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Disclaimer: See previous.
03:21:37 P.M.
July 23/2012
Shi'ar Space, Andromeda Galaxy.
Lara didn't have to spend much effort to adjust to her new mate's family. He had crammed a lot of information into her head and she used the World Mind to store it in quick to access segments.
She was in the process of training a new Nova Centurion, her mate, Alex. In the last few days the Nova energy had replenished itself back to its previous levels from her new body's internal reserves. Alex was much the same. She didn't have to teach him from scratch either. The soul merge thing he did gave him the basics and he was quickly picking up the rest from her memories. It was a lot easier to teach someone a new skill when all they had to do was look through your memories to see how it was done.
"Once more Alex; this time we're going to double the speed."
"Alright Lara, here we go.", 'Just so you know this is getting way to easy...', Lara fired a gravimetric blast at her soul mate while he was distracted. She knew he could handle the damage, and it was a low power blast, "Whoa!" he barely dodged in time.
"Less talking and daydreaming and more paying attention to what you're doing." she smirked, she had almost caught him napping, but his cosmic awareness had helped him evade the blast.
"Not fair, you're reading my thoughts and waiting for me to slack."
"And what does that tell you?" Xander walked in on the new couple. From what he'd seen of the girl so far, he liked. He didn't care that Lara was an alien from another galaxy, although her being a cop was new. His wife Dawn and Alex's mother was an Abstract and Anya was a Vengeance Demon; until she turned human. The same applied to Lara; the new tradition in his family was to marry outside the norm. Genetically the girl was compatible after Alex used the soul merge to adjust her DNA. He suspected that the Asgard/Human parts were most likely responsible for compatibility, that and both of them were good kids, he wasn't worried. What will be, will be. He shrugged mentally.
"It tells me not to be like my father and to not slack while I'm a young man with a beautiful mate to guide me?"
"Smooth son, you don't get that from me obviously. Gotta be your mother's influence."
"What's up dad?" Alex felt that something was stirring in the air.
"Tony located the people behind he slavers. I thought that the two of you would like to join us for the take down."
"That would definitely be a pleasure Mr. Harris." Lara signaled Alex to land. The training was over for today. "I've been after these slaver scum for a while now." Alex could see the fire in her eyes when she said that. It excited him.
'What doesn't excite you?' Lara thought.
*When it's about you? Everything excites me.* he replied to her private thought.
*Good boy. When we're back I'll have to give you a treat.* Alex was about to jump out of his skin in anticipation; when his father burst his bubble.
"You might want to dial it back a little bit son. Everyone except for the Kree can smell your 'Excitement' the slayers will tease the living hell out of you and Tony's good for a few snarkies." Xander warned his son.
"Thanks dad..." Alex looked at Lara and blushed.
Lara giggled in spite of herself, 'Too cute.'
Alex turned an even darker shade of red.
Xander raised his hands to the ceiling, Hopeless..."
"I wouldn't want him any other way." Lara didn't have much luck with relationships. Her father always drove away any who showed interest. She knew that Alex would be different.
"Hear that dad? She wants me."
"Son it's not me you have to worry about. There's your mother Faith, the normal teasing from your brothers, sisters and friends. Then there's the slayers and Tony. The rest are adults and will keep it within reason."
"I can handle the gang, Mom and Tony could be a problem." Alex knew they would be. The only solution was to secretly prank the hell out of them. Mom would be easy and he was used to her teasing anyway, Tony Stark on the other hand would be tough.
"Yeah Tony's one tough nut to crack..." Xander agreed.
"Are you reading my mind pop?"
"Don't need to son. I can see the writing on the wall." Xander laughed.
Alex knew that his father was just teasing him, and that had been the point all along. He would be teased by one and all. He didn't care, water off a duck's ass.
07:02:21 P.M.
July 23/2012
Shi'ar Space, Andromeda Galaxy
"Are we ready?" Tony asked the Avengers, and this included Alex and his girlfriend Lara. She gave this mission legitimacy. She was the cop after all.
He had checked into the history of the Nova corps and found that they were a recognized Law enforcement body in most of the local Galaxies.
The Kree and the Shi'ar were the big ones, but there were a lot of smaller interstellar nations that gave them the same recognition. They worked hand in hand with the local authorities and didn't step on any toes.
"Everyone's ready Tony. How about on your end?" Xander and his team were all set. He and Faith were in charge of the Slayers. Bobbi and Clint Barton would lead the kids. Natasha had been deployed ahead of time and she was in position waiting for the assault to start.
