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

[Pyrade]

Paradise Island
Ara thought for a moment, then fired the staff at Ice Age, freezing him solid. "Launch him into space for me," Ara said, "he won't die, but if he unfreezes himself again, he will." She looked around to see the frozen jungle returning to normal, and the Amazons unfreezing. She smiled and said, "Thank you, Eldara."

Eldara shrugged ambivalently, logically either option was equivalent when one looked at outcomes. She pointed her ring at the iced up Ice Age as a bronze net of energy wrapped around it. With the ice encapsulated in the net she leapt into the air, her ring kicking in just before she began falling once more and sending her flying towards the atmosphere. Once she reached the right altitude for the ice to be relieved of the pull of gravity, she brought up the ice block, and gently pushed it off into space.
Barring any form of space debris or planet, he should just keep going. . .
She thought, pondering a sound course of action before she spotted the silvery glow of the moon. With another burst of ring powered speed she raced towards the secondary orb and placed Ice Age gently in a crater before she returned to Ara.
"It is done. There is no need to thank me, such a villain should not be roaming free."
She replied bluntly.

[Pyrade]

Taro
Taro's mouth, which was now nothing more than a jagged gap in his shadow-form shifted slightly as an unearthly laugh left it, echoing around the chamber as he tore into Frost's shadow again. The oni struggled against the intangible assault. Dark black lacerations opened on her skin where the shadow's claws tore into her own shadow. Drawing on her powers she formed a dozen shards of ice with rained down upon Taro, piercing the shadow and the floor. Taro released a discordant howl of pain as he recoiled from the area, drawing his shadow together into a three dimensional creature of shadows.
With a violent snarl he rushed at Frost, his shadow shifting as his form changed. The shadow drew out into an immense, long, slender viper. In this shadow Form Taro began to wrap around his foe and constrict her, causing the razor-like edges of his shadow-form to cut into her. Frost struggled violently against the constricting, eviscerating foe, but it was little help. Taro held the grip tight, hoping to wear his foe down, but the Oni was not out of tricks yet. An eruption of icicles centered on Frost skewered the shadow snake all over, causing Taro to hiss violently as he released his prey, returning to his own form. The shadows faded from his body as he felt all the welts and bruises from the attacks he had sustained in his shadow forms. But as he glanced at his foe, he smirked in satisfaction. Where he was covered with bruises which lay hidden under his fur, she was covered in bleeding cuts which had an angry black tinge to their edge. The pain would be getting to her now, that, and blood-loss. Taro summoned a little more of his remaining martial strength and dashed towards the exhausted Oni one, final time, burying his sword in her bleeding chest. As he dropped the creature he turned to see how his allies were doing. The human was finished to, something which annoyed Taro quite a bit.

[Pyrade]

Taro wiped a dribble of blood away from his mouth as he approached Masami and Garnet. It was good that the rest had all survived their battles. This pack was strong in Taro's eyes . . . Even the human, he had to concede that point.
"I see you advance in power and skill my friend."
He said to Masami with a smile and gestured to her new tail. His brow furrowed with curiosity when she made her tails disappear, but he refrained from asking, now was not the time.
He looked the two of them up and down, checking for any injuries before he nodded, satisfied that they were okay.
"We are required to return to your aunt I assume . . . Is our human tomadachi coming?"
Taro asked, loud enough to reach Akihiko's ears. He had decided he did not appreciate this human. He was quite self-centered in Taro's eyes. Whether or not he had reasons for it, Taro did not like it, and the annoyance in his voice said just as much.

[Pyrade]

Taro
Taro sighed and folded his arms, wincing as his claws pressed against one of the hundreds of ice cold bruises which covered his body. All ac ross his body he could feel the markings where he had been skewered with icicles. The dark black wounds were hidden by his fur thankfully. He watched the touching exchange between Masami and Garnet with a smile, it was good to see humans and kitsune getting along so well. When Garnet chided him for his behaviour he rolled his eyes and muttered something about how things were back in his day.

Taro paused when he heard of the missing prisoners.
"He might know . . . Otherwise we shall have to go hunting . . ."
He said, his voice rife with apprehension. When things did not go as planned while demons were involved, there was usually a trap.
"Oni are carnivorous . . . It is possible we are already too late. . . Do any of you smell alcohol?"
He asked as he recalled what he knew of the Oni of his time. Foul creatures created when a wicked person died. He could recall the savage tortures Oni meted out upon their victims.
"Tis strange . . . Oni usually kidnap wicked humans for torture . . . These children must simply have been in the wrong place. Or Oni are becoming less traditional."

