Previously In "Avengers Now" -
The Avengers encounter a mysterious coordinated attack. And while they are able to stop it, the ramifications will be felt for a long time to come. Meanwhile, Iron Man and Vision have uncovered secret SHIELD operations called Zero Sites, and the seemingly heroic deeds of Eden Fesi turns out to have inadvertently caused immense damage in different realities as the explosion he teleported away to save Times Square has grown into something much more destructive. And elsewhere, young man Cole Carson is troubled by the very concept of destiny, only to be confronted with it head-on during a strange "weather" encounter.
Angela, Black Panther, Black Widow, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Captain Universe, Falcon, Hawkeye, Hulk, Human Torch, Hyperion, Iron Man, Manifold, Mockingbird, Nightmask, Nova, Power Man, Psylocke, Quasar, Quicksilver, Spider-Man, Thor, Vision, White Tiger, Wolverine
2#
"Destiny"
Part II
Two golden beams of light broke through the very fabric of time and space. Like broken glass, each barrier was shattered more violently than the last, the two beams intensifying as they traveled further. Faster, they gained speed and momentum, colliding with everything, stopping at nothing. They were not to be denied, not to find an end to their destruction.
That being until they were finally halted by coming around full circle and being added to the building energy of the sphere that created them. With even more strength within itself, the sphere continued its aimless trek through portals and dimensions, building upon itself more and more.
(Now)
:::::Texas:::::
"Is he still alive?"
"He has a pulse and he's still breathing."
"Yeah, but we've been here twenty minutes and he still hasn't woke up."
Cole heard the voices before seeing anything. Then, when he finally opened his eyes, he saw everything through a golden tint. He sat up sharply, rubbing his eyes. At first, he didn't even notice the four heroes standing around him in the mud; Falcon and Avenger recruits... White Tiger, Power-Man and Nova. He was just so taken by what had happened to him. The jolt to his mind and body, his eyes, everything. He felt a sudden surge of... Of... Strength pulsing through him. Like right after an energy drink, but multiply it by a hundred and take away any side effects.
"Yep," Nova remarked, White Tiger beside him, "He's still alive."
"Sam," Power-Man, Victor Alvarez, said, reaching a hand to help Cole up, "That was never a... WHOAH!"
Power-Man was thrown through the air following a simple twist-away from Cole. The young man quickly apologized, still trying to comprehend just what the hell had happened, "I'm sorry! I... I didn't mean to... I don't... I don't... Ther...There was this storm and..."
Power-Man was thrown quite a ways, but able to withstand the accidental punishment, thanks to his powers. Seeing a friend in trouble, White Tiger and Nova quickly took defensive stances, ready to fight. But, that meant it was time for Falcon to step in before things got out of hand...
"It's okay," Falcon assured him and the others, "We know something happened to you. We're here to help."
Starting to calm down, Cole looked around, finding a ton of news crews and even a chopper flying above. Looked like word got around that something happened. He kept wiping and rubbing his eyes, but the gold tint wasn't going anywhere, didn't even fade whatsoever. He didn't know what to do, what to say, how to act. This situation was just such a shock to the system - literally, too. He was at a loss. Like a deer in the headlights.
"Listen," Falcon said calmly as Power-Man returned in the background, "We need to take you to Avengers Tower, okay? You'll be safe, we're going to help you. But, we need you to stay calm and keep in mind... Your body's changed dramatically."
"Changed," Cole swallowed hard, breathing through his nose, light leaving his eyes almost like smoke rising from a fire, "The... What was it? It did this to me."
"I can feel something," the 16 year old Nova spoke up, noticing something, "It's in the air. It's like... Like how you can feel it before it snows, you know?"
"Cosmic awareness?" White Tiger asked, with one lens higher than the other.
"I think so," Nova said, but he was confused somewhat, "It feels like... Something's coming."
Falcon turned his attention away from Cole for a minute, "What are you talking about?"
"I don't know," he responded, "I just feel it. Something's definitely coming right at us."
Nova then looked up, as did everyone else from the heroes to Cole to the news crews. In the spot in the sky where the sphere had come, a rip formed, a tearing of space and time. And out of that rip came a beautiful woman, clad in golden armor, brutal weapons, and strange red markings on her face. Her full red hair flowed down her back, as the back half of a skirt did down her legs, held on by a ridiculously large belt that seemed to hold up nothing but itself.
