Somewhere on Yiziba…
"Oh, my Lord…"
"By the Eye of the All-Father…"
"Oh, my stars and garters…"
"Man…Geek Heaven or WHAT?"
"Got that right, Hot-head…"
"Liz…this is your LABORATORY?"
"Well, it's mine by inheritance, Mrs. Richards," the Academician — who was now taking off her special goggles to reveal the pretty face of Elizabeth Wakefield; on seeing that, everyone not of Sweet Valley save for Moroboshi Ataru, Tara Markova and Pansy Parkinson were quick to note how alike she and her twin sister really were — replied. "I've added to and modified the equipment that's stored here and moved some stuff to my laboratory buried under my family's back lawn in the Valley, but most of this was created by my previous selves over a period of two thousand years; two sagas as it would be said here on Yiziba." She then pointed. "Drinks vendor and food replicator are over there by the guest lounge. Make yourselves at home, people. Those who have masks can take them off; you don't need to worry about having your identities stolen."
"Thanks," Hawkeye then said as he slipped off his hood to reveal the blond, blue-eyed face of Clinton Barton. He then tried not to blush on noting the looks Amy Sutton, Lila Fowler, Jessica Wakefield and Betsy Martin sent his way, though his wife was quick to move closer to him as she slipped off her mask. "You normally get visitors here?"
"No, save for my counterparts in Russia and China; they also gained their Gifts thanks to Ataru," Elizabeth said as she sat down in an anti-gravity chair, which then rose up to the holographic core of this spherical space about a kilometre wide. Given the skylight overheard, it was clearly either in an urban setting or out in the mountains somewhere. "Ataru, put Anna on the examination table there," she then bade, pointing.
"Hai!" Ataru said in Japanese as he stepped onto an anti-gravity floating pad and drifted over to a diagnostic bed nearby, and then he gently placed the unconscious Rogue down on it. Gently shifting the Mississippian around so she could rest her head on a pillow, he then moved to slip off her boots, then pulled a blanket over her.
"How are you doing that, son?"
He turned as Captain America — who had slipped off his own mask to reveal the handsome and rugged features of Steven Rogers — floated up on another foot pad to join him.
The wandering last host of the Saikō Jinseijutsu perked, and then he chuckled. "Oh, my touching her hair and skin, you mean," he said. "It's a special defensive manoeuvre called the Stone-Body Shield Defence. Since I was exposed to the Great Crystal of Power when I was six, I had meson — about half a Power Jewel's worth — injected into my body. The Defence uses ki energy to put a rock-hard field onto my skin; I literally become as hard as battleship armour at that point. It also works to help protect me from telepathic probes and magical attacks right up to the Killing Curse itself. That helped me when I first met Anna; this was just after she had her first nookie time with a nice guy named Cody Robbins and her powers came out. She wound up putting him into a coma as a result; don't know what happened to him. Her powers are psionic-based, so when I touched her, I was able to prevent the 'sucking' effect that she used on Captain Danvers. After she got over the shock of actually meeting a person she COULD touch safely, I tried to convince her to come here to see Onē-san so she could get some lessons in learning how to control her powers. She said she'd think about it — this was just after she had run away from home, so she needed a chance to decide what to do with herself — so I left her alone. When I went back to find her a month later, she was gone." A sigh. "I put her onto my P.G.T.B.H. list in the Book." He tapped the Book of Pretty Girls hidden inside his tunic.
"'P.G.T.B.H.?'" Steve asked.
"I would believe it translates to 'Pretty Girls To Be Helped,'" Hank McCoy — who had recovered from the overwhelming shock of being in such a laboratory — said as he came up to join the others. "Given that Ataru's 'black books' listing all the girls in Tomobiki was said to have been indexed to fifteen volumes…"
"Not that I really would have cared for many girls IN Tomobiki unless they needed help like Ryūnosuke…or were old friends like Shinobu," Ataru noted.
"How did the Men In Black get the drop on you, son?" Steve then wondered.
