The Masters of Evil strike again! Joined by the stony Grey Gargoyle, the noxious Chemistro, and the blinding Living Laser, the Avengers face a threat of colossal proportions as the Enchantress harnesses the almighty Norn Stones! Ready for the battle, true believers? Tune in as the mighty Avengers fight on in the name of-
Chapter 22: This Hostage Earth
The Asgardian province of Nornheim was both heavily defended and heavily avoided. It was a sorcerous realm, where thick magic permeated the air to cloud the mind and weary the body. As such it was the perfect domain for the Norns; the Nordic sisters of Fate who could dispel destinies and foretell futures. It was also the residence of Asgard's most powerful sorceress; Karnilla the Norn Queen.
So it would stand to reason that only the bravest and most boldest wold ever dare to face her, especially in combat. Yet someone was trying this day, Karnilla employing all of her magics in an effort to repulse an equally talented invader. "You dare come here and challenge me?" She shrieked to the darkened halls of her palace, casting out bolts of fiery incantations that lit the halls in green, red and purple. "Tell your master he has made a grave mistake! No one challenges Karnilla! I am-" Her proclamation went unfinished, a sole gasp escaping her open mouth as she felt a new sorcery be applied to her own body. Skin and clothed turned hard as rock, the very living tissue that comprised her form was frozen solid and cast in the shape of intricately carven stone. In mere moments, Karnilla was rendered little more than a statue…
For that is what the power of the Grey Gargoyle could do.
Emerging from behind her, Paul Duval studied his handiwork with glee as his allies emerged from the dark. "Well done, mortal. Zemo was right, your power is impressive." Amora the Enchantress applauded as she reached the foot of Karnilla's throne, followed by her executioner Skurge. "The Norn Queen is a formidable opponent. Or was, at least. Come, Skurge, let us give the Grey Gargoyle his reward. And then we shall collect our prize…" Amora cooed, Skurge stepping forth to do her bidding…
Elsewhere, in the secret lab of Arnim Zola, the Masters of Evil gathered and waited. New members had joined the ranks, in addition to Baron Zemo, Cobalt, Abomination, Wonder Man, and Crimson Dynamo, the Living Laser and Chemistro had also found membership within this society of evildoers. Zola sat in the corner, petting his latest Doughboy experiment as the others paced expectantly.
"How much longer are we supposed to wait, Zemo?" Abomination complained.
"All will be revealed soon, Mister Blonsky." Zemo calmly replied.
"I don't like this, Zemo. We're taking a lot to chance on the possibility some magic-doohickeys will pull through for us." Cobalt grumbled, crossing his arms. His shiny blue outfit was a dark contrast to Zemo's royal purple, the two eye to eye whenever they conversed.
"Do you know what I like about you, Cobalt? You are a grounded man. You're always looking at the practical side of things." Zemo mused in response. "But trust me, had you seen the things Hydra was capable of during the War, you would trust in the potency of magic wholeheartedly."
"I'll believe it when I see it." Cobalt retorted. Then, Skurge's axe split open a fresh portal at the other end of the room, allowing himself and Enchantress to return and far from empty-handed. The portal sealed behind them, Grey Gargoyle nowhere to be seen.
"The time has come, mortals." Amora announced. "As promised." With a whisper of her magics, Amora allowed the bag in her hand to float over to Zemo's waiting grasp. Reaching within, the nobleman pulled out a smooth, rounded stone with a curious marking etched into it.
"Ah, the Norn stones you spoke of." Zemo mused gleefully.
"How are a bunch of rocks supposed to help us take over the world?" Arch Morton, better known as Chemistro, questioned.
"The stones are but the first step, Chemistro." Enchantress told him.
"Where's Grey Gargoyle?" Colbalt demanded.
"The battle was hard-fought. He did not make it." She lied and Cobalt frowned at her answer.
"No matter," Zemo determined, turning to face his colleagues, "today… we become the Masters of Earth!" He declared, hoisting the glowing Norn stone high.
Meanwhile, at Avengers Mansion…
"Gentlemen, prepare to be amazed!" Tony declared.
"Okay then…" Captain America mused, shining an apple on his shirt.
"Well, this is for Thor, mostly. No offence, Cap." Tony quickly explained.
"None taken." Cap excused, taking a bite out of his apple.
"You were saying, Iron Man?" Thor pressed, eager to hear the news.
"As you know, T'Challa and I have been working on a way to get you back into Asgard." Tony explained, turning to the holotable. "Turns out, Wakanda has a lot to offer when it comes to blending technology and magic. Well, we think we've got it."
"And here I thought Connor was the cultural hobbyist." Cap mused, taking another bite. With a simple keystroke, Tony revealed a rendered blueprint of his newest joint invention.
"Ta da!" Thor cocked his head, raising a blonde brow as he looked at the machine askance.
"I do not understand how this machine can pierce the veil between Midgard and the other realms." He stated.
"What we need is a weak spot, somewhere the two planes overlap. In that spot, we use the door to create a wormhole." Tony explained, quickly pulling up an animated demonstration. "You go in here, you come out in Asgard." Cap paused mid-bite, watching the unfolding display with growing curiosity. He'd seen this kind of machinery at work before… almost seventy years ago…
"Truly, my friends, I'm impressed." Thor mused, feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time. Tony and T'Challa shared looks of confident affirmation, pleased by their efforts and work.