[Quavv]

Tokyo, Japan
Defenders Mansion

Panda was in the kitchen of the mansion, preparing himself some noodles and veggies for breakfast. "Good morning Panda," said Bolin as he entered the room. "Greetings," replied Panda. "The President of China contacted me yesterday," said Bolin, "he said he thinks the government has a lead on Hydra and wants us to assist." "You know most of those leads are dead ends," said Panda, "Hydra is good at staying hidden." "I know I know," replied Bolin, "But I have a good feeling about this. Once the others wake up and get breakfast we'll head out. I told him we'll be there by the end of today." Not much later, Mizuka entered the kitchen. Then Liwei. Bolin informed them of what was going on, so they all ate breakfast and boarded the Quinjet. Bolin purchased the Quinjet from SHIELD not long after the Defenders team was formed.

[Quavv]

Chinese Airspace on route to Beijing
"So Bolin, what are your thoughts on this act that has been passed?" asked Panda. Bolin set the ship on auto pilot and turned to face Panda, "Well I certainly understand the reasoning behind it," replied Bolin, "There are way too many uncontrolled supers running around that we really need to keep an eye on." "This law wouldn't change much for you would it?" asked Panda, "I mean, you're already in Chinese and Japanese databases and employed by the government. The world knows who you are and respects you." "That's true," replied Bolin, "I do work for the government. However, its strictly for non-combat based missions. At least that's what my contract said. Unfortunately, this new law may overrule my contract and require me to officially register with SHIELD." "How do you feel about that?" asked Panda.

"Not too fond of the idea," replied Bolin, "I respect the government to an extent but they have a tendency to make bad decisions and abuse their power. Imagine how oppressed the world could become if every super was working for the government? Imagine how bad wars would get if people like Superman and Goku were forced onto the frontlines by their home countries? There is a lot wrong with this law that I just can't support. There has to be a less restrictive way to limit the dangers posed by super beings." "In four months it will be illegal worldwide for supers to remain unregistered," said Panda, "I assure you that myself and the others will not be registering. What then will become of the Defenders?" "Honestly I don't know," replied Bolin, "It will be almost impossible for the Defenders to stay active assuming the Japanese government will be knocking at our door. We may have to go underground. In fact, I should be able to set up an underground base for us to operate from within the four month period. Its gonna get crazy once the four months is up. The world is basically going to become a war zone. Villains will take advantage of the situation too. We need heroes that will focus on being heroes even during that time." "I understand," replied Panda, "We will stay at your side."

[Quavv]

Bejing, China
Capitol Building
The Defenders soon arrived in the capitol city and before everyone even exited the quinjet, the President rushed out to meet them. "Defenders," yelled the President, "our suspicions were correct! A Hydra base in Shanghai just released a monster into the city and apparently there are some dinosaurs and a girl fighting it. Please head there immediately!" "We're on it Mr. President," said Bolin, "Let's get moving Defenders." The Defenders boarded the quinjet and flew off towards Shanghai.

Later...

Shanghai, China
Upon arriving in the city, the monster was in clear view. "Apparently the helicopters' attacks are not damaging the creature," said Demon Blade. Bolin put on his suit and looked at the group. "White Lotus," he said, "Find that girl that the President was talking about. Find out who she is and what she knows about whats going on. The rest of us will attack the monster head on." "Got it," replied White Lotus. "Defenders Engage!" exclaimed Bolin. As the beast chased Ara, it was suddenly blasted from the side by one of Mecha Sentinel's energy blasts. Seeing Ara running from the monster, White Lotus teleported in front of her. "Don't worry," she said, "I'm not here to harm you."

[Quavv]

Shanghai
Ara skidded to a stop in front of Lotus as the monster stopped, turning toward Mecha Sentinel. It roared, then charged straight toward him. Ara slowly got up, "My name is Ara and a crazy person just released this monster on this city. It was made there. It's scales are tough, but if we are tougher, we can break it." She turned around to see the monster chasing after Mecha Sentinel. "Hopefully he doesn't make the mistake that they made," she turned towards the dead soldiers strewn across the street. "I am Ara the Undefeated, Chieftess of the Tribals, Mortal by Birth, Immortal by Adoption, sent to protect Earth by the Skygod."

