Thena, endowed with the wisdom of her analog Athena, used her remarkable mind to quickly calculate the runaway Seeds of Evil’s most likely destination based on their trajectory.
When the answer came to her, it was even more cause for alarm. Cronos preserve us, she thought to herself, they’re headed for the Shi’ar empire!
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ikaris coming for her, and she gasped as she dodged his attack. Had she been distracted a split second longer...
Suddenly, Ikaris began writhing in pain. Thena looked over and saw an enchanted dagger sticking out of Ikaris’s back, and a short distance away was Thanos.
Ikaris imploded and folded in on himself, eventually disappearing completely. The dagger returned to Thanos’s hand as if by command.
No thoughts were exchanged between Thena and Thanos, but it was clear to each other that they both felt that what was done was what had to be done. They turned their attention back to destroying the remaining Seeds.
***********
With the Xunn-Zwar ships destroyed, the Eternals’ ships got out of the way of Galactus’s flagship so that it could open fire on the Xunn-Zwar’s flagship.
Cannons blazed and missiles flew as the two ships exchanged fire. But the crew of Galactus’s ship was superior at steering out of the projectiles’ path, and the ship’s shields were stronger. Seizing the advantage, Galactus’s ship surged forward and rammed the Xunn-Zwar’s ship. It then activated its tractor beam, effectively paralyzing the enemy ship.
“Avengers assemble, and prepare for boarding!” commanded Thor.
A long, transparent boarding tube quickly attached itself to the hull of the Xunn-Zwar’s ship, and the Avengers ran through the tube. Thor had ordered Hercules to take the point, for, as Hercules expressed it when he reached the hull, “Metal, no matter how strong, tears not unlike wet parchment before the strength of the Prince of Power.”
Hercules proved his boast correct, and the Avengers leaped into the ship. Thor was the second one in behind Hercules, and he quickly scanned the grotesque phantasmagoria of weapons-wielding monster warriors that made up the ship’s crew, with the Magus standing front and center. Without a millisecond to spare, Thor hurled his mighty hammer, Mjolnir, directly at the Magus’s head, distracting the Magus before he could work his deadly cosmic black magic on any of the Avengers. The impact of Mjolnir was enough to stagger the Magus, and Thor quickly picked up Mjolnir and pounced on the Magus, beating the cosmic demon relentlessly and without pause.
The crew fired their weapons at the Avengers, and once again, Hercules took the point, the rays of the crew’s pistols doing little more than tickle his impressive form. “Test thy mettle against the Son of Zeus!” taunted Hercules. The crew took him up on his challenge, and soon Hercules was fighting three monsters at once without breaking a sweat.
The rest of the Avengers joined the fray. Thunderstrike’s hammer, while no Mjolnir, was still plenty powerful when he swung it at the monsters. The Black Knight’s neural energy sword was on its next-to-highest setting, shocking unconscious any monster that crossed the Knight’s path. The Vision made himself intangible when cornered, then turned around and bashed the monsters with his diamond-hard fists. Quasar acquitted himself admirably with quantum armor and a quantum mace. Carol Danvers blasted solar heat from her hands, and the Wasp used her bio-electric powers the same way...until one monster seized the Wasp in his hand and began closing it tighter and tighter. The Wasp feared she was going to be crushed to death, when, suddenly, the Black Widow leapt onto the monster’s back, pressed her Widow’s Sting bracelet against his neck, and fired. The monster let the Wasp go, convulsed for a few second, then fell to the ground unconscious.
The Black Widow took a moment to scan the bridge, and was pleasantly surprised to see that, although this environment did not allow Crystal to exercise her elemental powers, the Inhuman princess was more than holding her own, kicking and punching with the best of them. The Black Widow saw that she need not have worried that Crystal might be too sensitive or fragile to be a true fighter.
But while most of the Avengers were winning, Thor abruptly found himself flung across the bridge and against the wall by a tremendous telekinetic push from the Magus. Before Thor could get up, the Magus fired cosmic rays from his hands, re-opening the wounds that Sersi had inflicted earlier.
The Magus was about to turn the tide of battle with the remaining Avengers, when suddenly, Thor, biting the bullet and letting the warrior madness take over, flew at him with tremendous momentum. The collision was such that it sent Thor and Magus through the hull and out into space.
But Thor was winded as a result, and the Magus began beating him savagely into unconsciousness. Once satisfied, he picked up Thor’s body and threw it with all its might. Thor went into freefall.
The Magus was about to return to the ship when his head suddenly felt like would explode. Thena had snuck up behind him and used her telepathy on him.
“GET OUT OF MY MIND!” roared the Magus.
Thena did not yield, and after what seemed like an eternity, the Magus shape-shifted back into Adam Warlock.
Warlock hesitantly approached Thena. His words to her were simple and direct. “Kill me before he emerges again.”
“No.” said Thena. “There must be another way.”
“Kill me, I beg youuuuuuaaaaaAAAARGH!” Warlock transformed back into the Magus and looked at Thena with evil intent.
Thena unleashed a stronger telepathic blast and the Magus began shapeshifting again. But the rustiness of Thena’s telepathic powers severely limited what she could do. Would that I could sort out his mind, she thought ruefully, but...
“KILL ME!!” demanded Warlock.
Thena swallowed hard and activated her cosmic beams at full force. Warlock’s body was incinerated and reduced to a cloud of ashes.
Thena did not feel good about what she had done, but for the moment there were other things to think about, such as rescuing Thor’s body. She calculated his trajectory and flew off in that direction.
***********
Galactus knew the time had come for the final conflict. The monitor on his ship showed the roof of the Xunn-Zwar’s ship sliding open and the Xunn-Zwar avatar arising. The avatar unfolded his wings and stared ahead defiantly, knowing full well that Galactus was watching him.
Galactus exited his ship and went to confront the Xunn-Zwar avatar.
The two cosmic deities locked eyes. No words were exchanged, as they wouldn’t have carried in space, nor were thoughts exchanged telepathically. They were accustomed to this ritual, and nothing needed to be said.
Galactus made the first move, firing enormous cosmic bolts from his hands. The avatar was unfazed, and retaliated by flying straight up and then dive-bombing Galactus, who in turn fired cosmic beams from his eyes, which the avatar dodged by zig-zagging. The avatar sank its fangs into Galactus’s right arm and filled Galactus with cosmic venom. Galactus had a strong immune system, but the momentary effects gave the avatar the opportunity to slash and tear at Galactus’s midsection. Galactus rallied and grabbed the avatar by the arms. The two wrestled each other to a standstill, but Galactus was weakening rapidly from his injuries.
Thanos, watching from a safe distance, decided that there was only one thing to do. He unsheathed his enchanted dagger and carved one last arcane symbol onto his flesh. This was the crucial symbol, and it set off a chain reaction that caused all the symbols on Thanos’s flesh to glow brightly. Thanos flew purposefully towards the avatar, dagger aloft. He landed on a soft spot on the avatar’s back, and plunged his dagger with all the force he could muster.
The avatar let go of Galactus and began thrashing around wildly as the same cosmic chain reaction flowing through Thanos was incompatible with the avatar’s life energies. As with the monster the avatar had turned Ikaris into and Thanos had killed earlier, Thanos caused the avatar to implode and begin folding in on itself. The spectacle was not unlike that of a star dying. A blinding burst of cosmic crackle lit the spaceways, and then both the avatar and Thanos were gone.
The ritual was over, and it appeared that Galactus was once again the one who survived to tell the tale.
***********
After the Avengers and the Terran Eternals had been deposited back home on Earth, Quasar and Carol Danvers sought a private place to talk.
“I think I may have jumped the gun.” she said, biting her lip.
“I’m actually relieved to hear that.” he said.
“Only time and distance will tell if it was anything more than the heat of the moment.” she said.
“So you are going back to the Shi’ar empire?”
“I feel obligated to. I know it like the back of my hand, and those Seeds of Evil that got away need to be hunted down and destroyed.”
“Well, good luck.”
“Same to you, and to all the other Avengers.”
They paused, as if they were both tempted to kiss again. But, in the end, she flew away without a show of affection.
Quasar sighed and watched her disappear into the sky. His melancholy was broken by a friendly and familiar voice.
“Hey, Quazey-Man!” said Makkari of the Eternals, one of Quasar’s best friends. “Guess what? Thena has assigned me to help the Avengers find Sersi!”
“That’s great,” said Quasar, smiling. “We have a lot to catch up on. In the meantime...race you back to Avengers Mansion!”
“You’re on!” laughed Makkari.
**********
“But I insist!” said Thena to the Black Widow. “Since Sersi destroyed the mansion, I feel a responsibility to have the Eternals repair it.”
“Oh, all right,” said the Black Widow, “you talked me into it.”
“One caveat, however – it will take some time, as I have received word that, during the absence of the most powerful Eternals, our home of Olympia has been destroyed by Blastaar, who escaped captivity.”
Out of the corner of her eye, the Black Widow saw Moondragon approaching.
“I was told you are the current leader.” said Moondragon.
“For the moment.” replied the Black Widow. “What can I do for you?”
“I would like to join you, if you will have me.”
“If we’ll have you? That doesn’t sound like you, Moondragon.”
“I have emerged from the traumatic events of the recent past with a great deal of uncertainty of where to go with my life. I am hoping this will help me find direction.”
“Okay,” said the Black Widow, “I can’t promise you anything, but I’ll bring you up for a vote at the next meeting.”
“Thank you.” said Moondragon.
The Black Widow saw Hercules and Thunderstrike approaching her. “Excuse me.” she said to Moondragon, and walked over to them.
“The preparations are ready for Herc and I to take Thor to Asgard.” said Thunderstrike.
“And we can only hope,” added Hercules, “that they will have the means to heal him so he will emerge from his coma.”
“Our prayers will be with him.” said the Black Widow.
Some distance away, the Wasp and the Black Knight were talking.
“So are you gonna stick around and help us find Sersi?” asked the Knight.
“I guess so.” replied the Wasp, as if she wasn’t sure what exactly would be best to do.
“Hey, look,” said the Knight, “we just proved – out in space, no less – the we can all put aside our differences and work as a team. This could be the start of the greatest Avengers era ever, and I don’t want you to be sorry that you missed out on it.”
The Wasp’s mouth curled into a tentative smile. “I’ll think about it.” she said. “But thanks, Dane.” She shrank to insect size and flew away.
It wasn’t what the Knight had hoped for, but the thought that at least there was still hope for the Avengers was enough to make him grin.
**********
In a high-tech chamber beyond space and time, Sersi was imprisoned in a tube that kept her in suspended animation. The mysterious duo who had gathered her stood watching, along with their master.
“In her volatile state,” said the master, “she might have ended up as a consort to the Xunn-Zwar’s avatar. Truly, you have averted an omniversal catastrophe. But her fellow Avengers will inevitably search for her. It is your duty to misdirect them until the time is right. Timing is everything.”
The duo nodded and went to make preparations for their next move, while the master preoccupied himself with other things. Yes, he thought, one cataclysm has been averted, but the next might be the one that cannot be stopped.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
BOOK ONE, CHAPTER 6
Galactus stood in his chambers, flanked by the Avengers’ leader Thor on one side, and the Eternals’ leader Thena on the other. They were all fixated on a giant holographic monitor on which they had drawn their battle plans.
