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

[Charmera]

-Snip

Maxwell gave a stern nod and turned from the duo, ensuring a decent peace and pinning the blame on the Praetorian Emperor for the deaths of the Masaki Brothers. Still, he'd keep an eye on the Gods to minimize a counter-attack. But, standing before him was the muscle-clad Shatterstar, his wounds steaming and bleeding horrendously. Looking him over, Mad Max gave a smirk. "I bet that stings, huh?" He asked sarcastically, Maddox grabbing the side of his abdomen where Satera's light spear had pierced him, glaring at his King with disdain. "Calm down, calm down, I was kidding." Maxwell said, offering Maddox his palm, glowing a bright blue.

Encasing his subordinate with energy, the wounds inflicted on the enforcer began to close up and heal. "Your tissue is so dense that it takes actual effort to mend them, Shatterstar. Your durability is incredible, but maybe we need something to aid in regeneration. Or armor to further enhance your durability." Maxwell quipped, Maddox closing his eyes as Max patched him up. "Not talking?"

"The pain I feel is unreal. Forgive me for not wanting to mix my words up with agonizing screams." Maddox shot back, Maxwell grinning at the comeback.

"Right, right. Let's head back to Madworld, hopefully we haven't missed much."

---

-Snip

The wicked and wild streets of New York weren't Daud's favorite place to be, but he would suck up his pride and go anywhere in the world if he had good reason. Intention was an entirely different story. Sitting down a local bistro, Daud sunk his teeth into the best Reuben he had ever had in his life once more, his face taking on a nearly orgasmic glee as the flavors and textures mixed perfectly in his mouth. To Daud, he'd risk life and limb - Even if it meant never growing them back - To eat at this place one last time. Poppa Panelli's Bistro and Cafe, Daud's favorite restaurant, discovered when he popped in for a bite to eat some years ago.

"Leave it to an Italian man running a French cafe to make the best American sandwich I've ever ate. Holy fuck." Daud said to himself, taking another bite of his sandwich and falling in love all over again. He chewed with the intention of making every bite last, but the crushing realization that he'll very quickly be finished with the sandwich brought him to the edge of total despair. Before he could weep silently, he took another bite, and started the process all over again. Now, Poppa Panelli's wasn't in a very popular or crowded part of the City, so commotion was big whenever it decided to show up, and right before Daud took another bite of his meal, a woman bolted past him, bumping his shoulder, and making the reuben flop onto the ground. It could have been salvaged, had it not spilled it's contents all over the dusty concrete with it.

"MOTHERFUCKER!" Daud exclaimed, jumping up and flipping over the table he sat at in comedic fashion - Had he not cracked the sidewalk and crumble the iron mesh table into scrap. Whipping around, one of his arms knocked into the metal chair he sat at, sending it flying directly into the side of a yellow cabbie, making the car bend at a ninety-degree angle from the impact. He breathed hard and heavily, spotting the woman who had offended his ancestors. "Who the FUCK do you think you are?!" He screamed, breaking into a dead sprint to catch up with, and surpass the woman.

Jumping out in front of her, the enraged look on Daud's face was unmistakable. "You cost me the greatest sandwich in the world." He declared, pointing a finger directly at Lisa. "I don't know who you are or who you THINK you are, but you're coming with me. You're going to SEE and TASTE exactly what I had lost!" Daud said with passion. "Follow me! A Big Poppa's Reuben waits for no man, meta, or mutant." He looked at Lisa up and down, noticing the blood on her arms, but making no immediate mention of it. "I'm buying, c'mon."

Lisa had been running as fast as she could, which was actually surprisingly fast. At least as fast as Batman would, or more aptly some sort of terminator.

Lisa looked the man in front of her up and down. She looked scared. Very scared. This person was another in a long line of woes, and he looked to be the biggest of them. She had no idea what this man was talking about, "I-I'm Lisa. My name is Lisa." She spoke. Then paused. "O-okay..." She spoke. Then paused.

She did not know this man. Neither did she know half the things he seemed to refer. She was suddenly intensely curious. She did not seemed to care whether or not it was socially acceptable, and started prodding him with questions as they went towards the restaurant. "What's a sandwich?" She started with. "And... who are you?"

[Charmera]

-snip

Daud walked back to the bistro with Lisa at his side, glancing over at the girl with curiosity as she spoke back to him. "Ah! Lisa, Lisa, it's nice to meet you. If I startled you, I'm sorry, I just get very emotionally attached to my meals. I'm Daud, by the way." However, as Daud said that, he thought for a moment at the other things the girl had said and asked. "Wait a minute, you don't know what a sandwich is?!" He demanded, completely surprised, "Wow! You must be a foreigner. Anyways, allow me to explain."

Walking up to the cafe once more, Daud and Lisa hopped into the medium-sized line to order their food as Daud gave Lisa a very informative history lesson regarding the sandwich. "Two slices of bread, can you believe that? Just stick something between those two slices and you got yourself a sandwich. See, that's why I can't eat McDonald's, they use a third slice of bread in the middle of their Big Mac. Outrageous, I'm not ready for that kind of advancement. Oh! About bread, bread's made from ground up grain mixed with yeast and water, then baked for some time. It's probably the best invention mankind has ever made."

Finally at the counter, Daud began to order. "Yes, hello!" He began, "Two of your finest Reubens. Side of fries for the lady." The man taking Daud's order held a very pissed expression, causing Daud to raise an eyebrow, leaning over to whisper at Lisa. "I think this guy is eye ballin' me..." A quick cough and a point over at where Daud sat and broke the chair and table reminded the man of his accident. "Oh. Oh! OH!" He said, realizing fully, "Yeah, I can pay for that, too. Just gimme the sammiches!" He said, putting down a fat wad of dollars rubber banded together on the table. With a nod, the owner happily took the payment and set off to make Daud and Lisa their food.

"Anyways, I've told you a lot about bread, so in exchange, I think you should tell me a little bit about yourself, Lisa." Daud quipped, guiding the girl to a table and sitting opposite of her.

Lisa had no idea what the big man was talking about when he explained sandwhiches, looking at him with the confusion of a failing student in a maths class. After all she had no idea what bread was and had only recently been introduced to water... or was it re-introduced? Everything seemed so.. familiar yet alien to her. As if she had seen it years before but had forgotten it over the years somehow. it was frustrating, like a test question she couldn't answer but did know. Test? What even was that?

"Ummm..." Lisa started. She had no idea how to answer Dauds question. In fact, she was a little confused. Wasn't he angry at her. Oh well. She wasn't about to turn away a potential friend at this point. "Honestly... I don't remember anything." She spoke. "It's like I've seen this place before... but... I don't know it."

She paused. "I think I may be from..." She paused again, remembering a name. "Nirvana." She paused again. "I have no idea how I know that either."

[Charmera]

Lisa had no idea what the big man was talking about when he explained sandwhiches, looking at him with the confusion of a failing student in a maths class. After all she had no idea what bread was and had only recently been introduced to water... or was it re-introduced? Everything seemed so.. familiar yet alien to her. As if she had seen it years before but had forgotten it over the years somehow. it was frustrating, like a test question she couldn't answer but did know. Test? What even was that?

"Ummm..." Lisa started. She had no idea how to answer Dauds question. In fact, she was a little confused. Wasn't he angry at her. Oh well. She wasn't about to turn away a potential friend at this point. "Honestly... I don't remember anything." She spoke. "It's like I've seen this place before... but... I don't know it."

She paused. "I think I may be from..." She paused again, remembering a name. "Nirvana." She paused again. "I have no idea how I know that either."

Daud listened to Lisa explain herself slightly, nodding along as he did so. "Nirvana? I think I've heard of that country before. Somewhere in South Asia, right? Oh yeah! Their President the one that killed himself? Kurt Korbin, or something. Yeah, it was on the news... I think." Daud said, his eyes catching something far more exciting as two steamy plates emerged from the cafe's kitchen. "Oh my sweet merciful Jesus who might exist..." He muttered, watching with glazed eyes as the waiter came and deposited a plate in front of Daud and Lisa.

He sniffled and averted his eyes, wiping them with a finger. "Just a sec, just a sec..." He stammered, composing himself. "Okay!" He shouted, turning back and grabbing a hold of the thick, meaty sandwich, spilling over with roast beef and mustard, sauerkraut dangling off the edge as well. He took a sweet, delicious bite of the meal, making his eyes roll back in his eyes. "Oh my god..." He muttered, chewing intently, remembering Lisa had some rather odd things to say, and a shifty past. "So, you don't know much about your past?"

"Well, maybe I can help you with some memories. First, let's get you caught up on everything." Daud said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his smartphone. Opening up his Wikipedia app, he hit a random page and turned it to Lisa. "Start reading this page and follow those blue words. Report back to me with your findings, and tell me how many times you have to go until you find a guy named Adolf Hitler." He said, making Lisa play the Hitler Game on his phone.

Lisa frowned slightly, though more of a confused frown than an upset frown. Something told her that what Daud said about the place she was from was not really true. Perhaps he was confusing other things for it. Or perhaps this was one of those... jokes. Lisa did not have much time to question it though, before the food came before her.

The android looked at the sandwich. She frowned at it, cocking her head slightly, then looked up to see Daud eating in by putting it into his mouth. She paused, then aped this action. She frowned when she took a bite of the sandwhich, then found herself putting it down. "I... I know I should feel something." She spoke aloud. "But... I don't... I'm sorry."

