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

[The Starlight]

-snip-

"Yep. I have to admit that no matter how good my technopathy is, I won't be able to solve all of our problems unless I spend the rest of my life in my room. But with the amount of tech that all the alien invaders leave behind, added to your Kryptonian tech, I estimate we'll be able to advance our technological level and potential in about 2 years, prior to which it would have taken us..." Craig doing some calculations mentally, 57.3 yrs to advance our level, and thus, our species." he said, flying along Xander and coming to the workshop. "If Kryptonian tech is as good as I suspect, and from what I'm sensing with my powers now, it is, plus what I garnered from all the races we fought alongside with in the Builder War, in two years, humanity will be one of the universe's tech capitals. His Orb blinked out from his armor, projecting what Craig was imagining at the very moment through holograms. "And I'm talking potentially planetary shields, clean, inexpensive energy, entire planets for just farming, the human race expanding into the stars not only by colonizing other planets, but asteroids. Some asteroids can be huge, and, with some terraforming and hollowing out of their insides, they could even serve as temporary bases or communities. The future is now," Craig said, his eyes bright in excitement. "Weather control? It might be theoretically possible. Mjolnir is able to manipulate the weather, though that's magic, and I'm not planning on getting into that right now, and there's also Storm, the mutant you're probably referring to. One would have to change the very atoms in the sky, bending them into a new shape. And creating weather conditions is one thing, manipulating weather conditions that are already there is another thing. It'll have to be done carefully, or else a permanent change of climate could throw ecosystems into haywire, but I'll add it too the list."

"And as for manipulating matter," Craig said, pulling out the half-done matter converter and setting it on a table, "I've been working on that too. A matter converter, made so that it can turn trash into food, or metal, or anything useful. I've got the structure down, but the actual matter manipulation is the part where I've been having some trouble. But..." he said, gazing around the room with a smile, like a giddy kid in a candy store, "I might be able to find something here. Or we could infuse the power of a matter manipulator into it, and then duplicate it." he said, setting up various instruments, grabbing the chalkboard.

For a moment he paused, turning his full attention back to Xander. "But I won't be able to do this alone. If you don't mind," he said, the Orb floating to his hand again, "I'll invite some colleagues. This is too big for just me to do so, and to have one man potentially altering the course of our history negatively is something we don't want."

"Orb, locate and contact persons at a similar intellectual level to mine, and experts in the various sciences, who share my goals and dreams, so no supervillains. Duplicate, and contact. It's time for a Convention," he said, the Orb splitting into multiple pieces before shooting off into the sky. One went to the Baxter Building, to invite Reed Richards and his daughter, another to Wakanda, others still to the Justice Tower to invite Valancy. Other orbs headed to the last known locations of Amadeus Cho, Bruce Banner, Hank McCoy, Adam Brashear, Peter Parker and others.

One orb in particular flew to Jump City, where upon finding its target, released a hologram of Craig's head, which spoke. "Hello, Mars. My name is Craig Thomsen, call me Craig. I've identified you as being of a similar mindset and intellect compared to my own, and am inviting you to a convention of sorts, here in the new nation of Praetoria. Its Emperor, Xander, and also a friend of mine invited me to take a look at the Kryptonian tech he has obtained. From a brief look and estimation, I believe we will be able to advance the technological level of Earth tremendously. But I can't do this alone, and that's where you, and others come in. I'm gathering the world's brightest good-hearted minds here for a Convention of sorts. War, Poverty, Climate Change, those are the types of things I think we can accomplish here, together. I know you have duties with your team, but perhaps we could work out some agreement," he said, smiling.

[The Fallen Jedi]

Freiza

Inky back smoke hung around them as Freiza finally stopped rolling, the entire left side of his face a swelling, purple bruise. Struggling to his feet, Frieza stared back at Glacia, barely contained malicious in his Crimson eyes. Breathing in a shallow, furious breath, Freiza closed his eyes, letting his temper simmer down before opening his eyes.

Something glinted behind his hellish red orbs, a plan formulating in his mind as the world raged around him. Slowly raising his hand, his index finger flicked out, a glowing red orb in the end of it.

"You know, I didn't recognized you before, but I do now,Glacia. I remember that idealistic trash you used to go on and on about. But you know what I remember distinctly? How soothing the screams of a bitch like yourself can be. I suppose anything is better then that drivel you used to spew." He commented pointedly, a barrage of Crimson bolts exploding from his finger as he hopped back, screaming viciously.

Lord Arctico/Cosmic Emperor of The Reformed Planet Trade Organization

At the mentioning of Glacia being insulted, a massive surge of energy could be felt all throughout Hell itself, the source of all this energy being Arctico, who had arrived at the very moment of hearing Frieza insult Glacia, he had intense hatred for the tyrant, but now? He wanted to tear Frieza limb from limb "Screams of a Bitch?!" Arctico practically hissed, the Power Cosmic within his body instantly flaring to life in a show of force, it was bringing out Arctico's now unkempt rage, he wanted to help Glacia take Frieze out, but the least he could do was let Glacia take Frieza out "You should talk, you son of a Tyrant..." Arctico said with a growl, his eyes staring right into Frieza's own, with deadly intent hidden behind his eyes "If you want to call her a bitch, I would have killed you myself, but the honor belongs to Glacia for taking your ass out of commission, I came here for King Cold and Cooler..." Arctico said with a growl before turning his head to King Cold "You son of a bitch..." Arctico said, his head turned towards King Cold "So that was the reason why you kept me offworld for so long, so I couldn't know what happened to her while you son tortured her." Arctico's energy practically soared to unbelievable heights, automatically triggering his Ultimate Evolution Form "I'm going to bring the wrath of my anger down upon you and Cooler, Glacia deserves to make Frieza suffer for his actions."

King Cold stared at Arctico with stone cold eyes, he remembered Arctico no doubt, he served as a member of his Elite Guard so very long ago, that is, until he transferred him into Frieza's Elite Forces, which also effectively brought Arctico off of Arcos and into the Northern Galaxy, serving the PTO's interests during his career, but then after the destruction of Planet Vegeta, Arctico mysteriously disappeared, and now Arctico had the nerve, in a new silvery form to come and oppose him, King Cold out of all people. Landing onto the ground, King Cold stared at Arctico "You have quite the nerve to insult someone who is far superior to you in every way... Arctico." King Cold said with such restrained anger that he practically sneered Arctico's name "You have no idea about the power that flows through my veins, you think that Lord Frost was bad, you have yet to see my anger in person child!" Cold growled, firing forth a barrage of Death Beams towards the young Arcosian, and with each impact, Arctico visibly shook under the force of the Death Beams, but did not move in the slightest, and as the last Death Beam was aimed towards Arctico chin, it hit him and caused his head to rise up.

Although Cold felt as if he instilled fear in Arctico, hopefully bringing him back in line, to his shock, Arctico actually started laughing at him "ho, ho, ho" Arctico laughed, bringing his head down and to Cold's shock, Arctico's face held as much anger as they did before, but now a smile formed on the young Arcosian's face "Is that it? You are nothing but a fool if you think that your power can even break me down..." Arctico's energy signature began to reveal itself, an angelic white color "I'm going to make you pay for everything that you've put the Northern Galaxy, and as Emperor of the Reformed Planet Trade Organization and the figurehead of the Arcosian people, I promise you that this pain will not come quickly, but agonizingly slow!" And with these words exchanged with King Cold, Arctico's entire form disappeared for only a Millisecond before King Cold suddenly felt an extreme pain in his gut. Looking down, he saw Arctico's fist slowly pushing itself forward, and before he could even respond, Arctico, using the newfound powers of Psionics to send the former King of Arcos spiraling back "It would normally take moments to defeat you, but I have something else planned for your sorry ass!"

[Tomia]

-Snip-

Mars saw Kiris' almost disappointed look when he tried to downplay him carrying her and he was quite confused. It almost seemed like she was hoping for a different response, though Mars had no idea what that was. He pushed that thought out of his mind however as he listened to her discuss her condition. He was visibly relieved to hear that she was feeling alright, but was also clearly puzzled. She had clearly been through some kind of trauma that caused her to pass out, so it seemed strange that she was feeling very good physically. He tried not to show his confusion and worry about this since Kiris seemed to be in a pretty good mood about it. "Well, let's go downstairs to my lab, and we can see if your vitals have been effected at all." Mars said as they began to walk downstairs to Mar's large laboratory together.

They walked toward Mars' medical station in the corner where he had an examination table, a number of tools for examination, even an MRI machine and a small centrifuge. Because of Mars' advanced knowledge of science and medicine he had become what was basically the team medic, and helped them out whenever they were injured or sick. Mars paused when Kiris pointed out that her arms were coated in scales and not accessible to needles. He blushed a bit in embarrassment, he should have realized that. He was still getting used to some of his teammate's strange physiology and while he had done a large amount of research, he was still trying to get used to it. "Well, the arm is usually the best place. Bu the neck or the feet will also work too. Whichever you're more comfortable with I guess." He said to her, preparing the small needle and kit to extract the blood from Kiris so he could test it.

-Snap-

Cora
Cora smiled when Katie took her hand, and said goodbye to Serene and Darian, promising to call Serene who she had exchanged numbers with. Cora wrapped her arm around Katie as they walked toward the rainbow bridge that would bring the, home. Soon they were encompassed in a bright light and were instantly brought back to the living room of the JQ headquarters. Cora smiled to Katie, glad that they would finally have a little time alone. "You were really amazing today with the way you helped Otis." Cora said to Katie, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and pulling her into a kiss. The kiss continued for a little while until Cora was suddenly hit by a stabbing pain and she pulled away from Katie suddenly, failing to her knees from the pain as she was surrounded in a strange golden aura. Then suddenly a voice filled Cora's mind.

Rise Goddess of Redemption

The strange voice said in an ominous tone and then the pain suddenly vanished and Cora was left laying on the floor breathing heavily as she wondered what the hell had just happened.

Nico
Nico was very relieved that his bluff had worked, but now he had to try to keep it up. He had a strong feeling that his sister was a mutant, but he had no real idea what her power was, other than that it made her afraid to touch him. "I could see it Cat, because I know what its like to feel alone, to feel like a freak. But just cause you're scared of hurting me sis, doesn't mean you should shut me out. We need each other, now more than ever, and I'm never going to abandon you, no matter what." Nico said sincerely, looking softly into his sister's eyes. "So what do you say? Can we face our problems together? Brother and Sister?"

-Snup-

Mars had been exercising when suddenly the hologram of Craig appeared before him. He was quite surprised, since Craig Thomsen was a very famous inventor and had been in the news recently after having escape government custody and exposing a plot to target superheroes. Mars was even more surprised when Craig invited him to the summit. "Really? You want me to come?" Mars asked in shock, adults had never really taken him seriously before and never treated him like an equal as Craig was. He hadn't heard of Praetoria before, but he was eager to be at a conference with brilliant minds from across the world.

"Of course, I mean I'm very interested in attending. I have duties with the team, but I can take some time off to come. I want to do my part to help." Mars told Craig, trying and probably failing to hide his excitement at the prospect of this conference.

[Baxten]

Daniel Cruise

Daniel sat on one of his beach chairs out on the back deck. "Oh, this is the life" he said "peaceful and away from the big city. Beautiful view and calming water all around this place. I could stay here forever, and enjoy the good life". But then Daniel received a message from the CCPD, saying that a mysterious man is causing havoc in the city. Daniel rushed and got suited up, ready to fight off the threat. Daniel arrived there, and was greeted by some random person who was shooting lightning out of his hands, similar to Black Adam. Daniel didn't know who it was, but knew it would be a long fight. He would have to be cautious, as too much electricity could short out his suit, making him lose considerable strength. "Stop right there" Daniel said in his most intimidating voice. "You will pay for your actions". The stranger stopped his assault on the civilians and focused on Daniel. "Well, what a lovely surprise, Genesis. You probably don't remember me, do you". Daniel was puzzled, not knowing what this man was going on about. "I was one of the test subjects in the Future Warrior Program. My name is...oh, that's not important. I will get revenge on the US government and all of it's people for what they've done. Your just a bump in the road I have to get across. Now, let's do this".

