Chapter 21: Organizing Part 2 End
August 17th, 2014
Dial, the Omnitrix Holder
On the 17th of August, I brought the pieces into Agatha's Forge. It wasn't really a forge, not in the literal sense. It was a large room in the center of Stark Tower, a large white space with a single anvil in the center and runes on the floor.
I was wearing blacksmithing gear made from leather. Something simple. My hair was pulled back, my beard oiled, and my heart steady. I'd taken a long ceremonial bath beforehand, cleaning myself of any impurities.
I was finishing a project I had been working on for months. One Agatha told me I was finally ready for.
The old witch met me in the center of the room. Unlike me, she was dressed to the nines in her usual violet dress. She didn't look at the bag in my hand. Instead she looked at my eyes.
"...You look ready, young man."
"I am."
She gave me an Agatha smile, one of those small and subtle ones. "Then we'll begin. You will need this weapon once you enter space. Lay the pieces out, brat."
I opened the bag. One by one, I set each one down atop the anvil. The pieces were symbolic as much as they were practical.
"The weapon of an old cat soaked in guilt." A sharp claw of Vibranium gifted by Black Panther from one of his father's old suits. I didn't know why T'Chaka chose that claw. But I believed in him.
"A god's teachings to his sibling." A section of Adamantine, the metal of the gods, from the sword Ares had given my Asgardian form.
"The soul of your children," when Agatha said that, I hesitated. Then I took out a small capsule. Within, X had written a copy of his own basic code on the hard drive. It also contained a portion of one of Laura's diamonds. I placed it down.
"Wood of yourself."
Swampfire provided a section of simple oak made from my own body.
"Mettle of man."
Tony had given me the fingertip of his very first Iron Man suit. The first showing of his mettle. Pun intended.
"Blood of the ancient, taken from history."
That last one was easy. Conan's blood samples were on file. I'd asked him for permission. He'd given it. "Fire and ice. Quench it. And find me when you've blooded yourself."
The future king was a real drama queen.
With those pieces laid out, Agatha looked at the door. "Are you three ready?"
I looked back. Thor walked in, holding his hammer grimly, Mjolnir seeming to buzz. Fantasma followed, her own eyes glowing with violet power. And behind her, Bruce Banner slowly rose in stature, until the Hulk appeared.
"The fire of three," Agatha pursed her lips. "You have chosen dangerous items, dangerous energies, for this, Dial." She said my codename with a very dark tone. Like it meant something more. In some ways, it did.
"I choose what was appropriate," I looked back at them, then back at her. "I choose family."
"Sentiment," Agatha shrugged. "It will do. Come."
Hulk, Thor, and Fantasma stood at different corners around us. I took a deep breath, clearing my mind… "Okay."
Agatha didn't hesitate. She formed a simple hammer of black in her hand and passed it to me. It was heavy. It seemed to suck at my being, at my memories, feelings. I lifted the infinite weight of that forging hammer.
Hulk growled. Thor raised Mjolnir. Fantasma's fists lit up with purple mandalas.
"Remember," Agatha said in a voice that echoed in my mind. "Once the energy flows, you begin to forge. Not with technique. With your soul. Never hit the same spot twice. And make this count. Because I'm never going to help you with it again if you screw it up.
Gamma radiation, divine lightning, and violet fire flowed, pouring through the runes in the floor, before entering the anvil. I forced my focus into the hammer, on the way it pulled portions of me into it. Like I was being sunk under the world, leaving a pinpoint focus. The Omnitrix on my wrist glittered.The pieces glowed just before I hit them. Vibranium claw, adamantine sliver, my children's souls, the fingertip of Iron Man, a piece of my bark, and the blood of Conan the Barbarian.
They flowed under emerald, blue-white, and violet fire, forming into a single ingot. Then I slammed down upon it.
"CLANG!"
I began to forge.
Canada
"In the aftermath of the Superhuman Registration Act, the Canadian people finally have an answer to the horrors of supervillians!" Robert Hagon, a tall and chisel jawed man with a slight Canadian accent barked out at a crowd of news reporters, a proud scowl on his face. "No longer do we need to fear the horrors of inhuman superpower users doing as they wish, attacking our children, threatening our very minds and souls! Working together with our scientists, we have created a superhero team of our own!"
