POV Mera
BOOM
I blast the enemy back as I carefully watch the creature. I didn't know what this thing was, but it had already killed one of my guards, and the other had managed to escape.
Ting
I block a counterattack from the thing's tentacles while swiftly slicing through them. Whatever this creature was, it was incredibly hard to kill, and I was starting to grow worried I might not be able to beat it.
'He should have made it far enough away; I can retreat now.'
I slam the trident into the ground, causing a massive whirlpool to form. The creature attempts to resist, but the waves take it away while I also flee the area. I would head to the rendezvous point later once I was certain that the creature wasn't following me.
'What was that thing?'
It was the strongest thing I had ever seen, and I would have died a dozen times over without Posiedon's Trident. One thing was made clear from this fight.
'I need allies.'
Which meant it was time to suck up my pride and ask for help from the Guardians.
POV Shift ???
I frown as my prey escapes me.
'How are they so strong?'
I had fought Namor, but he was easy to defeat. But I find my answer very quickly and frown ever more.
'The trident was united. So that explains his strange last act. I should have paid more attention to those last thoughts of his.'
I made a miscalculation, and now I had to lie low as I had little doubt that my prey would run and get help.
'A slight setback, but I can recover. Let's move on to the second plan.'
I wouldn't let my small inconvenience stop me. I just had to do what I do best: adapt.
I take one last look in the direction my prey fled and swim the opposite direction towards the trap I had set up.
Timeskip
POV Shift Charles Xavier
I look out the window and find that I can't help but feel a strange sense of worry. Something was wrong, but I couldn't place what it was.
'Maybe I should go use Cerebro.'
I felt it wouldn't hurt to check that the world was still spinning and there was no crisis. I didn't love using it, as the warzones were always depressing to sense. The minds that are forced to fight their fellow man are a sight that hurts me deeply. But I know there is little I can do. Not without crossing a line.
I connect with Cerebro, and at first nothing seems wrong. Sure, there were the usual warzones I was thinking of, but otherwise everything seemed peaceful. But then that nagging feeling came back, and I felt the urge to connect with Scott. Only to find him nowhere.
'That can't be.'
I checked for the rest of his team. Colossus. Nothing. Storm. Nothing. I didn't immediately panic. I knew there had to be a logical explanation. So I started scanning the minds around the place I had sent them. The mission was to Sweden, where I had detected a newly awakened mutant. But now that Mutant I had detected was also nowhere to be found.
As I scanned the memories, I found something strange. Nobody had seen them, nobody. But they did see the X-Jet, and the Swedish Government had already cordoned off the area around the jet, as it had been left abandoned. Now I was panicking.
'Logan, call the Guardians.'
"Professor?" Logan responds mentally.
"It's Scott and his team; they're missing," I reply.
"I'm calling them now," Logan says firmly.
POV Shift Rio
Ding
'Finally.'
[Beast Boy: 100%]
[Getting New Template]
[New Template Found ---> Azula]
[Azula: 11%]
'Oh? Now that's a nice one.'
The template was of the former Princess of the Fire Nation from Avatar: The Last Airbender. The gear was mediocre. The usual warrior princess stuff. The only noteworthy item was some Fire and Lightning Bending Scrolls. The real prize was the immense amount of skills and experience Azula had. She had to navigate the politics of the Fire Nation, which is a patriarchal society, as a woman. And if you ignore the mental instability, she was scary effective at her assignments. I mean, I could eventually shoot lightning bolts at people, though; I could technically already do that in a few ways, but it was still cool. Fire Bending was also pretty great not the best Bending type, but I wouldn't complain.
My happiness was interrupted by an emergency call. I answered and swiftly made my way to the Watchtower.
Small Time Skip
After hearing the situation, I quickly started searching with the compass to try and find something, but came up empty, which I found highly suspicious. I couldn't even find any bodies. I even checked Limbo, but still nothing.
'It might be related.'
Regardless of my theories, I went to meet with Charles to give him the news in my Batman persona.
"You found nothing?" Charles says with shock.
"Not exactly. I found no trace of them, which is something," I correct.
"What're you tryin' to say, bub?" Logan asks.
"They are very likely dead, and there are no remains left to find," I answer bluntly.
"Gone just like that? No way, I helped train them. I know their skills; no way they go down without a fight or leaving some sign behind," Logan refutes.
"They did fight. Which is why I am sure they didn't slip into another Universe," I answer while showing pictures I took during my investigation.
The pictures showed damaged forests with sliced trees as well as meteorological reports that showed a sudden superstorm generation.
"Who did it?" Logan asks grimly.
"I'm not sure," I answer honestly.
They seem shocked that I didn't know.
"But I have some theories," I explain while showing files of similar reports.
"So you're saying this isn't the first time, and yet you haven't found this monster?" Logan complains.
"Logan, calm down. He is here to help us. We wouldn't even know any of this without him," Charles says diplomatically.
"I haven't found the person responsible, as they move quickly and can shift their form. Furthermore, by the time the reports reach me, the killer has already moved. Their movements are erratic and nearly unpredictable," I explain.
"Nearly?" Charles asks.
I nod.
"They seem to target those of strength. Or at least they do so often enough that it may be a pattern. I also believe they have the ability to absorb memories from those they kill, as they seem to attack people that a previous victim knew the location of. I also think I may know where they came from," I explain while showing them everything I had gathered.
"Deviant?" Logan asks skeptically.
"Eternals?" Charles adds.
I nod.
"They have been on Earth for a long time. It is even likely that the X-Gene is from Deviants interbreeding with Humanity. My theory is that Deviant DNA was combined with a Super Soldier Serum made by Dr Sterns, who was forced to create this monster by order of Former General Ross. The experiment awoke the consciousness in the DNA, which caused it to start killing humans. The only difference is that this creature seems to be assimilating those it targets," I explain, but make it clear that most of this was purely speculation based on what little I could find.
Batman and Question were some of the best detectives in the Multiverse, but even they had to have some evidence to go off of. I wasn't Sherlock Holmes, where I could just walk into a crime scene and solve it. Or smell the air and know the exact date of birth of the suspect as well as his mother's maiden name. That might seem like an exaggeration, but there really are some detectives with dumb feats like that.
"How can we help?" Charles asks.
"If this enemy has truly assimilated so many beings, then they will likely be incredibly powerful. We will need to bring our heaviest hitters together for this fight. Beyond that, we need to try to locate this being first. Which I might have a plan for that," I offer.
"If he targets powerful people, then he'll come for us," Logan explains before I even say it.
"That, or the Guardians will be his target. The last target could be Ikaris, but given his strength, I doubt it. I will reach out to him and see if I can't call upon his aid," I reply.
"But would he help us? Didn't you say the Eternals are basically just farming us humans, waiting until we ripen enough before we all die?" Logan counters.
"He doesn't know that his plan has long since failed," I reply.
"That is why you only told us. The fewer that know, the less likely we may say something slips," Charles points out.
"Most of the X-Men are... not as experienced and may let their emotions control them into acting out and saying something that may cause irreparable damage to Earth. I can't predict how Ikaris will react to the news, and it's best we don't find out," I say with a deadly stare that causes even Logan to shiver.
"Message received," Logan comments with a firm nod.