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New Warriors Headquarters
"Alright, who's been playing with the space-time continuum?" Valeria asked as she looked through Franklin's door, seeing nothing but a large , white void.
"Has anyone seen Andy?" Adam asked.
"Or Josh?" Sam added.
"Juston and Kittania are missing, too," Valeria realized. "Five team members gone?"
"You know what this means," Johnny smirked.
"New Warriors try outs?" Sam asked flatly.
"NEW WARRIORS TRYOUTS!" Adam and Johnny shouted in unison.
"You know we have five people missing without a trace right?"
"Alright, who's been playing with the space-time continuum?" Valeria asked as she looked through Franklin's door, seeing nothing but a large , white void.
"Has anyone seen Andy?" Adam asked.
"Or Josh?" Sam added.
"Juston and Kittania are missing, too," Valeria realized. "Five team members gone?"
"You know what this means," Johnny smirked.
"New Warriors try outs?" Sam asked flatly.
"NEW WARRIORS TRYOUTS!" Adam and Johnny shouted in unison.
"You know we have five people missing without a trace right?"
Juston Seyfert had removed his shirt and wrapped it tight as he looked up at the form of the large cat creature that stood over him. This was the Jaguarrior, the champion of the humanish cat people of the former planet Riff, who blamed Juston for the destruction of their homeworld, when in reality, Juston and the New Warriors had prevented its further destruction at the hands of an all powerful trio of immortal gods.
The Jaguarrior swiped at Juston who jumped to the side and tried to focus as he jumped onto the creature, getting onto its back, and using his shirt to wrap around the Jaguarrior's forehead as a means of holding on.
"Alright, kitty, just calm down, I don't want to hurt you," Juston said as the creature thrashed around. Getting a good hold onto its head, Juston started scratching it behind the ear, knowing this trick used to work on cats in the junkyard. "Good kitty, you like that?"
"What is he doing?" Lynx asked as he stood up. "He should be mangled by now!"
"You underestimate my friend," Kittania said with a smile. "He has a brilliant mind."
"It won't be enough to save him once the Jaguarrior comes to its-- Now what is he doing?"
Juston had the Jaguarrior on the ground, rubbing its belly as the creature kicked.
"That's a good kitty," Juston said as he saw the creature was falling asleep. "You're just a playful little guy, aren't you?"
The audience had no idea what to make of this as they just stared in confusion.
"Did he just defeat our champion?"
"I want my belly rubbed!"
"Ear rubs looks so relaxing!"
The confusion started turning to cheers as they started applauding for Juston. The young man started to smile as he stood up.
"ENOUGH!" Lynx shouted, his voice loud enough to get everyone to be silent. "Did you forget that this monster slaughtered our people?"
"He did no such thing!" Kitannia shouted. "My people, I was there! Juston and his friends saved me from the true threat, which they themselves defeated when the true menace had reached their homeworld! The New Warriors took me in and treated me with nothing but respect and compassion when I believed I was the last of our kind! This boy deserves our respect and gratitude!"
"Boy?" Juston asked as he stared down at the ground humbly.
"NO!" Lynx shouted as he tossed a spear at Juston, who was looking up at the sky, thinking that he had heard a scream coming from the stars. He looked down just in time to see the spear heading directly towards his heart, but just before it could strike, an object fell inbetween, catching the spear.
Juston looked down, seeing Andy laying in the dirt with a spear lodged in his buttcheek. "Andy?"
"Pull. It. Out!" Andy demanded while laying face down on the ground. Juston grabbed it and pulled the spear out as Andy let out a girlish scream.
"What are you doing here?" Juston asked as he helped Andy up.
"Fell into an endless void of angst and depression, as teenage boys are want to do," Andy explained as he looked around. "Judging by the amount of roided out, angry looking pussies, this must be Trump's personal Hell."
"Come on, we have to get to Kittania," Juston told him.
"Dude...where's your shirt?"
"Under that mountain of an alleycat,"
"Fair enough," Andy said as he scooped Juston up and flew him toward the VIP box where Lynx and Kittania were.
"I will end these fools on my own!" Lynx shouted as he grabbed a broadsword. As soon as he pulled it out, it was met with Kittania's own blade.
"No, you won't," the Princess told him. "You will not harm my friends. And I will take my family's throne back now. Our people will not be led by a blood-thirsty tyrant."
"You wish to fight me? Very well," Lynx said. "I have been trained by the very best warriors our planet--"
It only took two moves for Kittania to knock the sword from his hand and hold her own blade against his throat.
"Where did you learn to fight this well?"
"A training program called Netflix,"
Andy and Juston arrived just in time to see the fight end.
