THE EVERYTHING ENGINE

Part II: Temptation Road

the forty-fifth tale of agc

written by Mark Bousquet

2201 / March

EARTH / GRELL CITY, WASHINGTON

Cable pushed the muzzle of his gun into Rebecca Almond's chest, "You lie. It is beyond the realm of possibility that the United League of Nations has the Prophecies of Grey."

Rebecca ignored the gun pressed against her, "Why is it so hard to imagine? You know as well as I that copying the Prophecies of your dear stepmother Jean is an impossibility. That all who have tried have degenerated into a state of irreparable madness."

"And most of those who had attempted to read it, as well," Cable replied, grinding the gun into Rebecca's chest. He was in no mood for games. He was tired, angry and in need of rest after six months spent fighting a guerilla war against the French X-Factor. The absolute last thing he needed to find when he returned home was a ULN operative jerking his chain.

"Which is why it should be safeguarded by ULN," Rebecca calmly explained. "Without the Avengers, or Fantastic Four, or X-Men around to serve as private watchdogs over highly sensitive and dangerous material, who else but the ULN should be in charge of-"

"Then why give it to me now?" Cable answered. "If it's so valuable and dangerous, why give it to a man who's been searching for it? A man the ULN has tried to capture and, after my experience in France, will once again be on the ULN's Most Wanted Super Criminal List."

"Because," Miss Almond replied, "it's no longer useful to us. Nearly 500 volunteers have attempted to either read or copy the Prophecies of Grey for us, and they have all gone quite mad. And since it would do us no good, and since we have an operation for you to perform, giving to you as payment seems quite reasonable."

Cable didn't blink. "I still don't believe you have it."

Miss Almond gave him a short smile. "May I?" she asked, nodding to her steel briefcase that sat on the bed. Without waiting for an answer, she moved to the case, entered the security code, inserted both keys into the respective locks, changed the security code, turned the keys, changed the code for a third time, and opened the briefcase. "Take a look," she offered Cable, stepping away.

Cable kept his gun trained on Rebecca. "Take it out."

"Fine, fine," Rebecca sighed, reaching into the case and pulling out a half-piece of grey paper, torn from one corner to the other. "I believe you have the other half of this?"

Slowly, Cable dropped the gun and his face relaxed, his weariness involuntarily shining through. "You let me see the rest of this journal, in person, so that I can verify that you have it," he said, his eyes locked onto the torn journal page, "and I'll do whatever it is you want me to do." He turned to look her straight in the eye, "I'll even go to Wakanda and bring you back the head of the Black Panther."

Rebecca felt a thrill run though her body, and allowed the thinnest of smiles to draw across her face. "Splendid," she replied, feeling more powerful than she ever had before. It wasn't every day that a living weapon fell into your hands.

NIFFLEHEIM

Hela stood above the Olympians, impatient for Balder and the legions of Asgard to arrive. Her Greco-Roman counterpart, Pluto, looked up at her and smiled.

"Patience, Hela. Death will come soon enough."

"Thou would be wise to not put these airs on when the King arrives," Hela replied crisply. "The fury of Asgard will soon be at thy door."

Pluto laughed, his gaze turning to the Olympians around him, "We welcome them with open arms."

Hela did not answer Pluto. Instead, her gaze turned to the Olympian gods that now swore loyalty to him. They looked, as they always did, as physically perfect beings - the only exception being the ionic energy where their human eyes once resided. Hela ran a hand over her mask, thinking of the scars beneath, and found her eyes drawn to Apollo. The god stood with his sister Athena, discussing the pain they would rend unto Balder for killing their father, Zeus. Hela, who appreciated death and decay as art forms, found Apollo to be beautiful beyond words. Perhaps she would take him as a-

"I think Asgard is afraid to face us!" Poseidon yelled, stamping his trident onto the ground and causing the Olympians to roar in approval.