"It was an ambush…and they had help I didn't expect," Ataru admitted, a flustered look crossing his face. "A wand-magical from England named Tom Riddle; he's known as 'Voldemort.' He's the man who murdered the Warlock's parents when he was a baby."
"I've heard of him," Wanda Maximoff stated as she also came up to join them; by then, the other Avengers and the Fantastic Four — save for Reed Richards and Tony Stark, both of whom were standing in the main lounge of the laboratory as they gazed at everything around them with totally lost looks on their faces — had started to use the anti-gravity foot pads to take a look around. The Sweet Valley natives, plus Tara and Pansy Parkinson, were enjoying breakfast in the lounge. "He's delved into so much black magic that he could hardly be called human anymore. He sees himself as the heir to one of the four founders of Hogwarts — that's Britain's main wand-magical school — and wants to conquer the world by turning magicals against normals."
"Yeah, which kind of strikes me as weird since the man's a 'half-blood' by their standards. Normal father, unpowered witch mother. All his supporters are 'purebloods' with wizarding and witch parents, grandparents and other ancestors," Ataru noted. "The Warlock told me that after Professor Dumbledore told him after his second year there."
Wanda blinked. "Is the Warlock Harry Potter?"
"Yeah…but Wanda, that's a secret."
The naturally-born metahuman magical reality-warper smiled. "I won't say anything."
Steve and Hank laughed as Ataru moved to tap several shiatsu points on the sleeping Anna Marie's forehead. "How is she?" the Star-Spangled Soldier then asked.
"She's alright. By the feel of her memories, she's been made to forget her encounter with me." Ataru then sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Must have been arranged by Ms. Darkhölme when she found her and 'adopted' her."
"Why?!" Wanda gasped.
"Wanda, it's insanely simple. How can you turn someone into a living weapon that could literally knock down ANYONE if said person doesn't WANT to be a weapon?"
Steve moaned. "Oh, my dear God…"
"The lass can be healed, can she?" Thor then demanded as he came over to join them.
"She can."
That cold voice made the thunder god of Asgard jolt before he turned. "Sister…?"
Now on her own foot-pad was a woman who resembled an older female Ataru with a fuller head of hair, dressed in a black martial arts gi with a black belt wrapped around her waist, the ends of which having the gold kanji 地 on them. "Thor, do cease that," Moroboshi Negako then stated as she gazed on the Asgardian. "Even if the central core of what became my conscience was taken from the life force of the Earth itself by Hirosuke, there is no familial bond between your mother and myself."
"None the less, the spiritual bond is there, beautiful Lady," Thor stated.
Negako tried not to look too annoyed. "Yo, Negako!" Tara then called up from the lounge as she enjoyed some tea. "Did you take care of Jace?!"
"She has been dealt with, Tara."
"Great!"
With that, the grandmaster of Saikō Jinseijutsu-ryū moved to gaze on the sleeping Anna Marie. "Sufficient, Ataru. I believe with some lessons, Anna will be able to live as normal a life as she can. Certainly seek to repent herself in her heart — which she does desire deep down — for her actions against Carol as well."
"Thank God for that," Hank stated. "If her powers did ever go out of control…"
"She fears that far more than any other natural-born, Henry," Negako stated. "It was that fear which drove her to accept Raven Darkhölme as her adopted mother when she was found by her after her encounter with Ataru." A hum. "Ah. Nathaniel was involved."
"Professor Essex?" Ataru asked.
"Yes. No doubt, given his prowess when it comes to gene-manipulation — and Raven's overwhelming desire to have a powerful natural-born such as Anna under her control — it was child's play at the end of manipulate Anna's memories to forget her encounter with Ataru." Negako then stared at her brother. "She was willing to come here."
He smiled. "Well, better late than never."
"Indeed."
"How can you see all that? Are you a telepath?" Wanda then asked.
"No, Wanda. I perceive what is called in my native language 'ki.' What I perceive is actually on a grander scale than what even the philosophers of China, Korea and Japan perceived ki to be. It is the energy of the Dào that exists in all things."
"You're a Taoist?" Steve asked.
