Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel
The story continues, in a new arc, adopting the former story arc formula I have with Marvellous World and Planet of the Bravest, and a similar title sequence to the Ultimates series.
Ultimate Aeon 2
Aeon Rebirth
Chapter 22: Remembrance
A great sound echoed out from the top of the Empire State Building. It was a sound unlike any other, more terrifying than a beast's roar. Upon opening the top floor, night guard Bendis faced the unpleasant sight of the creature in question, his mouth wide, sound emanating from it. The creature snorted and scratched his side, licking and smacking his lips together as he sat up. He rubbed his eyes with his white gloved hands, rolling his head and smacking his lips together. He nearly rubbed his cowl off of his head, but after letting out a great big yawn and stretching his arms, he finally opened his eyes. Blinking as he looked at his surroundings, the man in the grey and red outfit shook his head before getting off of the floor.
"Oh man, sorry, I didn't have anywhere else to go, don't worry I'm not here to do...well you know (now I feel bad), sorry again," he paused, stretching his legs, tapping the soles of his armoured sneakers onto the floor. "Sorry," he said again.
Red markings glowed across his skin and costume, before sparks of red electricity surged around his feet. Suddenly, Bendis saw nothing, as the youth launched himself into the sky. Flailing in midair, he began to free fall off of the building. He performed a flip, touching an invisible platform in the sky and dashing towards another building. His feet stuck to the wall and he ran around the building, jumping when he reached the corner. He jumped from one building to another, in quick succession, moving like a pinball. When he landed on another building, it was in a roll. But he had been moving too fast, when he rolled to his feet he slid forward. He had to put his foot out on the ledge, stopping his slide.
That's me, Sven Reilly, AKA Aeon. Fresh from coming back from god knows where. If you thought I'd lived as a ghost, you're wrong, I've been away. And like coming back from a long student gap year (cutting out social media) I've got a lot to catch up on. First on the list was family, but we'll get back to that another time. Second is friends, I already met one yesterday and we organised a meet and greet. He's still thankfully on friendly enough terms with his ex-girlfriend to organise something with her friends. So I'm heading to the best place for super heroes to gather.
The Baxter Building, home of the think tank that later created the Fantastic Four. But lately it had become the Fantastic Five, a role that Peter was struggling to adapt to. He looked at his costume in the mirror, the standard Fantastic Four colour scheme, but with a five on his chest and a black mask over his face.
"I still don't know why you wanted me to include a mask," Sue Storm said, leaning on the doorframe in her own F5 costume.
"Iconic look really," Peter said, removing the mask. "It also helps with my perceptions, when I'm out there my eye sight goes into overdrive," he offered the mask to Sue, and shrugging her shoulders she put it on.
"Wow," she gasped.
"Exactly, without the enhanced eye sight of a spider, other people can barely see with it."
It had been some time since Peter had come back from the dead. Since his identity had been revealed. No one in the city was forgetting it, no one would. Peter realised his life would never be the same, but he wondered whether his future truly was with a team. He walked out of his room and into the main lab, where Richards was at work on his computers. They hadn't become firm friends, but had bonded over their love for science. If anything Richards had been surprised by Peter's ability to keep up with him intellectually. The one Peter bonded with the most though was just coming out of his room, or his and his girlfriends room.
"Stop it," Jessica giggled as Johnny leaned in to kiss her cheek.
Peter had to look away, he loved Jessica like a sister. But she was still his clone, and he and Johnny were in a very loud relationship. Peter was weirder out by it, but poor Ben was kept awake by it. The loving orange granite skinned brawler was always the last out of bed. His brick like fingers rubbed at his eyes and he crashed onto the reclining chair in the next room. It had been custom made to support his weight.
"Herb, mix up my usual please," he said.
The Baxter Building's AI drone, Herbie let out a beep in acknowledgement before floating to the kitchen. It opened the fridge and took out a box of eggs.
"Here we go," Johnny muttered.
"You remember what's going on today right Ben?" Sue asked.
"Yeah, don't worry, I'll be dressed by the time they all get here," Ben said.
After mixing the entire content of the egg box into a bucket, Herbie took a funnel out of the drawer and floated over to Ben. Without moving from his chair he opened his mouth enough for Herbie to pop in the funnel. Then the drone began to pour.
