FANFIC: The West Coast Avengers in "Burdens"

NOTE: This story takes place in the mainstream Marvel Universe, in between West Coast Avengers #39 (the end of the Steve Englehart era) and Avengers West Coast #42 (the beginning of the John Byrne era.)


Clint Barton, also known as the costumed hero Hawkeye, felt like the weight of the world was upon his shoulders. Specifically, it was the burden of leading the super-hero team known as the West Coast Avengers – a team which now found itself fragmented, unstable, and low in morale. Clint feared as if, like the mythical Atlas, the whole thing would come crashing down if he shrugged.

Because of this, Clint was currently seeking solace in his favorite sport, archery, which he had mastered at a young age and which became his stock-in-trade. Many a villain had choked on their disdainful laughter whenever Clint had shown them just how much of a true warrior he really was.

The arrow flew straight and true to the center of the target. It was a momentary spark of positive feeling for Clint, but at the moment he felt like he needed much more. A familiar voice provided some extra cheer: the rich baritone belonging to the Vision. “Great shot, Clint.” he said, smiling.

“Thanks, Vizh.” replied Hawkeye before immediately falling back into a blue feeling. “I just wish it was just as easy for me to stop feelin’ sorry for myself an’ pull this team back together.”

“All good things in time.” said Vision serenely. “You’ve been through a lot, we all have.”

Hawkeye’s moroseness began to lift again, only to fall back into place when he saw Vision’s wife, Wanda the Scarlet Witch, back from a shopping trip to the botanist, carrying an exotic flower in a pot. As Wanda walked across the front lawn of the West Coast Compound, she waved at Hawkeye and blew a kiss at Vision. Hawkeye cursed himself for feeling envious of the thriving marriage that Wanda & Vision had, while his marriage to Mockingbird was all but over.

As Hawkeye plucked another arrow, he saw Wonder Man coming in for a landing. He and Wonder Man were the last founding members remaining in the team; Iron Man had gone rogue and presumably been killed, Tigra was unraveling, and Mockingbird...Hawkeye let out a deep sigh.

“Hey, guys.” said Wonder Man as he landed on his feet in front of Hawkeye and Vision. “What’s up? I saw Wanda coming back, but where’s Jan and Hank?”

“They’re getting re-acquainted.” said the Vision tactfully, but not tactfully enough for Hawkeye to sink further into despair.

Suddenly, a scream from inside the compound put all three men on alert.

“Wanda!” exclaimed the Vision. “It came from her quarters.”

The three Avengers raced to Wanda’s quarters, Vision phasing through the door, ready for anything. What he found was...

...a fashionably dressed red-headed woman sitting on top of Wanda’s bed, arms crossed and demeanor calm even as Wanda was blasting her with hexes and yelling, “WHO ARE YOU?? HOW DARE YOU DISTURB MY SANCTUARY AND THAT OF MY BABIES??”

“Is this any way to treat a spiritual sister?” replied the woman serenely as Hawkeye and Wonder Man barged in.

“You’re a witch, too!” said the Vision.

“Yes,” she replied, “and as you can see, I came prepared for a possible attack, so you really should get yourself under control, Wanda-kins, especially since you’ll need all your power for what lies ahead.”

“Never mind that right now!” said Hawkeye. “How did you get past security?”

“Trade secret.” answered the witch with a sly smile before turning her head to look Wanda in the eye. “Tell me this, don’t you have a certain other responsibility besides your children?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” said a flustered Wanda.

“I’m talking about Holly Ladonna.”

“Holly? By all the spirits, I haven’t seen her in months! I’ve been so busy with Avengers missions and with Vision and the babies and myself moving to the West Coast...”

“Who’s Holly?” inquired Wonder Man.

“Wanda’s former protege,” replied Vision, “a young sorceress-in-training.”

“Did it occur to you,” said the witch with more than a hint of scorn, “that your neglect of her could have dreadful consequences?”

Wanda’s face turned a whiter shade of pale. “No,” she said almost pleadingly, “no, not Holly. Please tell me she’s okay.”

“That’s what I need you to help me find out. I’m a detective specializing in the supernatural, and I was hired by Holly’s parents after she mysteriously disappeared from her bedroom this past Halloween.” The witch paused. “There were candles strewn across the floor, and she’d drawn a pentagram...”

“Gaea help me!” exclaimed Wanda, covering her face with her hands.

“Gaea help poor innocent Holly, who was YOUR responsibility!” snapped the witch as she suddenly stood up and grabbed Wanda’s wrists. “Now start acting like a grown woman and let’s go rescue her.”

“Unhand my wife!” growled the Vision.

Without a word, the witch did just that.

“Who...or what...are we rescuing her from?” stammered Wanda.

“I don’t know.” replied the witch. “Even using personal effects of Holly’s, I haven’t been able to pinpoint her location across the realms. I concluded that it would take my power combined with yours, Wanda.” She reached into her large handbag. “I’ve brought the last remaining personal effects of Holly’s. Let’s get started.”

“Wait a minute,” said Hawkeye, “we don’t even know your name!”

“I don’t give my name.” said the witch plainly. “Names have power.”

“For all we know,” said Vision, “you could be a demoness like Umar or Selene, trying to lure Wanda into a trap!”

“She’s not,” said Wanda, much to the surprise of the men present, “I recognize her now. She’s Mary Clarke, a selfish little hellion and the black sheep of the magical community, but a human nonetheless.”

“I see my reputation precedes me.” quipped Mary dryly. “But whatever else I may have done in the past, I am telling you the truth at present. Holly’s parents hired me to investigate her disappearance, and I came to you for help. Whether you want to help or not is up to you.”

“I’ll help,” said Wanda decisively, “for Holly’s sake.”

“Now that,” said Mary grinning, “is the Wanda I looked up to as a little girl.”

“Huh?”

“Uh...never mind, that’s a story for another time.”

“How can the rest of us help?” asked the Vision.

“I’m glad you asked.” said Mary, visibly relieved that the subject had been changed. “I have a feeling that Wanda and I will need all the backup we can get.”

“Lady,” said Hawkeye, “we got plenty of experience dealin’ with demons. You just hired yourself the West Coast Avengers.”

********

Later, as the sun was setting, all was in readiness. The circle had been drawn and the candles lit. The four West Coast Avengers and Mary Clarke stood inside the circle, hands joined, prepared for anything.

“Okay, Wanda,” said Mary, “we must open our minds to each other.”

After a pause, Wanda & Mary began the incantation.

“O ancient spirits of the light, illuminate our present journey into the darkness as we traverse to rescue an innocent girl, Holly Ladonna. Show us the way, wherever she may be, for we know that you watch over us. Show us the way, show us the way...”

The room went cold, freezing cold, and a wind came out of nowhere, despite the windows being shut. First the candles went out, and then the wind began to spin faster and faster, stronger and stronger, until the five heroes were swept up in it. In the center of the room, a portal opened, emitting poisonously colored light. Like a black hole, the portal sucked in all five heroes.

*********

First to regain consciousness was Wanda, who woke up the others. The infernal surroundings seemed eerily familiar to both Wanda and Vision. Suddenly, Wanda realized where they were and she began screaming.

“Get a hold of yourself!” scolded Mary, grabbing Wanda by the shoulders and shaking her. “Be the strong Wanda that we need right now!”

A baritone voice even deeper than the Vision’s echoed through the hellish realm as bubbling lava gave way to colossal fires and their host revealed himself.

“Why should the Scarlet Witch, or any of you, waste time deluding herself with false courage? No, you mortal weaklings, you would do well to surrender yourselves to me...just as this young and easily corrupted soul has.”

“HOLLY!” exclaimed Wanda as she witnessed the horrifying sight of a spellbound Holly Ladonna, her eyes flooded by the recently awoken evil within her.

The voice came back, this time louder, as a tall, muscular humanoid form began to rise from the middle of the biggest fire.

“Call it poetic justice, call it what you will. But do not attempt to deny that the timing is perfect for my revenge against you, Scarlet Witch and Vision. The vengeance of...DORMAMMU!”

The Scarlet Witch and the Vision flashed back to their previous encounter with Dormammu, who had captured and dominated Wanda in a fashion all-too similar to what had now befallen Holly. But the heroes had won the day on that occasion, and now Wanda remembered how she had done it. Summoning all her powers, she cast a spell on the molten lava, turning it from burning hot to freezing cold.

This time, sadly, it did not work as expected. Instead, Dormammu laughed. “Did you truly believe you could defeat me the same way twice? I am more powerful that I ever have been. You are nothing to me but sport, in preparation for my true battle against my nemesis, Dr. Strange.”

Time seemingly stood still as the heroes digested these grim tidings, until Hawkeye broke the silence. “Y’know, fireball-face, you’re right. We shoulda thought of another way...like maybe THIS!”

Hawkeye fired an arrow point-blank at Dormammu’s chest. In the split second it took for the arrow to reach his destination, Dormammu prepared to laugh again, only for the laugh to get caught in his throat and be replace by an agonized scream.

Hawkeye and Mary smiled at each other. Before coming to Dormammu’s realm, Hawkeye had replaced his trick arrows for traditional ones...with the arrowheads dipped in a potent potion that Mary had provided.

“AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!” exulted Hawkeye.

Vision and Wonder Man took advantage of Dormammu’s temporary vulnerability and charged at him, hitting him hard, like twin pile-drivers, and Hawkeye fired more arrows at the fallen Dormammu. As per the plan, Wanda raced toward the now-free-but-dazed Holly while Mary’s spells kept Dormammu’s cannon-fodder demons at bay. Holly took Wanda’s hand and together they ran towards the other heroes.

“Ahhhh...you forget one thing, fools,” wheezed Dormammu, “you are still in MY REALM!”

Instantly, reality seemed to turn itself inside-out, and the heroes could no longer even tell which way was up, as if they were trapped in a waking nightmare. The men panicked while Mary, who was well acquainted with such settings, got her bearings within a few seconds...just in time to see Wanda and Holly perched at the edge of a cliff.

Dormammu, floating above the heroes in the form of a giant head, taunted the heroes. “This girl,” he said, obviously referring to Holly, “stands at the edge of oblivion, both literally and figuratively.” The ground beneath Holly and Wanda’s feet began to crumble, and Holly lost her balance. Mary raced past Wanda and grabbed Holly’s hand, but the combination of gravity and supernatural oblivion produced a strong pull. Wanda put her arms around Mary’s waist and began helping her haul Holly back to safe ground.

“The question is,” said Dormammu, “do you witches truly want to save this young soul? For a young soul is the most dangerous kind. Behold that which awaits, should she return to the mortal realm.”

