Coreline: Invasion of Portland

Disclaimer: "You want 'im, you get him." - Commissioner Gordon, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.

Chapter 3: A Moment of Calm

Southwest Portland

The black blob slithered in an alley.

Ugh! This place! The blob thought in disgust. It's so...so clean. How can humans live like this? Why would they live like this?! The trees...where's the pollution? Where's the smog? Where's the sludge?! Why aren't there even cans on the ground?! The black blob shuddered in rage. Well, I'll just have to fix that then, hmm? Remind these humans that they're supposed to be destroying this planet, not letting the trees grow everywhere! ...But I am so weak. This place makes me so, so weak...so little pollution to draw power from...

The blob continued to slither around, but then it stopped. Wait...this strange power...it permeates the air...what is this power...yes...yes, I can draw from this power...I can draw strength from this power...yes, spiritual pollution...oh I cannot wait to give this place a taste of toxic loooove...

Washington Park, Portland, Oregon.

Washington Park. Created in 1909, the park contained numerous sights, including statues, the Oregon Zoo, the Hoyt Arboretum, and the Portland Children's Museum. Normally, it was one of the most beautiful sights in the City of Roses. But on this day, it had become a warzone.

Wham!

A demon shattered like it was made of glass when it ended up slamming into a badge-shaped shield resembling one of Captain America's early shields. The top was blue with three white 5-pointed stars, and the bottom area had five stripes, three red and two white. The wielder was one Jack Magniconte. The teenage Inhuman superathlete was wearing an armored suit that looked like a futuristic take on SWAT armor. It was primary blue in color with red and white highlights. The chest was painted to resemble the chest of Captain America's costume. However, the chest emblem was of a white symbol that resembled a letter A and a star merged together, with red and white stripes coming out of the sides meant to resemble wings. The shoulder pauldrons were black, bearing the Aegis logo on them.

"These demons are awfully fragile." Jack thought out loud as he smacked another demon with his shield. "I'm guessing their high numbers make up for their inability to take a hit."

"GONNA EAT YOUR FACE, YOU MOTHER-" Another demon roared as he took a leap at the white-haired Inhuman, but ended up also eating shield. Jack took a breath.

"God, I hate that they can talk." Jack muttered. He then saw a couple more demons come at him with blood in their eyes. The former football player set his jaw under his helmet. He split his shield in half, the striped part forming a bladed weapon, and the blue part still being a smaller shield.

"Get the human!" One demon yelled.

"Tasty! Tasty treat!" The other demon cackled. Jack scowled.

"Sorry, fellas. I would give you the mother of all indigestion." The football player charged at them. The demons stopped in shock, which gave the leader of Aegis a moment of opportunity. He slashed at one demon with his shield blade, shattering it. The other demon then got a hard smashing in the snout with the other half, also shattering.

"ARRRGH!" The last demon screamed as it shattered. Jack then looked around. "Okay, I think that's the last of them." He saw another demon land and shatter at his feet. He looked up and saw Jennifer walk up to him, brushing her hands. Her Aegis armor was predominantly red, with gold and silver highlights, and it sported a chest emblem of a silver letter "C", with the top part looking like a swirl of toothpaste. "Nice to see you here, Chrome."

"Yup." The steel-skinned powerhouse responded. "God, these demons aren't very tough."

"I figured that." Jack agreed with a nod. "They make up for it with numbers. Hard to kill them when they're swarming you." Jen looked up at the sky.

"Look at that sky, man. I never thought it was possible for it to be that red."

"Welcome to Coreline." Jack said. "Considering the crises that can pop up, I'm surprised that hasn't happened more often."

"I dunno about you man, but I can't complain." Jen told him. "I kind of like it when things are quiet."

"I agree, but I do admit..." Jack smiled. "I enjoy the action a little bit."

"You just like to play Captain America." Jen teased with a smirk.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Jack grinned. He got a call on his helmet. "There's more demons swarming nearby. They're wrecking a store." The two superhuman youths ran towards the location.

"They must be going crazy right now, not being able to find any people to bother." Jen cackled. Jack chuckled.

"Well, then. Let's cheer them up a little bit." Jack said, a grin on his face. Jen couldn't help but smile a bit at Jack.

"Alright. Let's go have some fun." She chuckled. Man, what is up with me? I used to hate this stuff, but now...here I am, eager to add some iron to these demons' diets. I've been hanging out with these people way too long. But yet...I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I must be going as crazy as them.

Inside the convenience store, a trio of demons were having their idea of fun.

"Glugglugglugglug..." One of the demons, a purple being with a pair of bull-like horns, was drinking from a soda fountain.

"Lame..." A second demon, a portly green demon with a single unicorn-like horn on the top of its head, frowned at a magazine, then tossed it nonchalantly on the floor. He picked up another one and frowned at the cover. "What's a 'Hot Rod'? Sounds really stupid." He tossed the magazine on the ground. He then eyes another one, wrapped in black plastic. "What's this?" He tore off the covering. The demon's eyes widened, and a sharp-toothed grin spread on its face. "Oh ho hooooo! Now this one is my thing!"

FWHAP!

"Hey!" The green demon exclaimed as the third demon whacked the magazine out of his hands. This demon was short and red, with three horns on its head. "What was that for?!"

"Quit screwing around!" The red demon snapped. "You notice something weird?"

"All I know is that this stuff is delicious!" The purple demon grinned. "I love this place!"

"Where are the humans?" The red demon looked around. "I've barely seen any since we got here! Except for those ones in the funny blue suits and the armors."

"Yeah. The blue uniform guys tend to be a bit squishy." The green demon recalled. "But the armor guys are pretty tough."

"I know he's talking about the Paladins, but I'll take that compliment." Jack's voice called out. The three demons turned around and saw Jack and Jen standing at the entrance. Jen's arms were crossed, and she was frowning. "Hello, boys. Me and my friend here were wondering if you guys could make us a sub." Jen smirked.

Heh. Amir is rubbing off on him.

