One Universe: Season III IC Thread

[Carnage27]

"BUUUUURN!"

*BAMF*

Again the Flash is nowhere to be seen. Looking high and low, Pyro lets out a manic growl as he turns to see...

"Guten Tag."

Before he has time to react, Pyro is knocked unconscious by a vicious punch to the head.

"I'm Flash." the Scarlet Speedster appears, seemingly out of nowhere, by Nightcrawler's side.
"I'll be assisting in today's world-saving."

"Danke, Flash," i thank flash, but before I can get another word out I'm hit with what feels like a small meteor going really, really fast. I look up to see a white haired mutant standing above me.

I teleport straight towards him, but by the time I get there, he's behind me, ready to deliver another punch.

"Ummm, I think zhis may be your fight," I implore The Flash, as he and the mutant look at each other and take of faster than I can imagine.


I pick myself up and dust myself off, but am immediately blown back as the wall behind me explodes in a hail of debris.

"Well, well. Looks like I got myself a plaything."

"Vell zhen. Let's go!" I taunt the ginormous mutant and teleport farther down the street.

 

[Carnage27]

I sit in Ma and Pa's living room in a state of shock as the images of the mutant attacks flash across the screen, and then settle on one city:Metropolis. The one city my cousin had sworn to protect burns and crumbles under a gigantic mutant force.

And I'm sitting in Smallville. Doing nothing.

Ma sees that look in my eyes, and attempts to dissuade me from what I'm pondering, "Kara...don't..."

But I've already made up my mind. In a flash I'm up in my room, unwrapping something Clark had given me a few days ago. A uniform for when I was done my training.

"Sorry, Kal-el. But I'm not waiting any longer," I say as I slip in on and run towards the corn fields.

I plant my feet firmly on the ground, and shoot clumsily into the sky with one destination on my mind.

It's time to be the hero I was meant to be.
​

 

[Byrd Man]

This city is going to hell.

That's all I can think of as I stare out of my office window at the cloudy overcast skies.

"No word on Dent or Maroni yet."

I turn and look at Sarah with a slight defeated look on my face.

Dent has been missing for a week. Scarecrow broke Maroni out of Arkham six hours ago. No sign from Batman or Daredevil yet.

"Commish!" Bullock says as he rushes in, out of breath.

"What is it, Sargent?"

"I-I gotta tip...and it's red hot....A snitch seen Maroni going into a building...it was Dent's apartment."

I spin on my heels and grab my coat off the coat rack.

"I want all units converging on that building now!"

​

​

​

Last time the Scarecrow and I met, he got the drop on me with his fear toxin.

This time, he wasn't that quick.

"Please! Don't drop me!" He screams as I dangle him by his ankles thirty stories above the pavement.

"Where is Maroni?!"

"I-I dropped him off at Dent's place. It was a trap!"

I sling Scarecrow back from the edge with disgust as I leap off the building at break neck speed and shoot a line out of my billy club.

I don't care if he's dead or not even the man I once called my friend.

I will make sure Harvey Dent has justice.
​

 

[SenseiofCheese]

As Nightcrawler vanishes in a blast of purple smoke, Wally is left facing the silver-haired mutant.

"It's an honor to meet you, Flash. I've met the elder Flash before, but I must say, it's you who's always interested me." the young man smiled.

"How nice to know I have fans. And you are?" Wally stood perfectly still, not having a clue what the mutants powers were.

"My name is Pietro Maximoff. But you and your friends can call me Quicksilver." he stated proudly, an aristocratic pride filling each word.

The Scarlet Speedster was just about to open his mouth and respond when he high-pitched scream came from behind him. Looking back, he spotted a woman off in the distance, no older than he was, about to be captured by one of Magneto's men.

"Wish I could stay and chat, Quicksi--ARGH!" before Wally could finish his sentence, Maximoff disappered in a streak of gray. Before he knew what had happened, the Flash had been punched, kicked and headbutted more time than he could count.

"You're not going anywhere. I've always wanted to know just how fast you were. Hardly faster than me but let's put it to the test, shall we?" Quicksilver delivered a painful kick to the Flash's abdomen, and he was thrown onto his back.

Super-speed.

Got it.

Once again Pietro Maximoff swung his leg towards Flash, but when it was just about to connect with the Scarlet Speedster's side, Wally caught it in his hands. Faster than a speeding bullet, Wally pulled with all his might and turned his body. When the Flash let go of Quicksilver's foot, the mutant was thrown across the ground; skidding along the smashed concrete.

"Good." Maximoff wiped a trail of blood from the corner of his mouth as he got to his feet. "I wouldn't want this to be too easy."

"Bring it on."

 

[Eddie Brock]

​

"Good. I was starting to rust up waiting for these guys to arrive..." Tony said as he clicked the dials in his gauntlets up so that he could fire repulsor beams the same size in diameter as a small SUV at the hordes of mutants. Few were knocked down, but the rest marveled at the sight.

"Yeah. You fellas don't want to see how far up in power these things can go... Turn back now."

"Yeah right!"



"For Magnetooooooo!!!!" The Toad mutant had managed to land on top of Iron Man, and Stark was taken aback to the point where he was having difficulty removing the pest..."Uh, Spider-Man? A little... help...please?" He asked through his struggles with the Toad.

Firing a webline, I snag Toad's heel. He doesn't seem to notice, so I go about my business. I attach the other end of the webline to the rear bumper of a fleeing car. The car peels off down the street until the line is pulled taut. Toad, noticing, looks back and sees the line hooking around the corner. He's too late to do anything. Violently, he's ripped off Iron Man's back and yanked down the street.

"Don't forget to write!" I call out as he's dragged away. My Spider-Sense tingles, and I instinctively leap into the air, executing a backflip. My acrobatic show is cut short when something explodes on my back. I flop to the ground gracelessly, as a short series of explosions goes off near me.

I get to my feet and turn in the direction of my attacker. His brown trenchcoat billows in the wind as he holds a bo staff. In his hand, he holds a glowing card.

"Lovely day, eh, mon ami?"

