Avengers Assemble!

#2

Secrets within secrets.

Prologue: Five minutes before the end of our last issue. Genosha. Magneto, the mutant master of magnetism, shuts off the Avengers Communicard in his hand. A card belonging to his daughter, The Avenger once and forever known as The Scarlet Witch.

"Very well done Magneto." A hoarse, horrific voice speaks. "You played your part well. Those Avengers will be here shortly, and when they do arrive, I will have my final revenge upon them."

Magneto says nothing. He merely continues to stare out of the shattered remains of his home blankly, emotionlessly. Like a puppet more then a man.

Behind him, a creature with a wild mane of hair laughs horrifically as it spins in the darkness and floats out of the room.

Now: Avengers mansion, or more specifically what’s left of it. A small crater is the newest damage to the property, amidst the battered statues of Avengers both past and present. In the center of that crater lies the fallen figure of a man, nay a God who has dropped from the heavens to Earth, like legendary Icarus!

"Thor!" Shouts Iron-Man. The golden Avenger is the first one into the crater, followed by Captain America and Yellowjacket. "He’s breathing, Lets get him to the infirmary, or what’s left of it at least."

"Should we move him like this?" Janet Van Dyne the winsome Wasp asks.

"The armor did a preliminary scan of his vitals I don’t see any broken bones, so I think it’ll be okay to get him inside." As he speaks, Iron-Man lifts the unconscious Thunder God up and begins to hoist him out of the pit, when...

"Eh? Back ye foul demons! Back trolls and frost giants! The God of Thunder will say thee NAY!"

Thor breaks free of Iron-Mans grip and heaves his arms around in an arc, Mighty Mjolnir gripped tightly in his right hand, throwing everyone close enough to him to the ground, including Iron-Man, and Wonder Man!

"Whoa big fella, calm down now." Captain America speaks. Hands before him in a non-threatening manner, "We’re your friends, it’s me, Cap. You’re with the Avengers. Take it easy Thor."

The thunder God looks around perplexed, and then slowly realization of where he was and whom he was with began to dawn on him.

"That’s right Thor it’s us, your friends." Yellowjacket speaks calmly and reassuringly as he walks forward, extending his hand. All the assembled Avengers watched quietly, if a little nervously. Ms. Marvel, Wonder Man, Iron-Man, Beast and the Wasp, especially the Wasp and their friend Dr. Strange all watch the events unfolding before them with more then a little bit of unease.

But the dawning of recognition blooms in Thor’s eyes as he stands with his fellow Avengers, and then he speaks, simultaneously gripping Yellowjackets hand and shaking it firmly; "My boon companions! How didst I come to be here? Verily, my memory of all that hath transpired previously to this very moment is but a blank. How didst I come to be here?" He reiterates.

"We’ll figure it out Avenger, just like we always do. I do know that you couldn’t have picked a better time to appear, and I for one am glad to have you back." Hank Pym offered as he turned and headed back to the wreckage that was Avengers Mansion.

Thor stopped as he saw the damage to Mansion, and slowly shook his head. "Ne’er did I think to see the day this fine domicile was destroyed in combat and not repaired. Tis almost sacrilege of a sort. A dark spot against our fine heritage, indeed. What didst befall the Mansion?"

"It wasn’t in combat Thor, and it wasn’t caused by one of our enemies, but rather one of our own." Iron-Man replied. "Come inside, we’ll fill you in on everything."

Minutes later, the team is seated around their conference table, with their guest Dr. Strange seated as well.

"Are you sure you are feeling well enough to join us Thor?" Stephen Strange asks.

"Aye good Doctor, I am fit. The God of Thunder shall shirk no duty to his comrades, e’en if he can barely stand, which I assure thee is not the case!"

"Very well then Thor. With that settled I believe it’s time to deal with the business at hand." Cap orders. Lets go Avengers, it’s about time this little mystery is cleared up, even if this is our last mission together."

Iron-Man turns towards Cap, his eyes reflecting the puzzlement he feels in his soul, but he says nothing as he heads towards the underground Quinjet docking bay. Yellowjacket looks at Iron-Man, and no words need pass between them, both notice that uncharacteristically, Cap did not shout "Avengers Assemble" as is the norm for this type of situation.

"I will teleport the group directly to Genosha, while Iron-Man and Yellowjacket take a Quinjet to Stark international.*" Dr. Strange announces.

* See last issue for that information.

"All right Doctor, be careful." Iron-Man answers.

Dr. Strange begins to weave his hands majestically about and he intones ancient names to aid them in their quest, holding his hands and fingers in a certain manner, and lights begin to shift and grow about them, their faces and forms begin to fade from view, but then...

"Nothing happened?" The Beast blurts out first

"Relax furball." Simon William’s answers, "I’m sure we’ll be along in a minute or two, right Doc?"

"I am afraid not, Wonder Man." Dr. Strange disagrees. "Something has blocked my efforts to teleport us to Genosha." I suggest we take a Quinjet. Mechanical transportation in this one instance may indeed be the safer mode."