"I'm known as the White Lotus. Me and my associates here are the Defenders and we seek to protect China and Japan from major threats. Seeing as his energy blast did very little damage, he'll probably be smart enough to keep his distance." And Mecha Sentinel did just that. Flying out of the beast's range of attack he waited for his teammates to attack. Demon Blade rushed from behind a building and sliced the monster's ankles. Panda then proceeded to throw a car at the monster's head.

[Quavv]

Ara nodded, as Demon Blade hit the legs, which the monster roared at, and flashed it's tail back and forth, as a car smashed it's head. It almost stumbled, took a step back, and just as it's gigantic foot was about to crush Demon Blade, Ara had taken her club and waved it at the beast. It stayed frozen for a moment, and Ara shoved the Demon Blade out of the way just before it unfroze. The clawed foot came down, smashing into the asphalt below. Ara, in the meantime, had rolled out of the way of the tail. She crawled up the tail, which flung her off, sending her spiralling toward a nearby building.

White Lotus teleported to catch Ara before she hit the building and then teleported back down to the ground. "Looks like this thing isn't going down easy," said White Lotus. "No problem," said Bolin, "The outside of this monster is protecting his insides right? Well then let's bypass the outside and directly attack the inside." "The Panda buster I presume?" asked Panda. "Although normally used for robots I think it should be just as effective on a biological creature," said Bolin. "Sounds like a plan," said White Lotus, "Let's do it." In preparation for the attack, Panda began charging the kamehameha wave.

[Quavv]

"Don't worry Ms.," said Mecha Sentinel, "We got this. Do it now guys." "Ka-me-ha-me-!" exclaimed Panda. As he paused, White Lotus grabbed his shoulder and teleported him. The two were no place in sight, when suddenly...

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!"

Panda released the powerful kamehameha wave from within the belly of the beast.

[Quavv]

Shanghai
Tribals were accustomed to running short distances very quickly, not long distances quickly. She wasn't breathing hard yet, but her legs were tiring. She collapsed to the ground after tripping over debris. The beast lowered it's head and roared, as Ara's life flashed before her eyes. Then she heard the yell, "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" and light burst from the beast's belly. The monster collapsed to the ground, and it's body created a huge shockwave through the city. The monster's stomach began pouring out undigested body parts-legs, arms, torsos, and heads.

A raptor appeared next to Ara with her spear in it's mouth. She grasped the spear, raised it into the sky and yelled, "The day is won!"

Cheers of joy filled the streets of Shanghai as people came out from cover and applauded the heroes. White Lotus and Panda climbed out of the beast's belly, covered in stomach juice. "Yeah...not sure I wanna do that again," said White Lotus as she shook herself off. "Agreed," replied Panda. A police officer ran up to the victors with a huge grin on his face. "Thank you Defenders," he said, "Shanghai would have been in ruins by now if you hadn't shown up." "We're just doing our jobs sir," replied Bolin. He then turned around and looked at Ara.

"I didn't catch your name miss," he said, "My name is Bolin Huang, but I frequently go by Mecha Sentinel. You've already met White Lotus over there. The other two are Demon Blade and Panda. Together we're the Defenders. Although you may have heard of us even if you aren't from Asia. Anyway, enough about us. What brings you to Shanghai and what can you tell us about what just happened?"

[Quavv]

"Wait you're here to save the world?" asked Bolin, "Does that mean you're not from this world?" "No offense," said White Lotus, "But if you couldn't beat that thing then I highly doubt you're capable of saving this entire planet. There are a LOT of crazy creatures and people on this planet alone. There are beings and creatures on other planets and in different realms that could destroy this planet by themselves. The only thing keeping planet Earth in one piece is luck. We've got just enough powerful people who care about our existence that we've managed to keep from being conquered or destroyed." "I think you all are asking the wrong questions," Demon Blade interrupted, "The question isn't where you've come from or how you plan to save us. The question is, what have you come to save us from?" Realizing the significance of Demon Blade's question, everyone paused and looked at Ara, awaiting a response.

[Quavv]

"Well as White Lotus pretty much said," replied Bolin, "There are a lot of 'darknesses' in this world. I wouldn't know where to start. Earth is pretty much dealing with some sort of conflict 24/7 so I don't know if there is a way to pinpoint the problem you were sent here to fix." "Well what of the people who captured you?" asked Demon Blade, "Did you hear anything about a group named Hydra? The Chinese government sent us here with the assumption that this beast belonged to them. However, there is no way to tell for sure unless you have some information for us."

