Issue+70+-+'Terror'


 * Issue 70 - 'Terror' **




 * Plot**

Ragnarök is here. Three seasons of winter have descended upon the Earth. All over the world, great battles are fought and morality has disappeared. Brothers kill brothers and sons murder fathers. The wolf Skoll has devoured the sun, and his brother Hati has eaten the moon. Stars have vanished from the sky. The three cocks have crowed. The giant worm Nidhogg has eaten the roots of Yggdrasill, opening gateways between the realms. Loki, confined for his involvement in Baldur's death, has escaped. The Serpent has awoken. Soon the giants will rampage, destroying gods and mankind. Heimdall will sound his horn, calling the sons of Odin and the heroes to the battlefield. From all the corners of the world, gods, giants, dwarves, demons and elves will ride towards the plain of Vigrid where the last battle will be fought. Thor will fight Jormungand and be victorious, but the serpent's poison will kill him…

All this came to pass as prophecy foretold. An ancient evil god known as the Serpent has awoken. His avatars, nine Asgardian hammer-wielders (the Worthy), have caused panic and terror across the globe. The Serpent used humanity’s fear as fuel. Dark Asgard has risen from the Arctic ice into the sky. The Serpent’s ultimate goal is to reach the gate to the World Tree in Broxton, Oklahoma. There, his armies of undead, frost and fire giants, and mechs piloted by Nazis of the Thule society will defeat Earth’s guardians. He will rule the nine realms as the rightful All-Father, and all shall know fear! Only Thor can stop him, but he will die…

Determined to stop the prophecies, the eXalts traveled to Sweden to investigate a gate that opened from Muspelheim, land of the fire. They found that Sinmara, Queen of the Fire Giants (and once their ally, Meghan), did indeed come through. She also opened a gate to Jötenheim and freed the frost giants. With the frost giants at her side, Sinmara attempted to free Fenrir, the great wolf. The eXalts stopped her, but at great personal cost. Dane “Panzer” Lightfoot, former Academy X headmaster and founding member of the school, betrayed his teammates to join with Sinmara. The two fled through the portal to Niflheim and are gone. The rest of the eXalts have been left bruised and battered. With Fenrir still trapped in another realm, has Ragnarök been averted or will the great battle still take place?

Academy X headmaster Mac “Mystic” Strange, heals headmistress Bastienne “Bast” Noel and Dagan “Glimmer” Lightfoot. Dagan temporarily absorbed the consciousness of eXalts team leader David “Mustang” Goldberg when David became one of the Worthy (Runak, Breaker of Skies) after being seduced by one of the Serpent’s hammers. Even after being knocked out during the battle, David is still in control of Dagan’s body. While Mac heals his allies, acting eXalts team leader Samantha “Phantasma” Stone tries to decide what to do with the unconscious frost giants. Lucius “Prism” Hayes, actually an alternate Lucius from another dimension, is also unsure what to do. New eXalts team member, Academy X student Ethan “Subsume” Connors, is too busy establishing mental communication with his sister, fellow eXalt and student Mercy “Sublime” Connors, to add to the discussion. eXalt Cameron “Vortex” LaPrue decides to simply kill the comatose giants. After using his air control mutant ability to blast one to death, Sam angrily tells him to stop. Cameron reluctantly stands down. Sam ultimately decides to use her telekinesis to dig a pit for the giants and covers it with trees.

Ethan finally makes contact with his sister, Mercy, back in Washington, D.C. Mercy was a member of a group of Academy X students that volunteered to assist in the evacuation of the city following an attack on the capitol by the Serpent’s forces. Unfortunately, one of the students, a senior named Kenji Uedo, lost control of his mutant power. Soon bio-mechanical tendrils began attacking everyone within the area, civilians and Academy X students alike! Mercy took charge when the student leader, Julian, was knocked unconscious. She realized Kenji could only be stopped by lethal damage and was forced to kill her fellow student. She relates all of this to Ethan through their mental link. Ethan describes the eXalts’ battle in Sweden to his sister. He says he used the temperature manipulation powers he borrowed from her to defeat the giants single-handedly while the others fought over Meghan.

