THE EVERYTHING ENGINE

Part I: Born in Chaos

the forty-fourth tale of agc

written by Mark Bousquet

2201 / March

ASGARD

While most of the Golden Realm was still lost in the stillness of dream, a bell began to toll.

Eyes tore open, wives and husbands held each other, their ears at full alert. Was that-?

Yes. The Great Bell.

War had returned to Asgard.

THE DEAD CORNER OF SPACE

"I do not like what I see," Lord Chaos said, frowning, to Master Order, their eyes resting on the repositioned Mt. Olympus. "This Richards boy is too dangerous to exist."

"While I take great joy in the sight before me," Master Order answered, smiling. "His power - and his quest to restore order to the universe - is agreeable to my Ordering of the Everything."

The two large heads floated in space, rotating to look away from Olympus and out towards the living section of the Everything. The Great Gears were once again turning, and Order and Chaos came together to discuss the state of the Everything.

"You told the Orphans," Master Order accused, "that the Eternal War was just a prelude to the real war." *

* In AGC 11: Fragmented Balance, Part Six

"I told them some things," Lord Chaos admitted, "though details were not included. They received either the whole picture, minus the details, or the details without the appreciation for the larger picture. Wars are chaotic entities, Master Order. One can never predict the importance or order of any war. The Orphans left my council more confused than ever."

"That was foolish," Order scolded. "As you well know, it is my wish that the Eternal War ends in victory for Thanos with the end of the Everything, and the War you alluded to will continue to be a figment in your overactive imagination." Pause. "The mortals should not know what we know."

"The mortals never should, and yet they always seem to discover greater and greater truths. They are … chaotic beings who often act along ordered lines."

"Remarkable creatures, really," Master Order acknowledged. "It is almost a shame that the Everything is now fated to cease to exist."

"Only if Thanos is successful," Lord Chaos reminded him.

"I wouldn't be too certain of that, Lord Chaos. The Great Gears are once again turning, as the Everything Engine comes to life. And do not forget that engines are machines, and machines are the weapons of Order."

"And you should not forget, Master Order, that the Everything itself was born of Chaos."

Master Order steeled his eyes, "Born in Chaos, Ended in Order. That shall be the way of things."

"Look behind you, Order," Lord Chaos ordered. "The golden man called Warlock comes to pay us a visit."

ASGARD / PAVILION OF THE LADY SIF

The morning dew still hung in the air, and an uneasy silence had fallen on the Golden Realm. Asgardians moved to the Pavilion of the Lady Sif, walking past the silent Mjolnir, which still lay resting where it fell as Thor died, waiting for a worthy soul to come and claim it. Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, the goats of Thor, still stood in vigil, waiting to serve their next masters. Vegetables were tossed at their feet by passing children, though none today stopped to watch the goats graze.

The clanking of metal could be heard as the Asgardians walked to meet their destiny, a hearty breakfast digesting in their stomachs, wondering when they would next taste a home cooked meal. Children and wives followed their husbands forward. Children were the only ones daring to raise their voices - voices quickly hushed by their mothers.

It was the morning of battle.

Not lost on anyone was the inevitability of what ends battle brought to them. Some would not see their homes with mortal eyes ever again. They were nevermore to feel the soft lips of their wives pecking their cheeks as woolen blankets were pulled up tight to their face. Children they sired were nevermore to interrupt their daily activities, nevermore to frolic in front of a man they sought to please more than any other, a man they would someday call to in the heat of their own battle, hoping that those who had gone to Valhalla would give them strength in their time of need.

But not for their glory. Nay. For the glory of Asgard.

There were those gendered female who walked to the Pavilion of the Lady Sif with their heads held high. They were warriors in their own right, women who'd dedicated themselves to following the code of Sif, and where they normally caught the scornful gaze of many of the housewives, today nothing but silent pride washed over them.

Coming into the Pavilion, the Asgardians took their seats in the arced rows that started high and fed down to the stage. Small murmurings were heard, hands clasped together, nods made between brothers in arms. But soon all quieted, and all eyes were drawn down to the people below them.

King Balder the Brave. Captain America, the Cosmic Protector. Dani Moonstar, leader of the Valkyrior. Kovar the Accuser of the Kree. Ash'lin of the Shi'ar. Skrull 4.

