The Avengers (Marvel;Re)/Issue 2 (Captain America)

This is the second issue of Captain America's Avengers comic book series, part of the Marvel;Re initiative and the story arc, The Madness Beneath. The story is preceded by The Avengers (Captain America) #1 and succeeded by The Avengers (Captain America) #3.

Synopsis
The Avengers have expanded. Through the Avengers Wave protocol, Earth's mightiest heroes have expanded their ranks, inducting many other superhumans to aid them in fending off the growing threat of the universe. As the leader of the Avengers, Captain America is privileged to lead his own team of Avengers. Many were unable to fathom the Super-Soldier's choices, but the Star-Spangled Avenger knows best that nothing is impossible and his team could be an example to the world of superheroes. Together, they stand against the worst reality and unreality can throw at them as the Avengers.

Ghost Rider. Balder the Brave. Hiroim the Oldstrong. Warlock the Technarch. Victorious. These are Captain America's recruits for his new Avengers team. They may have been officially deemed Avengers, but their trail by fire is just about to begin... beneath the waves...

Previously in Avengers...

 * Captain America's Avengers have finally assembled. Despite an intervention from a certain fangirl in pink, it's safe to say that the world is going to feel more safer with the presence of even more of Earth's mightiest heroes.
 * The former Herald of Doom, Victorious, now resides in New York City in a flat just beside Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. Oh, and their daughter, too.
 * Balder has decided to spend more time on Earth. That doesn't mean he's no longer responsible of Asgard, however.

The Avengers Tower
The issue starts with the introduction of a television news broadcast identified as WHiH Newsfront and promptly snaps back to reality with the view of news anchor, Gloria Grant, reporting on the news in the studio for the day. The former Daily Bugle correspondent clears up her throat before sitting down on the news table, picking up and looking at her cue cards to see what's in store for the news. The panels and news screen switch perspective to the exterior of the Avengers Tower, where a man wearing a predominantly blue attire can be seen holding a microphone, accompanied by a man standing five inches taller than him, bearing a camera and wearing a mining suit of sorts.
 * Gloria Grant: "Good morning everyone! This is Gloria Grant, and this is WHiH Newsfront! Hope you're having an amazing day and an awesome mood, 'cause today, we're going to cover some hot topics, beginning with the stealth announcement of Captain America's new Avengers! Next of that, we also have news concerning recent investigations to Baintronics Incorporated's shady business practices, the heroism of Officer Dave Lizewski in detaining the 'Punisher', Carlos Cruz, and a special coverage of SHIELD's new medical base which is set to be opened as a state-of-the-art public hospital! Without further ado, let's get right into the hot spot!"
 * Gloria Grant: "Ahem. Alright, let's get into the first big news for the day. Last night, at 8 PM, the Avengers' official website has been updated to the surprise of all of us. Was it a hacker attack? Was it the start of a virus outbreak? Fortunately, no! Instead, a new heroic division, led by Captain America, has been added to the ever-expanding roster of the Avengers! As part of the Avengers Wave program, this prestigious superhero team has substantially expanded its numbers to include a greater portion of the superhuman community to better protect this planet. Not superhero or supervillain. Superhumans. Rumors had it that the Captain's chosen were quite... unorthodox, to say the least, and the announced membership sure did us quite a number! For once, nobody expected Ghost Rider to be an Avenger, let alone the controversial Herald of Doom who was an adversary of the Fantastic Four some time ago. Oh, hold on a sec... sorry, her name is Victorious, not the Herald of Doom. Okay, back on track. According to a paragraph in the website, the Star-Spangled Avenger stated that his team is meant to be a display of diversity and strength in adversity, and that's meant to be taken both literally and metaphorically. This new team is said to be capable of handling nearly every threat there is thanks to its versatile membership, tackling every challenge there is with their strong cooperation. If you haven't guessed it, the team's core is very much styled after Captain America, whose leadership is legendarily inspiring. Have I mentioned that one of them is Thor's brother? I'm not talking about Loki, I'm talking about Balder the Brave! If you Norse enthusiasts want to see someone from Asgard aside from Thor and Loki, there you have it. Right now, we have a reporter on-scene just outside of the Avengers Tower to present to you an exclusive interview with the Avengers! We're going over live to our correspondent. How's it going there, Dick?"

Adapting to the modern world is no easy task. Captain America managed to get a hold of things rather handily thanks to the Avengers, who defrosted him, and spent a lot more time in the late twentieth century to the twenty first century. Sixteen months ago, a collection of lost heroes from the same era as the Shield-Slinger was unearthed beneath a construction site in Berlin. They woke up to a world unlike anything they've ever known, and they had to readjust their lives accordingly to the false utopia they woke up to. Not all of them survived the experience... but thankfully, those who survived the modern era attained jobs of their own and their lives.

Two of them, the Phantom Reporter and Rockman, were fortunate to make a living for themselves after months of tragedy and government assistance. For the former, Richard "Dick" Jones, not Rick, was lucky to have a position as both a writer at Daily Bugle and news reporter at WHiH Newsfront. His soul is of a journalist, anyway. The latter, Daniel Rose, also got a job in WHiH Newsfront, though that was because of Dick's suggestion and how he's practically the only sane person left he'd like to have as a partner. This 'cameraman' work's a side job for Rose, however. He found his true calling in Damage Control, where his strength is extremely useful in clearing out all the mess superhuman fights make. As a Stark subsidiary, Rose technically works for Iron Man, but he doesn't mind that. As long as he can do good and make a living, he's fine.

When Gloria referred to his name, Dick is still daydreaming, looking around New York in the morning hour. He can clearly hear Gloria repeating his name over and over again, but he's still distracted by both the awe of the Avengers Tower and whatever he's dreaming as of now. Mr. Rose goes on to wake him up. Dick is still looking around, turning his eyes away from the camera and his friend. The two Golden Age superheroes proceed to enter the front gate of the Avengers Tower with a special keycard. Once inside, they find themselves within the Tower's lobby where power is just beginning to be distributed across the system. The information desk is devoid of the Stark AIs that act as artificial receptionists. Truly, the Tower is empty and dead. No one has seen the top floor, though. Rockman, bearing the camera, follows the Phantom Reporter's steps to a rather famous part of the lobby often visited by tourists: the Hall of Heroes. Within the Hall, a visual history of the Avengers is displayed on the walls, as well as every single Avenger that has ever been. Holographic images of the Avengers' current and former members are seen, also showing information on their current status and brief descriptions. Avengers part of the Wave protocol is also given a special mark to identify their participation and the team they belong to. Coincidentally, holographic images of Captain America's new Avengers can be seen, newly added to the Hall. Dick once again beckons Rockman to follow him, walking down the Hall of Heroes to see the holograms of Captain America's new recruits. Upon reaching the place, the Phantom Reporter proceeds to speak to the viewers once again... ... only to stop his words when he notices another person at the end of the hallway seeing the five new Avengers' constructs. The man at the end obviously knows of their presence but keeps on ignoring the duo, walking around and observing the nearby holograms of the Avengers. With his hands in his pockets and a laid-back attitude, something is just off with him. Considering no one is supposed to be there other than the two, Dick surmises that this man is an intruder. However, he cannot just accuse and attack him. The investigator he is, the Reporter opts for a more civilized approach.
 * Daniel Rose / Rockman: "Uh, PR, it's your turn now."
 * Rockman: "Dick? Newsfront's gonna fire you if you don't get to the news."
 * Dick Jones / Phantom Reporter: "Hm, what? Oh! Oh, what was I thinking? Oh, I'm sorry, I was quite enamored by... well..."
 * Rockman: "Okay, you're daydreaming. That's it."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Yes, indeed. I apologize for losing my focus. (Clears throat) Good morning, viewers, this is Dick Jones, the Phantom Reporter, reporting live at the Avengers Tower. As you can see, it's not as crowded as usual, and that's because the Avengers Tower opens at 10 AM to the public. Luckily, thanks to an arrangement negotiated yesterday, I am given the permission to enter the Tower earlier to bring you an exclusive interview with the Avengers, starting with a good ol' friend of mine and their official leader, Captain America! While we await his arrival, I'll take you on a little sightseeing around the Tower. Now, let's get going, shall we?"
 * Phantom Reporter: "The Avengers Tower is a magnificent building, to say the least. It has state-of-the-art security, whatever that means, and it's the primary headquarters of Earth's Greatest -- I mean Mightiest -- Heroes, alongside the Avengers Mansion, which used to fulfill the same purpose back when the team was in its infancy. Of course, times change and the Avengers Tower is now practically New York's prime precinct for superpowered crime fighters. Now, with this access card that Jarvis fella gave me, we can explore most of this place and I know just the place to interest you viewers in!"
 * Phantom Reporter: "Now this... is the Hall of Heroes. Been wanting to go here, myself, honestly, but I'm sure all you viewers out there have always wanted to visit this gallery. The Hall of Heroes is a pseudo-museum that tells the story of the Avengers from its beginnings up to this day. From what is known, the writings and pictures on these walls aren't real paintings or writings. They're more akin to digital screens (thank God I've learnt about those) that can be easily modified to accomodate new changes and sagas. I don't understand how that works, but hey, as long as it works! As you can see, these are holographic images of every Avenger there has been in history and if you're wondering, yes, Captain America's new bandmates have been given their own displays at the end of this hallway!"
 * Phantom Reporter: "Now, you see that in a distance? Five new displays, all with holograms of our newest Avengers! And..."
 * Rockman: "Jones? I thought we're supposed to be the only ones here."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Another guest with exclusive access, perhaps?"
 * Gloria Grant: "(In the studio) Is everything alright, Dick?"
 * Phantom Reporter: "(Whispering) Something's not right. Rose, keep recording."

They slowly walk towards the man, doing so in a casual manner, with ease and relaxation. Upon reaching a few meters of him, the Phantom Reporter, with his regular reporter smile, delivers a string of friendly yet inquisitive words to him. That question would be delivered with pressure if it wasn't delivered by Jones. Instead, he asks him in the same manner he asks tourists of their purpose of coming to the locale. The man pulls out a hand from his pocket and hands him the special pass. Upon having it in his hands, Dick thoroughly examines the ticket. Legit, it's the exact type of ticket as his. Emphasis on exact; its serial number is the same as Dick's own ticket. The early entry pass can be bought either online or directly in the Avengers Mansion. PR went for the latter and acquired the pass from Edwin Jarvis himself for free due to his affiliation. Jarvis is also the administrator of the Avengers website, and despite his age, there's no way he can make the mistake of granting someone the same ticket as him.
 * Phantom Reporter: "Good morning, sir! Dick Jones, WHiH Newsfront, how are you doing?"
 * Man: "I'm doing great! Thanks for asking. What abou you, Dick?"
 * Phantom Reporter: "Oh, I've never been better, sir! Now, if I may ask, what are you doing here?"
 * Man: "I'm just looking around, you know? Heard last night that the Avengers got bigger and I wondered to myself if they'd add the new folks' statues in the Hall. Turns out, I was right."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Good to know. Now, tell me, did you get a special admission pass to the Tower beforehand?"
 * Man: "Yep. I got myself a Jarvis pass. Bought it yesterday online from the Avengers website."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Awesome! Can I take a look?"

