Back to GatefoldIssue #66 by Steve Crosby
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"Anger With No Outlet"
In contrast to the heavily populated New York City, neighboring counties hold vast private estates that are sparsely inhabited. Flying toward one such estate, Warbird fondly remembered her time at the Xavier Institute and of parties at Wasp's estate. The home of Allegra Bazin would not be so inviting.
Flying alongside Warbird was Espirita, and just ahead of them was Binary, following the energy trail of Darkhawk's stolen amulet. Without it the young armored Avenger was likely to die, though Bruce Banner and Photon would be doing all they could. The man who had beaten Darkhawk and taken a piece of him, identified as The Answer, was known to have many contacts in the criminal underworld, including the late Phillipe Bazin. So it was no surprise that the trail was leading them to his daughter Allegra's estate outside the city.
The surprise came when, in clear violation of zoning laws, the trees opened up and fired rockets at them. Binary took offensive action, firing at the rockets with plasma bursts. Her skill at shooting such small, fast-moving targets was low, however. The one she did hit was too close, buffeting her with the shockwave.
"Don't waste energy on something that's barely a bug-bite," said Warbird. Soaring higher into the air with evasive maneuvers, she marveled as the rockets altered course. "They might be heat-seeking."
"Best left to me and The Lord's gifts, then." Even as she reduced the aura of flame around her own body, Espirita unleashed streams of flame at the rocket-launching trees. Having some composition of wood, they caught alight immediately.
No sooner was the latest volley of rockets fired than they reversed trajectory, destroying the unique landscape choice. Those few stragglers still in the air were quickly dispatched by Warbird and Binary. There was still security, most notably the gatling guns hidden in the bushes, but the anti-air defenses were neutralized.
"Skies clear," said Warbird. "Ground team move in!"
It was a misleading command, as the remaining two Avengers present were also airborne, aboard the Quinjet that hovered high over the estate. Autopilot turned out, Stingray and Speedball leaped out of the aircraft. The sudden changes in air pressure from the free fall would have killed a normal man like Walter Newell if he wasn't in his armored suit, while Speedball's kinetic abilities helped him to maintain consciousness.
Thousands of feet they dropped, so fast that before the automated security could register their descent they were past the worst of it. Designed for underwater exploration, Stingray's armor also enabled him to glide. At only a few hundred feet from the ground he enabled this feature, going from a vertical fall at breakneck speeds into a horizontal glide at breakneck speeds. As Stingray along the inside of the estate's perimeter, electricity crackled from his armor, shorting out any guns or other security measures that he passed by.
Speedball had no capacity for flight, only to bounce. His long call of "Yahooooo!" was uninterrupted by his collision with the ground, as that was immediately followed by him harmlessly hurtling toward the front door. Surrounded by multi-colored balls of kinetic energy, Speedball seemed to almost be mentally hurling them ahead of his path. As each ball collided with the door they popped, releasing a small amount of kinetic energy. Cumulatively, this was enough for the door to burst open in time for Speedball's entrance.
"There's a trick I haven't used in a while," said Speedball to himself. Then louder he said, "You should be flattered Allegra! Some party favors I only break out for special occasions!"
"It's one of the Avengers!" yelled an armed guard inside the foyer. "Get him!" He and the half-dozen other guards with him opened fire.
"Only automatic weapons?" The bullets fell harmlessly against Speedball's kinetic field. He, however, was bouncing all over the place, smashing against the guards to disable them one at a time. "Your boss must not trust you with the high-end merchandise. Not that it matters. I can deflect anything!"
Those last words were said over the unconscious body of the last guard, the one who had spoken. Speedball collected the weapons in his arms while his teammates flew inside. He tossed them in the air toward Espirita with a cry of, "Here, can somebody make sure these aren't used again?"
"It would be my pleasure." Espirita raised a hand, and the firearms were engulfed in flames. There were slight bangs as gunpowder was ignited, but it was harmless for the bullets had nowhere to go inside the melting metal.
There came a persistent beeping from Warbird's communi-card. She looked down at it and frowned. "Our new liaison is wondering if we have probable cause to invade a civilian's private property. Your tracking the energy signature only helps if we find Darkhawk's gem, Binary."
"Oh, I see it bright as day!" Binary flew to nearly the ceiling, her arms in front with palms down. A burst from plasma from those hands exploded through the floor, creating a hole she flew into. The other Avengers followed, leaping in with nary a thought to the consequences.
Exposed by Binary's power was a large open room with various weapons and sensor equipment. A short distance away stood Allegra Bazin beside a glowing gemstone suspended in a field of energy. In her hands was an improbably designed firearm half again her size.
"Welcome, Avengers, to my weapons testing facility! A pity you won't live to enjoy the experience!"
"Wait, don't!" Able to see the unstable energy build-up, Binary attempted to shout her warning before Allegra could pull the trigger. But she was too late and the massive weapon began to rumble in Allegra's arms.
Fortunately, Warbird chose to act rather than speak, swiftly flying down and snatching the gun from it's owner. Hurling it away from everybody, Warbird then unleashed an energy blast that failed to strike before the gun exploded. As intended however the energy blast did serve to deflect the explosion harmlessly.
"It looks like that weapon failed to make the grade." Stingray approached Allegra, electricity crackling along his armor. "Now I suggest you stand down, Miss, and advise your lackey to show himself and down the same."
At the command Allegra laughed. "Were he here, The Answer would show you all that he's no mere lackey. But this isn't where he's needed."
Espirita noticed Allegra's gesture toward the Darkhawk amulet, and made the connection. "He somehow traveled to Null Space, the dimension where Darkhawk's armor comes from!"
