One Universe: Season IV IC Thread

[TrueMastermind]

Gotham was a dreary place. Wart-faced thugs littered the city's shadowy alleyways, corrupt cops patrolled the brokedown streets, and mindless crackheads spread their ugly filth throughout the entire area. They all deserved punishment. And the one who could deliver it stood upon the rooftops, clutching his powerful sniper in both hands.

Angel Fortunato. Son of one of New York's most noteworthy dons. Could shake up the underground with his death. And here he was, in Gotham for a "business" meeting, just a sitting duck for Frank Castle. Rising his sniper to eliminate the bonehead once and for all, Frank was armed to kill.

Finger on the trigger, Frank wanted to make sure that there was no way that he could miss. Death would come to him if the Gotham wind blew the bullet off course by even a centimeter. He was already suprised that the group of mobster's inside the highrise condo hadn't seen him already. But forgetting about all that, the Punisher got back to his task. And so he pulled the trigger. Direct hit.

The muscular Maggia member fell like a rock. His accomplices didn't even know how to react to the gaping hole in Fortunato's head. But when they looked towards where the bullet came from, they saw noone. Angel Fortunato just joined the list of the Punisher's many victims.

 

[wiegeabo]

I haven't left Keystone since it happened. Since Amazo showed up and killed off an entire town. Since we failed.

I've tried to help. Tried to be the hero. But my heart hasn't been into it. And I see the looks in the people of Keystone when I do try and help. Some people give me looks of anger. Others, indifference. Other...sadness. Those are the hardest to deal with because it rams home just how much I let them down. Only a few, a small few, look at me like they all once did. But it's not enough. Not enough to give me hope.

Joan says I'm imagining things. That the people haven't turned against me. That it's all in my head. I know she's probably right. But, when I'm out there...and I try to look people in the eye...I know that she isn't.

But she is right about something else. I can't keep going on like this. I need to move on. I'm just not sure how. I need some help, from someone who's been around the block as long as I have.

"You come all the way to Gotham and don't bring me any beer?"

"Heh. No, not this time, Ted. I just..."

"Oh, I know what you're going through."

I look up at him hopefully. "You do?"

"Yeah. Joan called me, told me you got yourself into a funk and was moping around town."

"A funk? Her word or yours."

"Oh, mine. Definitely mine. Care to wet your whistle?"

"No, no thanks."

"Hey, sometimes it helps." Ted walks into his office. While he's gone, I look around his gym. It's been here for decades, training new generations of fighters for their shot at greatness. And it's produced a few. But that's not why Ted keeps it running. It's because it helps keep Ted running. I swear, when I closed my eyes, I could be back in time to when we first met. Sure smells the same way.

"You sure you don't want one?" I open my eyes. Ted brought out two bottles.

"No. Alcohol doesn't really do much with my metabolism anyway. It'd have to drink half a brewery to even get a buzz."

He pops the top of the bottle and tilts it towards me. "You're loss." He takes a long drink. "So...when are you gonna get off your ass and start acting normal again."

"Normal? You want me to act normal?" I shake my head and look at the floor. "A whole town died because of us."

"Bull ****."

I stare at Ted, my eyes wide open. "What?"

"Bull ****. A steaming pile of pure, grade A, 100% cow crap."

For the first time in a long time I feel something besides grief. Anger. "How can you say that?"

"Because it's true. Stamford wasn't our fault."

"How can you say that?!"

"Luthor pinning that town on the League wasn't fair, Jay. It was political grandstanding. Taking advantage of the countries mixed up feelings to get his goals pushed through office. It's all political bull ****."

I stand up from my chair. "We KILLED those people!"

Ted's right there in my face. "No we didn't! Amazo killed those people. We saved dozens of lives. You saved them."

"It wasn't enough!" I don't see it coming. I'm probably the second fastest man alive, and I don't see it coming. One moment I'm shouting at Ted, the next, I'm on the floor and Ted's rubbing his knuckles.

"Get up."

I rub my jaw. "No."

"Get up you cowa-" Ted lands inside the ring after I jump up from the floor and deliver an uppercut. He shakes his head and spits blood onto the mat. "That all you got?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Ted stands and puts his hands on the ropes. "Good. Finally got your blood pumping. Finally got you angry. Maybe that means you can start moving passed this."

"That's what all this was? You're trying to trick me into...into...what. Moving through the grieving process faster?"

"No, I'm trying to get you to take your head out of your ass. Stamford wasn't our fault. What were we supposed to do? Leave Amazo alone when he landed in town? Let him rip the place apart just so we don't get our hand dirty? Because if you listen to men like Luthor, that's exactly what they're saying."

"We could have down something else. We could have taken the fight out of town."

"How? Tell me how? That thing manhandled Superman and he's the toughest sonovagun we've got. You think even if we could have gotten out of town it would have stayed outside the town?"

"I could have evacuated everyone when the fight started, instead of waiting-"

"The League needed you in the fight. They couldn't spare you."

"We could have done things differently!"

"No, we couldn't," Ted says calmly, infuriating me further.

"Yes we could. We could have saved them all. We should have saved them all! I should have."

"And why didn't you?"

"How dare you-"

"You're so great. You're convinced you could have. Why didn't you?"

"There wasn't enough time."

"You just said you should have saved them."

"I tried."

"But you didn't."

"Because I wasn't FAST ENOUGH!!!" I yell.

Ted just stares at me. "So...that's it. That's the real reason you've been half the man I know you to be. Sorry to tell you this Jay, but you're beating yourself up for something you had no control over. I just hope you don't have to go all ten rounds until you figure out how to forgive yourself."

"I...I..." Ted climbs out of the ring and pats me on the back as he walks to the table.

"Sure you don't want that beer?"

I sigh. "...You don't have enough."

 

[Optikal]

Spoiler

​

The Hand.

A clan of demon worshipping undead assassins. The best in the business, and they were legion. It was not his lucky night.

Suddenly, in a rush of metal and black cloth they were on him, a swirling carnival of slashing blades, and powerful kicks. When the first one came, he ducked under a slashing sword cut, and delivered a massive blow to the ninja's rib cage. Then he snatched the sword from his limp hand, delivered another hard blow to another ninja, turned to his left and carved away the arm of a third one. As he continued to fight them off, someone managed to slice his arm. Though the cut wasn't immediately life threatening, it was still deeper than he would've liked.

He kicked out again, took a blow here, took a blow there, carved off a leg, then an arm, then a head. Then he took a hard kick to the chest, sending him skidding across the wet roof on his back. The pain in his shoulder flared to life, but there was no time to dwell on it. The business end of yet another sword came rushing down to meet him. He rolled to his left, and kicked out with his right leg. The creature's knee gave out with a sickening crack. Sparks flew as he rolled to his feet and blocked a quick flurry of attacks from a pair of opponents.

Attacking, he amputated an arm, chopped off a hand, then plunged the sword deep into someone else's chest. Spurts of green blood filled the night air. And still they came. Four more crept towards him. His sword flashed, and four heads fell at his feet. He almost slipped in the mixture of blood and rain. And still they came.

They wouldn't give up. He knew that. It wasn't the first time he had come into contact with the clan of demon ninjas. He didn't know how he had made their hit list, but he knew there was only one way off of it. And that was death.

That's when an idea hit him. Spinning on his boot heels, he took off for the edge of the roof, the mobster's conversations still continuing in his earpiece. As he neared the ledge, he leapt for all he was worth, his powerful legs propelling him over the edge and straight for the adjacent building in a full on swan dive.

He exploded through the window in a shower of tinkling glass, hit the ground, and dispersed the impact by immediately going into a shoulder roll.

Kazakov and the other gangsters stood, automatic weapons drawn. Before they could open fire on him, the platoon of Hand operatives came crashing through the rest of the windows. The gangsters didn't hesitate, and the air was ripped apart by gunfire. Clouds of green mist seeped into the room from the ninja's bullet riddled bodies. But still they kept coming.

One of the men tried to reload his weapon, a sword flashed, blood spirted, and his arm hit the floor, still holding the pistol. More swords flashed, arms and legs lashed out, and bullets split everything in their path. The room was awash in red and green blood from the two groups of combatants.
Moon Knight, still clutching a sword, stayed low to the ground as he dashed for the door. One of the ninjas slashed at his back opening up a bloody wound. Wincing in pain, Moon Knight whirled, blade extended. The creature's head hit the floor with a thud, trailed by a viscous spray of emerald green. Moon Knight snatched open the door and stumbled out into the hallway, smearing the walls with his own blood.

