Song of the Day: Arrival to Earth by Steve Jablonsky (Transformers)
…
A jump point opened in front of The Benatar, and a custom-made Quantum Vehicle exited it. The five lost heroes were all in the cockpit after Mantis had alerted them of the unidentified ship. Seven tiny figures came out of the ship, and floated over to the cockpit. Then, they expanded to their normal sizes using Pym Particles.
*Hello, this is Falcon. Repeat, this is Falcon. I'm on your left.* A staticy voice came over the loudspeaker. The astronaut wearing red waved at the cockpit. *Does anybody read me?*
*We read you loud and clear, Falcon.* Doctor Strange's voice came over the frequency the astronauts were tuned to. *Our ship is dead in the water.*
*We've got you covered.* White Wolf said. *Avengers, assemble.*
Now that they were closer, the five lost heroes could get a better look at the rescue team, although some were unfamiliar. Black Panther was wearing a purple suit, Falcon was wearing a red suit, Ghost was wearing an orange suit, Lady Sif was wearing a white suit, Shaman was wearing a green suit, Storm was wearing a black suit, and White Wolf was wearing a blue one. The pilot of The Dawn Treader was wearing a yellow one.
Some of the Avengers used their jetpacks to enter The Benatar's airlock and bring food and water to the crew, while others set up Pym Particle containers around the ship before entering themselves.
*Wasp, we're ready when you are.*
*I hear you loud and clear, Queen Ororo. This'll be a little bumpy.*
The astronaut in the yellow spacesuit pressed a button and the ship shrunk to the size of a keychain. The tiny ship flew into The Dawn Treader and hooked onto the dashboard as though it were a Wackel-Elvis.
*Making the jump in three, two, one…*
*Boof*
…
*Boof*
The Dawn Treader was now over Earth. If Star-Lord had any complex feelings about returning to Earth nearly thirty years after the death of his mother, he seemed to be keeping it to himself.
Wasp's Quantum Vessel entered the upper atmosphere, descended over Africa, then zeroed in on Wakanda, hovering over a field in Birnin Zana before beginning its landing sequence. Dirt was kicked up around it as the ship extended its landing gear and came to rest on the grass.
Standing on what had been a battlefield not too long ago stood an unusual assortment of people who were associated at various points of their lives with the Avengers. These included Betty Ross, Bill Foster, Dave, Eir, Groot, Hank Pym, Helen Cho, Jane Foster, Janet Van Dyne, Jessica Drew, Kurt, Luis, Maria Hill, May Parker, Ned Leeds, Nick Fury, Shuri, and Thunderbolt Ross. Additionally, a handful of Asgardian healers, Masters of the Mystic Arts, and S.W.O.R.D. personnel were there to greet them.
Wasp exited, took her helmet off, gently placed The Benatar on the ground a few yards off from The Dawn Treader, backed up and regrew the vessel that had previously been thought to be lost.
The Avengers exited The Benatar impressively, taking their helmets off and sucking in deep, cleansing breaths of oxygen. The five lost heroes soon followed, and were swarmed by well-wishers.
…
"PETER!" May cried, wrapping her arms around her nephew. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, you hear?"
"Aunt May." Spider-Man gasped, patting her on the back before extricating himself from May's arms. "How did you find us?"
"It was me." Ned rushed over and gave his friend a hug as well.
"Well, me, and Groot, and Wasp, and Nick Fury, plus that Storm lady. Fury called me first (can you believe it?) and they brought me and May to Wakanda. Storm got your distress call. Groot used his tracker to find the coordinates. Wasp used her spaceship and brought in all these scientists to retrofit it to access this thing called jump points. Wasp also got a phone call from a guy named Luis that it turns out my mom dated in the nineties who might be my real Dad. And then the Avengers found you, and now you're all caught up. Is that your spaceship, Peter? Is that the Spider-Mobile?"
"Spider-Mobile? What are you talking about?" Spider-Man frowned. "I have no recollection of owning a Spider-Mobile."
Ned had a puzzled look on his face. He and Spider-Man argued about the merits of purchasing a Spider-Mobile at least once a week. Spider-Man grinned and pointed at Ned.
"Gotcha."
"Dude!" Ned laughed. "Glad your trauma hasn't impacted your sense of humor."
"My trauma is my sense of humor. No, it's not mine, but the guy who owns it lets me drive it every now and then."
"Awesome!"
…
"I am Groot?" Groot walked over to his fellow Guardians of the Galaxy.
"Gamora's not coming back." Star-Lord said. "Thanos killed her. Nebula too."
"I am Groot!" Groot gasped.
"Groot, where's Rocket? Is he still with Thor?" Drax asked.
"I am Groot. I am Groot." Groot feigned snapping his fingers.
