“HIPPIE!” shouted the Sentry as he dove from the air towards his arch-nemesis. His body was illuminated by a golden aura of energy. When the Sentry reached his target, he drove both fists into the Hippie’s face, shattering the round sunglasses he wore.

“You’ll ruin everything, man!” said the Hippie, wiping blood from his lip.

“And what dastardly plot has your twisted mind concocted this time, villain?” asked the Sentry. Scout, Watchdog and the Sentress landed behind him.

The Hippie smiled. “It’s simple, man! I’m gonna use my psychoactive pixie dust in the water supply! Then everyone will see the world like I do!”

“Holy hallucinogen, Sentry! We have to stop him!” said Scout.

“Oh yeah? I wanna see you try, you fascist!” The Hippie threw his arms forward and rainbow-colored energy fired from his palms. The blasts knocked Team Sentry off their feet, throwing them back with incredible force.

His power is unreal!! thought the Sentry. How could we possibly hope to stand up against such a vile villain?! But I must struggle! The city—nay, the world—is depending on me to put an end to the Hippie’s plot to turn us all into delusional drug-fiends!

The Sentry’s eyes glowed brightly and they unleashed a powerful burst of golden energy that acted as a buffer against the Hippie’s rainbow blasts. He hovered in the air, finally gaining enough footing. The Sentry piled on more and more of his solar energy into his eye blasts, shortening the Hippie’s own beams.

“No, it’s not possible! You can’t defeat the power of love, man! I won’t let you stop me!”

“You know nothing about the power of love, Hippie! You cannot stand up to the Golden Guardian of Good!”

“No! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!” the Hippie screamed. The Sentry’s blasts had overcome his own rainbow ones. The Hippie cried in pain as the golden energy washed over him, blowing him through the wall of a building. The Sentry flew after him and picked up the Hippie by his long hair.

“Why, Sentry? What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding?”

“You don’t stand for peace, love and understanding, Hippie!! You want to force people to see things the same way you do! And that’s not how we do things in America, villain!”

The Sentry threw the Hippie against the street and the rest of Team Sentry landed around him. The Sentress quickly bound the Hippie with her golden rope as Scout and Watchdog stood by the Sentry.

“Golly, Sentry! That was Sentry-riffic!” said Scout.

The Sentry smiled and tussled Scout’s hair. “Thank you, young Scout! It certainly feels better to work alongside Team Sentry once more! I say, it’s been far too long since we joined forces!”

“Too long? What do you mean, my love?” asked the Sentress. “We’ve been together all this time!”

“What?” A perplexed look fell over the Sentry’s face. “But…no, that’s not possible. I only recently returned after years away!”

“Holy amnesia, Sentress! Is something wrong with the Sentry?” asked Scout.

“Not at all, Scout,” said the Sentry. “It was only today I found the rest of you once more! Until recently, I have been allied alongside Doctor Strange and the Defenders!”

Watchdog cocked his head to the side and made a confused noise. The Sentress and Scout both exchanged similar looks. The Sentress finally stepped up to the Sentry and laid a hand on his shoulder.

“My love, something is wrong with you. Perhaps an after-effect of the Hippie’s rainbow beams?”

The Sentry rubbed his head, knowing something was definitely wrong. Was he with the Defenders? And his sessions with Samson, the psychiatrist’s lack of knowledge of the Sentry’s many deeds, what did that mean? Could it be that he simply imagined it all? Or could it be that this idyllic life was not real?

“I…I’m sorry, my love. You’re right, it’s probably an after-effect of the Hippie’s rainbow beams,” said the Sentry. “Now, we must take this villain back to the Vault, before he can cause any more trouble!”

The Hippie began to laugh, no longer struggling against his bonds. The Sentry aggressively approached him and lifted him off the street. “And what are you laughing at?!”

“You really think I came alone, man?” asked the Hippie. “C’mon Sentry, you gotta get with the program! If there’s one thing my people know how to do, it’s how to organize a counter-culture protest, man!”

“What are you—?”

