All-Star Crossover: The Crusaders Meet The Champions

Part 1: Worlds Collide

IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is written assuming you, the reader, are familiar with both of these casts of characters, as well as their backgrounds, personalities and characterisations to varying extents. It takes place after The Crusaders: Volume 1, and between Chapters 23 and 24 of The Champions, and is intended to serve as an interlude between The Crusaders: Volume 1 and the upcoming Volume 2. If you're a Crusaders reader with no knowledge of the Champions prior to reading this, you should read up on your Champions before going any further if you haven't done so already. If you're a Champions fan reading of the Crusaders for the first time here, I recommend you at least familiarise yourself with the preceding story to some extent before continuing, even if it means only reading the first few chapters of Volume 1 or the prequel Rising Star. If you haven't read any Crusaders stories and choose to read on, spoilers and alternating levels of confusion may abound. Thank you, and please enjoy.

November 11, 2011

Lucastown…

No one would suspect the double-storied rectangular structure that sat squarely in the expanse of New York real estate was still a functioning boarding school. Even fewer people would entertain the notion that said boarding school was actually a front for the base of operations of the world's newest defenders. Headed by veteran soldier and superhuman Sam Wilton, eight men and women form the ranks of the Champions. For two months, the young superhumans have united their special abilities and engaged threats both domestic and worldwide of equally super-powered nature, eagerly rushing to battle and emerging victorious against all odds. But, as Alvin Perkliss, Eddie Evans, Martin Spektor and Victor Burling stood in the outdoor basketball court of the building's backyard, warmed by the rays of the unconcealed morning sun, 'unity' was not the word of the day.

"Are we really going through this again, man?" Eddie groaned as he rubbed the back of his blonde hair. Victor stood buff and imposing as ever beside him, despite his simple posture of hands to hips and his expression of slight dissatisfaction. Across from the two, Alvin held the basketball, his own expression remaining indignant even as he flicked his light brown hair out of his eyes. Next to him was Martin, whose lithe arms were crossed over his chest as he waited for the flames of the conflict to present themselves so that he may fuel them, as he was one to do.

"What do you mean 'again'?" Alvin inquired, his annoyance audible. "This is the first I've said about this."

"Yeah, to them. You've already informed me about half a dozen times about this little grievance of yours. I'm shocked you've forgotten, but don't worry, because I haven't. You say it the same way every time, and I swear to God, I hear it in my dreams on a loop."

"You mind shutting up so I can say it, then?" Eddie threw up his hands.

"Your funeral."

"Okay, listen, guys…I'm not happy with this arrangement."

"As in, with the teams?" Victor's voice reverberated like a bass speaker as he spoke. "Why?"

"Because you guys just dumped Martin on me!"

"Dude, you're lucky to have me on your side." Martin defended himself.

"Am I? You spend half the game talking shit and the other half staring at the girls over there. Both of which would be okay if you were any good."

"Oh, thanks for reminding me…" Martin tilted his head back with a mischievous grin to stare past his teammate at Julienne Bourbannais and Melissa as they sat on the steps to the court near the building's back door, chatting as they waited for the boys to actually start the game.

"Martin…" Victor began with a shaking head. "…c'mon, man. Al's tryin' ta express his grievances."

"Plus, you're noodly as hell." Alvin continued. "You look like a stick figure leapt off a piece of paper and into reality when you run." Martin looked back at Alvin and mounted another defense.

"Resident supergenius says I'm physically average."

"Resident supergenius hasn't seen you try a lay-up."

"Okay, well…" Victor started. "…you got any ideas on how ta rectify this situation?"

"Or are you just gonna pretend like it doesn't bother you this much for the seventh time?" Eddie added.

"Either of you want to switch sides?" Alvin's response prompted chuckles from the two. "I'm serious."

"Wait…" Eddie refocused. "…you literally just broke down exactly why Martin is a garbage player, and you expect one of us to take him off your hands?"

"Wow, they call me a dick." Martin commented. "If I'm so awful, why don't you ask one of the girls to play?"

"Duty of care." Alvin answered. "As their friends, we're obliged to keep whoever of them is left over from being stuck with you as you pointlessly try to flirt with them."

"Please…we all know 'the point' comes after the flirting."

"You have no idea how hard I want to punch you right now."

"Don't say 'hard' after a line like that." Eddie urged.

