The "Heroes Vs Villains" Marvel RPG - Season IV

[twylight]

Rogue closed her eyes as she mentally surveyed the carnage Thanos and his minions had done.

"Carol was right. The X-Men are mah family and Thanos hasn't given me anythin' that they haven't. In fact it's been less." She tightened her grip around her legs as she felt her old powers within her again.

"Ah missed you." She whispered.

"Ah wonder what's keepin' them so long, The Avengers ain't that longwinded." Closing her eyes she pulled up the Professors power and scanned the compound. Her eyes flew open.

"No..."

Practically a head on attack against Thanos it was suicide, yet they were all so confident, so....selfless. She bowed her head as the tears flowed.

"How selfish Ah've been an' at this point Ah can't afford to be either." She let her mind drift into theirs absorbing their strength.

"Ah can't let them go alone. Not when Ah can help, Ah owe them somethin'." The memory of what she'd done to Logan sat like a bad taste in the back of her mind. Standing up she grabbed the back of a seat as a wave of nausea washed over her. She held her head for a moment before seeing her costume, which was anything but modest.

"That won't do." She quickly changed the attoms till she wore an old favorite. Smiling she lifted from the ground and phased through the hull of the plane turning she surveyed everything for a moment before blasting through the air.

"WHOOOH!" She called as the wind brushed against her face and made her hair stream behind her.

"Ah'm comin!"

 

[Johnny Blaze]

"You know, the Inhumans have a dog that does the same thing," Hawkeye said, trying to keep the mood light, less the gravity of the situation catch him off guard. He looked the little troll over. "Any relation?"

"Very funny", replied Pip with a not-so amused look on his face.

"How a carney managed ta become a hero I'll never know", stated the troll under his breath as he rolled his eyes. Warlock caught the remark and gave him a stern look.

"What", responded Pip to Adam's gaze with an innocent shrug of his shoulders. Turning to face Iron Man, Pip asked, "So, you ready to travel Tin Head?"

 

[Red]

"Very funny", replied Pip with a not-so amused look on his face.

"How a carney managed ta become a hero I'll never know", stated the troll under his breath as he rolled his eyes. Warlock caught the remark and gave him a stern look.

"What", responded Pip to Adam's gaze with an innocent shrug of his shoulders. Turning to face Iron Man, Pip asked, "So, you ready to travel Tin Head?"

I sigh "Don't call me Tin Head."

I check the read out's on my armor and shift back to his question as I reel of the statistics for him "Power's at 94% efficiency, jet boosters are functioning normal and repulsor beams are at maximum capacity. Just say the word.”

 

[Spider-Man9X17]

"Showtime, ladies and gentlemen," Johnny called as the first wave of attackers descended onto the team. Some came out from the clouds, no doubt sent from the mothership. Some were units the had been stationed on land. It didn't really matter where they came from. At the end of the day, they'd all be turnin' tail and runnin' back home. Those that made it through, anyway.

Two attackers fell instantly. Johnny targeted the jetpacks on two of the aliens, who obviously hadn't developed the ability to fly. Poor suckers. They splashed into the water below.

"THAT'S TWO!" he called out as he locked in on his next targets.

 

[ElectroFlare]

Spider-man leapt at an alien and pressed his hands on the invader's shoulders. Using his gripping power, his hands stayed fast as he used them to flip up and over the alien.

Unfortunately for the alien, Spider-man let go as his hands came down.

"FORE!" Spider-man yelled as the invader fell into several others, knocking back the line.

They would just keep coming until Thanos was done.

Well, Spider-man would just keep knocking them down until Thanos was done.

After all, what else would your friendly neighborhood spider-man be doing on a Saturday?

 

[Johnny Blaze]

I sigh "Don't call me Tin Head."

I check the read out's on my armor and shift back to his question as I reel of the statistics for him "Power's at 94% efficiency, jet boosters are functioning normal and repulsor beams are at maximum capacity. Just say the word.”

"Very well", said Adam as he turned to look at the troll, "Pip, transport us to Thanos' ship."

The heroes were soon engulfed in a giant flash of light, and mere seconds later found themselves in the middle of a secluded section of Thanos' ship.




