Back to GatefoldIssue #3 by Steve Crosby & Chris Munn
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Somewhere, a phone was ringing. At the other end, the President sat fearfully in his White House, surrounded by trusted advisors and top aides. The eyes of every man were fixed to the speakerphone on the President’s desk. Nobody was looking out the window, where dark cloud-like shapes could be seen in the far horizon.
It was the airborne armada of Kang the Conquerer, poised over New York City and so large in size it could be seen in Washington D.C. When it has first appeared, Kang had issued his ultimatum: the return of his heir and the surrender of vast quantities of Vibranium. The message had been for the Avengers, but all the world had heard Kang’s words. Many of the world’s leaders reacted in their own way.
Situated in his castle at Latveria, Doctor Doom observed the armada via hacked satellites while servants awaited his whim. “We shall take no action,” Doctor Doom commanded. “But should he move against Doom, Kang will be destroyed.”
Elsewhere in Europe, a hand with green fingernails threw a knife into the monitor. Too many plans would be upset if New York City was scoured from the Earth. The heads of state in Cuba and Russia listened timidly to the advice of the true powers. In China, forces stationed in Tibet ceased their activities, as they may be recalled to deal with a greater threat. The ruler of Wakanda was too busy dealing with relief efforts inside his borders to worry about the evils abroad.
On the other side of the United States, a candidate with two masks contemplated how this move would weaken an opponent. Over a dozen villains stood at his beck-and-call, waiting to strike if necessary. Heroes in Central City, Canada and the SHIELD Helicarrier also awaited orders to assist in the crisis. Meanwhile, in Washington D.C. the American President was at the phone, waiting for the other side to pick up.
Somewhere, a phone was ringing. The location was an American military base that housed nuclear weapons. Near the phone, a bloody mass of weak flesh was unable to hear the ringing. Nothing alive could hear the phone, let alone answer the President’s call. The one thing that could instead smashed an adamantium fist against the phone, silencing it for good.
“Sorry, Mr. Pwesident,” Alkhema gloated to herself. “But for a while longer at least, you will remain in the dark.” Her eyes glittered with playful hate. Such a shame your inefficient senses and means of communication cannot learn the truth in time. It may have been enough to save your lives.”
As the Wartoy creation of Ultron spoke to herself, Alkhema was issuing commands to drones throughout the base. Soon, all the soldiers and personnel would be dead, then the launch codes would be deciphered. Once that occurred, weapons of mass destruction would be in the clutches of machines.
It was the airborne armada of Kang the Conquerer, poised over New York City and so large in size it could be seen in Washington D.C. When it has first appeared, Kang had issued his ultimatum: the return of his heir and the surrender of vast quantities of Vibranium. The message had been for the Avengers, but all the world had heard Kang’s words. Many of the world’s leaders reacted in their own way.
Situated in his castle at Latveria, Doctor Doom observed the armada via hacked satellites while servants awaited his whim. “We shall take no action,” Doctor Doom commanded. “But should he move against Doom, Kang will be destroyed.”
Elsewhere in Europe, a hand with green fingernails threw a knife into the monitor. Too many plans would be upset if New York City was scoured from the Earth. The heads of state in Cuba and Russia listened timidly to the advice of the true powers. In China, forces stationed in Tibet ceased their activities, as they may be recalled to deal with a greater threat. The ruler of Wakanda was too busy dealing with relief efforts inside his borders to worry about the evils abroad.
On the other side of the United States, a candidate with two masks contemplated how this move would weaken an opponent. Over a dozen villains stood at his beck-and-call, waiting to strike if necessary. Heroes in Central City, Canada and the SHIELD Helicarrier also awaited orders to assist in the crisis. Meanwhile, in Washington D.C. the American President was at the phone, waiting for the other side to pick up.
Somewhere, a phone was ringing. The location was an American military base that housed nuclear weapons. Near the phone, a bloody mass of weak flesh was unable to hear the ringing. Nothing alive could hear the phone, let alone answer the President’s call. The one thing that could instead smashed an adamantium fist against the phone, silencing it for good.
“Sorry, Mr. Pwesident,” Alkhema gloated to herself. “But for a while longer at least, you will remain in the dark.” Her eyes glittered with playful hate. Such a shame your inefficient senses and means of communication cannot learn the truth in time. It may have been enough to save your lives.”
As the Wartoy creation of Ultron spoke to herself, Alkhema was issuing commands to drones throughout the base. Soon, all the soldiers and personnel would be dead, then the launch codes would be deciphered. Once that occurred, weapons of mass destruction would be in the clutches of machines.
"Strategy and Diplomacy"
The enemy had come into the mansion. Men with guns – at least, Binary thought they were men – fired energy bursts at her. Inside the mansion she had no space to fly. Particle energy zapped past Binary’s head, and she returned fire with a weak burst that didn’t even force a shooter back a step. She prepared to fire a stronger burst from her other hand, but a particle beam struck her
“Ahh!” Even Maestro hadn’t hurt her that much, Binary was thinking as she collapsed to the ground. A sudden weakness was washing over her, the energy inside Binary’s body felt like it was turning on her, feeding on her body instead of the other way around. Three of the seven armored soldiers paused to train their weapons on Binary, as the others were moving towards the Med-Lab.
Between the soldiers and Binary the ceiling crashed in to searing flames. Engulfed in this inferno was Espirita, floating down with her body turned sideways so that she half-faced Binary and one arm was raised protectively in the direction of the soldiers. Jets of flame licked at the weapons in their hands, and the soldiers were armed only with melted hunks of plastic.
“You should remember Binary that we are a team,” Espirita said. “Give us a chance to look out for each other.”
No sooner did Espirita float to one side of the hole than Warbird swooped down through it. Plasma streamed out of her hands and forced back two of the soldiers. Warbird slammed bodily into the third and, grabbing him by the waist, swung him against the other two before they could recover. She then smashed her living weapon against the ground, and he didn’t get back up.
“They’re after Marcus!” said Warbird. Captain America, Karnak and Stingray had now jumped down through the ceiling. At hearing Warbird’s words Stingray moved forward before Captain America could give the command, while Karnak turned to assist the injured Binary.
“Diane!” Stingray cried as he crashed through the doorway. The Avengers mansion technician and also his wife was standing was standing at the far end, between the restrained Marcus Kang and the soldiers. But not all of them, Stingray knew as he twisted to grab the one behind the doorframe before he could fire.
The armor made the soldiers strong, and the one Stingray grappled with him forced him up against the wall. The main struggle seemed to be for the rifle however, as the soldier was slowly shifting it so that the barrel would face Stingray. As much as Stingry was pressing his fingers against the armored wrists, he couldn’t do more than slow the soldier.
Behind his helmet though, Stingray smiled. His armor’s main function was sonar, and it told him everything. Things like where the soldier had been so that Stingray could avoid the ambush, and that Stingray’s fingers had just crushed through the armor’s insulation. Another function of his armor was electrical surges. A burst fried an armor’s systems, and Stingray was then picking up a man surrounded in dead weight.
Before the other soldiers could fire their weapons, Stingray tossed the weight at them. It only bought seconds, but it was enough for Stingray to grab Diane and pull her to the floor. Not so much to protect her from the soldiers, but because his sonar picked up Warbird’s rapid approach.