In D.C., several of the Academy X students are unconscious. Mercy contacts the Avengers on her communicator to get help, but the Avengers are in another battle in New York City and are overwhelmed. Mercy orders her fellow students to move their unconscious classmates to a defensible location. She then takes a few of her peers to assist in evacuating an apartment complex that is near collapse. She’s joined by students from another school – Avengers Academy students Reptil, Hazmat, Mettle, Striker, Veil, and Finesse. The two groups talk briefly. Reptil wants to know if it’s any safer to be an Academy X student, or if they are often in danger, too. Mercy says it’s no different at Academy X. Reptil sighs and says there’s no point in transferring.

Back in Sweden, Samantha tells Bastienne and David (in Dagan’s body) what they missed while they were out. David is shocked that Dane would run off with Meghan. David asks Lucius, who’s studied the prophecies, if they stopped Ragnarök by preventing Fenrir from getting loose on Earth. Lucius isn’t sure. David then turns on Mac after hearing that Mac tried to kill Meghan to close the gate and trap Fenrir. Mac responds that it was the only way he knew to close the gate and possibly save everyone on Earth. David says he’s surprised that Mac, who’s always been a good man, would be willing to sacrifice a life. David says it isn’t right to kill someone to save another’s life, even if it’s the lives of everyone on Earth. As the argument goes on, Bastienne interrupts by saying she’s killed someone to save others – and they should drop the topic and move on. Samantha takes that as a cue to contact former Academy X student Amanda. Amanda cast the teleportation spell that brought the eXalts to Sweden and Samantha wants to return to the Academy X students in Washington, D.C. Amanda teleports to the eXalts. She says the eXalts are needed in New York City. The group, having heard of the students’ fight against Kenji from Ethan, wants to go to D.C. first.

Amanda teleports the group to Washington D.C., but the students aren’t nearby. David flies into the sky and glows brightly to act as a beacon. Mercy spots David. She asks the Avengers Academy kids for assistance in bringing her unconscious teammates to the eXalts. The Avengers Academy kids agree. Reptil shapechanges into a triceratops. Mercy, along with some Academy X and Avengers Academy students, loads the unconscious students onto his back. Mettle carries a few of the more injured students. Soon they all rendezvous with the eXalts. Mac heals the two that are the most badly injured, then opens a portal back to Academy X for the rest of the kids. Mercy rejoins the eXalts so Amanda can teleport them to New York City.

The eXalts are shocked to see Manhattan is a war zone. Above them is an Asgardian castle atop a floating mountain – Dark Asgard! In the streets mechs piloted by Nazis from the Thule Society run amok. Worst of all, two Worthy (Nul, Breaker of Worlds, or the Hulk, and Angrir, Breaker of Souls, or the Thing) are causing carnage in the streets. Lucius sees the chaos and nearly has a breakdown. Before their eyes, Thor levels Angrir with a massive blow, possibly killing him. Thor then battles Nul, culminating in a blow so powerful that Nul is knocked straight into space! Thor collapses from the effort. The eXalts hurry to the scene, hoping to help Thor and the Avengers against the mechs. Suddenly a figure descends from Dark Asgard. It’s an old man with gray hair and a staff. It’s the Serpent! Before their eyes the Serpent becomes youthful and his staff transforms into a giant hammer. He unleashes one mighty hammer strike on the leader of the Avengers, Steven Rogers. Steve blocks the blow with his shield, but the resulting shockwave knocks everyone down, including the eXalts. Several buildings collapse from the damage, including Avengers Tower! In the aftermath of the shockwave, the Serpent is gone. The eXalts notice two members of the Future Foundation, Franklin and Valeria Richards by their size, are tending to a downed Angrir. Angrir then disappears! Steven rises. It seems his shield absorbed enough of the hammer strike to save his life – but the iconic shield has been split in two! And Thor is still down! The eXalts hear Steve say that the Serpent is heading to Oklahoma and they need to stop him before he reaches the gate to the World Tree. If the Serpent gets to the World Tree, Odin will use his army in Asgard to raze the Earth to stop him. All life on Earth will be wiped out! It appears the final battle will soon be fought. Steve says the heroes must fight, but he also says, “We’ll lose.”