Holly, Wanda and Mary’s minds were seized by images of...Holly berating Wanda for letting her fall into Dormammu’s clutches; followed by Holly embracing fundamentalist Christianity and ultra-conservative politics; followed by Holly marrying a right-wing demagogue who becomes president of America and orders the genocide of all witches...including Wanda and Mary.

“No!” screamed Holly, “I don’t want that to happen!”

“It is fated!” laughed Dormammu.

“Don’t listen to him, Holly!” said Wanda.

“He’s trying to trick you!” added Mary.

Then...and then, who can say? Did Holly deliberately let go? Did Mary intentionally slacked her grip? Did Wanda purposely lose her hold on Mary? Whatever the answer, the fact was that Holly fell into an oblivion from which she could never be rescued. Wanda’s scream echoed through Dormammu’s realm for what seemed like an eternity, until she turned around and blasted Dormammu with a hex so powerful, even Wanda herself didn’t know she had it in her.

Reality re-aligned itself, and the five heroes now faced a weakened Dormammu.

“Defiant to the last,” hissed Dormammu, “but it is all in vain. Holly is lost to us all, and that is vengeance enough for me. Your destruction shall have to wait for a future encounter.”

Before the heroes could rush him, Dormammu cast a spell with which the same wind that had brought them to his realm now returned them to where they had come from.

*********

Mary was the last to awaken. It was the dead of night, the room’s electric light was on, and the Avengers were staring at Mary in a most unfriendly way.

“I don’t know who you are,” snarled Wanda, “how you got in here, or what you did to us, but you’re not welcome here.”

Mary was at a rare loss for words. “You don’t...none of you remember what happened??”

They didn’t need to answer out loud. Their faces said it all. It was abundantly clear that Dormammu had cast a final spell making the Avengers forget everything, while Mary, who had brought them to Dormammu’s realm and whose potion had allowed them to injure and humiliate Dormammu, would be cursed with the memory of the infernal tragedy which had transpired. And there was no way the Avengers would ever believe her – after all, the Avengers never lost.

Without a word, Mary stood up, packed her belongings, and made her exit from the Compound. Life would go on, the Avengers would have their ups and downs and save the world many times over, Dormammu would suffer many defeats thanks to Dr. Strange, and no one would remember Holly Ladonna, except for her grieving family...and the ever-burdened Mary Dolan.

FANFIC: The Black Knight in "The Choice"

This story takes place in mainstream Marvel Universe continuity, shortly after the events in Avengers v.1 #366.

Amid the vast splendor of the English countryside lay the estate of the recently deceased Victoria Bentley. Mystics and mages from all over the world had gathered to honor the memory of one they had variously called friend, patron, hostess, lover, or mistress.

Among those present was Dane Whitman, the Black Knight. Though not a practitioner of the mystic arts, his noble ancestry tied him to the myths and legends of knights in shining armor. He had also been a friend of a friend of Victoria’s. The man who had introduced them, one of Victoria’s oldest and closest friends, Dr. Stephen Strange, was noticeably absent. So was another friend of both Dane and Victoria, the young knight-in-training Sean Dolan...it was he who had accidentally killed Victoria when his Ebony Blade – formerly wielded by Dane before being entrusted to Sean – went awry during a battle against the mutant Deadpool of all people.

Understandably, this all weighed very heavily on Dane, who, at that moment, was wondering how Sean was dealing with it while in self-imposed exile.

“I hope you can help me come up with a good reason for me not to kill Sean Dolan.” said a familiar voice which Dane hoped did not belong to the person it reminded him of. Dane looked over his shoulder and, indeed, it was Mary Clarke.

“I hope you can give me a good reason why I shouldn’t have you forcibly ejected from here.” snapped Dane.

“Victoria was my friend.” an unfazed Mary replied softly.

“Friends don’t use each other the way that you used Victoria.”

“It is true that it didn’t end pleasantly, but she did me kindnesses that no one has done for me before or since then. I arrived in England without money, without knowing anyone, without any job qualifications, and she took me under her wing.”

“And look how you repaid her!”

“I was young and foolish. I would like to think that Victoria found it in her heart to forgive me.”

“She never talked about you after you fled to America. Does that tell you something?”

Mary’s voice then became louder and harsher. “Yes, dammit, it does! Look, Dane, I’m not pretending to be a perfect person. I wronged Victoria, and now that she’s left us before we could talk about it, I’m going to regret it for the rest of my life.” She paused before spitting out the sarcastic addendum, “Does that make you feel better??”

“Hearing you take responsibility for once in your life?” said Dane, “Yeah, it does make me feel better.”

Mary’s reply had a sour coating: “I’m happy for you. Really, I am.”

Dane didn’t let the sourness faze him. Instead he pressed on. “Now, if you’d apologize for your behavior at Avengers Mansion, that would make me really happy.”

“What do I have to apologize for?” sneered Mary. “They’ve all got feet of clay and, as they say in America, I call it like I see it. You’d be better off without them...” she paused, “...although you couldn’t get away from them now if you wanted to, what with that cosmic bond you have with Sersi...”

Dane was incensed. “How do you know about that??”

Mary smiled slyly. “I know everything, Dane dearest. I know you can barely keep yourself together right now and that cow Sersi occupies your every waking thought...”

“Please stop.” choked Dane.

“As usual, you misunderstand my intentions. I want to help you. I can cure you and I can put Sersi in her place. You just have to say the word.”

“No.”

To Dane’s surprise, Mary’s tone became almost pleading. “Dane, you would be so much happier without her and without the rest of those soft-centered do-gooders. This is not a dainty world to set before the swine. You were meant to wander the magical way. Come go with me.” Mary abruptly caught her breath, as if she couldn’t believe she had just said those last words.

Now it was Dane’s turn to be cruel. “You’re desperate.”

Mary snapped. “And you’re an immature little boy playing games that will lead you to nothing but confusion and unhappiness! You had your chance, and you wasted it! I don’t care if I never see you again!”

“If you try to lay a finger on Sean, you will see me again,” said Dane firmly, “and all my friends, too. It won’t be pretty.”

Mary paused and then smirked. “And what makes you think that the alternate path you’ve got lying ahead of you will be pretty? No, Dane, from this moment on I shall delight in your misfortune. It’s a pity, because we could have had something really great.” And with those words, she turned her back on him and walked away.

Dane spent the rest of the night drinking heavily, among other temporary distractions from everything that was threatening at that moment to tear him apart.

NEVER THE END

FANFIC: The Avengers in "Something About Mary Clarke"

This story takes place in mainstream Marvel continuity, in between Avengers Volume 1 issues #344 and #345.

“Dreadfully sorry, Mistress Black Widow,” said the Avengers’ manservant, Edwin Jarvis, “but I fear there is a matter that I have been unable to effectively deal with.”

Natasha Romanova, the Black Widow, turned from the Avengers Mansion’s monitor to face Jarvis. “Of course, Jarvis,” she said, “what is it?”

“A most unpleasant young woman is at the door, demanding to see Master Black Knight.”

When Natasha reached the mansion’s door, what she was greeted by resembled a hybrid of a haute couture model and a vision out of a Celtic fairy tale. The fashionably dressed young woman had a long and fiery mane of red hair, blazing green eyes, and an exquisite peaches-and-cream complexion. She stood poised and confident, hands on her hips.

Before Natasha could say anything, the young woman blurted out, in a thick Irish brogue, “I’m so pleased to finally meet you in person – so that I can tell you that your short haircut looks awful.”

Natasha fidgeted, but as a former spy turned costumed heroine, she wasn’t about to let an insult like that get under her skin. She cleared her throat and said, “Who are you and how may I help you?”

“Mary Clarke. I’m an old friend of Dane Whitman, and I must see him now.”

“He’s busy at the moment, but I’ll tell him you stopped by.”

Mary looked Natasha in the eye. “What you’ll do is lead me to him, right now.”

Suddenly, Natasha felt dizzy and nauseous. There was some kind of supernatural influence in Mary’s stare, and, with Natasha’s lack of experience dealing with the supernatural, her normally formidable will crumbled like dry mud. Quivering, she began leading Mary to the mansion’s gymnasium.

As they walked down a corridor, the Inhuman princess turned Avenger Crystal was walking the other way, cradling her daughter Luna.

Mary smiled enigmatically at Luna, causing the toddler to start crying. Crystal scowled fiercely at Mary, the devoted mother all but daring the threatening stranger to try something unwise.

“You remind me of my sister and her daughter.” said Mary serenely before jabbing them with a verbal stinger. “That’s not a compliment.”

Natasha and Crystal both wanted to wring Mary’s neck, but, though they hated to admit it, they were both afraid of her. The parties went their separate ways.

Inside the gymnasium, Dane Whitman, Eric Masterson, and the living legend known as Hercules were merrily bonding as only men can.

“Zounds!” exclaimed Hercules upon seeing Mary. “Thou art truly a thing of beauty, fair lady. The Prince of Power would know thy name...and would invite thee to become better acquainted with the Lion of Olympus.”

“Shave your beard off, and I’ll consider it.” was Mary’s tart reply.

“Thou dost presume to give commands to Hercules??” roared the offended demi-god.

“Take it easy, Herc,” said Dane dryly, “she’s nothing but trouble, and she’s not worth getting worked up about.”

“It’s good to see you again, too, Dane.” said Mary, her voice dripping sarcasm.

“Uh-oh,” said Eric, “Herc, ol’ buddy, I think that’s our cue to leave. C’mon, I’ll treat you to a beer. A real beer. I know a place where they serve the good stuff.”

“Thou art a true friend, Eric.” said Hercules. “Let us take leave of this foul environment.”

“You’re wasting your time, Mary,” said Dane after Eric and Hercules had gone, “Stephen and Victoria warned me about you...”

“Yes, after the fact!” laughed Mary.

“You can delude yourself that what happened was anything more than you manipulating me, but that won’t make it the truth.”

“The truth is eternally elusive. If only more people would realize that, there would be less conflict in this world.”

“I don’t have time for your riddles, Mary!”

“Oh, Dane,” came a sultry voice from outside the gymnasium, “are you busy with anything?”

The stunning Sersi walked into the gymnasium. Without exchanging a word, she and Mary fell in hate at first sight.

It was Mary who broke the silence. “Well, well, you really are as remarkably well-preserved as I had heard. Shame about the stupid green bathing suit.”

Sersi’s eyes began glowing bright red. “I don’t know who you are,” she screamed at Mary, “and I don’t care! If you don’t leave right now, I’ll vaporize you where you stand.”

“No, Sersi,” said Dane as beads of sweat across his brow betrayed his nerves, “you won’t. I don’t like her any more than you, but...”

Suddenly, Dane heard Mary speaking in tongues. He turned to see her making a hand gesture at Sersi similar to that which his friend Dr. Strange made when attacking his enemies.

Sersi began to have difficulty breathing, and her knees buckled. “Great Zuras,” she gasped, “what kind of witch are you??”

