Hero High 3: A New World

"Well its obvious why I'm here, I'm tired of the creatures and I foresaw that there is a resistance against it so I'm here to join my step brother whether he likes my company or not"

Hitosu's power slowly started to tame with forced control from Hitosu. *I can't lose myself now or else I will be in the same position as Rock was I must stay strong*.

"So your highness is he in there" Pintar said with a depressed yet respectful manner "Hitosu is he in there, if he is, he might want to kill as soon as possible, but even though, if thats the case he is going to have to put that off and deal with the fact that all of us are going through a crisis and we have to pull through, and fight together, so in short I want to join the resistance".

Originally posted by Regelion1
Gaku waved at Pryce it was beginning to become a group thing. Gaku thought about it with the tickets in hand then he sighed crumbling his tickets. "It can't be helped you guys are lucky I get my tickets for free and the concert is going to happen for a couple days.... So troublesome I could have gotten on stage with my favorite bands but Zero you owe me I will go but your singing at my next performance got it ... Well anyway at the most I can only fly so much wait so Pryce and Bennu was it do you have away to get out if not I'll just have to take extra trips."

Pryce took a look at the wall of the school, trying to think of a way he might get over it. He couldn't come up with much of anything. The wall was huge, and looked quite formidable. Short of flying over, he couldn't see a way to get past it. A concert sounded better than what he figured was going to happen soon.
"No," he said. "We don't have a way out. I guess we should just give up and go home."

"Stop that," Bennu laughed. "But yeah, I don't think we could get past without breaking the wall."

"Please don't try," Pryce sighed quietly. He turned to Gaku. "Sorry I don't shake hands; it might hurt someone. But if you could throw us over the wall that'd be fine."

“Your mistake. You all are growing through this crisis. I am fine but yes the boy is in there. “ Wraith stood looking Pintar up and down for a few seconds. “Alright master of glass I guess it wouldn’t hurt but any trouble and I’ll deal with you personally. Understood?”

"Understood" Pintar waited for Wraith to lead the way.

Wraith lowered his cape allowing Pintar to come in at his own risk. “ Try not to make a mess. I’d hate to take your soul Pintar.” Without a second thought Wraith started to walk back toward the base making sure to stay away from the green symbols on the ground. Last thing he needed to do was damage this body.

Sam looked worriedly at Hitosu as his powers started to freak out and when he mentioned Pintar her own feelings started to flare up but her feelings were not of fear but of anger. That man was the only one that she could not tolerate, he had almost killed her friends the last time they'd seen him and not to mention made Rock go insane.

Zero smirked at the two, they were funny and a bit odd they were her kinda people. "I could throw you guys over but it might be unpleasant," Zero said crossing her arms waiting for them to think about it.

Originally posted by starryknight
Zero smirked at the two, they were funny and a bit odd they were her kinda people. "I could throw you guys over but it might be unpleasant," Zero said crossing her arms waiting for them to think about it.

Pryce froze. Had he really said that one out loud? Throw them over the wall, what was he thinking? It wouldn't hurt them, he could manage that much, but he still didn't want to go crime fighting in the first place. "Uh, um, well..." Pryce started, his mind racing through other possibilities.

"Not a problem," Bennu grinned, giving a thumbs up. "Just get us over that wall and we can take care of the rest!" She shot Pryce a look of what he'd swear was approval.

Pryce gave up. He heaved a heavy sigh to explain. "Yeah, it'll definitely work. Bennu's a lot lighter than she looks, so a fall won't hurt her, and I can, uh, absorb the energy of the fall to slow down." Pryce paused, then looked over Zero and Gaku. "You guys, uh," he started, waving a finger to each, "have super strength, right?"

"Nope," Zero said still smirking,"But I have an idea!" she added then grabbed the two by the wrist and was met with an unexpected pain when he touched the boy. Zero winched a little but then ignored the pain, fourteen years of torture will bring up your pain tolerance, "Okay get ready!" Zero said with more excitement then she wanted to let out, she begins to spin faster and faster swiping the two off their feet then all at once released them sending them sailing up and over the wall. The hybrid stopped her spinning and regained her balance then ran at full speed up the wall, she will have to save phasing through it for another day. Just as the two got over the wall Zero passed them and made it to the ground before them and began to spin her arms around and around creating two small whirlwinds that slowed the couples decent and allowed them to safely land on the ground.

