Oliver nodded at Matt's explanation, and groaned as he attempted to slightly readjust himself. If he was lucky, he could try to make more sense of an explanation than that. Granted, he himself wanted a roughly scientific explanation for why his mind was absolutely stuck on the idea of murdering one of his closest friends. There was perhaps the hope that he could science his way out of psychosis, which was, of course, totally based in his need to rationalize his problems away. He started to speak, "It's actually a touch more complicated than that." Oliver explained, before pausing.
He was about to devote the necessary mental energy to explain the many layers of complicated physics that underpinned multiversal travel and doppelganger coexistence, but as he tried, his thoughts were derailed by the worst of all distractors, love. There was nothing on his mind but that of Niah; a woman who, the more he considered it, he loved more than anybody or anything else he'd ever known. Oliver's thought hung in the air for a moment, before continuing, "And, on a different day, I may have been able to explain such things, but I've been impaled, and my girlfriend is somehow even more amazing than the wonders of this multiverse, so it's hard to conceive of much else."
The other two in the room were just going on about the whole alternate reality nonsense after people he actually knew walked into the room and walked over to where he was. "Of course they are going on about the whole reality thing, since that's still a little weird and not sure if that is actually true, but there is another me so maybe? Who knows, it's weird. Depends on what sort of thing you want to really talk about in general. They are a bit strange anyway."
He was really starting to ramble a bit, probably mainly due to the pain killers he was given. "As to what happened? Honestly not too sure. It was really weird, though you want to talk to the group those two are with, they're out in the waiting grove, Raynor is back too and all, so that's fun. As for why there might be some weird psychic feedback or whatever? Noooooo idea." Yup, he was a bit unsure of what he was going to really do at the moment sitting around doing nothing much really.
Location: Genosha Skills: N/A
Sparky was unsure of what to think still with everything that was being said currently. It sounded like there wasn't really much of an idea of ways they could potentially solve their problems. They still had to go find Luminous and Doom, which they had no idea where they were, plus dealing with the potential memory overwriting that was happening with the others. Something she clearly didn't have to worry about, guess there was one good thing about her being from this reality supposedly. This still didn't make too much sense currently, but that was still another mystery they had to deal with it.
"I mean... There isn't a whole else we can do about most things... So I guess trusting this realities version of Xavier and Magneto is our best option..." she said somewhat quietly. She wasn't sure this was a trusting sort of situation for anyone, but then again, there wasn't much else that they could do but trust this realities versions of others. Though they did have to be careful, since if they were too trusting, that could end poorly for all of them in general.
"Shut your mouth," Firestorm snapped at Siphon, clearly getting beyond annoyed with her at this point. Eventually he did pay attention to what it was that Destiny was saying, and he shrugged slightly. "I mean yeah, ominous, but is it something that might overly effect us or Genosha, since that's the main thing. If it doesn't, I don't truly care too much about what it is that they're doing or whatever future that you foresee for them."
Bob Banner's eyes widened as Matt explained he was from another world - his heart skipped a beat nervously. It felt simultaneously like it had been yesterday and also a lifetime ago that he had sent his little girl to another universe, in order to give her her best chance at growing up safe, happy, and secure. Each time travelers from another dimension arrived on Genosha, it sparked hope in him that maybe, his little girl would be among them. (This was the third time that travelers from another universe had arrived on the island, making it rare but not unheard of). "Are any of you adopted and assigned female at birth?" Banner asked quickly. "It's just... Well, I sent my daughter through one of those portals a long time ago."
Dr. Reyes' gaze softened, as she put a hand on Banner's shoulder for a moment to give him some comfort. She then returned to tending to the patients. "We should be able to help your friends - or at least, attempt to. Psychic surgery is a Genoshan specialty," Dr. Reyes said. "Although, I don't know why your memories would be altered... We have some residents on the island from other universes or timelines, like Cable, and as far as I'm aware he never has had any symptoms like that."
Sage raised her glasses for a moment, looking at Flynn. She then dropped the shades back into place. "Then they didn't travel the universes in the same way the others did. How exactly did this portal come to be? Any detail you can give would be helpful."
"Oh," Prodigy then said suddenly. He had the mutant power of gaining knowledge - what someone else knew, he then knew. His brain synced with the information in Oliver's head, and he turned to Banner. "Excuse me, Bob - but your daughter is outside. She's here."
The Waiting Grove -
Destiny's voice was reminiscent of Kreia's from KOTOR II - patient, old, and wise, with an authoritative softness. She turned to look at Flynn, her gaze concealed by the terrifying golden mask. "If they fall, Genosha will share their fate," Destiny said simply. She didn't offer any elaboration. That was one problem with seeing the future - sharing too much information could be as disastrous as giving any at all. Each prophecy she gave had to be vague or else the consequences could be dire.
Raynor frowned, thinking back on the Professor X and Magneto he had known over twenty years ago. He had been angry and raw back then, fresh from the loss of his parents. And those two had been more than happy to provide Raynor a target for his rage, manipulating him into becoming their weapon against the world. Raynor couldn't really claim he had been truly deceived though; he had known what they were doing all along. He just hadn't cared. "The worst," Raynor finally answered, telling Cass what she could expect from the duo. "There isn't a line they're unwilling to cross."
The conversations then stopped, as Charles Xavier and Erik Magnus Lensherr entered the Waiting Grove - better known by the codenames Professor X and Magneto. Their hands were clasped as they walked - Magneto was wearing an all white variant of his costume, his cape trailing behind him ominously, and his face almost entirely obscured by his helmet. Professor X was in a black body suit, his waist looking snatched, and on his head was a portable Cerebro unit, making it impossible to see his eyes.
"It is true then - you have returned, Ragnarok," Magneto said.
"You are always welcome on Genosha, my boy - you're one of our lost heroes - but... I have to ask - why now?" Professor X added. "After all this time, why return here?"
Raynor shifted uncomfortably. In many ways, Charles and Magnus had been his adoptive fathers - his dads. They had molded him into the person he had become, just as much as Baldur and Nanna had. He felt like an uncertain young man again, standing in front of them. "I was investigating an anomaly with my team - it pulled us across the multiverse and we landed here by chance," Raynor said.
