Of all the places to end up in after accidently stepping into a wormhole, why must it be the one location where men, whether intentional or accidental, are notoriously blamed for lecherous behavior.
"PERVERT!"
"PEEPING TOM!"
"WAIT FOR ME!"
Bursting out of the locker room, a soaked Patronus ran down the hallway as a group of wet woman, covered in towels, threw objects and whatever else they could find at him. "It was an accident!" He winced when a lucky object hit the back of his head. "Damn wormhole, dropping me in the women's locker room of all places… sure, they were nice, but my wives and Lara are the best I've seen. I hope they're still safe."
Naruto's arms brimmed with quantum energy violently as a wormhole suddenly appeared in front of his left foot, enveloping him into another free-fall. "Not again!" The trip was short as Naruto found himself in a rustic-looking chamber just as a wall changed into a massive steel door that opened and revealed mutant zombies, who attacked a cart with wheels. "Where the hell am I now?"
"Patronus!" It was Spider-Man 2099 as he swung to the ninja's location. "You really know when to show up at a good time."
"You're here." Patronus inspected the futuristic hero by poking him repeatedly. "I guess you and Spidey returned to your time periods. I assume the worst is over." O'Hara shook his head, eliciting a soft sigh from the ninja. "Of course not. Does this have to do with the Time Storm?"
Spider-Man 2099 was surprised by his words. "How do you know about the Time Storm?"
"Karen told me." Patronus answered as he rolled up his right sleeve, revealing his wrist computer that housed the A.I. "She's been analyzing the quantum energy and the Gateway."
"You have an A.I.? And we are in the Parascience Research Lab."
"She's not mine. She was—is Spider-Man's, but the cunning man placed a copy of her in his wrist computer sometime before all this happened."
"Incredible." Spider-Man 2099 said before talking to himself or so it seemed. "Lyla, establish a connection with Karen so the two of us can stay in contact."
"Engaging in attempted tune frequency."
Patronus heard a 'screech' and 'blare' noises from his computer before Karen spoke, "Patronus, I'm detecting a signature unknown to me. Is it friendly?" Karen asked in fear. Naruto glanced at O'Hara before he responded with a 'yes.' "Understood. Allowing friendly link to be established… now."
"Will this help her?" Patronus asked with concern.
Spider-Man 2099 affirmed his question with a small nod. "Lyla is more advanced than Karen, and, by doing this link, she's enhancing your A.I.'s security and capabilities. Less risk of being hacked here in 2099."
"That I like." Patronus said before he saw another cart being destroyed by mutants that resembled zombies. Parts of their flesh was missing and glowed light green. "What the heck are those?!"
"Shock, they never really shut it down. There's living test subjects here! Looks like they feed on energy."
"For what purpose?"
"Warfare and they could destroy the next data box."
"Well then…" Patronus flicked his wrists, extending both Hidden Blades as they were coated in wind chakra. "Let's put them to the ground." He leaped at the zombies and focused on the chakra as they extended into thin sword-like constructs. "Uindo Ken!" He did not need Kogitsunemaru for this situation, but also wanted to focus on utilizing more of his Futon in battle.
Spider-Man 2099 watched the ninja/god sliced through the zombies before he himself engaged in battle. With rapid flickering of the wrists, he fired a barrage of web bullets, stunning the zombies before dashing at them with swinging legs from a handstand. He tied a web-line to yank another zombie and clothesline it to the floor while Patronus stabbed one through the head.
Once the zombies were no more, they waited for the cart to attach itself to the construct in the middle of the lab. Another room dubbed the Cybernetic lab as more zombies slowly approached them. "Great, more coming." Spider-Man 2099 said lowly while Patronus rolled his shoulders in anticipation.
(This Atrocity thing isn't slowing down anytime soon! What's happening on your end?)
"Patronus and I just need to connect two more databoxes."
(I have no idea what you're talking about; just do it fast!)
Patronus and Spider-Man 2099 engaged in another round of protection against the mutant zombies whose numbers seemed to increase from the first wave. They pushed themselves through the next two rounds until all four data boxes were connected to the construct as O'Hara launched a web net to ensnare a group of zombies to a wall while Patronus sliced through them.
"Now what?" Patronus asked as he kicked away another zombie.
"And now we wait. Spidey, we have all four data boxes. As soon as I've activated them, we'll know what's going on." Spider-Man 2099 said as he double-kicked a group of four to the ground and swiped at them with his talons.
(That'd be a nice change of pace. It sure beats dying again.)
Spider-Man 2099 chuckled at the joke, "True." He flipped over a charging zombie and kicked it to a wall. "I just need to activate each data box."
"I got it!" Patronus shouted as he created four clones and sent them to the boxes, which they activated. After doing so, they returned to aid the original in suppressing the zombies. "Go in now." Spider-Man 2099 heeded his words and entered the construct while Patronus followed him as the zombies were burned down by his clones. "So, what do we know?"
Spider-Man 2099 pressed the proper keys of the multi-screened computer for information while saying, "You guys, I think that Atrocity is connected to the time storm somehow."
"How's that?" Patronus asked as he heard a very distant noise outside.
"Not sure. What I really need is some of its DNA to complete the analysis."
(How?! It's on this end!)
"Grab a DNA recorder and acquire a sample. Download it into a computer there, it'll show up her."
Patronus stepped forward with a confused face. "But, if it's not here, doesn't that mean Spidey failed or haven't failed yet?" Unknowingly, Spider-Man in the past had just asked the same question with a little rewording.
"Do you guys want a two-hour lecture on the laws of quantum dynamics?" Spider-Man 2099 asked rhetorically, gaining no answer from either his predecessor or the ninja. "No? Then trust me. It won't be visible here until you do it there, Spidey. Patronus, can you help him out?"
Patronus breathed in sharply as his bracers glimmered with quantum energy once more from the recent debacle. "On my way there now." He Hiraishined, hopefully, to Spider-Man's current location while O'Hara continued to search for more information regarding the time storm and Atrocity.
"Peter, Patronus is on his way to you now. How's it going?"
(Aside from not having a DNA recorder and being chased by a berserk sushi? Just swell.)
"Well, get it in gear 'cause if this time storm escalates, you're going to have a ringside sit for a brand new big bang." Spider-Man urged before he heard an unnatural 'clicking' sound. "What was that?"
(What are you talking about? Never mind; I'll get the DNA thing. I'm moving as fast as I can!)
"Well, move faster." Spider-Man 2099 urged hastily this time as the 'clicking' increased in volume.
(I hate it when you say that.)
"Well, you need to set a prime example, Parker." Spider-Man 2099 retorted as the noise seemed to be in the room. He looked around, but found nothing in return except the 'clicking' turned sharp. "Okay, Peter, are you close yet?"
(Miguel! He got me!)
O'Hara clenched his head as Peter's voice screamed in pain. "What's happening?! Talk to me! Shock it! Peter!" He turned one way and found himself staring into ghoulish eyes before back-flipping away from the claws' swipe. "What the shock?!"
It was a bald, ghoul-like creature with pale grey skin and a bat-like nose. Its featureless, silver eyes glow faintly in the dark of the room as its back had a noticeable ridge, and the needle-like fangs and claws extended in front of its prey. A black, forked and proboscis tongue stuck out of the mouth, much like Spider-Man's enemy, Venom.
The creature ticked in an unnatural way like shrilling to break glass before it pounced Spider-Man 2099.
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(Meanwhile)
Year 2006
Gas Chamber, Alchemax Building
Patronus stumbled out of the time portal that is the Hiraishin as he looked around for signs of Peter. "Damn it, I'm in the wrong place." He ran for the exit when his eyes caught something on the other side, prompting him to investigate. It was luck as the something turned out to be Spider-Man, though he didn't move at all. "Peter? Spidey, come on, wake up." He shook the body. "Don't leave Mary Jane behind, man. Wake up!"
"Mi—Mig…Miguel?" Spider-Man breathed in as his vision slowly grew clear by the second. Soon, he found the hidden but concerned face that is his ally. "Patronus? Thank God, you're here."
Naruto helped him up to his feet and noticed his costume was even more torn than the last time he saw him. "What happened to you?"
"Atrocity… snatched me from within an air duct… managed to get away, but left half of my costume behind." Spider-Man responded exhaustingly. "Found this room to hide in… passed out for I don't know for how long."
"So, where are we?" Patronus asked as Spider-Man led the way to a nearby computer.
It was there that the heroes noticed a large chamber surrounded by equally-sized canisters on both sides. Next to the computer was three empty syringe-like devices, something that excited Spider-Man. "Spidey 2.0, I found it!" He got no answer from his counterpart. "Version two?"
(*Grunts of exertion* I'm a little busy at the moment! Anyway, is it the DNA recorder?)
"Yeah!" Spider-Man replied as he got one recorder out while Patronus got the other one.
(Don't stand around telling me about it. Use it!)
"On the Atrocity. I love this plan." Spider-Man retorted excitedly, ready for payback.
Patronus raised a simple hand. "What is this Atrocity you guys keep talking about?" Spider-Man pointed behind the ninja, forcing him to turn around and see the answer as the door was forced on the other side. "Oh my God! That's an atrocity all right."
It was a hulking-size creature with a largely disproportioned body as the left side was more muscle pronounced while the right looked weak and small. Slimy and covered tentacles protruded from its back as the incredibly long black tongue hung from the open mouth while the red circle eyes glared at the duo.
"Come on, we need to get it into the gas chamber," Spider-Man told his ally and they went to work.
The duo ran to one side of the chamber and waited there until Atrocity ran through it, but the two doors shut closed, trapping the mutation. They waited until it fell victim to the gas and laid on its back until the door opened, allowing the two to obtain samples. Naruto and Peter ran back to the computer and put two of the recorders into the device.
"Did it work?" Patronus asked the smart guy.
Spider-Man shushed him as he typed in the code to read the DNA samples. "Spidey 2.0, how's it going there? Did you get it?"
(…)
"Hello? Did you hear me?"
(Gah! Finally… this thing was very frustrating. Very agile too. Anyway, the samples are better, but I'm missing some strands. Get me one more sample and that should do it.)
Spider-Man groaned loudly as he grabbed the third recorder. "If we ever meet face-to-face, I'm so gonna punch you in the face repeatedly." He turned to Patronus who stepped back from him. "Are you ready?"
"No, you got this one." Patronus chuckled before he was teleported suddenly.
"Son of a bitch, he left me behind!"
(Patronus?)
"Who do you think?!" Spider-Man retorted angrily before the awakened Atrocity performed a similar act to escape the chamber. "What?! This thing can teleport too?"
(What are you talking about?)
"Teleport—crack a dictionary!" Spider-Man retorted as he webbed the recorder on his back and yanked a web-line to pull himself away from Atrocity when it appeared behind him. Despite its size, Atrocity chased after him with surprising speed, forcing Spider-Man web-swing out of the chamber for more room since the gas chamber won't work for the third time. "Damn it, Patronus, where are you when I need you?"
Atrocity leaped high in the air for a body slam with arms and leg stretched out, but a flash of blue/white light blindsided the mutation as Patronus appeared out of it and kicked the creature away into another room through another room. "Hey there, Spidey." He dodged a web bullet aimed at his head. "What's the deal?"
"Why did you leave me alone with that thing?" Spider-Man asked hotly.
"It wasn't my fault!" Patronus countered. "Karen just told me the quantum energy is getting out of control fast and now I'm teleporting randomly."
"How much time you got before the next one?"
"No idea so let's just get the third sample and be done with this thing."
By the time Atrocity got up, Patronus threw his fist and used Eaken to push the creature against the wall near electrically-powered pillars. Spider-Man webbed its limbs and tentacles heavily to restrain his movements before he said, "Taser Web!" He fired dual web-lines at the Atrocity before it was electrocuted violently by the web-shooters.
