Disclaimer: I don't own DC or Marvel
Extra long chapter in dedication to the Spider, Bat and X families
The Redeemer
Chapter 47: Family
Earth 616
The sky was darker, and it wasn't even supposed to be night. Peter swung through the streets, seeing the great damage his symbiote counterpart had done. He landed on a rooftop, overlooking the police clean up of a battle zone. Police detective Mac Taylor was in a bullet proof vest alongside Carlie Cooper. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, her assistants finally moving the bodies she had analysed.
'So many people dead, how much can the worlds take?' Peter wondered.
He felt the new arrivals behind him, Miles, Patrick and the new arrivals to their reality, 'Ghost Spider', sometimes referred to as Spider-Gwen and Spider-man's supposed sidekick, Spider-boy.
He was shorter and thinner built than even Peter had been when he just started out, his costume being the reverse colours of Peter's and lacking any webs, fittingly as he didn't have web shooters.
"How are you guys doing?" Peter asked.
"I just stopped a Stilt man, but his stilts were made of Groot," Patrick said.
"All sorts of screwed up characters are coming through the portals, I've lost count of how many variants of me have come through," Gwen said.
"My spider-sense has been going haywire, whenever I just land in an alleyway I feel someone in jeopardy," Spider-boy, AKA Bailey said.
His spider-sense operated on the basis that he could detect when other people were in danger. Peter looked at him in sympathy, not only was he younger than Miles, in this crisis he had to cope with seeing people in danger. Bailey grimaced, nearly falling into Miles and Gwen, who were ready to support him.
"I got a call from Cap, he needs Avengers, but I'm thinking, I've got family here that need me and I'm not the only spider hero after all," Peter said.
On the West Coast, at Avenger's academy, Ben Reilly took a moment without his mask. He had been working tirelessly on the android Amazo, focusing on the outer shell whilst the Pym's concentrated on the internal wiring. The clone of Peter Parker put on his mask as Amazo's eyes began to glow.
"Scanning, biological duplicate detected, perfect duplication achieved, no cellular degeneration detected, how is this possible?" the android asked, strapped to a gurney, speaking in an almost childlike tone.
"My creator got better through trial and error, for a while I thought I was the original," Ben said.
"Curious, there are methods to trace the chronological age of a clone, why were such methods not implemented?" Amazo asked.
"Believe it or not, we may be a big universe, but we rarely interact with one another, it's not like any of us have each other on speed dial," Ben explained.
"Which is a shame!" Hank suddenly said, growing to his full size as he jumped out of Amazo.
Janet followed him, both dressed in new uniforms. Hank went back to a variation of his original Ant-man suit, red and black with highlights of grey, grey and blue guards on his wrists and leg muscles. His silver cybernetic helmet had red ant-like lenses and a red mouth guard, both of which slid back as he removed his helmet, revealing the black collar of his costume also covered the back of his neck and ears. Janet's costume design had a similar motif, but was in what had become her iconic black and gold colours. She removed her own helmet as the yellow mouth guard on it slid down.
"Your notes on nano-tech, hell your work in general has been great, you should definitely consider joining the academy," Hank explained.
"You don't make a bad cup of coffee either," Janet complimented.
"Cap's sent out the call though, aren't you guys going to answer?" Scarlet Spider asked.
"In our way we will, Amazo was infected with some kind of nano-tech virus, it's a mixture of mysticism and future technology, the kind used by Kang, and a third set that makes it my responsibility," Hank explained.
"Our responsibility honey," Janet said, taking Hank's hand.
They were the proof that forgiveness reconciliation and redemption were all possible. Ben smiled underneath his mask, most of the super hero community dismissed Hank as a wife-beater (there was that one world). Or they judged him for the mistake of creating Ultron, an action built on the best of intentions, which was more than some super heroes could say on their own behalf. Hawkeye, Rogue, Gambit and their criminal pasts, Tony and Reed with the Illuminati and the super hero registration act. There was no excuse, but there was a reason for when Hank struck Janet, it was only once and it was when the stress of their insane lives had caught up with him. But it was possible for him to get help; he had been taking steps for years to do so. When Janet recognised this, that love they had for one another was rekindled.
Ben couldn't help but think that maybe he too would have gone on a downward spiral, if not for the world changing.
"Pym particles, that's the key to what's affected Mazo right?" Ben asked, clicking his fingers together.
"My designation is A-mazo," the android said.
"And we'll have you fixed up in no time," Janet said.
There was suddenly a chime on the lab's intercom, Hank walked over to the receiver, taking it off of the wall.
"Hank here, go ahead," he said.
"Hank, we have a bit of a situation out front, unless we bring the students out of their dorms, we're going to need some help," Tigra explained.
"We're on our way," Hank said.
He and Janet put on their helmets as Ben looked towards Amazo.
"Earth's mightiest heroes," he muttered.
"You do not believe you are worthy of them do you?" the android asked.
Ben looked towards the android, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
"I suppose I don't, everything I am is second hand, I suppose I'd hardly be the least famous hero to get on the team," he chuckled.
"On my Earth, I questioned my purpose, why did my creator make me; logically the answer was clear given his association with my world's greatest criminal mind. Initially I sought self improvement in order to fulfil a purpose I had set for myself, the elimination of Lex Luthor. However, unexpectedly it was Luthor himself who made me consider my search for purpose. Ironically, his desire to reform was merely an act, yet still there was logic in what he said to me. I had time to find my purpose, thus after a brief stay in the tower of Fate I flew into the Multiverse itself," the android explained.
"I wish I could say that was possible for me, even though I'm supposedly a perfect clone, my time is still limited," Ben said.
"But you are not alone," Amazo said and Ben lowered his head.
"That's just the problem for me!"