The stranger ran towards Genesis, who dodges him rather easily. He knew he'd have to be cautious, as this stranger probably had similar powers and the advantage of electricity. Genesis shot heat beams at him, but the stranger dodged it very easily. He then ran toward Genesis, catching him off guard and punching him right in the face. Genesis staggered back, stunned by the unexpected attack. "Dammit. I have to be more cautious and tactical than my opponent; he has the same strength as I do". Genesis flew towards the stranger to hit him, but he moved out of the way, making Genesis hit a wall. "I do enjoy watching this. You can't even hit me, Genesis". This only made him madder, and Genesis did the same move, but this time, when the stranger moved, he curved to the right a little and was able to hit him in the neck, causing him to get the wind knocked out of him. The stranger stood back up, and got back into fighting position, as if nothing happened

Genesis and the stranger kept fighting, seeming almost even in power. When one would attack the other, the other would dodge him and counter. But then, the stranger used his electricity to shock Genesis mid-flight, which caused his suit to malfunction for a few seconds. The stranger realized this and did it again, but this time with much more force. The suit had powered down from being given too much energy, which made Genesis have to rely solely on wits and natural strength. He shot a heat beam at the stranger, but the stranger dodged it. The stranger then shocked Genesis so much, that it was difficult for him to even stand. "Weak fool. You can't even fight me. Here, take a free hit. It won't do anything". But Genesis felt something weird. It seemed as if time slowed down, and everything went gray, except the stranger, who seemed to turn blood red. Genesis was like a robot, and was able to aim hundreds of beams at him before being shot. When he decided to shoot them, they came out like a bullet, and destroyed the stranger in mere seconds. After all the beams were shot, Genesis walked away and didn't look back, wanting to just go back home a relax by the pool. "Where did I get that power. That...that was exhilarating. It was like an animal coming alive inside of me. I hope I can use those emotions more often". Genesis later realized that it was his ability to hone on a target and allow his heat beams to become extremely precise, and he is now able to control it with ease. He went back home and sat next to his pool, looking out onto the sunset.

[Charmera]

-Snap-

Cora
Cora smiled when Katie took her hand, and said goodbye to Serene and Darian, promising to call Serene who she had exchanged numbers with. Cora wrapped her arm around Katie as they walked toward the rainbow bridge that would bring the, home. Soon they were encompassed in a bright light and were instantly brought back to the living room of the JQ headquarters. Cora smiled to Katie, glad that they would finally have a little time alone. "You were really amazing today with the way you helped Otis." Cora said to Katie, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and pulling her into a kiss. The kiss continued for a little while until Cora was suddenly hit by a stabbing pain and she pulled away from Katie suddenly, failing to her knees from the pain as she was surrounded in a strange golden aura. Then suddenly a voice filled Cora's mind.

Rise Goddess of Redemption

The strange voice said in an ominous tone and then the pain suddenly vanished and Cora was left laying on the floor breathing heavily as she wondered what the hell had just happened.

“Cora!” Katie had shouted, moving towards her girlfriend before she suddenly felt all her body parts rebelling against her, and blinding pain searing her body. She felt the familiar sensation of electricity, but for once ever in her life, it hurt her, shocking her with it’s power. She fell onto the floor and convulsed as if she had been hit with a taser, and then found herself rising only partially of her own volition. Her eyes flashing blue for a second as she felt the air charged…

“Electrons…” She muttered. She could feel them. In their trillions upon trillions, in incomprehensible numbers around her. She could connect to them. “What the heck just happened!” She cried out.

Nico
Nico was very relieved that his bluff had worked, but now he had to try to keep it up. He had a strong feeling that his sister was a mutant, but he had no real idea what her power was, other than that it made her afraid to touch him. "I could see it Cat, because I know what its like to feel alone, to feel like a freak. But just cause you're scared of hurting me sis, doesn't mean you should shut me out. We need each other, now more than ever, and I'm never going to abandon you, no matter what." Nico said sincerely, looking softly into his sister's eyes. "So what do you say? Can we face our problems together? Brother and Sister?"

Cat frowned, looking at her gloved hands, and then she frowned, remembering all the times they had to rely on each other without their parents around, because they really weren’t around a lot. She nodded, realizing again that she needed her brother, but perhaps he might need her too… though she couldn’t be sure for what the prodigy of the family would need her for. She reached her hand out to shake his. “Okay.” She spoke. “We can try… Though I;’m still not sure about our parents…"

[The Republic of Atria]

Otis looked around Thanos' ship and sat in what seemed to be an empty chair. "So..." He said. "How are you going to try and trick me into giving up my powers so you can do whatever you want with them?" Otis asked. "Come on. It's all the same trick with you people. Try to convince me that you're on my side, then when I least expect it, BOOM. Ya try to fuck me. WELL LISTEN UP. Mister Steredenn does not like being fucked by anyone that isn't Missus Steredenn!" He didn't really have a better half, but for the sake of the joke he felt it was okay. "So let's skip all that nonsense and skip to the part where things explode." He said with his eyes more than ready to blast the entire ship into less than nothing. "See. I kept a tight lid on these fancy Omega powers. Cause there aren't too many people who can withstand them. But you? You can take it, can't you big guy? I need to blow off some steam. And you're at a much smaller risk of dying than everyone else."

It wasn't much of a mental snap from Otis. He snapped, but his snapping was much more tame due to the tight control he had over his emotions. The ship hadn't even left the planet's surface when it exploded, sending Thanos and Otis flying across the planet's surface. Thanos of course being ever so slightly upset that Otis was being obnoxious. "You insignificant pest!"

"Blah blah blah. Been called worse by my own mother." Otis said and smiled rather creepily for him. "I'm two for two today. Let's make it three for three!" Instead of firing the Omega Beams like Thanos was expecting, Otis channeled the power into the ground and sent out a massive red shockwave. His force-fields were more than capable of withstanding the blast. However, the next 20 miles weren't so lucky as they were flattened by the power of the Omega Effect. "This planet is lifeless. No one for thousands of miles. Which means I can finally let it all out..." He said and Thanos lowered his force-field. Otis was genuinely trying to kill him.

Not that it mattered to Thanos. Killing Otis was the original idea. But it was decided that it would be a backup plan as that was easier said than done. Otis was every bit as powerful as Darkseid was, with none of the ego. Or at least much less of it. Which meant that he would be using powers that Darkseid never used to win. "If you will not take my mercy. THen I will kill you as I have all who dared attack me."

"I somehow doubt that's gonna be as easy as you think." Otis said, running straight at Thanos to engage him in fisticuffs. Which meant Otis was kicking Thanos in the face until Thanos grabbed his foot and head, forcing him into the stone followed by several repeated stomps, forcing Otis into the stone only for Thanos to still see Otis' stupid smug grin "Oh god... This is so funny..." He said laughing even though he was bleeding.

"Tell me boy, what do you find so humorous about this?" He asked before he was knocked off of Otis with a very painful burning smashing into his back. Thanos stood back up to see not one, not two or even three. But at least 10 of Otis' avatars all with his smug face. The avatars were far weaker than Otis himself and Thanos had no problem tearing them apart. Their beams lacked the same power that Otis' had, and after a very gory minute Thanos had killed every single one of the avatars. He was covered in burns and purple blood, but was still more than capable of fighting.

"You look upset." Otis said. "Tell you what. No more of the mini mes. This is gonna sting a bit." He said and truly began to unleash the power of the Omega Effect. Thanos held strong as the beams sprayed off his body, devastating the planet behind him.

[Tomia]

Cora
As Cora was starting to regain some composure she saw Katie convulsing on the floor,"Katie!" She called out in concern as she started to rise, but her movements seemed rigid and didn't seem to be completely her own. Cora slowly rose to her feet as she reached down to help Katie up as well. She heard Katie mutter electrons and wondered what was going on with her, but realized they might have had a similar experience of some sort.

"I don't know sweetie, but I think we just went through something similar. There was a sharp pain all around my body, then I heard a strange voice calling me something. 'Goddess of Redemption' I think it said? Whatever that means. What about you Katie, you seemed like you were in a lot of pain. Are you okay now?" Cora asked, clearly concerned for her teammate and romantic partner.

Nico
Nico broke out in a wide smile when Cat extended her hand out to him. He shook the gloved hand slowly and gently, very happy that they were finally making progress. "Thanks Cat, this makes me really happy. I'm sorry if I haven't been there for you through your struggles. I know I haven't always been the best older brother, but I'm going to try to be different. It'll be the two of us together from now on alright?" He said to his younger sister before nodding when she said she wasn't sure about their parents yet. "I understand Cat, you don't have to believe me yet. Trust me, I get why you don't want to, and it makes sense for you to be skeptical. We can deal with that later. Right now, what do you say we go try to do some good huh? I feel like there are a lot of people at that bank over there that could use our help right now." He told her before pausing, his fear breaking through his outer confidence. "I can't help them alone Cat. I need you r help too."

[Mavorpen]

The average person is completely oblivious as to what occurs in the cosmos. To them, many of the displays of power and the fanatical events occurring everyday in the cosmos could easily be mistaken for the mystical. For some, this was merely out of ignorance. For others, it remained ignorance, but was willful. Even as they looked up into the sky and saw the face of Ego looming down, watching over them, most people simply went about their normal everyday activities as though nothing had changed.

The day Jamal was stripped of his status as Nova Prime and rejected from the Corps was the day where one sentence spread across all forms of media: the Rapture has come. From Washington DC to Tokyo -- from Kenya to Paris -- hundreds of thousands of normal, everyday people were suddenly lifted into the air, outlined by a mysterious yellow energy. Some of those left behind cried out in joy, under the impression that their Savior had come, while others furiously reviled this, cursing God for not being chosen.

As for those who were "chosen," they were entirely filled with a euphoria that even they couldn't explain. As they passed the upper atmosphere, they all simultaneously heard Worldmind's voice in their minds. "[There is nothing to be alarmed at. Today is a day for celebration. I am introducing endorphins to soothe your anxiety. This is perfectly natural. You have been selected for service in the Nova Corps, a peacekeeping organization sworn to protect the races of the cosmos. I am the Worldmind. You are currently being brought to Nu-Xandar.]"

Upon reaching and entering Ego, the recruits passed through a specialized field that granted them each a portion of the Nova Force and therefore they each entered Nu-Xandar dressed in their own Nova Centurion costumes. Each recruit wore an eerily happy smile, verbally expressing how amazing they felt and how beautiful Nu-Xandar was in a daze. "[Skill-patches and dataware upgrades are being loaded into your consciousness. You will know your own personal serial code momentarily. Remain calm. Celebrate.]"

A group of already recruited Centurions led by Tarcel flew down to greet the new recruits. "Welcome, new recruits! It is nice to meet you. You must be hungry, so first order of business will be to get you some food. The selection makes you hungry, right? After that, we will talk about the training regime. Please note that you can leave at any time you wish."

"Sir, why would anyone want to leave?" One of the recruits asked, with a wide smile on plastered on his face.

---

"And that's why I'm powerless." Jamal said.

"Wow, that was a... 'dick move,' is it?" Karnilla responded.

"I agree, Worldmind is a dick." Ruby stated, punching the head of of a generic fire demon clean off. She and Karnilla tore through an army of identical demons, crossing the drawbridge leading to a large castle -- Ruby using her brute strength and Karnilla her magic. Karnilla also used her magic to separate Jamal's astral body from his physical body and therefore travel with the two without actually risking his life.

"Boy, demons these days aren't what they used to be." Karnilla remarked as demons around her violently exploded without her even touching them. "In any case, why did you come to me?" She asked Jamal.

"Because... because even though I'm convinced that something wrong is going on with Worldmind's recruitment, and I disagree with him rushing into reviving the Corps, part of me still worries that I'm in the wrong and I actually am insane."

"So, what, you want me to perform a psychological evaluation on you?" Karnilla asked as they entered the castle and began immediately making a beeline for the center of it.

"Sort of. A general check up with your magic, just in case."

