When humanity is threatened only the super-powered might of the Toronto Maple Leafs can be counted on to save the day. All over the continent small seeds of chaotic force have been seeking to control the powers of the National Heroes League. The battle to save the planet is on, and it is fierce.

As proof that anybody can be taken over by the mind controlling powers of the seeds, LA Kings hero Drew Doughty rampages across the city. The Toronto Maple Leafs need to stop him, which doesn’t mean they can’t have fun. While Morgan Rielly and Auston Matthews search for the latest seed Wily Nylander confronts Drew.

Descended from a Scandanavian god, Wily could confront Drew with pure strength, but he prefers to use his mesmerizing aura to disorient his foe before the domination. The King is smashing cars, throwing them around and terrorizing the people who scurry to find cover. Drew sees Wily and hurls an SUV at him, missing wide by a meter. He picks up a four door sedan and raises it to throw. The vehicle slips from his fingers and drops onto Drew’s head. Eyes glowing red with chaotic power, the engaged hero abandons ranged combat and charges with a bellow.

Wily smiles. Waiting until the last second the Leaf sidesteps the clumsy fist of his foe and sticks out his foot. Drew stumbles and rolls down half the block before skidding to a halt. Wily walks slowly toward him, still grinning. Drew blinks, struggling to track his target through the glamour. He staggers to his feet, looking up in time to see Wily’s grin followed by his fist. The punch isn’t particularly strong but it cuts Drew above the eye. He loses Wily when he wipes the blood clear then gets rocked by a kick to the back. The King smashes through a bus and once again loses track of his enemy as he recovers.

“Over here.” Wily whispers in his left ear.

Drew lashes out to his left and Wily steps on his right knee, snapping it.

“Behind you.” Wily laughs.

Limping, Drew spins only to have Wily kick him in the back again. He falls to his face and before he can push himself back up Wily kneels down on him, leaning his full weight onto Drew’s spine. Still under the control of chaos, the King strains but it’s efforts are halfhearted. And as the red glow fades from his eyes the defeated hero falls eagerly to sleep.

“We got the seed.” Morgan says over the comm link. “He should be calming down.”

When humanity is threatened only the super-powered might of the Toronto Maple Leafs can be counted on to save the day. All over the continent small seeds of chaotic force have been seeking to control the powers of the National Heroes League. The battle to save the planet is on, and it is fierce.

Exhausted, Morgan Rielly sways but keeps his feet underneath himself. Six filthy Mitch Marners coalesce into a singularity. Auston Matthews veils his light, his body still quivering with energy. The Maple Leafs let out a collective sigh of relief, each hero appreciates the narrow margin their survival teeters upon. Today they were saved by the implacable will of a Russian cyborg but Alex Ovechkin will not always be available.

For Auston he feels the sting of being rescued as a defeat. He knows his strength and knows his powers have not reached the limits of his potential. It is as though all the glory of the universe is within his grasp and all he need do is close his hand yet he cannot. Tonight he pushed hard and it wasn’t enough. Tomorrow he will push again.

Mitch hates dying. Every single time it happens he feels like a small part of his core is lost. Tonight he only died once after getting tossed hundreds of feet in the air. A little bile comes up in Mitch’s throat as he recalls the ground rushing at him so fast. He shakes off the feeling. Every death is a lesson. If the loss is to be valued it must be remembered. Life and death hang in the balance of every breath we take. Mitch knows this and he faces the challenge with pride.

Morgan can hardly feel his legs but will not fall down. It’s been a long night for the Maple Leaf technopath. Not only was he fighting for his life with his team, he was also maintaining his constant vigil over every digital system on the planet in hopes of finding the key to unlocking the pattern behind the invasion of chaos plaguing the world. So far the search has yielded nothing. Doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea to look, it’s taxing and it draws on Morgans reserves, but it’s not a bad idea. Morgan can handle it.

The Maple Leafs did not save the day today. But they will stand ready to save the day tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

 

When humanity is threatened only the super-powered might of the Toronto Maple Leafs can be counted on to save the day. All over the continent small seeds of chaotic force have been seeking to control the powers of the National Heroes League. The battle to save the planet is on, and it is fierce.

