Justice Avengers Universe

Rose, Mansion Study

That was an easy question to answer.

"About...three years, give or take some time."

She couldn't really understand why the Professor wanted to know, but it was probably best if he knew a lot.

Manhattan

Finding a deserted alley -really, they had gotten good at this by now- Robbie and Suzie entered it, and he let her use the Hero dial first while he kept watch for intruders.

In a flash of light, the teenage girl transformed into a muscular woman in green-and-purple spandex- and a harpy eagle appears out of nowhere as well!

"Huh...!" was her partner's reaction.

"Robbie! Look at me!! I can expand my body, and I have a pet eagle! We'll be known as- Maxima'am and Pinneagle!! "

"O... K..."

"What? You think it's silly!?"

"No! No I didn't mean that!!"

"Let's see what you turn into this time!" she responded, handing him the Hero Dial.

He quickly dialed H-E-R-O and, in yet another flash, transformed into a little wooden creature wearing medieval style red and grey clothes, with a feathered cap.

"Oh my goodness! You turned into Pinocchio!! " Maxima'am laughed.

"Hey! I'll have you know, I have powers of magical light and music. And the name is Hobby Lantern! "

"Yeah well, I guess I'm going to have to *carry* you around like a lantern" she said amused, picking him up.

"Hey, what are you doing? Put me down!"

"Sorry, but you would just slow us down that way. And we need to get to Stark Tower ASAP!"

And with that, the muscular heroine expanded her legs and began to super-leap her way across the city's busy streets, headed for their destination, closely followed by her pet eagle.

edited 2nd Apr '17 5:49:52 PM by Sijo

Halo, SHIELD HQ

She floated next to Victor, face white with fear as the three Legionnaires described Kang and his army.

This was all so overwhelming. She wondered if she would be any use to them if - when Kang showed up. Maybe they wouldn't need someone who didn't even know what a birthday party was.

She caught some red out of the corner of her eye, and turned around to see the once-blue skies now the color of blood.

"Does that have anything to do with Kang?" she asked nervously.

SHIELD HQ

Things looked bad, every detail on Kang deepened his worries, and when they seemed distant enough the sword came down. Terrified, Question backed into a wall to lean on it as he took out a packet of cigarettes, his mask and his phone. As he fiddled with it he told Halo offhandedly "There must be something about an object that size just sitting in our atmosphere that can mess with the skies."

Time to burn some lifelines. He set up with a conference call to two people SHIELD could not reach and he believed could help; Philip Stark and Lilith Blackwater. The phone rang, dialling the pair, eventually connecting him to them.

"Vic? long time no hear" Said a female voice

"Victor, christ on a hand basket, why is it that you always call me when there's something dire or world ending afoot" Said a male voice. "And hi Lilith... wait you called her too?"

"I would have called you both individually, but frankly I don't have the time, you're right something dire is afoot" Said Victor.

"Dire? did something happen? I've been busy" Said Lilith.

"First of all yes, just turn on the TV, secondly, Victor, please put on the mask, you know well that your voice sounds weird over the telephone."

"Fine..." Victor pulls on his mask to generate a generic face "Better?".

"You get used to it honestly" Said Lilith.

"Yes, thanks" answered Phil.

"Ok TV on... is that, what the hell is that?" said Lilith.

"Big sword in the sky, and Mars is wielding it" Said Phil "Isn't it Victor?"

"It isn't my fault this time, this is the ship of a man named Kang, he came to the future to conquer us" Victor said slightly offended.

"Ok, future guy with his army, got it what do you need from us?" said Lilith.

"Isn't it obvious? he wants us to fight like the 'good old days'" Said Phil with dread.

"Yes" said Victor "Please?" he added. Phil sighed.

"What would you do without us?" Said Lilith.

"He'd probably be dead, you're not seriously considering this are you?" asks Phil.

"Why not? Could be fun, and I've been looking to pull some toys out for a spin." said Lilith

"Magically enhanced pistols aren't toys" Grumbled Phil "Fine, you go, I have a family to mind"

"Oh yes, how's Allie, little Tim? and Elena?" asked Victor "That's your angle, stay home and be big daddy wolf?"

"Victor, don't" said Phil

"You can't be this dumb, I know you're smarter than this. Fine you want to stay? here's what happens according to my sources, we don't stop Kang now, the earth falls, and maybe your family is kept safe, maybe you're -that- good... but you honestly think a man of your talents is going to go unnoticed? Then what's your plan? open another gate, uproot your family and hope they stick in another earth? Or stay and fight a battle you can't win?... or worse case scenario, let your magic die, and hide like a coward"

"Vic..." muttered Lilith

"You couldn't simply call to see if I was ok, could you?" said Phil finally.

"Not an option" he said, then added "...I will, next time, please Philip, help me have a 'next time'"

"I'll find you." Said Phil, then hung up.

"Same here, let me suit up..." said Lilith and hung up too.

