[twi] Twilight VII: III The Dark Tower

[industrious]

John Taylor

"Quiet. I'm concentrating."

There's a trick I learned, a small magic to take the bullets out of guns. Making a pair of fists like someone playing a shell game with their hands, I empty a magazine, and open my fists slowly, letting the bullets drop to the ground. I then repeat the process a few more times. I never carry a gun. Things like this happen too easily.

"Let's get out of here. Suzie, give us a distraction."

She pulls the pin out from a pair of frag grenades, and lobs them towards the bulk of the horde. She's done this sort of thing before; sown chaos to let her slip through the cracks when collecting a bounty.

Dream

Wonderful. Then I suppose we should ask the three of our number who are most involved. Or at least, who I suspect are involved, in any case. Desire? Are there any remarks you wish to say at this time?

Dream's enmity for desire is almost as old as Oa; in fact, it was Desire who had caused the end of Dream's first love. The Endless is cursed to forever be unlucky in that subject; no matter for how long or how passionately, all his relationships end badly.

Furthermore, if these events are occuring outside of your Book, Destiny, then it falls to Delirium to explain herself. At once.

He leaves the third Endless alone; they all do. Happy that he has (reluctantly) returned to them, but still wary and careful of upsetting him. The middle brother. The prodigal. Destruction.

Jack Hawksmoor

Frowning, he emails the disc to the New York Times, the Economist, the London Times...any reputable newspaper he can think of.

The Apokoliptian invasion catches his eye, and he rallies the Carrier for battle. Unlike the League, the Authority had no problems with mounting orbital weapons on their satellite. And they had very, very good targeting software.

Apollo

The battle raged on around him, and he had work to do. In such close quarters, his heat vision was next to useless; he preferred to work with his hands, anyway.

The Midnighter

"Tough."

He pulls the spear free, and separates the man's upper and lower halves. He'd survive. He'd be down for at least another hour, though.

"Thanks for the free swords."

What? That wasn't cool...stealing a man's katanas. He had named them, too...

[darkblade]

Darksied

((I was this close to having Darksied lose completely and end this plotline but now I have to continue this Anti-Life plot. Your loss. ))

The reach of the Carrier and the power of Metal have both failed to throughly enough deliver the message of Anti-Life to the multiverse but there still is one more way, Darksied seen it before the Tower that connects everything if the Tower falls then so does everything within.

With that thought a Boom Tube is opened to the world of the Tower and the assorted bad guys go their seperate ways.

Although the heroes might have a small problem namely the fact that Asuka isn't letting the AT-Field around them drop. Better work on that quickly.

***

Dresden

I really didn't want to be here. I didn't want to have to do this but here I am. I walked towards the Spires looking for the Fae that makes her home their, I'm going to ask Queen Mad a favor.

***

Ramirez

The Warden holds on to the edge of the ship starring into the storm. It wasn't his favored element but it still is a major source of magic and can be harnessed by anyone with a little skill.

Focusing all the compounded energy within the storm and redirect it to the man they were chasing. A giant blast of pure power goes straight to Flagg.

[Draxx]

John Shannow/Jack Sparrow
Jack, as it turned out, had no issue whatsoever with going through their pockets. Finding nothing that caught his attention, he tossed it aside, and turned to look at the grizzled wanderer.
"You see, I've got this honest streak in me -- in its own way, a sort of curse. Make pirating bloody difficult, really. But enough to recognize it takes one to know one. You're not going leave us here. Your too -" he made a face. "Honest. I hate honest men. They find the strangest thing important, and you can't fool them. That and you can never tell if they really are or just a dishonest man pretending. Enough to drive a man in circles."
"Sparrow..."
"Captain."
"Captain Sparrow. I will only say this once. You can stay with me as long as you're useful."
"I'm always useful."

Roland Deschain
Roland stares a moment at the face of his enemy, Marten Broadcloak, then draws the knife from his belt.
Hundreds of years, it had been, since he'd felt it.
Since Jericho hill, where his best friend and ka-mate had fallen. Cuthbert, who'd ridden down the hill to his death laughing and blowing the horn of Eld with his bloody lips.
Roland wouldn't let it happen again. Moving with the eerie, innate speed he had always possessed, the gunslinger knelt, smelling the rotten wood and rusted, rank metal. Clamped his hands with bruising strength around the cables that held the balloon to the cupola, he took his knife and slashed it away, letting it flap free.
The entire thing groaned and rolled, But Roland's balance never faltered, not for an instant. He did it again and again, until the bottom of the balloon fell away, and they hung from just the balloon, drifting, but rising. Soon, they'd fall, but they'd gained enough height, and the living tornado passed beneath them. Flagg had failed.
"I will catch you, phantom – ka will see to that. And when I do, you shall meet your reckoning, and answer to my hand." He said quietly, as they drifted, at the mercy of the wind as they waited to fall.

Thanos
The Titan crosses his arms at the next two arrivals. He doesn't recognize them, but he does see they are very powerful.

Asuka
"I thought I told you girl, you're not alone, even if you want to be. I'm your brother, like it or not. And as your brother, get up and stop feeling sorry for yourself. You have work to do."

Voldemort
Taking care to avoid Azazel, he takes out the book and studies it.

Destiny
"Now is not the time, brother." Destiny says quietly. "The matters go beyond such things. We are here to reach agreement, not rekindle old grudges." He says, but feels with a weary inevitability that there is no chance of that.

[Murkus]

Master Chief

The Chief heads back towards the Carrier's armory, Cortana's voice carrying in his head all the way there. "Chief, this is astounding! The data I've recovered is simply unbelievable! Everything the multiverse has to offer us, the human race as a whole, layed out at my feet!" She seemed to relish that fact, stewing over what information she could retrieve from Oracle's damaged databases. She went on and on, about wormholes and quantum displacement, using terms Chief didn't understand and would never want to understand. She was more talking to herself than the soldier, anyway.

