FAN FICTION: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY – “ONE MORE TIME…” BY ADRIAN J WATTS

This Annual takes place AFTER the AVENGERS WEST COAST Year 4 Annual, BEFORE the FANTASTIC FOUR Year 4 Annual, and BETWEEN GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #78 and #79.

Prologue – The prison cell of Douglas Birely

Douglas Birely was ill at ease as he waited for his visitor. He had died merely a few years ago* at the hands of the Avengers West Coast, but recently been resurrected by the alien Maur Kon, who graced him with a new orbital space station and laboratory. The value of the space station could not be measured in the mind of Douglas Birely. It’s wonders were many, and the laboratories allowed him to continue his work in mutating plants and other organic life. And finally, he learned of a chemical, a different one for each species of life on Earth, which would mutate it. With a mere touch, he could turn a kitten into a sabertooth tiger; an eel into a monstrous sea serpent. But it was all for nothing. When he attempted to use his wonders against the Earth, the British Super Soldiers, alongside SHIELD, stepped in, defeating him and commandeering the space station for their own use.**

[ * - in AWC #95. ** - in SUPER SOLDIERS #11-13 - Adrian ]

And he’d waited in prison, waiting for a chance to escape. The authorities had taken the precaution of sealing his cell, not wanting so much as an ant to arrive to do Birely’s bidding. But Douglas had not risen to the top by being a fool. He had arranged a visitor, one whose very essence was that of an animal. He was the Condor, a renegade of the near-forgotten offshoot of the Inhuman race known as the Avians. The Condor had already been transformed into an actual Condor once, and Douglas had no doubt in his mind that he could cause the transformation again. But to do that, he’d need to touch the Condor, and the guards would never allow that.

He looked out of his cell’s window at the night sky, wondering how he could possibly reach the Condor and instigate the transformation. And a bright flaring of light illuminated the sky for the briefest of moments, and Douglas felt that he might just have found the solution to his problem.

Douglas Birely! I am your master, the subjugator of your world. I am Zenith, lord of the living Zodiac. It is my power which now courses through your veins, stubborn, leader, changer of animals. You are Capricorn, and you will do my bidding!

“Yes, Goddess,” Capricorn thought. “What is your bidding?”

Your world is strange, unknown to me. The silver one gave me the most basic of knowledge, but I must have more. I will contact you when you are ready for my orders.

“Yes, Goddess,” Capricorn said aloud this time. “I will do your bidding. I will wait.” He felt Zenith’s presence leave him, and some power, some glorious power come to bear within him. He would not need to touch the Condor to escape this land of bars and walls.

“Demonicus! You’ve got a visitor!” the guard called into the cell, opening the cell door to allow Douglas Birely, aka. Doctor Demonicus, aka. Capricorn, to meet the man who would be his saviour.

Now – the hospital room of one Rita DeMara, known to the world at large as Yellowjacket II

“So, you’s calls yourselves tha Gardeens off tha Galacksee?” the vagrant known only as Pete asked Nikki as she and her fellow Guardians of the Galaxy sat beside Yellowjacket’s bed. He’d found Yellowjacket after she plummeted from a New York rooftop, and taken her to the hospital for treatment. But the doctors said she was paralysed, that she’d never walk again. But Martinex, the Guardians’ resident scientist, would not take that for an answer. He was going to try everything he could to restore Rita. He had to. Now that Vance Astro had resigned from the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Kristoff Vernard had revealed himself to be only barely an ally, the Guardians needed new members – especially ones who weren’t able to be physically controlled by Vernard.

“It’s no use, guys. No matter what I do, all I can do is improve her speech. She still can’t move.” Martinex said, exasperated. “We need someone like Mainframe here. He could probably do a better job.”

“Hey, Martinex,” Rita said from her hospital bed. “You can do it.”

“Well, while you try to get Rita back on her feet, I want to go shopping. Clothes are way better in the twentieth century.” Nikki said.

“Yeah, I think we should get out,” Charlie said. “But won’t people be concerned when they see a bunch of aliens walking down the street?”

“This is Noo Yawk, mate,” Pete said. “We sees yor types eeevry day.”

Charlie laughed. “Thank you, Pete. Let’s go, everyone.”

Three days ago

“What do you want, Birely? I’m not getting involved in anything criminal. I’ve served my time.” Condor said.

