Issue 2: Fallen Heroes

Triskelion, New York 3:41 p.m.

Every agent in SHIELD was on full alert, they kept getting reports from all over the globe. Places like Cairo, Rio de janeiro, Paris, London, Shanghai and Tokyo were invaded. The same went for Dubai and Budapest. After the destruction of New Jersey, Doom went back to his home country Latveria after the attack on Earth. SHIELD also needed to retake New York as well as Los Angeles. The world governments were furious, their countries invaded in one day. Even the Fantastic Four and New Ultimates were surprised and thrilled that Peter Parker was alive, it wasn't the time during the invasion. Since Monica Chang was no longer in command of SHIELD, it fell to someone else. The commander of SHIELD was a woman in her mid thirties with a dark hair that had red streaks and brown eyes. She wore glasses along with a SHIELD suit. She was in her mid to late-thirties. Her name was Victoria Hand and she was in charge of SHIELD. She was currently under stress and irritation due to Doom's invasion impacting on the whole globe. That's when Peter and Terry found Jessica Drew, only that she was wearing something different to what Peter Parker; her contributer and her ex Terry Komori would ever see her wearing. She had a black domino mask, with wide lenses that covered only her eyes and cheeks. She wore a dark black suit with red highlights and a red spider symbol which had a yellow hourglass on her chest. Jessica Drew also wore a red jacket with a yellow spider on the shoulders and back of her jacket.

"Jess?" said both Spider-Men

"Guys!" she hugged both of them. "Thank god, you two are safe."

Peter pointed at the outfit she wore. "Is that a new outfit?"

"Yeah, I thought of going with a new look." she stated. "But right now, we got more things to talk about."

"We know. We..." Terry slightly looked away. "We saw New Jersey get obliterated. Did anyone make it out?"

"Only 760,000 civilains. But..." Jess looked away

"Jess..."

"There's something you two should know."

Flashback.

Two hours earlier. New Jersey 1:41 p.m.

Kenny "Kong" Mcfarlane laid on a crater made impacting on New Jersey. He was wore a black harness with a no sleeve suit, wearing a dome leaving his eyes visible along with his mouth and nose also. Just last night, he stumbled upon a mysterious gem laying outside his house. And as soon as he touched it, he became the avatar of Cytorrak. And on the next day the invasion started, he assisted in saving people during the attack. Since the invasion today people, have start calling him the immovable man. Others and most on the other hand, kept calling him the unstoppable Juggernaut. At that moment, Kenny couldn't believe that he got superhuman powers from the gem he picked up last night. Then suddenly, a hurling object crashed right in front of him. A claw slammed itself in the ground as the object stood from the crater, revealing four green emissive eyes staring viciously at Ken.

"Oh, shi-" Ken was cut off when

CRAAASSSSHHHH

THOOOMMM

THUD

Kenny Macflarene was sent flying back through building to building, crashing directly into a abandoned bus. He groaned, barely standing up from the ground as his back arched from the impact. Whatever it was that sent Kong through buildings, it was strong. That's when he spotted someone facing a platoon of Doom's alien soldiers, with one being sent through a wall beside him. The one fighting the aliens was a twenty-five Asian man, in a black suit with cobalt blue neon highlights as he blasted a squad of alien soldiers with a beam bursting through his mouth. The Doom alien forces kept firing energy weapons at the mysterious man, only for the weapon fire to go in without harming him as his entire body began to flow with energy. The man spread his hands out as he fired energy blasts that shot at every Doom alien, hitting each one in top accurany and precision. Then suddenly, whatever that sent Kong flying back made its way to him and the mysterious stranger he encountered. The creature's four emissive green eyes stared at both of them in a deadly snarl standing 12 ft tall. Two arms, with three clawed fingers on each hand. Two clawed toes on each foot, along with two mandibles and four spikes on its back. It lunged on both of them, only to have its back be struck by six organic metal claws. It looked over its shoulder, glaring at a eighteen year old with wearing a yellow suit with black insets with a cowl mask covering his face except his mouth and nostrils. He was Jimmy Hudson, the second Wolverine and son of the original Wolverine James Howlett.

"Looks like you two could use a hand." Kong and the mysterious stranger turned around to see the X-men along with Captains America and Britain, Thor and Iron man of the Ultimates standing behind them

"Kitty? Is that you?"