He snapped a hand outwards. "If the Avengers refuse to defend the innocent, then Canada will be the heroes the world needs!"
Beside him, a crash of lightning drew gasps from the audience. When it ended, the cameras began to flash.
There were seven of them; a group of men and women in bright costumes, standing under the crimson and ivory maple leaf flag. In front was a man in the same colors, with the maple leaf prominent on his chest, the flag held in his hands, his powerful body seeming to explode through his clothes as he stood with a proud and grim look on his face.
"Vindicator, the Canadian spirit manifest!"
Behind him, a man and woman of Native American descent floated on invisible winds, the man in a meditative pose, the woman with her arms out as her eyes glowed. Both wore a militaristic version of Native American garb, with false feathers in their braided hair and armor across key points of their bodies.
"Shaman and Snowbird, the twin prides of the Indigenous tribes!"
The last three stood at the edges of the group. A woman in black leather who was called 'Aurora'. Another woman, this one in the form of a massive and powerful furred bipedal that looked lupine in nature, given the name 'Sasquatch'.
The last man was the largest. He was covered in white fur. His claws were massive. His teeth flashed with cruelty. Jean-Pierre Beaubier, codenamed 'Werewolf'.
BRIDGE knew the truth. The Wendigo curse had found a new home.
"CLANG!"
Precision mattered during the striking. Not just power. I didn't need to fold the metal. It was pure. I needed to shape it. I formed it bit by bit.
Maria Hill/Director of BRIDGE
In a private room of the BRIDGE Enterprise Helicarrier, Maria Hill looked over a set of holograms in front of her. On it, the various Avengers were displayed, with their plans along with them.
Dial would be going into space to establish relationships with the various powers out in the universe. Tony was 'retiring' to focus on his business, which had already caused Stark Industries stock to rise while other companies dipped catastrophically. He had even taken over Tesla in a surprisingly smooth manner. Steve would become a 'mercenary' alongside a few others; Bucky, Natasha, and Ruby most prominently.
There were more, and some would even stay with BRIDGE. Maria flipped open one screen with her right hand. Then she grimaced.
The Grapplers had been defeated by Ulik. The Rock Troll was still roaming the whole of Southern America, fighting anyone and anything he could. And he was still undefeated. The Grapplers had been sent on direct orders from the UN, against Maria's advice. Thankfully, they weren't dead. But still…
The Graveyard Survivors and other superhuman assets of BRIDGE were being retired as well. Many had chosen to leave America, some even leaving for Rio. The animals of the group, such as Battle Cat, were integrated fully into BRIDGE, but the humans were sent out. In accordance to the SRA, much of the advanced armor and weapons that could be classified as 'superhuman' were destroyed or shelved. Which was stupid.
Maria sighed, then brought up another screen. Sam Wilson's face smiled at her from his picture. When she realized she was smiling back just a bit too happily she tried to force it away, but she couldn't help it.
Sam went into the leadership role. Then Rhodey, Jen, Izzy, and a few others. Enough of a 'team' to satisfy the UN. Of course, they would be hamstrung by the SRA, but better to have an active team than not.
Maria flipped over to another screen. There, Coulson's report on him and his team shutting down a club with superhuman fighters in a place called the Golden Daggers Club, run by a nearly teenage young girl of all things. A girl who was a good enough fighter that May had some trouble with her. They were bringing her in. Coulson was talking about recruitment, and apparently the girl was getting along with Skye. Was he just adopting troublesome teens at this point?
…Then again. He wasn't the only one.
"CLANG!"
Thor's lightning sparked across the room, flashing across my body harmlessly. The Omnitrix glowed as it shifted me between forms. On one strike, I became Diamondhead. On the next, Spidermonkey. Then Blitzwolfer. Form after form, feeling my strength and energy filling the hammer.
Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk
"You hated me?" Jen couldn't help her surprise. She sat down on a therapy couch with BRIDGE's lead therapist, Doctor Andrew Garner at her side. Across from her, a young woman sat with her arms around her legs, staring at the floor. "Why?"