“Oh, such an un-Capricorn thing to do, Condor. Where’s your drive? Your ambition? Your desire to stay at the bottom of the food chain that is humanity astounds me.” Birely said as he sat behind the plexiglass barrier that divided him and the Condor. “Still, such is your way, isn’t it? A pity. You were a great man of science. But now… you are merely my, and Zenith’s, unwitting servant.” Birely raised a hand to the plexiglass and looked intently at the Condor.

“Zenith has touched me, Condor, as she’d touch you if only you let her. But now, you shall be her follower through another means – me!” Birely waved his hand in a circular motion, and the air around the Condor sparkled briefly.

“Wha – what are you doing to me?” the Condor asked.

“That’s enough, Birely!” the guard called out.

“No, it is not nearly enough. And your answer, Condor? I am doing… this!” Birely snapped his fingers, and the Condor fell back, his body wracked in pain. His usually brown, feathered wings cracked and hardened, and became the colour of onyx. Dark, black, hard feathers covered his body, protruding from every pore of his skin. His mouth hardened into a strong beak, and his eyes gained the ferocious staring look of a normal bird of prey. And this monster was at the beck and call of… Capricorn!

“Birely, what the hell are you doing! Stop, or I’ll shoot!” the guard yelled at Capricorn.

“That will not be necessary. And refrain from referring to me by that repulsive name. Douglas Birely lives no longer, non-believer. There is only Capricorn!” Capricorn rose from his seat, and with a thought, ordered his newly obedient Condor to shatter the glass that separated them, and to eliminate the guard. The Condor obeyed, pecking the glass with one hard strike, and then doing the same to the guard, whose blood pooled on the prison floor.

“Now, Condor, we must travel outside. My master needs new followers – and I intend to provide them!”

Douglas Birely’s space station, current home to the SUPER SOLDIERS

“Concentrate, Vance,” Dalton instructed as Vance sat, cross-legged, on the floor before him. “Allow the rightness of the universe to flow into you. Only then will your true telekinetic powers show themselves.” Vance did as he was told. Alec Dalton had spent twenty years in Thailand learning meditation techniques from the area’s monks after he thought the other Super Soldiers had all been killed in a mission during the Vietnam war. He’d developed telekinetic and telepathic powers, including the rare ability of astral projection. Now, Vance was hoping to similarly expand his powers – and Dalton was happy to oblige.

“Let’s try something simple, for now. Try to project your essence outward, to just beyond where I am sitting.” Vance tried, and he felt himself begin to drift away. He knew that he could not do this himself yet, and thought there must be something helping him. He looked deeper into his own mind, searching for something, anything, that could be pushing him out. He found nothing, but saw, when he opened his eyes, that he had, indeed, caused an astral projection of himself to appear behind Dalton. The figure, according to Dalton, was an exact replica of Vance, and would follow any telepathic instructions directed it’s way.

With but a thought, Vance managed to cause the projection to walk around the room. It caused him to exhaust nearly all his psionic energy, and eventually he had to recall it. And as his mind flooded back to normality, he felt… odd. Something had touched him, touched his mind, and in his weakened state he had not noticed it. But Dalton had, and lay sprawled out on the floor.

“Dalton!” Vance yelled out as he rushed to his friend’s side. “Are you okay?”

“Something… invaded my mind… Zenith… must get… help!” Dalton said.

“Okay, okay! I’m going. I’ll get the Avengers. Just hold on!” Vance ran down several floors of the space station, to the hangar where the Super Soldiers space shuttle, the Icarus, was kept. He boarded it and frantically directed it toward the Earth, to Avengers Mansion, where he would somehow enlist the aid of Earth’s Mightiest.

Now, outside Avengers Mansion, New York

“Hey, isn’t that Avengers Mansion?” Nikki asked as she, Charlie, and Yondu passed the famous Fifth Avenue home. “Wonder if our old buddies, the Avengers, are home?”

“I doubt it,” Charlie answered. “But look, isn’t that their butler? Jeeves, or Jarvis, or something? He looks panicked.”

Nikki and Yondu looked toward the mansion, where they saw the Avengers butler, Jarvis, running down the driveway, his arms flailing in the air.

“Masters and Miss Nikki! Please, you must come quickly!” he turned and ran back towards the front of the mansion, where the three Guardians of the Galaxy could see Vance Astro looking on. They followed Jarvis into the mansion, where he replayed a video message he’d just received from Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four.*

[ * - in the Avengers West Coast Year 4 Annual - Adrian ]

“This is Reed Richards, of the Fantastic Four with an emergency message for all heroes able to receive this transmission. A grave threat to Earth is right now bearing down on our planet. An entity of immense power, from the depths of space, has appeared in our solar system. By all accounts, this entity means either to conquer Earth… or possibly destroy it.”