"I guess that means we're the only four left." Mantis said sadly.
…
"How was space, dear?" Janet asked Wasp, giving her a hug.
"Space was good." Wasp shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal to her. "The Dawn Treader held up really well."
"Is that what we're calling it?" Hank said, also embracing his daughter. "I thought we settled on The Hornet months ago."
"The Dusk, The Prodigy, and The Ricochet also had nice rings to them…" Janet mused.
"Well, Dad, Mom, how's this sound?" Wasp said. "When you're flying the Quantum Vessel, you can call it whatever you want. "
"I'd love to call it The Hornet." Hank shrugged.
"Excuse me, Pym-Van Dynes?"
Bill Foster and Ghost had walked over after making sure her Quantuminstability hadn't been altered for the worse after the rigors of size-changing and the space voyage.
"Ava has something she wants to say to you." Bill said. He nudged Ghost. "Go ahead, Ava."
"I just wanted to say thank you for giving me a second chance." Ghost said, eyes trained on her feet. "Not… not everyone would speak up on the behalf of a supervillain. For helping me get the pardon from Ross. Making me a part of the rescue team. And, I, uh, was sorry to hear about Ant-Man."
"I really appreciate you for saying that." Wasp shook Ghost's hand. "But, Ava, as someone who was on the run from the law a few weeks ago myself, you're no villain. You were just desperate. So were we. And you put the work in to be better, that's what's important."
"I'm certainly glad I'm not in hiding or a wanted criminal anymore." Ghost said, smiling weakly. "I could get used to the idea of being on a team, even if it is Ross' team. How's the giant-sizing going?"
"So far, I can go ten feet tall before I pass out." Wasp sighed. "It's a work in progress. Scott made it look so easy. And you made it sound easy, Bill."
"Trust me, you'll grow into it." Bill said merrily. Ghost and Wasp groaned at his Dad joke, which had always been his intent. He gave Janet a kiss on the hand and nodded to Hank and Hope in acknowledgement.
"Listen, we're flying to Malibu tonight to help Hill set up the new Avengers HQ. But let's not be strangers, okay? Me, Cho, Eir, the other Foster, the princess and Ross' daughter started a group chat of fellow science nerds, I'll add you guys."
"Sounds fun." Hank said. "Have a nice flight, Bill. Hope your arms don't get too tired."
"Dad, stop." Wasp rolled her eyes.
…
"Thank you for informing the Masters of the Mystic Arts of Stephen's disappearance, Thaddeus." Shaman shook Thunderbolt Ross' hand. Shaman had long black hair, was wearing a green and orange costume, and carried a medicine pouch on his belt. "If you ever need further consultation on matters medical or mystical, I'm still available for house calls."
Shaman retrieved a card deck from his medicine pouch, pulled out a card, showed it to Ross and made it spin in midair three times. By the third spin, the playing card from his medicine pouch had transformed into a business card, and he handed it to Ross.
"Nice party trick." Ross said, impassive to the display of magic he had just witnessed. "What else do you have in that pouch of yours?"
"Nothing meant for the minds of mortal men." Shaman said. "Have you ever heard of the supervillain Smart Alec?"
"Can't say I have." Ross said. "I'm assuming he opened Pandora's box?"
"Exactly." Shaman patted the pouch. "Even the Sorcerer Supreme's eyes are not fit to gaze upon it."
"Hmm. I'll keep that in mind." Ross said, pocketing Shaman's business card. "It feels odd, you offering me a favor. My debt to you still hasn't been paid yet."
"Oh, it was just a triple bypass." Shaman waved his hand dismissively. "Now, today, that was a challenge."
"Give my regards to the rest of your team." Ross said. "My people already told him this, but just remember to tell Dr. Strange that there's a U.N. emergency session in Harlem tomorrow to brief him on what happened in space. My files indicate that time makes a fool of him."
"As it does to us all." Shaman said. "Stephen, we need to get you back to the New York Sanctum. I'd like to catch up on recent events. Besides, we had a mass Space Phantom outbreak, and could use your steady hands."
"Not as steady as they used to be. Thanos' sorcerer inhibited much if not all of my abilities." Doctor Strange said bitterly. "But I'll try to help however I can."
"Farewell, Thaddeus." Shaman reached into his pouch and threw out a portal without a sling ring. He and the Masters of the Mystic Arts walked through it, traveling continents in seconds. Falcon and White Wolf were both observing this not too far away. Falcon scowled.
"So, he can do that in front of you and that's okay, but a guy with a bow and arrow, that's breaking the law?" He asked.
"Shaman is a member of Alpha Flight, Wilson." Ross said. "Alpha Flight signed the Sokovia Accords on national television. Their entire department is full of patriots who acquiesced to what the entire world was asking them to do. Can you say the same?"