Warbird tore into the Med-Lab, grabbing two of the remaining soldiers and smashing them through the next wall. That left one, and his rifle burst proved harmless against the shield of the approaching Captain America. Before a second blast Captain America had closed the distance and knocked the rifle away with a shield-swipe. An uppercut thrown by the attacker clipped him just below the shoulder, and Captain America stifled a grunt. A super-soldier at the peak of human fitness was up against an armored man stronger than Stingray.
When Captain America took a step back from the uppercut, his free hand pulled a circular device from his belt. One swift motion fixed this explosive to the underside of his opponents exposed shoulder. Captain America dived down and away, his shield taking the brunt of an explosion strong enough to punch a hole in a concrete wall. As the Avengers Chairperson suspected, the damage to his opponent was minimal. Only a shaken warrior inside a weakened armor.
“Take him, Karnak!”
The Inhuman rushed forward and struck like a viper. His open hand punched through the darkened armor as though it were paper. Blood immediately gushed over Karnak’s pale skin, but he paid this no mind as he watched the soldier fall. Espirita was moving forward almost as quickly, the devout Catholic aghast at the intentional injury.
“How could you?” she asked loudly of both Karnak and Captain America. “This man could die!”
No sooner had Espirita said the words than the dying man disappeared, faded away with a shimmering effect. Warbird emerged empty-handed, a puzzled look on her face that indicated a similar fate for her two opponents.
“Kang doesn’t leave his soldiers behind.” Captain America stalked toward Marcus, who was lying in his bed with a grin. “You aren’t going anywhere Marcus. Kang would consider extracting you like that a cheat. The forces sent matched the forces against them.”
“You couldn’t have known that for a fact,” Espirita said. “Captain America, we are not killers.”
“Meet with Jarvis upstairs,” Captain America said to Diane Arliss-Newell. “SHIELD’s custody of the Vibranium needs to be verified. Heads of State will be calling if they haven’t already. Forward the President to me first.” Diane started out, with Stingray halted from following by Captain America’s next order. “All Avengers to the War Room!”
No messages were going to be forwarded to Captain America. The first thing the Avengers saw at entering the War Room was a hologram of Kang’s face over the meeting table. “Greetings, Avengers. Congratulations on deflecting my assault. However you know it would have been better not to resist. If my heir is not returned to me, New York City will be destroyed.”
Captain America marched forward, planted his fists against the table, and looked Kang in the eyes. “Ultron was reactivated because you. It stands to reason you can deactivate him any time you want. You will do this now and retreat your forces from this area immediately. In return I may tell you where to find a block of ice with your “heir” inside six hundred years from now.”
Kang’s masked face betrayed nothing as he gave a response. “I will consider your terms. If you present them to me in person.”
The hologram faded, and Captain America stepped away from the table. “All Avengers to the Quinjet. Binary, Espirita and Warbird will provide cover as we board Kang’s flagship.”
“Captain, I have the President on-line,” Jarvis’ voice said through the War Room’s intercom.
Captain America paused, considering. He could stop to confirm orders from a superior or proceed with what he knew had to be done. “Inform him I’m en route to the situation and take a message.”
“Pardon me, sir, but he says there’s more than one situation. They have lost communications with a nuclear base.”
Before Kang’s arrival, the Avengers had tracked Ultron had a nuclear base. The robot’s attack was under way.
“Tell him the Avengers will deal with it,” Captain America said. He walked through his teammates out of the War Room. Binary was giving him a questioning look.
“Um, are we splitting up? Which of us do you want to back up Quicksilver?”
Captain America had tapped a spot on his Avengers Communicard. “We aren’t the only Avengers. Our teammates on the West Coast will move on Ultron. Let’s go deal with Kang.”
Dots were reaching the top of the sky when Quicksilver sped across the base’s perimeter. The missiles were halfway to New York City, with only minutes remaining before Quicksilver could stop him. That was assuming if he could stop them. But no, the Avenger did not allow doubt to creep into his mind. A way existed, and he would find it.
Blaster fire streamed in Quicksilver’s direction, as slow as snails to the speedster’s eyes. The danger was easily avoided, and the time even remained for Quicksilver to strike at the attackers. Machines all, with shells as hard as metal could be. But hit metal enough times and it would break. Quicksilver went through eight times as many shattered rocks and broken tools as there were shooters, but the handful of metal drones were all destroyed within a minute.
“Captain, Ultron’s taken the base,” Quicksilver said as he was bludgeoning the opponents. A run around the perimeter found many additional drones, all firing at Quicksilver with their rapid senses and heightened reflexes. With little effort, the lone Avenger swerved around the blasts and explosions, but chose not to engage further. Time wasted on battle was time the missiles inched closer to their target.
Elsewhere on the base and yet a step out of synch, the transparent form of Arcana had her eyes shut as sweat poured down her face. “By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth, the father I know is actually mellow compared to this! It’s taking everything to keep him thinking as fast as he runs!”
“Trust me babe, this is nothing compared to the Quicksilver of a few years ago,” remarked Yellowjacket.
In addition to the mentally unbalanced Hank Pym, Arcana was surrounded by Mockingbird, Mr. Immortal, Black Knight and Captain America, all comprising the Avengers gathered by Immortus. Accompanying them was Libra, a former criminal who now traveled the timestream in service of Immortus, and an ally to these Avengers. It was his power that allowed the heroes to stand at the edge of time, unable to interact except for Arcana’s power.
“I really don’t see much difference,” Mockingbird observed. “He tends to be very single-minded, Luna, so just use your magic to keep his mind on reaching missile control.”
“And staying alive,” Mister Immortal chimed in. “It’s very important we don’t get anybody killed. Especially if they’re responsible for any of us existing.”
Arcana, the daughter of Quicksilver and Crystal of the Inhumans, sighed. “I’ve already been born, so his death wouldn’t be a complete tragedy. Still, he needs to at least do what we need him to.”
“Would that we could do more than talk and cast magicks,” the Black Knight sighed. Dane Whitman was born in modern times, but years spent in the Middle Ages had affected his speech patterns. Behind his helmet’s visor, eyes shifted to Libra. “My sword could cleave those machines in one stroke.”
“We should be helping him,” Captain America agreed. His eyes were fixed on the room’s sole, true occupant. “We should be pounding that thing into scrap. Looking at it, I find it hard to believe there’s a bigger threat.”
Unaware of the presence of hated Avengers, Ultron stood before the missile controls. Its unliving eyes, aglow with nuclear fire, quietly observed a radar screen. Blips represented nuclear missiles on their way to New York City. Other eyes watched this, all hoping for something far different from what Ultron wanted.
“But you know there is, Cap,” Yellowjacket told the World War II hero who had never been frozen. “We fought him. Ultron might be a murderous, psychotic machine bent on killing all life, but there’s a limit to what he can do. Take it from the guy that killed him.”
“I thought that was Pym,” Mockingbird suggested with a smirk.
“The best part of him, namely me,” Yellowjacket replied. “My point is, Kang is the big picture guy. He needs to be stopped for the good of all time, and this is our best chance at it.”
“All the more reason for us to take direct action,” Black Knight argued. He was now addressing Libra. “Kang is here now! Why don’t we strike at him? Joined with the heroes of this age, we could end him for good!”
But Libra shook his head. Though blind, he saw the big picture his allies couldn’t. “No, thwarting Kang here wouldn’t destroy him. At worst, the Conquerer would be driven back to his castle, to Chronopolis. We all know how strong he is there. Even if he was killed, Kang’s consciousness would be transported there instantly, into a new body to plan and conquer anew.”