 

[wiegeabo]

Well, well. Looks like I got myself a plaything.[/COLOR]"

"Vell zhen. Let's go!" I taunt the ginormous mutant and teleport farther down the street.

"Marko!"

The big man quickly turns and towers over me. "Garrick. Been a while."

"It sure has, Cain."

"Whatcha doin' here old man?"

"Oh, you know. Seeing the sights, sampling the local cuisine, kicking the rears of everyone following Magneto and hurting innocent people. Which reminds me, what the hell happened? Thought you decided to give this life up."

"Yeah, well, that Ghost Rider guy sure did a number on me. But then, after some booze, and a lot of women...a lot of women, I decided to be who I really am."

"And that's the Juggernaut!" He slams both massive fists down on the street."

"Oh, come on. I can't believe you even tried that."

Marko turns around to face me. "Speedsters. Almost as bad as teleporters." Cain rushes at me again.

 

[Carnage27]

[/left]

"Well for someone who claims they were waiting so long for me to arrive, you certainly wasted no time in getting the party started without me... Shame I'm going to have to ask you all nicely to turn around and walk away, before I have no choice but to use force."

Superman stared directly into the elderly mutant's eyes, showing the seriousness in his words.



"Please..." he asked coldly.​

Magneto couldn't help but let out a confident chuckle, "Please, Superman. Do you think I came to your city unprepared?"

"I'm ready for you 'Man of Steel'," Magneto says in a mocking tone.

But before the Last Son of Krypton can attack, Magnus goes a different route than force.

"Why do you protect them?" he says gesturing to the people running for their lives. "You could be a god on this planet, yet you do nothing but guard the insects that are so obviously beneath you."

"And on top of that, they will tire of you Superman. I have seen it happen to us. They need you for protection now, but what happens when they don't?"

Magneto floats a little closer to Superman, "You will be met by the same fear and hostility that my kind face today. You will be hated, because they know what you can do. They know how powerful you have become."

The Master of Magnetism could see his words getting to the impressive figure in the air next to him.

"You know what I am talking about. You know they are a fearful, and foolish race. No matter how much you want to be one of them, you are not. And they realize this. Cast aside your love for them, and be what you were born to be. Before they cast you down through fear."

 

[Eddie Brock]

SPIDER-MAN

I dodge effortlessly as my new opponent flicks his cards at me. That being said, his accuracy is deadly. If it weren't for my reflexes, I'd never be able to pull this off. Luckily, he can only throw fifty-two before running out. Right?

"Yer good, spider," he says through his thick accent. I can't quite pick up on it. Heavily-laden with French...maybe New Orleans? "But Ah'm willin' ta bet Ah'm bettah."

As I land, a card nicks my ear. The tiny explosion on impact knocks me down. How is he doing this? He must be supercharging the cards, somehow.

"Wanna take that Gambit?"

Something's different about this guy. I mean, I'm not implying that I'm an expert in reading people - I'm most definitely not - but there doesn't seem to be malice in him. Not like the other Brotherhood, anyway.

I unleash a rapid attack of web-balls, but this Gambit character twirls his bo staff and deflects them with ease. "So, you really buy into this 'mutant supremacy' crap, huh?" I ask as we continue fighting. It's like a violent dance.

"Course not," Gambit replies. With a smile, he explains, "But Magneto pays well."

I knew it! He's in it for the money! Okay, so it's still wrong, but the guy isn't evil or anything. Just...misguided.

"That simple, is it?" I ask in disbelief as I snag his bo staff with a webline.

The bo staff begins to glow like the cards did, and my Spider-Sense goes wild. There's a discharge of energy that travels up the webline to my hand. I'm blinded by the resulting explosion.

"Yep. It is."
​

 

[trustyside-kick]

OOC: Previously...

St. Anne's Hospital in St. Roch, Lousiana

Katar parks the sky cycle a short walking distance away from the side of the hospital underneath a tree with plenty of shade. At first his steps are just mere normal length steps. But as he draws nearer and nearer to the hospital side entrance he finds himself walking slower. As he walks slower, he also lessens the space between each space.

To put it simple...Katar's nearly terriffied to witness his wife possibly clinging on for her life in a hospital bed with his naked eye.

"Can I help you sir?"

The attendant at the front desk asks Katar nothing out of the ordinary. Just the typical question anyone would ask when someone enters the hospital front desk. But for a moment Katar just stands there. He stands there as his face goes blank as his mind wanders. There's one other person waiting in line behind Katar, so the hosptial attendant asks him again with a bit more volume to her voice.

"Sir? What's the purpose of your visit? Sir?"

"Uh...sorry. I'm here to see my w--my friend. She's on the third floor, fifth room to the right."

"Ah, the Jane Doe."

Going through the computer, the attendant goes through the file.

"Normally we aren't supposed to let anyone except for family. But, if you could help the doctor with identifying the patient, I see no problem in letting you walk in. So you know though, visiting hours will be done in about an hour."

"Thank you."

 

[Keyser Soze]

The car draws up outside the apartment. Once more, Crane looks around at Boss Maroni.

"Are you sure?"

Maroni thinks of his wife and the son at the airport, waiting for him.

"Just give me a gun."

Without another word, Crane passes a handgun to Maroni, who exits the car and makes his way inside the building. He finds Dent's apartment quick enough. Time to pay Gilda a little visit. Maroni takes a step back, and kicks down the door, marching inside to find...

"Oh Christ."

One half of the room is exactly the way it was when Harvey Dent brought Gilda in here for the first time. Pristine, classy, beautiful. But the other half....

The carpet has been ripped up and piled in untidy heaps, leaving the floorboards exposed. Shattered glass and destroyed furniture is haphazardly scattered around. It looks like a junkie's squat. But that's not what Maroni's looking at.

He's looking at the figure sitting by the window, waiting for him. It sure as hell isn't Gilda Dent. The man sits there, methodically flipping a coin, staring at him intently. One half of his face is very familiar to Maroni. The other half is like something out of a nightmare, a twisted, bubbling mass of scarred tissue, barely recognisable as human skin. Sal Maroni came here expecting to find a frail, innocent woman. Instead, he is face to face with a monster.