"The moment we start JARVIS and Jackie will attack their legitimate holdings and will start buying out all their public assets. Colonel Riley and his teams will engage all outside targets and hold the perimeter. The avengers will rush through the holes they open up and breach the Slavers HQ, Nova Centurions Lara and Alex will then move in and arrest the guilty parties, and assist with the rescue of all slaves held, if any are located at the complex. Any questions?"
"NO!" was the reply from everyone.
"There's no need to shout…"
Xander contacted Tony on a private channel, "There's also no need to hammer the point with a sledge hammer. We all know what to do Tony. Would you take it easy? I get it, it's your first shot at team leader, but you have to learn when to let your people do their job, and you do yours. You can't micro manage combat, only yourself."
"I know Xander; don't you think I don't know that? I know and you're right. Deep breath…" Tony took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Everyone we're go on Five…Four…Three…Two…One!"
11:46:53 P.M.
July 23/2012
Shi'ar Space, Andromeda Galaxy
'Whoa! My aunt kicks ass.' Peter Parker aka Spider-Man and Felicia Hardy aka Julie the Slayer aka the Avengers' Black Cat followed the Black Widow into the shadowed interior of the Slaver HQ.
'She also has a great ass as well...better not let her know I thought that. My step aunt can be scary; almost as scary as my smelly, hairy and ancient great, great grandfather Logan.'
The Black Cat slapped Peter's shoulder. When Peter looked at her she was giving him the glare. You know the one.
Peter pantomimed 'What?'
His girlfriend and slayer pointed at Natasha's rapidly disappearing ass. She waved her finger in his face, 'No, no, no!' she poked him with the last 'no' wave. She then pointed at her own ass, to make sure he got the message and poked him in the chest again to drive in the point.
'Jeez, what's her problem? I thought she liked red-heads.' Peter shook his head to clear it and continued to follow Natasha deeper into the compound. They had less than fifteen minutes left to scout the rest of the heavily armed HQ.
Natasha smiled as she caught her 'nephew' and his girlfriend silently arguing over her ass. She knew she had it, and didn't blame either of them for looking. In their shoes she'd be looking too.
She stopped as she saw another invisible energy net. The changes the spear had made to her body did have their uses. The ability to see energy was a nice perk. She held her hand out, in the stop position.
Peter and Julie crawled next to her. She used the slayers' silent language to let them know about the invisible security obstacle.
Peter nodded his head and went to work. He let his senses guide him to the local control panel and using the nano suit he was wearing he sleazed his way into the security system.
He didn't turn it off; instead he created a tunnel on the ceiling. Most beings either walked and some flew, but very few crawled.
When he was done he touched both women and transmitted the new layout for the security system. Natasha didn't need it, she could see the results, but she knew that despite all her 'Gifts' Julie didn't have her advantages. Not many did.
The three infiltrators quickly made their way through the sensory net and continued on through the rest of the compound. Their job was to map it and highlight the dangerous spots.
11:58:48 P.M.
July 23/2012
Shi'ar Space, Andromeda Galaxy
"Riley I hear it's party time."
"Where did you hear that Xander? I've been told something else."
"Like what? The only original thought you have was put there by Sam…" Xander heard a snort "Isn't that right Sam?"
"Don't know what you're talking about Xander." She then mock whispered, "Don't listen to the evil man honey, he's up to no good."
"Slander! Slander I say you, you blonde hussy…" then it was Xander's turn to whisper, "Quick Riley, what color's her hair today?"
Riley sighed, 'Just my luck, my wife's sense of humor's as painful to experience as Xander's.'
"That was a sigh honey. I couldn't tell if you were defending me or not?"
"Sorry Xander." Riley sighed again.
"You're sleeping on the couch again tonight hon." Riley could hear and see Sam's smile. He knew she didn't mean it.
"Ooh, sorry about that Riley. That's a tough one. I'm glad my wife didn't hear that." Xander sighed in sympathy with Riley.
"I head wise guy…" Faith broke in, "…and guess what?"
"What?"
"You're sleeping on the couch tonight." Faith giggled as she saw her man's reaction.
"But-but, I thought you liked sex…"
"I didn't say you'll be sleeping there alone; I feel like trying out the couch right after, H&H after all." She giggled, as his eyes almost popped out of his head.
"Uh-uh, Riley, do your thing…now, man now. I've got a date with a couch."