Sounds of struggle were reaching their ears, and Arcana voiced the thoughts of her fellow Avengers. “He’s here now. We need to be ready.”
Even as she was speaking, Luna Maximoff’s father burst through the reinforced door into missile control. It was obvious that Quicksilver had fought every step of the way. Cuts and bruises were visible where his body wasn’t covered by the blue and white uniform, of which there was significantly less. His hands were swollen, obviously broken, and his feet were covered with blood and gore that wasn’t his own. At sight of Ultron all the rage boiled over.
“Murderer!” Quicksilver roared as he raced at the robotic monstrosity. His speech was too rapid to be followed by anything, but his movements were tracked by Ultron’s faster senses. Perhaps it helped that Quicksilver was running straight at it, as Ultron didn’t have to turn its head before unleashing the encephalo-ray.
“Now or never!” Yellowjacket shouted. It was the moment they’d waited for.
Libra was thankfully doing his part. Time had slowed for Immortus’ Avengers, and Arcana was able to take action. Crimson bands erupted from her palms to shove Quicksilver aside. Ultron’s attack passed over his head and struck the Black Knight’s Ebony Blade. Properly angled, the mystical and alien sword was able to absorb energy.
“Uhn.” Quicksilver had crashed against the wall, uncertain of what had just happened. He’d caught a flash of red at the edge of his vision just before something struck him, but that was all.
Ultron was equally perplexed, as it had appeared his encephalo-ray had disappeared into thin air. “What sort of trickery is this!” It roared, unable to see enemies acting between seconds.
“The swarm is set up,” Yellowjacket told Black Knight. “Do it!”
The Black Knight swung his sword toward the missile control console. The absorbed encephalo-ray blasted out from the metal, through the swarm of Limbo-bugs that Yellowjacket. Advanced, other-dimensional technology and temporal energy altered the encephalo-ray as it continued on to strike the console. There was no explosion, but programming was shifted, and commands issued at faster than light.
The sudden whir of the computer console took Ultron’s attention, and its head shifted. “What has just been done?” It turned back toward where Quicksilver had been. “You brought somebody. Who? What did you clever little flesh do!”
There wasn’t the slightest idea in Quicksilver’s mind. But the missile control console’s activity had reminded him of the mission. In the time it had taken Ultron to turn its head and speak, the Avenger had rushed passed him to the console. Hands moved rapidly but helplessly across the controls.
“No! The missiles won’t deactivate!”
“And they won’t,” Mockingbird remarked sadly, unheard by her old teammate. “Mission accomplished. Let’s go.”
“Yes,” Libra agreed. “I shall take us to witness the strike.”
“No.” Captain America’s voice was hard, commanding. “We already know what’s done. There’s no need to watch. Just…take us out of here.”
Silently, Libra acceded. He turned, stepping out of time and taking the other Avengers with him. As Luna Maximoff faded, she turned her head to see Ultron raise an arm at the back of Quicksilver. “Goodbye, dad.”
Before it could have been destroyed with the rest of ancient Carthage, Kang had spirited away the great cothon harbor and built the flagship of his fleet around the structure. The flagship’s command center was incorporated with the ancient signal tower, and from this perch Kang observed the tiny city of New York. The city was every bit as important for military value as it was politically and commercially. Its rail system and expansive harbor had transported countless troops in numerous wars past and future.
“Shut it down,” Kang ordered. Technicians in the command center pressed their buttons, and the New York transit systems no longer worked. All trains and subway cars will have stopped, trapping hundreds of thousands inside. An adequate response for the Avengers’ refusal to his demands.
“Eminence.” One of the lowly technicians addressed Kang. It had to have been important. “Nuclear missiles have been launched inside the United States. Future records indicate the base was overrun by machines.” That will have been the extent of future records referenced. Kang’s orders were they were only to be used to elaborate on events as they were happening, not before. “Trajectory indicates New York is the target.”
“Ultron has made its move. Ready shields against shockwaves and radiation, and assemble Fallout Teams.” Vibranium was in the city and would survive any nuclear radiation. Nothing would stop Kang from obtaining it.
An order Kang did not give was to retrieve his heir Marcus, the Scarlet Centurion. None questioned this. If Kang the Conquerer had decided to write-off another failure and start anew, it was not the place of lowly subordinates.
“They’ve shifted!” Fear in the voices of Kang’s officers was forbidden, but it was coming thick. “The missiles have shifted! We need to adjust the shi-”
The sudden violent tremors nearly threw Kang off his feet. Everything was shaking, the ship threatening to rip against powerful shockwaves far closer than originally anticipated. Had the flagship not been in the absolute center of the city, far away from the fleet’s edge, it would have been destroyed.
Refusing to grab anything for a brace, Kang demanded, “Damage report!”
“Eight percent of fleet ships are gone. An additional nineteen percent are critically damaged. Permission for all ships in need to be time-shifted for repairs.”
“Granted!” It wasn’t the loss of life that concerned Kang if any of his ships crashed into New York. None of his technology should be permitted to fall into primitive hands. “Show me the status!”
A hologram appeared in the middle of the command center, detailing the fleet’s current situation. Small flashes indicated damaged ships dematerializing out of the era. Over a quarter of the fleet gone, and those remaining ships all with minor damages. Instead of barking out commands, Kang reached out with his hands and shifted the holograms. Outside, the ships would be moving automatically to this manipulation, and Kang maneuvered his reduced fleet in response to the new situation.
“Binary go!”
The youngest Avenger rocketed in the direction of the approaching nuclear missiles. In her ear, information was being transmitted. “Seek out the radiation in the warheads. Even through the shielding you should feel it. Then concentrate everything you have on rendering that radiation inert. You’ll be blasting no matter what, and those missiles are detonating in the air. But with the radioactive material inert the devastation should be minimal.”
“Minimal isn’t a word I associate with devastation,” Binary said under her breath. She could feel it though, death in the head of each missile. That was a feeling Binary tried to lock onto, but suddenly her concentration was interrupted when the missiles’ trajectories changed. “They’ve moved! What should I-?” Power began to building in Binary’s hands.
“Do not fire!” It was Captain America. “Move back and let Photon take over.”
“What?” Binary turned her head and felt her vision adjust to see Avengers reservist Photon approach at light speed. An easy feat with her body composed entirely of light, and from what Binary could see it was actually expanding, her body going wider. Following orders Binary dropped over a hundred feet and watched as above Photon was casting solid light between the city and a nuclear explosion.
Through the blinding light of Photon, nothing could be seen. But when the explosions occurred the powerful shockwaves went through and rattled the airborne Quinjet. Had Captain America not been strapped to his chair he would have been flung about the cabin instead of barking out orders.
“Binary, Espirita and Warbird, go through and soak up any radiation you encounter.” Each of the women was immune in their own way. “Give me a report on Kang’s fleet, and Photon’s condition if he can.” He was attempting to contact the reservist on every available frequency with no success.
“It’s likely the explosions destroyed her mind and when the light dissipates she’ll be dead,” Karnak said.
“Monica’s survived something like this before,” Captain America said, in a rare instance using an Avenger’s real name. “If need be we’ll sort it out afterwards. It’s Kang’s survival I’m worried about now.”
