This white light soon flashed again, but this time in the center of…
THE BEYONDER'S THRONE ROOM
…and as it dimmed down, the massive platform was now filled with all the costumed heroes of Earth, albeit all disoriented due to the lingering aftereffects of the glow during the transfer. One of these said heroes was Peter, who, strangely enough, was dressed in his Spider-Man costume, from the mask on his head to the spandex suit that hugged his body, the gloves on his hands, and the boots on his feet. After a few seconds, the dazed Peter shook his head to regain focus. "Oh man," the groggy Peter muttered as he placed his hand over his eyes, only to be puzzled when he felt his plastic eye lens and the stretch fabric that made up his mask. With confusion, Peter pulled his hand away, and as his vision cleared, he was shocked to see the red, web-pattern glove he intended to discard over his hand. "What?!" With eyes wide open behind his lenses, the bewildered Peter looked at both hands and, just to be sure, grabbed both of his wrists and confirmed that he was wearing his web shooters underneath his gloves as well.
After taking a moment to feel the utility belt underneath the waistline of his pants, Peter frantically looked around his surroundings and suddenly found a banister that was shiny enough to show his reflection, to which he saw himself in his costume. "Ooookay," thought the dumbfounded Peter as he touched his mask in disbelief. "I clearly remember promising myself never to wear this suit again! And before getting confronted by my very angry landlord, I was on my way to chuck this into the Hudson River!" Peter then turned away from the banister and returned to looking around his new surroundings, feeling both astounded but mostly more flabbergasted. "And I certainly wasn't planning on coming to this large, spotless, but still ominous room! Can this day get any freakier?!" While lost in his thoughts, Peter was quickly brought out of them when he turned to his left and received another shock when he saw the Avengers were also present. A team that, despite recent events, he still looked up to but also knew that, much like everyone else in New York, he wasn't on the best of terms with.
Meanwhile, the Avengers themselves were trying to shake off the dizziness from the mysterious glow. Chief among them was Tony, who strangely was without his armor and instead wore a full black jumpsuit that showed his thin but still physically fit frame. He was revealed to be a man with light-colored skin, black hair with two points sticking out in front, a matching black goatee, and brown eyes. He appeared to be middle-aged, specifically in his mid-forties, and the diamond-shaped device with blinking red lights on the sides known as the Ironheart was attached to the cloth near the chest. In the past, Tony had a circular glowing device known as the Arc Reactor located inside his chest, keeping shrapnel from entering his heart. But thankfully, medical science finally came around just a month prior, and he had the device and shrapnel surgically removed. In its place was the blinking device known as the Ironheart, which stored the nanites that created his Mark L armor but was currently in 'sleep mode' due to the mysterious transfer to this unknown room.
Aside from the Avengers, who fought the Zodiac inside their compound, there were also their teammates who fought outside of it. The first was that of a tall, broad-shouldered, muscular man with fair skin, blue eyes, and long blonde hair. His attire consisted of a winged helmet on his head, black body armor with black knee-high boots, silver chain-mail sleeves and leggings, and four silver circles on the chest. He wore a red cape over his back, and completing the look was a large belt around his waist. He was a man thought only to be part of Norse Mythology, but it wasn't until he was banished from his father, Odin, in a lesson of humility that the world came to know Thor, the Norse God of Thunder and Lightning and one of the founding member of the Avengers. He engaged in many battles for Earth, whether on his own adventures or with his teammates, with the aid of his enchanted warhammer, Mjolnir, which he held in his right hand.
The second was that of a fairly tall, light-skinned woman named Carol Danvers, who was in her mid-twenties with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a slender but athletic figure. She wore a costume with a black mask over her eyes, a red scarf, long black gloves covering her arms, long black boots that reached up to her thighs, and a skintight red and black suit covering her torso and had a star symbol on the chest. In this suit, she used the powers she gained from exposure to cosmic energy flowing around a secret Kree agent named Mar-Vell, who she operated under the name Ms. Marvel.
The third member had the unusual appearance of being a man with red skin and a jewel on his forehead, and he wore a green jumpsuit with yellow gloves, boots, a large belt, and a cape with a collar that covered both sides of his face. But most telling of all was that this man's skin was not actual skin, but rather a substance with the same density as human flesh, and it was over an Adamantium, mechanical skeleton underneath. All of which showed that this was no man but an android created by another genocidal robot named Ultron to destroy humanity. The only name that Ultron called the android was his 'vision for the future,' but once he saw how flawed his master's views were, the android rebelled against Ultron and joined the Avengers. Since then, 'Vision' has been a loyal member.
The fourth member was a man wearing armor with a similar design to Tony's previous Iron Man suits, but it was bulkier, had a dark grey and silver color scheme, and contained both a rocket launcher and a Gatling gun mounted on his shoulders. This suit, dubbed the 'War Machine,' was worn by Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes, Tony's best friend and bodyguard, a job that Tony never made easy since he decided to go out and save the world. Literally.