"Yes, and soon he'll return with all my enemy's secrets." Allegra displayed a small device and pressed a button. Remotely activated, half-a-dozen large doors around the training arena opened, revealing large armored forms. "A pity you won't live to see them. Savage Steels, attack!"
# # # # # # # # # #
Bruce Banner was nervous, and understandably so. While the Hulk had been teleported numerous times, for Bruce the experience was markedly less common. Fully aware of the consequences of losing his calm, Bruce focused on his scientific curiosity. After the experience of an instant, he would be on an alien spaceship, in a separate dimension called Null Space.
The last thing Bruce saw before the blink was Photon, glowing with unearthly energy. They had spent the better part of an hour studying trace energies from Darkhawk's caved in chest, where his amulet had once been. At last Photon was certain she could duplicate the energy, and possibly the amulet's ability to transport it's wearer between that location and Null Space. It took only a brief conversation for Bruce to convince her that he was best suited for the trip, for if anything happened to Photon in Null Space there wouldn't be anything he could do about it from Avengers Mansion.
The blink was white light, and when Bruce opened his eyes, Photon and Avengers Mansion was gone. In their place was a relatively conventional scientific facilities. There were control panels, examination tables, walls lined with clouded stasis pods and, a near distance away, a black view screen. Bruce suspected that it was on, displaying the void of Null Space outside.
"Remarkable," said Bruce to no one. He was astonished at the alien ship and how familiar it was to the eyes of a scientist. It was designed more for an inner function than for travel, which made sense if one didn't expect there to be anything outside.
Bruce wondered, if he explored further, if he'd come across an engineering section dedicated to the Darkhawk androids. The immediate area was certainly designed with humanoids in mind. Sure enough, when Bruce approached the pods, he saw they were all empty save for one, and in that was a young man Bruce assumed to be Christopher Powell.
"It's not as simple as just opening the pod." Bruce spun around and saw the speaker was a man dressed in purple and white. Recalling a recent photo, Bruce recognized him as the Answer in the time it took for him to say the next sentence. "They seem to freeze all bodily functions, probably because after being an android for years one doesn't swap into a suddenly old body."
"How did you get here? Not the amulet, otherwise you would be in there." Bruce indicated an empty pod.
"My power is about need," was the Answer's answer. "I needed to be here, and so I am. Just like if you were to become the Hulk, I would need to become intangible. So you would be more likely to smash this equipment than me."
And likely kill Darkhawk's human body in the process, Bruce understood. "If I'm attacked, the other guy decides for me. And you can't be certain of how well your needs would be met."
"You make it sound like a standoff, Dr. Banner." The Answer moved toward a control console. "That you could somehow stop me from taking control of this ship and everything inside it. Short of violence you can't, and you won't risk violence. So while I'm going about my business, you'll be standing there helpless."
"Oh, I will be standing here." While the Answer had been talking, Doctor Robert Bruce Banner had moved to another console and was rapidly familiarizing himself with the systems. "And by the time I'm done, you'll be helplessly shut out."
The Answer couldn't help but smile. "To battle, then."
# # # # # # # # # #
"They aren't robots," Stingray cried out. He jumped to narrowly avoid a machine gun burst. While his armor's movement capability outside of water was limited to gliding, the sonar remained useful. "Each one has a pilot."
"You heard him Avengers!" Warbird had taken into the air, nearly touching her head to the high ceiling, to best assess the situation and direct her team as needed. "Disable the Savage Steel armors, but try not to hurt the person inside too badly!"
As her teammates did their best to obey orders, Espirita couldn't see how that was possible for her. The nature of fire allowed for no half measures, it couldn't help but irrevocably damage all that it came into contact with. Facing the armored adversaries, Espirita was reminded of when she'd battled Mellancamp. The flames had had no effect on his indestructible scaly skin, but his internal organs had roasted. Death was not a fate that Esprita sought for any foe.
Unwilling to engulf any of the Saveage Steels in flame, Espirita evaded their attacks as best she could and flew for Allegra Bazin. "Please, stop this madness! What do you hope to accomplish, other than pain to your employees?"
"I'm going to earn respect!" said Allegra. She grabbed Darkhawk's gem and held it over her head, as though threatening to smash it against the floor. "Once I've killed you Avengers, taken Darkhawk's weapons for my own, none will deny that I've eclipsed my father's legacy!"
"Was it truly so great, this legacy you wish to take over?" Landing before Allegra, Espirita extended her hands in a pleading gesture. "I can only suspect how it was was that your father died. When last the Avengers battled a Savage Steel, a piece of Ultron had been freed from secured storage. His last act was to help unleash that creature on humanity. And now you seek alien technology that you cannot hope to understand. Please turn from this path, I beg you."
Allegra's reaction was a sneer. "And rot my life in prison? I prefer winning."
Espirita was grabbed from behind, a massive steel fist almost engulfing her head. Inside the Savage Steel armor its pilot smiled, picturing the image once he's squeezed. Crying out, Espirita summoned flames around her body on instinct. Immediately the armor grew red-hot, then white-hot. All controls stopped working, the circuitry fusing together, and now the pilot screamed as fire licked his skin despite numerous fail-safes.
Released, Espirita turned to look in horror as the Savage Steel toppled. She said a silent prayer for the poor soul trapped inside. Aloud she screamed, "No! He cannot be dead! I am no killer!"
Taking advantage of the distraction, Allegra drew a pistol. "Unfortunately for you, I am."
The shot was fired. Though Allegra's words had given Espirita plenty of warning, she made no attempt to defend herself or avoid the attack. Fortunately, Speedball had dropped down between the two women, and took the bullet square to his forehead. It dropped harmlessly to the ground, its kinetic energy gone, while Speedball was sent bouncing to the side.
