The stale air of the abandoned subway station settled heavily around them, thick with dust and the scent of damp concrete. The emergency lights flickered faintly, casting long shadows that stretched unnaturally across the tiled walls.
Butcher stood near the platform's edge, staring into the darkness of the tunnels. His fingers gripped the crowbar tightly, his jaw set. Hughie sat cross-legged on the floor, looking more exhausted than ever.
Deadpool, of course, was making himself at home.
"Alright, team," Deadpool said, hopping onto a bench. "We've survived collapsing buildings, falling space debris, and an existential crisis or two. Now, it's time for the real challenge: public transportation."
Frenchie smirked. "Mon dieu, truly our greatest enemy yet."
Mother's Milk shot him a look. "Man, this ain't funny. You saw those suns out there. We don't have time to screw around."
"Which is why we're here," Alex said, pulling up his system interface. "We needed a place to think."
System Notification
[SCANNING...][WARNING: TEMPORAL DISTORTIONS DETECTED BELOW]
Alex frowned. "Uh... guys?"
"Oh, don't tell me the magic text box is actin' up again," Butcher groaned.
"No, it's detecting... something below us."
Deadpool gasped theatrically. "Ghosts?! Is it ghosts?! Please say ghosts. I've always wanted to be in a horror movie."
"Maybe it's another subway tunnel," Hughie suggested, peering over the platform edge.
"Maybe it's somethin' worse," Butcher muttered. "And if it is, I say we smash it."
Deadpool turned to the audience. "Ah yes, Butcher's tried-and-true method: hit first, ask questions never."
The Tracks Come Alive
Before anyone could respond, the subway lights flickered violently, and a deep, metallic groan echoed from the tunnels below.
The ground beneath them rumbled.
The group tensed, stepping back instinctively as a gust of hot air blasted up from the tracks.
Then, the rails began to move.
"Oh, that's not normal," Hughie said, his voice rising in pitch.
The metal warped and twisted, shifting like a living thing. The steel beams curled upward, snapping like fingers, and the tiled walls cracked as something massive stirred beneath them.
"What the f*** is that?" Butcher snapped, raising his crowbar.
Deadpool leaned forward, stroking his chin. "Either the subway is REALLY overdue for maintenance, or we're about to have a boss fight."
It Emerges
With a loud, screeching roar, the ground split open, and a massive mechanical construct burst from beneath the tracks.
It was a subway train— but wrong. The metal was twisted and jagged, its windows glowing an eerie red. The front resembled a monstrous, gaping maw, and its wheels weren't wheels anymore—they were limbs, clawed and metallic, gripping the platform like a predator crawling from its den.
"What in the actual f***—" Hughie started.
"DEMON TRAIN!" Deadpool cheered. "I knew this day would come!"
Alex's system pinged frantically, flooding his vision with a red warning screen.
System Alert
[ENTITY IDENTIFIED: MALFORMED LOCOMOTIVE]Type: Aberration (Temporal Corruption)Level: 20Abilities:
Dimensional Shift (Phases between timelines)
Rail Maul (Lethal melee strikes)
Passengers' Screams (???)
Recommended Strategy: Run.
"Yeah, okay, that's not a good sign," Alex muttered.
"What's it say?" Butcher barked.
"It says we should run!"
Subway Mayhem
The demon train lunged forward, its wheels screeching against the platform. The tiled floor exploded as its claws dug deep, sending debris flying.
The group scattered just as it slammed into the space they had been standing.
Deadpool did a backflip onto a trash can. "WHOA! This is better than any rollercoaster! No lines, no waiting!"
Mother's Milk grabbed Hughie and shoved him toward the stairs. "MOVE, MAN!"
Frenchie fired his pistol at the thing. The bullets pinged off harmlessly. "Merde!"
Butcher growled and swung his crowbar with full force—
CLANG.
It did nothing.
Butcher stared at the weapon. "Oh, you've gotta be takin' the piss."
The train let out an ungodly screech, and from within its windows, shadows moved.
"Uh," Alex stammered, his skin going cold. "I think... I think there are people inside it."
They all turned toward the glowing red windows—
And saw faces.
Distorted, screaming faces, pressed against the glass, their mouths open in silent terror.
"Oh, f*** that," Hughie whimpered.
The Escape
"Okay, I think we're outmatched," Alex blurted.
"No s***," Butcher barked. "Run, ya wankers!"
They bolted for the exit, dodging as the train lurched after them. Its claws tore through the platform, smashing benches and shattering walls.
Deadpool, sprinting alongside them, shouted to the audience, "Can we talk about how Butcher was this close to getting pancaked by a train monster? That was almost the end of his arc! We would've had to replace him with—ugh—some less angry Brit."
"Deadpool, SHUT UP!" Mother's Milk snapped.
They raced up the stairs as the construct roared, shaking the entire station. The moment they hit the streets, the ground erupted behind them, sending chunks of pavement flying as the entrance collapsed inward.
They stood there, panting, watching as the subway station vanished beneath the rubble.
Silence.
Then—
"Well," Butcher muttered, dusting himself off. "That was a f***in' waste o' time."
Deadpool collapsed onto the sidewalk, dramatically wiping imaginary sweat from his mask. "Hey, on the bright side, we now know that New York's public transport is still the worst."
Alex checked his system again.
System Notification
[THREAT TEMPORARILY CONTAINED]Next Step: Find Higher Ground.
Alex sighed. "Okay. Now it's telling us to find higher ground."
Butcher scoffed. "Yeah? What's it gonna tell us next? That we need to kiss our arses goodbye?"
Deadpool gave a thumbs-up. "I'd watch that movie."
As the group stood amidst the wreckage, the sky above rumbled, the twin suns burning brighter.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.