"...Because you were freed," Laura, the girl known as Blood Diamond, spoke slowly in a heavily accented voice. While she had perfect knowledge of many languages, she had never been told to speak until BRIDGE saved her. Until Dial. "Hydra took you. And then you were let go. You never felt any pain."
"Oh, sweetheart," Jen whispered, saddened.
"It's okay to feel that way," Andrew spoke softly, smiling just a bit at Laura, who still wouldn't look at them. "Feeling anger because someone has something you don't is natural."
"...I wanted to kill her," Laura whispered.
"That's natural too," Andrew chuckled. "But do you still feel that way?"
"It's okay if you do," Jen rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "I mean… I was lucky. Very lucky. I got a chance a lot of people didn't. Mahmoud wanted me to check on you."
"Dial?" The way she said it, with an almost childish tone, made Jen want to hug the former brainwashed assassin.
"Yeah, but I can leave if you want."
"No!" Laura let go of her legs, golden eyes finally meeting Jen's. "No! I don't want… I'm sorry-"
"Stop," Andrew cut her off, raising a hand. "Laura… stop. Are you apologizing because you feel bad? Or because you think you'll be abandoned if you don't?"
Laura hesitated. The agitation on her face was palpable. Jen smiled. "You don't have to worry about that. I won't take it personally. Just know that would never happen. We want to help you Laura. Whatever life you want. Even if you hate me, it's fine."
"I don't!" She said it quickly enough that Jen could tell she had said it without thinking. Jen couldn't help the little bit of warmth that filled her at that. Laura's eyes were shaky, panning between Jen and Andrew. "But… You said you had to approve me going," she said to Garner. "I want to. Please. I'm ready."
"...Jen. I think she is," the warm smile the black man gave Laura had a fatherly tinge to it. "But you'll need to keep up these sessions, understood?"
Laura's smile was blinding. Then she looked back at Jen. "I'm sorry. For hating you."
"It's fine. Saying things are complicated doesn't begin to cover it," Jen said with a chuckle.
"CLANG!"
Hulk let out a shuddering breath, the sound of his laugh filling the air. Gamma fire burned the steel, nearly overpowering the lightning and violet cursed fire before they grew to match it. I formed the bevels at the edge of the blade, forming the point.
Maria turned off the camera in Laura's room, feeling just a bit more reassured.
Still. While Laura was getting her therapy, one other person was still being worked on. Maria Hill turned on the camera to Steve's personal gym.
Steve Rogers/Captain America
A large fist hit a punching bag over and over with varying degrees of force. When it was over, the man throwing the fists turned to his audience.
Creel, Steve, and Bucky shared a look, then looked back at the man. "Not bad?" Steve said hesitantly.
"Steve's being nice. Your form is shit," Bucky said firmly. "Steve, you had better form before you got the serum."
"I hate to say it, but they aren't wrong," Creel said with a chuckle, running a hand along his bald head. "But you can get better, man."
Phil Grayfield, formerly SuperPro, the man who had been at the center of the attack that got the SRA signed, let out a small breath. Like the others, he was wearing workout gear. He stared down at his wrapped fists. "Sure… I just don't know if I should."
"You should," Bucky snapped. "You have a lot to make up for."
Steve slapped the back of Bucky's head. "What Bucky means is, you have potential. You can become a great hero. But you need to be willing to put the work in."
"I just…" Phil sat down on the mat of the gym. "I don't know if I should. And if I do… No one is going to trust me."
"...I know what that's like," Creel mumbled. "And Bucky knows it better."
"At least for you, it wasn't your fault," Bucky mumbled.
"It wasn't any of your faults," Steve said firmly. "You two were brainwashed. And Phil, you were forced into a situation you weren't ready for."
"Cap… over fifty thousand people," Phil said, staring at Steve. "I can't even… how do I live with that?"
"You just do. You carry that weight. And you stop it from happening again," Steve said firmly. "During the war, I saw what the Nazis did in their camps. I heard the numbers. I saved who I could, just like you did. The people I couldn't save, because I wasn't there, or wasn't fast enough, or strong enough? I carry those deaths with me."