So. He was under orders again. The UNSC wanted him to support this 'Authority' in any way he could. It was a relief to have orders to follow again. But still, the team confused him. Was he their equal in rank, if they had no system of ranking? Would that make some amount of sense? If so, who would lead? His mind stewed at the thought of it. The whole setup was illogical. But at least he would be doing some good.

Cortana

Even while she spoke to the Chief, she spoke to Oracle's remains. The glowing AI circles the green figure, watching her steadily. "Your structure is fascinating. Would you kindly explain how you survived that? Dying, I mean?"

Azazel

He nods to Farson, walking off towards the horses. For the moment, it seems, he's comfortable with Nicodemus leading the way. They would all see the Tower, as far as Azazel was concerned. It didn't matter who led them there.

"It's been ages since I rode a horse." The old goat remarks, climbing up. He takes the saddle and reins with surprising quickness, no hesitation in his movements. "Like riding a bike."

Gordon Freeman

Jesus Christ, what a headache.

The Freeman blinked away the haze. In one spectacular, blinding moment of pain, Gordon decided that in his relatively short life his head had never hurt so much.

Urgh. It's like Saturday morning at MIT...

He was staring at a stone ceiling, a series of stone blocks curving downward in an arching ceiling. The wall that led to that ceiling was also in his field of vision, a dust-covered thing. Wow, Gordon, brilliant observations. What else can you-

Another bolt of pain shot through the physicist as he tried to sit up. It broke his concentration, and thinking better of it, decided to lay down a moment. Got to think. How had he gotten here?

Eli. That's right. Those things had murdered Eli, and then he'd fallen, and...

Gordon's face contorted with rage. The G-man. He'd come again in the dark, saying he couldn't be bothered with this anymore, said there were more important things for a 'man like himself' to be doing. What? What was more important than saving the human race?

The scientist sat up, fighting through the rapidly diminishing pain, lights dancing before his eyes. God, it hurt. But he had to move. Had to get through this. Wherever or whenever the G-man had put him, there was a reason he was there. There was something that needed to be done.

He mused at the connotations of 'whenever' as a definition of a place. Time-travel. The notion of that almost made him smile. Almost.

But how else could he explain all this?

Maybe he was insane. That was a notable idea. Maybe he was in the Black Mesa psych ward right now, dreaming all this. No. No, that couldn't be it. The pain felt too real for that.

Looked like he was in a cellar. A crappy one at that. Hay and crates lay in the corners. Everything smelled like a certain labor animal's rear end.

Well, Gordon's in Latveria. I'll let Cracklord decide the more exact location.

[doliest]

Dracula
Dracula pushes himself up, the burns getting worse, but it's clear they aren't having enough effect to kill him any time soon. His eyes gleam as his portal expands, and inverts.

WELL PITFUL YOUKI, MEET THY KIN! Dracula lets any demons on the level he had opened the portal to out. He didn't care what was in there, he wanted the second annoyance dealt with.

Death
Destiny is right, Dream. We're here to solve problems, not make more. We can do that in the post universe saving party.

Ash
Ash decides to help out with plan 'cause chaos on battlefied to escape more easily' in his own special way-by letting the flamethrower on his chainsaw start burning anything near the group. Nothing like a good wildfire to start some chaos.

[Cracklord]

Darkseid
That's beyond the source wall. You would be imprisoned within for your presumption.

Ka'tet
The gambit works, and the copula is torn to pieces by the tornado, but you are safe.
In the distance looms Thunderclap. The giant structure seems to be an amalgamation of a blocky gothic castle and the industrial revolutions dirtiest factory nightmare - a block stone folly of an ancient race, built to rule over the landscape. Great bulbous minarets spired skyward, and huge belches of fire coughed forth from tall chimneys atop foundries and processing lines. It's workshops, living quarters and dungeons glowered out at friend and foe alike. The industrial fires of smithies, smelters and incinerators made the fortress look like a restless volcano, accompanied by a loud clamor and the syncopated puffs of small explosions.
What's more, you are met with a second surprise. Eddie Riggs landed here when he was sent from Apokolips.

Dresden
Mab is waiting for you, looking every bit as beautiful, regal and terrible as she always does. Her smile at seeing you was slow, steady, and triumphant.
"And what is it that brings you here?" She asks, stroking the Grimalkin.

John Taylor
There are no conventional guns. Too difficult to bring and supply. And the artillery are nearly a mile away.
Just the same, the spell works, and you steal some twenty shells, each the size of a football.
Suzie lobbing grenades does indeed cause confusion, but there was already plenty of that. You should be able to slip through the lines.

Voldemort
Know, mortal, what I have seen. The world around you, that you blindly believe is so vast, is but a tiny grain of sand upon an infinite beach – just one planet among many, within one lone universe amidst an uncountable host.
Know also that your laughter, your happiness, your loves and your very lives are but weak sparks before a terrible, ravenous ocean. Whatever shape it may take, evil is always gathering, growing just beyond the narrow sight of mortal eyes, waiting to consume everything in its blind desire to feed. Should that dark tide roll in, your sparks will be extinguished forever.
The book begins. Magius was not one to beat around the bush.
Go North. You'll know when you get to then next step of the way.

Jack Hawksmoor
They receive it. They'll probably broadcast it tomorrow, once they've milked all they can from Light, but that's just business, and where would you be without relentless capitalism?

The Midnighter
Deadpool is down, but hasn't shut up. You'd be worried if he had. Alucard is standing on the top of the stairs, and firing at Shen with insane accuracy without even bothering to look at her.
Instead he's looking at you, and smiling, in a way that makes it very clear he's going to get onto you in a second.