David tries to revive Thor using Mac’s healing power (borrowed through using Dagan’s mutant abilities). The healing power does nothing – Thor’s wounds are incurable! Thor manages to whisper that only Odin can heal him now. Steve says that Heimdall’s Observatory on Avengers Tower should have survived the building’s collapse and could be used to bring Thor to Asgard. Steve, Hawkeye, and some other Avengers will bring Thor to Odin while Luke Cage will lead the rest of the Avengers (including Spider Man, who recently rejoined the group) in evacuating New York City. Everyone will then rendezvous in Broxton, Oklahoma, to stop the Serpent. Iron Man is in Asgard making weapons for the heroes so they can stop the Worthy and the Serpent. Before leaving, Steve turns to Mac. He says Mac’s father, Doctor Strange, didn’t feel worthy to wield one of the weapons. Doctor Strange suggested Mac instead. Steve offers Mac the opportunity to become an Avenger and wield one of the Asgardian weapons. Mac hesitates, likewise unsure if he’s worthy, but ultimately agrees. Steve says he’ll see him in Broxton. Lucius calls out to Steve not to lose hope before the teams part.

Sam checks in with Scott from the X-Men. She learns the X-Men defeated the Juggernaut (or Kuurth, Breaker of Stone), but he vanished (just as David, or Runak, Breaker of Skies, did). Unfortunately, Piotr, or Colossus, took the fallen Worthy’s helmet and became the new Juggernaut. Worst of all, one of the students from Xavier’s was killed when helping in the fight. Andrea Margulies, or “Rubbermaid”, died in battle. Sam gives her condolences. Sam then checks in with her husband Matt, Academy X’s security officer, to make sure the students are okay. Matt says everyone made it back, but Kenji is dead. Sam is shocked to hear that Mercy was responsible. Now is not the time to talk about it, however. Matt also informs Sam about the worldwide happenings. Namor was defeated in Atlantis by one of the Worthy (Attuma, or Nerkkod, Breaker of Oceans). Nerkkod sent a tsunami at British Columbia, causing widespread damage. Hundreds of dead Atlanteans washed up on the coast, as well. Canada has revived their super team, Alpha Flight, to respond to Nerkkod’s rampage. Meanwhile, Pepper Potts (in one of Tony’s suits) is fighting Mokk, Breaker of Faith (once Grey Gargoyle) in Paris and the Avengers Academy staff is fighting two Worthy: Skirn, Breaker of Men (once Titania) and Greithoth, Breaker of Wills (once the Absorbing Man). And apparently Nul, Breaker of Worlds (once the Hulk) is fighting Dracula?...

Amanda teleports the eXalts to Oklahoma. They arrive next to the rubble of fallen Asgard. Mystic can sense the gateway to the World Tree. In the distance the group sees the lights of the nearby city of Broxton. Groups of humans have created barricades to prevent the Serpent’s forces from reaching fallen Asgard. The heroes that have already arrived are arguing with the humans. Some heroes want the humans to flee while some of the humans want the heroes gone since they were the ones that caused all of this in the first place. Suddenly Steven Rogers arrives. He was apparently in mid-conversation with Odin when Odin banished him back to Earth. Steve swears, angry at Odin, then apologizes by saying he doesn’t lose well. Steve does say that Odin will heal Thor. Odin also gave Thor his armor and sword (a weapon named Ragnarök). Steve also reveals that the Serpent is actually Odin’s older brother, Cul. The Serpent is the true All-Father, but his rule was corrupt and Odin overthrew him. He kept his existence a secret, but he knew he’d rise again one day. This story gives David an idea for a plan…

Tony, Thor, and several Asgardians appear out of nowhere. The Asgardians (including eXalts ally Vidar) have defied Odin’s order and will fight for Earth. Tony and Thor have come bearing eight mystic weapons forged with Tony’s technical expertise from boiling uru. Odin accepted Tony’s sacrifice (his sobriety) and blessed the weapons. The ninth weapon is Iron Man’s armor itself. Tony leapt into the boiling uru for the blessing. Eight other Avengers are given weapons: Spider-Man, Hawkeye, Iron Fist, Black Widow, Wolverine. Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, and Mystic. They are the Mighty. The rest of the heroes (including the X-Men) have arrived. It’s time for the good guys to make their stand. Captain America rallies the humans to man a barricade. Several of the Mighty join him. The eXalts man a nearby barricade with other members of the Mighty. In the distance, Dark Asgard nears. Atop the fortress the heroes can see that the Serpent has recalled the nine Worthy. One of them is eXalt member David, or Runak, Breaker of Skies. Emerging from the night is the Serpent’s army of skeletons, zombies, fire giants, frost giants, Nazi mechs, and more. From the gateway to the World Tree, Heimdall’s horn calls out. The time for battle has arrived. Will this be Ragnarök, the final battle, or will the eXalts and the other heroes save the world?