"Stay alert, everyone", said Adam as he brandished his Soul Staff and took a defensive position.
"Hawkeye and I will travel to the ships power plant and destroy it. Iron Man, you should begin to make your way to the bridge. We are closer in distance to the power plant than the bridge. The great ship's bridge is thousands of miles away. Pip will teleport you closer to your destination."

"Yeah, sure...and let's make it quick", said Pip as he nervously looked around their surroundings, "this place is giving me the creeps."

"Pip, you will remain in contact with Iron Man. Once he accomplishes his task you will transport him back to us. Is that understood?"

"Yeah, yeah...I got ya, Boss."

"Very well, let us go", said Adam to Hawkeye with a nod as he silently took off down the corridors.

 

[Spider-Man9X17]

Hawkeye grabbed three arrows from his quiver, all Antarctic-Vibranium tipped heads. God only knew what kind of defenses the ship or troops would have, but he hadnt' seen a metal yet that these tips wouldn't slice through. He made a quick visiual sweep of the area as they walked along. Nothing seemed out of place...yet.

"What kind of window are we looking at before they realize we're here?"

-

Johnny clotheslined another attacker, and spun around just in time to give one more a face full of fire. Both fell to the river below.

"TWENTY-NINE!!"

 

[Johnny Blaze]

Hawkeye grabbed three arrows from his quiver, all Antarctic-Vibranium tipped heads. God only knew what kind of defenses the ship or troops would have, but he hadnt' seen a metal yet that these tips wouldn't slice through. He made a quick visiual sweep of the area as they walked along. Nothing seemed out of place...yet.

"What kind of window are we looking at before they realize we're here?"

"Knowing the Titan as I do, he already knows we are here", replied Adam as he turned down a side corridor.
Halfway down the hallway, Adam raised his fist to silently tell Hawkeye to stop.
Moving forward on his own, Adam peeked around the next bend and found a dozen armed guards all watching a small side entrance to the massive power plant. Without hesitation Adam Warlock stepped into view of the now alarmed guards.

"Greetings."

As the guards made a move towards him with their blasters, beams of green energy shot out of the Soul Gem and caught each soldier in the head. As the beams made contact, each of the soldiers fell unconscious to the floor.

"There are only a small number of beings in the universe who can withstand a karmic blast", said Adam as he stepped over a fallen soldier and moved to the door, "Unfortunately for you, you are not among them."

"Hawkeye, be ready. There will no doubt be many more guards and hundreds of slaves working the power plant on the other side of this door. We must make it to the main reactor and destroy it. With it gone, it will cause a chain reaction that will depower all of the Titan's soldiers and his entire fleet."

Adam slowly opened the door, and, to his relief, found no armed guards or workers in the immediate area. The pair of heroes found themselves in the corner of a vast room that had to be as big as the Grande Canyon. The room was filled with large machines humming with energy, and workers could be seen tending to them. There were many different pathways and catwalks all around the area.

"If my observations have been accurate, the main reactor should be just that way", said Adam as he pointed to their left.

As soon as his moved to point, dozens of armed guards came rushing around the corner of a large machine, firing their blasters at the intruders...

 

[Spider-Man9X17]

"My turn."

Hawkeye raised his bow and fired. The arrows hit the three closest guards dead on in the chest. As they fell to the ground, they tripped up several of the guards behind them. Hawkeye grabbed six more arrows and fired, giving the aliens no time to regroup.

"Grab any arrows that you can out of the bodies!" Hawkeye yelled as he took aim again. "I can always use spares."

 

[Electro UK]

Hawkeye grabbed three arrows from his quiver, all Antarctic-Vibranium tipped heads. God only knew what kind of defenses the ship or troops would have, but he hadnt' seen a metal yet that these tips wouldn't slice through. He made a quick visiual sweep of the area as they walked along. Nothing seemed out of place...yet.

"What kind of window are we looking at before they realize we're here?"

-

Johnny clotheslined another attacker, and spun around just in time to give one more a face full of fire. Both fell to the river below.

"TWENTY-NINE!!"

"Thirty, thirty one, thirsty two..." Johnny looks round as I start counting as the Fantasticar arrives on the scene. Man, this is like shooting fish in a barrel. "And in the famous words of a Muppet: One, Two, Three, count with me... blah!" I continue to gun down the warriors. "HERE COMES THE CAVALRY!"

