Liberation At Last
The mermaids, Kaito, and Hippo ran out of the warehouse to see the Dark Gate.
"The Dark Gate… it's open!" Captain Marvel said.
Then, the ground shook slightly.
"What is this?" Thor asked.
Then, the plants around them withered and died, while the old buildings around them became ruined.
"What's going on?!" Rina asked.
"Look!" Noel pointed towards the Dark Gate.
In the Dark Gate, there was Dormammu.
"Is that…?" Coco asked.
"Dormammu," Iron Man confirmed.
"Heed my words, humans. Love, friendship, trust, compassion… all the good you have received, cherished, and nurtured in your insignificant lives… will soon be consumed by my realm, the Dark Dimension!"
All throughout the world, people saw Dormammu's message.
"There are only two options for you pitiful beings to choose: Be consumed by darkness and vanish into the void forever, or offer me your souls, and join the denizens of the Dark Dimension."
In New York, Spider-Man saw something falling from the Dark Gate. "What's that?"
It was Dormammu's personal army, the Mindless Ones.
The Mindless Ones descended onto the city and began terrorizing the streets.
Spider-Man came swinging in and kicked a Mindless One.
He then avoided another one's attempts to grab him and webbed it up, then wrapped up two more.
"Everyone, get somewhere safe! Let me handle this!"
Then suddenly, the Mindless One that Spider-Man was on suddenly disappeared, leaving him standing on top of a fire hydrant.
The rest of the Mindless Ones followed, along with Dormammu's illusion of the ruined city, leaving behind an everyday New York street.
"Who, hey… What's going on here?"
Then, in a sudden mood whiplash, a dog came up to the hydrant and lifted its leg.
"Seriously, dude?!" Spider-Man shouted as the dog started doing its business.
Later, on the Helicarrier, the mermaids, Hippo, Kaito, and Pepper met with Fury.
"So, Dormammu made everyone on Earth see the same illusion… Is that correct?" Fury asked for confirmation.
"I believe that Dormammu is trying to envelop the world via despair energy," Doctor Strange said.
"Despair energy?" Pepper asked.
"People around the world are giving in to fear. Certainly reasonable, after witnessing such a horrific vision. And the despair energy that their hearts are emanating is now trying to blanket the Earth. Dormammu can only demonstrate his full powers within the Dark Dimension, which is filled with despair energy. But if our world was to be drenched in negativity…"
"Then that punk can smash this world to bits with everything he's got," Hulk concluded.
"Doctor Strange, I want to hear your honest opinion. If you considered our combined strength to be 100, what would Dornammu's full power be?" Captain America asked.
"10,000."
Everyone was shocked at the enormous power gap between them and Dormammu.
Then, Dr. Akatsuki entered the room.
"Easy. We can't lose ourselves in despair as well."
"Dr. Akatsuki!" Lucia said.
Then, everyone noticed what he was holding.
"Is that-" Rina asked.
"A Biocode Installer?!" Coco finished. "Imperious destroyed them all, but-"
"Akatsuki… Don't tell me you were building that this whole time! You should have been resting!" Iron Man said.
"There's only one thing that can fight against despair… And that's hope."
Soon, Fury was hooked up to the Installer.
"As we originally planned, we'll install a complete Biocode into Director Fury. And by using it, you can release all these heroes from their DISKs. They will no longer be bound by activation limits. This news will bring hope to people around the world."
Once the installation was complete, Lucia handed over Iron Man's DISK.
"I'll take good care of it," Fury reassured.
"Of course…"
"Here we go! D-Smash!"
In a flash of light, Iron Man was released from the DISK.
"Tony?" Lucia called.
Tony lifted his faceplate and gave a thumbs-up. "It's permanent liberation time!"
Then, the rest of the heroes were released.
"Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Wasp, Captain Marvel, Vision… War Machine, Iron Fist, Wonder Man, Power Man, Black Panther, Nova, Ms. Marvel…
Doctor Strange, Giant-Man… The ultimate dream team of heroes!" Fury commented.
"Let's hope the rest of the world thinks so too…" Tony said. "Fury, I take it you planned out our next move."
"I'll explain. Come this way," Fury said.
The mermaids, Kaito, and Hippo followed after the heroes, but they were suddenly stopped by Dr. Akatsuki.
"You kids stay outside."
"Hold on, Doctor!" Captain America interjected. "It's true we've been liberated from our DISKs, but they're still our partners and shou-"
"These children shouldn't be put in harm's way anymore!" Dr. Akatsuki argued. "Am I wrong?"
The doctor's words left the Avengers in silence, unable to argue.
(Next day)
At Techno Isle International School, the mermaids and Kaito were in their respective classes, the previous day's events still fresh in their minds.