"Hello, Sal," Harvey Dent says in a low, growling whisper, "I've been expecting you."

It feels like an eternity passes, Maroni staring stupidly at me, and me staring right back. Finally, he raises his gun, aims it right between my eyes, and pulls the trigger.

*CLICK. CLICK CLICK*

Maroni looks down at his gun. Then realisation hits him.

"That rat Crane..."

"Sorry, Sal. Scarecrow has a new boss now."

Two Arkham escapees appear behind Maroni, grabbing him by the arms and dragging him towards me. He struggles against them, staring at me with anger - and fear - in his eyes.

"What have you done to my family?"

"Your family are safe. Crane was telling the truth about that. They're at the airport, waiting for you. But you chose this path instead. Remember that, Maroni. You chose to come here."

Tiiiing-thap.
Tiiiing-thap.

I catch my coin on the next flip, and begin twirling it in my fingers.

"And now... the choice is out of your hands. Your future is in the hands of fate now. You've made a mockery out of the legal system, time after time. The law is obselete, broken and worthless. There is no justice. The only force we are all answerable - the force you are answerable to - is fate. Cruel, random fate. Fate overcomes all else, all human struggle, to decide between good or evil, happiness or heartbreak..."

"Life... or... death."

I nod to my new henchmen, and they force Maroni down onto his knees in front of me. My heart's beating against my chest like a battering ram. Maroni's obviously terrified, but so am I. I've laid the trap, got Maroni here, and I know what needs to be done. But... I haven't killed anyone before. I'm not a murderer. This... this is against everything I've ever believed in. I take a life.... there's no coming back from that. That's a stain on my soul forever. How can I possibility make the decision to kill another human being?

I won't be making that decision. Fate will.

"Dent, this is crazy talk," Maroni nervously babbles, "Listen to yourself, this ain't you, look you got me, okay? Turn me in, arrest me, you get to be the hero again..

I thrust myself forward, pressing my mangled face into his.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH! SHUT UP!"

Even Maroni is taken back by the violence of my outburst. Composing myself, I hold up the coin, letting him see first the clean side, then the scarred side.

"Okay. You've given up on salvation. This isn't about you anymore, Sal. It's about me. Do I do the right thing, turn you in, try and go back to the old life I now know to be a lie? Or do I do what must be done to end this once and for all, and kill you right here? Why don't we flip for it?"

Maroni's eyes widen, and he starts shaking his head wildly.

"Good side up, you live. Bad side up, you die. Ready?"

And here I am now, an agent of fate.

Tiiiing................................ thap.

I catch the coin on the back of my hand, the palm of my other hand covering it. Before I reveal what side is facing up, I look down at the kneeling Maroni.

"You said that, if we kept this war between us going, it would end with one of us being destroyed. You were half right. The truth is, it destroyed both of us."

I lift my hand away, revealing my fate and Maroni's. He was right about that too. Our fates are linked. I glance at the coin, let out a sigh. Then I show Maroni.

"Bad side it is."

"N-no, please! My family!"

"Your choice, Maroni. You chose death over them. Now..."

I reach into my waistband, draw out my gun. Maroni lets out a low moan of self-pitying despair.

"...get up."

"Why?"

"I want you to move. It's not right to kill you on the good side of the room."

Maroni looks down at the pristine carpet he's kneeling on. Then he looks across at the soiled floorboards on the other side of the room. The spot where he knows he is going to die.

"No. I'm not moving."

I stand up, looking down coldly at him. He's pathetic. If I didn't hate him so much, I'd feel sorry for him.

"For God's sake, Sal. You know what's coming. Face it with some dignity."

But he doesn't budge. Giving a small shrug, I grab him by the hair, and start dragging him over to the bad side of the room.

"No! No!"

He scrambles wildly, but between me and my henchmen, we manage to get him over to the floorboards. He pushes himself back up onto his knees, just as I press the gun into his forehead. The Arkham escapees back off. Now it's just me and him. And then the great Sal Maroni, faced with the inevitable, starts sobbing like a little girl.

"Please. Please don't shoot me."

I glare down at this desperate, whimpering man, but I don't see him. I see the life I could have had, a life of happiness and fulfilment. A life now stolen from me. Then I think about the promise I made to Gotham. I promised the people of Gotham I would rid their city of Maroni and his kind, once and for all. I'm going to keep that promise, whatever it takes. The abyss is waiting..."

"No. I'm not going to shoot you."

I grab Maroni by the collar, and bring the butt of my pistol crashing down into the bridge of his nose. Blood immediately starts gushing, but I hit him again and again and again.

"I'm not going to shoot you! I'm not going to shoot you!"

Still I keep on pounding the gun into his face, over and over, getting faster with each strike, picking up momentum.

"No I won't, you prick! You prick! You prick!"

Sweat lashes off my brow, and spittle flies from my mouth. My arm's killing me, my hand's cut and bleeding. But still I keep on ramming the butt of the gun into the mush that was Boss Maroni's face. My ongoing exclamation is an incomprehensible stream of mangled expletives.

"YoufuggnashifuprifuggimoffuchFUCHFUCHFUCH!!"

Until finally I drop the gun, panting with exhaustion. My hands and shirt are drenched in blood and flakes of bone. The only thing keeping Maroni up on his knees now is my hand holding him up by the collar. But the faint gurgling tells me there's something still alive under there. And I'm just overwhelmed with hate! Seething with fury, I wrap my hands around Maroni's throat. Collapsing on top of him, I squeeze as hard as I can, putting all my weight on top of his body.

"Just f**king die you... F**K!"

And at last, he does.

It's over. Thank God, I killed the bastard. I sit up, still straddling Maroni's body. I'm shaking, struggling not to hyperventilate. But I don't think I've ever felt so alive! I'm covered in his blood now, it's dripping from my face like warpaint. I run my hand (and Maroni's blood) through my hair, stretching my head back towards the ceiling and closing my eyes. I'm a killer now. I take in a deep breath, and let it out in a sigh of vicious satisfaction. I've been holding that animal in all these years, and finally... it's unleashed. Finally, that bad, evil little boy got released from the basement.