The expressions of the Council members were solemn, grim. They wore full battle armor, though the Asgardians did not expect those of Kovar or Ash'lin to be sullied this day. All wore armor, save for Skrull 4, the emaciated Skrullian Ambassador who stood on the far edge, seemingly barely able to hold up his brown robes. No disparaging thoughts were leveled at the man they had all come to know and respect over the past four decades, however. They knew he was there during Ragnarok. When the Kree and Shi'ar had withdrawn their Ambassadors, or sent replacements who stayed inside and watched, Skrull 4 had willingly fought alongside the warriors of Asgard.

He had not been asked. He had not been ordered. He made no overt offer. He simply stood and fought alongside them out of duty and honor and the bonds formed fighting a common enemy - even though that enemy was not on that particular field of battle. No, Ragnarok was an Asgardian affair, when the Nine Worlds of Yggdrasil fought, and none but Asgard was asked to participate.

Skrull 4 fought. As did Captain America.

And Asgard never forget those who risked everything for a land not of their birth. Many pledges were sworn in those years that whatever problems might be had with the Skrull or Earth empires, the sons and daughters of Asgard would not abandon beings that could produce even one man like Skrull 4 and Captain America.

King Balder strode to the front of the stage and addressed his people. "Nearly nine standard years past, Ragnarok doth fell upon us. Though they be our darkest days, the end that was prophesized did not come to pass. Thor Odinson slew the Midgard Serpent! Odin One-Eye slew Surtur of Muspelheim! And both gave their lives so that we may live on. Many of our brothers and sisters died during those dark times, but we prevailed, even when those who once claimed to be allies turned against us.

"Aye, I doth speak of the Olympians, the cowardly dogs who broke the Non-Interference Pact and sought to take advantage of our internal strife! But their betrayal did but spurn us on to further dig in our heels and slash quicker and harder with our blades. True, the blood of Asgard was spilled, but the blood of Olympus was spilled as well. Our fellow gods whom we had shared a peaceful non-existence with, tried, in our moment of perceived weakness, to come to our home and remove us from this mortal coil. But they could not. The visage of Apollo and Athena, Artemis and Neptune, Pluto and Hermes, led by Zeus himself came thundering at us from nowhere in the dead of night, like the cowardly beasts we knew them to be. They fought hard, yes, but not long. For it took only one act to split their ranks and send them flying for the safety of their precious Olympus. Aye, they had not the stomach for war with Asgard!"

Balder let his words sink in, then slowly unsheathed a flaming sword. "The dogs of Olympus did lose their mettle when with this blade, Twilight, the mystical sword of Surtur " he held the burning sword aloft, "by these hands, did cut the head of Zeus from the body of Zeus, ending, for all eternity the reign of Olympus!"

Asgard roared, and Balder let their voices calm before continuing.

"This morn I ordered the tolling of the Great Bell that doth hang at the top of the Heimdall Library. Aye, thou knowest the meaning of this sound. War doth threaten the Golden Realm again. Let me tell thee how this has come to pass.

"Several weeks past, young Ben-Vell and Eshir, proving their worth, did discover an Olympian settlement under the ice sheets of Jotunheim.* Thou didst hear my words true, Asgard. Noble Beta Ray Bill was then sent to investigate their discovery and did almost lose his life in the process.** And late this night previous, thine Council did receive a message from Hela, deep in the bowels of Niffleheim.***

* AGC 30: Jonas / ** AGC 42: The Walking Ghosts of Mt. Olympus / *** AGC 43: The Everything Engine: Prologue

"The Olympians hath returned."

Balder was answered with straightened backs and steeled resolves. None spoke, but handles of blades and axes were gripped and regripped by hands ready to spill Olympian blood again.

"How, or why they hath returned," Balder spoke solemnly, "is not known. But they wait in Niffleheim for us to come. They. Seek. Battle.

"Didst thou hear me, Asgard?" Balder shouted. "The dogs of Olympus hath returned and they seek battle! Right now they lay in wait for us in Niffleheim, daring us to venture to the underworld and engage them in pitched battle!

"Let us not make them wait. Ride, Asgard! On this day, Asgardian soil will once again drink Olympian blood!"

NEAR MT. OLYMPUS / DEAD CORNER OF SPACE

Adam Warlock came to stand before Lord Chaos and Master Order because that was the way of things. He had been inside his regenerative cocoon for forty-four standard years and it was time again for him to walk the cosmic highways of the Everything.

"I have come, as you bade me before my long slumber," Warlock announced, flying close to levitate before the giant floating heads of Chaos and Order. "Much has changed in the Everything since last I walked among the living."

