THE WAR OF ORDER AND CHAOS

Part One: Asgard Reclaimed

the 71^st tale of agc

written and created by Mark Bousquet

2201 / NOVEMBER

ASGARD - THOR ODINSON HALL OF PEACE - THRONE ROOM

War had come to the Hall of Peace.

Swords clashed, guns fired, and blood began to splatter and soak the floor of the Throne Room. Ignored by everyone, at the base of the short steps that led up to the throne of the King of Asgard lay Asgard's most recent King, William of the Beta Ray, dead from a wound delivered by Odin the One-Eye, a King whose death Asgard had once mourned.

Glimmer Girl soared into the air the moment Odin the One-Eye gave the order to his force of returned-to-life Asgardians to kill everyone in sight. The Imperial Guardsman had been standing near the door, closest to Loki, and was ill-at-ease simply at their reappearance, let alone the fact that they all were now trying to kill her. She had only come to the room because Kovar the Accuser would be here and even if they could not openly show their affection for each other, it helped for them that they could at least be near each other.

Before her, spread out across the great Throne Room, the battle raged. Odin had returned with twenty Asgardian warriors (all of whom were believed deceased), killed Beta Ray Bill, and declared war on the Alliance. Why, neither Glimmer nor anyone knew, though at the moment there wasn't time for much ponderance.

A quick look down told Glimmer that for the moment she was not in immediate danger. None of the Third Army seemed interested in her, which wasn't surprising given that there were nearly 200 people in the room on the ground. Prominent among them: Ambassadors Kovar, Ash'lin, Cable, and Skrull 4. Much of the high ranking members of each Ambassador's staff were present, as well as several members of the Rainbow Brigade, including Amora the Enchantress and General Edward Rhodes. Relying on her training as an Imperial Guardsman, Glimmer Girl took a closer look around the room …

Many of the normal Asgardians who had come to the Throne Room this day to talk to the King had backpedaled to the walls. They were stunned by the return of Odin, a King that the overwhelming majority of Asgardians had lived under for most of their lives. They had been overrun for several months by the so-called "Rainbow Brigade," the assembling of soldiers from the Alliance homeworlds to defend Asgard after the Army of Doom had launched a mild attack, led by the Olympian sun god, Apollo. It hadn't taken them long to realize that Odin's Third Army was primarily attacking all of the non-Asgardians in the room. The question seemed to pass between them, unasked but shared by all, 'Would Odin spare their life for a pledge of allegiance to him?'

Glimmer's eyes next looked for Kovar (her secret lover) and Ash'lin (the Shi'ar Ambassador and her superior officer).

She found Kovar first, his large frame marking him out easily. He was locked in direct battle with Skurge the Executioner. 'Typical Kovar,' she noted with concern. 'Find the biggest guy in the room to fight.' Skurge's large, spiked club slammed down hard, seeking to crush Kovar's head, but Kovar met the blow with his Nullifier. Glimmer's eyes lingered on the battle, the two of them dominating the room as their blows shook the room

Ash'lin had quickly backed away from the center of the room where Odin's 20 soldiers were concentrated. She sought to lose herself in the crowd but she had drawn the attention of Lorelei.

"Where do you think you're going, Shi'ar witch?"

Ash'lin stopped in her tracks, mere inches from the large tapestry that hung in front of a window, as the Asgardians around her scampered away like roaches exposed to the light. "An Asgardian with a standard tongue," Ash'lin remarked. "How quaint."

"Sassy," Lorelei smiled, taking a step closer.

"Thou must forgive my sister, Ash'lin," Amora the Enchantress spoke, coming closer. "She hast e'er been quick to forgo tradition for the new."

"Sister," Lorelei's eyes flashed wickedly as she half-turned to face the Enchantress. "Do you stand with Odin or with the scum?"

Amora smiled, pointing her fingers, palm down, toward Ash'lin. She performed a simple spell and the Shi'ar Ambassador found herself quickly bound up tight in the tapestry behind her. Amora's eyes had never left her sister's. "With Asgard, of course."

"Then slay this witch," Lorelei challenged.

"Still thy tongue, younger sister," Amora said coolly. "There is much capital to be gained from this one." The Enchantress walked over to the trapped Ash'lin, and ran a fingernail lightly across the Shi'ar Ambassador's jaw line. "Thou shouldst never have incurred my wrath, Ash'lin. I shall derive great pleasure from the torture that awaits thee."

Ash'lin spit into Amora's face. "Traitor."

