The Defenders Of Midgard, An MCU Fan Fiction:
By Ozymandias The Mad
Chapter 14
Scaramouche! Scaramouche! Will You Do The Fandango?
Thunderbolt And Lightning! Very Very Frightening Me!
High above the sky over the Monterey Trench, a large airship hovers silently and invisibly. Inside the airship, the new AIM rests and relaxes within a luxurious lounge like observation room, filled with large extreme high definition monitors and overstuffed matte black furniture, complete with a full matte black bar, and a matte black espresso machine. In the center of a large circular overstuffed couch, the Red Hulk sits, with unavoidably extra wide man spreading, and with Whitney Frost sitting on his lap, sipping a cup of Italian espresso, while he nurses what looks like a large matte black Champaign bottle, held in one of his extra large hands like it was a beer bottle. On either end of the extra large circular couch sit Dr. Rappaccini and her Uncle Silvio, while Betsy Braddock practices her piano on a matte black grand piano behind the all of them, as they watch a drone monitor feed of the ongoing experiment back in Los Angeles a central monitor.
Red Hulk:
What are we watching?… I thought you just planted something to provide cover for our escape… like a bomb or something…
Whitney Frost:
Or something…
Dr. Rappaccini:
It is not simply a distraction… to provide cover… Although it also serves that purpose at the moment… It is a part of series of experiments concocted by me and grand mama…. to explore the bridging of science and magic…
Whitney Frost:
Which one is this again dear?…
Dr. Rappaccini:
The Psycho Fandango… It had the most potential for distraction… while having the minimal… but not zero chance… of unnecessary collateral damage… It is also partly a social experiment… in terms of the dynamics of Chaos among the human herd… And also partly philosophical… in terms of of the value of logic reason and science among that herd… and the effect of it’s relative absence… It is… or will be… whatever the subjects make of it…
Betsy Braddock:
Scaramouche… Scaramouche…
Uncle Silvio:
Galileo Figaro?…
Betsy Braddock:
Magnifico!…
Dr. Rappaccini:
Cute…
Whitney Frost:
I don’t get it…
Red Hulk:
Neither do I… So how does this Fandango thing work?…
Whitney Frost:
It’s a combination of things… The FSB devices themselves allow even me… to use basic magic… with little knowledge or training… But we need to test and explore the limits of this… And our ability to control it… When it comes to science versus magic… science allows for greater control… and understanding… But magic cannot be ignored or denied by science… It must be conquered by it…
Dr. Rappaccini:
The Psycho Fandango is partly an experiment in collective control… of a mutual experience… of reality altering magic…
Uncle Silvio:
Reality altering?…
Dr. Rappaccini:
Yes… From what I’ve learned so far… Magic is essentially a temporary or permanent alteration of physical reality… wrought by the careful combination of mental and physical disciplines… to harness one’s own physical energy… and the energy all around us… to alter the physical reality… The Psycho Fandango… uses a combination of magic that creates an environment similar to that described in Niflheim… but under the control of FSBs and the collective consciousness of the inhabitants of Los Angeles… using software partly developed by the inventor of the FSBs themselves… software known simply as… The Framework… virtual reality simulation software with a cerebral interface… similar to the telepathic interface of the FSBs… But used here to control the alteration of actual physical reality… through magic…
Red Hulk:
I’ll take your word for it… I guess… All that sounds like a bunch of tripped out hippie noise to me…
Whitney Frost:
What’s a hippie?…
Red Hulk:
Something that largely came and went while you were convalescing… You didn’t really miss anything… Trust me… just a lot of unwashed idiots…
Uncle Silvio:
So much for Scaramouche… Poor boy Scaramouche… I guess he should have bathed more… Speaking of bathing… Why was it that MODOC and Dr. Golem took the plunge to the Monterey Trench again?…
Dr. Rappaccini:
They are taking advantage of the chaos in LA… to investigate a lead that I learned about before we took off with our ill-gotten data… Tony Stark and King T’Challa were investigating something high tech… something alien… buried in the Monterey Trench… MODOC agreed to be to careful and exorcise caution and restraint… and stealth… But he was so excited… He is still effectively just a young child… But hopefully we can count upon Dr. Golem to remain calm and detached… in order to exercise proper restraint and discretion…
Red Hulk:
So… Are we looking at the reality?… or the illusion?…
Dr. Rappaccini:
With magic… they can temporarily be the same… But this particular view is from outside the field of the effect… Things are only getting started… Other views will come on line shortly… once the field takes full effect… All we can see now is darkness from the outside until then…
All of a sudden, as if on cue, the view turns bright white, before the feed adjusts it’s light levels, to reveal more detail. A shimmering twinkling vision, of a star shaped floating assemblage of bright translucent diamond and other crystal shapes, fills the view of their feed, startling AIM.
Uncle Silvio:
What the hell is that?… Is that another experiment?… some other magic?…
Dr. Rappaccini:
No… at least… none of ours… That is from outside the field of the effect of our experiment… That… is something completely different…
Red Hulk:
Cue Monty Python…
Whitney Frost:
Monty who?…
Dr. Rappaccini:
MODOC is going to be very upset with me that he missed this… whatever it is…
The star formation of floating translucent crystal slows to a stop and hovers high in the sky just off the coast of Malibu. Inside the throne room of the crystal palace of Alfheim, Queen Aelsa sits on the crystal throne and holds court, along with Thor, Coulson, and May observing the wall of matte black cloud that surrounds the greater Los Angeles area on a large virtual display, projected on one whole crystal wall of the throne room, surrounded by elven imperial guards. Rocket and Groot hang back, seemingly uninterested in the petty problems of earth humies. A bright beam of intense light shines from the crystal palace like a spotlight against the opaque matte black wall of smoky cloud, but illuminates nothing, not even the surface of the cloud.
May:
What the hell is this?… Is LA burning?… Even if the city was burning… we should see some flames through the smoke… if that’s even smoke…
Thor:
If it were smoke… it would thin out as it rose… But this wall of black cloud goes all the way to the stars it seems…
Coulson:
Do the Kree do magic?…
Thor:
Some of them… But it is more common on Midgard than the Kree Empire… And this war does involve the Black Queen of Midgard… and the likes of your new friend Ogun…
Ogun:
Much as I would love to take credit… This one is a new one on me… I would love to know how it’s done though…
Queen Aelsa:
It is also more common among the Kree’s ancient blood enemies… the shape shifting Skrulls… with whom they have been at war for over a million years… But in recent millennia… the Skrulls have been losing… And may even face eventual extinction… if the trend is not abated somehow… I suspect that this relatively recent development may be the reason for the Kree’s current boldness… with respect to Midgard…
Coulson:
So the Skrulls are the good guys?…
Thor:
No… But they are the lesser evil of the moment for being the losing side if nothing else… It was the Kree’s betrayal of the Skrulls that started the whole war to begin with… The Kree were a society of relative primitives… before the Skrull tried to come to their aid… to help them advance… But the Kree betrayed them… stole their technology… and turned it against them for conquest… This more than anything… is why Asgard can never trust the Kree… But the Skrulls are certainly no innocents when it comes to inflicting the horrors of war… only the losers of the moment… in the endless battle of horrors… known as the Kree Skrull War…
Coulson:
Have either the Kree or the Skrulls ever done anything like this before?… on other worlds?…
Thor:
Not that I know of…
Queen Aelsa:
Nor I…
Suddenly lightening erupts in front of the display, and Dr. Spectrum forms in the void, already wielding one of his matte black katana’s. May instinctively forms a pair of twin matte black Chinese broadswords, with a flash lightening into her hands. Coulson quickly reforms his matte black katana in a poof of black smoke, as Dr. Spectrum suddenly speeds towards the throne at full speed on his matte black roller blades, aided by a bolt of lightening as thrust to launch him.
Dr. Spectrum wears a large rectangular set of matte black googles on his face that completely enclose his eyes and ears, as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handful of small round matte black balls, and rolls them under the feet of many nearby imperial guards, before that spark off and shoot lightening out of themselves, shocking the imperial guards unconscious. There are a few more bolts, as Dr. Spectrum maneuvers around the throne in the center of the throne room, then he rolls another set of balls again to knock out the remaining imperial guards in the room, before shimmering away, as he rolls away, and Coulson recognizes him.
Coulson: Fitz!…
May:
Where’d he come from?…
Thor:
Who’s he?…
Coulson:
He’s a friend… Leopold Fitz… But I don’t know why he’s attacking or how he got here…
Dr. Spectrum shimmers back into view in front of the monitor again, still holding his katana in his right hand, but now holding in the palm of his left hand, a small matte black cylinder, with a yellow and black nuclear label on it. The cylinder has a small timer with red numbers counting down, and blinking red light on top.