That was the entire transmission, and it was obviously what was responsible for Jarvis’ panic. “I can’t contact the Avengers anywhere, but Mr. Richards’ message seemed quite urgent. And your Vance Astro just came with other news!”

Charlie noticed he had refrained from looking at Vance the entire time he’d been in the mansion. But now, he looked up at his former teammate. He was still mad at Vance for quitting the Guardians of the Galaxy, but he felt that he had to put his feelings aside. Mr. Fantastic’s message seemed urgent, though, and if Jarvis was right and Vance’s message was related, then it was for the sake of the Universe that he must listen.

“Go ahead, Vance,” Charlie said.

“Thank you, Charlie. A few hours ago, Dalton was helping me expand my telekinetic powers when we felt another presence. A strong presence, coming from somewhere out in space. Dalton, whose mind it affected more, called it Zenith and insisted that I get help. I came here looking for the Avengers, but Jarvis here said that both teams are off on a mission. However, the West Coast team just came by to borrow a space-Quinjet, so they may be investigating this incident as we speak,” Vance recapped. “But I think we, er, the Guardians of the Galaxy should investigate as well.”

“I’m sure the Avengers can handle it,” Charlie said. “And besides, we’re busy trying to help out Rita DeMara.”

“Oh, you mean the way the Avengers handled Korvac by themselves? Charlie, this Zenith creature sounded a lot more powerful than the Enemy ever did. That’ll need to be a team effort. Please, Charlie.” Vance practically begged his former teammate for aid.

“I agree with Master Vance,” Jarvis said. “But nonetheless, I will try my utmost to contact the east coast team in your absence. Master Charlie, I have been involved in the affairs of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four for many years. For Mr. Richards to sound so distressed, it must be a grave fight indeed that you will be facing.”

“Okay,” Charlie said. “Yondu, go back to Martinex and let him know what’s going on. Nikki and I will go with Vance.”

“Thanks, Charlie,” Vance said.

Two days ago, New York City

“Today is a grave day for us, the people of Earth,” Douglas Birely said from the middle of Central Park in New York. “The stars beckon to us, and what do we do? We sit here, like the poor mortals we all are, when our master, Zenith, could be using us to convert more worlds into armies of her followers. And why do we do this? Because of them.

“Who are those that keep us from joining our righteous master, I hear you ask. They are the superhumans among us. The Avengers. The Fantastic Four. They all seek to hold us back, to stop us from facing our glorious destiny! But I have found a way, thanks to Our Lord Zenith.

“I will help you, as I have helped the Condor, if you’ll but come to my side.”

“This guy’s nuts!” called out a voice in the crowd.

“The Avengers? Suppressing our destinies? What the hell is he on?”

“You do not believe me? Do you not believe that Zenith is your master? Then come to me, and I will show you. Just one of you. Come before me so I may show you your true destiny.”

One man, a small man, stepped forward to Capricorn. He had a visible smirk on his face, and it was obvious that he didn’t believe a word that Douglas had said. And he would prove him wrong.

“Show me Zenith’s power, oh mighty Capricorn,” the man said, standing directly before Douglas. Douglas smiled with great pity at the man. He was not a believer. He was not worthy of Zenith’s power. But Douglas would convert him into something. He touched the man on the face, caressing it, looking at it as though it was a face more than worthy to be with Zenith. And then came the pain, as Douglas released the chemicals trapped beneath his fingernails, manipulating the man’s genetic structure. No, this man was not worthy of the power Zenith bestowed on Capricorn. But he was worthy of the pain of Capricorn’s chemicals.

The man reeled in pain as his skin became wet and sticky. He began to feel as if he was melting to the floor. And, in fact, he was. Douglas had turned the man into the very essence of water itself. He chuckled as the man pooled onto the floor and began to evaporate.

“He was not worthy, and he was punished,” Capricorn said.

“What the hell was that?”

“He’s some kinda mutie!”

“Damn freak!”

Capricorn, you are now ready.

“Ready for what, my lord Zenith?” Douglas thought.

You are ready to join the others. The other members of the living Zodiac. But first, there is something you must do. I sense a cosmic anomaly near you. Something is out of place. Find it. It has great power but is yet to harness its full potential. It may be of use to me.