“In the past, Xunn-Zwar has always relied on fleets of insectoid ships.” said Galactus. “They will be his first line of offense, along with the organic pods known as the Seeds of Evil, which he hopes to spread across the universe.”
“Our ships will be more than a match for Xunn-Zwar’s ships.” declared Thena confidently. “At the same time, I will lead a charge of Eternals to exterminate the Seeds of Evil. Thus we shall provide a clear path for this flagship to engage Xunn-Zwar’s flagship in battle. If all goes to plan, that is where you and your Avengers come in, Thor.”
“Yes,” agreed Thor, “we shall board the ship and battle its crew. I hath made it clear to the Avengers that I and I alone am to engage the Magus directly. I hath fought him before, back when he was newly born and known as Him, so I am the most qualified.”
“If I may,” interjected Thena, “I would like to suggest that you try to force the Magus outside the flagship, where I may attack him as well. I have telepathic powers similar to Moondragon’s, and I may find a vulnerable spot.”
She did not mention that, due to some unfortunate events in past centuries, she had not used her telepathic powers in a long time.
“Any assistance from thee wouldst be welcome. I am not fooling myself into thinking that I face an easy battle.” replied Thor.
“And, finally,” said Galactus, “once the army has fallen, I shall be able to engage Xunn-Zwar directly, and hopefully defeat him once again as I have in our past encounters.”
Thor turned to Thena. “My one concern,” he said, “is Thanos. I worry that he may have a selfish agenda.”
“I do not doubt it.” responded Thena. “But that is why it is best to have him where we can watch him.”
*********
At that moment, however, Thanos was safe from prying eyes, sitting alone on the floor of a dark room, bare-chested and without his headgear, a sacred cosmic dagger in his hand.
With this dagger, he began carving arcane cosmic symbols on his own flesh. No one in the universe was better versed in the cosmic dark arts than Thanos, and he got what he wished from the ritual – to witness the rebirth of the Xunn-Zwar.
Thanos watched as the cocoon shattered and the demonically ugly Xunn-Zwar avatar emerged, growing in seconds to its full height, matching that of Galactus, and spreading its wings, which made it even more awe-inspiring.
The Xunn-Zwar avatar now reached out to the nearest planets and, by an act of will, enslaved their populations and transformed the animal life into the monstrous army that the Magus would command, and the plant life into his Seeds of Evil. Xunn-Zwar then obliterated the planets, transmuted their remains into metal, and built his fleet of insectoid ships.
Thanos felt vicariously exhilarated. It had not been that long since he had commanded similar power. But for that very reason, power interested him no longer. No, his objective now was to assist in any way he could in delivering the ultimate sentient cosmic evil into the embrace of Death. It would be his ultimate offering to the entity which had obsessed him from birth, the culmination of his devotion to Death.
*******
“Life can be a funny thing,” said the Black Widow to Crystal as they stood in the crowded room where most of the Avengers and Eternals were awaiting their orders to proceed to battle stations. “I’ve lived a long and full life and I have no regrets...” she paused, “...but at the same time, there’s a lot of things I never did that I wish I had done – like starting a family. You’re so lucky, Crystal, to have your daughter, Luna.”
“I know you meant well by what you just said, Natasha,” whispered Crystal, “but if I start thinking about Luna, and the possibility that she may soon be motherless, I feel like I’ll burst into tears.”
“I’m sorry. I should have thought before I spoke.” said the Black Widow.
“No hard feelings.” said Crystal, wiping away a solitary tear.
*********
“I just don’t understand it.” said the Wasp to the Black Knight and the Vision. “I thought I knew you guys. How could you join in a...a killing expedition??”
“If I learned anything from my time in the Crusades,” said the Black Knight, “it’s that the battlefield brings out the absolute worst in people.”
“Yes,” agreed the Vision, “and you were not there, Wasp, so I fail to see how you could possibly comprehend...”
“Now, having said that,” the Black Knight interrupted, “I’m not going to pretend that the Supreme Intelligence’s death-scream hasn’t been ringing in my ears non-stop, and that it doesn’t keep me up at night. But, like Sersi said, what’s done is done.”
Any further discussion became a impossible when Thor and Thena entered the room and said the words the assembled warriors had been waiting for, “To your battle stations on the double!”
The warriors filed out in an orderly fashion. But as Hercules and Thunderstrike walked past Thor, they felt as if their friend’s stern, angry stare was burning holes into them.
“You think he’ll ever forgive us?” Thunderstrike asked Hercules.
“We must have words when the battle is over.” said Hercules, who then reiterated for emphasis, “We must.”
Ikaris the Eternal paused next to Thena and sneered at her. “You know as well as I do that I should be in command.”
Thena didn’t mince words. “You arrogant moron! If you cannot rise above such petty concerns at a time like this, then maybe it is best you sit out the battle!”
“Never.” hissed Ikaris before walking away.
Thena sighed heavily and looked at Thor. This battle promised to be an even greater challenge than they had originally predicted.
*********
On the bridge of the Xunn-Zwar armada’s flagship, the Magus postured and preened before his troops.
“The battle is nigh!” he cackled, rubbing his hands. “The blood of our enemies shall nourish our master and set the course for his conquest of the universe, after which he shall grant a generous portion of said universe to his most loyal servant, me!”
“Enemy ships within range.” said the helmsman.
“At last, the moment of truth.” said the Magus. “All ships, OPEN FIRE!”
The Xunn-Zwar’s ships, resembling giant metallic insects colored in garish hues of orange, blue, red, and green, commenced firing on the Eternals’ ships, whose coloring and design suggested silver birds of prey.
The Eternals’ ships swooped and swept, gracefully dodging the enemy fire. Counter-attacking, they were quickly on their way towards decimating the Xunn-Zwar’s fleet. Blindingly bright explosions filled the air as both sides claimed casualties, but within minutes, the heroic fleet’s victory was assured.
The heroes had won the first battle, but the war was far from over, for as the Eternals themselves flew through airless space, they could see that the swarming Seeds of Evil would be difficult targets – they were fairly small, making them hard for the Eternals’ to accurately focus their ocular beams upon. As if this weren’t enough, they had to fire from a fair distance, since, according to Galactus, proximity of an organic sentient being to a Seed was dangerous.
Ikaris, characteristically, grew frustrated and impatient, and he flew in closer to the Seeds, even as Thena yelled, “IKARIS! Get back in formation, you fool!”
As Ikaris came closer to the Seeds, they drew closer to him, attracted to his aggression like iron filings to a magnet.
Suddenly, one of the Seeds peeled itself open and unleashed a long, tentacle-like stinger that thrust itself at Ikaris’ torso, injecting him with the essence of evil.
Thena witnessed this. “Karkas, Sprite,” she telepathically ordered two of the Eternals, “assist Ikaris immediately, but be cautious.”
From a safe distance, Karkas and Sprite fired their beams at the Seeds surrounding Ikaris, blowing up the Seeds messily.
Heeding Thena’s warning, they kept their distance as Sprite reach out to Ikaris telepathically. “Ikaris,” he said, “are you okay?”
Ikaris turned around, and the answer was definitely a negative one. Ikaris had begun transforming into a monster with an appearance even more hideous than that of Karkas, the Deviant adopted by the Eternals.
With startling speed, he lunged toward Sprite and lashed out with his claws. Sprite barely dodged the attack.
“Ikaris, NO!!” he pleaded, “It’s me, Sprite, don’t you recognize me??”
Ikaris replied by striking back. But this time, Karkas valiantly put himself between Ikaris and Sprite. Despite his extraordinarily thick hide, Karkas was thoroughly disemboweled by Ikaris.
Thena did what she had to do. “Keep firing, do not allow yourselves to get distracted.” she commanded. But it was too late, as several Seeds had already flown out of the Eternals’ firing range. This meant that even if the Xunn-Zwar’s armada and avatar were defeated, the universe might still be doomed.
“In the past, Xunn-Zwar has always relied on fleets of insectoid ships.” said Galactus. “They will be his first line of offense, along with the organic pods known as the Seeds of Evil, which he hopes to spread across the universe.”
“Our ships will be more than a match for Xunn-Zwar’s ships.” declared Thena confidently. “At the same time, I will lead a charge of Eternals to exterminate the Seeds of Evil. Thus we shall provide a clear path for this flagship to engage Xunn-Zwar’s flagship in battle. If all goes to plan, that is where you and your Avengers come in, Thor.”
“Yes,” agreed Thor, “we shall board the ship and battle its crew. I hath made it clear to the Avengers that I and I alone am to engage the Magus directly. I hath fought him before, back when he was newly born and known as Him, so I am the most qualified.”
“If I may,” interjected Thena, “I would like to suggest that you try to force the Magus outside the flagship, where I may attack him as well. I have telepathic powers similar to Moondragon’s, and I may find a vulnerable spot.”
She did not mention that, due to some unfortunate events in past centuries, she had not used her telepathic powers in a long time.
“Any assistance from thee wouldst be welcome. I am not fooling myself into thinking that I face an easy battle.” replied Thor.
“And, finally,” said Galactus, “once the army has fallen, I shall be able to engage Xunn-Zwar directly, and hopefully defeat him once again as I have in our past encounters.”
Thor turned to Thena. “My one concern,” he said, “is Thanos. I worry that he may have a selfish agenda.”
“I do not doubt it.” responded Thena. “But that is why it is best to have him where we can watch him.”
*********
At that moment, however, Thanos was safe from prying eyes, sitting alone on the floor of a dark room, bare-chested and without his headgear, a sacred cosmic dagger in his hand.
With this dagger, he began carving arcane cosmic symbols on his own flesh. No one in the universe was better versed in the cosmic dark arts than Thanos, and he got what he wished from the ritual – to witness the rebirth of the Xunn-Zwar.
Thanos watched as the cocoon shattered and the demonically ugly Xunn-Zwar avatar emerged, growing in seconds to its full height, matching that of Galactus, and spreading its wings, which made it even more awe-inspiring.
The Xunn-Zwar avatar now reached out to the nearest planets and, by an act of will, enslaved their populations and transformed the animal life into the monstrous army that the Magus would command, and the plant life into his Seeds of Evil. Xunn-Zwar then obliterated the planets, transmuted their remains into metal, and built his fleet of insectoid ships.
Thanos felt vicariously exhilarated. It had not been that long since he had commanded similar power. But for that very reason, power interested him no longer. No, his objective now was to assist in any way he could in delivering the ultimate sentient cosmic evil into the embrace of Death. It would be his ultimate offering to the entity which had obsessed him from birth, the culmination of his devotion to Death.
*******
“Life can be a funny thing,” said the Black Widow to Crystal as they stood in the crowded room where most of the Avengers and Eternals were awaiting their orders to proceed to battle stations. “I’ve lived a long and full life and I have no regrets...” she paused, “...but at the same time, there’s a lot of things I never did that I wish I had done – like starting a family. You’re so lucky, Crystal, to have your daughter, Luna.”
“I know you meant well by what you just said, Natasha,” whispered Crystal, “but if I start thinking about Luna, and the possibility that she may soon be motherless, I feel like I’ll burst into tears.”
“I’m sorry. I should have thought before I spoke.” said the Black Widow.
“No hard feelings.” said Crystal, wiping away a solitary tear.
