2009, THE WORLD AT WAR! From the ashes of long dead Soviet Russia arises a new threat. Its
mission? World domination! One by one countries have fallen in line behind the flag of the one
globe, through either force, coercion, or bribery . The United States and its few remaining allies
are pushed into a corner, but our first line of defense, as always are The Mighty Avengers,
Earths Mightiest Heroes! This is their story in the worlds darkest hour! This is
Splash page (War Machine stands hovering above the ocean obviously scanning for the missing
Photon)
War Machine : "Monica ! Monica! " (Damn it woman, where are you)
Page 2
War Machine dives beneath the waves , his armor going into a subsea mode as he does, panels
on his back close over his weaponry and all apertures become watertight.
War Machine: "Hawkeye, Darkhawk, either of you two there? I got a major problem here boys ."
Scene of the assembled West Coast Avengers battling hordes of Atlanteans, Hawk notching and
firing in a blur
Hawkeye: "We kinda got our hands filled here War Mach, whatever you got there , you're on
your own."
Spiderwoman grabs an Atlantean by the arm and begins beating his buddies with the now
unconscious warrior swinging him around like a bat
Spiderwoman: "We're in trouble Hawk, more of these guys are waking up from Photons and
Lightnings attack."
Hawkeye: " I know Jules, and they're thick skinned to the point that they take a ton
a'punishment."
Page 3
Scene of Darkhawk racing through the sky, unleashing blast after blast from his amulet While
Living Lightening crisscrosses from the other side, doing the same.
Darkhawk: " Keep up the pressure man, we 've go to hold these lobster heads right here."
Lightening:" I know my friend I am doing the best I can ."
US Agent :" Guys I need some help here, they're starting to overwhelm me. Hey ! Guys!"
Agent is being beaten back, to the point where he's in major trouble, half a dozen Atlantean
troops are pounding at him while others pin him down.
Page 4
Cut back to War Machine under the waves. His unibeam cuts the dark water
War Machine : (I finally got that ship on my sensors, damn thing went real deep and still no sign
of Mon)
The ship finally appears out of the murky water
War Machine: (Where is she .C'mon baby where the hell are you.) "Photon, listen to me give me
a sign honey, where are you?"
Suddenly a blast of energy leaps from the downed ship through War Machines sensor beam and
into his armor
Photon:" It's me James. I-I C-couldn't make it on my o-own."
Page 5
War Machine races skyward, his HUD* display showing distance to the surface and miles per
hour.
*HUD= Heads Up Display, Rocketing Ralph
War Machine: "What happened down there Photon?"
Photon : (Still riding in his suits circuits , she appears as a hologram on his HUD display) "I-I'll
tell you later, let's just get back to the others, okay?"
War Machine :"No problem babe, as long as you're okay for now."
War Machine breaks the surface like a cruise missile, rocketing off towards the embattled
Avengers.
Page 6
Cut back to the Avengers, US Agent lies unconscious, Hercules is fighting untold amounts of
Atlanteans with Attuma lying unconscious nearby
Hawkeye: "Spi, you still with us?"
Spiderwoman: "Yeah Hawkster, but I don't know for how much longer."
Hawkeye:"Just hang on Julia, the cavalry will be here soon babe."
Spiderwoman: (As she ties up a dozen more Atlanteans in a Psi web) "Can't be soon enough for
me handsome."
Off panel voice:(Coming through their communicators) "This soon enough for you two? "
Page 7
All look skyward as suddenly four streaking forms plunge down from the heavens, seemingly out
of the Sun itself, flying far faster then sound.
Hercules: "Zeus' beard ! Tis Iron Man, Nova, and the Alphans known as Vindicator and
Guardian. !"
Nova : "That's right big guy, and get outta our way cause we're here to kick butt!"
Iron Man:" Okay Avengers, let's get to work here, these troops are trespassing, it's time they went
home."
Iron Man fires wide dispersal repulsor rays scattering the Atlanteans as Nova plows his almost
indestructible form through them , scattering them like ten pins
Hercules pounds the ground, sending a massive seismic shockwave through it, as Guardian and
Vindicator blast the Atlanteans with combinations of electro magnetic energy and molten lava,
forcing the now besieged usurpers back towards the sea.
Page 8
War Machine suddenly appears before them, blocking their retreat. Thousands of warriors stop
stone still , not knowing which way to run.
War Machine : "Surrender fish heads, there aint no escape."
Iron Man:"Or do us a favor and don't, please."
War Machine looks at Iron Man, concern on his face beneath the helmet.
Nova: "C'mon guys you don't wanna play anymore?"
Atlantean Lieutenant :"We uh. Surrender. My troops, lay down your arms, now."
Hawkeye: "There's a good boy."
Photon suddenly flies free of War Machines armor
Page 9
Hawkeye: :"Wow, you two are gettin' more and more intimate everyday."
Photon:(In a quiet, almost whisper) " More then you'll know purplepuss."
Attuma leaps upward, obviously still groggy but determined nonetheless
Attuma: " NO! The One Globe NEVER surrenders. Not now, not ever I will see you all on the
other side in Neptunes lair surface scum !"