"What the hell?" The green demon blinked.

"Hell is right." Jen smirked as she cracked her knuckles, her skin seemingly starting to pale and get shiny. "We've come to pick you boys up and send you back home."

"Well, I don't wanna!" The green demon pouted. "I like it here!"

"Heh. You think you brats can push us around." The red demon smirked. "That's cute."

"We're Aegis." Jack explained. "We're protecting this town from creatures like you." The three demons looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

"Oh, that's rich! That is so rich!" The red demon laughed, wiping a tear from its eye. "You brats are hilarious!"

"Hey boss, what say we show these punks who the new kings of this town are?" The green demon smirked.

"Good idea." The red demon smirked back, cracking his own knuckles. "Hope you brats like to be eaten..."

"Heh heh, we like to eat." The purple demon added.

"Well then..." Jack looked at Jen. "Let's take 'em down."

"You boys are under arrest." Jen added.

"Arrest this!" The red demon spewed some fire at Jack, but got blocked by his shield.

"Blue 32! Blue 32!" Jack charged the red demon, shield still up. He slammed into the demon, racing between the other two. He continued his charge, slamming the red demon into a refrigerated display. The demon yelped.

"Holy crap! He got-!" The green demon exclaimed, but was cut short by Chrome clotheslining him and his purple compatriot.

"Ack!" The purple demon yelped.

"You're certainly hardier than your compatriots tend to be." Jack noted.

"We're a bit stronger than your average demon." The red demon explained with a grin as he shoved Jack back. The former football player grunted.

"Whatever you and your demon friends have planned, it's going to end tonight." Jack said with determination in his voice. The red demon burst out laughing.

"You really think we're here as part of some evil plot? Oh, that's rich!"

"Then...why are you here?"

"Kid, we're just here to have some laughs." The red demon explained. "This time of year, the barriers between your world and ours are at their weakest. It's easier to come here and have some fun. And our idea of fun is causing havoc."

"You're a maniac!"

"I'm being me, kiddo!" The red demon cackled. "And now I'm going to kick your head in and burn your corpse."

"Bring it on, you Hellboy wannabe. You don't scare me." Jack sneered. Meanwhile, the green and purple demons were having...a rougher time against Chrome.

"AGH!" The green demon yelled as he got tossed into a display of items.

"Guh!" The purple demon gurgled as Jennifer grabbed the demon by his horns and smashed her knee into his face.

"Now, you polecats gonna surrender, or am I going to have to actually get mean?" Jen growled, her Texan accent thickening with her threat. The purple demon gulped.

"You really mean that, don't you?" He mumbled nervously.

"In my metal form, I can crush your neck by just slightly squeezing." Jen told the demon. She then grabbed the beast's throat and squeezed slightly, making the purple demon let out a frightened high-pitched squeal in response. The green demon grunted as it got to its feet. Its eyes widened as it saw Chrome strange its purple compatriot.

"Get off him!" The green demon roared as it leapt at the Texan Inhuman. However, the metal-skinned powerhouse easily saw it coming. Without even glancing at the green monstrosity, Jennifer gave it a backhand.

BAM!

The green demon was sent flying through the roof, making the purple demon scream in fright.

"Now, you gonna get the hell out of here?!" Jen growled. "I'll sleep like a baby tonight after what I did to your friend there."

"Okay, okay!" The purple demon nodded in agreement. "We'll go! We'll go! We'll leave!"

"Good!" Still keeping her grip on the demon, Jen opened the door. "Now get outta here!" She angrily tossed the creature out the door. The screaming demon flew threw the air, and ended up splatting against a nearby wall. Meanwhile, Jack had been fighting the red demon.

"AGH!" The demon screamed as it clutched its hand in agony. It tried to punch Jack, but he was able to block the blow with his mighty shield, nearly breaking the demon's hand.

"When Captain America throws his mighty shield..." Jack sang as he separated his shield into its two parts. The red demon threw its other fist, but Jack used the blade part to slice off the demon's hand.

"AAAARGH!" The red demon screamed. The New Yorker then hit the demon with an overhead suplex, and finished it off with the blade half of his shield being driven right into the creature's face.

"God, is this what it's like to be in the Van Helsing family?" Jack muttered as he got to his feet.

"I wouldn't know." Jen chuckled as she walked up to her fellow Aegis agent.

"Hey, where's the green one?"

"Decided to treat itself to some roof for supper." Jen pointed upwards.

"We'd better find that thing." Jack advised. The two left the convenience store and saw the green demon's lifeless body. It was pretty easy for the white-haired Inhuman to figure out what exactly happened. He looked at Jen. "Remind me never to make you angry."

"Wise man, Jack." Jen smirked.

"Come on, let's go help the others." Jack waved. "I hope they managed to stay safe out there. God knows what could be out there." The two young Inhumans heard a hiss. They turned and saw that a streetlamp had started hissing at them. It sprouted a pair of arms and lashed out at them. "Oh, geez!" He blocked a slash with his shield. Jennifer took advantage of the distraction to rip the monster out of the ground and smash it into the ground.

"I hate Halloween." The steel-skinned Texan grumbled.

"I thin I'm starting to share it myself." Jack frowned. In the Japanese Garden, walked a slim teenage girl wearing Aegis armor. Hers was predominantly teal with white and blue highlights, bearing a chest symbol of a slashing saber. Keiko Miyamoto looked around at the garden, and memories came back to her as a sigh escaped her lips. She started thinking about a couple of weeks ago, the last time she saw her parents. Her father Hideo loved this garden, as it reminded him of his native Japan. She then sighed. In the Coreline universe, Los Angeles was a Judge Dredd-esque Mega-City, practically its own nation. The city was a sort of Hell on Earth normally, but on Halloween...she hoped her family made it through okay. Both her parents were former superheroes, but she still could not help but worry. It didn't help that they were not popular among the Judges of that city for their efforts to get the government there to reform their brutal nature.

