Arc Eighteen. Chapter Five Hundred Sixteen. Watchman
He had been trying to avoid using the watch, but as it seemed to lose power, he felt he had no choice. What if it started to kill him?
Marcus shrugged, “the dial is almost empty, might as well do them.”
Flicking the watch face, he selected a tall man, who seemed to be wearing a trenchcoat, “Here goes nothing.”
Pressing the dial back down, he changed. Now he was a tall suave-looking gentleman, with slicked-back hair, a fedora, and a trenchcoat. “Uh, detective guy?”
“I think you look quite handsome,” Domino said.
Deadpool stuck his head out of his tent, “Hey, how come you get to be all the hotties? Leave some for the rest of us.”
Marcus was about to argue when looking at Wade he felt something shift.
Wade gasped, “You change back right now.”
Marcus looked confused and Domino retched. “You look like Wade.”
Marcus stared at his hands and saw they were the blister-covered scabbed fingers Wade had. The ones the Domino forbade him from touching anything of hers without gloves on. “Uh, little help?” Marcus asked, he did not want to be stuck as Wade.
“Oh, try her?” Wade suggested.
Marcus stared at Domino and felt himself shift again. He was greeted by the soft sensation of tight leather against two things that had not been there before.
“Oh yeah, momma.” Wade said, “Now uh, Dommy baby. Uh, why don't you leave me and Morph here to fully investigate this new power of his? Maybe ten minutes, five, oh nope, I’m done. Never mind.”
“Sorry,” Marcus said. Trying his hardest he closed his eyes and thought, normal, please. Just normal.
He heard Domino gasp and Wade laugh and as he opened his eyes he saw his hands were green. Oh shit, please not the Hulk, but he wasn't massive. Instead, he was a large green bald man, with the same watch face on his chest and a tight pair of trousers and bare top. He looked down at a chiselled set of abs, in a very catching emerald green colour.
“I feel weird,” he said, “and I can hear a few things.” He could hear whispering as if someone was next to him.
“Someone is telling me I am a sexy beast. Another is saying something about the jolly green giant, and if my genitals are green as well.”
Domino coughed and Wade laughed, “What, who doesn't want to know what an alien dong looks like? Asgardians are so boring. The one I asked just punched me.”
As Marcus stretched and examined his hands he changed shape once more. He now felt like himself again. He wasn't though, he had a strange feeling he only looked like himself. On the shirt he normally wore, in the centre, was the dial. Whatever form he took, it would be there.
“Shapeshifter, that one’ll be popular with the ladies, right Dommy?” Wade did an over-exaggerated wink at her.
The form timed out and while he flashed for a second, Marcus had managed to get close to his original form. “That one could be okay. I felt stronger but the shapeshifting means I still look normal.”
“Okay, three to go,” Domino said, pulling over a camp chair and opening a can of Cola. “Might as well, looks like it's out of charge.”
Staring at the face Marcus nodded and the next was a large muscular man, similar to the first but with no cape. Spinning the dial and pushing it down, once more he changed.
The new form was indeed a large muscular man, with tight green shimmering pants and a tight golden top.
Goddamit, Marcus thought, what’s with spandex and these guys, can nobody wear normal pants?
As he moved, he didn't feel any different, “No superpowers, uh, just into shiny stuff.” He pressed the dial on the centre of his chest and reverted back to his normal self.
“Boring!” Wade shouted, while Domino just smiled.
“Right, two more.” Marcus flipped to another cape wearer, this one had a huge cowl on, and as he changed,
This time he was standing in thick body armour. Around his waist, he could feel a heavy belt, with compartments. He flipped open one and inside were what looked like throwing knives. “This one I like.”
Wade and Domino both nodded, “Very fancy, nice armour too. How's his aim with that gun?” Domino asked.
Marcus unclipped the gun from his belt. “It's not a gun, looks like a grapple or something?” As he pointed it up and fired, it hooked onto one of the warehouse roof's support struts. He tugged at the line, making sure it was safe, and then pulled himself up using a gas-powered line retractor.
