The Aerie
Mt. Annapurna
Nepal:

Talia folded her arms over her breasts hugging herself.  She shivered despite her best efforts, not from the cold but from the feeling of impending…

Glory!

She stared through the thick safety glass watching the flurry of activity beyond.  Her father’s best scientists and technicians were working feverishly, at his whim of course, to adapt the standing machinery of the Babel Towers to accommodate their ‘gift’ from the heavens.  It was cold in the anti-chamber where she stood of course; the sciences demanded it be, the better to enhance the electricity needed and to stay the faults of some of the technology.  Still, dressed in her uniform and vest, the cold was not a problem that she could not endure.

It was far worse for those in the sealed lab beyond.  The machinery within required almost sub-zero temperatures for efficiency, but Lund had insisted that his crew be braced for radiations, and the full, bulky yellow suits did little to fend against the cold.  They were designed to ward against those rampant energies that Lund expected to encounter as well as common static and the detrimental effects of the Towers’ original purposes.  Her father had agreed of course, bowing as he rarely did to Lund’s expertise and advice.

She watched as they scurried about, ignoring their frantic worries knowing full well the price of failure.  They were far too close to achieving her father’s goals for him to show lenience for stupidity or clumsiness.  There was much to do, converting the Towers feed to accept the queer energies they would soon experience, and little time to do it, if the skies were any sign.

Talia vaguely remembered the Red Skies and the storms, the roiling, churning pink clouds and the black bolts of lightning.  Her father had told her of the Crisis, what it was and why but it was all a blur, beyond her.  She knew of the war against the Anti-Monitor.  She remembered Pariah and the woman Harbinger.  She remembered the brief time on the Monitor’s ship, but then the memories blurred afterwards.  There was a great battle, a war against the Anti-Monitor and his shadow beings, and many had died- heroes and villains alike; the Titans Kole and Dove, the Flash…

She remembered the feeling of anticipation throughout, and now with the ‘rips’ in the sky vomiting the pink energies again, with the black rains that were spreading across the face of the planet, she felt that feeling once more.  And it scared her.

Talia licked her lips, watching as the technicians went about their business beyond the safety glass.  She stared at the still form, the center of their activity, glad that her father had delayed her departure to Manhattan.  The ‘rip’ in the sky here above the Himalayas was apparently more curious than any, or so it appeared.  More advantageous at any rate, at least at the moment.

It had of course given them the silver man…

He was beautiful even in repose with his perfect body cast in a silver sheen.  He was an angel, perfect physically in every respect that she could see.  Obviously a man, but so much more.  She bit down on her lower lip, remembering how her breath had escaped her when they had brought him down from the mountain; Lund and his men.  He had fallen almost literally into their laps, his shining body charred and smoldering.  He had been awake, barely, addled and dazed surely but his eyes were clear and searching, almost curious.  He had not spoken, even strapped to the secure conveyance, Lund and his technicians as well as her father’s followers surrounding him.  Their eyes had met.

Only once before had she experienced such emotion, such passion in meeting anyone.  That had been the day she had first encountered her ‘beloved’; the Detective, the Batman.  He had traveled the world that day, following the manipulations laid down by her father, an effort to save his ward and partner, and she as well.  It had all been a lie of course, but the Batman had followed the course until the end and she had professed her love for him upon salvation-

Like a child…

Still, her passion was love.  She knew that, her devotion to the Detective knowing no bounds, even to the point of defying her father’s will time and again.  But she had felt that passion stir once again as she stared into the piercing eyes of the silver man in passing, when their gazes met for one brief moment.  She had felt her heart skip, her breath rushing out.  Her legs had grown weak as her body seemed to shiver.  It had been…

What?

“He is beautiful.”

Talia gasped at the sound, the cold voice from behind.  Was she so lost that her skills had failed?  Someone had strolled discreetly behind her as she gazed longingly, close enough to touch or kill.  Luckily she recognized the voice and turned slowly, with respect-

“Father?” she asked, tilting her head ever so slightly in reverence, showing her father and lord the honor that he deserved.

Ra’s al Ghul let a smile curl the edge of his lips as he gazed at her, his cool eyes probing before shifting his attention to the activity in the room beyond.  He stepped past her, and Talia turned to follow, both before the viewing window close enough for the breath to fog the cool glass.

“Our guest,” he said, his gaze sweeping the lab beyond, watching intently the activity.  Talia could see that preparations were almost complete.  The silver man had been locked away in a clear tube no doubt constructed of Plas-steel at least.  The tube in turn was connected to the machinery lining the perimeter of the lab, the man himself laden with monitoring devices; probes and catheters, simple adhesive leads.  She could see that his vital functions- such as they were- were being carefully monitored.  She saw too the screens that analyzed and controlled to some extent his energy output, and the readings were bordering the machine’s ability to monitor.  Too there were scales that she did not recognize, waves of mysterious energies that she had never seen before-

“He is beautiful,” her father continued, “perfect almost.  Is he some future step in Evolution we might all look forward to one day, or perhaps something more?  Is he a strange visitor from beyond, not unlike the Kryptonian and the Martian?  I think perhaps the latter.”  Ra’s al Ghul glanced at her from the corner of his eye, no doubt looking for reaction.  She tried to remain calm, passive.

“His unique body and physiology are similar to base human, and he is obviously a Meta, but there is so much more.  There are differences of course; minor things, but his body exudes an energy that is as yet undiscovered.  The closest resemblance is in the data you recently retrieved from the Watchtower and the Detective’s files concerning Captain Atom.  There is a power within the silver man that boggles definition.”

“Then how-“

“How can I possibly use him thus?  He is fodder, daughter.”  Talia heard the sudden chill in her father’s voice and looked again to the silver man.  He was still awake, conscious, but he seemed complacent and oblivious as to what was happening to him, or would be all too soon.  “He is not of Earth.  He is an alien, thus an aberration, an abomination like the Kryptonian and the Martian again.  He was sent unto us at the most opportune time, his purpose intertwined with our own destiny.  He is here for us, a sign.  An omen…”

Talia shivered to hear her father speak so.  She believed in his dreams of course, his goals, but to hear him?  She looked again to the lab and saw Lund directing his people out, the scientist himself completing the final preparations.  Lund turned in his bulky, radiation suit, waved.  Her father touched a stud on the control panel at the base of the viewing window and she heard the staticky hiss of air-

“Proceed!” Ra’s al Ghul commanded and she saw Lund nod.  Quickly the scientist ran from the room, already the glow of energy conversion radiating from and about the silver man’s confinement.  He was strapped down, but she saw his neck crane against his bonds, his head turning until his gaze met her own once again.

The silver man screamed…

There was a bright blinding flare of light forcing Talia to turn away and shield her eyes with a hiss.  She heard her father as well doing the same.  It was an explosion of energy as she had never experienced as the technology of the Babel Towers situated about the globe tapped into the unknown powers of their ‘guest’.  Her father’s plan was to use the energies of the silver man to contain and control the negative power seeping from the rifts; the Crisis energies as she had come to know them.  He wanted to use those negative powers to cull the masses as he so often did, the Tower’s strange mechanics seeking out those worthy of surviving in his opinion, those that could withstand the original purpose of disabling some of the base human lesser functions; the ability to speak and understand language, in layman’s terms.  Those same functions, or lack thereof, would segregate those amongst Humanity worthy to survive in the brave new world that her father envisioned.  The silver man’s strange energies he hoped would allow his discretion in picking and choosing within mankind’s best, wiping away the chattel and leaving a stronger unified culture behind.  A world and people that Ra’s al Ghul might direct towards a golden age.

Talia blinked, willing the dancing, flowing spots from her eyes.  The visage of the silver man was etched into her sight, black face and jet eyes imploring, pleading for release.  A negative image drifting through her vision that she would carry to her grave.  She heard her father laugh-

“It’s working,” he said, gloating.  She saw Lund’s blurry image beyond, directing in the Control Room.  The silver man writhed, his body arching as electricity ran rampant over his form, sparking and singing.  She felt her hairs stand on end, a sheen of cold perspiration on her arms, trickling down her back.  Her heart was hammering, pulse racing-

“Father…”

“Shhh…”

Talia went silent at her father’s command, staring at the silver man, the man trapped beyond lost in the glare of power.

“Tomorrow is ours, daughter,” he said smiling.  “It’s over at last…”

Annihilus The World's Greatest Superheroes.....

Vs

avengerslogo

Part Four:

Dreams of Grandeur!

JLA #33-
October, Year 3

 by Curt Fernlund
Plot by Chris Munn and Curt Fernlund

 

Active Roster: JLA




AquaMan
LOST


Atom
LOST

Batman


Black Canary

Firestorm

Flash



Green Lantern

Martian Manhunter



Red Tornado
LOST


Superman

Wonder Woman		 plas

Plastic Man
zatanna

Zatanna




Active Roster: Avengers

Beast


Beast
 Black Panther

Black
Panther
 Cap

Captain
America
 Hawkeye


Hawkeye		 Iron Man

Iron Man
 Quicksilver

Quicksilver
Scarlet Witch


Scarlet Witch
 Thor


Thor		 Warbird


Warbird		 Wasp


Wasp

mrfantastic

Mister Fantastic
Injured

Woo


Jimmy Woo
Missing

The Base of the Keystone Building,
Manhattan:

“Holy crap…”

Clint Barton stared up at the receding form, and despite his years as a hero, and all the things he had seen since he first became an Avenger so long ago, he still struggled to suppress the shiver that raced along his spine.  He licked his lips, flexing his arm as sweaty fingers loosely gripped the arrow that he had notched, one of the few he had swiftly gathered up after his fight with the blonde.  He bit his lip, watching the huge green bat-like wings swell and fold, the purple armor glistening in the crackling energy that spewed from the Negative Rod affixed to the creature’s neck.  He had fought the monster once, but he- IT had never seemed so merciless, so… horrible.

He had almost seemed a joke then, that other time; he and Blastaar both.  But of course Hawkeye had been surrounded by the Avengers then, along with the Thing and a few others, and against those odds anyone might seem a joke.  Annihilus… Blastaar…

But of course Thor said that Blastaar was dead now.

Hawkeye licked his lips again, his mind taking swift inventory of the number of arrows that he had left, what type of special heads still unused in his bandoleers and more importantly, which might work against… that.

“Easy, Hawk…”

Hawkeye felt the hand fall to his shoulder more than heard the words, and just like that the indecision, the wave of terror passed.  Hawkeye glanced to the side and saw him standing there, just as he always had and, God help them all, he always would be.

If Captain America was afraid he did not show it.  Armed only with the familiar shield of red, white and blue shifting on his arm, little better than the best a man could hope to be he stepped right to the front of the crowd of gathered heroes, and stared up at death on the wing, unflinching.  And the others- even the aliens- seemed to draw strength from his very presence.

Like old times he saw the Scarlet Witch just beyond, beautiful still in her gypsy attire, her long red cloak flapping in the cool breeze.  She supported her brother, the mutant speedster Quicksilver, exhausted and barely able to stand but ready to fight none the less.  It seemed ages since the four of them were the Avengers, and so much had changed since those simpler times.  It seemed like decades.

And there was Thor.  Almost the rock that Captain America was to the group, the Thunder God stood there seething, his muscles still tensed with rage from the battle that had just come to an abrupt halt with the appearance of a far greater threat than the Squadron Supreme wannabes.  He gripped his magical hammer tightly, and Hawkeye could see the Asgardian’s fist twisting and grinding on the shaft of the Uru mallet with impatience.  His face shifted from anger to confident expectation as he awaited the chance to strike, the call to battle.

“Give the word, Captain,” Thor said grimly, and even Hawkeye could hear his booming voice barely held in check above the approaching storm.  “Sound the call- “

“Wait!”

Hawkeye turned as the others did, looking back at the alien dressed in the blue with the big red and gold ‘S’ shield on his wide chest.  He was the leader of the Justice League- as they called themselves.  A pretentious name for so-called heroes that killed children.  Hawkeye frowned though, glancing at the kid in the green and black armor and the funky ring still lying off to the side, unmoving.  If he had killed a kid, he would regret it- when he woke up.  Thor had seen to that.

But… there had been times when Avengers had killed too.  How many had Cap killed in the war, and there was that Flag-Smasher agent a few years back.  And what about Hercules and Thor?  They lived by their own set of rules.  Then there was Hank and…

And Bobbi…

Hell, he had killed EggHead himself.  It had been an accident of course, but…

Hawkeye frowned.  There were always extenuating circumstances it seemed.  Maybe the green kid- Green Lantern- was that his name?  Maybe it had been an accident too.