Before Allegra could fire another shot, Warbird was there. Grabbing the pistol as she swooped down, she broke it in half with a twist of the wrist. "That's enough!" Warbird delivered a backhand that sent Allegra hurtling to the floor unconscious. Darkhawk's amulet fell from her other hand, rolling harmlessly along the floor.
Not far away, Binary was dealing with the last Savage Steel, ripping the armor open by force. The scene was littered with crippled armors, with some of the unconscious or immobilized pilots exposed. Kneeling in front of the armor she'd disabled, Espirita cried out for Binary to open it, to perhaps save the man inside if it could be done.
When it rolled near his feet, Stingray picked up Darkhawk's amulet. Accessing the radio inside his armor, he contact the mansion. "We got the amulet and are on our way. We'll need to help Darkhawk fast. Apparently the Answer has somehow traveled to that dimension."
"Doctor Banner and I figured out how to do that," Photon's panicked voice said over the radio. "I sent him over there!"
# # # # # # # # # #
As far as Robert Bruce Banner was concerned, the Hulk could have his epic, senses shattering battles. He preferred where he was, working at a problem without having to deal with another human soul. Working at that console, not only figuring out alien systems but mastering them before the Answer could, it was all the excitement he wanted in life.
"Just going by your appearance, Doctor Banner, I might be worried." The Answer's occasional remarks were meant to rattle Banner. "Except for the age, you look like any random computer genius. But I happen to know that this isn't your field, Doctor Banner."
Years ago the Answer would have been right. But in the time since the bomb, Banner had learned to master a lot of skills he'd previously had little experience in. That included unfamiliar technology, some of which years ahead of anything he'd seen in his old life.
"Oh, you're smart enough to figure things out eventually," said the Answer. "But so am I, even back in the days when my needs weren't answered. All things being equal, I would beat you at this anyway but now, when I adapt according to needs…"
Answer pressed a final button, fully expecting the Null Ship to respond. Nothing happened.
"The only thing you mastered was the dummy program I set up and steered you into." That had taken some time, but the Answer's detour more than made up for it. And what Banner had learned along the way made him confident he could take control of the actual system before too long.
With a sigh, the Answer stepped back from the console. "That's what I get for trying to be civilized about this."
Breaking into a dead sprint, the Answer rushed at Bruce Banner. Caught off-guard, Banner was knocked to the ground. The Answer knelt on top of him, pressing a knee against Banner's throat.
"I'm sure that, normally, you would have transformed by now," said the Answer. "But you see, I would rather you didn't. To that end, I am now releasing pheromones to keep you nice and calm."
Banner’s eyes flashed green. An instance later, the Answer was sent flying from a giant green fist to the face. Apparently the pheromones weren’t as effective as he needed them to be.
“Hulk smash!”
# # # # # # # # # #
Immediately after cutting off transmission with her fellow Avengers, Photon traveled at light speed throughout the mansion. All the doors needed to be open, the path to the medical lab cleared. Even at light speed, Photon had cut it close, opening the front door just before Binary sped in.
As fast as Binary flew, going through all the open doors and down the open elevator shaft, Photon was already waiting for her at Darkhawk’s unmoving body. She held out the amulet she’d carried from Allegra Bazin’s mansion, Darkhawk’s amulet. Photon took it in her hands.
“How long ago did you send him there?” Binary asked.
“Not as important as whether he’s actually there,” said Photon. She waved a hand in the air. “For all I know pieces of him are floating around in the atmosphere.”
“And he agreed to this?”
“I agreed to the mad idea of a man who used to build bombs, yes.” Photon’s hand with the amulet hovered over the still Darkhawk’s chest. “For all I know things there went to hell and this’ll transport The Answer right in front of us.”
“I almost hope that happens,” Binary said.
Photon thrust the amulet into the gaping hole in Darkhawk’s chest. The result was immediate, Darkhawk’s back arched up as though he were gasping, though the armored body didn’t need to breathe. The red visor of his helmet glowed faintly. Clutching a hand to his chest, Darkhawk sat up.
“Oh, I’m never going to get used to that,” Darkhawk said.
Binary stepped forward. “Were you dead? This is Avengers Mansion, we brought you here after-”
“I wasn’t and I know where I am,” Darkhawk said. “My body was just...conserving energy. I knew you guys were doing everything you could, so I took the rest. Now once I...” Darkhawk focused on his amulet, then shook his head as nothing happened. “Something’s wrong in Null Space. I heard you talking about somebody, The Answer, is that who-?”
“Yeah, but don’t worry,” said Binary. “Bruce Banner is also there, and I’m sure he’s calm.”
“‘The Null Ship is still transmitting power,” Darkhawk said. “The equipment allowing for spatial transference may be damaged. For all I know, my body’s out of stasis and lying on the ground. I could be dead, but hopefully I’d notice.”
“Now that you’re better we can run some more tests.” Photon was suddenly feeling nauseous. “We may be able to induce the transference from this end, perhaps enable communication. Once we have a better idea of things, we can send others over to deal with the sit-”
Before anybody could react, Photon transformed into light, as her powers allow. The problem was that she didn’t induce this transformation. Nor was she willing herself into Darkhawk’s amulet. There wasn’t even time for Photon to scream before she disappeared.
“Oh crap,” said Binary.
# # # # # # # # # #
In less than a second Photon found herself transported from Avengers Mansion to a strange place. She immediately assumed it was the Null Ship, a theory supported by the presence of Bruce Banner’s alter-ego. The Hulk was on a rampage, smashing equipment while the ship’s defenses were firing on him.
As fast as the light she was composed of, Photon took in all her surroundings. Along with the Hulk was the true cause of all this, the Answer. He was some distance away, at what Photon thought were stasis containers. That would be where Christopher Powell, Darkhawk’s human body, would be stored.