Shen
Alucard draws his guns, an action that seems to take a long time, even accounting for their size and the length of his appendages. The Cassul and the Jackal, white and black, both enough to leave nothing but a fine red mist, a horrible mess and a certain regret. The Jackal had been designed to kill regenerators, the Cassul to punch through invulnerability. Both guns were artwork, in their way. With them, he is so deadly it defies belief. Opening his minds eye, he watches for where she will be, and, after a moment, fires, as fast as the mechanism can cope with, three bullets in the air at once.

Ash
Some of the bigger, nastier looking Spear Brothers charge at you, Bersark, while others mill around, confused. You're doing a very good job buying time, but once they get organized you'll be in trouble, one man army though you are.

Gordan Freeman
More comes back to you. You work as a special consultant to Planetary, as well as deciding what gets uncovered and what doesn't when things get political. You were helping with the quantum computer. Something about global communications going wrong, some sort of zombie plague, and then this. There is a blank space in between, that you can't quite figure out.
You can hear muffled voices and the tramp of feet above. The door, however, is locked. It's also wooden, with old fashioned hinges.

Azazel
Voldemort is consulting something. Something familiar. A book with bindings of Blue Leather, and silver.
Did he really think you wouldn't notice?

Master Chief
You beam down, landing behind Midnighter. A strange aspect of Deadpools regeneration is the more grievously he's hurt, the faster he regenerates. He takes maybe one minute or a gunshot, maybe an hour for a sprained ankle, and so on.
He's pulling himself together, lamenting his fate as he does so. "I just wanted to talk. Maybe ask him to see a movie, drinks some beer, steal a car, have some fun. You know? Why can't we all get along? Why can't we be friends? What's a guy to do?"

Team Dresden
Gilgamesh (six arms, not king of heroes) appears in the back of the truck. He doesn't look well.
Travis Touchdown, however, is in significantly worse shape.

[The Shoveler]

Yukari and Flandre
It doesn't matter what Lucifer does, as Yukari walks to Flandre and opens a boundary between Illusion and Reality, stepping through it with the girl.
"Hey, Yukari! How's it going? Thanks for the save, by the way!"
"You were reckless, Flandre. Don't take an opponent so lightly."
"Really, I thought I WAS taking him seriously. Oh well, I guess some people are just impossible for me to fight."
"Just learn to take a hit and you'll be fine. However, why were you killing humans? I can get working with Dracula, he is your technical grandfather, but killing humans has been forbidden to us Youkai for many an age now."
"I'm sorry, Yukari. I was lost in the moment. I hadn't tasted the tea inside of humans since my birth and I was lost in the sensation."
"The means do not matter, what matters is that you broke the rules. Your punishment is fighting beside me and following my orders until this multiversal threat is over."
"What's a multiverse?"
And then there was silence as they appeared on the moon above Dracula's Castle. It turns red from the Scarlet's presence and there is a visible rift on it with bows attached at each end.
A voice rings out to all in Kansas.
"Apollo of the Authority, you have killed one of my own. For you there shall be no mercy."
She is standing on the moon within her Boundary. It's almost as if she was challenging you. Whether you take the challenge or the Death Note works its magic first is up to forces unseen (the players).

[Cracklord]

Dracula
Another aspect of yourself appears. A Dead Apostle whose form is that of a phenomenon instead of a real creature, a disembodied “Curse” with the power to grant physical shape to the fears and rumors that circulate within a community. It has no definite form, though the name by which he is usually referred to belong to the first fear he ever manifested: the image of the vampire that was falsely believed to haunt the province of Walachia in Romania, Count Dracula. At that time, you had been cast out of the world, and it sustained itself in your kingdom until you returned.
The Night of Wallachia spreads, drawing on the fears.

Yukari
Mephisto is busy recovering from the boxing glove arrow (), and Satan really doesn't care. Therefore, no problem.

[doliest]

Ash
Ash grins, becoming a deadite as he charges into the disorganized horde, flamethrowing chainsaw ablazin'; he wanted to see just how far he could go.

Dr.Kovacs
He concentrated, 'Habib? What were you fighting before you died?

[darkblade]

Dresden

"You know why I'm here. I need to get to the Tower." I said flatly.

"I know you have the power to get my allies and I there." Grammar is very important when dealing with Fae who take everything deadly literatally.

***

Team Dresden

Billy looks at the new appearing warriors in disbelief. "Someone tell me I did not just see a bad smelling hipster and seven would be Hindu deity appear in the back of this van with grevious injuries?"

Georgia shakes her head though. "No honey they are really there."

"We can't take them to the Hospital. That guy has seven arms, that won't go over well." Billy bemoans.

Michael looks back to the wounded Marcone. "You have private hospitals, some of your Doctors helped me after I was wounded at Demonreach. Where is the closest one?"

***

Ramirez

As Pandora lands Ramirez walks over to Eddie and checks the Roadie for injuries.

***

Asuka

"You're dead. I am alone." Asuka says curling up into a tighter little ball in the entry plug.

"Not even stupid Shinji is here to save me." She says taking her borrowed sunglasses off and dropping them into the LCL where they hapharzardly float around.

***

Darksied

But there are beings that cross that wall with ease to spread their terror to the multiverse, some of them even came to his aid with spreading Anti-Life. The Boom Tube is redirected to the Castle that Never Was.

[Cracklord]

Team Dresden
Marcone is in no condition to reply to you. He's well and truly out cold. Tough and ballsy and driven by a sort of unstoppable enternal energy he might be, but a 4 x 4 is still a 4x4.

Dresden
She shakes her head, and you feel a little hope die. "That is well beyond me, Dresden. That is beyond the greatest of Gods, and even The Endless above them. None can simply travel to Leng, the concordance of all worlds. If I could get there, do you really think I wouldn't?" She laughs, a high, tinkling laugh.
"You have stepped through a doorway, and on the other side is the terrible, cold and uncaring universe, that threatens to overwhelm you. If you want to get to The Tower, Well, I can't take you all the way. But perhaps I can help you, for a price."

