EXISTENCE END

Part Three: Visions from Rock and Wire

the 78^th tale of agc

written and created by Mark Bousquet

2202 / JANUARY

THE OUT OF TIME DIMENSION - THE CITADEL

"Call the Saviors to the Citadel."

The words were an angry whisper in the throat of Tricolour, leader of the Saviors.

"Excuse me?" Eagle Two asked from behind her. "Sibearia, Princess Sand, and Doc Tech are all in their home countries at the moment. Home countries, I may remind you, that are currently being ravaged by the Armies of Doom. You can’t ask them to return here and leave their countrymen to-"

Tricolour spun hard on the newest member of the Saviors. "Send the order, Eagle Two. The Saviors are the protectors of the world, and we must defend that world as one, not as eight separate units. We must organize and plan and-"

Eagle Two shrugged. "Whatever you say, boss lady. I just hope whoever's feeding you orders knows what they're doing."

Jenette LeVoir said nothing as she stormed from the room, but she could not deny the wisdom of Eagle Two's words. Because it was the way it had always been, Tricolour hadn't any reason to be troubled over the Saviors receiving orders from the four silhouetted faces of the United League of Nations.

But as she stormed down the hall she yearned to know just who it was that sat behind the faceless faces of power.

EARTH - ELLIS ISLAND, NEW YORK

If there was any recognition in the mind of the White Rider of the 4 Horsemen for the city that he had once called home, it did not show in his face. Reed Richards, the founder of the Fantastic Four, the man who had ushered in the First Age of the Marvels, the father of Franklin Richards, had been pulled back into the mortal world by his son, the most powerful human who had ever lived. Reed Richards was once again alive, but it was not the Reed Richards the world remembered. He was no longer the kind, well-meaning, aloof scientist who headed the country's most popular super-group.

Reed Richards was the White Rider of the Apocalypse, a general of the Third Army, and he had come to claim New York City for his son.

He sat upon an armored white horse, dressed in white garments with a cloak of white and blue upon his shoulders. At his back, an army of two thousand men and women, raised from the dead to serve Franklin Richards. At his front, the city of New York, under attack by Pluto and the Olympians. Gleaming in the afternoon light, the White Rider could see the Golden Castle, the massive ancestral mansion of the Stark's that now covered nearly one-third of Manhattan. Reed pulled back his white hood to reveal a man in his late 50's. His short hair and trimmed beard were the solid white gained in age, but his eyes were the blue of youth. Floating at his side was the robot H.E.R.B.I.E., his flag bearer. The White Rider allowed himself a glance upwards at the white banner, marked only with a blue, encircled '4.'

"Call my commanders to me, HERBIE," he ordered.

The small robot turned and emitted a specific trumpet call.

The White Rider kept his eyes locked onto the mindless destruction before him, searching for Pluto, as his four commanders walked to stand by him, with two on each side.

On his left stood Spider-Man and the Abomination. To his right, stood Daredevil and the Kingpin of Crime, Wilson Fisk. Their eyes were solid black, as if Franklin had brought them back to life but failed to give them color and light.

The White Rider gave his command. "First, we end the threat of the Olympians. Then, we take the Golden Castle. Take no prisoners. Kill all of those who stand with Olympus and Doom?"

"And the civilians?" Spider-Man asked.

The White Rider's face was hard from his perch atop the white horse. "They are not our concern." Spider-Man nodded his understanding. "Return to your troops," the White Rider commanded. "On my mark we shall conquer the Olympians and claim this city for King Franklin. The Third Army shall not be denied."

EARTH - FLORIDA EVERGLADES - ALLIANCE ENCAMPMENT

"An interesting way to chop wood," Eshir remarked as Sigurd, son of Thor, angrily ripped limbs from a tree.

"Leave me alone, Eshir," Sigurd snapped without turning around to face the older Orphan of War.

"Just wanted to know if you've seen Ben," Esh explained, deciding not to press Sigurd. The boy had been growing more and more despondent since arriving and Eshir thought it might do him good to blow off some steam.

