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Chapter Text

“Hey fellas.”

All seven would-be burglars whirled around at his voice, makeshift weapons raised. “It’s the Spider-Freak!” one yelled out.

Peter sighed as he took them in from his perch above them. “Well, that was just uncalled for,” he said. “You really know where to hit me where it hurts.”

“Rahhh!” one thug yelled, charging at him. Peter dropped down, dodged his swing and then lashed out with his foot, knocking the guy aside.

“Fortunately, seems like that’s the only thing you can hit,” Peter said, thwipping under a second guy and leaping back up, kicking the thug in the back with enough force to knock him into the wall and into unconsciousness. He then switched gears on his web-shooters and shot a web grenade at them all. The small ball hit one thug and he had one second of panic before the grenade went off, showering him and all his compatriots with a healthy dosing of webs.

“It’s sticking!” one thug cried out in alarm.

Peter rolled his eyes. “Why do they always say that?” he asked no one in particular. He then jumped up and knocked one thug out before twisting around and kicking a second into the wall, knocking him out too. One thug with a knife managed to cut free from all the webbing but Peter shot an impact web at him before he was even finished, trapping him completely against the wall.

Peter then thwipped the webs out again, hitting the two remaining thugs, and then interlocked his arms, slamming the two together dramatically. Both groaned and collapsed on the floor. Peter quickly webbed them up as well.

“You know, if you’re not good at breaking or entering, maybe don’t pull a B&E,” Peter told them. He could already hear the sirens on their way an decided to swing away. His relationship with the cops was still shaky at best.

He dropped down several storeys of the building before thwipping again, his web catching the top of the next building and swinging him down 5^th avenue.

His phone suddenly buzzed and he answered it before it finished, already seeing the caller as his favorite person. “Hey, MJ,” he said.

“Hey,” she replied. “We’re still on for dinner tonight, right?”

“Barring any crazy supervillains attacking the city, definitely,” Peter joked. But inside, he tensed. It wasn’t really a joke. He gave up so much of his life to fight those crazy supervillains and now that MJ was part of his life, he had to ask her to give up stuff as well.

She laughed a little, though. “Well, fingers crossed,” she told him. “I just got to finish a report for Robbie. Should take me about twenty minutes.”

“Sounds good to me,” Peter said. “See you then.”

He ended the call and allowed himself a small smile. It was the little things, like a normal date with his girlfriend, that made him the happiest. Those were what he lived for. But for the next twenty minutes, he had to go and see who else needed his help. He aimed and show out his next web, ready to swing into the next street.

Two seconds later, an empty web dangled in the air, floating down to the street below, its owner gone, as if he had never existed at all.

-

Harry sat up against the trunk of the tree and stared out at the sunset in front of him and smiled in contentment. It had been two months since the end of the war. Since Voldemort had been defeated and peace had at last been restored to the Wizarding World. And Harry couldn’t get enough of it. For the first time in his life, he didn’t feel like there was something hanging over him. No abusive relatives who wanted nothing better than to kick him out. No stressing exams or papers to turn in. And no evil wizards and witches who wanted nothing better than to kill him.

He stared out the shimmering lake water in front of him and felt a twinge of homesickness for Hogwarts. It was strange to think he wouldn’t be going back there as a student anymore. The happiest moments of his life had occurred there. It was where he first felt like his own person. Where he had met his friends, who he now considered his family.

He didn’t know what he’d do next. For the past couple months, he’d been sitting on that, thinking about what he was going to do with the rest of his life. He was tempted to begin Auror training but he still felt that hesitation. Life was good right now and he didn’t want to risk spoiling it by throwing himself at the next set of dark wizards. That probably wouldn’t happen in training but still. For now, he was content to just live his life.

He sighed and just watched the sun set below the horizon, setting the sky ablaze with a wash of different colors. He just wanted to savor this moment forever. This one right here was perfection. Except for one little thing.

“Hey, you.”

Harry looked up and smiled as Ginny sat down next to him, both folding into each other. “How long have you been here?” she asked.

“Not long,” he replied. “Just wanted to see the sunset. Have a moment…away, I guess.”

“Away from what?”

Harry frowned and then shrugged. “I don’t know. Just…needed a moment to myself.”

She turned and gave him a look. “Does that mean you want me to leave?” she asked with an eyebrow raised.

Harry laughed. “No, no I don’t,” he told her. “You with me here is all I could want.”

“Good answer,” she said and settled back down. Together, they just stared as the sun finally sank behind the horizon, taking the light with it. They stared a little longer, soaking in that moment.

“You still think about them, don’t you?” Ginny suddenly said.

Harry didn’t need to ask who. He already knew who she was talking about. “Yeah,” he said. “I do.”

“You shouldn’t dwell.”

Harry sighed. “I can’t help it. I get to sit here and enjoy this beautiful sunset because so many people gave up their lives. I just…” he leaned back heavily against the tree. “I don’t how to deal with that. Like, what makes me so special that I got to live but so many others died.”

Ginny looked at him carefully. “I don’t think it works that way. They gave their lives so we could all have a future. You have to stop thinking it was all for you. They didn’t die for you. They died for their and our futures.”

“I know that,” Harry agreed. “I do. But…” he paused, thinking of the right words. “I still can’t help but feel that way. That I’m responsible.”

“Well, you’re not,” Ginny told him. “You are in no way responsible. You know who is? Voldemort. And his Death Eaters. And all his followers. They’re the ones who caused the war. They’re the ones responsible for all those deaths.”

“Yeah, but-” Harry started but Ginny stopped him, placing her finger over his lips.

“No more buts,” she told him firmly. “You have to stop blaming yourself. They wouldn’t want that. I know I wouldn’t if I hadn’t made it.”

Harry shivered at that thought, of Ginny not making it. He honestly didn’t know what he’d do if she wasn’t here. But she was. And he was. Ginny was right. He couldn’t keep doing this to himself. He had to move forward.

“Come on,” Ginny said. “Let’s get back.”

“Yeah,” Harry nodded, getting to his feet. “It is getting late.”

They started walking back to the Burrow, its oddly constructed form looming before them. As they walked, Harry took one last look behind him at the dwindling light.

“I think mum made some new pie or cake or something,” Ginny said. “She’s been on a bit of a baking craze lately. Still, not complaining. What do y…”

Her voice died as she turned to Harry and found nothing. She whirled around but he was gone, as if he had vanished from the face of the earth.

-

Percy took a sip of his mocha and sighed, watching as the small city of New Rome came to life around him. Since starting college here, he had taken to doing a morning jog around the city before stopping at Bombilo’s and getting a coffee along with usually a muffin. As he sat there, he saw people moving around, getting ready for a new day. Shopkeepers opening their stores, college students heading to their first classes, and others just enjoying the early morning feeling like he was.

He just took a moment to breathe it in and sighed. This was what he had been chasing for so long. Peace. No monsters, evil gods, titans, giants, or undead Roman emperors. Just a nice, peaceful morning where he didn’t have to worry about anything. He hadn’t felt this content since, well, ever. And he could definitely imagine his whole future like this.

He felt a small wave of sadness though as he recalled someone else who deserved this kind of peace. Jason should be sitting here, planning out all the new temples he’d be building for the gods. Planning for his future. But that had been ripped away from him.

Percy sighed and put his head in his hands, his good mood vanished. After everything they’d been through, it didn’t seem fair that he got his happy ending and Jason didn’t. If anyone deserved it, that guy did. And it was just ripped away. The unfair life of a typical demigod.

It was what made him treasure morning rituals like this. Just typical things any normal person would do, even if it was in a secretly hidden city for Roman demigods that had a training camp and a hill of temples for the gods less than a mile away. He needed moments like these, moments that told him that he could still have something of a normal life. Otherwise…he didn’t know what the point would be.

“Hey, you.”

Percy turned to see his favorite person in the world standing a few feet away. “Hey,” he replied, pulling Annabeth in for a quick kiss. “And how are you doing this fine morning.”

“Oh, not bad. Just heading to my class on Advanced Roman History of the first century. Then I have my architecture lectures this afternoon.” She could barely contain her smile as she said that. She really loved those classes. She could talk to Percy about them for hours after they ended, talking about all the diagrams and models she’d made and all her plans and all the praise she’d gotten. Percy didn’t really get it, he never had, but it was thrilling to see her so happy. After everything, they were both happy. And that was everything.

“Just came here for pick-me-up coffee,” she said, making her order.

“That’s three denarii,” Bombilo, the two-headed coffee merchant told her.

Annabeth moved to pay but Percy stopped her. “I got you,” he told her.

“Percy,” she started but he held up his hand.

“Uh, uh,” he said. “My mother drilled into me the importance of manners and paying for your girlfriend’s coffee is one of them. You go to your class, I’ve got this.”

She hesitated then smiled and kissed him again. “You really are the best. I love you.”

“Love you too,” he replied and watched as she walked away. He then pulled out some coins from his pocket and frowned. “The smallest I got it is a 5-piece,” he said, holding up the coin.

Bombilo took it and pulled out his own pouch, rifling through it. “Here we are,” he said, pulling out two 1-piece coins. He looked back up, ready to hand them over, when he stopped short. Because where Percy had just been standing was empty air, as if he had ceased to exist.

-

Korra stood on the edge of the cliff, looking out at Republic City from Air Temple Island. It was beautiful, seeing the new spirit portal beaming its energy to the sky above, lighting up the city and landscape around it. She took a deep breath and inhaled the sight, feeling it invigorate her. Whenever she felt doubt on her decision on keeping the portal open, all she needed to do was look at this and feel this moment. She could feel the balance of the worlds settling. Yes, it could end in disaster, but it could also wind up setting the stage for a new age of peace and prosperity. And she liked those odds better.

“Thought I might find you up here.” Korra didn’t even need to turn to recognized Tenzin’s presence. “Beautiful sight,” he remarked.

“It really is,” she said. “So, what brought you all the way up here old man?”

“Ha ha,” he said dryly. “That’s not going to get old. Just wanted to wish you well. I’ll be leaving soon. Now, actually.”

Korra nodded. Tenzin was heading back to the Northern Air Temple to supervise its reconstruction. After it had been destroyed more than three years ago by Ghazan and the Red Lotus, and then dealing with the upheaval of the Earth Kingdom, construction had finally commenced on it. Korra wished she could go too but there wasn’t much to do there. And, honestly, she’d much rather be here right now. With Asami. And her other friends, but mainly Asami.

“I’ll miss you,” she told him.

“I’ll miss you too,” he said gently. “But I think it’s clear now you don’t need me around anymore. You are more than capable enough to handle things on your own. You’ve proven that many times over.”

“True,” Korra nodded. “But I’ll always need you, Tenzin. You should know that by now.”

He smiled, his eyes glistening for a moment, before he pulled her into a hug. She held him tight, savoring this moment, before they separated and started the walk down to the docks where the airship was waiting. Korra saw several airbenders down there, waiting to board. Tenzin would be taking several as he had decided not to remake the temple as it was exactly but with input from others as well. Pema was there supervising alongside Rohan, although he was more interested in chasing his flying lemur around.

“I’m going to miss you all so much!” Korra heard the bawling before she saw the source, Bolin holding Mako as tight as he could.

“Thanks bro, I’m going to miss you too,” Mako told him, patting him awkwardly back. His face then started to change color as Bolin hugged him even tighter. “Hey, Bolin…can’t breathe.”

“Oh, sorry,” Bolin pulled away, wiping his eyes before he turned to Asami and wrapped her into an enormous platypus bear hug as well. Korra could hear the air exit Asami’s lungs, her eyes popping from Bolin’s crushing grip.

“Hey, don’t break my girlfriend,” Korra said easily, though she was prepared to pull Bolin away from Asami if necessary.

“Right, right,” Bolin nodded and then turned to Korra. She tried to brace herself but he still wrapped her in a bone-crushing grip, hugging her as if he was trying to remove something from her throat. She moaned weakly, hugging him back a little, before he finally let go, allowing her to breathe again.

Bolin was joining the venture as he was one of the few lavabenders in the world and the only known one to them and since there was still plenty of lava pooling in the bedrock of the temple, he was going to help remove it or cool it enough for work to be done.

Bolin then spotted Jinora and Kai and threw his arms around them, causing the airbenders to grunt in surprise. “I’m going to miss you two most of all,” he sobbed.

“Actually, Bolin,” Jinora said as she extracted herself from Bolin’s grip, “we’re going with you.”

“Oh, right, of course,” Bolin settled back, looking embarrassed.

“Most of all?” Mako questioned, eyebrow raised.

Korra just rolled her eyes before pulling Jinora in for a normal hug. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too,” Jinora said. “But we’ll still visit, and you’re free to visit us as well.”

“Yeah,” Korra nodded. “I’d like that.”

Ten minutes later, they were off. Bolin, Pema, Jinora, Ikki, and Kai all waved goodbye while Meelo just gave a salute. Then they were gone. Korra sighed as she watched the airship sail away. She still wished she could be a part of this venture but she felt her place should be here. The spirit portal was still new, and it would take time before the people grew accustomed to it. Also, there was plenty of rebuilding to be done here.

“You good?” Asami asked her.

“Yeah,” she nodded. “Just need a moment. I’ll see you soon.” She kissed her softly and then watched as Asami walked away. She was also glad to spend more time with her awesome new girlfriend. That was definitely reason enough to stay.

She sighed in contentment, feeling the wind pick up around her and closed her eyes for a moment. For once, the future looked bright. No new enemies or drastic changes to the world, no problems rising or situations to deal with. Just peace. So she allowed herself to relax, just for a moment.

The wind around her picked up a second later as the obstacle in its way suddenly vanished from the face of the Earth.

-

Barbara walked down the street, doing her best to ignore all the different problems piling up while simultaneously trying to force herself to focus on at least one of them. The whole thing with Damian and Bruce was one and she was torn between putting that at the forefront of her agenda or doing it last. It was such a messed up situation right now. She sighed and the ‘save it’ option won.

Then there was the whole Ghost-Maker thing going on. Barbara didn’t see how Bruce could trust him. It looked more like he was trying to fill a void that Alfred had filled, trying to reconnect with old friends. And while she could respect that, she didn’t trust this Ghost-Maker. His methods were too extreme. Bruce declared war on crime, but Ghost-Maker seemed to see it more as a purge. She didn’t know if Bruce was trying to change him or wanted to be changed by him.

Maybe that should be the first thing on her list. Investigate Ghost-Maker. Of course, that was easier said than done. The guy was…well…a ghost. No presence on the internet, no data files for her to look up. And his personal servers were so well protected that she doubted she’d break in even if she had thirty extra years of cyber experience on her side.

Barbara sighed again. She was doing that a lot. Too much actually, according to her dad. Which brought her to her third problem. Her father, off chasing the Joker. She didn’t know whether or not to be extremely worried or completely worried. She herself knew what that psychopath was capable of, more than anyone else other than Jason. So she knew that chasing after him was a bad idea. He was always five steps ahead of you, sometimes more and occasionally less. The recent Joker War had proved that, him playing several different angles on Gotham City simultaneously, dividing up the Bat-Family to try and contain the damage.

She could admit that her father may have gone off the deep end a little after losing his position as commissioner due to some traumatic events. Then there was the whole thing with James Jr. Barbara closed her eyes, still able to clearly picture the scene of her brother falling off the edge, choosing death over his inner demons. His last words, that he loved her, still echoing in her mind. And her father blaming her, as Batgirl, for it all.

Another reason she gave up the costume and identity, going back to her Oracle role. She preferred that one anyway. The Batgirl symbol came with too much weight right now and there were plenty of newer people to take on the mantle and give it a fresh look, like Cass or Stephanie.

But that wasn’t the point right now. Maybe she should move Ghost-Maker off the top of her to-do list and have her father on the top. Or maybe she wasn’t putting enough faith in him. Maybe, this time, he did know what he was doing. Argh, she didn’t know. But there was one person she could rely on to help her. But that led her straight to problem number 4.

Dick Grayson. She didn’t know exactly what to do about this problem. She wasn’t sure it was a problem. All she knew was that she had started feeling jittery around him again. They’d always had that sort of vibe, of if they would actually get together. And something always got in the way, usually themselves. And he was dating Starfire again and she was technically seeing Jason Bard although she wasn’t exactly sure what the status of that was at the moment.

She knew she was being silly and ridiculous. Dick and her had been friends for years. But still, she hated the feeling that came over her when she talked to him or was with him. It wasn’t just the jittery feeling, it was also a sense of…calm. Like she could finally relax. With anyone else, she had her guard up one way or another. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust them, it was just that…she didn’t know what it was. She’d known Jason and Tim for years, she trusted Cass and Stephanie completely and she believed in Bruce’s mission. But…

But none of them were Dick.

With Dick, she felt free to just be herself. She could tell him things she didn’t feel comfortable talking about with anyone else. And he felt exactly the same. He always felt more like a big brother to the others, being Bruce’s first partner, so he always felt the need to fill that role around them. But with her, he could be free too. They were the most comfortable when they were with each other. It was when she realized this that Barbara’s jittery feelings started appearing.

No, this was crazy. Even if she might be developing or redeveloping feelings for Dick or whatever, she still trusted him more than anyone else and he could definitely help her sort through her list of problems. Except number 4, obviously.

She pulled out her phone and called him, holding the phone up to her ear.

“Babs?” Dick’s voice came through a few seconds later. “Babs, you there? Hello?”

But there was no response, the phone having fallen to the street, its owner gone, disappeared without a trace.

-

On the planet of Corvus, in the city of Calodan, Ahsoka Tano was eating some food in the local restaurant when she suddenly vanished.

In the Capital City of the Fire Nation, Fire Lord Zuko was walking down the halls of his palace, on his way to an important meeting with the other nobles, when he suddenly vanished.

In the western plains of Gondor, the elf Legolas was tracking some bandits and had just raised his bow when he suddenly vanished.

In the city of New York, in Hell’s Kitchen, Matthew Murdock sensed the criminals stalking a couple, ready to mug them. He raised his fists, ready to jump into action, when he suddenly vanished.

In Central City, Leonard Snart smiled as his cold gun shattered the vault’s lock. He moved to pry it open when he suddenly vanished.

In his palace in the fires of Muspelheim, the fire giant Surt smoldered as he pondered his latest plan to start Ragnarok when he suddenly vanished.

In the upper realm of Midgard, Kratos snatched up a fish from the cold river and prepared to place it next to the others when he suddenly vanished.

On the rooftop of the house in New Lorien, Six lay back and enjoyed the peace and quiet, soaking in the pleasure when she suddenly vanished.

In the city of King’s Landing, as he fell through the sky, holding his brother in his arms, fire surrounding him, the Hound suddenly vanished before death could claim him.

In the streets of San Francisco, the warrior maiden Scathach was walking to her sister’s home when she felt an odd sensation take over her and she suddenly vanished before she could react.

All across space and time throughout the multiverse, warriors suddenly vanished without a trace, as if they had been wiped from existence. The only being who took notice was the mysterious Watcher, who narrowed his eyes as he beheld this unprecedented event. He alone knew what it meant and who was responsible. And, for the first time in his lifespan, he felt fear.

Chapter Text

Peter suddenly found himself falling. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem. He fell all the time, and almost always caught himself again with just a thwip of his web-shooters. The problem this time, though, was that as he became aware that he was falling, he became aware of two other things. The first one was that all the skyscrapers and tall buildings that made up the Manhattan skyline had suddenly vanished, replaced by a large canyon that looked like it had been taken straight out of the southwest. This led to the second thing he became aware of: without any buildings for him to web to, he was about to have a painful and probably very brief landing.

Judging how fast he was falling and how high up he was, Peter estimated he had approximately 9 seconds until he hit the ground. And the canyon walls were too short for them to catch him now. Fortunately, Peter had been doing this job for eight years. And while this was a new, unexpected wrinkle to the job, he was still Spider-Man.

He thwipped out a zip line web, to the canyon wall, slowing his descent a little. He had been going too fast for him to change direction completely, but he bought himself a few more seconds. And that was all he needed. He quickly thwipped a web line between the two canyon walls, catching himself on it. The line wobbled for a moment and Peter was afraid it might break off. But then it stabilized and he stood there safely, completely balanced.

“Whew!” he said, wiping his forehead. “That takes care of problem number one. Now to deal with the bigger problem. Where the hell am I and what happened to New York?”

He looked up and shot a line to the top of the canyon wall, whipping himself up. He landed a few yards from the top and scrambled up the rest of the way. Once he was up there, he took a deep breath as he took in the view, taking off his mask so he could breathe easier. He hadn’t gotten a good look while he had been falling because he’d been concentrating on the fact that he was falling to his death. But now, he could see it all. And it made his blood go cold.

As far as he could see, it was just a deserted landscape, sandy dunes in the distance with canyon walls lining the area between. There was no sign of New York anywhere. It was like he’d been transported to another world entirely.

“Mysterio, I swear if this is you I’m going to smack that stupid fishbowl off your head,” he muttered under his breath. But somehow, he didn’t think this was the so-called master of illusion. Whenever he fought the guy, his spider-sense went crazy, disoriented and confused. Now, it was normal. It didn’t feel lulled or muted like it had sometimes before. Which meant that this was either a dream, or very real.

“Ok, Peter,” he said to himself. “You’ve just been teleported to…somewhere. A desert. And you have no idea how or which desert.” He looked up at the sun, and tried to estimate from its position where in the hemisphere he was. It was currently right above him and since it had been about to sink back in Manhattan, he guessed he was somewhere in the southwest United States.

“Ok, still in the U.S., probably Nevada or Arizona,” he nodded. “That’s doable. Don’t how they teleported me like that, but shouldn’t be too difficult to get out. Hopefully. First thing’s first, find some sign of civilization and if you can’t, try and find some water.” In this desert, that was key. “Then, find a phone and call MJ and apologize for missing dinner tonight. Though I think she might forgive me for this one. And, if I can find out how this happened to me in the meantime, that would be great. Ok, good plan Pete. Now get to work.”

He then decided to take a closer look at his surroundings to see if he could get a better idea of which direction to take. He stared at the horizon, turning in a circle as he looked for anything that could help him, but all he could see was more desert and canyon. As he looked, he could feel the sun beating down on him in his suit. He could already tell it was going to start sweating soon, which was the cherry on top of this already wonderful day. He became so focused on that that he almost missed it, looking right past it only for it to register in his brain a second later and make him look back.

It wasn’t much. Just a tiny dot on the horizon. But it was something, and that was the point. Out of everything else around him, it was the only thing that stood out, that could possibly be different. Which meant it could possibly help lead him out of this desert.

Whatever it was, it didn’t help him guessing over what it could be. He had to get there first. He eyed the distance and squared his jaw in concentration. It wasn’t going to be easy. He couldn’t just swing. He might be able to do some short swings here and there but the canyon wall’s weren’t tall enough for him to get very far like that. He’d have to resort mostly to zip line webs.

Peter took a deep breath and then took off at a run, leaping off the edge of the canyon wall. He instantly shot out a web, yanking himself forward even faster. He landed on another wall and ran across its surface before leaping off again and thwipping himself forward. He kept doing this, occasionally performing some parkour when necessary. The sun beating down on him wasn’t pleasant, but he had managed to battle Sandman during one of the worst heat waves of New York City a few summers back. That had been particularly nasty. This was cake compared to that.

“Let’s just hope I don’t run into Sandman here,” Peter said to himself, looking at all the sand around him. “Cause that will suck. And I just know the sand is going to get into everything. Alright, let’s run through the possible people who could do this. Kingpin? Maybe not. He might have had the resources once but seems strange now that he would waste money on building a teleportation device just to send me away instead of just killing me. Which also begs the question, why not just kill me? Why send me here?”

That was the thing that was confusing him here. Whoever used this teleportation device either wanted him in this specific place or wanted him out of New York entirely, probably for some nefarious plot. But if they wanted him out of the way, why not just kill him. They had clearly taken him by surprise with his spider-sense failing to warn him in time, or at all. Something else to look into. But that whole thing made the idea of wanting him out of New York less plausible. It was more likely someone wanted him in this place for a reason. He just had to figure out what that reason was.

He kept going, thwipping himself over the canyon and occasionally swinging when he found he was able to, enjoying the refreshing sensation for the brief time he had. He kept an eye out for anything out of the ordinary in the canyon, but so far all he saw was more sand and stone formations, none looking mad-made.
As he continued on, making good progress, he still wondered about how it happened. To be able to teleport him across the country like that was incredibly advanced. He wondered who might have the resources for that. Iron Man came to mind, but he was an Avenger so he was unlikely to do something like that. Osborn seemed likely, but it seemed like if anything he would pour all his resources to helping Harry instead of going after Peter as Spider-Man. And many of Peter’s other enemies were more small-time crooks. He still thought Mysterio might have a hand in this. It did seem right up his alley. But Peter’s senses were still working perfectly, so unless Mysterio had really upped his game, this was all too real. Still, he kept it as a possibility. That only left Taskmaster’s mysterious organization. Peter had been wondering about them, watching and waiting to see if they would make any other moves towards him but so far nothing. Maybe this was it. They had tried to recruit him last time so it was a little strange they instantly went to kidnapping after he turned them down. But maybe they really wanted him. In that case, why send him here?

Peter was in mid-thwip when he was startled out of his thoughts by a bloodcurdling roar coming from another part of the canyon, one that was definitely not human. He stopped at the top of a stone pillar and looked over to where the roar had come from but couldn’t see it, all the rock formations blocking his vision. He shrugged and turned away. “Guess I know which direction I’m not going in,” he said to himself, leaping off the pillar and reaching out to thwip himself to the next rock.
Then he heard a scream of terror, one that was most definitely human. In midair, he swung his body back around, shooting out a line that hurled him right to where the sounds were coming from. “Any direction but that one,” he muttered to himself. “Because that’s just my luck.”

He hurriedly thwipped over another part of the canyon when he felt his spider-sense beginning to tingle, warning him of the danger nearby. He followed it, swinging past another pillar and over a wall just in time to see a monster straight out of his nightmares stalking a girl who had fallen over and was now cowering beneath the creature.

“Hey ugly!” he called out, swinging straight towards the monster. It was like someone fused a bear with a komodo dragon, creating a scaly, furry beast with large teeth and a long, sharp tail. Peter didn’t know what it was, but he didn’t care. It was about to kill someone which meant it needed to go down. As the creature turned towards him, he fired a web right at its mouth, snapping its jaws together. It growled in surprise and anger, scratching at its jaws and the web, trying to remove it.
While it was distracted, Peter landed next to the girl. “Hey,” he said, walking to her but the second she saw him, she screamed again and started scrambling for something in her pocket.

“Whoa, whoa!” he said, lifting up his mask a little so she could see his mouth. “It’s just a mask, it’s not my actual face,” he told her. He’d gotten this reaction a few times from people who didn’t recognize him. “See. This whole thing is just a costume.”

She seemed to relax a little at that, looking at him as she panted hard with fear still in her eyes. He held out his hand to her and she hesitated for a moment before taking it. He helped her to her feet and she backed off a little, still clutching at her pocket. Peter didn’t know what that was about but he decided not to say anything.
“You ok?” he asked.

“Wh-what is that thing?” the girl said looking at the monster. She looked about seventeen or eighteen with bushy, brown hair and seemed to have a British accent. She finally managed to pull out whatever was in her pocket but Peter didn’t get a good look at it.

“Hell if I know,” Peter replied. “But that webbing isn’t going to last much longer. Should probably get higher up.” He glanced to the canyon wall above them, estimating. “Grab on,” he said.

“What?” the girl asked, surprised.

“Grab onto me,” he told her. “I’m gonna thw- GET DOWN!” he yelled grabbing her out of the way right before the large claw slammed down right where they had been. Peter whirled around and saw the monster coming in for another attack, its jaws still webbed shut. Apparently, it had decided to kill them first.

“Alright, try these on for size,” he said, switching his web-shooters to taser webs, firing several rounds at the creature but the monster just winced and shrugged them off. “Ok, that didn’t work,” he muttered. “Let’s try this then.” He leaped out of the way as the monster attacked again, switching shooters again mid-jump and firing as he landed, the impact webs striking directly into the monster’s eyes.

It bellowed in anger and frustration, clawing at its eyes. Peter smiled but it was a short-lived victory as the beast suddenly sniffed the air and then its tail came up out of nowhere. It was only thanks to Peter’s spider-sense that he avoided it in time. But he wasn’t able to avoid it the second time as it came lashing out at him, whacking him in the ribs and then slamming him into the wall.

He groaned as he fell to the ground, clutching at his ribs. Nothing felt broken but it was definitely not fine in there. He got to his feet and then his spider-sense went off again. He looked up to see the tail coming around again. Apparently the wolf-lizard thing didn’t really need its eyes to attack. He got ready to use his webs when the girl suddenly appeared next to him, holding something in her hand. It was the thing from her pocket except now he could see it clearly. It was a very smooth stick. And she was pointing it right at the creature. He was about to yell at her to get out of the way when the unexpected happened.

“Stupefy!” the girl yelled and a jet of fiery red light shot out of her stick right into the monster’s mouth. It retched and backed off, stumbling a little. Peter looked at the girl in amazement but she wasn’t done. She said a few other words and another jet of light shot out, this one hitting the creature’s head. It stumbled back again and then moved sluggishly, moving its head around in confusion at what to do.

Peter gaped as the girl turned back to him. “Ok, what just happened?”

Chapter Text

Harry blinked, not believing what he saw. The world around him had suddenly changed. One second, he was looking at the sunset over the lake in the woods. Now, he was in a desert with the sun high overhead. He opened his mouth and then closed it again. He blinked again and then closed his eyes, rubbed them, and then opened them again. He even took off his glasses to make sure they weren’t contaminated. But nope, what he was seeing was real. And it wasn’t just that. He could feel the heat on his skin and the sand against his shoes. He was really here, wherever here was.

Had he apparated? Or touched some sort of portkey? No, because he didn’t feel the sensations he did when he moved such distances. It was just like he suddenly appeared here. He checked the ground, and saw nothing but sand. There was no object that could be a portkey. So, how had he gotten here? It didn’t make any sense. He couldn’t think of any other kind of magic that could transport someone like this.

Another option was that someone jinxed him from behind and then moved him while he was unconscious. But, he would have still felt it, wouldn’t he have?

But if that was the case, why here? Where was he even?

Harry checked his pocket and was relieved to feel his wand there, pulling it out. That made the kidnapping situation less likely. They wouldn’t leave him with his wand. Unless they were like Voldemort and wanted him for some sort of challenge. That was an unpleasant thought.

But it didn’t matter. If he had his wand, then he could apparate out of here. He could do it without one, but this made it easier. He focused, picturing the Burrow in his mind. He knew apparating long distances could be dangerous but he decided to give it a chance. Whatever was happening here, he wanted no part in it. He then spun on the spot, determining to reach his destination. But all he did was trip over his own feet and fall over in the sand.

He groaned and spat out some sand, getting to his hands and feet. He frowned. Something had felt wrong there. He got up and tried again, spinning on the spot while focusing on appearing at the Burrow. And he felt that same sensation. Like hitting a barrier in his mind, stopping him cold. He tripped again but this time he caught himself.

Harry breathed in deep. There must be some sort of anti-apparition jinx over the area. But how far did it spread? And was it just to prevent him from leaving the desert. He scanned the horizon and spotted a sand dune slightly larger than the others. He focused on that and spun again. This time, he felt it. Like he was being squeezed through a space too small. He appeared instantly on the selected sand dune, stumbling a little before he recovered himself.

Ok, so small victory. He could apparate in the desert but not out of it. Well, then he just needed to travel far enough to be able to apparate out of here. He took a proper look around this time, scanning the area for any discernible features. But all he could see was an endless expanse of sand in all directions.

“Where the hell am I?” he muttered to himself. That would be a good start. Knowing where he was right now. But all he knew was that it was some sort of desert and that it was getting hotter with each passing second.

He randomly chose a direction and picked out the furthest sand dune he could see. With a quick spin, he apparated over to it. He then focused on the next furthest sand dune and apparated there as well, but as he did, he felt his stomach twist a little. He didn’t think he could keep this up too long. Apparition really wasn’t meant for consistent use but instantaneous travel. He scanned the sand dunes once more and let out a small breath of relief, seeing something on the horizon. He wasn’t sure what it was, just a dark shape. But it was something. And that was enough for now. He focused on it and apparated again. He appeared instantly beside the dark shape and his shoulder’s slumped a little as he realized it was just a rock. Still, it was something. And it was pretty big, more like a hill, so he bet if he went to the top he could see more around him. That was at least something.

He leaned against it for a moment, catching his breath. That much apparition had taken something out of him and he needed a short break. Plus, the sun beating down on him wasn’t helping. He stayed in the rock’s shadow, thinking deeply. He needed a real plan. So far, it was consisting of him apparating randomly until something happened. That wasn’t a good plan. It wasn’t even a real plan. But he honestly had no clue what to do in this situation except keep going and wait for something to happen. He wished he had his broomstick. Then he could just fly up into the air as far as he wanted in any direction. No limits there.

But what he really wished for were his friends. Maybe if Hermione was here or Ginny they might think of something. They usually did. Even Ron might come up with something, though Harry kind of doubted that. Planning ahead wasn’t really Ron’s forte. Honestly, he just wished Ginny was here. Even if she couldn’t come up with something, her presence would make him feel better.

But he was alone. So he was stuck with his current plan until something better came along.

Harry stood back up and then stared up at the large rock in front of him. He could technically apparate to the top, to make it easier. But he had already done that so many times, he couldn’t keep doing it. Besides, there was a better way. He raised his wand in the air and called out, “ascendio!” Instantly, the sand around him responded, lifting him up into the air. He kept his wand high, focusing on the top of the rock. The stone face was rushing past him rapidly and he could feel his stomach flummoxing inside him, uncomfortable at the sudden movement. But in a matter of seconds, he was there. He reached the top of the rock and stepped onto it, dropping his spell and letting the sand behind him fall away below.

He sighed as he looked at the vast expanse of sand awaiting him. The rock wasn’t that tall, so it didn’t offer too much more to see. But he was able to make out something other than sand in the distance. He narrowed his vision, trying to focus on it. He couldn’t really see it, just a dark smudge on the horizon. But whatever it was, it wasn’t more desert. And he couldn’t see anything else around him so he guessed that the smudge was his new destination.

He looked down at his wand and then at the smudge, contemplating whether or not he should apparate there. He disregarded that though. Apparating was taking a lot out of him and he honestly didn’t know what was waiting for him at the smudge. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe something good. And maybe something bad, like the people who brought him here in the first place. He needed to get there slowly.

Harry scanned the desert below and frowned. It was still a long distance to walk though. And the sun wasn’t going down anytime soon.

He looked down at his wand again and nodded. Magic was used for a reason, to make life for wizards easier. So time to make his situation a little easier. He pointed it at the rock beneath him and broke a large piece off. Then, with a swish and flick, he lifted it into the air, a flying rock for him to ride on. He jumped on and wobbled for a second, gaining his balance, before turning his wand and shifting the rock’s direction, sending him floating through the air.

Riding the rock took a little time for him to master. He had to move his wand in certain ways to be able to fly accurately and he was constantly moving his feet, trying to keep his balance. In other words, it was nothing like a broomstick. But he was still moving much faster than he would be just by walking. All he had to do was keep his focus on the wand and keep his balance on the rock. Easy enough.

The sand dunes passed below him in an endless parade while the sun continued to beat down on him relentlessly. To try and pass the time, he tried to think of who might be behind this or how he had wound up here, but all he really focused on was how uncomfortable he was and how bored. He looked up to the smudge on the horizon and was glad to see it getting bigger, closer. He glanced away again and then he frowned and looked back. It was getting bigger, really quickly. But there was something off about it, something he couldn’t put his finger on. He turned his wand slightly and his speed increased, zooming him closer to the strange smudge. As he peered at it, he noticed it wasn’t a smudge anymore. It was more like a stain growing across the sky, and it was growing fast. Like a large storm system coming towards him. Except it didn’t look like a cloud. It was…something else.

Harry could only think of one way to do this. It had been something he had been testing out for a little while. He got the idea when he had seen the pair of ominoculars of Ron’s that Harry had bought for him way back when. It occurred to him that there might be a way to do that with his glasses, give them certain capabilities. He’d had Hermione help him out since she was the best with spells and was more knowledgeable than him. He hadn’t fully tried this out yet but there didn’t seem to be a better time than now.

Harry slowly lowered the slab of stone to the ground, landing gracefully in the sand. He walked up to the crest of the dune and looked out, still seeing the large cloud-like thing growing on the horizon. He then held out his wand in front of his glasses and muttered the spell, tapping the frames as he did so. Instantly, his vision soared as he now could see miles ahead just like Muggle binoculars. It was a simple spell and wouldn’t last long, but it worked. He grinned, proud of himself and a little sad Hermione wasn’t here to share in it. But he quickly pushed that aside, focusing on the task at hand. He looked over to where the cloud was and centered his vision there.

And then he felt his stomach drop flat, his blood turning as cold as ice.

He had been right. It wasn’t a cloud or a storm. It was a swarm. Hundreds, probably thousands, of winged creatures flew in a tight formation, furry little devils with wicked claws and gnashing teeth, wings protruding from their shoulder blades. And they were all coming right for him.

“Bloody hell,” Harry muttered, quoting Ron. Then he took off down the dune right back onto the stone slab. “Wingardium Leviosa!” he cried out and the stone levitated in the air again. He twisted his wand and sent himself soaring back the way he had come, back to the large stone pillar standing in the middle of the vast desert. The only thing for miles around. The only place he could go. He had no idea what he was going to do when he got there. He had no idea how he was going to fight off those things from there or hide from them. He had no idea what to do. He just knew he had to do something or else he would completely panic. All he could do was go to that rock. After that…he had no idea.

“One step at a time,” he muttered to himself, glancing back and still seeing that large dark smudge growing bigger, an endless flock of monsters. “Just one step.”

He really wished he had his broomstick.

Chapter Text

Percy blinked, but nope it was real. One second, he had been watching Bombilo pull out some change. And then, right before his eyes, the scene shifted and he was standing on a cliff edge overlooking a massive canyon.

He gaped as he took it in, not sure what was happening. Was he hallucinating? Dreaming? He wiped his eyes, pinched himself, and touched the ground. All passed the test. As far as he could tell, this was real.

He pulled out his pen and uncapped it, letting Riptide grow to its full length. If this was real, then he was here for a reason, and it was usually never good. He looked around, but saw no sign of any monsters. So far, anyway. But that didn’t reassure him. The only time he had ever traveled like this was when Hermes had teleported him and Annabeth to Paris. But even then, he had felt some sensation, a sharp drop in his stomach and a rush against his body, that told him he had just teleported. But not this time. It was more the world had suddenly dropped away, replaced by a completely different one.

Percy walked to the edge of the cliff and took in the scenery, trying to estimate where he was. He saw an expanse of rocks and trees, rising and falling all over the place in a myriad of ways. If he wasn’t so shocked as to how he came here, he would have enjoyed this much more. It looked like the Garden of the Gods in Colorado, or images of the Grand Canyon. Picturesque.

So he was probably somewhere in that area. Good. Wasn’t that far from San Francisco and New Rome. He thought, anyway. Geography was never his strong suit. Very few classes were. Now, he just had to head to the river down there. Hopefully some river spirits could help point him in the right direction.

He scanned the area again and saw a sort-of path to his left that led down to the canyon below. He flexed his muscles for a second and then headed that way. As he did, he wondered how Annabeth would respond to this. The last time he had disappeared suddenly, he’d been gone for six months. At least this time he still had his memory. That was something. But he still thought he had left all this behind him. Should have known sooner or later that his break from this life would end. Now here he was, stuck in the middle of nowhere with no idea how he’d gotten here. Sometimes he really did wonder if the Fates were purposefully throwing as much trouble and strife into his life string as they could, cause it really did seem like they were out to get him.

He reached the path area and grimaced as he saw the path he had seen ended a few meters away in a not-quite cliff that led down to another sort-of path. Percy looked at it for a second. It was quite a ways down, but he could see plenty of handholds. And he had climbed worse. The lava wall at camp had given him plenty of practice. But the path below began next to the cliff. If he fell, he would fall all the way to the canyon floor below. And that was a very long fall.

“Oh, styx,” he muttered. He started to move towards the cliff when he noticed something. The sky hadn’t rumbled. Whenever he had used that curse before, the sky had rumbled like thunder even on a clear day. But it hadn’t this time. He frowned, thinking on that for a second, before shrugging. There wasn’t time to think about it right now. All he had to do was get down to that other path and make it to the bottom of the canyon and that river.

He clambered down the side of the canyon, cursing softly as his hands scraped against the rocks. This reminded him of the time he and Annabeth had climbed down the cliff to the Phel- Phlea- Phlegus- the River of Fire in Tartarus. That had been a nightmare. He still had nightmares about it. Well, not of the climb down, that wasn’t even the worst part of that journey. But he did sometimes wake up with that fiery river taste in his mouth. At least the river at the bottom of this wouldn’t be anything like that.

Or will it? a small voice inside him asked. He winced, hoping that wouldn’t prove to be true.

He chanced a glance down and gulped a little, understanding how Thalia’s fear of heights could be so crippling. She would never be able to do something like this.

He grabbed hold of a rock then quickly pulled back as it came loose. He struggled for a second, desperately trying to regain his balance. His arm hung outstretched, wiggling around as he tried to grab hold of something while his foot teetered on its own rock. Then he managed to pull himself back and grab hold of another rock, this one stable.

“Gods,” he muttered under his breath. “Why is it always me?”

Percy carefully placed his foot onto a small outcropping and then looked for the next one. He just had a few more feet to go and then he would be on the path. The dangerous part was almost over. Then…well, he couldn’t relax, but he could take it easier then.

He suddenly stopped, frowning. Something was off, but he couldn’t tell what it was. Some instinct in his gut, warning him. Then he heard a loud smashing sound, except it wasn’t really smashing. It was more like two rocks clapping together. He turned his head to either side of the cliff face but couldn’t see anything. Then he heard a gravelly sound, as if a rockslide was occurring. This time it was clearly coming from his right. He turned his head trying to see what was happening but whatever it was lay out of his eyesight, just around the bend of the canyon wall.

The sound was getting louder, as if coming to him. He grimaced and braced himself, leaning as far as he could. He knew it was a risk and that he could fall at any second. But if something was coming, then he wanted to see it. To be ready for it. He could just see the edge of the canyon wall now and he peered closer, narrowing his eyes. Then he saw it. It was like a wave of dirt rushing by. At first he thought it was a rockslide. Then his eyes widened as he saw the large piece of rock slide past with what looked to be a person riding it.

“What th-” he starter, leaning further to get a better look. As he did, he stretched too far and his foot slipped on its perch. He scrambled back, trying to regain his footing but in his struggle his other foot came loose and he fell, gravity taking hold. He desperately tried to hold on with his other hand but his grip had been tenuous at best and as soon as his whole body weight hit it, his hand slipped as well and he was falling.

“OH STYX!” he yelled, watching with panic as the ground hurtled towards him. He looked around for anything he could latch onto, any sign of water he could summon to help him. But there was nothing. He could only watch and wait as death came rushing towards him. “I’m sorry Annabeth,” he muttered, closing his eyes.

And then he stopped. Suddenly and abruptly, causing his whole body to shake for a few seconds. He groaned, his bones creaking in pain. He winced and blinked, frowning when he saw the canyon floor still a ways down. Then what had stopped him?

He looked around and he felt himself stop breathing. He had seen a lot in his life. The land of the dead, carnivorous sheep, mazes that acted as deathtraps, a man turning into a bear, a person who could set himself on fire, real-life gods, and so much more. Yet he had never seen a giant hand made of dirt reaching out from the wall to hold him.

“What the actual Hades?” he muttered. Slowly, the hand relaxed around him, its fingers retracting so he could stand up. He did so, still gaping slightly at it, not really sure what to do next.

“Hey!” He turned to see a young girl in a green and white outfit standing on an outcropping a few meters away. “You dunderhead gonna stay there all day or are you gonna move?”

Percy blinked and then glanced down, seeing another outcropping just below him. He leapt down and as soon as he did, the giant hand crumbled away into dust behind him. He stared at where it had been for a few seconds before looking back up at the girl. She looked around 14 or 15 with her hair curled into a bun at the top but ending in spikes that hung in front of her face that must have made it hard for her to see.

“Thanks,” he said.

“No problem,” she replied shortly. She then stamped her foot, punching her arm forward and the rock she was on suddenly started sliding down the cliff towards him, coming to a stop right in front of him. Percy gaped again, not quite sure how she was doing that. He had never seen anything like it. The closest had been Hazel but even she couldn’t control the earth with that much control.

“You getting on or what?” the girl snapped.

“Uh, yeah, right,” Percy nodded, getting on behind her. She stamped her foot again and they started sliding down the canyon. Percy stared at her as they slid. He couldn’t think of any demigod who could do what she could. Then again, he didn’t know all the gods out there and then of course there were the Egyptian and Norse ones as well, so…

“How are you doing this?” he asked.

“I’m an earthbender. Duh.”

“An earthbender, right,” Percy nodded as if he understood. “And what is that?”

The girl snorted for a second before she seemed to realize he was serious. “You don’t know what an earthbender is? What, are you some sort of dunderhead or something?”

“Uh…no,” Percy replied, though he was pretty sure Annabeth would start calling him that if she ever learned it. He vowed never to let her and this girl meet.

“You been living under a rock?”

“No,” Percy replied, getting irritated now.

“Then how can you not know what an earthbender is? Oh, have you lived in a Water Tribe so long that you don’t think there are any other benders out there. Well, there are. And earth is the best.”

Percy didn’t understand a single thing she was saying. It was like she was speaking another language. “Water Tribe?” he questioned.

“You don’t know what that is either? You must have been raised in the Fire Nation then.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t know what any of that means.”

“Where are you from?” she snapped again.

“San Francisco,” he replied.

“Yeah, but where is that?”

“California,” he said, frowning. But she still looked confused, so he continued. “America.”

“What’s an america?” she asked, frowning at the word.

This was the moment that Percy started feeling that tingle in his gut, a sense of danger. Or it had been building up this whole time and it just took this long for him to notice. The feeling that this wasn’t just a matter of teleporting him to another part of the country or even the world. This was something else entirely.

“Where are you from?” he asked.

“Well, I consider myself a world traveler but I do spend most of my time at my Metalbending Academy in Yu Dao.”

“Yu Dao,” Percy nodded, never having heard of it. “And where’s that?”

“Well, it’s a former Fire Nation colony in the Earth Kingdom but it doesn’t really answer to either government now, sort of doing its own thing. I’d explain but I don’t understand or really care.”

“Huh.” Percy nodded again. “And these places, are they…on Earth?” he asked, checking.

“Of course they’re on Earth you dunderhead. Where else would they be, the moon?”

Well, that ruled out the Nine Realms theory. Now Percy had no clue what was happening. “Alright. I’m Percy by the way.”

“Toph,” the girl replied. “Now, how can you not know about any of this? What, you live on an island your whole life and this is your first venture into the outside world? Well, you sure picked a lousy place to start.”

“Wait, you know where we are?” he asked.

“Well…not exactly,” Toph said, appearing unsure for the first time. “This ground isn’t like anything I’ve felt before.”

Percy didn’t know what that meant but he pushed past it. “Ok, but how did you get here?”

Again, the girl paused. “I…don’t know,” she said after a moment. “One minute I’m just walking around town, enjoying the feel of the earth beneath my feet. The next, I’m here in some strange desert. It’s like I just-”

“Vanished,” Percy finished for her. She paused, the rock they were on stopping. She turned to him, a curious look on her face though her eyes were strangely fixed behind him. He looked behind him just to check but there was nothing but a blank canyon wall there.

“You disappeared too?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “One second, I’m paying for my coffee, the next I’m standing on the edge of a canyon in the middle of nowhere. I thought maybe the…that I was being messed with.” He stopped himself just in time before he mentioned the gods. He didn’t know if Toph knew about them and in case she did, he didn’t want her to think he was crazy. “But now, I know there’s something else going on.”

“Two people, taken from different parts of the world to end up here.” Toph rubbed her chin in thought. “Who could possibly do that? I don’t know anyone with that kind of power. Not even Aang could do it, and he’s the Avatar.”

“I know a few who could,” Percy said. He didn’t know what an Avatar was and decided not to ask. “But it’s usually for me to do them a favor. They wouldn’t just dump me here and leave me, at least not without an explanation.” He frowned, thinking about Hera. She had done this before, but last time she had taken his memory from him. “Well, maybe one. But it would still be for some reason, some…” he trailed off just then, seeing something in the sky that made him freeze.

“Some what?” Toph asked. “You didn’t finish.”

“Uh…” Percy stumbled over his words, trying to get himself to think. Because what he saw was making his brain melt. “Quick question. Where you’re from, does…does it usually have two moons?”

Chapter Text

Korra stared for a long moment, just to make sure what she was seeing was real. But yeah, it was. The scenery of Air Temple Island had disappeared and in its place was a view of a vast desert from the top of a tall and scraggly mountain peak. Korra froze for a second, her mind unable to understand what just happened.

“Spirits?” she called out. “Is this you?” Had she somehow journeyed into the Spirit World by mistake? That had never happened before. It took extreme concentration to do it in the first place. And this didn’t look like any part of the Spirit World she recognized. Then again, she hadn’t explored much of the place. But there were usually spirits moving around that she could see. Now, there was nothing but an empty wasteland ahead of her.

Taking a deep breath, she sat down and crossed her legs, concentrating on breaking whatever connection had sent her here. But when she meditated and looked inside, she found nothing. It wasn’t just a lack of a connection, she couldn’t find anything to connect to in the first place. She couldn’t feel the Spirit World. Which was weird since she had to be in it? Or did she?

Korra reopened her eyes, taking another look at her surroundings. As she took in the vast wasteland around her and the scraggly peak she was on, she knew she wasn’t in the Spirit World. But then, where was she? And why couldn’t she feel the Spirit World? She should still be able to make a connection.

She pinched herself, but nope she was awake. She stood back up, assessing the situation. Ok, so she somehow had wound up in a desert in the middle of nowhere with no clue as to how she got here. Had she been drugged and kidnapped? Maybe. That made the most sense, honestly. But whoever had done it had been exceptionally good. But then why bring her here? And just leave her here? What was so special about this place?

She never did get to answer that question because at that moment, she felt the mountain shake. Not a lot, just a little tremble. But it was enough to get her attention. She frowned and peered at the ground again. A second, later there was another tremble, the dirt shaking. She crouched down to get see if she could try and feel it when she suddenly heard an enormous bellow from somewhere below her.

“What the?” she muttered, running to the edge of the cliff. She looked down but couldn’t see anything, just sharp, jagged rocks. Then, out of the shadows she saw a vague shape rise in the air and then come back down. A second later, she felt the tremor reach her and her eyebrows flew up. Whatever was down there was packing a serious wallop. She wasn’t entirely sure if she wanted to go down there and see what it was. But, then again, Tenzin always did say her curiosity got the better of her and today was no different. Besides, this might lead to a clue as to how she got here.

She spun her arms in a circle, summoning the winds around her to lift her up and drift her down to a small landing. She continued down, air swirling around her as she hopped her way from rock to rock. As she got closer, the tremors got louder but now she could make out other stuff. More bellows of rage but also cursing as well as taunts from someone else. It was a fight.

“Stay still you little ferret!” the loud voice bellowed again.

“Why would I do that?” another voice asked. “Why would I stay still just so you can smash me? I have to know if you asking that actually works.” There came another loud tremor and then a few seconds later, “ha, missed me again!”

“RAWWRRR!”

Korra rounded the last corner, readying a stance to enter the fray when she stopped, gaping at the sight in front of her. A few minutes ago, she had decided she wasn’t in the Spirit World. Now she had to go back on that as she took in the massive humanoid figure. He was over fifteen feet tall wielding a club nearly as long as his own height. He did have an overgrown belly but that did nothing to take away from his massive arms and savage teeth. As he lifted the club up again, Korra saw that he had one eye in the middle of his forehead as opposed to two. Also, strangely, he was wearing a large shirt that for some reason read GRAND SHEEP EXPO 2001. Korra didn’t know what that meant and honestly didn’t really want to. She didn’t really see the other person as they kept ducking between the rocks to dodge the giant’s strikes. But she could see that every now and then the person lunged and attacked the giant’s feet with their sword, causing the giant to swear and swat at them but they disappeared too quickly.

Korra blinked, still trying to take it in. She had for a second thought that she might be in the Spirit World but now she realized that couldn’t be true. As weird as the giant was, he wasn’t some spirit. She could tell. He was real, flesh and blood. She didn’t know if that was better or worse.

“Hrah!” the monster yelled, smashing through a stone formation next to him with his club. “Come out and fight. You cannot hide from me! You will pay for taking me here!”

Korra frowned at those words but she didn’t have time to dwell on them as the second voice interrupted. “I didn’t take you here, you giant pile of cow dung! I was brought here as we-”

Apparently, the second voice had made a mistake as soon as the girl talked, the giant focused on her voice and whirled around to her. He may have been overweight, but he was apparently very fast. He grabbed at the ground and cried out in victory as he pulled out a struggling girl in armor up in the air.

“Ha, I got you!” he roared in triumph. “No one defeats Polyphemus! I am the greatest cyclops of all! Now, tell me who you are and now tell me how you brought me to this strange place.”

“I am Dame Liza Guerra of Freestone,” the girl replied, still struggling fiercely to break free from the cyclops’s grip but making no headway, her sword swinging uselessly in her arms. “And I have no idea how you got here. I have no idea how I got here! I just appeared out of nowhere and the next thing I know is you attacking me. Now let me go or you’ll be really sorry!”

“You don’t know?” Polyphemus asked, his tone a little softer.

“No, you thick, fat son of a lurker.”

“Huh,” Polyphemus nodded, taking that in. He then shrugged. “Oh well. Then the only use for you is a snack.” He then opened his mouth wide, lifting Liza up.

“What?” she shrieked, struggling even harder. “I’m going to make you pay for this. I’m going to carve you up on the way down. I’m going to-”

Exactly what she would do, Korra wouldn’t find out. She had finally shaken off her daze and decided to join in. She leapt off from the rock she was on, landing right in front of the giant. “Hey!” she yelled out, stopping him. “Put her down!”

“Another one?” Polyphemus asked, looking down at her, his large eye narrowing as he did. “Well, more food for me then.”

“Not gonna happen, buddy,” Korra replied. “You see, I didn’t bring a sword.” She then punched out with her arm and her powers responded, the earth in front of her shooting out and striking the giant in his eye. Polyphemus roared in rage and pain, stumbling back and crashing into several more rocks. He lost his grip on Liza and she instantly broke free, stabbing the cyclops in his hand as she dropped down and landed on her feet.

“You good?” Korra asked as she came up to her.

“Oh yeah,” Liza replied, cracking her neck as she eyed the cyclops getting back up.

“You will pay for that!” Polyphemus yelled. “You cannot defeat me! I am the mightiest cyclops of all, greatest of the great! I have defeated Nobody!”

Korra frowned. “That’s a weird thing to brag about.”

Polyphemus lifted up his club, ready to bring it down on them. Liza instantly moved but Korra stayed where she was, readying her power. As the cyclops lifted the club to its highest point, she moved, punched upwards with her arm and the earth once more obeying her. This time, she summoned it up from right beneath the giant’s legs, the rock shooting up directly between them right in the sensitive spot.

“WAAAHHHHH!” Polyphemus cried out, dropping his club and gripping his sore spot as he sank down to his knees. But Korra wasn’t done yet. As the cyclops was down, she lunged forward and shot out another large rock that struck him right across his face. He roared in pain again, scrambling back as he tried to escape from her.

Korra stepped back, watching him carefully when she saw Liza staring at her with wide-eyed astonishment. “Whoa!” the girl exclaimed. “That was some powerful magic.”

Korra frowned. What was magic? “Thanks,” she said, a little uncertainly. “I’m Korra.”

“Liza, but you probably already knew that. Now, shall we finish this beast off?” the girl turned to Polyphemus who was struggling to get back on his feet.

The giant glared down at Korra with a fury but as he did, Korra noticed something. His eye was badly scarred and webbed with cataracts. And the way he was looking at them, constantly blinking and straining.

“A godling,” he muttered. “You took me by surprise. But you will not do that again. No one gets the best of Polyphemus. Not even Nobody!” Korra still had no idea what that meant. “I am the greatest cyclops for a reason.”

Liza opened her mouth to say something but Korra stopped her, holding up her finger to her mouth. Liza frowned but nodded, still grasping her sword tightly. Korra then subtly flicked her fingers and caused some stones a ways away to click together, making it sound like someone moving over there.

Polyphemus instantly moved, inhumanly fast, even for someone of his size. He pounded his fists into the rocks that Korra had shifted and grunted, feeling nothing. Korra’s eyes widened in realization. He really was blind. Or at least pretty close to it. He moved via sound, listening for his enemies’ movements. She looked over and saw Liza had come to the same conclusion, looking a little amazed by it.

“Tricky godling, very tricky,” Polyphemus said, moving his head around for them. “But it won’t help you. I am the son of the great god Poseidon himself, lord of the seas! And I will not be bested by some tiny demigod. Many have tried and none have succeeded.”

Korra frowned. Demigod? Poseidon? What was he talking about? But it didn’t matter right now. As much as she would like to fight this monster until the end, she got the sense that he wasn’t exaggerating in one aspect. He didn’t look too bothered by having a rock shoved in his face or having a pillar of rock strike him between the legs. It would take a lot to take him down and Korra wasn’t willing to risk that. She jerked her head at Liza to back away. Liza gave her a look, gesturing to her sword, but Korra shook her head in response. A sword wasn’t going to kill him, unless they managed to hit him in exactly the right spot.

“I know you’re still here,” Polyphemus announced. “I can smell you. Your stench fills this area, and it smells delicious. Good enough to eat.” He chuckled loudly at that and Korra felt her stomach flop at that in disgust. “You cannot escape me. I will find you and will swallow you whole.”

“I guarantee I’ll choke you on the way down,” Liza muttered as she and Korra made their escape. Korra held up a finger again, tempted to shush her but she knew that would just make more noise. Fortunately, Polyphemus hadn’t heard it, too busy rummaging around and growling under his breath.

Korra kept walking as quietly as possible. She wanted to rise up on the winds now and sail away but she wouldn’t be able to move fast if she was carrying Liza and that cyclops had already proved he could move pretty fast if he wanted to. She wanted to get as far away from him as she could before making any such moves.

Unfortunately, Polyphemus could also be smart when he wanted to be.

“If you will not come to Polyphemus, then he will make you reveal yourself!” the giant roared and then smashed his hammer around, crashing through the rocks surrounding him and sending them flying everywhere. Liza cried out as she was struck in the shoulder and Korra raised her hands, deflecting a few before summoning an earthen wall around them. But it was too late.

“Found you!” Polyphemus bellowed and charged straight for them.

“Move!” Korra yelled, pushing Liza out of the way as she hurled several rocks at the rampaging giant but he just brushed them off this time, more prepared. Liza yelled and ran straight for him, sword raised but he simply reached down and grabbed her, lifting her up and squeezing tightly.

“You are like feisty girl!” he laughed. “But she died with Nobody. I didn’t get to eat that day. Today will be a feast.”

“How about a barbecue, you overinflated moo-sow!” Korra yelled at him as she rose with the winds into the air before summoning all the power she had and unleashed it directly into the cyclops’s face as a blaze of burning fire. She kept up the torrent while also keeping herself aloft, focusing as much firepower as she could on the giant. His face had disappeared into the inferno and Korra was just about to stop when his hand whipped out from nowhere and wrapped around her, cutting off her bending.

“Ha, two feisty girls!” Polyphemus exclaimed. “Silly girl. Cyclops are immune to fire. Was like a breath of fresh air.”

“Naturally,” Korra grimaced, struggling to break free. But his grip was too tight that her arms and legs were trapped together, unable to move. In frustration, she managed a small kick of wind beneath her but that was it.

“Do you worst, monster!” Liza cried out from next to her. “I guarantee I’ll carve up your throat on the way down.”

“We’ll see,” Polyphemus grinned savagely before opening his mouth wide again, lifting them both up. Korra winced as she saw his disgusting teeth and salivating tongue as well as the dark chasm of his throat that she would soon be sliding down. She concentrated, preparing for one massive concentration of power when suddenly a rock flew by her, landing directly in the giant mouth and going straight down the throat.

Polyphemus choked, dropping both Korra and Liza as he clutched at his throat. Korra quickly whipped out a wisp of wind that lowered her and Liza safely to the ground. She then turned to see who their savior was and gaped again at what she saw. It was a figure at least twice her size and looked like he was covered in strange orange rocks. Except his eyes, nose, and mouth all appeared on the head, which meant those rocks were his actual skin.

“Yeah!” the humanoid said. “Nothin but net. That’s how you do it!”

Polyphemus, it seemed, had managed to swallow the rock and was now looking murderously at the new figure. “I have had enough of eating rocks. Sheep are good eating. Satyrs are better eating. Demigods are also good eating. Rocks are not good eating. I will eat no more rocks!” He then lifted his hammer and slammed it down with full force on the figure.

Korra winced but when she looked again, her eyes widened as she saw the figure had caught it and was barely straining from the effort. He then yanked the club out of the cyclops’s hands and threw it aside. Before Polyphemus could react, the figure latched onto his finger and pulled him down hard until they were eyelevel.

“You know what time it is, ugly?” the figure asked, raising his fist. “It’s clobberin’ time!”

He then punched the cyclops with all his strength right across the chin. Polyphemus fell backwards with a crash, demolishing several more rocks beneath him, his eyes rolling up as he moaned in pain.

“That’s right,” the figure nodded. “You just got laid out by the ever lovin’ blue-eyed Thing. That’s something to tell your grandkids about.”

Chapter Text

Barbara instantly assumed a fighting stance, ready for anything. She may not have much experience with instant teleportation but she recognized it well enough. The scenery around her had completely shifted. Instead of the grimy streets of Gotham, she was now surrounded by an arid desert with sparse, spiky plants and a few cacti. She frowned, looking for any threat but so far saw nothing. She hesitantly relaxed but still kept her guard up. For all she knew, she could be seeing a very powerful illusion right now.

She went to check what she had on hand when she yelped, staring in shock at what she was wearing. Instead of the blue jacket and white blouse, she was now in full Batgirl uniform. She reached for her head and felt the cowl there too. She hadn’t even felt it on, hadn’t even noticed. But that could only mean that whoever was behind this knew that Barbara Gordon was Batgirl.

She instantly thought of her brother, but that was impossible. She had seen him die. Granted, he had died before but this time she just knew he was dead. Besides, she didn’t think he had the capacity to do something of this magnitude. Her next thought was the Joker, but last she checked her father was still hunting him. But maybe that was just what he wanted them all to think.

There weren’t that many others who knew who she was. She couldn’t dwell on it right now. She crouched down and picked up some sand, rubbing it between her fingers. Felt real enough. She scanned the horizon but just saw more desert as far as she could see.

Barbara quickly went through what she had on her. About a dozen batarangs of various purposes, several flash grenades, her Batrope, her collapsible bo staff, her lockpick, bola, mini-binoculars, first-aid kit, and a flashlight. Not a bad haul, but she definitely didn’t remember stocking her suit last time. Whoever was responsible for bringing her here, they had clearly prepared her for a fight. That didn’t bode well.

“Alright,” she said to herself. “Next step is to try and find out who’s behind this. But since I don’t know how long that will take, and since I’m stuck in the desert, should probably try and find a water source first.” She looked down at the plants around her. The cacti she knew contained water, but that could lead to more problems down the line considering its high concentration of acidity. But the other plants around here, they needed a viable source of water. And since she couldn’t spot any nearby oasis, that could only mean groundwater.

“Great,” she muttered. “I have to dig for my water.” Still, she knew what she was looking for and where it would be. That was something. She scanned the horizon again but still only saw endless desert. No discernible features stood out to give her some sort of destination. All she could do was pick a direction and start walking. And that was a terrible plan.

She decided to head to her right. There was a couple more desert plants growing in that direction so hopefully that meant it led somewhere, thought she wouldn’t hedge any bets on it. As she started walking, she already found herself wiping her forehead as sweat trickled down it. She glanced up at the sun, seeing it was directly above her now. Great, that meant she had several hours of this glaring heat before it would start to go down. At least she knew where to find water.

As Barbara walked, she started to think more about who could be behind this and kept coming to one conclusion. Ra’s al Ghul. Mysterious abduction, stranded in a desert, and wearing her full Batgirl costume. Yeah, he was the only one that made sense. Him or his daughter Talia. She hadn’t heard from either in a while and neither had Bruce. Probably made the time ripe for a comeback.

That was just great. Both were some of the biggest threats the Bat Family had ever gone up against, supreme fighters on their own with an army of assassins at their beck and call. She sighed and took another look around, still seeing nothing of real interest except for some sand dunes appearing. No sign of where Khadym, the city both demons called home. She didn’t know what their plan was but she doubted it was just about her. No doubt the other members of the family were around. She just hoped she found them soon. She did not want to tackle either al Ghul or any of their minions alone.

At least the dunes was a destination. Maybe if she stood up on one she could find some sort of landmark to help her navigate, or better yet someone else out there. So that’s where she headed. As she did, she mentally began to list everything she knew about the al Ghuls and what it would take to beat them. She knew with access to the Lazarus pits they never really stayed dead. And while that meant that they kept coming back for more, it also meant that Barbara didn’t have to hold back when fighting them.

She also knew that Talia was Damian’s mother, which created some obvious tension there. She couldn’t imagine having someone like that as a mother. Then again, she had a serial killer for a brother. She sighed as she thought about it. Damian was going through too much right now with the death of Alfred and his recent lethal tactics in taking down criminals. She hoped he wasn’t involved with this. She didn’t know if it would do him good or just make things worse for him right now.

She shook that off for now, decided to deal with it if it came up. For now, she would list all the strengths and weaknesses she knew of the two immortal warriors. Unfortunately, she could count on one hand the number of times she had personally gone against either one of them. Didn’t make her feel too ecstatic for this encounter. Of course, there was the chance this was something else entirely. In which case, she really had no idea what to expect.

Barbara kept walking, wondering about all the possibilities behind this and how she could prepare for them, as she approached the dunes, a couple of them looming over her. She was so focused that it took her a second to notice it. She stopped for a second, trying to make sense of what she was feeling. It was like a strange thrumming sensation inside her…almost like it was coming from her blood. It felt like it was being drawn out of her.

As she stopped, she then noticed the sand at her feet. It was moving. But there was no wind. She was instantly on alert, fingers carefully holding several batarangs to throw at a second’s notice. She looked carefully at the sand and then saw it wasn’t moving all at once. It was every few seconds. She watched as it shifted again, then stilled, and then shifted again. She got down on her hands and knees and then placed her head against the sand, listening. And as the sand shifted, she heard it. A thump echoing through the ground. An impact tremor.

If she had to take a guess, it was from footprints.

Barbara looked up. The dunes around her were pretty tall but she was able to see over a few of them. And something that made these kinds of tremors would have to be pretty big so she should be able to see it.

Unless it was large enough that it could still be out of sight but make these kinds of tremors. Yeah, that was a comforting thought.

Or, other idea, it was beneath her. Even more comforting.

Barbara quickly climbed up the nearest sand dune, making sure not to do it too fast and to keep her body low to the ground so as to make sure she wasn’t visible to anyone or anything looking her way. She reached the top and lay flat, scanning the surrounding area to see if she could spot anything. At first glance, she didn’t see anything, just an increase of dunes on one side and a flat expanse of sand on the other. There was, however, one sand dune that stretched out for at least several miles, basically covering most of the horizon. Whatever was making those sounds had to be beyond that and it was only a short walk away.

Normally, heading toward the thing causing tremors would be a bad idea. And it still was. But Barbara took risks all the time. And she needed to know what this was. Maybe it would provide a clue for her as to what this all was and what had happened to her. So she started walking. But she only managed a few steps when, as she was scanning the large sand dune, she spotted something strange. In her line of work, Barbara always had to stay sharp and keep her eyes peeled for everything so she didn’t miss anything which was why she managed to see what she did. There was one spot near the top of the dune where the sand was shifting strangely. If she hadn’t already been on guard, she would have likely missed it.

She narrowed her eyes. Now that she focused in on it, she saw other things. For one, the formation of the sand there as opposed to elsewhere was off. It was like it was giving off the appearance that it looked like part of the sand dune, but the dimensions of it were wrong. As Barbara moved closer she could see that the area was actually sticking out of the dune. The sand was just moving in such a way to make it look like it was normal. Which meant that someone was controlling it. Which meant it was hiding something important.

Barbara pulled out several batarangs and held them at the ready, cautiously approaching the dune. Since she couldn’t go at it from above, she had to sneak around the side as much as she could, ducking around the smaller sand dunes while keeping her eyes and ears peeled for the slightest hint of danger. But there was nothing. She made her way to the area. As she did, she felt that strange pull inside her getting stronger, as if her blood was swirling around. The sand at her feet was now shaking more and she could almost hear the pounding causing it, definitely sounding like footsteps. Whatever was causing that had to be connected somehow to the strange sand dune.

She crouched behind the last sand dune, seeing the area dead ahead. She looked down at her clothes and grimaced. Not the best choice when sneaking up on someone in the desert. The dark blue stood out against the beige sand around her. She was tempted to wait until dark but judging from the sun’s position that was still hours away. She didn’t know if she could afford to wait that long.

Readying all her tools, Barbara prepared to sneak up on the area when she felt something at her feet. Glancing down, she felt her blood go cold as the sand beneath her rose up like water, causing her to sink. Her first thought was that she had stumbled into some quicksand. But despite the name, no quicksand ever moved that fast. No, this was something else. She scrambled for her grappling gun even though she had no idea what she would grapple to when the sand rose up like a wave and completely smothered her beneath the earth. She struggled but the sand held fast, pinning her arms to her side like hands. Some of it formed a gag around her mouth preventing her from speaking. She twisted and turned but it had no effect. Then she felt her whole body shift, the sand moving her somewhere. She decided to wait and see where it was taking her. She would only waste energy struggling.

She didn’t have to wait long. Less than a minute later, she felt her body moving up, the sand breaking across her face to air. The sand around her mouth held fast though, as did it around her arms and legs, keeping her tied up. She was able to get a look at her surroundings and saw that the sand had formed some sort of dome around her except for some holes in one wall. Next to it were two individuals. One was a red-haired girl wearing a dark full body suit made of light stretchy fabric that seemed to cling to her skin. The other looked like a girl as well but it was hard to tell as they were wearing what Barbara recognized as a sheema that covered their whole body as well as their face, leaving only their eyes open, a brilliant blue that almost looked like fire. Two pistols were strapped to her sides. Judging from the second person’s posture and hand gestures, they were the ones controlling the sand.

Barbara was about to drop some smoke pellets when the figure in the sheema leaned forward. “I am going to release you,” they said in a whisper and Barbara recognized a girl’s voice. “But you need to promise not to make any noise. Ok? Please.”

Barbara frowned, unsure of what was happening, but nodded her head in response. The girl nodded and the sand holding Barbara receded, freeing her. She slowly got to her hands and knees, facing the two. “What is going on?” she asked, matching the girl’s whisper.

The girl gestured to the wall with the holes in it and Barbara moved to it, looking through one of the holes. As soon as she did, she felt a clutch of fear in her heart as she saw the answer to the question of what could be big enough to cause tremors like that.

The answer was obviously a giant.

The other half of the sand dune dropped away into a cliff about 150 feet tall, the desert continuing to expand below it. And right beneath Barbara was a giant at least 30 feet tall wearing what looked like gladiatorial armor with dragon-like legs and weird green hair that Barbara could swear she saw moving on its own. But the worst part was that as soon as she laid eyes on him, her body began to shake even more. The very air seemed to vibrate around the giant’s body and Barbara felt her blood thrumming with it. She now realized what it was, the iron being pulled towards it as if this creature was so large and powerful that it generated its own gravitational field. She had never heard of anything like this and she had checked the Justice League databases. She would have expected Superman, Wonder Woman, or the Green Lantern Corps to have come across something like this but no. Whatever it was, it was completely new. And that scared her even more.

“What is that?” she muttered.

“We don’t know,” the girl in the sheema said. “A giant, obviously. But I’ve never heard of anything like it.”

“I can’t believe this is happening,” the other girl said, shaking her head in disbelief. “This doesn’t make any sense. Giants aren’t real.”

“Well that thing looks pretty real to me,” Barbara told her sharply. If they were going to survive this, they couldn’t deal with attitudes like that. She had been thrust into so many impossible situations over the years and that she kind of just went with it at this point, accepting this was her reality. This time was no different. And this girl had to get with the program or she wouldn’t last long.

“I’m Barbara, by the way,” she said.

“Amani,” the girl with the sheema replied.

“Ember,” the other girl said.

“So how did you two end up here?” Barbara asked, not taking her eyes off the giant.

She sensed a little hesitation from the two before Amani answered. “We don’t know,” she said. “One second, I was just walking down the street in Izman, the next I’m in the middle of the desert somewhere.”

“Same, though I had just finished a meeting and was returning to my office,” Ember explained. “I then transformed to get a better view bu-”

“Wait,” Barbara interrupted, turning to face the girl. “Transformed? What does that mean?”

“I’m a dragon,” Ember replied simply. So simply in fact that it took a second for Barbara to register it in her mind.

“Oh,” she finally said, bobbing her head a little. “Well, that’s…neat.”

“Thank you,” Ember replied. “I flew around a little but didn’t really see anything. Just more desert. That was, until I spotted what I thought was a sandstorm but was actually Amani.”

“I can control sand. The desert, really,” Amani explained when Barbara looked questioningly at her.

“Right,” Barbara nodded, having already realized she had had some sort of power when she grabbed Barbara before.

“We decided to join forces and were exploring when we spotted big guy down there and hunkered down here to watch him,” Ember continued.

“Why not just fly away?” Barbara asked.

“We wanted to wait and see if he was the one behind this or just another victim of it,” Amani explained. “So far, we have nothing. He just keeps walking around, not really doing anything. He seems as confused as we are.”

“Hmm,” Barbara nodded. So, she didn’t think this was Ra’s al Ghul or his daughter anymore. Clearly whoever was behind this wasn’t targeting the Bat-Family. But then who? A metahuman with control over sand, an apparent dragon-girl, and a giant. And then her. What did all four have in common? It didn’t make sense. She didn’t have enough pieces yet.

“Why are you dressed like that?” Ember asked curiously, looking at Barbara’s outfit.

“It’s my Batgirl costume,” she replied. “I wear it to fight crime and protect my identity. But I wasn’t wearing it when I was taken here. Someone put it on me.”

Amani raised an eyebrow. “That’s disturbing.”

“Right,” Barbara agreed. “I think it means that whoever brought us here wanted me to be in my, basically, combat uniform. Which means-”

“They want us to fight,” Ember finished, realization dawning on her. “This is an arena. And we’re the gladiators.”

Barbara nodded while Amani frowned. “I don’t know what gladiators are but I get your meaning,” she said. “But then, why us specifically?”

“Maybe it was random?”

“No,” Barbara shook her head. “Then they wouldn’t have given me my costume. They knew exactly who they were picking. But is it just to fight? Or is there something else going on here?”

Ember looked like she was about to say something when Amani straightened up suddenly. “Someone else is approaching.”

“How do you know that?”

“Vibrations in the sand. I’m sending out my power to feel for anything like it. It’s how we found you,” she told Barbara. “Whoever it is, they’re approaching fast.”

“Where?” Barbara asked, looking around the dome of sand.

“Here.” A small hole appeared in the right wall and Barbara instantly looked out of it. But she didn’t see any figure emerging, but a sandstorm heading right for them. She backed away fast right before it hit, Amani closing the hole again to stop more sand from flying in.

“Can’t you stop this?” Barbara asked.

“No,” Amani whispered back and Barbara could hear the strain in her voice. “This is…this is like nothing I’ve experienced. I’ve gone up against other powers like mine before, but this is…incredible. It’s like some sort of force pushing me back.”

Barbara gulped a little. She was about to suggest that they hunker down until this passed when she felt it. The pull of her blood from the giant faded slightly, taken over by this new sensation. Fear, more than she’d known, seemed to penetrate her body. And a coldness spread everywhere. From the others’ expressions, she knew they felt it too. There was something out there, something dark.

“What is that?” Ember muttered under her breath.

“I don’t know,” Barbara replied, voice barely above a whisper. She had felt similar sensations when confronting people like the Joker or worse, but that was herself creating it. Even when she fought Scarecrow, she knew it was chemically created fear, not real. This…this was nothing like that. It was like whoever was out there’s very presence exuded it, naturally creating this aura around them.

And then she heard it. Soft at first, but growing louder with each second.

“What is that?” Amani asked but Barbara held a finger to her lips, shaking her head. She didn’t know why but she knew that they had to be dead quiet right now as the sound got louder. Because she knew what it was. It was breathing.

HHAAAWW-PPEERRR………HHAAAWW-PPEERRR………HHAAAWW-PPEERRR

Chapter Text

“It’s only going to be confused for a minute if we’re lucky,” the girl said, the stick in her hand still pointed at the beast. “We need to get out of here.”

Peter blinked. “Sorry, still a little confused here. What exactly did you do to it? And what is that?” he pointed at the stick. Then it hit him. “Whoa, is that a wand? You have an actual wand? That’s what it is, isn’t it?”

The girl looked over at him. “Yes, it’s a wand. And I’m a witch.”

Peter blinked again. “Huh. Not quite what I was imagining.” Whenever he’d heard the word ‘witch’ before, he’d have imagined an old, wrinkled woman that cackled a lot while stirring her cauldron with a black bird or a black cat nearby. Or an old, wrinkled woman cackling as she flew on a broomstick. Or MJ when she had dressed up as an old, wrinkled woman for Macbeth. Basically just some sort of old, wrinkled woman doing witchy things. He definitely did not expect to see a girl only a few years younger than him with zero wrinkles on her face. Then again, MJ had made him watch a film called Kiki’s Delivery Service about a young witch with no wrinkled on her face, so he guessed he had to reexamine his personal biases on the matter.

“Ok, so if you’re a witch, where’s your broom? Can’t we just ride that thing out of here?”

The girl snorted. “I don’t have a broom. I hate flying! I’ll stick with keeping my feet on the ground.”

Peter looked up at the beast which was getting less and less confused by the second. “Well, then I guess I’m sorry about this.”

“About wha- HEY!” the girl suddenly shrieked as Peter grabbed her and hoisted her over his shoulder, shooting out a line of web to the upper canyon and hoisting himself into the air just as the beast regaining its senses and charged at them.

“Sorry buddy, but we’re not on the menu,” Peter called back to it as it jaws snapped shut behind them. “But if you’d like I’m happy to read the specials.”

“What are you talking about?” the girl asked as he deposited her at the top of the canyon.

“Just making a joke,” Peter explained.

“Aren’t jokes supposed to be funny?”

“Ouch. That hurts,” Peter said, although literally everyone else in his life had said that to him, most on multiple occasions. Though he’d seen Miles try it out a few times which made him even more proud.

Then came a scrambling noise and they both looked below to see the beast digging its claws into the canyon walls, beginning to climb its way up.

“Guess it wants to hear the specials after all,” Peter commented, prepping himself to leap into the air. “Back in a second.”

But before he could move, the girl held him back. “There’s an easier way to handle this,” she said and pointed her wand down at the beast. “Glisseo!” she said and suddenly, the whole canyon wall became smooth, like a trim wall. The beast lost its footing and slid back down to the ground, snarling in frustration.

Peter gaped. “That is so cool!” he exclaimed. “And freaky at the same time. But mainly cool! Wow. Can I get a wand?”

“Sorry, they’re only for witches and wizards,” the girl replied. “Not for Muggles.”
“Muggles?”

“Non-magic-born,” the girl explained.

“Huh. Well that’s a little disappointing,” he admitted, thinking of all he could do with a wand, though it really came down to playing pranks on criminals. Especially Mysterio. “Ah, it’s probably for the best though. I’m a scientist at heart so magic’s not really my thing. Still, I would love to see how it all works.” He held out his hand. “I’m Spider-Man, by the way.”

The girl raised an eyebrow. “Spider-Man?” she asked. “That’s your real name?”

“Well, no, obviously not,” Peter replied. “But it’s the name I go by in this costume to keep my identity hidden from the bad guys.” Judging from her expression, he guessed he was just confusing her more. “I have a real name,” he said. “It’s just, for now, I prefer Spider-Man.”

“Ok, I guess,” she said dubiously, taking his hand. “I’m Hermione Granger.”

Peter frowned at that. He had the strange feeling he’d heard that name before. But a second later, that feeling was gone and he blinked. “Nice to meet you,” he said. “Though these aren’t really great circumstances to meet someone.” He glanced down at the beast below, still trying to scramble its way up to them. “Don’t suppose you know how you got here?”

She shook her head ruefully. “One minute I’m curling up on the chair with a book, the next I’m in the middle of nowhere. And then that thing just comes up and attacks me.” She took a deep breath.

“Yeah, wonder what it is,” Peter said, still looking down at the creature which was now glaring back with an ugly expression. “Some experiment gone wrong unless it’s more…magical?” he asked, looking back at her.

Hermione looked at it as well now for a moment but shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said, her voice sounding a little tight. “Magical beasts aren’t really my area of expertise. I mean, I studied as well as I could but I never took the class farther than my O.W.L.s and they didn’t cover every creature across the world. Hagrid would know.”

Peter had to struggle a little as she talked, not understanding everything, but he got the gist of it. “Alright, well it appears we’re safe up here for now. I think…” he trailed off, feeling something. His spider-sense had been tingling in the back of his head for a while but not too badly and he had assumed it was just because it sensed the creature down there. But now, it was surging, warning him of imminent danger. He looked around quickly, seeing nothing. Then he looked back at the creature and his eyes widened as he took in its position, its legs tensing in a crouch, glaring right up at him. He’d seen enough alley cats do that to know what it meant. “Look out!” he cried, tackling Hermione just as the creature launched itself up at them. Peter wouldn’t have thought it would be able to make it, but what he had mistaken for lizard-like qualities before he now realized were more frog-like in essence, its back legs able to propel it straight at them. Its forelegs landed on the canyon top, its hind legs scrambling along the smooth wall below. It snapped at them, jaws coming awfully close.

“Stupefy!” Hermione yelled again, her wand firing a burst of red light but apparently the creature was smarter than it looked, ducking away from her spell and then lunging forward, pushing itself fully onto the canyon top. Peter managed to yank her aside before she went down its throat.

“I already told you, buddy, we’re not on the menu. But here, have some of this, on the house.” Peter threw a web grenade straight down its gullet as it swing towards him, diving out of the way before it got too close. It made a move to attack again when it suddenly froze and began coughing and gurgling uncontrollably, strands of web spilling out of its mouth.

“That’ll teach you to watch what you eat,” Peter smirked under the mask, watching as the creature twisted its head frantically, claws scrambling at its throat to get the webs out. Then the smile faded away as his spider-sense gave another surge and he instinctively leapt aside just as the creature let out another strange gurgle then turned down and unleashed a flood of green bile all over the ground.

“Yuck!” Peter grimaced, watching as it spewed its guts everywhere, his webs coming out along with a bunch of other nasty things. Then he saw the green bile bubble and froth as it sunk into the ground, dissolving much of the earth as it did so. “Oh, mega yuck! It’s got acid vomit? That is so gross.” He paused for a minute. “And a little bit cool,” he admitted.

“How is that ‘cool?’” Hermione asked shrilly behind him.

“Well, from a scientific perspective-” Peter started but he suddenly whipped backwards just in time to avoid a tail-strike coming right for him. He webbed it to the ground and the beast growled in frustration as it tried to free itself. It glared at Peter and he could swear he could see some sort of intelligence in its eyes. It was learning.

As if to prove his point, Hermione shot another spell at it, this one a bluish color, but the creature ducked underneath it. It knew what Hermione had done to it before and was now ready for her. It also managed to avoid Peter’s latest shot of web aimed at its eyes. He had to think of something new quickly. It was too fast and dangerous to take lightly anymore.

“Alright, Wolfzilla,” he said, readying his web-shooters. “Let’s dance.”

The creature narrowed its eyes at him, as if accepting the challenge, and ripped its tail free, bringing it down like a spear at Peter who narrowly dodged out of the way. Then, he shot out his spider-drone which instantly flew directly into the creature’s face, opening fire with its little lasers. The creature backed away, curling its lips in annoyance, and then lashed out at the device but the drone ducked the claw and kept shooting. Using the distraction, Peter shot a trip mine on a rock nearby and then another next to him and then a third several yards in front of where the creature was standing.

“What are you doing?” Hermione asked him.

“Just watch and learn. I deal with bigger threats than this all the time.” As cool as it would be to see Hermione take on the creature with all her different spells, Peter didn’t know what they were. But he did know his skills. And he could see how to take this thing down his way. “If you see an opening, feel free to take it. But only if it looks like I’m failing.”

“You know, I have fought before,” she told him.

“Do you want to tackle this thing?” he asked her.

She took another look at the creature and then backed off. “I’ll let you take lead.”

Peter nodded. He could tell that while she was a gifted fighter in her own right, she wasn’t comfortable fighting too much. While him, he was a natural. At least, he thought so. And he was pretty sure all his many foes agreed with him.

The drone was going to run out of juice in a few seconds so the time to act was now. Peter leapt right underneath the creature and activated his concussive blasts, pointing them directly at the creature’s underbelly and firing.

The creature roared out in surprise and shock as it was thrown backwards, landing heavily on its back. Peter nodded, having put the blasts on full power but now they were shorted out for a little while. No matter. They had done their job. He ran forward as the creature got back up, snarling at him. It lashed out with its claw but he ducked under it then set his shooters on rapidfire, sending several rounds of web directly into the beast’s face. It made a squealing noise, attempting to duck under the onslaught. Peter grinned when suddenly his spider-sense acted up and he leapt into the air instinctively, just avoiding the tail strike. He sent an impact web at it but the creature whipped the tail away before sending it right back, this time catching Peter in the ribs.

He grunted as he fell through the air, pain spiking in his chest, but he shot a web out and caught himself, landing firmly on the ground again. It would take much more than that to take him down. The creature snapped down at him but he just dodged to the side and then shot a taser web directly into its mouth. The creature instantly thrashed around, its whole mouth sparking.

“Well, someone looks a little shocked,” Peter commented. “Ha.” He turned to see what Hermione’s reaction was but for some reason she was just shaking her head. “Alright, time to wrap this up. Literally.” He then measured the physics and winced, not sure if he could pull this off. And if so, not easily.

But then again, he didn’t need physics anymore. He had something cooler.

“Hey!” he called out to Hermione. “You got a spell that can levitate me?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“Great. Do it…now!” he yelled just as the creature focused back on him. As it launched itself out at him, he felt a tugging all over his body and suddenly found himself floating in the air, flying right past the creature. Part of him was freaking out over floating like this with no logical reasoning. The other part of him was just plain reveling in the fact that he was floating in the air.

“Around it’s jaws.”

“What?”

“Send me around its jaws,” he called out. He could tell Hermione was confused by his instructions but she did them, sending him floating over and around the beast’s jaws. He shot out a web and began webbing the jaws shut. The beast instantly began writhing in protest, trying to break away. As its claws came up, Peter webbed them to the ground.

“Faster!” he yelled and felt himself speed up, going round and round. He kept up the web, binding the creature’s jaws shut tightly. He was glad he was using to pulling similar stunts as he was starting to feel a little dizzy. Anyone else would probably be throwing up at this point, and that would not be good for the mask.

He then felt the web line give out and released it. “Ok, drop me!” he said and felt the spell release, dropping him to the ground where he landed smoothly in what he hoped was a heroic pose. The creature tried to snarl with its mouth so tightly closed and lifted its claws to try and free itself.

“Uh uh, not happening,” Peter muttered and sent another wave of rapidfire webs at the creature, grabbing its attention. “Yep, come to me,” he said as it growled softly, its hind legs crouching. Then, it sprang forward…a little farther than he would have liked but still worked. He leapt away as it came down, smiling to himself as he saw where the hind legs had landed.

Right next to the trip mines which instantly activated, shooting out to each legs and webbing them tight, yanking them away from each other. The creature yelped in surprise and fell to the ground, only barely itself on its forelegs. It snarled and struggled against the trap but Percy wasn’t done yet.

“Hey, ugly!” he yelled. “If you’re still hungry, how about you have a knuckle sandwich!” He then jumped forward and punched the creature across the chin, knocking it aside. He flew forward and landed just next to his last mine, watching the beast carefully. “Though I’m out of bread, so I guess it was just the knuckle part.”

The creature didn’t seem amused, glaring at him with obvious hatred. It then lunged right for him but he didn’t move this time except maybe a few inches to his left. He heard Hermione cry out a warning but he didn’t need it. Just before the creature’s claw reached him, it passed over the mine and the web shot out and yanked it to the ground where Peter promptly added a bunch more webbing to it. Now the creature was tied down in three places with its jaws still webbed shut.

“Looks like you found yourself in a sticky situation,” Peter commented. “Ah, that’s corny even for me. Hold on, I’ll come up with something better.”

The creature, though, didn’t seem to feel like waiting and began to struggle mightily against the webs, its muscles straining. Peter could sense that they might snap under the pressure. Time to finish this. He webbed himself forward into the air directly beneath the creature’s jaws and shot out webs to its shoulders, yanking himself up as hard as he could. He flew upwards and jerked his legs straight up just as he hit the lower jaw, slamming his full body weight right into it and sending the whole head flying back. He kept going up, sailing right past but he twisted his body around with a loud “alley-oop!” and shot out his webs again, this time striking the ground on either side of the creature’s head and pulling them to him hard, yanking his body back down with all his strength. He slammed back into the creature’s head at terminal velocity, sending it crashing into the ground with enough force to shake the cliffside. The creature let out a small whimper before lapsing into unconsciousness, its eyes rolling into the back of its head.

“And that is how it’s done,” Peter smiled, clapping his hands together. “Now, did I get that sports reference right? Ah, who cares it was still awesome.”