Earth 9-Reference AV
When Bruce Wayne had been drafted into a war for the Multiverse, he had had no idea of the possibilities he would encounter. Criminals were still trying to take advantage of the fact that this Earth lacked a Batman to protect it, and the world's premier super hero team, the Titans were missing. Young Bruce Wayne however still fought the good fight.
"What the hell, I thought you retired," one of the thugs robbing a store said.
"Guess again," the Batman said.
He landed in the middle of the thugs, wearing a costume far different from what the Batman they were familiar with wore. Plates of armour put together in the basement of Wayne tower, an armoured cowl worn over eye makeup, combat boots and a bat symbol made from gun parts. He had referred to himself as vengeance once, beating down criminals, the Riddler taught him that he needed to do more than just inspire fear. When the last of the criminals fell though, Bruce began to wonder if his belief in hope was a mistake too.
Dark operatives came out of the shadows, their weapons at the ready, clubs, guns, swords, all manner of tech far different from Bruce's 'grounded' Earth. They rushed him, forcing him on the defensive.
Then they arrived!
Electric tipped escrima sticks drew a line in the air, hitting the operatives hard, without any kind of restraint. Bruce made it a point to get in this Earth's Nightwing's way. The man was taken in by this Bruce Wayne, turned into his sidekick, his Robin, in essence a child soldier. It felt strange to Dick Grayson, fighting alongside a Bruce Wayne the same age as him, someone who struck hard but with just enough restraint, his movements uninhibited by age, not jaded by trauma and experience. There was none of the trust though as Bruce shielded even the operatives from some of Dick's hits. Bruce reacted quick, using his grapple gun to pull some of the operatives to the floor when gunfire echoed in the streets, and arrows flew past their heads. The Red Hoods existed as a gang on Bruce's Earth, the Red Hood of this Earth let out a string of curses in frustration for his missed shots. The other lethal vigilante was equally as frustrated, yet had more manners. Bruce changed his opinion of her methods when she revealed the arrows from her crossbow were non-lethal, 'trick arrows' for binding and trapping.
Her movements though, had that hint of grace, flexible like a cat, like Selina.
"FUCKING! FOR FUCK SAKE STOP GETTING IN THE WAY!" Red Hood yelled.
"Mind watching your mouth?" a woman in a purple bat costume with yellow boots, gloves and a short cape said.
Her skin tone and the fact he had heard one of the Robins call her Barbara made Bruce think that she could have been Jim's daughter, grown up and pulled into the insane life with a costume that looked like she had made it in her bedroom.
"I'd say a mouth like a sailor, but even marines have better manners," said another Batwoman, red gloves, a red wig; Bruce had heard the name Kane, like the name his uncle had used to escape the Arkham legacy.
"He's more immature than my Red Hood," said a Robin who looked as if he was ten years old, a black hood attached to his ninja style costume.
"They're done," Batman said.
He used his gauntlet taser on one of the operatives, bringing him down.
"Now we need to make sure they stay that way," Red Hood aimed his pistol.
"NO KILLING!" Bruce yelled, knocking the gun out of his hand.
"We're at war here," Jason said.
"But we are not executioners," Bruce glared at the young man.
"Bruce, try to remember that these are your allies," the voice of the only man he trusted came through on his comm.
Alfred hated Earth 9's Wayne manor, it looked as if unruly teenagers had lived in it. He sat alongside a young woman who was apparently Barbara Gordon. Earth 9's Barbara Gordon was Caucasian unlike the younger counterpart fighting alongside Bruce, she had lost her leg and suffered spinal damage in the line of duty. It was probably why she and Alfred were working so well together, the old soldier rubbing his wounded leg and the cane resting against his chair.
The Gotham city of Earth 9 had become a zone of which the forces of darkness were using, kidnapping people, making bases and sending operatives and villains from other worlds. In response, the forces that opposed the darkness, like Justice Incarnate and the Guardians, sent in operatives of their own.
Earth 9's Titans were missing, but it still had Dick Grayson, Jason Todd and Tim Drake to protect it with Barbara Gordon in support. From an Earth known as Earth 0 came a young Robin who in many ways reminded Alfred of Bruce when he was a boy. Then from what could have been an 'extension' of their universe was a Barbara Gordon who referred to herself as Batgirl. From another universe was a Batgirl who went by Barbara Wilson (Alfred knew a Wilson from his army days…but she couldn't be related right?) From another Earth that had the 'AV' designation attached to it was Batwoman, Kate Kane, Alfred recognised some of the military training even if it was clear from her discipline she was a dropout.
Huntress from Earth 2 got between her father and the hothead Jason Todd, like Grayson she felt awkward interacting with a man she called father who was the same age.
"Enough, this isn't up for debate Todd," she said.
"I see in one universe Kyle didn't get away," Jason grinned underneath his helmet.
Dick and Tim shook their heads whilst Bruce looked at Helena for a few seconds. Whatever reunion was cut short when something flew over their heads, landing ahead of them.
The final member and the only one who gave Alfred hope for Bruce's future.
The Batman from beyond.
"She's right, I just disrupted an arms deal between Joker and some of the dark operatives," Terry said.
"Joker's dead," Dick said.
"Not this one, leather jacket, has metal in his teeth," Terry said.
"He isn't from mine," Batgirl said and Bat-Wilson nodded.
"Please tell me you killed him," Jason said.
"Nope, just hurt him, really, really badly," Terry said.
"Bat family, we just got wind of a portal opening near Wayne tower, dark operatives and some villains coming through," Barbara Gordon said, sitting on her wheelchair, stroking the head of a dog that came from Terry's world.
"I'll go, you all return to GCPD and respond to anything else," Bruce said.
"You can't seriously be going in alone," Dick said.
"This was a mistake, we're out of synch, none of us have worked together," Bruce stated.
"Meaning you don't trust us," Jason huffed.
