Family In Crisis
1
“Hide? You suggest the most recognizable alien family hide? We’re recognizable by everyone. Everyone! Hello? Hello?” Scott El, uncharacteristically frustrated and at a loss on what exactly happened to Amalgam and why their the ones to blame. “Cerebron, all emergency frequencies. Classified: House of El only. Message: Return to the Isle of Solitude at once. All hands on deck, X1 Priority.” he barked into the alien intelligence that protected and operated their island fortress.
“Who pissed in your Cheerios?” Jana Grey, ex wife and teammate called telepathically from elsewhere.
“Waller has become almost completely useless, and that is the edited opinion of Alex El himself, though he didn’t sound himself, Lorna said he’s fine and to, well, never mind what she told me.”
“Nothing I’ve not said, Scott, I’m sure. I intercepted the emergency broadcast, sorry not sorry; it can’t be as bad as you think it is, can it?”
“You’ve known me the entire time on Amalgam, when have I resorted to exaggerations and falsely reached conclusions? And how did you--never mind, I’m sure I can trust your House.”
“I was only concerned; only offering my support. I’ve got bigger problems, Jana out,” she cut off the telepathic link.
“Son, I’ve more dire news, I’m afraid,” Cerebron, who was designed in his father’s image initially, regretfully chimed from the island’s every metallic surface.
“There is a queue already, Ce--,” he began.
“This must take Secondary Priority, Scott. There has been a cluster of Multiversal outbreaks. All Omega class Unidentified Mutant Entities. One is of our House, or a version therof.”
“Have you verified those readings via stealth interface?” he asked, which was the equivalent of asking if Cerebron was hacking into Amalgam’s most credible secured information networks. He had no other choice, they were limited on resources.
“All Intelligence Agencies have team’s en route as we speak. Their response is sluggish, even more so than usual. Your House Council will not interfere.”
“So not all guaranteed disasters for House El...that has to be inefficiency, not lack of our enemies purposeful efforts.” he was now talking to himself, but he couldn’t be judged too harshly; he had not felt so hopeless since the whole Apokolips Paradox that almost destroyed House El. And those had been Dark Days of Scott El indeed.
2
“Scott, Alex calling in, transmission received. My team has to come to Council as well, we’re en route to New Khandaqa, Waller’s fault, I swear.”
“Not an issue as long as Lorna doesn’t get unduly upset. I’m holding you responsible for her this time.”
“Scott, we may not be as close as in our youth, but for the sake of us all, please relax. We’re not so easy to get rid of, and not even Alexander Essex can do much about that.”
In response, Scott clicked off the frequency, the Cerebronian Equivalent of slamming the receiver down to end a phone call that was a torment. “Lorna, no fun--and I mean no fun--not on the Isle of Solitude. I am not being humorous.”
“You’re going to outrace Scott to a nervous breakdown yet, lovie,” she laughed.
“Waller wants the entire team to come in, or so I’ve been informed by Fury. But fuck Waller, and fuck Fury, too. Just you and I, stealth flight protocol. I wish she’d be removed forcibly and give us a little good news for a change. What a--,” Alex was saying to nobody in particular, not unlike Scott moments earlier.
“Oh, don’t be such a grump, Alex! Her fall is all but guaranteed and if we’re lucky, imprisonment is her only retirement option. As least House El has superpowered alien royalty to defend it, she’s got us and we don’t like her any more than her enemies.” Lorna smiled, doubtful Alex was listening; he’s always been sufficient at tuning her out.
“She is likely part of this conspiracy that Oracle wove for Avenging Justice, if not our actual House. Or she’ll know who was to blame; she’ll not tell Indentured Heroics, though I’m sure. Her power trip is unending now that she doesn’t have many cards left to play. But that’s a two-way super highway, Lorna. Now that she has no more killswitch on our team, I’m not kissing her ass!” he shouted.
3
Antarctica. O Hour, Multiversal Paradox.
The first of the refugee’s from a reality that more or less was similar to Amalgam in much larger ways than most of the recently collapsed realities, Nate El, the closest thing his timeline had to a savior knew, not because of incoming data, but because he knew whenever Multiversal Paradox Events happened not unlike a buisnessman’s headache comes at times of distress in his business. It annoys him and, though he has tried to resist his fate, he always investigates.
