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
Showing posts with label space opera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label space opera. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Sunday, December 14, 2008
FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell" Part Five
Quasar abruptly went silent.
After a couple minutes of total silence, She-Hulk spoke up. "There’s something you’re not telling us."
Quasar sighed, then opened up. "I’ve faced Garero before, in an alternate timeline, in a scenario similar to this one, and...long story short, the good guys lost. I survived to tell the tale, which in a way has been a fate worse than death." He paused. "Forgive the melodrama, but...I think you get the idea."
"If thou did survive to help us," said Thor, "then thy fate is justified. Tell us now what we must do."
"I can quantum-jump you guys and gal into the realm of the Kree gods," replied Quasar, "and we can try to stop Garero before he crosses over into this dimension. If we fail at that...well, anything goes."
"Tis a risk we shall have to take." said Thor. "Now that there art six Kree renegades with cosmic powers, to confront them directly would be suicidal."
"If I may?" interjected Black Knight.
"Aye?" replied Thor.
"We can’t neglect our own world." stated Black Knight. "We are, after all, EARTH’S mightiest heroes. I propose that I stay behind and put together a team of reserve Avengers."
"Dane, honey..." said a disapproving She-Hulk.
"Dane speaks the truth." interrupted Thor. "I approve of his plan, and we shall implement it."
She-Hulk frowned impotently before Black Knight put his hand on her shoulder. "You know that I’ll be all right, and you’ll be all right."
"No, I don’t know, but I do know you can’t fight City Hall." muttered She-Hulk resignedly.
"Let the preparations begin." said Thor. "This meeting is adjourned."
*********
The planet Hala, hub of the vast interstellar Kree empire. An eerie calm had settle over the planet’s surface, the calm before the storm.
The Kree’s scanners had detected the approach of Captain Atlas’ band of renegades. In anticipation of their attack, an armada of battleships hovered in the air, while a battalion of tanks and two squads of infantry awaited on the ground.
The Supreme Intelligence, cyber-organic overlord of the Kree empire, surveyed the surface of his throneworld, and he did not like what he saw.
In the streets, rioting was constant, with even the toughest Accusers failing to quell the civil unrest. Blood regularly splattered on walls already defaced by graffiti proclaiming the imminent rise of Garero – the renegades had plenty of grassroots support, and nothing made the Supremor angrier.
All the centuries of atheism-driven order which made the empire strong had been steadily crumbling in recent times. The traitor Mar-Vell, with his cosmic-powered altruism, had influenced a mass rebellion by example alone. Throughout the planet, cabals of ancient Kree cosmic mysticism were springing up faster than the Accusers could exterminate them. Those driven by a desire for abandoning militaristic traditions and communing peacefully with nature were mere annoyances to the Supremor – it was the likes of Captain Atlas and his savages which presented a true threat.
So it was that the Supremor, with Chief Accuser Ronan as field commander, stood determined to make an example of Atlas’s renegades, and restore the empire to the way it once was. The time was now. "Ronan," ordered the Supremor, "launch the attack."
"With pleasure, Supremor." replied Ronan, standing at the bridge of the armada’s flagship. "Target the hateful traitors’ ship and launch missiles!"
********
Aboard Atlas’s ship, the Captain and his elite guard calmly watched the approach of the missiles through their monitor.
Thanks to the Psyche-Magnetron, their appearances had changed considerably. Atlas was clad in a spikily imposing suit of armor; Loparr now had fur, claws, and razor-sharp teeth; the already massive Gurge had grown even larger, and developed a skin of stone; Zetazia had scales, webbed hands and feet, and venomous fangs; Verxa had fangs, too, these of the vampiric kind, with giant bat-like wings to match. Minerva remained clad in her parody of a Terran superhero outfit, looking over her handiwork with pride.
"Once those missiles would have been a threat. Now they are but toys." declared Atlas.
"Minerva, Verxa, follow me. Let us give them a show of force!"
The three villains exited the ship. Their cosmic powers allowed them to fly and to navigate the vacuum of space at no risk to their lives.
"Minerva, the missiles are all yours." said Atlas.
Minerva fired blasts of cosmic energy from her hands. The missiles were struck by the blasts, and exploded. The ship was unharmed, and, despite their proximity to the explosions, so were the deadly trio. They flew swiftly at the armada, with their course clearly set on the flagship.
"Fire cannons!" barked Ronan.
The trio easily dodged the cannon fire, and what few hits they took did nothing to hurt them.
"Shields up!" demanded Ronan.
At Captain Atlas’s command, Minerva and Verxa fired cosmic rays from their eyes, shattering the flagship’s shields.
Atlas used his newly acquired super-strength to tear a giant hole on the side of the flagship, through which he, Minerva, and Verxa could fly inside. In a moment, the automatic emergency seal covered the hole, but by then the three villains had entered.
A team of troopers cornered the villains and opened fire. Their shots bounced harmlessly off the villains. Verxa lunged at one of the trooper and sank her fangs into his neck. The trooper screamed and convulsed until he went limp. Then, suddenly, at Verxa’s psychic command, he got up, picked up his gun, and shot all the other troopers dead.
The villains made their way to the bridge, with Verxa’s new slave bringing up the rear. They turned a corner and found themselves facing Ronan, who blasted at them with his Universal Weapon. To Ronan’s shock, even the Universal Weapon had no effect on the renegades.
Captain Atlas grinned devilishly, then revealed his other new power: telekinesis. Ronan began floating above the ground against his own will. A moment later, he was screaming in pain as he felt his body tearing itself apart in four directions. After an explosion of blood, offal, bones, and limbs, Ronan was no more.
The renegades marched triumphant onto the flagship’s bridge. After having seen what the renegades were capable of through the ship’s monitors, the crew did not put up any resistance. Atlas gestured at the communications officer to patch him in to the other ships of the armada.
"This is Captain Atlas, your new commander!" he declared authoritatively. "Follow me or die! And just to show I am not making empty threats..."
A few seconds later, the flagship opened fire on a randomly selected ship in the armada, which was vaporized instantly.
"My first order," said Atlas, "is to return to Hala, and take over. If there is any resistance, obliterate the ground troops!"
*********
At Hydrobase, a quinjet containing Thor, She-Hulk, and Namor was ready to launch. Quasar stood outside, hovering in mid-air.
"Expect a bumpy ride," said Quasar, "and an unfriendly welcome."
"We should’ve used a different travel agency." quipped She-Hulk.
Quasar opened a quantum portal, and the quinjet blasted through.
********
The Black Knight was not prepared for what he saw emerging from the helicopter. Janet Van Dyne, sometimes known as the Wasp, looked pale, dishevelled, and frighteningly thin.
"Dane, darling!" she exclaimed, embracing him a little too tightly for comfort.
"Th-thanks for coming, Janet." stammered Dane. "The others are at the control room..."
"Not yet, not yet." said Janet, rushing to the nearest bathroom. "I need to freshen up first."
Dane entered the control center alone, joining the rest of his team of Avengers reserves: Ant-Man, Hellcat, and the Beast.
"Thank you all again for helping out the Avengers in this time of need." said Dane.
"It is purely a pleasure." replied Beast. "After all, I just got smart and furry again recently. It seemed utterly appropriate to revisit old haunts."
"It’s so rare I get to put on the old catsuit," said Hellcat, "and so much fun every time I do."
"My daughter was disappointed that we didn’t get to the mall." lamented Ant-Man.
"So," said Beast, standing on his left arm and shuffling a deck of playing cards with his right hand and left foot, "Anyone for a hand of poker?"