The mutant/Inhuman hybrid didn't hear the crackling and crumbling of rock behind her. Nor did she hear the growling behind her...but she did see the shadow covering her.

"What the-?!" She turned around.

"HELLO HUMAN." The rock demon grinned. "YOU LOOK TASTY."

"Oh, crap!" Kay pulled out a combat yo-yo from a compartment on her armor's belt. She then noticed a golden glow behind him. "What?"

"Huh?" The demon turned around, and its eyes widened.

FZOW!

"AGH!" The rock demon screamed as a blast of golden energy went through its chest.

FZOW! FZOW! FZOW!

Three more blasts hit the creature, shattering it. The final blast smashed its head to pieces. Kay blinked at her savior. It was revealed to be Amir, wearing yellow Aegis armor with gold and white highlights, bearing a chest emblem of a golden letter G that also formed a starburst.

"Gyral!" Kay yelped.

"Heh heh, normally, it's you telling me to stay focused." Amir chuckled. "You okay, Miyamoto?"

"Now I am." She gave Amir a hug. "Thanks."

"Hey, no biggie." The Chicago boy grinned. "Not like you to get distracted."

"Yeah, it's just this place." Kay smiled. "Dad loved coming here last time he was in Portland. I guess I'm just worried about him, Mom, and Ami. They're in LA, and considering what a nuthouse that place is normally..."

"Yeah, I'm worried about my parents over in Chicago, too." Amir nodded. "You ain't alone there, girl."

"Yeah...thanks again, Amir. We gotta get out of here. We got a job to do."

"Ahhhh, it's good to have you back." The Iranian-American youth grinned. He then looked at the pile of rocks. "What was that thing, anyway?"

"You ever heard of the Inferno?" Kay asked. Amir frowned in thought.

"Think so. Wasn't it some big crazy thing in New York City some years ago?"

"Yeah. It was brushed off as some kind of mass hallucination." Kay explained. "Hell had come to New York. Literally. Demons attacked, people went crazy, objects turned into monsters."

"Oh yeah." Amir nodded in understanding. "I was a kid when that happened. I can't believe brushed that off as a mass hallucination. Didn't people die during that whole thing?"

"Oh yeah, tons of them. Remember? Miss Price was there. She fought a demonized police car that was trying to kill her and a bunch of people she was protecting."

"Ah, right." Amir recalled. "She said something about the whole mass hallucination thing being spread as an attempt to keep the survivors from going mad."

"Considering the stuff Price saw during that time, I can see why they'd spin that." Keiko sighed. "Subways taking people to hell, elevators eating people, police cars trying to run down black people..."

"Yeah." Amir looked around. "We should get out of here before these plants go Audrey on our butts."

"Good idea." Kay nodded. "Besides, it's a big city. Still demons to deal with out there." The two started to leave the Gardens. Amir took to the air, so he could get a better view of the area. "See anything?"

"Eh, just the usual havoc when it comes to crises like this..." Amir said. "Hopin' this stuff don't freak Kara out, though. Last time the skies got red on her world, she ended up dead."

"Right..." Keiko sighed. "Poor Kara. She can't go back to her world."

"None of us can." Amir reminded. "In Kara's case, it's even worse. Girl, you read Crisis?" Even if she could go back...she would be a nonperson. Nobody there would know who she was."

They then got a call on their helmet radios.

"Talk to us." Keiko said. The two listened to the call on their radios. "You got it, Amir?"

"Yup." The Chicagoan mutant smirked as he held up his fists. They started glowing with golden energy. Keiko smirked back at him.

"Last one there is a rotten egg!" She zipped off.

"She knows I can't keep up with her, even in the air." Amir grumbled. He took off and flew after her. "Aren't the Ghostbusters taking care of that area?"

"Yup!" Keiko answered.

"They must need some help if they're calling us." Amir noted. "Those Ghostbusters are rather badass."

"Yeah!" Keiko agreed. "They got a werewolf and a dhampir on board, so

In front of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, the other three superhuman Agents of Aegis were battling demons themselves.

"AIRGH!" One demon screamed as a trio of sharp purple crystal shards penetrated and shattered its body. The crystal shards were thrown by Quartz, his Aegis armor being purple with silver and white highlights. His armor had a chest emblem of a purple letter Q looked like it was cut out of a rectangular crystal.

"I have to admit, I am loving this." Andy Cortez grinned, forming a sword of purple crystal in his hands. "I feel like I'm in a tabletop campaign!" A second demon tried to ambush the young Inhuman, but ended up beheaded. "Ha ha! Behold! The mighty Crystal Knight defeats another wicked demonic foe!"

"Well, he's at least having some laughs." Hal "Haywire" Danforth grumbled as he used his tanglewire to restrain a demon, then used a baton to shatter it. His Aegis armor was predominantly light green with dark green and white highlights. The light green areas of his armor had black squiggly lines all over them, and a pair of dark green "pipes" went over the shoulders, like in his old Squadron Supreme costumes. It also bore a chest emblem of a stylized green letter H. "I hope he remembers that this is a job."

"Don't be so glum, Haywire!" Jacqueline "Nightcat" Tavarez chuckled as she slashed one demon into pieces. Her Aegis armor was black with silver-and-white highlights, with her chest emblem being the old cat's head symbol she had back in the day. She then deftly flipped over another charging demon and smashed it to pieces with one kick. "Let the kid have his fun! Can't blame him! These demons are weak!"

"Individually, they are rather fragile." Quartz noted as he slashed at a couple more demons with his sword.

"That's why they come at us in numbers, catgirl!" Haywire exclaimed as he smashed another demon with his baton. "They're trying to swarm us! Quartz! We need a breather!"

"One breather coming right up!" The Cuban-American Inhuman answered. He conjured up a dome of purple crystal around himself and the other two superhumans, giving them...well, a breather. They could hear the demons roaring and slashing at the barrier.

"Andy, how tough is this diamond?" Haywire asked.

