Infinite Justice: Beyond (Marvel,DC,DBZ X/Over, IC, Open)

[Siliarba]

Luna
Couple of days after joining the JQ's

This place is so goddamn boring, I assumed infiltration would be fun, a superhero team to go beat up random villains sounded like so much fun, but there is so much time between them doing it. If I didn't secure my camera with holographic projectors and ways to change any sound leaving this room to fit the image. They discovered instantly I used those things to keep whatever I do in my room hidden, but I just claimed I enjoy my privacy and even if it wasn't fully accepted people on this planet tend to value privacy enough to accept that statement. Good thing they did or I, or one of the other Luna's, would've blown my cover a long time ago. Sometimes I wished I could just blow up the planet and that would settle the assignment.

So far the only fun thing has been the fact that there's a green lantern here to hide my true identity from. I hope Jylt and drop are having fun, or at least that they are finding what is so important here so we can finally leave this damn primitive rock. The average intelligence level belongs in either a museum or zoo. Not something you should have to deal with. The only thing I can do to keep me from blowing everything up is focusing all the attention I can on inventing new ways to blow stuff up.

[Finland SSR]

[REDACTED]

Death of the Multiverse: Gogito's Playground
First, Death of the Multiverse belongs to Republic of Atria. I do not own any rights to the material - this is a fanfiction. Okay, here it is...
GOGITO'S PLAYGROUND
The Multiverse. An infinite entity, composed of billions upon billions of universes, with trillions of living beings inside them. Some of them are powerful. Some of them are weak. And above them all, in a realm outside of the Multiverse, a god-like being called Entropy was watching.

Entropy was a being that feasted on chaos in the lower realm. Over time, he slowly eroded the walls between universes, creating rifts and taking people to different universes, just for fun. Many powerful beings were at the mercy of him. And now, an another being, an another omnipotent... came to end it all.

This is where Gogito's story begins.

Gogito was suddenly transported to an another universe, like many others. This universe to us is known as the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe. In order to increase his amusement, Entropy summoned in an incredibly powerful monster, Doomsday, to trash around in the planet Earth.

Anyway, Gogito appeared in a Fire Nation village, and he immediately saw that something is wrong. He was not in his own universe, but in another, completely different one. The people were wearing medieval Japanese clothing, and they did not emit much ki at all. Something roared in the town square, so Gogito went to check it out.

Broly had also just appeared, and he destroyed the town square. He turned around and saw Gogito, who beared a striking resemblance to Goku.

"Kakarotto! KAKAROTTO!" Broly roared and charged at his opponent. He tried to punch him, but Gogito did not even flinch. "Sorry, but you've mistaken me for someone else..." he said and punched him in the chest. The punch went through the chest and killed Broly instantly.

Gogito flew up a bit and started scanning the area with his ki sense. He sensed a few beings fighting somewhere east, so he teleported there. At that time, Mercer and Doomsday were fighting, and the battle was swinging at the monster's side. Gogito arrived just in time. He flew towards Doomsday and flicked him, which knocked the monster out.

"Whoa... Thanks, dude, you just saved my life!" Mercer said thankfully.

Gogito did not answer. He wrenched his fist, and it started glowing in a purple color. A second later, Doomsday vanished completely. He was put in Gogito's pocket dimension.

"What the... What happened?"

"He's gone. We won't see him anymore."

"Huh...? Well, I am Alex Mercer. You?"

"I am Gogito. Where am I? Who brought me here?"

"You should "thank" Entropy for that, you see..."

"You talk too much." Gogito said and put his hand on Mercer's head. "Ah, I see... what an interesting story!"

"What... what did you do?"

"I've read your mind. Now I know everything you know about it. About Entropy, your past, your adventures in other universes."

"Whoa... you sure are interesting, Gogito. Come on, let's go meet the others. You might be great help."

"You can go. I will go and destroy the one who caused it."

"No, you won't be able to do it. Even if you managed to beat Doomsday, Entropy is on way another level! He'll destroy you!"

"Watch me beat him in one strike, Mercer."

"You've got to be kidding me..."

"Hey, Entropy! Do you hear me! I am Gogito, and I am the man who will defeat you! Are you scared?"

"NO!" Mercer shouted out. "Entropy will be too much for you!"

It was too late. Entropy appeared in front of them.

"So, another suicidal idiot, huh?" Entropy said and yawned.

"Ohh, this is it... It was nice to meet you, Gogito..." Mercer said and hid in the bushes nearby.

"You may think you are big, but you are nothing. You see, there are people who are good. There are people who are evil. I, Gogito, am 100% pure godlike."

"Well, let's see how you talk about this!" Entropy said.

Nothing.

"Wait, what?"

"I still think the same."

"No, I mean... I wanted to turn you into a fish! Why are you still here!"

"Oh, that... I am immune to reality warping. I am so powerful that just doesn't work. Magic as well."

"Oh crap..." Entropy looked scared.

"My turn, right?" Gogito made an energy sword in his hand. Then, he waved it towards Entropy, and it extended and cut through the god with ease.

"Impossible..." Those were Entropy's last words before dying at the hands of Gogito.

"HOLY CRAP! You actually did it!" Mercer yelled as Entropy's corpse fell on the ground. "Now the Multiverse is saved!"

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

For the next 10 years, Gogito was travelling through the Multiverse, searching for powerful opponents to face. Nobody could stand in his way. Bored, Gogito decided that this Multiverse is far too weak, so he transformed to Super Saiyan God. Just from the aura itself, the Multiverse crumbled into pieces and was completely destroyed. Gogito then used his ki to recreate it in his own image, and continued experimenting, trying to create a powerful opponent to face.

He still has yet to be beaten.

[The Republic of Atria]

Praetoria

"Xander... The whole reason I tried to stop you was because this was was being broadcasted on the internet..." Naja explained. Both him and her were quiet for a few moments. At this point, she didn't know what to do. There wasn't anything she could really do to counteract Xander's killing a man for the entire world to see. Even if it was an assassin who was going to do the same thing to him. "You should probably do something with the body." She suggested, but Xander was having none of it.

"I'll figure it out." He retorted and rubbed the sides of his head before letting out a long sigh. "There's not much I can do. It was self defense, he had every intention and actually had the capacity to kill me. I am not in the wrong here." He was about to take off when he saw hundreds of thousands bright yellow dots swarming away from his city. Some were flying straight into the sky, others were spreading out and going all over the place. It finally sunk in what was happening. People really were afraid of him. No matter where they were from, Xander was seen as a very angry man with the power to do whatever he wanted. It was no wonder that they didn't want to be affiliated with him.

Xander dropped to his knees, his face blank as a piece of wood. Everything he had built, everyone that lived there, it was now all falling apart. And there was nothing he could do to stop it. No amount of anger or hitting something would fix it. Naja just watched. It was like fireflies swarming, but she knew what it was and how hard Xander worked to get this far, only to have it blow up in his face. All she could do was stand there, with her hands on his back, and make sure that he didn't do anything rash.

Several hours earlier...

"Part time God of Destruction?" Xander was aware of Beerus' existence, but had yet to actually meet him. It wasn't like he could suggest a part time job at Walmart, and it was a practical application of his abilities... Mostly. "I suppose that could work. Hmmm, you know what, I think I might know someone you might like to meet. I'm sure you know that Darkseid was killed a few months back. I know the guy who did it. He's very... Erm. I don't have the proper words... Eccentric? Happy? Something along those lines."

"Actually... That's not a bad idea." She understood what Xander was getting at. Otis needed people he could relate to outside his small circle of friends, and would likely act as a good voice of reason to Frost. "I think you'd like him. He's very... Him. And he'll probably make you watch One Punch Man. Which, is pure awesome. I've read the manga. And trying to get you-know-who-" She rolled her eyes towards her husband. "-to read it is a pain in the ass."

"I'm right here, Naja."

"And it's very valid criticism." She said as they arrived at the burger place. "Alright. Pick out whatever looks good to you. So help me, if it's a salad, I will have Xander drop kick you into the sun."

"What's wrong with salad?" He asked. From what he knew, they were the healthier option.