The fifth and final person who fought alongside the Avengers outside the Zodiac's compound was not a member of the team but served as an ally, given the circumstances. He was a thin, light-skinned middle-aged man with black hair greying on the sides and a matching goatee. His attire included a blue robe with a golden sash tied around his waist, black pants with matching boots, and yellow gloves. On his back was a large red collared cap with golden edges, and on his collar was a circular medallion with an eye symbol. In a previous life, this man named Doctor Stephen Strange was once a brilliant but arrogant neurosurgeon until a fateful car crash injured his hands, destroying his career. After seeking and receiving training from a sorcerer known only as the Ancient One, he now preserved and protected all life on Earth as the planet's Sorcerer Supreme.
Carol was the first to regain her full consciousness, but as soon as her vision became clear, she was shocked to see that it was in a mysterious large room instead of high above the Zodiac's compound, where she and her teammates were fighting the terrorist group's forces. Naturally confused, Carol looked around her new surroundings, and while she was relieved to see Tony and the other teammates she fought alongside, she turned to her right and was immediately surprised at the faces she saw.
Namely, some heroes were part of the Code White and New Avengers, groups of costumed heroes called to either provide support for cosmic threats or replace the Avengers themselves should they be killed in action.
The first five people of Code White contained excellent skills and abilities but were not heroes per se. Three of them were agents of SHIELD, while the other two served as allies in both factions. The first of these agents was a tall, thin, stunningly beautiful woman in her mid-thirties with green eyes and long, flowing red hair with bangs covering most of her forehead. She wore a black jumpsuit with matching black gloves and boots, two gold bracelets around her wrists, and around her waist was a belt made of gold oval-like shapes and the buckle having the red hourglass symbol, one that betting that of the Black Widow, the codename of agent Natasha Romanov, who for the longest time served as a double agent that helped bring down the terrorist organization known as Hydra.
The second was another female SHIELD agent and one of the organization's most loyal. She was a woman around the same age as Natasha, with tanned skin, blue eyes, and shoulder-length black hair. This woman also wore a black jumpsuit but with gold, technically advanced shoulder pads, gauntlets, belts, and temples on the sides of her face that went down from her temples to the bottom of her jaw. Such technical accessories were needed for Daisy Johnson, codenamed Quake, for her ability to emit and control vibrational energy to manipulate vibrating substances such as Earth, matter, sound, and other living beings.
The third member was a physically fit masked African American man in his late twenties to early thirties named Sam Wilson, who wore in a red jumpsuit with a white belt and mask, albeit with a golden beak symbol above the brow. The mask's bird-like design and its wings that enable him to fly, which were currently not present, were modeled after the bird he named himself after, the Falcon, and thus used this suit to help keep the streets of Harlem safe. At one point, however, he was captured and brainwashed by the former Secretary of Defense, Dell Rusk, who was the disguise of the Hydra war criminal, the Red Skull, to attack and destroy the Avengers. Since the Skull's defeat, Sam was freed of his brainwashing and has assisted the team, namely Steve Rogers, on many occasions. One of which was the fight against Galactus.
Interestingly, Sam was not the only one brainwashed by the Red Skull, as two more individuals were brought into the madman's thrall and were also present with the heroes in the Beyonder's throne room! The first was a muscular man with fair skin, unusually long green hair, and eyes. He wore a red shirt, metallic wristbands, a belt, black spandex pants, and white boots. Earlier in his life, Dr. Leonard Samson was once a scientist stationed at the super-prison called The Cube to help treat and cure inmates mutated by Gamma radiation. However, upon an explosion that caused a break out of the prison, Leonard was exposed to the radiation he tried to cure and thus mutated his body to what it is now, granting him incredible strength. Because of his newfound might and his distinguishable green locks, the SHIELD agents with whom he now worked gave him the name Doc Samson.
The other victim of Red Skull's brainwashing was an athletic, pale-skinned, blue-eyed man with wild brown hair and, despite appearing to be in his early to mid-twenties, was much older. Aside from a black domino mask over his eyes, he wore a black bodysuit with only one sleeve covering his right arm, brown World War II-styled boots, a utility belt, leg holsters, and a brown strap slung over his left shoulder. His most prominent and powerful feature was his cybernetic left arm, replacing the one he lost in an explosion that occurred on a mission in World War II. Namely, on a rocket ship piloted by the Red Skull over the Antarctic, that day, the masked partner of Steve 'Captain America' named Bucky tried to help his mentor capture the Red Skull, only for the HYDRA agent to eject from his jet and set it to explode. An event to which, as far as every student in the school was concerned, was that of Captain America, and Bucky sacrificed themselves to stop the Red Skull. But in actuality, Steve was frozen, the Skull had escaped, and 'Bucky' had survived and became the Skull's assassin known as the Winter Soldier, who, aside from enduring brainwashing, was kept alive through a combination of his body being enhanced by various experiments and being placed in suspended animation in between missions, which explained his youthful appearance. But now, he was free of the Skull's control and on a personal quest to atone for everything he had done in the past.