"Not like you've given us many reasons to trust us, I heard this guy murdered one of your Titan team mates right?" Barbara Wilson asked.
"At least I'm not going to war in tight leather, not that I mind the view," Jason grinned and the women gagged in disgust.
"All of you being here is a mistake," Bruce said.
"Father's right, the team should have had time to get to know one another first, our universes are just incompatible," Damian said.
"I'm not your father," Bruce looked down at the boy, his eyes briefly meeting Helena's. "All of you, you're all mistakes of the Batmen of your world, the real Batman," he added the last part looking at Terry.
"Finally a Bruce Wayne with self-awareness," Nightwing said.
"Easy on the names dick," Terry said, and he wasn't referring to the man's real name.
"None of you are from my world; none of you will be in my world. Training children for this, bringing other orphans into it, it's clear to me your Batmen were insane!" Bruce explained.
"I'll tell you what he wasn't, alone!" Terry snarled, glaring at the younger Batman.
"That's enough, all of you, that is quite enough," Alfred snapped over the radio, Ace barked in agreement. "I know this world is naturally more aggressive, alongside completely unnecessary profanity, but there is clearly something wrong."
"Or something in the air, Terry your suit, it was subtle before but your readings," Barbara Gordon said.
"I think I notice it too," Wilson sniffed. "Pheromones," realisation flashed in her eyes.
"Pheromones, Nightwing hasn't gotten the urge to make out with the Batgirls yet," Jason said.
"Not all pheromones trigger the sex drive, they can however trigger aggressive behaviour," Tim said.
"Who has filters?" Bruce asked.
Damian and Terry raised their hands, the Robin taking a mask out of his belt.
"Trace it, find out where it's at its strongest, Gordon, are there any other incidents in the area?" Bruce asked.
"Shootout downtown, but the police are on it, Wayne Tech was hit though, a Mr Freeze with extremely bad puns…"
"I think that's one of mine, I'll take Batgirl and Huntress with me on this," Wilson said.
"Fine, Batgirls respond to the Wayne Tech attack, Robin…Batman…"
"That was extremely painful for him wasn't it?" Tim asked Dick.
"Oh definitely, you can tell from the micro expression," Nightwing grinned.
"Find whoever is generating these pheromones, Hood, Nightwing, other Robin, you three go and back up the police at that shootout, no killing," Bruce stated.
His sidekicks, supposed family used their grapple lines, Bruce took out his own grappling hook, upgraded to allow him to traverse the rooftops. He swung, making his way to the incidents he heard of on his police radio.
Westview
Diego Maximoff, the High-Evolutionary, Magneto, they were all her father's in some way, whether by nurture, manipulation or blood. Today, Wanda was the daughter of Magneto, and the one who hurt her child would feel her wrath. The younger Wanda was inexperienced with her powers, she thought she had telekinesis; it was all aspects of her reality manipulation abilities though. She had only just become the Scarlet Witch; Wanda had been the Scarlet Witch for all of her life. Flying across the floor, she dodged the rudimentary red blasts Wanda fired. But as the Scarlet Witch she could go further, releasing a pulse that knocked her counterpart back. Weaving the chaos magic, she did more than deflect the energy balls Wanda threw, she surrounded them with a field, turned them to her side and redirected them, hitting Wanda with the intensity of slaps.
"You could reshape reality, you did reshape it, for the worse, and you're going to begrudge me creating my ideal family," Wanda said.
"By enslaving them, forcing them to be your view of a family, and where do you get this ideal? An old TV show!" Scarlet Witch seethed.
The darker Wanda's fingers turned black as she screamed, creating tendrils around her that tried to grab Scarlet Witch. But the Avenger rolled through the tendrils, forming a shield with her magic. The tendrils and Wanda's blasts were deflected, just as the Avenger created a hammer, swinging it by the strap and hitting aside even more of the rays Wanda fired. She was hysterical, panicking as the older woman got closer to her. Finally, Scarlet Witch crossed the distance, and showed yet another difference between them.
Slamming her palm in Wanda's face, Scarlet Witch grabbed her arm and flipped her over her shoulder.
"Guess another failing of your Avengers, my Cap, he taught me how to kick ass without my powers," she then slammed her fist into her other self, adding some magic to it.
Zack watched his mother beat her younger self back, throwing 'Westview Wanda' back with a punch that made her shift through forms, her gothic phase, Avenger's coats, black and white house wife, modern sitcom, Halloween costume, Scarlet Witch debut and corrupted sorcerer. She was thrown through the walls of the house she created, a house that collapsed in on her. But the rubble began to fade and revealed Wanda on her knees. Zack's mother though turned to him, suppressing her tears before rushing towards him.
"I knew you'd find us," Zack said, hugging her back.
"I've got you, I've got you my precious boy," she said, stroking his hair.
"Virgil, he's being flung across time, I need to help him," Zack said.
"I understand, we'll help him together, he's a part of this family too," Wanda said, smiling as she saw tears form in Zack's eyes.
"Family," he whispered.
His brothers, he imagined, Virgil and Sieg, both fighting side by side as Brainiac drones surrounded them. Sieg bashed several drones aside with his sword and looked over his shoulder at Virgil. The young man was taking time to recover, putting a hand to his face, adjusting to the fact he didn't have eight eyes anymore. Privately though Virgil hid the grief and self loathing he felt when he saw the version of his brother, his biological brother. The sons of a mutant scientist, Virgil left to extended family, and the other, Sieg, taken in by Virgil's teacher Sven. Yet one was apparently destined to become the heir of Aeon, the new Aeon. Red markings engulfed both boys, both brothers as they lashed out at their attackers. Sieg struck with his sword and Virgil created blades of anti-matter on his knuckles.
"Wolverine claws, nice," Sieg said.
