ASTONISHING AVENGERS #15
By:Stephen Kelley
"I certainly hope that this plan of yours actually works" Tony stated as he was flying over what had once been Oklahoma but was now home to Asgard and its many denizens, "HALT" the guard shouted at Tony "oh my apologies Ironman you were flying in so fast I thought you a winged enemy, we have had many recent attacks throughout the nine realms and we cannot afford to be too careful" "you guys are traveling throughout the nine realms" Tony inquired hovering in place "aye" the guard said "but fear not Tony Stark Brunnhilde herself has tirelessly taken up the task that Thor would've been assigned" the guard said hanging his head low.
inside his armored Tony's face softened "I know" he said hovering gingerly near the lookout post and putting a reassuring hand on the guards shoulder "I miss the big guy too but you said Valkyrie is now taking up the task, that's gotta be hell on her" "nay friend Stark Valkyrie is fighting with as much ferocity and tenacity as the son of Odin it is quite pleasing" the guard said with a sly smile which made Tony laugh "while I hate to tell you but I know I stand no chance of having a chance encounter with her" the guard said poking fun at himself "but still one can dream can they not" "that my friend we can both agree on" Tony said giving the guard a light pat on the back, "say you haven't seen Bill around have you" "Aye" the guard said snapping to attention quickly "Beta Ray Bill is at the statute of Thor, perhaps to honor him or maybe he is looking for guidance" the guard said with a sense of uncertainty "Bill also stated that you had made a fool of yourself and" "he was concerned, I come here with no malicious intent" Tony said quickly putting his hands up "I just want to talk to him I just hope I don't scare the denizens and cause a war with Midgard in the process".
"well rest assure friend Stark if a war does happen with Midguard I will hesitate but only a couple of seconds before I shoot you in the center of your armor chest plate" the guard half joked to which Tony nervously chuckled and then decided that it was perhaps time to go before this conversation got more awkward.
Beta Ray Bill was standing at the foot of the giant statue that had been erected in Thor's honor he knelt before the statue storm breaker on the ground his eyes closed as he was speaking "I come seeking wisdom son of Odin I believe something has happened to the Avengers, I believe Stark has finally lost his mind for he was shouting back and forth with the ferocity of a Bill-Snipe as you used to say my hammer brother but I also seek your guidance for taking your place on the Avengers and helping defend Asgard as well as my people have taken a great strain on me though luckily Brunnhilde has taken the brunt of defending the entire world tree, but I fear that it is too much a task for even her to take on and also with the Lady Sif being with Luke cage's "New Avengers Task Force" I am quite certain that Asgard will eventually be too devastated to repel any attacks".
Tony hovered down next to him "I'm surprised the guards did not shoot you down upon entry" Bill said with neither malice nor surprise "yeah according to the guards I flew so fast they thought that I was what did you call them "Infernier" I sometimes get all my Asgardian stuff mixed up", "you're a man of technology not of myth" Bill said finally opening his eyes and looking up at Stark "with an intelligence like yours, your brain is better suited for scientific tasks not those that are of our domain, but pray tell Stark what brings you here are you seeking to try to coheres me back to the tower" Bill finally stood up stormbreaker flying to his hand.
"or perhaps maybe you are seeking aid of my hammer brother's advice as well" "a little bit of both" Tony said not taking his eyes off the statue of Thor "things were so much easier before the Serpents attack, I feel that even though I helped save so many lives Still This place" Tony said turning his head to bill "got ravaged, Thor's father is now in isolation were Asgard used to be", Bill put a reassuring but firm hand on Starks armored shoulder "do not think Anthony Stark about what you could not do or prevent, but look at what you were able to help or prevent" Bill reassured him gesturing to Asgard and the people walking around apparently not phased by Tony's presence "yeah but still" Tony's faceplate jotted up his face softened with sadness.
"Thor gave his life so that the rest of Asgard could live and not just Asgard but Midgard as well, for who knows what would've happened if Midgard had fell to the Serpent the all father's treacherous brother" Bill said with a little bit a malice on that last part "but pray tell friend Stark you seem vexed is something a matter," "well unless you're needed someplace else" Tony faced Bill "I got something to tell you" Bill perked up an eyebrow "it has something to do with all of us leaving doesn't it" "yes!" Tony said "and I need your help" "say no more Tony Stark for I know the next part of what you were going to say, let us check the Savage Lands to see if the Hulk's brutish offspring had went home perhaps maybe Shanna and Ka-Zar will be happy to oblige us", "I don't know about them helping us search the entire Savage Lands".
