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

[The Republic of Atria]

"Wait. That's not a sarcastic comment at all. S'matter? Run out of quips already?" And then Frost vanished. He wasn't just going to let him get away without firmly planting his foot between Frost's lungs and colon. He used his cosmic senses to search everywhere for the Arcosian. Then there was a hole. A sort of pop. Something vanished. Wiped out. It took him a few seconds to register what Frost had done. "You... You just... Wiped out... Trillions." He said with his voice breaking, clearly trying to keep himself from getting angry. "I'm right here! They didn't do anything! They were just people... All because you want me to do something dangerous? Just so you can see power that can't be controlled?"

"Fine!" Xander was already a volcano of barely contained rage as he was. He was always extremely careful to keep it suppressed so he wouldn't lose control, not even for a second. But now? He couldn't contain it any longer. It had to go somewhere. And what better place then aimed directly at the one being he wanted dead more than anything else. Xander pushed against his own mental restraints which quickly relented under the sheer amount of rage. "You want to see how powerful I am? Well then, here you go." His power went to above his 5 percent limit nearing 30, and as soon as it did, the very fabric of reality began to warp, twist and bend. Water burned, the sky went black despite the sun still shining, the materials around him took on different properties. Rubber rocks, water that flowed backwards.

50%. Distance was no longer what it appeared to be. The trend continued until he fully charged up to 100%. New Namek and the stars surrounding it were only kept from truly falling apart by Xander's sheer willpower. Though he wasn't sure how long it would last. "Alright. Here we go. As hard as I can? I can do that." He moved with such speed that time stopped and hit Frost with what could only be described as a blow that would have torn the very galaxy asunder had he not been doing his best to keep everything from truly falling apart.

[The Republic of Atria]

"Hm." Was all Xander had to say. Normally he kept his cool by making stupid snarky remarks. Kept him cheery, if a bit of an asshole, but that was infinitely preferable to him finally giving into the incredible amount of rage that he had bottled away. This was what happened when he did. He stood perfectly still as Frost attacked him from nearly a dozen different angles with what looked like some form of dimensional energy turrets. At worst a minor annoyance. He redirected the energy they shot above his head, letting it amass while he closed the portals, the simple act of doing so, shook the planet to it's very core. His control over reality was slipping. He used his rage to bolster his willpower, but even that had its limits.

"Fear. An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat." Xander said half to himself and to Frost. "This is the power I feared. That I wouldn't be able to control it. And I can't. This planet is ripping open at the seams, and I can't stop it. I can make sure that neither this world, nor the galaxy you so mercilessly wiped out. You will die." He said and dispelled the energy he had amassed from Frost's attack. "It didn't have to be this way. We could have been allies, friends even. Good-bye Frost. You won't be missed." Xander muttered and began to charge a blast that would punch straight through half the universe if he didn't keep it from doing so.

[The Republic of Atria]

"Empty threats. You've barely reached half of my power. I'm allowing leeway, because I want you to see that no matter how hard you try, no matter how hard you fight, you're going to learn the lesson that I learned long ago. There's always someone better. And because I'm going to flay the flesh from your bones. I will render you powerless. You are nothing. You are LESS than nothing. Just like every other worthless monster I've killed. You are no different. A bit stronger, yes. But that's it. Predictable." Xander hissed as he slowly began to increase the intensity of his blast. He had only ever been in a few beam struggles before. They were always pretty to look at and completely awesome to take part in.

This one was all the better. He was putting actual effort into it. Had this have been with anyone else that he liked, he would be enjoying himself. "Do you feel it Arcosian? Do you feel your life slipping away? Powerless? Weak? Good. That's what everyone you killed felt like. You're going to die on a backwater planet. A fitting demise for the King of Nothing."

[The Republic of Atria]

"You survived? Impressive. But judging by your current state, physical exhaustion has taken it's toll. One more should-" He was cut off by the Arcosian dropping and screaming. He hadn't even done anything yet. "No. You will die by MY hand." Xander prided himself on being a skilled biologist. Frost was going to die by him and him alone. Not whatever was ailing him at the moment. A brief scan of his body revealed something that certainly wasn't native to Arcosian physiology. "And what do we have here? Hold still." He muttered as his hand phased through Frost's head to pull out the device that was implanted in his mind.

However, due to his Elo physiology, combined with his unstable quantum powers, Xander caught a glimpse of Frost's memory. As in, all of it in roughly a few seconds. Enough to make him wince. The device was removed from the Arcosian's skull, but then Xander felt something that he never thought he could feel for someone like Frost: Sympathy. The Arcosian more or less shared a similar story to his. Raised and treated like an object, a weapon. Taught and trained to be a cold, unfeeling destroyer. Followed by a brief realization that if not for his desire to change, he likely would have wound up in the exact same position.

The realization and sympathy calmed his mind down to where he was back in the stable levels of his power. "It's... I... Really don't know what to say." He said, his tone noticeably less hostile, definitely confused, and even a bit somber. "As it turns out... We're. Not completely different from one another. The way they treated you. Like a weapon. That was almost me. There were moments where I thought that was all I would amount to. Being a weapon for someone to use and discard when they were done." He said and dropped the implant in front of the Arcosian.