Other members that made up Code White were four individuals dressed in blue jumpsuits with black boots, gloves, and belts with circular symbols of the number four on their chests. These individuals were known worldwide as the Fantastic Four, a group that, despite having superpowers, was more like explorers rather than superheroes. Their exploration caused them to enter a space mission that caused them to encounter the gamma rays that granted them their abilities in the first place. The leader of this group was Reed Richards, a fair-skinned man with a physical build, brown hair with greying sides, and brown eyes. Because of his ability to stretch and manipulate his body at will and his incredible intellect that almost rivals Tony's, the media had given him the name Mr. Fantastic.
The second member was that of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman with fair skin and a voluptuous figure named Susan Storm, wife of Reed Richards and often the one who had to bring him back to reality whenever he was too focused on his science experiments. Aside from being the emotional anchor for her husband, she also helped the team by being both the figurehead and protection by her ability to create psionic force fields and turn herself and those she touches invisible, hence her media name, the Invisible Woman.
The third was Susan's younger brother, Johnny Storm, a young man with an athletic build and skin tone similar to his sisters', as well as her blonde hair and blue eyes. Though he was a loyal and caring member, Johnny was also known for being a hothead, figuratively and literally, due to his ability to control and cover his entire body in flames, living up to his widely known name, the Human Torch.
The fourth and final member was a large, orange, blue-eyed humanoid with a rock-like body, four fingers on each hand, and four toes on each foot. He wore blue trunks, complete with a black with a four-belt buckle. This creature was, in actuality, a man named Benjamin Jacob Grimm, a long-time friend of Reed Richards and, thanks to being mutated by the cosmic rays, served as the team's rowdy powerhouse, the Thing.
Interestingly, Ben is not only part of the Fantastic Four but of the New Avengers as well. However, the team consisted of Ben, Peter, and Rhodey; the other half comprised three super-powered men who were somewhat private investigators who used their abilities to help those who paid for their services, hence their moniker, the Heroes for Hire. The leader of this faction was a bald, very muscular African American man in his mid-thirties dressed in a sleeveless, light-brown hoodie that showed his massive arms and a black shirt underneath. He wore blue jeans held up by a chain-linked belt and black boots. At one point, this man, born Carl Lucas, went by the name Power Man, which he detested. As such, he legally changed his name to one more favorable, Luke Cage.
The second member of Heroes for Hire was a light-skinned man who wore a green shirt that exposed his chest and had a winged dragon tattoo and matching green pants. The outfit was completed with a yellow sash around his waist, Chinese-styled shoes, a pointed collar, and a bandana-like mask covering his head's upper half. This was Daniel 'Danny' Rand, heir to the Rand Corporation and a man who spent most of his life growing up and enduring grueling martial arts training in the mystical city of K'un L'un. And, once he defeated a fire-breathing dragon known as Shou-Lao the Undying, he earned the title of 'Iron Fist.'
The third and final member of the Heroes for Hire was a fair-skinned man who wore a red bodysuit with black gloves, boots, and a circular symbol on the chest connected to three lines, two that ran down his shoulders and the third that ran down to his waistline. He also wore a silver belt and a large, almost dome-shaped helmet with two antennae and a mouthpiece, which allowed him to communicate with insects. This suit was originally worn by a scientist named Henry 'Hank' Pym, who used it to conduct experiments and, if necessary, save the world as Ant-Man. However, the scientist had since given up the name and suit, and the one man who wore both on this day was a man by the name of Scott Lang, a former burglar who stole the suit to save his daughter, Cassie, and now used it to both make amends for his crimes and be a father his child could be proud of.
Interestingly, there was one hero who, much like Ben Grimm, was a member of both the Avengers and another superhero team. That hero was the Wolverine himself, Logan. With him was his second team and family, the X-Men, all just as disoriented as the Avengers. The members who took part in the battle in Egypt were there, yet miraculously, Ororo's stab wound was now healed without even a scar!
Also present were two of the X-Men who were in Egypt but did not take part in the fight against Apocalypse and his Horsemen. The first was a thin man with an almost demonic appearance, namely that he had dark blue fur, black fur, glowing yellow eyes, a demonic prehensible tail, and three fingers on each hand and two fingers on each foot. His uniform consisted of a red upper body with shoulder pads and an 'X' symbol on the chest, black sleeves on his arms and legs, and white gloves and boots. Despite his looks, this German-born mutant named Kurt Wagner was the most light-hearted of the team and operated under the codename Nightcrawler.
The second was that of a light-skinned man who appeared to be in his early twenties. He had an average appearance, black hair, and a matching goatee. He also wore a blue and gold uniform like most of his teammates, with one noticeable difference being a robotic right leg and goggles above his brow. Only a little was known about this man who possessed genius-level intelligence and an incredible intuition at inventing mechanical devices, hence his codename Forge.