"Well, now I wait and hope" he said, slumping a little, lighting a cig, and stewing with worry.

edited 4th Apr '17 11:12:44 AM by Sanojutsu

"...I see. Well, I look forward to meeting Thorn in th-"

Professor X winced. He was silent for a moment, looking into space, then nodded as if to some other unseen person in the room. "Do excuse me, Ms Canton, but something has just come up. I'm afraid we'll have to end this talk here for now. Vince Principal Grey is just outside, she'll hand you the key to your room. Hopefully later, we can give you the customary tour of the grounds."

Meanwhile, in the ante room, Mary Batson heard a strange voice inside her head. "Ms Batson, this is Professor Xavier. I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid I'll have to meet with you later in the day. I look forward to speaking with you then, however.'' Outside the room, some sort of a commotion was going on, with kids hurrying other kids upstairs and downstairs to crowd around televisions and computer screens.

The tremendous sword still hung in the skies above, and the crowd. Suddenly, there was a flicker in the air in front of the sword. Lights blinked on and off in the open sky, before taking definite form as shapes of colour. A curved pipe like an arm, a few squares and hooks of purple. One by one the vectors materialised, until the tremendous image took shape. The image of a blue-faced man, clad in purple and green, towering above the clouds. The image faded from the torso downwards, otherwise it would look for all the world like a solid giant stood above the eastern seaboard. The man stood, arms folded, scowling at the world below, until finally, the transparent titan spoke.

"Greetings, people of the Twenty-First Century. This a message being broadcast at shores the world over, in every major language of your time. My name is Kang, and I have come to save your world."

Squares of light, about the height of his forearms, appeared to his left and right. These squares became screens, and showed a series of images and silent videos. They depicted cultures around the world, throughout the whole of history. Ancient Rome, Aztec Temples, Elizabethan England, Newly-Independent America, Modern Tokyo, and some unfamiliar cities that looked a great deal more sleek, shiny and advanced.

"From my vantage point two millennia from now, I have watched over all of time and space. I have seen great civilisations rise and fall, bringing the marvels and advancements that laid the groundwork for my own time. I have even, on occasion, visited these eras in person, cloaking my identity as I witnessed the wonders of the ancient world, and even lending some contributions of my own. However, in recent times, relative to you all, there has been a shift. Certain elements, individuals, alien to this time have made their presence known, and with the changing of the past...comes uncertainty to the future."

The screens changed to a very different presentation. Only a second or two was devoted to every sight, but the general theme was the same: destruction. Citizens ran in fear from explosions and flames. Human tanks were firing, and more alien machines rained down beams of purple light. Humans, human mutants and creatures less than human fought in the streets, as soldiers or mere mobs. Godlike men burst with terrible energy. Cities were reduced to wastelands of dust, water, ice and forest. Armies marched, sinister eyes watched from skyscraper screens, mountainous beings came from above, and sometimes the earth even cracked asunder.

"The course of your timeline has been thrown into uncertainty. Myriad different futures have been made possible, perhaps even inevitable. I have seen the river of the time branch into new events of chaos, oppression, destruction, death, and other hellish circumstance that your people are unprepared to face."

The screens went blank, becoming mere glowing squares in the sky. Kang unfolded his arms, and spread them out invitingly.

"But now, good people, you will not have to face them alone. Rejoice, people of the earth, for Kang has come to serve as your protector!"

The screens lit up again, now showing cities of the future. Skyscrapers lit like Christmas trees stretched up to the heavens, with bridges crisscrossing between big enough to hold entire streets. Cityscapes of dark block-shaped buildings rearranged themselves constantly, with cubes floating up, disassembling and reforming on the fly, with tremendous black pyramids decorated with tron lines forming the only constant. Pinecone shaped machines the size of small mountains floated in the sky, all jagged with antennae, and with spotlights set in the middle scanning the ground below. People in strange outfits- blending skin-tight, toga and armour -walked about the streets, taking food and drink dispensed from vending machines, turning huge levers and gears in steam-filled factories, tapping on computers sat end-to-end in olympic-sized rooms, and generally looking either happy or at least fairly satisfied.

"I shall bring my technological advances and formidable defences to the cities of your world, ensuring your absolute safety from the worst catastrophes that the future can ever set upon you. Natural disasters will be a thing of the past. Otherworldly invasions will be halted before they begin. Conflict between all peoples will be eradicated the world over. All lands will prosper with the same benefits and quality of life that my own people now enjoy. All people shall be given a profession that suits their role in life, and a genetic registry of all creeds will ensure that future generations will be fitter, smarter and more resilient than any before. All this and more, twenty-first century earth, will be within your grasp, and all you need to claim it, is to accept my complete authority over your world."

The screens went blank again.

"Now, there may be those among you that feel...resistant to accepting a stranger as their sovereign. I can assure you that I mean only to aid each and every one of your lands, and will seek no aggression against those that do not defy me. I can also guarantee, for those that doubt, that I can provide far more than adequate defence against the catastrophes I have prophesied. But actions may speak far louder than mere words."

The screens changed to show a certain building from multiple angles. It was a towering rectangular structure, windows shining like the surface of a mirror, and a smaller building sat beside, lined with the flags of many nations. The screens blinked from one view to the next, and on occasion blinked back to the Damocles ship above.

"See, now, the Central Headquarters for the United Nations, based in the American city of New York. Now, witness but one of the defensive capabilities that my empire bears at my disposal."

