FIC: A Most Marvellous Adventure (21/?)
The Council Of Sky-Fathers
Zeus' fists clenched. "The threat we face is too immense, we cannot leave it to others to fight! We must strike!"
"Hah," Odin's laugh rumbled out of his chest as he shook his head. "You know me, normally I love a good fight. But one has to pick them."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning," Odin directed his gaze to Ammon Ra, the Sky-Father of the Ogdoad, "we are beings of immense power, too immense for this world to withstand our combined power. Should we bring our power to bear we would shatter this planet. Even this system."
"Perhaps," agreed The Dagda, ruler of the Celtic gods, "but the alternative, the First let loose on the cosmos would lead to the extinction to all but the highest of life-forms, a death toll in the trillions."
"We cannot just stand by," Zeus concurred.
"No, that is not what I am suggesting," Odin shook his head. "This battle is too important for us to stand idly by."
"Then what?" queried Svarog, the Dievas sky-father's snowy-white moustache shaking.
"We allow this world's heroes and lesser gods to fight this war for us," Odin replied.
"But should they fall?" Ukko demanded.
"Then we step in and take up their mantle as the universe's protectors," Odin slowly conceded. "After all, what is the lives of six billion next to hundreds of trillions?"
Zeus glanced around the long table they were all sat around, Odin holding a breath that was not released until most, not all but most, of his fellow Skyfathers had nodded. Finally Zeus' gaze returned to him. "We wait," the Olympian confirmed. "But ready yourself, should worse come to worse, we will bring our strength to bear, and should it cost everyone on this planet their life, it will be a small price to pay for the end of the First."
Asgard
Thor glared imperiously around his city, then nodded in satisfaction as he saw his people lining the battlements. Their hawkish gazes peered out of hardened faces, ready for the latest battle in their city's bloody history.
Sensing a familiar and welcome presence behind him, he turned to face the brawny powerhouse stood there. "Brother Heimdall!" he boomed a greeting. "What do you see?"
"'Tis grave, mi'lord," Asgard's sentry replied. "All manner of trolls and monsters march towards Asgard, out-numbering us perhaps thirty to one and equipped with all manner of siege equipment – catapults, towers, battering rams, and mantlets."
Thor scowled at Heimdall's grave news. He could see no sign of these god-forsaken foes, but then he didn't have Heimdall's enhanced senses. "I would have your eyes, my friend."
"As you wish mi'lord," Heimdall nodded brusquely, square jaw clenched as he stepped forward and placed his callused hand on Thor's shoulder.
Thor gasped as his fellow Asgardian's vision flooded into his mind, enabling him to see the army marching towards his home.
The ground rumbled under the march of tens of thousands of snarling, grotesquely shaped monsters, their gnarled hands grasping all manner of weapons and their eyes filled with burning hatred and a voracious blood-lust. These loin-clothed beasts were of a size to exceed even his girth and wore hideous battle scars throughout their slab muscled bodies, thick ropey veins clearly visible beneath their grey skin. Their vast siege engines, vast engines of destruction, trundled beside the invading army, pulled by beasts of burden that would dwarf the largest elephant.
Thor's heart quailed as he saw the numerous forces arrayed against his people then stiffened. Was he not Thor? Was he not the Odinson? Was he not the leader of the finest warrior race of this universe or any other?
Was he not an Avenger?
A snarl erupted from his lips as he raised Mjonlir to arms-length and shoulder-height, pointing it towards the approaching army. "HEAR ME!" His roar shook the castle walls. "I AM THOR, GOD OF THUNDER! YOU ARE FOOLS TO MAKE WAR ON THE ASGARDIANS! WE WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED OR BROUGHT DOWN! HEED WELL THE IDIOCY OF YOUR ACTIONS AND REMEMBER YOU BROUGHT THIS CARNAGE ON YOURSELVES!"
Even as he looked up at the cloudless sky, lightning erupted and flew down, strike after strike laying waste to the advancing army, incinerating siege engines and wiping out dozen after dozen of the monsters with each bolt. Chaos ensued as high winds whipped at the forces, knocking monsters the size of houses onto their rears, crushing smaller beasts and siege machines beneath them, fires igniting throughout the horde. Rain tore down at the horde, pushing them inexorably backwards even as the continuing winds whipped at them and the lightning tore holes through their numbers. A small smile tugged at Thor's lips as he watched the continuing devastation, the army slaughtered before they even reached the city's walls. "I am much satisfied," he murmured.
Toronto, Canada
"Keep them away from the civilians!" Guardian bellowed as he raised his palms and shot concussive blasts at a bus-sized horned beast charging towards him. The blasts caught the demon high in the chest, flinging it across the street and into the side of a house, bricks flying everywhere, dust falling over the creature.