She was then given the phone. After a few minutes she handed back the phone. "Well, I know that A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a monarch or other political leader for service to the Monarch or country, The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious order originally founded as military order in the 12th century in Acre, Prussiais a historical region stretching from Gdańsk Bay to the end of Curonian Spit on the southeastern coast of the Baltic Sea, and extending inland as far as Masuria. German is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and (co-)official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol (Italy), and Liechtenstein, Germany is officially the Federal Republic of Germany,is a federal parliamentary republic in West-Central Europe. It includes 16 constituent states and covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres (137,847 sq mi) with a largely temperate seasonal climate. World War I (WWI or WW1), also known as the First World War, or the Great War, was a global war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. A world war is a war involving many or most of the world's most powerful and populous countries. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theatres. War is a state of armed conflict between societies. It is generally characterized by extreme collective aggression, destruction, and usually high mortality. The set of techniques and actions used to conduct war is known as warfare. An absence of war is usually called "peace". Total war is warfare that is not restricted to purely legitimate military targets, and can result in massive civilian or other non-combatant casualtiesTotal war is warfare that includes any and all civilian-associated resources and infrastructure as legitimate military targets, and typically involves the use of weapons and tactics that result in significant civilian or other non-combatant casualties, whether collateral damage or not. American-English Dictionary defines "total war" as "war that is unrestricted in terms of the weapons used, the territory or combatants involved, or the objectives pursued, especially one in which the laws of war are disregarded." The term can also be applied when the war effort requires significant sacrifices by most of the friendly civilian population.A weapon, arm, or armament is any device used with intent to inflict damage or harm to living beings, structures, or systems. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as crime, law enforcement, self-defense and warfare. In a broader context, weapons may be construed to include anything used to gain a strategic, material or mental advantage over an adversary.While just about any ordinary objects such as sticks, stones, cars, or pencils can be used as weapons, many are expressly designed for the purpose – ranging from simple implements such as clubs, swords and guns, to complicated modern intercontinental ballistic missiles, biological and cyberweapons In ordinary language, the term crime denotes an unlawful act punishable by a state.[1] The term "crime" does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,[2] though statutory definitions have been provided for certain purposes.[3] The most popular view is that crime is a category created by law; in other words, something is a crime if declared as such by the relevant and applicable law.[2] One proposed definition is that a crime or offence (or criminal offence) is an act harmful not only to some individual or individuals but also to a community, society or the state ("a public wrong"). Such acts are forbidden and punishable by law.[1][4]..."

Her words began to blend together now, simply parroting the information she scanned from the documents. If she was not stopped, she might do this for quite some time. She showed no evidence of understanding any of the spiel she was regurgitating.

[Charmera]

IJ 4000: First flight of the Infinite Justice
Hannah looked around her sister's room, seeing the counselor's office was mostly bare, since Sarah had not had any time to unpack. She had called Hannah over as soon as she got aboard the ship- her ship. It was Hannah's responsibility now, something she had to get used to. This moment was years and years in the making, and she still didn’t feel ready.

“Alright sis, I’m here.” Hannah spoke. “What do you want again? I have to go to the bridge soon to get this ship moving.” The girl with wolf ears spoke, but before she could say anything else, Sarah was already behind her, hugging her from behind. It seemed to Hannah that her older sister was making some sort of effort to lift her off the ground, but Sarah had never been very strong, and with the military training she had received under Admiral Masami, Hannah was far more toned than before, so Sarah’s efforts were futile, and she gave up after a while. Hannah had perfected the method of simply staying still to combat her sister’s more annoying affectionate gestures, though she did note that she hadn’t known she was behind her until she felt the hug...

“Come on, Captain Grimm, cheer up!” The black-haired woman said gleefully. “Do I really need a reason to spend a little time with my little sister before we head off to the adventure of our lives?” Sarah stated, before heading over to the chair behind her desk and plopping down on it, propping her feet up on her desk as she looked around at the mostly empty office. “Oh yes, I could definitely get used to this.” She mused, before glancing at her sister. “Anyway, what do you think of our crew so far, sis?”

Hannah paused, growled in an annoyed tone, and then sighed, walking over to the therapists couch and making herself at home. It was the most comfy spot in the room. “I’m not sure I can say much this early on. But I guess I could also use your opinion on them.” She started. She wasn’t 100% sure about talking about her co-workers this early on. But she supposed she might as well. “Sam seems like a fine First Officer. Intelligent and reliable… but I’m concerned about having my own sister as my second…”

Sarah simply chuckled at Hannah’s statement about Samantha, shaking her head as she extended her hand towards the corner of the room, the shadows cast by the ceiling lights coming to life and bringing a small crate over to the counselor’s desk. “Well now, Hannah, there’s definitely a conflict of interest here, and we can’t really deny that, but it’s so glaringly obvious that it’s virtually impossible for anyone in their right mind to think that it slipped past the minds of the high command, which means that this is sanctioned by them and therefore, we shouldn’t have any problems. Besides, the cute admiral sure knows how to pull strings, and you’re more or less her protegee, so I wouldn’t worry about it.” The pale woman commented as she began rummaging through the contents of the box.

“Trust between a Captain and a First Officer is also something vital in any crew, and there is plenty of trust between you and Sam already, so in that regard, there is a clear advantage to your sister being your second in command.” Sarah spoke. “Besides, if there’s a problem with your sister being your First Officer, imagine what problems will arise from your dear older sister being your counselor. Though I suppose this has its upsides as well. I basically know all about you already, after all. Hell, I used to change your diapers when you were younger.” Hannah blushed in response to this, her ears perking up sharply. Sarah giggled at her sister’s embarrassment, a grin evident on her face even as she calmed down, her hands still rummaging through the box until they finally fished two objects. A pair of framed photographs.

“So, every therapist has some of these. Which one should I use? This, or this?” Counselor Grimm asked Captain Grimm as she held up the two photographs for her to see. The first was set on a beach, Sarah was sporting a nice black bikini while Sam wore something more conservative. Hannah, however, was wearing a swimsuit with a striped pattern and lots of animals; she was also noticeably younger in the photograph, and less muscular. The second one seemed like some sort of military installation, and the three sisters were present on it as well, with Hannah wearing her prestigious uniform. However, her cap was not on her head, being worn by her sister Sarah instead as she tickled the young werewolf’s ears gleefully, the captain blushing in embarrassment and trying not to laugh, while Samantha stood off to the side, chuckling at the scene.

“They’re nice right?” Sarah asked, the grin on her face growing wider still. Hannah frowned deeper at those two photographs, sighing. Her frown then turned into one of confusion. “Who took those? All of us are in them…” She shook her head, she was getting off track. “Um… ugh… the… the one with the cap…” She spoke, sighing, her ears drooping. She composed herself as rapidly as she could. Straightening the cap that was on her own head, dislodged by the movement of her head and wolf ears. “Then there’s my communications officer… Asgardian Royalty on the ship is… concerning. As if there wasn’t enough pressure already…”

Sarah nodded at her sister’s concerns, placing the two photographs face-down on the desk as she leaned back on her seat, brow furrowing in concentration as she tried to think of something to say to her sister to help alleviate her stress, some word of encouragement or snippet of wisdom. Truth be told, Samantha had always been the smartest out of the three, so this task would have been better suited for her, undoubtedly, but she hadn’t been able to come, presumably arranging some things with the Infinite Justice’s first crew. Eventually, the pale woman shrugged. “Eh, look at it this way Hannah. She’s an Asgardian. She can probably pull her own weight on the ship, right? Asgardians aren’t known for being fragile, either. You probably won’t have to worry about her a lot. And if she starts acting like a real princess, you always have the right to pull some authority on her. We’re on a Star Navy vessel after all.” She said as she took her feet off the desk and leaned on it instead.

“That is true. I don’t imagine she’s going to be especially weak. Though I would rather not have to resort to pulling rank…” Hannah remarked, then paused. “Other than that… Garnet should be a useful addition, as should the rest of the security, Roy, Del and Charles. They all seem competent enough, especially Garnet. Her record is quite stellar. Almost makes me feel insecure really…” She remarked. Sarah started giggling again as she heard her sister say this.

“Hannah, dear, there was no ‘almost’ in what you just said. But even so, there’s no reason to feel insecure. After all, you graduated from the military academy at the top of your class, didn’t you? And you’re also one of the youngest Star Captains in the history of the Federation, if not the youngest.” The black-haired woman told her younger sister, flashing her a gentle smile. “In my opinion, you should stop overthinking things and put a little faith in the high command. If they’re putting you where you are, surely it’s for a reason, no?” She stated, before standing up and heading over to the sofa where her sister sat, plopping down beside her and pulling her into a one-armed hug. “Besides, I’m your sister and I trust you too. So cheer up a little, Hannah. Who cares if this Garnet’s some decorated soldier? You’re still her superior, right?” Sarah stated, before pausing for a moment. “She is pretty cute, though. I wonder if she swings this way…” She wondered idly.

Hannah smiled at little as she was hugged, but then returned to her ‘serious business’ face. “She did have a boyfriend from what I heard. Though I also heard that one of the higher ups has an eye on her.” Remarked Hannah, her sister clicking her tongue in annoyance but saying nothing more. “Anyways, Engineering seems similarly competent, I imagine the Parahuman will be a good addition, she seems like she could hold herself in a fight too…” She spoke. “What about you? Do you have any concerns?”

