#3 - NEXUS!! The Harbinger of Fate

By Alex Maggi

"NEXUS !! The Harbinger of Fate"

“Watch each other's back! They're coming at us from every side. Don't hold back and give them all you've got!” Tony Stark shouts through the helmet's loudspeakers as his little group of Avengers is suddenly ambushed by a horde of gnawing demons. Setting aside his revulsion for magic and everything too foreign to the world of material things he's used to live in, the longtime hero immediately activates the incredible resources of his battlesuit. Lights flash and menus appear on the internal visor as he carefully selects the weapons he thinks that will cause the greatest effect in the shortest time.

“They're not a problem, individually, but their number is ... incredible. I don't know how long I can shield us!” Justice warns as he exerts his teke to form a protective bubble around the quartet, sealing off the demons, while Firestar disposes quickly of the fews who managed to get close enough before the bubble was sealed.

Angelica is wondering if it would have been better for Vance to stay in the Mansion instead of joining the strike team. Her worries about his health have not been completely dispelled by Vance's recovery. But she hopes Cap. America did the right choice.

The fourth member of the quartet is not even an Avenger, but one ally of many battles: Iceman has transformed his body into a spiked monstrosity made of ice, thus staving off the attack of the demons and keeping them at bay with his cold emission. Bobby Drake hopes his longtime friend Hank Mc Coy, the Beast, won't be mad at him for being chosen over him for this mission.

“Focus on the battle! Any slip and we will not only become food for demons, but we would probably condemn Wanda and the whole universe to God-knows-what!” Iron Man orders, noticing how his three allies are clearly plagued by different thoughts.

“My micro-waves are not very effective on them. Many seem almost impervious to Heat and Fire!” Angelica says as a demon ignores the full brunt of her attack, charging onto her, In the close quarters of Justice's tk bubble she can't maneuver herself out of the charging monster and so impact is inevitable. The young mutant is stunned and floats unconscious in the weightless environment of Satannish's realm.

Cursing himself for not being faster, Iron Man reacts discharging his pulse bolts on the creature, quickly disposing of it, but the damage is already done ...

“Angel!” Vance shouts, levitating toward her body. His mind in turmoil he fails to notice a flying horror of little size, that wraps itself around his throat, trying to strangle him. His tk can obviously dispose of the thing, but the distraction is enough to make him drop the tk bubble, as the swarm of demons piles on them.

“Stay close to Justice and Firestar, Iron Man! I'm gonna try something!” Iceman shouts. The armored Avenger protects the Avengers' youngest recruits as a sphere of ice replaces the fallen tk bubble, then growing spikes on the outside and suddenly expanding. The spikes and the expansion scatter the demons as Iron Man can finally deploy a few remotely-controlled spheres, creating a net around his team, and then releasing a carefully planned sonic attack, calculated to affect all the area but a specific location inside the net, where he gathers the other Avengers and their cold ally.

“It worked!” Tony Stark exults as he sees the demonic horde either flee or burst into flame and disappear. “But ... Iceman, what's up with you? You shouldn't have been caught by the sonic attack!”

“No ... nothing” Bobby Drake replies, though his look is not so comforting “There is no moisture in the air of this place. I couldn't have formed that ice sphere with what little is here, so I had to cannibalize a portion of my own body. That's why I'm thinning!”

“Are you sure this won't hurt you permanently?” Iron Man scans him, noticing how Firestar is now already regaining her senses in Vance's arms.

“Not if I stay in my ice form. Upon returning on Earth I will be able to draw moisture from the air and reconstitute my full mass, before reassuming my human form. I did it already in the past!” he answers. *

(* it happened after he was injured in X-Men # 50, Alex)

“I'm sorry, Iron Man! I should have been more careful!” Firestar apologizes.

“The most important thing is that you're not injured!” Iron Man replies “And we were still dazzled by Strange's spell of transportation, so we couldn't function at our best.”

“Why did we end up separated from the others? I knew Cap wanted us to split, but I didn't think he had asked Dr. Strange to do so without warning us” Justice ponders, looking a bit fatigued, as Iron Man starts sharing Firestar's doubts on Cap's decision to bring him on this mission.