"In a sense, yes," Negako stated. "Our family Art is based on the theories Lǎo Zǐ first postulated in the Dàodéjīng. The influence of one's thoughts and actions upon the Dào leaves an imprint within the Dào that I can perceive. The history of any given object regardless of its origins is readable through the Dào and I can 'read' it."
"That would be quite a handy talent to possess," Hank noted.
"Are you prepared for the expenditure to gain such a talent, Henry?"
As Negako gave him a look, the blue-furred scientist sighed. "I have some knowledge of the martial arts of the Orient…and how far some have travelled to master such knowledge. There is the example of the Batman, of course. Look how far he had to train himself to fight crime in Gotham City?" He chuckled. "Perhaps if I was younger and more interested in such things, I might have considered it, Sensei. I…"
"Henry."
He jerked on hearing that VERY cold voice. "Y-y-yes…?"
"Do not call me 'sensei.'"
And with that, Negako moved to commence examination of the unconscious Anna. Ataru waved the others away from the diagnostic bed. "Sorry about that, Doctor," he then said to Hank. "Onē-san only addresses one person by title: the Heavenly Sovereign of Japan. That's pretty engrained in her since Master Hosan was always loyal to whoever held the Chrysanthemum Throne and he passed on that 'loyalty programming' to Onē-san when she was first created a thousand years ago. Anyone else — even foreign kings and emperors like Thor's father on Asgard — she just addresses by proper given name."
"Why?" Steve asked.
"Because within the Dào, what one does in one's lifetime ultimately means nothing in the end," Ataru stated. "I don't mean to sound nihilist, but when one dies and their spirit reunites with the Dào after Teleute guides them there, they're all equal. So titles are really meaningless in the long term."
The others blinked in confusion on his mentioning the second-oldest of the Endless. "Lad, be careful," Thor then cautioned. "To speak of Her…"
"Are you speaking of Death Itself?" Wanda asked. "What Doctor Strange can perceive from time to time, not to mention the Entity he calls Eternity?"
"Yeah, but I know her as Teleute; that was what she was called in ancient Greece," Ataru noted as he gave Thor a shrug. As both Steve and Hank gaped in disbelief at the wandering teenager from Japan, he added, "Whenever I've run into Her when a part of Her comes to take someone back into the Dào at the time of their passing from this life, She always shows up as this really pretty girl. Pale skin, black wavy hair, dark eyes. Dresses pretty casually for whatever culture Her current 'travelling companion' lived in. She really HATES doing the robed skeleton routine like She pulled when Mar-vell's time came." A sigh. "Then again, the Kree can be so rigid at times…"
It was the way he believed I should be to him, Ataru.
Ataru blinked as the others perked on hearing that haunting voice. "Oh, I knew it! It's my time!" he then said in Japanese — which, thanks to the omni-translation field that existed in Elizabeth's laboratory, would be understood by all — and then he dropped his head as he held out his arms to be manacled. "Be gentle with me, Teleute-chan! Be really, really gentle with me! I'm very fragile and I wound very easily!"
Laughter filled the room from all the Yizibajohei present. "Thou jokes with even the One Being that Hel bows to?!" a white-faced Thor demanded. "Are thou mad, lad?!"
"Teleute comes to all of us at one time or another, Thor," Elizabeth called over from her main console. "We accept Her place at the end of our lives. It's a natural part of existence. Even a near-immortal such as yourself should realise that."
Oh, don't worry about him, Liz, that haunting voice then chided. Asgardians can be SO anal-retentive at times. I rather liked it when Odin forced him to enjoy life as a mortal man. But I don't think it humbled him enough.
Shall I do it again, good Lady? a male voice then asked.
"Father!" Thor gasped.
Well, it's your choice in the end, Odin.
"Teleute!" Elizabeth chided. "If you and Odin are going to launch a debate about Thor's humility, could you PLEASE take it to Asgard?!"
Party-pooper, the voice of Death then mumbled.
"She's always been like that, Tele," Jessica then declared. "Didn't our great-grandparents show that to You when You took them into the Dào?"