"Aw, man, we missed it, just like the time I walked into Kill Bill late and saw she'd already killed Bill," Andy said sadly.
# # # # #
New Warriors Headquarters... Maybe
"Say something," Franklin pleaded as he stared at Josh, who was sitting in silence as he sat on the floor. " Please."
"I hate you," Josh whispered.
"Anything but that," Franklin said. The Franklin Richards that was currently standing not too far away was an alternate universe version of the young man, and not the version that Josh had just recently realized he had strong feelings for.
This version of Franklin had lost everyone he had cared about, including his version of the mutant known as Icarus. When the real Franklin's aura had been tossed through time and space thanks to Dr. Doom, the alternate version of Franklin had sensed the disruption and realized there was a version of Josh that he could take for his own. Unfortunately he hadn't counted on the strong bond between this world's Franklin and Josh.
"I love him," Josh said as he raised his head. "Not you, not some other crappy alternate universe version of him. I love HIM. I'm sorry you lost the version of me that you had feelings for, I really am. But that doesn't mean that I'm just going to forget the Franklin Richards that I got to know in this world. The one who was my only friend when no one else wanted to hang out with the winged freak.
The Franklin who treated me with respect. The one who saw beyond the wings and the powers and actually liked who I was inside. He wasn't affected by my hypnotic voice, he-- he wanted to be with me because he chose to be. That's the version of Franklin Richards that I fell for. And now he's gone, probably forever."
Franklin sat down next to him, his facial expression saying that his own heart had just been shattered into a million tiny pieces. "Okay."
"Okay? So, what, you're going to kill me now?"
"No," Franklin said as he wiped a tear away. "Your Franklin's still out there, and he needs you. You need to go to him."
"How?" Josh asked. "Do you know how big the universe is?"
Franklin leaned in and gently touched Josh's lips with his, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away and producing a crystal in his hands.
"That kiss told me everything, Josh. This crystal is... well, it's the physical form of that love for him," Franklin said as he put it in Josh's hand. "The closer you get to his location, the brighter it'll glow. It'll lead you to him."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because you're right, I can't make you love me," Franklin told him. "I lost my chance for a life with you when my Josh was killed. So I guess I'll just... go and find a love of my own. It could be another version of you, it could be a beautiful girl, or it could be some kind of alien that I connect with. That's the fun of being pansexual I guess. I get to try everything."
"How do you know--?"
"My older self told my younger self, I heard it when I sensed your world's version of me," Franklin told him. "Goodbye, Josh. I hope you find him."
Josh jumped up and hugged Franklin. "Good luck."
The door suddenly opened as Valeria and Johnny came through, seeing Josh standing there alone. He just stared at the two and walked past them.
"What are you standing there for? We've got a missing friend to find!"
# # # # #
"How are we going to get him home?" Juston asked as he sat in the empty stadium with Kittania and Andy. "The others are probably getting worried about us right now."
"Well, you two can take one of the spare ships," Kittania told them. "Its homing beacon will lead it back here afterward."
"Wait... two?" Juston asked. "You're not coming with us?"
"My people need a leader that's not so willing to take them to war with other planets," Kittania told him. "We need to learn the ways of peace again. Who'll train the Jaguarrior to be a defender and not a weapon. I care about you, and all of my friends, but this is where I belong."
"But-- I love you," Juston told her. "Maybe I could stay here?"
"Dude, they don't have bacon here, I checked," Andy said. "That's reason enough for me to split."
"He's right, you would not be happy here," Kittania said.
"You'd be here, that's all I need to make me happy," Juston told her.
"Seriously, you're going to give up everything on Earth for love?" Andy asked. "And by everything on Earth, I mean bacon."
"Perhaps someday you can return and live here, but our society still needs to rebuild," Kittania said. "Find its footing and grow again. But once it does, I will return for you."
Juston shed a tear as he kissed her. "I'm holding you to that promise."
As the small ship took off, Juston stared out the window to see Kittania waving goodbye. Andy, after waiting several minutes, just stared blankly ahead of him.
"You know you forgot your shirt, right?"
# # # # #
New York
Flyers had been sent out all around the city, and messages had been put up online promoting the New Warriors try-outs, getting interest from several eager participants.
"What do you think?" Spider-Girl asked as she held the flyer in her hand as she sat on top of a skyscraper.
"Are we really team players?" Ms. Marvel asked as she sat beside her best crime-fighting pal. "I mean, I thought things were great with just the two of us."
"Haven't you ever wanted to be a part of something bigger?" Spider-Girl asked. "To really do something great? This could really be our chance to make a difference."