"All the realities and it brought you to us... That's curious," Magneto murmured.
"I sense that's not all though?" Professor X pressed.
Bonnie jumped into the conversation. She didn't feel like this was a closed forum between these three, particularly after she had used Athena's power to call Professor X to them. "No, it isn't. We were sent looking for some dangerous people who had escaped prison - Luminous and Doctor Doom. They're magical and volatile - we have no idea what sort of damage they might do to this world." Bonnie paused for a moment, before continuing. "We need to apprehend them and return to our universe, but some of us are experiencing memory problems. Like we're being overwritten with the memories of our lives here, slowly forgetting our lives back home... We don't have any team psychics, so we need help if we're going to complete our mission and get home."
"Supposedly, I'm not actually from here? Which again feels super wrong, since my memory is totally fine, and she's definitely the one that's not from here," Amelia said, before hitting Aero slightly with her elbow. Aero furrowed her eyebrows and elbowed Amelia back. "No, we decided you are," she reminded her. "No way. Anyways, if you could do your mental whammy trick to fix everyone, that would be cool. There's like two Firestorms right now and that seems like two too many - no offense," Amelia said, looking at Firestorm.
Magneto turned his gaze to look at his son. "Where is your double, then?" Magneto asked.
"Um, excuse me!" Eye Boy said, calling Xavier and Magneto's attention to him. "They're surrounded by some sort of red energy - feels almost magical. Like... ugh, I don't have a good reference for it, but otherwise I don't see anything weird. The doubles are all identical, like perfect clones. But there's something clinging to them. Well, except for those ones," Eye Boy said, pointing at Raynor, Sparky, and Darcy.
"I see," Professor X said, before focusing for a moment. Each member of the Secret Warriors would briefly feel a probing presence in their minds, before it lessened and vanished. "You did a great deal for Genosha and helped to establish our young nation - so we will help you," Professor X promised, looking at Raynor.
"I can perform psychic surgery on you all to stave off the effects, but it will be only a temporary solution. I may be able to temporarily restore some clarity to your minds, but it will be difficult - and you will need to assist me. In the meantime, I can dispatch some resources to attempt to locate this Luminous and Doctor Doom you seek."
Hearing Raynor call the Professor X and Magneto from this universe the worst was terrifying. If he considered someone the worst...That could be nothing but terrifying. She continued to pace. Torn between wanting to run back to Oliver's side and keeping herself out of trouble. Then they arrived. Professor X and Magneto were there. They were...uh...holding hands. That could not be a good sign.
Niah wondered, after Professor X, read their minds, what he made of the mess in her head. The creeping feeling of the person from this world taking over part of her was unsettling. But it was hard to push it away. She watched the area where they had come from. Waiting for Oliver to join them. She bit her lip hoping Professor X didn't know the truth about the Oliver from here now. She wanted to protect him. No matter what universe he was from.
Location: EARTH 257: The Aerie Skills:
"I'm sorry I do not understand how we traveled. We have several science-orientated people in our group, maybe one of them can." He glanced at Oliver, a bit disappointed in his inability to explain it. He didn't blame him though. It was all weird and Oliver had had a rough day.
Matt was also about to tell Bob Banner that yeah they had several AFAB people in the group. He didn't know if any had been adopted so he couldn't answer that question. He hadn't so he wasn't Bob's missing daughter. But Prodigy beat him to the punch. With the full drop of 'yeah your daughter is one of them'. The only one he knew for certain it couldn't be was Cass, and well obviously not Amelia.
Cassandra listened to Raynor as he told her that the two of them were the worst which didn't really sit well with her honestly and that they'd have to most likely do something for them. She turned her attention towards the X-Men group, they were certainly more different from the X-Men that she had worked with before the Secret Warriors formed. "Thanks for the information." Cassandra said towards Raynor as she stood up seeing both Professor X and Magneto approaching, they were certainly a lot different from the Magneto and Professor X she knew. Cassandra was about to answer Professor X's question when Bonnie managed to beat her to it, looking over towards her friend as she explained what their situation was actually like.
"Whatever help that you are willing to provide would be greatly appreciated." Cassandra told Professor X, her attention quickly turned towards Eyeboy as he suddenly spoke up mentioning a red aura around them, she looked at Raynor, Sparky and Darcy, she really wasn't sure what the red aura actually meant. "What does the red aura actually mean?" Cassandra decided to ask him, as she looked towards the rest of her team. She felt Professor X entering her mind briefly which she still didn't really like still honestly, but she wasn't going to complain. "As for why Sparky, Raynor and Darcy don't have whatever you are seeing is because they are from here originally." Cassandra told him.
Maria Novikova
Location: Genosha, Waiting Gardens, Earth 257 Skills: (Hercules' Super Strength)
Syphon turned to glare at Firestorm and gave him the middle finger basically telling him to fuck off, she was getting really annoyed with him right now as well to but she kept her mouth shut, until Destiny started to speak up about the prophecy that she was seeing and stared at the group. "So basically make sure that they don't fail whatever it is that is coming then?" Syphon asked her as she stared back at her counterpart when Magneto and Professor X approached them.
Maria's attention turned over towards Magneto and Professor X she listened to Bonnie as she explained their situation and who they were looking for, she paused for a moment feeling him entering her mind briefly. "If you need my help or whatever let me know so that way I can borrow your power." Maria told him, as she noticed Syphon rolling her eyes slightly, knowing that her counterpart loved stealing other's powers which was something she wouldn't really do without anyone's permission unless they were hostile obviously.
Syphon turned towards Eyeboy as he spoke up she still wasn't sure what the red aura meant. "We should maybe get someone who has magic abilities to look into them then, and treat those with the strongest red aura first." Syphon suggested.
Oli blinked for a moment, and sort of looked down at himself, "Uh, I'm adopted, but I'm pretty sure I was Assigned Male At Birth." He said, in only a half joking way, he was also very sure he had been human, and not the inhuman son of an intergalactic space villain. His confusion was shortly cut off though at the revelation by Prodigy, "Oh, nevermind then. I suppose you're not my... dad." He said and twitched a little in the face, as he realized exactly why this conundrum was ridiculous in the first place, unless he was the secret lovechild of Thanos and Dr. Banner.
