No need to worry about cleanliness as a molecule manipulator. He sighed as I kneaded his back, just the slightest touch of lightning opening up his invulnerability for me to ply his muscles with ease. He groaned repeatedly as I worked on him.

“Not even Callie can do that,” he admitted softly. “And she is very good.”

“She is,” I acknowledged calmly. “But her skills at this are merely equal to your own. Training you to be vulnerable to my touch takes a different skillset and power.”

“Is it something another could exploit?” he had to ask.

“For the same purpose? Of course. To harm you? Someone who could generate Merciful Holy lightning with triple-refined quality would not do such a thing, and could not harm you with it if they could. Your resistance knows it is not a threat, and thus vulnerability brings only positive benefits.”

“Thank you for setting my mind at ease on that.”

“Of course.”

“Is this empathy because of the Mimicking?” he asked.

“Partly. I can read how and what you are feeling with amazing ease, almost as if I was looking in a mirror. There are no specific details, but just an instinctive understanding. I also feel as if I have known you for many years, and with Sersi’s memories open to me, I have. I need only acclimate your aura to me, and you are as relaxed as if we have been friends and companions for decades.”

“I am afraid you are blunter than Callie or Sersi,” he informed me, not denying anything.

“Well, they want to play with the most powerful man in the world. I, hmm, I want to comfort a mighty warrior who has the weight of the world on his shoulders, and their love and desire for you only makes this easier to do.”

“And the part of me?”

“Assures me that I am doing exactly what you want me to. Also that you really prefer women with dark hair and pale skin. A childhood love, if I am reading the feelings right?”

He sighed in defeat. “Callie does not deduce so much.”

“She might, she merely does not wish to embarrass you too much. After all, she is fully aware that you are making love to the wives of your friends, and she is making love to the friend of her husbands.”

He wanted to tense up, but he was too relaxed. “She is so damnably gorgeous,” he admitted. “I think the Master designed her just to tempt me. And then she adds Carol and Sersi and even myself to her... I could not resist her.”

“And she is completely aware of it,” I assured him. “Also very confident that I could not take you from her, even with Sersi.”

“It is true. She has my heart, I do not deny it. Although in pure physical experience, I do not think a goddess would rival you.”

I could assure him that such a thing was the absolute truth. “Compliment taken. Also, thank you for your time. Those collective libidos were getting very antsy.”

He laughed slowly. “You are a very peculiar young woman, Dynamo. You’re welcome?”

“When I am done, would you like to sleep for a time?” I asked him politely, moving my hands to his lower back.

He sighed once again. “That... would be wonderful. Can you... make sure I dream?”

“In fact, I can,” I assured him.

“Then I will request that of you.”

“I hear and obey, oh idol of zillions.” He smiled again, his eyes still closed, and the resistance just progressively draining out of him as I went down his body. When I finished with his feet and traced my fingers up his sciatic nerve and spine, he was out cold before I even reached his head.

----------

“He is still asleep!” Callie told me over coms. “However did you do it? I have been trying to get him to sleep for years!”

“Merciful Holy Cosmic Primal Divine lightning.” I darted aside from the jaws of the six-headed typhoon worm from the depths of Jupiter, and smashed it on a nose. Force energy whipped the head away, and the two others snapping at me missed as the bulk of the town-sized beast was actually spun around by the hit.

I flicked over to the second head, and as it built up an almighty discharge of voltage, pounded that one to unconsciousness while I drank in the electricity like water down a pipe.

“That is very frustrating. I cannot do that,” she admitted after a moment.

“The Holy mindset, I am assuming.” She could always Mimic an electrokinetic.

Two heads came in from opposite angles, a third into the easy dodge path. Instead, I smashed the first one out from inside its building-sized mouth, followed the second one as it tried to draw back and I helped it do so, leaving only heads five and six conscious, staring at me and the coruscant energies blazing about my fists.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The force energy converged on Specs, was synched and condensed, and the optic force blast took number five between the eyes, sending the head flying back so hard it crashed into the writhing body behind it.

Head Six was trying to get away from me, but I grabbed onto the creature’s tail and began to pull. It started to resist, and I bounced a force bolt off its head, warning it otherwise. It emitted a strained crackling roar and stopped resisting as I began to haul several tens of thousands of tons of space beast back towards the gas giant where it belonged, several light-minutes away.

“Yes. I am far too pragmatic for such thoughts. In fact, it surprises me that you are capable of such things.”

“You know I have Cosmic Awareness, yes?” All of the High Guard did, I’d been sure to inform them so they could take it into account with any plans we had to come up with. “Well, one of the things that does is make it clear that there are things far, far beyond mortal, and some of them are actually virtuous and worth looking up to.”

“That... is oddly reassuring. The closest exposure we have had to such things in Russia is the presence of Perrun.”

“Well, Thor and Hercules are both worthy gods, and there are a few among the Tribes, too. Perhaps you might want to speak with them in the future. Also, Xandaran philosophy is a positive thing to read.”

“So noted!”

“Please stay with Primus until he awakens. He is only sleeping because he subconsciously knows you are there to protect him.”