The blade of Damocles began to glow. A strange red light flowed along the blade, trickled down the lights of the surface, and pooled at the tip in an ever-expanding ball of light, with flares of red arcing out and swaying for brief instants. Kang looked at the land below, raised a finger to his left, and brought it down in a sweeping motion to point at the secretariat building. There was a sound like a gong struck by a Tesla coil, followed by a thunderous rush of air as the green light rocketed to earth in two seconds flat. The secretariat building was bisected, and burst like apart at the seams, glass and concrete scattered to the winds. In the streets below, the people screamed and scattered, running in every direction. Some were struck in the head and sides by smouldering chunks of debris, others scalded by drops of molten glass from what remained of the windows. The buildings across the road bore the brunt of the explosion, with walls cracked open and embedded with flung furniture and steel beams. What remained of the building stood for a moment or two, but then simply crumbled under its own weight, crumpling into a smouldering heap of blackened wreckage. The rush of smoke blew in every direction, and the foliage of Ralph Bunche Park was blown over flat.

"A devastating blow indeed. A terrible tragedy, most would say, and a senseless waste of human life. I would be inclined to agree...if any human life had actually been lost."

From out of the towering plumes of smoke, something glowing blue began to appear. The smoke cleared slightly, and soon revealed a series of glowing blue balls, floating in the air. They had been hanging there, suspended by nothing in just the same spots they might have been had they sat in every floor in the former building, and now steadily drifted down to earth at a calm and leisurely pace. On the plaza below, the piles of wreckage heaved upwards, as other blue orbs emerged from beneath, visible even in the clouds of smoke. The screens at either side of Kang, which had displayed the whole affair, focused in on the orbs to reveal what they held inside. Various people, dozens at a time, were held inside like hamsters in a ball. Most if not all were wearing business suits, and could be recognised as staff of the UN. They staggered inside the moving orbs, then felt against the walls of the strange surface shielding them, or they merely lay inside the orb, gasping with shock. Down below, the onlookers' screams of horror gave way to sobs of relief.

"See now the energy that protects them, even from the terrible power of an orbital strike. See that every inhabitant, from the Secretary General to the lowliest temp, has been preserved without so much as a scratch. Such is the power that I wield over life and death, over all that I survey upon this earth."

The screens went blank again.

"The United Nations inhabitants are being returned to the ground unharmed, as I now speak. My emissaries shall be visiting the site by day's end, to discuss terms with the delegates of your nations. At the end of this broadcast, the world will have twenty four hours to surrender to my authority. Any nations that have not finished deliberations will be occupied until a decision is reached. All nations that reject my offer will be invaded, and I will not be as inclined to spare the lives of aggressors. Any nation that accepts is to be commended, and I will begin implementing the benefits of my great empire. Finally, any nation that claims other territories in my name will be granted special favours, to be determined in discussions after the fact. I advise the governments of the world to consider options carefully, but I advise you, the people of the world, to encourage the right decision. You live in an age where you have greater influence over your governments than any before, and what have your governments offered to this date, beyond uncertainty and conflict? I can grant you absolute safety from aggressors, a better way of life beyond empty promises, and a prosperous nation with no borders of land, sea, stars or time itself. This better future is there for all people to grasp, even you."

He straightened up. "Last of all, I would make one request specifically to the people of American east coast. There are certain individuals, living in your country, whose presence in your time have helped to cast your future into uncertainty and peril. One is native to your time, two from a time ahead, but all three have created such an imbalance that my presence in this time became a necessity. Their names and identities are as follows."

The screens showed three faces in turn, with various pictures clipped from aged documents.

"Boris Artur, alias Zarrko the Tomorrow Man, of the 28th Century. Harleen Quinzel, alias She-Bat, from the 21st Century. Michael Jon Carter, alias Booster Gold, of the 28th Century."

The screens went blank, then folded away into nothing.

"These individuals are to be taken to the United Nations Plaza by the end of the day, and placed in the custody of my emissaries, alive. Failure to deliver will result in my armed forces being sent to recover the offending individuals myself, and if any of the three are found dead, then the perpetrators will receive far worse a fate. I now leave the world to consider its options, and thank you for your time."

The image of Kang faded away into nothing. Far below, the world stood staggered and confused, still processing the ominous message, and the fact that what could have been the worst tragedy since September 11th ended with minimal casualties. One thing was for certain, though: the consequences were no less significant, and the world might never be the same again.

edited 10th Apr '17 11:21:38 AM by LizardOfAus

Both Maxim'am and Hobby Lantern stared at the spectacle in the sky as shell-shocked as the rest of New York.

"That must be what the Justice Avengers wanted to meet about!" Robbie gasped.

"Duh" Suzie responded. "The question is- what can we do!?"

"Nothing by ourselves" Robbie added. "Heck, I'm not sure if even together, most heroes could stop such an invasion!"

But then, a moment later: "Unless... why would such a powerful time traveler need other people's help to deal with other time travelers, unless they possessed the means to thwart, or at least avoid him?"

He furrowed his (currently wooden) brow: "Yes, we must find those people, but so they can help us ."