"Let me in on the fun." Patronus said as he created a ball of lightning and threw it at Atrocity, increasing the output of electricity. "How was that?!"
The end result was an unconscious mutation who fell flat on the ground, breathing heavily with slack tentacles. Spider-Man took advantage of this and plunged the recorder into the creature's flesh like before as he soon swung back to the chamber. "Miguel, I just uploaded the latest sample." Patronus ran towards him before he unwillingly time-traveled once more. "And Patronus is gone. Hopefully he's on his way to you."
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Year 2099
Parascience Research Lab, Alchemax
Miguel was analyzing the data when Patronus had just arrived in time to heard his results. "No wonder I couldn't get a reading. That thing's a combination of Sloan, Otavius, and Anti-Venom."
"Say what now?" Patronus asked timidly.
Spider-Man 2099 wasn't disturbed by his sudden presence as he grew accustomed to his rapid reappearance. "They must have mutated into that thing when they were shoved through."
(My God. Any weaknesses?)
"At a guess? High voltage." O'Hara responded, "Right now, they're supercharged with quantum particles."
"Like my bracers." Patronus pointed out, getting a nod from Spider-Man 2099.
"Yeah. If we can reverse the polarity of the gateway and shove it back through, the quantum feedback could reverse the time storm!"
Patronus snapped his fingers in approval. "I like the sound of that."
-Well, I don't. Besides why reverse it, Miguel, when we can use it?-
The duo turned around and saw a hologram of an older Peter Parker in some sort of an advanced suit, surprising Naruto and Miguel. "How did you know-"
-Of course. He knows, so I know.-
"Guess your Quantum Causality thingamajig just bit you in the ass… Miguel." Patronus said, earning a glare from Spider-Man 2099 before he looked at the older Parker. "Peter… age did not do you justice."
-Good to see you still have your sense of humor.-
"Apparently, you don't anymore."
-Patronus, Miguel, you both are on the wrong side of this. I'm not the villain here. I'm the guy who's trying to make everything right. Don't you get it?-
Miguel scoffed at him. "Apparently I don't."
"I think I do: he wants to change the timeline, probably change a few events regarding the people in his life." Patronus commented, earning an acknowledging smirk from the older Parker. "You started this on purpose. You wanted Sloane to build the Gateway and go back to the past, so you can use the Time Storm as your advantage."
-You were always the shrewdest person I've ever met, Patronus. Direct, but shrewdest. Miguel, our stealthy friend is correct: when the storm is fully unleashed, I'm going to harness the quantum energy. It will give me complete control over the time stream.-
"Complete—What, you're trying to play God?" Miguel asked spitefully at the words of his current predecessor.
-The first creation of the universe wasn't bad… for a first draft. I'm just going to provide a much-needed rewrite. I can make up for my original sin by saving Uncle Ben. Not to mention Gwen Stacy, her dad, countless others. What kind of villain fixes it so that everyone gets to live happily ever after?-
"You're talking about power no human should have." Spider-Man 2099 argued back about the merit of Parker's plan. "You'll end up destroying yourself, but not before you've annihilated everything else."
-What about Patronus? You've seen his strength, his power especially with the latest quantum-related time travel capabilities.-
Patronus stepped forward a little with a hidden glare directed at the CEO. "Unlike you, I'm not trying to destroy everything just because of guilt. You sicken me, Parker." A small frown etched on the CEO'S face. "You think you're the only one who have—had it hard: losing the people you care about to villains or events out of our control? Get over yourself. I've lost people closest to me too, and there's not a day that goes by when I don't think how I could've make a different decision or action back then. Life is messy, and death… whether you accept it or not… it's part of the world we live. You think you're honoring the people whom you couldn't save back then by doing this, you are not, Parker. In fact, you're dishonoring them by giving up and doing this rewrite. And FYI, I know you're Spider-Man since that incident with the Osborn twins."
-…-
"Not only are you dishonoring them, you are also threatening the people closest to me, to Miguel, and your younger self with Mary Jane and Aunt May. And we're going to stop you. Bet on that."
-… I had really hoped you would be on my side. This discussion is over.-
Patronus, once again, felt vibrations on the metal floor, and grabbed O'Hara as he jumped away from the spot where a hatch opened, supposedly to send them down in free-fall. It was likely an attempt to slow down their progress while CEO Parker put the finishing touches on his plan.
-Should've expected that; you were always quick on your feet.-
Patronus watched the hologram off-lined as he cracked his knuckles in anticipation of beating the CEO into a bloody pulp.
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Year 2006
Inari's Temple,
Takama-ga-hara
The situation was not looking good for the residents of the Shinto realm. They noticed the phenomenon in the skies had begun to affect the outer areas, forcing the all deities, both major and minor, to combine their powers in an effort to the Time Storm's effects. The result was a great translucent light green barrier encasing the entirety of the gods' home.
For one mortal, it was something well beyond incredible, even to her historical mind.
"So, the barrier is produced by all the gods here?" Lara asked Leone. The lion goddess was asked to stay by her husband to protect everyone in the temple and that included Naruto's family.
"No, they are enhancing the barrier." Leone answered as she poured a cup of sake and gave it to Lara. "My husband told me the barrier is produced by the Ama-no-uki-hashi, the bridge that connects Earth and this world."
Lara almost dropped the cup upon hearing this new information. "The bridge said to be created by the first Shinto deties, Izanagi and Izanami? Really? Oh my God, I need to write this down." She looked around for something to write, but found nothing in semblance. "Damn it, of all the time, why didn't I bring them?"
"Sometimes, you just got to relax and enjoy the view even if the world is in danger."
Lara fiddled her thumb around the cup. "I guess so." She looked ahead at the garden where the Uzumaki ladies were soothing the distressed twins who cried for their father. "They miss him."
"They can sense him in danger," Leone said in fact. "When Susanoo and Kushinada's daughter was born, the serpent, Yamata no Orochi, attacked the couple to eat her in vengeance. Lord Susanoo took the serpent to another location in Japan and fought it for three weeks. Those whole three weeks, the princess never stopped crying until he came back home. I remember the little smile she gave when he saw her. Granted this was a day after Inari fought that moon god of a douche, but still."
"Parents and children have a powerful bond. I guess this applies to gods as well."
Leone nodded solemnly as her hand unconsciously rubbed the side of her stomach. "I can't speak for you, but every woman, whether a god or mortal, wants to be mothers even if we don't know it yet."
"Do you think he's all right?" Lara asked concernedly. She was asking about Naruto as her chest felt tight like someone had a foot on top of it.
"Pretty sure he's fine."
"How can you be sure?"
"If he wasn't, then my husband chose a pretty weak being as his adopted son."
Lara didn't respond, but she knew that Leone's words held no contempt towards Naruto. In fact, they also held worry for him as well like her, the girls, and the twins.
"Where do you suppose he is now?" Lara asked after several moments of silence.
"I don't know, but the determination I saw in his eyes showed me his character."
"Which is?"
Leone stood up and grabbed the empty bottle of sake. "He's not going to die and his family drives him to do so." She then took her leave for the kitchen as Lara remained sitting.
After several minutes of watching the barrier, the Croft stood up and walked to join the Clan as she stood down between Kuroka and Medusa while the twins brightened at her presence. Saeko and Rhea smiled at the children's laughter, but they shared glances with Medusa, Lara, and Kuroka as they all shared one thought together.
"Stay safe, Naruto."
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Year 2099
Gateway Room, 66TH Floor
Alchemax's Building
After destroying massive hordes of the Failed Experiments coined by Miguel plus more reinforcements of guards and time-displaced creatures, Patronus and Spider-Man 2099 reached the Gateway Room just as the original Spider-Man spoke to his successor.
(Miguel, I'm getting ready to reverse the polarity. Just in case I blow up the universe, I just wanna tell you… it's been fun!)
"Have faith. I'm almost positive this'll work," Miguel answered, getting an unsure look from Patronus.
Naruto wagged his finger disapprovingly, "Whenever someone says 'almost,' it's never really assuring. I hope you know that."
"I know that, but he doesn't." Miguel retorted softly to the ninja.
The duo found the CEO standing atop the gateway adorned in some sort of mechanized suit with eight large arthropod legs. Miguel inspected the outfit and assumed it was some of an advanced technology derived from one of Spider-Man's previous suits in the past, but he doesn't remember which one it was.
"I believe we had an appointment," Spider-Man 2099 joked as Patronus scoffed in response.
"Luckily I cleared my schedule for you both. I'm sorry it's come to this, but obviously you are part of the problem, not the solution." CEO Parker stated nonchalantly.
Patronus threw a shuriken at his apparent enemy, but he dodged it despite the heavy suit. "How is destroying the universe a solution? For a smart guy, you really are stupid, Parker."
"I am smart, but you both are idiots," CEO Parker disengaged from the gateway and landed on the floor, preparing for the fight ahead of him. "I'm absorbing all the quantum particles being unleashed. I'll reshape the timeline any way I wish long before it collapses. Think of it as playing dice with the universe. Einstein would have approved."
Spider-Man 2099 assumed his fighting pose, "Einstein's not here, so I guess I'll have to do."
"And your explanation really doesn't change the fact you're an idiot for doing this," Patronus countered as CEO Parker scoffed at his words. Naruto smirked in his hood as the older Peter grimaced when the ninja drew Kogitsunemaru from its sheath. "Time to cut me up some spider!"
CEO Parker leaped above in the air to avoid Patronus's sword strike, which was extremely fast despite his calculations. The entire time the ninja hero was in 2099, the older Spider-Man recorded his every move so far and made preparations to counter them, but now it seemed to be irrelevant at this point.
Spider-Man 2099 left a decoy in his place as CEO launched several car-sized web bullets at it. "Peter, looks like your future self has taken a page from Iron Man's old playbook. We're squaring off against some kind of Iron Spider outfit."
(That sounds like a crutch to me. If he really had confidence in his own speed and agility, he wouldn't be making with the heavy metal! Just use something to outflank him.)
Spider-Man 2099 heeded the younger Peter and fired rapid web bullets at the airborne CEO, but the latter web-zipped himself to the ground as the projectiles missed him. However, Patronus Shunshined behind him and swung his blue blade engulfed in sharp swirling wind as the CEO leaped to the side.
"Missed." CEO retorted starkly before his suit's sensors report of slight damage to the containers.
Patronus twirled his blade, brandishing the Divine Regalia at the corrupt hero. "Want to restate that?" He swung Kogitsunemaru and unleashed several wind arc-like waves at the CEO. The machine-attached villain dodged them all with incredible speed akin to the Bunshin and Decoy abilities of Patronus and Spider-Man 2099, respectively.
Naruto had seen this before back in 2006 with the younger Peter. The Spider-Sense is really going to be a pain in the ass as the machine most likely enhancing the ability with the quantum energy from the Time Storm.
The CEO leaped in the air once more as he avoided the combined prowess of Patronus and Spider-Man 2099, though struggled to keep up with the hooded hero's obvious superior speed. The trio's focus on the battle was briefly broken when a wormhole appeared in the middle of the room and what emerged was four tentacles slamming the ground before they retreated back inside.
"What the? Friends of yours?" The CEO asked.
Spider-Man 2099 quickly took advantage of his confusion. "Sure! I'm just full of surprises." He web-zipped himself to another part of the room to avoid the CEO's body slam, allowed Patronus to Shunshine above him and sliced off a leg before kicking the villain away. "He doesn't know about Atrocity. We can use that, especially the Anti-Venom part."
Patronus must've had the same thoughts as he did as the ninja let the CEO pounced at him, only to grab the outstretched mechanized legs and swung the villain around several times. Spider-Man 2099 waited for another wormhole to appear, which one did moments later, and signaled Patronus to let go.