"GAAAAAAAA!" The beast's hooked-teeth mouth parted in a roar as it leapt at him, its foul breath leading the way.
Guardian's jaw clenched as he hit the beast with another blast, smoke wafting off the gargantuan's frame as it fell with a ground-thudding shake. Hearing another monster charging in from the left, he spun to face it, his electro-magnetic blasts crashing into the creature's thick chest and his force field coming up a half second before the monster would have collided with him, knocking the monster back, a dazed look on its bestial features. Guardian flew forward, fists stretched out in front of him, crashing into the creature's snout before it had time to right itself, knocking it into and through a steel-railing fence, the monster sliding to a halt by the foot of an office building.
"My god." Guardian's eyes hardened as he looked around. Demons were swarming around his team even as his people struggled to defend the innocents caught up in the chaos.
Kiev, Ukraine
"Golubev! Use your telekinesis to push them towards Morning Star & Svyatogor!" Doctor Volkh yelled as he watched the monsters swarm through Kiev's blood-soaked streets. He nodded as the group's resident mutant obeyed, the mutant's jaw clenched and brow furrowed as he pushed the monsters back to his waiting team-mates. The Bogatyri might not be as famed as the Winter Guard, but they worked effectively as a team and served the Russian Federation well and with pride.
Volkh's smile widened as he watched a flying Morning Star incinerate several of the demons with strategically-placed heat blasts that kept the swarm off Svyatogor's back even as the cybernetically-enhanced hero tore the demons apart with his bare hands.
Bejiing, China
"NOOOOOOOO!" Collective Man's scream rang out, his eyes bulging in horror as he watched the Imperial Ancestral Hall explode, brick and wood flying everywhere, a horde of demons racing through the flaming ruins and towards his team. Gathering himself, he looked towards Radioactive Man. "Destroy them."
"With pleasure." Radioactive Man snarled before raising his hands and shooting energy blasts into the crowd even as Jade Dragon shape-shifted from his human form and into his dragon body, wings flapping mightily as he flew above the screaming demons and began gusting fire down onto them. Auric and Silver joined the dragon flying into the air, Auric's heat blasts tearing through those demons that Silver's freeze blasts froze into place.
But then the demons swarmed through the long ranges attacks, and Collective Man was forced to draw his brothers together into the one body and fight the demons hand to hand.
Paris, France
Wait, wait.
Sweat beaded on Adamantine's forehead as the monsters charged down the thankfully deserted Champs-Élysées, tourists and citizens terrified into the hastily set-up shelters. He looked towards Docteur Q and nodded.
Docteur Q returned his nod. "Anais, release your cats."
Adamantine smirked as a cavalcade of jungle cats freed from the city's zoos, cheetahs, lions, leopards, tigers, and their brethren roared out of a street ending and into the path of the waiting demons. Flashing teeth met demonic claw, blood spurting as fierce beasts fell on both sides.
SHIELD Helicarrier
"Damn it," Fury growled as he stared impotently at the screen before him before looking up at his Communications Officer. "Anything from Japan, yet?"
"No sir," the pimple-faced kid shook his head. "Our Tokyo office isn't responding to our calls."
Tokyo office. Jesus, Fury had to resist the urge to shake his head. This goddamn organisation sounded more like an ad agency rather than a security agency with each passing day. "Keep tryin'," he grunted. And he felt more like a middle-aged administrator rather than a grizzled warrior with each passing day too.
Jesus, what a goddamn world.
"SIR!" The Watch Officer's head snapped towards him, eyes widening in horror. "We've got intruders on board! None of our external sentries are responding to our hails."
Hell, Fury grunted as he arose. "Everyone get armed, looks like we've got trouble."
"I'm getting another report in from Russia," Winter Soldier reported, the World War II legend's tone grim. "Winter Guard are coming under attack in Moscow."
The Virginian's cold voice only added to the heavy silence filling the speeding jet. A silence that Faith inevitably felt it was her duty to break. "Well shit, Canada, US., Russia, UK, Wakanda, the way things are goin' we ain't gonna have anything left to save!"
"There's nothing like a motivating speech to get the troops going," Xander commented. "Unfortunately that was nothing like a motivating speech."
"How long until we reach Baghdad?" queried Strange.
"Another sixty minutes," Ms. Marvel reported from the front of the jet.
"Why couldn't you just teleport us in?" Faith demanded with a look towards the silently watching Devil-Slayer.
"Unfortunately there seems to be some sort of shield blocking the immediate area," Strange replied for the two mystics. "If either Eric or myself use our powers, not only will we be ineffective, the First will be alerted that were on the way."
"This keeps gettin' better and better," Faith grumbled. "So what's the plan?"
"We land just inside the shield, then sneak to the co-ordinates, only using our powers when and if discovered. As we have no idea what we're going up against or what assets if any the First has on the ground with him, we're going to go in stealthy and below the radar-."
