The thing we all assembled to take readings on what was about to happen was put together with great speed, and, well, the aesthetics definitely left something to be desired. There were scanners attuned to look for things we’d never sensed before, only theorized about, and we even got Doc Bronze and the Wakandans contributing some sensory modules so long as we shared the data. Given some of the incoming tech we plugged into the platform was Tribal and Russian, there was no doubt they’d be getting it all, too.

The news that Galactus was coming, but the Champions had handled it, hit the newspapers like a soft bomb. Totally clueless as to the gravity of the issue, the human population kind of shrugged their shoulders and read what sounded like science fiction, while the alien population promptly panicked.

Dr. Strange was dispatching Mr. Hill, Dealer, and Castle’s full team here, there, and everywhere, hunting some of the dimensional infiltrators now trying urgently to escape by whatever means necessary, which often included mass sacrifices of the locals as offerings to various Entities to get them off the planet.

Perhaps the most common of those were the Dire Wraiths, who seemed to have followed the Skrulls here and quietly skulked in the shadows, eating the brains of humans and taking their memories and lives in perfect slay-and-replaces. Long before the time I joined the group after-hours as Dynamo, I already had a huge mad-on for the things. They’d been among the first aliens I had completely exterminated from the New York metropolitan area during night patrols as Dynamo... and my not-infrequent appearances in other cities that had almost always exploded into entertainment typically included Dire Wraith wiping, too.

The High Guard and the Russians took out at least twenty alien ships trying to exit the planet, which no doubt set back a LOT of infiltration efforts. Some agents were doubtless left behind and expected to die, but we couldn’t have everything.

We weren’t the only groups going after fleeing extra-dimensionals, either. Dr. Strange was tracking them, as were the Tribes, and there were a bunch of squads and teams sent in to uproot them... sometimes too late to save the locals, sometimes in time. It got bloody and vicious, and there was no help for it.

We ended up running into and partnering up with half-a-dozen teams from all over the world, whatever was needed to get the job done quick.

------

“Hey, Padre, you’re giving the stink-eye to Mr. Castle something fierce. Did he shoot one of the Possessed for you?” I asked archly.

The Inquisition team had been marginally effective against the cultists during this Ritual, although I couldn’t say I was impressed by their gear. They did have silver and cold iron ‘nickelback’ rounds, so they could shoot the fools who’d invited in the demons, and they definitely had the fanatic morale to fight to the end.

They were also glaring at Dealer as a Godless heathen and heretic, and she was aloofly ignoring them.

The man looked at me with the disdain of interacting with a non-fanatic. “There is something unseemly about him. I am suspicious of his motivations... and those of your vampire!”

“Daywalker, not a vampire,” I corrected absently, which didn’t go over too well. Fanatics R Always Right. “Well, I find that pretty interesting, you know? Because you’re absolutely right, he definitely has something unseemly going on about him!” My cheerful smile made him stiffen, and the other Inquisitors around looked between us, and over at Frank. “It’s just that without some very specific magical items and close examination, that’s not at all apparent.” I tilted my head slightly, staring right at the priest intently.

Chopsaw’s men had already fanned out and had the Inquisition team in their arcs of fire. Castle himself was staring at the priest with deadly interest.

“To be utterly fair, Dealer there can’t sense the Curse on Mr. Castle without using some powerful tools, and she’s an expert in Silver Magic. An extremely profound expert in Silver Magic,” I went on, as my voice dropped, and I stared at him.

His silver dagger and sidearm dropped into his hands, the cross-form of the blade rising between us. “What are you insinuating, girl?” he huffed at me, as the atmosphere got very tense.

“Oh, you don’t know that one of the reasons Dealer wears that Mask is that it gives her Sight Beyond Sight. She saw the Fallen Angel riding you the moment we met, Padre.”

There were shocked gasps from the Inquisition team, staring at him, but he just sneered. “A blatant attempt to deflect attention from the unclean! You think your heretical accusations can conceal your sins?” he shot back, almost glowing with his fanaticism.

“And do you think that Grigori you’ve got riding you can remain concealed in front of a Mistress of Silver Magic?” I replied archly, as Dealer just lifted her hand, Deuces of four Suits spun around her hand, and silver Light flared.

Notably, there was only the barest hint of a shadow around Mr. Castle. His Curse was pretty passive, after all.

But there was something huge and hellfire-red throwing a shadow off from Padre Julian. The inhuman sight of the figure made all the inquisitors there gasp, while our team just shrugged knowingly. One more bit of trash to send on its way...

Father Padre leapt at me with inhuman speed, dropping his cross-dagger as his hands swelled in size. “Pesky insects!” he howled at us all, as his hands swiped and missed me as I glided back. “You should have gone to your fates ignorant of your destination! Now, I will drag you back into-“

And then I hit him in the face with the Fist of God.

It was nominally a scientific device, a kinetic transfer tool that turned an average blow into something closer to a bomb blast. Me, being the cheerfully industrious person that I was, had naturally made it Main-Gauche, and tied it to Function, the Rod I almost never used, which meant it had puh-lenty of magical oomph behind it, too.

This Possessed idiot went flying like a sack of potatoes, holy fires blazing on his chest, and slammed cleanly into Mr. Hill, who smoothly put him into a full Nelson and Rooted himself.