[Quavv]

"Well as White Lotus pretty much said," replied Bolin, "There are a lot of 'darknesses' in this world. I wouldn't know where to start. Earth is pretty much dealing with some sort of conflict 24/7 so I don't know if there is a way to pinpoint the problem you were sent here to fix." "Well what of the people who captured you?" asked Demon Blade, "Did you hear anything about a group named Hydra? The Chinese government sent us here with the assumption that this beast belonged to them. However, there is no way to tell for sure unless you have some information for us."

"I'll do what I can," Ara said, "I don't know anything about a Hydra. The leader said something about two heads-at least before the raptors ripped his off. He released the beast on the city before he was killed." She looked at the body of the beast. "T-rex-like, but it seems a little too smart for that. Almost like-a velociraptor. Almost like it was both. But how could they get the power like that?"

"Something about when you cut off one head more will spawn in its place?" asked Demon Blade, "Definitely sounds like Hydra." "My question is," Panda interjected, "Why would Hydra capture our friend Ara here? What were they planning to do with her before she escaped? Also, what was their purpose in releasing that beast here? And how did they create it?" "We've got a lot of unanswered questions," said Bolin, "We'll have to work with the Chinese government to further investigate Hydra's presence here. I know Hydra is mainly focused in Europe so it's possible that Ara here escaped from their only base in China, but we can't be sure. It may be a good idea for us to stay here in China for the next few weeks."

"That's fine with me," replied Panda. "Whatever it takes to rid the region of the disease which is Hydra," said Demon Blade. "Well I'm not going back to Japan by myself," said White Lotus, "So I guess I'm stuck here." "Ara," said Bolin, "How about you stick with us while we figure this situation out?"

[Quavv]

"Something about when you cut off one head more will spawn in its place?" asked Demon Blade, "Definitely sounds like Hydra." "My question is," Panda interjected, "Why would Hydra capture our friend Ara here? What were they planning to do with her before she escaped? Also, what was their purpose in releasing that beast here? And how did they create it?" "We've got a lot of unanswered questions," said Bolin, "We'll have to work with the Chinese government to further investigate Hydra's presence here. I know Hydra is mainly focused in Europe so it's possible that Ara here escaped from their only base in China, but we can't be sure. It may be a good idea for us to stay here in China for the next few weeks."

"That's fine with me," replied Panda. "Whatever it takes to rid the region of the disease which is Hydra," said Demon Blade. "Well I'm not going back to Japan by myself," said White Lotus, "So I guess I'm stuck here." "Ara," said Bolin, "How about you stick with us while we figure this situation out?"

"I can already tell you the answer to the first question," Ara said, "they wanted me to tell them how to get more of my friends. I wouldn't tell them one thing. Their feeble attempts at torturing me to get the information availed nothing. They used an element to torture me, but they should know that elements are fruitless against Ara the Undefeated. As for the other questions, I assume that there was some sort prior plan which I interrupted in my escape. I would be more than willing to stay here for the time being, to help you."

"Luckily I assumed there would come a time where we'd need to operate out of China," said Bolin, "So I had a temporary base constructed a few miles south of here in the city of Hangzhou. Panda, you fly everyone to Hangzhou in the Quinjet. I'm going to fly to Beijing to get things situated with the President. He'll want to know what happened here and how we plan to move forward." "Understood," replied Panda. "It'll be nice to have another girl on the team for a change," said White Lotus as she walked towards the Quinjet. "Ara," said Bolin, "These 'friends' of yours won't tear up the furniture at the base will they?"

[Quavv]

"Luckily I assumed there would come a time where we'd need to operate out of China," said Bolin, "So I had a temporary base constructed a few miles south of here in the city of Hangzhou. Panda, you fly everyone to Hangzhou in the Quinjet. I'm going to fly to Beijing to get things situated with the President. He'll want to know what happened here and how we plan to move forward." "Understood," replied Panda. "It'll be nice to have another girl on the team for a change," said White Lotus as she walked towards the Quinjet. "Ara," said Bolin, "These 'friends' of yours won't tear up the furniture at the base will they?"

