Ultimate One Universe RPG: IC Thread

​

The Joker arrives about a block over from the Stacy residence. He looks at the children heading for the evening and people coming home from work.

Not a bad little neighborhood. Nothing that a little Napalm or RPG couldn't fix. Looking at all this domestic bliss makes me feel so sad...for them. They are so programmed in their lives they need someone to liven it up.

He says, "That's where I come in!"

He approaches the house and knocks.

Emily Stacy answers and The Joker looks up. She is immediately stunned at this clown looking at her and The Joker shows her a picture of her driver's license photo and says, "You look sad. Well time to have a laugh!"

He pitches a Venom Gas Bomb into the house and goes skipping away as Emily starts laughing and yelling for everyone to get out of the house.

The Joker stops for a moment and says, "Why would she want everyone out of there? I think they should enjoy it too!"

He then pulls out C4 charge and activates the timer. The Joker throws the bomb and skips away again as the house explodes leaving a gaping hole in the side of the house.

The Joker visits five more people that night laughing at his death and destruction along the way until he finally gets back to his hideout.

 

​

Edward studies the various pictures of Dr. Slayton on a computer projection and reviews his routine in his mind over and over as he finishes his gravity boots workout.

After a quick shower he gathers a couple boxes of chemical compounds and a dozen roses and drives away in a nondescript Honda. A few blocks away from the Waldorf Astoria Edward slips into a floral delivery outfit and puts two magnetic stickers for a flower shop on the side.

He pulls up to the parking garage and leaves his car. Entering the lobby he shows an order to the desk clerk and says, "Last minute addition to the Slayton suite, can I get up there and get this in the room. Please! Otherwise it's my job! I forgot about this please can you help me!"

The desk clerk replies, "Hold on for a minute." The desk clerk makes a phone call and says, "I have someone here from one of the flower shops saying something about a last minute addition...yeah everything looks good...all-right sir...understood...yes sir."

The desk clerk turns back to Edward and says, "Hotel Security will be here in a moment to escort you up to the room."

Edward nods and says, "Thank you."

Security arrives and one gentleman waves a couple of wands over the flowers and another frisks Edward. They look at one another and one says, "Flowers are clean. No poisons or toxins." The other one says, "Yeah he's clean too."

They escort Edward upstairs and he leaves the flowers in the suite with all the others. Edward leaves the hotel and gets back to his house.

Edward enters his workshop and pushes a button on his work-bench. A hole opens in the middle of the floor and he drops his flower shop stickers, clip-board, his costume and the chemicals into an acid vat.

Once he finishes that he grabs a phone and sends out the following text:

Riddle me this: How did the brave squirrel make a killing in winter without using his hands?


He sends out his text and Edward says, "He used his nuts!"

Edward assess the situation concerning the chemicals on the flowers.

Let's see on the surface the flowers are harmless, however the treatment used on them are a peanut base. Very rarely found here in Gotham but not fatal and Dr. Slayton is highly allergic to nuts. Once they are absorbed into the skin it gets into his system and it happens very slowly...eventually though it's...bye bye Doc.

Within 48 hours Dr. Slayton is reported dead and Edward receives another payment.

 

~Opening the Scars~
​

I sit in a darkened corner of a homeless shelter, my friend on a cot next to me, draped and hidden in a blanket. He's been out since the escape from Alcatraz, and I have no idea when he's going to come to. I'd take him to a hospital, but no one is going to help two wanted mutants, especially when one looks like him.

Slipping the laptop out and opening to where the doctor from Alcatraz was, I begin looking through files, trying to find anything that can help me with my search. Most of it is science stuff that goes right over my head, but a folder on the desktop reads "Intel" and I click on that.

But as I do, the mutant next to me begins to stir. I place my hand on his shoulder and say, "Don't move too much. The blanket will come off and you'll blow our cover."

"Very vell...vhere are we?" Wagner responds groggily.

"A homeless shelter," I respond. "We'll stay here for the night. We'll figure out the rest tomorrow morning."

"Thank you," he says full of gratitude. "If not for you...I vould probably be dead soon."

"Don't mention it," I respond with a smile. "We...our kind needs to stick together. I had no intention of leaving you there. How did you get there, to begin with? I mean...you can teleport. Seems easy to escape."

"I vas part of a circus in Germany," he responds. "Zhey vere the people that found me vhen I vas a baby. Zhey raised me as one of zheir own. Never treating me like a freak or an outsider. I vas very happy there..."

"I'm sorry."

"You did not take me from zhem," he says, a hint of anger begins to cloud his voice as he continues. "Four months ago, a man booked our circus for a private function. Vhen we showed up for it, we vere ambushed by government agents. Zhey sedated me...and as far as I know killed my family. Vhen I came to, I vas hooked up to zhat substance."

"What was it?" I ask. "The stuff seemed to completely incapacitate you."

"I heard them talking," he says, sitting up, but keeping himself covered, "zhey said it attacked the X-Gene. Vhat makes us mutants. It reduces us to zhis. In short doses it does not work long. But it can keep us down."

I sit and think about the ramifications of this solution. The government has long been debating on how they could incarcerate dangerous mutants if need be. What's the point of a prison if someone can blow open a wall with the flick of a wrist?

But if they can keep them in a catatonic state, or take their powers away with a drug, their problem is solved.

And if they want to wage war, they now have a weapon.

I'm about to respond to Kurt before something catches my eye on the computer screen. Documents, intel, and dossiers on some sort of cult the government has run into and clashed with over mutants. It says the cult has also gone about kidnapping mutant children from their homes, but it doesn't say where or what they do with them.

From the information I have in front of me, they are armed, radical, and dangerous.

"Kurt," I say, looking up at my new ally, "did you ever hear them talk about the Cult of Apocalypse?"

 

Interlude

Utopia Island
San Francisco Bay


Admiral William Stryker and his executive officer, Commander Slade Wilson, were in an observation booth above the physical training field. They watched as the soldier below ran laps at incredible speeds. Beside them was the man responsible for the soldier's speed.

"As you can see," Doctor T.O. Morrow began, "Sergeant Trask has taken to the implants very well."

"How fast is he going?" Slade asked, looking down at Trask with his one uncovered eye.

"Forty-miles an hour. In addition to his speed, the bionic implants give him enough strength to crush steel pipes with his bare hands. The bio-kelvar weave we placed in the lower levels of his epidermis, tissue, and bones give him remarkable durability."

"And all those implants will be able to put him on par with the mutants?"

"And then some. Further implants can be made to make Trask and the rest of the Sentinels less susceptible to certain mutant powers. They won't just even the odds, they'll run roughshod over anything that stands in their way."

"Very good," Stryker said. "When do the rest of the platoon go into surgery?"

"With your approval, tomorrow. If they all recover as quickly as Trask,"
then the first wave of Sentinels will be ready to deploy."

"Then I give my consent. I want them all field ready as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir," Morrow said with a nod.

"And the chips?" Stryker asked, turning away from the running Trask.

"Trask has a compliance chip inside of him, just like the rest of the Sentinels will. Only and Commander Wilson will have access to it.'

"Excellent. Carry on, Doctor."

Nodding at Morrow, Stryker departed from the booth with Wilson behind him. They walked through the open courtyard of the facility towards the administration building.

"Tell me, Slade, where are we on the break in at the Alcatraz facility?"

"Still investigating it, sir. But as far as details on what was taken, there was the mutant and Doctor Essex's laptop.."

"I don't like it, Slade. A survivor means stories can get out. Whatever the hell Essex had on that laptop could be proof. If the politicians found out what we're doing on Alcatraz, they won't be pleased. Mutants are a plague, but they have their sympathizers."

"Any ideas, then?"

"Project Sentinel has another facility at our disposal. The Krakoa one. Move Essex and his work to the Krakoa base and continue to operate Alcatraz as a mutant penal island. If fact-finders come snooping, they won't find anything."

"Yes, sir. We'll start preparations for the move as soon as possible."

"So what is this they tell me about your interest in the intruder we had on Alcatraz? That it's someone you know?"
"Knew," Wilson said, his hand instinctively going up to his eyepatch. "A long time ago. But we're not certain. Regardless, I can remain neutral."

"Commander Wilson," the walkie talkie on Slade's hip crackled. "There's someone here to see the Admiral. Says she's with Homeland Security..."

Stryker and Wilson traded looks before Stryker nodded at his XO. Slade pulled the walkie talkie from his belt and put it to his mouth.

"We're on our way."

Stryker and Wilson came into the Admiral's office and found a tall, blonde woman in a white pantsuit. Her hair was bulled back into a bun and she had on a pair of dark-rimmed glasses.

"Admiral, Commander," she said in a perfect American accent. She pulled an ID from her jacket pocket. "I'm Agent Danielle Snow."

To Stryker and Wilson, she was showing them a copy of an official CIA badge that showed her photo and declared that she was in fact Danielle Snow, a deputy director with the Office of Intelligence and Analysis. To anyone who wasn't in her mental control, they would have just seen a blank piece of paper.