"Indeed," Master Order nodded.

"Much is not as it was," Lord Chaos replied.

"Including you," Order noted.

"The beard suits you well, Adam," Chaos smiled.

"Ragnarok has come and passed," Warlock announced as he ignored the comment, relating what the Cotati had told him. "New Ambassdors sit on the Council, and Thanos' troops grow ever stronger. The earth kingdom of Atlantis is no more. Earth has disappeared, only to reappear several years later. Hala has undergone a civil war, brought about by the reappearance of the Supreme Intelligence. And," his eyes turned to Mt. Olympus behind him, "Franklin Richards again walks among us."

"What do you notice, Adam?" Master Order asked, curious. "Where does your mind make patterns in the chaos of time?"

"The reemergence of things lost," Adam answered honestly. "Franklin Richards, Earth, the Supreme Intelligence."

"And what does this tell you?" Lord Chaos asked, floating closer.

"That the Everything, even as it winds down, still spins on its axis between Heaven and Hell, still counters death with life, still finds comfort in stories of the past."

"And this is a pattern, yes?" Master Order smiled. "A sign of a divine plan?"

"I have no knowledge of any divine plan, Master Order," Adam said slowly. "I only know that the feeling I get, as yet unproven by any evidence but the musings of my own, tortured mind, is that the Everything is putting the pieces in place for the End Times. For all the talk on Earth of mutants being the next step in the evolution of man, Franklin Richards was that evolutionary link that would turn humanity into gods."

"But he put a bullet in his brain and ended his life," Lord Chaos countered. "Where is the plan in that?"

"You know as well as I," Warlock answered strong, "that the Great Gears started turning in that year, 2003, and did not stop for twenty standard years. Not until after the Eternal War began, and the Ascension of the Earth heroes to space."

"That is a plan?" Chaos asked, doubting.

"The Great Gears do not turn for the amusement of those who can sense their activity. They turn for a reason. And if they turn now, if the Everything Engine is again active, it is because a time of change is upon us."

"That need not be a plan," Chaos said plainly.

"No," Adam answered honestly. "But the Everything was not ready for Franklin Richards at the dawn of Earth's 21^st century, and he was removed from the board. How, it does not matter. Why, it does not matter. In the end, all that matters is the What. But now, the Everything is ready for him, and he has returned. Perhaps that is not a plan, Lord Chaos, but at the beginning of the Everything, Chaos gave birth to the Infrastructure of the universe we inhabit. If that was not a plan of design, it was a design of great fortune. If we are truly in the End Times, if what we know as the Everything is truly to die, perhaps Chaos spins again to align the forces of destruction, as it once aligned the forces of creation."

Lord Chaos frowned, "You say unpleasant things."

Adam nodded, "That is the service I provide you, is it not? To seek the essential truths of the Everything, and report them to you with the full honestly of my faculties? Chaos and Order have need of someone to speak freely to them."

Master Order let his eyes roam over the distant Mt. Olympus. "And is that what you will seek at this time? The return of young Richards?"

Lord Chaos interjected, "He could use guidance."

"He does not need any guidance from you, Lord Chaos," Master Order retorted, but Adam held up his wooden staff.

"Silence. I have not rested for forty-four years only to hear the bickering of concepts. Do not forget that I know of the role you play in the events that unfold. I know that you, Master Order, seek an end to the Everything, so that you may sit as the God of the next Everything, creating existence to exacting specifications - specifically, the end of the multiverse. And you, Lord Chaos, I know that you seek a continuation of the Everything we know, that a highly ordered existence is the antithesis of what you want, but also that you gain nothing by watching Creation start anew. With Earth ready to ascend to an intergalactic power, you desire to see the four empires - Human, Skrull, Kree, Shi'ar - engage in centuries of warfare. For if the Everything dissolves in Chaos, you miss watching the chaos of war. And since there is no guarantee of what is to come if the Everything ends, and for all your boasts of seeking chaos, you most enjoy the chaos of intelligence, and not the chaos of creation.

"I also know that neither of you are as powerful as you claim to be. You may influence the Everything, but concepts are beholden to the citizens of the Everything. The strength and power you posses comes from them. You may push Thanos or Balder in certain directions, but they are not your pawns. While you exert great influence, it is the people who retain the true power. You may wish to see this Everything end, but you need Thanos, while he needs you not."