Ara looked at the raptors, realizing that Bolin was worried about the raptors, "Well, if you have a suitable area outside they won't need to destroy your furniture. The raptors aren't the problem I'd be worried about-the pterosaurs is the thing I'd be concerned with. If this base you mentioned is inside, I would either prepare a suitable area for the pterosaurs and raptors away from your valued furniture or else it might be destroyed. As a matter of fact, I didn't see my T-rex when I released my friends. And a raptor was missing."

"Yeah...the T-Rex won't even fit in the quinjet," said Panda. "And I'm pretty sure the Chinese won't appreciate a bunch of dinos running around," said Bolin, "Is there any way to...I dunno...send em back? Now that you've got us to help you, I think your dino pals might become more of a burden than a help." "They'd probably be safer back in...wherever you came from anyway," said White Lotus, "Hydra might try to capture them and use them in experiments to create more of those monsters."

[Quavv]

"Yeah...the T-Rex won't even fit in the quinjet," said Panda. "And I'm pretty sure the Chinese won't appreciate a bunch of dinos running around," said Bolin, "Is there any way to...I dunno...send em back? Now that you've got us to help you, I think your dino pals might become more of a burden than a help." "They'd probably be safer back in...wherever you came from anyway," said White Lotus, "Hydra might try to capture them and use them in experiments to create more of those monsters."

Ara thought for a moment, then sighed, "I shall take them back to the Tribal Lands for their own safety. It is my duty as a Tribal to put those I love ahead of myself." She made a sharp whistle, and the raptors, the sabretooth tiger, and the pterosaurs all swarmed to her. She fingered her necklace and said, "I will return to aid you shortly. I have to make arrangements for their care." She vanished into a cloud of smoke. After fifteen minutes or so, she reappeared. "My apologies for taking so long," she said.

Upon her return, Mecha Sentinel had already left. "Mecha Sentinel headed off towards Beijing to talk with the President," said Demon Blade, "And Panda and White Lotus are already on the Quinjet. Follow me."

Meanwhile...

Mecha Sentinel was flying through the air, on route to Beijing. "Hydra sure is annoying," thought Bolin, "They never seem to give up. I wonder why they're putting so much into this regional operation. I mean, what's so special about East Asia? You'd think they would have put their resources to better use in Europe or North America where the rewards and resistance is greater. What the heck is Hydra up to?" Bolin remained uneasy about the situation. Although it was confirmed that there was a Hydra base in Shanghai, that was about the extent of the information gained. So much still remains a mystery. "I've got a bad feeling about this," he thought, "We'd better keep our guard up."

[Quavv]

Upon her return, Mecha Sentinel had already left. "Mecha Sentinel headed off towards Beijing to talk with the President," said Demon Blade, "And Panda and White Lotus are already on the Quinjet. Follow me."

Ara nodded and followed Demon Blade to the Quinjet. Once she boarded, she looked around at everything, taking it all in. This was new to her. She stared at the controls and the seats. She stared through the windows, always keeping her spear in hand thinking that any moment something might come to life and attack her. Her club and rod were strapped to her back by a vine. "This is an unusual transportation system," Ara said out loud, "normally we use pterosaurs, plesiosaurs, or other dinosaurs to get from place to place."

Everyone in the group chuckled at Ara's curiosity"We may have done that too a couple million years ago," said White Lotus, "But we've invented better forms of transportation now." "So Ara," said Demon Blade, "Tell us a bit about yourself. You say you are undefeated, immortal, and have been adopted into a family from another world. Perhaps you could tell us about these Tribal Lands that you are from and why the fate of our world is any concern to your people."

[Quavv]

Everyone in the group chuckled at Ara's curiosity"We may have done that too a couple million years ago," said White Lotus, "But we've invented better forms of transportation now." "So Ara," said Demon Blade, "Tell us a bit about yourself. You say you are undefeated, immortal, and have been adopted into a family from another world. Perhaps you could tell us about these Tribal Lands that you are from and why the fate of our world is any concern to your people."

When Demon Blade asked her about the Tribal Lands, Ara closed her eyes, remembering the Tribal Lands. "It's a beautiful place. There is a lush jungle, a frozen mountain, warm beaches, and a scorching desert. The Tribals make their home in the jungle in Treetop City. Before that, they lived in mud huts in the desert, and before that, they lived in the caves. My father, the Great Chief Unga built the Treetop City after his wife, after whom I am named died, and he could not bear the sight of the desert as it reminded him of her. You see, if one Tribal mourns, the rest mourn with them."

