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Chapter 9: Bloody Christmas.

Cadmus.

Office of Mystical and Magical Division.

Tala workshops.

Christmas of 2006.

Avery Gallahan POV.

In the midst of all of this Chaos, I have almost forgotten that today was Christmas, the day when everyone gathers with family and friends to celebrate and be together, but not for me. Not today and not this year, and as I stood there, watching the battle unfold, I couldn't help but shake my head.

The thought was enough to make me want to scream, but I resisted the urge and instead took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and evenly, performing the advanced breathing technique that Deathstroke taught me. With my thoughts clear for now, I began to assess the current situation.

This is stupid… I can't believe I'm going to do this. If this were a game or movie, I would probably be yelling at the fool for being an idiot and would not have the character do this stupid act of heroism, and yet here I am. Preparing to put myself in danger to save a literal damsel in distress who happened to be a powerful and attractive sorcerer, with said sorcerer is also an unhinged nymphomania and possibly a masochist, who evidently liked to be treated like a literal fuckdoll sometime in bed.

“This is not how I thought this Christmas was gonna go," I muttered.

With a heavy sigh, I shook my head and holstered my pistol, understanding that it wouldn’t probably do much in this situation, and gripped the handle of the Draupnir Spear firmly with both of my hands, I briefly looked over at the Annihilator, who was currently in the midst of a brutal battle with rest of the COC (that is what they called themselves apparently…) troopers before looking at down form of Apostle-2…? Who unfortunately landed near where I was hiding, I can also see some of the soldiers begin to fall back with one of them pointing back toward the unconscious woman.

“Shit…”

“Mate, I suggest you should get a move on before those COCs guys catch you.”

But Then suddenly the Annihilator's face plate lights up then fires a bright energy bean causing the soldiers to scatter again with the soldiers using their advanced Exosuit to be able to get away quickly. Taking the opportunity for the distraction, I was already moving out of the way as soon as the beam hit the wall, and the next thing I knew, the entire place was a battlefield, and the Annihilator was not holding back.

'Well, at least the Doomsday hasn't appeared, and the COC are taking the brunt of the fire.'

Taking cover behind what looked like a fallen-over piece of the desk, I glanced over at the COC troopers and their fancy equipment and saw that their shields and armor were surprisingly able to hold up against the powerful beams of the Annihilator.

"Damn, those guys have some pretty nice equipment."

“Should we do something now?” The Aussie AI speaks through my earpiece.

“You know I am tempted to just let both sides kill each other but I feel like we don't have the time to wait around and watch this play out, and the fact that we are sitting ducks in a battle zone between two evidently very powerful foes doesn't help either,"

"So, what's the plan?”

Peaking around the battle zone and seeing the various objects and debris large enough to hide behind, my eyes then spotted what looked like some sort of panels with an electricity symbol and smirked as I quickly formulated a plan. “We going to have to sneak our way through an active battlefield and get to the sorceress as quickly and stealthily as possible. With the Annihilator and the COC distracted, it will give us the perfect opportunity to slip in and save Doctor Tala."

…

"Well… I get is better than no plan after all…" The Smart AI remarks. “Okay but you do know that there is a very high chance that one of the both parties will notice you, and the moment you make a move, we're basically gonna have everyone in this room focused on killing us, right? We'll be in the thick of a crossfire and it won't matter how strong you are or how good you are at dodging. You're not Superman."

"Yeah, well, it's a risk I'm willing to take, and it's the only option we have. So, are you in or are you not, Quint?"

“Well…” Quintero sighed. “It's not like I can't really do anything else and I will always stick with you, but this is your decision, so, whatever happens, you can't blame me, mate."

"Fair enough, let's go, and don't forget to guide me,"

"Will do, mate."

The first obstacle was getting across the battlefield. I needed to avoid being seen by either party and not give away my position. Luckily, there was a lot of debris, and the battle was raging on, and the troopers were doing their best to hold off the Annihilator. Laser fire bounced off the battlesuit as it was busy with the troopers, and the magic and energy were causing all kinds of damage. But the battlesuit was not going down easily, and its power was overwhelming.