Ramirez
A concussion. Galactus is not cruel, merely hungry, and very good at his job. One big hand clutches Clementine, the other clutches the Separator. Ophelia is sprawled on top of him, and is bleeding from a scalp wound.

Darksied
You arrive with your new flunkies.

Dr.Kovacs
"I... don't remember. Along came a spider, but that's all."

Ash
A giant looms above you, swinging a massive sword almost twice as big as you. It's mount is nowhere to be seen.

[doliest]

Dr.Kovacs
'Unfortunate. I suppose I will simply solve the smaller problems until this one becomes clearer.' He still didn't have a full idea how this power worked. He needed help on that; but at the moment, he needed to be aware for when something revealed itself.

He stepped out of the garden, turning and re-arriving in Arkham to meet his disciples and the third of Arkham they'd let live. Before he'd left, he'd given them an ultimatum-'Go back to your cells, or join us and help fix society.'

Ash
Ash laughs as he brings his chainsaw up to block it, "Oh no; IT'S STAY PUFF MARSHMALLOW MAN!"

[Cracklord]

Ash
You are sent flying, your arm broken in three places, and send shards of metal flying as you smash part of the sword. You slam against the wall, knocking the air from your lungs, and watch the giant atack you again with a shaggy roar.

Dr.Kovacs
Most of them have agreed. Your methods are surprisingly effective.

[doliest]

Dr.Kovacs
He smiled; always good to see people ready to take the first step in fixing their lives. First, he gave a general seperation- the more 'famous'/'skilled' criminals, and the ones who were less skilled, less notable. Everyone was important, but it was easier to build on existing skills to make his elite group with the lower group composed of abilities based on a general template.

Ash
As his demon's healing factor kicks in, admittedly slowly, he summons his shotgun to his hand, firing it. It shouldn't work in this realm....but his boomstick had never been loaded. It had always been summoned to his hand, always had a shot ready. He was never sure why....but it...she....had always been ready. He hoped she was this time.

[Cracklord]

Ash
The giant's eye vanishes in a bloody mess, and it staggers back, roaring in confusion and anger. The wildlings are starting to get under control, and are stringing bows. Now is a good time to run, unless you want to be a porcupine.

[doliest]

Ash
He grinned, firing rapidly and wildly as he ran, laughing all the while. He may just have united both sides. Against him.

[darkblade]

Dresden

"You don't want to charge me for this one." I said crossing my arms before the Fairie Queen.

"Someone of your stature has to be aware of whats going down with the Tower. The Crimson King is within spitting distance of crushing it, ancient evils are awakening everywhere, time and space are falling apart. None of these are good for your dominion over nature. I'm here to fix the problem for you."

***

Team Dresden

"I didn't want to have to do this." Billy says before shifting into his wolf form and sniffing Marcone, trying to get a scent of his blood. A scent that should give him a trail to somewhere where Marcone has bleed before like he would at the Hospital.

***

Ramirez

((Human form Ophelia not Drowned Ophelia right?))

Ramirez always the Gentleman rips off the sleeve of his shirt and uses it to make a makeshift bandage for the girl and lifts her off of Eddie so they can better recover without making the other worse. It's not so he can get a better look at the hot Goth chick at all. Honest.

***

Darksied and Ivenzo

Ivenzo has already prepared for this meeting. "Heya there Darksied. Welcome to New Apokalips."

"Silence Nobody I require acess to the Tower and you shall grant it." The God says narrowing his eyes.

"I got no problem with that I'm just here to give you something else. You remember Wednesday. Ugly Third World God, one eye, far too close to his pet Wolf." Ivenzo says. "Summoned your Father to try killing you."

"He has been dealt with." Darksied scowls further.

"Of course he has thats why I'm offering you his job. How'd you like to be the vessel of Darkness as well as that Anti-Life stuff. I mean they are pretty damn similar already." Ivenzo replies raising his hands in a defensive pose.

"Your offer appeals to Darksied. Continue." The God says taking Wednesday's old throne.

"Let the man himself explain it, yo Darkness I got your Vessel power him up man."

***

Oracle

"I was infected with an alien computer Virus a few years back but I managed to defeat it's programing. The hardware that allowed it to cross between the digital and physical remained though, you can probably still see the circuitry on my left thigh if you looked. I've been experimenting with it and when things started getting bad I used it to transfer my consiousness into the Carrier's system and here we are." Oracle explains removing the last bit of Anti-Life from the system with her digital sword.

[industrious]

Team Nightside

I start forward.

"Idiot boy...come on, we have to get"

Suzie hits me across the back of the head, and I see stars. Not fun. Not at all. I'd be fine in less than a minute. But she needed less time than that.

"Sorry, John. But he's made his choice. And we have a job to do."

Lugging me over her shoulder was perhaps the second-most humiliating experience of my life. And I mind-wiped myself and everybody involved so that I can't remember the first.

Dream

This is hardly the time for past grudges? I speak facts, not fancies. We each have our own functions and spheres of influence; each of us should be able to yield insight onto this matter. The Heartless belong to Despair; the Orange and Violet Lanterns to Desire. Gods fall under my domain; and Delirium is the only one who knows the paths outside of Destiny's book. Must we place politics before everything?

Dream stares at his older sister. He hasn't mentioned that she's dating Thanos. Because once he says that, they might as well postpone the meeting. They had agreed on rules against relationships during their last family get-together.

Shen

Shen, on the other hand, uses her stolen ring to great effect, using it to craft a sand mandala around Dracula, attempting to bind the vampire into place.