After taking a good look at the ticket, PR smiles at the man and returns it to him. Then he takes another good look at him and begins to work on his instinct to see if this man is truly another tourist. Back in the studio, the entire news crew goes silent as they hear his statement. In the background, Gloria can be heard speaking to another person behind the camera. Unbeknownst to the man, his very statement is being broadcasted in many different televisions across America. His opinion resonates with the grumblings of many disgruntled and mistrustful Americans for a good reason. Others? They're certainly either confused or amazed... or both.
 * Phantom Reporter: "Alright, nice to see that. Now, sir, if I may know, what do you think of Cap's new Avengers? Are you surprised at the line-up?"
 * Man: "All of us are surprised, you know. I mean, who could've predicted that Cap recruited murderers?"
 * Gloria Grant: "Gary, get me an ID on this guy."
 * Phantom Reporter: "I... beg your pardon?"
 * Man: "You recognize Ghost Riders, right? They burn criminals without mercy left and right without considering them and hurt innocents caught in the middle without a care. Then we have this... Victorious gal. She used to be Doom's slave! I'm not too convinced on the idea that she's free from her so-called 'mental conditioning' or the fact that she's still eighteen or so. I think she lacks the responsibility, and that she could end up killing undeserving people with all her angst. Plus, who's not to say that she's killed people on Doom's behalf?"
 * Phantom Reporter: "I see. And what about the others? Hiroim and that Warlock fella seem to be good. Balder? He's a warrior from another dimension, anyway, so it's obvious that he's killed people before."
 * Man: "All three of them already have obligations that fulfill the same purpose of being Avengers. Yeah, three or so X-Men are already in this overrated band, but must the Avengers steal from other superhero gatherings to make up their stuff? Sounds pretty egoistic, I should say. Plus, will any of us know if they leave the team immediately because they're recalled somewhere else to handle a global threat while they already have their hands full? I can't put my trust in a team of vigilantes with availability as scarce as food in the Third World."

(In the Baxter Building...)

Two of the Fantastic Four are watching television while sitting on a couch. Quite an obvious guess of who they are.
 * Benjamin Grimm: "Who da palooka is this guy? Gotta give 'im cred, though. He's got guts."
 * Johnny Storm: "I dunno, Ben, but you're right. This guy's blazin' bold!"

(In the Bar Sinister...)


 * Mister Sinister: "(Is seen making an omelette) This display of bravado would be inspiring if he wasn't this stupid to be so bold..."

(In a suburban house far away from New York...)


 * Abigail Boylen / Cloud 9: "(Watching TV while being huddled up on a couch) He's got a point. I'm a 'superhero' though, so..."

(In a classified safehouse, hidden in the wilderness...)


 * Nathan Summers / Cable: "(Is seen maintaining his futuristic arms and armor while watching the TV) Can't that oldie just shoot him in the face?"

(In Wakanda...) The most advanced nation in Africa objects to the man's Third World statement.
 * Shuri: "See, this is why I suggested the aid programs, brother!"


 * T'Challa / Black Panther: "(Sigh) Shuri..."

(In the Peak, high above Earth's orbit...)
 * Abigail Brand: "Asshole."

Back in the Hall of Heroes...


 * Phantom Reporter: "Mhhm, I see. You're not too keen on this whole superhero thing, aren't you?"


 * Man: "They make other people's lives miserable, buddy. You know, this world would've been free of supervillains and other freaks if superheroes hadn't been present."

The man pulls no punches in his words despite the presence of two superheroes in front of him and an audience that doesn't just encompass regular Americans.

(In an advanced hideout somewhere in Egypt...)


 * En Sabah Nur / Apocalypse: "(Is watching a giant screen while armoring up) Clearly you know nothing of the world, lowborn!"


 * Phantom Reporter: "Right, superheroes. Well, thank you for providing some of your time, sir. I hope you have an enjoyable day. Oh, by the way, may I ask you another question?"


 * Man: "Sure. Just make it quick, I got places to be."


 * Phantom Reporter: "What's your superpower?"

The flustered man immediately goes through a brief shock as he is stunned by the Phantom Reporter's statement. Despite this, he remains collected and displays no signs of fear.

The man's superhuman hearing silences Gloria and attracts the Phantom Reporter. Turning his body partially towards him, Jones stares at him in conviction and gets himself ready for a scuffle. Rockman immediately puts down his camera, placing the still-active device next to the display base of Starfox and cracking his knuckles after doing so. As the news studio scrambles to respond to the situation by calling the police, Rockman and the Phantom Reporter prepare to fight the mystery man, taking their combat stances. The man simply smirks upon seeing this.
 * Man: "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
 * Phantom Reporter: "I can't help but notice the nice handiwork you've been trying to hide from everyone. I see that you're a good welder, but you came here without any tools, so I assume your powers are related to heat. I mean, seriously, did you cut through that wall I see with your superheated hands? Too bad you can't hide the weld marks. Speaking of which, nice work with bringing the counterfeit card. Too bad you didn't even enter by the front door to deny my access. See this (takes out his own pass) thing over here? It has the same serial numbers as yours. You can't enter using cards of the same number, otherwise you'd be suspected as an impersonator."
 * Man: "(Sniggers) You're a smart man. I'll give you that."
 * Phantom Reporter: "They call me the Phantom Reporter for a reason. Gloria, you seeing this?"
 * Gloria Grant: "(In studio) Dick, you have to get out! You're in great danger! He's... he's..."
 * Man: "Do you mind telling her to shut up, 'Dick'?"
 * Phantom Reporter: "I don't know what you're planning here, but you're not getting away from this."
 * Man: "You know, I've always wanted to be on TV. Show the world what a 'forgotten' man can do. You are a forgotten man, too, yes?"
 * Phantom Reporter: "Either way, I'm not a hooligan or some terrorist armed with thinly-veiled threats and awful facades. The cops are on their way, now."
 * Man: "It's 8:45 AM and the capes haven't awakened from their slumber parties yet."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Daniel and I? We beg to differ."
 * Gloria Grant: "Daniel? Dick? What's going on?"
 * Rockman: "Call the cops, Glory. Just call whoever's on. We're gonna need detainment."
 * Gloria Grant: "Hold on! Help is on the way! Rhodes, call NYPD! I'll go get Spider-Man."
 * Man: "Two men out of time, and none of you are Captain America. At least I get to kill someone other than Stark."
 * Rockman: "You got a bone to pick with him?"
 * Man: "I don't appreciate getting disintegrated."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Well good for you, 'cause you're getting something far worse than disintegration."
 * Man: "(Laughs) You don't know what you're dealing with. Poor you."
 * Phantom Reporter: "You mind telling us first why you're here?"
 * Man: "No."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Smart. Care to tell us your name?"
 * Man: "Mallen."

In an instance, the Extremis-powered terrorist bolts forward and delivers a mighty haymaker that sends both PR and Rockman, who's standing behind him, flying through the hall. The Reporter's impact is absorbed by Rockman's body, but that doesn't help him in recovering from that punch Mallen gave.


 * Phantom Reporter: "God, that hurts! What is he made of?!"


 * Rockman: "Jones, you good?"


 * Phantom Reporter: "Give me a sec, I'll..."

Mallen continues his assault by breathing fire at them in hopes of incinerating them. Rockman puts his arms up to block the fires while the Phantom Reporter simply gets up and reacts quickly by burning him back with a stream of mystic fire. This sends Mallen stumbling back and falling on one of his knees as he is surprised at what he has just received. From his palms and fingertips, Mallen unleashes powerful electrical discharges that PR barely evades. Unfortunately, they hit the newly-recovered Rockman, who has to endure the shock while screaming. Noticing this, Jones utilizes his superhuman leg strength to leap on to Mallen, unleashing a mighty knee strike that stuns the Extremis host. For Mallen, this is just a momentary disadvantage as he quickly dodges the Reporter's next attack, side-stepping his next punch to get behind him and suplex him.
 * Mallen: "(Already standing near the two) You don't have a second."
 * Mallen: "What the–did you just burn me?!"
 * Phantom Reporter: "Courtesy of my old pal, Jack Castle!"
 * Mallen: "Guessing that's magic, but that won't matter. I got a few tricks myself!"

Before Mallen can execute him, Rockman lunges forward with a battle cry and puts him down. On top of him, Rockman unleashes mighty earth-pounding smashes that visibly hurt him until he catches both of his hands. Mallen breathes fire point-blank at Rockman before kicking him up so high he hits the ceiling. When he falls down, Mallen punches his face so hard he gets sent into the lobby of the Tower. The Phantom Reporter, having stood up again, shoots his back several times with a pair of M1911 pistols. Problem is, he simply regenerates the wounds as if they're nothing. He attempts to blitz him once again, but the anticipating Golden Age hero blasts a large fireball at him to halt his advance, opening him up for a boxing combo. The moment he tries to uppercut him, however, Mallen catches his hand and cuts his forearm with his pincer-like claws. Jones yells out in pain but gets silenced as Mallen chokes him, lifting the helpless hero up. Dick is freed from the restraint when the Rockman signals his recovery by throwing three empty trash cans at him to distract Mallen. He charges at him with the intent to beat the pulp out of him, but Mallen being the lightning-fast terrorist he is responds with a tackle of his own that screws up his balance. Off-balance, Rockman was about to fall, but Mallen embeds his superheated hand into his chest before throwing him over his head to send him mewling on the ground. Mallen blasts a stream of electricity meant to cripple Jones' legs, but the relentless vigilante erects a flaming shield around him to absorb the damage. His opponent simply stops the attack a few seconds after the shield is made and opts to melee him again. Noticing this, Jones maintains the shield, but found it unable to prevent him from getting tackled through the hall and into the wall where he first entered through. Leaning on the welded wall, Jones tries his best to get up but gets kicked back to the wall by Mallen, who's already there before he can even fully stand. Mallen answers his own question by dismembering both of Jones' legs, nearly killing him but leaving him in pain. Mallen proceeds to kick aside the crippled Golden Age hero to exit the place the same way he did. When he tries to superheat his hands and open the wall, however, he finds himself unable to even heat it up. Mallen turns around to see Rockman standing tall without a single trace of his previous wounds. His clothes look as if it's just been washed and his chest is without a hole, and his chest piece has no mark of Mallen's hot punch. Much to his surprise, Victorious, the new cosmic-powered Avenger, flies up from behind Rockman's back, hovering and fully garbed in his battlewear with his spear at hand. Seeing this, Mallen gives a snarl before tilting around his head to see other ways to escape. Apparently, Victorious has healed the Phantom Reporter, giving back his legs and arms, as well as an enhancement to his pyrokinesis. With this enhancement, he dishes out two mystic fire-infused punches at the Extremis host before throwing him down to the ground near Rockman and Victorious.
 * Mallen: "(Spits aside) That... hurt."
 * Rockman: "Plenty more where that came from!"
 * Mallen: "Unfortunately, I heal fast."
 * Mallen: "Told you."
 * Mallen: "Pitiful."
 * Phantom Reporter: Urgh... you're going down!"
 * Mallen: "Actually, you're going down."
 * Mallen: "See, this is why you old timers should stay out of the superhero business. Times have changed. You're obsolete. Not even your brains are fast enough to see me jogging. At least Daniel over there can still put up a fight... but nevertheless, both of you are going to die here, 'tween the rubble of this forsaken tower."
 * Phantom Reporter: "You're... bombing this place?"
 * Mallen: "You figured it out even without half an arm. Good. Thing is, you're too wounded to escape this place within thirty seconds, so you're as good as dead. Am I going to leave you here alive for the last seconds of your life?"
 * Mallen: "Yes, but not with your legs. Now, if you don't mind, I got places to be. See ya."
 * Mallen: "The *@(! is this?"
 * Rockman: "That would be karma."
 * Mallen: "Heh. You heal, too?"
 * Rockman: "We all heal, Mallen. I just got an extra R&R courtesy of Ms. Victorious over here.
 * Mallen: "You... you won't leave this place alive! None of you will!"
 * Victorious: "Your bombs are small and many, but the Power Cosmic is greater and everywhere. It's not hard to disarm them if you just will it to."
 * Mallen: "You think I don't have a back-up plan, huh?"
 * Victorious: "Oh, those spare bombs in your pocket? They won't be beeping any time sooner. You may want to be careful of who's next to you, by the way."