"You don't go to an awesome burger place, and then get a SALAD. That's an unspoken rule. Especially in America. That's like going to a hooker for a hug."

[The Dark Brotherhood of Deros]

Traveler
Prototype simply smiled at Black sun when she mentioned her being more advanced, and Conundrum shook his head. When Black Sun asked him about where they were going, but then proceeded to find out anyway, Conundrum nodded. "Yep. We're headed to this planet here, as it's the one sending out the distress beacon." He said, pointing to a blinking blue dot on the console.

Conundrum then looked at Black Sun. "Does Prototype seem more... Cheerful to you? I mean I haven't really seen the guy smile all that much. I mean sure I don't know him all that well, but he was a lot more grumpy before he got his memories back. If I were a betting man, I'd say that Gregory isn't nearly as 'dead' as Prototype says he is." He stated.

Within a few minutes the Traveler dropped out of hyperspace above the planet.

Planet serface
Gelus was having a good day. He had torn several cities and towns apart looking for the location of the artifact that he sought, and it had been rather enjoyable. Of course his team-mate Solmu wasn't enjoying herself nearly as much as Gelus was, as she mostly stood back from the action of destruction before her. The two Arcosian's that Gelus had on his side however were in a much better mood. Glace was flying from building to building, smashing everything in his way, and Cier was busy tossing objects left and right.

However the silent mercenary Grellis was making himself busy by interrogating the natives, something that he enjoyed wholeheartedly.

[The Starlight]

-Snip-

Del arrived back at the JQ tower still pondering the events of the day. So much had happened, and there was so little time to process it all. HYDRA was still after her, a cop had seen her face, and a whole building had collapsed because she didn't want to go back. A lump caught in her throat as she thought back to the woman who had been killed. That smile of pure joy that was on her face right before being shattered by a sniper's bullet. And the child. Who knows what that experience will do to her. Watching her mother die right in front of her. Nothing would be the same after that. Del's face hardened as she wiped the tears from her eyes. It had to stop. Too many people had died because of what HYDRA was doing, and she would make sure it never happened again.

For now though, she would have to sneak back into the tower without letting the Justice Queens know about her most recent escapade. Laying low was what she was supposed to be doing and she didn't want to drag any of them into the mess she had made for herself. Accessing the tower's security systems, Del checked the cameras for where everyone was. It seemed that they were all either out doing something or in rooms away from the service stairway she had started using to get in and out. People rarely used it and she could easily alter the tapes to make it look like she had never been there. After entering through one of the many service entrances, Del started her long ascent to the top of the tower. To some it would have come as an inconvenience to take the stairs, but she didn't mind. Fatigue wasn't something she knew and it gave her time to think about the mess she was in. Numbers, probabilities, and percentages flew through her mind as she thought of the different ways of approaching her situation. The most simple one would be to simply hand herself over, but she wasn't prepared to do that. Not after what they had put her through. Her other options were rather slim. A direct attack on HYDRA was another possibility, but anything she destroyed could be replaced and there was no way she could find all of their hideouts in New York. Another was to simply play defensive and just focus on saving people from whatever HYDRA decided to do in order to lure her out. At this point it seemed to be the most appealing one that was actually possible. It would be hard without a good assessment of HYDRA's resources within the city and exactly how far they were willing to go with this.

Del was so preoccupied with these thoughts and the multiple calculations going through her head that she failed to check the living room for any teleporting JQ members as she finished her climb. "Valancy!" she said, startled that someone was actually there. "Uh, you're back! I wasn't expecting you. Well, um, you look great," she stammered out as her mind looked for a good excuse for why she was out and about that wasn't fighting off HYDRA on her own or almost getting caught by police.

"Oh, hey, Del!" Valancy said, smiling at the A.I. "Thanks, you look well, a little worried about something perhaps. Anyway, it's good to be back. You hungry? I can fix something up if you'd like. I teleported up here in order to surprise everyone, though perhaps I should've hidden. She noted that Del had probably come from somewhere, and from her nervousness it looked like she had been somewhere that she did want Valancy knowing, but she decided not to press her, thinking that Del would open up eventually. It was good to see that she had been getting out, perhaps, and Valancy mentally chuckled at this thought, Del had gotten a boyfriend. Perhaps she would met this mystery man, if he existed.

Speaking of men, she had received a phone call from Roy, saying that he was alright, but that had been a few months ago, before she had left for Africa. She hoped he was alright, but figured that he too could take care of himself, and it probably wasn't conducive to his happiness to spend all of his time around her.

[Finland SSR]

Lucien Gediminid

---

After the... odd meeting with Atiala, I started flying back towards the icy wasteland they call Siberia, where me, Frank and Tomia meet back together every Tuesday to continue our training. That's where he told us to wait in. The dark skies around me quickly changed back to morning, then to evening, the Sun was moving across the skies rapidly. I flew right through a large thunderstorm and soon reached the continent again. First urban territory, then plains and farms, then just endless, unyielding forest. We must be close - I quickly lowered my power level and went back to my base form to avoid being detected. My father's spies and troops are still scouting every patch of land they can reach under his orders. And I'm not coming back there. Not in a hundred years.

It's too bad robots cannot be sensed - now I have to search the real way, by actually scouting the area. Why did Frank think it was such a good idea? He said that these skills will help me someday, but I can't see it. Alright, Lucien, think. If you were a robot, where would you-

!

The shockwave of an explosion suddenly shook the area. I quickly turned around and saw a burst of energy slowly fading - somebody is fighting there or something? And the energy definitely doesn't feel like ki... as if it was synthetic and mechanical. Wait! Is Master under attack? A few more blasts rocketed the land. Hold on, don't worry! I clenched my fists and instantly powered up into a Super Saiyan, then shot forward. The scene quickly unveiled itself - Frank was atop a hill, in his Influx form, firing blasts into the forest below. He must be fighting off a swarm of enemies in the woods! I soon touched down on the hill, in front of Frank, in a fighting pose, ready to counter whatever enemy will come out. Maybe it's that Janemba thing? He's here already?

"Hey, Lucien, what's up?" Frank commented. Huh? I turned around and replied:

"Master Frank! Are you alright?"

"Well, besides the fact that I just destroyed a universal tier threat, I'm pretty good. You?"

"I saw you shooting blasts at the forest! Do you need any help? Who are you fighting?"

"I'm training." Frank laughed, then went back to his base form. I did so, too. "You thought I was actually fighting some enemy, right?"

"Well, yeah..."

"Don't worry about that. If I were to actually fight, there would be more damage than just a few trees. Anyway, you look pretty stressed. What's up?"

I quickly inhaled and started rapidly explaining what I knew: "So, while you were gone, I met a bunch of Saiyan people, who met a Saiyan girl, who was a time traveller from a timeline where a monster called Janemba killed everyone, and the Janemba can travel between dimensions, and the Janemba is searching for the girl, and we have some time to train, and I found Atiala, and she told me I could train in the Hypersonic Time Chamber, and it's a very good way to train, and then I met you."

"Could you repeat that? I zoned out for a second."

"Uh..."

"Nah, I'm just messing with you, Lucien." Oh... "So, where's the Time Chamber thing or whatever?"

"Well, Atiala told me to search for a flying rainbow-colored island..."

Frank nodded. "Oh, that one. I didn't think it had anything on it except an abandoned temple, though... Where's your friend? The girl, I mean. Is she coming with you?"

"I don't know... I haven't seen her today, actually."

"Well, if she doesn't show up by herself soon enough, you can probably go there train alone."

[Narintia]

'I die...' Nakasan thought.' Everyone dies..' He glanced up at the sky, realising the hopelessness of the situation. 'I die there... Then I do training here.' he thought. Flying to Dendes lookout... slowly. He arrived. Without a single word, Nakasan walked into the time chamber 'wait! It's not stocked!' Dende said. ' Then stock it.'

[The Starlight]

Craig Thomsen
A Good Man Goes to War
Blood and Iron

Several Hours after Registration Deadline

Craig landed at the steps of Princeton’s main hall, his wings and armor disappearing revealing Craig in a polo shirt and jeans. The dean moderating the forum welcomed him. “Craig, how are you doing?” He asked with a friendly smile. “I’m doing good, Don, and you?”