The three final members of the X-Men in the Beyonder's Throne were picked up not in Egypt but back in the Xavier Institute, where they were ordered to remain. The first was Anne Marie D'Ancanto, or as she was often called, Rogue. A tall, attractive, pale-skinned woman in her twenties, with green eyes and brown hair with white streaks in a bun and wearing a uniform consisting of a yellow and green bodysuit, a brown jacket with its sleeves rolled up, and yellow gloves and boots.
The second was that of a tall, heavily muscular, light-skinned man in his mid-twenties with buzzed black hair, dressed in a red and yellow jumpsuit with no sleeves that showed his powerful arms with red steel gauntlets on his wrists. The phrase 'gentle giant' often described Piotr Resputan, the quiet but well-meaning man from Siberia, Russia, who now used his strength and gift to turn his body into organic steel to fight alongside the X-Men as Colossus. Admittedly, however, he first declined the invitation to rejoin the team once it reformed and chose to stay with his family. However, due to circumstances concerning his sister, Illyana, he and his parents thought it would've been wise to take her to the United States where she could seek help, and thus rejoined the team that had become his second family.
The third and final member was a light-skinned nineteen-year-old girl with a thin body frame, shoulder-length brown hands, and brown eyes. She wore a blue and gold jumpsuit consisting of a gold upper body with shoulder pads, a belt with a red X buckle, blue sleeves for her arms and legs, and gold gloves and boots. She had long since proved herself a vital member by using her gift of intangibility to either phase through walls or protect others from harm. As such, this once quiet girl named Katherine 'Kitty' Pryde was given the codename Shadowcat.
Suffice it to say that the sight of all these heroes in this strange place left Peter completely dumbfounded and utterly speechless. "We really need to work on that 'tempting fate' habit, Parker."
Usually, Carol would be happy to see the rest of her fellow heroes, especially since she was close friends with most of them. But instead, she just stood there, utterly perplexed by the strange circumstances that she and her fellow heroes were in. "And the craziness continues," Carol muttered in pure disbelief, as she remembered just a few moments ago when she and her teammates dealt with another bizarre, almost apocalyptic situation back on…
ZODIAC ISLAND
…or, to be more accurate, outside the complex and in the sky was a large aerial battle that was just as fierce as the battle that took place inside of it. Partly because of the green, winged, almost reptilian-like humanoids that came flying out of what appeared to be twenty or so glowing portals that Jacob made via the Zodiac Key. The crazed leader had planned to create more but was stopped when Steve and the other half of the team made their move and started to fight him and the rest of the Zodiac members inside the compound, leaving Carol and the other half of the Avengers to deal with creatures trying to make their way into this world. And it was here that the levitating Carol showed why she was both respected and feared as Ms. Marvel, in that after she ducked sideways to the left to avoid a claw slash from one of the screeching 'dragon-men,' she channeled her energy into both of her fists, causing them to glow a golden color. Once she felt that she had the charge that was needed, Carol pointed both glowing fists to the right and fired a golden beam of energy, making a direct hit on the dragon man that tried to take her head off with its claws and shot it out of the sky.
Even after getting that enemy out of the way, Carol knew too well not to let her guard down. And through the corner of her left eye, she spotted another screeching dragon man coming her way and shot another beam from her left fist to take that one down before it could reach her. Carol then looked around for more dragon men to shoot down to try and keep the fighting near the island. As Carol looked forward, however, she saw something coming her way that caused her eyes to grow wide. This time, it wasn't a winged monster from another dimension but a red beam of energy speeding toward her like a comet. As such, Carol quickly held up both fists and fired a beam of her own that successfully hit the red beam head-on and thus began to push it back.
As for where the red beam came from, it was from out of the hands of a levitating man dressed in clothing with the left half of his body colored black and the other in white.
This was yet another member of the Zodiac, one that Jacob had given the title of Gemini and one assigned to lead the dragon men on an invasion to conquer the planet's nations. As Gemini increased the intensity of his beam to bring down Carol, he felt mixed feelings. Mainly because the process not only enhanced his body and granted him his powers but also affected his mind, splitting his psyche into two. One half was colder and more logical, which was represented by the white half, while the black half was more aggressive. "Clearly, you and your friends are just like any other undeserving heathen who wants to interfere in our plans to remake Earth into a much better place," Gemini said in a cold, almost emotionless tone with the white portion of his costume flickering as he spoke. "Luckily, with Aries being the strongest out of us, he should be able to handle Thor and me clearly, and he is more of a match for you!" At that moment, Gemini's calm and cold demeanor vanished, and his bloodthirsty black half soon took over. "SO, EAT PLASMA BEFORE GOING TO HELL, YOU DUMB COW!" With that blood-curdling scream, Gemini increased the power of his blast, making it push down and almost overpower Carol's blast as it came down towards her.
