Exiles: Endless (Marvel;Re)/Issue 1

This is the first issue of the Marvel;Re ongoing series, Exiles: Endless, part of the Web of Shadows story arc. It is succeeded by Exiles: Endless #2 and preceded by Exiles: New World #13.

Synopsis
The Multiverse is a large place with enormous problems. The cosmic conquerors, mystical dominators, and deluded villains living within the Multiverse tend to abuse their privileges of freedom by attacking other universes not of their own. When these ravagers disrupt the cosmic balance, causing Multiversal disasters, the Exiles are called upon to fix the damage done to realities. Some of them survives, some of them doesn't. Either way, these heroes are summoned to deal with the worst the Multiverse can offer, no matter how it's done.

Our rag-tag band of heroes have nuked the Avengers, saved an Earth from getting blown up by a mad scientist, and defeated an imposter elder Hulk, preventing him from amassing a Multiversal army of Hulks to conquer existence. For whatever losses they've sustained, they must be ready for what comes next...

The Panoptichron
The Crystal Palace. Undoubtedly the most majestic place in the Multiverse. This multi-dimensional structure was erected countless of years ago by the peerless architects known as the Timebreakers as an observatory of realities. Built within the gleaming network of universes known as the M'Kraan Crystal, the Panoptichron would be utilized as a staging ground for a group of reality hoppers known as the Exiles. They were given the duty of repairing the many disturbances that happened in many universes, and they did so with effectiveness. Yes, there were moral complications and mind-bending problems, but their very concept would inspire a certain new security force for the Multiverse in the future. Founded by the Living Tribunal to safeguard realities with the power of unity, the Exiles are tasked to defend the Multiverse with all their strength, guided by the Timebrokers in their quests.

Survival is not ensured for these Exiles. Some day, they'd return with their entire roster intact. Some day, they'd return losing some of their greatest heroes. They get replacements, but bonding over new recruits isn't always an easy task. Especially if they're not the friendliest of folks. The Exiles are a family, however, no matter how reluctant each member is. Their new recruits are reasonable, at the very least, and today, the team is about to give a pleasant surprise to one of its members.

Meet Earth-62412's Ghost Rider. By the time he was thirteen years old, his family was killed by Iron Man drones controlled by Obadiah Stane. By fourteen, he had fought alongside the New Fantastic Four to bring down the remnants of Stane International. By fourteen and eleven months, he had fought alongside the Exiles as the Spirit of Vengeance against innumerable odds. He's been nearly killed several times, but for him, there is no reason to shut down his optimism. He may be naive, but he's just happy to be there, playing a role that's beneficial for everyone involved. Besides, he's quite content with having the Exiles as his company.

Walking through the shining halls of the Panoptichron, the Ghost Rider looks around while he's wandering, wondering where everyone has gone to.


 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Gee, where is everyone? I thought it's mission time already."

The youngster with a blazing skull rubs his hands in anxiety while continuing his walk. He comes across a wooden door with the name Rojhaz inscribed to it. He decides to knock on the door to see if the Exiles' field leader is in there, hoping to question him about the whereabouts of his teammates.


 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "(Knocks the door) Hello? Captain Rojhaz? Are you there? I'm honestly scared by the absence of everyone here. I hope you're in there, somewhere."

The knock and statement are unanswered.


 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "(Sighs) I can't stand being alone, y' know."

Ghost Rider continues his walk and comes across another door, now inscribed with the name Justicer Bull. The representative of the Captain Britain Corps and a rather hard-headed veteran, Justicer Bull's not exactly a motherly figure for the Rider, but she's likely to be the type of person to inform him of everyone's locations.


 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "(Knocks) Hello? Uh, Mrs. Bull? No, wait, ma'am Bull, I mean, I'm sorry! Okay, let's do that again... (sighs) Ma'am Bull, are you inside? I wish to speak with you."

The result remains the same.


 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Oh, come on. I don't want to be the last one standing."

Again, he walks through the hallways and unknowable corners of the Crystal Palace, caring not if he finds himself walking upside down or into places his teammates have yet to discover. He comes across another door, but one that looks distinct from his teammates' quarters and the other doors that he has come across. He thinks to himself for a little while, arguing inside himself if he should open the door or not. Long story short: he opens it. But first, he has knock. Politeness, indeed.


 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Eh, what could go wrong? (Knocks) Hello? Is anybody there?"

Nobody answers.


 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Maybe I shouldn't be here at all. I mean, I don't even know what door this leads to. Eh, Mrs. Kang said that every door here is safe. She might be a villain, but I trust her. Wish me luck, Zarathos."

