Chapter Three: The Salvation of Paradise

[The Truth]

It's hood flowed with Franki's fingertips as she coaxed it up and about her head as her feet carried her body, and thus it along with, towards what appeared to be an alleyway. She had said something about a building, climbing, and a 'bird's eye view'. What was she trying to see? Was a roof really the best place to spy on someone? Did she even know what she was doing?

Would Strange have selected her if she didn't?

It would have been a simple enough matter to transport her and the other female to their intended destination, but traveling through the dark dimension wasn't an appealing concept at the moment. So it bidded it's time, content to merely see the world through her eyes even if it couldn't directly affect it at the moment. What color were her eyes? Her hair? At present merely a tiny bit of her nose was visible to it, but that hardly answered it's questions. It had gotten brief glances at the rest of the group whenever her gaze landed upon them, but she herself was still unknown to him. Was she blonde like her companion? Like Jennifer? Like Tandy? Or perhaps a brunette like Strange's apprentice. Maybe even a redhead.... It would have to find out someday.

The feel of the air against her skin was exhilarating, though it wished it could also feel the warmth of the morning sun through it's own everlasting chill. It couldn't help but wonder if she knew just how blessed she was to have all her senses at her disposal. Did any of them? Most likely not. People never took the time to enjoy such simple miracles.

[The Mighty Thor]

There was a sense of alarm that began to sweep through the village once Sigmarr had panicked. The sight of an Asgardian security detail was never something the locals cared to see in their quiet hamlet. Rather quickly the locals began to retreat into their homes and shops, peering out at the strangers who threatened to bring the Lord’s wrath down upon them. From the safety of one of those shops, Abby decided to stay as far from harms way as she could and look through the books around her for some tidbit of information that could help their cause. She began to peruse the tome that lay before her, as people began to filter into the store around her. She did her best to ignore them as she reopened the book and began to read. To her surprise it was written by hand, and judging by the splatter and blotches that littered the margins, it had been done with quill and ink. The ink was faded and old. In fact, it was probably older than anything Abby had ever seen before, including anything she had ever seen in any museum. But as old as it was, it was remarkably preserved. It was a book of ancient mythology, Norse mythology to be precise. The first page read, “In the beginning there was cold and heat. On one side, Niflheim, the land of frost and mist. On the other, Muspellsheim, a sea of raging flames. Between them, there was nothing but the vast, bottomless abyss, Ginnungagap. Here, in this yawning void, flanked by light and dark, lay the origin of all life. In the encounter between ice and fire...” Abby continued to read, but realized that the book was not written like any tall tale or story book she had ever read before. In fact she quickly surmised that this was not a book of mythology at all. This was a history book. As she paused to take in the information she had gleaned, she noticed the people who had filtered into the shop now huddled some distance from her, whispering and pointing in her direction.

Outside the shop, Logan was making his way determinately toward the ruckus that his teammates seemed to be causing. But as he walked, he realized that he was being followed. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Sigmarr rushing after him, with four armored and armed locals in tow. Apparently the annoying little man had been successful in rousing the local security forces to go along with their more godly counterparts. A fact which became apparent to Franki, Paige and the Cloak as they watched from a nearby rooftop. It was simple child’s play for Franki to traverse the building’s facade, finding a shadowy nook behind a large stone chimney. Her training had taught her how to stay hidden even in the most unlikely of circumstances, a skill she had mastered long ago. Paige had a slightly more difficult time of it. But once she had peeled the flesh from her hands, revealing metallic claw-like fingers which were much more suited to climbing, she followed behind Franki with little trouble. The trio watched as the armored men pursued Logan, calling out to him as they went, “Good sir! You there, in the pallid cloak. We would have words with thee!”

