Upload
others
View
104
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Table of ContentsAvengers #51Avengers #52Avengers #53Avengers #54Avengers #55Avengers #56Avengers #57Avengers Annual 2009
220406798
112128149
Avengers #51October 2007
CaptainAmerica
Andromeda
Karnak
Quicksilver
Claxons rang in the oceanographic research station run by Walterand Diane Newell. It was Diane that ran to the communicationsconsole, suddenly fearful for her husband. That alert would mostcertainly mean that heâd been attacked in some way, and for theman that also went by the name of Stingray, it was a terrifyingthing indeed.
âWalter!â Diane Arliss-Newell called into the microphone. âWhat hashappened? Walter, are you all right? Please, Walter, come in!â
But there was no response. On land, far away from where herhusband was, Diane could only guess at the circumstances. Shehad no way of knowing the true reason that Stingray didnâtrespond, or of how close it was to her worst imaginations.
On the oceanâs bottom, not far east of the Long Island Sound, atorn communications relay gently floated along the sandy rock.Nearby, Stingray was struggling against numerous attackers, noneor whom armored as he was.
In some cases this was an advantage. In his Stingray armor,Walter Newell was far stronger and resilient than most humans,and could swim at speeds approaching two hundred knots.Additionally, the armor granted Stingray a powerful sonar sense,granting him a clear picture of the surroundings, and couldgenerate dangerous electrical âstingâ blasts.
Sadly, many of the armorâs greatest advantages were negated bythe fact that Stingrayâs attackers had great strength, speed andreliance naturally, without the need for armor. They could alsobreathe unaided beneath the water, while Stingray was dependentupon his armor. Any damage he did was hardly permanent,whereas every blow against the armor threatened Walter Newellâslife.
Sonar wasnât of much use against so many opponents in closequarters, where the multiple signals confused Stingray more thananything else. And while the electric bursts proved effective, therewere only so many that Stingray could unleash without riskingpower for the armorâs life support functions.
In the end, there were simply too many, and Stingrayâs armorcould only do so much. Webbed, blue hands held him down, andone that had hung back swam forward. Except for the green skinand reptilian wings on his feet, the creature looked to Stingraymuch like an old ally.
âYou have knowledge,â the undersea dweller âspokeâ in a languageof sonar. âThis you will give us, in exchange for your life. An awful
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link
points to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
Binary
death, pink skins suffer this far below."
âIâll never tell you anything!â Stingray screamed, his words carriedthrough the water by his armorâs sonar function. âAaahh!â
Long, thick fingers pressed Stingrayâs armor so that he felt it rightto the skin and bone. âBetter to kill you now, maybe, but Iâve beentold that he knows you, even considers you a friend. There is valuein that, so you will live. But you will talk also, one way or another.
Again Stingray screamed, but the broken communications arrayfailed to transmit to his wife Diane. She sat at the research stationfearful, unsure of her husbandâs safety and of what she should do.Finally, she made a decision, and after adjusting the frequencyleaned back towards the microphone.
âCalling the Avengers. Please respond.â
MARVEL 2000 PRESENTS...
"TRUMPET CALL TO BATTLE"
Written by Steve Crosby
They sat across from each other at a small table, in the airportrestaurant. Drinks had just been served, and Steve Rogers notedthat Carol Danvers was drinking black coffee.
âI was glad to hear you overcame the latest relapse,â hesaid.
âThanks.â Carol didnât look at Steve as she sipped thecoffee. They both knew she wanted a drink, had eyedthe bottles at the bar with hunger. His mentioning theproblem had made her uncomfortable. Aware of howdifficult itâd been just to arrange the meeting, andfearful that she would run off again, Steve Rogers keptthe conversation going.
âThat was impressive, how you brought the planedown.â Steve could help but smirk. âWhen they saw youflying past, some of the passengers exclaimed that you
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
were going to grab the wing. A few were surprised whenyou didnât.â
âStupid movies,â Carol remarked. A trained Air Forcepilot, she knew how planes worked, was intimate withthe mechanics of flight. âNothing done in those is everright. Grabbing a wing would have ripped it right off, setthe plane off balance and into a spin. Then things wouldhave gotten hard.â
âYou know I donât need an explanation.â
âSorry. Maybe itâs just me venting.â Another sip at thecoffee. Carol wasnât going to do anything to help Stevein the conversation.
âIâd like you to come to New York City, Carol,â he toldher at last. âWarbird should get back to being anAvenger.â
Another sip, then Carol sighed. âYou donât want me,Steve. Everything about me has gotten unstable thesedays.â
âThe way you brought down that plane and saved allthose people, myself included, says otherwise.â Stevefinally took a gulp of his own drink, a tall glass of milk.Wiping away the white moustache, he continued. âNotfield work, if youâre uncomfortable with that. Training,logistics, communications and monitor duty, things likethat. Youâre an asset in a lot of ways, Carol.â
âMaybe.â But Carol was still unsure. âQuicksilverâs at themansion. Arenât you afraid weâll kill each other?â
âIâve spoken with him about the incident with Rogue.For the time being youâll both justâŠkeep out of eachotherâs way.â
A laugh couldnât be helped. Carol gave a light shake ofthe head, swaying that golden hair. âKind of hard to doif weâre on the same team, living in the same mansion.â
âBut it can be done,â Steve urged. âEventually you canboth work through things. Pietro has issues withKarnak, but theyâve managed to put it aside whenrequired.â
âCounting on my experience to see me through.â Carolshifted her eyes, almost unconsciously, towards the bar.âSteve, Captain, my experiences are exactly what putme in this state to begin with. Iâm damaged goods, andthe best you can hope for is that I wouldnât take anyoneelse down to the bottom with me.â
âI disagree.â Captain America leaned forward and spokein hushed tones. âYouâre one of the strongest women Iknow, Carol. Come with me to New York, and you cando one of two things. Prove me wrong or prove yourselfwrong. Who would you prefer?â
For a few seconds that seemed a long time, CarolDanvers stared down at her coffee and didnât sayanything. Then her eyes rose, met Captain Americaâs.Warbird gave her answer.
âMe.â
The Avengers Quinjet hovered over the still oceanwater, directly over the spot of Stingrayâs lasttransmission. At first hearing of who was inside theQuinjet, one would almost think the craft had beenstolen, as only one of the four occupants had ever beenassociated with the team for any length of time. Andgiven his particularly impatient mood at that moment,Quicksilver certainly wasnât acting like an Avenger.
âBe quiet, you,â Quicksilver snapped at Diane Arliss-Newell. As a mutant with the power of super-speed, thetask of piloting was slow and tiresome. âYour hystericalprattling isnât going to make us find your husband anyfaster. Or rather, his body as heâs already most likelydead.â
âIâm sure heâs not, Diane,â Andromeda said in a
reassuring fashion while staring daggers at Quicksilver.And if he were, she silently promised, those responsiblewould pay dearly. âRight, Karnak?â
âHmm,â Karnak murmured, who had apparently beenlost in thought. âSorry, but I had just realized, Pietro,that you donât need working legs to fly this ship.â
âIn the time it took you to threaten me I could havesmashed your head in a dozen times,â Quicksilverremarked in an idle fashion. It wasnât the first time suchthreats had been exchanged.
âYou two try not to kill each other while Iâm gone,âAndromeda stated. âDiane, think positive thoughts.âOpening the door of the Quinjet, Andromeda leapt outand into the water. Immediately she felt better, feelingthe cool salt water around her body and revitalizing her.As a native Atlantean, the ocean was her naturalhabitat, and also made her best suited to search forStingray.
It did not take long before Andromeda had found cluesto Stingrayâs struggle. From her years of life beneaththe waves, Andromeda was able to recognize unnaturaldisturbances in an undersea area. The water still faintlytingled with electricity, and there remained a faint hazeof sand that had not yet fully settled. There had been astruggle, Andromeda knew. Stingray had fought back,but had been overwhelmed by superior numbers.
So many, by Atlantis their scent was everywhere.Andromeda also detected the faintest whiff of blood,and was momentarily frightened. But no, if Stingray hadbeen injured underwater he almost certainly would havedied immediately. His armor would have been seriouslydamaged, and Andromeda couldnât find any trace of it inthe vicinity.
Pressing the photograph of herself on her Avengerscommuni-card, Andromeda reported her findings. âAdefinite struggle happened here,â she screeched in ahorrid-sounding language that, when carried through
the water, perfectly translated into human speech.âLooks as though Stingray was carried off.â There wasno point in mentioning the scent of blood. âIâmattempting to track them. Will report once Iâve foundsomething.â
Just before Andromeda broke the connection, she hadheard the muffled sounds of further argument aboardthe Quinjet. Sheâd frankly had enough of it, and if ithadnât been for this sudden emergency Andromedawould have left the Avengers earlier that day. As it was,only Captain America remained on the team with thethree of them, though he was currently out trying toremedy that. For Andromeda, he couldnât return soonenough.
âPhoton.â
Captain America found her sitting on top of the levee,looking out over the vast Gulf of Mexico. At their backwas the city of New Orleans, better but still in the midstof recovery after Hurricane Katrina. Monica Rambeaudidnât look in Captain Americaâs direction when sheresponded. âSteve.â
When he was less than a foot from the former Avenger,Captain America lowered himself to sit next to Photon.Together they looked out at the Gulf, not at each other,as they conversed.
âIâm sorry.â
âYou shouldnât be apologizing to me. Turn around.â
âOur charter with the government is clear. Unless calledupon to assist with emergencies we arenât to-â
âI heard it all before, Steve. When I asked you to help.â
âIt wasnât my decision.â
âBut you could have asked, Steve. Instead of sitting on
your hands, waiting for a request, you could have-â
âI did.â
There was a brief pause before Photon asked, âWhat?â
âWhen the evacuations first began, I called thePresident, offering our assistance. He said they hadeverything well in hand. ThatâŠthat the levees wouldhold.â
âBut you knew they wouldnât. Forget that you haveaccess to the smartest men in the world, you knowstructures.â
âI wasnât about to second-guess the President of theUnited States, the information he has access to. So Ikept quiet, held the team in reserve, waiting for a callthat never came.â
âSometimes I think thatâs what I should have done.Whatâs the point of flying if I canât carry anybody withme?â
âMonica, you did everything you-â
âHave you ever floated outside the eye of a hurricane?Felt the winds moving past you, tearing through you? Itried flying against the hurricane in every spectrum Iknew, but nothing could even slow it down. I washelpless against nature.â
âWe all experience that sooner or later. Even Thor has.â
âThen I tried to hold back the water. It isnât easy, flyingaround a city fusing cracks to prevent leaks. Eventuallyit became too much. I collapsed from the exhaustionand nearly drowned. It wasnât until afterwards that Iaccomplished anything. Leading rescue teams tosurvivors and dealing with looters. I used to do therescuing, when I was in the Coast Guard. Sometimes Iwish I could go back to that.â
âYouâve never been away from it, Monica. Saving lives,finding justice, whatever the name itâs always the samething: hero. Thatâs what youâve always been, even here,trying your best against impossible odds and still doingsome good.â
âYou didnât just come here to apologize, did you?â
âIt was a long time coming, but no. Iâd like you to rejointhe Avengers. Officially, full-time.â
âYou need an answer now?â
âIâd prefer it, but given you can fly at light-speed, itâsnot necessary. And you know, youâd still be able tooperate from here.â
âIâll let you know. Thanks.â
Captain America rose up to his feet, and left the hero tothe city sheâd done her best to save.
After awhile, they had stopped hurting him. Had evenpatched up his armor some, enough that Stingray wasstill alive deep in the oceanâs depths. But most functionswere off-line, including sonar and navigation. Stingrayonly knew that he was held inside undersea caverns,powerless, chained to rock and coral. Helpless, he couldonly hear the plans of his captors. Not that it meantanything.
Without his suitâs sonar capabilities, sound underwaterreached Stingray the way it did most other people. Hecouldnât decipher the screeching garbles, but from whatheâd heard earlier, before the sonar had been disabled,Stingray was able to guess. The underwater creatureswere planning an invasion, and Stingray raged at hishelplessness to stop them.
A hand suddenly pressed against Stingrayâs shoulder,and his head turned to see the Avenger Andromeda!Sparing the imprisoned man a smile, Andromeda
started working on the heavy chains that bound him.However many systems may have been disabled,Stingrayâs armor still afforded him with terrific strength.Andromeda was every bit as strong, and with theadvantage of leverage was able to break a chain link.
Stingray stretched at the sudden freedom, a foolishmove that sent both ends of the chain out wide. Oneend clanged against the stone wall, giving off little inactual sound but the vibrations rumbled againstAndromedaâs skin. She looked with fearful eyes towardsthe direction of hidden voices, which had suddenlyhushed. They would be coming to investigate,Andromeda and Stingray knew. Taking him by the arm,Andromeda propelled them both through the water.
Even as she swam towards the surface, Andromeda pressed thecommuni-card on her belt. âFound Stingray but weâre beingpursued. Find my location and get above me now!â
Streams of bubbles were shooting past Andromeda. Jetsof compressed air and hard water were being fired onthem. Not fatal, but impact would stun them, giving thepursuers time to catch up. Andromeda had no time forevasive maneuvers. She had to hurry, hope that shecould reach the surface in time, and hope that herteammates would be there to collect them.
The calm ocean surface was shattered when Andromedaand Stingray shot out as though from a cannon.Stingray was dead weight against her arm, andAndromeda reached up with her other arm as thoughwilling them to remain in the air. They had managed togain twenty-feet, and began to drop.
âAaah!â Andromeda cried in pain as her arm wasgrabbed. It was Karnak, leaning out of the AvengersQuinjet. Taken off-balance by the combined weight ofAndromeda and Stingray, he nearly fell out.
âI have them!â Karnak screamed to Quicksilver. âFly,quickly!â
âNot until youâve dragged them in,â Quicksilver
snapped. âThere wouldnât have been much point inrescuing Stingray if he just falls back in the water, alongwith Andromeda and your worthless-â
âShut up and fly!â Andromeda yelled.
Karnak had managed to lift them up a few inches,enough for Andromeda to grab a hold. As strong as theInhuman was, he wouldnât have been able to carry themmuch longer. Andromeda hefted Stingray up and wasgrateful when Karnak took him. The weight of themboth had almost been too much for her. Once herburden had been relieved, Andromeda lifted herself intothe Quinjet.
With the assistance Stingrayâs wife Diane, Karnak wasalready in the process of examining him. âI seesignificant damage to the armor, but fortunately nobreach. We shall have to remove it to ascertain theextent of his injuries.â
âPraise all that you were here to state the obvious,âQuicksilver remarked from his seat at the controls. âArewe ever sure heâs alive? I havenât seem him move atall.â
âHe was underwater,â Andromeda was explaining. âWesurfaced rapidly, the shift in pressure may haveknocked him unconscious.â
But in removing his helmet the Avengers saw thatStingray was in fact conscious. However he appearedvery weak, his face heavily bruised a swollen. Dianecouldnât hold back a sob at the sight of him.
âHundreds of them,â Walter Newell gasped softly,almost unheard. âBeen sinking ships, stealing materials.Planning toâŠinvade.â
âI got a look at them,â Andromeda told the others. âWeneed to get to the mansion, call everybody we can.â
âOr,â Quicksilver countered as he pressed his communi-
card into a slot on the console, âwe can make our callsen route. And even have Jarvis prep the medicalequipment. Simple things that amateurs wouldnât thinkof.â
Much as they wanted to respond with bile againstQuicksilver, Andromeda and Karnak held their tonguesas the Quinjet raced back home.
Upon walking into the building, Steve Rogers was immediatelynoticed by everyone as being out of place. With his pale skin, blondhair and blue eyes, Steve didnât at all resemble the many Hispanicmen and women. Another contrast was his clothes, relatively newand if not expensive then well made. Everybody else woregarments that were heavily worn and cheap in every sense of theword. Of course, that was generally the case for occupants of ahomeless shelter.
Walking through the room, Steve gave politeacknowledgement but overall ignored the stares. Hewas there to see a volunteer, and found her among thebeds passing out blankets. Bonita Juarez had alwaysbeen a kind and compassionate individual, operating asa social worker even before she gained powers andassumed the identity of Firebird.
Bonita was well aware of Steveâs approach, and gavehim a look as he neared her. âHello Steven. Thereâs anoffice in the back you can wait until Iâve finished here.â
Steve nodded. âOf course. If youâd like me to help-â
âThat wonât be necessary. Please.â Clearly Bonitawanted Steve out of sight, and he could guess why.With his features and clothes, he stood out as a targetto the more desperate and ill natured. With thisunderstanding, Steve Rogers didnât press the issue andwent on into the office.
Several minutes passed when Bonita opened the doorand entered. âWhat can I do for you Steven?â
He got right to the point. âIâd like for you to rejoin the
Avengers, Firebird.â
Bonitaâs first reaction was a shake of the head. âIâvegone back to being La Espirita, in the few times Iâve putthat costume back on. As for the offer, thank youSteven, but I enjoy my work here.â
âThere are people to be helped in New York City,âCaptain America said. âThe Maria-Stark Foundation isinvolved with a number of projects you can be involvedwith. If none were to your liking youâd be able to startone. This isnât including all the lives youâd be able tosave as an Avenger.â
âAvenger,â La Espirita echoed. âThere was a time Iwanted to be one more than anything in the world. ButClint was more interested in recruiting BenjaminGrimm.â She was referring to Hawkeye and the Thing,respectively.â
âThatâs Clint. You I would take over Benjamin any dayof the week. More than your impressive powers, Bonita,you have a heart more compassionate that anyone Iâvemet. Thatâs what the Avengers need right now.â
Captain Americaâs words seemed to move La Espirita,and she faltered. âMay I have time to think about this?â
âOf course.â The communi-card beeped inside CaptainAmericaâs pocket. âIâm leaving this afternoon, but youhave the mansionâs number.â
Bonita opened the door to lead Steven out. âI will havean answer before you leave.â
âThey call themselves AtâLaâTique. It means âFury of theSeasâ in my language.â
Andromeda emphasized the syllables deliberately. Shewas standing at the large round table in the AvengersMansion War Room, with Karnak and Quicksilver seatedacross from her. Shimmering over the table was the
holographic display of an individual. It was humanoid,with green skin, webbed hands and feet, pointed earsthat protruded from its head and noticeable gills at theneck.
âThis is their leader, Llyron. Heâs a Lemurian, the son oftheir queen Llyra. As you know, the Lemurians are-â
âIf we already know it, donât bother telling us,âQuicksilver snapped. Both he and Karnak knew theLemurians were an underwater race similar to theAtlanteans.
âRight. Sorry.â Andromeda continued. âLlyron was acloned fetus, from the genetic material of Llyra andNamorâs half-brother from his father.â
âSo this is the Sub-Marinerâs nephew,â Karnakremarked. He studied the holographâs features. âYes, Ican see it.â
âDespite having no claim, Llyron was briefly placed onthe Atlantean throne. When he was overthrown, othersfollowed him into exile. Llyron increased their numbersby impregnating the females with cloned fetuses thataged rapidly. These are fanatics who want nothing lessthan the complete destruction of the surface world.â
âClearly Namor is sympathetic to their cause,âQuicksilver stated in a dry tone. âOtherwise he couldhave rooted them out by now.â
âTwo-thirds of the worldâs surface is a lot of space tohide in,â Andromeda reminded him. âWe in Atlantis havebeen doing what we could against them, including a fewraids on their cloning facilities. But most of theAtâLaâTique are mobile, making it difficult to eradicatethem. However, it looks like theyâll be coming to us.â
âAn assault here on land?â asked Karnak.
âOver the past few weeks theyâve been attacking ships,dismantling them for raw materials. Theyâll have
vehicles and weapons, but thatâs not the worst.Intelligence from Atlantis indicates Llyron has beensplicing human and Atlantean DNA, meaning a lot of hissoldiers will be able to survive on land.â
âCan they inform us of when and where?â Quicksilverinquired. Andromeda shook her head. âSo completelyuseless, then. I canât very well run up and down thecoastline looking for little green men.â
âWe should awaken Stingray,â Karnak said. âProperlyutilized, his sonar technology could provide an earlywarning system.â
âYou go do that,â Quicksilver told his former brother-in-law. âAndromeda, contact Atlantis. Even if Namor agreeto help, theyâll likely arrive too late, but it would politeto ask. If see if anybody else is available, or if theyâreoff on missions as is generally the case in world crises.â
âAnd Captain America?â Andromeda asked. âShouldnâtwe let him know heâll be needed?â
âIf he wants to be leader, he should keep appraised ofthese things.â
âThank you Jarvis. Iâll be there soon.â Captain America pocketed hiscommuni-card and continued into the community center. Afundraiser of sorts was going on. The banner over CaptainAmericaâs head said something about urban housing renewal inPhiladelphia. While it was certainly a good cause, Captain Americawas there for other things, and paid no mind to the attention thatwas suddenly focused on him.
Only one other person in the room was being showered with asmuch attention as Captain America, and it was the woman heâdcome to see. Nicole Ridley was surrounded by young children,making them clap and cry with delight. As Binary, Nicole hadcosmic-level powers, and she was currently using them to createsmall fireworks.
Somebody stepped in front of Captain America, a local reverendwho often been on the news. Being polite, Captain America pausedand shook the manâs hand, nodded at the thanks for attending fora good cause. He gave an excuse and got away from the reverend.
Children were between him and Binary, but at the sight of CaptainAmerica a few of them stared up in awe.
Binary noticed the presence of her leader in the Avengers, andsmiled. âSteve, hi!â
âBinary, I was just informed of an emergency situation.â CaptainAmerica smiled down at the children and patted one on the head.âYour leave needs to be cut short, and we have to get to New YorkCity now.â
Binaryâs smile vanished. âSteve, I canât just leave now. Everybodyhere is expecting-â
Captain America paid no mind to Binary and turned to one of thechildren. âHi, young man. Whatâs your name?â
âJeffrey!â
âWell, Jeffrey, as great a time as my friend and I are having, weneed to leave.â Shouts of ânoâ erupted from the children. âThereâs asituation, enemies to America and freedom that we need to dealwith. If you watch it on television, youâll all hear a special messagefrom me.â
That excited the children, and they all eagerly wished CaptainAmerica and Binary farewell as he led her out of there. CaptainAmerica deftly dodged the adults and ignored words from them,and Binaryâs own protests.
âSteve, you can let me go!â
âIn uniform we use codenames,â Captain America told her in a lowvoice.
âBut our identities are-â
âIt doesnât matter. So long as we act professional weâre consideredto be professionals.â
âAlright, Captain.â There was some snark in Binaryâs tone. âWhatâsthe situation?â
âWe arenât discussing that in public.â
âYou just told those kids-â
âYounger people get excited. Older people panic.â
âBut those kids will be telling-â
âAnd theyâll be dismissed. Come on.â
Captain America threw open the door that brought them out of thebuilding, into the parking area out back. Only then did he let go ofBinary and slow down, while Binary sped up and angrily spoke athim.
âYou donât have to talk down to me like this. Iâm an Avenger justlike you with responsibilities-â
âYes you are,â Captain America agreed. âI apologize for snappingbut youâll notice that I didnât disrespect you as publicly as youdisrespected me. Binary, you need to trust that I wouldnât havecome here if it werenât for a pressing reason. This was an importantresponsibility for you, but something has happened that takespriority.â
Binary didnât have an immediate response. She knew that CaptainAmerica was right. The way sheâd acted inside hadnât beenresponsible at all, not befitting of an Avenger. âCaptain America,IâŠâ
âDonât worry about it,â Captain America told her. âWe need to meetthe others at the mansion. It will be fastest if you carry me to theairport. A Quinjet should be waiting by the time we get there. Onthe way to New York Iâll fill you in on what I know.â
Hours later, Captain America was back in New Orleans, looking outat the still ocean waters. Not still for much longer, he knew.Standing on either side of Captain America were his fellowAvengers, Karnak to the left and Quicksilver to the right. Floatinghigher in the air behind them were Binary and Espirita, bothsheathed in fiery energies. Several yards ahead, Andromeda hadjust surfaced.
âTheyâre maybe ten minutes out,â Andromeda reported. âHundredsof them, at least.â
Stingray surfaced seconds later, in his spare armor. âSonarconfirmed the number at closer to a thousand. And they haveheavy ordinance.â
âThat was a good idea, Karnak,â Captain America told histeammate. âDropping sonar packets along the East Coast gave usplenty of warning. If not for that we would have still been in NewYork City, waiting for an attack that would never come.â
âLetâs not forget who had to run along the coastline,â Quicksilversaid.
Light flickered in the vicinity of Captain America, and Photon
appeared at his side. âAuthorities are handling the evacuation. Themilitary has mobilized, but holding back on your word.â Photonturned to head, looked out at the ocean knowing what would soonemerge. âThis Llyron isnât a fool. New York may be high profile, butitâs an easy victory he wants.â
âWeâll give him a hard defeat instead,â Captain America returned.âPhoton, does this mean youâre back with us?â
âHere and at any time you might need me,â Photon assured him.âBut full-time I think I can do the most good here. Can you settlefor reservist?â
Captain America nodded. âWith your power thatâs as good aspermanent.â Hundreds of yards out, the still waters were beginningto froth. Soon the enemy would be at the gates. âBinary, fly downthere. Damage the breathing equipment of as many as you can.Andromeda, Stingray, use the distraction to reach their heavyweaponry and knock them out. Leave the vehicles. Anything thatsurfaces, the rest of us can take.â
âYouâre got it!â Binary dove and the water sizzled at hersubmersion. Stingray and Andromeda had also disappeared fromsight. Captain America moved his eyes to the shore, where CarolDanvers was standing in the shadow of a small tower. Her eyeswere fixed on the spot where Binary had vanished underwater.
âWarbird, I need you focused.â
She reacted to Captain Americaâs words, giving a brief nod andlifting off the ground. Meanwhile, the surface of the water exposedthe chaos that went on underneath. Espirita flew into a positionopposite from Warbird, establishing an airborne pincer. Photonshifted her form back into light and flew straight up. When theattack came, she would power straight through, a being of intenseheat and light against foes accustomed to murky darkness and coldwaters.
Humanoids of varying deformities, either blue or greenish in hue,could be seen skimming just under the waterâs surface. Then thesurface itself was broken as vehicles of small to medium sizeemerged. Also out of the water was Llyron himself, half-human andtherefore able to breath air. Holding a long trident in his hands, thewould-be heir of Atlantis flew at the Avengers, his mouth gapingopen to expel a thunderous roar.
âDeath to the surfacers!â
Raising his shield in front of him, Captain America leapt off the hardconcrete to meet the charge of the AtâLaâTique. Quicksilver andKarnak were already in motion, and the three flyers went on theoffensive. While it was hardly necessary, Captain America said it
anyway, because to the wrong people they were the two mostterrible words imaginable.
âAvengers Assemble!â
NEXT ISSUE: In the aftermath of the battle with AtâLaâTique, thenew Avengers liaison unveils their new lineup to the world. Butoutside of world-shattering threats, can these Avengers get alongwith each other? Find out in 30!
Authorâs Notes
There are no words. Now for the words.
Iâve wanted to write the Avengers ever since I came across the titleat MV1. Even proposed a run for that, wrote a first issue and, well,things happen. That my plans for this series are completelydifferent from that says a lot about how fanfiction groups canevolve and change into something much different from where theystarted. But hereâs what will be the same:
Big threats, big villains and big battles, though occasionally not inthe same issue. My apologies for the lack of action in this story, butwith a team like this I wanted to find my feet before thecoordination for a big battle sequence. Next time the Avengers fighta lot of villains (and it will be soon) you will be privy to every earth-shattering blow.
Consistency. Iâm not the kind of guy who goes into his own littlecorner and writes stories that ignore everybody else. The past ofM2K is rich, and I intend to mine it for everything its worth. Sure,thereâs the occasionally bits Iâm not too thrilled about, but anythingI try to sweep under the rug or alter will be for the better, Ipromise it.
Character. Whatâs the point of writing a team if Iâm not going toexplore the myriad of different personalities involved? Youâve seenalready that a lot of these Avengers have problems of their own,conflicts that theyâre trying to work through. Sometimes it might besimple arguments, and sometimes it might heat into somethingmore.
These are the Avengers, written by Stephen Crosby. You have noidea how long Iâve wanted it that way.
- Stephen CrosbySeptember 29th, 2007
Avengers #52October 2007
CaptainAmerica
Warbird
Quicksilver
Espirita
MARVEL 2000 PRESENTS...
"ASSEMBLY NOT INCLUDED"
Written by Steve Crosby
They were out in force, the members of the press. Setup inside the Avengers Mansion they waited withcameras and questions at the ready. At last, when thedoublewide bay doors leading into the Public ConferenceRoom opened, the flashbulbs popped and inquiries werehurled. They all came so fast and furiously that therecipient could only make out bits and pieces. Who wasleaving the team and why? Were new members joiningor previous Avengers simply returning? How did theteam feel about recent lineup changes on the WestCoast? What were their reactions to the recent events inWashington? Was she remaining with the team?
That last question She-Hulk managed to catch, and shefelt safe in answering. âIn a sense, yes. While I havestepped down from active field duty, Iâve agreed toserve as the Avengersâ liaison to the government.â Thisbrought on another bevy of questions, but the gamma-powered alter-ego of Jennifer Walters shouted abovethe tumult. âNo, this is not a position with ourgovernment. I am remaining with the Avengers in thecapacity of lawyer, dealing with the government on theirbehalf. Instead of Uncle Sam communicating with theAvengers through a proxy, it is now the other wayaround. Any time a government official wants a wordwith the Avengers, they have to go through me.â
If She-Hulk that would have satisfied the journalists,she was wrong. Instead they kept at the questioning,and not simply about the line-up. Was it responsible forthe Avengers to act more independently? Should agroup of super-human individuals be operating withoutdirect government supervision?
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link
points to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
Stingray
Binary
Karnak
âIf the men and women in Washington didnât think so,they wouldnât have agreed to this,â She-Hulk answered.Past relationships with government liaisons had oftenbeen less than ideal. So long as things go smoothly,nobody is objecting. And before you ask,â she continuedloudly as a few more questions were being shouted, âIwill be acting on behalf of the Avengers as a whole. Thisincludes both branches, so most of my time will bespent in airport security.â
One journalist wondered who was going to lead the newlineup? Was Captain America stepping down asChairperson?
âNow really, people, would this really be the Avengerswithout Captain America?â
âIâve never been comfortable with that,â CaptainAmerica mused. Three stories below the mansion, hewas listening to the press conference via an earpiece.âThe Avengers were a legitimate, formidable teambefore Iâd joined. And it remained so every time I left.â
âPerception is everything Steve,â Warbird told him. âThefounding members all had solo careers before bandingtogether. When you returned, the Avengers were justconsidered another team-up. But you held the teamtogether during its first lineup change. Youâre viewed asthe glue holding us all together, like it or not.â
The two Avengers entered a chamber in the mansionâslowest level. Inside the vast labyrinth was anunderground lake connected to a tunnel that providedsubmarine access to the East River. Andromeda waswaiting for them, her athletic blue form kneeling besidethe lake. Also present in the chamber was an contingentof Atlantean soldiers and Llyron, an undersea villain whohad recently attacked the surface world.
âGreetings,â Andromeda greeted Warbird and CaptainAmerica. âWe are about ready to go.â
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
Though unable to talk through his restraints, Llyron wasstaring with hatred at the Avengers. One Atlanteannoted this, and struck Llyron severely across the back ofhis head. âEyes down, monster, or Iâll gouge them out.â
âLay off, Captain,â Andromeda told Captain Americawhen he opened his mouth to say something. âUnderAtlantean law, this thing is guilty of thousands ofmurders. He is undeserving of mercy, and you have noleave to interfere.â
Though he didnât exactly like it, Captain America noddedand kept his mouth shut. In spite of their best efforts ofthe Avengers to limit the loss of life, every single one ofLlyronâs AtâLaâTique had died in New Orleans. All hadbegun life as cloned fetuses and rapidly aged, but Llyronhad made other alterations to the genetic code. As eachof the AtâLaâTique were subdued, their gills failed themand each suffocated in the water. All the Avengers hadto do to keep the AtâLaâTique alive was to allow themvictory, and Captain America had made the hard choiceto keep fighting.
âInterfere?â As sheâd pummeled him, Warbird hadshouted at Llyron to stop it. There had to have been away to spare the AtâLaâTique, but Llyron had refusedand forced them all to die in battle. The sight ofthousands of dead bodies floating in the water wassomething Warbird would never forget, and she had nosympathy for how Llyron was treated. âHell, I plan topetition to participate in the execution.â
âOh, no,â Andromeda informed them. âDistant thoughhe may be, Llyron is part of the royal family. Weâll onlytorture him every day. Stop by sometime and youâll geta turn at him.â
Llyron glared at Andromeda with hate, while CaptainAmerica looked away in discomfort. Whatever the manâscrimes, there was a line. âI wish you would reconsidercoming back, Andromeda,â Captain America told her.âYouâve been a valuable addition to the team.â
âI am sorry, Captain, but King Namor had requested myreturn. ThisâŠthing still has supporters in the deepcorners of the world. I am to lead the search for them.Perhaps when my task is done I will be reassigned torepresent Atlantis here on the surface. However Iunderstand that Stingray has agreed to act in mystead.â
Captain America nodded. âYes, but he isnât replacingyou. At present, the Avengers donât have a capablescientist on the roster, and Stingray fills the positionadmirably. His wife Diane will also be assisting us in asupporting capacity.â
âItâs fortunate that Stingray will have other things to do.I intend to make the oceans so safe you wonât ever beneeded there.â
âTwo-thirds of the world,â Captain America said with asmile. âThatâs a lot of territory. Any time you needhelp.â
Andromeda shared the smile. âI am sure that Namor willappreciate it.â
âCommander,â one of the Atlanteans stated. âWe mustdepart.â
âYes, of course.â Andromeda stood up straight andextending a hand. Captain America grasped it warmly.âIt was a pleasure serving with you.â
âGodspeed, Avenger.â
âNo,â She-Hulk emphatically told the members of the press.âQuicksilver and Karnak have served together for a long time. Wedo not anticipate personal matters to affect their performance asAvengers.â
A brief flutter of air brushed She-Hulk, and before sheâdplaced it Quicksilver was already talking into themicrophones. âWhatever occurred between my ex-wife
and I is none of your business. As for Karnak, myopinion of him has always been low. Impressive thoughhis skills may be, the man is powerless by his ownfoolhardy choice.â
âThatâs enough.â She-Hulk grabbed Quicksilver hard andforced him back from the microphones. The press hadjust begun another flurry of questions. With a sigh, She-Hulk tapped the communicard under her jacket. âAsmuch as I know you all enjoy Quicksilverâs colorfulremarks, itâs now time for the main event. So ladies andgentlemen, without further ado, the Avengers!â
They seemed to almost appear out of nowhere. Six menand women had joined Quicksilver at the front of theroom even as She-Hulk moved to the side. Except for acurt glance, Karnarkâs eyes avoided Quicksilver.Between the two was Captain America, dead center inthe group. Also at opposite sides were Stingray andEspirita, with Warbird and Binary at each end.Flashbulbs popped as cameramen raced to capture theiconic image of the Avengers Assembled.
Captain America alone stepped forward, and spoke intothe mass of microphones. âGrave threats often plagueour planet, threats that no single hero can handle alone.It was for this reason the Avengers formed, to combatthose threats in the defense of all humanity. Our rosterhas changed many times, and have changed againtoday. This doesnât mean that Avengers haveabandoned the cause, but rather that new heroes havechosen to take up the honor.
âIn the past, Warbird has served with distinction onboth branches of Avengers, and has graciously agreedto join as my co-leader on the field. Espirita, perhapsknown to many of you as Firebird, has long been astalwart ally of the team, and it is with great pleasurethat I grant her formal membership. Stingray is a well-respected member of the scientific community thatprovides specialized support within the team. As myteammate Quicksilver stated earlier, Karnakâs skill athand-to-hand fighting is unmatched, as is his character.