"What can I help you with, Agent Snow?" Stryker asked, motioning towards a chair.

"Mutants, Admiral," she said as she sat. "Specifically, a group of them."

Stryker sat behind his desk while Wilson stood behind him at parade rest. "I thought it was already worked out that Alcatraz would function as a place for any and all mutants captured around the country?"

"It's not about imprisoning them, it's about a group that may have escaped."

Snow slid her folder across the desk at Stryker. He reached in and pulled out files. Some of them photos and stills of security camera footage, some of them were eyewitness reports.

"We have noticed a trend over the past month or so. A group of mutants active and abroad. As you can see from those photographs, they were present in Michigan last week when a mutant criminal was freed from captivity. We also have eyewitness reports from Buenos Aires that match the descriptions of the photos we got from Michigan. Seems like the same group fought a mutant weapons dealer and a suspected Nazi war criminal in a downtown park."

Stryker looked through the photos. They were grainy, some of them out of focus. He could make out a young black man with electricity cracking from his hands, another young man shooting lasers from some odd thing attached to his face.

"Fascinating reading, but what does that have to do with us?"

"Because these are the same mutants who double-crossed you and wiped your memory."

"Wait," Stryker asked, his head snapping up from the photos. "How the hell do you know about that?!"

"Because I can access the parts of your mind Charles Xavier shut down..."

Before Stryker could respond, he heard a loud voice in his head.

~Remember.~

Just like that, the block in his mind snapped like a twig. Memories, thoughts, and experiences came racing back to him. A whole six months worth. He could remember it all.

Blackmailing Xavier.

Watching as he and Waller recruited their team.

The attack on San Diego.

The fiasco in Kentucky.

The attack.

Charles Xavier and his mutants had attacked him and his men. They had attacked them and they had brainwashed him. They were the ones that violated his mind.

Stryker looked across the desk with sudden clarity. There was nobody sitting there. Of course there was nobody sitting there, he thought, why would there be? It was just him and Wilson in the room together.

But he remembered. He didn't know how or why, be he remembered it all.

"Get me everything you can on Charles Xavier," Stryker said, looking up at his XO. "And tell Morrow to prep the rest of the SEALs for surgery right now. I want them on the operating table tonight."

Wilson nodded and quickly left the room. Stryker watched him go before he looked down at the files in front of him. He couldn't remember how he got them, but it wasn't important. All that mattered now was Xavier and his students.

*****

Xavier Mansion
Westchester County, New York



They were in the middle of war. Literally. The five X-Men were all crouched behind a semi-destroyed brick wall. Ahead of them, three Panzer tanks rolled across the open field towards their location.

"I'll provide cover fire," Cyclops said, setting the intensity of his visor. "Get to their left flank. Once there, Beast, try to get into the closest tank. You got the agility, use it. Metamorpho, time to use that tear gas form. Charge the middle tank and smoke 'em out. Black Lightning, Marvel Girl, the third tank is yours. Jean, you can psychically stop any flak from hitting the two of you with telekinesis. Jeff, that big metal tank is a perfect conductor. Let's do it."

Standing, Scott opened fire with his visor. He punched a hole in the center tank with his optic blast. The tanks began to maneuver and scuttle back at the blasts. Behind Cyclops, the rest of the X-Men went into action.

Running on all fours, Hank dodged tank shells that were shot his way. He zigged and zagged as he ran to avoid the tank's machine gunner. While he dodged bullets, Rex was already in his gaseous form. Bullets passed through him as he dispersed his shape over the center Panzer and filled the interior with tear gas. To his right, Jean deflected bullets with the wave of her hands. She stood in front of Jefferson and provided cover as he charged electricity from his palms. Shoving his hands out, he struck the tank with a large bolt of lightning. While he did that, Hank somersaulted on to the top of his Panzer and ripped the top open with his claws. He jumped inside the vehicle and went to work on the crew.

In just sixty seconds after giving orders, the four X-Men had disabled three Panzer tanks and the fifteen soldiers who made up the three tank crews. Smiling with his arms crossed, Scott addressed the Danger Room computer.

"Computer, ID login: Sierra-Sierra 002. End simulation."

The field, the tanks, and even his fellow mutants all disappeared. Scott was alone in the white Danger Room alone.

"Impressive," a voice said through the speakers.

Removing his visor, Scott looked up into the observation deck and saw Jean waving. Scott smiled and waved back.

"I have to admit, I don't like the idea of a walking, talking simulation of me. It's a bit creepy."

"It was a command simulation, that's all. If everyone could follow orders right, wouldn't be a need for me to practice."

"Just don't tell Rex you can replicate us that well. We'd never be able to get him out of here."

Chuckling, Scott left the room and climbed the stairs up to the observation deck. Jean was waiting for him as he entered the door.

"Speaking of creepy, didn't know you liked to watch me sweat like that.'

"Yep. Men in dorky and awkward visors are kind of my fetish."

"It's not that dorky... is it?"

"I guess it's not that bad. But I came down here because Hank was going to take us all to the movies tonight."

"Some kind of documentary?"

"Skimper. You know, that sci-fi movie where a guy has to go back in time and stop himself from stiffing a waitier on a tip and accidentally starting World War III."

"Well, that sounds like a ton of fun, but no. I want to get in some more practice. After that, I got that paper to write for class."

"Come on!" Jean shouted, shaking her head. "All you do is homework, training, and then missions. You have to expand your horizons."

"Well, I there was something I wanted to do... but it's in the city."

"I'm there," she said, springing up from her chair and taking Scott's hand.

"Wait," he said as she drug him from the room. "Don't you want to know what it is?"

"As long as it's away from here, I'm game."

A half hour later, Scott and Jean were in the black sedan as she pulled it out of the garage and rolled down the driveway. She turned on to the road and headed down the highway towards Salem Center.

Overhead, a military drone soundlessly passed above the mansion. The camera mounted on its underbelly snapped crystal clear pictures of the house, the grounds, and the surrounding area.
​

 

"You're kidding me?" Babs asks with an astonished look on her face. "You actually met a mutant? One that was out in the open?"

We're sitting at the bar again, after work grabbing a drink. She's had another stressful week of work making some government firewall for the military. I finished a design a few weeks ahead of time on a design. Fox is even talking about a raise for me.

The talk of the town, of course, has been the raid on the Iceberg Lounge last night, as well as the mutant scuffle at the Friends of Humanity rally. I told Barbara I know a mutant, so of course now she wants to know all about him.

"Yea, I did," I nod. "They're normal people, Babs. Except, you know, they have super powers."

"No, I know they're normal people...But sometimes it's hard to separate the reality from everything you hear on the news, you know? It's scary to think that there are people with such power. But I guess that's always the way it is when new people come along."

"Yea, I know," I smile. "He was a friend of my grandfather. A good guy...if not a little rough around the edges."

That's when Oswald Cobblepot shows up on the TV behind the bar in a special report. "Speaking of now believing everything you see on the news."

**********

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming on such short notice," the mayor begins as the reporters in the audience begin writing on their notepads. "But after the events of last night, Commissioner Loeb and my advisers thought it best to tell the citizens of Gotham the events that transpired last night at my place of business, the Iceberg Lounge."

"Last night at approximately eleven o'clock P.M., the Batman performed an assault on the club, injuring several patrons injured and stealing some of my personal property. Before now the Batman had been a nuisance, a crazy man wearing a mask to spread his insane viewpoint on the world. But now, it is clear his aims are anarchy and chaos in the streets of Gotham. Because of that, the City of Gotham is putting forth a fifty-thousand dollar reward for the capture or any information that leads to the capture of the Batman."

**********

"You hear that, Jimmy?" Bullock says, turning down the radio and leaning uncomfortably in his seat. "Fifty big ones. And we can bag the Batman easy. He trusts us. And we'll be all the richer."

"Yea and we'll be even more in the hole when it comes to fixing things," Gordon responds, not even considering the offer.

"Yea...yea..."

**********

I walk into the apartment, and Alfred looks up form the laptop that's been running the transactions from Cobblepot's black market dealings all day, "Anything?"

"Indeed, right there highlighted on the screen," he nods. "The other window has the information on the guy."

Looking at the screen I see the transaction, as well as the man the last shipment was delivered to.

Quentin Beck, better known in the Gotham entertainment circle as the Marvelous Mysterio.
​

 

UNNATURAL SELECTION
Part 5​

"Unh", Spider-Man shakes his weary head as his eyes flutter open into the waking world once again.

"What the hell..."

As his vision cleared, Peter saw that he was trapped, imprisoned on the side of a wall, his hands and feet bound to the stone surface by some kind of green mucus.

"Uggh...that's gonna take forever to wash out..."

Spidey looked around and realized that he was in a massive underneath New York. The place had to be at least the size of a football field, and held at least a dozen tunnels leading off into various sections of the sewer system. But, more importantly, the Wall Crawler noticed that he was not alone.

"Oh my god..."