“Get away from there!” Remembering the description of the Answer’s power, Photon fired two beams of different energies at him in the hopes he couldn’t adapt to both. One was a low-intensity microwave burst that barely missed him but did caused the Answer to step back from the stasis containers. The other struck clean but appeared to have no effect.
“Oh please.” The Answer turned his attention to Photon. “For all you’re power, you’re ultimately a one-trick pony I can easily counter.” His hand disappeared into a sphere of blackness. “In case you forgot what Blackout did to you, Moonstone wrote a paper on it.”
The darkness called to Photon, threatening to pull her in. However her assault and the ship’s lack of response gave her an idea. Resisting the pull, she fired a beam of energy at the Hulk, bathing him in the unique light.
“Glowing lady trying to hurt Hulk!” The green behemoth turned from the laser cannons and advanced on Photon. “Nothing hurts Hulk!”
“Actually I’m helping you,” Photon said in a soothing voice. Her light pulsated at a rate that was equally soothing to the eye. “This ship just stopped trying to hurt you.”
Hulk slowed and ultimately paused, captivated by Photon’s light. If his attention were so fixated and the pretty colors, he may have noticed the ship’s defenses were no longer targeting him. The Answer just barely dodged a plasma burst, and a second later created a force-field around his body to deflect further attacks.
“What did you do?”
“Because I’m giving off the energy signature of the amulet, the ship doesn’t register me as a threat. That must have been the case for Banner, but the Hulk is too big and I’m sure his hostile actions didn’t help. But now that I’ve calmed him and exposed him to enough energy for the ship to-”
“Yes, I immediately figured that out.” The Answer was flying at Photon, still drawing fire. “But how did you turn the ship against me!”
“That energy beam you thought was harmless and didn’t need to defend against?” Photon shifted her body into an insubstantial hologram and The Answer passed right through her. “That purged your body of the amulet’s energy. Now you’re considered the threat.”
“Is that all?” The Answer laughed as he lowered the force-field. The ship’s defenses abruptly stopped. “It’s a simple matter for me to generate that energy mys-”
Photon shut him up with a bright flash of light directly in his eyes. Blinded, the Answer had no defense against Photon’s hard right cross to his face, nor against the surprising power behind the blow. From her years in the Coast Guard, Photon was stronger than she looked.
Blinded and dazed, the Answer nearly fell over as he stumbled back. Struggling to regain his senses, the Answer’s sight returned just in time to see an angry Hulk looming over him. Hulk grabbed the Answer by the torso with one mammoth hand and slammed him against the wall. Standing next to Hulk, Photon glowed with deadly heat.
“Two of us at once,” Photon said. “What’s your answer to that?”
There was only one that came to mind, and the Answer acted instinctively. He vanished, teleported from the threat he couldn’t fight.
Photon sighed and dropped the hard light illusion of Hulk. A few feet away Bruce Banner was back, the other guy having been sufficiently calmed by Photon’s lights.
“We need to figure out these systems fast and try to undo any damage,” Photon said.
“Already done.” Banner made his way to a control monitor and went to work. “Surprisingly, the damage is minor. That includes the stasis. Darkhawk’s body remains healthy and safe.”
“We retrieved the amulet and returned it,” Photon said. “You can imagine our concern when the switch didn’t happen.”
“Looks like that was a fail-safe of the ship,” said Banner. “A major threat - I wonder what that was - had initiated a lock down, nothing in or out. Now that the Answer and the other guy are no longer with us...”
Banner pressed a few buttons. The body of Christopher Powell disappeared from the stasis tube. In the far distance, Photon could hear the sound of machinery at work.
“That manual override must be in case Darkhawk was ever unconscious and unable to initiate the swap himself,” said Banner. “And now the android is being repaired, with an identical body set up for immediate use.”
“That’s good to know,” said Photon, though she could have done without the exposition. “Is there a way to get us back to the mansion?”
After a moment of looking at the control screen, Banner nodded. “Yes, a recall system the traces the proximity of...” Banner rolls his eyes, bored by his own technobabble. “Though I think there’s a lot more that I can do with this.”
# # # # # # # # # #
Warbird ran into Chris Powell as he was leaving the study. “Hey Chris. Were you parents glad to hear from you?”
“Yes. And thankfully my brothers got home safe.” Chris accepted Warbird’s offered hand. “Thank you, for getting my amulet back and, and for everything. If the Avengers ever need my help, of course I’m there.”
“Actually that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Warbird led her former teammate from the West Coast team to the door. “If you’re willing to return, we could use you back on active membership. You don’t have to answer now. Go home and think on it.”
“Mostly I’ll be thinking about what I’d offer,” Chris said. “Beyond my ship. All through my exam, Dr. Banner wouldn’t shut up about the possibility of a permanent bridge between Null Space and the mansion.”
“That would be an entirely separate issue,” Warbird said. “I know what you bring to a team, beyond simply firepower. Just promise me you’ll think about it.”
Chris nodded. “Okay. Oh, before I leave, what’s going to happen to Allegra?”
“That’s for lawyers to decide,” Warbird said. “There is a possibility she’ll be offered a deal in exchange for information on her father’s associates.”
“Speaking of, the Answer?”
Warbird shook her head. “Bruce and Photon determined he teleported off the ship entirely. Beyond that, we have no idea where he’s gone.”
# # # # # # # # # #
The need was simple. Return to Earth.
For what has seemed like an eternity, the Answer had floated in the vast space that was another dimension. There was no sign of a ship, or any object at all. With nothing outside for his senses to experience, the Answer was left to only his mind.
The need was to leave, to return to Earth. It should have been so simple for his powers to react to. The Answer had teleported off the ship, he could teleport back, or out of Null Space entirely. Why hadn’t he?