Vukovic lands on the ground, standing just in front of Mallen. In rage, Mallen tries to claw off her face to no avail, even breaking apart his claws and prompting him to yell in pain. In response, the unhurt Victorious simply puts her hand on his neck and channels the Power Cosmic to both knock him out and neutralize the Extremis virus within him without hassle. In an instance, Mallen falls down on the ground, blacked out in unconsciousness. Rockman goes over to the Starfox display to recover his camera, thankfully surviving the entire experience. While doing so, NYPD's finest timely arrives and swarms the scene, apprehending the motionless Mallen. Rockman examines his camera and sees that it's well. For a moment, the screens of a million televisions are filled with Daniel's face until he turns it around to resume his job. Victorious promptly propels PR's microphone towards her, which was dropped during the fight near the display of Falcon. In the studio, Gloria Grant hastily makes her way back to the recording area, resuming her duty as a news anchor after Spider-Man apparently failed to respond her call. (Camera is active once again.) True to her cosmic sense, the name of 'Captain America' is spoken in excitement and enthusiasm by the police officers near the front gate and around the scene. In his civilian clothes, Rogers makes his way to the Hall of Heroes, where Mallen caused quite the ruckus. On the way, he takes a look at the unconscious Mallen himself and shakes his head in disapproval. Once in the Hall, however, his expression turns into one of glee upon encountering two of his fellow 'old timers' and a new recruit of his. Rogers proceeds to hug his old friend and give a handshake to Rockman, who's bearing the camera. Victorious gets a nod of approval from him and blushes, of all the reactions that can be expressed. Victorious turns her face to Captain America to ask him so by raising an eyebrow. Rogers takes a moment to digest his question, thinking as if the universe stops for a while. Even Victorious can sense the confusion and doubt in his mind. In her mind, Victorious realizes the true genius of Captain America as she recounts how every single one of her teammates are capable of fast transportation. Ghost Rider can practically teleport using whatever magic she has and if it's not viable, she has a bike. Balder can literally jump from one galaxy to another with the presence of light. Hiroim can teleport using his Old Power and Warlock can become anything, so he can just transform into a supersonic spaceship for transport purposes. Her? She may have taken the cab to the Tower, but she can do what the Silver Surfer can do; she just needs further training.
 * Victorious: "That should do it."
 * Rockman: "We nearly died trying to hit him and he couldn't even scratch you!"
 * Victorious: "I guess I have the Power Cosmic to thank for."
 * Rockman: "Well, whatever it is, you have our thanks, Mrs. Victorious."
 * Victorious: "You... are welcome, Mr. Rockman."
 * Phantom Reporter: "(Walks towards the two while examining his arm and legs) I don't know how you did that, but I guess I know why the Captain chose you, Vic. You have my gratitude."
 * Victorious: "Thank you, Mr. Reporter."
 * Phantom Reporter: "(Laughs) You're welcome. Daniel, is the camera still alive?"
 * Rockman: "I'm pretty sure it recorded my near-death experience. Hold on... fixin' it in a second."
 * Rockman: "We're goin' live, PR."
 * Phantom Reporter: "I ain't got a mike, I'm afraid."
 * Victorious: "(Gives the mike to PR) Here you go. It is undamaged, trust me."
 * Phantom Reporter: "I trust you in that, kiddo (giggles). Daniel, roll it!"
 * Rockman: "It's already rolling."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Oh, uh... good morning, folks! I'm Dick Jones, the Phantom Reporter, back at you again with the Avengers Tower report! Uh... Glory, are you there?"
 * Gloria Grant: "Yeah, yeah, I'm here! Good God, are you okay? We just saw Daniel nearly die!"
 * Phantom Reporter: "Don't worry, Glory. He's back in one piece thanks to a certain Avenger standing right beside me. We gonna resume this?"
 * Gloria Grant: "Yup. Hold on a minute, there. (Turns to studio camera) Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the previous interference, because apparently, that interview with Captain America turned out to be a supervillain disaster. Guess we have a new headline for the day, so I hope you viewers out there are still up for the latest news! The Avengers Tower was apparently intruded upon by one of Iron Man's old rogues named Mallen, who possesses powers granted by the Extremis virus, which was thought to have been destroyed... until now. Luckily, both our reporter and cameraman are former superheroes, and a certain angelic Avenger arrived just in time to apprehend the crook. Let's go live once again at the Avengers Tower with our correspondent, Dick Jones."
 * Gloria Grant: "How's it hangin', Dick?"
 * Phantom Reporter: "We're fine, Gloria, we're fine! In all honestly, we nearly died trying to fight against that Mallen fella, but we were fortunate to have Mrs. Victorious over here saving us and the Tower at the last moment. Mallen was about to bomb the place to oblivion with particularly powerful small bombs, but they've been deactivated by our new Latverian Avenger, effectively saving the day. The cops have just arrested Mallen, and I'm quite sure Mr. Stark will want to have some words with him once he is imprisoned. In the meantime, that Captain America interview I promised may have to wait. Instead, we'll settle for our lifesaver this very day, Victorious. Would you like to say hello to the viewers at home, Ms. Victorious?"
 * Victorious: "Uh.. hi!"
 * Phantom Reporter: "Awesome! Now, can you please tell me what you were doing before coming to the Avengers Tower? From the looks of it, you seem to be the only Avenger to be here! Where are the others?"
 * Victorious: "Well, you know... yesterday, there was an initiation ceremony of sorts for the Captain's new Avengers, which... includes me. He had us all exclaim 'Avengers Assemble', but none of us could shout out such a battle cry because my new teammate, Warlock, bellowed so hard we were paralyzed for a second... hehe. Then, we were supposed to go to the Avengers Tower to see our supposed headquarters at the top floor, but Iron Man said that we should do that tomorrow... which is today. We agreed to confer in this precise second, so it seems that I'm the first Avenger to come here and attend to this... massacre (slight laugh). For the others, I'm sure they will be here any moment now..."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Whaddaya know, Vic? The first of the others turns out to be Mr. Star-Spangled Liberty Man himself!"
 * Steve Rogers: "If it isn't the infamous Phantom Reporter and the King of Abyssmia!"
 * Phantom Reporter: "Well, folks, it seems that we're getting that Captain America interview after all! Heck, maybe we'll get the entire Avengers to be interviewed!"
 * Steve Rogers: "They'll be here, Dick. I'm not sure if they are going for the lobby, though."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Alright then. You people aren't in a hurry, right?"
 * Steve Rogers: "Avengers Wave hasn't popped off, yet, so we should be able to give you five-and-a-half-minute. We need to be prepared at any given moment, Dick."
 * Phantom Reporter: "I understand, Captain. Now, how do you feel about founding a new Avengers team? You should know that none of us were expecting yesterday's announcement, so it's quite a surprise for us all to know that you didn't do a press conference of sorts to announce the line-up."
 * Steve Rogers: "A press conference would be a disaster, Dick. There's no telling what manner of interference could happen there. Judging from Mallen's appearance here, who knows what manner of damage he could bring to such a public event? Besides, it was an opportunity for me to try some of those editing things."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Oh! So those are your words stamped in the website, yes?"
 * Steve Rogers: "My very own, Jones. Stark had to help me with the more technical stuffs, but it worked in the end."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Hm, I see, I see. Alright, Cap, how long do you think that your Avengers will last?"
 * Steve Rogers: "I'm sorry, could you repeat that question?"
 * Phantom Reporter: "How long do you think that your Avengers will last? Or, perhaps, the entire Avengers team as a whole?"
 * Steve Rogers: "I'm looking forward to working with the team for another decade or so. There may be casualties considering our line of work and the many enemies we have from both outer space and the inner boroughs, but I believe that the team will survive. I think that the very concept of being an 'Avenger' will remain until the next decade or even century. There may be a time when superheroes won't be required anymore. But when that time comes, we, the Avengers, will remain fighting for good in more mundane ways. That's all I say, and for once, I made my choice in recruiting these Avengers, so I'm not backing off from them."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Amazing! Considering some — if not all — of your Avengers and the main team are immortal, we might as well believe in what you just said."
 * Steve Rogers: "Most of us are still humans, I must remind. It's just that when some of us pass away, others will carry our torches 'til the end of the line."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Quite the positive outlook there, old buddy. I like it! Speaking of which, Captain, not all of your recruits are into the Avengers considering that most of them are already parts of other superhero agencies. What would you do if one day your team is called upon to deal with a global threat, only for some of them to be called back to their home teams to deal with other equally-endangering situations?"
 * Steve Rogers: "We will see how severe the cases are. Otherwise, we're sticking together. I'm not restricting them from returning to their home teams, but I'd rather have all hands on deck to handle the biggest threats that I'm sure we'll be tackling. On another note, I am working on a reserve program, but that'll take some time."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Good to know! At least we know that you're not without contingencies. Am I in your reserve list?"
 * Steve Rogers: "(Chuckles) We'll see."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Anyways, the Avengers may be busy in defending our world from exploding or imploding, but what would you guys do if you get a couple of day-offs?"
 * Steve Rogers: "That depends on the time. I'll let them do anything that's rational or just alright, but I expect them all to be present once their presences are required. Besides, there's a reason why most of my Avengers can teleport."


 * Phantom Reporter: "Wow, your team is versatile. If I recall, your team is meant to handle many, many different perils, right?"


 * Steve Rogers: "Magical threats, domestic crisis, interdimensional intrusions, you name it."


 * Phantom Reporter: "Public relation problems?"