"You know, it always astonishes me and disgusts me at the same time how you do that every morning Ben," Johnny said.
"His altered internal muscle tissue requires a significant amount of Protein to maintain itself," Reed said, not looking away from his work.
Herbie beeped again, the screen that was its head changing. A picture of a dark haired woman in a red jacket and glasses appeared, her ruby red lips and blue eyes fixed into a look of cold professionalism.
"Mr Richards, your guests are on the way up," she said.
"Thank you Miss Harkness," Reed said.
"Oh crap," Ben muttered as the door opened.
The guests in question were others involved in the world that the Fantastic Five was a part of. They too were in their full uniforms, stood behind their wheelchair bound leader. Though he wasn't on a wheelchair in the traditional sense now. Peter, Sue and Jess looked at the chair like device in wonder as Charles Xavier hovered into the room.
"Wow, loving the new ride Prof," Johnny whistled, despite not being as intellectual as his sister, he appreciated good mechanics.
"Indeed I'm loving them as well, a gift from my new girlfriend," Charles said.
He sat on is like a chair, his legs were supported by a pair of braces and his hands were on the controls at the armrests. Underneath the metallic futuristic chair were a series of glowing blue pads. Reed turned from his work to see what the fuss was about and literally widened his eyes and dropped is jaw. He wheezed in amazement, shoving through Peter and Sue to look at the tech.
"Hover pads, but I've never seen them so compact before, what are you running them on? How much weight can they support?"
"I think we know what Richards and the Professor will be discussing," Jean Grey smirked, stepping up to Sue and hugging her. "How have you been Sue, keeping the boys in line I hope," she said.
"They're a handful, but I'm pretty sure they trump your boys, even you, Storm, Kitty, Rogue and Dazzler would have your hands full," Sue explained.
"Actually Alison has left (again) with Warren happily on her leach (not that she helped out much anyway)," Kitty muttered.
"Wow, I didn't know there was a no costume rule on your team bub," Logan said, looking at Ben in his gown and underwear.
Kitty and Peter exchanged a hug, drawing a chuckle from Bobby, with Kurt and Piotr shaking their heads beside him.
"Super awkward," Bobby said.
"Kind of like how it was awkward for us right Bobby?" Rogue asked, her arms crossed as Bobby looked to the floor.
Kurt and Piotr both laughed happily, their relationship repaired after Kurt's repaired his psyche. He said hurtful things to Piotr, who had the courage to be who he is and love who he loved. Herbie began taking drink orders and getting more chairs for the group.
"So when did it happen for you guys?" Jean asked Sue, Scott and Reed both sitting beside their respective partners.
"I was in the lab carrying out a survey of a world of Anthropomorphic animals..."
"Oh like Zootopia?"
"That's exactly what I asked," Sue said, laughing with Jean.
"Anyway, I just finished recording when it suddenly came to me..."
"A memory," Jean finished for Reed.
"Yes, we all began to remember," Charles said, hovering to their table and setting his chair in a parked position.
"The Professor and I were the first, we felt his presence with Cerebro and after trying to reach him, everyone else remembered," Jean explained.
"We all had the same memory of him," Logan huffed.
Rogue: Yeah, he wanted to take a picture of us all together.
Bobby: An old school photo on an old school camera
"And we're just about, finished," Sven grinned as he stopped shaking the slip of paper.
The photo came out exactly as he hoped it would. Showing him between Kurt and Kitty, grin plastered across his face. He took off his cowl, revealing his messy blonde hair as the other younger X-men gathered around him.
"Let's try it on our phones next," Kitty said.
"Ya, I think it would be better if we used a digital camera," Kurt added.
"No way, no way am I posing and smiling for that again," Logan snarled.
"We could do it next week...oh wait your quota is a smile a month," Sven said.
Logan popped his claws and growled, but Sven grinned all the same. The boy's infectious smile put a smirk across Logan's face, and in a flash Sven took another photo.
"This one is definitely getting framed," he said.
"That's it runt, give me that camera."
"Wait, Logan come on put the claws away!"
Kitty: I can't remember laughing that hard
Hank: Indeed it was a good memory
Kurt: Ve didn't all get the same memory though
Rogue: No we didn't Kurt, I first remember something that made me hate Sven at first.
"I know you're a monster," Rogue said, looking down at the unconscious Kurt with a glare.