"I have the potential to create crystals that can reach a level of 10 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness." Quartz answered. "Heh. I'm codenamed Quartz, but my crystals are harder than actual quartz. It's a 7."

"So, it's pretty tough."

"Yup."

"If you're freaked out about the scratching noises, Hal, how do you think I feel?" Nightcat frowned at the former Squadron Supreme member. "With my ears, it's even worse!" The three eyed the hole up at the top of the dome. "Andy, you think they could fit through there?"

"If they can, they'll have to get through one at a time." Andy said.

"Great, we can pick 'em off one at a time." Haywire grinned.

"That'll take forever, though." Nightcat reminded.

"Yeah, we need a way to get out of here." Haywire agreed.

"I can make a tunnel, but I won't be able to see where we're going." Quartz offered.

"And don't ask me to dig a way out. These claws are not made for that." Nightcat frowned. A demon peeked into the dome from above.

"Hello, kiddies AGH!" He shattered when Quartz threw a perfectly aimed crystal right between its eyes.

"I think I may have an idea." The Inhuman crystal-spinner grinned. He closed the hole in the dome.

"Kid, you just trapped us." Haywire pointed out.

"I'm going to bottleneck them." Quartz explained. "Open up a slight bit of the barrier, and force them to come through one at a time."

"Yeah, but one problem." Haywire pointed out. "We can't hold out forever, and there's still a lot of demons out there. Even bottlenecked, we still have the odds against us."

"We would have a chance of evening them, though." Andy countered.

"Andy, do the transponders still work under this crystal?" Nightcat asked.

"They should." Andy answered.

"Right." Nightcat put her hand to the side of her helmet. "Aegis, this is Nightcat. I need backup here, follow my transponder for location. We're under a dome of purple crystal near the OMSI." She rolled her eyes. "YES, Quartz created it!" She sighed. "Who the hell else do you know around here who can make things with purple crystals?!" She listened to the dispatcher on the other end. "Right." She looked at the others. "Banks is on his way."

"You know what?" Haywire looked out at the dome's wall. "Open it up here." He pointed at a spot on it.

"Right there?" Quartz pointed at the spot, wanting to be sure.

"Right there." Hal confirmed with a nod. Quartz nodded, then opened the dome. The demons swarmed into the gap.

"Come and get some!" Nightcat roared, unleashing her claws. The three superhumans engaged the demons as they swarmed in. Quartz did not open the dome very widely. This was done to force the demons to fight their way in, bottlenecking them and making it easier for the Aegis agents to thin out their ranks. However, it would not last forever.

"We can't keep doing this!" Haywire grunted as he made some tanglewire wrapped around a demon. He yanked the wire, bringing the demon to him. Haywire smacked the demon hard in the head wit hhis baton, shattering it.

"How many of these things are there?!" Andy exclaimed as he impaled a demon with a crystal sword.

"Not enough to eat us alive, I hope!" Hal kicked a demon, making it shatter. On a road leading up to the OMSI, a vehicle was racing up to the scene. It was an armored six-wheeled vehicle, four in the back and two in the front. The vehicle was dark blue, with gold-and-silver lining and the Aegis logo on the sides. A window on the passenger side went down, and Luther Banks, clad in his Paladin One armor, emerged, his futuristic sniper rifle in hand.

"I see the dome! Keep the vehicle steady, Paladin!" He ordered the driver.

"That is not safe!" The driver exclaimed.

"Pal, you should ask Price about the crazy crap I did in the Marines!" Banks retorted. The former Marine then carefully aimed his sniper rifle at the demons. The rifle quietly fired a laser blast that evaporated a demon's head. The demons all started freaking out.

"What's going on out there?" Quartz asked as he sliced off a demon's head with a crystal sword.

"Beats me, but if it messes these guys up, I welcome it!" Haywire answered before he used his tanglewire to choke another demon.

"I hear a vehicle coming up!" Nightcat yelped as she kicked a demon into a couple more of them. "It sounds like a big one!"

"Hope it's friendly!" Haywire grumbled. "Last thing we need is a demonic car trying to run us over!"

"I was grateful that Amir wasn't with us when we encountered that demonic truck." Quartz sighed. "You know he would never have shut up with the Maximum Overdrive jokes."

"Uh, Andy? That was that truck." Haywire reminded.

"Oh, even better!" Andy groaned and rolled his eyes. Nightcat peeked out from the crystal dome, and noticed the demons outside panicking, and she saw them getting shot by lasers. She blinked.

"Guys, I think the cavalry's here."

"And on time for once." Quartz smiled gratefully. The Aegis vehicle ran over some of the demons, and Haywire couldn't help but smirk a bit.

"I would feel sorry for them, but they're demons, so I don't." The extradimensional superhuman snickered. Quartz blinked as he saw an armored man leaning out the passenger side, shooting at the demons. His helmet made it hard to see his face, but the armor's design and the sniper rifle made him east to identify.

"Hey, that's Banks." Quartz realized. Haywire blinked.

"Wow." He mumbled. "I heard Banks was known for some stunts back in the day, but...yeah." The vehicle parked in front of the dome, and the three superhumans emerged from it. Banks and the Paladin emerged from the vehicle.

"How're you kids doing?" Banks asked as the visor of his helmet went up, revealing his face.

"Fine now, thanks to you." Quartz smiled.

"Good thing you showed up, man." Haywire shook Banks's hand. Nightcat blinked at the armored Paladin, but then her eyes widened as she picked up a familiar scent.

"Ramon!" The feline metahuman singer ran up to the Paladin and gave him a hug. Ramon Rodriguez smiled as his visor went up.

"Glad to see you're okay, babe."

She gave him a kiss. "Glad to see you didn't get yourself killed."

"You too, hon." Ramon grinned. "I guess I'm just hard to take out."

"Lucky for me." Nightcat purred.

"Hope you two didn't have too much trouble getting to us." Hal hoped.

Banks shrugged. "Eh, we had some minor roadblocks, but we managed to make it through alright." Ramirez glared at him.

"Monsters sprung out of the damn road!"