The two share a laugh over the subtle joke and Victorious simply smiles in response, briefly looking at the camera before turning away in embarassment. (In the studio...)
 * Steve Rogers: "That'd be domestic crisis."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Oh, that was good. Anyways, folks, I guess we all can feel far more secure knowing that Cap's Avengers has us covered. Before going back to the studio, however, I'm going to move over here and ask Ms. Victorious a few questions myself. Do you mind, Lady?"
 * Victorious: "Yes. Wait—no, I mean no! Just... ask me what is appropriate, sir. Sorry"
 * Phantom Reporter: "Ah, that's okay, just relax, alright?"
 * Victorious: "Yes."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Mrs. Victorious, how do you feel being an Avenger? It must be hard for a person with a... let's just say 'tattered' past like yours to be a major superhero."
 * Victorious: "I'm... anxious, but I admit that I've felt better ever since Mr. Rogers came to me. People don't like me because I used to work for Doom. I say this: I fight for Latveria as an Avenger. I care not for what anyone thinks of me, I'm still an Avenger who wants to make the world a better place for everyone, Latverian or not."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Now that's the spirit! Victorious, does Doctor Doom approve your status as an Avenger?"
 * Victorious: "Yes."
 * Phantom Reporter: "That is comfortably assuring. By the way, do you count as a US citizen or Latverian?"
 * Victorious: "Uh... uh..."
 * Captain America: "She has dual-citizenship to allow her to reside both in the United States and Latveria."
 * Victorious: "O—okay, I don't recall..."
 * Captain America: "I've spoken with the immigration, Vic. You're already considered a US citizen, but you and I will have to manage your ID card together one day."
 * Victorious: "You did this yesterday? After..."
 * Captain America: "After that little festivity we did? Yes."
 * Phantom Reporter: "O, that's so generous of you. At least now we know that bureaucracy isn't going to be the death of any Avenger!"
 * Captain America: "(Chuckles) Hopefully."
 * Victorious: "Uh, Captain, I think I can sense Alejandra, Warlock, Balder, and Hiroim upstairs."
 * Captain America: "Well, guess it is time to assemble."
 * Phantom Reporter: "That was quite an informative interview, I should say! Even though I honestly have a lot more questions to ask for the viewers! Nevertheless, thank you for providing us with some of your time, folks. See you around, Cap!"
 * Captain America: "See ya around, too, Dick. Hope you got the coverage you needed."
 * Phantom Reporter: "Don't worry. I think we just got way too much coverage earlier this morning. Thanks! Alright, Gloria, handing this one back to you.  I'm Dick Jones, WHiH Newsfront."
 * Gloria Grant: "Alright then, marvelous job! Thank you, Jones, and yup, it's certain, folks. The world is going to feel so much safer with the presence of Captain America's Avengers, and by now, we can all surmise that they'll be bringing justice to every corner around the world! It's just up to the governments on this planet to allow their operations to run on their soils, and let's wish they all are approving of the Avengers. Even Doctor Doom permits his nation's champion to join the ranks of Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Regardless, there's no telling what change the Avengers could bring upon this world with another team of powerful beings, but here's hoping that they can change the world thoroughly. Alright then, moving on to the next segment..."