"But you did save people, Phil," Bucky said some grim comfort. "And you can save more. Things went wrong. You can do better. We can make you better."
"...Why are you guys helping me?" Phil asked, even as he rubbed at his eyes.
"Because we've been where you are. In a way," Creel chuckled. "If these idiots didn't give me a chance to do better, who knows where I would have ended up. Maybe killed by some asshole."
"Now," Steve stepped forward. "Bucky was right. Your form is… bad."
"Shit, his form is shit."
"Bad," Steve said evenly. "So what you need to remember is, even with superstrength, you can benefit from using your legs during a punch. Watch me."
Phil Grayfield watched carefully. His fists clenched and unclenched as he did so, his breath soft.
CLUNK!
The final blow of my hammer was soft, compared to earlier. I fell to my knees, gasping even as I grasped the handle. Agatha ripped off a section of her dress, and the ribbon flew through the air to wrap around that handle, somehow slipping under my hand, until the whole handle was covered in it.
Hulk, Thor, and Fantasma powered down together.
"...Dial done?" Hulk asked, walking forward to look down at me worriedly.
"I believe he is," Thor looked down at the anvil. "After a full 18 hours, my friends."
Had it been that long? Or that short?
"Verily, though this place pales in comparison to Nidavellir, I cannot deny your results, fair Agatha."
"I may not cheat with the light of a neutron star, but I do good work," Agatha scoffed. "And good ingredients help."
"I did not think it would take so much out of me," Fantasma, though tired, helped me up to my feet, Thor then easily holding us both up. "But that is… beautiful."
"Yeah… it really is," I said, awed.
The blade was a simple double-edged one, long and wide enough to be a claymore for me, or a longsword for my larger forms. A knife for some of them. It had a blue-green sheen, and seemed to shimmer in the light. The symbol of the Omnitrix was set in the handle. Had I put it there? A series of carvings were inlaid across the center, runes, Greek symbols, and a small familiar stylized 'A'. They were tiny.
Overall, the shape of the sword was simple. Nothing ostentatious was on it.
The handle was long enough for Four-Arms to hold in two hands. I lifted the surprisingly light blade in both of my hands and looked it over.
"Name?" Agatha asked pointedly.
"...Fatiha," I decided at last. "My mom's name. And the word for beginning."
"How sentimental," Agatha scoffed, though she still smiled. With a snap of her fingers, the sacred feeling of the room disappeared. She walked over and looked over the Fatiha for a moment. "Hm… as you hoped, it has the traits of its parts. Most importantly, it will remain with your forms as you change. Quite the enchantment."
"Are you complimenting yourself, witch?" Thor asked, though he had a teasing tone rather than mocking.
"Of course I am. I'm brilliant, and thus deserve praise," Agatha said without a hint of humor. "But my magics were only part of the equation. The mixture of energies was a part of it… Though darker than I expected."
She looked over at… Hulk?
"That Gamma radiation you emit. Is it… onlyradiation?"
Hulk hesitated. "Hulk IS gamma."
"That wasn't an answer, young man."
"Leave it, old lady," he snapped in turn. In a very different accent. I stared at him, surprised. That had sounded harsh, knowing, and very unHulklike. Hulk wasn't dumb, but he didn't talk like that.
"Very well. Then Dial, I will send you a file explaining your new toy's capabilities. Fantasma, your spellwork was too careless, come with me."
The two witches left. After all the ceremony, the work, the exhaustion filling me, it felt a little… anticlimactic?
"So… Drinks?" I asked Hulk and Thor. "It's been eighteen hours, I could use a drink."
"That is no fun. You don't drink alcohol," Thor said firmly, Hulk nodding in agreement behind him.
"Sure, but you two do," I hefted Fatiha high, looking the blade over with a smile. "We can go out to a bar. A very seedy one."
"...Ahhhhh," Thor grinned.
"Hehehe," Hulk punched one fist into another. "Let's smash."
August 18th, 2014
"You spent your last night on Earth fighting gangsters with a giant sword?"
In the hangar bay of Tony's personal airfield, because of course he had one, Natasha gave me a look like I was crazy. I just shrugged, grinning.