“I will find it, Zenith, and I will bring it to you.” Douglas thought.

Good. The time of the ‘heroes’ has come to an end. You must make this world ready for my arrival. But this is only the beginning, Capricorn. Only the beginning…

Now. The interior of the SUPER SOLDIERS’ ship, the Icarus

“Nikki, Charlie, this being was really strong. I have no idea what it’s going to take to beat it.” Vance said as the Icarus headed back toward the space station. “We will need to work together on this.”

“Sure. We’ll help the Avengers out. But if it’s more powerful than Korvac was, how can we hope to defeat it?” Nikki asked.

“Don’t worry, Nik. We will beat this Zenith guy, whoever he is.” Charlie-27 said as the Icarus docked back at the space station. The three Guardians disembarked, and found that Dalton was up and about again, and had now been joined by two other Super Soldier – Owen Llewellyn and Paradox.

“Good, Vance, you’re back. We have an either bigger problem. Long range scanners indicate a major mass out there. We recorded some data on it and piped it through SHIELD systems, which identified it as Ego, the Living Planet.” Dalton said, his voice a little panic stricken. “We’ve also detected several faint life signs around Ego, and one which goes right off the scales, which I assume is Zenith.”

“The others are the West Coast Avengers,” Vance pointed out, “and if Ego’s here, I think they’ll need help. Let’s go.”

“Wait, Vance. The SHIELD reports have information about guys like Thor and the Silver Surfer going toe-to-toe with Ego, and neither battle ended pretty. You’re not just going to be able to fly there. I suggest we put your astral projection abilities to the test, and see if you can contact the Avengers that way.” Dalton suggested. He led Vance and the Guardians into another room, where he instructed Vance to once again sit down and begin the calming techniques that he’d been taught.

“Okay. Let’s begin…”

New York, yesterday

“Condor, our lord Zenith needs this mighty being, and if we are to find it, we will need more followers,” Capricorn explained as the Condor carried him across the sprawling city. “And what a better place to broadcast the powers Zenith gave me, and create more followers, then from Maur Kon’s space station? We must go there, now.”

Now, the surface of Ego, the Living Planet

They were the Avengers, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. They had defended the Earth countless times from threats from space. And they had always been victorious. The evil had always fallen before their might. But not this evil. Not Zenith. She cared little for those that the mortals of Earth referred to as heroes. To her, they were merely pawns. But they could be put to use. They could be used to defend her if the need arose. The Avengers would become Earth’s Mightiest Destroyers.

But Clinton Francis Barton, aka. Hawkeye wasn’t going to allow that to happen. He cared too much about his team to let them become helpless pawns in Zenith’s game of chess.

“No way, Zenith,” he said to her as she waited before him. “We will never serve you.”

“Y-y-you… disobey me?” Zenith remarked. “How… dare you! I am Zenith, your lord and master!” She let fly another blast of thunderous energy which washed across Ego’s surface, knocking the Whackos on their backs. “You will obey me.”

“Never.” Hawkeye barked back once the energy had passed. “AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!” He didn’t need to say it twice. The Avengers gathered around him, waiting for instruction. “Siryn, Wonder Man, Tigra, Pete, pile on with me! Merveille…?”

“I’m gone, Clint.” Monica Rambeau, Lady Merveille, said.

“Attack!” Hawkeye cried out, as he and his fellow Avengers let fly with a barrage of attacks against Zenith. Arrows flew, nails clawed, and punches were thrown. But nothing had any effect on Zenith. She stood there, smirking. But the Avengers had achieved their goal. Lady Merveille had escaped during the melee, and she could summon help.

“For this insolence, you shall pay most dearly, Avengers. Photon has escaped, but she will be returned to me before long. Have no fear of that. But you… you will all die!” Zenith began to release another energy blast, and they all knew they would die. It washed over Ego at an alarming rate. But Ego, he didn’t want the Avengers to die.

“NO!” a loud roar emanated from the opposite side of the planet as large pieces of rock jutted from the ground around the Avengers. A large piece covered the top, sealing them away from Zenith’s attack.

“What?” Zenith cried out. “You!” She blasted the rock shield apart as though it were made of crepe paper, and a loud moan washed out from Ego.

“It seems that keeping these Avengers prisoner will be more effective. I can use them as a weapon to keep this beastly planet in check. Ego, form a cage around them.” Ego had no choice to obey. He saw now that disobeying Zenith would surely mean his death. “That’s a good planet.”