"Wow, that actually worked and your arms are still intact, tremendous." Zero says with a sarcastic smile and hiding the the pain of touching Pryce, she had only touched him for a seconded but still, she had to remember not to touch him again. "Where is that dragon kid...I'm not going to wait all morning."

Hitosu left the kitchen "Im going to rest maybe I will feel a bit better if I get some rest"

Pintar entered the HQ and looked around "So this is where everyone is huh?". Pintar walked around a bit looking for anyone.

Originally posted by starryknight
"Nope," Zero said still smirking,"But I have an idea!" she added then grabbed the two by the wrist and was met with an unexpected pain when he touched the boy. Zero winched a little but then ignored the pain, fourteen years of torture will bring up your pain tolerance, "Okay get ready!" Zero said with more excitement then she wanted to let out, she begins to spin faster and faster swiping the two off their feet then all at once released them sending them sailing up and over the wall. The hybrid stopped her spinning and regained her balance then ran at full speed up the wall, she will have to save phasing through it for another day. Just as the two got over the wall Zero passed them and made it to the ground before them and began to spin her arms around and around creating two small whirlwinds that slowed the couples decent and allowed them to safely land on the ground.

"Wow, that actually worked and your arms are still intact, tremendous." Zero says with a sarcastic smile and hiding the the pain of touching Pryce, she had only touched him for a seconded but still, she had to remember not to touch him again. "Where is that dragon kid...I'm not going to wait all morning."

Once they were in the air, Bennu flung out her arms and twisted, maneuvering herself to the best landing position. For some reason, she felt at home in the air. With a few more quick movements, she was prepared for what happened next. She barely saw Zero moving, but the girl was already on the other side of the wall, spinning her arm to create a whirlwind. Bennu spread her limbs, catching the air, and when the wind cut out, she landed deftly with a somersault as if she'd practiced it.

Pryce had a different method. He let himself be flung up, feeling a twinge of guilt as Zero touched his skin. He hoped it wouldn't be too bad. As he he reached the top of the wall, the area around Pryce turned darker than it already was. Pryce absorbed the nearby light, but also the kinetic energy of his fall. It was something he'd often thought about, but this was the first time he'd tried it. As Pryce absorbed the energy, he began to fall more slowly. When the whirlwind hit, he slowed down even more. By the time Pryce finally hit the ground, it felt like the fall was only a few feet.

"Ha," Bennu laughed, standing up from her landing maneuver. "That was fun! I'd love to do it again sometime." Her arm did hurt a little, but it passed quickly enough when she thought about it. She eyed Pryce, checking to see how he'd fared. When she saw him land safely, she turned to Zero. "No problem," she said, giving a thumbs up. She took a look at the wall, where Gaku had last been, saying, "He said he could get over himself, didn't he?'

Suddenly, all communications in the base cut off, one by one. "What is this?" Leon muttered, taking his comm out of his ear as nothing but static hissed through the line. The speakers throughout the base starting hissing as well. It filled the entire base, overriding all conversation. Liam was on the floor, the nanobots of his armor spiking randomly. "It's some kind of interference!" he shouted to Leon. "The suit's going haywire!" Then the static and the nanobots stopped, and a voice cut through the silence like a knife. Leon knew that voice well. It had haunted his dreams for several days now.
"Greetings, gathered heroes and villains of the Earth," The voice hissed. "We... Are the Hive!"
Liam got to his feet. "You bastards!" he shouted at the ceiling.
"There is no need for that." the voice responded calmly. "You don't want to get too angry, monkey boy, or that madness of yours might come back." The voice laughed softly.
"What do you want?!" Leon demanded.
"Oh, nothing much," the Hive said. "We are simply surrendering to you. Congratulations. You've won."

"Yeah right," Uriah said as he raced out of the kitchen with Star and Hitosu. He and the latter were taking out their com-links as well. "We barely did anything. It's a trap."

Caleb was nodding in agreement as he quickly took his out, too.

"Where's the voice coming from," Naomi asked as she looked around the place.

Rock looks at Lance a moment then speaks up again "I was in the insane asylum a long time, I lost track of time and reality. I don't even know which of my memories from after you vanished were real or not, but I think.... I may remember someone using magic to lock my powers.... I thin, I could easily be wrong, The memory is hazy" she looks ahead of her again, hating to admit she isn't sure of something.