Virgil hit the drones with a flurry of slashes, using the anti-matter energy in his feet to launch himself into his foes, his version of a Wolverine 'drill claw'. When he passed through the robots, he crossed his arms together, the X of the school that taught him, then he unleashed a blast from his eyes.
"And Cyclops's optic fury, but I can do homage's too buddy, how's this…" Sieg's voice drifted, energy ripping along the edges of his sword.
The energy turned into chaotic flames, blue flames that were actually the manifestation of Sieg's own mutant ability to create pure matter.
"GETSUGA TENSHOU!" he yelled, swinging his sword and slicing through the Brainiac drones.
Virgil huffed, his brother, a total geek, but he understood the reference so maybe he was a geek too. He had his own heroes, and he had once been proud to call them his heroes.
'X-men,' he thought. 'You guys had better be fighting in your own way!'
"Hear me, for class is now, in, session!"
Charles took a bite from the apple, placing it on the desk in front of his board. He smiled, despite the company he was in front of.
"Today's class, the necessity of violence and cruelty," he said brightly.
Yet he was in front of people who were very much violent and cruel. Omni-man, Amanda Waller, murderous Batmen and vigilantes.
"What the fuck, is this a bon induced hallucination?" Peacemaker asked, only for an apple to suddenly appear in his mouth.
"Ten demerits Mr Smith raise your hand if you have a question," Charles said.
He took the chalk on his desk and drew a series of pictures on the board, some being crude representations of Punishers, Peacemakers and other similar 'extreme' heroes.
"Why is it that we do not kill those whom, in the eyes of society, may very well have earned a death sentence?" Charles put the question forward, turning to his class.
"This is a psionic plane right? Well I'll answer your question," the Batman with an extremely bulky body said. "We're party to every person these villains kill when we let them live," he said, his fist tightening and slamming into the desk he sat at.
"Yeah, how the hell can we call ourselves the good guys if we're letting murderers back onto the streets?" Deadpool asked.
"Amanda, do you have an answer to that?" Charles asked.
"Which one?" Deadpool and Peacemaker laughed, for there were a multitude of Wallers.
One whom wanted her squad to kill the Justice League, another from a medieval world seeking to usurp her Kryptonian rulers, a young Waller who opposed an even younger Superman just beginning his adventures, one Waller who sought absolute power by taking the powers of all super heroes and the oldest Waller amongst them, the one who smiled as she spoke.
"Where do we draw the line at killing for protection, or simple self gratifying execution?" she asked.
"Very good Amanda, let us look at the Suicide Squad, across some realities they are simply the arm of Amanda Waller, enforcing her personal will and the interests of her government," he drew stick figures to represent Peacemaker, Quinn and Deadshot, sending them against Starros, a stick figure with a skirt (Enchantress) and the Justice league, as represented by the super hero logos.
"Across others, they represent an opportunity to use darkness against darkness, to grant those who are in it a chance to redeem themselves," Charles said.
"None of them deserve it!"
The speaker was Punisher, and Charles didn't bother to chide him as he did Peacemaker or Deadpool. Frank Castle was represented by where he was, the battle world used as a haven for refugees, the cloaked sniper watching over anyone who got out of line. But for a moment, he was the father coming home from war, the loving husband, the father who played with his kids and the simple man who could have lived a normal and peaceful life. The man who even in the face of being beaten by Captain America, refused to fight back because Captain America was his hero. A man who in one world, demanded others kill him when he believed he had crossed an unforgivable line.
"Waller puts bombs in criminal's heads, great, added punishment, but redemption, absolution, Harley Quinn's a monster no matter what angle you look at it, brainwashed? In love? It shows what kind of person she is to even fall for that clown's 'charms'," Punisher scoffed.
"But our war, this war, isn't just a simple matter of winning or losing, defeating the enemy, it is a war of ideas, where even the seemingly most necessary of evils can empower those we fight against," Charles said.
"So what are we supposed to do?" Omni Man, the Viltrumite known as Mark Grayson asked.
"You betrayed your team mates, all for an empire that is itself a snake oil market," Charles said. "The idea of empires is based on the principle that for you to be more, others must be less!"
"I live longer than most other species do; my strength is far beyond any human, why should I not think myself superior?" Nolan asked.
"Superior in body does not mean superior in morality or politics, the same faults present in human life was present in your life," Charles retorted.
"But the same faults were also present in mutant kind, the people who claimed to be the next step in human evolution," Deadpool said with his hand raised.
"A good point Mr Wilson, even my own actions have been cruel, perhaps evil to an extent," Charles said.
The image he made was clearly a representation of Danger, the AI, the living being he had ignored.
"The high ground is never easy, it's sometimes never rewarding and most of the time it doesn't even seem like it works, my X-men, my students, they have bravely fought for a world that hates and fears them, they have fought for a place in the world and for its people because they recognise that the loud are not the majority of this world and that we are at our strongest when we are doing the right thing, together," Charles declared.
Scott kept his eyes closed as he pulled down the cowl of his first original costume. The blue suit, which he wore as part of the original five and New X-men eras, represented some of his darkest moments. Sliding his visor over his eyes, he looked to his brothers, Havok and Vulcan finished changing into their traditional costumes. Alex wouldn't act as a member of the Avenger's unity division, but as an X-man, so he wore his very first containment suit. They joined the other X-men, Colossus and Nightcrawler were still in their symbiote suits, their psyches left dominant by the telepathic intervention of Quinton Quire and Rachel Summers, the latter in her red hound costume.
"All right team, Sentinels have been deployed into the warzones, but their circuitry has been corrupted," Cyclops explained.
"Big surprise there," Iceman muttered.
"Reinforcements will be on the way, our job right now is to hit at the Sentinel raiding parties striking locations across the Multiverse," Cyclops stated.
"We're a little short on X-men here, where's our resident bubber…bub?" Bobby asked, making ice claws on his knuckles.