“That,” Hermione said, coming up next to him as she stared at the fallen beast, “was impressive.”

“Thank you,” he replied, making a small bow. “It’s just what I do. Well, actually no, I don’t usually fight giant wolf-lizard…frog things. Although I do occasionally fight a giant lizard. But just fighting stuff like this is normal for me.”

“Really?” Hermione asked, astonished. “For a Muggle, even.”

Peter frowned at that. “Hey, I may not have magic but that’s never held me down before. I don’t need magic to get the job done.”

“What about when you asked me to float you around to tie the jaws up?” she asked, eyebrows raised.

“I would have found another way…if I had been by myself. But your way was faster and easier so I went with it. And also I kind of wanted to know how it felt. Btw, it was awesome.”

“Btw?”

“By the way. Shorter way of saying it.”

Hermione frowned at that. “No it’s not. ‘Btw’ has five syllables while ‘by the way’ has three. It’s a longer way of saying it.”

Peter blinked. “Huh. Yeah, I guess it is. Well, it’s shorted via texting so…”

Hermione frowned again. “Texting?”

“You know, with your phone. Sending a message with the keypad.” She still looked lost and he tilted his head. “You guys don’t have phones.”

“No, we do. I mean, I know what a phone is though wizards don’t use them. But I don’t know what texting is. Phones are just for calling people.”

Peter let off a small laugh. “Well, you’re clearly out of date. Phones are used for so much more. Here, look.” Peter pulled out his phone from his pocket and showed it to her. “I can take pictures with it,” he said, showing off a great one of him in front of Avengers Tower, “or play games like Kwazy Cupcakes. I started it the other day and am already up to Sprinkle City. And can text people like my girlfriend or my friend Miles here or…” he paused, seeing Aunt May’s number still there and quickly moved past that. “Anyway, that’s my phone. Though there’s no service here, so I can’t reach anybody. Where are we anyway?”

Hermione, however, was just gaping at him. “I-I don’t understand,” she said. “I keep up to date with most Muggle things. My parents have a phones but nothing like that. And taking pictures…how have Muggles advanced that much?”

Peter was starting to not like that word. The way she said it made him feel like he was supposed to be inferior or something. “Well, when we put our minds to it, us non-magical people can accomplish a lot of great things. I made these webs myself.”

Hermione, however, didn’t seem to hear him. She was still looking at the phone, her eyes growing astonishingly wide. She suddenly grabbed it out of his hand. “Hey!” he said indignantly but she ignored him, looking closely at something. “You could have just asked,” he told her.

“This…this can’t be right,” she muttered.

“What can’t?” he asked, beginning to lose his patience.

“This,” she said, jerking the phone back in his face.

He started a little from the move and then focused on what she was showing him. “The date? It’s 2019, so what?” Then he realized what she was getting at. “Why? What’s the date for you?”

She blinked, her mouth opening and closing for a few seconds before she finally responded. “1997.”

They were both silent for a moment until Peter let off a long, “huh.”

Chapter Text

Harry wished he could make the stone go faster. Or, better yet, somehow make the pillar of rock come closer. Or, best option, make the swarm of flying monsters headed right for him somehow disappear. Or, actual best option, somehow return to the Burrow and pretend this never happened. Yeah, that one he liked.

But, he couldn’t do any of that. He was stuck, riding this hovering rock as he guided it with his wand, trying to outfly the swarm to that big rock so he could…do something. He didn’t know what he could do, honestly. But he couldn’t fly towards the monsters so the rock seemed like the best option right now.

He was tempted to just apparate there but he had still used it several times in the last few minutes. And each time he had felt a bigger strain. Apparition was his only real form of escape and he would have to make each use count. The swarm was still a ways away which meant he had time. Not much time, but hopefully enough to get him there. And then…well, he guessed he would just look around for the best place to apparate to.

But all he could do until then was keep the rock steady and fly onwards.

Well, that was the plan.

Harry felt it first. A change in the air, the wind picking up. He shielded his eyes, sand flying around, trying to see and keep flying. Then he heard it, like a sonic boom or thunderclap. Then came another rush of wind, only this one far more powerful. The rock wobbled in the air as he tried to keep it under control, the wind surging against him for a few seconds before dying down again. Strangely enough, the wind had come from above him. What was happening? He tried to look around but couldn’t see anything. Was it the swarm? Or something else?

He looked back and saw the swarm still approaching fast but not doing anything different. He frowned but carried on, the rock getting closer now. But as he went, he heard small sounds in the background, an almost rhythmic smacking noise that sounded a little like…punching.

He tried to drown it out, focusing on the pillar of rock. It was much closer now. He still didn’t have any real idea of what he was going to do when he got to it, but it was beginning to loom over him. But as much as he tried, the smacking sounds were getting louder. And with each one came a gust of wind. And Harry really did not want to know what was causing it.

He was about 100 meters from the rock when he felt another small surge of air against him and then he heard it. The thunderclap noise followed quickly by the large gust of wind, forcing him to brace himself as much as he could, the rock he was on wobbling dangerously and he had twist his wand to hold it steady. He looked round and this time saw something up in the sky. A black spot falling fast. And above it was another black spot just hovering in the air. But then, a second later, it suddenly dove after the falling object at a blurring speed, crashing into it and then sending both of them plummeting towards the ground at an incredible speed.

Harry could tell when they landed. He felt in his bones as the Earth shook. He heard it too, sounding like an explosion had gone off. And then he saw a sandstorm rising from the ground, heading right for him. “Oh you’ve got to be kidding,” he muttered and tried to brace as much as he could but it wasn’t nearly enough. The wave of sand hit him like the Whomping Willow, knocking him off the rock like he was a leaf. He flew helplessly in the air, grasping around at the empty air, before he slammed into the ground, the air exploding from his lungs and his wand flying from his hand. He rolled across the ground, the impact sending him tumbling down the side of a dune. As he fell, he felt his glasses slip right off his face and before he could make a move they were gone as well. He finally slid to a stop at the bottom, covered in sand and aching all over.

He gasped and groaned at the same time, feeling like Hagrid’s half-brother Grawp had just stood on him. But he couldn’t afford to just lie there helplessly. The swarm was coming and now he was wandless and didn’t have his glasses. He started searching, blinking in the harsh sunlight glinting off the sand. He could barely see without his glasses, everything just different shades of blur to him. He desperately scrambled around, trying to feel something, anything but all he got was more sand.

“Accio glasses!” he tried, knowing it was possible to do wandless magic but nothing happened. No glasses came flying towards him. He wasn’t concentrating enough, mostly because of the fact that a swarm of ravenous monsters were flying right towards him.

“Come on, come on, come on,” he said, looking around as much as he could but all he saw was different shades of yellow and beige, the glare from the sun against the sand hurting his eyes, forcing him to squint even more. It was impossible. He’d be lucky to find either his glasses or his wand and it would be miracle to find both. He looked over to where the rock towered. He could go there now, but then he would lose his wand and glasses for good. And honestly, what hope did the rock offer to him? It didn’t matter if he was out in the sand or on the rock when the swarm came. It would matter if he had his wand in hand. So he kept searching.

As Harry rifled through the sand around him, he could still feel this thumping sound through the ground, sounding a lot more like punches the longer it went on. Like two giants going at it. But since when could giants fly? Whatever the case, he put it out of his mind and kept looking. Every now and then, he looked up to try and see how close the swarm was but the horizon was all still just a blur to him. He’d only really know when they were close enough that it didn’t even matter if he could see them or not, he was dead either way.

It wasn’t exactly a comforting thought.

After another couple of minutes, he gave up. This wasn’t working. He had to try something else. He thought back to when he crashed. He had done it at the top of the dune and his wand flew out of his hand before he went rolling down the dune, which meant it could be anywhere. Then Harry stopped, backing up a little. How did he know it flew out of his hand? He was assuming it must have soared through the air and landed somewhere down here when it more likely just slipped from his hand and was now lying at the top of the dune. And his glasses. They had come off on his way down, not when he was at the bottom. So they should be somewhere on the dune.

Reenergized, Harry scrambled up the dune, reaching around as he did for his glasses. As he did, he began to notice a low sound in the background that if he concentrated sounded a lot like screeching. But he ignored it, making his way as fast as he could while trying not to miss anything, squinting wildly for any sign of his glasses or wand. As he kept going though, the sound became more and more audible until he couldn’t ignore it anymore.

The creatures were coming in fast. He was running out of time.

He reached the top of the dune and sighed, not having found his glasses. But they weren’t as important as his wand. With that in hand, he actually had a chance. So he moved his hands around carefully, not wanting to accidentally knock it away. He moved slowly, scanning the ground as much as he could for anything, digging a little as it might be buried thanks to the wave of sand. He could hear the screeches growing louder and felt his panic rising.

“I can’t die here,” he muttered. “Not after everything.” He had made it through the Second Wizarding War when many didn’t, many who had given their lives so he could live. His life was waiting for him, his friends and family. Ron and Hermione. Ginny. And there was no way in hell that he was going to let them down. He was going to survive this nightmare and make it back to them. He. Just. Needed. To. Find. His. Wand.

And then he found it.

He felt his breath catch as his fingers closed in on something in the sand, not daring to believe it was true. But it was, his hand enclosing it and feeling the familiar smoothness of his wand. He lifted it up and knew for sure. He had it.

Without wasting another second, he turned and yelled, “accio glasses,” and a second later, he had them in hand. He shoved them onto his face and looked back at where the swarm was, feeling his breath catch. They were about 70 meters away but flying right for him, around a thousand of them, looking like giant man-bat things.

Harry turned back to the rock and raised his wand to apparate to the top. From there, he would figure out his next move, where he would apparate next. But just as he was about to spin, he saw it. Right at the foot of the rock was a large crack, one that looked just large enough to allow a skinny kid through. One that seemed to be staring right at him, as if inviting him in.

Harry glanced back up at the top but the decision was easy. He wouldn’t be able to keep apparating out of harm’s way. The spell wasn’t meant for constant use and that swarm would always be on his tail. This way, he had a better chance. He might not know where the hole went, but hopefully it went deeper in where the swarm couldn’t get him.

“Here’s hoping,” he muttered and spun on the spot, reappearing right in front of the hole. He staggered for a second before recovering. He looked back and saw the swarm still flying right for him, but now just a little farther away. He then faced the hole. It stretched on for a while, and he would have to keep sliding his body through it. He couldn’t see an end so he just had to hope there was one. Or, if there wasn’t, that the swarm wouldn’t come through.

“Don’t let me down,” he said to the hole and then walked in. Within seconds, he had to squeeze through, grunting as the rocks bit into him as he shimmied past. He kept going, not really walking but just sliding his way against the rock walls. The further he went in, the darker it became. He kept his face pointed mostly at the exit, waiting to see if any of those creatures came crawling through. He moved carefully with his feet, making sure he didn’t accidentally trip and fall. He couldn’t afford any mistakes right now.

“Lumos,” he said as it got darker, his wand lighting up the way. He still couldn’t see too far ahead. He actually could barely look forward at all now with the way getting tighter. As skinny as he was, the cave was closing in, making it a tighter grip the further he went in. It came to the point where he had to choose which side to look at, unable to look forward anymore. He turned his head to the exit, wanting to be prepared for any of those creatures. He grimaced and winced as he kept moving, sucking in breaths as he continued to push his way in. He didn’t know how long this would take. He didn’t know if he was going to get stuck like this. He didn’t know anything, really. He just had to keep moving.

And then he heard the last thing he wanted to hear.

“Squaw!”

Harry gritted his teeth as he saw the creature stick its head into the hole and stare right at him. Then came another. And another, and another until hundreds lined the entrance, completely closing out the light. And then the screeching started.

Harry swore and moved desperately now, pushing himself as much as he could through the cave. He raised his wand and started firing off spells at the creatures as much as he could. But with each one hit, it was like three took its place, each one scrambling over another to get at him. Harry felt his clothes catch on a sharp part of the wall and he just tore through it, scrambling to get away.

“Incendio!” he roared and a shot of flame erupted from his wand, burning into the creatures. They screamed in pain and tried to back away from it. Harry’s nostrils were suddenly filled with the smell of burning flesh and smoke. He winced but kept it up, filling the cave with as much fire as he could. But pretty soon the spell ran its course and then other creatures tore through their fallen brethren to continue after him.

Harry felt a wave of relief as he felt the cave open up behind him, sliding as fast as he could for it. Hopefully it led to a larger part of the cave where he had more room to move. The creatures were coming in fast, despite the numerous spells he threw at them, blasting and stunning, shocking and binding, burning and cutting.

“Confringo! Impedimenta! Stupefy! Incendio! Incarcerous! Petrificus Totalus! Sectumsempra! Diffi-AHHH”

Harry cried out as suddenly the floor disappeared beneath his foot and he fell backwards into empty air. He spun around and held his wand out, trying to see where he was falling too. He was about to try lumos when he saw a light at the bottom, growing brighter with each second. He peered down at it and saw it was some sort of crystals emanating the light, glowing softly in the dark. He also noticed that he was approaching them at terminal speed.

“Arresto Momentum!” he yelled out and felt his speed suddenly slow down until he was now simply floating to the bottom, his feet coming to a nice rest on the ground. Harry took a second to let off a long breath before he heard the screeches again and looked around wildly for any exit. Fortunately, there was one he could see, a small dark almost-doorway in the wall. He rushed over to it and through it. But then he stopped. The creatures would still come after him. He could already hear the first few flying down. He needed to stop them.

Pointing his wand at the entrance, Harry focused and then made the motion with his wand, lifting it up in the air. The ground followed suit, rising up towards the ceiling like a waterfall in reverse. Harry held it firm, knowing if he didn’t get this right, he’d have to start all over again. And he didn’t have the time. He could hear the creatures flying right for him. He had to do this now.

The wall of dirt rose up steadily, following Harry’s wand, until it was just about at the top. The creatures’ screeches were loud now but Harry knew it was too late. He had sealed himself away.
And then, just as the new wall formed, one creature smashed through the top part right before it closed off, shaking its head. Harry cursed but managed to keep his concentration, sealing the wall completely so no other creatures could get through. He then raised his wand to attack the creature but it got to him first, slamming him into the ground, biting and scratching. Harry winced as its claws sliced into his arm. He tried to get his wand around but the creature’s leg held his arm trapped, snapping down at him with only his other hand keep it at bay. He screamed out in pain and frustration, trying to push it off but the creature was too strong, clawing at his arm and chest, trying to get at him. Harry grunted, doing his best to move his trapped arm and get his wand around.

And then he felt a something move behind him. Before he could even dwell on it, he heard a roar-like sound and something large grabbed the creature off of him and smacked it hard into the wall, dropping it to the ground. As it struggled to get up, the figure smashed its large fists down onto the creature with a nasty crunching noise. Then it rose back up and looked over at Harry who, thanks to the dim light of the crystals in the chamber, got a good look at it as well and nearly backed up into the wall.

It looked like a bear, but a bear that was standing completely upright and had some sort of belt going over its shoulder. It tilted its head at him and made some sort of combined grunting and snorting noise.

“Wwhhrraaarghh” came the noise out of its mouth.

“Whoa!” Harry muttered. He kept waiting to see if it was going to attack him, just saving him from the creature so it could eat him itself. But it didn’t. Instead, it held out its arm to help him up. Harry eyed it for a second before grabbing the creature’s paw and rising up. He was surprised to feel opposable thumbs there. This wasn’t any bear, or any bear he knew of. He’d never met a bear but it certainly looked a lot like one. He wondered briefly it was some sort of Maledictus or maybe just a wizard whose animagus spell had gone wrong.

“Uh…thanks,” he nodded.

The creature made another grunting noise and nodded back.

“So, uh, do you have a name or something?” he asked. “Can you understand me?”

The creature bobbed its head and Harry’s eyebrows went up. “You can?” he asked, surprised. “Oh, ok. Wait, just to be sure, raise your right han…uh, paw if you can understand me.”

The creature seemed to glare at him a little at that but complied, raising its right paw up. Harry whistled softly. “Ok, wow. That is…uh. Alright. Sorry, just never met something like you before. Well, clearly you can understand me but I can’t understand you, so…” he shrugged helplessly and was a little startled when the creature did the same. “So what do I call you? I mean, I could just call you ‘Bear’ since you sort of look like one, but if you have an actual name I’d feel sort of…wait, what are you doing?”

‘Bear’ had started looking around as Harry talked and was now crouching at the floor, its paw in the sand. As Harry watched, it began to move its finger around until Harry saw a C form in the sand. He blinked but kept watching as more letters came. An H. Then an E. And a W.

“Well, that’s not comforting,” Harry muttered under his breath, as the word ‘chew’ stared back at him. But ‘Bear’ wasn’t done, making more letters until the name Chewie was spelled out for him to see.

“Chewie,” Harry nodded. “I’d hate to think how you got that name, but good enough for me. Alright, Chewie. Uh…” he looked Chewie up and down as if that would help. “Uh, he or she? Or they?”

“Wwhhraaaarghhhh.”

“Right. Ok, so how about right hand for he, left hand for she, and both for they.”

Chewie then lifted his right hand.

“Got it. Nice to meet you Chewie,” Harry said, holding out his hand and wincing as Chewie nearly tore it off as he shook it. “Firm grip, nice. Now, I don’t suppose you know the way out of here?”

Chewie made another noise, gesturing for Harry to follow him as he started heading away the sealed exit. Harry had to move at a pretty quick pace to keep up with the big guy. As he did, he took a closer look. Chewie was completely covered in thick, brown hair from top to bottom, the only item of clothing being the belt wrapped over his shoulder. It was as Harry was walking behind him that he noticed what was on the belt, an enormous crossbow that looked like it could rival Hagrid’s. At least, it looked like a crossbow but the more Harry stared at it, the more he realized that it was actually different. Its shape was the same, but this thing looked a Muggle had found a crossbow and added a bunch of fancy gadgets and technology to it. And there were no arrows. Harry looked at the belt again and saw that what we thought were just sections of the belt were actually small containers. To load the crossbow-thing. Harry took a longer look at Chewie. What exactly was he? Who was he?

Chewie came to a stop as they entered a new chamber. He made a grunting noise and pointed to two other tunnels, one to the left and one to the right. Chewie then gestured to the one on the right and shook his head.

“That’s the one you came from?” Harry guessed and Chewie nodded. “Alright, then that one it is,” he said, starting down the tunnel to the left. He was glad for the crystals lighting the place up but it was still pretty dim so he held out his wand and muttered, “lumos,” letting its light fill the tunnel up. Unfortunately, it didn’t reveal anything, just pushing the darkness back a bit further. Chewie stared at the wand for a second before turning back to the tunnel.

“So, Chewie,” Harry said, trying to fill the silence. “How did you get here? Is this your home?”

“Whhhhrrraaarrgghhhh!”

Harry may not know what he was saying, but Chewie kept moving his head around to emphasize his points and this time he shook it vigorously. “Alright, so that’s a no. Let me guess, you were minding your own business somewhere out there when the next second you were here with no idea how you got here?”

Chewie nodded emphatically.

“Yeah, same here. But why? This doesn’t make any sense. Why would someone bring us here? Or was it some magical fluke?” Harry shook his head. “I don’t even know where here is. You don’t recognize anything do you?”

“Arrgghh,” came the response along with a shrug.

“Didn’t think so. Well then, we just…oh hold on,” he said, seeing something in the darkness ahead. He held up his wand higher as they entered a large cavern. Harry let off a low whistle as he looked around, the place about as big as the Ministry of Magic’s inner chamber. And that was just what he could make out. He squinted around, trying to get a better look. There was something up ahead, some sort of shapes or rocks. It looked like a mound of some kind. Harry stepped forward to get a better look and a loud crunch! echoed throughout the chamber. He looked down and felt his blood go cold, stepping off the skull. He looked more closely and saw bones scattered around them, Chewie making some alarmed noises as he slipped the giant crossbow of his back and into his hands.
Harry lifted his wand up again, knowing he didn’t want to see what he was about to see but that he was going to have to. “Lumos maxima,” he whispered and the light at the end of his wand flared out and Harry couldn’t contain the gasp of pure shock and horror at what he saw. It was just heaps and heaps of skeletons around him, stretching for as far as he could see. At least thousands of them and almost certainly more.

“This is a tomb,” Harry muttered, breath coming shakily as Chewie made some alarmed noises, looking around wildly at the scene. Harry turned to him. “Chewie, we need to get the hell out of this place,” he said. “This…this is some burial ground or nest to some creature that killed all these people. We need-”

“No it isn’t.”

Both Harry and Chewie whirled at the voice. “Who are you?” Harry asked.

“No one really,” came the response and Harry saw a figure rising out of the shadows from behind some rocks. But it didn’t look like he’d been waiting for them, but that he’d been inspecting the bones. He still looked down at the skeletons, as if waiting for them to do something. “Just another passenger in this…journey.”

“So you arrived out of the blue like we did?”

“If you mean with no warning was I dropped in this desert with no clue as to how I got here or why, then yeah. I came in here from there,” he pointed to the left, away from where Harry and Chewie had just come from where Harry just saw more shadows. Must be another tunnel there. “And then I found all this.”

“Yeah, you said this wasn’t some creature. But it certainly looks like it. Must be its dumping ground.”

“Wrong,” the figure said smoothly, turning to face them. Harry blinked. It was a guy, probably only a few years older than him, with short sandy-blonde hair and a deep scar that ran down from his eye to his chin. “If that were the case, these skeletons would all be varied. But they’re all the same age. Look at their condition. They’ve all been here the exact same amount of time.” The guy nodded. “This was a slaughter pit.”

“A what?” Harry breathed in horror.

“These people were led here to their deaths. Or they were hiding in here when something or someone found them. Look there in the back,” he pointed and Harry saw several skeletons on the upper rocks with deep wounds across their bones, some pointedly missing. “They were trying to escape and failed. And there,” he pointed again and Harry swallowed as he saw smaller skeletons among the other ones, skeletons that had to belong to children. “Families,” the guy said sadly. “They didn’t stand a chance.”

“Bloody hell,” Harry muttered while Chewie made some sad sniffling noises, kneeling beside the smaller bodies.

The guy gave Chewie a strange look. “Where’d you find him?”

“Tunnel down that way,” Harry gestured behind him. “Saved my life from some flying bat-thing. Says his name’s Chewie. Well, actually he wrote it in the sand for me, he doesn’t really speak.”

“Huh,” the guy nodded. “Looks like some bear-twins I hired a while back. Of course, they weren’t completely covered in fur and could still speak. Never seen anything like him before.”

Harry frowned at him. “I never got your name.”

“And I never got yours,” the guy replied smoothly again, his face giving away nothing. “Names are powerful. They have meaning. You shouldn’t throw them away carelessly.”

Harry could tell the guy spoke from experience and he actually knew a little about what he was talking about. “True,” he said then held out his hand. “Harry Potter.”

He waited to see if there was any sign of recognition in the guy’s face, but there was nothing. Either he didn’t know the name or he was just very good at hiding his expressions. He eyed Harry for a moment before taking his hand. “My name’s Luke,” he said.

Chapter Text

“What do you mean two moons?” Toph asked.

“I mean there are two moons,” Percy replied. “I am looking at two moons in the sky right now. One, two. Last time I checked, there weren’t two moons.”

“Well, I’ve never seen the moon before but no one’s ever mentioned a second one before, so…”

Percy frowned. “Wait, what do you mean you’ve never seen the moon before…oh,” he said, realizing as Toph grinned and waved her hand in front of her eyes meaningfully. “You’re blind. That explains a few things.”

“What things?” she asked testily.

“Well, mostly why you look like you keep looking past me.” Percy then thought back a little and thought of something else. “Wait, how did you catch me when I fell if you couldn’t see where I was?”

“You screamed really loudly. You were very easy to pinpoint and grab.”

“Ah,” Percy nodded. He didn’t think he screamed that loudly, but then again he had been more focusing on the fact he was falling to his death and not on how loud his scream was at the time. Still, it had saved his life so it worked out anyway and he didn’t have to be embarrassed by it. At all.

He then noticed Toph tapping her foot a little, as if waiting for him to ask her something else. He briefly wondered what it could be but then lost attention as he looked back at the moons. He was staring at them, thinking about where he could possibly be and how he was going to get home, when Toph spoke.

“Aren’t you going to ask me?” she asked.

“Ask you what?” he replied, blinking in confusion.

“How I can move around so easily? How I moved the earth? Like this,” she demonstrated, thrusting her arms out and forcing pillars of rock to shoot out in response.

Percy hadn’t wondered that yet. But now that he was, the answer came pretty quickly to him, which was pretty rare on its own. “If I was walking up along the top of the canyon, you would be able to sense where I was, wouldn’t you?” he asked.

Toph blinked. “Uh…yeah. How’d you guess?”

“My friend, Hazel. She’s like that. Can sense the earth around her. I’m also kind of like that, just with water. Whenever I’m in a lake or the ocean, I just instantly know everything around me, where it is, what it is. So, I’m guessing it’s the same for you. You don’t see with your eyes. You see with the earth.”

Toph nodded slowly. “Yeah, that’s what I do. I ‘see’ with my feet really. Sensing everything happening around me that way. So, you are a waterbender then?”

“I have no idea what that means,” Percy replied. “And I don’t care right now. Kinda focused on the two moons instead of one thing.” He shook his head. “Maybe we’re on one of the Nine Worlds after all.”

“The what?” Toph asked. “No. If there really are two moons, then we can only be in the Spirit World.”

“The what?” Percy asked. “Is that like that duvet thing from Egypt? Wait, no, that’s not how you say it.”

“Trust me, we’re in the Spirit World,” she replied, nodding her head. “I’ve never been myself, but Aang talks about it enough that I get the picture. It’s basically where all the spirits live with a really big landscape that doesn’t make sense.”

“Huh,” Percy muttered, not sure how he felt about that. But it must be that Do- something place Carter and Sadie told him about and that he had seen briefly when he shared a body with Neck-Butt vulture lady. It sounded similar enough. “Alright. Well then, I guess now we just figure out how to get out of here.” He tried to remember how Carter and Sadie did it but they hadn’t really gone into explanations, all of them a little hesitant to share information about their respective worlds. “Don’t suppose this Aang friend of yours explained how to get out.”

Toph frowned. “No, all he really did was sit down and cross his feet. Then he meditated.”

“Great. Ok, well I guess then we just look around until we come up with something,” Percy sighed. This was not how he had wanted to spend his day. But fortunately, it wasn’t looking like his gods had abducted him. It was still possible some gods had, but he still felt like they would have tried to explain it to him or at least dumped him in the middle of some battle or bad situation. He was just in a desert with this strange girl. As far as he could see, there wasn’t any real trouble around.

The next few seconds just showed him how much the universe loved to prove him wrong.

There was a rush of wind, not a big one but enough to cause the sand to swirl around, that came out of nowhere, ruffling his hair and clothes. Percy frowned and then heard it, the loud smacking sound that echoed across the canyon. He looked around for the source and then felt a second rush of wind, this one with more force behind it, coming from above him. He glanced up and his eyes widened in shock as he saw the figure falling right towards them.

“Move!” he yelled, grabbing hold of Toph and hurling themselves off the boulder a few seconds before the falling figure struck it, completely obliterating it in and sending pieces of rock flying everywhere.

“AHHHHH!” Toph screamed. “You dunderhead! I can’t bend if I can’t feel the earth!”

But that wasn’t a problem for them as Percy saw the bottom of the canyon coming right for them. He hadn’t noticed while they were sliding down, but they had been closing in on it. And now, he could see the sparkling river winding through it glittered right at him. Almost on instinct, Percy thrust out his hand and the water instantly responded, rising up to meet him. He held Toph tight as they were grabbed out of the air, the water smoothing their landing to the point where Percy barely felt anything. Then the water carefully deposited them on the riverbank before settling back down, returning to its natural course.

Toph gasped, shivering wet and feeling all over her body in case she was missing something. “What was that?” she demanded. “What just happened?”

“Saw something flying right at us so I jumped us off and then had the river catch us,” Percy explained, looking up at where they had been to try and see what had almost hit them. “No bi-”

He was interrupted when a second figure suddenly flew right where the first one landed. He was so fast that Percy needed a few seconds to comprehend what he had just seen. Then, the second figure began punching so hard the very canyon walls were shaking.

“What is happening?” Toph gasped. “How is he punching so hard? It’s causing vibrations for miles.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Percy said, watching rockslides forming all around with each punch. Then, whoever the first person was suddenly punched back, sending the second one soaring away and then flying after them. “Also they can fly.”

“How is that possible?” Toph asked. “Not even Aang can fly, and he’s the last airbender.”

Percy opened his mouth to reply when he heard another smacking sound and saw the second figure now crashing several yards away, sending up an enormous dust cloud as they did as well as a shockwave that nearly knocked Percy off his feet.

“Stay down,” the first figure said and Percy’s eyes widened as he saw it was a Black man floating above them in a blue suit with a flowing red cape billowing out behind him and a red triangular emblem on his chest with a golden S right in the middle. “I don’t want to fight you.”

“Well too bad,” the second figure said, getting up and wiping his jaw. He was also wearing a blue suit except his didn’t have an emblem on the chest and his cape had red and white stripes so it resembled the American flag. “Because I am going to beat your ass into the ground until you tell me where you got those knock-off powers.”

“Knock-off?” the first figure asked, crossing his arms. “I was born with these son. Had them all my life.”

“Liar!” the second figure yelled. “I would have heard of you. A supe flying around with my powers. A cheap imitation of the real thing. Well, I’m going to show you who the real Homelander is.” He then flew up and threw a punch at the first figure who easily dodged it and threw his own, knocking the Homelander guy back in the air a little.

“What is it? What’s happening?” Toph asked.

“Well,” Percy said, trying to think of the best way to explain it. “I think this Homelander is mad cause he thinks the other guy is imitating him or something while that guy is just trying to calm him down. Now they’re just trading punches. Damn,” he muttered, wincing as the guy with S was sent crashing into the side of the canyon, breaking through several rocks, “these guys are really strong.”

“Must be some sort of spirits then,” Toph told him. “They’re immortal so they don’t hold back.”

“Huh, yeah that makes sense,” Percy nodded. They did seem, and act, a lot like the gods he knew. Arrogant and brash, more than willing to beat each other up. Well, as he kept watching, he realized that more accurately described the Homelander guy. The other one seemed to be more reasonable, trying to calm the other guy down. But that didn’t stop him from throwing his own punches.

“We should…” Perct started then flinched as Homelander grabbed the other guy by the foot and swung him round in a circle before throwing him into the riverbed not far from them. “We should probably get out of here. I’ve seen gods fight before and it is not something you want to be in the middle of.”

Too late. Homelander spotted them watching and a second later he was hovering right in front of them. Percy flinched back, hand reaching for his sword but before he could even do it, Homelander’s hand was suddenly around his throat, pulling him into the air.

“Percy?” Toph asked, swinging her head around. “Where did you go?”

“What are you, blind?” Homelander sneered. He then turned back to Percy. “Now, who the $%&$ are you? And what is this place?”

“I…I-I d-don’t know-w,” Percy managed, trying to break Homelander’s grip somehow but the man’s skin was like pure iron. It was like trying to hold up the sky level of strength. “J-jus-st-t app-ppeared-d.”

“Hmmm,” Homelander eyed him, but before he could say anything, Toph threw her hands up and the rocks beneath Homelander’s feet suddenly shot up and slammed into him. Percy felt the grip drop and he fell to the ground, gasping for breath. He then uncapped Riptide, letting the sword bloom out. Though how it was going to help, he had no idea.

“Percy, you ok?” Toph asked, coming up next to him.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m f-” was all he managed before Homelander was back, now grasping both of them by the throats.

“That was a mistake,” he said, glaring at Toph. Percy saw his eyes suddenly go red, as if they had a burning light inside. He swung his sword but it just bounced off, having no effect. He then turned his hand to the water, trying to summon it, but before he could it just exploded out on its own and the other guy arrived, slamming his fist right into Homelander’s face, whacking him right into the ground and cratering the earth.

“I was holding back before,” the man said. “But you threaten innocents, then I’m going to knock you down.”

“Here,” Toph said and clapped her hands together. The earth rose up around Homelander, completely trapping him in hard rock. “That’s got him now.”

“Uh…” Percy started, unsure if it would hold him, but Homelander answered himself by completely destroying the rocks and freeing himself, flying up.

“Oh, never mind,” Toph mumbled.

“You really think a bunch of rocks are going to stop the world’s greatest superhero?” Homelander snorted.

“I don’t know who you are but I can already tell that you’re no hero,” the other guy replied.

“Well, I’m afraid most of America disagrees with you,” Homelander smirked arrogantly. Percy grimaced, already hating that smile. “And since you all attacked me, and it’s clear you possess illegal superpowers, I am well within my rights to break each one of you in half.”

“The hell kind of America do you live in?” Percy muttered. He’d never heard of this Homelander guy. Then again, he didn’t keep up with much that happened in the mortal world these days, but still he felt he at least would have heard of this guy.

“Not mine,” the other guy said. “On my Earth, I am President of the United States of America. So, with the full authority of my office and its position, I order you to stand down. Or I’ll just keep punching you until you do. Your choice.”

“Damn,” Percy muttered.

“I like him,” Toph added.

Homelander sneered and then flew right at the president who twisted midair and grabbed Homelander by the cape, using it to throw him around, bashing him left and right against the ground, walls, and rocks.

“Gahh!” Homelander yelled and Percy saw his eyes beginning to glow again. This time, Percy saw what happened next. Twin beams of red light burned out from his eyes, vaporizing rock, dirt, water, and everything else they touched, blazing across the landscape as he was flung everywhere.

“Get down!” Percy yelled, grabbing Toph and hitting the floor right before the lasers sliced the air above them, missing them by inches.

“What’s happening?” Toph gasped. “I can feel the earth…burning?”

“Homelander has laser eyes,” Percy told her.

The president realized the danger quickly, throwing Homelander up into the air and then grabbing him by the throat, making sure he couldn’t scorch anything else.

“Burn!” Homelander cried out, and focused his eye beams directly on the president. Percy winced, seeing the beams burn right onto the man’s skin. But then, they seemed to slide off, having no effect. The president smiled and then twin beams burned from his eyes as well, matching Homelander’s. Except that wasn’t true. As Percy watched, he saw the president’s beams pushing Homelander’s back, his being stronger. Homelander screamed out but still his beams weren’t strong enough.

Suddenly, the president stopped, turned his head to the side to avoid Homelander’s lasers, then punched the man hard across the face. Homelander fell, struggling to stay afloat, but then the president smashed him into the ground, causing a large dust cloud to shoot up. Percy watched as the president repeatedly punched Homelander in the face, laser-beamed him, and then lifted him up and punched right up into the canyon wall. Homelander let off one last feeble groan before collapsing to the ground and lay still.

“Whoa!” Percy said, not even sure what he had just witnessed.

The president smiled at him, walking over. “Sorry about that,” he said. “I hate to take such extreme measures, but there are certain foes who require it.” He held out his hand. “The name’s Calvin Ellis. But you can call me Superman if you like.”

Chapter Text

“I will crush you!” Polyphemus bellowed, trying to get back up, but he stumbled on his hands and knees, the so-called Thing’s blow having knocked him silly.

“Buddy, you ain’t crushing nothing!” the Thing said. “I’ve tackled way worse than you. Galactus. Doctor Doom. Annihilus. And all of sorts of giant monsters and creeps from around the frickin galaxy. You got nothing on them.”

“Rahhh!” Polyphemus managed to rush back to his feet and was about to charge when Korra shot her hands out again. Twin pillars of stone shot up as well, right into the cyclops’s swinging arms on either side. They both formed around his arms, trapping them as Korra closed her fists tightly. Polyphemus struggled, straining against the stone, but for the moment he was trapped. Korra didn’t know how long that would last but she wasn’t going to wait around to find out.

“Get ready!” she yelled over at the Thing.

“Ready for whaAAGGHH!” he suddenly yelled as Korra shot another pillar of stone out from under him, sending him flying up in the air as well. He recovered quickly, raising his fist just as he hit Polyphemus, punching him with all his strength. The smacking sound carried over the rocks around them and Polyphemus slumped down, unconscious. The Thing landed back on the ground with a crash. He stood back up, seemed to crack his back, and turned towards Korra who felt her body tense up instinctively.

“Nice work kid!” he said, grinning with two thumbs up and Korra felt herself relax again.

“RRRRAAAGGGGHHHH!” Polyphemus was up again, looking madder than ever. He broke free of Korra’s makeshift stone cuffs over his arms and swung his club out again. It struck Ben in the side, shooting him across the small gorge into a stone column, smashing through it. Korra airballed out of the way before the cyclops could bring his club down on her. “Face me, puny mortals!” he bellowed. “I want to eat you for lunch!”

“Don’t think I’d be very appetizing, big boy,” the Thing said, shaking off stony debris from his shoulders. “But I’m always happy to shove another boulder down your gullet.”

To emphasize this, he tossed a huge chunk of rock right at the cyclops, but Polyphemus swatted it aside, blinking furiously down at the Thing. He tried to stomp on him but the figure stepped aside and instead punched hard into his kneecap, causing Polyphemus to howl.

But Korra was beginning to notice that no matter what they did, the cyclops swiftly recovered and got back on his feet, ready to attack once more. He didn’t seem to get tired. He was just too big and powerful. They needed to do something else. She didn’t think they could knock him out cause if the Thing, punching that hard, couldn’t do it she didn’t know what could. But if they could trap him…

“Liza!” she called, running over to the girl. “I’m going to need you to distract him for like a minute.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Trap him,” she replied. “I just need a little time.”

“Ok, we’ll get it for you.”

“Look out!” They both ducked as the Thing came soaring by, crashing into the rocks behind them.

“Ok, I’ll get it for you,” Liza corrected. “Just make it quick.” She then ran towards Polyphemus, sword raised. “Hey, ugly! You still want to eat me? Cause my sword’s still itching to carve up your throat.”

“Die, feisty girl!” Polyphemus roared, swinging his club down on her. She appeared to disappear beneath it but a few seconds later she popped up behind some boulders.

“Missed me!” she taunted. “You aim like my brother, and that’s a low bar.” She then twisted and stabbed the cyclops right in his heel.

“RAHHHHH!”

Korra took a deep breath and focused. Earth had been the second element she’d mastered. She didn’t remember much from then, the first three elements coming to her easily for her child-self. But she could remember the first feeling of it. The ground beneath her feet and all it contained. The immensity of it. Now she reached again, digging beneath the surface. It was a lot, more than she’d ever really done before. But she could do it. She was the damn Avatar.

“Jordan ain’t got nothing on me!” the Thing roared, followed by Polyphemus’s howls of rage and pain.

“Korra, anytime now!” Liza cried out.

Korra opened her eyes, feeling the Avatar state take over. She heard Liza and the Thing gasp distantly, heard Polyphemus falter. But she didn’t pay attention, focused on her task. She held her arms out and thrust them to the side, connected to the earth and felt all the rock, stone, and dirt beneath Polyphemus’s feet roll aside, opening a wide chasm.

“WAAAHHHHH!” the cyclops roared, falling right into it. He tried grabbing hold of something but the earth slipped right beneath his fingers. He disappeared, screaming into the ground, until Korra closed it up again, and it was quiet again. She then slumped over, gasping.

“Whoa kid,” the Thing hurried over. “Damn, that was cool. You ok?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Thanks.” She took another breath before rising and looking him in the eye. “Did I get him?”

“Yeah, you did.”

“Well, most of him,” Liza added as she walked up.

“Huh?” Korra looked over and saw the top of Polyphemus’s head was still showing. And they could still hear the mumbled sound of what seemed like different curses and threats. “Ah, close enough.” She held out her hand. “I’m Korra by the way. The Avatar.”

“Ok,” Ben said, frowning a little as he took her hand. “I’m sure you are. And as you may have guessed by now, I’m the Thing. But you can call me Ben if you prefer.”

“The Thing?” Liza questioned, walking over. “Why would you pick that as a name in the first place?”

“Have you seen me, kid?” he asked her. “Though I do wish I had thought of something else when it happened. Now I’m stuck with it. Doesn’t matter now though, it’s in the past.”

Korra frowned, not quite sure she was understanding. “So, you weren’t always like this?” she checked.

“Oh, no. I was born with fleshy skin just like you two. This was the result of a cosmic storm,” he explained, gesturing to his rocky form. He then frowned at them, as if realizing something. “So, if you don’t recognize me that must mean we’re either on another planet from mine or in another dimension.” He rubbed his head, grumbling. “Damn Reed’s probably behind this. Or Doom. Yeah, probably Doom honestly.”

Korra shook her head. “Sorry, I’m completely lost. What do you mean ‘other planet?’ Or ‘other dimension’ for that matter?”

“Well, I don’t think this is my home, on the result of there being two moons in the sky,” Ben said, pointing. Korra followed his finger and gasped as she saw it. Liza saw it too, gaping at the sight. Two moons, right next to each other. “First time off world, huh?” Ben said to them. “Yeah, it ain’t easy. But you’ll get used to it.”

“Uh…” Korra mumbled, still trying to wrap her brain around what she was seeing. She kept going back and forth if this was the Spirit World or not, but even the Spirit World had only one moon. Or did it? She’d never really paid attention before. But it must have. Then…where was she?

“Hey!” Korra blinked as two stony fingers snapped right in front of her. “Let’s go,” Ben said, a little impatiently now. “I know you’re probably freaking out about the whole thing right now, but I really would prefer for us to be away from here before the cyclops over there breaks out.”

“Uh, yeah, yeah,” Korra nodded, tabling the whole two moons thing. He was right, they had to get out of there.

“It would be safer if we just killed him,” Liza muttered, raising her sword.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Ben lifted up his large, stony hands. “That ain’t happening. Dude might be a cannibalistic killer but I’m not. A killer I mean. Or a cannibal. The point is that we ain’t killing him. I don’t kill. Ever. And I’m not letting anyone else do it on my watch.”

“Agreed,” Korra nodded. She had never really killed before, trying to channel previous avatar Aang’s ways as much as she could. The only time she could say she might have broken it was with Unalaq, but he had done that more to himself. And she didn’t want to start now, especially not in cold blood.

“But he’s a monster,” Liza argued. “He would kill us without thought. He almost did.”

“Doesn’t mean we have to be like him, kid,” Ben countered. “His life, his choices. My life, my choices and I choose not to kill. Now, we gonna keep talking or are we gonna get out of here.”

Liza glared at them and then over at Polyphemus before sighing and walking away. Ben nodded approvingly before following, Korra on his tail. They made their way up the rocky paths until the giant cyclops was lost from view. Slowly, the rocks beneath their feet turned into sand and they left the mountainside behind them. Korra kept glancing at the sky, just to check if the two moons were still there. And every time, she felt the jolt of fear in her as she saw that they were still there. Two glowing orbs glaring down at her. She did her best to ignore them.

“So…” she started. “I guess introductions are in order?” She phrased it more as a question, not really sure how to proceed. She’d never really been in a situation like this before. “I’m Avatar Korra. But you can just call me Korra.”

“Avatar?” Ben questioned, turning to face her. “What’s that mean? You like some sort of god manifestation or something? Oh god, is this Thor’s doing?”

“Uh…” Korra blinked. “No and who’s Thor? Wait, hold up, how can you not know what the Avatar is? That’s…” she struggled to come up with the right word. Everyone knew what the Avatar was. It was common knowledge. The person able to master all four elements and was the bridge between the mortal and spirit world. “I mean, seriously. How can you…” Korra paused again then took another wild look around and up again at the moons. And then a scary thought hit her. “Oh my god.”

“Oh, you just had some sort of revelation, didn’t ya?” Ben asked, pointing one of his giant, stony fingers at her. “You know something.”

“What?” Liza asked, facing her. “What do you know?”

“I…” Korra turned in a circle. It didn’t make any sense. And yet it was the only thing that could make sense. “I think I’m in the wrong time.”

“The wrong time?” Liza asked, frowning. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Time travel kid,” Ben replied. “It seems we’re dealing with time travel. Though I must admit, I don’t think there’s ever been a time on my world where there were two moons.”

“This must be the world where the Dangers come from,” Liza growled, though there was an edge of fear in her voice. “Should have seen it sooner. Though it is emptier than I thought it would be.”

Korra was barely listening. It shouldn’t be possible. And yet, what else could it be. She had to have been thrown back in time. Like when she had seen the story of the first Avatar, Wan, only this time it was her physical form. Which was way worse as she had no idea how to return.

“Alright, let’s just keep moving. Try and find something that can tell us something about this place,” Ben said, scanning the landscape.

“No, I need to find a way to get back home,” Korra said, turning in place to try and find anything. But it was still the same. Nothing.

“We all want that,” Ben said. “I want to get back to my wife. But we ain’t gonna get back by just standing here doing nothing. We gotta find a way to get back. Which means we got to start looking around for anything that can help us.”

Korra stared at him and nodded. He was right. That was what they needed to do. “Alright,” she consented. “Where to first?”

“That way,” he said after a moment, pointing directly ahead of them.

“Why that way? Looks the same as everywhere else,” Liza commented.

“Yes, but it’s the direction that will take us the farthest from the one-eyed giant back there, so until we find anything else to go to, that’s where I’m headed.”

“Fair enough,” Korra nodded and they started walking again. Korra could already feel the sweat dribbling down her skin from the hot sun. She recalled the last time she had been in a desert like this, stranded with a bunch of Earth Kingdom soldiers and Asami and being chased across the dunes in a makeshift sand-sailer by a sand shark. Korra hoped that that wouldn’t happen this time. There weren’t any sand-sailers around, makeshift or otherwise.

She wondered about her theory. Was she really thrust back in time? This didn’t look like the world she had seen Avatar Wan inhabit thousands of years ago. Then again, she may be in a remote part of it. Or, she was somewhere else entirely.

She shook her head. No matter where she was, what she had to do was clear. Find out how she had gotten here so she could find a way back. Until then, keep her eyes peeled for everything and anything.

“So…” she said after a little while, walking next to Ben. She had to skip a little just to keep up with his pace, his large frame covering more distance with each stride. “How long have you been like this, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Little over a decade,” he replied, shrugging. “Little more, actually.”

“And you got it from a…cosmic storm?” Korra checked.

He nodded. “Yep. Flew right up into it and got this misshaped form as a result. But it’s helped me save the world many times over, so…” he shrugged again. “Is what it is, I guess.”

“Huh,” Korra nodded, still not really getting it. What was a cosmic storm? And how would it change someone into this? The closest she could think of was the criminal Tokuga who had been attacked by a dragon eel spirit and thus gained some its properties, slightly transforming him. But this was a full transformation. And evidently did not come from any spirit.

To be honest, when she first saw him she had thought he had been an earthbender who had gotten on the wrong side of some spirits. Now she didn’t really know what to think. Except that he seemed to be a good person.

“So what’s your story then?” she turned to Liza.

“I’m a member of the Adventurer’s Guild of Freestone,” she replied. “Hunting monsters is my job.”

Korra didn’t really know how to respond to that but Ben just nodded so she did too. Then, as the silence continued, she spoke again. “I’m the Avatar.”

“Yeah, you said that already,” Ben told her, looking over. “What does that mean?”

“Uh, well,” Korra bobbed her head, trying to think. She’d never really had to explain what the Avatar was to someone before. “I’m basically a reincarnated soul. Every generation, a new Avatar is born to help bring peace to the world. They can master all four elements.”

“Four elements?” Liza questioned. “What are those?”

“Earth, fire, water, and air,” Korra replied.

“Yeah, assumed so,” Ben said. “Those do seem to be the four elements people go with, for some reason. So you can control them all. Pretty cool. My best bud, Johnny, he can control fire. His whole body erupts into flames and he yells out ‘Flame On’ whenever he can.”

Korra hadn’t heard of that before but sounded a little cool. Except the flame on bit. That sounded lame. She wondered if maybe she should try it. Then again, she wasn’t immune to fire. No firebender was. They just manipulated it. So setting oneself on fire wasn’t really advisable for one’s health.

Since there wasn’t really much else to say, they kept walking. Endlessly. Korra felt every step sink into the soft sand, felt the sun’s heat on top of her, felt every trickle of sweat drip down her skin. She turned to look at Liza, who was wearing light armor. She must have been roasting alive in there but she made no complaints, just soldiered on. Ben, however, seemed fine, showing no signs of slowing or stopping. The desert atmosphere seemed to be having the least effect on him. Which made sense given his physique.

Korra was really starting to wish they had a sand-sailer right about now. Or better yet, a truck. But she didn’t know if those existed yet. She didn’t know where she was or even when she was and the only reason she wasn’t freaking out right now was that she was too tired to. All she could focus on was the next step in front of her, making her way to that unreachable horizon and hoping something appeared on it.

“Alright, enough.”

Korra stumbled to a stop at the words, blinking and looking over at Ben who had stopped walking, turning to look at her and Liza. “Enough of what?” she asked.

“Enough of you two,” he replied. “You both look ready to drop. Can’t go on.”

“Not me, I’m fine,” Liza replied, but even Korra could see her legs trembling a little.

“No need to flex for me kid, we don’t know what’s waiting for us and if it’s bad I’m gonna want you in top form. So here,” he reached down and lifted her up with one of his large stony hands, hoisting her onto his shoulder where she sat easily. Then he did the same for Korra, plopping her down on the other shoulder. “Should’ve done that from the start,” he said. “Sorry for not realizing it sooner. Anyhow, let’s get going.”

He started walking and Korra had to adjust to the movements, finding a comfortable spot that didn’t shift with each step he took. Then she relaxed slightly, not realizing how tired she had actually been. She looked up at the sun and was surprised to see it now dipping in the sky. They had been walking longer than she had realized, a few hours at least. No wonder she was tired.

“Are you sure you can carry us?” Liza asked. “I don’t want to be a burden on you, I’m happy to walk.”

“Nah, you’re good,” Ben replied easily. “It’s like holding a couple grapes honestly. Barely feel a thing. You just hang tight there and let old Ben carry ya.”

“Ok,” Liza said and Korra could sense her body slumping in relief a little.

“So…” Korra said. “Why do you wear that armor? You must be roasting in there.”

Liza looked down at it. “It’s fine,” she said breezily. “It’s light armor. Protects me against minor threats. What really helps is mobility which this is good for. Got to be light on your feet to stay ahead of the enemy.”

Korra knew that. It was why she didn’t wear armor. Also that it was a little too cumbersome for her taste but really she liked being more free with her movements. Armor restricted her bending a little. It worked for some earthbenders and firebenders, but she was raised a waterbender whose bending was more fluid, like the airbenders. Wearing armor just never felt right to her.

“Still,” she pressed. “That can’t be comfortable.”

Liza turned to her. “We don’t know what’s out there or what could be waiting for us. My mentor told me to never let my guard down in enemy territory. This armor might be the only thing that saves me from a sneak attack. So don’t worry about me.”

Korra nodded at that and turned back to the horizon. They kept walking for a little while longer before she tipped her head down to look at Ben. “So…” she began.

He sighed audibly. “Just ask what you’re going to ask.”

“Sorry, it’s just…what’s a cosmic storm?” she asked.

He frowned at that, but not at her, more like he was trying to work it out for himself. “I don’t really know, to be honest. I’m just the muscle guy. I also like to think of myself as the heart of the group, but I ain’t the brains. That’s Reed’s job. So that cosmic storm…well, it was sort of radioactive. All I really know is that it changed our DNA, our very cells. Made us…different. I became this. My buddy, Johnny, became a human torch. Could set himself on fire without getting burned. Reed could stretch and mold his body however he wanted to. And Susie could turn invisible and create force fields. All of us different. But we were a family. And from that storm, we became heroes, defending our world and all other worlds from threats. The Fantastic Four.” He chuckled at that. “That’s what we call ourselves.”

“A little egotistical but it is catchy,” Liza remarked.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Ben nodded. “It took a long time for me to come to grips with this,” he lifted up his hand and clenched his fist. “Still not fully over it, to be honest. But I’ve made my peace with it. And I got the life and family I want now anyway. And I don’t think that would have happened if that storm hadn’t happened. So, it all works out the way it’s supposed to in the end.”

Korra smirked at that. Now that she could understand. “I was born with my abilities. In a sense, I mean. I only found out I had them a few years later, but still. All my life I knew I was going to be the Avatar. I guess I didn’t truly know what that meant until I actually set out into the world.” She recalled first setting eyes on Republic City, first walking into it. The trouble she had caused taking on those gang members and then getting arrested by the metalbenders. And after that, meeting her friends as well as one of her greatest enemies: Amon. “It’s a huge responsibility.”

“Is it?” Ben asked, intrigued. “What exactly is the Avatar’s job?”

“To bring balance to the world. The Avatar is the bridge between the spirit and mortal worlds,” she explained. “Where I come from, some people are born with a bending ability. Earth, fire, water, air. But, as the Avatar, I have access to all four and I use them to protect the world and bring peace where I can.”

Ben chuckled again. “Sounds like a superhero to me,” he said. “And trust me, I’ve met plenty.”

“So, who chooses you to be the Avatar?” Liza asked curiously.

“No one,” Korra replied, and then thought better of it. “Well, maybe the spirit Raava. You see, the spirit is bonded with me just like she was bonded with all my past lives. When I die, she’ll pass on to the next person who will become the Avatar and so on. An endless cycle.”

“Whoa,” Liza nodded, eyes wide. “That is pretty cool.”

“Hmmm,” Ben jerked his head. “Reincarnation. That is cool.”

Korra smiled. But then she smiled even more as she looked back at the horizon. “Hey,” she said, tapping Ben’s shoulder. “You see that?”

“Huh?” he asked, then looked closer. “Ah. Looks like we’re getting somewhere.”

“What?” Liza asked, but then a second later she saw it too. The horizon line had begun to stretch past the desert ground which meant they were coming to a cliff or gorge. The point was that it was a change. And right now, Korra would take what she could get in that department.

She just didn’t expect what she did get.

“Wh-what is this?” she muttered

They all stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down on a wide plain. In the distance, they could see a wall with towers behind it, looking like a city which should have gotten them excited. Except they were distracted by what lay directly below them on the wide plain.

It was a massive heap of scrap metal. It looked like several fleets of airships and planes destroyed each other and collapsed right in this plain. Except there were so many pieces of metal that clearly didn’t belong on any airship or plane Korra had ever seen. She saw huge metal spikes sticking out, a bunch of weird metal tentacles, some strange cylindrical shapes, and something that looked like a giant battle-axe. And then, of course, there were the big ones. Humongous mountains of metal crashed into the plain, so big that they actually looked like mountains. There was so much more, each piece different to the last. The only thing they all had in common was they were all covered in sand and were rusting away.

And they looked like they had blasted each other to bits.

Chapter Text

Barbara lay down on the sand, listening carefully. She could still hear that breathing sound, faint in the rustling of the wind and sand outside of Amani’s dome, but unmistakable. And that cold feeling still spread through her.

“Do you see it?” Amani asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Barbara looked again through a small opening Amani had made near the bottom of the dome. Still just more sand flying about in the storm. No sign of the mysterious figure, whoever it was. But they were still out there, she knew that for sure.

“No,” she said softly back.

“What do we do?” Ember asked.

“We could attack?” Amani suggested, though even she didn’t seem too convinced by that idea. “Element of surprise. Doesn’t seem like whoever’s out there knows we’re here.”

“Maybe, but we have no idea who they are. Attacking without any knowledge is reckless,” Barbara pointed out. She was guilty of the same thing, honestly. It was part of the reason she liked her Oracle persona so much. Without the adrenaline and thrill of being out in person, she could think more rationally about problems and advise her teammates more carefully.

“Yeah, as you already know from me, you don’t always know what’s hiding beneath the surface,” Ember reminded them. Again, Barbara blinked. It was hard to imagine this young girl as a dragon, that at any moment she could shift into a large reptile that breathed fire. At least, Barbara assumed she breathed fire. She hadn’t met many dragons in her adventures.

“So let’s just wait and see,” Barbara told them. “Hopefully, whoever this is will just pass by. Or, maybe they’re friendly.” But somehow, she doubted that one. She could still feel that aura of fear and darkness around them, like this person just naturally exuded it wherever they went. She didn’t think friendly people did that too much. Maybe Batman at times, though not like this. This felt more…supernatural.

She looked out through the hole again and frowned, seeing nothing. Not like she couldn’t see anything of interest out there, but that she couldn’t see anything at all. It was just black. Like everything had just disappeared or been replaced…

“HAAAWWWW-PPPPEEEERRRRR.”

“Oh shit!” Barbara muttered and dove out of the way right before a crimson blade of light struck the place she’d just been lying down. She came up on her feet, hurling several batarangs but the blade twisted, cutting each one down.

“Amani!”

“On it!” The girl raised her hand and the sand around them rose up, rushing to the intruder who was still hidden behind the sand dome. Barbara thought for a second, as the sand crashed into the figure, that that would be enough. And then she saw Amani tense, eyes narrowing, and begin to step forward, as if pushing something. But whatever she was doing, it wasn’t enough. Barbara looked back at where the figure was and saw the crimson light of the blade glowing more and more fiercely until the sand parted like water and it appeared, shining violently and brimming with energy. Barbara had first thought it was some sort of sword or other blade charged with energy. But now she was it was light forged into a shimmering blade, like the constructs of the different lantern corps. Only this one seemed more…alive.

And then the blade’s owner stepped forward.

The figure was completely dressed in black, from gloves to boots to helmet to even a long cape draped over the shoulders. The helmet had a dome-like shape with what looked like visors over the eyes and a columned mouthpiece which was where that intense breathing was coming from. There was also a box on the figure’s chest with several buttons and dials. Based on a quick analysis, Barbara assumed that the figure had a breathing problem or something like it. She could use that.

“You would be wise to surrender,” the figure said in a cold, monotone voice.

“Not going to happen,” Ember snarled, her eyes narrowing into slits.

The figure turned to look at Amani. “You are the one I sensed. You have great power inside of you. Tell me what you know of this place and how I came to be here.”

“We don’t know,” Barbara told him. “We just arrived here out of nowhere. Same as you, I’m guessing.”

The figure regarded her for a second before returning to Amani. “Your power…is both similar and different to what I have seen.” He took a step forward. “You will come with me.”

“I don’t think so,” Amani replied and threw her hands forward. The sand again rushed to obey her, swarming towards the figure but he merely held out his hand and it was like all the sand hit an invisible wall, stopping midair. Again, Amani grunted and pushed forward but Barbara could see it was having no effect. Whoever this figure was, they were stronger. Then, the figure pushed back slightly with his hand and it was like Amani had been struck, flying backwards and hitting the sand hard.

“Damn it,” Barbara muttered, starting to move forward but Ember beat her to it. Barbara gaped as the girl in front of her shifted, the human skin transforming into hardened red scales, her limbs elongating into large talons, her face morphing into a muzzle with long sharp teeth, her back stretching into ridges with spikes sticking out. A tail shot out from her back, whipping back and forth. The change took seconds, as if the dragon inside her had been waiting to come out this entire time.

With a roar, the red dragon charged forward and send a claw right at the dark figure but at the last second he ducked under, sliding beneath the claw and thrust his blade up, striking one of Ember’s talons. She shrieked, whipping her claw back in pain. She tried to attack again but again the figure dodged easily and struck back. This time, Ember was able to back away, but only barely, the blade missing her chest by an inch.

Seeing an opening, Barbara launched several more of her batarangs. The figure turned his blade came up, cleaving through them, but then Barbara came forward with her bo staff, bringing it down on hard on him. He leaned out of the way, the staff striking the ground, and Barbara twisted out of the way before the blade could come down on her. She swung the staff again upwards but again he dodged, leaning back a little so the staff missed. She spun it in hand, twisting it around her shoulders, before moving to attack. But as she did, she suddenly felt a powerful force grip her staff, pulling it out of her hands. She tried to hold on to it but the force was much stronger and the staff was ripped from her grasp and sent flying out of reach.

She looked back and saw the figure’s gloved hand turn to her and then she felt the force wrap around her. She gasped, trying to break free but the next second she was flying forward right toward the figure, his crimson blade pointed directly at her. She cried out, trying to break free, but she still soared straight to her death.

And then right before the blade could strike her, the sand beneath the figure’s feet rose up, knocking him aside. Barbara felt the grip on her loose and she fell to the ground, gasping at how close she had just come to death.

The figure rose quickly as the sand continued to attack him, Amani once again on her feet, but his wall was up to, keeping the sand back. She pressed down on him, the sand twisting and forming into sharp spikes that constantly stabbed at him but he still held them at bay. For a second, it looked like his eye visors had narrowed as he raised his hand even more. But before he could do anything, he was suddenly engulfed in a wave of fire. Barbara gaped and then turned to see Ember breathing a river of bright flames down upon him. She stumbled back as the heat intensified, the fire almost white-hot. Even Amani backed off, staring in shock.

“Do you think that did it?” Barbara asked her.

“I don’t know how anyone could survive that,” she murmured back.

The flames exploded outward, knocking them all backwards. And then the figure emerged, the fire dissipating around him and him looking none the worse for wear, as if he had just taken a stroll in the park rather than being in the center of a blazing inferno. Barbara had faced many threats over the years, but for some reason she thought this one might be the greatest.

“What the-” Ember muttered when the figure’s hand lunged outwards and Ember gasped, her eyes wide. Her claws tried to go up to her throat, as if trying to dislodge something there but there wasn’t anything.

“He’s choking her,” Barbara realized in horror. He had telekinetic abilities. Extremely powerful ones. Thinking fast, she moved to grab her equipment but Amani moved first, once more the sand rising to her. “No, that won’t work,” Barbara tried, but it was too late. The sand launched itself at the figure who barely turned his head to stop it, the sand stopping in front of him. And then, slowly, it began to turn around back towards Amani.

“What?” she muttered in disbelief. Then her eyes narrowed and she pushed back but the sand didn’t move. Or at least, it didn’t move towards the figure. Instead, it started moving towards her, shifting until it formed a spear as hard as stone. And then it lunged forward.

“Move!” Barbara cried, leaping and crashing into Amani, knocking them both aside before the sand spear could kill her. As she did, she threw a couple flash grenades right at the figure. They went off with a soft boom, startling the figure a little and causing him to stumble back a step. Barbara used the opportunity to hurl her bola at him while simultaneously grabbing her bo staff from where it had fallen, charging forward with it. The figure grabbed the bola out the air with ease, tossing it aside, and then lunged forward to meet her when he nearly tripped, the sand beneath his feet rising. He grunted, hand outward and apparently holding him upright. Barbara used the opportunity to strike at him with her staff but even knee-deep in sand, he was still a good fighter, his blade striking at her first and nearly slicing her in half if she hadn’t dodged aside at the last second.

Just then, Ember, who had been released from the choke-grip, attacked as well, unleashing a fresh torrent of fire at the figure who barely got his free hand up in time, dropping his blade and creating a barrier against the flame. Seeing her opportunity, Barbara crept along his blindside and then swung the staff with all her strength right at the figure, bringing it down hard on his helmet. The hollow banging sound echoed for hears alone. She thought for a second that she had managed to do something when the figure slowly turned to her, the helmet’s blank gaze staring at her with pure menace.

“That was a mistake,” the figure said in a voice colder than any she’d heard before that it sent shivers down her spine. Slowly, the figure lifted up his hands and Barbara felt a change in the air, like something was pressing down on it. “You cannot fathom the power you now face. You are no match for the dark side of the force. Allow me to demonstrate.”

He lifted his hand and suddenly Barbara felt a tight pressure around her throat, strangling her. She tried to push it away but there was nothing there, just the force of it. She gasped, now rising in the air. She could see out of the corner of her eye the same thing happening with Ember and Amani. She struggled for breath while she scrambled for her belt. But before she could reach it, her hand froze in the air, immobilized.

So this was it then. She was gone. This couldn’t be how it ended and yet she didn’t know what else to do. Bruce probably would, since he was Batman, but at this moment, Barbara couldn’t think of a single thing. She closed her eyes, picturing her father and praying he would make it through this. And picturing Dick. If she was going to die, she wanted him to be the last thing she remembered.

The pressure was getting too intense. She made one last gasp right before…

…a glowing blue fist materialized behind the figure, punching him in the back and sending him sprawling. Instantly, Barbara and the others dropped, gasping for breath. Barbara rubbed her throat, trying to ease the pain.

“Yeah, got him!” a voice cried out in glee. “That’s how you do it!”

“Silence boy. We need to press our advantage. Diggle!”

“On it! Immobulus!”

The figure, on the verge of rising, became perfectly still, as if he’d just become a statue.

“Good work.”

Barbara felt a hand on her shoulder as someone helped her up. She turned and saw a big kid with dirty blonde hair a few years younger than her. In his hand was a large, weird-shaped sword that was curved so it seemed almost like an axe-blade at the same time. “Hey, I’m Julian,” he said with a small smile.

“Uh…Barbara,” she replied, still feeling woozy after her near death experience. She then turned and saw Amani and Ember also rising to their feet. And beside them were two people that were so out of place that it took her a second to process them. One was a short older man wearing a long violet cloak that dangled around his feet. In his hand was a short stick of wood. The other man was so much taller than him it was almost comical but he was wearing shiny bright armor that seemed to wrap around him, two long sashes hanging off his shoulders. He had long black hair draped down his backside that was held together by a small crown on his forehead. In his hands was a sword so sharp it seemed like it could cleave through anything. It took a second for Barbara to notice but she also saw that his ears were slightly pointed.

“That’s Dedalus and Elrond,” Julian gestured to them.

“Nice to meet you, I guess,” she said, still a little unsure.

“Same!” Dedalus grinned while Elrond didn’t reply, still staring down at the figure.

“That’s Amani and Ember,” Barbara pointed to them each. Both seemed to have recovered and were now backing away from the figure’s prone form. “Sorry, how are you doing that?” she asked, pointing at him.

“Magic, my dear,” Dedalus practically squeaked. “Don’t worry, he can’t break out. It’s a freezing charm. It’ll hold him.”

Barbara frowned, unconvinced. “Are you sure about that?”

“Oh yes, positive. He won-”

Dedalus didn’t get to finish that sentence as he was suddenly dragged forward with a squeal of surprise. Before he could even cry out, the figure’s crimson blade flashed outwards, slicing the man in half. His body dissolving into a shimmer of bright light before vanishing completely. Barbara gasped and Julian swore while Elrond raised his sword. In Dedalus’s place, the figure rose. It was impossible to tell with the mask on, but Barbara swore she could feel his glare on all of them.

“Your power in consequential compared to mine. You will all die now.”

Elrond raised his blade. “We will see.” He then charged forward but the figure gestured with his hand and sent Elrond flying aside. Whoever he was though, he was agile as he twisted midair and landed on his feet. As he did, Julian charged forward, his fist suddenly encompassed in gigantic shimmering blue version of it. He tried to punch the figure but again he merely dodged aside before striking back with his blade, the weapon hitting the fist and both energy constructs crackling with tendrils of electricity. Julian gasped, his face contorted in a grimace before summoning another giant blue fist with his other hand, sending that hurtling towards the figure who gave up the fight with the first fist to turn and cut right through the second one, dissipating it.

“They’re not going to win,” Barbara muttered, watching as Elrond returned to the fight, Amani also charging forward. Whoever this guy was, none of them were enough to stop him. She could tell by his stance, his movements. He didn’t feel threatened by any of them. It wasn’t like he was overconfident. It was like he knew their strengths and knew that his far outmatched theirs. She was reminded of Batman who always went into a fight prepared, who never believed he would win just because he had won previous times even against someone he’d fought a hundred times before. He went into each fight as if it was the first one, analyzing his opponent to see their strengths and how he could match them. And when they were no match, he let them know it. That was exactly what this guy was doing here. Except with Bruce, he’d let them live. This guy wouldn’t.

The figure’s hand shot out, lifting Julian up and throwing him aside like a ragdoll. Elrond took the opportunity to strike but the figure twisted, blade in hand, and halted his opponent’s sword. Elrond then spun and kicked out before sidestepping and bringing his sword down. The figure countered easily, bringing his own weapon down in a lethal arc if Elrond hadn’t blocked it. The two continued to trade blows in such a fast and deadly way that Barbara had a hard time keeping up with it. Any of those moves felt like a killing blow and yet the two continually blocked and struck again, both expert warriors.

“I…can’t.”

Barbara turned and saw Amani slump a little, breathing hard. “I can’t move the sand,” she said, her voice filled with disbelief. She turned to Barbara, her eyes wide. “He’s doing something, stopping me from using my powers. I…I didn’t even know that was possible.” She stared back at the figure, sweeping his blade towards Elrond’s neck who leaned back only a fraction far enough to avoid it. “Who is he?”

Barbara was beginning to wonder if they even wanted to know.

Next to them, Ember huffed in dragon form, clearly anxious to get into the fight but unable to do anything as long as the two were so close together. Barbara felt the same way except she really had no idea what she was going to be able to do.

They continued to watch the fight and as it progressed, Barbara became more and more concerned. At any moment, the figure could easily have ripped Elrond’s sword from his grasp. He had done it with her staff already. So why wasn’t he doing it now? Or he could choke him. Or do other things. So why was he concentrating so hard on the duel, only using his blade?

Because he likes it.

As she watched, Barbara realized it was true. The way he acted, it was like him cutting loose a little. He seemed to live with each blow he struck. He wanted the challenge. She wondered how long that would last. Because it was also starting to feel like he was only playing with Elrond.

Elrond backed away second, panting a little. “I do not know what kind of dark being you are, but I swear I will send you back into the abyss.”

The figure lowered his blade for a second. “I am Vader,” he said, his voice was freezing blast of air. And then he moved, practically flying across the ground to Elrond who barely managed to get his blade up in time, the crimson saber meeting it head on. The metal blade started to glow as Vader pressed down on it. Elrond grimaced and looked like he was trying to break free but couldn’t.

“Screw this!” Ember growled, moving to attack. The sand rose up before she could, wrapping around their ankles and holding them fast. Barbara wrestled with it and nearly tripped over. She then could only watch as Vader continued to press down.

She saw it in her mind first, Vader giving one last push that had his blade shatter through Elrond’s, leaving it in two searing pieces. Elrond only had time to gape before Vader moved again, the saber coming down again across his chest. But even then, Elrond proved his agility, instinctively ducking back so the saber didn’t cut too deep.

Judging from his cries of pain, it was still bad.

“Hey loser!” They all turned to see Julian returning, one of his curved swords in each hand. “Try this on for size,” he said and then the air around him shimmered before a giant figure of a warrior with the head of a hawk appeared around him.

“Holy,” Barbara muttered.

“There’s something you don’t see every day,” Ember muttered.

If Vader was worried, there were no signs. He turned to face Julian’s new form, blade at the ready. “Are you ready to die?” he asked.

Julian laughed. “Buddy, you’re the one who needs to ask that question.” Then he paused, realizing what he’d said. “No wait, that’s not what I…oh never mind, let’s just do this.” He leapt forward, bringing both swords down but Vader moved to the side, the blades passing him by and hitting the ground instead. His own blade came down on Julian’s avatar form, the figure flickering and Barbara could see Julian wince inside.

“Come on,” she muttered, looking down at the tendrils of sand still holding her tightly. She could try throwing some more grenades and batarangs but those had proven useless against this guy already. She needed a new tactic.

She looked at his chest plate again. If she could just hit that without him knowing.

She reached down and tried cutting through the sand with one of her batarangs but it was like rock, the batarang not even scratching it.

“Amani, any luck?” she asked.

“No,” the girl replied, her teeth gritted in concentration. “I keep pushing but there’s this cold…presence around it or something. I just can’t break through. I’m sorry.”

Ember let out a burst of fire but Vader was over on the next dune now, no longer interested in them. He was currently slashing away at Julian’s hawk figure, causing it to flicker with each blow. Julian was trying to fight back but each of his attacks was weaker than the last and Vader dodged or deflected them all. He was losing ground and fast.

“Here.” They all turned to see Elrond rise up to them, his severed blade in hand. He leaned over and sliced through the sand holding Barbara’s feet.

“How did you do that?”

“Elven steel,” he held the blade up. “Made to cut through dark magic.”

Barbara nodded, just going with it at this point. “Alright then.”

Elrond swiftly freed the others and then turned to see Vader strike Julian one last time, his avatar vanishing under the blow. Barbara hissed and moved to run towards him as Vader raised his saber for the killing stroke when Julian suddenly yelled out, “Ha-wi!” and something blue shimmered in front of him.

Vader instantly flew back, as if struck by an invisible opponent.

“Hell yeah!” Julian cheered and Barbara had the resist the urge to yell at him. Vader clearly wasn’t down yet.

That was obvious a second later as Julian was suddenly lifted in the air, choking for air.

“Shit!” Barbara started running, readying her weapons but she already knew she’d be too late. Vader made a small gesture and Julian came flying over to him right to where his saber was pointed.

Then something else blue shimmered in front of Julian right before he hit the saber and then he just stopped inches from the simmering point. He winced, shaking from strain. Vader seemed to tighten his grip on the blade, pressing it forward but whatever the barrier was, he couldn’t break it. Yet.

This was her chance. But before she could act on it, Elrond ran past her, his feet barely touching the ground. “His chest,” she said as he did. He didn’t show any sign of having heard her so she continued anyway while trying to think up a workable plan.

Vader turned at the last second as Elrond leapt for him, two large knives in his hands. The elf-man quickly had to twist his blades up in order to meet Vader’s saber. He tried to kick at the dark figure but Vader stepped out of the way. Barbara saw his hand coming up but Elrond saw it too, jumping away and attacking from the side, forcing Vader back on the attack.

Barbara rushed to Julian’s side who was panting hard. Amani and Ember were right on her tail.

“I…” Julian paused, staring at Vader with wide eyes. “What is he?”

“I don’t know. But we need to get out of here.” She turned to Ember. “Can you fly us out of here.”

Ember blinked. “Uh…maybe. You’ll be heavy. And it’ll be slow. But, technically yes I can.”

Barbara nodded. They could work with that. She had no allusions that they would ever be able to beat Vader. Elrond was currently barely holding his own, his chest wound clearly weighing on him. She just hoped that they could halt him some way to give them all enough time to get away.

And then it happened. Vader dodged one of the knife thrusts, turned and his saber flashed down. Elrond screamed out in pain as one of his hands dropped lifelessly to the ground. Then before they could do anything, the saber came down again and the second hand joined the first. Elrond dropped to his knees, his chest heaving.

“A valiant effort,” Vader said coldly. “But the result is always the same.”

Barbara gritted her teeth in anger, hand closing around the flash grenade.

Elrond grimaced before he looked up, facing Vader. “I don’t know what you are. But I do know that you are nothing but darkness and pain. And I pity you for that.” He then looked down at Barbara and nodded once.

She winced, knowing what was going to happen. But she rolled the grenade anyway, softly so Vader wouldn’t sense it. It stopped just beneath his feet right as the saber came down once more, cutting Elrond into light, just like Dedalus.

Barbara readied her staff just as the grenade went off. Vader stumbled in shock, letting out a groan of surprise. He was so distracted that he never saw her coming, Barbara whipping around his blind spot and bringing the staff as hard as she could on his chest plate.

There was an instant hissing sound and Vader suddenly fell to his knees, his breath strangled. Barbara grinned. This was their moment.

“Ember!” she yelled and the dragon answered, flying up and landing on top of him, flattening him to the ground.

“Nice work,” Ember grinned a toothy grin. “Now we got h-”

Vader suddenly sent his arms wide and it was like a bomb just went off, a shockwave of pure force sending them all hurtling backwards, flying up into the air. Barbara felt like a truck had just run her over. She tried to breathe, to focus, but the panic of the moment sent her mind reeling. Her body hurtled upwards, so high that she went over the cliff, the vast landscape spread out below her.

Think! Think! Think! she screamed at herself. If she didn’t think fast, she was dead. She’d been in hundreds of deadly situations before and she’d always managed to make it through. This time was no different. It shouldn’t be. She was Batgirl. And this was now how she died.

She started to fall, the ground rushing towards her. She had seconds to act. She looked around fast and realized she was falling down the side of the cliff, its wall rushing past her. She scrambled over her costume and then realized which costume this was. And the accessories it had. In her panic, she had forgotten. Acting fast, she pulled on the threads and brought her gliders out, the wind catching them and holding them aloft. Barbara breathed out in relief as now, instead of falling, she was gliding through the air. But she didn’t really want to stay like this all the way down. The wind could change at any second and then she’d be in trouble.

She glided by the cliff face and then whipped out her grappling hook, aiming it, and firing. The grapple shot upwards, its small rope spiraling behind it, before it caught the rock she’d aimed at and bit in tight. Barbara braced but she couldn’t fully prepare for when her body came to an abrupt stop, every bone and muscle in her body jolting and feeling like loose change. It wasn’t as bad if she’d been falling, but it still hurt like hell. She felt like she had just been hit by a truck, groaning from the strain. She wouldn’t be surprised if she had just dislocated her shoulder. Certainly felt like it. But the worse pain came from her power back, where only a small device kept her spine intact. Throbs of agony rocked her whole body from there and she just hung limply for a few minutes until it finally began to subside.

Thankfully, she still had her bo staff, which she quickly folded up and placed in her belt.

“This just keeps getting better and better,” she grunted, switching arms to relieve the other of the pressure. “What’s next? An earthquake? Volcanic eruption? Or maybe…” she paused, a sensation overtaking her. She hadn’t paid attention to it in a little while, focused on the battle with the dark figure. But it was back now. The pull in her blood, as if it was being drawn out of her. Or, more specifically, the iron in her blood was being drawn out of her. By something large enough, powerful enough, to generate its own gravitational field. Like a giant, specifically one she had seen ten minutes ago at the bottom of a cliff.

She felt a pit grow deep inside of her. “I guess things can get worse,” she muttered, turning around to see a large figure approaching. “So much worse.”

Chapter Text

Peter bobbed his head, trying to make sense of it. “Ok, so clearly what grabbed us isn’t only about distance but time. Which means, unfortunately, that while we still don’t know where we are, though I have some guesses, we also have no idea when we are. And that’s a bigger problem. The past? The future? Still the present? But it can’t be the present for both of us.” He shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around all this. Time travel. He was actually dealing with time travel. He didn’t know whether to freak out or geek out, so he decided to do neither. As much as he wanted to do both, he needed to keep a cool head to try and figure this out.

“Ok, so we have no idea where we are and now when we are. So, we need to try and find some answers.”

“Alright, where?” Hermione asked. She held up her hands and spun in a circle. “Far as I can see the only thing around here other than us is that thing,” she gestured to the fallen wolf-lizard beast. “And I don’t think it can help us out.”

Peter looked around until he spotted it again. “There,” he said, pointing out the small dot. “It’s not really anything, but it is something different. I was heading there to check out what it was when I heard you and the big bad kaiju here.”

Hermione narrowed her eyes, looking at it. She had a dubious expression on her face but shrugged. “You’re right. Probably nothing, but worth checking out.”

“So glad you agree,” Peter said a little dryly and she rolled her eyes at him.

“Look, clearly we’ve been dropped here for some weird reason. We don’t know how or why but until we do, we should probably work together,” she said, holding out her hand.

Peter regarded it for a second before nodding and taking it. “Ok, so we could either walk or swing,” he said, mentally measuring the distance it would take to cross. “Walking would probably take longer but we can’t swing all the way there anyway and I don’t know how you feel about riding on my back.”

“That would be a no for me,” Hermione told him. “Better idea, I just apparate us there.”

Peter frowned. “Apparate? What’s that?”

“I magically transport us there. It’s simple. You just hold onto me and I turn and we’re there.”

Peter didn’t quite know what to make of that but something else caught his attention first. “Hold up. Magically transport. Is that anything like how we got transported here?”

Hermione shook her head. “No, that was different. With apparition, you know you’re traveling. You feel like your whole body is being squeeze through a tube.”

“That’s something to look forward to,” Peter muttered.

“When I arrived, I didn’t feel anything. It was just, one second I’m sitting on the chair, the next I’m sitting on a rock. It was like the world had shifted around me.”

Peter nodded, knowing the feeling. That was what had happened to him. No warning, no signs, just one second New York and the next some random desert. “Ok, so this wasn’t your people then.”

Hermione shook her head. “Not that I know of. I mean, now that I know it’s also time travel, maybe the Department of Mysteries is involved, but…” she shrugged helplessly.

Peter frowned. “You know, you’re taking this all well.”

Hermione let off a loud laugh at that. “If you say so,” she said. “Because I am completely freaking out right now. I am scared and confused and all I really want is to find Ron and Harry and everyone and curl up back on that chair.” She sighed, closing her eyes and Peter saw a couple tears leak down her cheeks. “I thought this was all over. We just ended a war several months ago, just managed to get some peace and quiet for once. And then this happens. And…” she trailed off, a small sob breaking out.

Peter walked up to her and offered her a small hug, wrapping an arm around her shoulder which she took gratefully. Then, after about a second’s consideration, he removed the mask and her eyes widened a little. “It was getting a little hot under there,” he explained.

She smiled. “Right, of course.”

Peter smiled back. “I’m Peter. Peter Parker.”

“It’s nice to meet you Peter Parker.” She shook her head. “You’re one to talk though because you’re clearly dealing with this much better than I am.”

“Yeah well, I do have some experience with crazy stuff,” Peter said. “I’ve fought so many different bad guys over the years with really weird powers and gimmicks that it does take a lot to surprise me. I mean, this is surprising but at this point, I just roll with it. You kind of have to when you see a man transform into a giant mound of sand.”

Hermione opened her mouth at that and then closed it again, apparently deciding not to comment.

“Yeah, it’s about as weird as it sounds. But look, if you want my advice, just take it one step at a time. Are we trapped across space and time in a random desert with horrible monsters and no idea how to get home? It seems that way, yes. So, we focus on the main thing. Right now, get to that dot on the horizon and see what it is. If it’s something, we know what the next step is. If it’s nothing…then I guess we should probably see about finding some sort of shelter for tonight. Deserts get pretty cold at night from the lack of humidity and the dry atmosphere. Probably looking at-”

“A drop in temperature of minus 4 degrees Celsius,” Hermione finished for him. When she saw his surprised look, she just rolled her eyes again. “I may be a witch, but I still know my facts. I read about it in a book.”

“Another science nerd, nice,” Peter nodded appreciatively.

She smirked at that, then smiled sincerely. “Thanks,” she said. “Now let’s get to that dot.”

“Yep,” Peter nodded, and took her hand. As he did, he thought of something else. “Hey, so have you tried apparating away from here?”

She nodded. “First thing I did. Whatever’s going on here has an anti-apparition jinx over it.”

Peter frowned. “So then how are we apparating to the dot if there’s anti-apparition jinx in place.”

“The jinx just seems to be there to hold us here. I managed to apparate around the canyon for a few minutes before giving up. Then I ran into that thing,” she gestured to the creature next to them. “Stupidly, I put away my wand cause I was looking at something else and then it attacked me. Ugh,” she shook her head. “Moody would be so disappointed in me.”

“Ok,” Peter nodded, having no idea who Moody was. Sounded like a moody kind of guy (mental high-five!). “Let’s go then.” He pulled his mask down out of instinct and did his best to ready himself for whatever was about to happen.

Hermione held his hand tight and then raised her wand before turning in her step. And then the world flashed around and Peter felt himself collapse, like he was being shoved through a hole too small to ever fit and yet making it, his whole body twisting in ways it never should have before the world righted itself once more and he found himself in an entirely new location.

“Gah!” he said, nearly doubling over as his stomach churned. “Oh, that’s not what you want. Hurgh! I’m ok, I’m ok…erugh!” Despite his stomach’s efforts, he managed to keep everything down where it should be and got back to his feet. “Huh, that…that was not pleasant. Like at all. I think I’d rather walk next time.”

“Yeah, all first apparitions are bad,” Hermione nodded sympathetically.

“Could have warned me,” Peter said, but he could feel the sensations subsiding. “Alright, now what do we have here.” If was then that he noticed the towering mound of stone right in front of him. It looked to be the height of the Oscorp tower and the width of maybe five Grand Central Stations lined up next to each other. Peter could make out several plants and small trees growing along the sides. It looked climbable with plenty of handholds. There were even places where you could lie down. “Oh, so that’s what is was. Just a rock. Huh.”

Hermione also let off a sigh of disappointment. “So, I guess we try and find a shelter then?” She took a closer look at the mound and shrugged. “Actually, this is a pretty good spot. There are places along the sides where we can rest for the night off the sand and we shouldn’t get taken by surprise from another one of those creatures. We could…”

“Wait,” Peter said, stopping her. He had kept looking as she talked and spotted something. He pointed at it. “There.”

Hermione followed his finger to the small outcropping at the top of the mound. “So what, it’s just some boulder.”

“No, look closer,” Peter said. “There are gaps in it. Either it’s one of those weirdly formed rocks or that thing is man-made. It looks like a tower.”

Hermione’s soft gasp told him she saw it as well now. “So this place is inhabited.”

“I don’t think so,” Peter replied. It was hard to see from this distance but that tower looked derelict. “But let’s check it out anyway.”

“Right.” Hermione lifted up her wand.

“Whoa!” Peter backed away fast. “No thanks, I’ll just web my way up there.”

Hermione smirked. “Ok. See you up there then.” She then turned in place and seemed to disappear into herself, like a vortex. Peter blinked before shaking his head, now knowing what it looked like making him more glad to be doing this his way. He shot out with his webs and pulled himself up before shooting another web and then another and another, constantly pulling himself along. He scrambled up the side of the mound easily. It was different from the skyscrapers he did this to back home since there were all these rocks and cracks but it had no real effect on him. Within seconds, he reached the top and he landed smoothly.

Then he just stopped and stared at the sight in front of him. “Whoa!”

He stood in front of what must have been the gates but they had been destroyed what looked like centuries ago. The walls were lined and cracked with age, falling apart in many areas. And the buildings inside were all in various stages in disrepair from bad to worse to just plain rubble. The watchtower, because that’s what it had to be, was the best thing in condition, and it seemed half of it was missing.

Hermione stood several feet away, taking it all in as well. “How old do you think it is?” she asked.

“Centuries at least,” Peter said, looking around. “Probably even millennia.” This place was clearly weathered by time. “The wear and tear is similar to stuff I saw in Symkaria in terms of age. But that’s not all. Look.” He pointed to the gates and showed her the splinters of wood spread out along the street behind it. “The gate was blown off,” he said. “And look at the walls there and there,” he said, again pointing them out where the damage was worst due to the other rock on the other side of the areas. “That didn’t happen over time.” He nodded. “This was place attacked. We’re looking at an old battlefield.”

His theory was more than confirmed when they began walking inside and saw the bodies. There weren’t many and there wasn’t much left. Just a few bones here and there alongside weapons, armor, shields, and such. Peter picked up a shield and frowned. This didn’t make any sense. The design was similar to that of Roman or Greek but that couldn’t line up with the time zone. It had been about thirty minutes since he’d arrived and the sun was still pretty high in the sky. But when he had been taken from New York, it had been about six-thirty in the evening. The only place in the world that would line up that way was somewhere in the southwest US or Mexico. But there were no sites like this place anywhere in that region as far as he knew. And this was stuff was clearly at least a thousand years old. And as far as he knew, no Aztec or even Mayan weapons looked like this.

He then saw something on the ground and pulled it out, shaking the sand and dust loose. It was a sword, completely caked in rust and looked like it would fall apart after one swing. But the thing was that it was just a simple blade. Nothing like the Aztec weapons he’d read about. So either all the archaeologists had gotten it wrong or something else was happening here.

“What do you think happened here?” Hermione asked after looking inside one of the buildings.

“This must have been some sort of military outpost,” Peter said. “There’s no residential areas, no town hall or communal buildings. But there are training areas and arenas. It would be one of the first places an invading force would take out. But what doesn’t make sense as that none of this lines up with what I know of the area.”

Hermione frowned. “What do you mean?”

He explained about the time zones and the archaeology. “It just doesn’t add up,” he said. “Unless I’m missing something, which must be the case.” He let off a frustrated breath. “Let’s keep looking. Maybe we’ll find something.”

It was approximately twenty seconds later that they did, walking into the next street and spotting the enormous skeleton of some dinosaur creature with several spears sticking out of its ribcage. More bones and skulls were scattered around it.

“Ok, we’ve definitely entered the Twilight Zone,” he said, “cause that looks an awful lot like the T-Rex skeleton at the Natural History Museum. And I’m pretty sure those guys were extinct long before humanity came along.”

“Not necessarily,” Hermione said, taking a closer look at the creature.

Peter whipped his head around so fast he almost got whiplash. “What?”

“Dragons exist. There are plenty of them and a few that can’t fly. This could easily be one of them,” she nodded at it. “Or some other magical beast.”

“Right, yeah, that sort of tracks. This must have something to do with your world then.”

Hermione grimaced. “Maybe. But what you said about time zones and the weapons still doesn’t make sense.”

They kept looking around and found other things. More skeletons of other strange creatures. Some Hermione identified as trolls or cerberi but others she was just as lost, the skeletons containing several heads, multiple limbs, or weirdly deformed spines. There were also some gouge marks on the walls or spots where the stone looked like it had been eaten away.

“I’m starting to think the invading force wasn’t made up of men,” Peter said after a while. “Or women,” he added quickly. “Or, just people in general.”

“But…these creatures could never be organized by themselves,” Hermione said, confused. “They must have been under the control of some sort of witch or wizard.”

Peter didn’t know about that. He didn’t know about any of this. He was way out of his area of expertise. All he knew was that the mystery of this place was deepening with each passing second. And he would really like to go home now.

The sun had continued to climb in the sky as they looked around and now was beginning to sink again. The night air was starting to cool as well.

“We should probably think of setting up camp soon,” Hermione said. “Rummage around for some food.”

Peter hadn’t noticed it before but his stomach let off an epic gurgle to let him know of its plight. “Ah, yes. Though it’s been a thousand years, so I don’t think there will be anything edible around here. Can’t you just conjure up some food?”

“Wish I could, but no. It’s one of the five Principle Exceptions to Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transformation.”

“I don’t know what that means but I get it. No magic food,” he sighed. “Ok, well, human bodies can last days without food, weeks even. What we need is water. That’s what’s going to kill us if we’re not careful.”