Dr. Spectrum:
I don’t know what kind shape shifting illusion this is… But you call this of right now… and no one has to go nuclear… You have about 30 seconds to comply… or we’re all star hot plasma!…
Coulson:
Fitz!… What are you doing?… We’re friendlies!…
Dr. Spectrum:
Bloody friendlies my ass!… LA gets attacked and trapped up by some mind and reality warping magic… right when this bloody ship shows up… Friendlies my ass!… Coulson’s in Malibu!… with May!… And Thor is supposed to on his way here with the Queen of Alfheim!… Not the star ship chandelier!…
Thor:
I am the real Thor Leopold Fitz… I assure you… But if you need proof… I can always demonstrate my power for you…
Thor holds up his hammer in front of himself, between himself and Dr. Spectrum, and unleashes a lightening attack out of the hammer, hitting Dr. Spectrum’s matte black katana harmlessly, as Dr. Spectrum maneuvers his katana in front of himself just in time to do so. Thor maintains his lightening attack and ramps up it’s amplitude as he continues.
Thor:
Surrender now Master Fitz… No one needs to go nuclear here…
Dr. Spectrum:
Is that so?… Try and stop me!…
Dr. Spectrum tosses the supposed nuke at Thor’s face before it goes off, reveling itself to be nothing but a disguised conventional flash bang device, then shimmers away.
Thor:
Queen Aelsa?… If you please…
Queen Aelsa:
Yes Thor… It would be my pleasure to teach Master Fitz a thing or two about proper manners when in the throne room of the Queen of Alfheim…
The queen materializes a matte black transverse flute into her hands, in a familiar display of white sparkles. Then she begins to play a familiar song, familiar to Leopold Fitz.
Dr. Spectrum:
How do you know that song?!?… And who gave you an FSB?!?…
Dr. Spectrum shimmers back into view rolling up to Queen Aelsa.
Dr. Spectrum:
How do you know that song?… That’s just like my mother would play… to put me to sleep as a wee baby… suddenly… so tired… mum?…
Dr. Spectrum passes out dreaming on his blades, and collapses down to the floor of the throne room fast asleep and dreaming. They all gather around the unconscious Leopold Fitz, and Queen Aelsa kneels down to touch her hand upon his forehead, waking him with a start.
Dr. Spectrum:
Mum!… What the?… What just happened to me?… You are the people behind this magic mind warp effecting Los Angeles!… But how did you know mum’s tune?… Did you read my mind?…
Queen Aelsa:
No Master Fitz… I read the sheet music… since long before you were ever born… That is part of Faerie Song… Only our kind can play it… or truly appreciate it… And it takes more than sheet music to learn to play it… You remember your mother playing this for you?… Did she teach it to you by any chance?…
Dr. Spectrum:
She taught me how to play the flute pretty good… but nothing like that… She’s just a bloody music teacher… I thought… I never really got good enough to play that… These days it just helps me think while I’m working… especially if I’m stuck on something… although not so much lately…
Thor:
So you’re the Leopold Fitz Queen Aelsa has been telling me all about… You seem every bit the trickster as your great great grandfather… my brother Loki… And quite the master craftsman… The queen has been bragging about her new weapon… and it’s inventor…
Dr. Spectrum:
It’s going to take more than some nostalgic music to convince me that you’re the real Thor…
Thor:
Well then… How about this?…
Thor leans down and places his hammer into Dr. Spectrum’s waiting arms, pinning his torso to the floor.
Dr. Spectrum:
Okay!… Okay your majesty!… Sorry!… Sorry!… But it’s been a rough few hours… and the clocks still ticking…
Coulson:
What clock Fitz?… Spill!… We’re all in need of read in here!…
Dr. Spectrum:
First can you take this bloody thing of me already?… The least you can do is let me up!…
Thor:
Sorry Master Fitz… But you did make a bit of a handful of yourself just now… your lucky I don’t leave you there… but Queen Aelsa wouldn’t like it…
Thor calls his hammer back to his hand, and gives Master Fitz a hand up.
Thor:
Now… Where is my father?… Where is Loki?…
Dr. Spectrum:
Take it easy… Last I knew they had all arrived safely in Emerald City… But then I received some strange alerts from my great grandmother… Lady Amora to you… Including one that said that Malekith the Accursed had escaped Niflheim as a stowaway… when they brought the city back from Niflheim earlier…
Thor:
Malekith?!?… Back from Niflheim?!?… So Malekith did this?…
Dr. Spectrum:
Unknown… We have an oddly long list of strange suspects at the moment… I was literally just dealing with MODOC and AIM right before this all happened… But MODOC is dead supposedly… And AIM doesn’t do magic… except with FSBs… But this does seem FSB related… But how could they even figure out how to do this?… The Black Queen could probably figure out how to do something like this… and she was just spotted in LA hours before… Thor… There’s something else that you should know… Not only is your father and you brother in there… But so is your daughter…
Thor:
My… daughter?… I have a daughter?… In there?!?… Be careful of what you speak trickster!… and explain yourself!…
Dr. Spectrum:
Calm down… Dr. Foster had a daughter… She was already starting to be publicly recognized as your girlfriend… and getting a lot of weird mail as a result… when she discovered that she was pregnant… She didn’t want to take you away from your eventual duty to Asgard… But she wanted to have her daughter as anonymously as possible… while continuing her research… So she asked Tony Stark for a favor… and he set up a private research project for her and Dr. Selvig on the campus of Cal Tech… in Pasadena California… just east of center of what ever the hell that is… right in the thick of it… We honestly thought Cal Tech would be a safe campus for them… But the previously mentioned MODOC was created there!… And now this… It was a classified joint research project between them… Stark Industries… and Shield… I was the Shield part… which is why I knew about it… long before I knew about Loki… You should also know that she has lightening powers…
Thor:
Powers you say!?!… Lightening?!?…
Dr. Spectrum:
Yes… which is kind of a problem for her from time to time…
Thor:
A problem?… How so?…
Dr. Spectrum:
Your daughter is… as they say… on the spectrum… In terms of what used to be called an autistic savant… later Autism Spectrum Disorder… She’s definitely on the high end of that spectrum… She’s mommies little assistant… But she can sperg out as they say… from time to time… and then she has a hard time controlling her powers… Just recently I gave her one of these FSB devices of her own… Dr. Foster is participating in the research regarding the FSBs as well… and she suggested that it might help her regulate her powers somewhat… And so far it has… But then all this crap happened… whatever this is… The FSB devices themselves seem to confer a little resistance… Which is the good news… Dr. Selvig however refused one because he didn’t want it messing with his head… So now whatever this is… is now messing with his head instead no doubt…
Coulson:
Resistance to what Fitz?… What is this?… Do you have any ideas?…
Dr. Spectrum:
Nothing all that useful… I know that there’s substantial time compression going on within the effected area… I got caught up in it… briefly… on my way out… I was headed to Shield HQ anyway to download all my data from the MODOC attack on Stark Industries… when everything went all crazy colored and flashing… then the streets started shifting to cobblestone beneath my bloody feet!… Buildings all around me with changing their shape and style of architecture!… with everything turning medieval looking!… Street lamps were changing into roadside fire pits and torches… I struggled to find my way out for what seemed like hours… It reminded me of the description of the effects of the Maze of Niflheim… So I adopted the full Niflheim Protocols in order to find my way out of there and touch base with Shield HQ and try to find out what’s bloody happening…
Thor:
Niflheim Protocols?… Master Fitz?…
Dr. Spectrum:
Yes… They’re what Lady Sif… Lady Amora… and their husband Grant Ward… used to navigate Niflheim and bring back the Black Queen’s city of Nova Roma… as their prize trophy Emerald City… Sorry… A lots happened and we only have time for the Cliff’s Notes version… Because the ticking clock I mentioned… is the time compression still going on right now as we speak… What seemed like hours when I was trying to get out of it… turned out to be only a few minutes since this whole thing started… While we idly chat and reminisce… days or weeks could go by inside there… there is no telling from out here… And only people with FSBs can safely go back into it with me… and those are few and far between for security reasons… and all the rest of them are already in there!…
Coulson:
I’m game…
May:
Me too…
Queen Aelsa:
As am I…
Thor:
If you gave this device to my daughter… then you’d better give it to me as well… Because nothing will keep me from my family!… Not anymore!…
Dr. Spectrum:
Okay your majesty… No problem… Normally I don’t give out these things anymore for security reasons… but you’re definitely an exception… But you should know… that normally there are two sets of qualifications one has to meet in order to be qualified to handle one… Your daughter was a medical exception… and qualified in her own way anyway… Basically it requires knowledge and expertise… experience and skill… in one of two major areas… magic on the one hand… or Midgardian science and technology on the other… I’m assuming you have had at least basic instruction in magic?… This device provides something of a short cut of sorts… going both ways… For someone trained in science and technology… the FSB allows them to use basic magic…