Lies flowed freely from Iron Fist and Barry, hoping to fend off the curiosities of the large Asgardians. Although they weren’t really lies, more the likes of half truths. But even half truths made them seem suspicious, especially considering the reports that their Master had handed down to them. The first man, Hogun spoke, “If that be the truth, that ye are but humble nomads, why did thee lie when first ye were questioned? I don’t believe a word ye speak. Security master Loki has seen something amiss in Landsbystyv. There be at least one here who possesses abilities no longer allowed on Midgard. As ye seem to be among the only strangers in this land with something to hide, it seems most obvious that ye be the ones we seek.” Just then, Victoria emerged from the alley, cloak pulled tightly about her white locks. She spoke to the demigods hoping to extinguish the situation, but Hogun barely heard a word. His gaze was fixed at the woman’s hip, and the uru sword that hung there, not quite hidden by the folds of her cape. With his focus completely shifted, he sprang from his mount and rounded on Victoria, bellowing, “Where did thee get this blade?!”

[Enchantress]

The first word out of Victoria's mouth was a very unladylike swear that started with an "f" and rhymed with duck.
"Damnit Wade, what have you gotten me into now?" she whispered as Hogun got all up in her personal space.
"It was a gift from a friend. I have no idea where it came from other than that, and that is the truth."
"I'm going to kill him, I swear by all that's holy I'm going to kill him. WADE WILSON YOU ARE A DEADMAN!" her mind screamed out, hoping that the thought crossed the cosmic plane and smacked Wade hard across the face, butt, whereever.
She looked up at Hogun again and seriously contemplated invading his mind. The idea had merit, so why not give it a try?
With a smile on her face, Victoria began to concentrate and try to gleen some information from Hogun. Giving a warning glance to Iron Fist, Barry and Alex as she did.
"Get ready, this could get very ugly" she called out to the entire team, hoping they'd stay on their guard.

[Harley]

"Screw this than." Barry said as his entire body started to vibrate, and he showed a manovelent grin "Let's kick some ass." Looking back, he saw the armored security folk approaching Logan and sped off within a second after he spoke the words, setting off in hopes of disarming the lot of them before they had the chance to blink.

[Spiderbob]

Logan heard the shouts coming from behind him that the apparent local authority issued after him, yet his pace did not slow in the slightest. His gaze returned forward, once again set on his 'teammates' and the Lord's security that they had apparently come to odds with and he continued to close the gap between them. However, that was not to say that he did not pay any heed to the minor annoyance that trailed behind him. Ever so slightly, not even recognizable by common observer less he was studying Logan's features with great intesity, Logan narrowed his eyes, focusing his telekentic powers around his pursuers feet, causing them to be planted firmly to the ground they tread. Unless some unforseen force intervened, those following him would find their feet held firmly in place and their body's crashing to the ground as they tripped over their forward motion. To any other bystander watching the scene, it would merely appear as if the group was clumsy and all stumbled over each other. However, after his pursuers' faces connected with that of the ground, they would find themselves unable to get up. He would make sure of that.

[SLVRSR4]

"Hey, Victoria. This isn't going quite as smoothly as I would have hoped. Luke always said I was a horrible liar. Do you think you might be able to get into this guys huge melon and mentally suggest that we aren't of any concern of theirs? Even better, tell them that they didn't even find us to begin with. You know, pull an Obi Wan Kenobi on them!"

Iron Fist began to prespire slightly, and he was nearly at a loss for words when the two large Asgardians called his bluff once again. "I apologize when I attempted to decieve you earlier. We were merely taken back by the sight of two warriors of you're stature. I panicked, and said the first thing that came to mind. We really mean no harm to anyone here, will be on our way if you will permit it."

Danny had a feeling that the talking wasn't going to help. He was more than likely just prolonging the inevitable battle. In the distance, Logan had apparently caused quite a ruckus. Barry has been still ENTIRELY too long, and probably wouldn't be able to maintain it for very much longer. Now the two large men began to grill Victoria about the origins of her sword. This is going nowhere fast. Things are about to escalate. I wonder where Abby got off to? We might be needing her soon! Danny began to summon his inner energy. By focusing his Chi into his hands, he would soon be able to face even the strongest opponents. Here's hoping that Victoria can pull this off!

