Previously in "Avengers Now" -
The Avengers have re-formed, bigger and better than ever. The Being has been defeated, his two would-be Heralds now part of the team. Yet, there is still much to fix that The Being's unseen rampage through timelines and universes had caused. A new group of villains called The Dark Cabal were the ones responsible for the drones that started everything. Why? That's not yet known, nor is their involvement. Their master plan must unfold cautiously and slowly to reap the ultimate rewards. Now... The Avengers are reborn and re-purposed. And that's exactly what they'll need to be. For there is an incoming threat that threatens to end their world like it has so many others.
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
4#
"Star Killers"
Part I
SWORD Director, Abigail Brand, had seen her fair share these past few years. But this... This was more dangerous than anything she had encountered previously. These things... Aliens, whatever, they had come literally out of nowhere. A few portal rips popped out with no warning whatsoever... Right inside the Peak. And there they were, slaughtering anything in their path, driven by a thirst for brutality and the intoxicating need to conquer. Not long at all, even before a proper SOS could be delivered to Earth, they had taken over the entire Peak.
They were all monstrous creatures, their skin a chalky white, decorated in gnarly markings made by blades. They were outfitted with both barbaric yet futuristic weaponry and gear. One in particular stepped out from the rest, his skin the blackest of black, scars in white which was the exact opposite of all the rest. He was also larger and more muscular, along with sinister eyes that all but peered into your very soul. With heavy steps, he approached the beaten and bloody Abigail Brand, her body being held up by other invaders. He grabbed her jaw, holding her head in place so that she could see directly into his evil eyes...
"This vessel is now ours," his voice deep yet raspy, teeth red and tongue white, "We are Star Killers."
"Just get it over with," she could barely speak, could barely keep conscious, "Kill me."
The leader of the Star Killers shook his head and looked to his soldiers, "Find the medical bay and treat her wounds. She is obviously the one in charge. Therefore... Must be kept alive... For now."
:::Avengers Tower:::
"They're all sealed?"
"Going on what information we were given by Captain Universe... Yes, with his last travel, I believe Manifold has sealed the worst of the cracks created by The Being."
"Good job, Eden."
"Thanks."
Captain America, sans mask. Black Panther, also sans mask. Manifold, no mask anyway. Bruce Banner, not looking green at all. Between the four of them, they had just made it official that the damaged caused had been fixed. At least... The structural damage, that was. They still weren't too certain about the ramifications and/or consequences that Captain Universe had told Eden to warn the rest of the Avengers about.
"And how is the mission to locate Angela's home getting along?" Steve asked Bruce.
Banner shook his head, "Can't find it. And she keeps insisting that she's an Angel of Heaven. How are we supposed to find Heaven? If it even exists. And who's to say that it's our Heaven? Could be some other universe's Heaven."
"What about our other newest members? How are they faring?"
"Cole is still trying to decide on a costume. Human Torch is getting upgraded by Vision. Psylocke is trying to help Nightmask figure out who he really is and where he actually came from."
"But," T'Challa spoke up, "As you can imagine... There is as much difficulty in uncovering his home as there is with Angela. However, they both have agreed to remain Avengers until then."
"That's a plus," Steve nodded, "Well, keep up the good work, gentlemen."
"Aye aye, Captain," Bruce saluted, warranting stares from his comrades, "What? Spider-Man's the only one that can be funny around here?"
"Focus on what you do best," Steve said, patting Bruce on the back as he passed by him, en route to exiting the room. Behind him, Eden followed, having something to bring up to the leader of the Avengers...
"Something on your mind, Eden?" Steve asked when they were in the hall, the door shut behind them.
A deep breath before speaking up, "Yeah. Umm... Okay, I know this whole thing is my fault. I mean... I know it, I accept..."
"Don't put the whole thing on your shoulders," Steve advised, "Somehow... I still think there was more to this than it all being an accident."
"Still..." Eden continued, "I'm part of the team now, and I was hoping for a shot to redeem myself. Just... Keep me in mind for the next mission?"
"No need to say it. We're all going to be kept in mind for any missions. That's why we've expanded. The threats we face nowadays are larger and more dangerous than anything that came before. And anyway... There's not many missions out there that can't be made easier with a teleporter on the team."
Eden nodded, "Thanks."
:::Elsewhere:::
"Look at us, Wolvie. Two cool dudes lookin' cool in our sweet new uniforms. Seriously, whatcha think of mine? My vote? It's... Superior in every way."
"I didn't design mine. Beast made it with unstable molecules to adapt to different atmospheres."
"Ech, such a buzzkill."