Mary replied with no words, just a smirk.

“Mary!” growled Dane, “If you don’t stop this now, I’ll...I’ll...I’ll get Stephen to turn you into a hood ornament!”

Mary lowered her hand and sighed. “I knew it would go like this. You really are no fun anymore, Dane.”

“Get out.” said Dane through clenched teeth. “GET OUT!”

Mary began walking towards the exit. “Don’t fight your destiny, Dane,” she said to him, looking over her shoulder right into his eyes, “that’s always been your problem. We’ll meet again.”

“Not if I can help it.” snarled Dane.

Mary laughed heartily as she walked out of the gymnasium, her laughter echoing eerily for what seemed like an eternity.

Dane approached Sersi. “Are you okay?” he inquired.

At this point, the always-proud Sersi was more angry than hurt. “Nice friends you have.” she sneered.

“Believe me,” said Dane, “she’s not my friend and I wish I had never met her.” He looked Sersi in the eye. “If there’s anything I can do to make up for what she did...”

Suddenly, Sersi regained her composure and smiled end-to-end. “Hmmm...” she replied, “...let me think about that for a minute...”

But before she could go on, she was unintentionally interrupted by Crystal and a still-weeping Luna. “Excuse me, Dane,” said Crystal, “but Natasha says she needs to see you right now about upgrading the computers.”

“Okay,” replied Dane, “but first things first. I have to help you calm Luna down, as I’m guessing that horrible woman who came to see me is what she’s upset about.”

“Yes,” said Crystal, handing Luna to Dane, “and thank you.”

Crystal smiled and Sersi seethed as Dane tenderly comforted Luna.

Outside, Mary Clarke walked gracefully down the streets of New York City, and as the sun went down, she appeared to melt into the shadows, going back to wherever she came from...for now.

NEVER THE END

FANFIC: The Avengers in "Midnight Blue" Part 2

As morning turned into afternoon, a pair of quinjets approached Hydrobase. Walter and Diane Newell stood to receive the Avengers’ next batch of guests.

********

By now, Janet had dried her tears and composed herself to receive Doc Samson. But as he entered the room, she found herself on the verge of losing control again. Somehow she pulled herself together without any false help from chemicals.

"Good afternoon, Ms. VanDyne." said Samson.

"Janet will be just fine." whispered Janet.

"Very well, Janet. I’m here to talk."

"About what?"

"Where would you like to start?"

Janet cringed. "I’d honestly rather not talk at all."

Samson was unruffled. "Just say the word, and I’ll leave."

"No...no. I know you’re just here to help. I just...no offense, but I don’t put much stock in your profession. You...I’m assuming you’ll try to connect my problems to my childhood. Sorry to disappoint you, but I had a happy childhood. I never wanted for anything."

"Perhaps," said Samson, "your childhood was so happy you’ve spent your adult life trying too hard to keep your childhood from ending?"

"Oh, please!" Janet replied, but Samson had hit a nerve.

"I also understand, from my research on you, that you lost your mother at an early age."

"That doesn’t mean anything. I never even knew my mother, I don’t remember her at all. And I grew up surrounded by incredible women – grandmothers, aunts, cousins..."

"I still doubt it fully compensated for the lack of a mother figure."

"Yeah, okay, maybe not. And...I guess my dad and I always had something a little off about our relationship. He never said so, but I think he wanted a son."

"Perhaps your adventurous leanings come from that source? Trying to live up what you think your father wanted?"

"P-perhaps..." grumbled Janet.

"And maybe your unspoken, possibly unconscious, desire to please your father led you into the arms of an older man."

"Ugggh." groaned Janet, putting her head in her hands. "You had to ask about Hank, didn’t you?"

"He was a major part of your life for many years."

"The best years of my life..." Janet choked, "...and the worst."

"Please elaborate."

"What can I say? We were both very...needy...when we met. His first wife, Maria, had died not long before. We didn’t think much about anything, we just plunged right in." She paused. "In hindsight, even the happy years seem kind of...uh...unhealthy, me marrying him while he had a major identity crisis..." She frowned. "We never should have rejoined the Avengers. That was when it all went to hell in a handbasket."

"Is this where the drugs came in?"

She pursed her lips before answering, "Yes."

"And would I be right in guessing your fashion career started at the same time?"

"Yeah, whatever. Anyone with half a brain knows that the fashion world is drowning in drugs. It didn’t really become a...problem until Hank’s...um...downfall and our divorce. And then I nominated myself for chairman and won. What the hell was I thinking? I should have gotten away from all things superhero. Instead, I got in over my head. I felt confused and unworthy, and the coke was all that gave me clarity."

"For what it’s worth, there are millions of women of your generation who have the same story to tell. And despite the way you felt about yourself, all of your fellow heroes would agree you did a remarkable job as leader."

Her face turned red. "Don’t lie to me! I destroyed the Avengers! Oh god, Cap and Dane and Jarvis being tortured..." She put her hands in her head again.

"Nobody died, and the villains were caught. You did as good as anyone could under the circumstances."

"One of those villains is working for the Avengers." said Janet through gritted teeth before screaming, "WORKING FOR THE AVENGERS!"

"She saved the Avengers from another villain. And she’s not the first member of your organization with a questionable past."

"Yeah, I know, I know. That’s the same thing that Dane said."

"This is not a black-and-white world, much as you may want to believe it so."

"Yeah, but...don’t you think it’s gotten too gray lately?"

"It’s always been gray. Recognizing and accepting that is all part of growing up."

"Nice way to bring it full circle to my arrested childhood." said the Wasp sarcastically.

"I hope at the very least I’ve given you some food for thought, but I have no control over that."
He looked Janet in the eye. "It’s all in your hands now. Good day. Your friend Ms. Walters will be over in a few minutes." He got up and walked out of the room.

The Wasp now felt too numb to do anything except stare at the wall...and think. Yeah, she thought to herself, if I’d been more of a thinker before, maybe things would have gone better.

*********

Meanwhile, in the control center, Monica was finding it unusually hard to maintain eye contact with Quasar as she opened up to him. "It’s so hard to explain how it feels to have no powers, to be just an ordinary human being again. It feels so...empty. And I hate myself for feeling sorry for myself. My father raised me better than that."

Quasar was puzzled. "I’d like to help you, but I don’t know how."

"Your cosmic awareness." said Monica, locking eyes with him. "I hope that your cosmic awareness may be able to tell me if anything, even the most microscopic bit, still remains of my powers."

"It’s possible." said Quasar. "You were bonded to that alien for a long time. Something may still be there."

With great difficulty, Monica begged, "Please look and see."

Quasar closed his eyes and put his fingertips to his head. The next few minutes felt more like years to Monica. Then Quasar opened his eyes and said one word: "Yes."

Monica felt a rush of positivity threatening to overwhelm her, but outwardly she kept cool.

"I want you to be my...my cosmic personal trainer. I want to nurture that little bit of power so it can grow and I can have super-powers again."

"I’m perfectly willing," said Quasar, "but it won’t be easy and it won’t happen quickly."

"I can live with that." said Monica plainly.

"Just name the day and time." said Quasar.

"I will." She extended her hand. "Thank you, Wendell."

He took her hand and gently shook it. They both smiled.

*********

With a flash of cosmic light, Thor and Polania materialized on the impeccably maintained front lawn of the Xavier School For Gifted Youth.

"Where hast thou taken me?" demanded Thor. "And what in Odin’s name occured at the Rainbow Bridge?"

"The Anti-Omega is incompatible with Asgard, being that it comes from a different godly source. Thy very presence in Asgard turns thee into a deadly anomaly."

"Why didst thou not warn me of this, woman??"

"Thou didst not ask. And I believe thy exact words were, ‘I shall wield it and face whatever repercussions may come.’"

Thor closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and growled until he could regain composure. "What is my fate to be?"

"There is a possibility of correcting the cosmic energy so thou can co-exist with Asgard. But it is not to be found in this dimension."

"Then why are we not already there??"

"We hath need of one more traveling companion."

They were interrupted by the voice of one of the school’s students, who had seen them through the windows and come out the front door. Polania recognized him as the Caucasian boy from her vision, and he said, calmly, as if the presence of gods on the lawn was a regular occurence, "Can I help you folks with anything?"

"Greetings and salutations, young man." said Thor. "I assure thee, this is all a mistake. Be thy headmaster present?"

"No, sir."

"We are looking for Danielle Moonstar." said Polania. "Is SHE present?"

"Yes, ma’am. That’s her coming in for a landing on her flying horse." He pointed up to the sky, where, indeed, Dani was riding her white winged horse.

"Omigosh." the boy exclaimed suddenly, "You’re Thor. Beg pardon, sir, I didn’t recognize you with the...uh...new look. My name is Sam Guthrie."

By now, Dani and her horse had landed on the lawn, and she was running over to them. At the same time, the rest of the New Mutants, with the exception of the wolf girl, were coming out of the house.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said Sam, "this, believe it or not, is Thor, and the lady is...uh..."

"I am Polania the Contemplatrix." she stated.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance." said the Latin boy, taking Polania’s hand and kissing it. "I’m Roberto." Polania didn’t smile.

"And the rest of this here motley crew," said Sam, "are Warlock, Illyana, and...say, where’s Rahne? And Dani you already knew about...uh...how DID you know about her?"

"What’s this all about?" asked a scowling, short-of-breath Dani.

"Query." piped up Warlock. "Does Thor’s presence mean that help from self and self-friends is needed in Asgard? We are all well familiar with..."

"Yes," interrupted Polania, "I know. Our mission shall take us to Asgard in a roundabout way, but, for the moment, we hath need of only her." She pointed at Dani.

"I can’t believe you’re still so naive, Sam." said Dani. "This has to be some kind of trick."

Polania grabbed Dani by the arm. "The longer we tarry, the closer we come to the end of all there is."

"Hey!" said Dani, "Hands off!" When Polania didn’t let go, Dani instinctively activated her mutant power: to make anyone she choose see their deepest fear as if it were really happening. Thor was overwhelmed by visions of Ragnarok, the apocalypse of Norse myth, but Polania proved not to have any kind of fear. Surprised and confused, Dani hesitated, giving Polania the chance to zap her unconscious with a touch of her fingertip.

But Polania wasn’t prepared for the assault of the New Mutants’ wolf girl, the aforementioned Rahne, who growled as she came out of nowhere and pounced on Polania. "You picked the wrong mutants to mess with." said Rahne in a thick Scottish burr.

"That’s right," said Illyana, "we take care of our own." She produced a sword out of thin air as her eyes began to glow red and horns sprouted from her forehead. The rest of the New Mutants were all poised to strike as well.

Then, in the blink of an eye, and with a flick of Polania’s wrist, the New Mutants suddenly found themselves unconscious on the ground.