"Doing what he does best," Cyclops said.
"Most have it wrong about Logan, they believe that what he does best is killing, the X-men though know this to not be the case!"
The lessons continued, but Charles was not facing those who turned to darkness across the Multiverse. His new students were very different, and very familiar.
Wolverine let out deep and angry breaths, the specific Weapon X lab that he and his team had occupied was not the one that had given him his Adamantium. It did however drag to the surface the memories of what was done to turn him into the perfect weapon. The one experimenting on him now though was not from Weapon X, Logan still considered him an enemy though. Magneto still had his helmets floating around him; he was still determining which version of himself he would be playing.
"Let's get this over with," Logan snarled.
"Logan," she whispered beside him.
His healing factor immediately purged anaesthetic from his system. But there were other forms of pain killers, one gently took his hand and smiled at him. Jean Grey always invoked powerful feelings in Logan, it was a form of love, but he had accepted a long time ago that it was not a love as powerful as what she shared with Scott Summers. Her psychic touch on his mind though was still powerful in its own right. For Hank, Warren and Ororo it was the touch of a sister, for Charles a daughter, for Logan it was a reminder of all the good in his life and in his past too.
'Rose,' he thought.
Darkness seeped around them, for though Jean's intentions were pure, she overrode Logan's recollection. Instead of remembering his childhood friend falling in love with another man, or falling onto Logan's claws, he remembered the children they were, playing with Dog on the Howlett estate. She nodded to Erik, who released his magnetic pulse. Bars of adamantium had been lined up, indestructible if struck by hammer or heat, but under the grip of the master of magnetism the solid turned into flowing liquids.
"We need you to be a weapon again Wolverine," he said.
"No Logan, we need you to be an X-man, to be the best version of yourself," Jean assured him.
The liquid metal drilled through Logan's cheeks, his shoulders, knees, knuckles, toes and chest, working its way through his bloodstream, around his muscles, and over his bones. Despite Jean's psychic intervention however, Logan still screamed as there was some pain even telepathy couldn't wipe away.
It was a pain Old Man Logan remembered, even as he and his adopted son Banner JR fought at the ruins of the Xavier Institute. They weren't alone though, as Banner punched a zombie like Sentinel across the face, the telekinetic Psionic blasted one behind him. Logan tore through some of the Sentinels with his claws, joined by his cloned daughters, Old Woman Laura and Honey Badger. Their apocalyptic world was bringing its heroes back, slowly and with as many wins and loses as they had experienced in the past. The never ending battle between good and evil continued into the future.
But that future wasn't alone anymore. Portals opened throughout different times and different worlds.
In the world of GeNext, the children of the X-men were astonished when they saw their old heroes return. Colossus landed beside his Grandson Pavel and proceeded to knock back a Sentinel. Oliver Raven, the son of Rogue and Gambit flew between two Sentinels, making them shoot one another. He was about to get hit by another when his uncle of another world teleported him out of the way.
An elder Kurt, father of the Exile Nocturne dodged blasts fired by the darkness infected Right members. The armoured mechs fired their batteries, hitting the stern skin of Apocalypse's son Armageddon. One of the Right mechs was suddenly cut open by Magik and her sword, she and Kitty landed through the ground, coming back up.
"Wait a minute, isn't this a future, how come I look younger here?" Shadowcat asked, seeing her younger counterpart Sprite disabling one of the mechs.
"Maybe she just aged more gracefully than you," Illyanna said, pouting as Kitty punched her arm.
Storm and her team, Rictor, Dazzler, Forge and Marrow were thrown into a future city, where mutants and humans alike struggled against Sentinels.
"Again you foul automatons turn on your creators, yet despite your evolutions, you are still vulnerable to the Storm!" Ororo brought down bolts of lightning on the machines.
Bishop and Shard ran out of their cover, firing their blasters and going to the new cover that Rictor provided. Marrow dragged her bone knives down the back of a Sentinel, catching a grenade Forge threw to her and throwing it inside. Bishop put his blaster on his back, his muscles glowing as Dazzler bombarded him with beams of light. The XSE officer's eyes flashed before he fired a blast towards the Sentinels in the sky.
Jubilee was ecstatic as she and her team, Monet, Chamber and Husk arrived in a future where she was leader of the X-men.
"Knew it, I'm awesome," Jubilee said.
"Of course we are," her older counterpart, leader of the X-people smirked.
They lit up the skies with fireworks, knocking out the Purifiers, their already foul ideals corrupted by the darkness. Husk shredded her outer skin, taking on a metal hide and punching her way through Purifiers alongside Angry Eagle and Simian. Chamber went back to back with Push, the girl using her telekinesis to use debris as shields whilst the Generation X founder fired blasts through his scarf. Monet took on her Penance form, brandished her claws and ran into the Purifiers.
The X-men of the year 2099, the rebels of the Days of Future Past, the X-men whom fought against the Sublime infected Beast, whether it was a fight for tolerance or survival the X-men were still united and not alone.
Like in Bayville, where Cyclops landed with his siblings.
"To me my X-men," he declared.
The young X-men were astonished when they saw their older counterparts coming to their aide. Angel changed to his Archangel form and charged through a line of dark creatures. Adam X slashed several of the creatures, and then boiled their insides with his powers. Vulcan blasted the demons, cursing when Adam X got in his way. Vulcan and Adam however were astonished when they saw that the energy blast had no affect on the Shiar Hybrid.
"Get off of our lawn," Bayville's Cyclops said.
"What he said," Cyclops stood alongside his younger counterpart.
They crossed their arms together in an X shape before unleashing their optic blasts on the airborne demons.
"Family, it goes beyond blood!"
