Bundle up, true believers, it's an ice-cold escapade knocking on the door of Avengers Mansion! Foul creatures are at work in the world, plunging the planet into weather that's 40 below! But who's behind this frosty scheme? And what will it take to stop them? It's up to Thor to guide the team to the most powerful of Jotun relics-
Chapter 16: The Casket of Ancient Winters
In the wake of Kang's attempted invasion, the Avengers felt overdue for a break from chasing after villains and embarking on madcap efforts to save the world. A welcome lull in global events gave the team an opportunity to breathe and relax without having to worry about imminent doom and devastation. Hulk, Janet, Clint and Connor made to make use of the rooftop pool, enjoying the peace and quiet of a gorgeous sunny day.
However…
"Perhaps you misheard me. I said that Stark Tower is under attack right now." JARVIS reiterated from the micro-speaker wired next to the pool. Janet barely registered his words, casually sipping from her orange soda as she basked in the afternoon sun on a lounge chair.
"Is Iron Man there?" She queried nonchalantly, setting her drink down next to the speaker.
"Yes, as are Thor and the Black Panther." JARVIS answered.
"Who are they fighting?" Clint asked, sounding equally disinterested.
"The Radioactive Man." JARVIS replied.
"Can they fight here by the pool?" Janet wondered with a sigh. As she did, Hulk surfaced from his underwater lengths, pausing to analyze the surface situation with a frown as he was more interested in a good swim than anything.
"What's the threat level?" Clint pressed.
"Threat Level: Two."
"I'm sure they've got it covered, JARVIS. Tell Stark that Jan, Connor and I will cover the mansion… in case it's a trick." Clint excused, rather weakly. "And, uh, mention that he's out of ice." Close by, the sizzle of meat on a grill wafted across the scene, Janet opening one eye to spy on Connor manning the barbeque. Clad in a pair of grey swim shorts with a loose button-up shirt hanging open, he was as lounge-ready as the others were. She figured he deserved it, after the way he'd practically tackled Kang singlehandedly.
"You know… with a name like Radioative Man… maybe we should do something to help out?" He suggested, rotating some hot dogs. "Radiation's no joke, especially the nuclear kind, if I read Chen Lu's bio right."
"You heard JARVIS; Tony, Thor and Panther are already there. You've got nothing to worry about, Connor." Janet calmly replied, closing her eye as she soaked up the warming light of the sun. "Now how are those sausages looking?" Connor sheathed the grilling tongs and closed the lid.
"They're cooking. Give it another ten to fifteen minutes." He answered, lingering by his post. Thoroughly enjoying the downtime, Connor's only wish was that this was an actual beach instead of a rooftop pool. But the gorgeous water and equally gorgeous weather silenced all of his complaints.
Not to mention the equally gorgeous person in his presence.
He had barely noticed Clint's ridiculous farmers tan and purple shorts when Janet arrived. Clad in a simple yellow bikini and heart-shaped sunglasses, it took everything in Connor's power not to stop and stare. Her flawless porcelain flesh, shapely legs, toned arms and fit body on full display. The way her bikini halves clung to the supple curves of her breasts and bottom… it was enough to make him drool at the mere thought. He risked stealing another glance, his eyes darting across her features and memorizing as many as possible for as long as he dared.
How could one woman be so beautiful?
He turned back to the grill, taking a breath and working desperately to get his blood flowing somewhere else. Connor tried to think about the situation at Stark Tower, "Radioactive Man…" he muttered. A villain as deadly as they came, his very presence caused Geiger counters to spike. Maybe it was a good thing they weren't involved, seeing as Thor and Iron Man were well protected from deadly radioactivity. With a shrug he looked up at the cloudless blue sky and the sun shining down on them. "It is a great day for a barbecue." He mused.
Meanwhile, at Stark Tower…
"What?!" Iron Man exclaimed, moments before Thor burst through the wall and tumbled to a halt, Radioactive Man stalking after him. He had breached the sublevel ARC reactor chamber located beneath the building, where Iron Man and Black Panther were already waiting for him. Diving in to intercept, Iron Man blasted him full in the face with his repulsors. "Remind me to hurt Hawkeye when we're done here!"
"Duly noted, sir." JARVIS calmly answered.
"You okay, Thor?" Tony asked over his shoulder.
"I will be better once we smite this villain." The Asgardian answered, picking himself up. They turned to witness Radioactive Man drawing ambient energy from his body to charge a pair of blasts from his hands. They quickly dove for cover as emerald blasts of condensed radiation struck the ground where they once stood.
Attacking from behind, Black Panther quickly drew Chen's attention as he vaulted over the irradiated felon, narrowly dodging successive radioactive blasts that impacted the ground around him. Tony and Thor took flight.
"Who is he?!" The thunder god demanded. Iron Man quickly scanned their foe, drawing up a comprehensive breakdown.
"Radioactive Man… He was a Chinese scientist named Chen Lu." He explained. "Apparently he dosed himself with insane levels of radiation, trying to get superpowers. He was in the Cube when the Breakout happened, SHIELD took him down last time. But what he's doing out and about, I-"
"Yet again, your mortal science creates monsters." Thor huffed. "Truly, man's technology causes nothing but harm." He dove in to attack, leaving Iron Man reeling.
"Wow… that's kinda harsh." He remarked under his breath. With the Asgardian promptly rebuffed by Radioactive Man, Tony dove in and strafed him with repulsor blasts, the clash creating a thick cloud of smoke that hid Chen from view.
