Crossover Chapter 17

Featuring Subject 13, Prototype Alpha, and Pixie of Youth Brigade

[Contains scenes of violence and coarse language.  It's a superhero battle featuring Nasty, so it shouldn't be a surprise.]

Parking lot, Hank Cheetas, Cleveland, evening

"Your friends are too busy to come to your side."  Nasty let the energy drain from her fist.  "You can't fight your own fights, can you?"

"Shut up!"  Natasha pulled herself up to stand straight.  Both arms charged up.  "I am not going to lose to the likes of you!"

"Could have fooled everyone."  Nasty spat on the ground.  "Bring it!"
Natasha raised both of her arms.  A twin rush of purple raced from Natasha to Nasty.  Both bolts hit, sending the former Peregrine flying.  Nasty crashed through the restaurant's front window, skidded across a table, then landed in a tangle of chairs.

Nasty grabbed the table above her and pulled herself to her knees.  The world spun and tilted.  She closed her eyes as she tried to regain her balance.  From deeper inside the restaurant, she heard Eric call out, "Tash!"

"I'm okay!"  Nasty got to her feet, reeling.  She put a hand down on the table to steady herself.  "I'm just peachy!"  She gave her head a shake, then ran back outside.

Once out the door, she stepped to her left.  A purple bolt struck the door, shattering it.  Nasty sneered.  "Do you really think I'm fucking stupid enough to let you hit me as I came out?"

"Screw you!  Omega!  I need the reinforcements!"

-**-

Parking lot, Hank Cheetas, Cleveland, evening

"Omega!  I need the reinforcements!"

With smoke pouring from within his armour's right arm, Omega set down, landing with a heavy thud.  He ran to join Natasha, each footfall leaving cracks in the pavement.  Meredith watched from above.  "Guys, this is Alpha.  Something's up.  The ego has landed."

"Alpha, this is Micki.  Someone should slap you for that pun."

"Alpha, Keith here.  You're right.  Tachyon burst coming from below you."

Meredith looked down.  Omega had his torso facing away from Tasha and toward the parking lot.  "I think the phrase is, 'Incoming!'"

"Alpha, this is Gwen.  What do you mean?"

"Their Peregrine called for reinforcements.  He's opening up the breech to bring an army through!"  Meredith swooped down.  "Peregrine!  Ignore the wench and do something about Omega!"  She continued her dive, taking a potshot at the armoured hulk.  The ionic blast struck Omega's shoulder, but didn't move him or earn a reaction.  "Keith, that shield thingy?"

"On it.  Just get your shield out and point it at the breech."

"What breech?"  Meredith used her visor to focus in on the location Omega was aimed at.  "I don't see a breech."

"Switch to your energy receivers."

"Which button is that?"

Keith sighed.  "The blue and the green at the same time."

Meredith hit the two buttons on her left arm guard.  "Whoa!"  The head's-up display turned the world a mix of blues, reds, and yellows, with no rhyme or reason that the brunette could discern.  "Keith, what's going on?"

"You're looking for a bright orange area.  Pull back your focus to normal and you should see it."

After some poking at her visor, Meredith reported, "Done.  Ah, there it is."

"Good.  Deploy your shield, aim it at the orange spot, and I'll turn it on from here."

"Gotcha."  Meredith pressed a button on her arm guard, knowing it's location from practise and use.  The six wires making up the shield's energy transducers emerged from the bracer and locked into position.  Meredith pointed her arm at the cause of the orange field in her head's-up display.  "Keith, ready!"

Energy crackled along the wires, a multidimensional Jacob's ladder in the works.  The ionic energy turned from blue to indigo to violet to red as the power output grew.  The wires thrummed from the frequencies pouring through them.  Without warning, a solid red beam shot out from the shield.  It turned a bright black as it hit something.  In Meredith's display, the orange field wavered, changing in intensity.  She stabbed at her visor controls, returning the display to normal sight.

Below her, Omega tapped his helmet.  "Who dares interfere?"

Unable to resist, Meredith shot a burst at Omega, hitting him at the top of his helm.  "Interference isn't futile!"

Omega broke his stance.  He raised his left arm up, aiming his railgun at Prototype Alpha.  "I have had enough of your noise!"  The magnets hummed to life.

-**-

Parking lot, Hank Cheetas, Cleveland, evening

Vicki tore after her giant double, trying to stop her from getting to the crowd of bystanders.  "Get back here, you overgrown ditz!"

"What are you going to do, sprinkle me to death with that fairy dust?"  Tori stomped closer and closer to the crowd.  "And I'll show you ditz.  I know how to get you to surrender."  She scanned the bystanders.  "He'll do just nicely."

Vicki saw who Tori noticed.  "Daddy?"  She bore down on the giant.  "No!  Leave him alone!"  Catching up, she pulled back on Tori's hair.  "Stay away from him!"

Tori shook her head, breaking the grip Vicki had on her blond locks.  "He so deserves it."

"Yours, maybe.  Not mine!"  Vicki slipped around get in front of Tori's face.  "If you want him, you have to go through me."

"Like you can stop me."  Tori took another heavy step, her face within inches of Vicki.  "Go ahead, try."

Vicki tossed a handful of her pixie dust into Tori's face.  "Stay away from him."

"Is that it?  It doesn't work on me, remember?"

"It doesn't put you to sleep, no."  Vicki tossed a second handful of dust, this time into Tori's nose.  "I bet that it tickles, though."

Tori's nose twitched.  The giant blond girl stopped mid-stride.  "What the fuck did you do, you bitch?"

Vicki tossed a third handful up as Tori took a deep breath.  "Gesundheit, bitch."  She flew straight up, away from the gasping giant.

Tori took a half-hearted swipe at the winged blond.  The first sneeze hit her, doubling her over.  The second sneeze sent her crashing down backwards on top of several parked cars.  She shrank back to her normal height before the third sneeze struck.

Seizing the chance, Vicki swooped in and touched down, growing back to the same height as her opponent.  She stepped in during Tori's fourth sneeze.  "Don't you ever go after my dad ever again!"  Vicki jabbed her fist into Tori's gut.  The dimensional invader doubled over.  Pressing the attack, Vicki chopped down on her opponent's shoulder.  Tori dropped to the ground, hard.  Vicki shook out her hand.

With a snort to clear out her nose, Tori reached out and grabbed Vicki's ankle.  "No one makes a fool out of me!"  She yanked, sending Vicki falling on her back.  "No one!"  Tori got to her feet and grew.


Next Time:
Omega raised an arm to strike the heroine.  "Any final words?"

A shimmer wavered close to the ground.  Meredith glanced at the power reserves meter.  "Keith, I'm down more than two hours of battery life."

"Shut up!"  Natasha fired a blast of purple in Vicki's general direction.  "I'm not going anywhere.  I'm bringing my army through!  I will have my day!"