*********
“I just don’t understand it.” said the Wasp to the Black Knight and the Vision. “I thought I knew you guys. How could you join in a...a killing expedition??”
“If I learned anything from my time in the Crusades,” said the Black Knight, “it’s that the battlefield brings out the absolute worst in people.”
“Yes,” agreed the Vision, “and you were not there, Wasp, so I fail to see how you could possibly comprehend...”
“Now, having said that,” the Black Knight interrupted, “I’m not going to pretend that the Supreme Intelligence’s death-scream hasn’t been ringing in my ears non-stop, and that it doesn’t keep me up at night. But, like Sersi said, what’s done is done.”
Any further discussion became a impossible when Thor and Thena entered the room and said the words the assembled warriors had been waiting for, “To your battle stations on the double!”
The warriors filed out in an orderly fashion. But as Hercules and Thunderstrike walked past Thor, they felt as if their friend’s stern, angry stare was burning holes into them.
“You think he’ll ever forgive us?” Thunderstrike asked Hercules.
“We must have words when the battle is over.” said Hercules, who then reiterated for emphasis, “We must.”
Ikaris the Eternal paused next to Thena and sneered at her. “You know as well as I do that I should be in command.”
Thena didn’t mince words. “You arrogant moron! If you cannot rise above such petty concerns at a time like this, then maybe it is best you sit out the battle!”
“Never.” hissed Ikaris before walking away.
Thena sighed heavily and looked at Thor. This battle promised to be an even greater challenge than they had originally predicted.
*********
On the bridge of the Xunn-Zwar armada’s flagship, the Magus postured and preened before his troops.
“The battle is nigh!” he cackled, rubbing his hands. “The blood of our enemies shall nourish our master and set the course for his conquest of the universe, after which he shall grant a generous portion of said universe to his most loyal servant, me!”
“Enemy ships within range.” said the helmsman.
“At last, the moment of truth.” said the Magus. “All ships, OPEN FIRE!”
The Xunn-Zwar’s ships, resembling giant metallic insects colored in garish hues of orange, blue, red, and green, commenced firing on the Eternals’ ships, whose coloring and design suggested silver birds of prey.
The Eternals’ ships swooped and swept, gracefully dodging the enemy fire. Counter-attacking, they were quickly on their way towards decimating the Xunn-Zwar’s fleet. Blindingly bright explosions filled the air as both sides claimed casualties, but within minutes, the heroic fleet’s victory was assured.
The heroes had won the first battle, but the war was far from over, for as the Eternals themselves flew through airless space, they could see that the swarming Seeds of Evil would be difficult targets – they were fairly small, making them hard for the Eternals’ to accurately focus their ocular beams upon. As if this weren’t enough, they had to fire from a fair distance, since, according to Galactus, proximity of an organic sentient being to a Seed was dangerous.
Ikaris, characteristically, grew frustrated and impatient, and he flew in closer to the Seeds, even as Thena yelled, “IKARIS! Get back in formation, you fool!”
As Ikaris came closer to the Seeds, they drew closer to him, attracted to his aggression like iron filings to a magnet.
Suddenly, one of the Seeds peeled itself open and unleashed a long, tentacle-like stinger that thrust itself at Ikaris’ torso, injecting him with the essence of evil.
Thena witnessed this. “Karkas, Sprite,” she telepathically ordered two of the Eternals, “assist Ikaris immediately, but be cautious.”
From a safe distance, Karkas and Sprite fired their beams at the Seeds surrounding Ikaris, blowing up the Seeds messily.
Heeding Thena’s warning, they kept their distance as Sprite reach out to Ikaris telepathically. “Ikaris,” he said, “are you okay?”
Ikaris turned around, and the answer was definitely a negative one. Ikaris had begun transforming into a monster with an appearance even more hideous than that of Karkas, the Deviant adopted by the Eternals.
With startling speed, he lunged toward Sprite and lashed out with his claws. Sprite barely dodged the attack.
“Ikaris, NO!!” he pleaded, “It’s me, Sprite, don’t you recognize me??”
Ikaris replied by striking back. But this time, Karkas valiantly put himself between Ikaris and Sprite. Despite his extraordinarily thick hide, Karkas was thoroughly disemboweled by Ikaris.
Thena did what she had to do. “Keep firing, do not allow yourselves to get distracted.” she commanded. But it was too late, as several Seeds had already flown out of the Eternals’ firing range. This meant that even if the Xunn-Zwar’s armada and avatar were defeated, the universe might still be doomed.
Monday, January 25, 2010
BOOK ONE, CHAPTER 5
Carol Danvers stared blankly out the window of Galactus’s spaceship. She was back in the vast reaches of outer space, where she had always felt most at home. But it was no comfort after what she had learned just moments earlier, when all the healed Avengers assembled, along with the Eternals of both Earth and Titan, in Galactus’s chambers for what turned out to be a stern lecture from the cosmic deity.
*********
A short time before...
“The end may well be nigh.” intoned Galactus in his regal, cavernously deep voice. “And it is YOUR FAULT, Avengers.”
The Avengers let out a collective gasp.
“Although...the one most at fault is not among you. I speak of Sersi the Eternal. She appears to be lost to us, as even my technology cannot locate her anywhere in the space-time continuum.
“Talking of time, let us go back eons ago to the birth of an ancient evil, my nemesis, the Xunn-Zwar. It was created at the same time as I, but whereas I exist as an agent of balance and order, the Xunn-Zwar exists only to serve the forces of nihilism and chaos. I have faced it and defeated it several times across millions of years, but each time it is reborn, it comes closer to victory.
“Now, let us consider the Elder, Tanleer Tivan, known to you as the Collector. When he learned he was fated to be the avatar of the Xunn-Zwar, he carefully crafted a long-range plan to ensure his destiny. First he captured the Celestials’ greatest folly, the sentient bacteria known as the Brethren. He then adopted the persona and appearance of an addled, inept eccentric so as to appear harmless to those who could stop him.
“Finally, when the time was right, he freed the Brethren under the pretense of decimating the population of Earth, but in reality it was an elaborate ruse to get the Brethren to form a Uni-Mind. Which they did, thanks to the guidance of Sersi. The Brethren Uni-Mind appeared to destroy Tanleer Tivan and itself, but in reality, Tivan was stronger, and he forced them to teleport to another dimension and merge with him, turning them into his conduit and cocoon towards his ultimate transformation.”
At this moment, Galactus went silent, and Moondragon, the telepathic human with pretensions to godhood, stepped forward. She looked ravaged and barely capable of standing.
“A few hours ago, the Silver Surfer summoned the cosmic team known as the Infinity Watch, of which I was a member, to help him deal with a mysterious object which had just manifested itself in our dimension and which appeared to greatly preoccupy his former master, Galactus.”
*********
A few hours ago...
“Begone, fools!” belted Galactus, “I fight my own battles!”
“I sense the fear beneath your arrogance.” replied the Silver Surfer. “How could I not, when it was you who made me what I am?”
“Hey,” said Pip the Troll, “if the big guy ain’t feelin’ social, why should we stick around?”
“That make sense to me.” said Drax.
“Where is your spine, you cowards?” sneered Gamora.
“Enough prattle.” snapped Warlock. “Moondragon, do you sense anything within that ugly construct?”
“Evil,” replied Moondragon, “pure, uncut evil. It turns my stomach.”
“I shall investigate.” said Warlock. “After all, I am purged of the capacity for both good and evil.”
“You know not the forces you are toying with.” said Galactus. “Leave while you still can.”
“Try and stop me.” laughed Warlock.
Galactus went silent and did nothing.
********
The present.
“Wait just an apple-polishing minute!” said the Black Knight. “Why DIDN’T you stop him, Galactus? And why didn’t you just destroy the Collector BEFORE he could put his plan into motion?”
“Aye.” said Hercules. “And why didst the Collector’s kin, the Elders, do nothing to prevent his treachery?”
“I may appear omnipotent to you mortals,” said Galactus, “but I am merely a servant of the forces of order. And my destiny cannot be averted – I did attempt, in our earliest encounters, to prevent the birth of the Xunn-Zwar, and ended up causing even more pointless destruction. As for the Elders, those fools consider this all terribly amusing and will not lift a finger to help. Continue, Moondragon.”
“Thank you, Galactus.” said Moondragon haughtily.
**********
A few hours ago...
Warlock approached the object cautiously, but caution was not enough to prevent the inevitable. Abruptly, a large piece of the object fell off, and out of the crack emerged a shaft of foul-colored light that struck Warlock point blank. A cosmic shockwave roared through the universe as Warlock’s purification was undone, and the essences of good and evil returned to him. Warlock screamed as he struggled to create balance within himself, but it was not to be.
Warlock’s skin turned purple, his hair white. He grew many inches in height, and sprouted muscles upon muscles. He turned to face the heroes, his eyes red and an evil grin spread across his face.
“And so,” he declared, “the Magus is REBORN!!
“I am grateful to you, Silver Surfer, for making this possible. As a reward, I shall end your life so that you will not have to struggle with the guilt you now feel.”
“No!” said the Silver Surfer. “I will purge Warlock of your influence, for mine is THE POWER COSMIC!!”
The Surfer unleashed cosmic bolts at the Magus, but the monster laughed them off and intoned, “You know nothing of the true power cosmic! NOTHING!!!” And with a wave of his hand, he turned the Silver Surfer inside out, allowing this grotesque travesty of the space hero a moment of helplessness before obliterating him.
There followed a few seconds where time stood still as the Infinity Watch digested the horrifying events that had just unfolded in front of them.
Drax was the first to act, charging blindly at the Magus, who calmly restored Drax to his original powerless human form of Arthur Douglas , which could not survive in outer space and exploded messily. Moondragon, Drax’s daughter, let loose with an agonized scream.
Pip tried to escape, only for the Magus to telekinetically crush him to death.
Gamora declared, “If I am to die, I shall go down fighting!” and raised her deadly knife. The Magus took control of Gamora’s arm, causing her to stab herself through the heart.
“Face the power of a true goddess born!” said Moondragon defiantly as she unleashed the most powerful telepathic offense she was capable of.
The Magus was temporarily staggered as his Adam Warlock side re-emerged to fight for control. But the Magus regained control, and turned Moondragon’s telepathic attack against her.
However, just as he was about to finish her off, she vanished.
“Galactus!” screamed the Magus, “This is your doing!”
“Indeed it is. And you know better than to challenge me, especially as your are bound in servitude to the Xunn-Zwar, who restored you.”
“Yes!” grinned the Magus. “Once my master emerges, I shall captain his vast army, and exterminate all in his path. Go and build your own army, Galactus, it shall avail you none.”
Galactus did not reply, quietly teleporting himself into his ship and setting course first for Titan, then Earth.
*********
“Thus,” declared Galactus, “a war for the very fate of the universe dawns upon us. It disillusions me that Captain America is not among you, for it is crucial that we form an effective plan of battle.”
“I,” said Thor, “doth nominate the Wasp to lead the Avengers in the attack. She did command the Avengers for a great deal of time, and most fruitfully.”
“Thank you, Thor,” replied the Wasp, “but I nominate YOU to lead us.”
Now Hercules spoke up. “The Wasp and I hath had our differences in the past, but I doth second her nomination. Friend Thor, in thy long existence, thou hath gone to battle many more times than all of us Avengers combined. I know thee well enough to understand thy reluctance, but thy time to lead is now.”