The word had barely left her lips when Amora's right hand slapped her hard across the face, silencing her.

THE LATVERIAN - INSIDE THE HALA SHIPYARD DEFENSE SYSTEEM (SDS)

Aboard the Army of Doom's Command Destroyer Latverian, four Generals commanded a planetary assault on the Kree homeworld of Hala: Pluto, Mephisto, Ikaris, and Ochken. Pluto and Ikaris stood on a small rise, while Mephisto and Ochken took up their position on the main floor.

They watched out through the forward and side blast windows as their planetary assault was underway. "The Kree are slow to respond," Pluto remarked as hundreds of single and double-piloted Doom Attack Fighters (DAFs) soared and darted across open space, attacking the Kree Shipyard space stations and what few ships the Kree had managed to scramble and launch.

"Their SDS isn't equipped to handle an assault of this magnitude that starts within its grid," Ochken remarked.

"I wonder if you have any second thoughts, General Ochken?" Mephisto asked the Kree Separatist leader. "Your homeworld will be nothing more than a crumbled society when the Army of Doom is done with it."

Ochken shook his head. "No regrets, Mephisto." It was, the elder Kree believed, more of a lie every time he told it. When he'd sided with Thanos it was to save the Kree Empire from the grasp of the newly returned Supreme Intelligence.* Then Thanos was defeated and instantly replaced by Doom. Thanos had promised to aid Ochken in the removal of the Supreme Intelligence and the reassertion of Republic, democratic rule to the Kree people. Doom promised only to kill the Intelligence. Ochken knew that Doom's goal was to assert Order onto the world, which meant that the tyrannical reign of the Supreme Intelligence would be replaced by the tyrannical reign of Doom.

* AGC 35-41: Embers of Hala

Mephisto took a step across the large bridge towards Ochken. "I would hate to think you were thinking of betraying us."

"Leave him be," Pluto commanded from the deck. "The details Ochken has given Doom regarding Hala's SDS and interior defense capabilities have allowed us to plan this assault with a precision that would have been unable otherwise. Even if he was to turn sides, it wouldn't make a difference."

"Do not forget," Mephisto countered, "that many of our assault spacecraft are commanded by Kree officers. If Ochken turns, our own ships could be used against us."

Ikaris looked down at the Lord of Lies with scorn. "And you shouldn't forget, Mephisto, that there are Eternals and Olympians aboard each vessel as well. If any of the Kree Republicans dared to alter Doom's plan, they would be stopped within moments." Ikaris gripped the rail before him hard. "Now get ready to lead your assault, Mephisto. Doom wants this planet taken within 24 standard hours."

Pluto turned to Ochken. "Contact the Doomstadt. Tell them we have begun."

THE DOOMSTADT - OUTSIDE CHANDILAR

Aboard a mirror ship of the Latverian, Daimon Hellstrom, Bruunhilde, Hela, and Set led the assault against the Shi'ar homeworld. Unlike the complex and costly Shipyard Defense System that circled Hala, Chandilar was defended by mechanical drones and automatic weapons defense systems.

The four Generals looked out their blast windows as the DAFs battled Shi'ar's defenses. What should have been open space was littered with mechanical bots that looked like a swarm of metallic octopus. The center metallic middle was a circle, and coming out of the center were eight cable arms that fired lasers at its targets. The octobots came in varying sizes and just in their line of sight the Doomstadt's computers counted two thousand of the devices.

Mines littered the space, as well, and the four generals watched as many DAFs caused their own demise by flying into a mine to avoid the fire from and octobot.

"Hellstrom," Bruunhilde called to the leader of this assault. "I have just received word from Ochken that the ground assault of Hala is being initiated."

Hellstrom nodded his thanks, then turned to Set. "The time is yours, Egyptian."

Set laughed his approval, then left the bridge with a flourish.

"The poor sap has no idea, does he?" Bruunhilde asked. "I envy you, Hela."

The Norse goddess of death smiled in response.

ASGARD - THOR ODINSON HALL OF PEACE - THRONE ROOM

"Insufferable whore," Glimmer Girl spat from high above the stone floor, watching Amora's betrayal. A scream from right below her caused the Guardsman to look down where Malekith stuck deep into the shoulder of Rebecca Almond, Cable's top assistant, with a dagger, pinning her to the stone wall. Before Glimmer could act, Malekith was struck hard in the side by several plasma blasts.