He lays his hand on to the handle and opens it, shocked at the fact that this door is unlocked. Looking inside, he sees a bunch of pathways and hallways alike, not too different from the one he saw. The lighting's a bit dimmer, but that's not a problem if one has a flaming skull for a head. Lighting up his head, he makes his way into the door, making sure he closes it properly first before going out into the Panoptichron's more 'uncharted' territories.

Once again walking upside down and normally, the Ghost Rider travels with a small frown on his face due to his failure to meet any of his friends. While walking upside down, the Ghost Rider spots a number of people seemingly arguing; he doesn't know. It sounds as if they're screaming at each other or what, but that matters not. He doesn't know these people, but hey, kindness works as always, right?

Old Man Logan stares into his leader's eyes before storming off with a small curse to think over everything that has transpired for the last few hours. After he's gone from the scene, Blink confides with the team's new recruit, Mangaverse Thor. Weapon X turns their entire attention towards the Ghost Rider, who's standing upside down. He is briefly taken aback by the awkwardness, but makes his intention clear early on that he's not hostile. After gathering his courage, Ghost Rider proceeds to speak up. The Exiles counterpart goes silent for a while until Blink speaks to the young person. And with that, Ghost Rider returns to the Exiles' part of the Panoptichron by trailing back his path. After he is gone, Weapon X converses. Ghost Rider returns to his initial entry point and decides to head to the Panoptichron's control room. His gut feeling tells him that there is someone there, and him being a Ghost Rider with supernatural sense means that what he's feeling is true. As he reaches the central command / control room, which also acts as a living room of sorts, he encounters a familiar face. The Doctor Strange of Earth-41101. The Sorcerer Supreme, reading a tome while sitting on a sofa with a leg folded, takes a glance at his teammate and smiles. After surprising him by calling his real name, which he has never shared with his teammates, Strange surprises him again by disappearing into thin air along with the book, revealing that he's just an astral projection. Confused but left without any other choice but to listen to Strange's advise, Ghost Rider heads to his room. He immediately sees something off when he sees the name inscribed on his door as Juan instead of Ghost Rider. When he approaches the door, he also feels a large coalescence of energies. Though naive, his senses do not fool him as he knows that the energies are those of his teammates'. Namely Nova, Strange. However, he also 'smells' energy signatures consistent to something... cosmic, but separate from Nova's. No response comes through. Juan wastes no time in barging through the door, shutting it immediately after without realizing that his whole room has gone dark. Despite his fiery skull, he is unsettled by the darkness as he remembers not of shutting off the lamps in his room. He doesn't let cowardice influence him, on the other hand, and steels himself while increasing the blaze of his fires to illuminate the room. Unfortunately, his flames are still unable to fully brighten up the room. Fear begins to seep in his heart the moment he is unable to sense the energy signatures from earlier. A response comes in from the void when a candle suddenly lights up, seemingly placed on top of a table. His words are answered by a plethora of other candles lighting up all around him, forming a circle that surrounds him. The candles begin to float and approach him, prompting him to turn around and see the anomaly while being utterly confused. Fourteen candles surround him as he progressively becomes more disturbed. After looking around in panic for a while, he stops his movement as he sees an unmistakable figure in a trench coat walking towards him with a candle upon his hand.
 * Age of Apocalypse Blink: "Look, we can't just bring back the It! The Timebroker said he could only replace the dead, not resurrect them!"
 * Old Man Logan: "Bullshit! He could just re-recruit him from his reality in the past! He's still alive, then!"
 * Yu Komori / Manga Spider-Man: "Does that guarantee that he won't die all the same?"
 * Mojoverse Cike: "The Japanese dude is correct! If you haven't noticed, we've got ourselves a better replacement! See?"
 * Mangaverse Thor: "I suggest you watch your tongue, child. I am no one's better, and I will not fight in vain. I do not know who this 'It' is, but I see that he is a fighter of both bravery and boldness, yes?"
 * Old Man Logan: "More bolder and *#&@(-* braver than any of you little *&^%$!"
 * Manga Spider-Man: "You're in a state of stress, Logan-san, but you must think to yourself. If he does indeed return, will you be all the more happier to see him die again?"
 * Old Man Logan: "I didn't even see his death!"
 * Age of Apocalypse Blink: "Logan, just calm down! I'm not going to pull my words, old man, and I'm sure every one of us have been shaken by the deaths of our loved ones. We all appreciate It's sacrifice, and we'll honor him by letting him rest in peace. For now, his position has been filled by Thor, and there's no denying that he's got some large shoes to fit in. Knowing that, do you want to weep again for our friend or make him proud by fighting as hard as you can?"