Gaku was about to answer yes to Pyrces question but Zero was faster at the response and at acting. He watched as Zero spun the two and threw them over the wall chasing behind them. He knew this was his que his legs and feet turned Dragon like bending his knees he jumped high into the air. After he jumped his feet and legs went back to normal and in an instant his blue scaly wings popped out. His wings caught the air propelling him up higher then his jump even though the jump pretty much cleared the wall. He easily flew over the wall dashing past everyone when he heard Zero ask where he was. Gaku landed right behind them his wings then disappeared as he looked at his new teammates. "Looking for me mi bella feral"
Gaku looked at Zero he could tell that she was seemed a little different other then smelling sweeter then last time he seen her. After touching Pryce she seemed like she was hurt but tried to not show it. If she wanted to hide it from them then he wouldn't say anything about it but this side of Zero made Gakus Dragoon side attracted to her. Sure he had one mind but the soul of the dragon in him liked Zero. "So where do we go from here can't wait to get started."

DJ stood up looking around for the source of the “Hive”. Even with his superior sight he couldn’t see any means of how they were broadcasting into their base. “As if you’d simply surrender. It makes no sense try to conquer Earth’s greatest city and then simply leave.” As he waited for the Hive’s responds he began to think just how were they pulling this off anyway. The base systems could be connected with Liam’s suit but there was no way on earth DJ’s personal computer had any connections with the base or even hero highs system at all. * Could be a techno path.. Or that suit Liam is wearing. It’s full of nanites. And Liam is type of a feral which might add up to my theory. Liam could be patient zero. His animalistic ablities might be able to genetically fight off the Hive but that suit can’t. Then again this is all theory but I better make a note of such tactics. *

Ashlocke slowly laughed at the statement of the Hive. “Right. So we can kill each other and then you just finish us off.”

Naomi, Caleb and Uriah all looked at Ashlocke with scrutiny. They wouldn't let him get that far if it came to that. But they were all thinking the same as him. Maybe not as evil, but it was still along those lines.

Liam was looking around with a expressionless look. "I know that voice," he muttered.

"What," Leon asked.

"I said I know that voice."

"Well how the heck is it," Naomi asked.

But just as soon as she asked him, Liam blurted out, "I'll explain everything when it is I next see you guys. But for right now, I think it would be better if you guys went back to the school."

"Wait," Caleb said. "You're saying we should leave New York in the midst of all hell breaking loose because a voice from out of nowhere sounds familiar to you?"

Liam was visibly anxious about something. His eyes were darting all over the place, his body was twitching and it appeared that he had begun to perspire. "Seriously guys, its best if you go. At least while you still have a ln out."

Leon, knowing his old friend, then added, "Guys, we should probably do what he says."

"What?!" Caleb was floored. Leon of all people should have been the first to say that then team was staying. "Is everybody going insane? What the hell is going on?!"

"I said I'd explain things as soon as I could but right now I have to go. Leon and Naomi, I need you two to come with me." He was already heading for the back door.

Naomi looked at a speechless Caleb. "Something's seriously wrong. I've never seen Liam act this way."

"Me either," Leon said. "And we've been friends for years. I think I'd better go with him. He really does need me. I can tell."

"WHAT," was all Caleb could manage.

"I don't know what's going on either but Liam said he'd explain things. I have to help him. Tell the school that ill be back as soon as I can." And with that, both he and Liam were racing out the back door.

Caleb's mouth was agape. Did the team leader just bail on everyone? He couldn't bring himself to say anything. What were they gonna do now?

Then he realized that Naomi was saying something. ".....if you guys can make sure that all the civilians get somewhere safe."

"Sure we will," DJ answered.

"You're gonna go, too," Caleb asked.

"I kinda need to. I'm a hero now and I have responsibilities. Besides, you guys can handle a few goo monsters. You have those scary looking bad guys over there." Naomi said that last part with heavy sarcasm. She then turned to Wraith and his crew.

"You guys better look after these kids or I'm gonna hunt you all down one by one and kill you all by myself. And I'll put up a good fight cause I'm pretty hard to kill. What with the speed, strength, durability, stamina and fighting ability." After that, she hugged a stewing Caleb and waved to the others and then raced out the back door aand followed Liam and Leon.

And just like that, Strike Force was leaderless and in a cramped safehouse with a group of civilians and a team of super villains. Some of which had very amused looks on their faces.