"Interesting," said Demon Blade, "Your world doesn't sound too different from ours." "Tell us about your Chief," said White Lotus, "How is he able to see between worlds and why does he have an interest here?" "Did your Chief seem to have any idea what he was sending you to protect us from," said Panda, "It would seem odd to send an adopted daughter to fight an unknown threat in another world."

[Quavv]

"Interesting," said Demon Blade, "Your world doesn't sound too different from ours." "Tell us about your Chief," said White Lotus, "How is he able to see between worlds and why does he have an interest here?" "Did your Chief seem to have any idea what he was sending you to protect us from," said Panda, "It would seem odd to send an adopted daughter to fight an unknown threat in another world."

"First, he did not send me of his will. I think he would have forbidden it from happening if her were alive when I left. He died two years ago, and I have taken the title of Chieftess. There is a magic pool that allows us to see between worlds, as well as we can travel between worlds using our necklaces. The pool is how he found me and took pity on me. Another pool sees into the future. It can allow one to see vaguely into the future, but the future is avoidable. A wise shaman saw that in the future a darkness would cover everything on this world and that I would have to stop it. I chose to leave everything I've ever known to come to a world that left me to die," Ara replied.

"I see," replied Demon Blade. "It looks like we've arrived everyone," said Panda as he landed the ship. The crew exited the vessel and looked around the interior of the base. It definitely wasn't as big as the base in Tokyo, but it would suffice temporarily. "Well I guess we'd better get comfortable," said Demon Blade as he sat on the couch, "We may be here a while."

Meanwhile...

Mecha Sentinel had arrived in Beijing and was in the President's office. He told the President everything he knew about what took place in Shanghai, which wasn't much. "I see," said the President, "This is very serious indeed." "I highly doubt the 'darkness' Ara was referring to has anything to do with Hydra," said Bolin, "But I think it's worth looking into as a secondary priority." "If Hydra is becoming bold enough to attack major cities then we need to eliminate them immediately," said the President, "I insist that the Defenders remain in China until the country is free of Hydra." "With all due respect Mr. President," Bolin replied, "Hydra is an almost century old, complex organization with who knows how many bases of operation scattered across the globe. There's no way of knowing how many Hydra agents are in China and, therefore, no way of being sure we've gotten rid of them all. The best we can do is try to find out what there purpose is here and try to suppress their activities. We'll stay and help you gain intel for the next few weeks but then we're headed back to Tokyo." "And what of the cave girl?" asked the President. "Well for some reason Hydra has an interest in her," said Bolin, "So I think it would be best if she came to Tokyo with us. Hey who knows, maybe all the Chinese Hydra agents will follow us to Japan."

[Quavv]

Ara exited the Quinjet, and said, "This is a lot bigger than what the Tribals have. We usually have just enough to sleep." She looked around the "base." It was all brand new to her. She remained standing. "I'll take first watch tonight."

Immediately, the wall behind her blasted apart. "Quite a noble gesture, cave girl, but I'm afraid that none of you will live to see the night," a voice said as the smoke cleared. It was the Mandarin, riding another one of the beasts. At his side was a T-rex ridden by a Hydra agent and a raptor on the other.

"Who are you and what do you want?" demanded Ara, fingering her spear.

"What's with all these dinosaurs!?" exclaimed Demon Blade, "I'm quite tired of them." "That's the Mandarin Ara," said White Lotus, "He's a villain from China who works with Hydra. I'm actually surprised he decided to grace us with his presence. "Ara," said Panda, "You deal with the raptor. Demon Blade and White Lotus, you two deal with the Mandarin and his monster. The other one is mine." "We're on it," replied White Lotus. She immediately grabbed hold of Demon Blade and teleported onto the monster's back, right behind the Mandarin. The two then pulled out their swords and rushed towards him. Panda approached the other monster with the Hydra agent riding on top and stood in front of it. "Your move," he said.

[Quavv]

Tokyo, Japan
Defenders Mansion

After the appearance of the Mandarin and heavy Hydra activity in China over the last few months, the Defenders returned to their mansion in Tokyo and recruited Ara into the team. However, they basically had little to no relaxation time. Not long ago, the Super Registration Act that was passed went into full effect. Every super being on the planet was forced to register with the government or risk being arrested or even killed. Demon Blade, Panda, White Lotus, and Ara refused to register, while Bolin (who was basically already registered) refused to hunt down unregistered supers as was required of those who registered. Having been busy with Hydra over the last few months, Bolin didn't have time to prepare an underground hideout like he had planned. Instead, the team essentially became refugees in the Vatican City. And independent entity and not a part of the UN, the Vatican is secretly housing almost 300 unregistered supers who aren't eager to fight against the government's of their home countries. So far, the 771 citizens of the Vatican haven't leaked any information out, but that's likely not to be the case for long.