Glorious! Glorious! Khonshu howled with pleasure.

He descended the stairs as fast as his battered body would allow, his mind racing with thoughts about which of his enemies had the money as well as the connections to hire the Hand. Through blurred vision, he saw a young woman, early twenties, short brown hair, dressed like a waitress coming up the staircase. He screamed at her to go back, grabbed her by the arm and continued down the steps. She screamed and fought, but his powerful hands gripped her like a vice.

"What do you want from me?"she cried.

"To help you."

As he rushed down the stairs he noticed that he couldn't hear the ninjas in pursuit. Only, that meant nothing, since they were the Hand. There could've been a thousand of them behind him and they wouldn't have made a sound.

Finally, Moon Knight and the girl burst through the building's main doors and out onto the street, back into the monsoon. He told the girl to get into her car and drive away from here.

She looked at him seriously confused, noticed that he was covered head to toe in blood, then did what she was told.

Through his earpiece he could hear the death cry of the last of Kazakov's crew. Shortly thereafter, he found himself surrounded by five of the black pyjama clad hostiles, all of them brandishing swords stained a bloody red. They must've leapt from the apartment sixty feet up and landed on the street below.

Silent. Graceful as cats.

In awe of their athletic prowess, yet unwilling to concede defeat, he sank into a crouch, raised his sword.

"Come and get me you Godless *****s."

"Come and get me you Godless f-cks."

That is where you are wrong my Avatar. They are not Godless at all. In fact, their's may be the worst of us all. He got a good laugh out of that. And look how they serve him. They come by the droves, ready to kill and be killed until all of his enemies have been vanquished. My but they are good little soldiers. Sort of makes a guy jealous. I mean…all I have is you.

They crept closer. Moon Knight numbered them in his head. 1,2,3,4,5.

Numbers one and two rushed towards him. He slapped swords as he whirled past number one and fired a brutal kick to the solar plexus of number two. As number two doubled over, his head was swiftly removed by violent cut from Moon Knight's blade. When number one came back, Moon Knight slashed away, cleaving him in half at the waist. As he turned, he barely managed to deflect a blow from number three. But, not fast enough to prevent number four from plunging his sword deep into his abdomen.

Growling in pain, he brought down his sword, lopping off both of the ninja's arms. He kicked out, knocking the armless ninja over onto its back. His mind was blank with pain, as he pulled the sword from his stomach. Then, just as number five leapt high into the air and brought his sword swooping down, Moon Knight flung his battered body to the concrete.


The evasive manoeuvre exhausted the last of his energy, and Moon Knight's world grew hazy. Soaked in his own blood, he crawled out into the middle of the street. His body ached. His head ached. He was bleeding to death. Drowning to death. Desperate. And they were coming. Out into the street. To finish him off.

The two remaining ninjas loomed over him, swords at the ready as he lay on his side, in half a foot of rain. It hurt so bad. It would be so easy to just give up. Just roll over onto his back, close his eyes, and take that final sleep. It was so close. He almost welcomed it. Hell, he did welcome it. He could even see that bright light that everyone always talked about.

The ninjas continued their approach, silent, even in the sloppy rain.

Moon Knight thought about praying. But to whom? Khonshu was watching. But screw him. If he really gave a damn, he would do something. He looked back at the bright light. Maybe he had done something right. Wasn't the bright light supposed to be for people going to heaven? Dammit. He didn't know. Oh well, there was nothing he could do about it now. He spat out a mouthful of blood and waited for it to come.

Only the bright light wasn't heaven. It was the brown haired waitress. Or rather, her car. She sped in, turned hard, and came skidding to a stop, spraying him with water and sending the two ninjas sprawling. The door popped open. She reached out to him."Get in."


​

 

[Keyser Soze]

26 Days Dry

"Huh. Jay's still not answering my calls. And I can't get in touch with Pepper either, which is really strange. I can always get in touch with Pepper."

For a moment I worry that Luthor might have done something to her, but then I push such an outlandish thought out of my mind. At least I hope it's outlandish. I make another phone call, then turn to Steve.

"Right, I've called the airport and commissioned a private jet. We'll just have to make our own way to New York, and get back to the Brownstone."

 

[Byrd Man]

26 Days Dry

"Huh. Jay's still not answering my calls. And I can't get in touch with Pepper either, which is really strange. I can always get in touch with Pepper."

For a moment I worry that Luthor might have done something to her, but then I push such an outlandish thought out of my mind. At least I hope it's outlandish. I make another phone call, then turn to Steve.

"Right, I've called the airport and commissioned a private jet. We'll just have to make our own way to New York, and get back to the Brownstone."

"That's fine with me. I need to get in touch with Superman as well. I gave him my shield right before SHIELD scooped us up in Stamford."

Tony nods and an awkward silence begins to creep in. I know Iron Man, consider him a good acquaintance, but I've always been closer to Jay and the rest of the old JSA.

"So....having all that money, that has to be fun."

"Mister Stark, Captain Rogers," one of the secretaries says as she sticks her head in the door. "The car to take you to the airport has arrived."

 

[Eddie Brock]

THE INCREDIBLE HULK

"PURPLE MAN ASK FOR HULK?"

"HERE HULK IS!"

The Hulk brings both his fists down, creating a small crater where Major Force once stood. The Green Goliath checks under his fists and is confused when the mangled form of his opponent isn't laying there. The Hulk looks up just in time to see Major Force leaping at him. The Hulk swipes and misses, and Major Force lands a strong punch to the creature's jaw.

The Hulk catches Major Force's ankle and tosses him into the forest surrounding the Tower of Fate. Major Force crashes through several trees before coming to a stop somewhere in the underbrush. The Hulk roars before pursuing his opponent. The beast would not stop until he had established his dominance. For deep down, the Hulk knew that he was the strongest.

"PURPLE MAN?" the Hulk booms tauntingly. He uproots trees and stomps on bushes in his search for Major Force. "AFRAID TO FACE HULK? REMEMBER WHAT HULK DID TO PURPLE MAN LAST TIME?"

Major Force drops down onto the Hulk's back. Placing his hands on the Hulk's ears, Major Force unleashes an energy blast which totally disorients the Green Goliath. "I remember it vividly, my dull friend. I knew that my survival was for the sole purpose of returning the favor." Major Force leaps off the Hulk's back, peppering the beast from behind with multiple blasts.

The Hulk growls. His head is still spinning from taking such a direct hit. Major Force was powerful, but even at his best day his strength was no match for the Hulks. The creature spins around and slams Major Force against a tree, nearly splitting the trunk in two. The Hulk tightens his grip around Major Force's body, splintering the tree as he does so.

"HULK CRUSH PURPLE MAN!"

Major Force feels his outer shell giving under the massive force applied by the Hulk. He needed to break free or else he wouldn't be so lucky as to walk away from this encounter with the Green Goliath. Major Force grabs onto Hulk's hand and tries to pry himself free. The Hulk is too strong. "Finish it, then, Hulk. You've proved your point."

The Hulk sneers. "NOT YET. PURPLE MAN WILL REMEMBER HULK!" With his free hand, the Hulk pounds Major Force relentlessly. The Major's nose shatters on the first punch, and the Hulk nearly flattens it with each successive hit. The creature's giant fist connects repeatedly with Major Force's face until the Major is nearly unconscious. "HULK NO KILL PURPLE MAN. HULK WANT PURPLE MAN TO REMEMBER WHAT HULK CAN DO!"

The Hulk wraps his hand completely around Major Force and launches him over the treeline. The Major crashes down a few miles away, battered and broken. The Hulk doesn't pursue him any more. Major Force now knows that the Hulk is the strongest there is.
​

 

[Carnage27]

Two Years Ago

"Go! Go! Go!" I yell to the frantic civilians, as the rush away from ground zero, most unable to take their eyes off of the hulking giant in the middle of Gotham City. "Don't stop until a SHIELD agent tells you! The safe zone is over a mile away, do not stop until you get there."

I almost want to laugh. Safe. There is no where safe in this city right now. Hell, there's probably no where safe on Earth with the devourer of worlds here. Galactus touched down on Earth less than one hour ago in Gotham, and the Justice League has taken the fight to him, but it doesn't matter unless Richards comes through with his invention.

I'm in charge of the evacuation, and it couldn't be going worse. People panic, try to take valuable from their homes, rather than fleeing for their lives. Children and those that fall are trampled, and countless are killed in the rush.