From the expression on his face, Thor was clearly at a loss for words.
“It would be the most logical move.” said the Vision. “I calculate 92.348 % probability of victory with you as our commander.”
Thena stepped forward. “There is no place for ifs, ands, buts, or maybes.” she said. “You MUST lead the Avengers, and you WILL lead the Avengers, Thor.”
Thor stayed silent for a moment, then said only one word.
“Aye.”
The chambers erupted into fervourous cheering.
*********
The present.
Carol Danvers continued to play back Galactus’s revelations over and over in her mind.
Quasar approached her and asked, “Penny for your thoughts?”
“I used to be proud of having been an Avenger.” replied Carol. “Even though my stint with them ended horribly, I eventually learned to look at the big picture and see the Avengers in the context of what they stood for. But now...now, I have no idea what they stand for? A house divided? Dupes of evil?”
“I hear you.” said Quasar. “And I was part of the roster that got duped by the Collector. Right now, I feel...worthless.”
“Me, too.” said Carol. “It’s hard to be proud of having been demoted to cannon fodder in a cosmic war.”
Quasar felt a sudden rush of insight. “Being a hero is not always what we want it to be.” he said. “Heroes often die in the course of achieving heroism. That doesn’t make them any less heroic. At least we’ll redeem ourselves for our past mistakes.”
“Thanks.” said Carol. “That makes me feel better.”
“Um...you’re welcome.” said Quasar.
“It’s strange,” said Carol, “I’ve only known you for a short time, but it feels to me like we should have met years ago.”
“I...I feel the same way.” admitted Quasar. “But then again...maybe it’s just because we know we might not be coming back to Earth. In circumstances like this, it’s not unknown for...”
Carol took Quasar’s face in her hands.
“Shut up,” she said, “and kiss me.”
And for a brief, blissful moment, Carol and Quasar believed in fairy-tale romance as they kissed and embraced.
*********
A short time before...
“The end may well be nigh.” intoned Galactus in his regal, cavernously deep voice. “And it is YOUR FAULT, Avengers.”
The Avengers let out a collective gasp.
“Although...the one most at fault is not among you. I speak of Sersi the Eternal. She appears to be lost to us, as even my technology cannot locate her anywhere in the space-time continuum.
“Talking of time, let us go back eons ago to the birth of an ancient evil, my nemesis, the Xunn-Zwar. It was created at the same time as I, but whereas I exist as an agent of balance and order, the Xunn-Zwar exists only to serve the forces of nihilism and chaos. I have faced it and defeated it several times across millions of years, but each time it is reborn, it comes closer to victory.
“Now, let us consider the Elder, Tanleer Tivan, known to you as the Collector. When he learned he was fated to be the avatar of the Xunn-Zwar, he carefully crafted a long-range plan to ensure his destiny. First he captured the Celestials’ greatest folly, the sentient bacteria known as the Brethren. He then adopted the persona and appearance of an addled, inept eccentric so as to appear harmless to those who could stop him.
“Finally, when the time was right, he freed the Brethren under the pretense of decimating the population of Earth, but in reality it was an elaborate ruse to get the Brethren to form a Uni-Mind. Which they did, thanks to the guidance of Sersi. The Brethren Uni-Mind appeared to destroy Tanleer Tivan and itself, but in reality, Tivan was stronger, and he forced them to teleport to another dimension and merge with him, turning them into his conduit and cocoon towards his ultimate transformation.”
At this moment, Galactus went silent, and Moondragon, the telepathic human with pretensions to godhood, stepped forward. She looked ravaged and barely capable of standing.
“A few hours ago, the Silver Surfer summoned the cosmic team known as the Infinity Watch, of which I was a member, to help him deal with a mysterious object which had just manifested itself in our dimension and which appeared to greatly preoccupy his former master, Galactus.”
*********
A few hours ago...
“Begone, fools!” belted Galactus, “I fight my own battles!”
“I sense the fear beneath your arrogance.” replied the Silver Surfer. “How could I not, when it was you who made me what I am?”
“Hey,” said Pip the Troll, “if the big guy ain’t feelin’ social, why should we stick around?”
“That make sense to me.” said Drax.
“Where is your spine, you cowards?” sneered Gamora.
“Enough prattle.” snapped Warlock. “Moondragon, do you sense anything within that ugly construct?”
“Evil,” replied Moondragon, “pure, uncut evil. It turns my stomach.”
“I shall investigate.” said Warlock. “After all, I am purged of the capacity for both good and evil.”
“You know not the forces you are toying with.” said Galactus. “Leave while you still can.”
“Try and stop me.” laughed Warlock.
Galactus went silent and did nothing.
********
The present.
“Wait just an apple-polishing minute!” said the Black Knight. “Why DIDN’T you stop him, Galactus? And why didn’t you just destroy the Collector BEFORE he could put his plan into motion?”
“Aye.” said Hercules. “And why didst the Collector’s kin, the Elders, do nothing to prevent his treachery?”
“I may appear omnipotent to you mortals,” said Galactus, “but I am merely a servant of the forces of order. And my destiny cannot be averted – I did attempt, in our earliest encounters, to prevent the birth of the Xunn-Zwar, and ended up causing even more pointless destruction. As for the Elders, those fools consider this all terribly amusing and will not lift a finger to help. Continue, Moondragon.”
“Thank you, Galactus.” said Moondragon haughtily.
**********
A few hours ago...
Warlock approached the object cautiously, but caution was not enough to prevent the inevitable. Abruptly, a large piece of the object fell off, and out of the crack emerged a shaft of foul-colored light that struck Warlock point blank. A cosmic shockwave roared through the universe as Warlock’s purification was undone, and the essences of good and evil returned to him. Warlock screamed as he struggled to create balance within himself, but it was not to be.
Warlock’s skin turned purple, his hair white. He grew many inches in height, and sprouted muscles upon muscles. He turned to face the heroes, his eyes red and an evil grin spread across his face.
“And so,” he declared, “the Magus is REBORN!!
“I am grateful to you, Silver Surfer, for making this possible. As a reward, I shall end your life so that you will not have to struggle with the guilt you now feel.”
“No!” said the Silver Surfer. “I will purge Warlock of your influence, for mine is THE POWER COSMIC!!”
The Surfer unleashed cosmic bolts at the Magus, but the monster laughed them off and intoned, “You know nothing of the true power cosmic! NOTHING!!!” And with a wave of his hand, he turned the Silver Surfer inside out, allowing this grotesque travesty of the space hero a moment of helplessness before obliterating him.
There followed a few seconds where time stood still as the Infinity Watch digested the horrifying events that had just unfolded in front of them.
Drax was the first to act, charging blindly at the Magus, who calmly restored Drax to his original powerless human form of Arthur Douglas , which could not survive in outer space and exploded messily. Moondragon, Drax’s daughter, let loose with an agonized scream.
Pip tried to escape, only for the Magus to telekinetically crush him to death.
Gamora declared, “If I am to die, I shall go down fighting!” and raised her deadly knife. The Magus took control of Gamora’s arm, causing her to stab herself through the heart.
“Face the power of a true goddess born!” said Moondragon defiantly as she unleashed the most powerful telepathic offense she was capable of.
The Magus was temporarily staggered as his Adam Warlock side re-emerged to fight for control. But the Magus regained control, and turned Moondragon’s telepathic attack against her.
However, just as he was about to finish her off, she vanished.
“Galactus!” screamed the Magus, “This is your doing!”
“Indeed it is. And you know better than to challenge me, especially as your are bound in servitude to the Xunn-Zwar, who restored you.”
“Yes!” grinned the Magus. “Once my master emerges, I shall captain his vast army, and exterminate all in his path. Go and build your own army, Galactus, it shall avail you none.”
Galactus did not reply, quietly teleporting himself into his ship and setting course first for Titan, then Earth.
*********
“Thus,” declared Galactus, “a war for the very fate of the universe dawns upon us. It disillusions me that Captain America is not among you, for it is crucial that we form an effective plan of battle.”
“I,” said Thor, “doth nominate the Wasp to lead the Avengers in the attack. She did command the Avengers for a great deal of time, and most fruitfully.”
“Thank you, Thor,” replied the Wasp, “but I nominate YOU to lead us.”
Now Hercules spoke up. “The Wasp and I hath had our differences in the past, but I doth second her nomination. Friend Thor, in thy long existence, thou hath gone to battle many more times than all of us Avengers combined. I know thee well enough to understand thy reluctance, but thy time to lead is now.”
From the expression on his face, Thor was clearly at a loss for words.
“It would be the most logical move.” said the Vision. “I calculate 92.348 % probability of victory with you as our commander.”
Thena stepped forward. “There is no place for ifs, ands, buts, or maybes.” she said. “You MUST lead the Avengers, and you WILL lead the Avengers, Thor.”
Thor stayed silent for a moment, then said only one word.
“Aye.”
The chambers erupted into fervourous cheering.
*********
The present.
Carol Danvers continued to play back Galactus’s revelations over and over in her mind.
Quasar approached her and asked, “Penny for your thoughts?”
“I used to be proud of having been an Avenger.” replied Carol. “Even though my stint with them ended horribly, I eventually learned to look at the big picture and see the Avengers in the context of what they stood for. But now...now, I have no idea what they stand for? A house divided? Dupes of evil?”
“I hear you.” said Quasar. “And I was part of the roster that got duped by the Collector. Right now, I feel...worthless.”
“Me, too.” said Carol. “It’s hard to be proud of having been demoted to cannon fodder in a cosmic war.”
Quasar felt a sudden rush of insight. “Being a hero is not always what we want it to be.” he said. “Heroes often die in the course of achieving heroism. That doesn’t make them any less heroic. At least we’ll redeem ourselves for our past mistakes.”
“Thanks.” said Carol. “That makes me feel better.”
“Um...you’re welcome.” said Quasar.
“It’s strange,” said Carol, “I’ve only known you for a short time, but it feels to me like we should have met years ago.”
“I...I feel the same way.” admitted Quasar. “But then again...maybe it’s just because we know we might not be coming back to Earth. In circumstances like this, it’s not unknown for...”
Carol took Quasar’s face in her hands.
“Shut up,” she said, “and kiss me.”
And for a brief, blissful moment, Carol and Quasar believed in fairy-tale romance as they kissed and embraced.
BOOK ONE, CHAPTER 4
The Wasp flew through the night sky of New York City, heading for a destination that meant a great deal to her: Avengers Mansion. It would be a true homecoming, she thought to herself, because for all the good she had been able to do as a West Coast-er, it was the East Coast where she had been born and raised, and where she had, years before, co-founded the Avengers. It was where she belonged.
As she got closer, she saw smoke. No, she thought, please don’t let it be what I think it is.
But it proved to be just so. Avengers Mansion was a smouldering wreck. Yet such was her spirit that she refused to give up hope that her fellow Avengers lived and they could right the forces which had wrought this disaster.
She shrank to insect-size before entering, cautiously anticipating that the culprits were still inside the mansion. Strange voices coming from the master control room seemed to confirm what she had predicted.
Flying into the master control room, she saw the Avengers, some of whom she knew well, others who she hardly knew at all, each and every one lying unconscious on the floor in varying states of injury. And standing over them were their apparent assailants, a man and a woman. The man was imposingly tall and muscular, dressed in black with a red cape; the woman wore silver armor, had long raven locks which spilled out of her headgear, and carried a hi-tech weapon.
