Chapter 20 – Escalation
"Korra." A serene voice called on Korra as she struggled to open her eyes. And once she did she was met with the bright light of the Sun…or was it? "She's awake."
"…Ugh." Korra grunted as she tried to sit up, but her body didn't respond her. "Wha…"
"Hold on now." A much more gritty voice told her. "Her body has been infected with dark energies."
"What do we do now?" The voice of a younger man replied. Korra then began to lose consciousness again.
"We're losing her again!" Was the last thing Korra heard before all went black once more. "Iron Man, do something!"
"Calm down, Spider-Woman." Iron Man said, he extended the devices on his forearms and began to scan Korra with them.
"What are those gizmos?" Spider-Man asked.
"These are subsonic radio-enhancer, a sonic device. I use it to shake through metal walls and such but I have lowered the frequency so it makes contact with whatever is inside her." Iron Man replied.
"How does that even work?" Spider-Woman asked.
"Everything operates within certain frequencies, and energy is no different. Just…one…more…minute…" Iron Man said, the sonic wavelengths flew through the Avatar's body. "I think I have it!"
But then, Iron Man's sonic gun exploded, throwing the hero back. "You okay?" Spider-Man asked.
"I'm fine." Iron Man responded standing back up and ripping the busted gizmos out of his forearms. "Her body just countered my subsonic radio-enhancer but I think I dealt with the problem."
Korra mumbled as she regained her senses, she opened her eyes and turned to look at her saviors. She saw Spider-Man first who just waved at her, then at Spider-Woman who sighed in relief and then at the metallic knight towering above them all. "I must be dreaming." Korra said.
A couple of minutes later, Korra felt a bit better. She sat on the couch where she had been lying unconscious on and drank a mug of warm tea. "Feeling okay?" Spider-Woman asked the young girl.
"Just a little light-headed…who are you and where am I?" Korra asked her three saviors as she looked around the small room. It looked cozy, like an outdoors lodge, with a fireplace and pelts adorning the floor and walls.
"I'm Spider-Woman, that's Iron Man our leader and that funny skinny guy over there is your hero, Spider-Man." Spider-Woman introduced the team to the Avatar.
"And for our location, we are somewhere deep in the city." Iron Man added. "My services, my contacts and my mansion."
"A mansion?" Korra asked.
"A mansion." Iron Man replied crossing his arms. Korra was still confused but she stood up and walked towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Spider-Man asked her.
"I have…to rescue my friends." Korra responded, but she was then stopped by Iron Man himself. He grabbed her by the shoulder.
"First you have to tell us what happened last night." Iron Man said. Korra sighed and turned to face the man of iron.
"I went to confront Tarrlok to free my friends and those people he had rounded up by false means. He bloodbended me and was going to…yeah, but then Amon, calling himself Doom or something appeared, curbstomped us both and then Magneto killed Tarrlok." Korra quickly told what happened. "Oh yeah, and a freaking demon scared the living lights out of me."
"How did we not hear about this?" Iron Man asked, and then he and Spider-Woman turned to face at Spider-Man.
"What? I just found her." Spider-Man said.
"You said something about helping your friends?" Spider-Woman asked.
City Hall, Republic City
Colonel Fury and Chief Saikhan had found the dead body of Tarrlok and a messed up Council chamber that morning. They had called for several agents and cops to clean the scene and find out what happened.
"Colonel, my men have found some information." Saikhan reported.
"Spit it out, Chief." Fury replied.
"It appears that there had been a struggle, here and there, are marks of violence." Saikhan informed.
"You're not telling me something I don't know." Fury said.
"This is the weird thing; none of these marks were made by any sort of bending except for the broken column on the second floor."
"Equalists then?" Fury asked.
"That's the most probable answer." Saikhan acknowledge, Councilman Tenzin then entered the hall and went to meet the two men.
"I heard the news, was anybody else hurt?" Tenzin asked.
"No one aside from Tarrlok." Fury responded. "The bastard had a broken neck and several pieces of flesh bitten off his body when Saikhan and I found him."
"Spirits…you say that Equalists did this?" Tenzin asked once.
"That's what public is going to be told, we will dig deeper." Colonel Fury answered. "For now I have assumed complete control over the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistic Division as acting director." Fury informed the airbending master. "I will report to the council once I find something."
Fury then walked away leaving Tenzin, who saw the puddle of blood where Tarrlok's body had been. He shook his head in pity and left the chamber so that the detectives and forensics do their job.
The Realm of Yggdrasil
Loki and Doom walked through the open northern portal; they headed towards the rotting Yggdrasil in the center of the realm.
You fail me, my pawn.Ares said, looking down upon his two dark heralds.
"She was close, but she eluded me." Doom responded. "The Avatar will die next time." Loki laughed.
"Oh Doom, my friend, there is no more next time." Loki said.
"What do you mean?" Doom asked, clearly not understanding what they were saying.
The Convergence…the realms are aligning once more. The frontiers blend and my return is nigh.
"There is no more time, Doom, look." Loki pointed at the sky, there Doom saw all of the realm converging together, aligning.
"Spirits…" Doom said in awe.
Loki, open the southern portal.
Loki smiled wickedly and went for the southern gate, "I thought that the Avatar was the only one who could that." Doom said.
Within Loki, like you, there is a part of my being. With that power, the universe is the limit.
The God of Madness placed his hand on the closed portal and summoned Ares' power, violently opening the southern portal. "Hahahahahahaha!" Loki laughed maniacally.
Doom's Horsemen and Masters of Evil joined him, coming out of the portal. "Doom, it is time." The terrifying Red Skull informed.
Your roles have been given, storm the lands of man, and bring chaos and darkness to the universe!
Doom acknowledged and left with his team through the northern portal.
Now, Loki, with the Light God gone enact the Twilight of Gods, leave none standing.
"As you wish, my master." Loki said, leaving the realm and the dark lord of war alone to plan the incoming destruction.