Oli stayed put though, still needing to stay still to avoid organ damage, and exhaled in an almost bored kind of way. He felt tired, just so firmly exhausted at the everything that this trip had been. He honestly felt odd about the idea of retiring from this gig, but honestly very little good had come of it, besides Niah that is. Of course, the Skrulls and his father would have been problems even if he wasn't an agent, but it doesn't change the fact that his life drastically changed path the moment he became a secret warrior, and he wasn't sure he preferred it to how it was before.
Well this was definitely a fun sort of situation to be in really. The others were all going on about one thing or another really, it was getting a bit confusing going over the many different ways that was going on. Right now, he was more or less just sort of listening to what the others were saying, and of course Dr. Banner immediately jumped into the conversation when they mentioned the whole reality thing, so that was something, especially since it got mentioned that Banner's kid was out there with the rest of the group.
"I have no idea what they are talking about or how they all got here, that's just me though, so oh well," Flynn responded to them all with a shrug, not too sure what else to say or something like that. There wasn't much he could explain, as despite what they all seemed to think, he knew next to nothing about what they were talking about and was fine not knowing. Though he was wondering a bit about why he had another version of him walking around.
Location: Genosha Skills: N/A
"Well isn't that even more ominous then what you originally said," Firestorm said to Destiny with a bit of a shrug.
From the sounds of it, this version of the Xavier and Magneto were considered to be worse then either of them in their main reality was? Then that right there seemed like a problem to her. That was crazy to think about, especially considering how bad Magneto was in their world at times, though sometimes Xavier could be not the best too from what she gathered. Sparky was wondering what the hell to even think or say, when Xavier and Magneto both came into view, walking over and talking to the group, and no surprise that they both immediately started talking to Raynor.
It made sense, but also was a little annoying that they seemed to immediately ignore everyone else a bit as they spoke until others started joining the conversation. What they were talking about made sense to her, but also considering what was going on, she wasn't entirely sure that they could really trust them. Though they didn't have many options, but she couldn't help but wonder what was she supposed to do during this whole thing, since she wasn't being effected like just about everyone (except for Raynor) was. She remained quiet for the moment though.
"My counterpart? Oh, that guy, somehow the idiot managed to snap both his legs, so he's in the healing grove." Firestorm responded to Magneto.
Bob looked at Oliver for a moment, a little confused with what Oliver was saying. "I, uh... I need to go see her. I'm sorry, doc," he then added to Reyes, since he had come to help, before leaving the Healing Gardens and rushing out into the Waiting Grove.
The Waiting Grove -
Eye-Boy shrugged. "Magic stuff, maybe? Your guess is as good as mine," he said, answering Cass. If he had known what the red aura surrounding them all meant, then he would've offered some sort of explanation. But as it stood, it was just something that he could see around them, something mysterious and ominous. And the longer he looked at them, the more he realized that it was slowly growing in intensity each minute.
There was a hint of a smile on Professor X's lips, but it quickly vanished. "Thank you, child - but this requires the steady hand of an experienced telepath. It is one thing to copy someone's power - another thing entirely to understand it and use it," he cautioned.
Before much more could be said though, a man rushed out of the healing grove, looking at all of them with bewilderment. He took in the people present, mostly focusing on the women of the group, before his gaze settled on Sparky. She had the same exact eyes as her mother. He knew then in his bones that it was her. That she was his daughter. His eyes started to tear up. "Um, I'm..."
There was a beat. Professor X looked at Sparky, before returning to look at Bob. "X-Men, that will be all. Those of you in need of psychic healing, please follow me. Bob.... Good luck."
Bob nodded, still looking at Sparky. The X-Men left the area, going off to go find some dinner most likely, as Professor X lead the Secret Warriors (minus Darcy, Raynor, and Sparky) back into the Healing Gardens. There, he instructed them all to lie down and bade for them to clear their minds. He instructed them that they needed to restore their minds to proper order, which most likely would mean overcoming a series of psychic obstacles, but that he would be available if any of them needed help. He could not astrally project into everyone's mind at once though, so only his voice would be present.
Meanwhile, still in the waiting grove - "Um, I'm... I'm Bob Banner," Bob said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "And, um... I think you're my daughter - my Lana."Flynn -
When Flynn opened his eyes next, he would find himself in what looked like a military bunker. His mind would be clear of the effects of the drugs - but his memories still all scrambled. In this military bunker, he was specifically in what looked to be a hallway. Doors lined it on either side, one of which had a warning written on it - DANGER. DO NOT OPEN. And as fate would have it, there was a distinct pounding sound coming from the other side of that one door.
"Why, if it isn't the ex-witch hunter," a man with hearing aids and a bow slung across his back said, coming down the hallway. "If you're looking for wooden stakes, we're fresh out, Agent."
Bonnie -
Bonnie opened her eyes. She took in her surroundings and her breath halted. She recognized where she was - well, where her mind decided she was. She knew that all of this wasn't real. But it still wasn't any easier to be back within the walls of the asylum she had once been confined to. Bonnie stood up from the bed she had been laying down on, inspecting herself. She was wearing a hospital gown and any sign of her baby bump was gone. She could feel something digging into her shoulder though - what felt like talons.
A gigantic barn owl was sitting on her shoulder, and Bonnie's heart twitched at seeing it. "Athena...?"
The barn owl hooted, before flying off and out of the room.
"Wait!" Bonnie shouted, running after the owl.
Amelia -
When Amelia opened her eyes, she found herself... inside a Blockbuster video store? "Woah... The inside of my mind is some sort of DVD rental shop?" Amelia murmured. DVDs didn't exist in the Iron, but they were still around in the Blue. People in the Blue tended to be distrustful of technology that originated in the Iron, and their inventors were disorganized at best, so things tended to be a little bit behind the rest of the world there. Most movies Amelia had seen actually came from Europe - New Asgard even had a cute little film studio she adored.