"Not to rain on your parade, Tony," Cap suddenly cut in, "but I saw a similar machine do that same kind of thing back in my day. It worked, too." He described.
Slack-jawed and lost for words, Tony was dumbstruck. "Where?!" He exclaimed.
Several stories up, Hank Pym packed the last of the few clothes he'd brought to the mansion, fully intending to go ahead with his resignation from the Avengers. But before he could stuff the last shirt into his duffle bag, it was snatched away by Wasp.
"It wasn't your fault, Hank." She whispered in a pleading tone. "You couldn't have known what would happen with Ultron. Besides, Thor's alive and Connor's already accepted your apology." Slowly and quietly, Hank took his shirt back.
"You don't understand, Jan." He sighed. "I should have. After all, my mind was the basis for Ultron's." That was perhaps the most worrying discovery made during recent events. If his brainwaves alone could cause this stark shift in Ultron, what did it mean he was capable of?
Stuffing the final article into his bag, he pulled the drawstrings taut and hoisted it over his shoulder, turning around and making to leave. Before he could, Janet sprang off the bed and cut him off. "This is not your fault. You are not Ultron." She insisted. "Everything worked out in the end, didn't it? We're going to be okay, Hank." She said, her voice and gaze hopeful. But Hank simply could not meet it. "Please… don't leave." Janet begged him, gently taking her hand in his.
"Jan, the whole time I've been with the Avengers I've been betraying everything I believe in. I embraced violence and then created something worse." Hank quietly replied. "I created a robot that almost ended all life on Earth. That's about as far from 'okay' as I can imagine." With that, he shrank out of sight, the mere buzzing of wings indicating that Ant-Man had taken off. The door shut behind her and Janet was left alone, her gaze downcast and fighting off the swelling sorrow she felt.
Returning to the bed, Janet sat down with a sigh, her shoulders drooping. It felt lonely now. This was their room. Maybe it was mostly hers since Hank spent so many nights down in the workshop or at the college labs, but his clothes had still filled the dressers, and the odd night he was in the Mansion he had slept beside her in this bed. Now he was gone, and it felt like a part of her had left as well.
A soft knock drew her gaze upwards, and the door swinging open moments later had Connor poking his head into the room. "Hey." He greeted softly. "Am I interrupting?" Janet offered him a sad smile.
"No, come on in." She invited. Connor stepped into the room, revealing his complete Cybernaut costume save for his headmask.
"Saw the door close by itself and thought I'd drop by." He explained, stepping over to the bed. "I'm guessing Hank took off?" He queried. Janet nodded, her gaze downcast as her smile fell. Slowly sinking down, Connor reached out and laid a hand on her bare shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jan." He apologized, feeling sorry for her.
"I tried to convince him to stay. But it's like he wasn't even listening to me, he's just so… caught up in everything that went wrong with Ultron." She bemoaned in a soft, crestfallen tone. "He's moved all his projects back to Greyburn, even packed up his lab. Everything's gone from the Mansion… now he is too." Her glance turned to the bed between them and Janet ran a gloved hand across the sheets. "I just feel so… lonely now."
"Well, not like you two are breaking up or anything like that… right?" Connor queried.
"I mean… yeah." Janet agreed, at least there was that. "It's just… I love this. I love being an Avenger. I thought he did too, I thought it was so cool we could be together and do this. Now I see his heart wasn't even in it… if anything, he hated it."
"Maybe just give him a chance to breathe. He's been put through the ringer with Ultron, Hank probably just needs a moment to connect with himself again." Connor queried. "He'll come around, Jan. I know he will."
"I'm not so sure." Janet murmured, shuffling a little closer to him. "Connor, do you… do you hold anything against him? Like what happened with Ultron?" She wondered, finally meeting his gaze.
"No, there was no way he could've known. Besides, Ultron bushwhacked him too." Connor replied.
"I know. I tried to tell him that." Janet explained, despite her agreement, her sniffle told all. Connor started to slowly rub her back reassuringly.
"If you ever need anything, feel free to ask me." He softly offered. "You're my teammate and, well, I like to think of you as my friend. You've been there for me in the past, so now it's my turn." Janet looked up at him.
"You mean it?" She queried.
"Of course I do." Connor replied with a small, sad smile. As if to take him up on his offer, Janet leaned over and wrapped her arms around him. Connor returned the hug, holding her close. Closing his eyes in blissful enjoyment, the technopath savoured the simple embrace of the woman he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, he loved with all his heart.
And yet he could do nothing about it. For she was another man's woman.
"Hank loves you. He won't forget you." He said, struggling to keep his composure. The sudden beeping from his ID card forced them apart, Connor withdrawing the device from his belt as he opened a comm from Tony.
"Wasp, Cybernaut, we need you in the assembly room. You're gonna want to hear this!" Tony's voice excitedly told them. Glancing at each other, the two decided they had better go.
"Wonder what all the fuss is about…" Connor wondered with a shrug, standing up as he made to leave. But then, Janet stopped him.
"Are you gonna be up for this? You know, after Ultron…" She asked. Connor paused, beaming on the inside and touched to know she was worried about him.
"I should be." He said plainly. "I need to stretch my legs after laying in the hospital for so long."