"Siiiiiigh," she rubbed her eyebrows, looking over at Ruby. "Don't take cues from this idiot."
"I won't," Ruby said smugly.
"Oh really? Hey, Natasha, did you know someone caught Hulk, Thor, and me leaving and decided to tag along?"
Ruby looked betrayed, then guilty when Natasha glared at her.
Jen walked over, wrapping me up in a hug. I placed my arms on hers and looked around.
Creel and Izzy were making out heavily while Bobbi made a show of being disgusted at her friends' affection for each other. Mikhail had come from Russia to visit Fantasma, and was handing her a bag full of goodies, while Wanda teased her playfully. There were more of us. A lot more.
Tony, Shuri, Pepper, Fitz-Simmons, and a few others were going over the final planning stages of my journey, with X and Jarvis helping out. Steve was joking around with Bucky, Sam, Clint, and Rhodey, a few of our more military minded friends with them. Thor was looking up into the sky with Hulk, Mjolnir laying down next to them as the two strongest Avengers had a quiet moment together.
Some people couldn't make it. Coulson's team was fighting some kind of unknown new superhuman threat? Something about Coulson having visions. The Grapplers were recovering from a battle with Ulik. My old construction buddies were off doing their own thing, and Ares had been summoned back to Olympus for some kind of crisis he couldn't talk about.
But otherwise, most everyone was there. Even Fury, who had brought our 'liaison'.
"Hey!" From the hanger of the Defiant, said liaison poked her head out, which was covered in green hair. "We need to go! This little gathering is about to be illegal. Too many superfolk in one place."
"Give them a minute, Abigail," Fury said from where he was leaning against his car.
Abigail Brand, the liaison in question, gave us a look like we had personally offended her, then walked into my ship.
"Cheery type, isn't she?" Jen said sarcastically. "You're going to be stuck on a ship for months with that chick?"
"Better someone who takes her job seriously and is kinda mean, than the opposite," I turned to Nat. "How about you?"
"She's a good agent."
"...That means she doesn't like her," Ruby said helpfully.
"Yeah, I figured."
At that moment, a small barking sound drew my attention. Nezuko was cheerfully riding on her new friend as he roamed around, the two of them accepting pets from everyone. Tony and Pepper joined us.
"That is still so strange," Pepper mumbled.
"Don't be mean, she's a growing puppy," Tony's little tease got an arched eyebrow from his fiancee.
"You are taking a puppy and a mutant landsharkinto outer space," Pepper said to me disbelievingly.
"And a material shapeshifter, a witch, and-" my attempt at humor was cut off at the arrival of the final vehicle. Everyone, absolutely everyone, looked over. The vehicle was a security van, the kind you transport prisoners on.
Maria Hill stepped out of the van when it stopped. She gave us a look as she circled the vehicle, then opened the back.
Laura stepped out. She looked nervous. Young. The young superhuman flinched when Maria held a hand out to her, but slowly walked with Maria's guidance.
Ruby stepped towards her. I went to stop her, but Nat held a hand up.
The two teenagers, Ruby and Laura, faced each other. Laura looked nervous. Ruby seemed like she didn't know what to make of her. Then Ruby spoke.
"Next time we fight, I'll win." Ruby then turned and walked away.
"I… okay?" Laura seemed genuinely befuddled. I realized then she had no idea she had a rival now. God, I had to introduce her to anime.
Maria rolled her eyes and guided Laura forward. Everyone kept their distance. Not because she was dangerous, which she was, but because she was clearly nervous. Jen pushed me forward, sending me stumbling to a stop before Laura.
"...Hey kid," I said hesitantly. "Want me to walk you around your new home?"
Still nervous, Laura nodded.
"Okay. Come on, Jeff, Nezuko!"
"Bark!" the landshark said, cheerfully wandering over with Nezuko yipping happily atop his head. The two puppies of different species ran into the ship. X separated from Jarvis to join us. Just before I could join, Maria called out.
"Dial, just a sec?"
I looked back at her, then at X and Laura. "X, can you start the tour off?"
"Of course, partner," X said, turning to look at Laura. "Come with me, little lady. ¿Quieres que use español para explicarlo?"