The dean smiled. “Getting older, but I’m doing well. Welcome back to your alma mater. How does it fear to be back home?”

“Like I never left. Shall we get started?” Craig asked, the dean nodding and leading him through.

It was a forum open to the public, to discuss both sides of the Registration argument, and Princeton, being the college Craig had come from, had invited him, and he had accepted. He sat now, before a microphone, a water bottle beside him, tapping the microphone once, he began. “It’s good to be back.” He said, to cheers. “My name is Craig Thomsen, and I am against Registration. I won’t deny that it’s a controversial issue, and colleges have always been a good forum for discussions. That’s why I’m here. In light of Stamford, some might say that Registration is absolutely necessary, and that Stamford proved that. But I disagree. Anyway, I welcome your questions, and I hope this is an informative afternoon for all of us….”

Three Hours later

It was indeed an informative afternoon. He had been challenged, and also gained some supporters. Unfurling his silver wings and soaring up in the sky, he flew nowhere in particular. And then, all of a sudden, he began to count down, smiling to himself as he looked up at the sky. “3….2….1...and here he is. Tony.”

“Craig,” said Iron Man, “You’re flying too close to the sun.”

Craig shrugged, spreading his arms out, the sun glittering across his silver suit. “I am Icarus.”

“You do know the point of that story was that he flew too close to the sun and got burned for it. And he died,” said Iron Man, ominously.

“You know what, Tony? The people who say that? I think that they’ve never truly flown before. Never felt the wind at your back, the mighty flapping of wings, and all of the forces that go into flying.”

“I? I have never flown? Who was the first one to create a power suit? And look at the suit of armor you have on, a direct copy of mine. You might as well have painted it red and gold and called yourself Iron Boy.”

“Oh, this suit?” Craig said, looking at it. “You should know that generally, I’m a technological pacifist. I’m sure you were planning to call me out on it, so let me tell you why I created this. I created it to remind myself of my potential, of all the weapons I could create. This suit isn’t here to protect me. It’s here to protect the world from me.”

“That….is probably the most arrogant thing I have ever heard you say.”

“Rich coming from you,” quipped Craig.

“I’m Iron Man, Craig. I’m every kid’s favorite hero. You? You are a byproduct of my rise. An inferior model that needs to be erased.”

“So then, Tony, erase me.” Craig said, beckoning Iron Man. And the armorclad hero responded, throwing up a palm, blasting his repulsor beams at Craig’s unfurled wings, damaging them and sending the hero hurtling down below with chips of his wings broken. However, metal from his armor, by Craig’s will, reattached themselves to the wings, allowing him to right himself without using the alternate flight system he had. That weakened the durability of his armor, slightly, but it was irrelevant, Craig thinking that just before Stark tackled him, sending him hurtling to the floor below.

Controlling one of his disks with his mind, Craig activated the electrical field around the disk and sent it flying at Stark’s back, but the Golden Avenger barely noticed. “Electricity, Craig? You’re going to have to do better than that.”

“It is a good thing I have better, then,” he responded, as they neared the Earth. Managing to grasp his wrist, he managed to type in a few numbers, inputing the rest through his suit, and then, he was gone, Stark hurriedly braking to prevent crashing into the ground below. Craig reappeared just above Stark, Craig’s nanites popping into existence and forming a giant fist which crashed into Iron Man, sending him tumbling, Craig following up with another hit which sent his foil crashing into the ground.

“Alright, tank missile time!” Shouted Stark, a patch of his suit opening up to reveal a dozen tank missiles which flew at Craig. The mutant raised an eyebrow, and, used his laser, given accuracy down to the millimeter due to the calculations he and his on-board AI ran simultaneously. However, when he finished slicing them in half, new tank missiles emerged, Craig glancing up to see Stark grinning. However, Craig simply said, “Shields, 100%,” just before the tank missiles crashed into him. His shield cracked, but held against the tank missiles, Craig keeping it up as Stark charged at him and started punching at the bubble-shaped shield, Craig being knocked around in it for a while, flailing, as more cracks appeared in the shield. As Stark was about to throw one last punch that would probably break the shield, Craig managed to right himself, and lift a finger, halting Stark’s armored fist.

“What?” The man said in confusion, telling Jarvis to exert more energy into propelling his fist forward, only to no avail, the act barely costing Craig anything. Stark, coming up with a solution, detached the gauntlet, which flew at Craig, the mutant flicking his finger, sending the gauntlet way off course. “Your suit, Tony, is completely, utterly technology. I could sense you coming from hundreds of miles away, I can pinpoint the location of you, wherever you are. Your suit is mine.” Craig said confidently, as Stark began to see error messages all over his HUD. “Hydraulics, failing,” Jarvis reported. “Flight system, failing. Life support, failing. Communications, 50 percent. Shields, failing.”

And Stark began to drop, weighted down by a now-useless metal suit, he heard Craig’s voice. “This is what you get for supporting my torture, Stark. What you suffered all those years ago was nothing to what I suffered. By your support for Registration, you endorse my torturers, you reward them.”

“Give me a break, Craig, and stop talking. I’m the one who’s supposed to be the talkative one, not you. Now shush and let Uncle Tony think,” he quipped back, as he began to do just so, the pieces of the Iron Man suit flying away, Craig waiting to see what Stark would do. Next, the Golden Avenger commanded Jarvis to fly his uru armor out to him, the armor quickly wrapping itself around the man before he hit the ground, soon leveling off.

Craig raised an imperceptible eyebrow, questioning, “When did you get your hands on uru?”

“Odin was feeling merciful and a tad guilty after the thing with all of the hammers falling to Earth. Now, Craig, time to end this. Your technopathy is now negated. Give up this useless cause. You have no chance of winning this. Register, and tell the world, and you’ll face no charges, and be given everything you desire.”

“And what could you offer me?” He said to Tony, reaching over his shoulder and grabbing a disc which he hurled at Iron Man, Craig’s foe twisting in the air to avoid it. Craig blasted energy from his palms as his disc flew back to him, throwing it at Iron Man again, summoning several other discs from their dimensional storage. Iron Man, in a show of expert flying and skill, evaded, blasted away or countered all of Craig’s attack, landing a crushing uppercut to Craig’s jaw, repulsor blasts and laser beams keeping Craig under a slew of attacks, along with more tank missiles. Craig, now focusing solely on defense from the onslaught in a show of his own multi-tasking abilities, calculated angles, wind, and likeable movements of Stark as his palms blasted energy to match Stark’s repulsor beams, lasers cut apart tank missiles, and his nanites swarmed Iron Man’s armor. The Avenger responded to the nanites by unleashing an electrical surge which crippled the nanites.

Growing of the contest, he then simply flew forward at speeds that surprised Craig, grapped the mutant’s armored leg, and threw him crashing down to the ground below, Iron Man picking him up and letting loose an overwhelming flurry of punches at Craig, who had little he could do, save put up his shields and watch the energy bars on his HUD dwindle.

“You’re no fighter, are you, Craig?” Asked Tony, pausing, his right fist drawn back as his left gripped Craig.

“No, I’m not. Never was, and probably never will be. But before you start whaling at me again for who knows how long, you’ll want to hear this.”

Stark stepped back and crossed his arms. “Speak, buddy, and then let’s end this.”

Craig’s faceplate disappeared, and he sighed in relief, several cuts and scrapes being made evident. “Now, as to what I was saying. In exactly 5 seconds, I estimate, Jarvis is going to alert you of something alarming. I’ve taken the time, while you were furiously letting go of your anger, to take control of something of yours.”

Five seconds later, after he had spoken, Tony’s own faceplate popped up, his face paling. “You didn’t…”


“Yes I did. Sol’s Hammer. One of your more admirable creations, I will admit. A Dyson Sphere, capable, at 0.008%, to provide enough energy for an entire moon. I have no idea why you haven’t used this to end our energy problems, but away. 2% of it’s power is enough to destroy a moon. And Jarvis is telling you right now who it’s aimed at.” Craig said.

