The kiss was deep and full of feeling, a private moment in a very public and dangerous place. Lin Yu watched them, feeling a mix of happiness for his friend and a strong urge to look away. He had been fed a mouthful of "dog food," as the saying goes.
"I said you two are enough," Lin Yu finally said, his voice cutting through the romantic air. "The matter is not over yet."
Deadpool and Vanessa separated, their faces flushed. "I'm sorry," Deadpool said to Lin Yu, not sounding very sorry at all. "I can't help it." He then became more serious. "Can you take her away first?"
"It's simple," Lin Yu said. He pointed a finger casually at the empty space in front of them. The air began to shimmer and twist. A doorway made of light appeared. On the other side of this space door, they could all see the safe, familiar halls of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning.
"Okay, baby," Deadpool said, turning back to Vanessa. "You go back first. I'll stuff Francis back into his mother's stomach so he can grow back, and then I'll come find you. Wait for me."
"Well, be careful," Vanessa said with a trusting nod. She gave his hand one last squeeze and then stepped through the glowing doorway. The moment she was through, Lin Yu waved his hand again, and the space door vanished without a sound.
Now it was just the four of them, facing Francis and his small army. The mood shifted instantly. The air grew cold and sharp.
On the opposite side, Francis's men untied the ropes binding him. He ripped the piece of tape from his mouth with a grimace. Lin Yu had put it there back at the Xavier Institute because Francis and Deadpool would not stop arguing. Their bickering was giving everyone a headache.
"Hey! Wade Wilson!" Francis yelled, his voice raw. "What's my name?"
"You really read it according to the script," Deadpool complained, shaking his head. "Don't talk so much. Let's fight."
"Attack!" Francis bellowed to Angel Dust. He did not wait to see the result. He turned and walked towards a large construction elevator built against the side of the massive, rusty aircraft carrier. He stepped inside, and the elevator began to carry him up to the main deck.
Angel Dust, hearing the order, began to walk toward the four of them. Her steps were heavy and deliberate, cracking the concrete under her feet.
"You are very cute," Deadpool said, looking her over. "But I want to leave myself for Francis. So you should go find him." He pointed a thumb at Colossus, who stood beside him like a giant metal statue.
"I do not wish to fight with the lady," Colossus said, his voice a low, polite rumble. He pulled a pair of large handcuffs from his belt. He approached Angel Dust while still talking. "So please, ba-" He did not get to finish his sentence. Angel Dust's fist, moving faster than seemed possible, connected with his chest. The impact sent the huge metal man flying through the air. He landed far away with a deafening crash and skidded for several meters, plowing a deep furrow in the ground.
"Why don't you go find her," Deadpool said, glancing at the fallen Colossus. He then turned to look at Negasonic Teenage Warhead.
Warhead was typing on her phone, holding up a single finger to tell Deadpool to wait.
"Oh, send a tweet first," Deadpool said, understanding. He turned back to Angel Dust with an embarrassed shrug. "Why don't you wait a moment?"
"Yes," Warhead said, finishing her post. "Remember to mark the key points." She threw her phone to Deadpool, who caught it clumsily. Then, in a burst of motion, she rushed forward.
"Come on, you are the best!" Deadpool shouted after her, offering encouragement.
Warhead, rushing forward, was suddenly wreathed in crackling, fiery energy. She looked like a human missile. She slammed into Angel Dust with incredible force. The impact sent Angel Dust crashing backward into a large metal shipping container. The container dented deeply with a loud groan. Angel Dust stumbled, barely managing to stay on her feet.
Warhead stood her ground. The leather jacket she had been wearing was burned away by her own power, revealing the black and yellow X-Men uniform underneath. She looked at Angel Dust and smiled a sharp, provocative smile.
"I really sympathize with the boy at the prom who wanted to force her bow on her bully," Deadpool said, commenting to the empty air beside him.
"Okay, then," Angel Dust said, shaking her head as if to clear it. She nodded vigorously, her eyes locked on Warhead. Then she yelled to her men, "Fire!"
A storm of bullets erupted from the mercenaries' guns. The air was filled with the deafening roar of automatic fire. Deadpool and Warhead dove for cover behind two massive, discarded tires.
Lin Yu, however, did not move. He stood calmly in the open. The bullets hit an invisible shield around him and ricocheted away with bright sparks, falling harmlessly to the ground.