"And we took care of them."

"One of them nearly ate the damn back wheel!" Ramon exclaimed.

"But it didn't." Banks smirked. "Because I shot it."

Ramon shot Banks a look. "You enjoy this, don't you?"

"The job is never dull. That's why I love it." Banks smiled and patted Ramon's shoulder.

"This isn't over." Haywire shook his head. "There's going to be more Hell raised before this night is out."

"We're doing alright so far." Quartz shrugged.

"I think I may be agreeing with Haywire on this one." Nightcat shuddered. "Something's got my hackles raised."

"Some kind of cat thing, hon?" Nightcat nodded an affirmative to Ramon's question.

"Yup. I think so."

"If something big is coming, how will we deal with it?" Quartz asked with a bit of worry.

"By working together." Banks said. "On this night, it's likely supernatural. We'll need the Ghostbusters' help for this one."

Aegis HQ

"Thank you for coming, Jerry." Price smiled, shaking the Inhuman private detective's hand. It took Price a second to remind herself that this Jerry was not the same one from her native timeline. Price knew the Jerry Chang of her timeline. In the original universe Aegis came from, Jerry was a teenager. Here, he was an adult who clearly had quite an interesting life despite his seeming youth.

"You're welcome." The detective answered.

"I trust the trip was uneventful?"

"The trip itself was. The arrival was...eventful." Jerry recalled.

"Well, I'm glad you're alright. How did your case go?"

"Better than expected." Jerry answered, a smile on his face. "The malefactor was caught, lives were saved, and justice was served. For me, that's the best part of the job."

"It is." Price looked over at the Outlaw Star crew as Jerry walked off. Scott noticed the Chinese-American man walking by.

"Where are you going?"

"The kitchen." Jerry explained. "I want to make a sandwich. Why?"

"Just curious." Scott shrugged. He held up a small candy bar. "I got a couple protein bars. You want one instead? More convenient."

"No, thank you." Jerry shook his head. "I can't stand those things. They always taste terrible to me."

"This one is actually pretty good." Scott said. "You sure?"

"Yes, thank you." Jerry continued on his way. Meanwhile, Rosalind Price had introduced herself to the Outlaw Star's crew.

"Thanks for taking the guys over, Captain Starwind. I really appreciate it." Price shook the space cowboy sorcerer's hand.

"It's Doctor Starwind, Price." Gene smiled, tipping his hat.

"Portland is such a beautiful city. I saw holoimages of it, but in person is breathtaking." Melfina complimented.

"Halloween is really not the best time for sightseeing. We had to evacuate the city because of the demonic craziness."

"A wise decision." Suzuka said.

"Is there any food in this place?" Aisha asked, rubbing her stomach.

"You just ate an hour ago!" Jim exclaimed.

"C'tarl metabolism." Aisha shrugged.

"I doubt all the food on Earth could fill that bottomless pit you call a stomach." Jim grumbled.

"You're just mad I beat you in that hot dog contest." Aisha teased.

"You cheated! You and your bloody C'tarl metabolism!" Jim snapped at the smugly-smirking Aisha.

"You were not even supposed to be in that particular contest, anyway." Melfina reminded.

"Not in that particular one, anyway." Suzuka added.

"You were afraid of losing to that Saiyan." Jim smirked. Aisha hissed.

"A soldier of the C'tarl Empire fears no one, little vermin."

"DON'T YOU CALL ME THAT, YOU-!" Jim tried to lunge at the C'tarl woman, but found himself held back by a certain Kryptonian woman.

"Knock it off!" Kara Zor-El snapped as and Dino-Thor pushed the two away from each other.

"Aye." Dino-Thor agreed. "This internal strife is just what our enemy desires. We must stand united if we are to be triumphant against the malefactors running rampant this day."

"Is there a problem here?" Price glared at the two.

"Naw." Aisha smirked. "Just having a little fun."

Jim took a breath. "Alright, Supergirl. I'm cool. Let me go." The Kryptonian woman slowly obeyed. "I just don't like being called 'vermin'..." Jim glared at Aisha. "...and she knows it."

"Knock it off, Clan Clan." Price ordered the feline alien.

"Agh! Hey!" Aisha yelped as she felt someone smack her upside the head. She glared at Suzuka as she rubbed her head. "Seriously?"

"You asked for it."

Aisha grumbled as she rubbed her head. "Where's the kitchen?" The alien woman asked. Price rolled her eyes and pointed it out to the C'tarl woman. "Thank you!"

"I'm the lady and the dinosaur on this one." Gene added. "We can't squabble like this." He noticed that Scott was leaning against the wall. He was still in his Rider armor, but his helmet was on a table nearby, his optic blasting eyes kept in check by his visor. His head was down. "Hey Eye-beams! You alright back there?" Scott looked up.

"Oh, I'm fine. I was just thinking." The mutant answered, a small smile on his face. "And I just had a realization."

"About what?" Kara asked.

"Does this town have its own Ghostbusters?"

"Many major cities have their own franchise." Price answered. "Why?"

"Because we may need their help." Scott answered. "Have you been in contact with them?"

"Of course." Price nodded. "They're in Northwest Portland right now."

"Is that where all those art galleries are?" Melfina asked. Price nodded. "I was kind of hoping we'd go see them if we ever came here. As well as those beautiful gardens."

"Yeah, Portland has some beautiful gardens, too." Kara told the bio-droid. She then noticed someone was missing. "Hey, where's Jerry?"

"He went to the kitchen." Scott explained. "He wanted to make himself a sandwich." True to the mutant's statement, the Inhuman cryokinetic was making a sandwich. His sandwich was a personal favorite: A "triple-decker", as he liked to call it. He took three slices of whole wheat bread, and put some ham, salami, turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mustard in it. He then put the sandwich on a dish, poured out a glass of milk, and went to the table to chow down. He put the sandwich to his open mouth.

"Well, well, well." Jerry's eyes moved to a smirking Aisha, leaning at the doorway. "A snack enjoying a snack." The Inhuman detective sighed.