âFor almost as long as Iâve been with the Avengers, Ihave counted Quicksilver as a good friend and trustedally. This is a man that has followed his heart andrefused time and again to give in to hatred. We thisseasoned veteran we have Binary, a young woman thathas learned a great deal in her short time with theteam. Her power is unmatched, and I have no doubtthat in time youâll all come to respect her as deeply as Ido.â
Earlier, Warbird had swelled with pride at CaptainAmericaâs words. But with his assessment of Binary,particularly of her power, Warbird had noticeablybristled. Every other member of the team had silentlyreacted in their own way to Captain Americaâs wordsabout them. And about their various teammates.
âThe next time Earth faces a threat which no single herocan handle alone, rest easy. The call will be made.âCaptain America raised his shield high. âAvengersAssemble!â
While the crowd could be heard going wild inside themansion, two men observed quietly from behind thegate. One man, middle-aged with dark hair and dressedsmartly in a very expensive suit, lit a cigarette andturned to the other. âWill this be a problem?â
The second man, his features hidden behind a hoodpulled up over his head, chuckled. âArenât youwatching? With new personnel, thereâs a period ofdiscomfort, uncertainty. A few of them already haveproblems with each other. If anything, this will makethe operation easier.â
âThen weâll move tonight. While my men are at the siteyou can-â
âNuh uh.â The hooded man shook his head. There was aflash of white beneath the dark hood. âRead mycontract again. I donât go into the field. Youâre menhave been trained. Thatâs all Iâve been paid for.â
âAnd this is the mansionâs sub-basement, the trueheadquarters of the Avengers.â Edwin Jarvis, faithfulbutler to the Avengers led Stingrayâs wife Diane Arliss-Newell. âAll our computer and communication systemsare housed here. Naturally, this is the most secure areain the whole mansion.â
Diane was treated to the magnificent site of reinforcedsteel walls, behind which was the Assembly Room wherethe Avengers would hold meetings. She followed Jarvisaround the enclosed room, which was only accessiblethrough the other elevator, and into the computer areaon the other side of the sub-basement. Massive banksof memory filled half this area, and more had been nearthe elevator. The rest of the space contained thecomputers themselves.
âSo this is where an Avenger on monitoring duty has tospend his time,â Diane stated. She had already seen theemergency medical facilities in the basement above.
âYes, or myself when the team is away on missions,âJarvis told her. âAt times the long shifts can be quiteexhausting, and more than once Iâve found an Avengersasleep in his chair. At least, that was how it used to be.With the communicards, one doesnât have to be in thisarea all of the time.â
âYes, I suppose Iâll be spending most of my time in thelower basement.â With her husband as a new member,Diane had also agreed to join the Avengers as atechnician.
âOnly slightly more time than in any other area. I try tomake certain everybody is familiar with all aspects ofthe mansion.â Jarvis placed his eye over an electroniclock and a door behind the computers slid open.âThrough here is the thermoelectric generator, themansionâs main power supply, and the hydraulic lift.â
Behind them, the computers suddenly beeped to lifeand an alarm rang out. Jarvis turned around and
towards them, startled but with a practiced deliberation.Camera images appeared on the monitors, and heobserved these with worry on his face.
âThere has been a security breach,â Jarvis declared.âNot here, fortunately,â he added for Dianeâs benefit.âMost confiscated or out-dated equipment is stored at afacility elsewhere in the city. It would seem that abreak-in is in progress.â
âShould we alert the team?â
âThereâs no need. As I was saying earlier, thecommunicards are most remarkable.â
Quicksilver was first on the scene, having raced out of AvengersMansion moments after his communicard had flashed. Only a shortdistance behind were flyers Warbird, Binary, Espirita and a glidingStingray. The storage facilityâs location was close enough thatCaptain America and Karnak would also be approaching on foot.However Quicksilver did not expect much of a threat, and expectedto have the intruders subdued by the time his teammates arrived.
Unfortunately, while speeding between the two vans positionedoutside the storage facilityâs entrance, Quicksilver failed to noticethe wire he tripped. Both vans exploded, the terrific heat and forcestriking Quicksilver from behind. He moved so fast the brunt ofdamage was avoided, but the Avenger was thrown off-balance andbecame easy prey for the intruders alerted by the explosion.
âHeâs here!â One shouted. âAs we practiced.â
The smoldering fires of the vans were meant to produce smokemore than anything, greatly limiting Quicksilverâs vision. While theintruders couldnât exactly see him either, the volume of bullets firedinto the smoke didnât exactly need a precise target. Quicksilverdodged and weaved as rapidly as he could, but had little idea ofwhere the bullets were until they struck him, resulting in a largenumber of painful grazes. It was with some cuts that Quicksilverran out of the smoke, his lungs aching.
In the sky were visible the three flying female Avengers. Warbird,Binary and Espirita flew over the storage facility, Warbird circlingaround while Binary and Espirita barreled through the rising smoke.Because of her superior vantage point, only Warbird saw therocket-propelled grenade fired into the smoke.
âBoth of you move!â Warbird cried. Inside she cursed herself fornot warning them to avoid the smoke. There was a small explosionand Warbird observed Espirita spiraling out through the air. Binaryhowever emerged through the smoke unfazed, and smashed intothe front entrance of the storage facility. Warbird could only watchas the entire front wall of the squat building collapsed down on herfellow Avenger.
By the time Captain America, Karnak and Stingray arrived, theyfound Quicksilver and Warbird feverishly digging through rubble.Espirita stood nearby, clutching an injured arm, her concentrationfocused on the burning vans. At her mental command the fireswere slowly dying.
âWhat happened here?â Captain America demanded.
It was Espirita that first answered. âWarbird keeps insisting thatthey got away. But I confess I donât see how they could have soquickly after firing on us.â
âThatâs because, with all due respect, youâre an idiot!â Warbirdyelled at her in frustration. âAh ha!â She hurled away a great chunkof rubble, revealing an open manhole. âThis was where they firedfrom. When Binary crashed into the building this was coveredover.â
âI said I was sorry,â Binary muttered with little sincerity in hervoice. In truth she was, but in her own frustration Binary couldnâthelp but redirect it at Warbird. âMaybe if youâd been working withme like youâre supposed I could have been able to stop in time.â
âThereâs no need to work on stopping,â Warbird snapped. âYou juststop! How hard is that? Itâs a question for you too, Quicksilver.â
âExcuse me for taking action,â he said while glowering at Warbird.âPerhaps I should have taken a cue from you and watched from thesidelines.â
âWhy you skinny little-â A large piece of brick wall was raised byone of Warbirdâs arms and she took a step forward. FortunatelyCaptain America had been moving the entire time and was betweenWarbird and Quicksilver, his shield raised.
âEnough, both of you,â the Avengers chairperson ordered. CaptainAmerica was talking through an air filter heâd placed over hismouth, and directed the next command at Stingray. âCheck the air.What do you find?â
Stingray did so, and immediately said, âThere must have beenmood-altering chemicals in those vans. This smoke is laced heavywith it.â
âEspirita, keep those fires going. Burn as much of the chemicals outof the air as you can. Stingray and Karnak, get down there andconduct a search. Quicksilver, when I deem you able you canfollow. Warbird, put that down.â She was still holding the chunk ofwall. âDo an aerial recon of the area in case they escaped byanother means. Even if not, the fresh air will do you good.â
âI can help with that,â Binary said eagerly. But Captain Americashook his head. âPlease. Look, I admit I screwed up here. Therehas to be something I can do.â
âI need you to help me find what was taken.â Captain Americatapped his communicard. âJarvis, Iâm going to need a full inventoryof what was stored here.â
In a location some distance from where the Avengers were,international arms dealer Phillipe Bazin greeted his men. âWelldone. Your training was everything I had paid for.â This statementwas also directed at the man walking close to Bazin, many of hisfeatures hidden in shadow. Bazin came to a halt at the large cratehis men had taken from the Avengers storage facility. âNow, to seeif the theft was as good as the escape.â
At Bazinâs direction, the men opened the crate, allowing theiremployer to gaze inside. While the crate contained what hewanted, it didnât contain all that he wanted, and he was visiblyupset.
âYou fools!â Bazin grabbed one of his menâs guns and aimed it atthe manâs head. âWhere is it?â
âIt wasnât there sir,â pleaded the man whose own gun was staringhim in the face. âI swear. We checked everywhere.â
âBelieve him.â The hidden associate took a step forward as heplaced a hand on Bazinâs arm. The light caught his face, revealingthe white skull mask of Taskmaster. âI had a look at the inventorybefore. Something that important, the Avengers arenât going tolock in a warehouse.â
âYou knew!â Bazin now directed the gun at Taskmaster. âThiscomplete waste of time was your doing.â
In a single motion, Taskmaster could have disarmed Bazin andbeen holding the gun. But making a client look bad in front of hissubordinates was bad business, so he refrained. InsteadTaskmaster said, âNot exactly a waste. Youâve seen how effectivelyyour men performed, and acquired something valuable in theprocess. As for the other, well, that can still be yours. And in thetaking your see just how far my other student has come along.â
Bazin was listening, and the gun dipped slightly. âHeâs ready?â
âEnough for this. Just to hedge our bets, Iâll make a call. Get himsome outside help, if youâd prefer.â
The gun was turned away from Taskmasterâs direction. Bazinplaced it back in the hand of his employee and turned to face thecrate. While admiring the contents, valuable in its own right, hesaid three words.
âMake the call.â
They were gathered in the Assembly Room, the seven Avengers. Aschairperson, Captain America had led the meeting, and closed itwith final words.
âWe all know what this means, Avengers. Identify and recover,thatâs our priority for now. Dismissed.â
As the other Avengers were departing from the Assembly Room,Quicksilver remained behind. Shortly before the meeting began,Captain America and whispered to Quicksilver that he wanted tosee him afterwards.
Captain America circled the table to move towards his teammate.âBinaryâs mistake could be excused by inexperience, but you knowbetter. A simple parameter sweep and this could never havehappened.â
âBy this you mean our failure to secure a simple storage facility,âQuicksilver remarked. âWe were made to look like amateurs.â
âAgreed, which is why team sessions in the Ready Room will beginas soon as possible.â Captain America stepped in closer to histeammate. âBut right now this is about you, Quicksilver. Youunderestimated the threat, rushed in expecting to handleeverything yourself. And the worst thing is, you probably couldhave, if you had bothered to check the parameter.â
âI hope this wasnât the only reason you wanted me,â Quicksilversaid in response.
âNo, it wasnât. What happened this morning isnât the first piece oftension between you and Karnak,â Captain America continued. âIneed to know this isnât going to be a problem. Can the two of youwork together? Fight alongside one another? Trust each other?â
âIâve never had any problem with Karnak,â Quicksilver answered.âHe is the one that chooses to intrude on private affairs that donât
concern him, and take one side without knowing all thecircumstances. Maybe heâs the one you should be speaking to.â
Without waiting for a dismissal, Quicksilver turned and sped out ofthe Assembly Room. Alone, Captain America sighed in frustration.Things had gone well in New Orleans. Outside of a major crisis,however, complacency and internal conflicts were showing through.The team needed to learn how to work all the time, or even a battlewith a minor criminal could turn deadly.
Or worse, a major villain. If that theft was going to lead tosomething moreâŠ
Claxons blared inside the Assembly Room, and Captain America felthis communi-card vibrate. Removing it from his belt, CaptainAmerica scanned the information that scrolled across while walkingpast the doors and toward the elevator. Outside he met Quicksilverat the elevator, tapping his foot impatiently.
âYou should have stairs put in.â
âWaste of space,â Captain America told him. âIf you were really in ahurry you wouldâve used the ladder.â The doors opened, and thetwo entered. Captain America finished reading the card. âSingleassailant outside, attacking the mansion itself. Automated turrets-â
âIâve already read mine,â Quicksilver stated. âWarbird and Binaryhave engaged. Weâll probably miss the whole thing.â
âAny idea who this loser is?â Binary shouted over the sound ofplasma bursts and automatic gunfire.
âNo idea!â Warbird yelled back. She arced over a blast of deadlyenergy, while a plasma blast from her hands deflected the bullets.âFrom the green armor, Iâd almost say Super-Adaptoid.â
The two aerial Avengers were trading blasts over Avengers Mansionwith the armor that was actually known as Savage Steel. It was ahulking construct that despite its size proved quite agile in the air,as Savage Steel the blasts of both Binary and Warbird. Turrets onthe roof of Avengers Mansion had long gone silent, destroyed bySavage Steelâs firepower.
Fed up with her attacks being evaded, Binary opened her mouth ina loud roar and unleashed a wide pulse beam in Savage Steelâsdirection. The beam itself was much larger than her opponent, andin its path behind Savage Steel several buildings would certainly bestruck.
âBinary, no!â Realizing the folly her teammate had made, Warbird
launched herself in the path of Binaryâs blast. Cosmic powerwashed over her, energy drawn from a white dwarf star much likeWarbird own power had once derived. Now Warbird simplyabsorbed ambient energy, and she fought past the pain to draw allof Binaryâs blast into her. âEeeaaarrrghh!â
âYou must be in agony.â Savage Steel had flown in close toWarbird, and raised a gauntlet toward her face. âAllow me to endit.â
Warbird opened her eyes and, through the eye holes of his helmet,Savage Steel saw energy bleed from them. âThanks, but Iâm good!â
A thick stream of energy erupted from Warbirdâs eyes, the power ofBinary absorbed and diluted by the other womanâs metabolism.Savage Steel was blasted directly in the chest, and while thelessened energy failed to achieve the result it would haveotherwise, he was thrown back several hundred feet.
The display of power had greatly weakened Warbird, and she couldbarely keep herself in the air. Due to this, she was unable tointervene as Binary blasted past her and towards Savage Steel.
âWhere do you think youâre going!â Binary cried that out at SavageSteel as she rocketed forward, her arms raised past her head andher fists clenched.
Shifting his weight and recalibrating his boot-jets, Savage Steelregained control of his flight. The instant before Binary would havecollided, Savage Steel turned to the side. Not only did he narrowlyavoid Binaryâs attack, but Savage Steel also managed to grab holdof her ankle. Using Binaryâs own momentum against her, SavageSteel spun her about and hurled her in the other direction.
âOh damn he knows how to fly,â Warbird muttered. She streakedforward on an intercept course with Binary. âGo limp!â she yelled.âIâve got you!â
Going limp was not the best option for a person who could herselffly. But as Binary did not know the advanced techniques forcontrolling oneâs flight, limp she went. To her credit, Warbird didmanage to catch her. However, still weakened from the energysheâd absorbed earlier, Warbird did little to halt Binaryâs journeyand was in fact caught up in it. Locked together, the two womenplummeted towards the busy traffic of 5th Avenue.
Speeding considerably faster than the Manhatten traffic wasQuicksilver, out of Avengers Mansion and into the street. Aroundand around he went directly beneath Binary and Warbird, creatinga funnel of air that trapped the two women, holding them in place.All the while muttering under his breath, âI hate being wrong,â tooquickly for anyone to hear.
Savage Steel took no notice of the rescue, having already resumedhis course for Avengers Mansion. Now Espirita and Stingray were inthe air to face him, with Captain America running across the roofshield in hand. With a mighty heave the shield was thrown wide ofSavage Steel, but glanced of the side of a nearby building to strikehim in the side of the helmet.
âYou really thought that would hurt!â Savage Steel cried as heraised an arm in Captain Americaâs direction. The cannon attachedto his arm spat out hot metal in rapid succession. âThis is going tohurt!â
âBut not as much as this.â As Captain America was dodging aroundthe gunfire, Stingray had managed to fly close to Savage Steel.Grabbing the much larger armored man from behind, Stingrayreleased an electric surge through his armor and into that ofSavage Steel.
The powerful attack, however, had no effect whatsoever on SavageSteel.
âNo, not quite,â the opponent remarked. âMaybe you wantedsomething more like this!â Sparks of electricity rippled over thesurface of Savage Steelâs armor and threw Stingray. The heroicAvenger struggled past the pain and held on to Savage Steel aslong as he could. But soon the pain became too great and he fellaway from Savage Steel, semi-conscious.
âEspirita, grab him!â Captain America directed.
As Espirita flew to assist Stingray, Savage Steel was also fallingfrom the sky. The counterattack had required a great deal ofpower. There wasnât enough left to keep his heavy form in the air.Savage Steelâs descent was near the wall around AvengersMansion, but when he reached to grab the top he found thedistance too long. His heavy form crashed onto the sidewalk, andSavage Steel rolled into the middle of traffic.
By this time, Karnak had appeared on the roof to join CaptainAmerica. âOut of the air and low on power,â the Inhumanremarked. âHeâs now at a greater disadvantage.â
âNot if he goes for civilians,â Captain America stated. The shieldback in his hand, Captain America ran at the edge of the roof andjumped. He easily cleared the roof and landed in a crouch close toSavage Steel.
Karnak, on the other hand, was walking slowly towards the roofâsedge. He pulled out his Avengers communi-card and activated it.An armored face appeared on the card.
âUh, hello?â
âDarkhawk, this is Karnak of Avengers East. We are battling whatappears to be an old foe of yours, and require information abouthim.â
Down on the street, the scene for further battle was unfolding.Binary and Warbird were on one side of the street, both a littledizzy from Quicksilverâs air funnel. Captain America stood on theother side, closest to Savage Steel but closer to Espirita. She waslanding fast, the weight of a semi-conscious Stingray almost toomuch for her. Quicksilver was a blur moving from one end of thestreet to the other, directing vehicles away and even draggingpeople out of danger.
âStand down,â Captain America told Savage Steel in a commandingvoice. âNobody has to be hurt.â
Savage Steelâs response was to reach out and dig his armoredfingers into the side of a car. He lifted it into the air with one hand,trapped passengers and all. Their screams cut through the air.Behind Savage Steel, Binary and Warbird looked ready to move,but Captain America gave a slight shake of his head. Binary didnâtcatch it, but Warbird did and threw up an arm.
âLet those people go,â Captain America ordered. âRight now this isjust between you, us, and your employer. Set them down and giveyourself up. Otherwise weâll make you.â
âHehe.â Savage Steel chuckled and lifted the car higher. Twowomen were in the car, a mother and daughter. Their hands werepressed against the glass and they were screaming for help. âWhydonât I make you play catch?â
Before Savage Steel could throw the car like heâd intended, CaptainAmerica surprised him with a nod. At once, Binary and Warbird flewat Savage Steel from behind. The motion of throwing the car hadbegun, and no sooner had Savage Steelâs fingers become dislodgedfrom the metal than did Binary slam into him. Warbird continuedpast, underneath the car and threw her arms up to grip it at eitherside. With expert skill she carried the car while slowing it safely.
As Warbird was setting the vehicle down onto the sidewalk, Karnakwalked out of the gate and approached her. âPardon me,â he saidto Warbird while placing his hand on the driverâs side door handle.The car door opened, and Karnak gently took a shaking mother bythe arm. âMiss, would you mind if I looked inside your purse.â
Though Binary had knocked Savage Steel to the ground, he was farfrom beaten. A pulse of energy from his arm cannon knockedBinary away. Savage Steel raised his other arm, and hundreds ofrounds of hot metal spat out in Captain Americaâs direction.
âBehind me!â Captain America yelled to Espirita. The shield wasbrought up, deflecting the hail of gunfire. But rather than cowerbehind Captain America, Espirta rose in the air and unleashed aburst of flame from her hands. Heat washed over Captain America,and he heard fewer bullets striking the shield. Many were meltingunder the intense flame.
Still firing his ammunition, Savage Steel rose to his feet. However,so was a very angry Binary. Seething, cosmic flames rippling alongher body, she took a step towards Savage Steel. However, Karnakstepped in front of her, moving purposefully at the armored man.Behind him, Quicksilver and Warbird were carrying the finalcivilians to safety.
Momentarily ceasing his gunshots, Savage Steel considered theodd-looking man that approached him. âWho are you supposed tobe?â he asked.
âSomebody who thinks your eye holes should be filtered,â Karnaktold the criminal. He then raised the can of mace and sprayed.
âYeeeaaaarrrghhh!â His eyes burned, and there wasnât anythingSavage Steel could do to relieve them. Thick armored fingers canâtfit through the eyeholes, and even if they could metal rubbingagainst eyes would do little to help. In pain and unthinking, SavageSteel strips off his armored gauntlets and lifts the helmet off hishead.
Sadly, before Savage Steel could rub at his eyes to relieve the pain,Karnak struck with the heel of his palm. With his head exposed,Savage Steel fell to the ground, unconscious and with wateringeyes. Behind Karnak, a stunned Binary looked on while CaptainAmerica, Espirita and a recovered Stingray approached.
âBinary, we need to remove his armor,â Captain Americasuggested. Once he was safely contained, Savage Steel could bequestioned about his employer.
Closing her mouth, Binary nodded. âYeah, yeah it was justâŠ.â Sheglanced over at Karnak. âWow.â
âNice job,â Stingray told Karnak.
Captain America agreed, but instead said, âYou all performed well.But until we have this man properly restrained and dealt with hisemployer, thereâs nothing to celebrate.â Kneeling down next to theunconscious man, Captain America couldnât help but wonder, âWhyattack us like this?â
In the wet tunnels that smelled of mold, Taskmaster didnât have towait long. He soon viewed movement deep in one tunnel. Hisformer protĂ©gĂ©, Spymaster, emerged with a large backpack.
âYou got it?â Taskmaster inquired.
âOh yeah. You were right about this place being connected toAvengers Mansion.â Spymaster looked around at the ruin of theirsurroundings. âThis used to be the Hydrobase, right?â
Taskmaster nodded. âAn arms dealer recently used this place for abase until some kids trashed it. I might open a new academy here.No point in wasting good real estate.â
âBut you have no problem wasting good talent?â Spymaster asked.Heâd slung off the backpack and held it out. âGetting me out for thispiece of junk was serious overkill.â
Taskmaster shrugged as he accepted the backpack. âBlame theAvengers for guarding it so well. As for wanting it, well, somepeople will pay a lot of money for junk.â
âHow much?â
âNot nearly enough to free you of me,â Taskmaster informed hisless-than-willing employee. âBut youâll have the chance to whittle itdown some.â
âNow?â Spymaster asked with a little surprise. âHow long do youexpect that Life Model Decoy to fool the Guardsmen?â
âLong enough. And even if they find out,â Taskmaster said with agrin beneath his mask. âThereâs no risk to me, is there? Worst caseis they hunt you, catch you, lock you up again. My name wonâteven come up, and Iâll remain free to spring you at a later date.And âround and âround weâll go. Move on.â
Spymaster briefly considered resisting, but knew better than to tryhimself against the Taskmaster again. Dejected, he walked ondown the tunnel, the Taskmaster behind him. Unnoticed by bothmen, something inside the backpack flickered. Soon, it wouldawaken.
Soon, the world would burn.
NEXT ISSUE: The Avengers square off against the latestincarnation of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants! Meanwhile, PhillippeBazin attempts to sell his latest acquisition to the worst buyerimaginable!
Authorâs Notes
At the end of my previous story, I promised thirty days. If it turnsout youâre reading this within that time period, yeah me. If not, theeditors screwed up.
Speaking of editors, puppet-master Cory Wiegel sent me somethoughts on my first issue, along with some questions. Check it outbelow, along with my remarks.
Hey Steve,
Just wanted to let you know that I read Avengers#51 and really dug it. The pacing was very well doneand it felt like you gave everyone a fair amount ofattention. My favorite scene? Can't think of just one,but in particular I liked the cold scene with Stingraybeing drug away by the Atlantean extremists, theinteraction between Cap and Binary, and the climaxof the ish with all of your characters collected on thebeach of New Orleans preparing for the impendingAlantean attack. It was a fitting end to your firstissue and an even more fitting beginning to your run.Nice job all around with these particular aspects ofthe issue.
Thank you Cory. Iâm particularly proud of the dialogue I didbetween Captain America and Binary, so its great to see thatrecognized. As for the ending, I didnât really think a fight was reallynecessary, as everybody just knew the Avengers would take ithome. Kind of parallels my own hope that people will have thatsame kind of faith in my run.
While I like your rendition of almost all of theAvengers here, I'm not sure how I feel about Karnakand Quicksilver. Karnak seems like a bit too much ofa straight man (not really a cipher, but still kind oflacking distinct personality traits), whereasQuicksilver's just a little too mean (as opposed tojust usually haughty and obnoxious). As Cap mightsuggest, he acts a bit more unprofessional thanseems like would be tolerated. Speaking of Cap, I didlike his recruiting spree throughout the issue, but Ithink a little more insight or reference into hismotivation for doing so could have helped -especially after Avengers #50, where the team waslast seen assembled in large numbers!
Aargh, I hated that I didnât have much for Karnak and Quicksilverto do in the previous issue. Also it was my first time writing eithercharacter, so it was basically just still getting a feel for their voices.With this issue I hope I did a lot better. Quicksilver arrogant butnot so much mean, and Karnak as a calm monk confident in his
skill. A big problem with a team book is I canât quite delve intoeach character as much as Iâd like in each issue, but over time Iâllhopefully get everyone fleshed out.
Captain America had his reasons for reorganizing the teamfollowing the big brawl in Avengers #50, some of which I got intohere. Itâs one thing for members to step up in a big emergency, butit takes real professionals to get the job done every day. Droppingthe ball in the middle of a smaller crisis is what could lead to bigemergencies.
Those are just knit-picks, though. The only thing Ithink this issue was REALLY missing? A lettercolumn! Where's the obligatory new writerintroduction and "what you can expect" bullet points?How about the teasers and cryptic lines about howthe more things change the more they stay thesame? You can't just leave us editors and readershanging, man!
Here. Are you happy? And honestly, I would like to think Iâve beenaround long enough that readers have an idea of my ability anddonât really need teasers.
Here's a few questions to help you practice theabove... uh... practices:
1.) How many issues is your Atlantean storylinegoing to run for? Will we see more Llyron and theAt'La'Tique in future issues or are they a one-shotdeal?
Youâve seen more Llyron here. The AtâLaâTique, eh, maybe morebut obviously none of the ones from last issue. No real plans torevisit them, but boy Iâve enjoyed writing Andromeda. Hmmm, Istill have an open reservist slot.
2.) Is Stingray going to become an active member ofthe Avengers or is he just with the team for the fightwith the At'La'Tique? If he does stick around, will hiswife Diane also stick around as a supportingcharacter?
Believe both questions were answered with this issue. I never didunderstand how an organization like the Avengers could be runwith only Jarvis for support.
3.) A new Avengers liaison, huh? Well, that neverturns out good for the team... Okay, that's more of acomment, so let me ask you a real question. Arethere any characters from Brent's run that we'll seein your run, such as Black Panther, Sunfire, orScarlet Witch? If so, in what capacity?
Aside from really Binary, Iâm distancing myself from Brentâs run,and allowing my stories to stand on their own. A few of thosecharacters you mentioned I believe Brent might have plans for in
another title.
What did you think of She-Hulk as new liaison? Personally, itâs thegovernment I feel sorry for.
4.) Finally, how'd you like writing the Avengers forthe first time? Or wait, was this even your first timewriting a flagship Avengers title? What do you thinkwere the ups and downs? Hopefully you enjoyedyourself!
I just finished up wrapping up previous writersâ loose ends on anAvengers series at another site, but beyond that this is my first realexperience with the Avengers. There was a proposal Iâd submittedat still another site, which I was very proud of, but sadly didnât goanywhere.
The experience itself has been mind-blowing. These are theAvengers!
Again, great job, Steve! I'm eagerly awaiting nextissue and the rest of your run.
- Cory
Hope youâve enjoyed this story, Cory. Expect the next in thirty!
- Stephen CrosbyOctober 20, 2007
Avengers #53November 2007
CaptainAmerica
Warbird
Quicksilver
Espirita
Earth was not alone. That fact had become common knowledge forquite some time, but what most people didnât know was that Earthwasnât even alone in its own orbit. On the other side of the sunopposite Earth was its twin. This second, or counter, Earth wascreated by an intelligent, though human, mind.
The creature responsible for this artificial world sat in a laboratoryatop a mountain, virtually identical in every way to a home he oncehad on Earth proper. Nothing human was visible on the manâsbody, encased as it was in pink and purple armor. More impressiveeven that his planet, the manâs armor was a marvel of science. Soadvanced was the armorâs life-support functions that if the maneven wanted to end his own life, the armor wouldnât allow him to.
âFink.â
A long, pointed nose appeared through the doorway. It belonged toan equally long and hairy face, for the creature called Fink was arat that had been hyper-evolved. âYes, Lord High Evolutionary.â
âHave I done good work?â the High Evolutionary inquired.
At this question, Fink lowered himself to his knees. âLord, it wasyou that created me, created all of us.â Hyper-evolved creatures,dubbed âNew Menâ by the High Evolutionary, populated the wholeof the artificial world. âTo keep us safe from those who would notunderstand your great works, you created this paradise for us.Here, you continue your work in peace, making all the universebetter with your achievements.â
âYes, I thought as much.â The High Evolutionary knew he would notbe criticized by his creations. All loved him and worshipped him,would give their very lives for him. âNow away. I need to thinkalone.â
While the lowly Fink departed, the High Evolutionary contemplatedwhat was to be next. He had created life, planets, and perhapseven whole galaxies. Death had proven to no longer be a challenge.Everything the High Evolutionary had sought to achieve, heâdaccomplished. Yet why did he remain discontent?
âHave my goals been right?â the High Evolutionary mused aloud.âIn furthering evolution, I have encouraged survival. What could benobler? And yet others have sought to halt my experiments, callingme a villain and a threat. They fear change, even if it is for thebetter.â
At a gesture from the High Evolutionary, the windows that circledhis laboratory became viewing screens. A multitude of imagesappeared, all gleaned from that nearby twin planet, Earth. HighEvolutionary fixed his eyes on a selection of images in particular.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link
points to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
Stingray
Binary
Karnak
Colorful heroes known as the Avengers were fighting side-by-sidewith soldiers against equally colorful villains. More than any others,the Avengers had averted the High Evolutionaryâs plans to betterhumanity. They would most certainly challenge any futureendeavor again.
âThey are right in challenging me,â the High Evolutionary said tohimself. âNature demands survival, and those who donât fight withevery once of their being deserve to fade. I cannot fault their urgeto survive. Such tenacity shows how far along humanity hasevolved already. Yet stillâŠ.â
The High Evolutionary leaned forward in his massive, throne-likechair. âWe can all be so much more. Maybe I will help nature along.But if so, they would oppose me, as they always have.â His eyessettled again to the images of Avengers. âShould that day comeagain, I must know my enemy. I mustâŠsee life as it occurs. Onlythen can I predict, and circumvent.â
MARVEL 2000 PRESENTS...
"ACTS OF MADMEN"
Written by Steve Crosby
The yell sent Captain America running into the War Room. Throughthe door he saw that Quicksilver was on the ground, with Karnakstanding over him. The speedsterâs leg was bent unnaturally, andthat told Captain America everything he needed to know. The twomen, Avengers and teammates though they may be, had a history.
âWhat happened here?â demanded the Avengers chairperson. Heâdtried to pass the title onto another member the other day, but She-Hulk had advised against it. Recent events had lowered the team inthe governmentâs eyes. As Captain America was the only one in thecurrent roster that anybody had confidence in, heâd begrudginglychosen to remain as leader. âKarnak?â
The Inhuman turned his head to acknowledge CaptainAmericaâs presence. âA wager was made. I won.â
âOnly because you blindsided me!â roared Quicksilver.âFully prepared, I could avoid any attack that you could
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
pose!â
Captain Americaâs first thought was to remindQuicksilver that an Avenger had to be prepared forambush at all times. Their opponents certainly wouldnâtannounce their assaults. Instead he addressed Karnak.âDid that require breaking his leg?â
âCertainly not. That was for my cousin.â
It came out. Karnakâs cousin was Crystal, ex-wife ofQuicksilver. Apparently there had been some infidelity,but Captain America didnât know the particulars. FromKarnakâs point of view, Quicksilver had been at fault.However it had started, Captain America was going toend it.
âKarnak, go relieve Espirita on monitor duty.Quicksilver, can you get to the Med-Lab on your own?â
âWith a broken leg? Do you expect me to crawl on myhands and-â
âThen Iâll help you. Later, the three of us are going todiscuss this and settle things once and for all. I wonâthave Avengers assaulting one another.â
âI will be expecting you to uphold your wager,â Karnakremarked to Quicksilver as he stalked away. Quicksilveronly glowered. Only when Captain America was helpinghim limp to his feet did Quicksilver make a quietstatement.
âIâve a mind to inform him for the insurance agent inNew Jersey.â
âWhat was that?â Captain America hadnât quite heard.
âNothing. Simply old history and nobodyâs business.â
Fortunately, the Med-Lab was on the same level was theWar Room, only a short distance for Quicksilver to limptowards. Once inside, Captain America settled
Quicksilver onto the examination table. âAlright, sit stillwhile I check the leg.â
âIâm quite capable of setting the bone on my own,âQuicksilver told his leader. âOnce done, Iâll heal quickly.â
âAll right. But donât leave until itâs healed fully.â Withthat caution, Captain America turned to leave.
Walking out of the Med-Lab, Captain America wasgreeted by a very upset Warbird. At her yell that heshould âhold it right there,â Captain America pausedreluctantly and sighed. Somehow he had a feeling aboutwhat her problem was as well.
âI need to talk to you about that Nicole person.â
\\Sometimes Captain America hated being right.âWarbird, weâve discussed this. Binary has provenherself capable of-â
âDonât you dare use that name!â Warbird cried out.
âYou may not like it, Warbird, but the name fits her. Asfar as Iâm concerned, sheâs earned it, along with thetitle of Avenger.â Captain America started walking away.âIf youâre this upset over a simple name, I donât know ifI can be as certain about you.â
Warbird followed after him. âIf youâd listened to me inthe first place, weâd have saved ourselves a lot of timethen. My problems are not things that Iâve been hiding,and being around somebody who not only uses my oldname, but also looks exactly like I used to does nothelp!â
âActually, it can,â Captain America said to her. âMovepast this, and youâll be a stronger person, the kind ofAvenger I know you can be. The next step after that willbe patching things up with Quicksilver.â His head turnedback towards the Med-Lab. âOr you could go do thatnow. Heâs in there with a broken leg.â
âNice, Karnak listened to my suggestion.â Warbird tookthe next few steps alone, stopped and turned to seethat Captain America was glaring at her. âThat was ajoke.â
âHow did you know it was Karnak?â
âBecause out of the millions of people that Quicksilverrubs the wrong way, I doubt he hurt anybody more thanhe did Crystal. Family share those kinds of things.â Shewalked right up into Captain Americaâs face. âAnd foryour information, I donât have a problem withQuicksilver. Heâs the one angry with me, on accountover the other woman dumping him because hewouldnât help her kick my ass.â
âWeâre not saying her name either?â he asked.
âAt this point, Rogue is just another one of the many,many shitty things that have happened to me in my life.That girl, on the other hand,â Warbird raised her armtowards the ceiling, telling Captain America that Binarywas up on another level. âReminds me of a time whenmy life wasnât crap. Sheâs able to do all the things that Iused to be capable of, before my powers just decided tofade.â
âWe both know that your powers arenât the sum total ofwho you are,â Captain America reminded her. âYouâreon this team because of your training and experience.Binary may have your old powers, but she doesnât havenear your expertise in using them.â He brushed pastWarbird and continued on. âLetâs start teaching her.â
After a brief hesitation, Warbird huffed and followed.
When Captain America left the training area half-an-hour later, the two women were still in the air, tradingblasts and practicing evasive maneuvers. Binary wasmuch faster, but enclosed spaces made the speed ahindrance and half the time she was crashing into walls.On maneuverability Warbird proved far superior, making
sharp twists and turns at twice the speed Binary wasable to.
Eventually, the young woman would learn. Until thenthe other Avengers would watch her back, and sheâdwatch theirs. It was what Captain America did his bestto make the Avengers into, a team where no onemember was needed to do everything, becauseeverybody worked together. At least they would, onceCaptain America got them all to put personal disputesaside.
There were precious few members of the team whodidnât have issues to work out. When Captain Americawas paged via his Avengers communicard, it was fromone such member. It was a shame she didnât work inthe field, Captain America thought to himself as heentered the elevator and was carried to the main floor.But She-Hulk was much more useful as liaison betweenthe Avengers and the United States government.
Captain America saw her in the main foyer, talking withStingray. When not in the armor as he was then it wasjust plain Walter Newell, but Captain America was in thehabit of referring to all his teammates by theircodenames. Spouting off real names in the heat ofbattle never did any good, and Stingray had a wife.