It was a question he had no answer for.
Next Issue: Was the Mojoverse destroyed? The Avengers help Dazzler find out the truth!
Flying alongside Warbird was Espirita, and just ahead of them was Binary, following the energy trail of Darkhawk's stolen amulet. Without it the young armored Avenger was likely to die, though Bruce Banner and Photon would be doing all they could. The man who had beaten Darkhawk and taken a piece of him, identified as The Answer, was known to have many contacts in the criminal underworld, including the late Phillipe Bazin. So it was no surprise that the trail was leading them to his daughter Allegra's estate outside the city.
The surprise came when, in clear violation of zoning laws, the trees opened up and fired rockets at them. Binary took offensive action, firing at the rockets with plasma bursts. Her skill at shooting such small, fast-moving targets was low, however. The one she did hit was too close, buffeting her with the shockwave.
"Don't waste energy on something that's barely a bug-bite," said Warbird. Soaring higher into the air with evasive maneuvers, she marveled as the rockets altered course. "They might be heat-seeking."
"Best left to me and The Lord's gifts, then." Even as she reduced the aura of flame around her own body, Espirita unleashed streams of flame at the rocket-launching trees. Having some composition of wood, they caught alight immediately.
No sooner was the latest volley of rockets fired than they reversed trajectory, destroying the unique landscape choice. Those few stragglers still in the air were quickly dispatched by Warbird and Binary. There was still security, most notably the gatling guns hidden in the bushes, but the anti-air defenses were neutralized.
"Skies clear," said Warbird. "Ground team move in!"
It was a misleading command, as the remaining two Avengers present were also airborne, aboard the Quinjet that hovered high over the estate. Autopilot turned out, Stingray and Speedball leaped out of the aircraft. The sudden changes in air pressure from the free fall would have killed a normal man like Walter Newell if he wasn't in his armored suit, while Speedball's kinetic abilities helped him to maintain consciousness.
Thousands of feet they dropped, so fast that before the automated security could register their descent they were past the worst of it. Designed for underwater exploration, Stingray's armor also enabled him to glide. At only a few hundred feet from the ground he enabled this feature, going from a vertical fall at breakneck speeds into a horizontal glide at breakneck speeds. As Stingray along the inside of the estate's perimeter, electricity crackled from his armor, shorting out any guns or other security measures that he passed by.
Speedball had no capacity for flight, only to bounce. His long call of "Yahooooo!" was uninterrupted by his collision with the ground, as that was immediately followed by him harmlessly hurtling toward the front door. Surrounded by multi-colored balls of kinetic energy, Speedball seemed to almost be mentally hurling them ahead of his path. As each ball collided with the door they popped, releasing a small amount of kinetic energy. Cumulatively, this was enough for the door to burst open in time for Speedball's entrance.
"There's a trick I haven't used in a while," said Speedball to himself. Then louder he said, "You should be flattered Allegra! Some party favors I only break out for special occasions!"
"It's one of the Avengers!" yelled an armed guard inside the foyer. "Get him!" He and the half-dozen other guards with him opened fire.
"Only automatic weapons?" The bullets fell harmlessly against Speedball's kinetic field. He, however, was bouncing all over the place, smashing against the guards to disable them one at a time. "Your boss must not trust you with the high-end merchandise. Not that it matters. I can deflect anything!"
Those last words were said over the unconscious body of the last guard, the one who had spoken. Speedball collected the weapons in his arms while his teammates flew inside. He tossed them in the air toward Espirita with a cry of, "Here, can somebody make sure these aren't used again?"
"It would be my pleasure." Espirita raised a hand, and the firearms were engulfed in flames. There were slight bangs as gunpowder was ignited, but it was harmless for the bullets had nowhere to go inside the melting metal.
There came a persistent beeping from Warbird's communi-card. She looked down at it and frowned. "Our new liaison is wondering if we have probable cause to invade a civilian's private property. Your tracking the energy signature only helps if we find Darkhawk's gem, Binary."
"Oh, I see it bright as day!" Binary flew to nearly the ceiling, her arms in front with palms down. A burst from plasma from those hands exploded through the floor, creating a hole she flew into. The other Avengers followed, leaping in with nary a thought to the consequences.
Exposed by Binary's power was a large open room with various weapons and sensor equipment. A short distance away stood Allegra Bazin beside a glowing gemstone suspended in a field of energy. In her hands was an improbably designed firearm half again her size.
"Welcome, Avengers, to my weapons testing facility! A pity you won't live to enjoy the experience!"
"Wait, don't!" Able to see the unstable energy build-up, Binary attempted to shout her warning before Allegra could pull the trigger. But she was too late and the massive weapon began to rumble in Allegra's arms.
Fortunately, Warbird chose to act rather than speak, swiftly flying down and snatching the gun from it's owner. Hurling it away from everybody, Warbird then unleashed an energy blast that failed to strike before the gun exploded. As intended however the energy blast did serve to deflect the explosion harmlessly.
"It looks like that weapon failed to make the grade." Stingray approached Allegra, electricity crackling along his armor. "Now I suggest you stand down, Miss, and advise your lackey to show himself and down the same."
At the command Allegra laughed. "Were he here, The Answer would show you all that he's no mere lackey. But this isn't where he's needed."
Espirita noticed Allegra's gesture toward the Darkhawk amulet, and made the connection. "He somehow traveled to Null Space, the dimension where Darkhawk's armor comes from!"
"Yes, and soon he'll return with all my enemy's secrets." Allegra displayed a small device and pressed a button. Remotely activated, half-a-dozen large doors around the training arena opened, revealing large armored forms. "A pity you won't live to see them. Savage Steels, attack!"