Laura was staring at Jeff with wide eyes, but still nodded. They all walked in, while I moved to join Maria, the others moving in.
"What's up?" I asked Maria.
"You are taking two ticking time bombs into outer space," she said immediately.
"Abigail isn't that mean, is she?" Tony asked, Pepper and Rhodey elbowing him in the side.
"I kinda don't have a choice," I said with a shrug. "Laura needs space, uh, in the figurative sense, away from Earth and she wanted this. Jeff needs to be removed from Earth so we can help him with his Nemetrix and keep him away from whoever made it."
"Yes, but you're going to be working as much as an ambassador as anything," Maria said seriously. "If anyone, and I mean anyone, causes problems, you might end up dragging the Earth into a war that it currently isn't prepared for."
"I know that," I crossed my arms, scowling. "But it's the only option I've got. You know that SRA assholes have been sniffing around for whoever they can turn into weapons. Laura and Jeff are way too tempting. Hell, they sent me emails with offers of employment immediately."
"What'd you tell 'em?" Steve asked.
"I told them I'm a multi-millionaire so they'd need to provide for that lifestyle." I'd lost billionaire status thanks to all the money getting funneled into various aid programs. Providing homes, jobs, education, things X knew I'd support, he put cash towards.
"Nice," Tony grinned, while Jen chuckled behind me.
"Listen, please," Maria snapped, forcing us to calm down. "I know this is the right choice, but I'm warning you to be careful. All of you. I want you to stay safe. This may be the last time I have you all here."
That… sobered things. We were being cheery about it, but that was true. The second I was gone, it was back to work. Everyone had their projects, the things they would be doing to keep the SRA from completely fucking the world up. And we'd need to be seperate for that. Even with quantum technology, communication would be difficult purely because we'd be busy.
And if any of us died...
Steve stepped forward and looked around. At Thor, Tony, Nat, Clint, and Hulk, then Bucky, before his eyes met mine, spinning onto the next person. As he spoke, I swallowed a bit to control my emotions.
"I know I don't have the right to make a demand of you all. In every mission we have fought together, every war, you all performed beyond what anyone could have asked. And in the moments between, where we spent time together, I could never have found better friends… I love you all," Steve said with a very soft smile. "So my order is this. Come back alive. Stay in touch."
"...Love ya, Cap," Tony said gruffly, though he sounded more emotional than normal.
"You… Hulk family," The big man said kindly, hugging Jen to himself and smiling around at us.
"We'll all come back," I promised. "If I have to fight the whole universe to make it happen, I will bring us all back."
"Sir?" I looked over at X. "It's time."
I looked back at everyone. "...Well. Let's go save the world?"
"Verily," Thor said grimly, smirking just a bit.
"Later babe," Izzy said playfully to Creel, kissing the tall man. He gave her a dopey grin, shared a nod with Bucky, then headed into the ship.
In Russian, Mikhail spoke to Fantasma, the big russian part-time bear in near tears. "I will be here, my girl. Come back safe. And if you need me, call. I will tear apart the cosmos to find you."
"I will," Fantasma hugged Mikhail close, crying as she did. "I love you. Stay safe, you silly bear."
When she pulled back, Wanda gave her a hug as well, Jen wrapping the two up.
"Keep up your training," Natasha said to me seriously. "And keep your head on a swivel. Earth politics are bad enough. You're going to play on a larger field now."
"Oh my god, she's so worried!" Tony teased. "That's adorable."
"I can't believe the Black Widow has gotten so soft," Clint joined in.
In a move that I could barely track, both men were suddenly groaning on their knees while Thor and Steve laughed, Bucky smirking. Natasha kept her eyes on me. "Promise me, okay?"
"I promise," I hugged her quickly, getting a quick pat on the back. When I pulled away, Thor stepped forward.
"One week," he said simply. No need to say more.
Nodding, I looked over at Jen. We met eyes for a long moment. In a smooth movement, she grabbed me and dipped me like I was a damsel in a romcom, kissing me softly. Pulling me back up, my emerald girlfriend grinned. "Just don't forget me out there."
"Not a chance. You're the only woman in the multiverse for me," I said leaning up and kissing her again, holding myself close to her.