Sarah had to think for a moment in order to respond to her sister. She had considered brushing off the question, but that would not be fair, seeing how she herself was questioning Hannah quite a bit. Thus, she decided to be honest. “Hmm, I presume you mean concerns besides making sure that nothing happens to my little sisters during this trip?” The pale woman said light-heartedly, though her good mood did not make her words any less meaningful. “Well, there are quite a few mutants beside us here, not to mention the humans, the Asgardian, and others. I just hope we won’t see too much tension between them. I don’t mind the Federation but I know that even some Star Navy members don’t share my thoughts.” She mused. “Beyond that… We have a supergenius as our head computer engineer and an AI as a security officer. Sounds a little concerning if you ask me, I hope they’ll get along well. The AI in particular seems odd to me, though I suppose that might be because I’m not used to them.” She admitted with a small shrug.

“True. Although a Werewolf Captain and a Vampire for a counselor will seem rather odd to the crew as well.” Joked Hannah. She then paused. “Well, counselor, would you like to join me at the bridge?” Asked Hannah, now allowing a smile to appear on her face as she stood from the couch. “I don’t think you’ll want to miss the last view of earth.” The werewolf commented, causing her sister to giggle, both at the vampire comment and at the last remark.

“Oh, dear sister, I’ll come along, but only because there’s another view I’m far more interested in.” Sarah spoke, referring to the crew of the Infinite Justice, which she was eager to assess. Despite that, however, she did feel some attachment to Earth. It was the planet where she had grown up and raised her sisters, after all, even if their first few years had been less than perfect. Standing up, the counselor gestured towards the door, and then followed Hannah out of her office, the two sisters now heading towards the bridge of the [i]Infinite Justice[/].

Bridge

“Captain on Deck!” Yelled out one of the officers, to which all of them stood to attention. Hannah walked in with a stern face and her hands behind her back. She eyeballed the crew, keeping a strait face while her sister masked giggling in an act of pure willpower. She noticed Sam especially, though endeavoured to not give her any special attention.

“At ease.” She spoke, the crewmembers sat quickly, and internally Hannah sighed with relief. “In future, the appearance of the captain does not require such… deference. Especially if you are all doing your jobs.”

Hannah then walked towards the command chair, sitting down in it and attempting to get comfortable. She looked to the naviagator “Ensign, plot a course to System Gamma #4345, engage on my mark.”

She then turned to Valveig. “Officer, open a channel to the whole ship.” She requested. She did not see the asgardians princesses reaction to the order, but she did see their compliance as she heard the beep of the comms system.

“This is your Captain speaking. We will be heading to Gamma #4345 at Flux 3. This will take us there in roughly three hours. Gamma 4345 is an unexplored system which has been identified by our scanners. We have no idea what’s there, so be ready for anything.”

She signalled to cut off the announcement, then turned to the navigator. “Ensign. Warp three on my mark.”

He nodded and Hannah nodded back. She took one last look at earth. Her home. What should she say? Good bye? Good Riddance? In the end, she settled for nothing.

“Mark.” She ordered, and the ship set off at a breakneck speed with a thwoump that could only be heard in the ship.

OOC: Feel free to post your characters doing stuff on the ship.

[Charmera]

Young Bloods: 5 Weeks Later
Nico was hanging out by his locker at his local high-school, leaning against it as if he was waiting for someone. It had been five weeks since Nico's life had basically been turned upside down by the uncovering and destroying of his parents' criminal organization. It was obviously a tough spot for both him and Cat to be in, but the Young Bloods made it easier. They had found a new home there and they were slowly getting used to their new lives, including being super heroes. There were also other changes in Nico's life as well.

One of those changes came walking up to him at his locker. A pretty blonde girl around Nico's age, smiled at him and gave him a kiss when she arrived at his locker. She was his new girlfriend Alex Callahan. They had met soon after the attack on his parent's company, and they hit it off right away. Nico really liked her, she was sweet and very funny, also incredibly smart, much more so than Nico was at least to him anyway. There were a few problems though. He wasn't exactly able to be too open with her, not ready to tell her the truth about where he was living or who he really was. But Alex had a troubled past herself, so they were both willing to give each other space on their pasts. Also Alex lived on her own because her parents had died, so they spent most of their time hanging out there, which gave Nico a good excuse to not show her where he was leaving.

"Hi sweetie," She said to him when they broke their kiss.

"Hi, class was boring but seeing you makes me feel better." He says smiling, taking her hand as the two of them headed out of the school, going to the local dinner to get dinner together.

Meanwhile Mars was in the Tower of Youth's Gym, which was an open air facility on the room of the tower. He decided he needed to get some fresh air and take a break from working for a while. His mind was clearly his greatest asset, but he had to keep his body sharp as well. The project he had been working on was a string of robberies allegedly being committed by some dragon like creature. Mars had been coordinating with ADAM to triangulate the next most likely target. If any of the possible places where attacked, then ADAM would be notified.

That wasn't the only thing on Mar's mind however. He and Kiris had moved on pretty well from their awkward failed kiss, and they were even better friends now than before. But there were still some awkwardness between them, and it came up especially when they were alone. Mars wasn't sure how to overcome that, he was too nervous to actually share how he felt with her. Though he very much wanted too. He knew Kiris wouldn't wait around for him forever, so he needed to figure something out soon, but the boy genius was terribly lost on the question of romance.

Cat meanwhile was sitting among a pile of files, computer discs and all sorts of other miscellaneous things. She sat at a computer, reviewing her mothers personal logs. She had been doing this on and off since they uncovered the whole thing. Trawling through the files, both digital and paper. Her mother was meticulous with her record keeping, and there was plenty of incriminating evidence once the encryptions were broken by Mars. But... there was nothing on why she did this. Why her mother and father turned of a life of crime. So, after a while she had gave up hope of finding anything.

Then, one day while looking at the files, Cat came across something. A folder which shouldn't be there. She had looked through the computer for so long she counted every file and memorized their names. This one though, was right in the middle of the usual boring admin stuff. It seemed, out of place. It was called "Nirvana".

Cat clicked on it. But then it asked for a password. Cat frowned, then got out of her seat and dialed Mar's number. If he was busy, she would have to see about asking her brother. Though, he would probably be worried about why she had spent the last few days among their parents files instead of going to school. She had called in sick, but it was a lie.

[Charmera]

Rin Tarla
5 weeks later

The room was finally completely soundproof, a radio playing in the hall on the loudest setting and I couldn't hear a thing inside. Same test with the radio inside the room and me under the shower, nothing, perfect. My little own room of silence. Ooh, let's test the closet! I picked up the radio and ran over to the closet, but when I opened it, it was filled completely with something I don't remember buying, why do I have so many of this? Maybe the rest of the tower knows. I put down the radio and ran outside of my room, once outside I could hear the sounds from the tower and knew where everyone was, everyone except Xyri, she has natural stealth physiology for my power. Didn't matter right now, I learned how to broadcast my voice to all the corners of the tower making a clear sound that isn't to loud or to soft.

"Hey everyone, Rin here, I was doing some sound experiments and discovered I have a closet filled, completely, to the top, with buckets of paint. Was I planning to paint something and did I forget or are we stocking up on paint for some reason? For anyone with more information about this, I'll be in my room, not hearing anything you say, I love my room, it's so silent in there, all I hear is my own body fluids, heartbeat, muscle movement, the electricity in my own brain and the insects in my fridge, ..., I need to clean my fridge."

And just like that I walked back in to my room and began cleaning out the fridge, I rarely use this thing why is it filled with food?

Suddenly from out of the door lock came a pouring of slime as Xyri worked her way through the door lock. It would take a while for her to get all the way through, after all she was eight foot tall trying to get through a very small and complex lock. The door may very well have been open too, so Xyri might have been going through all that trouble unessecarily, but at least it was good practice for reshaping herself. After a little while she fed herself fully through the door and reformed into her usual slime girl form. This time though she had a small slime bow in her hair.

"I heard you have food that you no longer need in your fridge." Spoke Xyri with a wide hungry grin. "I wouldn't mind eating all- I mean helping you with that."

[Charmera]

Suddenly from out of the door lock came a pouring of slime as Xyri worked her way through the door lock. It would take a while for her to get all the way through, after all she was eight foot tall trying to get through a very small and complex lock. The door may very well have been open too, so Xyri might have been going through all that trouble unessecarily, but at least it was good practice for reshaping herself. After a little while she fed herself fully through the door and reformed into her usual slime girl form. This time though she had a small slime bow in her hair.

"I heard you have food that you no longer need in your fridge." Spoke Xyri with a wide hungry grin. "I wouldn't mind eating all- I mean helping you with that."

Rin Tarla

I jumped up for a moment, Xyri arriving always scares me because I never hear it coming, and I hear everything coming normally. "Oh, hey Xyri, you scared me, when you can hear everything, getting snuck upon is really scary, not that you were sneaky, you just have that effect on me." You're beginning to ramble Rin, tune it down a bit "Any case feel free to have what's in my fridge, not the insects though, they did nothing wrong, I'll find a way to get them outside again. There's some moldy stuff in here, I'm guessing you don't want that either. I also have jello, is it cannibalism for you to eat jello? Am I racist for wondering that? But you were made so are you even a race? Maybe I'm a jelloist for thinking that?"

