Spot 1: alice_may_johnson

Maleficent raised an eyebrow at Tony Stark, "Is there a problem?" She grabbed Pepper's arm and pushed her into a cell.

"When I get my armor, I'm going to kill you first." Stark said reaching out for Pepper who was letting silent tears slip out of her eyes, "It's going to be ok..." He said to her his fingertips brushing hers. Stark trembled slightly, "If you hurt a hair on her..."

"Try to kill me." She said, "I dare you." A dangerous glint lit in her eyes as she kicked him. Stark didn't make a sound but raised his head and glared at her.

She pointed to the guards who then picked him up. Pepper screamed after him, "Tony!"

He looked back at her and said, "I'll get you out of there!" He mumbled under his breath annoyed, "Jarvis why whenever I need you, you're not there?"

Maleficent threw him into a cell, "I'll send someone to fetch you when I need you."

A few hours later Jenaara walked down with food and handed him some, "You're lucky," She whispered, "Most people down here don't get food..."

"Oh yes I feel so lucky." Stark rolled his eyes, "Stuck in a damp prison cell what isn't there to like? Who are you? Maleficent's glorified errand girl?"

Jenaara lowered her head, "I know it's bad but you will only make your situation worse this way."

"You seem like a nice girl...Why are you working for Maleficent?" Stark asked shifting to a standing position, "She got all of you guys running around like street rats doing her bidding."

"She told me that she can bring back my family...Darth Vader killed them, but she said that Dark Magic can bring them back." Jenaara stared at him, "I hate how she deals with things...but it's necessary, I need my family back."

Stark stayed silent and then grabbed the bars, "You know how she got me and Pepper? She made a trade with Darth Vader. She's lying to you...Help me out of here. Your family isn't coming back so you mind as well lay it down your life for something." He tapped his chest, "You see this electromagnet?"

She nodded choosing to ignore his cockiness, "Yeah..."

"It powers my suit, if you help me get out of here...I can get my suit and free everyone here and...you can part ways or do something. Better than a glorified street rat," Stark bit his lip, "Help...me...out...of...here."

Jenaara looked around, "You are not helping your case any, goodness you can be mean." She put her hand out and the lock began to come undone and then...abruptly it stopped. She paused, "The force stopped working." She frowned, "There might be something wrong...hold on, I'll get you out...soon."

He leaned against the wall, "Yeah, the world and tons of people's lives are at stake but take your sweet old time..."

"I am risking my life for you!" She snapped, "Be grateful and not so arrogant or I won't save you." She began to walk off not waiting for his answer, "I'll be back."

...

"Magic is weakening..." Maleficent said gravely, "We need something to fix it...Before we can't use it at all. Get Stark, would you?" She pushed Alin toward the door, "Hurry up!" She snapped, "Don't just stand there like a fool."

Alin hurried to obey her, "Uh, sorry, I'll do that..." Alin walked down to the cells and grabbed Stark, "Maleficent wants you."

He walked out and then when Alin was on aware punched her and prepared to make a run for it when shadows crept around him until he couldn't see anything and ran into a wall. The blackness cleared and he saw Alin glaring at him. He put a hand to his head, "What are you? Some sort of Alien or Dark Lord?"

Alin rolled her eyes, "Something like that..." She pushed him up the stairs, "Try to run again and you'll get a bullet in your leg."

"But then I can't walk. And if I can't walk then I'm no use. So, go ahead shoot me." Stark raised his hands, "That's what I thought."

She jerked him forward, "We're here, on your knees before your queen." He didn't budge and she pushed him to the ground.

"Uh, so wait...This is the queen of England?" He said sarcastically. Then he remarked, "What on earth is she wearing? Are we in the twelfth century?"

Maleficent's eyes narrowed, "Shut up." She examined her fingernails, "Magic is wavering, I need you to build a machine to fix it."

"Uh, just like Pakistan. Why would I do that for you? Hm? Give me one good reason. You haven't done anything to deserve my respect or trust. I'm not as arrogant as I used to be, it used to be I would do it to save my own guts."

Alin snorted behind them, "Pfft, you aren't as arrogant I would hate to see you before you changed."

Maleficent narrowed her eyes and put her face near Starks, "One word." Her breath landed on his face, it smelled like mint and coffee, "Pepper."

Alin stuttered dumbfound, "Pepper? What use do we have for pepper?"

Maleficent took a deep breath and stood back up, "No, halfwit! Pepper Potts! The woman that we have in our cell."

Realization dawned on Alin, "Right ma'am."

"Is there like...something wrong with her?" Stark asked taking his finger and making a circle motion around his temple.

"No, she ate the pizza last night...let's just say I fired the cook..." Maleficent leaned back down, "Make something...or Pepper will go hungry and maybe worse."

Stark contemplated it and shook his head, "Fine, I'm going to need supplies..."

...

"What? No!" Jenaara gave Maleficent a horrified look, "You're going to marry me off?"

"It is necessary! We need to take control of Wakanda! So...if one of my people marries him, we take control. We have him in one of the cells... and we also are having someone going undercover as him..." Maleficent snapped.

"Who is posing as him?" Jenaara asked trembling slightly.

"I don't know! I will leave that to Alin!" Maleficent sneered.

Jenaara paused and began to walk off, "Well, Draven could do it...Oh, wait, you gave him to Darth Vader."

Maleficent's eyes flashed, "How did you..."

"Know that?" Jenaara spun around, "You promised my family back...When are you going to do that?"

Maleficent smiled tightly, "Soon...we only have a few more things to do until my kingdom is complete. If you stay faithful and stop whining, I will bring them back. Now, go make preparations for the wedding."

"What's his name?" Jenaara asked trying to keep the venom out of her voice.

"T'Challa...or The Black Panther. He is the heir to the Wakanda Throne. Once you marry him, he will march in calling whoever we put as the new T'Challa a fraud...then he will die and we will take his father captive as black mail for T'Challa and Wakanda." Maleficent spun around, "If you want your family back... go make preparations."

...

Stark stopped his work when the ground began to shake violently. He looked up and he heard screams from outside, he shook his head, That witch torturing everyone. But then Maleficent entered the room screaming orders. She looked at him, "If you want to survive fight." She threw him a sword.

"With this stick? I need my suit." Tony Stark threw the sword aside.

"Fine, but one false move and Pepper is a goner." Maleficent said nervously looking around.

Stark smirked, "OK, now where is it?" Man, she's got to be desperate to let me have my armor. "So what is this threat?"

"Typhon." Maleficent led him down a narrow hallway and unlocked a room which showed his armor trying desperately to get out.

Stark held his hand out and it all came to him suiting him up. He caught the mask, "Wait...you mean the King of Monsters from Greek Mythology?"

"Exactly." Maleficent sighed, "Magic is completely gone...Which is why we need you. No, you are not going in the suit." She handed him his head set for it. "That's right I am going to lock you in here while you use the suit."

Stark tried to swing out at her, she ducked and used the headset to power the suit down, "Nice try."

"If you know how to use the suit why don't you?" Stark lifted an eyebrow, "Scared of heights." He snorted, "Or are you just useless."

"You act like you want me to use the suit, and no... the only thing I know how to do with it is shut it down and shoot with it." Maleficent watched him climb out of it. She dragged the suit out of the room and threw the headset back in. He powered up the suit, "Back in action..."

When he went outside, taking a breath, "Wow...did not see this one coming. A lot scarier in real life then the pictures."

The monster had large torso, that was muscular and resembled a man's torso. It was taller than anything he had ever seen before. Its red eyes flashed with anger as people below him attempted to attack him with arrows, and bullets. Instead of legs he had multiple vipers spitting fire at them. Then Typhon himself breathed fire on them. Figures today is when magic stops working.

Stark flew up and began shooting him. Typhon began to roar in anger and breath fire at him slashing in the air with his long fingernails. The snakes began to pounce at him trying to catch him. Stark was caught in his hand. It began to squeeze the armor and he struggled to get free. He shot Typhon several times before he got free.

"Walk this off." Stark shoot him right where his heart should have been. The Typhon roared in anger but kept on going. Stark shot him again and again until finally the monster collapsed and died. Stark breathed heavily. "Now time to get out of here."

Someone tapped him on the head he shut the suit down and saw Alin standing over him, "What you are going to do is finish fixing magic." She snatched the head piece and shoved him back out the door and into his working space shutting the door.

Alin began to bark orders, "Someone drag the suit back to its cell."

...

Maleficent smiled, "We have a visitor!"

Thanos stepped out into view, "We...have a deal." He rumbled, "Because of our agreement the universal scales will tip toward balance..."

Maleficent rolled her eyes, "Yes, yes! Just remember our deal. You snap your fingers or whatever. But you don't kill anyone her, or anyone in any of the places I own. And you kill half of Wakanda but not my person that I am placing there...Ah they left yesterday so they should be there."

"Patience...if you are not patient you may destroy everything you have worked for..." Thanos said.

"Ah, not so...but my faithful servant Stark created something to make magic work again so that is lovely... Anyway, please do continue. Oh, and make her die so I can know it worked, I...have no idea what her name is."

Thanos brought his hand with the gauntlet up and snapped. There was a long silence. Then the young girl began to cry as her hand began to turn into dust. Maleficent smiled, "You have done us a great service and you have what you want."

Thanos smiled and said, to the little girl right before she faded away, "You have made a great sacrifice...because of you the universal scales have tipped toward balance."

"Blah...blah...blah." Maleficent smiled, "I have a wedding to attend to."

...

Jax took a deep breath and entered Wakanda's gates. He was still unused to Stark's technology that managed to not only change his appearance but also his vocal cords. He had to massage his throat many times when he talked in the strange accent.

He had never been noticed by anyone and he was surprised when he was given this job...He was also scared. He had absolutely no idea how to be royalty. He smiled tightly at the people and began to speech, "It is good to be back after a long journey."

No one doubted him...he felt terrible but he did not want to die... I am doing this to survive...

...

Things for the wedding we hastily thrown together. Neither T'Challa nor Jenaara looked happy. Jenaara whispered to him, "I'm sorry...The only reason I am doing this is because I don't want a bullet to the head and I want my family back."

He did not respond he was only thinking, I will kill all of them...I will not be married to her! Never in a lifetime!

Jenaara understood his thoughts and was thinking similarly, how can she force me into this! I don't know what it is like to be married. I am going to have too spend time with him and try to understand him...but...how?

Finally, the time came and both of them repeated the vows with no emotion...When it came time to kiss both of them cringed. The only difference was...Jenaara didn't have a gun to her head.

After the ceremony Celyste gripped Jenaara's hand, "I'm so sorry..."

Jenaara smiled, "Life...go's on..."

Spot 2: JesterheadJohnSnow

Crash Bandicoot, is that really you? What in the world are you doing here?"

In the hallway of the Chimera, Spyro and Ed came across two of the newcomers to the Blue Man Group, Crash and Sonic. The orange creature that resembled a Gurlanin made odd gestures with his hands as well as a bizarre expression on his face that made the cosmozoologist shudder. Beside him stood a similar anthropomorphic being that possessed green eyes and sky blue spiked hair.

"Yyyyyesssss, sir!" Crash Bandicoot bobbed his head up and down.

"I figured as much," the dragon mumbled. "I haven't seen you since the Grand Prix Event."

"Hold on." Ed glanced between the two before settling his green eyes upon the purple dragon. "You are telling me you are affiliated with this wacko?"

"Hey now, that's just plain rude." Spyro chuckled. "Yes, we go way back. I had teamed up with him one time to take out both our mutual enemies. What's more? I raced against him in the Grand Prix."

Ed just shook his head."I still have a difficult time believing that you can drive, much less operate machinery."

"Woah there!" Spyro frowned. "Just because I have four legs and no hands doesn't mean I am not capable of great things. You should see me operate Hunter's spaceship."

"Great, now you are claiming that you can fly aircraft? What's next? You going to reveal that you can fire a blaster bolt?"

"Want a demonstration?" Spyro smirked.

"No, that won't be necessary." Dr. Cherborgg turned to face the blue anthromorph. "Can you believe these two? I mean, you seem the most sane out of the three non-humans."

"Whatever." Sonic gave him a shrug as he shoved a chilly dog down his mouth.

"Scratch what I said earlier,"Ed muttered. "You are all more bizarre than a Kowakian monkey-lizard on spice."

---

Alright, it's time for my next report. I hope the storage room is devoid of any Imperial troops.

Snake, still donning his stolen stormtrooper armor, made his way cautiously toward his destination. Scanning the bright hallway, glowing a pale blue from the overhead lights, he scurried to his destination in order to make his report to Wullf Yularen. Once inside the dark room, he removed his helmet and let out a sigh of relief as he realized he had made it to his desired location without any incident. As he prepared his report, his comlink went off.

"Snake? Is that you, bud? Say something, please."

The former FOXHOUND operative froze up as a familiar voice crackled through his comlink. "Otacon? What are you doing? I haven't' heard your voice in ages? Why did you choose now of all times to establish contact with me?"

"I thought you were dead! I only learned of your survival after I hacked into the Imperial logs. May I ask why you kept radio silence?"

"Fool!" Snake seethed. "I am on an errand for"-

The lights then activated, revealing that the clone soldier wasn't alone after all. Surrounding him with blasters drawn were several Imperial troops, ranging from stormtroopers to navy troopers. Snake could only watch in horror as death trooper and a novatrooper parted to let Thrawn arrive between themselves and their new captive.

"Nice to see you again, David." Thrawn's glowing ruby eyes narrowed as he used Snake's true name. " You may be wondering how I knew you'd show up in this specific location, but it's really simple if you allow me to explain. You see, one of my spotters observed that you would leave each day around this time to arrive consistently for three days in this storage room. It would only make sense for you to arrive once more, no?"

Dammit! Why did he have to find out? My gig is up!

"Snake, have you been spotted?" Otacon's voice came out a little concerned.

"Now, you can reveal to me what your objective is and what you hope to accomplish by spending time here or we can do it in the brig. The choice is yours," Thrawn coolly stated.

Snake's fist clenched on the blaster as you leveled it to Thrawn. "Curse you! I will put an end to you and your endless scheming, you blue"-

Before he could finish his rant, a blaster bolt streaked across the room and struck his chest. Searing pain crawled over his body as the soldier fell onto his knees and the world started going dark.

"Snake? Are you there? Please answer me! Snake? Snake? SNNNAAAAKKKEEEE!"

---

Thrawn's boots echoed on the hollow ground as he marched over to the dead mercenary and took the man's comlink.Upon inspecting it, he realized that it was shut off.

"You there!" He turned to a green-clad Imperial messenger. He handed the young man the comlink. "Take this to the ISB and have them trace it to the recipient. We could have a potential Rebel/Grysk attack on the way."

"Yes, sir!"

As the page boy left, Thrawn turned to a scout trooper. "Gather all the tributes. We have some business that needs attending to."

---

"Thank you for coming, tributes. Now that you are all here, we can get down to business. First of all, I am disappointed to announce that one of our tributes has betrayed my trust and has put us in possible peril. Fortunately, thanks to the coordinated efforts of my troops and the ISB, we were able to put an end to this folly before it could prove disastrous."

Taken back by this sudden new detail, Parzival glanced around the briefing room of the Star Destroyer to see that all the tributes were accounted for save for one person.

Where in the world is the Iroquois Pliskin guy? Could he be the tribute that was canned by the Imps?

Beside him sat the love of his life, Artemis, who was glancing over the round obsidian table they were seated around with her hazel eyes. He knew that she felt just as apprehensive as he did over this bit of news. If one tribute was disposable, Monotone Man would have no qualms about disposing one more. He reached over and gently held her hand, giving it a light squeeze.

"In other news, my fleet has acquired about a dozen more realms, but one of the realms has an issue that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible." The Chiss's red eyes glanced scanned the tributes, causing the pale avatar to shudder. Behind the admiral stood two novatroopers and his reptilian bodyguard Rukh. With someone like that at the Grand Admiral's command, one would have to think twice before they turned against him. "I am going to send you all with Captain Pellaeon to Starcourt Mall in order to deal with the threat. I will not be attending this operation as I am due for a meeting with the Emperor in Coruscant to discuss the threat that the galaxy is facing."

"Question." The dichromatic boy's hands went up.

"Yes?" Thrawn rose slightly.

"What kind of threat are we facing in the mall?"

All voices murmured in agreement. They would like to know what they were getting into before they ran headfirst into their possible deaths.

"Ensign Vanto will send you the details after I have departed for Coruscant." Thrawn fidgeted. "I have one final matter to discuss before I dismiss you all. I have been in talks with the heir to the Shannara realm and we have come to an agreement. The 7th fleet will only have access to Paranor if one of our tributes marries this heir. I know just the appropriate individual for this task."

Who is this heir? Is he/she compassionate in order to get us out of Thrawn's grasp? Or are they just as sadistic, if not more than our captor?

As those thoughts ran through Parzival's minds, one of the newcomers, a Hobbit named Frodo stood up.

"Is this heir a princess from a foreign land?"

"No, I am afraid not." Thrawn shook his head.

"Are they of noble blood? " Kakyoin asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"Ah, come on!" Artemis rolled her eyes. "What do you guys think this is? A friggin' fairy tale?"

"This heir is of the notable Ohmsford family and I have the only match for him."

Silence then filled the room as Thrawn glanced over at one person with his luminescent eyes. Caught off-guard, Parzival glanced to his right and dread filled his heart like booze when he realized who Thrawn had in mind for the marriage alliance.

Artemis looked like she seen a ghost. "You can't be serious! I can't marry some old fool! I am already promised to someone!" She glanced over at Parzival with the look of a frightened animal.

"I am afraid that personal relationships have no place here." Thrawn's smirk seemed like the most evil Parzival had seen of the man. Had he planned this to spite them?

"I-impossible! I won't do it!" Artemis hissed.

"Oh, you will." Thrawn's eyes narrowed. " Your approval is not required."

Alex, Artemis and Parzival's fellow avatar, rose from his seat and cleared his throat. "Sir, if I may? Perhaps there is an alternative solution to this issue. Maybe we can work out a seperate deal with the heir?"

"There will be no deals." Thrawn shook his head. "This is already set. You are to-"

Parzival watched Artemis shoot up from her seat and prepare to run as Thrawn's assassin leapt over the table like a jaguar in order to cut her off from her escape. That was when the avatar conjured up a solution to this fiasco.

"Quick, log out of the OASIS immediately!"

---

In a flash, Samantha and Wade were transported back to the abandoned warehouse their bodies were staying at. Breathing heavily and drenched in sweat, the two gamers gazed into each other's eyes for what seemed like a long time before embracing.

"Please don't let them take me away from you!" Sam's shoulders wracked with sobs. "I don't want to experience a life without you!"

"I will not let them get between us, I swear on my life!" Wade assured her. "We must contact Aech or Shoto!"

"Hold it right there!"

The duo turned to see several stormtroopers who were accompanied by a detachment of black-clad Imperial security forces approach them.

Their leader, a trooper with a red patch on his shoulder, stepped forward. "You there!" He pointed his finger at Sam. "We have strict orders to take you to the Shannara realm. You can choose to come peacefully or we will have to stun you."

Sam and Wade glanced around as the stormtroopers stepped forward, their blasters raised. Both members of the High Five desperately glanced around their vicinity for anything that can be utilized as a weapon, but couldn't locate anything that remotely resembled a weapon. The stormies really were discrete in their precautions.

"Are you going to waste any more time? We have a schedule."

Seeing no other alternative to their predicament, a dejected Sam stepped forward. "You have me. Let's go."

"No! You can't-"

Pew!

Wade fell stunned to the ground. As the Imperials escorted her out of the warehouse to the shuttle that awaited them, she couldn't help but glance one last time at her lover, who was lying prone to the ground. Her bottom lip trembled as the remaining stormtroopers attended to Wade. Turning her attention to the silver shuttle before her, Artemis's true form felt her vision go blurry.

This can't be happening. It is only a nightmare, nothing more. I will awake soon enough.I have to.

---

"I will be arriving shortly, my lord. Thank you for the invitation. I will look forward to seeing you and Lord Vader."

As Thrawn shut the hologram of the Emperor, he turned and met with Rukh and several nova troopers and death troopers. As the security detail escorted him to his shuttle, Thrawn turned to address his personal assassin.

"That was a nice catch, Rukh. Who knows what could have happened had you not seen that mercenary make those suspicious communications."

"This invisibility device on my staff isn't for show, you know." The Noghri revealed his staff.

"Ah, I didn't expect any less from you." Thrawn then turned to see Lt. Commander Faro pass by. "Lt. Commander, a word, please?"

The brown-haired Imperial turned to face her superior. "Yes, what can I do for you?"

"I want you to keep my ship in good shape while I am gone. Eli, Pellaeon, and the tributes are all in your hands. I entrust the 7th Fleet to you while I am the Emperor's guest. Make sure they complete their objectives and stay in their places. Moreover, keep your eye on Wulff Yularen. I am started to suspect his true intentions onboard my ship."

"Yes, sir!" Faro saluted and walked off.

My, have my underlings evolved from naive young cadets to experienced and analytical officers. It is almost heartwarming. Alas, it is time to face the Emperor and his lackey.

With a final glance back at the interior of the ISD-1, Thrawn entered the hangar and started his approach to the shuttle that was to ferry him to Coruscant.

---

"Dang! What in the world is that thing?"

Mordred stood by Jonathan and Kakyoin as they watched the spidery behemoth crawl over the lobby of the mall. Several stormtroopers and Imperial soldiers were engaging it, but blaster fire seemed to only enrage it further. A screaming stormtrooper was hurled across the room by a grey-brown tendril of the monster, slamming into the wall beside the trio.

"I think the locals called the Mind Flayer," Kakyoin explained. "Obviously, conventional weapons have no effect on it so I guess I should make do with my Stand."

As the watermelon-colored humanoid slithered toward the belly of the beast, the Shadow Wizard gazed at the spidery monster as the broken window of the skylight above shone red clouds with bright flashes of lightning. Amid the ominous scene, broken glass, objects, vehicles, and bodies lay strewn about the mall as if a tornado had torn through the structure. He noted that not all the bodies on the ground belonged to the Imperials. There were some with soldiers with olive-green uniforms that were lying prone like broken dolls. They may have been there from the start, facing the beast before Thrawn had claimed the location for himself.

I think I better contribute while I am here. The others don't seem like they are faring so well.

The bright green flashes of Hierophant Green's Emerald Splash attack seemed to have no effect on the creature. To make matters, Mordred's shadow strikes on the beast weren't making any differences at all. His attacks disappeared once they came in contact with the Mind Flayer's skin. The creature's roar reverberated around the stores as it kicked two men, a red-haired man with a funny accent and a man dressed in a fur coat, sending them into the air. The squashed corpse of the midget man lay on the icy floor like a tattoo.

"It's useless!" Ed shouted from above them on the second floor of the tattered mall. "Even blaster shots won't faze it."

Imperial tanks and AT-STs were keeping a steady fire on gargantuan arachnid as it trampled on some of them, mangling them like toys. The Mind Flayer tore open the top of an AT-DP and pulled the screaming crew out, tearing them apart with its tendrils, much to Mordred's horror. As the creature fixed its eyeless face upon the tributes, a shrieking sound tore through the air.Through the broken skyline, the Fairy Tail wizard could see TIE bombers fly by, dropping white flashes onto the creature. The Mind Flayer shrieked as the explosions riddled its body.