# # # # # # # # # #
Bruce Banner was nervous, and understandably so. While the Hulk had been teleported numerous times, for Bruce the experience was markedly less common. Fully aware of the consequences of losing his calm, Bruce focused on his scientific curiosity. After the experience of an instant, he would be on an alien spaceship, in a separate dimension called Null Space.
The last thing Bruce saw before the blink was Photon, glowing with unearthly energy. They had spent the better part of an hour studying trace energies from Darkhawk's caved in chest, where his amulet had once been. At last Photon was certain she could duplicate the energy, and possibly the amulet's ability to transport it's wearer between that location and Null Space. It took only a brief conversation for Bruce to convince her that he was best suited for the trip, for if anything happened to Photon in Null Space there wouldn't be anything he could do about it from Avengers Mansion.
The blink was white light, and when Bruce opened his eyes, Photon and Avengers Mansion was gone. In their place was a relatively conventional scientific facilities. There were control panels, examination tables, walls lined with clouded stasis pods and, a near distance away, a black view screen. Bruce suspected that it was on, displaying the void of Null Space outside.
"Remarkable," said Bruce to no one. He was astonished at the alien ship and how familiar it was to the eyes of a scientist. It was designed more for an inner function than for travel, which made sense if one didn't expect there to be anything outside.
Bruce wondered, if he explored further, if he'd come across an engineering section dedicated to the Darkhawk androids. The immediate area was certainly designed with humanoids in mind. Sure enough, when Bruce approached the pods, he saw they were all empty save for one, and in that was a young man Bruce assumed to be Christopher Powell.
"It's not as simple as just opening the pod." Bruce spun around and saw the speaker was a man dressed in purple and white. Recalling a recent photo, Bruce recognized him as the Answer in the time it took for him to say the next sentence. "They seem to freeze all bodily functions, probably because after being an android for years one doesn't swap into a suddenly old body."
"How did you get here? Not the amulet, otherwise you would be in there." Bruce indicated an empty pod.
"My power is about need," was the Answer's answer. "I needed to be here, and so I am. Just like if you were to become the Hulk, I would need to become intangible. So you would be more likely to smash this equipment than me."
And likely kill Darkhawk's human body in the process, Bruce understood. "If I'm attacked, the other guy decides for me. And you can't be certain of how well your needs would be met."
"You make it sound like a standoff, Dr. Banner." The Answer moved toward a control console. "That you could somehow stop me from taking control of this ship and everything inside it. Short of violence you can't, and you won't risk violence. So while I'm going about my business, you'll be standing there helpless."
"Oh, I will be standing here." While the Answer had been talking, Doctor Robert Bruce Banner had moved to another console and was rapidly familiarizing himself with the systems. "And by the time I'm done, you'll be helplessly shut out."
The Answer couldn't help but smile. "To battle, then."
# # # # # # # # # #
"They aren't robots," Stingray cried out. He jumped to narrowly avoid a machine gun burst. While his armor's movement capability outside of water was limited to gliding, the sonar remained useful. "Each one has a pilot."
"You heard him Avengers!" Warbird had taken into the air, nearly touching her head to the high ceiling, to best assess the situation and direct her team as needed. "Disable the Savage Steel armors, but try not to hurt the person inside too badly!"
As her teammates did their best to obey orders, Espirita couldn't see how that was possible for her. The nature of fire allowed for no half measures, it couldn't help but irrevocably damage all that it came into contact with. Facing the armored adversaries, Espirita was reminded of when she'd battled Mellancamp. The flames had had no effect on his indestructible scaly skin, but his internal organs had roasted. Death was not a fate that Esprita sought for any foe.
Unwilling to engulf any of the Saveage Steels in flame, Espirita evaded their attacks as best she could and flew for Allegra Bazin. "Please, stop this madness! What do you hope to accomplish, other than pain to your employees?"
"I'm going to earn respect!" said Allegra. She grabbed Darkhawk's gem and held it over her head, as though threatening to smash it against the floor. "Once I've killed you Avengers, taken Darkhawk's weapons for my own, none will deny that I've eclipsed my father's legacy!"
"Was it truly so great, this legacy you wish to take over?" Landing before Allegra, Espirita extended her hands in a pleading gesture. "I can only suspect how it was was that your father died. When last the Avengers battled a Savage Steel, a piece of Ultron had been freed from secured storage. His last act was to help unleash that creature on humanity. And now you seek alien technology that you cannot hope to understand. Please turn from this path, I beg you."
Allegra's reaction was a sneer. "And rot my life in prison? I prefer winning."
Espirita was grabbed from behind, a massive steel fist almost engulfing her head. Inside the Savage Steel armor its pilot smiled, picturing the image once he's squeezed. Crying out, Espirita summoned flames around her body on instinct. Immediately the armor grew red-hot, then white-hot. All controls stopped working, the circuitry fusing together, and now the pilot screamed as fire licked his skin despite numerous fail-safes.
Released, Espirita turned to look in horror as the Savage Steel toppled. She said a silent prayer for the poor soul trapped inside. Aloud she screamed, "No! He cannot be dead! I am no killer!"
Taking advantage of the distraction, Allegra drew a pistol. "Unfortunately for you, I am."
The shot was fired. Though Allegra's words had given Espirita plenty of warning, she made no attempt to defend herself or avoid the attack. Fortunately, Speedball had dropped down between the two women, and took the bullet square to his forehead. It dropped harmlessly to the ground, its kinetic energy gone, while Speedball was sent bouncing to the side.
Before Allegra could fire another shot, Warbird was there. Grabbing the pistol as she swooped down, she broke it in half with a twist of the wrist. "That's enough!" Warbird delivered a backhand that sent Allegra hurtling to the floor unconscious. Darkhawk's amulet fell from her other hand, rolling harmlessly along the floor.