**********

"You did well," Nick Fury says, patting me on the back. "More people got out of the city than I thought."

I look over the devastated ruins of Gotham and shake my head. The one edge of the city, where Galactus set down, is basically eradicated. Columns of smoke as tall as skyscrapers rise into the night sky, and SHIELD hellicarriers patrol the night sky, attempting to restore peace to Gotham.

"I could have gotten more out."

Six Months Ago

Metropolis is a battle ground like I've never seen before. Mutants and Justice Leaguers clash on the streets, different forms of powers flying left and right. And I'm in the middle of all of it.

It started early in the morning, with Magneto and part of his army attacking the small contingent of SHIELD agents I had under my command. None survived but me, and the only reason I did is because the League and Superman showed up to save my ass.

I fire two small disks from my gauntlets at a pair of mutants attempting to throw a car at The Flash, and an electrical shock emanates from them, dropping the two to the ground. Acting quickly, I pull two riot ties from my belt and tie them down, assuring they don't rejoin the fight.

Fighting my way further into the fray puts me behind a blue-skinned mutant, taking aim with two pistols at the X-Men's field leader, Cyclops. He's just a kid, and I don't plan on watching him die today.

I rush the mutant and drive my boot into the side of her head, sending her sprawling. I kick away her guns, disarming her. She gets up quickly, wiping a small trail of blood from her lip, "Bad move, girl."

She attacks me with a combination of kicks and punches backed up with obvious skill. She puts me on the defensive, but not for long. I retaliate with a combo of my own, managing to drive my fist into her sternum, sending her stumbling back, "I don't think it was."

She attacks again, but she's obviously shaken from the hit I landed. A misplaced kick sends her off balance, and I take advantage of it by sweeping her legs out from under her. Her face slams into the pavement, knocking her out cold.

As my attention turns from my small battle to the bigger one, I find Magneto on the ground, defeated by the combined efforts of the League and X-Men.

**********

"So I really have to deal with all the incarcerations?" I say, looking at the mounds of paperwork Colonel Fury has just plopped down on my desk. "There's over five hundred arrests here, Fury!"

"It's nothing you can't handle," he smiles back.
​

Three Months Ago

"I'm coming with you," I say to Nick Fury, who's just been fired as the director of SHIELD. He's been my surrogate father ever since dad died a few years ago, and on top of that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. I wouldn't be in SHIELD, and hell, I probably wouldn't even be alive. He's saved my skin plenty of time.

And I'm not about to let him take this fall alone, "I'm not staying with SHIELD if you're not."

"No," Nick says shaking his head. "I need you here. You can be my eyes and ears inside the department. I'm going to need you, Romanoff."

Four Days Ago

"So this is all SHIELD has on it?" Fury asks with raised eyebrows, well one eyebrow, as he flips through the files I took from SHIELD headquarters. "Seems Awful light."

"Every lead into the case was closed when I tried to open them," I say with my arms folded. "There's something more here, Fury. I think they knew Amazo was going to attack. It's all too convenient."

"I'm beginning to agree," he nods. "I'll have someone from the League check it out. Keep up the good work."

Now

My private phone rings and rouses me from a deep sleep. I roll over and look at the time. Three thirty in the morning.

You have got to be kidding me.

"Hello?" I groggily answer the phone.

"Romanoff," the raspy voice of Nick Fury answers.

"Fury, you do know it's three in the morning right?" I say, obviously annoyed.

"Deal with it. I've got something for you to do."

"What?"
​

 

[TrueMastermind]

The triumphant feeling of eliminating a mobster from their disgraceful, damnable existence always placed Frank in a good mood. At least in his standards. No bitter thoughts loomed in Frank's mind; no anger lurked in his damaged soul. Breaking a daily habit, Castle didn't even bother to partake in his usual smoke. Now it wasn't like a sea of joy was swishing around within him, just that an unusal slick of happiness bounced around in his troubled heart.

But not everything was so great. Terrible headaches forced him to stay glued to his trusty, yet stolen recliner for hours. And whenever he made an attempt to hop on his feet, he felt dizzy and strangly uneasy and was forced to sit back down. Not thinking clearly, he almost tried to go see a physician, but quickly realized leaving his hideout just for a few annoying headaches was an unwise decision. However, for the first time in who knows how long, Frank turned on his television set to watch some good ole baseball. Yes, a hardcore murderer was snacking on some outdated popcorn and watching a game of basketball. Although the Knicks were putting up a repulsive effort against the much superior Lakers, just the fact that he was able to relax and do something he hadn't done in years soothed the Punisher.

But then there was a knock. Here? At his hideout? Who could it be? Frank debated over if he should open the door or not. Making probably a stupid decision on his part, Frank snatched a pistol off the wall and opened the door very slowly. But there was no skull-hungry brute or a heavily armed assassin, just a shivering, beautiful woman who looked up at the muscular killer with sincerity.

"Please...help me...."

For a moment, Frank swore he felt a tingling sensation down in his pants.

 

[Keyser Soze]

"Are you going to kill me now?"

Tom's question broke what had been a lengthy silence, with Thor and the boy both sitting side by side at the beach. He said it in a calm, emotionless voice, as if his violent display of fury against Thor had left him emotionally spent. Thor turned to the boy, his eyes filled with hurt.

"No, child. I could not hurt you. You are an innocent, I have dedicated myself to protecting people like you...."

"What about my parents? My mom and dad? You didn't protect them, did you?"

Thor cast his eyes downward, ashamed. There was another period of silence before he finally responded.

"Child... it was not I who killed your parents. It was another creature, one who took control of my body and forced me to act against my will. One who has since been punished for his transgressions. But even so, I cannot forgive myself for what was done in my name, what I was too weak to fight against. I am sorry, Tom."

Tom processed these words, conflicting emotions clouding his eyes.

"But why come and save me? How do you even know who I am? Why would you care?"

Thor sighed. There was only one response that felt right to him.

"Tom... I have something to show you."

Thor raised his hammer and brought it crashing down into the sand.

KRAKADOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

With a flash of lightning, Thor vanished, and Donald Blake was left standing in his place.

"It's me, Tom. It's Donald. Thor shares a body with me. We're friends."

Then something strange happened. Tom started laughing.

"Heh. Heh heh heh. Heh heh heh heh ha ha ha ha hahahahahahahaha!"

"I don't... understand..."

"Oh Donald, I KNOW! I've always known. Though you've not quite got it right."

Donald shook his head in confusion.

"What do you mean? You knew?"

"Of course, you don't recognise me. I'm a friend of your... 'friend'. In fact, I'm his brother."

And then Donald realises.

"Loki!"

Donald lifts his cane, instinctively prepared to turn straight back into Thor.

"Hang on for one moment, Donald Blake. It is not your brother who I wish to speak with. It is you."

"But you.... you're just a boy. Tom..."

"Tom is an empty shell, a skin I have slipped into like a mortal actor might slip into a costume, to be discarded when I no longer have use for it."

Donald falls silent. He thinks about what Loki said, that he wants to talk to him.

"What could you possibly have to say to me?"

"The truth."

Donald lets out a short, scornful laugh.

"You're not really known for that from what I've heard, Loki."

"You know so little. I am not here to deceive you or dupe you. You have been lied to enough. I want to expose the horrid lie that Thor and Odin have made you live. When Seth possessed Thor, the only way for Odin to release Seth's grip on his favourite son's soul was to create, out of thin air, a separate soul to exist within Thor's being. That creation was you, Donald Blake."

Donald was utterly baffled. He didn't know how to respond.

"What.... what are you saying? That I'm not real?"

Donald laughed. Loki didn't. And so Donald's laughter faded.

"No, see, Thor's sharing my body. My identity was taken away from me at first when Thor's soul was combined with mine, but it was restored."

"No, that's just the thought that was implanted in your head. For Seth's spell to be broken, you needed to think that you were a real person, that you existed before Thor came to live on Earth. That you weren't just created as an empty shell for him to inhabit, like Tom here is for me."

"No, you're lying, you're being ridiculous. I'm a trained doctor! I can remember being in love with Jane Foster. I had a mother and a father, I had a childhood. I'm a Christian, I go to church!"

Loki just shook his head.

"All finishing touches to complete the illusion. But tell me.... what happened on your 7th birthday?"

Blake hesitated. He couldn't remember.

"I.... who remembers what happened on what year, I was a kid! It was a long time ago."

"Well, tell me about any birthday. Tell me about your 21st birthday, that is always a big one for mortals, yes?"