"Get out of here!" General Edward Rhodes ordered Rebecca as Malekith was knocked backwards from the force of the bullets. Rebecca, terror etched onto her face, nodded and ran to the front door of the Throne Room, her left arm hanging limply by her side. Rhodes moved to cover her exit, and missed a hard punch delivered by Ulik the Troll.

"Smelly human!" Ulik roared, his large frame towering above the dazed Rhodes. "Ulik will-!"

The Earth Ambassador Cable - a man Glimmer had barely spoken to - rushed in and tackled Ulik to the ground. Cable rolled as his back hit the ground, and used the momentum to flip Ulik across the room where he crashed into the back of Fandrall the Dashing.

Angrily, Cable spun back to check on Rhodes - who was already rising to his feet - and then to Rebecca - pounding against the locked door - and finally looked up to Glimmer Girl. "Don't just float there!" he ordered, cocking his head in the direction of the trapped figure of Rebecca Almond. "Go get help!"

Glimmer nodded just as Cable's body was bent quick at the waist as Ulik's hand smashed into him. She bolted for the nearest glass window, a long oval shaped stained glass window that rose within ten feet of the fifty foot high ceiling - only to find Loki sitting cross-legged on a crossbeam just to the right of her window.

"Thou weren't thinking of leaving," Loki said as if it were a fact, leaning his back against the grey stone wall, as beneath them Ulik pounded Cable's downed body.

Glimmer's only response was to pour on the speed, intending to blow right past the Asgardian god of mischief. It didn’t work. "Unnng!" she gasped, the air forced from her lungs as Loki raised a hand and stopped her cold. "Thou willst stay," Loki announced simply, a smile spread wide on his face. "I am in need of company." Twisting his hand, Loki manipulated Glimmer's trapped body, flipping her around and slamming her back hard against the wall, just to the left of the glass window she had attempted to leave through.

Loki turned his attention back to the chaos of the raging battle upon the floor. "Cast thy gaze upon the far left, my dear. No, beyond the gloating Odin. Further, yes, dost thou see? Kurse is about to end the life of a miserable Skrull."

Glimmer Girl moaned, her body held tight against the wall forty feet in the air, arms pinned tight to her sides. She shook her head, causing her blonde hair to fall in front of her eyes, partially impairing her vision. The sight was not quite as Loki illustrated. There was the unstoppable force that was Kurse, but the Skrull whose life he was purported to end was none other than Skrull 4.

"Just … you … watch," she grunted to the god of mischief, who momentarily turned to smile at her. Glimmer didn't give him the pleasure, and kept her eyes locked on the Kurse / Skrull 4 battle.

Kurse ran towards Skrull 4, seeking to crush the ex-Ambassador in his hands. 4 waited until the last second, then turned his body elastic, swerving out wide to the side. He completed the move by using his invisible force powers to place a bar across Kurse's path for the large warrior to trip over.

Kurse roared as his feet tripped over the bar and his body lunged forward, smashing head first into the wall of the Throne Room. Before he could pick himself up, 4 turned his lower arms and hands into orange rock, then turned his upper arms elastic and shot them into the wall above the hole Kurse had caused, sending ten feet of debris crashing down onto the fallen warrior. 4 retracted his arms, then turned his hands into flame and poured intense fire over the rocks that had trapped Kurse underneath its weight.

"Cease thine actions, demon!" Skrull 4 turned his head to the right to see Hogun the Grim bearing down on him, and turned to face the attack.

4 screamed in pain as a sword plunged through his upper leg from behind.

"When thou face one Warrior, thou face the Warriors Three!" Fandrall the Dashing whispered beneath him.

"And Volstagg the Lion makes three!" 4 turned his body completely elastic as the fat Volstagg leapt at him, crushing his body down onto the floor. "Thou cannot escape out from under the Lion!" Volstagg roared down at him. 4's response was to circle his hands around, smashing down on the back of Volstagg's head with orange fists. "Treacherous demon!" he roared, shaking his head.

Skrull 4 was able to use the shifting weight of Volstagg to his advantage, rolling the fat Asgardian over and slipping out the other side. Twirling his elasticized body to his feet, Skrull 4 turned to see Fandrall the Dashing holding a member of the Skrull Ambassadorial staff around the neck, his blade pointed at the woman's temple.

Looking at the frightened woman, 4 hesitated for a split second - a second in which he found himself bound by a magical ring of yellow that pinned his arms tight to his body. He commanded his body to turn elastic and found himself unable to enact the transformation. "'Tis a magical band that robs thee of thine power," Hogun remarked. "'Tis the work of Loki."

