AGC 1: The Vengeance of Hope

THE VENGEANCE OF HOPE

THE FIRST TALE

conceived and written by Mark Bousquet for MV1

Titan 3 - Earth Standard Year 2200

"Ride my Valkyrior, ride!" cried the Earth woman turned Valkyrie Dani Moonstar as she rode her white-winged steed Anthalus into battle. "Ours is the righteous way and we strike the enemy with the wisdom of Odin, the guile of Loki and the might of Surtur!"

The Valkyrior descend on the moon of Saturn, a massive space station in orbit where the original Titan once resided. Dani glances around her and watches the twenty women follow her orders without question. She wished Brunnhilde, the greatest of all the Valkyrior, was here to fight alongside them, but that wasn't possible anymore.

They didn't know what to expect when they hit planetside. The surface was rock and dust, but no one alive had ever been inside Titan 3. The IntelliNet rumour was that the entire planet was a concentration camp for Thanos' Prisoners of War.

"The original Titan was destroyed at the dawn of the Eternal War, by Thanos, 178 Standard years ago," she had briefed the Valkyrior before they left Asgard, "Titan 2 was a temporary base for the Eternals inside the Out of Time Dimension. It was apparently during this time that Titan 3 was built and placed back in orbit around Saturn on the same axis as the original Titan once occupied. This happened 119 years ago, but Thanos, as far as we can ascertain, has not set foot on Titan in 20 years. We don't know what the inside looks like. We don't know what it's defenses are. We don't know what we're going to find down on the surface."

'Well,' she thought as they passed through a cloud cover, allowing herself a slight smile, 'we do know of one thing we'll find down there. And he'd better be here.'

A tortured, frightened scream came from Moonstar's right. A Valkyrie had been hit, but by what?

"Odin's Beard, Moonstar!" cried Attumidunn, a blue-skinned Valkyrie, "there be Demons below!"

"Nay, Moonstar!" cried Calaa, "Not Demons, Deviants!"

"It matters not!" Moonstar cried, spurring Anthalus forward, "Demon, Deviant, they mean to stop us from claiming this spheroid for Asgard and that cannot be allowed! Descend and conquer, Valkyrior!"

The Valkyrior swooped down, slashing at the Deviants with their swords, while dodging laser fire. Moonstar made a quick calculation of the troops and deduced they were outnumbered five to one. 'Not bad,' she thought, 'especially if the rest of our fighters were here. Anytime, Steve ...'

A large, green, orcish Deviant had grabbed the leg of a Valkyrie's horse. Dani couldn't tell which Valkyrie it was through the haze of laser fire, but it didn't matter. Whoever it was was a Valkyrie. She could take care of herself.

The Valkyrie continued to dive and slash at the Deviants, cutting their numbers in half after an hour. "Don't be afraid to hit the ground, my Valkyrior!" Dani cried above the din of maoning and dying Deviants. "Let some of us take the battle to them now that we hath split their number!"

Following the prelaid plans, the flanking Valkyrior landed and began to herd the remaining Deviants toward the center, while slaying the wounded Deviants as they stepped over them.

KR-CHUNK!

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ...

"What is that noise, Moonstar?" Urenthle the Valkyrie cried from the ground.

"I do not know ... Valkyrior, to the air! Now!"

Moonstar spun in the air and watched - with pragmatism, not panic - as the ground of Titan 3 began to shake and caves began to rise out of the dirt. In a minute, at least five hundred more Deviants were on the field of battle.


Near Earth

The thirty foot tall Planet Devourer named Galactus rested inside his massive space ship, the Taa V, and hung just outside of Earth's orbit. He hungered, but not enough to consume the planet below him. A long time ago he had made a pledge to an Earth man named Reed Richards not to take the energies of this planet and he had kept his word even though Richards had long since passed into the afterlife.

Galactus knew the Eternal War could be the end of the Everything and he would do what he could to save it. It was, he knew, a selfish and ironic act, as he was destined to one day consume the Everything himself, but he could not feed on what Thanos destroyed. It was for this purpose that he allowed himself to be aligned with those who sought the Mad Titans defeat. He cared not for the labels "heroes" and "villains" - they meant nothing to him.