Mitch Marner rolls away from the heavy attack of one Montreal Canadien but gets cut in half by the bullets of another. Across the field Mitch Marner ducks behind some bushes only to be caught in an explosion of deadly magic. Two Mitch Marners pull down one of the Canadiens heroes but their triumph is short lived. Carey Price is rampant in the field, soccer posts torn from the ground, play sand whipping through the air in the gale of his magic.

None of the Mitches, and there are hundreds of them, care about the Canadiens. They don’t even care about the deaths which they each feel every time. All any Mitch cares about is the awful itching on the inside of his skull and the strange red tint to his vision.

Auston Matthews arrives at the field too late. He sees the red glow surrounding the eyes of his friend and teammate.

“Mitch has been taken.” Auston says over the commlink.

“I see it.” Morgan Rielly answers. “We gotta find that seed. This is bad.”

It is as obvious as it is an understatement. Mitch will typically make two or three copies of himself, which is often enough to handle any threat. In extreme cases he will make a dozen or sometimes even two dozen copies. One time he made over two hundred copies for an elaborate flash mob. He has never discovered a limit to his powers and now it seems as if the seed is going to learn just how many Mitches it can make.

Auston lands near the Canadiens position. Jonathan Druin cuts down two Mitches then turns to the Leaf.

“What do we do about your friend? At least he is fun to kill.” Another Mitch is decapitated right in front of Auston.

“Stop it.” Auston knocks one Mitch into another, both get back up and split in two. “You don’t have to kill him, we just need to find the seed.” The four Mitches dogpile on to Auston who unleashes his light, immolating his friend.

“Ha.” Jon laughs. “You see, he is fun to kill!”

Auston doesn’t answer. All he can do is keep fighting, and hope.

When humanity is threatened only the super-powered might of the Toronto Maple Leafs can be counted on to save the day. All over the continent small seeds of chaotic force have been seeking to control the powers of the National Heroes League. The battle to save the planet has begun.

Right away Auston Matthews can tell something is different. He has tracked another seed of chaos to the roof of a small apartment building. The red glowing boulder sits, pulsing with chaotic energy. Unlike his previous encounters, he does not feel the malicious will seeking to take over his mind. Nor is the seed protected by the usual swarm of mind-controlled innocents.

“Stay sharp, something’s strange.” Auston says over his comm-link.

“I got you.” Morgan Rielly says. “Roof’s clear, just you and the seed.” The Toronto Maple Leafs technopath is monitoring heat signatures in the building through the Maple Leaf satellite, from a few buildings over. He also isolates the building from all digital signals. all while keeping his rifles sights on Auston and the seed. One of the shadows behind Auston seems to slide closer to the Leaf.

“Movement on your six!” Morgan shouts. He cannot find a target, he holds his fire and breathes.

Auston whirls around at Mo’s warning, there is nothing there.  A strange sucking or ripping sound from behind has Auston spinning around again. He turns and is punched hard in the face. Rolling back with the punch, Auston crouches to give Morgan a firing line and also to get a good look at his opponent. It takes a moment for the Leaf to realize what he is looking at. Morgans shot hits the creature square in the chest and it staggers back. That’s when Auston sees it.

“It’s the roof!” He shouts charging to attack.

Morgan doesn’t understand at first, but after a few seconds of watching the fight he sees it too. The seed has animated the roof of the building and it is this angry tar and concrete creature that is trying to pummel Auston. As bizarre as it is, this is actually a blessing for the Leaf. Instead of holding back to protect mind controlled civilians he can unleash the fullness of his power on this, whatever it is. Morgan is the one who reflects on the danger. If the seeds are able to animate lifeless materials it implies their hold on this plane of existence is getting stronger. The fact that this roof thing can withstand even one of Auston’s punches is concerning. The toe to toe, blow for blow beating he is watching is downright terrifying.

“Light it up man!” Morgan yells. “You gotta take out that seed!” A strange sucking or ripping sound warns Morgan to turn just in time to see the chimney behind him twist into a claw. The building swipes at Morgan again and again, but with the speed of a super computer the Leaf is able to predict and avoid the huge brick talons. Auston is on his own.