Thor:
And for someone trained in magic… they can master basic technology?…
Dr. Spectrum:
Perhaps even advanced technology… Queen Karnilla is learning to code with one… Do you have qualifications like that?… Your daughter’s a brilliant budding young scientist… Mommies little assistant like I said…
Thor:
I have trained heavily in astronautical and portal navigation using magic… although… not to Loki or Lady Sif’s level…
Dr. Spectrum:
Well that should be more than fine… Any Midgardian crafts at all…
Thor:
There is one… But a master craftsman such as yourself would laugh at my hobby…
Dr. Spectrum:
I doubt that… Your already qualified there’s no real pressure… You’re not a gamer are you?…
Thor:
I’m… a photographer…
Dr. Spectrum:
A photographer?… That’s great!… I could use another photographer!… Do you have much experience with digital scientific photography?… or are you one of those artsy fartsy traditionalists?…
Thor:
I am more of a traditionalist… I have a large collection of antiques… But I do like to keep up with the state of the art in Midgardian digital photography… But I have been away for a while… But all of my work is mostly artsy fartsy as you say… although I have done some photo journalism… and gotten into all kinds of trouble with father for it…
Dr. Spectrum:
Photo Journalism?…
Thor:
Loki was having a hard time explaining to me what the issue was about… when it came to one of the civil rights movements of Midgard… in the southern United States… I didn’t get it at all… So we got permission from father to go on a discrete fact finding mission to Midgard… on the down low… as they say on Midgard… But I became infuriated with what I learned… And Loki learned more and became further enraged as well… So we turned to journalism… I took the pictures… and Loki wrote the words… We toured all over the south on a pair of Indians… Those are motorcycles… not people from India…
Dr. Spectrum:
I gathered that…
Thor:
Father eventually caught wise to what we were doing… We we’re getting too much attention for our reporting… So he yanked us back to Asgard… Right before Martin Luther King’s speech… We only read about it later… Written up by Odin’s Scribe of Midgard… Ozymandias the Mad… But he did site some of our work as a source on the movement… It was an honor…
Dr. Spectrum:
Well then… I’ll have to ask him about that when we catch up with him… When I get inside I need to take a number of high end photographs from multiple locations within the effected area… But I don’t have time to train anyone… So someone with your experience can at least meet me part way… Do you have any experience with astro-photography?…
Thor:
One of my favorites…
Dr. Spectrum:
Perfect… I’m going to give you a set of specs for the process that we need to follow… and form a camera that fits my specs at the same time… I’ll also send you the specs for the Niflheim Protocol…
Thor:
By all means Master Fitz… Let’s make preparations with all due haste… My daughter awaits…
Coulson:
I’ll contact Shield HQ… and give them a heads up on the plan… just so no one decides to nuke the aliens first and ask questions later…The next guy who threatens that might not be bluffing…
Dr. Spectrum grabs one of Thor’s hands, and forms a matte black digital camera in his other hand, in a familiar display of white sparkles, as Coulson uses his FSB to contact Shield.
Rocket:
Well we aren’t going… Someone’s gotta stay here and let our people know what’s going on… given that flashy pants there with the black sword just knocked everybody else out… Me and Groot want nothing to do with any crazy ass magic stuff anyway…
Groot:
I am Groot!…
Rocket:
You said it…
Coulson:
Right… That’s right… Uh huh… And a talking raccoon… You got it… Yeah I know… Could be worse… Could be a talking duck…
Rocket:
There’s that raccoon talk again… Should I be offended?…
Dr. Spectrum:
We shouldn’t try to portal in… or even fly in… there’s no telling how chaotic the spacial transition is… especially at high speed and or energy… So we should cross through on foot… and then make plans from there…
May:
How about the sea?… We can take a boat right to Emerald City… Right?… We can see what we can see from there in terms of even finding Pasadena…
Thor:
I’ve been traveling in a boat as well as a palace… It’s an Asgardian boat of course… among the finest… it’s moored and floating in the docks of the palace… We can float it down and take it nice and slow… but not too slow…
Dr. Spectrum:
Let’s go… But be advised… From what little I could gather… on the way out… the effects seem to be concentrated around Emerald City… the Johnson Building downtown… and the Dunbar Hotel… all three places where the entire structure was colonized by someone’s FSB by one necessity or another… That’s one hell of a coincidence… one that we have to investigate…
Thor:
With a survey?…
Dr. Spectrum:
Exactly… Starting with Emerald City apparently… From there we take Pasadena…
The ad hoc crew of Thor’s expedition follow their captain down to the docks of the crystal palace. They enter the dock in question to find what looks like a stylized viking sea going vessel, with a dragon shaped bow, and a dragons tail fin on the back, and seemingly carved stylized wings along each side, just floating in the air with no water in sight.
Dr. Spectrum:
That’s neat how it magically floats and all… But how did you ever use that to travel before Queen Aelsa picked you up?… Is that boat space worthy?… or just air worthy?…
Thor:
All Asgardian boats are space worthy Master Fitz… Asgard is a floating continent… floating in space… where it’s seas overflow it’s edges… and out into the void… This one is the fastest I have… in a fast collection…
Dr. Spectrum:
You know Thor… There’s a limit… a rule that I’ve placed on the use of what’s known as a Power Prism… although you could easily handle it probably… I recommend that Asgardians in general follow the same recommendation as for unaltered humans… There’s a limit to what can be directly handled by a human being who’s been altered with what’s known as Black Box Extremis… such as myself… That’s the ultimate max for anyone really… For any unaltered human… they can put their Power Prism in something large… like a golem… or a war shuttle… I believe Queen Karnilla keeps hers in a giant FSB staff that she shrinks down to carry… Even though both you and your daughter could probably handle it directly anyway… I recommend against trying… Instead… I recommend… that you use your new FSB to colonize this fancy boat that your so proud of… And augment it with it… and use your own Power Prism to power it… It would only take a few minutes… And I can send you all the specs… But we have to hurry if you’re going to do this…
Thor:
Your advice is well given Master Fitz… I shall do a you recommend…
Dr. Spectrum:
And send me the specs when you’re done… I would love to have one of my own…
Thor:
Will do Master Fits… Will do…
The crew depart in Thor’s new matte black viking dragon boat, floating down right through the crystal bulkhead walls of the crystal docking hall, then gently down to rest the bottom of the boat on the water’s surface, then they slowly make their way to Emerald City. A flurry of white sparkles engulfs the eyes and ears of every member of the crew, as matte black goggles form that completely enclose their eyes and ears. Thor’s goggles form with decorative matte black wings attached on either side. As they begin to enter the black cloud barrier, they feel a sudden jolt of acceleration as they are pulled in. They slow down once they’re fully within the barrier, then slowly make their way along a coastline, lit with the dim red and orange glow of primitive pyres and torches, and lined by castle keeps with high walls.
Dr. Spectrum:
I suspect from the appearance of things… that reality has settled down to the point where the full Niflheim Protocols are not required… But make sure that you keep them on standby… Just in case the effect is unstable… of whatever this is… Thor… Here inside the field… I think we can chance a little flight now… and perhaps a little survey along the way… What the hell has happened to Los Angeles?…
Thor:
Parts of it certainly look like hell…
May:
Didn’t it always?…
Queen Aelsa:
It doesn’t normally look like this?…
Dr. Spectrum:
No your majesty… No it doesn’t… Honestly it looks like a fantasy version of medieval times… Dungeons and Dragons style…
Thor:
Do you really think there will be dragons?…
Dr. Spectrum:
Not what I meant… But I suppose that I can’t rule it out at this point… Dungeons and Dragons is a fantasy role playing game here on Midgard… for kids… nerds and geeks… a silly overgrown kids game…
Queen Aelsa:
We seem to be living through someone’s game… but who’s…
Coulson:
It’s almost like someone used magic to turn LA into one big fantasy video game… Is this all an illusion?…
Queen Aelsa:
With magic… permanent transformations are often preceded with a glamour… which is then made permanent by forcing reality to fit the template of the glamour… There is no telling whether or not this is one of those instances until we know more… But the longer this lasts… the worse it will get… And the more likely there will be permanent changes…
Thor and Dr. Spectrum take pictures of the transformed Los Angeles, before they arrive in the air above Emerald City, now turned all matte black. The FSB statues of mushrooms still remain over all of it’s surfaces. But now they are all turned matte black as well, with nothing sparkly or shiny at all. The entire city is lit by burning pyres and torches just like LA, but burning with green flames, with pyres and torches seemingly formed out of the city itself, just like the mushrooms. A familiar Hulk roar erupts from the city below.