"I see now," Jonathan mumbled. "It can't stand heat. " The Hamon user turned to face the others. "Someone provide a distraction so I can get close by and strike it with my Hamon Overdrive! Anyone with heat-based attacks , back me up!"

"Right on!" Spyro stepped forward.

The Mind Flayer shrieked again as it sent Venom barreling into Sonic, Crash, and Frodo. Ed raised his left hand to press a button on a small device. Roars and howls echoed across the mall as various creatures appeared from out of the mall's corners and encircled their opponent. Some unlucky Imperials that happened to be in the way ended up as the first casualties.

"I find it hard to believe that you'd have outlandish beasts stored here at your command." Thomas turned to frown at the cosmozoologist.

Ed just shrugged. "Hey, Thrawn believed that I could put my skills to use so he permitted me to have cages full of rancors, nexu, reeks, and gundarks put away so I can unleash them at my command. I am an accomplished cosmozoologist in case you forgot."

"Man, you are so full of surprises." Spyro shook his head. "Alright, let's charge this oversized arachnid!"

---

"Move along! We don't have all day!"

The lead stormtrooper nudged Samantha Cooke as she woke from her stupor. She wearily rose from her seat in the shuttle and glanced out the rectangular window into the pink-tinted sky of this new foresty world. She had no idea whether this indicated if dawn or twilight was approaching, but this was the least of her worries. Sniffling a bit, she kept her gaze down as the Imperials lead her down the ramp and onto the ledge of the cliff their ship was perched on. Awaiting them in front of a metallic airship that looked like something from a 90's fantasy show, was a tall human boy with tan skin and shoulder-length red hair that resembled her own awaiting her with a few of his cloaked companions at his side.

So, this is the dude that I am supposed to marry for Monotone Man's sick ambitions?

As Sam hesitated a bit in her tracks before getting nudged by the blaster of one of the stormies. Reluctantly, she made her way to their contact.It felt so out of place without being in her avatar persona in a place like this. The guy, who seemed not much older than her, stepped forward to greet her.

"You must be Sam. Pleased to meet you, I am Penderrin Ohmsford of the Ohmsford family. At first, when the blue-skinned admiral pressured me into agreeing into a marriage alliance, I had my doubts about you, but now I believe I made the right choice. Come! My airship, the Skatelow, awaits us. It may not be as big as your admiral's Chimera, but it will be sufficient for the both of us. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

For the first time in ages, Sam burst into tears.

---

"Hamon Overdrive!"

Jonathan leapt up into the air and swung Blueford's sword, glowing with sunlight power, onto the side of their gigantic foe. The Mind Flayer shrieked as the bright sword, burning with power on the level of the sun, tore through its flesh. Jonathan was struck by a gray tendril and slammed against a pillar. The breath leaving his body, the Victorian man glanced upward to see the two other British men and a red-haired Scotsman distract the beast with their musket fire. On the bottom floor of the mall, Dr. Cherborgg's menagerie of outlandish animals threw over vehicles and such as they advanced onto the Mind Flayer. Finally, taking notice of the smaller creatures, it let out a deafening roar that reverberated throughout the mall before taking them on. Utilizing his Hamon, Jonathan restored and stabilized his breathing and not a minute too soon. Jonathan narrowly avoided the Pontiac Firebird vehicle that was thrown toward him by rolling out of the way. He had no idea whether it was the arachnid or Ed's creatures who were responsible for it, but what was important was that it didn't turn him into mush.

"My turn!"

A miniature purple dragon leapt off the ledge and glided toward the beast. Once he had arrived within sufficient range, Spyro blew out his small bout of fire, lighting up the monster's back. Howling in pain and fury, the Mind Flayer stepped on several other beasts as it staggered around in pain.

It really does hate the heat. No wonder this building has a chilly atmosphere. Perhaps it would have gotten along with Dio.

"You ok?"

Mordred arrived beside Jonathan as the two kept their wary eyes onto their opponent. Suddenly, the creature turned its hideous face toward them. Its eyes were just small dots on top of its thorax region, a large maw with sharp teeth glinted in the red light.

"Curses, it has us cornered!" Jonathan groaned.

"Why don't we combine our-"

A tendril pierced the ground where the two were standing, sending them tumbling. Before the Mind Flayer could press on with its attack, a blinding red light struck its face, causing it to emit an ear-piercing howl of pain. Jonathan glanced back to see the white-clad demonic tribute with the beast-like mask levitate in the air.

"Who said you could have fun without me? Shame on you lot!"

As the Mind Flayer recovered from the demon's attack, it reached out a dirty tendril to the Arrancar, but Zymar reached out a hand and sent the behemoth slamming into a department store, shattering windows.

"You need to close the gate to defeat it."

All eyes in the battleground turned to see several teenagers and a handful of adults poured into the room. Jonathan never failed to notice that three of the adults were the dark green military uniforms of some of the dead soldiers on the ground.

"Gate? What gate?" Mordred frowned.

"The Upside Down Gate." One girl with curly brown hair stepped forward. "I'll show you."

Jonathan and Mordred tailed after her as Zymar and the others kept the monstrosity at bay. They ran up the escalators and came to a stop before an ice cream stand with a sailor theme. Jonathan never understood these, but this wasn't the time and place to inquire. A large hole floated in the middle of the stand, burning red with pulsing red outlines. A reddish convulsing substance dripped out of the opening.

"Is that the gate you were talking about?" Jonathan asked the girl.

She nodded. "Yes, I need to close it. Give me some time."

The girl let out a shout and raised her hands in the air as though conjuring Hamon. The air rippled with raw power as the gate's size started to slowly diminish. After several minutes, the gate was completely shut and the girl was on her knees, breathing heavily with blood running down her nose. Jonathan and Mordred support her as they returned to the battleground, only to see that their massive foe had disappeared. Zymar floated over to them after nourishing himself with the souls of Ed's creatures.

"Let me ask you a question, girl." The demon crouched over. "Are you Force sensitive?"

"Did the monster just vanish in thin air?" Brock the journalist asked. The sky above lost its red hue and the storm had abated.

"No, that wasn't even its real body." A girl with bright green eyes responded. "What you were fighting was just its proxy."

"That's right." A teen dressed in a wacky sailor outfit cleared his throat. "Who wants to celebrate at Scoops Ahoy? We have Butterscotch ice cream for a limited time only. "

---

"Tell me! Have you lot not have had enough of Thrawn's treatment of you guys? How much of this indignation are you willing to take so that devilish humanoid can accomplish his objectives?"

All eyes in the recreation room turned toward Thomas as he stood on top of an obsidian-colored table table, addressing the weary tributes who were licking their wounds. Thomas's right sleeve was torn and blood caked the left side of his cheek, but the fervor in his eyes shone like the suns of an alien world. Once he noted that he had everyone's attention, he proceeded with his speech.

"I have been through this endless cycle of slavery not once but three consecutive times! First, a supernatural fire demon had forced me into a group similar to this and to partake in dangerous games so we can all die for his entertainment. We were able to overcome our captors and escape the games, though not without heavy casualties as typical of any battle. Not long after, I was kidnapped by the greedy and corrupt Kenneth Everland and forced into slavery as a living museum exhibit. One day, we decided we had enough so we started an uprising where I saw my friends die and where am I now? Back to square one!"

The tributes were fully attentive to the colonist's speech now.It seemed like the Imperials were as well since the stormtroopers turned their helmeted faces toward Thomas. The former redcoat took a breath before continuing with his dialogue.

"You see, we are more than pawns for another being, whether mortal or immortal. We are not machines only designated to be mindless slaves. We are sentient people!" His eyes then fall upon Spyro and a couple of the newcomers. "You guys get the idea. Starting now, your chains will be broken! The time to release you and your loved ones from the grip of the blue alien is ripe!"

The stormtroopers had decided they couldn't turn a blind eye to Thomas's speech as it riled up the other tributes. "Hold it!" The bucketheads fixed their blasters upon Thomas. "You are to report to the brig with us immediately. Failure to comply will lead to-"

"Oh, shut up!"

Parzival drew his EM-1 Railgun and blasted away at the stormtroopers.Thomas knew how exasperated the boy was after Thrawn separated him from the love of his life. The colonial strategist knew how that felt as he hadn't seen Abigail or Henry in what felt like ages.

"Take this!"

Mordred the shadow mage sent shadow tendrils that pierced a stormtrooper through his helmet.

"Emerald Splash!"

A group of stormtroopers were hit with green flashes as they were unable to react quickly enough. One even screamed as Venom tore his helmet off and devoured him. Thomas couldn't help but smile. The rebellious fervor had taken hold them off all. Well, almost all.

"Hey, what are you doing? Are you all insane?"

Ed Cherborgg rose to calm everyone. Jon Snow rose to object as well.

"Stop this madness at once!"

As the tributes, who had enough of being used as pawns for a blue admiral, prepared to exit the recreation room, the two dissenters blocked their path.

---

"Hey, are you insane?" Spyro growled."Now is the time for us to take back our dignity! Don't you want to be free of the blue man?"

"Of course, but without putting ours as well as our loved one's lives at risk by this folly. Stand down and we will perhaps negotiate with Thrawn to be released of our servitude."

"Have you lost your wits?" Spyro hissed as the angry mob descended on the dissenters. "You will either move or I will force you to!"

As Ed turned to raise an alarm, Spyro used the moment to charge and headbutt his friend to the ground. Ed quickly turned to draw his blaster, but Spyro but down on his hand.

"Augh!" Ed howled in pain. "You ingrate! I am doing this to protect us! You want to go back to your family and friends, right?"

"Precisely." Spyro snatched the blaster from the floor and moved away from Ed. It reminded him of Agent 9's blaster pistol. "Which is why we are rising up against tyranny. If you can't beat us, join us."

Spyro glanced to his left to see the red-haired dude with the funny accent fight off Ed's fellow dissenter.

"You have all lost your minds!" Ed rose and began to hobble toward the ship's nearby security quarter when Spyro barreled him over by charging his legs.

"No, it is you who have lost your mind.Now, sit down and relax as we take on our foes. You will thank me later."

---

"Want some more tea?"

From where she was seated, Sam Cooke glanced up to see an old dwarf, one of her betrothed's companions, walk over with a tray of porcelain cups filled with tea. Sammy just shook her head as he sipped the last of her tea and set it down. She knew Tagwen and the rest of Pen's companion were only trying to be kind to her and make her feel welcome, but she already felt as if her heart had been ripped out from her chest by an Alien from Xenomorphs and torn into shreds. She only wanted to be by her lover's side, but it seemed like she will never see him or feel his warm embrace again.

"Tagwen, there you are!"

Pen arrived, out of breath. The dwarf turned to look at him.

"For goodness sake, what is it?"

Pen then glanced at his fiancee and smiled. "Ah, there you are! Guess what? I have some fabulous news."

"Ooh boy, I am excited." Tagwen rolled his eyes.

Pen ignored the dwarf's sarcastic remark as he informed his wife-to-be of his news. "I just spoke with my folks and they agreed that we will be married tonight at our resort!"

Artemis's human form burst into tears once more.

---

"Up ahead, keep your eyes peeled!"

As they made made their way down the hall toward the bridge of the ship, the revolting tributes made sure to take out all the Imperials in their way to the bridge to avoid having the alarm raised. Thomas watched carefully as Kenji the reaper caused two Navy troopers to fall down to the floor as if an invisible hand was pressing them against the ground. At that same time, Sonic used his spindash to knock over stormtroopers while Crash bandicoot did the same to the remaining troops with his tornado strike.

"Good, you are all doing a fine job at taking on the enemy!" Thomas tried to boost their morale. "Make sure you get every last one, even the techs, so no one raises the alarm!"

It would be harder to deal with hordes of Imperial troopers rather than isolated pockets of them. Thomas turned to see Zymar send death troopers and other elite Imperial troops against the wall with his Force powers. He also used his blade to cut through the troops that fired their blasters at him. The Imperials fought valiantly against the Sith , but he was too quick and too powerful for them.

"So you decide to join our ragtag group?" Thomas smiled, stroking his beard as he held his musket.

"Nah, I can't care less about that. I only want to satisfy my urges." Zymar used a Cero to demolish the computers before using Sonido to appear behind an unsuspecting Imperial captain and devouring his soul.

"I expected as much." Thomas shook his head. "Onward!"

---

Mordred used his shadow tendrils to impale the security forces patrolling the bridge as the group arrived in time to catch the startled officers by surprise.

Thomas stepped forward. "In the name of the rebellion, we declare this vessel to be ours! You will heed our demands and then you shall go free."

"What is the meaning of this?" Lt. Commander Faro demanded as she rose from Thrawn's seat. "Have you lost your senses? I suggest that you return to your quarters before severe consequences befall you!"

"Look around you." Officer Jacoby stepped beside Thomas. "Your soldiers are down for the count and your fleet can't fire on us unless they risk incinerating you as well. "

"You are forgetting that we can request shuttles to ferry in reinforcements from Pellaeon's other ships." Eli Vanto smirked at the rebellious tributes.

"Unfortunately, that won't be the case. "

Everyone looked stunned to see Wullf Yularen point his blaster at Eli's back.

"Stand down!" Commander Ayer raised his blaster rifle.

"That's an unwise move." Colonel Yularen never missed a beat. "My ISB agents are embedded within the crew and one wrong move from you will result in your demise."

Mordred glanced to see a couple of stormtroopers and black-clad security troops aim their weapons at the stormtrooper commander.

I don't understand. Why is he helping us?

As if he read the Fairy Tail mage's mind, Yularen turned to answer the question that lingered on everyone's mind, whether Imperial or not.

"My mission was to expose Thrawn for treason should the need arise and it seems some of his intentions imply exactly that. "

Mordred stepped forward and took a breath. "In that case, could I have access to that bacta tank you used on Jonathan? If you recall, I served only you and not Thrawn."

Yularen looked deep in thought. "You have a point, Crow. Once we are done here, I'll let you have access to it. Sound fair?"

---

How do I establish contact with this Rebel Alliance?

Inside the communications room of the ship, Thomas puzzled over how to work the glowing bright blue screens as he tried to contact the Empire's known enemies to liberate them. He wasn't entirely ready to trust Colonel Yularen's sketchy intentions so in order to play it safe, he decided to invoke the enemy of my enemy is my friend protocol and hopefully end their terms as indentured servants for the blue man. After all, Franklin used that approach to get France into the war.

"Hmm, what's this?"

The colonial strategist frowned as he found a data file on all the tributes, especially potential ones in the future. He opened the one that was labeled with his name and decided to read through to see if what the Grand Admiral had intended to do with him when he had recovered him from the museum. He scanned the text with his green eyes and frowned.

"None of this is adding up at all," he muttered. " How was I pronounced dead yet I was somehow revived at a Spaarti facility? If I recall, that facility on Cartao is only used for cloning."

Then, his eyes grew wide in horror as he scanned the rest of the file. He shut down the screen and took a moment to process the information. He leaned back against the electronic counter and took several breaths.

Various samples taken at that date? A cloning facility? What is going on? I need to get to the bottom of it as soon as I survive this ordeal.

Spot 3: MusicgirlXD

Moans echoed through the darkness. A man with pink spiky hair, rolled his head. He shuttered. A blonde laid motionless before a wound grew on her stomach and reached through her back. "Lucy, wake up. Please, open your eyes. You can't die on me! Lucy!" The blond laid still. Natsu bit his lip. His head jerked up and his eyes fluttered open. Laughter echoed through his cell.

Straighten his shoulders, Natsu jerked around. "Where am I?"

"You're in Alveraz, Natsu."

Glancing to the left, Natsu's brown eyes rested on Zeref. "You, what do you want?"

"For you to call me a big brother."

"Not happening."

Zeref stood. "Suite yourself. Brandish will be in shortly to bring you to my throne room."

The dragon slayer growled. "Where's Lucy!"

Zeref gazed at him. "Where do you think she is?"

"That crazy silver haired creep did something to her!" Natsu tried setting his body on fire. "Why won't my magic work?"

"The bracelets on your wrists and ankles are sand stone. You won't be using your magic anytime soon."

"I will destroy you, Zeref."

********

An elephant trumpeted in the hallway. Kit giggled. The small teen curled up in the elephant's trunk. She rubbed her soft hand against his rough hide. "I'm glade they allowed me to get you back, Abigail. Madam Red never saw your potential." A tiger growled behind them. Kit glanced towards the tigress. "Of course, the Spriggian twelve know how important you are to me, Betty." The tigress licked her hand.

Giggling, the elephant raised her trunk and placed the child on back of her head. Kit laid down; glancing at the ceiling. "Irene scares me, but that's to be expected." A man in a purple blazer, white shirt, and purple pants with sunglasses on his head appeared before Kit.

"Good, morning." Marin shouts.

Kit glanced around. "Whose there?"

"I'm down here!"

Abigail trumpeted loudly. The elephant backed away. "Hey, you F minus, animal! I'm a person not a rat."

"That could be arranged." Irene smirked. Raising her staff, she hit the end of it on the floor. Marin screamed has he transformed into a purple mouse. Abigail pulled back scared.

"Abby, it's okay." Kit screamed as the elephant threw her off its head and into a wall. Kit slide down and the floor. "Ow."

Irene strode towards the girl. "You must be Kit, be carful of the master. You are kidnapped this is not your play room."

"Yes, Ma'am." Kit watched Irene disappear.

*********

Organ playing the bridal march wafted through the air. Anastasia walked down the aisle. Flowers lined the aisle and at the end, where trees twisted into a heart. Legoless and her husband to be, stood underneath them. "She's beautiful." Keely stated. Anastasia felt a smile broaden on her face. Never in a million years, did she dream Elfs and Drawfs would be united under one roof. As far as her memory serves, the two were forever enemies.

Reaching her husband, she towered over him. His eyes sparkled. Legoless began the ceremony as the two held hands. Bells told in the distance. Agorn, a human groomsmen, helped Keely kiss his new bride. The she elfs eyes fluttered open. Happiness flooded through her. Reaching up, she hugged her pillow. She missed Mirkwood and Keely so much. Giggling, she sat up. A blonde male slept with his back towards her. She may have lost Mirkwood and Keely, but at least she had her father back even if he doesn't know.

Screaming, a woman with short blond hair, a red tank up, jean skirt that appeared to be ripped at the bottom, sandals and a gold glove that went from her shoulders to her finger tips. "Get up. The Emperor Spriggian wants everyone in the throne room. Wake him up and get going." Dimira vanished as quickly as she appeared.

*******************

Jolting up, Legoless glanced around the room. The elf was shirtless. Anastasia looked down. "It's nothing Legoless, Dimira just wants us to join Zeref in the throne room." The blonde sat up.

"Then we must not keep them waiting." Legoless got changed and headed out out the door. Anastasia joined his side. After progressing through the Alveraz kingdom halls. The duo arrived in the throne room.

Glancing around, everyone was accounted for. Zeref sat on his throne smiling. "Welcome everyone," he began, "I have dire news. I have arranged for diplomatic treaty between Ba Sing Se, however, I have duties else where. I need one of you girls to marry..."

"I'll do it!" Legoless watched the firebender step forward.

**********

"Azura, why should I let you." Zeref asked.

Stepping forward, Azura smiled. "I came from that world, I know everyone in Ba Sing Se."

"I'm afraid, this is the Ba Sing Se from Korra's time. You would have to marry Prince Wu."

Azura glanced down. "Yes, Sir."

"I'll make sure Brandish goes with you to complete the task."

"Yes, Sir."

***********

"Surly, thats not the only reason we were called together as a group." Eletta blurted out. Deep down, she felt that he was hiding something.

"Now that you mention it, Cassandra has been sent on a mission in another kingdom. As for you, I need you and several others to venture to the Fire Nation once more. Since we captured all of Madam Red's prisoner's. It seems her and Grell has released Monsters on the Kingdom."

"I will do my best."

"Good,"

**********

Rolling his eyes, Crow began flying. The male gritted his teeth. For some reason, he couldn't lift off the ground. Grumbling the male turned away. Right at that time, a woman with bright red hair stepped towards the group. "My Lord," She began, it appears our magic has stopped temporarily."

"Irene," Zeref began.

"No, fears, I would like Katniss to assist me. Her world is made of so called tech knowledge."

Crow stepped forward, "If we have no magic, then I can't fight. I can't come up with spells."

"Then do what you must."

Grunting, Crow stepped back.

**************

Walking through a grassy field, Cassandra shook her head. Somehow, Zeref wanted her to pretend to be Yona and take over world. The starlight had no clue how to achieve this since she has never meet the Princess. As if in luck, a girl with short red hair came running up to her. Her kitten like appearance gave Cassandra an idea.

"Hello, Yona. By order of the Emperor Spriggin, You will be my captive."

"Who are you?"

"Your worst Nightmare." Throwing her hand out to the side, an image of Yona appeared. The girl lengthened her stance, and drew her bow. Cassadra smirked. the image did likewise. "You can't beat yourself." Before Yona could knock an arrow, an air tunnel came up behind her. Yona spun. Artemis hovered above her with her flute pulled back. Smirking, Artemis hit her in the head.

***************

Yona jumped back and fired off several arrows. Artemis countered. She played her flute and flung several disc towards her. Yona jumped out of the way. Artemis hovering in the air, she tried an aerial attack once more. Delivering a final blow, Artemis knocked the girl out. Grabbing her, Artemis then flew away to Zeref's kingdom; leaving Cassandra to take over the plain.

****************

A team of adventure's went out from the palace. Eletta crossed her arms. "So what is a swamp monster and what is it doing in a dormant volcano?" She asked remembering the land scape. The other shrugged.

"I don't care. Let's get this over with." Aang said quitely.

"Cheer up, Aang," Eletta laughed. "We're all in the same boat here."

"I know. I still failed."

"Stop thinking that way and let's go."

******************

The avatar whimpered. Closing his eyes, he saw the pink haired mail eating his flames. As they fought, he turned from human into a demon. Gritting his teeth, Aang reached out for Katara. The monster saw his girlfriend and burned her with fire. Aang could never forget the screams of Katara's death. The monster had it in his mind, that Aang had murdered his girl. So he paid him back.

****************

Trapped inside a room with Irene, Katniss grumbled. The woman towered over her while she worked on a gizmo she had put in her hands. "I come from a coal mine. I know nothing about this."

"Hush, I don't like liars."

"I'm not tho."

"Just do as you'r told."

Katniss worked on her project. Sitting up, the world turned red. Irene closed her eyes then opened them again. Red crosses rested in her eyes. "The world has been demolished by something strong. Probably the work of Achnalogia." The enchanter stated.

Shaking her head, Katniss worked on. She didn't feel like ask. After a few more moments, a beam hit her in the back. "Ow," she cried. She turned to find Irene still starring out the window. "Where did that beam come from?"

"You weren't focusing."

"Fine."

Out of frustration, the mocking jay slammed all the pieces down. "I can't do it. I'll take any punishment you want to give me."

"Very well." Irene slammed her staff into the flooring. Katniss disappeared into the dungeons.

*************

The wind blew through Undertaker's silver hair. Laughter had faded from him. "I fear something dire is going down. Our Spriggian believes himself to be cursed by Anksrum. I am death. I have more corpses laying my wake than he or Mavis could ever have combined." Undertaker nibbled on a dog biscuit. "Soon, everything will change for the worst."

