Two years have passed since the war to end all wars was finished. Two years since
Earths best and brightest and Mightiest heroes all fought off a horrific evil that sought
to consume the entire world. Now , in the year 2011 a new threat has reared its head. One
of alien and decidedly evil design. This time the world is unprepared, but even so the
Earths first and best hope lies with the aging heroes known as ...The Avengers!
The night Chicago Died Part II
Deaths and resurrections!
By Ralph L Angelo Jr
Five of Earths mightiest heroes stand grimly outside the dilapidated barn, staring at
the alien fighter craft in the distance, as they burn a harsh path across the sky towards
Chicago.
"Lets Go." Speaks Captain America.
Thor, God of thunder nods stoicly, as he begins to spin his mighty weapon, Mjolnir
about his head in a howling arc. Instantly lightning arcs from the mallets head, as the
five Avengers disappear, leaving behind their wounded Quinjet *, and instantly reappear in
the heart of a devastated city!
*See last issue
"My God!" Exclaims Janet Van Dyne, The Wasp, "The damage is worse then
we thought."
"Yes Janet." Answers the Vision in a monotone, "Far Worse. The Ca'ShuBak
are obviously even more depraved then we had previously assumed. Perhaps it is time to
Pull out the stops , as it were, and fight them as if there is no tomorrow."
"No Vision, I won't have that. There is always hope, We have to believe
that." Answers Cap angrily.
The final member of the team, War Machine points skywards. "Here they come , team.
I have them on long range sensors. They'll be here in less then a minute."
"So Be it!" Roars Thor, "Let this approaching battle be a sign of things
to come!"
Instantly, Thor and War Machine take to the sky, with the Vision right behind them.
Captain America and the Wasp watch the three powerhouses recede into the flame marked
skyline, then the wasp speaks "Cap, what should we do?"
He turns to her somberly "Get the people to safety , attack any and all ground
troops we find here, and get our damned world back."
She stares at him, shocked! "Steve, are you alright?"
He turns towards her, his face reflecting the flames that burn around him. Finally he
speaks, "No, Jan, I'm not alright. I'm tired of fighting, and I'm tired of these
damned aliens. I'm sick of seeing my planet destroyed constantly. I'm angry Mrs Pym, very
angry. Heaven help the next one of these things that gets in my way."
He turns and lumbers off, anger and sorrow dogging his every step. For her part, the
Wasp can only stare, dumbfounded, before finally shrinking down to fighting size, and
following her friend and teammate .
Within a block the two come upon a Ca'ShuBak battalion, as it attacks and drags
helpless Chicagoans towards a waiting sky ship. Suddenly the air vibrates, as a legendary
shield is hurled through the night sky, to slash through silver-blue alien battle armor,
before returning to the hand that hurled it.
"Ca'ShuBak warriors, you have 2 seconds to surrender. I will not make that offer
twice." Cap Stands, shield in hand, as The Wasp flits around him
The aliens raise their weapons and fire in a lightning quick motion, but even so, they
are to slow! Cap leaps sideways, deflecting blaster bolts with his shield, while rolling
across the ground, to cover. While the Wasp flies her wasps sting directly at her enemies,
easily avoiding their weapons fire.
"You boys were given a chance." She begins, "and you should've taken
it!" She aims her wasp stings, and fires, blasting them off their feet in their alien
armor easily!
Capt hurls his shield disdainfully, it ricochets off of one then two then a third
alien, cutting horrible gashes into each armored suit, as viscous innards ooze out of the
horrible bodies.
Suddenly a Ca'ShuBak warrior tackles Cap, heaving him to the ground!
"Unggh!" Grunts the living legend! "These things are strong! Maybe
even stronger then me!" he thinks, as he heaves the creature over head in a
stomach throw, where it slams its head into and through a brick wall!
Cap is on his feet instantly, as the alien extricates itself from the wall, it's murky
dark face plate is shattered, and the nightmarish face beneath stops even Cap in his
tracks!
"God and country, what are you?" Stammers the Sentinel of liberty, and ,as he
does, he's blind sided from behind by another Ca'ShuBak!
Cut to the sky over Chicago! As War Machine, Thor and the Vision fight a desperate battle against impossible odds!