Thor:
Banner?… Is that really you?… I shudder to think what this spell has made of of you…
Dr. Spectrum:
Dr. Banner has a decent chance of being no worse for wear for all this… He was brought back from Niflheim after all… I still don’t know how he got there… But Lady Amora gave him his own FSB… So he could make pants basically… But also pass the time reading… and drinking… That’s all he uses it for supposedly… But I didn’t really have time to catch too many details of that story… what with everything happening so fast… But Dr. Banner might have some resistance to this hopefully… otherwise… we could be in serious trouble here… Try to land down there… in Hulk Orchard Park… in the giant koi pond…
Thor:
Hulk Orchard Park?…
Dr. Spectrum:
Yeah… That’s where he lives now… Or he did before all this recent craziness… That’s as good a place to start as any… The city looks completely differently though… It used to be all sparkly emerald green… but without the green flaming torches everywhere… That is some wicked dark magic makeover…
They land in the large koi pond that serves as part of the city aquaponic gardening system, and they tether Thor’s boat to a small dock meant more for kids play rather than spaceship docking. Thor jumps out of the ship, and onto the ground of the park. As the rest of the crew disembark from the ship, two quick and agile figures tumble out in front of Thor, arms at the ready, as Thor calls out for Dr. Banner, his father, and even Loki.
Thor:
Dr. Banner!… Father!…. Loki!… Hey!… Where’d you come from?… Cap. Rogers?… If you are not Cap. Rogers… then you had better have a good reason why you’re carrying his shield…
One of the two figures carries Cap. America’s shield on his left arm, with a double edged straight sword in his other hand. Covered head to toe in medieval armor and chain mail, splashed red white and blue, with a helmet split up the center in front and widening at the top of the slit for the eyes, also with a star spangled paint job. The other figure stands there all in black, hooded with a bow, ready with an arrow drawn and leveled.
Cap. Rogers:
I am Cap. Rogers… Intruder… Who may you be to act so familiar?… I have no memory of you…
Thor:
I am Thor!… Your friend and teammate… Son of Odin…
Cap. Rogers:
You’re the son of King Odin?… The prodigal wondering one?…
Thor:
Well… Yes… I suppose so… if you must put it like that…
Cap. Rogers:
The king will be ecstatic to hear that… I must inform him at once…
Sir America heads up off with diligent speed to inform the king, leaving Thor somewhat perplexed.
Hooded Bow:
Never mind him Thor… He got whammied hard… We both did… Sam too… But I got whammied in a way that allowed me to see through it… and remember who I was… I’m just not sure my wife is gonna dig the ears if we don’t reverse this… So you’re really Thor huh?…
The hooded bowman puts his bow and arrow away, and removes his hood revealing Thor’s friend Hawkeye with white hair and a set of elves ears beneath the hood.
Hawkeye:
We get a lot of cosplay weirdos who get the magic makeover then go nuts and cause problems… a lot of Inhumans and wolfkin too… Welcome to the mess… I can do magic now… And for what it’s worth… Steve is pretty good with the sword now… I was almost hoping he would have kept going at you… I would have loved to see that… For the record I hope I get to keep the ears… beats having to rely on a hearing aide…
Thor:
Clint?… Are you’re sure you’re okay?…
Hawkeye:
Sure… Nothing I can’t handle… We’ve been in here dealing with this a while now… at least a year it seems… But it’s impossible to track in perpetual night… Stark Dr. Foster and Dr. Selvig are working on mapping the effect… But parts of it are still changing… And we’ve been under a state of near perpetual warfare here… The Black Queen has made her presence known… We don’t know if she did this… But she’s certainly taking advantage of it…
Thor:
Jane?… is she here?… with?…
Hawkeye:
Your daughter?… No Jane isn’t here… Jane is across town in her old lab… working the problem… where she has been ever since this began… And she left her daughter with her grandfather King Odin… here… for instruction…
Little Girl:
Father!… Where have you been?…
Natasha Romanov walks out with Helga Ward, each wearing matte black hooded cloaks, and accompanied by a small blonde blue eyed six year old girl, with matte black tiara, and a matte black hooded cape with hood down, and a sparkly pink princess dress underneath. The princess gives off sparks of impatience and disapproval.
Natasha:
Hi Thor… This is Princess Frigga… Your father’s caught up in another bout of prophecy… which happens a lot in here now… Nothing can be done for him that isn’t already being done… Loki and his attendants are with him… We’ve been dealing with this a while now… It’s impossible to say for how long in here…
Thor:
Princess Frigga?… Frigga was my mother’s name… Your mother met her briefly… before she died… I couldn’t have picked a better name for you myself…
Princess Frigga:
I want to know where you’ve been!… I already know about grandmother!… Grandfather never stops talking about grandmother!… I want to know where you were!…
Thor moves to comfort his little daughter as he explains, then she unleashes an unintentional lightening attack against her father’s arms, causing him to relinquish his grip on his hammer momentarily, causing his hammer to be knocked up and out of his hands, and down into her waiting hand, as she instinctively tries to catch it, and somehow manages to do so. She holds it there, as shocked and surprised as everyone, save for her father.
Thor:
She’s holding it… She’s holding it!…
Natasha:
Yes Thor… She’s… holding it…
Thor:
Uh… Sweety… Sweet little girl… Come and give daddy back his hammer will you…
Princess Frigga:
No!…
Princess Frigga begins to giggle as she begins to ramp up her own lightening, then she shoots up into the sky riding a lightening bolt, laughing hysterically as she goes.
Princess Frigga:
Death to the darkness!… Down with this prison of shadows!…
Natasha:
Helga!…
Helga:
I’m on it!…
Helga pulls out her matte black Vajra Thunderbolt, and lightening shoots up through the ground connecting with the sky through her thunderbolt, and pulling Helga along as she holds on for the ride, flying up after her would be protege as the little girl tries to incinerate the sky with daddy’s hammer.
Helga:
Frigga!… You can’t blast the magic away!… We’ve already tried this!… Come back down and give daddy his hammer back!… Right now!… Or no more flying lessons!…
Frigga continues to light up the inside walls of their magic prison, lighting up the entire sky of otherwise opaque matte black cloud, but to no lasting effect, save to notify potential enemies of the arrival of the thunder god. Suddenly, the hammer jerks back in Frigga’s hand, but she holds on, as if glued to it, as the hammer shoots back down and flies back to it’s true master, waiting back in Hulk Orchard Park. As the hammer arrives back in Thor’s presence, it stops short and hovers in the air, with Frigga still hanging from the handle.
Princess Frigga:
I can’t let go…
Thor:
Because I won’t let you little girl…
Frigga suddenly drops down to the ground, as Helga catches up with Frigga’s hammer ride back to base, and lands next to them on her own lightening plasma cushion.
Thor:
Always remember who the hammer’s real master is little girl… But now that I know that you can do that… you’ll have to practice of course… But when I say… Understand?…
The Hammer stops hovering, and shoots into Thor’s waiting hand with a small flash of lightening.