In a blink of an eye, the world around them changed. The sky turned red, the ground black. Ash fell from the sky. The apocalypse had began. Laughing, Undertaker jumped from his perch in of the towers. Roaming the streets, he passed by many people struggling for their last breath. Scowling, Undertaker turned an alley full of those drawing their last breath into corpses with one swing of his scythe. He continued the action till not a soul was left in Alverza besides Zeref and his twelve. 

Spot 4: Sara_R_Stark

Obi Wan paced the hall outside his bedroom, anxiety gnawing at his heart. The Force was whispering warnings in his ear as it so often did, but this time it warned him of imminent danger and that worried him. What could Loki have planned that could cause the Jedi harm?

"There's something happening," Obi Wan hissed, scrubbing at his face. Luke watched on curiously, his eyes following Obi Wan's every movement. "I can feel it, but I don't understand it."

"The Force has been so quiet lately," Luke murmured, "but it speaks to you. How?"

"I don't quite understand it. It's changed." Obi Wan halted his pacing and turned to face the younger Jedi, confusion clear on his face. "I never used to get visions of this sort. They're brief flashes of something I can't describe; sometimes it's a single word or an image of the future, but I can never put them together."

"Maybe the Force is changing because you're changing," Luke suggested. At the Jedi's bewildered look, Luke raised his hands in surrender, shaking his head innocently. "I"m no expert, obviously; I just say what I see."

"I understand, and thank you. You may very well be right, young one. You sound a lot like-" Obi Wan cut himself off quickly, heat rising in his face as he realized how close he came to a fatal blunder. Luke narrowed his eyes and pushed off the wall smoothly.

"Like who?" His eyes narrowed further at Obi Wan's apparent hesitancy.

Obi Wan sucked in a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, the Force going deathly silence for the first time.

"You knew me in your time," Obi Wan concluded, finally raising his eyes to meet the gaze of the young Jedi. "What did I tell you of my past?"

"Nothing really," Luke responded quietly, looking vastly uncomfortable with the conversation. "Just that you knew my father, well, before he died."

Obi Wan blanched, and despite his careful shielding, he felt a sliver of disbelief leak through their bond. Luke frowned and took a tentative step forward, looking vaguely threatening.

"There's something you're not telling me." It wasn't a question, and the sheer confidence in his tone sent the Jedi reeling to come up with an excuse.

"I-"

"No," Luke cut him off with a cold glare, inky black veins spiralling out from his eyes as his anger spiked. "No more excuses, Obi Wan. You've been avoiding the truth ever since I met you."

"Everything will make sense soon, Luke," Obi Wan assured the boy.

"There you go again!" Luke could feel his control slipping, his carefully guarded emotions breaking free for the first time since the change. "I'm not here to listen to your lies anymore."

Obi Wan opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out.

"Think before you speak," Luke commanded, his words laced with venom.

Obi Wan weighed his options carefully. Revealing Luke's parentage could be damaging to the testy relationship they'd formed so far, not to mention the danger the galaxy could face once Luke managed to escape the compound. But there was a high chance Luke would discover the truth despite Obi Wan's attempts to keep it from him, and that could have even more terrifying consequences than telling him upfront.

Obi Wan sighed deeply; this was a sticky situation to be in.

"Your father..." Obi Wan lowered his gaze, not allowing himself to meet Luke's eyes. "Your father isn't dead."

Luke's shock exploded through the Force, bright and terrifying in its ferocity. Obi Wan took a physical step back and placed a careful hand on his lightsaber, not trusting the enraged panic emitting from Luke's blindingly bright Force signature.

"Why would you lie?" Obi Wan shrunk back at the raw hurt in the boy's voice. "Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"I'm not from your time, Luke," Obi Wan responded softly. "I don't know what caused me to do what I did, but there must have been a reason."

"I grew up an orphan!" Luke screamed, his eyes black as coal as he took another menacing step toward the frozen Jedi. "I could have had a family - a real family who understood me!"

"No!" Obi Wan's voice shook as he pushed against Luke's anger with his own. "You never could have had the family you dreamt of." Then, softer, "Your father made sure of that."

Luke's anger dissipated instantly, his eyes fading back into a soft, confused blue.

"Tell me," Luke pleaded. "No more lies, Obi Wan."

"You'll hate me," Obi Wan pressed. "You'll hate him, and I assure you, nothing will ever be the same."

"I don't care." Obi Wan frowned inwardly; Luke had a will that matched Anakin's, one of the many gifts his old friend had given the boy.

"Sit down."

Obi Wan beckoned Luke into his bedroom, gently perching on the end of his bed as Luke took his unused desk chair. "Your father and I... we were very close friends. He became my padawan after the untimely death of my master, but we remained close even after he was knighted."

"You knew each other in the Clone Wars," Luke recalled slowly. "You told me that when we first met."

"We did." Obi Wan smiled nostalgically and leant back on his bed. "In fact, our friendship ended just as the Clone Wars had finished, mere moments before you were born. You see, he had a wife; she was his biggest secret as attachment was forbidden within the Order. She would become his downfall, of course, when the threat of her dying in childbirth began to plague him in his dreams."

"Did you know of these dreams?"

Obi Wan shook his head slowly.

"Not until the end, no." Obi Wan thoughtfully massaged his beard, lost in thought. "Well, these dreams became too much, and against his better judgement, your father began to confide in a man. This man was to become the Emperor, as you now know him. This man was especially vile, and he had been planting the visions in Anakin's brain from the start. All Palpatine could think of was turning Anakin to the Dark Side, and after years of planting seeds in Anakin's brain, he finally had his opportunity."

"But..." Luke's eyes were considerably wider, his brain racing in an attempt to take in the information Obi Wan was giving him. "But the Emperor is a Sith Lord. How couldn't he see that?"

"None of us could. Not even Master Yoda, wisest of all the Jedi, could sense the Emperor's plan. He was so masterful in his abilities that we would never have known he was the Sith Lord we were searching for; no one could have possibly guessed his goal was to turn Anakin. All the Emperor thirsted for was someone to help him take what he deemed his by any means necessary."

"But that's impossible," Luke scoffed, carefully throwing up another layer of mental shields as his panic became overwhelming. "The Emperor already has Vader at his side... why would he need another? Unless..." Luke's face paled, his eyes wide as he regarded Obi Wan with a petrified stare.

"I told you the truth was ugly," Obi Wan apologised, turning away as Luke's face turned even more panicked.

"You're lying. That's not true; that's impossible."

Luke was crying but he could barely feel it. The sting of betrayal, the terror of abandonment - all of that was heightened by his newfound vampire abilities, and it hurt.

"He's tried to kill me!" Luke screamed, the desk chair flying across the room and shattering in splinters against the wall. "He's a leading commander of the Empire and because of that he's killed so many others! My father is a murderer, and perhaps the most dangerous one in the whole kriffing galaxy!"

Luke was blinded by rage, his vision tinted red and the whole room shaking so violently he could hear nothing but his blood pounding in his ears.

"I hate him!" Luke released another violent wave of the Force, sending Obi Wan careening into the wall.

Obi Wan let out a pained moan, rubbing his head where it had struck concrete. With blurry vision, he could vaguely make out Luke's form as the boy paced around the room; somewhere deep down, despite Luke's violent reaction, the Jedi knew he'd made the right choice. A light concussion was nothing compared to the absolute carnage Luke could create if presented with the information differently.

"Luke," Obi Wan coughed, weakly reaching out and brushing against the boy's Force signature with his own. Luke didn't respond, but Obi Wan felt a reassuring nudge from Luke as the boy halted his pacing. "Luke, you need to calm down."

"Why?" Luke's voice cracked as he sent Obi Wan a devastated look. "Is it because I'm dangerous? Am I just like my father, Obi Wan? Are you scared that I'll become like him?"

"Luke." There was an edge to his voice that hadn't been there before. "I will not discuss this further until you center yourself. Release your pain into the Force; your anger will do you no good."

Luke took one last enraged glance at Obi Wan before he stalked over to the Jedi's personal reading chair and slumped down. Obi Wan took a few calming breaths and slowly stood up, gently reaching out with the Force to levitate the broken shards of his desk chair into the bin. As he did so, Obi Wan tentatively prodded Luke's shields, feeling the boy's anger melt away until Luke was strong enough to restrengthen the barriers. The boy was strong - untrained, yes, but within him was the ability to do great things if only he could keep his anger in check.

Once he felt his blistering anger cool completely, Luke reopened his eyes and sucked in a deep gulp of air before pushing himself back to his feet.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, eyeing the small splinters of wood sticking out of the wall. "My anger got the best of me."

"It's quite alright, young Luke," Obi Wan responded with a friendly smile. "Considering the circumstances, I'm just very glad you could reel yourself back in."

"As am I. Are you sure you don't need help cleaning the rest of that up?"

"I'll manage. Go have some alone time; I believe you need to think things over, yes?"

"Yeah." Luke smiled gratefully and edged towards the door.

Obi Wan watched Luke go with a sad frown on his face. Once the door shut behind the boy, Obi Wan took a moment to finally crumple to the floor, his head in his hands as he let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Luke's explosive anger was a product of his uncontrollable vampire urges, Obi Wan knew, but Luke's unbridled rage was something Obi Wan never wished to face again. That boy was as - if not more - powerful than Anakin, something Obi Wan had never considered possible.

Speaking of which, Obi Wan thought resignedly, it was about time he contacted Anakin and let him know how the mission had played out. It was about time Obi Wan let his old friend know the whereabouts of the son he considered lost.

The Jedi carefully picked through the splintered wood on the floor and settled into his reading chair, mindlessly inputting Anakin's number into his comm. As he went through the motions, Obi Wan could feel himself drifting, his thoughts bouncing around in an endless loop as he mulled over how this conversation would go.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice the flurry of dust outside his window until all natural light in his room was cut off. Startled, Obi Wan slid off the chair and peered through the glass, struggling to make out the forms on the yard through the dizzying grey dust.

That's when the screaming started.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Mr Stark? I don't feel so good..."

Tony shot back from the fading form of Darius, feeling a scream building in his throat. The boy had been there moments ago - he'd been talking and laughing and all the sudden he wasn't. In an instant, he was back on Titan, looking down at Peter's face as the boy dutifully set his jaw and allowed the wind to carry away his ashes.

Why was it happening again?

Tony's knees buckled and he fell into the grass, a small plume of ash swirling up around his legs. Tony gasped and batted away the dust, feeling bile rising in his throat as the thin layer of dirt settled on his skin.

"I don't know what's happening..."

"Tony?" Footsteps pounded on the front porch, the screen door opening and slamming as multiple people sprinted down to where he lay on the grass.

"Tony?" Jacob cried, shaking the man's shoulders roughly. "Tony what happened?"

Tony's mouth moved but no words came out.

"Darius?" someone called. "Where's Darius?"

The screen door slammed again.

"Jacob! Something's wrong with Damien!"

The world was spinning as Jacob quickly shoved off Tony and ran inside, frantically screaming his brother's name as the boy crumbled into dust. Tony slowly raised his eyes, gazing silently at the front porch as one by one, the others began to collapse in clouds of ash. The new girl, Katherine, followed by a wailing Alex and a stone-cold General Hux all disappeared in moments. Half of the others, presumably still inside, were soon to follow.

Tony didn't know how long he laid there until a timid pair of hands was helping him stand, leading him back into the house and onto his favourite couch. He looked up, watching with detached curiosity as Loki flitted about the room, quietly shutting the door behind him and digging through a basket on the fireplace for a woolen blanket to tuck around Tony's knees. Once he was done, he perched on the edge of the couch, looking lost in thought.

"It's happened again, hasn't it?" he asked quietly. Tony clenched the blanket in his hands, mouth struggling to form the right words.

"Yes."

"Who else is left?"

Tony shook his head and turned away, not finding the strength to look the god in the eye.

"Not enough."

Loki let out a humourless laugh and ran a stressed hand through his hair.

"So this is it, then," he replied simply. "There's no hope for them?"

"Mr Stark, save me."

"I don't know," Tony admitted, despising the helpless shake in his voice.

Loki grunted and slammed his fist on the arm of his chair, spewing out a string of Asgardian curses as he began nervously pacing around the room. Tony had never seen the god so distressed, and that was saying something.

"Curses," Loki growled, slumping back into the chair with a huff. "Half of my army gone in a moment..."

Tony shot up in a moment, glaring daggers at Loki with a resolve he hadn't felt in months.

"That's all you care about, isn't it?" he snapped, eyes blazing. "You don't care about us whatsoever; all you want is power."

"That is the goal, yes," Loki responded calmly.

Tony set his jaw and threw the blanket to the floor, storming from the room in a fit of rage. Of course he didn't believe Loki had suddenly grown a heart, but he hoped desperately that the god was at least trying to be more considerate of his prisoners.

Not knowing where else to go, Tony ran up the nearest staircase and burst out onto the roof, perching himself on the elevated concrete slab facing the river. A soft breeze ruffled his hair, carrying the slight scent of fall-sprouting flowers throughout the clearing. Tony sucked in an unsteady breath and shakily reached down to his pocket, pulling out a miniature locket with a small spider engraved on the front. He slowly opened the locket and gazed wistfully down at the picture, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips as the smiling picture of Peter Parker finally calmed his racing heart.

He was keeping on for the spider kid, after all.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Newt!" Dallas screamed as he charged up the stairs towards their shared bedroom.

The silence was deafening, and Dallas felt his heart skip a beat as he pushed open their door and glanced at Newt's empty bed. Where was he?

"Dallas?" Newt sleepily asked as he stepped out of their bathroom. "What's going on? I heard screaming."

"Oh, thank God," Dallas gasped, collapsing on his bed in relief.

"What's wrong?" Newt towelled down his hair and rifled through his dresser for some clothes as Dallas sucked in some much-needed air.

"I don't know, man, I don't know." Dallas scrubbed at his face and slowly sat up. "People are disappearing into dust, man."

Newt let out a disbelieving laugh as he pulled a shirt over his head.

"You're joking."

Dallas gave him a harsh look and shook his head.

"I wish I was. I just saw Kent and the new kid Jackson turn into dust. I think I'm going crazy, man."

"I don't understand," Newt responded with a confused glance in Dally's direction. "That's impossible."

"Nothing's impossible," Dallas grunted. "Not anymore."

Newt took in the terrified look on Dally's face with horror of his own; it wasn't often the greaser was truly spooked.

"Alright," Newt relented, eliciting a relieved sigh from Dallas. "Alright, I'll believe you. Has Loki said anything about this?"

"Nah." Dallas shrugged and rolled a cigarette between his fingers. "He ran off when Hux disappeared and shut Stark in the living room. They've been talking for a while."

"Why Tony? What does he know about all this?"

"Beats me. I'd ask him, but he's pretty beat up about it." Dallas was quiet for a moment before he stood up and walked slowly to Newt's bed. "Whatever happened, I don't want it to happen again. Promise me you'll be careful and you won't get dusted away like the others." At Newt's startled expression, Dallas frowned and clapped his hand on the teen's shoulder. "Promise me, man."

"Sure, Dal," Newt agreed quickly. "I promise."

Dallas gifted Newt a rare smile and stood back up, making his way back out to the hallway.

"Thanks, Newt. I'm gonna go help the others clean up."

With that, he was gone, leaving Newt sitting stunned on his bed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Luke paced outside Obi Wan's door, fighting the urge to knock. He hadn't seen the older Jedi since people started disappearing, and the idea of not finding his closest ally behind the door was terrifying.

"Obi Wan?" Luke called out timidly. He gently reached out through the Force, searching for his friend's signature.

Finally, after a moment or two, he felt a nudge back. Luke let out a huge breath of relief as Obi Wan opened the door and stepped out, looking confused.

"Something's happened, hasn't it?" the Jedi queried, ushering Luke into his room. "It was as if half the people in the compound suddenly died."

"Half the people in the compound did die," Luke breathed, leaning unsteadily against the wall. "One moment they were there, the next they were dust. I can't explain it."

"It wasn't just them, though, was it?" Obi Wan gave Luke a pointed look and gestured for the boy to sit down. "You've felt it, I presume?"

"Yeah." Luke shook his head and fell onto Obi Wan's reading chair. "It's like half the galaxy disappeared with them."

Obi Wan nodded absently and sat back, fidgeting with the hem of his robes.

"You're worried," Luke commented abruptly, startling Obi Wan out of his stupor.

"Of course I'm worried," the Jedi snapped. "Luke, something out there just caused the deaths of half of the entire universe. Why wouldn't I be worried?"

"I don't mean that," Luke countered roughly. "It's something else - someone else."

Obi Wan gave Luke a wry smile, allowing an inkling of pride to seep into their bond through his tight shields.

"You've always been very perceptive, young one," he praised, "and I suppose you're right. Amidst all this death and destruction, it's almost as if your father's Force signature has disappeared completely. I'm worried..."

"That he's dead?" Luke finished quietly. "Yeah, me too. I haven't been able to sense my friends for a while now... well, everyone except for Han, that is. It's odd. It almost seems like he's here with us in the compound, but that's impossible."

"You don't believe he could have been captured?"

"I wouldn't doubt it," Luke chuckled. "Han has an uncanny ability to get himself in sticky situations."

"We could search for him," Obi Wan prompted. "If you truly believe he's here, he might be in the dungeons. I've heard rumours that Loki's keeping dozens of prisoners down there."

"Loki would never let us in."

"Then we'll sneak in." The Jedi shrugged and stood up. "I'll ask. If he says no, cme to my room at midnight and we'll sneak in together."

"You'd do that for me?" Luke asked hopefully.

"Anything for my unofficial nephew." Obi Wan grinned and slipped out of the room.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Jedi barely made it into the main hallway before a hand roughly shoved him into a dark room, shutting the door behind him. Obi Wan didn't flinch as Loki flipped on the lights and shifted to sit behind his massive mahogany desk, gesturing for the Jedi to take a seat as well.

"I have a mission for you," Loki began, sliding Obi Wan a manilla folder. "A confidential mission."

"So soon?" Obi Wan questioned. "I've barely been back a week."

"My armies are in disarray. I need you to return to the Death Star and put them back on track."

"You trust me on a solo mission to the Death Star?"

Loki sighed exasperatedly and nodded.

"I've told you before, you are my most trusted soldier. The others would run off and never return from a mission such as this, but you're different; you care for your friends and would never leave them in captivity." Loki paused to fidget with the golden horn on his brilliant helmet, mulling over his next words. "This isn't simply a solo mission, mind you. I will allow you the company of Luke Skywalker on your journey. I trust you will guide him well."

"You think he's ready for a mission already?"

"Maybe not." Loki looked uncomfortable as he finally put down the helmet and turned to face the Jedi. "I know of your relations to his father, which is why I began to trust you in the first place, but I now see that my trust was not mistaken. You've never once shaken that trust in the year that I've known you, which is why I believe it's only right you are allowed more freedom than the rest. This is why I'm allowing you and Skywalker a month off of your duties so that you may train the boy as you please."

Obi Wan felt his heart skip a beat.

"I know how important it is for Jedi to have a padawan of their own," Loki continued quickly, "and since I've all but cut you off from your order - or what's left of it, that is - it's only fair I give you time to train this boy. You may remain on the Death Star and complete this training with Vader if you wish, as long as you return to the compound by the end of the month."

"I don't know how to thank you," Obi Wan gasped. "This is more freedom than I could possibly deserve."

"I only ask one thing of you in return," Loki cut in quietly.

"Anything."

"By the end of the week, I'd like a progress report on the Imperial army. I've placed a list of high ranking officials in your folder for you to check up on. At this point, I have no clue who has been snapped and who remains alive, so if you could find out the numbers, I'd be very grateful."

"Of course." Obi Wan shot to his feet excitedly. "Thank you."

"It was nothing," Loki replied slowly. "You may leave when you're ready. I will have your ship fuelled up for you within the hour."

Obi Wan nodded and nearly ran from the room, tripping up the stairs as he burst into his bedroom. Luke, startled, nearly fell off his chair as the Jedi slammed the door behind him.

"Pack your things," Obi Wan instructed, throwing himself at his closet. "We're leaving."

"What?" Luke cried, yelping as Obi Wan tossed a travel bag at his head. "Where are we going?" The boy ducked and narrowly missed a flying cloak as it was tossed in his general direction. "Obi Wan, what's going on? Where are we going?"

"Home." Obi Wan grinned excitedly as he clipped his lightsaber back onto his belt. "We're going home."

Luke narrowed his eyes and carefully stood up, shouldering the travel satchel.

"How the kark did this come about?" he questioned.

"He wants me to train you," Obi Wan explained, shoving leather-bound books into Luke's bag.

"Then why are we leaving here? Not that I'm complaining..."

Obi Wan slowed his movements, giving Luke a sympathetic look.

"He says we may train with Vader if you so wish," Obi Wan offered.

Luke blanched.

"Obi Wan, he's a Sith," Luke reminded the Jedi. "We can't... we can't train with him."

"Luke, there's no Jedi or Sith anymore," Obi Wan reasoned. "It's been a year since I last had any contact with the Jedi. The purge wiped out the majority of them, and from what I've heard, Vader has wiped out the rest. And the Sith... they're merely a silver of what they used to be. With our combined training, we can make a new order, Luke. The Jedi don't have to die out fully."

Luke stared at Obi Wan for a long moment, frowning to himself. This man was nothing like the Ben he'd met on Tatooine so long ago; he was younger, more reckless, and much less inclined to follow the Jedi code. The fact that one of the last Jedi in the galaxy was willing to abandon the order he'd dedicated his life to was concerning. Was the order really so far gone that even Obi Wan was willing to defect?

"I'll think about it," Luke decided, returning Obi Wan's bag. Then, after a moment's hesitation, "we'll leave in an hour."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Elijah watched Obi Wan carry his bags to his ship with a frown. It seemed so long ago that Loki had instructed him to keep a careful eye on the Jedi; Obi Wan was a threat, someone so powerful he rivalled even the vampire. But now, Loki apparently trusted the Jedi enough to allow him leave from his duties outside of the compound. What had changed?

Perhaps it was Elijah that changed. The vampire considered this as he put away his broom, not liking the train of thought. He'd grown so weak since Loki had recruited him. Perhaps Loki had sensed it - no, of course he had sensed it. Never before would Elijah mourn the death of a friend, but he'd been in a funk ever since Clark had been snapped out of existence. The superman had always seemed so invincible that it was almost beautifully ironic that something as simple as a snap could take him out.

"'Scuse me," Luke said as he quietly pushed past Elijah. The vampire watched the boy curiously, noting the stuffed satchel on his shoulder.

"You're leaving with him?" Elijah questioned. Luke slowed his pace but didn't stop, wanting to put as much distance between himself and the vampire as possible.

"Yeah."

Elijah raised a confused eyebrow and reached out to stop Luke, wincing as the boy flinched away from the contact.

"You don't have to be scared of me," Elijah prompted. "What I did was on Loki's orders."

"I know." Luke finally glanced at Elijah, his wide with childlike innocence. Elijah shook his head, not believing him one bit.

"You resent me, don't you?"

Luke's face turned red; he was clearly not expecting the question.

"You don't need to say anything," the vampire chuckled, patting Luke on the shoulder. "I can see it in your eyes."

"What you did saved my life," Luke finally whispered. "Loki would never have let me live otherwise. I suppose I should be thanking you."