"If we're criminals, then why haven't you arrested us?" White Wolf asked. "I thought I was a wanted man."
"You were." Ross said. "Not anymore. Besides, Wakanda frowns upon extradition unless they're the ones doing it. You might have known that if those burner phones you got on the run got the news. The president, vice president, speaker and pro tempore were all killed by the Snap. I was sworn to take their place. One of my first acts was to offer a pardon to every single superpowered being who previously disregarded the Sokovia Accords. Conditional, of course, on them attending the U.N. meeting tomorrow. You will be there, of course."
It wasn't a question.
"You're welcome, boys. Christmas must have come early this year." Ross said. "Now, me and Betty have an Air Force One to catch, but there is one more thing I wanted to tell the both of you."
Falcon and White Wolf were prepared for another threat or insult. They received neither.
"I was sorry to hear about Rogers." Ross' usually stony face looked somber. "All the deaths of the Avengers who died on that day were tragedies, but I know how much he meant to the both of you in particular. We had our differences in life, but in death I hope to inspire the American people at least half as well as he did. Ever since the Superhero Civil War, that shield of his has been collecting dust in the Avengers Compound. Steve Rogers was a symbol to the nation, a hero to the world. If I'm going to try to do that, I'll need you two to help me decide what to do with it."
And with that Ross walked off, a gloating smile on his face. It had been immensely satisfying to tell Falcon and White Wolf off for their years of defiance. Additionally, he knew that his verbal twist of the knife would insure that the two biggest threats to his plans would soon acquiesce. The outcome of the Mandarin's war would be decided in Harlem tomorrow without a single bullet fired.
…
"It felt good to do something of value." Lady Sif said to Storm. "After all that's happened over the past few weeks, feeling as though everything was out of our hands… It's nice having a little bit of say in how events play out. Wouldn't you say?"
"Absolutely." Storm said. "Eir, how do our people fare?"
"As well as can be, your majesty." Eir said. "Midgardian aid has been slow to arrive, particularly in light of Wakanda's thorough inspection and seizure of supplies."
"Seizure?" Lady Sif asked. "What dost thou mean?"
"Wakanda's Tribal Council has enacted a Wakanda First policy." Eir explained. "He left them in charge while he was preoccupied in Haiti. Many other countries share these views as well, I'm afraid."
"But Wakanda already has more than its fair share." A twinge of rage graced Storm's face. "They have shelter, food, water and medicine. We don't."
"In light of how the Battle of Wakanda went, they fear that they'll be perceived as weak for losing their first war." Eir said. "And, quite frankly, the council does not view our presence favorably. It was King T'Challa's choice to shelter us, not theirs. I believe they're stocking up on supplies in case the U.N. puts a trade embargo on Wakanda, or our people begin to ask for a seat at their table."
"That's ludicrous." Storm scoffed. "Our children need a bakery, and all they do is throw us crumbs. We shouldn't have to put up with this, we should go somewhere where we're actually wanted."
"That's the problem." Lady Sif sighed. "We're not wanted anywhere, Storm. At least here, there's a force field protecting us from the rest of it. After Loki led the charge at the Battle of New York, that rogue Celestial's Expansion and now this…? Can you blame them, cut off from the rest of the universe as they are, for being afraid of beings from other worlds who wield great power?"
"Yes. Yes I can." Storm clenched her fists. It began to rain on the field. The assembled groups began to converge inside the Citadel to escape the rain. Once the three Asgardians were inside, Storm continued.
"Caution is one thing. Cowardice, another thing entirely." Storm whispered, drying herself off with a towel. "We didn't do this to Wakanda, or the rest of the world for that matter. Thanos and his armies did. We're nothing - nothing - like him. But they cannot blame Thanos, so they blame us for our need instead of asking how our need came to be. I thought I was getting through to my father's people. I hoped that Wakanda might be different all these centuries later. I thought T'Challa was going to be different. He gave me such reassurance whenever the two of us spoke on matters concerning Asgardians that he would lay his life down for us, as I would for him."
"Oh, are you talking about T'Challa?" Shuri asked brightly, seemingly having popped out of nowhere and carrying an umbrella. "He'd do anything for you."
Shuri put on a low-pitched voice to properly impersonate her brother.
"Oh, sister dear, how positively delightful that Storm woman is. She's so beautiful, intelligent and strong… I wonder if she'd let me take her maiden name?"
"I'm sure our Queen knows not what you speak, Princess Shuri." Lady Sif said evenly, winking at Storm. Storm looked puzzled.
