ic A Dark and Spiteful God (IC)

[Electra]

She yanked her hands away from him, folded them under her elbows. "If that's the way you feel, then there are obviously things that are more precious to you," she reminded him coldly. "Just remember that if you don't exist or survive or continue, then I don't either. Maybe figure that into your calculations when it comes time to stick your head in the noose. I'll see you in the morning." Turning on her heel, she stalked over to the reinforced door that led to her basement lab. It was too heavy for her to slam as she passed through it, but the click it made as it shut was nearly as echoing. 

[Avenger Assembled]

Steve sat alone in the kitchen, a solitary figure beneath the glare of overhead lights. He looked down at the food, which he had little stomach for but knew he would eat anyway to maintain his functioning for the next day, and rose to his feet for the light switch. Alone now in the dark, a common enough place when he and Gina had fought, or for that matter when they hadn't, he closed his eyes and addressed the empty room in a voice barely loud enough to be audible on the house's internal mics. "Of those I value more than my life, you are the greatest of all."

 

He slept on the couch that night - and dreamed of red, starless skies - and torments that never ended. 

[alderwitch]

Talya didn't lie when she got home - not exactly - but she certainly downplayed the severity of the favor that she'd been asked to do with blithe smiles and flippant remarks, leaving a great deal unsaid. She might have snuggled her children a little closer and when she laid down to sleep, taken a little longer to rest. Oh, Talya would spend no sleepless night before a mission such as this. She knew too well how slim the error of margin would be. 

 

In the early morning, Talya snuck from their bed with practiced ease. She took the time to set up a recording, delaying its delivery until after their estimated return, with a generous buffer just in case. It was certainly sentimental but more than that, it provided the information for whatever attempt at rescue might be waged as Talya had no doubt that someone would at least try and fetch her, even if the dimension happened to collapse into the Terminus entirely. Suicidally heroic was one of the qualities she'd first fallen in love with after all. The fact that she'd probably be forgiven for her failure to be forthcoming in short order was almost as high on that list. 

[Avenger Assembled]

The next morning, Caradoc was as a bronze statue by Miss Americana's side, solemn and silent, as the modified Emerson units crossed the threshold and probed their way into the ruined Freedom City of a dying world. (And there was no doubt that the world was dying - sensors installed in the boxy, crawling units could easily detect the increasing exotic radiations that bespoke collapsing multiversal walls.) "The dimensional barrier must have collapsed to within their solar system," commented Caradoc, his voice a gravely quiet rumble as the heroes gathered together to watch the assembled bank of monitors. "Even if the barrier somehow remained intact, relativistic debris will destroy all that remains within days." 

 

The distress signal the initial probe had detected proved to be traceable by the Emerson probes, albeit with some difficulty through the torrent of exotic radiation that was flooding the reddened skies of this damaged world. Things being what they were, the location of the signal was visible on Miss Americana and Daedalus's monitoring systems before the location itself was - the distress signal was coming from the location of Freedom Hall. The structure was different, a round dome rather than a blocky cube, but it was clearly the same. "It's coming from the upper floors," said Daedalus, his voice quiet as he looked at the signal with Miss Americana. "There is Grue technology stored there in the trophy and evidence rooms. It's possible someone could reconfigure it - but who would they be trying to call?" 

 

Switching the scanners to energies traditionally used by telepaths gave them a better view of the number of sentient minds inside Freedom Hall - far too few, given the size of even this alternate version of the building. But just as the initial distress signal had suggested, there appeared to be at least two dozen lives inside the building, at least one of which bore the slippery mental profile that usually suggested a Grue. "Miss Americana, can you direct the scans underground, see if the sub-surface access tunnels remain unblocked. We could conceivably move Probe B there through the-" 

 

He fell silent as the probe detected movement for the first time - flight! Overhead, a black streak was just settling down like a predatory bird on the round roof of Freedom Hall - a gesture from Miss Americana gave them magnification, revealing a strange figure. The rainbow-haired woman was tall and muscular, with a substantial build that put her closer to Tarva than anyone else in the room. With a distinctly bored look on her haughty face, she tossed red and black lightning from hand to hand with fitful, nervous energy before disappearing back inside the building, out of the probe's line of sight. 

 

Behind them, Tarva's eyes popped wide. She shoved a fist against her mouth to swallow a compulsive, terrified scream in the instant before she vanished into shadowy nothingness. 