 * Age of Apocalypse Blink: "(Sigh) Welcome to Weapon X, Thor. Has the Timebroker told you everything?"
 * Mangaverse Thor: "He has, Lady Blink. I'll be honest with you: I did not expect you to be so stern. However, I see now that the Timebroker has broken my prior misconception. You are an ideal leader, after all."
 * Mojoverse Cike: "First arrival and you're already courtin' the 'lady'?"
 * Manga Spider-Man: "Can you distinguish the difference between having a crush and being polite?"
 * Mojoverse Cike: "You both use nice words to entice other people into liking you."
 * Mangaverse Thor: "Rest assured, I am not here seeking romance."
 * Age of Apocalypse Blink: "Yeah... anyways, good to have you here, Thor. We'll take you around for a tour, if you don't mind."
 * Mangaverse Thor: "Ah, that's alright, Lady Blink. I can see myself around."
 * Age of Apocalypse Blink: "Cool! Just make sure you're not surprised to find yourself walking upside down in this place, alright?"
 * Mojoverse Cike: "Like that guy?"
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Uh, hello, everyone. I'm Ghost Rider, I'm from Earth-62412 and a member of the Exiles. I was wondering if any of you knew where my teammates are. Oh, and... I come in peace!"
 * Age of Apocalypse Blink: "Hi, Ghost Rider! It's nice to meet you. You know, you're the first Exiles we've ever met, which is super-fortunate. Unfortunately, we're... not really the Exiles. We're Weapon X. We're supposed to be your extra hand, since you folks can't handle everything all by yourself."
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Wow, that's amazing! So, you guys are like, another Exiles?"
 * Age of Apocalypse Blink: "Yeah, you can say that. By the way, speaking of your teammates, I have to apologize to you, Rider. We haven't seen them anywhere around here. Sorry."
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Oh, I see... well, that's OK. At least I know we're not alone. Thanks for your help, violet lady! Hope we can meet each other some time in the future. Now, I must depart. Good bye!"
 * Age of Apocalypse Blink: "Good bye!"
 * Mojoverse Cike: "I didn't know Ghost Riders sound puny!"
 * Mangaverse Thor: "You are lucky he wasn't a bloodthirsty monster without mercy, Cike. You have no idea what a true Ghost Rider is. Not that he was a false Rider."
 * Manga Spider-Man: "How did he get here, anyway?"
 * Age of Apocalypse Blink: "I don't know, Yu, but I guess that we all should keep an eye out for future visitors. We'll never know when they come around again."
 * Marvel Knights Doctor Strange: "Good day, Ghost Rider. How are you doing?"
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Doc! Man, you don't know how glad I am to see you! Do you know where everyone is?"
 * Marvel Knights Doctor Strange: "On the contrary, I can feel the relief within your heart the moment you saw the tip of my mustache, my friend. (Sniggers, then briefly pauses before speaking) I don't know where everyone is."
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "What? But how? You have the Eye of Agamotto, right? You can use it to find where everyone is! Gee, Doc, please, I don't like being alone..."
 * Marvel Knights Doctor Strange: "Really? Now I wonder how you sleep in your quarters."
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "I sleep by turning back to my human form. Just, argh, you know the context of my words, right?"
 * Marvel Knights Doctor Strange: "Hmm, perhaps. Maybe yes, maybe not. Either way, I think you should return to your room. You'd find more luck there than walking around this infinite labyrinth."
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "(Sighs) You know something, don't you?"
 * Marvel Knights Doctor Strange: "Maybe yes... maybe no. See you later, Señor Juan."
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Oh, boy, what is happening?! Are they playing tricks on me?"
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Oh, God... (knocks on the door) You know I can sense you all inside, right?"
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Look, if you wanna play, I'll play, alright? I'm coming in..."
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Uh, guys? I... I'm not a coward! I... I just don't like surprises!"
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Huh, what the...?"

His face lit up by the candle he bears, Frank Castle stares right into his eyes while struggling to keep his dignity and grimness, anticipating what is to be done next. Frank breathes in heavily before proceeding to utter a set of words no one could ever expect of a Punisher to say. In a chaotic fanfare of the Happy Birthday song, the room lights up to reveal the entire team singing the same song (except Greenskyn, who just can't get the right notes or lyrics). Even Timebrokers Kang and Uatu are participating in the festivity, the latter telekinetically lifting four candles. Even more surprising is the presence of the spirits of Exiles past, Captain Universe and War Machine, the Thor, each bearing a candle with their own hands.
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Frank? Frank, what's going on? Why are you grimacing?"
 * Punisher MAX: "(Sighs) Happy birthday to you... happy birthday to you... happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to... oh *@&!(#, you..."