[Nova]

Abbey's eyes widened as her eyes slipped easily over the words in front of her. As the history spread out before she began to put the pieces together. She had read somthing similar to this, but the characters she knew as fiction, in this world were real.

Sher looked away from the page and rubbed her eyes. In doing so she noticed that there were quite a few more people in the library than there was when she got there. Furthermore these people were staring at her, whispering, and pointing. She wanted to read more and find out more, but she was unsure what to do about the onlookers.

[Solace]

Watching the scene below them Paige mentally cursed the fact that they hadn’t seen this coming, they had become far to comfortable with being able to blend into a place that when confronted with a place like this none of them had known the correct way to behave so that they would not be seen as a threat. Ah’m goin’ t’ say things aren’t going well down there. She mentally spoke to herself, fearing that if she were to utter anything aloud that their hiding place might be found out.

From their bird’s eye view Paige could see that one of the men had dismounted and was now advancing on Victoria, while Logan was being chased by a few of the towns local soldiers. “Psst, Franki? Can yuh hear what they’re sayin’?” Paige whispered so quietly that she could hardly hear herself, though she hoped that her companion had heard her.

[Tessa]

Franki shook her head no, “Only the voices that are loud enough to carry, I’m relying on reading their lips when I can see them.” She was splitting her gaze between Logan and the much larger group, “Ten bucks says that we’ll have to join the conflict if things get bad…which by the looks of it, could be very soon.” She watched the large man that was talking to Victoria and Iron Fist, “That one there seems to think that we’re a group of individuals that they’ve been warned about. Which most likely is true, all evidence leads to that.” She just shook her head at Barry and Logan’s use of their powers, sometimes it seemed like super-powered beings over-used the gifts that they had, and didn’t rely on their own physicality enough.

“Also, making displays of power like our teammates have done is not going to help our case any, they should have waited until it was really needed.” She adjusted the hood that was concealing her head, “Although, nothing could make this situation better, it’s just getting worse by the second.” Her hand went to the rope that was hanging at her waist, wishing once again that she had her utility belt.

[The Mighty Thor]

For reasons that were completely mysterious to him, in another little corner of reality somewhere far from our heroes, Wade Wilson felt a sort of psychic slap, and he liked it. “Your welcome, Pale Rider,” was all he said as the sensation faded just as quickly as it had come.

Back in Landsbystyv, Victoria shifted her attention away from the manic mercenary that threatened to plague her even across the span of the multiverse and back to the situation at hand. She was about to muddle in the mind of a god, and if Dr. Strange had been there, he definitely would have advised against it. But he was not, so she reached out and in the time between moments she began to feel for the edges of the much larger man’s consciousness. If the Phoenix had wanted to, it could have easily aided Victoria in her endeavor, and split the Asgardian’s mind wide. But the cosmic entity was being less than cooperative lately, and instead it felt to Victoria as if she had just slammed her head into a brick wall. Apparently the mind of this being was going to be more difficult to coerce than any of them would have guessed. That or something, or someone had taken measures to ward against such intrusions.

Victoria was already shaking off the effects of the mental wards that guarded Hogun’s thoughts as Barry was racing to intercept the mortal security forces. It was nothing for a man of Barry’s speed to quickly relieve the men of their weapons, leaving the speedster standing triumphantly with all manners of bladed implements in hand watching as the guards toppled over under Logan’s telekinetic assault. Try as they might, the security men could not regain their footing either, as Logan easily pinned them to the ground.