"That will be simple enough. Ah,we're here" The group found themselves in an enormous room, roughly six times as large as your average suburban two story home. At the end of the room opposite the entrance that they came through, was a large throne, with an equally large sword laying against it and and a colossal demon capable of wielding such a blade sitting upon it. "Excuse us, boss time."

"Karnilla!" The armored demon shouted as he stood from his throne and lifted his sword. "You will not cheat me out of another realm! This dimension will be mine!" He stretched out his left arm and blue flames erupted from his hand at Karnilla and Ruby.

"Yeah, yeah, you say that every time, Dreulur." Karnilla retorted, creating a shield around the two, causing the flames to harmlessly be cover the shield without actually touching them. She snapped her fingers and the magical shield turned to ice, immediately causing the flames to turn to ice themselves in a fraction of a second. The ice quickly spread up Dreulur's left arm, causing him to growl.

Ruby meanwhile seized the opportunity. The shield opened up for her, and she raced off towards Dreulur, quickly reaching him. Dreulur jerked his left arm backwards and freed it from the ice, then swung the sword in his right hand down upon Ruby. The swing was quicker than she expected, so there was no time to dodge. Instead, Ruby caught the sword between her hands. Immediately, Dreulur swung the sword to the right, catching her by surprise and sending her flying through the right wall. Dreulur grunted as he was hit with multiple arrowhead beams of magical energy that emerged from the left hand of Karnilla, who had taken the chance to teleport right next to his left shoulder.

While they pierced straight through Dreulur's head and torso, he wasn't visibly hindered by the attack, and he immediately swung his sword horizontally at Karnilla, aiming to slice her in half. Mere centimeters before the sword reached its target however, one of Ruby's gauntlets came rocketing at his legs, hitting them, and causing him to be fall to the ground. Ruby descended down from above and crashed down upon Dreulur before he could recover. Summoning her gauntlets, she pounded his helmet with her fists multiple times, cracking it in the process. Suddenly, beams of energy fired out of his helmet's eye slits. They hit Ruby and sent her flying, though she was caught by a large magically constructed pillow.

"Huh, he's tougher than I remember." Karnilla noted as she watched Dreulur's armor "heal" itself from both her and Ruby's attacks. "He must have made a contract with a higher tier demon. I'll have to do this the hard way and simply banish him." Her book appeared in front of her and she began reciting a spell in another language. However, with speed completely contrasting his large stature, Dreulur was upon the two, and swung his sword down at Karnilla. Once the smoke cleared, Karnilla was gone. Growling, Dreulur quickly found Ruby carrying her princess style. "My hero!" Karnilla sarcastically said with a smile.

"Just finish the spell." Ruby nonchalantly responded. Dreulur charged them, and Ruby immediately dropped Karnilla -- though she simply floated just above the ground and continued reciting the spell. Ruby turned and clashed with Dreulur's sword with her right gauntlet-covered fist. Their next movements would have been impossible to see with the naked eye, as within a mere millisecond, they exchanged over a hundred attacks and counters, as Dreulur attempted to find an opening to get past Ruby and to Karnilla.

All of a sudden, Dreulur's armor began cracking and blue energy began flaring up from inside of it. "Argh! No! Damn you, Karnilla! I refuse to be made a fool of! If I can't have this dimension..." Dreulur shoved the tip of his sword into the ground, and demonic energy poured out of it. The energy washed over Karnilla and Ruby like a tidal wave. Ruby struggled to stay upright as the energy spread throughout the dimension. She could feel the very fabric of it being torn apart. Dreulur sought to commit suicide and take both the two of them and the universe itself with him.

"Karnilla!" Ruby called out at the sorceress behind her. "Do the thing!"

Karnilla sighed, pausing the recital of the spell. "Fine." Her eyes glowed yellow just as Dreulur promptly exploded, decimating the very universe itself. However, the next moment, the three of them found themselves where they were before Dreulur's suicide attempt.

"You... what did you do!?" Dreulur snarled at Karnilla.

Karnilla simply smiled and finished reciting the spell. The cracks spread across Dreulur's armor until he simply shattered into pieces -- his very last a blood curdling scream of defiance. All of a sudden, the castle around them disappeared and they then found themselves in the center of a small town. People immediately began gathering around the two women, cheering and applauding them.

One man, presumably the leader of the town, approached them and shook their hands. "Thank you, thank you so much! Please, take this as a token of our gratitude." One by one, members of the town began putting gold coins into a pile at the feet of the two.

"Do... do you guys do this often?" Jamal's astral projection asked, standing next to Karnilla.

"Oh, hey, forgot you were even here." She said. Once the townsfolk gave them the gold as thanks, Karnilla and Ruby bid them goodbye, and Karnilla teleported them into the living room of the Justice Queen headquarters -- the gold pile also being brought with them. Karnilla then looked at Jamal's astral projection. "Well, let's get you checked out." She teleported away and Jamal's astral projection faded away.

Ruby looked down at the pile of gold sitting in the middle of the living room and simply stared. "...I wonder what I should do with this."

---

"Alright, I've done the test you asked for," Karnilla stated, floating cross legged across from Jamal whom was sitting on his couch.

"Give it to me straight, doc. How long do I got?" Jamal joked.

Karnilla frowned. "Well..."

Jamal's face crumpled in confusion. "Wait, what? I was just kidding."

"Well, your mind's just fine. You're not insane. Your body is an entirely different story. It's suffered long-term damage from holding the entirety of the Nova Force. It seems to have altered you on a molecular level so that you could contain it. Without it, your body is basically decaying."

Jamal's eyes widened in horror and his jaw dropped in disbelief. "...How long?"

"If I'd have to guess, less than 48 hours. Sorry."

[Confederation of imperial states]

Knight's Domain

Marcus' Father waited at the Large Terminal computer in the Knight's domain, he heard the loud yet noticably quiet noise of the VTOL hover as it landed on the circular platform and it slowly descended.

Thomas pressed a button to contact Sanza, "Sanza dear how was Marcus' Patrol tonight",
[Intercepted 12 members of the Black Mask gang before handing them over to the authorities]
"hmm, what do you know, anyways has he considered the proto-"
["No, And you could just ask me Directly"] Marcus' part metallic voice came over on the computer's comms.
"I was just having a chat with our lovely AI, she's nice to have around. you know, gets lonely, what with you brooding, patroling, and pummeling".
Thomas heard Marcus sigh over the comms as the Platform finally stopped on the groundfloor of the Domain. Marcus, still clad in the Knight's armor, walked out of the VTOL hangar and walked over to the Armor container.

Thomas simply eyed Marcus as he walked over to the Armor container, once Marcus placed his hand on the hand scanner signalling it to open, Thomas simply asked.
"are you sure about not having a protog'-" "we've been over this". Marcus stepped into the Armor container as it closed, after a minute of the audible sounds coming from the container, Marcus, in his causal clothing stepped out. "And my answer is still no". Thomas sigh and stood up, "a Protoge to help you patrol Chicago, aswell as pass your talents onto would be grand". Marcus simply shook his head as he walked to a hallway leading into the Domain's armory.

"every Knight needs a squire", "Squire doesn't have the same Fear Inducement as 'The Knight',", "so you ARE considering a Protoge?", "discussion. over" Marcus said as he walked down the hallway into the Armory. THomas simply sighed and sat back down, Thomas pressed a button on the computer and linked the microphone on it to Marcus' earpiece,
"Are we atleast on the same board about calling it the Knightcomputer",
" *sigh*",
"you have about twenty bloody computers marcus, in your little Caches, you need a Central name for the computer. besides, Knightcomputer is fitting".
"fine",
a large Blip came up on one of the Terminals on the Knightcomputer, THomas raised an eyebrow and glanced at the Terminal Sanza's icon was currently occupying.
"sanza dear, could you please tel me what that is?", [Uploading camera feed now].

the Security Cameras displayed a smaller, quicker figure, currently in a grudge match against 7 larger built figures. "who's that?", [Vigilante, we've reported this person in a multitiude of places]. Sanza then displayed images of the same person in multiple places on different terminals. [This person hits different places at night, attacking Criminals and low level thugs where ever they are. however these thugs they're fighting are Black Mask ones, they're better equiped]. Thomas pressed the call button to contact Marcus, "Marcus boy, there-", "seen it, On It" Marcus stepped out of the Armor Containment pod in the Knight's armor, Thomas raised an eyebrow, "you're getting better at your stealth". Knight simply gave a Thumbs up before hopping in his VTOL and hovering upwards instead of waiting for it to carry the VTOL upwards.

Thomas turned back to the Knightcomputer in his chair and pressed a button on th keyboard, which brought up a game of Chess,
[Who's move was it Mr Thomas?], "I believe it was yours dear".

(OOC: For anyone wondering,

)

[Charmera]

Cora
As Cora was starting to regain some composure she saw Katie convulsing on the floor,"Katie!" She called out in concern as she started to rise, but her movements seemed rigid and didn't seem to be completely her own. Cora slowly rose to her feet as she reached down to help Katie up as well. She heard Katie mutter electrons and wondered what was going on with her, but realized they might have had a similar experience of some sort.

"I don't know sweetie, but I think we just went through something similar. There was a sharp pain all around my body, then I heard a strange voice calling me something. 'Goddess of Redemption' I think it said? Whatever that means. What about you Katie, you seemed like you were in a lot of pain. Are you okay now?" Cora asked, clearly concerned for her teammate and romantic partner.]

"It's... fine. I'm fine. I just felt like... Like I was being electrocuted... which is just... impossible." She remarked. Then sighed as she frowned. "It would be an understatement to say this is pretty darn weird. And for some reason.... I can feel things... Electrons. Yeah, electrons I think." She paused. "It must have been a similar thing to what happened to you, but I didn't hear any voice."

[quote
Nico
Nico broke out in a wide smile when Cat extended her hand out to him. He shook the gloved hand slowly and gently, very happy that they were finally making progress. "Thanks Cat, this makes me really happy. I'm sorry if I haven't been there for you through your struggles. I know I haven't always been the best older brother, but I'm going to try to be different. It'll be the two of us together from now on alright?" He said to his younger sister before nodding when she said she wasn't sure about their parents yet. "I understand Cat, you don't have to believe me yet. Trust me, I get why you don't want to, and it makes sense for you to be skeptical. We can deal with that later. Right now, what do you say we go try to do some good huh? I feel like there are a lot of people at that bank over there that could use our help right now." He told her before pausing, his fear breaking through his outer confidence. "I can't help them alone Cat. I need you r help too."[/quote]
Cat sighed, then rose from her seat. "Fine. I'll see how this goes." She replied. "But if anyone gets hurt or if we get killed, I'm blaming you." She remarked. "You're the one who wanted to do this after all..." she remarked, before swiftly moving towards the bank, surprisingly fast. She felt... energised, liberated. She rushed towards the bank. "Since when did we become superheroes."

[Tomia]

Cora
Cora looked quite concerned when Katie said she had been electrocuted. Cora didn't think that was supposed to happen either. She was quite nervous about these mysterious circustamnce, but she couldn't help but realize that she actually felt quite good. There was a rush of energy and power in her that she had never felt before, and it felt pretty amazing. "You say you can feel electrons Katie? I feel pretty different too, I feel a lot stronger and full of energy... Maybe whatever it is that effected us isn't too bad." Cora said, thinking out loud a bit as this sudden change had caught her quite off guard.

Nico
Nico managed a small smile as he ran off after his sister. "Just think of ourselves as good samaritans sis. We're just trying to help people, I'm sure you'll like it if you give it a chance." He said as he ran after her toward the bank. The police had barely had time to establish a perimeter by the time they had arrived and things were clearly in chaos as guns shots could be heard from inside the bank as a crowd of people began to scatter away from the bank. Nico and Cat slowly made their way inside where police officers were engaged in a fire fight with about half a dozen armed robbers. Nico turned to Cat. "Their distracted, so let's stick together and take them out by surprise." He said as they snuck up on one of the robbers who was currently firing at the police. "Watch me" Nico mouthed silently to Cat before closing his eyes and focusing his energy on the task at hand. His arm began to destabilize and turn into a wave of sand as it slowly made its way toward the robber. It then quickly rose up and grabbed the foe by the leg, lifting him in the air before dropping him back too the ground. Nico smiled at Cat. "You take the next one sis. Don't be afraid, I'll be with you just in case. Don't be scared of your powers Cat. You can control them, they don't have to control you." Nico told his younger sister, hoping to encourage her and ease her fears.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

"Found ya."