"No!" Sigurd snapped. "I haven't seen Ben at all. I-" Sigurd fell back as the Man-Thing stepped out from behind the tree he had been shredding. The tall swamp creature looked down with an unfeeling expression, his red eyes glowing dull in the overcast afternoon. Sigurd made to crawl backwards, but roots and grass emerged from the mucky ground to bind him in place. His right hand was locked, as well, palm up to the sky.,

Eshir would've moved to help Sigurd if he had seen the teenager bound to the ground, but his eyes were locked on the Man-Thing. The swamp creature reached a hand out above Sigurd and deposited a reddish-brown rock into the boy's hand, then forced his hand shut around the rock.

Sigurd held the rock and Eshir, who now saw the bindings, was about to move, when Sigurd screamed and dropped the rock. The bindings of the Earth disappeared back into the ground as the rock fell. As it hit the mud, it cracked open, and a bright, blinding light emerged from inside the now-broken stone.

Eshir watched the light form an image, and lost his voice …

Ben-Vell Parker in bed with Amora the Enchantress …

Lying on the ground beneath him, Sigurd, too, watched the image. "What did that thing do to me?" he asked, terrified, but the Man-Thing would provide no answers and disappeared back into the shadows of the Everglades.

CHRONOPOLIS - THE TRAINING GROUNDS

Attumidunn was a young woman with a troubled mind, living inside a city that was suddenly a ghost town. The assault on Earth had begun and Doom was busy, somewhere inside the glistening castle of Chronopolis directing the attack. Almost all of Doom's troops had been sent forward en masse and it was the rare regiment that was left behind in a skeletal defense. It was a risky strategy, but Chronopolis - hidden away deep inside Limbo - was a highly defensible position, even with few to defend it.

It was not being nearly alone that troubled the half-Inhuman/half-Atlantean warrior, nor was Toomi worried about her place on the wrong side of this war. She had become an Angelux in order to battle the Army of Doom from the inside, a battle she was desperately losing. It all seemed so simple back aboard the Bliss when she decided to undergo the Ceremony of Dark Angels - become an Angelux, get close to Doom, kill Doom, become the hero of the Everything. But now … she had been face-to-face with Doom and neither had the strength nor the will to attempt to kill him. He was the most menacing being she had ever been around - as well as the most cautious and the most prepared. She reminded him, in a twisted way, of Captain America - always anticipating, always preparing, always ready for whatever was thrown at him.

Toomi had lived the past several days in fear. She had witnessed the slaughter of an Eternal boy that Doom had adopted from Ikaris, a boy Doom had named Kang. A boy Doom had trained to become Kang the Conqueror. A boy that was slain by the authentic Kang the Conqueror.

Kang the Conqueror. A man who had taken her into his confidence, a man who saw in Toomi … what … a kindred spirit … a pawn?

Shaking her head, Toomi looked wistfully out at the swirling clouds of Limbo that surrounded them. Caught between Doom and Kang …how easy would it be to walk out the front gates and lose herself to the non-time of eternity …

"Mistress Attumidunn," a weak Skrullian voice muttered behind her.

"What is it, slave?" Toomi asked, her voice raw. Jakool was the Minister of Defense for Skrullos 2, a planet that the Angelux had conquered, and destroyed, for Doom. Jakool was given to Toomi as a spoil of war; it was a prize she could not deny for fear of being discovered - no matter how distasteful she found the idea of having a slave.

"The Olympian Athena approaches."

Toomi halted her walk and let the Olympian goddess approach. "General Athena," Toomi gave a slight bow. "How may I be of service?"

Athena gave the Angelux Lieutenant a half-smile. "Left behind while the rest of the Hellcat Regiment battles for Earth, Atlantean half-breed?"