********
The quinjet arrived at what appeared to be a bizarre cross between a Garden of Eden and a post-industrial, post-apocalyptic wasteland, vegetation and metal alike twisted in a struggle for dominance.
The Avengers exited the quinjet, and joined Quasar in reconnoitering their new settings. Thor spotted what appeared at first to be a harmless flock of birds, but quickly revealed itself to be something far more sinister.
"Avengers," commanded Thor, "assemble!"
Winged cyborg centurions with faces of rotted flesh descended upon the Avengers like a plague.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART SIX
After a couple minutes of total silence, She-Hulk spoke up. "There’s something you’re not telling us."
Quasar sighed, then opened up. "I’ve faced Garero before, in an alternate timeline, in a scenario similar to this one, and...long story short, the good guys lost. I survived to tell the tale, which in a way has been a fate worse than death." He paused. "Forgive the melodrama, but...I think you get the idea."
"If thou did survive to help us," said Thor, "then thy fate is justified. Tell us now what we must do."
"I can quantum-jump you guys and gal into the realm of the Kree gods," replied Quasar, "and we can try to stop Garero before he crosses over into this dimension. If we fail at that...well, anything goes."
"Tis a risk we shall have to take." said Thor. "Now that there art six Kree renegades with cosmic powers, to confront them directly would be suicidal."
"If I may?" interjected Black Knight.
"Aye?" replied Thor.
"We can’t neglect our own world." stated Black Knight. "We are, after all, EARTH’S mightiest heroes. I propose that I stay behind and put together a team of reserve Avengers."
"Dane, honey..." said a disapproving She-Hulk.
"Dane speaks the truth." interrupted Thor. "I approve of his plan, and we shall implement it."
She-Hulk frowned impotently before Black Knight put his hand on her shoulder. "You know that I’ll be all right, and you’ll be all right."
"No, I don’t know, but I do know you can’t fight City Hall." muttered She-Hulk resignedly.
"Let the preparations begin." said Thor. "This meeting is adjourned."
*********
The planet Hala, hub of the vast interstellar Kree empire. An eerie calm had settle over the planet’s surface, the calm before the storm.
The Kree’s scanners had detected the approach of Captain Atlas’ band of renegades. In anticipation of their attack, an armada of battleships hovered in the air, while a battalion of tanks and two squads of infantry awaited on the ground.
The Supreme Intelligence, cyber-organic overlord of the Kree empire, surveyed the surface of his throneworld, and he did not like what he saw.
In the streets, rioting was constant, with even the toughest Accusers failing to quell the civil unrest. Blood regularly splattered on walls already defaced by graffiti proclaiming the imminent rise of Garero – the renegades had plenty of grassroots support, and nothing made the Supremor angrier.
All the centuries of atheism-driven order which made the empire strong had been steadily crumbling in recent times. The traitor Mar-Vell, with his cosmic-powered altruism, had influenced a mass rebellion by example alone. Throughout the planet, cabals of ancient Kree cosmic mysticism were springing up faster than the Accusers could exterminate them. Those driven by a desire for abandoning militaristic traditions and communing peacefully with nature were mere annoyances to the Supremor – it was the likes of Captain Atlas and his savages which presented a true threat.
So it was that the Supremor, with Chief Accuser Ronan as field commander, stood determined to make an example of Atlas’s renegades, and restore the empire to the way it once was. The time was now. "Ronan," ordered the Supremor, "launch the attack."
"With pleasure, Supremor." replied Ronan, standing at the bridge of the armada’s flagship. "Target the hateful traitors’ ship and launch missiles!"
********
Aboard Atlas’s ship, the Captain and his elite guard calmly watched the approach of the missiles through their monitor.
Thanks to the Psyche-Magnetron, their appearances had changed considerably. Atlas was clad in a spikily imposing suit of armor; Loparr now had fur, claws, and razor-sharp teeth; the already massive Gurge had grown even larger, and developed a skin of stone; Zetazia had scales, webbed hands and feet, and venomous fangs; Verxa had fangs, too, these of the vampiric kind, with giant bat-like wings to match. Minerva remained clad in her parody of a Terran superhero outfit, looking over her handiwork with pride.
"Once those missiles would have been a threat. Now they are but toys." declared Atlas.
"Minerva, Verxa, follow me. Let us give them a show of force!"
The three villains exited the ship. Their cosmic powers allowed them to fly and to navigate the vacuum of space at no risk to their lives.
"Minerva, the missiles are all yours." said Atlas.
Minerva fired blasts of cosmic energy from her hands. The missiles were struck by the blasts, and exploded. The ship was unharmed, and, despite their proximity to the explosions, so were the deadly trio. They flew swiftly at the armada, with their course clearly set on the flagship.
"Fire cannons!" barked Ronan.
The trio easily dodged the cannon fire, and what few hits they took did nothing to hurt them.
"Shields up!" demanded Ronan.
At Captain Atlas’s command, Minerva and Verxa fired cosmic rays from their eyes, shattering the flagship’s shields.
Atlas used his newly acquired super-strength to tear a giant hole on the side of the flagship, through which he, Minerva, and Verxa could fly inside. In a moment, the automatic emergency seal covered the hole, but by then the three villains had entered.
A team of troopers cornered the villains and opened fire. Their shots bounced harmlessly off the villains. Verxa lunged at one of the trooper and sank her fangs into his neck. The trooper screamed and convulsed until he went limp. Then, suddenly, at Verxa’s psychic command, he got up, picked up his gun, and shot all the other troopers dead.
The villains made their way to the bridge, with Verxa’s new slave bringing up the rear. They turned a corner and found themselves facing Ronan, who blasted at them with his Universal Weapon. To Ronan’s shock, even the Universal Weapon had no effect on the renegades.
Captain Atlas grinned devilishly, then revealed his other new power: telekinesis. Ronan began floating above the ground against his own will. A moment later, he was screaming in pain as he felt his body tearing itself apart in four directions. After an explosion of blood, offal, bones, and limbs, Ronan was no more.
The renegades marched triumphant onto the flagship’s bridge. After having seen what the renegades were capable of through the ship’s monitors, the crew did not put up any resistance. Atlas gestured at the communications officer to patch him in to the other ships of the armada.
"This is Captain Atlas, your new commander!" he declared authoritatively. "Follow me or die! And just to show I am not making empty threats..."
A few seconds later, the flagship opened fire on a randomly selected ship in the armada, which was vaporized instantly.
"My first order," said Atlas, "is to return to Hala, and take over. If there is any resistance, obliterate the ground troops!"
*********
At Hydrobase, a quinjet containing Thor, She-Hulk, and Namor was ready to launch. Quasar stood outside, hovering in mid-air.
"Expect a bumpy ride," said Quasar, "and an unfriendly welcome."
"We should’ve used a different travel agency." quipped She-Hulk.
Quasar opened a quantum portal, and the quinjet blasted through.
********
The Black Knight was not prepared for what he saw emerging from the helicopter. Janet Van Dyne, sometimes known as the Wasp, looked pale, dishevelled, and frighteningly thin.
"Dane, darling!" she exclaimed, embracing him a little too tightly for comfort.
"Th-thanks for coming, Janet." stammered Dane. "The others are at the control room..."
"Not yet, not yet." said Janet, rushing to the nearest bathroom. "I need to freshen up first."
Dane entered the control center alone, joining the rest of his team of Avengers reserves: Ant-Man, Hellcat, and the Beast.
"Thank you all again for helping out the Avengers in this time of need." said Dane.
"It is purely a pleasure." replied Beast. "After all, I just got smart and furry again recently. It seemed utterly appropriate to revisit old haunts."