Necromancer was currently peeking out from the top of one of the large silvery scales of the massive gray dragon on whose back he had been riding ever since he left that planet where he had met the Mad Titan Thanos, soaring through the cosmos at several times the speed of light, stars and planets passing him by, the boy proving to be perfectly capable of surviving in the harsh conditions of outer space for the sole reason that he was not actually alive in the first place. However, he was completely unconcerned with the vastness of the universe, or the conditions surrounding him, or any silly stuff like that, instead paying attention to the person below.

There, in the shadow of the scale Necromancer was looking down from, was a young, pale Hadrian girl, no older than ten, with long black hair and bright green eyes. She was dressed with heavy clothes made of thick white fur, evidently taken from a creature resistant to the cold and intended to protect her from it as well, though such a thing was moot now. The girl looked up as she heard Necromancer's voice, and saw him there, flashing her a toothy grin. However, despite the fact that she had been hiding, she did not seem scared or anything like that; merely annoyed. With a frown on her face, the Hadrian child stood up and pointed at Necromancer.

"Not fair!" She cried out in indignation. "How are we supposed to play hide and seek when you can use your powers to keep track of me?" She asked.

In response to this, Necromancer briefly disappeared from view. But a moment after that, he jumped down from his scale to hers, tripping after landing and falling on his butt, but arriving to where he intended to be nonetheless. He looked up at the Hadrian and raised his hands in a pacifying gesture. "Calm down, Thala, calm down. I'm not cheating, y'now. I'm trying very hard not to use my powers to play with you!" He assured her.

Seristhala seemed skeptical. "...Really?" The girl asked.

"Well..." Was Necromancer's only reply, as he started twiddling his fingers. Seristhala frowned again.

"I knew it!" She fumed. "You can't really hide it from me, you know? Your eye starts glowing whenever you're using your powers, so it was obvious that you were cheating." The Hadrian accused him, pointing a finger at Necromancer's right eye, which glowed just like it had when he was messing with Thanos.

"Oh, this?" Necromancer asked, covering his right eye with his hand for a moment. "Actually, it glows whenever I'm using my powers, like you said, but that basically means you're never gonna see it not glow. So, it doesn't automatically mean that I'm cheating or something like that." The white-haired child explained patiently, before smiling again. "But nevermind that. You're obviously not happy so let's play something else. Do you wanna play marbles?" He asked, suddenly summoning several blue marbles of different hues, with different patterns inside of them, setting them down on the scale.

"But, those aren't marbles, those are-" The girl began protesting, but was cut short.

"Yeah, yeah, 'those are people!' right? Nevermind that they've murdered thousands of other people each." Necromancer stated with a slight frown on his face, waving his hand and causing all the soul marbles to disappear. "Party pooper." He mumbled afterwards.

"Y-you meanie..." The girl said, golden liquid forming at the corners of her eyes. Suddenly a voice rang out throughout the whole landscape.

"My child, it amazes me how you always manage to make the girl cry, despite never intending to do so." Spoke the calm voice of the soul of the World-Dragon on whose back the two had been playing all along, Mirikkalis. "Now fix your mess and apologize to her, child." She told Necromancer.

"What?" The boy said, indignated. "You're telling me to apologize? Me? I'm the reason you're both here! I could erase your will if I wanted to. I could reduce your soul to less than dust if I wanted to!" Necromancer complained, pointing angrily down at the scales of the dragon.

"I'm waiting." She replied indifferently.

Necromancer frowned.

Then after several moments of silence, he finally cast down his head.

"Sorry." He said as he slowly approached the quietly sobbing Hadrian child, who had turned her back to him and sat down on the gray scale, completely ignoring the conversation going on between Necromancer and Mirikkalis. She had calmed down slightly upon hearing Necromancer's apology, though, and turned to look at him over her shoulder. He crouched next to her and patted her on the back. "Are you okay?" He asked her, looking at the gold dripping down from her cheeks. The girl simply nodded.

"Yeah... Don't worry, I'm used to it by now..." She said, before looking away. Necromancer winced. He wasn't exactly happy with the answer he got, but at least he had done what had been asked of him. With that in mind, he decided to recall Seristhala's soul, the girl turning into a blue aura which then disappeared from sight. The experience could be best described as someone falling asleep, and the next time Necromancer let out her soul, she would feel as if she had just woken up from a good night's sleep, as opposed to coming back to life or anything like that.

"Now then." Mirikkalis spoke once again. "There is something I have been meaning to ask you since we left the Mad Titan behind, my child." The Gray Dragon stated. "Where, exactly, do you want to go? I have been flying in no particular direction, so far, and while I do not tire, it would be best if you started thinking of a destination, if you do not have one already." The voice spoke into his mind, and then fell silent, as if waiting for his answer.

The boy put a hand to his chin, as if he was in deep thought, before shrugging.

"Earth." He said. "I feel like messing with them today."

---

---

Kiris walked down to the laboratory alongside Mars, feeling a bit eager. It wasn't often that she was allowed down here after all, and she didn't tend to head downstairs unless she really needed Mars for something or unless someone else was calling him, so she rarely went there. It was not that it was anything spectacular either, at least to her who had little idea of how technology worked, but she was still interested in learning about Mars' interests. As she looked around, however, she noticed something rather odd. For some reason, whenever she looked at an unknown object, the name immediately popped up in her head, something that most definitely hadn't happened to her before today. She felt a bit confused at this, and wondered if it had anything to do with the strange event that had happened to her, but refrained from bringing it up just yet, not wanting to worry Mars with yet another thing. She was feeling just fine, after all, and he was yet to examine her, so she decided she would just mention it later, when it was over.

In the mean time, she simply followed Mars to the corner, sitting down patiently as she waited for Mars to answer his question. He seemed a bit taken aback when she noted that her arms were needleproof, but she didn't see why, people bled from a lot of places aside from the arms, she thought as she remembered that one Rantu whose shoulder she had munched on during the invasion. However, after a moment, Mars suggested the neck or feet, and she thought about it for a moment. "Um... the neck will do, I guess..." She said, a bit uncertain, but accepting what Mars said. She didn't say anything else as she waited, watching him prepare the needle.

[Tomia]

Mars
Mars nodded when Kiris answered his question and he approached the examination table with the syringe and the small pieces of cotton and the bandage that he would need. "Alright, I just need you to tilt your neck a bit so I can find a vein." He told Kiris, and once she had he placed his fingers gently on her neck to find a clear vein, trying to ignore the embarrassment he was feeling at being alone like this. Soon he found a vein and was ready to draw blood from it, "Alright I'm going to draw the blood now. It'll sting a bit, but it won't be anything close to what we've dealt with in battle so it should be no big deal." Mars said to Kiris as he carefully began to draw blood from her neck. Soon the process was over and Mars gently dabbed the entry point with cotton swaps before wrapping a small bandage around the puncture. "Alright, all done Kiris. I'll take a look at the blood under a microscope and see if anything out of the ordinary pops up. It'll take a little while, but you can... You know stay if you want." Mars said to Kiris a little awkwardly. He usually liked to work in his lab alone, but he figured it'd be rude to kick Kiris out, especially when his work directly involved her. Besides, he found himself enjoying eh company more and more, and felt bad that they didn't spend as much time with each other as they could.

[New Rnclave]

Slavery is Freedom Part Seven

Once Broly had excused Tomia from his side, having had enough of watching the "adventurous Saiyan wretch." The pain in her stomach was becoming steadily worse, to the point where all she could do was stumble to Cassandra,memo luckily enough for her was already in the Med Bay. Sitting down on the younger girls lap, Tomia snuggled into her, clutching her sides.

" A-Are you okay?" Cassandra asked, staring at Tomia through her unswollen left eye.

" My-My stomach." Tomia gasped, blood dripping from her lips as she lapsed into a coughing fit.

" Tomia!" Cassandra screeched, jumping to h r feet and rushing the young Saiyan through the main door. A very surprised doctor greeted them, as well as a very angry Saiyan.

Nostrils flaring, Broly stood at his full height, bruises and cuts dotting his bronze features. " Get. Out."

" But-But Lord Broly! She's pregnant!"

Tomia had been drifting in and out of consciousness for several moments now, the blood in her mouth metallic and vomit inducing, the tough Hybrid vomiting into the floor, the bile Crimson.

" Should-Do you wish for me to check her out Lord Broly?" The doctor trembled, gently taking Tomia from Cassandra and setting her on the operating table.

" Go ahead. Kill it once you find it." Broly snarled. " You. Come with me." He spoke, dragging Cassandra out by her arm.

" I don't understand." The doctor muttered. " Lord Broly prescribed you pills for this did he not? Were you taking them?"

" Yeah... I think I was." Tomia slurred. " Why does everything hurt so much?"

The doctors hand found its way to his chin, grayish black hair framing a face that could've been handsome once. " Well Saiyan infants are very powerful from an early age, same with Kaioshins. You're mixed blood has combined with the superior genes of Lord Broly. Of my calculations are correct, you may die during this pregnancy due to the unpredictability of your child."

[The Republic of Atria]

"Excellent." He sad and put his hands together. "If you need anything, let me know. I can have engineers here in seconds. We've got Kree, Shi'ar, and even a few Kryptonian ones. The asteroid belt has enough resources that we shouldn't have to worry about anything for at least a century. Land won't be an issue. Once we get things understood. We can start terraforming and colonizing Mars and Venus." He said. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm getting some reports about... Apparently, someone is running around claiming to have killed Darkseid and is shooting lasers. I'm sure it's just a rumor or some wannabe. But it's causing unrest so that means it has to be figured out. I'm sure you're more than capable of taking the reigns here. Keep me posted. If you can't find me, Naja. See you later Craig!" He said and took off to go maintain the peace.

Otis

Otis kept pouring on the omega energies even as Thanos pushed through them. "Jesus Christ..." He said as Thanos got closer and closer until he was at arms' reach and then felt Thanos smack him hard. Enough that he was pretty sure he was on a different continent when he finally got his senses back in order. "That... Hurt..." He said and looked as glowing purple blood trickled down his nose. "That actually hurt." He was even more frustrated now. How Thanos withstood that much of the Omega Effect was beyond him. Though he was far enough away that without his ship, it would be difficult to track him. He got an idea. A very very stupid, but at the same time, a perfect idea for a show of force. Perhaps a big enough show that he would no longer have people trying to use him. He opened a Boom tube and jumped right back to Apokolips.

Thanos however was left alone. Otis actually did quite a bit of damage to him. His armor was all but gone, he was covered in nasty burns and was nearly blind in one eye. Otis was definitely a much bigger threat to him than Darkseid ever was. At least Darkseid stayed in his own dimension for the most part. He was actively in this one for extended periods of time and used his powers much more aggressively. "Hmmm... If this is how you wish for things to proceed child, then I shall play your game." He already had another one of his ships on the way to track and destroy Otis.

"Desaad!" Otis said as he ran to meet Darkseid's assistant, and then tripped on the stairs and hit the ground face first. "Ow! In. The. Same. Fucking. Spot." He said and rubbing his nose as Desaad walked to him. "I'm upset. So I have a plan. And since I'm not that smart, you're gonna help me do it. I know the whole thing about us being much larger in this dimension. So. Here's what we're going to do. I want to punch a hole in reality and we push Apokolips through it, into the universe! No Motherbox. I want it full size." He said. "Can you do that?"

That was a strange idea to be sure. Simple. And i his math was right, only the largest of beings would be able to actually be seen. Not to mention the size of Apokolips itself would be enormous. Easily the size of a galaxy, and that's being generous. "Yes. I can do that. It will not take me long. A simple modification to a Motherbox to eliminate the size alteration will be what you're looking for."

"Perfect. Let me know when it's done and I'll push Apokolips through."