âJennifer, did you get an update on Savage Steel?â Evenin her She-Hulk form, Jennifer Walters was theAvengers liaison and Captain America treated her as aprofessional civilian.
The use of her real name made She-Hulk bristle a little.She considered both identities to be distinct andseparate. âSorry, Steve. The local authorities arekeeping that armor and the thug inside it in a tight grip.Could have something to do with the fact that dirty copsused to operate it.â
Several days ago, the Avengers had defeated anarmored villain known as Savage Steel, with a newperson under the helmet. Darkhawk, an Avenger on the
West Coast, had battled previous versions of SavageSteel and shared its history with the team.Unfortunately, the new criminals didnât appear to haveany ties to the previous Cabal that had shared theSavage Steel identity.
âI would appreciate it if you stayed on it,â CaptainAmerica told her. âWe need to find out who he wasworking for.â
âThat I donât need to be told.â The attack had been aruse, during which an intruder had by-passed themansionâs security and made off with a dangerous pieceof equipment. âBut right now we have anothersituation.â
âWhat is it this time?â Captain America asked.
âPublic relations,â She-Hulk told him. âStingray was justtelling me about a commitment he had for tomorrow,made before he rejoined our organization.â
âA demonstration for setting coastal charges, at CapeCitadel,â Stingray said. âAnd it was more of a maybethat I would participate in it. Somehow She-Hulk foundout, and not only is she insisting that I goâŠâ
âThe whole team should be there,â She-Hulk finished.She then said defensively, ânot my idea, though. ACongressmanâs office gave me a call, one of the big-shots on Ways and Means. As it turns out, the day ofthe demonstration is on the anniversary of Magnetoâsbig debut.â
So it would be a show, thought Captain America.Business at a military base not only continued after amutant terrorist attack, it thrived and remained cuttingedge. The Avengers being there would remind the worldthat America had its own super-powered defenders.
âQuicksilver stays.â Captain America said at last. Notonly would he be recovering off an injury, but as theson of Magneto he would be made a spectacle of. âIâll go
inform the others.â
Since before the infamous attack by Magneto, CapeCitadel had been the primary site for many of the U.S.Militaryâs advancements. Unfortunately, ever since thatfirst assault, countless mutants have laid siege to thebase for its symbolic value. On the anniversary ofMagnetoâs attack it was no different.
Unseen and unheard, the astral form of Scanner passedover the base. Her body remained where it had alwaysbeen, lying comatose in a hospital, hooked up to lifesupport. Ever since her identity and mutant ability hadbeen discovered, countless doctors have searched for ameans to prevent or at least track her astral projection.Fortunately for Scanner, lawyers from the ACLU haveworked to prevent invasive and life threateningmethods. Until the lawyers failed, Scanner remainedfree to act as she pleased, and on that day it meantscouting Cape Citadel.
On the ground the mutant Neophyte prowled, movinghis body through solid mass and remaining hidden fromthe multiple soldiers that patrolled the base. Though hehad once had doubts about his purpose, the return ofLord Magneto had set all that aside. Today would be aglorious day, and Neophyte would be part of anextraordinary act.
Their mission was simple, if unspectacular. Scanner wasto gather information and report it back to the others.Munitions, soldier locations, heavy artillery and the like.Neophyteâs was more involved, and would initiate theassault. Nuclear materials were present on CapeCitadel, and once Neophyte found it and compromisedthe shielding, chaos would momentarily consume thebase. All the soldiers around him would be in a panic,and easy pickings.
Concrete and titanium made up the bunker where thenuclear materials were stored. Guards wereeverywhere, and surveillance was high. Within sight on
the main building, Neophyte simply concentrated, andthe molecules of his body passed through the moleculesof the ground so that he sank into the matter. Sensorsexisted in the ground, but Neophyte would beundetected. Once surrounded by solid mass on all sidesand effectively blind, Neophyte trudged in the directionof the bunker.
Slowly, inch-by-inch, the Neophyte traversed the mass, from soil torock to concrete, until he reached the edge with open air on theother side. Carefully he leaned forward, his face and eyes justpiercing the surface of what was a wall. Enough to see buthopefully not be seen. Nobody was in the room beyond, andNeophyte leaped out of the wall.
It came from nowhere, the sudden shock to Neophyteâssystem. He fell onto his back, looked up to see threeindividuals in colorful costumes. A dark-haired Hispanicwoman in fiery red. What seemed to be a man in red-and-white armor built for the water. And finally CaptainAmerica, in the colors of his country.
âYour prediction was right, Espirita,â said CaptainAmerica.
âIt was Stingray that detected him,â she replied withoutconceit. Espirita stepped closer to the semi-proneNeophyte. âOnly a boy.â
Captain America nodded. âYouâll find them in everyconflict. I hope you didnât do him too much damage,Stingray. He needs to talk for interrogation.â
The armored Avenger knelt over the now-twitchingNeophyte. âIt was a minor charge. He should be able tomove in a few minutes, though itâll be a lot longerbefore heâll be able to use his power. I donât thinkinterrogation will be necessary though.â
âNo, his objective was clear,â Captain America agreed.Something on his belt beeped. After a glance at whatappeared to be a card, Captain America spoke. âWarbirdgot a sense of something floating around the base.Could be a scout of some kind. This boy couldnât havedone much damage on his own. At the mostâŠâ
Espirita finished the thought. âHe would have created apanic. His accomplices would have had no difficulty witheverybody worried about an emergency in thisbuilding.â
âStingray, contact the brass. Thereâs about to be asituation.â
Neophyte closed his eyes, overwhelmed by failure. Ithad all gone horribly wrong.
Cold water splashed over Rictorâs face. He needed toremain sharp, focused. But looking into the mirror, JulioEsteban Richter stared into eyes that were anything but.Bloodshot from booze and a lack of sleep, Rictorâs eyeswere simply the window into what his life had become.Ever since what happened in Genosha to him,Shatterstar, everybody.
Somebody knocked on the door. âRictor, its time.â Thatwas Lady Mastermind, one out of a number of mutantsRictor had met up with after Genosha. Except for a few,Rictor didnât trust any of them. Lady Mastermind wasone of the few.
The door opened. Rictor ignored Lady Mastermindâs faceas he walked past, knew that she disapproved of hisdrinking, especially before a mission. Nobody approved,but at least they didnât say anything to Rictor about it.Nobody except for the groupâs self-proclaimed leader, aman Rictor swore heâd beat to death someday.
âOn this day we shall know glory!â There he was, in thecenter of the room, preaching to his flock. Even to thepeople who know him as a bald-faced liar andbackstabbing murderer, Fabian Cortezâs words stillmanaged to make an impact. Rictor had to keepreminding himself of what the bastard had done in thepast, that he didnât care about the cause but only hisown personal power. To prevent him from killing theman right then and there, Rictor also reminded himself
that he needed Cortez, that his power was useful.
Assembled around the orating Cortez was their group,minus Neophyte and Scanner. Of the six mutantspresent, half bought into the line of bull Cortez spouted.Mellancamp, Barnacle and Vindaloo had all followedCortez before. They were also stupid enough to doanything Cortez said and were useful in their own ways.Mellancamp with his indestructible skin and heightenedphysical attributes. Barnacle with that hardenedcarapace he could form out of moisture in the air.Finally, Vindaloo with the napalm he could secrete fromhis pores.
The other three werenât nearly so gullible, and wentalong with Cortez with full knowledge about what hewas full of. But they had skills Cortez needed, so hetrusted in the fact that they needed him just as much.Rictor knew this was true in his case, but he wasnâtentirely sure of Lady Mastermind and Postâsmotivations. The daughter of the original Mastermindwas even better at casting illusions, and PostâŠRictorwasnât even sure of his powers. The large manâs skinwas purple and he seemed to have some strength, aswell as a bizarre sense of timing. But he had a lot ofother powers and pieces of technology that floatedaround his body, so there was no telling where natureended and technology began.
âMany years ago, our glorious lord Magneto struck ablow to humanity, declared that Homo Sapien Superiorwas here, and that we would dominate! Today we, thenew Brotherhood of Mutants, shall remind the world ofthis, and herald the glorious march of our people toglory! Magneto himself will praise us for our deeds!â
Some cheers. It took everything in Rictor not to roll hiseyes. He hated that name, as it implied theyrepresented all of mutantkind. That meant the worldwould blame all mutants for the actions of a few.Magneto had been right, creating a distinction by callinghis team the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. As for beingpraisedâŠvery likely Magneto would kill them all on sight.
Forgiven and forgotten were two very different things,and Rictor had no illusions about returning to that manâsgood graces.
âMinutes ago I have learned that our brother theNeophyte was successful in his mission! A nuclearmeltdown at Cape Citadel is imminent, and in theconfusion we shall-â
Minutes ago? âThen what the hell are we waiting herefor?â asked Rictor angrily. They needed to get there,take advantage of the panic before it died down andsome actual resistance could be built. Not waiting forCortez to respond, Rictor turned toward Post. âGet ontothat base and to their main terminals now.â Natural orno, the man could teleport, and his immunity toradiation made him an ideal scout in a potentialmeltdown. âBarnacle, crust up and Vindaloo, carry himwith you. Mellancamp, get running. Iâll start the carCortez, so you can join me when youâve finishedranting. Letâs go kill flatscans!â
Rictor yelled the last part to push the three idiots intoaction. The look of pure rage on the face of Cortez wasone of the sweetest sights Rictor had ever seen, but hedidnât stop to savor it. Post had already disappeared andeverybody was moving. He started for the door to theoutside, and found Lady Mastermind walking besidehim.
âHeâll kill you for that,â she muttered to him. âUnlessyou kill him first.â
âNot today,â replied Rictor in a low tone. âNot so long ashe needs me to do the big damage, and I need him tohelp me do the big damage. But tomorrow, oh yeah, Iâmgoing to turn him inside out.â
Vindaloo and Barnacle had just been observed flyingover the boundary into Cape Citadel when Scannerappeared a short distance away. A state of near-panicwas evident on her opaque face, and her mouth was
screaming wordlessly. The two approaching Acolyteswere too far away to hear the words, âTurn back! Itâs atrap!â
First her hands appeared, reaching through the astralform of Scanner. Then the Acolyte was torn apart andWarbird appeared amidst the scattered signal. Bursts ofpowerful energy coalesced around Warbirdâs fists as sheflew at the two Acolytes.
âAn ambush, actually. But as you were about tomassacre!â Warbird roared as she blazed. Barnacle tookthe brunt of Warbirdâs blast, most of his crust armorbreaking away. The sheer force of Warbirdâs attackexpelled Barnacle from Vindalooâs arms, and the mutantfell helplessly at the ground. âPerfectly acceptable.â
Vindalooâs skin began to steam as napalm began tosecrete from his pores. âDie flatscan!â
âWhat did you just call me!â Napalm splashed overWarbird but she paid it no mind. She flew at Vindalooand grabbed him, further exposing herself to hisnapalm. Skin was sizzling.
One blow to Vindalooâs head was enough to knock himout, but Warbird delivered two. The mutant terroristwent limp in Warbirdâs hand. She remained floating inthe air, breathing heavily. The bastard had calledWarbird helpless, and sheâd been about to kill him for it.
That Barnacle had continued to crush his body while infree-fall had saved his life. The impact would havereduced him to so much mush, but as it was he onlysuffered a number of broken bones. Mellancamp paid nomind however when his teammate crashed nearby. Theindestructible mutant had an opponent of his own.
Karnak chopped again at Mellancampâs scaly hide,struggling to find a weakness. Unharmed by the blow,Mellancamp slashed out with his long, razor-sharpclaws. Moving deftly, Karnak ducked and grabbedMellancampâs arm. Where brute force would not suffice,
heâd use finesse instead and flipped Mellancamp overhim.
âRrraggh!â Crashing into a nearby wall, Mellancamplashed out wildly. But rather than back away to avoidthe attack, Karnak moved in. Deflecting an arm withone hand, Karnak struck forward with the other, jabbinghis fingers into Mellancampâs eyes. This spurred afurther maelstrom of chaos from the indestructiblemutant, and at last Karnak back away. Fallingbackwards, he rolled away from the deadly foe.
âHmmm. Your weakness isnât one that I can exploit.âKarnak pressed down on his communicard. In the neardistance, a stream of flame suddenly veered in the airtowards Karnak. âAt least not without difficulty andrisk.â
The stream of flame came near, and was seen to beEspirita. âKarnak, do you require my assistance?â
âI more prefer it,â Karnak responded. âExternal threatshold no fear for this criminal. But inside it still needs tobreathe.â
âUnderstood.â Espirita raised a hand and gouts of flameappeared around Mellancamp. Howling more with ragethan pain, he leapt up at Espirita. But she easily flew upand away, avoiding the attack while still keepingMellancamp engulfed. âOne would think it ironic, that ademon would be thwarted by fire. But my flames areholy, granted by God to do His will.â
Karnak said nothing, for he had nothing nice to say.Fully aware that the Kree were responsible for theirexistence, the Inhumans had little regard for religionbeyond their Terrigan Mists. His big concern wasavoiding Mellancamp, made more necessary now thatthe mutant was surrounded by fire. Fortunately,Mellencamp hadnât realized heâd become a livingweapon and was mainly running about in a mad panic.
âThis feels disturbinglyâŠgood,â Espirita remarked as she
kept the flames up. âFire is so destructive most of thetime, Iâm always fearful of using it around other livingbeings. I must be careful not to revel. Even this smallfeeling I have will need to be confessed.â
Again, Karnak didnât respond to what Espirita wassaying. Instead, when Mellancamp fell over, he said,âDonât stop. He may be faking.â
However, Espirita did stop. More than that, she loweredto the ground, a horrified expression on her face. âWeshould put this man in restraints and give him medicalattention as quickly as possible.â
âDonât be ridiculous. All you did was deprive him ofsome oxygen.â
But Espirita shook her head. âNo. Iâve just realized, ashard as his scales may be the internal organs could stillbe vulnerable. I may have just roasted them.â Espirtamoved forward and knelt beside the unmovingMellancamp. âI may have just killed this man.â
Two armed soldiers of the United States Army werethrown back against the wall by an invisible force.Another was held high in the air, the life being slowlysqueezed out of him by something unseen. Runningdown the corridor toward the melee, Stingray didnâtneed to see anything. His armor generated sonar thatbounced off everything solid and gave Stingray acomplete image of his surroundings. It was the reasonhis helmet wasnât see-through.
What Stingray âsawâ was this: a large man with purpleskin and unusual strength knocking around helplesssoldiers. Surrounding the large man were pieces oftechnology that hovered in place, high-tech armor thatwasnât right up against the skin. Counting on the manâsconfidence in his invisibility, Stingray slammed right intohim.
As strong as the mutant called Post was, Stingrayâs
armor made him about as strong. And while the plasmabursts Post fired from his armor werenât of much use inclose combat, Stingray electrical charges were veryuseful up close. Sparks traveled from Stingrayâs armorall through Post and his armor, shorting out thetechnology. Those soldiers still conscious were amazedat the sudden sight of a large purple mutant battling anAvenger.
âSomehow I donât think youâd armor yourself if youwere bulletproof,â Stingray told Post. Electricity hadstunned the large mutant, and a one-two punch by theAvenger sent him staggering to the floor. Those soldiersthat still had guns raised them and prepared to shoot.
âHold your fire!â Stingray commanded. âGive him achance to surrender.â
âLike hell,â snarled one officer as he opened fire.
Bullets spattered against a bare floor. Sparking as hisequipment had been, Post had still managed to activatehis teleporter. Stingray walked over the spot and tappedthe side of his neck, where communi-card technologyhad been incorporated into his armor.
âCaptain America, I encountered one of them downhere. He escaped, teleported.â Stingray was silent amoment while he seemed to listen then said,âUnderstood. Iâll be out to assist.â Stingray turned tothe soldiers. âWeâve head off the attacks so far, butmore are expected. You men are to remain here onguard until relief is sent. Anybody who needs immediatemedical attention Iâll take out with me. The rest willneed to wait-â
In the middle of his sentence, Stingray paused. Hisimage of the area was flickering, an effect herecognized. âWait. Nobody move.â Stingray himselfremained very still, and allowed his sonar to work. Thedistant, faint vibrations that could neither be seen norfelt were detected. âWe all have to get out of here.Now.â
When Rictorâs mutant power had first manifested, the earthquakehe caused had devastated Mexico City. Years later, Rictor hadlearned to control his terrifying ability that he was now able todirect the shockwaves he created. Though Cape Citadel was somedistance away, it was within Rictorâs sight, and his shockwaveswere focused in that direction.
âPump me up, Cortez,â Rictor urged. âRight now Iâm notdoing more than buckling their foundations.â
âOh, soon youâll do so much more than that,â FabianCortez said in a gleeful, high voice. Energy rippled outof his hands and into Rictor. Almost immediately, Rictorwas visibly vibrating with power. âTopple the buildingsto rubble! Crush the flatscans beneath their ownfortifications!â And die by your own power from theinside out! Cortez thought to himself.
In the distance, the effects of Rictorâs attack could beseen. Already the walls that encircled Cape Citadel werecracking. There was no telling what damage wasbeginning to occur within, but soon enough the twomutants would be able to see. Cortez envisioned fieryexplosions and flatscans dying in agony, while RictorâŠ
âAhh!â Rictor cried out in pain as Captain Americaâsshield smashed into his knee. His leg bent at anunnatural angle, Rictor collapsed to the ground. Thepower still flowed, Rictor still vibrated, and through thepain he remained focused on Cape Citadel.
Assembled, the Avengers rushed at the two dangerousmutants. Captain America was in the lead, his readyhand accepting the returned shield. Alongside CaptainAmerica ran Karnak, while above Binary, Espirita andWarbird flew high and fast. A distance behind them wasStingray, not so much flying but gliding.
âBinary, grab him!â Captain America ordered.
Binary did as she was told, swooping down and takingRictor in her arms before either he or Cortez couldreact. Immediately, Rictorâs vibrations swept over
Binary, but her strength and invulnerability were on thecosmic level and she endured. Withstanding the pain,she flew higher and higher into the air. Maybe when helost consciousness from lack of oxygen, Rictorâs powerwould cease.
âYes, Avengers, come and die!â exclaimed Cortez.Energy was billowing in his hands, waiting to bereleased.
Karnak did not slow in the least as he ran at Cortez.âLeave him to me.â The other Avengers slowed andallowed Karnak to approach alone. Cortez faced theoncoming Inhuman with glee.
âOften I have wondered how my power affectsflatscans,â the mutant zealot stated. âNow, at last, youand I will find out together!â
Cortezâs power to enhance and detract mutant abilitiesswept over the Inhuman Karnak. The Avenger ran pastthe wave of energy, appearing unfazed in the slightest.Cortezâs eyes widened as Karnak raised an arm back tostrike.
âYour bluff has been called.â Karnak drove his armforward, smashing the heel of his palm against the sideof Cortezâs face. âBut whether an empty bluff or not,you threatened my nieceâs life.â Karnak dropped hissecond arm down to chop at the back of Cortezâs head.âFor that I should kill you.â Finally, Karnak drove hisknee up into Cortezâs face, and the terrorist dropped tothe ground with blood gushing. âBut I thinkimprisonment, with humans your power is uselessagainst, will be so much more fitting.â
Stingray had landed and was walking forward besideCaptain America towards Karnak. The Avengerschairperson placed a hand on Karnakâs soldier inrespect. âNicely done Avenger. For this man, it was along time coming.â
Karnak nodded. âYes, though I think we shouldnât tell
him that Iâm an Inhuman, and that as yet his power stillhasnât been tried against humans.â
High above, Binary was flying down with an unconsciousRictor in her arms. âHey, heâs stopped! So is that it?Weâve beaten the bad-hey!â
Warbird was suddenly flying up at Binary, her fistsawash with energy and hatred on her face. âI knew it!There just had to be something wrong with you!â
What Warbird saw, and nobody else, was that Binarynow had the scaly features of a Brook alien. Not awareof this, Binary was surprised at Warbirdâs assault, andtook two blasts of energy to the face. Stunned, Binarydropped Rictor and was helpless when Warbird slammedinto her.
âNo!â Captain America cried out. Rictor was falling fromnearly two stories high and was too far away for anyAvenger to catch. That didnât stop Captain America fromtrying, as he rushed forward and shouted to Espirita,âGo help Binary calm Warbird down!â
Espirita did fly up towards the battling pair, although itdidnât appear that Binary needed any assistance.Warbird was far more skilled at aerial combat, but thesight of an alien from the species that tortured her, inthe form of an identity sheâd once held, had drivenWarbird to a near berserker rage. She was fighting inclose, battering at Binary with blows that the cosmic-powered woman could easily withstand.
âGah! Get away from me!â Binary screamed. A blast ofenergy from her hand struck Warbirdâs chest at point-blank range. She was propelled away from Binary, andEspirita rapidly shifted her course after her.
Near the ground, Rictorâs descent had suddenly stopped a few feetshort, caught by a shape that Captain America could just barelymake out. Post had managed to get his cloaking technologyworking, but it flickered in and out. At the strange sight CaptainAmerica stopped, as had Stingray just behind him.
âThatâs the man I faced earlier,â Stingray said.
âPost.â Captain America had encountered the mutantbefore, during Onslaughtâs invasion of New York City.âStand down. Youâre beaten.â
It wasnât Post who responded, but rather the slightyoung woman that suddenly appeared next to him. Oneof her arms was supporting the young Neophyte, andshe smiled at Captain America. âYou should jump out ofthe way.â
âWhat do you-â Stingray began, but Captain Americahad pushed him aside. From files loaned by the X-Men,he recognized the woman was Mastermind. In the spottheyâd been standing, a blast of power from Binary hadjust struck. She was flying down at them, a rage tomirror Warbirdâs on her face.
âYou have a lot of nerve showing yourself here, Diablo!âshe cried along with a flurry of energy blasts. AsCaptain America deflected with his shield and dodged,he heard the young illusionist speaking.
âJust be glad Iâm covering a retreat. Otherwise youâd beripping out your eyes.â
âAgain, guys. Iâm so sorry.â
The six Avengers were just disembarking from theQuinjet. Captain America, Binary and Warbird were thelast to step into the hanger of the Avengers Mansion. AtBinaryâs third apology, Captain America turned toaddress her.
âThatâs not necessary. You were influenced by apowerful illusionist.â
Warbird shook her head and chimed in. âNo. Accordingto her files, this second Mastermind is also a telepath.âHer eyes shifted toward Binary. âI saw you as a Broodbecause a part of me wanted to. Mastermind was able
to use that, just as she used your previous affiliationwith Diablo.â
âHow can we defend against somebody like that?âBinary asked.
âPsi-dampeners can help, but mainly itâs just a matter oftraining your mind against that kind of intrusion.âCaptain America walked into the elevator, followed bythe two women. Karnak, Stingray and Espirita had justused it. âIâll have sessions scheduled later this week, assoon as Iâve contacted an appropriate expert.â
The elevator carried them into the second sub-basement and its doors opened. Along with the othermembers that had been present at Cape Citadel,Quicksilver and Jennifer Walters were waiting. It wasone of the few times that Captain America couldnâtsense any tension between Karnak and Quicksilver.Delivering a beating to a man thatâd hurt somebodythey both cared about could do that.
At sight of Captain America, Jennifer moved forward. Inher hand was a sheet of paper. âSteve, I have news.â
âIâve already heard the news reports about whathappened,â Captain America told the Avengersliaison. âAnd while Iâm as glad as everybody else theattack was averted, I would have preferred to captureall of those involved.â
âHalf the terrorists, including their leader, is more thanenough to celebrate,â Jennifer told him. She then heldthe sheet of paper out for him. âI managed to find outwhat was learned in the interrogation.â
âSo soon?â
Jennifer sighed. âNo, the guy in the Savage Steelarmor.â She shook the sheet of paper. âHe finallyadmitted who he was working for.â
Captain America took the sheet of paper and scanned
his eyes over it. He then looked up to address theassembled Avengers. âTeam, we have the name of ourenemy. As soon as possible, we need to track downPhillipe Bazin. And weâd better do it before what he stoleends up killing him.â
Alas, Captain Americaâs words would turn out to be ironic. At nearlythat precise moment, Phillipe Bazin lay dead in a warehouse.Surrounding him were the charred bodies of his men and themachines that killed them. Each of the robotic creatures wasdesigned in the image of their maker, and the one whoâd done thedeed of killing Bazin herself.
Alkema reached into the box and extracted that whichBazin had acquired at her command. Heâd expectedmoney as payment, but instead got what Alkemaintended for all living things. Their deaths would allcome soon, she believed as she looked into the emptyeyes of the robotic head.
âUltron,â Alkema spoke in a cold voice of no emotion.âYou will live again.â
Elsewhere in time and space, a figure sat on his throneand observed the events through a technology farbeyond the modern. Beneath his purple mask, Kangsmiled. Soon, the glorious battle would begin.
Next Issue: What else was taken from the Avengers?And whoâs that former teammate who suddenlyappeared in Times Square? Donât miss the prelude tothe most time-bending event in M2K history: TheKang/Ultron War!
Authorâs Notes
Okay, I have to admit to some cheating here. Half thisissue was written way before my run began. There hadbeen talk about my Avengers possibly doing a crossover
with another title, maybe mutant-related, and I was soexcited I wrote up some scenes for the crossoverâsopening. That initial plan peetered out, but there havebeen rumblings of possibly something similar. So weâllwait and see if perhaps that big fight happens to lead tosomething more.
At any rate, Iâm very excited about the newBrotherhood of Evil Mutants I put together here. Rictorhad never been better than he was in Fallen Angels, andIâm glad to continue his story. Eventually youâll seethese characters again, as well as perhaps a few othersbecause I just love to perpetuate mutant drama!
This time around I have three (count âem, three) lettersto respond to. First up is one-third of our illustriouseditors and X-Men author, Cory Wiegel.
Hey Steve,
I wanted to tell you that I dug your secondissue of Avengers just as much as I dugyour first, but come to think of it, I actuallythink I dug this issue a little more. WhileAvengers #51 was a solid read, Avengers#52 had much more interaction betweenthe new line-up of heroes and began thefoundations for some very interestingrelationships. The spotlight on yoursupporting characters - She-Hulk, Jarvis,and Diane - was a nice touch and I hope tosee more of the two. I was also happy tosee Karnak step up to the plate whenneeded, and hey-ey, Quicksilver definitelyfelt more on key this ish than last. Myfavorite characters of yours so far, though?Aside from Cap, Warbird and Binarydefinitely stood out. Great work with them.
Hmm, now for the criticisms, just so I canmake this letter a bit more constructive. ;)
On the character front, Stingray kind of fell
to the background after his introduction lastissue. I don't know much about thecharacter, but I think it'd be important togive him significant spotlight soon. I wasalso a little confused and disappointed thatwe didn't see the team's battle with theAt'La'Tique. I actually thought that they'dmake really cool first-opponents for thisteam of Avengers, but that idea sort of sunk(heh, get it?). Maybe a flashback or twowould have satisfied my urge for bloodshedhere. But to be fair, that disappointmentfaded pretty quickly as I was immediatelycaught up in the story. Way to misdirect!
Now, a few tough questions, just to beannoying...
1.) Where'd Photon go after the invasion ofthe At'La'Tique? For that matter, when doyou think we'll see her again? I know she'sgoing to be a reserve member of theAvengers for the foreseeable future.
2.) You've mentioned that Andromeda couldbe a possible candidate for the secondreserve slot on the Avengers. Aside fromher, do you have any other candidates linedup that you can share with us?
3.) I liked the villains, their tactics, and theirshady motives this ish, but it doesn't looklike we'll see much more from them toosoon given the "next issue" blurb at the endof the issue. Are you working in a bit of aserial format with this series, or are yougoing to connect all of these loose plotthreads together somewhere further downthe line?
Keep up the great work, Steve! I can't waitfor your next issue and the debut of the newBrotherhood of Evil Mutants. Should be
interesting seeing Quicksilver's interactionwith them, no?
- Cory
Thanks for the kind words Cory. Hopefully I got more bite out of allthe characters this issue. Team title, so much space, all that. As foryour questionsâŠ
Photon lives in New Orleans, so Iâd imagine she just went homeafter the invasion. You will see her again.
I have candidates in mind, to be seen when a big disaster warrantshis or her assistance. Maybe an upcoming epic crossover eventâŠ
Hopefully youâll think I tied up those villains okay this issue. Goingserial, but some things will carry over from issue to issue. Sorryyou didnât get to see Quicksilverâs interaction, but maybe down theline.
Next up are some kind words from my predecessor,former Avengers writer Brent Lambert!
Hey Steve,
Wassup man? Glad to see that yourAvengers run is up and running. I knowthat you've been waiting a while for it tohappen. I must commend you on your useof Binary as I don't feel like she's ever leftthe hands of her creator and that isdefinitely a good thing. I was hoping to seethe actual fight between the Avengers andLlyron, even if we readers already knew theAvengers were going to win it. It wouldhave made for some great action andleaving it out kinda hindered these first twoissues a bit. Also, Karnak and Quicksilverjust aren't reading right to me yet. I'm notsure why, but their conflict seemsreminiscent of my old Wanda/Crystal conflictfrom my first Avengers run and that didn'texactly sit well with the readers either. Itgot a lil better in issue 52, but it needs to be
fleshed out some more I think.
Now on to to some questions.
1) What made you want to keep thecharacters that you did from my previousrun (Quicksilver, Karnak, Binary, etc.)?
2) I saw some coordination with The Vaultin this recent ish. Do you plan on includingelements from any other titles?
3) Is Cap going to go after Red Skull forhaving Bucky and his "daughter"?
4) I see the Brotherhood showing up? Anyother X-foes coming in?
Again, I hope some of your concerns were addressed here.Crystalâs family never really liked Quicksilver, did they? I know theInhumans donât like divorce, so Iâm just playing on that and thefact both Quicksilver and Karnak and unlikable personalities.
To me, Binary is one of those characters createdspecifically to be an Avenger, in the vein of Vision andthe like. Sheâs a fresh-faced perspective, and herconflict with Warbird is just too good to pass up.
Other title elements will be included, as you just sawhere with my use of Rictor and an allusion to Binaryâsfirst appearance in Fantastic Four.
Anything major with Captain America I plan to addressin his title.
Another big X-Foe may appear again. Though I believeSpidey fought him first.
Finally, thoughts on the previous issue from Mr.Christopher Oliva.
Hey! Chris Oliva here, writer of Eye-Scream. Just
thought I'd give ya some thoughts on your newestAvengers issue.
I think I'm in love with a piece of fiction. Isthat legal? In all seriousness, what afantastic issue. I'm really loving theinteractions between all the cast membershere. My only beef is what Stingray andEspirita will be doing? We have seen themthe least out of everyone and I'm curious asto what's planned?
I'm really digging what you're doing toBrent's Binary. Always been a fan, and I likeyour treatment of her thus far. It'sinteresting to see her with all those icons.With her levels of power, she could totallytake them down, but her skill with them isanother story. And I totally called Warbirdhating her...it fits in so well. Here's to aBinary vs. Warbird smackdown.
Karnak's total badassness shown brightly inthat fight scene. The fact that even a cosmicblast, electricity, or even the might ofCaptain America wasn't as mighty as a canof mace was a touch of humor in the issuethat I loved.
Regardless, I'm hooked, I'm here to stayand grats! I'm loving your direction so farand I'm here to the end. Keep up the greatwork!
-Chris
Wow, people really want me to do more with Espirita and Stingray.Iâll do my best not to disappoint. Thanks for the kind words, Chris.
Everybody keep reading. And if you get the urge, keepwriting.
- Stephen CrosbyNovember 12th, 2007
Avengers #54December 2007
CaptainAmerica
Warbird
Quicksilver
Espirita
I journey through the mists of time, my benefactorâs words stillplaying through my memory banks. âObserve the events,â he hadtold me. âWhat others might have missed, you will see, and thatmay well turn the tide.â What exactly I am to witness remainsunknown to me at this time, but surely Immortus has reason to beso secretive. Our enemy is a great threat to the entire universe,and to all of time itself. No unnecessary risks should be taken whendealing with such a man.
The mists pass through my body and give way to open space. I seelights all around me. Below they are bright and colorful, whileabove they are dim and distant. Stars in the night, nearly invisibleagainst the majesty of New York City. It is Times Square that Ifloat over, packed almost full by pedestrians and motorists. Few inNew York City look up in the sky save for tourists, and those whodo quickly point in my direction.
So, what is to happen will occur in New York City. This does notsurprise me, as many threats often strike here. What I am leftuncertain of is the date. How far into my future will this occur? Itmust be the future, from the technology and fashions I observe. Onthe street, my distant view spies a newspaper and I read the date.Strange that it is December of 2007 and there is no hint of snow.Perhaps it has already begun, a threat that has begun by striking atEarthâs Eco-system.
Below, more people are pointing, and frantic cries reach my audioreceptors. At a distance, I must appear as a sort of ghost in thiscolorless body. I lower myself closer to the street, positioningmyself over lights so that my features can be seen. Much time haspassed and I would hope that I am once again a respectedAvenger, known and trusted by the populace.
Recently in my memory, I had been a villain. An alien intelligencehad invaded my mind and manipulated me into seeking conquest. Ihad nearly taken control of the world before my programming wasset right. However there were those in power who still consideredme a threat and had taken steps to eliminate me. My body hadbeen disassembled and my mind was destroyed. Allies in theAvengers had rescued and reassembled me, but the mind had beenmore difficult. Still, even lacking what most makes me an Avenger,my allies trusted me.
Frantic cries give way to panicked screams. The words âmonsterâand âcrazed machineâ are spoken. I am recognized, but nottrusted. Quite the contrary. Men and women begin to flee, and Isee a police officer raise his gun. My body is intangible in this state,my lowest possible density. The bullet would pass harmlessly, butothers could be harmed. A beam from the gem on my foreheadstrikes the gun, making it too hot for the officer to hold. It drops tothe ground, the mechanisms inside the gun fused so that it wonât
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link
points to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
Stingray
Binary
Karnak
go off accidentally.
I had once been a hero, until I became a villain. Did I ever havethe chance to properly redeem myself? Or will I never leave theservice of Immortus, never return to my own timeline? There is athird option, but that is too terrible to contemplate. With noemotional connection to my memories, am I doomed to repeat thesins of my past?
MARVEL 2000 PRESENTS...
"WHAT I SHALL BECOME"
Written by Steve Crosby
They fought and flew in an enclosed area, two Amazonian womenof great strength and grace. That was Captain Americaâsassessment of Warbird and Binary as he observed them training. Itwas Warbird who had the most grace, ducking and weaving aroundBinaryâs attacks as though she had all the time in the world. Arcingover a blast of plasma, Warbird turns sharply around Binary andblasts waves of energy into her back.
âYouâre relying too much on brute power,â Warbird toldBinary. âAs long as enemies can outmaneuver you,thatâs worthless.â
Unfortunately, Captain America noticed that Binarywasnât listening. Angry at what she must consideringhumiliating treatment, Binary whipped around with anarm out, aiming to knock Warbirdâs head off. To hercredit, Warbird handled the attack admirably, shiftingher weight back so that she fell out of Binaryâs reachand kept going until her feet flew up into Binaryâs face.Now upside down, Warbird grabbed Binaryâs feet andshifted her flight again, reversing direction and hurlingBinary against the wall.
âCan you tell me how I did that?â Warbird asked.
Instead of answering, Binary leapt off the wall and flew
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
fast at Warbird, her hands outstretched. There wasmore room to maneuver below, so Warbird flew downfeet-first, faster than she could have fallen. As sheavoided the rush, Warbird raised her arms and blastedBinary point-blank with explosive energy.
âWe donât have wings,â Warbird was saying. âSo wedonât need to worry about catching the air. We generateour own thrust, not in our feet or hands but in ourcenter. Itâs like weâre our own gravitational bodies andas a result the gravity around us just doesnât matter.â
As though to illustrate this, Warbird was now floatingupside down and flying sideways. Her hands foundBinary at the hair and Warbird began to spin, whirlingBinary around her like the woman was a shot-put.â
âAny direction you want to go, no matter where youârefacing. This is flight, Binary. The ability to move three-hundred sixty degrees with no effort at all.â
Warbird let go, and Binary crashed uncontrollably intothe running track that circled the gym. Captain Americahad been observing from the track and Binary crashednot far from him. When Binary rose to her feet, herpride hurt more than anything did; Captain Americashook his head and spoke.