"You don't need-"

"No." Luke shook his head slowly. "No, I don't want to hold a grudge. You saved my life and I'm grateful."

Elijah offered Luke a rare smile.

"Thank you." He grinned as the corner of Luke's mouth turned up; it wasn't much, but it was a start.

Luke turned back towards the door, but as he was about to take a step, he paused.

"I'm sorry about Clark," Luke murmured. "I know you two were close."

Elijah nodded gratefully, and though Luke never turned around, he could feel the vampire's friendly smile. With that, he readjusted his grip on his bag and walked outside, joining Obi Wan on the ramp of their ship.

Elijah watched wistfully as the ship slowly rose off the grass and shrank into the sky; like all the others, he yearned to see the outside world again, but he knew in his heart that this imprisonment might become a life sentence. Considering his unnaturally long life span, that could be a very long time.

With a sigh, the vampire picked his broom back up and turned towards the pile of ash on the floor. One day at a time, he told himself. One day at a time.

Spot 5: RondaRayl

***

Donovan was so angry because the Jedi Holocron that Darth Vader had given him didn't work. The Sith Lord had tricked him which didn't happen often. He needed the device to give him more knowledge. So far, his plans to take magical and mysterious artifacts and devices wasn't working like he wanted it to.

What artifact or realm should he go after next? Donovan wasn't sure what to do.

Well, he knew before he could try to steal another Holocron, he needed more men. His Nazis wouldn't be enough against all the other villains and their armies out there. Besides, he wanted to get even with Darth Vader and to do that, he needed a big army and something powerful.

Donovan looked over at Rumplestilskin who leaned against the wall by the door. "I need something powerful enough to destroy Vader for tricking me."

Rumple giggled. "There's a lot of things that can do that, dearie..." He paused and wiggled his head and twitched his fingers. "But I've got an idea."

Donovan asked, "What is it?"

***

Rumple wasn't quite sure how he felt about the clothing in 1500s France. But using magic to impersonate the heir to the French Throne was only part of him and Donovan's plan. The good news was that the spell to turn him into Francis, the prince, also gave him an exceptional French accent.

What he hadn't expected was that the Prince, Francis, was just about to get married. The Scottish Queen, Mary, seemed pretty enough, but unfortunately for him, she seemed to be madly in love with Francis. This meant she hardly ever left Rumple as Francis alone.

He had turned Francis into a rat and left him in a cage back in Donovan's house. He thought it was quite amusing. As Francis, he would be able to manipulate the king and use his soldiers to help Donovan's goals.

The wedding was grander than he thought the French capable of. Back in the Enchanted Forest, Rumple had crashed many weddings but never had he been in one, let alone being the groom. It was quite... odd.

After he and Mary said the traditional vows, the people gathered around them in a large crowd and each person wore elaborate gowns and suits. The people threw confetti onto Mary and Rumple as Francis. In the corner were a few musicians playing violins for their upcoming dance.

Rumple only new waltzes from the Enchanted Forest, so he quickly cast a spell so that he could perfectly dance with his new wife, Mary, according to the way the French people danced.

After they danced as husband and wife, the people were all allowed to eat from tables filled completely with food and pastries, most of which Rumple thought tasted halfway decent.

That night as his wife Mary slept peacefully in their bed, Rumple used his magic to teleport away. It was time for part two of their plan and hopefully they could do it and be back before Mary would wake up.

***

From what Daijiro had learned, the Infinity Stones had already been placed on a gauntlet and was owned by the heroes who had used them to destroy Thanos and save the universe. The heroes had just fought a long battle against Thanos and his armies, who had all been destroyed by the gauntlet.

The hero known as Iron Man had given his life to use the gauntlet so some of the heroes gathered around him as he died.

This was where Rumple came in.

He landed in the middle of all the heroes, waving his hands in the air and in an instant, they all froze. Excited, he giggled and marched right up to Iron Man. "Not gonna last long, eh?" he asked, glancing down at the frozen, dying hero. "I'll take that." He slipped the gauntlet with the Infinity Stones off Iron Man's arm and then teleported away.

He landed back in Donovan's office.

"Did you get it?" Donovan asked.

Rumple held up the gauntlet. "Yes, I did, dearie. I'll have to be the one to use it..." He scrunched up his face with a grin. "You wouldn't want to wear this. It has a bit of a nasty effect on humans."

Donovan nodded and held Rumple's dagger. "Rumplestilskin, I command you to use the Infinity Stones to destroy Darth Vader and his Empire."

Rumple put the gauntlet on his arm and felt the power surge from the stones through his body. It hurt at first, but he snapped his fingers and felt Vader and his men all disappear. "It's done, Donovan."

Donovan laughed. "With you and this gauntlet I will have the world."

Spot 7: ariel_paiement1

NIMEWE crumpled to the marble floor, silent tears springing into her eyes. "No..."

"Yes." Jellal crossed his arms. "Bharaidh is one of the most powerful rulers on Alcardia, and he's all but running the realm since the Collision. We need this alliance."

"Then send someone else."

"There is no one else."

She bowed her head and swallowed back her tears. "No one? I am not the only female unfortunate enough to be imprisoned here, am I?"

"The only one unwed and not belonging to me." He sighed. "I know you don't like it, but it's the only way."

"So I must exchange one slavery for an even harsher one. I know of the man you wish to give me to." She lifted her head, anger warring with pain now. "He's a savage who takes pleasure in cruelty, especially toward woman."

"You'll make do."

"I love another!"

"The bridgeboy." An uncommon flash of sympathy glowed in his eyes and swept through his intents to wash over Nimewe. "Love is not a requirement for marriage, though. I truly am sorry, but my decision stands. Spend the little bit of time you have left with him when he gets back from the observation room. You leave this evening."

The tears flowed freely then, and she let his guards guide her from the room without a fight. What else was she to do? Kaladin would suffer if she tried to fight this, and she couldn't bear that. So, she went quietly. A silent sob shuddered through her and passed her lips as they pulled her down the hall outside the throne room. Her chest constricted until the pain was too much to bear. She leaned her weight into the guards then and surrendered to their harsh pull as they dragged her through silent halls. Bowing her head, she gave up the fight. She would be God-King Bharaidh's unwilling bride.

KALADIN blinked at the screen before spinning in his seat to look at Ezra. Ezra stared back with his usual blank expression. Evidently, giants on a rampage were every day occurrences to the man. Why didn't that surprise him? Kaladin stabbed a thumb toward the screen behind him. "Does that count as the security breach Shaw insisted we look for?"

Ezra squinted at the giant as he made his way through the courtyard of the castle, sweeping all defenses aside in his fit of rage. The blond man watched for a moment more and shrugged. "Probably. He's doing a lot of damage."

"How did he even get in?" Kaladin spun to watch the screen.

The giant lumbered to the south side wall near the cameras and holding cells, which were directly below the observation room where he and Ezra sat. Ezra clicked a button on his radio with a sigh. "Dom, Shaw, we have a problem."

The radio crackled. Then Dom's voice barked over it. "What now? I'm a bit busy with Bates."

"Norma again?"

The giant squinted into the lens, giving Kaladin and Ezra a good view of his roving grey eyes.

"Yeah. I'll have to bring the menace along if you need backup."

"I think you'll have to."

Reaching out, the giant fisted the cameras in his fingers.

"There's a giant on the rampage on the south side of the castle. He just grabbed the cameras right outside the observation room."

"We're on our way." The radio crackled and went dead.

A second later, the screens blacked out, leaving them without a visual. Well, there went the cameras, if he had to guess. The giant had probably crumpled them like paper. Overhead, the lights flickered and spit. That couldn't bode well. Kaladin opened his mouth to say something. Static prickled along the hairs of his neck.

Then the lights blew with a loud crack.

Kaladin threw himself to the floor but not before shards from the bulbs overhead had pierced his shoulder. He hissed and probed the wound. His fingers came away wet with blood. He must have been hit with a larger piece of the glass covering the industrial lighting. "Ezra?"

"I'm fine." Ezra sighed. "But the flashlight we were given doesn't work."

"Does any of it work?" With the darkness in the room, he somehow doubted it.

There was a click, then silence. Another click. "Nope."

Great. He didn't have any Stormlight raging inside. Jellal still didn't trust him with that. He groaned and let his head rest against the desk.

"You okay?"

"No. Some of the glass protecting the lights shattered and hit me."

Shuffling came from Ezra's side of the room. "Sorry I can't make a light or anything." There was a bump and then a low curse.

"Don't hurt yourself on my account. There's probably glass coating the floor."

"I have shoes on for a reason, idiot." Ezra's voice sounded tighter than usual.

"Are you okay?"

"Do I sound okay?"

Good point. Kaladin began the painful process of pulling his shirt away from the wound and tugging it up over his head. Judging by the pain, he'd been hit by a few smaller shards. Nothing had hit an artery, but it had done enough damage to cause a fair amount of bleeding. He traced his fingers over his bare shoulder once the shirt was off. Nothing that would kill him as long as it got treated eventually. "You think they're going to get here to help us?"

"How, for the love of all that's holy, would I know that?" Ezra finally eased down beside him.

"You called them, and they said they'd come."

"Who knows what power's like on their side of the building. They might not be able to get to us if too many things shut off."

Another good point. "So now what?"

"Now, we wait."

COULD the day get any worse? First, he'd had to tell Nimewe what he'd done. The look on the girl's face still lingered in his mind, leaving an acidic taste on his tongue. It hadn't been avoidable, but it didn't mean he liked it any more than she did. Unfortunately, he was in desperate need of the allegiance this offered, and there wasn't another way.

And right after dealing with her, Dom had called to report that a giant from gods only knew where was on the rampage just outside the base. He'd thought coming to Star City would be a tactical decision. Moving bases to a place with far superior technology and fortifications should've been a good thing, and after the enhancements he'd made, it was. Except for one minor oversight on his part. He hadn't built the place to withstand giants, and for reasons no one understood, their force field generator had quit working. Convenient how that had happened.

To make matters worse, he was losing control of another realm he'd seized in secret after kidnapping the heir. The heir to the throne would have to make an appearance soon, and he couldn't very well allow the man himself to go up there. It'd be a disaster if Dorian of Adarlan escaped or, worse, revealed what Jellal was up to now. At the moment, that wasn't something he could afford. But neither was a riot.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and slumped down on his throne. Where was Valeia, anyway? Had he forgotten to summon her after the giant showed up? They needed to figure out how to get the tech running again, and he suspected the problem had something to do with the giant, which meant magic was probably their only choice right now. What a nightmare.

The doors creaked open, and Valeia ducked inside. "Jellal?"

He sighed and buried his face in his hands. Just in time. "Vale."

"What's the matter?" Her light footsteps pattered over the marble, and then her cool hands were pulling his rough ones from his face and caressing his cheeks. "Please, tell me what's wrong. Why isn't any of the lighting working? And the forcefield's down too. Jellal, what's going on?"

"A giant is rampaging outside in the courtyard of this castle we've built, the tech in the entire building is down, and I've just condemned an innocent woman to a wretched marriage. I really don't think things can get any worse at this point. We need to gather all of the prisoners into this room. It's the safest place we can bring them since I had it refitted to reinforce the walls, doors, and floor. It should allow us to hold out against an attack."

"I'll go get everyone I can find." Valeia squeezed his hands. "But don't worry too much. We'll work it all out."

AMADEIRA hurried into the room that had gone from throne room to prison. Well, maybe not prison. They weren't here to be kept in. They were here to keep the giant out. But what did it matter? Her gut was screaming that they weren't all going to survive this.

She found Leo in the crowd of people, a sour look on his face, and she hurried to where he was standing. "Do you know what's going on?"

"There's a giant out on the rampage and our tech doesn't work. Not only that, someone contacted Jellal from an outlying region he's in touch with and warned him that some cracked-in-the-head supervillain got his hands on a weapon of mass destruction." Leo shook his head. "One that, apparently, gives him the ability to kill half the world's population with a snap of his fingers."

Her heart skipped a beat. "A-anything else I should know?"

Leo jerked his head to a corner where Kaladin was being restrained by four guards. "Nim just told us Jellal auctioned her off to be married. Want to guess who he's selling her to?"

Amadeira gulped. What did it matter who it was? Nim loved Kaladin. The woman had been through enough without this too. Why would Jellal do this? "No, I'm not in a guessing mood. Who?"

"Bharaidh."

Her chest squeezed. "A-as in the God-King Bharaidh?"

Leo glared in Jellal's direction. "One and the same."

"He'll ruin her. We can't let him."

"Not much choice." Leo took her arm and drew him into her. "But the trouble doesn't end there."

She sucked in a breath and squeezed her eyes shut. How did it get worse?

"Jellal is sending me to Adarlan to take the place of Dorian, heir to the throne and now king. Arcannen is going to glamour me, brief me on the requirements on the way there, and then let me loose to give some speech to calm the people down. And depending on what happens, I might be stuck there for a while."

"So? That's not so bad, and you'll be away from here."

"I have to pose as royalty." His face twisted with a scowl. "Can you think of anything worse?"

She went up on her toes and pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth. "I can't think of anyone better suited, actually. You've been playing roles for years, and you're good at it. So go find out what you have to do and get it over with. Better you're there than here."

"Not if you're in danger while I'm unable to protect you."

She laughed, though her stomach had knotted so tightly she could barely draw a breath. "I'll be fine. Everyone here will watch out for me. We'll be here when you get back."

He crushed her to him with a shake of his head and claimed her mouth with his. His kiss ravaged her lips and left her breathless, but it also left her with his silent promise to return to her. "They can't protect you from the crazed lunatic with the killer rocks."

She smiled and traced her fingers down his jaw. "No, but then, you can't be protected either. There's nothing anyone can do to fight the threat now, so we're just going to have to wait and pray we're not casualties. Now focus on what you have to do to avoid incurring Jellal's wrath. Think of me and your mother, and put on the best performance of your life, alright?"

He sighed. "Fine. Stay safe, then."

"Always."

He gave her one last, lingering kiss and then he slipped away to join Arcannen. A wave of cold washed over her, and she watched him while he conversed with Jellal and the sorcerer. He turned to meet her gaze once before Jellal's man said something to him. He looked back, and moments later, all three vanished. His absence hit her in the gut like a fist, and she resisted the urge to double over and cry. The presence of death hung over this place, and it clung to her like a grim shadow. She only wished there were a way to know who it was after. But there wasn't, and death waited for no man.

NIMEWE stepped onto the gold-gilded floor of Bharaidh's throne room and shook off the stupor traveling with magic always caused. Beside her, the guards who had transported her held her in their iron grip. She didn't fight them but instead stared straight at the man who would trap her here. He stared back, his soulless black gaze boring into her. She shivered but wouldn't drop her gaze. He was no master of hers, and she wouldn't be cowed into submitting. He might end up her husband, but he would never rule over her while she still breathed. It was the only act of defiance she had left in her.

Even as she stared at him, her mind wandered to Kaladin. Was he safe? He'd looked as if his entire world had cracked in two and then splintered even further. No amount of apologizing or assurances that what was meant to be would be could ever fix it. She'd felt the shattering of something deep inside of him just as keenly as she now felt the emptiness and cruel pleasure in others' pain that snarled inside of this man, the God-King Bharaidh.

A smirk played on the man's lips. "You do not bow to your new master, woman? Did Jellal tell you nothing of me?"

"He didn't need to." She straightened and drew from the colors around her to give power to her shove.

The guards stumbled away, their grip on her broken.

She strode forward and stopped at the bottom of the dais. "I already know you are one of the wickedest, cruelest rulers this realm has ever known. Perhaps even one of the worst rulers any world has known. But I don't know them all, so I suppose I can't judge that yet."

The smile dropped. "Don't push me, woman. I promise you, you won't like the consequences."

"Pity. You won't like them either if you try to leash me like some sort of animal. My lord." She sneered up at him. "I'll go through with this farce, but not because you have control over me. I'll do it because I care more about someone else's safety than mine. Fortunately for you, I think."

"Big words for such a tiny woman."

A chill spread through her, but this time, the chill straightened her back and curled her fingers into fists. "Keep testing me, and you'll find out just how much I'm capable of. This marriage will be on my terms or no one's, Bharaidh. You hold only an illusion of control, and it's one easily shattered."

His lips tightened into a thin line for a moment. Then he shrugged. "Perhaps. But if you keep speaking to me like that, little girl, you're going to find out just how much power I do hold. Now that you've entered my castle, you've officially become mine."

Her chest seized, and for a minute, her heart stuttered. Her fingers numbed with cold, and she swallowed hard. She was his just by setting foot here? What a backwards system. But it didn't matter how backwards it was because it was her life now. She'd entered the dragon's lair, and he was going to devour her. She flinched and resisted the urge to turn and flee. Her fingers clenched and unclenched. "I suppose it's too late to mention that I have no desire to belong to anyone, let alone you?"

He snickered and strode forward. His strong fingers locked around her neck in a loose grip, but it felt like a vise anyway. "You are mine. You can either resign yourself to it or fight it, but you will be mine. It's an inevitable outcome of coming here at your master's command." He lowered his head until their lips brushed.

She squeezed her eyes shut and fought her gag reflex.

His mouth slanted over hers, parting her lips brutally and without any warning. She shuddered and cried out, but Bharaidh swallowed the cry with a voraciousness that shocked her. She pressed her palms to his chest, and his fingers tightened around her neck. He growled a warning against her mouth before slanting his head to get a better angle.

She endured it until his other hand came up to rove over her body, touching and leaving ice in the wake of his caresses. His lips finally released hers, but he moved from her mouth to her jaw and down to her neck. His wet, hot kisses trailed down her collarbone until he stopped to order the guards out of the room.

Terror latched its wicked fingers into her then, and she thrashed against him, shoving him back and leaving a gray patch in the previously resplendent clothing he wore. He glanced down at it for a second before closing his hand around her wrist and dragging her back into him. She kicked and screamed, pleaded with the guards not to go, and clawed for her freedom. The guards ignored her and tromped to the door. Her hand stretched out toward the thin sliver of space between the two gilt doors as the guards closed them. Then they slammed shut and left her at Bharaidh's mercy.

His warm breath fanned over her bared shoulder, and his hands skimmed her waist. "Now that we no longer have an audience, woman, I'm eager to get the Bonding process over with."

She shook her head, tears leaking past her lashes and down her cheeks. Still, she stared straight ahead at the door.

"Refuse me, and whoever you left behind, whoever you tried to protect by coming here, will die as I sweep your master off the face of this planet. Understand?" His mouth ghosted over the crook of her neck.

Goosebumps spread over her skin, but she nodded. For Kaladin's sake, she would obey. Even if it killed her, she would be the sacrificial bride of the God-King of Aleshtain.

"Good." He stepped away, and his fingers played with the back of her dress. Then he took a firmer hold and rent it down the seam.

She gasped and closed her eyes, tremors running through her. Not what she'd expected. But what had she expected, exactly? A cold reception? A gentle but passionate lover she could come to stand? This was the man who ruled a country of unspeakable depravity. Gentleness was not in his vocabulary. But violence and passion were.

He wrenched her around to face him, and she stared at the floor. Any energy she had to fight had fled when he'd threatened Kaladin, and she didn't even bother to cover herself. What was the point? Bharaidh had already told her what would happen. There wasn't another outcome. She was his. If not entirely yet, she would be in the very near future. In just an hour, judging by the way he was staring. She ducked her head and wept bitterly as he drew her to him and took what he wanted along with all that was left of her dignity and her heart.

WIT shook his head and ambled along the side of the outer wall. The giant had managed to punch a hole through the south wall into the cells, and it was now lumbering about in the castle, destroying everything in its way. The more pressing concern, however, was the fact that the creature had managed to disable every technological item they owned. Granted, magic made that less of a hardship than it could've been. Jellal and Valeia had managed to get the rudimentary things operating in the throne room with the magic they and Jellal's minions possessed, but it wasn't going to change the fact that the giant was a problem. Nor would it solve the problem of Thanos.

Thanos. Now there was a real problem. No doubt the Snap was coming. Who it would take was the only real question. Without a doubt, around half of the people in that throne room would end up dead. If not by the giant's hand, then by Thanos's. Too bad, really. But what could be done now? Thanos couldn't be stopped, and he couldn't be reasoned with. So, Wit was busy working on other issues. Why bother dealing with something you'd end up botching anyway? If he couldn't fix it, he wouldn't waste energy on it. Besides. If half of Jellal's army died, so would half of the men in the armies of his opposition. So, really, the playing field would stay relatively even in numbers. But not necessarily in skill, so he'd just have to hope that whoever died in the Snap wouldn't be vital parts of his plan. That would throw a damper on his entire scheme.

But for now, he had more important tasks. He slipped out of the compound around the castle and onto the streets of Star City. Time to gather the final players in this deadly game of wit.

THE giant had broken through the walls into the castle about ten minutes ago, and not having a visual was driving Valeia nuts. The men who could fight stood at the ready in front of the doors, and everyone else had huddled in the back of the room. Chances were high that even with magic, they wouldn't win. With all of their tech out of commission and only the bare essentials working, the giant definitely had an advantage over them. Size, sheer power, and the ability, she suspected, to disrupt all electrical devices they'd been using here. Too bad none of them knew how to fix the problem. Electricity was too new to most of them. They knew clicking buttons made things run, but fixing anything when it broke? That was out of the question.

A rumble boomed through the door into their tiny room. She shivered and tensed. The giant must be getting closer. No telling why it was on a rampage, of course. Could be anything since the creature hadn't bothered to communicate its purpose or desires to them. From what she could tell, the thing was just a senseless killing machine. Too bad, really. Negotiations would've avoided a lot of damage and, if the thing made it in here, a lot of lives.

Another booming rumble.

The doors rattled on their hinges. Then they were flung from their places to slam into the men unfortunate enough to be in their trajectory. She winced and stifled a gasp when she realized who had been in the way. Dom and someone else she hadn't known were gone just like that. No fight. No chance to even run. They were just gone.

Her fingers shook, but she forced her magic to the surface and turned it toward powering up the devices they'd found to store energy. If they wouldn't generate power like they were supposed to, she would power them with her own electrical current. Too bad this could have negative effects on her health. Death being the most permanent one. But it was the only way to give the others a way to protect themselves and take out the giant. On her own, she would become a target, and there wasn't much likelihood that she'd last if she was a target of that monster's wrath. Who knew what his abilities consisted of. She certainly didn't want to find out by ending up a personal punching bag.

LEO stared down at the paper once more before he shoved it into his pocket and strode onto stage, head held high. He hoped this would be convincing. If it wasn't, he wasn't looking forward to the response it would garner. Hopefully Dorian hadn't lied about his speech's authenticity.

The people stared up at him, haggard and harried. But hope glowed in those eyes, though he couldn't discern what the hope might be for. They stared at him as if he might be the savior they longed for and had prayed for most of their lives. What had their lives been like before Dorian took control after the Collision? Miserable, judging by the looks of them. He cleared his throat and stood in front of the throne that had been set up on the dais.

The crowd burst into eager chatter, and he gripped the armrests of the throne for a moment as the sound washed over him. What was he doing up here? He hated crowds. He hated being around this many people. And he hated lots of noise. Dorian had lived with those things all his life, so he had to act like he was as used to it as the prince would be. Even if it all made his stomach lurch. He straightened up and sucked in a deep breath.