I began mumbling to myself more and more with things constantly getting less and less related to the original topic "I have no clue what I was talking about any more, in any case, feel free to get what you want from the fridge, just, not the insects. Also, do you know about the paint?"

"Oh, don't worry about the insects. I could always spit them out later to keep them safe." Remarked Xyri as she walked towards the fridge. "I'll leave them alone for now though. Insects always have a wierd taste anyway, not that I don't like them." She remarked. "As for the Mold, I'm honestly not too picky, and I'm not sure why humans don't like mold. Insects I get, they're an acquired taste, but mold is delicious."

Xyri went on to devour the contents of the fridge apart from the insects, sliding her jello body inside before oozing out. She grew ever so slightly. "That hit the spot." She remarked. "And for the record, I'm not really made of Jello, though my consistency is... disturbingly similar."

"Anywho, how are you Rin?" Xyri asked with a grin, not minding a bit of conversation with her meal.

Mars
Mars had finished his workout and was heading downstairs to shower when he got a phone call from Cat. She had been busy for days, combing through everything she had about her parents. He wondered what she was calling about. "Cat? What's up?" The mutant asked his teammate.

She heard Mars slightly out of breath. She now couldn't help but imagine Mars was sweaty from a work out, having a mental image of that. Huh. Didn't notice this before but Mars is rather hot... No. Bad Catherine. He's supposed to be with Kiris. She banished such thoughts from her mind as she moved to the side to allow him room to sit in the other chair. "Hey Mars." She spoke. "I need you to help hack into a file called "Nirvana". Or at least you could let me copy your hacking skills for a bit." She could only have a few skills or powers at a time, so often a challenge was which ones she should keep around. They also seemed to be slightly lesser than whomever she grabbed them from. Powers seemed less limited, but still...

[Charmera]

Mars
Mars made his way to Cat's room and nodded at her problem. "I'll just hack into the file Cat. I'd rather do it on my own... No offense." Mars said, he trusted Cat and thought she was a good friend, but her powers scared him a bit. If they were in the wrong hands, they could do a lot of damage. He sat down in the chair that Cat offered him, pulling out a flash-drive where kept portable decryption programs. It wasn't as effective as his super computer in his lab would be, but it could decrepit a file no problem. He plugged it into the computer and as the program worked to scramble and decode the password Mars spoke to Cat, "So how's the search been going? You've been in your room a long time. Nico's a little worried, so are the rest of us." Mars told Cat until there was a dinging sound from the computer which indicated that the file was now open. "Well, there you go. You want me to leave?" Mars asked his teammate.

"I've found nothing. Though I think this Nirvana thing is something..." Cat replied then paused. "Actually, you don't mind staying here for a bit? I could use the company..." She then looked at the files she had in front of her. Their titles didn't tell her anything immediately. She was about to double click on one of them when suddenly the files started vanishing. He eyes widened. "Someone's scrubbing the files remotely!" She exclaimed, quickly tossing one of the files onto the hard drive.

Meanwhile, a figure seemed to manifest in the YB server room, pouring herself out of the server machine itself. The figure was clad in black, with a blade in her hand. She proceeded to run out of the room, tripping off a security alarm in her haste. She began to run towards the exit with considerable speed.

[Charmera]

Chorus: The End of the Beginning (Teaser)
This the place?

Chorus stood at the promenade of a shopping mall, right in front of the door. However this, like the office building was a cover. Perhaps had she gone to the top floor of that building she would have found what she was looking for here. Perhaps that's why she had been stopped by one of the Legendary "Five". She had killed 80% of the group and only now was starting to learn about them.

As far as I can recall. I do still have things... missing.

You sure they'll have my voice here... and the one who's behind this thing.

Yes to the first, and... a firm "not sure" to the second. That was good enough for her, who unsheathed verse and held him in combat stance.

Chorus might have been more concerned about drawing her sword in the mall, if she didn't know it was already a trap. A facade built to keep casual observers from deducing the true purpose of the installation. However for those with motive in breaking into here, there were other Defenses.

The heads of the "civilians" around her swiveled, some all the way around. Mothers with babies made a jarring turn to stare at the intruder before them, massive blade in hand, a tranquil yet stern expression on her face as she stood her ground.

She was almost tempted to speak a taunt. But it might end up exploding into other buildings with actual innocents. It would be a garbled mess anyway, all her voices eager to speak at once.

Her body made the message clear as she moved her blade backwards. Flesh peeled from the Humans around her revealing metalic faces. Reality itself seemed to bleed away slightly.

They know we know... They no longer bother with the facade.

Good. That means they're finally taking us seriously.

[Charmera]

"I've found nothing. Though I think this Nirvana thing is something..." Cat replied then paused. "Actually, you don't mind staying here for a bit? I could use the company..." She then looked at the files she had in front of her. Their titles didn't tell her anything immediately. She was about to double click on one of them when suddenly the files started vanishing. He eyes widened. "Someone's scrubbing the files remotely!" She exclaimed, quickly tossing one of the files onto the hard drive.

Meanwhile, a figure seemed to manifest in the YB server room, pouring herself out of the server machine itself. The figure was clad in black, with a blade in her hand. She proceeded to run out of the room, tripping off a security alarm in her haste. She began to run towards the exit with considerable speed.

Mars nodded to Cat when she asked him to stay, watching her browse through the files when suddenly she shouted about the files being deleted remotely and the tower alarm began blaring. Mars quickly jumped from his seat and pressed a button on his watch, connecting him to ADAM. "ADAM! Shut down the server and initiate emergency lock down!" Mars shouted as soon the doors and windows started to be blocked by large steel bars that would keep people from going in or out. He then turned to Cat, "Come on, we have to find this intruder!" He shouted to her, before then using his mental link with Kiris, Kiris, there's an intruder in the tower. They're most likely coming from the server room. We need to find them.

The black clad intruder stopped just before she was crushed by the falling steel. She paused for a moment, seemingly thinking. Then she just stopped, the blade held downwards in one hand. She seemed to be waiting for the three of them to catch up with her. Her one good eye scanning the room.

"What are we waiting for then?! They may have the files or some answers." Cat replied as she grabbed Mar's arm in her gloved hand and moved. She soon let go, as it was mostly to get him moving. She sped towards the elevators, pressing it. She ran down the stairs, not wanting to go to the elevator.

[Charmera]

"Oh, don't worry about the insects. I could always spit them out later to keep them safe." Remarked Xyri as she walked towards the fridge. "I'll leave them alone for now though. Insects always have a wierd taste anyway, not that I don't like them." She remarked. "As for the Mold, I'm honestly not too picky, and I'm not sure why humans don't like mold. Insects I get, they're an acquired taste, but mold is delicious."

Xyri went on to devour the contents of the fridge apart from the insects, sliding her jello body inside before oozing out. She grew ever so slightly. "That hit the spot." She remarked. "And for the record, I'm not really made of Jello, though my consistency is... disturbingly similar."

"Anywho, how are you Rin?" Xyri asked with a grin, not minding a bit of conversation with her meal.

Rin Tarla

It's always weird watching Xyri do stuff, you can see through her and see no organs, nor anything she just ate. Not even a brain. So would that mean that every cell she has fulfills the same function and every cell on it's own has it's own brain or something. "I'm curious, does every part of you have a designated function or can every part adapt to any given function or something like that? Like the part that is now your hand, when you change form and then go back to your humanoid form, will that same part be a hand again or can it be anything else? And do things feel differently for different parts or is it all the same?"

I bowed over to Xyri inspecting her closely, mainly hoping to hear something because that's how I understand things I hear them, but she's a silent jello-like thing to me, but I can hear jello, but not her. I took her hand and squeezed it a bit "Like does this feel the same like getting squeezed some other part like this?" I reached out my other hand and squeezed the first part of Xyri it reached. Which, ..., unfortunately for me was somehow her upper thigh, I think I just accidentally squeezed her behind... I instantly let go and jumped back a step, instantly blushing the reddest of red "S, s, s, ... Sorry, I didn't mean to!" I blurted out shouting when I suddenly heard the alarm that an intruder was in the building going off "Awesome, we're being attacked! ... I mean, oh no, we're being attacked, let's ignore what just happened and look for the intruder!"

I ran out of the room quickly, normally I'd hear any intruder in a heartbeat, usually the intruders heartbeat, but I was to distracted by the fact my own heartbeat was through the roof not allowing me to focus on anything going on right now.

Xyri paused after she devoured the fridge, which was barely a light snack to the heavy eater. Xyri was used to permanently being peckish. She wasn't sure she could get to the point where she would be full. As she took a break, Rin suddenly began asking questions. She paused, not sure how to answer the first one. She didn't really understand her own phisology fully, but she was fairly sure she didn't have any of these "organs" the humans seemed to have. She also wasn't sure how to answer the other two questions. She supposed different parts of her body probably didn't felt things differently.

The squeeze however didn't seem to confirm this. She felt her jelly squeezed slightly and she could tell where it was coming from. When her hand was squeezed, she felt normal, however when she was Squeezed in the thigh, it felt exactly the same but... she felt different. She wasn't sure how to explain it. Then suddenly Rin turned red and apologized. Xyri wasn't sure why. "Ummm,,," She let out, not sure how to react. Then the alarm sounded. And she was really not sure how to react.