Inside the book shop, Abby took a small device from her satchel. It was an instrument that would have seemed out of place in this world, but she knew it was necessary. Quickly and as discreetly as possible she snapped it open and began to scan the pages into the gadget’s memory. But before she could scan more than a few pages, she noticed a local quietly approaching her. Slipping the scanner away from the inquisitive eyes of the man, she looked up with as pleasant a smile as she could muster as the man began to speak, “I do not know you, young one. I have never seen you before. Be you with the rest of the travelers that visit Landsbystyv this day?”

Noticing the immobilized guards down the street, Hogun and his partner Yarsug decided that the time for talk had passed some time ago. No longer willing to believe a word spoken by this lot, they prepared to take this situation to a higher authority. Knowing that the pale skinned woman, and more precisely the blade that was slung at her hip would interest their master to no end, Hogun grabbed Victoria by the forearm and drug her along. Yarsug took hold of the quiet Alex with his left hand, and with is right motioned for Iron Fist to come along. The second Asgardian snarled to the blonde haired man, “Come along now. We shall take you to the reconditioning center and allow Master Loki to sort this out.” And down the street, with Victoria in tow still a bit dazed by the mental probe gone wrong, Hogun came face to face with Logan and bellowed. “Stand ye down mortal. Your presence here is in violation of Asgardian law, and ye shall answer for thyselves.”

[Harley]

"Who's your daddy now, aye!?" Barry said with a grin on his face, standing near a little mountain of weaponry, before he looked on too see that the two Asgardians had not taken a liking too Victoria and the others "Guess I have to stop the stupid gits... Damn, I really need too stop hanging out with Cyborg, sheesh." In a quick and decisive manner, Barry reached for the weapons that lay at his feet, grabbing the nearest sharp object "Probably never even had weapons thrown at them at superspeed." he said with a laugh, as he started to accelerate.

Running circles around his teammates and their new opponents, Barry eventually zeroed in on one of the man's/god's/whatever shoulderblades, and threw the blade with a precision that only could have been taught to him by the world's second greatest marksman.

[Enchantress]

"ouwww..." Victoria groaned as the after effects of her failed mindprobe lingered. The big Asgardian had grabbed her and Victoria had decided that she really wasn't in the mood to deal with whomever Deadpool had stolen her sword from.
"Hey!" she growled as he drug her down the street behind him. "I hope you don't treat all the women you encounter this way!" Victoria had dropped her guard, and the blood red diamond on her forehead almost glowed against her pale skin.
She decided against asking the Phoenix for any help. Since it had done nothing of late but hiss and lash out at her. She had no idea what was going on with it, but she didn't have the patience for it right now. Somewhere within her...anger began to well again, and she swore she heard the distinct sound of a demonic laugh...but no one else seemed to hear it.
"Now is not the time to go mental...Gods, I wish Hank were here. He's dealt with Asgardians before, hell...he was boinking one of them...ok, get that thought out of your head...there's no guarantee that's what he's at home doing right now...you know better than that."
She shook her head trying to shake the feeling like a London fog had settled in her head. She had to be on her toes, she had no idea where they were going, but she needed to be on her guard.

[The Truth]

That scene had proven....interesting....to say the least. These others all seemed quite...impatient. Impatient and disorderly. Impatient, disorderly, and...captured. Yes. They were quite captured. Captured by large men with large weapons upon large steeds. Half of the group no less. That was surely going to....complicate matters. Matters which most likely didn't need to be complicated any more. It's fom rippled a bit from where Franki's fingers touched it, gently sending a cascading wave down past her shoulders and back, dispersing at it's lowermost hem.

"you have Needs?"

It asked, still growing used to "thinking" in words again. Emotions were so much simpler. More familiar. Precise. Words were often failing and clumsy, especially for a being such as itself. But how else was it to communicate with her? Or she with it? The thoughts on the surface of her mind could be read easily enough....but what if she didn't want to share such thoughts? What if invading her privacy like that caused her to cast him off? Wait.... Hadn't it asked these same questions of itself before?