Though she appeared to struggle, Carol felt blasts much stronger than the one Gemini was firing and thus felt his beams wouldn't qualify as a tickle. As such, Carol lured the Zodiac member into a false sense of security to perform an attack to quickly get him out of the way so she can go and assist her teammates in this crisis, as well as give this guy a nice serving of humble pie, as his comments did get under her skin. "Whatever you say," Carol said in both annoyance and defiance as she stopped emitting energy and allowed Gemini's blast to come down and hit her upper body, momentarily sending her flying back. However, it wasn't long before Carol cleared her mind, relaxed her muscles, and focused mentally on the center of her body. This, in turn, caused the energy within Gemini's blast to be absorbed into her skin, causing her entire body to glow into a reddish-orange color and making her feel even stronger, which allowed her to come to a complete stop.
It wasn't until Gemini felt he was shooting an immovable wall that he stopped firing his blast and noticed the now-glowing Carol levitating across from him. The sight of this woman imbued with so much energy that she appeared to be a being of pure fire sparked enough interest within Gemini that his calmer side took over. "Intriguing. Apart from firing energy, you can absorb it as well. This will make things-."
Suddenly, the enhanced Carol cuts off Gemini's contemplation by holding up only her left hand and shooting a single, more prominent, almost fiery-like beam of energy at the unhinged Zodiac member.
Seeing such a flaming mass of energy speeding toward him shocked Gemini enough for his wild side to return, but this time, he seemed horrified. "OH, SON OF A-!" It wasn't long before the blast hit Gemini head-on, sending him plowing through many dragonmen and falling into the sea below. With this inverted member of the Zodiac taken care of, Carol focused her newfound energy on more dragon men and used her blasts to peck them off individually. However, she unknowingly had three dragon men approaching her from behind her to gang up and rip her apart limb from limb.
But before they could even put one of their claws on Carol, three glowing red shards, each shaped like pointed feathers and all making a screeching sound, came down from high above and struck each of the dragon men's chest, exploding on impact and sending them falling into the ocean.
Naturally, these noises startled Carol. As she looked up to see where the feathers came from, she saw the Falcon himself, Sam Wilson, who stayed airborne thanks to the red, holographic, hard-light wings attached to his arms. A grateful Carol gave Sam both a smile and an appreciative nod, and after he gave her one of his own, the two Avengers flew off to find and fight off more dragon men and keep this chaos contained.
Meanwhile, another Avenger was having issues of his own with another Zodiac member. Namely, the Vision was using both hands to hold the right foot of a slim male clad in yellow body armor with green gauntlets and boots, with the built-in rockets in the left boot keeping him in the air. His helmet was also painted yellow and equipped with long red horns and a green faceplate shaped like a goat's face with red eye lenses. This was the uniform of the Zodiac member christened with the title of Capricorn and chosen to help lead the dragon men on the organization's conquest. After using his thumb to desperately press a hidden button in the palm of his left gauntlet to shut off the rockets in his left boot, all so he could perform a round-kick to take off Vision's head and make him release his other foot.
Luckily for Vision, however, he quickly anticipated this and willingly released Capricorn's foot so he could float back to avoid the kick. The android watched as Capricorn saved himself from falling by pressing both buttons in his gauntlets to activate his boot jets and make him hover again. "It would be wise for you to surrender," said Vision in a robotic tone, but one that was polite yet stern.
"Surrender?!" Capricorn asked, sounding offended. "To an ACTUAL metal puppet that serves even worse puppets like the Avengers and SHIELD?! People who work and protect the corrupt governments that destroy this planet day by day?!"
This retort stirred one of the most prominent emotions Vision developed since joining the Avengers: Confusion. "I do not understand. Is the destruction of the Earth not what you and your compatriots are trying to accomplish?"
"Only so the Zodiac can make a newer, better world!" Capricorn shot back with anger and fanatic passion in his voice, as he was a firm follower of Jacob's propaganda speeches. "Which is why I won't let some walking, talking toaster like you get in the way of it!" Suddenly, the now battle-crazed Capricorn double-clicked both hidden buttons in his gauntlets, causing his rocket boots to supercharge and have him speed toward Vision like a space shuttle being launched. He then pointed his massive horns at Vision, intending to ram them into the android at such speeds he'd tear him in two.
However, Vision could counter this by displaying the most unusual but effective ability his creator, Ultron, built into him. Namely, his ability to alter the density within his own body, such as in this case, he made his mass so weightless he appeared semi-transparent, almost like that of a ghost. And much like a ghost, it allowed the charging Capricorn to phase right through his body and hit two dragon men instead, sending them down hard to the water below. Once he solidified his body, Vision turned around and began to charge the jewel on his forehead with red energy, and as Capricorn himself turned to face Vision to attack again, he a single beam which hit the Zodiac member in the chest, sending him crashing into three more dragon men, which resulted in all of them falling to the island below.