Iron Man determined his location the moment a glowing green fist burst from the cloud and smashed into his armor, sending him skittering across the floor.
"I'm starting to think Wasp, Cybernaut and Hawkeye are the smart ones!" He groaned as Black Panther picked him up.
"I did not realize there was any question." The Wakandan remarked. Tony shook his head, turning to his ally.
"You okay? This guy's putting out a ton of juice." He queried, referring to the high levels of radioactivity bathing the area.
"My suit is designed to withstand radiation." T'Challa responded in affirmation.
"Of course it is. Whatever was I thinking." Tony sarcastically replied with a sigh. Their reprieve was cut short as they both moved to avoid a pair of sizzling green bolts. Out of the way, Radioactive Man advanced on the tower's prized ARC reactor as Thor touched down before him. "I have had enough, villain. I do not know why you have come here and I do not care." He declared. "For now, you'll feel the power of Thor!" Rearing back he sent Mjolnir hurtling towards Chen, his foe quickly countering with a concentrated beam of radioactive energy. Engulfed within the emerald ray, Mjolnir slowed to a halt before it could even touch Chen's outstretched hand, dropping to the floor with a heavy clunk seconds later. "Odin's beard," Thor gasped in dismay, "how?"
"Yeah, focused radiation can rip the inertia from an object in motion." Iron Man explained, reciting the definition from memory as he touched down between the two. Snapping up his arm, the rocket pod on his gauntlet opened to unleash a single warhead that split into a series of micro-cluster bombs. Each attached to Radioactive Man's chest before detonating with concussive force. "You should try more physics, less fantasy." Tony jeered, crossing his arms in triumph. His moment was abruptly cut short when Radioactive Man grabbed him by the head and pitched him across the room.
Black Panther took his chance and moved in to attack, launching forward and landing a lunge kick that caught Chen in the face, sending him stumbling backwards into the Asgardian. Lifting the irradiated felon over his head, Thor promptly tossed him into the swirling vortex of ARC energy, Radioactive Man disappearing with an explosion of light and lightning.
At first the team felt successful, their objective seemingly completed. But they began to worry as the generator raged out of control, overloading as Chen Lu appeared at its centre, drawing in the ambient energy radiation and bending it in a field around him. "Oh no…" Tony breathed in horror, "that's why he came here, for the ARC reactor! He's absorbing the output!"
"With that much energy, he could well be unstoppable." T'Challa concurred grimly. Jetting over to the control console, Tony access the reactor's core systems.
"Okay, time to send Doctor Chen Lu here back to China." He determined, raising the energy levels and forcing a higher power output. The screen glowed red with higher-than-normal readings as overload warnings flashed across the terminal. The reactor spun faster, high powered ARC energy building within the room.
"What is Iron Man doing?" Thor questioned. Assessing the situation, Panther had an answer in moments.
"He is creating a localized meltdown. It will sink the reactor and Radioactive Man deep into the Earth." He responded. Thor looked on in horror as the reality set in and he swiftly thought for himself about a more environmentally-friendly way of doing things. Spying the coolant vats beside the reactor, an idea formed in his head.
"Nay." He stated, summoning Mjolnir into his grip. T'Challa beat a hasty retreat as he took flight.
"Thor, wait!" Tony cried, desperate to stop him as Thor unleashed a bolt of lightning from his hammer that struck the coolant vats, unleashing several metric tons of water upon the reactor and Radioactive Man. Everything was doused in a sudden flood as Thor collected Panther and joined Iron Man in distant safety above the watery mess submerging the room…
Elsewhere…
The cold of the northern hemisphere was further amplified within the cave, devoid of light and warmth of any kind. That did not seem to bother the wolves residing there, all three of them turning and growling at a presence yet unseen. Conjured out of thin air, a portal sparkled to life as Enchantress and her executioner Skurge stepped through. Like good guard dogs, the wolves began to snarl and bark ferociously at the intruders, ready to attack. Amora appeared unimpressed.
"Call off your hounds, elf." She called to the darkness of the cave.
"Were you sent to check on me, Enchantress? I'm hurt…" A thin, raspy voice feigned from the shadows. The two Asgardians turned as the outline of a man strode past them, his features concealed by a lack of light. "It is as if Loki does not trust me."
"Loki's no fool, Malekith," Enchantress replied, "your own people do not trust you… or did not, before their untimely demise. But you would be wise to trust in his power, as well as to fear it. For just as Loki released you from the realm of the dead, he can send you back."
The thirteenth son of a thirteenth son, magician of Svartalfheim and legendary leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith the Accursed was a name known throughout the nine realms. Though long since a denizen of Helheim after his undoing during one of the many inter-realm wars, he had been revived with a very specific purpose in mind as Enchantress continued to the bidding of Asgard's trickster god.
"Show it to me." She commanded as Malekith moved behind the safety of his hounds.
"Of course, my lady," he obliged, reaching into the thick coat he wore to produce a small box that fit within the palm of his hand. "As requested… the Casket of Ancient Winters!" Conjuring a sphere to encircle it, Malekith sent the ancient relic floating across the space between them. A smile crept across Amora's lips as she reached for the gold and ruby-crusted box, only to have it banish from her hand and return to Malekith moments later. The light from the orb illiumanted Malekith's split-faced appearance, half black and half undead blue. His eyes, equally distinct in differing colours, shimmered with some mischievous intent. "But what am I thinking? Loki would be disappointed in me if I did not make sure this was the true casket…" He intoned. The emerald eyes of Enchantress widened as she sensed an imminent double-cross.