She turned away, only to bump into Sven. He wasn't in costume, just a grey shirt and a pair of cargo trousers. The young man shook his head, before touching Rogue's cheek. He grimaced in pain, and she let out a grunt, pushing him back. Memories flooded through Rogue's brain, and flashed before her eyes. She saw through Sven, years ago when he was a boy. She saw two great friends, Cade and Laura, his best friends. But quickly she saw things that made her re-evaluate her view of monster. She saw the body of a girl, through Sven's own eyes, then her killer.
"You're own, you're own daughter," Sven said in her trembling voice.
He crawled back as the man approached him, licking his knife until it split his tongue like a snake's. Sven backed away, his hand touching a gun, loaded and discarded. The man opened his arms, laughing as Sven pointed it at him. He hadn't expected Sven to pull the trigger, or to be so accurate.
Bobby: You still don't talk about him that much, what happened?
Rogue: He showed me what a monster really looks like.
Piotr: He had a profound effect on you didn't he Rogue? I didn't just remember him, I remember my passion.
"Hey Pete, I was wondering if..."
Sven stopped at Piotr's room, his hands in the pockets of the brown jacket he always wore. He looked through the crack and saw Piotr holding a canvas. As he came into the room, Piotr quickly put it under his covers.
"What is that Pete?" Sven asked.
"Nothing, don't worry about it, you needed something yes?"
Wordlessly, Sven reached under the covers and slipped the canvas out. It was of a bird, possibly one that had been on the tree adjacent to Piotr's room.
"This is amazing Peter, wow, I didn't know you were an artist," Sven said.
"I'm no artist, it is just a hobby that's all, besides it gets in the way of X-men work."
"Are you kidding Pete, you're not pursuing this because you think it will get in the way of the X-men stuff. Buddy this is incredible, and from your memory too I bet. This is a school for the gifted right, well this is a gift Pete, even more so than being able to make your skin metal," Sven explained.
"I, I don't know what sort of studio would take my art," Piotr said.
"I could help you look, give it a try, can you draw people too?" Sven asked.
"Yes!"
"Great I'll get my costume and you could draw me."
"Okay, but if you quote Titanic I am stopping."
"I never saw that, is it good?"
"Jean-Paul made me watch it with him, Leo and Kate have amazing chemistry, but it is three hours I will never get back!"
Scott: We all forgot you were an artist Pete, you drew pictures of all of us.
Charles: A true gift I'm thankful we remembered. When we did, both the pictures you drew and the photo you took also returned.
Peter: I did some digging on the Bugle website, some articles have also magically reappeared.
Hank: So memories and objects connected to Sven are returning too, fascinating.
Reed: Dangerous as well, who knows what else has come back.
Johnny: All I care about is that we're getting our friend back, we were all in our rooms when we got our memory of him. Actually I don't know about you guys, but I remember him in particularly.
Aeon had been 'pin balling' across the city, when he saw something very strange. He saw Johnny Storm on the streets, in full costume, walking. The young man was looking at the floor, his eyes full of remorse, devoid of the confidence that usually graced his face. Sven jumped down, landing in front of Johnny, attracting the paparazzi.
"Come on, let's get out of here," he said.
They then landed on the roof of a nearby building, and Sven took a seat on the edge of it.
"So, what's up?" he asked.
"Nothing, just felt like walking," Johnny said, crouching down beside Sven.
"I don't pretend to be good at spotting lies, but I can see that's one," Sven said. "If you want to tell me you can, I promise I won't tell your dad...unless it's drugs, or you've committed a crime...okay, maybe you shouldn't tell me!"
"Tommy Hansen died today," Johnny said.
"Is he a friend of yours?" Sven asked.
"No, in fact today is the first day I met him, in the burn unit at the hospital!"
Sven widened his eyes, understanding what had happened without Johnny needing to continue. But the young hero did anyway, looking at the ground, tears welling up in his eyes.
"He told me, he only did it so that he could be like me. His parent's got angry, called me a freak, said it was only a matter of time before I killed someone again. Again, they said, as if I had all but killed the kid myself. I loved my powers when I first got them, now? Now I don't know if I can do this anymore," Johnny explained.
"Whoa isn't that..."
"Overreacting? Taking things too far? Well so what Aeon, I need to take responsibility, I need to do something to make up for this," Johnny said.