Top Floor of the Avengers Tower
In the team's base of operation inside a conference on the top floor of the Avengers Tower, four of Captain America's recruits are seen sitting around, awaiting for the arrival of both their leader and 'junior' teammate. Of course, no one's a junior in the team, though Victorious is clearly the youngest of them all. Alejandra Jones, despite her rather mature outlook, is actually just three years older than Vukovic herself. If Cap hadn't recruited them, they would've been suitable candidates for the Young Avengers. A few moments later, the door to the brightly-lit conference room opens, revealing the remaining Avengers' presence. Rogers is already seen in his superhero attire, complete with his shield. He's also bringing a shoebox of some sort that brims with Wakandan inscriptions, which Balder quickly understands with his Allspeak. Although it is called Allspeak, this ability that's possessed by every deity in existence also extends to writings. Upon hearing his statement, Balder lets out an expression that says he's done and how he is utterly bewildered by his realization. The room went silent for a while, realizing the awkwardness and ridiculousness of the situation. The entire room, save for Balder, bursts to laughter in hearing Balder's comical frustration and critical research failure clearly done by a certain person that's supposedly the head of all of this. The Sentinel of Liberty unboxes the container to unveil a pair of footwear that looks more like socks instead of boots, sandals, or shoes. He brings them out and gives them to Balder for examination. Balder gives a cynical look at his 'leader' as he puts on the 'Wakandan socks'. Upon wearing them, the 'socks' immediately go invisible, briefly glowing with Wakandan runes of protection which Balder handily recognizes. Balder stands up and does so, discovering that his footsteps make no noise whatsoever and that he can apparently walk on walls (vertical surfaces) similar to how the Midgardian hero, 'Spider-Man', crawls on walls. Balder ends up hanging upside down, standing on the ceiling. The God of Light does exactly that and obeys the Captain's command. At least he knows that he can be relied on for orders. Captain America's commanding voice prompts everyone to return to their seats. After seeing that everyone's prepared to listen to him, Captain America begins his session. Balder teleports out of the room through the lamp lighting up the room, catching everyone by surprise as they didn't expect the act. Three second later, Balder returns with his Identicard in hand. (Cut to an advanced base in a hidden location, where the Mad Thinker can be seen working on his console to break in the Avengers Network.) (Back to the Tower) The happy Technarch exudes a number of gleeful noises. Balder's answer and the Avengers' call to action come at the same time as an emergency alarm blares throughout the conference room. Cap hasn't told them, but if this kind of thing happens, that means something big is brewing, and it's a priority situation the Avengers has to answer. The big LED screen soon displays the face of Namor the Sub-Mariner, one of the planet's strongest heroes... and villains. The city of Atlantis, seemingly in ruins, can be seen in the background, though the view is obscured by the facility Namor is in, which seems to be a laboratory of some kind. Curiously, Namor's usual smug outlook is nowhere to be seen. A look of concern and severity can be seen in his face, and the first thing the Avengers see of his face is it facing to the side barking orders. Namor looks back to scan if the coast is clear. The sounds of war and battle he heard have disappeared... and it seems that the threat to Atlantis has been handled. Seeing that all is well, Namor proceeds to give the rundown of his situation to the Avengers. In the background, the rest of the Avengers have a chatter by themselves about the situation and other things. A moment of slight dread and silence ensue as everyone and Namor contemplate of the implication. Set has somehow gained the power to breach through the barrier that separates the domain between gods... and he doesn't even need worshippers... Alejandra turns herself into Ghost Rider for some seconds to show Namor who she is. Before the two can say their farewells, the room suddenly blares another alarm. This time, however, it emits a familiar sound that signifies a breach. Before AVENGER can complete its warning, the entryway to the conference room is bashed off its hinges by a giant figure, facing against the heroes accompanied by two other shorter individuals. The Avengers immediately prepare for battle and set themselves up for an attack. From their silhouettes, however, the identity of one of these intruders are easily deciphered. The three Kree's identity is unveiled to be none other than Ronan the Accuser himself, followed by Korath the Pursuer and Ultimus, the Kree Eternal. The trio enter the room warily of the Avengers, all of whom are more formidable than they are (except Ultimus, perhaps). Pressing a bunch of buttons on his gauntlet console, Korath projects a holographic image of a female Kree bearing an armor similar to those of Ronan's. The heroes are briefly silent over the revelation of their supposed enemy's origin, temporarily contemplating in their minds of this fact. (Scene switches to a flashback to the day before this...)
 * Warlock: "Self knows not about you, but would you like to watch something while we're here? Self has access to every channel and website there is in the world."
 * Balder: "I doubt any of them are even remotely entertaining. I'll pass."
 * Hiroim: "Can you replay programmes that we may have missed?"
 * Warlock: "In the form of video archives, yes. Self can easily find them through the internet! Even though self doesn't like it..."
 * Alejandra Jones: "Hm? Why so? I'm guessing you don't like all sorts of dark !*^$ us humans have to offer in the web."
 * Balder: "This coming from a Ghost Rider?"
 * Alejandra Jones: "(Chuckles) Just saying. Is there any form of entertainment back in your world?"
 * Warlock: "Technarchy only cares about classification and repurposing. Self only knows what 'entertainment' means when self arrived on this planet. Self appreciates selfsoulfriend, Doug, in showing self how to have fun. And to answer your question, self is deeply disturbed by what you call the dark web."
 * Alejandra Jones: "Oh, that. A lot of messed up #^!> in there, I heard. Lucky I don't have a phone."
 * Hiroim: "Hmm. I wonder what's in this 'dark web' thing. What is so messed up about it? Is there anything more terrifying than death, suffering, and misery?"
 * Balder: "Torment, denial, and the unknown. Must I remind you of the universe we live in?"
 * Alejandra Jones: "Yeah, yeah, we have like, twenty five different hells, heavens, and a million pantheons out there, including yours. World-eaters, sin-eaters, whales, you got 'em."
 * Warlock: "Query: Does self-friend: Alejandra Jones have cetaphobia?"
 * Hiroim: "What does that mean?"
 * Balder: "(Chuckles) He's asking if Mrs. Hellfire over here is afraid of whales."
 * Alejandra Jones: "I've been to Hell and back before, and you assume I'm afraid of whales? Well, I've been eaten by a whale before..."
 * Hiroim: "Was it pleasant?"
 * Alejandra Jones: "It was a demonic whale the size of a football stadium that eats the souls of the damned like it eats planktons. Plus, Mephisto bred it for some *&#$%^@ reason."
 * Warlock: "Self cannot comprehend how it looks like, but now, we can all agree that the dark web is the scariest thing humans have made, yes?"
 * Balder: "Followed by whales (laughs)."
 * Alejandra Jones: "Oh, shut up, shiny!"
 * Captain America: "Good morning, everyone. How are you all doing?"
 * Hiroim: "Ready for battle."
 * Alejandra Jones: "Yup."
 * Warlock: "Yes."
 * Balder: "Indeed."
 * Captain America: "That's some response you all got there. Good to see you all are here in one piece. Though I am certain you missed out on the action in the lobby."
 * Alejandra Jones: "What happened down there?"
 * Victorious: "There was a break-in. This man named Mallen planted some bombs the size of marbles and nearly killed two hero-reporters."
 * Hiroim: "Reporters? Here, in the Avengers Tower?"
 * Victorious: "They were going to interview Captain America, and to be fair, they did exactly that, but not before trying to defeat Mallen. Failure happened to be upon that, however."
 * Alejandra Jones: "Gee, that's sad. They still alive?"
 * Victorious: "I healed them. One of them had his heart nearly melted and one lost both his legs and right arm."
 * Alejandra Jones: "Damn, that's just hardcore."
 * Warlock: "Query: Why is self-friend: Captain America bringing a shoebox with Wakandan letters? Self sees both Balder's and Captain America's name there."
 * Balder: "As do I, Captain. You have me some new shoes to wear?"
 * Captain America: "Correct. Although hitting your heel isn't easy, we still don't want you to be decomissioned the moment someone hits you there with a stick."
 * Balder: "Captain, did you consult this with my brother?"
 * Captain America: "He didn't seem to mind about these boots."
 * Balder: "Do you have any idea how bedazzled am I by your error? My weakness lies in the mistletoe, NOT my heel! What gave you the idea that I am Achilles and that the 'mistletoe' equates to 'heel'?"
 * Captain America: "Oh..."
 * Warlock: "(Sniggers) Explanation: The mistletoe is a plant known to be toxic for most of the part."
 * Hiroim: "So, Balder is weak to poisons?"
 * Balder: "NO! Just... Odin's enchantment gave me vulnerability to the mistletoe as a side-effect to my invincibility! Oh, by Odin's beard..."
 * Captain America: "Dammit... I don't even... you know what? Just wear it. It might be useful for you in the future."
 * Captain America: "You like going straight towards the enemy to kill them as fast as possible, but there's no telling when stealth will be your best option. Put it on. Overlay them on your boots."
 * Balder: "Interesting. I can feel the magic of Wakanda flowing through these... socks."
 * Captain America: "Try walking with it."
 * Balder: "This is amazing! Even though your mistake was soundly offensive, I like walking with these socks!"
 * Warlock: "Self sees no socks... self only sees Balder's sabatons."
 * Captain America: "They can only be seen if Balder puts them away. Speaking of which, you can just drop down from the ceiling if you want, but considering your weight... well, I suggest you return here by walking back the way you did."
 * Balder: "Thank you for the socks, Captain. I'll make sure I wear it along with me at all times, so that none can strike my heel while showering."
 * Captain America: "(Chortles) Whatever you say, Balder."
 * Victorious: ""So... what do we do now?"
 * Captain America: "Right, let's get into the serious business now. You all may take a seat."
 * Captain America: "On a serious note, I thank you all for coming here on time. Though I expected you all to arrive earlier, regardless of Mallen's presence or not. Let that be a lesson in precision, Avengers. We don't want to be late in saving others in need. In this case, you are all lucky because the one threat the Avengers Wave didn't report due to the lack of witnesses was already handled by two veterans and Victorious. Speaking of the Avengers Wave, do you all have your cards with you?"
 * Balder: "One second."
 * Balder: "Apologies, Captain. I nearly forgot bringing it along."
 * Captain America: "Alright then. So, I know not all of you have access to phones, but in this case, your Identicards act as your substitute phones as Avengers. Warlock, do you know how Avengers Wave works?"
 * Warlock: "It is an application that transmits civilian reports of ongoing criminal activities to any Avenger within a five-kilometer radius. Self did research, you know."
 * Alejandra Jones: "Five kilometers only? I know that's already a lot, but we don't know if we're even going to be around New York when we're out in, I don't know, space, saving worlds?"
 * Captain America: "Warlock is correct, but the five-kilometer radius doesn't represent the width of the message's receival. Of course, we can't handle every crime in the world in one second, but the application still records incoming reports coming from virtually every single corner of this planet. The Identicard will inform you either visually or auditorily, or both as you will it, of the closest crime scenes and the most dangerous of situations. If you're wondering how the Identicard does that, it essentially creates a holographic map of the locale you're in so you can tell which way you should be going and all."
 * Hiroim: "So it's like a phone, but worse?"
 * Captain America: "Unlike a phone, the Identicards cannot be tracked by satellite or GPS, so we won't be getting ambushes from internet enthusiasts with these."
 * Hiroim: "Ah, I see. I feel so much enlightened now, and that was no sarcasm."
 * Victorious: "Heh. You wish."
 * Balder: "If it cannot be tracked through your mortal means, then how do we all know the positions of other Avengers through the card?"
 * Captain America: "These Identicards are internally managed by Stark's A.V.E.N.G.E.R AI. I don't know how it works, but it just works. It locks on to each card's unique signals and transmits the data strictly through the Avengers Network, which is basically our own personal internet space."
 * Warlock: "Wait, what?! We have our own world wide web?!"
 * Captain America: "If you put it that way... yeah. I'm not too tech-savvy on this matter."
 * Victorious: "Are these all... legal, if I may ask?"
 * Captain America: "We use this responsibly as heroes, Vukovic. We're not using it to intrude on the privacy of other people."
 * Victorious: "Well, yeah, but still... does anyone know of this outside of the Avengers?"
 * Captain America: "Not at all. We can't risk getting it attacked. Though, of course, we share this information to other heroes in our community. Thing is, I'm rather convinced now that a lot of other people have already known about it."
 * Mad Thinker: "Grah! Eleven hours of work and I still can't get through this damn firewall!"
 * Alejandra Jones: "Figures. So, the card is like Amber Alert for superheroes?"
 * Balder: "What's an Amber Alert?"
 * Alejandra Jones: "Child abduction emergency message. Usually broadcast on TV to inform of a child's disappearance."
 * Victorious: "That's convenient of you to have in America."
 * Alejandra Jones: "I'm Nicaraguan."
 * Victorious: "Ah, I apologize..."
 * Alejandra Jones: "No pressure. Besides, back in Nicaragua, no one really cares about lost children."
 * Balder: "Except you."
 * Alejandra Jones: "Eh, all the lost children go to Esperanza, eventually. Also, even if Nicaragua's a *&@! country, many good men are still there. Ironic of me to say that, remembering how many crooked cops I sent to Hell."
 * Captain America: "We'll be fighting against trafficking rings if the reports come in, Alejandra. Do you mind doing that, Balder?"
 * Balder: "If these slavers happen to have hired the services of giants and demons, no."
 * Captain America: "We'll see."
 * Victorious: "I.. sympathize with you, Alejandra. Latveria has no Amber Alert whatsoever. If someone reports missing children, the answer would either be silence or nation-wide searches conducted by Doombots."
 * Hiroim: "The silence implies non-responsiveness."
 * Victorious: "Our police officers all work for Doom, and they are fed his all-knowing wisdom. If they are silent... then there is a chance that those children were abducted by Doom himself for unknown purposes."
 * Alejandra Jones: "*#(@, that's dark. You know this and you still work for Doom?"
 * Victorious: "I should inform you that after the silence, the missing kids would usually turn up in their houses, safe and sound... Doom never lets future generations be lost to the horrors of mankind or beyond."
 * Hiroim: "Hmph. This Doom character is ambiguous, I see. But this is no time to speak of him. Respect your lords, and they will help you along the way. Unless they happen to be tyrannical maniacs."
 * Balder: "Wise words, Oldstrong. Now, I must ask, is it possible for us to receive false transmissions?"
 * Captain America: "Stark said that the AVENGER is a product of both tech and magic, the implication being that it's infallible. Thing is, nothing of human produce is perfect, so all we can do to counter these... 'deceptions' is to adapt."
 * Warlock: "Self can help with analyzing the authenticity of the signals, you know."
 * Captain America: "That's why you're here, Warlock."
 * Balder: "Alright, now that is cleared out, what shall we do next?"
 * AVENGER AI: "WARNING: INCOMING PRIORITY CALL FROM NAMOR THE SUB-MARINER. CURRENT LOCATION: ATLANTIS. IMPLIED THREAT ANALYSIS: HIGH . RECOMMEND IMMEDIATE RESPONSE."
 * Captain America: "Call accepted. Put it on the screen now, AVENGER."
 * Victorious: "Whoa, our first mission already? We just handled Mallen a couple of minutes ago?"
 * Captain America: "This is exactly why I advised you to always be ready. Now, what's he got himself into now..."
 * Warlock: "Gee! Self excited!"
 * Hiroim: "Calm yourself my friend. There is no telling if Namor is coming as a friend... or foe."
 * Balder: "Is he not a hero like Captain America himself?"
 * Alejandra Jones: "Oh, trust me, he's not what you think he is. He is so damn flexible he can switch from being Hitler to Dunant in three seconds."
 * Balder: "Who is Dunant?"
 * Warlock: "He is the founder of the Red Cross, self-friend: Balder. It is an organization that helps people in dire times through logistical means!"
 * Balder: "So he can be either malevolent or benevolent within a moment's notice?"
 * Alejandra Jones: "You can say that."
 * Hiroim: "As an ally, he is formidable and relentless. As an adversary, he is someone you don't want to mess with, no matter who you are."
 * Balder: "Heh. He has yet to taste Asgardian steel."
 * Namor: "Get him to the Infirmary, now!"
 * ???: "But... he's a surface-dweller!"
 * Namor: "JUST GO!"
 * ???: "As you wish, King Namor!"
 * Namor: "Bah, this has all gone to hell. (Notices the Avengers) Rogers! Thank Neptune, you respond! For a moment, I thought this Avengers Wave thing was useless!"
 * Captain America: "Namor, what is going on?"
 * Namor: "Give me a moment, Captain... this... they... they've just left."
 * Captain America: "What is it, Namor? Who are they? Tell me! The Avengers can help you, just tell us what's the situation."
 * Namor: "Listen well, Avengers. Eight hours ago, a Kree vessel entered the Pacific Ocean and attacked the city of Mu. I did not know how they could get past you surface-dwellers' atmospheric defenses, but when they attacked, they left no survivors and razed Mu to the ground. An hour later, Oceanus suffered a similar fate, but it thankfully survived. Two hours later, Kalumesh was devastated to its last atom... just like Mu. No survivors. Nothing. Four hours later... Atlantis itself was attacked. As you can see, we weathered off the Kree's attack, but we suffered heavy casualties and damage in the process. My wife... Dorma... went into a deep coma after their cursed leader blasted her! Stingray... Doctor Newell... he was stomped to near-death by a Sentry. I cannot tell if he could survive that... and I just sent him away to the Royal Infirmary, not knowing if our healing methods are compatible with his physiology. I... I need your help in defeating these Kree, Rogers! But my wounds are too great... I cannot participate in battle with you."
 * Captain America: "You can rest yourself for the moment, Namor. We'll be in Atlantis shortly. Do you know why they are here, attacking Atlantean cities?"
 * Namor: "Would you believe me if I say it?"
 * Alejandra Jones: "Blue-on-blue violence. Cool."
 * Hiroim: "What is so awe-inspiring of that?"
 * Alejandra Jones: "Never expected the Kree to fight the Atlanteans, considering both of them are, well, militant blue-skinned dicks."
 * Warlock: "Either way, this isn't good, self-friends!"
 * Victorious: "Agreed. Just let Cap sort this out first, alright?"
 * Alejandra Jones: "You know you're very by-the-book, right?"
 * Victorious: "Well, how am I supposed to be a rebel? I don't like rock bands or going against authority! Especially the kind that balances freedom and order! Like Cap's! I kind of like metal bands, though... and a little bit of classical."
 * Balder: "Perhaps we should go to one of those 'metal band' concerts after this."
 * Alejandra Jones: "Oh no, you don't... (smirks)"
 * Captain America: "Just say it, Namor."
 * Namor: "They seek to summon forth the Elder God, Set, to this world."
 * Balder: "I beg your pardon, but did you just say the the Kree are attempting to revive Set, the Serpent God of Evil?"
 * Namor: "I meant what I said, Asgardian, and I will not deny how surprised you and I both are in knowing this."
 * Alejandra Jones: "Set, huh? Doesn't sound that intimidating."
 * Balder: "You will find it intimidating once you know that Set is the first murderer in the history of this entire world and the first demon there is. Before every demon in existence, Set was the first of these unquenchable evils. He was an Elder God: a deity before deities, born from the life-force of Midgard itself! Should he return, the world will be faced with a calamity unlike any other! He would bring forth a Ragnarok of his own making! Yet now... he has the Kree attempt to manifest him? They don't even belong to this realm!
 * Warlock: "Self understands the threat this 'Set' creature poses. However, self has something that is far more terrifying to behold."
 * Captain America: "What is it?"
 * Warlock: "This Set is a god of Earth. Born of Earth, born to rule on this planet, born to be worshipped on this planet, yes?"
 * Balder: "Aye."
 * Warlock: "Self postulates that every god that holds domain in this world are all bound to certain geographical standards in terms of worship. True?"
 * Balder: "That's the reason why every pantheon on this planet coexists."
 * Warlock: "See, Set is an Earth god no matter how powerful he is, so he should only be worshipped by Earthlings, right?"
 * Balder: "He used to be worshipped by his Serpent-Men even before Atlantis' fall. There is no telling if they are still alive to this day."
 * Namor: "I know these Serpent-Men. They haven't been spotted for years, but I know for sure that they're lurking out there, somewhere. But all and all, yes, they are from this planet."
 * Warlock: "Now think about it. Do gods draw power from constant worship, Balder?"
 * Balder: "Aye."
 * Warlock: "Has Set been worshipped by Earthlings actively throughout centuries?"
 * Balder: "That question cannot be answered for sure since we know not of how many Serpent-Men and madmen out there are still under his thrall."
 * Warlock: "The point still stands. Add this with the fact that he's an Earth god, then let us wonder: If he lacks the power due to the minimal prayers he receives and the planet's boundary... how can he get the Kree to worship him?"
 * Captain America: "Look... Namor, how do you know the Kree are trying to 'resurrect' — if that's the right word — Set?"
 * Namor: "I questioned their leader in-combat with her. She said they were looking for the Serpent Crown."
 * Victorious: "That name sounds familiar..."
 * Captain America: "It is. The Avengers have fought against HYDRA and many others over that blasted thing. I thought it was destroyed, though. Namor?"
 * Namor: "Yes, it should have been destroyed. But it seems that when one crown is destroyed, another one appears."
 * Alejandra Jones: "Well, that's a bummer. I assume wherever it is, it's somewhere in Atlantean territories?"
 * Namor: "An astute observation... who are you?"
 * Namor: "I did not expect a Ghost Rider in your roster, Steven."
 * Captain America: "Trust me, we need her."
 * Warlock: "Self has another hypothesis. May self...?"
 * Captain America: "Go on."
 * Warlock: "Self thinks that the Serpent Crown is divided into a number of fragments. Self would like to say it's three, but self thinks that it's ridiculous. However, in the case that it is true, then we only have a matter of time before the Kree recover the last piece of the crown. Query: Does Subject: Namor know of the history behind the two cities they destroyed?"
 * Namor: "Hmph. My knowledge is... general, at best, but I'll tell you what I know. Mu was a gleaming civilization like Atlantis. It was a city-state, you may say. The old ones — as in elder Atlantean loremasters — said that Mu could never be an equal to Atlantis, however, as it was a dark place of decadence. Mu may be a part of my Empire, but until it was destroyed just hours ago, it was nothing like Atlantis. It was corrupted. A place where many desperate Muvians, Atlanteans, and Lemurians alike worship unnameable gods."
 * Warlock: "Even if it was not home to the Serpent-Men, it's still a dark place, yes? A suitable place for a fragment of the Serpent Crown to reappear."
 * Hiroim: "Why can the Serpent Crown not reappear after each of its destruction whole? Not that any of us are complaining."
 * Warlock: "Is it wise to put the Infinity Gauntlet and all its gems in the same place somewhere in nowhere where irresponsible beings may utilize it?"
 * Victorious: "Was that supposed to be an analogy?"
 * Warlock: "You can say that. If the crown was whole and it happened to emerge in the residence of an incorruptible being of pure heart, would it do Set any good?"
 * Alejandra Jones: "There are no such things as people of pure heart, Warlock."
 * Warlock: "If it appears here in the middle of our gathering, will any of us wear it?"
 * Captain America: "That's too much of a dilemma for us to answer, I'm afraid. How about you tell us about the other city?"
 * Namor: "Kalumesh used to be a good place inhabited by wise adepts and philosophers until they abandoned it, leaving the city to worship the one they call Dagoth, who was also a disciple of a Many-Angled One. The kind that Strange usually fights."
 * Hiroim: "For someone who implies to not know many, you are sure to be much more knowledgeable than one could expect."
 * Namor: "... I will allow that, Hiroim."
 * Warlock: "Observe! Two dark cities devastated into nothingness and two possible fragments of the Serpent Crown already recovered by them! Self suggest we move to Atlantis to predict which other city the Kree might attack lest they attain the third and last piece of the crown!"
 * Captain America: "I agree. Namor, we're going to reach you now. Stay put and..."
 * Namor: "The Kree are not working alone."
 * Captain America: "What?"
 * Namor: "I told you, they are doing this with assistance."
 * Balder: "Let me guess, the Serpent-Men?"
 * Namor: "No... my son, Llyron."
 * Alejandra Jones: "Hold on, what the &#*@? You have a son?!"
 * Captain America: "Llyron... I thought you held no affection for him?"
 * Namor: "He is still my son, nevertheless. I ask that you knock him unconscious and bring him to me. Let no harm befall upon him... and don't even think of giving him a Penance Stare, Ghost Rider."
 * Alejandra Jones: "Alright then. You're the maker of rules, cojón."
 * Captain America: "Noted. Who else with him, Namor?"
 * Namor: "(Sigh) My grandfather, Thakorr. Do not ask me why he is with them. Of him, I allow you all to utilize lethal force on him. He is just as strong as me and he is a vampire. Just not the type you are used to watch on television."
 * Balder: "Finally! A challenge!"
 * Namor: "Do not think this will be easy, buffoon! They bring alongside themselves rogue Atlantean militants and Kree war machines. Their leader is... how can I best describe her — a female Ronan the Accuser."
 * Captain America: "Someone we've never seen?"
 * Namor: "Ever."
 * Captain America: "Alright then. We'll see you in Atlantis, Namor. Good luck."
 * Namor: "Godspeed, Captain..."
 * AVENGER AI: "WARNING! INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! LIFE-FORM ANALYSIS: KREE. THREAT LEVEL: HIGH . INTRUDER IN FRONT OF..."
 * ???: "Please. Time is running short for all of us, and we are here... to help."
 * Captain America: "Ronan?!"
 * Namor: "You! You are responsible for this, you irritating imperialist!"
 * Ronan: "Let us drop the hypocrisy and cooperate, Namor. I am sure you all are wondering of why the Kree are merrily traveling around Earth's oceans destroying underwater settlements. I assure you, we are here to help you in handling this situation."
 * Warlock: "You are not here to destroy us?"
 * Korath: "There is hardly any point in killing you or your friends, Technarch. We are here to recover our people."
 * Namor: "Your people attacked Atlantis and its citizens, leaving many of my citizens dead or dying!"
 * Ronan: "The attacks on Atlantis were not carried out on behalf of the greater Kree Empire, 'Your Highness'. Acknowledge that we ourselves are utterly clueless in why they are seeking this artifact you call the 'Serpent Crown'."
 * Captain America: "Vic, is he lying?"
 * Victorious: "Not at all. His tongue spat out the truth."
 * Captain America: "How did you get here, Ronan?"
 * Ronan: "Before answering that question, I will inform you that my ship is currently docked by SWORD's space station as to show that I do not come here seeking war. Now, you may know that I came here via my ship's teleportation boom. Frankly, I do not wish to see myself tricked by that Brand wretch who wanted to teleport me into a volcano.
 * Captain America: "That'd suit you better, Ronan. Now tell us what's going on."
 * Korath: "I assume you all know that this woman is the leader of the Kree strike force, yes?"
 * Namor: "That fool! It is her!"
 * Korath: "Indeed, it is her. I would like to introduce you all to Tanalth the Pursuer, head of the Accuser Corps and niece to Ronan the Accuser."
 * Namor: "I see you have a family, too, Ronan."
 * Ronan: "Spare me your sympathy. Once this is over, I will make sure to discipline her well after freeing her of the mind control that gripped her sanity."
 * Balder: "Mind control... I knew it."
 * Ronan: "What do you know, warrior?"
 * Balder: "She's not doing this under her own will. She's possessed by Set himself."
 * Namor: "Nonsense! She spoke with her own voice! I heard her!"
 * Korath: "That was what we thought, as well..."