Attuma pulls a small glowing ball from his tunic, then he purposefully twists its top section
NOVA: "Look out he's got a bomb!"
Page 10
Everything begins to move in slow motion then, Guardian looks at his wife and dives for
Attuma, lifting him up in one smooth motion and instantly disappearing from sight.
Iron Man: "Damn it! I've got him on long range sensors he's far out over the ocean. Photon,
Nova, Vindicator, MOVE ! "
They race out to sea, Photon leaving them all behind as Nova too begins to almost immediately
pull away from the pack
Iron Man: "Guardian, Heather, what'd he do just then? "
Guardian:"It's a trick we can use, he stops himself in
regards to the earths rotation and literally disappears over the horizon."
Iron Man: "Photon where is..."
Page 11
Suddenly a tremendous explosion tears through the darkening sky, instantly Iron mans eye
shields darken to almost opaque levels as his HUD display comes fully online
Photon: " He- he just disappeared ! He dropped Attuma an instant before the bomb went off and
then they were both gone."
Guardian:"No,...ohpleasegodnotagainnotagainpleasenononononononnoNNNNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"
Later...
Nova: "No sign of either of 'em Shell head. Darkhawk and I haven't seen hide nor hair."
Iron Man:" Keep looking." I know he's out there somewhere. James MacDonald Hudson cheated
death once, he can do it again. "
Underneath his Armor Tony Stark wasn't so sure. His greying head hurt. The constant pressures
were starting to take their toll. He led two lives, one was the Armored Avenger who now was
needed to protect his great nation from this outward threat, the other was the genius whose
weaponry was needed to win this war. He was pulling double duty, and it was starting to hurt.
Page 12
Iron Man: ( I'm not as young as I used to be, maybe I should give up being Iron Man and do the
most good I can by putting all my time into the mechanics of this damn war.)
He continues to crisscross his section of ocean, sensor beams searching for a tell tale sign of
James Hudson.
A voice fills his helmet
Hawkeye: "No luck Tony? "
Iron Man: "Not yet Clint. We'll find him. How's Heather?"
Hawkeye:" She finally stopped screaming a while ago. Dr. Blomburg gave her something to rest
with."
Iron Man:" Okay let her sleep. Any word from the others?"
Hawkeye : "Cap knows what happened. "
Iron Man : " Well tell him I'm not quitting til we bring Mac home."
Page 13
War Machine: "Tony, I think I found something, you better take a look."
IronMan : "Okay Rhodey, I'm locked onto you and on my way."
In a blaze of jet trails sun glinting off of golden Armor, Iron Man is off towards his friends
coordinants.
War Machine: " I found this floating here Shell head."
He holds up a tattered piece of cloth in one hand, it was crimson and white, in the other hand he
held up one of Attumas helmet horns.
Iron Man looks at the remains in his friends hands and slowly takes them from him. Then angrily
he hurls them both far out to sea and wordlessly rockets off toward the underground compound.
Page 14
Iron Man lowers through the arising roof hatch, his jets compensating and decelerating
automatically. Heather Hudson enters the room immediately upon hearing the whine of his boot
turbines. Hercules, subdued for once stands drinking coffee to one side with Hawkeye and
Spiderwoman. Living Lightening sits at the monitor board. As Iron Man enters the room they all
turn to face him.
Guardian: "Y-you couldn't find him could you?"
Iron man breathes deeply inside his suit, his suit that protects him from so much of the out side
world and this time it cannot.
Iron Man: "Mrs Huds- Heather, I- I'm so very sorry. I couldn't find anything but a scrap of cloth
from his uniform."
She looks at him , at them all and sobs momentarily then silently walks back to her quarters.
Page 15
The comm board begins to ring.
Living Lightening: "Hey my friends, we have a message from Captain America here,"
Captain America :" Hello Lightening."
Lightening: " Hello Captain, how are things on the east coast? Hopefully quieter then here?"
Cap A: "Yes and no son, we just received word that Wakanda has fallen."
Iron Mans head snaps around at this as does Hercules.
Hercules: "And the Panther, what word is there on T'Challa?
Page 16
Cap A: " None to good I'm afraid. This was just sent to us by the White house."
A Holographic image forms above the command center table. It shows T'challa, torn and tattered
, being paraded through the capital of Wakanda by several of the black garbed One Globe
warriors. He is bound to a steel cross and dragged through the streets.
Hercules:(Very quietly)" This is no good. No Avenger, not even a retired one, will be treated
thus. We must free our comrade."
Above and behind them the entrance irises open again as War Machine , Darkhawk and Nova
reenter.
Nova: "I heard everything through my suits radio systems."
War Machine: "This is not good. I tapped the holographic feed myself. What are we going to
do?"
Page 17
Iron Man: "WE" are going to do nothing. Jim you're needed here. You all did an incredible job
here against unbelievable odds. "
Hawkeye:" I hear a "BUT" comin' on here."
Iron Man :" You're getting perceptive in your old age Clint. But, we need a specialized team to
go into Wakanda, We need stealth and power to pull this off."