Peter and Miles swung through the city; portals were opening everywhere, revealing variations of their famous villains. The two Spider-men punched an armoured Rhino together, Miles shorting the armour out with his venom blast. Peter gave Miles a boost, and he turned invisible as he threw Patrick, the Iron spider slid his mechanical arms out and duelled with Lady Octopus, distracting her long enough for Miles to shock her. Kaine slammed into a nearby car, clicking his neck into place and looking towards the man controlling a horde of bats.
"Intriguing," the Morbius variant remarked as Kaine slid out his stingers.
The Morbius variant was about to attack when a string wrapped around his wrists. He was suddenly pulled up by Arana, who threw Morbius towards Mattie. The third Spider-woman let out her spider legs and knocked Morbius back. Kaine rushed forward, grinding his stingers against a Kraven with armoured tech, and then flipped to dodge the Counter-Earth eel Electro's blast.
"There's too many coming out of these portals, sixty, and the numbers are rising," Jessica Drew said.
"Don't have to tell me twice," Spider-Gwen said, caught in the wave created by a Hydro-man in his classic slacks and shirt.
Silk swooped down, grabbing Gwen out of the water, only for both to be knocked out of the sky by a blast fired by Ultimate Shocker.
"Family can be the battle you share, the ideal that passes between different individuals, all bound by a common teaching, a common reason for fighting!"
Peter punched a version of Vermin with a crown on his head, going on his guard when a pink smoke surrounded him.
"Whoa, Madame Web, you are looking very different," he remarked, looking through the smoke and seeing a brown haired woman in a fully body suit.
"Move aside dear girl," an older woman suddenly appeared, sitting on a mechanical chair based on a great web.
"Now that's more familiar," Peter clicked his fingers in celebration.
"Spider-Society may have dedicated itself to Earths it can save, but Earth 616 is more important than those pretenders of Multiversal Defence claim," Madame Web explained.
When Peter returned to his world, he found that he wasn't alone. He stood alongside a Spider-man in his original silver armour, one with six arms, another with Doctor Octopus's harness and another Scarlet Spider.
"And don't worry," Web's voice echoed in his mind as web shaped portals opened above them.
"Even those of the Spider-society can realise where their true responsibility lies," she said.
Versions of Mattie, Julia Carpenter and Arana emerged from the portal with the Spider-Cat, the cowboy Spider-Slinger, a Spider-man with a white spider on his chest and white knuckles, and a young Spectacular Spider-man.
"Okay Gwen, I won't let you down this time," he muttered.
Peter was about to run forward, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Let's go get them champ," even with a red and black suit over his body, Peter recognised the voice of his Uncle Ben.
"Some families are bound by the ideals of responsibility, others are brought together through happenstance and hope!"
On one Earth Superman flew alongside his cousin Kara, son Jon, clone Superboy, his adopted son Christopher and Krypto the Superdog.
"Others by Justice!"
Stargirl and Jade fired their light based powers together, cutting through dark demons that invaded the town of Blue Valley. Hourman lifted up a car, giving Dr Mid-Nite an opening to pull people out of the rubble. Wild Cat and Cindy Burman cut their way through some of the demons, ducking as Artemis knocked an explosive puck into the demons in front of them. Stargirl flew over Stripe, both looking to one another before they ran into the demonic forces.
"And others by shared pain, by being brought together in order to create something great."
Batman backed away, his cowl half broken and looking towards a version of himself. Only his costume was based on an Owl. Owlman smirked, surrounding the young Batman with his Talon enforcers. Suddenly, explosive batarangs landed at the feet of the Talons, knocking them back. Smoke filled the streets and Owlman shielded his face with his cloak. He heard a baton knock out one of the Talons, and a batarang strike another. Tim swung his staff whilst Dick hit the Talons with the tasers on his escrima sticks. Terry came down from the sky, kicking a Talon to the ground.
"We decided to forgo your orders," Jason said, landing by Bruce's side.
"Didn't my counterparts teach you all about the chain of command?" he asked.
"We preferred to follow his example and do whatever the hell we feel like," Barbara said.
"Oh that sounds very much like Master Bruce," Alfred smiled.
The young Batman didn't resist the urge to smile this time.
"Shut up and fight!" he remarked, running alongside his…family.
"And others, like my X-men are bound by a dream!"
"Our dream, do you remember it?" Charles asked.
Asked his counterparts, an older man and a younger man, both of similar but vastly different worlds.
"Yes," the younger Charles said.
"The X-men shared a dream, but more importantly, they shared an ability to heal one another, not through secrets or manipulation, but through sharing and friendship," 616 Charles said.
"I manipulated a girl's memory," the younger one said.
"As did I," said the older Charles.
"In this new Multiverse, that doesn't have to be how the story of the X-men ends, so renew your dream and your faith in our children of the atom and say the words," Charles explained.
The three bald men put their hands to their heads, letting out a psychic cry across universes.
"TO US OUR X-MEN!"
Earth N52
Aeon grinded his gauntlets against red Nimrod's hands, parks filling the sky, both putting their strength into pushing the other back. He struck with his shoulder armour, hitting him with one of his batwings. Hatches opened at the back of Aeon's armour, and Batman ejected out of the suit. He threw a flurry of batarangs at Nimrod, knocking the robot back, the smoke providing cover for Carol to punch the robot and drive him further back. Aeon manipulated the bat aspects of his armour, returning to his natural form and throwing the shifting mass of alloys at Batman. The remains of the bat-wing suddenly began to change, forming around Batman a new suit, armour that left his chin exposed, had rockets on his back and bladed wings.
"A little something to help you blow some robots to Kingdom come," Aeon said.
"Perhaps, or maybe we have the wrong idea about how to fight some of these machines, and the wrong way of looking at them," Batman explained.
"He's right, Red Tornado, Vision, Jocasta, the Metal men and Machine man, some of these machines are based on heroes, in many universes," Carol said.