"I genuinely can't believe I'm saying this. I can't do it. I wanted to end you. I was going to end you. But now... I can't. It's like looking in a mirror. I can't help but feel... Bad." It was a long sigh that he let out. "Here's the second thing I thought I'd never say to you-

"-A second chance at life..."

[The Republic of Atria]

Xander pondered for a moment. On one hand, Frost was a mass murderer, without a doubt. On the other hand, the Dragon balls could likely undo the damage he caused, on the other hand, it could very much end up as another Asumar situation. Unlike that situation, this could easily devolve into something quite dangerous. Though he still couldn't help but feel for Frost at least a little bit. Enough to where he was willing to push aside his better judgement and give the man a second chance. If only because he was grateful for his. Then Frost mentioned that the planet was going to explode if they didn't do something to stop it. "Agreed. We can discuss this later. However, it's your ship. I have no idea where you parked it." Xander didn't have much of a need for them since he could use hyperspace. Nor did he actually know how to use the dragon balls.

Whether or not Frost was telling the truth to save his own skin was something he would leave open for debate. Monitoring and if he was genuinely serious about changing, helping him along. He had Naja and several other friends to help ease him into semi-normal life. It was something.

[The Republic of Atria]

"You are insane." The Queen of the Inhumans said quite flatly.

"Only a little bit, probably from all the blows to the head. Besides the point. You said you wanted Big Blue to be assertive. You just gotta put him in a position where he chooses to kick ass rather you trying to make him. When he sees himself kicking ass because he chose to do it, he'll see that he doesn't have to be scared of his powers." She explained. "I don't see how you're not getting this. All it takes is a little planning. He knows how to tell people no... Kind of. I almost got him naked just by asking, but that's a story for another day." Once she told Medusa that, Medusa gave her a very strange look. "Look, I just wanted- Nevermind. Here's the plan. You need to die."

"Excuse me?"

"Not for real obviously. We fake your death, get your royal ensemble to convince Otis to take over as king. Then we have to hope and pray that Blondie is willing to cooperate. Hopefully before we fake your death. Anyways. We get Blondie to be a dick to him. Shouldn't be too hard, dude's a friggin' robot with skin. Anyways. We get him to be such a dick to Blue that we get him to snap and smack blondie around." She said, highly confident in her plan. "Any questions?"

"Many. If by blondie, you mean Xander, I don't think it would be hard to convince him to go along with the plan. The problem is, if Bolt finds out that we lied to him. He will not be happy."

"Then we don't spin it as lying to the guy. If he passes, then we give him lots off good feelings and junk food. Tell him that he did it and was awesome and all that fun stuff. He's a nice guy. He'll understand."

"And if he doesn't?"

"We may want to look up funeral homes. Anyways, I can't fly, so I need you to take me to Blondie so we can get this show on the road. It's time to make him a man!" She shouted. Medusa thought it over for a moment. Otis wasn't known for being angry. At the worst, he was snippy and irritated. She couldn't believe she was getting involved in a plan that involved what amounted to psychologically torturing a god. As soon as she and Felicity stepped outside, Felicity was immediately struck by a bright purple flash of lightning. What was weird was that there was no thunder accompanying the strike. It was completely silent.

Minus her twitching and the sound of sizzling.

[The Republic of Atria]

"Hmm." Xander mused. Both at the treatment of that Frost gives his subordinates and the fact that he'd have to somehow hold a large planet together that he likely damaged on a fundamental level, and a physical level. "It's possible. But I believe the damage I caused was much more than physical. The laws of physics are no longer the absolute authority. I can bide time to keep the tectonic plates from sinking, but that's it. Get the Dragon balls as soon as possible. The sooner, the better. I've never used my powers like this before, so don't expect perfection." Xander said and took to the sky. He wasn't lying, he never used his powers to manipulate an entire planet before. Especially not one as big as Namek.

Sharks are born swimming. He thought to himself as encouragement as flew into orbit above the planet. The damage was worse than he thought. The core was unstable, causing magnetic anomalies, not to mention the intense earthquakes he didn't feel due to his flying. This all served to solidfy the fact that he should never use his full power like that. Breaking a planet just by existing was not something he wanted to do to his home. It took some psyching up, but he finally felt ready to try. Capping the volcanoes, and doing his best to keep the tectonic plates from shifting as much as he could. There was multitasking and then there was this. It was one thing to punch an evil tyrant in the head. It was another to keep a planet from falling apart on multiple conceptual levels.

[The Republic of Atria]

Mark heard that he was supposed to be killed. And was well prepared for it. Nearly a decade had passed since his powers activated, and he had been practicing for hours every single day. Yoram knew that his surrogate son was about to be killed, but when he went to warn him and try to sneak him out, he found that Mark had cut off most of his hair, his eyes burning the air of the room they were in, making it smell like a fire. "I'm going to be completely honest with you Yoram. I like you. You were the only one who was nice to me. You apologized for things you didn't do and did your best to make me feel at home. You taught me and raised. But I've had my powers for years. Almost ten of them. I kept them a secret. And because you were kind and caring. You will be spared. Those men, with high powered plasma rifles? Not so much..."