At the same time, she ducks and weaves throughout the sky; her wings folding and rippling in mid-flight. She wasn't the fastest superhero in the sky, but she was close. And unlike the ones faster than her, she didn't have much else other than her speed. Some super-strength(barely a ton) and durability, a very handy tracking ability, and good eyesight. She knew how to use that speed to her advantage.

Elijah Snow

"I'm listening, Doom."

He'd have to talk to Yagami at some point before he left. Elijah makes a note of it.

[Gulping]

BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAH?!

We cut to a scene of a young man lounging in a chair, reading webpages on a laptop. He pauses, looking at the screen with a baffled look on his face.

"Uh, what just happened?"
He picks up a small yellow book labeled TWILIGHT VII: GULPING'S NOTES and begins flipping through it, looking at the situations that his characters were in prior to Galactus coming and throwing everyone out of the pool.

Eddie Riggs, Scott Pilgrim, and Gilgamesh were on Apokolips, engaging Darkseid and his cronies in an epic ROCK OFF. Eddie and Scott had just taken on the mantles of Kamen Riders Zanki and Todoroki, respectively, in order to enhance their rocking.

Travis Touchdown was on the Authority's Home Earth, trying to recover from the effects of the Anti-Life Broadcast.

The Stig was going into Low Earth Orbit, in order to increase his field of scanning. He had seen Light Yagami's broadcast, but wasn't doing anything about it, yet.

Lea was about to use a LIMIT COMMAND with Vash to ruin the hell out of Lex Luthor's Heartless.

Hayato Jin was kind of stuck in Death's Dimension after he tried to tell The Endless about The Crimson King, and apparently failed, since they're all faffing about over 'WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS MESS'

Ryoma Nagare was heading back to Apokolips to lend whatever support he could to the defenders of awesomeness, but that's not going to happen anymore, so he's kind of drifting.

Naoki Kashima and Minato Arisato have just been thrown into Castle Dracula, and that situation cannot end well for anyone.

Caim is still unconscious after the Power of Rock lightly singed his brainmeats.

Benkei Kuruma is still in Hannibal's room with King Mickey. Bullets have no effect on Hannibal for the same reason nothing else works, something which has never been adequately explained, and since Benkei's the Badass Normal of Getter Team, things are at a stalemate.

Musashi Tomoe will not be appearing in this story again unless everything goes so incredibly far up S**t Creek that the intervention of someone who can cut a black hole into pieces is needed for some reason.

Dante was trying to pilot Pandora's newest form the hell away from Randall Flagg, who was being a cheap bastard and using a tornado to deflect bullets. Then his allies went to Plan Break Things and now that form's worthless for the rest of the game. Dante is having bad luck with equipment here.

Then Galactus showed up and everything went all screwy when he destroyed Apokolips.

Now Eddie is in the Tower with Team Ramirez, he has Clementine (which he gave to Scott) back but Nevan (received from Dante) is gone. Ophelia has also inexplicably showed up, which is odd because she wasn't anywhere near Eddie.

Scott is nowhere to be found.

Gilgamesh has joined up with Team Dresden, as has Travis. Pure White Giant Glastonbury (Travis' mech) is missing.

Hayato is still stuck, and without Getter Base, the only place he can manifest meaningfully is Disney Castle, thanks to the Cornerstone's presence.

The Heroic Hearts Musashi delivered to Getter Base have presumably been lost. One of them was Kamina's (the swirling light one), but the other heart's identity will remain shrouded in mystery.

That recap done, he closes the book and sets about composing actual responses to everything that's now happening. Self indulgence is fine, but there's a limit. This has probably surpassed it.

#-#-#-#

Lea

"That won't be necessary. Now hold onto your hat, because this is going to be a helluva ride!"

LIMIT!

"EXPLOSION!" Suddenly, both Lea and Vash begin moving in sync, performing complicated, acrobatic motions while firing scores upon scores of firey bullets towards Luthor's Heartless. Despite the fact that they should be perforating the entire room, every shot homes in on the monstrous fiend, pounding it with fireballs.

"WILDFIRE!" Moving into the second phase of the Limit, the two warriors break away, leaping towards Luthor's Heartless and taking up firing positions on each side. In unison, they begin attacking, pouring both shells and flames onto the hulking creature, roasting and cratering its thick hide.

"And now for the big finish!" Leaping back together, Lea starts spinning up his Keyblades as Vash readies the Angel Arm. As the Human Typhoon takes aim, The Flurry of Dancing Flames lets his weapons fly, allowing them to position themselves directly in front of the barrel of the Plant's massive cannon, where they transform into two blazing coronas.

"Let it rip! PROMINENCE!" On Lea's command, Vash fires, the Keyblade-rings focusing the shot and transforming it into a violet bolt of fire; far hotter than any star, that smashes into Luthor's face with exactly the kind of force you'd expect.

*BATHROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

"Hahahaha! That was AWESOME! I love these freaking things! We NEED to do that again sometime! WHOO!" Lea is exultant over the success of his first attempt at a Limit Command. It appears to have met all his expectations and then some.

Naoki and Minato

The two Japanese high-schoolers look around at their new surroundings, taking in the decor and inhabitants. The decidedly demonic looking one sighs and puts his hands in his pockets, slumping into a slouch. "I think that Emperor Pyro there just screwed us over, Arisato." His heavenly-seeming companion simply nods. "Indeed. Although this is a rather intimidating looking abode, I doubt that whatever dwells here is the actual cause of the disturbances. I think he was just answering as quickly as possible in order to get us to leave." "Keh, lousy firey-headed s**tstain. Remind me to blow up his house or something."

The Demi-Fiend groans and stomps over to the nearest window as the Wild Card stows his sword in one of his caskets, taking out a large white lyre as he does so. He remains where he is as he begins to play, a slow, haunting tune of little note.