"I know that voice..." Kitty's eyes widened with shock. "Kenny? What are you doing here?" she pointed at the chrome helmet Kong wore. "And why are you wearing that?"

"Well you see..."

"You two can talk later." Cap said

PTANG

Captain America threw his shield at the alien creature's head while Wolverine was still in berserker rage. Until the creature slammed a truck toward him, repeatedly. Iron man fired his repulsors while Thor charged in with his hammer, sending it flying near an abandoned construction site. Iron man went in first, firing repuslor and missile fire only to be hit with a support beam that sent flying to the ground. Thor was about to summon thunder and lightning until he was send falling by a blast that came out of nowhere. The blast came from a male figure in a wearing hi-tech armor and a jet pack. Iron man went to face the hi-tech attacker in the sky, having a suit-on-suit dogfight. The creature then pounced on Thor, stomping on his arm carrying his hammer while stomping its other foot on his face applying pressure on the Thunderer's head. However, Ken Kong charged the creature using the power of Cytorrak to fned off the creature. Kong launched his fist across the creature's face, breaking one of its mandibles as Spider-Woman strapped web on one of its arms. Cloak and Dagger appeared with Spider-Woman followed by an incoming blast from Bombshell. Fireballs and ice spikes struck the alien creature afterwards, courtesy of the Human torch and Ice man as Rogue teleported using Pixie's power after her death from Doom's assualt on Earth.

"Cain..." she said staring at Kenny Macflarene who she thought was Cain Marko. "Is that you?"

"Who?" Ken said confused, dodgined a claw impact from the alien monster as Kitty Pryde phased out of the ground

"Rogue, that's not Cain Marko." Pryde stated phasing the creature's body to the ground, putting it on a halt. "It's someone Peter Parker and I know. His name is Kenny Kong. Speaking of which..." she glanced at her ex. "How did you get your powers all of a sudden?"

"It all happened when I touched this gem inside my house last night. And when I touched it, It said I was now the avatar of Ctyorrak." he explained. "And the next thing I know, I got super powers."

Then all of a sudden, the group heard rumbling from underneath the ground. The creature that was phased below broke out, roaring venomously as Bombshell and Dagger retaliated with explosive energy blasts and light daggers. The dagger were stuck on its body, while it was blocking the explosive blasts from Bombshell causing it to stand its ground. Ken Kong, the avatar of Cytorrak sent hooks left and right across the creature leading the X-Men along with Spider-Woman, Bombshell, Cloak and Dagger went head-out to face the alien creature.

Elsewhere in New Jersey, Jean Grey along with Adrian Luca, Grant Alexander and Aimi Yoshida were saving people from the aliens invaders while Domino, Derek Morgan aka Archangel and Firestar were fending off Doom's alien soldiers. Then suddenly, a giant scale worm monster spewed out deadly fireballs from its mouth. Its flat headed cranium slammed into the ground as it dug in underground.

"Incoming! Giant flamethrower worm comin' through!" Jack Wilson aka Spade yelled out after shooting a alien soldier in the head, while him and Vanessa Carysle ran out of the way from the giant beast that spunned out of the ground

Jean looked at Aimi Yoshida and Liz Allen. "Jolt, Firestar! Shoot that thing's mouth." Jean quickly glance at Adrian Luca and Grant Alexander. "Nightshroud and Diamondstone, you two help them out!"

Jolt and Firestar blasted the Flat head with fire and electric energy, striking directly at its mouth which caused it to screech in agony. It head slammed against building to building, with Diamondstone bashing his obisidian covered fists toward its head while Nightshroud stabbed its neck with indestructible blades of shadow matter. The three recent recruits Adrian Luca, Grant Alexander and Aimi Yoshida couldn't believe they were getting noticed. They were still labeled as outcasts because of being mutants. Fear and despied by the world after the Ultimatum wave. Now, they were slowly being viewed as saviors. And all it took was the invasion of Dr. Doom and his alien forces. Aimi Yoshida was a stowaway whose parents sent her away to Tian, the same place she had met Jean Grey along with Liz Allen and Derek Morgan. Jean was like a friend and mentor to her, while Aimi and Liz were fast friends. Her and Derek Morgan was currently in a relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend. Grant Alexander use to be a college freshman jock until he realized he was a mutant with the ability of density control. And like mutants whose powers manifested, he went Utopia were he met Kitty Pryde and the X-Men. And when Kitty Pryde and Jean Grey decided that Tian and Utopia would be safe haven for mutants, he became a member of the X-Men. And last but not least, Adrian Luca. Adrian Luca was a soldier and activist, his father on the other hand was a anti-mutant member of the Purifers. Adrian and his father never saw eye-to-eye after his father killed Adrian's mother who was revealed to be a mutant. He loved his mother than his father and when his own father killed his mother, he ran away. Adrian's mutant powers manifested six weeks later when he was twelve, leading him to head to Muir island. Years later, he left Muir island After the Ultimatum wave, the suppose death of Peter Parker and the civil war raging in America, Adrian was fending for himself from Hydra at the time. That's when he met Kitty Pryde and Jean Grey who knew of his past. Primarily his father being a anti-mutant supremacist who actually died in the Ultimatum wave. And currently, he is in a relationship with Jean Grey going on five months now.