Not far away, Binary was dealing with the last Savage Steel, ripping the armor open by force. The scene was littered with crippled armors, with some of the unconscious or immobilized pilots exposed. Kneeling in front of the armor she'd disabled, Espirita cried out for Binary to open it, to perhaps save the man inside if it could be done.
When it rolled near his feet, Stingray picked up Darkhawk's amulet. Accessing the radio inside his armor, he contact the mansion. "We got the amulet and are on our way. We'll need to help Darkhawk fast. Apparently the Answer has somehow traveled to that dimension."
"Doctor Banner and I figured out how to do that," Photon's panicked voice said over the radio. "I sent him over there!"
# # # # # # # # # #
As far as Robert Bruce Banner was concerned, the Hulk could have his epic, senses shattering battles. He preferred where he was, working at a problem without having to deal with another human soul. Working at that console, not only figuring out alien systems but mastering them before the Answer could, it was all the excitement he wanted in life.
"Just going by your appearance, Doctor Banner, I might be worried." The Answer's occasional remarks were meant to rattle Banner. "Except for the age, you look like any random computer genius. But I happen to know that this isn't your field, Doctor Banner."
Years ago the Answer would have been right. But in the time since the bomb, Banner had learned to master a lot of skills he'd previously had little experience in. That included unfamiliar technology, some of which years ahead of anything he'd seen in his old life.
"Oh, you're smart enough to figure things out eventually," said the Answer. "But so am I, even back in the days when my needs weren't answered. All things being equal, I would beat you at this anyway but now, when I adapt according to needs…"
Answer pressed a final button, fully expecting the Null Ship to respond. Nothing happened.
"The only thing you mastered was the dummy program I set up and steered you into." That had taken some time, but the Answer's detour more than made up for it. And what Banner had learned along the way made him confident he could take control of the actual system before too long.
With a sigh, the Answer stepped back from the console. "That's what I get for trying to be civilized about this."
Breaking into a dead sprint, the Answer rushed at Bruce Banner. Caught off-guard, Banner was knocked to the ground. The Answer knelt on top of him, pressing a knee against Banner's throat.
"I'm sure that, normally, you would have transformed by now," said the Answer. "But you see, I would rather you didn't. To that end, I am now releasing pheromones to keep you nice and calm."
Banner’s eyes flashed green. An instance later, the Answer was sent flying from a giant green fist to the face. Apparently the pheromones weren’t as effective as he needed them to be.
“Hulk smash!”
# # # # # # # # # #
Immediately after cutting off transmission with her fellow Avengers, Photon traveled at light speed throughout the mansion. All the doors needed to be open, the path to the medical lab cleared. Even at light speed, Photon had cut it close, opening the front door just before Binary sped in.
As fast as Binary flew, going through all the open doors and down the open elevator shaft, Photon was already waiting for her at Darkhawk’s unmoving body. She held out the amulet she’d carried from Allegra Bazin’s mansion, Darkhawk’s amulet. Photon took it in her hands.
“How long ago did you send him there?” Binary asked.
“Not as important as whether he’s actually there,” said Photon. She waved a hand in the air. “For all I know pieces of him are floating around in the atmosphere.”
“And he agreed to this?”
“I agreed to the mad idea of a man who used to build bombs, yes.” Photon’s hand with the amulet hovered over the still Darkhawk’s chest. “For all I know things there went to hell and this’ll transport The Answer right in front of us.”
“I almost hope that happens,” Binary said.
Photon thrust the amulet into the gaping hole in Darkhawk’s chest. The result was immediate, Darkhawk’s back arched up as though he were gasping, though the armored body didn’t need to breathe. The red visor of his helmet glowed faintly. Clutching a hand to his chest, Darkhawk sat up.
“Oh, I’m never going to get used to that,” Darkhawk said.
Binary stepped forward. “Were you dead? This is Avengers Mansion, we brought you here after-”
“I wasn’t and I know where I am,” Darkhawk said. “My body was just...conserving energy. I knew you guys were doing everything you could, so I took the rest. Now once I...” Darkhawk focused on his amulet, then shook his head as nothing happened. “Something’s wrong in Null Space. I heard you talking about somebody, The Answer, is that who-?”
“Yeah, but don’t worry,” said Binary. “Bruce Banner is also there, and I’m sure he’s calm.”
“‘The Null Ship is still transmitting power,” Darkhawk said. “The equipment allowing for spatial transference may be damaged. For all I know, my body’s out of stasis and lying on the ground. I could be dead, but hopefully I’d notice.”
“Now that you’re better we can run some more tests.” Photon was suddenly feeling nauseous. “We may be able to induce the transference from this end, perhaps enable communication. Once we have a better idea of things, we can send others over to deal with the sit-”
Before anybody could react, Photon transformed into light, as her powers allow. The problem was that she didn’t induce this transformation. Nor was she willing herself into Darkhawk’s amulet. There wasn’t even time for Photon to scream before she disappeared.
“Oh crap,” said Binary.
# # # # # # # # # #
In less than a second Photon found herself transported from Avengers Mansion to a strange place. She immediately assumed it was the Null Ship, a theory supported by the presence of Bruce Banner’s alter-ego. The Hulk was on a rampage, smashing equipment while the ship’s defenses were firing on him.
As fast as the light she was composed of, Photon took in all her surroundings. Along with the Hulk was the true cause of all this, the Answer. He was some distance away, at what Photon thought were stasis containers. That would be where Christopher Powell, Darkhawk’s human body, would be stored.
“Get away from there!” Remembering the description of the Answer’s power, Photon fired two beams of different energies at him in the hopes he couldn’t adapt to both. One was a low-intensity microwave burst that barely missed him but did caused the Answer to step back from the stasis containers. The other struck clean but appeared to have no effect.