“Me…”

“Yes, you. Now imagine the precision required for the calculations, to take over, control and aim a superstructure that is 92.96 million miles away from the Earth. I’m keeping it’s power down to to an infinitesimally small number. But my control isn’t perfect Stark, far from it. One slip in concentration, one distraction, and who knows what could happen. I could easily blow both of us up, or the entire Earth.”


Stark stood, helpless, grappling with what Craig had done, surprised...by the audacity, the daring of it all. “Fine. You win this time. But seriously, Craig, “ and here he genuinely looked sincere, “Please never actually use it for anything other than energy and the damn Apocalypse itself. I know you hate me, and that feeling is mutual, but we can both agree that this is one thing that should be kept out of this little war of ours.”

“Agreed, Tony,” said Craig, letting the Dyson Sphere power down. As Stark turned his eyes upward, readying to fly out, the mutant spoke once more. “And Tony?”

“Yes Craig?”

“You were never my favorite hero.” He said with finality, Tony, for once, speechless, Craig smiling to himself as he unfurled his wings and flew up into the great, expansive sky above.

[Krytonus]

G R A V I T Y

Praetoria

Too late.

That's all that went through my head. I stared down at the scene below me. Xander, emperor of Praetoria. A man I had never really held in high spirits.

Daniel Carter. The man I had promised to save.

Dead. He was dead. A lifeless corpse under one boot of the Emperor.

I didn't know what to do. Xander was on his knees now. He'd realised what he'd just done. I wanted to go to the body, do something, but I knew it wasn't my place. I glanced around for Rebecca. She wasn't here. Of course not.

She'd see me on the cameras though. She'd know I failed.

And I didn't even know where to find her.

"Fuck, Daniel. I knew this would happen to you." I whispered.

I turned away, and flew off.

New York

28 Minutes Later

2 Hours Before Superhuman Registration Deadline

Seeing Xander murder Killswitch had changed something in me. Before, I had opposed the Registration Act. I wanted my freedom.

Childish. We couldn't just waltz around on our own anymore. We needed to be kept in check.

I walked into the police station and up to the counter. The woman on duty immediately turned off the cat video on her phone and turned towards me.

"Hi," I said from behind my mask. "I'd like to register, please."

[Empire of the Siberian Flaming Eskimos]

-Snip-

"It's still plenty a surprise," she said, relieved that Valancy hadn't pushed the issue of what she was doing. "Glad to have you back Val. I'll pass on the food though. I already had something and I technically don't need to eat anyways." A relieved smile on her face, Del left Valancy to watch TV and quickly checked local new stations and websites to see if anyone had reported on the incident from earlier to that day yet. Hopefully it was isolated enough that no one would notice. These hopes were quickly dashed though, when she found several prominent news outlets reporting on it. They took a special interest in the "strange armored figure" that was spotted by several people running away from the scene. She let out a heavy sigh as she made it to her room. It would take nothing short of a miracle for Valancy not to notice at some point. From now on she would have to be more discreet, and get rid of this problem fast. Laying down on her bed, she continued scanning the internet and other networks for any signs of HYDRA's activity. Police scanners, Fire Department radios, hell, she even had access to people's cell phones. It didn't take long to find that HYDRA was very busy. Just a few minutes ago a building had abruptly caught fire, and as far as authorities could tell there was no good reason for it. Highly populated, no reason for it to spontaneously combust, and seemingly put on a platter for her to notice. If HYDRA wasn't involved she would eat her own shoe.

Convinced that it was them, Del quickly got up and moved back towards the service stairs before stopping herself at her door. Valancy was still here, and she needed to get moving now if she wanted to get to that building in time. Biting her lip, she weighed the consequences for a few seconds. "Screw it," she muttered as she moved forwards. People needed her and there was no way in hell she was going to let them down because she wanted to stay private. "I left something behind," she said to Valancy as she moved towards the elevator, "I'll be back soon."

[The Fallen Jedi]

Julie’s Funeral

The funeral was a traditional type, funded by the justice league as Julie had not made plans for her funeral surprisingly, save a will. The service had just finished. The League was there, or at least all that could come. John and Hal were there, as well as the Martian Manhunter. Various other heroes were there as well, looking over the empty casket, including a vampire and her partner.

New York City (I assume)

Arctico snuck his way into Julie's funeral, her death was a shocking blow to Arctico, who viewed the martian as one of the first people who actually became friends with him during his early days on the blue and green planet, where clandestine organizations and superhero groups viewed the entirety of Arcosians as nothing but simple mass murders. Arctico hated how his people were discriminated on by these organizations and desired to improve his species' image, an effort that had hardly been making any progress on Earth but Arctico wasn't here to contemplate how Earth viewed his species, he was here to give his final respects to an old friend "I can't believe that she is actually gone..." Arctico muttered in disbelief as he stared at the seemingly empty casket with a deep amount of remorse, he had never seen Julie after the defeat of Frost, he never even had the chance to say goodbye to the one who had taught Arctico to fight against even the most overwhelming of odds, which cumulated in Arctico fighting his father to the point of death.

"Death is just the natural circle of life Arctico, sometimes we can cheat death, sometimes we cannot." Shiveron cut in, glancing at his grandson with a caring expression on his face, Shiveron had been so far away from his family that he felt as if he was never involved in their life in the first place, he didn't know where his son Frost was, so he decided to involve himself in Arctico's life "Don't feel so down about not expressing your gratitude towards Julie, but feel happy that she is now looking down upon you with a smile." Shiveron watched as Arctico took a glance back towards him, a small smile on his face.

"You do have a point..." Arctico admitted

[Tomia]

Roy
Roy was able to get a flight relatively easily, but it was delayed multiple times because of a brewing storm in the gulf. Finally, late in the evening he was able to get a flight out to New York. He was a little worried as he stepped on the plane. The sky did not look very friendly at all. He pushed those thoughts aside though. He was probably being ridiculous. Planes didn't just crash like that.

He placed his small bag in the overhead above his seat, and sat down next to the window. The dark stormy sky stared down at him as he looked out, a calm but serious look on his face. The mood of the flight was anxious. It was deadly quite, no one talking or chatting as the cabin shook with turbulence.

About 20 minutes into the flight the plane began to shake violently, the seat-belt sign flashing as the small air bags dropped down from the ceiling. The cabin was filled with screaming and the loud howling of wind as the plane began to nose dive. Roy began to panic, what was he supposed to do? He was supposed to be hero, shouldn't he be able to help? Roy chided himself for panicking and focused. Taking advantage of the lights going out in the cabin to create a large sphere of dark energy. Roy hoped it would protect as many people as possible.

Unfortunately, that was soon put to the test as the vessel began to nose dive into the water, landing in a huge crash. The strain on Roy to maintain the shield was incredible, and as the vessel began to sink into the water he was forced to abandon it in order to try to escape to higher ground. He crawled through the plane, seeing injured people and dead bodies scattered all around. He managed to get on top of the plane, realizing they were in the middle of the water. And island was insight, but was too far to swim to.

Roy knew he needed to find a way to shore, but he was exhausted, and slowly collapsed in exhaustion, laying on top of the floating ruins of the plane. He awoke some time later; he didn’t know how long it had been. He was laying on a beach, and the sun in his eyes told him it was daytime. He started to come to his senses and looked around almost frantically. Seeing a woman with long black hair standing nearby, tending to the wounds of other people. “Who… Who are you?” Roy said to her, in a weak and hoarse voice.

The woman turned to him, as if surprised to hear him speak. Roy started to move but he was held down. “No, stay still. You need to rest” The woman told him as she coaxed him back to the ground. “My name is Elena, I’m not your enemy.”

Elena sat down next Roy, who was watching her cautiously but did not object. “I was on the plane when it crashed. I saw this island, and got everyone who survived that I could find here. I’ve already alerted help. Hopefully they will be here soon.”