The Annihilator was a force to be reckoned with, and its abilities and powers were like nothing else, I knew from my “Meta-knowledge” about DC that this was one of the strongest suits and weapons made by the Greek Gods and it was strong enough to overpower exceptionally powerful beings like Ares, Hades, and Wonder Woman with ease.

After steeling myself and regaining my composure, I made a run for the nearest cover. It was a small stack of debris and broken machinery. The troopers didn't notice me, and neither did the battlesuit. As soon as I reached the cover with the guidance of Quintero, I crouched and waited, watching the troopers and the Annihilator exchange fire.

“YOU WILL NOT GET IN MY WAY OF REVENGE AGAINST HADES!!” Felix Faust's voice roared from within the battlesuit as the possessed weapons cast a fire spell into the crowd of soldiers and one unlucky trooper was caught in the blast with his shield overloaded then broke and vaporized instantly.

With my enhanced physiology, the adrenaline was coursing through my veins, and my senses were on high alert. As I scanned the battlefield, the sounds of explosions and laser blasts echoed even more intensely throughout the hall, and the sound was deafening. The air was thick with smoke and dust, and it was difficult to see clearly.

But despite the chaos and carnage, the COC troopers were putting up a hell of a fight, and they were not giving the Annihilator any breathing room. Their advanced technology and equipment were impressive, and they had the resources and the numbers to put up a fight.

With a burst of speed, my fast step barely made any noise and stuck to the shadow just like how the super Mercenary taught me and quickly maneuvered to the next cover, using the debris, bodies, and machinery, as a cover. Luckily after Faust's first attack, some ceiling lights were damaged enough that a small part of the room was in the darkness.

"Keep moving, mate, and try not to get yourself killed," the Smart AI reminded me, and I grunted in understanding.

“Yeah, I don't plan on dying today. I've survived so much already and there's no way I'm gonna let it end here.”

With each step, I took care to stay hidden and move silently. As the battle raged on, I continued on my path. There was a hole in the wall where a laser beam had pierced through and left an opening for me to jump through, and that is when my luck ran out…

As I Landed in a roll on the ground, I was face-to-face with two of the troopers who were kneeling and taking cover behind an overturned cabinet, but luckily for me and unfortunately for them, both of them had their weapon aimed at the Annihilator and I was already moving faster than the both of them could react.

Before either one could do anything, I lunged at one of the troopers, the one on the left, and grabbed him by the helmet. His spine didn't stand a chance against my enhanced strength as I twisted his head, breaking his visor in the process. The blood splattered all over me and the dead trooper's armor.

My perception of Time slowed down, and everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. The other trooper was already aiming their rifle at me, but before they could shoot, I had already stabbed the Draupnir Spear into the trooper's neck and surprisingly pierced through the energy shield and armor, and the trooper collapsed onto the ground, writhing and twitching as I pulled out my weapon.

"That was a close call, Captain," the Australian Smart AI sighed in relief.

"Tell me about it." I did a quick once-over of the area and sighed in relief. “Thankfully, no one noticed, and the troopers are too busy with the Annihilator, and the magic is causing a lot of damage and distraction. Let's just hope our luck continues and we make it without attracting too much attention."

"I hope so, mate, because the longer we stay here, the higher the chance that we get noticed, and that will not be good for the both of us."

"Yeah, don't remind me."

I began to quickly loot the two bodies since I didn't have time right now to grab all the ammo, but I did grab a few extra magazines, and as a last-minute thought, I was able to quickly grab a bandolier of what looked like some kind advance grenades that I am not familiar with from the stabbed one and tie it to my waist. Before grabbing the advanced-looking laser rifle that looked very familiar, I had seen this weapon somewhere like in a show or a movie but I worried about the details later.