Plasma burned through the air from Ultron’s palm toward Quicksilver’s back. The Avenger heard the sizzle as the attack approached, but tried to ignore it. His hands continued to work at the controls. Somehow, the path of the missiles had shifted, but the difference was minimal. He still had time to avoid Ultron’s attack after deactivating the missiles. Quicksilver had to deactivate the missiles!
On the radar screen, the blips vanished. This wasn’t because of anything Quicksilver had done. The missiles had struck, detonated. Quicksilver stared aghast at his failure, the fatal plasma blast forgotten as it was about to strike.
Once again, an invisible force threw Quicksilver to the side, out of the way of Ultron’s deadly attack. Only this time, Quicksilver knew exactly what was behind it, as an instant later a section of the far wall was ripped out. Iron Man swooped in through the opening, followed closely by Darkhawk and the Wasp’s tiny frame. Standing off at the side was Spider-Woman, hefting the large section of wall over her head. And hovering in the back, carried by the same forces he’d used to save Quicksilver’s life, was Doctor Druid.
“Give it up Ultron!” Iron Man shouted. “The Avengers are here to stop you!”
An inhuman cackle sounded from the radioactive furnace of Ultron’s mouth. “You are here only to die!”
“Have at thee!” Sir Halifax roared as he came at Ultron from behind. The former tiger, uplifted into so much more by the High Evolutionary, had previously been part of the Knights of Wundagore. He was thus clad in armor, and wielded a sword that he swung against Ultron’s head. The blade of metal forged on Mount Wundagore clanged against indestructible adamantium, and behind Halifax the vigilante Moon Knight shook his masked head.
“I tried to hold him back,” he said for the benefit of his teammates. “Promise.”
Without even turning his head, Ultron casually swung his arm back to hit Halifax in the side. The armored tiger/man hybrid was hurled against the consoles. “Flesh by design. How fascinating. After your terminations he will be left for further study.”
“The only thing getting studied around here is your face by my foot!” yelled Darkhawk as he swooped down at the villain. Behind him, Spider-Woman said, “Right, fight him up close. It worked so well the other time,” in a soft voice. A pity Darkhawk wasn’t paying attention, as he soon learned that Ultron had the reflexes of a computer-run machine.
Darkhawk was diving feet-first at Ultron, but before he could collide the machine’s hands became a blur. Metal fingers closed around Darkhawk’s ankles, and just as quickly Ultron drove his arms down. Darkhawk fell hard and fast against the floor, his armored legs twisted unnaturally. “Aaaahh!”
“That’s enough.” Repulsor rays burst out of Iron Man’s palms, slamming into Ultron’s chest. “Spider-Woman, Moon Knight, make breathing space.”
“I’m always glad to die,” Moon Knight responded. He rushed toward Ultron, while Spider-Woman leapt at it from the other direction. The bio-electric Venom blast was unleashed from her hands and washed over Ultron’s face. Over-loading the optical receptors. Momentarily blinded, Ultron made a wide swing in Spider-Woman’s direction. The wild swing would have struck Moon Knight, but he ducked beneath it and scooped up the injured Darkhawk. “Calm down. I know you can recover.”
Tossing the obviously crippled Darkhawk out through the broken wall, Moon Knight whirled about and hurled a throwing dart at Ultron’s always-open mouth. The projectile exploded upon entering, succeeding where Spider-Woman and Iron Man had failed by driving Ultron back a step. As it recoiled, Ultron was not able to stop Spider-Woman from spring-boarding off it. She landed near Halifax, picking him up and rushing with him outside.
“Your flesh will burn!” Ultron promised Moon Knight. Nuclear fire erupted from its mouth at the vigilante Avenger. The silver-clad hero dove outside just ahead of the radioactive death. The last thing on his mind was whether or not Quicksilver had recovered and run clear.
Fortunately for Moon Knight, Quicksilver had and did. No sooner in Moon Knight hit the ground than Quicksilver grabbed and pulled him clear of the nuclear flames. Before the deadly blast could go any further, they halted as though striking an invisible force field. Doctor Druid’s eyes were glowing, and he muttered softly beneath his breath.
“Kaff! The missiles,” Quicksilver struggled to tell Iron Man. “They detonated. I failed to stop…that thing!”
“Not according to the transmissions I’m getting,” Iron Man informed his old teammate. “At the last minute they redirected toward Kang’s fleet. There haven’t even been reports of fallout so far.”
“So all we need to worry about is the villain in front of us,” stated Christopher Powell. Using the Darkhawk Amulet, he’d swapped out of the injured android body. A second later he was back as a fully repaired Darkhawk. “And yes, I’ll try not to be so stupid against him.”
However, when the billowing flames of radiation died down, it was the more feminine machine Alkhema that stood facing the Avengers. In contrast to the deep hatred always present in Ultron’s eyes, Alkhema’s carried a flicker of enjoyment. With a grace one would not expect from a machine, it stepped through the broken wall and towards the heroes.
“Ultron has more important things to do,” it told the Avengers. “I’ll be the one killing you all today.”
“Well you’d better hurry,” Wasp piped out. “Graviton has an appointment to kill us tomorrow.”
Chuckling, Alkhema gave a snap of the fingers. More of the robotic drones that Quicksilver had battled appeared, surrounding the Avengers. “Oh, then I’m afraid he’ll be gravely disappointed.”
The first thing Mockingbird did when she time-shifted with the rest of her Avengers back to Limbo was throw up. Warm vomit splattered against the cold stone of Immortus’ castle, that existed long before he arrived there, and regested back into the base food elements.
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” Mister Immortal said.
“God damn can you be serious!” Mockingbird wiped her mouth. “We just killed I don’t know how many people.”
“All soldiers in Kang’s army,” Captain America said. “The civilians in New York are safe.” He turned to Libra. “They are all safe, right?”
“Yes, they are,” Arcana said. “Remember Captain, this is all history to me.” She then touched a hand to her head. “Although I am a little uncertain how things turn out. I was only a young child living on the moon at the time. Or had we relocated back to Earth? It was after Attilan had been destroyed again, I remember that much.”
“The important thing is that we hurt Kang,” Black Knight said. “With his forces depleted, Ultron’s chances of killing him have improved.”
“Don’t bet on it,” Yellowjacket said. “This guy draws on billions of worlds from across millions of years. A drop from an ocean still leaves an ocean.”
“You are correct, murderer of Hank Pym.” Immortus was suddenly there in the midst his Avengers and Libra. Only Mockingbird noticed Yellowjacket’s sudden discomfort, but she still listened when Immortus spoke. “However, Kang will be concentrating the full force of his resources on the Avengers of the era. That shall enable you to strike at his heart. And with that wounded, Kang will be left vulnerable.”
“By his heart, do you mean…” Captain America began.
“Yes! Away my Avengers, to Chronopolis!” Immortus spread his arms wide and, before any of his Avengers knew what was happening they were disappearing with Limbo.
In the next instant the Avengers found themselves with Immortus in an entirely new setting. They were in a grand hall, stark and cold, of emotionless design that Captain America found uneasily familiar. “My God, we’re in Nazi Germany.”
“No, this is 40th Century Chronopolis.” Arcana was looking at Immortus. “Kang’s World War II bunker. I’ve been here before.”
“A pity I don’t kill you the first time then.” Ravonna glided into the hall. Much to the surprise of the Avengers, she gave Immortus a warm smile. “Ah, the once-Kang. Although I understand you’re both now halves of one whole. Perhaps that is why I’ve found Kang…unattractive of late. It may be all the appealing portions left with you.”