"Then don't quit, keep going, don't do what you've been doing but alter how you do it. Focus on training, getting better with your abilities. This Tommy Hansen kid obviously thought of you as his hero, keep being a hero Johnny," Aeon explained.
"Why, so that more kids can try to set themselves on fire?" Johnny asked.
"They won't do that if the Human Torch tells them not to," Aeon retorted.
"I really admire you four, because you stand in the light. When things go bad, you smile and joke, let people know that everything is okay. They see your faces, not masks, sometimes celebrities are just attractions for useless photos or commercial opportunities. But sometimes they can be examples to others, faces and voices of issues that people sometimes ignore. Be a voice on this issue Johnny!"
Sue: Dad hasn't told you Johnny, but he was proud when you announced your intention to donate to burn units and the fire department.
Ben: Yeah, it was a good change to see your mug on the TV talking about fire safety.
Reed: I remember Aeon differently, I admit not as fondly as you.
"I AM NAMOR!" the rampaging, convict of Atlantis roared. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!" he yelled in Aeon's face, before punching him across the city.
Johnny: Wait, this makes you not remember Sven fondly?
Sue: Don't tell me you're sore about not being the one to beat Namor.
Reed: No, you guys don't understand, we hit Namor with everything we had, I used armour that mimicked our powers, and a device that turned thought into constructs. But Namor still got back up, his power levels were incredible. There was nothing we could do to stop him.
The Fantastic Four, and everyone else in the city looked up in horror. A water construct was holding onto one of the buildings, a tidal wave given the form of a god, trident bearing down to crush the city.
"Now tell me again how I'm acting like a petulant teenager, tell me again and just see what happens," Namor dared.
There was a flash of electricity, and Aeon was suddenly in front of Namor. Half of his shirt was ripped apart, along with his glove, his mask too had been torn, save for the mask covering his mouth and neck.
"You are a petulant teenager!" Aeon snarled.
Suddenly, his fist slammed into Namor, shattering the glass around them. The water construct exploded, rain pouring down on the two combatants. Namor widened his eyes as the water turned to steam, around Aeon. The young man's eyes were glowing a deep red, steam rising from them as red markings surged into electricity across his skin.
"I can see, inside your soul," Aeon took a few steps forward, squeezing his hands into fists.
Namor swung his arm at Aeon, only for him to duck and deliver an uppercut that sent him bouncing across the streets. Instantly Aeon was on top of Namor, kicking him into the concrete, stomping on his face.
"You're a pathetic excuse for a man, rejected by everyone in Atlantis. So what do you do? You take, you threaten, YOU RAPE YOU BASTARD!"
Again and again he punched Namor, with the same hand over and over. Steam rose from that hand as he drew blood from Namor's mouth, shattered his teeth and bent his nose and jaw out of place.
"You don't deserve to be loved, let alone kissed!"
Namor looked at him in fear, before Aeon punched him in the stomach. He lifted the Atlantean convict off of the floor, twisted around, before driving his fist and Namor into the ground. The entire island shook, and Namor was sent tumbling underground. When the smoke cleared, Reed and Sue rushed to the crater. They saw Aeon barely standing, his hand broken, arm limp and burnt. Dark rings were under his eyes as he looked towards Sue and Reed. He brought his shaking, gloved hand up, displaying his thumb and from his eyes, Sue and Reed could tell that he was forcing a smile on his face.
Sue: Oh that's cute, you're jealous that he figured out where Namor was getting his powers from.
Reed: What? No, not at all.
Jean: How was Namor so powerful?
Sue: His abilities were psionic based, his confidence level dictated his strength. That was why we could knock him back when we punched him.
Hank: Why Namor's power levels have never been consistent, fascinating, in theory if he was confident enough he could be the most powerful super human on the Earth.
Reed: It wasn't Aeon figuring out what powered Namor. It was the sheer power he displayed, it was off the charts and from what I understand of the Ultimates, it wasn't the first time he displayed such power. But inside he's still a naive, idealistic teen.
Ben: Where is this coming from Reed?
Reed: Aeon isn't the only thing we are remembering.
Hank: You're right, and I think I understand your concerns.
Reed: Along with Aeon, I remembered Terrax too.
"I am Terrax, the truly enlightened, rejoice, for you are being saved," the man whose skin was made of rock said.