"Not a bad find and those are probably some pretty good weapons." The Smart AI commented, and I couldn't help but agree, but right now, I need to focus on getting to the sorceress.

"Let's keep moving."

I strapped the rifle to my back before approaching the panels with the electricity symbol that I saw earlier and stabbed my spear into the panel. There was a surge of Electricity energy as my body began to absorb the excess power. The energy surged through me, and it was almost like a rush of adrenaline, and I could feel the familiar power coursing through me.

The whole battle zone was engulfed in complete darkness as the power from the panel went out, and the effect was immediate. The troopers were caught completely off guard as the constant laser fire paused for a moment.

…

"WHAT THE FUCK!?"

"WHAT'S GOING ON!?"

"I CAN'T SEE SHIT!"

"GET TO COVER!"

"WHERE IS OUR LIGHTING!?"

"What the hell?" Felix Faust's voice exclaimed in confusion. "What is the meaning of this?"

…

“That was your plan?” The Smart AI asked, clearly skeptical and confused.

"It worked, didn't it?"

"I guess, but now we are in the dark and you're slightly glowing, and everyone is gonna be looking at you and the… crackling glowing spear," the Aussie AI said.

Huh? I looked at my spear and sure enough, the Draupnir Spear looked like it was crackling with Electricity, and I could see the light coming from the weapon.

Oh shit, why is it glowing? I thought that the weapon didn't do this in the game, did I somehow change the spear's function by stabbing it into the panel? I quickly dissipated the spear before anyone could see the glow, turned toward the workshop, and ran as fast and quietly as I could. As I rushed through the darkened area, the sounds of the battle grew more distant, and the chaos was beginning to subside.

I ran through the wrecked workshop seeing various probably magical items and artifacts lying about, and the entire place was in disarray. Shelf and furniture were scattered all over the place, and there was debris everywhere, and the entire place looked like it had been through a hurricane. The Door of Tala's personal study was surprisingly intact as I entered and slammed the big door shut, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I leaned against the wooden structure, trying to catch my breath.

"Damn, that was close."

"No kidding, mate." The Smart AI chuckled. "Well, I guess all that running was good for something."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I rolled my eyes and moved deeper into the room. "Now, Where is that damn mirror?"

Crack!!*

“Huh?”

I looked down and my face became white as I stepped on what seemed to be the shattered remains of the mirror, the same mirror that Dr. Tala was trapped in after she got tricked by Faust into casting a spell that was meant to allow her to study the Annihilator, and instead of the spell allowing her to control the battlesuit, it let Faust out of his mirror prison, and in his place was Tala herself but now that same mirror is destroyed. As I stared at the shattered mirror, a sinking feeling settled in.

"Well, this complicates things," The UNSC AI muttered, realizing that finding and saving Dr. Tala might be more challenging than anticipated.

"Well...Fuck."

"Wait… I am picking up something on the scanner…” The Aussie AI paused and concentrated. “

…

"I can detect a faint magical signature emanating from the remains of the mirror," the Aussie Smart AI announced, and his tone was filled with wonder and intrigue. “Hold on now, Captain, let's not despair yet, the magic readings are going haywire, and the mirror is releasing a lot of magical energy, and there's something else too. I can also detect what seemed to be a concentrated life force signature on one of the mirror fragments…”

“Where!” I exclaimed.

The Smart AI was silent for a moment, and then his voice sounded again.

"It's coming from one of the smaller pieces, about the size of a card…” Quintero trailed off then his tone became sheepish.” …and the one you are stepping on,"

“Oh fuck!” I cursed and immediately removed my foot and picked up the thankfully unharmed small glass fragment and brought it closer for a better look.

On the piece of the shattered mirror was the image of a beautiful woman. A very disheveled-looking woman with her long purple mane of hair all messy with her black elegant dress that hugged her voluptuous form now torn and ragged and her bare breasts were out and her panties and stockings were ripped. But despite all that, she still looked stunning and sexy and I recognized the sorceress, and her eyes slowly opened, and the sight of those Blueish-white irises staring up at me was enough to send the very familiar shivers down my spine.