"Ooo, this looks fun," a blonde woman said, dressed in a snazzy red-and-blue suit, with a brown aviator jacket over it.
Somewhere in Amelia's head, she knew this woman - but at the same time, she had no idea who she was. "Sorry, but... Who the bloody hell are you, mate?" Amelia asked.
Cass -
When Cass opened her eyes, she would find herself at the Triskelion, dressed in a traditional SHIELD agent uniform. The sun was shining outside, coming in through the glass walls of the building. But while everything was as she remembered it, there was something strange - there was no one walking through the hallways, no one standing in the conference rooms, no one checking their phone for a text by the elevators.
Cass would then receive a message on her communicator: THE BASEMENT. NOW.
Maria -
When Maria opened her eyes, she would find herself back in her childhood bedroom - her childhood from the main reality, Earth-666. Everything would be exactly as she had left it. From the windows, she would be able to see that it was raining gently outside. And from somewhere in the house, she could hear the sound of commotion - her little sister maybe?
But most bizarrely, Maria wasn't alone in the room. Sitting across from her, mirroring her poses, was... herself. This other Maria was glowing a faint red. Meanwhile, Maria herself (the original Maria, the real Maria) was becoming strangely translucent, the light beginning to pass through her body, like she was becoming a ghost.
Oliver -
When Oliver opened his eyes, it would be to a tragedy. He was sitting alone in the ruins of what had once been Cardiff. Alien spaceships hovered above the city. No bombs were dropping however, as everything was already gone, reduced to smoldering rubble. Fires raged unattended in some places, with no one present to douse them. Bodies littered the street - some of them wearing uniforms, indicating military or police, but mostly innocent civilians, including children.
In Oliver's hand, he would find himself clutching a bloody teddy bear.
A shadow loomed over him. From behind, an alien spoke - "Was it worth it, Thane?" Thanos asked.
Niah -
When Niah opened her eyes, she would find herself in a gigantic library - one that would surely rival the Library of Alexandria, or even the one from Beauty and the Beast. The library was quiet and the lighting was low. There was a sort of musty smell in the air, the sort that comes from books that have been left alone for decades without being touched. On the counter of the help desk, there was a bell with a note next to it, in plain script - DO NOT RING THE BELL.
Suddenly, Niah would hear someone coughing. If she looked up, she would see... herself, at the top of a tall ladder, reaching for a book on the shelf.
But if that wasn't weird enough, Niah would spot two more Niahs in other spots of the library, all reaching for something they could not quite grasp.
Matt -
When Matt opened his eyes, the first thing he would likely notice would be the flickering lights. The overhead lighting kept going in and out, little bzzts coming from the fixtures each time the bulb struggled to come back to life. Everything was bathed in an eerie blue glow and there didn't seem to be much of any sort of natural light source. But as Matt took in his surroundings, he would realize he was on a boat - and not just any boat...
He was on a submarine.
A red alarm began to blare.
And cracks started to form on the glass of one of the windows.
Location: EARTH 257: The Waiting Grove -> Healing Grove Skills:
After being led back into the Healing Grove, Niah was relieved to see that Oliver was okay. They hadn't done anything strange like turned him into a hamster. Niah smiled at him before following Professor X's directions.
Upon opening her eyes, Niah was both surprised and not. It wasn't a huge leap to figure out she was in her mental mindscape. And that it obviously had variations of herself in it. Her soul was a bit shattered in that way. Niah watched as each of the versions of herself seemed to struggle to reach a book. She stepped over and went to grab one to help. But the Niah grabbed her arm. Gripping so tightly, Niah worried about the bone breaking. Her eyes were void - just white. “What gives you the right?” the Niah hissed.
"I'm sorry." She whimpered out, grimacing against the pain. "I just wanted to help." That's all Niah really wanted to do. Help people, even when at a detriment to herself.
Location: EARTH 257: Healing Grove Skills:
Matt's heart dropped. He knew exactly what would happen if he didn't get to the pressure chamber. There would be diving suits there. He had only one hope of getting off the sinking sub with his life. However, he didn't know if this was what needed to happen. Matt could guess that this was some sort of test for himself to survive being subsumed by the version of him that lived in this universe. Was escape the right choice?
He couldn't deliberate that, though. Time was of the essence. Subs didn't do well once their hull was cracked. He had preferred boats for a reason. Matt followed the normal pattern of a submarine. He found the room he wanted. But it was the worst-case scenario. The hatch to the room was welded shut. He cursed under his breath. Mentally trying to recall emergency procedures he had never needed.
Cassandra turned her attention towards the door leading back into the Healing Gardens seeing another man to come in, she wasn't really sure who he was but Professor X told them to head back into the Healing Gardens to get the psychic surgery done. The X-Men were dismissed as she watched them heading off, she made her way back into the room looking at Matt she was glad that he was still alright. Cass then made her way over towards the nearest bed and climbed into it she closed her eyes and did what he had instructed her to do and cleared her mind.
The moment she opened her eyes Cassandra stood in the Triskelion she looked down at her clothes she was in the standard issue SHIELD agent uniform. She had been in the building countless times before, however things were really off usually the building had dozens of SHIELD agents and other SHIELD personnel but oddly there was no one in the room at all. When she felt her communicator going off instructing her to go to the basement of the building.
She wasn't sure what was waiting for her down in the basement but Cassandra made her way over towards the elevator, she pressed the button when nothing happened she pressed the button a few more times with no new results. Cassandra however saw the stairwell was close by and started to make her way there and headed down the flight of stairs.
Maria nodded slightly after Professor declined her offer to help out, she looked at her counterpart who gave her a slight wave before heading off, probably to go see this reality's version of her wife and child. She stared at the man who came into the room, she wasn't sure who he was but did what Professor X told her to do and made her way back into the Healing Gardens. Finding the closest bed Maria got onto it letting out a slight sigh as she closed her eyes and cleared her mind like she was instructed to.
The next thing Maria knew she was back in her childhood home, she had not been back home in a really long time as she looked around the room seeing some of her archery trophies that she had won. As well as a few family pictures of her as a child she had in the room from family vacations that her family had gone on. She could hear the rain outside of her bedroom, which was always pretty calming to her when she stared at herself sitting directly across from her.