"Mark. You can't fight them. Powers or not, Kree soldiers are-" He was interrupted by the sound of scorching air, metal and Kree soldier. oram fell to his feet as mark folded the wall like it was made of tissue. Yoram watched as the soldiers shot Mark again, and again, only for the man to stand there... Grinning. Yoram knew that look. It was that of a predator who knew that he was in no danger when surrounded by his prey. The fact that the plasma blasts didn't so much as singe his skin helped solidify the fact that Mark knew that he wasn't in any danger.

"You know, I've been thinking about my escape for the better part of a decade. And now that it's here. I'm wondering what I should do." Mark admitted and shrugged. "Tell you what, whichever one of you guys gives me the best idea, I won't beat into mush. Or do what I did to that guy." He said and pointed to the two burnt legs that used to be a full Kree soldier. The soldiers were too busy reloading their rifles to care about what Mark was saying. "Alright. Give." He said and pulled the rifles out of their hands and crushed them together into a ball of metal and polymers. "You know what. I just remembered what I was gonna do. So that means you're expendable." They saw his eyes flare up again and tried to make a run for it. Mark let them around the corner just so he could blast them through the walls. "Huh... Neat. I knew I could see through walls, but my accuracy is still spot on. Cool, huh?"

"I understand the fact that you're angry, Mark. They took everything you loved away and wanted to make a weapon out of you. But what are you going to do now? Declare war on the Kree empire?" He asked as a purely rhetorical question. Unfortunately, Mark wasn't the one to shy away from an idea like that. Yoram didn't like the smile Mark got when he suggested that. It didn't help that they were already on Hala, the Kree capital world. "Mark, that is a terrible idea."

"So is kidnapping children and murdering their parents." Mark mused. "Besides, I've been wanting to cut loose for awhile. Whether or not you like it is irrelevant. I said I wouldn't kill you because you were nice to me and helped me work things out. And now with this power... I can do anything I want and there isn't a das't thing anyone can do to stop me."

"You're behaving like a child."

"Kind of... Yes. I am. A child with enough power to flatten this city with a thought. I wonder how many people live in it. Looks like a lot. Hm. Betcha I could hit that big building from here." He said and pointed at the wall. "Oh right. I forgot. Here." Mark said and blasted a massive hole through the entire building, collapsing the entire structure, but Mark kept Yoram from being crushed. "That one." Yoram ran around and stood in front of mark just as he was about to fire. "You may want to move out of the way. I can heat the air to the same temperature as the surface of a star. So you may suffer some moderate to severe disintegration."

"Mark, I know you're angry. But those are innocent people! You can't-" He cut himself off when he was about go off on a tangent about not doing things to innocent people when they did the exact same thing to him. "You're... Supposed to be better than that. The Kryptonian who protects your home world."

Marks eyes cleared up a bit. "Superman. I see your point. Blah blah power and responsibility, flark that, I'm pissed off. I am basically a god right now. Do you know what gods do when they're upset?" He asked and took a few steps closer to the terrified Yoram. He leaned down and whispered so quietly into his ear: "They smite."

Praetoria

Xander slammed into the ground of his home country and didn't even bother waiting for the doors to open, instead just smashing through the thankfully self repairing wall into the living room where Naja was watching TV. "What's gotten into you that you decided doors and walls are now our enemy?" Naja asked.

"Bedroom. 10 seconds. Don't ask why." Xander spoke and flew straight into their bedroom. Naja did as he asked and one 45 minute piece of time later had the floor cracked and their bed in splinters with Xander on his back grinning like a moron. "I just had... The best day of my life. Okay, the second best day. Our wedding was pretty awesome, no doubt about that." And so Xander filled her in about Asumar, leaving out the parts where Ryuichi and Max were involved, and then told her about Frost and the first time they two met. "And. The best part is. I think I may have convinced him to turn over a new leaf. I can't believe your suggestion of talking to people actually worked. It almost never works, but it did this time! How was your day?"

"Pretty much sat on my butt and watched TV all day. Waiting for you to get home." she replied.

"You need to get out more."

"I know... But it's not that easy. First of all. Pants with a tail hole are not common. Second of all. I can't... Wear shoes anymore. Third of all. People tend to freak out when they see a tall snake woman. Snakes don't exactly have a lot good things associated with them. And I know I shouldn't be caring what other people think of my appearance. But I can't help it. I don't know how Otis does it. I see him going into town all the time. He doesn't care what people think of how he looks."

"You just have to... You know. Start small. Like Wal-mart."

"I'm not THAT weird looking..."

[The Republic of Atria]

"Oh. Right. I forgot to tell you. Against my better judgement, I let Frost stay here, in the city. Given the fact that I haven't heard anyone screaming, I assume he's genuinely trying to change." He explained as he crawled out of bed to put his clothes back on. "And since I'm not very good at the whole being nice and helping people to become better people thing, you're coming with."

"I was going to come with you regardless." She replied as she slipped into her costume. "Now... I'm not going to lie. What just happened was... You've never been like that before. Every time you and I do the deed, I'm the one who starts it."

"I know... I told you I'm trying to change like you asked. It's a start." He said and took off with Naja right beside him. "Anyways. Frost is... Like me when we first met. A bit aggressive and hotheaded, but from what I can tell, he wants to change. Since you helped me, I'm hoping you can help him." He suggested. In theory it sounded like a good plan. Plan B was Otis.