"What do you want, Clan Clan?" Jerry asked, trying to keep his annoyance out of his face.

"Just thought I'd grab myself something to eat." Aisha sauntered to the fridge. "What's in here?"

"I've heard a lot about the C'tarl appetite." Jerry grumbled. "I doubt Aegis will be able to adequately feed you."

"That dinosaur hangs out with you guys, so I think they can handle me." The grinning alien catgirl pulled out a big slab of meat from the fridge. "See?"

"That's Dino-Thor's mutton." Jerry told her. "Put that back. He gets...annoyed when people eat his mutton."

"Fine, whatever." Aisha put the mutton back. She then sauntered over to Jerry as he was eating his sandwich. "Whatcha eating?"

"It's a sandwich."

"You like your...sandwich?"

"I take it C'tarls have never heard of sandwiches."

"Actually, sandwiches were among the first bits of Earth culture that C'tarls picked up." Aisha explained. "We discovered they were very convenient food."

"And that you can devour them right quick." Jerry deduced.

"That helps." She took a seat on the table. "So, what're your plans after this?"

"...why do you want to know?" The cryokinetic Inhuman asked, completely puzzled.

"Call me curious." Aisha smiled. "After all, you Terrans like to say that about cats."

"About cats, not C'tarls." Jerry said.

"Still, what you plan to do after this crisis?"

"Me?" Jerry rubbed his chin in thought, then ate some of his sandwich. "Work on another case."

"That's it?" Aisha cocked her head. Jerry shrugged and continued eating his sandwich. "You just work cases all the time?"

"I also enjoy reading and video games in my spare time."

"Must be lonely." Aisha scooted closer. "Ever thought about having a little...female company?"

"It's...not a priority at the moment." Jerry mumbled, his cheeks reddening. The feline alien opened her mouth, but the Inhuman detective was quick to continue. "And before you ask, no, it's not because I share my predecessor's immunity to feminine wiles."

"Ah, right." Aisha remembered that Jerry Chang was the second Iceman. The original was the one who was gay. "I'm sure that leads to some...awkwardness."

"Only with stupid people. You have to have a special kind of idiocy to confuse a straight Chinese-American and a gay white man."

"I see." Aisha snickered. "I take it those X-Men humans weren't too happy with an Inhuman using one of 'their' names." She knew that some alts of the X-Men hated Inhumans.

"Not in my old reality." Jerry recalled. "But then again, my timeline suffered no Terrigen Crisis. There were clouds floating around, but they suddenly didn't become poisonous to mutants." Jerry had heard about it from some alts of his fellow Inhumans and X-Men, and he found the whole thing...a mass of insanity. One Deadpool alt called it "half-assed writing", but Jerry thought he was insane, too. Typical of Deadpool alts. All crazy in their own way.

"I'll bet." Aisha went back to the fridge. She found a package of hot dogs. Licking her lips, the feline alien opened the bag and started to eat the meaty links. Jerry shot her a disturbed look. "What?"

"Has no one told you that you are supposed to cook those?"

Aisha blinked. "You cook these? They're delicious raw!"

"They're not meant to be eaten raw! You boil or grill them!" Jerry exclaimed. Aisha blinked at the Inhuman like he was from outer space.

"You humans are weird."

"We don't like the idea of getting botulism." Jerry grumbled.

"...what's botulism?" Aisha blinked.

"An illness mainly caught by poor food preparation." Jerry explained. "It's caused by a toxin produced by a bacteria called clostridium botulinum."

"Oh."

"It can kill a human. Fortunately, it's a rare thing."

"Mm...well..." Aisha smirked. "This bacteria has never encountered the immune system of a C'tarl C'tarl. We can handle many Earth diseases."

Jerry frowned. "Is that true, or is that more hyperbole from you?"

"You sure do like your big words, Chang."

"I like to read." Jerry shrugged.

"What do you like to read, those books that are full of words and their meanings?" Aisha frowned.

"...Dictionaries. You mean dictionaries, right?"

"Yeahhhh, you really need to get laid." Aisha chuckled.

"As I said, it's not a priority at the moment."

Aisha smirked. "Maybe you should change your priorities."

"I'm fine."

"I'm just sayin'." She took a seat next to Jerry. "A nice lady in your life would work wonders for you."

"And I take it you want to take up that role."

"What made you deduce that?"

"I may not be very good at understanding social situations, but I'm not an idiot. Why me?"

Aisha scooted closer. "Why not?"

"I am not a toy."

"Well, there's another reason."

"...okay..."

"You fascinate me, Chang." Aisha admitted. "You have incredible power, but barely use it to its full potential."

"Too many superhumans tend to be overly dependent on their powers. I wish to buck that trend."

"But what's the point of having power if you don't use it?"

"As I said, you can grow dependent on it." Jerry finished off his sandwich. "And that's dangerous. Not to mention that there are people out there who would have no qualms using power to hurt others because they can. That is why Rosalind Price formed Aegis in the first place."

"So, you're afraid you'll be like them?"

"...I'm more afraid of the addicting aspects of my power than going evil." Jerry admitted. "Don't you ever think about that?"

"Please." Aisha scoffed. "I am an immortal warrior of the C'tarl C'tarl Empire. To us, power is nothing to fear."

"That explains a lot about you, Miss Clan Clan." Jerry put his plate in the sink and walked out of the room.

Elsewhere in Aegis HQ

Kara Zor-El stared up at the crimson skies over the the city of Portland out the large clear window. She was sitting on a cushioned ledge, sloughed against the wall, one of her legs on the ledge. The Kryptonian woman couldn't help but shudder a bit at the sight of it. Her body may have been mighty, but her mind was just as vulnerable as anyone else's. She found herself recalling the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths...and her death. A chill went down her spine as the memories of her battle against the Anti-Monitor came to her mind.

"Penny for your thoughts?" A voice asked. Kara turned around and saw Scott walking towards her, Dino-Thor right behind him. Scott was still in his blue-and-yellow Kamen Rider uniform, his helmet under his arm.