A thundering boom caused the streets to rock. A giant robot that looked like a cross between a bear and a whale stood and roared with a mechanical voice. Sitting atop the creature in a glass dome was an extremely thin man with an oversized head. And another figure with an oversized torso an arms, an undersized head, pencil-thin legs and apparently no neck landed by the Hippie. He snapped the Sentress’ rope with no difficulty.

“You see, Sentry? We planned this all along! And you and your friends have now fallen into our trap!” said the man in the robot. “Surely you haven’t forgotten about the menacing intelligence of Tri-Brain?”

“An’ don’t forget me, guv’nor!” said the muscle-bound man in a stereotypical English accent. “Danny-Boy is ‘ere to knock yer friggin’ bollocks in!”

THE GOLDEN AGE

Part II

By Ed Ainsworth and Dino Pollard

The Sanctum Sanctorum

Doctor Stephen Strange hovered in the lotus position. His cape moved despite the complete lack of any significant air current in the room. His eyes were shut and his hands rested on his knees. The mystical tarot cards hovered around him like dust particles.

Far too much had been going on lately for his tastes. The appearance of the Sentry, the return of the Presence, the resurrection of the Scarlet Spider and the Caro Institute’s attempt to use the Valkyrie as a host body for a powerful demon. And from Daimon Hellstrom’s comments regarding Hell, it seemed the worst was still to come.

But what weighed heavily on Strange’s mind was their recent encounter with the green Hulk. Bruce Banner and the Hulk, it seemed, had finally gone insane. Become the monster the military always believed him to be. After the devastation Banner caused in Seattle, the mysterious new red Hulk tracked him down. Following a fierce and vicious battle, the Defenders intervened. But for reasons which puzzled his teammates, Strange allowed Banner to go free.

It was a decision Stephen still struggled with. Common sense told him that the Hulk had become far too dangerous to continue his existence, that was something anyone could see. But not everyone held the title of Sorcerer Supreme. As the bearer of that name, Stephen couldn’t afford to think in terms that simplistic—he had to think on a far larger scale. While he couldn’t predict the future, his own intuition and the power of the Eye of Agamotto told him that the Hulk and Banner were far more crucial alive and free than dead or imprisoned.

Stephen had his doubts, of course. He worried that his past friendship with Banner and the Hulk was clouding his judgment. If he was wrong about this, the consequences could very well be disastrous. But it was a risk that had to be taken, because he felt consequences would be far worse if the Hulk were removed from the playing field.

The Sentry remained another problem and his recent disappearance had raised concerns in Strange’s mind. The self-described Golden Guardian of Good seemed quite unstable. Strange and Samson had devoted themselves to getting to the bottom of the mystery of Robert Reynolds. And a new revelation struck Strange with enough force to send him out of his trance with a start. He nearly lost his concentration in floating, but his cape braced itself against the floor and lowered him to his feet.

“What’s this all about?” asked Sleepwalker as he flipped through the channels with the remote. Each channel had a black and white program on. “You’ve got reruns of old TV shows on every single channel. This some sort of flashback week or something?”

“Most peculiar,” said the Valkyrie, sitting in a chair across from Sleepwalker.

“Guess so,” said Sleepwalker. He turned off the TV and focused his attention on his companion. “So how you feeling?”

The Valkyrie extended her fingers, stretching them out. “My strength is returning. T’would seem the effects of the Caro Institute’s magicks are waning.”

“So you’re bonded with a human you said?”

“Aye,” said Valkyrie. “And not for the first time, either. At first, I was bonded with Samantha Parrington. And then later, Barbara Norriss.”

“I know the feeling,” said Sleepwalker. “I wasn’t always like this, you know. My name’s actually Rick. Sleepy here is some sort of alien dreamworld cop basically and he became bonded to me, could only come out when I was sleeping. Except now, my body is in a coma and my consciousness has taken over his form.”

“You feel strange, trapped in an alien form?”

“That’s one way of putting it. I’m still trying to get used to his powers…and the fact that I have no nose,” said Sleepwalker.

“You’ve been uncharacteristically quiet ever since we returned from Phoenix,” said Doc Samson, hands in the pockets of his jeans. The red Hulk sat a few feet away with his back to the famed psychiatrist. He simply huffed.

“Why did you decide to go after Banner?” asked Samson.