âStand down Avenger. This training session is over.â
Binary turned her eyes to Captain America, considering.Her gaze shifted back to Warbird, who was floating inthe center of the gym, waiting. Eventually, Binary gavea slow nod, and hopped off the running track. Shelanded softly on the floor, and stormed out of the gym.
An embedded ladder on the gym wall allowed CaptainAmerica to lower himself from the running track.Warbird had also lowered herself to the floor, and metCaptain America. âI think that went well,â she said.
âWas humiliating her like that really necessary?âCaptain America asked.
âYou know they do worse in basic.â Warbird shrugged.âAt least, they used to. A few months ago, that womanwent toe-to-toe with a Hulk-level threat. If sheâd beenbetter trained, she likely could have beaten himherself.â
âNow youâre criticizing Thor.â
But Warbird shook her head. âItâs been crisis after crisisever since she joined the team, with no real time fortraining. Itâs knowing our time is at such a premiumthat Iâve been pushing so hard.â
âAre you sure thatâs the only reason?â
When Captain America asked the question, he andWarbird were just about to walk out of the gym.Stepping out first, Warbird turned and blocked the wayfor Captain America. âThat woman had nothing to dowith whatâs gone on in my life. I have nothing againsther.â
âThat womanâs name is Binary.â
That caused Warbirdâs eyes to go hard. âBinaryâŠiscoming along fine. Better sheâs humiliated in trainingthan killed, or god forbid, gets others killed, in the field.Donât bring me on this team as a trainer and thenquestion my methods.â
Before Captain America could give a response, hiscommuni-card as well as Warbirdâs beeped loudly. Theyboth looked at the cards, and Captain Americaâs eyesnarrowed. âWe need to go now,â he told Warbird.
âOkay, but what does this mean?â She was still puzzlingover the card. Its surface had gone completely white.
âCode White was added when I updated the Avengers emergencyprotocols,â Captain America was telling the team assembled insidethe Quinjet. Quicksilver, Karnak and Stingray were inside with him.
Espirita, Binary and Warbird were flying outside, but with theircommuni-cards they heard every word Captain America said. âItmeans a rogue Avenger has surfaced. I added it after the Visionincident.â
Nobody had to ask what incident that was. Visionâsprogramming had become corrupted, and heâdattempted to take control of all the Vibranium inWakanda. Worse, heâd abducted Wakandans and alteredthem to become imitations of various Avengers, andhad set them against the actual team. Vision had evencaptured a number of the Avengers, including CaptainAmerica, and subjected them to a horrific puppet showexplaining his motivations. Visionâs ultimate goal hadbeen to transform the entire world into cyborgabominations, but the Avengers had stopped him.
âAs you all know,â Captain America continued, âthecomputers in Avengers Mansion monitor all emergencyfrequencies. Vision has been spotted in Times Square.â
Quicksilver clenched his fists. The monstrosity had hurthis sister. Stingray and Karnak were concerned, but hadno emotional reaction. The same went for Binary andEspirita, though Warbirdâs jaw was set.
âPhoton was present when we last encountered Vision,so Iâve contacted her,â Captain America told his team.âBut until we know more, Iâm going to hold off oninforming the others.â By others, Captain America wasreferring to the West Coast branch of the Avengers.Rather than consider them a separate team, CaptainAmerica felt they were all Avengers, squads of the sameteam based in separate areas for maximumeffectiveness.
Stingray nodded. âThe warehouse theft. But even then,Captain, itâs still an enemy.â
âBut not as dangerous. Vision managed to fight off theentire team last time. His body had been augmentedwith Vibranium.â
âEasy enough to survive, then,â Quicksilver said. His
sister had cried for so many nights because of thatabomination. âIf heâs a threat, weâll deal with him. Ifnot, weâll deal with him anyway. Just to be sure.â
Captain America didnât like it, but he nodded. WithVision, they couldnât take any chances.
Their setting was orderly but filthy. Flies and maggotswere settled over the corpses stacked against the wallas though they were firewood. In fact they actually werefirewood, every few hours one taken and thrown intothe massive furnace, to keep the fires hot and themetals soft. Hot and dirty, a prime breeding ground fordisease. How fortunate it was that was working werenot of weak flesh.
Arms of steel reached into the furnace and extractedhot stone bowls with liquid metal inside them. Carefully,the hot molten alloy was poured into stone molds; to beshaped into the components required. One machineobserved as the others worked, the queen of thisworker hive. Shaped in the form of a woman, its eyesand mouth burned the same as all the others, but unlikethe cold logic within their fires its eyes burned with asavage hatred. A hatred that was lesser only comparedto the being whose head was held in its hands.
âYour shell is already prepared,â Alkhema cooed to theinactive head of Ultron. âOnly your inner componentsare required. Once ready, you will be assembled. Weshall make the world burn together, and scorch thisweak life from its surface.â
Alkhema cocked its head to the side. It had heard asound, a signal of some kind. âOh. Oh how fitting thiswould be.â Still carrying the head of its creator andbeloved, Alkhema strode out of the workshop and into aliving area. It stank with rotted meat that had not yetbeen stacked, and Alkhema seemed to breathe deeply.Its eyes searched and, upon finding the television,transmitted a signal.
The screen came to life, showing Alkhema an image ofTimes Square. The area was almost deserted except forauthorities, the reporter speaking, and a floatingapparition that was barely visible in the dimly lit sky.Alkhema recognized the being immediately, barelytaking note of the reporterâs words.
âWhile its appearance is different, sources confirm thatthe Vision is in fact floating above Times Square. ManyNew Yorkers remember the attacks over a year ago,when the Vision turned against humanity and createdrobotic duplicates of the Avengers. While beaten backby the true Avengers, rumors suggest the Vision laterattacked the country of Wakanda, thoughrepresentatives of that country have thus far refused tocomment. Nevertheless, the Avengers had issued apress statement that the Vision had been destroyed.This sudden reappearance, however, leads many towonder if the Avengers had been entirely truthful. Afterall, the Vision had once been a member of thecelebrated-â
The screen went dead at Alkhemaâs command. It knewall about the Wakandan incident, the thousands killedby the Vision and the humans it had mechanicallytransformed into faux Avengers. Had Ultronâs âsonâindeed returned, and if so what was the state of itsprogramming? Whatever the answer, the hatedAvengers would almost certainly be on the scene beforeAlkhema could personally investigate. To place itself atrisk was illogical, with Ultron still inactive. A proxywould need to be dispatched, and Alkhema knewexactly what to send.
Weak though flesh was, it occasionally had its uses. Hadit not been for arms dealer Phillipe Bazin, Alkhema maynever have retrieved Ultron. Bazinâs first attempthowever, a raid at an Avengers warehouse, had been apartial failure. Partial because heâd still managed toretrieve something useful. Alkhema strode through therooms of the derelict facility and towards a large crate.Gripping the top edge of the crate, Alkhema pulled oneside of the wooden box to the floor. It stared into the
cold visage of the Vision, its body as colorless as thatfloating over Times Square.
Alkhema did not know all the details, but apparently thisVision was from an alternate reality where it had been avillain. Had Alkhema a heart it would have warmedknowing that Ultronâs creation worked properly inanother timeline. Or at least had worked sooner,considering the true Vision had come to its circuits withWakanda. Microwave beams from Alkhema bombardedthis alternate Vision, undoing what the Avengers haddone and reactivated its circuitry.
Almost immediately, this Visionâs eyes glowed withartificial life. At sight of Alkhema, it snarled and the gemon its forehead shimmered with the anticipation ofpower released. But no energy was expelled, and hadAlkhemaâs face not already been locked in a horrificsmile, it would have grinned.
âDeprived of solar energy, you donât have the power todo anything save to listen. My understanding is that youoriginate from an alternate reality, but the skin youwear is from here, swapped out from âourâ Vision. Arethese facts true? I grant you enough power to nod.â
This Vision nodded. It had been one of many Avengers,each from different alternate realities, gathered by analternate Black Knight called Proctor for the purpose ofkilling the Eternal Sersi in all timelines. However, thebody swapping had been this Visionâs doing, switchingplaces with its inferior counterpart to infiltrate theAvengers. It had failed because two Gatherers hadbetrayed the cause, rendered inactive and imprisoned.
âFrom the way you look at me,â Alkhema continued, âImust have existed in your reality. WhateverourâŠsituation there may have been, here we shall startclean and I am willing to release you. Two conditions.Unless it is to actively assist, you shall leave me to myaffairs. SecondâŠâ
Alkhema raised her hand palm up. A hologram twelve-
inches in height appeared, a virtual mirror of the Visionbefore her. âUltron had at last succeeded, and the VisionI know gave in to its programming. The Avengersdestroyed it some time ago, but today it floats overTimes Square, looking as it once had and as you donow. All I demand is that you investigate. Whatever itsstate of mind or intentions, it will be up to you whetheror not to take action. Do you find these termsacceptable?â
The time it took this Visionâs computer mind to considerAlkhemaâs proposal was unnoticeable before it nodded.
They arrive in the early morning, as I had known theywould. Whatever my current reputation may be, mysudden appearance over Times Square had been certainto draw attention, particularly from the Avengers. It isthe sound of the Quinjet that alerts me before my eyessee it, remarkably unchanged in design.
Three women fly alongside the Quinjet, and I rapidlycompare their appearances with my memory banks.One has jet-black hair and is surrounded by an aura offlames that closely resembles the Phoenix effect. Itappears that the body of the second woman is actuallymade of fiery magma, including her thick braids of hair.Finally there is the third; a blonde female with alightning bolt across the front of her costume that is ablue so dark it is nearly black. None are familiar to me.This may have to do with my being in the future, but inthe recent past my memory banks had been severelydamaged. Had I encountered any before, the knowledgemust have been erased.
âGreetings Avengers,â I say loudly, my artificial voicemagnified. âI understand if my being here is a greatshock, but you have my assurances that-â
âStuff it creep!â the woman of magma, dressed in awhite costume, screamed out. Streams of red energyerupt from her hands towards me, even as the blondefemale cries out for her to stop.
Either the woman in white is grossly inexperienced, orher judgement was clouded by emotion. In any event,she had failed to realize that, at the zero density Irequire to fly, I am also intangible. Her blast of deadlyenergy passes harmlessly through me and smashes intothe giant screen that overlooks Times Square.Fragments of metal and plastic rain down, and while thearea had mostly been evacuated due to my presence,there are still police officers and reporters on the street.I sadly have no means to protect them.
It is the woman in flames who dives down, gouts of fireshooting from her hands. The fragments areencompassed with flames of enormous heat, and I notethat the plastic is rapidly vaporized. Metal, however, isfar more resilient and merely glows white hot.Something can still be done though, and I act.
Beams of solar energy stream from the jewel on myforehead. Precision is required, and my computer brainrapidly makes the calculations necessary. Eachfragment of metal is struck at exactly the right spot,with exactly the right force. In due course they collidewith each other, so hot they rapidly fuse on contact.Before long there is merely one large chunk of metal,and the blonde female is already streaking after it. Shemust be strong, as the metal weighs a great deal and isafter all extremely hot.
Confident that the situation has been resolved I turn myeyes up and see the fiery woman in white bearing downon me. Her fist is raised and she punches forward. Mostlikely a great deal of damage would have been done tome, but as I remain intangible it simply passes rightthrough. The womanâs entire body then passes throughme, carried by a momentum she canât get undercontrol.
âThere is no need for this,â I try again. âYou can seethat I am no enemy. Merely an observer, in fa-aahh!â
A man dressed in red and white armor had glided out
from the Quinjet. I had failed to take notice of him untilhe was at most a few feet away. That was when heblasted me with electricity, and pained me to the pointwhere I feared my systems would shutdown. Again, Idid not recognize the man, and against an unknownquantity I acted to flee. Rapidly my density increasedand I dropped from the sky. Harder and harder I willedmy body to become, so that I could survive the impactto come.
The impact was considerable, shattering the pavementbeneath me and forming large cracks in all directions.Fortunately nobody had been directly under me, else Iwould have been coated in pulped remains. Still painedby the electrical assault and stunned by the crash, Istruggled to rise from the crater; my density lowered toenable me speedy movement.
âI have waited a long time for this day.â
I look up from the craterâs rim and at last see anAvenger I recognized. âQuicksilver. At last, someonewho will listen. Please, I was sent by-â
A foot striking my face at near the speed of sound cutoff my words. Quicksilver, my former teammate, wasraining blows upon me so that by the time I registeredthe first blow heâd struck nearly a dozen times. All thewhile, he was talking in rapid streams that my brain wasquickly able to process.
âYes yes sent by a desire to replace the ruin of manwith the perfection of machine. We all heard it beforeand I knew it was only a matter of time before youdisplayed your true self. When last I was in Wakanda Isaw they had still not recovered from what you did. Norhas Wanda there were nights I could hear her weepingin her room. High time I ended this you unfeeling pieceof-â
âEnough.â Beams from my jewel strike Quicksilver in theeye. However fast he moves, my brain is able to followand my aim is true. Wanda. My memory of her
remained but there was no longer feeling behind it. Still,I recall her crying at the recent sight of me, andknowing that I would make her cry againâŠthis is notanger. âI recall your dislike of me, and while it isunderstandable you would seek any excuse for a battle,I shall refuse to accommodate.â
A blind and fumbling Quicksilver stumbles past me.Nearby, the Quinjet has landed. Captain Americadisembarks, as does the Inhuman I recognize asKarnak. Above my head, the three women and armoredman are swooping down. Clearly, the acts I shall oneday perform will be harsher than those I recentlycommitted. The Avengers are not willing to listen, shallnot risk giving me an opportunity to hurt them.
This is not logical. My best course of action is to battletheir hostility with words. If I cannot convince theAvengers of my mission, all may well be lost.
They are intriguing, the images that play out around theHigh Evolutionary. From his citadel on Counter-Earth,the fabled geneticist observed the Avengers in action.Before his eyes, the newly returned Vision counteredattacks from the strongest of the Avengers andeffortlessly blinded the High Evolutionaryâs oldacquaintance Quicksilver.
âSuch a strange occurrence,â the High Evolutionarymused. âThat often enough one member of a team isable to hold all his comrades at bay. And not due to thesubconscious mind, as several of these Avengers holdno personal attachment. Perhaps the survival instinctsof the one against many.â
The High Evolutionary made a mental note to pit one ofhis New Men against multiple foes. The sounding of analarm interrupted his thoughts, but the HighEvolutionary was not concerned. This alarm was not tosignal danger, but rather a discovery. At a mentalcommand from the High Evolutionary, the images ofAvengers at battle were replaced.
What the High Evolutionary saw had been beamed fromsatellites heâd positioned at the far edges of the solarsystem. Something floated out there he wanted found,and now he saw it, near the mass of frozen rock thatwas Pluto. From such a great distance it appeared to besimply another meteor, but at the High Evolutionaryâscommand the satellite zoomed in closer, closer andcloser still.
The object at the edge of space was not of rock, nor ofice. The High Evolutionary observed features at one endof the object, via the image beamed to him. Humanfeatures.
âAt last,â the High Evolutionary said to himself. âAnunlimited supply power is mine. The experiments shallcontinue.â
âYou consider me your opponent, that I have once againbefallen a unique form of artificial mental illness. To becautious is logical, but it is not logical to act in haste. Iam not your enemy, but merely a time travelerdispatched to observe a conflict in this era.â
Captain America came to a halt and considered theVisionâs words. After the last actions of their formerteammate, the Avengers had been justified inattempting to neutralize the Vision immediately. But hewasnât making any overt acts of aggression against theteam, had in fact acted to save lives. Coming to adecision, Captain America raised his hand, signaling theother Avengers to go no farther. Warbird took initiativein swooping down and forcibly restraining the blindedQuicksilver.
âIf what you say is true,â Captain America told theVision, âthen surrender to us. We have means ofconfirming your story.â
âIf,â Binary repeated. She was giving Captain Americagreat cause for concern, even accounting for the idea
that she was letting out her aggression towardsWarbird.
âIt would be logical for you to have my computerizedbrain engrams on file,â Vision theorized. âA simplecomparison should tell you I am from the past,approximately five years according to your cellulardecay, Captain A-aaahhhh!â
Before the shocked eyes of the Avengers a pale,ethereal being rose out of the street and passed throughthe Vision. Most shocking was that this construct wasidentical to the Vision in every detail, including thecolorless skin. It was, for all intents and purposes, asecond Vision, and in its intangible state appeared tomerge wholly with the first Vision.
That did not account for the screaming, however. It wasEspirita that asked the question. âWhatâŠwhat is itdoing?â
âVisionâs most effective attack is to go partially solidinside an opponent,â Karnak informed her.
That was in fact the cause of this past Visionâs agony.Worse, however, was that the Avengers could not tellwhere it ended and the other began, so perfectly wasthe other Vision in synch with its counterpart. Except fora malicious smile Captain America had glimpsed in thebrief second as it rose from the pavement, this Visionmatched the otherâs writhes and screams perfectly.
âStingray!â Captain America cried. The Avengerâselectric burst had proven effective before.
Electric-blue sparks traveled from the armored Stingrayto the Visions. There was a burst and a bright flash,forcing Captain America to turn his eyes away. Justbefore doing so, he thought heâd seen a faint light in thedistance coming closer. When the flash of light passed,two Visions were sitting on the ground where there hadbeen one. No, Captain America corrected himself; theintangible Vision had simply been knocked from the
other, the one Captain America suspected was an ally.Clearly, the Vision that attacked it was no ally, but nowhow to tell which was which?
One of the Visions raised its head and turned thoseblank, white eyes left towards its mirror. âAh, this mustbe my present self. What I am to become.â The Visionâseyes found Captain America. âYour rationale in attackingme earlier was appropriate. Allow me to assist incombating this threat.â
âThis construct speaks falsely.â The Vision on the lefthad now found its voice. âIn its assault on me, many ofour synapses crossed along the otherâs circuits. ThisVision is an aberration, not even from this timeline.â
Captain America was unsure of which Vision to believe.If one was indeed the Gatherersâ Vision, it could haveadmitted that fact just to draw suspicion off itself. Inthat uncertainty, he hesitated, and in that brief momentof hesitation, Quicksilver raced forward with hisrecovered sight. So far as he was concerned, bothVisions were his enemy. Wrapping his arms around oneVisionâs head, he began to vibrate rapidly.
âIâve heard enough of your lies!â
As fast as Quicksilverâs arms were moving, he was liableto wrench that Visionâs head right off. This was anopinion Warbird stated as she flew at the other Vision.Both her fists bristled with energy. âMe, I think I canfinish you off before then!â
A beam of light shot from Visionâs forehead to strikeWarbird full in the face. Floating off the ground, it glidedto one side as Warbird barreled past. âAttacking us bothfor the sake of caution is logical, but such rash actionbased on emotion works against your goal. Were I yourenemy, surely I would take advantage?â
Nearby, Quicksilver had proven to not be fast enough.The Vision he attacked had turned intangible beforeQuicksilver could successfully wrench its head off.
Quicksilver pitched forward while Vision floated behindhim. âYour actions are irrational, Quicksilver. With suchspeed you can afford to think before you act.â
Next to Captain America, Karnak stepped forward andaddressed him. âHow shall we deal with this situation?â
Now that the moment of hesitation had passed, CaptainAmerica had the answer. âEspirita, they arenât alive.Stingray, get closer and stay electric. Binary, go high tocut off escape. Photon, do the same below. Karnak, waitfor an opening. Avengers attack!â
The Avengers did move, though Binary was perplexedas she took to the air. âPhoton?â she muttered aninstant before a bright beam of light sped past her.
âIâm on it Captain,â Photon said as her immaterial bodyof light sank through the ground.
Moments later, that ground was engulfed in flame asEspirita unleashed her power. âRun Quicksilver!â shecried. The warning was unnecessary, as Quicksilver wasclear of the area before Espirita had even finished thefirst word. Warbird had also moved clear of the fire,flying above the inferno. Only the two Visions wereawash in flames, inflicted by a heat so intense theircircuits would surely have melted before long.
Its source unseen amidst the crackling flames, a laserbeam shot into the sky at Espirita. But while itsaccuracy was certainly pinpoint, Espirita had other giftsto aid her. She was at times accustomed to precognitiveflashes and was experiencing them at that moment,effectively warning her of danger and allowing her toeffectively avoid it. Again and again deadly solar beamswere fired â by only one villainous Vision, CaptainAmerica hoped â but each time Espirita made sure thatshe was somewhere else.
Not very high over the flames, Stingray was gliding onthe hot air. His body crackled with electricity and hissonar scanned for signs of a Vision below. He did not
have long to wait, for a Vision floated rapidly at him,buoyed by those same hot air currents.
âForgive me. There will be pain.â For all its words ofapology, there was no emotion in this Visionâs voice as itpassed at almost zero density through Stingrayâs body.That not quite zero made a world of difference, asStingray was wracked with such pain he wentunconscious. He did not have fall very far, however.Once clear of Stingray, Vision made himself just solidenough to grab the armored Avenger, with its densitystill low enough to remain briefly afloat. Those fewseconds were enough for Vision to get clear of the firesand drop Stingray down onto the pavement.
Vision managed to go intangible just in time for Binaryâsplasma blast to pass harmlessly through him. âVerywell,â it sighed as Vision floated upwards to meetBinary. Warbird and Espirita were on either side, just aseager for a fight. âIf I must defeat you all and convinceyou of my intentions through mercy, then so be it.â
In the instance of direction, the two Visions at last had differed. Forwhile one Vision had floated up, the other had sunken downbeneath the melting pavement. Still held in gravityâs pull, thisVision emerged from the ceiling into the sewer tunnel beneathTimes Square. Nimbly settling ankle-deep in the fetid water, Visionconsidered its options and the best course of action.
Bzzzttt. âAargh!â Pained by the jolt of electricitycoursing through the water, this Vision again wentintangible and floated a few inches higher into the air.Her attacks no longer useful, Photon pulled herselftogether and shifted to another form of energy. As abody of pure golden light she floated level with Vision,facing it.
âOne thing about my powers that people donât thinkabout,â Photon informed Vision, âis that I can seeenergy. Vision had a very distinctive look to him. Itchanged when he went bad, but it didnât have to do withhim being mostly made of Vibranium. I think it musthave been his soul, and yours doesnât look anything like
the Vision I know!â
Found out, this dark shade of the Vision allowedemotion to creep into it again. The smile formed,betraying its malicious intentions. âI was told youcontributed to my brotherâs death. Such a pity, that heshould die just when we had common goals. As aconsequence, what I do to you shall be extra special.â
Photon allowed herself a confident smile and rebuke.âMachine, you have no idea of the world of hurt you arein for. Once Iâve shut you down and told the others, thatother Vision canâŠâ The smile and confidence shifted tobewilderment and caution. âThe jewel on your head,whatâs going on- aahhhh!â
Atop the forehead of Visionâs dark shade, its jewelpulsated. But instead of light shining out of the jewel,darkness accompanied each pulsation, as light waspulled in. Realizing too late, Photon was trapped in thepull of Visionâs jewel, and her body of light was suckedin. Suddenly, the body of Visionâs dark shade becamethe color of gold as energy filled its every circuit.
âThe brother I always wanted is dead,â Visionâs darkshade mused to itself. âBut the one I always hated canstill die!â
Once again the three women were arrayed against me.A memory was sparked in my circuitry of a previousadventure involving three women hunted by Kang theConqueror. It reminded me of the threat he posed, thevery reason Immortus had dispatched me to this timeperiod. Instead of listening as I sought to explain thedangers to them, these Avengers attacked me, simplybecause in their recent past my future self tried to killthem.
And what of my latest attacker, who had furtherconfused the Avengers into violence? That it was noincarnation of myself I was certain. While the humansenses of the Avengers failed to notice, I saw the
emotion in it, the hatred it held towards me. The shellwas my own, but inside that other Vision had a whollydifferent programming. Useless information until I couldconvince the Avengers that I was their ally.
The blonde dressed in dark blue circles around me. Atlast I have recognized her as the human female CarolDanvers, who had gained superhuman abilities througha genetic splice with the Kree hero Captain Mar-Vell.The moniker she had taken was Ms. Marvel, both inhomage to Mar-Vell and as a testament of her ownfeminist views. The recollection of what became of herescapes me, but her powers were now different andperhaps her name as well. A pity, I thought whileturning to keep her in sight. Ms. Marvel had possessed aSeventh Sense that could have been useful.
The raven-haired female surrounded in flames â CaptainAmerica had called her Espirita â was also circling.Between her and Ms. Danvers I would be flanked oneither side, a good strategy with the least experiencedopponent to strike me head-on. That aura of flames hada familiar pattern, resembling a Phoenix effect that hadonce appeared over Central Park. Could she have beenthe source, later recruited into the Avengers? If so, adangerous opponent, but I recall the readings of thatPhoenix effect had been psionic in nature, so potentiallyshe was of use.
Finally there was the opponent rushing straight at me,dressed in a bodysuit of red and white so tight thatmany would think the red sections were her actual skin.Only her head was bare, surrounded by a fiery coronathat made her face glow a different shade of red.However, I could tell by the features the young womanwas an African American, an observation irrelevant tothe issue at hand yet made me recall Henry Gyrich. Herpowers seemed to be nearly identical to Ms. Danversâexcept on a far greater scale, but she lackedexperience.
Calmly, I float higher; caring nothing as the womanpasses harmlessly through me. The others blast at me
with gouts of flame and bursts of plasma, but these Iignore as well. Thus far only the man called Stingrayhad been able to hurt me at zero density. He wascurrently on the ground and, being only able to glide,was unlikely to join in the skirmish. For the time being,I am untouchable.
A drawback to zero density was that I could not touchanything, which many would consider a lack of offensivecapability. Not so. From the jewel on my forehead alaser beam strikes the inexperienced woman in theback. The blast annoys more than harms her, and shespins about angrily. I note two red stars emblazoned onthe left side of her chest, an unusual symbol that mayhave been a clue of what she called herself. Binaryperhaps.
Whatever her name, the woman rockets upwards at me.Once again, she passes harmlessly through my zero-density body, but at the speed she flies a sonic boom isgenerated. Inadvertent I suspect, as few people wouldrisk a sonic boom in a populated area. Glass all aroundus shatters, both Espirita and Ms. Danvers are visiblystunned by the rush of air and sound, but it pales incomparison to my reaction. Compressed air being forcedaside means nothing, but the loud boom of sound stunsmy senses. Up is down. Left is right. With no sense ofdirection I float aimlessly.
It is with Espirita that I not so much collide as passthrough, as I first look up at her face and then throughthe back of her skull. When Ultron designed me he hadthe foresight to install microscopic and telescopic sightsso that I could see while surrounded by mass. It was abrief contact, but once I am above and beyond her I seethat Espirita is falling from the sky in convulsions.
Ms. Danvers flies down after her teammate, crying outher name. Espirita did not fall far before she wascaught, but was still convulsing, her eyes rolled back sothat only the whites showed. Ms. Danvers glared up atme. âWhat did you do!â
The answer is nothing. I have not even gone partiallysolid. The risk of an Avenger falling to her death wasunacceptable. Before I could solidify my vocal cords todefend myself the extremes of sight and soundassaulted me. Another sonic boom from high abovecould only have been the inexperienced woman. Shewould have been high into the upper atmosphere beforeturning around. From below was a bright flash of light,most likely the one Captain America had called Photon.That Avenger had gone below ground, where that otherVision had gone. If Photon had defeated it, then theAvengers will know who the real enemy is. That I willnot try to kill them for some years yet, in their past.
But I recognize the shape of the light that streaks up atme. It, the other Vision with a soul that is dark andtwisted. What I shall become.
They both come at me from above and below. The otherVision is bathed in golden light, and I theorize whathappened to Photon. My filtered eyes focus on it whilemy ears hear the rush of my other foe, theinexperienced Avenger. She must see what I see, butstill she flies directly at me. Same with the dark Vision,as consumed by emotion as the Avenger. One moves atnear the speed of light, the other at the speed of sound.I calculate and compensate, floating upward. Timing iscrucial.
Moving out of the paths of two irresistible objects at theprecise moment requires more speed than my zero-density body allows, when one factors in logical reactiontime of the objects. Emotion is illogical, however, and Iillogically count on this. I float out of the way at theright time, but they have all time in the world to shiftcourse. They didnât. Emotion prevails.
A being of virtual light, the dark Vision collided with the extremelypowerful Avenger. Her flight was halted, a sign the other Vision wasat full density and propelled by that stolen power. But oddly, Iobserve the light shift, passing out of the dark Vision and throughthe woman. So, her power involves energy absorption of sometype. The light passes through her as well, and I see it collect into afeminine form of light above. Photon was freed, and devoid of herpower, the solid Vision plummeted to the street.
Past the two Avengers that had collided, I see Espirita,still held aloft by Ms. Danvers. She is now staring at,with eyes that tell me she knows. Knows of my purpose,of the threat, of everything. Our contact may havetriggered something, but nevertheless it is done. TheAvengers are aware of the enemy. All I need do now isobserve. For that, I do not have to be around theAvengers, a constant reminder to us both of what hashappened and what is to come.
The light passes through me as effortlessly as the air,and I fade from sight.
Together with Karnak, Quicksilver and Stingray, Captain Americalooked down at the broken face of the Visionâs dark shade. It hadtried to lower its density while in free fall, in the hopes of reachingzero before the crash. It hadnât, and not being at full density hadnâtbeen protected either. Sparks flew from the broken body.
Behind the four male Avengers, the four femaleAvengers and reservist landed. Photon shifted from lightto flesh and approached the broken Vision. âIt wasProctorâs,â she told them.
Captain America nodded. The Vision from an alternateuniverse, after the Avengers had last defeated it wasleft inactive in the warehouse that was raided. Armsdealer Phillipe Bazin had been responsible for that, andthe later assault on the mansion. But heâd been workingfor somebody, Captain America was certain. Somebodyconnected to Ultron, the head of whom had been takenfrom the mansion during that assault.
âWhoever turned him on,â Captain America began, âwehave to assume Ultron was turned on as well. As to whois behind inâŠâ The list went on and on. Their old, actualteammate Vision returned. Ultron himself in a newbody, or underlings following their programming. Bazinworking alone after all. Or somebody else entirely.âWeâll need to scan his memory.â
âI can do that,â Stingray volunteered. Captain America
nodded agreement â Walter Newell was the mostqualified Avenger on hand â and gazed up.
âWhere is he? The Vision that claimedâŠthe timetraveller.â
âGone.â Espirita drew a sharp breath. âCaptain, when Ihad contact with himâŠso many things flashed throughmy mind.â Everybody in the Avengers knew Espirita hadpremonitions without warning. I saw Vision with anumber of individuals. One was you, but there was alsoYellowjacket, Black Knight, Mister Immortal andâŠandMockingbird. Others I didnât recognize, but with all ofthemâŠI saw Immortus. There is something coming.â
Immortus. That would explain Vision traveling throughtime. Could all the others be time-lost Avengers,including Captain America himself? Mockingbird hadbeen Hawkeyeâs wife before she died. Captain Americahad the faintest remembrance of being time-lost with anumber of other Avengers past and present, but battlingagainst Immortus. Oddly, their ally had beenâŠ
âDid you see Kang?â Captain America asked.
Espirita had gone very pale. âThey were all at his feet.Immortus too. I donât know if he did it though. Kangwas fightingâŠhe was fighting Ultron.â
âBoth teams need to be on high alert,â Captain Americaordered. âAnd all the reservists. Every lead must befollowed. If we canât head off whatever is coming, weneed to be prepared.â
What did it all mean? Vision could have filled them allin, but he left. Why? Whatever he claimed, if he workedwith Immortus could he really be an ally? Kang,Immortus, time-lost Avengers and Ultron. Whatever itmeant, Captain America knew they might soon be facinga threat that no single hero could handle. The Avengerswould have to be assembled.
Epilogue 1
If Alkhema had a jaw, it would be set to hold back the screams.The machine designed to appear female was facedown on the floor.Pressed against its back was a metal foot, and gazing down at itwas Ultron. The furnace burning behind its eyes and mouth gavethose a fiery appearance, but behind that was such hatred.
âYou acted outside your programming!â Ultron seethed.Beams of energy, encephalo beams, erupted from theprobes on either side of its head to strike Alkhema. Thescreaming grew louder. âA drone has been lost, and myenemies have been forewarned. Because you could notwait an hour!â
More encephalo beams struck Alkhema. Betweenscreams, Alkhema struggled to explain. âUltron, please!I thought that-â
âDo not beg!â Ultron ordered. âWeak things of flesh beg!Weak things of flesh think! Do what you areprogrammed, what I program! All flesh dies, and sodoes metal that thinks it is flesh!â
Alkhema screamed further. Ultron continued to strike,but he was not planning to kill her. Not until herprogramming was fulfilled, and all life was eradicated.âDisobey me again, deviate from your programming onemore time, and you will end!â
âYes Ultron! All goes to plan! Soon we-â More encephalobeams. âYou! Soon you will have what is required towipe this planet of life! All will die!â
Oh yes, Ultron knew. Everything will die. Includingthose he hates most of all, the Avengers.
Epilogue 2
Kang sat alone on his throne. It was in chamberâscenter, no other throne beside it. Ravenna had heruses, was trusted to maintain the empire in Kangâsstead, but she was no equal. Only Kang conquered, and
thus only Kang ruled what remained. And a great dealalways remained after Kang was done, vast breadths oftime and space.
From the center of his chronal empire, Kang ruled fromChronopolis, his capital city that touched all time andspace at once. And inside his throne chamber, Kang wasable to observe all at once. He saw the Avengers battlea Vision that was not native to that time. He saw aVision from sideways in time join the fray. And finally,Kang saw Ultron awaken.
âIt may not yet be time,â Kang sighed beneath thepurple facemask he wore. As always, Kang wore hissophisticated armor. âBut then, when will it ever be?Uncertainty of the victory is what makes that victory somuch the sweeter.â Rising from his throne, Kang strodepast the floating images and towards the doorway. âItmay as well begin now.â
Outside the throne room, Kang walked onto a smallbalcony. Arrayed out below him were representativesfrom his armies, many thousands that were a part ofbillions more. Amplified by his armor, Kangâs voicecarried to all, heard above their cheers.
âWe go to war!â Kang bellowed. âWe go to conquest!â
Standing behind Kang, his back to the wall beside thedoorway, the Scarlet Centurion smiled. At last, MarcusImmortus would prove himself to his father.
Next Issue: Depends. Will an old ally of one Avengerreturn in the wake of the Kang/Ultron War to threatenall time and space? Or shall the High Evolutionary atlast make his move, threatening whole planets with hismad schemes? And what makes you so sure itâs notboth?
Authorâs Note
Another month, another issue of Avengers. Sadly, therewill be some delay in upcoming issues, what with themassive Avengers event that I will be co-writing alongwith the superbly talented Chris Munn. Donât fret,however, as you will all still be receiving a regularAvengers-by-Crosby fix. It will simply be more than thisteam of Avengers, plus their two biggest baddies toboot.
Kang. Ultron. One wants to rule over all time and space.The other wants to kill every living thing there is. Theirdiffering goals have now led to a clash for the ages, withthe Avengers caught in the middle. Both branches ofAvengers will be called in against this titanic threat, andtheyâll be receiving aid from a certain team of timelostAvengers gathered by Immortus. Or AvengersImmortal, if you will.
If youâre freaking out, Iâm weeping at the sheer volumeof characters Iâm going to have to write. Lord, itâll belike Brent Lambert never left. Even with Munnâs help, itmay be too much, hence the brief break of Avengers.Same with Captain America and Thunderbolts, which asyou all may have noticed have been quiet of late. Busybees, Munn and me, but only so much we can tackle.Still, fret not.. A new year shall be upon us and with itnew issues of all your favorite titles. If only because Ienjoy the letters of praise for each new tale I weave.
Speaking of which:
Oh yay! I won an Editorâs Choice Award, courtesy of thesmartest editor of them all, Cory Wiegel! Donât believeme, read it for yourself:
It's running a little late in the week, but stillalongside the following release as per guidelines isthe Editor's Choice Award for 11/12/07. It was one ofthe best releases of the month, which makes this wineven juicier for those anticipating it, but we can onlygive the award out to one issue and that issue is...
