ish business suit with a short skirt, white undershirt and black shoes she roamed about. Her green eyes pouring over papers she was carrying as her semi short blond hair draped over her shoulders. Her lips curved on her sweet face she pondered the events mentioned in the news articles, papers and whatever other blurbs she had potentially jotted down from various sources, her mind raced as there were also rough sketches and diagrams.
Included among these were drawings, sketches, and photos of unusual events and such going on, peculiar discoveries, sightings of creatures, portals and rifts of differing sizes and shapes, some very very specific. In addition colored streaks going through the sky, being just as vivid in the daytime as much as night. The world seemed to be going nuts.
"So many peculiar events going on here…bizarre reports, sightings…I know it can't be them again, this isn't anything like those two events. But yet…gaahhhh…am I in the wrong business?" she mused to herself as she ruffled her hair as she pondered. "I feel like I'm more in detective work than being a reporter with this stuff…my mind just isn't on "writing articles" with this stuff…not to mention it'll likely be withheld to prevent a panic." she wandered her home a little bit more before stopping in silence for a moment.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she groaned in frustration as she flung her papers into the air as they fluttered about. "Things were a lot easier when I was able to have a direct hands on direct contact with the stories, least then I had more or less solid evidence and a whole lot less speculation!" she moaned as the papers settled around her feet after floating down for a few moments before she gingerly stepped around them and went to a window.
"Face it girl…" she said in a begrudged tone as she put her forearm against the glass and thudded her forehead against it. "You can't get used to "normal", you have to have some sort excitement in your life to feel like you're really doing something, living…" her eyes glanced up and looked through the wavering water on the pane before she saw some shapes in the distance outside in the rain, spotting what seemed to be a familiar shade of green hair.
"…Lila?" she asked in a bit of surprise, wondering why her friend was out so late, and more over, who was she with as she didn't recognize any of the other figures. Not wasting a second she quickly ran for the front door of the house, unlocking it she swiftly darted out into the pouring rain as fast she could towards the people she saw. "Lila! Lila wait!" she frantically waved as the figures seemed to turn, but with a quick splash soaking one of her bare legs her foot plunged into a hole and the landing threw off of her balance, causing her to yelp as she stumbled forward, soon being caught by someone. Blinking a bit she looked up and saw a dark haired woman in unusual armor gazing down at her, soon feeling a bit of a timid chill running down her spine before she noticed the others.
"So much for just walking casual, this woman just came barreling out of the house at us!" a woman with blond hair dressed in unusual green and blue garb remarked as she pulled up her hood slightly to get a look at reporter.
"And just who might you be? And who's this, Lila?" the woman in armor asked.
"...oh my..." was all the reporter could mutter at the moment as she really started to soak in their unusual appearances, most so when she looked at the woman with green hair, looking strikingly familiar, it was virtually uncanny.
-In another house-
A green haired young woman was laying in her bed, tossing and turning a bit violently as she groaned, vivid visions haunting her mind. Warriors, destruction, monsters, and a name, constantly ringing out in many voices.
"No…s…stop….A…Annet…" she cried a little before her vivid blue eyes shot open upon a loud banging came from the front door, making her gasp in a cold sweat as she sat up quickly. Panting slightly as she wore a white nightgown she covered her face slightly before noticing how frantic the banging on the door was.
"Lila? It's me Carrie!" her friend's voice called as Lila quickly got out of bed and grabbed her robe, quickly slipping it on as she ran for the door.
"Carrie what's wrong?" Lila asked as she opened the door.
"I'm sorry for barging in so late, and in this weather but I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important," Carrie replied as she quickly slipped inside, completely soaked, much to Lila's shock. Before she could close the door however a few other young women slipped into the room as well, the seemingly tallest of the bunch closing the door behind herself. "Lila…I think these ladies are important." Lila looked at the girls in question, noticing the four of them looked very distinctive, but she ended up staring at the one who sported green hair like herself, only a bit more wild and her skin tone darker. Everyone noticed the two eye locking each other and backed off slightly as they approached each other slightly, despite the rather noticeable differences, more so in this dreary lighting the two of them looked fairly similar to each other, almost like that of long lost siblings or cousins, or somehow distant relatives.