"You hope," Faith grunted.
"Get in and get the task done then get out," Winter Soldier finished.
"Oh, oh." Everyone looked towards Ms. Marvel. "Our rear proximity alert just went off, we've got something big, coming in fast and hard." Ms. Marvel groaned as she glanced towards the rear sensor screen. "Oh no, it's one of those dragons, a big one."
"Okay," Winter Soldier rose and started towards the rear gunnery position, "I'll just -."
"Sit down!" Ms. Marvel interrupted. "Our one laser won't do much against that, our best chance is me out-flying that monster!"
Houston
Captain America grimaced, his shoulders aching as he held his shield in front of him, the metal heating as the draconian spewed fire on it. "Walker, Gallows! I want this thing flanked and finished off!"
"Cap!" Falcon bellowed. "You might wanna get a move on, there's another one of these ugly bastards coming!"
"Whoa!" Xander let out a shocked yell as Ms. Marvel pulled their jet up into a steep climb, then pitched sharply to the right, back-flipping over the pursuing gigantic reptile.
Flames scorched the jet's rear as the creature doggedly chased after them, the jet dropping into a descent even steeper than its previous climb. The creature's screech rang out over even the roar of their jet's engines as it turned in mid-flight and continued after them, its long claws reaching for them like a giant hawk hunting a mouse.
"Whoa!" Xander wailed again as the jet flipped onto its side, dodging between the dragon's grasping talons. He pitched forward in his seat, seat belt jamming into his shoulder, when Ms. Marvel slammed on the reverse thrusters and spun the jet away from the cawing gargantuan.
Suddenly Strange spoke, his voice cold and controlled. "Carol, head for that cloud to the right up, wait until you're almost at the top, then drop hard and shoot back on course, full speed ahead."
NY
Black Tarantula chuckled as he crept through the chaotic city, fire engine and police sirens blaring in the distance. Today might be the apocalypse, but with the heroes occupied for him it was the perfect time for a robbery. Tarantula's smirk widened as he reached the front of the bank, coiled a fist, and drove his hand through the door's reinforced window.
Alarms shrieked as he stepped uncaringly through the broken window, confident in the knowledge the alarms would remain unanswered. Instead of rushing, he ambled nonchalantly through the gleaming marble floored building, its emptiness echoing back at him. The moment he reached the steel vault door, he grabbed a hold of the door handle and yanked, muscles writhing as he pulled.
Concrete cracked as the safe flew away from the wall. He dropped it on the floor, the marble straining and cracking under its weight. Then he turned back to the vault and smirked at the piles and piles of cash stacked up inside there. He shouldered his sports bag to the floor, crouched down beside it, and opened it, pulling the three other empty bags inside it out before rising and walking into the vault, and beginning to fill them with cash.
Less than twenty minutes later and he was ambling back out, a pair of stuffed-full bags hung over either shoulder, whistling a care-free tune as he went. Striding outside, he started through the mostly empty but far from quiet city, force of habit pushing him to the street's shadows as he passed by abandoned vehicles and wrecked buildings.
"Man, where do you guys get these mugs? Uglies Anonymous?"
Black Tarantula sighed as the all-too familiar voice of New York's most well-known and most irritating super-hero reached his ears. His mood taking a downturn, he continued to stalk through the shadows, hoping he'd be able to avoid the hero.
His eyes narrowed as he turned a corner to find the super-hero surrounded by about eight horned, van-sized creatures with spikes jutting out of their wide shoulders. He winced as he watched Spiderman duck under a left from one creature, catch it with an uppercut on the jaw while another kicked him in the ribs, staggering him to the side where yet another demon caught him with a kick to the other side.
Which raised a very interesting question, mused Black Tarantula as he crouched and watched, why the hell wasn't the hero using his superior agility? Despite all appearances to the contrary, Spidey wasn't an idiot.
Even as he asked the question, his blood chilled as he saw the answer; a wounded Latino woman lying under a mini-van behind the super-hero, three kids under ten huddled beside her. Spidey couldn't, wouldn't, use his advantages, because the moment he did, he'd leave the family helpless.
Even as the realisation hit him, Spidey folded like a cheap suit, one of the monsters grabbing the battered super-hero and flinging him into the side of the mini-van. ""Infierno ah!" Black Tarantula cursed as he dropped his bags and raced into the battle, grasping the nearest of the demons by its shoulder spikes and flinging it into the wall across the street, bricks shattering with the force of its impact.
Another demon lumbered around to face him, in time to catch an overhand right to the face that sent the creature's face crashing inwards, blood flying everywhere. And then the other demons were swarming onto him, gnarled, warty spade-sized fists smashing down on him as he returned their attack with interest, demonic bones crunching and shattering before his assaults even as he took their pummelling.