"Leave these minor players to us," Lin Yu called out to Deadpool, who was peeking over a tire. "You go up and have a wonderful wrestling match with Francis."
"Although I'm not a brother," Deadpool shouted back, "your proposal seems to be quite good!" He sounded genuinely tempted.
"Pyramid," Lin Yu said, turning his head toward the white Wuling Hongguang van parked nearby. "Come out and show your face."
"Yes," the van replied in its smooth, electronic voice.
Then came a sound no one expected. "Kukukukiki."
The body of the white van began to change. Countless panels shifted and realigned. Parts folded and extended with a symphony of mechanical clicks and whirs. It was a dance of metal and hydraulics. In moments, the simple van was gone. In its place stood a white robot, six meters tall. Its body was sleek and powerful, a masterpiece of mechanical design. Its surface had a faint protective glow, and the bullets that hit it simply bounced off with loud pings.
"TF?!" one mercenary stammered.
"Transformers!?" screamed another.
Everyone present, including Francis who was now high up on the aircraft carrier deck, stared in stunned silence. Their minds could not process what they were seeing. Their eyes were fixed on the giant robot. It was as if ten thousand wild animals were stampeding through their thoughts.
Colossus finally managed to get up from the ground. He picked up a huge tire and threw it, knocking down two mercenaries. He turned his head and saw the pyramid in its robot form. Colossus was always a friendly and reasonable man, one who spoke with civility. But in this moment, he could not help it. "Holy shit!" he roared.
"This thing is so cool!" Warhead yelled, admiring the pyramid's powerful and elegant form.
"Wow! It's really Transformers!" Deadpool shrieked with pure joy. "You don't want to stage the story of 'New Avengers and Transformers' in this universe, do you?" He then turned to his invisible audience. "Huh? You said this is very interesting. Indeed, I think it is also very interesting."
At a signal from Lin Yu, the pyramid's arms shifted and changed. They morphed into two large particle beam guns. The guns hummed with energy and then opened fire. Bright streams of light shot out, striking the enemy positions and sending mercenaries diving for cover.
Francis's men were shocked. They had thought they were only fighting a few mutants. They had the numbers. They could not lose. But now, the other side had a giant robot. A strong urge to run away swept through their ranks.
"Okay, Wade," Lin Yu called out. He himself conjured a submachine gun into his hands. It was a gun with unlimited bullets. He held down the trigger, and a endless stream of bullets poured out toward the enemy. "Just go up and confront Francis. We'll leave the rest to us."
"I've wanted to try the feeling of shooting the enemy with a submachine gun for a long time!" Lin Yu shouted, laughing as he sprayed bullets across the battlefield.
"Oh, shit! I really want to stay and watch this big robot show off its power," Deadpool cursed to himself. But he knew his mission. He broke from his cover and sprinted toward the elevator on the side of the aircraft carrier.
Angel Dust, avoiding the pyramid's powerful beams, tried to rush over and stop Deadpool. But Colossus was there, blocking her path. The two of them began to fight again, a brutal exchange of punches and throws. Because Colossus was so close to her, the pyramid carefully aimed its particle beams away from them.
Angel Dust charged forward, grabbed Colossus around his metal waist, and pushed him. She drove him back, through a small hill of scrap car parts and twisted metal. She did not stop, no matter how hard Colossus pounded on her back with his fists. She just kept pushing, moving their fight to a more open area away from the main fray.
Warhead saw her chance. A powerful shockwave erupted from her body. The force lifted an abandoned van into the air and sent it flying sideways. It slammed into two mercenaries who were standing next to a container, pinning them against the metal wall.
Under the combined, furious attack from Lin Yu, Warhead, and the pyramid, Francis's men were quickly defeated. Their numbers meant nothing.
"Hey!" Deadpool's voice echoed from above. He was clinging to the side of the construction elevator, which had stopped halfway up. "That bastard actually turned off the elevator! Do me a favor!"
"Go up," Lin Yu said calmly. He stretched out his hand and made a gentle lifting motion. An invisible force grabbed Deadpool and lifted him smoothly up through the air, depositing him safely on the aircraft carrier's deck. Deadpool, quick as a cat, landed, drew his katanas, and in one fluid motion, cut down several enemies who were standing near the edge.
He stood up, his eyes locking onto Francis, who stood waiting for him not far away.
"Come on! Francis!" Deadpool yelled, his voice ringing across the deck. "Come and have a philosophical fight with me!"