SMST: The Avenging Moon! – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: SM, R1/2, ST, DC/Marvel Comics and other properties belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Part 7
With the crisis averted, with the return of Asgard to its proper realm, Thor made Thordis his official champion, so that the Midgard Realm would always be defended. With this responsibility comes membership on the Avengers…
"Man, it's hard to believe that I haven't been here at the Avengers Mansion in years," Sailor Helios said, as she and Thordis walked past the rows of framed photographs that depicts each iteration of the Avengers, starting with the picture featuring the original line up of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Wasp, Giant Man, the Hulk, Sailor Moon and Ronin. Ranma and Usagi decided to use these guises, due to the fact that Ronin was seen as an anti-hero by the authorities, due to his connections with the Hand, erroneously so, and that "Sailor Moon" was a member of the Justice League of America these days.
"Tell me about it," Thordis said. "And Jarvis has been keeping the mansion up to par with his exquisite butler skills…"
"Madam Thordis, Miss Helios, welcome," said Jarvis (middle-aged man with thinning hair), as he greeted the pair in the main foyer. "The others are waiting for you."
"Thank you, Jarvis," Thordis said.
"Jarvis, Mister Stark is NOT paying you enough," Sailor Helios replied.
"That, Miss Helios, is an understatement…"
A few minutes later…
"I like to welcome you all back to the team," Captain America said with a smile.
"Thanks, Steven," Thordis said. "I know that you guys would have preferred my brother instead…"
"Personally, it's an improvement to the male-female ration," the Wasp said. "No offense to 'goldilocks'."
"I THINK that having Thordis on the team is a wonderful thing," Iron Man said, as he shook Thordis hands.
"Tony, it's me, Usagi," Thordis said flatly.
"Oh," Iron Man said, as he freezes up. "Oh! Sorry, about that."
"Hee," said Bill "Giant Man (II)" Foster, as he chuckled. At this point in time, Henry Pym, the original Giant Man, had long decided to retire, due to the strain that his "Pym Particles"—the radiation that regulates metahuman growth—was putting on his mind. It was also because he didn't want to work with his estranged wife, The Wasp…
"Settle down, guys," said the She-Hulk. She had long since taken her cousin's spot as a legacy hero, considering the fact that said cousin, the Hulk, has an infamous reputation.
"At least the core membership, both original or legacy alike, are represented on the team."
"Do not forget the more senior members," said Pietro Maximoff, otherwise known as the mutant hero "Quicksilver". "Such as myself and my sister Wanda…"
Sailor Helios turns towards the red-haired Scarlet Witch, who was a magus and mutant who specializes in Chaos Manipulation. Sailor Helios' fellow "Lords of Chaos" was interested in inducting her into their ranks. One of the reasons why she was rejoining the Avengers was to assess the possibility of inducting her into their ranks. Still, she was concerned about how much influence Wanda's father, the super-villain mutant Magneto, would have on her…
"Well, we all value our members," Captain America said. "Now, let us get onto to the business of the day…
The time with the Avengers was normal: villain shows up to either get revenge or hatch a scheme, with the government-sponsored superhero team putting them down. Villains like Baron Zemo, Kang the Conqueror, Ultron, Korvac, Red Skull and Loki the Trickster tends to be the most prolific of the Avengers' Rogues Gallery. Nevertheless, as always, the Avengers would come out on top. Unfortunately, as time went on, the Avengers began to "disassemble", but from within…
"RRRAWR!" the She-Hulk rage, as she tore through the Avengers compound like a literal savage. She had already destroyed the Avenger known as "The Vision", who was a sentient android capable of density manipulation, which gave him the ability to fly and go through walls.
"Vision!" Thordis said, as she and Sailor Helios came upon the scene.
Unfortunately, the She-Hulk growls like an animal, devoid of human thought.
"My god, Jen!" Sailor Helios said. "What the heck happened to you?"
As if on cue, the She-Hulk leaps at the pair.
"RRRAWRL-!"
At the last minute, Thordis delivers a solid blow with Thunder Heart, which sends the She-Hulk careening into a blast wall.
THOOM!
"Thordis-!" Sailor Helios began to say, intending to admonish her wife.
"Ranma, you saw the look on her eyes," Thordis said. "Whatever happened to her, it took her humanity away. I should know, because I went through the same thing as 'Blue Hulkusagi'."
"Is there anything we can do?"
"As Sailor Helios, you control various radiation types, right? Combined that with your ability to remove one's energy."
"Ah, I get it," Sailor Helios replied. She then moves off to find She-Hulk.
"Wait here, I'll be right back…"
A minute later, Sailor Helios finds a scared, huddling She-Hulk, who whimpered like a primitive…or an animal.
"Hrrrr?" the She-Hulk said, as she cowers as Sailor Helios approaches.
"Shhh, it's okay, Jen," Sailor Helios said, as she knells in front of her ex-girlfriend. "I'm not going to hurt you…"
She-Hulk sniffs the air, before familiarity jogged her addled mind.
"Ran-ma?" She-Hulk struggled to say.
"I'm here, babe," Sailor Helios said, as she goes to hug She-Hulk.
The She-Hulk begins to cry, as Sailor Helios began to flush the Gamma radiation from her system…
"Ohhhhh," Jennifer Walters said, as she falls into an unconscious state.
"Ranma?" Thordis asked as she cautiously approached the pair.
"It's okay," Sailor Helios said, as she cradled Jennifer in her arms. "The problem has been resolved."