The Ghost Rider is stunned by this act. He didn't expect his birthday being celebrated, let alone be known by the Exiles. Besides, the Panoptichron is outside of time (at least it's in the M'Kraan Crystal network); there's no telling what 'time' it is at the moment. Nevertheless, the young hero is so touched by this he turns himself to his human form and sobs. Seeing this, Rojhaz signals the team to stop singing and approaches him, patting the kid's back and comforting him. Juan embraces the Leader of the Exiles while tears are still streaming down his eyes. He regains his composure moments later, wiping his tears and turning himself back to Ghost Rider. Hearing the source of such statement, Ghost Rider turns around to see both Thor War Machine and Captain Universe Spider-Man, the latter unmasked, in their spirit forms: a product of a trick Strange did some times before. The Rider didn't expect Strange pulling the same trick for this very occasion. Brimming with excitement, Ghost Rider rushes up to them and tries to hug them both, but forgets that they are spirits. After giving a nod, Rider returns to his human form and proceeds to blow off every single candle borne by his teammates and two superiors. The entire room groans in disappointment as Strange laughs by himself before getting serious for the moment. The room goes silent as Ghost Rider takes a moment to think of his birthday present. Ghost Rider re-thinks his choice. The team looks at Ghost Rider with confusion and the Timebrokers look at each other. ''The scene snaps into the view of the Exiles waiting outside of a chamber tagged with the name, 'The River of Time'. After waiting idly for a while, Kang and Uatu exit the chamber with a Shetland pony''. Kang lets go of the pony and the animal walks towards Ghost Rider, who proceeds to pat it in the head before hugging it. Ghost Rider smiles at Castle with a glee that confuses him and disturbs the other Exiles who know what Ghost Riders are capable of in their universes. The Ghost Rider wastes no time at all in seeing if he can 'possess' the horse like how he can ignite his bike. He climbs on top of the pony and waits for a few second before willing the process. In an instance, the pony is set ablaze and turns into a semi-skeletal version of itself with fiery manes and burning hide, exposing the bones inside. The creature's hooves are brimmed with lava and its footsteps leave burning craters wherever it goes. It's fortunate that the Crystal Palace's floor is made of stronger stuffs than hellfire.
 * Rojhaz: "It's alright, kid. This one's for you."
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "You guys don't have to do this! I'm not special! I'm just like you guys!"
 * Ultimate Kang: "Oh, yeah, not every one of us have a flaming skull for a head, kiddo. (Chuckles) 'Sides, I allowed this to happen to cool everyone down after what happened before in Green Hell."
 * Justicer Bull: "Trust us, Juan. This one's for all of of us. We really need to blow off some steam."
 * Guardians 3000 Nova: "Juan. Heh. You know, I may not speak for everyone, but I think we all were surprised to see how your real face looks like."
 * Captain Universe Spider-Man: "Hey, Rhodey and I never got to see his face 'fore we were blown to kingdom come!"
 * Thor Corps War Machine: "Whoa, whoa, kid, we're still tied to Lady Death's realm! Chill!"
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Oh, I'm sorry! I just didn't expect you guys to be here."
 * Captain Universe Spider-Man: "Well, now you know we're here. Happy birthday kid. Speaking of birthdays, you wanna blow off the candles?"
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "(Pauses for a bit) You know, when I was plucked off from my world, I didn't think of getting a new family, even if it's one that's not guaranteed to survive."
 * Greenskyn Smashtroll: "Not guaranteed to survive? Laddie, you better start appreciatin' the fact that you're still alive and standin' with yer bloody pants on!"
 * Punisher MAX: "Family? Hmph. We'll see about that once one of us gets a 7.62 through the skull."