“Rest assured that I am not going anywhere, Dynamo,” she promised firmly. “Was he an adequate lover?” she asked slyly.

“I gave all my sexual bliss to Sersi. She’s still out of it. Probably will be for another day.”

That was enough to silence even her for a moment. “Is this something else I cannot duplicate?” she sighed into comms.

“Rotating circuit of Merciful Holy Primal Cosmic Divine Lightning in the sun’s corona, Flare pumping out a field of quantum matter in full burn to sing to the cosmos of the moment, Thunder smashing atoms, magnetic fields pulling at the quarks and trying to create new states of reality... I dunno, you can only try energetically and repeatedly, I suppose.”

She laughed despite herself. “Very good. How is your little trip going?”

I was taking Primus’ shift since he was blissfully down for the count. “Typhoon worm decided it didn’t want to die and is letting itself be dragged back to Jupiter. I’m going to convince it to take a short detour and eat that Aakon base on Amalthea before it goes back and stays out of the void and the scary little bipeds who inhabit it.”

“And the bad luck of unwanted visitors to the Sol System continues.”

There was a spike of cosmic activity in my head, and I turned around despite myself. Feeling my killing intent, the whole typhon worm quivered, anticipating a death blow. “Something Omega-Plus just manifested on Terra, Callie!”

Omega-Plus meant bigger than Ben Parker.

“Gods and demons! Sending it!” she cursed, but she didn’t wake Primus. “What are you reading?”

“Three firm centers of influence. Los Angeles, New York, Paris. There was a flash in Egypt.”

“Reports of strange structures appearing out of nowhere in the Champ de Mars, Central Park, and Griffith Park...”

Secret Wars. That flash was the Beyonder, either ignoring Ben or not even aware of him.

Obviously, he wasn’t going to take me. Amusingly enough, if the books were right, he was somehow going to grab Galactus? I had my doubts that was going to happen in reality, as Galactus was just too strong... maybe?

------

I could have returned instantly to Terra. It would have made no difference, as the Beyonder was going to take who he would take. I could actually watch from where I was, as Specs zoomed in on it, clairvoyant telescopic vision, and I could see who entered the machines, even without Cosmic Awarness.

But there was one move I had to make personally.

-Dealer, tell Mr. Hill to get to Griffith Park before that machine goes away. The one in Los Angeles just pulled in Hawkeye and Angel.-

=========

White flashed and resolved. I had two sets of eyes on his side.

Mr. Hill stood up and flapped his trench coat, looking around coolly at the assortment of people around him who were also looking about, mystified at what had happened, why they had bothered to enter that thing, and who else was here. Some had probably been snatched out of the middle of nowhere.

Felicia, in her Thundra guise, also stood up, smirking when she saw three other women, all standing with the yellow-helmeted members of the new Demolition Team that had sprung up after the disappearance of the Wrecking Crew, and Doc Ock’s apprentice, making five total women there.

The Demolition Team consisted of the new Wrecker with his hook-and-ball; the new Bulldozer, Piledriver, and Demolisher; Crane, their growing girl; Cable, a woman wielding animated steel cables like the Constrictor; Pulverizer, who used a sledgehammer; Crowbar, who was also a woman; and Rigger, who used two scooper-like arms to throw things jai-alai style, or just slam them into folks.

They included cyborgs and those who’d used the Power Broker’s services for super-strength, as well as using some mech-suitish things. They were also known to ride some specialty vehicles made for wrecking stuff. The members like Roller and Stamper weren’t here because of that, nor Riveter and Shovel and at least a couple others. The DT was a pretty big outfit for the criminal world.

I coolly surveyed everyone through the eyes of Mr. Hill and Felicia. Those Mr. Hill couldn’t identify I filled in.

That was a Kang. The Beyonder had punched in and actually taken an alternity invader?

Graviton, trying to look imposing in his purples and the white cape, was standing next to Maelstrom, who preferred purple and black and a ridiculous headdress. Apocalypse was looming over there, looking very unhappy with events once again making a pawn out of him.

The Abomination had been plucked off the Colosseum. He looked less bestial than in the past, and not very happy to be there. Had a LOT of new minor scars on him, too.

The bastard had grabbed Dr. Doom. Bunuvasitch. He even had his mask on, since this wasn’t public. His Doombots were more famous than he was, anyway.

The Absorbing Man, complete with ball and chain, had popped up next to the Mandarin in his courtly robes, Ringed fingers sparkling with threatening energies as he looked around the group of mostly Westerners.

Modred the Mystic had been seen entering in Paris, along with the Dreadknight on his cybersteed next to him, and the Swordsman, hard eyes surveying everyone. The cyborg Mechanar was actually standing near Mr. Hill, having been in LA and obviously drawn through, as had the gleaming golden form of the Brass Bull, Agataur.

Shit, that was one of Computo’s Ultron Kill-bots there. Where the frack had that been hiding for the last two years? It was likely the only one left in existence!

Juggernaut and Black Tom Cassidy rounded out the list. They spotted Mr. Hill and immediately moved to greet him, as did Agataur and the Abomination.