Then one too many blows thundered down onto his head knocked him to one knee, stars exploding before his eyes. A knee crashed into his jaw, snapping his head back with enough force to tear it from a normal's neck.
Even as he fell onto his back, Black Tarantula saw a black cloud appear in the sky above, various figures falling through its rippling shroud. Black Tarantula gasped as he saw Luke Cage land in the centre of the demons, the beefy African-American tearing into the monsters, crimson spewing as limbs and heads were torn asunder.
And then just like that it was over, Cage and his team having finished off the remaining demons, the streets now soaked with blood and covered in dismembered body parts. "Sweet Christmas," Cage strode over to him as he leaned against the side of a car, "Black Tarantula helping Spiderman, what's wrong with this picture?"
Black Tarantula pointed under the car. "Family stuck under that car."
"Ah hell," Cage squatted down, grabbed the rear bumper, and lifted the car, "ma'am, you and the kids can get out now. Cloak," the African-American super-hero looked towards the younger black, "take the family to the shelter on Kingsbridge Heights." As Cloak and the rescued family disappeared, Cage glanced towards Spiderman being helped up by Iron Fist. "You okay Spidey?" The Spiderman nodded wearily, too beaten even for a quip about a tarantula helping a spider. "Good, you'll be handy." Cage looked towards him. "Wanna make a difference?"
Black Tarantula stared at the imposing super hero for a long second before nodding. "Yeah, I do." Some things were more important than money.
The moment their jet entered the cloud, the dragon's flame-breath chasing after them, Strange let out a yell. "PROESTIGIUM!" The Sorcerer Supreme glanced towards Carol. "Now drop!"
Xander's solitary eye widened as they dropped out of the cloud just as the dragon entered, duplicates of their jet likewise exiting the cloud to the left and right, as well as above. Flames jetted from their engines as they sped off, the dragon screaming angrily as it cast hateful looks in the direction of every jet as it struggled to decide which to follow, the seconds lost allowing them to get further and further away from the monster.
Fury groaned as he crashed into the ship's bulkhead, the spike-covered creature raced at him and his companions, the three-fingered claws on the end of each of its six arms swinging wildly. Fury forced away the hurt to swing his Ingram Mac-10 up, loosening the remainder of his magazine into the monster, blood blossoming out of its splotch-covered back as it fell to the ground, quivering spasmodically.
"Shit," Fury slammed the last of his magazines into his Ingram even as he glanced at those who'd followed him out of the bridge. Blood thundered and anger filled him as he realised that of the eight bridge officers who'd started the perilous journey, only four remained, and they still had a way to go to make the exit.
Fury grimaced as he noted the greyish pallor of the Operations Officer, blood soaking a crudely jacket folded and pressed against his gut wound, two of his companions holding him up. "You'll be okay kid," he gruffly commented. "Just hold on and we'll get you some help soon." Fury turned back to the passageway, wincing at the scorched walls and bloody floor, the smell of death thick in the air. "Come on, stay close."
They'd barely got a dozen steps when Fury raised a hand motioning his followers to stop by a corner, his heart thumped as he listened to the approaching steps, hand grasping the Ingram growing clammier and clammier by the second. "Colonel, you're gonna have to be quieter than that if you don't want me to hear you."
Fury relaxed slightly as he recognised the voice and the bald-headed black with the alien gauntlet fixed to his arm turned the corner to face him. "Green, good to see you."
"And you," the black growled right back at him, "what's the plan, sir?"
"Take the rear, we're getting out." Fury replied before starting off again, wincing slightly as he passed by a pair of severed heads, their corpses some thirty feet away.
"Ah hell," Gauntlet groaned as they reached a crossroads only to find demons coming at them from the left and right, and demons in the passageway feeding.
"Let's go back," Fury ordered, his insides chilling.
"We can't!" one of his subordinates cried. "There's demons behind us."
Suddenly the ceiling imploded and a figure with platinum blond hair, his lithe frame clothed in a green and white costume landed just in front of them, an arrogant smirk on his face. "I am Noh-Varr, a warrior of the Kree Empire, and in the name of the Kree Empire, I declare earth a protected world!"
Fury grinned as the Kree super-hero flew into the advancing demons, body parts and blood flying everywhere. "Looks like the 7th cavalry's in town."
"Holy shit," Faith gasped as she peered down at the display screen in front of her. Flames shot out of destroyed buildings, thick clouds of smoke partially obscuring the view, but not enough to hide the corpses of soldiers and civilians alike strewn in piles throughout the ancient metropolis. "Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?"
"Yeah, Baghdad's ablaze," Winter Soldier said.
"And we're running straight in the middle of that," Faith shook her head. This verse got better and better by the day.