"Doctor Tala?"

I can see the small reflection of the sorcerer in the mirror looking at me, her expression is one of surprise but when she opens her mouth and tries to talk, no words come out, and her eyes grow wide in fear, and I can see her starting to panic and Tala breathing became labored, and her body began to shake uncontrollably.

"Oh dear, looks like the doctor is going into shock." The Australian AI remarked as the sorceress was starting to have a panic attack. "You should do something to calm her down, and fast."

“How the fuck do I do this!?” I shouted, trying to think of a solution.

"Mate, I'm a military Smart AI, not a shrink, you are gonna have to do something."

"I don't know! I-I-I… Wait… maybe I can try to talk to her?"

"You are going to have to make it quick and fast."

"Yeah, I got it. Okay, here goes nothing." I took a deep breath. "Tala, I know you are scared and traumatized, but I need you to calm down. Just take a deep breath, and let me help you."

But frustratedly she was shaking her head and her eyes were watering and I could see her crying and I could tell that she was struggling and in pain and she looked terrified, and I knew she was in the middle of a panic attack, and I needed to calm her down.

"You are not helping, you're just making her panic even more." The UNSC AI scolded.

"Fuck, I know, I'm trying. But It's like trying to calm down a goddamn baby!" I looked down at the image of the sorceress and spoke again but more firmly. "Listen, Tala, I know that you're in pain and you are hurting, but you're safe now, and I am not gonna hurt you. Please, let me help you, I promise to make everything okay, and you are going to be fine, I swear."

But she was still not responding and her breathing was getting even more labored and her tears were flowing freely, and for some unknown reason, I was getting more and more frustrated, more irate. For the love of god, she was an adult and a fucking powerful and strong-willed sorceress, and she should be able to calm the fuck down and stop panicking and not make me want to break something.

Eventually after what felt like years, but was really just a minute trying everything to get her to calm down, but she was still not responding and the sorceress was starting to hyperventilate, I had finally had enough, and something finally snapped inside of me, and the next thing I knew. I was shouting, and my face was twisted in a sneer.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU FUCKING WHORE!" I screamed, and Tala froze and her eyes went wide as the tears stopped and the shock and fear were apparent on her face. "NOW, I'M ONLY GONNA ASK THIS ONCE. YOU ARE GOING TO CALM DOWN RIGHT NOW AND STOP PANICKING LIKE A GODDAM CHILD OR SO HELP ME GOD, I WILL PIN YOU DOWN LIKE A LITTLE BITCH, SHOVE MY COCK DOWN YOUR THROAT, AND FUCKING CHOKE YOU WITH IT."

Her entire body froze, and I could see the fear in her eyes, and her entire body trembled. For some forsaken reason, I could see her cheek flush red, and between her shaking legs, a wet spot appeared and dribbled slightly down her thighs, her face was flushed and I realized something.

"Oh, for fuck's sake. I Should have seen this coming…"

"Looks like someone is a masochist." The Australian AI laughed. “I can't believe that would, and I can't believe it turned her on, you have quite the talent, captain."

"Fuck you too man…"

"Well, technically I'm not the one with a fetish."

"Fuck off, Quint," I sighed in annoyance before looking at the visage of the sorcerer, who was staring at me wide-eyed and trembling with arousal and fear. "Okay, look. I am sorry for yelling and swearing, but you were freaking out, and I couldn't calm you down, so I had to resort to… desperate measures, but I promise that I'm not going to hurt you, and I will protect you. So, please, just relax, and let me help you."