With that, I stepped onto the Defiant and turned back to my friends, my family. Creel and Fantasma joined me in facing them as I spoke. "I love you all. We'll see each other again. Promise."
"Don't do anything stupid," Creel teased.
"How can we, you're taking all the stupid with you," Bucky teased back, Steve barking out a laugh.
"Goodbye, my friends," Fantasma said softly, getting some soft smiles.
The hanger hatch of the Defiant began to rise up with a hiss, smoke coming off the hydraulics. The last faces I saw were Jen and Hulk, thanks to their height. Then the door closed.
"...We'll be back," Creel said, nudging my shoulder.
"We will. I'm sure of it." Swallowing, I turned and walked through the ship, passing Nezuko napping on her little bed while Jeff's tail could be seen swinging happily in the fridge. In the cockpit, X and Laura waited, X sat in his pod, Laura in her chair. She was sitting very robotically, staring out of the window, and turned almost creepily to stare at as as we took our seats.
"Sorry that took so long. We had to say good bye. You're lucky you get to stay with everyone X."
"Wait, I thought he was coming with us?" Creel asked.
"I will."
Creel looked between us in befuddlement.
"Quantum technology. I can be in multiple bodies. Currently I'm in the Savage Land, Avengers Tower, and here," X explained, his blue eyes blinking slowly as he spoke. "Benefits of AI, partner."
"Where are we going first?" Fantasma asked while Creel seemed to take a second to process that.
I began starting up the engines. The Defiant's systems shone to light all across the cockpit. "Well, first we'll buzz by the moon, send a quick message to the Attilans. Then from there, well… we have a whole universe to explore."
I looked back at everyone. Laura, Creel, Fantasma, X, Jeff, and Nezuko, the last of which toddled over to sit on a confused Laura's lap. "So how about it guys? Let's find out what kind of trouble we can get into."
"Didn't you promise to be safe?" Fantasma asked teasingly.
"Eh," I held up one hand with my thumb and finger close. "Little bit of trouble."
"I didn't hear that!" Abigail Brand shouted from somewhere else in the ship.
The Defiant lifted into the air. Pulling on the controls, I brought her forward. The feel of the ship vibrating under it's power echoed through my body, not violently, but comfortingly.
As we took off, an escort flew up with us. Tony in his Iron Man armor, Pepper in the Rescue suit, Rhodey in the War Machine, Thor, and Sam on his wings. We rocketed upwards at insane speeds as a group. The first to let us go was Sam as we started to leave oxygen behind. Then Pepper. Rhodey fell back next. Tony, stubborn badass that he was, hung on, but was forced to stay with Earth.
Thor kept with us as we passed the moon. He gave us a wide smile and a wave. Then, in a burst of lightning, he disappeared.
With a flip of some key controls, I took a breath. "Okay… hold on."
The Defiant's FLT drive snapped on. The stars lengthened around us. And in a sudden feeling of G-forces, we left our planet behind.
And hopefully when we came back, it would be for clean-up. As long as nothing happened that I had to deal with while I was gone.
Across the Earth, life continued. Men, women, and children fought, scrapped, and worked to survive. Various factions, good, evil, and neutral, shaped the lives of millions.
But of all of them. Magneto, Doom, the Leader, Lord Pump, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers. Of all those big names.
The one that was the cause of the biggest change was still making problems. AIM. And as a consequence of their actions, a problem from another world would arrive.
Flash Forward
October 31, 2014
Rio De Janeiro
Rio had been through hell. Everyone in the world knew it. Less talked about was how the city had recovered. In the wake of the Timequake, with the help of BRIDGE and other groups, Rio had stood on its own two feet and worked tirelessly on rebuilding.
Still, the scars of the aftermath remained. BioPark of Rio, the zoo, now had exhibits for dinosaurs, demons, and alien life that had fallen out of the timequake. The police force, hardened by the literal war that had been fought, was armed and trained to handle situations that no one short of a BRIDGE soldier would be prepared for.
The buildings that survived were stronger, while the new ones had the look of being super advanced thanks to Tony Stark's generosity. The city had become better in the wake of the disaster.