“Now that I can provide,” she said, gesturing with her wand. Instantly, several stones transformed into goblets and filled up with water which she took gratefully and downed in several gulps. Peter was about to question it when he decided not to. Magic was more confusing the more he knew about it. He just decided to be grateful and drank his own goblet, reveling in the cool taste of water going down his throat.

“Alright, now we should probably think of where we should sleep.” And how, Peter thought to himself, though he assumed they would just sleep in different areas to preserve privacy.

Hermione glanced nervously around them. “I don’t really feel comfortable sleeping in what is essentially a mass graveyard.”

“Yeah, kind of puts a damper to the idea of a restful sleep,” Peter agreed. “Maybe just stick to the cliffs. That way we can also keep a lookout to anything coming our way.”

“Good idea. Tomorrow, we should maybe look around some more but then we should-”

Peter froze, his spider-sense tingling. Someone was watching them, hiding among the ruins, but approaching fast. He ignored Hermione for a second, trying to zero in on whoever it was but his sense wasn’t exact. All he knew was that the person posed a threat and they were coming in fast. But he couldn’t let on that he was aware. That was his advantage.

“Uh huh,” he said to whatever Hermione just said and heard her continue to talk. The person was on the roof and Peter’s spider-sense was increasing with each second, like a small bell in his ear and an increased shiver down his spine. He readied his webs and tensed up. He could feel the person waiting right above him. Peter briefly contemplated attacking first but he had no idea how skilled this person was. He had made that same mistake years ago in his first battle with Scorpion and had almost had his ribcage shattered. He just had to wait a few more seconds. Or…

“Here,” he said, walking forward and leaving his back exposed. Instantly, his spider-sense intensified but he ignored it. “Let’s start setting up at the cliffs and then we can-”

The person jumped at him and Peter’s senses screamed at him. This time, he responded. He whirled around and kicked out at the person, his foot launching itself into their chest and sending them hurtling into the wall and through it, causing a dust cloud to rise up. Peter raised his shooters and fired a string of web inside but the figure was amazingly fast, dodging them and coming out fast. Now that he was out in the open, Peter could see the person was a man. A tall, buff man wearing nothing but woolen shorts around his waist, his skin looking like it had been chiseled out of rock. The man had flowing black hair and a massive sword in his hands, a murderous expression on his face.

“Ok man, let-” but that’s all Peter got before the man charged him. He tried webbing him up but the man just sliced through the webs midair and brought the sword down.

“Stupefy!” Hermione yelled and a bolt of red light shot out. The man, however, ducked to the side even as he fell, barely missing the spell. He landed heavily on the ground but swiftly rolled with the blow and came up kneeling. He charged forwards, sword raised and Peter had to jump aside to avoid getting skewered. He webbed up the blade in an effort to rip out of the man’s hands but the man didn’t resist. Instead, he went straight for Peter who had been expecting resistance and now lost his footing. The only reason he didn’t get impaled was because Hermione cast out another spell. This time, it took as an invisible force yanked the man by his ankles and lifted up in the air upside down.

“Release me!” the man bellowed, shaking his sword and fist wildly in anger.

Peter eyed him warily. This guy was fast and strong. Even suspended like that, he seemed extremely dangerous. “Not unless you promise to not attack us, John Cena.”

“I will make no deals with the likes of you!” the man snarled and then threw his sword out. Peter instantly leapt up, dodging the blade. Hermione shrieked and threw herself to the side, also missing the blade but lost her grip on her spell, releasing the man who instantly attacked. Peter moved to fight him but the man just knocked him aside, grabbing hold of his sword and swinging it around experimentally before facing Peter once more. “Now, I will cut you down like the de-”

Before he could finish, Peter shot a suspension matrix at the man’s feet, throwing him up in the air and holding him there. “Don’t worry,” Peter told him. “I won’t leave you hanging.” He then shot out with his webs and pulled himself right to the man, kicking him at full strength into a stone pillar which was still pretty stable.

The man grunted as he fell to the ground but managed to stay on his feet. “You are a worthy foe,” he admitted. “But all enemies fall to my blade.”

“Who are you?” Peter asked. He could feel Hermione raise her wand behind him, ready to cast another spell.

“I am Conan of Cimmeria,” the man replied, his voice as hard as rock. “And you, demon, are going to explain to me how I came to be in this place.”

Chapter Text

Harry frowned. “Just Luke?”

“My last name’s not important,” Luke said. He looked at the wand in Harry’s hand with curiosity. “So, you a child of Hecate or something?”

Harry frowned even more. “Who? No, I’m a wizard.”

Luke gave him a look. “If you say so. Here, press your…wand into the crystals.”

Harry frowned but did it. He stepped back in surprise as the crystal suddenly brightened, its neighbors quickly following suit until the whole cavern was illuminated.

“Yeah, saw them do that with sunlight,” Luke explained. “They absorb and pass on the light to each other. Pretty cool. Can you do more than just make some light?”

“Of course,” Harry said testily. “I’ve been using it for the past seven years.”

“Good. Cause you’re going to need it. I’ve already run into a couple beasts in this place.” As he said this, his hand fell to a large, wicked sword on his hip. “Whoever’s behind this is playing a strange game. And I mean to find out what it is and put a stop to it.”

“Yeah, me too,” Harry nodded. “I have a life to get back too.”

Luke smirked at that.

“What, that’s funny to you?” Harry asked, glaring at the older guy. He was starting to get tired of his attitude.

“A little,” Luke nodded. “But only because I don’t have a life to get back too. I just want to know what in Hades is happening here and why they brought me.”

Harry stared at him. “You must have some life back ho-”

“No,” Luke interrupted. “I don’t.” His voice brooked no questions and Harry backed off a little. “Now, let’s figure out how…” he stopped suddenly, looking at Chewie. Harry did as well and felt his hair stand up. The big guy was looking around very slowly, bow raised. As Harry watched, the side of Chewie’s head twitched and he turned in a direction.

“He hears something,” Luke muttered, drawing his sword out and holding it easily in his hand.

A sudden laughter rang out across the chamber, sending chills down Harry’s spine. He tightened his grip on his wand and he saw Luke do the same with his sword. “What do we have here?” The voice was both deep and shrill at the same time, booming at them and making Harry feel like it was scraping against his ears. “Two little pups and what appears to be a mutated ursanthrope. And here I was hoping for a challenge.”

“Come out of the dark and I’ll show you a challenge,” Luke snarled. “I’ve taken on some of the worst monsters across the globe. You don’t scare me.”

The laugh came again, grating at Harry’s skull. “Believe me, you’ve never faced a threat like me.”

Harry was holding his wand up, trying to pinpoint the voice’s source as he moved the light around and thought he saw something scurry to the left. He swung his wand that way but whatever it was had vanished.

“Before,” the voice continued, “I thought I was at my best. The strongest, most powerful there was. Undefeated in combat, the greatest of my brothers. I thought, foolishly, that I would never die. But then that cowardly deer stabbed me from behind. The coward’s way. But now, I have returned. And now I truly have nothing left to fear.”

Harry felt Luke stiffen beside him, something about what the voice was saying resonating with him. “If you’re truly the greatest, why don’t you come out and fight?” Luke asked. “Seems pretty cowardly to stay in the shadows.”

“Wwwhhhrrraaarrggghhhh!” Chewie growled in agreement.

“All in due time,” the voice said. “I wanted to first understand. I wanted to know why I had been saved, been brought here on the verge of death to this mysterious world. But now, I believe I know.”

“Well, do enlighten us,” Luke shouted.

Where are you? Harry thought. Then he realized he was being an idiot. He was acting like Luke and Chewie with their weapons raised when the weapon he had had many other uses. Like finding those who were hidden.

“This is a contest. A contest of champions. We’re here to see who will rise or fall.”

“Revelio,” Harry whispered.

“Only the greatest will prevail. And I am going to make sure that is me. Which means that I am now tired of playing with my food. So, yes, I think it’s time to come out and fight.”

There! Harry’s spell found the voice and he acted without thinking. “Bombarda!” he cried out into the darkness and the rocks suddenly exploded above him. And he distinctly saw another figure fly through the air as tiny pebbles rained down. “Got him,” Harry smiled in relief.

Then something landed behind them with a loud thump. They all turned as one and saw the creature before them. And all of them let out simultaneous gasps of horror.

For a second, Harry thought it was Remus, the creature looking remarkably like his old professor did when he had transformed several years ago. But no, this was something else. Something larger, taller than Chewie with shorter, oilier fur and a large black armored breastplate over its skin. The creature had sharp nasty claws that held a large hammer in its hands with a pick on one side. A war mattock. Harry recognized them from those toy soldiers he played with back under the cupboard so many years ago. He did not like seeing the full-sized version. Worst of all was the tail, a slimy, pale, naked thing that writhed on the ground, whipping around as if it had a mind of its own. The creature snarled at them all and Harry saw intelligence in its eyes, a deep wickedness.

“Now you see what you face,” the creature said. “I am Vorjavik, the Rat King Warrior, War Marshal of Vermire. And today, I am your death.”

Chewie was the first to respond. “Wrrraaaaarrrgghhhh!” he yelled and pulled on his crossbow. Harry almost flinched as instead of an arrow, a beam of red light shot out with an almost explosive sound and blasted into Vorjavik. The so-called Rat King stumbled but his armor seemed to absorb the blast. Harry realized that the sound was similar to the films his cousin Dudley watched all the time. It was some kind of gun.

“Hmmm,” Vorjavik smirked, looking at the scorch mark on his armor. “Never seen a weapon like that before. But no matter.” He then moved, faster than Harry thought possible. He kicked Luke in the chest, sending him flying, and swung his mattock into Chewie who tried to catch it but only succeeded in lessening the blow slightly, the mattock knocking him badly to the ground.

“Stupefy!” Harry yelled and a shot of red light burst from his wand. Vorjavik, however, seemed to sense it and leapt out of the way. He snarled and his tail whipped around, striking Harry in the middle and sent him crashing on his backside. Harry groaned but was on his feet quickly, narrowly avoiding a strike of the mattock. And as Vorjavik raised it again, Luke was suddenly there, deflecting it with his sword.

“Alright, war marshal,” Luke said through narrowed eyes. “Let’s see if you can live up to your brags.” He then swung his blade.

Harry saw he was alright for a second and ran to check on Chewie who was attempting to rise, his paw over his chest. “You ok?”

“Wrarrgh,” he replied, jerking his head a little. Harry interpreted that as he would be fine but still decided to help him up. He then turned back to Luke and felt his throat go dry. Luke was skilled, no doubt about that, striking and parrying with the rat monster at such speed that Harry almost couldn’t follow. But Vorjavik hadn’t been boasting. The mattock might have been a heavy weapon, but the marshal handled it with ease, countering every one of Luke’s attacks. He also used his whole body, lasing out with his claws or his tail, tripping Luke up and always forcing him on the defensive.

“He’s going to lose,” Harry muttered. He had to help now, or else Luke would be dead. Thinking fast, Harry knew he had to wait for an opening or else he might hit Luke as well. But that opening might come with Luke’s death and he couldn’t wait for that. But as he was trying to think of some way to make an opening, one arrived as Vorjavik kicked out with his foot into Luke’s chest, flooring him. Harry acted fast, thrusting out with his wand and yelling “levicorpus,” which yanked Vorjavik up by his feet and left him dangling in the air.

“Yaaahhh!” he screamed in frustration. “What trickery is this?” he glared over at Harry and his wand. “You play with the magicks boy. That will come back to haunt you. Or it would if I wasn’t about to rip your spine from your body.”

“Sure you will,” Harry replied, keeping his wand steady.

Luke slowly got up, watching Vorjavik carefully. “You have him?” he checked.

“For now. Just need to keep steady,” he said.

“Good, do that while I take care of him,” Luke said, raising his sword. Harry blinked. Was Luke really about to kill Vorjavik? That…didn’t seem right to him. In battle was one thing, but Vorjavik was now basically their prisoner, at their mercy. Killing him in cold blood felt…wrong. But before he could even voice his concerns, Vorjavik took the choice out of his hands. With an expert throw, the rat warrior threw his mattock right at Harry who instantly ducked underneath it as it whirled over him and into the wall. As he did, the spell dropped and Vorjavik dropped to the ground.

Luke was stunned for a second but then lifted his sword to attack. Vorjavik, however, was ready for him and his tail whipped out, wrapping around Luke’s sword arm and twisting it around so fast that he was forced to drop it to the ground. The tail yanked him forward right into the monster’s claws. “Now I’m go-” Vorjavik started but whirled around, as if sensing Harry was about to attack. The stunning spell had already left his wand when the rat moved, bringing Luke’s body as a shield so the spell hit him instead. Luke instantly slumped into unconsciousness, Vorjavik throwing him aside.

“Now then, little warlock, let us see how your little tricks fare against a true warrior,” he growled, licking his lips.

“Oh, I think they’ll fare quite well,” Harry replied and pulled with his wand, an entire mass of bones following its movement. Vorjavik barely had time to blink before he was buried beneath the mountain of skeletons. But even so, Harry could hear him screaming underneath.

“Come on, Chewie,” he said, running over to Luke’s fallen form. “We need to get out of here.”

Chewie growled in agreement but as they moved, the mound of skeletons shuddered and then a claw erupted from the top. Harry swore, hoping that the bones would buy them a few minutes at least but Vorjavik seemed much stronger than he looked, and he already looked pretty strong.

“I will flay you alive!” the rat roared.

“I think that’s our cue to leave,” Harry muttered but Chewie simply hoisted his bow and started firing it at the emerging figure, forcing it back down again. Vorjavik heaved upwards and sent several skeletons flying down at them, forcing them to duck aside. And as they did, he freed himself and rushed down right at them. He made for Harry who lifted his wand high and was about to utter a spell when Chewie launched himself up and tackled the rat midair, sending both of them crashing back down. Chewie raised his large fists and pounded into Vorjavik, roaring all the while, but Vorjavik fought back just as hard, scratching and biting all over Chewie’s body. Chewie roared out in pain as Vorjavik bit down hard on his arm before grabbing hold of his enemy and lifting him up high, throwing him across the cavern into the wall.

Vorjavik slammed hard but recovered fast, hitting the ground on his hands and feet and rising up again. “You are no true warrior,” he growled at Chewie. “You rely only on your strength and your weapon. My whole body is the weapon, the power of speed, skill, and strength all at my disposal. Taking you down is child’s play.”

“Petrificus totalus!” Harry cried with his wand, hoping to catch the rat unawares but the creature was good, dodging fast and narrowly avoiding the spell. He glared over at Harry and then reached down to the floor and hefted up his mattock where he had thrown it earlier.

“Why you were chosen for this contest is beyond me,” he sniffed at them. “You are pathetic wastes. Only the strongest will survive this. You hardly a challenge.”

“You keep saying that, and yet we’re still here fighting you,” Harry told him.

“Not for long,” Vorjavik growled and charged.

“Wwwhhhrrraaaarrrrggghhhhh!” Chewie roared at him and opened fire with his bow, blasting away at the charging figure but Vorjavik was good, dodging each blast or deflecting it with his mattock. He attacked, swiping the bow aside and then kicking with both legs at Chewie’s chest, sending him crashing into the ground. He then leapt up to bring his mattock down but a well-placed stunning spell managed to knock him aside. Unfortunately, the armor he wore absorbed the worst of it, leaving him conscious and angry so Harry kept at it, firing spell after spell at him. He ducked and rolled to avoid most of them but a few got threw, the impediment jinx slowing him long enough for Chewie to grab hold of him and start squeezing him. Vorjavik growled and groaned a little, the first sign of pain on his part, but he quickly recovered as he turned and brought his jaws down on Chewie’s shoulder, ripping a chunk of flesh and fur out. Chewie roared out in pain, dropping Vorjavik and stumbling back but that only gave the rat the moment he needed.

Harry raised his wand to strike again but the rat’s tail came out of nowhere, tripping his legs from under him and dropping him hard to the ground. He groaned and tried to get up but was too late, only able to watch as Vorjavik lifted his mattock and then swing the sharp end right into Chewie’s side. Chewie bellowed again, though softer now, but before he could try and retaliate or back away, Vorjavik whirled and slammed the mattock’s blunt end into Chewie’s chest, a crack echoing out as it did. Chewie stumbled for a second and then collapsed.

Harry stared. He could see the big guy’s chest still rising, but weakly. He had to get him out of here now. Which meant it was all up to him.

“And now for you,” Vorjavik turned to him, having the same idea. But Harry was done now. He had spent most of the fight on the sidelines, forced to watch his new allies get taken down hard. He had taken on Voldemort himself as well as numerous dark wizards. He had survived an enormous, killer serpent when he was 12. He could handle a giant rat warrior right now.

Vorjavik charged with the mattock again but Harry whipped out his favorite spell and sent the weapon spinning out of the rat’s hands. Vorjavik gaped for a second, taken by surprise, but then came again with just his claws and teeth. Harry ducked under him as he did and then used a spell to send him flying across the room into the wall. Harry pressed forward, holding him against the wall, not letting up.

“You cannot keep me here forever!” Vorjavik growled. “You will tire. You are, after all, only human while I am a therianthrope, a werelord. I can wait.”

“You’re right,” Harry agreed. “You can and you will.” He then lifted Vorjavik up again and hurled him another wall. As he did, he dropped the spell and instantly cried out, “incarcerous!” Thick cords appeared out of thin air and wrapped tightly around the rat creature, holding him fast. Harry walked closer and then muttered, “petrificus totalus,” this time his spell working. Vorjavik’s body stiffened, going completely still. But even as it did so, Harry could still see him fighting back hard. Whatever he was, it apparently made him resistant to magical attacks, like Hagrid’s giant blood. But for now, he was down. Harry rushed over to Luke and placed his wand in front of the guy’s face. “Enervate,” he muttered and Luke’s eyes instantly fluttered open.

“What…?” he started, blinking as he woke up.

“Come on, we got to move,” Harry told him, heading over to Chewie’s fallen form.

“What happened to Vorjavik?” Luke asked, following him.

“He’s over there,” Harry gestured to the band of ropes over the rat’s body.

“Good,” Luke nodded, lifting his sword up. “Time to end this.”

“No,” Harry stopped him. “He’s too powerful.”

“He’s chained up,” Luke argued.

“Last time, I thought we had him but he found another way. He’s already proven resistant to my magic. If he sees you coming to kill him, it might give him the strength he needs to break out and I don’t think we can last another round with him. Or you could try to kill him and actually just break him free. He’s too cunning. Chewie needs help now. We have an opening so let’s get the hell out of here.”

Luke stared at him for a second before glancing over at Chewie’s prone body and Vorjavik’s bound one. He sighed and then nodded. “Let’s go.”

Harry nodded and turned back to Chewie. The wounds were bad. He was bleeding heavily from the side wound and a bit from the shoulder bite but the worst wound seemed to be the chest one. Unfortunately, Harry didn’t know what to do or see how bad it was. All he knew was that they couldn’t stay here.

“Wingardium leviosa,” he said and lifted Chewie up into the air with ease, walking him towards the tunnel Luke had pointed out and through it as fast as he could, trying to put as much distance between them and Vorjavik as possible.

Chapter Text

“Superman?” Percy’s eyebrows went up. “That’s…uh, a little…” he trailed off, not sure how to finish that thought.

“Braggy? Boastful? Egotistical? Full of yourself?” Toph suggested. Apparently, she had no such qualms.

Calvin chuckled. “Yes, I suppose it is. I didn’t come up with though. When I started out, I just wanted to help people. It was a young reporter who came up with the name and it stuck. But, if you find it to be, uh, a little braggy then you may just call me Calvin.”

“Sounds good to me,” Toph nodded.

“Now, can you explain what’s going on?” Percy asked. “Cause I am so lost right now. I mean, I’ve been in really weird situations before but this is…just weird on a whole other level.”

“Yes, it is,” Calvin nodded. “It is evident from the conversation with Mr. Homelander over there,” he nodded to the prone form several yards away, “that we are on another world entirely.”

“Well, yeah I figured that,” Percy replied. “I’ve been on other worlds before. But nothing like this.”

“I told you, we’re in the Spirit World,” Toph said. “There’s no other place we could be.”

“Ah, well, I don’t know about your Spirit World,” Calvin interrupted. “But there are many other worlds out there. A multiverse, omniverse now, even.”

“A what now?” Percy asked.

“Huh?” Toph said at the same time.

“A multiverse. Countless worlds, each one unique, each one with different variants of people across space and time. I am the Superman of my world and yet there are many other worlds with different Supermen.”

Percy felt like his mind was going to blow up, melt, and then blow up again. “So…” he started. Always a good starting word, in his opinion. “So, what you’re saying…is…that there are, possibly, worlds out there with other versions of me? My friends, my family?”

“Everyone,” Calvin assured.

“That…” Toph said, then stopped. “That’s crazy. No, I’m the only me out there. There’s only one me, one Toph Beifong, and that’s me. There aren’t any other worlds out there, this guy’s crazy.”

Calvin just smiled sympathetically at her. “Trust me, it’s real. I’ve seen it, experience it, and now run a team trying to investigate it. Hopefully they’ll be able to track me down soon. I haven’t been able to contact them.” He looked up at the sky as if that would have the answers.

Percy was having trouble focusing though. Other versions of him? After everything he had learned the last few years, he shouldn’t be surprised but this was something else entirely. To think there were other versions of him out there, other versions of Annabeth, of Grover and Chiron and the gods. He suddenly began to wonder, were there versions of him who never found out about their parentage? Versions who had chosen to become a god? Versions who had died early on?

“I wouldn’t think too much on it.” Percy looked up to see Calvin looking back. “It won’t do you any good. Ms. Beifong was correct when she said she was the only version of her. You are the only version of you. There may be other variations of you out there but they are then variations, not the true you. You are the only true you anywhere.”

Percy breathed out, actually feeling a little better. “Ok, thanks.”

“I still say this is all made up. I mean, we don’t have any proof that this guy isn’t just lying,” Toph argued. “Whatever. What I want to know is how I get back home.”

“That is a good question,” Calvin agreed. “And unfortunately I do not know. My communicator appears to be offline so I cannot contact anyone else.” He looked around thoughtfully.

“Do you know where we are?” Percy asked.

“Sadly no,” Calvin replied. “As Superman, I have explored many planets out there, but there are millions upon millions. This could be any one of them in the multiverse. For all we know, this could be Earth in another timeline.”

Percy blinked. “I don’t think Earth in any timeline would have two moons,” he pointed out. He also noticed how Calvin talked about traveling to other planets like they were an everyday occurrence while his mind was about to explode again from the revelation.

Calvin looked up and started a little as he saw the moons for the first time. “Huh, didn’t catch that. Well, you’d be surprised but yes we are probably not on Earth. Hmmm, well until I can contact my team the only thing to do is investigate how we arrived in the first place.”

Percy and Toph both explained how they just appeared and Calvin’s was the same, one minute aboard Airforce One after exiting a meeting, the next atop a mountain in the middle of the desert. He had flown around a little bit but hadn’t really found anything until Homelander attacked him. Just more desert.

“So what do we do now?” Percy asked. “How do we find out who did this to us or what they want or where they even are?”

“I’ll keep flying around,” Calvin said. “See if I can spot something.”

“No need,” Toph butted in. “I know where we can go.”

They both turned to her. “You do?” Percy asked. “How?”

“While Mr. Full-of-Himself over there was talking, I decided to some investigating of my own.” Calvin snorted at the nickname, trying to cover up a smile. “I stretched my senses below, trying to find something. And I did.” She pointed straight down. “It’s pretty deep but there’s a cavern down there. There’s a whole network of tunnels beneath us actually, but there’s a really big cavern too. And there’s other stuff in there too. I can’t tell from here, it’s too far down for me.”

“But it’s something,” Calvin surmised. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Ok, so how do we get there?” Percy asked. “Is there like an entrance nearby.”

“No need, I’ll just burrow my way through,” Calvin said. “Won’t take a-”

Before he could finish that sentence, Toph clapped her hands together and then pushed down. The earth beneath their feet suddenly shot away, taking them down below the surface, like an elevator. Percy stumbled a little, feeling like he was 12-years-old again riding that elevator up the Empire State Building to something else entirely. He didn’t like that feeling.

Calvin seemed a little shaken as well, but quickly recovered. He eyed Toph with interest. “You’re quite powerful,” he said. “You remind me of some other people your age with similar powers.”

“Thanks. Coming from the Superior Being, that means so much,” she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Calvin let off a loud laugh. “You are not going to let that go, are you?” he chuckled.

“Nope,” she told him. “With a stupid name like that, you deserve to be made fun of.”

Percy smiled as well, the girl reminding him a little of his friends like Leo and Sadie. Full of attitude and wry humor. She would fit right in amongst the other demigods and heroes.

Moments later, they came to a stop. Toph then turned and faced a blank wall and pulled her arms apart, the rocks following suit and opening up a doorway for them to walk through. As they did, they each sucked in their breath as they saw what was on the other side. Even Toph, who saw everything differently through her feet.

“What happened here?” Percy muttered.

“Something that is all too common with civilizations,” Calvin said sadly. “War.”

It was a mass of skeletons and corpses. Percy saw plenty of humanoid ones carrying weapons and armor, but there were other ones as well. Some that looked like dinosaur skeletons at the Natural History Museum, some that looked like the bones that belonged to ogres or giants, and others a mix of creatures of all sizes. It wasn’t just bones. Percy also saw giant insect shells and husks, the actual remains having been broken down long ago. From the looks of things, it looked like an invasion of the monstrous creatures into the cavern and the humanoids defending it from them. It wasn’t clear, but Percy guessed that the humanoids lost. There were more bodies of them than the monsters.

While the mass of bodies was eye-catching, Percy began to look around more and noticed other things. There was a huge statue above them, one of a man with a large staff in his hand that had a ball at the end with designs that seemed to make it look like it was glowing. At the bottom of the statue was a plinth with a message written on it but it was incomprehensible, written in an alien dialect. Around the statue were arches and pillars with a dome formed overhead that didn’t seem like it happened naturally.

“Who do you think he was?” Percy asked. “Could be their god. I’ve seen statues like that to worship gods.”

“No, he’s their leader,” Calvin replied.

“How can you tell?”

“Because he’s right down there,” Calvin pointed and Percy saw the corpse near the end of the cavern next to a dragonesque skeleton with the exact same staff except the ball at the end was a glowing sphere of gray light, very dim in the darkness. Which then made him realize something else.

“How are we seeing right now?” he wondered aloud.

“The crystals,” Calvin pointed out, showing all the small crystals around the cavern, emanating a prismatic light that Percy hadn’t noticed before. “They absorb light somehow.”

“What do you think happened here?” Toph asked.

“The monsters invaded,” Percy said. “The people fought back, but I think they lost.”

“Yes. Their skeletons continue out into the tunnels that way,” Calvin said, pointing to the tunnel entrances on either side of the statue. “I believe this was a spiritual place for them. I’ve seen similar designs for shrines and temples on many worlds.”

Again, Percy felt a chill go through his spine as Calvin said that. “Wait, are you saying there are aliens?” he asked.

Calvin nodded, a little distracted. “Of course there are aliens,” he said. “I’m an alien.”

Percy nodded, eyes wide. He wasn’t sure how to take that at first, that aliens were real. And then he just did. If gods were real from all sorts of cultures and apparently a multiverse was real as well, then it made sense aliens were real too. And he had other things to think about then aliens right now.

“What are aliens?” Toph asked him.

“Doesn’t matter,” he replied. “Look, we need to search this place, see if we can find any sort of clue to why we’re here.”

“Hold that thought,” Calvin said. “We’re going to have visitors.”

Percy instantly looked around, but the room was still empty except for them and the corpses. He peered down the tunnels but saw nothing but shadows. “How do you know?” he asked.

“I have super-hearing,” Calvin replied. “And super-sight. One person will be entering through the main entrance in a minute. The other one is down the tunnels in what I believe are the records room. That’ll be the place to check for answers as there’s nothing here.”

Percy blinked. “That’s…something.” Part of him wished they were underwater or at least near water. He felt useless with Toph bending the earth and Calvin using his superior abilities to help them. But he also knew that wasn’t important. What was important was getting back home.

A couple minutes later, he heard the footsteps of the person approaching. He fingered Riptide’s handle, hoping he wouldn’t have to use it. He could see Toph also tensing beside him but Calvin seemed at ease, waiting patiently. Of course, he was invincible so he was probably always like that.

As the person entered, Percy then had to blink, not sure what he was seeing at first. He had seen some crazy things in his life from seeing his math teach transform into a demon hag, seeing his best friend suddenly have goat legs, seeing his friend become a cyclops (and then turn out to be his brother). He’d seen a man with hundred arms, a man with two faces, and a man with three chests. Dragon ladies, clay men, blue giants, and so many other strange creatures. So while it took him by surprise to see what looked like a woman with orange skin and a white headpiece that drooped down her back and shoulders, he also quickly got over it, just accepting it at this point.

The woman saw them and instantly dropped into a defensive position, gripping what looked like two sword handles but there were no blades. “Who are you?”

Toph and Percy readied themselves but Calvin simply walked forward, hands raised peacefully. “My name is Calvin Ellis,” he said. “These are my companions, Percy and Toph. We mean you no harm as long as you mean us the same.”

The woman eyed him carefully for a second before lowering her guard a little. “What are you doing here?”

Calvin sighed. “Looking for answers, but we have yet to discover any. All we have found are more questions.”

The woman now looked around and her gaze softened at the sight of all the skeletons. “More death,” she said sadly. She looked at them all scrutinizingly before lowering the handles in her hands. “My name is Ahsoka. Ahsoka Tano.”

Percy nodded at her. “Percy Jackson,” he said.

“Toph,” Toph told her shortly.

Ahsoka peered around the room, taking in the statue and architecture, studying the creatures as well as the weapons and armor. “A slaughter,” she surmised, almost to herself.

“Yeah, that’s what we thought. Only real question is why we were brought here in the first place. I’m guessing that’s how you arrived, appearing out of thin air?” Percy checked.

Ahsoka nodded without looking up. “I was sitting, eating my dinner, when I fell down in a riverbed on a different world entirely. I have...never seen anything able to transport anything that fast.”

And why us? Percy thought to himself. He hadn’t yet decided to explain that he had traveled like this before, technically. He had been plucked from his life and dropped into the unknown with absolutely zero warning from Queen Cow-Patty Hera, though there were the additional factors of memory loss and the six-month gap in his life. He wondered if he should explain this to them, but something told him to keep it to himself. He didn’t know why, but he wasn’t ready to start talking about the gods.

“I think we should check the records room now,” Calvin suggested, looking down the tunnel with his apparent super vision. “If anywhere is to have answers, it will be that room.”

“Sounds good to me,” Ahsoka agreed, walking over to the tunnels followed by Calvin and Toph. Percy hesitated for a moment, walking past the skeleton of the man with the staff in the statue. He eyed it for a second and then, acting on impulse, reached down and grabbed hold of the staff. Instantly, the ball at the end seemed to reactivate, a tiny glimmer of sea-green light appearing in the center, so small he had to squint to see it.

“Huh,” he muttered, looking it over before hefting it up. “Wonder what you were for?” he muttered. He then turned and followed the others, staff in hand.

Chapter Text

Korra had seen some large battleships and airships in her day, but this was something else entirely. She didn’t know what to make of any of it. And one glance at Liza told her the girl felt the same way, gaping at the battlefield.

Ben, however, seemed unsurprised. Or uncaring of it. His eyes weren’t even focused on the scrap heap but on the city in the distance. “Hmmm,” he mumbled. “Should hopefully find some answers there.”

“What happened here?” Liza muttered. “What is all of this?”

“Battlefield. Old one,” Ben commented, scrunching his misshaped nose. “My guess is it was some sort of invasion, one which I’m guessing the invaders won.”

“Invasion?” Korra questioned. “Like another nation?”

“Nah. Well…maybe,” Ben scratched his chin. “But I was more thinking of an alien invasion. Probably with superior technology. The people here clearly gave a good fight but lost in the end. Maybe. Again, just speculating. But there was a battle. That’s obvious.”

“Wait, sorry,” Liza held out her hand. “Alien? What’s alien?”

Ben turned to her with wide eyes. “Alien? How can you not know what that means? Alien means…well, alien!”

“Um…” Korra frowned. “Alien? Like a foreigner or something? Cause that’s all I know about that word.”

“Uh, not really,” Ben replied. “Alien, well it does mean that but now it means something else too. Aliens are beings not from this world, that come from out there,” he gestured to the sky, Korra following his hand with an even deeper frown.

“Wait…like Dangers?” Liza asked.

“Dangers?” Ben blinked at her. “Well, sure some aliens might be dangerous but I don’t think it’s right to call them all Dangers. I mean, my kids are both aliens and they are a little dangerous but they’re also the greatest thing…well, one of the greatest things that ever happened to me.”

Now Korra was very confused. “Aliens? Dangers? What are we talking about here?”

“Dangers are what we call the monsters that come from the realm of Fie. The realm of monsters,” Liza explained.

Korra blinked. “That sort of sounds like the Spirit World. Except there aren’t monst- well, there are some spirits that can be considered monsters but most of them are peaceful or just solitary.”

“Well, that ain’t the realm of Fie.” Liza shuddered a little. “I caught a glimpse of that evil place. It’s not something you ever want to see.”

“And, it ain’t what I’m talking about,” Ben interrupted. “That’s another dimension, kid. Not what aliens are. Aliens are from other planets.” He stared at their blank faces. “You know, from Outer Space.”

“What’s outer space?” Liza asked.

“Aw jeez,” Ben muttered, putting his hand over his face. “Outer space, kid. Out there,” he pointed up at the sky. “Where the stars and moon and sun are. That’s outer space.”

Korra didn’t know whether to laugh or run away. “Uh…that can’t be true. The moon is just in the sky. You can’t reach it.”

Ben laughed. “Of course you can, with the right ship. I’ve been there many times.”

Korra was starting to think Ben didn’t have all his marbles together. “Ben…that’s not possible. The moon is…the moon. It’s a celestial body. Not really reachable.”

“Aw jeez!” he repeated. “Ugh. What time are you from?” he asked.

“174 AG,” Korra replied.

“224 ADD,” Liza said.

Ben frowned for a second. “Alright, those times mean nothing to me. The point is this, in my time people designed ships able to travel to the moon and the stars and beyond. There are whole other worlds out there. There ar-”

He was interrupted by a loud crashing sound coming from below them. They all looked down and saw what looked like a woman smashing through several scrap heaps of metal before coming to a stop. She struggled to pick herself up but then a long, black spear of some kind seemed to be thrown at her, striking her in the chest and sending her crashing through more of the broken ships.

Korra looked around for the source and saw another figure a little ways away from the woman, a figure in dark clothing with what looked like antlers on her head. Whoever it was seemed to create another large spear, hurling it as well but the woman was able to dodge the latest attack.

“Who are they?” Liza wondered.

“Doesn’t matter,” Ben replied gruffly. “They’re fighting right now and looks like one’s trying to kill the other. And that’s one thing that bashful Benjy here takes issue with. So, if you’ll excuse me.” He then ran for the edge of the cliff, leaping off in a massive jump that carried him high over the ground. Korra watched as he plummeted below, fist raised to attack the figure summoning spears, but at the last second they saw him coming and within a second, a large black hammer materialized in their hands. They swung it up just as Ben came down, striking him across the chest and sending him crashing into several wings of what looked like a giant airplane.

“Damn it,” Korra muttered. She then moved to leap off as well but Liza suddenly stopped her.

“Hey, before you go jumping off of cliffs, remember that I can’t do that,” she said. “So why don’t you- Hey!” she cried out indignantly as Korra suddenly grabbed hold of her and lifted her up over her shoulder.

“Hold on tight,” Korra told her before leaping off the side of the cliff. Liza shrieked in terror but Korra grinned as they fell down the cliffside. She concentrated and just before they could strike the cliff wall, she pulled on her earthbending, using her body to guide it to her needs. The second her feet touched the rock, it molded to her will, allowing her to slide down the wall easily. She grinned wildly, the experience reminding her of the times she went sledding down snow mounds as a child in the Southern Water Tribe. But that smile quickly faded as she heard more crashing sounds. Ben and the woman were now fighting together, trying to take down the antlered-figure but whoever they were, they were powerful, wielding two dark blades easily and constantly creating more to keep Ben and the woman on their toes.

Korra slid to a stop, putting Liza down who looked a little dizzy from the ride, and then started running toward the battle, dodging around the scrap heaps and wrecks around her. As she got closer, she could start to see the people better. The woman they had seen was wearing an armor that covered most of her body with some strange blue skirt like thing but her shoulders were bare. She had flowing black hair with some sort of tiara at the top.

The other figure, who Korra could now see was also a woman, was wearing a full body green and black suit with a cape sprawled down her back. She still had the antlers but now it was clear it was more of a crown, the ends all pointed sharp. She was currently fighting the first woman blade to blade, both expert sword combatants as they stabbed and parried in such dizzying moves that it was hard for Korra to keep track.

“Come on!” Liza urged, rushing past her, sword raised. She plunged right into the battle, coming at the crown woman from the side. The woman saw her coming and shot out a dark blade right for her and Liza narrowly dodged it. She then attacked but the woman danced out of the way. Two blades materialized in her hands and she swung them at Liza, spinning around so fast that Liza could barely block the blows fast enough. She responded by kicking out at the woman but it didn’t seem to faze her in the slightest. Liza actually backed off and Korra saw her step gingerly on her foot.

Who exactly was this woman?

“Back up kid!” Ben bellowed and Korra glanced to her side, ducking as he threw the entire plane wreckage past her. Liza had also looked up at his words and threw herself out of the way as the wreck came down on top of the woman. Korra watched closely, not sure how much that had helped.

“Who is this woman?” she asked the other woman in armor.

“She said her name is Hela,” the woman replied, twirling her sword in hand. “And she demanded to know what had happened to her. I was unable to answer her so she attacked.”

“Seems like a lovely lady,” Ben said dryly.

“Maybe we try talking to her,” Korra suggested.

“I have tried,” the other woman said. “She doesn’t really want to. She seems more interested in fighting.”

As if on cue, the wreckage was torn apart and the woman Hela walked out easily, looking like she got hit by wrecked ships every day. She glared over at Ben and raised her hand, as if to conjure more weapons.

“Wait!” Korra stepped forward, holding her hands out. “Just hold on for a second. You’re Hela, right?”

“Ah, at last someone recognizes me,” the woman grinned in triumph.

Korra froze for a second and then decided not to say she had just learned the name from the other woman. “Right, yes. So you want to know what happened to you? Well, we don’t know but I’m going to assume it happened to all of us if what happened to you was randomly appearing here with no explanation?”

Hela regarded her and Korra stifled the urge to raise a rock wall between them. There was a dangerous light in the woman’s eyes that she didn’t like. She did, however, lower her hand.

“If what you say is true, then it seems we have a common enemy,” she said.

“So,” Korra took a cautious step for now, “maybe it would be best if we worked together on how to solve this?” She then carefully held her hand out.

Hela regarded it and her for a moment longer. Korra could feel the tension thickening in the air and could see the others around her preparing for whatever came next. Then Hela took her hand in firm shake.

“Allies,” she said. “For now.”

The other woman stepped forward, eyeing Hela warily. “Why should we trust you?” she asked.

Hela smirked. “Don’t. This is an alliance of convenience, nothing more. I would rather work with you against this common threat than against both of you. Even though I would annihilate both of you. It would just take longer that way.”

“Great, glad to know where we stand,” Korra nodded. She felt like she was making a deal with a devil, but she had recently worked with Kuvira to take down the remains of her Earth Empire and had that turned out alright. Here was hoping she could go two-for-two.

“I’m Korra,” she introduced herself. “That’s Liza and Ben. And you already met…”

“Diana,” the other woman said, lowering her sword. “My name is Diana.”

“Very well,” Hela said in a tone that conveyed how much she didn’t care. “Now, before we continue this drivel, I suggest we head towards the city. Speaking from experience, the leader is usually in the castle of some kind.”

Korra nodded, knowing that was in fact true.

“I still think ol’ Doom is behind this. And if he is, he’s gonna get a good clobbering from me,” Ben growled, rubbing his fist into his hand in emphasis.

They started walking, Liza saddling up next to Korra. “You really think trusting her is a good idea?” she asked, pointing over at Hela who had taken the lead.

“Of course not. But it’s better than fighting her right now. Just keep an eye on her.”

Liza snorted. “Didn’t need to tell me that.” She then backed away a little, glaring at Hela’s back.

Diana and Ben were at the rear, muttering to themselves. Korra slowed down a bit until she was next to them. “What are you talking about?” she asked.

“Comparing notes,” Ben replied. “Seems we’re from similar worlds. Versions of Earth where superheroes are rampant. Very similar except we don’t share any familiar heroes. Do share the same history though. That’s funny.”

Korra frowned. “Superheroes?” she questioned. “What does adding super mean?”

“Meaning you have powers ‘superior’ to others,” Ben explained, rolling his eyes and adding air quotes as he said superior. “Course that’s just a bunch a bull. I know several people without powers who put up a better fight than those that do. Captain America, for one. And Iron Man’s power is just making suits of armor for him to fight in. And his big brain, course. And Black Widow’s a one-woman army all by herself.”

Diana nodded. “Yes, on my world we have Batman, a man without any powers but who uses his brains and skills to defeat his foes, no matter how super powered they may be.”

Korra frowned. Sounded a little similar to the benders back home. And someone prepared for super powered threats sounded like the Equalists, especially Mustache Man who had been a real pain in the butt. She explained this to them and Diana nodded thoughtfully. “Fascinating,” she said. “It seems we have all been brought from vastly different worlds to this one.”

“The question is why?” Korra said.
“Speaking as someone who’s been abducted more than once and seen it happen many times to other people, I can honestly say we’re probably here for one reason,” Ben said grimly.

“And what’s that?”

“To fight,” he replied simply. “We’re here to fight for someone else’s entertainment.”

“That’s a cheerful thought,” Korra muttered. She had fought for entertainment before back in the pro-bending arena with Mako and Bolin, but this was way different. Where was the arena then? They had fought the cyclops miles away. Did that mean the whole area was an arena? Or, as Ben had said earlier, this world. Was that the arena?

That thought terrified her.

As they passed one of the larger wrecks, Diana sighed sadly. “It seems no matter how hard I or any of my comrades try, worlds still seem determined to war against one another.”

Korra looked at her sharply. “Worlds?” she asked.

Ben smirked at her. “Yeah kid. More than one. Other planets out there,” he pointed up. “Like I told ya.”

Korra blinked, still not sure how to handle that news. To be able to travel upwards, past the sky. She had heard some scientists talking about it the last time she’d been in Zaofu, but she’d never given it much thought, never fully believed it. It was incredible to think about.

But then she focused on what Diana had been saying. “All the worlds?” she asked. “All of them do…this?” she gestured to the wrecks around them.

Diana gave her a sad smile. “War is a universal language, it seems. Multiversal, actually. No matter where I go, there are always those who seek power and will do whatever it takes to achieve it.”

Korra thought back to all the enemies she’d faced over the years. Amon, Unalaq, Vaatu, the Earth Queen, Zaheer, Kuvira, Tokuga, and Guan. Diana was right. No matter how hard she tried, there was always someone else out there seeking power.

Ben sniffed. “We have a whole list of enemies and potential threats, ones we’ve battled probably a dozen times already but always come back for more. The Mole Man, Wizard, Puppet Master (who nearly ruined my honeymoon, by the way), Annihilus, Mad Thinker. And then there’s Galactus, a big cosmic planet-eating monster. And then there’s Doctor Doom.”

From the way he said that last name, Korra could tell there was a lot of history there. She also noticed the way Ben clenched his fists.

“I’ve been doing my job for more than a decade, busting up bad guys from Yancy Street to the furthest reaches of the multiverse and there always seems to be another battle around the corner,” he said sadly. “And before that, I fought in the war. I feel sometimes like all I’ve ever done with my life is fight. No matter where I go or what I do, there’s always another fight.”

“Always the next threat,” Diana agreed.

Korra stayed quiet for a moment before looking back up. “I was identified as the Avatar when I was just a kid,” she said. “The Avatar is a person who can master all four types of bending,” she explained to Diana who nodded in understanding. “And all the years I trained, I didn’t really understand what I was training for. I thought I did, that I would just arrive on the scene and everything would just fall into place. That I would take out the bad guys easily and bring balance like my predecessor did. But it all fell apart almost instantly and I realized it was all more complicated than I ever imagined. And since then I’ve had to deal with one threat after another. Some harder than others,” she rubbed her shoulder, remembering the years she had spent recovering from Zaheer’s attack and the dark places she had gone to. “And sometimes it feels like it won’t ever let up.”

“Yeah, that’s something we can all understand kid,” Ben muttered.

Diana smiled though. “I remember some advice a good friend of mine once gave. She said not to focus on the endless series of conflicts, but the moments of calm in between. The good moments that make life worth living. If you only focus on the bad, that is all you will ever see.”

Ben smirked. “She sounds very wise.”

“Yes, she is,” Diana nodded.

Korra thought on that for a second and then thought back to all the other moments. Pro-bending as a Fire Ferret. Playing airball with Tenzin’s kids. Finding the other airbenders out there. Going on vacation with Asami. Just hanging out with her friends. Diana was right. Those were the moments she treasured the most.

“Hey!” They all looked up to see Liza glaring at them. “Why is creepy horned lady the one leading us here?” she asked. “Maybe less gabbing back here and more walking. Come on, hustle it up!”

“Alright, alright, we’re coming,” Korra told her, picking up the pace a little more. She did realize then that Hela was outpacing them by far, striding right for the city which was getting closer and closer, beginning to tower above them. Korra frowned at that but was quickly distracted as there came a loud crashing sound. They all hurried forward a little to see that Hela had conjured up a large black hammer and was using to clear the debris in front of them to make way. She then walked right on through.

“So, do you recognize her from either of your worlds?” Korra asked. That still felt a little weird to say. She was used to there being only two worlds. Now, there were so many more.

Diana studied Hela a little. “The name suggests she is from the Norse pantheon and I do not have many dealings with them. The closest was only recently when I encountered Thor and the Valkyries.”

“Oh yeah,” Ben nodded. “We got Thor on my world too. Great hero and great friend. Noble and true to the end. And I do remember him mention Hela once or twice, an old foe of his. Goddess of death, I think.”

“Yes, in myths she was known as the goddess of death,” Diana agreed.

“Oh wonderful. A goddess of death on our side,” Korra muttered. “What could go wrong there?”

“Well, you are the one who made the deal with her,” Liza pointed out.

“I’m sorry, did you want to keep fighting her?”

“No, guess not. Still, she can’t be trusted. And we definitely shouldn’t be letting her lead us like this. It’ll make her think she’s in charge.”

“It’s better than having her behind us, ready to stab us in the back at a moment’s notice,” Ben grumbled. “If she wants to go ahead and believe she’s leader, fine with me. She’ll soon realize how wrong she is. I ain’t following any order I don’t like, goddess of death or not.”

“Still, Liza is right,” Diana said. “If she thinks she is leader, then she will-”

Korra didn’t find out what Hela would do as there was a crashing sound ahead of them and then a loud yell of alarm. They all started running for the noise. Korra arrived first, metalbending some of the debris out of the way as she arrived on the scene. Hela was wielding dual dark blades against a kid a few years younger than Korra who also had a sword and was desperately parrying Hela’s blades. And it was clear he wouldn’t last the next few seconds.

Chapter Text

Fortunately, Barbara was still pretty high up and the giant still a ways down, so he wasn’t focused on her. Unfortunately, that was because he was focused on the large red form lying on the ground way below her, a form that seemed to be reptilian in nature.

“Ember,” Barbara breathed. The dragon girl was just lying there, motionless, as the giant approached. Either she had been knocked unconscious or…Barbara decided to go with unconscious for now. But the problem was, she was still dangling at least seventy feet above her and at least forty feet above the giant. Not exactly an ideal place to plan a rescue.

“Come on Barbara,” she muttered to herself. “Think.”

She wanted to believe the giant was friendly, that he was just going to Ember to check on her. But she doubted it. She didn’t fully know why, she could just feel it that this giant was bad news. Which still left her with how she was going to rescue Ember while dangling in the air.

She briefly wondered where Amani was but seeing as the girl controlled sand and they were in the middle of a desert, Barbara assumed she was fine. Julian on the other hand…well, she hoped he was fine but if he wasn’t, there wasn’t much she could do for him. Or Vader. She shuddered at the thought of him but pushed him to the side for the moment. She had to focus on Ember.

She did have a plan. It just wasn’t one of her best. But with each second, the giant got closer and narrowed her window of opportunity. So, she just had to go with the half-baked crazy plan that was almost certainly going to end in her death. Then again, most of the Bat-Fam’s plans ended up being that way and they almost always worked out in the end.

“Ok, here we go.” She swung herself gently on the grapple, gaining some momentum until she looked like a pendulum. Then, timing it as well as she could, she pressed a button on the handle and the grapple released, dropping her.

Instantly, gravity took control and she fell, the ground once more rushing up to her. But this time, she was more prepared. She positioned her body so she was falling at an angle, headfirst, then threw her arms out along her cape, the wind catching it and allowing her to glide fast. She smiled, gaining more control and now riding the winds. But she was still falling pretty fast. And she still had the giant to deal with.

Now that she was closer, she could make him out a little better. He had reptilian legs, like a komodo dragon’s, and bluish skin which matched his green-blue armor. And, as Barbara dove closer, she also noticed how the armor had carved, grotesque figures like monsters. In the giant’s hand was a large trident, like Aquaman’s except so much bigger and wicked-looking, and in his other was a large net, almost like he was going to go catch whales with that thing.

Barbara noted all of this in the seconds she had while diving, storing it away for now. She was coming in fast and could already make out the sneer on the giant’s face as he reached Ember’s prone form.

“What do we have here?” he said, reaching down.

Acting fast, Barbara released her gliders and aimed her grapple with her left hand while simultaneously taking several flash grenades from her utility belt, throwing them at the same time she fired the grapple. The grenades struck the giant in the face and went off, causing him to cry out in surprise, jumping back.

The grapple shot out, wrapping around the giant’s thick arm tightly. Barbara swung down, close to the ground to help stabilize her momentum, before clicking the button on the gun again, releasing the grapple and once again dropping her. She fell to the sand below, bracing herself. She landed in a ball, rolling across a small dune, before coming up on her feet. She shook herself for a second and then moved, racing to where Ember was lying.

“Hey, Ember,” she said, sliding next to the red dragon. “You need to get up, come on.”

“Uhhhhhhh,” came the reply. Barbara took that as somewhat good news as it meant she was still alive.

“Ember, you need to get up,” Barbara repeated. “The giant is coming and I can’t take him alone.”

Ember’s eyes flickered open and she winced a little. “I-I think I broke something,” she said softly.

Barbara grimaced, not liking that. “Can you fly?” she asked.

“M-maybe.”

“You will pay for that!” the giant suddenly roared. Barbara winced and turned around, facing him. This close to him, she could feel the pull that much stronger, like if she even cut herself, all her blood would just zoom out of it at once.

Ember still wasn’t moving which meant it was up to Barbara to stop the giant. One problem: he was a giant. He towered above her, weapon raised high, and Barbara felt her throat go very dry.

You got this, she thought to herself. It Batman could take on all the supernatural and alien threats alongside the Justice League, then she could tackle one simple giant. Yeah, no biggie.

“Rahhh!” the giant stabbed down at her with his trident and Barbara hurled herself to the side to avoid it. She threw some batarangs at his face but only a couple actually made it there and they just bounced off.

“Where’s Black Canary when I need her?” With that sonic scream, Barbara could knock the giant on his backside, no problem. In fact, she would take any superpower right about now, even Starfire’s though she would never admit that to anyone.

The giant raised his trident again but instead of stabbing it down at her, he swung it like a club, laying it flat. Barbara leapt aside again, missing it by several inches, feeling the wind whip her hair as the trident passed. She rolled to her feet and then saw a shadow looming. She glanced up and saw the giant’s foot coming down on her and again leapt aside. This time, as she dodged it, the impact sent her tumbling away, the wind knocked out of her. She scrambled up, trying to catch her breath and think of a plan of attack. So far, she had nothing. The only good thing was that she was distracting the giant from Ember. Hopefully it would give the dragon a chance to recover.

Then she realized something. Usually, supervillains liked to talk and brag, bluster about. Especially big ones. And mostly men, actually though some women. So, if she could get him talking about himself, then she might stand a better chance.

“Hi, yeah sorry,” she called out. “Just want to say, if you’re going to kill me, can you at least allow me the pleasure of knowing who will be doing it?”

The giant stopped, glaring down at her. “You mean, you don’t know who I am?”

“Uh…” Barbara hesitated. “Should I?”

“Argh! Stupid mortal!” the giant growled. “I am Polybotes of the Gigantes, son of Gaea and bane of Poseidon himself.”

Barbara frowned. Granted, she didn’t know much about Poseidon except he’d been a pawn in the alien sea god invasion as well as the major battle between the Justice League and Legion of Doom. She thought he’d been killed off or at least vanished. But that wasn’t important. She did know Gaea was considered Mother Earth by the Greeks and Romans but didn’t know much else. So this giant considered himself the bane of the sea god. Felt like an Atlantean enemy.

“Ok,” she said back. “That sounds…important.”

“It is my destiny to slay the great sea god and claim the oceans as mine to rule,” Polybotes continued, evidently not hearing her or not caring. “I will then bathe the waters with my poisonous touch, destroying it all.”

Barbara grumbled under her breath. Another ‘destroy-the-world’ villain / ‘remake-it-in-my-image.’ Simple and dull. And also, how would he rule the oceans if he destroyed them? Villains like this were idiots who never thought things through. Still, Barbara couldn’t underestimate him. If he was really considered the bane of Poseidon, then he have some serious god-like power, power Barbara did not have. And she didn’t think her companions did either. So there was still that. Maybe Vader did, but right now she’d stick with just dealing with the giant.

She glanced over at Ember and saw the dragon slowly getting up. She just had to keep Polybotes talking for a little longer.

“So, the gigantes,” she said. “Tell me about them.”

Polybotes glared down at her again. “The gigantes are my brethren, destined to overthrow Olympus and the gods and remake the world in our image.”

“Cool, cool,” Barbara nodded. “And, uh, where are they right now? Cause, if you’re all giants, I’d see them from far off but so far there’s only you.”

Polybotes seemed to frown. “I do not know,” he admitted. “But it matters not. I alone am enough to vanquish all my foes. Beginning with you.”

Barbara sighed. Guess she was out of time. She glanced at Ember and saw the dragon still struggling. No help from there, it seemed. Then it was time to think on the fly.

Polybotes grinned savagely, raising his trident up high. “Prepare to die, mortal.”

Barbara prepared to leap aside again when a burst of white-hot fire erupted from the side, striking the giant right in the face. He bellowed in pain and rage while Barbara turned to see Ember rising up on her wings, unsteadily lifting into the air. She was holding her foreleg gingerly, clearly having injured it badly, but still managed to face off against the giant, a determined look in her eyes.

“Bah!” he cried, stabbing with his trident again but Ember narrowly dodged it. But then Barbara noticed what Ember didn’t.

“Look out!” she cried but it was too late as Polybotes threw his net wide, catching Ember before she could escape. The net threw her off balance and brought her back down to the ground where she fell heavily, screeching in pain. Polybotes raised his trident for the kill.

“Geronimo!”

Polybotes looked up just in time for a giant curved sword to strike him in the face. He crumpled under it, falling over and barely catching himself before he hit the ground. Julian landed next to him in full giant hawk mode. In terms of height, Julian was a little under half of Polybotes. But even that was enough to do some more damage as Julian punched the giant in the face and slashed him across the chest. Polybotes growled and tried to get up but Julian punched him again in the face and then stabbed down with his enlarged sword.

Barbara winced as the sword penetrated, not comfortable with the killing. But it didn’t matter as the sword barely went in, Polybotes merely grunting in pain before whacking Julian aside, sending him rolling across the dunes. Barbara saw the hawk avatar flicker before stabilizing again. As powerful as that form was, it was also clear that Julian couldn’t hold it long.

As Julian got up, so did Polybotes, raising his trident above him. Julian charged forward and their weapons clashed. Julian’s flickered again before he recovered, spinning away from Polybotes’s next attack so he could strike again.

Barbara glanced back towards Ember who was struggling with the net a little, her injured leg giving her trouble. Barbara moved to help her when the two combatants stepped in her way. Julian was more on defense now, trying to hold his avatar together while Polybotes sneered down at him.

“You are no match for me,” the giant told him. “A pathetic little demigod, fighting what you could never hope to defeat. I will relish your death.”

“Relish this, punk!” Julian swung his fist out, catching Polybotes in the jaw. But the giant didn’t seem too bothered by the attack. He planted his foot down on Julian’s arm and raised his trident, bringing it down on the avatar form.

It instantly began to crack, flickering in and out wildly with Julian desperately trying to hold onto it. He moved to attack again but Polybotes pushed it aside easily, pressing down harder, a wild grin on his face. Julian began to cry out and then the avatar finally gave out, vanishing and leaving Julian’s much smaller form in its place. Polybotes’s trident slipped through and Barbara gasped but fortunately, it was too big to hit Julian dead on, instead striking the ground next to him. Polybotes raised it up again, this time intending to finish the job. Unless Barbara did something. And there was only one thing she could think of.

“Hey ugly!”

The trident stopped.

Barbara, not having any other ideas, decided to pull a ‘Wally West.’ Annoy the enemy as much as possible.

“If you look in the mirror does it crack?”

“What?” Polybotes asked, turning to her with a murderous look.

“Oh, so you don’t have any brains either? Yeah, that makes sense.”

“You will die a slow, painful death.”

Barbara let out a dramatic yawn. “Yeah, heard it before buddy. Lots of times. Like so many times, it’s crazy how many times honestly. And they were all scarier than you. Joker, Bane, Scarecrow, even Firefly.” She listed them off her fingers while keeping a close eye in case Polybotes lost it. Judging from his current expression, she estimated that was thirty seconds from now. “I mean, you’re big and all, but that’s pretty much it. You say you have a poisonous touch but you just keep trying to stab me so you must be lying about that.”

“You dare-”

“Seriously, your weapons are a trident and a net. Essentially a giant fork and…a net. I mean, how lame is that, honestly? It looks like you’re a giant fisherman going out to sea to catch your breakfast. It’s not really intimidating.”

Polybotes stomped over to her, abandoning Julian. Barbara let out a breath of relief as she saw the guy groan and move to get up. A little away from him, Ember was making progress in freeing herself. But that good feeling it didn’t last long as the giant now loomed directly above Barbara, threatening to stomp on her.

“I will crush you like the insect you are.”

Yeah, he was going to stomp on her.

“Wow, how original,” Barbara drawled, rolling her eyes, trying to sound as bored as she could while on the inside her heart was beating ten miles a minute. “Seriously, even when threatening to kill me, you sound weak. So lame, cliché. Unoriginal.”

Polybotes lowered his foot, allowing Barbara another second to breathe, before he lowered his head a little to look at her closely. “Are you saying you wish for a more…dramatic death?”

Barbara really did not like the way he had asked that.

“Very well. What right do I have to deny you your dying wish.” He then reached up into his hair and pulled something out. Or somethings. “My name means ‘Many-to-Feed’ in the old tongue. Your death will abate their hunger.”

He lowered his hand and three snakes slithered out, large ones at least the size of anacondas though only as long as Barbara’s arms. They had crowns of spiky white fins around their heads and deadly yellow eyes. And as they slithered forward, she could see fire brimming from their mouths.

“Fire-breathing snakes,” she muttered. “That’s not great.”

“I hope your death is as dramatic as you wish.” He smiled evilly down at her. “Now forgive me, I have a dragon to slay.”

He turned around just in time to get another faceful of fire. “How do you like that?” Ember cried, flying by.

“Argh!” Polybotes snarled, ducking as she sent another burst his way.

Barbara lost focus in that, however, as the snakes approached. “Ok, nice snakes,” she said in a hopefully calm voice as she backed up. “Nice, fire-breathing snakes. How about we…play a game or something, huh?”

She jumped to the side as one of them blasted out of her with its fire.

“I’m going to that as a no,” she said dryly, then turned and hurled a batarang. It knocked one of the snakes on the head, laying it flat on the ground, dazed. The other two paused and then hissed in rage and attacked.

Barbara yelped as they both shot streams of fire at her. She missed one but the other burst caught the edge of her cape. She quickly rolled in the sand, dousing it before it could spread but that had been too close.

“Ok, try this.” She threw some smoke grenades on the ground and then took off, running as the smoke exploded behind her, covering her escape. She didn’t know how long that would deter them but at least it gave her a head start. She made for the cliff wall. There, she could shoot a grapple and head out of reach of the flames.

As she ran, she noticed Ember and Polybotes still attacking one another, Ember diving down to shoot a burst of fire at him or to attack with her claws while the giant kept trying to net or stab her. Neither was making much progress in taking the other out but Barbara could see that Ember was tiring more.

Then she heard the hissing sounds behind her and picked up the pace.

She was only a few yards away from grappling distance when some sixth sense warned her, causing her to suddenly leap to her left. Just as she did, one of the snakes sailed right by where she was, fire-breath discharging at empty air. She came up on her feet, ready to charge for the wall again but the snake quickly turned, blocking her. And before she could try anything else, the other two quickly surrounded her.

“Shit,” she muttered, circling. The snakes were just watching her now, but she knew that at any second they would strike. They were just waiting, playing with her.

She was still too far away for the grapple gun. Besides, the second she pulled it out, they’d be on top of her. She could hurl some grenades the problem was they were on three sides. It was the same with batarangs. She threw at one and the other two attacked. She could always drop some smoke grenades at her feet, let it cover her. But that would probably prompt them all to attack. Still, it was the best plan she had at the moment, so it was the one she was going with.

She slowly readied herself, preparing to grab her grenades and bo staff at a second’s notice. The snakes seemed to be gearing themselves up as well and just when Barbara was about to move, the air in front of her suddenly went still. She frowned, caught off guard, which the snakes took as an opportunity to attack. She flinched back, expecting to feel those fangs sink in, when they struck something midair, as if hitting an invisible wall. They fell back to the sand and hissed at her in confusion and anger.

“What the-”

“You’re welcome.” She turned to see Julian walking up, arm outstretched. “Just a boundary spell. Can’t hold it for too long but it gives me a chance, you know.”

“Uh huh,” Barbara nodded. “Glad you’re alright. You see what happened to Amani or Vader?”

“No. Went flying just like you after Vader…did his thing. Managed to turn into a hawk and gain some altitude for a few seconds before I saw the giant attacking. Don’t worry, we’ll find them. But first, let’s send these slithering bastards back to hell.” He raised his sword, ready to fight. As he did, Barbara noticed something else, feeling the sand shift beneath her feet. It rippled and shifted and then suddenly erupted. Barbara leapt back as it shot upwards, Julian yelping in surprise. Both of them watched as it rose up into the sky, forming a giant fist as it did and catching something midair. It then fell back to the earth, the fist coming apart and revealing Amani in the middle.

“Amani!” Barbara rushed over to her and gasped as she saw the wound across the girl’s chest, blistering red. Like a heated sword had slashed her. Or a red energy blade.

“R-r-run-n,” Amani muttered softly to her before going limp. Barbara quickly reached for her neck and was relieved to feel a pulse. But it was weak.

The hissing sound came again and Barbara winced, getting angry. She’d forgotten about the damn snakes. Apparently Julian’s shield had dropped when the sand had shot up so now they were free to attack. She turned to face them, whipping her bo staff out when she felt something else. A pressure in the air, and getting stronger. And also a cold feeling. Just like what she’d felt before…

Her head whipped around to see the dark figure of Vader landing smoothly right behind Julian.

“Julian, look out!” she screamed, but it was too late. The boy had barely started to turn before the crimson blade erupted out of his chest. He stared at Barbara in shock, mouth open as if to say something. And then his body dissolved into a bright light, leaving only Vader in its place. He looked straight at her and Barbara felt her blood freeze.

The snakes hissed again, louder, and then two of them slithered forward, attacking Vader. Barbara allowed herself one second of hope before it was brutally squashed as he sliced the first snake in half as it attacked. Then, as the second one let out a belch of fire, he walked straight through it, the flames passing meaninglessly by him, and cut that snake down as well.

The third one, wisely, tried to flee but it was too late as it was lifted up in the air, writhing and wriggling wildly until there was a sharp CRACK! as its spine was snapped and then it was dropped limply onto the sand.

“Surrender,” Vader said, pointing the energy blade right at Barbara’s chest. “Or die.”

Barbara held out her hands, acting carefully. At this point, she wasn’t sure what else to do. Whoever this guy was, he was incredibly dangerous. For now, it was best to wait and see.

“Rahhh!”

Both Barbara and Vader looked up just in time to see the giant trident come flying through the air, missing Ember who skillfully dodged it and striking the rock wall above them.

Vader turned towards Polybotes, never lowering the blade. He regarded the giant, seemingly analyzing him. Barbara had seen Bruce done this many times before with enemies larger and more powerful than him. He was looking for a weakness.

“I will grind your bones into dust, little dragon!” Polybotes roared, now attempting to throw his net out wide to catch Ember but she was ready this time, weaving through the air and managing to escape each time, sending another blast of fire at him each time she did.

Unfortunately, she was weakening. With each second that passed, Barbara could see her slowing just a little more. It was only a matter of time before her luck ran out.

And a few seconds later, it did as Polybotes got in a good swipe with his hand, just grazing her wing that still sent her off balance, flapping wildly to regain control. The giant saw his chance and struck, throwing his net right at her. It hit her dead on, entangling her completely as her wings flapped and bringing her down to the ground. She writhed in the sand, trying to break free but only made things worse as the net wrapped even more tightly around her.

“Now, little dragon,” Polybotes growled in satisfaction, walking over to her, “you die.”

And then Vader struck.

Barbara barely saw him move. One second he was there, the next he had suddenly launched into the sky, as if propelled by a rocket. He soared through the air and then landed right on top of Polybotes, sliding down his backside and slicing him on the way down.

“RRRRRAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!” the giant screamed, twisting around. He glared down at Vader. “Another tiny human. You…hurt me. You will pay dearly for that.”

Vader didn’t reply, instead just watching the giant carefully. Polybotes punched down at him and Vader moved fast, striking back with his blade and cutting a deep, red line across Polybotes’s palm, causing the giant to roar again. Then Vader leapt up again, coming up to chest level and sinking his blade deep into the giant’s chest.

Barbara blinked in shock as Polybotes dropped to his knees, clutching his chest as Vader removed the blade, dropping back to the ground. She couldn’t believe he had killed the giant so fast. And so easily. It looked like it hadn’t even been that much effort for him.

But then she saw Polybotes get back to his feet, grinning. “Stupid human,” he snorted. “I am immortal. I cannot be killed by the likes of you. I can only die at the hands a god and demigod. And I see none about. The only way this ends is with your death.”

“We will see,” Vader replied. And then he suddenly brought his blade up, the crimson saber whipping through the air directly into the giant’s face, blinding him.

Barbara shook her head. She was wasting time, watching the two fight. Her two allies were down and this was the perfect time to escape. She quickly ran over to Ember, Polybotes and Vader continuing to fight in the background.

Ember was straining against the net, stilly trying to break free. She’d managed to tear through some sections with her teeth and claws but was still too tangled up to make much more progress.

“Ember, I’m here,” Barbara said, climbing carefully over to her. She pulled out a batarang and grabbed a piece of the rope and tried cutting through it but whatever it was made of was sturdy. She wasn’t making any headway like this.

“Get me out of this,” Ember growled.

“I’m trying,” Barbara grunted, still trying to cut through but after another minute she gave up having made only a little progress. “It’s too tough.”

Ember sent out a burst of flame in frustration, forcing Barbara to back up. “Hey watch it! Why don’t you just transform, become smaller. Then you can get out.”

“Don’t you think I want to? I can’t change, not like this.” She gestured to her injured leg. “If I shift like this, who knows what damage I might do.”

Barbara looked at it carefully. “Is it broken?”

“I think so.”

Barbara grimaced. She turned and saw Polybotes and Vader still going at it. Vader was doing much worse damage to Polybotes, slicing and slashing all over his body, creating what should have been lasting wounds but they all faded within seconds. Polybotes yanked some more snakes out of his hair, which was really gross, and threw them at Vader but he just cut each one down with a single stroke, continuing to attack with the same ferocity and dodging every single one of the giant’s blows with ease. Still, eventually something had to give and whoever the survivor was, he would turn his attention towards them.

Barbara looked back down at the rope and thought quickly. She needed something sharp enough to break through the ropes but she didn’t have anything on hand. Just some batarangs really, and they weren’t sharp enough for whatever this stuff was. It would take too long to cut through it all.

Then she noticed the ropes around Ember’s mouth, where the fire had hit. They were glowing and looked a little…thin. Barbara grabbed one strand of the net and starting cutting at it with her batarang. This time, she made progress, the heated rope severing more easily. Within a few seconds, she broke through it.

“Ok,” she nodded to herself. “I can work with this.” She turned to face Ember, holding up the batarang. “I need you to heat this.”

“What?”

“Heat this up, with your fire,” Barbara quickly explained. “It’s the only way I can cut you free.”

“Uh…but you’ll burn your hand.”

“My gloves are insulated, I’ll be fine.” Truthfully, she didn’t actually know if they could handle it but she didn’t have time to think about it either.

Carefully, Ember let out a small flame that really only stayed in her mouth. Barbara pressed her batarang against it, wincing as she felt the metal get hot. Once it was glowing, she took it back and began sawing away at the ropes, this time making much faster progress. It still took a few seconds to break through, but at least she was. She still winced, feeling the hot metal burn her hands even through the gloves, but she powered through it, cutting away rope after rope. After a little while, she had managed to free most of Ember’s upper body, shaking off the larger parts of the net. Then, Ember turned and snapped at the rest of the net, cutting through it with her jaws and claws until she was free.

“Right,” Barbara nodded. “Now let’s get the hell out of here, shall we?”

“Sounds good.”

They hurried across the sand back towards Amani’s fallen form. As they did, Barbara watched Vader and Polybotes still going at it, neither of them looking the least bit tired. The giant had recovered his trident, swinging it wildly but never landing a single shot while Vader managed to cut deep wounds across his arms, legs, and chest. Littered across the sands were the bodies of several more of those fire-breathing snakes.

“Good, they’re still distracted,” Barbara muttered as much to herself as to Ember. They reached Amani’s body and Barbara again checked her pulse, relieved to still feel it. “You need to fly us out of here,” she said to Ember.

“That’s going to be a little tricky,” she replied, almost to herself. “I can carry one person, but two…it’ll be slow.”

Barbara grimaced. They didn’t have time for slow. But if that was the best they had, then…

“Fine, let’s just…” she began when she felt a tremor in the ground and heard a faint cracking sound. She turned and her eyes widened as she saw the cliffside crack open, a huge chunk of rock breaking loose. She then watched as it came crashing down on top of Polybotes who barely got his arms in front of his face, smashing into the ground and churning up a large cloud of dust and sand. It didn’t seem to do much as Polybotes broke free a second later, casting all the broken rocks aside.

“You think that can stop me?” he bellowed. “I am Polybotes, the bane of the sea god Poseidon! And I will no-”

He was cut off, literally, when Vader’s blade cut straight through his throat and out the other side, decapitating him. His head rolled out onto the sand and his body flopped back down, creating another cloud.

“That’s not good,” Barbara muttered.

Vader then emerged atop the heap of rock. The energy blade rose from its place in the sand next to the giant’s head and then flew right back into his hand. He then dropped back down, facing them.

“Go,” Barbara said hurriedly. “Go now.”

“Right.” Ember took Amani gently in her uninjured foreleg and then lifted off, grabbing Barbara with one of her backlegs. She flapped hard into the air, trying to make it into the air. But then she suddenly stopped. And then they began to move backwards.

Barbara looked down and saw Vader reaching up towards them with one hand, pulling them back to him with his power.

“Fly faster!” she cried.

“I’m trying!” Ember replied, her wings flapping furiously but they were making no headway. They were still being pulled back. Barbara threw some more grenades down at Vader but he just threw them aside with his other hand.

“He’s too strong!” Ember grunted.

Barbara gritted her teeth. They weren’t getting out of this. Vader would catch and kill them all. Or maybe just one of them.

She hated it. With every bone in her body she hated it. This was not how she wanted to go out. There was still so much she wanted to do, last words she wanted to share with her father, even her mother, her friends and family. And Dick. There was so much she wanted to say to Dick. But it was too late now.
“Drop me!”

“What?”

“I said drop me!” Barbara repeated.

“Are you crazy? No!”

“It’s the only way. You two can get out of here while I distract him.”

“I’m not going to leave you to d-”

“Ember,” Barbara interrupted, “either some of us make it out or none of us. Don’t let it be none of us.”

Ember hesitated and then Barbara heard her mutter softly, “damn it,” before her claw loosened and Barbara fell. She landed on the ground and instantly was up and running right for Vader. She made it about a yard before she was suddenly lifted off the ground and held up in the air, helpless.

Both hands held out, Vader held both Ember and Barbara firmly, drawing them both towards him. Barbara slumped, her gambit failed. Now they were going to die anyway.

“Alright, you heavy metal freak!” she yelled at him. If I’m going down I pro-” she stopped, feeling a pressure around your throat. She started choking, her larynx being squeezed by an invisible force. She grasped at it with her hands but there was nothing there.

“Your prattling annoys me,” Vader told her. “I wil-”

He was interrupted when a sand fist smacked him right in the chest, sending him flat on the ground. Instantly, Barbara dropped to the ground, the pressure holding her up and choking her both gone. Ember was free too and in her grasp, Barbara saw Amani’s hand raised slightly.

“Go!” Barbara yelled. This was their chance. Ember regarded her for a quick second and gave her a small nod of thanks before taking off, flying up the side of the cliff. Barbara turned back towards Vader, throwing some more flash grenades at him. This time, he was still a little too stunned to deflect them and they went off right in front of him, distracting him even more.

Barbara readied her staff again and charged, hoping to actually be able to do something this time. She leapt the last few feet, bringing her staff down when it and she suddenly stopped midair before being violently thrown aside. She struck a sand dune and rolled down it, groaning. She briefly looked up and smiled as Ember disappeared over the top of the cliff, out of sight. She was safe. Hopefully.

Then a shadow crossed over her face and her heart accelerated. She moved to get up but that invisible force returned, holding her in place.

“You surprised me,” Vader said. “That will not happen again.”

That was the last thing Barbara heard before everything went black.

Chapter Text

“Dem- oh, the mask!” Peter instantly reached up and removed it, still feeling uncomfortable about doing it in front of strangers. But this strange situation seemed to call for it. Also, it wasn’t like they knew who he was. “I’m not a demon. This is just a mask, a costume that I wear.”

The man frowned at that. “And what of these webs?” he asked, looking at them closely. “You are clearly in league with some sort of spider-demon, gifted with its dark powers.”

Peter frowned. He wasn’t sure if this guy was kooky or serious cause he had met both types. “He one of yours?” he asked Hermione.

“The wizarding world is huge you know, it’s not like I’d know everyone,” she told him. “But no, he doesn’t really seem like a wizard.”

“Wizard!” Conan spat at that word. “How dare you call me a wizard, child! I do not fight like a coward behind spells and sorcery. That is for the spineless and weak. I will fight, and die if need be, with a blade in hand.” He pointed his sword at Peter’s chest for emphasis. “Now, explain yourself. How did I come to this weird place? Where have you brought me?”

“We don’t know,” Peter told him. “We don’t. We arrived here as well with no warning, just showed up in the middle of the desert. Had to fight some strange wolf-lizard thing and then we came here to this…outpost. We have no idea who did this to us or why or even where we are.”

“You have not brought me to your home dimension to feast on me?” Conan checked.

“What? Eww! No!” Peter gagged a little at that. “First of all, I would never eat you. I don’t eat people. So not a cannibal. And second, we’re still on Earth. This is still Earth.”

Conan stared at him and then let off a bark of laughter, lowering his blade as he did and letting Peter breathe out in relief. It was a pretty big blade and the guy knew how to fight. But he was still laughing loudly.

“What?” Peter asked. “What’s so funny?”

“You clearly did not capture me as you clearly are no aware of your surroundings,” Conan told him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We are not on Earth anymore,” Conan informed him. “Because the Earth does not have two moons in the sky.”

Peter felt his blood go cold and felt like his entire body had frozen. Slowly, almost snail-like, he turned and looked up at the sky. Hermione saw it first and let off a half-gasp, half-sob noise in shock and horror. But there was a chance she saw it wrong. There was a chance she mistook it. There was a chance, as long as he didn’t see it yet, that it wouldn’t be true.

And then he saw it. And that hope died. Because it was true. Where there was supposed to be one moon in the sky, there were two, just hovering right next to each other as if it was totally normal for there to be two moons in the early evening sky.

“Yeah,” Peter nodded. “We’re definitely in the Twilight Zone now.” He sighed and rubbed his head. “MJ is so going to kill me. How do I explain this one?”

“Ho-how…what?” Hermione muttered, completely shocked.

“Hmmm.” Conan moved over. “It appears whatever force brought me here is also interested in you. But for food, for a fight, or for something else, I do not know.”

“Yeah, neither do we,” Peter mumbled, still trying to comprehend. “Ok, so we’re in another dimension. Or another planet, cause that could be true too at this point.” Then he stopped and thought about it for a second. “Or, hopefully, this is some sort of sick simulation and that’s not even the real sky but a programmed one. Yeah, that could be it. But if so, this is one huge simulation.” He looked around the desert. It did seem unlikely that this was a fictional world since it felt so real. It could be he had been captured and was in a virtual world and everything was fabricated. That one…did seem likely honestly. He decided to keep it on the back-burner of his mind and stay focused for any clues to it.

“Alright, since we’ve all been dragged here against our will, I propose we work together,” he said, turning to face Conan. “What do you say?”

“Hmmm, normally I don’t consort with the likes of wizards and their followers, but it would be good to have allies,” he nodded. “Very well, spider-demon.”

“Uh, again, not a demon,” Peter reminded him. “This is all just a costume. See.” He showed his clothes underneath and his web-shooters that shot the webs. Conan didn’t totally look convinced but he agreed to call him Spider-Man instead of demon. Hermione eyed the man worriedly but made no comment. At least until he was out of earshot, exploring the town on his own.

“You sure about this?” she asked. “About him? He doesn’t seem altogether…there.”

“Maybe, but you saw him with that sword. I’d rather have him with us than against us. And he means no threat now, my spider-sense is off.”

“Spider-sense?” she questioned.

“Oh, yeah. It’s a sixth sense I have that warns me of danger. He set it off when he first attacked but now, nothing. I think we can trust him.”

“Alright,” she reluctantly agreed. She took another look at the darkening sky and frowned. “Should probably find some place to sleep now.”

“Here,” Conan said, returning. He handed over some berries and small strips of meat.

“Whoa, where did you get this?” Peter asked incredulously.

“There are plants alongside the hillside with many such berries. Don’t worry, they are safe.” As if to prove this, he swallowed a bunch. “And I always carry travel meat with me. Never know when you might find your next hot meal.”

Peter raised an eyebrow at Hermione who nodded grudgingly that the man had proven helpful. They ate the berries, which were pretty sweet and sour, and the meat, which was mostly bland and tasteless. But both helped fill their bellies so they didn’t complain.

They set up camp along the cliffs as the night sky descended. Something about it felt off to Peter but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. They settled down and looked out over the horizon. Peter hated that it looked so beautiful, the rolling dunes seeming serene in the cool, darkened air. Part of him wished MJ was here to see this, but he honestly wanted her as far away from this place as possible. He wondered how she was doing back home, what she thought when he never turned up. Sadly, it was a common occurrence. But she would start to get worried when he never came. He wasn’t worried about the city too much. Miles would protect it, the kid more than ready to handle it. He just wished he had a plan to get back home. Right now, he didn’t have the first clue as to what to do. He could be lost in time, lost in space, or in another freaking dimension. There might not even be a way home.

No, he couldn’t think like that. There had to be. And he would find it and get back home to MJ. No matter what.

He looked over at Hermione and Conan. Conan seemed unperturbed by everything, merely sharpening his blade with a stone. Peter had noticed many scars dotting his body. The man clearly fought for a living. And the way he had called Peter a demon and seemed unsurprised by the idea that they were in another dimension made it seem like he was used to this life. But Hermione clearly wasn’t. She just stared out at the horizon, blinking quickly as her eyes became glassy with tears. Peter didn’t know what to say or do to make her feel better. He didn’t even know what to do to make himself feel better. He wondered if either of them had people worried for them back in their homes, wondering where they were. People worth going home for.

Peter sighed and lay back. Something was still bothering him, but he couldn’t think what it was. Beside the moons (and the wolf-lizard, but he had seen a man-lizard so it wasn’t too much of a stretch) this world was a lot like his. But there still seemed like something was missing. Something big that he just wasn’t seeing.

Conan finished sharpening his blade and put it away. “I will take first watch,” he said. “You should get some rest. Long day tomorrow.”

Hermione snorted. “What’s happening tomorrow?”

“This place,” he gestured to the ruined settlement, “was outpost for something. We want answers, we find what that something is.”

“We don’t even know what direction to start looking,” Hermione replied.

“Yeah we do,” Peter said. He pointed at the shattered gates. “The attack came from this direction. Which meant the other settlements have to be that way,” he pointed.

“Exactly,” Conan nodded. “And that is where we are going.”

Hermione glowered for a second and then wilted, collapsing against the ground. “You’re right,” she agreed. “Better than nothing.”

“Better than nothing,” Peter nodded. He looked back up at the sky, still frowning in confusement, unable to shake the feeling. He ignored it and just stared, wondering if MJ was looking at the sky in New York as well, wondering where he was. Though hers was probably worse thanks to city smog. You couldn’t see any stars…

That’s when it hit him. The thing that was missing. There were no stars. None. It was just an empty, black sky. Out here in the desert, far from any civilization, there should be tons lighting up the skyline. But there wasn’t a single one. Which meant that wherever they were was out of distance from any stars. Which was a truly terrifying idea.

He was tempted to share this, but then decided against it. Hermione seemed scared enough and Conan didn’t seem to care about that. But now he had to wonder. If they were on another planet, they were in an area of space so far removed that no starlight from any other system could reach them. Or they were in another dimension, as Conan suggested.

Or, and this was a much darker theory that reached into Peter’s mind, no other stars reached them because there were no other stars. They had all been destroyed. It was crazy but he had recently watched a science fiction show where an alien species destroyed suns in order to protect itself from a certain threat. He looked back at the empty outpost filled with bones and dust and wondered. No, it couldn’t be. This planet or whatever had a sun. It must be like Conan said, they were in another dimension. Which wasn’t exactly comforting on its own.

Still that theory persisted. At least until he saw a blinking light in the sky.

“Oh thank god,” he muttered. There was a star after all. It just took some time to appear. It glimmered in the distance and he smiled, glad for this small thing. Then he frowned as he kept looking at it. Was it getting…bigger?

“Conan, you seeing this?” he asked.

“Hmm?” Conan looked up and followed his gaze. He frowned as well and got to his feet, sword at the ready. “What is that?”

“What is what?” Hermione asked, getting up as well now. Then she saw what they staring at. “What, a star?”

“I don’t think stars keep getting brighter like that,” Peter said. It had been a dot but now was growing bigger and brighter. Not by much but definitely noticeable. And also it was green. A bright, almost emerald green light.

Then there was another burst of light, a smaller one that looked almost fiery next to the green one. The green light seemed to get bigger for a second before shrinking down. And then it began moving in a new direction.

“That’s not a star,” Peter realized.

“What is that then?” Hermione asked, narrowing her eyes as the light zipped over the horizon.

“I think…it might be a person. Someone else brought here,” Peter said. “Or maybe two. And they’re fighting.”

“What do we do?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Conan grunted. “We do nothing. Let them fight it out. Not our business.”

Peter didn’t like that phrase. Whenever there was trouble, he felt the urge to get involved. To help however he could. It all came from that moment when he let a burglar go, the moment that completely destroyed his life the way he knew it, the moment he regretted ever since and would continue to do until he died. He didn’t know who was fighting who or why. But he knew he wanted to get involved. Because he was worried what might happen if he didn’t.

“They might need help,” he said.

“Not our problem,” Conan replied.

“I could get their attention,” Hermione told them. “But, I agree with Conan. I don’t think we should. Whatever problem they’re dealing with is on them. We have enough problems to deal with.”

Peter grimaced. He knew they were right. He did. But he also couldn’t help but wonder. If he did nothing and something went wrong. Maybe one of them died. Maybe a good person died and he had done nothing to help them. He just sat back and watched.

“I…” he sighed, not knowing what to say. The green light was still bobbing around, occasional smaller bursts of yellowish light accompanying it, both flying through the air.

That’s when it hit him. Flying.

“They’re flying,” he said out loud.

“What of it?” Conan asked.

“They’re flying,” Peter repeated.

Hermione gave him a strange look. “Again, so? They’re flying.”

Peter stared at both of them hard. “They are flying,” he said again. “We can’t fly.” Both just stared back in confusion and he sighed. “We have no idea how far this outpost is from the rest of its…civilization. We could be traveling days or even weeks by foot. Or, we could…” he gestured to the bobbing light.

“Fly,” Hermione finished, eyes wide with realization. “We could get there almost instantly.”

Conan frowned, not convinced. He grimaced as he looked at the light. “Seems unnatural,” he muttered.

“Conan,” Peter said. “I know it’s a risk. A big one. But it might be worth it. And I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be trekking across the desert, scavenging for food and relying on Hermione’s wand for water. I think it’s a risk we have to take.”

Conan looked closely at him and then back at the light. Then he nodded. “Very well, let us see if we can convince these flyers to aid us.”

“There we go,” Peter grinned. “Alright Hermione, do your thing.”

She let out a small sigh. “Hope we don’t regret this,” she said then held out her wand to the night sky and a burst of red sparks erupted from it, flying high up before crackling loudly, becoming a beacon for everything within the area.

Chapter Text

“Here,” Luke said, taking the lead. He reached down to one of the crystals and broke a piece off, shaking it in his hand. The light inside suddenly surged, illuminating the way. Luke then led them down several winding paths until a brighter light emerged at the end of the tunnel, leading them into an even larger cavern with more crystals dotting the floors and ceilings, lighting up the whole area. “This is where I first arrived. There are several tunnels here leading out. That one,” he pointed to one to the side, “leads to the outside again but it’s just a cliff face over the desert. No way down unless you can fly.”

“Hold on,” Harry said and gently placed Chewie down again, the big guy groaning weakly. Harry then turned to the tunnel they had just emerged from and did the same trick as before, lifting the sand up into the ceiling and forming a barrier. He then transfigured it into stone, blocking the way completely. “Now he can’t follow us.”

“Still say we should have killed him,” Luke grumbled.

“Too risky,” Harry said, even though he wondered if it was the right move to let Vorjavik live. He had stopped Luke because he was worried Vorjavik might be tricking them or might find the strength he needed and attack again. But he had also stopped him because he didn’t like the idea of killing a bound person. He didn’t want to kill at all in fact. He hadn’t really before and he didn’t want to start now. He might regret it later, probably would, but for now he was just grateful they had made it out. But unfortunately they still had Chewie. “What do we do with him?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Luke replied, looking at their fallen ally. “I’m not really a medic. I mean, I know a few things but nothing that can really help him. I can staunch the bleeding but I’m pretty sure that chest wound is the big problem here.” He turned to look at Harry. “Don’t you know any healing spells?”

“Not really,” Harry replied, trying to think back to what Hermione had done after Ron had gotten splinched, what Madam Pomfrey always did but was coming up empty. He had just allowed others to be the healers and not partaken himself. That had been a massive mistake. “I guess for now we just wait and see. And think of what we do next.”

“There’s a stream that way,” Luke pointed at another tunnel. “Disappears into the underground so the tunnel’s not that big, but it is drinkable.”

“No need,” Harry said, waving his wand. One of the crystals reshaped itself into a cup-shape and then Harry poured water into it. He then brought it over to Chewie, dribbling it slowly into his mouth before leaving him to rest.

“Don’t suppose you can conjure up some food?” Luke asked.

“No, not food. Just water,” Harry replied.

“Alright, well, then I’ll go see if there’s anything in the other tunnels I didn’t check before. I’ll be back soon. And careful,” he warned. “Had to fight this crab thing by the stream and some lizard thing out on the ledge. There may be other creatures wandering around. So keep your guard up.” He then turned around and within seconds, he was gone.

Harry sighed and sat down heavily into the sand, leaning against the wall. It had been a long day. A very long day. And it probably wasn’t even over yet. And Harry had arrived here when the sun had been setting. It was far later for him now. He was exhausted, more than he knew. And he was scared out of his mind at what else was waiting for him. And what was happening. Harry wondered if Vorjavik had been right. That this was a contest and that only the greatest would make it. If so, what other kind of champions were out there? And who was organizing it? And what were all those skeletons? What exactly was this place?

He wondered what the others were thinking, back at the Burrow. They were probably going out of their minds with worry, Ginny especially. She would be freaking out, doing everything she could to figure out what happened to him. But would she be able to find him? Harry had no idea where he was, just that it was some desert of some kind. With weird monsters here. He wished Hagrid were here. The big guy would be able to handle them.

Harry looked over at Chewie and his slow breathing. He wished he could help but he didn’t know any spell that could. He wasn’t trained in healing. Even Hermione was better than him. He was worried he might end up doing more harm than good. But he had to do something. There had to be some way to help him. Harry couldn’t let him die. He might have family of his own he needed to get back to.

There was a shuffling noise and Harry got ready to stand up, hand on wand but it was just Luke returning.

“Find anything?” he asked.

Luke shook his head. “Nothing. Couple a dead-ends and a few other tunnels that looked like they led into dead-ends. Didn’t want to check on them now.” He sat down and looked over at Chewie. “What are we gonna do with him?” He glanced over at Harry. “You really don’t have some spell to help him?”
Harry grimaced. “I already said no. If I could, I would but it’s not my specialty. I know a few spells but this requires more than that. Potions and stuff that I don’t have. My friend Hermione would know more, but…” he just sighed.