Then Rin ran out of the room, leaving Xyri standing dumbly. "What...?" She asked. "What did I do?"

[Charmera]

The black clad intruder stopped just before she was crushed by the falling steel. She paused for a moment, seemingly thinking. Then she just stopped, the blade held downwards in one hand. She seemed to be waiting for the three of them to catch up with her. Her one good eye scanning the room.

"What are we waiting for then?! They may have the files or some answers." Cat replied as she grabbed Mar's arm in her gloved hand and moved. She soon let go, as it was mostly to get him moving. She sped towards the elevators, pressing it. She ran down the stairs, not wanting to go to the elevator.

Mars nodded to Cat as he listened to Kiris confirm that she was heading toward the server room as well. He followed behind Cat down the stairs, shocked at how energetic she seemed to be about this, she was usually rather cool and collected. However it made sense, as this was clearly very important to her. They made it downstairs, and strangely enough the intruder was merely waiting there, her weapon drawn as she stood outside the gate. Mars was unarmed so he hand to keep his distance slightly, but that didn't stop him from speaking, "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Mars demanded of the strange girl.

The girl frowned, then turned to Mars. "That is none of your concern." She spoke, then pointed her blade at him. However Cat leaped in front of him in order to protect him from the girls blade if necessary. The cyborg cocked her head and took her blade back. She and Cat seemed to exchange and hold a glare, though the cyborg more than matched her intesity with ease. She seemed to have a permanant glare on her face, which might actually be pretty... Oh god stop it Cat... Time and place remember

"Yeah. It kinda is." Spoke Cat.

The Cyborg paused. "This is your final warning. Do not look into the matter further." She spoke. "Forget Nirvana."

[Charmera]

Rin Tarla

It took a while but eventually I regained my composure, some deep breaths, forget what just happened and focus on the current situation, there's an intruder, and you're an expert at finding everything. Seemed like finding wasn't that important any longer, the intruder was already found, by some of my teammates. The intruder sounds mechanical, ooh, maybe she'll freak out if I make sounds of mechanical failures. I focused on the area they were in and began throwing sounds in that room, sounds of computer errors, sounds rusty mechanical parts would make, electrical malfunctions. Anything I could imagine that and something to do with the malfunction of either a computer or a mechanical system.

While I did this I ran downstairs to the location of the intruder, the room was closed by the towers protocols and I wasn't about to randomly open secured doors that were closed to contain the intruder, so I just ran to the closest possible location and kept making those sounds while listening to everything that was going on.

At first this tactic might seem to work. The Cyborg seemed completely distracted from whatever Cat and Nico were saying. She paused, seeming to do some sort of diagonistic check. She then turned in the direction that Rin was, and sprinted towards the closest door that would get her to Rin. She slammed her sword into a secured door, which seemed to somehow cause the system to open it. She seemed to be able to move through the doors easy enough, but the iron barrier around the exit seemed to give her trouble.

"Come on!" Spoke Cat "She's after Rin." Cat ran towards the cyborg, causing it to spin around and swing it's blade in a horizontal slice. Cat quickly bent her back to dodge the slash, the blade just missing the bridge of her nose. She then bent back upwards, only to get punched in the face with a matal hand. She was staggered by the blow, surprised by it's strength. Meanwhile the Cyborg seemed to be heading towards Rin.

[Charmera]

---

Sarah nodded at her younger sister as she told her that she had to rest and recover before even thinking of growing stronger and defeating the wizard. Sam was right; in her current condition, she wouldn't be able to accomplish much, and she'd probably be a burden if something happened. Of course, she didn't expect to take long to heal up, a fortunate side effect of her powers, but even so, she had to stay calm for the time being. Seeing Roy approach her and assure her that he would do what he could to help rescue John, the pale woman shook her head before looking at the boy. "It's not your fault. You don't have to do anything." She said, before patting him on the head. "You should go back to your family or your friends. They might be worried, if news about this incident spread." She stated, before looking at her sisters. "And on that note, we should get out of here. I don't want to deal with policemen, much less if they happen to recognize us."

"You've always had trouble with the law, haven't you girls?" Spoke a feminine voice from nearby. A taller woman with golden locks appeared, walking towards the sisters. She smiled, seemingly familiar with them, though that was less notable than her fox ears, tail and her aura of almost supernatural beauty. She seemed to have a supernatural grace too, her movements too precise. It made almost anyone else seem clumsy by comparison. Her smile widened, containing some warmth.

"Miss Koto!?" Asked Hannah, suddenly transforming back. Feeling a tad dizzy. "What are you doing here? The last time we saw you was in New Orleans!"

"Ah, got tired of pretending to be a Voodo witch. It was fun for a bit, but it's not as entertaining without a few people with fire and pitchforks. That tends to make for a good chase." She shrugged. "Ah well, Not everywhere can be like Salem." She paused. "As for what I'm doing here. I'm here to help you."

[Charmera]

"You've always had trouble with the law, haven't you girls?" Spoke a feminine voice from nearby. A taller woman with golden locks appeared, walking towards the sisters. She smiled, seemingly familiar with them, though that was less notable than her fox ears, tail and her aura of almost supernatural beauty. She seemed to have a supernatural grace too, her movements too precise. It made almost anyone else seem clumsy by comparison. Her smile widened, containing some warmth.

"Miss Koto!?" Asked Hannah, suddenly transforming back. Feeling a tad dizzy. "What are you doing here? The last time we saw you was in New Orleans!"

"Ah, got tired of pretending to be a Voodo witch. It was fun for a bit, but it's not as entertaining without a few people with fire and pitchforks. That tends to make for a good chase." She shrugged. "Ah well, Not everywhere can be like Salem." She paused. "As for what I'm doing here. I'm here to help you."

Sam turned in surprise when she heard a voice behind them, relaxing when she saw it was someone friendly, but she was still surprised by who it was. Miss Kano was someone that the Grimms' had met along their travels across the country. She was a mysterious and sometimes unnerving character, but she had helped the Grimms before. "Hi Miss Kano, how did you find us?" Sam asked, surprised but keeping her tone even. "You're here to help us? How?"

Meanwhile Roy decided that Sam and Sarah were right and that he would head back home instead of following the Grimms. He would miss Hannah, but she clearly had a lot to deal with, and he missed the Justice Queens. Still, he was hoping he would get a chance to see her again soon.

"Oh, I have a nose for you all. Hannah isn't the only one with a super sniffer." Remarked the kitsune with a smile. Her tail seemed to be behind her, yet regally it pointed slightly upwards. "As for how I can help you. For one I can provide you a place to stay for a bit, and I can get you some shelter from the law for a bit." She then frowned slightly. "I can also help you with your... other problem. But we would have to talk about that later. And you would have to be willing to trust me."

Rin Tarla

Well, that didn't work, she's already looking through my trick. And she's even able to locate me, charging straight to my direction, thank god there's doors to prevent her from reaching ... Did she just cut through one of the safety doors?!? When she came closer and closer all I could do was panic, especially when I heard her fighting my teammates, so in a moment of panic I panicked really loudly. I took a deep breath and let out a scream with enough power that the ground, walls, ceiling and even the metal doors around began to break or buckle, it was even loud enough to cause something that resembled a small quake as everything in the tower shook for a moment. As fast as I let out the scream I stopped however, this wasn't hurting just my target, but everyone in the tower, friend or foe alike. The only one who'd be resistant to this attack was Xyri who seemed to be extremely resistant to nearly immune to my sound attacks.

But everyone else was probably getting a terrible headache from this, considering it caused the metal door near me to buckle I can only imagine what it did to everyone else, even if they were a lot further away from me. I didn't really know what to do besides say throughout the tower "Sorry ...".

Mars heard Rin's shout as he was chasing after the criminal, and suddenly fell to his knees. He had experienced this before in Rin's room but this was must worse. The pressure on his eardrums was incredible. It felt as if his head was being ripped apart from the inside. Finally it relented and Mars slowly rose to his feat, nearly falling back down before he leaned himself against the wall to steady himself. "Ugh, my head." He said aimlessly, looking around hoping everyone else was more or less okay.

Cat was also adversely effected by the sudden sound. She clutched her head in pain as she was disorientated by the sudden sonic assault. She attempted to stand, but her balance seemed to be slightly lost. She stumbled around, dazed as she attempted to find her footing. She fount it quite hard to do so.

Meanwhile the Ninja had been slammed against the wall, kept their by the pressure of the sound. Then suddenly she dropped onto her knees. She stood back up and looked at Rin, then Mars and then Cat. The Cyborg seemed to have sustained injuries to her human side, some blood could be seen running from her nose and mouth. Her cyborg side was damaged too, but strangely it seemed to be repairing itself, some sort of nanobot putting her back together perhaps, or it could be part of being some sort of digital creature of some sort. Before Rin could let out another scream, she pointed her hand at her and launced some sort of metal band, probably designed to wrap around her mouth. And then she dropped a smoke grenade of some sort.

Cat coughed, hearing footsteps towards the stairs, she pointed, though no one would see. She coughed again from the smoke. "Come on! She's getting away!" Cat shouted, running after the ninja, who seemed to have swiftly gone up the stairs.