Hawkeye cursed under his breath, glancing first back to the big blue alien, then to Annihilus still spiraling overhead, but picking up speed.  They didn’t have much time.  He wished he could hear better what was happening…


Superman strode forward, glancing at his friends and comrades as he approached the star-spangled man with the shield who appeared to be the leader of the group- the Avengers- who had attacked them.  He saw the man shift ever so slightly, his stance changing, edging into defense as he adjusted his shield.  He moved like Bruce in a way, always at the ready, prepared for anything, though apparently unlike the Batman, this- Captain America chose the spotlight.

Batman was hanging back for his part, sticking to the shadows on the fringes.  He had held Superman back when the creature had first come through the rip carrying the girl.  First instinct was to fly up, save the hostage and ask questions later, but of course Bruce had other ideas.  It was always odd that the quietest among them was most usually the voice of reason.  Superman knew that his friend was scanning the other group and biding time for the others to recover, as well as watching the threat that continued to swoop and soar overhead.  One less thing for the Man of Steel to worry about then.  Wasn’t there enough?

Quickly he scanned the battlefield.  No one- on either side was hurt too badly, save Green Lantern.  He could hear Kyle breathing, his heartbeat strong despite the beating he had taken at the hands of the huge blonde man with the hammer.  Clark could not understand the man’s rage at first, his fury as he laid into Kyle, but little by little the pieces fell into place.  How these people- heroes or not- had heard about the accident with the little girl on that other Earth did not matter anymore.  Superman wondered just how he might have reacted had the situation been reversed, but that did not matter either.  Luckily Zatanna and the Avengers’ own resident magician had done something to ease the rage that had gripped them all over that catastrophe.  Poor Kyle had paid the price however for that, and if Superman did not get some answers and make some kind of peace- and soon- they might all pay the price in full when that creature overhead finally decided to attack.

They were all tired of course, and hurt.  It had been a long journey from the far end of Time itself and their long battle to stop the Time Trapper’s mad schemes {JLA 13-24 at JLU: 2001}, and none of them were one hundred percent.  He still ached himself from his battle with the being called Hyperion not so long ago, and the damage they had taken in their confrontation with these Avengers had not helped.  Half the team was hurt or unconscious, and of their ten there were now only five standing at the moment.

Batman seemed none the worse for wear, as did Zatanna.  The Flash however seemed as exhausted as his other-world counterpart in blue.  Superman could not imagine how Wally West’s speed had been affected by the rips in Time and Space, or how- even if he was still somehow linked with the Speed Force on this strangely similar yet vastly different world.  Wally was a hero though, proven time and again, and though he appeared exhausted to those who knew him best, he put up a brave front.  Barry would be proud.

The biggest problem however, was J’onn.  The Martian Manhunter was up, but he was staggered, and try as he might Superman could not hear the Martian’s voice in his head.  The Avengers had somehow stymied his telepathic powers and left J’onn J’onzz staggered and weak with an effective assault that had driven him from his intangible form.  He was on his feet- barely- but Superman knew that he would be little help if the battle resumed.

He had to end this.

“Wait!”

He saw the Avengers tense, suddenly ready to attack again as he approached Captain America- or defend?  They were like a well-oiled machine despite their own losses, maybe better than the League in that they did not have a Martian telepath guiding them in battle.  He eased his hands up, trying to ward them off as he stopped short, trying to show that he did not mean to fight again-

“I want-“ he began, but the big man with the hammer was suddenly before him, blocking his path.

“Back, cur!  Thy ‘wants’ be not our concern, and thy treachery shall not be tolerated.  The Son of Odin shall-“

“Stand down, Thor.”

There was a long, thick heartbeat of tension as Captain America stepped beside Thor.  Superman saw the shield-bearer simply place a hand on the other’s arm, and though the ‘Son of Odin’ shot the much smaller man a look that might have killed for a fleeting moment, the alleged god stood back.  The Man of Steel let out a slow breath, realizing that his own fists were clenched and ready to defend.  Just what kind of respect did this man garner?

“I hope we’ve come to the same conclusion- Superman, was it?”  Captain America asked, his voice calm and sure.  Clark could hear the man’s heartbeat, steady and strong.  The Man of Steel nodded-

“Captain America- yes, I think so.”  Superman glanced upwards and saw that the creature was still stretching his wings, but spiraling downward as though inspecting a new territory for prey.  “Whatever our misunderstanding, that,” he said pointing skyward, “is the true threat.”  Captain America nodded with a frown.

“Just what is that thing?” the Flash asked with impatience, suddenly beside them.  Superman saw Captain America shift again, his shield moving to block the potential opponent that had simply appeared, though he was too slow.  Wally would have gotten the first blow in with time to spare.  Clark however saw a quick grin as Captain America’s gaze flitted over the red-garbed speedster, sizing him up.

“That is Annihilus.  He’s the self-proclaimed ruler of the Negative Zone- that anti-matter universe there on the other side of the Rift that you all came through before.  He is also one of the vilest, merciless killers that we’ve ever encountered, bent on nothing but destruction and conquest for his own personal lust.”

“And you let something like that exist?” Zatanna asked as she moved closer.  Her face was pale and aghast as she stared up at the creature.

“The Avengers do not kill, miss,” Captain America said coolly, staring at Superman.  The Kryptonian simply stared back, his icy gaze narrowing, but before he could speak-

“We don’t kill either, Captain,” the Batman said still keeping a distance aside from the group.  “Despite what you may believe- or were told- Green Lantern murdered no one.  There was an accident- and we would have helped, even prevented it had we been allowed, but other ‘forces’ saw fit to intercede.  Regardless, if that ‘Annihilus’ is as ruthless as you seem to fear, we would have dealt with him long ago.”

“Sayest thou that the Avengers do not handle their own?” Thor snarled, turning on the Batman.  For his part however, the Dark Knight did not even flinch as the Thunder God stepped up again.  “Know thee, rodent, that better than thy lot have fought the Annihilator and beaten him back time and again.  It is not our way to-“

“Stand- Down!”

Captain America put his hand to Thor’s chest stepping between the Thunder God and the Batman.  His face brooked no argument as he stared down the bigger man, and Thor finally eased off again, though he was less than pleased.

“We do not have time for this,” Cap said, turning to the Dark Knight this time, and Superman saw his friend scowl- just a slight twitch of his lips, but nod as well.  Captain America turned back to Superman then, his gaze sweeping the battlefield there at the base of the Keystone Building-

“Both of our teams are hurt and tired.  We could use your help- if you’re willing.  If not, then stay out of our way.”

“We’ll help,” Superman said without hesitation, trying to match the timbre in the other man’s voice.  “If that creature is the threat you say, then he has to be stopped.  And if he is indeed the ruler of that void we passed through, then I imagine he holds the key to our getting back-“

“Uh… guys?”

All eyes turned to Hawkeye then.  He wore an anxious look, if not a bit confused, and Cap recalled that he had probably not heard a word that had passed among them- as he was all but deaf.  He was about to tell Wanda- the Scarlet Witch to relay, but Hawkeye nodded skyward-

“Tea time’s over, guys and gals.  Here comes the Judge…”


Annihilus laughed…

It was a cold, horrid thing, the hideous cackling of a monster, but with the overlaying dread of intelligence gone mad.  Worse, it was the maddening laugh of a being whose dreams had finally been realized.  A being that held no pity or remorse, that lived simply to kill and to conquer.  You could hear it, like the sound of glaciers cracking, worlds starting to crumble and shatter.

Energy sparked and crackled as he swept from the Rift, the forces of the Negative Zone swirling about him in great roiling clouds spitting lightning in his wake that cut through the darkened sky like a jagged, broken shard of glass.  Thunder rolled with his passing, as his mighty wings beat a staccato rhythm of triumph, riding the booming chorus singing his glories and praises as he soared to even greater heights.  The sparkling lights of the city stretched out through the darkness beneath him as a chill wind caressed his shell-like skin.  Even here so far above the insects and chattel, the denizens that scurried for shelter far below, he could hear their screams of terror.

It had been so long.

So long since he had last passed the threshold from his own conquered, dying universe of desolation and despair and sailed into the virgin skies of this bold new realm that had ever been just out of his grasp.  Forever, ever so slightly out of reach.  Oh he had penetrated the barriers before.  He had passed the dreaded Zone of Distortion over and over, but his every attempt to gain purchase in this other world- this Earth- had ever been thwarted by Richards and his get.  Too many times the Earthman had found some trick or treachery to throw Annihilus back through the portal and into the Zone once again, defeated and screaming his indignities.  Oh, there had been others; the other gaudily clad Earthers, the heroes of their world, but in the end Annihilus knew that they all answered to Reed Richards, the self-proclaimed Mister Fantastic.  It was he after all that had first breached the barrier years before.  It had been he and his companions; the fiery boy and the bestial Thing that had first threatened his rule and dominion.  It had been they that had braved the Zone with the very audacity to actually steal that, which made Annihilus both Lord and Devil of his own Hell.

Annihilus chuckled, swooping about, his great wings flaring wide as he shifted the struggling, shrieking burden he carried in order to finger that very device at his throat.  The Cosmic Control Rod was seething with power, literally spewing the energies that it was absorbing from the very heart of the Negative Zone.  It crackled with a brilliant radiance, a fitting display to the glories of the Devil come to Earth.  So much power, almost too much for even the Annihilator of Worlds to absorb and contain.  Almost-

He did not know why the power had suddenly come to him in boundless exuberance.  He did not know why the skies of the Negative Zone had suddenly ripped asunder, nor why the two Earthers had entered his realm before- apparently seeking him out.  He did not know why those others had appeared, trespassing in his realm, passing through and showing him the way.  Nor did he care.

He did not care as he sailed higher, up to where the very air was frigid, almost non-existent.  He did not care as he dropped, the icy racing wind waking the girl in his arms again, kicking and screaming.  He did not care as he saw the fools- Richards’ followers gathering below, marshalling their forces, rising swiftly to meet him head on.  He knew… Knew that he would slay them all.  He was the Devil…

He was the Annihilator!

He knew his time had come at last!


The Roof of the Keystone Building,
Manhattan:

Doctor Midas stared up into the flashing storm.  His eyes were wide behind the slits of the golden helmet he wore, though anyone close enough to see would not have seen fear, but wonder.

He watched the roiling skies, the furious clouds of pink and red flashing as great arcs of lightning blasted from the Negative Zone Portal, lighting the night.  So close to the tear in the very fabric of space, the booming thunder seemed endless and rattled and shook the building on which he stood.  The wind whipped and clawed at his cape, swirling the pale blue smoke from his cigarette back into his face.  He did not care, simply chaining a new one to life and flicking the spent butt into the wind.

“It… it’s awesome…”

Midas grimaced, turning slightly to see the cowering figure of his scientist- Janus pressed back into the shallow of the elevator’s car.  It seemed the best place to stand in the fury of the storm, secure and unobserved as he watched his plans come to fruition.  Not quite the way he had planned of course, but beggars could not be choosers.  He had allowed Gideon to join him there- the man after all had seen the way to make all this possible, but his incessant talking and cringing was distracting in Midas’ moment of glory.

It had been Janus that had compensated for the inept bumbling of the project’s original director- Harris was it?  The young scientist had devised a way for the unique energies of Count Nefaria to survive and capitalize on the dangers within the Negative Zone, the better to find Annihilus and procure the legendary Negative Rod- the Cosmic Control Rod from that freak of nature.  Young Janus was even apparently the nephew of Reed Richards’ old colleague, and the original Janus at one time had breached the Zone.  And gone mad of course, as so many scientists did in the end.  The nephew however had insight, and an untapped brilliance that Midas had put to proper use, thus he was allowed to witness the culmination of their efforts first hand, right at his side.  He just would not shut up.

“The negative energies are… astounding!” he shouted over the thunder.  He was trembling, but whether from the booming thunder or the chill or his own fear, Midas did not know.  Nor did he care for that matter as he swept his gaze higher once more, trying to spot the Devil once again.

Annihilus had come sweeping out of the portal, shrieking and cackling with his own unique madness, and that was probably the only reason that Midas had even seen him.  That, and of course the sudden flood of energy that had preceded him and followed him through.  Midas had been so absorbed in watching the Avengers get their collective asses kicked by these new aliens that he had lost track of his true goal for a moment.  It had been glorious.  Better than the Super Bowl!

“God!  Did you see that?”

Midas sighed, looking up and waiting as the helmet’s internal sensors shifted to a light sensitive screen that would allow him the best view as well as shield his sight from the near-blinding display.  Finally he focused on Annihilus, watching as the freak circled, riding the winds of the storm.  Energy blazed from the rod at his throat- so near.  The internal monitors were off the scale, and Midas grew hard just thinking of the power almost within his grasp.