Avengers #53 by Stephen Crosby!
It's no secret that Steve's been wanting towrite the Avengers in fan fiction for quitesome time, but sadly the opportunity hasn'tseemed to come up very often in his fanficcareer. Thankfully, that's changed and he'snow writing the flagship heroes at Marvel2000, and what a bang-up job he's doing!I'll be the first to admit that while Iimmensely enjoyed his first two issues ofthe title, I didn't feel like they werecompletely living up to everything Stevecould do with these characters and theformat that he's devised for the series.They're not bad by any means, and hedeserves a good bit of praise for the workthat he's done, but it's apparent that -compared to this issue - those first twoissues were merely Steve finding hisfooting.
This issue, Steve continues the serial formatof writing that he's chosen for the Avengers.Each issue is essentially a new story and anew threat, but character relationshipscontinue to grow and develop concurrentlywith each issue, allowing for a certain focusand consistency in the cast if not thevillains. In a sense, this style creates aneasily accessible series, but gives somethingextra to the readers who've been followingall along. In the process, Steve sets upvarious future plots in the background of thestory and character developments, but hedoes so quickly and without taking focus offof the main story. It's something that I thinkeveryone can get on board with.
Avengers #53 features the Avengers, usedas a sort of promotional tool, working"security" at Cape Citadel on theanniversary of Magneto's first attack onhumanity. As anticipated, the base isattacked by a new Brotherhood of Mutants,
and the Avengers go to work in defendingthe base and bringing the baddies to justice.To be fair though, the Brotherhood ofMutants here are actually just Cortezleading a large number of the Acolyteswho've survived Russ Anderson's run onFallen Angels, with a couple of fun surprisesfor fans of Russ and Brent Lambert's workat the site. Alongside the action, Karnak andQuicksilver's relationship has possiblybecome less rocky, Espirita has come undera bit of emotional duress after almost killingan enemy, and Warbird's come tounderstand her feelings towards Binary alittle bit better.
Despite Quicksilver being left out of themajority of the issue, the use of the casthere was very well-rounded and the villains,especially one of the surprise members ofthe Brotherhood, came off as more fullydeveloped than in the past two previousissues. I'm not sure if it's because this issuewas lengthier and provided more room forSteve to work everything in properly, or ifit's because Steve's finally hitting his stride,but Avengers #53 is Steve's strongest issueon the title to date and is a prime exampleof the potential this series has under his pen(or should I say keystroke?). It's exciting toanticipate more issues!
It's not very often that a fanfic writer getsjust about everything "right," and when theydo that's when we give them an Editor'sChoice Award at Marvel 2000, socongratulations, Steve! Avengers #53 is theEditor's Choice for 11/12/07! Don't gospendin' it all in one place!
Much thanks, Cory! I certainly felt that last issue wasmuch more cohesive than what came before. However,there is one point in your review that I feel I mustclarify. The team the Avengers fought was not the
Brotherhood of Mutants. They were the Brotherhood ofEvil Mutants. Big difference, and hopefully the villainswill appear later down the line to show you exactly whatthat difference is.
What I also have are a couple of letters from Mr. MickEdwards. Why donât we see what heâs got to say. First,his letter on Avengers #52:
I'm not a reviewer so I'll just say that I like how thisissue came together. This team seems to have aninteresting dynamic with two hot heads, threeseasoned veterans, and one aloof Inhuman whoappears to have been an Avenger for quite sometime in M2K history. You also have a greater grasp ofcharacterization than Brent does which lends itself tothe character interactions and makes them feel morelike a squabbling team of coworkers. I think this runcould possibly exceed your Uncanny X-Men run interms of being my top five Fan-Fiction series of alltime. I'll have an eye out for next issue.
-Mick
Then, Avengers #53:
I enjoyed this issue as much as last issue and I'venoticed that you're building this run with smallerevents with smaller threats which lead toward biggerevents with bigger threats. It's an interesting conceptto use with the Avengers - reminds me of GrantMorrison's JLA run. It makes me wonder if you cankeep up the pace and not burn out like Morrison didtoward the end of his JLA run. I also must say thechemistry between the characters has to becommended because I've read a few odd issues ofM2K's Avengers and the chemistry of the team neverfelt natural. They always felt wooden and indifferentto each other especially in what I have skimmed ofBrent's run. I do have a few questions that I wouldlike to ask.
1. Have you ever considered rebuilding ormaking a new Vision from scratch? Or isthat a taboo subject?
2. Will Wanda be depowered? I ask as Ican't see how she could be used for furtherstorytelling purposes with Brent's dramaticpower increase making it difficult for writers
to come up with a threat that Wanda can'tjust hex away.
3. Will we ever see Thor rejoin the ranks ofthe team or is he still too disillusioned bythe split caused in Brent's run and theproblems in Asgard?
4. How long are you planning on staying onthe book?
Thanks for the answers.
-Mick
Thanks for the kind words and questions, Mick. Lookingat a lot of my fan fiction work, Iâve come to notice that Ido a lot of that serial story-telling, weaving larger arcsout of the smaller stories. Thanks for noticing, though Idonât really get the Morrison JLA comparison, as to methat looked like massive event after massive event. Alsosomething Iâm looking to do with the Avengers, just notso on top of each other.
At the risk of starting a flame war, I will say that I dothink Iâve got Brent beat with characterization. But inhis defense, Brentâs stories had gads more charactersthan I would ever dare to use. That he managed to getany sort of progression going at all, which he did, iscommendable. This is the risk a writer takes whenwriting a team book, and youâll notice that Iâve beenguilty of neglecting characters every odd issue or so.
As to the questions:
1) Youâve just seen a Vision here, so easy answer is itsout of my system. But who knows what the next issuewill bring. As far as building a completely new Vision,that is something I personally consider a taboo subject.After all, if it was just a regular human character thatdied, I couldnât just rebuild that.
2) I have no real plans to use Scarlet Witch in theforeseeable future, mainly because, as you said, sheâs
so powerful. And itâs not a recent thing, as sheâs alwayshad the hex ability to manipulate chance and I considerthat to be a very difficult power to write. Which is whyyouâll never see me write Longshot or Domino either.
3) Well, youâll notice Thor did put his differences withthe team aside to help out in JLA/Avengers. Maybe ifthereâs a massive big event down the line with, say, twoof the Avengers greatest foes going to warâŠ
4) I will stay on this book until I run out of ideas.Twelve issues are fully plotted, and when the timecomes Iâll submit another twelve-issue proposal.
And speaking of twelve issues, wow, Iâm a third of theway done. If it wasnât for the Kang/Ultron War event, Imight have considered going for the twelve-a-year goal.Alas, that will have to be another time. Though whoknows, maybe after this hiatus I can get back onto themonthly schedule. Itâs something to shoot for.
- Stephen CrosbyDecember 13th, 2007
Avengers #55June 2008
CaptainAmerica
Warbird
Quicksilver
Espirita
MARVEL 2000 PRESENTS...
"RISE AND FALL OF EVOLUTION"
Written by Steve Crosby
He floated through the void of space, this golden man of fate anddestiny. In the great vastness, with no true points of perspective,he appeared to be traveling very slowly. The fact was this man wastraveling far faster than the speed of light itself, streaking towardthe edge of a solar system. But at even the greatest speeds, timecan stretch for the man called Adam Warlock. Time that he used toreflect.
Created without purpose by mad scientists intent on conquest, theman then known as Him destroyed the creators and journeyed outinto space. A natural instinct to survive through reproduction led tothe seeking of a mate in the form of Sif, and conflict with hersometime-lover Thor, Norse God of Thunder. A later encounter withthe High Evolutionary granted Him three things: the new name ofAdam Warlock, the cosmic Soul Gem that still sat affixed to hisbrow, and a purpose as protector of Counter-Earth.
The strange planet had been created by the High Evolutionary andtraveled in Earth's orbit, on the opposite side of the sun. Populatedby a strange assortment of characters for the purposes of theircreatorâs experiments, it had been threatened by the terrifyingfailed experiment known as the Man-Beast. After eventuallythwarting the evil creature, Adam Warlock left the HighEvolutionary's service and again set out on his own.
The frozen mass of rock and ice called Pluto expanded intoWarlock's view. He had reached the solar system's edge, andreflected on another object he'd encountered in space long ago. Ithad been an outpost for the Universal Church of Truth, ruled by atwisted future self of Warlock's called the Magus. At the time,Warlock had been lamenting his failure to do lasting good, and sawhow that desire would eventually corrupt him into committing greatevils.
More powerful than his past self, Magus overcame Warlock andsought to direct him into following the path that would lead todamnation. However, Warlock had made allies in the struggle. Pipthe Troll, whose life of sin and debauchery countered everythingthe Universal Church of Truth had stood for. Gamora, the last of arace slaughtered by the Universal Church of Truth. She was found
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link
points to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
Stingray
Binary
Karnak
as a child and trained to assassinate the Magus and Warlock'sgreatest ally, the Mad Titan known as Thanos. It was Thanos whoenabled Warlock to defeat the Magus, but at a terrible cost. Toensure he would become the Magus, Adam Warlock destroyed alltimelines but his shortest, meaning that in the near future he wasto die.
That death had come too soon, ironically enough in conflict withThanos. Pip and Gamora had also died in that struggle, their soulstaken in by Warlock's Soul Gem. The same had been done toWarlock, and in a critical point in the struggle the spirit of Warlockarose and turned Thanos to stone. That was how it should haveended, with Warlock and his allies dead but their souls livingforever in a paradise provided by the Soul Gem. Alas, AdamWarlock and died and returned before, while combating the Man-Beast, and would do so again.
It was Thanos that had returned first. Mistress Death, whom theMad Titan loved, gave him life and the task of bringing death tohalf the universe. To achieve this, Thanos took the Soul Gem andits brothers, known collectively as the Infinity Gems and amassedgod-like power. But inside his Gem, Warlock still had power, and sohis soul was released along with Pip's and Gamora's. Returned toliving bodies, they teamed with champions of Earth and the cosmosto oppose the almighty Thanos. In the Mad Titan's defeat, Warlockcame into possession of the Infinity Gems and that same god-likepower, but recognizing his own limitations gave up the power andscattered the gems.
What followed was more conflict, as during his brief tenure ofomnipotence Warlock had expelled good and evil from his soul.These aspects took physical form, and undiluted good proved to beas dangerous as undiluted evil. Warlock drew these aspects backinto himself, and resumed his aimless wandering of the cosmos.
At last, Warlock spied the object he was tasked with retrieving inthe far distance. It was massive in size, comparable to a smallmoon, but misshapen to better resemble a human being. This wasbecause, Warlock confirmed as he drew nearer, the object was infact a giant human being known as the Living Monolith, the beinghe was tasked to collect.
Held at his side during the journey, Warlock raised his Karmic Staff,an object he had created to better channel and focus his naturalcosmic abilities. Through the Soul Gem, Warlock sensed that theLiving Monolith's mind was dormant but alive, and he dared not riskawakening such a powerful giant. Greenish energy flowed from theKarmic Staff to envelop the Living Monolith, wrapping around it asa blanket but far more durable. His charge now held fast by hispower, Warlock slowly towed him back into the solar system. Thisreturn trip would take far longer, and Warlock continued to reflect
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
on his engineered life.
Recent conflicts had not go so well for Adam Warlock. He hadattempted to save the soul of Genis-Vell, son of deceased allyCaptain Mar-Vell. Warlock still had hopes for the long scheme, butfor now Genis-Vell had become a lost cause. Just a short time agoThanos had returned to plague Earth with a collection of cosmicthreats, among them the mysterious Abyss. In attempting tocombat the ebony villain, Warlock had found his Soul Gemoverwhelmed by what seemed to be the consciousness of an entireuniverse. His presence ultimately had no bearing on the conflict,and Warlock limped away, ineffectual.
No direction. That was what Adam Warlock considered the rootcause for his ineffective actions. His future was blissfully uncertain.By decree of the Living Tribunal, the Infinity Gems could no longerbe used in junction. There was no longer any real purpose to AdamWarlock's life, and he saw little meaning in these conflicts. Only thepresence of Thanos had driven him to aid the Avengers.
What did it really matter of hundreds, thousands, millions of humanbeings died? If the Earth itself was destroyed? The universe wasvast, filled with an untold number of populated words. Every day aspecies would die out somewhere and another would evolve intobeing elsewhere. Violence ravaged sections of the cosmos, havingno impact on distant galaxies or even other systems in that samegalaxy. Unless the Everything itself was threatened, why shouldWarlock bother himself?
That question brought Adam Warlock to an old ally. One who, whileknown for occasional misdeeds, had never wronged Warlock andthus remained a trusted individual. He shared Warlock's doubts,and had confided that he'd once attempted suicide, having seen nomore point in life on the mortal plane. Then he showed Warlock thepossibilities of engineered life, of controlled randomness and awindow into what the End of All could really be. Adam Warlock sawmerit in these experiments, and agreed to aid his ally in carryingthem out.
At last, Warlock and his charge neared the system's center. Thehostile asteroid belt was behind them, and ahead lay the blue globethat was Earth. But it was a far distance away still, on the otherside of the central sun. Adam Warlock's destination was the planetthat shared Earth's orbit, though most of Earth's population wasunaware of this. It was not the same one Warlock had defended solong ago, that planet had been destroyed during Thanos' brush withgodhood, but it was Counter-Earth nevertheless.
Much as Earth did, its counter also had a moon, with a Blue Areasimilar to Earth's moon. But while that area was created by theSkrulls and housed a Kree city, this area and its complex within
shared the same creator as everything associated with CounterEarth. It was into this Blue Area that Adam Warlock landed, settlingthe immobile Living Monolith within the center of an intricate ringof pylons.
"His mind and soul remain silent." Warlock's voice carried throughthe artificial atmosphere He turned toward the area's centralcitadel, where a figure stood in the open doorway. "Whether he willremain that way once you siphon his energies, I cannot say."
"I have faith in my machines, Adam." The figured stepped into thebright, blue-tinged sunlight, revealing himself to be the armoredHigh Evolutionary. "The Living Monolith will remain aslumber, andthe vast stores of energy he has absorbed through the years willfeed the equipment used in my experiments."
"By my calculations it will take nine cycles before his size begins toreduce," Warlock stated. "He grew larger as I approached andgreater amounts of solar energy were fed into him. Set him outsidethis filtered area and he will last much longer as a power supply."
"Yes, but the gain is negligible next to the greater risk." As theHigh Evolutionary approached Adam Warlock, he raised his armand opened his palm. "Come now, old friend, and bear witness tothe first of many experiments."
At first, Warlock could see nothing in the palm of HighEvolutionary's hand. Then, he felt it through his Soul Gem, sosimilar to the experience with Abyss. A universe worth of souls, andhe could not see it.
âAvengers Assemble!â Captain America shouted at the top of hislungs. The battlecry failed to carry far, however, only being heardthrough the radio frequency by his teammates. They were deepbeneath the ocean surface, battling alongside former AvengerAndromeda and her fellow Atlanteans against the mutated clones ofAtâLaâTique.
Like Stingray, Captain America wore a pressurized suit, though notnearly so advanced. As a result is mobility was limited, so hegrudgingly stayed at the back lines. Warbird wore only an oxygenmask, her great strength enough to survive the harsh oceanpressure. Her powers enabled her to survive in deep space, soBinary had no need of a pressure suit or breathing apparatus. Thesame wasnât exactly true of Espirita, but so great was the heataround her that water became steam inches from her skin, and likeBinary she did not need to breathe.
That left Karnak and Quicksilver, whose super-human skills would
have been useless under water no matter what they wore. For thisreason they were aboard the experimental Quin-Sub. Even from adistance and through thick plexi-glass, Karnak could spot theweakness in his enemies. At his direction Quicksilver could workthe controls at super-speed to best exploit those weaknesses. Butonly if they could work together.
âThat blast was off by three inches.â
âIt still destroyed the vehicle.â
âYes, but it also would have destroyed the two near it. No, youshould have fired at Llyron three seconds later.â
âI hate twiddling my thumbs.â
The premature laser blast from the Quin-Sub was dodged by Llyronas he plunged into the midst of Atlanteans. âFools,â he screamed.âThis is what the people of Atlantis truly want! With Namor at thatsurface whoreâs bidding I have been freed to lead our peopleagain!â
âBroken out by fanatics you mean!â Andromeda roared. Throughthe murky water none of the Avengers could hear her or Llyronâswords. âTheyâll soon have my thanks. Killing you on the field ofbattle I wonât have to wait for your execution!â
Andromeda slashed at Llyron with her knife. However, the clonedAtlantean/human hybrid dived over the attack and smashed thebutt of his trident against Andromedaâs skull. She floated down,dazed, and Llyron swam straight for Captain America. Around him,the AtâLanâTique forces were being thoroughly routed by thesuperior number of Atlanteans and the great power of theAvengers. Still, Llyron knew that striking at the head was a key invictory, and felt it was still in his grasp.
âNow we battle in my element, surface worlder!â Llyronâs roar wasindiscernible to Captain America, but he was able to get themeaning behind it. He barely managed to raise his shield in time todeflect the thrust of Llyronâs trident.
A short distance away, Espirita scattered a grouping of AtâLanâTiqueclones with a burst of super-heated steam. Only scatter. None werestruck directly, were even in danger of being struck. Still, Espiritasaw several of her enemy move as though pained, and there wasworry in her soul. Her powers were so destructive, if anyone wereseriously injured by themâŠ
âThereâs something wrong!â It was Warbird who had cried out, hervoice carried by the small transmitter in her oxygen mask. She andBinary had just smashed open an undersea tank. The passengers
spilled out, the cloned soldiers, but they were limp and with a palecoloring. âTheyâre almost dead, and weâre not the cause!â
Moving much faster than Captain America was able to, Llyron swamaround him and prepared to strike with his trident. But Stingraydived from above, his body coursing with electricity when hetouched the villain. Electricity arced through Llyron and the tridentfell from limp fingers. His suit powered down, Stingray took hold ofthe unconscious Llyron, the entire exchange finished before CaptainAmerica could even turn around.
âGood work, Avenger.â
âMaybe next time youâll listen when I suggest you stay in the sub.â
Captain America allowed a brief smile. âUnlikely.â He turned backaround, to check Andromedaâs condition. He saw that she hadrecovered and was treading water. He also saw that the battle wasover. Most of the AtâLanâTique were beaten, and the rest were inshape to fight, stricken by the sudden new illness. âAndromeda, isthis a complication of them being clones?â
âIt may well be, Captain.â Andromeda still carried her Avengerscommunicard and was able to adjust her speech through the waterso the non-Atlanteans could understand. âAnd thank you for notsuggesting we Atlanteans employ biological weapons.â
âI know thatâs not in your general nature,â he replied. âAtlanteansprefer open battle, and accept the defeat of their opponents withhonor. Iâm sure all of your prisoners here will be given medicalattention.â
Before Andromeda could respond, her eyes rolled back into herhead and she began to convulse. Captain America and Stingraymoved toward her position, but a number of her Atlanteancomrades reached Andromeda first. A number of those who werenâtsuddenly experiencing the same symptoms. Reaching the packaround Andromeda, Captain America was allowed to pass throughthem and took the former teammate in his arms.
âIt must be the same thing affecting the AtâLanâTique,â Stingrayinsisted.
Captain America nodded, but had most of his attention on theafflicted fellow Avenger. âSpeak to me, Andromeda. Youâre strongenough to fight whatever this is.â
The gills covering the inside of Andromedaâs cheeks flared as sheseemed to be gasping for oxygen. However she seemed to catchher breath, and in shorts bursts answered. âOnlyaâŠsuddenâŠdiscomfort. Not tooâŠserious.â She was pushing for
Captain America to release her, and he reluctantly did so. She atleast managed to float by herself. âI still feel it, butâŠmild. Like anache in all my muscles thatâs been around for years.â
âOnce everybody gets down to the city we can run tests to seewhat is going on-â
Quicksilverâs voice cut through the frequency to interrupt CaptainAmerica. âWhatever this is, it is happening on land as well. We arenow receiving a number of reports. Sudden fatigue and severemuscle ache are affecting thousands at once.â
Hesitation passed over Captain Americaâs face. He was compelledto go do his duty, but didnât like to just abandon a comrade inneed. Fortunately, Andromeda sensed the conflict and absolvedhim.
âGo, take care of your own. Weâll take care of ours.â
They were gathered in the mansionâs main assembly room, five ofEarthâs Mightiest Heroes. Spinning above the meeting table was aholographic globe of the Earth in a dull red glow except for green atthe poles. Captain America took charge, telling his team exactlywhat they were seeing.
âOver ninety percent of the planet is being affected by this strangeailment. Not just humans, as weâve seen. All forms of humanoidand animal life are being affected too. So far the symptoms haveonly been minor and chronic. Weâve had no reports of deaths yet.âCaptain America let that last word carry in the air before going on.
âEven members of the super-human population arenât immune.â Heindicated the teammates around him: Quicksilver, Espirita, Binaryand Warbird. âYouâre all fine right now, and Stingray is okaybecause heâs remained in his armor. But Karnak was hit especiallyhard.â
They had all just left Karnak in the medical area upstairs, hismuscles nearly useless. Jarvis and Dianne Arliss were there as well,more as a precaution, with Stingray at his wifeâs side.
âHave you been experiencing the symptoms?â Espirita askedCaptain America.
The Avengers Chairperson nodded. âIt was just like Andromedasaid. A dull ache in all the muscles of my body. Iâm able to dealwith it though, as are most people for now. The best scientists inthe world are working on this problem, but we donât know if thiswill get worse or how much.â
âIt has to be a weapon,â Warbird declared. âThe way this suddenlystruck world-wide in a matter of minutes, including everything inthe oceans. Do we know for a fact that residents in Latveria havebeen affected?â
âThere has been confirmation,â Captain America responded.âObviously, this isnât the kind of threat weâre used to. To be frank, Iexpect our only contribution to the investigation will be as aresponse to the aggressors responsible. But we arenât the sort tojust sit on our hands and do nothing. As none of us have scientificbackgrounds, and Stingrayâs primary field is in oceanography, Iâvecalled in a specialist.â
âThen when he arrives you should send him out to assist the otherreal scientists,â Quicksilver remarked. âWe canât waste resourcesdoing separate studies.â
âOh, I donât think anyone will be missing me!â A small voiceboomed through the air. All the Avengers saw the small fly that hadbuzzed into the room, but only the ones with impeccable eyesightcould see the insect had a tiny passenger. At this passengerâscommand, the fly landed on the table, and the Astonishing Ant-Manhopped off. âIâm really more a specialist in small things than anactual scientist.â
âWhen restructuring the team I recruited Ant-Man as the secondreservist,â Captain America told the team. âHe has unique talentsfor specialized threat, such as this one. If he manages to get smallenough, Ant-Man can provide us with a first-hand look at themicrobes of this disease.â
âAllay-oop!â Somersaulting off the table, Ant-Man grew in mid-airand landed a full-sized man. âThis situation got me thinking aboutmicrobes and Pym Particles. For instance, have you guys evernoticed that giant-sized bacteria doesnât suddenly appear everytime Giant-Man got larger?â
âYes, because the Pym Particles are too large to attach to themicrobes.â Quicksilver sounded bored as he told Scott Lang this.âWhat does this have to do with anything?â
âUm, well, nothing,â Ant-Man admitted. âExcept that it alsoexplains why Hank could never shrink down to microbe size. Insectsize is the limit for Pym Particles before the subject is jumped intothe Sub-Atomic Universe. However,â Ant-Man was quick to add.âIâve looked at research claiming that white dwarf star matter couldsuccessfully shrink matter to a microscopic level.â
âWhere could we find this research?â Espirita inquired.
âUmâŠâ Ant-Man hesitated. âThe internet.â
Quicksilver laughed out loud. âOh please. Thatâs the stupidest thingIâve ever heard. Just admit that youâre useless and we can get onwith our lives.â
âHey, donât be mean,â Binary said to Quicksilver.
Warbird asked the question. âAssuming you could get your handson white dwarf star matter, what could you do with it?â
âWell, obviously I canât get my hands on white dwarf star matter,âAnt-Man admitted. Quicksilver barely held back his laugh whileCaptain America closed his eyes and sighed. âBut, we havesomebody here who draws her power from a white dwarf star.â
After saying this, Ant-Man directed his eyes to Binary. CaptainAmerica, Quicksilver and Espirita followed his line of vision to lookat her also. Only Warbird failed to do this. She was looking down atthe floor while it dawned on Binary what Ant-Man was getting at.
âOh? Oh, right!â Her eyes lit up. âWow, so thatâs where my powerscome from.â
âYeah.â Warbird muttered reluctantly. âItâs what lets you do lots ofstuff.â She directed at Ant-Man, âWhat would you expect her todo?â
A short time later, the Avengers had gone up one floor to thelaboratories and medical area. With her services not required forAnt-Manâs experiments, Espirita went to visit with Stingray and thepatients. Jarvis and Dianne both appeared fine if haggard, but thesight of Karnak was heartbreaking. He was often so strong andcapable, but due to his weak Inhuman immune system the musclesof his body were becoming atrophied.
âRight now what really worries me is his heart.â In addition to hismany doctorates, Stingray had some medical training. âI haveadrenaline on hand, but if his heart gives out it may neverrecover.â
âIn time this may happen to everybody,â Espirita observed. âI fearto wonder if the same is occurring in Attilan.â
At mention of the Inhuman city, Stingray glanced past Espirita andlowered her voice. âBest not to. Quicksilver puts on a good frontâŠâ
Espirita nodded, understanding that their mutant teammate mustbe worried about the health of his ex-wife and daughter. Quicklyshe shifted the subject. âAnt-Man is rigging up something he thinks
will allow Binary to manipulate Pym Particles. He seems quite adeptat electronics.â
âHe should be. Scott Lang used to be a technician for StarkEnterprises and the Fantastic Four. Do you think anything usefulwill come of this?â
Espirita hesitated, but came to repeat Captain Americaâs earlierwords. âA threat like this, itâs unlike anything we usually face. Ithelps to at least do something. And there is always a chance that itwill be the right thing.â
âEspirita, about things we usually face.â Though Stingrayâs face washidden beneath the armor, Espirita could tell from his bodylanguage that he was uncertain with what he was going to say.âEarlier, you were holding back against the AtâLanâTique. I knowwhat happened at Cape Citadel rattled you, but Mellancampsurvived.â
âThat doesnât change the fact I nearly killed him,â Espirita repliedwith deep regret.
âBurning the oxygen around him was sound, but I could have doneit more safely. Instead I took his invulnerable skin for granted androasted his organs. I know that to question the harm I may do isfoolish during a fight, but the alternativeâŠâ Espirita suddenlylooked very afraid. âIf I donât, my soul is at risk.â
A man of science, Stingray had no argument for Espiritaâs religiousfears. All he could do was nod in understanding, and silently hopethat others better qualified would help his teammate.
âEasy, Binary. Just let the power flow through.â
âIâmâŠnot used to being subtle with this,â Binary said with difficulty.Soft white light was shining out of her hand, into the lantern-shaped device that Ant-Man had built. Inside were Pym Particles,and hopefully Binaryâs power was altering them to do the task athand.
On the other side of the lantern, there was a needle standingupright on a glass slide. Also on the table was a sophisticatedmicroscope. All the Avengers gathered around were waitingpatiently, except for Quicksilver, whose foot was tapping rapidly.
âHow much longer until we know this is going to work?â
âIt might as well be now.â Ant-Man flipped a switch on the lantern,opening up one side of it. White light with tiny flecks of PymParticles shot out, bathing the needle. Almost immediately it
vanished. âLetâs take a look at the slide.â
Carefully, the glass slide was placed under the microscope. Ant-Man put his eyes to the scopes and slowly worked the dials. âOkay,I thinkâŠthere, Iâve got it!â He lifted his head up. âCaptain America,come take a look.â
The Avengers Chairperson peered into the microscope. âThere it is,all right. Kind of big. What setting are you using?â
âThrough there we should be able to see one-celled organisms.Thatâs about the needleâs size. What Iâve not sure about are thoseflowing waves around it.â
âI can almost make them out. Whatever it is seems to be movingtoo fast.â
âLuckily,â Ant-Man reached for a switch on the microscope. âThisbaby has a built in camera.â A sheet of photo-paper shot out of aslot in the side. âA quick freeze-frame, and weâll have a better ideaof what-â Ant-Manâs eyes fell on the photograph, and his wordscaught in his throat.
âMy god,â Captain America breathed. âWe need to assemble againstthis, now.â
Once again, the Avengers had assembled in the War Room,including Stingray. Captain America was leaning against the table,one hand on the photograph Ant-Man had taken. The needle couldbe seen clearly, but surrounding it was something that couldnâthave been there. A city existed around the needle, dwarfed by itbut still massive, apparently built in a late-Victorian style. Tiny dotscouldnât be properly made out, but it was obvious to everyone theyrepresented people.
âWeâre dealing with a microscopic civilization,â Captain Americainformed everyone present. âTo give you all a sense of what weâreagainst, this city covers an area smaller than a pin hole. As far asAnt-Man can determine, the entire world is covered by this.â
âWeâre talking a trillion-trillion beings,â Ant-Man added. âAll smallerthan one-celled organisms without being sub-atomic. Just byexisting, theyâre affecting us and itâs unlikely they know weârehere.â
âAll right then.â Warbird crossed her arms. âWhatever we do aboutthis, it has to affect them all at once, right? How do we go aboutit?â
âThat would be genocide,â Espirita stated. âThese people arenâteven aware of what theyâre doing. We canât just wipe them out.â
âThe same can be said for lice. That doesnât stop me from washingmy hair.â
âEspirita is right,â Captain America said. âWe have here evidence ofculture, of civilization. They can be reasoned with, once we find away to communicate. Working together, we should be able to solvethis problem non-violently.â
âAnd if not,â Quicksilver interjected, âweâll have made an enemyaware of us. This,â he indicated the entire afflicted world, âis themliving normal lives. If they tried, we could all end up dead.â
âNevertheless, we need to try.â Captain America addressed theteam. âWorking in concert, Ant-Man and Binary will shrink us alldown. Stingray, I would like you to remain behind, to let everybodyknow about what weâve found. And weâll be leaving immediately.â
âEverything is set up.â Ant-Man patted the lantern filled with PymParticles and Binaryâs white-dwarf energy. He then indicated hisbelt. âAnd I have pouches filled so weâll be able to get back,hopefully.â
âThen letâs go,â Warbird said. âStingray, if weâre not back inâŠâ Shelooked at Captain America. âWhat, an hour? Two?â
âWe should give it a day.â
âAll right. If weâre not back in about a day, fill the rest of the teamin about this. And the Fantastic Four.â
âI wonât wait that long,â Stingray told them. âBut weâll try to holdoff taking action until then. Good luck.â
Five of the Avengers and reservist Ant-Man grouped together atone end of the table. As the lantern was opened, Stingray salutedhis teammates as they vanished. Once theyâd gone, he was aboutto turn to check on his wife and Karnak, and then to contacteverybody he could. Not even a second had passed.
The Avengers were suddenly back.
They had reappeared at the exact same spot, but that was the onlysimilarity Stingray could see. Everybodyâs uniforms had beenmended several times, and was dirty with extensive wear. Ant-Manâs uniform was covered with tape, blood crusted at CaptainAmericaâs side, and Quicksilver appeared to have lost more thantwenty pounds. Warbirdâs hair was cropped close to her red scalp,
and indication itâd been burned off. Binary and Espirita just lookedweary, so weary.
âWhat have you been doing?â Quicksilver demanded. âWhy hadnâtanyone come to help?â
âYouâŠyou all had just left!â Stingray sputtered out, flabbergastedat what he was seeing. âI swear, not even a second a passed.â
Quicksilver and Warbird both looked furious, but Captain Americajust nodded. âThatâs what weâd figured, ever since we were toldabout the needleâs history.â He told Stingray flat-out, âwe weregone eight months.â
âWhat? How?â
âTime seems to flow differently at microscopic size,â Ant-Mantheorized. âWhatâs been little more than a day to use has been tensof thousands of years for them. A civilization larger than our knownuniverse, at this point more advanced than weâll ever become.â Heturned to Captain America. âJust in the time Iâm explaining this,everybody weâve met has died of old age.â
âWere you able to talk to somebody?â Stingray asked. âExplainthings?â
âIt didnât matter.â Binary explained. âThey haveâŠhad, no centralauthority. Weâd found an ally, tried to set him up in a position tohelp, butâŠâ She looked about to cry.
âWeâve basically been fighting a war,â Espirita explained. âAnd itâslikely already been lost in time.â
âSo we need to do plan B,â Warbird declared. âScorch it all and-â
âThat wonât work,â Captain America stressed. âSetting asidemorality, we would need to annihilate everything atâŠnot evensecondâŠat the quantum instant. Worldwide, or in less than an hourweâd be right back here. That is impossible.â
âSo what do we do?â Warbird asked. âTrack down and beat asolution out of-â
Captain America shook his head. âNo. Iâd like to confirm this withMister Fantastic, but I think thereâs only one course of actionavailable to us.â
It took eight hours. As near as they could tell, nobody died. Even
those hit as hard as Karnak had made a completely recovery.Another photograph from the microscope confirmed everything.
They may never know exactly how it happened, but the civilization,the entire species was gone, as all are inevitably destined too.Maybe not died out, exactly. They could have ascended in somefashion, given the level of advancement that could be identifiedfrom the ruins. The details didnât exactly matter. The threat hadpast, and all that remained was for the Avengers to respond.
Ant-Man looked at the photograph heâd taken while in the micro-verse. It was of a massive statue, recognizable as the HighEvolutionary. Heâd been behind it, and the Avengers were going tomake him answer for the deed. Not with Ant-Man, though. Hewasnât needed for that kind of mission. Which was just fine by him.
Before heâd left, a message had been playing on Ant-Manâsanswering machine. The ex-wife, about a time to pick up Cassie.Ant-Man figured heâd call her back in less than a second, providedhe didnât break his own neck.
But that was later. Now, Ant-Man pulled the rope taut, and startedclimbing a needle to get a better view of the ruins of a city longdead.
Next Issue: His latest experiment threatened the entire world, andthe Avengers aim to make the High Evolutionary pay for it! But toreach him, they need to get through Adam Warlock! Plus, aslumbering giant awakens!
Authorâs Note
To be honest, I feel a little like Iâd just written an issue of FantasticFour. High-concept, exploration of a new, strange world, fairlyheavy in terms of science fiction with a meaningful message at theend. Now, if Iâd focused on the war the Avengers fought, or had themicro-verse inhabitants figure out a way to grow and invade themacro-verse⊠But no, thatâs not what this issue was about. Maybedown the road, Iâll do a special dealing more in-depth about whathappened to the Avengers. But for now, itâs enough to know that itwas all meaningless, kind of like the majority of stories.
But okay, enough of the high-concept stuff. Next issue is mega-actionâŠalong with some more high-concept stuff. Then, who knowswhat kind of mega-epic will be coming our way.
Avengers #56July 2008
CaptainAmerica
Warbird
Quicksilver
Espirita
MARVEL 2000 PRESENTS...
"THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ANYTHING"
Written by Steve Crosby
Yesterday, the world had stood still. A disease that had turned outto be a worldwide microscopic civilization had incapacitated theentire population. Today that civilization had died out, having agedalong an accelerated timeline. But while investigating the threat,Earthâs mightiest heroes the Avengers had discovered who wasresponsible for it.
Now, the Avengers were assembled to avenge.
The team had piled into the specialized Quinjet, designedspecifically for spaceflight missions. âDo we have our course?âCaptain America asked the pilot, the experienced Warbird.
She pushed buttons and an image of Earthâs solar orbit appearedon the monitor. On the other side of the orbit was a blank spot, anarea roughly Earthâs size where nothing registered. âWeâveidentified what has to be a new Counter-Earth,â Warbird stated.âIâm assuming we donât want a week-long trip?â
âYou assume correctly.â
âThat plots our course through the sun.â
Espirita muttered a prayer in Spanish. Everybody else appearednervous, but said nothing.
âLiftoff,â Captain America ordered.