"Did what just happened really happen," Hitosu asked. He was so shell shocked that he wasn't even fazed that Pintar was in the very same room.

"If you're talking about Leon leaving us to go help out that weirdo monkey-boy," Uriah answered, "then yes. That did just happen."

"So what are we supposed to do now," Sam asked. She was quietly absorbing things so that hee emotions wouldn't get the better of her. Leon leaving was like punching a hole in her chest. But she was determined to keep it together because they were still heroes and people still needed them.

"We do what they asked us to do," DJ responded. "We get the civilians to safety."

"You do not expect us to help you brats, do you," Ashlocke sneered.

"Yes. We do," the widely known hero, Ghost of the Ghost Squadron said as he and his team walked through the safehouse's door.

"Ok Liam, what the hell is going on?" Leon asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the others.
The voice of the Hive, the one that was speaking right now... It was a G.O." Liam said curtly, his visor sliding down and lighting up.
"What!?"
"His name is Bill Thresher." Liam explained, as the started running down an empty street. "He's wanted to be in charge of superhero registration but he was rejected for poor conduct. He ended up being shoved sideways into the communications department."
'I guess that's how he managed to broadcast that transmission.' Leon thought.
Naomi spoke up. "So you're saying this guy got infected by the Hive?"
"No, I think he IS the Hive." Liam replied as the turned the corner into an alley. "Here we are." Liam kicked open a door, and walked inside. The others followed. "My suit isn't picking up any Hive, so we're clear." Liam said and he walked into the darkness, his feral eyes and the the suit allowing him to see clearly. After a few minutes he came to a set of stairs leading down. Leon and Naomi followed him.
"What is this?" Leon asked.
"This is a back door. If the Hive is Thresher then there is only one place he can be." Liam answered. The stairs went on for a good five minutes, before the group stopped at a small tunnel-like corridor. It was dimly lit by old flickering lights. " This is where we have to be careful. There are bound to be traps." Liam told the others.
"Any Hive ahead?" Naomi asked, looking around
"The signal has been jammed." the monkey replied, looking at the flashing lights on his visor. "I cant get any readings down here. We'll have to find out the old fashioned way."
"Perfect." Naomi muttered, and they set off, moving cautiously down the corridor, trying to catch a glimpse of any potential danger. The foul stench of the Hive hung in the air and the group pressed onwards. A light could been seen, growing larger. As they got closer, a rumbling noise could be heard.
Finally, the three heroes emerged into an enormous room. The slime that made up the Hive covered almost every inch of the walls and floor. It was even dripping from the ceiling in some areas. Any part of the room that was clean was packed with complex looking computers and communications equipment. And in the centre, stood a man. He looked perfectly ordinary, dressed in a grey suit and red tie, but Leon knew that this was the same being he had seen in club thunder. The monster known as the Hive - Bill Thresher.
"Greetings! The 'man' hissed. his voice was warped, just as it had sounded during the transmission back at the base. "I'm glad you could make it"
The rumbling noise in the background suddenly got much louder, as a gigantic steel door started to fall. Naomi instinctively jumped backwards, but Leon and Liam charged forwards. With a crash that shook the whole room, the door slammed shut, separating Naomi from Leon and Liam. "Are you ok!?" Liam shouted through the wall.
"I'm fine!" Naomi called back. They both sounded shaken.
Only Leon remained calm. "Naomi, go back to the others, and tell them to retreat immediately." When the sound of Naomi's footsteps disappeared, Leon turned to face the man. "So this was a trap, as I suspected."
"Trap?" Bill asked, smiling. "Oh no! That was merely a precaution. I didn't want you bringing reinforcements."
"Of course." Leon muttered sarcastically. "You can cut the act. We both know that you are not going to surrender."
"You have it all wrong!" The Hive spat, no longer smiling. "We ARE surrendering. We cannot hope to stand against the combined force of so many large groups of heroes and villains, especially when a mere child like you, Leon Astra, can defeat so many of us in one blow."
"If that's the case then answer me this! Why have you done all of this?" Leon asked angrily. "You've killed countless of innocent people. What was the points of all this madness!?"
Bill walked forwards. "The Hive, that is to say, we, are an experiment that my master wanted carried out. They wanted a way of tracking down and exterminating supers. The experiment was only half successful. My drones can detects supers even across great distances, but they are too weak to fight against them."
"you detected the supers of Club Thunder from here? New York?" Leon asked, astonished.
"That's not important." Liam snapped. "What do you mean by 'masters'? Who do you work for?"
"My masters shall remain 'unspoken'. To speak of them is to die!" Bill hissed. "To answer your question, Mr. Astra, yes. We were able to sniff out the ferals of Club Thunder, even from here. More importantly, we were able to find you little school."
"That no longer matters," Leon scoffed. "You said it yourself. You have failed. The Hive can do no more."
"Indeed." Bill smiled. "But you must understand. The Hive was but a simple experiment. My masters have many plans in store for this world yet. They shall cleanse this planet of all supers, and build the ultimate utopia for Humankind!"
"You're insane!" Liam snarled, moving towards the Hive.
"Perhaps. But then again, If we are, then so are you, little Monkey." The monster chuckled.
"What do you mean by that?" Liam asked, stopping dead in his tracks.
"Haven't you realized yet?" Bill snorted, grinning widely. "You are not suffering from a simple human illness. You have been infected by us. The only thing stopping you from transforming completely is that little suit of yours. We'd like to thank you for bringing that here, by the way. It will make this next bit much easier."