"Oh, was I being a bother?" Kara asked in concern.

"No, Dino-Thor and I were talking some of the threats we could be facing when we saw you sitting there." Scott explained. "We were wondering if you were alright."

"Aye. You do seem troubled, fair lady." Dino-Thor agreed. "If something troubles you, perhaps talking about it may help you. Ease the burden, as it were."

"Eh, I don't see why not." Kara sighed. "It's just...the sky."

"Ah yeah, tends to mean Crises on your world, huh?" Scott recalled. Kara nodded.

"Yes. At least..." Kara sighed. "When the skies turned red back on my old Earth, it was not just a sign of a Crisis, it was the sign of a Crisis the likes of which we had never known. We had threats that encompassed multiple Earths, but..." She shook her head. "Nothing like it before. The Crises before that one involved usually only two or three alternate Earths. But this one..."

"I was for all the marbles." Scott realized.

"I saw a wall of anti-matter consume things and people. Nothing was safe from it." Kara continued. "We attacked the being causing it in its home dimension. I was one of the many heroes there to combat it." She frowned. "I volunteered to hold the line so the other heroes could escape."

"You stood alone against the Anti-Monitor." Dino-Thor recalled. "A noble sacrifice."

"Yeah." Kara sighed. "And...I have nightmares about it."

"Nightmares?" Dino-Thor blinked.

"She died fighting that thing, Dino-Thor." Scott explained. "That can leave some mental scars. I should know."

"Seeing those skies...It's brought the memories back." Kara said. "I...I can still feel the Anti-Monitor's energy blast ripping into my body. I remember the feeling of my body shutting down in my cousin's arms. I have this fuzzy memory of talking to a dead man...and then I woke up here, confused and alive."

"I don't blame you, Kara." Scott said. "Dying, and then waking up in the Coreline...it can mess with your head."

"Sometimes, I wake up screaming." Kara put her knees up to her chest. "I see the Anti-Monitor blasting me. It's so vivid. I wake up screaming for him to not blast me again." Tears came down her eyes. "I get so scared to go to sleep, because I know the nightmare will come back." Dino-Thor scowled as he looked up at the sky.

"If that monster returns, Kara...I promise you, I shall slay him brutally."

Oh, God...the red skies must be a bit of a trigger for her. Scott noted. "Kara..."

"I'm scared. I'm so scared." Kara whimpered. "What if he comes back? I came back...so can he. I...I can't face him again. I can't."

"Kara!" Scott ran up to Kara and put his hands on her shoulder. "Kara! Kara, listen to me! He may not come back."

"Aye. And if he does..." A smirking Dino-Thor smacked his hand with his hammer. "He may find himself facing resistance the likes of which he never encountered."

"You can't beat him, Dino-Thor. No one can." Kara said. "You'd be insane to take him alone."

"There's no guarantee that he'll come back, Kara." Scott tried to reassure the blonde Kryptonian.

"But he could." Kara said. "And if he comes here...I can't face him."

"If he comes, we'll find a way to beat him, Kara." Scott said. "You should talk to the psychiatrist about this. It should help."

"Yeah, I have been." Kara nodded in assurance. "It has helped a bit."

Scott nodded in approval. "Good. You should keep doing it." You know, when you see people as powerful as Supergirl, you can tend to forget that their minds can be just as vulnerable as their bodies are strong... the sound of thumping interrupted their reverie. "The hell?"

"W-what?" Kara mumbled. The three heroes looked out the window, and what they saw made their jaws drop.

They saw a large monster, a blue-skinned single-eyed biped creature that stood several stories tall. It made a gurgling noise and started consuming a nearby building. Its stomach was transparent, allowing the three to see it digest the matter it consumed.

"Ugh, that thing is ugly as sin." Scott winced.

"What dark forces could spawn such a creature?" Dino-Thor blinked.

"Looks like something out of an obscure 80s cartoon." Scott noted.

"I...think you're right, Scott." Kara said. "I've seen that before thanks to Amir's DVD collection. It's called a Gagoyle. And it is from an 80s cartoon."

"Wonderful. Do we have anything what this thing does?"

"All I know is that I have no desire to be eaten by it." Kara winced.

"We have to stop that creature." Dino-Thor reminded. "It will consume this hamlet if we do not."

"Right. Grab the others." Scott ordered. The saurian God of Thunder headed out. He looked at Kara. "Hey Kara, you don't have to fight that thing with us if you don't want to. We'll figure out another way to..."

The Kryptonian blonde shook her head. "It's alright." A small smile formed on her face. "Besides, I think I need to punch something right now. And that thing just volunteered." Scott smiled.

"Right. Let's get down there." I'll have to get my armor's computer to give me any info its got on this 'Gagoyle' thing. Knowledge is power, after all, and any info on this thing will be useful...

Northwest Portland

KA-ZAP!

A proton stream vaporized another demon. Rachel Unglighter, clad in a neon blue Ghostbusters jumpsuit, smirked.

"One down, another twenty thousand to go." She said. She then zapped a few more demons with her proton cannon. One ran away, panting as it approached an alley. The demon then heard a snarling noise.

"Huh?" The demon looked in the alley and saw a pair of yellow glowing eyes glaring at him. "Uh..." The owner of the eyes then marched towards the demon, making its own eyes widen. The tall black werewolf snarled at the demon.

"Uh...hi." The demon grinned nervously at the creature. "You're a pretty doggy. You want a bone?" The werewolf shot the demon an unimpressed look. He raised a paw, which the demon noticed had some strange device over it, complete with metal claws that crackled with boson energy. "Oh. You're going to kill me, aren't you." The werewolf nodded.

SMASH!

The werewolf's paw came down on the demon, the boson-charged claws ripping it to pieces. Rachel ran up to the creature.

"How's it going up there, Kessler?"