"No! Skurge!" She cried, her executioner charging forward to lay waste to Malekith with his fire axe. The Dark Elf stood calmly, unmoved by the assault, and merely opened the lid of the Casket a fraction of the way. A sheet of icy wind struck the hulking Asgardian as a cold unlike any natural phenomenon filled the air, blasting Skurge with sub-zero temperatures until he was frozen in place, trapped beneath an inch-thick layer of the purest ice.
"You were right not to trust me, of course!" Malekith cackled over the gale force winds. "Now it begins…" Opening the lid wide, a flurry of wintery weather was unleashed from the Casket, filling the cave and spiralling out of the mountain surrounding it. The magical energy of potent winters filled the air and stretched out for miles around, showing no signs of stopping…
Meanwhile…
The submersion of the ARC reactor had well and truly foiled Radioactive Man's attempt to absorb its energy. But the result had also cracked open the ceiling, revealing a gaping hole in the middle of the street from which curious citizens looked down on the victorious heroes… of which none of them sounded very victorious.
"I had it under control, and now there's a million gallons of contaminated water in my basement!" Iron Man complained, kicking the ankle-deep water in frustration.
"And you would've poisoned Midgard itself by sending Radioactive Man into the ground." Thor retorted. Tony whirled on him.
"What do you-"
"Your love of science makes you forget the very realm you are trying to protect!" Thor interrupted, cutting him off as he continued to barrel down on Tony. "You pay more heed to your machines than you do to your heart, Tony Stark." Now angered, borderline furious, Tony made to respond when Thor suddenly recoiled in pain and clutched his head, struggling to stand.
"Uh, Thor? You okay?" Iron Man inquired as T'Challa steadied him.
"N-Nay…" Thor slowly answered, gathering his senses, "I felt… I felt magic. Ancient magic. Something has happened…" He responded cryptically, his eyes turning skyward as dark clouds suddenly shrouded the sun.
Back at the mansion, the members enjoying the sun and pool were oblivious to the shifting weather front, still enjoying their time off.
"Okay, crew, food's ready!" Connor announced, leaving the grill open. Ever-hungry, Clint picked himself up and strode over, eager for a hotdog.
"Nice going, rookie." He stated, licking his lips. "I'd say you've earned yourself a dip in the pool."
"Sir yes sir." Connor remarked with a mock salute. "You know, I would've left you to do this if I didn't want you to even out those ridiculous tan lines of yours." He teased, stripping off his shirt. He did so nonchalantly and failed to realize Janet turned and snuck a peek from under her sunglasses. The last time she saw Connor shirtless was during his initial medical examination with Hank. He'd been skinny back then, thin and far from the muscular paragons most of the men on the team were.
But battle after battle and countless hours of training seemed to have paid off.
His body had developed more definition, his arms thicker and more toned, defined pecs slowly appearing on his chest in addition to sloping lines along his abdomen. The cyberware etched into his skin left its grooves along his arms, chest, neck and back, but he no longer looked like a frail scientist. Now he seemed more like an up-and-coming athlete, lean and trim. Overall he looked… good.
Raising an approving brow of admiration, Janet was impressed with Connor's progress. And thinking about him inspired her to call him over.
"Hey Connor, could you give me a hand before you get wet?" She asked, adjusting her chair to allow her to roll over onto her stomach. She grabbed a bottle from the floor and held it out. "I don't want my back to burn." Her elaboration quickly clued in with him and the technopath's eyes widened.
"Uh, yeah! Sure. Not a problem." He responded as calmly and evenly as he could. His approach was fraught with mental calculations, not too eagerly, not too slow like he was holding out, he could barely keep himself sane as he carefully took the bottle of sunscreen from Janet. Alright, don't freak out. Just rubbing some suntan lotion on… never mind she's got an immensely hot body that I'm about to put my hands on-… don't panic. Don't. Panic. He thought to himself, looking on nervously as Janet's body awaited him. It would take everything in his power to maintain his composure, and Connor soon believed he could do this. All it would take was his focus, concentration-
Then she started to untie the back strap of her bikini top.
Alright, I'm panicking.
Swallowing nervously, Connor began to squirt some of the lotion onto his hands. I'm gonna need a really cold shower after this. He bemoaned in his head, carefully dropping to his knees beside Janet's bare back.
But before he could even lay his hands on her skin, the sky grew very dark.
He and the others looked up, finding their perfect day suddenly lost to dark and gloomy clouds. Clint raised a brow in annoyed confusion, Janet lifting her head off the chair as a cool wind began to blow. "Hey… what happened to 'not a cloud in sight'?" She wondered in mild aggravation.
"Hmph. Stupid weather man." Hulk grumbled, thinking nothing more of it as he submerged to continue his swim. The longer Connor looked, the more he swore he could see something descending from the clouds. He reached out with one hand, letting particulate fall on his lotion-converted palms. They were tiny and white and he scrutinized their shape with a keen eye. Janet noticed them too and stuck out her tongue to catch one. It dissolved in her mouth instantly and she reached a bewildering conclusion that Connor gave voice to.
"Snow?" A sharp gust of wind struck them all, hair billowing from the force as blizzard-like conditions descended upon New York.
In less than an hour the city was suddenly turned into a winterscape, snow and ice clinging to buildings as ferries around Liberty Island became trapped as the harbour froze solid, an event that rarely occurred even in the middle of the average winter.
And such things were not exclusive to the city.
Across the world, cities and countries became engulfed in wintry conditions, the worst some had ever seen and the first some had ever seen. Snow and ice coated the Earth, transforming the entire planet into a forzen ball of ice and plunging it into a new ice age.