“That may well be,” Immortus said. “You have always preferred the administrative side of things, Ravonna. Kang’s lengthy absences of conquests must certainly take their toll. What if I told you that Kang’s conquests were coming to an end? That you would be free to manage the eras of history as you saw fit?”
Ravonna gave her former lover a smile. “That is a What If, my dear Immortus. I think that you are not telling me that. I think that perhaps you have a bit of the Conquerer in you still. And I say,” Ravonna spread her arms, and a silvery armor flowed across her body, ending at an elaborate helmet atop her head. In Ravonna’s hands there was suddenly a long staff with a slightly curved sword at the end. “That I also have a piece of the Conquerer in me at times. That is when I am the Terminatrix!”
“You’re kidding, right?” Yellowjacket said with a smile at the pretty lady pretending to be a warrior. “Just you against the, what?” Yellowjacket countered Libra and Immortus, “Eight of us?”
“Look behind you,” was all Terminatrix said.
Captain America turned around, and he saw Ronan the Accuser to his left and Super-Skrull to his right. “Kang left the Kree-Skrull War with more than your android,” Terminatrix was saying behind them.
Mockingbird flicked a wrist, and the baton in her hand became a bo-staff. “Okay, let’s do this.”
“Still, we have you nearly three-to-one!” Black Knight raised his sword.
“Uh.” Mister Immortal just noticed something. “Make that two-to-one. Where’d Immortus and Libra go?”
More than half the remaining ships of Kang’s fleet were disappearing over the horizon, toward the origin base of the missiles, when the announcement was made. “Quinjet approaching. Weapons are ready to fire.”
“No,” Kang ordered. “We’ll let them board. Take no action unless those flying harpies fire, and then defensive only.” Meaning only annihilate whomever is attacking.
“Are we to escort them here?”
A smile crossed Kang’s lips. “Yes, the Avengers are to be escorted every step of the way. Time-shift all horrors imaginable and unimagined. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will have to earn an audience with their Conquerer!”
To Be Continued…
Next Issue: If the Avengers with Iron Man can overcome Alkhema, will they escape the wrath of Kang’s armada? What Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction do Kang have in store for those Avengers with Captain America? Can even the newest member of Immortus’ Avengers save the team from soldiers of the Kree/Skrull War? Plus, Ultron scavenges materials for his next assault, from a source he thought already stripped bare!
“Ahh!” Even Maestro hadn’t hurt her that much, Binary was thinking as she collapsed to the ground. A sudden weakness was washing over her, the energy inside Binary’s body felt like it was turning on her, feeding on her body instead of the other way around. Three of the seven armored soldiers paused to train their weapons on Binary, as the others were moving towards the Med-Lab.
Between the soldiers and Binary the ceiling crashed in to searing flames. Engulfed in this inferno was Espirita, floating down with her body turned sideways so that she half-faced Binary and one arm was raised protectively in the direction of the soldiers. Jets of flame licked at the weapons in their hands, and the soldiers were armed only with melted hunks of plastic.
“You should remember Binary that we are a team,” Espirita said. “Give us a chance to look out for each other.”
No sooner did Espirita float to one side of the hole than Warbird swooped down through it. Plasma streamed out of her hands and forced back two of the soldiers. Warbird slammed bodily into the third and, grabbing him by the waist, swung him against the other two before they could recover. She then smashed her living weapon against the ground, and he didn’t get back up.
“They’re after Marcus!” said Warbird. Captain America, Karnak and Stingray had now jumped down through the ceiling. At hearing Warbird’s words Stingray moved forward before Captain America could give the command, while Karnak turned to assist the injured Binary.
“Diane!” Stingray cried as he crashed through the doorway. The Avengers mansion technician and also his wife was standing was standing at the far end, between the restrained Marcus Kang and the soldiers. But not all of them, Stingray knew as he twisted to grab the one behind the doorframe before he could fire.
The armor made the soldiers strong, and the one Stingray grappled with him forced him up against the wall. The main struggle seemed to be for the rifle however, as the soldier was slowly shifting it so that the barrel would face Stingray. As much as Stingry was pressing his fingers against the armored wrists, he couldn’t do more than slow the soldier.
Behind his helmet though, Stingray smiled. His armor’s main function was sonar, and it told him everything. Things like where the soldier had been so that Stingray could avoid the ambush, and that Stingray’s fingers had just crushed through the armor’s insulation. Another function of his armor was electrical surges. A burst fried an armor’s systems, and Stingray was then picking up a man surrounded in dead weight.
Before the other soldiers could fire their weapons, Stingray tossed the weight at them. It only bought seconds, but it was enough for Stingray to grab Diane and pull her to the floor. Not so much to protect her from the soldiers, but because his sonar picked up Warbird’s rapid approach.
Warbird tore into the Med-Lab, grabbing two of the remaining soldiers and smashing them through the next wall. That left one, and his rifle burst proved harmless against the shield of the approaching Captain America. Before a second blast Captain America had closed the distance and knocked the rifle away with a shield-swipe. An uppercut thrown by the attacker clipped him just below the shoulder, and Captain America stifled a grunt. A super-soldier at the peak of human fitness was up against an armored man stronger than Stingray.
When Captain America took a step back from the uppercut, his free hand pulled a circular device from his belt. One swift motion fixed this explosive to the underside of his opponents exposed shoulder. Captain America dived down and away, his shield taking the brunt of an explosion strong enough to punch a hole in a concrete wall. As the Avengers Chairperson suspected, the damage to his opponent was minimal. Only a shaken warrior inside a weakened armor.
“Take him, Karnak!”
The Inhuman rushed forward and struck like a viper. His open hand punched through the darkened armor as though it were paper. Blood immediately gushed over Karnak’s pale skin, but he paid this no mind as he watched the soldier fall. Espirita was moving forward almost as quickly, the devout Catholic aghast at the intentional injury.
“How could you?” she asked loudly of both Karnak and Captain America. “This man could die!”
No sooner had Espirita said the words than the dying man disappeared, faded away with a shimmering effect. Warbird emerged empty-handed, a puzzled look on her face that indicated a similar fate for her two opponents.
“Kang doesn’t leave his soldiers behind.” Captain America stalked toward Marcus, who was lying in his bed with a grin. “You aren’t going anywhere Marcus. Kang would consider extracting you like that a cheat. The forces sent matched the forces against them.”
“You couldn’t have known that for a fact,” Espirita said. “Captain America, we are not killers.”
“Meet with Jarvis upstairs,” Captain America said to Diane Arliss-Newell. “SHIELD’s custody of the Vibranium needs to be verified. Heads of State will be calling if they haven’t already. Forward the President to me first.” Diane started out, with Stingray halted from following by Captain America’s next order. “All Avengers to the War Room!”
No messages were going to be forwarded to Captain America. The first thing the Avengers saw at entering the War Room was a hologram of Kang’s face over the meeting table. “Greetings, Avengers. Congratulations on deflecting my assault. However you know it would have been better not to resist. If my heir is not returned to me, New York City will be destroyed.”
Captain America marched forward, planted his fists against the table, and looked Kang in the eyes. “Ultron was reactivated because you. It stands to reason you can deactivate him any time you want. You will do this now and retreat your forces from this area immediately. In return I may tell you where to find a block of ice with your “heir” inside six hundred years from now.”