Auston is having fun. He doesn’t often get to punch things this hard and he likes it. Doesn’t mean he can’t take care of business though. Bull rushing the monster in front of him, Auston slams it hard into the seed then unleashes his light. He doesn’t do it very often (mostly because he’s shy, believe it or not), but Auston is filled with the most tremendous brilliance, and the force of it unleashed scours the rooftop. The seed is ripped from its nook and shatters in the street below. The lifeless lump of tar that was a roof monster is nothing but splatter. A few roofs away, Morgan ducks from a claw that never swipes.

“Thanks bud.” Morgan says.

“Yeah, no problem.” Auston is barely breathing hard. “But how did that even happen?”

It’s a good question. Things are starting to get serious. Morgan knows that if the Maple Leafs are going to stand up to this threat they are going to need to work together because it’s not going to get any easier.

 

When humanity is threatened only the super-powered might of the Toronto Maple Leafs can be counted on to save the day. All over the continent small seeds of chaotic force have been seeking to control the powers of the National Heroes League. The battle to save the planet has begun.

The rampaging horse was obviously under the control of chaos. Seven people have already been trampled by the time Auston Matthews arrives on the scene. The poor beast charges straight for the Leaf, snorting and rearing up to smash his head with its hooves. Austons heart breaks as he catches the animals attack. He tries to restrain the beautiful creature but in its maddened state the horse struggles with a fury that tests even Auston’s amazing power.

It happens quick, the horse bites at Auston’s face and Auston throws a quick punch. The horses orbital bone pierces its brain, killing the magnificent beast immediately. A second rampaging horse leaps over a bush and lands on Auston, driving him to the ground. Dirt gets pushed into his eyes, and a hoof connects with the back of his head  so Auston starts throwing punches. He feels several shots land, but keeps punching in his blindness. A hand lands on the Leafs shoulder.

“It’s dead.” A familiar voice says. “No need to keep beating it. Go home, we can handle this”

Auston clears the dirt from his eyes and looks up at the big nose of Zdeno Chara. The Boston Bruins hero doesn’t look bothered at all, if anything he seems bored. As much as Auston hates it, he knows there isn’t anything he can say or do to erase the nights failure. All he can do is look inward and find a way to be better.

When humanity is threatened only the super-powered might of the Toronto Maple Leafs can be counted on to save the day. All over the continent small seeds of chaotic force have been seeking to control the powers of the National Heroes League. The battle to save the planet has begun.

“What do you mean I’m ‘not allowed?'” Mitch Marner is furious. The robot maitre’d has not been upgraded to read human emotion so it answers the question as asked.

“It means that you and your party will not be permitted entry.” The metallic voice in no way modulates the delivery of this monotone message, which makes it worse.

“What party? It’s just me!” This is not entirely accurate, nor is it technically false. Mitch has split into three identical copies of himself.

“I’m sorry sir, rules are rules. We have no tables for one.” The robot delivers this line without a hint of irony because its irony matrix is on back order.

“There are three of me!” Mitch yells.

“I’m sorry sir, even if there were ten of you, it would still be ten you’s at a table. We cannot allow a single individual to take an entire table, no matter how many of them there are. Rules are rules.”

Mitch stares at the dead robot eyes, they stare back with relentless certainty. Some fights are not worth fighting. Some arguments are not worth having. The city is in danger and Mitch is one of those responsible to keep it safe. His responsibility is more important than any single moment. This tin can official door warden is not to blame, it has no imagination or insight. It has no ability to reason beyond it’s single task and it will accomplish that task regardless of what logic might dictate. Mitch could buy the restaurant just to have the cybernetic jerk recycled, but that would be petty.

Instead the Maple Leaf heads home, knowing that there are more important battles ahead. Life is not fair, not for anyone, that’s no reason to give up though.

When humanity is threatened only the super-powered might of the Toronto Maple Leafs can be counted on to save the day. All over the continent small seeds of chaotic force have been seeking to control the powers of the National Heroes League. The battle to save the planet has begun.

A rope of snot hangs from the nose of Boston Bruins hero Brad Marchand and a single  tear  rolls down his cheek. His flawless execution of his perfect plan did not give him his win and Brad is mad. He doesn’t veer out of his WereRat shape or utter a word, he just turns from the scene of someone else’s victory in disgust.

Zdeno Chara, master of beasts, inhales deeply of the air through his huge super nose. There is no hint of chaos. Whoever saved the day, his night is perfect.

“Good Job.” The big Bruin says to Morgan Rielly before turning to follow his teammate.