"I don't have to sleep with him do I?" It was obviously a joke, but Xander still had trouble picking up on them when they weren't sarcastic. "I mean, we did it, but that's because we're married. And hopefully we'll have kids."

"What? No! Just... You know. Be nice to him." Naja shot him the "It was a joke you idiot" look which flustered him. "I don't know about children, honestly. You're reptilian, and from what I can tell, I'm a mammal. We could always adopt. People love that and there are plenty of orphans that could use a good home." He suggested as they arrived to where Frost was staying. Xander knocked on the door to get his attention. "It's me, Frost. I brought someone that I want you to meet."

[The Republic of Atria]

"Your perception is brilliant." Xander replied in an equally deadpan tone. "What you didn't pick up was that this bi-pedal snake woman is my wife." Luckily he was in a good mood. "This is Naja. My wife. I told you about her while we were having our little scuffle on Namek."

"Wow. You both really are cut from the same cloth. One sentence, and I can tell that you both couldn't communicate without the use of sarcasm." She mutters half annoyed at Frost's snake comment. "Annnnnyways, moving onto the subject at hand, Xander told me that you and him have a bit in common. Aside from constant sarcasm and anger issues. Now, I'm not a therapist. Give you three guesses as to why. But, I did help him get past a lot of the baggage he was carrying and made him... Erm. Less of a dickhead." Xander responded with an agitated look. " Calm down. I said less." she was teasing him, but he didn't have to like it. "I can't say I'm going to do everything I did for Xander... Because that would be really weird. I can however, give you someone else to talk to." She said calmly, but genuine.

"I can't promise I'll fix everything. I can't promise that you'll get over whatever happened that made you this way. That's up to you to deal with. I can promise that I'll at least try to be your friend." She offered. "And I can probably give advice aside from go smash those responsible into bloody mush."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Xander quipped.

"The difference being that the both of you can smash planets like they're eggs. I don't need to tell either of you what being angry all the damn time does to a person. Xander, you were two steps away from a rampage. The best advice I can offer you, Frost, is to confront this, and move on. find a hobby and move on with your life. Dwelling on it will just make you more upset, and that's not going to be good for anyone. I'm not going to tell you how to deal with it. Because if you're as much like my husband as he says, I already know what you're going to do. Nothing I say or do will convince you otherwise and truth be told, you're in the right. But once you do it. Don't focus on the past. You can't change it, but you can change what you will do." She didn't mind being the good cop to Xander's bad cop. And she sure as hell wasn't a therapist. But advice was advice, and hopefully she got through to him.

[The Republic of Atria]

"And then what?" Yoram asked. "You burn the city to the ground. Then what do you do? Let's say you raze then entire planet as well." Yoram was relived when Mark's eyes returned to their normal color. It was a good question after all. Neither of them actually knew if Mark could breathe in a vacuum. And it wasn't really a smart idea to risk it. "Just... Calm down for a moment. We need to-"

"I've got an idea." Mark interrupted. "Okay. You're right. Maybe burning the whole planet down is a bit overkill." It was a step in the right direction at least. "You told me that the entire Kree Empire takes orders from the Supreme Intelligence, right?" He asked with a sadistic grin on his face. "I'll just settle for destroying that instead. I'll even keep the city intact."

"Mark, that is a terrible idea-"

"It's either that, or I burn the planet down. And then destroy it. Choose one." There was no argument that Yoram could muster that would curtail Mark at this point. "You don't want to throw billions of lives down the shitter. One life, if it can be called that. Plus like three of those soldiers who already bit it. I think that's fair. Besides. I'd make a much better leader." Before Yoram could object to Mark's plans, Mark was already a mile away, several hundred feet into the sky. He had no idea what he was getting himself into. He flew over the city, knowing where the Supreme Intelligence was, without ever being told the exact location. Mark just though his mutation made him strong and fast, grossly unaware of his true potential.

The Supreme Intelligence however, was very much aware of what Mark was, and was the one who commanded the Kree to bring Mark to Hala. It too possessed a vast array of psionic abilities and was intentionally luring Mark to him. The whole purpose of luring Mark to him was that he would have the ultimate template for the perfect soldier and a powerful avatar for himself. In just a few seconds, the wall he faced dissolved, leaving the silhouette on a man with glowing eyes. "Human. Temper your rage and let us speak." The Supreme Intelligence insisted telepathically. "The death of your loved ones was an unfortunate consequence. I cannot return them to you. However-"

"Cut the crap." Mark mentally hissed. Causing mental feedback that damaged the systems keeping the bio-mechanical lifeform alive. "All I heard was: I killed your parents. I brought you here. I ruined your chance at a normal life."

System damage detected. Life support at 70% and dropping. Supremor had no choice. It was now or never. He had to take Mark down now. "Ignorant child. You know not of the force you are dealing with!" He launched a very potent pisonic attack on Marks' mind, aiming to destroy his consciousness and replace it with his own. In order to do that, he forced the both of them into the Astral plane. It was strangely dark, and when he turned to face the human, he felt nothing but pure, unrelenting fear. Mark was enormous. He was about the size of Mark's pinky toe. Calculating odds of survival: <1%.