"But first, let's meet with the others. To Stark Tower!"

edited 10th Apr '17 4:58:20 PM by Sijo

Jump City

"Problem," Superman said as he descended back down to Majestic's level, "Kara's gone."

"Bigger problem," Majestic pointed out as he lifted one hand to point off toward the distance at the enormous sword-ship on the eastern United States. "You heard all that?" He asked. Superman nodded.

"I don't trust it," he said, "Pa always said there's no such thing as a free lunch. Stands to reason that there's no such thing as a free Utopia, either. Whatever Kang might be promising, I can't even begin to imagine the cost."

"Whatever problem we have," Majestic said as Impulse and Flash dashed and She-Hulk (paging emilyorthoclase) bounded onto the scene, "We'll deal with that later. Right now, we're needed in New York. Flash, Impulse, the Legionnaires will get you up to speed. Superman, Steel, you go on ahead." Behind the mask, Flash rolled his eyes.

"Seriously?" he asked as Superman took off. Majestic shrugged and turned his attention back to She-Hulk.

"I'm going to have to carry you to New York," he told her, "And I'll be flying pretty fast. Are you... okay with that?"

Airwaves of New York

The X-Mansion, the Baxter Building, the various Justice Avengers' personal phones, and Tony Stark's personal line would all ring and be relayed the same message by Skeets that the Hero Duo had received.

Streets of New York

Freddy and Phyla looked up at the enormous ship and its holographic master with open mouths and wide eyes before turning to one another and nodding.

"Shazam!" Freddy cried as the duo tapped their Zam Bands together. The pair was instantly transformed into Freddy's Captain Marvel, a powerfully-built young man with short dark hair in a blue-red uniform with a golden starburst on his chest and a black cape around his shoulders. Captain Marvel took off into the sky towards Damocles with a resolute expression on his square-jawed face.

"Well," Spider-Man mused as he hung off the side of a building and watched Kang go about his business. "There's something you don't see every day." Then he web-swung toward the building, pretty sure that the guy with the orbital bombardment array wasn't to be trusted.

"Uh..." Squirrel Girl said from Central Park while fishing through her pockets for her cell phone. "Hey Nancy," she said when she dialed her roommate. "You're watching this, right? Yeah, gonna need Koi Boy and Chipmunk Hunk on this one."

Maryland

Adam Brashear watched a broadcast of Kang's message with his brow darkly furrowed and his hands clenched in his lap. Once the transmission had ended, he got up out of his armchair and picked up his old helmet off the mantel. "As good a reason to come out of retirement as any",◊ he supposed.

SHIELD HQ

Booster's face fell when the Legionnaires' did. "Oh no," he muttered, terrified for a moment before springing into action. He'd panic later. With the flick of a wrist, he hacked the HQ's intercom system to broadcast his voice. "Attention, all field agents," he declared, "This is STRIKE agent Michael John Carter, AKA Booster Gold! This is not a drill! We are receiving a hostile menace from the 41st century! I want asses in jets, I want people manning jetpacks and powered armors! Get your asses to the armory because your standard issue service pistol is not gonna cut it! I want agents on the streets to coordinate and protect evacuating civilians five minutes ago! Someone, for the love of God, get me Bruce Banner AND POKE HIM WITH A STICK! We're fighting time itself, AND I'M GONNA WIN!"

Then Kang overrode his override and, if at all possible, Booster's mood got even worse. He could feel everyone's eyes on him. Yet, somehow, for some goddamn reason, the first thought that popped into his head was This is gonna screw with my projected poll numbers.

edited 10th Apr '17 6:41:11 PM by SonOfSharknado

Halo, SHIELD HQ

She watched Kang's message uneasily, and somewhat confusedly. Why would he destroy a building only to save everyone inside?

Unless he was trying to scare them. Show everyone what he was capable of and then have the nerve to claim he was doing them a favor because he didn't kill them.

An unfamiliar, unpleasant feeling bubbled in her chest. Her eyes stung, and her hands hurt; then she realized she had been unconsciously digging her nails into the palms of her hands.

She unballed her fists and glanced around at everyone else. Nobody seemed to know how to react, which made her feel better because she wasn't so out of place and worse because nobody else knew what to do.

Well, Booster Gold seemed to. At least, until he was done shouting. Then he went quiet and seemed a little out of it.

She floated next to him. Unable to think of anything comforting to say, she settled for putting her hand on his shoulder.

Jump City

"Of course," She-Hulk replied. "They're gonna need all the help they can get as soon as possible.

"While we're getting there, you want to tell me what happened with Kara and the new guy?"

edited 11th Apr '17 3:08:58 PM by emilyorthoclase

Supergirl-New York

Supergirl received the news with her eyes wide open. "So this was what the legionaries tried to tell us," she though to herself. Her heat beat faster and faster as she began to sweat in discomfort.

Despite Kang's disturbing threats. There was some noble if misguided intent in his words. Could he be reasoned? Could a blodshed be avoided? She could only hope.

"Poor Doctor Harley. What a horrible idea to turn her into a bat. Such a waste," Kara said as she watched the broadcast. Shaking her head at her sides.

