SUPERNOVA

Part III

By Ryan Krupienski and Dino Pollard

Los Angeles, California

It is a day unlike any other in Los Angeles. People go about their daily lives, not a care in the world. Each person is focused on his or her own mundane existence. College students agonize over final exams while awaiting the much-anticipated vacation that is to follow. Parents scoure the malls and toy stores for the latest ‘hot’ item of the year to give to their little darlings. Some pay very close attention to CNN and other news outlets, hoping to hear more information about the situation overseas, while still, others are more interested in the relationship between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. A few even discuss the ramifications of Cassandra Nova Xavier’s recent announcement that Charles Xavier was a facade.

But no one could have anticipated this.

It begins with a light rumbling beneath the feet of citizens. Many people simply dismiss it as a trick of the ears, but then the rumbling grows to a small tremor. This tremor becomes several tremors, and each time one hits, the intensity increases. The ground begins to shake far more violently, and people find themselves losing their balance.

Cracks begin to appear in the concrete sidewalks and the blacktop pavements. The cracks grow larger, and the earth seems to split apart. Traffic jams are almost instantaneous, and people watch in horror as their simple, mundane lives are suddenly thrust into a panic. What once was a fight over little Timmy’s Christmas gift has now become a fight for survival.

The massive earthquake causes small buildings to collapse. Small businesses are literally destroyed by its effects, and the once-smooth streets has now become extremely uneven, with massive slabs of asphalt and granite jutting out. A series of splits in the ground line the city of Los Angeles. That is the first earthquake.

Three more follow before rush hour.

Avengers Mansions; New York City

They are called Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. As of late, their activities have been minor. Their roster is a large one; thirteen men and women are currently serving on active duty with the Avengers. In the meeting room, twelve Avengers sit at a round table, and all face Captain America as he stands before them. Behind Captain America is a monitor displaying various news programs that are reporting on the earthquakes in Los Angeles.

“Could someone explain to me why we’re just sitting here while this is happening?” asks the She-Hulk. “Those people need our help over there!”

“No one knows that better than I do, Jen,” replies Captain America. “But, at Hank’s request, I’ve refrained from assembling a team of Avengers to intervene.”

“And why is that?” asks She-Hulk, turning her attention to Hank Pym. In addition to serving as Giant-Man, Hank Pym is also one of the most brilliant men on the planet.

“There’s something not right about these earthquakes,” interrupts Iron Man. “Since the first ones hit, I’ve been in contact with scientists from my company, but they’ve yet to find any cause for it. The quakes were completely unpredictable and random.”

“That’s why I asked Cap to hold off on deploying a team,” says Giant-Man. “Tony consulted me on this, and I’ve already spoken with Reed Richards about it. I tried to get the Beast’s opinion on it as well, but the Xavier Institute doesn’t seem to be receiving any transmissions right now.”

“The point, Henry,” says the Black Widow.

“From my analysis of the data I was able to obtain, I’ve come to the conclusion that these earthquakes are completely unnatural,” replies Giant-Man. “I’m not sure what is happening in LA, but I have a feeling that there’s something else behind this.”

“You’re saying this was probably an attack?” asks Warbird.

“Exactly,” replies Giant-Man. “I checked the files, and the obvious candidate seems to be Moses Magnum. In the past, he’s proven that he’s very capable of seismic activity on a large scale.”

“So you’re confident that it’s Magnum then?” asks Wasp.

“Not entirely, he’s just the obvious suspect,” replies Giant-Man. “There’s a possibility that someone could be causing these earthquakes with a machine of some sort. Doom certainly has the technology…”

“The technology, yes, but this isn’t Doom’s style for a number of reasons,” says the Black Panther. “First off, Doom is egotistical – if he were behind this attack, we would know by now. Second, an attack like this would be deemed as an act of war on the United States, and I doubt that Doom has the desire to go to war. This is someone different.”

“Regardless, I think I may have discovered the point of origin for the earthquakes,” says Giant-Man. “I’ve already programmed the coordinates into one of the Quinjets.”

“In that case, I’m just going to deploy a small squad for this mission,” says Captain America. “This is basically a recon mission as of this point – I want to know exactly what we’re up against before we all go rushing into this. I’ll lead the team, and I want Hank, Tony, Carol, and Natasha to accompany me.”

“And that means the rest of us are basically left to sit on our asses, right?” asks Jack of Hearts.

“For now, yes,” replies Captain America. “We’ll remain in constant contact with the mansion in case things go sour, so be ready to jump at a moment’s notice.”

From the roof of Avengers Mansion, the Scarlet Witch watches as the Quinjet carrying Captain America’s team jettisons towards Los Angeles, and she sighs.

“I saw you leave that briefing pretty quickly,” says She-Hulk as she comes up the staircase.

“Just a bit nervous, I suppose,” replies Wanda.

“Penny for your thoughts?” asks Jennifer Walters.