"What the FLARK? Where the hell am I?!" He turned around and looked down to see the head at the base of his feet. "Heh." He chuckled and grabbed the little thing with his thumb and pointer finger. "You're like an ant." Mark truly didn't grasp what was happening. "Not going to lie... I thought you'd be bigger. Oh well." He shrugged and popped the little green thing, making a surprisingly large mess all over his hand. "Ew... Disgusting."

[The Republic of Atria]

Julie's Funeral

Otis flew down to where Julie's funeral was being held. He didn't recognize too many people who weren't members of the League. He wasn't too sure what terms he and the League were on, but that wasn't going to change the fact that Julie was his girlfriend. If only for a few weeks. Then there was the fact that he kept blaming himself for Julie's death, and for not doing something to Manifest in retaliation. He was going to keep good on that promise, especially if he had the nerve to show up. The fact that Manifest was responsible for her death apparently wasn't known to anyone but him. It was superhero central right then, but as long as he got Manifest, he could make an escape. Plans were not his specialty, that much was for certain.

[The Republic of Atria]

Xander was hard at work on his latest project. Something that he hoped would ease tensions among the races he ruled over. At least until he was interrupted by a man broadcasting a message... And threatening to destroy everything he had built. Xander was normally a very composed person, if a bit sarcastic. It was one thing to threaten him, that happened all the time. But to threaten innocent people? HIS innocent people? No. That wasn't going to stand. His temper flared up, he gritted his teeth and eyes glowed as he shot through roof of his building, ever glad that the building was self repairing, and was at the location where the assassin called him within a minute of the broadcast ending. He was in a bad mood.

"How DARE you." He hissed. "If you want to come after me, then that's fine. If you want to threaten me. That's fine. I lead this country. I am it's protector. And you want to drag innocent people into this? Little man, I will give you exactly one chance to drop this and go home. Or I'm going to break every bone in your body and feed your carcass to the sharks. I've killed greater men for less." He was an assassin. That much was for sure. And given the fact that he had a Nega-Bomb, proved that he was working with someone who had access to one. That narrowed it down to a few people. Manifest, whom he hadn't heard from in months, and Maxwell. Manifest had no reason to send a hitman after him, it wasn't his style. He also figured Max was above trying something like that. His ego wouldn't allow it.

"So what's it going to be?" Xander asked floating a few feet above the assassin with his eyes just ready go off.

[The Republic of Atria]

"No one can say that I didn't give you a chance. You wouldn't kill me. If it only took a Nega-bomb, I would have died a long time ago. You would succeed in murdering 6 million innocent people. I don't fear death because I can't die. I fear for the deaths of everyone else. Most everyone else." He watched as Daniel amped himself up on what appeared to be a old version of his serum. The number of people he believed were smart enough to make it was very small. Daniel was quick, but the bullets were not. Xander caught them and dropped the rounds on the ground before shooting into the air after the man. "I'm taking guesses at who you're working for. You're obviously well equipped AND knowledgeable."

Xander flew and aimed to uppercut the assassin with enough force that even if he missed, the force could part the clouds. "I've narrowed it down to Lex Luthor, or Maxwell Morningstar. If you tell me who sent you, I promise that I won't cripple you for life. How long is that dose going to last? 12 hours? 24 hours? It's not permanent. It was lacking the most important ingredient for that, but once that's gone, we both know how this is going to end. With me cleaning you off of my ground."

[The Republic of Atria]

"Whatever floats your boat." Naja replied. "Xander told me what they did to you, and you're half as vicious as he implied, you're not going to let this slide. Just find an outlet for your new surplus of time and leftover aggression. Hopefully a constructive one." She was about to leave them alone when Frost suggested food. something she wished Xander would do at least once. "Since he doesn't know the first thing about food, it depends on what you're looking for. I've been all over the galaxy and no place has food as diverse as Earth does. Honestly, it's pretty insane. You look like a meat guy. You know what, have either of you ever had a cheeseburger? Xander, I can't get you to eat food unless I cram it down your throat, so you're coming with so you can eat a burger like a normal persom. I'm buying."

"But I have things I have-" Naja crossed her arms and looked at him for a solid 5 seconds. "-I guess I have time for a break." It was true though, he had never had a cheeseburger. Mostly sandwiches Naja made for him, and she stopped doing that awhile ago. He didn't understand why she made such a big deal out of food. He didn't need to eat, it was just a waste of his time. On the other hand, he hated it more when Naja looked annoyed with him. He loved his wife dearly, and making her upset with him was something he did his damnedest to avoid.

"Alright. Now, you'll find the best burgers in the states, and since Frost is the guest, he can choose. We've got Fuddruckers, Red Robin, Wendy's, Whataburger, Five Guys... and probably a few others I'm missing out on. I would suggest Mcdonalds, but you don't wanna go there. It barely qualifies as food. With edible in large quotation marks. And I would never treat a guest to eating cardboard in between slices of whatever their buns are supposed to be. Probably hair."

[The Republic of Atria]

Praetoria

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

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

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

Several hours earlier...

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

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

"I'm right here, Naja."

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

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

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

[The Republic of Atria]

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

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

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

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

[The Republic of Atria]

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

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

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

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

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

[The Republic of Atria]

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

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

[The Republic of Atria]

"If I recall, you were losing that fight. Regardless of outside intervention, you were on your last legs, and I was still right as rain." Xander replied to Frost and went back to his own food. He would have continued the argument, but really didn't feel the need to. At least not in a public place in front of his wife. Frost seemed to take a liking to Otis which was hopefully a sigh of relief.

