Chapter 4: Dark Tomorrow
The Avengers.
Antman (Scott Lang) – Size Changing Superhero
Smasher (Isabel Dare) – Superguardian Elite
Antman and Smasher look around at a world that has gone to hell. The sky is dark and covered in grey clouds, the ground is brown and very few brown plants are barely growing. Pestilence is unconscious.
Smasher: Where are we?
Antman: Detroit? Seriously though, I've got no signal on my communicator.
Smasher: My exo specs are re calibrating…oh no. I'm reading high amounts of an unknown contaminant in the atmosphere. Can you seal your air supply?
Antman: Helmets got filters. I'll be ok for a few hours.
Smasher: Oh hell.
Antman: What is it?
Smasher: My exo specs have a date, they adjusted for temporal travel and they say we're in Boston in the year 2020. We're in the future!
Antman: It took four years for this to happen? What could? Oh god Cassie! I've got to find her!
Antman goes to run but Smasher grabs him.
Smasher: I know how you feel Antman. I have a son too and I don't know where he is in all this, if he's even still alive. But the best thing we can do for them is to find a way home and stop this from happening.
Antman: You have a son?
Smasher shows him a photo, a young boy nearly two years old grins at the camera.
Smasher: This is him, Josiah. He's nearly 18 months old. Although now I think about its five now, in this now….I hate time travel.
Antman: Funny I didn't have you pegged as a Mum…..You're right. So first we need to find out what caused this and how. Then we'll work on contacting anyone whose alive and go from there.
Smasher: She bought us here? We could use her?
She points at the unconscious Pestilence.
Antman kneels down and examines the armour of Pestilence.
Antman: Honestly I have no idea where to even begin with this. We'd need to find someone smarter than me.
Smasher: Blind exploring it is then.
Smasher picks up Pestilence and carries her over one shoulder, Antman shrinks down and stands on the other one. Smasher takes off into the air. They fly over the city and then see something that makes them stop. It is a huge banner that sits on the side of the only untouched building in the city.
It has a picture of Apocalypse standing over the dead bodies of Earth's heroes. It says "Apocalypse decrees that only the strong will survive!"
Smasher: We failed. Apocalypse won.
Shift scene. The Celestial Ship. A mutate (someone affected by the Terrigen bomb) (this one has tentacles and fangs) is working at a terminal and a warning starts flashing up on screen. It reads "Pure human detected". The mutate speaks into a communicator.
Mutate: Dispach Horsemen to sector 2814.
Shift scene. Boston. Smasher and Antman are sat down in some ruins. Antman is checking Pestilence.
Antman: She's still unconscious. One less thing to worry about.
Smasher: For now.
Antman: Yeah…for now. So Apocalypse won but that doesn't mean that everyone lost, someone will still be out there fighting.
Smasher: If the rest of the world is this bad then they'd likely have gone to ground.
Antman: So that's where we start. Hidden bases, hideouts, SHIELD bunkers hopefully something there will give us a clue.
Smasher: Right give me a second to load the first course into my exo specs and then we'll be good to go.
Antman: About that, we might not have a second.
Apocalypse forces (12 of them) ride towards them on robotic horses, these are all of them have scales and clawed hands. They are led by Toad who now thanks to Terrigen has a fanged mouth and a tongue that has a spike at its end.
Toad: Charge! For Apocalypse!
Horsemen: FOR APOCALYPSE!
They ride at the two lances pointed at them.
Smasher leaps at them, she punches a robo horse in the face destroying it, the Horseman is thrown off by the impact.
Antman leaps off Smasher's shoulder and shrinks down, suddenly a Horseman is thrown from his Horse. Antman grows back to normal size.
Antman: Hey guys!
Two horseman either side of the fallen horseman notice and fire blasts from their lances at Antman. Antman shrinks down and the blasts hit the other horsemen taking each other out!
Smasher fires beams of Penta vision into one Horseman taking him out.
Toad takes out a communicator and speaks into it
Toad: These are no mere humans! They are-
He is cut off by a missile smashing into him and blowing him up. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Blasts of energy hit each of the horseman killing them.
Smasher: Who?
Iron Man flies down and lands in front of them. Antman returns to normal size and approaches him.
Antman: Tony? Is that you?
Iron Man's visor stays shut but he eagerly grabs Antman's hand.
Iron Man: Scott? We thought you were dead?! How has the Terrigen atmosphere not killed you?
Antman: You tell me Tony, we just got here.
Iron Man: (Sigh) just when I thought this couldn't get any worse. Then time travel comes along.
Shift scene. The Savage Land: last bastion of the resistance. Earth's last superheroes listen to Smasher and Antman's tale: Iron Man, Vision and Victor Mancha.
