The grey woman stood on her floor of black marble and sighed in disappointment. At her feet were the three servants she had tasked at killing the ragtag group of chosen ones her brother had gathered. She had no time to do it herself as she risked losing all the progress she had accomplished. She had already rid three universes of all life and was working on a fourth. Several more remained and progress was slow but the brightness and loudness of life was gradually fading and with the silence and darkness her power increased. The universe she was currently working on was very loud and held much life and most of it was powerful and difficult to destroy. It would take some time to silence it and the thing about life was that if she waited too long it recovered. Life had a most despicable ability of being created by other life forms. She had to remove all life forms at a steady pace, before there was time to reproduce, if she wished to be successful. If she decided to seek out and face off against her brother's chosen ones she risked losing all progress. Even now, as she stared at her failures, she could feel the life she had snuffed out beginning to recover.

"I have little time," she said to the three weak forms, one of them headless. "And I am most displeased with your lack of progress. If I had the time to search the cosmos for replacements I would be rid of you but fortunately for you time is something I have none of."

Athena lay curled on the floor in the fetal positon, surrounded by her own blood. "Your sword...it's not healing me..." she said between breaths. "I'm...so cold..."

The grey woman narrowed her eyes at her. "I should let you die, I really should. It is most tempting but I told you my reason for not doing so." She casually waved her hand at the young woman and tendrils of shadow spread from her sword and wrapped around her, enveloping her in a cocoon of blackness. Moments later the tendrils shrank back to the blade and Athena was fully healed. "Stand up, step back, and be silent."

Athena, frowning, did as she was told.

The woman eyed Seth as he struggled to keep the deep stab wound in his abdomen from bleeding too heavily. "I told you I would give you no more chances," she said. "I understand you did all you could and it was still not enough but as I've also mentioned, I haven't the luxury of searching for replacements." She waved at him sharply and with a puff of black shadow healed his wounds. "Step back, Seth, and don't say a word."

Seth nodded, keeping his retort back, and joined Athena, his hands into fists.

She looked down at Durn and shook her head, her long white hair waving from side to side. "Such a waste. He was such a worthy find, as well." She opened a hand and aimed it at Durn's corpse. From her palm came more tendrils of shadows that wrapped around Durn's body. "Luckily, even without a head, his body yearns to keep fighting. I admire that greatly." The shadow tendrils recreated his lost arms and balled together between his shoulders and changed colour until they were a face and head. The grey woman bent down, the porcelain mask in her delicate hands, and placed it over Durn's mangled and scarred face. "Rise again, my king. Your task is not yet finished." She then stepped back as Durn sat up and rose to his feet.

Axe in hand, he turned around and faced the grey woman. "My head and arms would have rebuilt themselves eventually."

"Time is of the essence, king of the damned. I need you here now. You are most welcome, by the way."

He didn't thank her. "You brought others."

She smirked and gave Durn a wink. "That I did, most observant one." She waved her arm behind her and what was once shrouded in darkness was revealed. Six figures stood at the opposite end of the marble floor, of various heights, ages and genders. "I found most of these from a most prosperous world across several universes and dimensions. Some are powerful already and some show potential. Had I more time I would find more suitable companions for you but these will have to do. This is all I can do for you, Durn, Athena, and Seth. Your forces are now evenly matched and I do hope that the next time you all meet that victory comes to you. It would be most unfortunate, for all of you, were that not to happen." She gestured to the six figures. "Now go make small talk or whatever it is you life forms do when meeting others..." The grey woman then stepped off the marble floor and moved off a ways, returning to her great purge.

Durn stood still and silent and didn't move. He had no interest in his other "companions".

Seth and Athena stepped forward as the other six approached them.

Athena raised an eyebrow as a very young man, hardly a teen, set his dark eyes on her and looked her up and down. He appeared to like what he saw. "I am Alvan Lux," he said to her. He was brown-haired, of average height, impressively fit for his age, and seemed to wear a perpetual smirk. "You're a sight for sore eyes. Being kidnapped doesn't seem too bad anymore. What do they call you?"

"Athena will do," she said, crossing her arms across her chest. She glanced down at the sword sheathed at the teen's side. "You know how to use that thing?"

Alvan unsheathed and brandished his sword, revealing the blade to be glowing a bright orange light, as if it was superheated. "I don't consider myself too bad, no. That's not all I can do, though." He raised his other hand and cupped it with the palm up. Athena felt herself being pulled upward into the air and furrowed her eyes at Alvan. He set her down again and then wiggled his fingers of the free hand, tendrils of shadow swirling around them like tiny snakes. "I'm still learning but I can use it to heal or let me phase through objects."