With Jennifer it was easy. Become a jacket or a coat or a pair of pants of some sort and.....be. It knew her every thought and feeling just as she knew every thought and feeling it had. There were no secrets. No need for them. When she was cold it's form shifted into something warmer. When she was warm into something cooler. A thought changed it from backpack to winter coat. A whim from robe to t-shirt. But such a bond had taken time. Developed over the years. With this new woman, what more could it do than listen when she spoke? Respond when she asked? Conceal her head when nudged?

Want. Need. Have.

It let the feelings flow from itself to her as it picked up on her desire to have....something. It was still not comfortable with making sentances, but wasn't going to let a lack of proper syntax bar it from getting it's point across. It had definately felt her want something, though it didn't know what. But whatever it was it hoped she got it, as they would most likely need everything available to them if they were to battle this Thor looking fellows.

Thor...

That's why they looked to familiar. Asgardians they were called. Thor's people. Yes. Strange and Kale had both read about them at different times. While in the good Doctor's care the cloak had even had the distiction to 'meet' Thor when he visited one day. He was being worn by Strange's apprentice that morning and remembered the sight of him. Majestic in a way. The feelings that had washed over Ms. Topaz when she first laid eyes on him...... It was neither here nor there. What was important was the fact that it now recognized the situation better. Had some semblance of an idea of what it was they were dealing with. Asgardians were not to be taken lightly by any stretch of the imagination, and if thier group had somehow managed to upset of offend them their mission on this world may have just become infinately more difficult.

[Spiderbob]

All pretenses were off. His hold that he had on the guards behind him was released as he put his full attention to the behemoths that now confronted him. His laid back and superior manner that he bore only moments ago was now replaced with a look of pure determination and defiance that met theirs. He stood firm, giving up no ground to the towering giants before him, prepared to engage in battle at a moments notice. His left hand and removed on of his staffs from his belt, extending it to its full length and holding it behind him. His right arm low and bent in an 'L' formation, ready to extend and produce a shield or go send an offensive strike.
"No."
It was a short and simple response to their demand, but his voice, and the emotions that could be seen building inside his gaze spoke differently. He would not be controlled as he and his brother had been in the past. He had trained himself to become his world's greatest telekentic and honed his martial arts skills to ensure that he and his brother would never again suffer such a fate. True, he wanted to get to their lord, their master, but he was not going to allow himself or the others to be taken willingly.

[SLVRSR4]

Oh, hell, this is getting quite out of hand. Whatever, I was looking for a good scrap anyways, and if I can't talk my way out of it, then I might as well let my martial arts prowess speak for me. Danny Rand had spent MANY years training in the mystical city of K'un L'un. He had perfected a myriad of fighting techniques that would make even the most advanced fighters cower. One technique in particular was a powerful move from which his namesake was derived. By focusing his body's energy or "Chi" into his fists he is able to make devastating attacks that can shatter solid steel with a single blow. His hands began to glow in exponential brightness as he began to summon his chi. He was getting more and more furious as the large Asgardian men began to accost his teammates.
One of them said something about Loki, and I don't care what reality you're in, that never means good things. I think it's about time we start doing something about these lumbering brutes. The time for talk is over. "LET THEM GO!!!!! LET THEM GO, OR I SWEAR TO YOU THAT YOU'LL REGRET IT!" Iron Fist could see that they weren't exactly impressed with his threats. He was going to have to prove to them that he meant business. Using all of the training that he had been given over the years, he knew that his best bet at making a dent in these behemoths would be to attack the one that had a grip on his teammates. That way it would free them and he would have some back up. He darted towards the Asgardian really low in order to get inside his reach. He then reached back and began to plow his fist of iron towards the goliath's stomach. GOD, I HOPE THIS WORKS!!!!!!!

[Tessa]

“I had a utility belt with my other uniform, it was transfigured when we arrived here. I miss it.” Franki responded to Cloak, she felt what seemed like emotion radiate from the Cloak as she watched the events below with growing unease. It seemed like the hackles of the guards had been raised, and her teammates were doing nothing to help the situation.