Peter saw that there were dozens of other people, women and men of all ages, trapped on the walls of this chamber as he was. Most were unconscious, but there were a handful who were awake, and they were all looking at him.

"Um...hi. So...I gather you all are the kidnapped victims I read about in the Bugle", the Web Slinger asked a heavy set man who was stuck next to him a few meters down.

"You figure that one out on your own, Sherlock", the man scoffed in a thick Jersey accent.

"Jeez, easy, pal. I'm here to help."

"Yeah, you're doin' a bang up job so far", the man laughed.

"Sorry", the man sighed, "been hangin' on this wall for what's gotta be a freakin' week! Kinda makes one a irritable bastard, you get me?"

"Yeah...so, what's the deal here?"

"Well, as you guessed, we're all the people these lizard guys' have kidnapped", the man explained.
"There were a bunch here before me, so they musta been collected us for a while now. Every day, a few of 'em will come out of that tunnel there", the man said as he gestured with a nod to a large entrance into a corridor that was dimly lit by torchlight.

"And they'll grab one of us and take 'em back through there, and we never see them again."

Jesus, Spider-Man thought the worst of the vague reasons for that case, what the hell am I dealing with here?

"I can only imagine what they're doing to those poor people", a familiar voice caught Peter's ear and he turned to see a likewise familiar face just a few dozen yards to his left.

"Mary Jane! Are you okay!?"

"I'm fine", Mary Jane replied. She was one of the more recent additions to the growing prisoner population, and was still in relatively good health, minus a cut on her forehead.
"But how do you know my name?"

"Uh", Peter froze as he quickly thought of a answer, "I read about you in the newspaper. Your boyfriend, Harry, is worried sick about you. Figured I'd try to find you and all the other missing people."

"Well", she smirked, trying to take the edge off of the situation, "congrats, you found us."

I did. And now I got to figure out a way to get us all out of here, Peter thought as he looked around, and tried to tear his hands free from the goop, but to no avail.

What the hell is this stuff? You know...on second thought, I probably don't want to know.

Before Peter could think of any other ideas, a loud, throaty grumbling was heard, and four lizard men came striding out from the dimly lit tunnel the man had pointed out earlier. The lizard men make right for Spider-Man, removing the hero and dragging him away, as Mary Jane and the others watch on as their last glimmer of hope slowly disappears down the ever-darkening tunnel...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------​

Basil Karlo tries to peer into the window of the old Stagg Enterprises building. He can see movement inside, but the grim on the window, coupled with the bad angle, makes it impossible for him to figure out what's going on, let alone get any solid evidence of the deal taking place inside.

He had been here for nearly fifteen minutes now. He had been running late by five minutes, but Toomes was nowhere to be seen when he showed up. Thinking Adrian went on without him, Karlo began snooping around, and noticed that there was already something going on inside the building.

Not wanting to wait for Adrian and potentially miss his opportunity, Basil began trying to find a vantage point from which to safely observe and record the deal as it happens. But that prospect was, apparently, incredibly difficult.

That's when Basil noticed the latter leading up to the roof above the warehouse's main room, in which the activity was taking place in. Karlo had an idea and quickly climbed up the ladder. There, affirming his thought, atop the roof was a skylight comprised a half-a-dozen window panes.

Basil slowly crept up to the window, the faint sounds of voices from inside the warehouse below reaching his ears. Peering down cautiously into the warehouse floor, Basil saw three men, one holding a shotgun and the other two seemingly unarmed.

Basil can't really make them out that well, so he leans forward, trying to get a better vantage point. Unfortunately for Basil, he leans a bit too far forward, and his weight against the old, weathered glass shatters the skylight, and Basil Karlo falls hard onto the floor of the warehouse, crashing into a crate.

Basil cries out in pain as he feels one of his ribs break upon impact. His eyes begin to tear up as his every breath pains him now, and Basil is yanked up hard to his feet by two of the men and thrown down to the floor amid the broken glass of the skylight.

"Move and you're dead", one of the thugs said as all of them trained their guns on Basil Karlo.

"You know something, boys.."

Basil groans as he wipes the water from his eyes to see Adrian Toomes step out of the shadows, taking a puff of his cigarettes.



"...I do so love the predictability of avarice."

"Hello, Basil. Ah, you brought your camera. Good.", Toomes smiled wickedly.
"Are you ready for the show to begin?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------​

Spider-Man finds himself in a small side chamber connected to the larger one. Piles of bone sit in piles in the back of the room, which is filled with dozens of snarling lizard men. But Peter is not really focusing on any of them, as his sights are fixed on the massive lizard man standing atop a large raised platform...and in front of a machine that looked eerily similar to the gene splicer that transformed him into Spider-Man.

"It is good to finally meet you, Sssspider-Man", the lizard man hissed, and, as it spoke, the other lizard men quickly grew silent, identifying it as their leader.



"Wha...you can talk", Peter uttered in disbelief?

The lizard leader chuckled, a sound that sent a chill running down Spider-Man's spine.
"Don't sssound so ssssurprised, Ssspider-Man", the leader chided, "is it that hard to fathom another intelligent ssspecies other than you primates?"

"Uh huh...how about we cut the BS. Who are you", Spider-Man demanded, trying to push past the feeling of dread in the back of his mammalian brain, focusing on the obvious calling card of the Jackal behind the leader.
"Clearly you know of a man called Miles Warren, so my guess is you must have been one of his little experiments, am I right?"

The leader snarled, "Not quite, little Sssspider. However you are partly correct. Though that's not sssurprising considering you have the ssstench of OsssCorp on you."

"I knew the human called Miles Warren very well. He and I were colleagues. After OsssCorp cast him out, I helped him finish hisss work."

"Wait a minute...I remember hearing about you, from my research on Warren", Spider-Man spoke out as he began to put the pieces together.

"Curt Connors? The medical geneticist?"

"Connors is dead", the leader growled, "you may simply call me Lizard now, mammal."

"You had some brilliant ideas on genome manipulation to allow humans the ability to regrow lost limbs. It was really some fascinating stuff."

"A fan of ssscience I see? Another sssurprise, but a pleasant one. Yesss...I had sssought for years to help those ssstricken with the loss of one of their limbs", the Lizard states as he absently looks down at his right arm.

"Mainstream ssscience ridiculed me, but Warren helped me achieve my goals...and ssso much more", the Lizard uttered, his voice getting louder as his sentence progressed, getting agreeing grunts and growls from his minions at the end of it.

"Using Warren's ssscience with my own, I was able to evolve myself into sssomething better than that pink-skinned sack of flesh that you wear."

"Yeah, I'm pretty fond of my "pink-skinned sack of flesh", thank you very much. Besides, not like a got much of a choice anyway."

"Ah, but you're wrong, Ssspider-Man", the Lizard grinned devilishly, baring two rows of dagger-like teeth.
"You see, these people had a choice", Lizard exclaimed as he opened his arms wide to emphasize the lizard men filling the room.

"Wait a second...", Peter spoke as he looked around at them all, "the splicer...that's why the kidnapped victims are never seen again when they're taken from that room. You turn them into your puppets!"

"Not puppets, Ssspider-Man", the Lizard hissed.
"Free beings under my care, no longer burdened with the fragility of human existence. Here we will ssstart a new sssociety! A better sssociety!"

The lizard men roar in approval at their leader's proclamation, and Spider-Man can't help but feel a wave of horror and guilt wash over him. All of these...things were once people.
Fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters...normal, everyday people. People just trying to live their lives in peace.
People taken from their homes and their families, and forced to be lab rats for this madman's sick agenda.

"Do not fret, Ssspider-Man. They are better now than what they once were. Besssides...the process cannot be reversed. They are now, permanently, in a better ssstate of being."

"Wait a second...you said they had a choice...what if they said no to you?"

"Well, you sssaw the alternative asss you entered", the Lizard chuckled as he looked around at all the scattered bone piles in the room. Spider-Man had been so transfixed on Connors and the splicer next to him that he didn't really look closely at them.
Now Peter's mouth fell open as he saw the bones of people amid the evidence of slaughter. Some looking as though they came from children.

"No..."

The Lizard laughed, a disgusting sound to Spider-Man's senses, "What'sss wrong, mammal? Does the process of natural ssselection disturb you?"

"NO!"

Spider-Man sprung to his feet, not holding back his strength, as he knocked the two lizard men out with a pair of well placed punches.

"You're a monster!!!"

Spider-Man leaped at the Lizard, engaging the would-be reptilian monarch in combat...

 

Lower Manhattan
9:24 PM


"Mr. Chen," Sergeant Marcus Stone said at the front door of the apartment. The middle-aged Asian man eyed him suspiciously from behind the cracked door. "I'm Sergeant Stone with the 17th Precinct. Doing a house check up. Making sure you're safe."

"Why?" Chen asked, narrowing his eyes. "What's going on?"

"There have been some murders in the area. We're doing a building by building patrol checking up on people."

"Well, I'm fine," Chen said, nodding. "Honest."

"Alright, then. Have a good night."