"It’s so rare I get to put on the old catsuit," said Hellcat, "and so much fun every time I do."
"My daughter was disappointed that we didn’t get to the mall." lamented Ant-Man.
"So," said Beast, standing on his left arm and shuffling a deck of playing cards with his right hand and left foot, "Anyone for a hand of poker?"
********
The quinjet arrived at what appeared to be a bizarre cross between a Garden of Eden and a post-industrial, post-apocalyptic wasteland, vegetation and metal alike twisted in a struggle for dominance.
The Avengers exited the quinjet, and joined Quasar in reconnoitering their new settings. Thor spotted what appeared at first to be a harmless flock of birds, but quickly revealed itself to be something far more sinister.
"Avengers," commanded Thor, "assemble!"
Winged cyborg centurions with faces of rotted flesh descended upon the Avengers like a plague.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART SIX
Sunday, December 7, 2008
R.I.P. Forrest J. Ackerman
We have lost the man who did more than just about anybody to make genre entertainment, and sci-fi in particular, reach out across the world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_Ackerman
This is the end of an era. All we can do is build on the foundation he provided.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_Ackerman
This is the end of an era. All we can do is build on the foundation he provided.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell Part Four"
Suddenly, Minerva’s laughter caught in her throat when her Seventh Sense alerted her to the approach of another cosmic presence.
A giant portal, powered by pure quantum energy, appeared in the sky, and through it, a man made his dramatic entrance. This man was slim of body and flaxen of hair, costumed in red, blue, and silver, with blue eyes which shone with both a childlike earnestness and a steely sense of purpose.
Minerva didn’t hesitate to fire her deadly cosmic beams at the intruder, who quickly constructed a shield of quantum energy off which the cosmic beams bounced off harmlessly. Minerva’s surprise gave the intruder a chance to fire quantum beams from his fingertips, which stunned Minerva and sent her into a tailspin.
The intruder descended until he was hovering in front of the Avengers vs. Kree fray below, in which the Avengers were floundering without a leader. "AVENGERS," he yelled, "DUCK!"
The Avengers did just that, as the intruder instantly created a quantum construct in the form of a giant boxing glove attached to a spring. It may have looked whimsical, but its force was not in doubt when it knocked down most of the Kree. The intruder then surrounded himself with a quantum suit of armor and jumped into the pile of Kree warriors. The Avengers were inspired to rally, and soon the tide was once again turning to the Avengers’ side.
A humiliated and exhausted Minerva picked herself up off the ground. Clearly, she realized, even her cosmic powers came in a limited capacity and needed to build up again. She made eye contact with the beleaguered Captain Atlas, and saw that they both knew what must be done. Even the proud Kree had to sometimes retreat from battle. But Minerva silently swore there would be a reckoning – between the Kree and the Avengers, and between her and the intruder.
Using every last bit of her remaining strength, Minerva projected an impenetrable force field around the Kree and their ship, allowing them to board, lift off, and escape into hyperspace.
Shortly, Thor appeared, looking much the worse for wear, and saying nothing, the blow to his pride written on his face.
The intruder floated down to the ground and faced the Avengers.
"Our thanks, stranger." said Namor, "And who might you be?"
"You can call me Quasar." he replied in a voice that was softer and higher than may have been expected. "My cosmic awareness alerted me to the incident which transpired here..." With those words, he turned his gaze to the smoldering remains of the cosmic entity and the prostrate body of Captain Marvel, which the Black Knight was already in the process of examining.
"I recognize you from the computer files." said She-Hulk, "You worked with Captain America and the Thing and others, then you disappeared. Your costume’s different and your hair’s a lot longer, but I still recognize you. Where have you been?"
"You’d never believe it." Quasar responded flatly.
The Black Knight looked up and announced, "She’s alive. But we have to get her back to Hydrobase immediately."
"If you give me the coordinates," said Quasar, "I can quantum-jump your quinjet and have you there in a split second."
"Thou art truly noble." said Thor. "The sooner we return to Hydrobase, not only will the good Captain’s survival be assured, but we shall make plans to take the battle to the accursed Kree."
"And maybe," interjected She-Hulk, "Quasar’s cosmic awareness thing might be able to help us figure out just what the hell is going on."
Mere minutes later, the Quinjets and Thor flew through Quasar’s quantum portal.
*********
"I am NOT some fragile butterfly that will disintegrate if exposed to air!" yelled Marrina.
"You know very well that is not the issue!" barked Namor. " Until you learn to control your other side..."
"And how," Marrina interrupted, "am I supposed to learn to control my monstrous side if I am isolated all day, every day?? Do you truly believe that me sitting around alternating between worrying about you and being bored is going to help me???"
"I know what is best for you!" replied Namor, grasping for straws.
"You do not!! You are no better than my previous captor, the Master! You...arrrrrr..."
Marrina’s teeth began to sharpen, and her claws to elongate. She seemed as though she would lunge at her husband when, abruptly, she began to flail hysterically while screaming, "NO! NO!"
A split second later, she was back to normal, with tears streaming down her large eyes. "I am sorry, my love. So sorry..."
They embraced tightly, and held each other for what seemed like an eternity, until the moment was disrupted by Hydrobase’s public address system.
"All Avengers report to the control center."
"We shall discuss this further in the near future." whispered Namor. The couple then ran to join their teammates.
********
"Captain’s Marvel’s vital signs are stable," said the Black Knight, "but there’s nothing that indicates the possibility of her regaining consciousness anytime soon."
His grim words hung in the air like a foul odor. The Avengers and their guest, Quasar, stared blankly at each other."
The Black Knight broke the silence. "Before we proceed any further, we’ll need a deputy leader. Since Thor is our senior member with centuries more field experience than any of us, I nominate him. Any objections?"
The others answered with their silence.
"Our first order of business," declared Thor, "is, to paraphrase something She-Hulk said earlier, find out exactly what Kree treachery we are up against. Quasar, if thou would use thy cosmic awareness now..."
Quasar pressed his fingertips to his temple and went into a trance. Within a couple minutes, he began to speak.
"I see Captain Marvel’s predecessor, Mar-Vell of the Kree, in his prime, nobly siding with the humans he was originally meant to infiltrate, becoming protector of the universe, bashing Thanos the annihilator, then...rejecting a Kree woman, Dr. Minerva; she vows revenge and, with the Supreme Intelligence’s approval, begins a project to genetically engineer a living weapon that can out-power Mar-Vell.
"The Kree steal a portion of the power cosmic and fuse it with a test tube baby, who is then artificially aged to adulthood. Minerva attempts to break its free will through all sorts of horrible torture devices, but it resists, and the project goes way over schedule and over budget. Then word gets out that Mar-Vell has been diagnosed with the universal disease that we call cancer, and the Supreme Intelligence pull the plug on the project; the living weapon is turned into pure energy and cast out into the Darkforce Dimension. Minerva’s reputation is ruined, and she exiles herself to the Kree outland.
"Meanwhile, on Earth, a machine that can extract inter-dimensional energy is accidentally activated while Monica Rambeau is standing in front of it. She and the living weapon merge, but the living weapon has been so deeply traumatized by Minerva’s abuse that it takes months to begin to assert its presence within Monica, who has become the new Captain Marvel.
"Minerva has joined a Kree outlaw militia led by Captain Atlas. As much as Mar-Vell was hated by his people, his gaining cosmic powers awakened interest in reviving ancient Kree mysticisms which the Supreme Intelligence has tried to erase from existence. These renegades worship Garero, the Kree god of war, and want to invoke him into inhabiting this plane of existence.