“Ock! I hope Merveille makes it to Earth in time!” Siryn said.

“So do I, Tess,” Hawkeye sighed. “So do I…”

Super Soldiers space station, now

The Condor swooped into the bridge of the space station but halted as he saw he had company. This was his master’s space station, and the brightly costumed beings in front of him should not have been there. He squawked loudly, and flew straight at the heroes; Capricorn was also running into the fray.

“Heroes!” Capricorn cried out. “Your time is at an end! The all-powerful Zenith will destroy you all!”

“Zenith?” Nikki wondered. “That’s the person Vance mentioned! Come on, Charlie! Let’s take these birdbrains out!”

Nikki fired a blast of fire at Capricorn, but he merely stumbled back for a moment, and fell backwards onto the hard floor of the station. But it did not take him long to right himself, and when he did, he enacted his evil revenge upon his attacker. He twirled his finger around and around, pointing it in Nikki’s direction as he did so. She began to feel pain beyond imagining. Capricorn was turning her into yet another enslaved animal as he had changed the Condor.

“Stop it!” Charlie yelled out, hurling himself at Capricorn like a truck hurling itself at a wall of pillows. He slammed his shoulder into Capricorn’s back, knocking the villain into the Condor, who found that he was not entirely suited to fighting in such an enclosed space.

Capricorn! The one that you seek is nearby.

“I will find him, Goddess.” Capricorn thought, before being picked up and hurled against the wall by Charlie.

“Nikki!” Charlie called out as he readied himself to punch Capricorn. “Go see how Vance is going!” Nikki turned and ran to the enclosed room where her former teammate was trying to communicate with the Avengers.

“Now, Capricorn, it’s just you and me!” Charlie threw a haymaker right into Capricorn’s jaw, causing blood to spill from his mouth.

“Correction, hero,” Capricorn said. “It is you and the Condor. For I have a more important mission to carry out!” He called out for the Condor to fight Charlie, and then got up, making his way to the station’s controls. He would only need to twist a few dials to activate the devices that would amplify his powers and enable him to use them from up here to attack the people below. And then they, too, would be followers of the Goddess. He began to activate the appropriate systems, when the voice of Zenith once again blared into his mind.

Capricorn! Find the one who I sent you to seek!

“One moment, Goddess!” Capricorn thought.

NOW!

Capricorn felt a blast of pure energy fill his mind, tearing at his very consciousness as he fought against it. But he did fight and was able to complete the activation of his power augmentor. He directed his Zenith-spawned powers into it, causing a wide beam of unearthly energy to strike a portion of the city of New York.

“Now, Goddess,” he thought. “I will help you.” He turned to see how the Condor was faring against Charlie. He had completely defeated the Jovian, Capricorn saw. He looked dead. “Good job, Condor. Now help me find Zenith’s creature.”

Vance Astro concentrated, utilising all his telekinetic and telepathic energy, pushing his essence outward toward Ego. He had to know if the Avengers were alive or launching an attack against Ego would be useless. They could not win alone, and if the Avengers were unable to help them… he didn’t even want to think about it. Finally, he found himself drifting in darkest space, bereft of his physical form. He floated across the vast void the separated Earth and Ego, and finally set himself upon the Living Planet’s surface. He was not unnoticed.

“You! The mortal I sent Capricorn to find! What are you doing here?” Zenith asked as Vance touched down on the planet.

“Fighting you, no doubt!” Vance spat at the vast being before him. “What have you done with the Avengers?”

“The Avengers? Those ‘heroes’ from the planet Earth? They are unharmed. You may see them, if you like. Avengers, to my side.” Zenith ordered, and no sooner did she finish speaking then Ego released the captive Avengers West Coast team. They stalked over to where their new master stood, and readied their weapons at Vance.

“Destroy the intruder,” Zenith ordered. Hawkeye, one of the few present to have met Vance before, tried with all is strength to disobey Zenith. But no matter what he did, it ultimately proved futile, and he found himself nocking an arrow at the man who once helped him defeat a being much like Zenith. He fired the arrow directly at Vance, but the telekinetic simply blinked himself back into his real body, where Nikki and Dalton stood looking over him.

“They’re alive.” he said.