Polania picked herself up from the ground and dragged Dani and Thor over to her teleportation platform. First she teleported them next to Dani’s horse, and then, with the speed of thought, they all vanished.

A few minutes later, the New Mutants woke up...with no memory of what had transpired. Polania had placed a suggestion in their minds that Dani had decided to take a joyride and wouldn’t be back for days. But they still knew SOMETHING had happened...and they would get to the bottom of it, one way or another.

********

Rita DeMara was hard at work maintaining Hydrobase’s delicate machinery, when she heard soft footsteps. She turned to see Ant-Man’s daughter, Cassie, wandering around, looking like she was holding back tears.

"Hi." said Rita. "Are ya okay?"

"No." said Cassie, wiping away a tear. "I’m...I’m lost."

"It’s easy for that to happen in this place. Are your mom and dad here at Hydrobase?"

"My dad is. He’s...Ant-Man."

"Come on," said Rita, offering her hand, "I’ll help ya find him."

********

Dani awoke to find herself witnessing the vast magnificence of a desert. Once she got her bearings, she saw her horse going hysterical, Thor still coming out of the state she had put him in, and Polania standing stoically.

Dani rushed over to Polania, and grabbed her by the collar. "Take me and Brightwind back home! Now!"

"Thy anger is understandable, but thou must channel it into a more productive way, as a battle is nigh." Polania pointed to her right, and Dani looked over to see an army of barbarians riding dragons and charging towards them.

"Polemachus!" exclaimed Thor. "Thou hast brought us to Polemachus, but...that legion art not commanded by Arkon!"

"No." said Polania calmly, as she removed a sword from a slot in her platform and handed it to Dani.

The barbarian’s commander was a bearded behemoth with a booming voice. "For the glory of the Crusades, strike now!"

"AS YOU COMMAND, GENERAL XANDUUR!" replied the troops fervorously.

A hail of solid lightning bolts came down on the three outworlders, who dodged the fire the best they could. One bolt hit Thor square in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Clearly, the natives had discovered a new source of raw power, one frightening in its implications.

Okay, thought Dani, if I need to show these clowns what a Cheyenne mutant Valkyrie is made of, then show them I will. She climbed onto Brightwind, held her sword aloft and, with a scream, charged.

*********

Scott Lang was sweating and chewing his nails as he searched for his daughter, still furious at himself for letting her wander around a huge, unfamiliar structure like Hydrobase.

Then, just as he was about to panic, he heard a woman’s voice from far away.

"Hey," said Rita, "are you her dad?"

"Daddy!" cried Cassie as she ran towards him. They hugged and cried.

By now, Rita had caught up to them. Scott looked up at her. "Thank you so much, Miss...uh..."
"Just call me Rita."

"...Rita."

A long quiet moment passed as they looked into each other’s eyes and saw what could only be described as a love destined to happen.

********

Jennifer Walters, the She-Hulk, took a deep breath and opened the door. She entered to see her best friend, Janet VanDyne, looking tired, forlorn, and lost.

"Hello, Jen." whispered Janet.

"Hello." replied Jen, who then struggled with what to say until she came up with: "Dane told me that you flirted with him while you were coked up. I want you to know that I forgive you, and you’re still my best friend."

"Thank you." said Janet meekly.

Jen shook her head, then blurted: "Janet, what happened to you? How could you let yourself get caught up in...drugs? And why didn’t you ever tell me?"

"I was ashamed." said Janet flatly. "Wouldn’t you be, if you were a superhero with a coke habit? A complete and utter hypocrite?"

"Stop being so hard on yourself." said Jen. "You’re not a hypocrite. You’re only hum..."

"Only human??" yelled Janet. "I’m the worst that humanity can be! I’m getting old, and what do I have to show for myself? A failed marriage, a pathetic excuse for a superhero career that destroyed the Avengers, and a drug habit that’s left me broke! The Winsome Wasp, what a joke! The Winsome Wasp is dead! Dead, dead, dead! But everybody still expects me to be..." She broke out into loud sobs and torrents of tears.

Jen put her arms around Janet as gently as she could, and gave Janet her shoulder to cry on. Once Janet had seemingly cried herself out, she looked up at Jen with red eyes and gasped, "Help me, Jen. Please, help me."

"It’s okay." said Jen soothingly. "Shhh...shhh...it’s okay." Janet began crying again.

*********

Later, as the moon shined over Hydrobase, Jen and a cleaned-up, dressed-up Janet walked along the corridors. They saw they had to walk past Rita, who was whistling cheerfully while she worked...until her eyes met with Janet’s, and Janet could sense Rita’s fear. Janet swallowed hard and did something which was difficult, but which she knew was right.

"I’m sorry I threatened you." said Janet.

"Huh?" said Rita. "Oh...uh...apology accepted. Ya weren’t yerself, right?"

"Right...right." said Janet, walking away with Jen.

And finally, they arrived at the door to the master control center. The door loomed large over her, because although she was physically petite, it was inside that she felt small, smaller than she’d ever felt in her life. She took a deep breath as Jen punched in the code to open the door.

The explosion of brightly colored costumes against antiseptic black-and-white surroundings was jarring, due to her currently raw nerves. There they were, as many active Avengers of both coasts as were available, assembled at the conference table: chairwoman Captain Marvel, west coast commander Hawkeye, Black Knight, Namor, Marrina, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, and Janet’s ex-husband, Dr. Henry Pym. There was one empty chair, directly across the table from Captain Marvel. Janet quietly walked over to it and took a seat.

She-Hulk broke the silence. "Janet has agreed to go into rehab."

"Janet," said Captain Marvel, "we want you to know that we’re all here for you on the difficult journey you have ahead."

"And," said Hawkeye, "we want ya to know that we ain’t judging you for any mistakes ya’ve made. That’s the past. All we got is the present, an’ we want to help ya as much as we can."

Janet stared blankly for a couple minutes, then looked at Dr. Pym and spoke up. "Hi, Hank. What’s new with you?"

"I’m glad you asked." smiled Hank. "Maria turned out to be alive in Russia. She and I are together again."

"That’s great." replied Janet, genuinely smiling for the first time in a very long time as she felt a sense of closure between herself and Hank.

After another pause, Janet stood up and extended her arms as she looked at all the Avengers. "Thank you." she said. "Thank you."

Jen ran over and embraced her. Janet began crying again, but this time they were tears of joy. Jen began crying, too, also for joy, as the optimistic outro to "Midnight Blue" began playing in both their minds.

"Looks like we’re gonna make it...Looks like we’re gonna make it."

NEVER THE END

FANFIC: The Avengers in "Midnight Blue," Part 1

Note: This is the third in a series of Avengers fanfics taking place in an alternate universe, Earth-19501927; the first, The Omega Sequence, can be read at Avengers Forever (http://www.avengersforever.org), while the second, The Legacy of Mar-Vell, can be read at both this blog and Avengers Forever.

The small aircraft, a sort of demi-quinjet, approached Hydrobase with Diane Newell in the pilot’s seat. Once it landed, the hatch opened to reveal two male passengers. The first was the Avengers’ ever-loyal manservant, Jarvis, finally recovered from the injuries he sustained during the siege, although Diane did have to help him get out. The second was the powerfully built psychiatrist and sometime superhero with the long green hair, Doctor Leonard "Doc" Samson.

Diane’s husband and fellow Hydrobase caretaker, Walter Newell, greeted them.

"Thank you both for coming. Janet is still asleep right now. I’ll show you to your destinations."

From Hydrobase’s control center, Monica Rambeau, also known as Captain Marvel, observed the arrival and was satisfied with what she saw. It was now time for the next order of business. She activated the public address system.

Over in Hydrobase’s vast exercise room, Quasar and Ant-Man sat on a bench, watching Ant-Man’s daughter Cassie playing soccer with two whole team’s worth of quantum constructs, courtesy of Quasar.

"I really appreciate this, Quasar." said Ant-Man. "I haven’t seen her having this much fun in a long time."

"My pleasure." replied Quasar softly.

Monica’s voice boomed through the P.A. system. "Quasar and Ant-Man, report to the control center."

Quasar and Ant-Man stood up. "We’ll have to stop the game for now, sweetie." said Ant-Man.

"Aw, Dad." Cassie pouted.

"Ask Mr. and Mrs. Newell to show you where the TV room is. I’ll be back with you as soon as I can, I promise." said Ant-Man.

"Okay." said Cassie as she picked up her ball and walked away.

"Kids." Ant-Man smiled. "The greatest thing in the world. I wouldn’t be the man I am today if it wasn’t for fatherhood." He turned to Quasar as they headed together to the control center. "You got any kids of your own?"

"No." said Quasar. "I’ve been...busy."

"Busy?" laughed Ant-Man.

"I’ve witnessed things you wouldn’t believe."

"Hey, man, I’ve been to jail. Try me."

"I’ve been to outer space, other timelines, other dimensions, worlds without end, existence at its most beautiful and its most horrible..."

"Lemme guess. After all that, you’re trying to get your feet on the ground again."

"In a way."

"Well, I’m here for you, buddy. They don’t come more grounded than me. A beer, some chips, an old-time movie, and I’m satisfied. My real name’s Scott, by the way. Any time you wanna hang out, we can."

"Thank you. And I’m Wendell."

"Wendell, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship."

*********

"Do you think that under this gamma-powered hide I’m just a neurotic bundle of nerves who falls apart at the touch of a feather?" demanded She-Hulk angrily of her romantic partner, the Black Knight.

"Don’t try to read my mind." said the Black Knight defensively. "It really bothers me when people do that. I just thought that, with what’s going on with Janet, you couldn’t handle any more pain right now. That’s why I tried to keep the news from you."

"Let me tell you something!" replied She-Hulk. "When you’re the Hulk’s cousin, you get used to hearing stories about him being dead. Hell, for all we know, he could be in Vegas right now working as a mob leg-breaker, or something crazy like that."

She’s in denial, thought the Black Knight to himself, and that’s normal. It’s one of the five stages. But she didn’t have to take it out on me, especially when I was trying to help.

"Whatever works for you." said the Black Knight stoically before turning around and walking out.

She-Hulk slammed the door shut. Great, she thought to herself, our first lovers quarrel. But then, it was bound to happen eventually, wasn’t it? It’ll blow over.

She put a CD on the stereo and sat down at the foot of the bed. A soothing song began playing, and She-Hulk sang along.

"Wouldn’t you give your hand to a friend, maybe it’s not the end? And I think we can make it, one more time, if we try..."

She knew the song well. It was Melissa Manchester’s "Midnight Blue," and it was her’s and the Wasp’s personal song about their friendship, and had gotten them through many a tough time. She-Hulk continued to sing along as she prepared herself to talk to Janet once Doc Samson was done with her.