The snow came so quickly, the Avengers on the rooftop were lost to it, Connor, Clint and Janet bursting from underneath mounds of snow and chilled to the bone. "C-Cold!" Janet cried, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering. "S-So c-cold! Am I c-crazy? Or was it just a-a hundred degrees a few m-m-minutes ago?" She queried through chattering teeth.
"L-Look on the bright side," Clint offered.
"Like?" Connor pressed. Apart from the fact I don't need a cold shower anymore. He added internally. "I-It's July, it's s-supposed to be cloudless and s-s-sunny. What possible u-upside is there to this?" He demanded.
"Alright… I-I got nothing." Clint admitted. Having weathered such temperatures before in Montana, Connor knew they were all ill-equipped and improperly dressed to handle such an event. He glanced at Clint's frigid form and then at Janet's know she fared worst with far more skin exposed. The moment he caught sight of the hard nubs behind her loosely-hanging bikini top, he knew he needed to do something in the name of survival and modesty. Janet hadn't retied the back strap yet!
Quickly fishing around the snow, he recovered his shirt and shook the snow off, quickly draping it over her shoulders. A relieved Janet pulled it tightly around her.
"Thanks." She replied despite her shivering. Connor nodded as the trio removed themselves from the snow.
"I hate the cold." Clint griped. "W-We need to move the team to the w-west coast."
"Huh, I can see the b-b-brand deal now: the West Coast A-Avengers." Connor remarked.
"See? Even has a nice ring to it." Clint continued. They looked out over the edge of the rooftop, spying the rest of the city shrouded in snow and ice and were awestruck by how quickly the day had turned on them. Suddenly the forzen ground began to creak and shatter, torn apart as a glossy hand of ice burst free, soon revealed to be attached to a draconic monster that roared in announcement of its arrival. "Typical." Clint sighed.
"I don't know about you two, but I think we need to get dressed." Connor suggested.
"Good thinking!" Janet readily agreed, the trio turning and spiriting for the warmth and safety of the mansion's interior.
In their haste they had completely forgotten about Hulk, the green giant trapped in the frozen block of ice that had once been a pool.
Within the safety of Stark Tower, Tony, Thor and T'Challa stood in Tony's satellite room, watching feeds from across the globe detailing the deteriorating weather conditions. Thor paused by a window, watching the accumulating snow and ice build up far faster than any natural winter would allow. "In all the nine realms, there is only one thing I know of that could cause this… The Casket of Ancient Winters." He revealed.
"Well, thanks for clearing that up." Tony sardonically remarked.
"The Casket is an ancient Asgardian artifact that contains the infinite cold of Niflheim; the realm of the dishonoured dead." Thor continued, ignoring him. "My father, Odin, hid it long ago. But only he knew where."
"Earth seems a likely location." T'Challa mused.
"You speak wisely, T'Challa." Thor concurred. "Midgard is beneath the notice of most Asgardians. This storm will rage for all eternity unless we can find the Casket and close it."
"Okay, so I may not know what the hell 'magic' is, but I have learned to trace its energy signature." Tony interjected. "Except, for instance, when the entire planet is covered in it. So, this is your thing," he stated, looking to Thor, "how do we find it?"
"I… do not know." The Asgardian confessed, his shoulders sagging. "Legend tells that only the dead could find it."
"Well, that's just great." Tony grumbled, slumping into his office seat. A chirp from one of his devices heralded the voice of JARVIS filling the room.
"Excuse me, gentlemen, but there appears to be trouble inside the city." The AI politely reported. Tony arched a brow.
"What kind of trouble?" He asked with a sigh.
Panicking denizens ran screaming for their lives as more ice monsters erupted from the ground, pursuing them with malevolent intent. They did not go unchallenged for long, Captain America using his shield as an improvised sled to rocket down a slope of snow and cast into the arm of such a creature clutching a terrified bystander. It shattered on impact, the creature roaring in either annoyance or pain moments before Cap turned and hurled his weapon, crashing through the creature's waist and shattering its body to pieces.
His weapon caught by more arriving monsters, Cap went to work with his hands and feet, utilizing his combat training to shatter the breakable limbs of each beast. Collecting his shield, the wounded yet sill standing creatures were suddenly felled by fireballs from above, Steve looking skyward as Johnny Storm, the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four, spelled out 'you owe me one' with his blazing trail. Smiling, Cap offered a salute of thanks only to be ambushed by more monsters.
"It's clobberin' time!" Ben Grimm, better known as The Thing, shouted as he crashed into the beasts and shattered them with his unbreakable rock-like body. The New York native made quick work of each beast, dusting his hands off as Cap nodded in approval.
Meanwhile, Avengers Mansion had come under siege from the creatures, who soon had to contend with Hank Pym coordinating defence efforts. "Now!" He shouted, Ultron answering his command from the mansion rooftop as he lay waste to the approaching monsters with his laser array as the two formed the first line of defence against the approaching army.
From a concealed corner, Hawkeye drew one of his arrows, the head containing a temperate-adjustable thermite charge, and loosed it upon the monsters. The one he struck melted into pieces and his demise quickly drew the attention of others. Realizing his predicament, Hawkeye loosed two more thermite arrows before being forced to move to a better position. As he did, a single claw caught his quiver, tearing it from his back and depriving him of his arsenal. Unarmed and lacking the ammunition to fight back, Hawkeye swallowed nervously as a grisly end sought him out.
Thankfully, the arrival of Cybernaut and Wasp changed that.