“My guess is as good as yours” Stark answers “I'd say that the magical nature of the place or some manipulation from Satannish altered Strange's spell. But it's just an idea. Magic is definitely NOT my field of expertise!”

“Any idea about where the others are or where we should be heading for?” Iceman asks, exploring the desolate waste of Satannish's realm.

“I'm trying to pick up Cap's own communicard with my receptors” Iron Man answers “If e-m waves can travel in here like they do in our dimension. But I've had no luck so far.”

“And I bet we should move. The demons are bound to return. There must be an endless supply of them in here!” Justice adds. “Let's hope that whatever he's doing to Wanda, Satannish is too focused on that to notice us!”

“Iron Man, what if I used my microwave powers to help you in scanning this place?” Firestar proposes “If I remember correctly my physics, microwaves and radio-waves are very similar ...”

“Angel! You should ask Mr. Stark for a job in his firm!” Iron Man says, following the ruse of his public identity as Stark's bodyguard. “Your idea is brilliant. Let's work on it! Iceman, Justice, just watch our backs as we pool up our resources! I could rig an antenna and your microwaves could help broadcasting a widespread scan ...” the Armored Avenger's words continue explaining ...

“This was almost insulting!” Thor rises over the fallen forms of two giant tentacled beings which constituted the welcome committee for the duo formed by him and the bald Titanian telepath, Moondragon. “If Satannish thinks that these petty underlings can really bother the Thunder God ...”

“It is a common mistake these days” speaks Moondragon, wiping a little sweat from her brow for the exertion of her martial arts skill in the battle that has just concluded “to believe that our godly status is just a mere word and not the true measure of our might, Son of Odin!”

“Us gods, woman? I had heard you had stopped considering yourself as such since your return to life!” Thor's eyebrow raises, remembering a time when she talked him into leaving active duty in the Avengers with a similar argument on their godhood. *

(* do you remember AVENGERS # 149-151? Alex)

“There are gods who are so as their birthright and those who were blessed with that status by fate. And you know very well that we have more things in common, more than I have with normal humans” Moondragon replies, scanning at the same time their surroundings with her awesome telepathic powers.

“You are right, at least in part!” Thor admits “And that's probably why the good Captain paired us up for this mission. But I'd advice you to show more respect for your fellow humans. They are as noble as the bravest souls of the Golden Realm.”

“You're so ... benign on them ... Anyway, I'm picking up a psionic trace. I think I know where we should be going.” She says.

“Then let me carry you, woman! For Satannish is going to fully recognize what a god's wrath means!” Thor swirls his hammer, offering his left arm to the telepath.

“Indeed our role in the coming battle will be essential!” Moondragon cryptically adds.

“It is almost chilling the way he keeps fighting these demons, by phasing through them and destroying them” Quasar whispers to Cap, pointing at the Vision, as the trio of heroes is completely surrounded by yet another portion of Satannish's army.

“Regardless of their current estrangement, the Vision and Wanda have always been very close. I'm not surprised he's so somber and determined” Cap replies as he expertly staves off another attack of the demons with his fighting skills and his shield.

“The Vision I've known as an Avenger was probably the result of his being deconstructed and rebuilt, so he was too emotionless to predict such a behavior” Quasar comments as he encases the bulk of the demons army inside one of his solid light constructs.

Part of the Vision's brain is aware of his teammates' words, but his main focus is still on the task at hand. He won't see Wanda hurt another time. He failed to help her when earlier tragedies destroyed their marriage, he won't fail her now. Curiously, some sections of his AI are puzzled by the emotional components of his rage and determination, constantly recording and sampling the uncharted phenomenon.

“Those were the last of them” Quasar reports after a while.

“We're going to find plenty more” Cap says “And I'm still troubled by the fact we were scattered, upon traversing the dimensional breach. I'm trying to contact the others, but I can't get anything from the communi-card.”

“We must go forth, Captain” the Vision states, coldly, his eyes lost toward a particular direction.

“How can you tell which is the right way?” Quasar asks.