Of course too, there was Oubliette to consider.

Midas saw his daughter- the beautiful and deadly Exterminatrix struggling in the creature’s clutches.  It was like a scene from one of the old Hammer Horror films, the poor, beautiful damsel in distress being taken by the monster with some sinister yet misunderstood purpose in mind.  Reverse that…

Still, his luscious daughter had known the risks when she had ‘volunteered’ to pilot the acquired Star Core Shuttle into the Zone.  Hell, she relished the risks and sought them out with a lust that rivaled his own quest for the Power Cosmic- or any omnipotent power for that matter.  He was not picky.  She had known what she was getting into, and what might happen.  She had not cared, and Midas just had to smile at that.  He had raised his daughter well.

It would be a pity if she died, but casualties of war and all that.  Just like Nefaria, apparently.  There was no sign of the good Count.  Not a clue as to whether he had even encountered the Annihilator, or survived if he had.  Annihilus seemed none the worse for wear.  The shuttle was gone too, which was annoying.  He could write that off at the end of the year he supposed, but a lot of time and effort had gone into salvaging the thing out of Jamaica Bay and refitting it for the rigors of the Zone-

“Incredible…”

Doctor Midas sighed and plucked the cigarette from the slit in his helmet, considering it.  It had gone out in the wind so he flicked it away, wishing that he had brought a cigar.  He turned to Janus and sniffed-

“Janus,” he said, waiting for the man to turn his wide eyes and offer his full attention.

“Y- yes…” Janus finally said with a swallow.

“If you do not shut up, I shall surely snap your neck.”  Midas grinned to see the man’s eyes grow even wider, bulging as though about to explode.  He looked almost like a cartoon character there for a moment.  Still, he got the message, and just in time too.

Midas turned and stepped back into the shadows of the elevator, watching as Thor and the alien in the red cape came flying up beyond the edge of the building and into the line of sight.  Glancing up he saw that Annihilus was finally coming down as well, the histrionics apparently at an end.

The offal was about to hit the oscillator, and Doctor Midas would be there to pick up the pieces…


Captain America had taken charge, directing his people and not even questioning that the League would follow his orders as well.  They would of course, at least to a point.  The Avengers knew this Annihilus, and it was their world being threatened after all.  The Justice League would defer to that, at least for the time being.

Still, Superman had to question the man’s tactics, if in his head if not out loud.  Captain America had told Thor and Superman to take the point, the initial assault, which made sense.  Of those able to fight Superman had to acknowledge that he and the… god, were probably the strongest without J’onn in the mix.  They were the only two flyers also, at least until some of the others came around.  They were the only ones that could take the fight to the creature.

Superman had no problem with that.  His worries lay with the woman that Annihilus still carried- his hostage.  He had scanned the girl with his Telescopic Vision, describing her, and the Avengers seemed to recognize who she was.  Oubliette- the Exterminatrix- daughter of a villain called Doctor Midas who had apparently set these events in motion somehow, according to the Captain.  Of course, whether the girl was the daughter of a villain, or one herself did not matter.  At the moment she was in danger, and he would see to it that no harm- no further harm came to her at the hands of the creature.

Inadvertently, watching as Annihilus came closer his thoughts drifted back to Lois.  It was a scene that had replayed itself too many times throughout his life over the years, and the woman in the clutches of the creature reminded him of his own wife.  The Man of Tomorrow grimaced as he wondered where she was now; she and his parents as well as the missing members of the Justice League.  Aquaman, Atom and the Red Tornado had been separated from the rest when the Flash’s Cosmic Treadmill had been destroyed in the storms that had first thrown them to the Squadron Supreme’s world.  The Leaguers could take care of themselves, but his parents… and Lois…

Where were they?  Were they even-

“Thy mind strays from the battle, alien!” Thor shouted over the booming thunder.  He was right, but Superman did not need this blowhard pointing that out to him.  “Turn thy attention to the task at hand or begone!  The Mighty Thor does not require thine assistance regardless!”

“You just do your job, Thor,” Superman shouted back, trying to keep his anger in check.  “I’ll do mine!”

If the Asgardian had more to say it was lost as a blast of searing anti-matter flashed between the two.  Unprepared… Distracted, the Man of Steel screamed to feel the burn.  It was not magic, not Kryptonite, but he could feel the similar radiations scorching through his very being.  Too, there was a physical force involved that bowled him over and blew him back, forcing him to concentrate just to stay in flight.

Thor fared no better as the blast sent him sprawling and tumbling away.  He was falling Superman saw, the energies- if not hurting him at least throwing his attention enough that he stopped whirling the hammer that seemed to hold him aloft.  The Man of Steel winced as the Avenger smashed in and through the wall of the closest building, hoping to God that it had been evacuated.

Quickly he scanned the rubble, watching as those on the ground scattered before the falling debris.  The building seemed empty but for a few straggling civilians and luckily none of them were near Thor’s forced point of entry.  He saw the Thunder God as well pushing out of the rubble two floors below, shaking his head as he struggled to rise.  He was shaken and smoldering, but apparently unhurt for the most part.  Good-

Superman barely turned in time, barely discerned the changing rush of wind amidst the deafening roar of the storm.  He saw a flash of violet as the creature streaked past, clenching his teeth at the sudden pain of the monster’s claws as they raked across his back.  He whirled about, following the alien as he laughed, keeping him in sight as he swooped and soared higher again.  Superman’s eyes flared red as he grimaced, feeling the dampness on his back.

He saw the girl though, still in Annihilus’ arms.  Her eyes were wide with… terror?  It almost seemed as though she were enjoying this somehow.  Ridiculous, but…

Superman let the fire die in his eyes.  He could not take the chance that Oubliette might be hurt by his Heat Vision.  He would have to meet the Devil head on and get the girl out of harm’s way before he could unleash his full power.  And without a thought to his own safety, he flew higher…


“Superman’s back in the game,” Captain America said as he stared up into the storm of energy.  It seemed to be growing in fury, and flared when Annihilus had first attacked.  He had seen it.  Was there something in that?  “I don’t see Thor yet though.  Pietro?”

As if by magic the Mutant Speedster appeared at Captain America’s side in a swirl of pale blue.  He was breathing hard Cap noted, favoring his right leg but still at it.  “Any sign of Woo and Richards?” Cap asked, and Quicksilver shook his head.

“I searched as quickly as I could, as many buildings as I could while helping the civilians still in the area get to safety.  I didn’t see Woo or Mister Fantastic though.”

Captain America frowned.  James Woo, Agent of SHIELD had gotten the injured leader of the Fantastic Four to safety when the battle with the Justice League had begun.  Reed Richards had been the victim of a stroke some weeks before, and in trying to use his powers against the Crime Syndicate had had a relapse of sorts.  Annihilus was a regular foe of the Fantastic Four though, more so than the Avengers and Cap was not too proud that he could use Mister Fantastic’s insight.

“Nothing for it at the moment then.  Get up there and see if Thor’s all right.  Help however you can.  Superman will have to hold his own for the moment.”  Cap barely saw his fellow Avenger nod before he sped away again, dust and paper flying up in his wake.

“Superman can take care of himself, Captain.”  Cap turned at the cold voice of the Batman.  He had not even heard the man’s approach, and got a better understanding then of how he had beaten the Black Panther.  “I can’t speak for your ‘Thunder God’, but it’ll take more than that to stop the Man of Steel.”

“You’ll find Thor’s no light weight himself, Batman,” Cap snapped back instantly regretting it.  He sighed, “And he’s no slacker.  If he’s able, he’ll fight to the last.  Can we stop this now?”

Batman stared silently, his face grim until he finally sighed himself.  “You’re right.  We’re all tired and on edge, but we need to focus.  Flash…”

As Quicksilver had just seconds before, the Scarlet Speedster known as the Flash suddenly appeared at the Batman’s side.  He looked as exhausted as Pietro had, breathing hard and sweating.

“Any luck, Wally-“ Batman grimaced, more tired than he cared to admit letting the Flash’s true identity escape- not that it mattered here, a universe away from home.  “The Speed Force-“

“Sorry, Bats,” Wally West said trying to grin between breaths as he heaved in oxygen.  “Maybe it’s the trouble with time, or that storm?  Maybe there just is no Speed Force here, I dunno.  I can’t siphon speed here though- I’ve been trying while clearing the crowds like the Captain here told me and tinsel top to do.  There’s nothing there, and it’s effecting me too.  I’m beat.  It’s like running through water- like I was normal, y’know.  I’m still fast, but slow…”

“You should rest, son,” Cap said and saw the red-clad hero snap almost to attention.

“I’m fine, man.  What do you need me to do?”  That last was directed at the Batman, and Cap deferred to the other man for the moment, turning his attention towards Wanda and the other woman- Zatanna.

The two women were seeing to the injured, trying to rouse the unconscious members of both groups.  They could use the help, the additional fire power, though Cap could not count on it.

“Get up to the roof, Flash, and do what you can,” the Batman was saying.  “Keep trying to siphon Annihilus’ speed, but if that fails then see if maybe you can use the storm to our advantage.  Disrupt his flight, or-“

“On it!” the Flash said, vanishing in a blur of scarlet trailing lightning.  Cap smiled as Batman turned towards him.

“He seems a good kid,” Cap said, and Batman nodded.

“He’s a hero… Just like the rest of us.”

 
“!LAEH”

Zatanna gasped as the magic flared, flowing from her fingers and seeping into the temples of the Martian Manhunter.  She saw him wince at the sudden tingle, his dark eyes flashing as he gasped as well before pushing her away-

“Enough!” he shouted as Zatanna stumbled back into the waiting arms of the Scarlet Witch, catching her.  She saw J’onn J’onzz stagger away clutching at his brow.

“J’onn?” she gasped out, winded and weak herself, and happy for the support of the other woman.  The Martian waved her off though, his eyes closed as though concentrating.

“You’ve… done enough…” he grimaced, massaging his temples, then, “I… will be fine.  I’m not… human, Zee.”  He heaved a sigh and she saw him sag for just a moment.  “You’ve done enough.  I must do the rest.”

Zatanna Zatara forced a slight smile, looking back at the auburn haired woman that supported her, seeing her smile in turn.  She held on though, at least until Zatanna found her balance again-

“I used to wear heels,” the woman- Wanda she had said- joked.  “Learned my lesson when one got caught in a street grating.  Almost broke my ankle, and my neck when Whirlwind took advantage.”

“My fans expect it,” Zatanna said, tugging at her coat tails.  “Image is everything in my line of work.”

Wanda smirked in understanding, and it amazed Zatanna once again how easily they ignored that Hell was unleashing around them and made jokes.  Perhaps they were not so different after all.

Back to work, she saw that J’onn had stumbled to a fallen piece of rubble, sitting and almost in meditation as he tried to quicken the healing that she hopefully had started.  His skin bubbled and she could see things shifting and swelling underneath.  She had to turn away.

“Can’t you simply do a mass Healing Spell?” Wanda asked.  “I assume that’s what you’ve been doing individually.”  Zatanna shook her head.

“Normally I could, but the magic’s… different here.  I can sense it.  I can tap into it, but it seems to be surging, and a lot of it’s dark.  Or what would appear to be Black Magic on my world.  I don’t dare try anything bigger than one on one, for fear the power got away from me and did more damage than good.  It’s chaotic.”

The Scarlet Witch nodded as though understanding, glancing skyward again to see that they were still out of danger for the moment at least.  “My powers don’t work in the way yours do, I guess.  My magic taps into the chaos and that in turn amplifies and accentuates my Mutant Hex Powers-“

“Mutant Hex?”

“My inherent abilities to alter probabilities.  Unfortunately, in the midst of all this, if I tried to simply heal someone I’d probably do more harm than good too.  The negative energies are throwing my powers off as well."  The Scarlet Witch shrugged as they scanned the wounded together.

Zatanna had gone to Kyle first.  The Green Lantern was the worst of any, as the Thunder God of this reality had beaten him to a bloody pulp.  She had done what she could, and he looked better, but he was still unconscious.  Zatanna hoped to hell that there was nothing wrong internally, but too she imagined that the slight green glow about her friend meant that the ring was doing what it could to help its master as well.

The others seemed to simply be unconscious or incapacitated.  Like J’onn, Plastic Man’s physiology was far too strange to tamper with.  She had tried to simply unravel his tangled form, but the magic had waned and nothing had happened.  Plas was resilient if nothing else however, and she had to hope he would spring back, eventually untying himself.  Diana too had simply been knocked out, but she was the Wonder Woman after all.  She was alive, and her own God-given powers would aid in her recovery.