"What are you planning on doing?" Leon asked.
"That nanotech suit has amazing communications potential." The Hive replied. "As long as its in this room we can remotely hack it and execute the final phase of our plan - Destroy the Hero High Academy!"
"You cannot hope to bring down the school, even if you poured all of the Hive here in New York into its gates!" Leon exclaimed.
"Weren't you listening?" Bill snapped, crossing over to a computer console and typing quickly. "The Hive have been cleared from the board. We plan on activating the Deleo Unit! The ultimate satellite cannon, made from Sia'raithe technology. It'll blow that precious school of yours off the map!"
Realizing the implications of the Hive's plan, Leon started running. "Liam, let's get out of here!" he shouted, moving to the door and putting as much power as he could into it. The door rattled, but it did not budge.
"It's too late, I've already begun!" The Hive cried, laughing like a maniac. As he spoke, Liam's suit went haywire, sparking off electricity, driving its owner to his knees. Green text began flashing across the visor.
"I can't stop it!" Liam shouted as he thrashed on the floor. "It's not listening to me!"
The Hive kept laughing, so much so that it started to lose its human form, becoming the monster it truly was. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Three minutes, boys! Three minutes and that school is bye bye!! Thanks for playing!" Leon turned and rushed at the creature, driving a shockwave into it from across the room. The Hive splattered on the far wall, but almost instantly reformed itself, and retaliated with sprays of gooey substance that Leon deflected with another shockwave. Meanwhile, Liam forced himself onto his feet. "Keep it distracted!" He called, before he shuffled with painful slowness towards the nearest computer, his suit starting to drip from his body like water. Leon nodded and moved forward, Throwing shockwave after shockwave at the Hive, who simply reformed after every strike.
"You cannot hope to achieve anything!" It shrieked. "It's too late, I say! The Deleo Unit cannot be stopped after its activated!" With surprising swiftness the Hive dissolved into a puddle of slime and shot itself at Leon like a cannonball, hitting Leon and throwing him backwards.
"Heh." Came Liam's reply. He was actually smiling. Then he bust into laughter. "You have NO idea what this suit is truly capable of, do you? Not only can it override communication signals, it can assimilate all technology it comes into contact with." Leon looked up. Liam was standing at a computer terminal, His suit had left him completely, and wrapped itself around the machine. With the suit off, Liam looked completely different. He was covered head to foot with horrific burn marks, a souvenir of his trip to Russia. Patches of fur were missing from his arms and tail.
"You left the door open when you hacked my suit." Liam told the Hive. "And now the suit will Hack you. Voice activate!" The suit, which clung to the computer like glue, glowed in response. "Activate beacon. Redirect the Deleo Unit's fire to this room!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The Hive screamed, but it was too late. The suit glowed again, and then it slithered back onto Liam, covering his injuries once more.
"I've been counting, Bill." Liam said. "We have fifty seconds left, and as you said, the Deleo Unit cannot be stopped. Game over. Thanks for playing."
"YOu'vE kILled Us AlL! The Hive spluttered, its voice becoming even more distorted. It sunk to the floor, utterly defeated.
"Perhaps," Leon replied, strangely calm, despite what he had just heard. "But your Reign of terror is over."
"You may have killed me!" The Hive shouted. "But you will not stop my masters! They will kill all of you filthy supers!!"
"In the meantime, let them tremble in fear." Leon retorted. "If we can stop you, then we will stop them too. Now..." Leon directed his hand to the floor. One explosion later, and a large hole appeared, big enough for two people. "How good is that suit's shield?" Leon asked Liam, who shrugged.
"Lets find out." he muttered, hopping into the hole. Leon followed, and Liam activated the suit once again. it Slid off him and created a barrier over the hole's opening.
"Fifteen seconds left... Sorry." Liam Said.
"Don't worry about it." Leon replied. "Would never let myself miss out on the action anyway."
"You never change."
"Heh..."