"Quiet down, please!"

The crowd continued to chatter.

He bellowed out over the noise once more, irritation surging inside of him. "I said, be quiet!"

That got their attention. Too strong? Maybe. He just hoped it wasn't too strong for Dorian's usual demeanor. Too bad he hadn't been briefed about much of anything on the other man.

He tried to hold in the sigh and raised a hand to hold their attention on him. "I'm here to reassure all of you and to let you know what's going on. But I can't do that if I can't be heard."

The crowd settled the rest of the way, all of them now staring up at him again.

He swallowed. Why couldn't he just read the speech? Oh, right. Because the prince was too well-rounded to read his speeches. He memorized them because he was Prince Dorian. Pompous, more like it. He pulled the words he'd been memorizing back to mind, took a deep breath, and began. "People of Adarlan. Friends and family. I want you to know that we enter a new era now. One where the magical is not something to be feared, hunted, and driven underground. Instead, I intend to lead everyone into a time of prosperity, power, and peace with those around us. You may remember the famous poem that my father held up as a sign of the evil that could exist in the world." He closed his eyes and recited it from memory. "Ashryver eyes. The fairest eyes, from legends old. Of brightest blue, ringed with gold."

He opened his eyes and stared at the woman Dorian was said to have loved. "I'm here to tell you all that those eyes are indeed the fairest. I've looked into them many times, and I know what lies behind them. It isn't pure evil or wickedness. Instead, it is stark humanity with only the appearance of being different. I say this because the world we find ourselves in now is full of differences."

The woman, Celaena or Aelin Galathynius as Dorian apparently knew her now, stared back impassively, but a flicker of wariness warred in her eyes.

"Just like the Ashryver eyes, it could be feared. Or it could be embraced. That's what I'm proposing you do with me." He smiled fiercely, hoping the people would take the words to heart, however sentimental he felt they were. "So, trust in me to guide you and trust that if we work together, we can overcome. Are you with me?"

The crowd roared its approval, and Leo forced himself to remain rooted in place, receiving the praise that belonged to another man. There wasn't any escape. Not yet. He'd have to wait until there was a lull in the cheering for him to thank them for coming and tell them that he had to leave to attend to urgent matters of state in the wake of the realms' collisions.

When the lull came, he seized the opportunity and gave his farewell to the people before beating a hasty retreat to his study. But apparently the universe was against him because even there he found no respite. He opened the door and came face to face with Celaena Sardothien, otherwise known as Aelin Galathynius, the long-lost Queen of Terrasen. The woman who had been both the King's Champion and the last remaining heir of the family the King himself had destroyed. The universe certainly had a sense of irony. In the end, some said she was the downfall of Dorian's father, Dorian Havilliard the First. But no one could tell for certain in the chaos after the Collision. Arcannen had warned him about the resourceful Fae Queen and her penchant for showing up uninvited. It seemed his speech had been taken as an invitation in this case since here she was.

"What was done with Dorian and Chaol?"

"Nothing?"

"Rowan was sent to find them and hasn't returned. I assume you were the one Dorian sent with a message. Or perhaps Chaol sent you. That poem was the one that finally helped him connect the dots and figure out that he'd just sent his kingdom's greatest enemy into the hands of her greatest potential allies. I doubt he'd use it though. He'd be too proud to use a gesture like that to draw my attention."

Who were the people she was talking about? He didn't know but he needed to make this convincing because Arcannen had warned that no one could be allowed to find out the truth about him. "I thought he'd gone to find you. And Rowan never showed up at the castle, so I don't know where he is either."

"You're not Dorian, even if you do look like him. I can either get what I want the easy way or the hard way. Which will it be?"

Leo's shoulders slumped. "Fine. The man holding Dorian hostage is blackmailing me, and he made me come here to calm the people down with a speech from Dorian. Well, me in disguise as Dorian. But Dorian wrote the speech."

She crossed her arms. "I want to know where to find Dorian."

"In Star City."

What harm could it do to tell her? At least if she blew everything to pieces, he'd have a chance to escape with Amadeira and his mother. Hopefully without fear of pursuit.

Celaena's piercing blue eyes with their gold rims narrowed, but after a moment, she nodded. "Very well. But if I find out you lied, you'll have my knife in your back."

He grinned. That might be the only funny thing he'd heard all day. "Maybe. But as one master of the trade to another, assassins are a tough lot to kill. If they're not sloppy."

"And are you?"

"Rarely."

"That's good for you if you lied."

"I didn't."

"So you say." She strode past him to the door and yanked it open. "If I were you, I'd quit masquerading as someone you aren't."

He winced as the door slammed shut. What if he was never allowed to leave this life at all? His throat constricted. No. They'd let him go home. He couldn't be trapped here playing a role for the rest of his life. It would be fine. Everything would be alright. It had to be.

EZRA couldn't remember the last time he'd been so annoyed. Things hadn't exactly been going well with getting out of this place and leaving with the boy who had idiotically followed him here. But now things were downright crappy, and he was staring straight at the kid he'd brought along. Why he felt any urge to protect such a foolish child, he didn't know. But that urge was the reason he was standing in front of the kid defying a giant.

Sure, the ka'kari let him take any blow from a sword or metal object without harm. But it didn't protect him from being crushed to death in a giant's hand. Something he was acutely aware of in this instant as the giant's hand zoomed toward him. He dodged, though the movement lacked any finesse and resulted in a nasty tumble to the floor. The giant resumed his pursuit, and this time, Ezra wasn't fast enough.

The giant held him up and squinted at him before sighing and beginning to squeeze. Spots danced on the edges of his vision, and he wheezed as something popped. A rib, probably. Searing pain flashed down his side, and he gasped, but no air entered his lungs. This hadn't been how he'd envisioned his end, but then again, he hadn't anticipated the Collision either, so it shouldn't be that shocking to him that he'd die in an unusual way. Still, that didn't mean he wanted to end at the giant's hand.

He pried at the meaty fingers to no avail. The giant shot him a look that clearly held incredulity and disdain. If he'd had to guess what was going on in the giant's head, he would say it probably was something along the lines of: stupid human doesn't even know he can't escape. At least, that was what the expression seemed to say, assuming that could be given any weight.

His vision blurred, and his lungs screamed in agony, but the giant kept holding on. He coughed and wiggled, but that only produced more pain. Finally, he gave up. What was the point in struggling? Not escape, certainly. That had proven futile.

Dimly, he heard someone screaming his name, and then his body was air-born, and air rushed back into his lungs in one cool burst. The relief, unfortunately, was short-lived. He blinked to clear his vision just in time to realize how high up he was. Moments later, his back collided with the hard floor.

A loud crunch accompanied the impact, but he couldn't make any noise to voice his anger at the pain it brought. What had broken? His neck? Maybe several locations in his spine? He tried to move his arms and legs but found he couldn't. Well, that confirmed that guess. Definitely something broken in his spine. And whatever he'd snapped on impact, it kept him from moving anything but his head.

The pain fogged his mind, but he was still lucid enough to recognize the danger he was in. His heart pounded against his battered ribcage, and he closed his eyes. If only he could close his ears to the din of the fight too. Maybe then it might not be so frightening to be entirely at the mercy of everyone around him.

THE world was ablaze with discussion of the situation. Every leader Wit spoke to had refused his request on account of their anticipated losses when Thanos initiated the Snap. One single Snap, and half the world would die. To some, particularly to those trapped in a life of misery, it would be a mercy if they were taken. But it didn't mean it could be allowed. Which was why Wit was here now. Reasoning with a madman was, of course, not likely to produce any real result. But he'd talked to everyone else and the only course left was waiting. While he waited, he might as well try to solve one of his problems. Though this problem didn't seem to want to be solved. Too bad really.

He stepped into the little lair Thanos had built. The man had found a place to build a base that very few would've thought to look. Genius of him. Not surprising though, all things considered. A super genius should be capable of finding a place to have the solitude to live in peace.

The lair didn't look like much. A few decrepit pieces of furniture and the chair Thanos often used to travel dimensions and space. Not the kind of place one would expect a king and a ruthless killer to reside, but who was he to judge? No one would think he was much looking at him. They certainly wouldn't suspect he traveled entire universes and timelines just to be where he was needed when he was needed.

"Bold of you to show up here."

Wit turned with a half-smile and shrugged. "I thought I might find you here."

Thanos crossed his arms. "I don't see how, but since you're here, it must have been inevitable."

Wit's smile broadened. "It's simple when you think about it, though. I came to the one place no one would think to look for a man who had the Infinity stones and the gumption to use them."

"Really? And that led you here?"

"It's perfect. A sorry sod like you needs somewhere to lie low because in a world like this, a few heroes would be the least of your worries. All the other villains around would focus on you. I mean, why wouldn't they? You have the capability to destroy half of their forces in one quick Snap."

"I'm not concerned about that. What do you want, then?"

"Want? Well, I was rather hoping that we could find a way to avoid using those stones. But I also came here well aware of the futility of asking such a thing."

"Then why come at all?"

Wit grinned. "Simple, really."

"It doesn't seem simple."

"A genius like you ought to be able to figure it out. I mean, really, with a brain that big, what can't you figure out? Gods know it's the biggest part of you for a reason."

Thanos snarled. "Why did you come, little man? Keep mocking me, and I may just decide you should be the first one to die, Snap or no Snap."

"That would be in keeping with your character, wouldn't it?" Wit sighed. "Just one in a string of deaths. Tell me. Did you ever manage to impress Mistress Death? One would think killing all of your own children, your pirate captain, and half of the world would gain her attention more permanently, and yet, here we are. Have you considered the possibility that you might need to revise your plan of attack?"

"Have you considered the fact that goading me may result in an early grave?"

Wit smiled tepidly. "I had. But while we're asking each other to consider such wonderful things, I must say... I had considered myself privileged to meet such a marvelous strategist, but now I'm just disappointed. Why, my horse has better tactics, and it's usually running away from something. Not even fighting and it still manages to outdo you."

Another rumbling growl escaped Thanos, and the villain took a step closer. His fingers dug into his biceps, and his skin turned a mottled shade of reddish grey. It was a miracle he hadn't exploded by now, honestly. "Why are you here? I take it it's not because you have a death wish."

"No. You're the only one obsessed with death and nihilism here. Grand choice, I'm sure, but not one I can share in, sadly." Wit sighed. "I'm here because... Well, I'm here because I'm bored, I'm afraid. And when I'm bored, I have a nasty habit of finding people bigger than me to mock because it amuses me to see them get angry and be entirely unable to do anything."

"I'm bigger than you, and I'm able to do something about it."

"You mean you'd stoop to my level just so we'd be able to be the same size? How noble."

"What? No." Thanos narrowed his eyes. "No. I mean that I'm going to just activate the gauntlet now. That should shut you up, shouldn't it, since it's the opposite of what you wanted."

"I already told you," Wit said. "I didn't come here expecting you to change your mind. I figured you wouldn't. But I really need you to get it over with so that I know who will still be around to be a part of my plan. It's important, you see. And I'll admit, though it's a bit of a blow to my ego, you weren't a part of it."

Thanos didn't say anything.

"Think about it, big guy." Wit spread his arms wide. "Don't tell me that big head of yours is all muscle and no brain. I don't believe that for a minute. But if you want to prove me wrong—"

"What is your point? The only reason you're still alive is because you amuse me and don't seem to present a threat. But you're starting to make no sense at all, which means you have no purpose. And that doesn't end well for you."

"The point's simple. You want to save the universe by avoiding overpopulation and human stupidity. An admirable goal by the way, though it would put me out of a job, unfortunately."

"And?"

"And I want you to perform the Snap so that I can continue on with my plans. The way I see it, our goals align. So, in fact, I'm not here to stop you but to ask you to please proceed. Everyone is waiting with bated breath for it, so what's the point in delaying?"

"I don't really care what everyone's waiting for. But the suspense is an attractive part of the whole thing. And I could afford to wait even longer if I chose."

"And will you?" Wit raised a brow.

"No."

"Oh, good. I rather hoped you wouldn't. Well?"

Thanos scratched his head with a sigh. "Remind me why I'm tolerating you?"

"I really can't. Lots of people have pondered that very question, and as of now, I still haven't received a good answer."

"Well, if you can't answer the question, I suggest you leave. You're beginning to bore me."

Wit shrugged and smiled. "I have what I came for, so I suppose I'll be going. Nice chat. I must say, you're the only individual who has managed to remain this calm while dealing with me."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

Wit shrugged. That moment seemed like a good time to pop out before anything went too wrong. He waved and then stepped into Shadesmar with a grin still on his face.

SHE'D lost count of the number of times she'd ended up splayed beneath him, tears leaking past her lashes and heart in tatters. He didn't seem to mind, and she'd never hated her gift more because having it meant she knew the perverted pleasure he took in dominating her this way.

The week wasn't even out, and she already wanted to die. Had, in fact, attempted it. Bharaidh had raved at her for half an hour and removed all sharp objects from her room as soon as he caught her in the bathroom with his knife after one particularly brutal episode. The odd thing was that after he'd finished raving, he'd attempted to offer her consolation, and she'd spent the entire night curled up on the bed with his arms around her. It only made things worse.

By now, she was sure it couldn't become any worse than it was. She stared up at the canopy overhead as the morning light filtered in through the heavy drapes. Her heart ached, and she struggled for each breath. The pain in her soul stole away every sense she had, stripped her bare of any awareness of anything except for the misery that now coated every fiber of her being. How had it come to this? To this grey, twilight of a space in her mind where she knew only the sharp sear of loss or the dull ache of loneliness? To this gloaming where she was caught halfway between heaven and hell, unable to fully descend into either.

Because whatever this was, it wasn't exactly hell. Oh, whenever Bharaidh visited his attention on her, it felt like hell. But it was tolerable when he wasn't bothering her. His other wives treated her well too.

But it also couldn't be called living, and it certainly was no heaven. She felt utterly broken, and a keen sense of her own destruction dogged her every step. Unable to stand lying beside Bharaidh any longer, she rose and tugged on her robe. Gliding to the window, she swept the curtains aside and pressed her palm to the cool glass. Only the moon and her reflection stared back at her, and the yawning chasm inside of her chest deepened.

She let her forehead fall to rest against the glass with a weary sob. When would this be over? Sinking to the floor, she huddled in a ball there and stared at the wall. The answer to that question was hardly a happy one. She was now Bound to Bharaidh. And she could only be unbound by death. A mercy that he refused her.

Pain screeched through her entire body, and her muscles seized. She frowned, coughing and pressing her hand to her chest where the pain was the worst. The instant her heart stopped, she could feel it. Then the world spun out of control, and everything went dark. Her final thought spiraled off into dust with her. Finally, she was free.

IT was the strangest thing Kaladin had ever seen. He lay there on the ground, his breath coming in gasps as he watched the giant continue to battle the few individuals left with the fire guns Valeia and Jellal had managed to get working with magic. And all around him, people were stopping and just sort of fading until they were heaps of dust on the ground.

He'd never seen anything of the sort, and it only seemed to be occurring in half of the people. Another extremely unlikely event. The giant itself wavered and then collapsed to its knees with a loud groan. Kaladin eyed its feet and saw that they were turning to the odd dust. Whatever was going on, it didn't seem to be too painful, though no one going through it looked comfortable.

A strange, sharp ache throbbed through his chest, and the sense that something was wrong prickled over his nerves. His mind went to Nimewe. If everything was falling apart here, what was it like there? Was this strange occurrence the Snap everyone had been anticipating? If it were, Nimewe could be fading away even now.

The ache left, and an emptiness came to take its place. Somehow, nothing seemed right with the world anymore, and he knew then. She was gone. He couldn't say how he knew for sure, but death had touched him so many times now that it seemed to haunt his every step. Syl hovered over his face, her expression crunching in pain. "K-kal, she's gone."

"You feel it too?"

She nodded uncertainly. "I don't know how, but the connection I had with her just broke."

His chest heaved, and his muscles went limp. She really was gone. Tears filled his eyes and slipped down his cheeks. "I can't... She can't be gone."

"She really is." Syl rested on his chest with a tiny mewl of distress. "I'm sorry."

He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a low, keening cry. Why was it he always lost everyone he cared about? The giant no longer seemed important. In fact, he almost wished the lumbering beast would've crushed him like it crushed Shaw and Cobb. At least then he wouldn't have to suffer this way. His breathing grew clogged with his tears, and his head spun. "At least she isn't trapped anymore."

Syl didn't answer, and he could feel the pain washing through her even as she found peace with it. Too bad he wouldn't be at peace with it any time soon.

THE power roared back to life in every device in the room. A few of the items they'd been running with magic overloaded their circuits and exploded. But Valeia only moved out of the way and continued to wander through the injured, the dead, and the strange piles of dust. The destruction from the Snap had taken Ezra, the giant, Norman Bates—and good riddance, she decided—half the army, Leo's mother, Ezra's friend, and Dom's children. Those were only the ones here that she could see. Who knew who else had been killed?

Kaladin lay a few feet away, weeping. She paused, her heart curling at the sound. He'd always been one of the strongest they had. He never cried, and now he sounded as if he'd lost the only thing left that mattered. Her stomach ached. Had something happened to Nimewe and been communicated through the strange bond the two shared? If it had, only her death could cause such agony. She bowed her head and steeled herself before moving forward.

Amadeira knelt beside Shaw's sister, Hattie, who was bleeding from the fallout of the giant's attack. At some point, the beast had slapped her into a wall, and she'd cut her cheek open on something. Others tended to those still alive, but most just sat and stared at the heaps of dust and cried. No one in the room looked relieved even though the immediate danger had passed.

"Now what?"

She spun on her heel before registering the familiar voice and relaxing. "I don't know. Jellal, what happened? These people—"

"The Snap. This is all it leaves behind."

"So..."

"Yes. All of them are gone. It took Dorian too. How am I supposed to tell Leo that he's stuck masquerading as the prince? He already felt trapped, and now I don't even have a way to force him to cooperate." His gaze went to Amadeira.

"We've done enough damage, Jellal. He did the best he could, and if we can bring him home, we should. Better to have his help and his good will in whatever happens after the Snap than to alienate him and add to our enemies."

He sighed. "I guess so. That decimated the army, I'm sure. I won't know just how bad it is until I count the living, though."

"Worry about it later." She swallowed back the lump in her throat. "Right now, everyone in this room has just lost someone. And if they haven't, they're watching friends suffer because of a loss. They need to know you care because right now, you're the only person they'll look to for guidance."

"Why would they do that?" His shoulders slumped. "I've imprisoned them and ordered them around since day one. I don't deserve their loyalty."

"Maybe not. But it's a crisis, and you've been leading everyone since the start, even if they resented it. It's time to use that leadership to help them now. Before it's too late and you lose the war to save humanity from Zeref. That war either ends here or lives on with these people." She slipped her hand into his and fought back the tears.

"Zeref isn't our biggest problem. Thanos can initiate another Snap whenever he likes until someone stops him." Jellal squeezed her hand and shook his head. "We're going to have to use every alliance we have and unite with all the other villains if we want to stop him, and I doubt it's possible. This is just the beginning of the end."

And he was right. If Thanos could initiate another Snap at any point, then it didn't matter that their tech was back online. It didn't matter that they had magic or allies. And it didn't matter whether they defeated Zeref or not. Everyone would still be at stake. People would live in fear. She squared her shoulders. "If that's the case, then we'd better get started because that unification of forces starts here in our own ranks."

They had the tech back. The giant was gone. But so was half their army. Now, if they failed, it would spell their doom.

Spot 8: Lostneverland4

Harr's POV

Mother Gothel's footsteps were loud as they pattered against the stone floor behind me. "What is this?" she yelled.

I looked back at her as her eyes narrowed. My eyes shifted back to the dishes in my tentacles. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Me tentacles keep gettin' stuck on the dishes." I laid my arm horizontally as I showed the powerful suction that kept the glass plate attached to my purple arm.

"I was told you would be useful with eight arms. Do not make me kill you, Octi. Make yourself useful or you won't be around much longer." She left the kitchen.

I mumbled to myself, "Me name is Harr."

I used the tip of another tentacle to push the plate off my arm. I worked harder to keep the dishes from sticking to me. Mother Gothel was far stricter than Peter ever was.

Life had been simple once, when my only goal was to help Banjo and Kazooie with their adventures. I could only wonder how the game would play without my presence. Could they continue to defeat each world without my assistance?

I was not too sure if they would make it to other worlds, such as Bubblegloop Swamp.

I could only imagine how it was going with Banjo and Kazooie without me, and how Peter was doing without our help. I still could not believe he had traded us off so easily. Was the boy loco?

Life had changed drastically when we moved to Mother Gothel's home. I was no longer considered a lost boy or what it was that Peter called his people. I was now just a slave and nothing more. I was of no use to her.

Amelia was somewhere else and I had not seen her since we arrived. We had been separated upon arrival. I had no idea why she decided to lock us up in different areas of the tower but she did not like the idea of us having any communication.

I feared this was my fate until the end of my days.

Amelia's POV

It was dark and cold in this room. There was not much light but it was no different from living in the village. During the night, we had to keep the lights dimmed to make sure the Unconsecrated could not be attracted to us more than they already were. Those fences had to keep them out and we still needed to take those precautions.

I winced as I stabbed my finger with the needle between my fingers.

I put down the needle and thread, looking over at the door as Mother Gothel entered the room. She eyed the fabric on the floor. "I was told you used to help make clothes in your village. You seemed to be perfect to make my clothing." She stood by the wall opposite of me.

"Are my parents still alive?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "Maybe they are. Only I know the answer."

"Please, don't hurt them. I've done everything you asked," I begged.

She cackled as she left me in the deathly silence locking me inside this misery. I pressed my back against the wall. Tears began to slip down my cheeks.

How could Pan betray me? I had done so much for him. I obeyed his every whim. I killed Aimes to keep our team together. He gave me up the second he could, and for who? He gave me up for a girl and a boy who would never serve him the way I had.

My eyes dried up as I observed the red cloth on the ground. Red was the color of blood. How could I get myself out of this? I could attempt to kill Mother Gothel. I was not sure how I could kill her but I could always try. I only had one attempt.

If I messed up, it was useless. My parents would be killed and I would suffer for the rest of this life I lived. I had to get it right, and I only had a single chance to do so.

Harlow's POV

I turned on my heel as I raced through the trees, pushing the branches from my face before they smacked into me. I came to a quick stop as long, blonde hair came into my view. "Rapunzel, I have terrible news."

"Could this news be worse than the fate I was forced to follow? Eugene is lost without me as I am without him. Nothing could be worse than what I've gotten myself caught up in." She braided her hair and undid the braid to do the process over again.

"This is worse. Pan is going to marry you off. He is going to marry you to some boy from another realm so he can form that alliance." I grabbed my knees as I worked hard to catch my breath.

Rapunzel grabbed onto a tree as her balance faltered. "Marry? He is going to marry me? Why must it be me? I love Eugene. I cannot marry someone else."

I walked to her and grabbed onto her shoulders. "We must find a way out of this. I would never support arranged marriage. We had come so far from such a life."

Rapunzel pressed her back against the tree to keep her upright. "Tell me it is not true."

"I wish I could. It is. I heard him talking about his plan to make you marry someone else." I pointed back towards the way I came.

She grabbed her stomach. "I don't feel so well."