 

[Spider-Man9X17]

A weaselish grin forced itself across Johnny's face. He turned to face the Fantasti-Car.

"Holy crap, Wade! There's one in the car with you!"

Johnny hurled a fire ball right in Deadpool's face.

"Oh, dawg, shoot, I'm sorry. I got your stupid looking Spider-Man rip off costume confused with all these stupid looking Star Wars rip off costumes."

Johnny downed three more aliens.

"Forty-nine, fifty, and fifty-one. Seriously though, man, good to see ya. Sort of. It would be better to see you with a mask on though. Guess that's my fault for buring it off. Ummmm, I think we have a plastic bag in there you can stick your head in."

 

[Batman]

(IC: Wolverine)

Wolverine growled as he lept onto another one, claws first, before tearing it to shreads from the inside out. Kicking off it's face, Logan backflipped just as it came crashing to the ground.

Spinning, Logan managed to take out another one's left leg, before slamming his claws into an oncoming attacker.

"This is fer making me wait in a damn jet without a bathroom!", He yelled, before slashing it in half.

Logan smirked, looking at the downed invaders infront of him. You could tell they were his, given the claw marks.

"Thirty-eight.", He said to himself, knowing full well that somewhere in the world, Johnny Storm was renewing that little bet they had all had during a Sentiniel attack.

"Good times...", He muttered, before tearing into another one.

 

[Red]

Within a second of Pip throwing me a smile, I’m transported in a blinding flash to the bridge. My gaze falls Thanos’s forces that are gathered in the room.

Without hesitation I active my jet boots and ascends above them securing an aim on each one before I fire countless plasma blasts.

As their blistered corpses plummet to the ground I take a comfort in the fact that I had just adjusted the sights minutes earlier.

I Level out and land beside the main computer. I got be quick; I’m betting my theatrics will have caught the attention of the rest of the ship. Right the upload port; Come on, come on where are you? My eyes scramble across the consol until I find it.

I firmly grasp the device Adam handed me from my belt. My heart pounds like its coming through my chest and with all my strength I force it into the port.

I hope to God this works

 

[Johnny Blaze]

"My turn."

Hawkeye raised his bow and fired. The arrows hit the three closest guards dead on in the chest. As they fell to the ground, they tripped up several of the guards behind them. Hawkeye grabbed six more arrows and fired, giving the aliens no time to regroup.

"Grab any arrows that you can out of the bodies!" Hawkeye yelled as he took aim again. "I can always use spares."

Adam rushed forward, obliging his ally and scooping up a few shafts along his run. Leaping into a throng of soldiers, Adam swung his Soul Staff, knocking them down with karmic force.
Adam nimbly ducked under a laser blast and instinctively retaliated with a karmic blast from the Soul Gem, putting the guard down instantly.

"We do not have time for this", said Adam to himself as he caught a nearby soldier in the back of the head with a spinning heel kick. With the speed of thought, green energy poured from the Soul Gem and washed over the remaining soldiers like a roaring flood. The soldiers jerked and fell to the floor like a rock, completely out cold.

"Quickly, we must hurry", said Adam to Hawkeye as he handed the Avengers the arrows he collected and sprinted down the path.
After a few turns, Warlock came face to face with a dozen more armed guards. Behind them though stood the object they were searching for. The main reactor of the entire power plant. It towered above Warlock like a steel giant, humming with power.

Adam ducked and dodged the laser bolts from the guard's rifles and methodically took them down with a karmic blast.
As soon as the final guard hit the floor, Adam heard a dreadful sound. The patter of feet heading towards them. Dozens of them. Hundreds.

"Hawkeye, I will stall them as long as I can. It is up to you to complete the mission and destroy the reactor", shouted Adam as he rushed to meet the oncoming horde...

 

[Spider-Man9X17]

Adam rushed forward, obliging his ally and scooping up a few shafts along his run. Leaping into a throng of soldiers, Adam swung his Soul Staff, knocking them down with karmic force.
Adam nimbly ducked under a laser blast and instinctively retaliated with a karmic blast from the Soul Gem, putting the guard down instantly.