"But we're novices, there are probably going to be some big players trying to get on this team,"
Spider-Girl just stared up at her. "Have confidence, girl! We're going to show them what Spider-Girl and Ms. Marvel can really do!"
"Why is your name first?"
"Brand recognition."
# # # # #
The Negative Zone
"Fine," Annihilus said as he sat on his throne before standing up and ripping a mock doll of Johnny Storm to shreds with his bare hands. His Cosmic Control Rod was still in the hands of the Human Torch, and so far, any plans he'd come up with to retrieve it had failed. He had been banned by Johnny from going to Earth himself, but maybe he didn't need to go there. Maybe he just needed to bring someone to the Negative Zone. "I'll do this myself."
TO BE CONTINUED...
The Jaguarrior swiped at Juston who jumped to the side and tried to focus as he jumped onto the creature, getting onto its back, and using his shirt to wrap around the Jaguarrior's forehead as a means of holding on.
"Alright, kitty, just calm down, I don't want to hurt you," Juston said as the creature thrashed around. Getting a good hold onto its head, Juston started scratching it behind the ear, knowing this trick used to work on cats in the junkyard. "Good kitty, you like that?"
"What is he doing?" Lynx asked as he stood up. "He should be mangled by now!"
"You underestimate my friend," Kittania said with a smile. "He has a brilliant mind."
"It won't be enough to save him once the Jaguarrior comes to its-- Now what is he doing?"
Juston had the Jaguarrior on the ground, rubbing its belly as the creature kicked.
"That's a good kitty," Juston said as he saw the creature was falling asleep. "You're just a playful little guy, aren't you?"
The audience had no idea what to make of this as they just stared in confusion.
"Did he just defeat our champion?"
"I want my belly rubbed!"
"Ear rubs looks so relaxing!"
The confusion started turning to cheers as they started applauding for Juston. The young man started to smile as he stood up.
"ENOUGH!" Lynx shouted, his voice loud enough to get everyone to be silent. "Did you forget that this monster slaughtered our people?"
"He did no such thing!" Kitannia shouted. "My people, I was there! Juston and his friends saved me from the true threat, which they themselves defeated when the true menace had reached their homeworld! The New Warriors took me in and treated me with nothing but respect and compassion when I believed I was the last of our kind! This boy deserves our respect and gratitude!"
"Boy?" Juston asked as he stared down at the ground humbly.
"NO!" Lynx shouted as he tossed a spear at Juston, who was looking up at the sky, thinking that he had heard a scream coming from the stars. He looked down just in time to see the spear heading directly towards his heart, but just before it could strike, an object fell inbetween, catching the spear.
Juston looked down, seeing Andy laying in the dirt with a spear lodged in his buttcheek. "Andy?"
"Pull. It. Out!" Andy demanded while laying face down on the ground. Juston grabbed it and pulled the spear out as Andy let out a girlish scream.
"What are you doing here?" Juston asked as he helped Andy up.
"Fell into an endless void of angst and depression, as teenage boys are want to do," Andy explained as he looked around. "Judging by the amount of roided out, angry looking pussies, this must be Trump's personal Hell."
"Come on, we have to get to Kittania," Juston told him.
"Dude...where's your shirt?"
"Under that mountain of an alleycat,"
"Fair enough," Andy said as he scooped Juston up and flew him toward the VIP box where Lynx and Kittania were.
"I will end these fools on my own!" Lynx shouted as he grabbed a broadsword. As soon as he pulled it out, it was met with Kittania's own blade.
"No, you won't," the Princess told him. "You will not harm my friends. And I will take my family's throne back now. Our people will not be led by a blood-thirsty tyrant."
"You wish to fight me? Very well," Lynx said. "I have been trained by the very best warriors our planet--"
It only took two moves for Kittania to knock the sword from his hand and hold her own blade against his throat.
"Where did you learn to fight this well?"
"A training program called Netflix,"
Andy and Juston arrived just in time to see the fight end.
"Aw, man, we missed it, just like the time I walked into Kill Bill late and saw she'd already killed Bill," Andy said sadly.
# # # # #
New Warriors Headquarters... Maybe
"Say something," Franklin pleaded as he stared at Josh, who was sitting in silence as he sat on the floor. " Please."
"I hate you," Josh whispered.
"Anything but that," Franklin said. The Franklin Richards that was currently standing not too far away was an alternate universe version of the young man, and not the version that Josh had just recently realized he had strong feelings for.
This version of Franklin had lost everyone he had cared about, including his version of the mutant known as Icarus. When the real Franklin's aura had been tossed through time and space thanks to Dr. Doom, the alternate version of Franklin had sensed the disruption and realized there was a version of Josh that he could take for his own. Unfortunately he hadn't counted on the strong bond between this world's Franklin and Josh.