At the same time, the Black Knight sought escape through work on his time-space machine, but after a few minutes, he stopped working and simply sat cross-legged on the floor wearily. He took a piece of paper out of his pocket, unfolded it, and began re-reading it.

"My Dear Friend Dane,

These are dark times and they are only getting darker. The stage is being set for a terrible and potentially devastating battle between the forces of good and evil. I have had to go into hiding, both to protect myself from what lies ahead and to ready myself for when the time comes to face it. But I want you and Monica to be aware that a supernatural war is on the horizon, so that you and your team can prepare yourselves for it. Do not mistake the first strike as the be-all and end-all, for it is merely the tip of the iceberg. And be prepared for an important ally. Her name is Mary Dolan. Do not attempt to seek her out, for she is most elusive. She will find you, as long as you keep a watchful eye opened. And may the Vishanti watch over us all.

Vigilant as ever,
Stephen Strange."

Dane sighed and put the letter back in his pocket. When it rains, he thought to himself, it pours.

*********

Namor stood in a dark alley. He normally wouldn’t have been in such a place, but his friend had requested a private, low-key meeting. Namor then heard someone land behind him on their feet, and turned around, on guard, ready for anything – fortunately, it was the very person he was here to meet: Steve Rogers, the former Captain America, now known as The Captain.

"Greetings, Steve."

"Sorry for all the cloak-and-dagger stuff, Namor, but now that I’m working deep underground, it’s necessary."

"No need to apologize. I myself have been quite shady in my time."

The two friends shared a chuckle. Then the Captain updated Namor on his new status quo, and Namor related to the Captain all that had transpired among the Avengers since the Captain had left after the Olympus battle.

"Janet...a drug addict?" asked a shocked Captain.

"I fear it is the truth." muttered Namor. "But we are in the process of seeking help for her."

"Let me know if I can help in any way." said the Captain, " I know a lot of addiction counselors through the crisis hotline that I sponsor."

"Steve," inquired Namor, "does it not seem like...things were...SIMPLER when you and I were young?"

"You’re looking at things through rose-colored glasses, my friend. Life has never been simple." the Captain then paused. "Although now that you mention it, people did used to have better manners..."

"Indeed. And I honestly do not know anymore if the surface world holds a place for me and Marrina." said Namor, avoiding eye contact. "Particularly Marrina. She is...a wild creature, I cannot deny it anymore."

"So were you at one time." said the Captain. "Maybe she just needs some friends...or more than that, a mentor."

Namor finally smiled. "Steve, you are a genius."

"Well, now, I wouldn’t go that far," laughed the Captain, "but I’m glad I could help."

"Is there anything you would like me to tell Monica and the rest of the team?" asked Namor.

"Tell Monica I’m terribly sorry to have disappeared on you like this, and I really have no idea if I’ll ever be able to return full-time." answered the Captain. "But if you need me in a pinch, now you know how to find me."

"Best of luck, Steve." said Namor, offering his hand. "And I hope justice smiles upon you and gives you back your rightful title."

"Thanks, Namor." repiled the Captain, shaking his friend’s hand. "Best of luck to you and the Avengers."

*********

Polania the Contemplatrix observed the young Native American woman. Her name was Dani Moonstar, and she was a student at the Xavier School for Gifted Youth. At this moment, she was having lunch with the team that she was the co-leader of, the New Mutants.

"Hot sauce on a burger??" asked a lanky but handsome Caucasian boy, visibly wincing.

"You should try it, Sam. Put some hair on your chest." teased Dani.

The other adolescents laughed heartily.

"I have mine with double the hot sauce that Dani does." boasted a swarthy biracial Latin boy.

"Prove it." replied Dani with a sly smile.

"Query." said an indescribably bizarre-looking alien boy as he picked up the bottle of hot sauce. "Would red substance enhance self’s virility as well?"

"You’ll never know unless you try it straight from the bottle." said a mischevious-looking blonde Russian girl.

"Yana, no!" said Dani, suddenly serious. "Warlock, don’t do it!"

But it was too late. Warlock had downed the hot sauce in one gulp. Instantly, his eyes bulged like a cartoon character, his face turned bright red, and a whistle popped out of his head, emitting steam and making a loud noise. Then after a few tense seconds, he smiled and said, "Self likes it."

Dani looked relieved, and the whole group of kids laughed together.

A wolf entered the room. Dani immediately picked up a burger off the plate at the center of the table and tossed it to the wolf, whose true form was a rather uptight Scottish girl who was also Dani’s best friend; she went up to Dani, who stroked her wolf form; she then walked out, still wearing her wolf form. Dani’s face showed concern at her friend’s increasing preference for this.

A remarkable child, Polania thought to herself of Dani, wise and mature beyond her years; she is definitely ready for what lies ahead...

"Polania? Polania!" shouted Thor. "We hath arrived!"

Polania was jolted back into her immediate surroundings. "So we have." she replied, as she took in the splendor of Asgard’s Rainbow Bridge and its surrounding cosmic vistas.

"Ho, friend Heimdall, the Thunder God hath returned at last." said Thor, addressing the guardian of the Rainbow Bridge.

"What deviltry is this?" replied a non-plussed Heimdall. "Thy voice is that of Thor, but thy appearance doth not fit."

"Tis a long story," answered a still-smiling Thor as he stepped off Polania’s magical platform, "one best told over many mugs of mead..."

Suddenly, as Thor’s feet touched the bridge, a streak of cosmic crackle spread all over the bridge and quickly extended to Asgard itself. An earthquake caused cracks in the bridge and panic among the Norse Gods.

"Tis as I feared." said Polania emotionlessly.

"What dost thou mean?" demanded Thor angrily.

"This is not the place to explain." replied Polania, and she teleported herself and Thor away.
Heimdall stared slack-jawed into the empty space where they had been a moment ago. Surely a hallucination, he thought to himself, perhaps some trickery of Loki’s...

But, unknown to Heimdall, Loki was not only not responsible, but was delighting at this turn of events.

"My hated brother’s misfortune tis most timely." cackled Loki to himself. "Asgard shall at last be mine!"

And, unknown to Loki, his daughter Hela, Norse goddess of death, had been watching him watching the recent near-disaster. "Thor shall not escape my revenge so easily," she declared icily, "and neither you, father, nor any of the living shall be spared when my Valkyries extend my realm to include ALL OF ASGARD!"

********

The Hydrobase control center.

"Wendell," said Monica, "I’ve been told that if it weren’t for you, I would probably be dead. I thank you for that, and on behalf of all the Avengers, I thank you for your help against the Kree."

Wendell smiled nervously. "I just did what I knew was right."

"Scott," said Monica, "Your presence was a key factor in the defeat of the Mandrill. We are all very grateful."

Scott grinned. "Aw, shucks..."

"We are also in need of new Avengers. Dr. Druid is dead, and I had my powers taken away from me by Dr. Minerva. I’m not going to let that stop me from leading this team, but we do need two field operatives, and I think you fit the bill."

"I accept." said Wendell softly.

"Wild horses and all that." said Scott. "This’ll be a great place for my daughter, too. She’s been getting in fights at school, and she’s usually been by herself at home these last couple years, and I don’t wanna raise a latchkey kid with a chip on her shoulder."

"We’ll provide home-schooling, and anything else she might need." smiled Monica. "And we’ll start making the arrangements with the government to make you two official Avengers." she then paused. "Scott, you are excused, as I have some...private matters to discuss with Wendell."

"Uh...okay." said a surprised Scott, "I oughta look in on Cassie anyway. She’s probably gotten bored watching TV by now."

********

A moment later, Scott poked his head in the TV room and was shocked to find it empty. He worriedly began searching for his daughter. Hydrobase is a huge place, he thought to himself, and she could easily get lost; why didn’t I think of that before? Too busy thinking about myself joining the Avengers, I guess; stupid, stupid, stupid!

********

"Mistress Wasp?"

Janet VanDyne awoke with a start. "Wha...oh! Good morning, Jarvis."

"And good morning to you." replied Jarvis, as he visibly struggled with a tray of food.

Janet sat up in bed. "Oh, Jarvis, you shouldn’t have."

"I especially prepared your favorites." said Jarvis, lowering the tray onto Janet’s lap. "Bon appetit. And do please call if you should need anything else."

Janet looked at Jarvis, the soul of selflessness and kindness, and felt tears welling up. But she bit back the tears and simply smiled and said, "Thank you."

And she did feel hungry, after having spent days detoxing at Hydrobase’s medical wing. Knowing she was clean and sober for the first time in weeks, maybe months, felt good...really good. And it made Jarvis’s food taste even better than usual.

But after a few blissful minutes of enjoying breakfast, Janet felt a different kind of pang – the pangs of a drug addict. The need for unnatural stimulation. Unnatural and illegal. She felt like such a hypocrite, having spent years professing to defend the law while at the same time breaking it in the sneakiest fashion. And she knew that today was the day that she would be facing her fellow Avengers and would have to admit her wrongdoing.

She felt the tears welling up again, and this time she did nothing to stop them.

TO BE CONCLUDED IN PART II

FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell", Part Ten

Thor demonstrated his new powers by firing eye-beams of his own, which collided with Garero’s eye-beams and began pushing them back.

Garero stood his ground, but, as much as he denied it, the Negavator had weakened him. Thor’s beams continued on their path until they struck Garero in the eyes, causing Garero’s own power to turn against him. A web of cosmic crackle enveloped Garero, and though the pain must have been unimaginable, he remained stoic.

But the time it took for Garero to realize that his son Helkon may no longer be under his control was not enough for him to prepare himself for Helkon’s vengeful attack. With a righteous roar, Helkon swung his cosmic mace at his father, and the mace collided with Garero’s helmet, cracking it. Never hesitating, Helkon continued to batter Garero’s helmet until the helmet shattered, revealing Garero’s unspeakably horrid visage. Usually, the sight of Garero’s face could make even the hardiest warrior faint, but Helkon found the strength within to continue his attack until his father’s armor had been destroyed the same as the helmet had been. And Helkon did not stop there, continuing to beat his father, unleashing millenia of pent-up fury and delighting in giving the war god a taste of his own brutal medicine. When it was finally over, Garero’s body floated motionless in space.

"I, Helkon, god of gods, do cast my evil father back to his rightful place in the nether-realms from which I vow he shall never escape again!" And with this declaration, Garero’s body vanished.

"And those who awakened him and caused all this carnage in his name shall suffer the same fate!" Instantly, Captain Atlas and the others who had presumed to walk among gods were left to suffer the tortures visited upon those unfortunate enough to end up trapped in the Kree nether-realms.

*********

Thor, Quasar, She-Hulk, and Namor stood alongside Helkon, Polania, Firelord, Starfox, and the Kree pagans, overlooking the devastation which had been visited on Hala. Bound by chains of cosmic energy were Helkon’s brother Vultro and the rest of Garero’s acolytes, as well as Nebula and her surviving pirates.