Donald strained to think. There was nothing.

"In fact, try and think about one specific memory of a time you spent with your parents. Can you remember graduating? Were your parents there? Did they tell you they were proud of you? What do your parents look like?"

The questions kept on coming, and Donald had no answer. He wanted to answer, he felt he should remember them all. He remembered graduating, he remembered his parents being there, but he didn't remember. He could see it in an abstract sense, like a bunch of items on a list. But he couldn't visualise them as memories in his head.

"No...I....I...."

The illusion came crashing down around him. He felt the tears running down his cheeks. Everything he thought he was, it was all a lie.

"I am sorry, Donald. But you deserve to know. That's why I did this, why I took on the form of a human, showed you how convincing a disguise can be. It was to make you understand..."

Please, God, please.

Donald prayed inarticulatley, unsure what he was even praying for, doubtful that God wasn't even listening. Why would he? He wasn't God's creation. He was Odin's.

"There is no Donald Blake. There never was a Donald Blake. There never will be a Donald Blake."

 

[Keyser Soze]

"That's fine with me. I need to get in touch with Superman as well. I gave him my shield right before SHIELD scooped us up in Stamford."

Tony nods and an awkward silence begins to creep in. I know Iron Man, consider him a good acquaintance, but I've always been closer to Jay and the rest of the old JSA.

"So....having all that money, that has to be fun."

"Mister Stark, Captain Rogers," one of the secretaries says as she sticks her head in the door. "The car to take you to the airport has arrived."

I think about what Captain America said. I think about never having an ordinary childhood. I think about my distant parents, being raised by nannies. I think about all the press and paparazzi from as early as I could remember. I think about not being able to make any friends at school. I think about how having access to whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted opened the door to all kinds of vices as I got older. I think about that empty, excessive lifestyle. I think about the drink. I think a lot about the drink. I think about being one of the most hated industrialists in the Western world. I think about being a target. I think about how it took me being kidnapped and nearly killed in Afghanistan to realise I could do some good with all my money. I think about all those wasted years.

Then I flash my trademark smile.

"Oh yeah. It's great fun."

The car takes us to the airport, where the plane is waiting. We get in, and it takes off.

 

[Byrd Man]

I think about what Captain America said. I think about never having an ordinary childhood. I think about my distant parents, being raised by nannies. I think about all the press and paparazzi from as early as I could remember. I think about not being able to make any friends at school. I think about how having access to whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted opened the door to all kinds of vices as I got older. I think about that empty, excessive lifestyle. I think about the drink. I think a lot about the drink. I think about being one of the most hated industrialists in the Western world. I think about being a target. I think about how it took me being kidnapped and nearly killed in Afghanistan to realise I could do some good with all my money. I think about all those wasted years.

Then I flash my trademark smile.

"Oh yeah. It's great fun."

The car takes us to the airport, where the plane is waiting. We get in, and it takes off.

Tony and I ride in silence all the way to New York. He's lost in his thoughts, and I'm lost in the past....

November 1944
Hanover, Germany

The plane bucks and shakes as machine gun fire lights up the night air.

"This might be a tricky one, Cap," Union Jack shouts over the engines and gunfire

"Don't worry, James, we'll get through it. If Blackhawk has shown us anything, he's the best pilot in the whole war!"

"I'm just ready to get out there and stick it to 'em!" Commander Steel shouts.

"Don't worry, Marine. You'll have your chance!"

"Are we close to the rendezvous point?"

"We're a few kilometers away. Hawkman, Liberty Belle, and Whizzer should be there waiting for us."

The cockpit door opens and Bucky walks into the back of the plane.

"Blackhawk says it's time to go!"

I slip on my parachute and slide open the plane door.

"Alright, Invaders, let's get to it!"

I leap out into the night, the wind wipping at my face.

******
​

The jet landing shakes me out of my trance. I look up and see Tony is just coming out of his own stupor.

"Penny for your thoughts."​

 

[Optikal]

-WAR MACHINE-
​

As Rhodey swept down onto the scene, the meta threat was terrorising a local village, corpses and fire littering the scene. As a violet blade swept through an elderly man, Rhodey opened fire on the monster, taking it by surprise.

Rhodes landed between the terrorist and the civilians, blocking them from further harm."Okay kid, I'm not sure what the hell your problem is, but this is the end of the road. How about you make this easy for us both and- "

Rhodeys words were cut off as a bolt of pure energy punched into his chest plate and sent him flying backwards. Rhodes recovered enough to roll away from the second assault, and came to his feet. "Why do you suckers never take the easy way out?" he complained, tracking the creature as it bore down on him. Rhodes lifted both hands, hearing the whine as repulsors charged and fired a hot blast of energy at his foe.

With little effort the creature deflected the blasts into the ground with a violet crescent blade.

On his HUD Rhodes checked the readouts, but to no avail.

TARGET: UNKNOWN

ABILITIES: UNKOWN

WEAPONRY: ALIEN. UNKNOWN.

Rhodes leapt forward, guns blazing. In shock, Rhodes saw the bullets swatted away as the violet weapon upon the arm of his enemy whirled and twirled, almost as if it had a mind of its own. As he closed in, his lifted his arms once more, replusors charging.

SHUNK!

"ARGH! SON OF A B*TCH!" Rhodey cried as his right cybernetic arm was severed from his body.

WHAM!

The force of the hit sent Rhodes back into the dirt, minus one arm. Before he could recover, the threat was on top of him, pinning him to the ground with a boot.

"What are you?!" Rhodey asked as the monster stood staring at him.

"I'm dead" it replied simply. "I'm K.I.A. I'm dead. You've seen me. Now you're on the list".

"What list?"Rhodey asked. The shoulder joint from where his arm was severed spat and sparked. The readouts within the suit flashed up a series of diagnostics.

REMOTE ACCESS TO LIMB ESTABLISHED.....
CONTROL SWITCHED.....
REMOTE LIMB ACTIVE.
WEAPONS ARMED.

"My list. Seen me. You must die soldier".

From behind the creature, Rhodeys severed arm leapt to life as Rhodes took remote control. Crawling into position behind the enemy, the wrist mounted weaponry flared into life, taking the monster in the back of the neck.

K.I.A turned to face the threat and Rhodes seized the opportunity, grabbing at the creatures leg and threw him across the battlefield and into a small building at the edge of the village. Rhodes scanners switched to thermal as he scanned for K.I.A. Finding him recovering, Rhodey fired two rockets, dropping the building around the threat.

Rhodes marched to the debris, stopping to let the magno-locks re-engage his arm to his body. The debris began to rumble though as a battered and torn K.I.A tried to emerge. Rhodes levelled his weapons once more.

"NO! DON'T! YOU'LL KILL HIM!"

Rhodeys turned to locate the source of the voice. In the heat of battle he hadn't noticed the Humvee arrive on the scene, or the woman that now raced towards him and the downed enemy. Ignoring Rhodey, she climbed across the rubble to where K.I.A was struggling to free himself and jabbed a long needle into the targets neck. K.I.A went still almost instantly.

"You want to tell me what the hell is going on here?" Rhodes asked, as she climbed back down from the destroyed remains.

Brushing herself off, she stood up straighter and looked War Machine up and down. "You're Iron Man right? Like the paint job".

"No" Rhodey replied flatly. "Iron Man's the other guy. They call me the War Machine".

"Oh. Pleasure to meet you War Machine, I'm Bethany Cabe, I work for an organization called Cadmus".

As she mentioned both names, already Rhodes was accessing various databases. Cadmus and Cabe flashed up more than enough bedtime reading material. Rhodes consumed it all in seconds.

"Really? Cadmus is a genetic research company. Is that what this is?" Rhodes pointed a thumb over his shoulder to where a team of operatives were uncovering the unconscious body of K.I.A.

Endo sighed and put her hands on her hips, staring intently at the ground. "Yeah, something like that". She said. "He's a clone of a young soldier that had died during field operations. Unfortunately, the young clone saw the corpse of his progenitor and it had... unusual... side effects on his psyche".

Rhodes scowled behind his faceplate."Yeah, unusual to the extent that he has murdered over three hundred people, Cabe. What do you plan on doing with him?"

"We'll take him back to base, put him in stasis and try to repair his mind".

"...and failing that?"

"Disposal. Sivana is ruthless like that".

"Sivana?"

"Doctor Sivana. Heading up the cloning project. We can grow full replica bodies from only a small sample of original DNA. Sivana is really quite a genius".