"What say you, Hela?" Ares taunted up at the goddess of Hel. "Is Balder the Brave become Balder the Bashful in our absence?"

Hela quickly replied, "There hath ne'er been a finer son of Asgard than Balder, Ares. Even I would grant our King that."

"Yet when the Angelux steal the souls of the dead from the Valkyrior that were destined either for Valhalla or Niffleheim," Artemis called, "he does nothing to aid you!"

"I hear," Aphrodite mused, "that Valhalla is shrouded in fog, that not even the worthy souls of Asgard's warriors find it a welcome resting home for eternity. They wander aimlessly, eternally alone!"

Hela did not bother to reply, for in the distance, she heard the approaching army. Soon, the battle would be joined. She allowed herself a smile as her eyes again fell onto Apollo.

Soon, she would revel in the spoils of victory.

HALA / KE-RETRIBUTION

"Welcome to Hala."

Ben-Vell Parker, Eshir Maximoff, Angelica Osborn and Attumidunn stood alongside General Van'Rogg, and before the being known as the Supreme Intelligence. They had heard the stories, and seen some vids, but they were completely unprepared for the sight before them. Floating in a giant vat of liquid was a large, dark green bulbous head. A series of tentacles extended from the head outward, waving easily in the containment tube. There was no body.

"It is our honor to be here," Attumidunn spoke for the group, stepping forward and allowing the Supremor's large eyes to roam over her aqua-toned flesh and Valkyrie armor. "We bring with us greetings from King Balder, and the hope that we shall be of assistance to you in this time of need."

"And you shall," the Supreme Intelligence rumbled. "Starting tomorrow, General Van'Rogg has much for you to do. Now, General, please escort them to their quarters."

The Orphans exchanged a series of quizzical glances. Was that it? Was that their entire meeting with-?

"The half-Kree will remain."

Ben-Vell caught the looks of his friends, and shook his head, "Go. I'll catch up with you later." He watched the Kree General lead them out of the room, then turned back to the Supreme Intelligence. "I thought this would happen."

"What is that?" the Intelligence asked.

"That you'd want to talk to me alone," Ben-Vell answered, trying to stand as straight and tall as possible. "I'm ready for whatever warped logic it is you want to throw at me."

A slow smile spread across the Supremor's large lips, "Excellent. I see your training goes well on Asgard. It is important that your other half is trained well."

"I'm not half-Asgardian," Ben replied. "I'm half-human."

Tentacles rippled, "Of course. But the Asgardians can train you much better in the ways of war than the Earth creatures. You have Captain America there, as well, to assist your development. What need do you have of Earth when you have its finest soldier at the ready? Answer me, young half-Kree, how much time does the Cosmic Protector spend in preparing you for the day you will become the Cosmic Protector?"

Ben-Vell frowned, "None, actually."

"Doubtful," the Supreme Intelligence rumbled, his tube floating lower to confront Ben more directly. "He spends no time training you on the art of cosmic flight? No time on developing cosmic awareness? He must be aware that you have inherited the gene for the so-called 'spider-sense,' and have a latent ability towards developing an inner cosmic awareness. Certainly, the great, proud Captain America must spend time working with you on-." The Supreme Intelligence stopped mid-sentence and levitated backwards and away from Ben-Vell. "I can see that you mock me."

Ben looked confused, "What are you-?"

The Intelligence rumbled softly, his eyes looking down sadly at Ben-Vell. "I can see that it is your desire to lie to me. We shall gain no ground while you continue to mock me, young half-Kree. If this is the mission Balder has sent you with, to deceive and malign a powerful ally, then you may as well spend your time here doing nothing but garbage removal."

"Hey, wait a minute. Balder didn't send me here to lie to you," Ben tried to explain as the Supremor began to slowly turn his back to the Orphan.

"So you would lie on your own?" the Intelligence asked, momentarily halting his turn away.