While she was flying on the sky she was able to spot Susie Shoemaker and Robbie in their new hero forms. Although she wasn't able to recognize them, their outlandish new forms couldn't hide they were superheroes of some kind.

"Wait!" Supergirl said from the sky as she spotted the heroic duo from above. "I'm new at this town. You're the local heroes, aren't you ? Whatever Kang is planing can't be good news. We'll need to stick together. I feel we'll need every help we can get if there is any hope for this world." She sighed. Her sight lost at the floor.

edited 10th Apr '17 11:38:44 PM by FallenLegend

The Hero Duo stopped when Supergirl addressed them.

"Who are you?" Hobby Lantern asked.

"...She looks familiar" Maxima'am said. "Anyway, we are not New York heroes. We're just visiting. We are affiliated with the Justice Avengers, though. We are on our way to meet with them about what to do about this Kang fellow. If you are a hero, you can come along if you wish."

Atrocitus:

One red light came down to Earth with quite a great speed. It was the leader of the berserk Red Lanterns, Atrocitus himself. The Red Lantern detected a great rage in New York city.

And he was indeed aware of the... fairly peculiar situation in Earth thanks to one of Red Lanterns that patrolled Sector 2814. A dictator from the future came to this time to conquer Earth. Atrocitus that individuals like Kang bring destruction. They destroy everything for their own goals. Whether it be a greater good or their own lust for power. It seemed that Kang wishes for the greater good. But how long will it be until the blood will be spilled? Families, friends, lovers... They will die due to war, and this loss will bring rage and hatred that can destroy anything. The same kind of atrocities that Guardians of the Universe committed. Atrocitus planned to intervene when the inevitable conflict would start.

But, the plan needed to be changed. He already detected a great rage. That was why he arrived earlier than planned.

The Red Lantern was in an alley. There seemed to be no blood here... until he saw a bloody kitten. The red ring and the red lantern flashed, indicating that this creature was the one that held the pure hatred. Atrocitus quietly let the ring go attach itself to the cat's tail. And, like that, with a red flash of light and blood curdling scream, another Red Lantern was born.

Jump City -> New York

Steel flew, a blue blur through the sky. Engines he rarely brought to life, because their raw acceleration and thrust sacrifice control and turning, kicked in and he flew.

New York
Mars 1

Darwin leaned over his phone, grey eyes going wide and his mouth gaping. It seemed, at this moment, the jokes had left him.

"Uh, guys.... you better take a look at this."

New York
Somewhere dark...

A bodhisattva of damned enlightenment watched and meditated.

Ghi'ata- A dissenting voice.

While the others were in panic, star sapphire liked down disappointed. Perhaps her sense of love being in danger had deceived her.

"You must forgive me, but I do not see a crysis about this situation," She said to Halo, the legionnaires, Victor and the other heroes assembled there. " I fail to see how hearts are in danger."

"Out there in the cosmos there are planets and entire civilasations that are ruled by a single entity. The zamarons are ruled by a Queen and so are many species.

"Power comes and power leaves. Kingdoms falls and raise . Such is the state of the universe. " She hovered in the air. " I'll fight for the sake of love, but not for this "united nations" he speaks of."

Supergirl—New York

"Supergirl," she said. These strange heroes despite being "new" made her feel confident enough to confess something. It was as if they were familiar somehow.

"I was someone else, but I left that behind out of fear I would hurt someone.." She looked down with guilt. " No relation to Superman. I only stand for what this shield means: Hope."

She crossed her arms. "Any who, who are you? " She sighed at looking at the panicked people out there. When asked if she would followed them she replied,

"Sure I... suppose. "

Mary Batson-X mansion

Mary at first turned around at every side to see if someone was talking to her. Maybe even the wizard SHAZAM.

Soon she realized it was the professor himself talking

" she smiled. She talked in her mind "It's alright I understand. Doreen has spoken wonders of you and I am eager to meet such a wise person"

The little girl went with the others to watch the broadcast with the other teens.

She put her right hand on her mouth as she heard the way Kang tried to put the world in danger. She shit down looking down at the floor, lost in thought.

There was no choice, Mary Marvel had to come to help...

edited 11th Apr '17 10:29:45 PM by FallenLegend

Paige was about to give Kurt a friendly slap on the face and go in search of coffee when an alert came up on her phone, freezing her hand in mid-slap and sort of tapping Nightcrawler gently on the cheek. Her eyes widened as she read the text.

Time traveler? Conquerer? Kang? "What in the hell is this?" Her skin flickered into steel as a reflex, and Paige clenched her hands, simultaneously nearly crushing her precious cellphone and squeezing Kurt's face if he didn't lean back. She turned the screen towards the fuzzy mutant. "We need to show this to the Professor! This looks serious!"

New York, Atrocitus:

The cat fully wore Red Lantern uniform, formed by the ring, and it spit red plasma, which replaced its blood. It still limped. "Swear an oath." Atrocitus said with a cold voice. As soon as someone wields the ring, the bearer knows the oath. The cat

"With Bloood and Raage of Criimson Reeeed,

Riiped from a Cooorpse so Feeshly Dead,

Tooogetheeer with our Heeeelish Haaate,

We'll Buurn you Alll...    THAT IS YOUR FATE!   