"We do not have time for this", said Adam to himself as he caught a nearby soldier in the back of the head with a spinning heel kick. With the speed of thought, green energy poured from the Soul Gem and washed over the remaining soldiers like a roaring flood. The soldiers jerked and fell to the floor like a rock, completely out cold.

"Quickly, we must hurry", said Adam to Hawkeye as he handed the Avengers the arrows he collected and sprinted down the path.
After a few turns, Warlock came face to face with a dozen more armed guards. Behind them though stood the object they were searching for. The main reactor of the entire power plant. It towered above Warlock like a steel giant, humming with power.

Adam ducked and dodged the laser bolts from the guard's rifles and methodically took them down with a karmic blast.
As soon as the final guard hit the floor, Adam heard a dreadful sound. The patter of feet heading towards them. Dozens of them. Hundreds.

"Hawkeye, I will stall them as long as I can. It is up to you to complete the mission and destroy the reactor", shouted Adam as he rushed to meet the oncoming horde...

"Not going to be a problem."

Hawkeye reached back into his quiver and pulled out a handful of explosive arrows. Everyone he had brought, the strongest batch he could safely make and pack. As he knocked them onto his bow, a shiver ran down his spine. The world rested on his shoulders now. Survival depended on a dozen or two mini powder kegs fastened to the end of a wooden arrow.

He took aim. Perfect shot, dead center. He took just one, brief second to savor this moment. Savor the end, savor the victory. Nothing could make this sweeter, except fot the opportunity to see the look on Thanos' face when this reactor went sky high.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

Hawkeye released the arrows. They flew staright and true, the tips allowing the to burrow into the reactor before detonating. The blast and resulting shockwave lifted Hawkeye off his feet and sent him a good five feet backwards. The reactor was gone in a flash of seering white light and orange flame, and a wave of unbearable heat.

"Yippie Kiyeah Mother F******!"

 

[Spider-Man9X17]

"Two hundred and thir.....no, two fifty-....or was I up to three hundred. Ah, the hell with it."

Johnny expelled a ring of fire, and another contingent of invaders fell.

And then, they began to retreat. Just a few at first, but as the minutes ticked away, the line began to withdraw. A few of the heroes began to pull back on their attacks as well.

"Don't let up! Keep hittin' them until there's nothing left to hit. We got them now, so let's finish this."

 

[ElectroFlare]

"Where's everyone going? You're not sticking around for dessert?" Spider-man shouted as the ground troups broke and retreated.

Johnny Storm's instructions came through on Spider-man's comm.

Not that Spider-man needed them. Both Spider-man and Peter Parker had had enough of these invaders.

He leapt nimbly from alien to alien, knocking them out with a single punch or kick to each one.

They were tougher then human, but not by much. And not nearly as tough or fast as Spider-man himself.

"Wow, you guys sure are great. Half of you are passed out on the ground and the other half have left me to pick up the tab. That's the last time I take you out."

 

[Batman]

(IC: Wolverine)

"Two hundred and thir.....no, two fifty-....or was I up to three hundred. Ah, the hell with it."

Johnny expelled a ring of fire, and another contingent of invaders fell.

And then, they began to retreat. Just a few at first, but as the minutes ticked away, the line began to withdraw. A few of the heroes began to pull back on their attacks as well.

"Don't let up! Keep hittin' them until there's nothing left to hit. We got them now, so let's finish this."

"Heard'ya loud and clear, Pipsqueak!", Logan yelled, as he began spinning into more of them, claws outstretched.

They kept coming. The damned things kept coming and didn't let up. Whereas their other comrades, brothers, or whatever the hell they were started to back down from their hero attackers, Logan's seemed to increase their resistance.

Must be cause' I'm short. They made'a biiig mistake, if that's th' case...

Wolverine leaped into the air, flipping upside down as he stabbed one in the face with both claws, while slamming his legs into two others. Spinning, Logan managed to viciously deface the alien with little to no hesitation.

Landing on the ground, Logan slashed another one's leg, severing it severely with a single attack.

"Come an' get me, ya damned geek convention rejects!"

They complied, unfortunatley. Though Logan just slashed through them like paper. As the minutes passed, the body count seemed to double... even triple, as Logan went into a beserker rage. The kicking, the punching, the slashing... It was all a blur as Logan looked around, seeing most, if not all of the aliens around him in little, tiny pieces.