Meanwhile, another Avenger was engaging another Zodiac member but appeared to be struggling. In that, it was Thor, and he was on the receiving end of having two golden horns rammed into his chest. Horns that belonged to the brown, goat-designed mask of Aries, the older, bigger brother of Capricorn, who donned blue body armor with red gauntlets, boots, and belts. Much like his sibling, Aries contained rocket boots, which he used to help ram his horns into the Thunder God's chest and drive him down towards what appeared to be a battleship hovering in the air via four turbines built onto the sides.
This was the Helicarrier, SHIELD's flying headquarters, that transported the organization to wherever they were needed. From inside this flying base, the agents fought off the dragon men by operating the built-in cannons. On the deck, many agents, all men and women of different nationalities and skin colors, all wearing black body suits with knee-high black boots and white gloves, took the fight to the winged invaders by either firing their mounted torrents or laser rifles. Fighting alongside the agents on deck were three individuals who defended the Helicarrier in their unique ways.
The first person was Daisy, who emitted vibration waves in the air that shook up any approaching dragon men and drove them off. The second was Rhodey, who, thanks to his War Machine armor, shot down one dragon man after the next, be it the repulsor blasts from his gauntlets, the missiles from his rocket launcher, and the bullets from his minigun. The third was Stephen Strange, with the tips of his ring and middle fingers in his palms and his thumbs, index, and pinkie fingers pointing outward, something required to perform the spell known as Bolts of Bathlakk, which allowed the Sorcerer Supreme to fire electrical bolts from out of his hands and send every dragon man that he shot down into the sea below.
Things on the Helicarrier were already hectic enough. But things were soon made worse when Aries slammed Thor's spine first to the deck, with the impact strong enough to make the Helicarrier itself shake. This, in turn, caused many of the agents to lose their balance and momentarily fall. While some managed to barely get up and go back to fighting, others were not so lucky, as many of them were attacked by dragonmen, whether by being on the receiving end of their claws or being grabbed and lifted off the deck and into the air.
Now in complete control of the fight, Aries sat up from the fallen Thor and kept him pinned down by placing his right knee on his chest. He then used his left hand to grab the Thunder God by the throat and his free hand to deliver stiff hooks to the face. "Gotta say, I'm a little disappointed," Aries said with dissatisfaction in his voice after landing another hard blow to Thor's face. "I was hoping that the 'All Might Thor' would put up a better fight!"
Suddenly, Thor recovered quickly enough to catch Arie's fist with his right hand, with a sarcastic remark concerning his fighting abilities agitating him enough to revitalize him. "Silence, foul villain!" Thor shot back, still choking despite using his left hand to loosen Arie's grip.
Upon hearing Thor's angry retort, Arie could only let out a smug chuckle. "Awww, what's wrong, Gandolf? Does the truth hurt?"
"Nay…I am trying…to concentrate."
Naturally, this response left Aries utterly confused, so much so that they stopped attacking Thor and looked at him dumbfounded. He was only brought out of his bewilderment when he heard an unusual humming sound. Curious, Aries looked up to see where it was causing it, and what he saw caused his eyes to grow wide.
The source of the humming was that of Mjolnir, which was now flying straight toward Aries as if it had a mind of its own. Earlier in the fight, Thor threw the weapon at Aries, only for the Zodiac member to move out of the way and tackle him. But now, by Thor's mental command, it sped toward the shocked Aries like a missile and smashed into his masked face with so much force that it lifted him off Thor, launched him into the air, and landed hard on the deck so hard, it made a large crack.
This allowed Thor to sit up, then hold up and point his right hand to summon Mjolnir to return to him. Once he felt the hammer returned to his hand, Thor noticed through the corner of his right eye the sight of Stephen and the rest of his comrades on their feet and three dragon men flying down to attack them.
Upon seeing his friends in trouble, Thor wasted no time getting back up, raised Mjolnir over his head, and channeled his willpower to give it a mental command, one which caused dark clouds to form above the Helicarrier and thunder to rumble loud enough for the whole world to hear. Moments later, a lightning bolt shot out of one of the clouds and struck Mjolnir. But instead of electrocuting Thor, it empowered him as it streaked across his body, and his eyes glowed brilliant white, showing that he wasn't called the God of Thunder for nothing. He further proved this by pointing his hammer forward and, through sheer concentration, channeled the electricity through his arms and then into Mjolnir, where it exited out of the hammer in the form of another lightning bolt.
It didn't take long for the bolt to hit and shock the dragon man about to grab Stephen. As electricity surged through its body, the dragon man unknowingly grabbed two of his fellow reptile humanoids, which in turn caused the God's power to surge and electrocute their bodies as well. Just as Thor ceased firing the bolt, the smoldering dragon men fell to the deck floor, leaving Stephen and others confused but alive.
Even after saving his comrades, the battle-hardened Thor knew he couldn't rest easy, a fact he was reminded of when he heard an angry roar coming from Aries. This prompted him to spin around and see that a seething Aries was now back on his feet. He loudly snorted before charging toward the Thunder God with his horns facing forward.