The cat finished its oath, and it charged its ring. The animal did not limp anymore.

Its name was Dexter. Dexter's owner was murdered by a gang of thugs for no reason at all, and the cat was almost killed too. It wanted vengeance. "Another soul that suffer from the loss". Atrocitus thought to himself. The Red Lantern, thanks to his ring, could read the reason behind the rage of Red Lanterns. And he thought that the only reason why a pet would hold a great rage was if its master was killed.

"Yeees... Theey kiiled heeer, and triiied to kiilll meee tooo. I wiill tear theeem apaaart..."

"Release your rage. Avenge the death of your family, and fight against the injustice that you've suffered. Do you know where they might be?"

"Yeees..."

"Then do what must be done."

Dexter flew, and Atrocitus followed. He would let the cat do the work, while he would watch just how great of a rage an animal holds. Dexter soon found the thugs, rounding up to beat a person. Atrocitus could see the cat's rage building up to a breaking point.

"Huh, isn't that cat that we killed? Hey... what's..."

Before he could finish the sentence, he was finished. And soon , the others followed. Dexter spat the red burning plasma towards most of them. Then, it created red scissors to finish the bastards off. Atrocitus was satisfied. With both seeing the scum get destroyed and seeing the pure rage that could match his own. "Excellent..."

"The paaain... It... doesn't gooo awaaay... Whyyy? I aveenged heer, yet.... Wheeen.... wiill it goo awaay?"

Atrocitus understood what Dexter meant. It was all the same for all other Red Lanterns. After they avenged the deaths of their families, friends and lovers, their rage, sorrow and despair did not go away. Instead, it deepened. Some even died because of it. Atrocitus then though of a perfect solution: turning rage into a purpose of life. Rage against injustice and rage against evil would drive them from now on. Their goal was the destruction of figures that bring nothing but tragedy. Conquerors, tyrants, villains. It did not matter. "They will all burn from our rage", - Atrocitus always said to his Corps.

"Does your rage not stop, Dexter? Does it deepen? Then, turn it into your life. Feed on it and unleash it upon those who commit the same crimes as your owner's murderers. They shall all burn from our rage."

Dexter stood still for a moment. Then it smiled. "Thooose... whoo hurt... shaaall... die."

"From now on, your life will be different from your previous one. And, as such, a new name befits you. As of this moment, you are to be called Dex-Starr. And... I will be your new owner."

Kurt was rather perplexed when Paige tapped him on the cheek. It looked like she was holding his cheek now, and made him very awkward.

And then she started telling him about showing something to the Professor. About a time traveling conqueror? Okay, he could accept that. "Wait! Maybe I could teleport us there?" he suggested.

edited 14th Apr '17 8:35:26 AM by Vampireandthen

Manhattan

"I'm Maxima'am" Suzie said in a boastful manner. "And the little wooden boy here is-"

"Hobby Lantern" Robbie said before she had the chance. "And I'm not a little boy, or a doll, despite current appearances" he grumbled.

Suzie ignored him. "Nice to meet you Supergirl. Just follow our lead. We are almost there!"

The trio (plus one eagle) soon arrived at the entrance of Stark Tower.

"Hmm, what now?" Suzie asked.

"Don't even try to step in!" Robbie warned them. "The place probably has some of the world's most advanced defense systems, and they're likely on high alert now." He then pulled out his JA communicator. "Hero Duo here. We are at the entrance. Please let us in. Oh, and there's a hero named Supergirl with us. She's new, apparently."

edited 14th Apr '17 1:09:27 PM by Sijo

Rose, Mansion Study

He looked forward to meeting Thorn? No one ever looked to meeting Thorn. Then something happened. She could hear the commotion outside. Nodding to the Professor, Rose got out of the chair.

"Th-thank you."

She was enrolled. She had a room, she had a place at this school. She might even have a garden. Of her own. She smiled shyly at the wall as she left the room, going to pick up her meagre suitcase as she did.

New York, Atrocitus:

"Whaat is that thiing in the skyyy?" Dex-Starr asked Atroctius.

"It is the ship of a tyrant. He claims to have come from the future to prevent further disasters."

"Deeestroy tyyrants..."

"Not yet. To defeat a tyrant, we require an army, an alliance. First, we have to consult with 'heroes' of Earth. Maybe we can find a future Red Lantern among them."

"I'm eaaagerly waaaiting..."

Atrocitus flew up and saw Stark Tower, standing above all others, except the sword-shaped ship of Kang.

"Hmm... Maybe we should go there first."

There wasn't a moment to lose. The three Legionnaires headed to the door of the office, then yelped in surprise when Maria Hill was found lurking behind it. "Agent Booster. Director Fury and the US army are both ready to scramble at a moment's notice, but the diplomatic option is still being advocated. The World Security Council is currently in talks with the government on transporting Zarrko and She-Bat from custody. Which leaves us with the elephant in the room...the question of whether I let you walk out this building, and go anywhere other than Kang's rendezvous point?"

"Agent Hill," said Marvel Boy, "With due respect, now is not the time to be undermining your best line of defence!"