The complete Avengers team assembled down below, Hawkeye, Hulk, Wasp and Cybernaut joining Tony, T'Challa, Thor and Captain America. Once they arrived, Cap regaled them all with a memory from World War Two. "Bucky and I had infiltrated a Hydra base in Norway, rumor was that the Red Skull had some kind of doomsday weapon there. But what we found was beyond anything we'd ever seen. The Skull had a machine similar to yours and he was pulling monsters through it into our world. He was enslaving them, putting collars on the creatures. He was creating an army to take over the world. And if Bucky and I hadn't stopped him…"
"But you did, Captain. And from your tale it would seem that this Red Skull did indeed open a portal to the Asgardian realms. The creatures you describe, they are familiar to me." Thor mused. Tony started typing on the table.
"Hang on, I've got satellite images coming in on the Hydra base." He announced, pulling up a holographic render of the old Hydra stronghold.
"JARVIS, trace the energy coming from that location." T'Challa ordered, the house AI quickly using up a thermal map showing hotspots where the concentration of energy was strongest. Given that particular point, JARVIS drew up a second map, this time highlighting a series of boundaries in yellow.
"This spot… This is what I was talking about; this is a point where two planes are overlapping… like a dimensional fault line." Tony excitedly realized and he wasn't the only one to clue in.
"Oh! Oh, I've seen these in some paranormal shows I've watched!" Connor exclaimed. "What're they called…" He snapped his fingers, wracking his mind to try and remember.
"Ley lines." T'Challa said.
"Yeah! That's it!"
"They are veins of magic that run through our world, connecting it to others." T'Challa continued. "Or, as Iron Man would say, paths of other-dimensional energy that reveal weak spots between the dimensions."
"Unless there's an acronym for that, I'm just gonna stick with 'ley lines'." Janet remarked.
"In this case, there are eight, not counting Earth." T'Challa observed.
"One for each realm." Thor realized. "It is said the nine realms are interconnected by Yggdrasil, the tree of life."
"Big tree." Hulk rumbled.
"Call it whatever you want, this is how we're gonna get you home." Tony declared. Just then, the ley line points on the holographic Earth began to pulse a little faster.
"Alert, dimensional energy flares in progress." JARVIS informed them. Tony was quick to draw up a more in-depth diagnosis.
"Something's affecting the energy at each of the locations… except one that's in an active volcano." He informed them all. At that, Thor turned to leave.
"Thor, wait." Cap called after him.
"Nay, if the threat we face is Asgardian, I will not allow it to put Midgard in jeopardy again." Thor vowed.
"Well, we mortals certainly appreciate that. But you're on a team, remember?" Tony reminded him. "Seven locations, seven-er, well, eight Avengers. Whatever's going on, we'll deal with it together." He promised and Thor liked that idea very much.
At that moment, Janet caught a partial glimpse of a very Ant-Man-shaped silhouette lurking just outside the door, only for it to disappear seconds later…
Thor took flight across the skies, Hulk bounded across the rooftops, Hawkeye mounted up in his sky-cycle, Black Panther took the one-man Arrowhead light transport as Captain America and Wasp piloted the two Quinjets as the Avengers split up to track down their respective targets. "Stay in radio contact. If you find anything, call it in." Tony ordered, his helmet's faceplate snapping shut. "Avengers, assem-… Well, actually, Avengers, disassemble." He remarked.
"So why me, Tony?" Cybernaut inquired, standing beside him. "Figured you'd keep tabs on me after Ultron beat me black and blue?"
"Kinda, yeah." Tony nonchalantly agreed. "How're you feeling, by the way?"
"With my powers, you'd think robots would be easy to handle." Cybernaut sighed. "But… nope."
"Hopefully this little trip will set you straight again." Iron Man mused, a hand on his shoulder. "Here, had this made for you." He offered, holding out his hand. In it was a pair of goggles and a metallic facemask, both in matching shades of black and silver.
"Reminds be of BMX helmets." Connor observed, accepting the gifts
"That's kinda the idea. We've got a flight ahead of us so I figured you could use some eyewear and facewear to block out the wind." Slipping them both on, Connor felt like he belonged in some action movie.
"Not bad. Thanks." He replied, taking flight alongside Iron Man as his HUD map led the way to their ley line intersection. Cybernaut was capable of sustained flight by creating a reverse-polarity field around the metal sole of his boots, essentially pushing off of himself in order to move in the air.
As such, he was capable of moving as fast as the magnetic pull of his harnesses could achieve. And that, to be exact, was quite fast. Allowing him to keep pace with Iron Man.
Meanwhile…
"They are coming." Enchantress mused with a grin as her precognitive sight granted her a glimpse into the near future. "You can finally earn your reward, Zemo. For if you and your team succeed today, you will be given Midgard as promised."
"You need not worry, Enchantress." Zemo promised. "I know their strengths and weaknesses now. I know the Avengers better than they know themselves." He mused with a chuckle, studying the glowing Norn stone before him.
Some time later…
Iron Man and Cybernaut found themselves rocketing over a heavily-forested area as they drew closer to the beacon guiding them along. The technopath took note of the environment. "Curious." He murmured.
"What is?" Iron Man queried.
"Just thinking about what Thor said, about one ley line for each of the nine realms. I'm wondering if the locations correlate to a realm. That active volcano one reminded me of Muspelheim, the realm of fire." Cybernaut replied.
"What do you think about this one we're headed to?" Tony queried, surveying the area.
"Once I get the exact lay of the land, I should be able to tell you more." Connor responded. Tony's sensors led them to a yawning opening to an underground cave system where a brilliant white light down below beckoned them closer. The two slowly started to descend, their communicators suddenly crackling to life as Wasp called out.