The CEO, albeit slightly discombobulated, corrected himself, but not in time to avoid the tentacles that ensnared him as well doing something else to his body. "I don't understand! How are these things draining my powers?" He grunted when Patronus punched his face.
"How?" Spider-Man 2099 repeated before he swiped his talons to cut off another limb off the suit. "As quickly as possible, that's how." He grabbed one more limb and tore it away from his strength while Patronus continued punching the CEO's face.
"Stop! Punching! Me!"
Patronus paused for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't think so." He assumed punching, but then switched to Kogitsunemaru as its blade stared directly at the CEO's face. "It's a shame you turned out this way." The ninja raised the katana to kill the surprised CEO, who tried to push him off to no avail.
Before Spider-Man 2099 could stop him from performing the act, a blurry figure crashed through the door and tackled Patronus off of the CEO into another room out given by the massive breach near the gateway. "Shock it!" He back-flipped away when the tentacles disappeared into the wormhole and, in turn, freed the CEO.
"Now it's just the two of us." CEO Parker said before charging at his 'fake.'
Spider-Man 2099 grunted as he ran to meet the villain's dash in the middle. "Only one of us is going to stay here."
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The other side of the Alchemax building crumbled violently as Patronus was airborne in the sky before he stopped his free-fall. He shook his head to get rid of the ringing in his ears before sight focused on the enemy before him. "Damn Hercules, you are one tough bastard," Naruto commented as Hercules had very dense black markings originating from a sphere in the middle of his chest.
It did not stop there as splatter of blood dripped from his shoulders and parts of his helmet was destroyed from the sheer force of the Super Mini Tailed Beast Bomb.
"You. Will. Die!"
Naruto's response was assuming the flame-like appearance that is Kurama Mode before flying at Hercules. He changed direction at the last second and grabbed hold of Hercules' neck before kneeing him in the back followed by another sphere surrounded with smaller spheres like a planet. "Wakusei Rasengan!"
The arm morphed into a chakra arm that extended greatly away from the building before the Rasengans exploded into a vortex-like attack and sent the Olympian crashing into the ocean. Naruto Shunshined at the shore of what it once was the Brooklyn Harbor as he recognized the nearby ramen shop that still existed after nearly a century.
As Patronus dug his feet into the ground for a boost, the world shook from side-to-side as dimensional energy shadowed parts of the nearby structures and the sky before it ceased moments later. "Uh, Spidey 2.0, can you hear me?" He asked through the wrist computer.
-'Yeah, I can hear you! What do you need?! *Grunts*'-
"Time Storm's getting worse! There are wormholes forming randomly everywhere! Please tell me you beat the CEO already." Patronus cried out before he caught an empty truck and threw it aside as Hercules leaped at him, forcing the blonde to enter another grappling match. Only this time, he found himself being pushed back. "What the hell?"
-'Patronus, the younger Peter just defeated Anti-Venom and sent him back through the Gateway. I just need to lock it down on my end.'-
"So, what happens after that?" Patronus asked as Hercules drove him through a building without signs of slowing down.
-'The backlash should collapse the quantum bridge and overwrite all of this, wiping it from existence. Which brings me to another dilemma I see.'-
Naruto rolled on his back and extended his legs against Hercules' stomach to push the latter into a dump of garbage. "Which is?"
-'Once the gateway closes, it'll cut off the quantum energy in your bracers and most likely cease the amplified effects of your power.'- He was referring to the Hiraishin no Jutsu. –'You'll be stuck here with no way back.'-
"Which means I have to go back to the past the moment you beat the CEO."
-'Precisely! I'll tell you when, but I think it's better if you can get back here to coordinate our timing.'-
"I'll be there as soon as I can."
Patronus flew at Hercules and punched him across the face, but the Olympian recovered and countered with a downward elbow strike. Naruto stopped the limb with a chakra arm and retaliated with another one grabbing Hercules' waist before slamming him into the ground repeatedly, ending the assault by tossing him far away down the street.
Frustrated at being the one on the losing ground, Hercules stood up and threw an oldies car, a Dodge Challenger, at Patronus. The ninja could have pushed aside or sliced through the projectile except said object had screaming people inside it. "Damn." Naruto caught the car without his strength crushing the frame and put down it next to him. "Are you both okay?"
"Look out!" One of the passengers pointed at something.
Naruto looked back and saw a massive portion of a restaurant flying at him before he put out one arm to catch the debris with the other arm on the car. The force in the throw bent Patronus's limbs as he put more strength to prevent the debris from crushing him and the people while they slid down the road until it stopped. Naruto pushed down the slab and pulled out the door as to allow the citizens to get out of the car easily.
As he turned around, a fist snapped his head to the side sharply and brought Naruto to his knees and hands. The large hand gripped Patronus's head and lifted him off the ground, bring the ninja face-to-face with a bloodied but smirking Hercules. "That was a nice blast you hit me back there. Sent me all the way to Connecticut, just so you know." His grip grew tighter on the ninja's head, eliciting a groan of pain from him. "I must say… you really are something else, Patronus. But I win and also am superior to Hulk and Thor."
Lifting his right arm back and tightening his entire limb including fist so hard, it looked like it was about to pop as Hercules released his attack on Patronus. As for the ninja, he tried to fight back but the punch he received moments ago really messed with his head. Naruto then focused on his internal power, the Earthshaker, as the feeling of gentle wind coursed throughout his body, but then it changed to a vibrating combined with pins and needle-like in his arms.
"Don't tell me it's not working!? Not a time like this!" Naruto thought as he assumed the power was obstructed by his unbalanced head. Moments passed, but still there was no fist smashing his face in, so that was a plus. Ever curious, Naruto opened his eyes and saw Hercules' fist coming at him… just very, very slow. He was confused about what was happening until his arms caught his attention.
They were glowing, but not Kurama Mode's yellow chakra. It was the same bluish-white color like the wormholes back in Alchemax. What he also didn't know was that the color of his eyes changed as well. Hercules saw them as they were dominantly white with tint of light blue.
Naruto moved his arms and legs to find them moving normally, but for some reason Hercules and everything else around them was slow. Was he manipulating time just now? He shook his head to put that aside and forced the Olympian's hand to release him with several stabs via Hidden Blades. The Adamantine nature of the weapons spilled ichor from the limb as Patronus walked away from the slow and stationary Hercules until the opposing glow fizzed out from his arms.
Hercules returned to normal speed before realizing the pain in his left arm as he clutched it. He stared at Patronus shockingly at the power he'd displayed. "How long have you been able to manipulate time?!"
"Honestly, just now." Patronus admitted before he raised his right hand as if to call something back. What came was the blue blade that is Kogitsunemaru after it burst through an alley behind him and returned to his hand. "Ready for the third round?"
-'Patronus, you need to get ready to go back!'-
Naruto sighed, but Hercules fumed when he heard that his opponent will leave their battle with no clear victor. This will not stand for the Olympian God of Strength. He charged at the ninja god, but someone else had intervened as he was tackled to the ground and pounded on for several minutes.
Patronus assumed the Soresu stance as the unknown person ceased his ambush and turned around to face him. The ninja was taken aback slightly as the figure was tremendously tall—taller than Hercules— and had muscular bulk with razor sharp fangs and claws while a long tongue hung from his mouth and torn shorts. His eyes were red with yellow sclera while the hair was green like the rest of the body, which brought Naruto to one conclusion to the person's identity.
"Hulk?"
And he was not the only one as more figures had arrived to assist one of them, most likely Hulk 2099. One of them had a body composed entirely of silver like the surfboard he was standing on with no hair or visible eye pupils. Naruto had heard of him from the Avengers' database from one of his visits: this was the Silver Surfer, but whether he is the original or this year's incarnation is up to his imagination.
The next arrival was another man, but most specifically an Atlantean. He had navy blue skin as his attire was a tight black and emerald bodysuit with matching gauntlets on the wrist and forearms. His long wavy black hair reached past his shoulders while a golden trident laid on his back.
Naruto's eyes shifted to the woman next to him. She was tall like the Atlantean as her long blonde hair were tied into two separate braided tails while a tuft of it resembled a small rock-star-like style, but her blue eyes contrasted her look. Her attire was a tight black and green sleeveless attire with golden bands around her biceps, a green skirt around the waist, and black pants ragged at the ends tied in red bands and matching boots. In her hand was a thin sword with a gold guard that has protrusions and a black handle.
The last person was a young woman in a rather civilian-like attire. She wore light blue jeans, a black shirt under a gray jacket with a red bandanna over her head as her long black hair fluttered in the wind caused by the Time Storm. Her hands brimmed with an unknown red energy and flickered across her arms every time they moved like when she put aside a strand from her eyes.
"*cough* I assumed you're not with him," Patronus commented before he blocked the blonde woman's sword. "Come on, not you too!"
"Fight me, Patronus! It's been nearly a century since our last bout."
The rest of her colleagues sighed exasperatedly at her attitude before the Atlantean placed his hand on her shoulder. "Valkyrie, please don't attack our Mentor." Valkyrie's features softened before she backed away and sheathed her weapon while the Atlantean approached the hooded ninja. "Apologies, Mentor. Valkyrie here had her pride wounded when you defeated her long ago."
"Uh, not a problem." Patronus muttered unsurely as he exited out of Kurama Mode and sheathed Kogitsunemaru. "Wait, what did you just call me?"
Hulk 2099 dragged the body of the semi-conscious Hercules and dropped him next to his feet. "Are you not Patronus Maximus, Mentor of our Brotherhood from years 2006 to 2008?"
"Uh… no?" Patronus answered meekly before the ground and sky quaked after another time wave, a purple-white wavy cloud passed over them. "What was that?"
"That was a time wave from the Storm. It's becoming more unstable, Patronus. Lyla tells me that Spider-Man 2099 is about to send the CEO into the Gateway, so get ready for his word."
"Thanks for the heads-up, Karen."
The woman in the civilian clothes scoffed at the mention of his leaving. "You're leaving already? Whatever."
"And you are?" Patronus asked indignantly.
"Dr. Strange. Or from what you say, Strange 2099."
The Atlantean raised his trident-occupied hand. "Sub-Mariner."
"Valkyrie or Brunnhilde," The blonde woman introduced herself once more as her sword, Dragonfang, twirled dangerously slow.
The levitating boarder gave a stationary hand. "I am Norrin Rand, or better known as Silver Surfer."
"Hulk." Hulk 2099 greeted to the comparatively small hooded hero. "And we're the Defenders."
"Defenders… I like it." Naruto said with a nod as he gave them two thumbs-up. "Just as badass as the Avengers. And back to your calling me 'Mentor,' what is that?" He hopes to divert their attention long enough for Miguel to give him the signal.
One voice, however, was not allowing this to happen as she made herself known to the gathered heroes. "You do not have to be suspicious of us, Mentor." It was Black Cat 2099 and she approached the ninja with a soft expression. "We've all heard stories about you from our predecessors, though some of us were skeptical of them." She gave a pointed look at Strange who looked the other way. "Your battle with Hercules and today's events certainly proved your abilities and your character."
"What are you talking about?" Patronus asked despite his surprise over Black Cat 2099 being an Assassin.
Sub-Mariner stepped forward with a respectful. "We are all Assassins, taking the same cause as you have a century ago."
"Shhh!" Naruto shushed the hero as he frantically looked around for cameras. "No one is supposed to know about our existence."
Strange huffed as she raised her glowing red hand and revealed a hazy crimson barrier around them. "No one can hear or see us for the moment, Patronus. Don't worry about it."
