Cosmic Avengers #1

Title: Friends and Family

By Jorge Martinez

NEW ORLEANS

A New Orleans funeral. None of the present present have ever attended one. Except for Monica. She has devastated star ships, battled gods, even lead the Avengers. But this is the hardest thing she has ever done. Her father has died and that s all she cares about at the moment.

Priest: .....dust to dust.

Crowd: Amen!

The crowd disperses. Monica and her mother thank relatives and friends for coming. The six Avengers in attendanceare Cap, Jan, She Hulk, the eternal Eros, the Black Knight, and finally Hercules. All of them are in civilian dress and separated from the rest of the crowd. Monica breaks from the crowd and walks towards her teammates.

Mrs. Durpy(to Monica s mother) Monica's friends are certainly different. And those men are so big!

Mrs. Rambeau: They are...from her old security job.

Monica approaches her friends.

Monica: Thank you all for coming. It means a lot to me.

Cap: No problem Monica. We are here to give you support.

Jan: We're more than just teammates. We are friends.

She-Hulk: Monica it has been awhile since we have talked, but I am sorry.

Monica: I know Jenn. Thanks.

Dane, Herc, and Eros give Monica a hug.

Eros: Monica, you are a star and I am glad your father was able to see you shine.

Monica: Eros, I think it's your words and not your powers that make other feel good.

Monica: I must go and attend the family. I thank you all for actually leaving your lives just for me. It really means much. I hope to see you all soon.

They all say their good-bye's and leave. As Monica walks towards the others attendee's she thinks how those are true friends. She thinks how much she misses being an Avenger.

TITAN

A few days later.

Two young eternal children fly around the city in a game of cat and mouse.

Young girl: You may be fast Danid, but I can turn any corner.

As the young boy speeds up after the girl she quickly turns a corner. After her successful turn she crashes into a man.

Young girl: Eros! I am sorry. Forgive me.

Eros stands and helps her up.

Eros: Child, I was once young too. Do not worry go and have fun.

Young girl: Thank you, Eros. Goodbye.

He waves her off. She was such a beautiful young girl. Innocent and carefree. He has always been carefree but lost his innocence the day his brother Thanos killed their mother and countless other Eternals.

After returning from the funeral on Earth he has been reexamining his carefree ways. What would happen if his father dies? He would have to lead. It is his nature to be passionate and carefree. Yet he is no longer a child and must take things seriously.

As Eros walks in his thoughtfulness, Alcides a great warrior from the Earth Eternals who migrated to Titan years ago calls out to him....

Alcides: Good day Eros.

Starfox: Good day Alcides. I see you are enjoying this day with your daughter, Dania.

Alcides: Yes, I am. Has she not grown. It was just yesterday we migrated to Titan. The first to be born on this planet since the migration.

Starfox: She has grown. And will continue growing....

Starfox: You best catch up or she'll fly away.

Alcides: True, noble Eros. I will talk to your father later about some matters concerning security here on Titan.

Mentor has raised hundreds of children and protected them. Who will raise and protect when he is gone? The carefree Eros....no. He has to grow up for the children not himself.

An alarm cries out. Starfox flies into the command center. His father is there with others.

Mentor: We are under attack!

Starfox: Who will foolishly attack a colony of powerful Eternals?

Mentor grimly looks to the sreen.. It is Sanctuary II. His mad son Thanos' warship. An engine of destruction if there ever was one.

Alcides: I will lead a group against the ship.

He looks down to his daughter.

Alcides: Dania, fly to your mother. And never forget I love you.

She begins to cry and flies away.

Mentor: I will supervise our efforts here. Eros I need you to protect as many people on the ground as possible.

Starfox: Yes father.

Eros flies out. He tails Dania making sure she gets to her home safe. Eros stops. He flies to a nearby communication chamber.

Starfox: Avengers! Titan is under attack. We need your assistance if possible.

That made him feel better. But the feeling does not last long. Chaos reigns supreme on Titan. It is now an all out war zone. Many are dying. Eros sees the children. He can only think of the children with all this death around him.

He begins to pluck them out of the air and send them down tubes that lead to the interior core of the planet. A safety measure that leads to protection. It is raining plasma as the blast shred his fellow Eternals. He sees the young girl that flew into him earlier. Eros desperately narrows in on her. He remembers her innocence and now sees her frightened face. She dodges a blast but not fast enough. A blast strikes her down as Eros reaches for her. He stops and cradles her burned body. An adult Eternal would have survived he thinks for they are immune to energ. But then he notices these weapons are designed to kill Eternals, adult or not. Thanos has always found away to kill. Eros cries as he puts the girl down. Then leaps back into action.