He wore a gold and black robe, rode atop a meteorite and held a device shaped like a halberd. With a wave of his hand, meteorites rained down on the city. The Invisible woman created force fields, whilst Thor conjured bolts of lightning that intercepted the rocks. Terrax held his weapon with both hands as a surge of electricity moved through the clouds. Aeon burst out of the sky, pulling his fist back and swinging it towards Terrax.
Hank: I remember the threats too, like the Living Monolith.
A giant stomped on the screaming Aeon. It bore the stoned appearance of an Egyptian emperor, its gold eyes looking down at the people beneath it in contempt. Aeon pulled his hands up, screaming as he poured all of his power into pushing the creature back.
Xavier: You all believe that with Aeon's return will come new threats? It isn't an unreasonable thought, nor is it unreasonable to fear the great power Sven has. But he is more than his power you understand? He has the greatest sense of hope I have felt from anyone. It was this hope that Sven had, that allowed Calvin Rankin to see what he was capable of.
A winged man stood before Aeon, his eyes glowing red, skin a mixture of metal and blue fur, claws coming out of his knuckles and lightning surging around him. He snarled, overcome by the great power as rubble and other objects floated around him.
"I know what it's like to be powerless, then to have so much power thrust upon you, it seems so easy to make everything that hurt you go away. But I know there is more to you than just rage and power Calvin, you can be more than this," Sven explained.
Kurt: He does have a way of seeing the best in people.
Logan: He saw the best in all of us, what we could be.
The heroes remained silent, as if they had run out of things to talk about. A knock suddenly came at the window. They looked towards it and saw Aeon clinging to the building, tapping the window and pushing his head against the glass.
"Oh no," Sue gasped.
"Why can't he use the front door like a normal person, or the roof really?" Reed asked, trying to turn off the security systems.
Alarms blared throughout the building, and electricity swept through Sven's body. After a few minutes of disarming the defences, Sven was finally in the building, sheepishly rubbing his head. He looked up at the heroes, surprised by how they looked at him.
"What, is my costume scorched again?" he asked.
They continued to look at him, eyes wide but voices silent. Sven scratched his head, blushing beneath his mask.
"Look guys, I appreciate it really, but come on, you're really starting to..."
He paused as two figures came out of the bedrooms. One was a blonde haired girl, dressed in ripped jeans and a tank top, Peter's recently officially adopted sister. May Parker stepped out too, in her dressing gown, holding a cup of coffee.
"Gwen, May, why are you guys living in the Baxter building?" Sven asked.
The two women looked across towards Sven, their expressions matching the shock on the costumed heroes.
"Seriously guys you..."
"SVEN!" Gwen and May screamed.
They barged past the heroes and threw themselves at him, hugging him. May kept her arms around Sven's neck, whilst Gwen kissed his cheek repeatedly.
"We remembered last night, we remembered," Gwen said, tears in her eyes.
"I'm so glad you're back, it's a miracle," May smiled.
"It is," Peter said, stepping forward, pulling his mask off. "I got one of my best friends back," tears were in his eyes.
"We already hugged last night," Sven said.
He took off both his masks, only to suddenly be enveloped by the orange arms of the lovable Thing.
"Oh come here you, I missed you shrimp," Ben rumbled.
Colossus tugged Sven out of Ben's arms whilst Storm ruffled his hair. Kurt teleported onto Colossus's shoulder, smiling as he slapped Sven's back. Sven stumbled forward, stopping at Logan. Wolverine smirked, offering Sven his hand. Sven shook his head before throwing him arms around Logan.
"Oh come on bub, no hugs," he groaned as Beast wrapped his arms around them.
"Real men hug," Hank said.
"Don't cry," Logan said.
"They aren't tears!"
"It's sweat from the heart," Hank and Sven said together.
Bobby and Sven patted their fists together, and Kitty punched him in the arm before hugging him.
"I'm glad you're back Sven," Scott said, shaking Sven's hand, shifting uncomfortably as Sven patted his back.
"We've all missed you," Jean kissed Sven's forehead.
"We all remember," Xavier said, floating in front of Sven.
Sven smiled as he took Charles's hand and shook it. A tear fell down his face and he looked at the heroes.
"This, is definitely the best part of my day," Sven said.
"Haven't you been to see your family?" May asked.
Sven lowered his head for a moment, before walking out of the crowd and facing the gathered heroes.