Connor's irons slammed into the nearest creature's head, shattering it into dozens of pieces as he arced his weapons around in a low orbit, destroying limbs, bodies and maws in a single sweep. "At least they break easy, but what I wouldn't give for a pair of flamethrowers right now!" He commented.
Wasp dove headfirst into the fray, utilizing the power of her biostings against the creature's fragile forms to shatter their appendages with equal ease. "They're everywhere! Guys, we need to find the others!" She cried. "We need-" He cry was answered when the Hulk crashed down between them and the monsters,
"Hey, big guy!" Hawkeye greeted with a smile. "Just what we-" He was cut off when Hulk whirled around and grabbed hm by the scruff of his costume, hauling the archer right close to his face.
"You left Hulk in the pool!" He roared. "It froze!" The trio paused, suddenly remembering that little fact.
"I'm uh… I'm gonna go see how Tony and the others are faring!" Cybernaut quickly excused, taking flight and leaving them alone with Hulk.
"Wait, wait!" Janet called after him, but Connor was out of earshot and she turned back to face a snarling Hulk. "Don't leave me alone with him…" she whimpered. She put on her best apologetic smile. "Heh, sorry, big guy… forgot you were in there." Suddenly, a monster grabbed Hulk's head and the gamma giant promptly dropped Hawkeye to turn and punch the monster into oblivion, the creature shattering into thousands of tiny pieces.
"JARVIS, display all weather satellite data from the last hour." T'Challa ordered.
"I already looked T'Challa, there's no pattern." Tony quickly stated yet failed to dissuade the Black Panther from attempting. He moved on, "And you, Thor, you always complain about technology and science creating monsters, and now some magic box from imagination land has frozen the planet!"
"Do you really wish to take this path?!" Thor thundered. "How many times have we faced danger created in a lab?" He demanded.
"I don't know, but I remember your little blonde Enchantress taking down the whole team. Twice! And who was the guy with the axe? Another Asgardian? Oh, right, I remember now, he was going to chop off my head!" Tony ranted.
"Amora and Skurge will be dealt with!" Thor promised loudly.
"Oh, so you're on a first name basis with them." Tony remarked. "Nice, you should form your own team: the Crazy Magic People!" Thor whirled on him and for a moment it seemed they were about to come to blows. That fate was avoided when Tony's office door opened and his secretary Pepper Potts stuck her head in.
"Mister Stark, you have someone here to see you." She told Tony. "One of your Avenger friends."
"Send them in?" At his word, Pepper stepped back and Cybernaut entered seconds later, rubbing his arms for warmth.
"Guys… it's the middle of July." He gasped.
"Yeah, we know." Tony flatly replied.
"Then why the hell does it look like an ice age out there?!" Connor demanded, pulling down his mask.
"Apparently Thor's D&D game got a little out of hand." Tony remarked, shooting the Asgardian a sideways glance. Connor tilted his head as he knit his brow in confusion.
"Wait, what?"
"I fear the Casket of Ancient Winters has been opened, friend Connor." Thor elaborated.
"A Casket, eh?" Connor queried as he stepped further into the room, checking out the satellite
"Yeah, more fantasy stuff." Tony said with a roll of his eyes.
"Seriously, Tony? You've been working with him for how long and you still think magic is relegated to Lord of the Rings?" Connor responded.
"Given the weather, perhaps this is more like Game of Thrones." T'Challa wisecracked. It took Connor a moment to comprehend before he deadpanned.
"Winter is coming, ha ha, I see what you did there."
"Nay, this is no mere winter, my friends. This is Fimbulwinter." Thor corrected.
"Now there's a term I recognize." Connor mused.
"Thimble-whatnow?"
"A harsh three-year winter that will end all life on Earth." He explained to Tony. "I studied that in mythology class, last year of high school."
"Myths. Just like fantasy." Tony determined. Connor sighed, running a hand through his hair in exasperation.
"Have you even looked out the window?" He pressed. "There's a planet-wide blizzard and you're still mocking magic!" He exclaimed. "Where do you think this came from?!"
"Norway to be exact. That is where the Casket it." T'Challa interjected. Everyone suddenly turned to him, surprised by his sudden answer.
"Come again?" Tony wondered in bewilderment.
"You should try more Chaos Theory, less failure." The Wakandan King explained with a smirk.
"Well then, that certainly fits with old Norse lore." Connor noted.
"Verily. Tis fitting that the Casket would be hidden among ancient Midgardians, especially those who looked up to my kind as gods." Thor determined.
"Well, sounds like you guys have got your work cut out for you. I'm gonna go back and help out with the ice monsters down below." Connor stated, slipping his mask back on. "Bundle up! It's nippy out there."
Amid the chaos of the battle, Wasp managed to hear her ID card chirp and pulled it from within her glove. "Iron Man to all Avengers. We got a bead on what's causing this. Thor, Panther and I are going to deal with it. Cybernaut can fill you in on the details." Tony's projection explained. The transmission ended as the dull roar of boosters caught their attention as the Quinjet headed in a northern direction.
"I'm just saying it's ironic. All the complicating about technology, and now an eternal Asgardian super-winter is threatening to destroy all life on Earth." Tony remarked to a sour-looking Thor. "You have irony, right? In Asgard?" He teased, feeling quite smug. The Quinjet suddenly lurched as it passed into Norway's hemisphere, the engines seizing up and icing over as the thrusters shorted out.
"External temperatures are dropping exponentially." Black Panther reported. "The engines are seizing."