She saw Danny’s attack, raising her awareness that much more. Franki glanced at Paige briefly, giving the blonde an uneasy look.
“Is this usually how missions go?” She asked in an undertone, “’Cause I’ve got to say, the planning isn’t brilliant.” Franki was physically capable of holding her own, but she would prefer not to get involved until she knew how these individuals moved when attacked, how the flow of their strikes and their blocks. She was a novice hero, but Franki could just hear Batman’s voice ringing in her ears if she decided to head into the fray without at least analyzing briefly.

Diatribes about how she was too quick tempered, too overly confident, she’d heard them all and wasn’t prepared to hear them replay in her brain if something went wrong.
“You can see, correct? What is your take on the situation? Don’t worry about sentence, I can sorta feel what you feel, I guess you could say.” She thought to Cloak, her fingers running along the rope that was recoiled at her side.

[The Truth]

See? Yes it could see and it was glorious. But it's take on the events unfolding? How could it say? It knew not what the others were capable of, so how could it discren how things were going? Stating the obvious would be insulting. But underestimating either party could lead to more trouble.

Bad. Holy.

Was all it conveyed about the matter at hand as parts of it extended from within its fold, quickly coiling a wrapping themselves around her midriff. The tendrils were thread thin at first, but quickly grew in size and girth as they wove themselves in a complex symphony of pattern and form. Certain pieces thinned out and softened, becoming supple to the touch, while other pieces thickened and became hard, rounding themselves out into buttons. Cloth buttons sure, but buttons none-the-less.

When it had finished a part of it was secured around her waist in the form of a belt adorned with numerous pouches of varying size. It had imitated designer belts before, but never a "utility" one, so it could only guess as to how one would look and feel. Sure the pouches may have been the wrong sizes, in the wrong places, or even just plain old wrong....but the cloak knew how it felt to be without, so if it could spare another from feeling such it would do whatever it could.

Gift. Have.

That having been done, it turned it focus back to other things. Namely the face it had seen when the young woman had turned her head. It could see the face of their companion more clearly now, but sadly it was not one it recognized. Strange had apparently pulled people from all over the place and not just his little circle of friends and confidants. She was pretty though, which at the moment probably wasn't going to be the most help.

But once more attending to the conflict below new feelings crossed over it. Especially as it watched the bright energied male attack. If he failed to hurt the guard he would surely upset him, which would possibly put the entire ground on the ground in danger. But if he succeeded and hurt the guard.... What then? Would the guards see the attack as a reason to execute them all? Would he call for reinforcements and make the situation even more dire? Would said Security Master be summoned forth?

Success. Surrounded.

It let the feeling of being outnumbered follow a feeling of accomplishmet, hoping Franki would be able to draw the same conclusions it had. If worse did in fact come to worse it could always seperate itself from her and risk the dark dimension again in an attempt to teleport the street level party out of harm's way. But in doing so it would be exposing itself, both to the Green Eyes and to the guards below. But what else could it do? It would need a host in order to become invisible, something it could not do on its own, but how could it ask anyone to risk that place again?

[Local Hero]

Remaining silent, Alex dragged his feet petulantly, pulling back against the large viking who was manhandling him down the street. He did not use all his strength, after all there was no point giving everything away at one time. "Perhaps if I behave like an idiot kid, I shall be treated as one." Alex thought, for once glad that his teenage vampiric form belied his actual years. "Although maybe they treat their kids very badly." This last thought caused his frown to deepen beneath his makeshift mask and remained silent, taking in everything that was going on around him. "Loki? The prankster? From the little I know about viking legends this all seems a bit pastoral for his tastes." The knowledge of who there would-be captor was puzzled Alex even more than he had been. "Ah well.. at least we are getting somewhere wi.." he was thinking only to have Danny bellow behind him. With an inward sigh, Alex set his feet firmly on the ground telekinetically rooting himself to the spot, hoping to throw his guard off his stride.