“I 'feel' it! Somehow Wanda is calling me. Do not ask me more on this, since it escapes my own perceptions and logic” the Vision answers, starting to float toward that specific point he was staring at.

“Give me a lift, Quasar. I think we must stay close to him” Cap says, but then his words are interrupted, as his communi-card suddenly activates.

“Cap ... brzzzt ... hear me, but this is the best ... bzzzt ... have a rough idea of your pos ... bzzzzzt ... meet with you” Iron Man's unmistakable voice can be heard through the static.

“Iron Man! I hear you, but very disturbed! Try to rejoin with us!” Cap shouts into the comm-card.

“Let me help!” Quasar states, attuning the comm-card with his Quantum Bands. “It's much like how I can contact you on Earth from space via the Bands.”

“I finally hear you clear, Cap” Tony Stark says “from what I can tell we're going to connect very soon. Is Thor with you?”

“He isn't. He must be someplace else with Moondragon. Let's hope her mental powers can pinpoint our location as well. We're following the Vision, who's sensing a sort of summon from Wanda. Try not to lose us!” Cap answers.

“Very well. We'll see you shortly.” Iron Man closes the connection.

“The Vision is picking up speed. And Epoch says that the way he's going is the same general direction when she can detect an increasing concentration of cosmic energies.” Quasar adds.

“Keep following the Vision! Whatever Satannish is doing we will find a way to stop him. Demons' plans are always flawed. It's implicit in the way they think and act!” Cap states, hoping his words will prove true another time.

“We're getting close, Thor” Moondragon warns “The disturbance ahead is so powerful it cannot be mistaken”

“Aye, Moondragon, my enchanted hammer is pulsing, sensing a powerful dimensional rift. Its space-warping abilities are reacting to what this foul fiend has in store for us and our fair Wanda”

“I'm trying to scan for her or for Wonder Man's presence, but I keep receiving blank responses to my psychic probes ... Beware! We're under attack again!” Heather Douglas pushes herself and Thor away from a fiery blast, using her telekinesis.

“These demons are nothing more than a nuisance!” The Odinson immediately summons the fury of the lightning to strike back at the group of demons approaching. But the electrical attack is somehow magically deflected. Filled with rage, Thor flies onward to tackle the monsters physically.

“No, Thor! It's a trap!” Moondragon tries to warn him, but he's already gone.

“These two must be the last guardians, and they look tough” Iron Man alerts the others Avengers as his armor deflects the bolt aimed at them.

“One of them is charging! I'm setting up a tk wall ... ungh ... he smashed through it! ... It hurts ...” Justice says as the feedback of his telekinesis being disrupted causes blood to pour from his nose.

“He also seems less bothered by my ice projectiles then the other demons ..” Iceman comments, immediately recting to the situation.

“Firestar, check Vance!” Iron Man curses himself in his thoughts, he shouldn't have let the lad in this mission. He's been through a lot of late. Maybe too much. “I want to see how tough this one is. Iceman, keep the second one at bay!”

The impact between the monster and Iron Man's empowered armor is terrible! Tony Stark looks at his internal status windows and sees more than a light flaring up indicating danger and malfunctioning in the suit. But suddenly he notices that help has arrived!

“Need a hand, Shellhead?” Quasar wraps the monster with his solid light, but to his amazement the creature breaks free almost immediately.

“Let me have a try!” Firestar flies near, enraged, ready to attack, leaving Justice in Cap's hands “I want to see how tough this thing can get!”

“NO!” the Vision suddenly speaks “He's not our enemy! There is where the true enemy hides!” he adds, pointing at an empty spot.

“He's right!” Moondragon suddenly speak in everyone's mind, as the second demon reveals to be just an illusion cast upon her, while the first one is uncovered as Thor himself “Satannish is playing with our minds! I noticed his trick to late to stop Thor's attack or your reply, but now I can shield all of us!”

“Lucky us, that I have mental training to resist illusion and somehow avoided putting Moonie under ice before she could free us!” Iceman adds

“But we don't see anything there, Vision ... how can you ..?” Iron Man asks, disentangling himself by a confused and even more enraged God of Thunder.