"Ha!" Martin let out. "Gay! I'm calling it. He's gay. He thought of it before I did."

"So, that makes me gay by default? Is there a college course that teaches your little brand of insane troll logic?"

"HEY, NEW YORK GIANTS!" The boys turned at Mel's Southern accent, which was more apparent as she yelled. Beside the seated Julienne, she stood on the stair. "You guys playin' or what!?"

"We're sortin' out some internal politics!" Victor threw back.

"Make it fast, it's cookin' out here!"

"Only because you're here!" Martin boomed, still trying to sound suave.

"I'll be laying down some hellfire if you don't get started soon, boys!" Mel retook her spot next to Julienne. "Sorry. Even for me, they're taking too long."

"I understand." Julienne responded, her French accent clear despite her relative lack of talking so far today.

"Y'know, you should consider playing basketball sometime. You got the build for it."

"Merci, however, I find more than enough time to exercise, and in places where there's less testosterone to drown in."

"Heard that. Listening to them argue…it's all so played out, y'know? It's like, when are they gonna grow out of their little hormonal phases and actually act mature?"

"Oui. So typical of men." A moment of silence passed between the two, wherein Julienne observed Mel's brown hair. "Did you do something different with your hair?"

"Do you like it?"

"I love it!"

"You ought to wear yours the same way."

"My hair is much too blonde to pull it off, I'm afraid."

"Well, glad to see hypocrisy isn't gendered." The girls were startled at the sound of Will behind them, who had come out in his wheelchair without a sound and with a smile under his thick beard. He raised his voice to address everyone at once. "Janet says there's a situation. We have to report to the lab."

"We literally just got done sorting this shit out…" Alvin grumbled.

"What kind of situation?" Julienne asked her boyfriend as she and Mel stood.

"That's what we're reporting to the lab to find out about, isn't it?"

Sam was present as the grey-haired youth Janet Lawrence gave the briefing in her lab under the building. Despite being a 13 year old girl, she stood with the authority Sam expected of his former superior officers in his soldier days, though her tone was deadpan and unaffected as ever.

"A few minutes ago, CASSI detected the sudden appearance of four energy signatures in random spots across New York City. I found little reason to prioritise any further analysis until CASSI informed me that the resonant energy from the manifestation of a solitary signature had begun to abscond from its original location."

"Will?" Victor requested.

"Four energy thingies happened around New York, and now one of them is on the move." Will simplified.

"The ambulatory signature is seemingly making a beeline towards Central Park. Assuming we deploy now, we shall intercept it at its destination."

"How do we know – whatever this is – is even worth all of us going out for?" Martin inquired.

"Energy occurrences such as this are extremely rare, and on even fewer occasions have they had positive outcomes, historically speaking." Sam answered. "Whatever it is that you encounter in Central Park...could very well be of grave threat to the entire world."

Central Park…

Red Cross approached the edge of the pond, where her teammate was kneeling and staring out at the nature with childlike wonderment. It had been one month since the Crusaders had cut their ties with the Department of Superheroic Affairs. Only a week after that was Phantomette – the teammate situated by the water – fully inducted into the team. For the last few weeks, she'd been alternately training and patrolling with her teammates while attending school with Red Cross in their civilian identities of Abigail Newman and Suzy Medina respectively. Red Cross briefly observed herself in the water's reflection, and she noticed the increasingly-visible muscularity of her uncovered biceps. She then turned her eyes behind her red glasses to the reflection of Phantomette, whose costume was made up of a pink headband that sat atop her short brown hair, a pink domino mask, and a pink leotard whose bottom half was covered by a loose knee-reaching pink skirt held in place by a white belt. Her elbow-length gloves and knee-high boots continued the traditionally-feminine trend by being coloured pink until their ends, which were highlighted white, and the short cape that ran from her shoulders to her belt was, as expected, pink. Having sent out the call on her communicator to the other Crusaders to converge on her location, Red Cross crouched beside her friend.

"It's so pretty." Phantomette uttered, her high-pitched voice befitting of the serene look on her face.

"It sure is." Red Cross affirmed in her eternally-soft voice. "You seem really chipper for, y'know, being teleported into the middle of New York City and separated from the rest of the team."

"Should I be worried?"

"Dunno. Lizzy sounded a little weirded out on the com, but…still."

"I guess I'm a little excited. I've never been outside of California before."