"Uh-huh… what do we do from here on?" Patronus asked the future Assassins. "Wait, who's your Mentor? Of this branch?" The Defenders shot glances at each other, which meant one thing to the ninja. "Right, I must've put some rule to prevent revealing identities about each Mentor back then or going to do it in the future… Wait, I—but that would mean this conversation has already happened or were supposed happen…. AAHHH!" He screamed in frustration while gripping his head tightly from the sudden headache by trying to figure time-travel.
Hulk 2099 leaned towards Valkyrie and Sub-Mariner before he whispered, "Is he really the Mentor from the Heroic Age?" His teammates shrugged their shoulders, showing the mutual uncertainty amongst themselves.
-'Patronus, you must leave NOW!'-
"Okay, that's my cue, guys. It's been awesome, getting to know all of you albeit briefly, and… keep up the good work. Best tell your Mentor that."
The Defenders watched the spectacle in front of them, but it was not the Mentor returning to 2006 yet. Black Cat 2099 gave him a kiss on the lips and whispered in his ear before the ninja Hirashined back to the present. "Better?" Hulk 2099 asked the clone. It was common knowledge to the Defenders that she, like the original, had feelings for the hooded Assassin. Unlike her genetic template, the clone heeded her feelings and 'scored' the ultimate job.
"Much better," Black Cat answered with a genuine smile.
Those were the last words she spoke before an enormous white quantum wave engulfed the entire team and city from the Time Storm.
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Naruto flew through the Hiraishin time-space field as he was currently fleeing the reversed time wave that was catching up to him. When it closed in onto his feet, Naruto transformed in the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode for the extra boost as his flying speed increased enough for him to be ahead of the wave.
"Mr. Parker, I can-"
"Oh, shut up! You're nothing but a pawn, Sloan, and I will make your life a living hell when I'm in the past."
Hearing bones snap ahead, Patronus flew to the side and avoided Sloane's mangled body before he increased his speed further by decreasing wind resistance. He looked ahead and saw a man with eight mechanical tentacles who was supported by a human-sized Anti-Venom as the latter was trying to fend off the CEO Parker's mechanical spider limbs.
"Anti-Venom, you were always a constant thorn in my life, but I shall kill you now." CEO Parker declared before he was silenced by a limb and felt the same burning pain that signified the increasingly loss of his powers.
Patronus unsheathed his blade, and when CEO Parker managed to break free from Anti-Venom's limb, swung swiftly at the neckline. He didn't need to see the shocked future Parker's body break apart into multiple pieces or being engulfed in the wave that disintegrated them. Naruto sheathed his blade before grabbing Anti-Venom and the man with the mechanical tentacles as they finally reached the other side of the time tunnel.
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Year 2006
Watching the Alchemax Building changing back into Horizon Labs, the torn-up Spider-Man was amazed by the sight. "It's all back to normal."
(Same here.)
"Okay, but… if the timeline snapped back to normal… if none of it happened… how do you and I remember it? I mean, we've got two different sets of memories in our brains. Shouldn't that be making us… I dunno… crazy?"
(Crazy? We already dress in skin-tight costumes and fight bad guys for free.)
Peter rolled his head in annoyance. "Okay, crazier."
(You really want a five-hour lecture on temporal paradoxes?)
"Sure, why not? As it turns out, looks like I have all the time in the world."
A bright flash of white and blue light breached from him, causing the Web-Slinger to turn around and find a steaming Patronus—out of Nine-Tailed Chakra Mode moments before arrival—carrying two unconscious villains from his rogue gallery.
"After I finish talking with Patronus."
(He made it back? That's good news, really good news. Tell him it's been quite an experience fighting together.)
"I'll be sure to tell him that," Spider-Man told his counterpart before he addressed Patronus. "Hey there, man. Good to see you are okay after an ordeal like this." He lightly tapped Anti-Venom and Octavius' bodies as relief washed over him. "So, do you think they'll remember everything?"
Patronus shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows, but if they do—" He raised his hand as the Hidden Blade extended in response. "—I'll just dispose of them." Seeing the glare from Spider-Man, Naruto chuckled before he retracted the blade. "Kidding, Spidey, geez. And I thought you were a jokester."
"Spider-Man 2099, or Spidey 2.0 as you called him, wanted to say it was a pleasure working with you." Peter said before extending his hand to Naruto. "And this same goes for me. Both of you… you guys saved me and Mary Jane's lives through this ordeal. I'm glad you are here."
"That's what friends are for, Spidey." Patronus retorted as he accepted Peter's hand and shook it. "Glad everything worked out okay. So, should I leave these two at S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Avengers?"
Spider-Man pondered about the course of action before he answered, "How about we have hot dogs on the way there?"
"Sounds good," Patronus answered as he carried Octavius while Spider-Man webbed up Anti-Venom and held him at arms-length. "I wonder if the Red Sox-Mets game is today."
Peter faced the ninja with a serious expression. "Are you a Red Sox fan?"
"Yeah…" Naruto answered before he assumed the same expression. "Mets fan?"
The pride for their respective baseball teams instantly took over the heroes as they quickly left the heavy webbed villains at the nearby police precinct and raced each other to the Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, for the mentioned game.
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Year 2099
Sanctum Santorum, Greenwich Village
Downtown District, Nueva York City
The heroes met up with each other for their weekly meeting regarding criminal activity in the city and information about their enemies such as the Avengers and Hydra. Unlike their previous incarnation's attitudes towards each other, this current team acknowledges their abilities and personalities. Another fact that helps their teamwork was their being Assassins whom their predecessor, Patronus Maximus, revived the Brotherhood during the Heroic Age, which proved pivotal in humanity's greatest need.
Hearing the door open, the Defenders waited for the person overseeing their operations: Mentor of the Nueva York Brotherhood. "Relax, everyone… it's not the White House."
"No, but still tradition remains even in this century." Hulk 2099 answered, though he was in his human form: a man with a semi-muscular frame with shaggy brown hair as he wore a lab coat over a light blue collared shirt and black jeans. This is John Eisenhart, a former dealmaker turned hero after the slaughter of the Knights of Banner, a dedicated cult who worshipped the original Hulk in the Heroic Age.
The Mentor stepped out of the shadow, revealing himself to be Spider-Man 2099. "Oh, what a day."
"What are you talking about?" Strange asked, confused about the Mentor's exhausted behavior. "Nothing's happened for the whole day. You okay?"
Oh, right. Since the backlash from the reversed polarity of the Time Storm wiped out the alternate timeline, the Defenders had no memory of meeting Patronus except for Miguel. For him, it was an honor to meet and work with the Master Assassin who changed the world and their Brotherhood. Hopefully, he doesn't remember about the events, but if the rumors about him continues to be true, Miguel could only pray that Patronus will keep the Time Storm event to himself. Though, there was one regret in O'Hara's mind; he never got to learn Patronus' true identity.
Though that was largely on their part. Alchemax and its rival corporations searched for Patronus' identity, but there were no results in the end and forced the Assassins, led by Miguel's predecessor, to institute the Data Collapse to protect the hooded figure and the Brotherhood at the same time. Their goals about protecting mankind's free will remained, even though the Templars are gone.
"Spidey, are you ready for today's game?"
"Hell yeah." Miguel answered as he took off his mask, revealing a dark brown and short-haired man with green eyes.
The Defenders/Assassins sat down on their semi-leather couch in front of a massive TV before Strange activated the remote and turned on the box as a baseball game. Opposing cheers of 'Red Sox' and 'Mets' were shouted in the room as they were enjoying a time of pleasure after a hard day's work, especially for Miguel O'Hara. This was a tradition for all Assassins across the globe after a long day of hard work that they would enjoy themselves in daily activities such as sports. The American Brotherhood, however, took their sports very seriously and this started from Patronus Maximus's tenure as Mentor.
"Tienes la bueno vida, Patronus."
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Year 2006
Uzumaki Manor, Homestead Grounds
Forested Massachusetts
After a shocking loss of the Red Sox and bidding the exhausted Peter farewell, Naruto had returned to Takama-ga-hara and retrieved his family before going home. He informed them about his recent journey of traveling in time between the present and the future, his allying with Spider-Man and his future counterpart, the battle against Hercules of the time and the Hydra, the Defenders, and the alternate CEO Parker who was let his guilt turn him into an insane megalomaniac, and the Time Storm being responsible for the strange occurrence in the Shinto realm.
With that said and done, the family sought for sleep except for the head of the clan as he had something else he needed to do. Naruto had put this notion off since he read it, but, after what happened with the CEO Parker and the Time Storm, he knows that it had to be done to ensure the survival of the Brotherhood and warn future generations in case similar events occurs.
Laid open in front of him on the table was the Codex as an ink pen twirled between his fingers, pondering on where to start writing his adventures.
Finally, he started writing his first entry.
"April 28, 2006. You can never know where the day's going to take you."
Naruto stopped in his progress as he observed the new handwriting for a few moments. "Huh, Medusa was right. I'll thank her for the lessons when I go to bed." Lately, he had been taking—forcibly—handwriting lessons after Medusa caught sight of his below average handwriting on a note some time ago. It was hard since English had to be written in a different style that Naruto was not familiar with at all. "Plus, this saves me a lot of time writing than the regular style." He mentioned before continuing the first of his recorded activities.
"I myself really did not know that I was going to travel through time. No sir, I did not. This started when I was… traveling with an unorthodox method and saw the impending death of one of my good friends and a hero here in the so-called Heroic Age, Spider-Man. I arrived in New York City and found many things changed like Horizon Labs being dismantled by the corporation Alchemax. It was there I met the villainous Anti-Venom, a giant humanoid covered in a white goo-like substance that seemed to give him abilities similar to Spider-Man, and the one behind his attempted homicide, Sloane. After a brief but dominating bout with the controlled Anti-Venom, I was aided by a man who came through the Gateway. He was of the future from the year of 2099 and claimed the moniker of Spider-Man as well."
Naruto continued to write his Time Storm journey until the last leg with the CEO.
"I had wished there was another way, but the CEO would have manipulated the past to keep his family at the cost of others such as my family and those in Spider-Man 2099's life. It was that moment I knew the Creed demanded his life, and with swift strikes of my blade, Kogitsunemaru, I took it, and cut his body into parts. Those parts are forever lost to what I assumed to be the Space-Time Continuum.
This Quantum Causality, I hope, would ensure a different life for Peter and his family here in the present as he knows—vows to never become the CEO. And I believe him. To think such a person would hold onto guilt and let it consume him or her… it frightens me. Would I have let guilt—the guilt about failing to beat the Shinju and the cost of my friends' lives—to change me if I didn't have the people I care about in my live: Kurama, Ashura, my wives and children, and others. I heed to the one whom will succeed me once I am gone.
Death is inevitable for all beings, whether man or god, but if one chooses to reject that, then he or she will be punished in ways unknown to us yet. Surprisingly for those who accept death, life rewards them with gifts sometimes incomprehensible or unwarranted. I happened to have been imparted with the latter, but I will let you figure that one out on your own."
Naruto ended the entry with a chibi fox that had a whimsical eye wink before he closed the Codex and exited the room for the comforts of his beloved wives and girlfriend in the master bedroom. As he slipped into bed between his slumbering beauties, Naruto replayed the words of Black Cat 2099 in his mind.
"Don't abandon her."
"Mmm…"
The soft-voiced Naruto relaxed as he sunk deeper into the water, leaving only half of his head above it. It was the weekend for the Boston-based hero and he took advantage of that every time. The ninja wasn't one to miss a break whenever there's one available and he certainly wouldn't want to miss time with his loved ones.
"MMM…."
Especially, his loved ones.
The water splashed when a head breached through it, revealing a wet Lara Croft in her birthday suit as Naruto fixed himself up in a sitting position. The Croft girl took her place atop his lap, yelping in pleasure as his member penetrated her insides, but that didn't stop the two from smiling at each other.