“Trust me!" the synthezoid states.

“The Son of Odin doth trust you! So, by my enchanted hammer, let the demon be revealed!” The Uru mallet shines with his arcane powers as the Mighty Thor release his devastating energies in a widespread blast ... as a terrible sight appears before the assembled Avengers.

“I can't believe ... this!” Firestar whispers.

“It is monstrous!” Quasar exclaims.

The very fabric of space is torn where Satannish stands, laughing horribly with his first mouth. In his second mouth, placed at the center of his chest, the Avengers can see their friend, the Scarlet Witch tied with mystical bonds as the demonic jaws and teeth trap them inside. Her body is shimmering with her own mutant power, but clearly at a higher intensity than usual.

“This won't last!” Iron Man reacts only a split second before Cap can give any order. His repulsor rays hits the second mouth, but they fizzle out without doing any harm.

“Quasar, Firestar! Try your best there! Thor, hold back for a second!” Cap orders, as the Vision floats motionless, as if he was analyzing what the best course of action could be, or as if he was silently communicating with someone.

“Captain, I have a vague reading of Wanda's mind, but she's on the brink of madness. No sign of Wonder Man so far!!” Moondragon reports.

“They're getting nowhere” Iceman shouts, pointing out as both Firestar's microwaves and Quasar's energy flares are wasted against the demon's frame.

“I can't even get a grip on that ... thing” Vance adds as he tries to exert his tk.

“Thor, be ready, you're probably our only chance ...” Cap says, but then he's stopped by the Vision's voice.

“Solar light is what we need. The light of the sun is anathema to every dark creature” then he releases his solar beams from the eyes, striking the demon, who seems too intoxicated by the energies he's leeching through the Scarlet Witch to speak or act. A howl of pain escapes the creature as the shining energy of the sun cuts through his flesh.

“It's working! But ...” the unexpressed question in Iron Man's mind is answered as an astral presence becomes visible around the Vision's body: Agatha Harkness' astral self has been traveling with the android, summing up her energies to the solar attack to make it even more painful for the evil one.

“Satannish is firing at us!” Cap warns, as three red beams are directed toward the Avengers. Thor spins his hammer shielding a few of them, Quasar flares up a quantum shield, but the main brunt of the attack falls on Justice's hastily erected telekinetic bubble. This time his already taxed frame reaches its limits as the young mutant spasms and screams.

“I tried to augment his power with mine!” Moondragon says “But the blast was too much, he's having a seizure. His heart is giving away!”

“Satannish is firing again!” Quasar erects another protection, but this time the bolt is so powerful that it encases completely the Protector of the Universe, while another similar attack hits Thor square in the chest, stunning him for a second. Other blind shots disperse the Avengers, until the Vision strikes again with his solar beams, carrying Agatha's magic within.

“Iron Man! You can patch up something to stabilize Justice's heart! Vision, keep your attack at full power! Quasar, help the Vision, until Thor can join you! Moondragon ...”

“I'm already on it, Captain. I'm trying to suppress the pain in Justice's body and to psionically calm his racing heart!” the telepath had sensed Cap's will in advance.

“I ... I am powerless, Cap!” Quasar suddenly reports, shocked! “The last bolt must have somehow isolated me from Epoch and the dimension from which the Bands draw their power!”

“And my energy supplies are going to be depleted soon, without the sun to recharge me” the Vision states, without even stopping his attack!

“Angelica! Please, get a hold of yourself! We need you to use your microwave powers to power up the Vision until he can free Wanda!” Cap tries to shake Firestar out of her frozen fear for what's happening to Vance.

“Do it, Firestar! Vance is stabilizing!” Iron Man comments as he connects two cables from his armor to Vance's chest to monitor his status!

“Where is Thor?” Cap asks.

“Here I am, Captain! I'm going to strike at the demon ... but I fear I could hurt fair Wanda!” the Odinson has already recuperated from a blast who would have killed anyone else present.

“Wanda is connected to Satannish! She's already in pain for the solar attack, and that can't be helped. If she was to suffer the backlash of your strength, Thor, she could not make it!” Moondragon says.