They did, Jess. Those of your relatives that have already been taken by me have seen what you all did, girls, that voice stated as it seemed to focus on the Sweet Valley girls. They're all really proud of you and what you've done. You, too, Winston.
"Aw, thanks!" Winston stated before he gazed on Ataru. "Hey, Ataru."
"What?"
"Is She really that cute?!"
A smirk. "As we say it in Japan, my friend: 'As beautiful as a Hakata doll.'"
Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Mister Moroboshi! Death then chided.
"Is that part of you in Endsville STILL stuck with those two kids?" Amy asked.
I'm not telling, that voice said as it faded away.
Silence fell over the scene. "Wow!" Johnny Storm breathed out before he gazed on Ben Grimm. "Death actually has a sense of humour! Who'd figure that?!"
"We're lucky Doc Strange ain't here! Much less Miss Zatanna!" the Thing said before he moved to prepare some coffee. "Hey, Stretch! You're kinda quiet! You okay?"
Silence.
"Reed?" Susan asked as everyone looked over…
…to see a VERY lost look on Reed Richard's face. "Reed!" Steve said as he leapt down to the main lounge. "Tony!" he then called out as he gazed on Tony Stark, who was just as stunned speechless as the leader of the Fantastic Four. "You alright?"
More silence.
"Yo, Stretch!" Ben called out as he and Susan came over to gaze intently at the latter's husband. "Wake up, man! You're catching flies lookin' like that!"
"Tony!" Natalia Romanova called out as she patted the armoured billionaire's shoulder; the man had opened his face-mask when he came here. "Tony! What's wrong?!"
Still more silence.
"Yo, Johnny! Are they both kinda geeky?" Amy asked.
"Yeah!" Johnny said. "And looking at all the stuff your pal's got here…"
"Like you said, man: Geek Heaven!" Winston stated.
"Information overload," Hank stated. "It happens to the best of us."
"Indeed," Thor noted as he crossed his arms. "I have NEVER seen either Anthony or the good Professor Richards silenced so thoroughly in all the years I've known them!"
A hum then turned everyone's attention to Elizabeth Wakefield. "What?" Barbara Morse-Barton then asked as the teenage metahuman scientist came down to join them.
Elizabeth hummed as she walked over to gaze on the frozen pair of scientists now in her lab, and then she smirked. "Well, if they wish to be rude and not say a word to anyone, I'll just have to dump them both into the Negative Zone."
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT…?!"
That was both Reed and Tony. "Well, your friends WERE calling out for you!" Elizabeth stated. "You were just standing there gawking nowhere in particular!"
The two men blinked, and then gazed at each other. "Reed…"
"Yeah, Tony?"
"You realise we just died and went to Heaven, don't you."
A nod. "It would seem that we have."
"Which means…?"
Both men then — much to the shock of all their friends — dropped to their knees and began bowing repeatedly at Elizabeth. "WE'RE NOT WORTHY! WE'RE NOT WORTHY! WE'RE NOT WORTHY! WE'RE NOT WORTHY! WE'RE NOT WORTHY…!" they chanted a mile a minute.
Stunned silence fell over the scene…and then Ben Grimm roared with laughter. "Ya said it, Hot-head!" he called out to Johnny Storm. "Geek Heaven!"
All the other metas laughed. Save Negako, who simply shook her head…
Later…
"So this place serves as your version of Clark Kent's Fortress of Solitude."
"Or Bruce Wayne's cave under his mansion in Gotham,"
"Exactly," Elizabeth said as people enjoyed tea. An awake Anna Marie Raven had joined them; she was now wolfing down a big breakfast as she hadn't had anything to eat at all since she came to Sweet Valley the previous day to help break her friends — were they her friends? — out of incarceration. Moroboshi Negako had returned back to her own home near Habitation One. "Though I'm not the only person who comes here to work on their inventions. My counterparts from Russia and China — the Philosopher and the Sage; you'll understand why I don't reveal their real names — also work here."
"Same general names and concepts," Tony noted before sipping his tea.