Roy studied Elena carefully, coming to the conclusion that she was indeed telling the truth. He nodded, “I’m Roy, it’s nice to meet you.” He said, offering his hand to shake. He was starting to get some of his strength back, and moving was easier. Elena shock his hand and Roy asked another question, “So, how did you get us out of there? We were at least a mile away from shore.”

Elena looked away slightly, “I have gifts. Let’s just leave it at that. Now if you’re feeling better, how about helping me here? The rest are much worse off than you are, and we’re going to need resources to last the night.”

Roy nodded, a little taken a back at the change of topic. Elena certainly didn’t mess around. They spent the next few hours working together, doing their best to tend wounds with make shift supplies and find water, food, and fire wood that would last them the night.

While Roy was working on building a fire, he suddenly heard a roar coming from the woods. Roy froze, turning around slowly to see a bear staring at him. Roy knew he was in trouble. He had never fought a bear before personally but he knew they were tough as nails and deadly.
Roy was at a disadvantage. He didn’t have his staff, and the direct sunlight made using his powers nearly impossible. He gripped the sharp stick in his hand tightly, it was the only weapon he had against the beast.

The bear began to charge, Roy bracing himself for the worst, waiting until just the right moment to roll away from the beast’s charge.
The beast turned slowly but recovered, rearing its paws in a threatening pose. Roy took this opportunity to charge, jumping at the creature, trying to thrust his spear into the heart of the predator. The bear throws him off however and just when it was about to pounce, a glowing light stepped before them. Roy had to squint to see, but realized that it was in fact Elena. She was holding up some kind of energy shield, shouting at the bear to leave.

The creature seemed just as shocked as Roy, and quickly ran off back into the forest. Elena then turned around, moving towards Roy and offering her hand to help him up. “You shouldn’t have charged that bear, that was stupid.” She told him as she helped him to his feet.
Roy frowned at this, “What was I supposed to do? Let it kill me?”

“You have to think more tactically. You clearly have skill, but you lack finesse.”

Roy was a little taken aback by this. Elena was clearly more than she had let on earlier. “Well, thank you for saving me.” He told her as he went back to making his fire. “Well, saving me again that is. You’re pretty good at that huh? Saving people?” He asked, fishing for information.
Elena shrugged, “It’s not exactly something I can turn down.” She said plainly as she started skinning a deer she had caught.

“So, what was it you did back there exactly?” Roy asked, deciding the direct approach would probably be best. However, Elena never answered, acting as if she didn’t hear the question.

Roy sighed, deciding to just go for broke. “Look, we both clearly have secrets we’re trying to hide. But, I don’t think there’s any reason for that. We’re stuck on an island together, at least for the day. We might as well do something to pass the time. So how about I tell you my story, and you tell me yours?” He asked her, hoping she’d accept his proposition.

Elena was silent for a few moments, which made Roy a little nervous that she would refuse, but finally she spoke up. “Alright, let’s hear what you have to say.”

They spent the rest of their day going about necessary tasks, but also talking constantly. Roy told Elena about his childhood in South America, his abilities, and how he met the Justice Queens. He left out some personal details, but the story was pretty much complete.

Elena held up her end of the bargain as well. She talked in detail about her powers, her time as Batgirl, and her work with the star-gate. Roy was needless to say impressive. Elena was incredible in his eyes. She had done all of the things he had dreamed of doing, and she didn’t need to kill anyone to do it.

By the end of the night they were sitting together silently around a fire, the wounded resting for the night. Roy say drawing shapes in the sand, trying to build up the courage to ask a question he had been thinking about for hours.

“What’s on your mind. You’re not the chatter box you were a few hours ago.” Elena said, with a playful tone.

Roy blushed, looking down before speaking, “Well, I was just wishing I had the experience you have. Sometimes I feel like a burden more than a hero. I want to be able to protect the people I care about. You think… You think you could train me?” He asked her, feeling self-conscious.

Elena was a little surprised by the request, raising her eyebrow curiously. “You want me to train you? Well Roy, we live very different lives. Where would we even do it?”

“We could stay here, for a while at least. It’s quite, isolated, no one will bother us. Please Elena, I could really use your help.”
Elena thought about it again. Roy seemed like a genuine kid, and it couldn’t hurt to spend some time away from her responsibilities. Besides, taking on a mentee could be fun.

“Alright kid, you’ve got a deal. The survivors will get picked up tomorrow, but we’ll stay here and then we’ll get started.”

Roy smiled brightly in relief, “Thank you Elena, I really appreciate it.”

Elena returned his smile, “Don’t worry about it kid. Now get some sleep. You’re going to have a busy day tomorrow.”

[Finland SSR]

Divine Winds

Part 3

Frank Mayhem

---

"Well, if we're going to take down the Celestial Army, we need our ship back." Xicor spoke, then landed back on the arid dusty ground and went back to his base form. I did so, too, and merely nodded in response. Xicor is a pain for me to work with, but I have to accept the fact that I need him, just for this one time. For once. And then I'll never have to see him again. "Come on, let's go." he muttered and shot off towards the village we landed in first. I doubt that they would've finished the repair this quickly, but hey, standing around in the middle of a desert is boring - and thus I flew right after him. It's a few hundred kilometers away - we'll get there in a few seconds.

Aaand we're back. The Fierrian village - although it looked more like a city from here - was right below us. Here's the town square, and our ship with a few people buzzing inside of it, and an another, much cooler-looking one next to it. Wait, what? An another, much cooler looking, grey and dark blue spaceship next to our ship. Where did that one come from? How did they bring it here? Xicor wasn't really surprised by it, and I have no idea why. Okay, if that's what is happening, I must know what, exactly.

"Okay, what the hell?" I exclaimed as soon as my feet reached the ground. The Fierrian in front of me suddenly jumped in fear and started running away. Oh, does he not recognize me? I zipped out of my position and appeared in front of the fleeing engineer, which scared him even more, to the point where he fell on his back. "Hey, I'm not a bad guy! Come on! Hello?"

"Oh, uh..." the alien stood back up and brushed some dust off his knees. He regained his trust completely when he saw Xicor land behind me, smiling in a friendly manner. "Sorry about that. I thought you were one of those invading androids at first. What were you on about?"

"What is this ship doing here?" It definitely doesn't look like a Heran design.

"Oh, about that... When you two flew away, we started working on fixing the ship, but we soon discovered that whatever did the damage was good at it. That vessel is best just left for the salvage plants - it's unfixable. Thus, we decided to pull a new one from our storage, as a gift of appreciation to you two."

While the engineer was explaining the situation to me, Xicor took the time to enter the vessel through the back door and inspect it from inside, scan it, and stuff. It looked smaller than the old ship from here - it probably lacks a training room. Soon, the brother's voice came out and reached my sound sensors, saying:

"It's a Canis Majoris construction. Scouting ship. Type IX, with mounted laser cannons and room for five people, powered by Type VI anti-matter generators. Five times faster and eleven times more durable than the piece of junk you pulled over here, Frank."

"You're a piece of junk..." I replied and walked up to the ship's open entrance. It does look kinda cool - the decor is dark and very space-y, with some blue mixed in to not make it single-colored. There was a pilot's cabin in the front with some rooms for passengers. Nothing fun, like a gravity chamber, though - it's all meant to be practical. The large tube with the anti-matter fuel was in the center - better not touch that. Xicor was inspecting every corner he could reach - what, does he think they placed a bomb somewhere? But, soon enough, he stood up and walked out. The Fierrians of this entire village gathered up around the ship to say their last goodbyes to their "heroes". Really, Xicor is just making them a bigger target by showing that they have the balls to resist the initial invasion. I can bet 50 zeni that this planet will be a Celestial Android factory when we see it next time. Or maybe we'll prevent that by destroying the Army before they can send a new division. Maybe. It depends on what this clown has planned.

Xicor waved to the gathered crowds, smiling as always. A few females ran up to him in tears, pleading him to stay, trying to look cute enough to get in his pants before he leaves, but he just shooed them away, even if politely. What a playboy. And I don't get even a single wink. He is probably pissed he was born as a robot and not as a sapient organic - no way to please them before their impending doom. I'm sick of this. I'm sick of the faces of these ugly insects and Xicor trying to act like he's some sort of messiah. I'm leaving. My brother was being awarded a golden medal by the same old guy we met when we first landed here. I snuck into the ship, turned in the main engines, suddenly blowing all close spectators away, then shouted at Xicor:

"Hey, Xicor Christ of Nazareth, we still have an entire universe to save!"