She had a slight red aura around her, when Maria looked down at herself she saw that she was slightly transparent, which started to make her worry quiet a bit. Maria then could hear some noises going on somewhere else inside of the house and quickly got up to try and find out what it actually was as she left the safety of her bedroom. However when she left the room it sounded like it was all around her.
Flynn was not sure where exactly he was, or what seemed to be going on really. This place was a bit strange to him, and he had no idea what was going on behind the one door that clearly was saying to not go through it. Even though he was a bit curious as to what the hell was going on through that doorway. It was a weird bunker area of sorts though, so he wondered why there was a door like that locked up there, since usually bunkers were sealed up to keep things out, so why was there something that would clearly be something you'd want to keep out of the bunker you are in?
His attention turned towards the guy who walked over to him, and something about him just seemed so... Familiar? It was hard to place it, but he felt like he knew the guy and something about him tended to annoy him, but without remembering who he was, he couldn't exactly figure out why that was. "Uh, yeah, sorry, but um... Who are you? And what is through that door that no one is supposed to go through? I'm just kind of confused at this point..." he asked the guy, since he was really confused.
Location: Genosha Skills: N/A
Sparky was a bit weirded out by the whole situation, and the fact that the others were apparently supposed to do some mental surgery or something like that in order to fix what was wrong with their heads or something like that. She stayed by Raynor now at this point, still wanting to talk to him, and sort of apologize for how she had reacted a bit before, and maybe she might have some time to talk to him now. Not to mention, the fact that everyone else was leaving and he was the one person who she actually knew (well, she kind of knew Darcy but she had literally just met her not that long ago) it made sense to stay by him.
With everyone gone, the man who came running into the area beforehand spoke up, and it became apparent that it was this universe's version of Dr. Banner. Which meant, he technically was her father. A part of her mind sort or panicked, probably aided in the fact that she only really knew Raynor where they were, she ended up instinctively holding onto Raynor's hand for comfort, as she took a deep breath in order to somewhat relax and figure out what to do. "Oh, well... That's kind of what I've been told... By a few different people, but only found that sort of thing out when we got caught by SWORD or whatever not long after we got to um... This reality..." she ended up saying, though she was clearly a bit nervous by this whole situation, and not too sure what to do.
Oliver face palmed a bit at his interaction with Dr. Banner, feeling like an absolute idiot. In his defense, he had just been given a life threatening wound and was barely coherent through the miraculous cocktail of endorphines that his body was flush with. He was, of course, very confident that Banner wasn't his biological father, but he felt attempting to explain this fact would ultimately only worsen the situation, especially if anybody on this Earth had ever heard of Thanos.
When Oliver opened his eyes, he gagged at the sight. This was, he thought, perhaps one of of his worst nightmares, and even worse was that monster beside him. Snapping immediately into rage and paralyzing fear, Olive could do nothing but scream from the top of his lungs. "What did you do?", dropping the Teddy bear to the ground. He didn't even possess the wherewithal to snap at him using that name for Oliver, only managing to gnash his teeth and glare daggers at the mad titan.
Raynor couldn't help but be surprised as Sparky reached out and took his hand. He didn't reject the gesture, instead giving her a comforting squeeze. He was incredibly exhausted from everything that was happening and while it had seemed like a good idea to push Sparky away from him to keep her safe, he didn't have the mental drive to continue with that sort of behavior. He just wanted to keep her safe no matter what; and hurting her emotionally wasn't exactly going to accomplish that. He felt a bit sheepish. He definitely owed her a million apologies, if not more than that.
Bob Banner also looked considerably nervous. He had hoped that he'd be reunited with his kid one day, but that didn't mean he knew what to do or what to say here. He had sent her to another reality where she could have a chance at a normal life, where she wouldn't be endangered for being the child of the Hulk, where no one would want to hunt her. But he hadn't been able to make the trip with her. He hadn't been able to be there for his kid, just hoping someone else could take care of her in his place. "I... I imagine you want an explanation," Bob said. "As to why I sent you away... It was for your protection. We were on the run from SWORD, they sent assassins and kidnappers and eventually, I didn't have much of a choice... It was long before Genosha decided to grant me refuge, so I sent you to another world so you could have a chance to grow up safe and happy - to be away from me and my... my baggage."
Flynn -
Hawkeye laughed slightly. "Damn, you must've really hit your head, Flynn. Go see Agent Chase, she's just down the hall," Hawkeye instructed. As if on queue, a light would flick on, shining directly at a doorway labeled medical towards the end of the hall. The sealed door continued to have something pounding up against it, and if Flynn listened in closely, he could hear what sounded like someone screaming, pleading to be let out.
And then suddenly, everything was quiet and still - the pounding and the shrieking stopped.
"You okay?" Hawkeye asked.
Bonnie -
The halls of the asylum were not empty - they were filled with people who Bonnie had known and lost. She instantly picked out Tinley amongst the walking dead, and Bonnie's stomach swirled with guilt. She didn't think about Tinley as often as she would have liked to - and each time her thoughts turned to their dead friend, Bonnie couldn't help but feel ashamed. They should have protected her better - they should have saved her. Across the hall from Tinley was Bonnie's dead husband, James.
Bonnie could see the owl up ahead, but she couldn't help herself. "James?" she called out softly, walking up to him.
He looked just like she remembered - right down to the fatal wounds that had stolen him from her. She reached out and gently cupped his hand in her own. "I've missed you so so much... I still love you, even now," she promised.
James took her hand. "Oh Bonnie..." he paused. He tossed her hand aside cruelly. "How could I ever love my unfaithful bitch of a wife?" he snapped. "How long was it till you went running into the arms of that OMEN boy? Was I even in the ground yet?!"
Amelia -
"Oh, I'm nobody important," Captain Marvel said, smiling slightly. "The real question is... Who are you?" she asked. She put down the movie she had been holding, before starting to browse through the shelves again. She picked up another one and looked at it, and Amelia was shocked to see her own face on the cover. Amelia glanced around the store and realized, to her horror and confusion, she was on the cover of every movie there.