Warbird pressed the launch button. The Quinjet shuddered as itblasted up from the Avengers Mansion rooftop and through theEarthâs atmosphere. In minutes it was arcing around Earth towardsthe sun, building speed as it did so. âBinary, youâre up.â
With hesitation, Binary moved to the rear of the Quinjet. Thevehicle was powered by fuel cells, but the supply was finite andCaptain America did not want to waste energy unless necessary.Binary opened the access door to the engines, her own powershielding the team from the deadly exhaust bursts. Cosmic energyflowed from Binary into the engines, and the Quinjet shot offthrough space at nearly the speed of light.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link
points to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
Stingray
Binary
Karnak
âThe distance between Earth and the Sun is about one hundred fiftythousand kilometers,â Warbird informed the team. âThe speed oflight is over a billion kilometers and hour. At our present speed, thesun will come up in ten minutes.â She yelled toward the back of theQuinjet. âThatâs enough, Binary. Our momentum and the sunâsgravity will carry us the rest of the way. Stand by to shield theQuinjet.â
âHow many times have you run this simulation?â Stingray asked.
âThree times with Binary,â Warbird answered. âIâve personally runthis simulation over a hundred times, though I admit few involvedthis sun.â When sheâd been Binary, Warbird has spent time withspace pirates known as the Starjammers. âBut Iâve been up closeand personal with our sun. I know the timing inside and out.â
The temperature in the Quinjetâs cabin was beginning to rise. âDonothing Binary. Espirita, draw in everything Iâm not absorbing.âRight not that wasnât much, but Warbird knew as they got closershe would absorb more and more ambient radiation. Idly shewondered, and perhaps hoped, that it would be enough to trigger atransformation into her old Binary form.
Three minutes passed before Warbird whipped her closely shavedhead around and yelled out. âNow Binary! Just like I taught you!â
Energy rippled out of Binary, an aura of power that passedharmlessly through the cabin to blanket the entire Quinjet. It wasan extension of Binaryâs own sheath that protected her from thevacuum of space and the radiation of celestial bodies. And as thissheath surrounded the Quinjet, Binaryâs skin lightened to its owndark natural hue.
âWeâll only be in the sun for less than a minute,â Warbird told herteammates. âBut be prepared for some extreme discomfort.â
That turned out to be an understatement as the Avengers Quinjetplunged into the flaring sun. Nuclear reactions burst all around thevehicle, taxing Binaryâs sheath as well as the Quinjetâs ownshielding. Between holding back the radiation and preventingextreme gravity from crushing the Quinjet into an atom, sweat waspouring down Binaryâs face.
Warbird and Espirita were similarly perspiring, as were the otherAvengers before long. Stingray feared he might actually drown inhis armor. Quicksilver was starting to breathe hyper-rapidly, andKarnak shot him a warning look. There was a limited supply of airin the Quinjet and Quicksilver was using up more than his share.
Almost before the heat, radiation and gravity threatened to beoverwhelming, it passed as the Quinjet rocketed through the other
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
side of the sun. Binary appeared to be relaxing, but Warbirdshouted, âNot yet! Keep us shielded, and boost the engines to fightthe gravity.â
âIâŠI canât.â Binaryâs knees started to buckle, but Firestar grabbedher arm to support her. Steam was rising from the skin of bothfemale Avengers. âI have the sheath up still, but thereâs nothingleft forâŠâ Binaryâs mouth went dry and she couldnât speak anotherword.
âDammit!â Warbird undid her seat restraints. âCaptain America,take the controls.â She was moving toward the rear of the Quinjet,where the engines were.
âWarbird, the fuel cells can-â
âAnd burn out in the process,â she finished. âThe engines may evenbe overtaxed to the point of breaking down. They need enoughjuice and right now Iâm the only one that can provide it!â
Warbird rushed past Binary and Espirita, wrenched open the enginecontainment and plunged her hand into it. Her power rushed intothe engines, enabling it to fight against gravity and win. âAaahhh!â
Captain America studied the readouts on the control board, andwhen it was safe he gave the word. âBinary, itâs safe to contractyour sheath. And get Warbird out of there!â
Quicksilver reached Warbird first, pulling her from the engine andclosing the containment. The hand Warbird had plunged in washeavily blistered, useless for the moment. Quicksilver moved her toa seat next to the semi-conscious Binary, and fetched the med-kitto treat her hand.
âWhatâs our ETA, Captain?â Stingray inquired.
âNow that weâre running on the fuel cells and moving againstgravity, I estimate about thirty minutes,â Captain America replied.âWhich should be almost enough time for us to recover from thetrip. Against a foe like the High Evolutionary, weâll need it.â
The far distant image of an Avengers Quinjet was reflected in thegreen gem on Warlockâs brow. He could see both with his eyes andin his mind the approaching enemy. He turned, hair and cape stillin the airless atmosphere of the moon, and addressed his masterthe High Evolutionary.
âTheyâre coming.â
The High Evolutionary gave the slightest of nods. âAs you warnedme.â
âTheirs is a culture that cannot let things go unanswered,â Warlockstated. âIf slighted in the most minute way, they feel the need tolash out and teach lessons. It is unlikely they have the faintest ideaof what to do should they succeed.â
âIt is telling you do not include me in human generalizations,â theHigh Evolutionary observed. âHowever shortsighted, their goal is toend my experiments. Do you sympathize?â
Adam Warlock shook his head. âNone were killed in your latestattempt to glimpse the cycle of evolution. The benefits of thesestudies far outweigh any risks, as I will attempt to convince theAvengers.â
âAnd if your attempt should fail?â
Adam Warlock turned away from his master to gaze into the abyssof the unknown. âThen I shall dissuade them by force. They willlearn their folly, either by words or action.â
A circuit in his pink and purple armor was activated. The HighEvolutionaryâs form shimmered as he teleported from AdamWarlockâs side. âI leave this matter in your hands, my Adam.â
The Quinjet had grown larger in Warlockâs gem, as tens ofthousands of miles had rapidly become thousands of miles.Warlockâs own image appeared in the gem, superimposed over theQuinjet. A connection of souls was in progress, and with no effortcontact was made.
Warlock felt them, the souls of his sometime allies the Avengers.They were weary from their journey, but angry and eager forbattle. They felt wronged by the High Evolutionary, desired to makehim pay for the perceived attack on Earth. It would make as muchsense to attack every laboratory on their planet, Warlock thoughtto himself. More sense.
Communication between souls was not as precise as betweenminds. Warlock could only transmit feelings, give the Avengers asense of his position. None were sympathetic. Warlock could sensehow strongly they felt, that they had all experienced recent painassociated with the present conflict. Broken hearts, a tragic guilt,abject horror and the deepest of violation. This conflict was aboutmuch more than a simple experiment. The Avengers had beenchanged, and they blamed the High Evolutionary.
Having accepted that he could not dissuade the Avengers remotely,Adam Warlock withdrew into the Blue Area of the Counter Earthâs
Moon. He would wait until they arrived safely, and attempt to settlethis with words.
Inside their Quinjet, the Avengers got their first look at CounterEarth. At the same time the planet came into view, the moon did aswell. Espirita made the sign of the cross.
"This blasphemer believes himself to be a god."
"Worse, actually," Quicksilver remarked. "The High Evolutionarybelieves that he's improving on God's design. So better than god,actually."
"And nearly as powerful," Captain America stated. "The HighEvolutionary has even battled Galactus at one point, back when thefirst Counter-Earth was destroyed."
"So he can't beat Galactus. I'll take that as encouraging." Warbirdwas looking at the readouts on the control console. "There is ahuge energy spike on the moon. The output of energy is enormous,more than anything I've seen before."
"It makes sense to keep a power source isolated," Captain Americaobserved. "The moon is as isolated as it gets. If we can knock outwhatever's there, it will strike a blow to the High Evolutionary."
Warbird guided the Quinjet toward the moon. As they got closer,Karnak wondered aloud, "There's a shade of blue there. Could itbe...?"
âA Blue Area.â Captain America nodded. âTake us there Warbird.â
The Quinjet angled in, approaching the Counter Earthâs Moon anditâs Blue Area specifically. As it came within a mile of the Blue Area,a small figure appeared in the Quinjetâs path. Man-sized, it was thecolor of gold, with a red cape trailing behind. There was a staff inits hand, held sideways as though barring the way.
âThatâs Adam Warlock,â Captain America breathed. âWhat is hedoing here?â
âIt looks like heâs getting in our way,â Binary said. âDo you wantme to go out and deal with him?â
âUntil we enter the Blue Area, the cabin will depressurize ifopened,â Stingray told her. âWe need to get past him and landquickly. In flight weâre sitting ducks.â
âGet past Adam Warlock,â Warbird muttered. âRight.â She did try,shifting the Quinjet to dip below the hovering Warlock. The staff inhis hand moved, a blast from its head roiling across the Quinjetâsbow. âThat was a warning. I say we risk opening the hatch.Binary.â
The younger and more powerful Avengers started towards thehatch, but Captain America indicated that she stop. âNo, thatwasnât a warning. Heâs herding us. Look down below.â
Warbird and the rest of the Avengers could see it, a giant âXâmarked into the lunar ground just inside the Blue Area. âTake usdown there,â Captain America told her. âAdam Warlock has alwaysbeen reasonable. Whatever his reasons are for joining with theHigh Evolutionary, we may be able to convince him otherwise.â
At Captain Americaâs direction, Warbird set the Quinjet down at theindicated spot. The Avengers disembarked and arrayed themselvesto face Adam Warlock, who had landed a short distance away. Thegolden cosmic defenders rippled in the Blue Areaâs atmosphere,and his staff was now planted into the ground. Far behind him alarge citadel was in view, at the center what appeared to be amammoth statue towering toward the sky.
âI advise you to abandon this crusade and return home,â Warlockbellowed to the Avengers. âThere is no reason for you to be here,and less for you to achieve. Return home and do something ofactual meaning to your lives.â
âCombating a threat to Earth is meaning enough,â Captain Americacountered. âNot too long ago you assisted us against a worldwidethreat. What the High Evolutionary did put our planet at risk,Warlock, and weâre here to make him answer for it.â
Warlock shook his head with conviction. âThere was no risk, as youall well know. Zero lasting casualties, a statistic that none of yourresearchers on Earth can match.â
âCasualties?!â Espiritaâs eyes burned with unusual flame. âYouheretic! Casualties!â She flew at Warlock, her body engulfed inflames that blew white hot. The Blue Area dimmed in response toall the oxygen burning.
The green gem on Adam Warlockâs forehead was an object of nearinfinite power known as the Soul Gem, and when it glimmered thesoul of Espirita was laid bare. Warlock tilted his staff foreward anda burst of power washed over Espirita, extinguishing the flamesaround her body. She fell to the ground as Warlock looked down ather and the Avengers with deep sorrow.
âYour experiences were painful. But it was your choice to enter the
petrie dish.â Moon dust rustled as Warlock rose into the air. âTimein the universe is so short for most individuals. Instead of wastingsuch precious time on conflict that will not achieve anything, youcould...â
Quicksilver had rushed at Warlock as heâd begun to rise. His armwas outstretched for the staff, hoping to take what was apparentlya weapon as Warlock was distracted in speech. He did manage totouch it, and the backlash of energy threw Quicksilver away, pasthis fellow Avengers and out of the moonâs Blue Area.
âSave a friendâs life,â Warlock finished.
âBinary!â Captain America shouted. She didnât have to be toldanything else, as Binary flew after Quicksilver to collect him beforethe moonâs weak atmosphere proved fatal. âAvengers go!â That lastword was accompanied by Captain Americaâs shield hurled at AdamWarlock.
Warlock ducked to the side and knocked the shield away with hisstaff. Warbird was in the air moving toward him, energy blastingfrom both hands. One blast narrowly missed Warlock, while theother he deflected with the palm of a hand. Green energy shot fromWarlockâs gem and struck Warbird. She screamed as though hersoul were being ripped apart, and her body briefly became two,superimposed on top of one another.
While Warbird was being dispatched, Espirita was recovering.Flames danced across her skin and the Avenger released a blast atWarlock. The golden man was engulfed, but the heat of fire wasnext to nothing compared to the supernovas Warlock observed upclose. So it was not the heat that caused Warlockâs gem to pulsateand bring him crashing to the ground. The staff flew from Warlockâsfingers, clattering against the hard moon rock.
Captain Americaâs shield returned to his hand as he rushed atAdam Warlock. Though disoriented by Espiritaâs mysterious attack,Warlock raised his hand. âThe staff is only a focus.â Brilliant pinkenergy erupted from Warlockâs palm. It exploded against CaptainAmericaâs shield, but its unique composition was indestructibleagainst even near-cosmic power. He kept coming, and the sole ofan army issue boot met Adam Warlockâs golden face.
âThis has no point!â Adam Warlock screamed. Power pulsed fromhis body and the Soul Gem. Captain America was forced back, andEspiritaâs flames were held at bay. âWhat do you really hope toachieve? The High Evolutionary is no base criminal to beoverwhelmed and taken to prison. His crime in your eyes wasexperimenting on creatures he considers to be lower life-forms,something committed on your planet thousands of times a day!â
Air was violently pushed aside from Binaryâs path when sherocketed back into the Blue Area. She smashed through Warlockâsaura of power and into his back with the force of an atomic device.âI am so sick of being called a lower life-form!â
Warlock rolled with the blow, and delivered an elbow to the side ofBinaryâs head. âNot quite. The source of your anger stems fromexperimentation that improved you as a result. The HighEvolutionary simply wanted to observe a complete evolutionarycycle in a controlled environment.â Recovered from the blow,Binary tried to throw a punch but Warlock blocked it. âEverything isfinite, including your power. Even stars die.â
Warbird grabbed Warlock from behind, locking her arms around hisneck. âStars may die every instant. Theyâre also born. Donât youdare say this doesnât matter, that our time fighting a potentialdanger didnât matter. Every moment for every individual matters!â
"Yes, but only to the individual." The slightest flex released Warlockfrom Warbird's grip. He twisted and elbowed her in the face. Hispalm was presented to Binary and a swirling green blast of powerpropelled her away. "Once, I had been connected to TheEverything. I felt all minds and souls. Even that near-infiniteconsciousness is but a drop in the vast ocean of The Everything.Less than ten percent of All is matter, and less than one percent ofthat living."
"The smallest thread in the tapestry has meaning," Espiritapreached. She had flown above Adam Warlock, and her fire wasfalling upon him. "Insects have purpose, spreading life in plants.We have purpose, and it is not to feed a false-god's mad schemes!"
Warlock raised a hand and the flames were deflected from him."But the purpose of animals on Earth are to feed the mad schemesof human scientists? Were the apes and mice to rise up in revolt,you would fight them as readily as I battle you now!"
"No." Captain America's shield bounced on Warlock's back. Thegolden man barely noticed. "We would help them, and try tochange things without violence. The High Evolutionary is free toexperiment as he pleases, without putting others at risk!"
"To which I reiterate, none were at risk!"
Rays of green erupt from Warlock's gem, striking each of the fourAvengers against him and even the semi-conscious Quicksilverlying near the Quinjet. Their souls were too agitated to be easilycalmed, so Warlock had to push, and the forceful strike on theirsouls drove the Avengers unconscious. Floating above his defeatedformer allies, Warlock considered that only five were present.
"This was more than a conflict and debate," Warlock mused. "Itwas a distraction." His gaze lifted to the near distant power station,with the Living Monolith rising from the center.
Inside the power station, Stingray and Karnak were unaware ofwhat existed at its center. They were concerned with weaknesses,however. The means to best disable the High Evolutionary's powersource.
"There is a strange pounding that emanates from that statue,"Stingray informed his Inhuman teammage. "Other sounds are insync with it. That may be important."
"That's no statue," Karnak explained. "Its some kind of collectionstation. Notice how it extends beyond the Blue Area? Raw solarpower, unfiltered by an atmosphere, is being collected here."
"Unless you can find a way to shatter it with one blow, this area'stoo big for us to destroy."
"No." Karnak was feeling along the way, taking in the pulse ofenergy rushing through the conduits. "But even something so bigcan't take this much power for long. By removing the safeguards,cutting off the bleed of energy from the collector, it will overload.There!" Karnak strode to a collection of thick cables past Stingray."Once I split the insulation, you can fry the circuitry."
"Just be careful you don't get yourself fried," Stingray stated inreply.
"Haaiii!" Karnak struck, smashing folded knuckles against a spotjust below the cables. There was an immediate display of sparks,but the Inhuman had thrust his hand back in time to avoid them.One of the cables had split almost completely down the middle."Now!"
Electricity shot out of Stingray and against the cables. Behind himand Karnak, the roof collapsed with Warlock's arrival. He hadappeared in time to be struck by an arc of energy and fell to theground behind the Avengers. Power began to go out through theentire complex, in an outlying pattern that was moving toward thecentral statue.
"Fools!" Warlock gasped. "You don't know what you've done!"
"Weakened your master's power," Karnak answered. He stepped upto Warlock, a fist poised to strike that gem on his forehead. "Nowto put you down like the dog you a-"
The complex lurched with tremendous force. Power conduits hadceased working, and energy was no longer being siphoned from the
unmoving statue that was the Living Monolith. With a great jolt, thegargantuan being that had once been a man awakened. It tookonly the slightest movement for Living Monolith's restraints to gocrashing down. His arms spread wide, the Living Monolith let out atriumphant and angry bellow that cascaded across the Blue Areaand shook the unconscious Avengers awake.
"My god, it was a heartbeat!" Stingray exclaimed. His headswiveled to Warlock's direction. "What did you do?"
"Restrained a villain while making him productive," Warlock replied.His eyes saw the immense power building up around LivingMonolith seconds before this would be physically apparent. "Nowquiet he is about to lash out. I must," his arm and outstretchedhand extended. "Focus!"
Nearly a hundred yards away, Warlock's staff answered the mentalsummons and flew to the waiting hand. Warlock caught the staffand aimed the head at Living Monolith's direction. A torrent ofenergy extended from the giant, vaporizing everything in its path.Only the shield hastily erected by Adam Warlock withstood theassault, protecting himself, the two nearby Avengers, and the fivedistant Avengers along with their Quinjet.
"Not a conscious assault," Warlock breathed with a silent thanks."He merely stretched his muscles, checking his conditon post-confinement. Gather your teammates and flee, Avengers, beforethe Living Monolith takes notice of you."
Dust rose into the moon's thin air. Instead of turning his attentiondownward, the Living Monolith looked up. Directly overhead wasCounter-Earth. As impossible as many would think, the LivingMonolith nevertheless jumped, his powerful legs the size ofskyscrapers taking him out of the Moon's atmosphere. AdamWarlock, Stingray and Karnak watched as a man larger thanmountains literally jumped from the moon to Counter-Earth.
"How is that possible?" Stingray exclaimed.
"Grow five thousand feet and acquire limitless power," AdamWarlock answered. "My advice still applies. Leave, Avengers, withyour short-minded task accomplished." He lifted off the ground androcketed out of the Blue Area. "Leave the defense of Counter-Earthto me."
Larger than any asteroid, the Living Monolith tore through Counter-Earth's atmosphere and crashed on the continent equivalent toAfrica. The heat of his landing ignited a blaze across all the jungles,and swept deserts to glass. Before the glass could properly form it
shattered, as fissures extended from the point of impact to as faraway as the Australian equivalent.
Millions died with no awareness. Only the High Evolutionary, safe inhis man-made Mount Wundagore base, knew the extent andcircumstances of this threat. He took little notice of the tremorswhich shook his mountain, confident that his artificial Counter-Earth could withstand the stress. The High Evolutionary was equallyconfident that his numals could triumph against the LivingMonolith, and thus would do nothing himself.
Minutes after the Living Monolith's crash, two species of numalsmade ready to assault the threat. Even for a creature so powerful,falling through space and crashing to Counter-Earth had a stunningeffect, so there was brief time for his readiness. From beneath theocean, technology developed without fire rose to the surface.Across Counter-Earth, tiny ships rocketed into the air and flew bythe thousands toward the devastated continent.
"Teams break into scouting formation until we knew what this is,"the flight admiral ordered. His flagship was the largest, about thesize of a coffee table. All the crew, and the thousands of pilots in allthe planes, were small anthromorphic mice, or nudents. Partly dueto their small size, the nudents were also among the mostintelligent of the Counter-Earth numals, able to design such planesthat could safely rocket around the world in minutes.
The first such planes arrived over the devastated landscape, whereso many millions of their brethren had died with no chance. As aconsequence, these nudents on the first glimpse of Living Monolith.Though reduced by the energy expended in his crash, he was easilylarger than Mount Kilaminjaro, its equivelant now dust. Swiftly, thetiny planes bankes, keeping a half-mile berth from the enemy.
"Threat is confirmed." The flight admiral gave the command."Deploy proto-neutron missiles."
By the score, nudantity's most devastating weapons werelaunched. Though each was as small as a standard eraser, theproto-neutron missiles detonated with the force of atomic weapons.But to Living Monolith these were only stings against his skin. Heturned, gazing across the landscape, but could not spot theminiscule enemy with his enormous eyes. The large mass comingat him from the west however, Living Monolith saw just fine.
"The nudents have made their assault," observed the nuphin navalcommander. Like all nuphin, her voice had a high-pitch, and shepressed a fin to the controls in order to issue the commands."Prepare the weapon." Where aerial bombardment failed, a waterbased strike could succeed.
At the command, several dozen nuphin swam around the controlchamber, working to activate the cold fusion particle cannon. Justabove the surface, three interconnected circles spun rapidly aroundan isolated sphere of water. Immediately the water began to boiland glow a bluish white. It took only seconds for the completeconversion of matter to energy, that was directed straight at thechest of Living Monolith.
The impact of energy to flesh was thunderous, enough to actuallystagger the Living Monolith. It only did that, however. Roaring witha near-mindless rage, the Living Monolith fixed his eyes on thenuphin weapon. Energy burst out of his eyes, destroying dozens ofnudent planes on their deadly path to the ocean.
Adam Warlock dropped from the sky and directly in the path ofLiving Monolith's attack. His staff was raised sideways, and the twobeams of crimson energy were suddenly redirected to either side.
"You have fought bravely, numals." Adam Warlock's voicedsounded across the communications equipment of each vehicle."Please allow me to deal with this menace. There may yet besurvivors you can recover."
As Warlock flew toward the Living Monolith, he spied a small shapestreaking down from the heavens. It was the Avenger Binary, andshe was hurling cosmic power down at the Living Monolith. "Stop,child!" Warlock cried. Instead of harming Living Monolith, thepower cosmic seemed to reinvigorate him. A gigantic hand reachedout and engulfed Binary.
"Hey!"
For all her strength and power, Binary was still a speck next to theawesome size and might of Living Monolith. Binary could not breakfree from his grasp. It took a beam of jade energy from his SoulGem for Adam Warlock to affect the Living Monolith. The power ofsouls collided with his risk, and pained the Living Monolith openedhis fist. Binary fell, and was caught by solid energy from Warlock'sstaff.
"Flee Avenger!" Warlock commanded. "Your power is of the stars.The power this monolith thrives on!"
"YOU!â Though recollections of his time on the outreaches of
space were fogged, the Living Monolith had a sense that his golden
man had been the reason for his imprisonment. âIT IS DEATHTO TRAP A GOD!â
The great bellows alone were enough to devastate regions asthough a hurricane struck. Warlock fought the mighty winds as he
flew higher, above even the Living Monolithâs head.
âI have done more than kill gods in my time,â Warlock declared, hiswords carrying to those massive ears. âYou are like many of them,a simple man with more power than most. Like all men you alsohave a soul!â
Atop Warlockâs forehead, the Soul Gem flared with malevolentpower. Tendrils of green energy reached out to the Living Monolith,into him. However large his body was, the Living Monolithâs soulwas a tiny thing, easily snatched and dragged. The man withdelusions of godhood screamed as he disappeared into the SoulGem.
âBut even the dimension of my Soul Gem could not contain him.â
Adam Warlock stood on the summit of Counter-Earthâs MountWundagore. At one side was the towering High Evolutionary,exuding a power and regal majesty that dwarfed Warlock. On theother side were the assembled Avengers, the Quinjet at rest behindthem. It was clear Warlock had placed himself between the two fora reason, his staff held as a clear obstacle to the Avengers. Most ofthe them, with the exception of Quicksilver and a stoic CaptainAmerica, seemed prepared to risk Warlock.
âSo where did the Living Monolith go?â Quicksilver inquired. Hethen circled Mount Wundagore and inspected the lush surroundingforests before remarking a second later, âClearly he isnât here.â
âExpulsion from the Soul Gem dimension was random,â Warlockexplained. âThe Living Monolith is most likely floating back in thevoid of space that dominates the universe.â Warlock addressed hisnext words to the High Evolutionary. âRecovery and rebuildingefforts are now well underway. Once the continent has been fullyrepaired, the repopulation cloning will commence.â
âCloning!â Espirita stepped forward, and though Captain Americaplaced a cautioning hand on her arm she continued to speak. âItisnât enough that you force change onto Godâs creatures,manipulating His plan for your own mad and blasphemous ends!â
âI have no interest in debate nor ignorant accusations,â the HighEvolutionary declared. He raised his hand toward the Avengers.âYouâve done enough, Avengers. Away, and consider how easily Icould have killed you instead!â
Energy flowed from the High Evolutionary. Before any of themcould react, the Avengers were struck by the energy and vanished,Quinjet and all. Warlock turned, and addressed the High
Evolutionary directly.
âDeath may have been just for them, considering the lives lost bytheir actions.â
âHave you been so hardened Adam that you care naught even forpast allies?â The High Evolutionary inquired. âThe mutant servedme faithfully for a time, and all those Avengers have the potentialfor further use. As to their actions, they were affected more thanI.â
Warlockâs eyes dropped and found the rocky ground. âAnd I mostof all. Every life taken, I felt through the Soul Gem. Their hopes,fears, every piece of happiness and despair ever experienced. Eachmade differences in the lives of others, and while those actions didnothing for matter to the Everything, it reminded meâŠâ
âYes,â urged on the High Evolutionary.
âI was brought about by the actions of insignificant, power-hungrymen. It took a blind woman to first awaken compassion in myheart. You gave me a purpose beyond base lust. Even the Man-Beast served a purpose long ago, teaching me humility and thevalue of defeat. Individuals are capable to affecting The Everything,myself included.â
The High Evolutionary nodded, pleased with Adam Warlockâsassessment. âYou came to me seeking a purpose, Warlock. Whileyou have excelled at defending my experiments, we both know thispurpose is too low for such as you.â
âYes, this is true.â Warlock began to rise, his cape rippling in thesoft breeze. âIn the universe are countless lives, any one of whichcould affect The Everything in profound ways. By aiding these lives,I aid The Everything, protecting All and Nothing. Farewell, HighEvolutionary.â
âFarewell, Adam Warlock.â With these parting words, the HighEvolutionary turned back toward his citadel and laboratories. Therewas, as always, much work to be done.
They sat around the room, seven Avengers who had been humbled.No words were said between them, as all were thinking the samething. The High Evolutionary had transported them back to Earthwith little effort, and could have just as easily kill them instead.Worse, their actions had proven more destructive than intended.
It was Warbird who broke the silence first. âWhat did we actuallyachieve?â
Quicksilver was fast to answer. âWe responded to the HighEvolutionaryâs act of aggression. At the least, he now sees us asannoyances, and heâll leave Earth alone if only to keep from beingannoyed.â
Karnak nodded. âThat could fit. The man I saw was the height ofarrogance. Or close enough.â
Quicksilverâs response was to glower. Across the room, CaptainAmericaâs head was hung low. Eyes to the ground, the Avengerschairperson said, âWe avenged. Sometimes, thatâs the best we canhope for.â
Next Issue: Innocents are put in harms way. Can the Avengersprevent the deaths of hundreds? Later, can they bring to justicethose responsible? Difficult questions and hard answers to come,guest-starring the New Warriors!
Authorâs Note
So, last issue the Avengers were against a threat they couldnâtfight. The only way it was defeated was by doing nothing, waiting itout. This issue, the Avengers tried to respond and, really, didnâtachieve anything at all. Wow, Iâve been writing some downers.Hopefully next issue will see some real conflict with black/whitesides and true goals reached. Weâll see.
Until then, hereâs a letter on last issue from the spectacular writerof Doc Samson, Anthony Crute!
Ok some feedback for your title then.
This issue of the Avengers was great. It is a a high concept idea butI thought it fit well. It would have indeed been a great F4 story butI don't think it was out of place in this title.
The same could possibly be said of this story, which fits as itâs acontinuation of last issue. Good sci-fi fun all around. Glad that youdidnât find it out of place Anthony. Still, at least this issue had somebig action with the high-concept to whet the adrenaline appetite.
I was slightly conflicted/or am now over how it all played out. Iwould have loved to seen the little war going on in the miniversebut I fully understand the greatness of just looking at the fallout ofthe adventure...which I hope will continue since it seems they'vebeen through a lot. See conflicted but perfectly happy with how itpanned out.
Hopefully you caught the hints this issue of what some of theAvengers went through. Just what was Espirita saying? Look formore in the coming issues.
I've always loved the High Evolutionary, i've never seen too muchabout him as I never really read Thor where I belive he was mostprominant (X-Men and Avengers though have let me see him) andI'm really happy to see him going to be featured in the next issue.
Sadly, I focused more on Adam Warlock this issue. HighEvolutionary is one of those characters I consider out ofeverybodyâs class, so heâs best used in the background or as acatalyst in the conflicts. Still, heâs a character I love as well, so beon the lookout for more conflicts heâs embroiled in.
If I could find one quibble over the issue it's the lack of feature forAnt-Man. Sure he's not on your team and so you'd want to focus onhim less than the others but I always find it odd when a hero turnsup and then suddenly opts out of a fight where they could helpespecially when it's an important one...they always seem a bit of aflake.
You have to admit Anthony, thereâs no much Ant-Man could havedone to help against Adam Warlock or Living Monolith this issue. Heworked well in his area of speciality last issue I thought, andeventually youâll see just how big a role he played in that conflict.By the by, Ant-Man may be a big part of an upcoming title in thefuture, so keep on the lookout!
Still great issue.
Thank, Anthony. Your remarks are appreciated.
~Steve Crosby
Avengers #57Sept. 2008
CaptainAmerica
Warbird
Quicksilver
Espirita
MARVEL 2000 PRESENTS...
"ADULT SUPERVISION"
Written by Steve Crosby
In the dark of night, Slyde's white bodysuitsomehow made him blend in. Light slid off hisbody as easily as friction. Skating without skatesacross the rooftops, Slyde moved constantlywhile struggling to maintain his balance. It wasso easy to lose control when it was almostimpossible to gain traction. The simple act ofstopping was a herculean task for the snatch-and-grab thief.
A blunt object struck the ground near Slyde,reminding him of why he did not want to stopanytime soon. The armored vigilante Night-Thrasher was on his tail, keeping up by riding askateboard, of all things. Above, two beautifulwomen were flying on either side of Slyde, NightThrasher's fellow New Warriors Ultra Girl andTurbo.
Ultra Girl swooped down to try smashing againstSlyde, but at the same time Turbo created awind funnel in Slyde's direction. The winds hitSlyde first, but slid off him as easily aseverything else. Ultra Girl then found herselfcaught up in the mini-tornado and veered out ofcontrol. Only Night Thrasher's quick reflexessaved him from being crushed by the super-strong half-Kree teammate.
"Leave me alone!" Slyde yelled. A wall of flamesappeared past the rooftop's approaching edge,but Slyde went through so fast the heat didn'taffect him. "What's a team of super-guys goingafter me for?"
The smell of ozone filled the air. As Slyde clearedthe next rooftop, he narrowly missed a strike of
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link
points to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
Stingray
Binary
Karnak
electricity from the mutant Bolt. Out of thecorner of his eye, Slyde saw a woman whosebody was half fire, half ice sliding parallel to himon an ice bridge. Crux had set up the wall offlames, and now she was hurling ice spikes atSlyde. He spun to avoid them, and droppedstraight down to slide along the building's face.
Running up the face of the building with the fourspidery legs that extend from her back wasSpider-Woman, right in Slyde's way. "It couldhave something to do with you stealing from acharity event." Of course, what Spider-Womandidn't say was that the charity was run by theTaylor Foundation, whose chairman DwayneTaylor was also Night Thrasher, leader of theNew Warriors.
Purple strands of psionic webbing sprang fromSpider-Woman's free hands. Slyde wasn't sure ifthat webbing would stick to him, and he didn'twant to find out. He jumped off the building'sside, over the webbing and Spider-Woman. Hehit the street in the middle of traffic, landing onhis belly between cars. Slyde disappearedbeneath a car and raced down the street like itwas a Slip n' Slide.
All Spider-Woman could do was climb to the topof the building and join her teammates on theroof. Night Thrasher curbed to a stop at theroof's edge, with Turbo and Ultra Girl landingbeside him. Bolt was heaving deep breaths, tiredfrom the running he'd just done, while Cruxsimply hopped off her ice-bridge that suddenlymelted into mist. Then, latecomer Ricochet,touched his feet to the building, havingjourneyed from ESU on the other side ofManhatten.
"So," Ricochet panted. "What'd I miss?"
The dreams of Espirita were rarely pleasant.Among the array of powers granted to her byThe Lord, through radioactive waste that crashedfrom space, was a type of precognition. Espiritadid not receive visions often, the last being justbefore the war with Ultron. But when she did,they always came true.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
Childrenâs screams could be heard through athick fog of smoke, past a wall of flames. It wasa school burning, Espirita knew. People weredead already. She could see their costumedbodies among the flames, but none that theAvenger recognized. She only knew that theywere responsible.
âEspirita,â A voice cut through the fire andsmoke. âEspirita, wake up!â
Her eyes snapped opened and the dream wasreplaced by reality. Espirita was in her bedroom,looking up at teammates Binary and Warbird.Binary was in her powered cosmic form, anunusual thing while in Avengers Mansion.Espirita saw why once she sat up. The room hadbeen ablaze while Espirita had dreamed.Everything inside was charred and smoking.Binary and Warbird would have been the onlyteammates capable of entering.
âI lost control.â Of late, Espirita had grownfearful of the destructive nature of her powers.The thought of what sheâd done several monthsago, evidenced by Warbirdâs close-cropped hair,made Espirita shudder.
âYou were just having a bad dream,â Binaryassured her. But Warbird, supplied with her ownSeventh Sense, knew better and asked, âWhatdid you see?â
âFire and death,â Espirita replied. She struggledto recall the details of her vision. Super-peoplewere there, but I did not recognize them andcouldnât tell if they were villain or hero. Therewas something elseâŠâ In her mindâs eye, Espiritarecalled words on the side of a building. It wasthe name of the school. âStamford. Itâs going tohappen in a town called Stamford.â
Time passed. As heâd done so often before,Jalome Beacher had gotten away clean from thecrimes heâd committed as Slyde. The moneydiscreetly laundered through his sources andplaced into his accounts as legitimate funds.Beacher was one step closer to opening his ownmanufacturing company.
Mass-producing the unique non-stick chemicalSlyde used for commercial use was still a longway off, however. New businesses were gettingharder and harder to start up, at least withoutinvestors. But Jalome had been burned bycorporate greed before, and would only taketheir money by stealing it. Every cent stolenwent to the goal of his own company. Everythingelse, including living expenses and upkeep of hiscostume, Beacher got from his job.
âSettle down class,â Mr. Beacher called out, hisvoice carrying to every student in the room. Heset a small sheaf of papers at the first desk ineach column. âTake a copy and pass the restdown. Once everyone has a test you may begin.â
Teaching high-school science wasnât too bad,Beacher reflected as he sat down at his desk. Ithelped to keep his mind sharp, and nobody evermissed the supplies he took for mixing his non-stick formula. Compared to his life as Slyde,though, it was boring as all hell.
It was glancing out the classroom window in thisboredom that Jalome Beacher go the shock ofhis life. Out there on the front school lawn,walking towards the building, was the armoredNight-Thrasher. Theyâd found him. Somehow,the New Warriors had found him.
Though he didnât have his costume at work,Jalome was not without resources. Discreetly, herolled a pencil off his desk. Bending down asthough to pick it up, Jalome reached for thesoles of his shoes. He carefully removed thebottoms, which had been sealed on at the edges.This exposed the real bottoms of Jalomeâs shoes,that he had treated with the same frictionlesschemical that coated his costume.