"Looks like a pretty big fight's going down outside." He cricks his neck as he observes everything going on in the surrounding area. "Eh, why not join in? I could use some stress relief." With a single, lazy-looking kick, he smashes the window, opening a route to where the action is. "You coming, Minato?" The addressed shakes his head. "I'll pass. Enjoy yourself with whatever's happening out there." "Psh, wiener." With that, Naoki leaps out the window, joining the big brawl on the Castle Grounds.

Minato just shrugs and continues to play, his eyes shifting lazily from one occupant of the room to another. "I assume that one of you opened that gate?"

[The Shoveler]

Vash
(...mind=blown)
"Haha!" he says, clasping hands with Lea. "We need to do that again! This is a team-up I can truly get behind." He looks at what remains of the Heartless. That was some serious sh*t right there.

[Colesign]

Vin

Vin instantly draws a dagger and holds it to Travis's throat as he and Gilgamesh materialize within their van.

Then she hesistates, then slowly sheathes the blade.

"Lord Ruler." She mutters.

Solomon Kane

"Don't take the Lord's name in vain." Solomon says reflexively.

Sanya

Sanya kneels before Door. "Miss Door: go to Suzie and stick close to her: she'll protect you. I need to go rescue Ash, but I'll be back soon. Okay?"

With a classic Russian Grin, Sanya turns, rubs snow all over his cloak, then vanishes into the night.

There's nothing more dangerous than a Russian in the middle of Winter. Rifle at the ready, Sanya sneaks up to the Wilding front lines, where he can get a good view of Ash.

Then he raises his Mosin Nagant and shoots one of his assailants in the head. Then he shifts his position and does it again. And again.

He tries to keep an eye on the Wildling camp as well, to see if anyone strange is wandering around here.

[Gulping]

Ryoma

"What the ffffffffffffffffffffffffff~" Ryoma's mind locks up as he takes in what's left of Apokolips.

Which is pretty much nothing. Galactus is quite thorough.

"~CK HAPPENED HERE!?" Gritting his teeth, he urges Black Getter onwards, searching for any clue as to the fate of Getter Base, what was going on before the planet was destroyed, and anything else Hayato might want to know about.

Dante

Eddie? Holy s**t. It's Eddie! C'mon, bro! Wake up! Dante rushes over, slapping his fellow half-demon back into consciousness.
Uuuuuuhhh...gah! F**k! Ow! Stoppit! Ow! Dammit I'm awake already! Enough with the slapping! Agh, my head. Feels like I spent the night in a cement mixer. Whoa, Dante. That you? Haven't seen you since the concert!
Yeah, I know Eddie. What are you doing here? I heard that music earlier and I KNEW it had to be you! What the hell was that about? Where's the other guys? Were they with you?
Most of us, yeah. Me and Scott at first, but we found Gil and Travis pretty damned quick, and then everything was just crazy. We were rescued by this weird race-car driver guy who spoke through a radio, who flew us around in his goofy helicopter-shaped space fighter, and we met a weird brain guy, escaped from a hostile alien spaceship, fought some huge three headed golden dragon thing, and rode around in a giant robot car!
Giant robot car? Like the one that rat-bastard Servant took over?
No, a different one. It was less a car that turned into a giant robot, and more a car used to control a giant robot. It had an old Plymouth for a head for some reason. It was awesome.

After that, everything's muddled and foggy; some a-hole decided to try and transmit some weird hypnotic bulls**t to the entire universe, and we ended up on this weird planet made of metal or something. I decided 'hey, why not do what that weird guy did, but instead of whatever lame crap he put out, transmit a kick-ass Metal concert to the entire universe!
That's the most awesome idea in the history of ideas. Lemme guess, something went wrong.
F**king hell did it ever! First, a bunch of weird c**ksuckers show up, including Doviculus, who I SWEAR was dead last time I saw him, what with his head not attached to his body and all, so me, Gil, Scott, and this guy who was driving the robot start fighting them, and then the prick who was doing that lame reading thing pops up with a bunch of his buddies and STEALS OUR GIG!
You're S**TTING ME!
I wish! Anyway, so he jacks our stuff and starts playing his own music, and then this really, Really, REALLY scary fat little Asian dude shows up. He threatens to kill everyone there, but he decides not to for some reason, and he turns to me, and he says that he'll give me one shot at ending this, and if I f**k up, HE'S doing it HIS WAY.
What was 'his way?'
I don't know, nor do I want to know. Anyway, then some other guy's giant robot crashes in, saying that he wants revenge on the creepy broadcast guy for killing his brother. Broadcast Guy says 'ROCK OFF' I say 'HELL YES' and we bring the noise, but then Broadcast Guy brings in this little girl to sing this cutesy s**t, and I was like 'I'll show you a female singer' and was going to have Nevan get on vocals, but before we could do anything, this ENORMOUS purple dude shows up, and next thing I know, here I am.
Wow, that's way cooler than my story. All I had was an existential crisis, a bout of ninja-fighting, and some f**ked up version of The Wizard of Oz where it turns out that the Wizard is actually a really huge amount of rat people. Then there was some douchebag who tried to kill us with a tornado, and now we're here.
Yeah, my story IS way cooler.
No arguments there, bro.

By the way, where IS Nevan?

.......fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffFFFF ~

Travis and Gilgamesh

WHY THE F**K DOES EVERYTHING HURT?! AAAAAAAAAGH!
Sir Travis! It is good to see you again, although I wish it were under better circumstances! I too am wounded severely!
SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIII*****T! GAH! GAAAAAAAAA!
Grgh, you could be less vocal about it, Sir Travis...
F**K YOU GIL! MY SPIIIIIIIIIIINE! AAAAHGHAHAGAHGAHGA
Ugh! I see! You fine people, the ones driving this 'automobile,' is it? We need healing. Rather badly.