Sam and Faith giggled, "That's not a bad idea Faith." Sam smiled when she saw the same look on Riley's face. Her husband had a more reserved upbringing than Xander's, but for this he was the same as any other man. She wouldn't have him any other way. 'I wonder what Faith has in mind...for the couch?'
"Let's go to work guys." Riley led his unit against the Slavers' small but well entrenched, security force.
The power armored 'Shadow Avengers' were on the job. They hugged the ground, as they started the attack.
Tony Stark had added a new light reflecting nano skin to the armor. It was a new technology he acquired recently and, it was a lot better than the old one SHIELD used on the Helicarrier, he had enough time to add that feature to the suits very recently. It made the initial assault a lot easier to carry out.
11:59:28 P.M.
July 23/2012
Shi'ar Space, Andromeda Galaxy.
Lara felt Alex getting fed-up with the security beings guarding the compound. She felt the same, but part of the job was to put up with the bureaucracy. A Nova Centurion had to follow the Laws of the State that was the Centurion's Area of Operation.
She didn't like it, but she had to respect it. The World Mind AI that resided in her uniform experienced everything she did as it happened. She had no choice, it was by the book, or wait until she had more evidence before she could proceed. Alex's kinsman Tony Stark had given her that evidence. She could now operate within the Law.
"Enough crap already." Alex pretended to get angry. He was projecting an image as the impulsive out of control junior Centurion. He could get away with a lot more brash, and blame it on his trainee status.
Lara felt Alex put his act into play. She secretly smiled and sent him encouragement and support through their soul-link.
"Get your 'Boss' here now, or we're doing this the hard way."
"Get your pup under control Centurion, before I'm forced to teach this Kree scum some manners." The huge lizard like security goon growled in Alex's face.
Alex pushed the twelve foot lizard back with enough force to move him back a few feet. "Watch it lizard breath." His eyes began to glow with the energy of the Nova Force to add more menace to actions.
"AAARRRRGGHHH! YOU ARE MY NEXT MEAL MEAT BAG! YOU WILL NOT GE..." while the lizard was roaring Alex blasted the gates with the energy he was holding in his eyes. Lara tripped the lizard security goon as it passed by when it tried to maul her Alex.
Alex jumped over the green lizard and kicked it hard in the head as it passed by. It went down hard, and stayed down.
The security station was burning and alarms were blaring. Security goons began to pour out from all the doors around them.
Lara joined her mate in drawing their attention, while the Secret Avengers led by Riley Finn attacked from all sides.
The goons didn't know it, but they soon realized that there was more than just the Nova Centurions at the gates.
"We need more guards up here." one the leaders called for help on his comm.
"For just two Nova Centurions? What are we paying you for?"
"Not this. We're under attack and it's from more directions than just these two. It's a distraction. There's too many of them. Did you forget to pay off the cops or something?"
"No you fool. The station chief is in our pocket. Hold your position, I'm sending up reinforcements."
"Don't take too long, or there won't be anything left up here..." Re'vea ducked as a large chunk of the wall he hiding behind, blew-up. "They're not paying me enough for this crap." he snuck off while he still could. He decided to come back later to see who survived and who didn't.
12:00:24 A.M.
July 23/2012
Shi'ar Space, Andromeda Galaxy
"Woof there it is. Widow just took down the shields. I'm going in." Tony led the charge by dive-bombing the compound. JARVIS and Jackie on either side, guarding his flanks.
They hit the afterburners to their max outpout, and full power to the energy shields.
JARVIS used his gravity canon to clear the way and Jackie made sure that her shield projectors covered Tony as they made their way to the heart of the compound. Their objective was the slaver-pens located deep inside the installation.
The rest of the Avengers followed in their wake.
"Warning! Another energy shield is forming." Jackie added her energy reserves to the shields. She had learned to expect the worst by observing Xander. 'When it looks like it going bad, expect it to get a lot worse, before it gets better.'
The energy blast that hit her shield proved that once again, Xander Harris was not paranoid for no reason. Jackie respected his whacked out wisdom. Just because it was wacky, it didn't mean that it couldn't happen.
"What's wrong Jackie?" Tony noticed the return fire and how much it took out of Jackie.
"I believe that they have a hidden ship underneath the compound sir." JARVIS replied.
"So they do. Stick with the ship as it leaves. Xander are you seeing this?"
"Now that you mentioned it...yes. Everyone stick to the plan. Me and the sprocket squad will take care of the ship."
A large organic Whale looking space thing blasted it's way out of the compound and flew into orbit. Tony and JARVIS went after it, and Jackie picked up Xander and joined them in the chase.