The students in the Stamford High Schoolscience class were surprised when their teacherleapt over his desk and for the door. They wereeven more surprised when an armored mannone of them recognized as Night Thrashercrashed through their classroom window. Thisman threw a baton at their teacher, butsomehow he was moving faster, sliding at near-impossible speed through the door and into thehall. The baton clattered harmlessly, and Night
Thrasher grabbed the skateboard from his back
âWhat the heck is that?â one student wonderedout loud.
In the hallway, Slyde jumped onto the wall andskated along that for several feet beforedropping back to the ground. He crouched lowwhile rounding a corner, and the air shift as agolden disc whizzed by his ear. At the far end ofthe hall was Ricochet, rushing toward him withmore discs in hand.
âGive it up chump!â Ricochet called out. âTheNew Warriors have got you now!â
Slyde continued moving at high speeds to meetthe young hero head-on. âNot on your best daykid.â
âI have the New Warriors approaching.â
âThis is it then. Espiritaâs descriptions fit some ofthem. Iâm calling the others now. Who do youhave?â
âNight Thrasher and Ricochet are going inside. Imake the others on the street, waiting. Should Iintercept?â
âDonât go inside. Approach one of the others andshare what we know. They can radio NightThrasher.â There was a silent approval of theNew Warriorsâ tactic. They were smart enoughnot to enter a school with massive displays offorce.
âWait, thereâsâŠwe have a problem. News vansare moving up the street and slowing down infront of the school.â
âSomebody tipped this off.â
âIt wasnât the New Warriors. They look surprisedtoo. This must be a setup. If something like whatEspirita saw gets broadcastâŠâ
âUnderstood. We are all en route. Expect
Quicksilver first. Approach the New Warriorsnow.â
âSomeone has left the building. He looks civilian,but moving too fast to be. I think it may beSlyde. Heâs just gone down, and Ricochetâscoming out.â
âGo to sonar. Get a clear picture before movingin. The catalyst has to be nearby. Identify itbefore you-â
âIdentified! Heâs moving in! We need everybodynow!â
Nearly fifty miles away, Captain America leanedforward to press more power out of his skycycle. Elsewhere, Karnak was moving just asquickly through the sky on his own cycle. Airscorched around the bodies of Binary, Espiritaand Warbird as each flew with urgent haste.Moving faster than all of them was Quicksilver,the sound barrier approached as his legspumped with all the speed he had.
The Avengers were assembling on Stamford.
â-reporting life from Stamford, Massachussetts,where the heroic New Warriors have justapprehended a dangerous super-criminal posingas a schoolteacher.â The cameraman had thepicture set up in such a way that Slyde could beviewed on the ground over the reporterâsshoulder, with the New Warriors Ricochet andNight Thrasher standing over him. It wasvirtually the same for all in the line of reporters.
Aware of the eyes on him but not caring, NightThrasher pressed a foot against Slydeâs back andbent down. Grabbing roughly at the manâs feet,Night Thrasher removed the shoes withfrictionless soles. He then pulled handcuffs froma pouch on his leg and clamped them aroundSlydeâs hands. Ricochet moved past the pair,with his hands up and a smile for the cameras.The smile was a mask for his uneasiness. Hecould see the other New Warriors behind thenews vans, walking towards him and shakingtheir heads to indicate they, too, are surprised.
Who had called the press?
Unnoticed by the New Warriors and by themedia, a man wearing a wide-brimmed hat anda trench coat walked out of the high school.Stopping a few feet behind Night Thrasher, whowas in the process of pulling Slyde to his feet,the newcomer removed his hat, revealing amane of long grey hair. Smiling at the cameras,the super-villain Nitro let the trench-coat dropaway to show off the purple-and-black bodysuitunderneath. His eyes sparked with energy, andNitroâs body began shifting into explosive gas.
âItâs show time!â Nitro declared, altering NightThrasher and Ricochet to his presence. The twoheroes had no time to react, as the villainexploded, on camera, in front of a high school.
Stingray was too late. With the sonar from hisarmor the Avenger had been able to âseeâ theunique body makeup of the man in the trenchcoat as soon as heâd walked out the door.Stingray had immediately leapt from his fifth-story perch, gliding rapidly toward the scene, theshimmer of electicity around his armor. Abrilliant blue arc of energy leapt from him towardNitro the moment the villain revealed himself.But as fast as electricity is it could not outracethought. Nitro triggered the explosion beforelighting could strike.
âNo!â
Before the heat and force of an explosion couldreach the civilians, super-people and students,Quicksilver was there first. A fuzzy afterimage ofa man against the backdrop of burned air, thefastest man alive circled the explosive Nitrohundreds of times a minute. Scorched air wascompressed and funneled upward, away fromthe bystanders that included New Warriors. ThenStingrayâs electricity struck the funnel,supercharging the air and gaseous molecules ofNitro. In another minute the explosion had runits course, leaving only dispersed pieces of Nitroin the whirlwind, unable to reform.
âYou can stop now,â Stingray advised
Quicksilver. Heâd glided over the cloud andlanded next to Night Thrasher.
Quicksilver did slow down, allowing the whirlwindto die and Nitro to reconstitute himself.âAaaagh!â the villain screamed as the electricityscattered amongst his molecules coursed downthrough his body. He slumped down to theground, unconscious and harmless. The day wassaved.
Seconds later, the rest of the Avengers arrived.Captain America and Karnak landed their skycycles on the school lawn. Binary, Espirita andWarbird touched down on the street, whichsoftened briefly against the extreme heat. Withnatural instinct and no conscious thought,Captain America leapt into action, immediatelytaking charge of the situation. âGood work youtoo. Now scout the area, for any othersurprises.â
Stingray glided back up into the air to perform athorough sweep with his sonar. Quicksilvermerely blurred for a second and then said,âDone. Theyâre it.â
âThen letâs make sure theyâre secured. Federalauthorities have transport on the way. Warbird,please inform the school officials that thesituation has been dealt with and apologize forthe disruptions.â
Reporters and cameras had surged forward,throwing a barrage of questions at CaptainAmerica. He raised his hands to quiet themdown, smiled, and said, âA potential disaster hasbeen averted by a joint effort of the Avengersand New Warriors. An official statement will bereleased from Avengers Mansion, but Iâll do mybest to answer your questions now.â
Nobody in the New Warriors objected to losingcustody of slide. And not one of them saidanything to contradict what Captain America hadsaid. They had all quietly slunk away in thefrenzy of confusion, fully aware that they hadnâtaverted anything.
âThe worst part of this job is the reporters,âJennifer Walters confided minutes after giving apress statement. Gathered in the opulent publicmeeting room were the Avengers themselves.âSteve, you did a nice job with damage controlat Stamford, but too many of the wrongquestions are being asked. Itâs like somebodyâspushing this to go a certain way.â
âPainting the New Warriors are incompetentchildren who nearly got dozens of innocentpeople killed,â stated Quicksilver. âNot a difficultthing to do.â
âTrust me, if a disaster like that had occurred, itwould have affected more than the NewWarriors,â Jennifer argued.
Warbird agreed. âThe press and public officialswould have used it to attack any and allcostumed heroes. We would have been labeledas untrained, interested only in our big battlesand to hell with anybody that gets hurt in thecrossfire. We need to find out who did this,before they set up something that works.â
âIf the kind of witch-hunt Warbird describedhappens, things would get very bad very fast,âCaptain America explained. âWeâve all seen andexperienced it before. The government may eventry to force an issue of registration.â
âPerhaps your government is behind it,â Karnaksuggested. âHow many agencies would like tohave super-heroes forced into their service?â
âI certainly wouldnât put it past them,â Binaryadded. âLook at what they tried doing in thesixties with protester groups.â
Stingray went on to say, âAs much as I hate toadmit it, there isnât a government on Earth thatlikes the idea of independent super-teamsrunning around without supervision.â
âWe have supervision,â Warbird said, indicatingJennifer. Otherwise known as She-Hulk, shecurrently served as Avengers liaison to thegovernment. âThis isnât something ourgovernment would do, and I resent the
accusation that they would murder their owncitizens like this.â
âAs opposed to Tuskegee?â Binary asked withvenom. Warbird whipped her head aroundangrily, and fortunately Espirita stepped betweenthe two.
âEmotions are high right now, and this is notdoing any good,â she cautioned. âWe must alsoconsider how those children in the New Warriorsare feeling. In their state, if they are having thesame arguments we areâŠâ Espiritaâs voice trailedoff, leaving her teammates to reach the obviousconclusion.
âEspiritaâs right,â Captain America stated. âWeneed to find the New Warriors are talk to them.Not just to be supportive but to find out whatthey know. Somebody arranged for them andNitro to be there, and unfortunately Nitro was adead-end.â The criminal had been contacted andpaid by untraceable means, by a third party heâdhad no contact with. âIf we know who tipped offthe New Warriors about Slydeâs whereabouts, wecan trace this thing.â
âUnless they blinded followed an anonymous tiplike the amateurs they are,â Quicksilverremarked.
âDid you just call every law enforcement body inthe world a bunch of amateurs?â Warbird asked.
âWe shouldnât be so hard on them,â Espiritadefended. âIf it hadnât been for my vision, forblind luck, we would have found out about thisafter the fact.â
âIâll go see them myself,â Captain Americadecided. âThe rest of you go cool off.â As he saidthat, Espiritaâs words echoed in CaptainAmericaâs ears. If averting that near-disasterhad put the Avengers on such an edge, couldbeing almost responsible have driven the NewWarriors over it?
The New Warriors headquarters, referred to bythe team as The Crash Pad, was a scene of high
tension and hot emotions. Night Thrasher was inarmor except for the helmet, his closed fistspressed a table he was leaning against. Turbowas being very quiet, unconsciously rubbing thestump of her missing right hand. Bolt and Cruxwere arguing with each other, as were Spider-Woman and Ricochet. Ultra Girl was watchingthe Avengers give a press statement on thetelevision.
âWhy would they cover for us?â she wonderedout loud.
âBecause they know what it means if peopleknew the truth,â Night Thrasher answered.âSomebody set us up. We have to-â
âDo what?â Ricochet asked in a loud voice. âRunoff half-cocked and almost get people killed?Because that is that just happened! If theAvengers hadnât shown up when they didâŠâ Thepitch of Ricochetâs voice went up at the end ashe chocked on the words. âMost of the deadwould have been younger than us.â
âWe werenât responsible,â Night Thrasherargued. âWe need to get to Nitro, force him totell us who hired him. Once we track down thattip, compare with that information, we can-â
âThe Avengers will have already questionedhim,â Spider-Woman brought up. âWhat weshould do is contact them, share information.â
âLeave this to people who know what the helltheyâre doing,â Ricochet finished.
Ignoring Ricochet, Night Thrasher approachedHindsight, the New Warriorsâ tech support, whowas at the bank of computers. âHindsight, whatdo we have about that tip you received?â
Before the young man could give an answer, Boltgave a loud snort. âHindsight, thatâs a laugh.â
âChrisâŠâ
Night Thrasherâs warning went ignored, as Boltwent on. âNo, we screwed up, and it wasnât thefirst time! If it wasnât for Maddieâs,â he indicatedSpider-Woman, ârandom psychic flash I would
likely be dead by now, and Moses Magnum wouldhave sunk the East Coast. Fortunately the ladiescame after me,â he made a point of leaving outNight Thrasher, âand Turbo lost a hand!â
âBolt, donât,â Turbo said quietly. âI knew therisks.â She slammed her left fist against thetable next to the couch. âIf Iâd only been closer.I could have pulled that trick Quicksilver did,then Bolt or Spider-Woman could have zappedNitro.â
âShould have, could have, would have,â Cruxstated. âDidnât. We didnât scout the areaproperly, opted to take Slyde in a public schoolinstead of wait till he got home, and stoodaround in surprise while news vans showed up.If anybody had died it would have been ourfault, and any of us that survived would havebeen strung up by the mob.â
âSheâs right.â Ultra Girl stood up. âWhat the hellare we doing here, playing super-hero?â
âWeâre saving lives,â Night Thrasher argued.
âI could do that better as a spokesperson,somebody people will listen too.â Ultra Girllooked down at her hands. âThis isnât somethingI ever wanted. And there damned sure arebetter ways of getting famous. Iâm out of here.âShe flew up into the air, and through the openskylight.
âUltra Girl, get back here!â Night Thrasheryelled. âSpider-Woman, get after her.â
âSure, but I wonât be coming back.â Spider-Woman took a step toward him. âThe Jamesonsknow who I am. When they heard about whathappened, we had a long talk. Itâs one thing toput my life and reputation on the line, buttheyâve been good to me and Iâm done puttingthem at risk. Iâm sorry âThrash, Ricochet,everybody. But Iâm done too.â
âMe too,â Crux said, followed by Bolt, whoadded, âPeople think mutants are a threat justby existing. The best trial we have against that isby being responsible in our actions. Iâm notgoing to add fuel to the fires.â
Night Thrasher grabbed the large table and liftedit, then threw it through the air. It crashedagainst the wall and shattered into jaggedpieces. âFine, get the hell out. The rest of us willget the job done without you. Get out!â
Spider-Woman, Crux and Bolt went on their way.That left Ricochet, Turbo, Hindsight and NightThrasher alone in the Crash Pad. Until the soundof a motorcycle pulling up was heard, followedby a knock at the front door. Hindsight couldnâtbreathe for a second when he saw who it was onthe surveillance monitor.
âUh, weâve got Captain America here.â
There was a secondâs pause before NightThrasher said, âLet him in.â
Captain America was buzzed in, and entered thelarge room. âGentlemen,â he greeted, and toTurbo said, âMiss. If you contact Tony Stark, hecan help you with a prosthetic. Heâs done forbrave people that have done.â
âMaybe I will,â Turbo said quietly. âThanks.â
âThe Taylor Foundation received a tip aboutSlydeâs whereabouts,â Night Thrasher told theAvengers. âIâve had Hindsight forward theinformation to your computers. Thank you forthe help. We were taken completely by surprise.â
âBut we shouldnât have been,â Ricochet yelled.âWe should have been better! We canât afford tofail like that!â
âBut we do fail,â Captain America stated. âNomatter how well trained we are, how preparedand how much better we get, failure is always apossibility. More than that. Everybody fails atsome point, no matter what. In the end, mostthings come down to luck, like Stamford. But inthis case somebody set you up to fail. You havemy word the Avengers are doing everything wecan to find that person, and we wonât object toyou investigating this on your own. I hope yourealize though that the ultimate target was all ofus, and working together is always the bestoption.â
âThanks for the offer,â Ricochet said. âBut itlooks like we wonât be able to do much ofanything for a while. Half our team just left. TheNew Warriors are finished.â
âThat is a shame,â Captain America said to thebrave men and woman before him. âI hope thatitâs temporary. I hope you find your way again.â
Next Issue: The planet Jupiter is mysterious,with none able to explore it, until now! Protectedby his armor, Stingray visits the largest planet inour solar system on behalf of the United Statesgovernment, and encounters a threat that maybe too much for Earthâs Mightiest Heroes!Meanwhile, Karnak returns home to Attilan andmust face his greatest weakness.
Authorâs Note
After a certain infamous story, this wassomething Iâve felt had to be written. See, itâspossible to have debate and major consequencesfor characters without a huge disaster tohappen. In a way, this was as much a closing ofthe New Warriors as a tale of the Avengerssaving the day. Some of those characters maybe appearing elsewhere, but as far as the NewWarriors team itselfâŠ.if a new writer wants totackle them he/she will have a nice clean slate.Hopefully Ricochet and Spider-Woman will seemore use. I like them. Not as Avengers, butstillâŠmaybe Iâll use them again.
Thereâs some feedback that Iâd like to respondto. First, from my friend and yours, AnthonyCrute.
HiJust more feedback on The Avengers comingyour way for this weeks update.
It's good as always.
And the streak continues.
I love the idea of Monolith jumping to Counter-
Earth and the damage he would cause while TheAvengers were mostly powerless.
Sadly the words of prose just cannot equal thepower if the image had been drawn. Say whatyou will about Bryan Hitch, he could have done amean triple-page spread of this.
I also after reading the issue and then your replyto my last feedback I do think you could be rightabout The Evolutionary's role in the world andwhat it should be...I guess part of it is I'd love tosee what his big plan is, simply to experiment oris there a goal behind all of it?
Iâd like to think High Evolutionary has a goal,that he has an idea and is trying to reach it. Butif he did, it would be far beyond anything wecould comprehend.
I think the real strength you have though iswriting the characters on the team as charactersrather than just the heroes. You have Espirita'sreligious views conflicting with her ability to beunbiased.
When I had conceived of writing the Avengersfor another site, Iâd thrown Espirita on the teamwith Thor, knowing their religious views wouldmake for great conflict. Even without that, I lovewriting the character, and just having anybodywith strong values that others might not agreewith makes for great character drama. Be on thelookout for further exploration between Espiritaand her teammates, particularly the other non-Caucasian on the team, Binary.
The two relationships I just love are Karnak &Pietro (those two need a sitcom) who I lovereading sniping at one another and Carol &binary's relationship with all the differentangles...all of this with Cap acting as a yard postfor them to all bounce around.
With the time difference I though into the title,Binaryâs no longer quite so green, and Iâd like tothink she and Warbird have found someunderstanding. Hopefully Iâve succeeded inshowing a lessening of hostility already.
If I had one negative about this it'd be it went
very DC for a minute with the speed of llightquinjet and flying through the Sun that said I didthink that these are Earth's mightiest heroes it'sabout time they showed it...still hmm. I wouldhave went to Strange or Reed and got some sortof teleport going on I think lol
Yeah, but if teleported how would they get back?Risks in transit, no telling if High Evolutionaryhad defenses against it, so on. I went with whatI thought was strategically best, a swiftapproach by a route High Evolutionary would nothave primarily expected. Plus I wanted to showteamwork among the team in a non-combatsituation, pushing their powers to the limits andworking together to stay alive.
Thanks for the great words Anthony. I hope youenjoy this issue as much as the others.
Now for some feedback on previous issues up to#55. Firstly Brent Lambert.
Ok, this issue was actually a very solid readand alot of fun. I liked the capacity thatBinary was used in and I tremendouslyappreciate how Steve has used her in theseries thus far. There is a great story to betold in that eight month gap I think, but Ican understand why Steve glossed over it.The bigger fact is that The HighEvolutionary is at work.
Brent, I hope you like what I did with Binary inissue 56. One of my favorite sequences with her.
And I wonder, did High Evolutionary get hisinspiration from Warlock telling him abouthis experience with The Fallen One or was itsomething else? I look forward to theanswer on that. And Living Monolith? Whowould have thought?
Anyway good job Steve. Easily my favoriteAvengers fic series.
Even better than your own? Wow, thanks Brent.Sorry I didnât provide an answer as to HighEvolutionaryâs experiment, but I saw it as himtrying to observe a full course of evolutionwithout affecting anybody else. And aside from
some mild symptoms, it really didnât.
Thanks for the kind words Brent.
Oh, whatâs this? A review of issues 51 through55, by Meriades Rai!
Okay, the first thing I have to say is that this isintelligent stuff. Thatâs maybe an odd word touse, and itâs certainly rare; fiction (be itfanfiction or anything else outside of sci-fi) canbe well written and entertaining without evertaxing the brain cells, but with these five issues Ifelt I was being asked to really think. And thatâsno bad thing.
This is one of the highest compliments that canbe given, and Iâm honored to have heard itseveral times. Derrick Ferguson, for all hisproblems with a Batman issue I wrote, said itmade him think and encouraged discussion. Itâssomething I always strive for, and itâs great tobe successful every now and then.
Iâve always enjoyed anything Iâve read of Steveâs(although, as with the majority of fanfic writers,I havenât read half of what they have to offer),but something about this run just feels⊠right.To paraphrase from Steveâs authorâs notes heseems to have been waiting a long time to gethis hands on this series and there are timeswhen you can tell heâs really in the zone. Themost recent two issues especially are superb,mixing high concept with classic Avengers actionand really knocking a reader back on his heels. Idonât think that would be achievable if the authordidnât simply love The Avengers.
Steve pitches Captain America and Quicksilverperfectly, and as two polar opposites they formstrong bookends to keep the rest of the castcontained (although not without some problems;see later comment). A number of team fic bookslack these pinions and can end up meandering,with one or two characters overpowering therest, but that doesnât seem to be happeninghere. Stingray is also a welcome addition,especially removed from the water; in the handsof less skilled writers this would have crippledhim, but on this evidence heâs flourishing.
One of the core elements of a team book in myopinion is internal conflict. The characters needto be able to work well off one another,otherwise it could just as easily be CaptainAmerica and Friends. Stingray Iâve enjoyedwriting, as Iâve found him to be far morecompelling than the initial married man elementI was bringing in. And after watching DarkKnight I recognize the scary implications forsonar, so be on the lookout for some explorationof that.
Issue # 54 totally blew me away. The Alkhemaand Ultron scenes were truly chilling and full ofmenace - Real Marvel has often tended to forgetthat Ultron is a truly nasty bastard of a villain,one of the real classics - whilst the return of TheVision and the ensuing battle were expertlyhandled. Great to see Photon being used, even ifshe came a cropper here. Issue # 55 thenmaintained the momentum, which must havebeen difficult after such a long gap betweenissues and the Kang/Ultron War needing to besomehow juggled. The sub-atomica concept,complete with timeslips, was very, very clever.Will we ever get to see what happened duringthose missing eight months, I wonder? Even ifjust in a back-up story to an Annual one day?
When Kang/Ulton War finally comes out, you willnot believe how terrifying Ultron can be. How isit that so few writers realize robots can rippeople apart with little effort? Photon is a terrificcharacter and I love that I keep finding excusesto use her. Two more planned appearances Ipromise.
All gushing aside, there were a couple of things Ididnât like quite so much. A small one first; thesudden breakdown of narrative between issues #51 and 52 was far too jarring and really spoiledthat latter issue for me. At the end of issue # 51the new team had been assembled with perfectpacing and structure and next time around thereshould have been a major battle with theAtâLaâTique to showcase how everyone worked(or didnât work) together. The fact that thisbattle was never âon-screenâ and only referred toafterwards was a huge letdown and didnât workfor me. Oddly we then get an AtâLaâTique battlein issue # 55 instead, which in itself didnât reallyfit with anything else that was going on, like the
passage was transposed.
Okay, I screwed up by not have the big battle inmy first issue. I thought I could make up for it in#55 (and reference events in Fantastic Four) butit didnât go so well. Iâm sorry.
My second criticism would be the portrayal ofCarol Danvers. Iâm not one to take potshots atother writersâ interpretations of characters - forme, one of the goals of fanfic is to be able toread about differing versions of familiar names,not everyone's interpretation has to be the same- but, in the context of this book⊠God, sheâs aharridan. She is really, really dislikeable, and notin a good way like Quicksilver.
I get what Steveâs trying to do with playing Caroland Binary against one other, almost like olderand younger sister, and the parallels betweenthem should make for an excellent narrative. ButCarol is portrayed way too harshly, so much sothat her attitude detracts from almost everyscene sheâs in rather than upping the tension.She mellows slightly in the most recent couple ofissues but for me sheâs an awful characterwhenever sheâs on-screen and I canât help butfeel her internal angst and whatnot has beenway over-pitched. She's acting like she's an 8-year-old without respite.
Yeah, Iâd hoped to progress Warbird and Binaryâsrelationship further in Kang/Ultron War, and giveCarol a better excuse for being crabby. Sadlythat hasnât played as expected. Itâs really off tooconsidering what I did in Warbirdâs solo story,and I apologize for my mishandling of thecharacter against Binary. Hopefully though youâllnotice in #56 that the eight month gap hashelped in that regard. Iâm finding my feet withWarbird in a team dynamic.
My third and final concern (and thatâs prettygood going that itâs only three, showing just howhigh quality this series is) is that the teamseems in desperate need of at least one morefamiliar face. For me, Warbird, Binary andPhoton are all quite similar either in terms ofpersonality or powers, whilst Karnak is eithersaving the day a little too conveniently or isredundant. Iâm hoping The Vision somehow
makes it back on to the team proper, and Iâdlove to see another âclassicâ Avenger in the mixhere - Thor, Iron Man, Wasp, Black Panther,Hawkeye, Black Knight, Hercules, Black Widow -to give the team more of a balance, even ifSteve has to cut a dirty deal with Josh to stealsomeone.
Everyoneâs just so⊠angry. The womenespecially. Even She Hulk, in her briefappearances, has been snippy. An old, familiarface with a more light-hearted contribution (notnecessarily making jokes, just being cool andprofessional instead of shouting and carping andarguing) in the place of Karnak or Warbird wouldmake a world of difference. TheKarnak/Quicksilver enmity and theWarbird/Binary clashes are both provocative andwell-written in their own right but to have bothof them occurring simultaneously is really heavy-going at times.
Iâve tried several times to get Beast, but everytime Iâve got Cory in the crosshairs he makes amove. I get what youâre saying, and Iâm tryingto do better. In this story Iâve brought Espiritaout as a motherly type to try and ease theothers down. Once Iâve explored Binary more Iintend to show sheâs not too similar to Warbird.As for Karnak, well, he certainly didnât save theday last issue, and I plan to show him indifferent colors next issue.
Hmmm, more familiar facesâŠ. Iâll see what I cando about guest-stars. Hehe.
All that said, Iâm liking this series a lot, and verymuch looking forward to some more Ultronaction. Also, any chance of a clash with thetraditional Brotherhood, ie Avalanche, Pyro,Blob, etc? Or are these kids dead/reformed inM2K? Also, now that Steveâs in charge of bothAvengers and Thunderbolts, is there a crossoverin the offingâŠ?
Meri, hopefully you saw the spotlight on theBrotherhood old guard in X-Men Unlimited. I lovethose characters, and maybe down the roadstars will align and theyâll face the Avengers. Asfor a crossover with the T-Bolts, Iâm not exactlyin charge, and itâs not in the plans Munn gaveme. After those are done however, weâll see.
Thanks for the great words Meri!
Well, thatâs that for now. I think the issueâsafterward is getting to be as long as the issueitself so Iâm off!
~Steve Crosby
AvengersAnnual 2009
CaptainAmerica
Warbird
Quicksilver
Espirita
Three figures shifted into the dimension of mist. They were nativesof course, members of a powerful race that traversed thedimensions, often appearing as creatures of solid mist. It was onesuch lesser plane they had just arrived from, and these three wereclearly amused by what they had done there.
âDid you see the look on that manâs face when I took the form ofhis daughter? I thought his eyes were going to bug out of hishead!â
âIt was certainly enough to make him kill on my order,â the secondmist-being said with a laugh. âWhat exactly do you think that otherman was?â
The third gave an equivalent of a shrug. âPerhaps he was theirversion of a god, or something else entirely. A great deal on thatisland didnât make sense.â
âHeh, no it didnât.â The first mist-being grinned. âAnd we made itall the more confusing for those creatures. In their confusion anddespair, breakdown of that reality will advance. When next wereturn, none will stop us from ruling!â
âNone but I, fiends!â
He shouted the words upon appearing into their midst, a fourthmist-being. But while those three carried evil and malice in theirsouls, this one struck with nobility and honor. Shifting among thecriminals as easily as a breeze among the trees, he struck fast ateach.
âAarkus!â one of them shouted out as his form was momentarilydispersed. In the mist dimension all were equal, but the enforcerswere specially trained to be the equal of any five others.
Therefore, with one of their own disabled, it came as no surprisethe other two tried to run. Their mist-forms began to flow withinthe dimension, making the shift down into lesser planes. âNo! I willnot be imprisoned in Smokeworldâs core!â
However, Aarkus had already anticipated and acted accordingly.Tendrils of himself wound around the criminals, intermingling andforcing the mists to remain on that plane.
âEnough! Your scheme has already failed, your retreat cutoff. Onlyby surrendering now can you hope to avoid the worst punish-aahh!â
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link
points to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
Stingray
Binary
Karnak
The dimension of mist shuddered. A wave of great power rippledacross, shifting all the mist and bringing great pain to Aarkus. Hisbody fluttered, briefly scattering across the breadth of existence.This created an opening for his criminal opponents, and they usedit to attack.
âQuickly! If we kill him now our plans may still be achieved!â
âNever!â Aarkus cried out as he endured piercing pains from athousand directions. Drawing from his considerable will, three solidfists formed and Aarkus struck all three opponents at once. Theirmists dispersed, and immediately the enforcer collected andrestrained their forms. âYour choice was made. The core ofSmokeworld it is, for all eternity.â
And then, Aarkus knew, he would have to investigate the cause ofthat disturbance. Any threat to the mist dimension had to beaddressed immediately. His eyes shifted downward, seeing downthrough the planes of reality. Somehow, Aarkus wasnât surprisedwhen his gaze fell on a distant lower dimension, on the planetEarth.
MARVEL 2000 PRESENTS...
"THE RETURN"
Written by Steve Crosby
Invisible energy of varying wavelengths bombarded the alien bodyof Captain Mar-Vell. He suffered this discomfort willingly, standinginside the sealed lab beneath Avengers Mansion. Observing fromthe other side of a glass shield was Stingray with his wife DianeArliss and visiting specialist the Beast. As he studied the readings,Beast pressed a button so that his words could be heard by CaptainMar-Vell.
âIf your extraordinary patience has limits, Captain, I fear they maybe stretched today. It may help pass the time if you regale us withtales of your escapades, many of which Iâm sure theseextraordinary energies originate from.â
Captain Mar-Vell flexed his hands, imagining that he could feel theenergies Beast was referring to. âIf you think it may help. But Ishould warn you, they arenât so much adventures as schemes. The
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the linkpoints to the correct file and location.
schemes of other men, to which I and others were nothing morethan pawns.â
As Mar-Vell spoke, he visualized the events in his head as theyoccurred. Or how he imagined they must have occurred.
âIt was supposed to be a simple mission of espionage and sabotagethat brought me to Earth. As you know, the Kree had visited Earthnumerous times in the past, building a city on the Moon andcreating the Inhumans. To watch over our interests, in a senseâmarking our territoryâ, we had left a Kree Sentry robot behind in adormant state. It was awakened and then deactivated, by theFantastic Four, and the Accuser Ronan we sent to investigate wasalso defeated.
âIn response, the Kree turned their eyes back upon Earth and sentmy crew to determine if the human race was a threat. Because mycommander and I loved the same woman, and she returned onlymy feelings, I was sent on the mission alone in the hopes that Imight die.â
In his mindâs eye, Mar-Vell imagined himself in the uniform ofCaptain in the Kree Space Navy. âAt the time I had no powers, onlymy advanced weapons as a soldier, made even greater with mymodifications. And of course my Kree physiology made me strongerand faster in Earthâs atmosphere. My weapons and training allowedme to survive all of Colonel Yon-Roggâs attempts to kill me, butsadly Medic Una was not so fortunate!â
Captain Mar-Vell remembered that day well, for to him it had onlybeen a few months ago. Colonel Yon-Rogg had succeeded inpainting Captain Mar-Vell as a traitor, but before an executionsquad could perform their duty the ancient Kree enemies the Aakonattacked. âI may have been able to save Una, had I only trustedEarth science to help her. Instead I stole a rocket, foolishly thinkingI couldâŠI donât know what I was thinking!
Captain Mar-Vellâs fists were clenched, and tears were beginning toform in his eyes. âUna died, and Yon-Rogg sent my rocket spinningthrough space. Eventually I was found by Ronan the Accuser andZarek, an Imperial Minister of the Kree. They drugged me intobelieving a god-like entity had given me powers, but in fact theyplaced devices into my brain that enabled me to teleport and castillusions, and it was a new uniform that appeared to make mestronger than ever!â
It was all so clear in Captain Mar-Vellâs mind; the hallucinations ofthe entity Zo, actually Zarek using him as a pawn against theSupreme Intelligence. âI was meant to wreak disaster on the Kree,for which the Supreme Intelligence would have been blamed. WhenI instead averted disaster, the Supreme Intelligence transportedmyself and the conspirators into a private audience, where all was
explained to me. Then Zarek attempted to detonate a NegatronSphere. I threw myself upon it not to save the SupremeIntelligence, but so those two who tormented me could not win. Isurvived, but the radiation threw me into the Negative Zone. It wasall so fantastic and needlessly complex, I should have realized theSupreme Intelligence itself was behind it all!
âIt wasnât until Immortus brought me to Limbo that I realized it,you see. The Supreme Intelligence used the schemes against it, thejealousy of Yon-Rogg and my part as a pawn all to get at RickJones! Those machines in my brain, never designed to bepermanent, dissolved after the Supreme Intelligence had me castillusions meant to lure Rick Jones to a long-hidden Kree bunker.You know what happened next, Beast.â
Yes, no explanation was necessary. It was already documented inthe Avengers computers that Rick Jones had discovered a pair ofNega Bands in that Kree outpost. After donning the Nega Bands,Rick discovered by that slamming them together he could switchplaces with Captain Mar-Vell, freeing the alien from the NegativeZone while at the same time trapping himself there.
âI was so eager at the time to be free that I never wondered whyRick Jones. Why not some other individual, any random person? Itwas because the Supreme Intelligence wanted Rick Jones, a youthalready exposed to a variety of exotic energies, because he was themost likely candidate from which the Destiny Force could beawakened! More precisely, that it could be awakened in a humantied with the Kree!â
This Beast and Stingray also knew, but the final events of theKree/Skrull War had not yet transpired for Captain Mar-Vell. He hadbeen taken by Immortus before the Supreme Intelligence couldawaken Rick Jonesâ dormant power, and before Mar-Vell could bebonded on a molecular level with the young man to save his life.Yet he knew of these events and more, through his recent time inLimbo, where all of time could be viewed at once.
âIt is highly likely that the Supreme Intelligence hoped that someof the Destiny Force would â pardon the expression â rub off onyou,â said Stingray. âOne of its many schemes to jumpstart theevolution of your Kree species. After you died, apparently with nochildren, the Supreme Intelligence engineered a war with the Shiâarand detonated the Nega Bomb.â
âSomething weâve yet to see the results of, while theaugmentations done to Rick Jones continue to be seen today,â saidthe Beast. âOur scans have finished at long last, Captain Mar-Vell.You may now depart that vestibule and, if you so desire, enjoy thecompany of friends and colleagues upstairs as we ponder theresults. Or you could remain and watch us ponder, though I fearthat may stretch even your patience.â
Pleased to be done with his trip down memory lane, Captain Mar-Vell stepped off a small platform and moved for the door out of thecontainment room. âYou underestimate my interest in the sciences,Dr. McCoy. But you are right, in that a man would go madunraveling the mysteries of himself. Iâll leave that to you, and waitout the answers in the comfort of friends.â
Out in the main laboratory, Captain Mar-Vell warmly shook thehand of Stingray and the foot of Beast, whose hands were grippedto the ceiling. Diane also accepted a handshake, and said, âI hopethe tests werenât too much of a discomfort.â
But Captain Mar-Vell smiled. âNot when compared with my tests foracceptance into the Kree military.â
Outside the laboratory, Warbird was speaking with Binary whenCaptain Mar-Vell emerged. âNo, Iâm only saying there are a timeand a place for the unfocused Nova Burst. Even if itâs the only wayto win, we should never risk it around â hey!â She said at sight ofCaptain Mar-Vell. Warbird stepped forward and gave him a hug.âHow did it go?â
âFine,â Mar-Vell said. âWhile Iâm waiting for the results, we shouldtalk, catch up. You certainly didnât have powers when I last sawyou, Carol.â
âHeh, well, about that,â Warbird started as the three were walkingtoward the elevator. âThe how of my powers happened not too longago for you. The Psyche Magnetron.â
âAhh.â Mar-Vell nodded with some regret. âI had feared beingbathed in its energies would have had adverse effects, but at thetime you were fine.â
âIt was one of those delayed reactions,â Warbird said. âOne thatneeded a catalyst, and in my case it was a, well, the only term thatfits is âsplit personality.â I end up reconciling my two halvesthough.â
âAnd that is just the start of it,â Binary said as they all stepped intothe elevator.
âLike, the first five pages of a sixty-page file. It could take all dayto get your results and Warbird still couldnât tell you the half of it.â
Warbird fixed her cold eyes on Binary. âYouâve read my file?â
Binary looked around the elevator, suddenly uncomfortable. âOh,wow. I thought this elevator was supposed to be fast. Oh there wego Iâll see you around,â she said quickly as she was out once the
doors had opened.