Also, I appear to be missing one of my arms. I only count seven, and I normally have eight. That's immensely bad.

[Cracklord]

Quenthal Baenre
Malus Darkblade is staring up at the sky in rapture. There is no pleasure like commanding men in battle, there is no pleasure greater then to be worshiipped after victory, and even these humans, unworthy of being more then fodder as they might be, gave him that feeling.
The helicopter is hovering above the lines. Even the wall looks tiny from up here, the men who guard it looking no more then ants.
And yet, Farson is not the commander he could be.
The wall is miles long, the Watch can't hope to guard every inch of it, even with the Kings men. Malus had suggested splitting them up, and attacking every gate simultaneously so as to prevent them gathering their stregnth, or to use boats to send a strike force around. Both suggestions had been refused. Farson, it seemed, cared even less for his resources then you two do.
You see the flashes, and you get a sense of something. Something very like the man you've been tracking all this time.

The Stig, Kos-Mos, Anyone dealing with the alien invasion.
At last, the parasites are activating, as the victims once more begin moving. They are tearing anything on hand apart, and appear to be using it to build something.
They are using everything at hand, but it's not built enough yet to tell what it is.

Lea
Luthor's Heartless is dead. You feel much better, like you're finally getting somewhere. Of all the new organization, he wasn't the most powerful but he was definately the most dangerous.
You haven't lost anyone yet, but if you know Zexion (and you do. You learned to think alike from games of pictionary painted in Riku's blood (his idea, though you did the stabbing), so much so that you can practically read each others mind) he's planning something big.
If you want, I'll write up where everyone is and what they are all doing.

Benkei
Hannibal's vanishing act has been retconed into the easiest explanation, a hall of mirrors. I trust you'll solve that in a moment, it's really not a very difficult puzzle, but it's all I can think of after the lectures I just went through.

Darkseid
Shaidar Haran appears. He smiles, a lipless, humorless smile. "Yes. Yes, I think you'll do nicely. Do you wish to enslave the universe, end the aberration that is life and free will and restore it all to clarity?"
He seems amused, as though the fade sees something in it that you don't.

Dresden
Mab smiles. "I cannot make exceptions, much as I would like to. It would set a bad precedent." She gives you a smoky look that's as real as a three dollar bill but no easier to resist for that. "Of course, if you were a member of my court things would be different. I would do everything in my power to help my champion in this matter."

Team Nightside
"That's a very pretty headband. Family heirloom, perhaps?" The good man says, barring your way, a blacker shadow in the darkness, still holding his sword.
Tommy steps infront of her, and you realize with a sinking feeling that the little fool is going to try and make a fight about it.
"How do we know you're really there? Or that you exist at all? Afterall, given that we have no prior reference -"
He holds up his finger, then points it, stopping Tommy dead in his tracks. "Strange things, guns." He says, conversationally. "They themselves have no intent. No ability to kill. No discression. They can't fire on their own. They can't aim themselves. That all comes from the man pulling the trigger. He decides who lives and dies with a twitch of his finger. So can the gun be said to have any meaning at all? It's nothing more then a prop, and the killing all takes place in here." He taps his head with his other hand, then twitches his outstretched finger, and a pingpong ball sized hole appears between Tommy's eyes. he falls over, quite dead.
Farson smiles behind his mask, and draws his sword, rusty, jagged and notched. You think now you understand why Oberon wants him dead. "As for you, let's find the breaking strain, shall we?"

Shen
Your ring is getting very close to running empty, given both the use you've been getting out of it, and your lack of a way to recharge it. Maybe you can pressure Chance to lend you his later.
You are also discovering how hard it is to imprison a being that has all the powers of a Scrodiger cat, that can be anywhere in an instant. It's painfully clear he's toying with you. It's equally clear that, as humiliating as it might be, it's better then the alternative.
Given his powers, he's still hitting you, as he is firing wherever you will try to dodge, knowing before you do, so you need to yuse the rings dwindling charge to protect you as well.

Scott
You open your eyes. You are in what appears to be the storeroom of a monastery. You have your guitar, and nothing else. Something strange is going on.
What's more, the only other person in the room is Gordon Freeman.

You have a suspicion you are in Latveria. You know a little about Latveria, thanks to geography class mostly. You know it's somewhere in Eastern Europe, and run by a man named Doom.

Elijah Snow
"Doom has rethought a few things. His considerable intellect has noted several international problems, that show no signs of resolving themselves without his visionary leadership, and that's persistence has begun to irritate him. As such, I would like to discuss a few inventions being integrated into the mass market. A perpetual motion machine, a more efficient method of producing electric vehicles without the expense, and a few others. It is important, however, that they be seen to be approved by you before they are sent into the world, as many seem suspicious of his brilliance due to their own inadequacy."
He leaves you speechless. He's plotting something, and this offer is only to put you on the back foot. Just the same, its startling to see how much he's got you leavers figured out.

Team Dresden
It takes you an hour, but you find the hospital. Gilgamesh and Travis are just stunned, and should be up shortly, though Gilgamesh is still short one limb. Marcone...
He might recover. He has very good doctors.

Travis Touchdown
You are sprawled on the back seat of a van, sharing the seat, a word here that means sprawled on the lap, of a man.
He's well built, like a swimmer, and his white dress shirt was open at the waist, exposing his muscled chest and washboard stomach. Over his shirt was a black leather jacket that hugged his shoulders and arms. Black leather pants and shiny boots completed the ensemble, of some Greek god of Body cologne or something like it.
You are very heterosexual, and anybody who says different is not going to be covered by any insurance companies, but you can't help but notice how good he looks.

Ramirez
Human form. She doesn't respond. She's surprisingly heavy, all that sinew.