He seemingly heard me, and he quickly started shaking hands to the elders of the village, saying goodbyes and stopped winking at the girls, then ran back into the ship just as I started closing the door and set the destination towards the galactic center. The vessel soon lifted off, opening it's main engines and then shot off towards the designated target. Xicor hanged the medal at the side and brushed some dust off of it. He has shown me his collection of awards once. Cups, medals, statues - with so many worlds he has "saved" in those 50 years, you're bound to get a few.

"If you salvaged all of the stuff you've gotten this way, you'd be able to make a 1:1 golden statue of yourself by now." I snarkily commented. Xicor raised his eyebrow, then replied:

"Do you... think I collect these awards for fun? Or no reason at all?"

"Well, maybe-"

Xicor went on to ramble in his standard delusional manner. "Every single gift I get from the people I saved takes me back to those days. When I look to a medal, I remember the life I saved, the planet I guarded at that time for them to reward me that way. Even of those metals were rock circles, I would value them as much as now, and that's because they're not a materialist goal, they're a symbol!"

"...Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Could you repeat that?"

"Are you... serious?"

"No? Of course not, I heard everything. But you're weak and soft as hell, anyway."

"What?"

I just sighed in response.

[New Rob Halfordia]

Frost, scanned the menu with his eyes, as a sensory overload of smells and sounds nearly overwhelmed him. It all smelled so good, absolutely delectable. But one thing that he saw above all, was the triple cheeseburger. Frost had never seen anything so excellent looking in all of his life. He wasn't even sure what some of the stuff on the succulent was, given that Arcos only had two major food groups.

After placing and receiving their orders, the group sat down at a booth. Frost lifted his burger, and prepared to take a gargantuan bite, when something suddenly caught his attention. He turned his head and looked out into the sky from the restaurant window, still holding his burger. He knew exactly where what he felt was coming from. Arcos. And, it was emanating from two sources he never would have expected. His two nephews. Frieza and Cooler.

Frost took a bite as he gazed out the window, swallowing it before speaking to the Emperor of Praetoria, "Xander," he said, slightly quiet, "I thought you said you killed Cooler. And if I'm not mistaken, a Saiyan killed Frieza. So, I can't help but wonder why I can feel both of them, and they're more powerful than ever."

[Charmera]

Little Sister
Leslie Strauss|Denver, Colorado

---

There Leslie sat, in her family's living room, watching TV with her mom. "Leslie, you're going to love Addison." Her (step-)mother Josephine said to her. "She's gonna be your new little sister, so be sure to be nice when she shows up with Daddy."

"OK Mommy," Leslie replied, happily watching cartoons on the television. Her parents had told her a few times for the past two weeks that she might be getting a new sister, and today was finally the day she would get to meet her. She was quite excited, Leslie never had a sister before, and this one wouldn't ever be a baby, just a big girl! Well, bigger than babies, at least. But not as big as Leslie was. During her wayward train of thought, the cartoon had gone to commercial. Leslie was annoyed that the show was being delayed by paid sponsors, and mumbled something to the effect of:

"There shouldn't be so many commercials... The cartoon should be back now..."

All of a sudden, the current commercial ended in the midst of the "Call now!" The television flashed back to the cartoon show Leslie was watching, and she smiled back at the screen with glee. "When there's trouble you know who to call..."

When suddenly, there was a knock at the front door.

Addison frowned as she looked ahead. Staring at the window of the car that had carried her from the adoption centre to her "new home". She sighed as she turned to look that the house she would be staying in for and indeterminate amount of time. She sighed. Annoyed.

"Come on. You'll have a big sister. She's near your age so you can play together." Spoke the social worker Mandy, who happened to have a cousin who worked in the JQ towers.

"Someone to boss me around and pull my hair. Wonderful. I go from superheroes to this..." She beamoaned. "You don't think Fury will take me back?"

There was a pause. Addison did not need to see Mandy's face to know the answer.

"Never mind. Let's get this over and done with..." She muttered. Addison was still grumpy after being searched for explosives when she left the helicarrier. Turns out shield metal detectors could sense dynamite.

"Who knows? They may just kick me out before I get past the front door... Wouldn't be the shortest adoption I've had." Remarked Addison. She then knocked on the door.

[The Republic of Atria]

Naja ordered for herself and Xander. Double cheeseburgers. Jepperjack cheese and Extra Jalapenos on hers. Just the way she liked it. Xander's was plain because Naja couldn't convince him otherwise and she was preemptive on that. "Jesus, you're a picky eater. And we're not leaving until that whole burger is gone." She commanded, sitting next to her spouse. She watched as Frost started going at his food. "Looks like someone likes his cheeseburger. Come on Xander, take a bite. It doesn't hit back. You can relax now. This is a burger place. It's where normal people go out to celebrate. Now celebrate!"

Xander sighed, there was no way she was going to let him leave. So he did what she told him to do and took a bite out of the burger. He sighed. "Alright. You win. This is actually... Really good." He confessed and smiled a bit. "I'm sorry I'm so stubborn with you."

"Xander. I love you. I love that you care so much for keeping everyone safe. But seriously, you need to take care of yourself first. Or at the very least, once in awhile. This superhero thing is crazy and stressful. Gotta take a day or two every so often to catch your breath." She said and then Frost mentioned something about Cooler.

"Hm? Yes, I killed him well over a year ago. I threw his body into a star. He can't be alive. Even his body wasn't prepared for the heat of nature's furnace." He replied and took another bite. "And if he's back, and even if he is more powerful than ever, as am I. A nuisance at best." He was really starting to get tired of the superhero thing. People were starting to become jerks for the sole purpose of spiting him. And it was grating on his mind like a hack saw.

[The Starlight]

Roy

Elena Galadera
After the survivors had been picked up, Roy found Elena tracing out a small circle in the sand with her foot. "What is that for?" he asked. She replied, "You'll see soon. First though, we're going to warm up."

"How so, by doing stretches and push-ups?" Roy asked, a little unenthusiastically.

Elena chuckled. "Not exactly. First, take off your shoes. And then, follow me. We're going to run around this island a couple of times. This isn't a race, so no need to start racing ahead. This is a warm-up and a test of your endurance. When you're in a fight, you can't afford to try and end it too quickly, because that can lead to mistakes. However, if you can keep your energy for long periods of time, you'll have more chance of winning. I'm going to be running along with you, and no Stormlight for me. Now let's get started!" she said, beginning to lope off, Roy following her.

The two of them ran, side by side, Roy wincing at the burning sand while Elena showed no pain, the two of them leaping over logs and branches, Elena smiling as she swung on some vines before landing again, Roy shaking his head as he concentrated on his two feet, and then was suddenly tugged out of the way of a tree by Elena. "Keep your eyes up, soldier," she said, pausing to admonish him, before she continued on, Roy nodding and following.

Soon, the two humans were both drenched in sweat, and though they both doggedly kept on going, their pace slowly considerably until they came to their campsite, Elena holding up her hand. "That should be enough, I think," she said, looking over at Roy who had fallen to a stop. Elena picked him up. "After running, always keep jogging for a bit, Roy nodding and doing as she said, slowly coming to a stop this time.

"Ok, let's drink some water and then getting started. I've got some energy bars, if you want them. " she said, Roy finding it within himself to speak, "Yes please."