"Indeed, we do have irony." Thor remarked with a smirk. "Just as you are having some right now." He shot back as Tony glowered.
"I hate magic!" He growled as the Quinjet crashed into the frozen terrain, kicking up a cloud of snow and ice on impact.
With no choice but to continue on foot, the three Avengers persisted in their efforts to find the Casket. Thor remained undisturbed by the temperature variances, his Asgardian physiology proving superior to anything Midgard had to offer. Black Panther had exchanged his pitch black suit for one that was grey in hue, offering additional thermal insulation against the biting cold in contrast to his common suit. Tony had also exchange his gold and crimson Mark VII armor for one from his legion of suits, in this instance a Mark VII-styled blue and silver Arctic Armor, complete with an oversized ARC reactor devoted more to powering thermal coils and survival tech than an actual weapons system.
Tracking the sub-zero air patterns to a distant cave, Iron Man led them onwards as the trio managed to escape the wind in exchange for a different kind of chill. The cave was dark, so devoid of light Thor relied on an electrical charge from Mjolnir to light up their surroundings, sending shivers up and down all of their spines. But the Avengers hardly noticed it, especially when Thor and Iron Man continued to argue.
"All I am saying is that if your jet cannot handle a little cold weather-"
"It can handle it." Tony snapped.
"Avengers." T'Challa interrupting, pausing before a flight of stairs leading up to a single icy pedestal, on which the Casket sat, spewing forth frosty magics that blanketed the world. As their eyes adjusted to the dark of the room, more features came into view. Namely the frozen forms of Enchantress and her Executioner.
"Amora?" Thor gasped. She was trapped within several inches of glossy, clear ice, her expression of shocked horror plainly evident while preserved beneath the ice.
"Greetings, Thunderer." A thin voice rasped from above. Thor turned and laid eyes on a throne of eyes, upon which sat an elf in red armor, a black and white starburst on his chest. "Fancy meeting you here." He greeted with a toothy smile.
"Malekith." Thor growled.
"Okay, I'll bite; what's a 'Malekith'?" Tony wondered.
"Malekith the Accursed, the master of the hounds, a Dark Elf from from the realm of Svartalfheim." Thor responded.
"Yeah… that didn't really clear it up." Tony muttered. Thor ignored his remark and advanced on the Dark Elf.
"You and your people were destroyed by the Frost Giants, in the twenty-third giants war." He stated.
"In which the Jotuns saw fit to conquer my realm. Ymir played his hand well that time." Malekith agreed.
"How did you come here?" Thor demanded.
"I walk in both worlds now, Odinson. The living…" he explained, leaning forward to reveal his split appearance. While one side remained black as night, a healthy skin color for any Dark Elf, the other was pale, sinewy and corpse-like. His eyes matched, the black side bright and golden, while the blue side was pale and glassy, devoid of a pupil, "and the dead."
"Then I shall send you back to where you belong, elf." Thor vowed, spinning Mjolnir around on its strap. Before he could unleash his hammer, the Casket's power turned on him, engulfing Thor in a torrent of wintry power.
"Thor!" Tony cried in alarm, watching as Thor was frozen solid as Enchantress and Skurge were. Malekith cackled, clearly pleased with the power at his disposal.
"What do you want, Malekith? Why have you unleashed this Fimbulwinter upon the Earth?" Black Panther demanded.
"I had heard that Thor turned his back on his father, choosing this mortal realm over Asgard." Malekith replied. "I too wish to make my home here. I will bring my people back to the land of the living in Midgard. In fact, it has already begun…" His cryptic words hung in the air until Iron Man pieced them together.
"The ice monsters. The ones in New York!" He frightfully realized.
As far as battling armies go, this one was easy. The creatures broke easy and were supported only by their numbers. The Avengers continued to battle heavily until, that is, the scope of the combat suddenly changed.
The beasts began to shudder and break, their city shells cracking to pieces as they disgorged thick clouds of dark vapours. Dark and menacing, they swarmed the skies in droves as each monster fell, taking on vaguely humanoid forms and circled menacingly. Cap, Ant-Man, Hawkeye, Hulk, Cybernaut and Wasp paused in mixed confusion, curiosity and fear as the whispy mists became the monstrous forms of Dark Elf spirits… the dead walking among the living.
"The Casket's power will destroy you pathetic mortals with the power of Fimbulwinter, and I will cut off Midgard from the nine realms. This land will become a new paradise for the Dark Elves… ruled by me!" Malekith proclaimed, teleporting down to face the remaining two Avengers in a column of black smoke.
Behind them, six sets of glowing eyes emerged into the dark, followed closely by snarling growls as Malekith's hounds arrived on the scene. They had mutated from wolves into their true form as hounds from hel, bending to the will of Dark Elf with elongated claws and fangs. "But sadly… you will not be here to see it." Malekith whispered gleefully, a smile upon his divided visage. Summoning the Casket into his hands, the Elf unleashed its powers upon Iron Man, the magical energy impacting with him brutally so. Malekith anticipated another easy freezing, but was shocked when a crimson thermal shield warded off the cold long enough to keep Iron Man safe from harm.
"Chilly. That all you've got?" He remarked. Malekith frowned.
"My hounds… tear them apart!" He ordered, the three wolfish beasts soon joined by a fourth that pounced on Iron Man from above as the rest made to corner Black Panther. Quickly vaulting off a cave wall, T'Challa narrowly avoided the jaws of one before leaping out of the way of the claws of a second. He found himself between two beasts who charged him momentarily. Leaping high, the Wakandan avoided getting caught in the middle as the two beasts' skulls met instead, taking themselves out.