The Planet Devourer was not given to many emotions. He was a force of the Universe who played his role in the Grand Tapestry with no regard to the concepts of right and wrong. He hungered. He consumed. That was his role.

Thanos was not a force of nature though the Titan often thought of himslf as such. He thought himself the hand of Death, but he was not.

Still, Galactus admitted a fondness for Dr. Richards and the Earth in general. Richards and his Fantastic Four had helped Galactus on occaission and Galactus, on one memorable day, had helped them defeat a rather annoying Earth man named Dr. Doom when Galactus took the Human Torch and-

An alarm rang through the Taa V and Galactus checked his instuments. A surge of energy was headed his way. 'A former herald?' he asked, but the energy signature was too strong. It took only another second for Galactus to realize that it was a new life form.

"How interesting," he thought aloud, "I wonder how this will effect our little War?"


Titan 3

The fight was not going well for the Valkyrior. There were hundreds of Deviants pouring out of caves that weren't there a moment before. They came and they came and they came.

KR-CHUNK!

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ...

More Deviants were on the field.

"This isn't good," Moonstar muttered under her breath and she raised her sword and plunged it into a eight foot tall Deviant. She had run into Earthly Deviants in her time between stints as a Valkyrie and she saw no reason to think these were anything but those same Deviants transported to a new home.

Her mind recalled the information she had learned of them over time: Deviants were an evolutionary offhsoot of humanity, heralded into existence by the Celstials tampering with humanity over a million Earth years ago. Around the same time they had also created the Eternals.

Deviants looked grotesque and their appearance changed drastically from generation to generation. Dani found them hideous. They thought the same of her, despite her well-toned form. 'An example of the Everything in perfect balance,' she thought.

But whatever faults the Deviants had, they were holding their own against the Valkyrior, mostly due to the strength of their numbers.

"Moonstar!" Attumidunn cried above the din of battle, "Where is he? Where are our reinforcements?"

Dani did not respond. She couldn't. She didn't know the answer.


The Silver Dimension

The Scuttlebutt raced through the Silver Dimension, once Hyperspace, rushing toward Titan 3.

"We are late! Can't this vessel cruise with greater velocity, Bill?" an impatient young man asked to his only companion on the bridge. The young blue-skinned man named Ben-Vell Parker was feeling anxious. Battle was up ahead. Battle. War. It was his chance to strike a blow against Thanos. His chance to enact revenge for all the hell Thanos had put them all through. It was what he, what they all, lived for.

"Easy, Ben-Vell," Beta Ray Bill cautioned. "We've only left the Golden Realm but five standard minutes previous. The journey through the Surf expediates our trip, but does not make it immediate."

"Gah!" Ben-Vell spat. He didn't know how Bill could act so calm. Bill had been fighting the Eternal War since before it had a name. He had lived through the deaths of hundreds of friends and his friends children and their children's children. "You know the battle has already been joined. The Valkyrior won't wait for us! Moonstar will start fighting whenever they get there!"

"All the Valkyrie are like that, Ben. They resent being brouht into this War. They feel they are not fulfilling their position in the Grand Tapestry by having to resort to fight. They are supposed to escort the worthy dead to Valhalla, not send beings there by their sword. Of course, we are not even sure there will be a battle on Titan. No one knows-"

"Oh, there'll be a battle there. There's always a battle in this War. The Valkyrior better save some killing for me," Ben grumbled, causing Bill to eye him with caution. Ben-Vell was forced to grow up during a time of War. It's the only life he had ever known. His parents, the Kree Warrioress Sasha-Ra and the Earthen crippled scientist William Parker had died when Ben-Vell was less than a year old at the Assault on Atlantis.

It was the battle that had all but obliterated the Atlantean race.

Ben-Vell didn't like to talk about it and didn't want to know anything about it. As far as he was concrened, he knew everything he needed to - there was a battle at Atlantis and his parents had died there. Thanos had won the way wars were always won - he had killed the most people.