"Hey there, beautiful. Did you like it there?" Naruto asked cheekily.
Lara ignored his words, but responded by kissing him deeply. It was by chance she left for a bath in the backyard of the manor, but luck happened to find to be on her side as Naruto was already in the water when she arrived. Her attempt to sneak up behind failed, but Lara didn't care as this meant intimate time between them. Sure, she enjoyed spending time with the ladies and the twins, but it was not the same since Lara wanted to be with Naruto alone.
It was during this time she realized the competition for Naruto's affections and time alone amongst the women despite the fact he spends every moment with them after heroing. The most competitive was Kuroka, Saeko, and Rhea including herself. They yearned more from him.
Well, today she scored with him.
"You have a little something there," Lara said in a soft sultry voice before she licked Naruto's cheek slowly. "This land of yours… can't believe you own it."
Naruto shrugged his shoulders while his hands grabbed her waist firmly. "We got lucky," he responded before guiding Lara up and down his shaft. "The previous owner was… a good friend of mine." Lara bit her lips closed as pleasure began to engulf her body. "He was the descendant of an Assassin who owned this manor."
"From the Colonial times I suspect," Lara pointed out as she wrapped her arms around Naruto's shoulders. The rhythm increased and the water splashed more as evidence of their passion. "I don't think I'll ever see an environment such as this ever again."
Naruto kissed her deeply and the two didn't part until air was necessary. "Good thing you met me, huh?"
"My great fortune indeed," Lara responded greatly.
Their intimate time together was fortunate to have a barrier that cloaks and sound-proofed their actions from prying eyes like the residents of the Homestead. The only ones who can see through the barrier are those in the Uzumaki Clan including Lara. Both man and woman continued their affair in the clean water as the waterfall's rushing flow increased their mood for more.
Their climax reached and the two returned to the manor for breakfast as the smell of fresh eggs, bacon, and hash brown filled their sense of smell. And they were not the only ones.
"Gggs…Agggs." Ashla repeated as his tiny hands tapped on the table.
His sister was the same as him, but with a different meal. "Ashh… Ashh."
"Hold on, kids. Until everyone is here." Saeko told her children as they calmed down, but sighed when their antics reignited upon seeing their father and Lara enter the dining room. "And where have you two been?"
The two looked at each other and responded, "At the ship." They exchanged subtle surprised but pleased looks before taking their seats. "So, what's on today's schedule?" Naruto asked his Titaness wife.
It was long decided that the Homestead needed structure of sorts for the residents, especially the children. As such, Medusa, and Rhea now teach at the new school for all ages about the necessary skills they would need in their adulthood. For the adults, they would do their trade and occupations within the Homestead like farming would go the super market in Boston and other rural communities. The same was said for computer technicians, sewn clothing, and authenticators.
"Well, the school building is almost done with a few hiccups on Kuroka's part." Said Nekomata's ears drooped slightly with puffed cheeks, but Naruto sent a wink to reassure her of her efforts as Rhea continued to list off the schedule. "The farmers are almost ready with their produce. They'll await at the border for instructions from Medusa at 10:00 a.m. The same can be for the seamstress and the painters," Rhea continued as they eat their breakfast.
Naruto nodded as he processed everything so far. "Anything else?"
"The ship is in need of an upgrade," Medusa told Naruto, surprising the latter and Lara of her insight into naval matters. "We live in the modern world, and that ship won't last three seconds against a naval cruiser. We will need materials to strengthen it, but where I do not know."
Lara spoke next. "Could you ask the Avengers for that Adamantium steel you mentioned?" Naruto shook his head. "Why?"
"If I ask, they'll be suspicious about my intentions," Naruto answered. "We still have plenty of Adamantine here on the Homestead, but the problem lies in the equipment to reinforce the ship. Granted I can forge Hidden Blades and like, but fixing a ship… that won't end well."
Rhea hummed in thought while Medusa said, "So, who can we trust with our home and ship while possessing the technological know-how and engineering skills?"
"…"
The Uzumaki Clan had to think about whom they could trust from the stories Naruto told them about the various heroes he'd met as Patronus. Then it came to them as there was one team whom they could possibly trust due to their friend nature and technological expertise like their aircraft Naruto rode in before facing the Wendigo.
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Mountain, Near Vista Verde
New Mexico
The weather in the desert state was perfect for training as stated by the leader of the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. One of the items on the training menu was climbing one of the desert mountains shaped like a knife. One of the agents, however, did not like this at all as he struggled with the exercise.
"Don't rush, Rick," Hulk told him as he was ahead of his team. "Read the rock. Take a moment and plan your route."
An irritated A-Bomb sighed at his worry. "Yeah, would you hurry up? They're gaining on us."
"This is a training exercise, not a race," Hulk scolded his younger teammate before resuming climbing.
A-Bomb, still struggling to catch up with Hulk, was passed by Skarr who climbed over him. "Hey, I'm climbing here," He complained after the deed.
"Bye-Bye," Skarr responded as he climbed over Hulk as well.
Red chuckled as he did the same to A-Bomb, "Make a hole, people."
"Race you to the top." She-Hulk retorted excitedly at the apparent race.
"Ain't no race, remember," Hulk told his teammates.
Red 'humped' at the original's words. "Take it from a real soldier: you want to make a man, push him to the limit, then you push him more. If he didn't break, he's got a shot."
"Okay, it's on." A-Bomb liked that sound of that and chose to run up the mountain, much to Hulk's chagrin. "Oh yeah! Don't want to rub it in your faces, but I kind of want to." His teammates took the challenge and increased their climbing speed, irritating Hulk as he continued his usual pace.
Sometime later, A-Bomb took a breather and jumped to an overhang. "Rick, watch it," Hulk told his overeager friend as A-Bomb finished the transition to the vertical mountain side before a portion fell downward, sending the younger agent in free-fall. "Rick!" He reached out and grabbed A-Bomb's hand before placing the latter back to the wall and next to him.
"I got it," A-Bomb said despite what just happened as Hulk growled at his actions.
Red smirked down at the duo, "You going to change his diaper too? Kid would have survived the fall… probably."
"That's not the point, Red," Hulk counter-argued with his former enemy.
"Yeah, the point is to show him how it's done," Red said before jumping ahead and over the leading Skarr. "Heads up!" Debris fell from his previous position onto the agents left behind.
Jen complained at the debris in her eyes and shouted, "Cheater!"
A happy Red landed at the summit and looked down at the losers. "Ooh-rah, King of the Mountain. Hope you were paying attention, Jones."
"What took you so long?"
"Huh?" Red turned around and saw Patronu sitting seiza with a tea set next to him as he drank his cup. "How long have you been here, pipsqueak?"
"Long enough, Red, long enough." Patronus answered before he finished his tea and put away the tea set inside his cloak's seals. "There's something I need to talk you guys about."
A small tremor struck the mountain for a moment before it grew intensely as the entire area was shaking perhaps by Red's unintentional boast of strength.
"Is this part of the test?" A-Bomb asked before molten lava erupted from the summit, burning one of the cameras as Patronus and Red backed away from sight.
"Uh oh," Red muttered.
Patronus nudged the red-skinned Hulk with his elbow. "What did you do?"
"Nothing I swear!"
"JUMP!" Hulk told everyone as they leaped off of the mountain along with Patronus and landed on ground level.
As A-Bomb landed after emerging from his ball form, he heard shuffling from above and grunted when an avalanche of rocks swept over him from the eruption. Hulk raced to action and quickly tossed aside the debris, revealing an unharmed and smirking A-Bomb, "Chillax bro. It's going to take more than an avalanche to hurt the Bomb," A smirking and smug A-Bomb said to a growling Hulk.
"What's up with Big Green?" Patronus asked the agents. "He seems a little… overprotective."
Jen shrugged her shoulders. "No idea except it can be annoying at times."
"Same thing during your childhood?" Patronus asked, earning a side-glare from the female Hulk, which proved his question. "I see. So, what's the deal here with the eruption?"
Jen shook her head. "I have no idea. The mountain is supposed to be dormant. It's not due to erupt for another million years."
"Something obviously caused it," Patronus said as molten lava slowly flowed down the mountain. "Where and how is the question." He noticed Hulk approaching him, "Hey, Big Green. How's it hanging?"
"Patronus. What's going on?"
"I have something important to ask you, but that can wait. Right now, we need to find the source of this eruption."
Skarr noticed someone was missing and voiced his thoughts, "Where's Shouty-Man?" He referred to Red.
"Oh, I saw Red at the summit before I jumped off," Patronus looked back at the top. "Think he's okay?"
The party of heroes noticed a flaming rock dashing across the sk. "That rock's heading for Vista Verde," Jen pointed out as Patronus levitated to go after it, but someone else beat him to it.
"I got it!" A leaping Red cried out as he smashed the rock into pieces before it could reach the city.
A-Bomb pointed at the airborne former general, "Found Red." The mountain erupted more molten lava and flaming rocks, increasing the severity of the situation.
"Skarr, go help him stop the fireballs," Hulk ordered the barbarian as the latter leaped mightily to aid Red. "Patronus, you go help them as well." Naruto nodded before he flew towards the city to aid the two Hulks.
"I'm going to help too," A-Bomb said as he was raring to go.
"No, you're with me and Jen. We got to stop the lava flow," Hulk answered before he and Jen left while an irritated A-Bomb growled in annoyance.
At the town of Vista Verde, Red grunted as he emerged from the hole and looked amongst the fleeing, scared citizens. "You're welcome!" He shouted to the citizens before focusing his sight on an approaching fireball. Said fireball was destroyed by a bellowing Skarr as he brandished his sword. "Good dog."
Naruto landed next to Skarr and noticed several more fireballs heading their way to the city as he unsheathed Kogitsunemaru before channeling wind chakra. Swirling winds coated the sword more prominently to the point of creating a strong breeze around the ninja who threw the weapon at the sky. "Uindo Reido."
The two S.M.A.S.H. agents watched with surprise as the sword directed itself to one fireball and sliced through it multiple times until debris remained. The weapon didn't lose its momentum to destroy the next fireball as it met the same fate like the previous one. The heroes watched the blade continue its current activity until the last fireball was disposed of.
"Tsk, glory hogger," Red muttered with crossed arms.
An annoyed Patronus ignored him as he raised his hand and recalled Kogitsunemaru back while dispelling the winds. "Good try for a first time. Perhaps I could add more into it next time." He muttered to himself before sheathing his katana. "Want to see the others fail?"
"Greenie failing?" Red asked before a devious smirk etched his lips. "Come on then." The three took leaps back to the others as they were smashing the ground to create a channel in order to redirect the lava flow away from the town.
Hulk was the vanguard, punching away the earth to make a route while A-Bomb and She-Hulk smashed the sides to make it wider. A lone boulder fell behind them and threatened to clog up the lava, which would lead to flooding. "I got it!" A-Bomb shouted in vigor as he approached the boulder.
The leader of the S.M.A.S.H. agents noticed the lava was about flow on top of A-Bomb. "Rick, look out!" Hulk shouted before he jumped behind the younger agent, grabbed him, and leaped out of the way as She-Hulk landed on the boulder and smashed it into pieces. She quickly rejoined her team and Patronus at a safe location.
The heroes watched the lava flow into the makeshift earth bed with no sign of overflow at all. "Well, I'd say that was a success," Patronus said aloud.
"Why did you pull me out?" A-Bomb asked his team leader.
"I was saving your scally butt," Hulk responded back. "You were about to take a lava bath."
A-Bomb didn't like the answer and retorted, "So what? My armor's tougher than you think."
"Not a good time to test it."
A-Bomb scoffed at this, "It's never a good time, not with you." He walked away, peeved at the treatment from Hulk.