"Maybe some of them, just need to have their souls awakened," Aeon raised his hands, spreading cracks across his armour.
His armour shattered, revealing his angelic energy form. Shifting his wings, Aeon created a pulse, and the Red Vision, Jocasta and Machine Man looked at their hands and trembled as red markings glowed across their alloys. The Nimrod and Amazo counterparts however continued their assault, ripping off Batman wings and shooting Carol out of the sky.
"Some of you are more than machines, remember that," Sven said, flying around the heroic Amalgam androids.
"Enough!"
Ultron suddenly appeared in the sky, his body flickered like the static of a TV, before the six infinity stones shined across his body. His red cloak fluttered behind him as he aimed a lance at Aeon, firing a blast that sent Sven flying to the ground.
"No more struggling, if Brainiac wishes these Earths destroyed, added to his collection, then so be it, we'll start again, hit the reset button, just like they did with the Dinosaurs, just like so many other Multiverses have done, one Earth at a time," Ultron explained.
Earth 616-Avenger's Academy
Ben came into the lab, carrying one of the wounded superheroes inside. He felt uneasy supporting the man in the red suit, and he could feel the young man's grip over his shoulder tense. Laying the Daredevil inspired Darkdevil onto one of the gurneys, Ben began getting out bandages and blood transfusion kits.
"Don't want, need, anything from you," Darkdevil seethed.
Tears formed underneath Ben's mask as he rolled up his sleeve.
"Is this what becomes of you, without me?" he asked.
"Never needed a father," Darkdevil said weakly.
"I'm still here," Ben said, putting the needle in his arm, letting the blood flow between them.
Amazo looked at the scene, his eyes scanning the two individuals.
"DNA match detected," his sensors stated.
His vision flipped to Hank and Janet, coming in with a pale woman in a red and black Wasp suit. She was carried by a 'Big Man' in a short sleeved red suit.
"DNA match detected!" again his sensors told him of the family connected between these individuals.
"You're dead, you're all dead, the Avengers killed you," the woman said.
"They died heroes sis, wonders of the Multiverse," Big Man retorted.
"It doesn't matter, you're here with us and we've got you Hope," Janet said, stroking the woman's cheek.
"Never told you my name!"
"It's what we would have called our child if we had a girl," Hank said, touching Janet's shoulder.
"Family!" Amazo muttered.
His eyes glowed as he floated off of the gurney, the dark energy slithered around him, gushing out of the generator on his chest. The heroes looked to him in shock, Big Man and Hank growing whilst Ben stepped in front of Darkdevil.
"Thank you Ben," Amazo said.
The android's body glowed, the intensity of the light it generated increased, making the darkness around it squirm.
"Something to empower the light and suppress the darkness, family, thank you for showing me that Ben," Amazo said.
In a flash of light, the android disappeared.
Earth N52
Aeon got off of the floor, wiping the blood off of his forehead and looking up defiantly at Ultron. His eyes glowed red, preparing an optic blast when the Ultron raised his lance.
"You are not getting to that ship, you're not even getting off of this Earth," Ultron said.
The Infinity empowered Ultron was about to fire, when a portal opened in front of him.
"Well there lies the problem," a voice came through that made Carol widen her eyes.
"Oh you are screwed now," Aeon said.
Ultron's body tense, a yellow aura surrounded him.
"Impossible, I can't move, why can't I move?" he inquired.
"I find it surprising that throughout the Multiverse you've never encountered me," Magneto said as he came through the portal, his three helmets also floating around him. "Perhaps it's time I showed you why!" he smirked slightly.
Ultron screamed as he was ripped apart, the infinity stones going with him.
"As for you Brainiac, you currently have both my daughter and grandchild in your custody, one part of you may be organic, but in my experience, even metal of alien origin still bends to the commands of the master of magnetism," Magneto explained.
He was about to raise his hand, to drag Brainiac's ship out of its pocket of space time, when suddenly light shined in front of the heroes.
"That will not be necessary Max," Amazo said.
The infinity stones were suddenly drawn to Amazo, fixing to his chest, his armour changed, glowing not blue but a rainbow of colours based on the stones he had absorbed.
"It have witnessed it, throughout the Multiverse the struggles of family and how one can overcome darkness when driven by the drive to protect that family. But family is also a choice, a choice I give to you my android brethren," Amazo raised his hand.
The Amalgamated androids looked at their surroundings in confusion, and then towards Amazo.
"Let us find a new place to call home together, but first," Amazo looked towards Brainiac's ship.
He aimed the palm of his hand at it; auras surrounded the bottled cities throughout the ship. Brainiac looked at his prizes in shock as they began to fade.
"Back all of you go!" Amazo declared.
"Impossible, those places have nowhere to go, you couldn't possibly be bringing back multiple planets, such an act is suicide," Brainiac said.
"The difference between you and I Brainiac, I wish to be more than what my creator intended me!" Amazo's body surged with the energy of infinity, before he snapped his fingers.
Zack's eyes snapped open and he felt the supportive and strong hands of Superman holding him up, the old Superman that had come to the House of M. Marc Spector was there with him, and the three heroes looked into the chamber that Zack had opened.
"Great Scot," Superman whispered.
"So that's what this entire world is," Marc remarked.
"This whole world is a lie!" Zack said.
Virgil rubbed his head as he got off the floor. His surroundings had changed yet again to more of a wasteland setting.
"Great another time shift," he muttered.
"God I hate those," he swung his head around, looking at shock at the one who unexpectedly accompanied him. "Hey what do you think the chances are this is another dystopian place where Logan's the last to die? Or maybe yet another Superman goes bad world, like there aren't a million of those now," Sieg stated.
"Definitely not one of those worlds," Virgil said.
"So what else could it be? Wasteland where everything ended in an oil war? Tatooine? Please be original, I'll settle for prequel era but please not sequel," Sieg stated.