Luke nodded grimly. “Well then, there’s nothing more we can do right now except pray to whatever gods we worship.” He added a twist of sarcasm to that that made Harry frown. He then faced Harry directly. “Get some sleep,” he said. “I’ll take first watch and wake you if anything happens.”

Harry opened his mouth to protest but he was tired, the long and exciting few hours catching up with him. And it had already been evening back home. He nodded once and leaned back into the sandy ground closing his eyes. He briefly wondered about what other threats were out there, if Vorjavik was chasing them or if he was still chained up. He also wondered about what Vorjavik had said, about coming back to life. He wondered if that meant there were others out there like that, who had come back to life.

That was the last thought he had before slipping off to sleep.

He didn’t know how long he slept. He had woken up briefly to move into a better position before slipping off again. But now he could hear people talking in the background as well as other strange sounds. He blinked and yawned, struggling to wake up. He managed to get up to his feet and crack his neck before getting a look around.

“Gah!” he yelped as he saw the black face right next to him, stumbling away. Once he got a better look, he saw it was just a mask. In fact, it was a whole costume, completely black except for a yellow belt, a strange bat-like symbol on the chest, and white spaces where the eyes would be. Harry frowned, trying to understand what he was looking at it.

“Oh good, you’re awake.” Harry looked up and saw Luke walking over.

“Sorry,” he said, stifling a yawn. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

Luke shrugged. “I tried, but you just rolled over. Heard these two coming in,” he gestured behind him to another figure that made Harry frown. A man in a white and blue bodysuit with only his mouth and chin showing, his skin a dark brown and his mask having a strange blue slit along the middle. “Didn’t know who they were and didn’t want to make noise in case they were enemies so I left you as you were and was about to attack when she got the jump on me,” Luke nodded at the figure in the strange bat-suit. “Apparently, I’m not as good as sneaking up as she is. But we quickly made peace. Now we’re trying to decide what to do with Chewie.”

That woke Harry up fast. “What do you mean?” he asked, standing up.

“Frozone…did I get that right?” Luke turned to the man behind him.

“Yeah, that’s it,” he replied.

“Good. He thinks he can, well, freeze Chewie.”

“Freeze him?” Harry questioned. “How does that work? And you can do that?”

“Yep,” the man named Frozone replied. “It’s kind of my thing. You’re just lucky that the air’s cooler down here. Up there,” he pointed at the ceiling, “the sun was draining my powers like crazy.”

Harry frowned, not sure what to make of that. But he was getting that a lot so he just pushed past it. “How will it help him?”

“It’ll put him in a suspended state,” Frozone explained. “He won’t get better, but he also won’t get worse. And trust me, right now he’s getting worse.”

He didn’t need to tell Harry that. One look at the big guy and Harry knew that they would need to do something really soon. “And this will work?” he checked.

“I’ve done it before. Not full-body, mind you. But close enough. And it worked. I wouldn’t recommend leaving him in the ice for too long, but hopefully it’ll be enough time to find some way to cure the big guy.” He tilted his head as he took in Chewie’s figure. “Where’d you even find him and what is he exactly?”

“I met him some ways down that way,” Harry said, gesturing to the blocked door. “He saved my life. As for what he is,” Harry shrugged. “I have no clue.”

“Huh,” Frozone nodded. “Well, I’ve met a guy with bird wings and an old man who puked up lava so I guess this isn’t the strangest thing in the world.” He held out his hands and then Harry felt a noticeable change in the air, like a cold breeze wafting through. Then, twin blasts of cold air shot out from the man’s hands, landing right over Chewie. As Harry watched, a block of ice formed over his friend, completely encasing him. Within a matter of seconds, it was over.

“Wow,” Harry muttered. “That was something.” He had seen a lot of powerful magic in his day, but never really straight from someone’s hand like that. That was some serious power. But the guy also called himself Frozone, which made Harry think that this was either his specialty or his one main skill.

“Ok, so we’ve done that,” Luke nodded. “Now we need a plan on how to fully heal him.” However, as he said that Harry noted something odd in his voice. A small hesitation. And the way the person in the bat-suit next to him moved, they might have noticed as well.

Harry turned back to Frozone. “I’m going to guess that you arrived the same way we did. Just living your life one second and then the next you’re in the desert with no idea how you got there.”

“Pretty much,” Frozone nodded. “I kept wondering if it was that portal girl behind this somehow, but she can only do make portals to places close to her, so she claims, so for now she’s out. Whoever it is, they’re very powerful. And clearly up to something.”

“Yeah, but what?” Harry asked no one in particular. “Why bring us all together?”

Luke mumbled to himself. “Harry, what was it Vorjavik said? About this place? He called it some sort of contest of champions to see…”

“Who would rise or fall,” Harry finished. “And only the greatest will prevail. You think he was right? That we’re here to, what, fight amongst ourselves?”

Luke nodded. “Maybe. I’ve been in an arena or two in my life and been forced to battle for others’ amusement, so it lines up. It could be very likely what’s happening here.”

Frozone grunted. “Had that happen to me and Bob once and few other supes. Some rich dude captured us and had us fight in a bizarre arena while placing bets. We eventually broke out and had everyone there arrested.”

Harry didn’t know what supes meant but he nodded as well. “Ok, well that’s something. But what about all those skeletons? How does that fit in?”

“What skeletons?” Frozone asked and Luke quickly explained what they had seen earlier. He scratched his chin, thinking. “Hmmm. Past contestants, maybe?”

“No,” Luke shook his head. “I don’t think so. Those skeletons were all different shapes and sizes, some as small as children. And they looked like they were escaping something. I’m pretty sure they all died in that room. I think this place is being used as an arena right now, but something else happened here. And judging from how old those bones are, it happened a long time ago.”

“So, what’s our next move then?” Harry asked. “And let’s not forget that we need to try and help Chewie.”

Again he noticed a slight hesitation in Luke’s face as well as a grimace. And he knew what it meant. “You don’t want to save him, do you?”

Luke looked up at him. “Of course I do,” he replied firmly. “But we also need to be realistic. None of us our healers and we have no idea how to help him other than freezing him solid. We need to find out how we came here and how to get back home. And sadly, he’s probably going to weigh us down like that.” He nodded at the block of ice. “We have no idea what other kind of threats are out there and right now, he’s a liability.”

“He’s a living creature,” Harry argued. “We can’t just leave him to die.”

“If it comes down to me or him, sorry but I’m choosing me and if you don’t do the same, you’re an idiot.”

“I’m not leaving him either,” Frozone interjected, crossing his arms. “That’s not what heroes do.”

Luke snorted. “Heroes? What exactly are heroes because I’ve seen plenty of so-called heroes in my life. Guess what? Most of them die long before they reach my age, almost always because they’re trying to be heroes. Being a hero more often than not guarantees an early death. No thanks. I already d-” He stopped there, pursing hips lips tight for a second before continuing. “I’d rather be a survivor. So yeah, I do hope we find a way to heal Chewie. But if we have to leave him behind to survive, then that’s what I’m gonna do.”

Harry breathed through his teeth, not sure what to make of this. He could understand Luke’s reasoning, but to be so cold about it? So rational? Harry didn’t know many people who would act like that. Even Dumbledore or Moody wouldn’t leave Chewie behind. They would do everything they could to help him first.

“Heroes help.”

The voice came so softly and so out of the blue that it took Harry a second to realize where it was coming from. The person in the bat-suit stepped forward, arms crossed over their chest. Then they pulled the mask off, revealing a girl a few years younger him with short-cropped black hair.

“Heroes help others,” she repeated. “They don’t run away.”

“Well, I’m not a hero,” Luke replied. “And I…” he paused there and slowly looked up, the others following his gaze, having heard the same thing. A soft booming noise above them. As they watched, it came again and this time the ceiling shuddered, particles of sand drifting down.

“Oh, what now?” Frozone muttered, holding up his hands while the girl drew several small items from her belt that looked similar to boomerangs. Harry raised his wand while Luke held out his sword. The ceiling shook again and then it did something else. Harry frowned as he watched. It was almost like the ground drew up from above the ceiling, like it was being pulled. This was quickly followed by an even louder booming noise.

“Maybe we should-” Harry started but then the ceiling cracked open and a woman with a green uniform fell through. She landed on her feet though, and was ready when another figure dropped after her. Harry blinked as he witnessed the new person, not sure what he was seeing. It was a humanoid, but with grayish skin and a bloated chin that looked like a frog’s, a strange reed-like beard drooping down it. There were three sharp ridges atop their head and there was no nose. Not like with Voldemort where he only had a slit. This person had no nose at all. They also had four arms.

“Hmmm, more people,” the figure muttered in a smooth, male voice. “I wander around this desert for hours without a person in sight and now I run into a crowd all at once. Strange. Or maybe not.”

The other woman turned and noticed them for the first time. She frowned, eying them dubiously, but then turned back to the four-armed figure. “Surrender now,” she said in a voice that seemed like it was used to issuing commands.

“Or what, my dear woman?” the figure asked.

“Or I will beat you into the ground,” she replied. As she did, she lifted her arm and the ground cracked open, a large piece of rock lifting up into the air over her shoulder.

“Hmm, a neat trick,” the figure remarked. “Here’s mine.”

The boulder suddenly exploded, fragments of rock shooting out everywhere. Harry and the others ducked to avoid them but the woman wasn’t so lucky, being laid out flat from the burst and now scarred from the rock pieces.

Instantly, Frozone lifted his hands, ready for action but the other figure held his up calmly.

“I am Jedi Master Pong Krell, General in the Grand Army of the Republic. And I order you to stand down.”

Chapter Text

They entered the tunnels, letting the light of the crystals guide them. As they did, Percy saw more skeletons, mainly the humanoid figures but an occasional monstrous one as well to show whoever these people were they still put up a fight.

“Why would someone bring us to this place?” Toph asked quietly.

“Perhaps so this world is not forgotten,” Calvin suggested. “Perhaps to try and save it. Or to learn something from it. Or maybe to just trap us here. It’s hard to tell right now.”

“We should hurry. I don’t like the feel of this place. Or this world for that matter. It feels…cut off somehow,” Ahsoka said, speaking softly.

Percy didn’t know what that meant and he didn’t want to. But he did sort-of get what she was saying. There was something off about this place. Something that felt…wrong. As they kept walking, Percy couldn’t help but wondering about what this place was. Who were these people? And what were these monsters and why had they attacked like this? They passed some other caves and caverns but they all showed the same thing. More carnage. More death. This was a graveyard with the only living things only appearing after what seemed like thousands of years.

Percy remembered Nico talking about stuff like this and wondered if they were going to get attacked by restless spirits. Gods, he hoped not. That was the last thing he wanted to deal with right now, angry spirits seeking vengeance on the living. All he wanted to do was find out how he had gotten here in the first place so he could just zip on right back and pretend this little adventure never happened in the first place.

Ahsoka stopped ahead of him, studying some skeletons on the ground and Percy couldn’t help but notice that they seemed a little smaller than some of the other ones. “Too young,” she muttered and then sighed deeply. “This never gets easier.”

“You’ve seen battlegrounds before,” Percy said.

Ahsoka slowly stood up and turned to face him. “Yes,” she said wryly. “I was trained for peace, to bring peace, and was sent to war as that was the way to bring it about back then. I saw…too many battlegrounds and the cost of each one.” She looked back at all the skeletons they had passed. “These people were forced to fight for their very survival against an enemy they clearly had no chance against.”

Percy looked at them as well and could easily imagine them as the bones of demigods against the number of monster armies they had faced in the last few years. “Yeah, I know the feeling.”

Ahsoka looked questioningly at him but didn’t ask him anything else.

“Let’s keep going,” Calvin said softly.

As they walked, Percy studied the people around him a little more and he began to realize something. They all had that same posture. The way they walked, the way they held themselves. There was also this slight weariness in their movements, like each step was an effort. As Percy watched Ahsoka carefully, he could see the fatigue in her, like she was tired from fighting. She had said she was sent out to war and Percy wondered how old she was then. With Calvin, he seemed ageless but Percy could still see it. The look that he had fought countless battles and was just waiting for the next one. And though Toph didn’t have the same exact look, what was more prominent was her stance, like she was always ready for a fight, always ready for the next challenge to her. They were all warriors who had never stopped fighting.

And as much as Percy wished his battles had ended, he knew he was the same.

He thought about sharing this but again decided it against it. He didn’t truly know what it meant yet, though he knew it had to be relevant. He needed to know more first. Hopefully he was about to get some.

“So how do we do this?” Toph asked as they approached the doors to the apparent records room, its doors broken and splintered, practically fallen off. Percy, however, noticed that they were made of a tough metal that the other doors didn’t seem to have, like the people here wanted this room protected more than any other. “Do we announce our presence loudly here or just sneak up on him or do we…”

Ahsoka ignored her and just barged ahead, pushing past the broken doors which was apparently the final straw, both of them finally collapsing to the ground with a loud clatter. Percy and Calvin both winced at the sound while Toph just shrugged. “First one it is. Cool.”

“Who’s there! Wha-” They then heard the sliding sound of a sword being removed from a scabbard. “What are you?”

“Stop,” came Ashoka’s voice from inside. “I don’t mean you any harm. I’m just here looking for answers as well.”

“Same here,” Calvin said, walking in with Percy and Toph following. Inside stood a man in a long, black cloak with a large sword in both hands, eyeing them warily. He had short curly black hair and a trimmed beard and Percy instantly saw that he too had the same wariness about him. Someone tired of fighting but knew it all too well. And from the way he was holding that sword, he was very familiar with it. “That’s all we’re after. We were each dropped in this place with no warning and want to know why.”

Slowly, the man lowered his sword. “Same,” he said. “Haven’t seen anyone yet. Least of all someone who looks like her,” he gestured to Ahsoka. “Are you…one of the Children of the Forest.”

“I do not know what that means,” she replied. “But no. My name is Ahsoka Tano.”

He nodded at her. “Jon Snow.”

They all gave the rest of their names. Percy took a look around the room. Like the rest of the place, it was trashed and destroyed for the most part. There were still papers and books here and there but the number of ones that weren’t damaged either by the battle or just by age seemed to be zero as far as he looked. All the shelves were torn down, now just dry stacks. There seemed to be other strange items, like a cylindrical object at the end of the room on a plinth with weird markings around it or a large, bronze rectangular item that looked like it was made of thin bars of metal.

“Have you found anything?” Calvin asked.

“Not really,” Jon Snow replied. He was still looking at Ahsoka a little strangely, but now turned to face Calvin. “Anything I could find is written in a strange language I couldn’t understand. There’s nothing here.”

“Hmmm, I’m pretty good at language,” Calvin said, picking up a semi-intact book and opening it up. He frowned at it, flipping through the pages. “But this is not a language that I understand. It doesn’t even seem similar to any culture I know.”

“Me either,” Ahsoka muttered, having picked up her own book. “And I’ve traveled far across the galaxy.”

They all began looking through the books there but all of them let off sighs of disappointment. Percy picked up a scrap of paper and saw only a bunch of scratches and swirls. He couldn’t tell if they were numbers or letters or something else or maybe something in between. Even if it were somewhat decipherable, his dyslexia would have made it impossible anyway. The scratches and swirls only made it worse, scrambling the symbols all over the page. He grunted and dropped the page. There had to be something else, some other kind of record that could give them answers.

He walked over to the back wall, looking at some of the objects stacked there. There were a few more papers rolled up in scrolls but as soon as he unfurled one, he could see it had the same strange symbols on it, except much smaller which just made him get a headache. He found a stone tablet on a raised platform with the same script on it as well which told him this script had to be more important. Probably some prayer to the gods. Personally, if he was going to put a prayer on display, it would be one to pizza. Or at least the guy who invented pizza.

He found several small statues which he assumed had to be gods or something like gods to these people. He found a large, metal staff with a triangular symbol on the top that reminded him of the Eagle of Camp Jupiter. The more interesting thing he found was a large tapestry that, while was faded and worn and had a large tear down the middle, still showed an image of the desert landscape except with cities in the middle and people wandering between them. Percy couldn’t tell much, on account of all the damage, but what he was pretty impressive. It also made him miss Annabeth. He bet she would have found the answer already. She was smarter than him in every way imaginable. She was probably smarter than everyone else in this room. She would have taken one look at the room and focused in on something like the weird cylindrical object that had the circular indentation at the base that kind of looked like…

Percy stopped. Then, he slowly took a closer look at the staff in his hands, the one he forgot he was carrying. The ball at the top was still glowing, a tiny bit brighter than before. And it was the right shape for the indentation.

“No way,” he muttered.

“Found something?” Calvin asked across the room, now looking over at him. The others quickly followed suit.

“Maybe,” he replied. “Just want to test it.” He held out the staff and then pressed it gently into the indentation, the ball fitting perfectly with a soft click. He sucked in his breath, watching the cylinder thing at the top but nothing happened. Everything stayed quiet.

“Huh,” he said, frowning a little. “Alright, guess it was nothing after a-” Just as he pulled the staff away from the plinth, the cylinder lit up with a bright, blue light, sending him stumbling back in surprise. The light gleamed out for a second and then coalesced above him, forming into a humanoid figure. Percy blinked for a second, the figure having dark, almost obsidian skin that seemed to shine on its own, its features like marble. It was dressed in a shabby cloak, more thread than fabric, and torn and worn down garments. The only thing that really stood out was the metal bracelet on the figure’s wrist.

The figure then began talking in a mixture of screeches and clicks. Percy frowned, the sound coming a little strangely to him.

“Can any of you understand that?” Jon Snow asked, walking up.

“No,” Calvin said sadly. “It is in a dialect unknown to me. I can recognize a sound every now and then but it is indecipherable.”

“So all we’ve got is a stinking load of nothing?” Toph summed up. “Great. All that’s telling me is we can finally leave this spooky cave.”

But Percy paused, focusing on what the figure was saying. Amidst all the screeches and clicks, there was something else there, something very soft but slowly getting louder. Then, as he strained a little, he began to hear it. Words. Actual English words. Last, these, forced, survival, low, running, blame.

“I can hear it,” he breathed out in disbelief.

“Yeah, we can all hear it, dunderhead,” Toph said to him.

“No, I mean I can understand it,” he said, shaking his head.

“You can?” Calvin questioned. “But, how…” he trailed off then, seeing the staff in Percy’s hands for the first time. “Is that the staff from the entrance?”

“Uh…yeah,” Percy nodded, unsure if he had done something wrong. “I just saw it and had a feeling so I picked it up and the end started glowing. Then, I placed it there,” he pointed at the indent in the wall, “and the whole thing just started.”

“You can understand them because of the staff,” Calvin said slowly, nodding his head as he thought about it. “It’s connecting you to their language somehow. Fascinating.”

“What is he saying?” Ahsoka gestured to the holographic man.

“Uh, well I’m really only getting every other word right now, less really, so it’s kind of hard, but…” Percy focused on what the guy was saying. “I don’t know, he’s in the middle of it now, I missed a lot.” He thought about that for a second. “Hold on, let’s see if this works.” He held out the staff and pressed it into the depression again until he heard the click. The hologram instantly faded away. Percy then removed the staff and again, a second later the recording lit up and started back from the beginning. “Ha, who’s bad with technology now, Paul?” He saw everyone’s confused expressions. “Paul’s my stepdad who always has to- never mind, it doesn’t matter.”

“So what is he saying?” Jon asked.

“Uh…well, he’s introducing himself as one of the somethings of the holy something. Guess he’s like their priest or whatever. Ok, so now he’s saying he’s the last of his…oh no, he’s saying the people with him are the last of the people.” Percy paused at that for a second before continuing. “They have tried to fight and hide but are out of time, forced down into the something, caves I guess. But the somethings always find them. They prayed to their somethings for something but there was no answer. Well if it’s the gods, no shit, they’re not really big on answering prayers for-”

“Percy, not the time,” Ahsoka told him.

“Right, sorry. Uh,” Percy frowned at this part. “Ok, so now he’s saying that he can’t blame them. His people are to blame. They are getting something deserve. What they deserve?” He frowned at that. Why would these people deserve to be wiped out? “He says that they are something their sins. This is their punishment. Now the darkness has come to something.” Here the figure became more animated, rubbing his face with his hand. “Ok so he’s not really talking to the recording anymore. He just says that he doesn’t know something doing this. Something will ever see it. Oh, no one will ever see it. But he’s something because he something something, that second something is actually him saying that, to be remembered of the last something. He hopes that something out there will learn from this and something the same mistakes but he doubts it something are no one else out there. He…” Percy trailed off there, gaping a little.

“What?” Jon asked. “What did he say?”

“Uh…he says he, or his people, killed them all,” Percy translated. He heard a couple of soft gasps and releases of breath as he continued. “Now he’s saying something about…” but he didn’t need to translate anymore as there was a loud crashing noise and screaming filled the air. The man turned and an expression of acceptance and fear washed over him. Then something crashed into him and the recording stopped. Percy licked his lips, deciding not to translate that last bit since it was pretty obvious what happened next. He looked down at the ground and sure enough, there was a skeleton a few feet away in those same robes, though now even more worn down, and most of its ribs missing.

“So…” Toph began, “these people claim to have killed all the other people ‘out there’ and this guy now believes they’re being punished for it? Sounds crazy but honestly this entire journey has been crazy so whatever.”

“Hmmm,” Calvin scratched his chin thoughtfully.

“You know something,” Ahsoka noticed.

“I have a theory,” he agreed. “Just a theory for now, but I don’t know how plausible it is yet. I need more information.”

“I think that’s it,” Percy said. “I mean, I could try the recording again, understand more words but I’m pretty sure we got the main gist of it.”

“Have you tried reading anything while holding that?” Jon asked him.

“Uh…” Percy shrugged and reached down, picking up a piece of paper. But the words still looked like scribbles to him. He gripped the staff tighter, even tried touching the orb at the top, but nothing changed about the scribbles. “No, sorry. Still looks like my baby sister’s artwork to me.”

“Maybe there’s something else here that can help,” Ahsoka suggested, looking around.

“What, that bench that looks like it belongs in a modern art gallery?” Percy pointed at the weird metal bars rectangle thing. “Or the line of little statues over there? Face it, I think this is it. We want more info, it won’t be here. This place is dead.” He looked around sadly at the bodies, the last of their kind facing off against a horde of monsters. He could easily imagine it as what the world might have looked like with Kronos in charge. Or Gaea. Monsters hunting demigods down to extinction. What must have these people felt? Thought in their final moments? Percy closed his eyes, not wanting to think about it. He didn’t know why he was here, learning this story, but he knew he didn’t want to know more. What he knew already was bad enough. Anything else, he just knew would be worse than he could imagine.

Ahsoka started walking around the room, her hand held out as if she was reaching for something. Percy watched her carefully, her looking a lot like him and other demigods when reaching for their powers, summoning their abilities. So what was she doing? But after a moment, Ahsoka stopped, dropping her hand. “You’re right,” she said. “There is nothing here. Everything here feels dead. It’s like the Force has closed itself off here.”

Percy didn’t know what the Force was, though it did sound vaguely familiar, but he didn’t like the way Ahsoka described it being closed off. It sounded like something the Force shouldn’t be doing. All the more reason to leave this place.

“So where to now?” Jon asked what they were all thinking.

Calvin sighed. “Well, I believe that-”

“Wait,” Toph suddenly said, frowning. “Something…something’s not right.”

They all looked at her. “What is it…wait, I hear it now?” Calvin said, looking at the wall to their right.

“What?” Percy asked. “What is it?”

“Something fast. And very strong,” Toph muttered. “It’s tearing through the earth like it’s nothing.”

“Let me guess, it’s coming right for us,” Ahsoka said.

“Very fast. Seconds at most.”

“What would at least be then?” Percy muttered, pulling out Riptide. He saw Jon draw his sword while Toph got into a fighting position. But then he saw Ahsoka draw out her strange handles and wondered what they could do.

“Any idea what it is?” she asked.

Calvin focused in on the area and Percy was surprised when he saw the man relax. “It’s fine,” he said. “I know this man. It’s-”

The wall in front of them suddenly broke apart, rocks and dust spraying all around. Percy coughed up a bunch that flew into his mouth before waving his hand to clear the remaining dust in the air to see a man standing at the now broken wall. He had the same suit as Calvin, a blue body suit with an S emblem on the front and a red cape flowing behind him. The only differences were that his suit was a darker shade of blue and the emblem had a sharper point at the bottom, stretching down more than Calvin’s.

“Superman,” Calvin finished.

Chapter Text

“Hela, stop!” Korra yelled and thrust her arm out, a wall of dirt blocking the death goddess. The kid backed up quick but Hela turned to Korra, fixing her with a dark look. “You can’t just kill him,” Korra said quickly. “We have no idea who he is.”

“He appeared from the shadows with a sword of pure death. Those are mine alone to wield. The boy must die for that.”

“Lay off, psycho!” the kid replied. At that point, the others arrived on the scene, ready to face off against Hela. “And it’s just made of Stygian iron, not death.”

At his voice, Diana turned and her eyes widened in recognition. “Nico? You’re back!”

The kid, Nico, turned as well. “Oh, hey Diana. Why you traveling with Death Queen over there?”

“Wait, you two know each other?” Korra asked.

“We met each other after we arrived here, stumbling into one another,” Diana replied. “We made our way until we spotted the city and Nico decided to check it out first, disappearing into the shadows.”

Korra blinked. “Ok, what?”

“I can walk through shadows,” the kid replied. “They’re all like doorways to me. It’s called Shadow Travel. So I just entered darkness of one of the wrecks and then entered a shadow in the city, scouting it out. Then I came to report back when thorn lady over there attacked.”

“You stepped in front of me wielding a sword of death energy,” Hela sniffed. “You got off easy.”

“Death energy?” Liza questioned.

“What did you learn Nico?” Diana asked.

He hissed, making Korra feel like whatever he had seen wasn’t good. “Well, there’s not really any good news. There’s…interesting news. And then maybe bad news, wasn’t able to tell for now.”

“What’s that mean?” Ben asked.

Nico blinked at him and then nodded, accepting it. He pursed his lips, seemingly trying to think of the best way to say what he was about to say. “The interesting news would be that there are other people there. No citizens, far as I can tell. They entered from outside. Far as I can tell, city’s been abandoned for years. Well, almost anyway.”

The way he said that and the way he looked made Korra want to shiver. “What does that mean?”

Nico breathed out. “It means that something else decided to live there. Or a lot of somethings. It doesn’t look like they stayed but…well their homes were old and-”

“Nico!” Diana interrupted. “We don’t what you’re talking about. Just tell us.”

“Right, sorry. I found webs,” he said. “Like, spider-webs.”

Korra blinked and then turned, a little confused. She saw the others with similar expressions. Ben was frowning at Nico while Liza seemed a little on edge but also had a confused look. Hela was completely uninterested in the conversation at this point, looking over at the city like she was ready to walk towards it. Or destroy it. It was hard to tell with her.

“Spider-webs?” Diana checked.

“Yeah. The spiders sort of took over the city. They’re gone now cause I couldn’t spot any but they left their webs. And they’re not too frayed so I’m guessing they left pretty recently.”

“Wait, sorry, back up,” Korra stopped him. “When you say spiders, you mean the small little things that hide in corners?”

Nico snorted. “Don’t know about small. Those webs are huge so I’m guessing their creators are just as big.”

“But you didn’t see any?” Diana checked and he shook his head. “Very well, they may have just wandered off. Not our problem right now. We go into the city and hopefully find some clue about this place and-” she stopped and looked over. “Where’s Hela?”

They all whirled around and saw the woman gone. And Korra didn’t even need to guess where she had gone. “Don’t think she’s much of a conversationalist.”

“Come on, let’s find her before she causes more trouble,” Diana sighed.

There was a sudden screech from up ahead as well as several tremors through the ground. This was followed by a familiar voice yelling, “DIE YOU HIDEOUS ABOMINATION!”

“Think we might be too late,” Ben grumbled and they all started running.

Korra twisted the wind around her, forming an airball beneath her which she used to speed around the others and race ahead past the other shipwrecks, heading for the source of the noise. She could feel the earth tremors below her and hear the screeches as well as Hela’s curses and boasts, proclaiming all the many graphic and disgusting ways she would kill whatever was there. Korra put some more oomph into her ball and sped forward as fast as she could.

And then she rounded the corner and felt her concentration falter as she saw what Hela was fighting. It screeched again, the sound reverberating around the area. It had enormous tentacles, each one swinging around wildly trying to grab hold of Hela who leapt nimbly away from each one, slashing them whenever she could and occasionally chopping one off. The creature seemed to have a head, or at least a large mouth that was partly buried in the sand, a large crustaceous shell around it. There were rows and rows of teeth as far as Korra could see inside, lining a tunnel straight to hell.

“Do you know who I am, beast?” Hela cried out, snapping off another tentacle while dodging two more. “I am the Goddess of Death, the rightful heir to the throne of Asgard. I have trampled armies and slain horrors far greater than you. You are no match!”

The creature screeched in response, slamming a particularly large tentacle down on the ground, causing a wave of sand to rise up and a tremor to shake the earth.

“What in the name of Galactus is that thing?” Ben asked, arriving on the scene.

“Shrimpzilla!” Nico gasped.

“You know this thing?” Korra asked.

“Oh no, just looks kind of like Shrimpzilla. Except the tentacles are bigger. And it’s in the sand, not the sea. And it doesn’t seem to have claws.” He then noticed much of it was still buried in the sand. “Least I hope it doesn’t.”

“Whatever it is, it will fall,” Diana promised, raising her sword and preparing to charge.

“Wait, hold on,” Liza stopped her. “Right now, it’s focused on death queen over there. So why not let it?”

“Let it what, kill her kid?” Ben checked.

“Or she kills it, whatever. She seems to be handling herself just fine. So let’s just let them fight it out and just walk around them.”

“No,” Diana said firmly. “I will not let anyone die alone in combat, not even Hela. It is my duty to fight monsters such as this. And I have handled worse.” She then charged forward, leaping into several tentacles and carving a path through them.

“Well, I’m not fighting,” Liza crossed her arms. “My teacher always taught me to fight as a last resort. Better to sneak around them. And this is no-”

She was interrupted when a smaller tentacle ripped out of the ground by her feet and wrapped tightly around her leg. She yelped in shock as it yanked her down, pulling her into the sand.

“Whoa!” Ben lunged forward, grabbing hold of her around the waist and holding her firm. “Hang on kid, I got ya.”

But she kept slipping as the tentacle just pulled harder. Liza reached for her sword but couldn’t get a good grip on it. “Will one of you cut the damn thing?” she cried out.

“On it!” Nico said, crouching down and swinging his blade at the tentacle and cutting through it easily. A little too easily. As Korra watched, she could almost swear the sword didn’t just cut through, but it also absorbed the tentacle. When she looked down at the severed piece, the cut part seemed dead, like decomposed. She shivered a little but didn’t have long to dwell on it as the creature let loose its loudest screech yet and a bunch of tentacles shot out towards them. Korra dodged out of the way just in time but the others weren’t so lucky, Ben, Liza, and Nico all getting grabbed and yanked across the ground.

“Gah!” Ben roared and slammed his fists into the sand, trying to find something to grab hold of but all he did was create large gouges in the sand.

“Hold on!” Korra yelled, running forward. She shot out with her arms, sending fireballs streaming at the tentacles but the damn things kept moving, the fire only hitting a few of them and none of them doing too much damage. But it did get the creature’s attention, several more tentacles shooting out from the sand towards her. “Oh crap!” she cried and spun away, narrowly missing one of the tentacles. She tried to earthbend but there was only sand and she wasn’t the best at bending that just yet. And firebending didn’t seem to affect the creature. Waterbending and airbending didn’t seem like they would help too much here. So what else could she do?

“RAHHHHH!” Hela screamed as she flew overhead, crashing into debris and sending metal flying everywhere. “You will die horribly for that!”

Korra stared down at a metal fragment at her feet. Metal. Metal!

She was so dumb! The answer was literally all around her. But she didn’t have time to dwell on it. Acting fast, she spun her hands around and started bending the metal, summoning it to her aid. The metal responded, circling around her as she guided it. Then she thrust forward and the metal shot through the air, slamming into the tentacles and embedding in the flesh.

The creature let out a roar and whipped its tentacles around but did drop the others before they could reach its mouth. Ben slumped for a second before rising again, rubbing one of his fists into the other as he did. “Alright beastie,” he growled, glaring at the thing. “You ready to get clobbered?” He didn’t wait for a response, leaping into the air and smashing down onto the beast’s outer shell, punching hard into it in an attempt to break it.

Korra ducked as a tentacle came her way, sending more metal against it. “We need to get out of here,” she called out.

“Never!” Hela yelled, charging forward, swords in hand. “Surrender is not an option! That is for cowards. I will slice that monster open and drown it in its own blood!”

“Lady, you need serious help,” Nico said, cutting a tentacle coming his way.

Hela didn’t respond, sending a spear of dark stone hurtling into the beast’s mouth. It didn’t seem to do much to hurt it but the creature did send two more larger tentacles her way that she was forced to dodge.

Korra bent some metal around two tentacles in the air, melding them together and binding the tentacles together. But for every one any of them put down, it was like three more popped up. Nico and Liza stood back to back, fending off as many of the things as they could. Diana was charging straight for the mouth but wasn’t making much headway, too many of the tentacles pressing against her. Ben was still atop the beast, smashing down at it but he also wasn’t making much progress from what it looked like. And Hela…well she was certainly getting most of the creature’s attention with nearly a dozen tentacles lashing out at her at a time. She was scything through them as if they were stalks of wheat, but they just kept coming back for more.

“How many damn tentacles does this thing even have?” Liza complained, cutting down another one.

Korra had no idea but she did know that they couldn’t keep this up forever. They were barely affecting the creature while it was constantly on the attack. Eventually someone would slip up. Their only choice was really to retreat, get as far away from the thing as possible. She glanced towards the city and wondered if it would follow them inside. Maybe, maybe not but it seemed like their best bet at the moment.

But before she could relay any of this to the others, she felt it. A slight rumble through the earth. And then another, much bigger this time. If she wasn’t trained as an earthbender, she wouldn’t have felt it. She barely did with all the sand in the way, but it was there.

The sand started to shift before sliding past her feet. She slowly turned her head, watching more and more sand fall away as a large mound of it rose up several yards away. She gaped for a second, just watching, as something large rose from the sand, something with a thick shell and tentacles swarming beneath it.

“Oh, great,” Korra muttered, watching the sand slide off the shell like waterfalls. “There are two of them.”

But she quickly had to bite those words as she then saw three more mounds rising up around the area, each another shell-like figure with tentacles rising from the sand beneath them.

“Oh, what in Hades!” Nico exclaimed. “There are five of them?”

“Fantastic!” Hela grinned with relish. “Bring it all on. It will make my victory all the sweeter.”

But Korra was watching closely and she noticed it before any of the others. “It isn’t five,” she told them with widening horror, seeing each shell placed an equal distance from the others, all forming a circle in the sand. “They’re all the same creature.”

“This thing has five mouths?” Liza asked, incredulous. “Well, that’s actually not the most horrifying thing I’ve seen.”

“Uh, guys?” Ben called down to them, still atop the first shell. “You all seeing that?”

They turned to see what he was pointing that and Korra felt her heart falter as the ground in front of all the different shells started to writhe and pulse.

“Oh this is really not going to be good,” Liza muttered.

The outer shells rose higher from the ground and then the sand between them began to slide forward, all coalescing in the middle. Korra dug herself in but she saw with wide eyes that the very ground was beginning to tip, forming a pit. And in the center of it, something was beginning to emerge. Something Korra was sure she did not want to fall into.

“Run!” she yelled, making for the edge of the pit, scrambling up the rapidly rising sands. She saw Liza and Nico moving beside her. She couldn’t see Diana anywhere or Ben who had vanished from the top of the shell. And Hela…

…was attacking the creature head-on.

“What are you doing?” Korra cried to her but Hela ignored her, still charging right down the sides of the pit to the creature. Korra shook her head. If the so-called goddess of death wanted to die, that was her deal. Korra had other problems to worry about. She climbed up as fast as she could, trying to keep her hold as the sand flowed past her. Nico and Liza were still with her but they were also struggling, each step harder than the last. The sides were getting steeper and steeper and Korra chanced a glance back, gulping as she saw the maw in the center of the pit, one that seemed to lead to darkness as well as a whole lot of teeth.

“Come on, keep going!” she said.

“What do you think we’re doing?” Liza snapped back.

Korra didn’t bother replying, just kept trudging her way up. She tried to stabilize the sand, bend it to her will, but she still found it just outside her control. She should have made more time to learn sandbending. Now she was paying the price. Gah, if Tenzin were here he would give her such a lecture right now.

Korra gritted her teeth and kept going. She wasn’t dying now. She refused to die on some strange world in the gullet of some sand monster. She was going to see Asami and all the others again. She would make it through this. Because she was the Avatar.

But even she could see that they weren’t going to make it. The ground was rising up too fast, each second that passed making it harder not to slip and slide. And the shells were still too far away. Korra grimaced. She didn’t know if this would work but now was the only time to know for sure.

“Hang on guys!” she called and then spun her hands around, tossing her up in the air slightly, the winds swirling around her feet until they formed a ball. She them zoomed over to Nico and Liza.

“What the-” Nico started, seeing her coming.

“Grab on!” she yelled at them both. She had to keep concentrating on the airball so she wouldn’t be able to grab them herself. Thankfully, they got the message and grabbed hold of her arms as she passed. She grunted as they attached themselves to her, their combined weight dragging her down a little. She’d never had to carry people while on an airball before and she was pretty sure she never wanted to again. She staggered a bit midair but managed to right herself. Nico and Liza both dangled off her arms, their feet scarping across the sand, but they still held on diligently.

Korra continued to wobble her way up the side of the ever-deepening pit, but still keeping steady. She saw the edge of the pit straight ahead and made straight for it.

Which is, of course, when everything went wrong as dozens of tentacles sprang from the sand, writhing in the air before shooting right at them.

“Oh come on!” Korra cried out, spinning wildly in an attempt to avoid them. Nico and Liza both yelped as she turned and twisted each tentacle but still held on tightly. Korra winced at their grips but pushed past it. She forced them all back down the pit to avoid the tentacles but the things just kept following, chasing them further in.

“Ok, got any other tricks up your sleeve?” Liza cried out, slashing away at a tentacle getting too close.

“Just one,” Korra shot back. “Hang on tight!”

“I am hanging on tight!”

“Well, hang on tighter.” Korra gritted her teeth and, just as the tentacles converged on them, Korra shot her arms down and loosed an emormous burst of flames from both fists sending them all shooting into the air.

“Whoa!” Nico cried out.

Korra grimaced. The last time she’d done this had been in her last battle with Zaheer while she was in the Avatar State. She didn’t know if she could keep this up for long. But she didn’t need to as she was already moving right toward the edge. All she needed was a few more-

She jolted midair, something holding her fast. She whipped around and saw a long tentacle had wrapped around her leg. She grunted and tried to wriggle out of it but the thing stayed. She tried moving her fist over it to burn it off but the flames still had no effect, the thing still trying to pull her back.

“Liza, cut the damn thing off!”

“On it,” Liza replied, swinging her sword at it. But as she did, the tentacle twisted its body out of the way. Liza grimaced and tried again but the tentacle kept twisting aside to avoid the blade. Nico tried as well but had the same luck. And all the while, it still remained attached to Korra’s leg, constantly yanking her backwards.

“I can’t cut it without cutting your leg off,” Liza said.

“Damn it!” Korra put more fire into her fists, increasing the thrust but she only moved a few more inches. She could barely feel her leg anymore with how tight the tentacle was holding on. She tried to force some fire into her feet but they still had no effect on the tentacle and still gave her barely any headway. She could now see more tentacles shooting up to entangle her as well and drag her back to the yawning pit below.

Korra desperately searched for the others and spotted Diana and Ben below but they were completely surrounded, a veritable sea of tentacles swarming over them, the two barely holding their own. And Hela was still unaccounted for after charging into the creature’s maw.

“Korra, I have an idea,” Nico shouted up at her.

“Oh yeah, what is it?”

“You need to let it swallow us.”

Korra blinked. “Yeah, I don’t like that plan.”

“Yeah let’s try something else,” Liza added.

“No, trust me,” Nico said.

“Why would we let it swallow us?” Korra grunted, still pushing out to keep them aloft but it wasn’t going to work for long. She was running out of energy fast, the fire burning through it. She had minutes left if not seconds. Actually, probably just seconds.

“I can shadow travel us out of here, but I need shadows,” he replied. “And the only ones that we can get to are down there,” he pointed right down at the hole in the center of the pit, the one with all the teeth in the middle. “So unless you have any better ideas…”

Unfortunately, Korra didn’t. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t break free and she couldn’t think of anything else she could do right now. Nico’s plan was literally the only one they had. And that was really bad.

“Well,” Liza muttered, raising her sword, “let’s make sure to take that filth with us if we go.”

“That’s one way to look at it,” Korra muttered. She then looked right at Nico. “Are you sure you can
do this?”

Nico looked her back dead in the eye. “I’m sure,” he replied.

Korra nodded and took a deep breath. Asami, she thought, and then let go.

She kept the image of Asami’s smile in her mind as the tentacle whipped them back and down before throwing them down directly into the pit. Korra could only watch as the gaping hole came right for them, growing larger and larger with slavering teeth all the way down.

“Nico?” she asked.

“Wait…”

They were now right above it, flying straight into it and she had to physically restrain herself from bending.

“Nico?”

“Wait…”

They flew right into the maw into the darkness inside, shooting right through the beast’s gullet and Korra could now just make out something at the bottom, something that looked a lot like stomach juices.

“Nico!” she yelled, more panic in her voice.

“Wait……”

Korra’s eyes shot wide as the stomach fluids got bigger and bigger, rising to claim them all.

“NICO!”

“Now!” he yelled, grabbing them tight and Korra suddenly felt them vanish into the shadows.

For a second, all she was pure darkness, like every light in the world had suddenly been put out. She felt cold chills run up her spine that made her shiver and heard strange voices that she couldn’t make sense of while feeling like her face was peeling off.

And then, a second later, the shadows vanished and they emerged into the light again, blinding her.

“Ah!” she gasped, rolling in the sand. “That…oh…that was not fun.”

“Yeah,” Liza said somewhere next to her. “Let’s agree never to do that again.”

“Hmm,” Nico grumbled. “Well, you’re welcome anyway.”

“Sorry, thanks,” Korra told him and he nodded back. She blinked and saw that they were in the shadows of the city, the walls looming above them. She turned around and saw the creature in the distance, about a hundred yards away from them. And Diana and Ben were still there fighting.
“We have to help them,” Liza said, noticing the same thing.
“Don’t worry, I got this,” Korra said. She was a little low on energy right now after that flying bit but she figured maybe she could summon just a little more. She twisted her arms around and formed another airball, riding it right back over to where the beast was. As she did, she saw even more tentacles than before now writhing around Diana and Ben. Diana was whipping her sword around so much that it was incredible to watch while Ben simply punched as many as he could as fast as he could, sometimes grabbing several at once and tearing into them.
“Diana!” she cried out as she got close, causing her to look up. “We gotta go!”

“How did- never mind,” Diana shook it off. She started to back off, attempting an escape but the tentacles seemed to sense this and lashed out even more, forcing her back on the offensive.

Korra grimaced. They weren’t going to make it like this. They needed an opening. Taking a deep breath, she dredged up everything she had and began moving her arms around. “Get ready!” she yelled out and then threw it all up, the air whipping right into the tentacles and forcing them all back like an invisible wall.

Korra sagged, dropping to her knees, but still holding fast, keeping the tentacles at bay.

“Don’t worry kid, I got ya,” Ben said, swooping down to pick her up as he and Diana ran for it. “Just keep it up a little longer. And where’s Hela?”

“Swallowed, I think.”

“No, she’s not,” Diana replied. “I saw a tentacle throw her up and into the city. I don’t think the creature wanted to eat her.”

Probably due to all the stabbing in its throat, Korra thought. She pressed on the air, continuously bending it to keep the tentacles back, knowing every second bought them more space.

“Here,” Diana suddenly said and the next thing Korra knew was that they were all flying, Diana having apparently lifted up Ben with Korra still on him.

“Whoa!” Ben gasped for a second before chuckling. “Damn, where you been hiding this skill?”

“Just hold on and don’t make any sudden movements,” Diana replied. Within seconds, they arrived right next to Nico and Liza and Korra finally dropped the wall of air, letting the tentacles go free. They could all see the monster writhing there for a second before diving back into the sand, kicking up a storm.

“Wait, is that thing coming here?” Ben asked, frowning.

Korra kneeled down and reached out with her earth senses. They were muffled by the sand but the creature was so big that she could still make it out, barely. “No, I don’t think so,” she replied. “I think it’s leaving.”

“Huh, well good for us,” Liza smirked. “Guess it decided to try for easier food.”

“Or, it didn’t want to follow us,” Nico said.

Korra glanced back at him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, maybe it’s more afraid of what’s inside here than it is hungry,” he explained, gesturing to the towering city.

“That’s a comforting thought,” Liza muttered.

Ben sniffed. “In this line of work, aren’t they all?”

“Come on, we’re losing daylight,” Diana said, watching the sun descend in the sky. “Let’s try and find some shelter in the city. Maybe find Hela as well. And then, try and get some answers.”

But as they walked, Korra couldn’t help but wonder if Nico was right. What exactly was waiting inside those walls for them?

Chapter Text

The first thing she noticed was the dull throbbing in her skull, like someone was repeatedly poking her forehead with a pen. Then, as she slowly regained her senses, she became aware of other things. The coarse sand beneath her, the cold wind ruffling against her. Her lips were dry and throat raw. She blinked but only saw dark shadows. Then she realized that was because it was dark. It was night.

There was a soft crackling sound coming from behind her, like a fire, and she realized she could feel its heat behind her as well.

Then she heard it. The familiar breathing sound. HHAAAWWW-PPPPEEEERRRR. HHAAAWWW-PPPPEEEERRRR.

She braced herself and then moved, twisting around to attack when her whole body froze, held still by an invisible force.

“Do not do that again,” came the cold mechanical voice.

Barbara breathed as the force released her, her whole body coming loose once more. She straightened up and took a good look around her. The cliffs were gone, she evidently having been moved away. She was now in the middle of what could only be a dune sea, sitting at the bottom of a large one. The sky was as black as pitch, the only thing illuminating up there being the two moons. Then Barbara blinked and looked again. Yep, two moons. So she definitely wasn’t on Earth. Wonderful.

Across from her, on the other side of the small fire, was Vader. In the shadows, with only a little illumination from the fire, he was even more imposing. He sat there, almost statuary, his mask unreadable. Barbara couldn’t see his weapon but she knew that meant nothing. He was dangerous with or without it.

“Why am I alive?” she asked, sitting up.

“You may yet prove useful to me,” Vader replied.

“How?”

“We will see. And do not make any attempts at escape or attack. Your life will be forfeit if you do.” He said it so calmly that Barbara almost missed the threat. She so wanted to attack right now, throw some batarangs and smoke grenades but she knew how powerful she was. Heck, she actually didn’t know how fully powerful he was but based on what she had already seen, she knew she stood no chance against him. She would have to wait and bide her time. And try to stay alive til then.

As she sat there, watching him, she realized she still had all her weapons. Batarangs, grenades, grapple, bo staff, all of it. Vader hadn’t taken any of it. He didn’t care if she had it. Barbara didn’t know if that was arrogance or calculation that none if was any threat to him. Probably both.

“Who are you anyway?” she asked.

He didn’t reply, his mask merely staring back at her. Looking into the dark visors of his eyes was like staring into voids of darkness. Barbara couldn’t help but look away.

“That is not your concern,” the reply came. “Be still and be silent.”

Barbara grimaced, wanting to punch him in the face even more now. But, knowing what would happen if she did, she just lay back instead. But she wasn’t down for more than a few seconds when she shot back up at the sudden yells.

“Release me at once!”

“What the hell?” Barbara muttered, batarang in hand as she scanned the area. She saw Vader rise and turn around. As he did she saw a large boulder behind him until the light illuminated it and she realized it was no boulder but a giant head. And not just any head.

“You will return me to my body, mortal, or you will face my wrath!” Polybotes roared, eyes glaring fiercely at the approaching Vader. “You will-”

He didn’t get to say anything else as Vader raised his hand and the giant began to choke, eyes bulging at the loss of air. He glared with pure hatred at Vader before his eyes rolled up and the head slumped. Several of the snakes lingering in his hair popped up, angry at the treatment of their master but Vader dispatched them with ease, barely swinging his saber.

Barbara just stared, open-mouthed at the scene, not quite sure what she had witnessed. “He’s still alive?” she went with a moment later.

“Evidently,” came Vader’s reply.

“As a head?”

“It appears he was serious when he described his immortality. Only a god and demigod may kill him. I have tried many times to no avail. The snakes as well.” Again, Barbara had trouble reading his words. He didn’t seem frustrated or annoyed at this. Not amused or fascinated. Just…blank.

“But…why are you keeping him?”

“His body wishes to reconnect with his head. I buried it beneath the cliffs. It is almost certainly free by now and if not, then soon. I would rather the two remain separate.”

Barbara frowned. So there was a giant body without a head wandering the desert looking for them? She honestly didn’t know if she had heard of weirder things.

But as she lay back down, she realized something else. Vader wouldn’t be toting a giant head like that just to keep it separate from the body. Based on what she’d seen, he’d probably just bury it or chop it in half again or something. That way, the giant body wouldn’t be after them. Vader wanted the head for something.

Immortality.

Yes. Polybotes was immortal. That had to be why Vader was keeping his head around. He wanted to know how.

Barbara spent the rest of the night awake, planning on what to do. In the end, as the sun began to rise, she had nothing. The only thing she really had was just to wait, assess the situation as much as possible. Vader was an unknown. All she really knew was he was fast, powerful, and extremely dangerous. She needed to know more about him if she was going to do anything about him.

“Get up,” Vader said, rising himself and Barbara followed suit. He turned towards the head which was still out. Barbara wasn’t sure how it could be choked if its throat was missing but since it survived as just as a head, rules like that kind of went out the window.

The head was lifted up into the air and Vader began to move, passing by the dunes. Barbara followed behind, keeping a fair distance between them.

“So what’s the plan?” she asked.

“Walk.”

That seemed to be his whole plan. Granted she wouldn’t have come up with a better one if she’d been alone. So they walked, passing by and over the many dunes dotting the landscape, the sun beating down on them relentlessly. Vader didn’t seem to mind, continuing to walk at the same pace, but Barbara was beginning to struggle a little. She was moving with no food or water and was pretty soon she would pass out soon.

“You wouldn’t happen to have water on your…suit, would you?” she asked.

Vader gave no reply, simply continuing to walk up another dune slope.

Barbara came to a stop, panting a little. “Look, I can’t keep going until I drink something.”

Vader came to a stop as well and then raised his other hand. For a second, Barbara thought he was going to kill her but instead, she felt the earth shake a little bit and then the sand next to her scattered, a large crack appearing in the ground. A few seconds later, a stream of water emerged, forming a ball in the air before floating over to Barbara. She blinked and then reached out just as it fell, splashing into her hands. Acting quickly, she brought the water to her lips and managed to get in one gulp before it was all gone.

She sighed. It wasn’t enough, not nearly, but it would have to do for now as Vader was already moving again. She hastened to catch up, climbing the latest sand dune to the top to see yet more dunes awaiting her.

And then the shouting resumed.

“AARRGGGHHH!” Polybotes roared, his eyes flying open. “What is this…Outrageous!” he screamed, seeing his head floating in the air. “Release me at once, puny human, and perhaps-”

Vader lifted his hand again and once more Polybotes was choked to death, his face going slack. Barbara felt sick watching it. The whole floating head thing was disturbing on its own, but Vader toting it around just to kill it again and again turned it up to a whole new level.

They kept walking, dune after dune, Vader never stopping or slowing. Barbara wondered he was exactly. Some kind of sorcerer maybe, like Zatanna? Or maybe even a machine, like Cyborg? The breathing apparatus and mechanical costume seemed to suggest so. But it was hard to tell. Everything about the guy was a mystery. Lucky for her, mysteries were one of her strong suits.

Barbara didn’t know how he could stand to be in that suit in this heat. Part of her hoped it would cause him to faint or falter or something and she could make her move. But so far, he just kept up his pace without pause, showing no sign that anything bothered him. Barbara was pretty sure even Bruce would be having trouble right about now, and he was the toughest man she knew.

Every now and then, Barbara stopped when the thirst got too bad and Vader managed to bring more water out of the ground for her. She suggested at one point getting a lot of it at once and putting it in some container but he just ignored her. Evidently, he wanted to keep her on low energy, weaker. Not a bad plan actually as Barbara had trouble focusing with the little energy she had.

Still, she’d been in worse spots and always found a way around them. This would be no different. She just had to be patient and wait. Her main plan right now was find out where she was exactly. Clearly she was on an alien planet of some kind, given the two moons, so her current plan was to find some sort of town and see if she would be able to find some way to contact Earth. And if she couldn’t then some way to contact the Green Lantern Corps. She also knew the Superman symbol was an almost universally recognized symbol so she could also use that to her advantage. But first, she had to find some sort of sign of civilization. And so far, there wasn’t one.

She thought back to the others. She hoped Ember and Amani were ok, though she didn’t think anyone stuck in this desert was ok. Still, she hoped they were alive. Unlike Diggle, Elrond, and Julian. She sighed, thinking of how easily Vader cut them down. Which brought another thing to mind. That light that had taken each one, what was it? Did that happen every time someone here died? If so, where did the bodies go? There were too many mysteries here, too many questions.

A few more hours passed before Polybotes awoke again, raising hell before Vader silenced him again. At this point, they’d been walking for more than half the day, the sun beginning to sink in the sky. Barbara gulped down her latest spoonful of water, relishing every drop. She wondered how long this would go on. If Vader would just keep walking endlessly. It sure seemed like it. He had shown no indications of having any other plans. Then again, it wasn’t like he was showing off he had indications for anything. With most people, Barbara could gain impressions from them based on their movements and expressions. But this guy had none.

Again she was reminded of Bruce and how he kept everything in check. The comparison scared her.

It was early evening when once again Polybotes awoke, screaming about vengeance and death when Barbara snapped.

“Hey, moron!” she shouted. “Unless you want to get your throat snapped again, you should probably shut up.”

“How dare you!” the head roared at her. “I am Polybotes, general of the gigantes. And I will not-”

“Buddy, you’re not the general of anything right now. You’re just a head,” Barbara told him. “So what ever threats you’re planning on making, none of them are going to work cause you can’t do anything.”

Polybotes spluttered at that, face turning red. “I will not be insulted by some mortal girl.”

“Well, deal with it cause you just were.”

“Enough,” Vader’s voice cut through, cold and sharp. “You, head, will be silent. As will you, girl.”

“I wi-” Polybotes began.

“That was not a request.” Vader held out his hand and Polybotes spluttered as he was choked again. This time, however, Vader released him. “You will be silent, by your choice or not.”

Polybotes glowered with a look of pure hatred, but he fell silent, realizing the futility of shouting.

It was as the sun finally began to set that Vader stopped. Barbara didn’t even think too much on it. She just collapsed where they were, lying in the sand. She was so exhausted. And hungry. And thirsty. God, she was thirsty, her throat so parched it felt like it was made of sand. It honestly might be.

She sensed Vader moving again and couldn’t help but groan. She honestly didn’t know if she could get back up. She was pretty sure she was incapable of it right now, her muscles feeling like jelly. But then she sensed him sitting down a few yards away. She opened one eye and saw him kneeling there, staring at the horizon. She shrugged, guessing that this must be where they were stopping for the night. She didn’t question it or anything, just closed her eyes, rolled over, and let oblivion take her, falling into a deep sleep.

She woke suddenly, feeling a knife around her neck.

“Don’t move,” a voice behind her said. “Do as I say, and you just might make it through this.”

Barbara froze, but inwardly cursed herself. How could she be so dumb as to fall asleep just like that. She should always be aware of her surroundings. She had been raised by a police officer and trained by one of the best fighters in the world. She should have known better than to just drop her guard like that.

Now that she was awake, she became more aware of what was happening. Vader was still in the sitting position as he had the previous night with his legs crossed. Next to him was Polybotes’s head who was also fast asleep, snoring loudly.

Barbara could also sense several other people around her. There was someone behind the woman holding the knife, someone with loud heavy breathing. If Barbara had to guess, she’d say a large man. And a little to her right was another large man wearing a costume that was a mix of brown and red, cracking his knuckles.

“Who a-” Barbara began but the knife pressed closer and she sucked in her breath, the blade extremely sharp.

“Shhh,” the woman holding it said. “Don’t talk. Just do as I say.” She then jerked her head at the costumed guy. He lumbered forward right towards Vader, knuckles clenched. Barbara felt a strange urge to warn him but even if she could, she didn’t know if she would. Judging from this first encounter, she had no idea if these people were any better than Vader.

The man was two feet away from Vader, arms raised to grab him, when he suddenly said, “come any closer, and I will cut you down.”

Barbara was suddenly pulled back a little, leaving her throat more exposed, the edge of the knife barely touching it and already biting into her skin. “Don’t make any funny moves, or the girl dies.”

Polybotes snorted, eyes flickering open. “Whazz- huh? What’s going on?”

The costumed man stumbled back a step. “Jeez, that thing’s alive? What the hell?”

Polybotes looked around and groaned. “Great, more mortal witnesses to my humiliation.” He stared directly at the woman behind Barbara. “If you kill them and reunite me with my body, I can reward you with endless riches.”

The woman seemed to regard him for a second before turning back to Vader. “You’re going to hand over everything you have to us now, or I’ll slit her throat.”

Muggers? Really? Even in the middle of an alien desert? It seemed some things were just universal.

“Please, slit away,” Polybotes sniffed. “That girl is nothing but a hindrance.”

Barbara rolled her eyes. In this form, there was no way Polybotes was anything but a hindrance.

“You do realize I’m not his friend, right?” she said out loud. “I’m a prisoner.”

The woman paused but only for a second. “Well then, you’ll lose your prisoner unless you do as I say.”

Vader said nothing. He didn’t even move. He just sat there, regarding all of them. If he hadn’t spoken a few seconds ago, Barbara might have thought he was sleeping.

“Hey, didn’t you hear me?” the woman said loudly. “Hand over everything you have, now, or I kill her.”

“Kill away, please,” Polybotes told her while Vader still didn’t respond.

“The lady’s talking to you,” the costumed man said, walking towards him. “It’s rude to-”

The second his hand reached for down, Vader’s hand went up and the man went flying, smacking down into the nearby sand dune with a loud THUMP! He groaned and rubbed his head.

The knife woman hesitated for a second before lifting the knife. “I warned you,” she said, and moved the knife to slit Barbara’s throat when it stopped a hairsbreadth from her skin. Babs could only see it out of the corner of her eye but she was fixated on it, wondering why it had stopped when she heard the woman groan a little and she realized what was happening. Then the woman’s hand twisted aside and Barbara instantly took the opportunity, rolling away and throwing a batarang as soon as she rose up. But a sudden burst of red light knocked it aside midair with a sound similar to the laser guns many supervillains used.

She looked over and saw on the next dune over a woman in a crouched position holding a long rifle pointed directly at her. Barbara couldn’t tell much from the distance, but the woman seemed to be wearing a red outfit and was almost completely bald except for a ponytail in the back.

The other woman, the one with the knife, glared over at both Barbara and Vader. She had spiky black hair and was wearing way too much eyeliner, looking like an Egyptian priestess in a bad Hollywood movie. In her other hand was another knife, identical to the first, both looking like they could slice through stone.

Behind her was a large figure with hair covering their skin and bulging muscles as well as large canines emerging from their mouth. For a second, Barbara thought it was Gorilla Grodd but no, whoever this was, they were smaller and their fur was more silvery than black. But definitely some sort of ape.

“Hmm,” Polybotes eyed Barbara as she rose up. “Disappointing.”

“Oh will you shut up?”

Beside her, Vader rose up as well and Barbara backed away. She already knew what was about to happen and even though these people had almost killed her, she couldn’t help but feel a little bad for them. She hoped they would just be knocked out but that seemed extremely unlikely.

The man Vader had thrown aside walked forward, fists raised menacingly. “You’ll pay for that,” he promised.

“Stop Erik,” the woman said. “We’ve lost our leverage. Now we negotiate. And if not, you can pound him into the dirt.”

“Not likely,” Barbara said under breath.

“Kill them both and free me, cretins!” Polybotes bellowed.

The woman eyed the head. “Can you put a muzzle on him or something?”

“How dare you! I wi-”

Polybotes was interrupted when his throat cracked, Vader’s fist clenched towards him.

“Or that works too,” the woman nodded.

“He comes back,” Barbara said. “He…doesn’t really stay dead.”

The woman raised an eyebrow. “Interesting. But that’s beside the point. Why don’t we introduce ourselves. My name is Sarah Jacobi, servant of the House of Life. The esteemed gentleman over there is Erik Josten also known as the Power Man. Behind me is the wereape Balk. And the woman with a rifle lined with your skull is the lovely Miss Aurra Sing. So don’t try anything or you’ll be dead before you even blink.” She grinned, making Barbara feel queasy inside. It was a grin that promised violence and death. “And you are?”

Vader remained silent for a second, looking over the group. “Vader,” he finally said.

Jacobi nodded. “And you?” she turned to Barbara.

“Batgirl,” she replied, refusing to say her real name.

“Batgirl,” Jacobi repeated. “What an adorable little name,” she said with a fake smile, tilting her head as if she was regarding a small child, before turning back to Vader. “Well, as you must realize, you are at a significant disadvantage. You are outnumbered and outmatched. Move a step and Aurra over there will shoot you down. Or one of my knives will. And either Erik or Balk will finish the job.” Erik cracked his knuckles again and Balk flexed his canines. “Do you understand?”

Barbara glanced over at Vader. Why wasn’t he doing anything? She had almost expected him to light up his sword and cut everyone down, not that she wanted him to. But it was like he was waiting for something.

“Come now, you must realize there is no winning here,” Jacobi said in faux-sympathy voice. “So, why don’t you just hand over all your weapons and food, if you have any, and tell us what you know of this place and we’ll just-”

“So you know nothing,” Vader interrupted.

Jacobi paused. “What?”

“You know nothing of this place,” Vader said. “Then you are of no use to me.” He pulled out his handle and the crimson blade ignited. Just above its hum, Barbara could swear she heard a sharp intake of breath but she couldn’t tell from where.

“So that’s how you want to play this?” Jacobi asked, eyebrows raised. “Very well. I guess we’ll take what we want from your corpses.” She then threw one of her knives at Vader without warning.
Barbara flinched on instinct but Vader didn’t move, the knife stopping midair in front of him. It hovered there for a second before turning around and pointing back at Jacobi who stared with wide eyes. And then it flew right at her.

She yelped and dove out of the way right before it could slice through her, striking the sand behind her instead. “Get him!” she snarled.

Both Erik and Balk charged, Erik heading right for Vader while Balk attacked Barbara. As he did, she whipped out her bola and threw it, the weighted ropes spun and wrapped themselves around his legs, pulling them tight. He squealed out and fell heavily to the sand. Then, as he moved to get up, she took out her staff and whacked him over the head with it hard.

She turned around as Erik launched a punch at Vader. She knew what was going to happen next but couldn’t look away. Vader moved aside easily and then his blade came up. Erik looked down at his severed arm and barely had time to scream before the blade struck again, relieving him of his head. His body instantly vanished in the bright light. Barbara could only watch in horror.

Jacobi gaped for a moment before rising from the sand. “Aurra, bring him down!” she cried.

Barbara readied herself for the blast to come again but there was only silence. “Aurra?” Jacobi called again.

“My apologies, Jacobi, but I only serve the best around. And I know of his kind. So I’ll just sit this one out.”

“Traitor!” Jacobi snarled. “I’ll deal with you after.” She then turned to Balk who had freed himself. “Ape, you go after him!”

But Balk, having seen what happened to Erik, stayed where he was.

“I am surrounded by traitors,” Jacobi growled. “Fine, I’ll deal with it myself.”

No you won’t, Barbara thought sadly, watching as Jacobi picked up the knife Vader had sent back and charged, both blades at the ready. She then leapt in the air and Barbara blinked as the sand at her feet followed her up, forming a sandstorm beneath her which she then flew upon.

“Die!” the woman screamed, throwing her knife at Vader but his blade came up, deflecting it. It bounced right back into Jacobi’s hand and she just glared and threw her other blade, Vader deflecting again.

“Enough of this.” She held out her hands and what seemed like an Egyptian hieroglyph shimmered red in the air in front of her. Then, the red light spread across Vader’s suit causing it to smoke and spark. Jacobi allowed herself a grin before it faded as Vader nearly cut her in half as he leapt forward, swinging his saber. She only escaped as her sandstorm shot her backwards.

“Ho-” she started. “That was the glyph for pain. You should be in agony now.”

“I am agony,” Vader replied.

Jacobi sneered and her hands came up again, this time shooting out bolts of red lightning. Vader’s saber came up, many bolts striking it but a few made it past to hit him. But if they bothered him, Barbara couldn’t tell.

She honestly didn’t know who she was rooting for here. She would be a prisoner or dead either way. She could try to escape right now but there was nowhere to go. As much as she hated it, she had to wait until the end of this fight. And she already knew who would win.

Jacobi tried many attacks, more glyphs appearing in the air, conjuring spectral knives and spears, throwing what looked like acid or poison, even throwing some weird clay thing at Vader which grew midair that he sliced through before it could do anything. Everything she tried, he bested easily. And now, Barbara could see the fear plain on her face.

Jacobi finally seemed to realize she wouldn’t win this and so moved to escape, the sandstorm turning in the air, but then Vader’s hand came up and she was suddenly pulled off the cloud right towards him. She screeched and brought her knives up in front of her just as she reached his blade, the metal just managing to hold Vader’s saber back.

But not for long. Barbara watched, horrified, as Vader kept pulling on her, his saber cutting into the metals. Jacobi could only watch as slowly her knives gave way. She tried to pull free, to leap out of the way, but Vader’s grip was unbreakable.

“What are you?” she gasped.

“Death,” he replied and then his saber cut through the knives and then cut through her, the familiar light taking her as well until there was no trace.

Barbara would have thrown up if there was anything in her stomach. In the moment, part of her wished she could have done something, anything. But she had just stood there, frozen, watching the woman die. She knew there really wasn’t anything she could have done. Any action would have just resulted in Vader killing her as well. It didn’t make her feel better though. She had still watched and done nothing as that woman died. And that made her feel sick to her stomach.

A few seconds later, the rifle-lady Aurra walked up, the rifle slung over her shoulder. Barbara blinked, the woman’s face so pale it shone brightly in the dim light. Two smaller guns adjoined her hips.

Vader turned to her, blade still at the ready. “Whoa there,” she said, hands raised. “Like I said, I serve the best. And clearly, you’re it.”

Vader looked down at her and Balk. “Betray me, you die.”

“Understood,” she nodded back before smiling. “This is going to be fun.”

Balk shrugged. “Sounds good to me.” He then glanced at Barbara and a savage grin appeared on his face. “Really good.”

Barbara gave him a disgusted look.

Vader turned to the rising sun. “Then let us walk.”

Chapter Text

Peter watched the light carefully and he felt for sure that it paused. Then there was another burst of light, this one blue. And then he heard, an explosive sound. The green light faded to a tiny dot and then dropped down low to the earth. Peter breathed in through his teeth as he watched it fall but it caught itself just before it hit the ground and then wobbled back up. And then it flew right for them.

“Here it comes, get ready,” Peter said, pulling his mask back down.

“I pray this is not a mistake,” Conan grumbled, hefting his sword up. Peter watched him carefully as well. Whatever they did, he refused to let anyone die.

The light was coming in faster and faster now, whoever it was in a hurry. The green light was growing brighter and brighter until it was like a sun in front of them. And then Peter saw what it really was. A person. A young woman probably only a few years older than him carrying the light in her hand somehow and wearing some sort of green uniform, a green symbol painted over her eye. As she got closer, she sagged in the air and Peter could see in what bad shape she was in, her clothes torn and scorched in several places, her hair smoking slightly, and her holding her left arm gingerly. She came in for a landing next to them heavily, groaning from pain and exhaustion.

“H-hel-p-p,” she gasped, trying to get back up.

“Who are you?” Conan demanded, though he didn’t raise his sword to her, apparently not deeming her a threat.

“J-jessica Cruz,” she replied. “Green Lantern.”

Peter frowned. “I don’t know what that means, but I’m getting a lot of that today so whatever. Listen, we got you. Now who was chasing you?”

“I-I don’t know,” she said, wincing as got to her knees. “Some armored man. He…” she trailed off as they all heard it, a rumbling noise coming from behind them just as Peter’s sense began tingling. They all turned as one and saw the armored man coming hot, literally as he had a trail of smoke behind him due to the jetpack on his back.

“Damn, that’s cool,” Peter muttered. He wanted a jetpack.

The armored figure came to a stop above them, hovering midair. In his hands was a large rifle which he had pointed at them. He was, as Jessica said, wearing armor all over his body, mostly green with splashes of red and yellow around his joints. He wore a green helmet with a red splotch in the middle right where a T-shaped black mask was. That was where Peter assumed he saw through.

“Stand aside,” the man said in a gravelly sort of voice.

“Not happening, bucket-head,” Peter replied. “Now why don’t you tell us why you were fighting and we can try and resolve this peacefully.”

“I don’t have to explain anything to you, boy,” the man replied. “She got in my way. No one gets in my way.”

“Ok, so you clearly have something to prove here. She apparently popped your ego and now you seem eager to just, well, pop her. Well, buddy, I’m just going to make it clear that if you try it, I’m going to knock that really cool helmet off your head and send you flying without that also really cool jetpack. Got that?”

“No female shall be harmed under my watch,” Conan said as well.

“Hmmm.” The man regarded them. Or it looked like it did. It was hard to tell with the helmet on but he tilted his head slightly that made it look like he was regarding them. “Hard way it is.”

“Look around you. You’re outnumbered,” Hermione said to him.

“Yes,” the man agreed. “Which means it’s just more fun for me.” He then opened fire.

Peter was ready for it however and shot a web for the rifle, jerking it aside so the blaster fire went wild, red lasers hitting empty ground instead. The man struggled to regain control but Peter then used his pull to launch himself right at him, landing directly on his armor.

“Hi there,” he said, and ripped the rifle out of his hands. “Mind if I borrow this, thanks.” He then tossed it aside, not caring where it landed. “Now let’s-”

Peter instinctively jumped off as his spider-sense blared, barely missing the slightly glowing blade that the man had nearly stabbed him with. He quickly shot another web which latched onto the man’s boots, leaving Peter dangling under him.

“Get off!” the man snarled, kicking out with his boots and sending Peter swinging around.

“Dude, you got some anger issues you need to work out. Can I prescribe you a therapist?” Peter let go as he swung around the man’s back and then thwipped to the jetpack, landing on the man’s shoulders. “Or at least an anger counsellor?”

“Hmmm.” The jetpack suddenly accelerated and Peter had to hold on for dear life as the man began flying around wildly, diving and rising, dipping and whirling, spinning and dodging.

“This is some rollercoaster,” Peter said, using all his spider-strength and stickiness to stay on. “You should start charging admission. People would pay top dollar for something like this.”

“Do you ever stop talking?”

“Not really,” Peter replied. “It’s kind of my-” His spider-sense suddenly blared out again as the man raised his fist to Peter’s face, the gauntlet glowing brightly. “Uh oh,” he said and then leapt off again just in time to avoid getting a barbecue to the face as the gauntlet loosed a stream of molten fire. As he fell, he whipped around and fired a taser web at the man, sending jolts of electricity all over his armor and causing him to grunt in pain.

Peter prepared to fire another web when he suddenly stopped midair, floating above the ground. He glanced down to see Hermione’s wand pointed at him and he nodded gratefully.

The armored man shook off the taser web and flew straight for them, blade raised. Conan yelled out and charged him, their swords striking each other. The man’s jetpack gave him added force but Conan held firm against the power, pushing back with his sword, eyes glinting dangerously. He then whirled around and the man lost the edge, the force sending him flying uncontrollably through the air. He landed heavily, spinning across the ground and grunting in pain, but he quickly recovered and landed in a crouch position.

“Raahh!” Conan roared and charged him again but this time the man didn’t attack. Instead, he lifted up his knee and two missiles fired out from the sides of it, exploding at Conan’s feet and sending him hurtling away.

“Conan!” Peter cried and sent a web his way, holding him firm before he could roll off the cliff. “I got you, big boy,” he said. He then turned back to the armored man who had raised two guns and was now pointing them.

“Surrender now,” he said firmly. “I have bested the best across the galaxy. You’re just a minor annoyance.”

“Oh yeah, well that offends me,” Peter replied. “So let’s see if we can upgrade it to major annoyance.” He then fired off a web grenade but the man simply blasted it out of the air.

“That all you got?” he asked.

Peter looked behind him and smiled. “Nope,” he said and then fired a web from each hand. The man raised his blasters to fire but stopped as the webs shot on either side of him.

“You missed,” he said.

“Did I?” Peter asked innocently then pulled with all his strength. The man barely had time to look behind him as a large crack was heard and the large stone column that had once held the right side of the gate fell right towards him. He swore loudly and activated his jetpack again, attempting to get out of the way. But he wasn’t fast enough as the column glanced off his armor and sent him crashing into the ground. Before he could even begin to recover, Peter thwipped over to him and punched him hard across the helmet, sending him flying once more. Peter winced and shook his hand, his fist throbbing in pain, the metal much harder than he had expected.

The man crashed into the wall and shook his head before getting back up. He then soared into the air and loosed a barrage of blaster fire at them. Peter danced out of the way and sent his own barrage of webs his way but they had no effect.

Then a shot of red light struck the man in the chest, knocking him in the air. Peter turned to see Hermione there, firing off another spell. The man dodged it this time and sent some blaster fire her way as well. Hermione threw herself to the side then raised her wand again. “Petrificus totalus!” she yelled and Peter could see the man’s joints lock up midair. But whatever it was, it wasn’t permanent. He struggled audibly for a few seconds before breaking loose. He opened fire on a stunned Hermione who was saved just in time by a glowing, green shield. Jessica Cruz held out her hand, the light emanating from a ring on her finger.

“That should have worked,” Hermione said.

“Must be the armor,” Peter said, almost to himself. That armor was tough, reminded him of the Rhino which was not a comforting comparison.

Conan, now recovered, charged again and leapt forward, bringing his sword down on the man who just lifted his gauntlet in time, the steel blade bouncing off it. Conan seemed surprised for a second, but then kept up the assault until the man rocket punched him in the chest and sent him crashing into the wall. But before the armored man could revel in any victory, a piece of the wall shot up and smashed into him, knocking him through the air. He swiftly recovered only for another wall piece to strike him, several others lifting off the ground as well, Hermione swishing and flicking her wand around.

Peter took advantage of the distraction, firing a web shot right at the man’s helmet. The web struck him dead center, completely blinding him. He grunted and raised his hands to remove it when another rock struck him, sending him careening towards the ground. He only just managed to recover in time. But it was the opening Peter needed.

“Hey, Sir Knight,” he said thwipping over to him. “You like jokes? Well here comes a punchline!” he said, punching him hard. Then he flipped backwards in the air before the man could retaliate and shot webs on either side, once more yanking himself forward and kicking with all the force he could muster right into the man’s armored chest, sending them crashing into the ground. Peter swiftly webbed both arms and legs to the ground, effectively binding him there. “Stick around,” he said with a smile.

The woman with the ring gave him a look as she got to her feet. “Really?” she asked and rolled her eyes. “Ugh, you’re as bad as Guy.”

“I’m going to take that as a compliment, even though I don’t know who that is,” Peter said. He held out his hand. “I’m Spider-Man, by the way.”

She took it, a little gingerly. “Jessica Cruz. Green Lantern.” She looked him up and down. “Nice costume.”

Peter couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or not but decided to go with it. “Thanks. I made it myself. Now what’s the deal with the walking and flying armory here? And why does he look like an extra from a King Arthur movie?”

Jessica gave him a look. “You know King Arthur?” she asked in surprise then took a look around their surroundings. “But…I thought this was an alien planet.”

“It still could be,” Peter said. “Jury’s still out on that one but I am from Earth. So’s Hermione there,” he nodded to her, “but from a different time period than me. 1997, I think.”
If Jessica was surprised by this, she did a great job of hiding it. Her eyebrows went slightly up but she took it in stride. As she did, Peter noticed that what the symbol on her eye wasn’t painted or tattooed on as he had thought but was glowing, another creation from her ring. “Alright, so that answers some questions but gives me so many more.”

“I know right. Just wait til you start exploring this area,” he jerked his head to the ruins. “But back to the Count of Monte Cosmo here,” he grinned under the mask at the name, having just come up with it. “What’s his deal?”

“My deal is none of your business!” the man snarled underneath the helmet.

It was at this point that Conan returned, sword back in hand and looking no worse for wear after being slammed into a wall. He placed his foot down on the man’s armored chest and pressed it, placing his sword beneath his chin. “Talk,” he commanded. “Who are you?”

Peter tensed, ready to intervene if things got out of hand and he was glad to see Jessica doing the same.

The man regarded Conan. “I am Boba Fett,” he said. “And it’s not a brag to say that I am the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy. No one gets the drop on me…until today. And I want answers. I want to know how I got here and who is behind it so I can make them reverse it and then blast their heads open. And this woman,” he jerked his head, “knows what happened.”

Jessica blinked at that as they all turned to her. “As I kept telling you, no I don’t. I was dropped here the same as you.”

“You were communicating, talking to someone,” Boba Fett replied. “I heard you. You talked about a plan and something going well.”

Jessica glared at him but Peter noticed now that both Conan and Hermione were eyeing her suspiciously. Peter would have too but he wasn’t receiving any warning signs from her that indicated she was a danger. He decided to let her tell her side of the story first.

“I’m guessing you didn’t hear the whole conversation,” Jessica said.

“Does it matter?” Boba Fett asked. “I heard enough.”

Jessica sighed and then held out her ring. Conan and Hermione tensed but again Peter sensed no signs of attack. “Ring, please repeat the conversation I had earlier word for word.”

“You got it, J-Bird!” came the reply and Peter blinked as he realized the ring actually talked back. That was supremely cool. Maybe he should try and do that for his suit but before he could think on it further, Jessica’s voice came out of the ring.

“Hello?” her recorded voice said. “This is Jessica Cruz, Green Lantern of Earth, Sector 2814. Are there any other Green Lanterns out there? I’ve somehow been transported to an alien world that my ring can’t identify. I repeat, is anyone else out there?”

There was a pause and it seemed like Jessica was going to try again when there was a slightly static noise and then…

“Jess? Is that you?”

“Hal? Oh thank god! Hal, where are you?”

“I don’t know. Some kind of desert in the middle of nowhere.”

“Same here. All I see is sand and a few mountains and canyons here for miles around.”

“Yeah. I tried flying up to space but something blocked me.”

“Same here! What the hell happened? One minute, I’m flying through space and the next I’m on another world. Nearly crashed into one of the mountains.”

“I don’t know. I was on Earth when I arrived here. My ring also can’t tell where I am. It can’t tell me anything about this place really. It’s like we’re on the very edge of the universe.”

“Maybe we’re in another universe?” Jessica suggested. “Maybe our rings can’t identify planets from other universes?”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” the guy named Hal agreed. “But who did this? To just teleport us like that? And why us? I remember the last time something like this happened, it was the entire corps. So why just us?”

“Not just you,” came a new voice.

There was another pause, and then, “Iolande? Is that you?”

“Yes. Sorry for not responding sooner but I landed badly when I arrived here and have only just awoken. Based on what I heard, I assume we have no idea how or why this happened or who is behind this?”

“No,” Hal confirmed. “But we’re going to find out. Alright, let’s scout around, see what we can find. Do you know where you are? I mean, in regards to the planet’s surface. Which hemisphere?”

“The sun just starting to set where I am,” Jessica said.

“It is high in the sky over here,” Iolande informed them.

“Just rising for me,” Hal said. “Ok so we’re in different spots on the planet then. Fine. Let’s each try and find some clues to this place first, scout your areas for anything you can. Let’s talk again like three hours from now and see if we can rendezvous somewhere. Agreed?”

“Very well,” Iolande said.

“Sounds like a plan,” Jessica agreed.

“Don’t worry. We’ve all been in worse situations than this before and come through. We’ll make it through this as well. As my good friend Saint Walker says, all will be well.”

Both Jessica and Iolande repeated the words and then recording stopped. Jessica stared down at Boba Fett with a stony expression. “Does that fit with what you heard in, I’m going to assume, spotty listening equipment?”

Boba Fett didn’t answer for a second, only letting off a slow sigh. “Yes,” he finally said. “It appears, I may have made a mistake. My apologies.”

“Hm,” Jessica grunted.

“Ok, glad we got that sorted out,” Peter said, clapping his hands together.

“Remove these…webs,” Boba Fett demanded.

“You going to attack us?” Peter asked.

“No,” he replied. “You have my word I will not attack unless one of you attacks first.”

Peter looked around at the others. Hermione looked worried and Conan simply glowered down at Boba Fett. “It’s up to you, Ms. Cruz. You’re the one he attacked.”

“Just call me Jessica,” she told him. “And it’s fine. I’ve dealt with worse than him and none actually apologized afterwards so that does say something.”

Peter nodded and leaned down, using his web-remover to free the man. Boba Fett got back to his feet and stared at them all. “So, who are these Green Lanterns?” he asked.

“The Green Lantern Corps is a universal police force dedicated to protecting every planet and its people,” Jessica said. “Each of us has a ring like this one that we use. It lets us fly and make constructs.”

“Hmph,” Boba Fett muttered. “Sounds similar to what the Jedi tried to do. But they’re all dead now.”

“Well, this seems like a real cheery conversation,” Peter said. “But I think we’ve all had a rather exciting day today and we probably have an ever bigger one tomorrow. So, since we’ve decided not to fight one another, let’s all settle down and maybe get some rest, ok?”

“Couldn’t agree more.”

They all whirled around, various weapons at the ready, at the new voice. Peter was shocked himself that his spider-sense let off no warning. Standing several yards away stood a man dressed almost completely in white. White suit, white hat, white scarf (for some reason the heat didn’t bother him). Even white sunglasses rested on his nose. His face was slightly on the chubby side and he had curly (unsurprising) white hair beneath the hat. He was softly smiling at them, but it gave Peter chills. He looked slightly like an evil ice cream man in that getup.

Now that Peter was aware of him, he felt his spider-sense going off. But this time, it felt dulled, like the man was doing something to it. Repressing it. And that alone made him a dangerous threat.

“Who are you?” Conan demanded. “Answer before I split you down the middle.”

“No need for that,” Jessica said, lifting her ring and a massive green hand appeared in the air, surrounding. “Talk and talk fast. Who are you?”

“The name is Vladimir Menshikov,” the man replied with a faint Russian accent. “One of the most powerful magicians in the world.”

“Never heard of you,” Hermione said. “And I’ve read about all the famous witches and wizards of our day.”

“Witches and wizards,” Menshikov repeated. “How…fictional. I am no wizard, my dear. I am a magician of the great House of Life. But I am going to assume that name means nothing to you.”

“You would be correct,” Jessica said. “Now why are you here?”

“Well, as I have ascertained from listening to your conversations that you were brought here much the same way I did, with no warning and no clue as to where you are. Fortunately, I do have a way to find such answers.”

Jessica lowered her ring and Hermione her wand but Peter kept his web-shooters raised and was glad to see Conan and Boba Fett hadn’t lowered their weapons either. Whatever this man was saying, it was giving off creepy vibes and Peter didn’t like it. His spidey-sense was still tingling.

“Ok,” Jessica said cautiously. “How do we do that?”

“Well, such a method requires a certain amount of power. And unfortunately, there is only one way that I can see myself acquiring such power given the resources made available.”

“Jessica,” Peter said carefully. “I don’t like this.”

“Agreed,” Conan said. “Do not trust this man.”

“He’s up to something,” Boba Fett added, blasters at the ready.

Jessica narrowed her eyes at Menshikov. “Get to the point, before I show you what this ring can do. What exactly are you after here?”

“Well, it goes by different names depending on the type of magic required. But, in simplest terms, I guess you would call it,” he then grinned at them, showing off a truly chilling smile, “human sacrifice.”

“Enough!” Conan bellowed and charged just as Boba Fett opened fire and Jessica shot the green hand right for the man. Peter, however, felt his spider-sense suddenly scream at him and instead of firing his webs he threw himself to the side and landed next to Hermione.

At the exact same time, Menshikov threw out his hands and yelled “tas!” Instantly, thin cords shot out from beneath his coat jacket and wrapped around Jessica, Conan, and Boba Fett so tightly and thickly that within seconds they looked like cocooned mummies. Two more came for Percy and Hermione but Hermione had her wand raised high and the cords bounced off an invisible shield. Hermione winced as they did but held firm.

“Hmmm,” Menshikov said, rubbing his chin. “A sort of shield charm, though none I’ve seen before. Still, nothing that can’t be broken down.”

“Just try it,” Hermione growled at him, wand at the ready. But Peter noticed her hand trembling slightly. He didn’t think she could stand against this guy, whoever he was.

“Oh, I will,” Menshikov promised and a green fireball appeared in his hands. It looked so much more frightening than it had in that old Disney movie that Peter couldn’t remember. Possibly Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella, no why would it be Cinderella? “Yah!” Menshikov said and hurled it, a river of green fire pouring out and striking the shield. Hermione then began crying out from the strain, holding her wand up as much as she could but Peter could see it faltering. Within seconds they would be barbecue. And that was not an experience he wanted to try out, especially a green-flavored one.

“Do the apparate thing,” he said.

“What?” she shot back

“The apparition thing, do it!” he yelled.

“What about the others?”

“We can’t help them if we’re roasted alive!” He hated it with every bone in his body, to leave them behind like this. He’d only known them for a matter of minutes and yet it still killed him to abandon them. But he wasn’t prepared for a situation like this. He had no experience whatsoever with magic. The closest he did was with Mysterio and those were stagecraft illusions, not real magic. He was way out of his league and it seemed this Menshikov was way more powerful than Hermione. Their only option was to escape. It gutted him, seeing the others tied up and helpless, but he swore he would come back to help them if it was the last thing he did.

“I-I can’t!” she cried. “I’m locked in. I can’t break my concentration or else the fire will get us!”

The fire was going to get them anyway, but Peter didn’t think telling her that would help, probably because she already knew. Well then, it was down to him. He just needed to provide some sort of distraction to give Hermione enough time. He looked around for some kind of opening and noticed the fire may be directly in front of them and coming over the sides, but it wasn’t completely surrounding them. The top was free. He instantly released one of his spider-drones which flew up and above the flames and then began firing small lasers at the enemy.

“Gah!” Menshikov cried out in surprise and the spout of green flame disappeared. Hermione gratefully lowered her wand.

Peter was tempted to attack immediately, use the drone’s distraction to take him down. But they were still badly outmatched. As they watched, Menshikov waved his hand and the drone transformed into dust, floating in the desert air.

“Hermione, now!” Peter yelled as Menshikov turned back to them. Before he could do anything, Hermione grabbed Peter’s hand and he felt the familiar sensation of being squeezed through a small hole as they disapparated, leaving the evil ice cream man and their allies behind.

Chapter Text

“Yeah, I don’t do well to people who give me orders,” Frozone replied. “What’s with you and this woman?”

“She attacked me,” Krell explained. “Came out of nowhere. Once I am able to communicate with the Republic again, I will have her imprisoned for assaulting a Jedi Master.”

“That’s a lie.”

They all looked up as another figure dropped down from the hole in the cave roof, a girl about Harry’s age and maybe older with shoulder length black curly hair. She faced Krell, arms raised just like Frozone. “He attacked us,” she said.

“Oh, you’re still alive,” Krell muttered. “Thought I sent you flying.”

“It takes more than that to kill me,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Evidently,” Krell nodded. “Well, let’s see how much more.”

“Stand down, all of you,” Frozone said.

“You do not give a Jedi Master orders!” Krell cried and thrust his arm out. Frozone suddenly went up in the air, hurtling into the cave wall where he fell on some crystals with a groan. Instantly, the girl in the bat-suit and the girl who had just dropped down went on the attack. Krell kicked the second girl in the face, knocking her back just as the first girl whipped out the strange boomerangs right at him. He dodged two but the third hit him right in the forehead, knocking him back. Before he could recover, the girl was on him, kneeing him in the face before jumping off and twisting in mid-air to send a kick that had him sprawling across the ground.

Harry, after seeing how quickly Vorjavik recovered, acted fast. “Petrificus totalus!” he cried, the spell shooting out, but Krell was much faster. He leapt out of the way and then thrust his hand out again. Harry suddenly felt a wave of pure force against his chest that sent him flying, crashing into the sandy floor, his wand still clutched in his hand.

“If this is the way to play it,” Krell said, taking out two objects from his belt. Harry got to his feet, watching him. They looked like metallic wands to him, except bigger. And then they ignited, shimmering blue and green energy blades shooting out from both ends of what he realized were handles. Krell laughed, spinning the blades around in a deadly arcs, before launching himself right at the bat-suited girl. She dodged and weaved as he spun the blades around, narrowly missing being shorn in half unlike many of the crystals around them. Whoever this girl was, she was well-trained as she dove between the blades, launching attacks of her own every chance she got. She ducked underneath one of the spinning blades, sliding across the floor, and kicked upwards, knocking Krell back a couple feet. Then, she shot back up and ran forward, dodging the other blade to do a backwards somersault, her foot catching Krell’s chin and this time sending him crashing to the floor from the impact. She landed smoothly in a crouch, already moving forward again.

“Yah!” Krell cried, his foot launching up and catching the girl unawares, sending her flying this time. He then lunged, his blades coming less than inches from her before she managed to roll away, part of her hair singed. She then ducked under the next blade and jumped over the next, backing up fast. She tried launching a counter attack but this time Krell was ready, one of his lower arms blocking her and holding her at bay despite it not having a blade.