Stone tipped his cap to the man and turned around. Chen shut the door behind him and turned around. The barrel of a .38 Revolver was shoved in his face.

"Good, good," the white-skinned man said with a large grin. "You did good, Johnny Boy...."

*****

Daredevil stood perched on a Midtown skyscraper, watching the traffic below.

"Sitting on your butt won't get you this killer," his mentor, Matt Murdock, said through the bluetooth in his ear. "You have to be out there hunting."

"Well, I'm sorry I don't have the abilities of a bloodhound. I can't just hunt."

"Use your brain, Dick. What? Nearly two dozen people murdered in the city, all stemming back from a DMV raid. What's the common link?"

"You're not going over new ground. NYPD detectives went over this already. There's no reasonable link. No common names, common backgrounds, or common physical features. Chaos. Just pure chaos."

"Absence of a motive is a motive in and of itself."

"Is this another wax on, wax off moment?"

"Cut out the jokes, Dick. Now's not the time for it. You need to focus."

Before Dick could respond, a fireball flashed into the sky a few blocks away. A loud explosion accompanied.

"That's my cue," he said, shooting a grapnel onto a nearby building. He dove into the night, swinging towards the fiery building.
​

 

Xavier Mansion
Westchester County, New York



"Rex, Jean, Scott, have a seat," Charles said, motioning to the chair and couch that were around his office desk. The three students plopped into the seats they usually sat in during the classes. On the desk beside Charles, speakers played music from his MP3 player.

"What are you listening to, Professor?"

"Nirvana. It's a cover of a Bowie song. You've never heard it?"

"We don't listen to classic rock," Jean said.

"Well, I don't listen to much Bowie myself, but still he's a--"

"She means Nirvana."

"Nirvana isn't classic rock!" Charles said defensively. "If anyone is classic rock, it's Bowie."

"Well, both Nirvana and Bowie, whoever they are,--"

"Bowie isn't a band, he's a person! David Bowie!"

"Well, they're both about twenty years old, right? Sounds like classic rock to me."

"You know, Magneto and I don't agree on much, but I am beginning to see the upside to attacking you."

"Before we widen the generation gap any further, why'd you call us here, Professor?"

"Well, I wanted to discuss your future. As you know, the fall term is coming to an end and at the end, the three of you will have enough credits to graduate from the New York State educational system."

"Really? How is that, we just got here a few months ago."

"Well, I did a bit of... finagling. Because of the circumstances of our departure from Utopia, I calculated where you were in the curriculum, both based on where you were with your studies on Utopia and where you each were back before. I was able to make it seem like the three of you and Jefferson had been in the school system for years, only recently had you transferred to an accredited prep school. You have earned your graduation, I just had to do some extra work so you could get it."

"Right... so what do we do once we graduate?"

"That's your choice. I'm perfectly willing to write letters of recommendation to any school of your choosing, as well as help you with any financial aid you may need."

"So," Scott started before shifting in his chair. "No more living here? No more X-Men?"

"The X-Men have always been secondary to my true goals. I want to teach mutants how to properly use their abilities and to fit into the world around them. I wish to make mutant scientists, mutant politicians, mutant poets, not mutant soldiers. The X-Men are a force for good, but we can always suspend activities while you three search for higher learning."

"Well, why can't we do both? We don't need to go to college. I mean, I don't really want to. Do either of you?"

"Yes, I want to go to college."
"Yeah, me too. Dude, think of the women! I wonder if I can turn my body into beer..."

"This isn't set in stone yet, Scott. It's just something I'd like for you all to think about in the coming weeks. You'd have plenty of time to figure out where you'd like to go to school, if you'd like to go, and where. Just keep that in mind. Okay? Now, I'd like to see Scott alone, please."

Jean and Rex stood and began to leave the office. Charles waited until the door was shut to begin to talk.

"When I say leave, Rex, I don't mean eavesdrop from the door."

"Dangit," came the muffled shout on the other side of the door.

"Now," Charles started once he was sure Rex was gone. "I think I know what your resistance to college is all about, Scott. It's about family, or lack thereof. You're worried that everyone going their separate ways could mean that we'd all lose touch with each other. I know your concerns, Scott. I do."

"Do you?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow. "Do you know what it's like to be an orphan?"

"My father died when I was sixteen. My mother died two years later. I was alone for nearly ten years until I met Magneto. You know how that went. Believe me, we are all emotionally invested in this and we all have a bond that will endure anything. Remember what I promised you when we first met? It's still true today. No matter what, your days of being alone are over."

"Thanks, Professor," Scott said after a few silent moments of contemplation. "It's just, I haven't been used to the whole having people to care about me thing. Need to get used to it."

"Speaking of that... what are your plans for the upcoming Thanksgiving break?"

"Umm... I'm not sure yet. Jeff invited us all to his parents house in DC. He said that they all have more than enough. I don't know if I'll go, yet. I think Jean is the only one who's taken him up on his offer."

"Well, would you like to go somewhere with me?"

"Where?"

Smirking, Charles pulled a piece of paper from his desk drawer and slid it over to Scott.

"I found this two days ago, but I was going to wait to show it to you until after everyone left for break. I did what you asked. I looked into social services for you, and I found this young man. His name is Alex and he lives in Chico, California."

Scott looked down at the black and white yearbook photo. A blonde haired young man looked forward at the camera, smiling into it.

"He's your older brother."
​

 

​

The Joker stood and admired his handiwork from a back alley.

He sees panic, chaos, suffering and of course death.

The Joker is truly in his element as he shakes his head as he hears the sweet symphony of torture in his midst.

The Joker says, "Ahh so many people needing joy in their lives, and I'm just the guy for the job."

He raises his arms up and takes deep breath.

The Joker says, "I love the smell of burning apartment buildings. The different items burning up at the same time making a hodge-podge to delight the ol' nose it is just wonderful!"

The Joker takes out his I-Pad and beings going through the list and says, "Now who's up next for a trip on the Stairway to Heaven? Oh here's a good one May Parker. An older vintage probably hasn't a day of fun since they invented electricity. Guess I need to show the old girl a good time."

With that The Joker begins skipping down the alley while singing, "All I wanna do is have some fun."

 

​

Edward sits at his workshop bench and opens up a bullet mold.

He put the bullet in a chamber and fires it dead center. Edward walks over to the target and sees the bullet melt right before his very eyes.

Edward smiles and says, "I've done it. Once again I'm about to prove that I'm the smartest guy at this party called life. A compound within the bullet that cause it to melt right after it hits the target and causes the damage."

Edward calls Carmine Falcone and says, "Riddle me this: What's worse than a fall from a high place?"

Falcone replies, "The sudden stop."

The Riddler replies, "Excellent. We can do business Mr. Falcone send me the target information I'll begin the work up in 48 hours."

The Riddler hangs up and Edward emerges from the workshop and calls his office.

He says, "Brenda this is Dr. Nygma. Move Mrs. Swanson up to 9:30 this morning and call Mr. Appleton at the hospital. Tell him I can work on his son this afternoon at cost of course. I think his son's skin-grafts are coming along beautifully and they'll cover most of the damage."

Edward hangs up the phone and heads off to work.

 

"Who sings that song?" Daredevil asked from the shadows. He was crouched on a fire escape above the alley. "Sheryl Crow, right?"

Popping a stick from his thigh holster, Dick leaped from the fire escape and fell towards the insane clown with his escrima stick raised.

"Let's keep it that way!"

 

​

Spoiler

Washington DC

"Pass the potatoes," Jefferson Pierce asked. He was at the dining room table with his father, grandmother, little sister, and classmate. Of his offers to come spend Thanksgiving with his family, only Jean had taken it up.

Rex and Hank were too worried about their looks, afraid they would spoke Jeff's family. They had instead opted to spend the break with the Masons. Scott and the Professor both had declined, both of them mum on what they had in mind to do instead.

"Pass the potatoes, what?" Grandma Gloria said with narrowed eyes.

"Pass the potatoes, please..."

She smiled and handed him the bowl of mashed potatoes from across the table.

"So, Jean," Michael Pierce asked between bites of turkey. "How are you and Jeff finding things at your school?"

"I'm leaning a lot, sir."

"Good," Pierce said with a nod. "And I'm glad Jeff seems to be making friends."

"Yeah, Jeff is a great guy. He's like the little brother I never had."

"Oh," his sister said with smirk. "Friendzoned!"

"Anissa," Pierce said in a warning tone. "I think we should go around the table and say what we're thankful for. Mom, you wanna start?"

"I'd love to," she said with a smile.

*****
​

Opal City, PA


James and Gloria Mason watched in gaped horror as the two young men assaulted the Thanksgiving spread in front of them with vigor.

"Gimme some of those rolls," Rex said as he gnawed on a turkey leg.

"You are quite capable of doing it yourself, Rex," Hank growled in between shoveling peas into his mouth with a spoon. Hank finished off the peas and potatoes on his plate before he stopped, looking up at the Masons with a sudden revelation. "...Oh, I am so sorry. My manners must be atrocious. What was I thinking?"