“I don’t know what it is… I guess I’m just worried…” replies Wanda.

“C’mon, you heard Cap, this is just a recon mission,” says Jen. “And besides, I’m sure those five can handle whatever’s thrown at them.”

“It’s not that…” mutters Wanda.

“So then what?” asks Jen. She walks up to Wanda and sits on the roof’s edge. “What’s bugging you?”

“Simon…” replies Wanda as she glances away from the green-skinned woman.

“Simon?” asks Jen.

“When he left the team, he said he was going back to the west coast,” replies Wanda.

“Please, you don’t have to worry about that,” says Jen. “You’re talking about Wonder Man, remember? Simon’s as tough as they come. Hell, just look at how many times the guy’s cheated death – literally!”

“I never said my fears were rational, did I?” says Wanda with a slight grin. “You’re right, it will take more than an earthquake to hurt him.”

“So what’s really bugging you, then?” asks Jen. “And don’t give me this fear for Simon’s safety thing, because you and I both know I’m too smart to fall for that bull.”

“It’s just…” begins Wanda, but then she stops and she turns so her back is to the She-Hulk. Jen leans forward slightly, curiosity having taken hold of her.

“Just what?” she asks.

“When Simon left, he asked me to go with him,” replies Wanda. “I refused, I said I wanted to stay here. But now… now I’m not so sure that was the right decision…”

“So you’ve got regrets then.”

“What, superhero celebrities can’t have regrets?” asks Wanda.

“Oh hell no, it’s so expected that they should put it as a requirement on Avengers memership applications!” replies Jen. This comment incites a small chuckle from Wanda and she finally turns to face her friend and teammate.

“I guess… I think maybe I’m getting tired of all this,” she says. “I think I might want to have something of a normal life for a change.”

“Personally, I’ve done the normal thing, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” says Jen.

“Yeah, but my life’s been anything but normal,” replies Wanda. “My father’s a terrorist, I lost my virginity to an android, and my ‘children’ were magical constructs.”

“So you’re thinking of leaving the team, too?”

“You’re not staying around?” asks Wanda.

“Nah, I actually think I’d like to get back to my law practice,” replies Jen.

“I thought you said a normal life wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be?” asks Wanda.

“Eh, I’ve been known to have my moments,” replies Jen. “But I don’t plan on leaving until this mess is settled.”

“Same here.”

“I take it you’re gonna go find Simon once you leave, then?”

“If I leave,” replies Wanda. “And honestly, I’m not sure what I want right now. I guess I’m just going through a change, lately…”

Los Angeles

The Quinjet lands on one of the few level areas left of the streets of L.A. Captain America, Black Widow, Giant-Man, Warbird, and Iron Man emerge from the Quinjet and survey the wreckage.

“My God…” mutters Warbird as her eyes scan across the overturned cars, the torn streets, and the ruined buildings. “What could have done this?”

“That’s what we’re here to find out,” replies Iron Man. “I’m scanning the area right now, but I’m not picking anything up. You sure this is the right place?”

“Positive,” replies Giant-Man. “I checked and double-checked the data, and this is where the earthquakes originated from.”

“Whoever’s responsible may have moved on by now,” says the Black Widow.

“Or not…” says Iron Man. “My sensors just picked up on a spike in ener-”

Iron Man’s words die in his mouth as an enormous blast of energy slams against him and sends him sprawling. He quickly pulls himself back up, just in time for the form of the Living Laser to slam into him at fullspeed.

“Hiya Shellhead, been awhile,” says the Laser, before breaking contact with Iron Man.

“Looks like we’ve found the source,” says Captain America as he readies himself into a battle stance.

“The Living Laser?” asks Warbird. “But he couldn’t have caused…”

The ground begins to shake with a great ferocity once more. The seismic waves are courtesy of a man who stands nearby, who wears light armor including a helmet with a giant A affixed to the front of his chestpiece.

“Damn right he couldn’t, but no one said he was alone,” says the latest arrival. “Glad to see you got our message, Avengers.”

With a thought, the Pym Particles present in Giant-Man’s bloodstream activate, and he begins to grow to a massive thirty feet. Despite his size, he retains his speed and quickly slams the palm of his hand near the source of the seismic waves, forcing him down to the ground as well.

“This is the source,” says Giant-Man. “Avalanche.”

“Avalanche and the Laser working together?” asks the Widow.

“Oh, there’s many more where we came from,” replies the Living Laser. “Whaddaya say, boys an’ girls? Ready to come out and play? Our guests have finally arrived!”

Following the words of the Living Laser, various villains begin to appear on the scene, emerging from behind pieces of rubble. Among them is the Plantman, who begins to manipulate various plantlife in the area. Trees begin to quickly grow from the rubble to sizes that rival Giant-Man’s and begin to surround him. Massive fists fly as he attempts to strike down the trees, but when one is destroyed, another quickly rises to take its place.