Toomi resisted the large sigh that had gathered suddenly inside her lungs - neither her mixed heritage nor the fact that she was the product of Attuma's rape of Luna had ever been a problem to anyone before the Ceremony of Dark Angels. Now, she was reminded of it every day from someone inside the Army of Doom. "Left behind?" Toomi asked, setting her jaw. "How does that make me any different from you, Olympian?"

"At least those who I serve beside trust me," Athena mused. "It appears Bruunhilde and Hellcat still do not believe your story about the death of Kang, no matter what the evidence."

"Ultron-12's recording exonerated me," Toomi snapped, more defensively than she wished. "If that is not enough for Bruunhilde and Hellcat, it was enough for Doom to spare my life. And I remind you, Athena, it is for Doom we fight."

Athena gave Toomi a slight nod. "A clever play of words." The taller, older woman handed Toomi a parchment. "Your new orders. Follow me."

MOSCOW, RUSSIA

Nearly out of breath, the Black Knight ducked into the ground floor of a high-rise office building. The Ebony Blade cried out for souls from his hand, but Dane Whitman had been pushed to the edge of exhaustion. He found momentary cover in the screaming, chaotic crowds. Four hours ago the people of this crowd had sat behind desks; now they feared for their lives.

Moscow was overrun by Eternals.

Dane had yet to cross paths with any of the major Eternals, though he had spotted Reject from across the New Kremlin's courtyard, battling the Soviet Super Eurostars. 'Where are the Saviors?' he wondered, panting heavily. Though the healing powers of Avalon had stemmed the aging process, it had none kept the ravages of time from creeping into Dane Whitman's body; and Avalon could do nothing to still the aging of emotions and experience. Dane had lived a long life and had been tossed through time like a child's toy. He had fought in the Crusades when killing was done in the name of God, and now he found himself a player in what could be the last great battle of this Age of Existence.

'Perhaps,' he thought sadly, 'it is time for this age of humanity to pass. We have learned nothing. Even at the end, we place all of our energies behind killing-'

A loud crash on the opposite end of the building caused Dane to turn around. The crowd was parted by force as a large brown bear was hurled across the floor.

Sibearia.

Two Eternals stepped through the broken glass and entered the floor, causing the citizens to scatter anew. Dane was now caught in the oncoming wave of retreat, but he pushed and fought his way through the crowd towards the battered Savior, arriving in time to see the bear kick one Eternal off of him as the other pummeled the bear's chest.

Dane buried the Ebony Blade deep within the Eternal's chest, draining his soul from him. The body fell limply to the floor. The Knight turned back to see if Sibearia needed assistance, and was shocked to see that the bear had vanished from sight.

THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES

Brono stood inside his large tent and looked at the faces of the Council members around him: Kovar, Ash'lin, Dani Moonstar, Skrull 4, Cable, and Ben-Vell Parker.

"The Battle for Earth hath begun," he said sourly, "and we find ourselves bit players, relegated to the role of audience. Our intelligence is not sound. We are blind, save for the information gleaned from this device." Brono motioned to a small laptop computer that sat on a makeshift table before them.

"You picked the right net feed," Cable said, looking at the screen. "While none of the media outlets can be fully trusted, SCN is the only major, world-wide news organization that is free from corporate control. We can trust what they report, though we shouldn't make the assumption that they can report everything."

Kovar asked, "Six cities? Doom is attacking six cities at once?"

Dani nodded, eyeing the six screens Brono had arranged on the desktop. "Looks like it - New York, Tokyo, Alexandria, Hong Kong, Moscow, Paris. All of his legions are represented," she said, shaking her head. There is no way we can combat this."

The tent fell quiet for a moment, and it was Ash'lin that finally gave voice to their thoughts. "Not with the homeworlds destroyed we cannot. We need an army of massive numbers to battle Doom. An army we no longer have at our … what's this? Look to the screen."

The Ambassadors, Ben-Vell, and Brono turned to the video feed of Paris on the laptop. Though the image was grainy, and clearly shot from a great distance, they could make out a man clothed in red sitting atop a reddish-brown horse. Two men stood to his right, two more to his left.