Red chuckled at the scene before him. "Kid's got a point. Someone's got to show him the ropes; let him make his own mistakes." He answered before leaving for the Gamma Base.
"That was… tense?" Naruto asked unsurely while Skarr and Jen shrugged their shoulders before all of them left for the secret base.
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Gamma Base
The team regrouped in the main conference room where the Hulks were searching for the cause of the eruptions. A spherical hologram of the globe was projected behind the computers as several red spots and lines interconnected to each other including the event that just happened.
"Looks like the barbeque in our own backyard wasn't an isolated incident," Jen pointed out to the audience behind her.
Hulk then said, "Lots of eruptions coming from here-" His finger tapped the spot where the eruptions originated. "—Antarctica."
"The South Pole?" A-Bomb asked, "Nothing down there, but a bunch of ice and penguins." He pouted in a peeved manner while crossing his arms. "All sorts of stuff that won't hurt me there." Hulk growled lowly at the indirect verbal blow.
"I'm confused. What's down there that could cause eruptions?" Patronus asked as he was off-guarded by the rather seriousness displayed by the Hulks except A-Bomb.
Red answered for the duo, "The South Pole is also home to… the Savage Land," He ended with a knowing smile.
"We better check it out before the planet turn itself inside-out," Hulk stated determinately before all left for the Jump Jet sans one.
Patronus slowly walked after them, still confused about the importance of the South Pole. "Seriously, guys, what's down there in this Savage Land?"
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Somewhere Above Antarctica
South Pole
"Guys, stop teasing and tell me already!" Patronus whined like a child, much to everyone's chagrin.
Jen glanced at the shaded Hulk with a glare, "Red, tell him already."
"Fine…" Red muttered lowly as his fun was over. "You listen too, Kid, 'cause I'm only going to say this once. Savage Land is an isolated tropical region hidden deep within Antarctica."
Hulk put in his two cents about the secret land, "And full of dinosaurs."
Both Patronus and A-Bomb's eyes dilated greatly when they heard the name of supposedly extinct creatures and smiled like children with huge teeth, "Dinosaurs!? Real dinosaurs?!" They screamed in delight while shaking each other in glee. "I love dinosaurs." A-Bomb said to the excited Patronus, "Scales, fangs, claws! They're my peeps." He retreated to his thoughts where imagery of himself imitating a dinosaur.
"You have an inside track with them already," Patronus said gleefully. The reason for his excitement was mainly because of fossils in Boston's Natural History Museum, particularly one dinosaur that caught his attention. "I wonder if that species is there."
"Which one?"
"I'll keep that to myself, thank you very much."
The Jump Jet breached through the clouds and the occupants found themselves flying over a tropical land rather than the blanket of snow anymore. They had reached the Savage Land and they were not alone. A-Bomb noticed out the window was a flying dinosaur with a great wingspan and a triangular-like face with a beak. "*Gasp* A flying dinosaur," The excited agent said as Patronus looked out his window and found another one of the same species as well, though there was one characteristic that bothered him.
"Um, are those lasers attached to them?" Naruto asked rhetorically before the aircraft was hit from behind by the creatures known as Pterodactyls. "Yep, definitely lasers!"
Red responded sternly, "Why do you think they call it the Savage Land, kid?" Naruto didn't answer as he prepared himself for battle.
"I can't shake them!" Jen told her co-pilot and cousin.
Hulk answered back, "Don't worry. We're packing too."
"Then let them have it already!" Jen retorted as Hulk activate the defense system via torrents in the aircraft's wings. She barrel-rolled and dived while her cousin pressed down the mechanism as lasers were fired upon the airborne dinosaurs. Naruto held on tight like the rest of the Hulks who are not fighting now as the pterodactyls were stunned by the lasers and fell out of the sky.
Jen, after another barrel-roll, noticed a humanoid and pterodactyl hybrid riding a particular large dinosaur staring at them. "And who is that?" Hulk saw the being too and sighed at this new development before explaining to everyone onboard.
"Sauron: half-man, half-dinosaur. He has some kind of mind control power and drain your energy by touch. *Sigh* He probably wants to blow the Earth."
Patronus turned his head away from the window to Hulk, "So, this would be the dinosaur making a comeback at the expense of humankind… Great."
"Come my brothers. Let us show why dinosaurs are meant to rule the Earth," Sauron declared as his brethren screeched in forced agreement.
His words were heard through the Jump Jet's external cameras as his visage was seen by the occupants inside. "Yep, what'd I tell you." Hulk stated rather than asking as he already knew of the hybrid's intentions due to previous battles between them. "Bet they want to eat us too."
"Well, they can choke on this," Red stated confidently as he pulled out one of his blasters. "Come on, A-Bomb. Someone's got to teach you how to take care of yourself, so Big Brother here won't have to keep wiping your nose."
A-Bomb liked the idea very much and left with him. "About time."
"Let him be, Hulk," Patronus said to the green leader, "He'll realize his mistake sooner or later." His words were loud enough for the departing members to hear, but A-Bomb scoffed at him.
"I thought you were on my side."
"Whoever said that? I know I didn't. Go on, take Red's lead, be your own man," Patronus answered as he put his feet up on the back of Hulk's seat. "I'll be here discussing with the Big Green about your training menu."
Before A-Bomb could make a retort about the menu, Red pushed him down the aircraft while Jen talked to her cousin. "You keep those things off my back and I'll land us in one piece." Hulk conceded to the plan and walked to the end of the Jet with Patronus following him as a pterodactyl slammed against the windshield and slid down slowly. "I hope this thing has wipers."
"Merry Christmas." Red stated, handing a particular rifle to A-Bomb. "Time you learned how to handle a flying lizard."
An unsure A-Bomb accepted the weapon and asked, "The Gamma Taser? Are-Are you sure?"
"Let's make them extinct again!" Red declared excitedly as he climbed outside and stationed himself atop the Jet with Skaar and A-Bomb as he fired his dual cannons at any pterodactyl he could find. "Don't be shy, kid. It's not about quality shots. It's just the quantity."
"I can't believe I'm zapping dinosaurs!" A-Bomb exclaimed with glee as he fired the Gamma Taser. "Yeah, come get some!" Most of his shots missed the airborne dinosaurs, but one was lucky to hit Sauron from afar.
Sauron held his chest where the shot hit him moments ago. "Give me your strength, brother!" He gripped his steed's head as a light green aura engulfed them, indicating his absorbing the dinosaur's energy and his eyes glowed the same color like the aura. The weakened pterodactyl fell while Sauron flew with no sign of previous damage as his talons gripped the tech-saddle armed with lasers.
Meanwhile on the Jump Jet, Hulk climbed up the hatch, only to duck when A-Bomb fired the Gamma Taser a little too close. "Hey, watch it!" Hulk scolded the nervous A-Bomb.
"Sorry, my bad," A-Bomb apologized before the Taser was taken by Hulk.
"Red, you know Rick hasn't been trained to use this weapon!"
Red retorted just as hotly, "It's 'on the job' training! He's never going to learn from you, Nurse Nancy!" As Patronus climbed out of the hatch as well, Sauron took advantage of the argument and fired the saddle's lasers at one of the Jet's wings, causing sudden turbulence and A-Bomb falling off into the jungle below.
"Rick!" Hulk cried out before he held on to the Jet tightly and glared at Red. "This is all your fault!"
"My fault?!" Red asked indignantly. "He's the one who fell off!"
Patronus slapped the two's head in rapid succession. "How about we stop arguing and start holding on to dear life?!" He shouted despite his comfort of his chakra-channeled feet safely attaching him to the Jet. Hulk took this time to put on his Gamm Blasters from a compartment nearby the base of the Jet.
"It's about time you put on your blasters," Red commented sarcastically before a pterodactyl blasted the Jet once more through another run-by.
Jen, in the cockpit, struggled to keep the aircraft in balance. "What are those chuckleheads doing?" She asked in frustration.
A distracted Red fired at any passing pterodactyl with glee until he was blasted off the Jump Jet by Sauron and screamed in horror towards the dense jungle as the hybrid floated before Hulk and Patronus after he fired at the other rotor in the wings. "We survived extinction. You will not, beast and human. Man's time on this planet is at an end."
"Why do villains have to monologue? Is that a thing or do they have to do it?" Patronus wondered as he channeled wind chakra around his fist.
Hulk grunted at Sauron's declaration. "Not on my watch, Needlenose." He thrusted his fist forward, only for the Gamm Blast to short-circuit moments later. "Huh?"
"Technical difficulties?" Patronus asked before Hulk tossed the malfunctioned weapon at Sauron who was hit squarely in the face. "That works too." He ceased the chakra flow when Sauron and his brethren left them alone. "I'm guessing they're retreating for now." He, Hulk, and Skarr returned inside the cockpit.
"Jen, we lost Rick. Have you seen Red?" Hulk asked as Jen turned around.
"Can we discuss this later? Like after the crash?" The Jump Jet broke through the weaker trees and branches until it completely crashed against a strong bark as Jen faced her passengers. "And we're here."
Patronus raised his hand like a school kid. "Where exactly 'here' are we?"
That was a good question for everyone not lost in the region known as the Savage Land.
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Somewhere in Savage Land
Northwestern Region
After the chaos set by Sauron and his pterodactyls, A-Bomb managed to regroup with Red sometime later since their locations were not too far from each other. "Red, so…uh, how are we going to find the others?" The blue-skinned Hulk asked the oldest agent.
"Rendezvous at the objective," Red answered casually with a twig in his mouth like a farmer.
"Where's that?"
Red raised his right arm and pointed his finger at the direction of an active volcano. "Over there, Einstein."
"Oh, of course. A giant super volcano…" A-Bomb muttered before a horde of small dinosaurs walked over the hedge, staring at them. "Do you think we should go around?"
"Lesson 1: face front, always meet danger head-on," Red instructed before firing a blaster at the dinosaurs, scaring them away. "Stick with me, kid, and you'll be giving old Greenie lessons."
"You know Red isn't such a big jerk after all," A-Bomb thought to himself with a hidden smirk. Then Patronus's words reverberated in his mind. "Hey Red? What's the deal with Patronus?"
"How do you mean?"
"The way he spoke to me on the Jump Jet… he didn't sound condescending or judgmental. It felt he was trying to advise me about something."
"I got that impression from the moment we met him. He doesn't have the vibe of a normal do-gooder. That kid… he gives the presence of a warrior. I speak from experience as a soldier."
A-Bomb hummed in thought before the duo put the topic aside and began their trek to the active volcano, hoping to meet the others there or on the way.
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Southern Region
"That's, what, third Jump Jet we crashed this month?" Hulk asked his cousin as they inspected the downed aircraft.
"Good news is I think I can get it flying again," Jen answered while brushing aside a lock of her hair from her eyes. "Just need to realign the turbine thrust vectors. Give me an hour."
Hulk disagreed with her plan. "No, if we go airborne, Sauron will know we're coming. First order of business: A-Bomb and Red."
"Overprotective much?" Jen teased her cousin as Patronus joined the duo with his smile hidden under his hood. "They can care of themselves, even Rick."
"What are you talking about? I'm not overprotective," Hulk answered back.
"Not overprotective?" Jen asked teasingly. "Ha! You wouldn't even let me fight Back-Trog the Leaper when I first became a Hulk. I'm just saying I know what he's going through."
"…"
Patronus put in his two cents. "I get you want to protect your family and friends from danger. I really do, Big Green, but ultimately, we have to let them experience the world as it is. Let them grow to be their own person." He understood Hulk's intention perfectly as he was the same with his children when they were born and currently at the Homestead. Naruto didn't want his kids to go out of the Homestead grounds, but his wives, Kurama, and Ashura convinced that they needed to be out in the world. Still, that doesn't mean he can't watch over them from afar as they grow up in their childhood.