 

"Oh," said Caradoc mildly, not looking terribly perturbed at Tarva's departure. "Them." 

 

 

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Daphne never really felt fear, in her mind the good guys would always succeed, but she was worried which for her was a really big deal. She was so worried that she’d been watching footage from the Terminus Invasion trying to gleam anything useful.

 

D’phne you called?

 

The shadowy telepathic form of R’ik Faax aka Pseudo, thanks to their telepathy they could talk in real time despite the vast distances apart they were.

 

Please Uncle R’ik it’s Daphne, why do the Grue have against vowels anyway?

 

Daphne gave her Uncle a hug even though he wasn’t physically in the room, he was an uncle only as much as all Grue’s were genetically related but the two had formed a strong bond over the short time they had known each other.

 

Something is bothering you, I heard you telepathic summons loud and clear. Alas I was busy with other business.

 

Sorry I was a surprised by what was happening, it was a comfort thing. I don’t know what if you’ve heard...

 

She then explained the events of earlier of the day including the reason, or reasons in this case, that she was picked for this mission.

 

I mean I really want to help but I’m not sure if I’m good enough to help.I mean everyone there has there own documentaries and action figures.

 

She gestured to a series of shelves stuffed with various heroic action figures.

 

But I don’t even get more than a And finally...

 

You will respond as with all living things, each according to his gifts. In other words you will do just fine!

 

Just you just misquote Star Trek at me?

 

I had a good teacher on such things his normal stoic face broke in a smile

 

Are you saying that I’m basically overthinking this? And I should just do the best that I can!

 

Just that I have confidence that you will do well, as always. And maybe one day you will have a little figure of you own!

 

Thank’s I need that! I wish you were here, we’ve so much to catch up on.

 

You know I have important things to do out here, it is a chance to set our people on the path to good. Did you meet her as I requested?

 

Oh yes we had a good gossip over everything, she’s pretty amazing. I think we’re going to meet up again soon.

 

Then you know what we could become, the good that we could achieve.

 

I know but I miss you so much she put her head roughly where his chest would be and he put a hand to pat her head and comfort her. They couldn’t touch but they could feel each other psychic impressions. After a few moments he looked over to one side

 

I’m afraid I must go, something demands my attention. I will see you when I next return to Earth.

 

Daphne gave a little wave as his image faded back away, it was a little sad that he wasn’t here but she felt better. She sat on her bed and began to flick through the channels for something to watch, she’d have plenty of time before she needed to worry about the dangerous mission.

[Gizmo]

An uneven layer of hard rime coated the largest monitor with an audible crack as the temperature amidst the group of spectators plunged. Hood pulled over the top of her head, Ghost Girl's face was concealed by preternatural shadows that defied the room's even lighting, two pinpricks of luminous blue-white visible from deep inside the darkness. "Madrigal's Hounds." Though spoken quietly the syllables were more howling wind than words, echoing as if from the opposite end of a long tunnel. The note of loathing lacing Kimber's voice sounded wrong, sharp and brittle. "They were the protectors of Tarva's homeworld. They turned." Without further explanation the phantom disappeared from view, blurring unsettlingly to the naked eyes watching while static briefly burst across the camera feeds observing the room.

[Electra]

Miss America stiffened slightly as the impact of Kimber's words appeared to sink in, her eyes going distant and dull. It only lasted for a few seconds before she shook herself out of it, looking mildly annoyed. "Shifting the scan frequencies now," she told Daedelus, her voice still calm and completely controlled. "Estimate forty-five seconds for first subterrenean scanning cycles. The ground under Freedom Hall in most universes tends to be unusually saturated with strange energies and materials, that could lengthen the time needed for the scan." She flicked the controls again, getting the robot to take a look around with its cameras. "No indication that Hostile noticed the probes." 

[Avenger Assembled]

While Miss A and Daedalus went about their work, Steve took this opportunity to explain to Bombshell and Miss Grue exactly what lay across the threshold. Or rather, who. 

 

"Corrupted champions of a dead world. Now they serve as the fist of Madrigal the Martinet, a commander of the armies of the Terminus. Tarva the Black is a native of their homeworld," he went on, "but fell of her own free will." He stared at the screen, half-listening as the Emerson probes' sonar found open passages underground towards Freedom Hall. As far as Miss A and Daedalus could determine from a preliminary scan, there were no significant obstructions between their probes' location and Freedom Hall itself.