Rhodes nodded as he pulled up information. It was limited though, most of it highly classified, even to his own invasive information gathering systems. Rhodes glanced across the scene to see the operatives placing the still form of K.I.A into a truck. Turning back to Bethany Cabe he placed a hand on her shoulder. "If you don't mind, I'm going to come along with you, just to make sure that he's safely contained".

"Sure thing, War Machine" she smiled.

-WAR MACHINE-
​

As the motorcade pulled up to a remote facility, War Machine listened in as Cabe permitted him access with the guards at the entrance.

"So what is it that you do?" War Machine asked, landing and switching communication from comm-link to live voice projection.

Cabe glanced at him and stepped in to walk beside him. "I'm head of security for this place".

"So that things escape was down to you, huh?"

"Well we've been at full stretch recently. The base has been subject to attack a fair few times and with the limited resources we have out here, we're struggling".

War Machine looked at her, Rhodey frowned behind the faceplate. "What kind of attacks?"

"It started out with terrorist threats, but recently it seems to have escalated. We're not sure if it's the government, local militia or corporate espionage, but things are unstable".

"But why would they attack you folks? What exactly is this cloning technology being developed for?"

"I'm afraid, that is classified, my armoured friend".

In front of them, a small man with a bald head and spectacles rested on a cane.

"War Machine. This is Doctor Sivana, project leader here".

 

[Byrd Man]

​

I stroll into the MCU squadroom. The five officers present stand at attention.

"Alright, alright. At ease. Just because we're a paramilitary organization doesn't mean you have to act like we're in the Marines."

"You are the commissioner, sir," one of the detectives says. Montoya, I remember her. Former NYPD, was a plain clothes officer before I picked her for the MCU.

"I'm just a detective who was dumb enough to take the job. What have you got for me, Sarah..uhh, Captain Essen?"

Some of the detectives smile. I even see Bullock do his best to supress a chuckle. Rumors have a tendency to fly in squadrooms and police cars.

"Well, from the word on the street Commissioner," Sarah say with a stern tone to make up for my mental lapse. "Two-Face's organization just put out a major bounty on the Joker."

"Do we know why?"

"Detective Fields?"

One of the younger men in the room clears his throat and begins talking.

"I caught up with one of my old informants from my days in Narcotics. He says that the word around town is that Two-Face and his people are looking for any information on Joker. This comes just two nights after a fire at a safehouse we know belonged to Two-Face's people."

"How do we know that?"

"The paper trail," Lieutenant Akins says. "The owner of the house is listed as Josephine Perkins, great-aunt of Skinny Pete Tillman."

"Homicide pulled two bodies from the fire," Bullock adds. "We're working on ID'ing them, but the coroner says they died from gunshot wounds."

"Are we sure on this?"

The eyes in the room migrate to Fields, who nods.

"My, uhh, my wife, Nora, did the autopsy. She's pretty sure."

"Far be it for me to come between marital bliss at the Fields home. Alright, so we like Joker for the fire and two murders?"

"It's what my informant says," Fields states.

"Do we know what started the tiff?"

The room goes quiet, all the detectives looking amongst themselves.

"We...," Essen starts. "We think the Joker was paid by Two-Face's number two man to kill you."

I remember that well. Being tied up like an animal as that bomb slowly counted down....

"Okay....anything else we need to talk about?"

"Something has come up in the paper trail side of things," Akins says. "Detective Montoya, Sergeant Sawyer, and myself have been following the money and we've noticed a slight irregularity."

"Hopefully, not as irregular as the last one you reported on," I say in a reference to the City Hall checks.

"Not exactly. It seems that someone is paying massive amounts of money to a detective agency here in Gotham. Bradley Security."

My ears perk up.

"You mean Slam Bradley? He worked before most of you even joined the force. He was a legend back when I walked a beat. He's got a detective agency downtown."

"Well, someone is paying him well. We don't know why."

"Tell you what. I'll go down there tomorrow and talk with Slam, see what he's up to. I can assure you he isn't working for Two-Face knowingly. Is that all?"

"No, not entirely," Sarah says. "During our surveillance of a strip club owned by people in Two-Face's organization, we noticed they have another revenue stream...prostitution."

"Really?"

"They bring girls in from I don't know where and use them. We're preparing to go to the strip club undercover and find out how the operate."

"Well...that should be fun for you gentlemen to investigate," I say with a laugh.

Turing towards the dry erase board erected on the wall, I get a glimpse of all the people working under my old friend Harvey Dent.

"This case is coming together people....it's coming together."​

 

[TrueMastermind]

The triumphant feeling of eliminating a mobster from their disgraceful, damnable existence always placed Frank in a good mood. At least in his standards. No bitter thoughts loomed in Frank's mind; no anger lurked in his damaged soul. Breaking a daily habit, Castle didn't even bother to partake in his usual smoke. Now it wasn't like a sea of joy was swishing around within him, just that an unusal slick of happiness bounced around in his troubled heart.

But not everything was so great. Terrible headaches forced him to stay glued to his trusty, yet stolen recliner for hours. And whenever he made an attempt to hop on his feet, he felt dizzy and strangly uneasy and was forced to sit back down. Not thinking clearly, he almost tried to go see a physician, but quickly realized leaving his hideout just for a few annoying headaches was an unwise decision. However, for the first time in who knows how long, Frank turned on his television set to watch some good ole baseball. Yes, a hardcore murderer was snacking on some outdated popcorn and watching a game of basketball. Although the Knicks were putting up a repulsive effort against the much superior Lakers, just the fact that he was able to relax and do something he hadn't done in years soothed the Punisher.

But then there was a knock. Here? At his hideout? Who could it be? Frank debated over if he should open the door or not. Making probably a stupid decision on his part, Frank snatched a pistol off the wall and opened the door very slowly. But there was no skull-hungry brute or a heavily armed assassin, just a shivering, beautiful woman who looked up at the muscular killer with sincerity.

"Please...help me...."

For a moment, Frank swore he felt a tingling sensation down in his pants.

"Were you followed? No ugly mobsters will be showing up at my door right?"

"I was...but I got rid of him. There might be more wanting my blood... but none else saw me come down here." Signaling for her to sit down in Frank's trademark recliner, he peered at her jiggling bussom with horny eyes as she trotted her way to the seat. Attempting to ignore his sexual desires, Frank follows suit and plants himself in a wobbly wooden chair beside the door.

"So...what the hell happened to you? Who gave you those cuts and bruises?" Looking at Frank with her comforting eyes, she ran her fingers over a long cut running down her cheek. It was as if she didn't know it was there until now, as if it's appearence suprised her.

"I don't know, they attacked me out of nowhere."

"They? You said it was a single man."

"What? Did I say they? I meant he..." Ridden with a bad case of anxiety and pained by her bruises, the gorgeous woman shivered in the leather recliner. But going away from her looks, Frank had to help this woman. Usually he would just put her in some shelter or even toss her back out on the streets, but his gut said he had to help her.

"Wait here, I know where I can some first aid supplies," Jumping out of his seat and grabbing his trusty shotgun off the lone table, Frank stopped right before opening the door.

"Wait...I didn't catch your name," The woman broke out of her frightened gaze at the floor to look up at Frank.

"Julia...Julia Carpenter."

 

[Karem-Knight]

Air Force One

Lex sat on board the Presidential plane, peacefully watching the latest news updates as he soared through the skies of the land he now owned. It had only been twenty minutes since he left the two League members; Iron Man and Captain America to their decision but it seemed to be even less than that as Luthor already knew the decision they were going to make as he received a call from S.H.E.I.L.D.'s new head of operations Amanda Waller.

"Mr. President, sir. Rogers and Stark have left the Hellcarrier refusing to sign the Registration Act agreement."

"Hmm, foolish idealists. But don't worry, with the opinion polls and the various panics that have installed in the country I'm sure eventually they will be forced to co-operate. In less than three weeks we'll have every single super-human's name and identification and working for us. As well as the Sentinels..."

'I understand. We'll begin more production soon, anything else Mr. President?"

"Yes Miss Waller. I think it's very vital that me and Dr. Pym have a little....chat later on to discuss this Justice League business. Inspirational speeches and democratic solutions only go so far before you need to take actions against your adversaries."

"Understood. Vice-Preisdent Kelly also wants to have a word with you, I have him on the other line; he's back at the White House."

"Put him through and I'll speak to you later Waller."

"Hello Lex.."

"Robert. How may I help you?"

