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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

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First story: Untitled       Second story: Crash Course
First story:Gratzia, in the Balkans, where the body of Heinrich von Hate is being brewed in a large cauldron. Skulls litter the ground around the cauldron as a golden liquid bubbles away. The liquid, and presumably Heinrich's remains, are then poured into a small box, molded into a golden square. 'Perfect' the mysterious Hexfinder announces as she holds the box up, and puts it on a shelf with several other differently shaped objects all seemingly made from the same golden liquid. 'Every witch has their place, Heinrich – on my mantel. But don't worry. Your new neighbor arrives soon... and she'll be wearing red'.Meanwhile, in West New Jersey, New Jersey, inside a house, where Wanda Maximoff the Scarlet Witch uses her powers to levitate several objects. 'I could help, Wanda. Maybe lift something. One thing. A single thing' her companion, Darcy Lewis, offers. As Wanda begins manipulating the objects into boxes she assures Darcy that her support is moral, noting that an astral corpse has surfaced – Heinrich von Hate. Wanda tells Darcy that his flesh was missing, and a detective friend, Alice Gulliver, has been assigned this case. 'In don't weep...nor for Nazi warlocks. But Alice expects more killings. Witches may need shelter' Wanda explains. 'Like here, in your sanctum sublet-um?' Darcy asks. Wanda tells her that this apartment was her retreat for many years, and decides that it could protect many. 'Maybe they need a landlord – I'm whiffinf this Low Mysterium gig' Darcy jokes.Darcy continues, suggesting that the Low Mysterium warps time, so it was always here, town records back that up. 'But is it magic? Science? I'm nowehere near figuring out how to keep this stuff from suppressing your spells' Darcy remarks. 'You will, Darcy. I see how hard you're working – not here, admittedly' Wanda replies. 'Hey! Low blow. I just offered to lift something!' Darcy retorts, folding her arms. 'No need' Wanda points out as all of the objects in the room are now safely packed in several boxes. Wanda teleports herself, Darcy and the boxes out to the sidewalk – in Lotkill, outside her store, the Emporium. 'You made us take the commuter rail down there!' Darcy complains. 'Of course. One ride builds character... but I'm not a monster' Wanda responds.Later, Wanda sits on the rooftop of her store, reading a box, she holds a coffee cup. 'Sorry I'm late. Any whisky in that cup?' a voice calls out. Wanda looks up, 'Not for me, Iosif. I'm still on my pu-erh kick' Wanda smiles. It's Joseph, and he drops down beside Wanda, wearing his new blue and white outfit, a can of soda hovers alongside him. 'Unless I'm mistaken, my name had a “J” last time we talked' Joseph notes. Wanda assures him that it did, but that where she was raised, he would be called Iosif. 'And lately...I don't see Magneto when I look at you. Not completely' Wanda smiles, revealing that after these last few weeks, she has started to see him as a brother. Joseph easily opens the can with a magnetic pulse, and tells Wanda that he never had one of those, or a sister for that matter. 'What do they do?' he asks. 'Get you into trouble, mostly' Wanda replies as she sips her drink. 'And you know me, I love trouble' Joseph remarks as he drinks his own drink.Joseph then tells Wanda that he has been going out alone, nothing big of course, he fought Doctor Sun, raised a shipwreck out of the Hudson and gave out free MRIs. He also stopped a carjacking. 'Not too hard when you can make the car defend itself' Joseph remarks. He adds that he also saved a man's wallet. 'He liked seeing his coin purse beat the thief on the head...but when he realized who I was, he screamed terrorist. Rang up Orchis' Joseph reveals. 'My father's face has never been easy to wear' Wanda points out. Joseph closes his eyes and tells Wanda that the man didn't think he was Magneto. 'He knew exactly who I was – a wild mutant who butchered humans' Joseph explains. 'Human bigots who'd have done the same to you, and enjoyed it more' Wanda suggests. 'And for all I know, the wallet man would've cheered it on. It's like... and I didn't want to frighten people, you know? But maybe I was wrong' Joseph adds, before wondering if maybe the right people should be afraid.Joseph looks over and sees that Wanda's cup is empty. 'Better catch up' he supposes as he levitates his can to his mouth and drinks the rest of his soda, before using his powers to easily crush the can. 'Not even a slow clap? That can crushed itself!' Joseph remarks. 'Very impressive. We'll make a wizard out of you yet' Wanda replies. Joseph then tells Wanda that he knows he was late, but that they are due to wrap up their book. Wanda opens the book: '“The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. Chapter 23, “Glinda the good witch grants Dorothy's wish”' Wanda quotes as she reads from the book. Joseph also notes that they have to read “Home Again” the last chapter, and reminds Wanda that he has never finished a novel before. 