"I love him," Josh said as he raised his head. "Not you, not some other crappy alternate universe version of him. I love HIM. I'm sorry you lost the version of me that you had feelings for, I really am. But that doesn't mean that I'm just going to forget the Franklin Richards that I got to know in this world. The one who was my only friend when no one else wanted to hang out with the winged freak.
The Franklin who treated me with respect. The one who saw beyond the wings and the powers and actually liked who I was inside. He wasn't affected by my hypnotic voice, he-- he wanted to be with me because he chose to be. That's the version of Franklin Richards that I fell for. And now he's gone, probably forever."
Franklin sat down next to him, his facial expression saying that his own heart had just been shattered into a million tiny pieces. "Okay."
"Okay? So, what, you're going to kill me now?"
"No," Franklin said as he wiped a tear away. "Your Franklin's still out there, and he needs you. You need to go to him."
"How?" Josh asked. "Do you know how big the universe is?"
Franklin leaned in and gently touched Josh's lips with his, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away and producing a crystal in his hands.
"That kiss told me everything, Josh. This crystal is... well, it's the physical form of that love for him," Franklin said as he put it in Josh's hand. "The closer you get to his location, the brighter it'll glow. It'll lead you to him."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because you're right, I can't make you love me," Franklin told him. "I lost my chance for a life with you when my Josh was killed. So I guess I'll just... go and find a love of my own. It could be another version of you, it could be a beautiful girl, or it could be some kind of alien that I connect with. That's the fun of being pansexual I guess. I get to try everything."
"How do you know--?"
"My older self told my younger self, I heard it when I sensed your world's version of me," Franklin told him. "Goodbye, Josh. I hope you find him."
Josh jumped up and hugged Franklin. "Good luck."
The door suddenly opened as Valeria and Johnny came through, seeing Josh standing there alone. He just stared at the two and walked past them.
"What are you standing there for? We've got a missing friend to find!"
# # # # #
"How are we going to get him home?" Juston asked as he sat in the empty stadium with Kittania and Andy. "The others are probably getting worried about us right now."
"Well, you two can take one of the spare ships," Kittania told them. "Its homing beacon will lead it back here afterward."
"Wait... two?" Juston asked. "You're not coming with us?"
"My people need a leader that's not so willing to take them to war with other planets," Kittania told him. "We need to learn the ways of peace again. Who'll train the Jaguarrior to be a defender and not a weapon. I care about you, and all of my friends, but this is where I belong."
"But-- I love you," Juston told her. "Maybe I could stay here?"
"Dude, they don't have bacon here, I checked," Andy said. "That's reason enough for me to split."
"He's right, you would not be happy here," Kittania said.
"You'd be here, that's all I need to make me happy," Juston told her.
"Seriously, you're going to give up everything on Earth for love?" Andy asked. "And by everything on Earth, I mean bacon."
"Perhaps someday you can return and live here, but our society still needs to rebuild," Kittania said. "Find its footing and grow again. But once it does, I will return for you."
Juston shed a tear as he kissed her. "I'm holding you to that promise."
As the small ship took off, Juston stared out the window to see Kittania waving goodbye. Andy, after waiting several minutes, just stared blankly ahead of him.
"You know you forgot your shirt, right?"
# # # # #
New York
Flyers had been sent out all around the city, and messages had been put up online promoting the New Warriors try-outs, getting interest from several eager participants.
"What do you think?" Spider-Girl asked as she held the flyer in her hand as she sat on top of a skyscraper.
"Are we really team players?" Ms. Marvel asked as she sat beside her best crime-fighting pal. "I mean, I thought things were great with just the two of us."
"Haven't you ever wanted to be a part of something bigger?" Spider-Girl asked. "To really do something great? This could really be our chance to make a difference."
"But we're novices, there are probably going to be some big players trying to get on this team,"
Spider-Girl just stared up at her. "Have confidence, girl! We're going to show them what Spider-Girl and Ms. Marvel can really do!"
"Why is your name first?"
"Brand recognition."
# # # # #
The Negative Zone
"Fine," Annihilus said as he sat on his throne before standing up and ripping a mock doll of Johnny Storm to shreds with his bare hands. His Cosmic Control Rod was still in the hands of the Human Torch, and so far, any plans he'd come up with to retrieve it had failed. He had been banned by Johnny from going to Earth himself, but maybe he didn't need to go there. Maybe he just needed to bring someone to the Negative Zone. "I'll do this myself."
TO BE CONTINUED...