[Mavorpen]

All around the globe, mysterious storms appeared seemingly without cause, just as what had occurred when Ego initially entered Earth's orbit. While meteorologists were preoccupied with recording and reporting these events, astronomers were focused on Ego and the sudden movement of the planet. It didn't take fancy equipment to see this however, as even the layman could watch as Ego's face turned away from them.

"[Attention Centurions, it is critical that you pay attention at this time. Open hostilities between the Kree and Shi'ar has been registered. Mass 8X8 distress signals have been detected from Kree outworld colonies as well as 87 formal expressions of concern from non-aligned societies on the frontier zone. The Galactic Council has yet to respond. Centurions, stand by for Stargate transfer. Proceed to your assigned duty positions and adjust your suits to compensation setting theta. Course computed. Stargate exit match logged. Initiating acceleration...]" Ego was now completely turned away from Earth and accelerated into a bright yellow Stargate that could have very well been mistaken for another Sun.

"[Kree/Shi'ar hostilities reported as intensifying in the Gulf of Sarenta. Mass 8X8 distress signals detected from Gulf colonies.]" Deep within Ego, in the center of the sizable main gathering hall for the Corpsmen, a giant projection of Tarcel appeared. "[Centurion Malik Tarcel has been selected as the new Nova Prime. Tarcel now has field command over the entire corps, and his authority will be respected at all times."]

"[Fellow Corpsmen]," the projection began, "[It is with great honor and humility that I accept this office. I hope to live up to and fulfill the expectations laid by the Worldmind. That is all.]" With that, the projection faded and the the Corpsmen collectively moved to their stations in preparation to get involved with and hopefully end the Shi'ar/Kree war.

---

"You... can't you do anything? Can't you just 'magic' me better?" Jamal pleaded.

"This is a delicate situation. Your body has been specifically tailored towards the Nova Force. It is as though you've suffered from a physical addiction to a drug and are suffering from withdrawal. Even if I were to reduce your body to it's previous state before you became Nova Prime, for all I know, that could simply accelerate the deterioration of your body. The other alternative is to destroy you and rebuild you from scratch, which would be... unpleasant and time consuming in itself." Karnilla explained. "Your only real option is to ask Worldmind for help."

"Well then, I gue--" Suddenly, a bright flash of yellow light appeared next to Karnilla. Jamal stood up on pure instinct in case it was an enemy, however, he relaxed upon recognizing the form of his old friend: Wendell Vaughn AKA the first Quasar.

"Jamal!" He exclaimed, with a bright smile. "I got them back! Phyla was dead, except she wasn't, and somehow I was summoned! For some reason, I was just... summoned and I was there, and--"

"Wendell, calm down, you're just babbling, man." Jamal said.

"You're right. Sorry. In any case, the point is that I got the Quantum Bands back, and..." Quasar held out his hands, presenting the Bands to Jamal. "I want you to have them."

"A... are you serious?" Jamal said, taking the Bands.

"It could help slow down the deterioration long enough and provide a means for you to confront Woldmind." Karnilla pointed out.

"Alright, then." Jamal put on the Bands and was engulfed in bright yellow energy, not noticing Wendell fading away with a smile on his face. The next thing he knew, Jamal found himself dressed as Quasar, feeling energy surge throughout him. "Well this is... different."

---

A mere four or so hours ago, Jessica Perez was a normal 23 year old woman working at a corner store. And now, she was diving headfirst into the middle of a war between the Kree and the Shi'ar. She entered the atmosphere of one of the colonized planets in the Gulf of Sarenta, a region of Kree territory. A few hours ago, she didn't know who the Kree or the Shi'ar were, and she certainly had no idea where the Gulf of Sarenta was located.

Jessica weaved between the seemingly endless assault from the surface to air energy weapons. Information appeared on her visor, informing her that the planetoid's name was Nil-Rast, and it was rich in fuel resources. Naturally, the Shi'ar were trying to annex it. Suddenly, one of the Centurions flying next to her was hit with one of the beams of energy fired by the weapons. Jessica screamed out, and it was at this point she truly began questioning her reasoning for going along with all of this. After all, she had witnessed what she believed to be the death of an innocent person.

Jessica's thoughts were interrupted by a laser whizzing just past her. In a panic, she lost control of her flight and crashed to the ground. Above her, Shi'ar ground troops who were standing in a tower attempting to take down passing by Centurions noticed her crash. They prepared to fie upon her, however, they were quickly dispatched by an unidentified yellow energy beam.

"Are you okay, Centurion Perez?" Tarcel asked, hovering above her.

"Y- yes, Nova Prime Tarcel." Jessica responded, standing up.

"Good." Tarcel took off, and Jessica followed him, along with Tarcel's squadron. "Cohort 86, double your gravimetric shields and follow me in to hit processor 8-Alpha."

Jessica did as she was told and helped Tarcel take out a "processor" that, according to the information displayed on her visor, powered the anti-air weaponry. Jessica didn't have much time to think, as she followed Tarcel's order after order, reacting on instinct whenever she was presented with a threat. She was forced to, for the first time in her life, take a life, and it frightened her how the rest of the Centurions appeared to not give a second thought to this. Not that she could claim to be any better, as she was given no time to worry about this either. Especially after a voice rang out in her helmet shouting, "Oh, God! It's the Shi'ar Imperial Guard!" Jessica had no idea who this "Imperial Guard" was, but as she watched them exit a portal of some kind and descend to confront the Corpsmen, she had a feeling that they had bitten off more than they could chew.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

The world of Adai was a pristine world filled to the brim with the bounties of nature, lush green forests and rich seas dotting the face of the planet. Yet, not all was as pleasant as it looked, for Adai was full of life, and most of this life was not as friendly as that which was often seen on Earth. The forests were teeming with voracious packs of predators which would make the mightiest earthling beasts tremble in fear and run for their lives, and the plains and deserts were often home to creatures so large that the reptilian kings of olde would begin sweating nervously in their presence. The depths of the seas were ridden with all sorts of monstruosities that made fantasy and fiction writers piss themselves or at least smack themselves for not thinking of it first on a regular basis, and the creatures that soared the heights of the world were such as those often described in various myths and legends.

All in all, Adai was the perfect place for the purpose that had been reserved for it.

After the great evacuation of Hadrimmelis, the Hadrian race was scattered among the stars, watching the Builder War from afar, watching their Goddess and Mother crushing the arrogant creatures who had thought that it was up to them to decide the fate of all life in the universe. After the war, however, when they understood that the World-Dragon did not yet wish to return to her aeon-spanning slumber, they were left to find another home. Of course, they were not without help, for even though their actual participation in the war had not been too prominent, they were the children and protegees of the Black Dragon that the Builders had learned to fear. Thus, an offer was extended to them, to help them adapt to life on Earth, and many Hadrians accepted this opportunity to mingle with the humans, to learn, to evolve. But many others did not accept this offer. Though they did not reject it out of disgust or distrust, they were simply far too attached to their laws and the lifestyle they used to lead, and so, they decided to find their own place in the universe.

But of course, the World-Dragon that loved them so much that she would sooner endanger herself than sacrifice them wouldn't simply leave them alone during this time, and so, with the vast powers that she commanded after her awakening, she created a suitable world for them, a world where they could live, a world where they could thrive. A place that could sustain their population, where they could hunt to their heart's content and continue honing their senses and their abilities like the warriors they were, instead of living in the fragile ecological conditions of Earth that would undoubtedly have limited them a great deal. Here, the land provided sustenance, and the beasts provided challenge, satiating the needs of the Hadrian race.

The Hadrianss that colonized Adai, however, belonged to many different clans and tribes, and an inevitable war soon became visible on the horizon. In order to avert this, the heads of each society gathered and held a council in order to decide what should be done in order to avoid destroying this pristine land that had been gifted to them. In the end, what was decided was that a show of strength on a much smaller scale ought to suffice to see who should be placed at the head of the Hadrians of Adai. Thus it was that a grand tournament was summoned, and each clan and each tribe sent their champions to do battle against each other, honoring the ancient traditions of the Hadrian race, which had been in place for millenia. The tournament was celebrated, and over half a hundred different champions met on the fields of battle, but in the end, only one was left standing: the champion of the Taratel.

And so, thanks to the power and determination of their champion, the Taratel became the ones who would lead the Hadrians of Adai. Soon the system wherein different clans and tribes kept away from each other for the most part was abolished, and all of Adai was unified under what came to be known as the Hadrian Dominion.

Of course, the Hadrian Dominion was still exclusive to Adai, as it had only been a few months since it was colonized and even less time had passed since the Dominion was actually established. But for the most part everyone seemed happy with the way things had turned out.

It was currently noon in the capital of the Dominion, Tarashkar "The Thunderhold". It was a large, open city with buildings made of an unique type of stone indigenous to Adai. It had been built in the middle of the steppes of Adai, as the Taratel felt nostalgia for their ancestral home and wished to remember it and pay it homage by inhabiting a similar place. However, despite being in a relatively barren landscape, Tarashkar was still quite prosperous, as it was home to the most talented smiths and warriors in the whole Dominion, and it was quite evident that, though the city was not rich in raw materials, it was one of the most industrialized locations in Adai. The Hadrians were not as technologically advanced as the humans, but in turn, their technology was more mindful of nature, and synergized well with their natural abilities and with their beliefs and their lifestyle.

Soon, however, something strange happened.

The sky began to darken above the Thunderhold, and eventually it became plainly obvious to the Hadrian people that starships were beginning to descend, likely intending to land nearby. They were not nearly as sophisticated as the Infinite Venture, the only spaceship that the Hadrians actually knew, as they had seen it fighting in the skies above their homeworld on the day of the exodus. In fact, these vessels looked... cheap. They were on the rough side, that was for sure, and it was obvious that they had seen a lot of use and not as much maintenance, but they hadn't exploded yet, and they still served to ferry people throughout the stars. They were three in total, and they landed not too far from Tarashkar, their occupants unboarding.

Soon an army began marching towards the Thunderhold, stopping not too far from it. The crowd was composed of a myriad of individuals of different races, all of them wearing bits and pieces of armor and equipped with blasters and other advanced weapons of sorts. Needless to say, they were not here for friendly conversation, and they did not look like the lawful sort of fellows, either. As soon as they reached a reasonable distance from Tarashkar, one of them stepped out from within the crowd, evidently the leader. This one was completely clad in some sort of power armor which, unlike the equipment of his underlings, seemed to be in pristine condition, and he was also the strongest looking of the bunch, the others looking up to him.

The leader of the pirates bellowed out.

"Primitive lizards! I, Glast of the Sunstorm Pirates, have come to claim all of this planet's riches! Now take us to your leader, or face annihilation!"

The guard stationed nearby started chuckling. One of Glast's thugs approached him menacingly.

"What's so funny, pal? Think you can stop us yourself?" The man asked.

"Me? No, of course not." The Hadrian guard said with perfect fluency despite this being the first time he had ever attempted to speak in the tongue of the invaders. "It is not me you should be afraid of." He stated, before pointing his spear at the sky. "Not me, but the Winged Huntress."

"The what?" The thug asked.

Suddenly, something descended from the sky, tackling the creature and sending it to the ground. Soon it became apparent that what had come from the sky was a female Hadrian, and as she stood up, she held in her maw the bleeding severed arm of the man who had been threatening the guard, and who was now writhing on the floor, howling in pain and clutching his armless shoulder. The fierce warrior spat out the useless piece of flesh and bone and glared at the invaders, as if daring them to make another move, to attack first so that her evident barely-restrained fury could break out and swallow them.

Glast wasn't terribly bright, and so, he approached the woman, staring down at her, as he was quite a bit taller. "WHO ARE YOU TO STAND AGAINST US?!"

The woman simply smiled. It was a devil's smile, devoid of happiness, but full of murder. "I am Seriskira, and the riches in this planet are mine." She said.

And then she roared, and the skies themselves split apart.