'What do we do now?' he asks. Wanda suggests that they can find another, as they are conveniently endemic around here. 'But first, I've got a busy week ahead. Care for a whirlwind tour of the life of the Scarlet Witch?' Wanda smiles.Wednesday, in Erie, Pennsylvania, where Wanda and Joseph fight alongside Omega the Unknown a.k.a. James-Michael Starling, and his mother – a robotic floating head, as they find themselves surrounded by locals who have been transformed into goat-like beasts. 'Hold them back, Omega! A cure won't mean much if these people tear us apart!' Wanda exclaims. Omega fires a blast which knocks one of the goat-people backwards, while his mother's floating head shouts 'Forget her soft words, son. Subdue this mob with extreme prejudice! Short-term pain will save their long-term lives!' Wanda rolls her eyes: 'Robot heads...so dramatic' before she raises her hands and casts her spell: 'There!' Wanda calls out as she transforms the townspeople back to their true selves. 'I – I'm not a bloodthirsty goat? That's such a relief' a woman remarks. Wanda explains to the locals that it seems that an interplanetary-bile tainted their water with satyr scat, which is terribly infectious. Wanda reports that their waterlines, and bodies, have now been purified.'Such wisdom, Witch. I hope you brought enough to share with everybody!' the floating head screams as she appears alongside Wanda. 'This may surprise you, but spells aren't sticks of gum' Wanda responds, unimpressed. The floating head declares that she must aggregate Wanda's knowledge. 'How else can I better protect my son?' she asks. Wanda looks over at Omega and smiles, before telling the head that her son seems capable of protecting himself. 'He is the end of s great experiment. The Omega. I am his designated mother head. Is my job not to worry?' the floating head asks. 'Of course. But also to let go. Omega's connection to the biosphere is profound. The day may come when he continues his mission to observe alone' Wanda points out as she shakes Omega's hand. 'Easily said for an instigator who only appears in a crisis' the mother head mutters to Joseph, who leans closer and remarks 'I think they call that a “fun aunt”'.Thursday, at New Amazonia, Wanda stands alongside Hippolyta and watches as the alien Ganymede rushes towards Joseph with a fiery weapon. 'Come, magnetician! Battle the last of the Archsistergood if you can!' she shouts at him. Joseph raises a staff formed of magnetic energy to block Ganymede's attack, while Wanda tells Hippolyta that Ganymede seems to have mellowed under her care. 'I don't think she's mentioned disembowelment a single time since Joseph and I arrived' Wanda notes, while other members of the Bacchae cheer on. Hippolyta looks down at Wanda and informs her that Ganymede does still hournal about it. Her metaphors are tortured and her calluses have yet to fully come in, but that she hits hard enough. Wanda tells Hippolyta that she is so reasonable without her Scythia helm, to which Hippolyta thanks Wanda.Friday, in Citrusville, Florida, in a swamp where Wanda fights alongside the sorceress Jennifer Kale, and the being called Man-Thing against a serpent invasion. 'Maintain the sigils, Jennifer! They've nearly reached critical mass!' Wanda calls out from behind a force field. 'Tell that to the serpentinions!' Jennifer responds, before remarking to Wanda that her apprentice picked a killer time to hop inside the Man-Thing for a trial by fire. Suddenly, Joseph emerges from Man-Thing, while Wanda asks Jennifer if she feels it – the sigils have fused. 'Release the spellwave – now!' she calls out. The force field falls away and Jennifer strikes with a surge of energy that ripples through the snakes. 'Hey, I'm Joseph...thanks for watching my back out there' Joseph waves at Jennifer. 'Jennifer Kale. Sorcererss. Meddler – actually, make that impressed meddler. The Man-Thing doesn't spit many people out unburned' Jennifer notes. Man-Thing puts a hand on Jsoeph's shoulder as Joseph remarks that the dreadscapes were just what he needed. 'I had to face my fears. And it did get wild in there... but most nightmares are just truths you're too scared to accept' Joseph realizes.Saturday, in Arbor City, Maryland, where Wanda stands on a rooftop of a skyscraper with her neice, Luna. Three winged, green-skinned demons wearing suits stand before them. 'What's your angle, Witch? Arbor City  has been Hades Incorporated for ages' one of the demons declares. The demon adds that its so-called citizens are human squatters. 'What do you and your familiar care?' he asks. 'My niece is no familiar. But with a glance, she's quite familiar with you... and your deals' Wanda responds, before noting that it is true, Mayor Risling sold Hades Inc., the rights to Arbor in perpetuity. Luna tells her aunt that there is no point in negotiating, as the demons can say what they want – it's all bad faith. 'The only thing I'm seeing on them is pure misanthropy' Luna adds. 