"Guys, can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, Jan. Where are you?" Cybernaut queried.
"The Arctic. Nothing but snow and a big ol' ice hole."
"There a corresponding realm for that, Connor?" Iron Man asked. The technopath nodded.
"Jotunheim." He answered. "Supposedly a realm of unyielding cold."
"I think I've got something," Janet continued, "some kind of glowy magic-looking rock. Hang on, let me get a closer look." The men waited for her response. But suddenly, a thunderous crash and a cry from Wasp shattered the stillness.
"Wasp?!" Connor exclaimed in fright. That was when a deep, accented voice came through the transmission feed.
"If you've got any last words for your friends, now's the time."
"Anyone wanna switch spots?" Wasp squeaked.
"Janet? Janet!" Connor cried out in worry. Tony gave it a try.
"Jan, repeat! What's going on?" He asked through his comms.
"It's a trap! Abomination's here!" Janet hurriedly responded, her comms cutting in and out.
"He's with Zemo's Masters." Connor realized, a fearful chill shooting up his spine.
"Wasp! Get out of there! Wasp!" Tony shouted, met only with static.
"Janet!" Connor echoed, receiving no response. Beneath his goggles, his eyes were wide with frightened worry.
"Magical energy source located." JARVIS intoned. "Warning, pulse in progress."
"I should've gone with her, I knew it!" Connor berated himself.
"Janet can handle herself, she'll be okay-" Tony tried to reply,
"It's Abomi-friggin-nation, Tony!" Connor snapped.
"She'll be okay until we can help her out." Tony finished in a firmer tone. The two set down before another of the 'glowy magic-rock things' "Let's figure out what this thing is and then-" With a sudden cry, a flash of yellow light knocked Iron Man off his footing and sent him careening into a nearby wall, leaving a shapely impact mark behind before he crashed into the cave floor. Before Cybernaut could respond, a massive scarlet hand grabbed his body and slammed him up against the cave wall, the technopath left to stare back into the visor of Crimson Dynamo.
The flash of light that had struck Tony took on a humanoid form on a distant rock; clad in a black bodysuit adorned with jagged yellow lines marked his identity. "Laser!" Iron Man exclaimed as he rolled over and stood.
"That's Living Laser, Iron Man." The felon corrected. "Living, as in something you two aren't going to be in about five seconds. You have no idea how much I've been looking forward to this!" Disappearing into another flash of light, Living Laser struck quickly as Crimson Dynamo threw Cybernaut to the ground, knocking off his mask and goggles as the hero struggled to recover in time.
Wasp, meanwhile, was trapped in the close quarters of the ice hole with the hulking Abomination, the brutish gamma beast hunting her rabidly with his fists. She had enough room to zip around them in a skillful display of aerial acrobatics, thankfully, but Abomination was proving tireless. "I don't know if you heard him, but Iron Man recommended you run!" Janet shouted bravely, preparing to blast Abomination in the face with a two-handed bio-sting.
She would've too, had his clawed hands not come together and smashed her in between them.
With a smirk, Emil peered in through a gap in his thumbs, hoping to see the remains of Wasp in his hands. What he got instead was a cheeky wink as Janet stuck her tongue out then blasted him right in the eye. With a roar, Abomination recoiled as Janet set to work peppering him with bio-stings. "You're done, do you hear me?!" Abomination howled. "There's no escape for you!" Swinging his hands together in a parody of Hulk's 'thunderclap' the sonic vibrations from his clap sent Janet spiralling out of control with a cry.
As it stood, every location was a trap set by the Masters of Evil, at least one member of the villainous society waiting to strike the unsuspecting Avenger en route.
Captain America arrived at the ruined foundations of an old castle, the land cloaked in misty shadows and perpetual darkness save for the glowing Norn stone to be found there. But as he approached, someone was waiting for him in the shadows. That someone stopped forth and sent a chunk of granite hurtling towards Cap, who raised his shield just in time to ward off the head-sized salvo. Cobalt stepped from the shadows, his betokinetic powers drawing the material from the ruins to envelop his hands and solidify into a pair of granite gloves. "Captain America. Never killed a living legend before." Cobalt greeted, his dark blue form sprinting ahead to strike the Star-Spangled Man…
Sprinting through a dense jungle, Hawkeye hopped from overgrown limb to mossy tree limb until a bolt of radiation nearly became his downfall as it turned the limb he was on to molten slime. Grabbing a nearby vine, the archer swung himself to safer ground where he drew two arrows and whipped around to face his foe. "Paste Pot Pete?" He queried, loosing his projectiles. Both were promptly consumed by bolts of dissolving radiation. "No, wait, you're the Hypno-Hustler, am I right?" Hawkeye retried with a smirk.
"How can you not remember who I am?!" An irritated Chemistro retorted, priming his 'alchemy gun'. "You punched me in the face!" He exclaimed, referring to the last time they met a great many months ago.
"That doesn't really narrow it down, pal." Hawkeye remarked…
Elsewhere, in a graveyard, Wonder Man protected his Norn stone from an opposing Black Panther. "I'm warning you, Avenger, back off. I don't want to fight you, but I can't let you have the stone." He stated.
"I can only assume the other Masters of Evil have been dispatched to the remaining six locations." Black Panther deduced. "What interested does Zemo have in Asgard?" He wondered, keeping his distance.
"Zemo, he-… It's nothing that you can stop." Wonder Man retorted.