They were all about her.
"Um, I'm Aero - or Amelia, if you're nasty - Avenger. Best damn pilot the world's ever seen and also an incredible air manipulator, like best in the biz, that's the sort of level that I'm on. But... I don't recall ever making a movie or something, all of these flicks are about me? That's fucking creepy as shit, mate. But... It is my head and all, so I s'pose this makes sense? If they're all about me... Then I guess these are my memories. Available for rental with a popcorn and a bit of candy thrown in if you have the right coupon..."
"Do you even want to watch these?" Captain Marvel asked, picking up one and grimacing slightly. "They don't all have a happy ending."
"Honestly... I think I like the way I am," Amelia said.
"Mm, good," Captain Marvel said. "Then you won't mind if I burn this place to the ground? Been needing to let off some steam."
Cass -
The stairs seemed to morph into something else, as Cass descended them. She didn't seem to be at the Triskelion anymore. Instead, it looked like she was in Stark Tower, still climbing down the staircase. But at the next landing, she would not be alone. A metal monstrosity awaited her. "Virginia, you have returned at last... I see your programming is intact," Ultron said, his voice strangely taunting despite being robotic and even.
"I need you to kill him for me," Ultron said, before motioning to his right. There, bound and gagged, was Agent Matt Moss. He had two black eyes, his face swollen and puffy. His shirt was ripped, exposing barely healed wounds and scars. "You can do that, can't you?"
Maria -
"This is freaky," the other Maria said, having followed Maria out into the hallway. The red glowing was continuing to grow stronger and stronger, just as Maria herself was beginning to fade more and more. The other Maria then paused for a moment, looking at her hands, before looking at Maria again. "I think you're dying," the other Maria said, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. "I think I'm killing you."
The other Maria then lunged forward. She grabbed Maria by the neck and held her up, forcing her up against the wall. With contact, Maria was fading even more rapidly now - she fully looked like a ghost, rather than a real human. And the other Maria was seemingly becoming more and more real, more and more tangible. "Say goodbye, Maria."
Oliver -
Thanos chuckled, holding a gigantic double-bladed sword in his hand. Blood was smeared across his face - not his, it was never his. He walked closer to Oliver, without any trace of fear in him as to what the speedster might do. He simply didn't see Oliver, his prodigal son, as a threat; or at least, that was what Thanos wanted people to believe. For if he didn't see Oliver as a threat, then why unleash hell and fury all over a little prophecy that Thane would kill his father?
"The work that had to be done, child," Thanos said confidently. "You cost these people their lives, hiding among them. I had no desire to kill these people. You forced my hand, Thane. Run and know that wherever I find you, I will burn it to the ground again. The choice is yours."
Niah -
The Niah didn't let go. The other Niahs turned and started to stare at the pair, but they weren't moving just yet. "Why do you get to be the one that's real?" the Niah continued, tightening her grip. Even though this was all inside of Niah's head, it would feel incredibly real. "I fought against Ultron, I watched my friends die, I lost the woman I love.... And it meant nothing... My pain is the only thing that remains. Your friends... They're cheap copies of the people I LOVE!" the Niah raised her voice, screaming now.
"WHY DO YOU GET TO BE THE ONE WHO LIVES? WHY MUST WE SUFFER AND WATCH INSIDE OF YOUR MIND? WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT, NIAH?!"
Matt -
"Dad, what are you doing?"
When Matt turned around, he would see that he wasn't alone after all. There was a young boy standing behind him, looking maybe twelve or so years old - somewhere around middle school or late elementary. He had curly black hair and intelligent eyes. He wasn't dressed to be on a submarine, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and khakis.
The cracks continued to form on the walls of the glass, but now Matt could also see what was causing them. Every minute, in a sort of rhythmic beat, a tentacle would appear and slam against the submarine, threatening to crack the vessel open like an egg.
Cassandra continued to go down the flight of stairs slowly, she wasn't sure what she was actually going to expect at the bottom of the stairs, as she got lower and lower however things started to change. She took a moment to stare at the room she was now in, once she made it to the bottom. Cass then quickly realized that she was now somehow in Stark Tower, her eyes going wide when she saw Matt bound and gagged, severely beaten by the looks of it. She quickly made her way over towards him seeing the injuries that he had received, she wasn't sure if he was real or not.
"I'm going to get you out of here Matt, and you'll be fine." Cassandra told him, when she heard a voice and quickly got up and stared at Ultron, she remembered the reports that Niah had written after they tried to save Sparky and Raynor from the Quantum Realm which felt like a lifetime ago. She wasn't even sure why he called her Virgina at all. "I'm not who you think I am and I'm not Virgina." Cassandra said as she quickly moved forward towards him, and quickly punched Ultron in the chest managing to make a dent against him.
"Yeah it's a little bit freaky seeing a clone of myself yet again." Maria said as she looked up and down the hallway, she started to look down at herself she was starting to fade even more and she started to panic even more. Her attention quickly turned to her evil clone again noticing that she was getting redder now, then her eyes rolled into the back of her head giving an evil and creepy possessed vibe to her. Maria started to gasp for air as her evil clone grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against the wall.
She looked down at herself as she saw her body fading even quicker now, and her evil self was becoming much more tangible than she was now, doing the only thing that she could think of. Maria used her free hands to grab into the one holding her neck to try and absorb her powers and lifeforce. "Let me go!" Maria was panicking as she started to instantly feel worse, she started to look around for something to get herself free. Maria then started to grip the hands tighter now as she started to feel some of her lifeforce coming back to her, as she stared at herself. "You are not going to win." She told her.
He was incredibly confused by what the hell the guy was talking about still. "Riiiiight, still have no idea what it is you are talking about... But I'm fine." Yeah, this was weird, and no matter what was going on, he turned his attention towards the strange door that had the yelling coming from it. The guy in the hall seemed to think that he had hit his head or something like that for whatever reason, he just kept having difficulties understanding where he was or even really how he got there. Not to mention, what was up with the door that the random person with him didn't seem to hear or something like that in general.