Finding himself before Malekith, T'Challa struck fast with a speedy left hook. But Malekith vanished before it could make contact, the Wakandan searching around for some sign of his quarry.
"Panther! Watch out!" Iron Man cried out in alarm, still pinned beneath a beast. T'Challa whirled around to find Malekith reconstituted and waiting for him, his body suddenly mutating into a ghoulish, undead monstrosity that lunged towards him and engulfed Panther whole while muffling his screams.
The Svartalf spirits began pursuing the Avengers, not attacking but tormenting, chasing, dancing around them in a taunting manner. No form of weaponry could find its mark, not Hawkeye's arrows or Cybernaut's irons.
With their dominance proven against the Avengers fighting back to back, they started to swarm.
Hulk went down first, a spirit dissipating into a cloud that gripped the gamma giant and hauled him away, a second zeroing in on Hawkeye and knocking him to the ground. Two more pounced on the downed archer, their touch enough to cause thick ice to spread across his body, trapping him. "Jan! Hulk! Connor!" He cried out, his struggling to no avail.
"Hawkeye!" Janet cried in alarm, zipping around the reaching clawed hands of Dark Elf spirits.
"Hang on, Clint!" Connor urged, struggling to avoid their hands himself.
Trapped within a column of black as onyx smoke, only T'Challa's screams could be heard. "Panther!" Tony cried again, promptly blasting the hound off of him with twin repulsor strikes. Crawling to his feet, he managed to get off a single unibeam blast that shattered Thor's icy prison before he was tackled by another hound. The Asgardian fell to his knees, struggling to recover. "Thor! Thor, get up!" Tony shouted, struggling to ward of the hound's snapping jaws. Thor had not the strength to do so, but he did have some wisdom to impart.
"Metal is bane to the Dark Elves… iron is his weakness…" Within his prison, T'Challa overheard.
"I have not… the irons of Cybernaut… but perhaps Vibranium shall suffice…" he gasped, drawing a pair of daggers from his belt. They glowed bright as a single indigo swipe caused the smoke to dissipate as Malekith escaped with a cry. "It would seem to work as well." T'Challa groaned, falling to his knees out of exhaustion. Malekith reconstituted at the foot of the stairs, clutching his wounded chest.
"You dare?" He growled. "A mortal thinks he can hurt Malekith the Accursed? A mere man?"
"How about an Iron Man?!" Tony shouted, attacking from behind and tackling Malekith with the full metal impact of his suit. Taking flight and plunging them both into the sub-zero column spewing forth from the Casket, Malekith's body steamed as the metal of the Iron Man armor made contact with his skin.
"Your armor… has very little iron in it." He slowly cackled. Reaching behind with ease, Malekith turned and threw Iron Man into a wall, allowing him to remain within the power well conjured by the Casket. As he did, Thor rose, fully recovered.
"You forget your place, Dark Elf. Let me remind you with whom you are dealing!" He roared, summoning a lightning storm that struck Malekith dead centre. To the shock of all, it did nothing, and Malekith merely cackled from within.
"Your hammer may wield magic, but I am magic!" He declared. "I am beyond life and death now, and with the power of the Casket… nothing can stop me!" Iron Man unleashed a pair of superheated rays upon the energy well, neither of them proving effective.
"This isn't working! How do we stop this guy?!" He demanded.
"I-I do not know!" Thor worriedly responded. Malekith was a powerful sorcerer, a gifted natural when it came to magic. A fact soon proven true when he unleashed his power and caused the power of the Casket to expand and fill the cave. Beset by frigid temperatures and harsh winds that bit through their protective layers, the Avengers were pushed back once more as Malekith reigned supreme.
Iron Man clung to hope as his heat shields were raised, T'Challa faring far worse as he huddled behind a rock, hugging himself for warmth. "I-In Wakanda… science and mysticism work t-together… to accomplish things n-neither could do alone." He told his teammates, the strength and energy to talk sapped from his bones. Iron Man began to think, planning out a new phase of attack as he looked to Thor.
"Your lightning…"
"It is no use. He is too strong now." Thor replied.
"But my armor… it weakens him." Iron Man responded. "We can do this." Thor understood and nodded. "On my mark, hit me with everything you've got." He commanded, taking flight and plowing straight into Malekith. Capturing the Dark Elf in a debilitating stranglehold, he was primed and ready as Thor unleashed a powerful bolt from his hammer.
"FOR MIDGARD!" He roared, summoning every ounce of his godly power to strike Malekith. True to Iron Man's reason, the weakness exposed by his armor bypassed Malekith's magic, allowing Mjolnir's lightning to strike true and score a deadly blow against him. With a piercing scream that filled the cave, Malekith was reduced to an ashen corpse, quickly blown to dust by the churning polar winds.
Iron Man collapsed, his efforts successful, but the Casket remained open. Thor struggled towards it, pushing on through the blizzard as he took the full might of Fimbulwinter in an effort to finish this fight. Ice began to form along his skin, the frosty magic chilling him to the bone in no way any realm ever could. He fell to his knees, crawling towards the Casket as the ice threatened to engulf him. If he failed here, Midgard would be forever lost to the fury of Fimbulwinter and all life would die… his fellow Avengers included.
Reaching out with a frost bitten hand, braving the wind and ice in a final, desperate struggle, Thor found the lid and sealed it tight. The Casket closed shut and took Fimbulwinter with it.