"Sure." Otis replied. "I have no idea who that is, but sure. I'll tag along. Honestly, I spent most of my time since the whole Omega Effect thing sitting on my butt, eating junk food, playing video games and binge watching TV shows." He admitted with a shrug. "But I suppose I can't put off this kinda stuff any longer. I'm a god whether I like it or not. So I might as well go meet some more and figure this whole thing out." He didn't want to, but it wasn't like this was going to go away. So it was time to get it over with. "Should I pack a travel bag? Cause if we're staying for a few days, I probably should bring my toothbrush. Bad breath is never good for first impressions."

Naja was just glad the things were finally settling down. Xander was somewhat less aggressive. Otis was finally crawling out of his shell and embracing everything as it was. Now that things were in a more sane sort of mind, she figured that the Justice Queens were probably wondering where she's been at all this time, and it was probably time for a reunion.

[The Republic of Atria]

The green cocoon that Evan was embedded in cracked open as he forced himself out, spraying green slime all over the floor as he flopped on the tile floor of his parents kitchen. Evan staggered to his feet and started wiping himself off. He felt weird. Good in fact. He hadn't felt this good in weeks. Upon catching himself in a reflection, he noted that his muscle density had increased dramatically, the paleness brought on by his cancer was gone. No dizzying headaches, no muscle soreness, no pain whatsoever. He had heard about the green cloud that was floating around the planet. He paid it no mind as it wasn't a concern to him. At least until he got swallowed by it. Then he caught sight of the couch where his parents's cocoons were lying. If... I hatched, then that means they have to, too... Right? He thought to himself. It was enough rationalization to put him at ease for a little while.

However, as the days turned into a week, and no sign that his parents were going to get out anytime soon, he began to worry. From what he could tell, he spent nearly a week inside his. But his parents were now starting to go on two weeks. He did find out about his powers after he broke free after accidentally destroying several pieces of silverware with simple finger motions. His strength had increased substantially. His father's old barbell he could casually lift with his fingers. When he got cocky and dropped it on his foot, no only did he barely feel it, but what little damage there was, healed in seconds, much to his amazement. He also noticed that he didn't use the bathroom a single time since he woke up from his cocoon, which he found strange. But as it reached exactly two weeks since the mist got him, he decided it was time for action.

He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to be doing, but could asking for help really be that difficult? Evan knew about the Inhumans, and never paid them any mind. They didn't bother him and he had no reason to care about their existence. Unfortunately it seemed they were responsible for what happened, and as a result he didn't really have much of a choice in the matter. Grabbing some going out clothes, a pair of jeans and a longsleeved shirt and went out. When he went outside, he decided to walk instead of drive. Walking turned to running. Fast running. He was passing people who were doing above the speed limit and this gave him a feeling of excitement. It felt good. His legs weren't burning, he wasn't even breathing, and felt like he could do it for as long as he needed to. When he came to a crosswalk, a speeding car decided that he wasn't going to stop while Evan was running. Off of reflexes he didn't even know he had, he jumped about ten feet into the air, smacked into a building and tumbled to the ground where several people stepped away.

He snickered as he stood back up. "Did anyone see that?! I didn't even know I could do that! I didn't even feel it either! Oh. Um. Excuse me. I've... Got to go." He said and kept running until he saw the massive city off of the coast, along with many, many tourists. He was nervous, going about this seemed simple on paper, but he had no idea who to actually ask for help. It wasn't like the queen was just going to pop in and say hi. So he joined with the next group of tourists and waited patiently to see the inside of the Inhuman city. And once they were, his nervousness only went up higher. Once the group got to the city, he found himself looking around at all of the strange looking people all going about their business. The group was greet by a rather young black haired woman.

"Hi!" She said in a very friendly tone. "Welcome to Attilan!"

"Ummm. Excuse me. I hate to interrupt. But I came here because... Ummm. I'm pretty sure I'm an Inhuman. I was definitely in a cocoon. And... I had cancer before then. And now it feels like it's gone. That and I'm a hell of a lot stronger than I used to be. Plus there's some other stuff, is there anyone I can talk to about this?" Evan asked.

While Evan talked with the woman. Several silent alarms had alerted Medusa to his presence. "They've never been so... Obvious before. They know about the detectors. Why would they think this would work?"

[The Republic of Atria]

"What is he asking?" Medusa asked as she had the sound turned on. The man was asking to speak with anyone who could help him understand what's going on. She inferred that he underwent terrigenesis. And he claimed that both of his parents did as well, but they still haven't finished yet and he's afraid there might be something wrong. That was what she heard, but she didn't believe him. She believed Evan to be a member of the Inhuman tribe who referred to themselves as the Evolved. A group who used heavy genetic modifications to increase their already formidable power. They are master infiltrators thanks to their shape-shifting and are extremely deadly in close combat. Fortunately they mostly kept to themselves, and can be detected by those who knew what they were looking for. They never tried to infiltrate Attilan before, so why now? There was the chance the man was telling the truth, but she couldn't be too careful. "Bring him to me." She commanded to some underlings.