“You are well-trained, girl,” Krell admitted. “But you are still no match for a Jedi master.”

“Accio…Krell’s weapons!” Harry suddenly cried out. It had taken him a few seconds to think of the right words but apparently it did the trick. The blades shot from Krell’s grasp, flying over to Harry. He grinned in triumph, but that slowly faded as he watched the blades come at him, spinning around in a deadly whirl. He yelped and jerked his wand, sending them soaring away from him right before they could slice him in half. Krell growled but before he could make a move, the girl was on him, attacking him from all angles as she spun and kicked and punched. He tried to block her and attack but she was limber, able to dodge his every blow.

As the blades landed on the ground, Frozone blasted them with ice but whatever was powering the blades just cracked right through, melting whatever he put on them. Then, before he or anyone could try anything else, they flew back into the air, whipping right back into Krell’s hands. Harry blinked at that, not expecting it. How had he done that? It was like he had used a spell, but without a wand. That was extremely powerful.

“A neat trick,” Krell said. “But it is nothing compared to my power.”

The girl made no response, merely continuing to attack or at least trying to but Krell kept pushing her back. Harry wanted to help but at this point their fighting was so intense that it was hard to know if any spell might hit her instead of Krell. Frozone clearly had the same problem, grunting in frustration as he looked for a way to help. Luke, on the other hand, had his sword in hand but didn’t look too interested in helping, merely watching right now. Harry frowned at that, not sure what to make of it.

The girl barely managed to duck underneath the green blade but then was forced back by the blue one, Krell rotating it in hand like a spinning wheel of death. Again, the girl tried to back up but then one of Krell’s free hands shot out and the girl was suddenly held fast in midair, unable to move.

Krell grinned savagely, raising his blade. Harry rushed forward alongside Frozone, both ready to act but Luke was faster. He dove into the fight just as Krell brought his blade down, the saber of burning light striking against Luke’s metal sword. Harry winced, expecting to see the metal blade sheared in half but instead it held fast. Krell’s blade seemed to spit angrily and Luke’s own sword seemed to glow a little from the heat, but it managed to hold off the attack.

Krell frowned and pushed harder, trying to break the metal but it still refused, Luke pushing back against the energy blade. Then Krell brought his other blade around, ready to cut Luke himself in half. Harry raised his wand to help, but Luke didn’t need it. He ducked under the second blade, dropping his guard on the first and letting it slide by him. He then thrust forward, hoping to catch Krell off guard, but the Jedi Master was good, stepping back and letting Luke carry himself forward, now off balance and barely able to recover as the energy blades came down again. The two parried, Luke holding his own against Krell just like with Vorjavik. The bat-suited girl also helped, darting in and out to launch a kick or punch whenever she could, knocking Krell off balance. He grunted, more in annoyance that anything, and continued his attack, holding both her and Luke at bay.

Harry stood on the sidelines, ready to help whenever he could. Frozone was moving Chewie away from the battle while the girl who had come through the hole was now by the green-clothed woman.

“ENOUGH!” Krell bellowed, throwing his arms wide. Instantly, the world seemed to shake as everyone and everything went flying, a great and powerful force pushing them all away. Harry landed in the sand but rolled with it, coming up on his hands and knees. He could see the bat-suited girl like that as well while Luke groaned at the wall he had smacked into to. “This has gone on long enough,” Krell growled. “You are all beneath me and not worthy of my time.”

“Well, that’s sad to hear,” Frozone replied, walking toward him. “It’s always my top priority to make my enemies feel it was worth their time to have me whoop their butts.”

“Ha!” Krell laughed dryly. “And what can you do? You don’t even have a sword.”

“Well, here’s the thing buddy,” Frozone said, the air growing noticeably colder. “I don’t need a sword.” Just like before, blast of cold air seemed to burst out of his hands right at Krell, blocks of ice forming around him. Krell grunted and struggled against it, shattered some ice but more grew, spreading fast around him. Harry smiled, thinking they had won, when Krell lifted his hands up and all the ice burst apart. He then shot his hand out but this time, instead of Frozone being sent flying, he was lifted up in the air. Krell smiled and closed his fist a little. Instantly, Frozone began choking, gasping for breath. Somehow, Krell was strangling from several yards away.

The time for staying back was over. Harry was done letting the others fight while he just watched, feeling helpless. That wasn’t how he fought against Voldemort and it wouldn’t be how he fought now. He raised his wand and silently sent a stunning spell at Krell who saw it at the last second, bringing the green energy blade up just in time and deflecting the spell. But Harry didn’t stop there, sending more and more spells his way. Krell grunted, throwing Frozone aside who coughed on the ground as his throat recovered, either dodging or deflecting each spell.

“I don’t know what kind of blaster that is, boy, but it would be wise to surrender now,” Krell warned him. “Before I slice you down the middle.”

“I’ve had plenty of people, far worse than you, threaten me before,” Harry replied. “So you’re gonna have to try better than that to scare me.”

“Oh am I now?” Krell asked with a dark grin.

Harry saw his hand go up and knew what was coming, acting fast. “Expelliarmus!” he cried and, just like he thought, Krell raised one of his blades to deflect it. Except when the spell hit, it didn’t deflect. Instead, the blade and its companion shot out of Krell’s hands like magic, landing in the far corner of the cave, the energy blades vanishing back into their handles somehow.

“Wha-” Krell started, confused for a second but that was all Harry needed. He then pushed the Jedi back with his wand, his magic forcing Krell against the wall and holding him there.

“I have to ask, how exactly are you going to slice me down the middle from over there?” Harry asked him.

Krell growled against the wall but managed to face Harry, gritting his teeth savagely. “You’ll see,” he promised.

Harry frowned at that, feeling a tingle of dread creep down his spine.

“Look out!”

Harry turned at the warning and his eyes widened as he saw the energy blades spinning through the air right at him, ignited again. He ducked instantly, missing them by a hairsbreadth. They twisted in midair, landing right back in Krell’s palm who, now free of Harry’s magic, began walking toward him.

“Now, you wil-” he began when suddenly, he was thrown aside by some force. Harry turned and saw the girl who had jumped down from the hole with her hand raised toward Krell.

“Yeah, you’re not the only one who can use that trick,” she said.

“Perhaps,” Krell replied, getting back to his feet. “But let us see who is stronger, eh?” He then thrust his arm out, his strange force power launching out. The girl did the same and Harry could feel their different powers colliding, pushing against each other. It was strange to see as it was only two people pushing their hands at each other from across the room. But Harry could feel the invisible forces clashing with one another, trying to dominate the other. He tried to fire another spell at Krell but it just bounced off, his power somehow forming a shield around him.

Both Krell and the girl grunted from the effort, the pressure building midair. Harry felt like the very cave was going to pop. He began to back up fast. He had been in a similar situation, fighting Voldemort in that graveyard. But this felt different. This felt like if someone didn’t give soon, then the whole cave was going to give, with them in it.

“We have to stop them,” he muttered. But how? He raised his wand and tried a stunning spell on Krell, but even it couldn’t make it through, the spell being deflected into the wall. He could see Krell and the other girl’s faces strained, both gritting their teeth fiercely, trying to overpower the other’s will. The very cave began to shake, sand drifting down like rain.

“They’re going to bring the place down on top of us!” Luke shouted. “We have to get out of here.”

“Wait,” Frozone said. He sent a blast of ice right at Krell and Harry let out a breath of relief when he saw ice form around the guy, encasing him. Then, the smile slowly faded as he realized it wasn’t forming around Krell. It was forming in the air around Krell. The pressure was so intense, even the ice couldn’t break through.

“Damn it!” Frozone muttered. “Alright, new plan.” He then turned his attention to the cave ceiling and started blasting ice up there. Harry could see cracks forming but the ice quickly covered them up. “This’ll keep it in place.”

“But not for long,” Luke said and as he did, Harry could already see he was right. More and more cracks were forming along the walls, on the surrounding crystals, even across the floor. The ice itself was cracking apart, no matter how much Frozone replenished it. “We need to get out of here!”

“But it won’t stop,” Harry replied. “They won’t stop. They’ll just keep going until this entire place collapses. We need to break them apart.”

“That energy will just release anyway, taking them and probably us and the whole damn cave system with it,” Luke reminded him.

Harry nodded. He was right. They had to separate the two but they also had to make sure the cave didn’t blow up. He grimaced, trying to think. More than ever, he wished Hermione was here. She was the smart one. She’d know exactly what to do in this situation. He was just the guy who hung out with her and was good at the spells.

Wait. He did hang out with her. They’d been best friends, almost siblings, for seven years now. Sometimes he knew what she was going to say before she did, knew how she thought. Which meant he could also find a way out of this.

Ok, think like Hermione, he thought to himself. He quickly analyzed the situation. They didn’t have long, minutes if they were lucky and seconds if not. So he had to hurry. They couldn’t let either of the two release that energy in here. If they threw it at each other at this point, it would still take out the whole cave and them with it. Which meant it had to go somewhere else. But where?

His gaze fell on the small patch of sunlight coming from the hole in the ceiling. He looked up at it. Could it work? Maybe, but it was still small. If all that pressure went up it, it might still take out that ceiling. Which meant he had to take out the ceiling first.

“Brace yourselves!” he yelled, raising his wand.

“For what? Death? Too late!” Luke cried out but Harry ignored him. He prayed this would work and not deflect like the last spell had.

“Reducto!” he yelled and the spell blasted from his wand, hitting the earth just next to the hole in the ceiling and detonated, the small explosion sending rocks and dirt flying down. Harry ducked then looked back. There was now a bigger hole, but still not big enough.

“What are you trying to do, kill us early?” Luke yelled.

“Kid, shut up!” Frozone said. “Other kid, keep it up.”

Harry nodded, but he didn’t think another reducto spell would cut it. He needed something more. But that might cause some more problems. “We need to back up fast,” he said.

“Great idea, let’s do it,” Luke said, already taking off. Harry glared at him but still backed up to the edge of the cave with Frozone and the bat-suited girl as well as the green-clothed woman who Frozone had dragged with them.

“I’m going to cause a bigger explosion up there,” Harry explained.

“Might cause reaction,” the bat-suited girl replied.

Harry frowned for a second and then swore when he realized she was right. His explosion might cause those two to release the energy anyway and if they didn’t direct it upwards, they were still dead.

“We need them to get it upwards,” he said. “Hey! Hey…girl!”

“Girl?” Frozone questioned.

“What, I don’t know her name.”

“Marina.”

The voice had them all turned to see the green-clothed girl getting to her feet. “Her name is Marina. And mine is Kuvira.”

“Marina and Kuvira. Great.” Harry turned back to the fight. “Marina!”

Instantly, he saw her turn to look at him and he winced at her expression. It was bordering on exhaustion, her face and hair practically drenched in sweat and her arms quivering. She wouldn’t be able to hold out long. But one look at Krell and Harry could tell he would come out on top. While also looking tired, his expression was much more fierce as he kept pushing, Marina coming down to one knee.

“Marina,” he said again. “Get it to go up, ok?”

She didn’t reply but he did see her nod a little and decided to take that as a yes. He raised his wand when suddenly he felt a force push him back, sending him stumbling to the ground. He looked back up in surprise and saw Krell’s outstretched hand.

“No,” he growled. “I will not yield. I will take all of you out if it’s the last thing I do.” He then pushed his hands out more and Marina cried out in pain, sinking into the ground now from the power.

“It will be the last thing you do if you do-” Harry started, getting back to his feet, but then he felt an arm on his shoulder and he turned and saw Kuvira standing there.

“On my signal, fire your spell,” she said.

“But what about him? Marina can’t do it with him pushing her like that.”

“I know,” she replied. “Which is why I will take care of it. Just be ready.”

Harry nodded, hoping she knew what she was doing. They were out of time. The cave was shaking like crazy, the pressure too intense. They had to act now before they were all buried alive.

“One…” Kuvira started, her hand closing into a fist as she faced Krell, “…two…”

Harry held his wand up, ready for the final word, already muttering the spell.

“…THREE!” she yelled and thrust her arm up, a pillar of rock shooting out and striking Krell in the chest, knocking him aside.

“BOMBARDA MAXIMUM!” Harry yelled out at the same time, the ceiling exploding from the spell and all of it bearing down to crash upon them.

“YAAAAHHHH!” Marina screamed, throwing her and Krell’s power out and sending it above her to the falling ceiling, all the earthen debris blasting up and away from the intense pressure through the hole Harry had made. With that done, she slumped over.

Harry almost joined her. He wasn’t tired but mentally he felt done. He didn’t think he could deal with anything else right now.

“Everyone ok?” Frozone asked, stepping forward.

“Define ‘ok,’” Luke snapped, coughing from the smog of dirt around them.

Harry just rolled his eyes, getting tired of Luke at this point. Everyone else seemed to be fine. Kuvira and the bat-suited girl were over by Marina’s side, trying to get her back on her feet.

“I’m ok, I’m ok,” she told them. “I just need a minute.”

“Where’s Krell?” the bat-suited girl asked.

“Good question,” Frozone said, looking to where they had seen him earlier. The rock pillar Kuvira had formed was still there but the Jedi master was gone. A pit formed in Harry’s stomach. He should have realized sooner, been on high alert from the very second they had released all that energy. Because of course this wasn’t over. They had dealt with the immediate threat of being buried alive but now they had to deal with the overall threat. Krell himself.

“Keep your eyes peeled,” Frozone muttered, hands raised to blast ice at any attack. Harry was tempted to use the revelio charm again but he wasn’t sure if it would work with so many people in the cave now, and they were all a little scattered around. He just had to be ready.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough. They had no warning as Krell suddenly appeared out of the shadows, landing directly on top of the bat-suited girl and Luke, pinning them to the ground with his legs. Before anyone else could make a move, Krell’s hands shot out and Harry found some invisible force holding him in the air, stopping him from moving. He gasped and struggled but couldn’t do anything. The others all had the same problem. Frozone kept trying to freeze his way out but his powers had no effect. Marina just hung limply in the air and Kuvira apparently couldn’t use her powers without movement and Krell was keeping her pinned.

“That was an interesting move,” Krell admitted. “Took me by surprise. But no matter. There was only one way this would end.”

“Gods, do you ever shut up?” Luke groaned from beneath his foot.

Krell peered down at him. “For someone whose very survival depends on my mood, you would do best not to anger me further.”

“I’ve been in worse situations,” Luke replied. “And I’ve suffered more than you can know. So do your worst, you frog-faced freak.”

Harry’s eyes went wide at Luke’s insult, worried he was about to see his makeshift friend die but Krell didn’t seem interested in killing him just yet. Instead, he continued to ponder Luke for a minute.

“Do you know that ever since I gave into the darkness, my power has become so much stronger, so much greater than I could have imagined,” he said. “I feel…free, unshackled by the rules placed on me before. It is what makes me what I am now. And, as such, I can sense it in others as well. And you, well, I can sense a similar power.”

Harry saw Luke go still, his face turning pale.

“Yes. There is great darkness in you, great anger and hatred. And yet, I can sense you hiding it, pushing it away, forcing it down.” Krell gave a dark smile. “Why would you do such a thing when you can just release it and free yourself?”

“Because I already did,” Luke replied softly, so quiet Harry almost couldn’t hear. “I gave in to that anger and hatred and because of it a lot of people died and the world was almost destroyed. Everything I loved almost died because of my decisions. In the end, it wasn’t worth it. So yeah, I push it down cause I know the consequences of setting it loose. Do you?”

“Hmmm,” Krell looked down at him for another second, still holding everyone aloft with his strange powers. “How disappointing. Well then, I guess there will be no one to miss you when you’re gone.”

With that, he began to squeeze Luke with his foot. Luke gasped in pain, the foot crushing into the floor. The others all struggled even harder to break free but Krell held fast, not letting any of them go. He smiled savagely down at Luke, squeezing harder and harder. “I would suggest,” he said as Luke’s gasps got softer, “that you pray to whatever gods you believe in, as-”

He never got to finish that sentence as an arrow suddenly appeared in his head.

They all fell to the ground, Harry hitting the sand with a thump. He scrambled back up and watched as Krell tried to look at the arrow sprouting from his forehead, blinking. Then, his entire body seemed to dissolve into a bright light until he faded from sight, almost like he ceased to exist. Luke instantly coughed and rolled over, the pressure gone.

Harry and the others all looked up to where the arrow had come from and watched as a man in leather clothes dropped down. Harry blinked as he looked at this new person. His skin seemed almost flawless to look at and he had shiny blonde hair running down his back, almost flowing as well as pointed ears. In the man’s hands was a bow with a quiver of arrows strapped to his back.

“You are welcome,” he said, bowing slightly. “The name is Legolas, Royal Ranger to the King.”

Chapter Text

Toph frowned. “Hold up, I thought you were Superman.”

“I am. But this is also Superman. The Superman of Earth-Prime I believe…” he stopped, looking at the emblem and then the man’s face again, frowning a little. “No, not that Earth.”

The other Superman regarded Calvin in what seemed to Percy as a cold manner. He didn’t know why, but this guy was giving him bad vibes. He remembered his training from Lupa many years ago. Every muscle of this guy’s body was tensed up, ready for a fight. He wasn’t relaxed or calm like Calvin. It was like…he wanted a fight.

“What Earth are you from?” Calvin asked, a little more cautious now.

“That is not your concern,” the other Superman replied. “What I wish to know is where I am now. And how I arrived here.”

“Don’t we all?” Toph asked sarcastically. “Look, other Superman (gag) we don’t know where we are or how we got here. All we know is that a bunch of monsters invaded this world because of their apparent ‘sins’ and killed all the people here.”

The other superman looked at her and then at the bodies scattered across the room. He shook his head sadly. “Another world fallen. What a waste.” He turned back to Calvin. “So, you are also Superman then?”

“Yes,” Calvin nodded, taking the other Superman’s hand. “President Superman.”

“President?” the other Superman’s eyebrows went up. “How…intriguing. And reassuring, to know that there is another Superman out there willing to do more for their world then just clean up the messes. One willing to lead it to a better world.”

Calvin frowned at that and Percy did as well. He didn’t like the way the other Superman said that. Something was definitely off here. And he could tell Ahsoka felt the same. It didn’t seem like Toph and Jon had caught on just yet, but both seemed apprehensive anyway.

“I agree,” Calvin said. “I became president of the United States as I believed I could do more from that position and as Superman, helping lead it to a better tomorrow for all.”

“Yes, but you think too small. Why just one country? On my world, I rule them all under my Regime. A better world for everyone.” He smiled at that last line that sent chills down Percy’s spine.

“Regime?” Calvin asked and Percy saw him tensing up. “How exactly do you rule your world?”

“With an iron fist, as is my will,” the other Superman replied. “The people of Earth need to know that war and violence can no longer be tolerated. Under my rule, they know peace at last.”

“And what is the cost of your peace?” Ahsoka stepped forward now. “Freedom?”

“If people were free to do as they wish, crime would continue,” the other Superman replied. “Because of me, there is peace. An everlasting peace that will endure for years.” He crouched down by the skeleton of the holy man. “But now I believe I know why I was brought here. I am being shown what I have only given small thought to. Earth is not enough. There is war raging across the universe and only I can stop it.” He smiled again, a cold-blooded smile. “And I will. I must return home and bring peace to every world, stop every criminal and villain from ever hurting anyone again.”

Percy saw Jon take a step back now, his expression now turning fearful. “I’ve heard those words before,” he said. “Perhaps in a different way but with the same meaning. You won’t bring peace, only fear and death. I’ve seen it. I saw a woman I loved burn a city and its people down to ash in the name of peace.”

“I would never harm innocents!” the other Superman snarled.

“Why do you get to decide who’s innocent?” Ahsoka asked calmly, but her gaze was hard.

“Yeah!” Toph chimed in. “What gives you that right?”

“Because I’m the only one who can see,” he replied. And now Percy could see it, the look in his eyes and the sound in his voice that had put him on edge. There was madness there, a madness born of grief and despair. He had seen it on others before. He had seen it on Luke most of all. And he knew the damage that madness could cause.

“Well, guess what Superlame?” Toph challenged. “I’ve helped take down evil tyrants before and this won’t be any different. I’m gonna smash your super-face into the ground so hard that not even your own mother will recognize you!”

“I recognize you now,” Calvin said, steel in his voice. “You are spoken of across the multiverse. The Superman who lost his way. The one hailing from a world of…injustice.”

“Injustice?” the other Superman questioned, whirling towards Calvin. “I brought justice! Me! My world was dying, the world I loved was dying and no one was willing to do what was needed. Only me! It took the loss of my wife and child to see that. And I will not back down.”

“I am afraid you do not have a choice,” Calvin said, floating up in the air now. “I cannot let you continue your so-called Regime.”

The other superman snorted. “I’d like to see you try.” Then, without warning, he shot up into the air and hurled Calvin into the wall. “I will return to my world and carve out a new empire across the stars. And I will rule them all, their emperor who finally brought order and peace to all people.”
“Emperor Superman?” Calvin asked. “I must admit, it has a certain ring to it. But I’ve seen what emperors do. They were made for conquest. And I know your type. The universe won’t be enough for you. Nothing ever will. So I have to stop you.” He then flew up to Emperor Superman and punched him hard across the face. Percy ducked as the man went flying over his head. He grimaced, knowing that once again there was nothing he could do. This Superman was just as invincible as Calvin and Homelander. His attacks would be worthless. He needed water. But there wasn’t any around. The area was covered in sand and dirt.

Emperor Superman growled as he got back up but before he could move, part of the wall next to him cracked and then slammed into him, moving on its own. Percy glanced to the side and saw Ahsoka’s arm raised. Apparently, she had a few surprises tucked away. But Emperor Superman simply smashed it to pieces and continued his attack, grabbing hold of Calvin and flying them right into the ceiling and through it, creating a large hole.

“Toph!” Percy yelled.

“On it!” she replied, moving her hands and feet to craft an earthen platform around them before sending them shooting upwards, the ceiling opening up to let them through.

“Whoa!” Jon exclaimed. “What in…”

“I know, it takes some getting used to,” Percy agreed, the ground now flying past them. He had to brace himself a little, Toph sending them up fast. It was weird to watch the ceiling constantly slide away.

“You two must stay back,” Ahsoka told him and Jon. “Your attacks will be meaningless to him.”

“Ugh!” Percy growled under his breath. He hated that she was right, and that he had told himself the exact same thing mere seconds ago. He was tempted to try and create a hurricane but that would only tire him out more and he doubted it would have any effect considering this guy’s strength.

There is something else you can do, a little voice inside him said. He quickly pushed it down. He knew what it meant, what else he could do. But he refused. The last time he had done it, he had nearly lost himself, becoming something else entirely. He didn’t want to ever feel that way again.

The ceiling opened up above them and a dim sunlight streamed in. Percy prepared to step off when there was a loud smacking sound and he saw Calvin plummet to the Earth above him, landing several yards away with large BOOM!

“It is adorable that you think you can stand against me,” Emperor Superman said, hovering over them now. “I will say this one last time. Stand dow-”

A large rock flew up into the air and smashed into him.

“Your blathering mouth makes it easy to fill it with rocks,” Toph taunted. She then raised her hands high and the sand around them followed, rising up like waves. As Emperor Superman shook his head from the rock fragments, he didn’t realize the new danger too late until the sand waves washed over him, engulfing him completely. “I’d expect a superman to have seen that coming.”

“Yaahh!” he roared, practically exploding out of the sand, his eyes burning with red light.

“Oh shi-” Toph muttered just as the laser beams shot out right for her. Percy rushed for her but he was just an instant too slow.

Ahsoka wasn’t.

She stepped in front of Toph and held up the sword handles and then they ignited. Brilliant, gleaming white blades burst out just as the laser beams hit, striking the blades dead-on and stopping fast. Percy had to look away as sparks burst and light erupted. Ahsoka grunted, being pushed back by the force of the beams, but she still held firm. Percy could see Emperor Superman gritting his teeth, trying to force them down, but before he could do anything else, Calvin soared right into him, sending him flying away.

“Holy crap!” Toph exclaimed, breathing deep. “How do we stop that guy?”

Ahsoka watched as Calvin and Emperor Superman duked it out across the sky. “I believe it will be up to Calvin to end this. He is the only one strong enough.”

“Well, he took out that homeland guy so this one shouldn’t be a problem? Right?”

Percy shook his head. “I don’t know Toph. The way Homelander fought it was like he had never fought anyone like that before. It was new for him. And Calvin still had some trouble beating him. With this guy…” Percy watched as both adversaries shot laser beams at each other, trying to push the other ones’ back. “He said he conquered his planet. Ruled it even. He’s a fighter, a warrior. And he fights to kill. Calvin…I don’t think he does. It’s going to take a lot more to defeat Emperor Superman. And if we can help in any way, we have to.”

“How?” Jon asked. “I’ve never fought people like this before. Gods, I didn’t think people like this existed. I don’t know what I can even do. All I have is a sword. And no offense, none of your attacks seem to have done more than distract him for a few seconds.”

Percy grimaced. He was right. Everything they did to the man, he just shrugged off. They needed to do something better. Something with more impact. For the hundredth time, he wished he had access to some water, any water. It would at least give him an edge. But there wasn’t any. Even if he managed to draw it out of the air somehow, there wasn’t much in desert air anyway.

Come on, Percy! he thought to himself. Think! He had been in way worse scrapes than this and found ways out of them. And he didn’t always have his powers.

You know what you can do came that voice again. He winced. He was so tempted to do it. To do what he had done to Akhlys down in Tartarus. Control liquids beyond water. Control his very blood, even. But it had changed him. Was he willing to do that again? He looked up as Emperor Superman grabbed Calvin’s head and began to squeeze it, Calvin doing his best to throw him off.

Before Percy could decide anything, Ahsoka rushed forward, leaping impossibly high into the air and bringing her light blades down on Emperor Superman. Percy could hear his roar of pain echo as he dropped Calvin, clutching at his face. Ahsoka dropped as well, landing nimbly on the sandy ground below. When Emperor Superman looked up again, Percy could see two red gashes down the side of his face.

“We need to do something!” Toph muttered. “I hate being stuck out of the fight. I have no idea what’s going on! If they were on the ground, I could help.”

“What are you talking about?” Jon asked.

Before anyone could explain, Percy felt the air shift around him and heard a soft booming sound behind him. Almost like a sonic boom. “Uh oh,” he muttered, recognizing the sound. He barely had time to get his sword up before the familiar figure in blue grabbed hold of him and Toph by their throats, holding them up in the air.

“Hello again,” Homelander smirked at them.

“Oh great, this guy!” Toph grumbled, kicking out at him. “We whooped your butt already, hero boy. We’re happy to do it again.”

“Wrong!” Homelander glared. “The other guy beat me. Took me by surprise. But right now, seems he’s busy. Which means I’ll take care of you like the scum you are.”

Jon, taken by surprise at first, launched an attack but Homelander knocked him aside after he’d only made a few steps, laying him out flat. Percy struggled but once was helpless. These people were far too powerful for him. There was nothing he could do. Toph kept trying to throw rocks at Homelander but they just bounced off now. He started squeezing and Percy started seeing black spots, the air getting choked out of him.

He was out of time. If he was going to do something, it had to be now. Focusing his energy, he reached out, finding the water inside of Homelander and grabbing hold of it. All water, all liquid, was of his father’s domain, his to command. Which meant it was Percy’s to command as well.

“Wha-what are you doing?’ Homelander said but Percy didn’t answer. He just doubled down, forcing the liquid to do what he wanted. A second later, Homelander’s fists opened and him and Toph dropped back down, gasping for breath. Homelander stared at them in shock. “How are you doing that?” he demanded.

Percy could feel it, the feeling inside of him. Like something was cracking. Like he was doing something he wasn’t supposed to. There was a burning sensation in his gut, small now but getting stronger. But he kept going, forcing Homelander to stay still.

“Toph, go!” he said.

“What?” she asked. “Why? I’m not-”

“Ah!” Percy cried, losing his grip for a moment and Homelander lunged forward before Percy stopped him. He still had control of the man’s blood, holding him in place through sheer will, but it was hard. There was something about him, something…off. He was stronger than Akhlys, which in itself was scary. Percy didn’t know if he could hold him for long. And the burning feeling was still getting stronger. “You need to go!” he muttered. “Get Jon out of here.”

“I am not leaving you behind,” she told him firmly. “Come on, we can take this living statue here. I just-”

“Toph, I can’t hold this for long,” Percy gasped. He was really struggling now. This power really wasn’t his to command. He knew if he kept pushing, he would break something in him that shouldn’t be broken. But if he didn’t keep pushing, Homelander would break free. So he had to do something else. Something he had also sworn never to do again. Right now it was his only option but he couldn’t do it with his allies around. “Get Jon and Ahsoka out of here. I can hold it for a few more seconds.”

“I don’t know how you’re doing this, but I can promise you I will rip your head from your body when I’m free,” Homelander told him.

“Toph, go!” Percy practically roared.

Toph stared at him a few seconds in shock before nodding. “Don’t die, dunderhead,” she said to him before rushing over to Jon and helping him to his feet. He looked at Percy and Homelander and seemed to understand. Then the two were off, Toph practically gliding across the sand away from them.

“You know you can’t stop me,” Homelander said to him. “I am the world’s greatest superhero. The most powerful man alive. And I will grind your bones to dust.”

“You know what, asshole?” Percy said, glaring at him fiercely. “You talk too much.”

Then he reached inside of himself, past the burning sensation for his true power. As he did, he remembered the words of that naiad by Geryon’s stables years ago. The water is within me. He knew what had happened the last time he did this. And he prayed to whatever gods that were listening that it wouldn’t be as bad. He called on his power. The endless power of the oceans. He felt it rush out of him, like it had just been waiting for his permission. And he let it loose, screaming as his true power was unleashed.

The ground cracked and exploded and then Percy didn’t know what happened as the sea itself seemed to crash into the desert. The world erupted around him and then it all went black as he felt himself falling, falling so hard, and then he felt nothing.

Chapter Text

“Wow, you were not kidding,” Korra muttered, looking down at the city. “Those are a lot of cobwebs.”

“Yep,” Nico nodded.

They were all perched atop the wall, Diana having flown them up. The whole city was stretched out before them, spreading for miles and miles. If Korra had to guess, it was at least the size of Republic City. It wasn’t as impressive, due mostly to the fact that a lot of it was falling apart from neglect and time, but the square-shaped buildings looking more like Ba Sing Se instead of the skyscrapers she was used to. That wasn’t to say there weren’t larger buildings as Korra spotted a few dotting the city, most tall towers lining the periphery of the city. There was one large building circular in shape that was more metallic than the others. And at the far end of the city, leading into the mountains, was the largest building of all with a dome overhead and several small towers surrounding it. The designs in fact looked like the kind used hundreds of years ago. But of course, that wasn’t the part of the city she was focusing on.

Her attention was grabbed by the sheer amount of webs. Every street, every building, every wall, everything within sight had at least one layer of web over it. Korra couldn’t help but feel a jolt of fear as she took it all in. Before now, she had never considered spiders to be particularly scary. She knew Bolin was terrified of them and that Mako also had a healthy dislike (as did Tenzin) but she was never really that bothered by them. But now, she couldn’t help but wonder the size of the creatures that were able to produce this much web and if they were still around. Or the sheer number of spiders to do the same. She didn’t know which one was worse.

“They look a little old,” Ben offered.

Diana nodded. “Yes, they are frayed and dried, practically falling apart. They have long been abandoned.”

“So, where’d the spiders go?” Liza asked, sword in hand as if a spider was going to attack at any moment.

“Probably went looking for a new source of food,” Ben said. “Ate everything they could in the city and then moved on. Don’t think we’ll find any left here.” As he said it, Korra couldn’t help but notice that even he seemed a little unsure of that, more like he was trying to reassure himself.

“So, where to then?” Nico asked.

“There,” Diana pointed with her sword. “The palace. If there will be answers to be found, it will be there.”

Korra followed her gaze to the dome-shaped building at the end of the city and couldn’t help but be reminded of the lavish palace in Ba Sing Se. She never understood why the leader of the city had to have such a much larger home than anyone else. What exactly did they do with all that space? She much preferred the air nomads where the larger buildings were the temples, not palaces.

They began walking down some stairs leading to the streets below. Korra heard Ben grumble all the way down about the ‘ridiculously small steps’ and found herself smiling a little. But it faded as she saw the tight grip Liza had on her sword and the way her eyes kept flitting around, just waiting for trouble.

“You ok?” she asked.

“We’re walking into the nest of Dangers,” Liza replied. “We need to be on constant guard. The spiders may have left, but who knows what might have taken up residence.”

Judging from all the webs and dust, Korra figured they were the first ones there in years, centuries even. But it was best to be on guard.

“Why do you keep saying Dangers like that anyway?”

“Oh, that’s just what we call them. You know, cause they’re a danger.”

“Then why not just call them monsters or beasts?”

“Beasts can also mean normal animals and some Dangers don’t look like monsters. Some can look peaceful and harmless but turn out to be the most dangerous. Some are just enchantments come to life, not truly alive. Dangers covers all the bases. If they’re dangerous, they’re a threat and need to be avoided.”

“But people can be even more dangerous sometimes,” Korra pointed out.

Liza snorted. “Don’t I know it.”

As they walked through the city, Diana took the lead, sweeping away all the cobwebs that she could with her sword. It wasn’t nearly enough and pretty soon Korra felt like she was stepping in the stuffing they put into cushions and beds as the webs stuck to her feet. Ben tried using his fists to clear the stuff but was then pretty soon covered in it, constantly wiping it off his rocky form. Korra was tempted to just firebend it all away but considering they were all standing in the stuff, that might not be the best idea. Instead, she sent gusts of air soaring ahead, knocking most of the webs out of the way but there were plenty leftover sticking to the ground. Still, they continued on to the palace, despite all the webs, making progress with each step.

“So, where is it you’re from anyway?” Korra asked as they passed by one of the main streets.

“Freestone,” Liza replied.

“Ok,” Korra said after a minute. “What’s it like?”

Liza shrugged. “It’s home.”

Clearly Korra was going to be the main conversationalist here. “Tell me about it.”

Liza looked over at her. “Why?”

“I don’t know, to pass the time?” Korra suggested as she sent another gust of air to help clear the way, sending more webs shooting away from them.

Liza seemed to roll her eyes but she nodded. “Alright, what do you want to know?”

“I don’t know.” Korra thought back and something Liza had said earlier popped into her head. “You mentioned the Adventurers Tribe, right? Or something like that?”

“Yeah, the Adventurers Guild. It’s my guild, my home. My home in Freestone, I mean.”

“Ok, so what is it?”

“Well, Freestone has many Guilds to keep the city running. There are the High Guilds, which are the most important ones. There’s the Knights Guild, or the Stone Sons, who are charged with protecting the city.” She snorted a little there and Korra saw there was derision in her expression. Apparently she didn’t think too highly of the Knights Guild. “Then there’s the Mages Guild, or the Silverglows. They’re the magical practioners.” There was that word again. Magic. It sounded slightly familiar but Korra couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “They keep the wards up around the city while practicing their magics. Then there’s the Healers Guild who, you know, heal people. And the Merchants Guild who sell the goods around the city and provide lawful commerce…to the best they can, anyway.”

Korra snorted. Yeah, when it came to commerce, she always found there to be unlawful elements operating alongside the lawful ones.

“Then there are other guilds like the Stewards and Smiths and such who provide smaller but still essential tasks for the city. And then there’s my guild. The Adventurers Guild.” Liza wore a proud smile as she started talking about her guild. “It’s main job is to go outside the city to look for resources and try to cull the population of Dangers. We go where no one else in the city dares to and fight monsters from their darkest nightmares to keep the city safer.”

Korra smirked. “Sounds like you’re really into that.”

Liza shrugged. “All my life I wanted to be a knight, to be the hero. But they’re called the Stone Sons for a reason. No girls allowed.”

Korra felt her smirk fall as a dark feeling came over her. She could remember early on in her training when some citizens of the Southern Water Tribe had thought she couldn’t handle it as the Avatar because she was a girl. It had taken her a long time, far too long, to prove she was more than capable. That mentality was still there in the world, but it was much less prominent now, thanks in a large part to previous Avatar Kyoshi. But still, there were a few people who thought like that and it grated on Korra’s soul whenever she came across them.

“So, the Adventurers Guild was next best,” Liza continued. “But, when I was allowed in, I realized their role is so much more important. The Knights keep the peace inside the walls but those are just squabbles with the occasional petty criminal and sometimes a truly dangerous one. They are there to protect the city from Dangers but they don’t really go outside the walls. The Adventurers are the ones who truly make a difference, where you really have to prove your worth. It’s there where I really found my place. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Korra smiled. She could relate to that. When she had first come to Republic City, she had struggled with how she would fit in with Tenzin wanting her to train all day and just stay on Air Temple Island and Beifong wanting her out of the city completely. But then she had joined Mako and Bolin in the Fire Ferrets pro-bending team. And from there, she found herself.

“Good for you,” she said out loud.

Liza rolled her eyes. “Thanks.” They continued on for a little longer in silence before Liza spoke up again. “So this Avatar thing,” she said. “You said you’re there to keep balance. What exactly does that mean?”

Korra frowned, trying to think of the best way to reply. “Well,” she began, thinking carefully, “the world is divided fairly among the four nations. The Fire Nation, the Water Tribes, the Air Nomads, and the Earth Kingdom, though it’s becoming more of a democracy now.” She smiled at that, thinking about how much Prince Wu had changed since she first met him. “There’s also the United Republic which is sovereign state among the others and where I spend most of my time. And my job is basically to keep the peace. When things get out of order, my role is come in and restore the balance. For example, a little while ago the Earth Kingdom became the Earth Empire under the ruler Kuvira who wanted to take control of most of the world by force and we stopped her.” She shuddered, thinking how close to failure they had come. “We’re still dealing with the aftereffects of that. I’m also the bridge between the spirit and mortal worlds.”

“Spirit world?” Liza questioned. “Like, the Fae?”

“I don’t know who they are. The Spirit World is a parallel plane of reality home to supernatural entities who embody aspects of nature or life or other things. It’s…kind of hard to explain but they play a large role in the balance in the mortal world as well.”

“Wow,” Liza nodded. “That all sounds very…confusing.”

Korra laughed. “Yeah, it kind of does.”

“But pretty cool too,” Liza added.

“Yeah,” Korra agreed. “It is pretty cool.”

“Gah!” Ben shouted ahead of them. “How many freaking webs are there here?”

“I don’t think yelling about it is going to help much,” Diana commented, brushing more cobwebs off her blade before chopping through some more.

“Well, it makes me feel better,” Ben countered. He grumbled under his breath, shaking loose a whole bunch of webs that had attached to his body, tossing them aside. “Are we any closer?”

“Still a ways to go,” Nico told him.

“Can’t you just teleport us there kid?” Ben asked. “With your weird Shadow Travel thing?”

“It’s not that easy.”

“It never is,” Ben sighed.

“Shadow Travel requires a lot of concentration and takes a lot out of me,” Nico explained. “I’ve done three travels today already. I need to rest before I can do more. And I definitely can’t do it with a group this size for a while. Unless you want to vanish into the shadows permanently.”

Korra winced at that image. “Yeah, I think I’m good walking.”

“Yeah, I guess the webs aren’t that bad,” Ben said, still a little grumpily. “Wish Susie was here. She’d just blow all this stuff away with one of her force fields.”

“Well, this is the best I can do right now,” Korra told him, sending two gusts of air ahead, blowing at least half the webs out of the way. But the accumulated webs were still sticky and clung to each other and the ground, not giving up easily. “So let’s just make do. At least there aren’t any spiders in here. It’s just the webs.”

Ben nodded to that. “Yeah, that’s true. One silver lining here.”

They came to a stop as they approached a deep trench in the city, one that ran down either way for as far as they could see. “This must have been a canal once,” Diana said, looking into it. Korra looked down as well but if there ever had been water, it had long dried up. Now there was just dust and webs.

“And no way to cross it, great,” Ben grumbled.

“Hold on, hold on,” Korra told him. She stepped forward and thrust her foot forward. The earth responded, a large chunk of rock shooting from the ground and creating a walkway across the canal.

“Damn,” Ben nodded. “That’s handy.”

“Thanks,” Korra replied, walking across it. She looked around at the buildings, seeing the cracks and gaping holes in many of them. She wondered how many came from time, and how many came from something else. She shuddered, looking at all the webs and imagining spiders swarming through those holes to get at the people inside. Though it was curious not to find any remains. It didn’t look like a massacre. This place just looked abandoned.

Diana seemed to think the same thing. “What really happened here?” she muttered.

“Who knows?” Liza muttered.

“There are no bodies, no true signs of conflict that I can see,” Diana continued.

Nico kneeled down to the street and closed his eyes. He seemed to be focused on something. A few seconds later, he reopened them. “It’s strange,” he said. “There’s not much death here. I could feel it out in the wreck back there but here, practically nothing.”

“Wait, you can feel death?” Korra asked, eyes widening a little. “Is that what Hela meant by death energy?”

“A little,” Nico replied. “My father’s Hades, god of the underworld. I can sense places of great death, sense the restless spirits still waiting there. But there’s really nothing here.”

Korra blinked for a second and then pushed past the whole ‘god of the underworld’ thing for a little while. She didn’t know how to process it just yet anyway. “So what does that mean exactly? The spiders must have come here for a reason. I mean, they definitely got settled here,” she gestured to all the webs around them. “But they would need something to feed on.”

“Probably the animals then or something. I don’t sense their deaths, just peoples’,” Nico replied.

“So, there’s a huge battle outside the city with ships and such,” Ben said, rubbing his finger against his chin that created a soft grating sound. “But no signs of any battle within the city. So the people must have left. Probably thought they were going to lose and hightailed it somewhere else.”

“Yes, but where?” Diana asked.

“In Freestone, in case of emergencies, there was a safe haven beneath the city where certain residents could take shelter. About a hundred of them,” Liza explained. “Maybe this city is similar.”

“Well, our best bet’s probably still the palace,” Korra pointed and the towering building that loomed closer and closer with each step.

It took them about thirty minutes to make their way up to the palace, cutting through more and more webs. Korra began to notice that the buildings got a little bigger and seemed fancier. The architecture was less worn and in better shape. Liza noticed as well and snorted.

“We’re in the richer sections of the city,” she said. “They’re closer to the palace here and farther from the walls so that the poorer sections can act as buffers for any invaders.”

Korra grimaced. “Yeah, that sounds about right,” she said dryly.

Eventually, the buildings disappeared for a wide street leading to the palace doors. Or at least what used to be doors and now were just shattered pieces. Clearly, something had wanted in. And it was as they all stepped inside that they found the first bodies.

The first thing they noticed was that there were far more webs in here than anywhere else, the entry hall completely covered in webs that it didn’t even resemble anything manmade. Just spider-made. The second thing was the bodies. There weren’t many to see, the webs covering most of them up. But there were still quite a few. Dried out husks scattered around. And not just human. Korra nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw several large spindly figures spread out as well but they were just as dead as well. Still, one question was answered. It wasn’t an army of small spiders making the webs, but giant ones. Ones at least the size of Korra and probably bigger as well.

“Well, not hoping to run into those things,” Ben nodded at the husks.

“Don’t worry, they must be long dead by now,” Diana reassured him. But Korra couldn’t help but wonder if there was tinge of uncertainty in her voice. “Nico, are you sensing anything now?”

He didn’t say anything for a minute, his eyes closed and his head tilted, as if he was listening to something. Then he looked up. “Yes,” he said softly. “This place…there’s a lot of death here.”

Korra had to stop herself from shivering, looking around the walls and imagining ghosts and specters emerging from them or creeping up behind her, hiding in the shadows. “So the people fled here where they made their last stand,” she said softly.

“But then, why are there so few bodies?” Liza asked.

Korra had a thought about that. “Step back,” she said, having them all back away to the front entrance again. Then she raised her fist and summoned a burst of flame. She had been hesitant to do this before as they were in the middle of the webs. But now they were more contained within these walls. She shot the fireball into the middle of the webs and then for good measure shot a few more.

The effect was instantaneous. The cobwebs went up in smoke in seconds, burning to ash and revealing beneath their mass the rest of the bodies. Korra gasped and she heard Ben curse behind her as at least a hundred corpses were revealed, most human but a few more spider husks as well. Before the fire could spread too much, Korra summoned it back, extinguishing it.

“Hmmm.” Liza squatted down next to one corpse, a broken skeleton in faded armor. “They’re all soldiers.”

“What do you mean?” Korra asked.

“Look around. All the bodies have weapons and armor. There’s no sign of ordinary citizens. And there’s only around a hundred.”

Korra frowned but realized she was right. There were only soldiers there. And the amount of people could nowhere near fit the population of the city.

“It is just the first room,” Diana said, her eyes going toward the back of the room where a large doorway loomed to the rest of the palace. “I’m sure we will find more if we keep looking.”

“Yes,” Nico added. “We will.”

With that ominous warning, they made their way across the room to the doorway and found an even larger room with many more doorways and two large stairwells leading up. And, of course, more webs draped everywhere and more bodies lining the webs. Korra again burned the webs away but controlling it enough so as not to let the fire run rampant. More soldiers and spider corpses were revealed but nothing else.

“Should we split up?” Korra asked.

“No!” Ben instantly said. “That’s a bad idea. Haven’t you ever seen a horror movie?”

Korra blinked. “What’s a movie? You mean a mover?”

Now Ben blinked. “A mover? What’s that?”

“We shouldn’t split up,” Liza interrupted. “When you walk into the nest of a Danger, even abandoned, you should stick together. Strength in numbers. Besides, it’s also logical. These webs are too thick to really walk through and Korra’s the only one who can burn it down. Unless anyone else is hiding some magical power like that?”

“She’s right, we stick together,” Diana affirmed. “Now, which way?”

Korra looked around. “I don’t think people would head up in a crisis like this,” she said, nodding at the stairwells.

“Agreed. So one of these other doorways then.” Diana gestured to the nearest one. “Let’s start here and see where it leads us.”

It led them to the kitchens, as it turned out, where a large funnel web was located, the insides shadowed and hidden. Korra shuddered, easily imagining a spider lurking inside, just waiting to pounce. She had no problem burning that web down, revealing nothing but some old bones inside.

From there, they went on exploring the whole palace, room to room. They found what looked like a ballroom, a library with dusty books written in a script none of them recognized, what might have once been a parlor, the servant’s quarters, and more. Throughout it all, they found more skeletal remains and all were soldiers. Nico occasionally noticed a few that may have been citizens but it was hard to tell without focusing on it. Korra kept looking at him, noticing something bothering him. He kept tensing and twitching a little and his eyes drifted to look at something that wasn’t there. But whatever it was, he didn’t say. Korra decided to keep an eye on him.

After a while, they felt they had searched practically every room on the ground floor of the palace and still found nothing new so decided to continue the search upwards, climbing up the stairwells. They found more large rooms with more webs and more bodies but not much else so they kept on. They found a few bedrooms that seemed to be the emptiest of the rooms in the palace, the webbing in there light and no skeletons at all. Then, after they finished that, they began exploring the towers. The first two were completely bare but the third one was where it got interesting.

“That’s a lot of dead spiders,” Ben muttered and Korra nodded in agreement. This tower was connected to the rest of the palace by a bridge and along it was a line of spider husks. In contrast to the rest of the palace, there was now only a scattering a scattering of human bodies with far more spiders. Korra also noticed a lot of arrows sticking out of the spiders and saw many small windows lining the top of the tower.

“This must have been where they made their last stand,” Liza commented.

“Ah, yes, I think I know why,” Diana suddenly said. “In history, I learned that many castles and palaces had a specific tower used in case of siege for a retreat of last resort. It was the most defensible area, designed for the defenders to hold out for months on end if need be.”

Korra nodded. “So naturally this is where they’d go. Ok, so maybe we’ll find more answers inside.”

Nico snorted. “In contrast to the answers we already have?”

“Good point.”

They made their way across the bridge, carefully stepping around the dead spiders. Korra had never really been afraid of spiders before but now could imagine where that fear could come from. These things, even in death, were truly terrifying to behold, especially up close.

They made their way inside the tower where the webs returned, though more spare than before. And there were more human bodies scattered around but still quite a few spiders as well. They walked up the spiral staircase, which Diana explained was designed in such a way to bottleneck enemies and to prove difficult to right-handed soldiers. “Most people are right-handed,” she explained. “So, these towers were built clockwise so that the attacking soldier would have to expose their whole body to fight while a defender need only present their sword arm.”

“Don’t think that quite works with giant spiders attacking,” Liza said dryly.

“No, it does not.”

They eventually arrived in the main chambers of the tower where it was clear a large battle had taken place, the ground littered with skeletons and husks of the dead. Korra noticed Nico twitch again and look down but before she could think on it, Liza interrupted her.

“Still more soldiers,” she said. “And still not enough people to fill the city. I mean, we didn’t see a single body walking through the city. So, where are they all?”

“I believe some of these towers had a secret escape tunnel,” Diana said, looking around the room as if the tunnel would jump out at her.

Korra frowned and then lifted her foot. She’d never really done this before, but she’d seen the Beifongs do it enough times so it shouldn’t be that hard. She stamped her foot down on the ground and shot her senses through the earth, searching. She gasped a little from the input, feeling the tower around her and yet not really feeling it. She could tell where everything was, see it through her feet. It was a weird sensation but she kind of liked it as well. She also felt an empty space in the tower that dropped down well below the surface of the city.

“Here,” she said, walking over to the furthest chamber and pulled her arm back, the rock wall following her movement with a large grinding sound. Behind it was a narrow chamber that stretched downward into darkness. A metal ladder stood against the wall leading down but it looked like it could fall apart at any second.

“I’m not climbing down that thing,” Liza said. “It looks like a pebble could break through it.”

Ben glanced down the passage, sniffing. “I think I could jump that,” he said. “I’ve survived bigger falls.”

“No need,” Diana interrupted. “I’ll just fly you down.”

“Yeah, that’s a better idea,” he agreed. “Don’t want to break anything down there by accident.”

They decided to go in one go, Korra, Liza, and Nico holding onto Ben as Diana carried him down by his arm.

“We’re still not too heavy for you?” Ben checked again.

“Still no, Ben,” Diana told him with a small smile. “I’m stronger than I look.”

“Clearly,” he nodded. “Alright then, let’s go exploring into the deep dark chasm of death.”

“That’s a grim outlook,” Korra pointed out.

“But probably accurate,” Nico added.

Diana slowly lowered them down. Korra couldn’t help but glance up at her in awe. The only person she ever knew who could fly was Zaheer who was an asshole. And Diana wasn’t an airbender. It was hard for her to wrap her head around all of this. Goddesses of death, people made of stone, a kid who could sense death, and a woman could fly. It was a lot from what she was used to and she had seem a lot of fantastic things in her life.

Again, she wondered what exactly had brought them all together like this.

That thought drifted away as they landed on the ground, only darkness greeting them. Korra lifted her hand and let loose a small, continuous burst of flame from her fist, lighting up the darkness and revealing a large chamber awaiting them with, surprise, even more corpses. Though this time the spiders outnumbered the soldiers once more.

“Guess we keep following the trail of corpses,” Ben grumbled. “This is not how I wanted to spend my day.”

“And you think the rest of us did?” Liza gave him a look.

Before any of them could take a step forward, Nico suddenly started walking ahead of them. “This way,” he said over his shoulder.

Korra frowned, eyeing him with suspicion, but she followed him anyway. She wasn’t sure what was up with him but she didn’t like it right now. She just hoped she was wrong.

Nico led them down the chamber, past all the bodies which again Korra noticed were mainly soldiers though every now and then she did spot some skeletons without any armor or weapons with some fabric around them that could have once been clothes. So maybe they were getting closer to where the city’s citizens went. Though she hoped they had made it. To die like this, down in the dark by these monsters, was too horrific to think about.

They continued walking for about ten minutes, Nico leading them on without faltering. “Where’s he taking us?” Liza asked.

“I don’t think it’s anywhere good,” Korra muttered.

Liza gave her a questioning look. “You think…?”

“I don’t know,” Korra replied honestly. “It’s just…a gut feeling.”

Liza nodded and Korra saw her hand flexing over her sword. Ben and Diana were conversing privately but didn’t seem too concerned themselves.

It was a few minutes later that Korra noticed something else. There wasn’t as much web here. There were a few cobwebs stretched out over the bodies here and there but for the most part, she couldn’t see any. She pointed this out to the others.

“Maybe they didn’t feel like taking up residence here?” Liza offered but she also didn’t seem sure.

“Or maybe they had their fill down here and decided to move back up,” Ben said.

“That’s cheery,” Korra muttered. But something didn’t feel right. She just didn’t know what it was yet.

“Just up ahead,” Nico suddenly said, startling her.

“What’s up ahead?” she asked.

But he didn’t say anything else, adding to her fears. She pressed on with the others, however. She saw Nico turn a corner, disappearing from sight and couldn’t help when her heart beat faster. She walked over, dread filling her with each step. She didn’t want to feel this way. Nico had saved her earlier from the desert creature. But she couldn’t deny that there was something unusual about him, the whole death thing. It gave off a strange and dark aura.

She turned the corner and nearly winced, almost expecting something to be lunging out. But instead, it was just a wide chamber with stairs leading down somewhere still out of sight to her. Nico stood at the top of the stairs, standing perfectly still. Korra paused before taking slow steps towards him. “Nico?” she asked softly but there wasn’t any reply.

She turned to the others and this time saw the same fear reflecting in their eyes. Diana stepped forward carefully. “Nico?” she repeated. “Are you ok?”

There was still no reply. If she didn’t know better, Korra could have sworn he was a statue, the way he was standing. Slowly, they all walked up to him.

“Nico?” Diana asked again and this time she readied her blade.

Korra stepped forward slowly and, as she stood behind him, reached out and gently patted him on the shoulder.

“Gah!” he stumbled a little, causing the rest of them to jump a little. “Sorry, sorry,” he said, rubbing his forehead. “It’s just, it’s a lot.”

“What is?” Ben asked.

Nico looked over at them and Korra was startled by his haunted expression. “Look,” he said softly.

Korra frowned and then looked down the stairs, still not seeing much more than darkness. She walked forward and increased the power of her flame, letting the light fill the air.

“Here,” Diana said suddenly and Korra turned to see her standing at the wall, a torch above her head. Korra nodded and shot out a burst of flame to it. She blinked in surprise when it went up instantly, illuminating the dark. Then she took a step back as it didn’t stop there, a whole line of fire coming to life behind it, stretching all around the chamber, lighting up torch after torch until the whole chamber was lit up.

And then she gasped in horror, stumbling back as she covered her mouth, seeing what was down the stairs. They had found the rest of the city’s populace.

The chamber was huge and it held thousands upon thousands of corpses, practically a sea of skeletons and death. No wonder Nico had acted that way. If he was sensitive to death, this would have set it to go overboard.

Korra felt tears prickle her eyes as she took it all in. She saw a vast range of skeletons, some smaller than others, some in shabby clothing while others in what had probably once been in fancy garb. None of that mattered now.

“None made it out,” Nico said in an almost-whisper. “I can still feel the despair, the fear, in them. They did everything they could to escape and still the spiders found them.”

Ben sank to the ground while Diana lowered her head, eyes closed. Korra heard Liza gasp softly behind her but didn’t pay much attention to it. She could imagine this as Republic City during Kuvira’s invasion, all the people doing their best to escape but the enemy capturing and killing them all. That thought made her want to vomit. Even if this had happened hundreds of years ago, she could feel these people’s last moments in the air. She couldn’t help but think of her predecessor, Aang, when he had discovered what had happened to his people. She felt sick to her stomach right now and she didn’t even know these people, who they were. Whatever he had felt was a thousand times worse.

She took another step forward when suddenly something metal struck her chest, forcing her back. She looked up sharply and blinked when she saw Liza standing there, sword at the ready.

“What are you doing?” Korra asked.

“Stopping you,” Liza said hurriedly, wide panic in her eyes. She then gestured to where Korra had almost stepped, at a strand of cobweb.

Korra frowned. “So? What does that have to do…” she trailed off, looking at the cobweb closely. It wasn’t as frail as the others they had seen. In fact, it seemed stretched pretty tight. She looked around and for the first time noticed all the other webs in the chamber lining the bodies and walls. And none of them looked like the frail, listless things they had spent the last couple hours cutting through. They looked strong and fresh, as if made recently.

Korra glanced again at the web she had almost stepped on and followed it up to the wall where it connected to a bunch of other webs. She followed those with her eyes up the side of the wall right to a massive web. And then she gasped as she saw the thing in the center of the web.

“Oh crap,” she breathed. Because this time she wasn’t looking at the husk of a spider-corpse, shriveled up with its legs curled around it. This time, the spider was whole. It was still curled up, but not in death. It looked comatose.

The others slowly became aware of it as well and breathed sharply as a result. “Yeah,” Liza muttered. “I guess we found them.”

Korra froze. “Wait,” she said. “Them?”

Liza nodded and gestured to the ceiling. Korra looked up and felt her heart freeze in its place, as if her blood had turned to ice. Hanging from the ceiling were literally hundreds upon hundreds of spiders, each one the size of a truck, some even bigger and only a handful smaller. And each one seemed like the slightest movement could wake it up.

“Looks like we found where all the spiders went,” Liza said dryly.

Chapter Text

Barbara was seriously starting to hate sand. Every step she took had her foot sink in and it took even more effort to raise it up again. Especially with the sun constantly beating down on her.

She could tell she wasn’t the only one bothered by this. Balk was making a low growling sound from the back of his throat as he walked. He had shifted a few hours ago so he no longer looked like an ape-man. Now he was just a large, hairy human. He kept leering over at Barbara with those looks that made her want to punch him. However, now he was more distracted by Polybotes who had drifted in front of him was constantly offering him rewards and riches if he served him and then threatening him when he didn’t answer.

Aurra Sing, it seemed, had experience walking in the desert and so didn’t seem too troubled by it but was beginning to slow down from the pace Vader was setting. He was still walking continuously without slowing even a little, even while floating the giant head beside him which still was very weird to see.

“So what’s your story, Bats?” Aurra asked, sidling up next to Barbara.

“What do you care?”

“Because I’m bored and if I’m going to eventually fight alongside you, I want to know more about you.”

“Well then, first thing you should know is that I don’t want to be here. The only reason I am is he’ll kill me if I leave.” She gestured over to Vader.

“Honey, that’s why we’re all here,” Aurra reminded her. “If I thought for a second I could take him by surprise and end him, I would. But I can’t. So for now, I go along with him.”

“Was that your deal with Jacobi?”

Aurra laughed. “Jacobi offered a partnership for survival. She seemed like the tough kind so I agreed.”

“Not much of a partnership,” Barbara muttered.

“It was beneficial til it wasn’t. She was going to get herself killed and I wasn’t going down with her. In my line of business, you have to know when to walk away, when to make the right moves, and when to leave your partners behind. The only one you can count on is you.”

“Sounds lonely.”

“It’s called surviving, sweetheart.”

Barbara was tempted to argue with her but she didn’t feel like explaining anything about herself to this woman. To do so would be give something away, something Aurra would use against her. “Listen, I’ve fought plenty of people like you over the years and even worked with some as well. So if you think for a second I’m going to trust you, guess again. Cause you were right about one thing. Right now, out here,” she gestured to the desert around them, “the only person you can trust is yourself. And that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

Aurra gave her a sly smile. “Maybe you’re not as naïve as I thought. I think this might actually be pretty fun.”

Barbara just rolled her eyes and kept moving. She didn’t know how long they walked, maybe a few more hours, but at last Vader came to a stop at the crest of the latest dune and Barbara sighed as she stopped as well, taking the moment to rest and recuperate.

“There,” Vader said, pointing. Barbara followed his finger and saw a smudge in the horizon, one that, as her vision focused, looking like some sort of building.

“Could be a mirage.”

“It is not,” Vader replied, sounding sure. Barbara frowned at him, wondering why. She had already seen a mirage, an oasis several miles away. She had turned away and a few minutes later, when she looked back, it was gone. She also wondered why the heat was having no effect on him. There was so much about him that was a mystery and the more she learned, the more she wondered if she wanted to know the rest.

Aurra pulled out her rifle and pointed the scope at the smudge, looking through it. “It’s a building all right,” she said. “Some kind of old castle. Looks empty.”

“There may be something of use inside,” Vader said and then started walking towards it.

“I hope it will be your deaths,” Polybotes told them all.

Aurra just gave him an exasperated look. “Do you ever shut up?”

“When I am reunited with my body, I will squash you into paste.”

“Are you sure I can’t kill him?” Aurra asked Barbara.

“He’s currently a head living apart from his body, so no. But by all means, give it a shot.”

“No,” Vader said firmly before Aurra could reach for her guns. “No noise.” He walked forward a few more steps before his hand shot out again and Polybotes began to choke. “Do not try that again,” he warned.

Barbara frowned before she realized Polybotes had been about to yell out, giving away their position to anyone or anything in the castle. Polybotes glowered at Vader but went silent and Vader then released him.

“Why not just slice him down the middle and be done with it?” Aurra suggested, Balk giggling behind her while Barbara just grimaced at the mental image. “He may still live, however he does it, but at least he won’t be able to talk.”

“How dare you!” Polybotes spluttered. “I will burn your blood in acid! I will-” He was cut off when Vader began choking him again.

“He is more useful as is,” was all Vader said and that was the end of it.

They continued on across the dunes, now heading for the smudge castle in the distance. As they approached, it did get bigger and never disappeared. Barbara still wasn’t entirely convinced. The whole point of a mirage was to trick your mind, even in a scope. But the more time went on, the less doubt she had.

It was hard to tell how long it took, Barbara losing track of time, her mind drifting into a daze and her feet just plodding one after the other. She knew it wasn’t a smart idea to lose her focus when with enemies but she knew if any of them wanted her dead, she would be already. Besides, she couldn’t help it. She was dehydrated, low on energy, and suffering from intense heat with no real protection. Probably only Bruce could keep his focus in these conditions.

Vader suddenly stopped and Barbara barely managed to stop herself from walking into him. She looked up, blinked, and then looked again. She had dazed for so long she hadn’t realized how close they had gotten but they were here, the building that was formerly a smudge now looming above them.

It did look like a castle, just as Aurra said. Not a big one. More like a keep from those old medieval history books she’d read. A single building of weathered stone with parapets and four points where there were rounded platforms and a larger tower in the center. If Barbara had to guess, it was the length and width of Wayne Manor, maybe a little bigger, and about double the height.

“Looks empty,” she commented.

Vader said nothing, merely staring at it, assessing. Then he started walking to the side where the gates stood, blocked by a large door. Vader pulled out his saber handle and then pressed a button on the side. Instantly, it ignited into the crimson blade. He pressed it into the door, sinking into it like it was made of pudding. He then made an arch, slicing right through the stonework, before pushing with his powers. The sliced section fell through, leaving a hole in its wake. Vader turned off the blade and then turned towards Barbara. “Enter.”

Barbara hesitantly stepped through, looking around. The inside was what she expected, the tower about twenty-five yards away from her, walls all around her. But she also saw a lot of metal scattered around, armor and weapons. She saw swords, spears, shields, bows and arrows, pieces of armor. She also noticed a few guns lying around, looking like old-fashioned muskets. But no skeletons, no sign of any bodies.

She didn’t like it. There was some sort of aura in the air, some eerie feeling she had. This was a bad place.

Aurra and Balk stepped through after her, looking around as well. “Look around,” Vader told them. “Report what back what you find.”

“Oh, so we’re like a test dummies, huh?” Barbara asked sarcastically.

Vader didn’t respond, probably because he didn’t need to. Or because he just didn’t care. It was hard to tell with him. Polybotes, however, had no problem responding.

“I hope your deaths are long and agonizing,” he spat.

“Sadly, not the worst pep talk I’ve heard,” she muttered to herself. She scanned the castle again and decided to start with a side door. She opened it and saw nothing but an empty room with another door. She opened that one up and saw a bunch of barrels in it. She turned to close the door again when she stopped. Her mind was still a little fuzzy from the heat and thirst but barrels were usually full of stuff. She didn’t know what to hope for, but she went anyway and checked. She opened up the first barrel and her heart sank as she saw nothing inside. She checked the second barrel and it was the same. The third barrel looked like it had something but it had clearly gone bad years ago. The rest were the same. Nothing.

“Anything?” Aurra asked as she reemerged.

“Just some empty barrels.”

Balk frowned at that, eyeing her suspiciously. “Empty?” he questioned.

Barbara gestured to the door. “Go ahead and look if you want.”

Balk gave her another look before going to do just that, returning with a disgruntled expression on his face.

“Alright, I’ll go around this way, you two go the other and we’ll meet on the other side,” Aurra told them.

Barbara nodded, and moved along. She spotted another door a little ways away and checked that out. From the looks of it, it must have been the soldier’s sleeping quarters with beds and hammocks set up. Another door led to what seemed to be an office of some sort with an old, splintery table and faded paper written in what was essentially gibberish to her.

“You know,” Balk said, leering at her again, “you and I could have some fun in here.”

Barbara gave him another disgusted look. “In your dreams, monkey boy.”

“Ah, if you weren’t just an ordinary human, we could have a lot of fun,” he continued. “But I guess we can’t get what we want.”

“Just go screw yourself why don’t you,” Barbara told him, exiting the room back into the courtyard.

“Playing hard to get I see. Well, it doesn’t matter. Cause you see, I always…”

Barbara tuned him out as she saw something that pushed everything else out of her mind. A well. An actual well, right in the middle of the courtyard between the wall and tower. She hurried over to it and saw the bucket sitting on the ground. She checked the rope and saw that, while frayed, it was still sturdy. She hoisted the bucket down until it wouldn’t go any further and prayed it was because it had hit water, and not dirt. She then brought the bucket back up, already thinking, it’s going to be empty, it’s going to be empty. Then the bucket appeared and she grabbed it up, looking inside.

It was empty.

She sank down, choking down a scream. Why was everything so damn hard right now? Why couldn’t she get one win? She was so tired and just done with this day. She was tempted to just lie down here and rest but she knew Vader would come looking and probably strike her down.

“Damn!” Barbara looked up to see Aurra standing there, glaring down at the empty barrel. “Could have used some water about now.”

Balk snorted. “Weak humans,” he growled. “When you live in the fighting pits like I have, you learn to cope with what you’re given.”

Suddenly, Aurra’s gun was out of its holder and pointed at Balk. “Call me weak again,” she said with a hard smile. “I dare you.”

Barbara stopped listening to them as she noticed something. The bottom of the bucket was wet. Which meant there was water down there.

Then, doing what she should have done in the first place, she took out her flashlight and scanned the well, sighing as she spotted a shallow pool of water glistening at the bottom. “It’s not high enough,” she muttered in realization. There was only a little bit of water down there, not deep enough to go over the bucket’s rim. She looked over and saw Aurra and Balk still bickering, not paying any attention to her.

She quickly and quietly tied the rope around the bucket’s middle so the rim was facing to the side and lowered it again until it hit bottom. Then, carefully, she pulled the rope a certain way so the bucket rim would be facing somewhat upwards before pulling up again. Slowly, bit by bit, she lifted the bucket back up until she spotted it. Stifling the urge to reach and grab it, she brought it up all the way and then carefully reached over and took the rim, making sure it still had an upwards angle. She took it in both hands and looked inside and nearly sobbed in relief at seeing the water still inside. Not a lot, but enough. She brought it to her lips and managed to drink down three gulps. It tasted sandy and stale but she didn’t care. Right now, it was the most delicious thing she’d ever tasted.

And then it was suddenly snatched from her hands. She winced, flexing her fingers, and saw Balk desperately tongueing the barrel to no effect.

Aurra watched him with a half-amused, half-disgusted expression. “You were saying something about weak humans?”

Balk growled, tossing the bucket aside. “Get more,” he said, pointing a finger at Barbara.

“Ok.” She then leapt over the side of the well and down below, landing with a small splash into the shallow pool. She instantly reached down and cupped her hands in the water, lifting it up to drink, swallowing as much as she could. She did it twice more before Balk landed next to her with another splash. He glowered at her but then began drinking as well. And then Aurra jumped down and pretty soon they were all gulping down as much water as they could.

After a few minutes, Barbara stopped, sighing. That was enough. As much as she wanted to keep drinking, if Vader lost patience and found them like this, well she didn’t know what he’d do but it wouldn’t be good. She had to keep looking around. And maybe find a way to escape. Besides, at this point she was getting worried she might be sharing saliva with Balk and that wasn’t something she wanted to risk.

She looked up, seeing the well was farther up than she had thought. She pulled out her grapple gun and shot upwards, pulling herself over the well rim and back into the courtyard. She felt more focused now and less tired, the water rejuvenating her a little.

As she took another look around, she found the doors to the keep, placed on the other side away from the main gates so that enemies would have to fight their way around the entire courtyard to get to it. Smart thinking. Except for one thing. The entrance was wide open, the keep doors, large metal doors at least twice her height, having been busted through. They were still standing and she could see they could still be closed, with some effort.

She heard a scrambling sound behind and turned to see Balk clamber up over the well, his ape-like agility apparently helping him up. Aurra, instead, had a grapple of her own and soon climbed over the well too. She studied the doorway carefully. “Wonder what busted through?”

“Don’t really want to know,” Barbara replied. Which probably meant she was going to meet it.

“Wimp,” Balk snorted. “Just like a human. Whatever it is, if it’s still here I’ll snap its neck.”

Barbara ignored him, stepping through hesitantly, her senses on high alert. She hoped that whatever had broken through those doors was long gone. Probably just some enemy combatants.

Then why hadn’t the front gate been opened?

There were three main passages to go, each one large enough to fit a bull elephant through. The middle one went upwards while the one to the right descended to the lower levels and the one to the left covered the rest of this floor. She glanced up and saw a hole in the ceiling, some of the stonework having fallen apart.

Barbara quickly checked the rest of the ground floor but found nothing of true interest. So she turned to the two remaining passages.

“So who goes where?” she asked the other two.

Without saying a word, Balk started walking up the stairs. “Guess we’re going down,” Aurra said.

Barbara glanced at the passageway down and suppressed a shiver. In all the horror movies she’d watched, all the bad things were in the basement.

“You could always join Balk upstairs,” Aurra said, seeing her expression. “He did seem to taking a liking to you.”

That sealed it. Barbara instantly began walking down the stairs, doing her best to ignore the sound of Aurra’s laughter behind her. Besides, if there really was anything important, it would be down. Especially an escape route. She took out her flashlight and held it out to pierce through the shadows.

It was a winding path, dust choking the air. Barbara kept expecting something to leap out at her every step but so far nothing. She couldn’t hear anything either except for Aurra’s soft footsteps behind her. But there was an eeriness in the air, something that made her skin crawl. The sooner she got out of here, the better.

The stairs came to a stop and Barbara found herself facing another large doorway. She stepped through and saw a large room with two main passages on either side. “Split up again?” she asked Aurra.

The woman took a look around and shook her head, hands positioned carefully on her guns. “Not this time,” she said.

Barbara nodded in agreement. Even if she didn’t trust the woman at all, she’d rather be with her than alone in this place. They checked out the left passage first and Barbara’s foot crunched down on something. She froze and looked down but breathed out in relief when she saw it wasn’t a skull or bone but just a piece of wood. A quick shine through though revealed mounds of broken barrels, casks, crates and other items. This place had clearly been the main storage area and it had been ransacked long ago. There were two other rooms beyond it with similar results.

That left the other passage. They went back to it and walked through, Barbara doing her best to stifle her unease and worry. She wanted to believe it was just the atmosphere affecting her mood. But she’d been in this job long enough to know that that wasn’t always the case.

This passage seemed to be the dungeon as she found one small records room before a long chamber filled with rusted metal cells, though quite a few of them had been demolished, almost like something big had busted through.

“Not a good sign,” she muttered.

Aurra nodded and pulled out her guns, holding them at the ready. Barbara did the same with some smoke pellets and batarangs.

She saw that the passageway extended beyond and so moved through the far doorway, finding yet another chamber filled with cells with again several more busted open that ended with a dead-end.

“Well, there we have it,” Aurra nodded, holstering her guns again. “Nothing relevant here.”

“Wait,” Barbara stopped her, looking at the end of the hallway in the corner cell. There was something else there, something she couldn’t quite make out. She moved closer and realized that it was a hole in the wall, hard to see from the doorway. It looked like something a prisoner made to escape. Which meant it might be a way out, if they had finished. Barbara smiled in spite of herself and dampened the urge to hurry over. She still had to be careful about all this. She approached the end of the passage, walking gently over the broken pieces of metal so as not to make unnecessary noise until she reached the hole. She stopped and shone her flashlight inside, trying to get a better look.

A second later, her blood turned to ice and she froze, eyes wide as the flashlight illuminated what was inside. It had scaly, black armor and was huddled up so it was hard to tell how big it was. At least twice as big as Barbara, maybe even three times. Large pincers were curled up near its front and what appeared to be three tails were resting at the back.

“Ok,” she said in a voice below a whisper. “Stay calm. Just move away from it, slowly.”

But as she took a step back, her foot landed on one of the busted metal bars and she slipped, falling heavily to the ground, the bar rolling across the floor with a slight clanking sound. Barbara’s flashlight was still fixed on the creature so she could clearly see its eyes flicker and then open, staring right at her.

“Oh snap,” she muttered.

Chapter Text

Calvin grunted from the latest blow, trying to throw his own but missing and getting punched again.

“Surrender,” the other Superman said. “Or die.”

Calvin snorted. “Spoken like a true villain. Well I choose option 3. President Superman whoops your ass.”

“You’re welcome to try.” Emperor Superman flew right at him but this time Calvin was ready, flipping up and over him and grabbing hold of his cape. Emperor Superman grunted, clutching at the cape but Calvin didn’t give him a moment to recover, swinging him round and round until they were just a blur in the air before releasing him, letting him fall to the ground far below in an explosion of sand and rock. Calvin dove for him, landing right on top of him and swinging punch after punch.

He brought his fist down again but this time, Emperor Superman stopped it cold with his own fist, glaring heatedly at Calvin. “That all you got?” he sneered before his eyes lasered directly into Calvin’s face.

“Gah!” Calvin instinctively flinched back. He blinked, bringing his arms up for Emperor Superman’s latest attack but was too slow, the fist striking his chin and sending him flying up into the sky. Calvin struggled to gain control but Emperor Superman was quickly on him again, grabbing hold of his middle and flying them both back down to the ground at terminal speed. Calvin grunted, trying to break free but Emperor Superman held firm until they struck, sending an even larger plume of earth to rocket upwards.

Calvin grunted again but swiftly sent his own eye beams up, striking Emperor Superman across the face. He then took hold of the other man’s face and twisted him up and around, throwing him over his own body and back down on the ground with as much force as he could muster, sending a shockwave rippling out from the blow.

Emperor Superman twisted out of his grip and rose to strike back but before he could, the ground beneath them, apparently having taken too many hits, cracked and then gave way. Calvin started floating upwards and saw his opponent do the same. Thinking on the fly, he swung his fist again and Emperor Superman ducked aside.

Calvin smirked and then struck his true blow, grabbing the Emperor’s cape. He then flew right down through the hole they had made and threw his enemy as far as he could. He waited about a millisecond before flying after him, landing both fists into his chest right as Emperor Superman hit the cave wall.

The wall shattered from the blow and the two fell through it into another cavern, both blinking from the many twinkling lights hitting them.

If Calvin hadn’t been in the middle of an intense battle, he might have stopped to admire the beauty of what he saw. A cavern of multicolored crystals growing all over, each one blooming with light. It was truly a wondrous sight. But, he didn’t have time. He turned and tried to launch another punch on his enemy but the man just flew aside, Calvin’s fist landing in the sand instead.

He straightened up, ready for the next blow, but this time it didn’t come. Emperor Superman stood a little ways from him, watching him carefully but not making any moves.

“You must see the foolishness in this battle,” he commented.

“Of course I do,” Calvin replied. “But you’re the one who initiated it.”

“Perhaps,” the Emperor nodded. “Very well. Let us make a truce then. For now.”

Calvin looked at him carefully. As both President of the United States and the leader of two Justice League teams, one on his Earth and one across the Multiverse, he had learned how to read people and judge a situation. What he could read was that this other Superman was completely untrustworthy. What he could judge was that if he showed any weakness, he was dead.

“Come now,” the Emperor told him. “This…situation we’ve found ourselves in, transported to another world with no clue as to why. Well, it’s quite unprecedented, is it not?”

“Ha!” Calvin couldn’t help but let out a bark of laughter. “Is that what you think? I’ve been traversing the multiverse for years now. While this may have taken me by surprise, it isn’t, as they say, my first rodeo.”

The Emperor regarded him carefully. “Even more reason why we should make a truce.”

Calvin snorted. “More reason for you. You’re not really offering any compelling reasons for me.”

“Because if we don’t, we’ll just fight right now until I stand above your corpse.”

Calvin glowered at the other man. “You do know I know what happened to you. What you lost.”

“Don’t you dar-” Emperor Superman started, his eyes brimming with red rage.

“But it seems you used it as an excuse to finally let loose the monster inside,” Calvin continued. “I know plenty of Supermen. Great heroes from different worlds. I even know one who went through a similar loss. And yet, he never lost his way. As he would say, ‘hope is the light that lifts us out of darkness.’” Calvin clenched his fists tightly. “But you fell into the darkness. Gave into it. Let it consume you.”

“I let it forge me into something greater,” Emperor Superman snapped. “I took my world by the reins and now steer it towards a better future.”

“A future without freedom.”

“Without chaos,” Emperor Superman countered. “A world finally under control.”

“Your control you mean.”

“This is pointless,” the man snapped again. “While we waste time arguing, our true enemy continues to plot against us. Who knows what their next move will be? Hate my methods or not, you cannot deny that working together for now is in both our best interests.”

As much as he hated to admit it, the man did have a point. As President, he had been forced to work alongside many people he didn’t like towards the greater good. The same with the Justice League. And working alongside this Superman could probably help in the long run.

Could.

“Then let me ask you this,” Calvin said. “When we face our true enemy, what will you do? Will you kill them right there?”

Emperor Superman paused for a second before looking Calvin dead in the eye. “Yes. They must pay for what they have done.”

“Then, I suppose, there will be no truce,” Calvin replied simply. And then he flew right into the other man to attack. The Emperor raised his fists, ready to meet him, but Calvin suddenly dropped to the ground and thrust his hands through the sand and earth to what lay beneath. He had known from the beginning that there would be no truce. At the end of the day, he could never fully trust this man and in this kind of environment, that was a dangerous thing. So, while they talked, he had scanned the cavern for something he could use. And he had found it right beneath them.

With a mighty heave, he ripped the ground open and an enormous chunk of crystal erupted out, as big as a building. He then hurled it at the Emperor who stopped it cold with one hand.

“This was your big move?” the man laughed. “How pathetic.”

Calvin didn’t respond. At least, not with his mouth. He focused his gaze and let loose his laser vision directly into the crystal. While looking, he had scanned the crystal to a molecular level and had seen something fascinating. He had known all crystals had some affinity to light. But this particular crystal had a much deeper connection. When touched by light, its atomic bond intensified, making it denser. Stronger. Unbreakable.

So, Calvin poured as much of his heat vision into it, lighting the crystal up until it glowed like a star.

“What are you doing?” the Emperor asked.

“What I promised. Whooping your ass.” Calvin lunged forward, launching the crystal directly into Superman.

“You thin-” Emperor Superman was stopped when the crystal punched him into the next wall and through that. He tried punching pack but, as Calvin suspected, his fists made no impact. The crystal had hardened to be nigh unbreakable. And Calvin was still giving it light.

“What is this?” the Emperor roared, flailing as he tried to fight back but the crystal was too strong. “Bah! No matter. This just a minor nuisance to me. What do you hope to achieve by continually pushing…me…” He suddenly whirled around but it was too late as they broke through the final wall into the massive cavern beyond. And to the creature within.

The second they broke through, it reacted, screeching wildly. Calvin, with his X-Ray vision, saw one of its massive tentacles come up and wrap around Emperor Superman who struggled mightily in its grip to no avail. Its skin had the same molecular structure as the crystals around it. And, unlike the previous cavern, this one had a hole in the ceiling where a ray of sunshine fell through, strengthening this creature to completely unbreakable proportions.

Calvin let go of the crystal chunk in his hands and moved a ways away, watching the show. The creature looked a little like a squid, with several tentacles around it, but it scuttled across the ground like a crab and had a sharp mouth like a shark’s.

Emperor Superman flexed his arms but still couldn’t break loose, the creature’s grip too strong to break. “Do your worst, abomination!” he roared. “I have bested enemies from across the universe. You will be no different.”

Calvin had no doubt that was true. As powerful as that creature seemed, Emperor Superman was far stronger. All this was really was a ploy to buy time. So that’s what Calvin would do.

He reached down and picked up a smaller piece of crystal. He lit up with his heat vision and threw it hard at Emperor Superman, hitting him across the face.

“Wha- How dare you!” the man roared, once more straining against the tentacle. “You will b-”

He didn’t get to finish that sentence as the creature roared as well and whipped him into the wall, causing a small avalanche of rock. When it brought him back up though, he didn’t seem any worse for wear.

“Let’s see how you like this, monster,” he growled and sucked in his breath but before he could release it, Calvin hurled another chunk of crystal at him followed swiftly by a third and then a fourth.

After the first crystal hit him, Emperor Superman tried to use heat vision on the others but soon learned how bad an idea that was as they hit him harder. And as each second passed, the creature brought him closer to its gaping jaws with diamond-hard teeth.

“Are you really going to let me die, President?” the man cried out. “I thought you were better than me.”

“You won’t die from this,” Calvin replied. “We both know you’re too powerful to be killed by some random crystal creature. But it will help contain you for now.” He hurled another volley of crystals, keeping his enemy distracted. It helped that he had been the main pitcher for his baseball team as a kid. It had been a little cheating to use his powers to help, but it had shown those snobby rich kids at the club so it had been worth it.

“You really think so?” the man glowered. “Then you really do underestimate me and my power.”

Then, as Calvin threw the crystals, Emperor Superman breathed out and a wall of ice formed between them.

“Damn it!” Calvin growled and punched the ice to shards, breaking back through but it was already too late. In the second it had taken him to do that, Emperor Superman had already frozen the creature solid so it now resembled a massive ice sculpture. That was, it did until Emperor Superman shattered the tentacle holding him before doing the same to the rest of the creature, leaving only crystal shards remaining.

“Now it’s your turn,” he said, facing Calvin.

Calvin reached again for the large chunk of crystal but was a nanosecond too slow as Emperor Superman crashed right into him, sending them crashing through the cavern ceiling above back to the surface and into the sky once more. This time, Emperor Superman didn’t let go. He brought his fist back and punched at Calvin with all he had with Calvin just managing to block it and launch his own attack. They flew across the sky, dispersing clouds and buffeting winds at their speed while doing their very best to beat their opponent, trading punches and kicks, their capes flapping wildly behind them.

Taboo leaped onto the next rock, her animal instincts guiding her. She sniffed the air and tasted the wind. As far as she could tell, everything was normal. Or, as normal as things could be. She growled under her breath, seething at the fact that she had been caught and thrown into another hellscape for someone’s amusement. When she found who was responsible, she would rip their throats out.

She scanned the horizon, looking for anything that could…well, do anything for her, when she felt the soft tremors in the earth. Then she heard a crashing noise just as two forms erupted out of the ground a little ways down the hillside. Her eyes flew up after them as they shot into the air but they were quickly lost from sight, the only evidence of their presence being the dispersed clouds and large hole in the ground.

Taboo approached it softly, her hackles raised. She kept an ear out in case those…beings came back. She came to a stop at the edge of the hole and peered carefully in.

“Brom,” she muttered, staring wide at the sight. Those beings had tunneled straight through the earth like it had been nothing. Taboo didn’t know anyone that powerful. The Behemoth might be able to bust through but not that fast. And not without his weapons. She looked back up into the sky. Whoever they were, they were far more powerful.

She sniffed the air, frowned, and sniffed it again. She blinked. Their scent…it wasn’t therian. She sniffed once more but it was the same. They didn’t seem human, that was clear. But she wasn’t getting any hint of therian blood in either of them.

So then…who were they?

“You can’t beat me,” Emperor Superman growled, managing to wrap his fingers around Calvin’s throat. “You don’t have that killer instinct.”

“You call that strength? Giving in to your darkness and turmoil?” Calvin took grabbed hold of the other man’s throat as well, but rather than squeeze he used it as leverage to lunge forward, knocking his head directly into the Emperor’s. “That just makes you weak. Let me show you how much.”

He then breathed the air he’d been holding in directly into Emperor Superman’s face, chilling it. Before the man could recover, Calvin gripped him tightly and flew them back down to the ground directly into the side of a mountain, causing a massive quake to ripple out.

Emperor Superman’s laser vision erupted out, nearly striking Calvin. He twisted forward and covered his opponent’s eyes with his hands, blocking the heat vision. He winced from the intense burning he felt but held tight. Even when the Emperor began pounding his fists into Calvin’s chest, he held on. As he could feel the rumble and see what was coming. So he continued to hold his opponent down until the very last second when he leaped out of the way.

Emperor Superman instantly shot up. “You!” was all he managed before the avalanche of sand and rock washed over him, burying him completely.

Calvin, using his x-ray vision, was already flying when Emperor Superman erupted from the ground, launching two punches, one after the other, before bringing both fists together in a massive upper cut that had the Emperor sprawling back into the avalanche.

Refusing to let up, Calvin followed him in, striking him in the back of the head and sending them both hurtling down the mountain in the waves of sand and dirt. Constantly using x-ray vision, Calvin guided his enemy to the larger rocks, smashing them with the man’s head. The dirt was striking him hard as well but with his strength, it felt no more than water running down his back. He knew the same was true for the Emperor though, so he hoped this would at least distract the man.

That hope died when he suddenly found himself shot back up in the sky. He managed to get his bearings and instantly scanned around for his enemy, whirling behind him to see the man floating a few feet away.

“I grow increasingly tired of this,” Emperor Superman commented, spitting out some dirt.

“Agreed.”

“So why don’t you just die!” Emperor Superman rushed forward but Calvin managed to dodge aside and grab hold of his leg, whipping him around and back into the air. The man quickly caught and righted himself.

“Well, the next election is right around the corner,” Calvin replied, twisting to avoid another attack before bringing his elbow down on the other man’s back. “And I’d hate to let my voters down.”

“My whole world, my universe is counting on me to save them,” Emperor Superman snarled. “And I refuse to let them down.”

“Sounds to me you already are,” Calvin said as he kicked the man hard in the chest. “They’d be better off without you. Free of tyranny.”

“Free of control!” Emperor Superman spat, landing a blow across Calvin’s cheek that had him falling for a second. “Free of order! Free to do as they please, to commit as many crimes and atrocities as they want! Is that freedom truly worth saving?”

Calvin glowered at him. “Freedom is always worth saving. It is sad to see you so fallen that you can no longer see that.”

As Emperor Superman charged him midair, Calvin flew to meet him, their fists smacking into each other with such power that it sent winds rocketing away from them and had them both tossed aside for a moment.

Matt Murdock let out a breath of relief as he clambered up the last rock to the top of the mountain. He could feel each bead of sweat on his skin, one of the downsides of his enhanced senses, and could honestly use a nice long drink right now.

“How you doing back there?” he asked.

“Just…give me…a minute…” came the response followed by a grunting noise from further below.

Matt turned and offered a hand just as his companion reached the top. T.J. saw it and gratefully took it, climbing up next to him. “Thanks,” he said tiredly.

“No problem.” Matt sensed their other companion still a little ways down. “You need some help?”

This was followed by another loud grunt. “I don’t get it,” the man said between breaths. “I…am in top…physical…condition. I box at the gym…all the time. So why…am I so tired…from climbing?”

Matt sighed. “Are you just boxing at the gym? Because that only works out one set of muscles. Climbing requires much more than that. Also stamina.”

“I have…great stamina.”

“You’re behind both of us. Evidently not.”

“Arrrggghhh.” A few moments later, his hand came up and Matt helped him the rest of the way. Casey Jones flopped down onto the ground, breathing hard. “Alright,” he said. “Message…received. I’ll start going…on the weight machines.”

“If we make it out of this,” T.J. replied.

Just like that, any good feelings they had vanished.

“What do you see?” Matt asked.

“A whole lot of nothing,” T.J. replied. Just endless desert for miles around.”

“Great. So me bursting my lungs was all for nothing then?”

Matt could sense T.J.’s smirk. “Not exactly. At least you got to work off some of that bulk.”

“…I hate you.”

“He’s right though. We climbed all this way to get a vantage point. Let’s use it. Is there anything else out there?”

“Not that I can see right now, sorry. Just desert and a few other mountains out there. Or rocky hills would be more accurate.”

“Hmmm.” Matt crouched down and focused, letting the different sensations waft over him. He could feel the wind coming down from the north. He could taste the dryness in the air and smell the baked rock from the sun’s heat. And he could hear a million different sounds all the way down the mountain. But he tuned all that out. Those were just background senses. He needed more than that.

BOOM!

He instinctively flinched back, the explosion of sound ringing in his ears.

“What is it?” T.J. asked but a second later he had his answer as a large gust of wind blew over them, threatening for a second to send them flying.

“What the hell?” Casey asked. “Where did that come from?”

“A punch,” Matt muttered, tuning in to the source.

“A punch?” Casey questioned. “The hell kind of punch was that?”

Matt couldn’t sense them anymore. Whoever those figures were, they had flown off at a speed he couldn’t begin to imagine. He still felt the ringing in his ears from that blow. Whoever had that kind of power, they seemed unstoppable.

Calvin was first to recover, swiftly flying right back to his opponent and grabbing him round the middle. He moved at super-sonic speed, shooting across the sky like a comet. Emperor Superman struggled but Calvin held firm, not letting go.

“It doesn’t matter where you take me!” the Emperor roared. “I will tear you apart.”