“You saw what he did in Seattle. Tellin’ me I was wrong?” asked the Hulk.

“No, actually I think you were right to go after him. Although something tells me you weren’t doing it because of what happened in Seattle. You haven’t exactly exhibited a lot of compassion for others.” Samson stepped closer to the Hulk. “So why don’t you level with me? You were able to find Banner when no one else could—you just knewwhere he was. And I know you hate him but what I can’t figure out is if could find him whenever you wanted, why didn’t you go after him as soon as you were freed from the Raft?”

“None a’yer business.”

“You don’t remember anything before the Raft except hating Bruce. Your confrontation with him didn’t give you any new insights to your identity. But if you want my help finding out who you are, you’re going to have to start talking to me,” said Samson. “And I mean seriously talking to me. No more posturing.”

The Hulk finally turned, his blazing yellow eyes glaring at Samson. “You? What in hell’s name makes you think you can help me when the goddamn Sorcerer Supreme can’t figure out who I am?”

“We won’t know unless we try,” said Samson. “So tell me, why did you—”

A bright light appeared before the two irradiated men. When it faded, Doctor Strange, Sleepwalker and Valkyrie stood. The Hulk got to his feet. “Tell me you’re here ’cause there’s something I can hit.”

“I believe so,” said Doctor Strange. “Where are Nighthawk and the Scarlet Spider?”

“They were still reeling from their experience with the Ripper so they left around an hour ago,” said Samson.

“We can only hope their presence won’t be required,” said Doctor Strange.

“What’s going on, Stephen?” asked Samson. “And why is Valkyrie suited up for battle? Shouldn’t she still be resting?”

“I am quite capable of participating in combat, mortal,” said Valkyrie.

“I would prefer if Val were not involved, but her power may be necessary. I detected a reality shift not far from here,” said Doctor Strange. “I believe the Sentry’s returned.”

Strange’s teleportation spell brought the Defenders into the heart of Manhattan, where the disturbance emitted from. What they found was quite strange. People walked around in brightly-colored clothes, talking and laughing with strangers. The clothes appeared dated by several decades, as did the cars driving down the street. People walked into shops and took whatever they liked without paying and the owners simply waved to them happily as they left.

“What’s going on?” asked Sleepwalker. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say we were stuck in some sort of dream.”

“That’s not far from the truth,” said Doctor Strange. “This is where I detected the source of the reality shift. Look.” He pointed to the distance. Not far from them was a large ball of glowing, golden energy. Three individuals stood around it, carrying equipment to try and analyze it. One of them was dressed in a dark blue uniform with a white 4 emblazoned on it and his body stretched all around the energy ball as he scanned it with a device in his gloved hand. Another man hovered near it, clad in crimson and gold armor. And the third man was covered from head to toe in blue fur and wearing a dress shirt and slacks with the sleeves rolled up and the tie hanging loosely around his neck.

Doctor Strange approached the three—Reed Richards, Tony Stark and Hank McCoy. Three of the most brilliant men not only in the State, but in the entire world. “I see we are not the only ones who detected something amiss.”

“Warning systems at the Baxter Building detected an impossibly large surge of energy,” said Mr. Fantastic. “I contacted Tony and Hank, felt their consultation would be invaluable.”

“Do you have any clue what it might be?” asked Doctor Strange.

“Negatory, Doc,” said the Beast. “We’ve hit it with a battery of scans but can’t seem to get to the bottom of it. At least not yet. Think you might be able to help us with this?”

“Are we sure that’s such a good idea?” asked Iron Man. “My dealings with magic haven’t exactly been positive.”

“As opposed to your dealings with technology?” asked Doctor Strange. “Magic is simply a tool, Anthony, no different from science.”

“Here we go…” muttered Iron Man.

Scout went flying into a car, his invulnerable young body causing it to flip over and smash inwards. He shook his head as he got up just in time to see the impossibly-muscled Danny-Boy charging towards him.

“I’LL ‘AVE YER GUTS F’R GARTERS, LAD!!” he shouted as he jumped in the air and smashed down on the young hero. He wrapped his massive fist around the child’s waist and raised him into the air, squeezing tightly. Scout struggled against Danny-Boy’s fingers, but his strength was too great.

