The DC/Marvel Adventures Episode 1:
Changes
Scene: The Watchtower’s Hangar. Iceman, Marvel Girl, and Wonder Woman are loading things into a Javelin. Superman flies up.
Superman:
Are we ready to go?
Marvel Girl:
Not quite. This is the Javelin that Sinestro blasted last night. We have to replace the lower hull.
Superman:
I’ll do it.
Marvel Girl disappears back into the Javelin.
Flash zips up.
Flash:
Going on a mission?
Superman:
Talks to Flash as he fixes up the bottom of the Javelin at Super Speed periodically pausing to weld parts in place with heat vision.
Yep.
Flash:
On Earth?
Superman:
Yep.
Flash:
I’ll race you there.
Superman:
Sorry… it’s just a sweep of Latveria. We’re actually already overbooked for this one.
Flash:
O…k. Is there anything I could do?
Superman:
You could be on standby here at the Watchtower.
Flash:
Oh come on. There’s no missions for me?
Superman:
Not really.
Flash:
Gestures to Mr. Fantastic, Atom, Martian Manhunter and Iron Man who are loading the Fantasticar with equipment in front of a negative zone portal.
What about them?
Superman:
They’re looking for chemical samples in the negative zone.
Flash:
I could do that.
Superman:
How are you at Interdimensional Biophysics?
Flash:
Ok, so I can’t do that. Isn’t there some other mission?
Superman:
Honestly, Flash, we’ve got everything just about covered for this week.
Flash:
Man, I hate this expanded league. There’s never anything to freakin’ do around here! Can I at least help you with this Javelin stuff.
Superman:
Finishes up with the Javelin:
Actually, I’m done.
Flash:
Aw for the love of…
Superman:
Hmmm… follow me.
He zips out of the room and Flash follows. They enter the monitoring room at super speed and Superman clicks on a news broadcast from Washington. Numerous government officials are gathered behind Snapper Carr on the White House lawn.
Snapper Carr:
The energy here in Washington is palpable as officials prepare for this morning’s Presidential Inauguration. We’ve been told that security has been doubled due to suspicion of a terrorist attack…
Superman clicks it off.
Superman:
Captain America, and a few others are there as a security measure. It’s probably nothing, but you could join them if you want.
Flash:
Well gee, that sounds important.
Superman:
Ahem…
Feigning urgency:
Flash! The President is in danger, and only the fasted man alive can react in time to protect him!
Flash glares at Superman and smirks.
Flash:
Not funny, Supes.
He speeds off and ends up on top of the White House roof where Phoenix is surveying the crowd.
Phoenix:
Without seeing him:
Hi, Flash.
Flash:
Superman sent me.
Phoenix:
I was kindof expecting you.
Flash:
Says you guys could use a hand.
Phoenix:
Turns and gives him a doubtful look:
You know the situation?
Flash:
Terrorist threat.
Phoenix:
Someone sent the White House a message. Said not even the combined armed forces of three countries could keep him from disrupting the ceremony. It wasn’t a threat. It was a challenge.
Flash:
Yeesh, a claim that bold it’s gotta be a hoax.
Phoenix:
And if it‘s not?
Captain America:
Over intercom:
If it’s not we sincerely make them regret their nerve.
Cuts to Cap who is keeping an eye out from the other side of the Whitehouse lawn as Steve Rogers.
Seen anything suspicious yet?
Phoenix:
Nothing yet.
Captain America:
Hawkgirl?
Cuts to Hawkgirl who is perched on the Washington Monument:
Hawkgirl:
Everything’s quiet up here too.
Cuts back to Phoenix:
Phoenix:
Neither the Secret Service or the Military have any new leads yet either.
Flash:
How do you know?
Phoenix:
Her eyes flare.
I know.
Flash:
Um, isn‘t that kindof abusing your powers?
Phoenix:
It‘s for their own good, the better informed we are the better we‘ll be able to protect them.
Down below the Inauguration ceremony is beginning.
Flash:
Well if anything’s going to happen… now’s the time to be ready.
Down below the President Elect is being sworn into office.
President:
I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend--
There is a malfunctioning in the acoustics and suddenly there is some very loud feedback, the sound equipment on the stage starts to vibrate and spark and the President’s microphone snaps in two.