Across the Throne Room and behind them, Loki was smirking at the still trapped Glimmer Girl. "Thou sayest?"

Glimmer said nothing, watching as, one-by-one, the Alliance forces were captured or killed.

HALA - MILITARY COMMAND

"General Van'Rogg, what is the meaning of this?"

The image of the Supreme Intelligence floated on a screen behind General Van'Rogg as the Military Command Room around him was frantic with life. Van'Rogg was in charge of the planetary defense of Hala, and right now the planet's security was severely compromised.

Van'Rogg didn't bother to turn around to face the Intelligence as he answered him. "Sensors indicate nearly 1,000 spacecraft just gated inside most of our Shipyard Defense Systems!" Van'Rogg was referring to the 100 space stations that were spread out in the space around Hala to, among other functions, protect the planet in the middle. They were gridded in ten increasingly larger circles around Hala, each ring containing ten Shipyards. Within the hour, jump gates had opened throughout the SDS, and shipyards were being hammered from the 60-ring of Shipyards in as space crafts flying under the banner of the Army of Doom sped inward toward the planet.

"How was this possible?"

'At least act surprised!' Van'Rogg thought as he listened to the Supremor's calm demeanor. "Get Shipyard 47 to release all fighters to the interior!" he yelled to a com-technician. "Inform Lieutenant Jok that the defense of Hala is more important than the defense of Shipyard in the 40-ring!"

"General," the Supremor said calmly.

This time Van'Rogg did spin around. "Superior technology," he said, a perturbed calm descending upon him. "Our defense grid was powerful enough to keep any of Thanos' troops inside the Surf, denying them access to Kree space. If they would initiate a sequence to open a gate inside the SDS, the gate would collapse before the ships could exit the Surf. But Doom has technology on another level. It's possible we could lessen the effects of the attack had we known what technology he was using-"

"Were you not aware that Doom was in control of Kang's Chronoplisian technology after witnessing the fall of the Skrulls?"*

* AGC 65-67: Freedom Genocide

"We were," Van'Rogg replied amidst the chaos of officers running back and forth across the room. "You did not let me finish. Sir. What I was going to say was that we would have been able to lessen the effects of the attack had we known what technology he was using earlier than we did. I takes time to recalibrate the defense grid, to-"

"All I hear are excuses, General," the Supreme Intelligence threatened casually. "It would be wise for you to repel this invasion."

"Of course, Supremor," Van'Rogg nodded, then turned away. He wanted to add, 'What the hell do you think I'm trying to do?' but his mind was already wondering why Doom hadn't just teleported all his troops directly onto the planet itself, as he'd done on Skrullos 2.

A new series of alarms chose to go off at that moment and General Van'Rogg had his answer. Turning to look down at the far left of the Military Command Room, he saw that Doom's assault on Hala did contain a ground component.

Across the outskirts of the city thousands of Doom's troops poured out of jump gates, roaring as they ran towards the capital city of Hala.

"What are they?" a young tech asked, his mouth agape in awe and fear.

"Earth demons," Van'Rogg answered, walking to point to a specific figure on one of the 100 monitors that lined the front wall of the Command Room. It was the only figure on any screen that wasn't shouting or waving a weapon. No, the commander of this attack force pulled his long, red robe in tight, and walked casually towards the city. Van'Rogg nodded, recognizing the man from the most recent batch of intel files sent along by Asgard. "Mephisto. The Lord of Lies."

ASGARD - THOR ODINSON HALL OF PEACE - THRONE ROOM

Glimmer Girl had stopped struggling against her bonds as Loki lowered them to the floor. Across the Throne Room, the members of the Alliance that had been present were all captured or dead.

She looked to the fallen King William of the Beta Ray, a man Glimmer had known by name and reputation as Beta Ray Bill for years. Only in the past few months had she come to know Bill personally and while she still did not know him well, she felt for his passing. Two Asgardian Kings dead within a year, and now who would be the third? Odin? Brono? If it was Odin did that mean the death of the Alliance? Was Odin really fighting for Doom?

Glimmer shook off the questions as she was led by Loki to stand alongside other prominent captures. Kovar had taken a blow from Skurge to the upper left arm, and it now hung limply at his side as he sat on the ground. She wanted to rip the Executioner's head from his neck as she watched him gloat over Kovar's defeated body.