Ignoring Hawkeye, he walked over to the door and listened again in order to try and figure out who was on the other side. To think that he was a bit surprised when he heard his own voice coming from it was a bit of an understatement. This was weird, and now he was looking to see about getting the door open. It was locked up tight, and he saw that there was a slot for a key to open it. Now, he could try and blast the door open or something like that, but he also figured that Hawkeye would stop him from doing that, so instead, he figured to go about trying to find the key to it. With no other direction to really go, he headed towards the medical area, seeing a woman (Bonnie) there, and a key rack, which looked like it would have the key that he needed to get that door opened.
Location: Genosha Skills: N/A
She was kind of glad that Raynor didn't move away from her or anything like that. She still really wanted to see about having a conversation with him or something with regards to their argument and fight earlier, but it still wasn't a good time for it. Her attention was on Banner though, as she listened a bit as to how things went, and why she had been sent over to the reality that she had grown up in to begin with. It kind of was sad to hear what his reasonings were, and she could understand a bit more now as to why she ended up there and not here.
"I mean, I guess I can understand that..." she ended up saying somewhat softly. "My life's been interesting to say the least... When I graduated from school I ended up joining the agency or whatever you'd want to call it that led me to the group I'm with now, and then here..." she explained a bit, figuring that was a bit of a simple explanation of her life. Then there was one other thing that she figured she might want to mention. "Oh and um... I have a daughter, well... We, have a daughter," she responded, nodding her head slightly towards Raynor a bit, "Her name is Zarina..."
Choices. That was what this was about, in the mind of the mad titan. Oli had made a choice to fake his death on the moon. He'd chosen to stay in S.H.I.E.L.D, he'd chosen to travel to another Earth in an attempt to avert another catastrophe. Oli had consistently been trying to make locally optimal decisions to keep other people safe, happy, and alive, but it felt like absolutely none of that actually mattered. It was time to do something for the greater good, even if it meant that he had to commit an intentional, egregious, act. But if he didn't do anything, he'd die, and the titan would continue to raze the universe.
Once he knew what he had to do, Oliver acted without thinking, in the span of a little under a second, reaching his phased hand through the chest of Thanos, extracting his still beating heart, and showing it to the monster. "Good news." Oliver say coldly, dropping the organ on the ground, "The prophecy is fulfilled, you can stop worrying about it." This kind of spite, anger, and hatred was something that Oliver never showed, but it was out in full force now. He was Thane, son and slayer of the Mad Titan Thanos, playing helplessly into the hands of a fate he did not ask for.
Bob Banner was speechless for a moment, hearing what Sparky had told him. He had always wondered what his daughter's life had ended up being like - he had hoped that it would be a good one. He had never imagined though that he might be a grandfather - it did concern him slightly since Lana was still in her early twenties, but his concern was outweighed by the feelings of joy that overcame him. His daughter was alive, safe, and happy - and had a family of her own. "Zarina.... That's a beautiful name," Bob said softly.
"... She is beautiful," Raynor said. He missed his daughter. They hadn't intended on being away from her this long - it was supposed to be a quick little assignment, and then they'd be back home to see their bouncing baby girl. He wondered if little Zari could miss them yet - if she knew that her parents were gone. A soft smile was on his face. It was hard to be upset about all the drama and mess when his mind turned to his kid. Flynn -
The woman glanced up from the tools she was sanitizing, allowing Flynn to get a better look of her face. Her skin would remind him of the villain Two-Face from Batman, as she was severely scarred - burn scars. "Agent Flynn, need I remind you that I'm uninterested in any apologies you have today?" she said, turning her focus back to her work and ignoring him. There was a clear tension there, but Flynn wouldn't know why. Everything was hazy and out of focus.
He would hear Professor X's voice, strangely echoing from all around him: "Keep going, my boy."
Bonnie -
Bonnie flinched slightly, surprised at James' words - this wasn't how she remembered him. He had never been this angry. As much as it pained her, it also was calming, centering. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't James. She was inside her mind, she reminded herself. Professor X was helping to divide out the memories that were hers and trap the others away, to help to keep her as her, and not as the Bonnie from this world. "You aren't James. I wish you were. But you aren't," Bonnie said. She hesitated for a moment, before taking off at a run again - chasing after the owl.
She followed the owl into a side room, the door closing behind her. But when she entered, there wasn't an owl there. Instead, there was an elegant woman with dark hair and bright stormy eyes. She was dressed in a white gown with Greek battle armor; a spear in one hand, a shield embossed with the face of Medusa in the other.
"Hello, Bonnie," Athena said. "It is time for you to make a choice."
Amelia -
"What?? No way! You can't just burn down the Blockbuster video store of my memories!" Amelia exclaimed, shocked. Yes, she was happy with the life that she had - she was comfortable, happy even as part of the Avengers. She loved being from the Blue, the freedom that she experienced, and the people she was able to help with her powers every day. She wasn't interested in becoming some other person, of remembering some life that just didn't feel like hers. But that didn't mean she wanted to let Captain Marvel destroy it.
Sure, Amelia didn't want to be that Amelia - but that Amelia didn't deserve to be destroyed.
"Why not?" Captain Marvel asked. "You don't want to remember these, and they're just taking up space. Plus, Blockbuster stores are going to get shut down anyways in the recession, so it's going to happen eventually."
Carol's hands began to glow, as she started to melt one of the DVDs - and Amelia acted without thinking, sending a gust of wind at Carol that knocked her off her feet.
Cass -
Matt was struggling to free himself from his bonds, as Cass started to fight Ultron. He was making decent progress of it, the cords ensnaring him beginning to wiggle off, his hands would be free soon enough. A sound that would pass for laughter came from Ultron's speakers, as Cass dented his chest plate. "Who are you then?" Ultron asked. "Mutant? Cop?" he asked, emphasizing the latter word.
Ultron's left arm converted into a blaster cannon, and he charged it up, aiming to send a fatal blast at Cass. But instead, his arm malfuctioned and exploded. The force would throw everyone backwards - Matt, who hit the wall and crumpled, unconscious; Cass, who would fall down the middle of the staircase; and Ultron, who blew himself through a series of walls.