Cuts to Hawkgirl who spies a very large metallic sphere hurtling towards the White House. She gives chase.
Hawkgirl:
We’ve got incoming!
Captain America opens his jacket revealing his costume and rushes towards the stage as Phoenix and Flash stand poised at the edge of the roof. The Metallic Sphere Crashes into the front of the stage, Flash races by to push innocents out of its path of destruction. Captain America flips over it and lands between the sphere and the President ready to fight but his shield is yanked into the wall of the White House and him along with it. The Sphere opens and Magneto emerges.
Phoenix:
Oh no…
Magneto:
Good morning Mr. President Elect.
President:
Magneto?!
Hawkgirl flies up and unleashes a Battle Cry as she prepares to whack Magneto from behind. Magneto waves his hand casually not even turning his head in her direction and Hawkgirl is launched away. She lands next to Cap. The two get back up only to see their weapons flying towards them. Cuts back to Magneto as sound effects of Cap and Hawkgirl being beaten by their own weapons are heard. Her Mace returns with Cap’s shield and orbits around Magento as he turns around and pulls the cameras onto him. Secret Service members and soldiers are swarming the area, He pulls their guns away from them and beats them with the butts of their own firearms as he addresses the cameras.
America, today you have all tuned in to celebrate the election of a new leader. I am here to imform you that that leader shall be me.
Opening Theme.
Montage of Magneto on TV in various locations, including the Watchtower, in the streets, in schools, etc. He now has the President Elect entangled in metal pipes and has destroyed all of the military’s guns which are floating around the stage in pieces.
Magneto:
A new era is dawning. An era of Evolution. An era for those of us who are innately superior to cast away the archaic shackles imposed by the dying breed of insects known as human beings. My mutant and superhuman brothers and sisters, this country, this planet, is ours. I invite you all to join me this day and blaze a trail of glory…
Cuts to the roof.
Flash:
I think I’ve heard enough.
Flash is about to race down and attack him but Phoenix lifts him with her telekinesis restraining him.
Phoenix:
Not yet.
Flash:
You kidding? This guy’s a total nut job he’ll--
Phoenix:
You saw how quickly he took out Cap and Hawkgirl. As long as he’s talking he’s not hurting anyone. And as long as we stay inconspicuous we still have the element of surprise.
Flash:
Can’t you just shut down his mind or something?
Phoenix:
No, his helmet protects him from psionic attack.
Cuts back to Magneto’s speech. Throughout his speech periodic cuts to the roof show Phoenix growing angrier and angrier.
Magneto:
…For those of you unfortunate enough to be born as genetic flatscans, the time has come to fall into submission. Now I am not an unreasonable man, I refuse to punish an entire country for the mistakes of a handful of bigoted and corrupt leaders. Only those who are known perpetrators of mutant hate crimes and those who resists the new order will be executed. Those who comply will be sterilized to prevent the spread of their inferior genes. They will then be permitted to live out the remaining days of their Neanderthal race beneath us.
Magneto’s last comment sends Phoenix over the edge, she bursts into a giant flaming Phoenix that lights up the sky above the White House.
Flash:
So much for inconspicuous.
Magneto turns to face Phoenix as she Flies towards him. He sends all of his accumulated metal from the military’s weapons at her but she counters him with a massive telekinetic blast. Magneto concentrates harder and Phoenix stains to hold off the onslaught of metallic projectiles.
Magneto:
Phoenix. I figured I’d find at least one of Xavier’s brood here. I heard you all up and joined the Justice League. Your devotion to the enemy has evoked a new level of disgust from me.
Phoenix:
Homo Sapiens aren’t the enemy, Magneto.
Magneto:
That’s what Charles taught you, yes. But at the very least the X-Men had always been in the service of mutant-kind.
Phoenix:
No, the X-Men were about keeping peace. And here I am fighting you again so it looks like nothing’s really changed has it? Well…
Her eyes flare and her telekinesis flares up breaking Magneto’s magnetic field and flinging metal everywhere. Magneto fall backwards and his concentration lapses.
…a few things have changed.