“TRY THIS ON FOR SIZE!” shouted Scout as a burst of golden energy emerged from his eyes and struck Danny-Boy in the head. The behemoth cried out and dropped Scout. He clasped his hands over his smoking face.

“Awright laddie, now I’m really brassed off!” He moved forward but howled in pain again. Danny-Boy looked down and saw Watchdog’s jaws clamped on his impossibly-thin ankle and tried to kick him off while Scout lunged forward and uppercutted him.

The Sentress braced herself as flowers the Hippie threw at her exploded like grenades right in her face. He laughed, following up the attack with another rainbow laser burst from his palms. The Sentress dodged that blast and rocketed into him, the two of them soaring into the clouds.

“Give it up, Hippie! Your plots will never succeed!”

“Oh, that’s what you think, Sentress! Just look into my eyes!”

The Sentress tried not to but it was too late and the Hippie’s “trippy vision” started to have an affect on her. She stopped in midair and the Hippie seemed to melt like a stream of colors from her grip. She looked at her hand and as she moved it, there were motion trails. She floated aimlessly in an endless environment of bright colors swirling together.

The Hippie smiled as he slid back to the ground on a sled made of rainbow light. Before he touched down, the massive form of Danny-Boy slammed into him and he was trapped beneath the unconscious muscle-man.

With the Hippie knocked out, the effects of the trippy vision subsided and the Sentress was back to normal. She landed beside Scout and Watchdog and smiled at the two of them.

“Good work, fellas. It was like being trapped in a kaleidoscope!”

“Anytime, Sentress!” said Scout and Watchdog chimed in with a howl of victory

The tale of Tri-Brain’s robot raised above the Sentry and slammed down, forcing him to the ground. The robot turned and a bear claw sliced into the Sentry’s back. The Sentry pushed himself up again and gripped the robot’s tail in his hands and tore it free. He used it as a weapon, battering the robot’s bear claws with it. The Sentry fired a beam of solar energy with his eyes, severing the robot’s head. It collapsed to the ground in a flurry of sparks.

“No, no this isn’t possible!! No one can defeat the whalebear!”

“No one except the Golden Guardian of Good, you mean!” shouted the Sentry as he flew full-force into the glass dome, shattering it. He grabbed Tri-Brain by his neck and chucked him to the street.

The Sentry landed right in front of Tri-Brain and cracked his knuckles. “Let’s see that big brain of yours think your way out of this!”

“This is somehow connected to the Sentry, I’m sure of it,” said Doctor Strange.

“It’s having a strange impact on the surrounding area, transforming everything into some sort of idyllic paradise,” said Mr. Fantastic.

“I’m not surprised,” said Samson. “I agree with Stephen, this has to be connected to the Sentry. From my sessions with him, this seems like something that would come from his mind.”

“What are you doing there, gentlemen?” asked the Sentry from above. He hovered down between them, the broken body of Tri-Brain resting in his arms. The Sentry dropped the dead villain and his eyes focused on the three scientists. “Reed. Tony. Hank. It’s been too long, but it’s good to see you again.”

“Bob, you have to stop this now,” said Samson. “Whatever you’re doing, however you’re doing it, there could be consequences.”

“Consequences?” asked the Sentry cocking his brow. “Are you telling me that you’re trying to ruin this incredible world we’re meant to defend?”

“Enough of this,” said the Hulk as he moved to the fore. “If Goldie here is responsible, then we gotta take him down!”

The Hulk uppercutted the Sentry with enough force to send him into the stratosphere. He dusted off his hands and grinned slyly. “Mission accomplished.”

“It won’t be that easy, Hulk,” said Doctor Strange, pointing up to the sky. A glowing ball of energy came rapidly towards them and crashed into the Hulk with all the force of a comet.

The Sentry hovered above a massive crater he just created, his eyes crackling with power. The Sentress, Scout and Watchdog hovered behind him. “If you try to stand in the way of good, then we have no choice but to treat you like the villains you’ve become!”

Valkyrie brandished her sword and spear. “Have at thee!”

“Yeah, what she said,” said Sleepwalker

To be continued