[Nova]

Abby's mind was trying to scan for the correct answer to the man's question. Figuring a half truth is better than no truth whatsoever, she sighed.

"Yes sir. I have come with the travelers. We mean no one any harm. Not knwing where we are, it became apparent to me that it would help to have some knowledge of this place."

All the time she was talking she was slowly sliding the scanning device up her sleeve.

"I hope you don't mind, but I was drawn to the nice quietness of this place."

Smiling her most sincere smile, she lightly laid her hand on his arm. Sugar coating her voice, she cocked her head at him,

"I'm not in any trouble am I?

[Solace]

An icy chill ran down Paige’s spine as she watched the scene below, fear creeping into the rational part of her brain as she watched her teammates being drug along by the giant guards. Again the blond southerner was starting to feel helpless and useless standing on the rooftop while the majority of their team was being taken away. Don’t go there Guthrie Paige warned herself, feeling the all to familiar doubts creeping into her mind and once the doubts surfaced soon she knew she’d be rendered useless as she began to feel more and more like that emotional teenager she’d been on the first mission. The one who had used Pete Wisdom as a security blanket and spent a great deal of the mission curled up in a tiny ball trying to block out the rest of the world.

Paige knew for the sake of her current teammates that she couldn’t do that, she couldn’t allow herself to let those all to familiar doubts in. The tiny voices that told her she wasn’t good enough, fast enough or smart enough to save her teammates if they were truly were captured and unable to get themselves free. “Ah can’t shift into anything that’ll be able t’ overtake those guards…” Paige was thinking aloud, maybe in hopes that Franki might pipe up with some brilliant escape plan that’ll keep them from having to put everyone and themselves in serious danger.

[The Mighty Thor]

Honesty is an admirable trait. In fact, they say the truth will set you free. But when you are a world class spy more used to lying your way out of a jam than playing it straight, one should probably stick with one’s strengths. The elderly man looked at Abby, inwardly hating himself for what he was about to do. It wasn’t that he really wanted to throw the girl from his store, but he had no choice. Ever since the Asgardians came to Midgard, they had leveled a measure of scrutiny on the human populace that didn’t pay to defy. The man pulled his arm away from her grasp and stepped aside, letting Abby have a good look at the door, as he mumbled, “No my dear, you will receive no trouble from me. But if it’s all the same, t’would likely be best if you left my shop.”

Outside in the street, unwilling to go quietly, many of the Watch’s number began to oppose their would be captors. Barry stood amongst a cache of weapons, all of which he began to hurl in the demigod’s direction. They flew with blinding speed, but somehow the much larger man evaded the assault. Something was obviously wrong. Although Barry was the only one to notice, each weapon that he threw seemed to leave his hands more slowly than the previous one. It was only by a small fraction each time, but for someone so used to super speed it was a glaring glitch in his powers. It was as if his connection to the speed force was slowly fading in this place.

Hogun held Victoria firmly as Logan blatantly contradicted his orders. Behind the mutant, the human security men rose to their feet, now free of their telekinetic hold. They made to approach the escalating fight, but thought better of it once they saw the pure anger on Hogun’s face. None had opposed him in years, and he obviously didn’t like the idea of being challenged by one that he thought of as inferior. But before he could wipe the smug look from Logan’s face, he heard Yarsug groan from behind him. It seemed that the young ones he had left to his partner had gotten the better of him. The shrouded one who had remained quiet this whole time had planted his feet somehow, allowing the other one to deliver an impossibly strong blow to the Asgardian’s mid-section.