“...must not hesitate.” said the woman. “Time is of the essence.”
“Yes, quite literally.” said the man. “Open the slash/way while I retrieve our quarry.”
Smart enough to know she was out-numbered and out-powered, the Wasp made a 180 degree turn and prepared to fly away and seek help. Unfortunately, she was not fast enough. In the proverbial blink of an eye, she had been stunned by cosmic rays emanating from the man’s eyes. The Wasp spiraled to the ground.
“You should have let me vaporize her.” said the woman.
“No.” said the man. “I told you, no casualties. Now let us be off.”
The man stepped through a portal which the woman had opened, carrying in his arms the Avenger named Sersi. The woman followed the man into the portal, and, in a flash, they were gone.
The Wasp grew to her normal size and picked herself up off the ground. She took a better look at the fallen Avengers strewn across the room: the Vision, Hercules, the Black Knight, Crystal, the Black Widow, Quasar, a short-haired woman she recognized as Carol Danvers, the former Ms. Marvel, a blond man in leathers she recognized as Eric Masterson, who had deputized for Thor, and, finally, what appeared to be the real Thor himself, returned from otherworldly exile. It was he who the Wasp noticed was stirring and moaning. She ran towards him.
“Thor, is that you?” she asked. “Do you recognize me?”
“Indeed,” he answered through his pain, “I see that thou art my fellow Avenger, the Wasp. I bid thee welcome, and only wish the occasion could have been the happy one I didst anticipate when I returned earlier.”
“Tell me everything that happened,” said the Wasp, “from the beginning.”
Thor sat up on the floor, grinding his teeth as the pain increased momentarily before subsiding.
“Twas Hercules who did invite his friends Eric and myself upon hearing of my return and Eric’s transformation into Thunderstrike...”
*******
Earlier that day...
“Ho, fellow Avengers!” said the newly beardless Hercules as he led his friends into the master control room. “Tis a day of rejoicing, for we now have two noble warriors in place of one! I give thee Thor and Thunderstrike.”
Instead of the fanfare they had expected, there was an uncomfortable silence from the other Avengers.
The Black Widow, chairing the meeting in Captain America’s absence, broke the silence.
“It is good to see you again, Thor, and I’m sure I speak for everyone else on that matter. However, the occasion is not a happy one. It’s taken us weeks just to get the whole team together, and in the interim we’ve received news that the Avengers West Coast have disbanded in acrimony, over what happens to be the very subject we are addressing right now: should we retain the members who participated in the killing of the Supreme Intelligence? That, of course, includes you, Hercules, and you...uh...Thunderstrike.”
“Od’s blood!” exclaimed Thor. “The KILLING of the Supreme Intelligence? Tell me this is but a tasteless jest!”
“‘Fraid not, buddy.” said Thunderstrike sheepishly.
“Nay, friend Eric,” said Hercules, “thou did stay thy hand, and are not responsible.” He turned to the Black Widow. “Fair Natasha, a group of us did execute a mass murderer to prevent further atrocities from occurring. If that doth put me at any kind of fault, then so be it. I make no apologies.”
Thor put his hand to his face, and shook his head.
“There’s no point in going on about this.” said Sersi peevishly. “What’s done is done. And I make no apologies, either!”
Thor exploded. “Dost thee not have the wisdom accumulated over millenia that violence only begets more violence?”
“Maybe not,” retorted Sersi, “but at least I’m not in denial over the violent deeds I’ve committed over millenia! Can you say the same, Thor?”
The room exploded into loud arguments from several sides.
“I can’t believe this is happening.” whispered Carol Danvers to Quasar, “Not to the Avengers!”
“My sentiments exactly.” agreed Quasar. “If only I knew what we could do.”
“That’s enough!” belted the Black Widow authoritatively. “We will discuss this like civilized beings!”
Suddenly, a cosmic shockwave shook up the room.
Before anyone could wonder what had just happened, Sersi went off.
“Civilized? What do you know about civilization? I’ve been around longer than any of you! I’ve seen countless so-called civilizations rise and fall! And if this one’s moving toward the end of its cycle, so be it! That’s all you mortals are good for, anyway, fighting and...”
“Sersi,” said the Black Widow, “I’m warning you...”
“You dare,” screamed Sersi, “speak like that to ME??”
The next couple of seconds, time seemed to slow down to a crawl, as the Avengers, to their horror, saw red cosmic beams emerge from Sersi’s eyes and blast the Black Widow point blank. As their horror turned to anger, Sersi’s eye beams swept around the room in a 360 degree arc, knocking down each Avenger one at a time, until only Crystal and Thor were left standing.
Crystal, with a wave of her hand, commanded solid earth to erupt from beneath Sersi and encase her in a chrysalis of rock. Unfortunately, Sersi blasted through it with great ease, and then blasted Crystal. Thor, feeling the warrior madness threatening to overtake him, raised his mighty hammer, Mjolnir, but Sersi was quicker than him, blasting him with much more force than she had blasted the others.
As Thor’s consciousness faded to black, he saw Sersi contemplate her rampage and exclaim, “Great Zuras, what have I DONE??”, before clutching her head with both heads, letting out a bloodcurdling scream, and passing out on the floor alongside her victims.
*********
“...and that,” said Thor, “...is the last I remember. Even in her mad rage, Sersi did restrain herself enough not to kill us, for an Eternal can indeed kill even a god.”
“And now,” replied the Wasp, “those cosmic weirdos I told you about took her heaven knows where.”
Suddenly, a deep and sinister voice came from outside the room. “There are graver matters at hand, which require your immediate attention.”
Thor and the Wasp turned to see none other than Thanos, once an omnipotent villain and currently of ambiguous standing, enter the room.
“Come, come now!” he demanded. “This is no time for tarrying!”
The Wasp put on her bravest face and asked pointedly, “Why should we trust YOU??”
Another, softer voice came from outside the room. “He’s on the up-and-up. Take it from...” former Avenger Starfox entered the room, “...his brother.”
“And from the leader of the Eternals.” said the amazonian blonde Thena, who followed Starfox inside. “Explanations will be forthcoming, but for now you must accompany us. And bring your fallen comrades – we can easily heal them all, and we will need them all.”
Shortly, Thor and the Wasp and the other Avengers found themselves in the pull of a tractor beam, heading towards a gigantic spaceship, the leader of a vast armada consisting of the finest fleets produced by the Eternals of both Earth and Titan.
And inside the spaceship was none other than the sentient force of nature known as Galactus!
The Wasp sighed. No matter how long she was in the super-hero business, the adventures just got bigger and weirder.
As she got closer, she saw smoke. No, she thought, please don’t let it be what I think it is.
But it proved to be just so. Avengers Mansion was a smouldering wreck. Yet such was her spirit that she refused to give up hope that her fellow Avengers lived and they could right the forces which had wrought this disaster.
She shrank to insect-size before entering, cautiously anticipating that the culprits were still inside the mansion. Strange voices coming from the master control room seemed to confirm what she had predicted.
Flying into the master control room, she saw the Avengers, some of whom she knew well, others who she hardly knew at all, each and every one lying unconscious on the floor in varying states of injury. And standing over them were their apparent assailants, a man and a woman. The man was imposingly tall and muscular, dressed in black with a red cape; the woman wore silver armor, had long raven locks which spilled out of her headgear, and carried a hi-tech weapon.
“...must not hesitate.” said the woman. “Time is of the essence.”
“Yes, quite literally.” said the man. “Open the slash/way while I retrieve our quarry.”
Smart enough to know she was out-numbered and out-powered, the Wasp made a 180 degree turn and prepared to fly away and seek help. Unfortunately, she was not fast enough. In the proverbial blink of an eye, she had been stunned by cosmic rays emanating from the man’s eyes. The Wasp spiraled to the ground.
“You should have let me vaporize her.” said the woman.
“No.” said the man. “I told you, no casualties. Now let us be off.”
The man stepped through a portal which the woman had opened, carrying in his arms the Avenger named Sersi. The woman followed the man into the portal, and, in a flash, they were gone.
The Wasp grew to her normal size and picked herself up off the ground. She took a better look at the fallen Avengers strewn across the room: the Vision, Hercules, the Black Knight, Crystal, the Black Widow, Quasar, a short-haired woman she recognized as Carol Danvers, the former Ms. Marvel, a blond man in leathers she recognized as Eric Masterson, who had deputized for Thor, and, finally, what appeared to be the real Thor himself, returned from otherworldly exile. It was he who the Wasp noticed was stirring and moaning. She ran towards him.
“Thor, is that you?” she asked. “Do you recognize me?”
“Indeed,” he answered through his pain, “I see that thou art my fellow Avenger, the Wasp. I bid thee welcome, and only wish the occasion could have been the happy one I didst anticipate when I returned earlier.”
“Tell me everything that happened,” said the Wasp, “from the beginning.”
Thor sat up on the floor, grinding his teeth as the pain increased momentarily before subsiding.
“Twas Hercules who did invite his friends Eric and myself upon hearing of my return and Eric’s transformation into Thunderstrike...”
*******
Earlier that day...
“Ho, fellow Avengers!” said the newly beardless Hercules as he led his friends into the master control room. “Tis a day of rejoicing, for we now have two noble warriors in place of one! I give thee Thor and Thunderstrike.”
Instead of the fanfare they had expected, there was an uncomfortable silence from the other Avengers.
The Black Widow, chairing the meeting in Captain America’s absence, broke the silence.
“It is good to see you again, Thor, and I’m sure I speak for everyone else on that matter. However, the occasion is not a happy one. It’s taken us weeks just to get the whole team together, and in the interim we’ve received news that the Avengers West Coast have disbanded in acrimony, over what happens to be the very subject we are addressing right now: should we retain the members who participated in the killing of the Supreme Intelligence? That, of course, includes you, Hercules, and you...uh...Thunderstrike.”
“Od’s blood!” exclaimed Thor. “The KILLING of the Supreme Intelligence? Tell me this is but a tasteless jest!”
“‘Fraid not, buddy.” said Thunderstrike sheepishly.
“Nay, friend Eric,” said Hercules, “thou did stay thy hand, and are not responsible.” He turned to the Black Widow. “Fair Natasha, a group of us did execute a mass murderer to prevent further atrocities from occurring. If that doth put me at any kind of fault, then so be it. I make no apologies.”
Thor put his hand to his face, and shook his head.
“There’s no point in going on about this.” said Sersi peevishly. “What’s done is done. And I make no apologies, either!”
Thor exploded. “Dost thee not have the wisdom accumulated over millenia that violence only begets more violence?”
“Maybe not,” retorted Sersi, “but at least I’m not in denial over the violent deeds I’ve committed over millenia! Can you say the same, Thor?”
The room exploded into loud arguments from several sides.
“I can’t believe this is happening.” whispered Carol Danvers to Quasar, “Not to the Avengers!”
“My sentiments exactly.” agreed Quasar. “If only I knew what we could do.”
“That’s enough!” belted the Black Widow authoritatively. “We will discuss this like civilized beings!”
Suddenly, a cosmic shockwave shook up the room.
Before anyone could wonder what had just happened, Sersi went off.