Spider-Man and Wolverine were just walking into Avengers Tower when the familiar sound of a helicopter came from overhead. And, as anyone with half a brain could tell, it was SHIELD property. Also, they looked to be landing on the helipad stationed atop Avengers Tower. With a light backhand, Wolverine gestured for Spider-Man to get them up there ASAP. Which entailed Spidey web-zipping up with Wolverine holding on for dear life.
:::Atop Avengers Tower:::
The helicopter landed perfectly, two SHIELD Agents and one Avenger aboard. Agent Phil Coulson, whom was the pilot. Agent Monica Chang, who was in charge of SHIELD's budding AI Unit. And last but not least, Natasha Romanoff, better known as the Black Widow, who was unofficially playing liason between SHIELD and the Avengers, trying to mend a tenuous relationship that had been damaged recently.
"Ah!" Spider-Man and Wolverine landed in a heap on top of each other, tumbling forward until reaching Natasha's feet, both Phil Coulson and Monica Change disbelieving that these two could possibly be the genuine articles, "Bad idea, man! Never again. You hear me, never again!"
Wolverine shook the proverbial cobwebs out, "No argument there."
"Get it together, boys," Natasha walked past, going straight for the top entrance into the Tower, "We have a big problem."
"Like what?" Spider-Man asked, flipping the bottom part of his mask up to get some purely clean oxygen into his rattled body.
Black Widow didn't bother responding.
"C'mon," Wolverine told Spidey to follow, and they tailed Natasha inside.
:::Transmission From The Peak:::
At first, mere static and an unnerving hum. Then came a picture, though fuzzy at moments. It had been sent to the SHIELD Helicarrier via The Peak. It depicted the alien race... The Star Killers... standing behind a battered but bandaged Abigail Brand, hands behind her back, on bloody shins and knees. Pride had been stripped away entirely, she was defeated and her base of operations overrun.
The leader of the so-called Star Killers grabbed Brand by her green hair mixed with blood and pulled back sharply, forcing her to speak, though she barely had the strength to do so, "This... Is your... Fault. You... Earth. Your selfish... Carelessness... Will now lead to your... End. Point at... Yourself. Blame... Yourself. This... This is all... Your doing."
The leader shoved Brand's body forward by her head, her face smacking the floor with a sickening thud. His face filled with disgust as he grimly glared into the camera, "You have no options. You have no hope. My name is Sth'Rv, and the punishment for destroying my world... Is yours being annihilated... By my hand."
Feed cut.
:::Avengers Tower:::
Agent Phil Coulson took the opportunity to explain a bit further, the severity of this situation...
"Following recent events between the Avengers and X-Men, SHIELD established many direct physical links with SWORD. This entailed the Helicarrier and Peak being tied closer together than ever before. This... Sth'Rv... Or whatever he's calling himself... His attack overran the Peak before the Helicarrier could even be alerted. The only surviving member of SWORD left is Abigail Brand. And, obviously, she's on borrowed time right now."
T'Challa stepped forward, "Their world must have been destroyed by The Being when it was tearing through realities."
"That is the case," Vision followed, "There are no records stating the existence of Sth'Rv or his Race in this universe."
Hawkeye was there as well, a little pissed about the visit, "I'm surprised SHIELD's coming to the Avengers. I mean... After all that Zero Site business and stupid trust issues."
"Not the time, Clint," Natasha interrupted, "We need to assemble a team right away."
T'Challa's turn again, "Traveling to the Peak to face Sth'Rv head-on would not be wise."
Steve had something to say, "But... It may be our only available option at the moment. If nothing else... We'll at least get a closer look at what we're up against and save Brand. Also, I have a feeling this is a fight we don't want happening on Earth. At the same time, we can't just leave Earth open to an attack, though."
Steve continued, "Two teams. One goes to the Peak, and one stays here just in case."
"And now the big question..." Agent Coulson mentioned, "... Who goes where?"
:::The Peak:::
Sth'Rv.
His name was now known... Now feared. As he gazed out onto Space from the Director's Deck of the Peak, he wondered how long until this Earth's heroes would arrive? The tiniest of smiles peeked out from the corner of his mouth, his mind wandering to his last encounter with a different Earth's heroes. How easily they fell... One by one... Until the last could no longer stand and suffered a beheading at Sth'Rv's own bare hands. This Earth would be no different from the last.
A voice crept from the shadows, venomous and sinister, "I will trust that you do not forget our arrangement?"
The smirk disappeared, replaced with a hardened stare as Sth'Rv eyed the ominous reflection in the glass giving view to space and beyond, "Tell me... How did you come by your name? The Other."
The Other stepped forward, standing just behind Sth'Rv's left shoulder and bicep, a reptilian-like appearance mostly hidden by a cloak and minimal armor, "You defeat Earth's heroes... But you leave the planet to my race... The Chitauri."