Only two people had survived that day, Ben-Vell Parker and a young girl named Attumidunn. Toomi, as it had been made clear by Odin that she was to be called, wasn't a pure Atlantean. No, she was the progeny of an Atlantean and an Inhuman ... coupling.

"You are developing a lust for killing, Ben-Vell," Beta Ray Bill observed with a concern that seemed to betray his large warrior frame. He was normally a fine, well-adjusted young man, but as he grew older he began to take on a darker persona as battles approached. "May I ask why?"

"You should know," Ben-Vell remarked, "you're a warrior. That's what we do in battle. We kill the enemy before he can kill us." Ben-Vell grabbed a railing and squeezed it with his strong hands. Bill felt old, as he always did when he realized a child he had seen as an infant was ready to become his own person. Ben-Vell was raised on Asgard, but he no longer wore Asgardian garb in battle. Instead, he wore an all-black suit, reinforced with lightweight, but durable padding. The padding was one of the first creations of Johnathan Richards almost 170 years ago, designed as riot gear for the police troops of the day forced to try to keep the peace in a super powered world. The fact that it was still usable in this day and age was a tribute to Johnathan's prowess as an inventor.

Bill had to smile despite the gravity of the situation. Ben-Vell had worn Asgardian armor once, before Atummidunn had told him he fought, and more importnatly to Ben, looked better in the riot gear.

Ben-Vell ran a hand through his short blond hair as the door opened and Eros entered the bridge.

Eros, also known as Starfox, was a Titan Eternal and had led a joyous life of little worry, spending his days in the endless pursuit of wine, women and adventure. At least, that was what he had been like in the days before Titan was destroyed and he watched his friends and family die.

Not all of his family, of course. His brother lived. Thanos was infuriating in that regard.

"Bill, Benji, ready to make yourself famous?" Eros asked with a too-broad smile on his face. No, Eros was no longer a joyous man. He was a drunk who the forces of good tolerated because they had pity for him.

"Aye, Eros," Ben-Vell grumbled nonetheless, "I shall find glory on this day when we claim Titan 3."

"Not likely," Eros smiled. "It's going to be a trap."

"We know that, Starfox," Beta Ray Bill stepped in, addressing him with the name Eros had used during his time as an Avenger to shame him. "But we will go there anyway."


Someplace Dark

She longed for death, but that was not a new thought.

It was that elusive carrot that dangled just in front of her nose, close enough to see, close enough to make the mouth water, but not close enough to have.

Time held no meaning to her; she knew she should be dead from old age, if nothing else, but the Machine kept her alive to torment her for the pain she had once inflicted upon it.

The only body part that she could move was her head, and even that was only from left to right. Far enough to watch new prisoners enter, walk across the floor and into the Machine.

They never came out alive.

The Machine would drain them, leach from them all knowledge, all memories, all data and expel them as lifeless husks.

It had told her once why, "I must learn everything. I am the sum of my parts. The more I learn, the better I become. The better I become, the greater the glory for Thanos."

She was strapped to the wall, imbedded in a prison of steel grey wires and tubes and rock. The Machine had molded the room out of her own fears, in hopes of gaining every possible psychological tool to inflict upon her.

Her arms were extended straight out at the shoulders and strapped tight, though she knew the Machine moved them on occaision. She had long suspected the Machine moved her body while she slept to prevent full blown atrophy from setting in. It would not be hard for the Machine to do, wires and tubes ran into her body, feeding her, keeping her alive.

"How are you feeling, Designate-Canticle?" The Machine asked, though she knew it already knew. She was sure the Machine could tell anything it wanted about her.

"Just fine," Canticle rasped. "Could use some ... water ... if you're in a ... giving mood today."

"You wound me with words," the Machine answered in a hurt tone and Canticle honestly could never tell if it was mocking her or if it was genuine. "All you need is ask, and I shall give."

Water filled Canticle's mouth suddenly, pouring in from some unseen tube inside her. Instances like this always made her shiver. What else had the Machine done to her insides?

"If all ah need is ask, then how's about ... letting me go?"