In one hand was a deadly axe, the other a mighty sword. And, she glared deathly at the group in the middle of the now muddy field.
"Who did this?" she asked angrily through gritted teeth, ready to strike at any second, "Who ripped me from my home!?"
Falcon boldly - yet slowly - stepped forward, "I think something strange happened. We're right now in the middle of..."
"Who!?" she shouted, most of the news crews bailing out in a panic at that point.
For what reason, he wasn't entirely sure, Cole stepped ahead of the Winged Avenger, "It wasn't us. Something attacked... It was..."
"Excuses," she was disgusted, "You dare spit childish excuses at a Warrior of Heaven? At Angela!?"
"Uh-oh," Nova cringed, "Is it too late to decline the invite to join the Avengers?"
"Don't worry," Falcon said, "No one's going to..."
The Heavenly Warrior, Angela, charged with every intention of decimating those in front of her! She dashed toward Falcon, but was tackled down by a quick-thinking Cole. The two of them tumbled through the mud, rolling until finally stopping, with Angela straddling and touching the tip of her blade to Cole's throat, drawing just the tiniest droplet of blood.
"Your eyes," she said in a hushed tone, "They're the exact color. It was you!"
:::::SHIELD Helicarrier:::::
The Main Base of Operations for SHIELD. Their Helicarrier.
It was where Director Daisy Johnson could usually be seen, along with Maria Hill, Nick Fury Jr. as well as agents such as Phil 'Cheese' Coulson. It was also where people like Captain America and Hawkeye knew to go if they were looking for answers to specific questions. This time around? Why in the hell SHIELD had set-up secret sites, and exactly what was so secret about them in the first place.
"Don't bother denying it," Hawkeye said in the middle of the conversation, "Vision's done his homework and knows where they are."
"So," Captain America's turn, confronting Director Johnson and Phil Coulson, "Why weren't the Avengers made aware? And what's at these places?"
Despite not being the Director for very long, Daisy still maintained her footing, standing firm, "The sites were kept secret because SHIELD feels super humans cannot be one-hundred percent trusted, whether they're Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, whatever."
"What are you keeping there?" Hawkeye asked, taking a step forward.
"Sorry," Johnson answered, "But, that's classified."
"You've got to be kiddin' me," Hawkeye laughed sarcastically, "Classified?"
"It's no joke," she stood her ground, "And, quite frankly, I'm offended that you're not taking me seriously."
The conversation seemed to grow more and more tense as the seconds turned to minutes, but strangely felt like hours passing by.
"All right. Well, considering what happened earlier today," Cap said, "I think it's in both the Avengers and SHIELD's best interest to share whatever it is that you're keeping from us. It's a matter of public security."
"An ongoing investigation into who or what was behind the drones is already underway," Director Daisy Johnson explained, "SHIELD has it under control."
"Fancy way of saying no to sharing info, huh?" Hawkeye remarked, "Well... This is getting us nowhere. Who knew that after everything going down... SHIELD would turn into hoarders?"
"You know what, Barton," that had struck a nerve in Director Johnson, "Everything that went down between your team and the X-Men is exactly why SHIELD is taking the stance it now is. We will work with you, we will help you, but we now understand that there are some instances when SHIELD needs to stand alone. The Zero Sites are the first example of this. They are one-hundred percent SHIELD and nothing else. Not the Avengers, not Reed Richards, not any non-affiliated SHIELD personnel."
"You're right, Hawkeye," Captain America spoke after the explanation, "This is getting us nowhere. Let's head out, we have our own ongoing investigation to take care of."
"Yeah," Hawkeye added.
"By the way," Cap pointed out to the new Director, "Not for nothing, but Nick would be proud."
Daisy sighed, nodding her head, "This isn't personal, Steve. We're still all on the same side here."
"Oh, I know," Cap said as the two Avengers walked away.
:::::Texas:::::
Angela was blasted - literally - off of Cole, her body thrown through the air, though she sustained no lasting physical damage.
Cole sat up, coughing, pointing at Nova for a sign of thanks. He turned onto his knees, wiping the small amount of blood off of his neck while still gasping for air. No time to rest. Angela was charging once again, dead-set on making this young man pay for what he accidentally did to her.
