Chapter 15: The Unstoppable Force
[Main Mission: Defuse the energy device and apprehend Jason. Reward: 500 Coins, 1 Legendary Gu. Side Mission: Protect civilians in the vicinity. Reward: 100 Coins.]
The warehouse Jason was holed up in was a scene straight out of a supervillain's fever dream. The air crackled with a dangerous, purple energy. The building itself seemed to warp and twist at the edges, a testament to the power of the device he was building. And on the rooftop, civilians in the neighboring building were starting to panic, a chaotic mob of people staring at the strange light show.
"Okay, so the vacuum cleaner for people is now a vacuum cleaner for reality. And it's a bright, glowy, very noticeable vacuum cleaner. This is not subtle. We went from 'heist' to 'inter-dimensional catastrophe' in a single, incredibly stupid step. Nice."
Our mission was clear: stop the device, stop Jason, and make sure nobody got sucked into a different dimension. The team split up according to the plan I had laid out using my Strategic Gu. Frank and Ava would take out the mercenaries guarding the main entrance. Scott would try to infiltrate the device and sabotage it from within. Skye would be our eyes and ears, trying to override Jason's tech. And I would go for the head of the snake—Jason himself.
The first part of the plan went off perfectly. Frank, with his Furious Strength Gu, was an unstoppable force. He moved like a hurricane of pure, unadulterated violence, and the mercenaries were no match for him. But what was surprising was Ava. With her Tech-Warp Gu, she didn't just phase. She phased through their weapons, causing them to flicker and become useless. It was a terrifyingly elegant form of combat.
"He's panicking," Skye's voice came through the comms, a little strained. "He's trying to overload the power source. He's going to make the blast radius bigger. Scott, you need to go faster!"
Scott was a tiny blur of red, zipping through the inside of the device, dodging wires and energy blasts. "I'm trying, Skye! This thing's a mess! He's got so many fail-safes. It's like he built it to be a mess!"
Meanwhile, I had made it to Jason's control room. He was hunched over a console, his face a wild, manic combination of fear and exhilaration. He looked up at me, a sneer on his face.
"You're too late! It's going to go off! And all of you... all of you are going to be nothing!"
"Really? The 'you're too late' cliché? I mean, come on, man. Didn't you watch any movies? You never say 'you're too late' when the hero is standing right in front of you. That's just begging for a punch in the face. Or, you know, a witty remark."
"Oh, I don't know, Jason," I said, a smirk on my face. "I've seen this movie before. The hero always shows up right on time. And the villain always monologues right before they get their butt kicked. Which, by the way, is a total rookie mistake. Didn't your 'real boss' teach you that?"
My words hit him harder than any punch could have. His eyes widened, a flicker of genuine fear in them. "How... how do you know about him?"
"I know a lot of things," I said, using my Meta-Knowledge Gu to plant a seed of doubt in his mind. "I know he's using you. I know he's not coming to save you. And I know that if this device goes off, you'll be the first one to get sucked into a different dimension. Because let's be honest, you're the most volatile thing in this room, and this thing loves volatility."
His eyes darted to the device, then back to me. A look of terror washed over his face. He scrambled to his console, trying to shut it down, but it was too late. The system was locked.
"Skye, can you override it?" I yelled into the comms.
"I can't! He locked it with an analog fail-safe! I'd have to be in the room to hack it!"
I looked at the console, then at the glowing device. The energy was building, pulsing faster and faster. The walls of the warehouse were starting to ripple.
"Ava! Frank! Get out of here! Now!" I yelled into the comms.
Ava, who had just finished taking out the last of the mercenaries, phased into the room. "No. I can do this."
She started to phase through the console, trying to disrupt the circuits. But the energy from the device was too strong. She cried out in pain as her body started to flicker uncontrollably. The Gu was working, but the sheer force of the energy was overwhelming it.
Suddenly, Scott, who had finished his work on the inside, flew out of the device, now a normal size. "The core! I couldn't disable it, but I can make it unstable! If we hit it with a big enough force, it might just implode on itself!"
I looked at Frank. He was standing in the doorway, his face grim. He understood. He saw the impossible choice.
"I can't hit it alone," he said, his voice a low growl. "Not enough power."
I looked at the device, then at my team. We needed a distraction. We needed a punch that would make Thor look like a pillow fight. And I knew exactly what to do.
"Skye! I need you to find a very specific frequency. Something loud. Something... ridiculous. And play it through the comms. Now!"
I looked at the others. "Luis! Your turn! Make a distraction! A big one! Talk about... about anything! Just make noise!"
And Luis, bless his fast-talking soul, started to monologue. "Okay, so here's the thing, right? The vacuum of space-time, it's not a vacuum. It's a burrito! It's a big, cosmic burrito, and Jason here, he's just trying to put a tiny little hole in it. But you can't put a hole in a burrito, man! The filling's gonna go everywhere! The cosmic salsa, the star-beans... it's a disaster waiting to happen! It's like trying to drink a smoothie with a fork! It's the most pointless, most catastrophic thing you could ever do! And you're not even using a good fork, man! You're using a plastic one from a takeout joint!"
As Luis's voice filled the comms, a new sound came in. A high-pitched, warbling note. It was the sound of a bad dial-up modem mixed with a sci-fi ray gun. It was ridiculous, and it was perfect. The device, which was designed to suck things in, started to visibly shake, the chaotic sound and Luis's chaotic monologue creating a perfect storm of dissonance.
Frank saw his chance. He used his Furious Strength Gu, his body glowing with pure power, and he punched the core of the device. The sound was deafening. The core shattered. The energy field collapsed, a great, rushing wind sucking everything back into the center.
The last thing I saw was the look on Jason's face as he was swallowed by the implosion, a look of pure, unadulterated terror.
And then, everything went black.
Summary of the previous 5 chapters (6-10)
In the last five chapters, the team was officially formed and began to operate as a unit. Frank Castle, the Punisher, was recruited, and his brutal, no-nonsense methods created a point of friction with the more idealistic Skye, who valued preserving life and following a code. Their dynamic was a chaotic but effective contrast, with Frank providing raw power and a cold, tactical mindset, while Skye provided the technological and moral compass. The team, now five members strong, took on their first mission together, successfully stopping a small-time criminal who was a former Hydra agent. The mission, while a success, was messy and highlighted the team's disparate personalities, from Luis's fast-talking monologues to Scott's shrinking abilities. Adam had to act as the mediator and team leader, navigating the complex personalities and making sure they all worked together. The team also underwent a series of training sessions, with Adam guiding them and Frank teaching them brutal combat techniques. During one of these sessions, Frank, with his Furious Strength Gu, accidentally broke a wall, which led to one of Luis's famous, funny one-liners. The chapters established the team's chaotic but effective dynamic, their individual roles, and their potential for growth as a found family.