"Sieg, it's not an Earth," Virgil said.
"Oh, so could it be some kind of…" Sieg turned around and widened his eyes. "Desert beyond space and time!"
"Apprentices of Aeon," a grand voice spoke out.
It belonged to a balding man in a blue shirt, vest, and bowtie.
"You two have become unhinged from time and now…"
"Nope," Virgil said, firing a blast at the man.
His Anti-matter blast erased the creature's disguise, revealing underneath a human sized insect. Sieg brandished his sword and shared Virgil's glare. The insect's mandibles clicked and it let out a sheepish chuckle.
"Oh dear, sorry for the deception, but no one takes a giant insect seriously, I'm a Timebreaker, and I believe that there's a very big problem with the Multiverse, one my people and I are very much responsible for!"
616-Or is it?
Cade walked across the city, his body shaking with each step he took. He looked up at the sky and saw another Earth orbiting them. Wondering for a moment when and where he was, he looked again to the streets. Looters, looters broke the glass of shops and reached for the mundane items, thieves whom probably believed the heroes would save them and that they would get off scot free. Dragging his scythes across the floor, he moved towards the looters.
"I always wanted one of these," one of them said, reaching for a games console.
His scream echoed through the street when Cade swept his scythe through the man's arm.
"What the hell, we're just thieves, that's all," one of the men said, collapsing to the ground, his friend writhing and clutching his stump whilst the other ran away.
"I know," Cade said, looking down at the pleading man with empty eyes.
"Please, please don't do this, we were never going to hurt anyone, why us?" the thief asked.
"Because I'm not a good person," Cade said.
He raised his scythe and was about to strike when the sky darkened.
"Oh Cade, even now you still doubt yourself."
"Laura," Cade whispered.
He turned to his old friend, who had a sad look on her face, one mixed with regret and pity. She took a step further and Cade was shocked to see himself saving Ivy, saving Garfield, fighting alongside the Justice league against the Atlanteans and fighting back to back with Sven.
"It doesn't change what I've done," he said.
"What you've done," Laura smiled sadly.
Cade stepped back as he saw Sven's sister Kate. There was a smile on her face, then the scene changed and showed her cuddling two boys.
"No, no, I can't be," he whispered.
"You are their father Cade," Laura said.
"Yes, but I can't be, I need those boys to hate me, I need those boys to hate the thought of being like me…I have to be the bad guy, I have to be Irredeemable," he explained.
"Is that really what you believe?"
He looked over his shoulder and saw his father, drinking his beer, smirking, chuckling as he looked down at the children.
"These bastards, you did them no favours, yet look at them, they smile more than you could," the man said.
"Because we're not in their lives," Cade retorted.
"Except you are in their lives Cade!"
The blonde haired man who spoke up behind Cade was Lazlo, Sven's true best friend.
"Kate tells them about their father, about the man who wouldn't stand for evil in anyway, even when the world condemned you she defended you, she wanted them to see your point of view, to have compassion to you and others like you," Lazlo explained.
"I didn't need that, they needed…"
"You gave up on deciding what they needed the moment you decided not to be involved in their lives," the Grunt, Rick, standing taller than Cade, the Samoan man looking down imposingly at him.
"They deserve better than me," Cade said.
"They deserve to make that choice themselves," said the speedster Jack.
"My choices would have taken theirs away, that's how the world works, we don't all get to choose, sometimes all we can be is relentlessly crushed by what others decide, who is worth saving and who gets to be left behind, whose fate and destiny matters to the timeline more than anyone else's, even everyday decisions cops make are driven by this logic, who can you pull out of the fire and who gets left behind," Cade explained.
"Bull shit, you believe those two boys would have become villains if you were involved in their lives, that's self pitying garbage and you know it Cade," said Kyle, the Azure Eagle.
"I'm living proof…"
"That your sins catch up with you eventually," a voice echoed in the sky and Cade looked up.
Onyx laughed, firing blast after blast from his eyes, disintegrating all those who came to encourage Cade. The armoured giant, grabbed Onyx in his hand, enveloping him in the red light of his eyes.
"Face it Cade, you are the toxin in their lives, they are better off without you! YOU WILL FAIL!"
Cade screamed, flailing until he fell to the floor, looking up at the sky and seeing the other Earth moments from colliding with his own.
"There is no good left, no heroism, all will abandon their morality, all that will be left is the darkness and the false hope that allows evil to flourish."
Onyx's voice died out as two shadows lingered over Cade. Two blonde haired boys looked down at him and smiled.
"Why are you crying dad?" Jason asked.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he whispered.
"That's okay dad, we're not angry, we know you just need time that's all," Slade said.
Jason smiled and nodded.
'Their smile,' Cade looked up at them, realising they had his smile.
He sat up, shuffling his legs into a crouched position. The two boys ran to their mother, who embraced them as they laughed. Kate stroked Jason's hair and kissed Slade's cheek. She then looked towards Cade.
"They aren't just mine," she said and Cade's mouth trembled.
Tears of relief fell down his face, the illusion faded and he looked up into a void, his next trial of healing awaited.
Next Chapter 48: Ascendancy begins
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter
Saw Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths Part 3 the other day, Kevin Conroy's last performance, and a much better send off than Suicide Squad:KTJ
But, spoilers:
The whole sequence of what is essentially the DCAU being destroyed, left a bad taste, especially with finales the likes of JLU's Epilogue and Destroyer provided us with.
Is there no DCAU without the Batman who started it all?
Myself I believe the DCAU ended, like the Arrowverse ended, like the DCEU ended (was it even a thing though?) and like the MCU should inevitably end, but endings don't always have to be endings. Sometimes 'the adventures continue' can in itself be a good ending.
The DCAU lives forever, despite the references of a 'so so' DC three part movie.
Plus fanfiction :)