"Everyone, my returning is just the start, I came back because something is coming. When I was on the other side I saw flashes of things occurring on this world, Doom is creating super humans," Sven explained, causing the heroes to widen their eyes.
"Should of known it was only a matter of time before Doom started pulling something," Ben huffed.
"What else?" Charles asked.
"Something darker, something that corrupts with a touch," Sven said.
"That would make sense, giving what I've been reading from my exploration of the N-Zone," Reed confessed.
"What have you been seeing Reed?" Sue asked.
"Darkness where there should be other worlds, it started happening last night, I suspect at the same time as everyone began to remember you," Reed looked at Sven as he spoke.
He nodded his head, understanding that his return had heralded the rise of something else.
New Orleans
The swamps were the perfect place to dispose of bodies. Rickard had been doing it for years. Then again, the Assassin's had been at war with the thieves for longer than he had been alive. Looking over at his little brother Lionel made him smile. The boy had done his first contract, against a thief no doubt, and he hadn't hesitated. He was so proud of him, and knew he'd go far.
"We're getting closer," Rickard said.
"Are you sure?"
"Don't worry, no one lives out here and the police have been understaffed as of late, not even locals come here," Rickard stated.
"Why?" Lionel asked.
"Oh they say there's a thing in this swamp..."
"Don't try to scare me, I've heard the story before," Lionel huffed and Rickard grinned.
"Smart boy, well it has to do with the reputation of this place, we Assassin's used to have a house here, back in the old days, before the days of mutants and alien freaks, when darker powers made empires. That's what the Guild of Assassin's is Lionel, an empire of shadows," Rickard explained.
"I still think we're glorified killers," Lionel said.
"Maybe you and me, but the leaders have real power, they ain't mutant freaks born different, they sought out their powers!"
"I still call them freaks."
"Don't let them hear you call them that," Rickard looked at his brother with a serious eye. "Stop here," he said, grabbing the body bag.
He hefted it over the edge of the boat and let it fall into the water with a splash. Rickard was about to turn away when he saw something in the ripples of the water. Something was disturbing it, possibly an animal. But then he saw a light, a thin red line of some kind. Suddenly, a three fingered arm grabbed him by his head and pulled him under, shaking the boat.
"RICKARD!" Lionel yelled.
He stood in fear for a moment, feeling disturbances in the water around him. Grabbing the shotgun, he aimed it at the water.
"Rickard, RICKARD!" the boy yelled.
The boat was rocked again, and Lionel was thrown off of the edge. He gasped for breath, feeling something touch his leg. Without wasting any time, he swam towards shore, seeing ripples in the water behind him. He crawled across the grass, thankful for land. Suddenly, something grabbed his leg. He looked over his shoulder and saw monsters, made from a type of black rock. They were bulky creatures, with red slits for eyes.
"Please don't, OH GOD!" Lionel's screams echoed through the swamp.
And in the ripples of the water, a pair of red eyes glowed.
Next Chapter 23: Mindless ones
Aeon across the Multiverse Finale Part 1
The Gap
It was that small gap, between every known variation of the universe, and every unknown variation of it. This dark space was where a force of pure evil had made its home. A place where time had been twisted, a place shaped by the very will of it that had made its home there. Hela, goddess of death in many worlds, nervously looked at her master. Fingers of pure malice caressed her cheeks, and she shivered in fear for the first time in centuries. She opened her mouth, threw her arms around it and accepted the kiss of pure evil.
She was the goddess of death, ruler of Hel and Nifleheim, claimant to the throne of Asgard, embodiment of nihilistic death and destruction. Her only joy was in conquest and battle, yet she was capable of love. It was not love that evil felt for her, or even love making, but it was as close as Hela would ever have to it.
Through the twisted timeframe of the gap, Hela was in labour within days. She laughed as opposed to crying, her nurses trembling in fear as she brought into the gap a new being. They stepped aside as the embodiment of darkness stepped towards its mate. There was hope in Hela's eyes as she looked up at the love of her existence, darkness again kissed her as it took her child. Then, to her joy, it took her into its arms, and the process began again.
Within a month Hela was walking towards a throne. A throne created from darkness, a throne gifted to her. She sat, crossed her legs together and smirked as her creations, her children bowed to her. They bowed to their mother, their queen, the one woman whom had been chosen. The one Hela whom had been chosen out of millions in the Multiverse. Out of all of them, she was the one whom could add 'Queen of darkness' to her multitude of titles. When her children faded, each to follow their own path, she stood and bowed to the one behind the throne.