Kang’s masked face betrayed nothing as he gave a response. “I will consider your terms. If you present them to me in person.”
The hologram faded, and Captain America stepped away from the table. “All Avengers to the Quinjet. Binary, Espirita and Warbird will provide cover as we board Kang’s flagship.”
“Captain, I have the President on-line,” Jarvis’ voice said through the War Room’s intercom.
Captain America paused, considering. He could stop to confirm orders from a superior or proceed with what he knew had to be done. “Inform him I’m en route to the situation and take a message.”
“Pardon me, sir, but he says there’s more than one situation. They have lost communications with a nuclear base.”
Before Kang’s arrival, the Avengers had tracked Ultron had a nuclear base. The robot’s attack was under way.
“Tell him the Avengers will deal with it,” Captain America said. He walked through his teammates out of the War Room. Binary was giving him a questioning look.
“Um, are we splitting up? Which of us do you want to back up Quicksilver?”
Captain America had tapped a spot on his Avengers Communicard. “We aren’t the only Avengers. Our teammates on the West Coast will move on Ultron. Let’s go deal with Kang.”
Dots were reaching the top of the sky when Quicksilver sped across the base’s perimeter. The missiles were halfway to New York City, with only minutes remaining before Quicksilver could stop him. That was assuming if he could stop them. But no, the Avenger did not allow doubt to creep into his mind. A way existed, and he would find it.
Blaster fire streamed in Quicksilver’s direction, as slow as snails to the speedster’s eyes. The danger was easily avoided, and the time even remained for Quicksilver to strike at the attackers. Machines all, with shells as hard as metal could be. But hit metal enough times and it would break. Quicksilver went through eight times as many shattered rocks and broken tools as there were shooters, but the handful of metal drones were all destroyed within a minute.
“Captain, Ultron’s taken the base,” Quicksilver said as he was bludgeoning the opponents. A run around the perimeter found many additional drones, all firing at Quicksilver with their rapid senses and heightened reflexes. With little effort, the lone Avenger swerved around the blasts and explosions, but chose not to engage further. Time wasted on battle was time the missiles inched closer to their target.
Elsewhere on the base and yet a step out of synch, the transparent form of Arcana had her eyes shut as sweat poured down her face. “By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth, the father I know is actually mellow compared to this! It’s taking everything to keep him thinking as fast as he runs!”
“Trust me babe, this is nothing compared to the Quicksilver of a few years ago,” remarked Yellowjacket.
In addition to the mentally unbalanced Hank Pym, Arcana was surrounded by Mockingbird, Mr. Immortal, Black Knight and Captain America, all comprising the Avengers gathered by Immortus. Accompanying them was Libra, a former criminal who now traveled the timestream in service of Immortus, and an ally to these Avengers. It was his power that allowed the heroes to stand at the edge of time, unable to interact except for Arcana’s power.
“I really don’t see much difference,” Mockingbird observed. “He tends to be very single-minded, Luna, so just use your magic to keep his mind on reaching missile control.”
“And staying alive,” Mister Immortal chimed in. “It’s very important we don’t get anybody killed. Especially if they’re responsible for any of us existing.”
Arcana, the daughter of Quicksilver and Crystal of the Inhumans, sighed. “I’ve already been born, so his death wouldn’t be a complete tragedy. Still, he needs to at least do what we need him to.”
“Would that we could do more than talk and cast magicks,” the Black Knight sighed. Dane Whitman was born in modern times, but years spent in the Middle Ages had affected his speech patterns. Behind his helmet’s visor, eyes shifted to Libra. “My sword could cleave those machines in one stroke.”
“We should be helping him,” Captain America agreed. His eyes were fixed on the room’s sole, true occupant. “We should be pounding that thing into scrap. Looking at it, I find it hard to believe there’s a bigger threat.”
Unaware of the presence of hated Avengers, Ultron stood before the missile controls. Its unliving eyes, aglow with nuclear fire, quietly observed a radar screen. Blips represented nuclear missiles on their way to New York City. Other eyes watched this, all hoping for something far different from what Ultron wanted.
“But you know there is, Cap,” Yellowjacket told the World War II hero who had never been frozen. “We fought him. Ultron might be a murderous, psychotic machine bent on killing all life, but there’s a limit to what he can do. Take it from the guy that killed him.”
“I thought that was Pym,” Mockingbird suggested with a smirk.
“The best part of him, namely me,” Yellowjacket replied. “My point is, Kang is the big picture guy. He needs to be stopped for the good of all time, and this is our best chance at it.”
“All the more reason for us to take direct action,” Black Knight argued. He was now addressing Libra. “Kang is here now! Why don’t we strike at him? Joined with the heroes of this age, we could end him for good!”
But Libra shook his head. Though blind, he saw the big picture his allies couldn’t. “No, thwarting Kang here wouldn’t destroy him. At worst, the Conquerer would be driven back to his castle, to Chronopolis. We all know how strong he is there. Even if he was killed, Kang’s consciousness would be transported there instantly, into a new body to plan and conquer anew.”
Sounds of struggle were reaching their ears, and Arcana voiced the thoughts of her fellow Avengers. “He’s here now. We need to be ready.”
Even as she was speaking, Luna Maximoff’s father burst through the reinforced door into missile control. It was obvious that Quicksilver had fought every step of the way. Cuts and bruises were visible where his body wasn’t covered by the blue and white uniform, of which there was significantly less. His hands were swollen, obviously broken, and his feet were covered with blood and gore that wasn’t his own. At sight of Ultron all the rage boiled over.
“Murderer!” Quicksilver roared as he raced at the robotic monstrosity. His speech was too rapid to be followed by anything, but his movements were tracked by Ultron’s faster senses. Perhaps it helped that Quicksilver was running straight at it, as Ultron didn’t have to turn its head before unleashing the encephalo-ray.
“Now or never!” Yellowjacket shouted. It was the moment they’d waited for.
Libra was thankfully doing his part. Time had slowed for Immortus’ Avengers, and Arcana was able to take action. Crimson bands erupted from her palms to shove Quicksilver aside. Ultron’s attack passed over his head and struck the Black Knight’s Ebony Blade. Properly angled, the mystical and alien sword was able to absorb energy.
“Uhn.” Quicksilver had crashed against the wall, uncertain of what had just happened. He’d caught a flash of red at the edge of his vision just before something struck him, but that was all.
Ultron was equally perplexed, as it had appeared his encephalo-ray had disappeared into thin air. “What sort of trickery is this!” It roared, unable to see enemies acting between seconds.
“The swarm is set up,” Yellowjacket told Black Knight. “Do it!”
The Black Knight swung his sword toward the missile control console. The absorbed encephalo-ray blasted out from the metal, through the swarm of Limbo-bugs that Yellowjacket. Advanced, other-dimensional technology and temporal energy altered the encephalo-ray as it continued on to strike the console. There was no explosion, but programming was shifted, and commands issued at faster than light.
The sudden whir of the computer console took Ultron’s attention, and its head shifted. “What has just been done?” It turned back toward where Quicksilver had been. “You brought somebody. Who? What did you clever little flesh do!”
There wasn’t the slightest idea in Quicksilver’s mind. But the missile control console’s activity had reminded him of the mission. In the time it had taken Ultron to turn its head and speak, the Avenger had rushed passed him to the console. Hands moved rapidly but helplessly across the controls.