The thing that had changed most was the people. Not just because they had survived madness, but because they had new citizens. BRIDGE had returned as many people as they could to their own times, but they couldn't do it for everyone. More than ever, Rio De Janeiro was a melting pot. Men, women, and children from across time and space, making a home in the city, trying to integrate. In a reversal of what one might expect, the people of the city had been relatively kind to their temporal immigrants. There were some issues, some politics involved.
In the wake of the SRA, some newer immigrants, those with powers looking for a new home, appeared. The Graveyard Survivors were among them, a hodgepodge of supersoldiers, Creel enhanced, Gamma mutates, and animal hybrids. There were others, people who had awakened to powers for reasons they had yet to learn. Some of them knew what they were. Some had never had a name for themselves. They all looked for home. They found it.
Rio De Janeiro perseveres. That was the motto. They stood together, stronger than ever. In the center, a graveyard to the departed stood. And around it, the training grounds for those willing to fight the world to prevent another such.
Rio De Janeiro perseveres.
It was also the epicenter of a weakness in the metaphysical realm. The Multiverse had taken damage recently, but the Rio of this Earth had been particularly beaten. And that Halloween night, the damage led to another incursion.
A light shone in the sky on a spectrum unable to be seen by the human eye. Some of the citizens, those with the right genetics or powers, could see it. For a brief moment, a mere flash that filled the air with the light of a distant galaxy. Others could feel it echo across their skin, prompting confused looks around. A sensation. Of the first time you put something together correctly, of building something new, of turning yourself into a better version of who you were.
A sensation known to all, even if they never had a name for it. Consequently, the amount of new art of various kinds that would be created that night would explode.
But none of that was consequential. Not as much as the two figures that exploded out from the light at the same time. One of them was sent rocketing into the ocean, disappearing beneath the waves in a large splash. Those it flew over felt an unknown sense of dread, a perfect accompaniment to the Halloween festivities. Had they experienced it for more than a flash, their terror would not have been so joyful.
The other figure crashed into the top of a building. The figure rolled across the roof, large divots digging into the ground across her bipedal form. When she came to a stop, it was at the edge of the building, her head poking over just enough to let exhausted eyes stared down at the ground dozens of stories below.
Eyes well used to looking across distances far beyond human comprehension took in the small beings below. After a moment, she spoke in a voice worn from recent combat.
"Prysmosians?"
She stared at them. At the humans, but also those who were clearly inhuman, dotting the crowds below. Then she turned to her back and stared upwards.
A moon… Just a regular moon. The most unusual thing was that there was only one moon. And yet... why did it seem so fami-
Memories of another flooded her. Catalysis Prime, stared up at the moon of a world that had been and no longer was her own.
A NOTE FROM MAHMOUD SCHAHEDEnd of Arc. From here on out, Dial is going to space. I'll try to have a focus on different things, like Hulk vs Leader and the Agents of Shield and how they work with Inhumans in this universe, or even the stuff with the Defenders.
But I really want to focus on the small team dynamic. A group of people dealing with problems in their own ways, while interacting with each other and the rest of the universe. Hopefully I can get it right.
Dial's new sword has some useful abilities, but they are based on being useful to all his forms, rather than it being a weapon to match the Omnitrix. Like, Fourarms is great, Fourarms with a blade that can survive his strength is better. Fasttrack is fast, Fasttrack with a sword is a nightmare. That kinda thing.
Canada was sort of me poking at both the AIM and Hulk storylines. I'd like to have a lot of Earth stuff dedicated to Bruce's adventures, and Canada is part of that.
Phil is on his redemption arc. Show support for the former NFL SuperPro as he tries to be a better hero.
Oh, the finale. So that will lead into the next Crossover with the story. Last time, October was kind enough to let me borrow her Marvel universe. This time, AshlingWaltzes is letting me play with an alternate version of her Transformers one. It takes place in an alternate so that I can have a future version of her main character without forcing her to confirm to whatever bullshit I do in this fic.
If you want to check out her fic, I recommend it To Fuel A Guttering Flame
Let me know how this chapter reads for you guys, I worked my ass off I'm working on the next chapter and trying to put out fanfic chapters more quickly. Dial is gonna fight pirates!