---

---

Kirisvala heard Mars and nodded at him, tilting her head slightly so that he could carry on with his job. She shook ever so slightly as she felt his fingers touching her neck, and blushed at how close to her the boy was, but said nothing, not wanting to distract him from his task. Soon he heard him speak once again, warning her that he was about to begin drawing blood, and she took a deep breath and kept perfectly still even as she felt the stinging sensation of the needle piercing into her skin and forcibly sucking out blood from her neck. Thankfully, it was over rather quickly, and she blushed again as she felt Mars clean the needle hole and seal it. With that done, she moved her neck a little, though, much to her surprise, she didn't feel anything anymore. Unbeknownst to her, the small hole had already healed, owing to her new Goddess powers. She listened to Mars tell her that he'd be looking for results and that she could hang around as long as she wanted, and nodded at him, smiling. "Sure thing, I'll keep you some company while you work." She said. She then looked around the laboratory some more, all while humming a little tune to herself, to make the atmosphere more pleasant.

[Confederation of imperial states]

Chicago Back Alley

1:37am

a Black Mask thug was thrown headfirst at a dumpster, knocking him out cold. 2 more Black Mask thugs with lead pipes surrounded the figure,
"okay missy, you took care of jerry, but you do realize there are 5 of us and only 1 pencil necked Vigilante, you". the Figure remained silent, she grabbed out 2 batons which she interlocked the ends together, the Batons extended to reveal it was infact a staff.

"Get Her!" one of the Black Mask thugs yelled at the other 4. the 4 lunged at the Vigilante, swingint their makeshift weapons and fists, the vigilante swung her staff horizontally, catchign one thug offguard. the Vigilante then jabbed the staff into the stomach of another Black Mask thug, then swung the staff up vertically knocking the black mask thug on his back. the Vigilante was caught offguard when one of the thugs snuck up behind her and put her in a full nelson, making her loose grip of her staff. the leading thug then approached her and puncher her accross the face.

"not so tough now, you shouldn't have messed with Black Mask, girly". the leading thug then kneed the Vigilante in the stomach, and the thug behind her psuehd her , knocking her to the ground. the Leading thug gestured to one of his men, who drew a pistol and aimed tt at the Vigilante's head. "any last words girlie?", the Vigilante coughed, "go to hell". before the Thug could shoot his pistol, a grappeling hook wrapped around the hand with the pistol and pulled him up, into the Darkness of the fireescapes. the Leading thug looked around nervous, as the screams and grunts of his fellow getting pummeled echoed throughout the alley.

the Vigilante laughed, "now you've done it"
, the Leading thug turned to her angry, "SHUT UP!". just then, a gust of wind and a thump was heard behind him. the Thug slowly turned around,
"More of Sionis' Cronies i see", The Knight grabbed the thug by the throat and slammed him against a nearby wall, still holding him with his hand to his throat. the Knight showed inpecible strength, beign able to lift and hold the thug off his feet.

"what Does Sionis want here, He's never sent any of his Cronies outside of Gotham", the Thug coughed, "we were *hack*, sent here to do buisness, Sionis wants the Vigilantes of Chicago Dead", "WHY", "I don't know man....please don't hurt me". The Knight then dropped the thug, and Kneed his head hard, knocking him out cold. The Knight turned to the Vigilante, still having the same hardened stature in his walk. the Vigilante looked up at the Knight, "Let me guess, a Scolding and you're gonna turn me into the Police". "You Have no place going on a Crusade, You're a fool if you think being a Symbol against crime is just putting on a Suit and going galavanting off into ther Streets, You'll Get yourself killed!. the Vigilante gritted her teeth under her face mask as she stood up, "I Know the Risks, I know the Danger, I know what would happen to me if I took this life!", "You Would Just throw away your Life to B3ecome a Vigilante, Why?! WHat Are You an Idiot!?", the Vigilante's Voice partly broke when she yelled, "Because of What they DId to my MOTHER!.

The Knight just tood there, Partly calm, partly Frozen.

Flashback to 30 years ago
Chicago National Bank

Marcus and his Mother were visiting the Chicago National Bank, it was a sunny day in chicago, the city was bustling and everyone was feelign fairly cheery. Marcus and his mother walked up the steps to the large bank, Marcus marveled at the long stone steps as they walked into the bank. Marcus' mother turned to him, "we'll just be here a minute marc, then we'll go to visit your father at work". Marcus smiled, "Okay mama", Marcus said with a childish grin as they stood and got in line. a few minutes of waiting in line, Marcus turned when he heard a loud bang and a gunshot. he saw 3 men in black ski masks enter the bank. "NO ONE MOVE", he said as everyone stood still, Marcus' mother quickly shuffled over and pushed Marcus behind a Counter. one of the Robber's looked at Marcus' Mother, "I SAID NO MOVING B*TCH", he sai as he raised his Rifle and fired at Marcus' mother. Marcus' ears ringed, causing him to cover them, he squinted as he looked around, only to se his mother saying on her side on the floor, bleeding. "MAMA!"

Flashback ends

the Knight kept a cold but calm stature, but underneath the Suit Marcus' face was processing this. he Finally peered down at the Vigilante and asked,
"What's your Name?", the Vigilante didn't meet eye contact with him, "Lawbringer.....Or just, Anna". The Knight nodded slightly, "You're willing to become a Symbol, not just a Vigilante.". the GIrl looked up at him, partly tear filled eyes, and nodded. The Knight nodded in response, The Knight then put his left arm aroun the Vigilante and shot the grappel with his right gauntlet, pulling them onto the roof.
Lawbringer and The Knight stepped onto the roof, Knight stepped into the center of the roof and pressed a few buttons on his gauntlet.

"where's your parents Anna", in a lower and rough Voice Lawbringer said, "My Dad Died while on Active Duty when i was 3, My mom died from a robber in our houses when i was 12". The Knight raised his head and turned to Lawbringer, ""where do you live?", "chicago wharf, in an abandoned Shipping hangar. It'sa fine most nights, however I do use the basement of it during Winter". The Knight nodded in response, he lowered his gauntlet and approached Lawbringer, "Would you be willing to train from me, and learn to improve your Capabilities?" , Lawbringer looked the Knight straight in the eyes and said;
"....I'd like nothing more". just then the Knight's VTOL landed behind him, as the Cockpit opened showing the 4 seats of it, Knight turned 180 degrees and peered to his Right at Lawbringer,

"come with me".

Lawbringer nodded and ablidged, climbing into the Co - Pilot seat of the Knight's VTOL, Knight climbed into the Pilot seat and flew the VTOL off back to the Domain.

[Charmera]

Freiza

Inky back smoke hung around them as Freiza finally stopped rolling, the entire left side of his face a swelling, purple bruise. Struggling to his feet, Frieza stared back at Glacia, barely contained malicious in his Crimson eyes. Breathing in a shallow, furious breath, Freiza closed his eyes, letting his temper simmer down before opening his eyes.

Something glinted behind his hellish red orbs, a plan formulating in his mind as the world raged around him. Slowly raising his hand, his index finger flicked out, a glowing red orb in the end of it.

"You know, I didn't recognized you before, but I do now,Glacia. I remember that idealistic trash you used to go on and on about. But you know what I remember distinctly? How soothing the screams of a bitch like yourself can be. I suppose anything is better then that drivel you used to spew." He commented pointedly, a barrage of Crimson bolts exploding from his finger as he hopped back, screaming viciously.

When the bolts were shot, the female arcosian had disappeared. Most would think that she was dead, consumed by friezes attack. But others would question the tremendous energy coming from behind the undead tyrant. The twin eyes staring daggers into his back. The male did not have time to relish his victory before a strong grip wrapped itself around his head, and then slammed that head repeatedly into the ground. Not hard enough to kill him, but hard enough for it to be painful

- Snip -

Lord Arctico/Cosmic Emperor of The Reformed Planet Trade Organization
Soundtrack: Arctico's Love

"We've both changed since we last met... hadn't we? An idealistic young rebel... and you..." She paused.

"I know Glacia..." Arctico whispered, tears beginning to gather within his eyes as he suddenly realized that he still loved Glacia, he never stopped loving her, but after forgetting her for so long, how could they ever be together again? Arctico let out a shaky sigh as he relented and allowed a few tears to fall from his eyes "You never changed, even if you did suffer in Prison without myself even knowing, I still love you." Arctico sniffled as he too wrapped his arms around Glacia, bringing his head down into the crook of her neck and stayed there for the longest time "And I never want to let you go, I don't want you to ever re-visit that fate, I want to protect you and keep you safe for as long as fate will require it..." Arctico slowly rose and looked at Glacia with a relieved expression on his fate "Do you think It's possible for us to be together as we were so very long ago? After all I abandoned you to, leaving with the PTO and leaving you to your fate by yourself, because I think I still have feelings for you... I can't be certain if my emotions are trying to betray me, but I still feel that spark within me when you're around." Arctico admitted as his eyes opened up to Glacia, allowing his hidden emotions of compassion and love to flow forth.

"Please, Glacia, I don't know If I can lose you once more, If I do, I will most certainly feel alone once more..." Arctico asked, he was afraid to lose her, if he knew that she was somehow alive, he would have traversed the ends of the Universe in order to find her, in order to fall into her loving embrace, Arctico discovered that this is what he truly wanted, a companion and a friend to embrace when they were at their lowest point, someone to console when a loved one passed, Arctico wanted to be with Glacia for the rest of his life, he could not be alone any longer, even with Lt. Xero as a friend, it was not the same as Glacia.

“Arc… despite what you may claim. I am different. Seconds ago I was about to kill you.” She remarked, sighing. “No one comes from the place I did completely intact. In fact many people don’t get out at all.” Glacia sighed. “What I am saying is, we cannot go back to the time before. There’s too much that’s happened in the time in between to do so.”

“However, while we cannot go back, we can always go forward. And if I had a future with you to look forward to, I would be very happy indeed.” She smiled.

[Charmera]

Cora
Cora looked quite concerned when Katie said she had been electrocuted. Cora didn't think that was supposed to happen either. She was quite nervous about these mysterious circustamnce, but she couldn't help but realize that she actually felt quite good. There was a rush of energy and power in her that she had never felt before, and it felt pretty amazing. "You say you can feel electrons Katie? I feel pretty different too, I feel a lot stronger and full of energy... Maybe whatever it is that effected us isn't too bad." Cora said, thinking out loud a bit as this sudden change had caught her quite off guard.

“Maybe… still it could have some less than favourable side effects or something.” Katie remarked. She then paused as she heard something. She looked around and saw a group of colourful individuals suddenly surrounding them. Katie recognised the group, frowning as she saw them. “The Brotherhood of Mutants…” She muttered.

“What are you doing in our meeting place?” Asked the Blob. “We told you, dwarves like you aren’t real mutants.”

“Say’s the Incredible Bulk.” Katie quipped. “You should all leave. Now.”

“Not so fast, Miss Prince.” Spoke a voice. The voice of Erik Lensherr. Magneto. “You’ve grown since I last saw you. You were…”

“Sixteen.”

“Yes. Sixteen… I was going to say seventeen.” He replied, a small grin on his face. “I gave you an offer. To join us. You refused, didn’t you.”

“I wanted to find my own path. It’s why I turned Xavier down too.”

“I know. But your skills would be invaluable in our cause. Isn’t it time you help your fellow mutant?” He remarked.

“I’ve done plenty for human and mutant alike Magneto. I don’t need to join with you.”

Nico
Nico managed a small smile as he ran off after his sister. "Just think of ourselves as good samaritans sis. We're just trying to help people, I'm sure you'll like it if you give it a chance." He said as he ran after her toward the bank. The police had barely had time to establish a perimeter by the time they had arrived and things were clearly in chaos as guns shots could be heard from inside the bank as a crowd of people began to scatter away from the bank. Nico and Cat slowly made their way inside where police officers were engaged in a fire fight with about half a dozen armed robbers. Nico turned to Cat. "Their distracted, so let's stick together and take them out by surprise." He said as they snuck up on one of the robbers who was currently firing at the police. "Watch me" Nico mouthed silently to Cat before closing his eyes and focusing his energy on the task at hand. His arm began to destabilize and turn into a wave of sand as it slowly made its way toward the robber. It then quickly rose up and grabbed the foe by the leg, lifting him in the air before dropping him back too the ground. Nico smiled at Cat. "You take the next one sis. Don't be afraid, I'll be with you just in case. Don't be scared of your powers Cat. You can control them, they don't have to control you." Nico told his younger sister, hoping to encourage her and ease her fears.