Princess Frigga:
Yes father…
Thor:
And as far as where I was… I was tracking down leads that I had seen in a vision… In a dream essentially… And I have learned a great deal about looming dangers that I cannot help but think must be directly related to this war…
Princess Frigga:
A likely story!… And complicated sounding… That sounds like what Grandfather does!… He’s having visions right now!… So I can’t be in there right now… Are you a prophet too daddy?…
Thor:
Only occasionally… It runs in the family on both my mother’s and my father’s side… But I am very far from succumbing to prophecy little one… But one doesn’t necessarily have to wait for that… But who is your instructor here?… Helga is it?… Helga of the flying lessons?…
Helga:
I’m Lady Sif’s daughter… Helga Ward… imperial babysitter and flight instructor… I’m a berzerker… like my father… my mother… and my grandfather… It’s just in my blood… So when I got this FSB thing with all it’s own inherent lightening and electromagnetic levitation powers… the two things came together with me… and got me all over amped to ride the lightening… She starts with the lightening… and the FSBs just help her manage it a little better… But I’ve been doing this since I was 9… So I’m trying to put her through her paces… But now with you here… and you’re hammer… I feel somewhat superfluous… Perhaps now I can rejoin the mapping mission…
Natasha:
Not so fast… Bruja Paquena… That mapping mission may be off as it was originally devised… With Thor and the others here… we have to regroup… touch base… Dr. Foster is working at her FSB enhanced lab at Cal Tech… or what’s left of Cal Tech… She’s working there with a friend named Gabriel… The entire campus save for their labs… was given a magic makeover as an abandoned monastery… Eric Selvig as well… He’s there with them too… Stark and company were shielded partly by being in an underground vault… They were in the process of colonizing it with FSBs for forensic examination… Shielding them… Stark had to accept an FSB of his own to deal with the effect of… whatever this is… him and all the people that he had left… Any technology is at least partly suspect in here… Personal FSBs are the only things that still work at all… and whatever they make… except not at full power for whatever reason… there’s a notable power loss with everything that’s still working… Like it’s being siphoned off to maintain this effect… that’s what Stark says… except for this city… the Johnson Building… and the Dunbar Hotel… for whatever reason… But they are completely non-responsive to all commands… Don’t know why… We know it’s related… But we don’t know why yet… The two FSB colony clusters downtown seem to be digging some sort of pit between them… They’ve colonized everything around them… completely on their own… and they won’t respond to their owner’s orders… The Black Queen seems to have turned the Dunbar Hotel into her own private castle keep… While Daisy and her family maintain control of the Johnson Building with Queen Karnilla… Near constant fighting is everywhere within the city… And it’s not just the shape and appearance of everything that’s changed and changing… according to Stark and Dr. Foster… The shape of space and time themselves are changing… That’s what the mapping work is about…
Dr. Spectrum:
Sounds like something that I was planning on doing… Looks like they beat us to it…
Natasha:
They’re actually supposed to finishing the mapping phase… as we speak…
Dr. Spectrum:
Perhaps we can leave the king to prophecy… and touch base with Dr. Foster?…
Thor:
That sounds like an excellent idea…
Queen Aelsa:
Not so fast!… I have come across the void with the prince of Asgard to serve the greater interests of the war effort… And now I demand that my love be brought before me… for an important family matter that cannot wait… My own daughter may be a lost cause… But I demand to see Loki now!… I will see Loki now… or I will see someone dead in his place before too long…
Woman:
My my cousin… Aren’t we melodramatic when we’re in love… Or are you just being queenly again?…
Queen Aelsa:
Morgana… Finally ready to show yourself?… To your son?…
Gen. Fitz:
And her ex husband…
Morgana and Gen. Fitz walk out into the flickering green light, of green flames. Dr. Spectrum is astonished at seeing his own mother, with faerie ears, and at half her supposed human age, arm in arm with his dad. Loki walks steadily behind them, as he and Cap. Rogers walk with King Odin.
Dr. Spectrum:
Mum!?!… What the hell happened to your ears?… Were you in LA when this crazy spell was cast?…
Morgana:
Yes son… But that’s not why I have these ears my boy… We have to talk… I am not simply Morgan Fitz… your mum… I am Morgana Pendragon of the fay… That’s fairy folk… of Avalon originally in fact… Queen Aelsa is my cousin… But I renounced all that for the sake of a human life with your father and you… Things didn’t always go our way… But I have no regrets… other than not telling you sooner… I actually came looking for you… when I found out that you’d been sacked… without telling me!… I wanted to just take you away with me and teach you things… that I couldn’t before… tell you all about yourself… and me… and our people… after I released your powers of course…
Dr. Spectrum:
Powers?… What bloody powers?… You’ve been bloody mind warped by enchantment!…
Loki:
She’s not enchanted Leopold… She’s enchanting in her own way… But she’s not enchanted… She’s been helping out with King Odin in fact… in a similar way to how she helped out your dad… which led to you in the first place… My recommendation… My introduction… incognito of course… It was not my intention for them to get together that way necessarily… But I have no regrets… But I must also admit that I have no idea what she’s talking about when it comes to powers…
Dr. Spectrum:
For what services?… By your recommendation?…
Morgana:
Music therapy!… Dirty mind!… I’ve only ever lectured you about it a hundred thousand times…
Dr. Spectrum:
Yeah… always when I’m playing… when I’m trying to concentrate…
Morgana:
I’m sorry… By partially sealing your powers… I partially sealed your talent… You don’t just have a talented mind… but talented ears… talented for Fairy Song… I can demonstrate what I mean by releasing your powers here and now… Because it will take Fairy Song to undo it… since it took Fairy Song to put the seal on to begin with…
Morgana pulls out a simple wooden transverse flute, and begins to play Fairy Song as Queen Aelsa had done before. Dr. Spectrum begins to emit a green glow momentarily before his ears begin to extend and take on a more elven shape, as his skin turns pale. Then Dr. Spectrum’s hair turns a more vivid red.
Morgana:
It’s not just the ears of course… That’s just the most obvious outward sign… of the special sensitivity of the fay… That sensitivity is what makes the ears of the fairy so potent for learning and playing Fairy Song… as well as learning and performing magic… of all sorts… as naturally as others learn how to walk… I heard from the others that you’ve mastered basic magic in spite of this… But hopefully now… It will be much easier for you… Perhaps you could even learn Fairy Song yourself now…
Dr. Spectrum:
How am I ever going to explain this to Jemma…
Morgana:
You look better this way anyway…
Dr. Spectrum:
That is not the only concern here…
Morgana:
If you’re worried about your offspring… Dr. Simmons already gave birth to my granddaughter!…
Dr. Spectrum:
What!?!… Are you bloody daft?… Jemma is a vampire now!… You’re not the only one with surprises I guess…
Morgana:
Dr. Simmons used one her previously preserved eggs… and took a sperm sample from you at some point… and decided to take matters into her own capable scientific hands… She used your invention to create an artificial womb… right inside her own undead vampire womb… Normally I wouldn’t approve of such a thing… But I’m a grandmother now… So you can stick it!… I don’t care that my grandchild’s mum is a vampire… My granddaughter isn’t!… And she’s got your ears son… The one’s you’ve got on now… I’ve already explained the truth about you to Dr. Simmons months ago… our time frame… Dr. Simmons is at the Cal Tech Keep with your friend Gabe… Dr. Foster… and Dr. Selvig… Your daughter is with them… The Cal Tech Keep is as safe as can be… But unnecessary travel between keeps is not such a good idea… But speaking of being a grandmother… Before you get into it with Loki here… cousin Aelsa… You should know that your daughter Meghan has also given birth… to a daughter… by more natural means of course… She… and her daughter… are here… but sleeping… in spite of all the thundering out here…
Princess Frigga:
Sorry…
Queen Aelsa:
News of my grandchild’s birth is truly heartening… But the business that I have with Loki and King Odin… and Prince Thor… cannot wait!… This must be resolved at once!… Or the nine realms may face Alfheim as an enemy in this war…
Lord Balder and his daughter Lady Sif come to join the conversation, after learning that Thor had arrived with Queen Aelsa.
Lord Balder:
You wouldn’t!… over Loki?…
Queen Aelsa:
I would!… I would not have it any other way… But for better or for worse… My love for Loki… has destabilized Alfheim… our progeny has destabilized Alfheim… and the succession thereof… And that is not all!…
Loki:
Oh good!… It’s my greatest hits collection!…
Queen Aelsa:
Shut up my love… I’m not done yet… I am pregnant again… also with a girl from you… all from a pairing that the nine realms doesn’t recognize as legitimate… in spite of our wedding in Avalon… As the throne of Alfheim is strictly matriarchal… I have now an abundance of options besides poor Meghan… They would all be legitimate but for the sake of the politics of your father… from a time when it arguably no longer mattered already… When Morgana married us together before the throne of Avalon… the ceremony was disavowed… by my mother and your father… for the sake of politics… I demand that our marriage be recognized… and I demand that you fulfill your obligations to me and our family… with your father’s public blessing before all of Asgard… and all of the nine realms…
Morgana:
See what I mean about melodrama kiddo?… We already talked about that month’s ago!… But we have to get out of here first!… if you want any fancy announcements made for the sake of all the nine realms… We had no idea about the kid on the way though… Congratulations… But now you’re both stuck in here with us… But at least you get to meet your granddaughter now…
Dr. Spectrum:
Wait… Married before the throne of Avalon?… How would my mother be able to marry someone before the throne of Avalon…
Loki:
Because she was the Queen of Avalon at the time… She abdicated in order to keep the peace after the controversy that was created… She abdicated the throne of Avalon… and has turned her back on the whole place ever since… long before you ever came along Master Fitz…
The hulk comes howling out of his bath house.