I looked at the others who stood a few feet away. They had no clue that Pan was planning to marry her or any idea that I had told her about such a plan.

I shook my head as I looked back at Rapunzel. "I have to talk to the others about how we are going to get you out of this. I will try. I will do my best to make sure you are not going to marry someone you do not love."

She nodded a bit. "Thank you for being so kind. Mother taught me that I was never to trust anyone here. They would use me for my powers."

"Ironic, since she is doing exactly what she warns you of." I snickered. "I'll be back. You just rest here." I turned and headed over the Mowgli, Roman, and Jared.

Roman's POV

"Is this true?" I crossed my arms as I glanced at Rapunzel who was leaning against a tree.

Harlow grumbled and nodded. "Unfortunately, it is."

"Why the hell does Pan want to marry her off? Are you not a woman? What about..." my words trailed off as I scanned the area. "Lucy is also a woman."

Harlow took a few steps closer to me. "Excuse me, Roman? Do you want us to be forced to marry someone? It's not only the fact that she loves someone else, but also the fact that she doesn't love this boy to begin with. Is that somehow okay with you?"

"No, of course not. I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. I just don't know why he chose Rapunzel over two women who have been here longer. I am more curious than anything as to why he chose her."

Mowgli glanced at Rapunzel. "I believe it's because she is easier to manipulate into marriage. Harlow is rebellious. Lucy is a tough one to crack. Rapunzel is the easiest to control."

"That's insulting to her," I said. "She is not easy. I've seen the strength she holds. She tries to fight back. She met Eugene after she hit him with a frying pan and tied him to a chair with her hair. She doesn't trust easily."

"That may be but Pan doesn't know that. He sees a girl who is weak." Harlow sighed as she rubbed her face. "We need a plan to stop this. We can't let her do that."

"How are we going to stop a wedding?" I asked.

Mowgli folded his arms. "We have to do it in a way that doesn't anger Pan."

"That's impossible. Pan wants this to happen," Harlow argued.

Mowgli looked at Harlow. "Exactly."

Peter Pan's POV

I walked into the clearing where everyone stood. "I see you heard the good news." I looked at Rapunzel. She didn't dare give me her attention.

"Why her? What is wrong with you? She doesn't love him." Harlow stormed up to me.

I chuckled. "That's not going to matter. I will be pleased when I have another realm."

"You are so selfish." She pointed her finger at me.

I lifted my eyebrows. "You're just now figuring this out?"

Roman pulled her back and shook his head. "Don't make it worse."

"You should listen to him. You are never going to change my mind about this. Rapunzel is going to marry Robin and it is final. Rapunzel, get ready for your wedding. I wouldn't want to keep him waiting," I said.

"How did you get this boy to agree to this marriage?" Mowgli asked.

I looked down at him. "I didn't. I threatened to hurt the woman he loves if he didn't marry Rapunzel. I always use threats and blackmail. It surprises me that nobody has remembered this by now." I gave a small smile.

I looked over at Rapunzel as she tried to contain her sobs. "Let's go. Your time is up."

"I don't want to marry him," she said between sobs.

"You know what happens to Eugene if you don't."

"He dies. But no matter what, I do not get to be with him. How is any of this going to persuade me to obey you?" She wiped her wet cheeks using the backs of her hands.

"Once I have conquered all the realms, who knows what I might do. I could let you go. I could not. But it's not a risk you'd be willing to take. I suggest obeying me while you're ahead."

Lord Farquaad's POV

I rounded the tree as I caught Pan alone in the area. "I am proud that you took my suggestion into consideration. I know far too well about marriage. Forcing one to marry does work and it traps them within your grasp. It gives you what you want."

Pan looked at me and pushed his hair from his face. "I sent Reid to make sure she marries Robin. That's another realm we will own."

"I can't say I'm regretting our alliance with each other." I clasped my hands together behind my back.

"Good. Soon I will have control of all the realms and nobody can stop me then." He turned to face me. "We will be undefeatable."

"How do you believe she will go through with the wedding?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I know her. Harlow already lost her brother. He's trapped within dreamshade and cannot escape. Lucy would not be the right type. Rapunzel, however, has much to lose. She has Eugene to worry about and protect from my reign. If she wishes to keep the one man she loves alive, she will do as I say. She knows she has no other choice."

I nodded my head as I smirked. "That sounds wonderful. You seem to know your new lost child all too well."

"I must. I have to know everything about them if I am to control them." He turned away and studied the sky. "After all, Peter Pan never fails."

Jared's POV

I paced around the fire pit as I tapped my fingers against my jeans. I wasn't too sure how Mallory and Simon were doing without me. Simon had been taken and I wasn't there to save him. I was here.

I needed an escape back home. I wanted to see my family again. I had to see my brother and sister. It was my duty to make sure they were safe and protected. I was failing the one thing I was supposed to be good at.

I sat on the dirt and stared into the burnt wood. I was alone. Who did I have by my side if I didn't have Mallory and Simon? I didn't have anyone to be there. They were all I had. They were my friends and the only ones who cared about me.

I grabbed onto my head as I held it in my hands. Simon could be dead for all I knew. It would be my fault.

What did I gain by being here? My brother and sister were still in danger but now they just didn't have my help. I gained nothing. I lost everything.

Everything was beginning to feel more and more hopeless the longer I stayed here. I had no reason to stay here. They were not saved from anything.

Mowgli's POV

"You look like you may be going through a rough patch." I sat beside him.

Jared sighed. "How have you survived here so long? Every day that passes, I feel less motivated and less energetic to keep going. I want to be with my family. They need me."

"I have no idea. I keep going because I have hope that I will make it out somehow. Maybe the red flower will save me. I have to keep moving forward for my family, the people who raised me. They didn't teach me to give up. They taught me to be strong. I was taught survival and this is how I survive." I looked into the pit.

He shook his head and wiped the sweat from his brow bone. "I don't know if I can do this. I don't have the strength, Mowgli. I do not have the strength."

"You must keep fighting, Jared. I know you can do it."

"I'm not so sure I can." He rested his head on his knees. "I am ready to be done with all of this."

Rapunzel's POV

I walked through the city, watching the tall buildings go by me as Reid followed me to the tower. Another tower, I was told. It was ironic that I was getting married in a tower, and it was not to Eugene.

We approached a tower made up of metal and windows that formed the shape of a T.

Reid knocked on the door since I had no energy to make a move. As the door opened up, a man who looked to be a robot blocked our view of the inside. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Reid. This is Rapunzel. We are here to have the wedding," Reid explained.

The man looked back. "Robin! Your new wife is here!" he yelled.

He let us inside and I looked around the place. There was a large couch that made a U shape as it faced a device on the wall. Behind that, windows overlooked the city and the ocean. It was a beautiful view.

"This is the girl marrying Robin? You are so not his type." a girl said. Her voice was deep and it came off as depressing. She wore a purple cloak that covered the rest of her body.

"Robin, huh?" a green boy asked. "You sure are pretty! What powers do you have? I'm Beast Boy!" He ran around me, looking at my every move. "You have long hair."

The girl sighed to herself.

The robot man came back to me and studied my face. "Do you have powers?"

"I have magic. My hair glows. When I sing, it glows and I can heal people. I can make them young." I looked at the floor. Youth. That's why Mother Gothel used me. She had gained youth from my hair.

"You're the woman who has stolen my man," a redhead said.

I looked at a girl who wore a short purple skirt with tall purple boots and a matching top that did not hide her stomach. Her eyes were a striking green color, much like my own.

"I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention. I love someone else but if I don't go through with this, Eugene dies." I looked at her.

She scoffed and turned away from me as she crossed her arms.

A short boy came out of a room and looked at me. "I couldn't be bothered to dress up for this." He looked at his attire. He wore a suit, one with a red, black, and green color scheme with a yellow R on the chest.

"I did not wear anything fancy either." I looked at my purple dress. "I didn't wear shoes." I wiggled my toes.

Reid grabbed my shoulder and whispered, "Rapunzel, I want to help you get out of this."

I smiled at him and shook my head. "I know. I wish there was another way but I do this to keep Eugene alive. I hope Pan will eventually let me go back to him someday and we can be together."

I looked at Robin and cleared my throat. "The unfortunate event is upon us. We must marry."

Reid's POV

We all took a seat on the couch and watched as Rapunzel and Robin stood in front of the TV. I could see the regret that plastered her face.

The girl in the cloak stood by them both and looked between them. "Let's start the ceremony."

"Robin, are you really going through with this?" the redhead asked.

"Starfire, I have to. I can't let him kill you. This guy has magic even I cannot defeat," he said.

"But we can defeat him together! We can all go against him at once." She was holding back the tears.

The cyborg nodded his head. "She's right. We are a team, Robin."

"We are a team but we cannot defeat everyone. Some bad guys are above our level." Robin sighed. "I wish I could say we could but I can't. Cyborg, we just aren't strong enough."

"We've defeated Slade!" Cyborg yelled.

Robin shook his head. "I do not believe so. Slade is still out there. I know he is. Slade is the worst enemy we have ever gone up against and we had yet to defeat him. I'm sorry. We have to go through with this." He turned to Rapunzel.

The girl in the purple cloak spoke, "We gather here today... Blah blah, blah. Do you, Robin, take Rapunzel to be your lawfully wedded wife until death do you part?"

Robin didn't take a word. He looked at Starfire and glanced at the rest of us. He turned back to Rapunzel and let out a sigh. "I do."

"Do you, Rapunzel, take Robin to be your lawfully wedded husband until death do you part?" she asked Rapunzel.

Rapunzel shook her head. She closed her eyes as she retreated into her own thoughts. She was in there for quite a while before she returned to us and faced Robin.

"I do."

Spot 9: Several7s

Marriage?" Kiara's mouth fell open. "You're kidding, right?"

William shook his head. "They're planning to marry you to a prince in another realm."

She sat down on her bed, hands gripping the sheets. "I'm not ready for that, Will. I thought I could do this, but... marriage? Are you sure?"

Her eyes met his, silently begging him to give her just a sliver of hope. If he could just say he wasn't sure if they chose her, or that they hadn't mentioned a name at all. Something that would let her believe this might not happen.

"They sent me to tell you." He sat next to her and slipped a hand into hers. "But... maybe he'll be a decent guy. Most of these villains seem to enjoy messing with heroes."

She squeezed William's hand. She always believed she would get out of this with Aira somehow. Every part of her wanted to believe that they would get out of this without being destroyed. This news finally dashed that hope.

"I'll be okay." Saying it out loud made it seem possible. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad guy. If William was right, maybe she would be forced to marry a nice man.

Who am I kidding? I've never had that kind of luck. People will always use me.

"Kiara?" William watched her, brow wrinkled with concern. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She pulled her hand out of his and nodded. "Yes."

She had been used before and survived it. If this was truly all she was destined for, she would at least hope that whoever she was to marry would be a good man.

"We need to go. The villain from the other realm is expecting us."

"What realm?" Kiara brushed her fingers through her hair and forced herself to relax. "Where are we going?"

"It's a city called Snakesburrow."

***

"Whose idea was this?" Raiden looked at Raven, as if she could answer the question any better than he could. "We can't let them force Kiara into this."

She shook her head. "I know what you're thinking, Raiden, and you can't. She is going to do this for her friend. Wouldn't you do the same? Haven't you done worse?"

Her eyes seemed to read his very soul. For all he knew, they could. She knew how he felt about this, but she was also right. It wasn't his place to endanger Kiara's friend. This was her choice, no matter how awful.

The others in the room gave him concerned looks, but he ignored them and looked to Lexi. "Are we all going with her?"

"No." Lexi glanced at the door. "Royce, Gwen, and William are the only ones he wanted to send with her, and they just left. The Unseelie King gave us another job."

Raiden frowned. "What kind of job?"

***

When they arrived in Snakesburrow, the group found it to be filled with activity. Broken down shops were under reconstruction, and people seemed to be oddly cheerful. In the marketplace, shop vendors offered a variety of tools and building materials, as well as various foods and general necessities.

Kiara eyed the proceedings with little interest. It hardly mattered to her. This was going to be the Unseelie King's territory soon. She could only hope he didn't break the people's spirit. Then again, when had he not?

"What are you thinking about?"

She jumped away from the voice, choking back a yelp. "Gwen... you surprised me."

"Are you okay, Kiara?" Gwen laid a hand on Kiara's shoulder. "You don't have to go through with this. If you want, we can find a way out."

"No." Kiara forced a smile and shrugged off Gwen's hand. "I'm fine. I just... I want to meet him."

Gwen seemed to understand and moved back to Royce's side. Kiara watched the two of them together. They loved each other, that much was obvious. She wanted that, some day. I should have known it wouldn't happen.

In her head, she could hear the voices of the earthbenders. "Don't be too disappointed, Kiara. You were never going to have that life. You are nothing but a slave." The thought haunted her the rest of the way to the castle.

***

"The prince is in there." One of the guards gestured to a large set of double doors. "You have ten minutes."

Kiara pushed open the doors and stepped into the room. Her whole body tensed when she spotted a group of people, all staring at her.

"She's shaking." A large reptilian creature eyed her as it spoke. Kiara could only assume the creature was frowning, but it was hard to tell. At least the creature was female, if her voice was any indication.

"You're probably scaring her, Kuna." This time, it was one of the humans that spoke.

Kiara opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I thought it was just going to be one man... not... all of these people. Instead of meeting one man, she was faced with three men, two male elves, a strange reptile hugging a bear, and an odd looking short creature with pink skin and blue hair. Upon closer inspection, she realized a tiny octopus was perched on one of the elves' shoulders.

"I'm not scary, Hawke!" Kuna's eyes narrowed as she stared down at the man who had spoken.

"Maybe she's just shy," the elf with the octopus suggested.

"No, Hawke iz right, thiz iz definitely Kuna's fault." Kiara glanced down at the source of the words, only to find a strange girl with pink skin and blue hair staring back at her.

She wrapped her arms around herself and swallowed back the lump in her throat. What do I do now? She hated how helpless she felt. It was like being with the earthbenders again and having no choice but to let them do what they wanted with her. She thought she was over those years, but the past two days were more than enough to prove she was not.

"Quiet. All of you." The older elf stepped out of the group and approached Kiara. "My name iz Zevran of the Sands."

She resisted the urge to back away. "Kiara."

"And I'm Vi!" The pink girl smiled at Kiara. She pointed to a tall man wearing a ponytail. "Hiz name iz Honezt. He doezn't really talk."

There was a brief moment of silence before Kuna spoke up. "I'm Sahkuna, but you can call me Kuna. Most people do." She shot a quick glare at Zevran, but he didn't seem to notice.

"My name's Talvin." The octopus elf waved, a grin on his face. "And this is Murr." He pointed to the octopus, who latched onto his finger and pulled.

"Hush. She's not here for the likes of you." Zevran shot a look at the group, then turned his attention back to Kiara. "You came to meet the prince, yes?"

She nodded, and the man whose name she had yet to learn stepped out of the group. Zevran gestured to him. "This is Prince Alistair Ebonheart."

Alistair moved in front of Kiara, and her eyes immediately fixated on the sword at his side. She wondered how often he used it. Had he killed innocent people with it? Don't dwell on it.

"You don't have to worry about them. They're... relatively harmless." He smiled at her.

Based on the look Kuna gave him, Kiara wasn't sure if she could believe that or not. Still, they didn't seem like terrible people. There was a sense of camaraderie within the group, despite the frequent bickering. And William was right- Alistair didn't seem like such a bad guy. This would never be okay, but it might not be as horrifying as she thought.

***

"Do you really believe they will not try something?" Akram gestured to the group they had found Alistair with. "Look at them. Two of them are thieves."

He looked to Brixton, hoping the soldier knew what he was doing. Akram needed the Unseelie King's plans to work out. A victory might distract him from Akram's planning. As it was, the Unseelie King knew Akram had done something without permission. He just didn't know what.

"They have reason to cooperate." Brixton watched the group. "The dragonborn especially."

"And the others?" If Brixton didn't have a plan to keep the others in line, this whole thing would blow up in their faces. "If you have no way to control them, they should not be here."

"Akram, relax. They know what will happen if they don't cooperate. It's just a wedding. They have no reason to risk themselves to prevent it."

"Perhaps." Akram had a feeling Brixton was wrong, and he wasn't one do dismiss those hunches lightly. Something was almost certainly going on. He just hoped that if they didn't catch it, he could lay the blame solely on Brixton.

***

The wedding was organized based on traditions from Akram and Brixton's worlds. Of course, this meant Kiara had to wear a wedding dress.

It wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. The dress reached just below her knees, so she could still move easily. The white fabric was white and silky on top, but became a thin, layered skirt on the bottom. At least it isn't long. She hated long dresses.

Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, with several small braids decorating the sides. The style was one she hadn't worn in years. Looking at it now reminded her of the years she spent in captivity. She couldn't help but wonder if this marriage would send her down the same path.

"It's time." Gwen poked her head in through the door and gave Kiara an encouraging smile.

She smiled back, but it was an empty smile. Once, she imagined her family and Aira would be at her wedding. In her fantasies, she pictured a happy occasion, where she married the man she loved. Instead, she never met that man. Now, she never would.

Walking toward Alistair was surreal. Someone played music, but she could only hear the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears. When she reached Alistair, she felt hollow and empty. None of it felt right, but Akram and the Unseelie King left her no choice. For Aira. Nothing else mattered.

The ceremony was a blur of words. The priest talked about commitment and what marriage meant, but Kiara didn't listen. She faced Alistair, studying his face throughout the priest's speech. He seemed to be studying her back. The look in his eyes seemed different from before, and it brought back all of her previous worries.

Would he want to consecrate their marriage? Would Akram force them to? What if the Unseelie King demanded they have kids?

"Kiara, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

The sound of her name pulled her from her thoughts. She looked at Alistair. I could say no. I could run. Her eyes flicked to Akram, who met her gaze.

"Say 'I do'," he mouthed. The look in his eyes sent a chill down her spine.

"I do." Even her voice sounded empty. The tone would have scared her, but even feeling nothing was better than trying to sort out the mess of emotions inside her head.

"Then I pronounce you husband and wife. The groom may now kiss the bride."

Kiara glanced at the priest, then at Alistair. Neither of them moved. There was a long moment of silence before the few people who attended the ceremony stood and began to file out. The priest glanced between her and Alistair, clearly confused, but left with the others.

As soon as everyone else was gone, Alistair's group clustered around them. As she watched, Alistair became Zevran, and Zevran morphed into Alistair. Kuna leaned closer to Kiara and whispered. "You can't tell anyone."

"What did you guys do?" Kiara looked between everyone in the group. Suddenly, that empty feeling was replaced with cold fear.

"We couldn't juzt let Aliztair marry againzt hiz will." Vi shrugged. "So

"I switched Zevran and Alistair." Talvin grinned, looking very proud of himself.

"I married Zevran?" Panic set Kiara's thoughts spinning. What if Akram found out, or Brixton? The entire alliance would be ruined, and Aira would be killed. "Did you guys even think about what this would do to me? My friend's life depended on this marriage!"

"Do you think I care about you or your friend, little dezert flower? The only things I care about are good hard coin, and those I call my associates. Now, what does a woman like you, from such a distasteful background, doing here marrying the prince of Vinland?"

"I am no one's flower, Zevran. If you actually cared about your companions, you would never have agreed to this half-baked plan! How do you know they won't just kill us all now?"

Kiara felt herself shaking with fury. She had never imagined the man she married would be like this. He was so cold... so callous. How would she survive a marriage to this man?

"Because. Political assassination after marriage iz not smart. So, let's smile, wave, and attend all the banquets we'll be throwing as husband and wife while we find this bastard and chop off his head."

"Smile and wave? How dare you! I'm done. They can kill us all, for all I care. I'd rather be dead than married to you."

"Then your friend is dead, and it would be all your fault. No, I'm not happy about this either, but if we don't do this, then a lot more heads are going to roll. Yours, mine, you friend's. Even Prince Alistair. Now, do you want all those deaths weighing on your shoulders?"

"Stop! Just... stop talking." She couldn't take it anymore. Everything he said was like a slap in the face. Why did he have to be so smug and calm about this? None of this was okay, least of all Zevran. Was he already prepared to treat her like an object, just like everyone else in her life? I'm so tired of being used. Why couldn't something have gone right for me, just once? "I'll do what I have to for her, but none of this is for you. If you get caught, that's your problem. I'll make it perfectly clear that I knew nothing of this."

"I wasn't the one who brought Aira into this. You did. Now, do you want to keep Aira alive and well? Do you?"

She stared at him, long and hard. The question didn't need an answer, and he knew it. The look in his eyes made his intentions very clear. She was trapped with this man... for life. Her anger dissipated, leaving only despair. If she hadn't had years of practice, she might have broken down crying right there.

His expression seemed to soften a bit as he watched her. "You know, I believe in the vow we took. We're in this together. Partners, if you will. So, you have your own problems, and I have mine. So, let us act like every other married couple. We smile and wave on the outside, but viciously hate each other on the inside. And maybe, we might live."

***

Lexi eyed the door to Raiden's cell. Putting this off would only hurt him more.

"Raiden?" She squeezed through the bars into his cell and flew up to sit on his left on the bed. "We need to talk about Raven."

He looked at her, brows knit together in confusion. An aching feeling built within Lexi. She had watched him talking to Raven. She could see just how much Raiden loved Raven, and how much it this news would destroy him.

"What about her?" Raiden glanced to his right side. He looked surprised for a moment, before his focus returned to Lexi.

She morphed into her humanoid form and laid a hand over his. "Raiden... I need you to tell me what happened to her. Where is she?"

She hoped he would know, but knew he wouldn't. Part of her wished she could let him continue to live in his fantasy, but it would only hurt worse if the news came later. As much as it killed her to do it, she needed to be the one to tell him.

"What do you mean? She was right there when you came in." Raiden gestured to the bed, then frowned. "But..."

"Raiden." Lexi swallowed back a lump in her throat. "I... don't think Raven survived."~~~

Spot 10: JamesWhite074

Khan

Standing under the hot spray of his personal shower, Khan tried desperately to regain his calm. Lately, it seemed as if everything was going wrong. First, a rival from his past decided to interfere in his plans, then he lost his dragon and has yet to find any trace of him. After that, a minor crime boss from another realm dared to thwart him and he was forced to compromise to get what he wanted.

Khan did a quick mental count and realized that about half of his minions from the other realms were either missing or unavailable. Firnen, Attickitcuk, Sterling and the blue cat Happy were gone, leaving him only Xander, the girl Nixxia, the Spartan Jere, and his AI drone Isis.

Xander was becoming difficult to handle due to his personal interests and the others were practically useless. Khan knew he was going to have to get creative if he was going to make it worthwhile to even keep the three of them. He decided to push the problem to the back of his mind so he could concentrate on more pressing issues.

Suddenly, the ship lurched, slamming Khan hard against the wall. The water cut off without Khan's approval and the lights flickered and went out, plunging the room into total blackness.

Khan's breathing intensified and his heart pounded. An unfortunate side effect of the centuries spent in cyro-sleep was an instinctive fear of the dark. Khan and all his brethren shared this trait.

Khan stumbled blindly for the door, doing his best to not to scream. He truly hated being subjected to something beyond his control, especially something so mundane as fear. He was the master of his body and not the other way around. Or at least, he used to be, and he hated this new weakness.