Hank swatted the turkey leg from Rex's hand with a large paw.

"Hey what was that--"

"That was for acting like a pig," Hank said with a scowl. "We both know better, and we will both act better."

Sitting upright, Hank nodded at the Masons and wiped gravy from his fur-covered face. "Mr. and Mrs. Mason, I apologize. I sometimes let the animal get the better of me. But to err is human, and forgiveness is divine."

"You sometimes let the animal get the better of you? Dude, you drove us here with you feet!"

"Shut it. Mrs. Mason, I have to say that these yams are heavenly."

"Why, thank you," she said, speaking for the first time in several minutes. "It's... uhh. It's a family recipe."

"Well, I will most certainly need a copy of that recipe before I leave."

"I can do that," she said with a smile.

"Delightful."

"Stop doing this," Rex whispered in Hank's ear.

"Doing what?"

"Being all charming and stuff. You're making me look bad!"

"My colorful friend, you haven't seen anything yet..."

Turning back to the Masons, Hank flashed a toothy grin.

"Mr. Mason, I understand you're a chemist at a local medical supply factor. I myself am something of a man of science. I have a joke for you. What weapon can you make from the elements potassium, nickel and iron? A KNiFe."

Hank and Mr. Mason both laughed at the joke while Rex picked at the yams on his plate and grumbled to himself.

*****

Chico, CA


Both Charles and Scott stood on the sidewalk and watched from a distance as a young man walked down the street towards a grocery store. He matched the picture that Charles had showed Scott a few days ago.

"That's my brother?"

"Yes. Alexander Long, born Alexander Summers. He was adopted when he was eight, you were six at the time."

"I don't get it, though. If he was my brother, why did they split us up?"

"The foster system often separates siblings. You were in the orphanage in Anchorage, and Alex was in a group home in Juneau. That's where his adopted parents found him."

"Did those files say anything about our parents? What happened to them? Who they were?"

"Yes...," Charles said, looking away from his pupil. "They were... uhh, they were both killed in an airplane crash. Your father was an Air Force pilot. Your parents were out flying a small plane he owned when the engine failed and they died."

"Oh," Scott said, looking down at his feet. "I just, I don't know, I had this crazy idea that if I had a brother, that they might still be out there somewhere. Crazy, I know."

"We live in an improbable world, Scott."

The two of them watched Alex as he disappeared into the store.

"Regardless of your parents, you have an actual brother. What's your next move?"

"I don't know, Professor. This is a huge bombshell to lay on someone, on Thanksgiving of all days. I mean, I've been looking for him. Who says he wants to see me? Or if he even knows I exist..."

"I won't tell you what to do, and I honestly believe the choice is yours... but I will say this: If I had a brother, I wouldn't hesitate to make contact with him, nor would I be opposed to him seeking me out."

"So, that's a yes?"

"I'm just telling you what I'd do. For what it's worth."

Scott nodded and waited with Charles. Ten minutes later, Alex appeared from the store with a bag in hand.

"Okay," he said with a deep breath. "Here goes..."

Scott stepped off the sidewalk and walked across the street after Alex. He jogged to catch up with him and finally spoke when he was within earshot.

"Hey," he said.

Turning, Alex locked eyes with Scott. He furrowed his brow for a moment, before his eyes went wide with shock.

"Oh, my god. Seriously?! Scottie?! Is that you?"

Smiling, Scott ran his fingers through his hair and laughed.

"Yeah... It's me."
​

 

​

The Joker spots the mysterious figure standing before him and stares at him for the moment as though he were seeing a strange butterfly.

The suddenly he squeals with delight and begins dancing in circles, "OH GOODY! OH BOY! OH BOY! OH BOY! OH BOY! OH WOW!"

He stops and stares at this new arrival and says, "I finally got a superhero to notice me! My very own superhero! Oh joy!"

The Joker looks aside for a moment and says, "All it took was me blowing up the DMV, knocking off a signifcant number of people and blowing up a large chunk of New York so you all aren't exactly MENSA members, but...OH WELL! You're here now so..."

He shrugs his shoulders and asks, "How do we start? I hit you, you hit me?"

The Joker pulls out 2 razor cards and says, "Okay, I'll start and then you can try to fight back."

With that The Joker flings both cards at the same time.

 

​

Edward sees on his I-Phone that a large deposit has been made into his account.

Edward closes the phone and says, "Pleasure doing business with you Falcone."

He is now finshing up some paperwork at his office desk when there is a knock at the door.

Edward gets up and answers and seeing through the window he sees a slender attractive woman in a large black hat with the brim pulled down low.

Edward says opening the door, "Sorry ma'am we're closed and we're booked up for the next three weeks."

The woman raises her head and Edward immediately recognizes her. It's Kelly Devenger wife of one of the most powerful gun-runners and drug dealers in the state. She has several black & blue marks on her face and on her arms.

She says, "Please Dr. Nygma I need your help right away."

Edward says, "Please come in." He closes the door and locks it.

Edward asks, "What can I do for you Mrs...."

Kelly replies, "Devenger. Mrs. Kelly Devenger. I fell down my stairs this evening and I have a public appearance in about a week. I was wondering if you could help me with some of my bumps and so forth so I look presentable."

Edward says, "Step into room number one. I'll take a look."

Kelly enters the exam room removing her hat and Edward begins looking her over. Edward cannot let Kelly know that he knows her because The Riddler has done a couple of jobs for her husband Tony. Edward also recognizes that the scars, bruses, bumps, and the black eyes were caused by spousal abuse.

Edward says opening up a couple of icepacks, "Put these on your bruses."

He says, "Mrs. Devenger I cannot magically make these marks disappear, but icing everything down and wearing the right shade of make-up can help. Time is also a good healing factor."

She nods and says, "Of course you're right doctor. I'm sorry I just lost my head must've been the fall and..."

Edward interupts, "It's all-right ma'am. If you want I can set you up with some treatements that might help as well."

Kelly nods and says, "Yes thank you. I'll be back in a couple of days."

Edward says, "Come by after hours again all-right?"

Kelly says, "Yes of course thank you again doctor."

Devenger leaves and Edward sits at his desk for a moment.

As a doctor I'm obligated to report suspected abuse. On the other hand going against Tony Devenger is like going to Iraq armed only with a bb-gun.

Edward leaves his office and arrives at the District Attorney's front door.

Edward knocks and D-A Harvey Dent answers.

Edward says, "Hey Harvey."

Harvey replies, "Eddie! Up for a round this weekend?"

Edward replies, "We need to talk."

Harvey says, "Come on in. Always got time for my biggest donor."

 

UNNATURAL SELECTION
Part 6​

The Lizard's jaws snapped at Spider-Man, the hero just barely rolling out of the way. The lizard people begin to move in on the Wall Crawler, but the Lizard lets out a roar that echos through the tunnels and freezes them all in their scaly tracks.

"The bug is mine", the Lizard uttered as he eyed Spider-Man hungrily.

"That a fact", Peter scoffed as he swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Bring it, Godzilla."

The Lizard rushed Spider-Man, faster than anticipated. He jumped at Spider-Man, slashing with his claws, but Spidey leaped upward and above the Lizard's strike.
But Connors expected this, and spun through the claw slash, whipping his tail around to crash into Spider-Man's ribcage, sending him sailing into the stone wall at the room's side.

As Spider-Man came crashing down, the lizard men backed away as their master stalked in.

"Poor little fool", the Lizard hissed, "do you not recognize your genetic betters when you ssssee them?"

Spider-Man gets to his feet just as the Lizard is on him, ducking under the monster's snapping maw.

"Ha! Genetic betters?"

"That's rich", the Web Slinger says as he catches the Lizard with an uppercut to the beast's jaw. Connors stumbles backward from the blow, but shakes it off.

"Is that all you have, mammal", the Lizard toothily grinned.
"I expected more from you, Ssspider-Man."

"Don't worry, Leatherhead, I'm just getting warmed up."

Spider-Man attacked the Lizard, and the hero and villain traded blows as the dozens of lizard people watched on in stone faced silence.
The Lizard eventually caught Spider-Man in his claws, sinking them into his shoulder as he threw the Wall Crawler across the floor to smack into the gene slicer.

Connors didn't hesitate and came at Spider-Man, sensing the kill was close at hand. The Lizard opened his jaws wide to clamp down on Spidey's neck, but the Wall Crawler picked up a bone off of the ground and shoved it into the monster's mouth, effectively preventing him from shutting his jaws.

"Like a Jedi, son!"

The Lizard growled in rage and his jaw muscle tightened as he snapped the obstructing bone in two.

"Sssuch feeble attempts, little Ssspider. I think it's time I ssshow you first hand of sssurvival of the fittest."

The Lizard snarled and came at Spider-Man again, only instead of a bone, this time the Lizard received the end of the power cable, which Spider-Man had torn free while Connors was distracted with the bone.

"Jeez, and I thought I talked too much. It's called a distraction, Wally Gator."