"Input noted and disregarded, future boy. Now until the next words out your mouth are on where we aim the nukes at that thing, none o you are leaving this room."

"What?!" went Phantom Girl, "Grife's sake, we get enough of this from the Science Police back home."

Cosmic Boy finished a call he was making. "Booster Gold, the other heroes are en route to Stark Tower. If you give me the holodress for Mister Stark, I can set up a conference call."

Meanwhile, Saturn Girl was finishing the call on her end. "All right, that was the head of the Legionnaire squad over on the east coast. All the heroes in the New York state are being called to Stark Tower to make a plan of attack. How soon can you two make it over there?"

"Uh, Saturn Girl?"

"Yes, Chameleon Boy, I know who I'm talking to. I'm just interested to know if they live up to the hype."

"It was a simple plan." Inside a dark little room, sparks danced through the air, gleaming off the shadowy welding mask of a disgruntled genius playboy philanthropist. "Such a simple little plan. Few months out of the limelight, move to San Fran, get into the medical business, let Pepper worry about the rest. That's all. All I could ever want from life. But oh boy, life sure likes yanking me around, don't it? Just has to drop a giant space sword out the sky, have some miserable jacked-up little tin hitler blow up the UN building and fuel...my...addiction...for putting together dumbassery like this."

"Sir, there appears to be a number of costumed heroes congregating at your doorstep."

"Any old buddies?" said Tony, examining a metal plate from all angles.

"No, sir. Two identify as 'the Hero Duo', and one resembles Missjestic from the Jump City area, but the remainder are all unidentifiable."

"Well, let's call this first impressions time for the west coast. Send 'em through, Jarv's, just make sure they don't scuff the upholstery. I'll be through in about thirty ticks."

"And 'thirty ticks' in this instance would be...?"

"Would be exactly half a dobash, Jarvis, I'm working here! Do I have to upload half the Voltron wiki into your mainframe for some peace and quiet around here?"

"I feel that would constitute cruel and unusual punishment."

"Get outta here."

"Yes sir."

Outside, the door to Stark Tower swung wide. "Please come in, Mister Stark is expecting you. The elevator will transport you directly to the designated meeting area." In the skies above, Atrocitus would take notice as a silvery plane-like vehicle came gliding down, carrying three of four teammates.

Moments after Rose left the room, the Professor turned his focus to a strange sort of conference call. A call, you said?

Booster Gold's little assistant sent the call out just before this 'Kang' gave his speech, said the thoughts of Jean Grey. It said we were called because our number is registered to...the X-Men.

What?! This was Scott Summer's thoughts now. How in god's name did that preening-

He is an agent of SHIELD, Scott, thought Dr McCoy, It's not inconceivable he'd be passed information about our old reconnaissance lifestyle.

Or, y'know, he really is from the future, thought Bobby, So either there's future records about our old missions...

...or of missions the X-Men have yet to perform, thought Professor X, Scott, call the New Mutants to my office. Jean, open a conference call to Stark Tower. Hank, head to the sub-basements. It's time for Plan Mothball.

If thoughts could gasp, there would be four of them at once. Professor, are you sure?

Against a threat of this magnitude? Absolutely. It's time we raised the stakes. You have your missions, my X-Men. Now excuse me, while I speak to our advance warning.

A private thought was sent out, saying You can come in, now, to the library next to the study. At that, three young heroes stepped through the door.

edited 1st May '17 2:56:38 PM by LizardOfAus

Jump City

"Hotfuturechicksaywhat?" Impulse asked, although he ran so quickly that he was already gone by the time Saturn Girl heard it. Flash gave the Legionnaires an apologetic shrug before sprinting after him.

Skies of New York City

It took the near-identical Supermen maybe three minutes to reach New York. Something caused them to come to a sudden stop as they passed the New York City skylines and their head moved from side to side, as if they were reading something.

"You see that, too?" Superman asked. Majestic nodded while holding onto She-Hulk, still trying not to be handsy.

"Radio waves," he explained. "Someone's putting a call out for all the heroes to gather at Stark Tower to form a plan of attack."

"What do you think?" Superman asked the group.

"I have a plan," Majestic replied firmly, "Attack."'

Meanwhile, Captain Marvel flew toward Stark Tower, following the Wisdom of Solomon and the trail of heroes leading him there like breadcrumbs.

I feel something pulling us, Freddy remarked.

Yeah, Phyla agreed. Some weird... energy, like the kind generated by our Zam Bands.

You meeeean magi-

SHUT IT!

SHIELD HQ

A moonarang sang through the air and stabbed the ground between Booster and Maria's feet.

"No one's taking Booster anywhere," Moon Knight said firmly as he and Coulson pushed their way into the room. Booster put a hand on his STRIKE teammates' shoulders and shook his head.

"Guys," he said, "I appreciate it. But i can handle this." Then he turned his focus to Cosmic Boy. "Yeah, no problem." He tapped a few buttons on his wrist computer and gave him Tony Stark's address and the contact frequency for JARVIS, as close to a holodress as he could give for the 21st century. Then he turned to Maria Hill and sighed, taking off his visor and pulling back his cowl.