"No wonder the grey bitch chose you."

Behind Alvan, a tall, young man stared at Durn across the floor, his eyes narrow. Seth walked up to him and noticed where he was gazing. "That's Durn. Takes a lot to kill him and it makes me glad he is on our side."

The young man looked down at Seth and said nothing. His body was that of a man yet his face still showed signs of youth, as if he was not yet into adulthood. His long blond hair draped over his back and his piercing blue eyes were like gems of pure ice. One hand gripped a vicious-looking spear and the hints of a tattoo stretched up from his back to reveal itself on the side of his neck. He did not appear happy to be where he was and seemed to be restraining himself from going on a bloody rampage.

Seth turned to the woman standing beside him and felt powerful urges and desires summon within him. She was intensely beautiful, unlike anything he had ever seen before. He had thought the grey woman to be a sight to behold but she was a poorly carved statue compared to the woman standing before him now. Her skin was milky smooth, her facial features were perfect, her long black hair tumbled over her shoulders in rivulets and her glittering blue eyes were like deep pits that pulled him inside of them. Her plump and full lips curled as he continued to stare and she slowly slid her slight hands down the length of her sensual body, the proportions etched to perfection as they hid behind a tightly fitting yet elegant red dress.

"I don't need to read your mind to know what it is you want of me, Seth," she said, her voice a husky whisper that made him sweat and weakened his knees. She put a hand on the shoulder of the blond man beside her. "Atlas Kane, here, is more to my liking, though. I sense something incredibly appetizing about him." She saw Seth's expression change and chuckled lightly. "Do not fret, Seth, it is not like that, though I wouldn't say I'd object to any offers. Atlas is under the control of another being, one I am intensely curious about. He says little, as you've noticed, but I'll get him to talk. I can get anyone to talk." She gave Seth a wink of her thick eyelashes and turned to Atlas, focusing her attention on him.

Seth watched her whisper into Atlas's ear for a moment before turning to the next person down the line. He had raven hair, a lean body and a well-defined jaw. He was looking around in awe and shock, pointing up as a pair of asteroids collided into one another in a shower of fragments. He laughed at the sight and only took notice of Seth after he looked down to examine the smooth floor he stood on. "Oh, hello, do you have any idea where we are? I didn't know you could breathe in space but here we are. It sure looks like space."

"I'm not completely sure what this is but that grey-skinned woman brought me here, like she did you. I'm Seth Blair. Who are you? Why did she choose you?"

"Me? I'm not Seth. That's not my name, nope, not at all. You can call me buddy, hahahahaha! No? Well, I don't even know your name so I suppose we're not buddies yet but maybe one day. You seem tough. I bet you I could take you on, though. I'm stronger than I look."

A short woman to the strange man's left, Seth's right, joined in, giggling maniacally. She seemed obsessed with the colours blue and green as her eyes, her hair, and the tank top, shorts and shoes she wore were all split between those two colours. Even the handles of the row of throwing knives she had on her belt were blue and green. "You don't look so tough! I mean, you look nice and yummy and have cool eyes and all but you don't have muscles! Look at that guy with the spear. He's got muscles, or even this guy behind me, but not you!"

The man gasped, his cat-like eyes widening greatly. "How dare you! You don't even know what I can do! I bet you if I showed you you'd change your mind!"

"Pfft, what can you do? I bet you can't make people see their nightmares like I can."

"No, but I can change shape into anything I want! How's that for an ability?"

"Can you change into a shiny purse with lots of diamonds and emeralds and sapphires? I've been wanting those for forever but all the old ladies I steal them from leave the scent of old people on them and I can never wash it off. It's such a shame...."

"Um, no it has to be alive. Want to see?"

The woman shrugged. "Meh, I guess."

The man jumped up excitedly and suddenly began stripping, removing his clothes before everyone's eyes and before anyone could say anything he began to transform, growing bulk and lowering himself on all fours. Within moments a tiger as large as a horse stood before them, long fangs protruding from its upper jaw and its golden eyes shining.

The woman jumped up and down in utter glee. "Kitty! Oh I love kitties! Can you be my new best friend?! Please?!!!"

The tiger roared before shrinking and returning to its human form. The man hurriedly clothed himself and then extended his hand at the woman as Seth watched on in confusion and bewilderment. The woman shook it and the two exchanged great smiles.