Logan stopped to take a breath, for a second. He was getting too old for this. And considering his actual age... That was an understatement. But Logan would be damned before he'd go into retirement. He was having the time of his life.

Looking up to the sky, catching some sun, Wolverine grunted as his wounds healed up almost instantly. One thought came to his mind, as he let the auroma of alien corpse enter his mutant sense of smell...

"Damn. I could really go fer a cigar..."

 

[twylight]

Adam rushed forward, obliging his ally and scooping up a few shafts along his run. Leaping into a throng of soldiers, Adam swung his Soul Staff, knocking them down with karmic force.
Adam nimbly ducked under a laser blast and instinctively retaliated with a karmic blast from the Soul Gem, putting the guard down instantly.

"We do not have time for this", said Adam to himself as he caught a nearby soldier in the back of the head with a spinning heel kick. With the speed of thought, green energy poured from the Soul Gem and washed over the remaining soldiers like a roaring flood. The soldiers jerked and fell to the floor like a rock, completely out cold.

"Quickly, we must hurry", said Adam to Hawkeye as he handed the Avengers the arrows he collected and sprinted down the path.
After a few turns, Warlock came face to face with a dozen more armed guards. Behind them though stood the object they were searching for. The main reactor of the entire power plant. It towered above Warlock like a steel giant, humming with power.

Adam ducked and dodged the laser bolts from the guard's rifles and methodically took them down with a karmic blast.
As soon as the final guard hit the floor, Adam heard a dreadful sound. The patter of feet heading towards them. Dozens of them. Hundreds.

"Hawkeye, I will stall them as long as I can. It is up to you to complete the mission and destroy the reactor", shouted Adam as he rushed to meet the oncoming horde...

Rogue stopped mid-flight as the information from Thano's ship streamed through her mind.

No..they'd already...The sound of an explosion came from the ship.

Rogue smiled as all communication ceased from her mind like a spark. She closed her eyes and pulled up Jeans power taking in the attack plans of everyone.

Her she smiled at the contact of one, he was going to face Thanos one on one but....Her eyes flew open and she quickly teleported herself into the ship in front of the onrushing guards.

She threw up Betsy's protective force screen and blocked them, the guards crashing into it. Their faces disbelieving as they caught sight of one of their Lord's powerful servants.

Rogue gritted her teeth as she kept the screen up.

"NNNNNNNNNNNH" the groan came from her throat as they pushed against the barrier. Her hair fell over her face and her eyes grew wide when she saw the purple tint to it.

"No...NO! Ah have to have control of it! Ah can't go back!"

She added Jean's power to Betsy's and pushed, the barrier bulged in and swept the guards closest to it to the ground.

 

[Spider-Man9X17]

Rogue stopped mid-flight as the information from Thano's ship streamed through her mind.

No..they'd already...The sound of an explosion came from the ship.

Rogue smiled as all communication ceased from her mind like a spark. She closed her eyes and pulled up Jeans power taking in the attack plans of everyone.

Her she smiled at the contact of one, he was going to face Thanos one on one but....Her eyes flew open and she quickly teleported herself into the ship in front of the onrushing guards.

She threw up Betsy's protective force screen and blocked them, the guards crashing into it. Their faces disbelieving as they caught sight of one of their Lord's powerful servants.

Rogue gritted her teeth as she kept the screen up.

"NNNNNNNNNNNH" the groan came from her throat as they pushed against the barrier. Her hair fell over her face and her eyes grew wide when she saw the purple tint to it.

"No...NO! Ah have to have control of it! Ah can't go back!"

She added Jean's power to Betsy's and pushed, the barrier bulged in and swept the guards closest to it to the ground.

Hawkeye picked himself up off of the ground, shaking off the dizziness, He braced himself against a wall while he gained his bearings as Rogue began to push back the horde of attackers.

"Glad to see you came to your senses, kiddo," he said, taking one or two wobbly steps towards the other two heroes. "Good to have ya back."