Banging his way around the room, Khan eventually found the pile of his discarded clothes. Searching the pockets franticly with actual tears streaming down his face, Khan finally found his wand. "Lumos," Khan's voice cracked as a round ball of light burst from the end of his wand.

Though dim, the mere presence of the small ball of light was enough to drive away the fear that gripped Khan's heart. Taking a deep breath, Khan did his best to regain his calm. A few simple spells later and he was dry and dressed in his simple black combat suit.

As he tried to leave his room, the door refused to open forcing Khan to use more spells to open the way. Even though he was getting better at casting magic, Khan still hated to rely on it too much.

He firmly believed that that was Xander's problem. Magic made things too easy and those who used it all the time were made vulnerable when it was taken away. Khan believed that only his own skills and abilities were capable of protecting himself, not his magic or even his weapons and starships.

Finally making his way to the bridge, Khan looked about at the chaos within. Several red emergency flares were scattered about the room casting a dim red glow on the walls. His officers were scrambling about, yelling and arguing with each other. All of the consoles were dark and dead.

"Silence!" Khan yelled into the room. All voices stopped instantly as Khan's officers turned toward him. "Something has disabled all power on the ship. Send someone to engineering to investigate."

"We have, Sir," Khan's navigational officer said. "They say that the reactors are cold. Even the radioactive material inside has been rendered inert. Without new fissionable material, we cannot restore power. Even the life support is disabled. Rough estimates say that we have three days' worth of breathable air left."

Khan's frown deepened. "System!" he shouted. A pale blue orb of light appeared before Khan and his surprised crew. Up until now, Khan had always consulted the strange being when he was alone. "Do you know what is happening to my ship?"

"Answer: Yes, Dictator Commander," System said. "It appears that a distortion in the Barrier Between Zones has rendered your technology inert. Other systems, such as magic, appear unaffected. This distortion will continue to affect your ship until it leaves the Barrier."

"How can it leave the barrier if its engines won't work?" Khan asked defiantly. Before System could answer a terrible screeching noise resounded throughout the room and the glowing blue orb simply... popped.

Khan just stood there, his face a mask of shock, before being replaced with fury. His crew cowered away from him as they knew of his terrible temper. But before Khan could unleash his anger upon his innocent crew, a strange portal appeared next to where System had been.

A short humanoid figure stepped out of the portal, which vanished moments later. The figure was wearing a long brown hooded robe that dragged upon the ground revealing none of its body. A faint shimmering field of energy shrouded the figure's face leaving nothing but a blur within its hood.

"Greetings, Commander," the figure said. Its voice was strictly neutral, sounding neither male nor female but an obvious mix of both. Khan suspected the figure was using some sort of masking device to hide its identity. "You may call me Warden. I've been sent to assist you. We don't have a lot of time. The distortion will destroy this ship and everyone aboard it. When I signal, cast your strongest spell upon this orb. Together, our magic will re-stabilize the border and release your ship."

Warden waved a hand and a silver orb floated in the air between them. Khan drew out his wand and chose his strongest spell. "Now," Warden said as it sent a beam of pure white light into the silver orb.

Khan shouted. "Avada Kedavra!" A bolt of brilliant green light exploded from the tip of Khan's wand. All of his anger and frustration was channeled through his spell, along with all of his killing intent. For decades, Khan had fought and killed and all that bloodlust exploded out of him and into his spell.

The two spells hit the silver orb at almost the same time causing it to spin in place and utter a faint hum that gradually rose in pitch. The entire ship began to shudder and lurch but neither Khan nor Warden stopped their spells. The shaking seemed to last forever and Khan felt his energy fading fast.

Just when he felt he couldn't stand anymore, Warden broke off its spell and with a flick of its finger broke Khan's as well. Khan dropped to the deck, all his energy spent. Deep within the ship, Khan heard a faint rumble. In seconds, power began to surge through the ship, bringing with it light, both figuratively and literally, and life.

Khan's officers hastily rushed to their stations, pressing buttons and restoring order to the ship. The main viewscreen crackled to life, showing a field of stars with a tiny planet below. Khan shakily rose to his feet as he turned to thank Warden.

Without warning, through the viewscreen, the crew could see a powerful surge of energy rushing toward the ship. It passed straight through the shields and the hull as if they weren't even there. It washed over the crew and continued on through the ship.

One by one, Khan's officers turned to ash, leaving less than half of them alive. Khan felt his blood run cold. He turned to Warden to get answers only to see a rapidly spreading pile of ash where it had just been.

Firnen

Firnen slowly opened his eyes. Bringing Attickitcuk back from the brink of death had taken a huge toll upon his body. He had no idea how long he'd been asleep but a quick glance showed him that he was in a completely new region. Attickitcuk lay on his side next to him and all around the two of them was nothing but gray mist.

Deep within his mind, Firnen felt a change. There was an openness that wasn't there before. His mental connection with Arya was stronger than before but now there was a new connection, very faint, but definitely getting stronger.

Ow, a familiar mind voice said. Wha- what's going on?

Attickitcuk? Firnen sent through the new connection. Is that you?

I think so, Attickitcuk replied the same way. Your voice sounds different, Firnen. Stronger, I guess.

Before Firnen could answer, a figure appeared out of the mist. "Well met, friends," a tall dark haired man said. He was wearing strange robes with a crimson cape fluttering behind him. "My name's Dr. Stephen Strange. I was sent to temporarily rescue you and bring you here. Our time is limited so I'll be brief. A great enemy called Thanos is about to destroy half of all living things. Your help is needed if we're going to be able to defeat him. But first you must stop Khan."

Where are we, strange man? Firnen asked. We need to get back before Khan knows we're gone or else...

"I'm aware of Khan's temper," Dr. Strange said. "And it's Dr. Strange, not strange man. It's confusing, I know. We're currently in a place called Elsewhere. But our time is almost up. I've placed my most powerful ward upon the dragonscale in your brow. It will block your mind from Khan for a time. When the time is right, you must send all you mental strength through that scale and into Khan's mind. It's the only way to defeat him."

The gray mist around them began to surge and dance. "Here it comes," Dr. Strange said. "Our time is up. You will be sent where you need to be. Help each other. The future of all worlds depends on you."

Suddenly, a powerful wave of energy washed over the three of them. Before Firnen's eyes, the man called strange disintegrated into fine particles of gray ash. The world around them wavered and rolled, like a mirage in the desert.

In a moment, everything was gone and Firnen and Attickitcuk found themselves standing in a field. On one side were men in red uniforms holding primitive-looking guns. On the other side of the field were far less men wearing... skirts?

Xander

Xander draped his arms across the railing of the balcony overlooking his laboratory floor. He watched silently as the children Khan had gifted him practiced their crafts. Half of them were casted spells at targets along the far wall while the rest brewed potions at workstations scattered about the room.

Khan hadn't been joking when he said that Xander would be impressed. In less than a month his students had already surpassed the skills of second year students at Durmstrang. Xander had chosen the two best students, one a boy and the other a girl, to serve as his aids on the floor.

The boy, Kristien, was correcting a student's stance at the target range while the girl, Alexii, walked between the tables in the potions lab. Every now and then, Alexii would stop to help a student stir or answer one of their questions.

Suddenly, a distinct odor struck Xander's nose and he instantly teleported to one of the tables. A dark skinned boy was staring in shock as his cauldron was vibrating and emitting showers of sparks.

"Scourgify!" Xander shouted as he pointed his wand at the wayward pot. The unstable potion inside immediately disappeared leaving behind a sparkling clean cauldron.

"I'm sorry, Teacher," the dark skinned boy said in his deep voice. "I can't seem to get the dragon's blood and powdered salamander's tails to mix properly."

Xander sighed. "That's because-" He suddenly stopped as a massive wave of energy flooded the room. Xander stared, as right before his eyes, half of his students crumbled into ash. He held up his hand and watched as his body slowly turned gray and began to break apart.

He was spared the sight of seeing his own body float away upon the breeze.

Nixxia

After fleeing from her brother, Nixxia spent the next several days hiding in her super secret tunnel. Angelica and Drixxy took turns stealing yummy snacks for her and she only left her hideout for the occasional potty breaks.

She knew she was being childish but she just couldn't help herself. Memories she'd tried so very hard to forget now taunted her and she spent most of her time crying. Her dreams at night were scattered and filled with bad memories.

"Mamma?" a younger Nixxia asked. "What's wrong, Mamma? Where's daddy?"

"Hush now, my baby girl," Mamma said softly. "I don't have much time left. Daddy's gone now, precious. You're too young to understand, but just remember. Mommy and Daddy got really sick and lost our magic. You need to go find your brother. He'll... take..." Mamma's voice got really faint and Nixxia couldn't hear her.

"Mamma!" Nixxia cried. "Wake up, Mamma! I don't want yucky Bickslow! Don't leave me, Mommy!"

Nixxia snapped awake as the faint remnants of her dream echoed in her mind. She remembered the days following her parents' funeral. She kept expecting her brother Bickslow to suddenly show up, as he usually did, and make everything right again.

But he never did. Not once in the last six years had he even sent word to her. Nixxia hated him and his selfishness. All he cared about was his own friends and the jobs they did together. Ever since he left when she was a little girl, he'd only come home three or four times and each time, he'd only talk about himself and never let her talk.

Without her parents, Nixxia had been so lost. A neighbor lady had taken her in and cared for her in her own absent-minded way. She was the one to teach Nixxia how to make her dolls. She taught her to sew and knit and cook and clean.

After a couple years, Nixxia finally realized that the old lady was just using her as a free servant and didn't actually care for her. So she left and began her own adventures and did it all on her own without her selfish brother.

Nixxia crawled out of her tunnel and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She suddenly realized that she was very dirty and she itched horribly. She decided that it was time to stop moping about and get back to her job working for Mr. Khan. He was probably very angry with her right now. She was determined to make it up to him as best she could.

But first... a bath. With lots of bubbles and her squeaky duck.

Nixxia smiled and started to skip out of the room and down the hall to her bedroom on their ship. Angelica and Drixxy were bobbing up and down in joy as they followed her. They loved bathtime just as much as she did.

"There you are," a harsh male voice shouted behind her. Nixxia spun around guiltily and saw Bickslow and his five puppets standing in the middle of the hall behind her. "I've been looking everywhere for you, you little brat!"

Something about his tone hit Nixxia hard. "Looking everywhere!" she screamed. "Where were you six years ago when I needed you! You weren't looking then!"

Nixxia proceeded to yell and scream at Bickslow. She told him everything that had happened in the last six years and how she was forced to take care of herself because he wasn't there. Tears of anger as well as grief flowed from her eyes as she ranted and raved.

Finally, Nixxia ran out of breath and stood there panting as she glared at her brother. Bickslow just continued to stand in front of her. No words came to him as the shock of what she'd been through rolled in his mind and across his face.

"I'm..." Bickslow started to say, but he was interrupted. A massive wave of energy struck their ship and surged down the hall where they were standing.

Bickslow watched and did nothing as his sister turned to ash right in front of him.

Sterling

"That's a stupid plan," the mandolorian female named Ashlynn said. "You obviously have never tried to kill a Hutt. Their bodies are not put together anything like a human's. You can't just shoot them."

"She's right," the angry-looking man in dark red robes said. "It's plain as day that you've never used a blaster either. If you try to 'super-charge' it, or whatever it was you said, it'll just blow up in your hand and kill you and probably anyone standing next to you, you daft fool."

"Be nice, Burke," a young girl, named Sukkii, in a blue shirt and matching pants with white fur borders said. "It's not Sterling's fault that he doesn't know anything." She patted Sterling's hand which was resting on the table in front of him.

The six of them, Sterling, Happy, Ashlynn, Burke, Sukkii, and Gornen, were sitting at one of the tables in the common room on board Jabba the Hutt's ship. Sterling was doing his best to enlist the four followers of Jabba to rebel with him against their masters.

"Sukkii's right," Gornen said in his deep voice. He had extremely dark skin with his head shaved bald and was wearing dark golden robes. "All of us need to work together in this. Sterling's idea is sound, it just needs to be refined a little better. Ashlynn? If I know you, and I do, you've probably already have four or five plans to kill Jabba. Am I right?"

Ashlynn smiled and her whole face lit up, giving her fairy-like features an alluring glow. "Of course I do," she smirked. "But it's going to take all of us and it can't be done until Shrike and Tomin return from their mission. So, here it is..."

She leaned in close and began to whisper and the more she talked the more Sterling came to realize that the last thing he ever wanted to be... was her enemy.

Happy

Happy was scared. Ashlynn's plan was very risky and it required too many elements to it. In all of his adventures with Fairy Tail, and especially Natsu, he knew that the more complicated the plan, the more likely that it was going to fall apart.

For his part, he had to fly up to the top of the main hanger door to the cargo hold of Jabba's ship and wait. Ashlyyn had given him a device that allowed her to speak to him but he couldn't use it in case anyone heard him. At her signal, he was to open the door and keep it open.

All he had to do until then was wait.

It didn't take long. In a few moments, an entire party of strange creatures came in to the cargo hold through the door on the far side. In the middle of all them was Jabba the Hutt himself on his strange floating sled.

The heavy door beside Happy began to hiss as it slowly slid open. A forcefield just like the ones on Khan's ship covered the open doorway and on the other side of it was a large shuttlecraft. Happy readied himself, waiting for Ashlyyn to give the word.

Suddenly, Sterling appeared for out of nowhere right in front of the crowd. "Death to all tyrants!" he screamed as he opened fire with a blaster rifle, spraying bolts of red light all over the cargo bay. Some of the bolts flew toward Jabba but a shimmering energy barrier sprang up around him and blocked them.

Jabba began to bark orders in his deep alien voice but no one seemed to be listening. From out of the crowd, Burke, Sukii, and Gornen appeared and surrounded Jabba's sled, one on each side forming a triangle.

Burke stomped his feet and sent a jet of fire outward, engulfing Jabba and his shield. Sukkii waved her hands and sent a jet of water across the floor and under Jabba's sled. She twisted her wrists and the water surged upward and froze, making a pillar of ice directly under his sled and sending it flying upward.

As Jabba's sled rose up, it began to twist and turn. Gornen brought his hands together and dusts and dirt flew toward him from every corner of the large room. He stepped backward and the dirt condensed into a large stone spear in his hands. He lined the spear up and waited.

Happy held his breath as he waited for Gornen to do something. Jabba's sled reached the top of its arc and began to fall back downward, but still Gornen waited. Burke's fire continued to rage around Jabba's shield throughout its flight and as the sled neared the ground, the shield flickered.

Gornen snapped forward, launching the stone spear with all his might. It slammed into the bottom of Jabba's sled with a boom. Sparks flew everywhere and Burke called back his fire. Jabba's sled hit the deck with crunch of broken metal. Jabba himself was mostly unhurt, just a few minor burns along his tail, but he was furious.

"Now, Happy!" the little speaker in Happy's hands said. Happy reached out and hit the emergency kill switch for the forcefield on the hanger door. With a mighty whoosh, the shield failed and all the air was sucked out of the large room.

Jabba flailed his tiny arms as he was sucked out, along with the remains of his sled. Burke, Gornen, and Sukkii remained standing in the now empty cargo hold thanks to Sukkii's magic. She had formed piles of ice around their feet, holding them fast to the deck plates.

Happy released the controls as soon as Jabba was through and the forcefield sprang back to life. He flew down and looked out to see Jabba floating through empty space. A second, smaller, shield had appeared around him and was protecting him for the harshness of space.

"Bye, bye, slug-head," Ashlyyn said through the tiny speaker in Happy's hands. Several massive bolts of red light shot from the ship toward Jabba as the mandolorian woman used the ship's cannons to blast its previous owner. Jabba's shield held for maybe a second, before the powerful cannons tore it and him to shreds. Ashlyyn fired for a couple seconds more, just to be sure that there was nothing left of the once mighty crime lord.

The shuttle craft that had been attempting to land stopped just outside the ship's hanger door. A faint male voice sounded over Happy's com-link.

"O-kay, so... What'd I miss?" Shrike said.

Spot 11: 00VesperFangirl

Ethan's POV

The enchanted boot, which I promptly learned was called a portkey, transported my fellow blackmailed servants and I to the Dark Lord's headquarters. I was not happy that I had been transferred from the service of an evil princess to the service of an evil wizard and his equally evil Witch accomplice. But I really didn't have a choice. They were going to torture or even kill Ilsa unless I cooperated. Why else would she get transferred with me? The Phantom's/Erik's POVI was unhappy about being transferred from the service of Her Royal Highness the Princess of the Southern Isles to the service of Lord Voldemort and Lady Jadis the White Witch. But I didn't have a choice. They were going to torture or even kill my Angel. My Mariette. I couldn't lose her. Mariette was my light. Voldemort's POVWith our two new servants, Jadis and I were ready to take over another fandom realm. This time we were going to take our next realm by an alliance marriage."Who will our bride be, Tom?" Jadis asked. I froze when I heard my filthy birth name come out of her mouth and then snapped at her."Jadis, do not call me by that filthy Muggle name!"

"Oh, sorry, Voldemort." "It's all right, Jadis. To answer your question, I was thinking Brielle. She is a princess, and therefore has royal blood. She is also single.""Tessa is also single," Jadis pointed out."That is true, but she is a Jedi. Jedi are not allowed to have romantic relationships. They are celibate, my dear." I told her. "I forgot about that,"Jadis's POV Voldemort and I agreed on Brielle as the bride. We planned for Brielle to marry Thor, son of Odin and Crown Prince of Asgard. I went to the dungeons to inform the princess while Voldemort went to the audience chamber.Voldemort's POV I went to the audience chamber and told Bellatrix, Wormtail, Rockwood and Dolohov to bring Bond and Hunt to me. Then, I ordered Crabbe, Goyle, Mcnair, and Lucius to capture the other two members of Hunt's IMF team. I sat down on my throne.Kia's POV I spent a day in my cell in the dungeons of Princess Hannah's castle. Bond's POVFour Death Eaters who I recognized as Bellatrix, Wormtail, Rockwood, and Dolohov entered the dungeon. Bellatrix and Wormtail pointed their wands at the doors of Hunt's cell and my cell. "Alohomora." They said. The doors of both cells unlocked and opened. "Get up," Bellatrix commanded me. I did as she told me and glanced at Hunt, who was getting the same treatment. "The Dark Lord wants you and Hunt. Don't try to escape, you filfthy Muggle."I only smirked at her and said, "If I'm a filthy Muggle, why would His Lordship want me and my colleague from the IMF?""I don't know. Speak unless you're spoken to!" Bellatrix snapped.Ethan's POVWormtail and Dolohov escorted me while Bellatrix and Rockwood escorted Bond out of the dungeon. I heard Bellatrix's small conversation with Bond just before we left the dungeon. Bond and I were escorted through the Dark Lord's base of operations/home. We were escorted through open double doors into a room with marble walls. At the front of the room, Lord Voldemort and his partner in crime, the White Witch, sat on two wooden thrones. "Thank you, my loyal Death Eaters," Voldemort said. "You're dismissed."

Bellatrix, Wormtail, and the two other Death Eaters left the room.

Four more Death Eaters appeared in several clouds of black smoke.

"Good work, my loyal servants." said the Dark Lord.

They had my friends and IMF teammates, Luther and Benji, with them.

I turned to Voldemort and said, "I'll do whatever you want. Just let them go."

"I am not going to hurt them. They are here to help you, Ethan. Resist me and your Ilsa will suffer for it."

"Resist us, you mean," The Witch said.

"Yes, of course, my darling. I meant us."

"I didn't know people as evil as you two could love another person."

"Neither did I, Hunt." admitted the Dark Lord.

He then turned to his accomplice.

"Jadis, I have a confession to make. I like you. As in romantically."

"I like you, too, my Lord."

Voldemort turned back to me.

"We are going to take another realm. But this time we are doing so by an alliance marriage. The bride is your fellow blackmailed servant, Princess Brielle of Auradon."

"And the groom?" I inquired.

"Thor, son of Odin and Crown Prince of Asgard. A member of the team known as the Avengers." The White Witch answered.

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to work with Mr. Bond and your teammates here to capture the God of Thunder and assume his identity, by any means at your disposal, during the wedding so his team will not wonder why he is missing."

The White Witch spoke up.

"Thor and the Avengers are working to go back in time to recover five stones known as the Infinity Stones to bring back their friends and half of the universe's population."

"Now say the words, please." Lord Voldemort said.

Behind me, Luther and Benji started to protest.

"Enough!" I yelled at them.

I turned back to the Dark Lord.

"I accept."

"Excellent. You're to begin immediately. We have two portkeys ready for you."

Voldemort's POV

Hunt, Bond, and Hunt's teammates all placed a hand on the first portkey. They disappeared. I touched the Dark Mark on my right forearm, summoning Lucius and Bellatrix.

"What is your bidding, my Lord?" Bellatrix asked.

"Bring the Phantom to us." I ordered.

"Yes, my Lord." Lucius and Bellatrix chorused.

Erik/The Phantom's POV

Two Death Eaters entered the dungeon. One of them unlocked the door of my cell with a spell.

"The Dark Lord and the Witch want to see you,"

I stood up. They escorted me out of the dungeon and through the Manor. My escorts and I passed through large and open double doors into the audience chamber where the Dark Lord and the White Witch sat on two wooden thrones.

"Lucius, Bellatrix, stay here," The Dark Lord commanded.

"We are taking control of another realm through an alliance marriage. Princess Brielle of Auradon, your fellow blackmailed servant, is to marry Thor, son of Odin, Crown Prince of Asgard, and a member of the team known as the Avengers. We heard you are an excellent composer. But can you sing?" said the Witch.

"Yes," I answered.

"Then, you will sing during the celebrations, Phantom." said Lord Voldemort.

"My name is Erik." I said firmly. "My days as the Phantom are over. I will never assume that abhorrent persona again."

"Whatever. But you will sing."

"As my Lord and my Lady command," I said.

"Very good. Lucius, Bella, take him away."

Voldemort's POV

My two most loyal followers did as I ordered.

"My dear Jadis, I almost forgot. We need to update Captain Turner and tell him he is off the hook---again. I'll go tell him now."

"Would you like me to come with you?"

"No thank you."

I apparated onto the deck of the Flying Dutchman.

Will's POV

Voldemort appeared on the deck of my ship in a cloud of black smoke.

"My Lord," I said.

"Captain Turner, it seems you are off the hook again. We are taking another realm by an alliance marriage. I'm sorry you won't be able to come to the wedding."

"Thank you, my Lord. I'm bummed that I can't be there."

"That is all, Captain."

I apparated back to the Manor.

Ethan's POV

Bond, Luther, Benji, and I arrived on Asgard.

"All right, we need to subdue Thor long enough to get a diagram of his face to make the mask."

"I could shoot to wound him," suggested Bond.

"OK."

"Ethan, this guy wields a huge battle ax that channels lightning. How is any one of us going to effectively convince the rest of the Avengers that we're Thor? I don't think a mask and voice thingy is going to cut it."

"Benji, we have to do the best we can." I answered.

"I can figure something out with the axe," Luther told us.

"The question is, who is going to actually assume Thor's identity?" Bond asked.

"I will." I answered.

"Hold on, Ethan. Thor's a bit fat from trauma. I don't think we can effectively convince them that you're Thor."