The woman in his arms is not his friend and certainly not his lover but she is vitally important to the Amalgam he and she arrived at moments ago, unsure if and when Apokolips’ only survivors, it’s Dark Matter-corrupted Generals, and his timelines murderers. They would almost certainly arrive here, though not together, which was a huge relief to even the most pessimistic friends now gone forever. “Anna--Magestrix, if you insist on claiming a title with no purpose--we don’t have time for rest. We don’t have the luxury of wasting time, as your husband was so fond of.”
“How dare you, ch--,” she began, another in an endless litany of accusations and confused memories, quickly erasing inside her head.
“How dare I, you say? Had i not interceded, all of Apokolips’ forces would be on our ass and not hunting your royal pain in my ass, because you’ve neither title nor powers and your mind is dematerializing, and you’d best believe that, can you not feel your memories fading into the Void?” he shouted, though there was no venom in it; it would keep her quiet a while longer and give him time to Skim a basic summation of this timeline.
“We must find whatever body of mutants exist here, and I’ve no time to waste, and sleep is but a distant memory, as I’ve told you, Anna. Luckily there are more telekinetic and similar pathways in tact here. This place even has an intact psychic plane!” he told her not because she would form new knowledge and memories, but speaking aloud sometimes helped him think. In exactly six hours and forty-three minutes, Anna’s mind would blank out and erase any helpful information from his timeline that may be useful in preventing The Anti-Creation Enigma from spreading here and dooming this reality as well.
“No, it musn’t be. It cannot be, he fell to his knees as the final results of his planetary skimming displayed inside his mind in telepathic form. No timeline may stand where the terrorist he himself slain back home lives long enough to spread his infectious ministrations. I’m hoping we encounter little distractions, Magestrix, because it would seem I’ve quite repetiitious work waiting for me in this reality,” he had collapsed to his knees as a pall passed over him, ripping at his very existence.
As though in response to a summons, the first of the formerly mentioned distractions set down in a circular pattern directly around him. The ground shook and in a flash of telekinetic movement, Nate El was back on his feet and had Anna’s free hand in his own. “You’ve not reached proficiency to merit with force, I will not murder apprentices,” he apologized psionically and then he and Anna vanished into the psychic plane where the distractions would surely be fewer and of better quality.
“Well that was a great, embarassing waste of all our time, Titans standby,” their field leader Nightpool barked without his usual, comedic banter. “ Oh, Big Sexy is gonna be--,” he managed before the woman most have the good sense to call The Queen in White or at the very least Emma, came alive in each of the four-member retrieval team’s minds.
“You will cease with such a disgusting name for me, Wade. That is not a request. What happened to our two visitors?” her voice, feminine and erudite screeched painfully in Nightpool’s poor, heavily damaged psyche.
“Fuck if I know, I’m more suited at enforcing violent, indiscriminate justice, Queen in White,” he reminded her via a grimace. “Neg, my girl, got anything?” he asked Raven and Phoenix, cosmic girl of great power.
“It was an El--how many of them live on this rock?--but the girl, no power signature at all remaining, save faint traces, is important enough they moved into the Psychic Plane. Not in my skillset, my Queen.” the echoing double-voice shrilled in its fear-inducing nanofrequency.
“Well there goes my day,” she said lowly, then to the group: split up, Titans. Report to each of the remaining anomolies geolocations and this time, use those powers you’re all so proud of,” she commanded. “Regroup in the Underfoot when finished whether you have your quarry or not.”
Okay, Neg--you take your little crush, he won’t let me pet him, Emma explained earlier--c’mon Darkstar, I’ll drop you--,” Wade barked, relishing in his new leadership role in as most inefficient and unkind a way as he could, just to keep things interesting.
“You can’t grope me, either, Wade and I can fly, please grow up before I’m forced to shatter your ego my damn self?” she erupted southeast. Before he had adequately fired back his own threatening remarks he was alone.
“Never should have trusted Big Sexy--kill things, she said, but nooooo--,” he vanished towards the violent, rage-baked encounter Queen in White had forseen and promised, another gift as Oracle Incarnate, who alone shares the knowledge of the coming storm.