"My name is Auric Craven and I've never had a best friend like you before. Certainly not one as pretty as you either."

The woman bit her bottom lip and giggled. "Oh, well, thank you....my name's Angela and you'll be my thirty-sixth best friend but probably my favourite."

"What happened to your other ones?"

"Oh, well they got boring so I killed them."

Seth took a step back, his eyes wide in surprise.

Auric only shrugged and nodded. "Makes sense. Once they get really boring they're not much use anyhow. I tried eating one once but he tasted horrible." He gave Angela a wink. "You'd probably taste really scrumptious, though."

She giggled and gave him a playful slap on the arm. "Well, maybe I'll let you have a taste later on."

Seth raised his arms and walked away. "I'm done here." He moved to the edge of the black floor and sat down. Someone sat down beside him and he turned his head to set face on a man dressed in a bullet-proof vest, supply belt, and black military garb. His hair was short and brown, his eyes a pale grey, his chin defined and reminded Seth of a movie star he couldn't remember the name of. On his belt were two holstered pistols and a long rifle was slung over one shoulder. He was young but appeared several years older than Seth. "Do you have any idea why I'm here?"

Seth shrugged. "I was on my way to a party when I was taken here. I had closed my eyes for a quick nap and woke up here. From what I know that grey woman needs us to kill these people for her."

"Kill?" the man asked. He sighed, almost sadly. "I thought I had left that life behind. Miss Chase is going to be so pissed to find me gone. She'll never want me back."

"Who?"

"Amberylle Chase, the CEO I bodyguard for back home, wherever that is from here. She's one of the richest women on the planet and when I got fed up with all the shit CIA put me through I settled for being her bodyguard. She's a bit of a bitch but it pays well and she's easy on the eyes."

Seth smiled. "You and her are strictly professional?"

"Oh god, yes. I mean, I wouldn't mind feeling the goods but as to having a relationship with her that isn't going to happen. She's just not the type for me. She's too temperamental, too stubborn and too prideful. She also likes to punch people a little too much."

"So why would you be here, of all people? Do you have any special abilities?"

The man shrugged. "I used to be one of the best shots the CIA ever had and took orders well but I can't transform into a freakin' tiger like that one guy or make people see nightmares like that crazy chick, if she can even really do that."

"Trust me, after the stuff I've seen, I wouldn't doubt it." He extended a hand and the man shook it. "Seth Blair."

"Victor Jimenez. You're not too bad for a young kid, you know."

"Well, I thought I was king shit back home even though I could barely form complete sentences when talking to a girl but after coming here I feel different." He flipped one of his hands over and made it ignite, the flames sprouting from his fingers and palm. Victor gasped and widened his eyes at the sight. "I have complete control over fire and I thought that meant I was unbeatable but...I've nearly been killed twice already. When stuff like that happens it really changes your outlook on life..."

Victor nodded knowingly. "Trust me, Seth, I know exactly what you mean. I've been through some intense missions in my day and lost some good friends during some of them. The world will never know about them because they were strictly off record but orders are orders and we all knew what we were getting into. It doesn't do much for the pain, though." He looked up as a huge asteroid rolled by, nearly colliding into the one they sat on. "Now, if this is real and I'm not just dreaming, I'm on some rock floating in space with shapeshifters, what looks like a Viking, a woman with grey skin and some freak with a white mask. What's up with that guy anyway?"

"That's Durn. Don't piss him off and just be glad he's working with us and not against us. His head got blown off from a cannonball and he's still with us so don't think for a second that your bullets are going to do anything to him."

Victor eyed Durn in the distance. "I've got a few grenades with me..."

"I wouldn't chance it. Just let him do his thing and stay out of his way. Why are you all loaded up and armed anyway? It's almost as if that grey woman gave you time to prepare."

"I've no idea why I'm dressed this way. I got home after a day of keeping Miss Chase safe from the dangers of crowded elevators and boring meetings and lay down on my bed for a second. Like you, I closed my eyes for a nap and woke up here, armed and ready for war."

"Story time!" said the excitable woman as she skipped over to where the two sat. "I love story time, especially ones about blood and death! OH! We should get tea and make it a tea party! I LOVE tea parties!"

Seth and Victor exchanged awkward glances.

Auric approached the group and Angela turned to him.

"Can you transform into a teapot and a few cups? I want some tea!"

"I told you! It needs to be alive for me to transform into it!"

"Bummer. You suck. I wanted tea."