"Harvey?"

The voice shakes me from my thoughts. I look across the room, and am horrified to see Gilda standing by the doorway.

"Gilda!? I... I told you to stay in the hotel...."

"Oh God, Harvey! What have you done?"

I look down at the dead body I'm straddling, and those old feelings of shame and regret hit me once more. But it's worse now, so much worse. What have you done, Harvey? What have you done?

"I... I did it for us, Gilda. He can't hurt you now."

I scramble to my feet, make a move towards her. But she screams, pulling back.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME! I don't know what you are anymore! You're not my husband! You're a MONSTER!"

A monster? After all that Maroni did to her, to me, and I'm the monster? Feeling the anger boil up within me, I grab my wife by the arm, pull her towards me...

And she recoils. Gilda, my beloved wife, thinks I'm going to hurt her. That I could ever hurt her! I look into her eyes, and I see terror. She's right. I am a monster.

I let Gilda go, and without saying another word, I walk out of the apartment. My two henchmen follow, and the three of us get into a car, and get the hell away. Far away. It is the last time I will ever go to that apartment, the home I bought for my dear wife. I leave behind Boss Maroni's corpse. I leave behind Gilda.

Maybe I left Harvey Dent there too.

 

[Green Lantern]

I tie into the equipment in the press box. It gives me control of all the audio and visual systems of the stadium. I get ready to put myself on the main screen, hoping to give the Joker what he wants. Me. And hoping to buy Robin more time.

But then the Joker leaves the stage.

He actually puts his arm around one of the people from the audience and leads him backstage.

My hand hovers over the switch that would have turned the camera on. Instead, I wait...and the Joker actually goes backstage. He leaves, his men following him. Where's he going? What's he doing? 40 minutes left and he leaves the audience unattended?

I have no choice. Whatever the Joker is doing now, we have to carry on as before.

I tap the communicator in my ear.

"Robin, are you ready?"

Robin had made it to the announcer's booth, dismantling three more bombs and the arms of four more thugs along the way. He pulled a small black device out of his belt and had connected it to the speaker system. As he got Bruce's question he had already climbed out of the booth and was standing on top of it. Brandishing the Louisville Slugger he had swiped from the equipment locker in one hand and his grapple gun in the other he stood, cape blowing in the wind, perched for his moment to strike.

"Whenever you are, Bats."

 

[Byrd Man]

The smell of blood and burnt flesh is thick in the air when I crash through Harvey's apartment window.

"Oh, no." I can already tell what happened as soon as I landed.

Maroni is dead. Among the smell of Maroni's blood and last night's dinner, I can smell Harvey through the room. He's all over Maroni, his sweat is still on the corpse.

"Matt?" A timid voice calls out.

The smell of Maroni and Harvey is so thick, they were blotting out my other senses.

"Gilda." My voice sounds almost inaudible as I croak.

"It-it was Harvey."

"I know." That's all I can manage to say, my knees buckle and I hit the floor.


​

Have of the MCU is following behind me as I huff and puff up the steps towards the apartment with my gun pulled.

Kicking open the door, I stop in my tracks as I survey the scene before me.

Maroni lies in a pool of his own blood. Dead. Daredevil's on his knees while Gilda holds tightly to his masked head.

"What happend?" I say as I keep my gun trained on Daredevil. He may mean well, but I still don't know him.

"He did this." Daredevil says as he pulls away from Gilda.

"No, he couldn't....Harvey wouldn't."

"Harvey didn't, Commissioner."

He speaks in a defeated under tone as he manages to stand up.

Moving towards the broken window, he turns to look at me.

"Two-Face did this."

"And I plan on rescuing my friend from him."

With that, he leaps out the window.

Turning on my heels to the other officers, I bark out oders.

"I want all avalible units following Daredevil! Double time, people! Let's move!"

 

[wiegeabo]

Robin had made it to the announcer's booth, dismantling three more bombs and the arms of four more thugs along the way. He pulled a small black device out of his belt and had connected it to the speaker system. As he got Bruce's question he had already climbed out of the booth and was standing on top of it. Brandishing the Louisville Slugger he had swiped from the equipment locker in one hand and his grapple gun in the other he stood, cape blowing in the wind, perched for his moment to strike.

"Whenever you are, Bats."

"Get eyes on the field. You'll know when."

I take a deep breath. There's not much margin of error here. I have no idea how Joker can set off the explosives. So we must assume it's as easy as possible for him to do so.

As always, timing will be everything.

I flip a switch.

"Joker!"

My face snaps up on the jumbo screen. My voice rings out through all the speakers. People jump, startled at the sudden outburst. Many scream, others cheer. Most are too stunned to do anything.

And then Joker walks out from backstage. Even from this distance, I can see that sick, sadistic smile of his. I'm giving him exactly what he wants. Playing his game.

He just doesn't know I changed the rules.

Joker's taps the mic. "Testing, testing. Can you hear me now?"

I just scowl into the camera.

"Heh. I guess so. Gotta say, I missed ya big guy. Daredevil's fun and all, but you...you're the real deal. Almost thought you were going to chicken out. Let all these nice, healthy innocents die a horrible, painful, lingering, gory, painful death...Wait, did I say death twice? Guess it's that painful."

"But, no. Not you. You couldn't let that happen. Even though I'm in another state, you still come to stop me. Seriously, Bats. I'm touched. I didn't think you cared so much." Joker acts like he's wiping a tear from his eye. I swallow down the bile building in my throat.

"I'm here, Joker. Time for your side of the deal."

"Hmm? Oh...right! You show up, I let the people go, then blow myself and the stadium to hell. Well, you're right. A deal's a deal. So I'll go ahead and set off the explosive. But...seeing as I'm having such a good time now...I think I'll go ahead and take my leave first. Wouldn't want the story to end before we get to the really good parts, do we?"

"This isn't a game Joker!"

"Oh, how wrong can you be?! Of course it's a game. Life is a game. A sick, twisted game with no rules and no winners. Just those with the highest body count."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Yes...I suppose not. Ah hell, maybe I just like killing people. Like right now! Oh boys...!"