"It's not how you can help me, it's how you can help you and this entire Administration. We may have the public leaning to our sides but it's no use if we've got media magnets like Stark giving us such a hard time! People are just afraid of us as they are of them, what are we going to do?"

"We're going to do the opposite of your plan, obviously. If they're afraid of us, then they should be. I'm here to serve them but I'm not going to bend my way backwards for such left-wing nonsense as this. This is the time for leadership and safety, we need to show that not only are they powerful but they are also incapable of saving this country and this world by themselves unsupervised."

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

"Don't be stubborn, Robert. My former company LexCorp has technology just as on-par with Stark Industries as well as finical earnings. So to put it bluntly, I'm going to bring Tony Stark down while the public sees him for what he is."

 

[TrueMastermind]

Heavy, thick rain assaulted Frank's face like a watery onslaught, clouding his vision severely. Luckily, an opague mist allowed the Punisher to travel unseen throughout the Gotham night. It was also lucky that Castle could navigate his way to this unliscensed doctor's place with eyes stapled shut. He had suffered enough brutal wounds to know the route by heart.

For a moment, Frank wondered what it was like to be Batman. To soar across the rooftops, to glide through the alleyways, to be praised by the public. It was not for him. But still, he couldn't help but think what it would be like to be in the vigilante's shoes as he crossed the rooftoops...

"What the Kingpin wants, he gets!"

"Not if I have something to say about it!" sThrough the stinging precipitation, Frank could see two sides of armed, angry man spitting out useless insults at each other over the splashing droplets around them. Knowing they were mobsters at the mention of the powerful Kingpin, Frank figured he should do a little business while he's out. Especially if it involved the Kingpin.

Sliding down a fire escape in the empty part of the alleyway, Frank skidded over to where he could see the backs of the fedora-donning criminals. Aiming his sawed-off shotgun directly at one of their heads, Frank was prepared for the kill.

"Well, I'm afraid you're just gonna have to suffer as a result of your bad decision," The Kingpin representative drew a glimmering pistol to execute his threat; dumb idea. Too slow with his draw, the opposing leader fires a well-placed shot at the mobster's kneecap, downing the unwise fool. And then he came.

Swooping down into the shadowy alleyway with extreme finesse, the new arrival fought like a ferocious tiger. Ridden with shock, the wide-eyed mobsters couldn't even respond with their guns as the vigilante downed them in mere minutes. But Frank couldn't let him do all the work, he felt compelled to get his share as well. Sliding out of his hiding spot, Castle unleashes shell after shell upon the unexepecting criminals as his "accomplice" muscled his way through the crowd of mobmen.

After a while of wild combat, only one of the men from each side remain. Without a doubt the strongest combatants of the mobsters, the Kingpin's man is giving the mysterious vigilante a little trouble while the other is dazzling quick and has caused Frank to run out of ammo.

"Huzzah!" His outburst confusing Frank, the mobster launches himself upon Frank's back and pulls him down to the ground, starting a rough scuffle. Fists flew and blood spilled as the two wrestled like madmen upon the damp concrete. Once he spotted a loaded pistol a few feet away, the mobster rolled over and snatched the firearm off the ground. Quickly turning around to fire the finishing bullet at the Punisher, the criminal seemed to have the upper advantage.

BANG!

Opening his eyes to discover the mobster clutching his bleeding knee, Frank looks at his savior, only to discover the vigilante wielding a 9mm. After getting back on his feet, the Punisher smacks the mobster with his recovered shotgun, knocking out the criminal for now. But the trouble just seemed to be starting when the two hear a car engine coming closer to them at an alarming rate.

"Ready for another round?"

 

[trustyside-kick]

OOC: Previously...

Accepting that such a person, and more importantly one that is of his own flesh and blood though they remain to be merely half-brothers, not only puts Orin in a state of thought but also vulnerability. Vulnerability that the Ocean Master takes advantage of, as the Marine Marvel is no longer so focused on containing the villain with his tight grip around the villain's cape. Freeing himself from the loosened grip, Orm Marius springs back, and follows through with a clean punch to Aquaman's jaw.

"Too soft, Yellowhair. Always just too soft. Such is the reason your Kingdom died."

Using the distance granted from the blow as the Aquatice Ace flies several feet back in the water, the Ocean Master readies a spell. By the time Aquaman recovers from the blow, and Orin once again brings himself back to reality, the villain vanishes in a black smokescreen like that of an octopus.

Orin looks at his surroundings once more. Here lies a King with no kingdom, standing in said kingdom's ruin. There is no joy, no light anymore like there used to be when Poseidonis of Atlantis was the Crown Jewel of the Deep.

"...I just want to go home."

Since it's destruction the only light the Marine Marvel has continued to find has been back in the Hidden Valley, with his now pregnant wife Mera and even the young and spirited boy Garth. And that is where he heads off to, as he travels through the waters...slowly, taking one last look at the ruined city before speeding up.

 

[Keyser Soze]

The jet landing shakes me out of my trance. I look up and see Tony is just coming out of his own stupor.

"Penny for your thoughts."​

"They're worth a lot more than that, my friend."

We're back in New York. When the plane stops, the doors open, and Steve and I make our way out of the plane.

"Well hello there..."

Someone is waiting for us.

 

[wiegeabo]

It's been only a short time since President Luthor's speech. A speech in which he essentially declared Latveria and myself as enemies of the United States, and probable conspirators in the creation of Amazo and the destruction of Stamford. His accusations gall me. And what galls me more is that he is right.

But he's only right to a certain degree. My country had no involvement with the attack. But I did help to create Amazo. In fact, I helped Luthor create the android. And then he stole the technology from me! Me, Victor Von Doom! His superior in every measurable way.

I do have to admit, it was a cunning plan. By creating a new Amazo droid and unleashing it on an unsuspecting city, Luthor could ensure that so-called Justice League would arrive on the scene to stop the device. At which point, Luthor's creation destroys itself, and takes the entire city with it. The League gets the blame, and Luthor gains the public sympathy he needs to pass his registration act. The first step in militarizing the superheroes, creating his own unstoppable army.

It is an idea that disturbs me greatly. For, if Luthor is able to build that army, he will undoubtedly lead it against his countries 'enemies'. Or, to be more accurate, against his intellectual and political competitors. Me, for example. And I will not let that egotistical buffoon make me look the fool.

But I know threats will have little effect on a man like Luthor. At the least, he will shrug them off and gloat about how fearful he makes his opponents. At worst, it will only serve to entice him to action. No, threats are not what is needed. Luthor only responds to one thing. Humiliation. He will do anything to avoid it, even sacrifice his own plans if it means saving face and retaining the power he's built up.

And that is how I will strike back at him. I will make it impossible for him to attack my nation and my people without turning the entire world against him.

I press a button on the arm of my throne. A few seconds later, my personal manservant enters the room. "Yes, sire?"

"Have my jet fueled and ready to depart within the hour. Make all the necessary arrangements, and have all my royal vestiges packed and loaded for the trip."

"Very good, my lord. And to where does the Lord Doom wish to travel?"

I smile under my mask as I consider the most likely possibilities...

 

[wiegeabo]

"Well, I was thinking there was an opportunity for our companies to do some business together."

Although he tries to hide it, I can tell he's very interested already. Kord's been trying to partner up with Wayne Tech for years. And he's struggling to keep his company in the black. "What kind of business?"

I lean back in my chair, undoing the button on my jacket to appear more relaxed. "We're working on something for the military."

"Military? I thought you pulled Wayne Enterprises out of the military contracts."

"Weapons design and manufacture, yes. But we're working on a new defensive system."

"Missile interception?"

"Something like that." I lean forward. "I hear Kord Industries is working on a new advanced scanning technology."

There's the slightest flicker on Kord's face, but he covers well. "And where did you hear that?"

I lean back again and shrug. "Around. You know how it is in the trades. Whispers and rumors, guy has one too many scotches and lets slips things he shouldn't. And that scanning technology is exactly what I'm looking for. We've been trying to develop our own next gen scanning tech, but problems keeps setting us back. Now...if you actually have something we could use..."

"You're hoping I'd be willing to license our tech to you?"

"I'd prefer to buy it outright, if possible." I can see the wheels spinning in Kord's head. Sell the the tech and get a nice infusion of immediate cash to stay afloat. But license it and he could make a lot more money in the long run, assuming he can keep his company running that long. But either way, it means the same thing.

He has the scanning technology.