“But you will all be dead!” The three heroes spun around, to see what the source of the sound was. And there was Capricorn, standing at the door to a small room, the Condor’s dark silhouette behind him. “My master Zenith wants the telekinetic. You would do well to surrender h – AAAARGH!” The room behind Capricorn lit up with light equivalent to a star going Nova, and Capricorn fell facedown onto the floor.

“What the…?” Nikki asked as she saw the shape of a woman take form behind the limp forms of Capricorn and the Condor.

“Please,” the woman stammered out. “I am Lady Merveille… and I need your help!”

Rita DeMara’s hospital room

Martinex had found there was little he could do to help Rita DeMara recover from her paralysis, and he told her so. She had hated to hear it, of course, but it was true that she would remain paralysed for probably the rest of her life.

“Ay, that’s bad news,” Pete said. “But I’m sure wee cen find somewhere fer ya!”

“That won’t be necessary, Pete,” Martinex said. “I’m sure that once we return to the thirty-first century, I will be able to find the equipment I need to – “

“Martinex!” Yondu cried out as he ran into the room. “Quickly! Charlie sent me to find you! It seems some major threat to Earth is approaching, and he sent me to warn you to be on your guard.”

“On my guard? What should I be looking for?” Martinex asked.

Pete, who had been standing by the window, turned to face the Guardians. “Ay, there be some funny lookin’ peeple out heeeer.” Yondu and Martinex ran to the window, but it shattered inwards just as they made it, due to a blow by some monstrous, bipedal lizard creature.

“What the hell?” Pete said, startled, as the creature hissed and spat at the room’s occupants. Martinex pushed him out of the way, firing a bolt of freezing energy at the monster as it clawed at him. But it simply shrugged the ice off, apparently able to generate its own heat. It did die, however, when a bright laser bolt blasted through the window, penetrating the creature’s torso, followed by a strong kick from the man named Kristoff Vernard.

“These things are all over this area of the city. Anyone out in the open was turned into some kind of beast,” he said as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, metal device and handing it to Martinex. “Plug that into the cardiovascular monitor and increase the power supply to sixteen thousand volts. That’ll bring her back to normal.”

“Why the hell would you help me?” Yellowjacket yelled. “You’re the one who did this to me!”

“That’s unimportant. Now we need as many people as we can muster.” Kristoff said.

“Yes. This must be the threat Charlie sent me to warn you about.” Yondu suggested. “Let us combat this threat ourselves, and hope the others can join us!”

“Good. And don’t worry – this time you’ll have me on your side!” Rita said as she vaulted herself off the bed. “Let’s go!”

The space station

“Her name is Zenith, and she is extremely powerful,” Lady Merveilled explained once Charlie-27 had recovered. “The entire Avengers West Coast didn’t even stand a chance against her. Not to mention the fact that she has Ego the Living Planet enthralled…”

“None of that matters,” Vance said. “We have to free your teammates, and try to do something about Zenith.”

“You won’t stand a chance. We need the East Coast team, the Fantastic Four…”

“Sorry, Ms. Rambeau, but we are all you’ve got. Jarvis is trying to contact the other Avengers now, but as it is, we are the only ones between Ego and Earth.” Vance told Merveille.

Merveille nodded. She didn’t like involving these people. They weren’t her team. She didn’t know them. But Vance was right. They were all that was available. “All right. Let’s get into your ship and go get her.”

“You can use me,” a voice from the heroes’ feet said. “I am one of her disciples, a member of her new Zodiac.”

“How can you help us, Demonicus?” Merveille asked.

“Zenith’s power can only stretch so far. If you let me, I can attack her other disciples, in the gathering place. Disciplining me may be a sufficient drain upon her power,” Capricorn suggested.

“We have no choice. Go, Birely, and take your pet bird with you.” Merveille sent him on his way, and then joined the other in boarding the Icarus. She strapped herself in as it launched toward Ego.

Ego, the Living Planet

“The telekinetic approaches. Capricorn has performed his task and escaped to Central City as well. The planet is nearly ready for my arrival,” Zenith remarked to her enthralled slaves, the Avengers West Coast. “And here you are, not even five meters away, and you can’t stop me.”

The Avengers West Coast looked at their master, all of their minds silently calculating a plan. They had no way to execute one while under her control, but if Zenith was telling the truth, and Vance returned, perhaps he could find a way to free them, and then they could finally destroy Zenith.

“The telekinetic is here. He will be welcomed.” Zenith looked out into space as the Icarus glided toward Ego. Aboard the ship, however, Zenith’s stare was met with fear. They did not expect her to simply let them land on the planet’s surface.