Hulk:
Thor!… Was that you just now?… Or was that the kid again?…
Thor:
It was the kid!… But she did it with my hammer!…
Hulk:
Cool… and the music?…
Thor:
Magical Fairy Song… from this one’s mother…
Hulk:
Cool… So are we finally blowing this place or what?…
Thor:
We are!… As soon as we figure out how… You have my word… My family will not be imprisoned forever…
Hulk:
Cool…
Dr. Spectrum:
Wait… That Fairy Song… Can I really learn that?…
Morgana:
Sure thing son… You just need a little practice with your proper ears on is all…
Dr. Spectrum:
Do you think that I can pick it up quickly enough… to play it along with you and Queen Aelsa?… to maybe get the hell out of here?…
Queen Aelsa:
What are you getting at Master Fitz?…
Dr. Spectrum:
This thing… whatever it is exactly… behaves like a computer virus infecting major clusters of FSBs… But since the technology is part magic… The results of the computer virus are also part magical… like some black magic computer hacking… installing some sort of demonic malware… But with a little magic of a different sort… maybe we can fix the computer problem… with a magic software patch… delivered via Fairy Song… We should be able to use the music therapy of Fairy Song… to reverse this… and break out of it…
Queen Aelsa:
An intriguing theory Master Fitz… But how do you propose to test this theory?…
Dr. Spectrum:
Here first… This city is at the edges of the affected area… if we can heal this place… we might be able to break it out of this… and shrink the effected area… by diminishing the energy available to power the effect… cutting a bunch of it out of the circuit… If it works… we can always go back in and finish the job… I can try and play along… But I’m no where near good enough yet… I would probably just get in the way…
Morgana:
Nonsense son… You just follow along and do your best… We’ll take care of the rest… But we’ll need as many strong voices as we can get…
Queen Aelsa:
Are you seriously entertaining this Morgana?… This sounds like risky speculation…
Dr. Spectrum:
That is how all science starts… We can notify everyone else before we try the experiment… so that they can observe the results… But we have to do something…
King Odin:
Agreed… Preparations should begin immediately… with all due haste!… We have Loki’s wedding to plan after all…
Thor:
A wedding?… I thought we just had to recognize the old wedding… Do we really have to have a new one?…
King Odin:
We cannot undo the past… But while we still live… we can always begin again… And I love a good wedding…
Morgana:
For maximum effectiveness… we’ll need as many competent flutes as possible… as many resonant voices as can be brought to bear… That will take time laddie… I have every confidence… But you will have to practice for best results…
Hawkeye:
Can I learn this Fairy Song?… even though I’m not a real one?…
Morgana:
You seem real enough to me master archer… Do you have any musical skill as it is now?…
Hawkeye:
I knew the flute… I knew a little bit about a lot of instruments… I was in the circus… And everybody does everything in the circus… to the fullest extent possible… including play in the band when necessary… But I haven’t even touched a flute since I left the circus…
Queen Aelsa:
With time… we can coach you…
Hawkeye:
How much time do we really have with this?…
Thor:
No time for waiting… for conversations that must be had now… We must gather Stark Jane and the others… and prepare for our escape… and then prepare for Loki’s wedding…
Natasha, Clint, and Cap. Rogers head to Stark Keep, to inform their old friend of Thor’s arrival, and fetch him to sort out the new plan of action back at Emerald City. Coulson and May head for the Johnson Building to check on Daisy and company, and to fetch them like the others, in order to plan for escape. Thor and Master Fitz jump into Thor’s boat with Helga and Frigga, and head to Cal Tech Keep at best speed, not only to gather forces to plan for escape, but to resolve family issues, and sort through the answers, with family reunions.
Thor and Dr. Spectrum take numerous survey pictures as they go, to the ridicule of Helga all the way. Thor lowers his boat down into what appears to be the ruins of a sacked Christian monastery, lowered down into the inner courtyard area, behind a high castle wall, and tethers it to a tree as an anchor. Frigga jumps off with a few sparks, and Helga follows after her, chasing along a familiar path. Dr. Spectrum and Thor jump off onto the courtyard grounds, and wonder at the alterations wrought by the magic make over. In among the stone walls of the monastery, are bits of FSB colonized walls made to blend in with that of the magic make over monastery. Eric Selvig walks out of a small courtyard chapel, and greets his old friend Thor, wearing the robes of a Christian monk, and walking with a matte black staff, with matte black cross on top of it.
Monk Selvig:
Thor!… False god!… True friend!… Absent father!…
Thor:
I’m sorry Eric… I just met my daughter… Lovely girl… Have you been helping look after her for me?…
Monk Selvig:
I have… Although she does not heed my sermons… being the daughter of a false god prevents her from accepting all of my teachings… She is nonetheless quite gifted in math and science… I’m still working on her soul… I have been working on dispelling this evil of the Black Queen’s… this pit of infinite hells that she’s digging… We still do not know who placed this curse on Los Angeles… But the Black Queen has been taking advantage… In Christ’s name!… This fallen angel of death must be stopped!…
Thor:
Christ?… Jesus Christ?… I have heard of this Christ… The cult has a small following in Asgard… has had such a following with King Odin’s blessing… ever since he met the man once… at a wedding… According to father… he was an excellent winemaker… with some sort of magic… father tried to get the recipe… but it was some sort of sectarian thing… I don’t suppose you have any of the traditional sacramental wine by any chance?…
Monk Selvig:
I’m afraid not… But Helga’s father and I run a distillery in the back… If you’re feeling the need for something more… medicinal…
As they talk, a glowing winged pixie of some sort, about six inches tall with glowing butterfly wings, flies in and buzzes Thor first, then Dr. Spectrum.
Dr. Spectrum:
What on earth is that?… Is that another enchantment victim?…
Madame Web:
No silly… That is our daughter… Your mother says fairy infants some times go through a phase of this… if their powers aren’t sealed… But your mother has sworn never to do something like that again… And I don’t blame her… But I do sometimes wish I could play that bloody Fairy Song of hers… I have been learning magic… Believe it or not… By necessity really… Are you cross with me?… I was going to tell you… But I didn’t want you to know in case it didn’t work…
Dr. Spectrum:
I’m not cross… so much as stunned… This would be the least of what’s stunning me… except that I gave up on the notion as soon as you became a vampire… I totally forgot about your preserved eggs…
Thor:
I have heard of this phase… among the young of the fay… the power of shape shifting… and flight in some… combine to make them very difficult to coral or discipline… sometimes they can grow up quite wild…
Madame Web:
Your mother seems to like that idea… She sent word you were here… She’s been teaching me things… In large part because I’m now partly responsible for teaching her granddaughter… I love the hair… the ears I’m not so sure about… I keep thinking you’re about to give the Vulcan solute… or lead me to Rivendale…
Dr. Spectrum:
Avalon… apparently…
Madame Web:
Yes… Your mother doesn’t really like to talk about that… even now… Sore subject… apparently… With a maiden name like Pendragon… you know there’s gotta be a story there… She’s no ordinary Morgana of the fay… I just hope that we can’t believe all the stories… Do you think she knew the real Merlin?…
Dr. Foster:
Thor!… I can explain!…
Dr. Jane Foster calls out to Thor as she walks out with a panicked look.
Thor:
No need to explain Jane Foster… I may be slightly cross with the fact that it was kept from me… But I have myself to blame for that more than anyone… And Loki is dealing with far worse right now… And now I have been blessed with a daughter who is worthy of my hammer… She wields it you know… That was her earlier… with my hammer!… What is there to be upset about?… What else is there?… except for my own absence to apologize for… And for which I am deeply sorry Jane Foster… for being absent for so long… from you and our daughter…
Dr. Foster:
That’s not what I’m talking about!… I’m sorry… I lied to your father!… Apparently… you haven’t had too much time to catch up yet but… when I introduced our daughter to him… he put me on the spot about you and I… and… I told him… that you had promised me that you would marry me upon your return from your secret mission!… I honestly didn’t think he would be so enthusiastic about the idea… based on what he said about me before… But Loki’s grand kids seem to changed his mind on the matter… big time… he’s obsessed!… He loves weddings apparently…
Thor:
Well then… There is only one thing to do… to deal with deception of this nature and magnitude…
Thor walks over to his baby mama, and kneels down before her.
Thor:
My dear Jane Foster… Will do do me the honor of allowing me to help you cover for your bold faced lie?… and marry me for sake of your honor and the honor of our daughter?…
Dr. Foster:
I will!… I mean… I do!… And have already done so this whole time as far as anyone else knows!…
Thor:
You all heard her!… You’re all sworn to secrecy!…
Madame Web:
Don’t know what you’re talking about…
Dr. Spectrum:
We were never here… We were too busy trying to track down a butterfly net so that we could ground our own daughter…
Dr. Foster:
You’re not mad at all?…
Thor:
Are you kidding?… of all the lies that have ever been told about me… that make me look good… This is by far the best ever!… And my new favorite!…
Princess Frigga comes running out, and jumps up onto Thor’s shoulders, just as he is rising up from his knees.