Power-Man stepped up, running forward and blocking her attack, his body lighting up with a red glow, his power maximizing itself. Power-Man swung a heavy strike, but Angela easily swayed, then kneed him in the gut, elbowed him in the back, then flipped him over onto the ground, prepared to use her blade, inching it closer and closer until...
"No," Cole grabbed her from behind, causing her to drop her weapon. But, Angela was too strong, breaking out of Cole's grasp, then spinning and knocking him back with a brutal kick that may have been enough to kill a normal human being. Cole was painfully knocked back at least two-hundred feet.
"Stop this," Falcon tried to cut this battle short, "We can talk it out! No one meant to do anything to you. You have to understand, something else is behind it!"
Angela sneered, "You'd say anything!"
Her axe was thrown, cutting through the air, though it was stopped by a mysterious bolt of blue and white energy.
Then came someone else. An unexpected visitor. One that only Falcon knew of, though had never met. Through a calm transfer, the cosmic being Captain Universe phased into our world. The Captain hovered overhead, displaying a feminine body. Perhaps, a new host had been selected to wield the mighty and near infinite Uni-Power.
Upon her arrival, the fighting ceased immediately. They all simply watched, even Angela, as Captain Universe continued to hover above them. She then spoke, voice of beauty yet hollow, "You must band together. A great disaster has befallen the Multiverse."
"No," Angela was defiant, picking up her weapons, "This isn't my world! I don't belong here, and it's because of him!"
"It is no fault of his," she explained, "He is as much a victim as you."
Momentarily, cooler heads prevailed and Angela relaxed her stance, though kept her weapons in hand.
"The Multiverse is in grave danger," Captain Universe said, a light blue glow surrounding her, "A being has been born of chaos and has evolved from nothing to everything at a terrifying rate. It must be stopped. The Avengers are needed."
Falcon tapped into his comm-link, "Vision, do you read? This is Falcon."
"Yes."
"Listen, contact the Avengers," Falcon said, "We need to have a meeting asap. Also, we need a Quinjet pick-up. I'm sending coordinates now."
Cole approached Falcon, "I can't just go! My girlfriend is waiting for me at home. I..."
Captain Universe volunteered, "I will take you to her and then to Avengers Tower. But, we must be quick."
"Take me? I... Wait... Man, I don't even know what's going on," Cole was overwhelmed, "One second I'm driving down the road, the next second I have superpowers and an Angel wants to kill me. It's too much!"
"Look," Falcon said to Cole, "Go with Captain Universe, say what you need to say to your girlfriend. But, I'm telling you, your life just completely changed. There's no going back. I'm not sure, but I'm guessing Iron Man, Black Panther and the rest aren't going to want you out of their sight for awhile."
Deep breath from Cole, then he warily turned toward Angela, "You're not gonna try to kill me anymore?"
She seemed hesitant, but still answered, "For the time being? No."
"Time being?" White Tiger commented, "That didn't sound good."
:::Cole's House:::
Captain Universe and Cole phased to the front-yard of his house with ease. Though, Cole was still rocked mentally by everything going on.
It was nothing special, but it was his home. And, to be honest, he had never been happier to see it than he was now. Especially to find his wife waiting inside, watching the television with clouded eyes and Kleenexes clenched tightly in her hands. She could never remember being as nervous as she now was, and Cole saw it on her face the second he walked in.
When Nina saw her boyfriend, the tears poured with relief. She let out a gasp and ran toward him, her arms stretched and wrapping around him tightly. Nothing else mattered in that moment other than they were together once again, that Cole was still alive.
"I thought... I did... I... I didn't know what to think," she babbled, and with every right to.
"I'm sorry," he said softly, eyes closing, "Th... There was this weird storm... And... Uhh... I stopped to take pictures."
"I know about the storm and the superheroes," she said, "It was all on the television. But, they said... I mean, the way they said it... It was almost like... Like you were one of them."
Cole took a deep breath, backing a step away, eyes still closed, "I have to show you something. Just, please, don't freak out."
Slowly, his eyes opened, revealing them to be filled with golden light that leaked like a thick rising steam. He heard a gasp and the light dissipated, his eyes reverting back to normal.