Antman: So that's what happened, Smasher hit Emin, there was a flash of light and we ended up here.
Vision: We knew you were on Apocalypses ship when the Terrigen device activated, we assumed you dead.
Smasher: We're still here and we can still fight.
Iron Man: Your optimism is refreshing Izzy but… we've been fighting for years and we never had a victory. When Apocalypse launched the Terrigen over 60% of the world's population died instantly, of the ones that remained over half were killed by the Terrigen. We lost almost everyone within weeks, the only ones who were unaffected were machines like Vision and Victor.
Antman: You survived.
Iron Man: Just, and it came at a cost. There's not much of me left, I had to remove the infected parts of my body and now I'm more Iron then Man.
Antman: I'm sorry Tony for all you've suffered but you're here now aren't you? You can still do this, we can still do this!
Victor Mancha: We thought that for the past four years, but all we've had is loss after loss, death after death. There's five of us here. Out there, there's millions of people with superpowers and in the thrall of Apocalypse. Even being optimistic we'd only take down a couple of thousand before we're overwhelmed.
Smasher: So maybe you can't win here, but we can still stop this. Send us back and we can stop Apocalypse, prevent the release of the Terrigen.
Iron Man: That certainty in your voice….. anyone else feeling nostalgic?
Vision: We should try, even with their equipment filtering the air they will succumb to the Terrigen if left here for an extended period and we cannot waste away down here.
Victor Mancha: Agreed.
Iron Man: Ok we'll help you. Now obviously to get you home we need a time machine, luckily for you we know where to find one.
Antman: Here?
Vision: It will not be that easy.
Antman: Damn it. Never is though is it?
Victor Mancha: The time machine is on Apocalypses ship. He took it from Kang as a trophy after he stopped the war between Kang and Immortus.
Antman: Great.
Iron Man: Don't worry, I have a plan. We just need to persuade your driver to help.
Shift scene. Pestilence is sat in a cell, contained by energy fields.
A door opens and the Avengers walk in.
Smasher: Awake at last.
Pestilence: This future we are in, it stinks of perversion.
Victor Mancha: It stinks? Isn't this what you and your boss wanted?
Pestilence: I never wanted this! And Apocalypse is not my master! He killed my brother in front of me and forced me to serve him! I am not his horseman Pestilence, my name is Emin! And at last my mind is cleared.
Iron Man: We know who you are, I'll be honest we thought you joined up with Apocalypse because, well you both wanted genocide but now we're here I don't think that's the case is it?
Emin: All I wanted was to save our people from Kang. I failed and instead exposed them to this ruin.
Antman: We can stop it, we just have to go back.
Emin: If you are asking me to aid you I cannot. The time circuitry in my armour was damaged by your blow, it activated and sent us here.
Antman: Tony could you repair it?
Iron Man: Maybe but repairing a time machine was one of the most difficult things I've ever done and that was over a three week period with all the resources of Stark Industries. With what I have now….. the Terrigen would kill you long before I'd finish. And I am not going to lose anyone else.
Vision: We will work with what we know to be true. The machine on Apocalypses vessel. Emin we came to you to use you to get aboard. But now, knowing where you stand we are asking you instead. Can you get us aboard the ship undetected?
Emin: I believe I can.
Iron Man: Then we've wasted enough time. Let's go.
Under the Celestial ship a town made of the celestial material has sprung up. The Avengers are in chains while Emin walks up to the ships ramp.
Emin: My lord Apocalypse! Your Horseman Pestilence has returned! I was lost in time but now I am here to serve you once more. I have bought these traitors as a gesture of my faithfulness!
Antman: Three genius's and the best you could come up with was a Trojan Horse?
Iron Man: It'll work.
Smasher: And if it doesn't?
Vision: Then we fight.
Iron Man: It'll work.
On board the ship. A large stone skinned mutate approaches a huge throne. The throne is facing away from the mutate and War stands next to throne.
Mutate: My lord, Pestilence has returned. She says she has bought a gift for you.
Apocalypse: Bring her on board. Prepare accordingly.
Mutate: Your will master.
Outside. The ship's ramp lowers.
Iron Man: Told you so.
They walk aboard and the ship is empty.
Emin: What is this?
Antman: Anyone else feeling like this is a trap?
Vision: Statistically this is likely.
Iron Man: Keep moving.
They move through and even as they get further and further into the ship they see no one.
Smasher: This is just like that scene in any horror movie right before the monster turns up.
Emin: This ship has never been this empty.
Apocalypse: Unless I willed it.
The ceiling parts and a throne descends through the gap.
Vision: This is it, be ready.