She had managed to wake up Dinah.  The effects of the archer’s knock out gas had left the Black Canary groggy though, and she had yet to find her ‘sea legs’.  She needed a few moments, as did Firestorm, still reverted to the form of Ronnie Raymond.  Whatever had made him lose his heroic form had left him addled as well, and he had yet to find the concentration to call back the Nuclear Man.

The Avengers fared little better though.  Of them all, only the Black Panther was on his feet and ready.  He had quickly assessed the situation however and realizing that he would be of little physical use against Annihilus, he was trying to revive the blonde woman, Warbird.  The blue-furred Beast was coming around too after his dunking, though Zatanna doubted that he would be much use against the energies flying around overhead.  Still, she had learned long ago not to judge a book by its cover.  Any one of them, whether Avenger or JLA could hold the key to victory.  Better they were all up and about, just in case-

“Zatanna?”

Zee turned to see the Scarlet Witch carrying the unconscious form of the Wasp and shivered.  Like the Atom, Zatanna could not imagine how the woman went into battle being so small and fragile in her shrunken state, and then to be able to grow as she had.  It was incredible.

“Can you help her?” Wanda asked, biting her lip.  That she could do, as it had been one of her spells that had put the woman to sleep in the first place- along with a good, solid punch.  Zatanna nodded and reached out, gently placing a finger to the woman’s temple-

“!EKAW” she said, casting the spell that would reverse the effects of the blow that she had delivered.  She felt the sudden surge as the magic shifted again, but luckily it was simple and worked.  She saw the woman stir and writhe in the Scarlet Witch’s embrace, her eyelids fluttering as she moaned, coming awake.  “She’ll be fine,” Zee said with a smile, and Wanda smiled in return, nodding as she looked to her friend slowly waking-

Both women jumped, looking up as a scream ripped above the sound of the storm.  Lightning flashed and the sky lit up and Zatanna gasped to see Superman grappling with the creature…

Losing…


Hawkeye shivered as he felt the sudden wind wash over him.  He knew the feeling all too well, though he was a bit perplexed by the flickering red images that faded as he tried to see.  He had thought that it was Quicksilver racing past and kicking up dirt, but it was apparently the JLA’s speedster instead- the Flash?

Hawkeye cursed and picked up his pace, climbing the stairs in the speedster’s wake.  Ass-hole couldn’t even stop and take him along.  They were supposed to be working together.

Cap had told him to get higher, try to get a shot, though he had no idea what he could do to Annihilus.  He could hit him of course- that wasn’t the point.  But he didn’t think that he had an arrow in his repertoire that would make a damn bit of difference.

On the shafts he had gathered he had re-headed another Gas arrow, a Grapple and a Pulse.  With Shell-Head down for the count he figured he could take the chance.  He had a handful of normal arrows too, still in his quiver, along with the Adamantium head and the Parachute arrow.  That last had gotten him out of more than one scrape and was well worth the extra space it took up in his quiver.  Still, it was the Adamantium arrow that he had nocked, and was betting his money on as he rushed up the final flight of stairs.  It was probably the only one that would pierce Annihilus’ armor- if he could pull enough force.  Didn’t really matter how sharp the head was, or how powerful if it did not have the momentum to do the job.

Hawkeye stepped out onto the rooftop of the Keystone Building, feeling the wind immediately, the static of the storm making his skin crawl.  He slammed back against the stairwell, taking stock and scanning the roof.  He could see Superman and Annihilus trading blows out in mid-air.

Annihilus was still cackling, still hanging onto Oubliette and forcing the Leaguer to hold back while the ruler of the Neg Zone continued to do his damage.  Hawkeye could see that the alien was hurting under the onslaught, Annihilus shifting from blasts of negative energy to simply clawing at the man.  To his credit, Superman was still fighting.

He did not see Thor, but the Flash was standing at the rooftop’s edge.  His arms were a blur, and Hawkeye could see that the Scarlet Speedster was trying to redirect the winds.  Whether to make Annihilus simply fall, or trying to do damage the archer had no idea.  Whatever, Hawkeye knew that he could not fire while that was happening.  His arrow would go wild in the wind long before it got to the target.  He was about to charge forward, tell the kid to stop when he saw a shadow step out of the elevator’s kiosk.

“Midas…” he whispered, immediately recognizing the shining golden armor that had once belonged to Tony Stark.  Doctor Midas was a scavenger, buying or stealing whatever he could, cast off inventions that had lost their patent and become public domain, salvaged from old battles, sold on E-Bay- whatever.  Doc Midas had gotten hold of one of Iron Man’s old suits of armor years back.  One of the original Marks, that Tony had worn in the early days.

Hawkeye watched as Midas eased forward, trying to be stealthy and actually succeeding what with the roar of the cosmic storm blowing about them.  He was heading to the speedster- the Flash- no doubt looking for a rabbit punch.  Hawkeye smiled…

Finally something he could shoot.

Hawkeye stabbed the Adamantium arrow into the rooftop and swiftly drew and notched another.  One that would work.  He smiled and raised his bow, drawing the string slowly back to its limits.

Then he heard Oubliette’s screams…


“Thor?”

Quicksilver whipped his hands at blinding speed, stirring the air and filtering out the dust still swirling from the Thunder God’s impact.  He did not know if the Asgardian actually had to breathe, but he figured that this was more help than patting the man on the back as he doubted his meager strength even made an impression.  The Lord of Storms coughed finally, spitting before placing a massive hand on Quicksilver's shoulder and rising to his feet, almost driving the Mutant to his knees.

“Quicksilver?” Thor said, coughing again.  “What-“

“Cap sent me to help,” Quicksilver said stepping away and massaging the ache in his shoulder from Thor’s grip.  “He feared you needed help- and the alien definitely does.”

“The Superman?” Thor said, looking back up at the hole he had made with a frown.  “Truth, I fear that Captain America puts too much faith in these strangers, and yet I do see the wisdom.  Annihilus is a threat we do know and must be smitten.  Then shall we deal with the threat of these strange visitors.  Now stand ye back, good Pietro!”

Quicksilver barely had time to move before the God of Thunder started to swing his hammer, only to smash through the closest wall heedless of anyone who might be below on the street.  “Thor!  Wait!” he shouted, but too late as Thor was already on the brink, standing in the hole that he had created, ready to attack.

“Annihilus would seek to rend the world with his magicks!  Hast he forgotten that Thor is the true Lord of the Storms?  Any storm?”

Pietro Maximoff- Magnus watched as Thor’s mystic hammer became a blur, whirling at speeds that even he could not comprehend.  Energy flared and crackled from M’Jolnir’s head, blinding power and static that made his hair stand on end.  Then suddenly Thor knelt and drove the hammer into the steel and brick of the building’s façade.  Quicksilver heard a rage of electricity, a crescendo of thunder as rain suddenly fell in driving sheets without.  Lightning flashed in quick succession, bolt after bolt writhing as though wrenched from the sky, twisted by the Asgardian’s command.

Pietro heard a blood-curdling scream somewhere outside, and he feared the worst.


Superman screamed as the lightning erupted about them.

He heard the creature’s screams as well, but his attention focused on the girl’s- Oubliette’s- She sounded in agony.

He looked up, eyes squinting, teeth rattling, as the storm seemed to explode about them.  Lightning flashed continually, the thunder rolling over and over.  He screamed again as he burned, electrical energy dancing across his body.  That he could even feel the effects in the first place meant only one sure thing- Magic!  A normal storm was as nothing to him, but this…

Superman dropped back and away from the creature, watching him writhe in the grips of the storm’s fury.  He saw the girl too- her only protection the remnants of the space suit that she wore.  She was squirming in Annihilus’ grip, eyes and mouth wide as the lightning scored her body, making it spasm and shake.

“Fear not, alien!” he heard Thor, saw the man float from the second jagged hole in the side of the near building.  “The Lord of Storms hast rejoined the fray and taken hand!”

Idiot!

Didn’t he know what he was doing to the girl?  Didn’t he care?

Clark watched as lightning struck the beast again and again.  Rain suddenly swept in on the wind, washing from the churning clouds in waves that obscured his normal vision.  He could only see the creature Annihilus by the strange energies pouring from the odd cylinder affixed to his throat.  Could that be the source of his powers?  Some type of conduit for the negative energies that he wielded so freely?

There was not time to decide.  Superman had to save the girl before the lightning storm fried her, or the creature lost his grip and she plummeted to her death.  He would have to ignore the magic and struggle through- as he always had.

With a deep breath and a prayer, the Man of Steel shot forward again…


“Oy…”

Henry McCoy sat up shakily, his ears ringing, his head spinning from the near drowning that had laid him low.  Remarkably he felt better than he had a right to feel, and as he squinted into the driving rain he could see the probable reason why.

Not so far away he could see the shadowy silhouettes of the Scarlet Witch and the figure of the other woman- by the legs it had to be the magician in the cute little tuxedo jacket and fishnets.  He imagined that they were trying to rouse the rest of the troops, working together?  Had a truce been called in his absence from the Land of the Living?  Hopefully…

“You with us Beast?”

McCoy looked up to see the grim face of Captain America hovering in the rain above him.  Far above too he saw the flashing, crackling discharge of negative energies amidst a driving storm that had all the ear marks of the God of Thunder.  He knew then why his ears were ringing, hearing the perpetual rumble of thunder crashing down.  He shielded his eyes as lightning flashed, lighting up the sky in stark reality.

“Aye, Mein Capitain,” he joked with a quick salute; flipping to his feet with ease, though taking a moment to steady himself.  He wiped the freezing rain down his face, trying to focus his attention.  Cap put a reassuring hand to his shoulder to help steady him.

“Good.  We need all the help we can get.  Thor and Superman are barely holding their own against Annihilus-“

“Annihilus?  Who invited him to the party?”

“No time McCoy,” Cap said as he scanned the rest of the group.  The rain seemed to be aiding Wanda and… Zatanna? in their efforts.  He saw the woman dressed in her own version of the flag standing, gathering the remnants of the golden rope she used.  The green man- the Martian was kneeling over the boy that had had the fiery hair with Zatanna beside.  Wanda was helping Warbird to her feet, though Danvers still seemed shaky, while the Wasp and the blonde woman that Hawkeye had taken down were seeing to the Panther.  Good.

Of them all, only Iron Man and the boy with the ring still seemed down.  Cap knew that Iron Man’s energies were depleted, and it would take some time before his batteries were charged enough to move let alone fight.  As to the boy, he had no idea.  His body seemed to be glowing a pale green- some defensive mechanism of that incredible ring he wore no doubt.  But he had taken a maddened beating from Thor and survived, apparently.  Hopefully he would be all right.  Hopefully they all would.

“Listen up people!” Cap shouted over the storm, and slowly all eyes turned to him as he moved to a more central location so that all could hear.  “Superman and Thor are up there fighting Annihilus!  I have Quicksilver, the Flash and Hawkeye flanking in the surrounding buildings, but I don’t know how much they’ll be able to help in this storm!  I need everyone who can fly- and survive in that,” he said glancing at the Wasp, “to get up there and help drive the creature down to a level that we can coordinate an assault!

“Annihilus draws his power from the Negative Zone, and whatever’s causing that energy flux has increased that power dramatically!  He’s too strong for even Thor and Superman combined!  We have to put aside our differences and work together in this, or we’re all through!”

“Say no more, warrior!” the star-spangled woman said above the thunder.  Her face, her very being exuded sheer confidence as she approached Captain America.  “The Justice League stands ready, at your side.” She glanced about at the others, saw her teammates nod in agreement.

“Tell us what to do.”


“See to Iron Man, he says…”

Henry McCoy bounded through the storm, heedless of the lightning crashing down in his wake and dropping softly beside the unmoving red and gold armor still imbedded in the pavement.  There was a small crater about the metallic shell from the impact, and though the armor itself seemed cracked in a few small places, it was still in relatively good repair.

“Is it my fault I can’t fly?” the Beast continued as he leaned in, peering through the dark eye slits for any sign of life from Anthony Stark trapped in a sudden prison of his own making.  McCoy leaned in, finally tapping lightly on the unmoving, dented helmet.  “Hello… Can Tony come out to play?”

“Please don’t do that.”

The Beast had to grin at the hollow echo of the voice drifting out at him.  Stark sounded fine, if embarrassed.  “You okay in there, my friend?”  He saw the whites of Stark’s eyes then, piercing him with a dark gaze.

“I’ll live Beast.  As long as you stop pounding on my head.  What’s going on?”