"Maria..." he started to say before he caught himself. "Agent Hill." Be respectful and all that, easy way to get Hill to listen to you. "I know you think I'm the funny guy, that I'm just a clown who's useful because he hits hard. But listen to me here because I am deadly serious. Kang? He is not a nice guy. He is not here to help us, he is not our friend. In the history books, we call him Kang the Conqueror. He is not here in the name of peace. He doesn't want to help. That whole display with the UN building? That wasn't a show of his mercy and how he could help us. That was a show of strength, showing what he could do. And even if you agreed with him and let him take over, what would there be to stop him from shooting that laser again the second you step a toe out of line? This guy isn't just a bad guy, he's the worst guy. Chronalstorians are pretty certain that somewhere in his etymology, he's the bastard seed of a Von Doom and a Luthor. He's here because he wants something, because he wants control or power or some resource that will make him invincible. Nothing Kang does, has ever done, or will ever do, is for the benefit of anyone other than Kang. There's no 'diplomatic option' here. Kang's looking for a fight. And I came back in time to make the past better and to stop the shit that makes my present the soulless mess that he is. Yeah, Dahkseid's number one on that list. Kang? Probably number two. But hey, if you wanna be pals with the guy who has an orbital laser pointed at us, go ahead." He held out his wrists although he didn't know if she actually had handcuffs. "Seems kinda chickenshit, though."

edited 1st May '17 5:20:53 PM by SonOfSharknado

Skies of New York City

"That's not a plan, that's a course of action!" She-Hulk yelled as Majestic flew off.

"He's not thinking straight," she said. "We need to go after him before he gets himself killed."

Mary Marvel—to Stark Tower.

As the mutants were discussing and readying, Mary Batson exited the mansion towards the greener outskirts.

Rose might have seen her exiting.

She looked with sad eyes towards the sky.Mary Batson had no idea what to do about the whole thing. But she knew someone that might.

SHAZAM! Mary shouted. A magic lightning bolt could come from the sky. It's sound was deafening, the ground would shake and it's light would blind anyone that might see her.

The girl was gone, on it's place was a Mary Marvel.◊

"This is something I can't do on my own," she thought to herself with her eyes closed. The world's mightiest maiden closed her fist towards the sky. Her body left the ground as she began to fly towards Stark Tower.

Princess Ghi'ata—Portal to Stark Tower.

"Star sapphires should not interfere with a planet's internal affairs," Ghiata said to the heroes. " But I will do what I must to protect love."

She then turned to Booster Gold with a glare. "How do you know this man can't be trusted if you haven't talked to him? Wouldn't you sacrifice yourself to save this planet? Diplomacy is always an option."

The zamaron princess then opened a portal that would take the heroes to Star Tower, if crossed, The fact that heroes there were also worried about the safety of that planet made it possible.

"If those 3 people are the price for a peaceful resolution then so be it. The safety of love on this planet is far more important. I have seen wars raging across the stars, love being lost. The deaths of millions aren't worth the lives of 3 criminals."

"And if you do not cooperate Booster Gold, then I will deliver you myself."

edited 5th May '17 5:02:14 PM by FallenLegend

Rose, Mansion

Rose left, somewhat noticing those that entered after her. That had been...nerve-wracking. She had been so afraid that she'd be thrown out. He even knew about Thorn, and she didn't get in trouble.

Alright, I'm awake. What did I miss?

I'm enrolled and I may have spoilt your existence. Also, there's something going on.

Oooo, let me see. Let me out? You didn't sleep well last night, anyway.

....okay.

Rose seemed to sag, a black colour spreading from her roots to the tips of her hair, about to collapse, before she caught herself. Something in her eyes changed, and her lips took a mocking twist.

"What's going on, I wonder? Let's find out."

Thorn would find the X-Mansion a lot more quiet and still than before. Most of the pupils shut away in their rooms, watching the news, muttering among themselves, or silently dreading the terror that hung above. Outside, Mary Marvel took off into the sky. Down the stairs, the only sound that could be heard was through the walls of Xavier's office, where it sounded like Mr Summers was addressing a large group.

"The way I see it, Mister Carter, it would be a far stupider idea to be enemies with the man who has an orbital laser pointing down at us. I don't need you to tell me the man that just blew up the UN is a tenth-degree asshole, I just need you keeping him quiet long enough for someone somewhere somehow to blow him out of the sky. Think you can do that for me, pumpkin?" She gestured at the air, and a couple of agents came in to frogmarch Booster out of the room. "One of you accompany these kids through the pink hole in the air- I want a sitrep on the JA's pow wow. The rest of you, get Agent Booster Gold to the rendezvous in one piece."

On the other end of the portal, JARVIS continued to invite new arrivals through the doors and to the elevator. From there, they found their way up to a sitting room that was already filling up with colourful people. Mr Fantastic, Invisible Woman and the Thing had come down from their landing zone upstairs, and Thing was currently trying to find a good seat that wouldn't crumble under his weight.

From a door on the other side of the room, Mr Stark himself entered, wiping his hands with a cloth. "All right all right, is everybody he- ...Wow. Literally everybody is here, apparently."

edited 6th May '17 2:18:10 PM by LizardOfAus