"A smart one, this Adam Warlock," Master Order nodded to Lord Chaos, his voice smug.

"Oh, indeed," Lord Chaos responded in kind. "Whatever shall we do?"

Adam stood silently by as the two floating heads enjoyed a laugh at his expense, letting their laughter cease naturally.

"So where shall you go this time, Warlock?" Master Order asked.

Adam said without blinking, "The Center of Everything."

"Madness," Chaos scoffed. "It does not exist as the myths would lead us to believe. The Center of Everything is no different than the space we occupy right here."

"None who attempt that journey are ever heard from again," Order reminded Warlock. "The Center of Everything is the philosophical Holy Grail; if it even exists, none would know it upon finding it."

"That is the truth," Adam nodded gravely. "But you see, I am tired of the centuries spent searching the boundaries of the Everything, as well as the depths of my soul, for answers to the great philosophical questions.

"No, I have exhausted the abilities of my own mind," Adam shook his head sadly. "I have discovered that I am unable to discover the mysteries of existence on my own. So I journey now to the Center of Everything for the answers that consume me. Yes, Master Order, yes, Lord Chaos, you guess correct what it is I seek.

"I seek the Everything Engine itself."

NECROPOLIS

Bruunhilde and Ikaris stood together as the cold wind washed over the home base of Thanos' operations. Their eyes were locked on a scene that gave them grave concern - Death had come to pay Thanos a visit, and the two stood atop a large hill that overlooked the Angelux and Eternal settlements.

"It is not a good omen," Ikaris fumed, his ionic eyes blazing.

Bruunhilde waved her hand at her former lover, "Why should it concern us if the great Lady doth pay our Lord a visit? Is he not her greatest follower?"

Ikaris scowled, "But he disowned her, Bruunhilde. The Eternal War is not fought to win the hand of Death, but to force Mar-Vell to return to life."

"All that Thanos does is to win the hand of Death," Bruunhilde turned on the Eternal leader. This quest for Mar-Vell to rise to life is but a means to the true object of his soul's desire."

"Thanos would not be pleased to hear your musings, Angelux," Ikaris challenged.

Bruunhilde turned on him quickly, answering with a sharp voice, "Nor would he be pleased to hear you speak of Death's presence in anything but glowing terms."

"Do not speak to me as if I were a child needing scolding," Ikaris stood his ground. "I am aware of much that even you have no knowledge of. I know you think me a fool for my alliance with Thanos, that I am dooming my people in siding with a man who seeks the end of the Everything."

"Your foolishness is no secret, Ikaris," Bruunhilde laughed. "If thou really thinkest Thanos will destroy all of the Everything but the Earth, thou art a fool. Even if he succeeds in seeing the rebirth of Mar-Vell, and then defeats his great foe, he will not be satisfied to see one planet of life in all of the darkness. He would feel the need to crush Earth in his fist."

Ikaris smiled, "We shall see, Bruunhilde. Failing my people is not an option I will accept."

"Even if it means fighting Thanos, himself?" the Angelux asked.

The ionic energy behind Ikaris' eyes flared, his grim half-smile still locked onto his face, and he turned to walk away without answering. Bruunhilde watched him go, then turned back to the image of Thanos and Death, wondering why Ikaris would drop this information to her now.

EARTH - GRELL CITY, WASHINGTON

Rebecca Almond was not one to be intimidated. Nor was she one to act foolishly. Two full days had passed, however, since she had come to Grell City, and still there was no sign of Cable. Thanks to ULN intel reports, she knew this room in this apartment building in Washington state was one of the safe houses Cable used.

Cable was a time-traveler, and while the United Nations was not certain he was permanently residing in this era, he did frequent it on many occasions. His last sighting was two months previous, fighting the French branch of X-Factor. Ostensibly created to allow for greater planetary security, X-Factor was a United League of Nations controlled and operated project.

Rebecca knew it for what it really was: the latest super-soldier project, where ULN signatory countries could pay for and receive tailor-built weapons in the guise of augmented humans. Specific mutant genomes would be implanted and grafted to ordinary humans, creating a powerful security force controlled by the government. To dissuade operatives from going rogue, the ULN implanted a failsafe device at the base of every soldier's brain, allowing instant-

Clack-click.

"You've got one minute to tell me who you are and why you're here."

Rebecca turned to find the largest gun she'd ever seen pointed directly at her chest, and holding it, the man she had come to find.