“Then you’d better hold your breath,” Calvin said, taking his own advice.

“Wha-” was all the Emperor managed before they crashed into the water, diving miles below the surface in seconds. Calvin knew the lack of oxygen wouldn’t affect either of them. But it might give him a slight edge. He instantly launched a dozen blows to the other man’s chest, aiming for his lungs specifically. Each blow sent the currents around them to flip and cascade. But it didn’t last as Calvin’s fist eventually hit Emperor Superman’s palm, blocked. The Emperor then sent his heat vision out and Calvin responded, their beams striking and holding firm against each other. The water boiled and seethed as the two fought, trying to overcome the other. Bubbles rose and steam formed as their beams began to evaporate the water.

Calvin grimaced but stayed strong, pushing back with everything he had and he felt Emperor Superman do the same. Their beams clashed and sparked, shooting off bolts of red energy around. Calvin had battled several Kryptonians over the years, but this one was definitely one of the strongest. But it didn’t matter. Because Calvin refused to lose. He could feel the pressure building behind his eyes, a slight pain growing.

As they continued to push against each other, each one trying to overcome the other’s heat vision, Calvin secretly began to move his arms around, spinning them in small circles at intense speeds. He couldn’t see it, couldn’t tear his eyes away to look, and he knew Emperor Superman was the same. They were locked in, unable to stop until one of them gave. And while Calvin wanted it to be him, he couldn’t take the chance. He needed an edge.

Maybe the Emperor would feel the sharp change in the currents, the sudden shift, but he probably wouldn’t care, too focused on their struggle. Calvin span faster, his arms churning the water at such speed that twin vortices formed on either side of him. As he went on, he could feel it beginning to affect him as well, the water pulling on him. But he was ready for that, holding firm. Then, he gave a mighty push with his heat vision and felt Emperor Superman respond, both giving it their all now.

Which was exactly what he wanted. Calvin could feel the strain of both holding steady against the twin whirlpools next to him and holding the Emperor’s beams at bay. But he had tensed his body to do so. The Emperor had not. He was vulnerable.

With one swift move, he hurled his arms forward and the whirlpools responded, spinning away from him and churning through the water right into Emperor Superman. Normally, this would have no effect on a Kryptonian. Except they had been created by a Kryptonian, their power multiplied exponentially.

It still wasn’t much. Just enough to knock Emperor Superman off balance. But that was enough.

Calvin didn’t see all this happen, still locked in the beam struggle. But he imagined that the millisecond the vortices hit, the Emperor was shaken slightly and his vision went askew. Which was all Calvin needed. He felt his opponent’s beam falter and then gave it his all, pushing his own beams to their limit and beyond, not giving up until they struck Emperor Superman’s eyes.

“AAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!” the Emperor roared in pain, his hands going to his face as he flinched back in agony.

Calvin stopped his heat vision, slumping a little. That had taken a lot. But he wasn’t finished yet. He couldn’t give himself even a second to rest. He had to finish this. He turned to Emperor Superman, seeing the man still curled over in pain, and moved right for him, fist raised to end the fight once and for all.

The Emperor moved so fast Calvin didn’t even have time to blink. His arms were hurled back and then came together with titanic force. The blow send shockwaves erupting outwards, the water for a mile around blown back, leaving a pocket of air in the middle of the sea. Calvin was flung back, spluttering in surprise and shock. He opened his eyes and gasped, trying to brace himself right before the Emperor struck. This time, Calvin was the one locked in his grip as they flew through the water. He didn’t even have a chance to try and break free before he was slammed into an earthen wall and pushed into it, the rocks behind him crumbling from his strength.

Leatherhead swam smoothly through the water. He did not know where he was or why he had been brought here and he most certainly would punish those responsible. But for now, he took comfort in the small peace he had.

But he should have known better. No peace lasted. No peace existed at all for him.

He heard it first, a loud splash in the water. It was a few miles ahead of him but judging from the ripples that washed over him, it had been quite powerful. Then came the currents. He felt the shift in the water as a barrage of waves washed over him, knocking him back.

“What is this?” he questioned. “What is responsible for this madness?”

Slowly, the waves settled and for a second, Leatherhead thought that was the end of it. But then he felt it. The change in the water. The temperature, rising fast. He growled and dipped below the surface, swimming closer to the source of this calamity. But the closer he got, the hotter the water until it was practically boiling. Steam filled his vision and he gritted his jaws in pain from the heat, forcing him to back away and swim for cooler waters.

“This madness cannot remain,” he growled. “I will not allow it.”

A moment later, the largest wave yet hit him, knocking him back a ways only for the currents to suddenly drag him forward again, turning him upside down. As he attempted to right himself, he felt something rush by him. From the corner of his eye, he caught two figures grappling through the water before they vanished from sight. After they passed, he was caught in their riptide for a moment before managing to break free.

He stared at where the figures had gone, his teeth bared in a grimace. Were they the ones responsible for his predicament? Or were they prisoners as well to their circumstances? He did not know. What he did know was that he did not want to meet them.

Emperor Superman held him firm as he flew them both up through the earth itself. Calvin winced as they tunneled their way through, struggling to break out of his enemy’s grasp but the Emperor held him tightly and he couldn’t find any leverage.

After a few seconds, they broke through, bursting to the surface. Calvin gasped and quickly took hold of the Emperor’s wrists, using his body to spin them around. But instead of resisting, the Emperor just gripped Calvin’s arms in return, adding his own power to the spin until they were a blur of motion in the air, a twister forming around them.

So that’s what he’s planning, Calvin realized. It was a strength contest. If one of them let go, they would try to throw their opponent off so the other one would have to do their best to hang on and keep the advantage. And if they did, then they would be able to throw their opponent with no resistance. It all came down to who made the first move.

They couldn’t keep this up forever though. They were using each other to propel themselves through the air. That wouldn’t last long. Someone had to make a move soon. Calvin was tempted to just give it a shot, throw Emperor Superman as hard as he could. But if he failed, he would be left vulnerable. And in this battle, he needed every advantage he could get. He had to wait.

They glared at each other, daring the other one to make the move. And then, Calvin saw it. A slight twitch in Emperor Superman’s eyes. He was going for it.

Calvin inwardly braced himself just as the Emperor twisted his arms around and let go of Calvin’s wrists as he hurled him aside. Calvin felt the sudden pull as he was thrown but he held on tightly to the Emperor’s own wrists, causing them to lurch midair. Then, not giving himself a second to prepare, he then twisted and threw Emperor Superman around, summoning all his strength to hurl his enemy aside as far as he could.

Only to feel his blood freeze as the Emperor latched back onto his wrists at the last second. Calvin hoped he could still throw the man off but no such luck. Instead, Emperor Superman used the momentum of Calvin’s failed throw for himself, spinning around once more at an even faster rate. Calvin moved to grab hold of the Emperor’s hands as well but was a nanosecond too slow as the Emperor hurled him aside with all his strength.

Calvin spun through the air, twisting up and around over and over again. He cried out, trying to regain his balance but was moving too unsteadily. And then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw what might be buildings right before he crashed into them.

Wall after wall, he slammed through them like they were made of paper. He could feel the rock breaking under his power and could hear several of them collapsing behind him, but there was nothing he could do. All he could do was wait this out and hope no one else got hurt.

Still, he was gaining more control over his balance. He busted through another wall and found himself upright all of a sudden. Taking advantage of it, he braced his body, attempting to fly steady again. It wasn’t entirely successful as he broke through another wall and then crashed into a third. But he came to a stop. He breathed out in relief as he realized this. He had managed to stop.

He had cracked the wall behind him pretty badly, but he had managed to gain control of his flight in time to stop breaking through it. The same couldn’t be said for all the others. He looked up and grimaced as he saw all the damage. At least a dozen different walls, completely collapsing five of the buildings he had passed through. The only good thing was that they had been abandoned. But that didn’t help much. Calvin could hear the sounds of people moving around below away from the destruction, some apparently having come inches away from being crushed. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. He remembered when he had fought General Zod in Metropolis. The damage that had been wrought that day, the lives lost, continued to weigh on his soul and he had vowed never to let that happen again. Now, it almost had.

Arya Stark had been walking down the empty street, trying to make sense of her surroundings. She had been trying that for the past day in fact, ever since the entire landscape around her and transform from a sea to a desert. She had spotted this city after trekking over dunes and canyons for several hours and had hoped that she could find someone who could help. But, as far as she could tell, it was empty.

At least, that was what she had thought until she heard the explosion of sound from overhead and saw the figure smashing through building after building, toppling several of them. She had stood there, stunned for a second, until she noticed the other people emerging. Some were running from the damage at full speed while others just stood there and watched, like her.

Arya was looking at one person in particular, an older woman with smooth gray hair and dark gray armor, when there was a loud whooshing sound as a second figure flew by. As they did, there was a crumbling sound from above and Arya looked up to see one of the walls give in and start to fall right on top of the woman. Who wasn’t moving.

“Look out!” she yelled and started running, though she knew it was too late. However, she needn’t have worried as the woman simply raised her hand and the wall above her magically moved to the side, collapsing safely next to her instead. The woman then turned to Arya with a grim look on her face.

“Thanks for the warning kid, but I’m alright.”

Arya blinked but then nodded, accepting it. Weirder things had happened to her. “I’m Arya,” she said, holding out her hand.

“Beifong,” the woman replied, shaking her hand firmly. She then turned and stamped her foot on the ground. “Hmmm, seems everyone managed to clear the wreckage in time. But what the hell was that thing?” They both turned to where both figures had flown off to. As they did the both heard more explosive sounds coming from there.

“Perhaps we should…”

“Leave,” Beifong finished. “Good idea kid, let’s hustle.”

Quickly, they started running from the scene. But as they did, Arya couldn’t help but think back to a similar situation. When a dragon had come to a city and burned most of it to ash. She had seen firsthand the level of devastation that had been reaped and wondered if it was going to happen again.

Calvin briefly wondered if those people down there were natives of this place or citizens of the multiverse, brought here like him. He focused in with his hearing, attempting to hear their conversations, when he felt the wind suddenly pick up. He looked up just in time to see Emperor Superman flying right for him.

“I’ve got you now!” the man roared, slamming his fist right at Calvin’s head.

Calvin moved only a fraction of an inch out of the way, bringing his own fist up as he did and slammed into Emperor Superman’s chest, sending him flying this time straight up through the ceiling and all the other ceilings above it before shattering the final one.

Calvin flung himself up after him, catching up in a millisecond and taking hold of the man to fly them back down hard. He swiftly analyzed where there were no people present before going supersonic and crashing Emperor Superman down as hard as he could into the earth. The massive shockwave that erupted out of that decimated three nearby buildings and caused two more to partially collapse.

Calvin swiftly took hold of the Emperor’s wrists, trying to lock him down, but the man spun around, whipping Calvin aside. He smashed into another building, decimating the first wall and damaging the second before stopping himself.

“Had enough yet?” Emperor Superman asked, walking up to him this time.

Calvin stood up to face him. “Not even close.”

Emperor Superman smirked. “Good. I do like a challenge every now and then.”

He flew forward, entering super-speed in a heartbeat. But Calvin was ready for that. As the Emperor reached him, his own hands came up and slammed into his enemy’s ears. Instantly, the Emperor stopped, roaring from the sudden pain and intense ringing. Before he could recover, Calvin swung his fist back and punched him in the face, causing him to soar across the street through several other buildings.

Knowing that wouldn’t keep him down, Calvin sucked in a huge breath and slowly let it out, cooling the air in front of him.

“I will tear your head from your shoulders!” Emperor Superman roared, already soaring for him.

Just as he reached the street, Calvin intensified his freeze-breath, the temperature dropping below the negatives and further so sudden that sheets of ice formed over the sand. As Emperor Superman flew, his speed slowed in the heavier air. Not by much, but for Calvin it was plenty.

“Let’s see how you like this,” he muttered and brought his hands together in their own titanic blast. Except, he focused his strike this time, aiming it right for the Emperor so all the force from the clap hit him head-on. The man was whipped away and Calvin was right there with him, punching him three times in the face before he whirled around and kicked him in the chest, sending him soaring away from the city to the horizon.

Kelli stood atop a city tower, looking down on the fighters below in interest. She licked her lips as she beheld their power, trading blows that rocked the stone walls around them. She would love to sink her fangs into either one of them, to just get the smallest taste of that power.

However, they were soon gone, one of the fighters clapping the other one away before following. Kelli watched for a second, hoping they would return, but soon sighed in disappointment.

“Well, it was fun while it lasted,” she sighed to herself.

Her stomach growled and she was reminded at how little she’d eaten since she had arrived here. Nothing, actually. She needed food fast. And fortunately for her, that little brawl down there had driven so many tasty little victims out that it was like a buffet.

Her eyes landed on one boy in particular. A large redhead with what appeared to be scars across his face. She looked closer with her enhanced vision and saw they were similar to the scars made by werewolves. Well, if that pretty face was already that damaged, no one would really miss the rest of him would they?

Kelli stretched and then leaped down, ready to sink her fangs into her latest prey.

Calvin followed him, scanning the area and beyond for any environment that he could use. Then, he spotted one just a few miles ahead. Yes, that would do.

“And here I thought you were supposed to be powerful,” he said out loud, as he approached the Emperor. “The supposed tyrant of your world. I’m surprised you haven’t been deposed yet given how this battle is going.”

He could practically feel the rage building off the man and felt a sharp pain of sadness. So this was how far Superman could fall? Now he came off as a depraved lunatic, no better than the other villains Calvin faced on a daily basis. He wondered if the loss of the man’s family had really been the trigger, or that he was always like this and had only hid it.

“I will make you suffer,” Emperor Superman promised. “I will kill you and those allies of yours. And then, I will find your homeworld and your loved ones there and I will burn them alive.”

Calvin stared at the monster in front of him, feeling a swell of both rage and pity. “You don’t deserve to wear that emblem anymore,” he said, looking at the S symbol on the man’s chest. “That means something. Hope, salvation. It stands for truth, justice, and a better tomorrow across the world. The universe. Even, it seems, the multiverse. But you’ve abused it. Turned it into something to fear and hate instead with your actions.” He clenched his fists and readied himself. “You are no Superman. Just a watered down imitation. And I will defeat you.”

“You’re welcome to try,” the man responded before flinging himself at him.

Instead of meeting him, Calvin suddenly turned around and flew away.

“What?” he heard the Emperor roar behind him. “Get back here, coward!”

Calvin ignored him, instead flying straight for his destination. He lowered himself close to the ground as he did, his eyes beginning to glow red in preparation. Then, as he heard Emperor Superman do the same behind him, he unleashed his heat vision at the large mass of rock next to him, cutting through it in such a way that a surge of rocks and debris came tumbling down, crashing right into Emperor Superman.

Calvin kept it up, carving a line across the rocky wall. He knew it wouldn’t do much but it would distract the man and, judging from the bellows of rage behind him, make him angry.

Most enemies Calvin faced, he used his superior strength and skill to save the day. But that was becoming increasingly difficult as his enemies found new ways to attack him. Before his death, Lex Luthor had been one to constantly keep him on his toes, so he’d had to fight smart, use strategy to win as well as his power.

It seemed Emperor Superman had foregone all that for brute strength, now preferring lethal tactics to save the day. Which made it all the easier for Calvin.

He was quickly approaching a narrow gap between the canyon walls. If he flew sideways, he would be able to pass through. He didn’t fly sideways.

He stretched his arms out as he flew right in, increasing his speed as he did so. His arms carved their way through the rock, like scythes through fields of wheat. He heard the waves of rubble and debris in his wake as well as the crackling sounds as the larger portions of rock above him broke away and fell down. Right as Emperor Superman entered the canyon no less.

“Rahh!” came the angry bellow as well as small explosion sounds as, Calvin assumed, the man used his heat vision as well as his fists to carve his way through the avalanche.

A few seconds later, Calvin flew out of the pass, twisted around and brought his hands together again for another titanic clap, sending a shockwave of rock back towards his enemy who let out another angry bellow.

Kratos watched carefully as the two figures passed by, eyes narrowed in concentration. He didn’t like the look of them, of their power. And the way they fought. It reminded him too much of the battles the gods had. Pointless, egotistical duels that only caused collateral damage.

He was tempted to rush after them and attack but he turned away instead. Now was not the time to join in a meaningless battle. He required answers and it was clear he wouldn’t find them here. Though, the presence of those two did bring up some things. If they were gods, then were they the ones responsible for capturing him? If so, why had they not gone after him yet? And if they weren’t, did that mean they had been captured too?

Too many questions, not enough answers. Kratos cursed under his breath. He had to get home, make sure Atreus was safe. After everything that happened, and the omens of Ragnarok, he had never wanted the boy to leave his sight again. But then, he had wound up here. Where here was, he had no clue. This didn’t seem like the work of the Aesir. Perhaps the Egyptian gods he had heard about.

Whoever it was, he would make them pay. He lifted up his chained blades and imagined the reckoning he would sow upon his enemies. He would make them pay. That was certain.

“AAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!”

He stiffened at the scream before turning instantly, locating the source of the sound. It sounded young. He was on the move before he even thought, leaping over rocks and boulders with ease, traversing a gorge in an instant.

He felt it first, a burning sensation in the wind, as if the air itself was on fire. Then, as he arrived on the edge of a cliff, he saw it. A figure with skin darker than the night sky and clothing that appeared sharp to Kratos was standing above two other, smaller figures. One was a young red-headed girl who was desperately waving a stick in front of her that seemed to have no effect. The other was what appeared to be a goblin-like creature whose hands were up in front of them. The air around them was filled with fire, but somehow the creature was holding the dark figure back with just their hands. Or the power within them.

Having taken stock of the situation, Kratos whipped his blades around once before leaping into battle.

Calvin didn’t even take a second to collect his thoughts. He just turned back around and spotted his destination, flying right toward it at supersonic speed. He wanted to take a moment to admire it, to think about what it meant with the little he already knew of this place. But he couldn’t. Those little tricks he’d pulled back there had bought him seconds at most.

Still, it was quite a sight. A battleship the size of a city, its wreckage spilling out for miles around. It was more cylindrical in design except near the far end where there were some portions sticking out more. If those were the bridge, Calvin definitely saw a design flaw since that was the obvious place to attack. And given that was where the most damage was, he wasn’t the only one to think so.

Judging from the crashing sounds coming from behind him, he was out of time. He quickly flew down just as Emperor Superman appeared.

“Keep fleeing!” the man roared at him. “I’ll still snap your neck!”

“How unhinged are you exactly?” Calvin muttered. He dove straight through one of the gaps in the ship, flying around its insides. He was going to have to time this right. He had been scanning the ship since he had first seen it, seeing how he could make it work to his advantage. As he moved, he slowed his pace by the tiniest of margins, letting the Emperor catch up. He listened closely, needing to be in the right position when…

…Emperor Superman erupted from the wall and slammed into what looked like the remains of a console. The man’s eyes were burning so fiercely that his heat vision was sparking. His hand was tight on Calvin’s throat while the other one pressed down on his chest, pushing him back.

“No more games,” Emperor Superman muttered. “Now you die.”

As he said that, he pushed Calvin back further. What he didn’t realize was that Calvin was letting him.

“You must realize that us Supermen don’t go down easy.”

“Everyone dies if you apply enough pressure.”

“You really are the worst Superman, aren’t you? I think at this point you even beat that thuggish crybaby Ultraman.”

Emperor Superman’s was seething, his teeth in full grimace. “Any last words?”

“Yes,” Calvin replied, looking straight up. “Thanks for pushing me back. This position is perfect.” With that said, he unleashed a short burst of heat vision straight up, striking through the old metal right to the still viable fuel cell which promptly exploded.

One of the first things Calvin had taught himself when he had started out as Superman was the inner workings of things, be it buildings, machines, whatever. With his power, he needed to be careful, to only exert as much pressure and force as necessary. When a building fell, he needed to know the best way to keep it stable or at least slow its descent. And when attacked by a robot, he needed to see the best way to take it down. So, when scanning this ship, he had looked at everything and done the calculations, seeing how everything would play out. When the explosion went off, it wasn’t that big. But it did start a chain reaction of all the other fuel cells up there which in turn set off other systems throughout the ship.

“Wha-?” Emperor Superman began and his grip slackened just enough for Calvin to turn and punch him in the face. He had calculated the angle of his fist and the force required to send the man crashing through several more walls only to stop himself. But it was too late. “You dar-” he started before the ceiling above him suddenly collapsed, dumping thousands of tons of metal and debris on top of him, carrying him several storeys down.

Calvin quickly followed, arriving just as the Emperor splashed down in the large lake where several fuel cells had cracked, all of their contents pooling together. Another small burst of heat vision was more than enough to cause it all to explode. So much that Calvin had to turn aside for a second.

“You…will…pay…” the Emperor seethed as he lifted himself from the burning remains.

“So cliché,” Calvin muttered to himself.

“I…will…”

Exactly what he would do, Calvin wouldn’t know as that was when the pipes containing lethal gas, accumulated over the last thousand years, burst open. Calvin, having held his breath, was fine. Emperor Superman had been taking a deep breath at the time and so got a full dose. He coughed and spluttered, his eyes going wide. Calvin didn’t blame him. The stuff had a similar atomic structure to Kryptonite (another reason he had chosen this place as his battleground). While nowhere near as deadly, it still was far from pleasant.

Taking the chance, Calvin surged forward, punching the Emperor in the chest and sending him soaring hard through even more of the ship, breaking through it all until he crashed into the main engine right as the chain reaction reached there, setting it off as well.

Calvin winced again, even though he hadn’t followed. His super-hearing and x-ray vision told him enough. The explosion was quite a big one.

“Alright,” he nodded. “I think that was plenty.”

He then flew through the remains of the ship, arriving swiftly at the remains of the smoldering engine. Emperor Superman was on his hands and knees, recovering from the onslaught of attacks. But Calvin didn’t even give him a nanosecond. He attacked from behind, slamming the man to the ground before wrapping an arm over his throat, gripping him tightly.

“Be a dear and go down quietly now, would you?” Calvin asked.

“RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!”

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” He felt Emperor Superman struggle against him, trying to push away or hit back but Calvin held firm. He saw the Emperor’s heat vision go wild but they were outside now, the beams now going nowhere. “I’d say stop struggling, but it’s pointless for you. So just do whatever you want. It doesn’t matter. All you’re doing is wasting energy and making my job easier. So go ahead, it’ll all be over in a few minutes.”

Emperor Superman suddenly went very still and Calvin only had a second to feel worried before they shot upwards. The only way Calvin was able to hold on was thanks to his tight grip on the Emperor’s throat which he now tightened further.

“Do you really think this will help?” he yelled.

“The sun,” Emperor Superman gasped. “I’ll take you to the sun. Then, with its power, we’ll truly see who is the most powerful.”

“Look out!” Zuko roared. He leapt forward and tackled Nia to the ground, throwing them both out of the way before the massive sheet of metal could flatten them.

“Ugh,” Nia grunted. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” he replied. He then glanced back up and cursed as he saw more incoming. “This isn’t over. Move!”

Mando had already flown off, his so-called jetpack lifting him straight out of danger. Shazad and Thalia were backing up quickly. Zuko quickly got back on his feet, helping Nia up as well and rushing away right before the debris smashed down where they had been.

“That was close,” he muttered.

“You all ok?” Mando asked, floating back down to them.

“Yeah, we’re good. But what was that?”

They all jumped as they suddenly heard a loud explosion coming from the back of the ship. “Gods,” Thalia said. “I think we may have just walked into a battle.”

“Mando, you think you can check it out?” Shazad asked.
“On it.” He instantly soared back up but he hadn’t made it before a large figure shot up into the sky, going so fast they were practically a blur.

“Whoa!” Zuko exclaimed, blinking. He’d never seen anything move that fast. He looked around at the others and saw the look of surprise shared by Nia and Shazad. Mando’s helmet made it impossible to know his expression but even he seemed shocked. The only one who didn’t as much was Thalia. “You know who that is?”

She hesitated. “No. Not really. I have seen…people fly before. But not like that.”

Zuko heard her voice catch when she said ‘people’ but he decided not to push. He sensed she was telling the truth. “Alright, well let’s hope whoever that was is gone. Let’s push on and get what we came for.”

“You really think this hunk of junk will have answers?” Thalia asked, eyeing the massive ship dubiously.

Zuko looked at it. When he had seen it, he had gone breathless from shock. He had seen massive machines before, but nothing on this scale. It was a whole other thing.

“I don’t know. I just hope it does.”

Calvin nearly let go in surprise. The sun? But…did that mean Emperor Superman hadn’t…?

He instinctively looked up and the rapidly darkening sky, no stars visible at all. Because of what was up there, waiting for them.

He doesn’t know. The thought drummed its way across Calvin’s mind and he couldn’t help but smile.

They cleared the atmosphere in seconds, flying straight into the cold expanse of space. As they did, Calvin felt it. That feeling in his stomach that he was going somewhere he shouldn’t. That he should turn back now. And the further they went, the bigger the feeling became.

Have to time this right, Calvin thought, still keeping a tight hold on Emperor Superman. Couldn’t let on that something was up, that he had a plan.

“It doesn’t matter how hard you hold on,” Emperor Superman told him. “I will still-”

Now! Calvin instantly let go right as Emperor Superman struck the barrier, the golden wall briefly flashing into existence and stopping the Emperor cold. He seemed to gape for a second before he slumped over, now just floating.

One of the first things Calvin had done here was fly straight up to get his bearings. He had managed to make it a little ways beyond the atmosphere before he felt that feeling, a feeling of wrongness. Right before he had reached the barrier, he had ignored it. But then, the intensity of it had caused him to a stop.

One pinky. That was all he had used. His pinky to test the barrier. And he had felt so much power and pain from that one single touch. It had nearly caused him to black out. Emperor Superman, traveling at that speed, had stood no chance. He was alive, barely, but comatose.

Calvin would have breathed out in relief if they weren’t in space. “That was a lot,” he muttered, shaking his head. He took Emperor Superman’s hand and guided them back down to the world below. “Now,” he said, looking at the failed Superman before him. “What do we about you?”

Ochako Uraraka groaned and blinked, her vision all fuzzy. What had happened? She had been walking down the street, trying to figure out her next move, when something had flown by, demolishing most of the buildings, including the one next to her. She had seen the rubble fall towards her and had tried to float herself away but something had hit her, knocking her down. Then she had looked up and seen the larger piece coming down to crush her.

So why hadn’t it? She had been trying to get up before it hit but wasn’t fast enough. She should be dead right now.

Then she heard a soft thump from behind her and turned. She gasped in surprise as she saw the large figure above her, having blocked the large stone, it now lying on the ground next to them. The figure loomed, at least three times her size. He had purplish skin and a bald head and was looking down at her with concerned.

“Here,” he said, holding out his hand. “Let me help you.”

“Uh…thanks,” she said, taking it and standing up. “And thanks for rescuing me.”

“Of course,” he said softly.

“Uh, I’m Ochako Uraraka.”

He smiled. “That’s a wonderful name. I am known as Thanos. Now come, let’s see if we can find somewhere safer to converse.”

Chapter Text

“Anything?”

Peter sighed. “In the two minutes since you asked? No, still nothing.”

“Sorry,” Hermione said, rubbing her eyes. “God, I sound like Ron right now. But I’m just bored.”

“Well, so am I.” He held out his hand. “Want to do another thumb war?” Hermione gave him a look and he dropped his hand. “Alright, then we just sit and wait. That’s part of the job sometimes.”

“Yeah, but how long? We’ve already been waiting hours and nothing’s happened. How long are we going to let the others just get…sacrificed?” she cringed at that word.

Peter winced as well, the thought of Jessica, Conan, or Fett being cut open on some altar entering his mind. He wanted nothing more than to track down the Menshikov guy, beat him up, and free his allies. Or at least the people he had known for a few minutes who seemed like they would make good allies.
But the problem was, Peter could already tell they were seriously outmatched against Menshikov. If they went up against him as they were, he had a feeling they’d join the others. That hadn’t stopped him before but this time he was dealing with actual magic. And apparently time travel amongst other things. If they were going up against Menshikov, they were going to need some help.

Which led to their current plan. He glanced over the rocks he was perched behind and saw it. A gleaming, emerald beacon in the sky that could be seen for miles around in the exact shape of Jessica’s ring symbol. Hermione had crafted it with her wand after a few tries before apparating them here, leaving a Spider-bot behind where it could keep watch for them in case any unfriendlies poked their heads out to check on the symbol. Hopefully, those other Green Lantern people Jessica had been talking to would be able to see the symbol and find them. And then they could track Menshikov down and save the others.

But here they were, several hours later, and nothing. No sign of anyone. Just a barren landscape.

Peter huffed a little. He knew they couldn’t stay here too much longer. The longer they did, the more likely the others were already dead.

“We’ll give it another hour, max,” he said. “Then we go.”

Hermione nodded, settling back in the rock.

“So…” Peter said, tapping his fingers against his knee. He wasn’t really comfortable with silences. They’d been filling the time with games of thumb war, tic-tac-toe, chopsticks, and SAG (shield, ammunition, gun) until they were both completely sick of them. Well, Hermione at least. Peter was now ready for a rematch in any of them but evidently she wasn’t. So they had to find some other way to pass the time. “Where do you learn magic? There like a school or something?”

Hermione paused, as if considering something, before shrugging. “Yeah. There are several actually, spread out over the world. I went to Hogwarts, arguably the best.”

Peter had to keep from snorting. “Seriously, Hogwarts? That’s its name? Hogwarts? Sounds like something they’d put on the label of some moisturizer or something, you know? ‘Hogwarts? Hogwash!’”

Hermione rolled her eyes, reminding him of MJ a little. “The name is ridiculous,” she admitted. “But it is amazing. You start when you’re eleven and you take a…” she hesitated here. “Sorry, I just don’t know how much I should share. You are…” she grimaced, not finishing.

Peter nodded though. It stung a little, but he got it. He wouldn’t share all of his secrets either. “Look, you don’t have to tell me everything. I’m just curious. I mean, I’ve been a scientist my entire life, always trying to unlock the next big mystery. When I’m not beating up criminals and stopping supervillains anyway. So now, seeing actual magic, well it’s hard for me not to be curious.”

Hermione smiled. “You know, it was kind of the same for me. I loved learning science and history when I was a kid. I read book after book, just couldn’t get enough. But something always felt missing. Then, when this actual witch came to my house and explained about magic and how I was a witch too…well, it sort of made everything fit. It meant there was so much out there to learn, so many more mysteries. Fantastical, amazing mysteries.”

That’s what Peter loved about science. The mystery of it all, the search for answers. It wasn’t the discovery, but the drive to actually discover it. When he’d been working with Dr. Octavius, trying to revolutionize prosthetics, he would get lost in the work, connecting each circuit and never really feeling discouraged when it failed. Because science was all about failing until you got it right. And once you did, you just moved on to the next discovery. Otto had been the same…until he’d become lost to it. Peter shoved those thoughts aside, not wanting to dwell on them right now.

“But Hogwarts is more than just learning magic. It’s where you make your friends, your family really. It’s where I met mine. Harry, Ginny, and Ron.” Her cheeks turning a little pink at the last name and Peter could tell that this Ron was a special someone to her. “Hogwarts is where you kind of discover who you are and who you want to be.”

“Sounds amazing.”

“It is,” Hermione smiled, lost in memories. Then her smile faded. “But then the war happened and, well…” she trailed off for a second. “It’s all fun until the fighting really starts. And then nothing’s ever the same.”

Peter knew that feeling. He knew when he first realized that. When he had been kneeling over his uncle’s body, killed because of him. The day he truly became Spider-Man.

He opened his mouth to say something, supportive or comforting, or something, when movement caught his eye. The small screen at the bottom of his lenses, the one showing what the Spider-bot was seeing. He was instantly alert and he flicked it to the main screen, breathing out when he saw what was happening.

“We’ve got movement,” he announced.

He could sense Hermione jumping up. “Really? Is it them? Those Green Lantern people?”

“No,” he said in disappointment. “It’s…some sort of hawkperson. And a girl.”

For a second, he had thought it was the Vulture but whoever this character was, they had actual feathers and a hawk-like nose with reddish wings flapping him down to the ground. In his talons was a girl with olive-toned skin and striking black hair. They hit the ground and took a look up at the sky where the signal burned before looking around. Peter quickly hid the Spider-bot behind some rocks, not wanting it to be seen just yet. Not until he knew who these characters were.

“What’s happening?” he heard Hermione ask.

“Don’t know yet. They just landed and are looking around.”

“Are we going over there?”

“We don’t know them,” Peter replied. “They could be good or bad.”

“Could you take off the mask so I can see too?”

“Right, sorry.” Peter quickly removed the mask and splayed it out so Hermione could clearly see what was happening through the lenses. She frowned, seeing the hawkperson. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a creature like him.”

“Well, we’re learning a lot of things these days so whatever.”

“How do we know if they’re friendly or not?”

“I…don’t know. The usual way for me is if they try to kill me or not, but it’s not really something I actively try to do. Just sort of happens.”

Hermione gave him a strange look. “Well, we need to think of something before…never mind,” she sighed, watching as the two characters took off again, the hawkman picking the girl up and flying away. “They’re gone.”

“Well, I don’t know if they could have helped us anyway,” Peter said, shrugging. “I mean, any support would be helpful but still. At least we’re making progress. Let’s just hope the next one will be more useful.”

“If there is a next one,” Hermione muttered.

Two minutes later, Peter saw someone else approaching. This time it was a man, one who could fly which was just so cool and unfair. A very disheveled looking man in faded gray robes with long gray hair and a beard. Just like the other two, he took a swift look around but, having found nothing, flew away.

“Ok, we can’t do that every time,” Hermione pointed out. “We’re going to have to have to introduce ourselves to one of them or else there is no point to this.”
Peter nodded. “You’re right. Ok, whoever the next one is, we’ll introduce ourselves.”

They had to wait about fifteen minutes for the next one but all it ended up being was a falcon. It flew low over the ground, close to where the Spider-bot was, but then flapped away. Peter sighed, sitting back against a boulder. “Are those freaking lantern people ever going to come? Should we make an ever bigger symbol in the sky for them to find us?”

Hermione looked over at the symbol. “I could try, but I honestly don’t know what difference it would make at this point.”

Peter rubbed his eyes. He knew it had been a long shot when he’d suggested it, that it might not work at all. But he had still hoped. Now, with every second slipping away, he seriously questioned whether staying and waiting was the best call.

“Hey, here we go.”

Peter instantly looked over, staring at the figure through the Spider-Bot’s eyes. It was a man with short brown hair and a dark blue outfit with white triangle across his chest. Around his waist was what looked like a parka, making Peter think the man was snatched out of somewhere cold. At first glance, Peter assumed (or rather hoped) he was some sort of superhero as the outfit seemed more costumeish. In the man’s hands though was a gun, purple in color, that put Peter on edge.

“Let’s go,” Hermione said, standing up.

“Wait,” Peter stopped her.

“Peter, we can’t wait here forever. Let’s at least go and see who he is.”

Peter hesitated. He didn’t know but there was something about the man he didn’t like. Maybe the look in his eyes or the way he held himself or something. Or maybe it was just the gun. He didn’t know any superhero who used a gun. Of course, that didn’t make the guy automatically bad, but still…Peter didn’t like it.

“Just, a second,” he said. “There’s something about him I just don’t…just, let’s see for a few seconds. Your travel is instantaneous right? And this guy walked over, not flew. So we don’t really have to rush. We can always just apparate over to him.”

Hermione looked at him for a second. “Alright, fine,” she consented. “But not too long.” She sat down again, watching the lenses. “What exactly are we waiting fo-”
The man suddenly looked towards the sky and raised a middle finger, yelling something at the green symbol. Judging from his expression, Peter doubted it was anything nice.

“I don’t think he’s a friend of these Green Lanterns,” Peter commented.

“No, I guess not,” Hermione sighed. “I guess we just wait for the next one.”

“Oh, that’s cool,” Peter muttered, watching as the man raised his gun and pulled the trigger, a white mist flowing over him. A relieved smile came over his face. “Pun unintended. Hmm, maybe we should go to him just to get that gun. Wouldn’t mind cooling off.”

A form suddenly appeared behind the man and Peter opened his mouth to yell a warning, not realizing how useless that would be, but it was unnecessary anyway as the man whirled, his gun firing a spray of white that seemed to freeze the air. When he lowered the weapon, a creature roughly the size of a Labrador with large fangs was frozen solid a few feet from him.

“Oh that’s way cooler, pun intended. Now I really do want it.”

“I think you should have some more water instead,” Hermione told him, conjuring up another cup.

“Yeah, fair enough.” Peter took it and drank slowly, savoring every drop as he watched the man walk away in the lenses. As cool as that gun was, the man practically screamed supervillain right now and that was something they should try to avoid for now.

His stomach suddenly rumbled but he did his best to ignore it, even if all he wanted was to fill it with an extra-pepperoni pizza with garlic dust spread.

“Thanks,” he told her, finishing the cup. “You think we should give up now? Just try to save the others on our own?”

She paused, thinking it over. “I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I’m not the best fighter. It’s not a brag to say I’m one of the best with spells though.” It felt kind of like a brag to Peter but he ignored it. “But I’m not too comfortable fighting. I can do it, I’ve done it plenty of times before. But you seem to really get into it, much more than me. You really know what you’re doing. So I’ll trust your judgment on this.”

Peter nodded, touched by her praise. “We’ll wait just a little longer,” he said. “Just in case. Then, if no one shows up, we go back to the outpost. Menshikov appeared there rather quickly so hopefully that means he was holing up there somewhere and we just stumbled into it. Shouldn’t be too hard to find it again.”

“Alright then,” Hermione nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” She then glanced back down at the lenses and smiled a little. “But I think we might need to change it.”

Peter followed her gaze to the lenses and saw through the Spider-bot’s eyes that a large Samoan man had arrived beneath the symbol, looking up at it carefully. He then kneeled down, eyeing the ground, investigating.

“Well, it doesn’t look like he’ll be leaving as quickly as the others,” Peter said. “We can watch him for a minute to decide…” he trailed off as his Spider-Sense started tingling. It wasn’t big, just a subtle tingling to let him know something was coming. He focused on it but he couldn’t tell from where.

“What is it?” Hermione asked. He’d already told her about his Spider-Sense so now she was looking around as well. “Where is it coming from?”

“Don’t know,” he said. “It doesn’t feel immediate. To us anyway. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. It just senses…” he stopped, seeing her expression. But she wasn’t looking at him. She was staring down at the lenses. “What?” he asked. “What is it?” He looked down as well but all he saw was the same Samoan man as before. But then he looked behind the man to the horizon and saw it. A dark cloud in the sky, fast approaching. And from the way Hermione looked, she recognized it.

“Hermione, what is that?” She didn’t answer, her mouth opening and closing a little. “Hermione?”

And then the dark shadow thing landed on the ground behind the Samoan and took the form of a man. A bald man with pure white skin, like all the life had been drained out, scarlet colored eyes and only two slits for a nose. He appeared almost snake-like in appearance and it sent shivers down Peter’s spine.

The second Hermione saw him, she squeaked in fright, covering her mouth, eyes wide. From her expression, it was like she was looking at a dead body or a horrifying monster.

“Hermione, who is that?”

“It’s not possible,” she said, shaking her head as if that would make the figure vanish. “It’s just not possible. It can’t be him.”

“Why not? Who is that?”

“That’s Lord Voldemort.”

Peter half expected some sort of thunder crack or base drop or dun-dun-dunn sound effect at the name. He also weird felt like he knew that name but couldn’t figure
out why, though he did have the urge to make a joke about a Volkswagen, but he stifled that. Save it for later, he told himself “Hermione, that means nothing to me but clearly everything to you. So I need you to explain.”

“He’s…he’s a d-dark wizard from my world,” she said, stuttering a little, still staring at the figure. “He nearly took it over, killing hundreds of people. But he’s supposed to be dead. Harry killed him.”

“Well, evidently not,” Peter muttered, looking down at the figure who was now talking with the Samoan man, his own wand out. Then a dark thought hit him. “Hermione, we’re from different times.”

She looked up for the first time since Voldemort appeared. “Yeah, so?”

“So why not him too?”

Hermione gaped. “Oh god,” she muttered, clutching at her stomach. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

“We have to get over there,” Peter said, staring back down at the lenses. “If what you say is true then that man is in trouble and we need to help him.”

“But…against him?” Hermione gasped. “Only Harry ever stood a chance. Or Dumbledore.”

“I don’t know who those people are but I’m not going to let this man die in front of me if I can help it. Apparate us close by, I web Voldy in the face, grab the man, then you apparate us back out. Simple.”

“Nothing about this is simple and…LOOK OUT!” she suddenly shrieked and Peter instinctively leaped in the air. But she hadn’t been talking to him but the Samoan as Voldemort’s wand went up and a bolt of green light shot out of it. The Samoan, however, was much faster than he appeared and managed to duck aside. As he did, he grabbed something from his belt and held it up to his lips, drinking whatever it was. Peter watched, stunned, as his entire body suddenly turned vaporous, like he’d become air itself. Voldemort himself seemed startled by it but raised his wand for a fresh attack.

“Nope, not happening.” Peter scooped up the mask and yanked it back over his face, activating the Spider-bot. It rose out of its hiding place and began firing rapidly at Voldemort. He seemed to yell something, holding his hand up in front of his face. “Ok that bought us some time. Now we just…”

He stopped, his Spider-Sense suddenly going off again, louder this time. And he realize that it hadn’t been warning him about Voldemort’s approach, but something else.

“What is it?” Hermione asked.

“There’s someone behind us,” he replied.

“That is correct.”

Peter and Hermione slowly turned at the voice, looking up behind them. Floating in the air, surrounded by a yellowish aura, was a man. Or at least what looked like a man. He had pinkish-purplish skin and a thin mustache that practically screamed ‘supervillain.’ More so than the cold gun did for the other guy. The man stared down at them, his eyes cold and merciless. His fingers clenched and Peter saw a yellow ring on his finger, one that looked remarkably similar to what Jessica had worn except the symbol was a little different. And yellow.

“Now, you are going to tell me exactly who you are and why you created that symbol in the sky,” he waved his hand and two yellow guns suddenly appeared in the air, pointing right at Peter and Hermione’s heads, “or I’m going to blow your brains out.”

“Uh…and, just for clarity’s sake, who are you?” Peter asked, resisting the urge to fire off some webs.

“I am Thaal Sinestro, leader of the Sinestro Corps,” he replied.

Jessica blinked a little, her consciousness slowly returning to her. Her mind felt like jello at the moment, all floppy and shaky and could fall apart at any second, sending her right back into deep sleep. And she wanted to, to just slip back into the darkness and forget it all.

You failed, the voice said. They got you. It was only a matter of time.

She ignored it, pushing her eyes open. She had failed, yes. Let her guard down to a villain and gotten herself caught. But that didn’t matter now. What mattered was escaping.

But you’ll fail at that too.

Jessica blinked again, wincing as she was briefly blinded by light before her eyes adjusted. It was at this point that she became aware of a few things. The first was that she was tied down on a table, limbs splayed out. The second was that she no longer had her ring, her green uniform gone and replaced with her normal clothes. The third thing was that next to her were two other tables. One held the shirtless, sword carrying guy who she believed was called Conan. The other held Boba Fett, though his armor had been stripped from him, leaving him in plain clothes not too different from Jessica’s. Both of them were wide awake.

Jess opened her mouth to ask them if they were alright but nothing came out. She blinked and tried again but nothing. She couldn’t speak. Something was blocking her.

She felt her anxiety rushing up but just barely pushed it back down. Ok, so she couldn’t talk. That didn’t matter. She took stock of her surroundings. They appeared to be in a large cave, several stalagmites around them reaching for the ceiling. There were also dozens of crystals scattered across the stalagmites and the ceiling, each glowing and providing light to the cave. She tried to look for her ring, to call to it and summon it back to her finger but it was like there was a mental block around her, disconnecting her completely. And she couldn’t see any sign of it. The panic was continuing to rise in her and with each passing minute it became harder and harder to shove it back down.

As Jess became more and more aware, she also started to hear voices coming towards them from somewhere behind her. She tried to twist her head to see if she could get a look but nothing.

“…and what else is required by you for this task?”

“Oh, just a few more materials and then we can begin.” That was Menshikov. Jess remembered that eerie, hoarse voice clearly. She didn’t recognize the other guy.

“And you are sure you will be able to ascertain the secrets of this place?”

“With the proper spells and rituals, there is nothing one cannot accomplish. Trust me, I know exactly what I am doing.” They were now walking to Jess’s left and she tried to follow them but the stalagmites were blocking her view. All she could see were flashes of white clothing here and there.

“Hmmm,” the second man said, his tone uncertain. “We shall see.”

“Yes we shall.” Now they stepped into the main chamber and Jess blinked, it taking a second for her mind to process what she was seeing.

Both Menshikov and the other guy, a tall man with a long white beard and metal staff, were dressed completely in white. Granted, Menshikov was more decked out in white with his pure white suit and sunglasses while the other guy looked like he was wearing his bedsheets around him. But it was almost blinding how white they were.

“And beware, magician,” the older guy warned. “If you cross me, you will come to regret it most deeply.”

Menshikov turned. “The same to you, Lord Saruman. Now,” he returned his gaze to Jess and the other two and clapped his hands, “shall we begin?”

Chapter Text

“Get down!” Steve yelled, ducking himself right before the explosion obliterated the rocks where their heads had just been.

“Blast,” Rex muttered, shaking his head slightly. “Can’t even get a look at the bastard. He could be anywhere.”

“Probably the higher ground,” Steve gestured with his head a little to the right where he had noticed the larger cluster of boulders as they had arrived here. “That’s where I’d be. But we need to be sure.”

“What are you thinking?”

“Just keep an eye on those boulders,” Steve replied, hefting up his shield. He crouched carefully, taking a deep breath, before rising up, his shield raised high to block any incoming missiles, eyes scanning the area. And then he heard it. The sounds that had signaled the first attack. A soft bang, followed a second later by a louder one. He looked around wildly for the projectile but only saw a wisp of smoke coming right for him. His eyes widened and he braced himself just as something struck his shield, letting off a loud BOOM!

He found himself flung to the ground, the impact flattening him. He grunted, shaking his head a little to try and clear the ringing. He looked up and saw Rex crouching next to him, arm outstretched. He grabbed it and sat up into a crouch.

“That was your plan?” Rex asked. Steve could practically see the raised eyebrow behind the helmet.

“I was going to deflect whatever it was,” he replied. “But it’s no projectile. It’s…something else.”

“Yeah, I got a good look. It’s definitely being fired but it didn’t look like anything I’ve seen before. Two small explosions midair before the big one hit you. It was definitely aimed at you. There was a trail of smoke coming from the boulders, just like you said. But I have no idea what it is.”

Steve shook his head. It didn’t matter what kind of projectile it was. They had the information they wanted. “Alright. We’ll have to flank them. It seems like it’s only one person and whoever they are, they can’t aim at both of us. I’ll head to the left, you take the right.”

“Copy that,” Rex nodded, readying his blasters. “Good luck.”

“You too.”

Steve carefully moved across the ground, keeping the rocks between him and the large cluster of boulders. As he did, he thought back to how he got here. He had been standing on the Quantum Tunnel as Bruce pressed the button to send him back to return the Infinity Stones. Then, as he felt the sensation of shrinking into the Quantum Realm, he had suddenly found himself in the middle of a rocky, barren landscape. He was wearing his uniform with the stars and stripes and, most surprising of all, he had his shield. Fully intact which was impossible as the last time he’d seen it, Thanos had broken it apart. But here it was, in his hands, good as new.

He had no idea what was going on. But after a battle with a strange lizard monster, he had come across Rex and the two had agreed to work together. Steve didn’t know much about the man except that he was a war veteran as well as a clone and a captain in the Grand Army of the Republic. They had exchanged some information but Steve knew the man was holding back. Didn’t matter to him, he had things he was keeping to himself as well. At least until he knew he really could trust the man. And so far, Rex hadn’t done anything to prove he couldn’t.

After all the crazy things he’d seen over the last decade, Steve didn’t think things could get weirder. He should have known better. Things could always get weirder. He guessed he owed Fury another ten bucks.

But right now, none of that mattered. What mattered was quietly approaching whoever this person attacking them was and taking them out.

He carefully shuffled next to the rocks, trying to not make any noise. This reminded him of his days back in the war, hunkering deep in the trenches, waiting for the right moment to strike. Those weren’t fun memories.

He came to a stop when he saw a gap in the rocks ahead, one that would leave him open to attack from the person above. He grimaced and looked around but it was the only way forward that he could see.

Thinking quickly, Steve grabbed a fair-sized stone off the ground. He took a breath and then threw it off to the side, causing it to clatter loudly against some of the larger rocks. Instantly, Steve heard the sound again. The soft bang coming from his right. The second he heard it, he moved, running across the open ground. As he did, he heard the second bang coming overhead. He slid the final meter just as the loud explosion came, detonating the area he had thrown the rock and turning it into a mass of rubble. And yet, as far as he could see, no trace of explosives.

“So what is this guy firing?” Steve wondered. Repulsor tech like with Iron Man? Some form of godly energy like with Thor? Or something else entirely?

He looked up and grimaced again. The next bit would be even trickier. He had a straight shot to the cluster of boulders but it was practically an empty plain for the next twenty yards except for a few scattering of rocks here and there. He would have to be fast and agile to make it. Fortunately, he was both.

But if the person up there saw him, well…the chances of him making it were not favorable. Still, he had faced worse odds in his life and managed to make it through.

He peered carefully over to the boulder cluster, doing his best to not be seen. It seemed his attacker was doing the same, completely hidden. But he had to pop-up at some point to attack. Or did he? With all these strange new powers around, Steve didn’t know what was possible anymore.

But just as he had that thought, he saw movement and hunkered down a little more. He watched as a figure emerged from behind the boulders. He could only see the head but he could make out some features. A bald, bearded man with what looked like a third eye in the middle of his forehead. It was hard to tell from this distance so Steve could be wrong. But he also knew there was a fair chance he was correct.

As the man looked over towards him, he repressed the urge to move. If he moved, he would be more easily seen. He just had to stay still and hope his helmet looked like a rock from over there. Fortunately, the man looked away and Steve breathed out in relief. But that was short-lived as he saw the man suddenly turn to his left.

Steve’s eyes widened as a line of smoke formed from the man’s forehead, shooting outward before causing the small explosion sound midair followed by the second one before the third erupted in the rocks below. There was a loud cry of pain and Steve spotted a brief flash of white and blue.

“Rex,” he growled and took off.

The man saw him instantly and turned towards him. The smoke line formed just like before, this time aimed right at him. Steve watched as the first explosion came, reaching down and grabbing hold of a large rock as it did. He calculated quickly and, just after the second explosion, he threw the rock up in the air before throwing himself to the side. The third explosion obliterated the rock midair, some pebbles raining down on him. But other than that, he was unharmed.

He shook his head to clear the ringing from his ears and then slowly got on his hands and knees. It was the third eye or whatever was on the man’s forehead. That was the source of the explosions. So that was what he had to take down.

He suddenly heard the first explosion and was up and moving before he even thought about it, leaping into the air right before the rock he’d been hiding behind exploded. He was hurled through the air but turned his landing into a roll, recovering quickly as he dove behind some more rocks.

He heard a soft thump behind him and risked a quick peek. The man had apparently jumped in after him, looking around. Now, Steve noticed that his right arm and leg were made of metal, creating a slight thumping noise every time he moved. It wasn’t much, but Steve would take any advantage he could get at this point.

The man studied the area carefully and Steve stepped back before he could be seen. He then did the same trick he did earlier, picking up a small stone and tossing it to the side. Instantly, the man turned to find the source of the sound. As he did, Steve threw his shield like he had done a hundred times before, having already done the calculations in his head. He then started moving, running right for the man who saw him coming. Steve saw the smoke trail appear and the first explosion come right when his shield, having bounced off two rocks, slammed into the man, knocking him back a step which was all the opening Steve needed. He charged the last few steps and threw himself into the man, knocking him down.

The man let out a grunt and punched out with his metal arm but Steve ducked aside and let loose a punch of his own, his landing sweetly across the man’s jaw.

“Stay down,” he warned.

The man glared up at him but made no moves.

“Good,” Steve nodded, picking up his shield from where it had fallen. “Now, I want you t-”

“Look out!”

Startled, Steve glanced up at Rex yelling down at him right before something hit him from behind, staggering him forward. Before he could recover, the man’s metal arm came up in a fist and this time landed a hit right across his cheek. He felt himself go weightless for a second before he crashed into a stone pillar behind him. He groaned, rubbing his cheek. He hadn’t been punched like that since, well, Thanos during the Battle of Wakanda. This guy was that strong.

He then heard the first explosion and his eyes widened. But before the second explosion could go off, there was a sudden round of blaster fire. Steve looked up and saw Rex clambering down the side of the rocks from his perch above, firing smoothly at the man who was taking cover behind another stone pillar.

“You alright?” he asked quickly as he came up next to Steve.

“Not too bad,” Steve replied, hefting up his shield. “You?”

“I’ll live.”

The small explosion sound came again. “Move!” Steve barked, dragging Rex to the side behind his shield right before the large explosion knocked them flat on their backs. The shield took the brunt of the attack, allowing them to quickly be on their feet again.

“Did you see that?” Steve asked, having them duck behind another stone pillar.

“See what?”

“The smoke curved.”

“What?”

Steve quickly explained what he had seen about the man’s explosive powers. “He’s generating it. Unleashing it with that third eye of his. I thought at first he needed to see his targets with it but apparently not. The smoke curved around the pillar.”

“So he can attack from any direction,” Rex surmised. “Not great. Any ideas to take him out?”

“One.” Steve listened carefully in case the man moved. “That eye of his is the source of his power. So we take it out. How good a shot are you?” he nodded at Rex’s blasters.

“Pretty good.”

“Alright then, you’re the shooter and I’m the bait.” Steve hefted his shield up, getting ready to move. “Just don’t wait too long to make the shot, ok?”

“Ha,” Rex chuckled. “Don’t worry, pretty boy. I got you.”

Steve took in a breath and then moved, leaping out from behind the rocks. Almost instantaneously, he heard the first boom and raised his shield high. He saw the second boom and hurled himself to the side before the third explosion could hit him. Instead, he managed to roll with it, coming up on his feet and still running.

The explosive sounds came again, but this time they were a little ways behind him so Steve allowed himself a second to breathe. And then the big explosion came along with a loud cracking and crumbling noise. He turned and sucked in his breath as he saw one of the larger pillars of rock falling right for him, the explosion having taken out its bottom. He ran quickly ran for cover until he heard the explosive sounds again. He whirled around just in time to have the third explosion strike him right in his shield, tossing him like a ragdoll in the wind until he came crashing down hard on the ground.

“Ugh,” he groaned, feeling like he’d been hit by a truck. Actually, that would have been preferable.

He grunted and opened his eyes right in time to see the stone pillar falling down on top of him.

“Shit!” he muttered, rising into a crouch, shield raised high just as the rocks hit him.
-
Rex grunted, rising quickly from where he’d fallen. The plan was not going, well, according to plan. The second Steve had run out, Rex had been prepared to fire on the exploding man but their enemy was more cunning than they had thought. Instead of firing his power right at Steve, like they had planned, he had fired right between Steve and Rex, giving both maybe a less powerful but still strong blast. Rex had been knocked into one of the rocks where he had rolled onto the ground. His armor had taken the brunt of it but he still felt like he had been trampled.

He managed to get to his feet just in time to see the large stone pillar collapse. “Steve, you better not be under there,” he muttered. But there was no time to wonder. The explosive man was just ahead of him, eyes on the large dust cloud the pillar had created. Now was his chance.

Rex carefully made his way across the ground, making sure not to trip on anything. So far, the man didn’t seem to be aware of his presence and Rex was hoping his luck would hold.

So, naturally, it didn’t.

The man suddenly turned around and locked eyes with Rex. They had a second where both just froze. Then they moved. Rex aimed his blasters and opened fire while the man breathed in and released his power, causing the air in front of him to explode. Rex dove aside right before the place he’d been standing was blown apart. He turned his dive into a roll and came up on his feet, still firing. If he couldn’t take out the eye, he could still blast the man.

But then he saw something that stopped him cold. As he fired again, the blue light of the bolt seemed to twist away from the man’s body instead of striking him, as if something had propelled it away. “What the hell?” Rex muttered right before he saw the man take another deep breath. Knowing what was coming next, Rex dove aside again to dodge the latest explosion.

So firing at the man was out, apparently. But the pistols were just one tool he used. If he couldn’t hit the man’s eye with them, then Rex would just have to use something else.

He knew he would have to act fast. All the man needed to do was breathe in and he’d be ready to fire. And Rex wasn’t sure whether or not taking out the eye during the attack would help. So he had to take it out before. That gave him about a second-long window.

Plenty of time.

Rex grabbed hold of a particularly smooth stone and leaped out of cover. He spotted the explosive the same second he was spotted. He saw the man clench up, breathing in to attack, and Rex threw the stone as hard and as fast as he could.

Rex wasn’t the best sharpshooter in his squad nor did he have the best aim. But he was still a Captain, recently promoted to Commander, of the Grand Army of the Republic. Which meant that even if he wasn’t the best, he was pretty damn close.

The stone struck the man right in his third eye just before he could attack. He grunted and took a step back, clutching his forehead.

“Was hoping for a little more, but I guess that’ll do,” Rex muttered and ran as fast as he could. Just as the man looked up again, Rex was on top of him, slamming into him and hurling him to the ground. He then punched as hard as he could into the man’s third eye, causing him to yell out in pain.

“Now that’s more like it,” Rex smirked.

The man recovered fast, punching Rex hard in his side with his metal arm. Rex was thrown off but he got up on his hands and knees, inwardly cursing himself for letting his guard down. He saw the man get up as well and instantly attacked again, not wanting to let his enemy get even a second of recovery time.

The man saw him coming and threw his metal arm out again. Rex saw it coming and ducked under it, coming up behind the man and punching him in the back of the head. The man grunted and then twisted around, the metal arm whirling in a deadly swing that Rex only narrowly avoided. But he didn’t see the man’s regular arm come up behind it, grabbing him around the throat and lifting him up. Rex choked, grasping at the man’s arm and kicking out wildly. His feet connected with the man’s chest but didn’t have any effect, the man just glaring and squeezing harder on Rex’s throat.

Thinking quickly, Rex pulled out one of his pistols and flipped it around, grasping the barrel. The man’s eyes widened and he moved to stop him but Rex was too fast, bringing the pistol down on the man’s eye like a hammer. The man grunted, wincing in pain and Rex felt his grip loosen. He ripped open the man’s fingers and dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch. He allowed himself two seconds to try and recover from being choked before he went on the attack again, bringing his fist up into the man’s chin and causing him to stumble back again.

“This isn’t working,” Rex muttered. As hard as he fought, he wasn’t a match against the man in a straight-up brawl. The man was too strong for him. And Rex couldn’t use his pistols either which left him with few options.

He picked up a sharp rock, deciding it was his best choice for now. The man turned back to him, glaring with hatred. “If this is how I die,” Rex told him, “then I’m going to make sure you pay for it.”

They both charged at the same time. Rex ducked under the metal fist and struck hard with his rock, managing to land a blow across the man’s face. The man grunted but then punched again and Rex had to step aside to dodge the metal fist again. He moved to attack and then got hit by the man’s regular fist, nearly getting knocked to the ground. He just managed to stop himself and renewed his attack, punching out with his rock. But instead of ducking aside, the man stepped into it, taking the hit as he wrapped his arms around Rex, lifting him up and squeezing hard. Rex grunted and tried to break free but was locked in viselike grip, the man’s arms joined tightly. He was being crushed.

He tried to hit the man with his rock but couldn’t gain any momentum, his arms pinned to his sides. As the seconds passed, he felt his body get more and more crushed as the man squeezed tighter. He was seeing black spots and could barely breathe. He wasn’t going to last much longer.

Acting instinctively, he lunged forwards and smashed his helmet into the man’s face. The man grunted again and Rex felt his grip loosen slightly. He was a little woozy from the head-smash but he kept at it, bringing his helmet down again and again into the man’s face in an almost droid-like fashion, until, with one big crunch the man dropped him to the ground.

Rex practically collapsed against the rocks, gasping for breath. He could barely think, his mind addled from the repeated blows. His vision was blurry and his ribs felt like they had been shattered. He tried to get to his feet but could barely get on his hands and knees. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the man walking up to him, metal fist raised. Rex again tried to get up but couldn’t focus. He reached for his pistols, trying to get them out of their holsters in time, but couldn’t quite make it. He saw the metal fist above him and couldn’t make himself move.

So this was how it ended. On a barren planet in the middle of nowhere. He closed his eyes, ready to join his brothers in the afterlife.

And then he heard a loud, metallic CLANG!

He looked up and blinked, his vision clearing a little. The metal fist had been blocked by a round sheet of metal. And connected to that sheet of metal was an arm. Rex followed it and saw Steve Rogers standing there, staring down at him.

“On your feet soldier. This is no place to die.”

Those words resonated inside Rex, and he shook his head, clearing his mind. He was a soldier. He had survived countless battles across the galaxy as well as Order 66. He would survive this as well.

“Thanks, soldier,” Rex said, gripping his pistols tightly. “Now let’s take this walking tank down.”

“Sounds good to me.” Steve lunged upwards with his shield and threw the man back. Taking advantage, Rex opened fire. Just like before, the blasts deflected off of him but this time Rex came the focus on the man’s face, blinding him. Using the distraction, Steve charged forward and slammed his shield into the man’s chest, knocking him off his feet and bringing him down. Without giving him a second of respite, Steve followed him down. Rex stopped firing as Steve punched the man across the jaw and then brought his shield up to deliver the final blow.

Before he could, the man’s metal fist shot up, taking hold of the shield and stopping it short. He then twisted it to the side with Steve following it, sprawling into the rocks.

Rex instantly started firing his pistols again, blinding the man once more. But then he felt a change in the air, like a compression between him and the man. His eyes widened as he saw several bolts of fire halt midair and then shoot back towards him. He ducked aside but landed badly, one bolt striking the side of his helmet. As he tried to get back up, he saw the man lift Steve up with the shield. Steve quickly let go but didn’t act fast enough as the metal foot suddenly came up, kicking him in the side and sending him crashing back into the rocks. The man then took the shield in both hands and pressed them together, bending the shield.

Or at least he tried to.

Rex couldn’t help but smile as he saw the man’s face turn red as he pressed down on the shield, doing his best to try and bend it. But the metal refused, remaining stubbornly smooth. No matter how hard the man tried, twisting and turning his arms in different positions, the shield stayed the same, completely unbent.

“Good luck with that,” Steve said, getting to his feet. “Now why don’t you hand that back before you hurt yourself.”

The man grimaced at him and then threw his metal arm back, throwing the shield as hard as he could at Rogers. Rex’s eyes widened as Steve just stood there, sure he would see his new ally smashed apart by the flying metal. But no, Steve reached out and, turning in his place, grabbed the shield midair before whirling around and firing it right back. The explosive man’s eyes widened but he didn’t have time to react before the shield struck him right in the forehead, causing him to fall hard on his back. The shield deflected off a rock pillar and then seemed to fly back into Steve’s hand.

Rex gaped for a second before realizing this was there moment. The man was down, if for a second, and they could use that. He took hold of his pistols and flicked a button along the side of them, hoping his working theory was right. Otherwise…well, they’d do things the old-fashioned way.

Just as the man started to get up, Rex fired again, the blue bolt striking the man right in the third eye. And this time, it didn’t deflect off. The blue ray hit dead center and then buzzed, a glow spreading fast over the man’s body. He instantly slumped over, going still, and Rex breathed out with relief.

“What was that?” Steve asked, walking up.

“Stun blast,” Rex replied. “He’ll be out for several hours if we’re lucky.”

“Huh. How’d you know that would work?”

“Didn’t. But he seemed to have some affinity to fire or energy from his explosive powers and how he deflected all my blasts. So I figured he may not be susceptible to less…damaging attacks.”

“Like a stunner,” Steve nodded. “Smart thinking.”

Rex nodded back. He eyed the explosive man carefully, making sure he really was down. “So now what?”

Steve looked up at the sky, watching the sun making its way down. “We should probably walk a ways away from him before he can wake up and try to find some shelter for the night. Maybe some food and water. And then…” he shrugged helplessly. “We march on. See if we can find any answers.”

Rex sighed. “Probably the best plan we’ll get for now,” he said. “Well, no time like the present. Let’s get moving.”

Chapter Text

“Everyone alright?” Frozone asked.

“I’d say I’m alive,” Luke responded, coughing as he gingerly rubbed his chest. “Does that count?”

Harry watched as the new guy, Legolas, walked over and scooped up his arrow from where it had fallen. Out of Krell. Harry wasn’t quite sure what he had just witnessed. One second, Krell had been standing there. And then, the arrow had hit him, and he had vanished. Almost like he had been erased from existence.

The only time Harry had seen something even remotely similar to that had been with Sirius or Tom Riddle’s diary. But this was different. Sirius had fallen into the Veil. That’s why he’d disappeared. And that only been Tom Riddle’s soul he had seen, not his body. So did that mean, Harry and the others here weren’t actually here?

“Interesting,” Legolas remarked, looking at the ground where Krell had been.

“Where did he go?” Kuvira asked.

“I do not know. Away from here, obviously.”

“He was definitely dead,” Luke added. “We all saw that arrow hit him. No one could survive that.”

“Never be too sure of anything,” Legolas told him. “There are many mysteries out there and plenty more in this place. The rules seem to be constantly changing. We cannot be sure of anything.”

Luke frowned. “What?”

“I think he means we can’t rule out the possibility that Krell is alive,” Kuvira said. “This whole place is a mystery to us. We can’t take anything for granted. Not even death.”

“Oh wonderful,” Luke sighed.

“Here,” Marina appeared by his side and pressed her hands to his chest.

“What are you- oh,” he blinked in surprise. “Oh wow, that feels…weird. What are you doing?”

“Healing you,” she replied and pulled her hands away.

“Oh wow, that does feel better, thanks.”

Harry stared at her for a long moment before he found his voice. “You can heal people?” he asked.

“Yeah, it’s one of my gifts,” she said. “Why, are you hurt too?”

Harry shook his head. “Not me. But he is.” He pointed to the corner of the chamber where Chewie was still incased in ice.

“Oh.” Marina instantly stood up and walked over. “What happened to him?” Then she saw him through the ice and gaped a little. “And…what is he?”

“He got hit by some hammer-weapon-thing in the chest and we couldn’t heal him so Frozone froze him to keep him, you know, from getting worse until we could find someone to help him. As for what he is…” Harry shrugged helplessly.

“Huh, alright well, let’s get him out of there.”

Harry moved to gesture Frozone over but before he could, Marina placed her hands on the ice and it instantly began to shrink, returning to water. Harry watched as it all melted away, leaving Chewie’s furry form lying on the sand. He breathed out again, weakly, and gave a soft moan.

“Uh…how’d you do that?” Harry asked.

“Another one of my gifts,” Marina replied as she took Chewie’s hand in hers. “Now please be quiet. I need to concentrate.”

Harry merely nodded and watched as she held Chewie’s hand. He wasn’t sure what he expected to see. Maybe some glowing light. But there was nothing. She just sat there and held his hand. Harry couldn’t see any different until Chewie suddenly sighed deeply and his eyes opened. He then sat up and touched his chest.

“Hey buddy,” Harry stepped over to him. “How you feeling?”

“Wwwhhhhrrraaaarrgghhhh!”

Harry smiled. “Yeah, that’s what I figured. Good to see you back on your feet.”

Chewie stood up and then turned and wrapped Marina in a bear hug. “Oh, ok, it was no problem- ack! Ok that’s a little too tight. Too tight!”

Chewie growled again and let her go, patting her softly on the head.

“Right. I’m Marina by the way. Nice to meet you.” She held out her hand and he shook it.

“Good to see you on your feet again Chewie,” Luke said, walking over. Chewie patted him on the shoulder and let out what seemed to be affectionate growls. It was hard to tell.

Harry briefly wondered if he should say that Luke had considered leaving Chewie behind but then decided against it. That information wouldn’t help anyone right now. And there were more important matters. Such as the creature that was hopping down from the hole in the ceiling.

“Whoa, what the hell!” Frozone cried, lifting his hands to attack. The black-suited girl got into a defense position and Luke readied his sword. Harry raised his wand next to him. He eyed the creature warily. It looked like a bowtruckle, except much bigger than any he’d ever seen. More tree than branch. In fact, it looked like the whole thing was made of tree roots and bark with green leaves poking out all over.

“Stay calm, friends,” Legolas said. “This is an ally of mine.”

The tree-thing nodded. “I am Groot,” it said.

“Indeed,” Legolas added.

The others still eyed it warily but they relaxed their stances.

“What’s the plan now?” Kuvira asked. “Where do we go from here?”

“The sun is setting,” Legolas said, glancing up at the sky through the hole. “I have already glimpsed what roams this land when the sun is high. It might be wiser to not wander when the night descends lest we encounter the darker beasts.”

“Uh…yes,” Frozone nodded after a second. “What he said. Let’s all stay here for the night and then figure out our plan in the morning.”

Since no one could think of anything else, they all agreed. Kuvira blocked the hole by raising a pillar of rock to seal it. She quickly did the same for the tunnel entrances, only allowing small holes to remain so they could all still breathe.

Harry made himself useful by creating cups of water for them all to drink, quenching their thirst.

“Don’t suppose you can do the same for food?” Marina asked.

“Sorry, no,” Harry shrugged helplessly.

“No need, here,” Legolas interrupted and handed out small packages. Harry opened his and found a small piece of bread inside.

“Not a lot, but we’ll take it,” Frozone said.

“That is lembas bread,” Legolas explained. “One bite will fill your belly for hours on end. We elves use it on long journeys to allow us to remain steadfast.”

Harry frowned but took a bite anyway, relishing the sweet taste that hit his tongue after a day of no food. And then he blinked as the empty feeling in his stomach slowly faded away. He also felt rejuvenated, as if given a spark of new life. And judging from the expressions of the others, they felt the same way.

“Damn, that is good,” Frozone muttered.

“Wwwrraaarrrggghhh,” Chewbacca agreed.

“Do not eat too much,” Legolas warned. “We do not know when we will be able to find food again and as long-lasting as the bread is, even it will not last forever.”

After that, they settled in, each finding their respective places in the cave. Harry settled down in the corner near Luke and Chewbacca. After his nap earlier, and the battle with Krell, he wasn’t feeling particularly tired. But he could see others nodding off quickly, Marina now dozing a few meters away. The bat-suited girl was sitting cross-legged, eyes closed but Harry was pretty sure she wasn’t sleeping. Next to her was Groot in an almost identical position.

Kuvira was still standing, eyes alert and roaming, her arms crossed. Legolas and Frozone seemed to be conversing nearby but Harry couldn’t make out what about.

As he looked around the room, Harry began to wonder. “Do you really think this is a contest?” he asked.

Luke looked up from where he’d been lying. “I think it’s possible,” he replied. “We were clearly all brought here for a reason. And from experience, whenever something like this happens, it’s usually for others’ amusement.”

Harry blinked. “How often has this happened to you?”

“This exact situation, never. But I have been in similar ones, always as a plaything of others. Right now, I say we just make our way and do our best to survive til we can find a way to turn the tables on the ones behind all of this. We need to understand how the game works before we can beat it.”

“What about what Vorjavik said? Only the greatest will prevail. Does that mean it will end up being the last one standing? Do we all have to kill each other to make it through?” Harry shuddered at that thought. He would never be able to do that. But some people, Vorjavik and Krell it particular, seemed to relish that idea.

Luke was silent for a moment. “I don’t know what everyone else will do, but I play by my rules. If someone attacks me, I’ll fight back. But I’m done going and looking for fights. I’ve done that most of my life and it wound up getting me-” he stopped suddenly. “It wound up being pointless,” he recovered and Harry frowned. It sounded like he was about to say killed but he decided not to ask. “All it did was hurt people around me. I’m not looking to win some stupid contest here. I want to find who started all this and beat them so I can get out of here.”

Harry nodded. That sounded like a good plan. He just hoped it would work.

Even though he had taken a nap earlier, he felt his eyelids drooping, the long day catching up with him. He drifted off to sleep, thinking of Ginny and hoping she was safe.

He didn’t know how long he slept but he woke up to the sound of raised voices.

“…is a bad idea no matter how hard you try to justify it. This place is too dangerous.”

“Which is why we need to explore it. Send out teams to learn what we can.”

Harry blinked and shook his head as he woke up. He looked around and saw some of the others up. Frozone and Kuvira were the ones arguing, trying to stay quiet in the corner but it wasn’t working very well. Luke was standing nearby as was Legolas and the bat-suited girl. Marina was just getting up as well and Chewbacca was still snoring away next to Harry. And Groot…Harrry wasn’t sure about him. He was still just sitting in that same pose.

Harry got up and made his way over to where the two were arguing. “What’s going on?” he asked.

The two stopped, still staring hard at each other. “Difference of opinion,” Frozone said.

“Opinion of what?”

“Of what to do next,” Luke interjected. “They do agree we need to explore this new world we’ve found ourselves in, but they can’t agree on how. Kuvira here wants us all to split up into separate parties while Frozone thinks we should stick together.”

“Oh,” Harry nodded.

“There’s safety in numbers,” Frozone said. “We’ve already all seen what we’re up against and who knows what else is out there.”

“All the more reason to explore as much as we can,” Kuvira argued. “We split up into smaller groups and we can learn more about where we are.”

“I agree with Frozone.” They turned as Marina walked up. “I get where Kuvira’s coming from, but staying together makes more sense. I’ve seen what happens when people split up.” Her expression turned sad for a moment. “Staying together will be better for all of us.”

“Exactly,” Frozone nodded.

“If we stay together, that just paints a larger target on our back,” Kuvira replied. “A larger group is more noticeable.”

“I think we should split up as well,” Legolas added. “We will each be able to cover more ground if we are traveling smaller.”

“Yeah, but you only came at the end of Krell single-handedly wiping the floor with us,” Luke told him. “If we run into someone like him, or someone stronger, when we’re split up…” He left that thought hanging.

Harry wandered off as they kept arguing, not really up for dealing with it. He didn’t really mind if they split up or not. All he wanted to do was get moving. He was tempted to just walk out right now on his own but after seeing Vorjavik and Krell as well as the swarm of flying monsters, he didn’t know how long he’d last. Better to stick with the others for now.

He came to a stop where Groot and the bat-suited girl were sitting. “Hey,” he said, causing them to look up at him. “I don’t think we’ve really been introduced yet,” he told the girl. “I’m Harry.”

The girl took his outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake. “I am Cassandra.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“I am Groot.”

Harry blinked. “Yeah, Groot, I know, we all met last night. Nice to meet you too.”

The tree nodded slowly at him. Harry wasn’t quite sure what to make of him yet. He’d seen bowtruckles and other magical creatures before, but Groot seemed to be more sentient than the others. Hagrid would probably become best friends with him.

“So, what do you think we should do?” he asked.

Cassandra tilted her head, thinking. “Whatever is best,” she replied.

“I am Groot.”

Harry blinked again. “Um…ok. Is that…all you can say?”

“It is all he has said,” Cassandra confirmed. “Though in different ways. I believe he is saying something else to him, but it comes out the same to us.”

Harry frowned, not quite sure he was following. Where was Hermione when he needed her. Though if he could request people to come here, he’d probably ask for the entire Order of the Phoenix.

He opened his mouth to ask something else when he heard it. A soft humming noise just in the background. He looked around but couldn’t find the source. It seemed to be coming from outside.

From the way Cassandra was tilting her head, she heard it too. Slowly, the others took notice as well.

“What is that?” Marina asked.

“It sounds…like a plane,” Frozone said.

“It’s coming from outside.” Marina raised her hands up towards the rock pillar covering the ceiling but Kuvira quickly stopped her.

“Wait,” she said. “We don’t know what’s out there.”

“Which is why we should go check it out.”

“It could be a threat.”

“Yes. And it might not. Either way, we should know what it is.”

“She’s right,” Frozone said. “We stay hidden, make sure we’re not seen, until we know what it is.”

Kuvira pursed her lips but nodded sharply. She then raised her hands but instead of the rock pillar coming down, a new one shot up from beneath them, lifting them up. Harry started in surprise but quickly recovered. He watched as they rose to the ceiling and saw the rocks above them slide up as well, keeping them covered as they arrived back on the surface.

He blinked as the sunlight hit him again, blinding him for a second. It took a few seconds before he could see again, the vast expanse of desert once again appearing before him. The humming sound was louder here and this time he could definitely tell it was from an engine. He didn’t spend too much time around Muggle vehicles these days, but he could still recognize the sound. He started looking up at the sky, trying to spot it.

“There.”

They all followed Cassandra’s finger and saw the dark from flitting across the sky.

“What is that?” Legolas asked, eyes widened.

“That’s not a plane,” Kuvira muttered.

“No, it’s a jet. Moving fast,” Frozone said.

“What is a jet doing here?” Marina asked.

“What are any of us doing here? Doesn’t matter. What do we do now?” Luke asked them all. “Do we signal it or let it pass?”

“It is fascinating,” Legolas commented.

“It’s fast,” Frozone mused. “Might make a good scout.”

“It also makes a lot of noise. Not ideal.”

Frozone nodded to Kuvira’s point. “It also has a lot of firepower. Could be useful.”

Harry still watched the jet, a sleek grey thing that shot across the sky. It looked like a bird from this distance except so much faster. He tapped his wand against his glasses and activated the magnifying spell, zooming in on the jet. “Huh.”

“What is it?” Luke asked him.

“The jet has these strange markings all over it.”

“Like on a flag?”

“No, I don’t think so. At least, none that I know of. The markings seem random, just lines and symbols scattered over.”

“How are you even seeing that?”

Harry quickly explained the spell he’d used.

“That thing is going to disappear in seconds, so we might want to decide what we’re going to do,” Luke reminded them.

As the others debated, Harry kept his eyes on the jet, keeping his head moving as it flew which was starting to hurt his neck. He was still curious about the markings but he didn’t know too much about Muggle technology. Maybe it was a personal vehicle or something. He moved on to the cockpit, trying to get a look at the pilot. Then he frowned, blinked, and looked again, taking a step closer on instinct. But he had been right the first time. The cockpit was empty. There was no pilot.

“What the hell?” he muttered.

“I am Groot?”

“Oh, hey Groot,” he said, over his shoulder. “It’s just…there’s no one piloting the thing. It’s empty.”

“I am Groot?”

This time, Harry sensed surprise in Groot’s tone. Maybe Cassandra was right. Groot only said one thing, but each time it had a different meaning. “Uh, yeah. No one there.”

“Remote piloting perhaps?”

Harry almost flinched as he realized Cassandra was right next to him. “I don’t know what that is, I kind of grew up in the magical world.” Technically, he grew up in both but now wasn’t the time to get into all that.

Cassandra quickly explained what remote piloting was and he blinked in surprise, not realizing Muggles could do that. But this didn’t look like that. “Then why build a cockpit?” he asked.

“What’s going on?” Luke asked while the others still debated on what to do and Harry explained it to him. “Huh,” he said. “That is weird. I mean, I don’t know too much about mortal technology, but that doesn’t seem right.”

Harry took another step, even though subconsciously he knew it wouldn’t help, keeping his eyes trained on the cockpit. He could feel a kink forming in his neck from the straining and turning but he ignored it. He didn’t know much about Muggle machines, but there was something off about this one. The lack of a pilot, the markings on its side, it all gave him bad vibes.

“Why is it circling?” Luke asked behind him.

“Looking for something maybe?”

“I am Groot.”

As Harry looked, he frowned as he saw something in the center of the control panel. He narrowed his eyes before taking another step forward and then blinking and just altering his glasses again. It was hard to keep the jet in his line of sight like this. He focused, trying to make out what he had seen. He caught sight of it again just as the jet passed by his line of sight and he cursed, moving again and automatically taking another step forward.

And then, suddenly, he spotted it. A symbol, right in the control panel. It looked sort of like a face, except it was more wicked-looking with sharp lines that formed into a diamond-patter bottom. Something about it gave Harry chills. It looked…sinister. Evil.

There was something else that was bugging him but he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Something had changed.

“Harry!”

He felt a hand grab him by the shoulder and yank him back.

“Whoa!” he exclaimed, whirling around and deactivating the spell on his glasses. “What the hell?”

“Look!” Luke angrily whispered at him, pointing furiously.

Harry frowned but turned and then gasped. Now he knew what had been wrong. He hadn’t been turning his head to follow the jet. Because he hadn’t needed to. It had stopped moving.

It was just floating there, midair.

“Uh…do jets do that?” he asked, already fearing the answer.

“Not ones I know,” Luke replied and Harry saw he had pulled his sword out.

“What did you do?” Kuvira glared at him.

“Me? I didn’t…” Harry’s eyes fell down to the sand in front of him where his footprints led out beyond their rocky canopy. Where he’d been visible. Exposed. “Oh.”

“Not good. Really not good.”

“I am Groot.”

“Wwwrrraaaarrrrggghhhh!”

“Hold on, it might be friendly. It’s just floating there right now. It hasn’t done anything yet,” Frozone pointed out.

They watched in growing fear as the jet slowly turned in midair until it was facing them. And then it started moving again.

“Ok, maybe now we start t-” Frozone cut off when they all saw the sleek, cylindrical things detach from the jet and come soaring towards them.

“MOVE!” Kuvira bellowed, shooting rocks up around them. At the same time, Frozone started blasting ice, Marina raised her hands, Groot’s arms elongated, and Harry started casting spells when the missiles struck.

Chapter Text

Matt stayed there waiting for a while, listening carefully, but there was no more sign of whoever those two figures were. That one punch had sent shockwaves for miles and he had still managed to make out their fight until they had finally vanished. That level of power…it sounded like something the Hulk or Thor or that Captain Marvel could do from what he'd heard. Even Luke Cage and Danny Rand's punch against the Hand had been nothing compared to this. Jennifer's punch…maybe. But even her punch against the parking lot felt much lighter compared to this.

"Anything?" T.J. asked.

Matt shook his head. "They're gone now."

"Jesus," Casey muttered. "You said that was a punch? How strong were those guys?"

"Incredibly so," Matt replied. "I could only get a small sense of the power behind that punch and it was enough to level a building. But his opponent shrugged it off and kept fighting. Those are two we do not want to meet."

"No kidding. You know of anyone from…wherever you're from who can do that?"

Matt hesitated. The three of them had managed to arrive here near the same spot and so had decided to stick together. Through light conversation, they had managed to deduce that they might not be from the same places and had unconsciously agreed not to discuss it. Not until they knew more.

"A few," he said. "But I don't recognize whoever those people were."

"Yeah. I have a slight notion of who they could be if they're from my home," Casey said before turning to T.J. "What about you?"

Matt could practically sense T.J. thoughts from the way he was breathing and how it was heart was beating. He knew. Or, if he didn't, he had a pretty close idea. "Perhaps a better notion. Nothing concrete. But I am familiar with those kinds of power levels. I've seen them in action before."

"And?"

"And it would be best to stay clear of them. For now, anyway. We would need to form a plan to be able to take them on. Best to be beneath their notice."

Casey snorted. "I don't really like being 'beneath' anyone's notice, but whatever."

Matt refocused his attention on their surroundings, trying to pick something up. All he could really sense was the feeling of the desert, which was kind of obvious. He could feel the heat baking the sand and he could feel all the individual grains of sand clinging to him, taste them as well. He could hear the wind brushing the dunes below and wafting against the rocks. Smell wasn't really prevalent right now but he could still get some odors, mostly T.J.'s and Casey's smells behind him.

Other than that, nothing. Which was disappointing as they had climbed all the way up here to get him a better vantage point for his radar sense. He could sense the rock formations around him and could even tell there was a system of caves below them, but it was small with nothing inside.

"Sorry guys, looks like this is a bust," he said. "Unless you can see something I can't sense."

"Nope," Casey sighed. "Just a whole lot of nothing. Great. Just freaking great. So now what do we do?"

"This isn't too bad a place to hunker down," T.J. suggested. "We have the high ground. Nothing much can get us here. And we can see them coming easily."

Matt nodded. "Yeah, I agree. But we'll need food and water or else we're not going to last long. The sun will start going down in a few hours so we should try and find something." Even as he said that, he was already doing his best. Food…well, it was a desert so he wasn't optimistic and he hadn't heard or smelled anything yet. Which was surprising. He would have expected to hear the sounds of some kind of desert animal, lizard or snake maybe. Even bugs. But so far, nothing.

Water though…

"I don't have a read on any food, but I think there might be some water below us. There's a cave system. I'll need to get closer but I think I just got something that might be water. I hope anyway."

"Better than nothing," he felt Casey shrug. "Alright, let's climb back down."

"Not the whole way. The entrance is just a few yards that way," he gestured. "Right over there."

"Got it, thanks."

They slowly made their way back down, Matt telling them exactly where to step as he could sense which footholds were strongest and which were coming loose. Casey reached the cave entrance first, squeezing through the slight gap. He had to hold up his hockey stick, which had apparently travelled with him. They all had something that came with them when they suddenly appeared here. T.J. had a rifle on him with a bayonet attached on the end which confused Matt. Not for the bayonet itself, though that was odd, but the aura around it. The metal didn't feel natural to him, like nothing he'd ever felt before. It reminded him slightly of when the Chitauri had invaded New York and he'd felt their metal. It was different from any other metal on earth which made sense. And this gave him the same sense, a metal made a different way. But the other it felt familiar was, remarkably, from Danny Rand and the way his fist glowed. That energy…well, it wasn't the same here. But there were similarities. Whatever that bayonet was made of, it wasn't natural.

Matt, on the other hand, had arrived in full costume so he had a bit more trouble squeezing through, even by sensing the best angle to enter. He knew T.J. still had questions about it and even Casey though to a lesser extent. From what Matt had gathered, wherever T.J. came from, it didn't have the kind of heroic figures that Matt was used to who dressed up like this. To be fair, he still couldn't really believe he had started dressing up like this but life was full of surprises.

Whatever the case, he was grateful. While one would think that dressing in a full-body suit in this heat would be murder, Luke Jacobson had actually done a marvelous job on it so it ventilated quite well. The heat was still bad, but not as bad as it could have been.

As soon as he was in the cave, Matt tasted the air. The air was still dry, parching his lips even more, but he managed to get just the smallest taste of dampness. "This way," he said, heading down further into the cave, feeling them descend.

"Damn it, I can't see a thing now," he heard Casey complain.

"Don't worry, the path is very easy to follow. Just follow my voice," Matt told him.

"I still don't really understand how a blind man can see so well."

"Yes, that is a little strange," T.J. agreed.

Matt chuckled, having gone through similar conversations many times before. "I can see, just not with my eyes. My other senses are so enhanced that…well, I can see way better than you."

"Huh. Actually, I think I get it. A few good friends of mine and even some others I know can do stuff like that," Casey said. "Weird. But cool."

"And helpful. Are we getting closer, by the way?"

"I think so." Matt tasted the air again and the dampness seemed slightly stronger, though that could be desperation at this point. He had gone the whole day in the desert without water after all. "A little ways further."

He continued to lead them down. He felt the air currents change when other tunnels opened up but ignored them, feeling them only lead back outside. With every step, he did feel like the dampness on his tongue was increasing so he hoped at the end of this there was in fact water and that it wasn't some sort of wild goose chase.

He took another step and then stopped, tilting his head. "Hold on," he said, stopping the others as well.

"What is it?"

"Shhh," he replied, listening carefully. Someone had just entered his radar range from the caverns below him. By the way their feet were slapping the ground in such a hurried manner concerned him. He started walking again, all the while focusing in on that person, trying to get as many details as possible. Soon, he could discern their breath and it was coming out in quick pants. Their heartbeat was also irregular, beating loudly and fast. They were scared and obviously running away from something.

It didn't take long for Matt to figure out what that something was.

"Move!" he roared and started running.

"Huh?"

"Where are you going?"

But Matt didn't answer. He didn't have the time to. Because something new had entered his radar sense, something…big. Monstrous even. Even from here, Matt could hear the muscles and tendons snapping and straining. He could hear the earth shaking with each footstep. And he could hear the voice.

"Run as you much as you want, little girl. Just makes it more fun for me when I tear you apart."

The other person didn't respond, her short breath revealing to Matt that she was probably running on fumes at this point. They needed to get there fast. He still couldn't quite make out all the details but he had enough right now to know if they didn't do something, the girl would die.

Still, the last person he'd faced like this had been Jen. And she'd gone easy on him. This guy obviously wouldn't.

He explained the situation as quickly as he could to the other two, all the while following the battle below them carefully as well as mapping out the landscape. The beginnings of a plan were forming in his mind just as they reached the ending of the passage, entering a much larger cavern. Matt could sense crystals all around that gave off a sort of signature that reminded him of neon lights except without the hum. He supposed they were a source of light here. But none of that was important as the earth shook again, the big guy missing the girl by just an inch this time. She tried to fight back with some sort of fan in her arms but it had no impact, the blade barely penetrating through all the muscle.

"Oh my god," Casey muttered.

"What manner of monster is this?" T.J. murmured.

Matt didn't know for sure what they could see but his extra-sensory vision was telling him enough. The being seemed to be as big as the Hulk except his muscles kept shifting around. Matt knew with the Hulk or Jen that when they transformed, their muscles grew with them. But with this guy, his muscles weren't just growing, they were snapping and extending and wrapping around him, even thickening, amplifying his strength to colossal levels. Every strike of his shook Matt's body even from this distance.

Just who the hell was this guy?

The girl he was chasing did a backflip, landing smoothly on a nearby rock right before the place she'd been standing was obliterated.

"I wonder how long you can keep this up," the muscle man laughed. "As for me, I could do this for hours on-"

BAM!

Matt flinched at the sudden noise behind him. He'd been so distracted by the muscle guy that he hadn't noticed T.J. raising his gun.

"T.J.!" Casey barked. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"I don't really use the bullets too much," he said. "But I needed to get his attention."

"Why?"