"Wait…really?" Phantomette nodded excitedly.

"Really! I've always wanted to travel and see things I can't find anywhere else, but my family has never really vacationed out of state. It's kind of disappointing, because a place like this is great inspiration for an artist like me."

"How do you know that if you've never been out of state before?"

"That's obvious, silly. It's because when I look at this place – at the trees and the water and the birds – I feel like drawing." Red Cross smiled.

"Well, as superheroes, we do tend to get around. If travelling to New York captures you this much, just wait…because we're probably gonna end up going to an alien planet or something by the end of the week."

"Wherever we go, I'm happy as long as I'm helping people. And hanging out with you and the others." Red Cross reached across Phantomette's back and grabbed her shoulder, pulling her into a brief side-on hug. "I can't wait to put all this in my diary when we get back to the Castle." Suddenly, a thumping noise was heard on the grass behind them, and the girls turned to see two of their teammates. While Starbolt gently descended from the sky, it became clear that Mind Master had been the cause for the thumping sound as he stood up from his knelt landing position, Starbolt having carried and dropped him from where they had been teleported to within the city.

"You're surprisingly heavy." Starbolt commented as he rolled his shoulders and landed. "Even in flight…and everyone is lighter when they're flying."

"That's the muscle mass of an entire life of martial arts training for you." Mind Master retorted. He turned to his female teammates. "You two are okay?" Phantomette nodded, then jolted and covered her mouth.

"Um…were you able to see that?" She asked timidly. He chuckled and smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry; your psychic ticks are enough to go on." The faint screeching of bats in the distance alerted the four to the approach of three more of their teammates. Atop a colony of bats, Nocturne, Kenseijin and Jimmy Nomad hovered in and landed with their team as the creatures dissipated.

"I have to say…" Nocturne began. "…when we came in to bust those Glorien worshippers or what-the-hell-ever they were…"

"Glorien's Dream, I think they call 'emselves." Jimmy Nomad clarified.

"...I didn't expect they had anything like this in them."

"That's unsurprising; you don't really expect much of anyone." Kenseijin teased.

"So this leaves-" Starbolt was cut off as Techsmith shot overhead before circling back, while Gunk stretched into the area in a stream of jelly. As Techsmith landed beside her boyfriend, Gunk went from his liquid form to his regular self beside Red Cross and Phantomette.

"Right on cue!" Techsmith announced.

"As ever." With his full team assembled, Starbolt took charge. "So, anyone got any ideas on our 20?"

"My immediate instinct is to say 'New York' but…" Gunk answered. "…I sense you want something more comprehensive."

"On the way, here I observed the city." Kenseijin began. "The buildings, the streets…it all looks…strange. Displaced from time. Like none of it has even by touched by the Battle of the Supers."

"And y'see some of the people down there?" Jimmy Nomad added. "Not a single alien among 'em. This ain't no New York I'm used to."

"So…time travel?" Starbolt tentatively concluded, a small smile on his face. "I kind of hope it's time travel. Was always curious to see what life on Earth was like before first contact with my own eyes."

"Keep it in your pants, mate." Nocturne dryly said, his grip firm on the hilt of the katana on his hip. "The technology around here is too evolved for us to be pre-Planetary War, even though clearly none of it is alien-influenced in the slightest."

"If we have to pin it down, I'm gonna say we've been warped to another dimension." Techsmith declared. "The resonant energy signatures that brought us here were similar to the ones that are present whenever the Heralds of Peace pop in from Teranaux."

"How can you be sure?" Starbolt asked.

"You're emitting some of that resonant energy right now. Not your fault, just Novon biology being what it is. Cross-referencing it with the Teranaux portal energy I have saved on-file was easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.

"Plus, like James said, we were up against Brutikai renegades trying to carry on Glorien's mission by terrorising Earth, so..."

"So the idea that they'd try self-constructing some knock-off cross-dimensional-teleportation technology in his tradition – or more accurately, Doctor Anarchy's tradition – isn't out of the question."

"Exactly."

"That's really cute." Phantomette commented, to Red Cross' questioning head-turn. "They're both so nerdy they finish each other's dorky science theories!"

"That may have sounded more positive in your head." Gunk said.