 

[Johnny Blaze]

Warlock rushed past Hawkeye as the Avenger began to move towards the reactor. Moving around a corner Adam came face to face with dozens upon dozens upon dozens of fully armed soldiers.
Adam readied his Soul Staff as the horde rushed him and began to open fire. Warlock avoided the shot easily and was about to retaliate when the explosion rocked the area from behind him.

The Avenger had done it.

Despite the force of the blast, the nimble Warlock did not lose his footing...and neither did the well-trained soldiers. They faltered somewhat, but they quickly were continuing the assault once more.
Adam was just about to take out the first wave when an unexpected visitor appeared...

Her she smiled at the contact of one, he was going to face Thanos one on one but....Her eyes flew open and she quickly teleported herself into the ship in front of the onrushing guards.

She threw up Betsy's protective force screen and blocked them, the guards crashing into it. Their faces disbelieving as they caught sight of one of their Lord's powerful servants.

Rogue gritted her teeth as she kept the screen up.

"NNNNNNNNNNNH" the groan came from her throat as they pushed against the barrier. Her hair fell over her face and her eyes grew wide when she saw the purple tint to it.

"No...NO! Ah have to have control of it! Ah can't go back!"

She added Jean's power to Betsy's and pushed, the barrier bulged in and swept the guards closest to it to the ground.

"Excellent. I was wondering when you might show up to atone for your previous actions", stated Adam in a matter-of-fact way.
"Your help is greatly appreciated."

Some of the guards began to work their way around the barrier, but they were easily dispatched with a karmic blast.

Hawkeye picked himself up off of the ground, shaking off the dizziness, He braced himself against a wall while he gained his bearings as Rogue began to push back the horde of attackers.

"Glad to see you came to your senses, kiddo," he said, taking one or two wobbly steps towards the other two heroes. "Good to have ya back."

"Well done, Hawkeye", said Adam as the Avenger rejoined them.
They had completed their mission. The Titan's forces were severely weakened, and his deadly armada powerless. His enormous worldship was beginning it's deaththrows, and would soon be no more. Adam silently hoped that Iron Man had been successful.

Still, there was one more thing he had to do.

"I take my leave of you now. Pip should return soon to get you out of here. If not, I suggest you make haste to the nearest teleportation pad. This ship will not last much longer."

With those final words said, Adam quickly ran off in the other direction. Moving his way past falling debris and avoiding explosions as the ship continued to die around him. Workers and guards, now more concerned with fleeing the doomed vessel than fighting paid Adam no heed as he wound his way through the corridors...slowly making his way towards Thanos.

 

[Spider-Man9X17]

"We don't have time to wait for the elf," Hawkeye said to Rogue, attaching his bow to his quiver. He pulled his comm off his belt.

"Medusa. Exit. Now."

No sooner had the transmission ended then Lockjaw materialized in front of the two heroes.

"Tony, be ready, we're on our way to pick you up."

Hawkeye wrapped his arms around the dogs neck and looked to Rogue.

"Going down?"

-

For a second, Johnny thought they had lost. The flash of light had knocked him off balance. He had only seen something so brilliant a handful of times before, most on alien worlds or in alternate dimensions, and once in history class, while studying World War II.

But after a second, he realized this wasn't the flash of a nuclear bomb going off. This was a flash from above the atmosphere. It filled the whole sky, and bathed the city in a brilliant white glow. There was no explosion. The detonation happened in space, the vaccum stifling any sound waves there might have been.

And, as if on cue, the defenses of the invaders began to fail. Some, depended on jetpacks, fell to a watery grave below. Others began a final retreat, only to be cut down by waiting heroes during their escape. Only a handful managed to get away.

Then he heard a sound. A faint whistling at first, and saw the shadow begin to grow on the top of the river below. He looked up just in time to dodge a large piece of burning....something. A meteor? It slammed into the water below, and in the instant before it sank, Johnny saw what it was. It was a piece of metal.

A piece of a spacecraft.

They had done it. The ship was coming apart.

"EVERYBODY! SCATTER! TAKE COVER!" Johnny yelled into his comm as he dived bomed for the river below as he headed back to Hydro Base.