As he hunched over and sat on one of the iron girders, he felt at home up here. He was a giant bird of prey, waiting, hunting. “This is kinda cool, like some kind of Nightman”
“What, say that again,“ Domino asked.
“Nightman!” Marcus said, “I am Nightman.”
“Hey, how are you doing that with your voice?”
“No idea, it only does it when I say Nightman!”
“Yeah, that's weird, now come down, you look stupid sat up there.”
Marcus nodded. As he lept he spread out his cape like a giant pair of wings and glided right down to the ground. Gracefully, he landed on one knee and supported himself with a hand as the cloak behind him folded back.
“Hey, superhero landing, nailed it!” Wade shouted. “Still a crappy name though.”
“It's not crappy. I am vengeance. I am the night,” Marcus replied.
“Wow, issues much, get therapy, Nightman,” Wade replied. “Next!”
Marcus touched the yellow dial symbol on his chest and switched back. He coughed a few times, “Yeah, that's murder on the throat.” As he turned the dial the last figure appeared, and he sighed, “Uh Wade, can I have some privacy with this one.” Marcus already knew what was about to happen, and an audience would just make it worse.
“What, no way, You've seen my unmentionables, so I get to see yours.”
Marcus sighed, “Fine, but if you say a single word, I will have Domino shoot you.” He hit the dial on the last figure, instantly shooting up in size in both directions.
“Holy mother of chesties.” Wade explained, “I'm in love, fifteen, Domino, oh nope, I’m good. Never mind.”
The larger-chested woman, standing at least seven feet tall flexed an impressive bicep. She had on red body armour, covering her chest enough there was no jiggle but leaving her shoulder and arms free. Her armour travelled down, covering her thighs in thick plates. She was bare-legged, with only thick heavy greeves protecting her legs. The mini skirt felt weird, and Marcus tilted his head and pulled a sword and shield from his, no, her back.
She grinned as they felt familiar and powerful in her hands.
“This I like. Oh yeah. Eat your heart out, I'm an Amazon.” She said as she grinned and spun the sword in her hand, “Oh, Wade, what did I say about opening your mouth? I can last fifteen, let’s see if your healing can keep up.”
With a grin, Marcus/Amazon advanced on Wade who screamed and ran.
“That's nice, but uh, any other powers?” Domino asked.
“Just this,” and Marcus pulled off a golden lasso from her belt. “It's not a weapon though.” He spun it and whirled it over Domino, “I think it's for containment.”
Domino raised an eyebrow and lifted her arm, with the golden rope hanging from it. “Doesn't seem very effective.”
Marcus sighed, “I guess it's another lame power. So now what?”
Domino looked at him, “Well, I'm going to think about that hunk with the black hair when I rub one out later. But, first, how about you change back so I can cut that watch off your wrist.”
“Uh, what?” Marcus said, confused.
“Yeah, I have a buyer for Reed’s tech, and Wade and I are going to kill you and dump your body in the river,” she calmly explained.
“Uh Dommy Baby, you said the quiet part out loud.”
Domino looked down at the lasso, “Oh you mother fucker.” Grabbing the rope she tugged on it, but the large woman just shrugged.
“I didn't know...Wait, fuck you.” Gripping the rope tighter Marcus/Amazon tugged on it and Domino went flying towards her. “You were gonna kill me?” She shouted and as Domino flew towards her, she whipped out a fist and smashed it into Domino’s face.
“Oooo, that looked nasty,“ Deadpool said with a grimace. “Cue the techno music, gunfight time.”
Deadpool rolled backwards and slipped a hand into his tent to grab one of his guns. “Bang bang,” he shouted as he fired at the altered Marcus.
“Yeah, bullets don't work,” she said as lifting her bracers they harmlessly bounced off them. “We are strong.” Looking down at Domino who was busy cradling her nose, she grinned and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. “Have your teammate back,” Amazon lifted her and threw her at Deadpool.
“Why do women always throw themselves at me,” he shouted as he dropped to the ground to avoid the prone form flying at him. “Bang Bang!” he shouted again as he fired, “bang bang bang!”
