Blogging from A to Z April Challenge Recap 2024

Another Blogging from A to Z April Challenge in the books! I thought about doing this little recap on May 2nd as scheduled but I wanted to rest a bit and do my usual Media Update instead. I am always a little tired at the end of these challenges but I have a lot of fun. And I really did have a lot of fun this year. I continue to write little stories that I enjoy writing. This is what I wrote:

• 1 – Azrael Rises – A Batman: Arkham Story
• 2 – Brewster Summer Vacation – A Fright Night Story
• 3 – Cassandra’s Vision – A Hades Story
• 4 – Data-Driven – A Star Trek: The Next Generation Story
• 5 – Earthbound Spirit – A Poltergeist Story
• 6 – Forensic Audit – A The West Wing Story
• 8 – GI Skipper – A Barbie Story
• 9 – Howdy! –  A Ballad of Buster Scruggs Story
• 10 – Investigation: Hawkins, Indiana – A Stranger Things/Resident Evil Story
• 11 – James Moriarty: Desperate Times – A Dracula/Sherlock Holmes Story
• 12 – KnightsWatch – A DC Elseworlds Story
• 13 – Lunch Meeting – A Matlock/Murder She Wrote Story
• 15 – McGraw in Hollywood – A Columbo/Murder She Wrote Crossover
• 16 – Neverland Adventure – A Disney Crossover Story
• 17 – Our New Venture – An Enola Holmes Story
• 18 – Prowler 2.0 – A Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Story
• 19 – A Quick Substitution – A Marvel Comics Story
• 20 – Rockin’ Roxy Rides Again – A The Winchesters Story
• 22 – SOLDIER – A Final Fantasy VII Story
• 23 – Torchwood Debriefing – A Doctor Who/MIB Crossover Story
• 24 – Under Siege – A Marvel Age of Apocalypse Story
• 25 – Viridian Dreams – A Wizard of Oz Story
• 26 – We Must Be Untethered – An Us Story
• 27 – Xena of the High Seas – A Xena: Warrior Princess Story – Iphigenia
• 29 – You Are Nuts, Lady – A Batman ‘89 Story
• 30 – Zilch Origins – A Psychonauts Story

As usual, I started planning for the challenge well before April. As I have had problems with the letters X and Z before, I decided to try and come up with those ideas first when I actually started actively planning. I say “actively” because I tend to have ideas pop into my head throughout the year and I write those down ASAP.

I was deadset on not doing another X-Teams story for X this year so I sat and thought about what properties could possibly fulfill that letter. I used to love watching Xena: The Warrior Princess so I read a little of her biography and found that Xena was a pirate during her villainous days. I did a little bit of Greek Mythology research and found the story of Iphigenia and the story formed itself at that point.

Z was actually fairly easy as I had replayed Psychonauts 2 recently and I had also watched a playthrough on YouTube. Dr. Loboto’s last line resonated more this time and I really like the story of a bully’s redemption. Bobby Zilch is a thorn in the player’s side during Psychonauts but disappears during the narrative of the two subsequent games. It made me curious and I read a lot of theories on who was Dr. Loboto’s kid.

I ended up writing three DC Comics stories and all of them based on characters in Batman. I have had a story based on the Batman Arkham series of video games on my list for quite some time. I ended up choosing Azrael because he is mysterious in the games. I also wanted to do an Elseworlds based on Batman comics but I ran into a dilemma. I originally thought about writing a story where Barbara Gordon gets her ability to walk restored. I read a lot online about different opinions from wheelchair-bound fans. I decided that it was not my place to fix her and instead was inspired to explore a world where Bruce never got his back fixed after KnightFall. Finally, I have been enjoying the graphic novel Batman ’89 which portrays stories following the storylines introduced in Tim Burton’s Batman movies. I decided to take a stab at that myself.

I try to balance out DC Comics stories with the equivalent amount of Marvel Comics stories. One idea easily came to me months ago when I played Spider-Man Miles Morales. I have been obsessed with the Age of Apocalypse timeline since I first spent my allowance on the graphic novels as they came out. As I have done before, I picked some characters unmentioned in previous AoA stories and went about it. And then there’s just something about She-Hulk that I love writing about her (and reading about her). Having her out on a girl’s night sounded fun.

Nobody asked for any Columbo, Matlock, or Murder She Wrote fanfiction let alone crossovers between the three but I have been watching those shows and I wanted to do it.

Finally, after watching the Barbie movie three times, I began to wonder what happened to the Skipper that escaped into the real world. Transforming her into a badass in another Hasbro property was fun.

So the planning has already begun for the next year. I have some ideas swirling already and I wonder what else I can do.

