T'challa and Reed had not been idle either, working alongside several dozen lesser-known top minds, they all scrambled for ways to generate more energy quicker or cut down on what was required to pull more through. By the time the new arrivals to this planet had been gathered by their allies and two were directed to this location by an off-duty scientist, they had succeeded. What's more, they had managed to use the first pull through test run to better adjust their systems, allowing them to bring any others directly to them, sparing them the risk of losing any allies they already had, simply for retrieval.
"I'm aware you all must have many questions."
Reed looked out among the various gathered superhumans, a motley bunch indeed. Pulled from various worlds and realities. His scanner was only able to pick up on basic physiology and power-sets among them, not the stories behind them.
"Just one moment." He added, setting a pair of goggles over his eyes and making a few last minute adjustments with elongated fingers.
"I'd advise turning away." He warned, before starting the activation process. A bright, almost blinding light filled the room. When it faded, among the group stood several people who had not been there before. Monet St Croix, Scott Lang, Jennifer Walters and Lincoln Campbell. "
Hrm. Not as big this time, but that does fit with the more rushed nature." Reed took off his goggles and sighed.
"Explanations are due, I understand. Allow me to preface this by saying we wouldn't have pulled you through and certainly not in this manner, were the situation of our Earth not so dire. Now bear with me through this admittedly lengthy explanation, if you can."
He stepped forward, removing his lab coat as well and tossing it aside.
"Our Earth was ushered into an apocalyptic event years ago, though we would not know about it for some time. Frank Castle, working as he always does, went off a tip of a local mafia smuggling in portable WMDs. Ambushing the site, he found there were none but he did allow for the release of Survivor 118. A known experimental chemical, built for allowing people to adapt to surviving contaminated and even irradiated environments. Hit with a rather large dose himself, the Punisher was heavily sick for a few days in his own words, before proceeding as normal. The rest...seeped into the New York City water supply, unknown and undetected by most."
"Life went on as normal as it ever was for about a year following this incident. Finally, one morning, we were given the first sign that all was not normal. After a fight with the Rhino that found its' way into a crowded stadium, Patient Zero ate the Rhino on live television. I, alongside my wife Susan Storm, brother in law Johnny Storm and best friend Ben Grimm were able to subdue him and bring him back to a custom cell where he stayed under constant supervision. His...behavior had changed dramatically. He stuck to the shadows, lurking, growling. Staring at us the way a hungry predator would. I brought together this world's smartest minds. Myself, T'Challa-" He gestured at Panther.
"-Hank Pym and Hank McCoy, in an attempt to figure out what had happened."
"We found that his DNA had been entirely rewritten. Such a process is slow, which accounted for that time. It left him as...well, I imagine what some of you have already run into. With him in lockup, we proceeded again, shelving this as an isolated incident." Reed shook his head.
"It was not. Soon after, we got reports of another devouring upwards of 20 people in an expensive restaurant. One could almost say that was akin to a grenade being pulled, as cases began to pop up at an alarming rate."
"In studying the effects and the numbers of cases, Hank Pym theorized that this was not a spreading affliction, but more the symptoms of a pre-existing condition. What he meant was that many were already infected and it would only be a matter of time before some would turn. With each new case, that seemed to become less theory and more truth. This plague did not spread through bites or the contact of infected body fluids, as zombie movies would have you believe. It was a slow gradual change, started by Survivor 118 and spread through our water. By the time we realized this, the world descended into chaos."
"Ben Grimm and Hank McCoy turned while among us in my lab. Ben freed Patient Zero, who along with McCoy, proceeded to kill and devour Hank Pym. My lab was no longer secure, so we had to move our operations. The streets were heavy with fighting, infected superhumans such as the Hulk, Magneto, Electro and others causing massive damage to the city's infrastructure. The importance of the remaining minds could not be understated and so it came to be that our escort, made up of a large number of superhumans/vigilantes still on our side had to hold one of the bridges out of New York against a horde of the infected, led by the Hulk. The fight that ensued claimed many lives but we were free and clear. We relocated twice, trying to stay out of the reach of the infected. We were remarkably successful, choosing this remote locale for our operation. We continued our search for a cure."
Reed paused for a few silent moments.
"The world outside our lab, however, was not as lucky. Numbers dwindled, each person we lost becoming one that they gained. That and how unexpected it was in the first place, it was all but assured that any fighting through physical means in the streets was pointless. Containing this outbreak was not feasible. Militaries crumbled, the last stand of the New York National Guard took place on Coney Island...the fight lasted 3 days. So many succumbed until now...now the only superheroes we know of number below thirty." He looked at them all after this.
"So we come to you."
"We pulled you to us, because we needed help. I apologize in the manner that we did, but if I have to do it again, I will. You have not been exposed to this plague as some of us still around have. Moreover, we have studied this in great, agonizing detail. While a cure to reverse this is still long-term, our studies of infected and uninfected have allowed us to develop a vaccine that should give you immunization to the effects in the case that one of you comes into contact with infected source material."
"In short, we pulled you here to do what heroes do best. Save the world."
He hesitated, before proceeding with another scan to determine who had come through power-wise and how useful they are.
- Hawkeye, one of the few on the planet who had been naturally immune.
- Another who possessed a cybernetic body, also immune.
- A Deadpool female, with a healing factor giving her resistance.
- Daredevil of a different kind, seemingly having been exposed to the Terrigen mists of the Inhumans. Uncertain ability.
- Hercules, the god of strength himself. A heavy hitter and good advantage.
- Another who Reed did not recognize from appearance but based off scans and reports from Pietro, she possessed a long-range teleportation ability. Highly useful for quick escapes.
- A mutant, one with the most versatile power set in the group. Strength, Flight, Telepathy, Telekinesis, Healing...well rounded.
- An unknown individual, wearing Hank Pym's Ant-Man suit. Pym Particles for size shifting.
- An electromagnetic manipulator likewise unknown to him
- She-Hulk, another heavy hitter with regeneration
- Someone who looked remarkably like Mary Jane Watson but...there was some unknown energy carried with her
- One who's genetic structure seemed a match for...huh.
Reed find himself looking at her in great detail while T'Challa finally spoke up.
"Any questions?"
@Hospes @Ringmaster @Indolent @Schnee Corp Lawyer @OrlandoBloomers @Gands @Michale CS @TheTechnologicVampire @thatguyinthestore @The Wanderer @LuckycoolHawk9