Atlas, Athena, Alvan and the dark-haired woman approached and sat around the others, forming a circle. Angela and Auric decided to sit down as well, the woman crossing her legs and swaying around on her back end like a top, humming happily. Durn stayed where he was, as motionless as a statue.

"I suppose introductions are in order?" Victor asked the group. "We're all here for whatever reason but that naked woman told us we were working together so we might as well know who we all are."

Angela lifted her hand and waved her arm about, wanting attention. Victor looked at her and she beamed joyfully. "Yay, I'm first!! Ok, well, hi everyone, my name is Angela and I have a serious drinking problem. Ha! Not really. I um, I do like tea though, like a lot. It's so good. But uh, oh yeah, I can make people see their nightmares and sometimes they go crazy. I also like to throw sharp things and I don't like explosions. They hurt my ears and are pretty scary. I do like fire, though...Weird eh?"

"Well, uh, thank you, Angela," Victor said. He looked to Auric. "You're Auric Craven, if I remember correctly? I believe we all know what you can do." He looked at the man seated next to him, the musclebound spear-wielder. "Atlas, right?"

"HEY!" Angela screamed, her eyes glimmering blue and green. "You can't skip Auric like that! That's not fair! He's my best friend in the world and he should get a turn to say something too!"

Victor nodded awkwardly and chuckled nervously. "That makes sense, Angela. If Auric wants to say something he can."

Auric stuck his chin up as if feeling important and tapped it a few times with one finger, deep in thought. He opened his mouth as if to speak and then closed it. He did this three times before shrugging his shoulders and finally saying, "I don't have anything to say."

Victor sighed and gestured to Atlas. "Please, Atlas, let us all know what you can do."

Atlas, his expression stern, eyed everyone in turn before clearing his throat. In a deep voice he said, "I am Atlas Kane and I serve The Hunter. He guides my life and shows me the true way of things. He has shown me how pathetic life has become on my world and how I need to eradicate it so he can grow stronger from the deaths. He is most powerful and is considering having me offer some of you to him. He finds some of you most interesting."

There was silence in the circle for a few seconds before the woman seated next to Atlas spoke. "I would dearly love to meet this Hunter of yours, Atlas. I serve a similar being. The great Tavaris wants to end all wars and fighting and disagreements in my world and I do all I can to ensure that his desires are fulfilled. It is a tiresome and difficult task but quite worthwhile. A world without free will would be incredibly peaceful and serene."

"Death is even quieter," Atlas argued.

The woman shrugged. "This is true as well, but the dead make poor servants." She looked to the others and put a hand to her ample chest. "I am Minara el Kek of Toopek and though I do not understand my part in all of this, I am here nonetheless. Does anyone have any idea why that would be? I was rather preoccupied before I was taken."

"We gotta kill some people," Athena said. "They're pretty tough, though, but with all of us here I think we can manage."

"Powerful enemies?" Minara said with a raised eyebrow, intrigued. "Their wari must be formidable. I would very much like to feed on it..."

"Do whatever you want to do," Athena said to her with a shrug. "I just want to go back home so the sooner we get those guys killed the faster that'll happen."

"Oh, I love killing!" Angela said excitedly. "Well, not all time. It can get messy sometimes and I swear some people have stickier blood than others because it takes me a long time to clean my knives some days."

"Who says we have to follow her orders?" said the youngest of the group, his arms crossed over his chest. "Why don't we kill her instead?" He noticed everyone looking at him as if waiting for something and sighed. "Alvan Lux...I can move things with my mind, control shadow energy, and my sword Necoferio is pretty awesome. Anyways, why don't we team up and kill her and maybe we'll be sent home."

"And what if nothing happens?" Victor asked him.

Alvan shrugged. "Pretty sure we'd get sent back."

"I had expected better from a shadow-wielder such as yourself, Alvan," said the voice of the grey woman. The young man turned around to see her standing behind him, her naked body catching him by alarm. He looked at her kneecap. "You cannot kill me because I am not alive. I gathered you all here because I need you to help me. An enemy of mine sent a group of nine individuals to clear the darkness I had gathered around objects called anchors. These anchors are keeping me bound to my world of origin and making it difficult for me to bring peace and tranquility to the universes. Defeat these nine pains in the backside and I shall return you all to your own worlds and dimensions and you may continue your lives as if this never happened."

"Why us?" Victor asked her. "What makes us so special?"

"To be fully honest, I had little time to examine for better candidates and decided on you nine because I sense great power in some of you and even greater potential in others. You may not be the right group to complete the task but I cannot spare any time to search for anyone else so do make me proud. It would pain me to realize I had chosen poorly."