Zilch Origins – A Psychonauts Story

Bobby Zilch climbed out of his seat as soon as soon as the plane touched down. He had been called up as a Psychonauts Intern. Apparently, Raz and Lily had actually put in a good word for him as he had been on a waitlist to get called into headquarters. Maybe little Razputin was not such a bad guy. Bobby had gone through a lot in the past few months. He had been trying to better himself. Not surprisingly, getting kidnapped and having his brain removed had been a life-changing experience. Like many of his fellow campers, he had needed to take some time to recover both emotionally and mentally. His powers had not worked right away but they came back with time. He had spent a lot of time getting his head straight and shedding his bullying tendencies.

A lot of credit for all of this was due to Chloe Barge, Bobby’s girlfriend. Bobby had developed an intense crush on Chloe, allowing himself to be a little vulnerable around her. Chloe seemed uninterested, focused instead on investigating her alleged extraterrestrial origins. In the end, Chloe agreed to date Bobby if he stopped bullying the other kids. He had agreed immediately and left bullying behind him bit by bit. Stopping being a bully felt really good after a while and Bobby started to feel better about himself. He was ready to focus on being a Psychonaut.

Chloe climbed out of the pilot seat. She still wore a helmet which she did whenever she was in public. Bobby had been able to coax her to take the helmet off in private. It was not a bad idea to still wear it for missions.

“Here we are,” Chloe said. “Back at Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp. How does it feel?”

“I don’t know,” Bobby said. “A lot of different emotions. A lot of really scary things happened here but I wouldn’t have met you or figured out my powers without being here.”

“I’m still surprised that they only sent two interns on this mission,” Chloe said. 

“We know this place and it is probably not any more dangerous than it was normally,” Bobby said. “But I have a feeling that they’re not far away and that this is a test.”

Chloe nodded. “Everything is a test in the Psychonauts,” she said. “We should probably go over mission parameters really quick. Dr. Caligosto Loboto DDS has escaped captivity at Psychonauts headquarters an escape only witnessed by Razputin Aquato. Loboto was one of two villains responsible for the Thorney Towers incident. He was later used by Gristol Malik in an effort to destroy the Psychonauts.”

“Right,” Bobby said. “But we know from mission logs in the Rhombus of Ruin and Agent Nein’s interrogation notes that Loboto regrets his actions. He’s somewhat reformed. Maybe.”

“And there was that other thing that Razputin mentioned that Loboto said,” Chloe said. “That’s why we’re here. Loboto said that he was returning to camp because he left his child here.”

Bobby sighed. “I get it,” he said. “Loboto and I kind of look like each other. We have the same skin color, the same eyes, and the same body type. There’s a lot of similarities.”

“Do you think he could possibly be your father, though?” Chloe asked, trying to be tactful which Bobby knew was tough for her. “Is there a world where that’s true?”

“I don’t know,” Bobby said. “My mother went quiet when I tried to bring it up and I wasn’t about to ask my dad. I don’t think he’s my father.”

“But what if he is?” Chloe asked. “Can you still bring him in with me?”

“Honestly? If he’s my biological father then I want to capture him even more,” Bobby said. “But if he was my biological father then that means he still stole my brain and your brain. He also left me in the dark for thirteen years.”

Chloe nodded. “And that sucks,” she said. “I understand how that feels.” She momentarily looked up at the ceiling of the plane as if she was looking at the stars. “But Loboto is also insane. He barely knows what he is doing sometimes. Somebody drove an ice pick into his brain.”

“Yeah, it’s complicated,” Bobby said. “But we don’t get answers here on the plane. Let’s move out. We have a nutjob to find.”

You Are Nuts, Lady – A Batman ‘89 Story

Freshly minted doctor Harleen Quinzel made her way down the hallway of Arkham Asylum. She had heard a lot of bad things about the place but she was dead set on helping people. She wanted to put her degree to good use and help to heal the broken minds of the criminally insane. So far she was fitting in okay but she knew that everybody was watching her as the youngest and newest doctor. She had gone to great lengths to erase her lower-class accent and she had succeeded mostly. She was a professional and she was going to prove it.

Harleen stopped at the door of one of the therapy rooms and nodded at the two guards who nodded back before unlocking the door. Harleen took a deep breath and then pushed open the door with a gentle smile on her face. Inside the room, Alexis Kaye (Patient No. C-3457) was handcuffed to the table. She was slumped over the table with her head down and when Harleen sat down, she slowly raised her head to look at Harleen through the curtain of her hair. Harleen fought to keep her composure. She had seen scarier. Alexis had used some dirt to draw clown makeup on.

“Good morning, Alexis,” Harleen said. “How are we feeling today?”

Alexis grinned and made eye contact. A disturbing amount of eye contact. “Good morning, Harley,” she said. “I’m doing great.”

“Now, I’ve told you before that you must call me Doctor Quinzel,” Harleen said gently. “Let’s keep things professional.”