People scream as a couple of Joker's goons step on stage with machine guns in their hands. People scream and try to run, panicking. Jokers smiles and laughs...and then raises an eyebrow in confusion.

He clears his throat and speaks into the microphone louder. "I said, Oh Boys!"

Nothing.

"OHHH. BOYYYYS!!!!"

Even his goons start looking around at the entryway doors in the stands in utter confusion. One steps up to the Joker.

"Uh, boss. Where're the other guys?"

Joker's smile turns to anger. He points at the screen. "YOU!!! You did this! You broke the rules!!!"

"No. I'm changing them."

I flip a switch, and every light in the stadium glares on stage, blinding the Joker and his henchmen.

"NOW!!!"

 

[Eddie Brock]

SPIDER-MAN

Gambit is a far tougher opponent than I was counting on. On top of his mutant abilities, he's just an acrobatic fighter. With that bo staff in his hands, he's almost an unstoppable force. Yet, his heart doesn't really seem to be in the fight. Which is good, I guess - 'cause it might be the reason I'm still standing.

"You really think you should choose sides based on a paycheck?" I ask as I rip off a car door and throw it at Gambit. He leap-frogs over it, charging it with his hand as he passes. It crashes into a building and explodes.

Gambit laughs. "Don't you see? There are no sides. There's you, and there's everyone else," he explains. "Personally, Ah'm gonna choose me."

Gambit engages me in hand-to-hand combat. Normally, I wouldn't worry, but the distance was the only thing protecting me. Here, feet away from that bo staff of his, I feel wide open - even with my reflexes. The entire sequence passes like a dream.

I bend to the side to avoid an attempted jab with the end of the staff. I bring a leg up to kick Gambit in the jaw, but he spins away from me. My fingers move to my palm as I prepare to fire a web. Gambit flicks a charged quarter at me, which explodes on impact. My webshooter is fried. Gambit charges at me, and I begin a backwards somersault. Gambit kicks me in the small of my back. I sprawl on the ground as he reaches for a card. With my functional webshooter, I snag his toe. Yanking hard, I bring Gambit to the ground.

"Oh, ho, yer good, Spider. Yer real good," Gambit acknowledges in between pained laughs. "But Ah'm no quitter."

Spider-Sense. I look to see Gambits hand touching a parked SUV. My eyes widen beneath my mask as I turn to run. I take two steps before the charged vehicle explodes violently. I'm flung through the air, crashing into a fire escape. Gambit is long gone.
​

 

[SenseiofCheese]

"Good." Maximoff wiped a trail of blood from the corner of his mouth as he got to his feet. "I wouldn't want this to be too easy."

"Bring it on."

Spoiler

As the battle for Metropolis threatened to lay the city to waste, a smaller battle went unnoticed. It was a fight that took place between the ticks of a second. A fight that could be fought a hundred thousand times over a day.

Quicksilver and the Flash were blurs of motion, grey and scarlet mixing together in a whirlwind of violence. Punches were thrown, received, countered and blocked before the other combatants in Metropolis even thought to make a fist.

"Oof!" Wally's knees buckled as Pietro Maximoff brought his ankle up into the Scarlet Speedster's leg.

Catching himself, the Flash sprang upwards. His fist connected with Maximoff's lower jaw, sending the mutant speedster reeling backwards. Droplets of blood and sweat hung suspended in the air around them as the Flash managed another punch to Quicksilver's abdomen. Doubling over in pain, Pietro clutched his stomach. Grabbing the mutant by the shoulders, Wally was caught off guard when Pietro drove himself headfirst into his stomach, knocking the air out of West's lungs and sending the two men tumbling to the ground.

"You're...not...fast..enough.." Quicksilver taunted as he grabbed the Flash by the neck and pulled him up. Wally West saw stars before his eyes as Quicksilver delivered over 20 devastating punches to his body.

I'm...I'm the Flash.

Another 20 blows. Another 30.

The Fl...flash...

Forty. Fifty.

"The f...fas...t..fastest...

Eighty. A hundred. But something happened. In that unimaginably miniscule fraction of a second before the hundred and first punch landed, Wally West reached up and caught Quicksilver's fist in his hands.

"I'm..I'm the fastest man alive."

With a sickening crunch, the Flash's forehead connected with Quicksilver's nose. "GAAAARRRGGHHH!!"

Pietro's knees gave way and he fell. More than a thousand punches, slaps and kicks bruised and broke his body before he finally slumped down to his knees. But as Quicksilver's head swam, stars before his eyes threatening to overtake him, the Flash disappeared.
In a red blur, faster than a speeding bullet, the Scarlet Speedster had run off.

Pietro Maximoff thought, for a second, that the Flash had been scared off.

Just for a second.

 

[wiegeabo]

"Marko!"

The big man quickly turns and towers over me. "Garrick. Been a while."

"It sure has, Cain."

"Whatcha doin' here old man?"

"Oh, you know. Seeing the sights, sampling the local cuisine, kicking the rears of everyone following Magneto and hurting innocent people. Which reminds me, what the hell happened? Thought you decided to give this life up."

"Yeah, well, that Ghost Rider guy sure did a number on me. But then, after some booze, and a lot of women...a lot of women, I decided to be who I really am."

"And that's the Juggernaut!" He slams both massive fists down on the street."

"Oh, come on. I can't believe you even tried that."

Marko turns around to face me. "Speedsters. Almost as bad as teleporters." Cain rushes at me again.

The next minute or so is spent doing everything we can to keep Cain busy instead of hurting people. It's not that hard. I'm too fast to hit and Nightcrawler's never in the same place for very long. Pretty soon, we've got Juggernaut spinning in place. Literally.

"Just give it up, Marko. This is pointless and, to be truthful, rather pathetic."

"Shut your damn mouth, old man!"

"Don't call me old!" I punch Cain, trying to phase my hand into him. All I succeed in doing is seriously bruising my knuckles. Ok, time for a rethink.

"Nightcrawler, got any ideas?"

 

[Carnage27]

The next minute or so is spent doing everything we can to keep Cain busy instead of hurting people. It's not that hard. I'm too fast to hit and Nightcrawler's never in the same place for very long. Pretty soon, we've got Juggernaut spinning in place. Literally.