"It cannot be," Dani whispered, a chill running through her body.

Cable's voice was hard, tinged with remorse. "And yet, it is," he said in a low voice. "I do not know who the man upon the horse is, though I can guess who it is he represents - the Red Rider, a Horseman of the Apocalypse. By the men and woman who stand beside him, it is safe to deduce that the Third Army of Franklin Richards has entered the Battle for Earth."

"Why do you say that?" Kovar asked.

"Because the four who stand with him are all dead," Dani answered. "And they are all from the First Age of Marvels. Three of them …" her eyes darted to the Earth Ambassador, "are former students of Cable, and former friends of mine." Dani pointed to the figures on the screen, "Cannonball and Siryn stand to the Red Rider's left, and Sunspot stands to his right."

"Who is the foul creature that stands next to this Sunspot?" Ash'lin asked.

Dani shuddered, but found a voice unwavering. "It is the Green Goblin. Franklin has chosen well."

Cable nodded, as onscreen the four figures moved away from the Red Rider. "It is the Angelux who attacks Paris, and Franklin has sent four who fly to join them in battle."

"Only four?" Ash'lin asked. "Five if you count this Red Rider. What hope do they have against the Angelux?"

As if in answer, the Red Rider burst into flames and charged forward. "It's the Human Torch," Dani whispered in an amazed tone, but none paid her any attention. As the Red Rider moved out of frame, several thousand troops charged forward from behind him.

The Council could not help but be impressed and, truth be told, a bit jealous. "Where did Franklin find such an army?" Ben-Vell asked. "Look at those yellow men who fly en masse behind the Red Rider."

Cable answered. "They are the undead. If this scene in Paris is a microcosm of what Franklin has done, it appears he has reanimated the First Age. Prominent heroes and villains serve as his generals. The troops - the men in yellow - are AIM mercenaries."

"And the Red Rider?" Kovar asked.

Cable frowned. "If I am correct, and it is some twisted Four Horsemen motif that Franklin is using …"

"The Fantastic Four," Dani muttered.

"Who?" Ash'lin asked.

"The harbingers of the First Age," Skrull 4 said solemnly, breaking his silence. "Franklin's parents and uncles: Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing. His madness must be complete if he would seek to do such a thing."

"I have seen this before, in other times," Cable said slowly. "There are realities throughout the Everything where Franklin Richards has turned evil in the past - as there are realities where all of us have chosen the darker road. He has the power to make his thoughts real, a power which includes raising the dead to life. Though he has raised these beings from the dead, I would wager he has not granted them the power of free will. They are pawns, blessed only with the ability to follow Franklin's orders."

Inspiration came to Ben-Vell in a flash. "Can we trigger their real selves in them? Break Franklin's spell and get the 'real' people to come to the surface? That way, we wouldn’t have to defeat them in battle, just-"

Cable shook his head. "This is no magic trick, Ben-Vell. Franklin is not using mind control on the First Agers - he has yanked their very souls back to the mortal world and given them new bodies. And these new bodies have not the ability - if I am correct - to think for themselves. For the 'real' them to come to the surface, as you put it, their very brains would need to be rewired, and none that I know of could complete such a task."

"And even if they could," Dani said, a deep chill descending upon her, "Franklin has likely left traps in place to prevent such a-"

"AAAiiiieeeeee!" All eyes turned to the opening of the tent, which slid aside to reveal a beautiful woman, dressed in white robes. Hands went to weapons, but none could be withdrawn. The visitor had frozen them all in place.

"What manner of deviltry is this?" Kovar raged, his muscles straining to release his weapon.

"My apologies," the woman said gently, bowing slightly. "Your guards are asleep, though not injured. I come to bring you ill news from an ally you do not know you have."

Brono's eyes bore into this stranger's eyes and felt a mixture of dread and serenity. "What ally is this of whom you speak?"