Skrull 4 and Cable were each bound by Loki's magical restraints. A fitting end given that they'd both been captured in much the same fashion - Skrull 4 to save the life of one of his staff, and Cable to save the life of Rebecca Almond. Miss Almond sat with her back against the wall, blood covering nearly all of her white blouse from her shoulder wound. It was clear that she was in both mental and physical shock, and Glimmer was glad to see that General Rhodes sat near her.

"Wilst thou keep that one as a pet, Loki?" Amora asked as Loki shoved Glimmer's body to stand next to Ash'lin, now bound with rope instead of tapestry.

Loki smiled, "If 'tis right with the All-Father, I wouldst, indeed, like to use the purple one for … personal matters."

"Keep whatever whores you desire, Loki," Odin's booming voice came to them from the throne. The room turned to heed his words. "Amora, 'tis good to see thine loyalties remain true."

"Of course, Odin," Amora bowed slightly.

"What of your so-called Rainbow Brigade, sister?" Lorelei asked. "Will they present much trouble for us?"

Amora shook her head. "That one," she pointed to Rhodes, "led the forces of Mdgard. His second-in-command," she pointed to a body that lay unconscious on the floor and bleeding profusely, "is named Igor Rasputin. Their third-in-command, a wretch of a woman named Rosalind Gyrich, is not present in this room."

"And the other races?" Heimdall asked. Amora looked to her ex-husband, hoping for lust to be naked in his eyes. Seeing none, she could not help but feel disappointment.

"Colonel Umagong of the Kree and Chauncere of the Skrulls both appear to be missing," Amora noted, looking at the pile of dead bodies. "Loki's new pet doth lead the Shi'ar faction. All of the leaders," she turned back to Odin, "have thusly been accounted for. 'Tis certain our actions here have been heard by those outside. Unless, of course, there are more soldiers in thine Third Army, All-Father."

Odin the One-Eye allowed himself a smile. "By Surtur's sword, Enchantress, there are more. The human god Franklin Richards has provided us well."

"Franklin Richards?" Amora asked, surprised. "We fight under his banner?"

"Aye," Odin nodded, his one good eye focusing on Amora as he descended the short steps from his throne. "In time I shall reveal to you what I didst learn in the Everything Engine." He kicked at the body of Beta Ray Bill. "Warriors Three, 'twould please your King to see this blasphemous creature on fire by midnight."

"What of the Valkyrior, milord?" Amora asked. "Many will remain loyal to Moonstar."

Odin nodded. "We shall offer them the same bargain we offer all of Asgard. Side with the Third Army, and they shall be allowed to live."

"And if they remain loyal to the Alliance?" Amora asked.

"Then they are enslaved, or killed," Odin shrugged.

"What of Moonstar?" Amora asked.

"The All-Father wouldst like her captured alive," Loki interjected himself into the exchange. "I am not alone in desiring a puppet with which to play."

"Still thy tongue, Loki," Odin said roughly as he pushed his way past. "Come, my children, let us take in the glory of the outside world. Today, Asgard is reclaimed!"

ASGARD - FOREST OF EARTH

In the edge of the Forest of Earth, near the comatose body of Galactus (which lay undisturbed in the Plains of Ida), Eshir Maximoff, Ben-Vell Parker, K'Zan, and Dani Moonstar watched in shock as Asgard was overrun by it's own dead legends come back to life. Giants crushed houses, Frost Giants pelted the city, as trolls ran wild through the streets. Asgardian warriors attacked the settlements of the Rainbow Brigade as a flock of ravens tore through Embassy Road, effectively locking away the Ambassadorial staffs inside their own buildings.

"I must get to my troops!" Dani cried plaintively as Ben-Vell and K'Zan held her in place.

"No, Dani," Ben-Vell pleaded. "You can't! It's suicide!"

"I must!" Dani shouted, breaking free of Ben and K'Zan's grasp. "The Valkyrior can end this attack!"

As Dani neared the opening into the Plains of Ida, Eshir shot in front of her. "What makes you think they will fight against Odin?" he asked. "If they wanted to repel this assault, wouldn't they already be in the sky?"

"I am their commander," Dani insisted, her rage palpable in the warm forest air.

"And they cannot fly without your approval?" Eshir asked.

Dani wrinkled her nose, and for a second they all thought she was about to slug Eshir in the face. She let out a deep breath and unclenched her hands. "You're right," she said, shaking her head. "Who would've thought it would come to this, when the Orphans of War were giving me sound advice."

Under normal conditions, Dani's self-deprecation would've brought smiles to their faces. As they looked to the ravished city, however, all they could do was wonder just what the hell had happened.