"I'm sorry Bruce, but we don't have anything like that." It's a lie. And the only reason to lie about it? He's already given it to the military and has been bound to secrecy. Or maybe he's just being a good businessman and wants to keep a potential competitor out of the loop. I need to make sure which is the case.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. Those rumors got my hopes up."

"Heh. I bet they did. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on something like that myself. If there was anything else..."

"Well, maybe there is. I mean, just because the scanning tech didn't pan out doesn't mean we still can't do business."

A slow smile spreads across his face. "What did you have in mind?"

Getting Ted to show me around his building took very little effort. Indeed, it took no effort at all. Like I've said, Kord's been trying to work with Wayne Enterprises for years. And he needs that work more than ever.

So I let Ted show me around for an hour, getting a look at all the projects he has in development that he can show me. Most of it is rather uninteresting. Either it's nothing I need, or something Wayne Enterprises is already developing. And, to be honest, we're much further along. Only two things catch my interesting. A new sound dampening carbon-fiber and the scanning technology that Ted refuses to talk about.

"...we think this will be the future, Bruce. Just imagine it. Microwave's that have a rudimentary artificial intelligence. You'll never overcook food again. The market for this is huge. Every household in the country is going to want one. If we could just figure out that exploding food problem..."

I force myself not to shake my head, roll my eyes, or do anything of a dozen of other things. But this is actually the moment I've been waiting for. "Hey, Ted. Can you give me a few minutes? I saw a restroom back there a bit..."

"Oh, sure, Bruce. Not a problem. I'll wait here. Then I'll show you the rest of our work for the home market."

For a moment, I wonder if it's worth bringing Luthor down after all. "...Sounds great, Ted. Just give me five...or ten."

I hurry off down the hall. It took an hour of letting Ted talk to get down here. The entire time, I surreptitiously made note of every door we passed, creating a mental map in my head of the building. Ten minutes ago we passed the room I had been looking for. And then I had to wait for the right time to separate myself, which means I have to do this quickly. I had hoped for more time, but it pays to be adaptable when committing what is essentially industrial espionage.

It takes me twice as long as I thought it would to sneak past the cameras in the halls and backtrack. And all the while, I had to make sure I wasn't seen by anyone. Even though it's a little more cumbersome than the suit I'm wearing, I get the odd feeling this would somehow be easier if I were in costume. I finally reach my destination.

Computer room.

Not the main computer room. That would be staffed at all times. The last thing I'd want to explain is how Bruce Wayne accidentally would up in the main computer room. No, this is just a service room. Probably not much more than a backup system and intranet router in case something goes wrong. Which means no one should be in there unless something is actually going wrong.

This better work. I pull a card out of a secret pocket in my jacket. I built this in the cave to access any card scanner. Taking a deep breath in case things go badly, I swipe the card. I hear voices walking towards me, getting louder. The light stays red for a few tense moments....and then switches to green.

I quickly slip inside, quietly closing the door behind me as the footsteps reach their peak. I press myself against the wall and wait a few seconds that seem like forever for the door to open behind me. My breathing and the computer fans the only sounds in the room. But the door doesn't open. So I focus on the task at hand. I pull out my cell phone, and pop off the back. I pull out the small cable and plug it into one of the computer ports. For the next couple of minutes, the 'phone' scans through Kord's systems, looking for the proof that he built Amazo's scanning tech. I'm keenly aware that every second that passes is another second I may get caught, and I don't have a cowl to hide behind this time.

But, finally, the phone beeps that it's finished. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to check the data here. That will have to wait until I get back to the cave. And that will have to wait until I can sneak back down the halls and find Kord before he sends a search party out for me.

Getting back down the halls takes me just as long. My instincts must be kicked into overdrive because I half expect a pack of security guards to intercept me every time I turn the corner. But the entire enterprise is uneventful, and I finally find my way back to where Ted is waiting for me.

"Hey, Bruce," Ted glances at his watch. "I started to get worried you got lost."

"Oh, well, you know what they say. Never eat oysters in a month that doesn't have an R in it's name. I'll never doubt them again. Do you mind if we cut this short?"

"Not at all. Believe me, I understand. There was this one time in Mexico..."

I try not to roll my eyes, I really do...

 

[wiegeabo]

After Ted's little wake up call, I head over to the Brownstone. The first time I've been there since Stamford. I won't say that Ted's talk, and right-cross, snapped me out of what I was feeling. But it did point me in the right direction. I'm still beating myself up over everything, I just don't think I'm going to do it quite so often.

At the Brownstone, I check in with Joan. Apparently Tony left about a dozen messages on my communicator (I knew I forgot something) and the phone. He and Steve needed a ride, but apparently, according to the last message he left, they got one after all. Another little thing to beat myself up over, just not right now.

Seeing as how I've missed my last half dozen or so shifts, I grab a bottle of water and head straight to the computer room. I push down this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach and bring up all the screens.

It's just what I expected. Most of them show news channels focused on what happened at Stamford, the aftermath, and President Luthor's registration act. I'm still not sure where I stand on that. A week ago, I would have told Luthor where to stick it. Now...now I just don't know. A part of me sees the benefits in the act, and another part remembers what McCarthy tried to pull and why the JSA broke up.

I turn my attention to the few screens not focused on Stamford. They all describe small crimes, things the local authorities can handle. Fortunately, nothing that necessitates the League's involvement. What you could almost call a quiet day.

I spend the next couple of hours attending to the everyday normal activities of monitor duty. Which means there's a stack of completed crossword puzzle books sitting on the table next to me.

"Nine-letter word for 'Almost too fast'." I stop and chuckle. And there's a knock at the door.

The sound actually makes me jump a bit. I sit and wait for a second. And there's another set of knocks. It's almost surreal. No one ever knocks on the front door of the JLA Brownstone.

A third set of knocks finally gets me out of the chair. I walk over to the door, not quite sure what to expect as I open it.

Standing there is a man. A rather nondescript man. Older, slightly distinguished. "Um...hello. Can I help you?"

"This is the Justice League of America headquarters?" the man says with a thick accent.

"It is. I'm the Flash." This is getting weird.

"Ah, excellent. My master wishes to speak with the League."

"Your...Master?"

From the shadows steps another figure. And I can't help my jaw hitting the floor. "Mr. Garrick, I presume. My name is Victor Von Doom."

...talk about surreal.

 

[TrueMastermind]

Heavy, thick rain assaulted Frank's face like a watery onslaught, clouding his vision severely. Luckily, an opague mist allowed the Punisher to travel unseen throughout the Gotham night. It was also lucky that Castle could navigate his way to this unliscensed doctor's place with eyes stapled shut. He had suffered enough brutal wounds to know the route by heart.

For a moment, Frank wondered what it was like to be Batman. To soar across the rooftops, to glide through the alleyways, to be praised by the public. It was not for him. But still, he couldn't help but think what it would be like to be in the vigilante's shoes as he crossed the rooftoops...

"What the Kingpin wants, he gets!"

"Not if I have something to say about it!" sThrough the stinging precipitation, Frank could see two sides of armed, angry man spitting out useless insults at each other over the splashing droplets around them. Knowing they were mobsters at the mention of the powerful Kingpin, Frank figured he should do a little business while he's out. Especially if it involved the Kingpin.

Sliding down a fire escape in the empty part of the alleyway, Frank skidded over to where he could see the backs of the fedora-donning criminals. Aiming his sawed-off shotgun directly at one of their heads, Frank was prepared for the kill.

"Well, I'm afraid you're just gonna have to suffer as a result of your bad decision," The Kingpin representative drew a glimmering pistol to execute his threat; dumb idea. Too slow with his draw, the opposing leader fires a well-placed shot at the mobster's kneecap, downing the unwise fool. And then he came.

Swooping down into the shadowy alleyway with extreme finesse, the new arrival fought like a ferocious tiger. Ridden with shock, the wide-eyed mobsters couldn't even respond with their guns as the vigilante downed them in mere minutes. But Frank couldn't let him do all the work, he felt compelled to get his share as well. Sliding out of his hiding spot, Castle unleashes shell after shell upon the unexepecting criminals as his "accomplice" muscled his way through the crowd of mobmen.

After a while of wild combat, only one of the men from each side remain. Without a doubt the strongest combatants of the mobsters, the Kingpin's man is giving the mysterious vigilante a little trouble while the other is dazzling quick and has caused Frank to run out of ammo.