 * Marvel Knights Doctor Strange: "Or an incineration spell cast by a wayward demon, that is."
 * Guardians 3000 Nova: "Whoa, have you forgotten who's having a birthday today?"
 * Marvel Knights Doctor Strange: "Mr. Juan over here is neither a demon nor a wayward boy, Ms. Rider."
 * Rojhaz: "Whoever we are, remember that we are Exiles, people. We're the..."
 * Greenskyn Smashtroll: "Yeah, yeah, da Multivurs' bloody shield an' sandwich an' ketchup or somethin'."
 * Mangaverse Uatu: "Oh, look how our little family is coming together..."
 * Punisher MAX: "Geez, shut the *#(@ up, Uatu."
 * Justicer Bull: "Hey, Grey's got a point. Big Man wants a cohesive team that's basically family so the Multiverse can be saved by some sortie that doesn't argue with one another like politicians."
 * Guardians 3000 Nova: "That's a nice shade you got, Bull."
 * Justicer Bull: "(Punches Nova's shoulder lightly and slightly laughs) You can never be satisfied with bureaucracy."
 * Punisher MAX: "Hmph. Whatever works, then."
 * Rojhaz: "Well, Frank, you'd be happy to know that we all owe you one after what you have done a few minutes ago."
 * Punisher MAX: "Yeah, yeah, you better be ready when I'm calling on a couple of favors."
 * Guardians 3000 Nova: "Guys, guys, do you realize that we're missing something?"
 * Marvel Knights Doctor Strange: "All of us are accounted for and our equipments are safely stored in the Crystal Palace."
 * Greenskyn Smashtroll: "You always gotta be like that, Doc?"
 * Marvel Knights Doctor Strange: "Perhaps... maybe yes, maybe no."
 * Marvel Knights Doctor Strange: "Alright, alright, yes, I know what we're missing, you oaf."
 * Greenskyn Smashtroll: "Dandy! Now with that outta way, (grabs Ghost Rider by his hand) Say, kid... whaddaya wish for yer birthday? Ah'm as sure as mah muscles that the Timebrokers can grant you anything you wish."
 * Ultimate Kang: "Hopefully, yes. Hopefully."
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "I wish I could unsee the things I've seen."
 * Greenskyn Smashtroll: "Uh... care to wish o' somethin' else within reason?"
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "I wish for a pony."
 * Mangaverse Uatu: "Is that..."
 * Ultimate Kang: "Say no more, Juan. Say no more..."
 * Ultimate Kang: "You want a pony... here you have it."
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Oh, boy! It's a real pony!"
 * Ultimate Kang: "Straight from Earth-811. Happy birthday, kid."
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Kang, I... I..."
 * Ultimate Kang: "You're welcome, Juan. Just fight harder the next time you're on a mission. Promise?"
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "I'll Penance Stare everyone I come across, I promise!"
 * Mangaverse Uatu: "That may be too much..."
 * Punisher MAX: "Hey kid, you think you can ride that?"
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "I've always wondered if there are Ghost Riders who ride horses, you know..."
 * Rojhaz: "As much as how curious we all are, I don't think you should... well, you know."
 * Justicer Bull: "The rationalist within me wants to agree, but the curiosity within me says otherwise."
 * Greenskyn Smashtroll: "What? What's he gonna do to the pony?"
 * Guardians 3000 Nova: "He's gonna set the pony on fire and make it run as fast as a spaceship."
 * Captain Universe Spider-Man: "Now that's a scene I'd like to see."
 * Thor Corps War Machine: "Damn straight, Parker. Now, if we're still alive and all..."
 * Marvel Knights Doctor Strange: "Gentlemen, I must remind you that you only have thirty seconds left in maintaining your spiritual projections."
 * Captain Universe Spider-Man: "Now that's a bummer. If you join us, let us know how's the ride, alright, kid?"
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "I'm not going to ride it, but I'll try what I can do first, alright?"
 * Ultimate Kang: "Juan, I swear if you take this thing for a joyride and ruin my *#(@&@ Palace, I'll snatch it away from you."
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Okay, okay, I promise to be a good boy! Now..."
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Okay, pony... flame on?"