T.J. looked at him like he was crazy. "Because he's the enemy."

"Well, you certainly got his attention," Matt muttered, getting his billy club ready.

The bullet had done nothing to the muscle man, barely making a dent in the flesh of his shoulder. But it had gotten his attention as he now turned to them, his whole aura promising violence.

"Well, seems we have some company. Wonderful. This is getting funner by the minute."

"More fun," Matt muttered more to himself, still working on that plan. If bullets couldn't penetrate that guy, Matt was pretty sure his club would be useless. Again he was reminded of Jen and his fight with her that had ended as soon as she used her thunderclap. So, he'd have to stay agile, keep out of the guy's way. But for how long?

The muscle guy suddenly lunged and Matt instinctively moved, feeling the change in the air. The guy was much faster than he let on and if not for Matt's senses, he would be dead as he just managed to dodge the massive fist coming for his head. Instead, it smashed through a pillar of rock.

"Another quick one, huh? How annoying. Still, seems like you're just as weak as her. Isn't there anyone who can give me a real fight?"

Before Matt could reply, he heard the scrape of dirt as T.J tensed just before running forward. "CHARGE!" he bellowed, leveling his bayonet. Matt expected the muscle guy to do something, dodge or go on the attack but instead he just let the bayonet come right at him.

"You really think that little thing ca-" he laughed just as the bayonet struck his arm. "YOW!" he cried out and Matt knew why. The bullet hadn't done anything, but somehow the steel bayonet cut right through the muscle tendons as if they were made of butter, piercing all the way to the hilt.

"Ha!" T.J. cried out. "That's how it's done in- WHOA!" he yelled as the muscle guy wrenched his injured arm as well as the bayonet and T.J. with it up into the air.

"How dare you!" he roared, preparing to slam T.J. back down. Matt rushed forward before he could, flicking the switch on his billy club at just the right angle so that it shot out, striking the muscle guy right in the face where there were no muscles to protect him, causing him to stop and stumble back in surprise, lowering his arms. T.J. took the opportunity to drop down, landing awkwardly.

"I need the gun back," he said.

"We're not killing him," Matt said firmly.

"What? Why the hell not?"

"I don't kill. Ever," he replied firmly.

"Well that's nice but he's doing his very best to kill- Whoa!" he suddenly exclaimed as the muscle guy's fist shot out. It was only thanks to Matt's super senses that he was forewarned, able to yank T.J. out of the way in time.

"DIE!" he roared, swiping at them again. Matt dodged again and backed way up.

"Do you have a plan to take him out or are you just going to keep up your stance until he kills you?" T.J. asked.

Good point. Unfortunately, Matt still hadn't worked out the details of his plan. Since he wouldn't kill him, he had to incapacitate him somehow. But it wasn't like they were strong enough to break through all that muscle to knock him out and they couldn't drop anything on him. Matt wished there was some trench or pit they could lure him to but his senses were coming up negative.

This guy's power was truly incredible, the way his muscles kept snapping and tearing before reforming, wrapping around him in several layers of protection. Matt wondered if even the Hulk could break through all that. It seemed tougher than a steel wall. But there had to be a weak point.

"Stay still!" the man roared, trying to bring his fist down and failing again as Matt leapt out of the way.

"You're very persistent," Matt said.

"You're about to be very dead!"

"Not if you keep hitting like that," Matt told him, easily avoiding another strike.

"Why you- huh?" the muscle man stopped as a small rock struck him on the side of the face. He turned to see Casey standing a little ways away, his hockey stick out. "Seriously?" the man laughed. "You're attacking me with a stupid stick? This isn't a fight, it's a damn massacre."

"And yet you haven't killed a single one of us yet," Casey told him.

"Don't worry, I'll destroy you all in good time."

But Matt wasn't listening to them at all, completely focused on what his nose was telling him. He could smell it in the air. The scent of blood. The muscle man's blood. Right where Casey had struck him, on the side of the head. Not a lot, barely a smear. But it was there.

Of course. The head wouldn't have too much protection since there were no muscles to grow there. But even as Matt realized that, he sensed the muscles below stretching up to form a barrier around the man's head, protecting it. So, unless they could rip all that open, the head wasn't really an option. But still, it had given Matt an idea. If the head was a weak spot, there were others too. Areas where there were no muscle.

A loud crash shook him from his thoughts, the muscle man smashing through several large stalagmites to get at T.J. now who had managed to get his bayonet back and was now stabbing at the larger man, his weapon still managing to cut through the muscle fibers with ease. Still, Matt could sense that with every fiber torn, another one rose up just as fast. And he could also sense the muscle man tensing his legs, preparing for something.

"Look out!" he cried, rushing forward and jumping the last few feet towards T.J. just as the muscle man raised both arms skyward before bringing them down crashing down with extreme force.

The ground erupted from the blow, cracks spreading all over the earth and the whole cave shaking wildly, as if hit by an earthquake. Matt grimaced, having just barely gotten T.J. out of the way. But the impact had sent them both flying for a second there and being so close meant they'd been caught in the blast. The soundwave and resounding shockwaves messed up his senses. He could still hear, but there was a lot of buzzing in the background now that distorted what he was picking up. And he had a hard time filtering through everything he was feeling right now. He grunted and coughed, getting up on his feet, trying to shake it off. There was still a lot of dust and sand in the air. And he was picking up something else now. An…opening. He could feel a new waft of air flowing in from above. Muscle man must have broken through a weak spot. Not that it mattered as it was way too small for them to escape through. No, there only option was to fight.

It happened so fast that only Matt's instincts kept him alive. He sensed the fist coming at the last second and ducked aside. He was just a fraction too slow as the fist glanced off him, still sending him rolling away. He'd managed to avoid the worst of it but his ribs were now throbbing in dull pain. Just great.

"So, I take it you're some sort of hero." Matt could practically see the smirk on the man's face as he walked up. "I'm really going to enjoy killing you. Killing your kind is kind of my thing."

"Is it now? You seem to be doing a poor job of it so far. So who are you anyway? The Muscle Man, cause that's what I've been calling you."

"Just Muscular. And I can control every part of my muscles all over my body. I'm far stronger, faster, and greater than you could imagine. It's a miracle you've lasted this long."

"People said that about my career as well, but I still wipe the floor with them," Matt replied. As confident as he sounded though, he knew he was in real trouble here. There was no way he could match this guy in speed or power. He just needed to find the right way to take him out. And for that, he needed more time. "So what brings you all the way into the desert?"

The man snorted. "Hell if I know. One second I'm sitting in my cell, the next I'm standing out in the open air. Don't know how it happened and I frankly don't care. I'm free again to do whatever the hell I want. And right now, that starts with killing yo-"

BAM!

Matt flinched at the loud boom as T.J.'s rifle went off, the bullet striking the hard muscle around Muscular's head and barely penetrating.

"Ha!" the man laughed. "Is that all you've got? Then-"

Muscular lifted up his arms to attack and Matt moved, seeing his opening. Muscular saw him move but was too slow as Matt dove before striking up with his leg as hard as he could right between all the muscle layers where the man had no protection.

"OOOOHHHHH!" Muscular roared, clutching his crotch, slumping down a little. As he did, Matt sensed many muscle fibers retracting, especially around his head.

"Now!" he cried out.

Thankfully, the others all understood. T.J. quickly reloaded his rifle as Casey whipped out his hockey stick and Matt readied his baton. But all of them were slow in comparison as a new figure rushed forward, faster than even Matt's senses could react. They ran past him, leapt up onto a rock, and jumping for Muscular, kicking him across the head hard and almost sending him toppling, the man just catching himself. But he didn't have a second as Matt's baton and a rock sent soaring from Casey's hockey stick struck him in the head as well. He stumbled once, grunting in pain, before slamming backwards into a stalagmite and tripping onto his face.

"Aw man," T.J. grunted, walking over. "I didn't get to do anything."

"Well maybe if you didn't rely on that old relic there."

"Hey! This is a gift from my father."

"So? That doesn't mean-"

"Quiet!" the other figure said, one now realized was the girl Muscular had been chasing. Judging from what his senses were telling her, she couldn't be older than 18. And yet she was that fast and strong. He was impressed. "This isn't over," she informed them.

"What are you talking about? He's down for the cou-"

"She's right," Matt interrupted. Already he could hear Muscular's heartrate shift and sense the man regaining focus. "We need to leave. Now."

"Huh, but shouldn't we-"

"We're not a match for him. We've taken him down right now, but that won't last," Matt explained.

"I'm sure one shot from my rifle can-" T.J. began but Matt stopped him.

"No!" he said firmly. "I don't kill."

"Hey, he's a monster who just did his best to kill us," T.J. told him.

"So we're going to be like him now?" Matt shot back. He knew what T.J. was saying. He had sensed it in Muscular himself. He reminded Matt too much of Fisk, a man who didn't care who he trampled on his own path, who just did as he pleased, killing whoever got in his way. And Matt had come close to crossing the line to end Fisk once and for all. But he managed to hold back, to not destroy who he was. And even if leaving this man alive might come back to haunt them, he refused to even think of going near that line again. So he grabbed T.J.'s rifle and held firm.

"What the hell are you doing?" T.J. demanded. "Let go!"

"Not until you stop," Matt said.

"I've been dealing with threats like this my whole life and well into the afterlife too," T.J. said, making Matt frown in confusion. "I've been in too many battles to keep count. And trust me, I get it. The want to spare a life. But people like him? All they'll do is bring more death. If we had the option to somehow restrain him, I'd be all for that. But…"

"Guys!" the girl interrupted. "Whatever you decide to do, do it quickly! He won't stay down for long!"

"I'm all for getting the hell out of here," Casey added. "I'm not really down with hitting a guy once he's-"

It happened so fast that Matt didn't have time to react. One second, Muscular was on the ground, prone. The next, he was up, his arms swinging around mightily. Matt went flying, striking a stalactite before sliding down to the hard ground. He heard the thump of someone landing next to him, sensing it was T.J.

He could make out the girl nearby who seemed to be the only one who evaded the blow. And Casey?

He hissed. Casey had taken the worst of it. Matt could hear the bones cracking beneath the skin. That wasn't good. But he couldn't even think about it as he heard the heavy footsteps of Muscular approaching.

"You got the drop on me there," the man said, teeth grinding. "But you made a fatal mistake in not finishing me off when you could. I won't be returning the favor."

"Like we'd even give you the chance!" T.J. cried, charging forward. "I'll send you straight to Hel!"

"T.J., no!" Matt yelled, trying to get up but wincing from a bolt of pain.

Muscular moved so fast it was hard to keep track, his fist lunging forward and grabbing T.J. tightly, crushing his arms to his sides. "What's a little pipsqueak like you going to do, huh?" he asked.

T.J. couldn't speak as Muscular began crushing him in his grip. Matt winced, hearing the bones and muscles straining, ready to snap at any second.

"Let…him go," he managed, rising up to his feet.

"Just hold on there, I'll get to you in a second," Muscular told him.

Matt growled and then hurled his Billy club as hard as he could, aiming right for the villain's face. But Muscular's neck muscles simply stretched out and deflected it. Then, just as fast, he grabbed Matt round the middle with his free hand and yanked him upwards, crushing him as well.

"Any last words?" he asked, leering down at them.

Matt opened his mouth, either to say something witty or curse him or make a prayer or something when he heard it. He'd been so focused on the fight with Muscular that he hadn't noticed it before but now that he heard it, it was like a trumpet in his ear.

Another heartbeat. A strong one, beating hard and fast. And from right above them.

CRASH!

"Get back you foul villain!"

Matt inhaled a rush of air as Muscular let go, the ceiling crumbling right above them and a large, well-built man leaping down from them to land a blow right in Muscular's face, sending him flying a few feet backwards.

"Never fear, brave soldiers!" the man declared. "You fought valiantly. Now let my strong fists take it from here!"

"And just who the hell are you?" Muscular growled, getting up.

"Who am I?" the man cried, and Matt blinked, not sure if he was right but was positive the man was turning in place to show off his muscles, flexing for everyone there. "I am Major Alex Louis Armstrong and now, homunculus, I will take you down with the alchemic art passed down the Armstrong line for generations!"

Armstrong had had a rough day and a half. He'd been walking down the hallway, greeting his fellow officers, when he was suddenly in the middle of a desert. He thought he'd been pulled through some transmutation circle, like what had happened during the Promised Day. But he found no evidence of that and was forced to wander around, looking for shelter from the heat. He'd been fortunate to find a well with a little water left in it but had to defeat a monstrous creature with wings and scales. He had seen some people in the distance moving about but they had been too far away and had shortly disappeared from view, looking like they'd been flying. He kept wondering how he ended up here and what was happening but couldn't find anything. Then he wound up here, at the base of a craggy mountain, where he'd heard crashing sounds, like an earthquake. Or a battle. So he investigated, using his alchemy to tunnel his way down to the source, finally breaking through to a cavern where he saw what could only be some sort of muscled up homunculus attacking a group of noble young warriors. So, like any major worth his salt, he decided to step in and lend a hand.

"Let's see if you back up those words, moustache!" the homunculus growled at him right before charging forward at max speed.

Armstrong, however, had seen the man tensing his legs and was ready. He turned and grabbed hold of the villain's arm, using his momentum to hurl the larger man over his shoulder and into several stalagmites and stalactites. He grunted a little, the man's muscles a bit heavier than expected.

"You…you're not stronger than me!" the villain said, rising back up.

"Let me show you what true strength is. Taste the Armstrong alchemic art!"

Armstrong whipped several stones into the air and then punched every single one of them right at the villain, each one turning into an iron spike thanks to his alchemy. The villain hissed, holding his arms in an X shape in front of him, his muscles snapping and reshaping to create a shield around him that made the spikes bounce right off. A few stuck for a second or two but couldn't penetrate the fibers.

"You're a tough one," Armstrong said. "But no matter. I'll find your weakness and take you down, foul villain."

"You know, only one person has actually been able to back up those words to me," the man said, lowering his arms. "He gave me a real fight. Let's see if you can do the same."

"Gladly."

The two charged at each other, fists raised. But, as the muscle man's fist came towards him, Armstrong ducked under it just enough to avoid it and launched his own right into his opponent's face, only to have it blocked by a layer of muscle. Undeterred, he hurled several more punches but each one was blocked in the same fashion.

"Hmph, quite the predicament I see," Armstrong stated. "It seems I'll have to hit you a lot harder to force you to surrender."

"HA!" the muscle man laughed. "With those weakass punches? There's no way-"

"HIYAAAA!" Armstrong roared, his fists raised again. This time though, instead of punching the muscle man, he punched the ground. And with each impact, a pillar of rock shot upwards in the shape of a fist to strike the man. In the face, in the arms, in the chest, in the legs, wherever they could reach. Armstrong never let up for a second, continuously striking the earth and using his alchemy to bombard his enemy with the stony fists. Some of the fists crumbled on impact, others were only chipped, and some managed to remain unscathed.

The muscle man grunted under the barrage, attempting to move forward but unable to, constantly trying to evade or stop all the punches. He was getting hit all over in rapid succession and while it wasn't doing as much harm as Armstrong wished, it did seem like it was wearing the man down.

Unfortunately, using this much alchemy in such a rapid amount of time also wasn't good as he could feel it beginning to tax him greatly. But he refused to stop or even slow down.

"This is…nothing!" the muscle man grunted, straining against the punches. "If this is…all you've got…then…this is over- GAH!" he cried, one fist managing to land a blow on his face.

"Well, now that I've softened you up, here comes the real treat!" Armstrong declared, changing his alchemy up so that instead of fists, the pillars all had spikes at the ends of them. Unfortunately, they did not penetrate like Armstrong was hoping for but he did notice they made more of an impact, cutting through some of the muscle fibers.

"These…AGH!" the man cried, whipping his arm across to break through several pillars striking him. "These won't stop me! Nothing can break through my muscle."

"We'll see about that!" Armstrong cried back, hitting the ground as hard as he could and launching an even bigger pillar out, this one made of solid iron and hardened with his alchemy. It struck the man in the chest, managing to impale him. The man reared back, blood spurting from his mouth. Armstrong grinned behind his moustache and sent the pillar as well as his foe hurtling all the way across the cavern into the wall, cratering it on impact.

Armstrong stood tall. He knew this wasn't over, not by a long shot, but he hoped that that at least would wear his enemy down a little. And it gave him the chance to check in on his newfound companions.

"How are you doing, my devilish looking friend?" he asked, kneeling down to the man in the red-and-yellow armor.

"Fine…thanks to you," the man replied. "We would have died."

"Well have no fear for I will take care of this monstrous homunculus without fail!"

"I don't know what a homunculus is, but Muscular can control all his muscle fibers at will to grow and expand around him any way he wants to the point where it's almost impossible to break through them. We managed to land a hit on his head and his groin where the muscles weren't but I think he's onto that now."

Armstrong nodded, absorbing all the information. "Thank you. Now, gather the rest of your compatriots and make haste towards the exit." He eyed the wall, seeing the cracks growing along it as well as his iron pillar. "I fear this area may soon become hazardous to you all."

"You…might need some help," the other man coughed, lifting up his rifle.

"No, good sir. You are in no condition to fight. Now-"

"I'LL CRUSH YOU!"

Armstrong glanced up to see the iron pillar shatter and the man called Muscular come flying from the wall, fist raised. Except he wasn't going for them. Instead, his fist was raised to strike the helpless young man off to the side and the girl by his side.

Armstrong moved, faster than he realized, purely on instinct. He launched himself across the cavern and just managed to land in front of the two before Muscular's fist came down, his own hands raised up to catch it. He nearly cried out from the strike, his arms shaking on impact. He'd known from before that he wouldn't be able to go fist-to-fist against this monstrosity. Muscular's strength far surpassed his own. And now, his prediction proved true as he felt his own muscles as well as his bones and ligaments bend from the intense pressure. This was like going up against Sloth and that had been a fight that had nearly cost Armstrong his as well as his sister's life.

"Ha!" Muscular grinned triumphantly. "If there's one thing you can count on, it's for a hero to do the noble thing."

"Striking people…when they're not even fighting…such a cowardly move," Armstrong grunted, doing his best to hold the homunculus at bay.

"Then I guess you really won't like this move."

Armstrong's eyes widened as he saw Muscular's other fist come round but before he could move to block or evade, it hit him right in his hip, the force sending him smashing through several stalactites into the cavern wall. He cried out as he landed, feeling a sharp pain from his side. Some ribs definitely broken there and he was cut up all over, bleeding in a few areas.

"LOOK OUT!"

Armstrong glanced up and just managed to move his head in time, Muscular's fist demolishing the stone where it had just been.

"You're a fast one," the homunculus grinned. "Good. Makes it more fun. You are proving to be a challenge."

"I'm glad you're so invested in this. Because I promise you, I won't go down easy!"

"Don't make promises you can't keep!" Muscular roared, and grabbed Armstrong around the middle, squeezing him tightly against his chest. Armstrong yelled out in pain, his entire side feeling like it was on fire. But he couldn't let that distract him. He had managed to keep his arms free, holding them out of Muscular's grip.

"You may be stronger than me," he grunted, readying himself. "But that means nothing without the skill to use it right."

"Wha-"

Armstrong lunged forward, grabbing Muscular around the neck to slam their heads together as hard as he could, the top his hitting Muscular in the center.

"AAAGGGHHHH!" Muscular roared, instantly releasing Armstrong to clutch at his face, blood dripping down from his nose and mouth. "You bastard!"

"You left yourself open," Armstrong informed him. "What a foolish mistake."

Muscular glared furiously at him. "You little…!"

He swung mightily but his fist only struck air as Armstrong dropped to the ground, his fist meeting the ground and his alchemy bursting forth, a new pillar of rock growing out at high speed to strike Muscular right in the space where his muscles weren't.

His kneecap.

"ARRGGHHH!" Muscular cried, his leg buckling as his knee gave out, falling down just as Armstrong rose back up, his fist meeting Muscular's jawbone in a mighty clash.

"Gah!" Muscular stumbled back and almost fell over but landed on a stalagmite that broke his fall, keeping him just upright. He shook his head and rubbed his jaw. Armstrong glowered, fists raised for the next bout.

"You actually do live up to the hype you set, I'll give you that," Muscular told him. "But it will take a whole lot more to beat me."

Armstrong wasn't so sure about that. As much as he was trying to hide it, Muscular had been weakened by that blow. Another hit like that and he just might go down for good. If that was the case, then Armstrong needed to be quick since he didn't think Muscular would be caught off guard like that again. And even if he did, would he stay dead. Armstrong shuddered to think if he had a Philosopher's Stone on him. It had taken everything to beat Sloth and only with the aid of his sister as well as Izumi and Sig Curtis at the last minute. He didn't know if he had it in him to go that long.

Then he glanced around and saw the others still there, staying as far away from the fight as they could. But given the power of their opponent, that didn't seem to be possible.

Armstrong felt a fresh wave of energy course through him. For them to survive, he would gladly give his life. He may not know them at all, but he sensed their spirits when they fought Muscular and knew they were true warriors. Right now, he just needed to give them the opportunity to escape and buy them the time to use it.

"Fine then," Muscular growled, drawing Armstrong's attention back to him. "Let's get serious."

Even more muscle fibers ripped out from his flesh, wrapping tightly to form an unbreakable barrier around him. Armstrong grimaced from the sight, not liking it one bit.

"Normally, I would commend someone on their level of valor as well as their muscular stature. But the way you fight is practically blasphemous to all those with respectable muscles. I will take you down before you sully that image anymore."

"You certainly are a weird one. But so long as you keep giving me a real fight, I don't really care."

"Oh I'll give you a fight alright. But first thing's first. Let's see how fast you get out of this one."

Armstrong slammed his fist into the ground and it shook from all the alchemy he poured into it. He concentrated hard, forming an enormous pillar right beneath Muscular to lift him up high and slam him into the ceiling before he could realize it, the rocks above shaking. Armstrong grunted from the strain, still feeling his ribs throbbing in pain.

"Go young warriors, now's your chance!" he informed them. "I'll hold off this foul opponent of ours. Just leave!"

"But we can-"

"No!" Armstrong interrupted the girl. "This fight is beyond you. Do not worry. I will handle this personally."

As he spoke, the ceiling shook again, Muscular's angry shouts audible. Armstrong kneeled down and placed his hands on the ground, letting his alchemy flow so that the earth rose up in a giant pillar beneath him, lifting him up quickly for him to meet his enemy,

But even that wasn't fast enough as the pillar holding Muscular exploded, rock and sand spewing everywhere. Muscular glared down at Armstrong approaching, the muscles on his right arm snapping together.

"I think I've had just about enough of you. Now die!" he roared, leaping down towards him.

Armstrong, his hands still on the ground, shifted his alchemy quickly so that instead of moving up, he was suddenly moving to the side, catching Muscular off guard and letting him fall past him instead.

"Damn, think you're clever don't you?" Muscular said as they both landed back on the ground.

"I wouldn't be a Major if I didn't have some battle sense," Armstrong replied. "Just be glad you're not facing my older sister or else you'd already be dead."

"Oh don't worry, I'll meet her someday. When I hand over your head to her on a platter!"

Muscular charged again and Armstrong slammed his hands down to use his alchemy to send several large spikes his way. But this time, Muscular was ready for them. He brought his fists down hard, but not on the spikes but the earth instead, cracking the ground apart and creating a large shockwave that knocked Armstrong back. Almost instantly, Muscular was charging again and this time Armstrong was too slow to prepare for it. As the heavily muscled fist came for him, all he could do was raise his own fists up to meet it.

If he was half a second slower or even a tiny bit weaker, he wouldn't have been able to pull it off. But as Muscular's fist came down, he managed to grab it and twist it just enough to the left so that it hit the ground instead of his face.

He allowed himself a second of relief before launching his own attack, firing his own fist upwards to Muscular's exposed face. But, just as fast, the man's neck muscles rippled out and caught his fist, blocking it.

"Not falling for that again!" Muscular declared.

Armstrong grimaced as Muscular shifted, all his muscles congealing in front of him, forming one massive shape ready to crush him. "Now I'm going to bury you alive," Muscular promised.

Armstrong struggled, catching the muscle to try and push it off but it was like holding up a mountain, the weight threatening to flatten him. He grunted, his own muscles feeling like they would snap at any second. He couldn't even move his hands away now to perform alchemy or else he would be crushed, though he felt like he was going to fail any second now.

Was this it? Was this the end for him?

"Now DIE- Gah!" Muscular suddenly cried out. Just like that, the pressure released and Armstrong could breathe easier again. He quickly moved out of the way and looked over to see what had happened, blinking at the sight of the girl straddling Muscular's neck with a torn cloth from her shirt wrapped around his mouth.

"Get…off…him!" she growled, yanking back with all her strength.

"I thought I told you to leave," Armstrong grunted, getting on his feet.

"And I chose…not to listen."

Just like my sister, Armstrong thought to himself, smiling a little behind the moustache. But those feelings quickly evaporated as Muscular began grabbing behind him madly. The girl managed to evade him at first, leaning back as far as she could to avoid the hands. But he was too fast for her, just managing to snag her leg before latching onto it.

"You little pest!" he cried. "Time to di-"

Armstrong didn't let him finish, punching down as hard as he could towards Muscular's other knee, hitting it inwardly so that the bone crumpled.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Muscular screamed, practically collapsing. He released his grip on the girl who leapt away to safety. He landed on his hands, propping himself up, but that didn't last long as Armstrong charged him, both fists clasped together above him until he brought them down in massive strike on the top of Muscular's head, flooring him.

"You will fall, homunculus!" Armstrong declared. "No matter what unholy powers you possess, you cannot match the true strength of a warrior spirit. Now-"

Muscular swung out with his arm and Armstrong was too slow, the blow catching him in the ribs and sending him flying.

"Do you ever shut up?" he glared. "Not that it matters. You'll be dead in a-"

ZIP!

A small, red object suddenly appeared, wrapping tightly across Muscular's face. Armstrong blinked, seeing it was a baton of some sort with a cord attached that was now cutting deeply into Muscular's nose, causing him to cry out in pain. Armstrong followed the cord towards another baton in the hands of devilish-armored figure who was being dragged across the ground slowly from Muscular's power.

"You little-" Muscular roared.

BANG!

Armstrong almost jumped at the gunshot, seeing the young man with the rifle now firing it point blank at Muscular. It was a noble effort but the aim was off as most of the bullets missed the face, instead striking the upper muscle.

"You think any of this will stop me?" Muscular bellowed. He moved to flex his body, to rip himself free from the baton, when Armstrong sent another large spike into his stomach, doubling him over from shock and pain. "AAAGGGHHHH!"

"Now, homunculus, let me show you the difference between you and me."

"Huh?" Muscular groaned as Armstrong charged.

"Your strength may surpass mine in terms of raw power and you may think that because of that, your victory is assured. But you lack true courage or valor. You are no warrior. Just the sad imitation of one. It's time you learned a lesson of true strength and power."

Muscular growled fiercely, yanking the baton cord off. "I'm going to obliterate you," he promised.

"Give me your best shot, monster," Armstrong replied before rushing forward, Muscular charging to meet him.

Right before they clashed, Armstrong watched all the muscle fibers across Muscular's body wrap around him to form a gigantic wall of muscle threatening to crush him. But he was ready for that, dropping to the ground and laying one hand on the rock, creating another large pillar to smash into Muscular.

"That won't work!" Muscular roared, crushing the pillar swiftly.

"It wasn't meant to," Armstrong said, having moved to the side and now created another pillar that this time smashed into Muscular's hip, causing him to stumble and cry out a little. "You put all that muscle out front in that attack, even blocking your face so you couldn't see my movements. Very sloppy. And despite your grandstanding, there is a limit to your power. You put as much muscle fiber to your front, leaving your sides more exposed. What a poor soldier you would have made."

"SHUT UP!" Muscular roared, charging again.

Armstrong hefted up a loose rock with one arm, wincing from the pain in his ribs, before placing his hand on the ground and shooting upwards on a new pillar just as Muscular reached him.

"You can't run!"

"Wasn't planning on it."

As Muscular smashed the pillar, Armstrong leapt off it, positioning himself midair just above the homunculus. He aimed the large rock and smacked it with his fist, already reshaping it into an iron spike that drove down into Muscular's back.

"YYYYAAAAAHHHHHH!" Muscular screeched, flailing around to remove the spike. As he did, blood began seeping to the ground.

"Just as I expected," Armstrong said, landing smoothly. "You're overusing your muscle fibers, leaving too many spots vulnerable for a frontal attack."

"Shut…up!" Muscular said, managing to rip the spike free. While the wound may have been superficial, it had shredded many of his muscle fibers, forcing many of them to snap back, leaving bare skin behind for a few seconds before Muscular replaced them.

"I see now," Armstrong said, readying himself. "Those aren't true muscles, but mere fabrications. You have too many spaces between your muscles, leaving them open and vulnerable. You think the strength you will wield is enough to overcome that weakness or perhaps you simply ignore it. What a foolish mistake."

"I…will…kill…" Muscular said, his body brimming with rage.

"Time to end this." Armstrong raised his fists and then brought them down, striking the ground hard. As soon as he did, a spike shot out and struck Muscular right in the space between the muscle fibers. The spike wasn't big enough to do any true damage, but it did make Muscular flinch and cause those fibers to retract.

Armstrong struck the ground again and again, each time bringing up a new spike. He had tried this move before but that time those blows had been random, striking at Muscular merely to try and wear him down. Here, each attack was precise, Armstrong directing them to the open spots between the muscle strands. The weak spots.

"GAH!" Muscular cried, trying to work up a defense. But it was no good, the spikes, penetrating deeper and deeper with each blow. His muscles were snapping away faster than he could replace them. His power was depleting rapidly and he couldn't stop it.

"True power isn't overwhelming strength, but the skill to use it effectively," Armstrong said firmly, finally letting up, seeing most of the muscle strands gone. "Now, I believe it's over."

"You think this is enough to stop me?" Muscular roared. "I will-"

Armstrong struck the ground one last time and the earth beneath him shot up and across, sending him soaring right towards Muscular with his fist raised high.

"What?" Muscular cried, lifting his arms and forcing his muscles out to form a defense.

But was he was far too slow, his muscle fibers worn out.

SLAM!

Armstrong's fist connected solidly with Muscular's cheek, sending his whole face rolling back before his body followed suit, smashing down to the ground. As soon as he did, all the muscles strands peeled back, disappearing from view.

"And that, my fallen foe, is what true muscle power looks like," Armstrong declared, flexing his arm out for him to see, if he was awake that was.

Then, the adrenaline fading, Armstrong slumped to the ground, breathing heavily. "That took more out of me then I realized," he huffed, wincing at the pain across his body. "Damn homunculus. Or whatever he is."

"Here, drink this." He looked up to see the young woman holding a small canteen. He took it and gratefully drank from it, the cool water a welcome relief.

"My thanks, young warrior. I've barely had anything to drink all day."

"I got lucky. When I arrived, there was a small stream nearby and I was able to collect some of it."

Armstrong focused on her words. "Arrived you say? So I assume you too have no clue as to how you came to be in this desert?"

She shook her head sadly. "One minute I'm on guard duty, the next I'm out in the middle of nowhere."

"Same with all of us," the devilish man said, helping his wounded comrade with the strange stick sit down. "Just popped out here."

"Some foul alchemy to be sure, though not one I'm familiar with," Armstrong said. While he had seen a type of teleportation used before, this was very different from what the Father had done during the Promised Day.

"We'll figure that out later. What do we do with him?" the man with the rifle asked, gesturing to the fallen Muscular. "Last time we left him alive, he attacked us almost immediately. But since some of us," he glanced over at the devilish man, "have certain ethical values, we also won't be killing him. So what do we do with him?"

"I'll handle this," Armstrong replied and lowered his hand to the ground once more, letting the alchemy flow out and surround Muscular. The earth moved up and around him, completely surrounding him until he couldn't be seen except for his head and the tips of his feet. Then, Armstrong flexed and the earth turned shiny and metallic, having turned into solid iron. "There, that should hold him. For now at least." He turned and blinked at the expressions the others all had. "What?" he asked.

"How did you just do that?" the rifle man asked curiously.

"The composition of the ground changed," the devilish man commented though he wasn't even looking at it. "Never thought that could happen."

"An earthbender, huh?" the woman said. "That'll be useful around here. Though a sandbender would be preferable. Still, I didn't know you could turn the earth into metal like that. Toph would be jealous."

"Earthbending?" Armstrong questioned. "No, that was just alchemy. As your friend there stated, I changed the composition, the molecular structure, of the earth into pure metal. Should hold him."

"Alchemy?" the girl asked, tilting her head. "Never heard of that. Fascinating."

"Never heard of alchemy?" he asked, surprised. Then that must mean he was in a foreign country where they had a different name for it or something. Though that didn't mean much since she had also been sent here. It was just good fortune they spoke the same language. "Whatever the case, we had better move. Find a place to rest up."

"Good idea," the devilish man said. "First thing's first. I'm Matt, Matt Murdock. This is Casey Jones and that's T.J. over there."

"Yo."

"Hello there."

"Major Alex Louis Armstrong, at your service," Armstrong replied, saluting.

"Ah, I thought I recognized another soldier," T.J. said, grinning. "Good to be fighting alongside you major."

"Another soldier, huh? What unit are you with?"

"Currently a member of Squad 19 as part of the Einherjar, but I used to be a Private in the Fifty Fourth Massachusetts."

"Hmm," Armstrong. He hadn't heard of Massachusetts before but the boy's uniform and the way he held himself did remind Armstrong of the soldiers, especially the Briggs men under his sister. "An honor to fight beside you as well. And you?" he asked, turning to the girl.

"I'm Suki," she said. "Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors."

Ember didn't know long she'd been lying there. It seemed like both minutes and hours simultaneously. She wanted to get up but she was too tired, her body too battered and weak. She could barely lift her head. And she definitely didn't have the energy to shift back into her human form.

They had narrowly escaped Vader but they'd been forced to leave Barbara behind. As well as the others he'd killed. Only she and Amani had escaped. After that, Ember had flown as fast as she could, wanting to put as much distance between them and the red-bladed killer as possible.

Of course, that was just the start of their troubles. A few hours into the journey, they were attacked by some weird demonic creatures that swarmed them, hacking at Ember's armor. They were nimble creatures, avoiding almost all of her attacks, and there were dozens of them. Eventually, Ember had been forced to retreat, using her wings to gain an advantage. Still, they trailed after her for hours on end, never giving her a break.

Long into the night she'd flown until she finally managed to lose them. But, luck still wasn't on her side, as just after that she'd flown right into a strange white creature with a figure riding it. It looked like a bird but it had no real scent except something clayish. She tried to fly away again, not wanting any trouble, when suddenly a whole flock of the weird things came after her. And when they got close, they exploded.

Ember could still feel it. The heavy scorch marks and burns across her body. Whatever those explosives were, they were powerful, cutting right through her scales. Amani, as she had done with the other creatures, had tried to help but one explosion had gotten too close and only because of her sand was she just able to shield herself but it still knocked her out with injuries Ember had no idea how to take care of.

It was only thanks to a nearby canyon that she had managed to escape, ducking through all the paths and gorges until she holed up in a small cave, waiting for the danger to pass.

That had been hours ago. She had tried crawling out to get some water from a nearby stream but had collapsed right outside, the effort too much for her. Her body was riddled in pain though some parts were beginning to go numb. Was that good or bad? She was too tired to care. She just wanted sleep but she wasn't sure if that was good or not.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Something was approaching. Something big. She should move, get back to the cave. She had Amani with her, still injured and unconscious. Ember had to protect her as well. She had to get them to safety. But the strain of moving was still too great. She couldn't do it.

She felt the shadow cross her eyes and wanted to look up but the strain had gotten to her and she instead closed her eyes, letting oblivion take her. So this was where she died, on an alien world with a strange sand girl she'd met the other day. She wished she could see Garrett and Riley again. But she supposed, at least this way, she would reunite with Dante. She hoped he was waiting for her, ready to admonish her for all her mistakes right after giving her a big hug.

Yes. Yes, that would be nice.

But apparently, that wasn't too be as the next sensation she felt was some kind of shaking. She blinked her eyes open, the harsh light of the sun blinding her for a few minutes. She was able to take a glance around and was shocked to see she was riding on the back of a blue and red semi-truck.

"Do not worry," she heard a strong, almost metallic voice say from the front of the truck. "You are safe now."

Ember wanted to believe it, but in this crazy new world, safe didn't feel like it had any real meaning.

Characters:

Spider-Man and Hermione currently together attacked by Sinestro and prepping against Voldemort.

Conan, Jessica Cruz, and Boba Fett held captive by Vlad Menshikov and Saruman.

Harry Potter under attack with Luke Castellan, Chewbacca, Frozone, Cassandra Cain, Kuvira, Marina, Legolas, and Groot by mysterious jet.

Percy fought alongside President Superman, Toph, Ahsoka Tano, Jon Snow against Emperor Superman and Homelander.

Korra traveling with Wonder Woman, Ben Grimm, Nico di Angelo, and Liza, separated from Hela.

Barbara Gordon currently held prisoner by Darth Vader alongside Polybotes, Aurra Sing, and Balk.

Ember the dragon and Amani escaped Vader together.

Steve Rogers and Rex are working together.

Arya Stark and Lin Beifong are together.

Zuko, Nia, Thalia, Shazad, and the Mandalorian are together.

Thanos and Uraraka are together.

Chapter Text

"Percy? Percy? Are you even listening? Percy?"

"Huh?" Percy shook himself from the daze, refocusing on the shimmering gray eyes in front of him that were currently glaring at him hard. "Oh, I'm sorry. Uh…what were we talking about again?"

Her glare intensified.

Percy wracked his brain, trying to think as quickly as possible. "Architecture? You have a new design model for your class, right? Oh, wait, no, it's, uh, it's…your dad. Yeah! You're going to see him again aren't you. Good, yeah that's…no, no, it was, um, it was…OH, you wanted to try out that new pizza place down the street. No, wait, it's not a pizza place but it is next to the pizza place which is why…"

He trailed off as she continued to glare at him, her finger tapping the table impatiently.

"Are you done?" she asked dryly.

"Um…Happy Anniversary?" he said weakly, putting on as big a smile as he could.

"Not even close, Seaweed Brain," she said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, you were right the first time."

"I was?" Percy blinked, trying to recall what the first thing he said was. "Oh yeah, the architecture thing. So, how's that going?"

"I just told you and I'm in no mood to go over it again. So just forget it. You'll just zone out again. Like always."

Percy felt that hit harder than any monster attack. He had often wondered how a dimwit like him managed to land someone as amazing as Annabeth. And he knew he could never blow it. "Hey," he said, taking her hand gently. "I'm sorry. You know I'm not as smart as you. Though, to be fair, not many are."

That earned him a tiny smile out of the corner of her mouth.

"If this is important to you than it is absolutely important to me too. So I want to hear it. All of it. From the top. Just, you know, dumb it down for me a little so I can understand."

She gave him another look but he could tell he was winning her over. "Fine," she said. "But I'm not doing this a third time. So you'd better not zone out."

"I promise," he said firmly. "There's no other place I'd rather be right now."

Moments like this, just sitting with his girlfriend at a café, talking about normal stuff like university classes. This is what he wanted. This was the perfect life. He could stay here forever. He didn't ever want to leave. He just closed off his mind and sank away, living in that memory. Nothing else mattered.

"Kid, if you're powerful you'd better wake up soon! And if you're not, well…maybe it would be best to stay asleep."

Vega swam as fast as he could, his powerful fin cutting through the waters. He had hoped with his abilities, he'd be able to maintain a sizable lead over his opponent. But it would seem this guy was pretty fast in the water too.

"I'm going to tear you apart, you filthy traitor!"

"How could I possibly be a traitor?" Vega wondered aloud, wincing slightly. "I don't even know you who you are."

The day had started off normally enough. Just another sun-blessed day aboard the Maelstrom, his son Casper keeping watch in the lookout's post and his…well, he wasn't sure what to call Shah. Lover? Former lover? Possibly soon-to-be wife? Whatever they were to each other, she'd been there by his side, a smile gracing her gorgeous face.

And then, just like that, the White Sea he'd been sailing on had vanished along with his ship, his crew, and his family. Instead, he was in a completely new sea with no ship and no sign of life anywhere nearby.

That had been little over a day ago. In that time, he'd swam around, using his wereshark abilities to dive deep and try to find anything. He didn't know how this could possibly have happened. His leading theory was it was some type of ancient magic like the necromancy young Hector got involved with but he'd never heard of anything like this before. Granted, he'd never really read any book outside of navigational charting before so he wouldn't have anyway. Still, this was something very worrying.

Another theory, more likely, was that he got drunk or knocked out or something and now had a gap in his memory. Which meant that his family and crew were in trouble, wherever they were, and he had to find them fast.

But there was still something off. This sea…it wasn't his. He didn't know how he knew at first but on closer inspection, the entire seafloor was different. He may not be that knowledgeable about politics and higher learning and other such things. But when it came to the sea and navigation there, he was the master. And everything felt wrong. The seafloor was at a different depth than it should be. Also, the amount of sea life was dramatically small. It should be teeming with shoals of fish, the floor lined with crustaceans. But he was lucky if he even found one, just enough to stave off hunger.

It was when he finally found land that he became truly worried. Being part shark, he didn't have a problem staying in the water for long periods of time, but still he was glad when he spotted the landmass on the horizon. But that had quickly changed when he picked out a few details and it didn't take him long to realize that he had no idea where he was. He'd sailed all over the world, from the Cluster Isles through the Lyssian Straits around the Sabre Sea surrounding the sands of Omir all the way up to the icy cold waters of Sturmland. He'd even sailed quite a ways down either sides of the Bast continent. He knew those landmasses, knew their shapes and features by heart so he could recognize them again with ease. And whatever this place was, he didn't recognize it.

He'd at first thought it might be Omir judging from the arid and desert landscape but after traveling along the coast for a while he'd been convinced that that couldn't be the case. Whatever this place was, it was something else.

The good news, at the time, had been that he had actually found someone else. He had spotted him walking down the coast and had felt a mixture of relief and apprehension. But if he wanted any help figuring out what was going on, he had to go over there. Besides, he was one of the most powerful werelords in Lyssia. Granted, that hadn't stopped him from getting stabbed and coming almost crossing over to death but that had only happened because he let his guard down. Right now, his guard was way up and he was ready for anything.

So of course, at that moment, the whole world started shaking.

"What in Sosha's name?" he cried as waves struck him away from the coast. Then to his astonishment, a large fissure opened up in the mainland. Or, more accurately, a small fissure suddenly became much larger thanks to…something. An earthquake? Certainly felt like one but much different.

Vega dove down to the seafloor, grabbing hold a rocky shelf as a fresh wave washed over him, just managing to hang on and preventing himself from getting carried away.

He managed to get a good amount of oxygen through his gills before he looked up and his cold eyes widened as another wave, way more powerful than the others, came rushing towards him right out of that fissure.

"Ah shit!" he moaned and braced himself just before it hit. As a sailor, he knew better than to tense up all the way but still, the force of the wave sent him blasting across the sea. However, he quickly managed to right himself and relaxed his body, riding the waves as much as he could. He was still getting tossed around but with his added strength and speed, he was able to keep himself from losing complete control.

He didn't know how long it was. Could have been minutes or hours. Most likely minutes though. But, after a while, the wave receded and he was able to swim normally again.

"Sweet Sosha," he murmured. "What in the hells was that?"

He didn't have much time to ponder that before he spotted something on the sea floor. He frowned before swimming up a bit closer. It was a…boy. Only a little older than Casper by the looks of him. Black hair and a tattered purple shirt. But how had he wound up like this?

"Must have gotten caught in the current," Vega muttered to himself as he swam a bit closer. "Poor kid. Never stood a chance. Still, should be able to…Holy Mother of-"

He let out a string of curses as he saw the boy's chest go up and down. It was uneven and slow, like each breath was a labor, but he was doing it. He was somehow breathing underwater. Vega gaped for a few seconds before swimming closer. He looked for any werelord traits, especially gills, but found nothing. He looked like any old human. So, how was he able to breathe underwater.

"What kind of magic is this?" Vega wondered, carefully lifting him up off the seafloor. "Well, whatever the case, it would seem best to get you back to the mainland and see-"

"What are you doing?"

Vega would have jumped if he wasn't underwater, turning to see another figure. This one, however, was a werelord. Some sort of werefish or even a wereray judging from the sawfish nose he had. He was dressed strangely though, a bright black-and-yellow shirt worn with the front open revealing purplish-blue skin. There was a bright red marking on the man's left shoulder that looked like the sun.

"Why are you saving some worthless human?" the werelord growled, showing off his sharpened teeth. Vega tilted his head in confusion at the sight. He could have sworn this man was some sort of werefish or wereray yet those teeth definitely seemed sharklike.

"Who are you?"

"Who the hell are you? Another obviously. What are you doing here? And, more importantly, why would you help some drowned human?"

Vega wasn't sure how to respond to that. "He's not dead yet," he said. "Somehow, he's breathing underwater."

"What?" The werelord swam forward, taking a closer look at the boy and was shocked to see his chest slowly rise and fall. "That's impossible. What the hell is he?"

"That's what I'd like to find out, so-"

If it weren't for Vega's quick instincts, the boy would be dead as the werelord suddenly lashed out, his fist ready to strike. Vega managed to swim out of the way in the nick of time but felt the water part from the blow, waves washing back a few feet. The power in that strike…it was almost beyond belief.

"What was that for?" Vega asked curiously, all the while preparing himself for a fast escape.

"A worthless human breathing underwater? How dare that brat! I don't know what he is but he is no Fish-man and doesn't deserve to breathe the same rich waters as the rest of us. And you!" He glared fiercely at Vega now. "You would defend him! Do you know what humans have done to us?"

Vega frowned. "Honestly, it's more often what we do to them," he replied, thinking of all the times humans had been persecuted and stepped on by the werelords, especially in King Leopold's reign.

The werelord's eyes turned into narrow slits. "You don't even know the history of your kind. How can you call yourself a Fish-man!"

"I don't know what a Fish-man is, but I'm not one," Vega told him, tensing himself. "I'm a wereshark."

"Were…shark? What the hell is that?"

Vega didn't like the way he said that. Sure, he may not have ever met a wereshark before, but the way he had replied told Vega he was more unaware of what 'were' meant. Something everyone knew. So how could he not?

Vega could think of several possibly reasons. One was that whoever this was had lived as a recluse his entire life and hadn't learned the proper words for their kind, choosing to call himself a Fish-man, and had wound up believing that their kind were treated badly for some reason.

The other theory was that Vega was in a completely new land far away from Lyssia.

"One question. Do you know where we are right now?"

"I…" The Fish-man hesitated. "I'm not sure. One second I was in my cell, the next I was in the middle of some random ocean, one I don't recognize."

"Same here. I was on my ship and then I found myself way out here."

"So what?" the Fish-man snarled. "It changes nothing! That boy must die!"

"Why? He might have some answers."

"Who cares! I'll find them out for myself later then. But a filthy human, breathing water like that? I cannot let that pass. Besides, who knows what else he knows. Better to kill him now than see what else he can do."

Vega looked down at the boy again, his black hair plaster across his face, his body riddled with small bruises and scars. But he looked so at peace floating in the water. And, looking at him, Vega couldn't help but be reminded of his own son Casper who seemed only a few years short of this boy.

"No."

"What?" the Fish-man growled. "You would stick up for this…human?"

"Yep!" Vega replied. Then, he span through the water and slammed his foot into the Fish-man's stomach.

He wasn't sure what he was expecting. He had hoped that he would send the Fish-man tumbling away through the water or at least double him over from the pain. But, instead, the fishmman only grunted from the impact. His stomach felt like iron and Vega could feel pain shooting up from his shin.

What in Sosha's name is he made of? Vega wondered. But he didn't have time to think on it as the Fish-man grinned viciously at him.

"I always hate killing my own kind. But if you're going to be a traitor, best to put you down quickly."

Vega moved on instinct, dodging the Fish-man's snapping jaws and ducking under him, the boy still in his arms. Damn it all! he cursed. He usually never fled from a fight like this but he couldn't do much while protecting the boy, especially given this Fish-man's monstrous strength. That only left him with running away, something that sit well with him. Still, he acted fast, pushing off of the seafloor to gain more traction and swimming away at top speed.

"Come back here and fight, coward!"

Vega grimaced, hating that technically the Fish-man was right. This was cowardly. But he was afraid that even if he put the kid down somewhere, the Fish-man might still go after him. No, he needed to come up with a better plan. And soon, judging from the way the Fish-man was gaining on him.

As he moved, he felt something odd as he gripped the boy. There was something small and…cylindrical in his pocket. Hoping it was some sort of weapon, Vega carefully removed it while still swimming as fast as he could. Sadly, when he removed it, all he saw was some strange metallic looking quill. Tossing it aside, he kept going.

He stayed low, skimming the surface of the seafloor and ducking around the rocky outcroppings. He hoped there was a reef or trench or something nearby that he could use for cover but so far the best thing he saw was some sort of pillar a little ways away. Still, it was better than nothing so he went for it at top speed.

That still wasn't enough. He sensed the shift in the water behind him and acted on instinct, rolling to the side just as the Fish-man attacked. Vega winced, feeling those claws scrape against his flesh, gouging it a little and leaving a trail of blood in the water. But he didn't think on it long, already moving again.

"Need a plan," he muttered to himself. Whoever this guy was, he was incredibly fast and strong, way more powerful than anyone Vega had faced before. So outswimming him wasn't an option. But there wasn't much left to do. He could always abandon the kid, lighten the load and give the Fish-man a distraction for him to escape. But Vega tossed that aside the second he thought it. He may be a pirate, but he wasn't one to just toss someone aside to save his own skin. Well, an enemy or someone he didn't like maybe. But a random kid he didn't know who looked like he was barely clinging to life? No, Vega couldn't do that. But that didn't leave him many options.

"I hope you wake up soon if you do have some kind of powers," Vega muttered though he wondered kind of powers those would be. He had to be a werelord of the sea if he was breathing underwater like this but in this weakened state, there was probably nothing he could do against the Fish-man over there coming right for them.

"I will rip you apart!" the Fish-man growled, his teeth bared viciously as he swam closer.

"Who even are you and why would you hate humans so much? I understand why humans hate us given the last few centuries, but what'd they do to you?"

"You don't even know our history?" the Fish-man questioned in disbelief. "What a shame our kind has become. I am Arlong, captain of the Arlong Pirates. It is my destiny to take over this world in the name of all Fish-men and put the humans in their place beneath our feet. Make them the slaves for once so that they will know the pain and humiliation too many of our kind have suffered."

Vega didn't like the way he said that. It reminded him way too much of the way certain werelords like Leopold or Ghul talked, like they were superior just based on them being werelords. It was clear he had gone through things, terrible things, to think this way. Or at least it sounded like it. But still, it didn't sit right with Vega.

"Well, I've never suffered like that," he replied. "I'm a pirate captain too and my crew's mainly humans and I would give my life for each and every one of them. They're my brothers in arms."

"Disgusting!" Arlong snarled. "To see a Fish-Man fall so far like this. It makes my blood boil. How could you betray your own kind this way? You are far worse than Jimbei or those imbecile royals of the Ryugu Kingdom. At least they still have some pride left. But you…you sold yours all away. In the name of Fisher Tiger, I will tear you apart."

Vega growled and prepared to lower the boy. At least he had succeeded in diverting all attention on to himself so it didn't look like Arlong would go after the boy until Vega was dead. Small comforts it seemed.

"One thing. I'm no Fish-man," Vega told him and let the transformation overtake him, his bones snapping and dislocating even more, his skin shaping up, his jaw elongating, his teeth sharpening. In a blink, his eyes were gone, replaced with the cold stare of a shark. "I'm a wereshark. And you'll find me hard to kill."

"We'll see," Arlong growled before launching himself forward. "Shark Darts!"

Vega barely had time to react before the Fish-man was on him. He had tried to prepare for the speed but it was nearly impossible to do. He didn't even have time to put the kid down. He just tossed him over one arm and lunged out with the other in defense as Arlong's long, sharp nose came at him like a spear, managing to grab onto it before he got struck. Still, it didn't do much as Arlong kept going, grabbing Vega around the middle and pushing them both forward.

Arlong's mouth snapped down, almost biting Vega but he managed to use his legs to keep the Fish-man at bay. "Rargh!" Arlong roared and swam downwards, smashing Vega into the seafloor. Vega grunted, feeling the sand and rocks scraping his backside as he was dragged forward. But they were all superficial injuries. Instead, he focused his all on Arlong's nose, clasping it between his fingers and twisting it will all his strength.

Snap!

"Argh!" Arlong screamed as Vega broke his nose, practically twisting it to the side. With a grunt, he threw Vega off, leaving the werelord spinning in the water before he was able to right himself.

Vega gave himself a few seconds to rest up. That had been too close. He didn't think he'd be able to avoid another attack like that with just some back scrapes. He needed to do something.

First things first, he had to put the kid down. Even if Arlong went after him the second Vega let him go, it was still too much of a risk to keep holding him. Vega would just have to lead Arlong away.

But as he put the boy down, he felt something in his pocket again. Frowning, he removed it and saw to his shock that it was the same metallic quill thing he had thrown away just a minute ago. "How is this possible?" he muttered. "What magic is this?"

He didn't have time to think about it as he heard growling and turned to see Arlong facing him again, having done his best to right his broken nose. "You will suffer for that, traitor!"

"I have been so furious and confused at the same time before," Vega muttered. Then, to his surprise, he saw Arlong laughing widely, his mouth opening wide. That surprise turned to shock as the Fish-man's teeth suddenly came out in a perfect form, with even the underlying bone holding them all together. And, a few seconds later, another set of teeth came out and a third one grew back.

"The perks of being part shark, don't you think?" he asked, now holding a set of teeth in each hand like weapons.

Vega found himself nodding. He too had tooth regeneration abilities but nothing on that scale. After a nasty fight, he could regrow lost teeth in about two weeks. This guy did it in two seconds. That was unreal. And he used them to fight as well. Vega had to admit he was pretty envious to know this guy had a set of weapons always on hand.

"Tooth Attack!" Arlong cried, launching himself through the water. As he did, Vega dodged to the right, grabbing Arlong's arm as it came at him and forcing it to the side, just avoiding getting bitten by that tooth set. But Arlong brought the other one up just as fast and as Vega moved to intercept, he felt something in his hand and realized the strange quill was still in there. And in that instant, he was distracted.

"Argh!" he roared a second later as Arlong's tooth clamps bit down onto his arm, sinking deep into his flesh. He tried yanking it free but just tore more skin off, Arlong tightening his grip to prevent him from getting free. And if he kept going, he was liable to lose his hand.

"You're not escaping me, you filthy tr- YAH!" Arlong suddenly screamed as Vega lunged forward, biting down himself on Arlong's arm, letting his teeth sink in as much as they could.

It wasn't much, unfortunately. Vega didn't know how but Arlong's skin was very tough. It felt like sinking his teeth into iron rather than flesh. Still, he kept biting down as much as he could.

"You want to play like that? Fine!"

It was instinct alone that saved him as Vega instantly released his grip and dove backwards as much as he could, just avoiding Arlong's own attempt to bite him.

Arlong glared at him before glancing at the bite marks on his shoulder. Vega grimaced at the shallow wounds, small blood trails leaking out of them. "That's the best you can do?" Arlong laughed. "Nothing but scratches. This will be over quickly."

He squeezed down on his tooth set and Vega nearly cried out, feeling those teeth sinking even more into his hand. He was running out of options. He had to do something right now and he didn't really feel like losing his hand. Drew may have done it but that didn't mean Vega had to follow in his footsteps.

He had to release Arlong's grip somehow. And there was only one place he'd injured him so far.

He yanked his head back and then hurled it forward, striking Arlong right in his broken nose.

"YAHHH!" Arlong screeched and in that second, he lost his grip. Vega instantly broke free, still wincing as he found Arlong had left the tooth set in his arm. He winced and pried it loose, letting the teeth drift away.

As soon as he was free, he opened his hand up again and saw that strange metallic quill from the boy's pocket. This thing almost cost me my hand, he grumbled. But still, there was something about it. How had it returned to the boy's pocket. If it had some kind of magic, he should use it. He needed every advantage he had.

But, what other magic did it have? And how did he unleash it?

"You will pay for that!" Arlong growled and Vega saw he'd already dropped his latest set of teeth and was now regrowing them. "I'll tear you apart until you're nothing but shreds! And then I'll slaughter that boy as well!"

Vega grabbed hold of the quill and started shaking it around, trying anything that would work. And, acting on instinct, he removed the cap on the end of it.

SHING!

He nearly jumped out of his skin as the gleaming bronze blade shot out from where the quill was, its metallic surface shining even this deep beneath the waves. Vega gaped for a second. He knew his way around swords pretty well and he had to admit, this was one fine blade. He had no idea what the metal was but it was light in his grip and yet he could feel a lot of power within it.

"A sword huh?" Arlong questioned, obviously confused by its sudden appearance. But he shook it off. "Doesn't matter. You'll still die. That blade will shatter across my superior skin!"

Vega frowned. He did know a few werelords whose skin was particular tough. Hackett the werecrab was a good example as well as the other crustacean therianthropes. The elephantine ones as well, but that hadn't stopped him from smashing that Hippo Lord apart with his anchor. And it didn't matter how tough this Fish-man's skin was. It was the wielder, not the weapon, that decided the outcome of the fight.

He twirled the blade around, getting a grip for it, before holding it steady and pointing it at Arlong. "You know, I usually prefer to use my mouth and jaws when in a fight," he said. "But I must admit, there is something satisfying about holding a sword again."

"Enough talk. Tooth Attack!" Arlong dove forwards again, both sets of teeth at the ready. Vega dove as well, moving to the Fish-man's left side and bringing the sword down on the closest teeth set. The two weapons clanged together before the sword bit deep into the teeth, cracking them.

"What?" Arlong roared.

"Ha!" Vega smirked, yanking the sword free and taking his enemy's distraction to stab him. Arlong saw it at the last second and moved, but he managed to get hit in the ribs. He almost roared but this time held it in. Vega followed up his attack swiftly, going for Arlong's head and forcing him to duck.

Arlong swam closer, teeth bearing down to bite him again but Vega's new sword had a short grip and he was able to bring it to his defense quickly, slashing at Arlong and driving him off again.

Vega watched Arlong carefully who was doing the same back and noticed the blood trail drifting in the currents around them. "Guess you were wrong about your impervious skin," Vega chuckled.

"That blade," Arlong muttered, eyeing it murderously. "Worse than sea prism stone."

Vega wasn't sure what that meant but judging from Arlong's expression it clearly meant bad news. For him anyway which worked for Vega just fine.

"I thought you said you would tear me apart? So was that all talk after all?" he taunted.

Arlong eyed him coldly. "I underestimated you, I admit. But I will ensure you fall today. There's no way I'd let-"

"Oh shut up!" Vega growled, diving forward himself, sword raised high. However, just as he reached Arlong, the Fish-man dived aside and swing his fist at Vega, catching him in the jaw. Vega almost felt his whole face shatter from the impact. Damn it, he'd gotten cocky there. He rolled through the water before righting himself. He looked up and instantly ducked as Arlong came at him again. He avoided the first blow, the water parting right above his head, but the second caught him in the ribs, sending him washing backwards again.

Even through the pain, he was able to keep his wits and was able to see Arlong lower his head, preparing for his sudden charge attack. There was a blast of water and Vega instinctively moved, Arlong's gnashing teeth passing by his head with only inches to spare. Vega growled and swam after him but Arlong recovered quickly, spinning around and striking Vega back again, nearly making him drop his sword.

"He's too fast," Vega grunted, struggling to breathe after that last blow. His ribs had definitely taken the brunt of it. He was a fast healer so he should be fine but still, he didn't know how much more of this he could take.

"Rah!"

Vega watched, confused for a second, as Arlong leaned down and punched the seafloor. His eyes widened in shock as the whole floor cracked from the impact. Arlong dug his hands between the cracks and heaved upwards, a large clump of earth coming up with him.

"That strength…" Vega murmured.

"Eat this!" Arlong cried, throwing the whole clump at him with much more speed than Vega would have expected. He barely had time to react, much less move. He dove to the side, the rock scraping his leg as he passed it, gouging it and leaving him floundering. The rock struck the bottom, sending up a large dust cloud, making the sea sandy and murky, nearly impossible to see through.

Vega grunted, holding his leg gingerly. Thanks to his superhealing, he should be fine. But it still put him at an even greater disadvantage now. He didn't know how he could beat Arlong.

His only warning was the slight shift in the water. Then he saw the nose coming at him through the murk and he tried to swim away but was far too slow. Arlong struck him head on, his jaws clamping down on Vega's shoulder.

"AAARRRGGGHHHH!" Vega roared, feeling like iron blades were ripping into him, not teeth. He'd been bitten before, but nothing like this. It felt like his whole shoulder would be torn off at any second and if he didn't do something fast, it probably would.

He thrust upwards with the sword but was stopped, Arlong's grip suddenly appearing on his sword-arm and holding him fast. He couldn't move.

He could smell all his blood in the water and he could tell how much he'd lost already. He wouldn't last much longer but he was out of options. He'd faced worse things than this. He'd been trapped in a city attacked on all sides and managed to escape. He'd seen the face of Death itself and come out on top. He'd been a prisoner of the weresquid Ghul and managed to kill that bastard. He'd faced the unstoppable forces of the Catlords and helped stop them. Hells, he'd even survived a silver knife wound to the gut from Shah's admirer Djogo that should have had him dining in Sosha's court. Or possibly Brenn's table, depending on his mood. But this seemed to be it for him.

Caspar, he thought, his son entering his mind. Shah.

No. He would not die here.

New strength surged through him and he poured it all into his sword arm. He twisted the blade slightly and thrust upwards with all he had. Arlong pushed down but even he wasn't strong enough as the sword went up and through his own arm.

The Fish-man instantly released Vega's shoulder, screaming out in pain. But before he could retreat or attack again or anything else, Vega kept his momentum going by yanking out the blade and slicing Arlong across his chest, leaving a deep wound.

"Damn it!" Arlong growled, floating away slightly as he looked at his injury. "It seems you are formidable in your own way. But this fight is over."

"What, you getting tired, Fish-boy?" Vega taunted though he himself felt like he would collapse at any moment, if he could in fact collapse underwater.

"You may be a true fighter, but all your efforts were in vain. That boy will still die once I kill you," Arlong told him, gesturing to the boy's still form in the water. "Him and all his kind must suffer for what they have done to our people. You are not strong enough to beat me, that is certain. So now, I will end this!"

Vega braced himself as Arlong prepared to attack again when a third voice rippled between them.

"What is all this then?"

They both turned, seeing a figure emerge. Vega blinked at what he was seeing. It was a bare-chested man with blue pants. Across the sides of his arms and legs looked like some sort of black crustacean armor. But it was the way he held himself that caught Vega's attention. The Sharklord had only met a few people like that, first his old king Wergar and then the new king Leopold. Both of them had radiated power though Wergar a bit more. But this man took it to a new level. There wasn't a doubt in Vega's mind that this man was a ruler.

Though the small wings sticking out of his feet did sort of diminish his image.

"And who the hell are you?" Arlong growled. "You don't look like any Fish-man I know. Are you some sort of pretender like that brat over there? Another filthy human making a mockery of my people?"

The man sniffed, regarding Arlong coldly. "I am Namor, the Sub-Mariner. King of Atlantis."

"Never heard of it," Arlong replied. "Now tell me, King, how are you able to breathe underwater?"

"It is my heritage," Namor said. "My mother was an Atlantean princess."

"And your father?"

Vega felt a chill go through the water as Namor stared at Arlong. He then looked over at Vega as well as his injury before glancing at the boy's form. He then began drifting over to him, lifting him up easily.

"Hey, don't ignore me!" Arlong cried. "How dare you! You didn't answer me because he's a human, isn't he?"

"So what if he was?" Namor asked, not looking over.

Arlong seethed through his sharp teeth. "A human…mated with a mermaid? With one of my kind? The shame. And you say she was a princess? That is far worse than those soft-bellied slugs of the Ryugu Kingdom. I don't think even they would do something so heinous as to lie with a filthy human. What kind of whor-"

The punch came so fast that Vega almost missed it. One second Arlong was there, the next the water parted in front of him as Namor's fist struck him in the chest, sending him soaring through the ocean until he landed on the seafloor in the distance.

"Do not ever say a word about my mother!"

Namor was not in a good mood. That would be an understatement, honestly. He couldn't count the number of times he'd been suddenly transported somewhere else against his will. Usually it involved some enemy of his playing some twisted game and sometimes it was an ally of his requiring his aid in saving the world or something like that. Either way, he was long past the point of being infuriated by it happening over and over.

So when he once again was transported somewhere else against his will, he had grabbed a nearby stone pillar and sent it flying to the horizon before screaming out the many violent and graphic things he would do to whoever brought him here. That was the difference this time. He usually was told why he was brought to this new place on the instant of his arrival, sometimes a little after it. But now, more than a day had gone by and nothing. He had encountered a few strange beasts that had attacked him on sight but they were easily taken care of.

He'd flown up high to see if he could spot anything but all he was a desolate wasteland. It had taken him a few hours to find a source of water (he had been almost dried out and running low on strength by that point) and a few more hours before he found the sea it led to.

He at first thought he was near salvation. But this sea was unlike anything he knew. There was almost nothing living in it. He at first thought that he'd been shot back in time, prior to the prehistoric eras but to when life itself was still beginning in the sea. But he'd found that not to be the case either. Evidence was shown that there had been life here before. It was just…gone now. And that thought terrified him.

Namor had swam for the rest of the day, searching the oceans for any signs of life. He'd spotted a few plants here and there and even a couple shoals of fish, allowing him a few bites to help fill his stomach. But the rest of the wide ocean seemed empty.

Until recently that was.

"WAAHHHH! Oh my beloved Gray! I can't seem to find you anywhere! Where could you be! Are you lost without me? I can just imagine him, lost and alone, searching for me. I'm sure he would find me eventually, our love is too powerful for us to be kept apart! But he's probably stuck on land, he wouldn't be able to search underwater like me. I'm sorry my beloved, the ocean is the only place I could find any food, please forgive me! But don't worry, I'll start looking for you-"

"Hello."

Namor had been very tempted to leave this clearly crazy person by herself and move on but after so long on his own, it was a little pleasing to finally find someone else. Even if she did babble on like a love-struck lunatic.

He found the young teenage girl sitting on the edge of a sea trench just a few miles from land. To his surprise, he saw she was wearing a large coat and a tall hat, neither of which seemed affected by the water.

Some sort of magic perhaps, he mused, drifting closer to her.

She had jumped when he spoke, initially on the defensive as she prepared to attack. But then she took one look at Namor and screamed 'Gray! My Darling!' and jumped at him.

"Stop!" Namor commanded, grabbing hold of her and keeping her back. "Who are you?"

"Gray, why are you so cold to…oh," she stopped, looking at him clearly now as her infatuated look vanished. "You're not Gray. You're much older. Though your body stature is remarkably similar and you're not wearing many clothes just like him."

"Excuse me?" Namor asked, both annoyed and confused now. Who was this crazy girl?

"I'm sorry for jumping you like that. Those kind of leaps are reserved solely for my beloved."

Namor was starting to feel seriously bad for whoever this 'Gray' person was. "No matter," he said. "I am Namor, known as the Sub-Mariner."

"Oh, well, I'm Juvia. Juvia Lockser."

"How did you come to this place?"

"Well I just leapt down from that cliff up there. I was searching everywhere up there for my beloved but it was rather hot and dry and my powers were fading fast. I was starving and thirsty so I had to dive down here but surely he can understand that-"

"No, no, no!" Namor stopped her, shaking his head. He could already tell that this would be very tedious. "I meant this land, this whole place. How did you wind up here?"

"Oh, I'm not quite sure," she replied, tapping her finger in thought. "I was in the guildhall when suddenly I was sitting in the desert with nothing around for miles. I thought it must be a transportation spell of some kind but I can't seem to find anyone. Until you, that is."

"Hmmm," Namor nodded. So the same thing happened to her. Yes, judging from the way she had been talking earlier, he'd figured that. A shame he couldn't get any more answers. "Very well. Best of luck to you."

"Wait!" Juvia cried as Namor swam away. "You're just going to leave?"

"What point is there in staying? We are of no use to each other. The same thing happened to me. I must return to my people as soon as possible."

"Well I must find my guild, especially Gray, as fast as I can too. We might be under attack and scattered to the winds."

"What does that have to do with me? We have no relation."

"But two heads are better than one," she argued. "We might be able to find our people if we worked together."

Namor paused. That did make sense. And he did admit, the sheer emptiness of the ocean was beginning to get to him a little with barely even any fish around. "Fine then, come along if you must."

"But…my Gray!" Juvia whimpered, looking up at the mainland through the water. "He must have landed somewhere there as well. I can't swim away from him."

"Then stay here. But, you said your powers wane quickly in the desert sun. Mine do as well. We have no idea where we are or who sent us but I would prefer to be at full power when we finally meet. Besides, do you trust your friends to take care of themselves?"

Juvia didn't even pause. "Yes, I know they can."

"Then that is all there is to it. Focus on your own survival. Now come or don't. It matters not to me."

And that was how Namor received a traveling companion in the form of a young Juvia Lockser. She was rather annoying at first with her constant mutterings about this 'Gray' person, but Namor just tuned her out, focusing on the task at hand. He continued to scan the ocean as much as he could, traveling through the currents and sensing for any new species they might come across. He occasionally found a few but they were always small lifeforms. The largest was a lobster-like creature living in a bunch of rocks.

"What happened here?" he wondered aloud. It was the entire underwater ecosystem had been devastated. A flash of fear struck him as he wondered if this might be what was destined for his kingdom, what the pollution would do to Atlantis one day from all the surface-dwellers. The idea filled him with rage.

And yet, the water didn't feel polluted. Just…barren.

"Where is everything?" Juvia asked.

"That is what I would like to know," Namor replied. "Come. Perhaps if we stayed near the coastline, we will find some answers."

They kept moving, traveling over several miles, before Juvia spoke again. "So…what kind of wizard are you?"

Namor snorted. "Wizard? I am no wizard. I leave such things to Strange and his kind."

"You're not a wizard?" Juvia gasped. "Then…how are you doing this? Breathing underwater with such ease? You must have some sort of magic."

"Not as far as I know. My mother was an Atlantean, a people who have always lived beneath the waves. Magic does not give me strength, merely biology."

"I've never heard of Atlantis before," Juvia muttered, almost to herself.

"Few have," Namor said. Most surface dwellers did prefer to see Atlantis as just a myth so they didn't have to think about all the toxic waste they dumped that poisoned innocent people. Or they merely didn't care. Another reason Namor enjoyed rising up to remind them of his existence, and his power.

Still, he had a feeling someone like Juvia would have heard of Atlantis if she was from his world. But he suspected that they were currently on some new world. He'd been through this so many times that he'd gotten used to it. And he had to assume that Juvia was from another world too.

"So there is a whole city of people living in the sea?" she asked.

"Yes. I am king there," Namor told her.

She was silent for a moment, lost in thought. Namor glanced back at her, noting her reflective and somber expression. "When I was a child," she said, "my powers made it rain wherever I went. Because of that, everyone steered clear or me and I wasn't able to form any true relationship."

"Typical," Namor muttered. "People will always shun away that which they do not understand."

"Yes, I sadly have found that to be the case. I found out later the rain was caused by my depression and it was only when I met Gray who showed true compassion to me that the spell finally broke. Still, it would have been nice to live in a place where that wouldn't have been a concern."

Namor nodded. "Yes, I know of some with abilities such as yours. And they are always welcome in Altantis. But it seems you have found your own home anyway."

Juvia smiled softly. "Yes. Despite my previous actions against them, Fairy Tail welcomed me whole-heartedly. They are my family now and I would do anything to protect them."

"Good," Namor told her. "It seems things worked out well for you." For him though, it didn't seem like anything worked out. His people were under constant threat from one foe or another, no matter how hard he tried to protect them. And things seemed to get messed up no matter what he did. His altercations with the Avengers was proof of that, as well as his current relationship with his oldest friend Captain America.

THUD!

Namor focused up as he heard something off in the distance land firmly in the seafloor.

"What is it?" Juvia asked.

"Quiet," he replied, reaching out with his senses. He felt it a few seconds later, a slight wave of force pushing away the water into him.

"Oh!" Juvia cried, being sent back a ways. "What was that?"

"I'm not sure. But it's something different which is all that matters now."

Namor slowly floated in that direction until a loud scream rippled through the water. Just like that, he shot forward, passing by several pillars of rock rising from the seafloor until he found two figures grappling with each other just ahead of him. One seemed to be a humanoid great white shark while the other was also shark-like but whose nose was more swordfish in appearance.

As Namor watched, the great white made a stabbing motion, forcing the other to retreat but he managed to land a blow across long-nose's chest with his sword. Still, it seemed like long-nose did more damage judging from the amount of blood spilling from great white's injuried.

"Shouldn't we stop this?" Juvia asked nervously.

"Why? This has nothing to do with us," Namor said.

"But they might know something about…well…what's happened…" Juvia said hesitantly, obviously not sure herself.

"Unlikely, but still possible," Namor nodded, sighing slightly. "Very well. Stay back, I'll handle this." He swam forward towards the pair just as they surged towards each other again. "What is all this then?" he called out.

Both figures stopped, turning to face him

"And who the hell are you?" long-nose growled. "You don't look like any Fish-man I know. Are you some sort of pretender like that brat over there? Another filthy human making a mockery of my people?"

Namor sniffed as he looked the apparent 'Fish-man' over. He'd heard the term fish-man before but always in a more derogatory way. Apparently, wherever this man was from, Fish-men was actually the name of a species. Namor wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"I am Namor, the Sub-Mariner. King of Atlantis," he said.

"Never heard of it," the Fish-man replied. "Now tell me, King, how are you able to breathe underwater?"

"It is my heritage," Namor replied, not liking where this conversation was going. "My mother was an Atlantean princess."

"And your father?"

Namor stared at the Fish-man hard, choosing not to answer. He felt no shame for his father being a surface dweller. But he also knew that, based on how the Fish-man was talking, he would certainly take offense and launch an attack. So, for now, Namor would see if he could avoid that. He looked over at the great white and the large bite-mark across his shoulder. He probably had about ten or fifteen minutes before he bled out if he was lucky. Then, Namor noticed a young boy, no older than eighteen, drifting near the floor. No visible injuries but Namor couldn't help but notice that he looked remarkably similar to how Namor did when he hadn't been near water in a long time. Curious, he began moving over to him and lifted him up easily.

"Hey, don't ignore me!" the Fish-man cried. "How dare you! You didn't answer me because he's a human, isn't he?"

"So what if he was?" Namor asked, still looking at the boy. One look at him and Namor could tell he was a warrior. So what had happened to him?

"A human…mated with a mermaid? With one of my kind? The shame." Namor perked up at those words, already knowing where they were going. He began prepping himself for the fight. "And you say she was a princess? That is far worse than those soft-bellied slugs of the Ryugu Kingdom. I don't think even they would do something so heinous as to lie with a filthy human. What kind of whor-"

Namor moved before he thought, his fist parting the water as it landed on the Fish-man's chest, launching him across the ocean with all of Namor's power.

"Do not ever say a word about my mother!" he growled. The time for calm had passed. Now it was time to show this 'Fish-man' true power. "Juvia!" he barked.

"Uh…yes?"

"Take care of this one," he said, holding out the limp boy.

"Oh my," Juvia said as she floated up next to him. "He looks remarkably like my Gray. But no, Juvia's heart belongs solely to…"

"Just take care of him," Namor interrupted, not having any patience for her ramblings. He turned to the great white who was clutching his injury tightly. "And you? Do you have any problems with my lineage?"

"Ha," the shark-man snorted. "None. Couldn't care less. Not my business who's screwing around with who. But that dude's got some serious issues."

"Hmmm. Juvia, take care of him as well. Later, when you heal, we can talk. For now though," Namor glared at the figure rising up in the distance, "I have someone I need to take care of."

He shot forward like a torpedo, smashing his fist down on the Fish-man before he could get upright, slamming him back down into the seafloor and causing the whole first layer to crack and begin drifting in the water.

"Argh!" the Fish-man gurgled, Namor's blow having struck right in his wound. Still, he had remarkable recovery, grabbing hold of Namor's arm and throwing him to the side. "You think you can beat me?" he roared, spitting out blood as he attacked. "I am Arlong, captain of the-"

Namor's hand shot out and grabbed him by the throat. "I don't care." He pushed upwards through the water just a little before flipping over backwards and slamming Arlong headfirst back into the seafloor. Thank you for the idea, Captain, Namor thought.

"Ok, it seems you're tougher than that traitorous shark back there," Arlong growled after a moment, rising up again. As Namor watched, his teeth fell out twice to his surprise and Arlong brandished the two sets in each hand like strange claw weapons. "But let's see how long you last now! Tooth Attack!"

Arlong surged forwards and Namor moved to meet him, the two clashing in the middle. Namor's hands managed to grab Arlong's, snapping the teeth firmly closed and preventing them from opening again. Before Arlong could do anything, Namor head-butted him firmly in the nose, bending it down.

"Arrghhh!" Arlong roared in pain, losing his grip on his tooth weapons. Unfortunately for him, Namor grabbed hold of them, eyeing them carefully.

"Pretty strong," he remarked. "Let's see how strong."

"Huh?" Arlong looked up just as Namor smashed his own tooth sets into his hands, clamping down hard. "AHHHHH!" he screeched, feeling his teeth sinking into his flesh and drawing blood. He'd briefly wondered just how his own teeth felt when digging into flesh like this. He had relished in the pain and suffering it brought all those worthless humans. And now he knew the pain himself.

"Is that all?"

"I'll…kill…you…" Arlong managed, slowly and carefully releasing the tooth sets' grip on his wrists. "You will…suffer for this…"

"Really?" Namor asked, his eyebrow raised. He had to hand it to Arlong, the Fish-man was persistent. And while that was admirable in some cases, right now it just felt like stupidity. "You haven't managed to even injure me while you look like you might drop dead any instant."

"You may be strong," Arlong gasped and Namor saw him tensing his backlegs, "but nothing can withstand my next attack. Prepare to die, you half-breed trash! Shark Tooth Drill!"

He surged forward again, spinning through the water with his teeth primed to bite down. He came so fast that Namor couldn't dodge in time, taking the blow right in the shoulder and feeling Arlong's teeth sink in. He grunted in pain but stamped down on the seafloor and stopped Arlong's thrust in its tracks.

"My teeth will cleave through you!" Arlong roared through Namor's flesh, biting down even harder. But then he stopped, fear beginning to drip inside of him. He couldn't bite any further, no matter how hard he tried. There was something stopping him. Namor's flesh was too damn strong.

He was so distracted, he didn't notice Namor's movements until he was punched again in the chest, sending him crashing back into the seafloor. He groaned, his whole body aching, and just managed to sit up. But a second later he was down again, Namor's winged foot pressing him down. Arlong grunted and tried to throw him off but the foot refused to budge. Arlong looked up and saw the bite mark he'd made. Only to call it a bite mark was laughable, only spotting small indentations in Namor's skin with trails of blood flowing from them.

That was all the damage he'd managed to inflict? Only that much?

"You talk big," Namor commented. "But you have nothing to back it up."

Arlong growled, wanting nothing more than to rip the foot off him and then tear into this Fish-hybrid filth. But he couldn't. He was too weak in comparison. "This doesn't make sense," he said. "I am a Fish-man, superior to humans in every way. And yet you, a half-breed trash, bested me?"

"I am Namor. People will say all they can about me and most of it I brush aside. But know this. You may consider me trash, but never again presume to think I am weak."

Namor's fist came up and Arlong knew this was the end for him. His mind flashed back to one of his last clear memories before he came here, how a certain young pirate in a straw hat had laid him low too. And that had been a close fight. But this? This hadn't been a fight at all, but a slaughter.

The fist came down and Arlong knew no more.

Namor regarded the Fish-man coldly as his unconscious form settled on the seafloor. "Let that be a lesson," he said before turning back and swimming towards the others. As he got closer, he saw Juvia doing something strange with the water around the great white, his blood no longer seeping out of him but being contained in large bubbles around the wounds.

"Hey," the great white greeted, seeing Namor approach. "Win your fight?"

"Naturally," Namor replied. "I've dealt with tougher foes. And smarter ones."

The great white didn't seem to know what to make of that but made no comment. Instead he held out his arm, repressing a wince. "Didn't get properly introduced, did we?" he said with a small grin. "Name's Vega."

"Namor."

"So, I have to assume none of you know how you all landed in this place either, huh?"

"No," Namor shook his head while Juvia's drooped down. "But whoever is behind this should make their presence known soon enough. Until then, we should get those wounds taken care of."

"My thanks," Vega said. "And after that? We just stay here or keep moving?"

Namor sighed, looking out into the endless ocean. "We shall see."

Hazel Levesque had been through a lot the past day and a half. Transported out of nowhere to this wasteland. Forced to fight off random monsters trying to kill her. Struggling to find food and water. She had nearly collapsed before help had arrived in the form of four strange individuals. One was a green-skinned woman in tight black clothing wielding some form of extendable blade.

"You alright?" Gamora asked, wiping off her blade.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm ok," Hazel huffed, panting a little from the last fight.

Another was a dark-skinned man in brown robes (that looked way more comfortable than the ones she had to wear for senate meetings so she was so stealing his look) who wielded some shining purple blade.

"More will come," Mace Windu said, looking out at the horizon.

"Yes," Gamora nodded. "Fortunately, it shouldn't be a problem."

Hazel didn't need to ask why. Because as formidable as the three of them were in combat, none of them held a candle to the other two companions. A few minutes ago, they'd been attacked by an enormous monster that looked like a cross between a lizard, a worm, and a crab. Hazel had thought that had been the end for them.

Then, those two had gone to work and now the monster was lying dead with barely a scratch on its killers.

"Nice work, you know!" Naruto Uzumaki grinned, holding up a glowing orange hand to his companion.

"I don't do that," Black Adam responded, flying back up to the others. "Come on, it'll be dark soon. And this creature may have friends."

"Oh come on, don't be like that. Just one high five, I promise!"

"Ugh!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Spider-Man and Hermione currently together attacked by Sinestro and prepping against Voldemort.

Conan, Jessica Cruz, and Boba Fett held captive by Vlad Menshikov and Saruman.

Harry Potter under attack with Luke Castellan, Chewbacca, Frozone, Cassandra Cain, Kuvira, Marina, Legolas, and Groot by mysterious jet.

President Superman, Toph, Ahsoka Tano, and Jon Snow fought against Emperor Superman and Homelander.

Korra traveling with Wonder Woman, Ben Grimm, Nico di Angelo, and Liza, separated from Hela.

Barbara Gordon currently held prisoner by Darth Vader alongside Polybotes, Aurra Sing, and Balk.

Ember the dragon and Amani on mysterious truck.

Steve Rogers and Rex are working together.

Arya Stark and Lin Beifong are together.

Matt Murdock, TJ, Casey Jones, Suki, and Armstrong are together.

Zuko, Nia, Thalia, Shazad, and the Mandalorian are together.

Thanos and Uraraka are together.

Chapter Text

Bill Weasley leaned against the nearby wall, taking a quick breather. He'd been walking for miles and only just found this city. He'd been hoping that he'd find actual people here but the place was practically deserted and most certainly abandoned centuries ago. If he wasn't experienced one of the most bizarre and terrifying events of his life, he might even explore the ruins.

There were people. He'd spotted movement when he'd crested a hill overlooking the city. But so far, he'd seen nothing until two figures up in the sky came roaring in, destroying some stuff with attacks that seemed almost godlike before disappearing. He'd wondered who they might be and how they got strong but he quickly got back to prioritizing.

"What the hell do I do now?" he muttered. He was good on water thanks to his wand. Granted, in this desert there wasn't much moisture in the air for him to draw on, but it was enough to keep his thirst down and stop dehydration. But food? His stomach had been growling for hours and he had nothing. He'd hoped when he saw the city but once he knew it was abandoned and in ruins, that hope went out the window.

"Well, hello there."

Bill froze at the voice before turning slowly, seeing a dark-skinned young woman with dark curly hair approaching him. He had to admit that she was very beautiful and the way she looked at him made him want to put down his wand and take a step closer. But he held his ground.

"I am so glad I met you. I've been so lost and I could use some help," he said, her eyes doing some sort of sparkly thing that was really distracting. He didn't even realize his wand was lowering.

"Well, whatever you need," he said.

"Oh, it's so nice to finally meet someone in this crazy desert. I've been lost for so long now!"

"Yeah, me too," Bill agreed. "But don't worry, I can help you out. You're not alone anymore."

"Oh thank you so much. I'm so glad I ran into someone like you," she said flashing him a gorgeous smile.

Bill felt stupefied looking at her smile, taking a few steps towards her to get closer to it and her. And her eyes were mesmerizing. He felt like he could just dive into them and get lost in them forever and he'd like that. Of course, neither the smile nor the eyes were as good as Fleur's but…

Fleur.

That name shot through his mind like a thunderbolt and he felt like he just had a bucket of ice water dropped on him. And in that second, he saw the woman, only a few paces away, lunge at him. On pure instinct, he leapt aside, letting her fly past him. His wand was back up now and he sent a spell her way that she managed to dodge, hopping to the side.

"Damn," she growled, staring at him with fury and fully breaking the spell. Because that's what it had been, some sort of spell to lower his guard and take advantage of him. "How did you break free?" she demanded.

"It was a pretty close call," Bill admitted, a little ashamed. "But luckily my wife has similar powers and she doesn't even know when she's using it on me, so I've built up a little tolerance. Now then, what do you want from me?"

"From you?" the woman grinned ferociously and Bill saw the fangs sticking out now. Her form began to shift, her dark curly hair turning into a fiery blaze, her skin turning completely white like fresh snow, her eyes becoming a burning red. Even her legs changed, one becoming more like a hoof and the other turning metallic like bronze. "All I want is a good meal. It's too bad you broke free, would have made it painless."

"Yay," Bill said dryly. "Well, I'm afraid I'm off the menu so why don't you go try somewhere else."

"A strong young man like yourself?" The woman licked her lips in a way that made Bill very uncomfortable as it was eerily similar to how Fleur did it though he was very sure what this woman was about to do would be very different from what Fleur did. "No, I think I'm good."

She lunged forward so fast that Bill barely had time to react. "Depulso!" he cried and the woman was catapulted backwards by the force of his spell. Then, while she was distracted, he transfigured the ground into ropes, whipping them around her to tie her up.

"Ha!" she cried, easily ripping them to shreds. "You think those will hold me?"

"Was kind of hoping, yeah," he muttered. They were even made of magic. Which meant whoever this was, they could slice through magic. Just what kind of creature was she? He knew he should have taken that damn Magical Creatures class at Hogwarts like Charlie did. At first glance, she seemed like a vampire but he'd never heard of a vampire like this one. "What are you?" he asked.

"Me? I guess you should be honored to know who will be killing you. The name's Kelli, one of the elder empousai."

"Empousai?" Bill frowned. "Never heard of you."

Her eyes narrowed. "Well, that's a little disappointing. But I'll make your death linger so you can keep it in mind on your way to the Underworld."

She lunged again and Bill had to duck aside again, her moving even faster than before. The wind whirled around him as he threw it against her, funneling her away from him. And yet she somehow managed to grab onto the side of a building and claw her way back down to the ground. She was certainly strong. But it was almost like she had an immunity to magic.

Or something else.

"Ok, time to get serious," he said, sending jet of red light her way. She reacted fast, dodging it as it struck the building's wall. But the second bolt knocked her in the chest, sending her flying back into the wall, her head smacking painfully before she lay limp on the ground. "There we are," he said, relieved.

He lowered his wand and took a few steps forward, eyeing the woman carefully, when he was suddenly slammed into from the side. Before he could even begin to react, his back was sliced open and pain flooded through him.

"Aggghhh!" he cried out and tried desperately to break free but whoever was holding onto him had a grip like iron. But they'd made a mistake as his wand was still in his hand.

Arresto Momentum! he thought desperately.

Suddenly, they both began moving slowly.

"What?" he heard a woman gasp. In that moment, he was able to turn his wand right on her.

Stupefy!

The bolt struck her, knocking her back, and Bill was able to move again. He quickly removed the slow spell on him and winced as he stood up, feeling the scars on his back throbbing painfully. But that vanished when he saw his new opponent wasn't new at all.

"Kelli?" he muttered, looking to where she'd previously fallen. But there was no one there now. There definitely had been when he'd been attacked, he'd seen her, but nothing now.

"An illusion," he growled, looking at the dangerous creature that was now licking her fingers dripping in his blood. That made her even more dangerous and put him in more trouble. He needed to finish this quickly. "Bombarda!"

BOOM!

The wall of the building exploded, debris flying everywhere. Kelli shrieked, diving for cover. Bill backed up quick as he saw quickly that he'd done more damage than he realized, cracks stretching up the wall faster than he could think until the whole building came crumbling down onto the street, falling on top of him. He cast a quick spell as he ran, levitating the ones closes to him until he was safe. The building came down with a crash, dust and rock spraying everywhere. Bill coughed and blew as much as he could away.

"Let's just hope she was in that," he muttered but somehow he doubted it. Whatever Kelli was, she had already proven she could create illusions so there was no telling what else she was capable of.

"Well now, that was quite the show."

Bill found himself freezing at the second sultry voice of the day. But this one was different. When Kelli introduced herself, she had been putting on an act, trying to get him to lower his guard. But whoever this was…their voice radiated something he couldn't put his finger on. But it scared him.

He turned and saw the woman above him. She had blonde hair tied back in a tight bun and was wearing some sort of dark suit. However, on closer glance, Bill realized it wasn't a suit at all. Or, at least, not any suit he recognized. It looked almost…alive, the way it moved around.

"And who might you be?" he asked, wand at the ready.

She grinned down at him and Bill felt ice wash through his veins. That grin…it was cold, calculating, and dripping with menace. This woman looked very much like Kelli in that instant: like she wanted to eat him.