“AARRGHHHH” the Vision shouts, while still firing his beams.

“What ..?” Cap asks, fearing another terrible news.

“He's overheating!” Iceman explains “Firestar's emission can power him up, but they're taxing his systems. I'm using my powers to cool him down!”

“I'm coming there to help!” Iron Man says “I can't do anything more for Justice, now Quasar can take care of him, until his bands work again!”

“The mouth is slowly opening!” Moondragon warns.

“Thor! We must try something desperate to free Wanda! After which we can attack the demon with all our strength! Fly us there!” Cap grabs the god's arm. Thor doesn't even question the Captain's order so they spin toward the gnawing jaws, loosening their hold on the Scarlet Witch, under the unrelenting assault of the Vision's beams.

“Thor! Try to keep the jaws open! Moondragon, if you're still in mind, tell the Vision to stop just to give me the time to step in and take Wanda out!” Cap orders.

The mighty son of Odin strains his muscles at his maximum power, allowing to Cap enough space to flip inside. The soldier of uncountable battles grabs the Witch's shimmering form, ignoring the pain the strange energies around her body are inflicting on him. He pushes her mystically bound form out of the jaws and jumps after her, just when Thor could no longer sustain the pressure of Satannish's jaw.

“Vision, resume the attack!! I'm going to telekinetically retrieve the Captain and the Witch, while Thor assaults the demon himself!” Moondragon speaks.

“Iceman, keep using your powers to cool him down, while I try to absorb the excess heat with my armor!” Iron Man says. “Firestar, pour it on!”

“I'm not going to stop! Please, Vision, hurt that thing like it has hurt Vance!” Angelica says projecting her powers into the Vision's jewel to be transformed into solar energy and blessed with Agatha's spell.

“How are you, Cap?” Quasar asks, seeing their leader very fatigued.

“I'll ... I'll manage! Keep him on the ropes! Is Wanda ... uff ... OK?” he asks, visibly shaken by his brave stunt.

“She's coming around ... but her mind is in turmoil ... she's falling apart!” Moondragon reports.

“Thor, take that demon out! The Vision won't last long at this pace!” Iron Man warns.

“We must find Simon and get out of here! I hate to back off from Satannish, but we can visit him later ...” Cap's breath is calming “Justice is injured, the Vision is going to hurt, Quasar is powerless ...”

“IT'S USELESS!!!” a terrible voice escapes Wanda's lips as she suddenly jerks free of her magical bonds “SIMON IS DEAD !!! IT WAS ALL A LIE! IT WAS PART OF SATANNISH'S PLAN TO CONTROL ME AND USE ME!! THAT THING YOU MUST HAVE FOUGHT IN MY ROOM TO GET IN HERE WAS 'SIMON'!”

“But ... your powers ...?” Cap is shocked.

“THESE ACCURSED POWERS! THEY GAVE ME FAKE CHILDREN ... AND NOW A FAKE LOVER!! I ... I FEEL ALL THE ENERGIES OF THE MULTIVERSE TRAVERSING ME ...! I COULD 'CREATE' ANOTHER 'SIMON' HERE AND NOW ... BUT IT WOULD BE JUST A LIE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT SATANNISH DID TO ME, CAP ... I'M SCARED!”

“Wanda, fight it! You can be back in control! You might be our last chance to get out of here!” Cap urges her, appealing to her strong soul.

“It's done! The Vision is shutting down!” Iceman shouts as the synthezoid suddenly goes blank, but not without casting a stern look of horror at Wanda, echoed by the dissipating astral form of Agatha Harkness, returning to her body, now that her host is not able to help anymore.

“Thor is still fighting like mad! Now Satannish is shrinking!” Quasar says "... and I start to feel my Bands responding again.”

Everyone looks at their strongest member, his cape torn in pieces, his hair wild as he keeps pounding on Satannish with Mjolnir, ignoring the mystic blasts of the demon.

“Maybe without Wanda's power as Nexus Being he is weakening!” Iceman says.