The Exiles gawk in amazement and terror over the sight of the infernal pony screeching in infernal fury, rearing while the Rider struggles to take control of the pony. It immediately gallops away as the Exiles attempt to help Juan off the horse, stopping its course when it throws the Rider away from its back and hard into the Crystal Palace's adamantium-hard walls. The Rider grunts in pain as he reverts to his human form, coughing in pain while also laughing in ridicule as the pony returns to its timid self, trotting peacefully as if nothing's happened.

Greenskyn brings himself to 'tame' the pony by lifting it with his bare hands, prompting it to struggle and wiggle in the troll's grip. Doctor Strange casts such spell and engulfs the pony with a series of yellow bandages. When the bandages disappear, the pony turns motionless. Greenskyn shakes the pony and feels something wrong. Spider-Man's words dissipated into thin air, just like the astral manifestations of Rhodes and him. Rojhaz quickly displays the Tallus on his hand: a sophisticated communications device worn by the leaders of the Exiles that contain a fragment of the M'Kraan Crystal itself. It allows for inter-universe teleportation jumps, regardless of the position of the Exiles themselves. No distance can separate the team and no threat can eviscerate the team. At least so far. In a stunning display of discipline, the Exiles quickly obeys the Timebroker's command, running steadfastly in unison to the designated destination. The team's green-skinned bruiser can be seen running with Ghost Rider's pony still borne in his hands, hurdling with weariness over the creature's safety.
 * Greenskyn Smashtroll: "Grah! The pony's retaliatin'!"
 * Marvel Knights Doctor Strange: "Put it down, Greenskyn. Let the Harmony of Oshtur put it to rest."
 * Greenskyn Smashtroll: "Did you just kill the pony?"
 * Marvel Knights Doctor Strange: "No, I put it to sleep."
 * Justicer Bull: "You said you put it to rest. What did you mean, rest in peace?"
 * Guardians 3000 Nova: "Relax. Worldmind says it's still alive. It's just asleep."
 * Captain Universe Spider-Man: "That... was e--"
 * Punisher MAX: "Seriously?"
 * Marvel Knights Doctor Strange: "Good news is that they've seen how the Pony Rider rides off to the sunset (chuckles)."
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "(Slowly recovers with Frank's help) Gee, that was very painful. I swear Mr. Rhodes' lightning strike hurt less than that."
 * Punisher MAX: "You would've died there if you hadn't got your 'Ghost Rider' mumbo jumbo, boy (grabs him up by the hand). There you go."
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Thanks, Mr. Frank."
 * Punisher MAX: "(Grumbles) What did I tell you about naming conventions?"
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "I may be a year older now, but I still need to respect my elders, Mr. Frank."
 * Guardians 3000 Nova: "Ha! You hear that, Frank? You're old!"
 * Punisher MAX: "These 'old' bones have seen more wars realer than your kiddie-ass 'invasions', Rael."
 * Guardians 3000 Nova: "Says the 40-something-year-old man to a two-century-old girl."
 * Rojhaz: "Alright folks, settle down. I think we've all had our fun for the past twenty minutes or so, but something tells me we're just five minutes away from our next deployment."
 * Ultimate Kang: "You heard the man. Get to the control room, now."

Cut to the view of the control room, where the Exiles are seen sitting on a bunch of couches to listen to both Kang and Uatu's briefing, the Timebrokers standing in front of a giant crystalline computer built into the Panoptichron itself, granting it access to the Multiverse's data.

In a stunning display of discipline, the Exiles quickly obeys the Timebroker's command, running steadfastly in unison to the designated destination. The team's green-skinned bruiser can be seen running with Ghost Rider's pony still borne in his hands, hurdling with weariness over the creature's safety.

Cut to the view of the control room, where the Exiles are seen sitting on a bunch of couches to listen to both Kang and Uatu's briefing, the Timebrokers standing in front of a giant crystalline computer built into the Panoptichron itself, granting it access to the Multiverse's data. Greenskyn can be seen sitting with the pony laying on his large thighs while Doctor Strange is 'sitting' in the air with his legs folded. Uatu moves out of the way as Kang takes center stage and shows a series of pictures related to the superhero, Spider-Man. Kang briefly turns aside to operate the computer's console and brings up shots of the choices Earth-20900's Peter made during the Symbiote crisis.
 * Mangaverse Uatu: "Your next mission is of utmost importance. Once again, you will deal with a situation involving two universes. Lucky for you, we don't need to divide you into groups to save the world."
 * Rojhaz: "Thank God. Nearly thought you're going to kill us again."
 * Mangaverse Uatu: "We don't spend lives carelessly, Captain Rojhaz. All of your lives are precious, and it's also fortunate that the situation you're dealing with is 23% less lethal than your previous assignment."
 * Justicer Bull: "Great. It's a mop-up job, then, yes?"
 * Mangaverse Uatu: "Unfortunately, you will be dealing with Symbiotes."
 * Guardians 3000 Nova: "Wait, how does that make things easier than fighting legions of Hulks?"
 * Mangaverse Uatu: "Because you'll be gaining assistance once you are on-scene and that the opposing Symbiotes are not the kind enslaved by their god."
 * Rojhaz: "Venom has a god?"
 * Mangaverse Uatu: "The less said about him the better. Now, perhaps Mrs. Kang would like to elaborate more on the mission?"
 * Ultimate Kang: "(Sigh) Stop calling me that."
 * Ultimate Kang: "I'm sure that you are all familiar with Spider-Man, considering one of our lost ones was a version of him. What you may not be familiar of is his history with the Symbiotes, which are these gnarly shapeshifting blobs who look like slimy mouths with the ability to possess others, granting their 'hosts' increased power at the cost of being vulnerable to both fire and sound. Long story short: a Symbiote known as 'Venom' got a hold of Mr. Parker many years ago on Battleworld and became one of his greatest enemies. In this little universe you'll be operating in designated Earth-20900, Venom discovered that he could give birth to smaller versions of himself and used his critters to infest both the city and citizens of Manhattan. At the end of the day, Lil' Pete defeated Venom and kept his morals intact, freed of the Symbiote that latched on to him earlier."