Alexis frowned briefly but then returned to her unhinged smile. “Sorry, Doctor Harley,” she said. “I’ll use your professional name if you use mine.”

“I’m not calling you Punchline, Alexis,” Harleen said, immediately kicking herself for even saying the name. “Your name is Alexis Kaye and I am Doctor Quinzel. That’s our relationship.”

“So serious,” Alexis said. “You should learn how to cut loose and have a little fun.”

“We’re not here to talk about me, Alexis,” Harleen said, brushing off the personal comment. “Is there anywhere you want to start today?”

“I’m an open book, doc,” Alexis said. “I just love to talk.”

“Fine,” Harleen said. “Why don’t we talk about the League of Smiles? Until recently you led the group. What is the League of Smiles?”

“Who says I’m not still leading it from the inside?” Alexis asked with a playful tilt of her head before moving on. “The League of Smiles are my friends. We’re all true followers of The Joker.”

“Alexis, Jack Napier also known as The Joker is dead,” Harleen said. “I know you all are looking for something to fill your lives with but The Joker is not coming back.”

Alexis shook her head. “He’s not dead,” she said. “If you look in the morgues for him, you won’t find him. If you dig him up, you won’t find him.”

“Alexis,” Harleen said, struggling for words. She had sympathy for this young woman but it could be frustrating. “He fell off of the Gotham Cathedral. Nobody could survive that fall.”

“It’s all a coverup,” Alexis said. “The guy they scraped off of the pavement wasn’t our Joker. That was just another loyal follower. They wanted the people of Gotham to stop being afraid so they made him go away. He’s still out there.”

“Then why hasn’t he shown himself?” Harleen asked. “He’s never shied away from the public before. He loves a camera.”

“He’s an artist,” Alexis said with an offended frown. “You expect him to perform on command? He’s working on his next masterpiece. Besides, who wants to share the spotlight with that Penguin creature.”

“Alexis, that does bring up an interesting point,” Harleen said. “The Penguin was found to be working with the Red Triangle Gang who were inspired by the circus.”

“I know where you’re going with this,” Alexis said. “They were phonies. They had clowns among them who did not follow the Joker. Traitors.”

“Did you do something to them?” Harleen asked.

“Oh, we murdered a lot of them,” Alexis said. “It was hilarious. Some of them were forgiven and allowed to join us. Those that saw the light.”

Harleen felt a shiver run down her spine and fought not to let it show. “You do know that this behavior is both illegal and wrong, right?” she asked. “You’re not going to prove anything to anybody. You’re going to rot away in captivity.”

“I won’t be in here that long,” Alexis said. “The Joker will come for me and mine. Maybe I’ll even introduce you. Would you like that?”

Harleen shook her head and could feel her heart racing. “I think we’ve reached the end of our time today,” she said. “Please clean your face.”

Harleen stood up and left the room, barely glancing at the guards. The thought of Alexis being right was terrifying. The Joker was a homicidal, psychopathic madman. Harleen shook it off. There was no way that Alexis was right. She was certifiable. Harleen would call up her mentor Dr. Meridian and see if she had any insight into the situation.

Xena of the High Seas – A Xena: Warrior Princess Story

[Quick note: This little story takes place before the events of the show when Xena was a pirate and still a villain]

Xena’s ship had been sailing the wide blue sea for days without seeing another soul. She and her crew were definitely getting restless, wanting some action and some blood. When they sighted a merchant vessel, they hurried to sail toward it. At the very least there would probably be good food aboard and a little bit of a fight to take it over. Xena sharpened her sword as she ordered her crew to get the ship to go faster. She glared across the waters, mentally preparing herself to take the ship. She was a fierce warrior and she knew that nobody could take her in a fair fight and this would not be a fair fight. These merchants had no idea what was coming.

The ship cut through the water and closed in. Her men lined the railing of Xena’s boat as they closed in and the merchant crew knew what the score was right away. Xena struck first. She had spotted an archer up in the crow’s nest and she tossed her chakram, downing the man with one shot. She grabbed a rope and swung over, drawing her sword with her distinctive war cry. Her strikes and moves would have been called beautiful if they did not shed so much blood. She was expertly attacking to injure, not to kill. She could not torture dead men for information later and she might sell a few into slavery. Her men followed her in an overwhelming force.

It was only a few moments until the guards and sailors started to throw down their swords. They sank to their knees in desperation which brought a fierce smile to Xena’s face. She sheathed her sword.

“Bring forward your goods for my inspection,” Xena called out. “And I’m warning you that you will die if you try to hide anything from me. I want to see your best.”

Some of the sailors started to look at each other but scrambled to fulfill her request when she touched the hilt of her sword. They went below decks to gather what they may.

“Let me talk to the captain if he or she still lives,” Xena called out.

A older man stepped forward, making sure not to provoke any punishment for himself or his crew.