Evan kept stammering and tripping over his words. The group of tourists stared at him and made him even more nervous. "So-I-Erm..." He was about to continue trying to complete his thought when several guards came into the room, looking for him. They ushered the tourists to move along but insisted that Evan come with them. "Oh. Thank God. Sorry. I'm just kind of antsy at the moment."

"Come with us." One of them insisted and Evan followed. They were very careful to stay well out of arm's reach. They were all too aware of how deadly an Evolved could be in close combat. Fast. Strong. Usually with blades that dwarf the largest sword, but could be swung with tornado like speed. Fortunately for them, Evan seemed to be more than willing to cooperate, which gave them some hope that Evan really was telling the truth. They lead him to the Queen's throne room where she sat. She motioned for them to leave while she interrogated Evan.

"Tell me why you're here." She insisted.

"Okay. I'm going to open with saying two things. I'm freaked the hell out. And I didn't think I'd be meeting the Queen." He said and laughed a bit nervously. "I'm not... In any trouble am I? I'm sorry, I'm not sure if there's a certain protocol for this sort of thing, or what. The news said that you guys were trying your best to help everyone effect by the cloud. And I was effected by it. It... Okay. I don't know how to put it. I had cancer. The bad terminal no cure for, cancer. Doctors all said I was a few months away from dying. Got caught in the cloud. Cancer kicked the bucket. And I got super strength. My parents were taking care of me at the time, and they got caught in it too. They've been cocooned for like two weeks now and I'm starting to get concerned. I was in it for a week and I was out. I waited to see if they'd pop out, they didn't. I came here to see if you could help me. Or anyone really."

"I see. I assume you worked for your living before you started manifesting cancer. What did you do?"

"I was an accountant for LexCorp. Paid well. Was easy enough work. Great benefits. I quit about a month ago when the doctors said I had 6 weeks at best. Wanted to spend my remaining time with my loved ones. Then... This." After he explained it, Medusa wanted to see if he was telling the truth.

"We will recover your parents. Give me the location of your home and I will send some people out to retrieve them." Evan complied and gave her his address and true to her word, she sent out a few people to see if he really was telling the truth. "They should return in less than half an hour." If Evan was indeed telling the truth, then she would explain about the Evolved and recruit him. If he wasn't she was prepared to kill him. Evan was quiet as the team went out to search for his home.

The recovery team made it to Evan's home and fortunately, the door was unlocked. At first glance it seemed like Evan was being completely honest. There were two cocoons just like he said. "He was telling the truth Your Majesty. We'll be back in just a few minutes." And just as they were about to load up the cocoons, several windows shattered as several troopers jumped through them. "It's an ambush!" That was all Medusa needed to hear.

"Liar!" She hissed coiling her hair around Evan's limbs and neck in an attempt to strangle him. "You detestable monsters are all the same! I extend my hand out in kindness and you return me with death?!"

"Jesus Christ, lady! What the hell?! Let me go! I don't know what you're yelling about!"

"The trap you so cleverly laid out!"

"Trap?! What trap?! Wait. Oh SHIT!" He certainly didn't plan a trap. But if there was one at his home, that meant his parents were in danger. Out of fear and instinct his body shifted his arms into a vicious pair of claws. "What the fuck..." He quickly swung them and sliced Medusa's hair, freeing himself. "I don't know what you're on you crazy bitch! But I have to go save my parents!" Medusa tried to grab him before he got away, but there was no stopping him. He was moving fast even by her standards. She followed as fast as she could, but when she got outside, Evan made a massive leap from Attilan, to across the bay and back into the city. She'd be impressed if she wasn't under the impression that Evan lied to her. Meanwhile Evan himself was full on sprinting at such a speed that his feet tore the grass and cracked the concrete that he was running on. "I really fucking hate this city..."

[The Republic of Atria]

Evan ran. He ran as hard and as fast as he could. The ground shook and cracked with each step he took. His home was five miles away. It took 2 minutes to get there. He didn't even bother opening the front door, instead just smashing through it. Things could be fixed. The Inhumans Medusa sent were already beaten, but they stalled the Evolved just long enough for Evan to catch them on their way way out. "Get back here you sons of bitches!" He shouted taking off after the three men. Two of them were carrying his parents, and the other one was obviously for defense. They moved with incredible speed and agility. Leaping up the sides of buildings, despite carrying a heavy load. Evan followed as best as he could. I was hard for him to not be impressed with how his body handled the extreme stress of the movements he was preforming. Leaping with extreme precision, reflexively grabbing and swing upon obstacles like he had been doing it all his life.

The Evolved finally took notice that they were being followed by a very angry looking man with claws that looked much like their own. The one not carrying one of Evan's parents broke off to intercept him. As the group leaped from one skyscraper to the other, Evan jumped to make it across the gap, only to have the man smash into him midair, sending the both of them plummeting to the ground. Evan was more shocked that he wasn't a smear across the ground. Right up until he got kicked in the face, sending him bouncing across the ground and shocking him back to reality. "Alright. Who're you?" He asked Evan as he recovered and stood back to his feet. "You're an Evolved..." The soldier mentioned and grabbed the top of Evan's head. "But you're not in the hive..."