Thor was finished being on the receiving end of another charge attack, and with Mjolnir still firmly in his right hand, he waited for the Zodiac member to come close. Then, he threw a rising hammer strike in an underhand motion while jumping up, nailing Arie's in the face and sending him up on his feet and high into the sky.
While in the air, Thor once again held up Mjolnir and commanded another bolt of lightning to strike and charge it. "FOR MIDGARD!" Thor cried out as he rammed his electrically enhanced hammer into Aries' horned head, making a thunderous crack upon making contact. This display of god-like power resulted in Aries being sent down to Zodiac Island at high speeds and landing on the island so hard that it created a loud, echoing bang and dust debris the size of a mushroom cloud.
Aside from Thor's handling of Aries, something else happened that was a sign of victory for the Avengers and SHIELD. In that, the portals that brought the dragon men Earth soon vanished.
A sight that Daisy saw and something that filled this long-hardened veteran agent with elation. "The portals are gone!"
For Stephen, this was the best news he'd heard all night, all things considered. "Oh good, that means Stark didn't screw up in getting the key from Fury's brother," he said in a tone that was pleased but still annoyed that it took Tony and his team so long to accomplish their part in stopping Jacob. As he stood up, the Sorcerer Supreme noticed the dragon men still in the air and, upon hearing one of them screeching while diving down toward him from the right side, Stephen instinctively pointed his hand to the attacking dragon man's direction and shot it down with a mystic bolt without even turning around to look. "But we still have the matter of our 'unwanted guests,'" Stephen then looked around and spotted something on the deck floor that caught his interest. Something that can help him deal with the dragon men and put this fight to an end.
It was that of a dragon man lying unconscious on the deck floor just a few feet from the Sorcerer with its mouth open and drool dripping from the tongue.
This unnerving sight was enough to remind Stephen of a particular spell that could get rid of these winged monsters but required a piece of one of them for it to work. As such, he ran over, used his right index finger to dab the slumbering dragon man's tongue, and used his tip to scoop a piece of its saliva. It was an action that was obviously disgusting to many, but thanks to years of being a surgeon, Stephen wasn't too bothered by it.
Rhodey, on the other hand, was both confused and repulsed upon seeing what Stephen did as he, along with Daisy, went back to firing at the remaining dragon men still attacking. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"Just keep those winged lizards off me!" Stephen shot back as he placed the saliva in the palm of his left hand and clapped them together as part of the spell. He then focused all his essence into his hands, causing them to glow in a golden light. Then, with his fingers held in the spellcasting 'hand sign,' Stephen pointed his hands forward and created a vast golden energy circle in the center of the deck known as the Door of Watoomb.
Thanks to the saliva he collected, the energy from the portal detected all the remaining dragon men in the sky and suddenly sucked them all into itself like a black hole. After twenty seconds, the door finally absorbed all the dragon men, which allowed Stephen to stop focusing and lower his hands, causing the door to close and bring this battle to an end.
This incredible show of magic left everyone present completely stunned. From the Avengers and SHIELD on the deck to the agents inside of it, more specifically, the control bridge, where the crew watched Stephen perform the spell via the large monitor.
Out of all the agents on the bridge, only one kept his reserve. Mainly because, due to his many years on the job, he's seen stranger things. He was a bald African American man with a goatee and an eye patch over his left eye and wearing a grey trench coat over his SHIELD uniform. He also appeared like a man in his late thirties and early forties and had an impressive build. Still, much like Steve Rogers, he was much older than he appeared due to undergoing the 'infinity formula' treatment that slowed his aging. And out of all the government officials, Nick Fury, the reinstated director of SHIELD, was one of the very few that the Avengers could trust. Usually anyway.
With this battle now won, Nick breathed in and sighed out through his nose, glad that the magical hijinks were over and he could order his men to bring in Jacob, a man he had denounced long ago as his brother and his gang. "All right, people!" Nick called out loudly. Now that the flying lizards are taken care of let's get down to the island and round up Scorpio and his men!"
All of the agents on the bridge did not need to be told twice, as they were just as willing to end this mess as their director. However, one agent, a brown-haired, light-skinned man, looked at his monitor with wide-open eyes. Through the satellite feed, he spotted six pyramids flying from Egypt and the sight of the giant form of the mutant known as Apocalypse. "Uh…Director Fury!"
Outside on the deck, The Avengers and the remaining agents were all trying to collect themselves when they suddenly heard Nick's voice on the intercom. "All agents, back to your stations ASAP!" Nick yelled. "And whichever one of you heroes is in contact with Stark, tell him we're not done yet! We now have to deal with damn flying pyramids coming from Egypt!"
Carol, along with Sam, Vision, and Thor, had just touched down on the deck when Nick made that announcement and was completely perplexed. "Are you kidding me?!" the dumbfounded Carol asked, unable to believe she and her teammates had to jump from one catastrophe to another.