“I am here,” the man said. “My name is Timolus and this is my ship.”

“You mean that this is my ship now,” Xena said, stepping forward to poke Timolus’ chest with her finger. “You have been boarded by Xena. You know what that means?” 

Timolus nodded, taking a deep yet shaky breath. “I’ve heard the stories,” he said. “We all have. We will not give you any more trouble. Please spare us.”

“I haven’t decided what I’ll do yet,” Xena said with a dangerous grin. “I could burn this boat. I could do a lot of things.” She paused. “Is there somebody important on this vessel?”

“Why do you ask?” Timolus asked cautiously.

“Remember when I warned you about hiding things from me?” Xena asked. “Answer the question.”

A young woman emerged from below decks, clad in fine silks. She was gorgeous and held herself with a noble bearing. Xena was immediately interested.

“It’s no use, Timolus,” the woman said. “She knows. I won’t try to hide and let you and yours be hurt by her or worse.”

“Hello, Beautiful,” Xena said with a smile. “So brave. What’s your name?”

“My name is Iphigenia,” the woman said. “I have heard of you. Have you heard of me?”

Xena laughed. “Yes, you’re a bonafide princess,” she said. “Your father will pay plenty to get you back. A ransom that will fill our coffers for a long time.”

Iphigenia scoffed. “I hate to disappoint you but my father wants nothing to do with me,” she said. “He has washed his hands of me. He tried to have me killed, sacrificed to Artemis but she changed her mind and saved me at the last moment. I paid for passage on this ship to leave a homeland I no longer wanted to live in.”

Xena frowned. “Very disappointing, princess,” she said. “I’ve been betrayed myself so your story has not fallen on deaf ears. I will decide what to do with you in time. I’m sure I can find some use for you yet. For the time being, you will sit beside me. Bring on the food and drink. My men deserve a feast.”

We Must Be Untethered – An Us Story

The Hands Across America Uprising as it had started to be called, had occurred and taken the United States of America by surprise. Many people had been killed by their doppelgangers but not everybody had died. Several had either escaped pursuit by their doppelgangers or had murdered them as they appeared. When the subterranean doppelgangers had joined together to mimic the Hands Across America fundraising event that occurred in 1986. While the doppelgangers had been distracted, they had been relatively easy to contain by what was left of the military joined with a quickly formed militia. For the moment, the doppelgangers seemed content to stand in the sunlight.

With the initial danger passed, the government started to take stock and see how bad the attack had been. The death toll was astronomical as many places were absolutely littered with dead bodies. The media investigated and this caused enough pressure for a full government investigation. The government was forced to reveal the obvious, the massive clone army had been caused by a government program. Unfortunately, most of the files regarding this program had been destroyed but excursions into the subterranean tunnels had recovered a few files. These files indicated the uncanny link between a person and their doppelganger or “tethered”. An investigation into who was responsible for this travesty began but few had hope that it would result in meaningful punishment.

With the revelation that these Tethered were actually victims of a sort, the idea of exterminating them became less and less popular despite their violent attack. They knew from anecdotal evidence that the Tethered could be killed without harming the human they were copying but ethical questions were raised once that killing would not be done in self-defense. The deceased Tethered were gathered in order to study them. Human survivors were interviewed. This was how Adelaide Wilson had been discovered.

First thought to be patient zero of the phenomenon, further questioning revealed that Adelaide had tried to cover up her true origins after killing her double. Addy was in fact a Tethered who had learned to speak and interact with society correctly. She had imprisoned her own human double in the tunnels. This led to the revelation that the original Adelaide had actually taught the previously aimless Tethered and turned them into a fighting force. This meant that the Tethered could be taught and could respond to normal human stimuli. 

If these clones could be ‘tethered’ to humans, perhaps they could be ‘untethered’ without either person getting killed. Scientists believed that the Tethered had a much better chance at becoming a more civilized society if they were separated from their counterparts. Such a procedure might also remove the uncanny sixth sense the Tethered had in finding their counterparts that they had been trained to kill. Violence did not need to be the answer. 

In the meantime, surviving humans had been encouraged to live in walled settlements in case the Tethered decided to attack again. So far they had turned docile but the Tethered could turn again at any moment. Scientists began to study the dead bodies of Tethered but these studies yielded few interesting results. Europe sent special military forces to help capture a few living Tethered to study. These volunteers would not have a Tethered and would be at less risk of provoking violence. At least, that was the theory. A lot of work went into selecting Tethered subjects that had living doubles for capture and study. The work was ongoing and those involved were confident that a solution could be found.

As for Adelaide Wilson, it was decided that she had been away from her fellow Tethered for too long to be of much help. She had been tried by a military court based on her kidnapping of a human citizen. The growing empathy for the Tethered made the military’s decision to acquit Adelaide easier. She was fitted with an ankle monitor and returned to her adopted family. 