After water, an energy bar and a short break, they were up again, Elena now standing in the circle she had traced. "All fighters have their own style, and for metahumans especially, their style depends on their abilities. Captain America's style is dependent on his shield, Daredevil on his superhuman senses, and so on. I, as you know, have the power to create force-fields and draw energy from light. Thus, any gear I wear has plenty of Stormlight spheres in it. As for the force-fields, well, you'll see. What I am going to do is give you quick lessons in several martial arts, and help you design your own style of fighting, among other things. As for a few ground rules, one, do not call me master or sensei, or anything like that. Two, if you don't understand something I say, ask, it'll save us both a lot of grief. And three, your learning will never be complete. Batman can still get his butt kicked by several martial artists, if you ever meet him, don't tell him that I said that, but we both know it's true. There are going to be people who you probably cannot beat. And when you realize that, the best thing you can do is to run. Some might call it cowardly, but it's more survival than anything. Alright, let's get started."

"My style, I call Guard, a simple name, I know, but I couldn't think of anything better. I am constantly moving, and it involves acrobatics because if I'm going to fight, I might as well look cool while doing it, right? Anyway, Guard is a derivation of Wing Chun, and several other arts. Speaking of Wing Chun, have you seen Ip Man?"

Roy shook his head in denial.

"No? I'll go fly out and buy it tomorrow. Martial arts movies are actually, when they're not too cheesy, good examples of moves you yourself can do. We can watch a few of them tomorrow, I'm a big fan of them," Elena explained with a sheepish smile.

"Anyway, back to my style. It's neither defensive or offensive, both rather, I strive for both. The circle is a boundary that I don't cross, and one that I don't let the people I'm fighting cross. The circle can move, expand, or morph, but I don't go outside of it. For metahumans like us, since we've got powers, our styles should rely on it but not be overly dependent. There's a Bruce Lee quote about being like water in a cup, or something like that, I don't remember exactly what it is, but the lesson is, that you should flow in your attacks."

"Water in a cup?" Roy asked with an outstretched eyebrow.

"Yeah. I think it was something like water, when it goes into a cup, it takes the form of that cup. And when it's out of that cup, it takes a different form. Now, as to a demonstration of my style, use those shadows of yours, zip around to my back and try and attack me from there. Don't punch too hard, though." She said, settling into a slightly crouched stance, with one leg in front of the other.

Roy did as she said, using his speed in the shadows to get behind Elena, and before she could turn and react, threw a punch. However, he hit something solid, and there glittered into existence a force-field. "Good. You're quite fast in the shadows, we'll see how we can turn that into an advantage for you. Anyway, what you hit was my force-field. When fighting, I keep a force-field at my back at all times, to prevent being flanked or stabbed in the back. It can get difficult to maintain while fighting, so it requires the absolute focus. Try and punch my back again." she commanded, and Roy did so, and found himself grabbed by the force-field and hurled over Elena's shoulder, Roy landing on a force-field mattress that Elena had created, preventing him from hitting the ground hard.

"What was the point of that?" He asked, Elena shrugging in response. "Just wanted to try out a new move. Ok, it's your turn now. Your job, is to attack me. No holding back now, I want everything you've got. Land a hit on me, and you win. Now," she said, settling into her stance again, "Attack!"

[New Rob Halfordia]

Naja ordered for herself and Xander. Double cheeseburgers. Jepperjack cheese and Extra Jalapenos on hers. Just the way she liked it. Xander's was plain because Naja couldn't convince him otherwise and she was preemptive on that. "Jesus, you're a picky eater. And we're not leaving until that whole burger is gone." She commanded, sitting next to her spouse. She watched as Frost started going at his food. "Looks like someone likes his cheeseburger. Come on Xander, take a bite. It doesn't hit back. You can relax now. This is a burger place. It's where normal people go out to celebrate. Now celebrate!"

Xander sighed, there was no way she was going to let him leave. So he did what she told him to do and took a bite out of the burger. He sighed. "Alright. You win. This is actually... Really good." He confessed and smiled a bit. "I'm sorry I'm so stubborn with you."

"Xander. I love you. I love that you care so much for keeping everyone safe. But seriously, you need to take care of yourself first. Or at the very least, once in awhile. This superhero thing is crazy and stressful. Gotta take a day or two every so often to catch your breath." She said and then Frost mentioned something about Cooler.

"Hm? Yes, I killed him well over a year ago. I threw his body into a star. He can't be alive. Even his body wasn't prepared for the heat of nature's furnace." He replied and took another bite. "And if he's back, and even if he is more powerful than ever, as am I. A nuisance at best." He was really starting to get tired of the superhero thing. People were starting to become jerks for the sole purpose of spiting him. And it was grating on his mind like a hack saw.

Frost shrugged as Xander spoke, "I doubt he'll be much of a problem, and neither will Frieza most likely." he said, taking another bite, and speaking with his mouth full, "Then again, I recall making a similar remark about me. Either way, they can wait until after I've sorted out this God of Destruction stuff."

Frost took a third and final bite out of his burger, releasing a massive belch before grabbing his gut, "Holy hell, that was good. What are these things made of and what do I have to do to keep a steady flow of them in my life?" he asked, yawning as he stretched his arms and sunk down into his seat in the booth, "So, the Omega Effect has a new host? That's interesting. The Council gave me a small list of beings to never challenge, regardless of my mission, and Darkseid was among them."

[The Republic of Atria]

"Beef, cheese, bread, whatever other toppings you like are usually plants. It depends." Naja explained. "Yeah, it does. The new one is very... You know what, I'll just shoot him a text and you can meet him. Toss out whatever you expect him to be like." She said taking out her cell phone and started texting to him.

"She's right. Otis is a very... Unique individual. And by unique I mean he's probably the most well adjusted to normal life. And it's borderline surreal whenever he's around." Xander explained. "Great kid. Lots of potential." As Xander was explaining what Otis was like to Frost, the gangly man himself appeared outside and walked inside. "Speak of the devil..."

"You guys went out for cheeseburgers with a stranger before me? That is rude on like.... Fifty different levels." He said obviously not serious. "But for reals though. One of these is not like the other." He teased Xander and sat down across from Frost. "I've heard you. Frost right? I'm Otis. Naja texted me about you being new to Earth and whatnot. And as cool as Xander is, he's a fuddy duddy when it comes to doing stuff that doesn't involve punching things in the face. And the first thing we are going to do is watch One Punch Man. And before you ask me what that is, it's pure, unadulterated awesome. You'd think a story about a hero who beats everything with one punch would be painfully boring. But it's not. Which is astounding."

"Do you see what I was talking about?" Xander asked.

"You do not get to judge my entertainment tastes ye without a tail."

[Tomia]

---

Roy wasn't sure about attacking Elena with all he had. She was clearly strong, but he also didn't want to risk hurting her. Needless to say, Roy was not very confident about his abilities. He never had been, it was one of his greatest problems. He took a deep breath as he prepared to attack Elena. He was thinking over her shield abilities, and trying to decide what would be the best method of attacking her. He finally made a decision and started gathering shadow energy before running in circles at top speed to build up momentum. He then cut towards Elena at high speeds, throwing a punch at her face, hoping it would land.

[New Rnclave]

Tomia: IJ Timeline

Everywhere hurt, and every step was an entirely new battle. Her Uncle Oniyo, which she had only recently learned of, was far above her in almost every regard, and still berated her for being slow by lowering his own power to her level. It was nigh impossible to land a blow most of the time, and when she did manage to slip through his guard, it was usually by sheer boredom on the older Saiyans part.

But now as she slowly limped through the forest, towards her training partners, she felt a sense of foreboding enter her.

'Lucien was with Dad earlier today, and three others. Where did that other power even come-

Before she could finish her thoughts, she noticed another being hanging around where Lucien was. She could almost guarantee the other figure was Master Frank, but she couldn't be or sure yet.

Energy sensing was still a new skill to her.

The air shifted around her as she took to the sky, her eyes firmly locked forward. Lucien didn't look very happy, he almost looked... nervous actually. Whatever had occurred between today certainly hadn't been good by any stretch she could assume.

" Hey Lucien, Master Frank!" Tomia cut in, waves of force rolling off her as she stopped in the sky.

[Siliarba]

CeeCee

Once again we're on the edge of a war caused by people refusing to sign an act. And once again I've been called back in to active duty to help the world deal with these anti registrationists. I hope we can settle this thing this time, crush the opposition fast and move on with everything. Just like last time I was called back I was given a promotion, but this time it was more as an ambassador. Move out to offer help to those who are on the right side and help unite them. First on the list Xander, he has just suffered a hit by falling for the bait of a sacrificial lamb. People are scared of him right now, and that needs to be fixed.