"How bold of you," she practically purred. "I wonder if you'll be able to keep up that bravado when I reveal my true form."

Bill grimaced. So she was some sort of creature as well. Just great. He needed to get the hell out of here.

"Hey now." His thoughts were interrupted as Kelli suddenly appeared on top of the fallen building, glaring up at the woman fiercely. "This one's mine!" she declared. "If you want him, you'll have to fight me first."

"Oh that's fine by me," the woman replied coldly. "But, unfortunately, I won't be killing either of you. I need you to come with me now."

"And why is that?" Bill demanded.

The woman flashed him a look that made his stomach flop. "Careful boy. Lest I change my mind, despite my orders."

Orders? That word flashed across Bill's mind. So someone was ordering her to bring them. Was this individual the one who brought him to this strange place? If so, he found himself torn with going with the lady and running away.

"Now then, easy way or hard way?" the woman asked.

Kelli hissed and then charged forward, moving so fast across the ground that she was practically a blur. She leaped up towards the building, somehow propelling herself all the way to the roof, and cried out as her talons swiped at the woman. But somehow, the other woman was just as fast, blocking the attack and sending her own first in return. The two began to swap blows, both almost landing hits but just dodging each one, all at incredible speeds.

"Ok, it's time to go," Bill muttered, readying himself. But before he could, the other woman suddenly launched herself backwards.

"Fine," she grinned. "Hard way it is."

Then her body shifted.

Bill gaped as the woman vanished, her whole body growing in size rapidly. Green scales appeared all over her that looked almost poisonous to touch. Wings bloomed from her back and her neck elongated while massive fangs sprouted out of her mouth. Within seconds, she had transformed into a large dragon that now towered over them.

"That…that cannot be possible," Bill muttered. Humans transforming into dragons? Was such an animagus even possible? It didn't seem to be. But that was the only explanation coming to mind. It didn't matter though since he was now dealing with a giant dragon. Even Kelli looked freaked out from her expression.

The woman seemed to smirk at her before her neck whipped down in a lunge. If Kelli wasn't so fast, she would have been devoured. Instead, she managed to leap aside, the other woman snapping at empty air.

"Ok, now it's really time to go," Bill muttered, focusing his wand. He needed to get the hell out of here and that meant apparition. It hadn't really worked before but he had to at least try. Focusing with all his might on home, on the way it looked, on all the sounds and smells, the way he felt, he brought all of that to the forefront of his mind. And he turned on the spot.

And fell flat on his face.

Before he could even curse his bad luck, there was a rush of wind over him and he looked up just in time to see the dragon tail swooping over him, having just missed him. He gasped as he realized his accidental fall had just saved his life.

"Lucky, human," he heard her saw as well as a thump as she landed behind him. "But you're no match for me. Now surrender or…I'll start eating y-"

Bill turned on her, his wand outstretched and now pointing right at her as he fired off the Conjunctivitis Curse. The spell struck her directly in the eye and she shrieked, throwing herself back from the pain.

Bill knew that wouldn't last. He had only a few seconds. So he tried again, but this time didn't think of home. Instead, he saw the small hill he'd stood on that overlooked the town. And he turned on the spot.

"You little…what?" the dragon woman gasped, seeing the empty air. She heard the distant crack! of something but didn't pay attention. How had that human suddenly disappeared like that? It didn't make any sense. Even his scent had vanished completely.

So…where the hell was he?

Bill reappeared on the hill, letting out a long breath in relief. That had been way too close for comfort. He was still struggling to understand what he'd just witnessed. A woman transforming into a dragon like that. Even in a magical world, such a thing was…mind boggling, as his father liked to say. So how was it possible?

"What the hell is this place?" he muttered under his breath.

CRACK!

Hearing the loud sound echoing across the sandy hills, he ducked down, lying low behind a sand dune. He recognized that sound. It was from an apparition. There was another wizard nearby. He didn't know whether or not to leave and go investigate. As tempting as it was to see someone else from home, he couldn't trust anything right now.

"That is a handy little trick, isn't it?" a woman said a little ways away.

"It's common from where I'm from," a man replied.

Bill frowned, the voice sounding familiar. But not in a good way. Where had he heard it before?

"You think Lilith's done yet?"

The man snorted. "Let's hope so. We can't have her going overboard. We need these people alive, apparently. And if we're short, then we'll be the ones on the chopping block."

"Well, I won't. If it comes down to it, I'll chop that stupid lizard's head off."

Bill moved slowly and carefully, lifting his head inch by inch to catch a glimpse of the two. He knew it was dangerous as hell but he had to risk it. He knew that voice from somewhere and he had to take any clue he could get.

"Still don't know how she can do that whole dragon thing. That's some powerful magic there."

"And what about the boss? You think what he does isn't impressive?"

"The boss is a god. I didn't believe in them until I met him, but he is a god."

The woman snorted. "I always thought the Emperor was a god. Vader too, in some ways. But you're right. If there is such a thing as a god, the boss would be it."

Bill tried to tune them out but it wasn't really working, his mind already buzzing with the information. Who the hell was this boss? How powerful was he? Well, it didn't really matter right now. But if he was stronger than Lilith, then that was most definitely a problem.

Bill made it to the top of the dune and slowly peeked his head over it to catch a glimpse of the two individuals. His wand was in his grasp and a location already in his mind in case he needed to make a quick apparition. He could just see the two people, dressed in black, several meters away, their backs to him. One of them, the woman it seemed, had a strange dome-like helmet on.

"Should we go in?" the man asked.

"Let's give her another minute or two."

"Ugh, I hate this waiting. It's damn hot out here." He lifted his wand, confirming for Bill he was from his world, and the air around them all chilled. "And I can't keep doing that forever," the man complained. "Once I could have but there's something wrong with this damn atmosphere. It's almost like it wants to stay hot and dry."

Bill frowned. He hadn't realized it but that actually was how it felt when he'd tried the spells before. He briefly wondered what kind of magic might be in place here to keep the desert the way it was, but cast it aside as the conversation continued.

"How many do you think we'll need anyway?"

"Don't know. Whatever that spell the witch wants, she says she needs people. So, until she says we have enough, we follow her and the boss's orders."

"Ugh. I hate this."

"Well, you want to live, don't you? So stop complaining."

"I meant this in general. I mean seriously, how the hell are we all here? From different worlds, different versions of reality."

Bill blinked, gaping at what he just heard.

"The Force works in ways we can't understand. I'm sure your magic is similar. Besides, we're here, so let's just make what we can of it and survive."

At that second, three things happened in rapid succession. The man turned and spat in the sand, exposing his face to Bill who gasped out loud in shock. Because the man he saw was Antonin Dolohov, a former Death Eater who died fighting Professor Flitwick at the Battle of Hogwarts. A man who looked up and saw Bill peeking over the dune.

"You…" he muttered, hand grasping his wand. Then his eyes widened with recognition and hate and his wand shot up. "Weasley!"

Bill threw himself back down the hill right before it erupted in flames and smoke. He didn't think, just acted on instinct as he turned on the spot and apparated out of there, quickly appearing in the sandy stretch of nothing where he'd first arrived here.

"Antonin Dolohov," he muttered. It wasn't possible. The man was dead. He'd seen the body. The man responsible for Remus Lupin's death. It wasn't a face he'd forget. So how was he alive? "Is this hell?" he wondered aloud.

For more than a day, he'd wandered around here alone. And then, in the span of maybe ten minutes, he'd run into four dangerous enemies, one familiar. Things were going from really bad to so much worse very quickly.

"What the hell do I do now?" he muttered, sinking into the sand.

HONK! HONK!

It took him a second to even understand what he was hearing. Once he did, he turned and saw a large truck that Muggles used to carry stuff down roads driving right towards him. He blinked, trying to comprehend it, but he couldn't. Not even when it pulled up next to him and someone stepped out. It was a girl, maybe seventeen, with long black hair in a tight red bodysuit that had a yellow I emblazoned on it.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Violet. You need a lift?"

"What should we do?" Uraraka asked, trying not to tremble. But it was hard as she was looking at a dragon. A full-life, green-scaled dragon. Sure, she'd seen one before, heck even worked under said dragon. Ryukyu, the current No. 10 hero whose Quirk allowed her to transform into a dragon. But somehow, this one felt different.

She and the mysterious Thanos had wandered through the city for a few minutes when they heard the sounds of battle. And when they'd come to investigate, they found the dragon facing off against…well, Uraraka wasn't sure, some woman with a strange, fire and transformation type Quirk. As she watched, the woman dodged a tail strike and then launched her own attack, striking at the dragon's midriff but her apparent claws didn't seem to do much, barely penetrating flesh, and she had to move fast to avoid getting bitten in half.

"Nothing," Thanos said next to her.

"What?" Uraraka gaped. "We can't do nothing! We have to help!"

"Which one?" he asked calmly.

"The woman there, obviously."

"Are you sure she is worth saving?"

Uraraka glared at him. "How can you ask something like that? When you saved me, did you stop to wonder if I was worth saving?"

"You are a child and were helpless before the falling debris. That woman there is a fierce warrior who knows the power of her enemy and still battles on. It is not our place to interfere. We know nothing of them and owe them nothing. To interfere would be pointless."

"Well I disagree. And I'm going to go help," Uraraka argued, courage and resolve filling her. It was what Deku would do, what any hero would do, so she couldn't do any less.

"That would be a mistake. You don't even know which of the two are worth saving. Some conflicts do not have a righteous side. You may save that woman only to find out she is a vile enemy who will cut you down seconds later."

"Yeah, and maybe not," Uraraka shot back. "And that's a chance I'm willing to take. Help me or don't, I'm going over there."

She rushed out from her hiding spot, dashing down the street towards the battle. She saw the fire-headed woman dodged the tail again but wasn't fast enough to dodge a claw, getting back-handed into one of the buildings, crashing through the wall and disappearing inside.

Gotta move! Uraraka thought, pushing herself faster as she saw the dragon close in on the building. She threw herself the last few feet, her hands touching the tip of the dragon's tail.

"Huh?" the dragon said, turning. "Who the hell are you? Not that it…wait, what?"

Uraraka let out a victorious smirk, watching as her Quirk took effect. The dragon began to float upwards, her body rolling around without anything to tie it down, something that clearly took it by surprise.

"What have you done to me?" she cried and her tail suddenly whipped out, forcing Uraraka backwards quickly to avoid getting struck. "I will burn you alive for this! I will make you scream out in suffering! I will…"

Uraraka ignored her, rushing over to the crumbling building where the flame-headed woman had been sent flying. However she hadn't made it a few steps before a large shadow covered her and before she could react, she was suddenly picked up and thrust aside, her body landing painfully on some rubble.

"Wha-" she stuttered, looking up just in time to see Thanos standing where she'd been as a river of flame engulfed him. "NO!" she screamed, wanting to go help him somehow but the heat kept her back. She saw the dragon she'd just attacked unleashing the flames and felt a rage inside of her as well as guilt. She should have known not to turn her back on the enemy, but she hadn't realized that the villain's Quirk allowed her to breathe fire. And now because of that, Thanos was dead.

No. Uraraka's eyes widened as she noticed the fire whirling around in a strange way. As she watched, she could swear it was being pushed back and a few seconds later she saw why as something in front of it was whirling around so fast it was pushing the fire aside.

"Thanos," she murmured, seeing her friend twirling his massive double-bladed sword in one hand with ease, forcing the dragonfire aside. The dragon didn't seem to like that and unleashed even more flames but somehow Thanos matched her, twirling his blade even faster and still keeping the fire at bay. Uraraka didn't know how he could stand that heat. Even from several yards away she felt like she was being roasted alive and he was actually in the thick of it. "Must have something to do with his Quirk," she wondered aloud. "Deku would love to take notes on both of them."

"Well now," the dragon woman said, having given up on the fire, "you are strong. And…different from most humans. What are you?"

"A titan," Thanos replied. "I have met many creatures like you and defeated them all. You will be no different."

"Big talk," the woman replied, growling softly. "Can you back those words up- damn it!" she cried, beginning to twirl backwards. "Curse you brat! I'll tear you apart for this! Release me at once!"

"Like that's going to happen!" Uraraka spat back.

"You will pay for this!"

"Hmmm," Thanos murmured, regarding the floating dragon thoughtfully who was now trying to use her wings to regain balance in the air, it only working somewhat. "I could strike you down with ease right now, but I won't. It is clear you're not worth my time."

"What? How dare you? I am Lilith, Senior Viper for Talon! And I promise to bathe the streets red with your blood!"

"Not as you are now," Thanos said over his shoulder, walking towards Uraraka. However, he'd only taken a few steps when he froze all of a sudden, staring right at her.

"Thanos?" she said, frowning. "Wha-"

She didn't have time to finish the sentence before he charged forward, causing her to yelp in surprise. But he moved past her and she tilted her head back just in time to see his fist striking the flame-headed woman's chest. The woman flew back into the wall, cracking it on impact before she slumped down.

Uraraka froze, having trouble comprehending everything. What had just happened?

"As I said," Thanos told her, drawing her gaze back to him, "another enemy who will cut you down."

"She attacked me," Uraraka realized, looking back at the woman who was now getting to her feet. Thanos had warned her but she hadn't listened. For a second there, a mix of confusing feelings welled up inside her but just as quickly she shot them down. "It doesn't matter," she said firmly, causing Thanos to raise an eyebrow. "If I hadn't done anything, I would have regretted it more. Maybe she is just another villain, but there had been a chance she was good and that more than enough reason to act."

"A heroic response," Thanos calmly stated. For a moment there, he could see glimpses of Gamora in the girl when he'd first taken her in. That fighting spirit paired with her good heart…it touched him more than he thought it would.

When he'd saved her from that rubble, it had been more of a whim, just like when he'd taken Gamora aside from the slaughter of her people all those years ago. This young girl had just happened to cross his path and he wished to see where it went from here.

Into the path of a dragon and a demon, apparently.

"I heard…you back there," the woman growled and Thanos noticed her claws getting sharper as well as her fangs elongating from her jaws. "You claimed…to be a titan."

"Yes," he replied evenly, curious as to where she was going with this.

"You…are a traitor to your kind," she growled, causing another eyebrow to raise. Once, words such as those would have driven him to slice her apart right then and there. Now, he could decipher the hidden meanings in words and there was something off about the way she spoke. He did not believe she was referring to his choices for his homeworld and people.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, curious.

"Don't play coy! You have betrayed Lord Kronos!"

"I do not know who that is," Thanos replied evenly.

The woman just glared back at him. "He is the King of the Titans and the one who will lead all monsters to a new era, back to how it was before when we ruled supreme. And yet…you side with this human!" she spat, glaring at Uraraka who was looking more and more confused as the two talked. She clearly knew much less as to what this woman was talking about than Thanos did. This helped solidify a theory he'd had in his mind as to how he'd come to be here, but he would come back to that later.

"I am Thanos, known to many as the Mad Titan," he said. "And I do not know what you are talking about. But that it is not surprising. It would seem that everyone here has life experiences that are far different from others."

"What are you going on about?" the woman growled at him.

"It does not matter. All you need to concern yourself with is how you will survive this fight."

"You should worry about yourself!" the woman screeched and charged forward, her claws extended. Thanos ducked his head instinctively and then brought up his sword. It was only thanks to her quick reflexes that the woman was able to dodge the blow. She leapt backwards before charging forward again. But as she did it, Thanos noticed something strange about her form. He swung his sword her way and this time caught her, the blade biting deep and causing the woman to screech in shock and pain. He also heard Uraraka gasp but didn't pay attention, closing his eyes as he tuned out what his senses were telling him and focused solely on his instincts.

Now.

Faster than thought, his hand lunged upwards and yanked something from the air. He opened his eyes just as the illusion dispelled, the dead woman on his blade vanishing as the real one appeared in his grasp.

"H-how?" she gasped.

"Your illusions have no effect on one who has bent reality itself to his will," he replied, thinking of his usage of the Reality Stone. Because of it, it seemed he now could see through similar abilities.

She screeched out again and started scratching madly against his hand, her claws doing their best to sink in. He could feel it but it was like needles sliding across his skin. Some penetrated but not enough to do any sort of damage. It was an annoyance at worst. Still, he did not care for it and squeezed her throat, causing her to choke up and stop.

"Tell me your name," he said evenly.

"I will die before I tell you anything."

Thanos gave her a soft, menacing smile. "Are you sure that is your wish? It will not take much to grant it."

"What do I care?" she growled. "I am an empousai! A demon from the depths of Tartarus! Kill me now and I will simply respawn down there and return even stronger than before. Then, I will have my revenge and you will suffer."

Thanos considered her words. He'd never heard of such a thing before though there were many different worlds and races out there he'd never seen or interacted with. He had heard rumors in his travels of a race of beings known as Eternals that might fit but had never actually met any of them.

"Don't kill her."

Thanos was shaken from his musings as Uraraka stepped forward. "She is more than willing to kill us, even attempted to take your life after you saved hers. Tell me, why should we let her live when she is so clearly a threat?"

Uraraka stared up at him with her wide eyes and said, "because that's what heroes do," as if the answer was so obvious.

Thanos felt something inside him stir. This girl, she truly did remind him of the naïve innocence of Gamora when he found her. Those eyes…they had yet to see the true horrors the universe could wreak upon a person. She was truly a good, pure-hearted individual.

Someone like that would not last long in this world. It was time for a lesson.

Thanos released the woman after another squeeze, dropping her to the ground where she coughed and spluttered. "This girl is the reason you live. Thank her and be on your way. And pray to whatever gods are listening that our paths do not cross again."

The woman glared at him. "Gods?" she seethed. "The gods are nothing but trash. My loyalty is to the true Titans. As for my gratitude…HERE IT IS!"

She lunged right for Uraraka, claws outstretched, and the girl stumbled back, too slow to dodge the attack, her eyes wide in mounting horror.

Thanos's blade came up once, slicing through the woman with ease. She gave one last pained screech before she vanished in a burst of bright flames. Thanos blinked, not expecting that. Perhaps it was her apparent respawning at work. Whatever it was, the woman was clearly gone.

"You…you killed her," Uraraka mumbled, eyes wide in fear and horror.

"Yes," he said. "She would have killed you, even after I released her."

"We could have-"

"What?" he asked. "Done what? We gave her a chance. She chose to squander it so I took action. Now, she will threaten us no more. In this world, you must make choices that may shake your very soul, that tear you up inside and make you feel like a monster. This is not a fair world we live in so we must make do. That is true reality." Judging from the girl's expression, she was still lost in the instant where the woman died. She would most certainly relive that for years to come. Good, it would help her grow and mature into a true warrior.

Thanos knelt down next to her and held out his finger, his hand too big for hers to grab hold of. "Come now, the dragon is still out there among with many unknown threats. We cannot remain here."

It took another second for the girl to respond but she eventually took his finger and used it to pull herself back up. She took a breath and nodded. Thanos smiled as he watched her. She had strength in her. She may seem like a naïve child but there was a warrior spirit there as well. He hadn't sensed something like this in a long time. He had…missed this feeling.

But he could not dwell on it. This city was unsafe and it was time to move onwards.

On one of the hills surrounding the city, a burst of flame erupted in the air and Kelli emerged from it, gasping a little from the close call. That escape had taken a lot of her magical power and her battles with the dragon and the apparent Titan had taxed her greatly.

"Too close," she murmured. The last time she'd used that power was against Percy Jackson and that time had been for fun, to wreak some havoc on his mortal life. Plus with that red-headed witch there to help lift her own magic, the chances of him beating her had not been zero which hadn't been to her liking.

But this time? She knew whoever that Thanos was, he was no true Titan. She had drawn blood, albeit a minuscule amount, so he was mortal. But his power…she had felt it when she'd been caught in his grasp. It was almost godlike. Whoever he was, he was not someone to take lightly.

"Damn it, now I could really use a good meal," she muttered, her fatigue getting to her. There had to be some other unsuspecting mortal roaming about, just waiting for her to sink her teeth into them. She just had to find…

"Just come on this way, big guy, and I promise we'll find something you can eat."

"Is red nose sure?"

"…please…stop talking about my nose. And yes. It's a city, so there's liable to be something we can eat. Don't worry, I won't lead you astray."

"Hmmm, thank you red nose."

"What did I just say about my nose? Call me anything else, please. How about the clown or something like that, eh? How does that sound?"

Kelli creeped her way up the hill, keeping low as she caught sight of the two approaching figures. The first one came over the hill and she nearly choked as she stifled her laugh, seeing the comical bright red, bulbous nose on his face. No wonder the apparent big guy called him 'red nose.'

Then the big guy appeared and every other thought vanished from her mind. He was at least the size of the largest Laistrygonian, probably even bigger. His skin was completely green and his bulging muscles looked like cannonballs. But that wasn't what really caught her attention. It was the sheer power radiating from him. She always had that sensation when coming into contact with gods or titans or other immortal beings and yet this…monster was radiating a similar power. Maybe not as strong but definitely close.

"Who is this?" she muttered.

Buggy the Clown was having a very strange time. Honestly, his entire life had gotten very strange ever since an annoying, rubbery, straw-hatted idiot came bungling into his life. He'd gone from a top pirate in the East Blue to a rookie on the Grand Line to a prisoner of Impel Down to a member of the Seven Warlords all the way to a symbolic Emperor of the Sea. And now, after all that, he was suddenly transported from his ship to the desert with absolutely no warning.

He'd spent maybe two hours screaming to the heavens all the profanities he could think of for getting him into another mess before a giant, scaly lizard-like thing appeared and tried to gobble him for its next meal. That's when he learned his voice could make very high-pitched screams as he ran for his life.

He'd tried the trick he'd used against the monsters at Impel Down of taking the damn things out from the inside but no matter how hard his fists yanked and pulled on anything they could find in the creature's mouth and down its throat, the damn thing just got more enraged, charging him even more ferociously.

"I can't die yet!" he shrieked. "I haven't fulfilled my destiny yet! This is not how Buggy the Clown goes out! Not in this unflashy way! NOOOOO!"

"RAAAAHHHH!"

Buggy wasn't quite sure what happened, he just felt the massive wave of force that sent all his parts flying forward and top speed. He landed in the sand and rolled for a while before he eventually came to a stop, gasping for air.

"What the hell was that?" he groaned. He didn't know how long he stayed there but he soon heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming his way. He quickly closed his eyes and left his tongue hanging out, pretending to be dead as the footsteps came to a stop near him.

"Hey Red Nose, you ok?"

"What?" Buggy cried out at the name, instantly back on his feet. "What'd you call me you…you…oh, wow, uh, well now…you certainly are…one big fella, aren't you?" he stammered, taking in the gigantic figure standing in front of him.

He remembered when he was at Marineford during the battle between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy and he saw Whitebeard for the first time. That immense figure dripping in power, standing over all of them. Now, he felt something scarily similar.

The first thing he noticed was that the figure's skin was green and for an instant Buggy wondered if he was a Fish-man or something. But those thoughts were driven away by the size of the figure's muscles and the raw power flowing from him. And the look he was giving off made Buggy want to scream and run for the hills as fast as he could.

He didn't know how he managed to stand his ground but he did. As soon as he caught his breath he noticed the creature that had been chasing him lying only a ways away, its head caved in. "Wait…" he said, looking back at the green goliath. "You saved me?"

"Hmmm," the figure nodded.

"Well…thank you. I am in your debt. And to have one such as I, Buggy the Clown, the flashiest pirate in the seas, a former warlord and current Emperor, is no small…hey, where are you going?" he cried, seeing the giant walk away.

"Red Nose talk too much. Hulk leaving now."

"Hulk, huh? Is that your name?" Buggy asked, catching up to the Hulk as he detached from his feet, flying right in front of the giant.

"Huh? Red Nose is…flying?"

"Yes, it's just one of my many abilities. And don't call me Red Nose!" Buggy took a breath before putting on his most charming smile. "Now, Hulk, I don't suppose you have any idea where we are, do you?"

The Hulk just shrugged his massive shoulders. "Hulk wanders. Hulk was in forest and now Hulk is here. Does not make difference to Hulk. As long as soldiers and people leave Hulk alone, Hulk is fine."

Buggy scratched his chin at the Hulk's words. It sounded like what had happened to him had happened to the Hulk too. But the other words also stuck out. "Soldiers, huh? You mean the Marines? Yeah, they're an annoying bunch. Been after me since before I can remember. And why? Because I refuse to conform to their notions of society! Because I choose to chase my destiny as conqueror of the Grand Line and future King of the Pirates. That is-"

"Soldiers chase Red Nose too?" the Hulk interrupted.

"Uh…yes. All the time. It's the price one pays for being a pirate. But they'll never catch me, ha ha…again, anyway."

Buggy's eyes bulged as the Hulk's hand suddenly came down on his shoulder and he had to stifle a cry, feeling all the power in that small gesture. Had he done something wrong? Pissed the big guy off somehow? What?

The hand went back up and then came down again in a soft pat that still felt like a boulder coming down on Buggy's shoulder. "Hulk is sorry for that," the Hulk said. "Soldiers should leave Hulk and Red Nose alone, let us live in peace and not bother us."

Buggy nearly whimpered in relief as he realized the Hulk was just patting him in sympathy, even if it did hurt a little every time the hand came down. "You're absolutely right, Hulk. They should do that. People like us deserve to live the lives we want to live, not bow our heads to their will, right?"

"Hmmm," the Hulk nodded firmly.

"Great! Hey, how about the two of us stick together, eh? It's better to be with others when on the run, right?"

"Yes," the Hulk nodded again. "Hulk will…stick with Red Nose."

"Excellent…and my name is Buggy, not Red Nose! Please stop talking about my nose."

And that was how Buggy wound up traveling around with the Hulk. He could already picture it. With a monster like this on his side, he wouldn't have to worry about Mihawk or Crocodile anymore. The Hulk was all the protection he needed. During their travels, he got to see the Hulk take down gigantic monsters when they popped up and he couldn't help but be reminded of Douglas Bullet, his old crewmate back on the Oro Jackson.

Yes, with the Hulk on his side his destiny as King of the Pirates was practically assured. Once he found out where the hell he was and how he would get back home, of course.

But soon, he and the Hulk ran into a problem. They were able to find water thanks to a river, but they couldn't find much food. They managed to stave off the hunger for a little by eating the cacti-like plants that grew in the area but even that wouldn't sustain them for long. And Buggy could see how agitated the Hulk was getting with no food, so during one of the Hulk's massive leaps, Buggy was able to spot a city in the distance and instantly pointed the Hulk in that direction, knowing there had to be food there.

Of course, that hope slowly began to die as he saw the city was abandoned, but still he prayed there was at least something there to fill his belly.

They landed at the outskirts of the city and began to walk towards it, Buggy still doing his best to get the Hulk to call him by his actual name instead of the nickname 'Red Nose' when they both saw someone rising up from the dune next to them. Buggy was instantly on guard, ready to attack, when his whole body went slack as he caught sight of the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on.

"Wha…guh…huh…"

"It is only a pretty girl," the Hulk sniffed. "What does pretty girl want?"

"Oh, thank goodness someone's come along," the girl said, dashing over to them, her hair waving behind her majestically. "I only just managed to escape. There's a horrible man down there in the city, a monster really, who nearly killed me!"

"How dare he," Buggy mumbled. To think someone would want to kill a beauty such as she. The concept was a travesty in his mind.

"I only wanted to get some food from him and then he just attacked me! I barely escaped with my life!" The girl stared at them, her eyes like bottomless wells of color and light and hope.

"Food?" the Hulk suddenly perked up. "Bad man has food? Is keeping food all to himself?"

"Yes!" the girl said, clasping her hands together in front of them. "Please, will you help me?"

"Of course we will!" Buggy declared without hesitation. "Come on Hulk! Let's go help this girl beat the bad man and then we can eat to our heart's content, eh?"

"Yes," the Hulk nodded, clenching his fists tightly. "The Hulk will smash bad man and make him pay."

Uraraka wasn't sure how she should feel as she walked behind Thanos, the two still looking for…well anything that could help them out in the city, mostly food or water. When he had saved her before, she had thought he was a hero. Now…she wasn't so sure. The way he spoke and acted…none of it sounded very heroic. And the way he took out Kelli…well, Uraraka supposed the villain had been about to kill her. But to just cut her down like that? It didn't sit well.

They'd only know each other a few hours so she couldn't possibly know him. She wanted to trust him because after being stuck in this strange place for nearly two days she wanted to at least trust someone. But, should she trust him?

His own words echoed back to her. "You may save that woman only to find out she is a vile enemy who will cut you down seconds later." What is also true for him? Was he only putting on an act for now until…

No. No, she refused to believe that. Maybe he had taken down that villain but she had been seconds away from killing Uraraka even after being released and given a chance. He hadn't done anything to show that he was a villain or something like that. She would keep an eye on him but she would also give him the benefit of the doubt. Because that's what a hero would do.

"Keep up, young one," Thanos called and Uraraka looked up in surprise, realizing she had been so lost in thought that he was now a block ahead of her. "Do not linger. This is a dangerous place an-"

"RAAAAARRRRRGGGHHHH!"

BOOM!

The attack came so suddenly that Uraraka couldn't even blink before it happened. She just noticed something falling from the sky before it struck right where Thanos was. A massive wave of force rocketed from the spot and she felt gravity leave her as she was thrown backwards by it, a leaf in the wind as she sailed through the air.

Luckily, she was still a hero in training and was able to react quickly, activating her power midair so she started floating above the ground before gravity could take back control. As soon as she was able to orient herself and clear the ringing from her ears, she looked back to where the figure had dropped for any sign of Thanos but there was still a large dust cloud that obscured everything.

"Hulk will smash bad man!"

There was a second loud booming noise and the building right next to the dust cloud suddenly collapsed as something struck it. Uraraka gasped and looked around frantically for the cause. She gasped again as something leapt from the dust cloud but sighed as she saw it was Thanos.

"Thanos!" she cried out, causing him to glance in her direction.

"Stay there, young one!" he cried out. "You are-"

He didn't get to finish as a second figure charged from the dust cloud. Uraraka opened her mouth to cry a warning but Thanos was quick to act, just dodging from the fist. Uraraka gaped as she took in the second figure, a monster as big as Thanos with green skin and bulging muscles. She barely had time to breathe before the figure suddenly smacked Thanos aside, sending him crashing into another building, causing a fourth of it to collapse instantly and the rest to list dangerously.

"Bad man will pay for keeping food and attacking pretty girl! Hulk will smash bad man!" the green monster roared, charging for the damaged building. But this time, Thanos was faster, a purple fist striking the Hulk in the face and knocking him back instead.

"Am I the bad man here?" Thanos questioned. "Then it seems you are misinformed. I do not have any food and the only pretty girl around would be the one above us. And I assure you, I have not attacked her."

The Hulk glanced Uraraka's way and she froze from his fierce gaze, feeling like a mouse under a cat's glare, before he turned back to Thanos. "Not that pretty girl. Other pretty girl. You hurt her and will pay!"

He charged again and Thanos rushed to meet him, grabbing the Hulk's fist to hold him fast before his blade came up to slice. The Hulk, however, was fast as well, and knocked the sword aside with his other fist.

"What pretty girl is he talking about?" Uraraka murmured. There was no pretty girl that Thanos had attacked, no girl at all except for… "Oh!" she gasped.

"I told you that you would suffer!"

They all turned to see two new people emerge. Well, one new person as Uraraka quickly recognized the woman walking towards them. "Her!" she gasped again, her feelings all twisted up as the woman she thought Thanos had killed sauntered over to the battle.

"You thought you got me but you were too slow!" the woman crooned. "Too bad for you because now I have some backup to take you down."

Thanos spared her a glance as he wrestled with the Hulk. "I have battled many enemies in my life and I have fought the Hulk before. This will not take long."

Uraraka blinked at that and some relief filled her up. If Thanos had beaten this villain before, then he could do it again. She looked at the woman again and then at her companion, some strange clown man with a large hat and a bright red nose. Where had she found these people so quickly? Had they just been wandering around the city as well? And what kind of lie had she told them to get them on her side? Something about food in addition to the attacking her bit. Well, it had apparently worked as the Hulk was now punching furiously at Thanos who ducked under the blows to launch his own flurry of punches back.

But they weren't doing too much.

The others probably wouldn't be able to tell seeing as the Hulk grunted in pain from it but Thanos could tell his blows weren't having the same effect they once had. Before, he managed to hit certain nerve points that brought the Hulk to his knees. Now…it was like he was fighting someone else entirely or the Hulk had somehow gotten so much stronger.

Still, he had an advantage. The Hulk, it seemed, may be stronger, but he was just throwing punches out in a wild rage while Thanos was fighting strategically, making sure every punch of his counted. He struck the Hulk's weak spots, just like before. The neck, the hips, the knees, wherever he could get past those muscles and get to the softer flesh and thus strike at the innards.

But even so, he wasn't sure how long he could keep this up. Every blow the Hulk hit him with was like…well, like a meteor in a sense. He was able to brush off the first few but now it was getting harder, forcing him to focus more on dodging than striking back.

Still, he was also faster and used that to his advantage as well.

"Stand still, bad man, and get smashed!" the Hulk roared, bringing both his fists together to smash down on Thanos who moved forward, launching his own fist upward into Hulk's chin before he could complete his strike. The green giant grunted, stumbling back, and Thanos followed, not giving him an inch. He couldn't afford to. He had to finish this quickly.

"RAARRGGGHH!" the Hulk roared, suddenly throwing his fists into the ground. Thanos only had a second to wonder about the beast's plan when the entire street was lifted up, the Hulk tossing it forward and sending Thanos rolling away into the buildings, rubble flying everywhere. He grunted once, already getting up, when he heard the Hulk bellow out again. He looked up and his eyes widened as he saw the beast leaping right for him. He only had time to raise his arms in an X formation before the beast came down. He grunted, pain hitting him as his arms took the punch, doing their best to hold it off.

"You are strong, bad man!" Hulk roared. "But Hulk is stronger!"

"Yes," Thanos muttered. "It would seem that might be the case here. But strength isn't everything."

"Huh?" the Hulk questioned before Thanos clamped his foot down hard on the beast's toes. "Argh!"

The Hulk lowered his guard for a second after the sudden attack and Thanos seized it, lunging forward and striking the Hulk right in his neck, hitting the center of it. The Hulk instantly began gasping, his air intake compromised.

"Strength is meaningless when you can't even breathe. Now-"

The backhand came so fast he couldn't prepare for it. He just saw the Hulk's massive hand come from the side and then he was slapped right into the next street over, crashing through at least two buildings, maybe three.

"This cannot be the same Hulk," he muttered, picking himself off after that latest attack. But it didn't matter if it was the same one he'd met or not. He just needed to find a way to beat this damn one. But how would he go about it? It seemed to him that with each passing second that the fight went on, the Hulk got stronger. If that was the case, then Thanos needed to win this decisively.

He needed his weapon.

Unfortunately, it had been knocked from his grasp early in the fight and now lay somewhere back where they'd first started brawling. And he didn't think the Hulk would allow him the time to return there and retrieve it.

"RRAAAARRRGGHHH!"

As if on cue, Thanos looked up to see the Hulk leaping down towards him. He dove to the side, rolling up onto his feet as the Hulk came down, smashing his fist into the ground and sending a shockwave out that crated the earth around him and cracked open the street for several blocks, at least a dozen small buildings crumbling from the impact.

"Bad man will suffer," the Hulk promised, rising up, rocks crushed to dust in his fists.

Thanos breathed out, trying to ignore the small amount of panic beginning to rise inside him. He had fought countless enemies on countless worlds and always come out on top. The only time he'd ever really lost was when the Asgardian Thor had sent that axe into his chest. And even that had only been a false victory for the Thunder God as Thanos was still able to snap the fingers of the Gauntlet and achieve the balance he'd long craved. Though Thor had gotten his vengeance in the end, Thanos had still won.

Though, he was wondering if he would have succeeded against all the Avengers on Earth without the aid of the Infinity Gauntlet. He had become much stronger because of it. With it…he would be able to beat this Hulk here and now.

"I have no true quarrel with you, Hulk," Thanos spoke, mind moving wildly as he ran as many different simulations of the battle ahead as he could, trying to find one that could lead him to victory. "You are being misled."

"Pretty girl said you attacked her, said you stole all the food!"

"I did attack her, yes, as she was att-"

"Hulk not misled then! You are trying to trick Hulk!" the beast roared, pounding his chest with his fists. "No more lies! You get smashed now!"

"Very well," Thanos replied, readying himself. "No more talk."

The two charged forward, their fists clashing together with such force they generated a shockwave that sent all the nearby rubble flying away.

Uraraka stared at the battleground from her position in the air, wishing there was some way she could help. But the Hulk was way too powerful for her. She had a feeling she would only be in Thanos's way if she tried to help. If she could touch the Hulk, that would be a different story but from the way he moved around with his speed and strength, she didn't know if she'd get a chance.

Still, she wanted to at least stay close in case there was something she could do. Thanos had saved her life twice now. The least she could do was try and look out for him.

Unfortunately, in the massive duel between Thanos and the Hulk, she'd forgotten about the Hulk's two companions. Specifically one she'd very recently pissed off.

"Well, well, seems we have a little demigod on our hands here."

Uraraka felt a jolt of fear shoot through her as she glanced down, seeing the woman from before glaring up at her. Fortunately, it didn't seem like she could fly but the way she was looking at Uraraka made the young hero want to run away as fast as possible. Or at least float away.

"Why are you after me?" she cried down. "I saved your life!"

The woman snorted. "You think I care about that? You're my enemy, sweetheart. I'm also rather hungry and while I don't normally partake in girls, I'll have to make an exception for today."

Uraraka felt like she was going to throw up her whole stomach. This woman was going to…eat her? That was more sickening than Himiko Toga who had gone on about stealing her blood. "What kind of a monster are you?" she gasped.

"Heh," the woman snorted. "I am Kelli, senior empousai and former commander in Lord Kronos's army. I have killed and devoured thousands of you little heroes over the years. You will be no different."

There was something off about her statements but Uraraka didn't dwell on them right now. She had to get the hell out of here, now. Whirling around, she activated her gauntlets and a cable shot from her wrists, attaching to the nearby building. With a flick, she was soaring away from the villain.

"My dear Buggy, go after her will you?"

"Of course. Whatever you say."

Uraraka chanced a look back and shrieked when she saw the clown villain now in pursuit of her. Except…it was only half of him, his legs having been separated. It was just his top half coming at her, knives in hand, while he cackled madly. He was just like the Class B student Tokage.

"Sorry little girl, but you angered Lady Kelli and have to pay the price!" he cried.

Uraraka primed her other gauntlet as she reached the building, already firing it off to the next building just within reach and soaring over to it. She could see that as long as she kept doing that, the clown villain Buggy couldn't keep up with her.

"You can't run forever!" he cried. "Chop-Chop Cannon!"

Uraraka looked back again and gasped as she saw the clown's hands shoot out towards her, completely separating from him. She instinctively dodged to the side, missing one of the knives, but she couldn't quite dodge the second one, crying out as got cut in the side. She grasped her injury with her free hand as her cable brought her to the next building. Wincing, she raised her gauntlet again to go for another one but saw the hands coming for her again, forcing her to duck.

"You can't escape!" Buggy screamed, coming right for her. "You…will…gah!"

Uraraka looked at him and blinked when she saw him come to a stop midair, his eyes practically bulging out as he stared at something beyond her. She followed his gaze and felt her heart come to a stop as the large, black dragon swooped down from the sky and landed on the building next to her, causing cracks to appear all around it.

"That was a very nasty trick you pulled, little girl," the dragon snarled, eyes brimming with hate. "For that, I'm going to make your death as painful as possible."

Uraraka should have been afraid. She should have been terrified of the dragon right in front of her, ready to kill her. But she'd been around Ryukyu for so long, that she was actually kind of used to dragons. Besides, she had noticed something that had distracted her from being scared.

This dragon's wings kept moving. They stayed upright and continued to flap despite the dragon now landed, albeit only a little though they were quick flaps, like it was trying to replicate a hummingbird. Plus, the dragon was digging its claws tightly into the building, like it was trying to anchor itself. Which could only mean one thing. Uraraka's gravity powers were still affecting it, the dragon needing to constantly flap its wings perfectly as well as dig its claws in so it could stay in the same place.

So Uraraka brought her fingertips together and shut her power down.

The effect was instantaneous. With the dragon's wings flapping in a way so it could not float off, it now went overboard and made itself smack down into the building it was perched on, smashing through it. The building, already unstable, began to collapse and the dragon, having lost its balance, went down with it, shrieking in rage as it disappeared beneath a heap of rubble.

Uraraka knew that wouldn't hold it long and activated her cables again, swinging herself as fast as she could away from the scene. She noticed the clown Buggy still in shock about the whole thing but he was now looking over at her and she knew that in seconds he would resume his chase.

Sure enough, he started moving towards her, knives outstretched again. But he was a second too late as the mound of rubble that had formerly been a building exploded outward, rocks and debris going everywhere.

"I'm going to crush you!" the dragon screeched, dragging itself out of the rubble and rising into the air once more. Its belly began to glow and a second later, it unleashed an inferno of scorching flames in Uraraka's direction.

The young hero, having just landed on another building, quickly shot out her cables to another one to her left, yanking herself towards it just before the flames could hit her. Still, she cried out as her the heatwave struck, roasting her back and making her feel like she was in an over. Still, she managed to dodge the worst of it. But there was no way she was in the clear. She needed a plan, now.

She wouldn't be able to outrun the dragon so, thinking fast, Uraraka pushed herself down to the ground, deactivating her anti-gravity once she'd reached a good height. She landed hard, her knees aching on impact. But she didn't focus on that, dashing into the nearest building and placing herself behind a large pillar before the dragon could reach her.

Her heart was racing wildly and her breaths were coming out in pants. She did her best to calm herself, feeling like the dragon must be able to hear her like this. She was in a small building, what must have been a house when it was new, with two storeys though the second floor was all but collapsed by now. There were also several cracks and a few holes in the ceiling.

"Little girl?"

Uraraka flinched as the dragon's voice came from just outside. She covered her mouth, hoping that would stop her from breathing so loudly.

"Where are you?" the dragon called out in a sing-song voice that had a lethal edged to it. A second later, there was a loud crashing sound that almost made Uraraka shriek. Obviously, the dragon had just demolished a building, looking for her.

"You think you can hide from me?" the dragon called out. "You know, little girl, I don't know how you do that cute gravity trick. I've had to accept a lot of bizarre things these last couple days. But still, it changes nothing. Honestly, it makes the hunt more fun."

Uraraka winced as there was another crashing sound, another building apparently being destroyed. She was tempted to go run out the door but the thing was, that building was in a completely different direction to the one that had been destroyed first. Which meant the dragon was moving around. So there was no way to know where it might show up next. Or where it was now.

She glanced at the open windows and the holes above her, her terror ramping up.

"I was called a Viper, an assassin sent to track and eliminate all threats to Talon. I was one of the best if not the best there was. I never failed once."

There was a slight pause before a loud whooshing sound overcame her. She blinked in surprise until she was hit by a wave of heat. She suddenly heard the crackling sounds of a blazing fire and then heard more crumbling sounds. The dragon was burning one of the buildings down. And if she'd been in there…

She had to get out of here now.

"So tell me, little girl, do you really think you can hide from me? With all that sweat and stench you're giving off?"

Uraraka nearly froze but she had already fired off the cable to the larger hole in the ceiling, launching herself upward just as the floor was consumed by the white-hot flames. She screamed as the heat hit her, feeling like she was burning even if she wasn't in it. She just barely made it out of the hole before the fire consumed the whole building. She swung herself away and fired off her other cable to the neighboring building as the building collapsed into the flames behind her, the fire so powerful it was melting the rock.

As she moved, her eyes glanced down and she saw the shadow lunge for her. She whirled to the side as the dragon's teeth chomped down on the air right where she'd been, missing her by inches. Without thinking, she swung her hand to use her powers on the dragon again but it was wise to her now, moving out of the way before she could touch it.

"Not this time," it growled, raising its jaws at her with more fire brimming from its throat. "This is the end for you brat."

Uraraka watched as the fire came roaring out and then brought her fingertips together again, gravity taking hold of her and bringing her back to the ground, the fire going over her head and missing her. She grunted as she hit the ground, her legs painfully absorbing the impact. She stumbled for a second before she took off, panting. She didn't know she had managed to last this long but there was no way she could keep this up. How was she going to get out of this?

I wish Deku was here, she thought.

"A good trick, but it won't help!" the dragon roared, launching itself at her and this time she was done. There was no way she could outrun it again. This was how it ended for her.

She saw the dragon's head bearing down, jaws gaping wide to rip her apart. And then it suddenly stopped, a whizzing sound ripping through the air. The next second, a metal cable wrapped around the dragon's snout, yanking it to the ground and away from Uraraka who could only stare in surprise. The dragon tried to break free but the cable was too strong. Instead it tried to claw at it and the next instant, it was somehow shoved into the collapsed building. Uraraka couldn't help but gape at the pillar of rock that had suddenly appeared right beneath the dragon's belly.

"Get up kid!" a voice yelled at her. "You're not dead yet!"

Uraraka looked up to see an older woman with gray hair and a scar on her face wearing a metallic outfit walk towards her.

"Who…who are you?" Uraraka stammered.

"Lin Beifong," the woman replied. "Now, you going to get up or just lie there?"

The battle continued to rage, the green and purple warriors smashing at each other continuously. It was clear that the green one was stronger but relied on that strength too much, the purple one maneuvering his opponent more often than not and fighting strategically at weak points. A battle of brains over brawn it seemed, though brawn still played an important role in it.

Atlas had been wandering the desert for a while now. He at first had been grateful to once more have the curse of the sky removed from his shoulders. But now he was stuck in a place he didn't recognize with no clue as to where to go. He had found many mysterious monsters he also didn't recognize and then saw the twin moons in the sky, leaving him to wonder where exactly was he.

Now he found himself in the ruins of an old city, watching two immensely powerful beings battle for supremacy. They were stronger than any monster he'd ever known and would perhaps give a few gods a good fight. They would make worthy recruits to the Titan Army…once they'd been whipped into shape of course.

Then there was the dragon fighting that young girl. Atlas honestly didn't pay too much attention to that. There was only one way that battle would end. What did interest him was the third party, the man who it seemed could disconnect his body parts. He'd never seen such a thing before though he had missed out on a lot during his millennia under the sky.

Which brought him to what really grabbed his attention. The elder empousai who was also watching the fights. He could just barely recognize her. She had been one of the leading members of the Titan Army during his brief time as General when they'd begun to finalize their plans. He didn't remember her name but he knew she was loyal to Kronos and thus to him. She would be very helpful.

He made a swift movement and leapt through the air, arriving on the rooftop behind her.

"Damn dragon," he heard her murmur angrily. "Well, as long as that bitch gets roasted, I guess I don't care. Still, will need to deal with that damn lizard too b-"

"Empousai," Atlas said.

"Who's asking?" she growled, turning to him with her claws unsheathed. However, it took only a single look for her to recognize him. Her expression went slack and she was instantly bowing her head to him. "My apologies Lord Atlas. I did not recognize your voice. It is truly an honor to see you and a great relief to know you are once again freed from your burden."

"Yes," Atlas nodded. "Now rise and explain to me what has transpired. Last I knew, was when the Roman army stormed Mount Othrys and slew my idiotic uncle Krios. I know Kronos has fallen and the Gods were victorious." Just saying the words made him feel sick. If he had been in command, he would have led them to victory. Instead, they had kept him contained, the damn fools. When he'd heard the news from his daughters, he'd bellowed for days in rage. But then, in the months that came, he'd begun to hear new whispers. "But what of Gaea? Is there any truth to the rumors I heard?"

"I am afraid, my lord, that I do not know much. I was in Tartarus, still respawning, when the news reached me and my sisters. Gaea was beginning to rise alongside the Gigantes to wage their own war on Olympus. I was seeking to join the fight when I ran into some demigods."

"In Tartarus?" Atlas blinked, not expecting that. He'd never heard of any demigods traveling to Tartarus before. If any ever did fall there, they shouldn't survive the trip. "Did you kill them?"

The empousai hissed in regret and Atlas glowered at her. "I was about to," she hissed. "But something struck me from behind and I…I knew no more."

"Disappointing," he said. Still, what could he expect. She may be one of the older empousai and a powerful monster. But she was still just a monster in the end. "Now, can you explain what has happened here? Why we are in this strange place?"

"I'm afraid I do not know, my lord," she replied. "I arrived near here only the other day and have been wandering around ever since. I eventually made it to this city and ran afoul of these individuals. One of them even claimed to be a Titan as well!" she spat.

Atlas frowned. "Which one?"

"He calls himself Thanos, my lord. He is currently fighting the green behemoth that I managed to enlist who refers to himself as the Hulk."

Atlas glanced over, hearing the sounds of the two monsters' fists striking one another. So one claimed to be a Titan? He hadn't sensed anything from him in terms of power like that. So was he faking it? Or was there something else going on here?

Atlas was beginning to get a sense for what was happening here but it was still too early to make any assumptions. He needed more information.

"I require you to curb your bloodlust, empousai," he said. "Find whatever individuals you can and incapacitate them, but do not kill. I wish to question them. From them, I believe I can understand our situation better."

"Yes, my lord," she said quickly. "And, if I may, what will you do?"

Atlas smirked, cracking his neck and knuckles. "Me? I'm going to go have a talk with this other Titan."

"I will smash you, Purple Man!" the Hulk roared, ripping apart an old building and throwing the pieces as hard as he could.

"I see we've transitioned with the nicknames," Thanos muttered, dodging two of the large pieces of stone and grabbing the third one, hurling it back and striking the coming rock, destroying both of them. In the cover of the debris, Thanos rushed forward and managed to catch the Hulk off guard, wrapping his hands around the green monster's waist and lifting him up. Thanos grunted from the weight but kept going, lifting the monster as high as he could before dropping him back down, smashing him against the ground hard enough to cause a tremor. The Hulk grunted out but seemed only momentarily winded so Thanos didn't let up, punching the beast in the face as hard as he could. The Hulk reeled back and Thanos kept at it, punching two more times as hard as he could. But as he lifted up his arm for the next punch, he felt the Hulk move beneath him and saw the green, meaty arm shoot up for him. Thanos just managed to block the Hulk's arm with his own but grimaced at the power behind it.

"Get…off…Hulk!" the monster growled, heaving himself upwards. Thanos tried to maintain his position but the Hulk was growing in strength and he quickly leapt away before he could be thrown off. He took a breath. It seemed no matter how hard he tried, the Hulk bested him. This was for sure a different beast than the one he bested before. Thanos had to admit, this was perhaps the hardest battle he'd fought in over a decade, perhaps more. And he wasn't even sure if he would be able to win.

He needed his sword. That way, he had a better chance.

"Hulk will make Purple Man pay!" the Hulk roared out.

"So you keep saying," Thanos commented, eyeing the monster carefully. He needed an opening to make a break for the sword, something to occupy the Hulk for a few seconds, hopefully a minute. But what? What could he do?

He wasn't given the chance to think about it as the Hulk roared and suddenly charged him. Thanos was tempted to meet him head-on but now knew that with the Hulk's level of power, that was not the best course of action. Instead, he waited carefully and ducked aside at the last second, letting the Hulk run past him.

That's when it hit him.

Acting fast, he grabbed hold of both the Hulk's arm and the rim of his bright purple pants, getting a firm grip on both.

"Let Hulk g-"

"Yah!" Thanos roared, throwing the Hulk forward as hard as he could, the beast flying only for an instant before he crashed through the wall of one of the collapsing buildings, his body smashing everything in its path before it came to a stop amidst the dust and debris. It took a second, but a few seconds later, there was a loud groaning sound coming from the building, cracks spreading fast.

"Hulk will-"

Whatever the Hulk was about to say, it was drowned out as the whole building collapsed on top of the monster, burying him completely among the rocks and ruins.

Thanos didn't allow himself even a second. He was already dashing off to where he'd dropped his blade. He hadn't run away from a fight like this since his younger days, when he first left his home and set off on his own. But this was necessary action.

He crossed the streets through which he and the Hulk had fought until he arrived back where he had first met the beast. He felt a twinge of worry when he saw Uraraka as well as the flame-haired woman missing. That did not bode well but he would have to deal with it later. Besides, if Uraraka died, there was nothing he could do about it. In this world, only the strong could survive.

He found his sword lying amongst the rubble from where the Hulk had knocked it aside. He picked it up carefully, feeling better now that it was in his grasp. His strength was good, but his sword-skills were better. He had a far greater chance at success with his sword in hand.

He turned and began walking back towards where he'd left the Hulk when he felt the change in the air. He instinctively looked up, blade already raised, and just managed to block the spear thrust coming down on him. He grunted, feeling himself be pushed down into the ground, his feet cracking the earth from the strain, before he shook off his opponent, tossing them to the side.

It was a man in dark-golden armor, a large javelin in hand that looked like it might be able to pierce through the hull of his own ship.

"So, you are an apparent Titan then," the man said. There was a deep vibration to his voice, as if it was the ground speaking, not the man. That alone told Thanos that this was no ordinary man. He exuded a sense of power similar to that of the Hulk's though in a different way that immediately put him on alert.

"And who might you be?" he asked casually, keeping his face and mannerisms expressionless. He even gave off the appearance that he had lowered his guard, interested to see how this person would respond.

"I am Atlas, General and second in command of the Titan Army under Lord Kronos. I may have been trapped for the last few millennia under my burden, but I believe I still would have heard of you."

Thanos took in his words carefully. He was now beginning to understand. This man must be one of the godly beings like Thor or Loki whose biology and abilities lengthened their lifespans considerably. And, evidently, this particular one was of a race called 'Titans.' That was why the flame-headed woman had become so incensed.

"No, you would not have," Thanos replied evenly. "I am from the planet Titan, a world far from here. I do not believe we share any true similarities."

Atlas seemed to be taking that in. "I do not sense any lies in your words. Still, this doesn't answer the questions I have. You are from another world, another planet entirely?"

Before Thanos could answer they heard a loud crashing sound from the next streets over followed by a thunderous roar.

"HULK WILL SMASH PURPLE MAN!"

Thanos sighed though he supposed he should be grateful. The Hulk had reemerged after a much longer time than he had expected. Still, now it seemed he would be facing off against two threats. His odds were not to his liking.

"Where did Purple Man go? Stop hiding Purple Man and fight Hulk!"

Atlas gave Thanos a pointed look. "Given we still have a few things to go over, may I suggest we leave the Hulk out of this."

"Very well," Thanos agreed.

"HA! Purple Man was too afraid to fight Hulk! Purple Man ran away! Hulk has won!"

Thanos gave a look in the Hulk's direction, wondering how the beast would react if he ever learned the truth. Whatever, it was of no great importance to him whether the Hulk knew he beat him or not. Instead, he focused on the latest possible threat standing right in front of him.

"Another planet?" Atlas questioned. "How fascinating. From the look in the sky and those two moons, we certainly are far from our homelands."

"Indeed," Thanos nodded, though this arid and empty wasteland reminded him of how Titan looked now. "But if you wish to know how we arrived here, I am afraid I am as lost as you are."

"Oh, that may be a question on my mind, but it is not the one I am focusing on right now."

"Then what is?"

"I am just curious. You claim to be a Titan. So, let's see what your blood looks like."

The attack came so suddenly that if Thanos wasn't already on edge, it would have caught him. Atlas stabbed forward with his javelin and Thanos's sword came up, just narrowly deflecting it but it he could feel the wind pressure as it passed his cheek, barely an inch between. Thanos continued with his blade, bringing it a downward stroke that forced Atlas to block this time, bringing his javelin back to defend himself, the two weapons meeting with a resounding clang!

Thanos grunted from the pressure but didn't stop pushing until he felt Atlas deflected the attack to the side, allowing him to do the same and letting both back off. But this barely lasted a second as their weapons exchanged blows again and again and again, clashing mightily as the two tested each other, gauging their opponent's strength.

Thanos twirled his blade in the air, making it spin wildly, which briefly caught Atlas off guard and created an opening. Thanos took it, thrusting the spinning blade forward so that came it right towards the other Titan's armor. The tiniest flash of alarm cross Atlas's face as he was forced to lean back but it vanished just as swiftly, his javelin twisting midair so that it became more of a club than a spear. Thanos moved his arm to intercept, the momentum of the motion giving an extra boost as he pushed the javelin and Atlas's strength behind it away.

Atlas was undeterred, flipping his javelin back before planting his feet down firmly on the ground and lunging forward, the javelin aimed straight for Thanos's sword hand. He moved his hand about, the still spinning blade offering protection. But then Atlas's javelin stopped the spinning, holding the blade fast. Thanos's eyes widened as Atlas allowed a savage grin to cross his face before he twisted the javelin into a new angle that pierced into Thanos's hand.

"First blood to me," Atlas commented.

His grin faded as Thanos suddenly grabbed hold of the javelin with his injured hand. Before he could react, Thanos yanked him forward and then head-butted with all his power. Atlas roared in pain and Thanos stepped back, seeing golden liquid trickling down from the other Titan's nose.

"You will pay for that," Atlas promised, holding up his javelin. As he did, Thanos noticed the end of it had a reddish tint to it from his own blood. "And it seems the Fates are on my side for this battle."

"And why is that?"

"You don't have ichor running through your veins. That makes you mortal. And that means that you can be killed. So, other Titan, are you prepared to die?"

Thanos smirked. "You will find that my death will not come easily. Or cheaply. So come now, Titan, and give me a worthy fight."

The dragon's tail whipped around but Lin stamped her foot down, bringing up a wall of earth that managed to stop it. She then sent a barrage of boulders right for the dragon's head. The monster ducked aside but a few still hit, one even striking it in the eye.

"Gah!" the dragon roared. "I'll burn you all alive!"

"It can talk?" she and Arya, the young girl she'd met recently, yelled simultaneously.

"Must be some kind of spirit trapped in this world," Lin muttered to herself. "Or maybe I'm in the Spirit World," she amended. It was difficult to tell which one was accurate given that she had no idea where she was or how she got here. But it wasn't difficult to know what to do.

After seeing the two flying figures go by, destroying a good portion of the city, Lin hadn't known what to expect. She honestly wasn't sure what else would be able to surprise her. But then they'd both seen flames shooting out and heard a loud roar as well as other sounds of battle. It hadn't taken long to see the cause was a dragon. Arya had frozen for a second, her mouth opening and closing in fright, but Lin had charged in, rescuing the girl who'd been seconds away from death.

She'd only ever seen one dragon, the mount of Lord Zuko, previous Fire Lord. But that had been a calm, peaceful creature as far as she had seen. And, as far as she knew, it couldn't talk. This one was clearly very different. It must come from the Spirit World it if could communicate like that. There was no other explanation.

"Would be useful to have Korra right about now," Lin muttered. "Or Tenzin too, I guess." The old airbender would be useful to have, but she'd honestly prefer Korra.

The dragon turned to her and unleashed a wave of flames at her. Lin raised up another wall of stone that completely surrounded her, protecting her from the fire. It, unfortunately though, didn't protect her from the heat. She grunted, feeling like her blood was being boiled and her skin being baked. These dragons were no jokes. No wonder they were thought as the original Firebenders.

She could feel the heat dying down but she could also guess as to what the dragon's next move was. She moved her arms and the ground moved with her, opening up a large cavity beneath her that she dropped into. With sharp thrusts, she tunneled right beneath the street to where the dragon had been.

"Alright, you giant pain in the ass," Lin growled. "Let's see how you like this."

She thrust up, bending as much of the earth as she could. It all came roaring upwards right underneath the dragon, shocking it and sending it flying upwards only it wasn't flying, its wings flapping uselessly under the storm of rocks and dirt. It gave out one roar before falling down, crashing back into the street.

Before it could even start to move again, Lin jumped up from her hole and moved her arms around, thrusting up pillars of earth on either side of the dragon, connecting in the middle and forming a cage. As she did it, Lin also solidified the earth as much as she could, binding the earth particles to nigh unbreakable strength. She didn't know how strong the dragon was but if she couldn't trap it she could at least make it hard for it to break out.

Her gut instinct was proven correct a few seconds later when the dragon let out a mighty roar and began writhing around. The whole ground quaked from its efforts but the stone pillars held firm.

"You will pay!" the dragon screamed.

"Yeah, whatever," Lin replied, breathing out in relief as she took a step back. She wasn't sure if she would be able to do that. Seemed luck was on her side today.

She turned and looked back to see Arya walking up slowly, eyeing the dragon warily. Next to her was the young girl they'd saved, looking a couple years younger than Arya, in a strange bodysuit of some kind that looked a little similar to a pro-bending uniform.

"Thank you," the girl said gratefully to Lin.

"Don't worry about it kid, it's my job. Lin Beifong by the way."

"Oh, uh, I'm Uraraka. Ochaco Uraraka."

"I'd say it's nice to meet you, but given our circumstances…"

"Yeah," Uraraka said sadly.

They watched as the dragon struggled mightily against the pillars but Lin had done her work well, the stone cage holding firmly. "I can't believe it can talk," Arya muttered. "I've never heard of that before."

"Me either. Must be a spirit of some kind," Lin replied.

Arya frowned at her. "A spirit?"

"I thought it was just a part of her Quirk, like with Ryukyu," Uraraka chimed in.

Lin frowned now. "A Quirk?" What did she mean by that? What was a Quirk? If Uraraka had seen this before, was a Quirk some way for a spirit to…well, be able to do this.

Before she could ponder it any further, Arya suddenly gasped a little, drawing her sword again. "Look!"

They all followed her finger to the stone cage and Lin's eyes went wide as she saw what was happening. The dragon was writhing around, but not like before in an attempt to escape but now it was like its whole body was shrinking. Then she realized that was because it was. They all watched as the dragon's body shrunk down, its tails and wings folding up into its body, its green scales fading away, until instead of a dragon, a woman in black body suit that wiggled around as if it was alive stared at them all, a severe look on her face that gave the phrase 'look-that-could-kill' a whole new meaning.

Now that she was a human, she easily stepped out of the stone cage, walking towards them. Lin, who'd been taken by surprise by the transformation, reacted quickly, summoning another large block of earth to trap her. But the woman was ready for it, dodging out of the way with lightning-fast reflexes.

"You caught me off guard," the woman said. "I've never seen an ability like yours before. But I guess, considering everything that's happened, I should be ready for anything. Still, don't think you'll be able to beat be. You're still nothing but a lowly human while I am a dragon."

Lin glared at the dragon-woman. "And I don't really give a shit if you're a woman or a dragon or a damn platypus bear. I'm going to pound you into the ground."

The woman grinned back at her evilly. "Give me your best shot, you old hag."

Lin growled and prepared to move but before she could, Arya suddenly rushed forward. Lin was about to let out a cry of warning to pull the foolish girl back but there was no need. Surprised by the sudden attack, the dragon-woman was caught off guard as Arya slashed at her with her needle-like sword, a large wound appearing across her arm.

"Fuck!" the woman swore, stepping back for a second, glaring at the injury. But Arya didn't let up, attacking again, forcing the woman to keep backing up. More cuts appeared across her arms and legs as Arya danced around her, her blade moving so fast that it was hard to keep up with her. Lin was tempted to step in and help but it didn't seem like Arya needed any help. She was handling it find on her own.

This continued for another half-minute, the dragon-woman's arms now covered in her blood. And yet she was still going strong, acting like the wounds were nothing but annoyances. "You little pest!" the woman shrieked. "I'm going to-"

Exactly what she was going to do, they didn't find out as, when she spoke, the woman lowered her guard for an instant and Arya shot forward, her sword flashing dangerously. The next instant, the woman fell to her knees, hands clutching at her throat as blood gushed out, eyes bulging in shock.

Arya stepped back. "You may be ferocious as a dragon," she said dryly. "But as a human, your warrior spirit is lacking."

"Y-you…" the woman spluttered, her blood running like a waterfall from her slashed throat. Lin couldn't help but gape, not expecting such a savage move. Clearly, neither had Uraraka who had gasped and now looked in horror at the sight. Still, it was an effective move as the enemy was down. Lin couldn't fault Arya for doing such a thing given the threat of their opponent. But it did concern her a little that a girl who couldn't be more than Korra's age would resort to such an extreme.

"I suppose I can say now that I've killed a dragon, though it was rather in a disappointing way," Arya said.

"Y-you…y-you thin-nk y-ouv-ve w-won?" the woman continued to gargle. "I am-m a d-dragon, you n-nasty b-bitch!"

The woman's body suddenly swelled and Lin acted fast, rushing forward and grabbing hold of Arya, pulling her back and bending a wall of earth in front of them right as the woman's transformation took hold, the large dragon claw that had been about to strike them now hitting hard rock instead.

Just like that, all the injuries on the woman's arms and legs vanished, replaced by vibrant green scales. And the gushing wound on her throat also closed up, her neck elongating and hardening. Soon the woman was gone, replaced once more by the dragon.

"You think it's that easy to kill a dragon?" she asked. "You should have gone a little deeper. Then you might have had a chance. Even still, I heal ten times faster than you. And now with my scales, your sword won't be able to do anything to me. You thought you could just kill a dragon like that? Fat chance. Now I'm going to roast you all alive!"

Lin glowered, ready to start bending again, this time a cage that could hold the woman in both her forms.

"Incarcerous!"

Before Lin could react, thick cords appeared out of thin air, wrapping tightly around her and preventing her from moving. From the corner of her eye she could see the same thing had happened to Arya and Uraraka.

"What is this?" she growled, struggling to break free.

"Well now Lilith, it seems your abilities were overestimated."

Two figures dressed in black suddenly dropped down. One was a man with a rough looking face and a thin beard. There was a thin stick in his hand that he was holding carefully and threateningly so Lin knew it had to be a weapon of some kind. But how had he wrapped these cords around them. They didn't appear to be metallic so it wasn't metal-bending.

The second figure appeared to be a woman but it was hard to tell as whoever it was had a helmet completely obscuring their face. In their hand was a circular object with a handle going through it. The way it was held made Lin think it was also a weapon.

"Shut up!" the dragon, who must be Lilith, growled. "I can take them on by myself. I don't need your help!"

"Actions speak louder than words and judging from how that woman trapped you earlier and that girl slashed your throat, I believe you may be outmatched here," the man said.

"Yes, but don't worry," the other figure said, their voice sounded robotic through the mask but Lin could still hear the menace behind it. "We'll take it from here."

"The hell you will! I said I'd deal with them and I will!"

"I've already dealt with them. There's nothing they can do tied up like that."

Lin just managed to hide her smirk. Seems this man was also overconfident. True, she couldn't move her arms and bend as well as she would like. But he hadn't tied up her whole body which was his mistake. She had just one finger loose from the cords and that was enough.

Carefully, she moved her finger around and one of the small pieces of metal that made up her boot peeled off. With a quick jerk of her finger, the sheet came flying upwards, tearing right through the cords and freeing her. It also sliced parts of her skin but she ignored that. She was free.

"What?" the man growled, raising his stick. Lin stamped her foot down and a wall of earth appearedin front of her, blocking him and the other two. She then twisted around and shot the metal out, cutting through Arya and Uraraka's bindings as well.

"We need to ge-" she started to say when the earth walls around her suddenly dissolved.

"Well now, you certainly are surprising," the man said. "All these new and strange types of magic I find. It's hard to keep track. But still, none of them are a match for my power."

"We'll see about that," Lin growled. She bent the earth, summoning a storm of rocks that went flying at him. But before they could hit, it was like the air in front of him turned solid, the rocks either deflecting off it or breaking apart on impact. Whoever this guy was, he was powerful.

But she couldn't worry about him long as Lilith the dragon suddenly appeared, smashing apart what was left of the walls to come charging right for Lin.

"I will tear you apart!" the dragon screeched, her throat beginning to glow ominously.

Lin braced herself, ready to start bending the earth again, when a an explosion suddenly went off on Lilith's face, causing her to roar in surprise and pain.

"I told you, you had your chance Lilith!" the man barked. "I will handle this now!"

"Dolohov!" Lilith roared at him. "I will burn you alive for that one!"

"Try it!" the man called Dolohov barked back. "I've never killed a dragon before, why not start now?"

Lin blinked but realized this could be just the opening they needed to get the hell out of here. But before she could act on her thoughts, something else happened. She felt a pressure wrap around her except there was nothing there. It was like the air had become solid somehow. And then she felt that pressure move towards her neck, restricting it. She coughed and gagged, something choking her.

"Beifong!"

"What's happening?"

She could hear Arya and Uraraka behind her but couldn't do anything. How was this happening? Who was doing this? Dolohov and Lilith had lost interest in each other and were now looking at her but they seemed surprised too. So…

Her eyes landed on the third figure, the one in the dark helmet. It had to be her. But how was she doing this? Was it some kind of airbending technique? Or…no, it couldn't be bloodbending. It was all happening outside Lin's body. This had to be airbending.

Now that she knew where it was coming from, Lin acted. She pushed her arm forward and bent the earth, sending rocks flying to the dark figure, but the woman easily tossed them aside before they could reach her. And Lin didn't even see the air move. Who the hell was this?

The pressure increased and Lin could no longer concentrate, her vision getting darker as she continued to choke. She couldn't fight her way out of this. Was this it for her? She could barely even think at the moment.

Then, all of a sudden, the pressure disappeared and she gasped in a gulp of air. She also felt herself drop back down to the ground where she landed on her hands and knees, barely able to still hold herself up. She coughed and gagged, regaining her strength and concentration. Arya and Uraraka appeared at her side but she didn't look at them, focusing solely on the woman in the helmet.

"That was a warning," she said, voice reverberating like a machine. The mask suddenly opened up, revealing a woman's face with a sickly-colored skin that seemed to match her personality perfectly. "Now, come with us or the next thing I do will be far less pleasant."

"Hey, Seven! I already said they were mine!" Dolohov complained.

"No, they were mine!" Lilith argued.

"Both of you, shut up," the woman, Seven, said firmly. "You decided to argue instead of do something and gave our prisoners here an opening to escape. Fortunately, you had me here and I took care of it. Now, we will take them back with us t-"

"Oh like hell you will!" Lin barked, stamping her foot hard on the ground, causing it to erupt all around them. Lilith and Dolohov were knocked aside as pillars of rock slammed up into them but Seven managed to leap aside from rock to rock with effortless agility.

"That's right, make this more of a challenge for me," she grinned fiercely and pressed a button on her object. Instantly, there was a psshheeww sound and twin beams of crimson light shot out from either end of the item, ending after maybe a meter or so in a point, looking awfully like blades.

"I'm going to assume you've never seen anything like this before," Seven commented.

"What does that matter?" Lin asked, carefully analyzing the threat of this new weapon.

"Not much. Just satisfying my own curiosity."

Lin suddenly felt the pressure grip her again but this time she was ready for it. She may not be able to bend as much but she had other tools at her disposal. With a flick of her wrist, her cable shot out from her gauntlet, going right for Seven's arm. Lin didn't know what that weapon was but she had a bad feeling about it which was why she didn't aim for it but the arm holding it instead.

"Too slow!" Seven grinned as she pressed another button and the two glowing blades began spinning rapidly, slicing through Lin's cable as it reached them. "Now then, let's see if you can get out of this!"

The pressure around her increased and then Lin found herself shooting forward, eyes wide in horror as Seven brought her blades up to strike.

Until another cable shot out and struck her in the face.

"Gah!" she cried, her concentration dropping. Lin felt the pressure release and she dropped back to the ground. The instant she had solid footing, she shoved her arms forward, sending a wave of rocks at Seven who cursed and leapt back, spinning through the air to land at the top of a nearby building. Lin blinked at that. She'd never seen anyone move like that without bending. Just who was she. Scratch that, who were all these people?

The simple answer was a threat, one Lin didn't feel she was equipped to deal with. Even if she wasn't alone, Arya and Uraraka were also clearly out of their element.

"We need to…wha-" she stuttered, turning behind her to only see Uraraka. The girl was retracting her cable which meant she'd been the one to save Lin, something she'd thank her for later. But Arya was nowhere to be found. "Wher-"

"Damn it!" something screeched behind them, the earth heaving with dirt and rock shooting around. Lilith returned to her feet, glaring hatefully at them. "No more games. I'm taking you out now."

Lin saw that ominous glow in the throat again and prepared to move but before she could, Seven interrupted them.

"Stop, you fool! We need them alive!"

"I don't care anymore!"

"You will when he learns what you did! Now stand down!"

Lilith continued to glare at them all but the glow died down. "Fine!" she spat. "But finish this quickly! Because I won't hold back anymore."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Lin grimaced. The odds really weren't looking good for her. She knew she could handle the dragon but whoever this Seven was, she was dangerous. She reminded Lin of Zaheer a little in terms of power except she had that shimmering saber of hers that added to the danger. And with Arya now missing, that just added to the threat.

"Let's just hope things don't get worse."

"There you are!"

Lin's head swiveled at the voice, turning to see one of the strangest sights. Two individuals appeared on a nearby rooftop. One seemed like a woman but was clearly more spirit with her flaming hair and furry legs. The other…well, he had the face of a clown but that wasn't what drew Lin's attention. It was the fact that she only saw his top half floating in the air. He must be some other kind of strange spirit. There was no other explanation for this.

But the real concern was the fact that the flame-haired woman wasn't pointing at her or even Seven or Lilith. No, she was pointing directly at Uraraka who fearfully glared back.

"You thought you could get away, you floating bitch!" the woman cried out. "I will drain you dry in the most painful way possible." She then turned around, calling behind her. "Hey, Hulk! I found the person who hurt me! Could you be a dear and come take her out? And all her friends too!"

Lin heard the earth nearby tremble slightly right before something shot up from behind the building. She only had a second to wonder what it was when it came crashing back down on the building. Only, whatever it was came in so powerfully that it crashed through the building, collapsing it into a mound of rubble. Lin used the opportunity to step in front of Uraraka, ready to defend her from whatever threat came their way. She then bent the dust away with a foot stamp, clearing the area.

"Oh shit," she mumbled, seeing the latest threat in front of her and knowing they were done for.

He was massive. A literal monster with bright green skin and muscles that honestly looked like they could crack buildings apart with just a flex. The creature lifted its head and glared at her. "Pretty girl wants floaty girl to get smashed! So Hulk will smash her!"

He stepped forward and Lin could feel his power from even that distance. Still, she stepped forward as well, ready to attack.

"Go away, gray-hair," the Hulk told her. "Or you get smashed too!"

"You want her, you go through me," Lin replied firmly.

"Then Hulk will smash you!"

Lin saw the monster tensing his legs and acted fast, swinging her arms apart. The earth followed her movements, the ground beneath the Hulk's feet vanishing into a chasm. The Hulk roared in surprise as he fell, but his arm lashed out and grabbed hold of the edge of the pit. Lin quickly pushed that part of the earth away but the Hulk still managed to use it to pull his other arm forward so that it was now grabbing the edge. Lin bent that earth into the pit as well but the Hulk was still too fast, able to pull himself forward quicker than she could push him away. Desperate now, she bent even more, shoving the whole side of the cliff over the edge with the Hulk with it.

"RAH!" he roared as he disappeared from view and Lin thought for a second it was over. But then she felt the earth tremble again and he came soaring back into view, landing just a few meters away from her with an impact so powerful, parts of the ground shattered instantly. Lin bent a small wall of rock between her and the Hulk, bracing her and Uraraka from the shockwave.

"Silly gray-hair. Hole was not deep enough to hold Hulk!" he roared triumphantly.

"Damn it," she muttered, cursing herself for overlooking something so trivial. But she didn't think on it long, already moving to attack. She bent a large boulder up into the air and kicked it right at the Hulk. While it was still midair, she bent another boulder and then another and another, hurling as many boulders in rapid succession as possible. She saw the first one strike the Hulk in the face, making him cry out, and she smirked. She kept going, sending a barrage his way. But the small bit of triumph she felt died out quickly when she saw some boulders crumble on impact with his skin. Others he swatted away. And any that did really connect didn't do much to halt him. He didn't even seem too injured by the attack, only annoyed.

"Stop shooting rocks at Hulk!" the monster roared. "Take this!"

His hands flew backwards and Lin's eyes flew wide, realizing what was about to happen. She swiftly brought another rock wall up in front of her just as the Hulk brought his hands back together with a booming CLAP!

The sound was like a thunderbolt except a thousand times louder. Lin couldn't even brace herself as the wave of force struck her. Her rock wall took the brunt of it but she could see many parts of it crumble apart from the attack.

A second later, it was over. The force wave died down and Lin fell to her knees, breathing hard in relief. Her mind felt foggy and her ears were ringing like there were bells going off inside them. But she'd made it through somehow. Now she just had to figure out a way to beat the damn beast.

"Ms. Beifong?"

The question was asked as if through murky water. Lin turned to see Uraraka standing next to her, looking at her with concern. "Don't worry kid, I'm alright," Lin replied.

"I can make him float."

Lin's ears were still ringing so she wasn't quite sure what she'd just heard. "What?"

"The Hulk. I can make him float. I just need to touch him and he'll float away."

Lin blinked, not expecting that statement. "Kid, did you hit your head or something? What do you mean you can make him float?"

Uraraka stared back at her, equally confused. "It's my Quirk," she said as if it was obvious. "I can make things float."

There was that word again. Quirk. Clearly, something this girl was used to. But that didn't mean…

Lin didn't have time to think on it long as the earth wall protecting them shattered suddenly, the Hulk walking through it. "Hulk will smash you both now," the monster threatened.

"Stay back kid!" Lin told Uraraka.

"But I can-"

"I said stay back!" Lin wasn't sure what the girl was talking about, but she knew she couldn't let someone her age step into a battle like this. She'd let Korra and her friends do it only because she knew what they were capable of. This girl though…she had no clue. And that was not something she could work with in a battle like this.

She heard the footsteps coming through the earth and acted, softening the earth so that the Hulk began to sink into it. He roared out in frustration, the dirt coming up to his knees in seconds. He struggled walking forward for a second and Lin thought for a second that she had him. But then he pushed his arms into the dirt and threw them upwards, sending all of it shooting up like a geyser.

"Damn it," she muttered, seeing he was once again free. What could she do against a monster like this? She was completely outmatched here.

"Earth woman will pay. Hulk will smash her," the monster said, glaring at her with rage as he approached.

Lin trembled. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this scared. Maybe when Amon had taken her power. But even then, she hadn't been afraid for her life. This…this was true terror.

Still, she wasn't giving up just yet.

As the Hulk raised his fist to strike, she bent the earth to form a pillar right around it, the stone encasing his arm and holding it fast.

"RAH! You thin-"

Before he could finish, Lin bent the metal from her suit and slammed it around his head, enveloping him. She could hear him roar loudly, already tearing his arm free, but for the moment he couldn't seem to get a good grip on the metal. She let herself breathe out.

"Well, I think that's quite enough of that."

Lin blinked as Seven suddenly appeared, red blades still humming eerily.

"Hey, you! Don't interfere or I'll have the big guy smash you too!" the flame-haired woman shrieked.

"I'm afraid you'll first have to deal with my companion."

"Hello," Lilith said, flapping her wings. "I'm glad to see you're not dead. That means I get to kill you myself."

Kelli hissed, fear evident in her expression. "Hulk! Protect me!"

The Hulk's voice was muffled behind the mask but the context made it pretty obvious. Still, he couldn't get a grip on the mask to tear it off. So, for the moment, he was contained.

Until he made a fist and smashed it into his own head.

Lin gaped as the metal crumpled on impact. The Hulk himself stumbled for half a second before he recovered, now able to grab the mask and rip it off. "Pretty girl in trouble? Argh! Stupid lizard! Hulk will smash you!"

Lin saw Lilith's eyes widen as the Hulk leapt right for her, instinctively cowering back.

"Dolohov!"

At his name, the man suddenly flew through the air on a trail of black smoke. He waved his stick thing and the Hulk was suddenly deflected, crashing sideways into the street and creating another gouge in the ground as well as a large dust cloud.

Lin blinked. He'd done that with just a wave from his stick thing. Everyone she met today just continued to defy everything she'd known her entire life. One thing in particular was sticking out to her right now though. She had to get the hell out of here.

"Come on," she whispered urgently to Uraraka, moving away from the others.

"RARRGGHHH!"

The ground suddenly exploded around where the Hulk fell and he came leaping out, practically glowing with rage. "Stupid dress man! Hulk will sma-"

"Imperio."

Lin didn't know what that word meant but the second it was said, the Hulk fell silent, coming to a stop in the street and just standing there.

"Good beast," Dolohov smirked. "Now," he turned to look directly at Lin who felt a chill run down her spine, "return to your previous task and collect those two for me."

The Hulk turned to them as well, face completely devoid of expression which was even more terrifying than his rage-fueled one. He took a step forward and then another and another until he was running right for them.

"Damn it all," Lin cursed. She stamped her foot down hard, cracking the earth open and creating as big a chasm as she could create beneath the Hulk's feet. He stumbled for a second before falling in. However, his arms shot out, catching either side of the widening chasm and before Lin could earthbend again, he braced himself and pulled himself free, once again rushing right for her.

Lin sent stalagmites shooting out to impale the Hulk but the stone spears either broke on impact or only just slowed him down a bit. Lin sent more rocks hurtling his way but they just bounced off or broke apart.

Lin panted, not sure what else she could do. She'd tried everything but whatever she'd thrown at him had only slowed him down a bit. She grimaced, knowing there really was nothing she could do in this situation. Still, she wouldn't go down without a fight.

But, just as she was about to charge and meet the Hulk head on, something raced past her. Or someone.

"Uraraka, no!" she cried, watching the young girl charge the green monster.

The Hulk saw her coming and raised his hand, ready to grab her. Lin braced herself for the worst but Uraraka just managed to dodge to the side, whipping her own hand around to smack it against him.

And then, somehow, the Hulk began to float, his legs leaving the ground. He flailed around for a second, clearly confused even in his mind-controlled state. Lin gaped for a second before shaking her head. It really was just one thing after another. She could have sworn it was a dream if she wasn't feeling everything so clearly.

"See!" Uraraka said, grinning back at her. "I got hi-"

The Hulk's other hand shot out and grabbed her around the middle. She cried out in surprise but it was cut short as the Hulk squeezed, turning into a groan.

"Uraraka!" Lin cried.

"Stop there or she dies," Seven ordered, forcing Lin to come to a stop. "This game has gone on long enough. It's over now."

"Don't just float like that Hulk!" the flame-haired woman screeched. "Destroy them all!"

"It doesn't work like that…demon girl," Dolohov said. "He's under my control now."

"Indeed," Seven commented. "And now, unless you want to die, I suggest you-"

"Gah!"

Everyone turned and Lin let out another gasp though this one of relief as she saw Arya somehow standing right behind Dolohov, her needle-thin sword pressed right up against his throat.

"If you don't want to die, I'd suggest you do what I say now."

Arya had been having a real hard time understanding everything around her. All these strange people with their supernatural abilities. It strained her mind just thinking about it. But her training from the House of Black and White had come through. She just accepted that these powers now existed here and she'd deal with them all accordingly, starting with this man. It was clear that he was some type of magic user based on the stick in hand which she was sure was a wand. She didn't think that the fairy tales would be accurate but evidently anything was true now.

She'd snuck away when Seven and Dolohov had appeared, realizing she was no match for them in a head on fight after seeing them in action. So, she'd decided to try a different tactic which seemed to have worked.

"And don't you do use your strange powers on me either," Arya warned Seven. "I feel even a hint of anything, I'll plunge my sword through his throat."

Seven smirked at her but Arya could still tell she was irritated by this development. "Well now, this is rather disappointing. I thought you were better than this Dolohov."

"Hey don't blame me!" Dolohov complained. "You didn't sense her either. I thought that was more your thing anyway!"

"Shut up," Arya warned him, pressing Needle in deeper and causing a trickle of blood to appear. "Now tell that…green monster over there to release the Hulk."

She felt Dolohov tense in her grip but just pushed Needle even more, causing more blood to flow. "Ok, ok, fine," the man complained. "Hey, Hulk! Release the girl."

The Hulk instantly dropped her, Uraraka collapsing to the ground with a soft moan. Lin moved towards her and carefully lifted her up into her arms. Once she did, Arya saw Uraraka move her hands together and the next second the Hulk dropped down as well, landing with a loud thump.

"Now, I want you t-"

She felt it, a movement behind her, and she acted fast, twisting around just as the blade on the floating severed hand came for her. Needle struck it from the side and held it off before it could impale her. But the damage was already done as, now freed, Dolohov whirled around.

"You little bitch!" he cried, wand raised. "Avada Kedavra!"

Arya ducked as the green bolt of light shot out, missing it by inches. She dove forward, aiming to cut him in the legs but he moved aside, instead slashing out with his wand. Arya raised her sword on instinct and felt something strike it, gouging into it a little. An instant later, pain sliced her on her lower hip and upper shoulder, making her gasp. It was like she'd been cut there but it didn't seem as deep as she feared, her blade having taken the brunt of it.

Dolohov slashed out with his wand again and Arya followed his movements, leaning just out of reach, feeling the air part where she'd just been. But, just as quickly, Dolohov made a new gesture with his wand. "Crucio!" he roared.

Pain. That was all that Arya felt. Pain ripping through her as if burning knives were jabbing into her flesh again and again without rest. She screamed out in agony, no longer aware of anything else. She'd experienced pain before in her life but nothing like this, almost as if her insides had been set on fire somehow.

And, just like that, it was gone. She breathed out slowly, the sensation slowly fading away, before blinking her eyes open to see Seven's crimson blade hovering above her throat.

"A good effort, but in vain," the woman smirked at her. "Now, get up. And don't even think about making any funny moves or your suffering will only increase tenfold."

Arya saw that Needle was gone anyway. She must have dropped it when she'd been struck with the pain. She carefully got back on her feet, making sure to not make any threatening moves.

Below, she saw the Hulk had Lin and Uraraka cornered. And just a little ways away, the dragon Lilith was glaring down at the flame-haired woman and the clown, keeping them from making any moves as well.

"Now then," Seven said, "as entertaining as this has all been, I think it's long past time we returned to the boss, correct? So, Hulk, will you be so kind as to pick up those two?"

The Hulk moved as if controlled by a puppet, walking right toward Lin and Uraraka. Arya could see Lin's fierce expression and knew this must be killing the older woman. But there was nothing they could do at the moment. Any move they made would just lead to disaster. Arya hated it too but for now…all they could do was wait.

Fuck! she swore, feeling her blood boil in frustration.

The Hulk reached out, ready to grab them.

And then something shot out of the sky, striking the monster and hurtling him backwards into the building Arya and the others were standing on. Seven cursed and leapt aside and Arya took that moment to run as well. She spotted Needle skidding down the side of the building and managed to grab it before it fell off, scrambling over what was left of the roof to jump onto the next building before it all collapsed. She breathed out in relief before turning to see what the commotion had been about.

Her eyes widened in awe as she gazed at the figure below. A boy about her age, maybe a year or two younger, who glowed a bright orange, markings appearing all over his skin, and a cape fluttering behind him. As he stood there, an aura radiated from him of power that washed over her, making her feel like she was in the presence of a god.

"Hi there," he said, grinning. "The name's Naruto Uzumaki. Now, can someone explain what's going on around here?"

Spider-Man and Hermione currently together attacked by Sinestro and prepping against Voldemort.

Conan, Jessica Cruz, and Boba Fett held captive by Vlad Menshikov and Saruman.

Harry Potter under attack with Luke Castellan, Chewbacca, Frozone, Cassandra Cain, Kuvira, Marina, Legolas, and Groot by mysterious jet.

President Superman, Toph, Ahsoka Tano, and Jon Snow fought against Emperor Superman and Homelander.

Korra traveling with Wonder Woman, Ben Grimm, Nico di Angelo, and Liza, separated from Hela.

Barbara Gordon currently held prisoner by Darth Vader alongside Polybotes, Aurra Sing, and Balk.

Ember the dragon and Amani on mysterious truck.

Steve Rogers and Rex are working together.

Matt Murdock, TJ, Casey Jones, Suki, and Armstrong are together.

Zuko, Nia, Thalia, Shazad, and the Mandalorian are together.

Namor, Juvia, and Vega are together in the sea.

Chapter Text

Hello everyone. Sorry, but I have some bad news for you all.

Multiversity is coming to an end.

I truly am sorry to do this but I've been really struggling with writing this out these last few months and it took me a while to realize it's because, despite my best efforts, I've lost the story. I came into this fic with a big idea of what the story would be and it was really cool. But once I got into it more and more, it started to fall apart and now it's basically all these characters coming together in fight scenes with no development. That's on me. I really enjoyed writing this out but no matter what I thought up, I had no idea where to take this story.

I finally realized that it was because of the location. I put them on this desert world and built up an ancient mystery with all these skeletons and monsters and warships but the revelation was so convoluted and messy that it would never work. I kept trying to but I think instead it's better to call it quits. Again, sorry about that.

Is this the end for Multiversity though?

No. No it is not.

I got the setting wrong. I brought all these characters together and put them in the wrong place that set up a messy storyline that went nowhere. But the initial idea of this massive crossover still lives and I still want to do it. So, it's time to let go of the DC Extended Universe mess I created and pull a James Gunn reboot.

I have a much better idea running through my head and I'm going to be doing some work to see if I can make it work. And most of the character interations and a few fight scenes will stay the same.

I know this is disappointing but I think this is the best. I did have some really cool ideas coming up but again, they were all just fight scenes like the Naruto v Hulk fight or even a Madara Uchiha one. I even had a massive duel between Darth Vader and Lord Voldemort planned out. But, again, those were the only story ideas I had. Just fight scenes.

So, I will be working on an actual story from now on with real plot development and not just a mess. I am so sorry about this, my faithful readers who have been following this all this time.

I have currently three other fanfics ongoing on my profile: My Hero Academia: Into the Marvelverse, One Piece: Brave New World, and Harry Potter/Percy Jackson: The Philosopher's Stone. And there will be more coming that I'm excited to share. I think I might even soon go back to a couple old ones that have stayed on the sidelines too long. Plus, my own original work is also available called The Cloak Guard.

Thanks again to all of you for reading this, it means so much to me. And stay tuned to any developments on the reboot which will be called Across the Multiverse.

Until next time.