Darkhawk : "Well I'm volunteering."
They turn and stare momentarily at Darkhawk. Iron Man nods his head.
Iron Man: "That's one, two counting myself. Hawk I'd like you there as well."
Page 18
Hawkeye:" Why not Golden Boy? Sounds good t'me. I just need a nights rest, I been goin' about
53 hours nonstop at this point and I'm about to pass out on my feet."
Iron Man: "Noted Clint. Cap you feel up to a little incursion into enemy territory?"
On the monitor screen , 3,000 miles away Cap smiles.
Cap A: "Yes old friend, I am."
IronMan:" Good . Nova, how about you?"
Nova: " well Iron Man you know I'm not an Avenger, and I am semi retired from this business
what with me being married and all. But, I think I can talk Nita into letting me come out and
play a little longer."
Iron Man : "Good. Now Spiderwoman? "
Spiderwoman: " I think I'm better off here Shellhead. With Agent nursing some broken bones
and Photon not up to her usual standards, well we need as much power here as possible."
Page 19
Iron Man turns and nods.
Iron Man: "You're right Julia."
Spiderwoman: "Besides, you know who you really need for this one. The one and only the
original web slinger."
Living Lightening: "Yes amiga, but he disappeared years ago. We don't even know where he is."
Iron Man turns to the monitor screen again
Iron Man: "Cap, get in touch with the Widow please, also if Vizh is there ask him for his
participation as well."
Cap A: "Done . Also I'm contacting the Torch to see if he has any contact with Spider-Man. The
two of them were close at one time."
Iron Man: "Fine , I'll see you in a day, we all have a lot of planning to do here. Iron Man out."
Page 20
The screen goes blank.
Hercules :" Would that I could go with you my friends."
Hawkeye: "I know Herc, but you gotta help Jimmy out here. I'll be gone who knows how long,
and this is a bad one. Who knows if I'll even be coming back?"
Hercules: "Bah, you exaggerate Hawkeye. We all know you for the daredevil you have ever
been."
Hawkeye: "Yeah well, that was before my back started giving me trouble and I started to lose a
little hair."
Herc: "In all my thousands upon thousands of years of existence ne'er have I understood the
mortal desire to complain about living ! Your lives are but candles to be blown out by an errant
breeze my friend, get every moment of adventure you can from it !"
Hawkeye: "Herc, I wasn't complaining."
Herc: "Ah well I've been wanting to say that for some time now."
Darkhawk leans over to Nova
Darkhawk: "He got his time on the soapbox."
Page 21
Nova: "Ssshhh, stop bein' a jerk all the time 'hawk."
Darkhawk : "Boy, get a guy married, have a couple a kids and allovasudden your no fun
anymore."
The two friends joke a little more between themselves. As War Machine makes his way off to
his quarters.
War Machine : (I gotta talk to Monica and see if she's feeling any better)
He makes his way to Monicas rooms
War Machine suddenly realizes he's still in his armor.
War machine: "Armor off"
Page 22
A flash of light and James Rhodes is back in his civilian clothing. Then he pauses a second
before her door, almost afraid to knock, finally taking the plunge he raps the door several times
Monica: "Come in ."
Rhodes opens the door and enters, Monicas in bed with the cover up to her neck. He sits on the
edge of the bed.
Rhodes:" Okay hon, you wanna tell me what's up and what happened today?"
Photon: "Yes, Jimmy, you're going to be a father."
Cut to...
Captain America back on the east coast. The monitor has just gone black
Cap A: "Vision, do you have a current Wakanda topograph and map available in system?"
Vision: "Yes Captain it is in the main systems current database."
Page 23
cap A: "Good . I'll get to them in the morning. Good night my friend."
Vision : "Good night Steve."
Cap walks down the quiet corridors of Avengers Bunker, he comes upon the gym area. Inside
Yellowjacket is playing racquetball against his wife, the Wasp.
Hank: "Hey Steve how are you tonight? What are we going to do about Wakanda?"
CapA : "Shell heads putting together a Strike team."
Hank : "When are we going in?"
CapA: "Well probably in a day or two at most I would think."
Jan: "Steve, they have to be expecting us to make a move. That public display with T'Challa has
to be a trap."
Page 24
CapA: "I know Jan. Of course it is. I'll see you both in the morning."
Jan: "Good night Avenger."
She kisses him on the cheek
Hank: "See you in the morning buddy."
Hank clasps Steves shoulder and the happily marrieds walk off, towels over their shoulders,
heading for the showers.
Cap heads towards his quarters, stops for a moment , then moves down the opposite corridor
towards the infirmary. Inside is one filled bed. Several line the walls, looking like a wartime
hospital ward, which is what it is.
Page 25
Cap pulls aside the curtain surrounding the person and sits at a chair next to the bed. The person
in the bed is obviously in a coma or brain damaged somehow. As they are unmoving and
unresponsive. Steve looks at the charts , lowers them, then begins to talk
CapA : "Hello Thor, how are you today?"
Next: the assault on Wakanda, and whatever happened to Spider-Man?