Later, a televised interview with Captain America was shown on TV.
{"Dormammu has announced that he will destroy all we hold dear. But he doesn't fool us! We know that's nothing more than a bluff. An illusion no more real than what he showed us before! Citizens, this is a battle against whatever despair you feel inside you!"}
However, his words didn't really faze two teens that were watching.
"We ain't got a prayer…"
"Pffft, all Captain America has going for him is a strong shield. A leader? Yeah, right!"
Nearby, Noel clenched her fists at the two boys mocking her partner but managed to keep her calm.
"The Internet says Stark's got his own space station so he'll be safe if he ever needs it, so he'll be just fine!"
"Lucky him. I guess if you've got looks and money, you can do whatever you want."
Fearing what Lucia might do, Hanon turned to talk to her. "Ignore them, Luc-" However, she was too late.
Lucia had gotten up to confront the two boys.
"Tony's no coward, you got that?!" Lucia said.
Her friends were forced to intervene to deescalate the situation.
That evening, Lucia sat on a bench to watch an interview with Tony.
{"Mr. Stark, rather than giving us idealistic comments, can you give us a concrete plan for defeating Dormammu?"}
{"Sorry, can't say. After all, Dormammu might be watching right now."}
{"You're dodging the question. The Avengers have nothing then, correct?"}
Lucia couldn't stand watching the interviewer badmouth Tony and turned it off before leaving.
"Seriously?! You mean you still don't have enough despair energy?!" Imperious asked.
"You must learn to enjoy the wait. It is like anticipating the ripening of a delicious fruit," Dormammu lectured.
"I don't like waiting!" Imperious retorted.
"Hmph. Quite like an errand boy," Dormammu chuckled, which Imperious did not appreciate.
"Touched a nerve, have I?" Dormammu noted. "Imperious, without your help, opening the Dark Gate would have been impossible. For that, I am most thankful. As promised, I will give you half of this world known as Earth once our conquest is complete."
"The deal was for all of it!" Imperious argued.
"Was it? Really?" Dormammu asked, angering Imperious. "No sense of humor, I see."
"Well, if I must wait, I might as well make good use of the time," Imperious turned to leave.
"Be back soon, or you'll miss the good part," Dormammu said.
"Trust me. I won't," Imperious retorted.
Meanwhile, the Mermaid Princesses were in the sea, gazing at the setting sun in their mermaid forms.
"Well, we knew this day would come sooner or later," Coco said.
"We really shouldn't be surprised, and yet, I still can't believe it happened," Rina said.
"But still, why did they have to dismiss us as some girls that happened to get the power to send out the Avengers when necessary?!" Caren said.
"As much as they have a point in saying that civilians shouldn't get invoked, we were more than that!" Noel said.
"Yeah, we actually fought alongside them as partners!" Hanon declared. "It's not fair!"
"So what do we do now?" Seira asked.
"All we can do now is just to cheer the heroes on, I guess…" Lucia said in resignation.
"So this is where you went…" Kaito said as he suddenly arrived riding on Hippo.
However, just as they were getting close, Imperious suddenly appeared behind them and blasted them with an energy blast, causing them to crash into the sea below.
"Kaito! Hippo!" Lucia shouted before turning to Imperious. "Imperious!"
"Yes, me!"
"Quick, everyone! Let's-!" Lucia began, but before the Mermaid Princesses could do anything, they were gagged and bound by crystal restraints.
"There will be none of that!" Imperious then revealed seven empty DISKs. "D-Secure!"
One by one, the Mermaid Princesses were trapped in the DISKs, all categorized into Fight Class.
Kaito regained consciousness to see Lucia being D-Secured. 'Lucia…' He tried to help her, but he was still too dazed from Imperious's attack.
Imperious then turned to see Kaito still dazed and Hippo unconscious, deeming them to be no threat.
"Excellent! I love it when things go right!" Imperious said before teleporting away.
Not long after Imperious left, Kaito recovered and swam over to Hippo. "Hippo, wake up! Hurry!"
After some shaking, Hippo regained consciousness. "Mr. Kaito, what happened?"
"It was Imperious, and he's got the Mermaid Princesses!" Kaito revealed.
"WHAT?! We have to help them!" Hippo shouted and attempted to fly back, but he couldn't muster the strength.
"Take it easy. You can't help anyone if you're exhausted," Kaito advised.
"Understood," Hippo replied and changed back to penguin form.
Later, at the Avengers' base, the Avengers were all gathered up.
"Weird, Hanon's not picking up," Captain Marvel said.
"I tried contacting Seira not too long ago, but I could not reach her," Vision added.
"Yeah, I wonder if they're thinking they shouldn't bother us while we strategize against Dormammu, which I hope isn't the case, because they'd never be a bother, even if they're supposed to be back to their everyday lives," Wasp said.