Cass hadn't hit the ground yet, but it was soon approaching - she'd need to find a way to grab onto the railing or something to slow her descent.
Maria -
"Why should you be the one of us to leave? You left your sister to die. I would never do something like that. I'm the better Maria!" the other Maria stressed, even as her lifeforce was slipping away from her. The red glow had started to dissipate slightly, whereas Maria was beginning to be a little more tangible again, rather than fading away.
The other Maria was continuing though to try to turn the tables, but it wasn't working. She wasn't letting go of Maria though. "If I can't consume you, then I'll do this the old fashioned way," the other Maria said, trying to strangle her.
Oliver -
In his last moments of life, Thanos smiled at his son. He choked out a single sentence, blood trailing down from his lips, before he fell to the ground at Oliver's feet - "Yes... it is complete." With Thanos' lifeless form at his feet, a change would then overtake Oliver. His clothing would transform into a replica of the Mad Titan's - in his hand, he would suddenly find Thanos' massive blade, wet with blood. If he looked at any reflective surface, he would find his skin cracked and purple - the spitting image of his father. A new Mad Titan to ravage the universe.
Silence would ring in Oliver's ears.
It would feel like hours had gone by before he heard another voice - that of Professor X. "Oliver, I'm losing you, my boy. You need to fight... remember who you are..."
Niah's eyes widened. She inhaled sharply as the other versions of herself yelled at her. Yelling at her for being the 'real' Niah. Part of her wanted to yell back. To claim that she deserved to be the real one because she had fought hard for it, it had been her that had fought the fear bear. But was there a real Niah?
"What says you aren't all real? Who am I without you?" The version of Niah that she was literally couldn't have existed without the others. She was built on their bones. "Everything I am is because of who all of you are." That might not be entirely true in the cases of 257!Niah, there wasn't enough of her to say for certain. Though who she had been had started to slip. She couldn't even find the love she once held for Bonnie so deeply, it was buried under the love for Oliver now.
Location: EARTH 257: Healing Grove Skills:
Matt was already trying to come up with a backup plan. He couldn't escape the proper way. As soon as the water rushed in he'd drown. People didn't survive submarines breaking. But the voice startled him. He spun around, looking at the child. Dad? He couldn't have children.
"Uh, sorry kid. I don't have any children." Then he noticed the tentacles. He mentally cussed. Not wanting to curse in front of a kid. "But to answer your question." He said, still staring out the window at his doom. "I'm trying to find a way off this sub. This door is welded shut. But beyond it should be SEIE."
"Do you know where the bridge is?" He had to save the kid too. If they could tell their depth, maybe on some very low percentage, they could surface on their own. But that was basically impossible.
Cassandra turned to face Ultron again and stared at him as she could hear him laughing through the speakers that he used to talk, and glared at him. She wasn't sure why he called her a cop, but she knew that she was a mutant and she didn't have any problems being one at all. "I'm a mutant." Cass told him, as she looked over her shoulder at Matt seeing him getting his hands free as she heard something change and quickly turned to see Ultron's arm turning into a blaster canon of sorts aimed right at her.
"Get out of here Matt!" Cassandra yelled at him, just as the explosion happened knocking her backwards and then she was in freefall now. Cass started to fall down faster than she wanted to, and tried to grab onto something, but she couldn't as she was just about to hit the floor. Instead she found herself laying on her back and in her bed, she slowly started to look around the room that she was in as she started to feel around herself for any kind of injuries from the explosion that happened.
Maria could feel herself getting stronger and more tangible again as she looked over at her evil twin that was trying to drain her as well of her own life force. When her evil twin brought up her sister Kristina, she fought back a few tears the images of Kristina dying in her arms when she was briefly in Genosha during it's attack. As much training she had while she had been with SHIELD, she couldn't even save her sister from dying. "I never abandoned my sister, and I would have done anything to protect her.." Maria said, between heavy breaths as her evil twin started to try and choke the life out of her.
Maria's grip started to tighten around her even twin's wrists as her power started coming back to her and managed to break free from her grip as she started to drain her counterpart dry now. Maria leaned back rubbing her neck slightly as she felt the air coming back to her lungs and looked down at her evil twin. "I am the better one between the two of us." Maria said to her.
Flynn was still incredibly confused as to what was going on in general still. He heard Xavier's voice in his head though, telling him to continue onwards. One thing was for certain, he really needed to get through the door that was locked up, and in order to do that, he needed to go over to where Bonnie was, and reach over to grab the key that he needed. Since he wasn't sure what else to do, Flynn basically ignored her words entirely, not really saying anything, as he reached over her in order to grab the keys. Bonnie ended up catching his arm, but he broke free from her and managed to grab the keys this time.
Now that he had the keys in hands, Flynn figured that he'd just walk out and leave the room and go back to the door down the hallway. Unfortunately, that didn't really work out for him, as somehow, right after he walked through the door, he ended up looping around and reentering it again. Trying once more, he got the same sort of loop instances. He had this feeling in the back of his mind that he needed to resolve something with the woman in the room, so now he figured that he'd talk to her. "Um... So... From the sounds of it, I caused that injury or something?" he ended up saying, still fairly confused.
Location: Genosha Skills: N/A
Sparky couldn't help but smile a little bit based on Banner's reaction to what she had said, with regards to Zarina. She did find it a little bit amusing that Raynor immediately softened a bit with regards to the conversation turning towards their daughter. There wasn't a whole lot that she could really say with regards to that. Everything was going a bit chaotic, but she too was smiling a little bit with regards to talking about Zari in general. She was her little girl, and she wondered how quickly she could get back to her.
"She's not even quite a month old..." she added. Yeah, they ended up leaving a baby alone with someone else while they were supposed to be on this quick mission that wasn't supposed to last too long. Since it made things a bit easier with the fact that one of her best friends (Novikova) also had a baby, so she had ended up being the babysitter. It made her wonder a bit how she was doing, since it hadn't been expected for them to be gone for so long, and she kind of felt bad for leaving her friend to essentially watch two babies and all.
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