The only real noticeable difference was their eyes, the golden brown clashed against the vivid blue, but yet both gazes were soft and gentle.
"You…have my blue eyes…back when I was younger…" Annet spoke.
"…Annet…Myer?" Lila asked.
"You know her? Already?" Carrie asked in shock.
"They…almost look like sisters," Fernandez said.
"I've…been dreaming about you…" Lila replied.
"Then it seems our meeting here tonight was more fortuitous than miss Carrie led us to believe," Shanoa stated.
"I feel better she spotted us out in the rain and not anyone else," Deedlit commented.
"So shall we discus what's going on then?" Annet asked.
"…wait here, and have a seat," Lila replied as she went off. Everyone went into a nearby room to sit down, Carrie going off to make sure the nearby drapes were all drawn so as not to draw anymore attention before Lila came back with a tray of cups and a pot of coffee.
"Is this hot chocolate?" Carrie Fernandez asked as she reached over and took a cup, and before anyone could reply she took a sip. "BLEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" her noise was not one of happy tastes.
"It's pretty strong, whatever it is," Deedlit commented after taking her own sip, but no one else made any remarks.
"It's what we would call coffee," Carrie replied.
"It's totally bitter is what it is…" Fernandez pouted a bit.
"So…do you want to share your story first?" Annet asked.
"I may as well," Lila replied before sitting down. "I was born and raised in the small town of Chany's Hill, before I moved out into the big city. Even when I was young I had some shall we say, "special" talents. I'm a bit of a psychic. Although people would often mistake "psychic" as only mental mind reading and telepathy, I am capable of enhancing capabilities and augmentations. For instance let's take a common combat knife, I can make it stronger, sharper and more powerful for a brief time. Simply put I can increase the damage output. And this was what got S-Swat's attention when I went to join. I was the youngest member of the force, and one of my earliest missions involved an incident at Chany's Hill. I met Carrie during that fiasco, back when she was just a student."
"That was when I was studying folklore at the university, things…got pretty messed up to say the least," Carrie stated.
"What exactly happened at Chany's Hill?" Deedlit asked.
"A portal to the underworld, Hades, was opened, and legions of unspeakable terrors were loose upon the town. Including Carrie there were only about eighteen or so survivors of the incident as a whole. It was a major tragedy, and many people and animals were turned. I managed to go to the source and seal it off, after defeating what I believe was potentially the leader of the underworld itself. I'm not entirely sure. After that, the one who had opened up the portal set his sights upon another town, and taking control of a power plant, the demonic forces were unleashed again. I put the mastermind to rest after I had defeated his sister…Cassandra. It was then I learned what I am," Lila paused as she reached into the top of her gown and soon pulled out a pendant upon a chain. "I, am a gate keeper."
"A gate keeper?" Shanoa asked.
"To make sure no one else tampers with the demonic forces again, and to keep any gateways to Hades closed. I promised Cassandra I would not give into the temptation like she and her brother did. She was so unlike her brother. I wish I could have helped her…she was born half demon, her body partially disfigured because of it. She was a caring and gentle soul…I actually miss her…" Lila replied.
"…like me," Annet said, which made everyone look on in confusion. "While I don't feel or look it, to extents…I am half demon."
"But…how can that be?" Shanoa asked, while Fernadez seemed a bit alarmed, as was Deedlit.
"It's my…well, "curse" you can call it. The blood of the Demon, Hastur the Destructor, managed to make me in a way that I could become his vessel. His way back into the world of the living. I was born in the Jungles of Peru, back in 1911. I was of course, very different from the rest of the girls. Although…I'm not even sure if I was actually born in Peru. That's just…where I remember being to be honest, all the years before are such a blur…I don't even remember my mother's name or her face…did I even have a real mother…I just…don't remember…" Annet said as she gripped her head and hunched over, soon shaking a bit.
"The forces of darkness had taken much from me too…so I know how you feel Annet," Shanoa said as she went over and put a hand on Annet's shoulder, having had a similar experience roughly. Annet sniffled a bit before she sat upright, trying to compose herself.