"Benji, our insurrections from the Dark Lord were clear. Capture Thor, one of us assumes his identity and does whatever the heck the Avengers are doing while the real Thor is forced into marrying Princess Brielle. We don't have time to poke holes in the plan. I don't need a William Brandt right now. And neither do Lord Voldemort and Lady Jadis. Bond, wait until Thor has the Reality Stone to wound him,"

"And don't shoot him in front of Frigga," added Benji.

Soon, Thor came along and encountered his mother. Bond waited behind a column and so did the rest of us. Thor had a raccoon companion who went to retrieve the Stone while Thor and his mother, Frigga, went into another room to talk. Soon, the raccoon came back with the Reality Stone and as Thor prepared to say farewell to his mother, his old hammer came flying into his hand. Frigga and Thor parted ways.

I made eye contact with Bond and mouthed, "Now!"

Bond raised his pistol and shot Thor in the stomach.

"Rocket, go!" Thor yelled. The raccoon punched something in his wrist gauntlet and he disappeared. "Luther, the second portkey!" I yelled. I helped the Norse god and superhero to his feet as the others came over to us. Luther held the second portkey and we all put one hand on it. I felt a sharp tug as the portkey transported us.

We arrived at a safehouse with a computer and a device for making masks, as well as a face scanner. I sat Thor down in a chair while Luther grabbed the face scanner and scanned his face. He then had the mask-making device start making a latex Thor mask. I had Thor read something off a notecard as the computer recorded his voice. After the mask was finished, I put on it and Luther put a voice synthesizing patch on my throat. I went and changed into an outfit like Thor's. Thor handed me an arm brace with a vial in the wrist.

"You'll need this to return to the Avengers HQ. Push it to go HQ. Good luck."

"Thanks. Gentlemen, get Thor back to You-Know-Who's Manor."

"Good luck, Ethan," Benji called.

I pushed the button on the armbrace and felt a pull as I was transported.

Bond's POV

"Come on, Luther and Benji. Let's get Thor back to You-Know-Who's Manor."

We all put a hand on the first portkey and it transported us back the Manor. I reported to the Dark Lord. He declared that the wedding would take place immediately.

Tessa's POV

All of the blackmailed heroes were brought to the living room to witness the forced alliance marriage between Thor and Brielle. I did not agree with two people being forced to marry each other.

Meluines' POV

Two people being forced to marry each other for someone else's gain was wrong.

Brielle's POV

I did not like that I was being forced to marry someone I barely knew for the gain of an evil maniac.

Erik/The Phantom's POV

As the wedding ceremony flowed into a banquet, I stood up and politely asked for everyone's attention.

"Hello. I'm Erik. The Dark Lord and the Witch have asked me to sing for the newlywed couple. I hope you enjoy my song." I said.

"No more talk of darkness

Forget these wide-eyed fears
I'm here, nothing can harm you
My words will warm and calm you

Let me be your freedom
Let daylight dry your tears
I'm here, with you, beside you
To guard you and to guide you

Say you'll love me every waking moment

Turn my head with talk of summer time
Say you need me with you now and always
Promise me that all you say is true
That's all I ask of you

Let me be your shelter
Let me be your light
You're safe, no one will find you
Your fears are far behind you

All I want is freedom

A world with no more night

And you, always beside me
To hold me and to hide me

Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime

Let me lead you from your solitude
Say you need me with you here, beside you
Anywhere you go, let me go too
That's all I ask of you

Anywhere you go, let me go too
Love me, that's all I ask of you,"

When I finished, everyone clapped.

Voldemort's POV

After the celebrations, I sent Lucius and Bellatrix to pick up Hunt.

Spot 12: KaturaBayliss

Skyrim-Zuko and Azula

Azula stared out over the dragon corrals, her golden eyes flashing with pride as she thought of the creatures inside-creatures that now belonged to her.

Dragons hadn't been seen in the Fire Nation in decades-not since Uncle Iroh had slain the last of them.

Azula's nose wrinkled at the thought of her uncle.

It was shameful, really, how a once-great war hero could turn coward and traitor so easily. Iroh had always been a bit too soft in her opinion.

No matter, though. Azula had sent news of her latest conquest to the Firelord. He had been sufficiently pleased with her acquisition, expressing his satisfaction in a reply she had received just this morning.

Movement to Azula's left caught her attention and she turned to see Zuko strolling towards the dragon cages, his eyes wide with wonder.

Now, for the second part of Ozai's message.

"Zuko, dearest," Azula called out, beckoning to her brother.

Zuko's head pivoted, his eyes jumping to the form of his younger sister.

"Yes, Azula?" he asked, his voice raspier than usual.

"Zuzu, I'd like you to meet Leonor, Heiress Apparent to the throne of Spain."

Zuko turned to see a girl of about 16 standing in the center of the room, eyeing he and Azula with muted fear. She was pretty, with long, blonde hair and lightly bronzed skin.

Zuko nodded politely.

"Hello."

Azula twirled a piece of hair between her fingers with a nonchalant air.

"You two are to be married tomorrow."

Zuko blanched. "What?" Surely he had misheard her.

Azula leveled her gaze at Zuko.

"You and Princess Leonor are to be married tomorrow evening; uniting our two kingdoms in matrimony." She held out a scroll. "Father's orders."

Zuko didn't even look at the scroll.

"No," he said. "That's..." he trailed off, "that's not-that's absurd!"

Azula raised an eyebrow. "No, Zuko, it isn't. It's been done for centuries. You're getting married-deal with it." She turned towards the door.

Zuko bit his tongue, glancing at the fair princess standing a few feet away. She looked as terrified and bewildered as he felt.

What had just happened? He couldn't be getting married-certainly not to this poor girl. Though certainly beautiful, she was barely more than a child in appearance. They couldn't force this on her.

"Azula," he hissed through clenched teeth.

Azula whirled, anger playing across her features.

"If you have an issue, then you may take it up with father, Zuko," she snapped. Her gaze shifted to his scar. "We both know how that went last time."

Without another word, Azula turned and stormed out of the room.

Zuko felt heat creep up his neck. He glanced sideways at Leonor, wondering what she must think of him. She was probably afraid of him, the scarred, ugly monster who she was to marry against her will.

How can I marry this girl? Zuko thought.

~~~

Panem-Steve and Katura

Katura wandered the ship in silence, staring out the window and thinking, plotting.

She had to get him out.

In the hall outside the main control room, she ran into Steve and Bucky, smiling and talking. They both fell silent at the sight of her and she looked away, intending to walk past them.

Bucky had been traded in the prisoner exchange. After all, without Steve, he was of no use to Azula. Xonder, on the other hand, could still build weapons. Katura was more his blackmail than he was hers.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked, stopping in front of her, his brow furrowed in concern.

What does it matter? Katura thought bitterly. You have your friend back.

But she knew that wasn't fair. It was Azula's choice, not Steve's. He was merely trying to help.

"I'm fine," she answered softly, turning to move around him.

I will get him out.

~~~

Road to Minas Tirith, Gondor-Mystique

Do as Azula says, Magneto said.

Learn her weaknesses, he insisted. Then we'll dispose of her and take her lands.

So, when Azula had asked-no, make that told-her that she was to impersonate someone, Mystique had agreed. It wasn't going to be an easy task, but it would pay off in the end.

After all, it wasn't an easy task to impersonate a dead heir to the throne.

You are Boromir, son of Denethor, High-Warden of the White Tower, and Steward-Prince of Gondor.

Mystique smoothed her now chin-length, light-brown hair behind her ear and gazed at her reflection in the dark water of the creek.

And you are going to kill your father.

~~~

Skyrim-Zuko and Azula

"I hope you're ready for your big day, brother," Azula said, smiling coyly at Zuko as they entered the largest airship. "Father's even coming."

Zuko looked up in surprise. "He is?"

Azula's smile widened. "Of course. He wouldn't miss the marriage of his first-born son."

Zuko bit his tongue, turning to gaze out of the front window as the crew prepared to depart.

How can I do this?

He stared at the dragon pens in the distance, feeling just as caged as the creatures inside and daydreaming about escape. So lost in thought was he that he didn't notice anything was wrong until he heard Azula shouting.

"What do you mean 'the ships aren't working'?" she demanded. "We have a wedding-a royal wedding-to get to, and if you don't get us in the air, I'll have your heart carved out and roasted on a spit!"

Zuko turned to see the captain staring at the ground in terror.

"I understand, princess," he stammered. "But nothing's working! No instruments, no guidance systems-nothing!"

Azula raised a hand, about to unleash another tirade, then stopped, staring out the window.

"Never mind," she said under her breath, her eyes focused on something in the distance. "We'll take the dragons. Yes, that'll make more of an impression anyway."

"Yes, princess," the captain sputtered, heading for the door. "Right away."

~~~

Minas Tirith

"Lord Denethor!"

A guard burst into the throne room, his eyes wide.

Denethor looked up from his dinner, scowling at the interruption.

"What?" he snapped.

"It's-" the soldier stammered, "it's..."

"Spit it out!" Denethor shouted.

"Boromir!" the soldier choked. "He's returned!"

Behind him, a man strode into the throne room, weary and ragged, but still the great warrior of Gondor.

Denethor felt the blood drain from his face as the man bowed low.

"Father."

~~~

Madrid, Spain-Azula, Ursa, Xonder, Leonor, and Zuko

The wedding began without incident, all of the guests seated and the bride and groom positioned at the front of the room, flanked by both royal families.

That, however, was about to change.

The priest had scarcely begun to read the vows when a strange breeze swept the room.

"I don't..." Ozai put a hand to his chest, wincing. "I don't feel so well suddenly."

Azula frowned, taking a step forwards as Ozai seemed to go pale, then almost gray.

"Father?" she asked, her brow furrowing in worry.

Ozai toppled forward. Azula lunged forward, barely managing to catch him before he hit the ground.

"Father, what's wrong?" she demanded, her eyes wide with fear.

To her right, she heard a scream and looked up in time to see the entire Spanish royal family fade to dust. Turning back to Ozai, she watched, helpless as he too faded to pale gray dust in her hands.

"Father!" she screamed, horrified as she scraped at the ash-like fragments on the floor. "No! No, no, no!"

Zuko stood, frozen with horror as, one by one, over half the wedding guests turned an ashen gray and disintegrated. Even his bride, Princess Leonor, collapsed to the ground in a puff of tiny debris.

Stumbling backwards, Zuko tripped and fell into the powdery remnants of what had been the priest. He scrambled away from the chalky fragments.

Azula had completely lost it, shrieking and wailing for someone to do something and demanding to know what had happened. The once composed and cold princess was screaming curses and wringing her hands through her hair.

"What is this?" she demanded, her voice more shrill each time she repeated it. "What is this?!"

But no one could answer her.

~~~

Panem

They were in the control room when it happened, mapping out the strategy for taking the next piece of territory. One moment, Erik and another mutant were debating on how many airships to send, the next, the man had disappeared into a thousand particles of dust.

Erik staggered back, cursing in polish as more of the mutants began disintegrating. Shouts erupted in the hall outside and Katura turned in time to see to Bucky collapsing in a pile of ash as Steve looked on, horrified.

That's when chaos erupted.

~~~

Skyrim-Ursa

Kanan.

The name of her brother spurred her on as Ursa flew like a woman gone mad, pushing her jetpack as fast as it would go as she cut through the air towards the dragon pens. She had to find him-had to know if he was alive.

Not a single guard greeted her as she landed and threw open the doors, dashing inside to the pen in which Azula had sequestered the prisoners. Drawing her lightsaber, she slashed open the lock to the door and yanked it open.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim interior enough for her to distinguish between piles of musty hay.

With a shudder, Ursa realized that her fears were had come true.

The cell was empty.

"They're all gone."

Ursa jumped. Turning, she saw Jadis standing in the hall, her staff in hand.

"They disappeared," the pale woman said. "Turned to dust and floated away-as did most of the guards."

Ursa turned back to the cell, desperately hoping that somewhere among the straw lay her little brother. He couldn't be gone-he just couldn't.

Please, not Kanan. Please, no.

~~~

Azula looked up at Zuko, fury in her eyes.

"They did this," she hissed.

Zuko stared at her, dazed as she stood to her feet, screaming for the dragons to be brought.

~~~

Panem-Ursa, Katura, and Steve

A loud pounding sounded on the door, startling everyone inside. The mutants took up defensive positions and Steve readied his shield as Erik strode towards the door.

"Who's there?" he barked.

"Ursa Bridger," called a voice from the other side.

Steve and Katura glanced at one another in surprise.

Ursa?

Erik frowned at them both.

"You know her?"

Katura nodded. "She's one of Azula's-the one with the jetpack and laser-sword."

"Please, let me in," Ursa pleaded from the other side. "I need your help!"

After a moment of thought, Erik sighed, then unlocked the door and threw it open.

Wide-eyed, Ursa stumbled into the room, followed by Jed.

"Now, what is it?" Erik snapped, grabbing Ursa by the arm before she could take another step.

"It's Azula," she breathed, glancing towards Katura and Steve. "She's gone mad!"

"I think she was already there a long time ago," Erik said.

"No." Ursa shook her head. "You don't understand-Ozai's disappeared. He turned into dust and just disappeared along with a bunch of the others!"

Katura straightened, her eyes going wide.

"Wait, you mean it happened there too?"

Ursa nodded. "It's everywhere. People are just...gone." She turned to Erik. "But we have to do something to stop Azula! She's going to burn ev-"

Katura grabbed onto Ursa's arm, her fingers like a vice.

"Xonder," she managed. "Where is he?"

Ursa turned, caught off guard by the ferocity with which Katura clutched her arm and the intensity in her typically calm gaze. She stared at the red-haired woman in silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry," she finally said. "He disappeared...along with Kira and most of the crew.

Katura released her arm, taking a step back and holding her midsection like she'd been punched in the gut.

"And what of Mystique?" Erik demanded.

Ursa shrugged. "The last I knew, Azula had sent her on an infiltration mission. No one's heard from her since-but we didn't really expect to."

Katura turned away from the conversation, stumbling to the door and pulling it open. She felt as if a vice were wrapped around her lungs, squeezing tighter with each breath. She needed air.

Outside, the wind whipped savagely, pushing against her as she reached out to grab the railing, falling against it as her legs nearly gave out.

It didn't seem real. None of this did. The past weeks seemed like something from an absurd nightmare. Just when she thought it couldn't get worse, it did.

Just let this end.

She closed her eyes, leaning her head against the railing.

Just let it end.

~~~

It was hours before the door opened. In those hours, something changed in Katura. Grief turned to resignation. Resignation turned to apathy. Apathy morphed into anger.

Xonder wouldn't want her to just sit here-to be nothing more than a spectator.

She had nothing left to lose.

By the time the door behind her opened, Katura already had a plan formed in her mind.

"There you are," Steve said, his voice rough.

Katura looked up to see him standing behind her. He looked terrible.

"What are they going to do?" she asked, still clinging to the railing.

"Erik says they'll set out at dawn to scope out the situation."

Katura stared up at Steve in disbelief.

"Dawn?" she asked, incredulous. "She'll have destroyed everything by then-and killed millions!"

Steve shook his head. "Erik isn't interested in stopping Azula's rampage. He wants her territory." He turned as if to pace, reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck. "Civilian casualties mean nothing to either of them."

Katura stared at the floor, her hands clenching into fists as the anger that had taken root in her chest began to blossom, multiplying and morphing into a myriad of emotions.

They were all going to die-she had sensed it from the beginning of this sordid nightmare. But now, instead of inspiring despair, the thought gave her a sense of resolve.

She looked up at Steve, her gaze hard.

"This has to stop," she said. "All of it. We can't stand by while these people cause chaos and enslave entire worlds." Katura raised her chin, tormented determination in her eyes.

"We have nothing left to lose. We have to end this."

Steve stared back at her for a moment. She was right. They had nothing left to lose, no one they loved that could be harmed.

Bucky would have wanted him to fight, he thought.

"What do you have in mind?" Steve asked.

~~~

Sneaking into the armory was surprisingly easy. Too easy, Steve worried, carefully checking and rechecking their surroundings every few seconds as they crept along in the darkness.

"There," Katura whispered, pointing to a large, metal cabinet.

Steve took a step forward, raising his shield as he prepared to break the lock.

Katura raised a hand, shaking her head and placing a finger to her lips. She held up two pieces of bent metal that looked suspiciously like hairpins. Crouching, she inserted one pin into the base of the lock, then inserted the other at the top. Wiggling the top pin and applying pressure to the bottom, she slowly turned the lock until a distinctive click was heard and the cabinet door released.

"Nine seconds," Steve remarked. "Not bad."

Katura gave a curt nod, twisting the pins back into shape and slipping them into her hair. Reaching up, she pulled open the cabinet doors.

On the shelves inside were dozens of handguns, extra clips, and boxes of ammunition in nearly every style and caliber imaginable.

Reaching inside, Katura snatched up a belt and tossed it to Steve. He ran a finger over the belt, looking it over before strapping it on. It had a holster on each hip and several compartments to store ammo.

Katura selected an identical belt for herself, then pulled out two shoulder holsters, holding one out to Steve.

Cap shook his head. "No thank you. These and my shield will be plenty for me."

Katura shrugged, then proceeded to don both holsters, leaving Steve to wonder if she'd never handled guns before or was merely trying to be ready for anything. His question was answered when she picked up a Colt Defender and deftly popped out the empty magazine before slipping in a full one.

Peering into the gun cabinet, Cap's eyes were drawn to a familiar pair of pistols. He picked up the two Colt 1911s, running his thumb over the familiar sight. There were a few differences in color, grip, and metal, but the models hadn't changed all that much since he had used them in the 40s. It was with a sense of melancholic nostalgia that he slipped the guns into the holsters on his belt.

Steve watched in surprise as Katura strapped on yet another belt and two thigh holsters, all laden with knives.

"Don't you think that's a bit much?" he asked.

Katura looked up at him, an eyebrow raised.

"We aren't coming back," she answered. "Might as well take what we can use."

Steve paused, shrugged, then extended his hand.

"Give me a thigh holster."

~~~

Spain

"Come on!" Zuko shouted, urging his dragon on as they soared through the smoked-clouded sky.

Beneath him was a sea of flame and destruction, a testament to Azula's destructive passion. The smoke and heat made him choke, taking labored breaths in an attempt to get enough air.

"Faster," he urged the Blood Dragon.

He could see her on the horizon, mounted on a Serpentine that belched liquid fire down on the villages beneath.

I have to stop her.

She was angry. She was furious and in pain and ready to burn to the world to the ground in vengeance. But she was his sister and Zuko still held out hope that there was something of a human heart that remained in her chest.

Reigning in his dragon, he turned to intercept Azula as she swooped into another valley, blocking her path.

"Azula!" he called. "You have to stop this!"

"Get out of my way," she snarled back at him. "Or I'll set you aflame as well!"

Zuko stood in the saddle. "Please," he pleaded. "This won't fix anything. You're destroying all you worked to conquer!"

Azula's head went back and she released a bitter laugh that sounded nothing of the sort.

"Don't you see?" she said. "It doesn't matter anymore, Zuko." She lowered her head, her face suddenly contorting as if she were about to burst into tears. Then she seemingly thought better of it, raising her head glaring up at him.

"They killed him," she said, her voice thick. "I don't know what weapon or dark magic they conjoured. But they will pay for what they've done."

Zuko's mind raced for an answer, a way to convince her.

"I understand how you feel," he said, carefully unbuckling himself from the saddle as he eased his dragon closer to hers. "I had everything taken from me as well."

She was nearly within reach now.

"But it will go on," Zuko continued. "This isn't the end of everything."

Azula stared up at him, turmoil behind her golden eyes.

"You're right," she finally said. "It will go on. I'll be their queen."

Almost there.

"Their goddess of death. And those that live will never cross me again."

Throwing himself out of the sadle, Zuko lunged at Azula. Her eyes widened in shock as they collided, time seeming to slow down for a moment before gravity caught up with them and they began to fall, down, down...down.

~~~

Panem-Jedidiah, Ursa, and Erik

"When were they last seen?" Erik demanded.

"I don't know," Ursa said.

"Around midnight," Jedidiah said, staring out the window. "They broke into the storeroom, stole weapons, and snuck out."

"You saw them...and you just let them go?" Erik asked incredulously.

Jed turned, something of a languid flippancy in his gaze as he glanced at the both of them.

"They're heading to Skyrim territory-where Jadis guards what's left of the dragons," he said, his voice and gaze hard with bitterness. "It was Jadis' ice and Azula's flame that killed my mother."

Jed turned his eyes on Erik.

"So no, I didn't stop them. I hope they kill both of them."

Silence fell over the room.

"Those two make a habit of going rogue, don't they?" Ursa finally asked.

Erik stared at the map before them, his gaze distant.

"Captain America does whatever he deems to be in the pursuit of truth and justice," he said. "He has few loyalties besides. It's what makes him a good man...and a poor soldier."

~~~

Skyrim

"I'll get the guards at the door," Steve whispered. "Cover me."

Katura nodded, disengaging the safety on her handgun as Steve set off at a sprint towards the door. He threw his shield like a frisbee, knocking both guards off their feet before they even saw him. Turning, he waited for more to come through the doors, but none appeared.

"Odd," he said as Katura came up beside him. "I would have expected more security."

Katura glanced around. "Ursa said that 'thing' was everywhere. They probably lost at least half of their guards."

Steve nodded, then motioned to the door. "Think anyone's left?"

Katura shrugged. "Let's find out."

Reaching out, Steve opened the ship's side door and crept in, his shield at the ready.

"Well, hello there."

Turning, they saw a figure emerge from the shadows.

"And so the traitors return," Jadis said as she sauntered into the room, her scepter clutched loosely in her hand.

Steve raised his shield, his jaw tightening.

"Surrender peaceably and you won't be harmed."

Jadis laughed. "Harmed? By two mortals?" She raised her wand. "I don't think so, Captain Rogers."

A flash of blue light exploded from the tip of Jadis' staff, shooting towards Steve.

Steve ducked, raising his shield to deflect the blast as Katura opened fire, forcing Jadis back.

Jadis turned, aiming her wand in Katura's direction.

"Get down!" Steve shouted, drawing his own sidearm. He fired two shots, both of which Jadis blocked with blasts of energy.

Katura rolled to the side and sprang to her feet, a gun in each hand. Crouching low, she unleashed a hail of bullets, finally managing to hit Jadis' arm.

With a scream of fury, Jadis drove her staff into the floor, sending a wave of blue across the room that knocked Steve and Katura off their feet. Katura crashed into the wall, then fell motionless to the floor.

"Fools!" she snapped. "I cannot be defeated by meager humans."

Rolling to his feet, Steve was knocked aside by another blast that sent his shield spinning to the other side of the room. Jadis raised her staff and held it to his throat.

"Know your place, Son of Adam." She pressed the sharp end into his flesh as he winced. "You cannot kill a god."

Suddenly, a gunshot erupted, closely followed by another.

Jadis staggered forwards, clutching at her pale-blue bodice as crimson blossomed over her chest. She gasped and choked, sinking to her knees as the crystal wand clattered to the ground.

Steve looked up to see Katura standing behind Jadis, gun still raised.

"You are no god of mine," she spat as Jadis looked up at her in shock, a pool of red spreading beneath her. Lowering her pistol, she leveled it with the Witch's head.

"Why don't you go and meet a real one?"

With that, Katura pulled the trigger.