"Huzzah!" His outburst confusing Frank, the mobster launches himself upon Frank's back and pulls him down to the ground, starting a rough scuffle. Fists flew and blood spilled as the two wrestled like madmen upon the damp concrete. Once he spotted a loaded pistol a few feet away, the mobster rolled over and snatched the firearm off the ground. Quickly turning around to fire the finishing bullet at the Punisher, the criminal seemed to have the upper advantage.

BANG!

Opening his eyes to discover the mobster clutching his bleeding knee, Frank looks at his savior, only to discover the vigilante wielding a 9mm. After getting back on his feet, the Punisher smacks the mobster with his recovered shotgun, knocking out the criminal for now. But the trouble just seemed to be starting when the two hear a car engine coming closer to them at an alarming rate.

"Ready for another round?"

Taking cover behind a bulky dumpster, Frank scans the scene. An old-school, polished El Camino turns the corner and comes to a sudden halt a few yards away.

"Toss me a gun."

Following orders instinctively, the tiger-themed hero threw him one of his own pistols before firing a couple of shots towards the new arrivals. But after a goon quickly hops back on his feet, Frank's expression shifts to that of a puzzled one before he realized what the deal was.

"Gel bullets? ****ing gel bullets? What the **** is this going to do?!"

"They keep them down till the police arrive," Annoyed with what he had to deal with, the Punisher shook his head before firing off another shot.

"****ing *****..." Muttering a few more ugly words under his breath, Frank looked once more to see what he was dealing with. Conviently, most of the mobsters were armed with crowbars, so there was no use in dealing with these damn gel bullets. Sliding on the wet pavement, Frank slammed his fist straight into the closest criminal's gut. Making it look like one smooth motion, the Punisher cracked his neck with a military-learned move. After seeing what his "ally" was doing, the vigilante followed suit, performing a swift set of bone-crushing moves upon his helpless foes.

Soon enough, only one remained, easy prey for the Punisher. Waving off his fighting partner, he moved in with stunning quickness. Being brave, the criminal took a slow, heavy swing with his crowbar, aimed straight for Frank's head. Bad move. After dodging the dumb attack, Frank overpowers his foe and snatches the crowbar away from him.\

"Please, I have a kid!" Staring at the mobman with his ruthless, cold gaze with the stinging rain only making the scene more dramatic, the Punisher decides to go with his no mercy clause and shoves the sharp end of the crowbar right into the weeping criminal's throat, brutally ending his sinful life.

"That's too bad." As usual, Frank shows no remorse towards his victim, and prepares to leave the scene before the buzz shows up. Snatching his shotgun off the ground, the ruthless murderer walks off slowly, before the tiger hero notices what he has done.

"What the hell man! You could've just let the police haul him away! Killing him makes you as bad as him!" But by the time the angry hero finishes his useless rant, the Punisher is gone into the darkness of Gotham, armed to continue his never-ending mission.

 

[Byrd Man]

"They're worth a lot more than that, my friend."

We're back in New York. When the plane stops, the doors open, and Steve and I make our way out of the plane.

"Well hello there..."

Someone is waiting for us.

Tony turns on his charm when he sees that a red-haired woman is standing on the tarmac to greet us. She seems familiar, like I've seen her before somewhere.

"Hello there,...Miss?"

 

[Red_Robin77]

The Torch rockets off, and I can hear the sound of gun fire erupt into the night. I nod to Robin, "They're playing our song."

I sprint off towards the compound, with Robin following quickly behind. He keeps up with me, something that really impresses me. When we get close to the compound I spring off the ground and shoot a webline to get over the high fence, and Robin does the same with his grapnel. I can't help but smile. He keeps up well for someone with no powers.

Slamming into a door, I roll into what I assume is a makeshift prison, and am greeted by a cadre of guards at the ready. Luckily these bozos don't have guns, but still, there's a lot of them. "Whoa! Sorry for interupting your Van Dame fan club meeting guys!"

A man in a fine suit stands behind the assembled guards and announces, "Ah, Spider-Man. Robin. How good for you to join us. I can only imagine you're here for your alien friend. Well, we have no intentions for parting with her. She now belongs to the Friends of Humanity, and shall be wiped clean from this Earth. We don't need the help of powered individuals. The human race will continue to reign supreme on their own."

"Friends of Humanity"? Terrific another anti-mutant, anti-meta organization. Just what we need.

He then motions to the guards, "Kill them."

As the guards begin to rush us, I turn to Robin, "Go! Find Koriand'r! I'll take care of these guys!"

I nod towards Spidey and sprint off down the corridor. Two guards charge in my directions and I instantly jump, foot out and plunge it into the first one's stomach, a satisfying gasp of pain coming out of him. The guard collapses in a heap, his friend gritting his teeth angrily.

"What scary teeth you have, grandma," I tease as I slam my fist into his jaw, and throw my knee into his grain, before making the final blow with both fists down on his head.

I leave the two and carry on around the corner. I couldn't be too far from her, and I can tell I'm near when I see a large batch of guards surrounding a door ahead. As I run, and fling out a group of smoke bombs, aiming at the feet of the guards. Smoke begins to pour out of them, and the guards begin to cough as it encircles them. I head into the smoke, knowing roughly where each of them are, and throw out precise blows with my fists, hitting them down carefully.

The smoke begins to clear and only three remain standing, and in preparation, I throw three batarangs in their directions. The batarangs slice at the them and I hit them down while they're distracted.

"Well, that was fun."

I go over to the nearest unconscious guard, and go throw his pockets, until I discover a security card. I turn around and slide the card through the controls to the side of the door. As the door slides open, I spot the alien princess sat in the corner, her eyes immediately shooting to the door.

"Hey Koriand'r. Wanna get out of here?"

 

[Optikal]

BLACK ADAM

"So what are you doing when we get off shift tonight, Ten?"

Tehnet Hassan shrugged his shoulders casually as the two SHIELD agents marched down the long hall. Rowan Hervey had been a good friend of his for the three and a half years they'd been working for SHIELD. So much so that Ten almost thought of Rowan as a brother. "Same thing as always I suppose".

The two men rounded a corner and entered into an elevator, clicking to take the ride down to the lower levels.

"You know, I'm still trying to figure out why the hell we've got to guard this guy when the psychics have already turned his brains to mush".

"Not sure. But you know what SHIELD is like for precautions. Hell, they were hesitant to put me down here just because one of my parents comes from Kahndaq".

"Really?" Rowan asked, "Dude, You're as American as they come! I suppose people are always on edge because of the whole 'terror' thing... you know how they do it, if you're middle-eastern, you're automatically a would-be fanatic".

"Yeah" Ten nodded. "The thing is though Rowan, sometimes those crazies are right".

"Wha-"

WHAM!

The butt of Tehnets rifle cracked into the side of Rowans temple, sending the SHIELD agent to the floor in a heap. "Sorry brother" Ten sighed, as he tied his partner up and gagged him. "Just somethin' I've got to do".

Tehnet stepped out of the elevator and dragged his partner into a nearby supply closet, before making his way down the long hall. Slipping into the maintenance sector of the floor, he quickly made his way past whirring machines and various equipment. Each floor on the facility had it's own independently running functions, so that if any one floor ever went down, the rest of the facility would still be fully functional. Ten found what he was looking for and as he filled the vents with a neural destabilizer, he recalled to memory the fastest route to the cell he was after.

High above, on the outside of the facility, there would be a battle waging, more followers of Adam distracting the SHIELD agents whilst Ten did his work. Slipping on his gas-mask, he raced at full pelt through the halls, leaping over collapsed guards and barrelling through security coded doors. His pass would only get him to the cell, but not into it.

Reaching the cell door, he pulled a small electronic device from his pocket and wired it up to the access panel on the door. As the codebreaker ran it's course, Ten produced a large syringe filled with adrenaline. Adam had been assaulted mentally by SHIELDS resident psychics and kept in a constant state of sedated delirium. With no idea whether or not his plan would work, Ten had hoped that the shot would give Adam the boost he needed to overcome such blocks.

The codebreaker flashed a little green light and the door popped open. Adam was laid upon a table, his hands and feet clasped by metal locks. Once more, Ten wired up his codebreaker as he drove the shot into Adams neck, watching the full load disappear into Adams bloodstream.

Again, the green light flashed and the locks released. Ten stood with baited breath as he watched the still form of Teth-Adam. The gas was disappating and he knew that they only had minutes to spare.

On the table, eyelids fluttered lightly before brown eyes opened, pupils focusing in the harsh synthetic light.

Ten smiled and bowed his head.
​