The woman spoke slowly. "His name is Stephen Strange. Once upon a time, in the First Age of Marvels, he was the Sorcerer Supreme of this land. He has been returned to this world to fill a role only he can play."

Ash'lin scoffed at the woman. "Of the First Age? He is a pawn, then, of Franklin Richards."

The stranger shook her head. "That is not true. The Sorcerer Strange was called back to the land of life long before now."

"Then what role doth he play?" Brono asked.

"He has been charged with the protection of the Wellsprings, and he, in turn, called the magic users and the mystics of the First Age to him to assist in this task. I am the one called Snowbird," the woman said, bowing again, "and I come to give you that which you most desperately need."

"An army?" Kovar asked.

"Information," Snowbird replied. "The magical Wellsprings of Earth are ready to burst. The destruction of Hala, Chandilar, Skrullos 2, and Asgard have not only destroyed most of the Everything, but set loose magic unrestrained into the world of life. Doom, with his Virus Bombs, has contaminated the oceans of magic. If he succeeds in this here, all will be lost."

"You bring us nothing, witch," Ash'lin seethed. "It was already our plan to stop Doom."

Snowbird turned slowly, as if in a dream, towards the Shi'ar Ambassador. "That is not all. There are crossroads and cross-purposes at play. The Army of Doom will attack the Earth, but it will leave the Wellsprings alone because the Virus Bomb, in order to inflict its damage, must come into contact with the magical ocean at the moment the magic makes contact with the land of life. Franklin's mass-re-animation of the First Age has cut hard across the differing worlds of life and death, nature and magic - he has made a mockery of the deepest beliefs held by the people of this Age of Existence. He is causing the collapse as much as Doom, but if he were to stop Doom in time there is a chance that damage can be undone. Do you see the conflicts you face, King without a Kingdom?" she asked Brono. "Your purposes side with Doom, if only for a brief moment, in the need to protect the Wellsprings. Yet your purposes also side with Franklin in the need to defeat Doom. But can you risk siding, even temporarily, with either Doom or Franklin?" Snowbird shook her head. "You cannot, for whichever side you were to choose, you would need to turn against this ally as soon as the enemy was defeated. You need to defeat both Doom and Franklin to give this world a chance to live."

Brono shook his head. "What hope do we have at defeating both of these armies when we have no army of our own?"

Snowbird met the young King's eyes. "You do have an army at your disposal. You know this. You are simply to afraid to call them."

"Who?" Brono asked. "You? Strange? A handful of magicians?"

"No," Snowbird replied, shaking her head. "We will assist you, we will side with you, but we are not an army, and our first priority is to protect the integrity of the Wellsprings. Without this, there is no hope for victory. The Wellspring of Prague has already burst."

"Then who?" Kovar asked. "Who will serve in our army?"

"The King knows," Snowbird replied. "As does Moonstar."

All eyes went to Brono and Dani, whose eyes, in turn, were locked on each other's.

"You cannot do this, Brono," Dani implored.

Brono nodded once. "Aye. I will not." He turned to Snowbird. "You cannot ask us to call that army."

Snowbird's voice was gentle and kind, but the meaning was harsh and unkind. "Before the Battle for Earth is at an end, I fear you must." Snowbird reached her hand and touched the forehead of Brono. "I leave you with the gift of knowledge … the location of the Wellsprings. Do all that you can to keep these areas free from battle."

Snowbird backed out of the tent, and though all discovered they could now move, none did more than turn their eyes to Brono. "What is this hidden army?" Ash'lin asked, but neither Brono nor Dani would answer the question.

CHRONOPOLIS

Attumidunn stood inside a large, circular room of chrome. Around the edges of this room were a hundred Angelux, left behind from the assault on Earth, but they did not catch Toomi's attention. Instead, it was the two large, round bombs and the armored man in the center that held her gaze.

Doom.