“Civilized? What do you know about civilization? I’ve been around longer than any of you! I’ve seen countless so-called civilizations rise and fall! And if this one’s moving toward the end of its cycle, so be it! That’s all you mortals are good for, anyway, fighting and...”
“Sersi,” said the Black Widow, “I’m warning you...”
“You dare,” screamed Sersi, “speak like that to ME??”
The next couple of seconds, time seemed to slow down to a crawl, as the Avengers, to their horror, saw red cosmic beams emerge from Sersi’s eyes and blast the Black Widow point blank. As their horror turned to anger, Sersi’s eye beams swept around the room in a 360 degree arc, knocking down each Avenger one at a time, until only Crystal and Thor were left standing.
Crystal, with a wave of her hand, commanded solid earth to erupt from beneath Sersi and encase her in a chrysalis of rock. Unfortunately, Sersi blasted through it with great ease, and then blasted Crystal. Thor, feeling the warrior madness threatening to overtake him, raised his mighty hammer, Mjolnir, but Sersi was quicker than him, blasting him with much more force than she had blasted the others.
As Thor’s consciousness faded to black, he saw Sersi contemplate her rampage and exclaim, “Great Zuras, what have I DONE??”, before clutching her head with both heads, letting out a bloodcurdling scream, and passing out on the floor alongside her victims.
*********
“...and that,” said Thor, “...is the last I remember. Even in her mad rage, Sersi did restrain herself enough not to kill us, for an Eternal can indeed kill even a god.”
“And now,” replied the Wasp, “those cosmic weirdos I told you about took her heaven knows where.”
Suddenly, a deep and sinister voice came from outside the room. “There are graver matters at hand, which require your immediate attention.”
Thor and the Wasp turned to see none other than Thanos, once an omnipotent villain and currently of ambiguous standing, enter the room.
“Come, come now!” he demanded. “This is no time for tarrying!”
The Wasp put on her bravest face and asked pointedly, “Why should we trust YOU??”
Another, softer voice came from outside the room. “He’s on the up-and-up. Take it from...” former Avenger Starfox entered the room, “...his brother.”
“And from the leader of the Eternals.” said the amazonian blonde Thena, who followed Starfox inside. “Explanations will be forthcoming, but for now you must accompany us. And bring your fallen comrades – we can easily heal them all, and we will need them all.”
Shortly, Thor and the Wasp and the other Avengers found themselves in the pull of a tractor beam, heading towards a gigantic spaceship, the leader of a vast armada consisting of the finest fleets produced by the Eternals of both Earth and Titan.
And inside the spaceship was none other than the sentient force of nature known as Galactus!
The Wasp sighed. No matter how long she was in the super-hero business, the adventures just got bigger and weirder.
Friday, January 22, 2010
BOOK ONE, CHAPTER 3
Hawkeye aimed his smoke arrow with great dexterity at the raging Ultron, who was at that moment too intent on vaporizing U.S. Agent to notice anyone else.
“Now,” said Ultron, “you laughable excuse for a pitiful species, it is time to die.”
Hawkeye fired. The arrow hit Ultron in his right eye-slot and began billowing smoke, temporarily blinding Ultron while U.S. Agent ran to join his fellow Avengers.
“Okay, folks,” said Hawkeye to the rest of the team, of which only Iron Man and the still-unconscious Wonder Man were missing, “time ta take down the tin-can-man. Avengers, attack!”
“Ahh, the more victims the merrier!” shrieked a sight-restored Ultron.
The Scarlet Witch sent Ultron staggering with a hex-bolt, while Spider-Woman bound him in her psionic web. Hawkeye fired his most powerful explosive arrow into Ultron’s maw. The blast sent flames and sparks flying out of Ultron’s head, but the evil robot shook off the shock easily.
“Soft, all of you – soft!” said Ultron, ripping his way out of the psi-web and swatting away the Avengers one by one.
“Too soft for you?” came a heavily filtered voice. “Then try me instead.”
Ultron could not help but be shocked for a split second as he took in the sudden sight of Iron Man in his new armor, which made him look more like a tank than a man.
That split second was all Iron Man needed. His shoulder-mounted gatling gun and double-barreled wrist-mounted cannon fired a barrage of bullets powerful enough to pierce even the adamantium that made up Ultron’s outer shell. With great precision, Iron Man followed this with near-nuclear-strength mini-rockets aimed squarely at Ultron’s biggest wounds. Ultron’s form was now twisted, distorted and emitting foul-smelling smoke. A blast from Iron Man’s particle beam cannon almost knocked Ultron to the ground, but he was still standing until additional firepower came via two enormous guns that Dr. Pym produced from his pocket in miniature size and instantly grew with his special particles. Ultron was finally down.
Iron Man hadn’t expected this from Dr. Pym, and neither had anyone else. Iron Man and Dr. Pym’s eyes met, and Dr. Pym smirked and winked at Iron Man.
After a tense few seconds, there came a startling transformation in U.S. Agent, Mockingbird, and Spider-Woman. Giving in to their basest animal instincts, they dog-piled on Ultron’s remains and began tearing them apart savagely. Hawkeye, the Scarlet Witch, and the Wasp could only stare in horror.
Suddenly, Ultron rallied with his last ounce of strength and tossed aside his attackers. “Fools!” he raged, “No matter how hard you try, you cannot kill me!”
A guttural voice emerged from the shadows. “Wanna bet?”
Wonder Man, recovered, rushed Ultron, his hands blazing ionic power. One hand grabbed Ultron’s neck, the other a crack in Ultron’s mid-section. With a terrifying roar, Wonder Man ripped Ultron in half and slammed the remains to the ground.
Without hesitating, Iron Man turned his particle beam back on, this time full-force, melting Ultron’s remains to slag. Before Ultron expired, he shocked everybody one last time...by laughing. “Now you can fool yourselves no longer – you are truly no better than I!” More laughter followed, until nothing remained of Ultron but a small puddle of metal.
Hawkeye finally found his voice, and used it loudly. “Ya MANIACS! Ya should all be locked up in chains! Ya call yourselves HEROES??”
“As the old saying goes, the ends justify the means.” said Iron Man coldly. “Besides, you’re not gonna tell me this robot had a soul.”
“An’ what’s gonna happen when we face a flesh-an’-blood villain?” demanded Hawkeye. “You gonna blast him an’ tear him apart an’ torch him, too??”
“If need be, yeah.” sneered Wonder Man facetiously.
“Face it, Hawkeye,” said Mockingbird, “there’s no place for wishy-washy wimps in the modern world.”
“Lady,” grinned U.S. Agent, “you took the words right outta my mouth.”
“So what’s it gonna be, Hawkeye?” asked Spider-Woman, “Are you gonna discharge us all?”
“I’ll beat him to the punch.” said Iron Man. “I’m quitting the Avengers and forming a new team, so anybody’s free to come join me.”
“Count me in.” said Mockingbird.
“Me, too,” said U.S. Agent.
“And me.” said Spider-Woman.
“I’ll join you, Tony.” said Dr. Pym.
“HANK!” exclaimed a horrified Wasp.
“No...” groaned Hawkeye, “...not you, too, Hank.”
“How can you do this, after what we were talking about earlier?” demanded the Scarlet Witch.
“What can I say?” shrugged Dr. Pym. “The scales fell from my eyes. Thanks to Tony, my greatest mistake has been taken care of permanently. That’s pretty damn inspiring.”
“Enough talk,” said Wonder Man, “let’s go do some justice!”
Iron Man and his acolytes walked away, leaving Hawkeye, the Wasp, and the Scarlet Witch behind.
“This is the last straw.” said the Scarlet Witch. “If this is the future for superheroes, I want no part of it.”
“Don’t give up on us, Wanda.” pleaded Hawkeye.
“Yeah,” said the Wasp, “we’ll just re-join the original Avengers.”
“With other killers like Vision, Sersi, Black Knight, and Hercules?” retorted the Scarlet Witch. “ No, thank you.”
“Maybe Wanda’s right.” whimpered Hawkeye. “Maybe we should just quit this dirty business. I’m sure I’ll find a carnival out there willing ta take on an over-the-hill archer.”
“That’s your decision, Hawkeye.” said the Wasp. “I’m sticking with the Avengers.”
The Scarlet Witch and the Wasp went their separate ways, leaving Hawkeye all alone.
Hawkeye stood alone for what seemed like an eternity, tears streaming down his mask.
Finally, he sighed to himself, “That’s life,” and began walking in search of whatever awaited.
“Now,” said Ultron, “you laughable excuse for a pitiful species, it is time to die.”
Hawkeye fired. The arrow hit Ultron in his right eye-slot and began billowing smoke, temporarily blinding Ultron while U.S. Agent ran to join his fellow Avengers.
“Okay, folks,” said Hawkeye to the rest of the team, of which only Iron Man and the still-unconscious Wonder Man were missing, “time ta take down the tin-can-man. Avengers, attack!”
“Ahh, the more victims the merrier!” shrieked a sight-restored Ultron.
The Scarlet Witch sent Ultron staggering with a hex-bolt, while Spider-Woman bound him in her psionic web. Hawkeye fired his most powerful explosive arrow into Ultron’s maw. The blast sent flames and sparks flying out of Ultron’s head, but the evil robot shook off the shock easily.
“Soft, all of you – soft!” said Ultron, ripping his way out of the psi-web and swatting away the Avengers one by one.
“Too soft for you?” came a heavily filtered voice. “Then try me instead.”
Ultron could not help but be shocked for a split second as he took in the sudden sight of Iron Man in his new armor, which made him look more like a tank than a man.
That split second was all Iron Man needed. His shoulder-mounted gatling gun and double-barreled wrist-mounted cannon fired a barrage of bullets powerful enough to pierce even the adamantium that made up Ultron’s outer shell. With great precision, Iron Man followed this with near-nuclear-strength mini-rockets aimed squarely at Ultron’s biggest wounds. Ultron’s form was now twisted, distorted and emitting foul-smelling smoke. A blast from Iron Man’s particle beam cannon almost knocked Ultron to the ground, but he was still standing until additional firepower came via two enormous guns that Dr. Pym produced from his pocket in miniature size and instantly grew with his special particles. Ultron was finally down.
Iron Man hadn’t expected this from Dr. Pym, and neither had anyone else. Iron Man and Dr. Pym’s eyes met, and Dr. Pym smirked and winked at Iron Man.
After a tense few seconds, there came a startling transformation in U.S. Agent, Mockingbird, and Spider-Woman. Giving in to their basest animal instincts, they dog-piled on Ultron’s remains and began tearing them apart savagely. Hawkeye, the Scarlet Witch, and the Wasp could only stare in horror.
Suddenly, Ultron rallied with his last ounce of strength and tossed aside his attackers. “Fools!” he raged, “No matter how hard you try, you cannot kill me!”
A guttural voice emerged from the shadows. “Wanna bet?”
Wonder Man, recovered, rushed Ultron, his hands blazing ionic power. One hand grabbed Ultron’s neck, the other a crack in Ultron’s mid-section. With a terrifying roar, Wonder Man ripped Ultron in half and slammed the remains to the ground.
Without hesitating, Iron Man turned his particle beam back on, this time full-force, melting Ultron’s remains to slag. Before Ultron expired, he shocked everybody one last time...by laughing. “Now you can fool yourselves no longer – you are truly no better than I!” More laughter followed, until nothing remained of Ultron but a small puddle of metal.