"Since that day…where I was abducted and tried to be sacrificed my life was never the same. Spending some time on the run from the cult before I managed to financially destroy it and get rid of their leader at the time. At the cost of Restiana…whom I had grown to consider almost a technical sister to myself…we both had the same blood in our veins," Annet stated. "The last thing I knew the world was getting swept up in another war…and now, here I am, far from where what little history I have matters…and yet from what I've been hearing, people are still somehow after me, and yet…also know of me."
"The dream I had seemed to indicate your life playing a role in some sort of pivotal event in the near future. If anything, that was quite clearly a premonition," Lila stated. "You have my support."
"As well as mine," Carrie smiled.
"In that case, would you mind giving us a...I think you call it a "lift"?" Deedlit asked, sorta gesturing with her arms and hands, not quite sure if she was demonstrating it correctly.
"You mean a ride?" Lila guessed.
"Yeah we've kinda been running around in the open rain on foot for awhile now," Fernadez replied.
"We should legitimately consider getting a bath before we get sick," Shanoa added.
"Well I do have a decent sized tub and shower, just...don't take this the wrong way but do you even know how to take a bath?" Lila asked. Annet, Fernandez, Shanoa and Deedlit all raised their hands in response.
"I think she specifically meant how to use a modern bath and shower," Fernadez quipped.
"Well there's two of us each, we can likely help them with the basics depending on who wants to do what," Annet said.
"Well, if that's all settled, where is it that you wanted a lift to?" Carrie asked.
"We need a lift back to Chicago if that's possible," Annet replied.
"It'll be a bit of a drive but we can do it. Just we'd need a van to really accommodate your rather unique appearances," Lila said.
-A day or so later back in Cadillacs and Dinosaurs-
It had finally stopped raining, and our heroes had rode through a good portion of the jungle, and were nearing it's opening to the desert and rocky terrain. Everyone was still on edge a bit as they rode through the jungle before eventually stopping.
"I think we should stretch our legs a bit," Jack said as everyone opened the doors to the Cadillac while Regina and Batgirl got off the bike.
"Good idea, I'm getting a bit stiff," Felicia said as Mega Man picked up Lucia bridal style and carried her unconscious body out as they stretched their limbs a bit, the constant noise of the various animals of the jungle emanating around them. They walked through the jungle briefly as they then came to where the treeline opened up to the vast desert planes, the sun shinning brilliantly inward at last for them.
"Finally, ya see that guys? We're almost outta here," Batgirl stated.
"Followed by a brief ride through the desert, I believe we'll be fine," Hannah said.
"Tenrec," a deep echoy voice spoke suddenly.
"Huh? Who's..." Link didn't get to finish as next thing they knew suddenly a tall lizard-like man stepped out before them, with yellow eyes, wearing a purple cloak with a little bag tied around his next as he carried a walking staff with a curved top.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Jennifer shrieked loudly before Regina promptly covered her mouth, still screaming but muffled she was so shocked and horrified.
"Jumpin jimmy ya scared us!" Spider-Man wheezed a bit.
"Hobb! What are you doing here?" Jack asked.
"You'll have to excuse her, she's a bit of a newbie at this," Regina interjected, as she used her other hand to poke the very top of Jennifer's head, whom while no longer screaming was basically frozen in fear, until the prodding got her to glare at Regina, prompting her to forcibly shove her hands away in a huff.
"Are you completely desensitized or what!? This is a Grith!" Felicia protested as she waved a hand in Hobb's general direction before looking at him. "Isn't he?" obviously stating she never met one before.
"Yes, and it's ok to be a little nervous. They aren't evil by a long shot but...I can't say I'm getting used to them fast," Hannah added.
"We've sensed many unusual disturbances in the land, and felt the presence of someone of incredible power," Hobb stated.
"You mean you've sensed Lucia here?" Mega Man asked as he walked over a little, holding up the unconscious Lucia in his arms.