"Fine and not fine." David Kessler rumbled out, his voice deep and intimidating. "I've cleared out some of those monsters in that nearby plaza, but more keep coming." Five years ago, the American college student turned werewolf found himself waking up in the Coreline's Portland, confused, terrified, and vaguely remembering getting shot up in London. Rachel Unglighter found him, and brought him to the Portland Ghostbusters' HQ. Here in the Coreline, lycanthropy had become less of a problem for its sufferers. Thanks to some connections she had, Kessler was able to understand and master his cursed form. Now, he was able to transform at will, and even retain his mind and personality in his wolfman form. "I hate Halloweens here. I don't think I'll ever get used to this."

"Even after five years and you getting furry under full moons?" Rachel smirked. The two heard a rumbling. "The hell?" The two turned and saw a demonic truck charging at them.

"GONNA RUN YOU DOWN! FIFTY POINTS, BEYOTCH!"

"Demon trucks." David grumbled. "I hate demon trucks."

"You get grumbly about everything in your werewolf form." Rachel teased. David shrugged.

"My inner wolf hated everything. I guess it rubbed off on me." A pair of demons watched this exchange and fled to an alley.

"We should be safe here! As long as they don't see us!" One of them said.

"Yeah!" The other demon nodded in agreement. "God, that big wolf thing was scary!"

"I know! We're supposed to be the scary ones!" The first demon panted. The two demons heard chuckling. They looked at each other in confusion. "Huh?" They turned to the darkness in the alley. A pair of glowing yellow eyes peered down at them, making the demons' own eyes widen.

"What is that?!" One of the demons exclaimed. They saw green-and-yellow lightning race up and down a katana blade.

"Your death." The eyes' owner answered. The blade then whipped into the air.

SLASH! SLASH!

The energy-charged katana sliced into the demons, cutting them up into small pieces. The blade's owner then walked out into the light. She was an African-American teenage girl, her long dark hair combed to one side to show her head was partially shaved, and she wore hoop earrings. Her eyes' yellow glow faded, revealing her eyes to be a golden brown. She wore a gray and white Ghostbusters jumpsuit with red highlights and the name "Grey" on the nametag. Her outfit had a proton pack on the back that was connected to a pistol holstered on her left hip. Her right hip had a scabbard.

Blade II. Real Name: Fallon Grey. Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan. Physiology: Dhampir (Human-Vampire hybrid). Affiliation: Ghostbusters. Powers and Abilities: Superhuman strength, speed, senses, agility, reflexes, reaction time. Dhampic nature makes traditional vampire weaknesses ineffectual.

Fallon was the daughter of the legendary British vampire hunter born Eric Brooks, but known as Blade. Like her father, she was a dhampir, a being with all the power and strength of the vampire, but none of the weaknesses. However, unlike her father, she didn't just specialize in fighting vampires, but all sorts of supernatural menaces. Which made her a perfect fit for Rachel Unglighter's Ghostbuster team. She saw a coupe more demons leap off a roof, whipped out her Proton Pistol, and started shooting

FZAM! FZAM! FZAM! FZAM!

The demons got vaporized in a blast of proton energy. Fallon nodded with a smirk.

"Heh. If Dad could see me now..." The dhampir chuckled as she twirled her gun. A group of demons roared as they charged at her. "Oh, look." A grin formed on her face, and her fangs gleamed.

BOOM!

A large figure clad in blue ninja garb landed in front of the demons. The garb had black metal shoulderpads with the Ghostbusters logo on them, and on the back of the outfit. The figure whipped out a pair of nunchucks, which glowed with proton power.

KRACKL! KRACKL!

The robotic ninja smashed the demons with the nunchucks, which made them crumble to dust. He turned to Fallon, his eyes glowing yellow. They were the only parts of his face that were visible.

"Thanks, Ninja. But I had it handled."

Before coming to the Coreline, Ninja was one of three robotic warriors created to help free his world from a brutal dictatorship. Now, he had been heavily modified for fighting ghosts and mosters as part of Coreline Portland's Ghostbuster team.

"Hai." The robotic warrior said, his voice being Japanese-accented with an electronic lit to it. "But the demons must be dealt with as efficiently as possible." More demons came at the two, but Ninja pointed an outstretched hand at them. His hand expanded and folded itself into a cannon. The weapon's nozzle started to glow with multicolored proton energy.

ZORCH!

The cannon released a powerful stream of protonic energy that slammed into the demons, scattering some and vaporizing others. "They are quite weak on their own." (A/N: In case you're wondering, this is a character from the 1994 video game Ninja Warriors)

"Yeah, but the bastards are big in numbers." Fallon grumbled. She noticed that Rachel and David ran towards them. David was back in his human form, wearing a dark red and brown Ghostbuster jumpsuit (His jumpsuit was designed to change with him), his energy claw apparatus still on his hands and wrists. "What's going on, boss?"

"We got a call. Some strange disturbance in a greenhouse nearby." Rachel explained.

"They claim it's some kind of smog monster, killing the plants there." David added.

"Isn't that a little out of our territory?" Fallon frowned. "That doesn't sound like something supernatural. Can't Aegis take care of it?"

"We should not neglect this." Ninja advised sagely. "We may be able to help calm the situation until Aegis can handle it properly."

"The robot's right." Rachel nodded. "We're nearby. We can take a look. Let's go." The Ghostbusters went to their version of Ecto-1, which was a 2000 Dodge B-series van. Thanks to Coreline tech, the van used a tessaract system to make it bigger on the inside, which allowed it to have a mobile lab and even accommodations so they can go camping. The group drove to the source of the call. Rachel's jaw dropped from the driver's seat. "What...is that thing?"

"I think I've seen it somewhere before." Fallon blinked.

"A most unusual creature." Ninja noted.

"Oh, this is going to suck..." David facepalmed.

Well, well, well! Looks like things are getting more interesting! What insanity will happen next? Can our heroes beat the monsters? Will Aisha score a date with Jerry? Will the Ghostbusters get a taste of Toxic Love? Find out in the next chapter!