[Charmera]

---

---

Before Roy was able to leave the scene, however, he would feel a hand tapping his shoulder. "Wait a moment, Roy." Sarah spoke as the boy turned around, before digging into one of her pockets and pulling out a handful of bills, handing them to Roy. "Here, use this to get back home safely. It's the least I can do after we dragged you into a mess like this one." She said with a sigh, before patting his shoulder. "I'll make good on that promise to train you someday, alright?" The pale woman spoke, attempting a smile. "And I'll be sure to bring Hannah along, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you once we're done with the wizard." She winked, before seeing him off and heading back to her sisters, just in time to hear Kano offer to help them with their issues. Raising an eyebrow, Sarah put a hand on her hip and looked at Kano, trying to see if she was planning something. "We will talk about it later, then, but for the time being, some shelter would be appreciated. Where are you taking us?" The supernatural woman asked.

---

"Oh, I happen to have a home near here. Now we don't have much time at all, so the less chit chat the better" She spoke, before taking out four pieces of paper and stuck it on all three sisters and herself. She then began chanting in Japanese as she seemed to focus her energy for a bit. Just as the police cars seemed to converge onto them, they vanished in a burst of blue light, the papers being consumed in the process. Suddenly they were now in a peaceful setting with green hills and a Japanese style manor. The sceneary was visable for miles, and there was no way they were anywhere near the urban center they were once in. But damn if it wasn't pretty. Rolling rivers and hills, and forrests.

Kano walked towards the manor, gesturing that the sisters should follow her. "Come on, I'll get the kettle on. We can have some nice hot tea."

Vera
Being held up by her puppy, Vera rushed down the stairs, before again being held up by Rin's Scream. She's lucky her helmet acts as some shielding to sound, and she's not right next to Rin so she didn't get the brunt of it. She continues to run down the stairs, only end up face to face with the black clad intruder. Not expecting to run into the intruder so quickly, she quickly kicks flicks out her baton without really planning for the fact that they are in an enclosed stairwell.

The cyborg quickly blocked the kick with a parry with her blade, managing to stop the brunt of the force from the foot. Then the cyborg pushed backwards, hoping to put the other fighter off their balance. She then pushed onward to the tenth floor, where she attempted to get to one of the balconies. It seemed the cyborg was going to hack the easier door to the balcony rather than the harder to hack controls for the building as a whole.

[Charmera]

There once was a man, born to a simple family. He had a brother, elder by two years, and a sister, younger by three. At the age of three, he said his first word. "Mama." At the age of four, he entered into Pleasant Hill elementary, where he attended until the age of 12, when he entered George Washington Middle School.

In short, this man was born a simple, ordinary boy, to a simple, ordinary family. There was no history of Heroism in his family, nor even the vaguest taste of villainy. There was no grand destiny laid out before him, predestined generations before. There was no forces beyond the comprehension of man conspiring to bring this about. Instead, it was simple, random, god-forsaken chance that brought a strength into the hands of this mere child at the age of 19. Before that day, he had illusions of grandeur, the likes of which every child knows. He would eventually be a President. An astronaut. A secret agent. A Superhero.

And then that day came. The boy laid his hands on an object not meant for mortal hands, nor even immortal ones. In that object, a curse of darkness and madness was imbued to its every wielder, and as he became stronger with time, so too did the darkness in his soul.

That boy was Charley Crawler, and he died that day, so many years ago. On that day, blood tainted his hands for the first time. In any other world, any other time, he would have paled at the sight of it, and fell away from it in terror. Instead, he reveled in it. He adored the crimson. Only chance, only pure and incomprehensible chance, allowed him to not stray from the path of light while he became one with the darkness inside. Nicholas Fury saved the world that day, but never knew. He saved the world, and he damned two people to hell. One dark, and one light.

This is not to say that Director Fury was responsible for the eventual death of the White Lantern. No, that was Charles- That was Manifest. The God of Fragments, the Broken God. The Broken Man. It is only by the grace of a Goddess that he was repaired, and by the grace of that Goddess, he believed he had the opportunity to set things right, to appease the guilt that racked his conscious, and perhaps give those who he had harmed through his actions some small amount of closure.

---

Charles Crawler breathed in deeply, standing in a small chamber in the outer reaches of the Universal Fortress. Designed based off of the Section-19 Bifrost Bridge replica of SWORD, it would allow him transportation after he finished the process.

When he had wondered about the possibility of being human again, the Manifest Blade had responded, had given him the answers that he needed. A friend of his, gained through coincidence, had given him the ability to understand. He summoned and gripped the ancient blade, focusing on it. He felt his essence drawn out of his body, a blue glow surrounding his body, and at the same time, he saw the power of the Manifest Blade surrounding it in a crimson brightness. The two slowly lifted into the air, leaving Charles... Hollow. Without spirit and without soul. He did not feel afraid. He did not feel upset. He felt... Nothing. Emptiness. No powers, no strength.

Above him, the two forces, blue and red, began to merge. A deep violet. It floated back down, entering the Blade. He felt a portion of his essence own re-enter him, giving him his soul once more, but without his strength, without the power of the Blade. He took the Blade into his hands and sheathed it across his back, along with the Infinite. He was a man again. Yes, an immortal, super-strong man, but still a man.

He stepped into the machine and it activated. He vanished.

---

He re-appeared with a blast of light aboard the Watchtower. In an instant, the Flash had him pinned to the wall. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" The Flash growled. Moments later, several other League members arrived.

Charles Crawler looked at each of them in turn. He closed his eyes and breathed. "My name is Manifest. I killed Julie, the White Lantern. I transported her body to Mars, where the League will find it soon, along with her ring. I am here to turn myself in."

---

The conditions that Manifest was arrested under were withheld from the general public, along with SHIELD and any other organization, until after her funeral. After they heard Charles' story, they allowed him to attend the funeral under heavy League guard. He wore a formal suit, along with a hat and glasses. Standing at the back of the crowd, he was disguised, and without his powers, the flavor of his essence was changed.

I'm sorry, Julie. By all the Gods that are, I am so sorry.

Some of the funeralgoers might have been suspicous about the appearance of a strange man in glasses, or by the strange mishmash of people. Though those that knew her knew that she had many friends who might not know each other nessecarily, which came with being a planet hopping Lantern. However there was one man whom others might be more suspicious about. Coat, sunglasses and hat, and what seemed to be a briefcase. What was even more suspicious, was when the man raised his briefcase, and then tossed it to the ground. It opened up, to reveal what seemed to be machinery.

Flash went to quickly aprehend the man, grabbing his arms, but the damage was already done. Suddenly blue energy swirled from the briefcase, and nine figures seemed to coaless into the world. Flash looked in confusion, before the man he was holding suddenly exploded, sending him backwards as the blast knocked him out, ironically the mans body managed to sheild him from most of the damage. His leg was broken however by the blast.

The rest of the league moved to encircle these figures. As the blue energy faded, it was revealed they were all women, eyes glowing with various colours. One of them ripped open the casket, and then was surprised to find nothing.

"She's not here." Spoke one.

The other nodded. "Go with plan B. Search everywhere."

"We may have some... resistance first." whispered another, indicating the league.

"Oh. Fun. I always like it when we get new toys..."

"Calm yourself Anarchy, our primary goal is to find the Martian."

"You aren't going anywhere>" Declared superman.

"That, mortal, is where you are mistaken." Spoke the original speaker, seeming to be the leader.

[Charmera]

Despite thoughts to the contrary, the Xyrix horde is not a slumbering giant. It is not waiting. Instead it is a hungry million headed hydra, devouring isolated worlds and securing resources. The bulk of the beast yet lies restrained, though it's other heads are well at work. The Horde is not slumbering, it is not attacking recklessly either. Xyrix is setting up her domino's carefully. This universe is stronger than most, and despite the fall of the Kandar Galaxy she knows the heroes of earth are powerful indeed. They might pose a threat if united. But... if locked in civil war... They become vulnerable. When enemies are divided it becomes much easier to pick them off. The Parahumans and the Asgardians too. They must fall. But she should wait until both or one of them is busy with this civil war. A counterattack on her invasion force by one is managable, but both could be,.. problematic.

"Queen, why do we sit here when their worlds are ripe for the taking?"

Xyrix frowned, adjusting her posture on her throne of broken waships, each she destroyed herself to fashion the chair. She looked to the slime with a withering glare. Normally enough to silence dissent. But this came from one of her generals.

"I told you already. Must I repeat myself child?" She asked. "Besides, we are taking worlds."

"The ones they wont miss." Muttered another.

"We should smash them, and their puny heros."

"Earth should fall today!"

A chorus of dissenting voices. Broke out, drowning out all other sound. The Queen frowned deeper. She could not allow this.

She simply stood from her throne and the world eating general slimes were silent. They were second in power to the Queen, but it was not a close second at all, which was further indicated by size. Xyrix was not even at her largest, and the whole room quaked at her standing. The Generals looked at her with some fear, her sheer size now standing in the War room was simply nerve wracking. The room was designed with the massive Xyrixma in mind, and even then her head was scraping the ceiling, in a room build to contain solar systems. In Xyrixma society, hierachy was not determined by birth, by titles, by wealth or by noble standing. It was determined by size and power. Xyrixma rule is by force.

Once they were all silent, she spoke. Calm, yet stern. Level, yet with considerable threat.

"We will work according to the plan we have set out." She Decreed. "There will be no more discussion on the matter."

She spoke, then sat down. "Any who question this again will be diciplined accordingly." She did not like having to do so to her children, but it was nessecary sometimes.