The Wilsons are just one story in a sea of stories of that fateful night. Historians and reporters are working tirelessly to record as many stories as they can. Both the deaths and the survivals of humans and Tethered would not be in vain. The world could be fixed again. 

Viridian Dreams – A Wizard of Oz Story

Dorothy Gale had been caught in the tornado and she could have sworn she had flown through the air. Something had hit her head and when she had looked out of the window of their small farmhouse, she could have sworn she had seen terrible visions. She had then felt weightless as the house had started to fall. Dorothy grabbed her dog, Toto, and hugged him tight. Then there was a horrific crashing noise and everything went black. When she woke up, the house seemed to still be intact. Toto wiggled out of her arms and circled her as she stood up. She brushed herself off and headed toward the front door. 

When she opened the door, the light was blinding. The world out there was like nothing on Earth and, as she stumbled into the light, she saw a little village. Little was the operative word as all of the buildings were smaller than anything she had ever seen. As soon as she had that thought, a crowd of three-foot-tall people came streaming out of the buildings, surrounding her. She was startled but she stood her ground.

“You killed the witch!” One of the small people yelled out.

“Ding Dong the Wicked Witch is Dead!” Several people yelled out in response.

“Wait,” Dorothy asked. “What’s going on here? Who are you?”

One of the most authoritative-looking of the group stepped forward. “We’re the Munchkins,” he said. “This is Munchkinland.”

“Munchkinland,” Dorothy said with wonder. “Wait, you said that somebody died. Who’s dead?”

The Munchkins all pointed at two feet sticking out from under Dorothy’s house. Dorothy gasped and started shaking.

“I didn’t mean to!” Dorothy yelled out. “Oh God, I can’t believe I killed somebody. Wait, this was the tornado’s fault.”

“I don’t think the Wicked Witch will see it that way,” one of the Munchkins said. 

Dorothy looked back at the Munchkins. “Who?” she asked. 

Instead of answering, the Munchkins looked expectantly at the sky.

“What are you all looking at?” Dorothy asked.

“We’re waiting for Glinda, the Good Witch,” one of the Munchkins said. “We summoned her, she should be here soon.”

Dorothy looked up as well which is why she was so surprised by the explosion of fire and smoke a few feet away. She was briefly knocked off of her feet and the Munchkins scattered while screaming. Dorothy looked up at a green woman glaring down at her. She scrambled to her feet.

“Are you the one who killed my sister?” the woman asked. “I should pull you apart right now, girl.”

Dorothy struggled to speak but then she gathered her courage and stood up. “I didn’t kill anybody,” she said. “It was a freak accident.”

“You’re wearing my sister’s magic slippers,” the woman said. “That means you defeated her.”

Dorothy looked down and she was indeed wearing the slippers that she had seen on the feet sticking out from under her house. They shimmered and sparkled with something more than the strange material they were made from. They also fit perfectly which surprised and disturbed Dorothy greatly.

“Look, just give me the slippers and I’ll consider letting you live,” the woman said. She reached to pull the shoes off of Dorothy but some force stopped her hands inches away. She cried out in pain. “Curses! I must defeat you to win the slippers.”

Dorothy shook her head. “I don’t want to fight you,” she said. “More importantly, I don’t want to die. I never wanted these slippers and I don’t remember even putting them on.”

Dorothy bent down and unbuckled the slippers and took them off. She stood back up and held the shoes out to the green woman. 

“What?” the woman asked in surprise.

“Take them,” Dorothy said. “Please just take them.” She shook the slippers at the woman.

The woman reached out slowly and grabbed the slippers. When the woman first touched the slippers, Dorothy felt a surge of heat that hurt but also felt good. The green woman clutched the slippers and there was something in her eyes that told Dorothy that she had felt something similar. The woman disappeared again in a sudden burst of flames. Dorothy looked down at her hand and watched as it shimmered and turned green for a moment and then returned to normal.

“What’s going on?” Dorothy asked nervously.

“It looks like freely giving the slippers had some unforeseen side effects,” a voice said. “What happens next is uncharted.”

Dorothy turned around and saw a woman in a resplendent pink gown with vibrant red hair. She also had a horrific bruise on the right side of her face.

“Um, I’m Dorothy,” Dorothy said. “Who are you?”

“I’m Glinda,” the woman said. “The wicked witch you just met jumped me before I could arrive to help you out. We have a lot to figure out.

Under Siege in Kamar-Taj – A Marvel Age of Apocalypse Story

Dane Whitman was fleeing on horseback through the streets of Atlanta from pursuing Infinite soldiers. He had been able to avoid the mutant threat for a long time by laying low and keeping his head down as much as he could. He would use the magic of his sword to save a few people here and there but he would keep things low-key. Then the announcement had gone out about the European Council’s evacuation of humans from the eastern seaborn of the former United States of America. He knew that he could do more good by joining up with the other humans in Europe rather than in the chaos of America. He had tried to travel slowly and quietly but he had been found out. The Infinites had then given chase.