“No! He's still too powerful! He's just tossed Thor aside. We need to buy him some seconds! Angel, are you with me?” Iron Man flies off, routing all his power supply to his pulse cannon.

“Against that monster? Always!” Firestar follows him as the two hit Satannish diverting his attention from Thor.

“Fall back! Where a god failed, maybe a goddess can prevail!” Moondragon stands erect as her mind flares with all her psionic might. Satannish howls again under the mental onslaught, while Firestar helps a depleted Iron Man back.

“Moondragon is faring better than I thought. Her arrogance could be our salvation for a change!” Iceman says.

“But she can't do it alone! Quasar, your Bands?” Cap asks.

“Still coming back to normal ...” the Cosmic Avenger shakes his head.

“RETREAT, CAP! I WILL TAKE CARE OF SATANNISH!!!” the Scarlet Witch suddenly says, fully engulfed in a cascade of her hex power, her features distorted “I'M TIRED OF BEING MANIPULATED ... LIED TO ... HURT!!! THIS TIME I WILL ACCEPT MY FULL BIRTHRIGHT ... EVEN IF IT COULD DAMN MY SOUL!! THIS TIME I GIVE FREE REIGN TO MY NEXUS POWERS ... AND CHTHON!!!”

“Thor! Get out of there! She's mad!” Cap warns.

“Captain, we must leave from here! The Scarlet Witch is mad! She's going to tear up Satannish's dimension in order to destroy him. I sense a darker presence inside of her, and her powers are increasing with every passing second” Moondragon warns.

“Thor, we must get out of here. Gather up, Avengers! Moondragon, send a signal to Strange to retrieve us!” Cap orders, his heart saddened as he sees that what Moondragon says is true. Wanda is beyond their ability to help ...

“But we can't leave Wanda behind!” Firestar protests, torn between her worry about Vance and her loyalty to Wanda and the way she kindly accepted her and Vance in the ranks of the Avengers.

“THERE IS NO MORE WANDA ... NO SCARLET WITCH! THOSE WEAK BEINGS ARE GONE! NOW THERE IS JUST THE POWER OF NEXUS !!!” Wanda's form shifts as she keeps attacking Satannish, assuming a different, wild, dark aspect. “I GRANT YOU TO LEAVE THIS TIME, AVENGERS, FOR THE FRIENDSHIP YOU HAD WITH THE WOMAN I WAS! BUT BE WARNED, IF YOU DARE TO CROSS MY PATH AGAIN, I WON'T BE SO TENDER A SECOND TIME! BEGONE!!!”

With a sudden burst of energy, before any of the Avengers can react, she sends them back on Earth. Then she turns to a cowering Satannish, smiling evilly: “NOW IT IS TIME TO SETTLE THINGS WITH YOU, LOWLING! WHEN I'M FINISHED WITH YOUR SORRY EXCUSE FOR A HELL, THERE WON'T BE ANYONE IN THE MULTIVERSE WHO WILL REMEMBER THERE WAS EVEN A DEMON CALLED SATANNISH! ... AND THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING ... OTHERS WILL FOLLOW!”

“Wanda!” Cap screams, as the Avengers appear in the Mansion in front of the astonished eyes of the Beast, Namor and She-Hulk, while Dr. Strange screams in pain as a result of the power Nexus used to banish the Avengers.

“Namor, take Justice to the infirmary.” Iron Man stands unsteadily.

“The Vision is coming around!” Quasar says.

“But where is Wanda? Where is Simon? Bobby ...” Hank Mc Coy stares with horror at the badly beaten contingent of Avengers, afraid to know the answer.

“Hank, please, we have to talk ... listen, you have to accept ... that Simon is dead ... he never came back to life at all!” Iceman is pained to have to break the news to his friend.

“But what about Wanda?” Natasha Romanoff asks, having arrived from the Communication Center.

“Brace your hearts, my friends” Thor speaks with sadness, while Cap stands transfixed “Our friend ... has suffered a fate worse than death. She has accepted her darkest heritage ...”

“... I glimpsed into her mind.” Moondragon continues as the Thunder God's voice breaks “She's lost any mercy ... any compassionate aspect of her personality, through the horrors Satannish subjected her to ... now and forever she's just NEXUS, a being of power and evil!”