"I hear that doubt in your voice." Panther noted. "Whatever Zemo is planning, you obviously have reservations."
"You don't understand." Simon retorted bitterly.
"What? That Zemo is keeping you live? I believe that Wakandan science could solve your problem as well." T'Challa theorized. "Come, let us discuss this like rational men…" He offered, the hand behind his back snapping out his claws as he approached…
Elsewhere, in a woodland lake, Skurge the Executioner waited quietly as the thunderous impacts from Hulk's super-leaping grew ever louder. Finally landing on the far side of the island where the Norn stone sat, the jade giant kicked up a cloud of sand as he stood across from his equally-strong enemy and cracked his knuckled in anticipation. With a slight grin, Skurge hefted his Blood Axe with both hands as he turned to face his foe, the two quickly bearing down on one another as they collided in a titanic display of force…
Arriving at the former Hydra base in Norway, Thor arrived at the ruins to discover ancient technology that sat long-unused, all of it in states of disrepair and disarray. It was exactly as Captain America described and Thor queued his ID card to transmit to his team. "Avengers, I believe I have found the source of the disturbances detected by Iron Man's computer. It is a Norn stone, an artifact of Asgardian magic created by Asgard's most powerful sorceress." He reported.
"You insult me, Odinson." Amora crooned, her voice lilting from the shadows. Thor whirled around, Mjolnir at the ready. As he did, Echantress and Zemo teleported into the room. "Karnilla's power is nothing compared to mine." She mused, throwing the thunder god a sultry glance.
"Dynamo, shut down the Avengers' communications." Zemo ordered into an earpiece. At once, Thor's ID card was reduced to static, his ability to communicate with his distant friends now taken from him.
"What is the meaning of this, Enchantress?" He demanded. "Why have you brought the Norn stones to Midgard?"
"Midgard was once the centre of the nine realms. I am going to make it the middle realm once again." Amora replied. "The Stones are going to tear down the walls between Asgard and Earth." Hearing her scheme, Thor immediately advanced upon her, Zemo drawing a pistol and taking aim at him.
"You are more of a fool than I originally thought, Zemo," Thor remarked dismissively, "if you think that-gah!" Zemo pulled the trigger and, instead of an energy round or bullet, a powerful blast of arcane magic struck Thor and sent him flying across the room…
In the forest caves…
"What do you mean communications are down?! Why?" Iron Man exclaimed as he attempted to blast Crimson Dynamo with his repulsors, only to knocked off his feet by Living Laser. "External interference." JARVIS stated. Cybernaut attempted to intervene while outrunning a volley of missiles from Dynamo, only to also be knocked down by Laser.
"It's Dynamo! I can sense it!" The technopath cried out, springing to his feet as fast as he could in order to avoid Dynamo's fusion caster.
"Can you shut-argh!" Tony attempted to ask only to be knocked to the ground by Living Laser. Connor, however, was able to discern his query.
"Trying to!" He exclaimed, sprinting as fast as possible to try and leap across a gap and land on Crimson Dynamo's back. Unfortunately, the power suit jetted out of the way and grabbed him in one of it's oversized fists. "He's de-magnetized his armor! That's becoming a common trait… a really annoying one!" Connor growled as he struggled against his hold. Laser rematerialized in a flash of blinding light.
"Having fun yet?" He taunted.
"What're you even doing here, Parks?" Tony questioned as he picked himself up. "What is it you're after?"
"Zemo wants something. Don't know what, don't care, becuase I'm doing exactly what I want: turning you into a smoking pile of ash!" Laser responded.
In the Arctic…
"You're useless, bug!" Abomination sneered, advancing upon the fallen Wasp. "You know that, right?!" With a yelp, Wasp darted out of the way of his incoming foot, narrowly avoiding getting squished. "Even the guys with no powers, the shield and the bow, even they'd put up more of a fight!" Abomination taunted, giving chase and swinging his claws in narrow-misses as Janet barely dodged each swipe. "You? You're nothing!" He roared, landing a punch so powerful it passed clean through a wall of ice. With a frustrated growl, he realized his arm was stuck.
"Maybe so, but I'm still gonna kick your sorry hide!" Wasp remarked, blitzing the ice above Abomination with a volley of bio-stings, managing to destabilize the material just enough to spark a landslide… that came crashing down right on top of Abomination.
The hapless gamma beast had no time to move before he was buried under several tons of rubble and debris. As the particulate cleared, Janet took a moment to perch on top of it, feeling quite victorious. "I should've brought my camera!" She mused with a chuckle. "I bet Connor would love to see a selfie of-" Her sentence abruptly ended when Abomination's hand burst free from below and snared her in an iron grip.
At the forest lake…
Trading blows at the force of cannon rounds, Hulk and Skurge went toe to toe in awesome displays of immense strength of body and will. Avoiding Skurge's swinging axe, Hulk retaliated with punches of his own, only for the Executioner to prove incredibly hearty and skillful. Whipping around his fist, Skurge landed a powerful left hook the knocked Hulk flat into the water. The jade giant had barely a second to recover before he rolled to avoid Skurge's axe, the mythical weapon splitting open the ground beside him as Hulk sprang to his feet.
Deftly avoiding another swing of his axe, Hulk grappled with Skurge until he had him hoisted over his head, pitching the Asgardian across the lake like a skipping stone. Coming to his feet, Skurge summoned the mystical power of his weapon and drove it deep into the earth beneath the water, splitting open the lakebed and creating a chasm into which Hulk sank, Skurge in hot pursuit as he dove in after him.