"Have at thee!" Howls the God of Thunder, as he hurls his hammer through the
hull of another of the attack craft, shattering it's skin like an egg shell!
"Wa-Hoo!" Bellows War Machine, as his pulse cannon decimates another enemy
craft.
"Beware Avengers, there are five of these strange craft leaving the area, and
heading to the very center of this city. I fear we are needed there." States the
Vision
"Aye Avenger, I espy that e'en as we speak."Answers Thor, as he fires
anti-Energy from Mystic Mjolnir, shattering a ships defenses, and cleaving it in twain!
"Verily, it doth seem that these foul creatures are to hold us to this spot, whilst
their brethren doth proceed to the very center of this poor city."
Suddenly the remaining ships fly wide, and then re-engage the three flying heroes,
battering them with alien energies!
Sha-VOOOM!
Thor and War Machine are smashed from the sky simultaneously, while the energy blasts
merely pass through the ephemeral Vision.
"No!" He fairly shouts as he watches the five ships that broke formation
earlier fly across the sky, towards burning Chicago's very center!
With a backwards glance to make sure his teammates are extricating themselves from the
wreckage, the Vision streaks across the sky, towards the receding ships.
Avengers Compound, West Virginia...
Ms. Marvel streaks into the well hidden and disguised hanger, as cloaking fields
shimmer, and security devices allow her egress. Instantly, Thunderstrike and Nova are at
her side, even before she lands!
"Carol!" Shouts Nova, "Are you okay? Where're the others?"
"Give me a moment to catch my breath Rich. Where's everybody else?"
"There's another team down in Santa Fe at the moment, but The Widow's still here,
along with Spid- er, Parker and his kid."
Suddenly a voice intrudes from above.
"It's okay Rider, you can call me Spider-Man, it's who I am anyway, isn't
it?"
All heads turn upwards, as a familiar red and blue clad figure stands on the ceiling,
head down and facing them all from above. With a quick flip, he lands silently at their
sides.
"Decided to put the suit back on , finally huh?" asks Thunderstrike.
"Yeah kid. I figured it was about time I joined the active members busting heads
on these alien scum."
The voice is the same, thinks Carol Danvers, but the man is decidedly changed. This is
not the Spider-Man they've all known in the past, and the change to say the least, is...
chilling.
"What's the status here, Marvel lady? Where are the others?" He begins.
"Trapped."She answers, a little to quickly. Then after a sigh, "Wait
that's to strong a word. They're not trapped, merely stuck. The Quinjet broke down, I came
back to get another. War Machine gave me this list of parts to bring back."
She hands Spidey a diskette that he palms.
"Okay, you two get a Quinjet ready, find Darkhawk, Nova. As well as anybody else
still on the base. We have a team to save."
Kevin Masterson turns to the nearby Nova , and his eyes speak volumes his mouth does
not.
"What has happened to this man, that changed him so thoroughly?"
Questions Kevin inwardly. "Was the death of his wife that traumatic, that he
became almost another person entirely? One almost unrecognizable from the original
legendary hero?"
Nearby, another asks the same question, and represses a shudder ,as above, sticking to
the ceiling as Spider-Man himself does, hidden deep in the shadows, young May Parker
worries for her beloved fathers very sanity...
Higher still, far above the turning Earth, in one of the many huge Ca'ShuBak ships that
circle the planet menacingly, an alien officer slides on a viscuous trail of ooze to his
masters throne, as high above the maggot-like being sits as would any other king, or even
moreso, a deity. Again as before*, his commander has come at his masters request.
*see issue #2
"What may I have the privilege of doing for thee oh master?" Asks the
slug-like creature in his own alien tongue.
The behemoth upon the throne sighs exasperatingly , as gurgling sound mixed with a
landslides rolling thunder, at best.
"Inform me of your progress, fool." The monster upon the throne answers
disdainfully.
"The new weapon is almost in place as we speak. The earthen heroes, these
"Avengers" have again attacked our forces, and again they have driven our
mightiest warriors back like chafe on the winds of Narglack." The Commander oozes
back and forth nervously, awaiting his masters next sentence.
"I tire of this world, and the constant battles. If I had known this world carried
beings of immense power, I would have left it to rot of its own volition." The Master
growls scornfully.