The heroes prepare themselves for battle.
Apocalypse: Hold. There will be no battle today.
Victor Mancha: Why would you want to?...Whoa.
The throne hits the ground and turns to face them. Apocalypse is fused into it, he is frail, thin and sickly, the veins on his face are puffed up and different parts of his body are different sizes as his shapeshifting ability has gone haywire.
Apocalypse: Yes, my power has failed. I am as much a victim of my actions as you are.
Iron Man: Haha! Karma does work after all!
Apocalypse: Yes, I made an error, I was desperate, desperate to regain my strength and so I acted rashly. I did not consider the full effects of the terrigen. In the dose and concentration that I produced, it is toxic. All are dying even those who were empowered by it. Except you three.
He points at Smasher, Emin and Antman.
Apocalypse: This is why I allowed you here, I recognized you from that day….you must go back…undo my mistake, I must find another way!
Iron Man: They're going back and when they're done you'll be in a cell for the rest of your miserable life. We should do worse to you, but we're not going to stoop to your level.
Apocalypse: No! If I fail, then the Celestials will come. Evolution must take place, I thought I could force its hand but this was a failure. This planet will be razed here and again in their time if I am not allowed to succeed.
Smasher: You think we're going to believe you? No. If the Celestials are coming we'll beat them. Just like we'll beat you.
Emin: The Celestials are just like you, so self-assured in their superiority that they cannot help but be defeated.
Apocalypse: You are a fool Emin. And is clear none of you will do what is necessary. WAR!
War steps off the throne.
Apocalypse: Destroy them! Except Emin, you will bring her before me and make her submit to-. What are you doing?
War has turned around and is walking towards Apocalypse.
Apocalypse: I am your master! You will do as I-
War: Do you not remember our deal En Sabah Nur? I allowed you control of my avatar in exchange for you directing him to vast destruction for me to feed on. And until now there has been no cause for conflict. But now you would undo all this? You would leave me hungry? You would forget the terms on which we bargained. Cyttorak is no mans fool!
War punches straight through Apocalypse killing him!
Cyttorak: You will die as well. I will not allow you to undo my feast!
War charges forward and the heroes leap out the way, except for Victor Mancha who is crushed beneath War's feet.
Iron Man: Victor!
The Vision flies past them and barrels into War at maximum density. He strains against War and pushes him back.
Vision: Iron Man go! Get them home! I will hold him for as long as I can.
Iron Man: Vision….
Vision: Go!
The four turn and run.
War: You cannot stop me!
Vision: Correct. But I can delay you.
Vision increases his density the floor cracks beneath the two and they fall onto a lower level.
Iron Man leads the three of them through the ship.
Iron Man: I'm picking up temporal energy readings. We're close.
The doors of a room blast open and they run in. Inside is a time platform but it is disconnected and appears to simply be a slab of metal.
Iron Man: No! It's dead! There's no power. You can't use it.
Emin: We can.
Antman: We can? But Iron Man just said-
Emin: My armour contains a temporal engine. That is what bought us here. The engine may be broken but there is still fuel.
Iron Man: You know what that will do…..
Emin: We do not have a choice. If I do nothing, Earth is doomed. Just promise me one thing: avenge my brother.
Smasher: We….thank you Emin. Apocalypse will pay for all he's done.
Emin: I wonder, what would have happened if Kang had not taken us? Could we have been like you? In one timeline perhaps…
Emin connects a power lead from herself to her armour. Antman and Smasher step on the platform.
Antman: Tony, come with us!
Iron Man: I can't. I don't belong anywhere else now. Listen to me, when you get back your priority is to stop the Terrigen bomb. Remove the power source and it will deactivate.
Antman: What's the source?
Iron Man: We never found that out. Now go, make a better world then this one. Good luck.
Iron Man flies off towards the fight.
Emin activates her armour, in a flash of light energy consumes her. The platform powers up and Smasher and Antman fall through the platform and are swept through the timestream events from the past, present and future flash before them.
A black and red armoured Galactus strides through New York City.
Galactus: I hunger!
A man grins as he slides a mask over his head.
Man: I'm going to be the greatest villain the world's ever seen.
The Silver Surfer hovers over the Avengers.
Silver Surfer: Death has stopped, across the universe no one dies.
And then the two of them are thrown out of time and into the same room, only a few years earlier.
Smasher: Did you see all that? I saw Dinosaurs, Galactus and I think I saw me.
Antman: It doesn't matter right now. Did we make it?
Smasher: Exo Specs say it's 2016! We made it!
Antman: So, the detours done. You ready to finish this?
Smasher cracks her knuckles and grins.
Smasher: Let's kick Apocalypses ass.