Hawkeye finally found his voice, and used it loudly. “Ya MANIACS! Ya should all be locked up in chains! Ya call yourselves HEROES??”
“As the old saying goes, the ends justify the means.” said Iron Man coldly. “Besides, you’re not gonna tell me this robot had a soul.”
“An’ what’s gonna happen when we face a flesh-an’-blood villain?” demanded Hawkeye. “You gonna blast him an’ tear him apart an’ torch him, too??”
“If need be, yeah.” sneered Wonder Man facetiously.
“Face it, Hawkeye,” said Mockingbird, “there’s no place for wishy-washy wimps in the modern world.”
“Lady,” grinned U.S. Agent, “you took the words right outta my mouth.”
“So what’s it gonna be, Hawkeye?” asked Spider-Woman, “Are you gonna discharge us all?”
“I’ll beat him to the punch.” said Iron Man. “I’m quitting the Avengers and forming a new team, so anybody’s free to come join me.”
“Count me in.” said Mockingbird.
“Me, too,” said U.S. Agent.
“And me.” said Spider-Woman.
“I’ll join you, Tony.” said Dr. Pym.
“HANK!” exclaimed a horrified Wasp.
“No...” groaned Hawkeye, “...not you, too, Hank.”
“How can you do this, after what we were talking about earlier?” demanded the Scarlet Witch.
“What can I say?” shrugged Dr. Pym. “The scales fell from my eyes. Thanks to Tony, my greatest mistake has been taken care of permanently. That’s pretty damn inspiring.”
“Enough talk,” said Wonder Man, “let’s go do some justice!”
Iron Man and his acolytes walked away, leaving Hawkeye, the Wasp, and the Scarlet Witch behind.
“This is the last straw.” said the Scarlet Witch. “If this is the future for superheroes, I want no part of it.”
“Don’t give up on us, Wanda.” pleaded Hawkeye.
“Yeah,” said the Wasp, “we’ll just re-join the original Avengers.”
“With other killers like Vision, Sersi, Black Knight, and Hercules?” retorted the Scarlet Witch. “ No, thank you.”
“Maybe Wanda’s right.” whimpered Hawkeye. “Maybe we should just quit this dirty business. I’m sure I’ll find a carnival out there willing ta take on an over-the-hill archer.”
“That’s your decision, Hawkeye.” said the Wasp. “I’m sticking with the Avengers.”
The Scarlet Witch and the Wasp went their separate ways, leaving Hawkeye all alone.
Hawkeye stood alone for what seemed like an eternity, tears streaming down his mask.
Finally, he sighed to himself, “That’s life,” and began walking in search of whatever awaited.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
BOOK ONE, CHAPTER 2
In the garden of the Avengers West Coast compound, the Scarlet Witch sat cross-legged on the ground, peacefully communing with nature.
Suddenly, her reverie was interrupted by crunching footsteps. The Scarlet Witch swiftly turned her head and saw, to her partial relief, that it was not an invading villain, but rather Spider-Woman and Spider-Woman’s daughter on their way out of the compound. However, her partial relief turned to pure anger when Spider-Woman looked over at her and they made eye contact. The Scarlet Witch was, to say the least, not happy with the way Spider-Woman had voted a few weeks earlier, and she gave Spider-Woman the proverbial Evil Eye.
“Mommy,” asked Spider-Woman’s daughter, “why is she looking at us like that?”
“It’s grown-up stuff, sweetie,” replied Spider-Woman, “nothing to worry your pretty little head about.”
Spider-Woman and her daughter finished exiting the compound, and the Scarlet Witch went back to being one with nature.
*********
Meanwhile, inside the compound, Hawkeye was thinking that he didn’t know how many more blows to his fragile peace of mind he could take.
“My heart’s just not in it anymore,” said Living Lightning to Hawkeye, “it hasn’t been since the outer space incident. I hope you understand.”
“I do.” replied Hawkeye resignedly. “Believe ya me, I do. Best of luck at college, Miguel.”
“Thanks.” said Living Lightning.
The two men shook hands, and Living Lightning walked out of the conference room. Hawkeye sat down at the table and let out a heavy sigh. He leafed through his divorce papers – Mockingbird’s vote to keep Iron Man & Wonder Man in the team had been the final nail in the coffin of her marriage to Hawkeye. Suddenly finding himself pining for what they’d had a long time ago, Hawkeye angrily tossed the papers back on the table, got up, and walked to the window, where he saw the Scarlet Witch in the garden.
********
Tony Stark contemplated the impressive sight of his latest invention. It had occupied all his time these past few weeks. He told himself, with no little sense of satisfaction, that work was all the therapy he REALLY needed, and that he’d never make the mistake of seeking therapy again.
All work and no play makes Tony a dull boy? Well, his alcoholism ruled out partying, while promiscuity was impossible in the age of AIDS. Work was his life, life was his work.
He had also taken some time to ruminate on the situation with Clint. Tony was now more convinced than ever that changes had to be made to the Avengers West Coast. He wondered hopefully whether they were coming around to seeing things his way.
********
The Scarlet Witch heard footsteps again, and turned her head again. This time, she saw Hawkeye approaching her.
“Wanda, could I trouble ya for a minute o’ yer time?”
“Sure, Clint. What is it?”
“I was just thinking...you an’ I have been in the superhero business for the exact same amount o’ time, an’ I was just wondering...do ya still enjoy it?”
“Quite honestly, no. I can only live with it by looking at it as a hobby.”
“I was also thinking that maybe Tony had a point about changing with the times...but I can’t change me. Like my hero Popeye, ‘I yam what I yam.’ Maybe there’s not a place in this scary new world for old-timers like us...uh...I mean, me...um...no offense, Wanda. Sorry.”
“None taken.”
The sound of footsteps was followed by the sound of Dr. Pym’s voice. “I’m glad to find out I’m not the only one who’s been thinking about that.”
“Oh, stop it, all of you.” said the Wasp, buzzing around the other three veteran heroes. “As long as there’s evil in the universe, there’s gonna be a place for real heroes.”
“I wanna believe ya,” said Hawkeye wistfully, “I really do.”
*********
U.S. Agent dashed through a typical backstreet of Los Angeles, while Wonder Man followed him by flying close to the ground.
“I gotta tell ya, Wondy, you lucked out! You got to kick alien butt and help kill a genocidal maniac, while I got stuck with a buncha lame-os who got creamed by the bad guys.”
“Whatever.” muttered Wonder Man. “It wasn’t as great as you think.”
U.S. Agent changed the subject. “According to my snitch, there’s some kinda villainy afoot at an industrial park near here. Hopefully, he’s right, cause I really need something to hit.”
Wonder Man quietly and reluctantly admitted to himself that he shared U.S. Agent’s need for naked aggression. That nega-radiation had definitely done something to him, not just his body but his personality. And he had trouble focusing, and was hungry all the time.
“Y’know, Wondy,” U.S. Agent said more to himself than to his teammate, “villains are so damn predictable. Always hiding out in industrial parks, warehouses, condemned buildings, always with their stupid plans that get undone by their own stupidity. And yet they get away all the time and then they come back for another butt-kicking from us good guys. Hell, I think it’s time we just rounded them up and shot ‘em all.”
“Here’s the industrial park.” said Wonder Man in a detached voice as he sped up and flew ahead of U.S. Agent.
“Wondy, be careful,” warned U.S. Agent, “there might be a...”
Suddenly, a massive laser burst caught Wonder Man off-guard and sent him to the ground, unconscious.
“...trap.”
“Like flies to rotted meat, the heroes come to their doom!” declared a shrill, echoing voice.
U.S. Agent looked up to see the villain standing above him on a walkway.
“Ultron!”
“Yes, it is I!” said the evil robot, “And all life is now forfeit...starting with the two of you!”
Ultron dodged U.S. Agent’s flying shield as he leapt off the walkway and landed on his cybernetic feet. Agent caught his shield as it returned to him, and he dived for cover behind a pile of scrap just before Ultron opened fire with his laser blasts.
**********
At the Avengers West Coast compound, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Wasp, and Dr. Pym were reminiscing.
“You shoulda been there when Wanda brought A WHOLE METEOR down on Kang’s robot!” laughed Hawkeye.
“I still remember how good that felt.” smiled the Scarlet Witch.
Suddenly, the alarm rang.
The Wasp got to the master computer first, by flying. “It’s U.S. Agent sending a code red.”
“Get a fix on his location while you patch him through.” ordered Hawkeye.
Agent’s voice crackled through the speakers. “Agent to Compound. Ultron’s back, Wondy’s down, and I don’t know how much longer I can keep dodging this tin maniac!”
“ALL RIGHT!” whooped Hawkeye. “Ultron’s back. Time for some good old-fashioned fun!” Then, after a beat, he added, “Uh...I mean...we’ll round up the others an’ be there right away, Agent. Hawkeye out.”
Hawkeye raised his bow above his head and said the words that still sent a chill down the spines of those present: “AVENGERS, ASSEMBLE!”
**********
“I’m on my way, Clint.” said Tony into his Avengers communication card.
Now, thought Tony, was his chance – and Iron Man’s chance – to prove that might made right. That force worked. And his new invention was the perfect catalyst. It was an austerely gray new armor that would turn him into the scourge of super-villains everywhere, a veritable war machine!
Suddenly, her reverie was interrupted by crunching footsteps. The Scarlet Witch swiftly turned her head and saw, to her partial relief, that it was not an invading villain, but rather Spider-Woman and Spider-Woman’s daughter on their way out of the compound. However, her partial relief turned to pure anger when Spider-Woman looked over at her and they made eye contact. The Scarlet Witch was, to say the least, not happy with the way Spider-Woman had voted a few weeks earlier, and she gave Spider-Woman the proverbial Evil Eye.
“Mommy,” asked Spider-Woman’s daughter, “why is she looking at us like that?”
“It’s grown-up stuff, sweetie,” replied Spider-Woman, “nothing to worry your pretty little head about.”
Spider-Woman and her daughter finished exiting the compound, and the Scarlet Witch went back to being one with nature.
*********
Meanwhile, inside the compound, Hawkeye was thinking that he didn’t know how many more blows to his fragile peace of mind he could take.
“My heart’s just not in it anymore,” said Living Lightning to Hawkeye, “it hasn’t been since the outer space incident. I hope you understand.”
“I do.” replied Hawkeye resignedly. “Believe ya me, I do. Best of luck at college, Miguel.”
“Thanks.” said Living Lightning.
The two men shook hands, and Living Lightning walked out of the conference room. Hawkeye sat down at the table and let out a heavy sigh. He leafed through his divorce papers – Mockingbird’s vote to keep Iron Man & Wonder Man in the team had been the final nail in the coffin of her marriage to Hawkeye. Suddenly finding himself pining for what they’d had a long time ago, Hawkeye angrily tossed the papers back on the table, got up, and walked to the window, where he saw the Scarlet Witch in the garden.
********
Tony Stark contemplated the impressive sight of his latest invention. It had occupied all his time these past few weeks. He told himself, with no little sense of satisfaction, that work was all the therapy he REALLY needed, and that he’d never make the mistake of seeking therapy again.
All work and no play makes Tony a dull boy? Well, his alcoholism ruled out partying, while promiscuity was impossible in the age of AIDS. Work was his life, life was his work.