While Magneto is dazed Flash races by and grabs the president, Cap’s Shield, and Hawkgirl’s Mace. He drops the president off at the Pentagon, gives Hawkgirl and Cap their weapons back as they wake up from their daze then rushes back towards the stage. He charges Magneto who flings a steel girder at him. Phoenix catches him with Telekinesis. Magneto gets back up and hovers into the air.
Magneto:
I offer unparalleled peace and prosperity to both Mutants and Superhumans, and this is my thanks? So be it.
To the Camera:
Watch as your saviors die one by one.
Captain America’s shield smashes through the camera.
Captain America:
Show’s over.
Phoenix, Flash, and Hawkgirl gather behind Cap. Magneto snags Cap’s shield.
Magneto:
Why do you keep using this against me?
He pulls it closer to his face and as it spins in the air the camera reveals that the bottom is lined with grenades. They explode close to Magneto who falls backwards just barely able to put up a force field. Phoenix protects the crowd from the blast with a telekinetic wall.
Captain America:
Hawkgirl, Flash, Clear the area of innocent bystanders! Phoenix, pin him down!
Phoenix holds the temporarily weakened Magneto in place as Cap charges him and starts punching him ferociously in the face.
Loved your speech, Lehnsherr, you sounded just like our buddy Adolf!
Magneto Pulls some pipes and girders out of the ground and ensnares Cap.
Magneto:
How dare you make that comparison!
He breaks out of Jean’s grip and sends two trucks to smash into her from either side, she puts up a force bubble but is still seriously injured.
Do you think I haven’t considered my actions carefully?! Do you think I could grow up in a concentration camp and not realize how close my ideology is to his?!
Cap is suffocating as the metal closes around his throat. He pulls Cap’s face up to him and growls in an angry whisper.
Hitler was a superficial madman. He embodies everything inferior about the human race. I’m about progression. I’m about cleansing ourselves of the sins of centuries of power hungry lunatics!
Magneto is smacked in the back by Hawkgirl’s mace and shocked severely. She then smashes it into Cap’s metal bonds and frees him. He gasps for air.
Captain America:
I… though I told you… to leave that… behind.
Hawkgirl:
Helping him up:
Had to risk it. He was going to kill you.
Her mace is yanked from her hand and charges up.
Though he may yet…
Magneto:
Raising up and aiming the Mace at Hawkgirl and Cap:
Have I told you that this alien metal is phenomenal?
He swipes at them with the Mace but Phoenix places a telekinetic bubble over them. Magneto continues to swipe at it, Jean’s nose bleeds as she feels each blow.
Magneto:
It’s only a matter of time now…
Hawkgirl:
Projecting her thoughts to Phoenix:
Jean, stop protecting us. I’ll get Cap and myself out of here.
Phoenix:
Telepathically:
No, he’ll grab you.
Hawkgirl:
Telepathically:
That mace is more powerful than it looks, it could kill you with us!
Phoenix:
We only need to hold out a few more seconds.
Magneto continues to bash them. Flash races up from behind and darts across the stage, he tries to grab Magneto’s helmet off his head but finds that it’s being magnetically held in place.
Flash:
What the?!
He continues to try to pry it off his head and then tries to push his body down out of it but Magneto’s armor is completely fixed in space. Magneto turns around grinning.
Magneto:
Problems?
He waves his hand and more girders and pipes fly out of the ground in a massive wave. Jean’s concentration lapses and Cap and Hawkgirl are sent up in the air then fall back down and are buried in metal debris. Magneto starts to fling metal at Flash who darts around avoiding the attacks.
As if that strategy was never used against me before. I must say, you’re faster than my son.
Flash streaks away from a series of projectiles then slams into a car Magneto inserts into his path.
But you’re also stupider.
He looks over at the other Three heroes. Phoenix is lifting them out of the rubble. He flings Hawkgirl’s mace at them. Cap dives out of the way and it hit’s Phoenix’s force bubble with incredible force flinging her and Hawkgirl far off into the air. Jean is dazed as they start to plummet downward a few miles away. Hawkgirl regains her sense and dives after her grabbing her and flying them safely to the ground.
Hawkgirl:
You alright?
Phoenix:
I’ve been worse. I think we’re going to need some serious backup.
Hawkgirl looks across the street.
Hawkgirl:
Maybe not.
The camera pans out to reveal “Lincoln Lumber Yard” across the street. Massive planks and piles of wood are piled up everywhere.