Quickly the Beast relayed the situation between the two teams and the unexpected arrival of Annihilus.  Stark interrupted only twice to ask questions, and the Beast stopped paused in his recitation only once upon hearing the low moan coming from nearby.

“Oy…”

Glancing over with a grin, he saw the tightly tied body of the elastically enhanced Plastic Man wiggling a bit, trying to undo the very knots that Quicksilver had bound him into with a rather remarkable display of Mutant speed and acrobatics.  He was about to offer assistance when the strange man simply seemed to melt into a red puddle right before his eyes.  Beast gasped, then gasped again as the man swelled and expanded, reforming into a standing semblance of humanity.

“You!” Plastic Man shouted, his arms immediately becoming pliant and stretching forth as the Beast flipped up and about, dodging.  He landed as the arms looped around him, ready to draw him in as he raised his own arms in a warding gesture-

“Pax!” he shouted, waving his hands.  “Peace my pliant opponent!  There’s been a truce!”  McCoy felt the arms tighten about him, but he let them, doing nothing more to save himself hoping that the Plastic Man would see the dire situation that they were all in himself.

Plas looked up as lightning came crashing down about them, his big black goggles bulging as his mouth opened to a mammoth absurdity, his tongue flapping long and wild.  McCoy felt the grip of the arms loosen, watching then in fascination as they began to unwind and recede-

“Oh my stars and garters!” Plastic Man shouted over the roar of the rain and thunder, and the Beast had to chuckle-

“Brudda, you said a mouth full!”


Superman felt the creature’s grip on his throat as he pounded seemingly uselessly at the thick, purple armor.  The monster was big, his reach longer than that of the Man of Steel, and he seemed strong enough to withstand Clark’s strongest blows.  He felt the bones popping in his neck as he struggled to move, to break away.  He felt blood again and the creature laughed all the harder as he tightened his grip.

Even still he could hear the girl’s screams.

There was a flash of red as Superman unleashed his Heat Vision finally, fully into Annihilus’ face.  He heard a hiss, but it was more surprise than hurt as the creature’s face sizzled and glowed.  Annihilus did not relinquish his grip, however, and if anything squeezed all the tighter.  Superman clenched his teeth and began hammering again, his eyes drifting to the girl.

She was wearing some kind of space suit, sans the helmet if there had ever been one.  He could see her face now so close, her huge green eyes and full pink lips wide, staring.  Piercing…  Despite her struggling and cries of panic for help, she did not truly look afraid.  Rather she seemed… excited?  Clark did not understand, but it did not matter either.  He had to save her, to get her away from this monster so that he could unleash his full power-

“I see…” the creature hissed, his claws digging into Clark’s throat.  “You… You are one of this world’s defenders!  A hero, yes?”  Annihilus laughed again, a hideous thing that sent a shiver racing along Superman’s spine.  Annihilus was easily as merciless as DoomsDay, as Darkseid himself!

“More concerned of the chattel than your self,” Annihilus continued, his voice a brittle crackle.  Acidic spittle splattered Clark’s face, burning.  “You come to save the girl…”

“N- Nnn…” Superman gasped, sensing what was to come.  He hammered on Annihilus’ arm all the harder-

“Then save her!”

“No!”

Superman screamed as Annihilus simply threw the girl away.  The Man of Steel redoubled his efforts, thrashing wildly, kicking, and all pretense of true fighting gone as he struggled to break free.  Annihilus simply laughed and brought in his other hand about the Man of Steel’s throat, clutching, crushing.

Superman could feel the pressure increasing as the monster’s claws dug into the tender flesh of his neck, feeling to the wash as blood mingled with the rain.  His vision started to dim as he watched the girl flailing helplessly, tumbling down through the air until she disappeared into the dim of the storm-

“Have at thee, villain!”

There was a resounding crash as Annihilus’ grip finally loosened and fell away.  Superman shoved out, floating back with the sudden, unexpected freedom, clutching at his throat as he stared at the creature.  His wings were beating madly as he shook his head, trying desperately to spin about and confront whatever had struck him.

Coughing, Superman saw, watching almost awestruck as lightning sprang from the huge stone hammer as it swung down in a mighty, sweeping arc.  The hammer struck again, splaying the creature wide with astounding fury.  Thunder exploded with the impact as lightning danced over the Devil’s armor.  The monster shrieked- this time definitely in agony as the blow propelled him downward into the low, thick clouds.

Superman stared, licking his lips only for a moment as he looked at the Thunder God in his element, all his glory.  He was hovering there, his hammer spinning wildly overhead, holding him aloft in the winds, staring back.  A smile finally creased his face as he nodded.

“Let us renew the battle… Superman!”

The Man of Steel nodded in turn, but he could not afford a smile himself.  He had lost the girl.

Together then, they dropped through the clouds, pursuing the Devil…


Wally West blinked to see the girl suddenly appear, falling out of the sky.  It had to be the girl that the monster was carrying- Oubliette?  Weird name…

He had been standing at roof’s edge, his arms whipping madly as he tried to redirect the winds that were coming at him with an almost gale force intensity.  He was soaked to the bone, the freezing rain drenching him and obscuring his sight as he tried to watch up into the storm, tried to catch a glimpse of Superman and the other so that he could help- somehow.

His arms were a blur as he directed his own cyclonic force up into the raging winds, but he thought it seemed that he was really doing nothing.  Unless he was making matters worse.  The clouds seemed to roil and churn even more.  Lightning still flashed overhead, brightening the thickening clouds already alight from the crackling negative energy.  And the damn thunder still boomed.  He could feel the whole building shaking.  Or was that his knees?

Seeing the girl the Flash quickly redirected his assault.  He arched the twin cyclones that he was creating, trying to create a buffer zone, hoping to catch the girl, or at least stop her fall.  She was screaming he could hear, even over the thunder, and kicking and twisting in a panic.

When his winds hit her she spun about, twirling wildly.  He cursed under his breath as a huge bolt of lightning erupted up in the storm, the thunder right on its heels and almost bowling him over, still dropping him to his knees.  He shook his head, ears ringing as the winds doubled, then doubled again, blowing the woman away-

“Hold her steady, Red!”

He barely heard the voice shouting over the storm, but he saw the arrowhead as it inched up in the corner of his sight.  He glanced back, a queer feeling of Déjà vu, and saw the Avenger’s archer poised above him with his bow stretched to its limits.  He had thought it was Ollie for a moment-

“Hold her still…” the archer said again, his gaze focused on the girl and Flash quickly returned his attention to her as well.  He concentrated, forcing his arms to whip all the faster, moving his fingers in a fine manipulation to redirect the winds that he was generating and control Oubliette’s wildly thrashing form.

He was already exhausted, and feeling so slow.  His arms were aching as they never had before, feeling they might fly off at any moment.  Sweat was dripping into his eyes, washing across his face with the sweeping rain.

“That’s it!” he shouted, feeling he had reached his limits, then tried all the harder.  “Take the shot!”

He saw the purple-clad archer flex, just the slightest movement.  He saw the string slide smoothly forward, the thickly wrapped shaft moving slowly.  Picking up speed as Wally looked on, watching as it shot forward, faster and faster.  It strayed only slightly as it arced on its course, flying straight at the woman-

The shaft hit her squarely in the back, and like a car’s air bag exploded on impact.  Wally West watched in strange fascination as great sheets of white silk billowed out, almost seeming to explode in the clutches of the fierce winds-

“Get her in!” the archer shouted and the Flash saw him brace against the short wall that surrounded the building’s edge.  He jammed a foot against the brick, his massive arm muscles straining as he heaved on a thin, metallic cord affixed to his bandoleer harness.  Wally saw him wince as the line slid through the leather of his gloves, slicing at his flesh.

The Flash quickly, without another thought reversed the direction of his gyrating arms.  The cyclones he had been blowing died for just a fraction of an instant, not even a heartbeat and then began to flow back upon them both, but drawing the girl closer.  The parachute that the bowman had fired billowed full behind her as it whipped around in the sudden suction.  The Flash waved his arms, the crossing winds forcing the still struggling girl along at a rapid clip while the archer reeled her in through sheer brute strength-

The line snapped as a flailing Annihilus suddenly dropped from the clouds, his claws flashing, cutting through the metallic cord as though it did not even exist.  Wally  saw the archer suddenly fly backwards to crash hard onto the rooftop even as the monster fell out of his line of sight.  He heard the girl scream.

She was still flying at the building, but the stronger winds had hold of her now and the very parachute that had helped to save her just seconds before was now dragging her at breakneck speed towards the building.  Flash could see that she was going to miss the roof, just by a few yards, but enough.  The impact would kill her instantly, unless…

Without a thought Wally West, the third Flash in what was supposed to be a long line was up on his feet and running.  Back home, before the chaos that had erupted it would have been simplicity itself to simply run along the side of the building, defying gravity until he could think of the most spectacular save he could imagine.  It was all about the image, after all.

But he was tired.  Exhausted to the point of collapse, his arms and legs aching as they never had, and he felt so… damn… slow…

There was no time to worry though, no time to think.  He was a hero, and he had to save the girl.  It was in the rulebook.  The Flash through caution to the wind as he started to vibrate, almost crying at the pain as he raced along the side of the building.  The girl was almost there, almost a stain on the wall, as Wally skidded, slipping as he shot off, up and down and running madly in a circle.  He was breathing hard, the mere fact that he could hear and sense that he was breathing grating on his nerves.

So… slow…

He sensed the girl’s momentum slow ever so slightly, the new winds that his tight race generated creating a buffer.  She was struggling, the silk of the parachute billowing back on her again, the winds threatening to catch her once more and rip her away.  Closer, he had to time it just right.

Flash leaped as the girl came within reach.  His stomach churned as he lost traction with the building, feeling the strain in his arm as he stretched.  He barely felt the girl as his still vibrating hand wrapped about hers, but he made a fist, letting his own body still, hoping that his momentum would be enough.

He whipped past her, his grip tightening as he went up and over, jerking her body.  He felt a ‘pop’, but he did not know if it came from his arm or hers as centrifugal force spun him down and centripetal sent her flying askew.  They whipped about together in a strange figure eight, another heart beat as Wally eyed the building and finally let go.

The girl screamed again and arched upwards as Wally churned his legs, trying to right himself as gravity took hold once again.  And again he stretched as his descent slowed just enough, his fingers clawing at the trailing silk of the parachute even as the girl disappeared over the rooftop to land with a silent thump.  Anchored, Flash held onto the chute as he swung towards the building, kicking his legs at a blinding speed, scrabbling and scrambling with contact.  Finally traction…

The Flash shot up the side of the building, the parachute acting as a guide and he came to a smoldering stop, rolling right up beside the girl.  His body was screaming, muscles aching in places he did not even know existed.  His eyelids hurt for God’s sake.

Wally West reached out, a shaking hand on the girl’s shoulder as he struggled to his knees.  After all that he had to be sure that she had survived.  She had a nice curve he noted, even in the space suit, and her hair was as deep a red as his own, matted sexily by the rain, caught in her lips as she turned over with a smile.  Huge green eyes sparkled at him as her lips went all pouty.  He knew the look- Hero Worship- he had just saved her life and she was enamored.

“y-you… okay?” he asked, his breath heaving, his voice shaking.  He forced a smile as she pursed her lips, shifting closer and trying to rise as she draped an arm about his neck.  He could hear the archer shouting something as he charged closer, saw a flicker of gold behind him, drawing his attention-

“My hero…” the girl whispered as she leaned in for a kiss-

Wally West screamed as he felt her jab something in his stomach and suddenly electricity was dancing about his body.  He tasted blood as he bit into his tongue, his eyes wide as he stared at the beautiful, smiling girl before him as she ground some type of stick into his gut, holding him in place.  His body spasmed from the shock as she laughed.

Then thankfully everything went black…


“Eat that, freak!”

Warbird shouted as she rammed her fist into Annihilus’ insectoid face again and again.  Her gloves were starting to shred from the continued pummeling and she could see blood flying from her aching, bruised knuckles.  She ignored the pain though, letting her rage drive her on.  She hit him again.

She could feel the wash of heat as the Superman flew by in a strafing run on one side, the big green Martian mirroring his efforts on the other.  Alone neither had been able to generate enough heat to hurt the creature, but together they were making him burn.  Carol Danvers ignored that however, holding on for dear life as she continued to pound.

The Wonder Woman was there suddenly, her gold rope wrapped about one of Annihilus’ legs as she whipped about like a kid playing Crack the Whip, kicking and hitting whenever her momentum brought her close enough.  She would swoop away then, only to smash in from the far side.  Carol knew that they could do some massive damage if they could coordinate their attacks and hit him together, but she was far too caught up in the battle to worry about that.  Better to just keep hitting until the freak went down.