"The first step of their plan was to come to Earth and reclaim and repair the Psyche-Magnetron, a Kree machine that gives people super-powers. The Avengers and me try to stop them, but Minerva, who has been empowered by the Psyche-Magnetron, separates Captain Marvel from the living weapon and destroys the living weapon, and the Kree get away.
"Now I see..."
And here Quasar’s voice began to hesitate and then tremble.
"...I see...Captain Atlas and four other renegades gaining super-powers from the Psyche-Magnetron. Now they plan to invade the Kree throneworld...overthrow the Supreme Intelligence...invoke Garero...and...and...conquer the universe!"
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART FIVE
A giant portal, powered by pure quantum energy, appeared in the sky, and through it, a man made his dramatic entrance. This man was slim of body and flaxen of hair, costumed in red, blue, and silver, with blue eyes which shone with both a childlike earnestness and a steely sense of purpose.
Minerva didn’t hesitate to fire her deadly cosmic beams at the intruder, who quickly constructed a shield of quantum energy off which the cosmic beams bounced off harmlessly. Minerva’s surprise gave the intruder a chance to fire quantum beams from his fingertips, which stunned Minerva and sent her into a tailspin.
The intruder descended until he was hovering in front of the Avengers vs. Kree fray below, in which the Avengers were floundering without a leader. "AVENGERS," he yelled, "DUCK!"
The Avengers did just that, as the intruder instantly created a quantum construct in the form of a giant boxing glove attached to a spring. It may have looked whimsical, but its force was not in doubt when it knocked down most of the Kree. The intruder then surrounded himself with a quantum suit of armor and jumped into the pile of Kree warriors. The Avengers were inspired to rally, and soon the tide was once again turning to the Avengers’ side.
A humiliated and exhausted Minerva picked herself up off the ground. Clearly, she realized, even her cosmic powers came in a limited capacity and needed to build up again. She made eye contact with the beleaguered Captain Atlas, and saw that they both knew what must be done. Even the proud Kree had to sometimes retreat from battle. But Minerva silently swore there would be a reckoning – between the Kree and the Avengers, and between her and the intruder.
Using every last bit of her remaining strength, Minerva projected an impenetrable force field around the Kree and their ship, allowing them to board, lift off, and escape into hyperspace.
Shortly, Thor appeared, looking much the worse for wear, and saying nothing, the blow to his pride written on his face.
The intruder floated down to the ground and faced the Avengers.
"Our thanks, stranger." said Namor, "And who might you be?"
"You can call me Quasar." he replied in a voice that was softer and higher than may have been expected. "My cosmic awareness alerted me to the incident which transpired here..." With those words, he turned his gaze to the smoldering remains of the cosmic entity and the prostrate body of Captain Marvel, which the Black Knight was already in the process of examining.
"I recognize you from the computer files." said She-Hulk, "You worked with Captain America and the Thing and others, then you disappeared. Your costume’s different and your hair’s a lot longer, but I still recognize you. Where have you been?"
"You’d never believe it." Quasar responded flatly.
The Black Knight looked up and announced, "She’s alive. But we have to get her back to Hydrobase immediately."
"If you give me the coordinates," said Quasar, "I can quantum-jump your quinjet and have you there in a split second."
"Thou art truly noble." said Thor. "The sooner we return to Hydrobase, not only will the good Captain’s survival be assured, but we shall make plans to take the battle to the accursed Kree."
"And maybe," interjected She-Hulk, "Quasar’s cosmic awareness thing might be able to help us figure out just what the hell is going on."
Mere minutes later, the Quinjets and Thor flew through Quasar’s quantum portal.
*********
"I am NOT some fragile butterfly that will disintegrate if exposed to air!" yelled Marrina.
"You know very well that is not the issue!" barked Namor. " Until you learn to control your other side..."
"And how," Marrina interrupted, "am I supposed to learn to control my monstrous side if I am isolated all day, every day?? Do you truly believe that me sitting around alternating between worrying about you and being bored is going to help me???"
"I know what is best for you!" replied Namor, grasping for straws.
"You do not!! You are no better than my previous captor, the Master! You...arrrrrr..."
Marrina’s teeth began to sharpen, and her claws to elongate. She seemed as though she would lunge at her husband when, abruptly, she began to flail hysterically while screaming, "NO! NO!"
A split second later, she was back to normal, with tears streaming down her large eyes. "I am sorry, my love. So sorry..."
They embraced tightly, and held each other for what seemed like an eternity, until the moment was disrupted by Hydrobase’s public address system.
"All Avengers report to the control center."
"We shall discuss this further in the near future." whispered Namor. The couple then ran to join their teammates.
********
"Captain’s Marvel’s vital signs are stable," said the Black Knight, "but there’s nothing that indicates the possibility of her regaining consciousness anytime soon."
His grim words hung in the air like a foul odor. The Avengers and their guest, Quasar, stared blankly at each other."
The Black Knight broke the silence. "Before we proceed any further, we’ll need a deputy leader. Since Thor is our senior member with centuries more field experience than any of us, I nominate him. Any objections?"
The others answered with their silence.
"Our first order of business," declared Thor, "is, to paraphrase something She-Hulk said earlier, find out exactly what Kree treachery we are up against. Quasar, if thou would use thy cosmic awareness now..."
Quasar pressed his fingertips to his temple and went into a trance. Within a couple minutes, he began to speak.
"I see Captain Marvel’s predecessor, Mar-Vell of the Kree, in his prime, nobly siding with the humans he was originally meant to infiltrate, becoming protector of the universe, bashing Thanos the annihilator, then...rejecting a Kree woman, Dr. Minerva; she vows revenge and, with the Supreme Intelligence’s approval, begins a project to genetically engineer a living weapon that can out-power Mar-Vell.
"The Kree steal a portion of the power cosmic and fuse it with a test tube baby, who is then artificially aged to adulthood. Minerva attempts to break its free will through all sorts of horrible torture devices, but it resists, and the project goes way over schedule and over budget. Then word gets out that Mar-Vell has been diagnosed with the universal disease that we call cancer, and the Supreme Intelligence pull the plug on the project; the living weapon is turned into pure energy and cast out into the Darkforce Dimension. Minerva’s reputation is ruined, and she exiles herself to the Kree outland.
"Meanwhile, on Earth, a machine that can extract inter-dimensional energy is accidentally activated while Monica Rambeau is standing in front of it. She and the living weapon merge, but the living weapon has been so deeply traumatized by Minerva’s abuse that it takes months to begin to assert its presence within Monica, who has become the new Captain Marvel.
"Minerva has joined a Kree outlaw militia led by Captain Atlas. As much as Mar-Vell was hated by his people, his gaining cosmic powers awakened interest in reviving ancient Kree mysticisms which the Supreme Intelligence has tried to erase from existence. These renegades worship Garero, the Kree god of war, and want to invoke him into inhabiting this plane of existence.
"The first step of their plan was to come to Earth and reclaim and repair the Psyche-Magnetron, a Kree machine that gives people super-powers. The Avengers and me try to stop them, but Minerva, who has been empowered by the Psyche-Magnetron, separates Captain Marvel from the living weapon and destroys the living weapon, and the Kree get away.
"Now I see..."
And here Quasar’s voice began to hesitate and then tremble.
"...I see...Captain Atlas and four other renegades gaining super-powers from the Psyche-Magnetron. Now they plan to invade the Kree throneworld...overthrow the Supreme Intelligence...invoke Garero...and...and...conquer the universe!"