As he rode, he wished he still had his winged horse Aragorn. Having wings at his disposal would make short work of getting to an evacuation point. The Infinites started to fire on Dane and his horse and the countryside started to explode around him. He spurred the already tired horse into a faster gallop, knowing that his end had come. Even with his armor reinforced by Marc’s power, he knew that he was no match for such an overwhelming force. That was when a portal opened in front of him and the horse leaped through without a second thought. It was suddenly very quiet and the air felt thinner. He encouraged the horse to come to a stop as soon as he noticed that the gunfire had stopped.

A bald man was waiting nearby with a smile on his face.

“Who are you?” Dane asked. “Where are we?”

“My name is Wong,” the man said. “And I have brought you safely to Kamar-Taj, currently a refuge for magical beings away from the violence of the world. By order of the Sorcerer Supreme, I brought you here with a portal.”

“Why me?” Dane asked. “There are so many people to save out there.”

“We only have so much power and space here,” Wong said. “It forces us to be selective when choosing whom we save. You carry and wield a very powerful magical artifact and we have sensed that you have had your powers altered and amplified recently.”

Dane looked confused and nodded. “Yes,” he said. “I recently inherited the mantle of the Moon Knight and I combined it with my own mantle as the Black Knight. The Black Moon Knight. I’m still workshopping the name but I haven’t really socialized a lot lately.”

“You have suffered much,” Wong said as he nodded. “We wish we could have located you earlier.”

“How did you find me?” Dane asked.

“I located you,” a woman said. She was clad all in armor and had long blond braids. “I felt Marc Spector’s passing and discovered you while investigating. You may call me Valkyrie.”

Dane’s eyes went wide. “As in Norse mythology? That Valkyrie?” he asked.

“As you can see, I am very real so please refrain from calling me ‘mythology’,” Valkyrie said. “I am indeed a Valkyrie under the banner of Odin. I was cut off from the other nine realms when the rainbow bridge went down and I was stranded here on Earth.”

“How many magical beings are here?” Dane asked.

“There are very many magical beings here and also people who are not innately magical but wield magic such as yourself,” Wong said. “We have managed to save quite a few.”

“Then we should use the force that you’ve gathered to save even more people,” Dane said. “We shouldn’t be hiding on some mystery mountain.”

“What you propose is dangerous,” Wong said. “We could put magic in the hands of Apocalypse’s forces and he would use it to dominate the entire planet. Perhaps even farther.”

“But your plan is also something that I have also proposed,” Valkyrie said. “It seems I have a new ally to help rally the troops.”

“This will have to be an ongoing conversation,” Wong said. “No decisions are to be made lightly. I will lead you to meet some of the others including the Sorcerer Supreme himself. Doctor Druid will be very interested in you.”

“I’m also very interested,” Dane said. “Let’s get the meet and greet over with.”

Torchwood Debriefing – A Doctor Who/MIB Crossover Story

Agent M was there to meet Agent O at the airport. Of course, Agent O would never travel by any commercial airline as that would both draw attention and would take a long time. Instead, she flew at night in an experimental craft combining Earth and Byvoidian technology. She touched down with no human observers and M was waiting for her on the tarmac. Agent O looked graceful getting out of the small craft but she looked graceful doing anything. She was the head of the US office of the Men In Black and the woman that hired M. The two of them shook hands and then hugged gently.

“It’s good to see you again, Boss,” Agent M said. “How was your flight?”

“Exhilarating,” O said. “How are you doing here in London since the last time we met? How are you finding my home country?”

“I’m enjoying it,” M said. “Things have been going a lot smoother here after T was caught. I feel like this is a good fit for me and I’m adapting to the local culture.”

“Excellent,” O said. “I had a feeling that assigning you there was the right move. How is Agent H doing in charge so far? His probationary period is almost ended.”

“He’s doing great,” M said. “He’s just really busy cleaning up T’s messes all of the time. It will pass eventually, I hope.”

“That’s why I asked you to meet me here instead of him,” O said. “A problem has arisen at Canary Wharf that needs attention and he has very little attention to spare. I left Agent K in charge back in New York. Would you like to team up with me?”

“I would love to,” M said. “I’ll drive.”

The two of them drove from Heathrow Airport out to Canary Wharf elsewhere in London. With O’s guidance in navigation, the pair had shown up at a large white building with a large sign out front that said “Torchwood Institute”.  The building had seen better days. It had a few holes in it and there were scorch marks everywhere. The building bore signs that it was soon to be condemned and demolished. 