Thor’s hammer slammed home, Annihilus’ armor ringing like a bell and sending them all tumbling again as the mallet bounced away.  Carol smiled to hear the creature scream, finally starting to hurt.  She hit him again.

And again!

Annihilus screamed in anger as he thrust his body wide, his arms and legs outstretched.  Energy exploded from the rod at his neck, lighting up the sky and sending shock after shock through her body.  Her own screams joined the monster’s, but hers were pure pain.  She could see the Wonder Woman thrashing about on the end of her tether, her muscular form flashing negatively as the energy danced along her rope.  She held on, to her credit, and Warbird knew that she could do no less herself.

She saw Annihilus’ backhand just before it hit.  The pain did not register until she was flying away and she realized just how lucky she was that the blow had not taken her head off.

She struggled to remain conscious, fighting even harder to right herself in the storm, the winds threatening to carry her away.  Lightning crackled down from the dark heavens, a bolt searing the air so close as to make her hair stand on end, making her choke on the burning ozone.  She hoped that no one was hit down below, her eyes dazzled as a blinding flash erupted from the ground.

Spots danced before her eyes as she hovered, straining to hold her place in the winds.  She could hear Thor’s bellows of rage, could hear him hammering on Annihilus’ shell even over the thunder and the ringing in her ears-

ARE YOU WELL?

Warbird gasped to ‘hear’ the cold voice suddenly in her head.  She whipped about in mid-air, trying to will her sight clear, looking for- expecting the new attack.

CALM… THIS IS… THE MARTIAN MANHUNTER… CAN YOU FIGHT?

The Martian…

It was the Martian in her head.  He was a telepath, and apparently recovered enough from the assault that she and Iron Man had given him before.

“Damn straight I can fight!” she shouted and heard the mental wince in her head.  She blinked, and slowly the dancing spots began to fade.  She could see him there in the distance; a pale green shadow with a swath of blue whipping behind.  She thought of the Vision for a moment.

ON MY MARK THEN.  HIT HIM LOW…

Like she needed him to tell her that.  But she knew what was coming- the coordinated attack.  She could see Wonder Woman and Superman drifting into position as Thor went toe to toe with the monster, trading blows in the midst of the storm of lightning and negative energy.

She glanced up at the Rift and saw the red and pink clouds swirling in a vortex, spewing power into Annihilus’ damnable rod, and making him stronger by the second.  If they could get that-

STEPS ARE BEING TAKEN… HIT HIM…

Warbird shot forward as she saw the others move in, the Martian included.

NOW!

The clash was deafening as they all five hit the Annihilator at once.  Thor smashed his hammer across the monster’s face as Superman and the Martian Manhunter hit him from opposite sides.  At the same time as Warbird swooped up and slammed her shoulder into the creature’s midsection and the Wonder Woman slammed into his back, driving her heels into the spot between his wings.

Annihilus screamed as they all rebounded away, even Thor falling back, whirling his hammer overhead to stay aloft.  The creature seemed to hang there for a moment, until gravity grabbed hold and started to drag him down-

“Yes!” Warbird shouted, righting herself in flight, seeing the others do the same.  They all hesitated for a moment, watching the results of their combined fury as Annihilus dropped…

As his wings beat…

As he laughed!

“Fools!” he shouted, and the darkened sky erupted in an explosive brilliance of stark white energy…


“You sure this is a good idea?” Plastic Man said as he fed the exposed wires from the street light down to the Beast.

Henry McCoy simply shrugged as he in turn fed the wires to the Black Panther, the Wakandan Monarch hurriedly attaching the wire’s ends to the exposed nacelles of Iron Man’s battery pods.  The Panther simply nodded, involved in his work.

“I’ve been working with Thor for years,” they barely heard Stark’s voice echoing from the shell of his helmet.  “You think in all that time I wouldn’t insulate my armor from his attacks, or devise a way to use his power?  Believe me, you three hook me up as I said and I’ll be up and running with power to burn.  Just get that pole wired to attract the next bolt of lightning.”

Plastic Man looked up into the storm as he jerked more wire from the exposed tip of the pole.  The sky was flashing like a bad movie, and he could almost see the battle raging far above.  “Seems to me we’re gonna have lobster on the menu real soon.”

“Oh ye of little faith,” the Beast quipped as he summer-salted up, his huge feet and long toes finding purchase on the rain slicked pole.  “Yet haste, lest we include fried monkey and tomato soup to the main course.”

The two men laughed as they went about their task, the Panther glancing up to check their progress before turning back to Stark.

“You’re certain your batteries can absorb the power, my friend?” he asked, looking skyward quickly as the sky flashed and the rain swept by.  “The energy coursing above is astounding, and most of the it from the Zone.  It could kill you.”

“Won’t know until we try, T’Challa.  I can’t just sit here though.”

“I do understand, believe me.  I think we are ready.”

“Then stand back and-“

Even before Stark could finish his sentence a bolt of lightning came crashing down through the clouds.  The Beast leapt away as his fur stood on end, smoldering as the electrical discharge struck the light pole.  Plastic Man screamed as his body arched up and out and away, blowing in the winds that rode behind the bolt.  The whole area erupted in a brilliant glow of white as the energy danced along the pole, tripping along the water-laced ground, flowing into Iron Man’s battery pods.  They heard Stark scream…

“Break the contact!” T’Challa screamed over the din of booming thunder.  “Plastic Man!”

Without a thought to his own safety, Eel O’Brien stretched forward, his arms flowing together into the form of a giant pair of scissors as he dove at the exposed wires that they had attached to the armor.  He slammed his arms together, cutting the wires and severing the circuit, screaming as the electricity arced through his body and into the ground.

The Beast leaped up again, striking Plastic Man across the chin, knocking him back and away to break the contact.  He felt the surge himself as he plummeted, landing hard.  He saw the Plastic Man seemingly melt into a puddle not so far away before he looked to Iron Man.

The Panther had backed away, shielding his eyes at the blinding glow as McCoy watched the Golden Avenger rise.  His armor was alight, spewing energy as he slapped his battery pods closed and back into place at his hips.  Iron Man afforded a quick glance before he shot up into the sky, a comet in reverse.


The Batman watched from the shadows of the rooftop as the girl pulled a whip from her space suit and jammed the handle into the Flash’s stomach.  Wally West screamed as the taser effect danced over his body, quickly rendering him unconscious as he was far too tired to react or fight back.  This world had taken its toll on him- on all of them, and he had paid the price.

He watched too as the man in the golden armor slipped from the elevator again.  He drew a batarang from his utility belt, expecting the man- Midas- to attack the archer as he faced down the woman, to strike from behind.  He had approached Hawkeye before, but the archer had turned to save the girl instead of stop the threat and Midas had retreated back into the shadows for a time.  Oddly now, he slipped off to the side however.  Trying to escape?

Even as Batman started forward to help Hawkeye he saw the other man step from the elevator’s relative safety to follow the first.  He was dressed in a lab coat, a sure sign that he was a scientist of some sort.  All the better.

Captain America had given them all a swift layman’s version of what he thought was going on, but odds were that a scientist in employ of the antagonist would know more details.  He glanced at Hawkeye, debating whether to help, but the archer had an arrow notched and did not seem overly concerned.  He could hold his own then, at least for a moment.

Batman crept forward, staying to the shadows as he slipped up behind the scientist.  He did not see the armored man now so he would have to stay alert.  The scientist however was slow and confused, afraid.  Good.

He could use fear…


“Quicksilver!”

Again the Mutant Speedster simply appeared.  Captain America paid him no heed, glancing at the others.  The Green Lantern was still unconscious apparently, and the boy they called Firestorm had yet to revert to his super heroic form, but the others were well and ready to fight.

“It’s coming to a head.  We need to get up there, as it seems the fight’s not coming to us.”

“I can’t carry everyone, Captain,” Pietro said as he stood catching his breath.

“You won’t have to.”  He turned, pointing at Plastic Man.  “Your powers are similar to Mister Fantastic’s.  Can you mold yourself into a platform- carry us?”

“Sure,” Plastic Man said with a wide smile.  “But I’ve got the proportionate strength of a… man.  I can’t lift everyone.”

“You won’t have to.  Wanda?” Cap turned to the Scarlet Witch.  “Can your powers get us all up there?”

“You put a lot of faith in random probability, Captain,” she said as she considered.  “Give me a moment.”

“Just a moment.”  Captain America turned to the Beast.  “Get the Green Lantern.  No one gets left behind if this pans out.”  Then to Zatanna.  “If I interpret your powers correctly, you can do basically anything given the proper circumstance.”

“To a point,” Zatanna said, wiping her hair from her eyes.  “But the magic of this world is… chaotic.  It comes in waves that I can’t control.  I don’t-“

“I’ll need you to stop the storm.  Just long enough for me to see, once we get up there.  Can you do it?”

“I… “ Zatanna licked her lips, looking first to the stormy skies and then back to Captain America.  She almost shivered to see the resolve in his eyes, the faith.  “I’ll do it.  Of course.”

“T’Challa, I want you and the boy to safeguard the Lantern,” he said, turning to Ronnie Raymond, “unless you care to contribute?”

Ronnie scowled, staring at the man but knowing better than to lip off.  “I can’t.  I’ve been trying to change but-“

“No problem, son.  Help protect your friend.  Do what you can.  Jan?”

“Yes Cap?” the Winsome Wasp answered, her tiny form flitting close to Captain America’s face.

“I can sense the murmur of the telepath- the Martian I assume?” he asked looking for acknowledgement.  Zatanna and the Black Canary nodded.  “I need you to fly ahead- do your best in the storm.  I know it’ll be hard, but when you get close enough, project to him my plan and tell him to relay.”

“I’ll do it Cap.  You can count on me.”

“I know.”  Captain America watched as the Wasp shot skyward, quickly disappearing from sight before he turned to the Black Canary.

“I saw you have sonic powers, true?”

“Yeah,” the Canary said quizzically, nodding.

“Good.  You’re with me.  Follow my lead and when I say so, hit Annihilus with everything you’ve got.”

“O- okay…”

“This could well be the final stand, people.  Let’s get it right the first time.”  He turned to the Scarlet Witch even as Plastic Man stretched out into a disk-like platform.  “Wanda?”

“I’m ready, Cap,” the Scarlet Witch said with a sigh, raising her arms and face to the storm.  She touched her thumbs together over her head and the sky seemed to erupt in a cacophony of light and sound.

“Go!”


Doctor Midas eased around the backside of the standing hut, which housed the elevator car and paused.  Taking a deep breath he lowered the power input on the magnetics that had allowed him to slip swiftly and silently about the building when he had first caught sight of the shadowy form that had been creeping up on him and Janus.  It had been one of the aliens- the one in the bat costume, and normally Midas feared no man, but the strange visitors were still an unknown and he did not wish to take a chance.  Not with victory so tantalizingly close.

Luckily it appeared that the bat-man did not have any special super powers, no freak Mutant abilities that let him hear really well or see through walls.  He was a quick and efficient fighter though, by the looks of it.  At least in a league with the Black Widow, or maybe even Captain America himself.  Midas watched from the safety of distance and shadow as the alien crept right up behind Janus and subdued him- not that that was a major accomplishment.  But after Janus had whined and pleaded, then promptly spilled his guts, the bat easily knocked the sniveling scientist unconscious with a quick jab to the throat.  The dark alien then simply cuffed the man and moved on, closer to what was happening with Oubliette by the roof's edge.

Ah, dear sweet Oubliette.  Midas simply had to smile with pride.

She had taken out the red-garbed alien- the speedster- with the taser built into the butt of her whip using her own special brand of hard love.  Now she was keeping Hawkeye- the damnable- Marksman occupied and distracted as she gave him a strip tease, sloughing out of her now useless and cumbersome space suit.  The Avenger had an arrow notched of course, ready to fire, but he was an idiot- and a man.  He should have fired on Midas when he had had the chance.

Midas glanced at the bat-man a final time before returning his attention to the storm.  The Rift was still spewing a cascade of energies just waiting to be utilized.  The roiling clouds of pink and red, the arching bolts of dark lightning, the perpetual rumble of thunder all coupled with the storm that the pompous braggart Thunder God had called up simply made him lust all the more for the power.  It was right there.  All that he had to do was reach out and take it.

Damn Nefaria for failing.  Midas hoped that whatever had happened to the arrogant bastard that he was suffering grandly.  Of course the absence of Nefaria left his immediate future and goals in the hands of the self-proclaimed heroes.  Midas had no grand delusions that he would stand a chance against Annihilus; not with the power he was exhibiting.  It was, therefore up to the Avengers and their uneasy alien allies to do his job for him.  Let them take the lumps.  Let them beat Annihilus.