Hulk had fallen, frozen solid, as had Hawkeye. Cap and Ant-Man were nowhere to be seen. "Come on Thor… Iron Man… anytime now…" Wasp whispered nervously. She and Cybernaut were all that remained against the Dark Elf spirits. They kept circling, surrounding them, forcing the pair into a corner. Connor vowed to protect Janet, but that was something easier said than done. He couldn't do much if he was frozen like the others. Forming a staff out of his irons, he used his magnets to spin it around at high velocity, creating an impromptu fan with which he might blow the spirits away.
"They're like clouds… they have to behave like them too…!" He reasoned, struggling against the cold. His hands hurt, the metal encasing his bones creaking and groaning the longer he remained in these conditions. He had to keep trying, though, no matter what he would not give up now-
"Connor!" He turned on heel at Janet's cry, finding her shrunken form trapped in the grip of a Dark Elf with four more fixated upon her.
"Janet!" He shouted, charging towards them. He swung his staff around, the rods passing through the spirits arm like so much vapor.
"Iron once hurt us, Midgardian." The spirits hissed. "But now, nothing harms the dead. The dead can only harm the living." At once, hands and limbs descended upon him, snaring him like ropes and trapping him in a cold, vice-like embrace. He could feel the ice forming, cutting through his protective layers and striking him at a cellular level. Frostbite would follow in seconds, he knew it. Yet he still kept reaching, trying.
"JANET!" He screamed, desperate to push through, fingers of flesh and metal reaching vainly.
Then, all of a sudden, the wind died down.
The Elven spirits looked up in horror as the clouds parted and the sky turned blue, bright sunlight shining down from above. The curse of the Casket had been lifted and in its course all forms of winter were purged from the Earth, restoring the realm to its natural state. Unable to survive bright light and a warm climate, the Dark Elves gave themselves up with a shriek as their spirits turned to mist and vanished into thin air.
Connor fell to the ground as the ice on him melted away, Janet equally freed as she grew to regualr size. The snow around them dissipated, revealing lush green grass as the warming sun graced their frosty flesh. The technopath breathed a sigh of relief, looking around to find trees verdant and lush, the day returned to its original pristine state. He leaned back against a tree and reached into his pocket for a pair of sunglasses, lowering his mask and slipping them on as he basked in the warmth. "Much better." He mused with a contented smile.
Hawkeye came to, as did Hulk, the two of them now alongside their fellow Avengers in a world far warmer than it had been. "What… What happened?" Hawkeye wondered groggily.
"I beat everybody and you guys totally missed it." Janet teased, equally relaxed next to Connor. She offered a happy sigh as she gazed up at the blue, cloudless sky. "Welcome back sun."
"I don't know about you all, but I'm suddenly desperate to work on my tan." Connor mused. At that, Janet suddenly punched him in the shoulder.
"Ow! What?" He questioned.
"You left me alone with an angry Hulk." Janet responded, looking none too impressed.
"Alone? What am I, chopped liver?" Hawkeye grumbled.
"Uh, right… sorry, Jan." Connor sheepishly apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "Can I make it up to you?" He wondered. Janet pondered for a moment, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
"Well, you never did rub my back down, and with this weather I think it's safe to go back to tanning." She mused. Connor turned red at the prospect.
"Uh… r-right…" He stammered, leaning back more doubfounded and worried this time. "Is it too much to ask for another blizzard?" He quietly prayed.
Thor helped Iron Man and T'Challa to their feet, the Casket secured and Malekith banished back to Niflheim. "I, uh, thank you, Tony Stark." The Asgardian slowly began. "I would not have defeated Malekith without you."
"Hey, no problem," Tony softly and humbly replied, "my tech… it was nothing against him." He admitted. "I needed-"
"Together." Thor interjected with a smile, clapping him on the shoulder. "Together we-" He was abruptly cut short when a fire axe slammed into his body, pitching Thor back into the cave wall. The action was so sudden, neither Iron Man nor Black Panther had time to react to the magical bonds that suddenly ensnared them. The axe returned to Skurge's hand as he and Amora strode towards the Avengers.
"Whoops… guess we forgot about her." Tony remarked. They remained powerless to act as Amora collected the Casket.
"Amora, explain yourself! What are you doing here?" Thor demanded. "Tell me you are not in league with Malekith." In response, the Enchantress knelt and merely tapped his cheek soothingly.
"It will all be over soon." She promised sweetly. Rising to her feet, she took her leave as a portal promptly removed herself and Skurge from the scene. The bonds around the Avengers dissipated and Thor surged to his feet. Summoning the power of Mjolnir, he promptly conjured a portal of his own.
"What are you doing?" Iron Man questioned.
"I am opening a portal to Asgard… the Enchantress must pay for this affront." The thunder god replied, making to leave. His teammates watched him leave, only to be halted as the portal sizzled uncontrollably, his own power turned against him as a concussive beam pitched Thor to the ground between Tony and T'Challa. The remaining energy dissipated as Thor picked himself up.
"Are you alright?" Panther asked.
"What happened?" Tony inquired. Pausing for the briefest of moments, Thor's magical senses revealed to him the purpose and cause behind the disruption. He had seen it enacted before, read about it, even studied the act and its effects. To know it had befallen him was more than vexing.
"I have been locked out of Asgard by a power far greater than my own." He responded slowly, still shocked by what had happened. There could only be one reason for this, one reason why the Crown Prince of Asgard was detained in such a way. Magic like this could only be controlled by a handful, and if it had been used against him…
Something foul was afoot beyond the realm of Midgard.
"I… I cannot go home." Thor whispered in dismay.