Shocked by the revelation, Rojhaz stands up and voices his contention with conviction. The team shares a small moment of humor as they 'joyously' groan, much to Bull's chagrin. Kang operates the computer once again and shows the image of a certain Symbiote-infested superhero. In an instance, the Exiles make their way towards to the Bridge, where they will be transported to their mission area. Punisher, however, goes to the Crystal Palace's Depot, where Castle is greeted with a large unfolding weapon rack containing numerous replicas of weapons from the Multiverse, most of them being nearly as good as their original incarnations. Archaic weapons of adamantine strength, armaments designed by celestial beings to destroy their own kin, and many other portable weapons of mass destruction. Frank approaches the weapon rack and examines the weapons available for him. There are some mundane weapons, such as assault rifles and pistols from Earth. But of course, experience has taught him that the weapons he relied the most back in his world won't be all that useful in his tenure as an Exile. His next mission is going to introduce him to the beings called the 'Symbiotes', and so, he requires weapons suitable to counter those aliens. Castle takes a moment to think before speaking to the rack. The rack responds by realigning its weapon display and shows Castle many weapons with the tag of Symbiote-effective accompanying them. Flamethrowers, sonic cannons, incendiary grenades: the same type of weapons Castle uses to punish overconfident mafiosos and wiseguys. The rack shows the Punisher an MP7-modeled SMG with a retractable stock and a number of glowing lines along its frame, accompanied by alien runes. A voice telepathically responds to Castle's question.
 * Ultimate Kang: "Meet the Peter Parker of Earth-30900. Basically, he's a characteristically worse version of the Spider-Man you just saw who has made his way to Earth-20900 through possible extrauniversal means. He's far from being one of the worst people you'll be dealing with in the Multiverse, but you're going to kick his sorry ass all the way to the Kyln all the same."
 * Guardians 3000 Nova: "Hold on, did you just say the Kyln?"
 * Ultimate Kang: "Yup. Just not the one that you're familiar. It's the place where all the baddies you've trounced are detained in. The Alcatraz of the Multiverse, designed at the beginning of creation to hold interuniversal criminals or invaders like Mr. Peter over here. I doubt none of us will be going there, unfortunately, unless we're called on for assistance by the Guard."
 * Punisher MAX: "(Analyzes the pictures) This black-suited Spider-Man is our primary target, unquestionably. What about the chick in black? Seems like she's a big deal and all."
 * Mangaverse Uatu: "Irrelevant. You are cleared to kill all of the Symbiotes with extreme prejudice to make sure their taint doesn't corrupt Earth-20900."
 * Marvel Knights Doctor Strange: "Oh my."
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Now that's a first... we never got explicit permission to kill."
 * Mangaverse Uatu: "You'll get used to it. The Living Tribunal hates conquerors from other realities attempting to consolidate their so-called 'dominion' over realms not of their own. As for the Peter Parker of Earth-30900 — that's the black-suited Spider-Man — his fate is in your hands. Either you burn or knock him out, we care not."
 * Rojhaz: "What about Earth-30900 itself? Without the presence of their supposed inhabitants, what'd happen to it? Their world's order could be in imbalance."
 * Mangaverse Uatu: "Oh, Rojhaz, you may not like what you are about to hear, but the moment Parker and his Symbiote Horde entered Earth-20900, there's no such thing as Earth-30900."
 * Rojhaz: "What?! How could that be! Those Symbiotes aren't the only inhabitants of that universe! He can't just destroy it for the doings of a million out of trillions of sentients!"
 * Mangaverse Uatu: "He did not destroy it per se, Captain Rojhaz. That particular timeline has been overwritten by another timeline designated Earth-23900", where the natives of Earth-30900 now reside in peace after the defeat of the Symbiotes and their leader, who all share the exact same history as they did in the 'destroyed' dimension. Knowing that, the Symbiote invasion force on Earth-20900 is now considered an anomaly in the Multiverse. Therefore, they are your targets."