"I agree with you, by the way." Shuri added. "Sorry for snooping, I caught a bit of your conversation earlier. I used to be like the council, you know. A real ostrich-head. I thought the outside world had nothing to offer us but broken white boys for me to fix and admittedly some impressive leaps in the fields of science. The Avengers even made a synthezoid I'm currently trying and failing miserably to repair."
"But then I actually started meeting the people I had convinced myself that I hated so much, and I realized that I found myself liking many of them. I found out that I enjoy much privilege because of the circumstances of my birth, and not everyone that looks like us enjoys that same privilege. And even if they don't look like us or act like us or believe in Bast, I can still reach out a hand to them in friendship."
"And, even if the people outside of my bubble were exactly as bad as I expected them to be, if not worse, I could still find it within myself to pity them. Because they are refusing to better themselves, and are purposefully obstructing their senses in order to block out the beauty of the new. I promise you this, Storm. I've been among my people, and the compassion they've offered to your people makes my heart swell with pride. I want you to see this."
Shuri showed Storm a TikTok of a Wakandan teenager who had taken of himself teaching the game mancala to his new Asgardian friend. The Asgardian was in awe of his new friend's abilities when he won, and asked if he could try another round.
"Trust me, the majority of Wakanda wants you here."
"You are very wise for someone a mere eighteen years of age, Princess Shuri." Eir smiled.
"When should we meet up with King T'Challa, Princess Shuri?" Lady Sif asked.
"You can join us for breakfast. I'll order extra and have my people send it to your ship. We can talk to him then and propose a meeting." Shuri said. "As for my age, I'm sure me and Storm aren't not that far apart, relatively speaking. What's your age? Thirty? Forty?
"Add seven centuries and you still fall short, I'm afraid." Storm chuckled. The sudden rainfall seemed to have begun to peter out.
"Oh." Shuri said. "Well, maturity-wise, I'm not that far behind. Call it a draw?"
…
Back at the New York Sanctum, masters were still tending to the Space Phantoms and resealing the tears in reality they had. Doctor Strange had just briefed Shaman on all that had transpired the past two weeks. That the Time Stone had showed him that it was the only way he and the other four would live to fight another day, hence him giving it away. That the Snap was a canon event, and this was the most humane way to handle everything.
"You have made a very difficult decision, Stephen." Shaman said. "I commend you for it. And that's all the Time Stone showed you?"
"That's it." Doctor Strange said.
"Nothing regarding Thanos' and the Infinity Gauntlet's location? A possible way to reverse the harm that the Mad Titan has wrought? That you would be saved by us?" Shaman asked.
"No, it didn't tell me anything else. Just how to survive, live to fight another day." Doctor Strange said.
"Sometimes, that's all we can do." Shaman sighed. "It's a pity the Time Stone was lost. We could have used it to retrace Wanda Maximoff's steps."
"I had noticed the Scarlet Witch wasn't there." Doctor Strange asked. "Where is she?"
"No one knows for certain." Shaman said. "Her friends kept knocking on her door and tried to engage with her, but she refused to answer, the door was magically sealed. When the Masters of the Mystic Arts set up camp in Wakanda, Ross told me everything. I thought as a widower, I could possibly relate to her on that level. Me and my mystics undid the enchantment. She wasn't there. My pouch offered no further insight. Hopefully, being allowed the isolation of grief will free her mind as it did for me after Kathryn's death."
"That's not always the case." Doctor Strange said. "After we fell out of touch in the nineties, I lost one of my only friends. No one challenged me, I became a worse version of myself."
"So this man in front of me right now, he's the better Stephen?" Shaman asked slyly. "I believe in everything, but even that strikes me as unlikely."
"Ha-ha-ha." Doctor Strange said. "You should have gone to clown college instead of Toronto U."
"Hmm." Shaman said, examining his superhero costume and Stephen's. "Perhaps we both would have fared better to study clowning instead of medicine. After all, look how we're dressed."
"It is good to see you again after all these years, old friend. I truly wish it were under better circumstances."
"Indeed, old friend." Doctor Strange said. "Is Master Wong dead?"
"Yes." Shaman said. "The Masters have made me the interim Sorcerer Supreme. Lately, it feels like every promotion I've gotten the past few years has been because of tragedy. First, Kathryn dies and I become head surgeon. Then, my grandfather dies and I become the Shaman of the Canadian branch. Then, Guardian dies, and Department H promotes me to the head of Alpha Flight. And now, with Wong gone… I am a man dedicated to saving lives, so why does mistress death favor me so? Is it a cruel joke on her part?"
"It feels like that to me, sometimes." Doctor Strange admitted. "I don't know if I ever told you this, but I had a sister. She was taken from me before her time."
"No, you never told me that." Shaman said. "What happened to her?"
Doctor Strange turned away, closing his eyes.
"She was murdered."
…
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