 

[Charlie No-One]

Edit

 

[Charlie No-One]

It had been months since Jean Grey last stood on the grounds of Professor Xavier's
School for Gifted Youngsters. Half dying of starvation, she dragged her thin, spandex covered limbs across the grass. The air was still around the mansion. The telepath could sense something terrible had happened recently. Moving out of the forest surrounding the campus, she saw it. Lying before her was the rubble and debris of hundreds of mutant’s sanctuary. The mansion was gone; her home was gone. Jean quickly scanned the grounds for any loss of life. For the first time in a while, she was relieved to find that no one was harmed.

Over the last ten months, Jean Grey was searching for her lost parts. When she came back from the destruction of Genosha, the home of Magneto, her one time lover, she had lost seventy-five percent of the Phoenix Force. Some strange force had sucked the power right from her very body, in one glowing and painful explosion of angelic light. That power was then divided into three very different and evil people. Marvel Girl decided it was her duty to at least try to recover that power from people who could potentially destroy the world. Doing what she believed was right, she left the X-Men.

The mutant traveled from every inch of the world, searching and looking for the missing puzzle pieces to her life. She saw things she never wanted to. Death and starvation were in every cranny of the world’s deep pockets. Then one day, something came to her in the middle of the night. She grew stronger. Jean had not manually retaken that power, it came to her. In the following weeks, another piece located her. Then she realized it. The Phoenix Force was not coming to her. It needed her. She hoped that the last missing piece would find her, allowing her to know that the power of a god was not being used for trouble, that it would at least be in the hands of a person would not purposely try to threaten life, but it didn’t. With low hopes, she traveled home. She traveled home to find this.

The tired young women wobbled over to the front lawn of the school. A few tears ran down her face. The school was her home for most of her life. Fond memories of her family and friends took place here. That place was gone, but why? What had caused this incident? Her telepathy couldn’t determine it. Stepping onto the rubble, Jean Grey looked around. That’s when she saw it. Sitting on a large pile of wreckage was Scott’s ruby quartz sunglasses.

“Scott!” she screamed, digging around the wood and shards of metal, looking for a body that wasn’t there. Shocked, she stood.

“Scott? Please! God please let him hear me. I need him. Where are you? If you’re dead…no…you can’t be dead,”

Jean waited for a telepathic response. She heard nothing; it was time for a probe. Concentrating harder, she looked around for her husband’s mental pulse.

There. I feel it. He is alive, but not near.

The former Phoenix held the glasses in her hand. They must have been a spear pair that floated up in the destruction. Or was it destruction? She had no idea what had occurred here. It was time to find out. Piles of debris floated up into the air as her telekinesis went to work. If she wanted to figure out the event that took her home, she would need to get access to the security cameras in the sub-levels. The trash floated onto the front lawn. Once the garbage was cleared from her path, she looked around again. The elevator was out of service and the only way to get down was the large hole in the ground.

“Lets hope the cameras are even functioning,”
--

The main power generator had failed in the whole explosion. The back-up supply kicked in, barely giving enough light to the X-Men’s headquarters. With the main power gone, the heat went out. Pulling her leather coat closer to her body, she let out a sigh. It was like a tornado went through the place.

“God! I hope everyone is ok. Whatever hit this place must be tough. It went right though the subbasement’s adamantium plating,” Shivering, Jean went into the War Room.

“Computer on. Bring up the video footage from the last functioning time,” Jean commanded.

“Ene…energy…low. Reboo…reboot main power,”

“Not possible. Redirect the back-up energy to mainframes 1 and 2.”

“Processing…video footage from yesterday at 10:00 P.M.,”

The computer screen lit up. Flying high in the air was Polaris. To her side was Rogue. Energy crackled from all sides of the Mistress of Magnetism. Chunks of the mansion floated around her. Then in one big blow, she curled into a ball. Like a black hole, everything magnetic was being sucked towards her. With one push, it all blew back. Polaris, an X-Man herself, had destroyed her home, and Rogue did nothing to stop her. Jean was devastated. How could such a thing happen? She threw her hands down on the computer. Fighting back tears, she looked at the screen. Jean threw her hand at the wires. She didn’t need to see anymore. The cords flew out of the wall. The screen fizzed out. The mutant was erupting in anger.

“HOW DARE YOU LORNA! YOU DESTROYED THIS PLACE! YOU TOOK YOUNG MUTANTS HOPE! WHO CAN TELL WHAT ELSE YOU DID! THIS WAS YOUR HOME…YOUR FRIENDS!”