"Just give it up, Marko. This is pointless and, to be truthful, rather pathetic."

"Shut your damn mouth, old man!"

"Don't call me old!" I punch Cain, trying to phase my hand into him. All I succeed in doing is seriously bruising my knuckles. Ok, time for a rethink.

"Nightcrawler, got any ideas?"

I do, but I don't like it.

"Yes, but ve've got to get him moving. I cannot teleport him while he is standing still, he's to heavy."

I look up to the tallest building I can find, and give a slight nod to Flash.

"Head over zhat way!"

I teleport on top of the Juggernaut and poke him in the eye with my tail, "Come on you overgrown excuse for a linebacker! Chase me!"

He goes to swipe at me, but I'm already further down the street, "GAHHHHH! I'm gonna rip you to shreds, ya f***in' squirrel!"

 

[Blacklight]

Magneto couldn't help but let out a confident chuckle, "Please, Superman. Do you think I came to your city unprepared?"

"I'm ready for you 'Man of Steel'," Magneto says in a mocking tone.

But before the Last Son of Krypton can attack, Magnus goes a different route than force.

"Why do you protect them?" he says gesturing to the people running for their lives. "You could be a god on this planet, yet you do nothing but guard the insects that are so obviously beneath you."

"And on top of that, they will tire of you Superman. I have seen it happen to us. They need you for protection now, but what happens when they don't?"

Magneto floats a little closer to Superman, "You will be met by the same fear and hostility that my kind face today. You will be hated, because they know what you can do. They know how powerful you have become."

The Master of Magnetism could see his words getting to the impressive figure in the air next to him.

"You know what I am talking about. You know they are a fearful, and foolish race. No matter how much you want to be one of them, you are not. And they realize this. Cast aside your love for them, and be what you were born to be. Before they cast you down through fear."

Superman carefully listened to Magneto's speech, thinking about whether or not what he was saying was true or not.

Would they really do that? he thought. I mean, I do have alot in common with the mutants. We both have abilities beyond that of normal men, and we both have causes that we're greatly dedicated to. The only difference is that, the people accept me, and they discriminate against them. Will they do the same to me? I mean, if they can't accept people of their own kind just because they're different, the how long will they be able to accept an alien from another planet before they cast me out as well?

No... I see great potential in these people, as did my father. It's why he sent me here to this planet. To guide them... Teach them to accept those that are different from themselves, like me. Like the mutants. That is, if I can stop Magneto before he can have the chance to destroy them all...

"I'm sorry, Magneto. I can't do that. A great man once told me that these "homo-sapiens" that you have so uneccessarily dubbed them can be a great people. They just lack the light to show them the way. That's why I'm not giving up on them. And I'm not going to let a tyrant like you tell me otherwise."

"Pity... You could've made a great ally." The Master of Magnetism simply replied as he pulled out a small box and opened it to reveal a piece of green rock. One that managed to cause the Man of Steel to stumble back as he keeled over from a sudden burst of pain.

"Aaarrggghhh.... What... is that?"

"A little something my associate, Mystique, managed to swipe from Lex Luthor when he wasn't looking. He calls it "Kryptonite", and supposedly it's radiation is powerful enough to cause even the Last Son of Krypton to fall."

"No... Magneto, stop... You can't... do this..."

"You've left me no choice, Superman. If the mutant race is to reign supreme, the homo-sapiens' "savior" must be removed from the equation..."

"Rrraagghhh...." Superman yelled out, unable to move. it was unbearable. The rays from the "Kryptonite" that Magneto had unleashed upon the Man of Tomorrow were draining him, making him weaker and weaker by the second. Not even the sun's yellow rays could stop the pain from surging within him.

But just then, he saw a figure approaching in the sky, wearing a costume similar to his own. The 'S' on her chest as bright as day.

"K-Kara?"

 

[Blacklight]

SPIDER-MAN​

Gambit is a far tougher opponent than I was counting on. On top of his mutant abilities, he's just an acrobatic fighter. With that bo staff in his hands, he's almost an unstoppable force. Yet, his heart doesn't really seem to be in the fight. Which is good, I guess - 'cause it might be the reason I'm still standing.​

"You really think you should choose sides based on a paycheck?" I ask as I rip off a car door and throw it at Gambit. He leap-frogs over it, charging it with his hand as he passes. It crashes into a building and explodes.​

Gambit laughs. "Don't you see? There are no sides. There's you, and there's everyone else," he explains. "Personally, Ah'm gonna choose me."​

Gambit engages me in hand-to-hand combat. Normally, I wouldn't worry, but the distance was the only thing protecting me. Here, feet away from that bo staff of his, I feel wide open - even with my reflexes. The entire sequence passes like a dream.​

I bend to the side to avoid an attempted jab with the end of the staff. I bring a leg up to kick Gambit in the jaw, but he spins away from me. My fingers move to my palm as I prepare to fire a web. Gambit flicks a charged quarter at me, which explodes on impact. My webshooter is fried. Gambit charges at me, and I begin a backwards somersault. Gambit kicks me in the small of my back. I sprawl on the ground as he reaches for a card. With my functional webshooter, I snag his toe. Yanking hard, I bring Gambit to the ground.​

"Oh, ho, yer good, Spider. Yer real good," Gambit acknowledges in between pained laughs. "But Ah'm no quitter."​

Spider-Sense. I look to see Gambits hand touching a parked SUV. My eyes widen beneath my mask as I turn to run. I take two steps before the charged vehicle explodes violently. I'm flung through the air, crashing into a fire escape. Gambit is long gone.​

As Tony Stark finished tying the last knot in Toad's tongue that he used to wrap the grotesque mutant to a telephone pole, the Armored Avenger looked over to find the wallcrawler rubbing his head as he got back up from a nasty fall. He quickly used his thrusters to fly over to his fellow Leaguer.

"You alright, Web-head? I think Cap and the others are going to need us over in Metropolis. It's getting really bad over there..."