5...
4...
3...
2...
1...

Running at full speed, Naomi was halfway back to the safehouse. There was a sudden influx of Hive creatures and infected that she simply dodged. Of course they were meant to slow her down but she was evasive. The next thing she knew, the goo monsters suddenly splashed to the ground and the infected keeled over. She was confused but she kept running. And running at 55mphs was getting the job done.

Suddenly, the morning sky flashed brighter. As she turned around, Naomi was sent careening down the street by a explosion so large, the sheer force of it knocked her unconscious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the safehouse, the Ghost Squadron and Strike Force were debriefing each other. Right after Frankenstein had told them that they were just now getting back to New York following a mission in Russia, the house rumbled. Things fell off tables, windows shattered. A few of the elderly civilians lost their balance and fell.

"Is everyone ok," asked Medusa of G.S.

Sam and Uriah were helping the fallen back on their feet. "What the hell was that," Uriah shrieked. Then he looked at the old lady he was helping up and apologized.

"Don't worry about it, boy," she managed. "I'd like to know that myself."

Still sitting at the compute, DJ announced, "Whatever it was, it knocked out whatever was causing that interference with our equipment."

"Actually, our scans show that what was causing the interference IS what just took it out," Energía added in a very pronounced Hispanic accent.

DJ was well over the fact that the G.S. was using stolen Sia'raithe technology because it was the most advanced tech in this galaxy. He was just simply amazed at how their team was utilizing it. He'd have to ask for ideas. "Scans show a newly formed crater a couple miles from here. I'm almost positive that's what that rumbling was."

"Fine," Ghost said. "We need to split into three teams. One to go scope out the hot zone. One to get these civilians to safety and another to start taking out the rest of the Hive."

"Uh, Ghost," Hitosu said as he was looking out of a broken window. "I don't think the Hive is gonna be a problem."

Walking over to the window, Ghost saw all that remained of the Hive. Just puddles of goo that covered the ground.

"Sensors show that the Hive is gone," Energía reported. "Its like they all just vanished. Their hosts are all unconscious but alive and the slime creatures are nothing more than puddles of gunk."

"Then we're on a rescue mission. A team needs to go scout the hot zone. I want Sam, Star and Uriah to go scout. Medusa, I want you, Ashlocke, Caleb and Wraith to find a bigger area and set up camp there so the rest of us can bring all of the injured to you. Energía, you and alien boy stay here to run command central. We-," Ghost was cut off by Wraith.

"If I'm not mistaken, the Hive is no more, correct? So what are we still here? Why are we not killing you?"

"Because we don't know if the Hive is gone and we don't have time for a fight. Besides, aren't you tired of getting your asses handed to you by us all the time? I really hope you don't think that we're alone in this city. Their are other heroes out there doing their fair share and they may not be as understanding as we are about letting you guys help. I'm pretty sure they're all looking to hit someone. And they'd be on their way with just a flick of a switch.

"You're not dealing with amateurs, Wraith. We know you're waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce. But so are we. So make a move. You're so big a bad. Prove it." Ghost was looking Wraith dead in the eye with no signs of fear.

"Very well," the king of the Dreamworld responded. "We shall grace you with our assistance this time. But it only so we can get rid of this damned Hive. There is no way in hell I am going to let a bunch of slime take over."

"As I was saying," Ghost continued as he turned back toward the group, "we know there are other supers out there who were trying to fight off the Hive but we don't know who was and wasn't infected. So keep your eyes open and look alive. We're gonna be putting in some overtime today."

And with that, the two super hero teams and the group of villains broke off into three squads and headed in three very different directions.