Doctor Midas would be there to pick up the pieces…


MOVE!

The Martian Manhunter winced as he shifted his form to intangible, watching as the others spiraled up and out and away as quickly as possible.

With a scream of compact engines, the sound of overtaxed jets, the armored Avenger- Iron Man- came rocketing up to the battle at break-neck speed.  He took the befuddled Annihilus completely by surprise, smashing headlong into the destructive creature as it swept its claws after the retreating forms that it had just engaged.

J’onn J’onzz had barely heard the roar of the jets over the unending thunder, but when he had turned expecting some new threat his eyes had grown wide to see the armored form streaking skyward like a missile.  Iron Man was glowing, brimming with electrical energy as he rocketed up and up, picking up speed to the point that the Manhunter from Mars had barely had time to unleash his psychic warning.

The Iron Man smashed into Annihilus, his great momentum taking the monster by surprise and knocking him from his own erratic flight.  There was a resounding ‘Kra-ka-ka-toom!’  that shattered the remaining windows for miles with the collision.  The two energies as well exploded in a blinding glare that blinded the Martian in so many of his multitude of senses.  He heard the screams of shock from his allies, still far too close and even intangible he felt the resulting burn, the wave of heat emanating out from the opposing forces.

Shifting through his special sights, J’onn J’onzz found a shadowy spectrum of light that allowed him to scan the area even as he reached out for his allies telepathically.  Warbird was unconscious.  Both Superman and Thor were dazed and starting to fall, but a gentle mental push got them moving again.  He heard Diana then-

Looking up he saw the streaking form of Iron Man still racing higher, trapped by his own inertia.  The man within the armor was conscious though and trying to compensate, though it would be precious moments before he made his return.  J’onzz ignored him, scanning the skies for Annihilus- and Wonder Woman!

He saw them then, locking onto Diana’s mind.  The creature had been knocked aside in Iron Man’s move through, but incredibly he was still conscious.  He appeared stunned and dazzled by the explosion, but his wings were still beating, holding him aloft as he righted himself, clawing at his eyes.  And Wonder Woman was right there with him-

“Diana!” J’onzz screamed as he started flying towards the pair with all the might he could muster.  Wonder Woman was still attached to the creature by the ragged remains of her golden lasso.  The rope apparently still retained some of its magic and strength as it appeared to be relatively unscathed.  Diana was gripping the trailing end of the cord furiously, slowly pulling herself higher so that she might engage the monster again.  J’onn could see that she was struggling, tired and weakened from the blast.  Her skin appeared burned in places, and her hands were slick with her own blood, yet still she struggled on.

J’onzz flew faster as lightning flashed down, heedless of the danger.  He saw Diana reaching up, trying to snag the creature’s ragged, flapping wing.  He saw Annihilus shake his head then and peer down with a wicked laugh.

DIANA!  WAIT!

The creature’s claw swept out at blinding speed, his fist wrapping tightly about the Amazon’s wrist, encompassing her fist.  J’onn heard Diana’s pain in his mind, though amazingly she did not scream as the creature squeezed, shattering her hand.  Still kicking and struggling, J’onzz could sense her mind slowly fading out with the pain as the monster drew her up and close.

The Martian’s eyes went wide to see Annihilus’ free arm draw back, claws flashing in the lightning…


“C’mon, Oubliette,” Hawkeye said, squinting into the driving rain.  “Just surrender, hunh?  Do the right thing for once.”

Hawkeye stared at the girl, the Exterminatrix as she slinkily stepped from the crumpled remains of her space suit now piled at her feet on the rooftop.  How she got her stiletto heels into the bulky boots he had no idea, but he tried to ignore what she was wearing, what she was doing the better to keep his arrow trained on her.

Not so far away from her slim, leather-clad form, the Flash still lay unconscious from the stun she had given him with her whip.  He was breathing but out, and Hawkeye knew from past experience with the Exterminatrix that he wouldn’t be up any time soon.  He glanced back to Oubliette, but she was simply standing there smiling and licking her lips as she dangled her long whip by her side, flicking the end.  She blew him a kiss and he concentrated on her full lips-

“Make me, big boy,” she cooed, the archer reading her lips as best he could.  It was still hard, but her intent was clear.  He flexed his arm, angling his bow as he aimed.  He had a gas arrow out, the most non-lethal of what he had left in his dwindling arsenal.  In the wind though, he was not sure just how effective it was going to be.

Despite that she was a villain, he did not really want to hurt her.  Sure she was vicious and sadistic, probably a killer, but everything she did was purely for her own pleasure and usually by her father’s orders.  Which made Hawkeye think- where had Midas slithered off to?

Something small and black whizzed past his head at near blinding speed.  He barely saw it out of the corner of his eye, ducking uselessly on reflex.  If the thing was meant to hit him it would have as he had totally ignored his back.  He saw Oubliette though, her eyes popping wide just before the thing hit her squarely between the eyes.  She blinked as the thing bounced away like a boomerang, her thick pink lips forming an ‘O’ of surprise as she promptly crumpled to the rooftop atop her space suit.

Hawkeye spun about, his bow quickly up and finding the new target.  He saw the Batman standing there, the sleek black thing- a boomerang indeed, but shaped like a bat- in his upraised palm.  The man strode forward with a quick glance from the Flash to Oubliette, and then back to Hawkeye as he stepped up to the roof’s edge.

“You-“ Hawkeye started to say, lowering his bow at ease as he stepped up beside the other man, but the Batman simply cut him off.

“Midas’ scientist explained to me that the creature’s power comes from the small cylinder attached to his armor near his throat.  It’s some sort of conduit for the energies coming from that ‘Negative Zone’, which we passed through to get here.  Captain America said much the same, though in less detail.  Can you make the shot?”

Hawkeye stared at the man, not having heard a word and only ‘reading’ a few, at least until he had turned to face him.  ‘Can you make the shot?’ he understood, he had been asked that most of his adult life.  Clint Barton turned back to the storm to try and understand just what the Batman meant for him to shoot at.

He paled to see Annihilus again, still flapping out there in the void.  How he had survived Iron Man plowing into him, the archer had no idea.  He was far stronger than Hawkeye had remembered, to take the combined battering that he had over the last few minutes.  Energy was still spewing from his Nega Rod, apparently still feeding him power and keeping him up.  Hawkeye ignored that however as he saw the creature reeling in the curvy chick in the bathing suit.  He winced as Annihilus just reached out and crushed her hand in his.  He saw the big green guy then, flying forward, but he knew he wasn’t going to be in time-

“Can-you-make-the-shot!”

He had turned, feeling the Batman’s hand on his shoulder and saw the man standing there holding up one of his arrows.  The Batman had affixed his little bat boomerang to the shaft and was speaking slowly- enunciating the words.  He knew…

“Hey, do rats have wings?”

Quickly Hawkeye took the arrow, letting it roll across his palm, checking the balance then sighting down its length then notching it, all in a heartbeat.  He raised his bow, right arm outstretched as he sighted down the shaft, feeling the wind as it whispered past, flexing his legs with the thunder and the shaking of the building.  He licked his lips, drew a steady breath as he eased the string back just a bit more.  His hands were screaming murder from the cuts he had received trying to save Oubliette’s life; slick with blood and rain and sweat.

He aimed, watching as Annihilus reared back to strike, planning to gut the girl with his claws.  Lightning flashed and he counted, letting the thunder roll past.

He loosed…


“How is she Beast?”

Henry McCoy stood over the unconscious form of Warbird as Plastic Man molded a bit of the platform that he had become about her to hold her steady and secure in the turbulence along side the Green Lantern.  The man was incredible, his powers easily surpassing those of Mister Fantastic as he seemed to have total control of his molecular structure, able even to become a liquid of sorts.  He had become a disk-like platform for them all to stand on, then the woman Zatanna had uttered a spell to make him float.  They were all rising steadily higher now, albeit slowly, propelled by the combined efforts of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch; the prior generating an updraft beneath them while the latter did her best to sway the storm to their benefit.

When Warbird had broken through the clouds overhead the Beast had leapt without thought, reacting faster than any of them.  He had agilely flipped and twisted, snagging the unconscious Avenger from mid-air, springing then to the wall of the Keystone Building before rebounding back to land lithely on the platform again.

“She’s fine I think, Cap,” the Beast said sounding a bit concerned.  He and Carol Danvers were old friends he knew, and had grown even closer as fellow Avengers.  “She’s burned and rattled, but her base Kree physiology should help her pull through.”

“Good.”  Captain America was relieved, but he had no time to show it.  Looking up again he could see they were breaking through the layer of clouds at last.  The brief snatches of the overhead battle had been frustrating, and he had wanted to be in the thick of it.  They all did.  But his first concerns had to be saving the innocents and getting them to safety away from the lightning and continual shower of shattered glass and rubble, not to mention the battle zone itself.  Too, he had needed to rouse the wounded in their own ranks, to gather as much help as he could muster.  He hoped that he had been right.  He hoped they were not too late.

He heard Zatanna whispering a spell again, hopefully trying to help Warbird’s natural healing along.  He did not have time to look however as the scene above took even his breath away…

He saw Thor and Superman first, both obviously stunned and barely conscious.  He could see that it was taking every bit of Thor’s concentration to keep his hammer spinning and thus hold him aloft.  Still, he was doing it, though barely as Cap could see that he was drifting slowly downwards and towards the neighboring building's rooftop.

“T’Challa,” he said, and without a word the King of Wakanda leaped into space, almost gliding on the winds.  Everyone watched as the Black Panther slammed hard into the Thunder God, using his own momentum to force the bigger man sideways.  With a crash they landed hard onto the nearby rooftop across from the higher Keystone building.  They tumbled, and Cap saw the Panther rolling, taking the brunt of the impact from the already injured Thor.  They finally tumbled to a stop, and after a moment- though he did not get directly up- the Panther waved that they were fine.

“He’s good.” Cap heard the Black Canary whisper from his side, and he nodded.

“The best.”

Cap saw they were nearing Superman now, Wanda forcing the winds to drive them closer but the Avenger’s attention went even higher.  He watched as the Martian raced skyward and saw the reason.

Annihilus had the Wonder Woman by her rope and was reeling her in.  The Martian was intangible, flying far too slowly while trying to avoid the lightning still crashing down, probably knowing that if he was struck he would not reach his goal at all.

“Pietro!” Cap shouted, sliding his shield down his arm.  “We need more lift!”

“That’s it, Cap!” The Mutant shot back and Cap could hear the catch in his voice, the disappointment and exhaustion.  “It’s all I can do to keep us this high.”

“Wanda?”

“No…” the Scarlet Witch moaned through gritted teeth.  “The storm…”

Cap glanced back at Zatanna, but she was reeling dizzily, almost collapsed.  “Chaos…” she whispered, “shifted…”

He looked to the Beast, but McCoy shook his head.  Too far for even him to leap.  Iron Man, Hawkeye, Batman and Flash were nowhere in sight.  The shield then-

“On it!”

Cap heard the Wasp’s tiny voice as she zipped back and past his head and quickly dwindled from sight in the distance.  She was fast enough normally, but the winds were blowing against her.  Cap drew back, his shield in hand, knowing that the winds would effect his throw as well-

He blinked, seeing the arrow fly…


Wonder Woman’s hand was sheer agony, caught in the creature’s steely grasp.  It took all of her will not to show weakness as she watched through tear-filled eyes as Annihilus drew back, his claws sparkling in the flashing storm.  She struggled, tried to fight but she was just so tired…

She looked up bravely.  She had done her best, but…

Annihilus screamed as the arrow smashed into the crackling rod at his throat-

No!  Not into the cylinder, but beneath it.  There was a flash of energy as the creature reared back and the rod ripped away from his armor, caught on the black head of the shaft.  A batarang!

The arrow swung wide, knocked from its course only slightly by the impact.  Diana watched with a grim smile, her dazzling blue eyes following the energy trail as it arched out and away, heading back to its point of origin.  Briefly she saw the Batman waiting for the return, standing side by side with the Avenger’s archer, Hawkeye.  And there was someone else too… She saw gold-

Wonder Woman gasped as she was whipped away with the creature’s thrashing.  She felt his hand open, and then the pain of her shattered hand hit her in full.  She felt a wave of dizziness and nausea as she started to fall, trying her best to grab at the creature herself.  She could not concentrate to fly, and she doubted that she would stay conscious long enough to glide.