At the castle ruins…
Captain America's shield proved truly indestructible, having withstood over a dozen attacks from Cobalt as the betokinetic felon rounded his stone-clad fists on the supersoldier's defence. "What's your angle, Mark? What does Zemo have that you want?" Cap demanded, raising his disc to avoid another chunk of thrown concrete.
"Zemo? I couldn't care less about him." Cobalt retorted, driving both fists into his shield. The ground beneath Steve's feet suddenly came alive and ensnared his boots, trapping him in place.
"Then why are you with him and his cronies?" Steve grunted, struggling against these new odds.
"Leverage, really. You think what Zemo's planning is bad?" Cobalt wondered as he pounded on Cap's shield with blow after blow. "What comes after will be far worse."
At the Norwegian base…
"Iron Man did exactly as I knew he would, the fool!" Zemo hissed, the blade of his sword glowing with imbued magic as he hacked at Thor, the thunder god using the handle of Mjolnir to parry him. "He divided the Avengers, and while they may have defeated my Masters of Evil as a team, individually they will fall!" Thor rebuffed his latest strike.
"Think to test your strength against mine, mortal?" The thundered growled, kicking him away.
"I have no need to." Zemo remarked, sliding to a halt. "Because your defeat was planned before you even arrived." Suddenly struck from behind, Thor turned to block Amora's magical beam with Mjolnir. With his hammer fully charged, Thor struck the ground and unleashed a carpet of lightning that Enchnatress promptly avoided with a hastily-raised magical shield. With his back turned, Zemo shot Thor in the back and felled the Asgardian. Desperately reaching for his hammer, Thor found his hand trod upon by Amora's heel.
"Fool, you had your chance to escape this." The Enchantress spat. "But you turned your back on me." With a wave of her hand, mystical bonds trapped Thor tightly and a field of impenetrable magic enveloped Mjolnir. "For your arrogance, Midgard will pay the price." Amora promised, holding Thor at bay as she unleashed further arcane incantations to ignite the Norn stone.
Across the globe, the Norn stones began to react to her magic, glowing brighter and brighter as their dormant power was activated. Tendrils of magic reached out across time and space, allowing Earth to become interconnected with the nine realms, bridging long-forgotten gaps as Earth became a centrepiece in the great World Tree now reforged anew.
In the Arctic…
Wasp could only look on in helpless horror as her tiny body was trapped in the grip of Abomination. With a deep chuckle, the gamma mutate began to squeeze, "Say good-bye, girl…" He snarled with an ugly grin. Straining under the pressure threatening to pop her like a balloon.
"Agh!" She struggled in vain, but there was little she could do to escape his crushing grip. With a fearful thought, Janet realized this could be it for her. Desperate to escape, she struggled to speak, "I… I… C…" The words couldn't form, her lungs depressing and preventing air from flowing properly. In a last ditch effort, vainly hoping her voice might pierce the comm interference, Janet expended her remaining energy in a final, desperate scream, "C-C… C-Connor!"
All of a sudden, a massive object came crashing down into Abomination, burying him deep into the ground as Wasp was thrown from his hold and landed on the cold hard ground.
Coughing and gasping as her sore body reflexively returned to its normal state, Wasp turned around and finally realized her saving grace had been a fist…
A fist belonging to Giant Man.
"Hank?" She gasped. His fist shuddered, Abomination's incredible strength allowing him to push off and free himself from underneath Giant Man. But Hank was in no mood for niceties and started pounding Abomination with both fists, an angry roar filling the chilly air as he drove Abomination shoulder-deep into the ice. Satisfied, Giant Man turned as Wasp flew high enough to hover beside his face.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"I… Yeah, I'm okay…" Janet breathed. Admittedly, he was not who she was expecting, but his surprising presence was still incredibly welcome. "Hank, I… I can't believe you came." She said breathlessly. "And… oh wait… Can I change my answer about being okay?" She said nervously, the Norn stone glowing even brighter now as pulses of magical energy began to chance the scope of the situation. Almost exactly as Captain America described, the energy allowed monsters from other worlds to teleport into their dimension.
They were big, bigger than Giant Man, looming ominously over him, and neither he nor Wasp had what it took to challenge the Frost Giants of Jotunheim.
In the jungle…
Hawkeye and Chemistro sprinted across opposing vines, shooting off dueling salvos of arrows and radioactive compounds in a struggle to overcome the other. As they did, their Norn stone began to pulse as well, shifting the landscape and drawing into existence creatures from other realms. "What's going on?" Chemistro cried out in alarm.
"Isn't this your plan, genius?" Hawkeye remarked in retort. Together they watched in confused awe as brightly glowing faeries danced around their heads and distant Light Elves from Alfheim gathered close. Suddenly turning on the unsuspecting Chemistro, Hawkeye loosed an adhesive arrow that struck the hand propped up against the tree trunk, a burst of quick-bonding adhesive gluing his hand in place. Chemistro struggled to react, lifting his alchemy gun and trying to fire, but Hawkeye beat him to it with a second arrow, destroying the barrel and splattering radioactive substance across his mask. Chemistro spluttered, clawing at the material eating away at the cloth of his face. If he didn't act quickly, his skin would be next!
"Hey! Get this armor off me!" He begged. "This stuff's dangerous!"