However, their battle was cut short as a searing energy blast inflicted damage on the Flat head as it disintegrated to ashes giving off a last howling screech. The source of the blast came from someone they never thought to see, a Eternal of the People. One from Tian that still survived. Jean Grey along with Derek Morgan and Liz Allen knew who is person was. Liu-Shen, one of the sole-surviving Eternals of Xorn's brother Zorn before the defeat of the Children of Tomorrow. A smile suddenly grew on Liz Allen's face as he spotted the Eternal.

"Tom!" she hugged the eternal in a warm embrace. "We thought you were dead! Where have you been this time?"

"To find myself." he said. "All this time feeding my anger, just all Zorn taught us." Tom Liu-Shin looked away in regret. "But all it ever accomplish was the demise of my people. I was in Tibet after the defeat, then I traveled to South Africa and Brazil for a while. Now I'm here."

"It's good to see you again under these circumstances." Jean replied, suddenly looking up with wide eyes along with the others. "Oh god..." she flicked her communicator. "Rogue! I need you to teleport us and anyone else away to a safe place, now!"

"Jean, what do you see?"

"Trouble. Teleport everyone the hell out of here, now!" she exclaimed as X-Force along with the X-Men, Spider-Woman, Bombshell, Cloak and Dagger and the new Juggernaut Kenny Macflarene were teleported away from New Jersey before a searing blast destroyed the city

Command Center, Triskelion. Manhatten, New York 3:20 p.m.

Every survivor including the X-Men, X-Force and the remaining heroes on New Jersey were transported to the Triskelion. SHIELD agents rally to get the wounded to the infirmary while the survivors were being sent out a sheltering center away from New York. Victoria Hand appeared with Falcon, who was accompanying someone who bear a little resemblance to Natalia Romanova who turned traitor and worked for the Liberators. But this time she looked different. She had red skin with yellow eyes, wearing a green and white bodysuit that covered her hair with a white hood. The red skin and yellow eyed woman turned out to be Vision, only with her consciousness in a human body with superhuman abilities leading her robotic body to hover in front of her. Instead of golden skin, the body had a silver and white color with red emissive eyes. The body shifted its appearance, revealing it to be of Janet Van Dyke. SHIELD knew after the Ultimatum Wave, Hank Pym went to the Triskelion for Carol Danvers jump start the Jocasta project.

"Is this everyone?" Hand asked

"Yes. This is all we could save." Jess stated. "What's the situation in New Jersey?"

Victoria Hand looked away along with Falcon, Vision and Jocasta. "New Jersey... is destroyed." the heroes expression turned to shock. "Obliterated in one strike."

"Oh god..." Kitty gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "Everyone else died."

"Including Captain's America and Britain."

"Elizabeth's going to be devasted when she hears about this." Jean said worry about her team mate Psylocke. "What's happened now?"

"As of now, the UN has disbanded SHIELD. We're through. We were order to protect the world, but instead as things are going now, we've failed." Hand stated

"They can't-" Director Hand cut Spider-Woman off

"They already have!" Hand exclaimed now leaving, but stopped. "And it's done. It's out of my hands now." she concluded leaving

Flashback end.

Triskelion, New York 3:42 p.m.

"Cap is dead?" Jess sadly nodded her head, leaving only the heroes inside while every SHIELD agent deserted the Triskelion. "I can't believe Doom did this."

"So what now?" Terry glanced at the X-Men, Ultimates along with amazing friends such as Cloak and Dagger along with now. "We're not giving, right?"

"No, we're not." Aerean Thorton aka Super soldier. "We're still in this fight. Doom doesn't have us beaten yet."