 

It was certainly the clearest likely path to the Hall, given the tactical information they had on the Hounds, coming up on some of the room's other monitors. 

 

"They have battled with the champions of Earth-Prime before - and slain those of countless others." His dark face was clouded as he studied the monitors. "When not engaged in the mixed murder arts, they thrive on show and spectacle, providing dark entertainment for the masses of Nihilor. If not for the probes, we would have walked directly into their trap." He whispered a short curse in the Black Speech of the Terminus.

 

He didn't have to tell Gina she'd been right. 

 

-

 

Kimber found Tarva in the latter's bedroom - the walls dripping with liquid black shadow that felt warm and soothing to a ghost's touch but would have been unpleasant indeed for the living. Tarva knelt in a protective pentagram by her bed, arms folded around her torso and face staring at the ground. Her hounds were with her too, flopped on either side of the pentagram, whimpering with their mistress's worry. She was singing, half to herself, a familiar song that she usually sang when she didn't think Kimber was listening. 

 

"No need for sorrow...Think of tomorrow...We'll be together again..." Kimber entering set off her wards, of course, so she looked up and stared at Kimber for a moment before saying, "I should go there. The Hounds will want to play with me again. You will be able to save those innocents." 

[Gizmo]

"You not going anywhere near them!" Kimber shouted back, more loudly than she'd intended. Fading into view of conventional sight the phantom pulled back her hood as she hurried over to the kneeling witch. Her bangs whipped about as though caught in an otherwise unfelt hurricane. Kneeling herself she wrapped her arms around Tarva's shoulders and draped herself like a cloak over the larger woman's back. "I'll deal with them," she insisted, quietly now but with a cold, hard edge. "I know how they fought Indira and Eve. This time no traps, no gladiator games. They won't know why or that you were ever involved. You won't have to be afraid of them any more."

[Tiffany Korta]

Daphne couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable in her own skin, she prefered her human form to the natural Grue one she now wore. Only her natural hair, that she wore tied back, differentiated her from every other Grue. She tried her best to look calm, and give out calming thoughts, as she was trying to process everything that was going on here.

 

“I can get Mother Unit to interface with the Grue systems and find out what they’re trying to do, but there’s a chance they might detect our presence. I guess that might be part of the reason they’re waiting here? We should go take a look at least, but definitely avoid the Terminus killjoys”  

 

She might be the overly optimistic sometime, but even she didn’t want to go and look for trouble especially as they sounded like a very bad thing indeed.

[Avenger Assembled]

Tarva brightened slightly - almost literally, it was more like a light had been lit beneath her shadowy blanket. "I'm glad you think so, Kimber." She reached behind herself and grabbed onto Kimber's hand, squeezing it tight. "They will never stop looking for me," she whispered quietly, her voice full of certain, terrible knowledge. "I was their enemy before everything - and afterwards they thought it was a great joke that I was still alive and still myself-" She took a breath, and then another, on the edge of panic for a moment. "They-there will be things worse than you can imagine across that door. If you will not let me go, it may be kinder to do as the drone said. Send through a bomb. End it all now." 

[Gizmo]

"Boon, you're not listening," Kimber spoke up softly once Tarva had had a chance to calm herself. Pulling back she shifted until she was kneeling beside the black haired woman with their clasped hands resting on her knees. When their eyes met her gaze was steady. "I'm going to that world and I'm going to deal with them." She put a little more emphasis on the word this time, squeezing Tarva's hand as she did. "There's no prison here where it would be safe to keep them and the people they were before died a long time ago anyway. I'm saying you won't have to be afraid of them. Ever."

[alderwitch]

"My, what a stunning coincidence," Talya drawled in the manner that made it clear that she doubted anything like chance was involved. She may have been overestimating the machinations of the entropic denizens but she didn't think so. She was, rather thankfully, unaware of Kimber's expressed plan in the other room about these particular individuals. Bombshell has been a spy and sometimes assassin decades ago, in a different war, but it was not a hat she would take on lightly and this had not elevated to that level of need in her eyes. But then, Talya was probably more okay with most in accepting that the loss of these Grue was a sad thing without charging into a reckless rescue. 

 

"This seems both extraordinarily dangerous and exceptionally foolhardy," she commented about any further plans to breach into the other world. She tipped her head and her words were honest as she offered to Steve, "I'm glad that it was me you asked."  