The raven-haired woman just deflected them, “Bullets don't work,”
“I know, but I've got lots of them and nothing else,” he shouted back, “and once your stupid watch runs out, they’ll work fine.”
Domino had landed and rolled across the floor, one hand landing in Deadpool's tent. As she moaned after having her nose broken her hand landed on something sticky. She shuddered at the mental picture as she grabbed it and threw whatever it was away. Feeling for a gun, she felt something else. Something small, round, and hard, with a small rectangle at the top,
Deadpool gasped, “Not my Fourth of July special!”
Domino shrugged, pulled the pin, and tossed it at the woman.
Crossing both her arms in front of her, the explosion lifted her from her feet and through the tarp and into the Bay. She coughed and spluttered as the plastic sheeting wrapped around her. As she tried to twist free, it just made it worse, stopping her from moving but letting water in.
Emergency detected, deploying suitable form. She heard and in a flash of light, was now back to the long-haired gold and green-wearing muscle man.
“Not helping,” came bubbling out of his mouth. “Oh hey, I can breathe.” He laughed as he sank, no longer fighting against the weight of the tarp. Letting himself hit the bottom of the bay, he shuddered as he saw the remains of a giant machine. Whatever it had been looked ominous in the dark. He also spotted the skeletal remains that poked out from under a rock nearby. Whatever had happened here had killed someone, and the river’s denizens had taken care of the rest.
Right, don't care. Do I go back and take them both, or do I run? He thought to himself as he worked the plastic wrapping him free.
As he stared down at the dial on the fish guy’s chest, he remembered that the forms didn’t last forever. He could fight, but he was on a time limit, and there was the recharge.
Right, probably die against the two well-armed and well-trained bounty hunters. So run it is.
As the last of the plastic came away he turned and swam to the other side of the bay. With surprising speed, he glided through the water towards Manhattan Island and freedom.
“Well, fuck,” Domino said as she held a tissue to her nose. Her powers had failed, or maybe the watch did something when it changed him. While he was Marcus she had an advantage but his other forms negated her powers. If they wanted the watch back, they would need to be careful, or as he hadn’t surfaced, take a swim in the river.
“Roshambo you for it?” Deadpool asked.
Domino stared at him, and clicked back the hammer on the gun she was currently holding,
“That's cheating, gun beats everything.”
A month later.
“Well, that sucked, but hey, we got a cool warehouse out of it. Parker can suck it,” Deadpool said as he lifted another can of beans from the small ration heater.
Domino sighed. Her luck had finally run out and with Marcus’s escape. The big score had fallen through and now they owed for failing a contract. As she was about to pull her mess tin of food closer a breeze brushed by.
A red blur filled the warehouse, removing everything. All the camping equipment was gone, the tents, the stove, and the heaters were all removed. On one wall, in very hastily smeared letters were, “Suck it losers!” daubed in white paint.
As Domino snarled at the mural she felt a slight chill. Looking down two scaly and unpleasantly cold ‘things’ touched her.
She screamed as not only had her top been removed but Wade's hands had been positioned over both her breasts.
She swung and clobbered Wade in the face, and even after lifting her top and zipping back up, he was face down in the dirt.
Holding one hand up, he gave her a thumbs-up. “Totally worth it.”
She would have shot him, but Marcus had stolen all their guns as well.
The End?
A figure stood on top of the Empire State Building, watching the city lights the people below. They were unaware a new hero now protected the streets of New York.
I am Hope, Justice, and Liberty. I am Gun Show
I am the fear that hunts in the dark, I am the Knightmare
No man escapes the Sage-shifter
No wilting flower, I am Girl Power!
Thank God New York is on the coast, I am Sea-King
I am possibly the fastest man alive, I am Takyon
Through brightest day
Through greatest fight
I’ll crush your spine
And take what mine
I’ll heal with love
And bring you hope
With colours true
And power great
I am Rainbow Ring
I am all of them and maybe more. I am Marcus Webber, but you can call me.
The Watchman.