 

[Carnage27]

​

I swoop into the middle of a great battle with the grace of a one winged penguin dropped out of a 747.

I float above everything for a second before I see Kal-El being pummeled in mid-air by the mutant known as Magneto.

I can't believe what I'm seeing. Magneto throws punch after punch, and each seems to devastate my cousin.

"Rrraagghhh...." Superman yelled out, unable to move. it was unbearable. The rays from the "Kryptonite" that Magneto had unleashed upon the Man of Tomorrow were draining him, making him weaker and weaker by the second. Not even the sun's yellow rays could stop the pain from surging within him.

But just then, he saw a figure approaching in the sky, wearing a costume similar to his own. The 'S' on her chest as bright as day.

"K-Kara?"

The anger boils over, and I propel myself towards the Master of Magnetism.

*******

The mutant leader takes great pride in beating down the one being that could possibly stop him. With every strike his plan comes even closer to success.

"K-Kara?" the broken being in Magneto's hands mutters as the mutant feels the other being rocketing towards him.

Magneto turns to see another with the trademark S across her chest, and he simply smiles, and delivers a punch with the kryptonite hand as the girl gets within range, sending her tumbling towards the ground below.

"You see, Superman? Not even your precious friends can save you this time."

*******

BAMF

I appear closer to my target location, and I can see The Flash has gotten Marko to chase him.

Just as I think this plan may actually work, I see what looks like a female version of Superman plummeting out of the sky.

"A fuzzy boy's work is never done," I sigh to myself as I teleport just underneath her, and then back near ground level.

Her momentum sends us smashing into the pavement.

"Uuugggghhhhh...now ZHAT vas a landing," I groan in pain. "Are you okay, faulein?"

She hazily looks up at me, obviously a little taken aback by my appearance, "Yes... I think so. Thank you..."

"Ah, my name is Kurt Wagner, but in the Munich Circus I was known as the-OOOOF!" my introduction is cut short by Juggernaut virtually running over me.

"Awwww ain't that cute? The freak's got himself a little girlfriend!" he laughs.

He raises his hands above his head to smash down on me, only to find himself raised above the super girl's head.

"Not today, big red," she says as she smashes him into the ground.

She then proceeds to pull two light polls out of the ground and wraps them around the hands and feet of the Juggernaut as binds.

"Well, I hope I can do this," she says as beams of heat come from her eyes, fusing the polls together. She then walks over and gives me a hand to get up.

"You know, I usually don't like the rough stuff but..." I look up and the amazingly beautiful girl, who obviously doesn't get the joke I'm telling. "Nevermind, vhere vas I? Ah! Yes, my mutant name is zhe Incredible Nightcrawler!"

"Nice to meet you, Nightcrawler," she laughes. "I'm Kara, now, how bout we get back to the bad guys?"

"After you, Supergirl," I say while performing an overdramatic bow.

"Supergirl, huh? I like it. Don't mind if I do," she smiles as she flies over to The Flash.

"Hey, Mr. Flash! We need to help Kal-El! Magneto's got something that weakens him!"
​

 

[wiegeabo]

I ignore Logan's brutal comment as I continue to fight my way through the copies.

"Captain America to all locations, status report." I say as my shield flies through the air and chops a copies head off.

"Green Lantern, we've seen light resistance here. We've almost got it cleaned up."

"Good."

I roundhouse kick a dupe and grab my shield just in time to bash it upside his head as he stumbles from the kick.

"I want all units to start falling back to Metropolis once your locations have been cleared. Early reports indicate that his main invasion force is in the city, as well as the man himself."

I look across the battlefield and see the short, hairy man who was attacking Logan start to come to.

"I want this done on the double, people."

Noticing the short man is staring at me, I prepare to strike.

"Ahh!"

I drop to my knees and grab my head in pain. It feels like someone is wailing on my skull wiht an axe.

"Oh, yes. I'm going to take my time with you. You gave me a headache, so Doctor Psycho is going to rip your mind asunder!" the madman shouts in angry glee.

I tap him on the shoulder. "Hey, bub."

He turns, and his face falls in fear. "Y-you wouldn't hit a dwarf, would you?"

"Yeah...I'd gut 'em too." I grab Psycho and he shouts in terror. I growl into his face and then headbutt him. He hangs in my hands, out cold. I toss him at a group of the Multiple Men, knocking them down.

I turn and face the mass of multiples, my claws extending. "I guarantee you I can do this all day. You guys feel like having you intestines splattered on the ground? You guys sure I won't find the original?"

They all look at each other for a moment, then run away. I smile to myself, then notice the noise and look up behind me. The Blackbird floats in the air, and Angel gives me a salute from the cockpit. "Thought you could use some backup." I grumble.

I wave Angel down for a landing, then kneel next to Rogers and give him a slap to the face. "On your feet soldier. We're shippin' out."

 

[Eddie Brock]

As Tony Stark finished tying the last knot in Toad's tongue that he used to wrap the grotesque mutant to a telephone pole, the Armored Avenger looked over to find the wallcrawler rubbing his head as he got back up from a nasty fall. He quickly used his thrusters to fly over to his fellow Leaguer.

"You alright, Web-head? I think Cap and the others are going to need us over in Metropolis. It's getting really bad over there..."

I watch the chaos consuming the city streets beneath us. It's like Hell on Earth down there. I'm not sure I've even cut out to handle something like this. Still, I can't turn my back now.

"Well, you'll have to send my apologies 'cause I'm not leaving my city," I explain calmly. "Especially not like this."

 

[Byrd Man]

"Steve" I hear a voice calling me in the darkness. It's a voice from my past, a voice I recognize to this day.

"Gail."

"Where are you?" she cries.

"I'm here, sweetie. Can't you hear me."

"You can't be dead, I can't believe it."

"I'm not! I survived!"

"Oh, Steve. I wish I could tell you one more time that I love you."

The darkness brightens around me, that's when I see a skeleton laying on the ground at my feet, the suit and mask let me know who he is right away.

"Bucky." I bend down to the skeleton's face, that's when a bony hand grabs me and won't let go.

"CAP! WHY DID YOU LET ME DIE?!" The body roars with anger.