“No! The missiles won’t deactivate!”
“And they won’t,” Mockingbird remarked sadly, unheard by her old teammate. “Mission accomplished. Let’s go.”
“Yes,” Libra agreed. “I shall take us to witness the strike.”
“No.” Captain America’s voice was hard, commanding. “We already know what’s done. There’s no need to watch. Just…take us out of here.”
Silently, Libra acceded. He turned, stepping out of time and taking the other Avengers with him. As Luna Maximoff faded, she turned her head to see Ultron raise an arm at the back of Quicksilver. “Goodbye, dad.”
Before it could have been destroyed with the rest of ancient Carthage, Kang had spirited away the great cothon harbor and built the flagship of his fleet around the structure. The flagship’s command center was incorporated with the ancient signal tower, and from this perch Kang observed the tiny city of New York. The city was every bit as important for military value as it was politically and commercially. Its rail system and expansive harbor had transported countless troops in numerous wars past and future.
“Shut it down,” Kang ordered. Technicians in the command center pressed their buttons, and the New York transit systems no longer worked. All trains and subway cars will have stopped, trapping hundreds of thousands inside. An adequate response for the Avengers’ refusal to his demands.
“Eminence.” One of the lowly technicians addressed Kang. It had to have been important. “Nuclear missiles have been launched inside the United States. Future records indicate the base was overrun by machines.” That will have been the extent of future records referenced. Kang’s orders were they were only to be used to elaborate on events as they were happening, not before. “Trajectory indicates New York is the target.”
“Ultron has made its move. Ready shields against shockwaves and radiation, and assemble Fallout Teams.” Vibranium was in the city and would survive any nuclear radiation. Nothing would stop Kang from obtaining it.
An order Kang did not give was to retrieve his heir Marcus, the Scarlet Centurion. None questioned this. If Kang the Conquerer had decided to write-off another failure and start anew, it was not the place of lowly subordinates.
“They’ve shifted!” Fear in the voices of Kang’s officers was forbidden, but it was coming thick. “The missiles have shifted! We need to adjust the shi-”
The sudden violent tremors nearly threw Kang off his feet. Everything was shaking, the ship threatening to rip against powerful shockwaves far closer than originally anticipated. Had the flagship not been in the absolute center of the city, far away from the fleet’s edge, it would have been destroyed.
Refusing to grab anything for a brace, Kang demanded, “Damage report!”
“Eight percent of fleet ships are gone. An additional nineteen percent are critically damaged. Permission for all ships in need to be time-shifted for repairs.”
“Granted!” It wasn’t the loss of life that concerned Kang if any of his ships crashed into New York. None of his technology should be permitted to fall into primitive hands. “Show me the status!”
A hologram appeared in the middle of the command center, detailing the fleet’s current situation. Small flashes indicated damaged ships dematerializing out of the era. Over a quarter of the fleet gone, and those remaining ships all with minor damages. Instead of barking out commands, Kang reached out with his hands and shifted the holograms. Outside, the ships would be moving automatically to this manipulation, and Kang maneuvered his reduced fleet in response to the new situation.
“Binary go!”
The youngest Avenger rocketed in the direction of the approaching nuclear missiles. In her ear, information was being transmitted. “Seek out the radiation in the warheads. Even through the shielding you should feel it. Then concentrate everything you have on rendering that radiation inert. You’ll be blasting no matter what, and those missiles are detonating in the air. But with the radioactive material inert the devastation should be minimal.”
“Minimal isn’t a word I associate with devastation,” Binary said under her breath. She could feel it though, death in the head of each missile. That was a feeling Binary tried to lock onto, but suddenly her concentration was interrupted when the missiles’ trajectories changed. “They’ve moved! What should I-?” Power began to building in Binary’s hands.
“Do not fire!” It was Captain America. “Move back and let Photon take over.”
“What?” Binary turned her head and felt her vision adjust to see Avengers reservist Photon approach at light speed. An easy feat with her body composed entirely of light, and from what Binary could see it was actually expanding, her body going wider. Following orders Binary dropped over a hundred feet and watched as above Photon was casting solid light between the city and a nuclear explosion.
Through the blinding light of Photon, nothing could be seen. But when the explosions occurred the powerful shockwaves went through and rattled the airborne Quinjet. Had Captain America not been strapped to his chair he would have been flung about the cabin instead of barking out orders.
“Binary, Espirita and Warbird, go through and soak up any radiation you encounter.” Each of the women was immune in their own way. “Give me a report on Kang’s fleet, and Photon’s condition if he can.” He was attempting to contact the reservist on every available frequency with no success.
“It’s likely the explosions destroyed her mind and when the light dissipates she’ll be dead,” Karnak said.
“Monica’s survived something like this before,” Captain America said, in a rare instance using an Avenger’s real name. “If need be we’ll sort it out afterwards. It’s Kang’s survival I’m worried about now.”
Plasma burned through the air from Ultron’s palm toward Quicksilver’s back. The Avenger heard the sizzle as the attack approached, but tried to ignore it. His hands continued to work at the controls. Somehow, the path of the missiles had shifted, but the difference was minimal. He still had time to avoid Ultron’s attack after deactivating the missiles. Quicksilver had to deactivate the missiles!
On the radar screen, the blips vanished. This wasn’t because of anything Quicksilver had done. The missiles had struck, detonated. Quicksilver stared aghast at his failure, the fatal plasma blast forgotten as it was about to strike.
Once again, an invisible force threw Quicksilver to the side, out of the way of Ultron’s deadly attack. Only this time, Quicksilver knew exactly what was behind it, as an instant later a section of the far wall was ripped out. Iron Man swooped in through the opening, followed closely by Darkhawk and the Wasp’s tiny frame. Standing off at the side was Spider-Woman, hefting the large section of wall over her head. And hovering in the back, carried by the same forces he’d used to save Quicksilver’s life, was Doctor Druid.
“Give it up Ultron!” Iron Man shouted. “The Avengers are here to stop you!”
An inhuman cackle sounded from the radioactive furnace of Ultron’s mouth. “You are here only to die!”
“Have at thee!” Sir Halifax roared as he came at Ultron from behind. The former tiger, uplifted into so much more by the High Evolutionary, had previously been part of the Knights of Wundagore. He was thus clad in armor, and wielded a sword that he swung against Ultron’s head. The blade of metal forged on Mount Wundagore clanged against indestructible adamantium, and behind Halifax the vigilante Moon Knight shook his masked head.
“I tried to hold him back,” he said for the benefit of his teammates. “Promise.”
Without even turning his head, Ultron casually swung his arm back to hit Halifax in the side. The armored tiger/man hybrid was hurled against the consoles. “Flesh by design. How fascinating. After your terminations he will be left for further study.”
“The only thing getting studied around here is your face by my foot!” yelled Darkhawk as he swooped down at the villain. Behind him, Spider-Woman said, “Right, fight him up close. It worked so well the other time,” in a soft voice. A pity Darkhawk wasn’t paying attention, as he soon learned that Ultron had the reflexes of a computer-run machine.
Darkhawk was diving feet-first at Ultron, but before he could collide the machine’s hands became a blur. Metal fingers closed around Darkhawk’s ankles, and just as quickly Ultron drove his arms down. Darkhawk fell hard and fast against the floor, his armored legs twisted unnaturally. “Aaaahh!”