"Come to me," he ordered, and Toomi and Athena obeyed. "Athena of Olympus, it is to you that I leave the care of the Infinity Bomb," Doom said, touching the large, metallic ball that towered above him to his left. "Attumidunn of the Angelux, you are given the charge of protecting the Virus Bomb that will seal our victory. If either of you give these soldiers that circle the room any cause to doubt your loyalty to this task, your life shall be forfeit."

"Yes, Doom," Athena and Toomi answered.

Doom's cold eyes fell upon Toomi's one last time. "Do not think Doom a fool, Attumidunn. I know of your past. Your mother, the Lady Luna, sides with the Third Army of Franklin Richards. Your past calls you to the side of the Alliance. Why, then, do I trust you?" Doom asked. "I do not. Doom trusts no one. But in you I see the thirst for greatness that can be shaped and molded to do my bidding. Do not forget what has been offered you. In exchange for your loyalty, you will be given the means to slay your father, the warlord Attuma, who did rape your mother to cause your birth."

Attumidunn felt as if her very life were being choked out of her as Doom opened his palm to reveal a shining, red gem. "Do you know what this is?" he asked. "It is called the Heart of Ak'yen'ja. It is a gem that has long haunted me, that was once used in an attempt to slay me, but Doom would not fall. Many have lost their lives trying to obtain it for me these past few months, but, at long last, it has been brought to me. It is a small gem that holds many powers." Doom held it before Toomi's eyes and she was drawn into the dancing reflections of light. "One of these powers is the revelation of desire. What does your heart desire most, Attumidunn?" Doom asked, his voice rising. "Let the Heart of Ak'yen'ja reveal your desire to us all!"

Attumidunn felt the glow of the Heart wash over her and though she struggled, it was not long before her voice betrayed her. "I … I want to … to …" her eyes rolled back in her head, then snapped forward to find the eyes of Doom. "I want to kill you, Doom."

Athena grunted, but Doom did nothing save smile. "Why do you want to kill me, Attumidunn?"

If the words did not feel so right, Toomi would have doubted them. "I want the world to bow to me."

Doom snapped his fist around the Heart, shutting off the glow. Toomi felt as if all breath had been ripped from her body and she dropped to the floor, choking for air.

"Shall I slay the traitor, Doom?" Athena asked, reaching for her sword.

"Slay her?" Doom asked, turning his cold gaze on the Olympian. "My dear Athena, now that this information is in the clear, I have never trusted Attumidunn more." Doom reached his gloved hand down to the teary-eyed Angelux and raised her chin so that he could look upon her face. "This Age will end, Attumidunn, no matter the outcome of this Battle. The collapse can no longer be stopped. If you killed me this instant, the Everything would still fall. I offer a tomorrow. A dark tomorrow, perhaps, but a tomorrow nonetheless, in which, for the first time in all of History, lives from one Age of Existence will cross into the next Age. You do not desire to kill me to save a dead place. You want to be loved and adored and given power. Killing me now accomplishes none of this. Yes, I see it in your eyes. You know the truth is what you hear from my lips. For my death to mean anything, Attumidunn, for your heart's desire to be realized, you must wait until we have crossed into the next Age."

Doom let Toomi's head fall as he turned to Athena. "Doom cannot do this alone, Olympian. He needs allies to cross into the next Age."

"But why her?" Athena asked. "Why save the life of one so unimportant?"

Doom turned and headed towards the exit. His words were short and simple, but more complex than Athena could ever fathom. Doom answered, "She reminds me of my mother."

THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES

"Brono, a moment of your time."

The Alliance King looked up from the small table within his makeshift tent to note the Orphan of War Eshir Maximoff pull back the flap of the tent with his right arm. The first reaction of the young King was to wonder if Eshir had come to threaten him over his relationship with Angelica, as Ben-Vell had done the day before, but duty quickly overtook that thought.

"I hath asked for a moment alone," Brono said coolly. "If thou hast not heard, Eshir, the Army of Doom has begun its attack on Midgard."

"I've heard," Eshir replied, stepping into the tent, "and I know you have spent the past few hours in Council session, but there is something you should know."