"But I didn't lie," Ben said. "Honest. Captain America really doesn't spend any time with me preparing me to be the Cosmic Protector. He says I have to work on the hand-to-hand combat techniques first, that in order to-"

The Supreme Intelligence turned his face completely away from Ben. "When you are ready to be honest with me, and answer my questions as an adult, and not a scared human boy, you may return to me to continue our discussions. You are supposed to be special. You are supposed to be 'the Chosen One,' but I see no reason to believe you are any different than the rest of the Orphans." Pause. "I find it disturbing that one who so clearly tries to identify with the Kree lineage of Mar-Vell cares so little to learn from the Kree."

"That's not-"

"You may leave now. I have moved beyond this discussion."

THE ROAD TO NIFFLEHEIM

The Asgardians marched to battle.

It was unlike anything Kovar had ever experienced, and he was pleased that he had decided to go forth to battle. General Van'Rogg left the decision to him, but Kovar felt it was the right thing to do. Let Ash'lin stay behind; Kovar had spent too long without using his skills of combat.

The Kree prided themselves on being the most professional military in the Everything. War was something that was planned and drilled, with precise battle plans drawn up to take advantage of the foe, the terrain, the capabilities of each individual battalion. Officers had all the statistical data at their disposal they could ever want, and they drilled their units to compensate for areas of poor performance, and planned to strike using areas of strong performance. Being in the Kree military was hard, with the foremost requirement being discipline. As he walked among the Asgardians, he found none of that.

They did not walk in tight formation, with each step of every soldier clicking the pavement as one. No, they walked as a mingling group, moving ahead or back among the others. They sang songs of battles long ago, of those lost in combat.

It was jarring for Kovar, but also invigorating.

In the Kree military, the goal was always to get ahead, to achieve the next rank, to move up the military ladder. Camaraderie was a private's folly. But this … it had always bothered him that there was no official military structure to Asgard's defenses, that duty was something talked about but not inscribed in the language of law.

It dawned on him as they plunged deeper and deeper into the tunnels: the Kree were soldiers, Asgardians were warriors. The Kree saw failure only in terms of which side won and lost, while the Asgardians treated battle as a proving ground. Loss was a failure, yes, but so long as one fought to their dying breath, there was no real failure on that day. The brave and heroic who died righteously in battle were headed to Valhalla, and they saw no shame in death, if the after-life lead to Valhalla.

"But aren't their intel reports that suggest there's trouble amiss in Valhalla?" Kovar asked the Asgardian next to him, a young man he learned was named Brono.

"Aye, there is at that," the young man smiled back, "but there is nothing wrong with Valhalla in here." The young man tapped his chest. "So long as Valhalla lives inside yon hearts of Asgard, there shall never be anything wrong with hallowed Valhalla. Mortal eyes were not meant to gaze upon it, so why trust intelligence reports over the beating heart?"

Kovar shook his head and mumbled, "You sound like Balder."

"He wouldst be pleased to hear thou sayeth that, Accuser." Brono took off his helmet, revealing to Kovar a short lock of white hair. "I am his only son, after all."

Kovar looked sideways at Brono, "Balder has a son? I have been here for almost a decade and I have never known him to make mention of any son."

Brono refitted his helmet, "I have spent my childhood in Nornheim, the home of my mother, Karnilla. After her death during Ragnarok, Nornheim was left without a ruler, and Nornkeep without an inhabitant. Balder thought it best if I was to stay there and continue my education as ruler of that barren land. Beta Ray Bill and Amora, among others, have oft made the journey to Nornheim to assist in my development."

Kovar shook his head, "It does not surprise you that Balder would not mention you once, in all this time, to a member of the Council?"

"Nay," Brono shook his head. "When Odin was King, the mantle of Asgardian leadership hung over his son Thor like an eternal shadow. Balder did not wish the same fate upon me. Nay, I stay in Nornheim and rule the denizens there, small kingdom that we are." Brono smiled at Kovar, "Think, good man, why should Balder let it be known to all that he hath a son? Would it not be a large feather in the cap of Thanos, or one of his minions, to claim my head as a prize? Living here, in Asgard, would be nothing but distraction for both my father and I. His mind needs to be free from worry."