"I've looked into SWORD and SHIELD files," Sth'Rv revealed, "The Chitauri had already attempted an attack on Earth, but were defeated," he chuckled, "By a child. What if I decide that my Star Killers don't need you or your Chitauri?"
"Need I remind you," the Other gazed menacingly into Sth'Rv's violent eyes, his own glowing blue, "That there are dire consequences if you fail your given task?"
Sth'Rv swallowed down a biting response, deciding to keep calm and quiet for the time being. Sad but true, the Other did, in fact, have him by the throat.
:::Space:::
The Avenger Velocity. A very specially designed ship for travel through Space. And, by the hands of Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, T'Challa and Reed Richards, it would be able to withstand even treks through wormholes and trans-dimensional travel as well. At least... In theory. Needless to say, it hadn't yet been field tested through the more rigorous environments.
Captain Marvel was piloting the ship. Beside her was Captain America. Also joining along was Black Panther, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Manifold, Bruce Banner in his new Hulk Armor, Hawkeye and Vision. Flying along the ship was Nova and Quasar. Also due to join this mission was Iron Man - sporting his new Space Armor - and he had promised two members of the Guardians of the Galaxy team would be with him, as they all had just finished up their own mission.
"Am I the only one still feeling like we're flying right into a trap?" Spider-Man asked comically.
"We have a lot of firepower and more on the way," Captain America answered, "We're good as long as we keep our heads on a swivel and go nowhere alone."
"I'm not too late, am I?" Iron Man's voice over the communication links. He was flying solo while a small ship tailed behind him. Inside of it... None other than Rocket Raccoon and Groot.
"I am Groot."
"He brought the... You brought the tree?" Hawkeye questioned, Spider-Man just shaking his head.
"And a raccoon. Why? Ya got a problem, Bucko!?"
"Jeez... We're going up against violent aliens we've never met before and Iron Man brings Zoo Pals?" Hawkeye was not happy.
Captain America remained focused solely on the task at hand, "Slow it down a bit, Marvel. Nova... Quasar, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, Captain."
"All right. Listen, go ahead and try to scout the Peak. Be careful, though. First sign of attack... Retreat back to us, do not face them head-on. Copy?"
"Yep, we're on it."
"I still think it would be a good idea to have me teleport inside," Manifold spoke up, seeing this as a golden opportunity to make up for his mistake from before, "Captain, I got this. I can do it."
"Too risky," Captain America explained, "We don't know exactly what we're going to find in there. Scouting is one thing... But we're not entering alone. We stick to the plan."
"Cap, it's Nova. Everything's quiet. We can't see anything from outside, either. What do you want us to do?"
"They're waiting for us," Black Panther mentioned.
"Iron Man," Captain America spoke into the comm-link, "Are your scans picking up anything?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary. Nope."
Wolverine crossed his arms, "This don't smell right."
"Aw man," Spider-Man worried, "I hate it when you say that."
"We're coming up on the Peak," Captain Marvel said, "Can't slow it down anymore unless I turn it around."
"No," a steadfast and true leader, "If nothing else, we need to find the bodies and search for Brand. As long as the coast stays clear, take it to the hangar."
"I am Groot?"
"Yeah, buddy, we're goin' in."
:::The Peak:::
The A-Velocity landed, as did the Guardians' cruiser ship. Vision was able to communicate with the Peak controls so boarding wasn't a problem. Not an issue whatsoever. Which was strange, to say the least. The heroes gathered in the hangar once they were able to. The stench of death was thick in the air, filling their senses, even Groot's as he turned away for a moment.
"Ow!" Hawkeye hopped on one foot for a moment or two, having just been kicked in the shin by Rocket Raccoon.
"That's for crackin' jokes about me and my friend, Bow-Boy!" Rocket grinned, satisfied with his revenge.
Groot pointed at Hawkeye in an intimidating manner, "I... Am... Groot."
Back to business, as Iron Man spoke to Captain America, "I'm picking up a faint human bio-signature, but I can't detect exactly where it's coming from. I'm assuming it's Abigail."
"Guys," Banner spoke up, having walked to the side of the area, "You might wanna look at this."
Both Captains and Iron Man walked over, discovering what Bruce had. It was some kind of device, looked as if it were a bomb of some sort. Hard to be sure. It was a small sphere shape, black and silver, yellow lights at the top and bottom. Iron Man stared directly at it, very closely, and his scans couldn't determine exactly what it was. Had to be extremely foreign... Had to belong to the aliens. It wasn't anything SHIELD or SWORD had on-hand.
"'Nother one over here," Wolverine pointed on the opposite side.
"And here," Spider-Man had found one on the ceiling.
"What are these things?" Nova wondered aloud.