Indigarr
Indigarr wasn't a pleasant place. This arid desert planet 'boasted' a population of hairless backwater humanoids who lacked the grasp of technology but had the strongest of faiths in their gods. Prior to this day, they had never encountered beings from other worlds, discounting a certain God of Thunder. Knowing that, they were more than surprised to see the forces of the Kree land upon their world, seeking a Skrull criminal who they had tracked to this primitive world.

As leader of the Pursuer Corps, Tanalth was the paragon of relentlessness and endurance. Never stopping for a moment respite, never stopping in bringing the race's enemies into their justice. For the most part, death constituted the largest possibility of 'justice's' consequences, but the Kree's enemies were many. Even 'lowly' criminals could be a great threat to the Empire as a whole. That was why she was willing to travel into deep space, going to this despicable world in pursuit of a failed Super-Skrull project recovered from Earth during the shapeshifters' secret invasion.

Accompanied by Junior Accuser, Cadmi-M, and Starforce veteran, Shatterax, Tanalth approached a village full of confused and terrified Indigarrians who did their best to stay away from them out of the fear of being killed. They couldn't defend themselves. Perhaps, they could pray to their gods, but they were all too paralyzed by fear. All they could do was to invoke the names of their gods in hopes of salvation.


 * Indigarrian Woman: "Our Lady of Comets, save us! Send forth your comets to smite these interlopers!"


 * Indigarrian Child: "O, Rose Father! Let your thorns eviscerate these blueskins so that our peace may return!"


 * Indigarrian Man: "Meat Mother! May you bless these blue-skinned tyrants into meat that we may feed upon!"


 * Shatterax: "Excuse me, what?"


 * Cadmi-M: "I couldn't tell if that was a curse or boon... not that I like being eaten, anyway..."