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART FIVE
Friday, November 28, 2008
Comic Book of the Week: Guardians of the Galaxy #7
Until now, I had been less enthusiastic about this book than a lot of other people on the web. Starting from an iffy first issue, the series improved quickly, but I kept waiting for an issue to explode colorfully across the corners of my mind, the way great space opera should.
Well, this is that issue!
And with it, GotG has finally metamorphosed from a good comic to an OUTSTANDING one!
With the team members having (temporarily?) gone their separate ways, Rocket Raccoon leads a pickup team (Mantis, Major Victory, Groot, and Bug) into battle against escalating threats from the Badoon Empire, the same empire that, as Starhawk explains to Cosmo, will conquer the galaxy in the distant future. Meanwhile, we get vignettes of the other team members’ activities, climaxing with Star Lord ending up in the Negative Zone domain of Blastaar.
The way each big development tops the one before it, and the way all these visual and conceptual treats are compressed into a single issue, is the type of thing rarely seen from Marvel comics since the Silver Age. Kudos to Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, who are now officially my favorite current Marvel writers.
Paul Pelletier is the perfect artist for this sort of thing, and he more than rises to the occasion, with some of the best single-page and double-page splashes to ever grace a superhero comic. The double-page splash of the Steve Gerber-era Guardians, in particular, should give goosebumps to any serious GotG fan.
The only thing I didn’t like was the hint that Drax’s daughter Moondragon is alive, because I have always despised Moondragon and was very happy to find out she had snuffed it in Annihilation: Conquest, which I haven’t read.
Ah, well, this is still the kind of comic book issue that renews one’s faith in superhero comics.
Well, this is that issue!
And with it, GotG has finally metamorphosed from a good comic to an OUTSTANDING one!
With the team members having (temporarily?) gone their separate ways, Rocket Raccoon leads a pickup team (Mantis, Major Victory, Groot, and Bug) into battle against escalating threats from the Badoon Empire, the same empire that, as Starhawk explains to Cosmo, will conquer the galaxy in the distant future. Meanwhile, we get vignettes of the other team members’ activities, climaxing with Star Lord ending up in the Negative Zone domain of Blastaar.
The way each big development tops the one before it, and the way all these visual and conceptual treats are compressed into a single issue, is the type of thing rarely seen from Marvel comics since the Silver Age. Kudos to Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, who are now officially my favorite current Marvel writers.
Paul Pelletier is the perfect artist for this sort of thing, and he more than rises to the occasion, with some of the best single-page and double-page splashes to ever grace a superhero comic. The double-page splash of the Steve Gerber-era Guardians, in particular, should give goosebumps to any serious GotG fan.
The only thing I didn’t like was the hint that Drax’s daughter Moondragon is alive, because I have always despised Moondragon and was very happy to find out she had snuffed it in Annihilation: Conquest, which I haven’t read.
Ah, well, this is still the kind of comic book issue that renews one’s faith in superhero comics.
Monday, October 20, 2008
FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell" Part Three
A considerable distance from where Thor and Minerva had fought, another battle was about to take place. The Kree ship, apparently overwhelmed by the Avengers’ three-pronged attack, was coming in for a landing.
Captain Marvel opened all channels on her communicator. “Avengers, assemble at the ship’s hatch – and be prepared for anything!”
The Black Knight and the She-Hulk exited their land-bound quinjet while Namor landed his quinjet and exited it. The four Avengers stood before the ship, ready for a fight.
And a fight was what they got, but not quite the way they expected. Rather than the rigid militaristic formations the Kree were known for, these Kree – Captain Atlas, Zetazia, Loparr, Verxa, Gurge, and a squad of storm-troopers – came charging out savagely, wielding not only guns but also swords, clubs, maces, axes, and spears. As they mercilessly rushed the Avengers, they lustily chanted one word: “Garero.”
The Avengers didn’t waste time pondering any of this. Captain Marvel turned into a lightning bolt and knocked several storm-troopers off their feet, while the Black Knight engaged Captain Atlas in a swordfight, She-Hulk fought against the double team of the massive, plodding Gurge and the fast, feral Loparr, and Namor dodged both Verxa’s twin blades.
Teamwork quickly turned the tide in the Avengers’ favor. She-Hulk lifted Gurge and threw him at Verxa, while Namor tackled Loparr. The Black Knight disarmed Captain Atlas, who was in turn stunned by Captain Marvel’s shock blasts. Zetazia tried to fire a disruptor gun at Captain Marvel, but the Black Knight’s ebony blade intercepted the disruptor ray, sending it back where it came from and shattering the gun.
Before Captain Marvel could rally the Avengers for the coup de grace, her cosmic awareness went wild, intermingling with the cosmic entity’s rage.
“MINERVA*$$#$$$^%^^APPROACHING*##$%^OPRESSOR*MUST*DIE”
Captain Marvel lost control over her own body as she felt herself take flight under the entity’s will. They made a kamikaze charge at the approaching Minerva.
Thanks to her own newly acquired cosmic awareness, Minerva immediately realized what was going on. “The cosmic bastard is within her,” she sneered, “I should have known!”
As soon as Captain Marvel was close enough, Minerva let loose with a powerful right hook that sent Captain Marvel free-falling. The cosmic entity’s rage reached critical mass. Captain Marvel could do nothing to prevent the entity from making another foolhardy attack on Minerva, blasting the villainess with radioactive beams. Minerva was knocked by the beams into the face of a cliff.
Now it was Minerva’s turn to lash out. “Enough games! This ends now!” Hellishly red cosmic beams burst forth from her eyes, hitting Captain Marvel point blank.
There followed a bizarre sight punctuated by unearthly screams. Captain Marvel’s molecules discorporated and then reformed into two separate bodies: Captain Marvel’s and a skinny, hairless, sexless, milky-white-skinned alien. Seemingly drained of her superpowers, Captain Marvel fell to the ground and didn’t move.
Minerva used both hands to grab the alien’s torso. With a sickening sound of flesh rending and bones breaking, she tore the alien in two. The alien’s dying cries echoed through the canyons as its remains burned in cosmic fire as they fell to the ground.
As the battle between the Avengers and the Kree raged on, Minerva hovered above the fray, laughing and laughing.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART IV
Captain Marvel opened all channels on her communicator. “Avengers, assemble at the ship’s hatch – and be prepared for anything!”
The Black Knight and the She-Hulk exited their land-bound quinjet while Namor landed his quinjet and exited it. The four Avengers stood before the ship, ready for a fight.
And a fight was what they got, but not quite the way they expected. Rather than the rigid militaristic formations the Kree were known for, these Kree – Captain Atlas, Zetazia, Loparr, Verxa, Gurge, and a squad of storm-troopers – came charging out savagely, wielding not only guns but also swords, clubs, maces, axes, and spears. As they mercilessly rushed the Avengers, they lustily chanted one word: “Garero.”
The Avengers didn’t waste time pondering any of this. Captain Marvel turned into a lightning bolt and knocked several storm-troopers off their feet, while the Black Knight engaged Captain Atlas in a swordfight, She-Hulk fought against the double team of the massive, plodding Gurge and the fast, feral Loparr, and Namor dodged both Verxa’s twin blades.
Teamwork quickly turned the tide in the Avengers’ favor. She-Hulk lifted Gurge and threw him at Verxa, while Namor tackled Loparr. The Black Knight disarmed Captain Atlas, who was in turn stunned by Captain Marvel’s shock blasts. Zetazia tried to fire a disruptor gun at Captain Marvel, but the Black Knight’s ebony blade intercepted the disruptor ray, sending it back where it came from and shattering the gun.