“Right…” She remarked, looking at the bandits. She found herself getting shot at, and so she quickly tried to get out of the way, but instead the bullets hit her. But all the seemed to do was bounce off. Cat grinned. “Bulletproof… neat.” She remarked, using her speed to move towards a robber. She touched him, testing her power. It didn’t take long for him to be knocked out cold. “Hey… this is pretty awesome…” She remarked. Feeling even stronger.

[The Fallen Jedi]

- Snip -

Lord Arctico/Cosmic Emperor of The Reformed Planet Trade Organization
Soundtrack: Arctico's Anger

Arctico acknowledged Glacia's response with only a mere smile as well as a nod "I understand perfectly Glacia, what Frieza did to you... I will never forgive him for what he has done, and you mark my words Glacia, even if they are related to me, when I find them, they will suffer a fate worse than death, I would go to the depths of hell in order to find them and make them suffer..."

Arctico chuckled as he walked forward, his energy swirling around him ominously, he was letting all of emotions flow like a mighty river, which also allowed the latent energy within his body to release itself full force. King Cold fell to a single knee, his body filled to the brim with bruises and cuts from Arctico's relentless assault that he sustained for what seemed to be the longest time. When King Cold attempted to take to the skies and flee, Arctico warped right in front of the former tyrant and grabbed hold of his thorax, a grin of utter sadistic delight on Arctico's face "You know, I've been waiting for years at a time to do this, but before I decide to blow your head off, allow me to say something to you... Uncle." Arctico stated with a smile as he leaned into King Cold's ear "I am the son of Lord Frost, the very person who was also your brother." And with these words said, Arctico brought his second hand up and fired a wave of energy right through the tyrants chest.

Arctico knew that King Cold was already dead, so his body would eventually regenerate, but Arctico doubted that King Cold would even try and oppose him once more, the shocking revelations that Arctico gave King Cold would put him in a state of mental shock for all time. Arctico landed softly on the ground, a frown plastered on his face as he could sense three energies approach him, one was a demonic signature that was Dabura's Energy Signature, then Cell's, and then Cooler's very own energy signature "Alright, that's enough of a warm up..." Cell remarked, standing before the Arcosian that was responsible for putting King Cold into a state of mental shock.

"You are more powerful than you put yourself to be, Little Arcosian." Demon King Dabura remarked, a devilish smirk on his face as he levitated above Arctico with his arms crossed, he was not interested in fighting against Arctico, but wanted to see how Cell and Cooler would fair against such an adversary "Let us see you stand against the others before I even let you fight against the great Demon King of the Demon Realm." Dabura stated with a chuckle, watching as Cell landed before Arctico, followed by Cooler, who was rapidly approaching the battlefield.

"You seem to be a worthy opponent, Arcosian." Cell said with a straight up overconfident smirk on his face, allowing his vast reserves of energy to freely pour out, he had been training for all these years in hell, hoping to one day break out and have his revenge upon those who ruined the Cell Games "You will be a suitable test for my perfect form, now show me your power!" Cell stated openly, his aura exploding outward in a great show of force, but to his utter surprize, Arctico was not even phased by the show, but rather he began to chuckle and then laugh, something that somewhat irked the Bio-Android Cell "What's so funny Arcosian... have you gone insane or something?"

Arctico flashed a sadistic grin on his face as his energy exploded outwardly in a show of divine power, the combined might of the Power Cosmic, the Primordial Spectrum, and even his own Ultimate Evolution Aura wrapping themselves around the young Cosmic Emperor "No, I haven't gone insane, but rather I think this challenge will be nothing to me, Bio-Android..." Arctico's fists clenched up as he slowly walked forward "You are about to face the power of the son of a God of Destruction, because you see.... My father could just as easily turn you into minced meat if he wanted to, but myself? I want to see your full potential!" Arctico exclaimed, surging forward, a stream of light blue energy emerging from behind Arctico as he clashed his fists against Cell.

[Tomia]

Mars
Mars nodded to Kiris when she took up his offer to stay and then set out to test Kiris' blood and see if her strange incident had affected her physiology at all. He took some of the blood and ran a toxicology scan on it, while he put a sample of her blood under the microscope and began to examine it it. It took him a while to adjust himself to Hadrian blood, as it functioned quite differently than human blood. He sat with a strange looking book, take a crash course in Hadrian biology.

As Mars' worked he heard the faint hum of one of Kiris' songs as she explored the lab. The tune reminded him a bit of the lullabies that his parents used to sing him when he was younger.

The young superhero's lab had a number of smaller automated machines working on small projects across the lab. Some were busy sodering pieces of metal, while others were carrying tools and parts for other robots to use. This was all perfectly common for Mars, who was quite used to robots being around. Off in the corner however was the most eye catching robot. Rocket stood idle in his large resting chamber, hooked up to a metal brace that kept him up right. Mars had upgraded him significantly, and added a number of small, mostly non lethal, guns to Rockets wrist compartment, that expanded and revealed the weapons when Rocket was in battle. Rocket was clearly well cared for as his armor was shiny and unscathed, showing no signs of the battles he had previously fought.

After a little while Mars was finally able to analyze Kiris' blood and the results shocked him. Her cells were mutiplying at an incredible rate, and there was this strange purple aura surrounding them that Mars couldn't for the life of him explain. He had another theory though, one that he wasn't sure if he wanted to be right or not. "Hey Kiris?" He called trying to keep his tone even. "Could you check on your puncture mark for me? I just want to make sure it's healing properly." He asked her, this way he would be able to test his theory without letting on what he was thinking incase he was wrong.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

Kirisvala merrily hummed away the time as she snooped around in Mars' laboratory, happy to be allowed in there. She began observing a tiny assembly of robots as they went about their business, paying them utmost attention even as she hummed, her claws clasped behind her back and her tail idly moving in circles, an instinctual expression of her relative joy. She watched the little automatons march back and forth, carrying pieces this and that way so that their brethren could advance on their respective duties. They reminded the Hadrian of a colony of ants diligently working to allow their society to thrive, constantly working on the anthill and hauling plant matter back to it so it decomposed and provided food- not that Kirisvala knew how the agriculture of ants actually worked, as she had actually always believed that the tiny leaf pieces that they carried back to their anthills were eaten just like that.

Either way, the point was they reminded her of ants, but soon her attention was diverted away from them and towards the red mech in the back of the room. She continued humming as she wandered over to the glass panels behind which the robot rested. The pink-haired girl was quite frankly amazed of how well Mars cared for the robot. He was good as new, and if she didn't know better, she might've thought that Mars had built a new one altogether, but of course, that was impossible, she knew that Mars appreciated the robot quite a bit. On some days, she would even feel ever so slightly jealous of Rocket, not that she'd ever admit that. It was just a silly feeling, anyway. Mars was a close friend anyway, and she was happy for that.

Having nothing to do for the moment, Kiris continued humming, but at the same time, she decided to see if Rocket would speak to her. He never really seemed to want to talk to her when he was there, probably because he was sleeping or something, she didn't know if robots could sleep but it would certainly explain Rocket's usual unresponsiveness. However, she decided to try again anyway, just on the off chance it worked, even if she knew it wouldn't. "Rocket, you look pretty good today. Shinier than usual." She joked, 'speaking in thoughts' as she had dubbed her telepathy so that she could converse and continue humming at the same time. However, it didn't seem to work. "Um, is that new paint? Because you don't seem very beat up despite last week's mission." She continued, but alas, Rocket did not seem to respond this time, either. "Well, do you-" She began, but was interrupted by Mars. She honestly thought his request was a little odd, as he had only done the extraction a bit ago, but nodded anyways and went to check.

"Sure, just give me a moment." She said, removing the bandage with the utmost care, which was how she did most things, given how she had a pair of large claws for hands. Running a scaly finger through where the incision should have been, though, she felt nothing, and frowned, evidently confused. "It's, um, it's gone Mars. I..." She paused. "I guess it must've healed already? I thought it would take a bit longer, but..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say.

[The Republic of Atria]

Otis mostly watched as Desaad reconfigured a Motherbox not to adjust for size. It didn't seem to take him long. "Master." Desaad spoke. "We are ready to begin at your discretion." By the way Otis reacted, he assumed it was to begin immediately. "I will open the Boom Tube, you will need to push Apokolips through."

"Gotcha. Fire when ready." Desaad had called him Master. Normally he probably would have told him to call him something different, but the way Apokolips had been ruled by Darkseid, there was nothing he could do to fix it. He wasn't even going to bother. It would be impossible for anyone to do it. There was no point in wasting his time or energy on it. Otis flew behind the massive planet and when Desaad opened the Boom Tube, Otis used his telekinesis to push Apokolips through. It moved slowly with Otis having complete control of it's direction. It took almost a minute for him to push it through, but it was through. He followed behind and landed on the back as Apokolips. "And here we are!" He had no idea that Apokolips smashed into a galaxy when it was pushed through the Boom Tube. "Look at me universe! I'm Otis motherfucking Steredenn! Killer of Darkseid and the newest ruler of Apokolips! DO NOT FUCK WITH ME!" He shouted into the sky.

Otis didn't really have a sense of scale for how big his planet actually was. He knew it would be bigger, but how much bigger was beyond him. All that concerned him was that he could finally be alone. At least until he stewed long enough to go back to his normal self. He grabbed the belongings that he brought with him and went into what could be called Darkseid's Room. If he ever needed sleep or food or anything like that. "Do not disturb!" He told Desaad. "Let all visitors know the same thing. If they open this door, I'ma blast them. I need some Otis time. That means leave me alone until I come out. Especially Kalibak. I'll... Make him eat a bowl of spiderwebs or something. I'll figure it out. Until then. I'm not here." He said and slammed the massive door shut and was left to his solitude.

[Charmera]

I have become death, destroyer of worlds

Virgil and Dixia walked for some time before reaching the farm, the city walls left behind them, going so far that the smog and pollution no longer could be seen. The farm was a moisture farm, draining what was left of the water in the air for water for comercial use. She always found it ironic, the self destructive nature of life. How they'd drain water from the air just to put it in their glasses. But then she wasn't supposed to be thinking those sorts of things. She had a new mission now.

"Daisy!" Spoke Virgil. "We need weapons. And we need lots of them." She shouted at the farm.

"Remind me why we're here again? We have guns."

Virgil paused. "How many people you say you killed?"

"Five. What of it?"

"Nothing." Another pause. "We want to have the advantage of range. This gang has us outnumbered and likely outgunned. We want to pick them off one by one from an ambush position." She explained.

'That... would make sense."

"It does."

They waited another second and a door opened. A black haired woman had done so. "Oh, so sorry I left you waiting. I was having my nap..." She spoke timidly. In her hands were a set of three plasma carbines. "Here, I remember these are you favorite." She remarked.

Virgil nodded as she took one of them, Then paused. "Thank you." She spoke. More as a programmed response than anything. "Payment... may be complicated."

Daisy frowned and cocked her head ever so slightly. "Um... how so?"

Virgil paused. "Well..." She let that pause drag out a little more. "We were..."

"We were hoping you'd help us kill someone."

Virgil frowned as Dixia spoke. "What? It's what you were going to say?"

Virgil sigh. "50 k. Three ways." She spoke. "Six humanoids."

Daisy's eyes widened. "No no... I... I can't do that... I don't do that anymore."

"We know. We thought you'd start again. For old times sake... and the money." Virgil replied. "You want to get off world as much as I do."

Daisy frowned. She put a hand through black hair. "I... I don't know. I... promised... I only supply-"

"Offworld." Repeated Virgil. "Off this backwater craphole. You could find the rest of your race again."

Daisy stopped. Then nodded. Virgil would have smiled. Daisy was always easy to press gang. She almost felt guilty though, Daisy was one of the few beings she actually liked. "Fine. I'll do it... I..." She paused. "I suppose it would be nice to see my brothers and sisters of Krypton again..." She paused. "Just let me get a few things." She rushed back inside.