Seeing another batch of refugees entering the shelter, Bolin turned towards Ara. "Hey Ara," he said, "Perhaps the darkness you were sent to protect us from was ourselves. This could basically be considered world war three, but with supers as the major combatants. I hope the planet survives this. All you need is somebody to tick off the wrong guy and this planet will be blown to smithereens."

[Quavv]

The Vatican
Ara looked toward Bolin, thinking. She was wearing a red T-shirt and jeans, after she was practically forced to, so she wouldn't be recognized when the team left for the Vatican. "Ourselves? When we fled Asia, we ran like cowards. I have thought of what this rule is, and almost feel as if the Mandarin was only the beginning of the darkness I must face. When we stood and defended ourselves against his attack, I felt weak. My love for my friends that were enslaved became my weakness. My path is dark, with only the light I hold in my torch. We could sit here and feel sorry for ourselves, or we could hide in a place that only I and Hydra knows of. No Registration, just us. We can flee until the storm calms. If what is being rumored about the information being shipped out of this city is possibly true, we might want to go out."

"As much as I'd like to avoid any conflict," said Bolin, "I'm not willing to be pushed out of my world by the enforcers of this impulsive and poorly thought out law." "I agree with Bolin," said Panda, "Besides, what if this law is never repealed? What if the enforcers maintain the upper hand and more supers start registering or getting locked up? Then we'd have to live in your world with you." "We understand that you don't live here Ara," said Bolin, "So we don't think any less of you if you decide to leave. But we can't abandon our home. If the UN decides to invade the Vatican just to reach us, then I'd rather stay here and fight with the other refugees than flee."

[Quavv]

"As much as I'd like to avoid any conflict," said Bolin, "I'm not willing to be pushed out of my world by the enforcers of this impulsive and poorly thought out law." "I agree with Bolin," said Panda, "Besides, what if this law is never repealed? What if the enforcers maintain the upper hand and more supers start registering or getting locked up? Then we'd have to live in your world with you." "We understand that you don't live here Ara," said Bolin, "So we don't think any less of you if you decide to leave. But we can't abandon our home. If the UN decides to invade the Vatican just to reach us, then I'd rather stay here and fight with the other refugees than flee."

"I'm not leaving-I'm taking a trip to my home. I have to barter passage on a ship sailing to the Solomon Isles, then from there, I will summon one of my friends to get me to my island. I hope to see you again soon." She pressed a horn into Bolin's hands. "This horn is heard by my friends, who will tell me. If you need my help, blow it. Farewell, Bolin, Demon Blade, Panda, and White Lotus. I will hope to see you again. If you are imprisoned, I will find you. No matter what the cost." She waved, then boarded the ship to the Solomon Islands.

Not long after, the ship was caught in a stormy gale. The last thing Ara remembered was clinging to the side of the ship before slipping below the waves.

The Defenders said goodbye to their friend Ara, who's help during the fight against Hydra was well appreciated. They now stood far from their home country with a few hundred refugees. The Pope, who had outwardly expressed his concern about the law when it was first passed a few months ago, was eager to provide refuge for any supers unwilling to register. During the 4 months before the law would take full effect, the Vatican sent messages to notable supers across the world in an effort to give Anti-Registrationists a heads up as far as where they could come for safety. Although the Pope knew this could potentially put the Vatican in danger, he had no second thoughts about the matter. As the number of refugees continues to increase, the likelihood that the UN will find out increases as well.

[Quavv]

Vatican City

Over the past few days, refugees have continued to come in. The Vatican's population, around 770 before the Registration Act was enforced, is now close to 1,200. Assuming that an attack from the outside could happen at any moment, the supers in the Vatican are prepared for the worst. The supers keep up with what is going on outside the Vatican by watching the news. "It really is turning out to be WWIII out there," said one hero. "At this rate the world will be destroyed just because mortal humans fear us," replied another. "The Vatican won't be able to remain like this for long," said Bolin to the two men talking, "We need to be ready in case they decide to attack. We can't assume they will honor the Vatican's neutrality."