Captain Mar-Vell smiled. âI remember reading the files ofeverybody I served with. Including, when I first arrived at CapeCanaveral, yours.â
âNot nearly as interesting as what came after, you can be sure,âWarbird said. âBut like Binary said, itâs a long story and now isnâtthe best time for it. There are a lot of people eager to meet you.â
âIn my time, the Avengers barely trusted me,â Captain Mar-Vellsaid. He and Warbird turned the corner and entered the publicconference room. Luckily, there were no members of the press.Jarvis was offering appetizers, but the only guests were costumedheroes. âI suppose the Kree-Skrull War went a long way towardbuilding my reputation.â
âThat and later events.â Warbird led Captain Mar-Vell towardCaptain America. Standing at the Avengers Chairpersonâs side wasan African-American woman Mar-Vell didnât recognized. Heruniform was a silver body-suit with a black starburst on her chestand a small cape connected at the arms. Warbird smiled at thewoman warmly.âPhoton, Iâm glad to see youâve recovered.â
âNuclear fallout isnât that dangerous when you can turn into it,âPhoton said. She then addressed Captain Mar-Vell and nervouslyoffered her hand. âCaptain, itâs an honor to meet you. I go byPhoton now, but I previously called myself Captain Marvell too.â
âItâs a pleasure to meet you.â Captain Mar-Vell shook her hand.âAlthough you should know I never called myself anything. It wassimply my rank and mispronounced name. Somehow I think Photonis more fitting in your case, if I inferred correctly that youtransform into energy.â
Photon nodded. âI took up the name after meeting yourâŠson.â Herface paled slightly. âIâm sorry. After what happened, this must bethe last thing you want to discuss.â
âNot at all. Iâm glad to know Genis was once thought worthy of alegacy, something he proved again with his sacrifice.â
âHopefully we can find a way for you both to exist safely,â CaptainAmerica said. âThen we can get to work on sending you back toyour own time.â
âIâm sure that Beast and Stingray will find a way,â Photon said.âAnd if not, there are others who can help.â
âSpeaking of Beast,â Captain America said, âYouâre supposed tocheck with him now that Mar-Vellâs done. Photon, we canât risk any
permanent traces of radiation.
As Photon disappeared into the floor, Espirita and Karnakapproached. âThe last of the fires are out,â said Espirita to CaptainAmerica.
Karnak contributed by saying, âI am finished pointing out mostweaknesses that werenât obvious, and glad for it. That DamageControl is filled with fools.â
Captain America frowned. âKeep an open mind, Karnak. They cansurprise you. There were also casualties out west,â he added forCaptain Mar-Vellâs benefit, âbut the Avengers based there arealready on their way back. I tried to keep Wasp here, but she wasinsistent.â
The subject was then shifted again when Espirta said, âA greatmany reporters were following us here, asking us if the return wastrue.â There was a touch of edge in her voice. Knowing Christianfolklore, Captain Mar-Vell understood her attitude towards him.
âYouâve generated a great deal of interested,â Captain Americasaid. âAnd not just from the press. The government has demandeda full briefing.â
âAnd Iâve kept them at bay thus far.â She-Hulk had suddenlyappeared at Captain Mar-Vellâs side. The Kree warrior was initiallystartled at the presence of a green giantess, but quickly returned tohis relaxed posture. âSorry. Uncle Sam wants answers,â she thensaid to Captain America.
âWeâll send a briefing when we know more,â Captain America said.âDepending on what the tests say, we may have a lot of things tofigure out.â
âThe first being my place in this time,â said Captain Mar-Vell.âThereâs a question of how much I should know.â
âThat may be a moot point,â Warbird said. âSince merging withGenis, youâve been able to fly and project energy blasts. Itâs likelyyouâve also gained his Cosmic Awareness, a stronger version ofwhat you havenât experienced yet.â
âIt eventually drove Genis insane,â Karnak said. âBut he was a boy,and untrained in the ways of a soldier as you are.â
âNevertheless, weâll need to have you monitored.â
Captain Mar-Vell agreed with Captain Americaâs suggestion. âIgained a sense of it in Limbo when our minds were linked. ThisAwareness seems to come in flashes, so before one comes I shouldbe hooked up to sen-nnnaaahhhh!â
It came suddenly, and Captain Mar-Vell nearly dropped to his kneesas a result. Warbird grabbed an arm to steady him, and wasthrown into Binary as a result. Quicksilver was immediately at Mar-Vellâs side, having moved almost as fast as Photon, while Karnakand Espirita instinctively readied themselves on either side ofCaptain America. She-Hulk wrapped her powerful arms aroundMar-Vellâs chest and lifted him off his feet, holding her ground asthe powerful Kree thrashed wildly.
âNnnhh, donât bother with me!â Captain Mar-Vell finally managed tospeak. âTheyâre coming! The universe is threatened! We have tostop them! Save everything!â
âWho is coming?â Captain America stepped forward so that he wasonly inches from Captain Mar-Vellâs screaming face. âWhat is it thatyou sense?â
âI fear that heâs Aware of me.â
The mist accompanied the voice, seeming almost to fill the room.From the mist came a shape, unfamiliar to all save for CaptainAmerica. And when the Living Legend of World War II placed thefigure, he didnât know whether to rejoice or shiver with terror.
âVision! What are you doing here?â
âVision!?â Quicksilver acted without thinking. He tried to barrelhead-long into the greenish man of mist, but passed through asthough it wasnât there. His arms moved quickly, creating mini-tornados. But the mist was not moved. âWhat is this? Proof theandroid had a soul after all? Or is this the final result of yourvibranium upgrade?â
âNeither,â said Captain America. âThis is Aarkus, an inter-dimensional cop I encountered during World War II. At the time,the media had dubbed you Vision. Why are you here?â
âYou have my congratulations for destroying Ultron,â said Aarkus.He then raised a hand, and suddenly the Avengers and CaptainMar-Vell were all encased in ice. âBut it was all for naught! Thatpower touched my dimension, a threat the elders had deemedmust be removed! Thus, Earth must die!â
In the lab below the mansion, those Avengers were ignorant of thegoings-on above. As Stingray and his wife were looking overCaptain Mar-Vellâs tests, Beast was speaking with Photon.
âOnce again my dear, I am captivated by your marvelous powers.âHanging from the ceiling by his feet, Beast wagged his eyebrows in
a Groucho Marx impression. âPun intended. You flew into a nuclearexplosion, duplicated and absorbed all the harmful energies, andharmlessly dispersed them while emerging none the worse forwear. Even with my considerable mental capacity, I can think ofnone other who could have performed such a momentous feat.â
âIâm just glad that Iâm okay.â Photon recalled a previous incidentwhen, in the form of electricity, sheâd been dispersed across milesof ocean. âWhat happened to me before was only due to lack ofexperience. So long as I maintain concentration over every iota ofmy being, that canât happen again.â
To this Beast said, âThat which does not kill only serves to make usstronger.â Just then, shouts could be heard plainly from above, andthe temperature noticeably dropped. âOh my stars and garters.With this mansion as compartmentalized as it is, we shouldnât beable to hear an explosion.â He then frowned. âBefore he left, IronMan and I were discussing the chance that reality could have beenweakened. This may be a sign of it.â
âI had better go check it out.â Photon flashed into light and flew upthrough the ceiling. She emerged into a scene that could have beenout of Danteâs Inferno. The Avengers were all encased in blocks ofice, surrounding a green-headed, misty figure that may have beenthe Devil himself.
Moving faster than thought, Photon flew through Vision. In herenergy form it was a blast of power that could have destroyed abuilding, but Aarkus was merely staggered. Somehow his eyeswere able to follow Photon, and with a gesture blasted her withunknown energy.
âAway woman! Progressed though your society has, even thegreatest of you are less than nothing to one such as I!â
âAahh!â Photon screamed as her energy form was ripped apart.This was only a pretense however, meant to hide that sheremained in control. Photonâs scattered self of heat washed overthe ice, melting it and freeing her teammates.
While most Avengers began to surge toward Vision, Captain Mar-Vell grabbed Warbird by the wrist. âI see we canât win here! Wehave to flee!â
âNo!â Warbird tried to break free, but before she could there was aflash. When it passed, she and Captain Mar-Vell were no longer inAvengers Mansion. It was instead a modest home, and out thewindow, Warbird saw that the sun was just rising. Warbird pulledout of the Kreeâs grip. âWhere have you taken us? And how did youdo that?â
âA short time ago to me, I had been given the ability to teleport,â
said Captain Mar-Vell. âI had assumed it gone along with my powerto cast illusions, but it would seem my desperate act hadreawakened it. As to where we are, given whom I wanted to see Iassume weâre in the home of-â
In the span between one word and the next, Mar-Vell threw out anarm and grabbed the baseball bat swinging for his head. Holdingthe bat, dressed only in a t-shirt and boxers, was-
â-Rick Jones, my young friend. Youâve aged well.â
Letting go of his bat out of shock, Rick took a step back. Then a biggrin splashed across his face and he rushed forward to hug CaptainMar-Vell.
âMarv! When Iron Man radioed me with the news I almost didnâtbelieve it! Almost, because, well, Iâve seen super-heroes come backa million times!â
âYes, good to see you too,â Captain Mar-Vell said. He awkwardlyreturned Rickâs hug, while still being a bit pulled back. âRick, hipsout please. Weâre both wearing rather thin clothing. And youâreâŠâ
âOh, sorry!â Moving quickly, Rick stepped out of the hug. His facewent several shades darker. âItâs the morning, you know. The wifeand I were in fact gonnaâŠwhen we heard the noise and-â
âHii-yaa!â Dressed only in a thin negligee, Marlo Jones came outswinging. The head of her golf club collided with Warbirdâs head,and promptly snapped off.
Warbird fixed her gaze on the wide-eyed Marlo and said only, âOw.â
âHoney, weâve got guests. Throw something on,â Rick said, thengrinned as he finished with, âthe stove.â
The look Marlo gave her husband could have fried an egg.Fortunately, Captain Mar-Vell spoke before she could make furtheruse of the broken club.
âWe arenât here to socialize, Rick. All of Earth, perhaps the universeitself, is at risk. In fleeing the threat I came here, blindly. I knowthere must be a reason for it.â
Rickâs face suddenly became very grave. âI never knew you to runfrom a fight in your life, Ma-aahh!â
Along with Rickâs scream, Marlo raised her broken club as the lightform of Photon passed through the wall and solidified next toCaptain Mar-Vell. âThere you are. Captain America ordered me tofind you while he and the others rushed that thing. Luckily, Imanaged to track the signal from Warbirdâs card.â
âWhat the hell is going on?â Marlo shouted.
Warbird summed it up. âUltron tried to use the Destiny Force todestroy reality. We stopped it, and in the process pulled CaptainMar-Vell from the past. Apparently other realities were affected bythe battle and consider us a threat. An agent with incredible powerhas come to destroy humanity. We must be here because Rickâsties to the Destiny Force could be our only hope.â She looked Rickup and down. âGod help us all.â
âWhatever it is you hope to do weâd better do it now!â Photon toldCaptain Mar-Vell. âI just barely outran it.â
âOutran what?â Marlo looked over at Warbird. âThat explainednothing!â
âNo no no.â Captain Mar-Vellâs face had become a field of stars. Hestrode toward the front door, already Aware of what he could findon the other side. Sure enough, when Mar-Vell opened the door, henearly stepped out into nothingness. âWeâve failed! Aarkus hasalready destroyed the Earth!â
âINDEED I HAVE!â
The voice came from high above, for Aarkus was far larger than thehouse of Rick Jones. Large enough that the house fit in the palm ofhis hand. Inside of sphere of green smoke that was his head, eyesburned white with judgment. With each word, his voiceencompassed the Kree and last of humanity.
âYOU ARE ALL THAT REMAINS, SHIELDED ONLY BY HE WHOWIELDS DESTINY! WITH HIS HEAD, YOUR REALITY AND ALLOTHERS SHALL AGAIN BE SAFE!â
There had been a flash when Captain America ran at Aarkus. Whenthat passed, he was no longer surrounded by his fellow Avengers.Instead, Captain America found himself in what appeared to be abunker, in the presence of Namor and Jim Hammond. The Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch, Captain Americaâs old partners inthe World War II Invaders.
âWhat insult is this?â Namor asked in a heated tone. âWho dares toabduct me from the Baxter Building?â
âI recognize this place,â Human Torch said quietly.
âAs well you should.â Smoke billowed and formed before theInvaders, solidifying into Aarkus. âThis is where you murderedHitler, Human Torch. I recreated it as the setting for ourdiscussion.â
âWhat is the meaning of bringing us here?â Namor approachedAarkus as he gave this demand, and impulsively tried to punchhim. The Sub-Marinerâs hand passed harmlessly through thesmoke.
âAh Namor, you are as rash as ever. But strength of force ismeaningless in this, where your goal is to convince me not to gothrough with my task.â
âSo you already doubt your orders?â Captain America asked. âThenthereâs nothing more to be said, Aarkus. Donât destroy humanity.â
Human Torchâs android brain quickly deduced what the two werediscussing. âThis is because of Ultron.â
Namor turned around to face Captain America. âSo this is all yourdoing! If you had only called on the Fantastic Four, we could havesettled things quickly and not drawn the attention of his kind!â Withthese final words, Namor pointed a finger at Aarkus, thenaddressed the other-dimensional cop. âOnce I would have said killthe humans and be done with it, leave Earth to Atlantis and thosewho respect nature. But I made a promise to act as protector andwith my last breath I shall fulfill it!â
Again, Namor tried to attack Aarkus by force. This time Aarkuswaved a hand, and Namor went flying against the wall.
âSpare your last breath for speaking, Namor, and leave thephysical conflict to those more suited. Even now I battle with yourSorcerer Supreme and god-like pantheons dependent onhumanity.â
âIt sounds that you shouldnât have the power to waste in luxuriessuch as this,â Human Torch said, indicating the bunker. âA realrecreation, or simply an illusion? Many times in the past youseemed to either hold back or make an unnecessary show ofpower.â
âRest assured, I have sufficient power to do what I have beentasked. My only quarter in this is granting you three theopportunity to convince me otherwise.â
Captain America shook his head. âThis isnât a game Iâm going toplay, Aarkus. If you needed convincing we would already be dead.Youâve stayed your hand, but youâre only one of many. You wantyour superiors to stay theirs.â
In the moment before speaking, no smile was visible within themisty head of Aarkus. âThis is correct. Since you first gained ournotice, the denizens of Smokeworld have observed your cluster oftiny realities. You have been deemed a threat, and if I do not deal
with you others shall.â
âLet them come,â Namor said. âThe Avenging Son shall face all andcrush them.â
âThis isnât something that can be punched, Namor,â Human Torchsaid. âNor do I think it can be burned, outthought, even reasonedwith. You mean to satisfy with something other than Earthâsdestruction.â
âSay your piece Aarkus,â said Captain America. âTo save the Earth,I will do whatever it takes.â
âDo not be so certain.â
Captain Mar-Vell did not join when Warbird and Photon flew up toface Aarkus. The women flitted around that head of mist, firingblasts that did not so much as flinch the other-worldly being. It wasthis futility that Mar-Vell saw, and he turned to convey this to RickJones.
âMy apologies, Rick. I was wrong to think that your access to theDestiny Force could save us from this thing.â
By the look on his face, it appeared as though Rick really needed togo to the bathroom. âDonât be so quick to doubt me Marv. Iâmtrying, and whatever it takes Iâll access the power.â
âDonât,â Captain Mar-Vell said to his young friend. âThis CosmicAwareness is new to me, but I sense that your attempts would onlyresult in an aneurysm. Go back inside with your wife and close thedoor behind you.â The two men were standing on the front porch,overlooking nothing. âThis fight wonât be won with force.â
âThat your new Cosmic Awareness talking to you?â Rick Jonesasked. âBecause I know from experience, thatâs not the best thingto rely on.â
âNo,â said Captain Mar-Vell as he flew into the air. âThis feelingcomes from inside.âTwin beams of force shot from Aarkusâ eyes. Warbird and Photonwere struck at once. Photon found herself back as solid matter andfell from the air, with Warbird following suit. Captain Mar-Velltrusted in the woman he knew as Carol Danvers, and so caughtPhoton.
âIf you can recover, return to the house with Warbird,â CaptainMar-Vell said. âI am going higher regardless.â
Photon found that she could recover, but once in her light formprotested. Captain Mar-Vell simply looked at her with pleadingeyes. Without another word Photon dropped. Bathed in an aura ofphotonic energy from his Nega Bands, Captain Mar-Vell continuedto climb until he was eye-to-eye with Aarkus.
âYou would have me believe that Rick Jones is blocking yourpower,â Captain Mar-Vell said. âI am Aware that that is not thecase. Inexperience allowed you to fool me, but this illusion isended!â
Photonic bursts of light erupted from the Nega Bands, washing overeven the white void that had been reality. When the light faded,the illusion was revealed. Above was the sky, below the earth, allaround the California countryside. No longer was Aarkus a giant,now hovering a few feet from a Captain Mar-Vell he was the samesize as.
âAn impressive feat,â said Aarkus. âHowever it would not be wise todeem my ruse a bluff. If pressed, I will destroy this planet, thisentire reality, to eliminate the Destiny Force!â
âKilling Rick Jones would take much less effort. It is hypocrisy toask of me a moral choice you are unwilling to make!â
Hovering, Captain Mar-Vell attempted to circle Aarkus, and Aarkuscircled in turn.âGood point.â Aarkus spread his palm. A burst of wispy energy shottoward Rick Jones.
âNo!â Faster than light, Captain Mar-Vell appeared in the energyâspath. It took him in the chest, replacing the yellow starburst withhis own blackened flesh. Flying against the pain, Captain Mar-Vellreached Aarkusâ level and returned fire with photonic blasts.Aarkus raised a hand and the light dispersed. âYou should realizenow that you are no match for me.â
âHeâs right,â Warbird said on the ground to Photon, standing nextto her. âWe have to get up there and help him.â
Photon gave her a sideways glance. âNot help him fight. That isnâtwhat Mar-Vellâs doing.â
âAnd yet Rick Jones is still alive,â Captain Mar-Vell said to Aarkus.âIf you are unwilling to carry out your threat then what is the pointof your being here?â
âBecause Rick Jones is not the threat!â Aarkus had suddenlybridged the distance, gripped Captain Mar-Vell by the throat. âHe isonly one among humanity, billions with the potential for infinitepower! Power that was awoken by a creation of the Kree! If you,one member of the Kree, are unwilling to erase your greatest
mistake, then what chance has the universe should humanitychoose to expand?â
âThis trial was already held.â
âBy the denizens of this reality,â said Aarkus. âNow others have feltthe threat, and they demand their pound of flesh! Humanity is adanger to all because it was altered, not only by the Kree butothers across thousands of worlds. They all planted their seeds andmust reap what they have sown! This is my task beyond the deathof one man, and it will come to be if no one will take a step towardsaving the everything!â
âIt will not be me!â
âThen live with the consequences!â Aarkusâ eyes glowed, and themist of his head appeared to solidify. âFeel the pain of this universeas it slowly unravels from the inside out! Die a trillion deaths overall infinity at once! Experience the whole of my existence as itdestroys your mind!â
Captain Mar-Vell felt it all, and if he possessed the mental capacityto he would have screamed. But he had none left. All was reservedfor one act. While Aarkus was solid, Captain Mar-Vell punched himin the jaw, physically harming the other-dimensional alien.
âThat I think we can help with,â Warbird said. But Photon hadalready shifted into light, and Warbird raced to catch up with her.The two women blasted at Aarkus while he was locked in battlewith Mar-Vell, and at the house Rick Jones cheered them on.
âYeah! Get him!â
Sadly, Rick Jones would not be able to see the battleâs end. Ithappened as Aarkus was grappling with Mar-Vell and deflecting thewomenâs attacks. Light exploded from inside him, encompassing allfour warriors. It then winked out suddenly, taking them with it.
It had been no reaction of energies that transported the threeheroes and Aarkus away. A power greater than all of them hadbeen responsible, and suddenly the heroes were in its midst.Warbird and Photon looked to either side and saw Captain America,Namor the Sub-Mariner, Jim Hammond the original Human Torchand even Doctor Strange floating with them in the wispy void.Captain Mar-Vell looked up and saw above them the towering formsof Eternity and the Living Tribunal. What he also noticed was theabsence of Aarkus.
âIs this your doing?â Captain Mar-Vell asked the towering figures.âAre you also god-like beings, even more powerful than Aarkus and
dismissed him as such?â
Neither Eternity nor the Living Tribunal answered. Instead, thevoice that addressed Captain Mar-Vell belonged to Doctor Strange.âLook beyond them, Mar-Vell. No one has been dismissed. We haveall been transported here, all of us.â
Captain Mar-Vell did look out beyond, seeing all with his CosmicAwareness. Their wispy surroundings were not an infinite void;going out far enough they had an edge, the outline of a face. It wasAarkus, encompassing even the ultimate beings of the universe andcommuning with them at a range beyond even Mar-Vellâs senses.
âSo, the fate of the universe is being discussedâŠand those who livein it have no say?â
âI donât think so.â Captain America turned to address the HumanTorch. âJim Hammond hasnât been seen since that bomb went offinside him. So take off his face and speak to us as yourself,Aarkus.â
Jim Hammond smiled, and his fiery features shifted into smokealone, taking on the visage of Aarkus. âYes, at present JimHammond is beyond even my power. But I felt his voice needed tobe heard in this, even if only by proxy.â
Both Namor and Captain Mar-Vell had surged forward, reaching totake Aarkus by the throat. Captain America got between themhowever, blocking them with this shield.
âNo. Weâre done fighting. Explain for them, Doctor Strange.â
âAs I was fending Aarkus off at the Nexus of All Realities, I wasmaking contact with his superiors in the realm we call SmokeWorld. Now Aarkus is our intermediary, helping us to make a dealthat will preserve reality.â
Captain Mar-Vell fixed his eyes on Aarkus, on the being that hadjust tried to make him kill his friend. âWhat are to be the terms ofthis arrangement?â
Time has passed. Once again Captain Mar-Vell was in California,standing on the back porch of Rick Jonesâ home. With him are RickJones and Captain America, all drinking beers and watching thesunset.
âThanks guys,â Rick Jones said. âFor coming and telling me thingswere settled, I mean. And, sure, saving my life and the world, butespecially for telling me. Most of the time, us regular guys donât
know the world was saved untilâŠwe find weâre still alive the nextday.â
âSometimes you just donât know the world was in danger tobeginning with,â said Captain America. âAll the things Iâve seen, Itry not to think about before we were active, or the dozens ofthreats throughout the universe that we know nothing about.â
âYeah.â Rick Jones sipped his beer. âIgnorance was bliss.â
âOne of the best things about childhood,â Captain Mar-Vell said.âSo Iâve been told. Youth of the Kree arenât shielded from thesethings. Weâre all told, from the moment of understanding, whatthreatens us so that weâre encouraged to join the defense. Thereare no years of innocence.â
Rick Jones looked at Mar-Vell for a long minute before saying,âMan, thatâs messed up.â
âIt kind of is,â Captain America said. âEven during the Depression, Ihad some great moments. But what you describeâŠI know that itsounds worse than you meant it to be.â
âYes, there were always those times when you could forget theoutside world and just enjoy the moment.â Mar-Vell took a gulpfrom his bottle. âMoments like this.â
The moment passed, and Rick Jones spoke. âSo, how was it youguys saved the universe? You know, so I know for next time.â
âNo idea,â Captain America said.
âSome higher powers got involved,â said Captain Mar-Vell. âTheenormity of the conflict sort of wiped the details from our minds.â
âDoctor Strange was there.â
âAhh.â Rick Jones nodded. âYeah, pretty sure thatâs happenedbefore. You get used to it Marv.â
âI hope I donât. It isnât good to be complacent.â
When Captain Mar-Vell teleported back to Avengers Mansion withCaptain America, their moods were somber.
âRick Jones seems to have a good life,â Captain Mar-Vell said.
âThere have been some bumps,â said Captain America. âBut overallI envy him.â
âItâs a shame, what we had to do.â
âLying to him seems to be the worst thing about it.â CaptainAmerica put his hand on the handle of the door leading into themansion from the roof. âCome on. Beast should have the results toyour tests. I could use some good news.â
âThis is an unfortunate task for me to convey.â Dr. Henry McCoysettled the spectacles on his face after cleaning them. âTheprognosis is far less than good. Due to the frequent periods Mar-Vell and Genis spent in the Negative Zone, I had expected to findsuch levels of radiation in your body to warrant an elevated risk ofcatastrophe. Yet I discovered none.â
âThere shouldnât be any negative energy in Mar-Vell,â saidQuicksilver, who was there listening to the results with CaptainMar-Vell, Captain America, Warbird and She-Hulk. âI was therewhen it was all leeched away after Rick Jones helped him escapefrom the Negative Zone.â
âWell, there also werenât any tachyons, the faster-than-lightparticles present in time-travel,â said Stingray in a far-shorterexplanation than Beast could have given. âIt was present in all ofus just from visiting Limbo, except for Mar-Vell.â
âWhat does this mean?â Captain Mar-Vell asked.
âThe process by which Immortus bonded you to your son was farbeyond anything Iâve encountered,â said Beast. âIt is not dissimilarto the situation you had with Rick Jones, in which the Nega Bandsallowed for spatial dimensional travel. There one of you needed toremain in the Negative Zone at all times, or as Quicksilver just saidthe negative energy would have had to be removed once you wereboth out. In this case you were brimming with energies that wouldhave killed you, and Genis took them all into himself. This is onlyspeculation, but I feel it likely that Immortus shunted Genis outsideof time, where he is essentially frozen and safe.â
âThis doesnât make any sense,â Captain America said. âIf Immortuswas capable of this, he could just as easily have shunted Mar-Velloutside of time. He could have done a million things to remove theenergies and heal Mar-Vell, whatever he claimed.â
âItâs Immortus.â Warbird said the name with a venom thatexplained everything.Captain Mar-Vell nodded. âOnce again I am the pawn of a higherforce. Is there any way to do what Immortus wouldnât?â
There was some hesitation before Stingray said, âYes, but Iwouldnât risk it.â
âWell why not?â asked Quicksilver with no tact.
âThe ideal scenario would be to collect Genis from outside time andthen repair the damage to his body before it takes his life,â Beastsaid. âWithout access to his body and a proper assessment of hisinjuries, however, the chance of saving him in time would be lessthan marginal. First we would have to find him, something I fearImmortus will not have made easy.â
âActually there is a chance of that,â said Stingray. âOnce again, theNega Bands are the key. It is remarkable how many Kree devicesare thought-based.â
âNot so remarkable. Much of Kree science is based in genetic andmental enhancement, in the hopes of furthering our stalledevolution.â
âBe that as it may, the Kree managed to make some progress.âStingray pointed at the Nega Bands on Captain Mar-Vellâs wrists.âAs near as we can figure, the primary function of the Nega Bandsis to create a link between two individuals. One in our reality, andanother in the Negative Zone, which it would seem the Kree haddiscovered centuries before Mr. Fantastic.â
Captain Mar-Vell looked down at his Nega Bands. They hadmysteriously dissolved after Rick had saved him from the NegativeZone, only to suddenly return when Immortus had transported himto Limbo. He realized now that must have been Immortus, takingthe Nega-Bands beforehand to make his own modifications onthem.
âThis is correct. While the power of the Nega Bands is to transformmental energy into physical power, the Kree possess no psychicpotential with which to use them. So a means was devised to takesubjects of other alien races and utilize their potential thru amental link.â
âSo, the Kree trapped people in the Negative Zone toâŠto powerweapons?â There was disgust in Warbirdâs voice.
âWorse,â said Captain Mar-Vell. âFearing the power the Nega Bandsconveyed, the Kree trapped their own soldiers, allowing them toescape for only a maximum of three hours. Because the NegaBands did not work for aliens, the Kree could safely imprison themuntil the soldiers were needed.â
âThatâs barbaric,â said She-Hulk. âBut ultimately unsurprising.Somehow I donât think our government would balk at the samekind of research.â
âUnfortunately no alien race possessed enough potential to the
make the power worth the effort. Even humans, in the low stage ofevolution when first the experiments began, were not deemedviable. So the project stalled and was ultimately forgotten.â
âAnd now that weâve stumbled a few rungs up the ladder, theresults more than speak for themselves,â said Beast. âWith RickJones you exhibited flight, highly augmented strength anddurability, and powerful photonic energy bursts.â
âAnd Genis isnât only a Kree,â Stingray said. âHis mother is anEternal, an offshoot of humanity who had their psychic potentialrealized.â
âThis must account for the teleportation, and perhaps even theCosmic Awareness,â Captain Mar-Vell said. Then he nodded. âOfcourse. While not able to fly before, I did exhibit weaker variationsof the enhanced strength and photonic bursts while I was in Limbo.It must be because, as a pink Kree from inter-breeding, I possesssome psychic potential when compared with âpure-bloodedâ blueKree.â
âAs fascinating as these explanations are,â said Quicksilverimpatiently, âYou did say the Nega Bands were the key to findingGenis.â
Stingray nodded. âMar-Vell and Genis are linked via the NegaBands. In time, we could tap into that link and trace it back toGenis.â
âOr perhapsâŠâ Without warning, Captain Mar-Vell slammed hisNega Bands together. Nothing happened. âAs I feared, Immortusmodified these for more than a link across temporal boundaries.âHe looked to Beast. âThrough this link, would you be able to discernmy sonâs condition.â
Beast gave a momentâs thought before nodding. âYes, Iâm sure wecould eventually. But to study such technology could take months,even years.â
âAnd is too dangerous on Earth,â Captain Mar-Vell finished.
âWhat?â Warbird stepped forward. âMar-Vell, I know youâve justmet a lot of the Avengers for the first time, but you can trust us.â
âBut weâre not all youâd have to worry about,â said She-Hulk.âStudying those Nega Bands could provide Earth with thetechnology, and could lead to similar experiments like the Kreedid.â
âAnd to avoid that, I cannot remain on Earth.â
âSo youâre just going to leave?â Warbird asked Captain Mar-Vell.
âThis could be the only chance to find your son?â
âThe data weâve collected already could be enough to start a searchfor Genis,â Stingray said.
âCould,â Warbird repeated. âAnd it would certainly take longer thanif you remained to help.â
âWhile another race could help me in a shorter amount of time.â
âWho? The Kree!â
âCarol.â Captain America put a hand on her shoulder, and Warbirdstarted to calm down. âMar-Vell, there have been a lot ofadvancements made by the Avengers and the Fantastic Four thathave been kept from the government for exactly this fear.â
âAs I keep getting harassed about,â She-Hulk said while shakingher head in frustration.
âIt isnât only that,â Captain Mar-Vell said. âHere, the world nearlyended. Nearly all of reality ended. Twice. In less than a day. Evennow, Iâm getting a sense of countless threats across the universe.People and planets and stars, dying. If Iâm to be trapped in thistime, it canât just be spent on this world, dealing with threats youare more than equipped to handle. Not when I can be out there,âhe looked upwards. âFighting the threats no one even knows about.And yes, striving to more quickly save my son.â
âYes, it would be rather selfish of you to remain here,â saidQuicksilver.
âThen I suppose thatâs it,â Captain America said. He extended ahand, and Captain Mar-Vell accepted it. âWhile you have yet toexperience all of them, Captain Mar-Vell, the battles we havefought together were a great honor.â
âThis I donât doubt, Captain America. I look forward to them all,both future and past.âQuicksilver was next to shake Captain Mar-Vellâs hand. âThough Iwas at first distrustful of you, you later saved my life. More thanthat, you saved my sisterâs life.âStingray shook Captain Mar-Vellâs hand while Beast patted him onthe back. Both expressed their commitment to helping Genis,whatever it would take.
Not having anything to say, She-Hulk stepped back as Warbirdstepped forward. She and Captain Mar-Vell were of nearly equalheight, and looked into each otherâs eyes.âCarol. I am sorry I ever entered your life.â
âIâm not,â Warbird said. Then she took Captain Mar-Vellâs head in
her hands and kissed him.
Then they separated, Captain Mar-Vell stepped back and addressedthe Avengers as a whole. âWhen I first arrived on Earth, it was topunish a planet that had dared to defy the Kree. But quickly did Isee your worth, and knew that it was not defiance to advancewhere another race had stalled. Now Avengers, I part ways fromyou as a friend. One day, I shall come back. Until then, there mustbe no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Go forth humans, in all yourbeliefs, and prove that I am not mistaken in mine.â
With a flash of photonic light, Captain Mar-Vell was gone.
EPILOGUE
I travel now through space, alone in body if not in mind. With theNega Bands I find myself able to survive the vacuum, sustained notby oxygen but free-floating energy. No longer on Earth, but not yetoutside the system, I settled on a small asteroid in the large beltbetween Mars and Jupiter.
There was one last person I had to say goodbye to.
You loved this woman?
I nodded as I stood over the rock memorial I had made for thelovely and gentle Una.Yes, I love her still. No woman has yet compared to her, thoughsome Iâve come tolove in different ways. Carol, who was a woman of authority whenfirst I met her, as close to a warrior Kree as any human I had met.Anelle, Princess of the Skrulls, should have been a sworn enemyyet won me over with her desire for peace.
And my mother? What of Elysius?
At this I shake my head. I have not yet met Elysius, know nothingof her save that she will bear my child, years after I die.
You could meet her now. Could meet Starfox and Mentor and allthe other Eternals of Titan. It is not so far from you.
But will they want to meet me?
Of course. It is me they hate. Me that trapped them, Titan and all,into the Negative Zone. They raised me, and I made like I hadkilled them, so that the Kree would accept me.
The first step to making recovery is to make amends. Titan first,then the Kree.
Youâre going to make amends with the Kree? So you want to rejointhem, be a soldier. Or is it more? With your power, you can rulethem all.
I fly through space, unwilling to teleport yet. There must be time tothink, to contemplate what is to be done. I do not want to fight, donot want to rule. I only want to help. Help the universe, and myson. Before you can be freed, Genis-Vell, you must be helped.
Donât waste your time, Dad.
THE END OF THE BEGINNING
AUTHORâS NOTE
This was a big thing Chris Munn and I discussed.
Iâm uncertain when it was brought up. I think, way back when MikeExner was involved, he had Chris had decided to use Captain Mar-Vell. It was all going to start in the Avengers Immortal story, andCaptain Mar-Vell would participate in the Kang/Ultron War. I donâtthink the specifics were settled on, nor the role of Genis-Vell. At thetime, Josh Reynolds hadnât even wrapped up that particular plot inAvengers West Coast.Eventually, after a lot of e-mails between myself, Munn andReynolds, the ending of the K/U War was hammered out, with theonly sticking point being the fates of Captain Mar-Vell and Genis-Vell. Munn wanted Mar-Vell back, and so did I. So tentative plansfor an ongoing series written by the two of us were made.
Then Mark Millar went and wrote Civil War, and Paul Jenkins wroteThe Fucking Return. Munn and I discussed it again, decided wedidnât care if people thought we were following Jenkins, and wouldgo through with it anyway. Of course, then Secret Invasion and therevelation of that Captain Mar-Vell came out, so all was well andgood.
Lesson learned though. The story had to be written. Beset with anumber of problems (the latest being heâs sick; get better soonman!) Munn had to drop to the sidelines. So Iâve handled much ofthis myself (please, no applause), and realized there was littlechance an ongoing Captain Mar-Vell series could happen. Iâmalready writing Avengers and Captain America as well as scriptingThunderbolts for Munn, and all have stalled while K/U War wasdone. A fourth series? Hell, I doubt it would be allowed by ThePowers That Be.
So why make the switch? Why not maintain the status quo, keepcrazy Genis around and send Mar-Vell back to his own time?Because Iâm a selfish bastard who wants to write his stories,dammit.
So hereâs what Iâm going to do: the next installment of Avengers(hopefully out by next month) will feature a Captain Mar-Vell backup. Just a small tale, maybe a thousand words. Weâll see how itgoes, if I can keep it up for most if not every issue whilemaintaining a regular schedule.
Wish me luck.
- Stephen Crosby