Avengers Assemble!

#1

A new ongoing Series!

Warning! This series take place after the events in Avengers Disassembled and Avengers Finale!

The nightmare is always the same. It begins with a dead Avenger appearing outside the mansion, reanimated, but still a dripping, gurgling corpse. From there it goes bad, very bad. Another Avenger, Ant-Man is killed immediately, then one of the mightiest creatures on Earth, The Vision appears, but he himself is destroyed as his synthetic flesh suddenly convulses and spits balls of metal that become Ultrons. Many Ultrons.

It does not end there. Then the Kree empire attacks. Another long time Avenger perishes in the assault. Hawkeye had a long and storied past with the Mighty Avengers, and in an instant it is all over.

On and on the nightmare goes. She-Hulk goes berserk and almost kills Captain America, and only Iron Man, unleashing his armors full potential in one devastating punch has the power to stop her.

Finally it all culminates in an appearance by the Sorcerer Supreme of the cosmos, Dr. Stephen Strange. He informs them who is the architect of their destruction, their darkest hour. En masse, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes confront that architect. One of their own. Wanda Maximoff. The Scarlet Witch.

Strange helps to defeat her almost omnipotent power, but her mind is broken. She collapses like a puppet with its strings cut. Only then is it over.

For the thirtieth time in thirty nights, Anthony Stark awakens covered in sweat, his mind unable to stop reliving the horrible events of a month ago. His decision to let the Avengers just...end. He was tired, they all were. It was time for a break, and the thought of rebuilding the mansion was just to much to bear after everything that happened.

He had bluffed and told the others he could not afford it at the moment. The fact was he could not afford it mentally. The pain was too great to be relived at the moment. To rebuild once again, after this, the most devastating event in Avengers history had taken place, was just to much for him to bear, at the moment at least. Too many friends lost. Too many lives damaged beyond repair. To begin rebuilding then so soon after was just to painful a thought. He had even truly considered giving up being Iron Man. Thor had disappeared, why not Iron Man as well? That is until that gas main explosion in upstate New York a few days after the horrific events of that dreadful night. When he heard about it, he instantly donned his armor and rocketed into the sky, arriving mere minutes after the explosion had been reported. Iron Man walked through flames that would melt steel like water, yet he was comfortable inside the greatest weapons system ever created. That weapon now saved lives. He freed dozens of people who were trapped beneath the flaming structure. He sealed off the gas leak. He was a hero. Once again Tony Stark knew why the world needed Iron Man.

But the world also needs Avengers.

Tony sits up in his bed and scratches his back, when something catches his eye; he turns his head and is shocked by what he sees. She is there, floating gossamer-like at the foot of his bed, see through and ghostly, the Scarlet Witch has come to him.

"Avengers...help me!" she moans painfully, pleading and imploring him for aid. She reaches towards him, her hollow hand passes through his body, and then she disappears.

"What the hell?" Stark shakes his head, stunned by what he has just seen. Then the phone rings, startling him even more. He practically falls out of his bed, completely flustered as he answers it.

"Who? Steve! Yes, I was just visited by her as well. I suppose we both couldn’t have the same hallucination, no. I’ll meet you at the mansion in a half-hour, and I have a call waiting beep coming in now. If I were a betting man I’d say that was Hank. I’ll see you soon, and I’ll be dressed in my working clothes. I suggest you do the same. Right. Goodbye for now."

Stark hangs up the phone, immediately picks it back up and begins talking to his call waiting who was indeed Hank Pym.A minute later he jumps out of bed. He finally and for the first time stares at a clock nearby, seeing it is 3 AM.

Twenty eight minutes later a panel opens in the ceiling of his penthouse apartment, and a gold and red rocket silently streaks towards the ruin of Avengers Mansion a few blocks away. He lands silently and enters the structure, and instantly knows he is not alone.

"Hhhmmm" Iron Man thinks. "Someone is here already. Let’s see what infrared shows me."

His enhanced vision reveals several people in what used to be the main kitchen area. He recognizes them all immediately as he steps through the battered doorway.

"I see I’m late for the party once again." He awkwardly blurts out, to let everyone know he is here.

They smile back, as others arrive behind him. Cap is seated; Jarvis is handing out coffee from a small propane stove he had set up. Ms. Marvel sips her coffee and tips the cup towards Tony, Yellowjacket and the Wasp both look warmly at their friend. The Beast balances himself on the edge of a counter behind them while sipping his coffee, and smiles at Iron Man. Wonder Man walks in behind Iron man, shakes his hand and seats himself.

No one speaks for a few minutes as Jarvis silently doles out coffee. There is great tension in the room. But there is also something else. A pervasive feeling of hope and wonder. And also of dread.

Finally all eyes fall to Captain America, who stands and begins to speak. "I first want to welcome you all back here, so soon after we disbanded in this very spot, I did not think we would ever be here again, at least not so soon. But I suppose we all had the same...visitation tonight, didn’t we?"

All nod and affirm that they did.

"Cap," Wonder Man begins, "Do you believe it really was Wanda? That she somehow reached out to us? After everything she did?"

"You tell me Simon. You were closer to her then anyone, save the Vision. Was it her?"