Her fingertips gently touched his cheekbones as she gazed into his eyes, a thousand questions swirling in her mind like a cyclone, with only one able to escape, "What happened to you?"
He swallowed hard, fighting a lump building in his throat as tears started to slip, "I don't have enough time to tell you."
She was confused.
"I have to leave," sudden and hurtful, but the only way, "I have to meet with the Avengers."
Her own tears now met with the confusion.
"I'm so sorry," his forehead touched hers, eyes closing once more, "I'll come back as soon as I can. I'll explain everything. But... Right now... There's not..."
She held back a sob, "You're one of them now?" her fingers went down along his biceps, now bulging and defined with hard muscle, "You're a superhero?"
He sighed, "I don't know. All I know is... I'm different now. But... I still love you and I always will. Powers or not, that'll never change. Never."
A few short minutes later, Cole and Nina emerged from the house. Remaining still the entire time, Captain Universe stood out front, paying no attention to the dozens of people that had gathered. The cosmic hero felt the pain on Nina's face, and slowly stepped past Cole, to the young woman. She then pulled her mask back, revealing a beautiful female underneath...
She took Nina by the hands and looked into her eyes, "All the pain and fear you're feeling won't last. Soon, it will fade. Because, you will always know, the two of you are meant to be. The love the two of you share is stronger than anything else you will ever know. Everything that you feel for him, he feels for you. Even when you are separated by distance, you will always be together."
Nina was silent throughout this, but felt a strange calming sensation washing over her. Fears eased, anxiety fading, love strengthening. In moments, she could only say... "Thank you."
Captain Universe nodded and then let go, turning to face Cole while placing her mask back over her head, "We're going to be flying to Avengers Tower."
"Flying?" what in the world, "You... You're... Gonna carry me?" he asked while they walked away from the house, right through the group of on-lookers.
"No," a simple answer.
"Wait, I can't fly! I mean... I have no clue how. I don't even know if that's one of my..."
"It is," she interrupted, taking off into the air, "Now, let's go. Time is short."
"Wh... Okay, okay, flying? All right... I guess it's just like jumping, right?" he asked himself, though he were surrounded by curious people, "Just... Jumping without landing. This sucks. Okay, here we go."
He landed on his face without his feet leaving the ground. Everyone stared at him cockeyed, Captain Universe long gone by this point. Maybe it was a matter of a running start? He tried running and then jumping, but ended up with the very same result of him landing on his face. This time, people had started to laugh.
"Cole," Nina called out from their property, "Stop trying to fly. Just... Fly."
Just fly? Just... Holy sshhh... He was up in the air, floating away. Control and direction were a little off, but he was in the air. He couldn't believe it at first. Though, rather suddenly, it started becoming second nature. He then began concentrating best he could and he was soaring through the skies with ease, a large smile forming on his face as well as Nina's as she watched from below.
Captain Universe phased into reality next to him, soaring right alongside, "Follow me."
:::A Distance Greater than can be Imagined:::
There was darkness. And after that, there was a blue light.
The Accident... The incarnation of Chaos... The Sphere of power and energy... The Being had been born. The Being had altered pitiful human Cole Carson into a man of great and immense power. But, the connection with the human had been lost before it could be established. Therefore, The Being took to a different reality... A different world... A different universe altogether. And discovered another that would be suitable enough.
An African-American man was raised into the air, rising from an open portal, body stretched and filled with blue light engulfing it. The pain was so high that all consciousness was erased within an instant. The Being had evolved further and further, at an impossible rate. The Being had already traveled through thousands of gateways into thousands of universes, collecting strength and knowledge with each one.
"You... Are... Now... Reborn," its voice impossible to describe, "You... Are... Mine."
The man now had a symbol of the moon against his forehead in bright blue light, his eyes filled with said light. The lower half of his arms were covered in a mysterious black substance. From his waist down, a long black material with specific lighted markings all formed together. Whoever this man once was... Was no more. In fact, that no longer mattered at all. Whoever he was before this... Destiny had changed him into what he was now.
"You... Are... Night... Mask."
Nightmask was released, landing on his feet, kicking up dust. He stood tall, raising his head, looking up at his creator... The Being born of Chaos...
"What do you want of me," he bowed on one knee, "My master?"
::::::::::AVENGERS NOW::::::::::