Suddenly a slimey figure came into the room. Xyrix slimed. "Tell me you have some good news Uxira."

"We have located her Xyrix."

Xyrix smiled wider.

"Your daughter is on earth in a place called Jump city."

"Her name is Xyri."

Xyrix nodded, then got up. "Looks like the invasion will be sooner than even I anticipated..."

"Soon... we will all feast."

[Charmera]

Daud and Lisa
In Pursuit of Justice

-Lisa, Wikipedia Extraordinaire

Daud happily munched on his sandwich like a monk astute in his faith as Lisa rambled on and on about mundane topics he had no use for nor any real interest in hearing. He was too focused on his food to be of much use, and when he finished his own ruben, he reached over and drug Lisa's one over to his plate as well. Before he began devouring that one as well, he tuned into what Lisa was saying and thought for a moment. Turning his thoughts into speech, he asked the girl, "It's good to parrot things, but do you really want to know who you are and what you were made for?"

Before the girl could answer, Daud was already rising. "If you do, then I can take you somewhere and see someone who might know about you or where you've come from. No true human being can resist a sandwich like that, so I know you're something... Different than a normal person, Lisa. Let's get moving." He said, grabbing the sandwich meant for Lisa and wrapping in a bunch of napkins in order to eat it later. "Anything you need done around here?" He asked, "We'll still be in New York, we're just going to the Lower West Side." Daud explained.

Lisa seemed a bit confused, but followed Daud anyways. "Look! They got a subway!" He said happily, going underground with Lisa in-tow, as if a subway entrance was some miraculous invention Daud had just found out about. The two boarded without much hassle, sitting together as the train flew by underground. Daud would get serious at times, explaining to Lisa, "The people I'm taking you to see, I don't exactly know them personally, but they know my fiance, Sora. They always bother Sora about joining them and Sora says they're a bunch'a man hating femnazis and I don't like arguing with a lady who can vaporize oceans." Daud said, reverting to being weird mid-sentence. "If you hadn't guessed already, I'm taking you to see the Justice Queens."

"...Justice Queens?" Lisa asked, unsure of who or what this group was, beyond whatever Daud described them as.

"They're a team full of ladies who specialize in... I don't know, man hating? Fighting the supervillain organization known as the Patriarchy? Sora says they're a good bunch of people but I've been out of American superhero developments for some years now. Among those girls, there might be someone who can help you. If they can't help you, they probably know someone who can." The subway car ground to a stop, the doors opening and some people moving out into the station. Daud rose and Lisa followed, emerging in Lower Manhatten among several tall buildings. Lisa looked up at them and gawked a bit, but Daud pulled on her hand. "Best not to stare, New Yorkah's hate tourists." He explained in a fake New Yorker accent.

Walking some ways into Greenwich Village, full of buildings and parks in-between on the Lower West Side, Daud and Lisa arrived in front of a tall, newly constructed building known among the JQs simply as The Tower. "This looks like the place." He said, noting a plaque that politely informed him that this was the "Home of the Justice Queens". Entering the building's doors and going into a modern, well-ordered lobby, the Ultra Corpsman walked up to the front desk, politely informing the receptionist of his urgent business. "I need to see the Justice Queens."

The girl gave him a strange look, but relented. "Do you have an appointment, Mister...?"

"Daud. My name is Daud. I don't have a last name. It's not an interesting story as to why, either."

"...Okay, Mr. Daud, I don't seem to have you on file for an appointment with the Queens, would you like to schedule one?" She asked politely, but Daud relaxed his shoulders and sigh obnoxiously.

"Oh my god, what does it take for a young stallion like myself to get some attention?" He leaned in to look at the receptionist's name tag, "Alright, Mindy, you listen close and you listen good, I am a very powerful with very powerful muscles and I demand to see someone about those powerful muscles, understand? Otherwise, I will throw a world-class hissy fit the likes of which this lobby has not - and not ever one it's finished - seen it's short history. I am your worst nightmare, a liberated man ready and willing to express his god-given of oppression."

Mindy cocked a half-smile at the threat. "Mister Daud, I've faced more viable threats from less powerful men." The two held eye contact for a very tense moment, but Mindy proved to be more suave in the situation. "Now, I can call up one of the Queens to see if they're available, would you fine with that, Mister Daud?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at the Ultra Corps Commander, Daud finally relenting.

"Yes. Thank you." He mumbled, moving back to stand next to Lisa as Mindy dialed away and chatted, flashing a look at Daud and Lisa. Leaning in to whisper, he comments, "See, she thinks you're a weirdo. You'll fit right in!" Finally, Mindy hung up her phone and gave the duo a smile, a bright one at Lisa and a less-than perfect one at Daud. The Commander returned the smile with a wide-opened grin, openly mocking Mindy, souring Mindy's face completely.

"Katie Prince will be down any moment now." She said, staring at Daud and Lisa.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning came down from seemingly nowhere, the smell of burnt ozone stinking the air as Katie materialized from the electricity. "Alright. This better be important..." Muttered Katie as she turned to face Daud, an apron on her signifying that she was attempting one of her ill advised baking projects. Katie was a horrible cook and worse baker. She took off the apron and plopped it on Mindy's desk. "Daud? I thought Sora said she wasn't going to join?" She paused and looked at his female companion. "Who are you?"

"Hello. I'm Lisa." Spoke the woman as she offed a hand to shake. She paused at the action, wondering why she did it. It seemed to make sense. Katie smiled at this and took her hand. She shook it. "I'm supposed to join you, I believe."

"Well we're always happy to have new members. Though usually you need some sort of special power to join."

Lisa paused. Special power? That must have been what Daud meant.

"Ah well. We can worry about that later. We'll take you upstairs and see what you can do" Katie spoke. She turned to Daud. "Was... that all you wanted?"

The cyborg quickly blocked the kick with a parry with her blade, managing to stop the brunt of the force from the foot. Then the cyborg pushed backwards, hoping to put the other fighter off their balance. She then pushed onward to the tenth floor, where she attempted to get to one of the balconies. It seemed the cyborg was going to hack the easier door to the balcony rather than the harder to hack controls for the building as a whole.

Vera, not expecting to be blocked, was put slightly off balance, but recovered as the attack pushed passed her and up the stairs. She looks down the stairs to see her friends just recovering the Cyborgs attack, and she quickly uses her grappling hook to close the distance, getting to the tenth floor just in time to catch the door before it closes.
Quickly rushing into the room, she takes out her folding staff and spins it around to unfold it, making sure to make the sound noticeable, as she rushes after the attacker. As soon as she gets the chance, she swings her staff for the attackers legs, aiming knock her over quickly.

The Cyborg span from the blow, hurtling to the floor, though she managed to recover, getting up swiftly and puting her weapon into a guarding position. She could not afford to turn her back to this new foe again, at least not now. She was going to have to quickly deal with her. To that end, the Ninja quickly hacked her blade downwards at her opponent.

[Charmera]

---

---

"This is definitely not Florida, Sam, but I don't see why you're so surprised. This is Kano we're talking about, remember?" The eldest of the Grimm sisters told Samantha, before looking at the landscape surrounding her. Whereas they had previously been in a partially ruined urban landscape, with a limousine wreckage not far from them and rows of tall buildings all around them, the three sisters now found themselves surrounded by nature on all sides, the greenery in the landscape present everywhere except for the large japanese manor next to them. The beauty of nature was worthy of admiration despite being beneath her own, but at the moment, the pale woman was in no mood to sightsee, and so, she merely walked after the nine-tailed kitsune, figuring that listening to her couldn't hurt. "And you may be right, Sam, but... Kano said that she might help us. If she really has a way to do so, then the least we can do is play along." Sarah spoke, evidently less than enthusiastic about stopping for some tea time when the wizard and his captive were still missing.

---

"Oh, we're still in florida, in fact we've only moved about 400 feet away from where we once were in terms of direction. What I did was... take us to another plane." She paused, leading all of them to a small table within the giant house as she put on the kettle not far from all of them. She then frowned as she turned to the group, a face of seriousness on her as she walked towards them. "Time moves more slowly here. And the Wizard intends to use John as bait. He wants all of you, why exactly I'm not entirely sure, but he wants you to recklessly charge in so he can ensure you wont escape." She spoke.

"What I want to do is to arm you. I can give you training, spells and weapons which should keep you alive. His power has increased dramatically so you will need every bit of help you can get." She spoke. "Of course, if you wish I can put you back in the mortal world if you do not wish to take up this offer. But that might not be the wisest choice. Especially considering how easily he defeated you before."

[Charmera]

Little Sister
Leslie Strauss|Denver, Colorado

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Charmera]

Hiroshi:

It was obvious the other Saiyan was itching to go train, given how he'd rocketed off, or he was as nervous about this as everyone else was. He could understand the feeling, given he felt the same way.

The Hybrid could only stare at the ground as the time traveler talked about the other warriors of her time, failing to see that every word only furthered the damage on the Saiyan-Kaioshins dignity. Bringing his hands up, his fingers rubbed across his eyes as a sigh escaped him. It always came back to him, even in entirely different universes.

" Hey, I'm going to go tell Claudia about what's going down, can't leave her hanging again." Nodding slowly at Tomia and Nakasan, Hiroshi smiled tiredly as his frame blinked from existence, flat plains and scorched ground being replaced by trees as his world snapped back together.