Dealer flicked up a full hand of Diamonds, which began to burn with Holy Runes. The stunned inquisitor could only gape at the sight of the heavenly fires as she sent the Shardcards into him.

The detonations of the Shards was apocalyptic, at least for the fallen angel. It howled in agony as it burned, and the vivus tore at it with terrible hunger. With a scream of utter agony, it tore itself free of its host and vanished into the ether, filling the air with the smell of rot and brimstone as it did so.

Mr. Hill let the bloody Padre Julio fall to the ground, completely unmarked himself. His gray eyes were dead calm and cold as he looked at the man crumpled at his feet.

The inquisitors were all quite grim as the lighting returned to normal from the magical. They were all a little shocked as they stared at Dealer, who just ignored them.

After all, they couldn’t call on the fires of Heaven. What did it mean that she could?

=============

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If you're not reading this on Royal Road, you're helping pay a thief. Please read it in its original home, it's still free! You get the foreword and afterword, author comments, and comments from people with questions! I have not given permission for this story to be posted ANYWHERE ELSE.

=============

The erstwhile leader of the group, a tonsured fellow with odd lights in his eyes and his fingers clutched around his crucifix, stepped forward. “We will take him with us, and find out how he has betrayed us...”

There was a boom, and Padre Julio’s head exploded into a mass of blood, brains, and vivus, making all the inquisitors flinch.

“You go right ahead and do that,” Mr. Castle said, voice flat and heavy. “I’m sure his Hellbound soul will be happy to answer any questions you have.”

The inquisitors didn’t look happy, but they could hardly be angry with such ‘purist’ actions on their behalf. They did give all us heathens unfriendly looks as they prepared to do the clean-up, while our team moved away for the next job.

Everyone piled onto the hover-wagon being towed behind the Mick’s Ride, and he peeled out with energy, back onto the Road and building up magic towards our next destination.

“Nice instincts, Mr. Castle. You sensed him before Dealer did,” I complimented him quietly.

He glanced at me grimly, then away. “It wasn’t lying. Half that group of men are Hellbound for the things they’ve done.” Time and experience had given him an acute awareness of what souls the Curse on him considered acceptable.

“Their choice, not ours. If they want to turn to violence against us, we can send them on their way. Otherwise, in their own place and time. Being pre-emptive is how you start that road going Down, Mr. Castle.”

“Understood.” He did a lot of philosophical reading, being in the situation he was in, and since there was magic to see the color of souls, he watched his like a hawk. Sapphire and Silver warred over him, as utter pragmatism fought with nobility of purpose.

Mr. Hill didn’t think about it too much. He was mostly green, some gold and sapphire, having his own way of doing things and happy about it. He was simply no saint, and never would be. An Earth Avatar to the core.

A phone beeped, and Dealer picked up the crystal thing. “Yes, Doctor? Yes, all done. Oh, is that so? We’ll get everything settled quickly.”

Streams of light and clouds of dimensional mist began to go by us as The Mick hooked into The Road, and Dr. Strange gave him a course. Dealer looked around as she stowed her phone, settling on Blade. “Vampires looking to flee the mortal world this time.”

The daywalker grinned whitely in his dark face. “About damn time!” he muttered, as everyone began checking their ammo quickly. “Where at?”

“Mexico. We might have to free up some Dominated luchadors on the way, so no shooting the muscle-men in bright outfits!” she told them all.

=============

Several days later...

The Portal to Antarctica was opened for all of us, with Wong, Doc Strange, Dealer, and Wanda all contributing to the Ritual. There were a bunch of people gathered around, a big ol’ hover-station built on the chassis of a Fantasicar loaded down with sensory equipment, and a whole bunch of people stepping through with us.

The Avengers, the FF, and everyone affiliated with SHIELD wasn’t going to miss this, after all.

Everyone was suited up for some very cold weather, although Dealer dispensed a Mass Resist Cold to basically take care of the problem.

Galactus’ ship had arrived in the morning, and was clearly visible up there over half the world. It was in no hurry as it descended towards the South Pole, clearly ready for a reaction from the Celestials, who supposedly had a massive mothership of their own sitting in a pocket dimension down here.

There was some rioting and doomsaying, more alien ships abandoning the planet, numbers of exploding alien ships, and out in near-space, a whole lot of alien observers were looking on as Galactus descended.

The Russians were already here, making the beacon for everyone else to attune to.

There was no doubt whatsoever that The Great Bear dominated everything here. Perrun and Tchernoborg were standing near him, but he loomed over them, and his Source Aura completely dominated them. Just stepping out into the area, I could feel the power of it sweeping past, a vast river of destiny, the future of the whole planet held in the grip of the massive Ancient in his armor, standing there with his great Runehammer Endure gleaming and ready for use.

With him were several Winter Guard, including Dmitri the Red Star, head of the Russian Shielders. Only two Widows were present, all in black, the blonde attending on the redhead, the latter calling out greetings to Peggy Carter as we all came through.

The big bald alien in the blue cloak was taller than everyone else, and if he was standing there watching silently from near The Great Bear, he was Cloaked and likely only the two gods had noticed him.