The surviving Mitch Marners converge into a singularity who stands beside Morgan. Auston Matthews approaches from the remains of the chaos seed to stand with his teammates. They watch the Bruins leave, a slight arrogance to their strut despite falling short. As if they truly believe they had a flawless plan. The Maple Leafs know the dirty Bruins well enough to know their tricks and taunts, it still stings to look at them though.

“I hate those guys.” Auston says for the group.

{Editors Note:

I am not an NHL referee and I do not imagine they have an easy job. That said, how can anyone who watches this contest say that the Bruins played a nearly flawless and infraction free game of hockey? Zdeno Chara has a single move for clearing his net, it’s called a crosscheck and I saw at least three, one into Marners numbers as he’s about to receive a pass. If it’s not a cross check than it’s at least interference. And that’s just ONE!!! I defy any person to watch that game and take a shot of brown liqour every time a Bruin gets their stick into the hands of a Leaf. You won’t last a period.

I don’t expect the officials to see everything, but call the game fair for pity’s sake. Except that the refs are human. Raise your hand if you think there’s a chance that resentment and bitterness toward a group of cocky young multimillionaires might effect someones desire to call a hook infraction committed against said group. It’s not fair. Life rarely is. Gods, I hate the Bruins.}

When humanity is threatened only the super-powered might of the Toronto Maple Leafs can be counted on to save the day. All over the continent small seeds of chaotic force have been seeking to control the powers of the National Heroes League. The battle to save the planet has begun.

The Captain can’t shake his head clear. The chaos power combined with the physical abuse has finally managed to show John Tavares that even The Captain has limits. He groans and lifts his head off the shattered concrete. He can’t see it, but he feels the cybernetic heel slam into his chest and again his head thumps to the ground.

“Stay down.” Alex Ovechkin says. The voice rings through Johns ears as if from far away.

“I can’t let you.” John reaches out feebly, trying to grab the cyborg.

With a laugh Ovie steps down on The Captains hand and something pops. John doesn’t cry out, doesn’t even stop trying to hold onto Washington Capitals leg. Ovie doesn’t slow, maybe because the hand is broken but also, because The Captain is spent.

The rubble at John’s side shifts and Auston Matthews dusts himself off as he rises from the destruction. He sees John lying prone and reaches over to check for a pulse. John grabs his wrist, startling the Leafs hero.

“What just happened?” Auston asks. John groans in answer. “You think the Russians are behind this? Don’t worry, I’ll get you outta here.”

John isn’t sure if he passes out or not. He barely feels himself getting lifted off the ground. He wants to tell Auston that the Russians can’t be behind the chaotic assault on North America, but he’s not sure.

When humanity is threatened only the super-powered might of the Toronto Maple Leafs can be counted on to save the day. All over the continent small seeds of chaotic force have been seeking to control the powers of the National Heroes League. The battle to save the planet has begun.

Eric Staal ducks under the blast of magic that should never have gotten so close. The Minnesota Wild hero can remember when he didn’t need to work so hard to get out of the way of danger. He remembers when it would have been no problem to get behind his mind controlled teammate to take him out. That was then. Now Devan Dubnyk has nearly taken Eric’s head off, twice. Cursing as he slides behind some shrubs, the Wild knows his options are limited. He doesn’t notice his breath start to show as the air around him gets colder.

Devan, the Wild mage, can’t focus on anything except the itch in the back of his head. His vision is red tinged and hazy, and enemies are swirling around him, none of that matters. At least he still has his magic. Whatever it is that just ducked behind that bush made a bad mistake. Reaching into the earth, Devan sets off a chain reaction of exploding air pockets. The ground begins to rumble but before it detonates a thin sheet of ice proceeds a blast of cold air that shocks the mage to his knees. Devan shakes off the cold and casts a spell of insulation on himself before getting to his feet, looking up just in time to be knocked back to the ground by the meteoric landing of John Tavares: The Captain.

The Maple Leaf holds back his super chill powers, not letting the temperature drop below -30. The chaotic mind control powers that have hold of the mage can only be stopped by destroying the source. Until then it’s The Captain’s job to stall.

“Staal, you still here?” John asks. Shivering the Wild gives a thumbs up, not caring if The Captain sees. Of course, The Captain sees him and immediately dismisses the Wild hero and shifts his focus back to the mage, who is once again getting back to his feet. Magic sweeps the Leaf up and then drops him as the mage struggles to keep his concentration  on defending himself through his chattering teeth.