It finally shaped itself into a human being. An armoured man, a man known as Onyx.
"It is done beloved,"she said.
"Where is he?" his voice was calm, his question also a command.
Hela ran her hands through her hair, shaping it into the signature crown of the goddess of death. With a swing of her cloak, they left the gap and entered the dimension of her counterpart. Hel was littered not with the dead, but the dark, undead permanently erased from this world. They had stood between Hela's pet and her mission. Not only was she granted right to bear the children of Onyx, but to rule over two dimensions of Hel and Nifleheim. Hela's smile widened as she walked towards her counterpart, pinned against the floor by spikes of pure darkness.
He who destroyed her kingdom stood over her. Another Onyx, one Hela had created herself through ritual and sacrifice. The true Onyx, the one she loved, walked towards his counterpart and touched his shoulder. Purple markings spread across the armoured being's armour, and then passed into the true Onyx's armour. Within moments, the Onyx that Hela created was disintegrated, his scream fading to nothingness. The light across Onyx's armour grew brighter, and Hela gasped, almost euphorically, feeling the increase in his power and thus her power as well.
"The power of the Onyx of 1610 is now yours my love, and my reward," she attempted to touch him, only for him to grab her wrist.
"More, bring me more," Onyx said.
"Very well, and this one?" Hela looked down at her counterpart.
Onyx suddenly turned, enveloping the Hela of Earth 1610 in black flames. Hela delighted in the screams of her counterpart.
"Take her place, make this Earth believe that nothing is wrong, and then, when they are at their brightest, open the gateway to the darkness."
Onyx turned his head, the purple markings across his armour pulsing.
"What is it?" Hela asked.
"Someone's unveiling the truth," he said.
With a single step, he left Hel. Hela sat on the throne of her counterpart, reshaped her clothes to match the red and black of the 1610 Hela. And thinking of her reward, she plotted against the universes of 1610.
Truth
Aeon followed it, the trail of altered universes. Universes where the Skrulls had ruled, only for mysterious heroes to assist the people of Earth in stopping them, and Galactus. Where Mimic had been a criminal, only to meet a version of himself, and better himself because of it. A place where the Earth had been decimated by an asteroid, apparently launched by Magneto. Where the Phalanx had taken over, only for heroes from another world to save it. As he flew through the veil of universes, Aeon thought of these 'Exiles'.
'Most universes they go to they accomplish some kind of good, but occasionally, they'll do something that in the long run jeopardises that world in some way. Maybe some of the consequences aren't clear at the time. If someone was manipulating them, then it would make sense for them to give them tasks that are beneficial, basic tactics, a deception isn't going to work unless the people you're deceiving actually believe they're doing good. So maybe they mislead the Exiles with a majority of good deeds, and the occasional bad one, that seems like just a standard tough choice situation!'
He was reaching the end of the veil, he could feel it. Mimic, Blink, every person who had been an Exile, he could feel their souls. Then he felt something else.
'Weapon X, that dark team that turned every mission into a massacre. That's a team deliberately designed to do bad things. Filled most of the time with characters that won't question actions, not even results unless it's to do with them.'
Deadpool, the Spider, Vision and Ms Marvel, he could sense them, but much to his surprise and relief, he couldn't feel the dreaded King Hyperion.
'Maybe there are some people that can't be controlled, so it's better to drop them back home.'
He thought of the universes he had visited, that told him about a Psylocke, and a Sage. Perhaps one, or even both had been sent back to their home universe, because Sven couldn't sense anyone matching the spirits of Betsy Braddock and Sage. He prepared himself, finally tearing through the veil.
And reappearing in a burst of light, inside the crystal palace of the Exiles.
"Finally," he said, looking around.
It was not what he had expected. But then again, he had been surprised throughout his journey. His long journey through many universes. A journey that was about to come to an end. He suddenly jumped up, dodging a massive fist. Flipping in midair, Sven dodged numerous metal projectiles, before crossing his arms together. An energy blast threw him back towards the ground.
"A welcoming committee I see," Aeon said.