4
Isle of Solitude, moments before Nate El’s arrival
“I realize that we’re spread as thin--maybe thinner--than ever before, but we can’t continue to work this way, not as this planet’s biggest target’s. Im initiating Cerebral Inhibitors and from now on, we’re our only team, our only hope; besides the usual suspects and our growing cadre of enemies, we’ve a Multiversal Paradox just now settling in this reality, and I would love nothing more than do as we had planned for the interim and keep our alien hands out of Amalgam’s affairs. I really, really would, but the first of the visitors is verified to be of House El from a recently collapsed timeline. We have no basis for estimating what any of the visitors may say or do.”
“Well, this is a new precedent, Scott, that you’ve set: Are you sure there aren’t even further grim and depressing developments to report?” Kendra El, she herself a refugee from a different collapsed timeline, one of only two surviving members of that vibrational signature.
“Since you couldn’t resist this most recent attempt at ridiculing me among our family, and Alex’s visiting comrades, as well, I have no choice but to point out all the circling phantoms, just in hopes you might get too depressed to vex me so. Alexander Essex, our occassional mentor and founder’s largest nemesis has literally endless resources available as of late, newly appointed Amalgam High Commander--yes, Jon, self-appointed though he is there is none who will be bothered with his latest false crusade--they’re busy with Valerie the Vile, our worst-behaved ally. But there is yet more,” Scott breathed in, his mind assembling the exact verbage as he did so, but he woul not get the opportunity just then.
“Scott, ignore that counterfeit sister, she’s not worth raising your anger, amusing as I may personally find such a display to be,” Alex cautioned, “Waller isn’t just kicking us while we’re already being kicked by everyone else, she’s planning something big and unfortunately I am almost certain it’s global unrest at the very least. No, you little shit stain, Faux El, I am not being manipulated, possessed or controlled; this time I’m not the only one to see evidence--and hear her own treasons from her dying lips, as well--,” he motioned for Lorna to say what she inisted she must.
“Indentured Heroics is being sent in to aide and protect New Khandaqa , and its leading race traitors of whom nearly ended mutant existence, our galactic cousins on Amalgam, not once but twice with no visible signs of consequences or punishment for their crimes. We shall not aide those murdering, incestuous tyrants. I understand our resources are depleting exponentially, but we’re going to remind the world of the Mutant Genocide Accords and enact the only punishment those fascists will ever face. If you can help, we welcome you,” Lorna shouted in her best shrieking falsetto, and then stood behind Alex once more.
“What could she possibly hope to gain from such an agenda?” Scott asked, a question they all considered for a moment before yet another ominous challenge blared itself into their extremely sensitive ears with a stab of momentary pain.
“Hello, interloping menace and sworn cancer--,” a villianous, amused voice House El knew all too well. Alexander Essex hadn’t wasted any time in triangulating the emergency frequency that Scott and Alex had reasoned he would in fact do.
“Don’t you have anything else to do, and during the global market’s hours of pilferation? You’ve become lazy and, considerably worse, redundant in your old age, Lex,” Scott interceded. “Before you further pirate the planetary communication systems for your own bigotry, let us save you the trouble. No, you do not have House of El surrounded nor are you going to ever think quickly or as heinously enough to be even a single step ahead of us. And let me point out the outright misleading claim you can evict us from your world, your self-gifted Amalgam, let me be the one to inform you that plan, also poorly executed, is forfeit, Essex.” Scott spat with great pleasure.
“We would love to further seperate your lies from the entangled, corrupt web you’ve spun, but we have real concerns to combat, actual, competent Villians to vanquish because El’s Hand is officially reinstated as it always shall when Amalgam’s survival is hanging in the balance, as it is this very moment. Don’t get in my way, you mad, helpless child, we don’t want to hurt anybody--as always El’s Hand fights for this planet, its populace, and its safety. That’s something humanity has decided is not a priority, but this is our planet as much as your own. Stand down!” Scott cut off the stolen and repurposed frequency their largest foe had repurposed.
“There are six anolomies we’ve been able to lock down, and whoever comes through are NOT our Hand’s business, not until those tears are closed and further Multiversal Strangers come through, should that be an eventuality.”
“I can’t, Scott, but you hardly need my help. I don’t mend holes, I make them,” Alex nodded and departed only moments before the rest of El’s Hand divided their forces and moved ahead to prevent possible galactic collapse.