"You're tellin' me! I was thinking about treating Lucia to some fun before the battle, but I couldn't even find her!" Tony said.
Then, Kaito and Hippo came into the room.
"Avengers! Bad news, Imperious D-Secured the girls and took them away!" Kaito alerted.
"WHAT?!" The Avengers all shouted.
"How dare he!" Thor shouted.
"That cowardly punk!" Hulk bellowed in rage.
"Call Doctor Strange, we could use his help to find the girls!" Cap said.
"Don't worry, Lucia. We're coming!" Tony vowed. "It's rescue mission time!"
At the abandoned Celebrity Seven lair, there was Imperious, who had the Mermaid Princesses' holographic projections on.
"Gaito and Michel, two individuals who attempted to capture all seven Mermaid Princesses for their own ends. Yet, I have succeeded in that endeavor while they both failed. And the evidence is right in front of me!" Imperious gloated to the Mermaid Princesses, none of whom were intimidated. "Oh, that's quite the brave act you're all putting on!"
"It's not an act! You wanna know why? Because we all know the Avengers will come for us!" Coco defiantly declared.
"When they do, they're gonna kick your butt!" Hanon added.
"The Avengers weren't scared before, so neither should we!" Lucia affirmed.
"Is that so? Well then let's hope they get here soon," Imperious said as he took out a device that resembled his face. "A miniature version of the DISK Absorption System. I will drain your powers again to power this device."
Then, Imperious turned off the holographic projections and connected the DISKs to the device, which started siphoning the mermaids' powers.
The Mermaid Princesses screamed in pain as their power was being drained from them.
But then, the door to the lair was blasted open as the Avengers, Kaito, and Hippo stormed the place.
"What?!" Imperious shouted in disbelief.
"Wasp Sting! Vision Beam!" Wasp and Vision fired their beams at Imperious, who put up a crystal shield to block them.
"Hulk Smash! Blast Punch!" Hulk and Captain Marvel struck the shield with their fists, smashing it.
Imperious then quickly moved to gather the Mermaid Princesses' DISKs and tried to flee.
Kaito then fired his Panthalassa Beam at Imperious, striking him and causing him to drop the DISKs, which were then retrieved by Hippo.
"Mjolnir Throw! Shield Throw!" Thor and Captain America threw their weapons at Imperious, knocking him back.
"Unibeam!" Iron Man fired an Unibeam at Imperious, who teleported away before he could be hit. "Darn him! He ran!"
"What about the girls?" Wasp asked.
"They're all here," Hippo revealed the mermaids' DISKs.
The Avengers put on Biocode wristbands and the DISKs containing their respective partners and turned on the holographic projections.
"Tony! I knew you would come!" Lucia said.
"Hulk! Boy, am I glad to see you!" Rina said.
"Good thing we made it," Hulk said.
"So can you get us out of here?" Seira asked.
"Unfortunately, Nick Fury is currently unavailable. He was summoned by the World Security Council," Vision replied.
"Then what about the Biocode Installer?" Noel asked.
"It was loaned to the Xavier Institute so that Professor X can gain Biocodes to release Cyclops and Beast," Captain America answered.
"So all we can do is wait, huh?" Caren sighed.
"I'm afraid so," Thor replied.
At the World Security Council headquarters, the council leaders were in a meeting with Fury when they received an unexpected guest, forcing them to put it on hold: it was Senator Robert.
"Senator Robert?!"
"Where have you been all this time?!"
"If this is about your Superhero Registration Act–"
"Please, I'm not here for that," Senator Robert said. "Rather, I was asked to deliver this message."
Senator Robert then pulled up a video recording of Imperious.
{"Attention, World Security Council. I have a proposition for you. A way for your lives to be spared, and that's by showing me a sign of loyalty. Deliver me the Mermaid Princesses."} Imperious then showed images of the Mermaid Princesses in their mermaid forms. {"For where to find them, they will surely be with the Avengers, if you need more information, contact SHIELD. Do a good job and I might even throw in important seats of power in my new reign to sweeten the deal."}
"There you have it. I highly recommend we give in to Imperious's demand so we can save ourselves," Senator Robert said. "That's all. Best to think it over."
Then, he turned to leave and once he was alone, Imperious grinned. 'At best, I will have the Mermaid Princesses back in the palm of my hands. Or, at the very least, it should create some disarray, as the Avengers will never allow that to happen, hindering their preparation.'
Back at the Avengers' base, rioters have gathered outside, demanding answers.
"Show yourselves, Avengers!"
"Quit hiding in there! You cowards!"
Inside, the gathered heroes saw the angry crowd.
"Well, I don't think they're gonna leave unless we give them a straight answer," Tony said.