In a piercing scream, Nebula taunted Firelord. "Well, hated enemy? Why do you hesitate to fulfill your stated mission in life and kill me? Have you gone soft?"

"Call it what you will," Firelord replied serenely, "but the arch-druid and his followers have brought me the enlightment I have always needed. I shall never again take another life...even one as pitiable as yours."

Upon hearing this, Nebula laughed long and loud. "You shall regret your waste of this opportunity. When next we meet, I shall not show you the weakness you now show me."

"You’ll never meet him again." said Starfox. "With a list of crimes like yours, you’ll be spending the rest of your days in a maximum security prison on Titan, grand-niece...IF that’s what you really are."

"I thank you all again for your aid," said the arch-druid, "but I fear the nightmare as only begun. With no leaders, the empire will descend into anarchy and my people, as well as all the other pagan communities across the empire, shall be in as much danger as ever."

"No," said Firelord, "for I shall be your protector and I shall not rest until your peaceful teachings have been learned across the empire. Thanks to you, I finally have a purpose in life and a world to call my own."

"Well spoken, Firelord." said Thor. "Having known thee longer than anyone here present, I applaud thy decision to begin anew."

"And with faith in me and my fellow gods renewed, we are ever-stronger and shall be ever-ready to aid the good people when they have need of us." declared Helkon.

"It shall be strange not having the threat of the Kree hanging over us anymore." said Namor.

"Oh, don’t worry," said She-Hulk sarcastically, "some other crazy alien conquerors will come along to fill the void."

"Aye," agreed Thor, "so we had best return to Earth now and remain ever-vigilant."

"I shall accompany thee." announced Polania.

"Whaaaat?" exclaimed the Avengers in unison.

"The Anti-Omega is my responsibility." exclaimed Polania. "Thor shall need my help in the phase of adjustment which doth lay ahead for him. Besides, I shan’t pass up the opportunity to expand my knowledge beyond the home of the Kree."

"Very well." sighed Thor.

*********

At Hydrobase, a quantum portal opened up and Quasar emerged, followed by the quinjet containing Thor, She-Hulk, and Namor and by Polania on her platform.

"Home, sweet home!" enthused She-Hulk, spreading out her arms and raising her head. When she lowered her head, she saw the Black Knight and Rita approaching them.

"Dane, love of my life!" shouted She-Hulk as she ran towards the Black Knight and gave him the biggest hug she could without injuring him.

"I’m glad you’re all back safely." muttered a decidedly downcast Dane.

"What’s wrong?" inquired She-Hulk.

"There’s good news and bad news." replied Dane. "The good news is, we averted a minor crisis and Monica is out of her come. The bad news...well, Rita should be the one to explain it."

"The Wasp came here and she was actin’ weird, like scary weird. She even threatened me." related Rita. "Then she locked herself in one-a the bathrooms. Dane told me to watch the bathroom door while he an’ the reserves went on their mission. Later, I heard noises coming out like the Wasp was in trouble. I went an’ got Mr. and Mrs. Newell, an’ Mr. Newell forced the door open, an’...we sawr the Wasp passed out on the floor an’...an’..."

Rita had to swallow hard before she could continue.

"...an’ there was white powder on the bathroom counter."

Everyone was speechless. In all the Avengers’ years of fighting dastardly criminals and would-be conquerors, no Avenger had ever fallen victim to the insidious inanimate villainy of hard drugs. The Avengers silently vowed to do everything they could to help the Wasp, a founding member and a stalwart presence throughout their history, but because of this revelation, their many hard-won victories were now bittersweet indeed.

NEVER THE END

FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell", Part Nine

When Thor regained consciousness, he felt himself floating on air and watching his own body go through a transformation against a blank background of golden light. Rather than detaching him from these unfamiliar and painful new sensations, it magnified them.

Thor saw and felt his flesh dissolve away, followed by the dissolution of his muscles and internal organs until nothing remained but his skeleton. Then the skeleton discorporated into molecules, which joined back together to form a protean blob of soft matter. This, in turn, gradually took the shape of a humanoid newborn baby, and as it grew to adulthood in a matter of minutes, it began to emit a white cosmic light which became more and more intense until Thor was blinded by it and he could no longer see what he was becoming.

Abruptly, he found himself back in the Deathlands, facing Polania and Quasar as he had before. Polania motioned at him to follow her to a pitch-black pond where he could see his new self.
Thor was astonished. He was still about the same size and build, and still possessing long blond locks. But his eyes now glowed white, and he was now clad in a futuristic suit of armor which would not have looked out of place on an Eternal. He felt the armor – it was thin, soft, and flexible, yet he could perceive its amazing strength. And he could perceive so much more, from the tiniest pebble to the vast multiverse...and suddenly, Thor felt overwhelmed.

As if reading his mind, Polania said, "Keep thyself focused. Your every move, your every thought can now bring either the genesis or the apocalypse."

"Yes." whispered Thor, taking his time to take it all in until he spoke again. "Quasar, let us tarry not. Transport me back to Midgard, where I may engage Garero in battle."

"Tis not yet the time." warned Polania. "Thy new powers would destroy a normal quantum portal and set off a chain reaction that would devastate the universe. We need a portal created by not one but two cosmic-powered beings. And have it soon we shall. If both of thee wouldst close thine eyes and share my vision..."

They witnessed Firelord awakening on the surface of Hala to find himself inside a stone circle, surrounded by what could only be Kree pagans. He realized he was in one of the safe spots that Starfox had mentioned – if only, he thought to himself, it had gone smoother getting there.
Firelord noted that his burns had fully healed, and as if the pagans’ long-haired, long-faced arch-druid could read Firelord’s mind, he said, "Yes, we did heal you. It took a great communal effort, but we succeeded. Now you must..."

The arch-druid was rudely interrupted by an attack from Zetazia, who had tracked Firelord to this location. Zetazia’s flames quickly had all the pagans’ huts ablaze.

Beyond angry at her actions against these peaceful folk, Firelord absorbed all the fire as fast as he could, and then launched himself at Zetazia. The two cosmic powered beings clashed in an explosion of red, orange, and yellow that lit up the sky. And when it was over, it was Firelord who was still standing.

"Our thanks, Firelord." said the arch-druid. "If not for you, we would have had to find a new place to call home. Allow us to repay you by clearing your mind for the task which lies ahead."
"If you can heal my tormented mind the way you healed my body, I welcome it." replied Firelord as he re-entered the stone circle.

The pagans surrounded him, joined hands and closed their eyes. Just a few seconds later, Firelord was overwhelmed by visions of the Kree battling his arch-nemesis, Nebula. Surprisingly, the armada of space pirates was holding its own despite being vastly outnumbered and despite the presence of cosmic-powered Kree and Kree gods; the Negavator was just one of many Negative Zone weapons with which Nebula had equipped her flagship. Part of Firelord wanted to blast off and head for the site of the battle, but thanks to the pagans, he began to use his rarely exercised capacity for reason. Firelord at last realized the futility of his vendetta against Nebula and the pointlessness of war.

In the Deathlands, Polania perceived the rising and advancing of Firelord’s spirit, and knew the time had finally come for Thor to intervene. "Quasar," she said, "use your cosmic awareness to mind-meld with Firelord. You must both bridge the realms with a cosmic portal strong enough to withstand the power that Thor now wields."

Quasar and Firelord simultaneously activated their considerable powers. It would not be long now before the final battle would be fought.

********

The Beast felt as though he might black out at any moment, while the Mandrill gleefully continued to beat on him. At the same time, it looked like the other apes were gaining the advantage against Hellcat and the Black Knight.

Suddenly, the time space flux began to spin in the other direction, and the other apes were sucked into the flux as if it were a black hole.

"NO!" yelled the Mandrill, "how can this be??"

"It’s...stupefyingly simple." said the Beast, laughing through his pain. "Your maleficent MacGuffin has...gone from discharging temporal anomalies – i.e., your gorilla guerillas – to removing temporal anomalies. You’re on your own from here, compadre."

"Hiya, Mandy!" said Hellcat as she delivered a karate kick to the Mandrill’s face. "Long time no see, but not long enough."

"You shall pay for that, Hellcat." said the Mandrill. "I still have my pheromone powers, with which I shall make you my slave."

"You’re outta luck there," replied Hellcat, "because this cat is also a packrat. Remember this?" She held up a seemingly innocuous bracelet, which had protected her from Mandrill’s powers at their last confrontation, and did the same here.

The Mandrill hesitated, not knowing what to do next, which gave the Black Knight a chance to sneak up behind him and smash him on the head with the flat of his blade. The Mandrill lost consciousness, then his balance, and fell down face-first.

"I love it when a plan comes together." gloated a grinning Hellcat.

"I would gladly pay you Tuesday for my medical bills today." quipped the injured Beast.

"I can’t thank you people enough for your help." said the Black Knight. "If any of you should ever want to join the Avengers full-time, we’ll welcome you with open arms."

Ant-Man quietly ruminated on what the Black Knight had just said.

*********

"What do you think?" Diane Newell asked her husband Walter.

"No doubt about it," said a smiling Walter, "Captain Marvel is coming out of her coma."

Rita barged into the medical center, gasping for breath. "Mr. Newell, Mrs. Newell, come quick. Something bad’s happening to the Wasp."

Moments later, Walter was using his security card to override the bathroom door’s lock.

When he opened the door, he, Diane, and Rita, were horrified at what they saw.

*********

"Negavator fully charged." said Gunthar to Nebula.

"Target the one with the horned helmet, he is clearly the most powerful." Nebula said, referring to Garero.

The mighty blast of the Negavator barely staggered Garero. He countered with his eye-beams, hitting the ship’s one vulnerable spot and triggering a chain reaction that neutralized its primary functions.

"AND NOW," bellowed Garero, "THE PIRATES SHALL PAY FOR THEIR ARROGANCE WITH THEIR LIVES!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice came out of nowhere. "Garero, I say thee nay. Too many lives hath been lost today. Retreat to thy realm or suffer the full power of the Anti-Omega."

Thor stood before Garero, proud, confident, and defiant.

"THOU HAST PERSEVERED, GODLING, BUT EVEN THE ANTI-OMEGA SHALL NOT SAVE THEE FROM BEING CRUSHED LIKE THE INSECT THOU ART! NOW DIE! DIE!!"

And Garero’s eye-beams burst forth again, at their maximum power, headed straight for Thor.

TO BE CONCLUDED IN PART X

FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell", Part Eight

Their appetite for war now ravenous, the Kree were preparing for an all-out counterattack against the invading space pirates led by Nebula, when suddenly there was a disruption.