"Yeah right," Athena mumbled with rolling eyes.

"Durn, as King," the grey woman continued, gesturing to the masked man standing alone, "will lead you. Follow his orders and heed his command."

"I'm not taking orders from someone who can't even show his face," Alvan said with a snarl of disgust. "I'll do things my way, lady."

The grey woman sighed. "I will let you all work this out amongst yourselves. I cannot spare any more interruptions." She left the area and returned to where she had been before.

"So how do we find these nine people?" Victor asked. "And what did she mean about anchors?"

Seth described the situation to him. "They don't look like ship anchors or anything but they work the same way. If she can damage them enough she can break them and be free but those damned, nine pains in the ass keep repairing them. I think they might have fixed two of them already."

"How many are there?"

"I'm not certain. I didn't ask."

"How would you describe these nine people we have to kill?"

Seth opened his hand and pressed a finger from his other on his thumb as he counted down the nine members of the enemy group. "There's this one guy with huge muscles and brass knuckles that can run through walls and turn invisible. There's a guy with silver hair and a sword that can cut through anything and also absorbs fire. Yeah, I know how it sounds. There's a short woman in armour with a silver axe. There's this guy who can control the wind and another one who carries a staff and can make things float or stay in place. There's also a girl that can transform into anything, just like you Auric."

Auric was paying full attention to the conversation, his green eyes with their cat-like vertical pupils wide and huge. He appeared almost afraid. "She can...she can transform?"

"Yeah. She was a huge dragon the last time we fought her and her group."

"What...what is her name?"

Seth shrugged. "Not sure. Anyways, there's also this other girl that seems to like wearing dresses that hasn't really done much yet and this other one with dark hair that doesn't really fight either. Oh, and there's the stupid healer too. She's a real pain."

"Healer?" Minara asked quizzically. "How does she heal?"

"I think by touching people. I don't usually have enough time to watch her do it as I'm trying to stop her! She's pretty good at it too and whenever we meet up with them she needs to die first or we'll never get anywhere."

"She is well-protected," said a hollow voice that seemed to chill the air. Durn approached the others, his huge battle-axe in one hand. "These enemies of ours are worthy foes and you should treat them as such."

"Bah," Alvan said with a wave of dismissal. "I'll show you all how it's done."

Durn turned his head slowly, his white mask fixating on the young man. "You will be the first to die. I wouldn't even bother claiming your corpse other than to reanimate it so I can kill it again. Listen to me well, all of you, and heed my words. I once thought them pathetic and easy prey but after our last encounter I discovered that I had been wrong. Had the grey-skinned woman not transported us back here in time we would have all perished. I would have eventually recovered but I would have been alone against them. I had an entire army against them and they defeated us. You six better show me a reason to keep you here or I will kill you myself. Our enemies are powerful but lack experience and coordination. They are yet vulnerable if we attack intelligently."

"Who died and made you king?" Alvan asked defiantly.

"The leader of the men who assassinated me. They now all serve me. I claimed kingship on my own."

"I think that was a joke," Auric said with an awkward grin as he glanced at the people around him. "Did he just make a joke?"

"It wasn't a funny one," Angela whispered in his ear before licking his ear lobe. Auric swatted her away and she giggled.

"How do we find this prey?" Atlas asked in his deep and rough voice. "The Hunter is eager to meet them."

As if on cue, a vertical whirlpool of blue and black light swirled behind Durn. The King of the Damned stepped to the side and pointed to the portal. "Step through and we will arrive near to them."

Alvan was the first to rise and pushed through all the others to get in the portal first. "I'll try to leave some alive for you all," he called back to the others. "No promises, though." He hopped into the portal and was gone in an instant.

Athena was the next one in and Atlas followed stiffly. Minara was close behind him and Seth followed behind her. Victor was next as Auric and Angela stared at the portal curiously.

"If you look at it long enough it kind of makes you dizzy," Angel said, staring at the portal intently. "Some of the drugs they had back at the institution would probably make this really cool."

Auric chuckled, his eyes also focused on the swirling portal. "I've tried some pretty trippy stuff and I could use some right now. This is awesome."

"It's almost as if I can reach inside it." She extended a hand toward the portal and made to reach deeper into it.

Durn, tired of their foolishness, stepped forward and shoved them inside the portal before following after them. Less than a second later the portal shrank and disappeared. In the distance, her mind focused, her eyes closed, and her arms spread up over her head, the grey woman concentrated deeply.