"Yeah. My card." Evan replied and smashed his head into the soldier's, following up with a nasty roundhouse kick that he didn't even know he could do. But it felt good to feel the impact of the soldier's cranium on his foot, and even better to see him smash into a car. "I'm only going to ask once, so listen carefully. You and your friends just took my parents. And you're going to tell me where they are, or I'm going to gut you like a goddamned fish." He still had his claws out, only because he didn't know how to make them turn back to his normal hands.

"Wait! Wait! Calm down and let me explain first." The soldier said and put his hands up. "First off, put those away before you hurt yourself. Second. This is all a big misunderstanding. We figured Medusa would kill you on sight so we went for the next best thing. I'll take you. If we knew that you were the man we were looking for, this would have been much easier. I'll explain everything you want to know on the way. Let's go, we're attracting attention." He didn't give Evan any chance to disagree, and instead jumped to the top of a building. Evan didn't feel like he had much of a choice. He jumped after the soldier and managed to keep up. "You're quick for a freshblood. Most people don't get that fast until a few months have passed."

"Start talking. Why were you after me and my parents?"

"That's... Complicated..."

[The Silhouette of Adventure]

"There's been another murder down by Ace Chemicals. Might be Zsasz, might not be. Either way, figure you should be the one to head down. Figure it'd be an appropriate first case for you, eh?" The Commissioner of the Gotham City Defenders waved Henry Retlyer out the door. "When you finish down there, come back here. Until things settle down a bit, it's going to be all cases, all the time, for all of us."

"Another murder? Is the Chemicals building his hunting grounds now?" Retlyer asked. "When he got me, I was on Seventh Avenue, three blocks away."

"You're kidding? Huh. Watch your back out there, then- His base of operations is probably near it." Almost as an afterthought, the Commissioner added, "And find a costume, Retlyer. It'd do the people good to know there's a Super in town who was doing a damn thing to help them."

With a nod, he retrieved the gear that the Commissioner had lent him- A machete, a pistol, and a radio. "All available units to the corner of 6th and Weston, possible incursion by Two-Face for- No, hold that, it appears the Royal Flush Gang is robbing the bank at 6th and Weston, not an incursion. Orders remain, all available units, apprehend and arrest the Royal Flush Gang at 6th and Weston." The voice of the leader of the gang that found Retlyer in the first place came through. "Reclaimer is not inbound, I repeat, you will not have backup from the Reclaimer against the Royal Flush gang."

After a moments' pause to consider what was said, Retlyer shook his head. If he went to every crime scene the GCD would be pursuing, he'd be overwhelmed in a matter of days. It was best to stick to the job at hand- The murder at the Ace Chemicals building. He set out on foot to the infamous plant, and soon arrived. The GCD had closed the area around the murder with Halloween variety police tape, and two of their "officers" were standing guard.

"Where's the body?" Retlyer asked as he held up the tape so as to pass under.

"Just around the corner, Sir." One of the officers replied. "In the alleyway."

"It's a real mess." The other sighed. "To be honest, it doesn't look like Zsasz's work. More like Killer Croc's."

After a slight pause, Retlyer glanced at him. "Hmm." So he wouldn't find Zsasz here. At least he'd be able to punch someone. He'd felt the need to do that lately. As he rounded the corner, he nearly gagged at the smell that bombarded his nose, to say nothing of the sight before him- The body was ripped into, but not with teeth. The blade that had been used was still in the body, sticking out of it. "D.. Urgh... Do we have any of the GCPD's fingerprint scanners? Access to their database?"

"N-no Sir." The first officer didn't look to good either, and the second was about to pass out. "I... Can we go back to guarding... please?"

"Fine." He turned back to the body. He couldn't even make out whether it had been a man or a woman, much less its identity. This would be so much easier if they had the resources the GCPD did. With a sigh, he shook his head. He couldn't do anything here. They needed more tech, more experience... More everything. He nodded to the two at the tape before beginning to walk back to their headquarters.

[The Silhouette of Adventure]

"Confirmed, the Royal Flush gang escaped with all the money. 2 confirmed GCD casualties, 1 possible Royal Flush wounded. Possible sighting of Jarvis Tech at 3rd and 7th, unconfirmed. Possible Falcone gang members sighted at 4th and 2nd, uncon- Uh... Confirmed Falcone gang members at 4th and 2nd, 2 civilian casualties so far." All night, the radio continued to sound with reports like this, on and on, switching between three or four different dispatchers. Retlyer was sick of it. When he finally returned to base after a long night of dead leads, improbably murders, and escaped culprits, he walked in to a rather unexpected scene. Even as the dispatcher rattled off crime after crime, the best word to describe the base was.. a party.

"What the hell are you doing?" He growled as he approached one of their 'officers.' "We've got a city to protect, and you're here- What, partying?"

"U-uh.." The man paled. "We.. We captured a Mask.."

"There are hundreds of Masks in Gotham. One isn't something to be proud of. Who?" Retlyer scowled. If it was Zsasz, perhaps he might have a little stress relief via his fist.

"Uh.. The Cavalier..?"

"Are you f**ing with me. I'm going out again, when the Commissioner comes back, tell him I'm back in the field." With that, the Reclaimer set out once again.

"Attention all available units, possible Killer Croc sighting at Ashton and 7th." The dispatcher, this time a voice he did not recognize, said.

"This is Reclaimer, en route to Ashton and 7th. All available units requested for backup."