III. EARTH- NEW YORK CITY

A lavish apartment in Manhattan. Dane Whitman sits somberly in a chair.

Black Knight: You should have gone to the funeral.

Sersi: I don't even know the woman, it would have been insult to her. Plus, I hate funerals. As a Eternal I don't attend much of them.

Black Knight: Well I will be leaving now....

Sersi: I thought you came over for fun.....AAAAHHHH!!!!

Sersi screams in pain! She falls to the floor and holds her head.

Dane runs to her.

Black Knight: Sersi what is it?

Sersi: The Eternals on Titan, they are dying.

IV. AVENGERS BASE(not the mansion)

Hercules and She Hulk come in after a night on the town.

Hercules: Aye giantess this night was worth a poem to say the least.

She Hulk: Herc, you can write your poem in the morning, now is when we...

Jarvis enters the room.

Jarvis:(AHEM) Master Hercules and ......

Hercules: Jarvis, didst we wake you?

Jarvis: No sir. There seems to be an emergency and Master Whitman is downstairs waiting for exactly you two.

The Meeting Room.

She-Hulk and Hercules enter the room. Waiting for them are the Black Knight, Sersi, and Photon.

Hercules: Dane, good friend..what is it?

Black Knight: Titan has been attacked.

Photon: Starfox has called for reinforcements.

SheHulk: Well lets call the other Avengers I mean there is no official team yet. But with Cap and the rest returning from the dead now is the perfect time to...

Photon: It will take to long to find them all. Plus, they just returned from from a year hiatus of god know where.

She-Hulk: How about some reserves then?

Hercules: Nay, SheHulk. This is a family affair. Eros is like a brother to us. I am sure Dane and Monica feel the same.

Black Knight: All that we need is right here Herc. I have alerted the earth Eternals and Thena states they will meet us on Titan. Let's go!

A Quinjet fires up and departs as Jarvis is left with instructions to inform the other Avengers once they assemble.

SPACE

The Black Knight pilots the quinjet with Sersi, SheHulk, and Hercules on board. Photon races next to them.

Photon:(to self) Just 3 days ago Eros was at my father s funeral comforting me. At that moment I realized that there was something special between us. Not just Eros but Herc and Dane too. We had a solid team then. I miss those guys. They showed me that they ARE true friends.

Photon: Dane, I am scouting ahead.

Black Knight: Fine Monica. Be careful.

Black Knight(to self) I didn't want to ask her to fly ahead. Whatever threatened Titan must be dangerous.

V. TITAN

Starfox lays unconcious. He begins to open his eyes and sees a bright light. Photon stand before him. She helps him up.

Eros: Monica is that you or.....

Photon: It's me Eros.

She looks around her and sees complete and utter destruction. The structure of the city is mostly intact. Whoever bombarded Titan went after the inhabitants. It was to kill not conquer or loot.

Starfox: Quickly, we must find survivors.

Photon: I flew over the entire moon and did not see anything. But we will look.

Starfox: I managed to save a few they are safe in the interior. When are Hercules and Dane getting here?

Photon: They are on their way. As are Thena and the rest of the Earth Eternals.

Hours later an Avengers Quinjet lands. They are greeted by Eros and Monica.

Dane: Good lord......

Hercules: Death is a abomination Dane....you and I have seen much yet it still turns our stomachs.

Sersi:(crying) why? these were friends and family.

Starfox: I have....found other survivors. I managed to save a few during the battle and others saved themselves. They are in the interior of the city walls.

Hercules: And what of your father, Eros? Is Mentor dead?

Starfox: I have not seen him....yet.

Sersi: Eros, how many lived?

Starfox: We have 134 hidden in the interior. Mostly, children and some women. The men died in the sky battling the warship!

Black Knight: Warship?

Starfox: Sanctuary II.

Dane stares coldly at Eros.

Sersi: Once we are finished we must perform the ceremony.

Starfox: Yes.

The Avengers look for survivors for hours with no success. It is a large moon with a large area to cover. The earthen Eternals arrive led by Thena to help in the search. Hercules finds a house in shambles. He begins to clear the debris. He hears some light moaning and begins to dig quicker. Finally he finds a girl. Dania the daughter of Alcides.

Dania:(she lets out a whisper) father???

Hercules feels a wave of pity. The child is dying. This is the first survivor found. But she will die soon.

Hercules: No, child I am Hercules.