“What happened here?” M asked. “It looks like a war zone.”

“Some are calling it the Battle of Canary Wharf,” O said. “But you won’t see it on the news.”

“Neuralyzers and a clean-up crew, huh?” M asked. She knew all too well about that.

“Some of that was employed,” O said. “But we also had some local help from UNIT, a governmental group that acts discreetly against alien threats. This was a very nasty affair. Two techno-organic species went to war with humans caught in the middle.”

The two of them walked carefully through the front door of the building. Their heads were on a swivel just in case there was still a threat in the building.

“How did anybody survive?” M asked. “Normal humans caught in all of this?”

“They had abundant help from an alien that we have been tracking for some time without being able to meet him,” O said. “He is known only as The Doctor. I’ve heard that he has mastered time travel, something that I thought we had locked down after Agent J confiscated the Price devices.”

“He sounds pretty crazy,” M said. 

“So far he seems to be on the side of good,” O said. “I would like to think that we could catch him if he started to be a threat but I am not sure we can catch him. He does have some contacts in UNIT who assure us that he is on the level. On the other hand, this Torchwood is meddling in things they do not understand and have become dangerous. They were apparently set up by Queen Victoria but they have strayed from the path.”

“What do we need to do about it?” M asked. “Track them down? Convince them to stop?”

“By whatever means necessary,” O said. “And we have to contain their path of destruction to keep them from alerting the public to the existence of extraterrestrials.”

“Sounds like a normal day with the MIB,” M said. “Let’s get started.”

“Yes,” O said. “Let’s.”

SOLDIER – A Final Fantasy VII Story

[Open Shinra Proprietary Chat Function]

Heidegger: Subject under review is Cloud Strife. Report.

Lazard: Cloud Strife claims to be SOLDIER. There are no records of him in SOLDIER.

Hojo: Subject has been observed. Subject is Mako-infused like SOLDIER members but not through our process.

Lazard: Cloud Strife shows above-average fighting skills, reminiscent of Sephiroth.

Hojo: I would not go that far.

Heidegger: Recommendation?

Lazard: If he thinks he is SOLDIER and remembers being in SOLDIER then let him be SOLDIER. If he messes up, we shoot him in the back and bury him deep.

Heidegger: So be it.

[Close Shinra Proprietary Chat Function]

---

Cloud Strife’s helicopter touched down at the Junon Base flight deck and he jumped out almost as soon as the blades started to slow. He grabbed up his Buster Sword and headed for the locker room reserved for SOLDIER. He was not about to mingle with regular Shinra soldiers. He was better than that. He got into the elevator, sighed, and waited to arrive at his floor. He wanted to get some sleep before shipping out again. The bosses had been running him ragged lately and he had just gotten back from clearing out a nest of monsters single-handedly. He often worked alone.

As he entered the locker room, he started taking his armor off and locked his sword against the wall with a magnetic holder. He headed for the showers and climbed in, turning the water as hot as it could get. His cure materia and potions kept him healthy but nothing beat a shower. He let the water pour off him, flattening his hair that was naturally spiky. The water felt good spilling down his body and he could see the dirt circling the drain. He turned the shower off and grabbed a towel and started to dry off. He reached into his pack for a clean pair of pants and put them on. He went back into the main locker area and there was a woman standing there, stowing a staff in one of the lockers. She had mousy brown hair tied into a very careful single braid. She looked regulation military.

“Who are you?” Cloud asked. “I thought I was alone.”

“You were alone,” the woman said. “At least until I got here right after you did. The name’s Aerith Gainsborough.”

“Why are you here?” Cloud asked. “This locker room is only for SOLDIER. You should go to a lower level.”

Aerith smiled politely. “I am SOLDIER,” she said. “I was just promoted three days ago. I was just with the Turks before this. They said I showed promise. I’m a natural healer but I can fight too.”

“Those creeps?” Cloud asked. “They think wearing a suit is so cool. You’re better off in SOLDIER. Congratulations, I guess.”

“What’s your name?” Aerith said.

“You’re promoted three days and you think you can interrogate me?” Cloud asked. “I don’t think so.”

“I was just making small talk,” Aerith said. “I’m getting to know the players around here.”

Cloud side-eyed her for a moment. “The name’s Cloud Strife,” he said. “SOLDIER First Class.”

“First Class, Wow. Where are you from?” Aerith asked which was met by deafening silence from Cloud. “I’m from the Sector 5 Slums. I used to sell flowers. But the Turks found me and recruited me.”

“A flower girl, huh?” Cloud asked. “Very intimidating. If you must know, I grew up in Nibelheim. I trained hard and got into SOLDIER the normal way.”

“Which makes you better than me?” Aerith asked.

“That tone sounds close to insubordination,” Cloud said. “Which is fine by me, I like bending the rules.”