“That’s enough.” Repulsor rays burst out of Iron Man’s palms, slamming into Ultron’s chest. “Spider-Woman, Moon Knight, make breathing space.”
“I’m always glad to die,” Moon Knight responded. He rushed toward Ultron, while Spider-Woman leapt at it from the other direction. The bio-electric Venom blast was unleashed from her hands and washed over Ultron’s face. Over-loading the optical receptors. Momentarily blinded, Ultron made a wide swing in Spider-Woman’s direction. The wild swing would have struck Moon Knight, but he ducked beneath it and scooped up the injured Darkhawk. “Calm down. I know you can recover.”
Tossing the obviously crippled Darkhawk out through the broken wall, Moon Knight whirled about and hurled a throwing dart at Ultron’s always-open mouth. The projectile exploded upon entering, succeeding where Spider-Woman and Iron Man had failed by driving Ultron back a step. As it recoiled, Ultron was not able to stop Spider-Woman from spring-boarding off it. She landed near Halifax, picking him up and rushing with him outside.
“Your flesh will burn!” Ultron promised Moon Knight. Nuclear fire erupted from its mouth at the vigilante Avenger. The silver-clad hero dove outside just ahead of the radioactive death. The last thing on his mind was whether or not Quicksilver had recovered and run clear.
Fortunately for Moon Knight, Quicksilver had and did. No sooner in Moon Knight hit the ground than Quicksilver grabbed and pulled him clear of the nuclear flames. Before the deadly blast could go any further, they halted as though striking an invisible force field. Doctor Druid’s eyes were glowing, and he muttered softly beneath his breath.
“Kaff! The missiles,” Quicksilver struggled to tell Iron Man. “They detonated. I failed to stop…that thing!”
“Not according to the transmissions I’m getting,” Iron Man informed his old teammate. “At the last minute they redirected toward Kang’s fleet. There haven’t even been reports of fallout so far.”
“So all we need to worry about is the villain in front of us,” stated Christopher Powell. Using the Darkhawk Amulet, he’d swapped out of the injured android body. A second later he was back as a fully repaired Darkhawk. “And yes, I’ll try not to be so stupid against him.”
However, when the billowing flames of radiation died down, it was the more feminine machine Alkhema that stood facing the Avengers. In contrast to the deep hatred always present in Ultron’s eyes, Alkhema’s carried a flicker of enjoyment. With a grace one would not expect from a machine, it stepped through the broken wall and towards the heroes.
“Ultron has more important things to do,” it told the Avengers. “I’ll be the one killing you all today.”
“Well you’d better hurry,” Wasp piped out. “Graviton has an appointment to kill us tomorrow.”
Chuckling, Alkhema gave a snap of the fingers. More of the robotic drones that Quicksilver had battled appeared, surrounding the Avengers. “Oh, then I’m afraid he’ll be gravely disappointed.”
The first thing Mockingbird did when she time-shifted with the rest of her Avengers back to Limbo was throw up. Warm vomit splattered against the cold stone of Immortus’ castle, that existed long before he arrived there, and regested back into the base food elements.
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” Mister Immortal said.
“God damn can you be serious!” Mockingbird wiped her mouth. “We just killed I don’t know how many people.”
“All soldiers in Kang’s army,” Captain America said. “The civilians in New York are safe.” He turned to Libra. “They are all safe, right?”
“Yes, they are,” Arcana said. “Remember Captain, this is all history to me.” She then touched a hand to her head. “Although I am a little uncertain how things turn out. I was only a young child living on the moon at the time. Or had we relocated back to Earth? It was after Attilan had been destroyed again, I remember that much.”
“The important thing is that we hurt Kang,” Black Knight said. “With his forces depleted, Ultron’s chances of killing him have improved.”
“Don’t bet on it,” Yellowjacket said. “This guy draws on billions of worlds from across millions of years. A drop from an ocean still leaves an ocean.”
“You are correct, murderer of Hank Pym.” Immortus was suddenly there in the midst his Avengers and Libra. Only Mockingbird noticed Yellowjacket’s sudden discomfort, but she still listened when Immortus spoke. “However, Kang will be concentrating the full force of his resources on the Avengers of the era. That shall enable you to strike at his heart. And with that wounded, Kang will be left vulnerable.”
“By his heart, do you mean…” Captain America began.
“Yes! Away my Avengers, to Chronopolis!” Immortus spread his arms wide and, before any of his Avengers knew what was happening they were disappearing with Limbo.
In the next instant the Avengers found themselves with Immortus in an entirely new setting. They were in a grand hall, stark and cold, of emotionless design that Captain America found uneasily familiar. “My God, we’re in Nazi Germany.”
“No, this is 40th Century Chronopolis.” Arcana was looking at Immortus. “Kang’s World War II bunker. I’ve been here before.”
“A pity I don’t kill you the first time then.” Ravonna glided into the hall. Much to the surprise of the Avengers, she gave Immortus a warm smile. “Ah, the once-Kang. Although I understand you’re both now halves of one whole. Perhaps that is why I’ve found Kang…unattractive of late. It may be all the appealing portions left with you.”
“That may well be,” Immortus said. “You have always preferred the administrative side of things, Ravonna. Kang’s lengthy absences of conquests must certainly take their toll. What if I told you that Kang’s conquests were coming to an end? That you would be free to manage the eras of history as you saw fit?”
Ravonna gave her former lover a smile. “That is a What If, my dear Immortus. I think that you are not telling me that. I think that perhaps you have a bit of the Conquerer in you still. And I say,” Ravonna spread her arms, and a silvery armor flowed across her body, ending at an elaborate helmet atop her head. In Ravonna’s hands there was suddenly a long staff with a slightly curved sword at the end. “That I also have a piece of the Conquerer in me at times. That is when I am the Terminatrix!”
“You’re kidding, right?” Yellowjacket said with a smile at the pretty lady pretending to be a warrior. “Just you against the, what?” Yellowjacket countered Libra and Immortus, “Eight of us?”
“Look behind you,” was all Terminatrix said.
Captain America turned around, and he saw Ronan the Accuser to his left and Super-Skrull to his right. “Kang left the Kree-Skrull War with more than your android,” Terminatrix was saying behind them.
Mockingbird flicked a wrist, and the baton in her hand became a bo-staff. “Okay, let’s do this.”
“Still, we have you nearly three-to-one!” Black Knight raised his sword.
“Uh.” Mister Immortal just noticed something. “Make that two-to-one. Where’d Immortus and Libra go?”
More than half the remaining ships of Kang’s fleet were disappearing over the horizon, toward the origin base of the missiles, when the announcement was made. “Quinjet approaching. Weapons are ready to fire.”
“No,” Kang ordered. “We’ll let them board. Take no action unless those flying harpies fire, and then defensive only.” Meaning only annihilate whomever is attacking.
“Are we to escort them here?”
A smile crossed Kang’s lips. “Yes, the Avengers are to be escorted every step of the way. Time-shift all horrors imaginable and unimagined. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will have to earn an audience with their Conquerer!”
To Be Continued…
Next Issue: If the Avengers with Iron Man can overcome Alkhema, will they escape the wrath of Kang’s armada? What Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction do Kang have in store for those Avengers with Captain America? Can even the newest member of Immortus’ Avengers save the team from soldiers of the Kree/Skrull War? Plus, Ultron scavenges materials for his next assault, from a source he thought already stripped bare!