 * Ultimate Kang: "All things considered, this assignment is still on the brighter side of the morality spectrum. Satisfied?"
 * Rojhaz: "(Sits down again) Let's just hope we get them all to the Kyln. We kill only when necessary, people."
 * Armor Wars Ghost Rider: "Captain, uh, no offense, but you know how Symbiotes work, right? They don't die that easy and 'killing' them doesn't always result in their deaths."
 * Rojhaz: "I know, Juan. I only look forward to minimizing casualties from all sides."
 * Greenskyn Smashtroll: "Bleh, bleh, we're smashin' 'em anyways. What's wrong with this Peter chap, anyway?"
 * Ultimate Kang: "He accepted Black Cat's offer to dominate New York City and 'gifted' her with a part of his Symbiote, coerced the Vulture into working with him many times over, beat the *@&! out of the infected Electro before manipulating his bloodlust to 'assist' him, ripped Wolverine in half to free him of his Symbiote, earning his ire in the process, killed Eddie Brock in cold blood to 'save' Manhattan, only to become its worst menace afterwards alongside the 'Symbiote Queen', Black Cat."
 * Greenskyn Smashtroll: "He's one hell of a champ, isn't he?"
 * Justicer Bull: "Not as much as a champ as all of us, I presume."
 * Ultimate Kang: "Don't get yourselves killed, people. Rojhaz, stick with your team. I'm not separating your merry band of 'champions' this time around, so don't split yourselves up unless necessary."
 * Rojhaz: "Copy that, Timebroker. Anything else we should know?"
 * Ultimate Kang: "Panoptichron picked up two lifeforms out-of-sync with the universe. Whoever these two are, they must be the ones bringing these Symbiotes out for snacking. We don't know who they are, but my guess is that you'll know immediately when you see them. Knock out and restrain these stowaways. We'll let the Kyln ask them the questions."
 * Punisher MAX: "What if they're dead?"
 * Ultimate Kang: "Then we won't know if they're up to something bigger than this or not."
 * Mangaverse Uatu: "Perhaps, you'd like to let them know of our... insider, Susan?"
 * Justicer Bull: "Insider?"
 * Ultimate Kang: "A person can be considered an insider if he or she agrees to certain propositions from a certain party. We have no deals or agreements whatsoever with our 'insider', Uatu. However..."
 * Ultimate Kang: "If you see this man, consider him an ally. That's all I will say."
 * Greenskyn Smashtroll: "We dun' smash 'im unless he smashes us first?"
 * Mangaverse Uatu: "I suggest you smash with him, Greenskyn. We don't know why he's there, but from the Panoptichron's database, it's said that he was sent by SHIELD to hunt down his world's Spider-Man, who is also your target."
 * Rojhaz: "Another intrigue to confront, I see. Do we kill him like the others from his dimension?"
 * Ultimate Kang: "No."
 * Rojhaz: "Good to know. How much time do we have left before deployment?"
 * Ultimate Kang: "Five minutes. Get ready, Exiles. Earth-20900 is counting on you."
 * Rojhaz: "You got it. (Stands up) Exiles, move it out!"
 * Punisher MAX: "Hello, sweetheart."
 * Punisher MAX: "You know what's best to use against Symbiotes?"
 * Punisher MAX: "I'd like something a bit more... inconspicuous, but versatile."
 * Punisher MAX: "What's this thing do?"
 * Voice: "It shoots supersonic rounds at 1200 RPM and has no recoil whatsoever. It is a weapon utilized by Human-Kree hybrid militants from Earth-108 in the 35th Century to clear out Klyntar infestations. It designed by Mina Stark, ancestor of Dr. Minn-Erva and Arno Stark. It can shoot out incendiary rounds the heat of solar flares or blast out sonic shockwaves at close range without reloading whatsoever. Should the weapon be disarmed, the user can recall it back to his/her/its grip by teleportation."
 * Punisher MAX: "Sweet. I'll take it. What's it called?"
 * Voice: "The Symbuster."
 * Punisher MAX: "What a *#&@($& name. Anything else?"
 * Voice: "Would you like to once again have your Power Cosmic grenades, Mr. Castle?"
 * Punisher MAX: "Those, and the Dark Matter pistol."

TBA