"I wish Cap was here," Ben-Vell said finally, breaking the silence.

"You and me both," Dani replied as an explosion rocked the Rainbow Brigade settlement.

THE PLANET MADNESS - THE CAVE RESIDENCE OF PYM / ULTRON

"Henry, hello, are you working in here?" Steve Rogers called as he exited out through a cave tunnel and into a large cavern. The sight that greeted him still stunned him every time it met his eyes.

Two thousand lifeless Ultron robots built by Henry Pym - himself now an Ultron robot after he had downloaded his engrams into one decades earlier - for the purpose of building Asgard an army. Steve walked down a short path and then through the robots - standing wherever there was room within the large cavern. He was still dressed in his "normal clothes" as Dani had called them - jeans, t-shirt, bomber jacket, though he did strap his shield to his back.

Just in case.

Upon the forehead of each Ultron robot was the robot's designated number. Henry had, he told Steve days earlier, numbered them in order of completion. What alternately impressed and troubled Steve was how uniform they all looked. Remove the numbered designation, and you would be unable to tell them apart. It was an amazing feat, given that Henry had constructed them all by hand. "I used steel, not adamantium," Pym / Ultron had explained. "Easier to work with. Besides, there is no adamantium out here. Got to make do with the available materials. Use what's handy. You taught me that."

The uniformity was also the cause of Steve's concern. (Or one of them, at least, he told himself.) Henry was a scientist always pushing the envelope of his creations. For him to create 2,000 exact replicas of each other … Steve didn't know what that meant, but as he looked into the open eye-hole and mouth-hole on the face of the Ultrons, the gnawing unease at the back of his mind again came to the fore.

Personalities. Henry had said these horrific beings were created as an army that Steve could lead, but were their personalities uniform? Controllable? Based on Henry's brain? Were they self-evolving?

That was partnered with the question of power. Steve had asked Henry several times how he planned to power the robots, but Henry had avoided answering the question directly until just yesterday. "I have a source of ionic energy that will suffice. That is all I can tell you."

Moving between the Ultrons towards the back of the cavern, Steve called again for Henry without receiving a response. Looking back across and around him at the seemingly unending display of Ultrons, Steve decided the time was right to take a risk.

He had noted a small tunnel at the back of the cavern two days earlier, but hadn't mentioned it to Pym / Ultron because the day before the tunnel hadn't been visible. A workbench had rested in front of it, the half-finished torso of the next Ultron robot helping to obscure it; a sure sign, Steve feared, that Henry was hiding something. Now Steve made his way through the inert robots, aimed straight for the workbench. Moving it easily aside, he slipped into a small tunnel. He walked nine steps, then emerged into another cavern. This cavern was not even a tenth of the size of the last one, though it too held an object of wonder.

At the far end of the room (perhaps twenty feet away), a large tank sat in the middle of a giant computer. Inside the tank was what appeared to be a thick liquid, bubbly with small to large balls of pink and purple. In the middle of the large tank Steve could make out a singular column of dark blue and red bubbles that were much more solidified than the wild display of bubbles on the outer edge. Steve cautiously moved closer to the tank, recognizing it at once for what it was: ionic energy.

There was something about the column in the middle, however. His eyes were drawn past the pink and purple, and in towards the dark blue and red bubbles, which now seemed to lunge and twist, but always in the tight column formation. With every step he took, the energy inside the tank seemed to flare more and more wildly and the red bubbles, which had been travelling north like the other colors, now began to spin in a circle, orbiting the dark blue middle. The red bubbles then began to dart up and down diagonally.

Looking at the red waves, Steve had the sudden memory of Charlie Brown's t-shirt. "No," he said aloud, his blood running cold, "it's not just a random design … it's, my God, it's a ..."

The blue column of ionic energy in the middle leapt forward at that moment, slamming into the glass edge of the tank, inches away from Steve's face. Horror stricken, Steve saw a familiar face and body take shape as the red waves solidified into a 'W.'

"Help me!" the figure screamed, slamming his fists onto the glass of the tank as his blank eyes stared out at Steve, totally lost to fear.

The horrible truth about Pym / Ultron's ionic energy source was revealed.

Wonder Man.

THE WAR OF ORDER AND CHAOS to be continued …

"Do you stand with Odin or with the scum?"

Y G G D R A S I L

comments to bousquet22@earthlink.net

Mark Bousquet

9 June 2003

Northern Bear Productions