Aerith smiled. “Such a rebel,” she said. “I’m happy to know that considering that I’m supposed to be teaming up with you.”

“You’re what?” Cloud asked with surprise. “No way. I work alone.”

“You did work alone,” Aerith corrected him. “And now you’re working with me. We’re supposed to join up with a bunch of S-Class Infintry. We’re tracking down a terrorist group named AVALANCHE.”

“Sounds beneath me,” Cloud said. He pulled on a shirt and then ran a comb through his hair. Aerith was staring at him and it made him uncomfortable. Something about her made him want to open up. It was annoying.

Aerith shrugged. “Orders are orders,” she said. “So I’m with you.”

Cloud grunted. “Don’t slow me down,” he said.

Rockin’ Roxy Rides Again – A The Winchesters Story

Roxy set down the letter again and sighed. Her fingers trembled a little as she reached for a whiskey bottle that just was not there anymore. She had been sober for weeks, ever since the last time she had met with Lata and Carlos. That was when she had decided to turn her life back around and not drink herself into oblivion. If she had crawled into the bottle to die, the Akrida really would have won. Still, the whole ordeal had lost her everything except for her life, her car, and just a little bit of cash. She really missed her girlfriend but how do you explain alien possession to somebody who has lived a normal human existence? She also had no job and no apartment. She was sleeping in her car. That was why she had been confused about how the letter had reached her. It had just appeared on her dashboard one morning with no postmark.

The letter had been from Lata and it was not very long. It informed Roxy that, due to outside interference, the battle against the Akrida had been won. All of the Akrida were either destroyed or banished from the world. The first time Roxy had read the letter, she had been filled with conflicting emotions. She had felt joy, exhilaration, relief, and spite that the Akrida were gone. She also felt disappointment and a little bit of sadness that she had not had more of a hand in their defeat. She had wanted to hurt them as much as they had hurt her but that boat had sailed. Now she was left worrying about what her future held. She started the car down the road again.

A mile later, she saw a man in sunglasses was on the side of the road with a sign. Roxy was going to keep driving until she saw that the sign simply had her name on it. She quickly pulled to a stop on the side of the road and rolled down her window. The man slowly walked up.

“What’s your deal, man?” Roxy asked. “I’m up to here with weirdness already.”

“I’m an angel,” the man said. “We need to talk.”

“Nope,” Roxy said and stomped on the accelerator and swerved back onto the highway.

A mile later and the man suddenly appeared in her passenger seat.

“What the hell?” Roxy asked. 

“Not hell,” the man said. “I’m an angel, remember? My name is Anael.”

“Alright,” Roxy said. “And what do you want?” She kept driving, her eyes firmly on the road.

“Most would spend time bickering back and forth on whether or not I really was an angel,” Anael said. “You’ve just accepted it?”

“Well, Annie, I recently spent some time possessed by a creature from beyond,” Roxy said. “And I met somebody who can cast magic spells. It’s not much of a leap to accept angels too. You also just teleported into my car. What do you want?”

“Heaven is quite aware of your recent trials and tribulations,” Anael said. “I’m also aware of your present dilemma. I’m here to offer you a purpose.”

“A purpose?” Roxy asked dubiously. 

“We need you to travel this land and resolve threats beyond the understanding of normal human beings,” Anael said, looking out the passenger side window.

“Heavent’s assassin?” Roxy asked. “Is this like Carlos and that whole group?”

“It would not be dissimilar,” Anael said. “I believe you are suited for this mission.”

“I’m not a killer,” Roxy said. 

“We do not need a killer,” Anael said. “It doesn’t all have to be killing in order to save people.”

“I’ve never prayed to your boss before,” Roxy said. “Why me and not somebody a little holier?”

“Don’t tell too many people but you don’t have to be godly to be good,” Anael said with a smile. “If you choose to accept, you won’t be alone.”

“Who is going with me?” Roxy asked.

“You’re accepting?” Anael asked, a little surprised.

“I don’t really have a lot of options right now,” Roxy said. “So I could give this a shot. Who do I work with?”

“Pull over into this parking lot,” Anael said and pointed. “That van, do you see it?”

Roxy nodded and pulled up next to the van. She and Anael got out of the car and walked up to the sliding door of the van. Anael knocked and then opened the door. Inside was lined completely with books. A young woman in glasses sat cross-legged in the middle of the van reading. She was sitting on a large sigil of some sort.

“Hello,” the young woman said. “I am The Librarian, how can I help you?”

“Hey, my name is Roxy,” she said. “You don’t have a name?”

“I don’t,” The Librarian said simply.

“The Librarian is a tulpa, an idea given form,” Anael said. “She has a vast knowledge base and can help guide you on your journal. She is just the first of your companions.”

“I’m going to call you Janis,” Roxy said with a smile.

“Okay,” The Librarian said.