“Fight back, Dubbie!” Eric yells from behind his new support bush.

The words sneak past the dreadful itch and Devan almost recognizes the face of his freezing foe. But the red haze tightens its grip and Devan decides to fight ice with fire. He calls forth the heat of the Eternal Flames of Asmadden and unleashes it in a storm of fire.

John watches the Wild mage start to glow orange and feels the assault on his zone of chill and the Leaf smiles in sympathy. With an earth shattering crash another Leaf joins the fight and knocks Devan back off his feet.

“Hi John.” Auston Matthews smiles at his captain. “Mo wanted me to tell you we found the seed.”

Morgan Rielly is a technopath which means he could have sent the message over the Maple Leafs comm link as easily as thinking. If that wasn’t enough to tell John something was up, Auston’s grin would have given it away.

“What’s going on?” John asks.

Auston knocks Devan out with a hard punch without even sparing the mage a second glance, his smile grows.

“We gotta fly.” Auston says. “Something happened in Washington.”

The Leafs take off as the red haze drifts away from Devan, though only Eric sees it. With a groan the tired hero gets up and begins the task of gathering his fallen teammate.

When humanity is threatened only the super-powered might of the Toronto Maple Leafs can be counted on to save the day. All over the continent small seeds of chaotic force have been seeking to control the powers of the National Heroes League. The battle to save the planet has begun.

Dylan Larkin and “Fat” Tony Mantha hold off the mob of mind controlled civilians swarming from the East. Auston Matthews and Wily Nylander keep the mob pouring in from the West at bay. The Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs heroes work together to buy some time. Using magic, Freddie Andersen was able to narrow down the location of the chaos seed to this park. It was the granite skinned Frederik “Goat” Gauthier who found the dark cave. With the werebear, Jake Muzzin, at his side, Goat went down under the earth. That was five minutes ago. All the other heroes can do is wait, and fight, and hope.

Jake sniffs the stagnant air and points down the tunnel with his left paw. He is fully veered into his bear form and so can follow the faint scent of chaos. At least he believes so. Goat believes in him too and wordless the Leafs make their way deeper, always down. The tunnel is old, older than the city. Goat wonders what it was built for, but it is an idle curiosity. With Jake’s heightened senses leading the way Goat has been able to let his imagination loose a little bit, which is why he is caught off guard when the bear stops. Goat gets a mouthful of soft, pungent fur then peeks around Jake’s butt to see what’s there.

The boulders red light is dim, but it pulses with a rapid intensity. Jake rears up on his hind legs and shuffles closer. Goat walks beside him, slowly to match the bears pace. They stare at the seed in the strobe light, each lost in his own thoughts.

Jake can’t help but feel heartbroken for the poor innocents caught in the net of this thing. His hatred for whatever is behind this invasion intensifies with each pulse of light. A strange itch tries to distract him from his rage but nothing can break Jake’s focus when his bear, and man minds agree.

Goat is curious about how the seed could have found this place. He wonders if there is some sort of pattern to the invasion. Greater minds are working on the problem, Goat knows, but that doesn’t stop his imagination from exploring the problem. Why underground, and if underground were important why can it be reached from above? Why so far from any people if control is what the seeds are after? Maybe control isn’t what the seeds are after. But if not control than what? A strange itch begins at the back of Goats head. He scratches the granite beneath his hair but the itch is inside his skull. Goat wonders why the seed doesn’t try feeling good instead of annoying even as he smashes the boulder into rubble with a double fisted slam.

In the park above the roaring mob lurches and the roar ends. Confused people stagger about, some with small cuts and bruise, others suffering from grievous wounds self inflicted in the throes of madness. The heroes allow the emergency response teams to take care of the civilians. Dylan and Fat Tony hold each other up, both Red Wings near to collapsing under the weight of dozens of small injuries. Auston and Wily approach, both untouched and reveling in the glow of victory.

“You guys were really great.” Wily says.

“Yeah, thanks for the help.” Auston agrees.

Dylan nods in response as he and Fat Tony turn away to shuffle back to the Red Wings base.

“Well that was kind of rude.” Wily says. “They could have at least said thank you.”