The Lizard convulses and lets out a roaring scream that causes the lizard people to cringe and cower, as a stream of electricity courses through his body.
Spider-Man kicks the Lizard off, severing the connection, and the would-be king crashes to the cold, stone floor, unconscious as smoke wafts from his burned body.

The lizard people slowly begin to file out of the room, down a different corridor than the one Spider-Man was taken through. Two of them walk up to the Lizard's body and pick it up. Hoisting it over their heads, they follow their brethren away into the darkness, as Spider-Man simply watches them disappear.
Peter wanted to stop them, to capture Connors and see that justice was served. But there was a room full of people that needed him, and he couldn't risk any of them.

"This isn't over, Connors...", Spider-Man said into the empty darkness before turning around and heading back to the main chamber to free the Lizard's prisoners...


"Ah, sun, you've never felt so good", Spider-Man exclaims as he leads the people out of a service tunnel. Awaiting them out in the morning light was a plethora of service vehicles and police. Medics and police immediately began to check on the civilians, making sure they were safe.

"Nice to see you believed my phone call, Detective", Spider-Man says to Maggie Sawyer as she walks up to him.

"I'll admit, thought it was a prank call, but couldn't take the chance."

"You did a good thing here today, Spider-Man", Detective Sawyer states, "but you're also a vigilante. Don't care if you're wearing spandex or not, that's against the law."

"Aw, come on, Detective. Let's not do this. I reeeeally need to go home and take a hot shower...like five times at least."

"Like a said, you did a real good thing here today", she repeated, this time with a growing smile.
"Get out of here, Webhead. You ****ing stink. We'll handle things from here."

"Thanks."

Spider-Man swung away as more officials arrived on the scene along with news vans, coming to report on the missing kidnap victims being rescued by a certain wall-crawling hero.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------​

"You...you set me up", Basil Karlo exclaimed.
"You used me..."

"Don't look so glum, Basil", Adrian Toomes scolds him.
"We could've picked anybody, but we chose you. You want to know why? It's because you're a greedy little worm who we knew wouldn't pass up the chance at fame and fortune."

"You worked for White the whole time..."

"Of course", Toomes smiled.
"The plan was to use you and the power of the press to out and take down the competition, more precisely one Lonnie "Tombstone" Lincoln. But, it turns out we didn't need you as those costumed vigilantes accomplished that task perfectly."

"But, either way, it was going to come to this end, Basil. Can't have any loose ends..."

Toomes nods to the men and the pair move in to grab Basil. Karlo feels the sweat begin to bead off of him as terrible panic overwhelms him. Instincts take over and Basil lashes out, punching one of the thugs hard in the nuts.

As that man falls, the other thug goes for his gun, but Basil throws his camera at him, hitting him square in the face and causing him to stumble back and trip, falling onto his backside.

Karlo runs away, fleeing for his life foolishly up a set of stairs leading to a catwalk. Basil hurries up the creaking catwalk, looking down at the large vat of brown muck that sits unmoving underneath the walkway.

Basil freezes as two of the thugs suddenly blocks his path, moving slowly towards him. Karlo turns to run back, but finds that way is blocked to by Toomes and the other man.

"No where to run to, Basil", a cold-faced Adrian Toomes states as he pulls out a gun from his waist.
"See you in the obituaries."

Toomes pulls the trigger, firing a round that sinks into Karlo's gut. Basil cries out in fear and pain as he staggers backward, clutching his bleeding wound and falling over the railing and into the brown sludge below.

Basil screams for help as he struggles to stay afloat in the thick goop, but the thugs simply walk down the catwalk and leave him to die. Toomes though remains. Adrian stays on the catwalk, not stirring at all as he quietly watches Basil struggle.

Basil Karlo stopped his crying out, his pain and fear replaced by hate. Pure, unadulterated hate towards this man, Adrian Toomes, and his employer, Warren White.

Basil Karlo's eyes narrowed as he locked his gaze with that of Adrian Toomes, trying to will him dead with his hate, as he sunk beneath the brown quagmire and into oblivion...

 

Flipping forward, Daredevil batted one of the cards away with his stick. The other whizzed by his escrima stick and sliced along his ribcage. Grunting, he fell to the ground with blood steadily dripping from the wound.

"Nice card trick. My turn. Watch as I make a dent mysteriously appear on your forehead!"

Snarling, he tossed his stick at the clown. The escrima stick smacked into his forehead and sent the killer stumbling backwards. Pulling his spare stick out, Daredevil leaped after the falling madman preparing to strike again.

 

​

Daredevil's escrima stick attack did something that hadn't happened to The Joker in a long time if ever. He actually was hit by someone, and that moment The Joker had no idea how to act as he blinked a couple of times trying to recover and stumbling backwards feeling a welt already rise up in the middle of his forehead.

He hit me! He actually hit me! Not to mention...it hurts...gotta get back on my routine. Wow I'll need an advil for this one.

The Joker clears out most of the cobwebs as he stops stumbling backwards and sits on the ground.

The Joker sees Daredevil leaping towards him and says, "Time to improv!"

The Joker grabs two nearby trash can lids and slams them together on the approaching hero's head.

 

The smack sent Dick backwards against a wall. His head was swimming, his thoughts scattered and muddy. He tried to will himself to focus his dazed eyes. Dick's eyes corrected themselves in time to see the killer strike him in the ribs with a powerful punch.

"Ahh!" He cried out as the punch hit his bleeding wound and set his nerve endings on fire. In pain and scrambling from the blows that rained down on him, Dick kicked outwards blindly. His bootheel struck the clown in the throat and knocked him off task for just a moment. Not long enough for Dick to recover, but enough for him to try and get a second wind.

 

​

Previously

Spoiler

Chico, CA

"I just... I can't believe this," Alex said.

He was sitting in the living room of his apartment with the young man he had just met, the man who was his long lost brother Scott Summer. With them was the man Scott said was his teacher.

"All these years, I had no idea where you were, or even if you remembered me."

"I didn't remember you. I asked Professor Xavier here to help me find out about my past and he found you."

"Of course you wouldn't remember much. I was six when they split us up, and I can't remember that much."

"Alex, the Professor also told me about mom and dad..."

"Did he?" Alex asked with a look towards Xavier.

"Yes. I told him that your parents died in a plane crash."

"Yes," Alex said slowly. "That's what happened."

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about, Alex. When I looked you up, I saw that you ran into some trouble when you were in high school..."

"What about it?" He asked suspiciously.

"The report said your car caught fire and exploded, yet you came out of it unharmed. I am curious... Alex, are you a mutant?"

"Am I like those freaks they always talk about on TV. No, I--"

"Now, there's no need to be ashamed--"

"I'm not a mutant. And I don't like your tone."

"Alex, he means it. Look at me."

Alex watched as his little brother's eyes began to glow ruby red.

"I'm a mutant. Professor Xavier is, too."

"Yes, I am. There's no reason to feel like you're alone, Alex. You are in safe company."

Alex looked at his brother, and then over to Xavier. He held his right arm out, which began to glow red, the same shade of red as Scott's eyes. "I don't know what it is, but I can shoot it out my arms and hands. I've been able to control it at times, but sometimes I can't. The night I set my car on fire, I was nervous and agitated about taking a big exam. I just... lost control."

"Of course. Alex, I'm going to tell you what I told your brother some months back. What your body appears to be doing is absorbing solar radiation and processing it into raw energy."

"What's happening to you, happened to me with my eyes. I didn't keep a steady release of the energy, it would build up until it violently released itself. A few years ago, I destroyed the roof of the orphanage I was staying at."

"And you can control it, the same way Scott can. I can teach you."

"No," Scott said, looking at his teacher. "Let me teach him. I have experience with it, I think I can do it."

"Very well."

*****

Charles stood at the edge of the field, watching as both Scott and Alex took turns blasting empty bottles with their powers. After every shot, Scott was instruct his older brother about his gift and how best to channel it efficiently. He was too far away to be seen, and Charles was thankful for that. He was pretty sure his wide grin would distract Scott from his lesson.

His large smile dipped a bit as he remembered something. He turned from the Summers brothers and walked to the car he and Scott had rented once they came to California. He pulled a file from the sunvisor. It was a classified personnel file from the Air Force Hank was able to glean off the computer.

The black and white photo showed the ID of Captain Nathan Christopher Summers, father to Scott and Alex Summers. Stamped across his face were the words "EXECUTED." The boys were so young when their mother had been murdered by their father, Charles knew that they only had the deepest memories of it taking place. Neither were present when it happened, and Alex had only discovered it years later. That's why he went along with Charles' idea to conceal the truth from Scott. Best he think both parents died accidentally than the horrible truth.

Sighing, Charles ripped the file on Nathan Summers in half, and the proceeded to shred the document further. Behind him, he could hear the sounds of both boys laughing.
​

 

​

The Joker falls back grabbing his throat and gasping for precious air. He tires to get his mind around what has just happened but one thought keeps going through his head.

Air...must have air...I...not gonna be upstaged by a kid in tights.

Finally he coughs twice very harshly. The Joker lays on the ground for a moment trying to regain his thoughts and get back on routine.