Rhodey, who was just as surprised about this as Carol was, let out an exasperated sigh. "My thoughts exactly!" Rhodey replied sharply, then suddenly received a com-link call from Tony, who said that they defeated Jacob and to send Stephen to them and pick up the key. Before anything else, Rhodey breathed in through the nose and out his mouth to settle his nerves and calm down enough to deliver the bad news. "Yeah, sure, but Tony, we got another problem. Fury says we now have to deal with flying pyramids." Rhodey rolled his eyes when he heard Tony's bewildered response to his report, but soon after, his mood changed from annoyed to worried when he heard Tony say something in shock and confusion. "Tony? Tony, what's going on?"
Naturally, Carol was concerned about Rhodey's change in tone, but her eyes soon grew as large as softballs when she saw Rhodey suddenly get covered in white light. Her shock only increased when that same light soon covered the rest of her teammates and, finally, herself! Before the surprised Carol could even ask if this was one of Stephen's spells, the white glow that consumed her and her friends suddenly emitted a brilliant white flash, and within seconds, they were gone. Transported off the Helicarrier, all the way to…
THE BEYONDER'S THRONE ROOM
…and though still a bit shaken, Carol had remembered to keep a calm head due to hears of military training, but still felt a bit uneasy, mainly because in the instances when she and her fellow Avengers were transported to new mysterious surroundings, nothing ever good came out of it.
All of the Avengers felt the same uneasiness, but it wasn't until they heard the voice of the groggy but recovered Steve Rogers. "Is everyone all right?"
The one to answer Steve was Rhodey, who lifted his faceplate to reveal an African American in his mid-forties and blinked his eyes to try and fix his blurry vision. "More or less." Once his sight cleared and he got a good view of his new surroundings, Rhodey's concern returned with a vengeance and prompted him to talk to the one man who was both crazy and intelligent enough that he might know what was going on. "Tony, I'm really hoping this is some teleportation room you and Richards cooked up!"
Tony heard his friend's troubled words and answered him while looking around the room, surprised but simultaneously curious. "Sorry, Rhodey, 'fraid our hands are clean on this one." As Tony looked around, he noticed Stephen on the left, who looked just as interested in this room and looked at him with suspicion. "But are we to assume that we were all brought here through 'magical means?'"
"If you're implying that I had anything to do with this, Stark, then you'll be disappointed to know I was not," Stephen replied coldly but still focused on the room. "But there's something familiar about this place."
The Sorcerer's response stirred concern and annoyance within the Avengers. But none more than Jan, who rolled her eyes as she groaned loudly. "I swear, if this is Loki or some other magical god, I'm going to be!" Suddenly, as the irritated Jan turned to the right, she saw something that stunned her completely. "…ticked," Jan finished in disbelief, as that 'something' she saw was actually 'someone.' She then went on to say the name of this person whom she had not seen for quite some time and was beginning to think she would never see again. "Hank?!"
Hearing Jan's baffled words confused the Avengers enough to make them turn in her direction. They were just as shocked as her when they saw her staring at Dr. Henry 'Hank' Pym, a slender but fit man who was a world-renowned scientist and the original Ant-Man before he willingly gave it to Scott and took on the guise of Yellowjacket. Making this identity was a black mask with yellow antennae covering his head, except his nose and mouth, revealing his light skin. His upper body was covered with a black shirt over a yellow undershirt, a yellow wasp symbol on his chest, and two long shoulder pads that reached the top of his head. His lower body had black underwear over yellow leggings, with black gloves and boots completing the look.
Hank was just as confused as the heroes gathered, but mostly because he was not wearing this costume when transported to the throne room. Instead, he wore a white jumpsuit and was staying in Ravenscroft Asylum for committing an act against a villain that was so aggressive; it cost him not just his freedom and credibility but the respect and love from his peers, friends, and loved ones, especially the one woman who, even before the Avengers, was his partner and eventually fell in love with but regretfully never told her. And upon hearing her say his name, he turned to face her, and his eyes immediately lit up. "Jan?" Hank asked softly, but in disbelief and, despite everything that happened between them, still possessed a small ounce of genuine happiness at the sight of her.
Even Steve, a man who had seen many odd things in his career, was stunned by what was transpiring. From fighting the Zodiac to being transported to this mysterious place and finally spotting a former teammate who clearly was not well, and worst of all, not in a place where they could receive and not harm anyone. But another surprise was in store for the Super Soldier, for as he looked around for possible clues as to how they got to the throne room and who brought them here, Steve was shocked when he spotted a man he fought alongside. Not just in the Avengers, but all the way back in World War II, but did not age due to his mutant ability slowing his aging process, as well as heal from any grievous wound, something which Steve had long since thought was sheer luck. Now, this man was present with his own team, known as the X-Men, and in the yellow costume he wore during the battle against Galactus. And though he knew this man's animalistic codename, Steve had long known this brave but brutal brawler by one name. "Logan?"