"No! No! No!"

My eyes snap open, Wolverine stands over me with a curious look.

"I said-"

"I heard you." I say as I stand up and look at him. He stands there, unsure of what to do next.

"Well, what are you waiting on? Double time, Logan! We have a country to save."
​

 

[Green Lantern]

"Get eyes on the field. You'll know when."

I take a deep breath. There's not much margin of error here. I have no idea how Joker can set off the explosives. So we must assume it's as easy as possible for him to do so.

As always, timing will be everything.

I flip a switch.

"Joker!"

My face snaps up on the jumbo screen. My voice rings out through all the speakers. People jump, startled at the sudden outburst. Many scream, others cheer. Most are too stunned to do anything.

And then Joker walks out from backstage. Even from this distance, I can see that sick, sadistic smile of his. I'm giving him exactly what he wants. Playing his game.

He just doesn't know I changed the rules.

Joker's taps the mic. "Testing, testing. Can you hear me now?"

I just scowl into the camera.

"Heh. I guess so. Gotta say, I missed ya big guy. Daredevil's fun and all, but you...you're the real deal. Almost thought you were going to chicken out. Let all these nice, healthy innocents die a horrible, painful, lingering, gory, painful death...Wait, did I say death twice? Guess it's that painful."

"But, no. Not you. You couldn't let that happen. Even though I'm in another state, you still come to stop me. Seriously, Bats. I'm touched. I didn't think you cared so much." Joker acts like he's wiping a tear from his eye. I swallow down the bile building in my throat.

"I'm here, Joker. Time for your side of the deal."

"Hmm? Oh...right! You show up, I let the people go, then blow myself and the stadium to hell. Well, you're right. A deal's a deal. So I'll go ahead and set off the explosive. But...seeing as I'm having such a good time now...I think I'll go ahead and take my leave first. Wouldn't want the story to end before we get to the really good parts, do we?"

"This isn't a game Joker!"

"Oh, how wrong can you be?! Of course it's a game. Life is a game. A sick, twisted game with no rules and no winners. Just those with the highest body count."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Yes...I suppose not. Ah hell, maybe I just like killing people. Like right now! Oh boys...!"

People scream as a couple of Joker's goons step on stage with machine guns in their hands. People scream and try to run, panicking. Jokers smiles and laughs...and then raises an eyebrow in confusion.

He clears his throat and speaks into the microphone louder. "I said, Oh Boys!"

Nothing.

"OHHH. BOYYYYS!!!!"

Even his goons start looking around at the entryway doors in the stands in utter confusion. One steps up to the Joker.

"Uh, boss. Where're the other guys?"

Joker's smile turns to anger. He points at the screen. "YOU!!! You did this! You broke the rules!!!"

"No. I'm changing them."

I flip a switch, and every light in the stadium glares on stage, blinding the Joker and his henchmen.

"NOW!!!"

While Batman and Joker spoke, Robin had silently shot his grapple right above the clown's head. He launched himself off the soundbooth while pressing a button, playing the sound clip that he had just recorded.

"Now introducing... on Second Base... ROBIN.... THE BOY WONDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The sound of the announcer echoed through the mostly silent arena, and was followed by riffing guitars and screaming vocals.

Bleed out all empathy this vessel has no spirit left to hold on to lies I've lived in full
How long can I hold tight with every movement
Tension binds and denies my true nature
The balance has shifted warped sick and twisted
Grabbing at angels when I fall
Because I am more than this idol endless recital
For all my demons to applaud
I am free
Hide myself from it all while every fear is
Screaming night into dawn until I find
I have to believe them (lies)
In order to attain fulfillment
I have to succumb to (lies)
All my inner fears that tear at me
I will never believe them (lies)
I'm sick of the weakness that controls me-now that I've fallen-I will not repent

As the rock song played his entrance, Robin drove his feet into the Joker's back. As the clown stumbled to his feet, Robin smiled, pulling the baseball bat from his belt, and smashing it into the lily white nose of the monster.

"What? The slide too much for you? How bout the home run swing? You can just call me A-Rod."

 

[wiegeabo]

While Batman and Joker spoke, Robin had silently shot his grapple right above the clown's head. He launched himself off the soundbooth while pressing a button, playing the sound clip that he had just recorded.

"Now introducing... on Second Base... ROBIN.... THE BOY WONDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The sound of the announcer echoed through the mostly silent arena, and was followed by riffing guitars and screaming vocals.

Bleed out all empathy this vessel has no spirit left to hold on to lies I've lived in full
How long can I hold tight with every movement
Tension binds and denies my true nature
The balance has shifted warped sick and twisted
Grabbing at angels when I fall
Because I am more than this idol endless recital
For all my demons to applaud
I am free
Hide myself from it all while every fear is
Screaming night into dawn until I find
I have to believe them (lies)
In order to attain fulfillment
I have to succumb to (lies)
All my inner fears that tear at me
I will never believe them (lies)
I'm sick of the weakness that controls me-now that I've fallen-I will not repent

As the rock song played his entrance, Robin drove his feet into the Joker's back. As the clown stumbled to his feet, Robin smiled, pulling the baseball bat from his belt, and smashing it into the lily white nose of the monster.

"What? The slide too much for you? How bout the home run swing? You can just call me A-Rod."

You have got to be...Of all the irresponsible.......actually...that's not a bad idea.

I quickly type while Robin provides just the distraction we need. In large letters on the jumbo screen, the words 'GO. NOW!!!' appear.

As if the flood waters were released, the people begin rushing towards the doors. It's risky. They may very well injure each other on the way out, but it's a chance I need to take. If Joker sets off explosives we didn't find...

I pickup a phone, glad there's actually a dial tone. Without turning around, I snap my fist up near my head, knocking out the thug trying to sneak up behind me again. He slumps hard to the floor. I dial.

"911"

"This is Batman."

"Yeah ri-"

"We have stopped the Joker for now. Every hostage is fleeing Yankee Stadium. They are going to need help. Hurry."

I hang up. There's no way they can ignore that call. I pull out my grapnel and fire it. The windows of the pressbox explodes outwards...