"Yeah, no kidding." Hawkeye remarked, drawing a loosing a solvent arrow that unleashed a cloud of quick-hardening solvent that coated Chemistro's body from head to toe, quenching the acidic effect just after he peeled off his mask…
At the castle ruins…
Thrown to the ground by Cobalt, Captain America was without a shield and a means to counter his foe. The very ground he walked on was free-game for Cobalt's concrete manipulation powers, and every step he took was simply another opportunity for Coblat to undermine him. Not even the metal-mesh of his chainlink costume could ward off the effects from getting punched by concrete.
But before cobalt could score a fatal blow, whispers began to fill the air.
Trapping Captain America under a concrete cage, Cobalt looked around. "Who's there?" He demanded, a chunk of granite hovering in his open hand, ready to fire. "I heard you… show yourself!" He demanded. The fog seemed to shift and shimmer around them, taking on new shapes and forms, or so it seemed as Cobalt blinked. Surely his eyes were playing tricks on him…
But as more phantoms formed and other phantasms drew closer, Cobalt realized that he was surrounded… by ghosts.
"What the…!" Cobalt cried, swinging at the nearest phantom only for his fist to pass clean through it. The spirits of the dead advanced upon him, surrounding him, beating him down with their cold unholy presence alone. "No, no! Stay away!" He screamed, falling to his knees on the ground.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Cobalt!" Cap remarked, freed from his prison as the betokinetic's concentration waned. Leaping up with a two-footed dropkick, Steve clubbed him across the face as he knocked Cobalt to the floor. He was now helplessly at the mercy of the undead. The spirits suddenly turned more vicious and lunged upon him, Cobalt screamed as he grappled with dozens of phantasms. "Always focus on the matter at hand." Cap remarked, snapping his shield up and onto his arm.
At the Norwegian base…
Trapped against the wall, Thor watched helplessly as Amora manipulated the stones with her magics, fueling the their full arcane power in an effort to bridge the realms. Thor knew what this meant. He was only a boy when Midgard had been the meeting ground between realms, a place visitors from every corner could stop by on their journey from one realm to another.
But now, with Earth so densely populated and overflowing with a civilization of its own, the appearance of monsters and creatures from the other realms could only end in catastrophe for the human race.
"Do not trust the Enchantress, Zemo." Thor cautioned the purple-clad German. "Whatever she promised you, it is a lie. To her, mortals are nothing, they are beneath Asgardians. Not equals to be bargained with." Zemo chuckled at his words, seeing what the thunderer was attempting to accomplish. So he reached into the bag on his belt to prove him otherwise.
"Do you really believe that I ever trusted her?" Zemo remarked, revealing a powered collar. Turning around, he snuck up on the unsuspecting Amora who, with her power so concentrated on the Norn stones, failed to sense his approach and his intentions.
The instant the collar was snapped around her neck, Amora realized what was afoot. "You… dare!" She screamed, attempting to pry the device free. Then, Zemo drew a remote and toggled the collar's special function, the remotes antenna aglow as he took over Amora's mind. Her eyes blankly white as her mind was hijacked, Amora ceased resisting and fell completely under Zemo's sway.
"Now, Enchantress, continue your spell… but when the armies of Asgard come to Earth, I want them under my control." He ordered. Thor blanked, his concern rising as the threat to Earth grew graver than ever…
At the forest lake…
An unconscious Skurge hurtled through the air, his body flung like a pebble as if he weighed nothing at all. Emerging from the lake with his Blood Axe in hand, Hulk shook his head to dry out his hair. "Lightweight." He grumbled. But then he gripped his axe with both hands as the water began to boil and froth, coming alive and taking humanoid forms as rivier sprites began to dance about him…
At the graveyard…
Black Panther emerged from his hiding place and pounced on a flying Wonder Man, a single dagger to his back knocking the ionic villain to the ground. On his knees, Simon turned and blasted Panther with a beam of ionic energy, exploding the ground around him as Panther vaulted away. Wonder Man's focus was soon distracted by the feeling of hands clawing at his limbs and he looked down to see black, spectral fingers grasping his calves. Blasting the ground in fright he took to the skies, away from the hands. "What is this? What's happening?!" He demanded.
"I do not know, Simon Williams, but it is time to ask yourself… do you truly believe that there will be a world left for you to live in if you help Zemo?" T'Challa queried in response. Left in quandary, Wonder Man realized that Black Panther spoke truly. There was much for him to think about and consider, and given what he was seeing, he needed to reach a conclusion soon.
He took flight, abandoning his post and leaving Black Panther alone against the spectral forces of the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim. But the Wakandan King accepted the challenge honorably, leaping into their midst with Vibranium claws swinging…
At the forest caves…
Bodyslammed into the wall for the upteenth time, Connor was struggling to overcome Crimson Dynamo. The truth was his mind was distracted, his thoughts consumed by concern over Janet's wellfare against Abomination. As such, his combat performance suffered greatly and Crimson Dynamo was given plenty of free hits as Living Laser unleashed a photonics onslaught against Iron Man. "Save some for me, comrade!" Dynamo ordered. "Once I deal with this pathetic fool, I wish to grind Tony Stark beneath my heel!"