[Electra]

"If the Madrigal Martinet and her Hounds are in the vicinity, it's damn near certain that there's nothing in that building to save, or that can be saved," Miss Americana said tonelessly, even as she used her tablet to send the probes down into the subterrenean passageways of the other world. "They would likely find it amusing to fake the life signs, and even better if they take a group of actual survivors and corrupt them or render them brain dead, just to see the faces of the people who come to save them."

 

She didn't look at Talya or Daphne or Daedelus and especially did not look at Steve, keeping her focus on the camera feeds. "It's also likely that there is no technology worth saving there; that it's all just part of the trap to draw in curious and desperate interdimensional explorers. Lives for the altruistic, weapons for the hard-pressed, there's bait for everyone, really. The wisest course of action is to slam this dimensional door shut and throw away the key." 

[Tiffany Korta]

Daphne senses told her most of what Miss A had said her empathic senses told her that very few sentient's existed in this city, and they were mostly inside the building. She couldn’t however tell if others were there as well without focusing her senses and that might tick the baddies off about their presence. She was optimistic that she could pull it off safely but she didn’t want to risk the others on the tiny chance that she was wrong. She might be overly optimistic but she wasn’t stupid, a plan to do both formed in her mind.

 

“We should at least stop the machine from broadcasting the signal, that would stop others from being put into danger. I can phase into the building unseen and have Mother Unit shut it down without putting anyone at risk.”

 

She put on her best most determined face and sounded as confident in her abilities as she could manage, which in this case was quite a bit.

[Avenger Assembled]

"An EMP discharge directed through a portal would have a similar effect. Or a fissile weapon." Steve's scowl was monumental as he contemplated what had nearly happened - and what he had nearly led them into. "Once that is done, I suggest the dimensional frequency be recorded and remote observation continued until this universe reaches its final fate. I am not needed here." There was much to talk about - but little to talk about here in front of all these people. He turned and headed out of the room, forgetting about the two people he'd brought with him as allies. After all, he'd have to speak with both of them later. 

[Avenger Assembled]

"You would not be the first to try," said Tarva, her voice calm and oddly detached as she looked at Kimber. "This world may loom large in the eyes of Nihilor, boon, but Nihilor looms larger still across the landscape of the multiverse." She made a little gesture, summoning tiny humanoid figures that beset an angry, spiked sphere - the figures were soon devoured by the mites of black that came erupting from the surface of the sphere like so many locusts. "There have been invasions, and liberation missions, and secret infiltrations, amid infinite combinations-" She made a little gesture with her hands, and planet and mites both blew away like so much dust. "Nihilor is a stinking cosmic sewer, one which renders its inhabitants forever mired in its filth. You are better off without its touch." 

[alderwitch]

"While I'm all for a refreshing round of ill-thought vengeance with potentially suicidal consequences," Talya drawled, a definite affectation since her diction was generally crisp to a fault. "And not that I would give advice about the proper route to taking out anyone in a permanent fashion - perish the thought," Talya said with only a hint of irony, "But generally it's best to take out a target on the ground of your choosing and not springing a carefully laid trap with one's face."

 

She glanced in the route that Steve had left without a second word and sighed briefly, looking tired for the first time and her tone became matter of fact, "That said, I'd blow the EMP; they'll move once they realize they've been marked. They're opportunists, as these sort often are, and won't linger to 'maybe' catch someone when the risk is even more likely that there might be a planned counter-assault. Are we done here then?"

[Gizmo]

Kimber bit back an insistence that she could do this, not an invasion but merely an assassination - or six - swallowing a graphic description of what she wanted to do to the Hounds. Bubbling anger and wishful thinking aside there was every chance it would be that last fight she ever picked and then where would that leave Tarva? Certainly not resting any more easily for the blood spilled on the blade of a scythe.

 

Affecting an exhaled breath she didn't really need the poltergeist forced a faint smile. "You know you're the only thing that touches me, boon," she reminded the shadow witch. "If you don't want me going after them, I won't. For now. I should check in with Daphne, though. I left her on her own back at the Hall."

[Electra]

"An EMP won't take long to rig up," Miss A said neutrally, after watching Harrier leave the room. "And while I have the Emerson robots already through the portal, I'll see if I can get them into the building for a sweep, just to see if there's anything we're missing. Give me half an hour." She sent a quick radio message to her team at ArcheTech to unearth EMP equipment from the storehouses in the basement and make sure it wasn't going to explode or do anything else unfortunate. While they were getting to work, she navigated the little Emerson bots further into the tunnels and set them to map mode, to see if they could find any way into the building itself. 