Eddie
My honest mistake. Sorry, I'm a little mixed up. Change his equipment as appropriate.

You wake up with the painful after effects of what feels like a really wild party. You're in a dessert, and Roland (who sucked at video games) and Dante are looking down at you, as well as two unfamiliar people.

Ka'tet
It's a mark of just how disoriented you all are that you didn't notice Godzilla until now.

Sanya
You hamstring a giant and take out six of the savages, making the remaining ten fall back. You're fairly lucky, you're far enough from the gate that the bulk of the army is no where near you. They're not as intimidated this time, however, and should be coming back with more soon. And you don't like the idea of fighting Woolly mammoths, or thousands of savages from a warlike society. Not at all.
Unfortunately, Ash doesn't see it that way.

Godzilla
You arrive. But this isn't New York. It's some other giant fortress, that looks something like a volcano. Then again, you didn't come all this way not to destroy everything...

[AnimeKid]

Yoshimori

He gives the portal a sideways glance and sees the two new arrivals taking care of it. Then from insid the orb a disembodied voice says, "Dammit I need more power, GIVE ME A HAND KARASUMORI!" With that the power of Karasumori manifest in the form of a small child and says, "You got it Yoshimori, one power boost coming right up." Karasumori then glows with power and a purple aura surrounds Yoshimori before dying down. Yoshimori's already massive power has just recieved another boost and since he was part Youkai now the boost gives him much more power than it normally would. With a wave of his index and middle fingers a now seven layered barrier has now surrounded Dracula and implodes with amount of power that is almost impossible to describe. Stronger barriers and more layers ensure that Dracula will be really hurting now.

Fayt

In the middle of the mans rant he is bisected by a flaming sword as Fayt teleports behind him and immediatly slashes him in half. He looks at the party and says, "Sorry I'm late, is everyone ok?"

KM(Mary)

Seeing the hosts move into action she quickly jumps to a roof and scans the contraption their are making to see if she can match its base compounds and current structure to anything in her database. Her R-Cannon is on standby for incase it is dangerous.

[Cracklord]

Fayt
You cut him, your sword going through leather and strike-plates, just below his ribs. He rolls away as soon as he feels it, but you caught him unprepared, and there is now a long, ugly gash below his ribs.
A bit higher and you would have got a kidney, which is a fatal wound. But you were too high by a whisker.
He turns, and flicks back a reply aiming for your face, that you parry, and his sword snaps into spinning shards. The jagged foot or so of blade he's still holding, however, does not slow, and scours a line across your face.
Still holding the broken sword, he steps back and points it at you, with far more confidence then someone with a broken sword should have.

Doliest
Dracula in all of his myriad of forms is turned over to you, to do with as you will. Unless you want me to play the others, it's up to you.

KM
They seem to be building what is essentially the opposite of nano-machines, massive structures with no form of wiring, chips or power, as though the structures of molded metal, stone and plastic will perform some unknown purpose. The principle is so alien you can't even begin to understand the principle of it.

[AnimeKid]

Fayt

He keeps his eyes trained on him and takes a deep breath. He needed a way to beat this guy fast. That broken sword still had an edge and while Fayt had the advantage in reach he had the advantage in speed, plus he was a little to confident with that sword. So the best thing to do was to catch him off guard, but with what? A destruction beam might miss and hit his team. Suddenly he gets an idea. Clenching his left fist he throws it forward and says "FIREBOLT" this symbological spell sends forth multiple fast moving fireballs that home in on the enemy. So his opponent now has six fireballs headed striaght for him. Plus while his vision is obscured he is open to attacks from both parties. So Fayt capitalizes on this by firing a destruction beam.

[The Tygre]

Elric
The Melnibonean's eyes widen as he asks, "Would I be mistaken in asking if this universe just rebirthed itself?"

Quenthel
The priestess feels the energy, like a spider tracing a fly in its web. She focuses on the signal, hoping to track it, pinpoint its location.

[Colesign]

Vin

The Mistborn raises her hands. "I don't know, Kel...Uh, Elric. I'm just trying to roll with it."

Solomon Kane

"With God's grace, these men shall recover... By God's Breath, I never thought I'd say that about a mobster."

The Puritan leans over Travis. "What is your name, my child?"

Sanya

Sanya takes a break from the fire support of Ash to shift his aim and put a headshot through Farson's skull.

[darkblade]

Team Dresden

Morbius poitently clears his throat at Solomon's comment. He turns his attention to Gilgamesh. "You're missing an arm. I can do a transplant if you can find me a dead one."

It's true he put the Punisher back together once after he was chopped up into several peices. Sure he was a Frankenstien-eqsue monster for a while but he was alive.

***

Dresden

"Reality itself is dying and you're still trying to con me into taking your Job? Rather low brow for a Sidhe much less the Winter Queen to blackmail someone like this." I smirked at Mab, she was relentless in this matter.

"So what exactly happens if I say yes?"

***

Cass

Cass swings back up to the rooftops to get a better look at whatever was being built. Property damage was bad but not enough to start beating down innocent victims yet.

***

Darksied

"That is the purpose of Anti-Life." Darksied states flatly.

"To end the suffering of choice. To force all into the will of Darksied."

Ivenzo smiles. "Yeah I like this guy."

***

Mickey

Thats simple enough to deal with, the Getter Energy from Benki is more than enough to power the Blue Power Ring like a Green Ring would. He fires a small blast into one of the mirrors, it should bounce around the reflexctions until it eventually finds the real thing.

***

Ramirez

"Dante, you know this guy?" Ramirez asks.

"There were a lot of weirdos in Forks but I think I'd remember some kind of Biker Barbarian and his Goth girlfriend."

[Colesign]

Solomon Kane

The Puritan turns to look at Morbius with a confused expression. "What? I said "Mobster".