"Right now, it's important that we prevent the increase of despair, meaning we have to give the people hope," Cap said.
The heroes all headed outside to meet the mob.
"Everyone. Calm yourselves. If you remain brave, there's no way you will yield to Dormammu!" Captain America reassured.
"Please, listen. I will now explain our plan to defeat Dormammu, so please calm down," Iron Man pleaded.
"Iron Man…" Captain America said.
"We have no choice." Iron Man justified. "We possess an energy source known as the Kree Mact. We've used it to create a massive energy beam that has repelled a huge cosmic-class enemy. It's a powerful weapon. And the most powerful in the universe."
"You think that alone will be enough to beat Dormammu?!"
"Who said that's all we've got?" Iron Man countered. "Altogether, we have ten. And we're readying them as we speak. And once complete, they'll fire at the Dark Gate together, destroying it and severing the link between our world and the Dark Dimension."
The crowd, upon hearing this, started talking about it amongst themselves.
"Great, so much for our secret weapon…" Wasp lamented.
"An unavoidable circumstance. We cannot let despair accumulate as energy," Doctor Strange said.
Soon, the mob began to disperse, and after the last person had left, the Avengers switched on the holographic projections of the Mermaid Princesses.
"Good thing that managed to calm everyone down," Lucia said.
Then, several SHIELD military trucks arrived and several agents came out.
"Slow to the draw as always, huh?" Hulk joked.
"'Tis fine. The riot has been quelled," Thor informed.
However, the agents then raised their blasters at the heroes, and an ambassador from the World Security Council joined them.
Back with Fury's meeting with the WSC leaders, things were not pleasant.
"This discussion is over."
"I'll say it again anyway: trying to make deals with Imperious and Dormammu is utterly insane!" Fury retorted.
"He has promised to spare us if we deliver him the Mermaid Princesses. This is the best option for us!"
"Question: does 'us' count for the rest of humanity as well, rather than just you idiots?!" Fury questioned.
The leaders flinched at this inquiry and turned to Hill.
"Maria Hill! Arrest former Director Nick Fury."
Meanwhile, in the Dark Dimension, Dormammu continued to bide his time.
"Fear… despair… hatred… I can feel them… The time is nigh…"
Back with the heroes, the ambassador was explaining the purpose of his visit.
"And so, I humbly request that you hand over the Mermaid Princesses to the World Security Council to use as bargaining chips with Imperious." Then he noticed the mermaids in holographic form. "And it appears they are already secured in DISKs. That'll make the job much easier."
This caused the Mermaid Princesses to recoil.
"You can forget it!" Tony refused vehemently.
"In case you don't realize, these girls might not be human, but they're still young ones. Brave young ones that have served as our partners for so long!" Captain Marvel declared. "If you want them, you'll have to go through us!"
"That's it! Arrest them all!" The ambassador ordered the SHIELD agents.
"Oh so now you're using authority over us?! Tell me, if you arrest us, then who's gonna fight back against Dormammu?" Tony asked.
"Your energy weapons will stop Dormammu, isn't that what you said?" The ambassador retorted.
"And someone needs to keep the weapons safe until they're ready to fire, otherwise all the hard work will be for naught!" Tony retorted back.
Back at the meeting, Fury turned towards Hill.
"So back to my cell then. Go ahead, Maria. Arrest me," Fury showed his wrists to her.
However, Hill did not make a move.
"Director Fury's place is right here on the Helicarrier."
"Maria…" Fury said.
"You little–!" The meeting with the council was then cut off by Hill.
She then smiled at Fury, and he smiled back.
Back with the heroes, the tension was still high, when suddenly a SHIELD agent made a report.
"Stand down! Director Fury's just called off the operation!"
This caused the other agents to lower their blasters.
"What?! Director Fury does not have the right to make that call!" The ambassador argued.
"Apologies, sir. But Director Fury's orders take priority!"
"Looks like not even your own troops agree with you, meaning your demands have no backing. Especially coming from a mere ambassador," Captain America said.
Seeing this, the ambassador realized he couldn't win and left.
"Now that that's dealt with, we can focus on the real threat," Wasp said.
"The big battle draws near…" Thor said.
"The one that will decide the fate of the Earth…" Vision noted.
Then, everyone turned towards the Dark Gate in the sky.
To be continued…
For some divergence from canon, I decided to have Imperious ambush the Mermaid Princesses. Unlike the canon Avengers' partners, who are ordinary humans with no superpowers, the Mermaid Princesses do have some power that Imperious could use and have used before. And the scene from the canon episode where the demands were to arrest the heroes was now changed to restrain the Mermaid Princess instead. But rest assured, the girls won't be trapped in the DISKs for long. (A reversal of the previous situation, I know.)