"And you?" Kovar asked. "I hear Nornheim is an unpleasant place to live. I do not know much of it, but I remember hearing Volstagg telling a drunken tale about Karnilla's underground palace? It can not be a pleasant place to live."

"On the contrary, Accuser," Brono continued, "Nornkeep is a palace of grand opulence. The surface may be hard and foreboding, but the same cannot be said for the palace itself. It is a mix of pleasure and hardships that I find quite to my liking, and, I must confess, my oft moody disposition."

Kovar let the answer sink in, walking alongside Brono in silence, letting the chants and songs of the Asgardians wash over him. He noticed that Brono was in no hurry to talk, nor in any hurry to leave his side. "Forgive me for asking, Brono, but why do you not walk ahead, with your father?"

Brono turned and let a slim smile draw across his face, "He does not know that I am here." In answer to Kovar's surprised look, Brono continued, "When Beta Ray Bill didst search the ice sheets of Jotunheim, he paid a visit to an Olympian woman named Persephone, who is forced to live out her life there, caring for the last Frost Giant.* It was Persephone who notified me, and I daresay I knew before my father of the return of the Olympians." He paused as they strode forward. "I do not know how well you know the histories of the Asgard-Olympus feud, Kovar, but there has been much animosity built up over the centuries. I am afraid that my mother doth play a role in the feuding. Or rather, that she was willing to use the feud for her own ends."

* AGC 42: The Walking Ghosts of Mt. Olympus

"How so?" Kovar asked, feeling a chill in the air swarm over them. They were almost upon Niffleheim.

Brono frowned, "While my mother didst love my father with all her heart, she was unwilling to accept him as a non-eternal companion. Balder doth love Asgard, and would not shrink from the duties Odin placed on him. Odin, frowning upon the love my parents shared, kept Balder busy, day and night, never allowing him more than two days of rest at any time. Far too little time to satisfy the needs of Karnilla, I fear, and she set in motion plans to inflame jealousy in Balder."

Brono paused, and while Kovar respected the young man's wishes, he feared not hearing the end of the tale before they were on Niffleheim. "What plans?" he asked, prodding Brono on.

"Come now, Kovar," Brono forced a smile. "How does any woman seek to bring jealousy onto a lover?"

Kovar nodded, understanding.

"Soon after learning of her pregnancy, she didst engage in an affair with the Olympian sun god, Apollo," Brono grimaced. "Dost thou know our language, Accuser? Dost thou know what 'Brono' means in our tongue? Its meaning shows how scorned my mother felt." Brono paused, and seeing that Kovar didn't know, continued. "Think of the Olympian myths. Apollo was charged with riding the sun across the sky every morn, bringing daylight to the world."

Brono made certain to hold Kovar's eyes when he continued. "Daylight," he said grimly. "What Apollo brought to the world each morn was the name my mother didst give me to let my father know that she would not sit home alone."

"Are you here to kill Apollo?" Kovar asked, unsure if any but the most experienced warrior could stand a chance against the sun god.

"Nay," Brono said, relaxing. "I have no special feud with Apollo. Nay, new friend, my blade seeks the blood of Apollo's sister, Artemis."

"Why is that?"

"Because it was Artemis who didst kill my mother," Brono said through a clenched jaw.

HALA / KE-RETRIBUTION

"You play a dangerous game, Supremor," Lord Chaos grinned across the room at the Supreme Intelligence.

"Very dangerous," Master Order frowned. "It is not wise to push Ben-Vell so hard. Great things are expected of him."

The Supreme Intelligence looked Order dead in the eye, "The time for greatness is upon us. He is not ready to be great, but that is because of Captain America. The selfish human is not teaching the boy what is needed, and with every passing day, the level of greatness the boy can achieve slides further and further from his grasp. He can get that knowledge only here, from the Kree."