"If she's right, then we're probably better off." Mind Master said, regarding Techsmith's theory. "Means we can't screw with the timeline of our world, accidentally or otherwise." After a moment of thought, Kenseijin stepped back from the group and turned his back to them, removing his communicator from his armour and bringing it to his faceplate.

"Umi?" He attempted to make contact with his daughter at base. "Umi, are you there?" Not even static came through the line. With a heave of concern, he placed his communicator back in his armour and returned to the group. "I think Lizzy's right, that we're in another dimension. I can't make contact with Umi."

"Which means no Castle." Nocturne started. "And given the level of science we seem to have handy in this place, I'm guessing we won't exactly have the resources to figure out a way back in an overly expedient way."

"Wow. Really quelling the nerves there, Thomas."

"I didn't say we can't do it..."

"Hey, Hikaru…" Jimmy Nomad approached Kenseijin, whose head hung a little too low after Nocturne's pessimistic breakdown of the situation. "…we'll get back to her."

"I know, I just-"

"Maybe they can help us!" Phantomette suddenly said, pointing up at the sunny sky.

"Who?" Red Cross asked.

"The inhabitants of the jet that just passed overhead." Gunk explained, staring at the same spot as her. "Its design was similar to that of a Sky Cruiser."

"Maybe not so far behind as we thought…" Mind Master muttered.

"I'll patch into their radio." Techsmith said. After a moment of concentration to technopathically tell her Battlesuit to do so, she spoke with mild agitation. "Or I won't patch into their radio, because they don't have a radio to patch into. Either that or they've blocked out external signals, which means they may not be as helpful as Abigail here suspects." With that notion in their heads, the team tensed, readying themselves for potential conflict, save for Gunk and Phantomette. The seven others stepped forward as the jet began to descend before them, displacing the leaves with its wind.

"Maybe we can just ask them nicely to lend a hand?" Phantomette suggested without a hint of sarcasm or irony. Gunk was flabbergasted to hear this.

"Are you serious?"

"Why not? We're all reasonable people here. I'm sure they have some compassion to spare."

"I'm surprised."

"I can tell."

"I suppose I'm so used to this team meeting every problem with violence."

"I'm told that's only half the job. Actually, it seems like every time I learn anything new about being a superhero, it's 'half the job', even though it should logically add up to about…five or six halves. Which is two and a half or three wholes. And that just sounds silly."

"It is a complex vocation."

"That's why it's worth doing, right?" Gunk felt warmed by her polite innocence, and smiled as he responded.

"Right." Finally, the aircraft landed, its back ramp opening. Seven figures stepped down from within the jet, dressed in cowled, tight-fitting blue bodysuits with black stripes down their sides. They lined up with imposing stances in much the same fashion as the Crusaders themselves, and stared down the heroes.

"Hi!" Phantomette cheerfully greeted with an excited wave. One of the uniformed men, more gaunt than his compatriots, opened their mouth as they raised their finger to point at the Crusader at the far left.

"Blind black Bruce Lee…" He began, indicating towards Mind Master before beginning to move his finger to the right. "…Jolly Green Giant jelly edition, Princess Peach, walking health power-up, Brotherhood Paladin from Fallout 3, Doctor Manhattan from Watchmen, the Last Samurai, John Wayne, and…ninja version of Deadpool." The movement of his finger indicated he was describing Gunk, Phantomette, Red Cross, Techsmith, Starbolt, Kenseijin, Jimmy Nomad and Nocturne in turn. He nodded. "This was worth seeing."

"Quiet." The youngest of the seven arrivals stepped forward. The Crusaders were equally silently amused and off-put at seeing a girl who clearly had barely even reached puberty order them about as they were invisibly surprised. "State your identity and intent."

"Starbolt." The Crusaders' leader responded. "We're the Crusaders. Don't worry, we're superheroes. We're a little disoriented at the moment, so unless you're here to help, we'd appreciate it if you let us be."

"Why are you blue?" Invisiboy inquired, to Starbolt's slight defensive tenseness.

"Born this way. Thanks for the xenophobia, though."

"So you're an alien? Are all of you guys aliens?"

"I think it's time we started asking some questions of our own." Kenseijin interjected. "Like just who you are and what you want yourselves."

"We're the Champions." Another of the uniformed men said, sounding more friendly and perhaps even excited. "We're superheroes, too. I'm Valour, kid's Savant, 'xenophobe' is Invisiboy. Big guy is Granite, ladies are Kinetique and Mercy, and, uh, the other guy is Extreme. We're here to make sure you haven't come to take over the world or anything of the like."