In a very ragged voice just above a whisper he says, "Nice one kid! Nice one indeed. Until my....." The Joker lets out a hoarse cough and sees a combo of phlegm and blood coming out of his mouth and continues, "...my voice is back to normal I guess it's time to rely on some physical comedy."

With that he stands up and using his enhanced strength leaps at Daredevil and tackles him like linebacker sacking a quarterback slamming him into a dumpster.

 

Dick grunted in pain as the clown slammed his head into the metal side of the dumpster. He felt the hardened surface of his mask's forehead cracking under the force and pressure of the blows. The grip on his head was like a vise. Dick struggled against it, but could find no budging from his assailant. The only place he knew where to hit him was the one place even super powered people were weak in.

"What do you call a man who sticks his wang in peanut butter?" He asked through gritted teeth.

Daredevil drove his elbow backwards, striking the killer clown in the crotch. The clown howled in pain and Dick took the brief reprieve to slip out of his powerful grasp.

"%&*#ing nuts!"

Getting his second win, he jumped up to the safety of a fire escape to avoid the clown's frantic blows.

 

​

Peter walked down the crowded sidewalk next to his Aunt May, carrying a brown paper grocery bag for her while she held a copy of the Bugle sticking out of her purse. It was mid-day and the sun was shining high amid a clear blue sky.

"Yeah, work's been going okay", Peter answer his Aunt's question as he tightened his jacket to protect against the cold breeze.
"Nothing really exciting though."

"I see that Gwen got one her pictures front page in the paper", Aunt May exclaimed.
"That's fantastic."

"Yeah, I'm proud of her", Peter exclaimed.
"Though...I worry about her. The picture she took was of Spider-Man and Daredevil fighting a super-powered maniac called Tombstone. She could've been injured, or worse."

"You shouldn't worry too much about it, Peter. It will just make you go crazy", Aunt May replied.
"Gwen is quite the capable woman. She knows not to get too close."

"Besides, Spider-Man was there. He'd protect her", she finished with a playful smile.

"Oh yeah", Peter arched an eyebrow.
"So...you think Spider-Man is a good guy?"

"Of course", Aunt May said, matter-of-factly.
"I know the jury is still out on him in the press", May replied as she indicated the copy of the Bugle sitting in her purse, "but all the witnesses, their testimonies and those of the people he's saved...whether he's a mutant or not, like some rumors say, it doesn't matter. He's helping protect people who can't defend themselves, and that's the definition of a hero in my book."

Peter smiled, "That is a well thought out argument, Aunt May. I support it one-hundred percent."

Aunt May laughed, but before she could reply the sound of gunfire rang out through the chilling afternoon air sending the pedestrians in a panic.
The shooting sounded like it was coming from a few blocks behind them, so Peter led Aunt May into a nearby coffee shop, where at least a dozen others were hiding out.

"Wait here where it's safe, Aunt May. I'm going to go get the police. I'll be right back, I promise."

"Wait, Peter! Don't...", May started to say, but it was too late as Peter had already run out of the shop.

"Please be safe..."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------


Three men dressed in black suits stand outside of a liquor store, unloading their entire clips from the .45s in their hands into the store. The window of the store shatters from the barrage of bullets, and the outside wall and door frame are battered and riddled with holes.

The sound of gunfire stops as the men discharge their empty clips and quickly reach into their respective pockets, their shaking hand searching for a replacement clip.

Spider-Man arrives on the building across the street from the liquor store, his spider-sense going off, and is about to act when he, along with the frightened thugs, freezes as a little brunette girl with pigtails comes skipping out of the stores door through what remained the shattered window.

Jesus, those ****ing maniacs could've killed that kid! I have to end this, now!

Spider-Man springs into action, leaping off of the building and diving at one of the thugs, driving his heels into his back and taking him down and out.
One of the men fumbles to put his clip into his gun as he sees Spider-Man take down his friend, but the other drops his gun and takes off running.

"Not so fast there, Brave Sir Robin!"

Spider-Man fired two weblines in opposite directions, one at the man trying to reload and the other at the guy fleeing the scene. The webline hits the gunman in the hands, covering his gun and binding it to his hand, while the other hits the fleeing man in the back.
Spider-man yanks the webbing, pulling both men off of their feet. The gunman comes flying at Peter, and he takes the man out with a well-timed clothesline.

The last man standing, who was fleeing is getting back to his feet just in time to be webbed up by the Wall Crawler.
With all three men subdued, Spider-man starts to approach the girl, who had remained silent and still through the entire ordeal. Now she just stared at Peter as he approached. And, as he did, Peter's spider-sense became louder and louder.

What the hell is wrong my spider-sense!? Feels like my ****ing head is about to explode! The gunmen are down...what the hell could be setting it off?

"Thank you, Spider-Man."

The Web Slinger looks down at the little girl, who is looking back right at him, a twinkle in her bright brown eyes.

"You have good intentions, but I don't need your help. Stay out of this."

"What the...listen, kid...it's safe now. Those men aren't going to hurt you anymore."

"You're a funny guy, but get in my way again...it'll be the end of you."

"Listen, kid, you're obviously in a state of shock", Peter stammered, being taken aback by the girl's responses. The sounds of sirens suddenly caught Spider-man's ears, and the hero turned to see a trio of squad cars racing down the road towards him.

"Well, that's my cue. Don't worry, little girl. The police will be here in a minute, and they'll take care of...you?"

Spider-Man turned back to the little girl only to find her gone. It was as though she vanished into thin air.

"What the hell is going on here", Peter questioned aloud as he scratched his head, truly perplexed.
With the police only seconds away, Spider-Man doesn't have time to sit and ponder what happened. So Peter swings away, going to a nearby safe place to change back into his civilian clothes and go get his Aunt May and take her home.

Breaking The Mold
Part 1​

 

INCREDIBLY SOON TO BE​

​

"Well, isn't this exciting..."

The Minotaur's eyes fluttered open at the sound of an articulate, precisely tuned voice that penetrated through the distant noises. The creature could feel it's head throbbing with pain and the sting of an open gash. It's skin was durable, yes, but no more durable than any land mammal. There was a reason the Minotaurs wore armor into battle. Underneath the muscle and flesh, there were still bones to break. Still blood to spill. But the wound was minor at best, inflicted by a pathetic excuse for a human whose only goal was to attain a momentary distraction. He likely had no idea that he was aiding an Amazon - much less the last true Amazon in existence. Nevertheless, the Minotaur would find this human and peel the skin from his chest so that it could rip out his heart and feast upon it. Which is precisely what it intended to do, as it's eyes rested on a figure approaching through the gathered crowd outside of the mess it's struggle with the Amazon had created.

"A mighty Minotaur, in the flesh! I seem to remember your kind quite well."

The man in a green suit seemed to pay no attention to the world around him, nor it to him. Almost as if he were invisible to everyone watching the scene with horror at what remained inside. The attack on the Amazon's home had attracted quite alot of attention, and undesirably so for the secretive race that the creature hailed from. A fact of which the man seemed to not only understand, but be irrevocably amused by as he smiled wide at the downed brute.

"Fearsome, loathsome, particularly vile. Appalling mannerisms. Yes, I believe Allfather regarded your people as nothing but repulsive animals who should've been locked up in cages and left to die."

The Minotaur growled at the insults, pulling itself to it's feet as the man held up his hand.

"His words, not mine. I was always one to disagree with his sentiments. Particularly when it came to you. I found your company far more... preferable, than the kind I had been forced to associate with."

Without a second's hesitation, the creature seized the man with both of it's massive hands, lifting him into the air. "Where is the Amazon, human?!"

Despite the threatening tone, the man didn't even seem to blink at such undesirable circumstances. Infact, he began to chuckle, only further irritating the easily tempered beast. The Minotaur tried to squeeze the human between his hands and silence his insolent mockery, but he did not budge an inch. His bones did not crack, his innards did not come gushing out in a river of blood. Nothing happened except a strain that formed in the Minotaur's arms from trying.

"Human? Oh, I believe you have greatly misunderstood what you face. Allow me to humbly educate."

To the Minotaur's astonishment, whenever the man raised his own arms, the strength of the action was more than enough to remove himself from the creature's grasp. Dropping on his feet, he unnaturally remained still - though the Minotaur felt as if he were just attacked. Backing away, the creature reached for it's axe, dropped whenever it was earlier assaulted by the intervening human. But the axe moved on it's own, avoiding the Minotaur's grip and floating over to the figure in green. The Minotaur bellowed in anger, realizing what was happening.

"Of course! You're no human, you're a mage! Sent to me to aide in the capture of the Amazon!"

The man smirked. "Not entirely."

"It doesn't matter! I require no help, and I refuse to listen to your prattling any longer! You'll die just as she will! Perhaps even worse than she!"

Just as the Minotaur lunged forth to tear it's prey apart, the figure in green stroked it's chin in a mocking gesture, contemplating the threat that had just been made. Never even bothering to worry about the creature's imminent attack, fueled by rage, that would kill any lesser being.