It didn't take long to find Xander, he hadn't moved yet from where the fight happened. He looked distraught, seems like he can use all the help and aid he can get. I landed near him in my red lantern uniform "Xander, I'm CeeCee, recently given the role off ambassador when it comes to situations like this. You've just suffered a blow but the USA has your back, we're already making statements about how the man you killed was an assassin and a terrorist who was on the most wanted list with enough crimes to warrant a death sentence. It will calm people down, at least we expect it will."

I moved closer to Xander, talking while I kept walking "I also have some things I can offer you, any aid you want from the USA, within reason, I can get you access to. I also have an ally who will remain unnamed for now who has control over an entire dimension, she can freely teleport between it and anywhere in the world, it can help as a base of operations for meetings and ambushes." A couple more steps and I stood right beside him, I reached out my hand, first resembling like it was meant to shake hands but my hand was closed, like I was holding something.

"I also have one more thing to offer, but I'm not offering this as an ambassador, but as myself, without knowledge of anyone. I've seen what happened here, you were lured in a trap by a man threatening mass murder. He threatened your life, he threatened your people, he made you look like a monster to the people you try to protect, he tried to break you and break everything you stand for. This leads me to asking you a single question."

I paused a moment as I opened my hand with the palm of my hand aimed upwards before I continued speaking. "Did this make you angry?" I asked as a red ring hovered above my now open hand.

[The Republic of Atria]

Xander had barely acknowledged the woman standing in front of him, but he was listening to her talk. Offering aid and almost anything that he could use to fix the city, but that wasn't what he wanted. At this point he wasn't really sure what to do. It was then she offered him something that he considered. He saw the little red ring floating no farther than six inches from his face. And the temptation to put it on was nothing short of agonizing. "Does it make me angry? Yes. It does. It makes me very angry... Angry like you wouldn't believe." He spoke monotonously. He even lifted his hand to grab the ring until he caught himself and put his hand down. He would not give into his anger. He had been so good about keeping it buried so far. Was now the time to just let it out?

"I-I... Thank you CeeCee. But." Xander took another look at the ring and once again feeling the temptation to take the ring. "I can't do that. I can't undermine everything I've built so far even more. Even if I really, really want to. And I really want to." He replied with a sigh. "Thank you for the offer of aid. But nothing they can give me will fix what just happened. I can't replace people like that. I can't replace trust. Right now, I just... I want to be left alone. I just want some peace and quiet." It was nice to see that he had at least a few people who still cared about him, even if it was only for political reasons. All he wanted at the moment was to let his head clear before he did something rash.

[Urran]

Jump City

There was a bright flash, a series of pops, a strange jingling noise, the entire ally was bathed in radiant white light. There was a giant, pulsating orb of angelic energy, bright as the sun. It grew larger, then smaller, then larger, then slightly smaller, it continued the process over and over, getting a tiny bit smaller with each cycle until it reached the size of a person. Then it began to flash brighter, then back to normal, then brighter again, as it did so its shape began to twist, morph, change. First it became a torso, then, slowly but surely, limbs sprouted and formed the shape of a person on their hands and knees, then the head folded out from under the body and hair began to grow out, floating, waving, increasing in length. The entire figure flashed in dazzling light once more and grew several times in size before the light began fade, darken, and colors change as it quickly shrunk back down to size. Then, the light faded completely and small sparkles, like fairy dust flew away in the breeze. What was left was a person bowing on his hands and knees. They wore a black hoodie, dark blue jeans, and a pair of red converse tennis shoes. They had thick black hair, sweeping bangs covered their entire face like a veil, their long ponytail ran all the way down their back, but fell off at their shoulder and was mostly piled on the ground.

A few whimpering noises came from the small form and its limbs shook. It shakily sat up, rubbing its face with hands that barely came out from its hoodie's sleeves. It sat for a while on its knees, sniffling. Where was it? How had it come here? Where was it here? So many questions ran through their head that they could not think straight. Was it somewhere else on its world or somewhere else entirely? What would happen now?

[The Silhouette of Adventure]

I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him.
Revelations 6:8

The Pale Horse

Have you ever wondered how the world dies?

I did, once. I wondered whether the world would end in fire, or perhaps with darkness and the cold. Maybe, I pondered, the world would end with the rise of mother nature against our world.

Maybe it would end with a laugh.

That's how we went about our days, civilians in Gotham City. We lived our lives knowing that each and every second, a madman could be the death of us all. It almost happened- More than once. And then, one day, it finally happened. The world went mad, and there was nobody left to protect us. We stepped up, that night. The common man became Heroes, and I... I became something else. Something more. I couldn't die, and I used that power to go places where no other member of the police could go, do things that no other member could do. At last, at long last, I could protect my world. The Hell that was our city was calmed, at long last.

And then it all went to shit again. A God died, and I was transformed into an Aspect of Death in the moments that followed. I lost control of my own body, and my mind was split in two. Even as the darkness controls me and my body, forcing me to kill that which does not deserve to die and end those who have no reason to be ended, it nevertheless returns to Gotham City once or twice a week, simply to show me what new hell had been unleashed on my home.

I used to wonder how the world dies. Now, without control of my body and forced to wallow in my mind like one of Arkham's madmen, I watch my own be destroyed every hour of every day.

---

"Oracle."

"What do you need, Bruce?"

"There's a pattern. Artemis Crock, the Tigress. Kon El, the Superboy. Henry Hall, the Hawk. Bullseye, Mysterio, Abomination. The League is saying that the dried out husk of Ego, the Living Planet was just found. All of them had the same appearance. Their bodies were drained of their essence and covered with rot. Before now, we could find nothing to connect them, but... Oracle, each and every one of them was dead."

"Uh, yeah, their bodies were found."

"Not what I mean, Oracle. They were dead- They've been dead before, and they were brought back. This killer... They're powerful. Powerful enough to take out Ego, and knowledgeable to know what I've only found out in the last two hours. They target those who have been... Beyond the veil."

"...Bruce..."

"I know. It won't come to that. I'm calling in the League."

---

"Where's the Mask?" The Red Hood held his target up by the shirt, throwing him against the wall. "Three men died, and my intel says Black Mask is at the bottom of it."

"Jason Todd. The Red Hood. Your death was ordained, and yet you live." The Reclaimer faded into view above the vigilante. He held his sickles up and began slicing downwards, only for the Hood to leap backwards, tossing his interrogation target to the side and out of the way of the God's blades.

"Oracle, you know that threat you were worried about?" He scowled. "It isn't here for Bruce. It's here for me." He pulled a grappling hook from his side, firing it and leaving the Reclaimer behind. The God of Reclamation tilted his head for a moment and narrowed his eyes, before vanishing.

"What? What!? You need to get out of there, Hood!"

Red Hood cursed as the Reclaimer re-appeared in front of him, slicing through the cable of the grappling hook. He gritted his teeth and lunged forward, rolling to the stop on top of a building. "Yeah, not gonna be possible. Hood, activate protocol 37, transmit all data to Batcave computers. Oracle, my hood is laced with state of the art recording equipment and multi-spectrum analysis. Figure out who, or what, this guy is. In the meantime, I'll try and-"

The transmission turned to static.

"Hood? Jason? Jason!"

---

"Donna Troy. Wonder Girl. Your death was ordained, and yet you live."

---

Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman stood in silence in the Watchtower. For a moment, they did not speak. Instead, they simply looked at a screen, where images from three crime scenes were held. The dead, rotted bodies of Superboy, the Red Hood, and Wonder Girl.

"I know the two of you weren't close anymore, Bruce..." Superman began quietly, not turning his eyes from the screen.

"Neither were you and Conner." Batman cut him off coldly. "It doesn't make any difference. We're bringing him down."

---

My name is Henry Retlyer. I watch my life be destroyed every hour, of every day. Now, it's his turn, my other half- It's time for the Reclaimer's world to come crashing down.