Peter's, Terry's and Jess' spider senses blared as a large shadow stood out the window. The Ultimates, Fantastic Four, X-Force and X-Men stared at the window. Their expressions turned to shock with mouths open and eyes wide. The flagship of Victor Von Doom zoomed in on the heroes as it fired a heavy energy burst, now portions of the Triskelion. Before the beam could head toward the Command Center where the heroes were, all of them were teleported away from the blast.

Unknown location

Thor and Nexus did not get hit from the blast of Doom's flagship, but they were somewhere else instead. A futuristic hallway with red lights them follow toward a destination, leaving both of them to be ready for whatever was ahead. They both stopped to see something Thor nor Nero could ever see, the City. One of the creations used by Reed Richards and his Children of Tomorrow. Thor lifted his hammer, preparing to strike along with Nexus as Thor sent his hammer hurtling toward AI. But a force field had prevented the blow to inflict damage, with Mjolnir heading back to its master.

"Why have you brought us here, machine? Where are our friends and allies?" Thor demanded, with the AI remaining silent to Thor's question. "Speak, quickly!"

"Your allies were teleported to an ancient Nwahili temple in the Savage land. Thor Odinson." the AI glanced at Nexus. "Liu-Shin of the Eternals. I have brought you both here to give you an advantage against the enemy you face."

Thor narrowed his eyes at the City. "What advantage do you speak of, City?"

A bright light shined at Thor's face as it showed a large room, with the Children of Tomorrow in tubes. "The advantage I speak of is the return of the Eternals and Asgardians." he stated

Thor's and Nexu's eyes widened in absolute shock at the City's explanation. It proposed it could bring back the Asgardians, along with the Eternals. The Asgardians were hunted down and eliminated by Reed Richards, along with draining Yggdrasil itself to use for their benefit. Liu-Shin received his people just like everyone else from the twin cities of Tian and Tu'an. From a serum known as only the Source: the possession to give normal humans super abilities. There were two groups in Tian. The Celestials were led by Xorn while his brother, Zorn led the Eternals. Xorn was the one who taught Celestials to temper and control their agressivity. But Zorn on the other hand taught the Eternals to feed into their anger. And as soon as their gifted citizen Oracle known as Shu-tan was killed by Reed Richards and the City, the Eternals went to war with the Children of Tomorrow. However, Liu-Shin's people were defeated by them. And as a last result, Zorn had released his black hole ability to absorb one of the Children of Tomorrow's contingent before he died. And now, the City was offering a solution to the problem the Children of Tomorrow and Reed Richards caused.

"It sounds like you're offering a solution to a problem you created with both of us." Liu-Shin stated

"It is." the City replied. "One for each of you. And in all honesty," the City paused glancing at the Children of Tomorrow encased in tubes. "This was their idea to bring back Thor's people. Along with creating another Source, but this would become a blast wave to sent to those it comes into contact with such as Missing In Action military soldiers, reformed enemy combatants, ex convicts, illegal immigrants and the homeless. Etcera, etcera. Basically anyone the organisms come in contact with."

Liu-Shin quirked his eyebrow at the AI machine known as the City. "So this Source wave will transform anyone with super abilities like a parasite based on it chooses? They will become Eternals."

"Correct. And as for the Asgardians, their bodies will be customize and altered. While their self-consciousness will be transfer into the Children of Tomorrow." City explained. "After this, Asgard will return with its people. It will remain where prior destroyed world Exodus Prime once was."

"What do you ask of us?" Thor questioned the AI, slightly turning its attention to both of him and Nero. "What is the catch?"

"No catch. This is on our last behalf." it stated. "This is our final moment. This is the least we can do is atone for the Maker's and our own mistakes." Suddenly, the City shined a beam at Thor's body. "We know you see the dead with your Vahalla ability. As soon as you saw none of the dead, the Asgardians will return and fight by your side once answer the call. It is time for you to be sent your allies. And the same goes for the Source wave. And the people that receive their superhuman abilities, you will lead them Liu-Shin." City suddenly begin to teleport Thor and Nexus to the Savage land. "Farewell."

"Wait!" Thor exclaimed. "City! What is the call for my people?"

"For Asgard." it answered, now teleporting Thor and Nexus to the ancient temple in the Savage land. "The entire universe will need you heroes. And we all pray 'he' does not arrive here. If he does, we will need hope to stop this monster."