The eXalts prepare. Mystic, armed with a mystic staff of uru, creates duplicates of himself and Bast to protect them. Vortex summons a cloud of debris for defense. Sublime and Subsume trade blows, triggering their absorption abilities and powering up. Prism takes refuge in a clock tower. Glimmer and Phantasma join Vortex in the air. Dark Asgard approaches. The Serpent, no longer an old man but young and vigorous, descends to a nearby building. As he floats down, his body shifts and reforms into a giant snake. The Serpent of prophecy has arrived! Thor yells to the heroes to leave the Serpent to him – and the battle is joined. The Serpent’s army charges to the barricades as the heroes prepare for the onslaught.

Mystic unleashes a fiery blast at Kuurth, badly injuring the Worthy. The other Mighty attack the front line, destroying several skeletons, zombies, giants, and mechs. A wave of undead reaches the eXalts. A skeleton injures Glimmer, somehow able to pierce her force field. Runak flies over the undead. Phantasma calls out to her friend to stop, but if David is in there, he’s not in control. Runak unleashes a devastating tornado at the eXalts. Phantasma and Sublime are slammed to the ground, stunned. Mystic and Bast are injured and several of their duplicates vanish. Vortex, Subsume, and Glimmer are only slightly hurt. The other Worthy break through the lines to join the battle. Several Asgardian gods fall under their attacks. Skadi, leader of the Worthy, charges Steve Rogers. Without his shield he’s barely able to avoid her attack. Kuurth slams into Wolverine. Attuma blasts Hawkeye. Titania throws her hammer at She-Hulk. Iron Man takes the worst of the Grey Gargoyle’s attack. Iron Fist nimbly avoids Greithoth’s chains. Spider-Man nimbly avoids Angrir’s assault. Black Widow and Ms. Marvel team up to fight Nul.