Her lips trembled, and her breathing began to slow. As she regained control of herself, the sorceress's expression was one of surprise and shock, and her body relaxed. She looked up at me with an expression of fear and apprehension, and I could tell that she was still afraid and uncertain.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, Tala's body slowly relaxed, and she calmed down, and her breathing slowed down, and the fear was replaced with relief and gratitude, and I also caught a hint of ...The Fuck me looks in her gaze and I could see the lust in her eyes and the wet spot on her panties growing even bigger she was giving me that familiar look, and I knew that look.

"Anyways, Moving onto another topic," I muttered, shaking my head and snapping myself back to reality. “How do we get you ou-”

BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

The ground shook again but this time more violently and the ceiling began to collapse and debris started falling from above. I shot forward into a blur with my hand carefully and gently holding the mirror that contains Tala as the wall exploded inward.

“Captain Watch out!” Quintero's voice boomed in my eyepiece but it was too late.

Dr. Tala's voice silently screamed from within shards of the mirror as I felt something heavy and solid slam into me, sending us both flying with me holding on to the shards containing Tala.

"HANG ON!!!"

We hit the floor hard and tumbled several feet before coming to a stop, and the impact knocked the wind out of me. After a few seconds, the ringing in my ears stopped, and the room came back into focus.

"Tala, you okay?" I asked as the mirror's surface rippled slightly before returning to normal with a shocked look on her face.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" The Aussie AI voice exclaimed.

And That was when I saw it, my eyes were wide when I saw what had sent me flying onto the floor. It was what I have to guess is a bloody, mangled, and mutilated body of…

“Doomsday…” I muttered in disbelief.

The Kryptonian monster was covered in blood with what looked like black and purple veins all over his body and was missing several chunks of flesh, his left arm was severed, and the sight was enough to send chills down my spine and make my blood run cold. Half of his head was gone leaving only the lower part of his face. And the sight was enough to make even the strongest of men quiver in fear.

"What the fuck could have done this?” I muttered in disbelief, not believing the sight before me.

This was the same monster that was able to beat the shit out of multiple high-tier league members, actually killed Superman, and was powerful enough to destroy entire planets and solar systems. This thing was one of the most dangerous and destructive monsters in the DC universe.

But somehow… this thing looked lifeless (at least that was what I thought) and it had a huge hole where the heart was and it was clear that someone or something had pierced the monster's chest and ripped out his heart.

The monster was dead.

But how? Who could have possibly done this and how the hell did they kill the beast?

THUMP*

A hulking figure bigger than The fucking Kryptonian monster himself came out of the hole that the Doomsday had created, the creature… my god… that… things was the most unnerving and horrendous sight that I had ever seen.

I couldn't describe the monstrosity, it looked like something Lovecraft would have created. The creature was a black, oily mass of tendrils, and its features were barely discernible. It had no discernible facial features, and its skin was stretched and distended.

I stared in horror at the monstrous being and its grotesque form. The creature was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Its appearance was unnatural, and it was unlike any other being I had encountered. It was like the creature was a living embodiment of evil and corruption, and its mere presence was enough to fill the air with dread.

“Ĥ̸̙̲͕̩̠̑͆U̷̖̗͊̌͂͝Ȕ̸͉͇̓̈́͘̕U̷̧̡͕̘̿̈̾͘͝ͅU̶̞̜̚U̴̱̪̥͆U̸̼̖̣̇̐!̸͓͈̱͚̬̎”

It let out a horrific, unearthly shriek as it stepped out of the hole and into the room. With what looked like many more arms, it reached down and grasped the lifeless form of the Kryptonian monster, Doomsday, and with a single motion, it threw the monstrous thing like it was a sack of potatoes.

The Kryptonian monster slammed into the wall and repeatedly into the ground, with more of its body parts and gore all flying around the room with some of the blood and guts painting my form. The sight was enough to send a chill down my spine, and the thought of such a being killing something like the Kryptonian monster was a frightening prospect.

"MY GOD! What the actual FUCK is that thing?!"

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Author Note: This is a kind of !!!CRACKISH!!! Fanfiction. I don't own Marvel and DC, nor am I some sort of loremaster.