Looking out over the expanse of trees, the Saiyans smile disappeared as he slowly began walking through the forest.

The day he met a little girl, stolen from the only family she'd ever known and thrown into a battle she couldn't help to comprehend, both their lives had changed forever... Perhaps more had changed for him then her in the grand scheme of things. He had discovered a power locked deep within himself, pushing through fatigue and mortal injuries for the sheer purpose of protecting the ones close to him. Even now, it sounded almost silly to hear these words in his own mind, especially after everything he had learned about the Saiyans.

But Tomia had finally found the father she'd never known, and built some semblance of a stable family, at least for awhile. Hiroshi couldn't fault her for her anger against him. Fuck, he'd be livid if he'd lived through what she had. Her father had abandoned her multiple times to be a battle junkie, allowing her to be kidnapped and thrown into the space equivalent of a Roman coliseum. Perhaps he was taking everything Tomia had said to close to heart, but given how his own timeline had turned out, how could he not?

All of this stemmed through something he had been struggling with for years. He failed. Even in alternate timelines he couldn't find it within himself to protect the ones he loved, at least not until he'd been beaten once and received a Zenkai. The Saiyan had seemingly moved past his failures when he ascended to the mantle of Super Saiyan III, but the time travelers arrival had reopened the wound, laying the issue on the table once more. How could he help save an entire universe when he couldn't save his own child?

Doubt was never an entirely foreign feeling for Hiroshi, but it had never been as rampant until he had been defeated by Freiza so easily, and even then he could mask it behind determination and anger. But now, he could feel doubt creeping up on him, like it had against Broly when he had killed Tomia.

Stepping over a downed tree, the Saiyan-Kaioshin opened the door of the small capsule house he had bought for him and Claudia, a familiar figure coming into view as he looked up. Smiling tiredly, Hiroshi kicked the door closed behind him.

" Hey Claudia."

Claudia paused as she looked at the saiyan. She was not sure what to think of the saiyan anymore. Anger was disapearing as she was reminded of the reasons why she came to be found of the Saiayn. She would have smiled, but she was also reminded of other memories. She was reminded of how much it hurt. Mixed feelings. Never good. She decided to distract herself with conversation. "Hey Hiro." She spoke. She paused as she wondered if Hiroshi knew about her recent offer from the government. "Hows... things?"

[Charmera]

---

Sitting at the Kitsune's table alongside her sisters, Sarah listened to the woman's offer, mulling over it. On the one hand, Kano was powerful and wise, and she and her sisters could definitely use the training, especially if they were hoping to challenge the wizard and rescue John anytime soon. But on the other hand, she did not feel particularly comfortable with placing herself and her sisters under the care of another person, and owing a favor to others was a very unsettling thought. She was very fond of the freedom she had enjoyed ever since she had learned to take advantage of her powers to get whatever she wanted, after years of struggling to provide for herself and her sisters. Thus, she was hesitant to, as she saw it, relinquish her autonomy in order to receive training.

But in the end, she could not deny that she didn't have a better plan. Samantha seemed to be persuaded by Kano's offer, as well, and if there was something Sarah valued above her freedom, it was her sisters. She was not willing to part ways with them, and so, finally, she let out a sigh before speaking.

"If Sam's in, then we're all in. I'm not going to part ways with my sisters." The eldest of the Grimms stated.

---

"Of course, your defeat was not your fault. I merely wish to prepare you for the challenge ahead." Spoke the Kitsune.

"Glad to know my opinion matters." Muttered Hannah, rolling her eyes at how Sarah pretty much just decided for her. Of course, she was right, as she and Sam tended to be, but Hannah still was a tad bit annoyed about not being asked. Usually she felt like Sam and Sarah were the ones making all the decisions, while Hannah got very little say in anything. "What kind of training do you intend to give us Miss Kano?"

"Well for you dear Hannah, I plan swordsmastery and unlocking hidden forms you might be able to access." She remarked.

"Hidden forms? Swords?" She paused, then the wolf girl smiled. "Not gonna lie. That sounds pretty badass."

"For sister Sam, I plan for a study course on magic and spells. I may even be able to contact your trainer, DeeDee, and bring her here if you wish and she does."

"Wait, how the heck do you know about that?!" Hannah asked. "Have you been following us? That's creepy!"

"Don't worry dear Hannah, I merely am a regular at the devils den." She remarked, excusing herself. "I respect your autonomy, seeing as my... encroachment was what led you to depart last time." She paused, looking at the wolfgirl with a warm smile. Hannah frowned, cocking her head. She wasn't sure whether the fox was lying or not.

Regardless, she continued. "And for you Sarah, I plan to give you some excercises and some spiritual exiliers which are basically the Yokai equivilent of Protein Shakes." She remarked. "Of course, it's up to you all to make the most of this training. I have made the sparring room avaliable to all of you and you all have keys to the library. Even though I know Hannah will not set foot there."

"Damn Strait Foxy." Remarked the wolfgirl, now leaning backwards in her seat so that the front legs were just above the ground. A slight flicker of annoyance seemed to cross the Yokai's face. But it was less frustration and more mild concern. At least it seemed that way. "So, when do we start with the cool stuff?"

"Whenever you all are ready."

[Charmera]

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stephanie opened the door, expecting to see her husband. She was quite surprised at the sight of a woman in a suit in place of Bryan Strauss.

"Oh, are you from the adoption center?" Steph asked, looking down to little Addison. "Hi Addison! I'm your new mommy, Stephanie. Leslie is inside watching TV, go say hi to her." Steph ushered Addison inside, and invited Mandy as well. "Come in, if you'd like. Is there any more paperwork to fill out?"

"I am from the adoption agency yes." Mandi replied nodding with a smile. She spelt her name with an I, unlike her cousin. She smiled as she eased her way inside, squeezing past the grumpy Addison, who was now looking at her "new Mommy" with a look of annoyance.

New Mommy, New Daddy. She had heard if all before. She'd stick around until the social service people pulled her out. Of course Addison was not the most co-operative little adoptee, but the parents she had before didn't help matters. They were either too strict or too forgiving. Of course she had her share of creepy foster parents. Like that woman with all those cats... Her real parents were not too much better,

Then there was the time she had been in SHIELD. She wished she could go back now, and had not thrown the temper tantrum she had. Now she had to wait until she was 18 to join back up.

"Whatever," She muttered as she slugged off to Leslie.

Mandi looked at the little girl, noting her reluctance. She smiled nervously. Then frowned slightly. "She's not had the most... stable upbringing." She adjusted her glasses. "As for paper work, of course. There are some... things we need to discuss too with regards to Addison."

---

"Hey" Addison spoke, taking a place on the sofa next to Leslie. She then paused, long and awkwardly. Not even really paying attention to what's on the TV. She didn't really know what to say, so settled for nothing for now.

[Charmera]

Jane Wolf strode into the grimy arena, her feet and fists both bare. The underground fight arena she took part in every Saturday didn't really have a dress code, so she came in a baggy T-shirt and some exercise pants. She also knew for a fact this fight club didn't have any rules and people tended to talk about it. It was as big as an illegal event like this could possibly be. In a large abandoned warehouse converted into an arena, large metal containers cut in half and serving as seating. The ring was surrounded by a metal cage, with two metal doors. Only one of those tended to open at the end of a match, with the looser left in the ring to either drag themselves out or bleed out there. Despite the almost grandiose nature of the ring, it was rarely cleaned.

"So this is Wolf." Snorted her opponent, a big overmuscled goon. A self styled supervillain calling himself "Mister Doomsday". Arrogant, he spoke as if Jane's very presence offended him. "I thought I was gonna fight the state champ, not some little girl!"

The audience laughed. Though a few who had seen Jane fight before did so a little more nervously. They were not as certain of Mister Doomsday as the others.

"Your pre fight trash talk could use some work." Jane retorted. "Next time, don't let your brain damage write your lines for you."

Mister Doomsday curled his lips into a grimace. "I'm going to crush you girly. I was gonna go sweet on you. Let you leave with your pretty face. But I'm gonna end you now!" He spoke, and then charged. He rushed Wolf, whom merely stood there. Then just as he almost reached her, she quickly stepped to the side and slammed her knee into his gut with considerable force. He stumbled backwards from the blow, then coughed out some blood. While he did that, Jane went on the offensive, slamming her fists into his face before he could even tell what was happening. Then she finished him off with a kick to the gut. He groaned as he slid towards the exit of the ring on his side. He looked up, then looked forward. Mister Doomsday decided it was probably best to stay down.

The crowd watched in stunned silence. Then there was a lot of booing from disgruntled betters, fans of Doomsday, and people pissed they had paid twenty bucks to see a fight that lasted less than a minute.

Jane sighed, rolling her eyes as she turned to leave. "Call me back when you have someone who can last for a minute at least" but then a voice amplified by a microphone stopped her.

"Alright. Since that round was so short, the Champ will be given an extra challenge: Fight the remainder of her challengers. All at the same time."

Jane raised an eyebrow, then turned. This could be interesting.

On the other side of the ring, behind the door of the cage, she could see four more big burly guys, one female contender whom was nearly as big as the guys, and several others whom looked more colourful than the goons. One dressed in leopard skins with a mustache and black hair, one with a green vulture suit and one with a black and white bulls-eye on his head.

She paused, sizing them all up. Then she smiled ever so slightly, then got into a defensive pose.