"… That's not the point, Patronus, Jen." Hulk said, clarifying his reason to him. "A-Bomb became a Hulk because of me. I don't want him to make the same mistakes I did." He finished before punching aside an anaconda that tried to pounce on him.
Jen understood and answered, "He won't. He'll make his own mistakes. That's how you learn."
"Ditto, sister," Patronus agreed as he and She-Hulk high-fived each other. "That's how I learned albeit sometimes painfully." He subconsciously rubbed his shoulders when memories of training with the Sage of the Six Paths resurfaced. "Very painful in fact."
Hulk grunted lowly as he conceded to their words since mistakes happen to everyone, but it is ultimately up to the individual who choose to learn from the experience. Their discussion ended when the ground shook like an earthquake as a horde of Brachiosaurus, large dinosaurs with a long serpentine-like neck and thick four limbs, stampeded past them.
"What scared them?" Jen asked aloud.
Patronus answered her question while looking at the assumed cause. "I'm going to go with that." The Hulks turned to the direction of Naruto's pointed finger and saw the active volcano.
"That must be the source of our problem," Hulk realized, "Jen, Skarr, go scout out that volcano and find out what Sauron's up to." He looked at Patronus. "You and I are going to find the others. There's no telling what kind of trouble Red will lead them to."
"And he says he's not overprotective," Patronus mused with a small shake of his head as he followed Hulk while Jen and Skarr headed for the volcano.
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(Sometime Later)
Volcano Region
Jen and Skarr had finally reached the summit as they found something weird inside the volcano. Situated on the dry, hard land next to the lava was a contraption of sorts being built humanoid lizards.
"What lizard people doing?" Skarr asked his comrade.
"Nothing good, that's for sure," She-Hulk responded as she readjusted her Gamma Gauntlets. "They actually built a Doomsday machine. Hello, Doomsday machine. Since when did dinosaurs get so smart? *Sigh* Well, might as well save the world." She shared a glance with her teammate. "Skarr, slash drill. Got it?"
Skaar unsheathed his barbarian sword and leaped at the drill. "Skarr slash!"
"And we're off," She-Hulk commented before following Skaar's lead and landed on the ground below. She and Skaar ran towards the approaching hordes of Ankylosaurs, which were working the drill. The Ankylosaurs were huge dinosaurs with spikes around their harden-shelled backs and club-like tails that even T-Rexes feared that made them thought twice to approach the herbivores.
She-Hulk channeled gamma energy through her gauntlets and formed dual circles before they expanded and imploded onto the approaching dinosaurs, casting them out of the area by the force of the explosion. Hearing noises from above, she sighed at the diving pterodactyls since it was revealing to be a long day for them.
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Northwestern Region
"Aweessooommmee~" A-Bomb stared in wonder at the sight that stands before him and Red: a huge light green Tyrannosaurus Rex equipped with lasers. This dinosaur was also different from Devil, their own T-Rex, it appeared older and had three distinct claw marks on the right side of its neck. The King of Dinosaurs bellowed tremendously at the two Hulks with its jaws drooling saliva from the two sets of teeth as it waited for them to make a move.
Red was not one to let an opportunity go as he pointed his weapons at the dinosaur. "Lesson #2: smash first, ask questions later." The T-Rex roared once more at his challenge, but the red-skinned Hulk noticed something attached to his back. "Well, I'll be a monkey's red butt."
It was Sauron as his eyes glowed bright green. "Obey me, you beast," Sauron commanded before the T-Rex's eyes glowed the same color, indication its mind taken over. "Destroy them!"
The T-Rex roared in affirmation before charging at the distressed Hulks as Red fired his weapons rapidly in an attempt to slow it down. "Come on then!" He met the T-Rex halfway, but the beast suddenly turned its body around, swinging its tail at him. Red flew across the jungle and became entangled in vines like a puppet.
A-Bomb faced the creature head-on and punched it aside as the force brought the knees down, but the T-Rex quickly recovered and kicked him to the side. The dinosaur's jaws reached for him and clamped down, but A-Bomb stopped it from eating his person with some struggle since he was not as strong as Hulk or Jen.
The older and bigger T-Rex roared as it gained momentum and pushed A-Bomb back with its jaws just waiting to sink the teeth into its latest prey. A-Bomb growled at the challenge and sunk his feet into the ground when he put more strength, entering a stalemate of power between the two beings.
Sauron would've enjoyed the scene had it not been the sound of the alarm blaring across the land. "My drill… in danger. Finish them!" The hybrid took flight and headed towards the volcano, leaving behind the two creatures.
The T-Rex stomped the ground with enough force to throw off A-Bomb's balance and bit the blue-skinned gamma mutant within his mouth. Although, his teeth couldn't penetrate A-Bomb's armor or bruise him, they kept him in check as the dinosaur shook his head side-to-side before throwing its meal up in the air and swallowing whole.
And Patronus and Hulk got first-row seating of the action as the T-Rex licked the side of its jaws with sights on them.
"Talk about eating without breathing," Patronus muttered with an audible gulp. Still, that didn't suppress his excitement at seeing an actual dinosaur, but not just any dinosaur. "I also can't believe I'm seeing a live T-Rex. This is amazing except for the A-Bomb being eaten part."
"This isn't just a T-Rex, Patronus."
"What do you mean? It looks like a T-Rex from the museum except… this one is a lot bigger."
Hulk growled as he assumed a fighting stance as did Patronus while circling around the wary T-Rex. "Exactly. Somehow, Sauron managed to get his hands on one of the most dangerous creatures in the Savage Land."
"And that would be…"
"This is the Alpha Rex and it certainly won't go down without a fight," Hulk cited seriously. "Rick, just hang on! We'll get you out of there."
A muffled Red responded through the vines, "Fat chance." The Alpha Rex charged at Hulk and Patronus—who entered Sage Mode just now—before Red broke free of his restraints, leapt at the dinosaur, and punched it away to the ground. "That's how you do it!" He shouted egotistical.
"I leave you alone for two seconds and you get Rick swallowed up by a dinosaur?!" Hulk chastised his agent.
Red wasn't bothered by his words and pulled out his weapons once more. "Then let's perform an A-Bombectomy," he retorted before the Alpha Rex swung its mighty tail and slammed Red into the ground once more.
"Okay then, Plan B?" Patronus asked his friend.
"Plan B."
Both heroes jumped on the Alpha Rex's neck and ran to its head as they held on tightly when the dinosaur thrashed around like a mad bull. Naruto covered its right eye while Hulk did the same with the other, forcing the Rex to thrash more violently as the trees were knocked down by its tail and the ground were imprinted with its massive foot indentations.
"I don't know if this is bad or cool!" Naruto shouted, voicing his thoughts. Hulk was about to punch the Rex into submission when said creature slammed him against a boulder, leaving Patronus alone. "Talk about bull-riding!" He shouted as the Alpha surprisingly jumped to incredible heights, though not as high as himself or Hulk. "Got to cover both eyes… Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."
A clone formed next to him and reached the other eye before covering it as the original Naruto began the next phase of Hulk's plan.
"Easy, big guy. Easy, calm down." Naruto soothed loudly as the Rex continued to thrash around until slowly ceased to a standstill. He and his clone removed their hands from the eyes when the glow flickered briefly before it disappeared, indicating the Rex's freedom. Dispersing the clone, Naruto petted the Alpha to let it know that he had no intentions of harm as Hulk and Red walked in front of the beast. "Take a look, guys; I tamed an Alpha Rex!"
The dinosaur suddenly looked sick before it opened its jaws at the surprised Hulk and Red…
*BBLLLLEEEEGGGRRRRRHHHHH*
"Oh, that's just not right," Patronus commented before taking out his Smartphone and took pictures of the drooled Hulk, Red, and an upchucked A-Bomb. "But this will be rich on the Internet. That's a good dinosaur."
The disgusted and upset A-Bomb grumbled as he stood up. "Lesson #3: No more lessons from Red."
"Hey!"
"See there, Big Greenie? Told you he would realize it," Patronus said confidently as he situated himself on the saddle. "Huh, wonder where they get the tech for this? Quite comfy but a little big for me." He then yelped when the Rex suddenly lurched forward, throwing Patronus off his back and onto the ground. As he recuperated, the ninja found himself staring at the teeth-equipped jaws of the Alpha. "Uh, hey?"
The Alpha Rex sniffed the hooded hero deeply as it contemplated his unusual scent from the Hulks and the creatures of Savage Land. One thing was for sure, that this being was clearly powerful and it would not accept anything less. Naruto groaned when the Rex licked his head before he stood up and petted the creature.
"I guess he's free from Sauron's control." A-Bomb assumed while shaking off the drool.
Hulk nodded. "Yeah, he's our friend now though I'm surprised an Alpha Rex would accept someone like Patronus here. Guess he sees something that we don't yet."
"Reminds of Devil back home," A-Bomb mentioned casually, catching Patronus's attention.
"Who's Devil?"
Hulk answered him this time, "Our own T-Rex back at the Gamma Base."
"You have a pet T-Rex?!" An indignant Patronus cried in surprise before realization set in quickly and calmed him down. "You know what? That actually makes sense. How come I haven't met him?"
"He went out for a walk today before you came," Hulk answered off-handedly. "Come on, we need to focus on the objective here. Going to give him a name, Patronus?"
Naruto shrugged his shoulders before the active volcano shook violently, indicating its approaching climax. "We'll worry about that later."
"Right, enough playing around. We need to move!" Hulk commanded before the group left the volcano with Patronus riding the Alpha Rex.
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Volcano Region
It was a good day for Skarr as multitudes of pterodactyls flew over him, blasting the wooden support beams and forcing the barbarian Hulk to jump to the next level. He dodged a sword strike from a lizard-man and kicked him off the wooden platform before noticing a panel of sorts nearby.
"Which is off switch?" Skarr wondered to himself before he felt the floor shake from behind him.
"Obey me, savage." Sauron demanded with his glowing eyes. Skarr's own flickered momentarily before they assumed the same color.
She-Hulk landed nearby Skarr after seeing lack of motion from him. "Skaar, you okay?" She asked, only to be back-handed by the controlled Skaar.
This didn't last long as Sauron touched both Hulks and drained their strength, indicated by the glowing gamma energy being absorbed into his body as they screamed in agony. The hybrid growled as his body grew in size, becoming more muscular like a Hulk, and the wings resembled a flared-out cape.
"Man's time is almost at hand! The dinosaur-"
"—Are history! And so are you," Hulk sternly declared after landing before Sauron with Red, A-Bomb, and the Alpha Rex sans Patronus. Sauron flew to the skies before he was tackled by the hooded hero and punched repeatedly in the head. "Patronus and I will take Sauron, you guys get the drill."
Red still didn't like being given orders by Hulk. "Oh no, I'll take the drill, you take Sauron," He said before leaving to do the job at hand, leaving behind a somewhat irritated Hulk behind.
"I'm on it, Green," A-Bomb said confidently as he rolled up into his ball form and left to help his fellow agents.
The Alpha Rex had chosen its next meal and ate some nearby lizardmen before heavy footsteps equal to its own drew attention to the side as well as Hulk. The Strongest There Is noticed the creature was similar to the Alpha Rex in size except it had dark grey scaled-skin, a huge dorsal sail on the back, an elongated snout, with equally large arms and claws to give a quadrupedal stance as it approached the Alpha Rex, snarling at its apparent rival.
"Oh, an Alpha Spinosaurus… hopefully the Alpha can beat it."
The Alpha Rex bellowed in retaliation, sparking another response by the Spinosaurus before the Rex clamped down on the neck and pushed it to the ground. The sailed beast quickly recovered and roared in pain, but persevered as it managed to break free from the Rex's jaws until the latter tackled it away from the drilling site.