"I’d have to say yes Cap." The Ionic Avenger replies. "I could feel her terror through whatever vision she sent us, sent me. She was afraid, and needed help."

"I had the same feeling." Janet Van Dyne ads. "There’s no doubt in my mind it was her.

"Agreed" Yellowjacket speaks aloud while slightly nodding his head.

Jarvis suddenly speaks, "If I may be so bold, sirs and ladies. We, all of us this night had the same vision, that of Miss. Maximoff imploring us for our aid. You Avengers know where she is. Her father, Magneto, has her on Genosha. Let us go forth and find out what has happened to Miss Maximoff."

"I do not believe this has anything to do with Magneto." A new, yet familiar voice intones. All heads turn towards the sound of it, as Dr Strange, Sorcerer Supreme floats into the room, borne aloft on the wings of his cloak of levitation.

"Dr. Strange, good to see you again." Cap extends his hand and grasps Stephen Strange’s solidly.

"Why do you feel Magneto is not involved Stephen?" Iron Man asks.

"Whatever has befallen Wanda is mystical in nature. I do not believe her father had anything to do with this. I do not feel his presence is involved in this. This feels...old. Ancient. Something from before the time of man possibly. I believe all our questions about The Scarlet Witches part in what has befallen the Avengers shall soon be answered."

"How so?" Hank Pym asks.

"I will accompany you to Genosha, we will speak with Magneto, and with Wanda and-"

Suddenly a blaring alarm from the remains of the mansion intrudes on their conversation. Iron Man activates a holographic unit in his glove, diverting the signal to his onboard communications unit and away from what was left of the mansions. An image appears before them. An Image of Magneto.

"Avengers, I-my daughter needs your help."

"What happened Magneto?" Cap asks as straightforward as possible.

"Wanda suddenly rose from her bed, as if a puppet on strings, and laughed maniacally. She did not look like herself Avengers. Her demeanor was...evil."

"And you would know from evil, wouldn’t you Magneto?" The Beast asks.

Cap shoots The Beast a look and says simply "Not now Hank. This isn’t the time."

Dr. Hank McCoy nods, but continues to let his eyes burn a hole in Magneto’s soul.

"Where is she now?" Iron Man asks.

"She hovered out of her bed, the first movement she has displayed in a month. Sneered at me, laughed, and in a burst of sulfur and brimstone disappeared. I-I do not know. Avengers, we have crossed swords in the past. But my daughter was ever one of your own. Please, do not let her suffer because of our enmity. Help me to find my child."

"We’ll find Wanda because she is one of our own Mister, and for no other reason then that." Cap answers, with conviction. "We’ll be heading to Genosha immediately, Magneto. We’ll see you shortly." Cap breaks the communication and turns towards his fellow Avengers. "We’ll board a Quinjet immediately. The hangar area was undamaged last month and all the remaining Q-Jets are fine, aren’t they Tony?" He turns towards Iron Man as he speaks.

"Yes Cap they are. But I won’t be joining you immediately in Genosha. I need Yellowjacket with me as well. There’s something-" He pauses a moment, smiles inside his helmet then continues, "Someone rather we have to pick up along the way at Stark International, and I believe Dr. Pym can help me out in that regard."

Cap nods slowly then turns towards the rest "Okay Avengers lets do it. Everyone to a Quinjet. We’ll take QJ-5 and Iron Man and YJ will take QJ-6."

"If I might make a suggestion." All heads turn towards Dr. Strange as he speaks, "I can take us there immediately, with no further wait, and I would like to accompany you all because of the very nature of what I sense in this."

Cap nods stoically, his jaw set. "Agreed Doctor. Everyone get ready for-"

SHREEEEEEEEE

Suddenly a loud piercing sound breaks the relative morning quiet as all heads turn towards the outside of the ruined mansion.

"That’s incoming and it’s headed right for us!" Ms Marvel shouts as she literally flies out of her chair and rockets first out the gaping hole in the mansions front, and then skywards towards the object breaking the sound barrier on a collision course with what is left of Avengers Mansion!

Instantly Wonder Man is with her! "Now Carol!" he shouts as he rams the object alongside her!

Ba-ROOOMM!

Both heroes fall to earth dazed, along with the roughly man sized object that was falling like a comet directly towards them! But they deflected it, and all three fall into the Avengers walk of heroes, where the statues of all the Avengers stand in mute silence to the events transpiring around them.

Yellowjacket and the Wasp are first to the strange object, followed by Cap and the Beast. Iron Man helps Ms. Marvel to her feet as Wonder Man is already standing and heading to the small crater created by the seemingly falling star.

"W-what is it?" Ms. Marvel stammers groggily.

"Yellowjacket turns towards her, a stunned look on his face. "Not a ‘what’, but a ‘who’."

The Wasp stares, her jaw dropping, the Beast bounds to their side and utters an almost reverent "Oh my stars and garters."

"Well who is it?" Iron Man asks.

They all just continue to stare into the crater as Iron Man approaches, and finally see the smoking, smoldering, unconscious being in the crater’s center.

"Thor!" Iron Man blurts out, and then again repeats at a much lower volume, "It’s Thor!"

End Chapter one