“Charlie, something is wrong here,” Nikki said to Charlie as he guided the ship ever closer to Ego. “we should go back.”

“I’m inclined to agree. Look, Zenith hasn’t killed the Avengers. Perhaps we can return to Earth and wait for the East Coast team, or the Fantastic Four to handle it.” Charlie said.

“No.” Vance declared. “We will beat Zenith, and show the world that we are heroes too. Keep going, Charlie.” Charlie obliged, and he landed the ship without interference from Zenith or Ego. The crew disembarked but were met by a solid stone wall provided by the Living Planet.

“What -?” Charlie wondered. “Why now -?” He looked around, and was surprised to see Vance, floating skyward and towards the cage in which the Avengers West Coast were imprisoned. “Since when can Vance fly?”

“He can’t, Guardian! Zenith’s doing it! Quickly, we must free the Avengers and escape. Avengers Assemble!” Lady Merveille concentrated, converting her body into pure light and rocketing skyward, hoping to blast her way through the stone prison Ego had created.

“Charlie, did she just call us Avengers?” Nikki asked.

“Yeah,” Charlie answered, helping the Mercurian climb to the top of the ship so that they could escape the canyon Ego had made around it.

“Neat,” Nikki said, climbing over the Jovian and joining the melee. She saw as Merveille let fly with a nova-like burst of energy which freed the Avengers, allowing them to join the fight against Zenith. But when Hawkeye aimed a blast arrow in Merveille’s direction, it became apparent that was not the case. But Zenith didn’t help them. She just stared at Vance, wondering why he was not one of her heralds. He was a fighter. He was strong. He could have been a might member of her new Zodiac.

“Vance!” Charlie yelled out. “Distract Zenith! We’ll get the Avengers out of here!”

“No… so… beautiful…” Vance responded as he looked at Zenith’s lithe form. The star filled void that was her body seemed to be calling him, and he had every intention of heeding that call. He didn’t know why his astral form hadn’t seen what he was seeing now, but he knew he would never leave Zenith’s side.

“Vance! Snap out of it!” Nikki yelled, firing a flare of flame at her one-time leader. “We need you!”

She was right. They did need him. The Avengers were crushing the two Guardians, the three Super Soldiers, and Merveille to the ground. They would not win without him. And somehow, perhaps due to Zenith, he didn’t even feel Nikki’s flames.

“Vance!!!!” Nikki screamed again as Wonder Man threw her into the stony ground. “Help!!!”

He didn’t hear her. He could not leave Zenith.

“Vance, we need you NOW!” Alec Dalton cried as Tigra’s swiping claws pinned him against a rock face.

He didn’t see him. He could not look away from Zenith.

“Vance! Snap out of it before I whoop your ass!” Charlie yelled, and this time Vance heard and saw everything. He saw Hawkeye and Quicksilver, trapping the Jovian in an ever-tightening circle of blasts and physical blows. He saw Wonder Man, continuing to beat Nikki to a pulp. He saw Tigra and Siryn, trapping the Super Soldiers beside the Icarus.

“NO!” he yelled, unleashing a blast of pure psychic force that was enough to make even Zenith stagger. He saw the Avengers West Coast snap out of their trances, and watched as Nikki, Charlie, and Merveille led them to the Icarus. He fell to the ground, caught by Owen Llewellyn, and everyone climbed aboard, waiting while Charlie powered it up and blasted away from Ego, just in time to avoid an attack by thousands of ‘antibodies’ Ego produced as the heroes escaped.

“That human hurt me,” Zenith muttered to herself. “Earth will be mine!”

The SUPER SOLDIERS’ space station

The Icarus landed, disgorging its crew immediately.

“How’s Vance?” Nikki asked Hawkeye, who had been keeping an eye on him during the retreat from Ego.

“Out of it. That blast of his took a lot of power. It could have even killed him.” the archer responded, a grim look on his face.

“So what now?” Charlie asked. “We need to stop Zenith somehow.”

“Right. Hydro-Man said something about going to Central City when we fought him. So did Taurus. I get the feeling that’s where Zenith’s ‘heralds’ are assembling. If we go there, disrupt the meeting…” Wonder Man began.

“… we may be able to stop her.” Merveille finished.

“Right. Come on, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Super Soldiers. We’re going to Central City. And there, Zenith will fall!” Hawkeye cried.

Written by Adrian J. Watts of SoftPixels.net