"There is a small difference," Elizabeth stated. "I deal with the 'why is it so.' The Philosopher deals with the 'what can be.' The Sage reflects on 'why it came to be that way.' Between all three of us, we are the Circle of Thought. In a society that has metahumans as the ONLY type of population living here, it's necessary."
"Why is that, anyway?" Reed wondered. "Is there any sort of official government system running this planet? What sort of social structures do you have here?"
"As of now, there's next to no real government here, Professor. In effect, we live in a state of benign anarchy that acknowledges no leadership authority. Yes, there is an elected President…but in essence, he sort of acts as the host of the Show."
"The 'Show?'" Ben Grimm asked.
"It's a live-reality show which depicts all that happens here in Yiziba," Lila Fowler answered. "It allows people to learn if there are fight scenes going on, who might be getting together with whom, any sort of natural disasters that might be happening or any sort of alien visitation to the planet. It's Yiziba's gossip line."
"A real-time version of the Internet," Reed concluded.
"Hey, Ataru! Did Chatterbox come back?!" Jessica then asked.
A knowing smirk. "She did."
"Who?!" all the Sweet Valley girls save Elizabeth demanded, instantly sensing that whoever that particular meta was, she was a native of the Valley.
"That would be me, ladies."
Everyone perked, and then they turned…
"Caroline Pearce?!" Betsy Martin exclaimed.
"But of course, Betsy," the amused girl with the wavy head of Indian red hair and the dark brown eyes declared. Like the other Yizibajohei metas, the woman born Caroline Pearce was in a jumpsuit, a black one with open newspaper and book motifs. "But it's not Chatterbox; I decided to change it to Pettegola! Like?!"
"Italian for 'gossip,'" Reed automatically translated, and then he perked. "What would your powers actually be, Miss Pearce? Or is it more psychological?"
"I'm a telepath, Professor," the metahuman gossip stated as she smiled sweetly at Ataru as he handed her a cup of coffee. "I will admit that I am driven psychologically to not only find out the truth about things, but to reveal them as well. Which is hard when you have to deal with a mixed-power situation like Earth is right now. After all, there are silly and stupid heels that would just LOVE to go after a face's relatives to provoke a fight scene. And there are the real wild ones like the Joker, too."
The Avengers and the Fantastic Four all winced on hearing the name of Gotham City's resident Clown Prince of Crime and the Batman's most deadly foe. "Well, we got out own wild one that we could sic on Mister Napier if we have to," Elizabeth mused.
"Margo Black," Jessica stated.
All the people from Sweet Valley winced on hearing THAT particular person's name. "Oh, yeah! That'll do it!" Amy noted, nodding.
"It'd actually be a case of OVERKILL!" Betsy warned.
"Who is Margo Black?" Steve asked.
"She's Doctor Death, Cap," Tara Markova answered. "A master assassin and professional mercenary. The best in the business when it comes to killing without a trace."
"Is she good?" Natalia then wondered.
"Let's put it this way, Miss Romanova," Lila stated. "If you EVER see a woman who looks like Elizabeth there does…but is dressed in solid black with magical runes all over her, has a black cape with runes and has runes on her face…"
Dramatic pause.
"To quote the Eleventh Doctor…basically, run!"
The others all gulped. "Her body releases a powerful necrosis energy that literally gives her the 'touch of death,'" Elizabeth added. "If you wear anything that's organic in any way, shape or form — clothes and the like — it won't save you from her." A quick glance to Tony Stark. "Your armour will protect you, I will admit."
"Hel's agent on Midgard," Thor breathed out.
"Oh, don't worry about it, Thor," Tara noted. "Margo may be pretty psycho, but she can jump hoops if she's persuaded the right way. And we got the way to do it right here." She waved to Ataru in emphasis. "She was beaten pretty badly as a kid after she got put into foster care. Ataru bailed her from it and brought her here."
"Ah! A life-debt, you mean!"
"You bet!"
"Oh, and speaking of which, I just learned what she's decided to do now that she has her memories back and is a little incensed at people for what happened to dear Ataru here," Caroline then warned. "She's decided to…"
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