"if you are looking for Skaar" Vision interrupted on his Avengers ID card "then he is actually right here at the tower, if you hurry perhaps maybe I can distract him enough to keep him from leaving" "every little bit helps I guess" Tony's faceplate jotted down over and clicked in place as he and Bill wasted no time in firing on all cylinders to Avengers tower, when Tony and Bill got there to Tony's amazement almost practically all of the team had assembled including Chris Powell who while not a member of the Avengers was an integral part of how they could possibly take down the kal'thraky, "please tell me that you're all here to help wrangle in the son of the Hulk" Tony jested to which everyone turned and looked at him most with their arms folded "so Stark I hear you pulled out a bit of an earworm" Darkhawk malicely joked.
normally Tony would be offended but in this case he took the insult and moved on "look guys everything that happened" "apparently you and Cap became sleeper agents and apparently canary girl over here blasted a bunch of racist bikers" O'Grady joked before getting of venomous stare from Melissa that told him if he valued his life he would shut up, "that is sadly one thing I was glad to be rid of for at least a few minutes" Black Panther said in response to Eric O'Grady's buffoonery "why is it I'm the team member that's going to get s&*( on by you guys the most, I mean seriously Cap gives me a pep talk while i'm drunk off my ass and I come back thinking hey, everybody's gonna appreciate Antman and" "we don't appreciate you" Skaar said standing behind Eric "in fact your the one weak link in this entire chain" "nobody on this team Skaar is a weak link" Steve interjected "and truth be told I'm more than a little upset that the Queen did this to me and Tony, I'm not usually into wanting to kick some ass I'm the kind of guy that limits casualties and always goes in with the plan well, the only plan that I have and it's one that even you can appreciate is we're going to though the ships we're going to rescue whatever prisoners we can find and I don't care if anybody here chooses to pacify them or kill them out right but today we are stopping this alien invasion, this dimension will not fall is everybody clear on that" Steve said gripping his shield so tightly had it been made of any other metal it probably would've buckled under Steve's pressure and grip but the hybrid shield stayed in its exact same density.
"so we're basically weapons free" Eric gestured with air quotes "essentially yes Eric use lethal force if you need too, they've made it abundantly clear that they have no intent of making peace talks and that all they want is to eradicate our dimension like they did many others I say we show them that that was a big mistake on their part so who's going" Steve looked around the room and everyone looked at everybody else "Chris I know you're not an avenger but we could really use your help" Steve said turning to Chris Powell, Darkhawk contemplated a moment "tell you what I'll help you out on one condition" "done" "you haven't even heard what I said yet?" "I don't need too Chris I already know what was going to come out of your mouth, you want despite Tony's bias being offered an Avengers membership, funny thing is we're looking to try to add new recruits to the Avengers" "not quite sure we need another armored bird man" "and what pray tell Skaar is wrong with having an Avenger at that is the best of both" if you guys are comparing me to Tony and Falcon I dunno whether the take that as a compliment or an insult" Darkhawk said looking around "I was not meaning it as an insult Darkhawk in fact I concur with the idea and notion that you should be offered a membership, you have done quite a bit to help protect the world and others I remember hearing something" Tony said "about you fighting off some kind of alien invasion and face some kind of cosmic psychic entity that was like the Shadow King?".
Chris cringed "I have no clue how myself or Richard were able to contain or get rid of that thing I don't even know if it's dead, for all me and Richard knew it probably jumped to another host body and then there's the fraternity of raptors threat, and then there was me trying to help Richard with the Nova Corps or at least a small portion of it" "you've done many great things Chris" Steve said putting his hand on Darkhawks shoulder "don't you feel like maybe you need to have a step up in the superhero world?" "asking me to join the Avengers honestly is like asking the Silver Surfer to kill Galactus it'd be impossible" Bill then cleared his throat and partly waved at Chris in a sarcastic way "yeah I mean look at old horse face he has to protect his people, he's got a ship, he has to protect Asgard he has to protect our world, he has protect other worlds, he has to protect those worlds within those worlds, and then he has to" "I think Chris gets the point Eric" T'Challa interrupted "plus I was actually gonna save this before they attacked but I got a guy coming from California who I think should probably help us with this" "you have friends out in California that's not a surprise" Eric said rolling his eyes at Tony then it dawned on Eric.
"wait a minute you didn't call HIM did you" "depends on who you define as him" Tony said with a cocky attitude "oh good Lord" Eric sighed and face palmed "I would've thought you guys would've learned after Wonderman", "I partly feel like I should take offense to that" Vision said "you're not even our Vision how can you take offense to that" "still my 616 counterpart was based on the brain engrams of Wonderman" "do not bother trying to explain logistics Vision, Eric has a problem with rationality", "The King of your own firkin country and you're talking to me about rationality, you should be ruling your people" "I do not rule all of Wakanda, not anymore" T'Challa noted with a hint of sadness "yeah you do realize Eric that Panthers sister is now the Queen" "right wait she's the queen now, but what happened oh never mind" Eric stormed off starting to get a headache which forced T'Challa to try and not chuckle "what's so funny" Steve said "I'm sorry my friends but I have to laugh at Eric O'Grady, he amuses me sometimes" "so now I'm a clown, why don't I get a unicycle and a squeaky red nose and" "I meant your amusing in a stupid way not in a straight out humorous way", "no you did not just call me a moron" Eric said shocked his blood boiling as he shaked his index finger at Black Panther.
"look are we going to smash these aliens or are we just gonna stand here going back and forth" Skaar said intensely bored and starting to have his nerves grated "I am in agreements with this we can settle the buffoonery of Eric later and the possible recruitment of Darkhawk, for now let us deal with this threat" "well then I guess it's settled" Steve said happily "Avengers" he said partly raising his shield "let's re-assemble and take back Earth!".