"Nay good Doctor. Thou art not the only one of us assembled here who can bend time and space to his liking. The God of Thunder may also move twixt places with the aid of mystic Mjolnir! Gather ‘round my fellow Avengers! The Mighty Hammer of Thor wilst whisk us hither!"

He whirls his mighty Uru mallet above his head, encircling them all in mystical Asgardian energies and then a bright flash of light explodes around them!

But...

"Ne’er in the nine worlds! We are indeed blocked! What manner of madness is this?"

All those assembled stand shocked, once again they could not teleport to Genosha. They are still standing in the remnants of Avengers Mansion.

"All right team, a Quinjet it is, lets go." Cap Orders, and everyone agrees following him to the Quinjet bay, just in time to see the Quinjet carrying Iron-Man and Yellowjacket disappear into the distance.

"Your thoughts?" Hank Pym asks Iron-Man as he steers the Quinjet towards Stark Internationals Holtsville, NY compound.

"I’m not sure yet, Hank. Someone could be playing with us, moving us into position for something catastrophic. Maybe that wasn’t even Wanda who came to us. Who knows? I do know we have to play this out, and be ready for anything."

"Do you think we should alert every Avenger in communicard range?"

"Not yet Hank, I’ll leave an emergency protocol loop going in case we don’t check in every two hours from Genosha. Once that is instituted, if we don’t log in every two hours, which I can do remotely by the way, then every Avenger who ever lived will be landing on Genoshan shores. I’ve already burned a message for release to them if we lose contact."

"No one can say you’re not thorough, Iron-Man."

"I know Hank, sometimes it gets the better of me, but most times it’s a useful as hell trait."

"Isn’t that the truth?" Yellowjacket smiles as the Quinjet begins to descend on the grounds of the stark facility.

Both men disembark as a security man and a scientist run out to meet them.

"Iron-Man, Yellowjacket, Mr. Stark called and informed us you’d be here, but we didn’t expect you so soon, and there’s been a...development." The scientist speaks.

Iron-Man stops in his tracks "What kind of ‘development’ Andrews?"

"Umm, you had better come and see for yourselves." Andrews answers nervously.

Both Avengers look at each other and continue on, following the man through a set of double doors, into a lab deep within the facility.

"You see? It, I mean he’s awake."

Both men smile almost uncontrollably as they see the being sitting up before them on a worktable his red skin glistening in the overhead lights. He sees them and nods emotionlessly, but the corners of his mouth curl up in a slight smile. He is happy to see them.

"The Vision." Yellowjacket Announces, both relieved and surprised.

Sometime later, High above the Atlantic, Ms. Marvel breaks off communications and turns towards Captain America, "The Vision is back."

"What?" Cap asks, genuinely surprised.

"Yep," Carol Danvers answers, "It turns out Tony was working on him constantly the past month, almost nonstop it turns out."

"And he never said anything to any of us?" Asks Wonder Man

"No, he must have been in one of his ‘Work is therapy.’ phases. Lord knows we all needed therapy after what happened last month." Ms. Marvel grimly answers.

"Yes, indubitably Ms. Marvel. Sometimes we need to remove our minds from reality in anyway we can, and indeed this does seem to be one of those moments that delving into things that occupy us would be proper therapy."

"Sometimes Beast, you can just say ‘Yes.’ You know." The Wasp offers a slight grin on her face as she does.

"Approaching Genoshan airspace." Ms. Marvel announces.

"What’s left of it anyway." The Wasp breathes in a low voice almost unheard.

"Aye what hath transpired here?"

"Their war on mutants finally took its toll on this country, Thor." The Beast answers.

Suddenly the ship shudders and begins to dive into a free fall!

"What the hell?" Ms. Marvel shouts as she grabs the controls.

"Carol! I’ve got this!" Captain America shouts, "Get ready to fly the Beast to safety! All the power is gone, and we’re nose diving towards destruction."

"Not without you, Cap!" Ms. Marvel roars back at him.

"Nay! The god of thunder will handle this!" Thor intones valiantly as he makes his way towards the ships side door.

"No Thor, leave this to me. You have to whirl your hammer to fly, I can keep both hands free." Wonder Man proclaims.

Thor looks at him purposefully and nods.

"Carol come with me I’ll need you to guard against any would be attackers while I’m trying to land this thing." As he speaks he’s diving out the side door of the Quinjet as all those aboard buckle in quickly, save Thor who merely stands his ground and watches. In flight, both Ms. Marvel and Wonder Man dive beneath the falling ship, the Ionic man grabs it underneath and steadies it, while Ms. Marvel circles the Quinjet watching for any would be attackers.

But none come, as Wonder Man softly puts the vessel down.

Once on the ground, the team quickly exits the Quinjet, and stand battle ready!

"Well done, Avenger." Thor offers as he pats Wonder Man on the shoulder.

"Thanks Thor."

"All right lets find out what’s going on around here." Captain America begins as he hustles down the Quinjets ramp. "Something knocked out all our power."

"Yes," Wonder Man agrees, "If I didn’t know better I’d say that was an electro magnetic pulse."