Before Captain Marvel could rally the Avengers for the coup de grace, her cosmic awareness went wild, intermingling with the cosmic entity’s rage.
“MINERVA*$$#$$$^%^^APPROACHING*##$%^OPRESSOR*MUST*DIE”
Captain Marvel lost control over her own body as she felt herself take flight under the entity’s will. They made a kamikaze charge at the approaching Minerva.
Thanks to her own newly acquired cosmic awareness, Minerva immediately realized what was going on. “The cosmic bastard is within her,” she sneered, “I should have known!”
As soon as Captain Marvel was close enough, Minerva let loose with a powerful right hook that sent Captain Marvel free-falling. The cosmic entity’s rage reached critical mass. Captain Marvel could do nothing to prevent the entity from making another foolhardy attack on Minerva, blasting the villainess with radioactive beams. Minerva was knocked by the beams into the face of a cliff.
Now it was Minerva’s turn to lash out. “Enough games! This ends now!” Hellishly red cosmic beams burst forth from her eyes, hitting Captain Marvel point blank.
There followed a bizarre sight punctuated by unearthly screams. Captain Marvel’s molecules discorporated and then reformed into two separate bodies: Captain Marvel’s and a skinny, hairless, sexless, milky-white-skinned alien. Seemingly drained of her superpowers, Captain Marvel fell to the ground and didn’t move.
Minerva used both hands to grab the alien’s torso. With a sickening sound of flesh rending and bones breaking, she tore the alien in two. The alien’s dying cries echoed through the canyons as its remains burned in cosmic fire as they fell to the ground.
As the battle between the Avengers and the Kree raged on, Minerva hovered above the fray, laughing and laughing.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART IV
FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell" Part Two
The Kree ship loomed monolithically over the heroes approaching it, Captain Marvel flying in energy mode and Namor piloting a quinjet. Inside the ship, five fearsome Kree warriors stood on the bridge: Verxa, Gurge, Loparr, Zetazia, and their leader, Captain Atlas.
“Look,” Zetazia cackled, “here come the lambs to the slaughter.”
“A nice sentiment, Zetazia, but, remember, we are merely to provide a distraction while Minerva finishes re-activating the Psyche-Magnetron.” Captain Atlas calmly replied.
“Bah!” Loparr growled, “This is not the way of the true warrior! You are going soft, Captain.”
The Captain was unfazed. “Were I not so accustomed to your insubordinations, Loparr, I would waste my breath reprimanding you.”
“Patience, my friend,” said Gurge, rubbing his hands, “for when Minerva’s work is done, we shall all have power undreamed of.”
Captain Marvel’s voice crackled through the bridge’s speakers as she transmitted a message using her ability to generate radio waves. “This is Captain Marvel of the Avengers. You are trespassing on Earth. Pick up your companion on the surface and turn your ship around, or we shall be forced to detain you, by force if necessary.”
Captain Atlas was swift to respond. “Open fire!”
Captain Marvel saw the shots coming and changed to pure light mode so that they would pass through her. In the quinjet, Namor gracefully dodged the rapid fire. He then activated the quinjet’s offensive systems and launched rockets at the ship. Captain Marvel added to the counter-attack with high-intensity radiation beams.
********
On Earth, Thor crept stealthily through the rubble within the cave, following a dim light that most likely led to the lower level where Minerva was. An ominous hum began to ring through the cave – it could only mean that Minerva was activating her machine. Thor picked up the pace.
*********
“Lower shields and prepare for landfall,” commanded Captain Atlas, “we must make them believe they have damaged the ship.”
“And then,” whispered Verxa, “let the bloodletting begin.”
Down below, in a quinjet in land mode, the Black Knight and She-Hulk observed the trajectory of the descending ship. The Black Knight revved up the engines and began following the ship. Spotting a clear shot far from where Captain Marvel or Namor’s quinjet would be in the way, the Black Knight blasted at the ship with the quinjet’s cannon.
********
As Thor advanced further down the slope, the dim light gradually intensified until it would have blinded a mere mortal. Eventually, he was close enough to see Minerva being bathed in rays from the machine. As Thor watched, Minerva grew taller and more muscular, and her drab uniform transformed into a costume reminiscent of that originally worn by Ms. Marvel.
Thor was accustomed to sights such as this, and continued to watch impassively as Minerva used a small device to shrink the machine and place it in a pouch on her belt.
Then, suddenly, Minerva turned around. It appeared that, even from his hiding place, she could sense Thor’s presence thanks to her newly gained super-powers. Thor clutched his mighty hammer, Mjolnir, and prepared for the inevitable clash.
But Thor never expected what happened next. Without moving, Minerva fired cosmic beams from her eyes, hitting Thor squarely in the chest with unimaginable force and sending him flying back up the slope, through the roof of the cave’s upper level, and in a clean arc that ended at the foot of a mountain.
“Od’s Blood!” muttered Thor as pain he had never known coursed through his massive body. Struggling to get up, he saw Minerva burst out of the collapsed cave, completely unharmed, and fly higher until she hovered above him.
She now spoke. “You, godling, are merely sport to me. I seek she who carries on the legacy of the traitor Mar-Vell. Lead me to her, or I shall obliterate you!”
Thor bit down hard and rose to his feet. “Presumptuous Kree demoness, usurper of cosmic powers unworthy of thee, I SAY THEE NAY!” He then let Mjolnir fly straight at Minerva.
To the thunder god’s astonishment, the hammer bounced off Minerva and returned to Thor’s hand. He immediately raised Mjolnir to the sky. “Where blunt force hath failed, let the forces of nature strike down the evil pretender!” And with that, a ferocious bolt of lightning ripped through the sky and headed for Minerva. Before Thor realized what was happening, she absorbed the lightning and transformed it into cosmic energy – cosmic energy which she then fired through her eyes at Thor.
The god of thunder was pushed into the face of the mountain. There followed a tremendous avalanche, leaving Thor buried under tons of rock. Minerva waited to see if Thor would emerge. After a minute, she was satisfied. She turned and began flying toward the site where her Kree comrades had led the rest of the Avengers.
“This is only the beginning!” Minerva declared, laughing wickedly.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART III
“Look,” Zetazia cackled, “here come the lambs to the slaughter.”
“A nice sentiment, Zetazia, but, remember, we are merely to provide a distraction while Minerva finishes re-activating the Psyche-Magnetron.” Captain Atlas calmly replied.
“Bah!” Loparr growled, “This is not the way of the true warrior! You are going soft, Captain.”
The Captain was unfazed. “Were I not so accustomed to your insubordinations, Loparr, I would waste my breath reprimanding you.”
“Patience, my friend,” said Gurge, rubbing his hands, “for when Minerva’s work is done, we shall all have power undreamed of.”
Captain Marvel’s voice crackled through the bridge’s speakers as she transmitted a message using her ability to generate radio waves. “This is Captain Marvel of the Avengers. You are trespassing on Earth. Pick up your companion on the surface and turn your ship around, or we shall be forced to detain you, by force if necessary.”
Captain Atlas was swift to respond. “Open fire!”
Captain Marvel saw the shots coming and changed to pure light mode so that they would pass through her. In the quinjet, Namor gracefully dodged the rapid fire. He then activated the quinjet’s offensive systems and launched rockets at the ship. Captain Marvel added to the counter-attack with high-intensity radiation beams.
********
On Earth, Thor crept stealthily through the rubble within the cave, following a dim light that most likely led to the lower level where Minerva was. An ominous hum began to ring through the cave – it could only mean that Minerva was activating her machine. Thor picked up the pace.
*********
“Lower shields and prepare for landfall,” commanded Captain Atlas, “we must make them believe they have damaged the ship.”