"My Seventh Sense!" exclaimed Doctor Minerva, "It has detected trespassers emerging from sub-space and attempting to land on our planet! I recognize them – Eros of Titan and Firelord, former Herald of Galactus!"

"Verxa! Zetazia! Capture them at all costs!" commanded Captain Atlas.

The two cosmic-powered Kree women immediately took flight, heading straight for Starfox’s ship.

Inside the ship, the red alert caused bedlam. "Scanners detect two cosmic entities of power comparable to yours, Firelord!" Starfox yelled over the noise.

"A worthy challenge." replied Firelord. "It has been too long since the last one." He stood up and headed for the airlock.

"Don’t underestimate them!" Starfox warned before wearily saying to himself, "Oh, what’s the use?"

Firelord cut an impressive figure across the sky, his staff blazing fireballs at both ends. But the Kree were unstoppable. Verxa locked eyes with Firelord and began using her hypnotic powers to infect Firelord’s mind with a temporary but powerful madness. Firelord screamed as he felt as though his skull might explode. Zetazia then opened her mouth and her deadly cosmic flame burst forward. Firelord had never before felt the effects of a cosmic fire as deadly as his own. He burned bright as he lost consciousness and went tumbling towards the surface of the planet.

While Zetazia tracked Firelord’s descent, Verxa flew straight at the ship. Starfox opened fire with the ship’s weapons, but to no effect. Verxa smashed her way into the cockpit. As soon as Starfox’s eyes met Verxa’s, he knew that he was facing powers of persuasion far beyond his own; he surrendered and fell into a trance.

"I would happily make a slave of you," said a grinning Verxa, "but as a Prince of Titan, you are far too valuable to us as a means to negotiate your father’s surrender to the Kree."

Meanwhile, the rest of the Kree were now ready to do battle with Nebula’s armada. Fleets of battleships and squadrons of Sentry robots from every planet of the empire assembled to make a stand. But the Kree’s secret weapons would be the awesome cosmic powers of Garero, Atlas, Minerva, Loparr, Gurge, Vultro, and Helkon. The plan was to sacrifice a small number of Sentry robots in order to make Nebula believe she was gaining the advantage, then strike unexpectedly and forcefully.

But the Kree had not reckoned with Nebula, who had not gotten where she was by being one step behind her prey. As the armada’s ships engaged the Sentries in battle, Nebula calmly passed down an order: "Ratchet up the Negavator to full power, and fire on the Kree command ship."

The Negavator once again came to terrifying life, its multicolored beam of negative energy slicing through anything in its path until it reached the Kree command ship, instantly shattering the shields and blazing onward until it appeared to have reduced the ship and everyone aboard to particles.

However, when the smoke and fire faded, it became all too clear that there were survivors. In fact, of the seven cosmic-powered Kree on board, only Loparr had suffered serious injury, sporting nasty burns on his paralyzed body.

"Get Loparr to medical on the planet’s surface, Gurge.." commanded Atlas. "The rest of you, follow the Lord Garero’s lead."

"TO THE DEATH!" declared Garero.

"To the death!" responded his followers.

Garero led Helkon, Vultro, Atlas, and Minerva on a direct assault on Nebula’s flagship.
Nebula received the attack stoically. "They may have survived, but they could not have been unhurt. Recharge the Negavator as quickly as possible. In the meantime, use all the other weaponry at this ship’s disposal to keep them at bay."

Polania the Contemplatrix allowed the vision of Nebula to fade away; she now knew she would have to interfere. She used her floating platform to teleport to the Deathlands, where Thor and Quasar lay injured among the casualties of the earlier battle. Stepping off the platform, she walked over to Thor and Quasar, kneeled down beside them, put her hands upon them, and began to use her powers to heal their injuries. Once they awakened healthy, it would be time for the decisive step, which would either save the universe or doom it utterly.

********

The Avengers’ quinjet darted through the skies of Washington, D.C. as it zeroed in on the site of the space-time flux and the resultant ape pandemonium.

Inside, the Black Knight and his Avengers reserves were rough and ready.

"Okay, everybody," said field commander Hellcat, "remember to stick to the plan."

The quinjet came to a stop and hovered above the fray. The Avengers jumped out of the quinjet and into the breach, as Hellcat did something she had dreamed of doing since she was a little girl.
"Avengers," yelled Hellcat, "ASSEMBLE!"

Hellcat and the Black Knight immediately began fighting the armored apes, enabling the Beast to gracefully leap and bound above the crowd. The Beast’s quarry was the Mandrill, easily distinguishable from the other apes by his far more flamboyant garb, complete with cape.

"Avengers, you shall never keep me and my brethren from our destiny!" raged the Mandrill.

"Quite the contrary, my fellow furry freakazoid," taunted the Beast as he got closer, "we take down more megalomaniacs before breakfast than we can count, and you’re next."

"Ha!" replied a defiant Mandrill, "You forget that I am more than a match for you."

And as the Beast lunged, the Mandrill dodged him with a similarly acrobatic move, then came down hard on him.

"Oh, my stars and garters!" exclaimed a woozy Beast as he began to see stars and do his best to defend himself against the Mandrill’s savage attack.

But while the Beast’s injuries were not part of the plan, the most crucial part of the plan had been a success, as an ant-sized Ant-Man, riding his trained ants Steed and Emma, took off from his perch on the Beast’s fur and sped straight for the Mandrill’s space-time flux machine. Spotting an opening in the machine, Ant-Man jumped off Steed and Emma and activated his rocket pack, swooping through the inner workings of the machine as he searched for a way to reverse the machine’s effect. Black Knight and Beast had given him a detailed run-down of what the inner workings would most likely be, and while Ant-Man was no slouch at machines, he marveled at the wealth of knowledge possessed by his colleagues. "There’s so much more I could learn from those guys," thought Ant-Man to himself as he continued his quest.

*********

At Hydrobase, caretakers-slash-troubleshooters Walter and Diane Newell attended to the still comatose Captain Marvel.

Meanwhile, in another part of Hydrobase, Rita DeMara kept watch on the door of the bathroom where Janet VanDyne had locked herself in.

Suddenly, Rita heard loud gasping and choking sounds, followed by what sounded like Janet falling down and thrashing about, knocking into the walls with her flailing limbs.

Rita ran to find the Newells.

********

Thor and Quasar were now on their feet and back in top health. Polania had told them what transpired while they were unconscious, and now she stood facing them silently.

"Tell us," said Thor, "what we must do."

"It is not an obligation which faces thee, but a choice." replied Polania, who then turned around and kneeled at the base of her platform. She pushed a button and a slot opened, discharging a small black box.

Holding the box in front of Thor, she spoke again. "If thou doth choose to wield the awesome cosmic power of the Anti-Omega, thy life shall change forevermore. Consider this carefully before thou makest thy decision."

"I tire of thy riddles, woman!" snapped Thor. "Tell me now, dost this Anti-Omega hold the power to defeat Garero, yea or nay?"

"Yea."

"Then I shall wield it, and face whatever repercussions may come."

"Thou hast made thy choice." said Polania flatly as she opened the box to reveal what looked like little more than a golden bauble with a shape resembling two horseshoes bonded together.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Thor reached over and took the object in his hand.

The object began to glow, giving off a golden light of a brightness beyond human perception. The stark ugliness of the Deathlands almost turned beautiful when illuminated by the light of the Anti-Omega.

But before Thor could appreciate this, he began to have difficulty breathing. Then his vision blurred and his companions and his surroundings faded abruptly...to black.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART IX

FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell", Part Seven

Polania the Contemplatrix sat in a deep trance as she used her powers to view the key players in the coming events which would decide the fate of the universe.

On Hala, the former renegades, now the rulers of the Kree empire, were addressing a crowd of their most loyal subjects, those who were filled with anticipation for the summoning of Garero.

"In mere moments," said Captain Atlas, "the sacred ritual shall commence!"

"And Garero shall walk among us, leading us to victory against all who oppose us." said Minerva.

The crowd began chanting Garero’s name.

Polania turned her attention to the Avengers, Helkon, and an army of air and ground centurions, all marching toward the Deathlands, from whose ground Garero would emerge unless they could prevent it.

Thor and Helkon were holding a conversation.

"...and that is why no other gods could accompany us." said Helkon. "The corrupting influence of Garero is such that only the purest of heart may resist its invitation to sink into the lowest depths of the darkness within every soul. The centurions, being as they are of the living dead, hath no souls to corrupt. Unfortunately, that also doth leave them as little more than cannon fodder."

"If he art thy father, as thou sayeth, wouldst thou not be particularly susceptible to said malign influence?" Thor inquired.

"Aye," replied Helkon, "that is why the Avengers must face him. Myself and the centurions do accompany thee for the sole purpose of holding off Garero’s acolytes. Most art merely a motley crew of demi-gods and minor demons – the only true threats are my half-brother Vultro and the sorcerous Tigin the Trickster."

At Helkon’s mention of Garero’s acolytes, Polania shifted her view again, this time to the bleak, darkness-shrouded Deathlands, where the acolytes were preparing the mystic ritual to liberate Garero from the realm of death. As the necessary artifacts were arranged and symbols drawn on the ground, Garero’s other son Vultro, he of the coarse black hair and considerable bulk, turned to the cowled, long-fingered Tigin the Trickster.

"Hath our worshipers on the mortal plane commenced the sacrifice?" asked Vultro in a voice like an automobile exhaust.

"Yes, yes," replied Tigin in a nasal voice with strange inflections, "see for thyself, thou brute of little faith." Tigin waved his hand and a ball of light floating above the palm appeared. Inside the ball, Vultro and Tigin observed as the new Kree rulers tossed the bodies of the civil war’s many wounded into a giant brazier.

"Excellent!" said Vultro. "Let the ritual commence, before my hated half-brother doth arrive and attempt to disrupt us."

Tigin raised his hands and began chanting incomprehensible incantations while Vultro and the other acolytes watched the mystic circle from which Garero would emerge if they succeeded.

Polania shuddered before shifting her view one last time, towards the players in this drama who were oblivious to the shattering events now unfolding. She simultaneously observed the approach of an interstellar pirate armada towards the border worlds of the Kree empire, and a Titanian starship stealthily following the armada while concealed within sub-space.

Within the starship, Eros of Titan, also known as Starfox, and the former Pyreus Kril of Xandar, now known to all as Firelord, sat in the pilot and co-pilot chairs respectively. They nervously awaited the best chance to reveal themselves.

"I grow impatient, Eros." barked Firelord. "Too long have we lain idle while Nebula continues to spread death and destruction. Her victims must be avenged..."

"...and you’re the one destined to carry it out. I know, you’ve only told me a hundred times." muttered Starfox warily. "But if we’re not cautious, we may both end up among the casualties. Might I remind you that she stole a Negative Zone weapon from Annihilus himself?"