“This cannot be ...” She-Hulk is speechless as tears and sobs fill the room from many eyes and throats.

“You're right, She-Hulk! This cannot be!” the Vision coldly states “I swear ... I will undo what's happened. I will find a way!”

A-Mail

The best scene in the whole issue was the Jan/Hank one. Nice mentions of their past history and I liked seeing that not *everything* has suddenly become perfect between them. They always had problems and I'm glad to see them addressed, even while they're still together. Nice use of the Beast and Iceman. I imagine the Beast will be very upset over this whole situation -- I wouldn't mind seeing him stick around in the Avengers. Moondragon was her usualy bitchy self -- that's good. The battle with the pseudo-Simon was well done, though it wasn't as interesting as the character play that came before and after. Continued good use of the Vision. You write him very well. I hope that after this storyline, the Grim Reaper won't appear again for a looooooong time. I've never liked the concept, be he a demon version or the real deal.

Nice work, Alex.

Barry

Thanks Barry. I hope the unpredictable finale of # 3 (that has taken even me by surprise, since I had originally other plans) is still of your liking. This will set in motion events that will make a lot of the characters you mentioned shine. The Vision, in particular, will be at the center of this Nexus plot ... in a way no-one can yet guess. Plans are also evolving around Jan and Hank. And don't worry, the Grim Reaper is gone, dead, out of the way ... at least until I'm on the book!

Hi Alex.

Just read Avengers #2 - you've really got me hooked!!

I can tell you've got big plans for Earth's Mightiest Heroes - whenever a dozen Avengers show up, there's something big coming up...! I'm pleased to see the Beast back - he's one of my all-time favorite Avengers - and I'm doubly pleased to see Iceman come along for the ride. Could a membership be on the horizon...? ;) I also was pleased to see Dr. Strange show up. He's never actually been a member of the Avengers, has he? I bet that's about to change, knowing your fondness for the Master of the Mystic Arts...! Your continuity between Avengers and Avengers Crew is seamless, and I'm sure before the Crew series is over, we'll have another Avengers classic story. I'm very interested to see where all this is going. One word of warning: I'm concerned by the ominous "Next Issue" box. Don't kill off Wonder Man again, or I might have to come and get you!! As alway, Alex, you've done a masterful job. Keep it up - I'll be here!

Kell

Thanks a lot Kell! I'm sorry to tell you that your last fears are true. Simon is no more, actually he's never been since his death in Force Works # 1, demons can be that tricky. About the rest, well the storyline has been big, I hope. I even nailed my favorite Avengers, that is Wanda!! Iceman as a member? ... hehehe, who knows? One thing's for sure: no Doc Strange in Avengers. He was just a guest and he will remain so. By the way, this is just the beginning: this storyline has set things in motion that will have repercussion in all the Avengers titles for a lot more issues ...

WOW great issue...congrats...

You really managed to make me feel the urgency in that one...the panic for certain members...

Great characterisation as well especially the Beast (I sometime forget that they are best buddies). The fact that the vision really wanted to be part of the strike team is intersting too...

You keept mentioning about the "crossing" (which for me is not the greatest moment of the avengers, a little bit to messy for my own taste...with that "destroying" of one of the best character ever... iron man). If you can rationalyze that one and make it attractive kuddos to you...But please don't go the way of that period with rebel avengers...it's been done.

Anyway, I really liked the issue and yes you've got me hooked completly...

Francois.

Thanks, Francois. I had a blast writing this story arc, to the point that I changed its finale at the last moment.

About the "Crossing" references, they were needed, IMO, since the situarion had similarities and that would have certainly brought back those sad memories. The Crossing HAS happened, and there are still danglers to be resolved (and they will be, I assure you) so it must be referred to. As for Avengers gone mad ... well, er ... ehm ... Nexus might be one of them, but I think the happy ending where everything got back to normal for the Avengers and Wanda would have been too predictable and unoriginal. Trust me, the repercussions of the Nexus transformation will be very interesting.

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