"Extreme?" Techsmith mockingly asked. "As in…as in Extreme? Were you named by Starbolt?" Starbolt turned to look at her.

"You serious right now, sweetie?" He muttered, to her giggling as Extreme shuffled in annoyance. It was Mind Master who spoke next, trying to keep things civil as he could sense the rising tension.

"Listen, Champions, we're no threat to you. We just want to find a way to get home. We think we've been warped here from our native dimension, and trust us, we have less idea about how to handle this than you do, because…putting it politely, this place seems pretty weird."

"Ha! Says you!" Invisiboy blurted. "Look at you guys…bunch of freaks if I ever saw any." Mind Master kept his cool.

"If you have any resources you could spare, or you can point us in the direction of people who do, we'd appreciate the help."

"Assuming we had these resources you need…" Kinetique began, her accent making her words sound all the rougher. "…and that we believed your story, what makes you think we'd trust you enough to donner notre aide?"

"Anyone speak French?" Jimmy Nomad asked.

"She said 'give our aid'." Nocturne translated swiftly.

"Didn't know you spoke the language of love. This'll make date nights more interesting."

"I would think…" Techsmith began, taking over where Mind Master left off. "…that you'd lend your help because you're, as you said, superheroes too. And because you're people with empathy and compassion and all that good stuff you've probably come to expect of sentient life at this point. Unless you're supposed to leave that at the door when you cross planes of reality, in which case, forgive my tact."

"This is a question of trust, not love." Mercy said.

"Yeah, because there's plenty of love to go around." Invisiboy said slyly, winking at Red Cross and Phantomette. Mercy shook her head, while Red Cross shared agitation with Gunk and Nocturne and Phantomette looked down uncomfortably.

"You les gens appear out of nowhere with these energy signatures, dressed like…" Kinetique spoke with increasing sternness "…well, how you're dressed…and then expect us to let you slide because you say you're superheroes? Historiquement, not the start of pleasant stories." Techsmith stepped toward her confrontationally as she spoke.

"The only way this present story is gonna end up becoming 'unpleasant' is if you don't back off, Les Mis." It was at this point that Gunk stepped in.

"Now, everyone, there's no need for these circumstances to become violent." At the sincerity of her friend's words, Techsmith stepped back to her earlier place.

"He's right." Mercy affirmed. "We can sort this out without a fight."

"Yeah, we can all be friends…" Invisiboy falsely added as he approached Red Cross and Phantomette. "…and who knows?" He stopped and smiled cheesily at the two girls. "Maybe we could be more." Phantomette turned her head away shyly. Red Cross feigned a mutual smile, but in reality she was having none of this anymore. She pulled one her batons from her belt and engaged the electric bulb on its end, shoving it into Invisiboy's side. He cried out as he was zapped, and he stumbled backward in shock. "OW! Jesus, what the hell!?" Kinetique took the initiative in moving towards Red Cross, only to have her wrist grabbed mid-stride and held with mild vampiric strength by the inhumanly-quick Nocturne. Both the Champions and the Crusaders stood ready to jump into a fight should it break out, save for Savant, Gunk and Phantomette.

"You won't go near her." Nocturne grimly threatened, his other hand gripping the hilt of his katana.

"And I won't let you hurt my friends." She aggressively retorted. With her free hand, Kinetique yanked his hand off and pushed him back with but a hint of her super strength, prompting Jimmy Nomad to deftly draw one of the energy revolvers from his hip and aim at her head. In a split-second decision, Valour shot up a hand and sent an energy blast at the cowboy, which was stopped by Starbolt jumping before it and absorbing its energy, being only slightly pushed back. In retaliation, Starbolt sent one of his own yellow energy bolts back at the shooter, only to be surprised as it struck against his force field.

"Okay then…" He said lowly. "…it's a fight."

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. If you're really liking this story so far, give it a favourite, and tell your fellow authors to check it out. Next time, the Crusaders and the Champions go head-to-head in an all-out battle in Central Park! If you have anything to say or suggest, any plot holes to point out, details needing clarification, or general questions to ask, feel free to PM me or leave a review. Finally, be sure to check out my community, The All-Star Multiverse, and my Facebook page, PancakeOverdose! As always, take care.