“Oh please.” The Answer turned his attention to Photon. “For all you’re power, you’re ultimately a one-trick pony I can easily counter.” His hand disappeared into a sphere of blackness. “In case you forgot what Blackout did to you, Moonstone wrote a paper on it.”
The darkness called to Photon, threatening to pull her in. However her assault and the ship’s lack of response gave her an idea. Resisting the pull, she fired a beam of energy at the Hulk, bathing him in the unique light.
“Glowing lady trying to hurt Hulk!” The green behemoth turned from the laser cannons and advanced on Photon. “Nothing hurts Hulk!”
“Actually I’m helping you,” Photon said in a soothing voice. Her light pulsated at a rate that was equally soothing to the eye. “This ship just stopped trying to hurt you.”
Hulk slowed and ultimately paused, captivated by Photon’s light. If his attention were so fixated and the pretty colors, he may have noticed the ship’s defenses were no longer targeting him. The Answer just barely dodged a plasma burst, and a second later created a force-field around his body to deflect further attacks.
“What did you do?”
“Because I’m giving off the energy signature of the amulet, the ship doesn’t register me as a threat. That must have been the case for Banner, but the Hulk is too big and I’m sure his hostile actions didn’t help. But now that I’ve calmed him and exposed him to enough energy for the ship to-”
“Yes, I immediately figured that out.” The Answer was flying at Photon, still drawing fire. “But how did you turn the ship against me!”
“That energy beam you thought was harmless and didn’t need to defend against?” Photon shifted her body into an insubstantial hologram and The Answer passed right through her. “That purged your body of the amulet’s energy. Now you’re considered the threat.”
“Is that all?” The Answer laughed as he lowered the force-field. The ship’s defenses abruptly stopped. “It’s a simple matter for me to generate that energy mys-”
Photon shut him up with a bright flash of light directly in his eyes. Blinded, the Answer had no defense against Photon’s hard right cross to his face, nor against the surprising power behind the blow. From her years in the Coast Guard, Photon was stronger than she looked.
Blinded and dazed, the Answer nearly fell over as he stumbled back. Struggling to regain his senses, the Answer’s sight returned just in time to see an angry Hulk looming over him. Hulk grabbed the Answer by the torso with one mammoth hand and slammed him against the wall. Standing next to Hulk, Photon glowed with deadly heat.
“Two of us at once,” Photon said. “What’s your answer to that?”
There was only one that came to mind, and the Answer acted instinctively. He vanished, teleported from the threat he couldn’t fight.
Photon sighed and dropped the hard light illusion of Hulk. A few feet away Bruce Banner was back, the other guy having been sufficiently calmed by Photon’s lights.
“We need to figure out these systems fast and try to undo any damage,” Photon said.
“Already done.” Banner made his way to a control monitor and went to work. “Surprisingly, the damage is minor. That includes the stasis. Darkhawk’s body remains healthy and safe.”
“We retrieved the amulet and returned it,” Photon said. “You can imagine our concern when the switch didn’t happen.”
“Looks like that was a fail-safe of the ship,” said Banner. “A major threat - I wonder what that was - had initiated a lock down, nothing in or out. Now that the Answer and the other guy are no longer with us...”
Banner pressed a few buttons. The body of Christopher Powell disappeared from the stasis tube. In the far distance, Photon could hear the sound of machinery at work.
“That manual override must be in case Darkhawk was ever unconscious and unable to initiate the swap himself,” said Banner. “And now the android is being repaired, with an identical body set up for immediate use.”
“That’s good to know,” said Photon, though she could have done without the exposition. “Is there a way to get us back to the mansion?”
After a moment of looking at the control screen, Banner nodded. “Yes, a recall system the traces the proximity of...” Banner rolls his eyes, bored by his own technobabble. “Though I think there’s a lot more that I can do with this.”
# # # # # # # # # #
Warbird ran into Chris Powell as he was leaving the study. “Hey Chris. Were you parents glad to hear from you?”
“Yes. And thankfully my brothers got home safe.” Chris accepted Warbird’s offered hand. “Thank you, for getting my amulet back and, and for everything. If the Avengers ever need my help, of course I’m there.”
“Actually that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Warbird led her former teammate from the West Coast team to the door. “If you’re willing to return, we could use you back on active membership. You don’t have to answer now. Go home and think on it.”
“Mostly I’ll be thinking about what I’d offer,” Chris said. “Beyond my ship. All through my exam, Dr. Banner wouldn’t shut up about the possibility of a permanent bridge between Null Space and the mansion.”
“That would be an entirely separate issue,” Warbird said. “I know what you bring to a team, beyond simply firepower. Just promise me you’ll think about it.”
Chris nodded. “Okay. Oh, before I leave, what’s going to happen to Allegra?”
“That’s for lawyers to decide,” Warbird said. “There is a possibility she’ll be offered a deal in exchange for information on her father’s associates.”
“Speaking of, the Answer?”
Warbird shook her head. “Bruce and Photon determined he teleported off the ship entirely. Beyond that, we have no idea where he’s gone.”
# # # # # # # # # #
The need was simple. Return to Earth.
For what has seemed like an eternity, the Answer had floated in the vast space that was another dimension. There was no sign of a ship, or any object at all. With nothing outside for his senses to experience, the Answer was left to only his mind.
The need was to leave, to return to Earth. It should have been so simple for his powers to react to. The Answer had teleported off the ship, he could teleport back, or out of Null Space entirely. Why hadn’t he?
It was a question he had no answer for.
Next Issue: Was the Mojoverse destroyed? The Avengers help Dazzler find out the truth!