The son of Zeus cradles the girl. She closes her eyes and lowers her head. Hercules knows she has seconds to live. He looks up at the sky of stars in thought. He looks down at the dwindling life of the child. He tries the impossible. An energy surrounds them both and flows into the child. She is saved! A feat only a god could accomplish. His father has answered his prayer. Hercules is a god again as is the girl.

THE OUTER COURT

The group of Eternals stand in front of Eros, Thena and the Avengers.

Eros: Mentor is lost. His body was not found. I believe he lives.

Eros: We were attacked by the warship Sanctuary. My brother'ss ship. I suspect he is behind this attack, but am not sure.

Sersi: We must unite and perform the ritual. We must pay respect to our dead brothers and sisters.

The Eternals all hold hands and fly up to the sky. An energy surrounds them. The bodies of the dead turn to energy and joins the formation of the Uni-Mind.

SheHulk: awesome!

Hercules:(to self) Eros is entrusted with a great responsibility now.

Photon: Three days ago I attended my father s funeral in New Orleans, now I am on the moon Titan, watching a the funeral of a race of super beings.

All the dead bodies disappear. They are absorbed and recycled in a form that is unexplainable

The Unimind is broken. The Eternals find a peace for now. Everyone including the Avengers comfort each other.

TITAN: THE MEETING HALL

Mentor: Son you must do what must be done.

Eros turns around and a apparition of his father floats in front of him.

Starfox: You are ....

Mentor: My physical body has died son. I have moved on to a new existence.

Eros looks down.

Starfox: Father you have always been a man peace and I have always followed my emotions.

Mentor: Eros, a ruler that follows his heart will always be a good one. Son follow your heart and destiny. Our people have been slaughtered and you must seek retribution. You will be tested alongside your companions. Revenge is but a momentary motive. Soon you will learn there is more to this than what you see

Starfox: Father, how do you know all of this? Because what I see is death!

Mentor: I have learned these things from another. I am a guide and will not be able to tell you everything. Death is what we must conquer. Not our own but others.

Starfox: Death always conquers father. Thanos will always win.

Mentor: Son, I struggled many years. But your struggles are about to begin. Thanos is death but you are love. Your role begins now. You must strive to keep the balance or death will truly win!

A larger apparition of a figure semi transparent figure composed of what appears to be space itself.

Mentor: My father Kronos. Follow your heart son. I love you.

Both Kronos and Mentor disappear.

Eros is left with many questions. He feels his every move is being observed not just by his father. Something of cosmic proportions surrounds the recent events. Hercules enters the room.

Hercules: Eros, I have been searching for you. It is like a maze within these walls.

Starfox: What is it Hercules?

Hercules: That girl I found.

Starfox: Dania, yes her father was a earthen Eternal a great warrior much like yourself. I heard she is calling you father. Alcides did bear a resemblance to you.

Hercules: Aye, but the girl may have another reason to call me father.

Eros is puzzled.

Starfox: What do you mean?

Hercules: The girl was on the brink of death. I used my own immortality to save the girl.

Starfox: But were you not stripped of your immortality.

Hercules: Aye, but I refused to let the girl die and prayed to my father Zeus before I tried to save her. My prayer was answered. I am an immortal again. My father took pity on me and did not wish the girl to die. Eros she is as much Olympian now as she is Eternal.

Starfox: Hercules you saved her and I am grateful. That is all that matters.

Hercules: Eros, I ask thee one more thing. The girl calls me father and it fills me with happiness. I was wondering if I can adopt the girl as my own daughter.

Eros pauses a second with a concerned look on his face.

Starfox: Hercules I believe this attack will have further implications. We are departing for a dangerous journey. When we return we will talk about this further.

Hercules pauses then nods.

THE INTERIOR

They have been talking for quite a while. There is no question what they are planning. They are not called the Avengers for nothing. Thena is at the meeting as well. She offered to help but Eros declined their offer kindly. The five Avengers prepare to leave. The surviving Eternals go to watch them leave. Eros looks at them still uncertain if he should leave during this crisis. Thena waves him off assuring him they will be protected. Hercules looks at Dania with sadness and lets out a small smile.

Eros: Fellow Eternals I am departing to find our murderer and to make sure that this never happens again. I do not know if it was the mad Thanos or another but whoever it was the Avengers and I will make them pay. Thena from Earth will rule while I am gone. I leave you all in good hands.

The survivors watch the ship takeoff. Dania watches as the man that has given her life again, her new father leaves with the chance he will not return.

End of Chapter I