"An amusing thought. Though perhaps it would be a more effective consequence..."

Just as he finished the word, the man in green disappeared. Completely vanishing from sight not unlike the wind, much to the Minotaur's surprise. Another trick that had undoubtedly come from a mastery of magic.

"If I were standing there in the first place."

Still hearing the voice echoing around it, the Minotaur stopped in place, searching the area. Smelling at the air for a possible scent. It was only then that the creature realized that, impossibly, there was none to be found. The figure in green was indeed not a human, but that meant that it was also not a mage. Even the most prominent wizards could never hide their scent from a Minotaur's primal senses. Which meant that the creature was dealing with something else entirely.

Something much more powerful than a mage.

Without warning, the Minotaur's eyes widen as it feels something heavy dig deep into it's body. Unimaginable pain rocks the creature to the core. It looks down, in absolute horror, to find that it's own battle axe is now sticking out of it's chest, with blood oozing from the wound and it's own heart visibly torn in half. The Minotaur reaches out to foolishly try and remove the axe from it's body, but it's stopped whenever the killer steps out from within the walls, practically melting into view.

"Don't even bother telling me you couldn't have seen that one coming."

Wheezing for it's precious last few moments of life, the Minotaur drops to it's knees, staring directly into the vivid green eyes of it's remorseless executioner. Almost as if further mocking the creature, the figure in green leans down, placing his ear to the Minotaur's whispered words.

"But... the Queen..."

"Had nothing to do with this, I assure you.", he explained. "As far as Queen Circe is concerned, you're still trying to carry out her spiteful little task. She has not yet seen your death, nor fortunately for you, your failure. Though we saw it coming long before either of you."

"What... do you mean... we..."

With a malicious grin plastered across his face, the figure watches the Minotaur's eyes roll into the back of it's head as it finally dies.

"It's just as well. I wouldn't have wanted to spoil it anyway. Not yet."

Beginning to walk away, the figure stopped whenever he caught a glimpse of something in the far distance - the bag of mystical trinkets that Circe had supplied the Minotaur with in order to ensure that he'd carry out the task at hand. Raising his finger, he watched the bag float over to him, and looked inside.

"Oh, these will do marvelously. Though, I am at a loss as to what to do about the Amazonian..."

Just then, an idea sparked in the trickster's mind.

And the desire for further mischief soon followed.

"Yes, of course..."



"Why didn't I think of that before?"

"Can't you go any faster?!"

With my mind no longer overcome with fear for my own safety, I feel as though I can finally start to focus on more important aspects of this insane evening. Such as the fact that whenever that thing attacked me back at the dorm, it slipped a pair of metallic bracelets over my wrists and it had a strange effect on my body. I felt like I was burning from the inside. The pain has long since passed, and I feel better - possibly better than I ever have before, but despite my continued attempts to remove them? The bracelets won't come off. And it's not as if they're tightly snug around my wrists. They actually feel quite light, like they're barely there at all. But I don't want them on me. Who knows what kind of long term effects they could have if they were able to do that much to me to begin with? And that's not even the strangest part. Before the creature that hunted me down was able to kill me, he called me something multiple times. An Amazon. What could he possibly have meant by that? It has to have something to do with that quick hallucination I was having right after he put the bracelets on me. Something about Gods. And someone's daughter.

It doesn't matter. My immediate priority isn't with any of that. What I'm still trying to keep focused on is Cassie, who's lying in the back seat of her car while I hold her hand, trying to get our "driver" to hurry up while we drive her to the hospital. Even though I keep shouting at him, however, I know that it's ultimately useless. For one, he said he was drunk, so he probably doesn't even know how slow he's driving. And even worse than that, he's an amputee, so he's constantly having to wrestle between accelerating with one leg and braking with another.

But he did save my life. And he's willing to help me save Cassie's.

I suppose that counts for something.

"I'm trying, alright?! It's not like I've got a pair of robot legs to work with!"

I look up over the front seat to catch a glimpse of the traffic ahead. We're crossing over into Manhattan, given that it has the closest Emergency Room that I trust enough with my best friend's life at stake. Brooklyn Hospitals are notorious. And I should know, given I've visited them plenty of times before.

"I know. I'm sorry, it's not you. It's just..."

He looks back.

"Yeah. I get it."

Focusing back on the road, he cuts through traffic and attempts a shortcut. I keep my hand firmly on Cassie's wrist, making sure that a pulse is still there. The damage she could have sustained could only be minor enough to warrant a few stitches, but she was knocked back with enough force to make me worry. And I'm not even going to get started on the implications of me being to blame for this.

"I'm Don, by the way."

I look back up, partially oblivious.

"Donald Blake. We were in second semester together."

Sitting back in the seat, I massage my forehead, feeling the strain of the evening's stress begin to take it's toll. I just feel so strange. Like my entire body's trying to, I don't know. Escape from itself. I swear I can even feel my clothes getting tighter.

"Diana."

"Yeah, I remember. You were always the teacher's pet."

I raise an eyebrow at that one.

"Hey, I didn't mean it as an insult. You knew your stuff. Kinda wish I would've stuck with that class, maybe I'd have gotten as good as you."

Leaning forward in my seat, I look over at Blake, curious. But considerably hesitant.

"And what else do you know about me?"

Despite being talkative before, he seems to fall silent at that. But not in a way that would arouse immediate suspicion. Something about the way he reacts reminds me of an intelligence agent, the kind of men that my mother surrounds herself with in her line of work. Somebody with something important to hide, but too important to let your guard down.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

I lean back.

"Try me."

He looks over his shoulder. "Huh?"

"No, I'm serious. Try me. I've been chased down by some kind of giant furry talking animal with an axe, I've got a pair of silver bracelets stuck to my wrists that practically made me start having a seizure whenever they touched my skin, I saw the names of Gods being spoken at me in languages I could never understand before,", I explain. "Whatever you were about to tell me, I think I can handle it."

A moment of silence passes.

"I saw you in my dreams."

I stare blankly ahead, unsure of what to say to that.

He was right. I wouldn't have believed him.

And now that I do, I can't help but hide my revulsion.

"No, it's not like that! Believe me, it's nothing like whatever you were thinking. It's... complicated."

I remain silent.

"Look, I've just been having some pretty far out there dreams lately. I thought they didn't mean anything more than some dormant schizophrenia or something, but they were all based around - and I know how this is gonna sound - Norse mythology. I've looked this stuff up, and almost all of it revolves around mythological events and places. Rainbow bridges and crap. All of it makes sense, except..."

He looks back. "Well, except the part with you. You show up at one point, wearing those bracelets and some sort of weird getup, and you and a bunch of other women start fighting---"

Cutting him off, I hold up a hand. Whatever this is, it's not doing much of anything to help me trust this man. Quite the opposite, infact. I don't even know whether I should continue letting him drive us. He seems to be in need of some serious professional help. And I'm saying that with the night I've already been having.

"Please, just... stop. I don't want to know any more."

Realizing how crazy it must all sound, he eventually quiets down again.

"We're almost there. Is your friend..."

Once again, I check her pulse. Steadied.

"She's fine, right now. But we still need to get there as soon as possible, I don't want to risk---"

Both of us are caught off guard as something large impacts the side of the car, shattering the driver side windows. My eyes widen as Blake is forced back from the wheel, leaving the car to spin out of control. Glass flying all around us. Grabbing Cassie's unconscious body, I wrap myself around her as tightly as I can, doing my best to shield her as I watch the car speed directly towards an oncoming street lamp.

Within seconds, I feel the beginnings of the crash.

And I close my eyes, praying for a miracle.

 

​

The Joker rolls around the ground in pain. If he had a voice he would howl but right now the only thing worse than the physical pain was the face that Daredevil made a joke...and a pretty good one too. Though the clown would never admit that.

He struggles but manages to get semi-upright and stares up at his costumed foe with his hands on his knees

The Joker says through a gutteral voice and still trying to catch his breath, "Nice shot kid. Nice one. Credit where...." he takes a deep breath and coughs up a ball of phlegm and blood again and continues, "credit is due. However..."

Standing upright he says, "When it comes to jokes no one tops the Clown Prince of Crime!"

He sees Daredevil make his way up the Fire Escape and The Joker asks, "Leaving already?"

The Joker shakes his head and says, "Before the finale, come on! I'll make it worth my while! I'm just getting warmed up come on down!"

The Joker fires his acid flower at three of the corners of the fire escape and he hears the metal starting to give way.

The Joker then kicks away a dumpster that could break his fall and says, "I'm waitin' for ya baby!"

He pulls out three razor cards and flings at the fire escape and says, "Here let me help you down!"

 

"Thanks for the help!" Dick grunted. He leaped from the fire escape, backflipping above the razor-sharp cards that whizzed beneath him. Twirling, his feet connected with the side of the brick alley's wall and pushed off. Flicking his stick from its holster, he dove down towards the clown with his escrima strick raised and ready to strike. "Let me return the favor!"