Warbird attempts to come to Giant-Man’s assistance with her own energy blasts directed at the trees. An adamantium coil courtesy of the Constrictor snags her leg and administers electric shocks while the Constrictor whips her around in the air before slamming her down on the ground. Before Warbird can get back to her feet, Sandman practically drowns her in a massive wave of sand.

The Black Widow manuevers herself away from the electrical blasts provided by the Eel. She swings by on her Widow’s line, nimbly dodging each blast he fires at her. The Widow releases herself and flies in midair, landing briefly just so she can push herself back into the air. She flips over the Eel and when she lands behind him, she quickly fires the Widow’s bite from her wrist-mounted gauntlets. The electrostatic charge strikes the Eel and mucks with the circuitry in his suit.

The Widow moves quickly and follows up with a few more charges that cause the Eel’s suit to short-circuit. She has little time to celebrate her victory, as her clothing begins to tighten around her body. Her long, red hair begins to quickly wrap itelf around her head, beginning to suffocate her. Hovering a few feet above the Widow, the Gypsy Moth smiles as she uses her psychokinetic abilities to choke the life from the former Russian spy.

Iron Man stays to the air, attempting to lock onto the signature of the Living Laser, but he moves too fast for Tony Stark to get a proper lock on. Iron Man’s sensors notify him that the temperature levels are severely dropping, and on instinct, Tony realizes the cause of it is the Blizzard. He stands on a pillar of ice behind Iron Man as he encases the armored Avenger in a block of solid ice. Without having the advantage of his thrusters to keep him aloft, Iron Man begins to plummet to the the ground.

Before Iron Man strikes the pavement, the massive hand of Giant-Man catches him. At a size of sixty feet, Giant-Man has been able to keep Plantman’s trees at bay. After a few moments, the ice block shatters and Iron Man rockets back into the skies. He’s not able to get far, as Hydro-Man quickly rams into him. The water-based villain begins to get inside Tony’s armor through various crevices, and Tony’s sensors begin to warn him of system damage. Hydro-Man abandons Iron Man’s armor as quickly as he had invaded it. Once Tony regains his equilibrium, the Dreadknight unleashes a flurry of electromagnetic blasts at the Avenger.

The various systems in Tony’s armor begin to go offline. He finds his offensive and defensive capabilities severely dimished. The Dreadknight’s blasts cause Iron Man to fall to the ground again where he meets up with the Armadillo. The large villain begins to tear at Iron Man’s armor with his claws, disrupting the systems even further.

At his sixty-foot height, Giant-Man continues to fight off the Plantman’s continued assaults. Black Mamba leaves an unconscious and immobile Iron Man and turns her attention over to Giant-Man. Hank blinks his eyes, and when he does, he hears a familiar voice call out to him.

“Hank…”

“Huh?” he says, and he looks to the source to see the Wasp. “Jan, did you bring the rest of the Avengers?”

“Why do we need the Avengers here, stud?” asks the Wasp as she approaches him. Hank watches with rapt attention as Janet Van Dyne’s arms move to the zipper at the neckline of her costume. She begins to pull the zipper down, and Hank finds himself almost mesmerized by her seductive actions. He moves forward and takes her in his arms, pressing his lips to hers. In reality, Giant-Man is hypnotized by a Darkforce projection created by Black Mamba, a projection that begins to engulf him.

Captain America’s shield flies from his fingers and strikes the Grey Gargoyle’s head before returning to its owner. The instant after Cap catches his shield, he leaps into the air over the stampeding Rhino, who charges at him from behind. Cap lands on his feet, and he uses his shield to guard against razorangs thrown by Boomerang. Cap charges forward, using his shield to block Boomerang’s attacks and when he gets close enough, he leaps into the air and lands behind Boomerang. Then, he quickly slams his shield, followed by his entire body weight, into Boomerang. The shield leaves his fingers once more, and this time it ricochets off a building before slamming into Whirlwind.

Warbird flies into the air, freeing herself of Sandman, and lands by Cap’s side. She looks around to see Giant-Man, Iron Man, and Black Widow incapacitated.

“Looks like it’s all up to us now, huh?” she asks.

“Guess so,” replies Cap.

“Think we can take ’em?” asks Warbird.

“There’s always a way…” replies Captain America.

“Say the word, Mister Living Legend,” says Warbird.

“GO!”

Captain America and Warbird both seem to freeze in mid-air, and suddenly, they find themselves pinned to the ground by some unseen force. The source of their immobility hovers within range. The villainous Graviton hovers in the air above them with his legs crossed and his chin perched on his hand. By his side stand Klaw and the Crimson Cowl, kept aloft by Graviton’s powers.

“So nice of you to show up, Avengers,” says the Cowl. “I suppose you already know myself and my compatriots, at least individually. And, which I am sure you have figured out by now, collectively, we are the Masters of Evil.”

CONTINUED IN UNCANNY X-MEN #38!