Her broken hand swept through empty air however as the world started to go gray about her.  And suddenly she stopped…

“Rest easy, Princess.  I have you.”

Princess Diana of Thymscira smiled as she looked up into the concerned visage of the Martian Manhunter.

She should have known…


Hawkeye felt a shudder as the Batman collapsed at his side.  There was blood coming from his nose, and the Avenging Archer knew at once what had happened.  Sonics…

He spun about even as the makeshift boomerang arrow came streaking back only to land in the waiting hands of Doctor Midas.  The man looked down at the shaft and Hawkeye could see the maniacal glint in his eye-slits as the Nega Rod still spattered and spewed energy.  He could feel the heat from where he stood, like sparks of burning pitch or oil lighting his skin.

“I’d forgotten you were deaf, archer.  My bad- Heh… Believe me however, had I not had to set my other gauntlet’s magnetics to attract rather than repulse we would be calling you Swan-eye right about now…” Midas looked up, but Hawkeye stared at him blankly, licking his lips as he eased a hand back to go for an arrow.  “Swan-eye as in Swan Dive… Dammit!”

Midas shook his head, and Hawkeye knew that he was probably gloating and revealing his grand scheme to take over the world.  They were all the same; Doom, Graviton, Kang.  They would talk a fight to death, which was fine.

Hawkeye dove to one side, one hand cradling his bow close while the other snatched an arrow from his quiver.  He rolled and came up in a crouch, notching and aiming, trying to ignore the throbbing, burning pain in his hands.  Midas was staring at him, holding out the Nega Rod in his direction, the nozzle on the tip pointing his way- and still babbling even as the archer drew back.

“You dance pretty, arrow head,” Midas chuckled, fingering the cylinder in his hand, locked in place by the magnetics of his suit.  “But I do a mean Electric Glide myself.  Now let’s see what this thing does, shall we?”

Hawkeye saw the man in the golden armor start to move, extending his arm and the rod.  He let the shaft loose, only then realizing which arrow he had blindly plucked from his quiver…


“Go!”

Cap braced, the Black Canary right at his side as the Plastic Man propelled them into space.  He had created a springboard with a quip about faith, and just like that the two were shooting up into the midst of the fight.

The Martian had flown out of Annihilus’ reach as soon as he had caught the falling Wonder Woman.  They were out of harm’s way, and the displaced ruler of the Negative Zone still seemed lost and confused, clutching at his throat as he thrashed and spun wildly about, hovering right before the Rift, though still a goodly distance away.

The flow of energy seemed almost out of control now; the negative clouds gushing out of the hole in space.  The lightning flashing forth was hot and black, making Cap’s skin crawl.  He did not think what might happen if he or the Canary were struck.  It did not matter.  There was a job to do.

Captain America shifted the shield on his arm, drawing back as they drew closer.  Annihilus turned, seeing them both.  He hoped that the Canary was good enough to follow his lead.  He struck-

Annihilus screamed in agony as Cap slashed through his wing, the shield easily slicing through the thick, leathery membrane.  He rocketed past, flipping out of the line of fire as he heard the Black Canary’s sonic cry.  Annihilus went sprawling back as though he had been hit by a battering ram, shrieking his pain and rage as he spiraled out of control on one wing.  Right at the Rift…

Cap saw the Canary falling backwards as the force of her assault stalled her own momentum.  She had done the job however, and he had to rely on the hope that one of the others would save her.

And himself he mused as he arched out over open air…


There was a collective gasp as the world seemed to explode…

Superman looked up, his eyes still dazzled, his head still ringing.  Still he saw Captain America falling and without a thought as to his own safety flew to help-

“Up!  Up and away!”

Light blossomed from the Rift, a swell of white that threatened to engulf them all…

J’onn J’onzz saw Annihilus, his form suddenly char black dissolving in the glare.  He thought at first that the creature had been destroyed, but as his sight shifted to spectrums beyond human conception he saw the monster’s body stretched to infinity, disappearing into the hole.  J’onzz turned, trying to protect the unconscious Diana as the wave of white engulfed him.

The white expanded, washing forward slowly, or maybe it was that Time had finally given up…

Dinah Laurel Lance smiled as she saw the wave of white light swelling towards her like a tidal wave.  “This is it, girl,” she whispered, falling.  There was nothing to grab, nowhere to leap.  It would be over in a heartbeat... two...

“I’m coming, Ollie…”

The little woman with the wings just suddenly seemed to appear before her.  She had seen the Atom grow often enough to understand however as the Wasp reached out and snagged her belt, grunting as her tiny, silken wings fluttered all the faster.

“Gnnh!” she grunted, but Dinah felt her fall cut short.  “Time for a diet, dear…” the woman grimaced as she started to descend.  Dinah had to laugh…

The white flooded the sky, growing in size and brilliance…

“Cease!  Thor commands thee!”

The Black Panther watched in awe as Thor shouted and bellowed to the very heavens.  The Thunder God slammed his mystic hammer down to the rooftop and just like that the winds died down, the lightning flickered and slowed.  There was a break in the roll of thunder.

He saw the expanding white then, his eyes growing wide.  It seemed vaguely familiar, but before he could remember, reason it out the white started to retract.  The swirling clouds of chaos and negativity seemed caught in a vortex, spiraling inwards towards the Rift somewhere within the white-

“Thor?”

“’Tis not mine doing, Avenger.  There be other forces at work beyond the Odinson’s ken.”

There was nothing to do but watch…

And the white started to recede.  And the skies screamed in agony…

Hank McCoy watched in awe as well.  In his time he had seen many things; been to other worlds, other dimensions, battled creatures and gods, he had touched the stars.

He had not been so afraid since he had fought the Dark Phoenix.  His friend…

“Hank?”

He felt Carol grab his leg and looked about.  He saw Wanda and Pietro staring up into the phenomenon in wonder, holding each other close.  Zatanna had passed out, thankfully, and Plastic Man had wrapped about her to protect his friend.  The man himself was remarkably silent, hovering underfoot with his goggles wide and staring from the platform that he was.  He saw Carol looking up at him- past him-

“What’s…”

Henry McCoy smiled, crouching down and grasping his friend’s hand.  She smiled back.

“I dunno,” he said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.  “Whatever, it’s out of our hands now-“

The platform suddenly erupted in a green glow, and as the Beast looked about he saw the boy- the Green Lantern rising up shakily higher from the platform and hanging onto the other kid- Firestorm.  He looked grim, and barely conscious.  His face was battered and bruised, swelling, but still he engulfed them all in a protective sphere-

“I don’t usually do bubbles,” he said as he flowed through the green, encompassing the Plastic Man, collapsing back with the others.  “But… I figured I’d make… an exception…”

And the white started to return, taking back what it had expelled…

Tony Stark eased to hover, watching as the storm clouds started to swirl back into the sudden flare of white.  His armor’s internal displays were flickering and flashing as he tried to get readings, tried to understand what was happening.  One by one they overloaded, flashing ‘ERROR’ in his peripheral vision.

He shut them down.

The massive white flare resembled a huge bubble in a way.  It also looked remarkably like the Negative Zone barriers that he had encountered in the past- and the Time Bubbles.  Strange…

He had no desire to fly into the thing, but he did not see as he had a choice.  He could not see any of the others from his vantage and he had to assume the worst.  That they had already been drawn inside.

Anthony Stark sighed and shifted in his flight path.  Kicking in the thrusters in his boot jets, he shot down into the white…

The clouds swirled, sucking back within, caught in the receding tide…

Hawkeye attached the magnetic clamp to his harness out of habit as soon as the grapple arrow struck Midas and exploded about him.  The grapple itself clanged to the ground as Doctor Midas stared down at the thin cable suddenly wrapped about his midsection.  Then he looked up.

“That the best you had?”

Hawkeye felt something wrap about his own waist then, and looking down he saw the metal, woven mesh of Oubliette’s whip swirling about his stomach and chest, tangling with his own line.  He glanced back and saw her standing there, licking her teeth with a grin-

“Hey, lover…”

Hawkeye dropped even as Midas unleashed the power of the Nega Rod.  He had been doing this long enough to recognize a distraction, but when he looked back to the villain he was surprised to see the negative energy spiraling skyward rather than frying him to a crisp.

“What the…” he said, but did not hear Midas or his daughter echo his confusion.

He felt a sharp tug on his grapple line and looked up just in time to see Midas fly by overhead.  He was flailing, the rod still adhered to his golden gauntlet and being dragged along as he shot towards the weird white soap bubble floating in the sky.

“Aw, crap…”

Too late Hawkeye realized what was happening, just enough time to grab the AP arrow still imbedded in the rooftop as he was suddenly ripped from the roof and dragged along in Midas’ wake.  He braced, watching as his line grew short, knowing what was coming next.

He almost heaved as the whip of the Exterminatrix grew taut about him.  He felt her weight getting dragged along as well.  She was heavier than she looked.

Midas screamed as he vanished into the White.  Hawkeye heard that, trying to watch and see what was happening.  In the split second that he had he saw the Rift still glowing within, waiting like a wide, gaping mouth to swallow them all.  Oddly, within that he saw more- like a city shimmering in the distance.  He saw what looked like Saturn…

Then everything went white…


Captain America stared into the dawn’s early light…

The storms had vanished; the lightning and thunder, rain and winds, all simply gone thanks to Thor.  Off in the East the sun was rising, the first golden rays of a glorious new day cresting the horizon.  He could feel the warmth, the hope rolling past on the warm morning breeze.  They had won.  The world had survived to see another day.

But at what cost…

“Captain?”

Captain America turned, only a little surprised to find the Black Canary standing at his side.  She looked… pretty, refreshed with the sunlight sparkling in her freshly washed, golden hair, trying to force a reassuring smile.  None of them had managed to sleep yet, except those that the SHIELD Medics had said should; Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, the boy that was Firestorm as well as Zatanna and Wanda and Pietro, the Flash.  The Chaos storms, the magic and negative energies had taken their toll.  They had showered though, and licked their wounds under the scrutiny of Forge’s task force.

Woo had appeared after the calamity, carrying Richards.  Both were fine, thank God.

“It was… a Negative Sphere… ” Richards had said, obviously in agony though Cap knew enough to let him talk.  Reed Richards was perhaps the smartest man on the planet, and if he had any insight-

“You remember… Maximus created them… sealing away the Great Refuge… years ago…”

Cap nodded, remembering the early days of the Kree-Skrull War.  Black Bolt had shattered that barrier- and one before that if he recalled correctly.

“The Negative Zone… the source of Annihilus’ power took… took it back.  Redirected somehow… somewhere…. “

“What do you mean, Reed?”

“They’re alive… “

SHIELD had taken him away at that, when he had passed out.  Woo reported what Forge had relayed- the other tears had sealed after showing a similar surge that SHIELD was labeling the ‘White Event’.  There had been damage of course.  The expanding spheres of Negative Energy had simply erased parts of buildings, shearing them off here in Manhattan and around the world.  At other Rifts, entire mountain tops were gone, villages and cities, thousands of people…

It would be weeks, months perhaps before they had a full accounting of those lost, but a simple head count here confirmed four.  The Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman, Iron Man…

Hawkeye…

He had seen it, Hawkeye, Midas and his daughter being sucked into the White.  Swallowed…

He heard the sounds of Bulldozers moving through the streets.  Damage Control had arrived-

“Just wanted to say that… well… I’m sorry.”

Cap looked down at the woman, the Black Canary smiling up at him.  She had her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him in his loss.

“Canary, I-“

“Dinah.  My name’s Dinah.” She smiled, looking away at the sound of machinery, her hair blowing across her face.  “Doesn’t really seem to matter here, now…”

“They’re alive, Dinah.”

“What?” He felt her grip tighten on his shoulder.  He did not know what she wanted to say- though he suspected, but now her eyes went wide with wonder-

“How- how do you…”

“Reed Richards told me, and there is no man on the face of this world that I trust more to tell me the truth.  They’re alive.”  He turned to her and smiled, his hand brushing hers, giving it the slightest squeeze.  “Go.  Tell the others to rest.  We leave as soon as we can.”

Dinah Laurel Lance nodded, smiling as she turned away and ran back to the others.  Her eyes were filled with hope again.

They would need to stop at the Mansion first.  There was a device there that would help, hopefully, if the Panther could make it work again.  Then they would be on their way.

“We’re coming Tony… Clint...  We’re coming…”

“Just hold on…”


To be Continued...



Next Issue: The Avengers and the Justice League cross the void and take the battle to the next level.  What will they find in the Justice League Universe, and what is the fate of their missing members?  Join us again in one short week to find out!

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Story © 2005 Curt Fernlund and Chris Munn and may not be reproduced without permission.