The distraction was what the team needed, for once Hogun had lost his concentration, Barry took advantage by hurling a war mace into the man’s chest, loosing his hold on Victoria. While their Asgardian attackers were temporarily stunned, the members of the Watch set themselves, preparing for the retaliation that was sure to come. The streets had become abandoned after the winged horses had arrived. The villagers were obviously smart enough to stay out of the brute’s way. A lesson that the reality hopping heroes took careful note of. But the village’s streets were not completely empty after all, for as the Asgardian’s regrouped from the unlikely opposition they faced, a voice called out from a nearby alley. Victoria was the first to see the man, and alerted her companions to his presence as he called out, “This way! Quickly, while they are off balance!”

[Spiderbob]

Logan had remained in his battle ready stance as his teammates carried out their assualt on their would be captors. The towering behemoths did not seem to have expected such resistance as the blows were enough to stun them temporarily as well as cause them to release Ms. Essex. He smirked inwardly at the scene before him. Not only had he not shown his hand, revealing none of his powers, but he had been able to witness his allies and opposition in combat, however brief it may have been. He instantly logged the battle sequence into memory, wanting to analyze the potential strengths and weaknesses of those in the struggle. But he would have to do so later. The present moment demanded his attention as he prepared for the counter attack that they were sure to recieve.
Fate, however, seemed to think other wise. Logan's eyes darted away from the giants as Ms. Essex drew his attention to a stranger in the alley, beckoning them towards him, obviously for a means of espace from their situation. The sight caused him to sneer. He hated to run from a fight. Such a feat was a sign of weakness, but most of all cowardince, something he had purified from his body and mind long ago. Yet, though he hated to do so, at times, even he would admit it was necessary.
Logan paused for a few moments to release a powerful force push in the Asgardians' direction. He did not expect it to have a great result or to even harm them, but he hoped that it would at least buy him and those destiny had allied him with a few extra moments to make their escape. The instant his attack was released he rushed with his teammates towards the stranger in the alley, hoping that his means of escape would buy them haven from their assaliants, however temporary it may be.

[Harley]

Barry stood dumbfounded, his body still moving at an accelerated pace as he marvelled at his hand before him. It vibrated with speed, but every now and then, it glitched and the hand would stop moving. Stop vibrating. Stop moving at superspeed. His entire body stopped moving at superspeed.

His eyes grew in astonishment as he came to the realisation that the Speed Force was failing him at the moment. The man's call brought him out of his thoughts as he raced towards the stranger, feeling confused, but above all... lost.

[Enchantress]

Victoria let out the mental cry for everyone to head for the alley. At this point, safety was with whoever said "Get away from the big guys while you have them off guard."
She raced towards the alley, doing a mental count of everyone as they entered and followed the man.
"Thanks. I have no idea what's going on here, but we need to find out. And when I get home, I know a certain mercenary who's going to get the assbeating of a lifetime." she grumbled as she pulled the cloak tight around her, making sure the sword was well hidden.
Within her mind, something started to shake though. It wasn't the Phoenix, of that she was certain. It was a dark deep laugh that left her wondering what other things Sinister had programmed her with. But one word, one name popped into her head and it left her confused and a little scared..
"N'astirh"
She tried to pay attention to what was going on, she had to concentrate. But that name, it was from Sinister's Diary...and Madelyne...
Victoria shook her head to clear the fog. She let out a deep sigh and mumbled something about wishing Hank was there.

[Local Hero]

Released from his towering captor's hold Alex moved swiftly and silently into the shadows of the alley, eager for the respite the shadows would provide. "I guess that could have gone worse." he muttered to Victoria as he passed the others. "No one else is dead yet." Strong nimble fingers found hidden purchase in the rough wall of the alley and Alex pulled himself up easily, clearing the path below for the rest of his new allies to cluster into the narrow passage.

While it might have been easier to fly, that might have taken him beyond the protection of the buildings and out into the sunlight once more. "Is it never dark in this god awful place?" he thought to himself as he looked at the crack of sky visible between the buildings above their heads. As he hung from the wall above them, he pulled his scarf below his chin, and licked his lips as he waited to see what this new stranger had in store for them.