Issue Five: The Avengers Versus Everybody!

The following morning.
Thursday, April 21.
Everyone is fully healed and sitting around the conference room reading about your previous day's exploits in the local paper. Pots of hot coffee have been passed around and fresh fruit and homemade pastries are laid out for all to enjoy. In attendance so far this AM are:
From the Avengers: Captain, Dr. Pym, EnergyStar, Human Torch, Jim the Android (looking somewhat better than he has over the past few days), Maelstrom, and Pulsar.
Their guests: Blackbird, Bubbles, and Radical Warrior.
Hank congratulates everyone on the arrests made yesterday, as well as your assistance during the parade. Although he does point out a small discrepency in the news about exactly where EnergyStar was during the parade.
Oops.
No one seems to have dug into it too much. Yet.
Hank gives a brief weather report: a high wind warning is in effect today. So those of you who are flyers, be careful.
"Check", the Human Torch responds.
Fortunately, Hank continues, there is nothing outstanding on the team schedule today but, as always, the Avengers are all "on call". The guests are all welcome to hang out and take advantage of the facilities for training if they like.
Let me know how you guys would like to spend your morning.

"I would just be concerned as to how well one's welcome can be worn before it becomes worn out."

He'd put some thought into exactly how to phrase the delicate question.

Rad will try to catch up on his bueaty sleep....just because the city never sleeps it doesnt mean he doesnt want to. After sleeping in late he will relax with whatever book finds his fancy in the library and if available he will read it while in the sauna.



ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....these bruises needed this

Beorn was up early this morning. He was up early every morning. After so many years on the streets it was impossible to sleep in. At the shelter, they sent you off first thing and when the weather was good for sleeping outside, the sun came up pretty early.

So, as usual, Beorn was up in time to join Bova in the kitchen. Though she usually tried to shoo him away, he liked the work and Bova was good company - and anyway, it was nice to earn his keep.

Wrapping an apron around his waist, Beorn set to making the coffee.

Later...
Beorn was still convinced if he stared long enough at the footage of the Avenger disappearances he would see some kind of clue. For a man who could disintegrate and reappear himself and who had studied the physics of two dimensions, it should be possible to determine how they were taken.

It was clear that the one called Thanatos was involved, but how had he done it?

Beorn spent the morning alternately looking through the footage, reading the records on Thanatos and pondering...

Hank blinks twice. Blackbird imagines smelling the smoke from Hank’s internally-firing synapses trying to process that last statement. Hank responds with an ”Uhhh…” before glancing over at the Torch, who just shrugs in response. Hank looks back at Blackbird and responds ”Oh, you’re fine!”

You get the impression that, with other things going on in his mind, Hank didn’t fully process whatever you said, but he figured a ‘positive compliment’ would be an acceptable response.

Rad manages to find a hardcover reprint of some old comic books featuring the hero he was reading about several issues ago.

Interested in reading the hero’s original exploits, Rad takes the book with him to read in the sauna. After a few moments, the pages begin to curl from the warm moisture. Rad hops up, slams the book closed, and lightning speeds his towel-clad, sweaty self into the library to replace the book, and then back into the sauna before anyone realizes he may have damaged the book. He is sure to check it out again, after he is done in the sauna.

Beorn has assisted Bova in kitchen duties before. In honor of his continued hard work and valuable assistance, Bova bestows upon him a carefully guarded secret…the knowledge of making perfect sweetbraids…



Mmmm....

More to come later…

Maelstrom, convinced that Thanos was somehow involved in the Avenger's disappearance, immerses himself in whatever he can learn about the Eternal. Although he has already reviewed most of the material, he continues to comb through file after file, hoping to find some elusive fact that would indicate why he would take the Avengers...as well as why he would do so in such a manner...many of them disappearing all at once, with many others disappearing one or two at a time after that...

On a whim, Beorn contacts the Fantastic Four and checks in on the status of the "Silevr Surferette" that crashed in on their dinner the other night.

Jen Walters (She-Hulk) informs him that she seems to be in a comatose state and, although her physiology is definately non-human, the rest of the team thinks her current state might be a way for her to heal. When she regains consciousness, they hope she might be able to provide further insight into Thanos' activities.

The morning is (relatively) uneventful, allowing everyone the time to rest and fully heal from any outstanding injuries.

Shortly after noon, the Avengers are altered that the recently-arrested Rampage has already escaped from prision, albeit with outside assistance. Apparently the Beetle and Klaw arrived to free him.

Not long afterwards the Avengers are alerted, almost simultaneously by the local police and anyone watching a local television station, that the three villains are in Central Park, screaming to any and all who will listen for the Avengers to be brought to them. In addition to Beetle, Klaw, and Rampage, the group is joined by Goliath (formerly Power Man), Sunstroke, and Tiger Shark - all previous opponents of the Avengers team or individual Avengers. They seem to currently be involved in general mayhem and destruction of the park in order to bring attention to themselves. It looks like some of the Avengers' old foes are looking to prove themselves against the new kids in town...

Blackbird had just emerged from a session in the training room, and listens to the long reel of villains with a somewhat bemused air. He only recognizes two of them from personal experience.

"Would anyone have a cheat-sheet?" he asks the Avengers, looking rueful. "That's more super-villains than I've heard about in one place, and I only know the Beetle and Rampage from yesterday. The others, I'm clueless about...but I think a plan would be a nice idea. That, or a nice suit of armor to keep from getting clobbered again."

Energystar sighs and then stands to address the room.

She turns to Rad, "Rad seeing that you like to do a lot of research, go with Mael and gather as much info about these guys as possible in a 10 minute time frame and meet in the vehicle hanger. We need to know weaknesses and strengths."

Then turning to Blackbird, "Can you come with me to the vehicle and weapons room so we can figure out what to bring? I realize that our plan may change when we find out what their weaknesses and strengths are but at least we can inventory what we have so we can grab things quickly."

"The rest of you. Can you go to the park and be a distraction for now? Maybe lead them to a less crowded place for the smack-down. We will be there in 17 minutes."

Beorn looks a bit intimidated by a super-gang war, so when he speaks up, he does so hesitantly, "Respectfully, Energystar, but I may make a better distraction than researcher. I .. well, I find it ... err ... hard to die. I ... erm ... I may have been crushed stabbed and ...er... run over by a train a few times ... not to mention exploded in space and I always seem to get better. And I can get there quickly. but whatever you want."

Energystar looks surprised when Mael speaks up. He has finally realized his potential. She smiles, "Yeah, I wouldn't want to be with Rad either. Take Bubbles, Cap and the others and get over there ASAP. Again try and get them away from the crowd. Thanks."

She heads to the hanger and herds Rad out the door as well.