Brono stood up straight; he would give Eshir a minute, and nothing more.

Eshir stepped aside and motioned another to join them in the tent. Looking more than a bit nervous, Sigurd, the teenaged son of the Asgardian Thor and the Olympian Persephone, entered Brono's tent.

The King raised an eyebrow, "Yes?"

"As you know, Brono," Eshir explained as the flap fluttered shut behind him, "Sigurd was sent by his mother to assist us. We were told he was to be a 'powerful weapon,' yet when he attempted to raise the hammer Mjolnir, he was unable."

Brono nodded as Sigurd dropped his head in shame. "Aye," the King said slowly, "I dost remember. Angelica didst also attempt to raise Mjolnir, and also didst she fail."

Eshir placed one of his hand-less arms on Sigurd's back. "I am afraid that Sigurd's failed attempt was born more from my own expectations than from either Sigurd or Persephone. It was deduced that Sigurd was the powerful weapon Persephone gave us, and that power would come when he raised his father's hammer and took into him the power of Thor. When that failed to happen, our original assumption was that Dani and Persephone were wrong - that Sigurd was a failure." Eshir took a deep breath. "We were wrong. Sigurd was never meant to raise Mjolnir, yet he is far from powerless."

Brono's curiosity was raised. "Speak, then, Eshir. What is the power of Sigurd, son of Thor?"

The Orphan walked to the table and placed a reddish-brown rock on the small table. "We think it to be brimstone, a rock of the Underworld."

"How did you come by this rock?"

"The swamp creature known as the Man-Thing delivered it to us this morn," Eshir explained, stepping back. He nodded to Sigurd. "Go ahead."

Nervously, Sigurd stepped forward and reached his small hand out to the stone. "Pluto," he whispered as he grasped the rock in his hand. Sigurd's hand began to shake around the rock and he closed his eyes in concentration. Brono watched, expectantly, as Sigurd's eyelids fluttered, revealing eyes rolled back into the boy's head. "Aaaahhh!" Sigurd yelled as the rock flashed in his hand. With a shudder, Sigurd dropped the brimstone and fell back, gasping for air.

"I don't-" Brono started.

"Watch," Eshir explained.

The brimstone cracked and a white light escaped upwards and stopped in mid-air in a flash point. Brono watched, awestruck, as the flash point expanded outwards, forming a rectangular screen nearly two feet high and three feet across. Upon this screen, a moving image was revealed:

Pluto, King of the Olympians, ending the life of the re-animated First Age villain, the Owl.

"A Seer of Sights," Brono said, breathless.

"The Alliance is blind no more," Eshir answered, patting Sigurd on the back, "so long as we can find a supply of brimstone."

THE CITADEL

Tricolour looked around the Savior's roundtable at the faces of her teammates: Sibearia, Doc Tech, Princess Sand, Eagle Two, Familia, Stealth, and Bonsai Betty. What she was about to say would not be received with welcome ears.

"As you know," Tricolour said somberly, "Earth is under attack from the Army of Doom. What you may not know is that the Third Army of Franklin Richards - yes, that Franklin Richards - is now appearing across the Earth to battle against the forces of Doom. All of you," she said, letting out a deep sigh, "are wondering what our course of action will be."

Tricolour tossed a printout onto the center of the table. "By orders of the United League of Nations, the Saviors are ordered …" her voice broke and she coughed to right herself. "By orders of the United League of Nations, the Saviors are ordered to refrain from entering the Battle for Earth."

The room exploded in anger and disbelief from nearly all of the Saviors, but Tricolour made their orders clear. "We are have been given an Order of Non-Interference. While others fight for the fate of Earth, the Saviors are forced to the sidelines."

EXISTENCE END to be continued …

"You do have an army at your disposal. You know this. You are simply to afraid to call them."

YGGDRASIL

Comments to bousquet22@earthlink.net

Mark Bousquet

31 December 2003

Northern Bear Productions