"I've never seen these before," Quasar spoke, "Are we to assume that they're bombs?"
"Possibly," Iron Man replied, "But... Maybe not,"
"They could be tracking devices," Bruce said, "Portal openers."
"We need to speed this up," Cap said, "Spider-Man and Vision, stay here. Groot, can I count on you to stay here, too?"
"I am Groot."
They all looked at Rocket, "What? You people deaf? He said yes!"
"All right then," moving along and ahead, the larger part of the team now leaving the hangar, "Manifold, be ready to teleport at a moment's notice... Just in case."
"Will do."
A very loud groan was heard just then, grabbing everyone's attention tightly. The heroes stopped in place, eyes wandering all around. The groan sounded like metal being pulled apart. Not moments later, the entire Peak tilted sideways for just a slight few seconds. It then corrected itself.
"What the hell's goin' on!?" Wolverine unsheathed his adamantium claws, ready to scrap.
"Iron Man?" Cap asked.
"Parts of the Peak are falling off," Iron Man said, seeing multiple scans and images in his HUD, "But... They're precision cuts. They're also not affecting the air inside. It's a trap... It's a friggin' trap! Damn it!"
"Oh no," Black Panther realized, looking back over his shoulder at the entrance door to the hangar, which had just shut tightly, "Those devices..."
"Blast the door!" Captain America ordered, but none of the blasts penetrated, "Manifold!"
"On it!" Manifold exclaimed, quickly teleporting and bringing back Spider-Man, Groot and Vision just before a second loud groan... Signifying the hangar was now lost.
"Specially designed blast doors," Iron Man explained, "Nice to know they work, I guess."
"We need to get out of here now," Hawkeye shouted.
"Not before we find Brand," Captain America responded, "Marvel, Nova, Iron Man, go ahead, stay in constant contact. Manifold..."
A third groan, this one closer than the first, farther than the second. Still enough to shake the heroes up and briefly knock them off their feet.
"I am Groot!?"
An extremely loud buzzing and hum came next... Nearly enough to give them all the feeling that their skulls were about to crack in half. It disabled Vision and rendered Stark's armor completely useless. Caused Spider-Man to fall from where he was stuck to a wall and Wolverine to yell out in pain as his knuckles began bleeding profusely.
But wait, Hawkeye was fine. No migraine, no pain, no nothing. Merely helpless to watch as his fellow heroes all fell to the horrible noise. Warmth came next. Not just warmth... Heat... Pure and unfiltered heat. Hawkeye started sweating and raised his bow... "I'm tellin' you guys, we need to get the hell outta here!"
"Manifold!" Cap yelled, nose bleeding, dropping to his knees, the pain intensifying greatly.
"Can't teleport," Manifold choked the words out, face screwed in pain, "The more I try... The more it hurts!"
"Powers," Captain Marvel coughed, down on all fours, fingertips nearly digging into the metal floor, "It's affecting our powers!"
"No..." Bruce was all but paralyzed, clutching to a random rail, trying desperately to pick himself up as a light brightened and intensified, "Not the powers... People with powers!"
"And electronics," Tony tried in vain to pick himself up off the floor, dead weight in his armor.
"Are we dying!?" Nova collapsed.
"I AM GROOT!"
"Damn right, buddy," even Rocket and Groot were feeling the pain, "We ain't going out like this!"
"Hawkeye," Cap was barely able to somehow pick himself up off the floor with aid from his shield, "You... You're..."
"I know," Hawkeye replied, "Hang on... I'll look for..."
Suddenly... In a blinding flash... They all disappeared. No... Not just them. The entire rest of the Peak. It was all gone within the blink of an eye. Just... Like... That.
:::Avengers Tower:::
Nightmask stood on the balcony of Avengers Tower, high above, looking out onto the landscape that was New York. With help from Betsy Braddock aka new Avenger Psylocke, he had tried to bust through the amnesia caused by his transformation at the hands of The Being. Nothing so far... And Nightmask wondered... If that may be the case... Permanently.
As he was deep in thought, a squad of fighter jets screamed through the sky overhead. It took his attention away from his problems. And, before he could form a guess as to what was happening, three explosions rocked the New York skyline. His jaw tightened, eyes narrowed... Head tilted up toward the sun. He knew what this was... He now knew what was happening...
"They're here."
::::::::::AVENGERS NOW::::::::::
"Star Killers"... I wanted to just lightly touch on Infinity without actually doing or including it. Hence, Avengers being split up, half the team gone when an invasion hits. Star Killers are OC's... The 616 Chitauri were used in the new Nova series. As far as I know... The Other (Chitauri version, not that dreadful Spider villain thing) is strictly Cinematic Universe. So, it was fun to include him.