Cable.

Rebecca wasn't fazed by his sudden appearance, "What would you say if I told you the ULN wanted you to be Earth's new Ambassador to the Asgardian Council?"

Cable kept the large gun pointed at her, and she saw a tired, aging man who didn't know his glory days were behind him. He's probably only forty, she thought, but the techno-virus eating away inside him makes him look fifty. Still in amazing shape, though. And from the surveillance vids we've seen, he hasn't lost more than a half-step. Not as muscular as in the historical vids, he's got an early Carl Eastwood look to him. Cable interrupted her thoughts, "I'd say that you have 50 seconds to come up with a better answer. Or you're not leaving this room." Pause. "And it's Clint Eastwood. Carl Eastwood is a CGI created model."

"That's a bit dramatic, isn't it?" Miss Almond tried a smile, nodding at the gun, pleased that he was scanning her thoughts.

"I've just come back to the States after six months taking out the French X-Factor," Cable answered evenly. "They've been herding mutants into concentration camps."

Rebecca folded her arms across her chest, "If you had simply gone public with that information, the ULN would've stepped in and forced the Soviet European government to better control it's member countries. That would have been a much more cost-effective move than running in with guns blazing and-"

"Thirty seconds."

"Earth needs you, Cable. You're the only human we know of that will provide instant respect with the Council."

"What about Eagle One?"

"He died," Rebecca dropped her head, playing the sympathy card. "Killed in action on Hala. I am told he fought bravely, and died saving the life of a Shi'ar Imperial Guardman."

"He was always brave," Cable answered, still keeping his gun drawn on Rebecca. "But he was also naïve. He let himself become a tool of the United League of Nations."

"The Saviors are more than tools of the ULN," Rebecca shot back.

"Tell that to the people of England and Wakanda," Cable said slowly.

"If they want UN protection, they need to join the ULN," Rebecca answered evenly.

"Exactly my point," Cable replied. "Ten seconds."

Rebecca took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She believed he wouldn't pull the trigger on the gun, especially now that they had communicated and he had ample opportunity to scan her mind. Of course, the telepathic defense techniques she had been taught could hide quite a bit, and since he hadn't asked about-

"Five seconds."

"I suggest you don't make a habit of playing games with me in the future, Nathan Dayspring Summers," Miss Almond said coolly, holding her ground. "You will take the position as Earth Ambassador to the Council, or you will never receive the one thing you have searched the ages for, and never found."

A look of surprise, hope, and despair flashed across Cable's face.

Miss Almond continued, "That's right. I know where it is."

"Where what is?" Cable asked, almost fearful of the answer he had quested so long to find. Miss Almond kept her cold, hard face in place, though a smile broke out across her soul. She had him.

"Serve as Earth Ambassador to the Council until the end of the Eternal War, and we shall return to you the mad scribblings of your mother, Jean.

"We will give to you the Prophecies of Grey."

The Eveything Engine to be continued …

Failing my people is not an option I will accept.

Y G G D R A S I L

Comments c/o northern022@hotmail.com

For a subscription to AGC, send an email to me and I'll add you to the agcverse mailing list at yahoogroups. You will receive every issue of AGC as soon as it is ready for print.

Let's get right to this month's letters:

I enjoyed your Valentines special over in Vigilante its good to get a bit more insight into Eshir. I was recently looking back and I noticed that it was the Black Panther who rescued Angel from her mother and that he was an Avenger does that mean that there is still a team of Avengers out their (not including them dead alien kids- although I wouldn't mind seeing a story about them)? When is issue 43 out anyway --cheers -- Dave Evans

Thanks, Dave. I always enjoy stories that peel away the layers of the Orphans. Glad you liked it, too. There is no current team of Avengers. Exactly when they stopped is a story for another day, but if you check out some of the stories where Angelica is on Earth, you will see that Avengers Mansion is currently in a state of neglect.

Mark, just wanted to let you know I received issue 43 and had no problems reading it. I am looking forward to this new arc, to coin a phrase, "I am on the edge of my seat!" Keep up the good work, also looking forward to Ben's meeting with the Supreme Intelligence - until next issue,
Nick

Thanks, Nick. Ben's meeting with the SI will go down next issue.

Thanks for reading, everyone.

Next Issue: ALL GOD'S CHILDREN 45: The Everything Engine: Part II: Temptation Drive

-- Mark Bousquet …

Northern Bear Productions

18 March 2002