"Yes, bring her here," Hobb replied to which Mega Man obliged quickly, and Hobb gazed down on her unconscious form. "A goddess of the flesh, able to walk among us. But she is but a child in truth." he lowered his head as he gazed upon Lucia with a very observant eye.
"Do you think you can help her?" Mega Man asked.
"I can not restore her powers that were ripped from her body, those must be restored on her own. But, this is the least I can do," Hobb replied as he soon waved a hand over her face, fully revealing he only sported three fingers. A brief glow appeared and soon settled into Lucia, making her eyes tremble before opening. She glanced over at Mega Man briefly, before looking over at Hobb, proceeding to gasp as she leaned away a little, closer to Mega Man. "It's alright, child of the Blue Star, I'm a friend."
"Oh...thank you, I feel much better now," Lucia said as Mega Man set her on her feet. She wobbled slightly but put her hands to her head, taking a deep breath and steadied herself, soon standing upright and looked much more normal now, no longer having a pained expression almost constantly.
"You can read minds, can you?" Mega Man asked, to which Hobb nodded.
"Yes, and we can share memories with others," he replied.
"I can vouch for that," Hannah added.
"I doubt that was the only reason you came here," Jack commented.
"No. I also came to warn you. The one who attacked Lucia seeks others like her as well. Even if they aren't goddesses, so long as they are extremely extraordinary they are not safe," Hobb replied.
"You mean she'll be after Wonder Woman and the like?" Link asked.
"So in other words they'll be like bucks in season," Regina remarked as she put her hands on her hips. "Oh joy, that'll be fun." she rolled her eyes a bit.
"But that is not the only reason I came here," Hobb stated. "We had also sensed a relic becoming active nearby, hidden within the mountains, you must recover it before anyone else does."
"Probably good idea, but we need to get to Dahlgren and inform her of what's going on," Jack said.
"I can go, I know how to run your ship. Plus she knows me enough that I can more easily and quickly pop in unannounced," Spider-Man suggested.
"It maybe a good idea to take Jennifer and the Emerald with you, to keep both her and the Emerald safe," Link added.
"I'll come along too," Batgirl added. "We'll send Mustapha back with the Cadillac so he can pick you back up. I'll also bring an extra set of wheels, and then head straight back with my bike."
"That maybe best, this is all a bit much for me right now," Jennifer agreed.
"Come here, first," Hobb requested.
"P...pardon?" Jennifer asked before Hannah put a hand on her shoulder.
"It's ok, he probably just wants to help you calm down," she replied. Jennifer gulped faintly but then proceeded to walk over to Hobb a little nervously but stopped within arm's reach, attempting to establish a bit of trust. Hobb then raised a hand up towards her face faintly, and she felt she almost fell into a bit of a trance but she simply felt Hobb's presence within her slightly.
"You have suffered much child, yet despite these hardships you've managed to retain yourself. But, there is much turmoil within you," Hobb stated, which seemed to surprise Jennifer a bit, but she then quickly looked sad as she looked away.
"Turmoil? What's wrong with her?" Lucia asked.
"She is a very special child, one who bears a great destiny, this much I can sense, as do all of you," Hobb replied, which made everyone look in surprise, and startled Jennifer she was in a state of disbelief. "You must temper this child and keep her safe, the sake of the Multiverse itself rests on it."
"Hobb, if you've now become a bit more aware of the Multiverse maybe you can help us a little more," Jack said.
"Do you know where Annet Myer is? I must see her," Lucia pleaded.
"I have sensed her, but only through a brief dimensional rift. She has ended up in another world recently, but I only sensed her travel through the void, and that she was not alone. Where she is now I can not help you more. Only know she is somewhere among the vast sea of worlds, and will likely keep on traveling. Like you she is being hunted," Hobb replied.
"A vast race without a clear destination," Felicia commented.
"The fun kind," Link mused as he held his arms behind his back, getting a strange look from Felicia.
"Well where is this relic?" Regina asked.
"Not far. It's within ruins that way," Hobb replied as he pointed his staff at an angle into the jungle, away from the path they had taken.
"Alright, we won't be long," Jack said as Spider-Man, Batgirl and Jennifer got into the Cadillac.