Princess Frigga:
Are we going for another flying boat ride daddy?… Can I have my own flying boat?… I wanna flying boat!… Can the flying boat fly us out of here daddy?… Mommy?…
Dr. Foster:
I think it’ll take more than a flying boat for that…
Dr. Spectrum:
How about the Fairy Song?… and the healing power of music therapy?…
Dr. Foster:
Have you been drinking?…
Madame Web:
It’s not that far fetched is it?…
Dr. Foster:
The healing power?… No… The idea that it can somehow unravel the dimensional space-time tangle that the Black Queen is creating?… That’s easier said than done… or sang… However well that works for you… I just don’t think it’s going to be as simple as that…
Dr. Spectrum:
A boat and a song then…
In the FSB lab, Gabriel Reyes stares at a large display, where dimensional mapping and processing are underway, with a progress dialog that keeps resetting, over and over again. Helga comes in from behind him as he vents in frustration.
Black Smith:
Dammit!…
Helga:
Take it easy Black Smith… Would being stuck in here forever with me really be so bad?…
Black Smith:
You forget about my kids on the outside…
Helga:
Your alleged kids… You only really have that mad scientist’s word for it…
Black Smith:
Dr. Simmons herself verified it… given the time compression… they’re probably still unborn as we speak… But I can’t be sure of that… Or that we’re ever really getting out of this prison… We can’t even get the mapping to process because everything is still shifting…
Helga:
Well… everyone’s coming together for some big powwow about getting out of here… So stop staring at the screen that can’t help you… And focus on the bruja pequena that can… and forget about the maps… get lost with me…
Helga reaches down and pulls up Gabriel’s chin, and forces him to kiss her and pay attention to her instead of the screen. Clint, Natasha, and Cap. Rogers make their way to Stark Industries Keep, a stylized red and gold sparkling fantasy castle, looking like an Iron Man themed castle, modeled after something seen in a Disney logo. Iron Man Castle is surrounded by a high wall and a moat, with a draw bridge as the only path in or out on the ground. Inside, the main courtyard serves as a staging area for various winged horses, matte black motorcycles, as well as the odd matte black tank or APC.
Natasha Romanov flies in with her own matte black convertible flying impala, with Sir Rogers, Captain of the Guard, in the back with Hawkeye of the fay, while Yelena the Valkyrie rides shotgun with her matte black spear at the ready.
Yelena The V:
Lord Balder may need comforting… Queen Aelsa disturbed him greatly… I should have stayed behind…
Natasha:
Oh sure… I’m starting to think you’re faking enchantment… at least as far as your mind is concerned…
Yelena The V:
Suit yourself… But in case you should end up in Niflheim… you may want to be nicer to me… Those on a path such as yours… often end up that way…
Hawkeye:
I thought you gave her an FSB… Didn’t it work for her at all?… It helped me sort things a bit… being elfen in nature… even artificially… helped a little… But she still remembers nothing?…
Natasha:
She might not want to… It only seems to work as a shield… not as a cure… especially when there are physical changes…
Hawkeye:
Like with the Man of Spiders…
Natasha:
Don’t mention that again… Tony is sensitive about that… And we need him to concentrate today…
Sir Rogers:
I believe as Tony does… that not all hope is lost… for the Man of Spiders… nor for the Archangel of the Black Queen…
Yelena The V:
Otherwise… I shall find them… and deliver them to Valhalla personally…
Natasha:
Maybe you should all just let me do the talking…
Across town, Coulson and May make there way downtown to the Johnson Building, on a pair of matte black motorcycles, rolling on cobblestone streets, past horse drawn carriages and plows. They make their way past castle keeps with high castle walls, guarded by men in armor and chain mail, and past peasants toiling in fields where a baseball diamond may have been before, guarded by the same. They make their way through a complex maze of guarded gates leading into the downtown area, all waving the flag of the eagle, resembling the symbol of Shield.
May:
Why did you insist on riding all the way here again?… For the view?…
Coulson:
Exactly… If someone tells me that there is near constant warfare in the streets… even if that someone is agent Romanov or agent Barton… I want to see it street level for myself anyway… Everything certainly seems tense… but quiet… We’re getting close to the Johnson Building now… They said that was the front line…
May:
Pit of hell adjacent… A front row seat… But you wouldn’t know it from here…
Coulson:
There certainly seems like a lot of damage here and there… Perhaps the fighting is random and sporadic… but intense…
As they talk and they’re riding along, the Hulk let’s out a signature howl, and can be seen leaping over them high in the air as they look up, heading in the direction of the Johnson Building.
Coulson:
Like that!… Looks like Dr. Banner’s going in…
May and Coulson are waved through the remaining gates, as they are expected. They finally reach the Johnson Building just as a bare torso’d and winged flying black man, with leather pants and bare feet, carrying a spear, impales the Hulk through his bicep with the spear against the pavement in front of the Johnson Building, as they come crashing down out of the sky. Coulson catches a glimpse of the warrior angel’s face and recognizes him, before the Star God shimmers into view standing over the Hulk’s head, and unleashes a massive lightening attack on the hands holding spear, sending the warrior angel back and away from the Hulk and his spear, before he flies up and away out of site.
Coulson:
Sam Wilson?…
Star God:
Not at the moment he’s not… That is the Archangel of the Black Queen Selene… Banner!… You Okay?…
Hulk:
I will be…
The Hulk pulls the spear out of his bicep and throws it in frustration.
Coulson:
You mean to tell me that Sam Wilson… got whammied into being an actual angel?…
Star God:
And then he got twisted around by the Black Queen somehow… Imagine Thor with angel wings that worked… but without the hammer… usually… But he’s not even the worst of the things we have to fight off out here… Queen Karnilla and Lady Amora are trying to help decipher what the Black Queen is doing in that pit… And Daisy and her family won’t surrender the building no matter what… But the enemy would love to drive us out… So how’s your day?… Is Fitz really back?… with Thor?… Dir. Mace is up stairs helping protect the queen… You’d better head up… Look out!…
An agile figure in a mostly matte black body suit swings in on artificial spider web, and scoops up Coulson, May, and their matte black choppers in nets of web, and swings them high up in the air, above the rooftops of the Johnson Building and surrounding buildings. Coulson and May’s bikes morph and shape shift in flight into their hover quad configurations, as Coulson and May materialize their respective blades, and cut themselves free, before hovering in mid air as the spider thing swings away. The spider thing wears all featureless matte black, save for the white spider patterns on the front and the back, and two white ovals over the eyes.
Coulson:
Spiderman?…
Spider Thing:
I am Venom!…
May:
Venom?… You are warped!…
The Archangel comes swooping in out of nowhere, and nearly blindsides Coulson on his hover quad.
May:
Coulson look out!…
They look around for some place to get out of the fray, and spot the queen and company on the roof of the Johnson Building, then they make a dash for the roof.
Coulson:
To the queen!… And you thought it was a waste of time to approach on the ground!… We could have used Thor on this errand!… But he needed family time…
May:
Never mind Thor!… We could have used his daughter!…
Coulson and May land on the rooftop of the Johnson Building, just as Queen Karnilla herself stands behind numerous bits of high end matte black observation gear, including a large clear lens in a matte black frame, with the queen intently peering through it, oblivious to anything else around her. The queen is adorned with what looks like the matte black maternity version of traditional Asgardian battle armor. Lady Amora wears a similar sparkly emerald attire, both of them noticeably pregnant. Daisy Johnson watches their backs, as Lady Amora discharges her sparkly emerald green trident, with numerous green lightening blasts at the Archangel of the Black Queen, as he tries to harass the rooftop party.
Daisy likewise seems dressed in maternity armor, wearing her leather jacket over the top, with matte black armored torso guard underneath. Next to her stands her daughter Emma, waiting impatiently. Dir. Mace fiercely struggles to keep Hand ninja off of the rooftop, standing guard with his matte black bo staff, fighting side by side with the Warriors Three, occasionally swatting Venom off of the roof as well.