Unfortunately, it was not. Jennifer become a rampaging She-Hulk was not a coincidence. It turns out that Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, was orchestrating these seemingly random attacks on the Avengers. Years of mental abuse by her father Magneto, coupled with the loss of her children, originally created by Wanda's ability to manipulate probability, so that she could have children by the android Vision, caused her to go insane. The worse part of it was that Sailor Helios did not see the signs of madness, when she brought the Scarlet Witch into the ranks of the Lords of Chaos. Doing that allowed the Scarlet Witch to amplify her already potent abilities, when she became a Lord of Chaos herself.
With the problem identified, it was up to the Avengers, Dr. Strange and Magneto to bring the Scarlet Witch down…
"Wanda," Captain America said, as he, the Wasp, Hawkeye, Sailor Helios, Dr. Strange and Magneto confronts the Scarlet Witch, who had Usagi on a chain, while the Thunder Heart was floating close by.
"Steve," Wanda said, as her red eyes went wild with recognition. Her skin was like alabaster, which told Sailor Helios that she was absorbing Chaos into her. The Lords of Chaos were facets of the universal force of Chaos. It was foretold that one would become the avatar of universal Chaos, and thus go against the future Sailor Cosmos. Was the Scarlet Witch destined to be that person?
"Daughter, you are not well," Magneto said. "I should have treated you better."
"It doesn't matter, FATHER," Wanda said. "I've already created an entire world were mutant-kind already reigns supreme, but unafraid…"
Wanda then turns towards Usagi, as she jerks her chain.
CHOK!
"Ah!" Usagi winced.
"Funny how all it will take is the sacrifice of the Moon Princess, a Lord of Order, to bring THAT reality…here."
"Wanda, you're not well," Sailor Helios said. "We can help you get better. I was wrong to give you that invitation to become one of the Lords of Chaos."
"Why should I? I finally have the power to fulfill all our dreams…"
Meanwhile, Usagi quietly takes out her hairbrush…
"Perhaps, I should change you into something more…fitting…"
"Ahh!" Sailor Helios yelped, as her body becomes more feminine as well as her mind…
"Wanda, don't-!" Captain America said, as he and the other Avengers went into action. However, an invisible force kept them moving in.
"Wanda-!" Magneto said.
"Silence!" the Scarlet Witch yelled, as she controlled probability to manipulate reality around her. "Perhaps all of you should be changed!"
Suddenly, Captain America became what he was before he took the super-soldier serum: a 90-pound weakling.
Doctor Strange no long had hands.
Quick Silver was now fat and slow.
The Wasp was mutating into a mindless insect/hybrid.
Magneto was re-experiencing the horrors of his time in a German internment camp.
Meanwhile, Usagi struck her hairbrush onto the ground.
BOOM!
The explosive emergence knocked the Scarlet Witch for a loop.
"Ulp!" the Scarlet Witch yelled, as she fell backwards. She then looks up to see Thordis standing before her, carrying her mighty spear.
"How-?"
"There is always, another way," Thordis said.
She then takes her spear, and plunges it into the Scarlet Witch.
"Arrh-!"
Quickly, she takes her Thunder Heart, and raises it into the air.
"To restore what you have ruined, I am willing to sacrifice my existence," Thordis said, as she channeled her powers.
FLASH!
When it was all over, reality was reset. However…
"Usagi?" Sailor Helios said, as she rushes over to her wife.
Usagi said nothing, as she glances over towards the Scarlet Witch, who was sleeping.
"Doctor Strange?" Magneto asked.
"One moment," Doctor Strange said, as he scans her sleeping form. "Interesting…"
"What is it, Doctor?" Quicksilver asked.
"Wanda has been restored to normal, but her powers have gone into their nascent state."
"Are you saying…?" Captain America asked.
"I'm saying that the Scarlet Witch is powerless, perhaps permanently."
"How dare you!" Magneto said, as he turns towards Usagi. His power was building.
"Back off, Magnus," Sailor Helios said, as she gets ready to fight. "Wanda was out of control!"
"But did you have to rob her of her birthright?" Quicksilver asked.
"Magnus, if you want a consolation prize, I sacrificed 'Thordis' to stop Wanda," Usagi said, as she takes out her charred brush, and drops it.
SHATTER!
Magneto looks at this…
"And as far as Wanda is concerned, she is living the dream of a perfect world," Usagi said. "When she has lived that life, your daughter will return to you."
"How long will it be before Wanda wakes up?" Quicksilver asked.
"It could be a day or a year in OUR life time, Pietro. But Wanda WILL recover."
"It's the best we can do right now, Magneto," Captain America said. "This crisis…is over."
Magneto ponders the situation…
"I will grant you this respite for now, Moon Princess," Magneto replied. "But mark my words: I won't forget this insult."
With that, he uses his magnetic powers to take himself and his children Quicksilver and an unconscious Scarlet Witch to their home on the mutant-dominated island of Genosha.
Just then, Iron Man and a few Avenger reservists arrived.
"Captain America, everyone," Iron Man said. "We were dealing with the Kree, when they suddenly disappeared."
"That's because the true threat was neutralized," Captain America said.
"Did you help Wanda?" asked Wonder Man.
"Yes, in a manner of speaking, though not without cost," Captain America said, as he turns to see a weeping Usagi, who was muttering to herself.
"I can't feel Asgard anymore…"
And thus, Thordis, the Norse Goddess of Lightning was no more. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of the end of the Nine Realms of Yggsdrasil…
Tbc.