Hulk would've watched more if it wasn't for Sauron and Patronus crashing into him as their scuffle moved to another site of the volcano. Recovering quickly, Patronus and Hulk punched Sauron away before they charged at the hybrid who countered with a glowing fist that detonated upon impact.
Naruto shook his head as Hulk stood up while Sauron readied for another bout when the volcano quaked even more violent than before as molten lava.
"The final plate is about to fracture," Sauron exclaimed, pleased with his plan so far. "The end of your world is at hand!" The hybrid cackled before expelling a fire stream at the heroes who dodged to separate sides, but he was quick and flew to the distracted Hulk as his hand touched the gamma-powered agent's chest. "Such power. I have never felt its equal…"
"Hulk!" Patronus cried out in worry as he watched the light spectacle while Hulk struggled to fight back against Sauron's power-drain.
The thoughts of the world ending by Sauron's hands did nothing, but fuel Hulk's rage as he broke free from Sauron's grip and stomped the ground. Spikes and upturned chunks raced towards Sauron, which flicked him towards Patronus as the latter clotheslined the hybrid hard into a crater.
Meanwhile, A-Bomb helped the weakened Skarr and Jen to their feet. "Red, you going to stop this thing or what?" Rick asked before punching a lizardman away.
"Working on it!" Red responded as he pondered with his hand against his chin. There were three levers that operated the machine in the console, but if he chose the wrong one, the drill would destroy the plate faster than its current pace. "Let's see… if I was a reverse lever, which one would I be? Eeny, meeny, miny, moe!" Red pulled the level he chose and, as luck would have it, the drill reversed its polarity and increased its speed. "Oh, I'm good."
"Stop them!"
A second later, Red screamed in pain after being blasted by green lasers, courtesy of the lizardmen as he fell near the drill bit. And A-Bomb saw this as he fell to his location and shook him, trying to wake the unconscious Hulk up. "Come on, Red, get up!" He pleaded before noticing the drill bit ahead. "Hang on there, buddy. It's time to put my armor to the test!" A-Bomb assumed his ball form and rolled against the machine as he struggled to halt it, but eventually did moments later.
"My drill!" Sauron cried out in exasperation after seeing his machine exploding.
Patronus took advantage of his distracted fore and tripped him by sweeping the legs. Sauron halted himself by flapping his wings and breathed a fire stream at the hooded ninja who was seemingly engulfed moments later. When the smoke cleared and revealed a hole in the ground, Sauron looked for him except Naruto emerged from behind and thrust his fist as a massive gust of wind pummeled him away. "Eaken!"
Sauron groaned upon crashing against a boulder, but quickly recovered as he lifted said object and chucked it at the approaching Patronus. The ninja slid on his knees and leaned backwards as the thrown boulder flew over him before Shunshining behind the hybrid dinosaur. However, he was ready for the action and quickly grabbed his head inside the hood before beginning to drain his power.
"Aaahhh!" Patronus grunted as he tried to break free from Sauron's grip.
"Power! Such incredible power inside of a human!? You and the Hulk are the only creatures of mankind I respect for giving me the objects to… Wait? What's happening?!"
And he was not the only one bewildered as Hulk watched the spectacle in front of him. Sauron's glowing hands are being shut by an increasing gray rash from Patronu's hood. "He's turning to stone?" Hulk wondered in shock as Patronus managed to free himself by breaking off the hybrid's arms.
"Thing about Sage Mode is its massive drawback of proper control," Naruto commented as he flicked his finger at Sauron's forehead and sent him into the lava pit. "For those who don't know how to control nature energy."
"How did you—Never mind that," Hulk said since it was pointless to ask Patronus about his abilities. He's just glad that the Bostonian hero is on their side and a friend.
Both heroes watched the lava until Sauron emerged from the molten environment and floated in the air, though he reverted back to his normal form thereby weakened. "My power... burned away."
"You're done," Hulk said as it was a real fact. "Well done."
Patronus chuckled at the pun. "Good one, Big Green."
Sauron growled at his predicament and felt his power waned when his eyes ceased glowing. A symphony of angry chirps and deep growls reached his enhanced hearing, forcing him to look at the west and seeing a horde of approaching pterodactyls. "My brothers! I've lost control of them! They've come for me!" With several flaps of his wings, Sauron fled the area while surrounding by his angry brethren. "You'll pay for this, Hulk and Hooded Man!"
"That's Patronus to you!" Naruto corrected with a shaky fist aimed at the sky.
Hulk 'hmphed' at the fleeing villain, "That's one pterodactyl turning chicken."
The moment of relief was destroyed by the drill machine that reached critical level as the lava began to overflow and destroy it at the same time. The heroes watched the object of their mission burn before it sank into the hole made by its progress with no sign of two Hulks.
"Rick? Rick!" Hulk called out in concern.
The ground behind the heroes cracked open as a solemn Red emerged from the dirt. "He… didn't make it," He said lowly.
"No."
"Nah! I'm just messing with ya!" A-Bomb said as he emerged from the ground as well, only to be dragged into a head hold and a victim.
Hulk chuckled as he noogied A-Bomb's head, "I figured, you little punk." He ceased the noogie and had his arm around the younger agent's shoulder. "Now, let's get out of here."
Another crash drew their attention as the battle between the dinosaurs continued with the Alpha Rex as the dominating force. The scarred dinosaur had its jaws attached tightly on the bleeding Spinosaurus and drove it against a wall before dragging his enemy through the field. The Alpha Spinosaurus broke free, but the Rex pressed its body to tackle the enemy through a boulder near the lava. The dorsal-sailed dinosaur snapped its jaws at the small arms of its hated enemy, but the Rex swung its tail across the snout.
Seeing it stunned, the Alpha Rex sank its jaws into the Alpha Spinosaurus and pushed it towards the lava before it disengaged briefly to tackle the weakened dinosaur with its head. The opposing animal snarled in pain while rising to its feet as its eyes stared into the Rex's own before the Spinosaurus roared in defiance, prompting the King of the Dinosaurs to bellowed back.
Suddenly, the ground fissured underneath the Spinosaurus's feet before the cracks became prominent and separated from the main platform. The weight of the dinosaur rapidly grew too much for the separated plate as they cracked into smaller pieces until the feet met lava.
The heroes and Alpha Rex were met with the howls of the Spinosaurus as it thrashed around in the lava, sinking by the second until nothing remained of the creature. The dinosaur inhaled before bellowing in victory over its territorial enemy throughout the land known for savagery.
"Man, this is better than in the comics!" A-Bomb exclaimed before he commanded his cameras to take pictures of the dinosaur.
Patronus hummed in thought while the Alpha Rex changed its direction at him with neither of the Smashers thinking about what's going to happen.
TTIIPMxTTIIPMxTTIIPM
(Three Days Later)
Gamma Base, Vista Verde
New Mexico
"So, what do you think, Hulk?"
"A project, huh? What for exactly, Patronus?"
Naruto shrugged his shoulders as he pointed at the plans he and Medusa made according to the Clan's wishes. "Well, the ship's been around since the Colonial era, and I thought it deserves an upgrade. And why not go to the team I'm more familiar with?"
"You trust us enough with this. I'm touched," Hulk teased as he wiped away an imaginary tear from his tear.
Patronus scoffed at him jokingly. "Don't flatter yourself, Big Green. Do you think you and your team can do it?"
"I'm not a billionaire inventor, but we do all right. Consider it done," Hulk agreed as he shook hands with Patronus to affirm their decision. "Though I'm a little wary about this metal you wrote here."
"It's Adamantine, so it's no big deal."
"Where did you get that?"
"I have my ways albeit legal reasons," Patronus answered honestly. The metal was located in a mine on his land, so technically it belongs to him. "How long will it take you guys to finish the upgrades?"
"Honestly, I don't know, but if I had to guess, probably a month."
"Okay, then." Patronus answered calmly, but inwardly he cried as he and Kuroka would be deprived of their favorite hook-up spot. He was brought out of his thoughts when something had licked him from back to head. "Ah, Devil!"
The chuckling ninja turned around and met the happy face of the Hulks' pet dinosaur. It was a crimson red Tyrannosaurus Rex, though a lot smaller than the Alpha Rex at the Savage Land, with yellow eyes, a collar around its neck, and slicked horns on the back of his head and back hence his name.
"How are you doing there, big guy?" Naruto asked before being licked by the dinosaur again. "I'll take that as being 'good'. So, I'll bring the ship here tomorrow then."
"Not a problem. We'll be careful with the ship, though."
Patronus nodded as he playfully nudged Hulk's arm. "Thanks, man. Well, see you tomorrow."
"You don't want to stay for burgers?"
"As much as I want to, I have another job to do back home."
Hulk chuckled as he knew what that job entailed and waved the hooded hero 'bye' when the latter disappeared in a flash of yellow light akin to a lightning bolt. Devil, on the other hand, whimpered as he sniffed for Patronus's scent after seeing him mysteriously vanished before his very eyes. "Don't worry, boy. He's fine," Hulk soothed the dinosaur before walking with him. "Want some treat?"
Devil snarled happily as he chased after the laughing Hulk towards the kitchen.
TTIIPMxTTIIPMxTTIIPM
"May 10, 2006…
What comes across as overprotectiveness? What is it about our drive to protect those we care about? Is it inherent or taught? I come across as one who will stop at nothing to protect family, friends, the people from danger. There comes a time when we all need to learn the world on our own without coddling from our elders or superiors. The Master Assassins and Mentors before me certainly made mistakes, but they like me learned from them and became better beings as a result. That doesn't mean we stop learning though as every day is a new time for learning.
And what better place to learn than the Savage Land?
The Savage Land is an isolated region within the Antarctica filled with ancient creatures from millennia ago such as dinosaurs. I know, dinosaurs! I saw Pterodactyls, Triceratops, a Spinosaurus, and a Tyrannosaurus Rex at that land, which became something more to me. Luckily, I left a marker for easy travel before we left for home.
A-Bomb of the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. led by the Hulk made mistakes in our trip to the Savage Land. At first, Hulk thought A-Bomb wasn't ready for many things, but throughout our time in the land, he realized that the blue-skinned goofball needed to learn on his own. Getting swallowed up by an Alpha Rex seemed to do the trick since he didn't listen to Red no longer. Then again, Red got his ass kicked by the Rex.
Naruto continued writing about his and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.'s encounters with Sauron, his plan with the drill to his eventual loss, both literally and figuratively, the battle between the two Alphas, until the end of his current predicament.
Regarding the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Hulk had told me that the proper name was Tyrannosaurus dominum, but it became popularly known as T-Rex. The same T-Rex was an Alpha, which stood about 70 feet high and had green skin with three distinct claw marks on the right side of its neck. Its battle with the Spinosaurus left him weakened, but he healed just fine. Then came the hard part—
"Naruto!"
The ninja looked up from the Codex as he was situated atop the cliff where his eyes caught Rhea waving her arms, then pointing a direction. Naruto followed until he sighed after seeing what caused distress with his wife: Alpha Rex sleeping atop a bunch of wood and the new stable meant to house more cows and goats for the Homestead supply.
"Got it!"
Then he resumed writing to finish his entry.
It is not easy having a domesticated Alpha Rex at your house, but I'm positive it'll be worthwhile for my family and the Brotherhood. I learned there is more to this world than meets the eye and I'm constantly learning, which makes me a better fighter, Mentor, and father."
With a snap of his fingers, the Codex flew back into the study room at the manor before Naruto ran down the cliff to move the sleeping Alpha back to its territory where it won't frighten the Homesteaders until they were ready and he them.
— ตอนใหม่กำลังมาในเร็วๆ นี้ — เขียนรีวิว
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