“And then,” whispered Verxa, “let the bloodletting begin.”
Down below, in a quinjet in land mode, the Black Knight and She-Hulk observed the trajectory of the descending ship. The Black Knight revved up the engines and began following the ship. Spotting a clear shot far from where Captain Marvel or Namor’s quinjet would be in the way, the Black Knight blasted at the ship with the quinjet’s cannon.
********
As Thor advanced further down the slope, the dim light gradually intensified until it would have blinded a mere mortal. Eventually, he was close enough to see Minerva being bathed in rays from the machine. As Thor watched, Minerva grew taller and more muscular, and her drab uniform transformed into a costume reminiscent of that originally worn by Ms. Marvel.
Thor was accustomed to sights such as this, and continued to watch impassively as Minerva used a small device to shrink the machine and place it in a pouch on her belt.
Then, suddenly, Minerva turned around. It appeared that, even from his hiding place, she could sense Thor’s presence thanks to her newly gained super-powers. Thor clutched his mighty hammer, Mjolnir, and prepared for the inevitable clash.
But Thor never expected what happened next. Without moving, Minerva fired cosmic beams from her eyes, hitting Thor squarely in the chest with unimaginable force and sending him flying back up the slope, through the roof of the cave’s upper level, and in a clean arc that ended at the foot of a mountain.
“Od’s Blood!” muttered Thor as pain he had never known coursed through his massive body. Struggling to get up, he saw Minerva burst out of the collapsed cave, completely unharmed, and fly higher until she hovered above him.
She now spoke. “You, godling, are merely sport to me. I seek she who carries on the legacy of the traitor Mar-Vell. Lead me to her, or I shall obliterate you!”
Thor bit down hard and rose to his feet. “Presumptuous Kree demoness, usurper of cosmic powers unworthy of thee, I SAY THEE NAY!” He then let Mjolnir fly straight at Minerva.
To the thunder god’s astonishment, the hammer bounced off Minerva and returned to Thor’s hand. He immediately raised Mjolnir to the sky. “Where blunt force hath failed, let the forces of nature strike down the evil pretender!” And with that, a ferocious bolt of lightning ripped through the sky and headed for Minerva. Before Thor realized what was happening, she absorbed the lightning and transformed it into cosmic energy – cosmic energy which she then fired through her eyes at Thor.
The god of thunder was pushed into the face of the mountain. There followed a tremendous avalanche, leaving Thor buried under tons of rock. Minerva waited to see if Thor would emerge. After a minute, she was satisfied. She turned and began flying toward the site where her Kree comrades had led the rest of the Avengers.
“This is only the beginning!” Minerva declared, laughing wickedly.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART III
FANFIC: The Avengers in "The Legacy of Mar-Vell" Part One
This is the second in a series of alternate-timeline Avengers fanfics. The timeline diverges after Roger Stern & John Buscema's "Assault on Olympus" arc. To read my first Avengers fanfic, "The Omega Sequence", visit http://www.avengersforever.org/fanfiction/
Thor swept across a bright blue late-summer sky in all his godly glory. His recent victory over the Asgardian death-goddess Hela had resulted in a healthy new body minus the scarred face and brittle bones the old one had acquired. So it was that Thor had disposed of the beard and the armor, neither of which served a purpose anymore. The thunder god’s return to a familiar appearance was greeted with cheers from people on rooftops and at windowsills. Thor might have reveled in the well-wishing, except that he had far more somber things on his mind.
Spotting an Avengers quinjet hovering above the parking lot of a cemetery – conspicuous, yes, but far better than taking away parking space from civilians – Thor fixated on his fellow Avengers (She-Hulk, Black Knight, Sub-Mariner, and team chairwoman Captain Marvel) walking towards a freshly dug grave, and he made a quiet landing beside them. Brief looks and nods were exchanged between Thor and his teammates, but no greetings were spoken.
The Avengers had done their best to provide a good funeral service for their fallen teammate, Dr. Druid. But sometimes even the best comes up short. All calls to Anthony Druid’s relatives had gone unanswered; several priests had turned down the service, due to Druid’s occult practices; and other than the Avengers, the only people now standing at Druid’s grave were a handful of collegiate misfits who knew Druid only as an author of books on the supernatural.
Once the priest had finished his duties, countless minutes passed while none of the Avengers spoke up. Druid had, after all, been aloof, supercilious, self-serving, and insubordinate to his fellow Avengers, so they could be forgiven for not finding a positive word to say.
Finally, Captain Marvel spoke up. “Druid was not a perfect person, but none of us are perfect. It’s a pity that he was taken from us so fast that we never got to see other, more pleasant sides of him. I hope that, wherever he is now, he’s found friendship and happiness. Rest in peace, Avenger.”
“Well said, Captain, well said indeed.” Thor replied.
She-Hulk, who had been particularly hurt by a cruel prank of Druid’s, was the first to turn around and head back to the quinjet. The Black Knight, who had recently started a relationship with She-Hulk, was next, and the others quickly and quietly followed suit.
Suddenly, the Black Knight shivered. His teammates had no way of knowing that, for a split second, he had been overwhelmed by a vision of Druid’s soul being imprisoned and tortured by the Fomor, a team of monstrous-looking Celtic mystics whom the Avengers had opposed some time ago. She-Hulk gently put her arm over one of the Black Knight’s shoulders, while she stroked his other shoulder with equal tenderness.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
He struggled to reply, but quickly gave up. “Nothing…it was nothing.”
She-Hulk held him tighter and said, “I think you’ve really been working too hard.”
That much was true. His constant upgrades to the Avengers’ technology, and the time-space machine in particular, had been turning into an obsession. For the moment, he decided to dismiss his vision as a waking nightmare, and tried to put it out of his mind by thinking of what he and She-Hulk might do together that night.
*********
Much later, Captain Marvel was sound asleep at her home, when suddenly, a sensation she had never experienced before left her wide awake, sitting bolt upright in her bed.
Every wall between her and the secrets of cosmos had been torn down. Red and purple waterfalls of crackling energy tumbled into worlds within worlds, while bits and pieces of the most esoteric knowledge blew every which way like raindrops in a storm.
And the mysterious cosmic entity within her began to talk more clearly. “#^%&##%$&^ INVASION @#$#$#$%^ KREE INVADERS (*(&%%%$%$ MUST BE STOPPED!”
Captain Marvel closed her eyes and gritted her teeth and screamed mentally at the entity. “This is all too much for me at once!”
Instantaneously, the bizarre imagery cohered into a vision of a Kree starship orbiting the Earth from a distance where it could not be detected by conventional means, while on the surface of Earth, in a secret Kree base disguised on the outside as just another cave, a dark-haired female Kree labored over a strange-looking machine. When the image focused on the female Kree, the entity within Captain Marvel became agitated. &*&**& MINERVA &**&&* EVIL TORMENTOR *(&*(* MUST DIE!” The imagery became shaky before abruptly disappearing altogether, leaving only the sight of Captain Marvel’s bedroom with the lights out.
Without hesitation, Captain Marvel picked up the miniature communicator on her nightstand, activated it, and turned on all the channels. She then spoke loud and clear. “Avengers assemble!”
********
Once the coordinates were entered into the Avengers’ computer, one monitor showed the deceptively plain cave from the outside, while another showed the Kree starship being scanned and analyzed. The Avengers were lined up together in front of the monitors.