Dixia paused. Then her eyes widened. "Krypton..." She spoke. "She's a-"

"Yup."

"But... Daisy?" She asked, the name was so absurd.

"Her real name is Jara-Er." Replied Virgil. "Don't underestimate her. Even if that sun isn't yellow, there's not much stopping her from killing someone if she wants to."

"Then... why is she here?"

"Repentance." She replied.

Another silence was shared between the two. Dixia simply stared at Virgil. She could see the machine that had cause so much pain. On the surface, it was present. But there was something else beneath that. Dixia could see glimpses, but she could never be sure...

Daisy walked out, more guns were in her backpack, and a look of guilt on her face. "We can take my hovercraft..." She ceded reluctantly.

"So how do you know Daisy?" Asked Dixia as they sped towards their destination. The hovercraft was a four seater, much like the cars of earth, but with no wheels. It skimmed across the air, using an advanced form of tech known as skimmer tech, which creates a gravitational current that pushes and lifts.

"She's the reason I'm here." Spoke Virgil. "I was defeated twice by my sisters, so when I head Jara was a legendary engineer and smith, I came here. Little did I know that this planet would steal my powers... And that Daisy had stopped making the kinds of things I want."

"But... She still hands out plasma weapons freely..."

Daisy spoke up, "I only supply small arms... and even then only to a few specific clients." Spoke Daisy. "The Rainwater Defense corps, the local Rangers and Technios and maybe one or two more. Oh and Virgil, but that's only because of a debt I owe her." She paused. "I used to make... much worse things. On a mass production scale. The kinds of weapons which make planets crumble."

"No way..." Dixia replied, her eyes widening. "Why... did you stop?"

Daisy sighed. "When people started actually using my weapons..." She replied.

There was another awkward pause, but then Daisy stopped.

"We can park here. The Saloons not far from here."

The three of them walked in, seeing a sign. Virgil frowned, reading it. "'Rain's Fall. No guns allowed'..." Spoke Virgil. "I suppose they get a lot of trouble around these parts."

"We probably should leave our weapons with the Skimmer... It's not like we need them to meet our... clients." Spoke Daisy.

Dixia gave her an odd look. Virgil nodded. "Makes sense. Though I'll keep my pistol hidden on me just in case." The other two shrugged as they plopped the carbines and their pistols in the vehicle, then activated the shield defense system. Anyone but Daisy that comes too close to the car will be launched back by a forcefield.

---

The group opened the top door of the Salloon, revealing one of the bedrooms in which the portion where the prostitutes of the Saloon lived. They had met with one of the women earlier, and she lead them here, and now walked in.

"These are the people you wanted Serena." Spoke the woman, her name Terudi. The person she spoke to got up, a frown on her face.

"You called us." Spoke Virgil. "We have some questions before we start."

"Well I'll try my best to answer. I'm Serena, by the way." She added the last part hurriedly.

"Well, the first question would be whom we have to kill... though I'm also very curious... why hire an assassin? Seems a little expensive to kill a man or two when it could be done by one of you."

Serena's frown deepened in response. "This is no mere man. He has powers and a gang behind him. I don't want to loose any more of my girls over this." She spoke. "His partner and him can both control flames. It's why your here, they burnt our Rose..." She paused. "She was doing her job and then... he just burnt her. Got angry with her and then she burnt." She spoke. Then paused. "She's still alive, but... not for much longer. There are no hospitals out here and we've all been exiled from the city."

"She's so young... and sweet... That's no way for someone like her to die. For anyone...

Virgil paused, then an odd thought came to her. And an odd feeling. She couldn't describe either.

"May we... see her?"

Dixia and Daisy gave the android a very shocked look. Serena did too, then nodded solemnly.

---

Virgil looked at the woman, scarcly an adult. A girl of barely 19, her arms blackened and burned off, her legs similarly charred. And her face. One might at first think it was untouched, but then notice how the left side of her face had been scarred by the flames.

Virgil knelt down, so she could see the woman. She looked up at the android. Virgil couldn't shake it, but she reminded her of... someone. Her sisters perhaps? No. They never evoked this feeling in her. She didn't even know she could feel anymore.

"Don't do this..." She murmered, every word painful.

Virgil paused. Then understood. "They hurt you. Then went free." She spoke. "Don't you wish for revenge?"

"Killing... won't help me now... won't heal me." She paused. "Won't make things right..."

Virgil paused again. "What if they hurt someone else. Another whore. Another of your friends..."

"Killing doesn't solve... only kills. Only hurts. Hurts the victim, hurts the family, hurts the killer... No one is happy..."

She put a hand on Virgils. "I can tell... your soul is good. Tainted, but good. You don't really want to do this..."

Virgil let one last pause slip by. "I have no soul. And I need the money."

"You want to get back..." She paused. "Promise me this at least... Let him have water."

Virgil frowned. "What?"

"Let him have water!" Spat the dying woman. Then with her good eye, she looked strait at Virgl, her hand squeezing the androids. A pleading look in her eye. "Please..."

Virgil nodded. "I... Promise."

The woman nodded, and then gasped. Her grip loosened. And Virgil could see her life fade away. She didn't know whether or not the woman was dead, but got up and tucked the woman into the covers. She felt a pulse, feeling a small bit of life still in her. But she really did not have long at all.

"I promise."

She walked out the door, and was just about to walk downstairs when she was suddenly hit with electricity. She fell to her knees, and nearly blacked out.

---

Virgil groaned as she was tossed out of the salloon and onto the ground. She stood up, her systems took a hit from the electricty making her slow and sluggish.

"You should have read the sign Darling." Spoke a gruff male voice. Virgil saw a man in a coat, a gun in his belt and a cigarette in his mouth. He tossed it away, sizzling on the ground. Virgil saw a sherif's badge on the man.

Then Virgil felt a force connect with her head. She grunted, her hat falling off her head for the first time. She felt pain, as she had since the first day she got on this rock.

"You disgust me." Spoke the Sherif. "Scum like you who kill for money. Who do you think you are?"

There was another punch.

"This is my town!"

Virgil was in no state to fight, the shock had left her unable to fight back as she had gotten pummeled, false blood spilling on the sand and dusty as she was smacked around. She stayed conscious for an impressive amount of time. Though after some time her system shut down, requiring a reboot.

She awoke on the same sand she had "passed out" on. She found the entire town was now empty, apart from a single figure. A lone and battered woman, her face scarred by fire as she looked into Virgils eyes, and she looked into hers. The woman from the inn. Virgil could see the tears in her eyes, and it didn't take long for Virgil to feel the blood on her clothes.

"Blood does not wash away blood."

At first she thought the woman had spoken it. But instead it came from the side of her. She saw a figure, on a white horse. A skeleton. With a scythe and a cloak around his body as he stared her down.

It was her old friend. Death.

'I'm not trying to wash anything." Remarked Virgil, picking up her hat and putting it on.

You are. But you won't let yourself admit it. Can't.

Virgil didn't respond to that question.

It's pathetic, to be honest. You're not what you used to be. You used to be a machine. Efficient, cold, deadly. The perfect agent of death.

She paused, "Aren't you supposed to be a woman?"

Don't change the subject. Why are you doing this?

"Money."

Liar. You had a plan. Work the farm, make money, then leave.

"Fun."

Liar. You never found this fun. Even when you thought you enjoyed it, it ate at you.

"... It's my purpose."

Liar. If you were truly performing as intended, you would have killed the girl and the kryptonian.

"What's to say I won't?"

"You've grown attached."

"Fine. Why do you think I'm doing this?"

"Simple. Justice."

"That's-"

But Virgil could say no more to death. She woke up.

---

"..Ridicu-" Virgil paused, she was back on the hovercar. Both Dixia and Daisy were looking at her. One had a triumphant smile on her face and the other a relieved one.

"Told you she'd wake up!"

Virgil groaned, getting up. She looked at her body. While before at least a few metal bones were broken, her face was even more of a wreck than the person she was avenging and her body was in no condition to move, she felt completely fine. She had completely regenerated.

"We didn't do that." Remarked Daisy. "Seems like the planet has stripped your powers, but given your new ones."

The Android nodded. "Seems that way..."

The other two paused, Dixia sitting next to her compariot.

"You left me there."

"Well what else could we do? There were too many of them." Remarked Daisy. "You're lucky they were inside when we swung around."

"I still say we could have taken them." Dixia boasted, daisy shook her head.

"I never said we couldn't take them... just..." She sighed. "Nevermind."

Dixia frowned, before she remembered something. "Oh yeah! Good news! We found them. A little talking to some of the townsfolk while you were out got us their location. His gang and partner too. They were part of the bounty after all." She sighed. "Though, it was kinda hard to get them talking. Sherif's got them scared."

"I've been meaning to ask. What's his deal?" Asked Virgil. She rubbed her head, seemingly trying to alleviate a headache.

"Well. He's the law." Dixia remarked. "Most of these guys out these parts control their town like fiefdoms, and strut around the place acting as judge, jury and execution. But when strangers come dishing out their own justice, it kinda chips at his position. Plus it does a hefty blow to the guys ego. After all he was the one who pardoned the criminals. Nepotism I guess..."

"Nepotism?"

"Oh. I forgot to tell you." She remarked. "Smith Bucal, Rob Bucal (Our targets) and our dear sheriff, John-Hal Bucal are all brothers."

Virgil groaned. "This just keeps getting more complicated..."

---

"You see them?" Asked Daisy.

Virgil nodded as she looked through the scope. The fire and the men around it were in full view of Virgil and Daisy atop a nearby ridge. Honestly it was the perfect place for an ambush. Virgil was concerned about some cover to the left and right, but she was sure it would not be an issue. At least she hoped it wouldn't. They would only get one shot at this. There were three men around the campfire. Smith wasn't there, but Rob was, so at least they would get one of the infamous Bucal brothers.

"Alright Daisy, you're the best shot out of all of us. You can take this one."

Daisy paused, then nodded as she took the rifle.

Virgil waited, taking a look at the group. "Right. They're finished with their meal. They'll pack up and extinguish the fire soon." She spoke. Then turned to Daisy. "Get ready.."

Daisy was looking through the scope, her hands steady.

'Right. Take the shot. Now."

Nothing happened.

Virgil paused. "Take the shot Daisy."

Nothing.

"Dais-?"

"I can't do it,"

"What?"

Daisy was in tears. "I can't do this anymore." She got up and left the scope. "I... Told you. I couldn't do it anymore."

Dixia snorted diresively, but earned a warning look from Virgil.

Virgil wasn't quite sure why she did that.

The android took the gun. And then saw Rob just about to put out the fire. The angle of the shot meant that his face was in full view of the scope. Virgil could see the man, all he apeared to be. All that he was as a person and a sentient being. And she was going it end it. With one shot.

It was harder than before. Ever before. But the trigger was pulled. The man fell dead, and Rob Bucal, was no more.

The other two tried to run. By pure instinct or programming Virgil shot him in the torso. He fell behind a rock and did not get back up.

She turned her sights to the other, aiming through the scope. But he was in cover. She frowned as she adjusted somewhat, seeing flesh poking out despite his best efforts. He must not know where the sniper was. Now he was going to-

"Please... Help..."

Virgil froze at those words. She turned her scope back to the man behind the rock. He was still very much alive. Shot through the gut. He lay behind a rock, dead, for he could not move from there, yet still living for the wound had yet to kill him. Treating it in time was impossible considering the planet they were on.

"I... It's so dry!" He moaned. Virgil was close enough to hear him. "Oh god... It's so dry!" He moaned, still coherent, but loosing the ability to think quite so rationally.

"He needs water!" Shouted the other man. "He's going to die anyway. Please. I have a full canteen."

Water was just an excuse really. Virgil knew he didn't want his friend to die alone. And she considered just killing him now and then. But something stopped her.

Let him have water...

'Please!"

Virgil took her eye from the scope. "You can give him water!" she announced. This was odd for her. Mercy was the word for it.

Mercy was not a word she was used to.