Runak lands in the middle of the eXalts. Mystic knows if he isn’t stopped, his powerful tornadoes will soon take out the team. Mystic casts a nullifying spell with his magical staff… and Runak’s force field goes down! Vortex takes the opportunity to blast Runak, staggering him. But Runak isn’t down yet! The Serpent’s forces in the area press the attack to defend Runak. Bast is stunned by the blasts of frost giants. Skeletons and zombies injure Sublime and Subsume. Nazi mechs injure nearby Asgardian gods (the Warriors Three) with their machine gun fire. A fire giant sends a gout of flame at Mystic, stunning him. Mystic shakes off the stun to grapple with Runak. Even without his force field, Runak knocks Mystic to his knees… but then Mystic uses his mutant ability to drain Runak. Runak stumbles, then collapses. He’s down! Glimmer grabs Magneto’s helmet from her downed father and puts it on her head. The eXalts cheer their victory – but the battle rages on.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">From his perch in the clock tower, Prism enacts the plan David devises. Prism creates an illusion of Odin descending from the heavens. Illusory Odin raises his spear and lightning arcs down from the clouds overhead, then shoots into each of the Mighty, empowering them. The effect is entirely for show, but the Serpent’s forces don’t know that. They hesitate, suddenly unsure. The forces of good press the advantage, and the tide of the battle turns. Bast and Subsume take down several giants. Glimmer sends a powerful blast at Hela and knocks the Asgardian unconscious. Suddenly the rest of the undead collapse! Thor injures the Serpent with Mjolnir, but then the powerful beast knocks the hammer aside! Thor grips Odin’s sword, Ragnarok, with two hands and delivers a powerful blow to his enemy. But his attack comes at a price – the Serpent sinks his fangs into Thor, delivering powerful poison with the attack! Meanwhile Steven Rogers picks up Mjolnir and rallies the troops around him. He charges Skadi… and knocks the Serpent’s daughter unconscious! The Mighty, emboldened by Steve and the illusion of Odin, press the assault. Wolverine finishes of Kuurth while Hawkeye takes out Nerkkod. She-Hulk, immune to Skirn’s charm, drops her. Iron Man’s powerful blast levels Mokk while Iron Fist finishes Greithoth. Spider-Man drops Angrir and Black Widow and Ms. Marvel together knock out Nul.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The eXalts and other heroes mop up the giants and mechs. Mystic tries to assist Thor against the Serpent, but the Serpent’s scales are simply too tough and repel all injury. The Serpent retaliates by impaling Mystic with one mighty claw swipe. The Serpent then strikes out with his tail, knocking out Phantasma, Prism, Subsume, and Sublime. Glimmer heals Phantasma. Phantasma tries to use her telepathy to revive Runak as an ally, but she’s unable to penetrate Runak’s mind. The Serpent bites Thor again – and Thor falls! Suddenly the real Odin opens the gateway. Odin summons the fallen Worthy’s weapons to him. Behind Odin is a huge army. Asgard’s war machines are ready to raze Earth! But then Thor rises and lands a final devastating blow to the Serpent… and the serpent collapses! Thor takes nine steps to his father. He simply gasps, “I did it, father,” then collapses. Odin takes his son into his arms. Thor is dead.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dagan revives David. Once David awakes, Dagan regains control of her body. Bastienne hugs David, glad to have him back. Mac revives his fallen teammates. Sam checks on the X-Men to make sure they’re okay. They survived, but it seems Scott and Logan are in a heated argument. Steve thanks Mac for his assistance and says he’ll be a worthy Avenger. Steve hopes he can call upon Mac as a reserve Avenger. Mac isn’t sure at first, but in the end he accepts the responsibility. David asks Dagan for his helmet back, but Dagan says she’s not going to give it to him yet. With the battle over, Mac teleports the group back to Academy X.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The school is a disaster area. Between the dead rising, the battle in the memorial garden, and the earthquake, there’s a lot to clean up. Samantha addresses the students. She fills them in on the events in Oklahoma and thanks the students for all the help they gave over the last day. They all performed admirably, whether they volunteered to help in D.C. or stayed behind to defend the school. She says they will have a memorial service tomorrow for Kenji. She then sends everyone to bed. Before they go to sleep, Mac seeks out David. He knows David doesn’t remember the time he possessed Dagan. Mac admits that he tried to kill Meghan and he now knows it was wrong. He apologizes. David says that Mac is the moral center of the team and he’s glad that Mac knows he made the wrong choice. It isn’t worth sacrificing one person to save others, otherwise where do you stop? Is it okay to sacrifice two people, ten, a hundred, a thousand, a million – even if it will save billions? Mac says he understands. David points out that Mac is acting president now that Dane is gone, so it’s a good lesson to learn.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A lot takes place over the next few days. On Friday morning the group awakes to find that Young Lucius is gone. When the damage done to the World Tree was healed and the barriers between dimensions were restored, Lucius was drawn back to his reality. It’s the last day for students. They help clean up the school. The eXalts spend time with family and friends, such as Sam spending time with Matt and the kids. David realizes he’ll have to take care of Davan now that Dane is gone. Mac adjusts to the idea that he needs to be Utopia’s president now. There is a memorial service for Kenji, and Sam also acknowledges the death of Xavier’s student Andrea, as many Academy X students knew her. There is also news from Xavier’s: due to some internal conflicts (more conflict between Scott and Logan) at the school, they will not be able to host Academy X students without family over break. Bastienne and Mac agree to keep those students on Utopia over break.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On Saturday, the Avengers build a pyre to burn Thor’s body. The heroes are surprised when Asgardians arrive – all of them! Odin has exiled them to Earth. Odin alone remains on Asgard to guard his brother’s body. It seems the Serpent could rise again and Odin has devoted his life to be his brother’s keeper. On Sunday there is a funeral for Captain America (Bucky Barnes) at Arlington National Cemetery. Several eXalts attend. On Monday the dwarves melt down the weapons given to the Mighty. On Tuesday Steven Rogers, Captain America once again, is given his reforged shield. It is whole, but it has a scar down the middle. Steve says the imperfection will be a worthy reminder. During the rest of the week, the heroes help rebuild cities damaged during the Serpent’s rampage. The eXalts assist in rebuilding Washington, D.C. The wards of the school also help. At the end of the week, a mysterious light is observed hitting the site of fallen Asgard…

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That weekend, shocking news arrives from Xavier’s school. Logan has quit the school and he will be forming a new school at his family’s manor in Alberta. He calls the new school the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. He has recruited several teachers to his school, including Hank, Kitty, Professor X, and even Cameron from Academy X! Plus Old Lucius has left Academy X for Xavier’s! Clearly changes are in the air for the group. What will the future bring?


 * Next:** Issue 71 - 'Youth of the Nation'
 * Previous:** Issue 69 - 'Panic'