He looked up, seeing a team he hadn't expected to see. The Exiles, the first Exiles, Mimic, Blink, Nocturne, Morph, T-Bird and Magnus, with the addition of second gen recruits Sunfire and Sasquatch.
"You're all alive, wow, this is great," Aeon said.
"It's like you said Sven," Calvin said.
"Good to see you again Cal, I knew something was wrong with the Exiles so I..."
"I'm not talking to you," Mimic's tone was sharp and his eyes were filled with malice.
Sven also noticed something else in the eyes of each exile, a faint purple glow. They cleared the way for a new addition, someone who made Sven widen his eyes. Another Aeon, the markings on his armour purple, just like the eyes of the Exiles.
"An invader from the dark Multiverse, we need to get rid of him," the other Aeon said.
"You heard him team!"
Mimic was the first to strike, firing an optic blast that Aeon jumped over. He twisted in midair, dodging a couple of projectiles thrown by Blink. She ran, jumped and in midair threw a few more, which Aeon shot apart with his eye beams. He dived to the side, dodging a punch from Sasquatch. But a blast from Sunfire hit him, throwing him into one of the crystal walls. Whilst he was trapped on it, T-Bird charged towards him, delivering a flurry of vicious punches. He grabbed Sven by his arm, slammed him against the floor, before throwing him into Sasquatch. She threw a punch into Sven's back, one he felt damage his spine.
"I've fought evil versions of Sven before, you can't use his appearance against me," Calvin said, hitting Aeon in the face with an optic blast.
Then he punched him in his metal form, sliding him across the floor. Two spikes hit Sven's chest and head, in a blink of pink energy, portions of his armour suddenly shattered. Writhing in pain, Sven stepped back, gripping his exposed side, his right eye and a portion of his hair was also exposed.
"Calvin wait, I'm from your Earth, and to everyone's knowledge, you were dead," Sven tried to explain.
"I've heard that deception before, we all did," Calvin retorted.
"I thought I was dead for a long time, but Aeon freed me," Magnus said.
He threw a shower of debris at Sven, stabbing into his legs and shoulder. Morph expanded his fist and slammed it into Sven, throwing him across the crystal palace.
"I would have fallen apart if Aeon hadn't torn Proteus away from me, and sent him back to Earth 616," Morph said.
"Now we're fighting a war across the multiverse, a war against Onyx, against your kind," Nocturne explained, teleporting behind Aeon and throwing him into Sunfire's energy blast.
"I was dead, but Aeon brought me back, he let me be with MJ again," Mariko stated, hovering above Sven.
Mimic and the other Exiles walked towards Aeon, preparing another attack. Magnus threw a flurry of metal bars, Blink threw her spikes, Nocturne fired her hex bolts, Sunfire released the flames from her hands and Mimic unleashed an optic blast from his eyes. The attacks shattered most of Sven's armour, breaking apart his helmet and exposing his hard suit. His knees were shaking, he struggled just to stand and his arm was bent out of shape
"Calvin, I will free you," Sven said, red marks glowing across his body.
Suddenly, the other Aeon appeared, driving a lance through Sven's chest.
"They're mine now, you have failed!"
"Onyx," Sven glared at the other Aeon, his darker counterpart.
Shoving Onyx back, Sven grit his teeth together, gathered his power and yelled. The explosion he created threw Onyx back, slamming him against a wall.
"SVEN!" Calvin yelled.
With Northstar's speed he ran to the man he thought was his friend. Onyx removed his helmet, revealing the flesh and blood face of a man, Sven Reilly.
"I'm fine Calvin," he said, before he closed his eyes and smiled, the way Sven Reilly's often did.
"He got away though," Morph said.
"It doesn't matter, so long as I'm here the crystal palace won't fall, besides, there's more we need to do," Sven explained.
"He's right, another mission from the Tallus guys," Blink said, raising her arm to show them the gold and red band on it.
"Are you going to be okay?" Calvin asked 'Sven'.
"I'll be fine Cal, you guys go and do what you always do, save the Multiverse one world at a time," Sven said as he put his helmet on.
As soon as the Exiles left, Aeon turned into Onyx and huffed.
"Go forth Exiles, and create chaos and suffering, spread the darkness."
Next Finale Part 2
Sort of a double chapter update, the continuation of the Ultimate Aeon series and the Aeon through the Multiverse series begins now. Expect Ultimate versions we never saw before.