"I think it'll actually be better if we wait in Jack's garage now that I think about it," Spider-Man remarked as he started it up.
"True. But I'll still come back once I deliver an extra set of wheels. Don't want to leave the cycle to be scooped up by unsavory types," Batgirl replied as they drove off as everyone else proceeded for the ruins. It took about an hour or so of a trek through the jungle before the group reached the ruins, finding a set of stone steps leading up to a heavily foliage and vine covered entrance.
"Well no wonder no one found this, from afar and through the trees this is just about invisible," Hannah remarked as they approached the steps.
"Not to mention being far off the beaten path, and Scharnhorst tends to search for things more inland than this close to the shore and badlands. Plus with limited man power, she can't really send out her men to search every square inch," Jack added.
"So a bit of a sweet spot. And since I think we finally lost them, we shouldn't have any unwanted company coming in or waiting outside for us when we come out," Link said.
"At least there better not be," Regina glanced over her shoulder into the thicket, scanning around for any other noises or activity, but was just hearing the now typical jungle noises at this point, the various chirps and low noises it gives off almost regularly. Everyone carefully walked up the weather beaten and plant covered steps, going up to the entrance without any incident thankfully. Once at the top they took a look at the vines and such covering the entrance, and they tested to see how sturdy it was by pulling and pushing on it, as well as trying to pry it apart, but it was all tightly tangled and thick.
"No way we're just walking through this," Felicia stated.
"We'll have to cut it down," Batgirl said as she drew a batarang, as Jack pulled the knife from his boot, Hannah took her knife from the holster that hung on her left hip, and Link drew his sword as they started cutting and hacking away. As they were doing that, Regina, Mega Man and Felicia were keeping an eye out for any activity within the jungle. Lucia was doing so as well, but couldn't help but notice the various colored plants, branches and so on, that were on the walls to the left and right of the entrance while facing it. One portion of the wall came close to the treeline a bit. As she gazed out though, she couldn't help but feel like there was something out there somewhere. Nothing threatening but like there was some sort of presence, a gentle and peaceful one making it's way towards her. She turned more in that direction for a moment before there was a loud plopping sound from the entrance that made her look to see the clear entrance.
"We're through!" Hannah said, getting everyone else to look as they all peered into the deep dark depths as the corridor went on a good ways.
"And into a typical bleak dark place like usual," Link remarked.
"We don't got much light, so unless we find some working torches on these walls, we really gotta mind ourselves," Regina said as she and Hannah took out flashlights as Jack turned on the one mounted on his weapon, while Lucia held a hand out briefly, and had to focus for a bit but did manage to form a glowing orb in her palm that shed a fair bit of light.
"Wasn't quite sure if you could still use magic," Mega Man commented.
"My more powerful spells maybe, but I can still generate some magic at least. Although a lot less potent than it was before," Lucia replied as they started walking inside. The corridor went on for several feet before there was a staircase leading down a little ways. As they shined their lights down to see if they could look that far, and were able to see the floor faintly but there was a faint brief sound that echoed. "What was that?"
"I think it was water," Hannah replied.
"It was a faint drip that just echoed. There must be a body of it somewhere down there," Felicia said.
"The entrance was dry, but there might be a river in here," Jack said as they started to head down the steps, wondering what to expect.
-Jack's garage-
After a bit the group were pulling up towards Jack's garage, and it was a huge massive bright building that was across a wide crevice.
"That's Jack's garage!?" Jennifer yelped as she put her hands on the edge of the passenger and river seats and leaned forward in shock at the huge building. "It's more like a castle!" as she spoke the gate opened up while a metallic extending bridge coming out to allow them to cross.
"It's more like a fortress but same diff I suppose. It's a well built monument some might say," Batgirl replied as they pulled up inside and parked.
"Hey, where's Jack, Hannah and the others?" a black man asked from atop a railing, he had on a bright yellow head bandana of sorts, wearing a purple t-shirt, deep blue pants, grey boots, yellow wristbands secured with silver-ish straps. He was a well built fellow with a small mustache and dark eyes, but overall had a pleasant air about him.