The room darkened, a definitive sign the Machine was upset. Canticle hung there in silence, waiting for the next torment to begin. The Machine was kind to her on occaision - if she forgot the fact that it had kept her trapped here for god knew how many years - but it either couldn't help tormenting her, or the kindness was merely an act to increase the psychological trauma.

There was a shuffling of feet and a clanging of boots coming from the hallway to her left. Her heart sank, it was time for the Machine to feed.

The noise grew louder as it approached and soon an elderly man in chains was half-led, half-dragged into the room. It wasn't anybody Canticle knew, which was always something of a relief. The Machine had probably long since run out of captives familiar to Canticle.

"Godspeed, old man," Canticle blessed the old man, who was woken out of his pain and misery and looked to her. His eyes went wild with recognition.

"Can it be ...?!"

"It is," the Machine leered. "I told you that you were destined to meet the woman you searched for before Death claimed you. I am a being of my word. Here she is, the object of your search ... your 6th great-grandmother."

The words momentarily threw Canticle off. "Nice try," she laughed, "but ah never had any kids. Ah was trapped here before, well, before ah ever ... besides, you showed me my reflection in a mirror the other day. Ah still look twenty-five. Ah know ah'm older than that, that you've been preserving me somehow, but not even you could do this for, what, 150 years?"

The Machine whirred and clicked repeatedly and it's great engines rumbled far below them. The Machine was laughing.


Titan 3

The Valkyrior were going to lose.

Moonstar could see that now. She probably could've seen it an hour ago if she wasn't so stubborn. Dani was tired and irritated and she knew she should've waited for the others, but damnit, Steve said he would be here when we started and he wasn't. 'Or he's ...'

No.

The Deviants pressed their advantage. Three of the Valkyrior were dead and the Deviants danced on their lifeless bodies. Retreat would be an option if the Valkyrior ever allowed themselves that tactical turn. But they didn't. Once an enemy was engaged, the Valkyrior were in it to the end.

Tides in battles can change with a single death, or the arrival of a single person. Dani had seen battles change by the simple shifting of winds. They can change slowly, subtley, but determinedly.

This battle shifted when the dark sky above them lit up like a star exploding.

The Scuttlebut had arrived.

Sometimes battles changed with the subtley of a nova burst.

Dani Moonstar smiled as Asgardian warriors, she knew their number would be at least a hundred strong, began appearing on the field of battle. The clang of metal rang loudly and cries of Odin and Thor and Sif filled the air as the Deviants felt the wrath and fury of the greatest warriors in the Cosmos. She could see Beta Ray Bill and Ben-Vell, seemingly bringing down ten Deviants with every step they took.

Deviants began fleeing in all directions, but a concentrated exodus of thrity were focused off to the northwest. The Scuttlebutt's teleportation devices had left an area of the landscape open. She started to ask herself why when she saw a dust cloud blowing across the open plains. The Scuttlebutt must have not wanted to risk troops in a stor-

She sensed it before it happened.

A figure was walking out of the cloud. Her heart skipped as she saw the outline of a man grow sharper. Dani hated feeling this way, her heart betraying her resolve, but she could not help herself. She could see his purposeful stride before she could see the outline of the shield, but then she could see that, too.

The cloud seemed to part at the end, the wind heralding his presence. His solid dark blue uniform was ripped, but the white star of Cosmic Awareness upon his chest was untouched, seeming to glow through the darkness. The Nega Bands shone on his wrists and his solid dark blue shield was scratched, but again, the star of Mar-Vell shone with the vengeance of hope.

Captain America had arrived.

"Steve ..." Dani exhaled, letting out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.


The Next Day

Captain America soared through Milky Way, powered along by his Nega Bands. It was time for another meeting with Galactus. He was uneasy about the alliance, but Galactus was much more in tune with the Everything than he was and had offered much information and insight that had been useful.

He felt good and frustrated at the same time. The attack on Titan 3 had gone well, but they hadn't found the POWs that had been theorized as being held there. They hadn't found anything, just empty metal passageways, empty cells. Defeating the Deviants had been enough for the Asgardians, but Steve was more interested in rescuing any POWs. Especially since that's where a group of kids that had taken the name Avengers for themselves were rumored to be held.