Tanalth silenced the Indigarrians with her Universal Weapon, slamming its handle to the ground to produce a massive shockwave accompanied by a loud shout to affirm the Kree's presence. After the crowd had gone silent, Tanalth proceeded to explain of the blue-skinned race's presence on this planet with a stern tone. Curiosity immediately piqued the minds of the Kree. The elder paused for a moment, as if he was recollecting something from his mind. He sat down, surrounded by his fellow villagers, who were just as concerned. Tanalth, Shatterax, and Cadmi-M shared looks at one another. They knew who their target was... they just didn't expect him to be this... outrageous. The other Indigarrians began begging Tanalth and her band to leave, in accordance to the Elder's request. They cried for their departure while the Kree were unable to react. They couldn't just kill them; it'd be pointless. Cadmi-M turned to Tanalth for further instructions. Tanalth was left without words. She saw the eyes of the innocent Indigarrians, each and every one of them sincerely pleading her to leave so that the universe may be saved. The Kree had been in universe-threatening events before and they always survived the catastrophes that befell upon them. Tanalth was no different from other Kree. They had seen gods before, but they disbelieved the notion of higher powers. In the end, Tanalth took the route of her race... Tanalth responded by knocking back the Elder with her Universal Weapon's handle. Her threat to execute him could be clearly seen by her hammer's head, charged with cosmic energies ready to be unleashed. The Elder spoke his last words that very moment right before Tanalth's beam reduced him to atoms. The villagers went silent for a moment before bursting to tears at the death of their oldest friend. They utterly ignored the Kree's presence to pray to the Sky-Lords of Indigarr for strength and protection. The blue-skinned visitors simply stood their grounds as they calmed themselves down. From the planet's orbit, Ronan the Accuser and Korath the Pursuer observed the turn of events on the ship and decided to communicate with the ground team. Shatterax turned his attention to the villagers and started to get serious once again. The Indigarrians went silent, looking at each other before one of them decided to speak up. The Kree party stood down as the boy gave them the answer they needed. They wasted no time in departing the place after a bitter farewell. -
 * Tanalth: "Silence!"
 * Tanalth: "My name is Tanalth the Pursuer. These are my companions, Cadmi-M the Pursuer and Roco-Bai the Shatterax. We are of the Kree Empire, and we have come to this planet seeking a dangerous being. This being was born on Earth, but bears the semblance of our ancient shapeshifting enemies, the Skrulls. He is considered a war criminal in our dominion, and our pursuit has taken us to this planet you call... what do you call this world?"
 * Indigarrian Girl: "Indigarr, o Lady Tanalth!"
 * Tanalth: "Thank you. Our pursuit has taken us to Indigarr and we believe that he is hiding amongst the native population. One of you may be this shapeshifter, and we will not stop searching until he is found."
 * Indigarrian Elder: "Lady Tanalth, we are all part of this tribe! We have lived together for over half a century and none of us are of unfamiliar disposition! If there was a shapeshifter among us, we would know!"
 * Tanalth: "The Skrull could have murdered one of you and replaced you."
 * Shatterax: "Tan, he's not here."
 * Tanalth: "Excuse me?"
 * Shatterax: "I did a deep scan on them while you were speaking. None of them are him."
 * Indigarrian Elder: "Praise the Sky-Lords, we are free!"
 * Cadmi-M: "We still have questions to ask, Indigarrians."
 * Tanalth: "Hmph. Then we move on to the next settlement if there are any."
 * Indigarrian Man: "Lady Tanalth... perhaps, we can help you if you show us how your 'Skrull' looks like?"
 * Tanalth: "Ah, so he did not come here shapeshifted after all. Predictable. I assume you have seen him somewhere else, yes?"
 * Indigarrian Woman: "We didn't see him... but I think we heard him."
 * Indigarrian Woman: "Three moons ago, we heard a painful howl. We rarely encounter wild animals or beasts, but we can tell that what we heard was nothing like the Meat Mother's blessings."
 * Cadmi-M: "Animals, you mean?"
 * Indigarrian Boy: "Meat Mother blesses us with plenty of animals that we can hunt for food."
 * Tanalth: "Hm. Continue."
 * Indigarrian Elder: "We listened to its horrendous scream just until moments ago, when we saw your vessel... it was horrible. It was wailing, roaring, and laughing... we prayed for the Sky-Lords for protection..."
 * Tanalth: "What did your gods say, old man?"
 * Indigarrian Elder: "I... I remember... I remember! You, you are the one he seeks!"
 * Tanalth: "What?"
 * Indigarrian Elder: "Listen, Lady Tanalth! You are in grave danger! You shouldn't have come to this world! Leave while you can, and the universe will be saved!"
 * Cadmi-M: "Tan... what do we do now?"
 * Tanalth: "Where is he?"
 * Indigarrian Elder: "No... please, no! No!"
 * Tanalth: "I will not ask thrice: Where is he?"
 * Indigarrian Elder: "You have no idea where you're getting into!"
 * Tanalth: "Last chance."
 * Shatterax: "(Charges up his hands with energy) You heard the lady."
 * Cadmi-M: "(Prepares her spear) We'll let you live if you tell us, y' know."
 * Indigarrian Elder: "Never!"
 * Cadmi-M: "Tan... Head Pursuer Tanalth... permission to speak freely?"
 * Tanalth: "Permission granted."
 * Cadmi-M: "I... I know what we are the Kree... but..."
 * Tanalth: "We are not just ordinary Kree, Cadmi. We are Pursuers. We keep our heads in the game at all times, doing everything we can to bring the enemies of our race to justice regardless of methods. If you are disturbed by what I just did, then I'll make sure you are properly reconditioned back on Hala."
 * Cadmi-M: "I apologize, Head Pursuer Tanalth. I just felt that... his death was unnecessary."
 * Korath: "Is everything alright, Tanalth?"
 * Tanalth: "The villagers are withholding the position of our target. I have simply give them an incentive to reveal to us such information. Did you hear what they said, Senior Pursuer Korath?"
 * Korath: "We heard them. It was unfortunate that the Elder did not tell of what their gods said."
 * Shatterax: "They said that they heard him howling... laughing, even. I thought we were hunting a beast?"
 * Ronan: "A beast who has grown more intelligent, Roco-Bai. Can we not triangulate the position of the creature?"
 * Korath: "There are no signs of Skrullian life-forms, I'm afraid."
 * Ronan: "Then why did we come here, Korath?"
 * Korath: "It was at your own niece's suggestion, yes?"
 * Tanalth: "(Sigh) You and I both heard S'Bak's confession, yes?"
 * Ronan: "I heard her say a backwater planet without specifying which one, niece. You led us here to to a desert world of nothingness, instead. I see that your judgment seems to have been clouded."
 * Cadmi-M: "If I may interject, the Elder implied that Tanalth's presence was expected. He said that someone sought her out. If our fugitive was truly the one seeking Tanalth, he would've slaughtered the villagers and left a single person to tell the news. Besides, how is he able to laugh, wail, and roar at the same time? We are talking about an unstable Skrull made by unstable humans who barely have the intelligence of a vermin. Someone else is here..."
 * Tanalth: "Can we all just agree that he is here?"
 * Shatterax: "Wait a moment."
 * Shatterax: "We can avoid further disintegrations if you tell us where the abomination is, Indigarrians."
 * Indigarrian Grandmother: "So you can doom the universe by doing your duty?"
 * Shatterax: "We'd rather have you all live through this day whole."
 * Indigarrian Teenager: "We don't know where the beast is. All we can say is that the screams came from the Gore Mountains, where All-Blud the Inexorable first surfaced to wage war upon the thirteen monsters. He is long dead, now, and those mountains are accursed. Enter as you will, Kree. Do not weep for what may come next."
 * Tanalth: "There. Not so hard, wasn't it?"

The trek to the Gore Mountains wasn't that hard. There was literally nothing special or endangering living around the mountains, so the Kree could just land their ship in the outer markers of the mountain range. That youngling did not specify which of the mountains were truly the beast's hiding spot, but Shatterax's energy sensors could easily detect energy fluctuations consistent with their prey in a cave within a rather unremarkable peak. The trio stood outside the cave, readying their weapons.


 * Tanalth: "Can you pinpoint his location, Roco?"


 * Shatterax: "Strangely... yes. He's at the end of the cave, two point three kilometers away from our current position."


 * Cadmi-M: "Head Pursuer Tanalth, are you sure about this?"


 * Tanalth: "Opportunity has presented itself, Junior Pursuer Cadmi-M. Retreat is not an option."


 * Cadmi-M: "Tan, just think about it! We didn't detect the Skrull's presence on this planet until those Indigarrians told us! There was literally nothing until..."

Cadmi-M paused for a second to think before responding. Tanalth looked down and then, into the cave. It was a dark, damp cave, but nothing unlike any other caves in other planets. Admittedly, Tanalth had never dealt with magic or the likes. Perhaps, for the Kree, this would be her first appearance... but she had to consult with her higher-ups, which included her uncle and mentor. Before speaking with them, however, a voice unwanted attracted her attention. The very words she uttered immediately turned the heads of her comrades and ears of her superiors towards her. They were certainly shook at what just happened. Shatterax reacted immidiately by punching Tanalth in the face so hard she's knocked down to the ground, hoping to snap her out. In the Kree ship, the crews looked at one another in confusion. Ronan and Korath felt an air of dread surrounding their souls, a mist of doubt and fear meant to break their spirits. But the Kree were fearless, and the Senior Pursuer responded as soon as possible to Shatterax. Tanalth's memories immediately took center stage as she remembered the harsh training sessions she had under Korath the Pursuer while being watched by Ronan. She remembered being brutally lectured by her only surviving family member after breaking down during a simulated combat, who also happened to be a national hero of the Kree Empire. She remembered herself crying on her knees as Cadmi-M walked away from her after an altercation. She remembered... her paralyzed muscles when she witnessed the death of her father by the hands of Aron, the Rogue Watcher.
 * Tanalth: "You believe forces beyond our comprehension is working at this moment?"
 * Cadmi-M: "Yes, Tanalth. I believe so. I am concerned that we all will be victims to some manner of cosmic scheme that we were not supposed to interject with."
 * Tanalth: "We are the Kree. We have no gods and the deities we encountered, we fought to oblivion. Is that untrue, Shatterax?"
 * Shatterax: "Thor, Thanos, the Eternals... they are all tangible physical threats we were at least able to harm through conventional means. However, I must admit, Tanalth. We may be a scientific race, but there are things we can never understand. I must inform you before we blindly rush into this cave: the outlaw's energy readings aren't just fluctuating; it's intermingling with other unknown types of energy I am unable to decipher."
 * Cadmi-M: "In other words, magic."
 * Mysterious Voice: "Come to me, my starlight..."
 * Tanalth: "(Turns to the cave) Father?"
 * Cadmi-M: "Tan?"
 * Shatterax: "Did... did she just..."
 * Ronan: "Tanalth? Tanalth, what is going on?"
 * Mysterious Voice: "I am here, Tanalth! Oh, my precious daughter, how I've missed you!"
 * Tanalth: "Father, I... I..."
 * Shatterax: "Tanalth, snap out of it! Your father is dead, and you are all that remains of his legacy! Senior Pursuer Korath, this is Starforce Operative Shatterax! Permission to pull back from the mission! Magical intervention is all but confirmed!"
 * Korath: "Permission granted, Shatterax! Pull everyone back from that cursed place! We'll bombard the mountains from above, instead!"
 * Mysterious Voice: "Little star, your friends seek to separate both of us? How could this be? We... we are all Kree. We are family."
 * Tanalth: "No... no, father, I won't leave you!"
 * Ronan: "Beloved Tanalth, please listen to me! Whoever is speaking with you is a deceptive psychic entity! Do not let yourself be manipulated! I beg of you!"
 * Mysterious Voice: "Why is my brother not here? Why is my brother not accompany you in this mission? Why do I feel pain within you in his presence?"

It didn't take long for the Leader of the Pursuer Corps to be reduced into a sobbing mess of a person as she cried out in despair and fear. Cadmi-M put herself down on one knees to support her up, hugging her to provide comfort as her tears streamed down her breastplate.
 * Cadmi-M: "Acknowledged, Senior Accuser Korath! We're heading..."

Sadness was soon replaced in quickness by rage as Tanalth smacked away her childhood best friend with the Universal Weapon. This atrocious display received a follow-up in the form of Shatterax blasting her face with large energy blasts from his palm.


 * Shatterax: "Tanalth, please! We don't have to do this!"


 * Tanalth: "For my father... for the Kree, I will do you all proud!"

Tanalth immediately flew towards the cave, leaving Shatterax behind blindsided and confused in what to do aside from helping Cadmi-M recover.


 * Shatterax: "Dammit, she's lost it!"
 * Ronan: "Shatterax, Cadmi-M, I want you to secure and return her to the ship all at once!"
 * Cadmi-M: "Urgh... acknowledged, Head Accuser, Ronan. Queen Van wouldn't want to know this happened..."
 * Ronan: "And she won't know anything but the fact that our quarry is brought to justice. Now go!"

Shatterax and Cadmi-M complied with Ronan's orders and went into the cave, following the energy trail Tanalth undoubtedly followed while lighting up the path with Shatterax's in-built flashlights. Little do they know that their Head Pursuer was already far from them...