The door blew off the hinges as Jean walked forward. She had to do something.

This could be reversed if only I had the whole…no…that would be too risky. I could lose control.

Jean paused in her movement to think. She was acting out of anger. Closing her eyes, Marvel Girl tried to clear her head, but something was getting in the way. An impulse was pushing its way threw her mindscape. Fire was burning in her brain. She could see it glowing in her cerebral crown. The roaring blaze was glowing with the ungodly light that first took her power months ago. It was crimson bathed in gold; darkness tainted by light; water burning with fire. The flames stretched out of her mind and into reality. Jean grasped her head. The inferno ripped towards the sky. Like a giant claw, it clawed at the universe. It found its missing piece. It was complete. The Phoenix Force was a whole.

Burning off her mortal clothes, Jean rocketed out of the mansion, hovering hundreds of feet above it.

“I am PHOENIX! This was my home! No mere mortal can DESTROY IT! It shall now be restored!”

Phoenix spread her wings across the sky, telekinetically pulling fierce fire around her; the famous raptor of myth was formed. The piles of debris floated into the air once more. Each piece straightened out and wavered across the front lawn. Little by little, the chunks of memories moved into were they had once stood. Like pieces of a puzzle, the worked and wedged together, only staying in place by one’s mental command. Then with a movement of her arms, energy shot out of her hands, submerging the mansion with illuminating light. The flashes of energy grew into an unnatural glow.

Bathing in her power, Jean watched on. The Phoenix Force was back and in control. Nothing could bring her down. Pushing her hands outward, the light dimmed. The mansion was restored to its full glory.

Satisfied with her handy work, the Phoenix flew higher into the sky. With her power, she could now scan the world.

“Death. I feel two murders. Two murders of loved ones…X-Men…no. Not murders. Sacrifices. One cold as ice. The other is as hard as metal. I feel injured, weak, confused heroes. I feel pain and agony. Agony that is out of this world. I…can’t…feel…this anymore,”

The Goddess launched herself up. Within seconds, she was millions of miles above the Earth. The fiery raptor grew larger in intensity; its wings dipped into the edges of the galaxy. Her mind rattled at all the suffering that was taking place on earth. Spatters of human blood dirtied her mind. Visions of world-conquering aliens scarred her thoughts. The last words of her companions shattered her psyche. It was all too much.

“I AM THE PHOENIX FORCE! I BURN WHAT ISN’T MEANT TO BE! I SAVE YOU ALL! I SAVE YOU MY CHILDREN!”

The galaxy burst into a heavenly fire. The Phoenix Effect slammed its presence into the universe. Jean felt cold as ice for just a second; as if a long lost friend was with her. Something had changed in the universe, but what?

Continued in:

 

[twylight]

"Excellent. I was wondering when you might show up to atone for your previous actions", stated Adam in a matter-of-fact way.
"Your help is greatly appreciated."

Rogue looked at him sideway's.

"Glad Ah got your approval." She let out one more mental push before allowing the Barrier to fall. Stepping back she hardly heard what Hawkeye said to her as her vision crowded with little black spots.
She caught nher breath and watched as the purple tint in her hair receded.

"Somethin's wrong...this shouldn't be happenin'. Ah'm supposed ta have control."

"We don't have time to wait for the elf," Hawkeye said to Rogue, attaching his bow to his quiver. He pulled his comm off his belt.

"Medusa. Exit. Now."

No sooner had the transmission ended then Lockjaw materialized in front of the two heroes.

"Tony, be ready, we're on our way to pick you up."

Hawkeye wrapped his arms around the dogs neck and looked to Rogue.

"Going down?"

"Ah've got mah own ride." she said smiling.
An explosion behind her caused her to take a step forward as she looked back that way.

She turned back to Hawkeye.
"Go!" She said teleporting out as a sheet of metal fell where she was standing.

She dropped herself out of the teleport on the edge of space and covered her eyes as the bright light enveloped the sky, the shock waves sending her back. Catching herself she opened her eyes in time to see a large piece of metal coming at her.

Grabbing it she tossed it back into the darkness before looking up at the fiery sight of large chunks of the space ship as they hit the atmosphere.