Cuts back to the White House. Captain America is ensnared in metallic pipes again and is being bashed around the White House like a pinball smashing through walls and ceilings. Flash runs up and starts hurling non metal objects at Magneto at super speed. Magneto smashes Cap into Flash. He warps the metal that was ensnaring Cap into numerous spears and a few bend and stick into the ground pinning Flash and Cap in place. The others prepare to impale the them.
Magneto:
Make your peace, heroes.
Suddenly waves upon waves of wooden planks begin to pummel Magneto. Phoenix has brought half the lumber yard with them and is unleashing it on Magneto. He turns and instinctually tries to stop them with his powers but has no influence over them. His concentration lapses and his hold over Flash, Cap, and the spears ceases. Flash escapes and intercepts the spears before they can impale cap. Magneto pulls up some Metal girders and tries to warp them into a shield but an assault of wood from behind stuns him again. He manages to deflect some of the debris using Hawkgirl’s mace. Jean continues to hurtle her army of wood at him. As her power increases she manifests a Phoenix bird again and uproots some nearby trees swatting Magneto with them. Magneto staggers backwards and turns around to see Hawkgirl charging down at him with a two by four uttering a ferocious battle cry. She breaks the two by four over his head and Magneto falls over battered and bruised. Flash zips by and grabs Magneto’s helmet. Magneto tries to pull it back but Cap grabs a square piece of wood and hurls it like his shield knocking it out of Magneto’s weakened Magnetic control. Phoenix lowers down and places her hands over Magneto’s head.
Magneto:
Mutants will rule this planet… you can’t stop… evolution.
She starts to attack him telepathically shutting his mind down from the inside.
Phoenix:
And you can’t prod it along with a stick either. Genetic Wars do not constitute progression.
Magneto falls over, temporarily brain dead.
Something for you to think about when you wake up in prison.
Flash:
And I thought I’d have nothing to do today.
Hawkgirl takes her mace back from Magneto then looks from one hand to the other and discards the broken piece of two by four. The military and the President Elect swarm the area.
Captain America:
It’s okay. He’s down for the count. Contact Colonel Fury, they have a holding cell for this scum-bag.
President:
Thank you, Captain.
Captain America:
Phoenix and Hawkgirl deserve the thanks, it was their quick thinking that--
President:
Laughs, then says under his breath but still loud enough for Hawkgirl and Phoenix to hear:
Riiiight, I’m supposed to thank the alien spy and… well… you know…
Captain America:
No, I don’t know.
President:
Whispers:
One of them.
Flash:
Hey what’s that supposed to mean?
Phoenix:
It’s alright, Flash. Something stinks over here. I have to get some fresh air.
Hawkgirl:
Coldly:
I’ll join you.
Flash:
You know you could have shown a little gratitude.
President:
Gratitude?! Do you have any idea how much it’s going to cost to fix all this?!
He gestures around at the tons of metallic and wooden debris and the partially demolished front of the White House.
Some people are born with too much power. A word of advice, the League might want to be wary about who they recruit.
An aid approaches.
Aid:
Mr. President we’re ready to address the union in five minutes.
President:
Very good.
He leaves.
Flash:
Can you believe that guy?!
Captain America:
He’s the President of the United States.
Flash:
I am aware!
Captain America:
And he was just nearly killed by a mutant terrorist.
Flash:
But that doesn’t give him the right to--
Cap puts his hand on Flash’s shoulder.
Captain America:
I know. Give it time. Change isn’t easy.
Scene: The Watchtower, later that day. Phoenix is standing pensively looking out over the main hall. Flash zips up.
Flash:
Hey, Jean. You okay?
Phoenix:
I appreciate the concern, Flash. But this is nothing new. The X-Men have been seen as mutant subversives for years, part time League membership won’t change that.
Flash:
It’s scary…
Phoenix:
What’s that?
Flash:
I can kind of see where a maniac like Magneto gets off acting the way he does.
Phoenix:
He’s an instrument of his own hate. But take a look around.
Pan of the Main hall in the Watchtower where a myriad of DC and Marvel heroes mutant, human, and superhuman are all cooperating.
There’s hope. I know… it’s not much, but…
Flash:
Sometimes it’s all you have.
END.