"And from you, correct?" Lord Chaos asked rhetorically.

"Who else?" the Intelligence asked. "Asgard has no right to claim all of tomorrow's heroes. Look who it was that Balder sent here during our Civil War: two humans, a Shi'ar, a Skrull, and a lower-race mercenary. There was no Asgardian in that group to be found, proving that Balder cares for the Kree only as a means to his own end."

Master Order grinned, "You are plotting to sabotage the Council, then? Excellent move, Supremor."

"Do not presume to predict that actions of those you do not understand, Master Order," the Intelligence responded. "The Council serves its purpose."

"Such as delivering the Parker boy into your hands," Lord Chaos smiled.

"Which is where he should have been all along," the Supremor answered. "If the Cosmic Protector will not train Ben-Vell to meet his destiny, I will make Captain America irrelevant."

NIFFLEHEIM

Hela felt a charge run through her body as the approaching horde of Asgardian troops came forward into Niffleheim. The raven banner flew high and proud, as King Balder led his troops to battle. The Olympians beneath her stopped their idle conversations and turned to watch the Asgardians pour into the large, open cavern. There would be little chance of escape here, and both sides, Hela saw, had brought their fiercest warriors. Among the numbers, Hela saw that the Kree Ambassador was present, as was the Cosmic Protector, while the Skrull and Shi'ar Ambassador must have been left behind. Seeing Volstagg, Hela allowed a grin. She did not think he could move his obese body more than a mile any longer, but the Lion of Asgard had somehow managed to make the journey.

A surprise came in the next wave to enter - Amora the Enchantress had made the journey, ending her years of solitude.

Balder was a wise King, however, and had left many troops behind, as the numbers of Asgard were greater than the number of Olympians. But there was no stopping Asgard's strongest and bravest from coming to this battle. So great was their hatred for the Olympians that anything short of a direct order from their King would not keep them away.

The Asgardian King strode to the center of the large cavern, as Pluto walked to join him.

"You will not slay this ruler of Olympus as you slew Zeus!" Pluto roared as the men stood together, their voices echoing inside the chamber.

"And thou shall have no greater success against the might of Asgard on this day than thou didst in the past!" Balder replied.

Pluto leaned in low, speaking quietly so that none but Balder would hear him, "I can see defeat in your eyes already, Balder. You wish to know how so many that were already killed can be here to fight again." Pluto smiled, "Death is soon to walk amongst us." He stood back, yelling to all, "Look, to the high ground opposite Hela!" All eyes turned to see that two visitors had come to watch the bloodshed.

Thanos and Death, herself.

"For Olympus!" the Pluto roared, unsheathing a sword.

"For Asgard!" Balder roared, unsheathing Twilight.

As the blades of the two kings struck, the battle began.

SPACE

Adam Warlock was the keeper of a great many secrets. While Master Order and Lord Chaos, and indeed, most living beings, believed the Center of Everything to be a myth, Adam knew that not only did it exist, but that it also was the location of the Everything Engine.

Popular belief held the Everything Engine to be another myth, created as "God Syntax." They believed it to be a term created by some time-lost intergalactic Council to explain similar beliefs among many races. Instead of a multitude of colloquial terms that said different things, but meant the same thing, a new word or phrase was created to serve in their place. The result was general terms like "God" which could stand for something specific, or for a general meaning.

Popular belief, in this matter, was wrong.

Adam knew the Center of Everything to be more fact than myth. He looked to the Soul Gem that rested on the end of his wooden staff, and let it be his guide. The Soul Gem would lead him to the Center of Everything, Adam knew.

It was time for the Gem to go home.

The Eveything Engine to be continued…

It wasn't every day that a living weapon fell into your hands.

Y G G D R A S I L

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-- Mark Bousquet …

Northern Bear Productions

22 March 2002