"They're checking out some ruins. You and I will be taking the Cadillac back along with one extra set of wheels," Batgirl replied as she and the others got out of the car via their respective doors, although in truth she and Spider-Man leaped out over the side while Jennifer was the only one who let herself out normally.
"Right, let me come down there real quick," he said before quickly heading over to an elevator that quickly took him down to ground level in a few seconds. "So who's this?" he gestured to Jennifer while coming over.
"Mustapha Cairo, meet Jennifer Simpson," Spider-Man replied.
"Cairo? As in like...n...never mind," Jennifer shook her head, dismissing the brief thought that came to mind. "Well it's nice to meet you Cairo." she gently held onto one of her arms slightly.
"Hey, I never actually met anyone so formal before. Which settlement are you from?" Mustapha asked, genuinely curious, more so upon noting how rather pristine and, in a way, normal her clothes were as Batgirl went to another jeep. Jennifer gave him a brief look before figuring what he meant.
"I'm from London. The actual state...technically," Jennifer replied.
"She's another off worlder like you?" Mustpaha asked as he went to drive the Cadillac out.
"More or less. But wait till you see the others," Spider-Man replied. Mustapha was going to ask, but figured he shouldn't waste time as he and Batgirl quickly drove off back out into the wilderness.
"Whew...this place is a bit warm. Normally I was going to ask if there was a place where I could temporarily hang my clothes to dry, but I should be fine in a short while here," Jennifer remarked as Spider-Man quickly swung up to an upper level and closed the place up for the time being.
"Well that would be because this place is built upon an active volcano," Spider-Man replied.
"Volcano!?" Jennifer asked in a brief bit of disbelief before she recalled that brief bit of hot air as they went across the bridge into the garage. "You mean that area of hot air was because we crossed a moat of lava?"
"Pretty much," Spider-Man replied as he leaned over the railing.
"Boy this is gonna wreck havoc on me a bit. I'm not used to such a hot climate," Jennifer remarked.
"Oh. By the way, you might want to be cautious of wandering around here, since Hermes is on guard, pretty much twenty four seven," Spider-Man said.
"Hermes? Is he a pet?" Jennifer asked as she tilted her head.
"He is more or less a big guard dog, although only a lot bigger, can stand on his hind legs and hug ya with his arms," Spider-Man replied.
"...bigger and stand upright...? You mean he's a..." Jennifer tried to say while raising a hand and finger, but jumped and turned at the hip when she heard a large set of double doors open, and basically saw what she was basically gonna say, a guard dog dinosaur, complete with a massive collar and a small bit of chain hanging off of it. He was huge. He basically looked like a mini t rex, orange in color, with darker sprites across his back, and had bright blue eyes. Jennifer basically locked eyes with him as she could tell even from this distance he towered over her easily, and after she turned a bit more and took a few cautious slow steps back he started stomping towards her, causing her to freeze in a fair bit of fright as she shook.
"Don't give him a reason to attack, he's actually really friendly," Spider-Man told her, but Jennifer didn't really hear him over her heart loudly thumping in her ears as this massive beast walked right up to her, and brought it's head right up to her face, looking down at her down it's snout. A brief sniff was what she received before it then moved in to put it's arms around her, pulling her into a hug, her pupils shrinking when it moved in the way it did. She was still in shock at merely being hugged by Hermes, more so when it actually seemed to laugh a little. "He actually likes you already. He wants a little return of affection."
"A...a..a..a...at least I'm not shrieking my head off..." Jennifer replied, her voice very clearly shaking from how scared she was but swallowed before raising her trembling arms slightly and softly patted Hermes sides, or as much as she could reach. "O...ok down boy..." she tried to speak softly, and he seemed to release her, making her sigh briefly, only to get licked right in the face.
"DOOHH...PHHHH...boy..." Jennifer couldn't help but protest mildly as she put her hands to her face, wiping a bit before patting Hermes on the head, he really was like just a much larger dog. How many pounds or tons more she couldn't really guess. "Am I gonna have one heck of a story for Helen if I ever see her again..."
Chapter end.