"There was no way of knowing of this worlds inhabitants, my Master. The probe
which returned to us only saw a world ripe for our cleansing, nothing more."*
*To see what "Probe" They're referring to, go re-read the very last paragraph
of Avengers 2009: The War Issue #12-Yes, I plan that far ahead Ralph.
"These gnats bother me Commander G'plak. If not these Avengers, then the Four
Fantastic, or these D'fenders, or even more annoying, these "New" X-Men. What is
so "New" about them? Who are these beings? And why will they not die?"
"I know not my Master." G'plak answers simply, and truthfully.
The Master turns his horrible multi faceted eyes towards G'Plak and then away,
signaling the end of this audience, but as G'Plak slides away, in an after thought, the
Master speaks once more.
"How goes our other...project? When will the earthen fe-m'le be ready?"
G'Plak turns to his Master, his mass jiggling as would a fat man laughing, "She is
almost broken. She will be our greatest triumph, and the key to our winning this war, my
master. These Avengers will have no defense against one of their own."
"Yes G'Plak, for once I agree with you. When we are finished, the so called
Scarlet Witch will be the hand that slays all these Earthlings whole!"
Cut to Chicago, as The Vision streaks towards the five Ca'ShuBak ships, when they
suddenly stop in mid flight, and back into each other, forming a star shape, with one ship
as the hub, and four others surrounding it, and then, energy begins to build, to suddenly
lash out of the center ship, striking the ground, and liquefying everything in its path,
slowly and surely, the terrible energies leap and dance across the surface, melting
hundred story buildings to rubble and ooze instantly.
"No!" Shouts the Vision, as he , without a moments hesitation for his own
safety, flies intangibly into the energy stream, and up its very path, anti gravitons
firing from his feet for thrust, as he makes his way slowly, inexorably to the dreaded
weapons very source! And once there, he speaks once more, a name leaves his lips as he
becomes diamond solid. It is the last sound the Vision will ever make. "Wanda."
Ba-BOOOMMMMM!!!
The Visions Diamond hard form blocks the beams path, feeding back into the five ships,
and instantly they disintegrate in an explosion that rocks the city to its very
foundations with its fury!
"No!" Screams War Machine, as he and Thor break off their battle with the
alien ships and rocket across the sky seeking some sign of their comrade , but none is to
be found.
"Nay." Growls Thor at first quietly, then again in furious anger, "I Say
THEE NAYYYYY!"
Lightning flashes from Mjolnir, as the heavens rumble at their masters bidding, but
suddenly from above, a crimson comet streaks groundward, energy leaping and crackling from
its gleaming eye-like slit chest plate. Cosmic energy. The power cosmic at its most
destructive, lethal and barbaric level! The remaining ships are instantly atomized by the
fury of this crimson demon, this steel suited titan who lands near his teammates, who
thought him long dead.
"I-Iron Man? T-Tony?" Stammers Jim Rhodes from within his own suit of armor.
Iron Man reaches up and unhinges his faceplate swinging it upwards, to reveal the aged
face of Tony Stark.
"Yes Jim, Thor, It's me. What happened here?"
Quickly events are replayed, as Stark shakes his head sadly at the word of the Visions
ultimate destruction.
"If only I had been a minute earlier. I could have saved him, and stopped these
creatures, these unhuman filth from killing the best damned Avenger ever to serve beneath
the "A"."
Suddenly a voice cries out to the four men, a female voice, in pain!
"Thor! Jim! H-he's gone!"
"What?" Snaps Rhodes as he turns quickly to see a beaten and bloody Janet Van
Dyne crawling towards them. "H-he's gone." She repeats
Instantly her friends are upon her, Thor lifting her in his mighty arms like unto a
flower. "Yes fair Janet, our friend the Vision has given his very life that others in
this city might yet live another day. We must honor his memory by procuring victory upon
this vile filth."
"No." she cries painfully, "not the Vision too."
"Too?"Questions Iron Man, "Jan what are you talking about?
"She sobs almost uncontrollably at this point, all her composure gone in a flash
as the pain she's in comes through like light through glass. "He's gone, not just the
Vision, but Cap, they got Cap!"
And as one the mightiest of heroes remember Thors words from mere hours ago "Let
this approaching battle be a sign of things to come!"and as one, shudder
involuntarily at their distaff members horrifying proclamation...