Captain Marvel, now in her super-hero costume, pointed at relevant areas while she outlined her battle plan. “We’ll have one quinjet in air fighter mode, with Namor and Marrina inside, and another quinjet in land fighter mode, with Dane and Jennifer inside, while I can use my speed to hit them both high and low. Thor, not me but Thor, will deal with the lone Kree inside the base, because the thing inside me has a vendetta against her, and that could lead to trouble.”
Namor piped up. “Captain, if I may, I believe that having Marrina in the field is not a wise idea.”
Marrina sulked and slouched, while Captain Marvel fixed Namor with a scowl. “And why not?”
Namor closed his eyes while he found the words. “Because it would lead to the same kind of trouble you mentioned a moment ago.”
Captain Marvel shook her head and sighed. “There’s no time for this. Sorry, Marrina, you’ll be sitting this one out.”
Marrina pouted, then turned around and walked out of the command center.
Captain Marvel shifted to energy mode and turned to face the other Avengers. “We don’t have a minute to lose. Let’s roll.”
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II
Thor swept across a bright blue late-summer sky in all his godly glory. His recent victory over the Asgardian death-goddess Hela had resulted in a healthy new body minus the scarred face and brittle bones the old one had acquired. So it was that Thor had disposed of the beard and the armor, neither of which served a purpose anymore. The thunder god’s return to a familiar appearance was greeted with cheers from people on rooftops and at windowsills. Thor might have reveled in the well-wishing, except that he had far more somber things on his mind.
Spotting an Avengers quinjet hovering above the parking lot of a cemetery – conspicuous, yes, but far better than taking away parking space from civilians – Thor fixated on his fellow Avengers (She-Hulk, Black Knight, Sub-Mariner, and team chairwoman Captain Marvel) walking towards a freshly dug grave, and he made a quiet landing beside them. Brief looks and nods were exchanged between Thor and his teammates, but no greetings were spoken.
The Avengers had done their best to provide a good funeral service for their fallen teammate, Dr. Druid. But sometimes even the best comes up short. All calls to Anthony Druid’s relatives had gone unanswered; several priests had turned down the service, due to Druid’s occult practices; and other than the Avengers, the only people now standing at Druid’s grave were a handful of collegiate misfits who knew Druid only as an author of books on the supernatural.
Once the priest had finished his duties, countless minutes passed while none of the Avengers spoke up. Druid had, after all, been aloof, supercilious, self-serving, and insubordinate to his fellow Avengers, so they could be forgiven for not finding a positive word to say.
Finally, Captain Marvel spoke up. “Druid was not a perfect person, but none of us are perfect. It’s a pity that he was taken from us so fast that we never got to see other, more pleasant sides of him. I hope that, wherever he is now, he’s found friendship and happiness. Rest in peace, Avenger.”
“Well said, Captain, well said indeed.” Thor replied.
She-Hulk, who had been particularly hurt by a cruel prank of Druid’s, was the first to turn around and head back to the quinjet. The Black Knight, who had recently started a relationship with She-Hulk, was next, and the others quickly and quietly followed suit.
Suddenly, the Black Knight shivered. His teammates had no way of knowing that, for a split second, he had been overwhelmed by a vision of Druid’s soul being imprisoned and tortured by the Fomor, a team of monstrous-looking Celtic mystics whom the Avengers had opposed some time ago. She-Hulk gently put her arm over one of the Black Knight’s shoulders, while she stroked his other shoulder with equal tenderness.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
He struggled to reply, but quickly gave up. “Nothing…it was nothing.”
She-Hulk held him tighter and said, “I think you’ve really been working too hard.”
That much was true. His constant upgrades to the Avengers’ technology, and the time-space machine in particular, had been turning into an obsession. For the moment, he decided to dismiss his vision as a waking nightmare, and tried to put it out of his mind by thinking of what he and She-Hulk might do together that night.
*********
Much later, Captain Marvel was sound asleep at her home, when suddenly, a sensation she had never experienced before left her wide awake, sitting bolt upright in her bed.
Every wall between her and the secrets of cosmos had been torn down. Red and purple waterfalls of crackling energy tumbled into worlds within worlds, while bits and pieces of the most esoteric knowledge blew every which way like raindrops in a storm.
And the mysterious cosmic entity within her began to talk more clearly. “#^%&##%$&^ INVASION @#$#$#$%^ KREE INVADERS (*(&%%%$%$ MUST BE STOPPED!”
Captain Marvel closed her eyes and gritted her teeth and screamed mentally at the entity. “This is all too much for me at once!”
Instantaneously, the bizarre imagery cohered into a vision of a Kree starship orbiting the Earth from a distance where it could not be detected by conventional means, while on the surface of Earth, in a secret Kree base disguised on the outside as just another cave, a dark-haired female Kree labored over a strange-looking machine. When the image focused on the female Kree, the entity within Captain Marvel became agitated. &*&**& MINERVA &**&&* EVIL TORMENTOR *(&*(* MUST DIE!” The imagery became shaky before abruptly disappearing altogether, leaving only the sight of Captain Marvel’s bedroom with the lights out.
Without hesitation, Captain Marvel picked up the miniature communicator on her nightstand, activated it, and turned on all the channels. She then spoke loud and clear. “Avengers assemble!”
********
Once the coordinates were entered into the Avengers’ computer, one monitor showed the deceptively plain cave from the outside, while another showed the Kree starship being scanned and analyzed. The Avengers were lined up together in front of the monitors.
Captain Marvel, now in her super-hero costume, pointed at relevant areas while she outlined her battle plan. “We’ll have one quinjet in air fighter mode, with Namor and Marrina inside, and another quinjet in land fighter mode, with Dane and Jennifer inside, while I can use my speed to hit them both high and low. Thor, not me but Thor, will deal with the lone Kree inside the base, because the thing inside me has a vendetta against her, and that could lead to trouble.”
Namor piped up. “Captain, if I may, I believe that having Marrina in the field is not a wise idea.”
Marrina sulked and slouched, while Captain Marvel fixed Namor with a scowl. “And why not?”
Namor closed his eyes while he found the words. “Because it would lead to the same kind of trouble you mentioned a moment ago.”
Captain Marvel shook her head and sighed. “There’s no time for this. Sorry, Marrina, you’ll be sitting this one out.”
Marrina pouted, then turned around and walked out of the command center.
Captain Marvel shifted to energy mode and turned to face the other Avengers. “We don’t have a minute to lose. Let’s roll.”
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Silverhawks Volume 1 DVD
An underrated 80s TV space opera cartoon finally becomes available for old fans and a new generation. Picture and sound quality are excellent, the better to appreciate the painterly color scheme worthy of classic Disney and the superlative score by Swiss composer Bernard Hoffer (who also did the equally excellent music for Silverhawks' sister show, Thundercats.) The one disappointment is the behind-the-scenes feature. It's only ten minutes long, and while Maggie Wheeler gives a fun interview (she considers Melodia to be "the first of my famous annoying characters"), the other surviving cast members, Peter Newman and Larry Kenney, are very much missed, especially considering how good their interviews were on the Thundercats DVD feature. Still a worthy addition to any animation fan's collection. No word yet on if or when there will be a Volume 2 collecting the remaining episodes.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Comic Book of the Week: Green Lantern #35
Geoff Johns wraps up his 7-part Secret Origin arc with an excellent issue. The scenes of Hal Jordan standing up to the Guardians are just the latest reminder of why Hal's fearless decisiveness is so refreshing after nearly two decades of wishy-washiness in pop culture. Hopefully that attitude is where the next decade will be heading. And let's not shortchange penciller Ivan Reis, who has arguably become the best artist at visualizing something as abstract as Hal's decisiveness. This is a great time to be a Green Lantern fan.
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