Coulson:
How long have you guys been locked away in here anyway?… How did everyone in here get pregnant all of a sudden?…
Daisy:
We have been at this for quite some time… At least a year probably… But it’s impossible to tell…
Dr. Laufey:
Hard battle makes fierce warriors thirsty… I’m sure that you and your lady friend there know all about it Son of Coul…
Dir. Mace:
Speaking of being at it for quite some time… Can we crunch this data a little faster?… And plug this hole?… If code green down stairs can’t hold up… we’re not going to last much longer here…
Hogan:
We will last as long as it takes!… For Asgard!…
Dir. Mace:
For Pete’s sake!… Think of the children my love!… Reinforcements have arrived!… It’s time to regroup!…
Queen K:
Very well my love!… I shall relent… Daisy… send the signal…
Daisy:
Emma… You heard her majesty… Let Robbie and Mara know… It’s time to plug this hole… And be sure to send the clear out signal to everyone else…
Venom jumps up out of nowhere, and tries to attack Emma Frost directly, to prevent her from sending any signal. Daisy pulls her sais out from her leather jacket behind her, and crosses them in front of herself, between herself and Venom as he flies towards Emma. Emma instinctively reveals a translucent crystal armor conjured forth in a flurry of white sparkles, surrounding her body completely. Daisy unleashes a concentrated force of vibration, focused at the Venom creature, stunning it and causing the white and matte black suit surrounding Venom to fly off partially, as if fleeing it’s host, revealing Peter Parker underneath, to the surprise of everyone present. The Venom suit reforms itself around Peter Parker, then Venom webs away, fleeing the danger.
Emma’s translucent crystal armor disappears in a flash of lightening, and she sends the signal to her sister Amara, to Amara’s dad Robbie, and to her grandfather and the others down in the pit of the Black Queen. Down in the pit, several levels of spiral matte black FSB cobble stone roads, and matte black FSB stone arch supported ramps, crisscross each other as they spiral down the walls of the pit, down to the bottom of it. Each level is lined with numerous large glowing circles, further encircled by matte black FSB stone arch circles. Every level is lined with warriors in medieval style armor, bearing the eagle crest of the Shield warriors, fighting in running battles with numerous demonic and goblin like creatures, including numerous hell hounds, vampires, and Hand ninjas.
Down at the bottom, Robbie Reyes waits by his Hell Charger, leaning against his car with his daughter Amara, with Amara wearing a matte black form fitting cat suit, with bare feet and hands, covered in patterns of red roses with green thorns and vines. Amara’s grandfather, the hulking Mr. Hide, stands guard over a small girl, wearing his own matte black medieval armor, swinging a matte black double bladed battle ax. He stands fighting over a small six year old red headed girl, wearing child sized matte black body armor, waving the Siren Blade about, and singing along, trying to enthrall the hell hounds fighting in the pit, and rescue them from the other side.
Mr. Hide:
That’s it Karny Girl!… Keep singing your song all you like… But it’s time to go!… We can keep trying to lure them with us on the way out!… BT!… Time for a ride home!…
BT:
You got it Dr. Johnson!…
BT pull their matte black armored flat bed truck around, and Mr. Hide grabs little Karnilla up in one hand and jumps on the back of BT’s truck as they pull away on their way up one of the matte black FSB cobble stone ramps. Led by the Siren Blade and it’s master, many hell hounds follow them as they retreat from the pit.
Robbie Reyes:
Looks like the mercy mission is over… I’d better get going and help bat cleanup… Don’t linger behind when you’re done here!…
Amara:
Okay dad… Now clear out so I can make a mess…
Robbie Reyes:
I mean it girl!… I don’t want to have to rescue you too!… Not from your grandmother!…
Amara:
Don’t worry dad!… They’ll have to rescue her from me!… Now get going!… Granddad Calvin and the others need you!…
Robbie Reyes:
Alright girl… I’m going…
Robbie Reyes’ head explodes into red and orange flames, as it turns into the flaming skull of the Ghost Rider.
Amara:
C’mon Z-man… Gimme one for the road…
Ghost Rider:
We are Vengeance!…
Amara:
Damn right we are!… And Loco thinks his Uncle Bruce is a strange uncle to have… He’s got nothing on Zarathos…
The Ghost Rider gets into the Hell Charger, as it catches fire around the wheels, and flames begin to shout out of the tail pipes. The Hell Charger spins it’s wheels in a flaming flare up, and circles around Amara for a moment, then takes off up one of the matte black FSB cobblestone ramps out of the bottom of the pit. The Hell Charger speeds up the ramp after BT and their truck, then jumps off at the top of the ramp, with flaming trails behind the wheels, landing in front of BT’s truck, plowing a flaming trail in front of them. Mr. Hide swings his ax from the back of BT’s truck, as little Karny Girl’s Siren Blade continues to play pied piper style on their way out of the pit.
Amara proceeds step by step towards the center of the pit, as the ground increasingly rattles with every step. She flames off with her hair catching fire, and her skin turning to red and orange molten magma, but with her suit managing not to burn up. The ground beneath her feet begins to turn to molten magma and rise with her every step, as a small plateau begins to form to provide a path for her to walk, that rises as she walks, then the plateau begins to turn ever brighter and molten as it rises. By the time she reaches the center of the pit, her molten pedestal is a full fledged brand new volcano, plugging the hole, and blocking all of the various would be portals with molten magma.
Emma:
Now Uncle Frosty!…
A snowy whirlwind blows through out of an alleyway that opened into the pit before the molten magma blocked it. The blizzard grows to white out conditions, as Amara slides down the sides of her volcano on a small stream of magma she made just for that purpose. Amara clears out of the pit entirely, as the blizzard combines with the volcano, and gives the entire battle zone a misty smoky steam bath, and an effective smoke screen, as the molten magma of the volcano solidifies.
On a rooftop overlooking the alleyway where the whirlwind came from, Venom struggles to find the source of the blizzard, through the cloak of steam, smoke, and ash that it helped produce. A cloaked figure of Ilsa, with a matte black hooded cloak with the hood down, shimmers into view behind Venom, holding a matte black transverse flute in her gloved hands.
Ilsa:
Pe… Peter?… Peter Parker?…
Venom:
Why do you insist on using that name?… I am Venom!…
Ilsa:
That’s not what you said before!… when we first met… You said your name was Peter!… Peter Parker!… You were strug… struggling to remember… Because you were… you were enchanted…You had… a severe reaction… to this curse… I tried to help you… do you remember that much at least?… I could play some for you again?… It… It seemed to help you before… Do you remember?… from before?…
Ilsa begins to raise her flute to her lips to play, then Venom turns around suddenly and starts to storm towards Ilsa, before Ilsa begins to play.
Venom:
I am Venom!… Foolish meddling girl!… Agghh!…
As Ilsa plays her version of the healing Fairy Song, Venom is paused in his forward momentum towards her as he seems to succumb to the effects of Ilsa’s serenade. The matte black covering over Venom’s face, with the two white eyes, seems to melt away from his face underneath, revealing the face of Peter Parker again.
Peter Parker:
Ilsa?… Is that you again?… You shouldn’t be here… This is dangerous… I can’t control him… And neither can you… You have to go now… And stop trying to save me…
Ilsa uses her FSB to talk while she plays.
Ilsa:
Never Peter… I have to save you… because I helped to curse you… Now be a good little Spider Man… and go to sleep…
Venom:
Never!… Meddling witch!…
Ilsa’s two oldest brothers, Romulus and Remus, shimmer into view behind Venom and drop a matte black net over him, then begin to try and shock him into unconsciousness by repeatedly running electric current though the net. Venom continues to struggle against the net in spite of the shocks, as Ilsa desperately continues to play.
Romulus:
It’s not working Remus!… You said this would work!… We need to give it more juice!…
Remus:
We can’t give him more juice!… We don’t know how much he can take!… We’re trying to save this one remember?… For the honor of the Hulk Busters!…
Venom breaks free of the brothers net, and swings away, leaving behind Ilsa, devastated as she stops playing.
Romulus:
Sorry Ilsa… Not this time…
Remus:
Maybe we can learn that magic trick of yours…
Romulus:
It’s a miner miracle that Ilsa can even do it… That’s not so easy to learn…
Ilsa breaks down sobbing as she runs off, shimmering away as she does. Back on the rooftop of the Johnson Building, the artificial smoke screen begins to dissipate, as Jack Frost whirls in for a snowy landing on the roof next to his sister Daisy.
Coulson:
Is that normal around here?… Is it over?… Did we win?… with a volcano?…
Daisy:
Believe it or not… That is fairly normal around here… albeit intermittently… And no… That is only a temporary solution… Give it two weeks… three or four max… and the FSBs will have recolonized the mass of the volcano… cleared it out… and restarted their forward progress… wherever that’s supposed to lead… This just buys time… We can only examine what they’re doing while their doing it… And they don’t like being watched… They like being interfered with even less… and only plugging the hole with a volcano even buys us a little bit of breathing room… But the mapping is supposed to be finished this time… Is Fitz really back?… We could all be done with this for good!… Does he have any ideas yet?…
Coulson:
Would you believe the healing power of Fairy Song?…
Daisy:
Prior to meeting his mother?… Probably not… Either way… this should be good…
Politics Are Poison!
Poison That Never Ends!
Battles Of Shadows And Mist!
That Forever Never End!
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