He was displeased when he heard that a new Avengers had popped up. Apparently, they were just a bunch of alien kids who had been inspired by the legends, but Steve hadn't ever met them. He could only rely on the information intelligence had passed on to him.

They shouldn't have taken the name. The Avengers were dead. They had fought their last battle and though they had won the day, every last one of them had died.

Everyone but himself, of course.

He scolded himself for letting his mind wander. He should be analyzing what they saw on Titan 3. The insides had been a maze of metal, with hallways opening and closing behind them as they went. Titan 3 held secrets, Steve knew, Dani thought the place was mocking htem, but they'd have to wait for another day to be discovered.

The Scuttlebutt had picked up a large, unknown energy signature heading their way and they rushed back into the Surf to hide. The Valkyrior didn't like hiding, but Moonstar convinced them it really wasn't retreating if you didn't engage the enemy.

Captain America almost allowed himself a smile, but he felt guilty about even the smallest amount of pleasure he had allowed himself and brushed the thought aside. He knew Dani was probably feeling the same guilt.

He zipped by Mars and was instantly aware that something was very, very wrong. As he neared the spot where Galactus normally resided, Steve Rogers saw something he shouldn't. He saw the planet Earth spinning on it's axis, but he could scan no sign of Galactus.

"Galactus!" he called and the giant Planet Devourer faded back into existence.

"Hello, Captain," the giant weakly stated in his low voice as Steve rushed over to him. "I was hiding in ... another Dimesnion ... to stave off ... those who would seek to take advantage of my body in this state."

"Who did this to you, Galactus?" Captain America asked, grave concern in his voice. Galactus' garb was in tatters and his skin was bruised. Blood poured from open wounds. Steve wondered how much of what he was seeing was real - Galactus appeared to each race in a familiar form. Humans saw him as a Human, but Kree saw him as a Kree, Skrulls as a Skrull, and on throughout the myriad of peoples that inhabit the Eveything.

"The person we've been waiting for, Captain," Galactus stated, irony dripping in his voice. "Franklin Richards is alive and a bigger threat than Thanos ever was. He did this to me ... for what I did to the ... Human Torch ... all those years ago."

End The Vengeance of Hope

Stories Never End. They Move Ever Forward.

ALL GOD'S CHILDREN TIMELINE

2022 - Eternal War begins when Titan is destroyed

2081 - Titan 3 put into orbit around Saturn

2198 - Captain America and Galactus discuss how to stop Thanos at the place in space where Earth once existed, but no longer does - Captain America is now the Cosmic Protector and wears the Nega Bands of Captain Mar-Vell, granted that title and Cosmic Awarenes by someone that even Galactus reveres - lt is revealed that Thanos has killed the Living Tribunal, a fact that shouldn't be possible - Eternity has been pulling the Multiverses together to fill the wholes in the Everything that Thanos has been leaving - They both see keeping Franklin Richards alive a key to defeating Thanos (FF 423)

2198 - Earth returns to existence (FF 425)

2199 - The War goes better as Captain America and Galactus discuss the status-quo - it is revealed that the Living Tribunal is not dead - Galactus is pleased that there is a report from Moonstar the Valkyrie that his former heraled, the Cosmic Flame has been spotted in the wreckage of Olympus (FF 430)

2200 - Captain America and the Valkyries attack Titan 3 to free POWs that have apparently taken the name Avengers as a tribute to Captain America - This is the story presented here. (FF 434)

Next Issue: Days of the Extinguishing Sun, Part One

Santa Claus mumbled under his breath and scratched his scraggly beard, before shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "Right, what was I saying? Oh yes, the person who will die," the old man coughed and stood up straight. Surprisingly to Rogue, the Black Knight and Lady Metal, none of whom had seen him before, he appeared to be an incredibly well-muscled man. "The person who will die is the beginning of the end! A dreamer, a person who believes in the goodness of others will find nothing but Death! And let me tell you something about Death, she's a mean ol' bitch, she is!"

MBQ ... 28.September.1998