"Yeah yeah, get in line, Anton!" Laser retorted, blasting Iron Man with a pair of golden rays. That's when Cybernaut came about beneath Dynamo's mechanical grip. He couldn't help Janet if he was in no condition to fight…
Grabbing Dynamo's arm with one hand, his mind immediately intertwined with the suit's subsystems as Connor was granted complete control in a matter of seconds. Warnings began to blare across Dynamo's HUD, Anton thoroughly confused as Connor sprouted his irons and sent them hurtling deep into his wrist servos. "Congrats on de-magnetizing your armor. Next time, ease off on the computers!" Cybernaut remarked, tearing himself free and boosting off the wall, his fist crashing through the plexiglass dome surrounding Anton's head before mashing into Anton's face and knocking him out cold.
The Crimson Dynamo promptly collapsed in a heap on the ground, Connor using his control to disable his jammer before he lifted his remaining arm and converted the hand into his autocannon. With a single thought, the weapon fired and struck Living Laser in the back. "Ow!" Parks cried out, whirling around. "What the-!"
"JARVIS, begin energy absorption on my mark!" Tony ordered, raising his repulsors. Thinking he was about to attack, Living Laser dove in, only to have his energized form wrapped up in Tony's superconductors, his entire essence filling the Iron Man armor as Tony struggled to contain him. "E-Energy release… now!" He shouted, channeling the excess that was Living Laser into an almighty unibeam blast. Unleashed high into the air, Living Laser screamed as his body was catapulted into space and beyond, passing between the nine realms and out into the great unknown…
The strain on his body alleviated, Tony fell forward and snapped open his faceplate as Connor helped him down. "Ow…" He groaned.
"You're telling me." Connor agreed, shaking out his wrist. Wth the comms unjammed, his ID card began to beep as the voices of his colleagues filtered through.
"Anybody listening? We've got a big problem here!" The two looked at each other in disbelief.
"Is that Hank?" Tony wondered.
"I thought he left, what's he doing on comms?" Connor echoed.
"Yeah, does anyone know how to stop this… whatever it is? There's an elf here giving me a dirty look." Hawkeye then asked.
"Thor? Thor, any tips for turning off a magic rock?" Tony asked, the two of them oblivious to the dozens of eyes forming the shadows of the cave…
Norway…
Still trapped by Amora's magics, Thor could not replied from within his bonds. "I've never slain an Asgardian before…" Zemo mused, creeping closer to his bound form as he unsheathed his sword. Amora was still very much under his control and dedicated to the Norn stones, which meant her focus was… distracted. Thor flexed his hand as Zemo drew close, his blade hovering under the Asgardian's chin. Mjolnir shifted slightly beneath its aura, obedient to Thor's command. "I'm looking forward to it." Zemo remarked, comepltely unawares. With a simple beckon, Mjolnir broke free of its bondage and bowled over Zemo en route to his hand. With his hammer restored, Thor unleashed a bolt of lightning that shocked Enchantress and dropped her to the floor, her concentration broken and releasing Thor from bondage.
Zemo attempted to get back up, drawing his pistol in preparation. But Thor took not chances and swung Mjolnir hard, deflecting the arcane bolt right back at Zemo and knocking him out cold. The Asgardian finally withdrew his ID card, an answer to Iron Man's query in mind. "Avengers! No matter the cost, you must destroy the stones! The fate of the world depends on it!" He cried, twirling Mjolnir around in his grip as Amora's collar shattered and freed her from Zemo's mind control. She turned around just in time to see Thor loose his weapon, Mjolnir headed straight for the Norn stone.
"No… NO!" She screamed…
Around the world, the Avengers heeded Thor's words and took action.
Braving ghosts and phantasms, Captain America grabbed his shield with both hands and hacked into his Norn stone…
Powering through spectral Dark Elves, Black Panther hurled a Vibranium dagger towards his stone…
As Giant Man warded off Jotuns, Wasp flew in close and blasted her stone with the biggest bio-sting she could muster…
"Connor! On my mark!" Iron Man exclaimed, snapping up his arm and priming his micro-missile launcher. Seeing his intent, Cybernaut quickly formed a staff out of his irons and reared back like he was swinging a baseball bat, the two meeting the Norn stone in the middle…
Taking aim, Hawkeye loosed an explosive arrow that sailed unerring towards his Norn stone…
Using Skurge's Blood Axe, Hulk swung at his Norn stone with all his mighty, a mighty roar filling the air…
An arcane explosion rocked the realms, the realms dissipated from view and the convergence brought to an abrupt end. All at once, the magic ceased, Earth severed from the nine realms as order and peace were restored. The dark clouds brewing seemed to lighten, the day a little brighter as JARVIS concluded the mission.
"All magical activity has subsided. Threat level, zero." He announced to an empty mansion. Pausing, the AI scanned available frequencies using Stark satellites orbiting the Earth. Something was wrong, very wrong. "Connection to Iron Man armor lost. Connection to Avengers ID cards lost." JARVIS reported. "Avengers bio-signatures… not found."
Whatever they had done, it appeared to JARVIS that Earth's Mightiest Heroes had paid the ultimate price in the name of saving the world…
Elsewhere in the universe…
"What an unexpected surprise…!" An almost cheerful voice announced as Thor came to. Rendered unconscious upon destroying the Norn stone, Thor was lost to time and place, coming to just now. He realized, as he spied Mjolnir beside him, that he was in the great throne room of Asgard. He looked up to find the owner of the voice… and it was the last person he wanted to see.
"Nay!" The thunder god gasped in shocked terror. There, on his father's throne, was not Odin. Clad in green, adorned in gold, a horned helmet above his beady black eyes…
"Welcome home, brother." Loki, the god of mischief, greeted with a chuckle.