He had also taken some time to ruminate on the situation with Clint. Tony was now more convinced than ever that changes had to be made to the Avengers West Coast. He wondered hopefully whether they were coming around to seeing things his way.
********
The Scarlet Witch heard footsteps again, and turned her head again. This time, she saw Hawkeye approaching her.
“Wanda, could I trouble ya for a minute o’ yer time?”
“Sure, Clint. What is it?”
“I was just thinking...you an’ I have been in the superhero business for the exact same amount o’ time, an’ I was just wondering...do ya still enjoy it?”
“Quite honestly, no. I can only live with it by looking at it as a hobby.”
“I was also thinking that maybe Tony had a point about changing with the times...but I can’t change me. Like my hero Popeye, ‘I yam what I yam.’ Maybe there’s not a place in this scary new world for old-timers like us...uh...I mean, me...um...no offense, Wanda. Sorry.”
“None taken.”
The sound of footsteps was followed by the sound of Dr. Pym’s voice. “I’m glad to find out I’m not the only one who’s been thinking about that.”
“Oh, stop it, all of you.” said the Wasp, buzzing around the other three veteran heroes. “As long as there’s evil in the universe, there’s gonna be a place for real heroes.”
“I wanna believe ya,” said Hawkeye wistfully, “I really do.”
*********
U.S. Agent dashed through a typical backstreet of Los Angeles, while Wonder Man followed him by flying close to the ground.
“I gotta tell ya, Wondy, you lucked out! You got to kick alien butt and help kill a genocidal maniac, while I got stuck with a buncha lame-os who got creamed by the bad guys.”
“Whatever.” muttered Wonder Man. “It wasn’t as great as you think.”
U.S. Agent changed the subject. “According to my snitch, there’s some kinda villainy afoot at an industrial park near here. Hopefully, he’s right, cause I really need something to hit.”
Wonder Man quietly and reluctantly admitted to himself that he shared U.S. Agent’s need for naked aggression. That nega-radiation had definitely done something to him, not just his body but his personality. And he had trouble focusing, and was hungry all the time.
“Y’know, Wondy,” U.S. Agent said more to himself than to his teammate, “villains are so damn predictable. Always hiding out in industrial parks, warehouses, condemned buildings, always with their stupid plans that get undone by their own stupidity. And yet they get away all the time and then they come back for another butt-kicking from us good guys. Hell, I think it’s time we just rounded them up and shot ‘em all.”
“Here’s the industrial park.” said Wonder Man in a detached voice as he sped up and flew ahead of U.S. Agent.
“Wondy, be careful,” warned U.S. Agent, “there might be a...”
Suddenly, a massive laser burst caught Wonder Man off-guard and sent him to the ground, unconscious.
“...trap.”
“Like flies to rotted meat, the heroes come to their doom!” declared a shrill, echoing voice.
U.S. Agent looked up to see the villain standing above him on a walkway.
“Ultron!”
“Yes, it is I!” said the evil robot, “And all life is now forfeit...starting with the two of you!”
Ultron dodged U.S. Agent’s flying shield as he leapt off the walkway and landed on his cybernetic feet. Agent caught his shield as it returned to him, and he dived for cover behind a pile of scrap just before Ultron opened fire with his laser blasts.
**********
At the Avengers West Coast compound, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Wasp, and Dr. Pym were reminiscing.
“You shoulda been there when Wanda brought A WHOLE METEOR down on Kang’s robot!” laughed Hawkeye.
“I still remember how good that felt.” smiled the Scarlet Witch.
Suddenly, the alarm rang.
The Wasp got to the master computer first, by flying. “It’s U.S. Agent sending a code red.”
“Get a fix on his location while you patch him through.” ordered Hawkeye.
Agent’s voice crackled through the speakers. “Agent to Compound. Ultron’s back, Wondy’s down, and I don’t know how much longer I can keep dodging this tin maniac!”
“ALL RIGHT!” whooped Hawkeye. “Ultron’s back. Time for some good old-fashioned fun!” Then, after a beat, he added, “Uh...I mean...we’ll round up the others an’ be there right away, Agent. Hawkeye out.”
Hawkeye raised his bow above his head and said the words that still sent a chill down the spines of those present: “AVENGERS, ASSEMBLE!”
**********
“I’m on my way, Clint.” said Tony into his Avengers communication card.
Now, thought Tony, was his chance – and Iron Man’s chance – to prove that might made right. That force worked. And his new invention was the perfect catalyst. It was an austerely gray new armor that would turn him into the scourge of super-villains everywhere, a veritable war machine!
Monday, January 18, 2010
BOOK ONE, CHAPTER 1
Inside the antiseptic office of Doctor Leonard Samson, Iron Man paced the room, looking away from Samson, who was seated across from him.
"I’m not sure this was a good idea." said Iron Man.
"It was your idea." replied Samson.
"Not all my ideas are going to be good." grumbled Iron Man.
"If you want to call it off, you’ll still owe me my full fee." said Samson calmly.
"No, no, it’s just...I don’t know any more about anything." stammered Iron Man.
"Let’s try to focus," said Samson, "on what precipitated the incident."
"I don’t know." said Iron Man flatly.
"You’re going to have to do better than that." said Samson.
"Okay," said Iron Man, "Hawkeye was chairing the meeting. The more I think about it, I probably shouldn’t even have been there. Anyhow..."
********
One day earlier...
Hawkeye stared unsmilingly at the team he led, the West Coast Avengers, for what seemed like an eternity until he finally spoke.
"I move ta vote on whether or not ta discharge Iron Man an’ Wonder Man fer conduct unbecoming."
"How many times," snarled Wonder Man, "do I have to remind you that it’s over?"
"That’s out of line, Simon." snapped the Scarlet Witch. "Show some respect to our chairman."
Wonder Man slouched in his chair and sulked silently.
"If I may, Clint?" said Iron Man, raising his hand.
"Go on." said Hawkeye.
"I’ve always prided myself on changing with the times. And I feel that the incident in outer space only underlines how overdue the Avengers are for a serious re-thinking."
Iron Man could tell from Hawkeye’s face that he had touched a nerve. Hawkeye yelled, "Do I have ta remind ya who the leader of this team is??"
"You’re not listening." said Iron Man stoically.
"I damn well am listening!" replied Hawkeye. "An’ I’m adding insubordination ta yer list of crimes."
"Now you’re just being childish." said Iron Man.
"Can we just get on with the vote?" Mockingbird piped up acidly.
"Yeah...all right." said Hawkeye. "Those in favor of discharging Iron Man and Wonder Man for their involvement in killing the Supreme Intelligence, say ‘Aye!’"
"Aye." said the Scarlet Witch.
"Aye." said the Wasp.
"Aye." said Living Lightning.
"Those in favor of keeping Iron Man and Wonder Man in the team, say ‘Nay!’"
"Nay." said U.S. Agent.
"Nay." said Spider-Woman.
Dr. Pym paused before he, too, said "Nay."
Hawkeye locked eyes with Mockingbird, who was also his ex-wife and currently his on-again, off-again lover.
"Nay." said Mockingbird.
Hawkeye closed his eyes tightly, brought down the gavel, hard, and spluttered through gritted teeth, "The ‘Nays’ have it." Then, after a few tense seconds, "Ya got lucky this time, but I’ll be watching yer every move. There won’t be any more killing while I lead this team."
"Then maybe it’s time you stepped down." snickered U.S. Agent.
Hawkeye clenched his fists as his face turned crimson. But instead of exploding, he slammed down the gavel softly and said, softly, "Meeting adjourned."
********
"That’s it?" asked the unruffled Samson.
"What do you mean, ‘That’s it?’" snapped Iron Man.
"You’re all on edge after recent events, and you had a tense meeting. It’ll blow over."
"Do you...do you think I was wrong in killing the Supreme Intelligence?"
"I’m a professional. I’m not paid to make judgements like that."
"You’re no help at all."
"I’m sorry you feel that way."
"Don’t call me, I’ll call you...maybe!"
With those words, Iron Man stormed out of Samson’s office.
"I’m not sure this was a good idea." said Iron Man.
"It was your idea." replied Samson.
"Not all my ideas are going to be good." grumbled Iron Man.
"If you want to call it off, you’ll still owe me my full fee." said Samson calmly.
"No, no, it’s just...I don’t know any more about anything." stammered Iron Man.
"Let’s try to focus," said Samson, "on what precipitated the incident."
"I don’t know." said Iron Man flatly.
"You’re going to have to do better than that." said Samson.
"Okay," said Iron Man, "Hawkeye was chairing the meeting. The more I think about it, I probably shouldn’t even have been there. Anyhow..."
********
One day earlier...
Hawkeye stared unsmilingly at the team he led, the West Coast Avengers, for what seemed like an eternity until he finally spoke.
"I move ta vote on whether or not ta discharge Iron Man an’ Wonder Man fer conduct unbecoming."
"How many times," snarled Wonder Man, "do I have to remind you that it’s over?"
"That’s out of line, Simon." snapped the Scarlet Witch. "Show some respect to our chairman."
Wonder Man slouched in his chair and sulked silently.
"If I may, Clint?" said Iron Man, raising his hand.
"Go on." said Hawkeye.
"I’ve always prided myself on changing with the times. And I feel that the incident in outer space only underlines how overdue the Avengers are for a serious re-thinking."
Iron Man could tell from Hawkeye’s face that he had touched a nerve. Hawkeye yelled, "Do I have ta remind ya who the leader of this team is??"
"You’re not listening." said Iron Man stoically.
"I damn well am listening!" replied Hawkeye. "An’ I’m adding insubordination ta yer list of crimes."
"Now you’re just being childish." said Iron Man.
"Can we just get on with the vote?" Mockingbird piped up acidly.
"Yeah...all right." said Hawkeye. "Those in favor of discharging Iron Man and Wonder Man for their involvement in killing the Supreme Intelligence, say ‘Aye!’"
"Aye." said the Scarlet Witch.
"Aye." said the Wasp.
"Aye." said Living Lightning.
"Those in favor of keeping Iron Man and Wonder Man in the team, say ‘Nay!’"
"Nay." said U.S. Agent.
"Nay." said Spider-Woman.
Dr. Pym paused before he, too, said "Nay."
Hawkeye locked eyes with Mockingbird, who was also his ex-wife and currently his on-again, off-again lover.
"Nay." said Mockingbird.
Hawkeye closed his eyes tightly, brought down the gavel, hard, and spluttered through gritted teeth, "The ‘Nays’ have it." Then, after a few tense seconds, "Ya got lucky this time, but I’ll be watching yer every move. There won’t be any more killing while I lead this team."
"Then maybe it’s time you stepped down." snickered U.S. Agent.
Hawkeye clenched his fists as his face turned crimson. But instead of exploding, he slammed down the gavel softly and said, softly, "Meeting adjourned."
********
"That’s it?" asked the unruffled Samson.
"What do you mean, ‘That’s it?’" snapped Iron Man.
"You’re all on edge after recent events, and you had a tense meeting. It’ll blow over."
"Do you...do you think I was wrong in killing the Supreme Intelligence?"
"I’m a professional. I’m not paid to make judgements like that."
"You’re no help at all."
"I’m sorry you feel that way."
"Don’t call me, I’ll call you...maybe!"
With those words, Iron Man stormed out of Samson’s office.
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