-

Tanalth didn't know why she was traveling down this path. Her mind was led by an unknown guide, allowing her to navigate through the alien caves with speed and without hassle. She felt as if she had been in this cave for a long time, knowing every single intricate part of it, every twist and turn of the corner. Regardless, all she knew was that she heard his father's voice, and she's not just coming for him; he's coming for her target that had been hiding here.

After flying through the cave system with dried tears on her eyes, Tanalth instinctively landed and stood up in the middle of the darkness, only illuminated by her hammer's light. She took a number of breaths to calm herself down before refocusing herself where her target was. Before finding him, however, Tanalth's resurfacing logic took over and she spoke over her comms. The only words she heard through the comms were static. The cave was blocking signal transmissions, so her tracking beacon may as well not be very useful in leading her friends (technically underlings) to her position. Nevertheless, the ruthless Head Pursuer had returned, and she's here to bring her criminal to justice.
 * Tanalth: "Cadmi, Shatterax... Korath, uncle... I'm in the target position now. I... I am sorry for what happened, but I will make sure I rectify my mistake this moment. I've activated the tracking beacon in my hammer. Wish me luck, now, my friends... and family."

Walking through the cave, Tanalth increased the light her Universal Weapon emanated to make things easier for her to see. Upon lighting up, she discovered that the walls were inscribed with many cave paintings. She couldn't care any more about those paintings, so she only skimmed around to see the story that was told upon the walls while trying to find the target.

There were a great many figures depicted in the cave painting, but the images of snakes were the most numerous there. He saw a man with a spear fighting a giant serpent while being surrounded by seven wyrms, who were in turn surrounded by a circle of multi-colored spheres. At the end of the painting scene, the man with the spear drove his weapon into the serpent's belly and in that scene, the seven snakes who surrounded him disappeared while the seven spheres that surrounded all of them were suddenly drawn behind the man. Tanalth could understand nothing of this... and the mysterious voice that was her 'father' called her out for this.
 * Mysterious Voice: "Do you like it, daughter? Are they beautiful?"
 * Tanalth: "I understood nothing of them, 'father'."
 * Mysterious Voice: "(Cackling) All will be clear, my daughter. Now, do you not have an empire to satisfy?"
 * Tanalth: "Indeed... whoever you are."
 * Mysterious Voice: "Hm? Whoever I am? Tanalth... I am your father. Did we not..."
 * Tanalth: "You are a disembodied psychic entity who aims to manipulate me. None of us can hurt each other, and I know what I did was wrong back outside. I love my father, but you're not him. That doesn't mean you can't help me. Now, tell me where he is."
 * Mysterious Voice: "I thought your bleeding heart would hinder your true potential... good. For that, I will help you. As for your target... well, you may wanna look up."

In an instance, the target made his presence known by roaring inhumanly and descending upon Tanalth, flattening her body underneath his own. The large Skrull roared triumphantly as he revealed himself both to the readers and Tanalh herself. Apparently, the Kree had been hunting the fearsome HYDRA Prime 001: a mighty Super-Skrull created by a certain abominable terrorist organization from Earth, 'adopted' by the Skrulls and sent across Kree border planets to claim countless Kree lives and wreak havoc upon their properties.

Seeing him appear, Tanalth smiled and gave a retort.


 * Tanalth: "About time you showed up, monster!"

The Head Pursuer blasted the test subject in the face with the Universal Weapon, sending him crashing up the cave's ceiling. This Super-Skrull was blessed with shapeshifting powers beyond its regular kin, however, and it managed to surprise her by turning into a sand hurricane that quickly engulfed and hurt her. Though surprised, Tanalth used her Universal Weapon to forcibly rearrange his molecular structure, turning HYDRA Prime back into his Skrull form. She quickly smashed her hammer several times into his face, ending the barrage by slamming him into the cave wall with such a force that the natural formation was shook. Before she could continue the attack, HYDRA Prime formed three claws on his knuckles a la Wolverine and stabbed her, prompting her to scream in pain.

This act only increased her resolve and Tanalth kicked herself away from the Skrull to blast off his hands. He wouldn't let that happen, however, and he dodged the blast while freezing her head with a pair of ice beams he conjured. Tanalth became immobilized and practically helpless as she literally got a brain freeze, and it seemed that her demise was coming quickly... until her hammer suddenly lit itself up and blasted the ice block encasing her.

Before he could crush her head, Tanalth spat at his face to distract him, rolling aside so she could deliver a charged cosmic blast at his chest in hopes of vaporizing him. He narrowly avoided the blast by stretching his body like Mr. Fantastic. This ability gave him the opportunity to wrap himself around Tanalth after disarming her of the weapon with an optic blast. She struggled to free herself, and when she did that, the Skrull 'beast' taunted her out of nowhere. The opportunist she was, Tanalth headbutted the brute, loosening her restraint. She proceeded to command her Universal Weapon to unleash another powerful energy blast at him, now hitting its intended target and sending him sprawling. Tanalth recalled her hammer to her hands and wasted no time encasing his head with a force field in the hopes of suffocating him. The Skrull tried to turn himself into water, utilizing the powers of Hydro-Man, but Tanalth simply extended the force field to his entire body. The force field couldn't be breached by him, and eventually, Tanalth knocked him out by blasting legions of energy beams from the force field and into the Skrull until he was motionless.
 * HYDRA Prime 001: "You are unworthy."
 * Tanalth: "Das't you!"

After checking that he was already off-cold, Tanalth took a moment respite to restore her strength. She was about to leave the cave with her quarry, but the mysterious disembodied voice returned to 'haunt' her once again. Tanalth attempted to exit the cave the same way she entered it, but found her way barred by an invisible force wall she could not destroy, dispel, or identify with the Universal Weapon. When she turned back, Tanalth saw that she wasn't in a cave anymore. Instead, she was standing in a bloody battlefield of many races, including those of her own, the corpses of many laying beneath the blood-red skies. In reflex, she quickly returned to her combat-ready stance and found battle seeking her already as she engaged in a brief skirmish against a giant snake the size of a spaceship. Despite the Pursuer's grit, she ultimately succumbed to the snake and it sank its teeth deep into her skull. Pain flowed through her entire body at that moment, but that wasn't the only thing she received. The snake gave her a vision of a mystic crown, split open into three parts in the sky before falling onto the oceans of the Earth, descending into the depths of darkness. While this was happening, the mysterious voice that had plagued her infested her mind with an order of sorts, saying so with a feminine voice different from the one she heard earlier. Tanalth's perception snapped back to reality where she realized that she's still in the cave and was kneeling the same way she did when the snake bit her. After thinking so, Tanalth's pupils suddenly disappeared and she was left incapacitated, unable to move or do anything whatsoever. Visualizing from the Pursuer herself, she could see her vision of the world slowly descending into darkness. Ultimately, she blacked out... but her body regained its motor functions. Motor functions only; she's not the one in control, now.
 * Mysterious Voice: "Heh. You are worthy after all."
 * Tanalth: "You possessed him, didn't you? To lure me in."
 * Mysterious Voice: "Perceptive of you to think so, my child."
 * Tanalth: "Don't call me that. Who are you, anyway? Meat Mother? Our Lady of Comets? Rose Father? All-Blud the Inexorable?"
 * Mysterious Voice: "I'm afraid I'm not any of those, my dear. All that you need to know... is that I need your help now. I've helped you with HYDRA Prime 001, yes?"
 * Tanalth: "How did you know of its name?"
 * Mysterious Voice: "It is easy to discover the secrets of others with weak minds. Yours is no different, my dear, but are you willing to help me?"
 * Tanalth: "No. I will return to my ship and order an orbital bombardment upon your residence. Good bye."
 * Mysterious Voice: "You will depart to Earth to recover the three pieces of the Serpent Crown. You will be given the power to dominate others through fear and put others into submission. You cannot refuse this order, for your body, mind, and soul shall be fine to feed upon until Eternity is no more. Your complicity will be repaid with a new family... and a father who truly loves you. You will be me, and I will be you. We are the breakers of all and the first daughter of the Rightful Father. Now rest, dear Tanalth... rest."
 * Tanalth (Narration): "N-no... what was that? I... I can't t-think properly... can't... move..."

Meanwhile, Shatterax and Cadmi-M struggled to navigate themselves through the cave, but managed to find Tanalth standing at the cave's end with HYDRA Prime 001 encased inside an energy prison. Something's not right about Tanalth. In a moment's notice, Tanalth's eyes and mouth suddenly glowed in yellow and she leapt at the duo, who could be seen utterly surprised and terrified by this turn of events.
 * Cadmi-M: "Tanalth, thank the stars, you're still alive!"
 * Shatterax: "You've captured the fugitive, as well! We thought you were..."
 * Tanalth: "Lost?"
 * Shatterax: "We nearly trapped ourselves in this blasted cave until..."
 * Tanalth: "Until your eyes were opened."
 * Shatterax: "I beg your pardon?"
 * Cadmi-M: "Um, are you alright, Tan?"
 * Tanalth: "I've never felt greater, Cadmi. You should know how delighted I am after I was found."
 * Shatterax: "Oh... (charges his palm blasters) Cadmi, she's not Tanalth."
 * Cadmi-M: "Wait, what?"
 * Tanalth: "I am Tanalth... and I am not. I am someone far greater. Someone you can never comprehend with your flimsy minds... but worry not, for I am willing to open your eyes."
 * Cadmi-M: "Whoever the das't you are, you're going to let go of her, whether you'd like it or not!"
 * Tanalth: "On the contrary, my dears, I will be one not letting you go."

-

(Back in the Kree Ship...) Upon hearing the notification, the two high-ranking Kree made their way to the technician who showed them the location of the three operatives. Tanalth, Shatterax, and Cadmi-M could be seen standing in a wide open space, far away from the mountains. The imprisoned HYDRA Prime 001 could be seen being telekinetically moved by Cadmi-M. The trio stepped in a line, standing without any display of emotions or empathy. Tanalth's Universal Weapon could be seen being bloodstained, as well as Cadmi's spear, which she proceeded to clean. From the background, the trio were revealed to had been standing in front of the Indigarrian village from earlier, the only difference being the fact that the villagers had been slaughtered in a gruesome display of power and terror.
 * Ronan: "They haven't reported back. Tch. I should've gone down there myself."
 * Korath: "She is still your niece at the end of the day, old friend. She loves you. You know this."
 * Ronan: "I should remind you that I am not her father, Korath. I am someone more accustomed to the horrors of war than the hearth of home. She grew in a household of warriors who still knew the meaning of hearth. I... I don't even remember how I was born into this universe."
 * Korath: "You have done your best in loving her. Believe me."
 * Kree Technician: "Sirs! They're back."
 * Ronan: "Tanalth! You have returned with the target. We are proud of you. How did you find him?"
 * Tanalth: "He was sleeping at the edge of that cursed cave, Uncle Ronan. It wasn't hard to capture him."
 * Korath: "That is delightful to know. Prepare yourself for extraction, operatives. Hala would like to have words with him."
 * Shatterax: "The Accuser? Heh, since when did she become an interrogator?"
 * Korath: "How sardonic. Prepare yourself for the teleportation beam."
 * Tanalth: "Acknowledged. Standing by."

TBA