"Like the after affects of a nuke blast?" Cap asks.

"Exactly like that. Our ship lost power all at once, but we’d have known if a nuke went off as we approached."

"I think perhaps you are looking at the wrong word in that sentence."

All heads turn towards Dr. Strange who has floated silently until now.

"What are you saying Strange?" Cap asks.

"Study Wonder Mans assessment. What word is in that sentence?"

"Magnetic." The Beast answers.

"Indeed." Dr. Strange replies.

"That makes no sense, though it’s not surprising even if Magneto DID call us here. But he’s been relatively quiet the last few years. Beast you’re closer to the mutant population then any of us. Any thoughts?" Cap inquires.

"Ummm, yeah..." Beast answers while staring past Cap.

"Care to share with us, mister?"

"It’s Magneto."

"How can you tell?"

"Look behind you."

Cap whirls, and his eyes go wide at what he and the rest of the team sees. Off in the distance, a whirling, swirling funnel of metallic debris is heading towards them, and standing in the air amidst it, is Magneto!

"You foolish heroes shouldn’t have come. This is Magneto’s land. Not yours. You have trespassed, now you will pay the price!" As he speaks, Magneto throws his arms forward, and all the debris suddenly leaps at the Avengers, a torrent of deadly metal!

"Avengers, GO!" Cap shouts, but the team is already in action! Ms. Marvel throws both arms forwards, concentrates a nanosecond, and plasma blasts from her fingertips directly into the metal storm, as The Beast leaps over the deadly hail, and Dr. Strange erects a shield of the Seraphim to deflect the shrapnel like water against concrete.

And then there is Thor. The God of thunder whirls mystic Mjolnir before him and throws himself bodily between his fellow Avengers and the onslaught! His mighty hammer sends the storm of steel away from them all! Deflecting it like dust before a whirlwind!

Magneto roars his indignation instantly! "You DARE to defend yourselves from the wrath of the mutant master of magnetism? You will perish first Thor!"

"He sounds almost incoherently insane." The Beast offers.

"Yes, mentally unbalanced at least." Cap answers, as he deflects a rogue piece of metal with his shield.

Magneto’s power suddenly grabs the Quinjet and instantly wraps it around Thor! Crushing it around him, burying him from sight!

"Thor!" Shouts Wonder Man as he tries to leap to the Asgardians aid, when suddenly a ruined tank smashes him like a hammer from above, driving him into the ground like a spike!

"No man escapes Magneto! No one can resist the mutant master of magnetism’s power!" Magneto roars triumphantly! Nearby Cap is pinned beneath his shield, the Beast is bouncing away from an ever closing hail of metal, Ms. Marvel lies motionless beneath several tons of steel.

Suddenly Magneto begins to jerk haphazardly in different directions, he rails at his unseen foe, and then it becomes apparent what is happening to him! The Wasp is on the attack!

"When you attack one Avenger, Mister, you attack us all!"

She circles and fires her bio electric blasts again and again, over and over, smacking Magneto around, knocking him down over and over before he can return to the attack, then she rears back and throws her arms forward! A powerful bioelectric blast leaps from her hands, knocking Magneto flying!

Then, the rubble that Thor is buried under suddenly explodes upwards! Thor bursts free! "Fly thee away fair Wasp! For I am about to teach the so-called ‘Mutant Master of Magnetism’ that Thor is neither mere mutant nor human. Thor is indeed the one true God of thunder! And now there shall come a reckoning!"

Thor hurls his hammer at Magneto, smashing through the villain’s magnetic shields, smashing Magneto away like a piece of paper before the storm!

Magneto raises himself shakily to his feet, his shielding had blunted the blow just enough to keep him alive and barely conscious.

"Verily evil one, thou art indeed powerful, but I am the God of Thunder! Now thou wilt know the TRUE meaning of power!"

Thor slams his hammer to the ground twice! Instantly the sky turns black as massive clouds immediately gather over Magneto’s hovering form, and lightning, uncontrollable, uncountable blasts of lighting hammer at him, lighting him up like a star!

Magneto drops to the ground like a puppet with his strings cut, motionless and unconscious.

"Bravo Thunder God. Good job I say."

Thor turns towards the sound of the voice, a familiar yet somehow distorted voice, almost as if two voices were overlaid upon one another, and he sees a woman walking towards him. A familiar one, and this gives him pause. That will prove to be his undoing!

"The Scarlet witch?" Thor asks, surprised to see her standing there.

Suddenly, and without warning energies leap from her hands, engulfing him and instantly driving him to the pavement, insensate.

"Not quite, godling." She begins to laugh, and behind her now lies the prone form of Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme, as well as all the Avengers. She continues to walk towards Thor, and as she does her shape begins to flow and melt, to change until the form of Wanda Maximoff is mostly gone and in its place is an evil twisted blood red thing!

"Hahahahahahahahhaa!" She laughs! "Thus begins the fall of this world, soon all will bow down to their new master, to CHTHON!

TO BE CONCLUDED!