 

That done, she headed out of the room as well, looking for her absent lover. 

[Tiffany Korta]

 

“A EMP burst might not be enough to disable their system...” Daphne added quietly as everyone went off to carry out this plan. Apparently left alone again Daphne shifted back to a more comfortable form, ironically for a Grue her human one, and sat crossed legged before floating a few inches above the floor. She then placed Mother Unit in front of her allowing her to float and lazy twirl in the air.

 

I’m not sure if I’m doing any good here Mother Unit, they just seem terrified of the Terminus. It’s clouding all their best instincts.

 

Well even the Grue Unity wouldn’t touch the Terminus, warnings are hardwired into my black files.

 

I know but they’re forgetting that people might be in trouble, I don’t think I’m doing anything useful here

 

With a sigh Daphne got to her feet and gently took Mother Unit from the air, she was pretty sure her presence wouldn’t be missed.

[Avenger Assembled]

Months went by. 

 

-

 

"There haven't been any further echoes from that universe," Daedalus told Miss Americana during one of their regular communications. "We even lost the background T-neutronio hum shortly after the detonation of the electromagnetic device." It had been a powerful device, one capable of scrambling organic as well as inorganic matter. "Whatever was happening there - it's not happening anymore. 

 

- 

 

"I need help." Sitting at the kitchen table, they were among the most difficult worlds Steve had ever said - especially when they meant admitting weakness to his lover. "If I had gone on my instincts, I would have been worse than dead - and so would those I sought to protect. And...and I think some part of me knew that. I will seek counseling," he promised her. "And I will do what I can to be the man you deserve." 

 

- 

 

"You're better off not thinking about those times," said Tarva, pulling her robe back on, black silk sliding over her scarred torso. It had been a full month since the brief, removed encounter with the women from her homeworld. "We live in the world that we live in, and we take the joys that we can. Don't let the darkness of the past touch your soul. Mine has been dirtied enough." 

 

-

 

"We cannot discuss what happened with Erik." The sound of deception seemed to curdle Steve's deep voice. They were away from the dojo and its plants, Caradoc's armored form gleaming in the starlight overhead. "Now, or ever. If the heroes of this version of Freedom City become convinced that the Terminus is a dimension that they can invade, then it will result in their deaths." 

 

- 

 

"I disagree with Daedalus's choice in the matter," Rick told Daphne, a faint static in his voice the only sign of his station at the edge of the Solar System. "But I understand it. And I am glad you did not face the forces of the Terminus, alone or with companions. There are enemies that lie beyond this dimension whose very touch is death, not to the body but to the soul."

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Whilst Daphne had been disappointed that she couldn't help the people she had more or less put aside the whole affair, she wasn’t one to look back on things with regret. She had school and her superheroing to take up her time. She was a little surprised that her Uncle had mentioned it now, normally there visits were spent catching up on gossip or her learning a little more about her people.

 

“I know the danger that the Terminus represent, but I still wished that we could have gone and tried to help. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do, despite the danger?”

[Electra]

Gina, once again working at the kitchen table, kept her eyes averted and on her work while Steve spoke. It was a difficult and awkward situation to hear exactly the words you wanted, really to decisively win the argument, and still not be ready to stop being upset. She glanced up at him while still keeping her head tilted down, ambivalent even in posture. "That's good to hear," she allowed carefully, her face neutral. "I'm glad you're getting help, and the Freedom League's got some good psychologists. Are you going to be taking time off from superhero work while you get your head on straight?" 

[Gizmo]

Kimber prudently refrained from flippantly asking if they didn't have afterglow on Nihilor since the answer was unfortunately obvious. Her flannel pyjamas appeared with a slightly blur already on her toned frame but she made a show of tugging the shirt into place and doing up the buttons just to occupy her hands. "I'm not dwelling, liquorice whip," she assured the black haired woman, managing to keep most of the sigh out of her voice while she half-crawled, half-floated across the bed to rest against Tarva's back, chin on her shoulder. "I'm just saying that if - if! - we run across one of them again I'd like to have, y'know, something special prepared." The poltergeist let her hands wander far enough to toy with the hem of the robe her lover had only just recovered. "You can't tell me that Tarva the Black of all people disapproves of making a contingency plan, hmm?"