And in the pirate armada’s flagship, presiding over the bridge, was Nebula herself, the terror of a thousand galaxies.

She turned to her right-hand man, Gunthar of Rigel, and said, "With the power of the Negavator, we shall be unstoppable as we conquer the Kree empire."

"Overconfidence could lead to disaster." replied Gunthar. "This is, after all, the Kree we are talking about."

"Ha!" said Nebula, "the Kree are a fading shadow of their former selves as long as the Supreme Intelligence continues to rule them. Of course, I would rather return to my original goal of conquering the Skrull empire, but they have grown far too strong during the time it took me to free myself from the Negative Zone and rebuild my armada."

"Border patrol directly ahead!" alerted Gunthar.

"Superb." said Nebula, grinning wickedly. "Any excuse to activate the Negavator is a good one."
At her command, a gigantic laser cannon attached to the flagship made a single clean sweep, and every ship of the Kree border patrol exploded in a string of red and orange fireballs.

Nebula laughed as she exulted in the destructive power at her fingertips.

Over in sub-space, Starfox and Firelord were left temporarily speechless by the morbid spectacle. "It’s worse than I feared." said Starfox. "Our best option is to head for Hala; Mar-Vell showed me the planet’s safe zones on clandestine voyages we made there; then we’ll formulate a plan."

Polania was satisfied with what she had seen, and dared to hope she would not have to interfere. For if she did, there was the possibility it could cause a disaster even worse than Garero’s triumph.

*********

"...and then Bianca and I went to 54 and..."

The Black Knight set down his cards, got up from his seat, and spoke up.

"You know, Janet, we’ve made a lot of changes to the base since the last time you were here. Why don’t I show you around? The others can continue the game without me."

"What a SPLENDID idea, Dane." replied the Wasp loudly before turning coy. "Of course, you always have splendid ideas. Have I ever told you that?"

"Right this way." said Dane awkwardly as he led Janet out the door.

"Boy, that was weird." remarked Ant-Man warily.

"Hey," said Hellcat, "Isn’t Dane dating Jennifer?"

"I have not been privy to the recent romantic entanglements amongst the Avengers set." replied Beast crisply.

"Janet’s lucky that Jennifer’s not here." said Hellcat. " I’ve heard she’s the jealous type and she has the worst temper. And aren’t they supposedly best friends? If my best friend tried..."

"Uh, in case you haven’t noticed, Hellcat," said Ant-Man, "Beast and I are guys. Playing cards."

"Right," said Hellcat, smiling tightly, "so, how about those Mets?"

Some distance away, Dane led Janet into the medical center where Monica still lay in a coma.

"Terrible." said Janet with zero conviction. "Just terrible."

Terrible was the word for how Dane felt at that moment. Something was freezing Janet’s heart, turning her into someone far different from the winsome Wasp everybody knew and loved. But for the life of him, he couldn’t come up with an explanation that made any sense to him.

He ushered Janet out of the medical center, and they headed for the heart of the machinery that ran Hydrobase. Inside, a young woman whose shortish hair was growing out awkwardly was busy at work fine-tuning the machinery.

"This is Rita," said Dane, "she’s become our official mechanic as has been a great help..."

"IT’S YOU!" screamed Janet. "YELLOWJACKET!"

Rita cowered in fear as Janet’s fists began blazing in preparation to fire a bio-electric blast. Dane immediately got between them and grabbed Janet by the wrists, suffering minor burns on his hands and lower arms.

"Janet, no! She’s reformed! She’s under house arrest here at Hydrobase. We made all the arrangements, and it’s worked out really well. Plus, her computer skills saved the Avengers and the entire world from the Fixer’s plans."

"What kind of a team have the Avengers become??" cried Janet.

"How," inquired Dane, "is Rita any different than Clint, Wanda, Pietro...?"

"I CAN’T TAKE THIS!" yelled Janet, running into the nearest bathroom and locking herself inside.

For the next fifteen minutes, Dane pounded on the bathroom door, begging and pleading for Janet to come out. Then the alarm rang, summoning Dane to the control center. Dane turned to Rita and said, "Watch that door."

"I will." Rita replied meekly.

Dane rushed off, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. When he arrived at the control center and saw the monitor, the weight felt heavier.

"A time/space flux pulse in Washington, D.C." reported the Beast. "It appears to be an invasion of highly evolved apes from an alternate timeline."

"Their leader!" exclaimed Hellcat, pointing at the monitor’s screen. "He’s very much from THIS place and time! It’s my old enemy, the Mandrill!"

"Looks like Mandrill has watched ‘Escape from the Planet of the Apes’ too many times." Ant-Man quipped drily.

"Hellcat, you say you’ve faced him before. Was this with the Defenders?" asked Dane.

"Yes. Twice." said Hellcat.

"Then you’ll be field commander." said Dane.

Hellcat’s eyes widened, followed an instant later by a wide smile. "Yes, sir!" she gleefully replied, giving a salute.

Dane and the reservists ran to the nearest quinjet.

********

As the skies grew ever darker in the Deathlands, and the Avengers and their companions reached their quarry, Thor and Helkon looked at each other. They didn’t have to say a word – they already knew they were too late.

At the site of the ritual, white fire erupted from the ground, followed by billows of the blackest smoke, and finally, the rising of the imposing, intimidating, armor-clad, impossibly muscular figure of Garero. Within Garero’s horned helmet, two evil eyes glowed like hot coals; the rest of the evil god’s face was hidden, lest it horrify to death those who glimpsed it.

"LET ALL WHO LIVE BY THE CODES OF WEAKNESS CHOKE ON THEIR TERROR," declared Garero in a voice deeper than the deepest abyss and which echoed for untold miles, "FOR I HAVE RETURNED TO CONQUER THE UNIVERSE!"

"All hail Garero!" exclaimed a kneeling Tigin the Trickster like some demented evil preacher.

"I bid thee welcome, father!" said Vultro, kneeling as well. "The time for battle is nigh."

Vultro received an unexpected response from a familiar voice.

"Closer than thou dare imagine, perfidious ones!" said Helkon, as he and the Avengers and the centurions stood atop the nearest hill.

Vultro stood up and laughed in the face of his defiant relation. "So, thou hast come for more punishment, my weakling brother!"

"Tis thee who shall be punished for thy deeds!" snarled Helkon. "Punished by DEATH!"

Spurred on by Helkon’s words, the forces of good charged like a modern-day Light Brigade. Helkon’s mace and Vultro’s axe clashed deafeningly as the two brothers enacted the ultimate sibling rivarly. The centurions quickly overwhelmed the acolytes, giving the Avengers a clear path towards Garero, who stood tall, arms folded, eyes radiating evil.

Quasar’s quantum armor was now outfitted like a war machine, with twin guns at the end of each arm and a shoulder-mounted cannon. Quasar opened fire on Garero, hitting the evil god with a barrage of destructive quantum force.

But when it was over, Garero still stood, completely unscathed. His eyes turned from glowing red to glowing white, and he fired the deadliest cosmic beams imaginable at Quasar, who instantly turned away to prevent a direct hit. But merely being grazed by Garero’s beams shattered his armor and left him lying motionless on the ground.

Namor hit Garero high with all his might; She-Hulk hit Garero low with all her might. Both heroes bit down hard to try and deny the unimaginable pain they felt and keep up the attack, but it was not enough, and Garero brutally swatted them away.

"Garero!" yelled Thor. "Turn and face the God of Thunder!"

Garero roared with contemptuous laughter. "ART THOU THE BEST MY SON COULD SUMMON AGAINST ME, GODLING?"

With a berserker’s roar, Thor let his hammer Mjolnir fly with a force he had never before used.
It did no good. Mjolnir struck Garero square in the chest, but the evil god did not flinch...and Mjolnir shattered!

The split second of Thor’s paralyzing shock gave Garero the opportunity to lunge at Thor. The two gods hit the ground with seismic force. Thor, as he had always done in the most extreme situations, began to surrender to the warrior madness, and his punches began to connect with Garero. But even this was in vain, as Garero quickly gained the advantage and within a minute, was back on his feet again, holding Thor aloft. Garero then tossed Thor aside, and the thunder god landed next to Namor and She-Hulk.

Garero then began to use his least physical but most dangerous power – he reached into the minds of the Avengers, in the hopes of making them soldiers in his army. It was Thor he hoped the most he would be able to turn to his side, but Thor’s millenia of hard-won wisdom proved impossible to crack; similarly, Quasar, despite his youth, had seen a lot and unlocked many cosmic secrets, and was also immune.

But with Namor and She-Hulk, Garero struck gold. Namor, in particular, had always been morally ambiguous and had even been an outright villain many times over; his facade of middle-aged serenity was brittle and easily shattered – Namor stood, his eyes glowing red. Next, She-Hulk put up the best fight she could, but her many resentments and her accumulated bitterness, combined with her feelings of persecution, eventually found her standing with eyes aglow.

The severely wounded Thor was barely standing and just beginning to realize what was happening to Namor and She-Hulk, when Garero gave them a psionic order to attack Thor with all their strength. This they did, viciously beating their fellow Avenger until he lay on the ground unconscious.

Garero then sent his new soldiers over towards Helkon and Vultro. They had disarmed each other, and Helkon had Vultro in a headlock until She-Hulk came up from behind and struck Helkon’s head. Momentarily disoriented, Helkon was pulled away from his brother, Namor and She-Hulk holding his arms in a tight grip, and dragged over to where Garero stood.

"THOU HAST DEFIED MY WILL FOR THE LAST TIME, TRAITOROUS SON OF MINE." said Garero. "TO KILL THEE WOULD BE MERCIFUL, AND I AM NEVER MERCIFUL. NO, THOU SHALL FIGHT BY MY SIDE, THE ULTIMATE HUMILIATION FOR THEE!"

Helkon tried to resist, but in the end, the evil flowing in his blood would not be denied. His eyes, which normally glowed red, now glowed white.

In the realm of mortals, on Hala, the new rulers of the Kree had witnessed the entire battle thanks to their cosmic awareness. They knew now the time had come to stand in a circle and use the power cosmic to open a rift through which Garero and his acolytes could cross over. This they did.

When the Kree masses saw Garero standing directly before them, they exploded in reverential celebration. And when Garero motioned for silence, they obeyed.

"HERE WE STAND, ON THE VERGE OF THE GREATEST WAR IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE. FOR WHEN IT IS OVER, THE KREE WILL RULE SUPREME, AND ALL SENTIENT BEINGS SHALL SERVE ME AS GOD OF GODS. A NEW DAY IS RISING – THE DAY OF GARERO!!"

The masses exploded once again in rapture, their chants of Garero’s name echoing through galaxies.

And an all-consuming darkness began to fall upon the universe.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART VIII