'And? We need not like humanity to defend our claim – we have a contract!' the demon snarls. Wanda acknowledges that he does, before suggesting that the mayor had no standing to damn a city for generations to come. 'I'm voiding your agreement' Wanda decides, and with a snap of her fingers, the demons vanish. Wanda then thanks Luna for her help, and notes that Arbor is finally back in the hands of its citizens. 'Corporate demons are the worst. I swear, their auras were the exact color of Lockjaw's -' Luna begins, to which Wanda interrupts her: 'Tuning fork, I'm sure' before asking 'Speaking of troubling auras... where did your father get to?'Down on the streets of Arbor below, Pietro Maximoff a.k.a. Quicksilver stands a few feet away from Joseph, both men have their arms folded, while several demons hover around them. 'My sister loves a stray. But I've never known her to collect trash' Quicksilver frowns. 'You're really like this all the time, aren't you?' Joseph responds. 'Not at all' Quicksilver claims. 'Sometimes I can be cruel' he declares, before telling Joseph that he is just a copy – perhaps a copy of a copy. 'I don't want to copy anyone, Quicksilver. I'm not Magneto' Joseph responds. 'Nor are you an improvement. So what are you?' Quicksilver asks. 'I ask myself that every day. And somehow, I do it without being an ass-' Joseph starts to reply, before one of the demons shouts 'Hey!' Annnoyed, Joseph and Quicksilver both turn to the demon: 'WHAT?' they shout. 'Hades security, people! Maybe you noticed we're trying to pacify your dissident mortal souls -' one of them begins, before there is a crack of energy, and Quicksilver speeds about, knocking the demons over. 'Cables in the street. I could've done that' Joseph frowns. 'You didn't' Quicksilver replies.Sunday, in Overspace, Wanda and Joseph stand before a being who is black and white, and floats, cross-legged. Wanda addresses him as the In-Betweener and thanks him for this audience. She tells him that freed of Chthon, Other-Realm is healing, and while chaos reigns, order is gaining ground. 'I'd hope you could appreciate that. As such...I ask that K'lay's destruction is again deferred. It deserves a chance at life' Wanda asks. Also in Sunday, on Earth-9811, where Wanda and Joseph journeyed to after receiving a distress call from this reality's Crusader, the daughter of Captain America and Rogue. They join Crusader in battling this reality's Doombots, and Crusader smashes her shield into one of the Doombots as she tells Wanda that her door comes in handy. 'Vince Von Doom's wanted ta rule Battleworld fer years. Without you an' Joe lending a hand, Malefactor might've finally gotten his wish!' Crusader exclaims. Wanda tells her that it is nothing, and that Joseph needs every chance to to hone his talents, and these servo-guards are a nice workout. She adds that Malefactor is a Von Doom, and she doesn't thinnk she will ever tire of humbling them – in this or any world.Still on Sunday, at the Endless Desert, Wanda and Joseph sail on a small boat across the sea of sand, and Wanda aims a hex-spear towards a large shark which rises up from the desert. 'Hold the ship, Iosif – sail us toward the mawi!' Wanda calls out, adding that Doctor Druid swears the artifact is hidden inside.And later, at the Bar With No Doors, where Dr. Anthony Ludgate Druid looks up at the Scarlet Witch and tells her that this is a wizard's bar, but that a puppy seems to have followed her in. 'He stinks of alchemy' Druid adds. 'It's called science these days, Anthony. Here's your trinket' Wanda responds as she places a lamp on the bar where Druid is sitting. Druid informs Wanda that the Lamp of Lucifer is for scrying, that it tells the future. 'Even yours, if you like' he suggests. 'Where's the fun in that?' Wanda smirks.Monday, beneath Siberia, in Grizzly City, Joseph watches as Wanda begins to broker peace between bear cults at war. 'You expect me to negotiate with him? Duke Kermode is a fanatic!' a brown-furred bear exclaims. 'Quite the claim from a maniac like you, Bruinus!' the white-furred Duke retorts. Wanda informs the bears that a cub came through her Last Door, not a year old, and so sure that his only future was war. 'For him, for your factions who crave peace... I expect you'll come to the table' Wanda smiles.Also on Monday, Wanda and Joseph attend a mystic crime scene with The Wu a.k.a. Alice Gulliver. 'See why I called? Another astral corpse, Wanda. Another missing body' Alice remarks as she crouches beside a body. 'And some weird metal' Joseph reports, adding that it is ancient and pretty exotic to use for common buckshot. Wanda explains that it is called Orichalcum, and is magic metal. 'You were right, Alice...someone's hunting witches' Wanda declares. Alice offers to spread word about Wanda's safe house, and tells her not to worry, that she will be in the loop.Tuesday, at the Strange Academy, Wanda joins Doctor Voodoo to teach a class of young magicians. 'Miss Maximoff – is that all the glass jars contain? Weather effects?' Eva Quintero asks, raising her hand. 'Good question' Wanda tells the young woman, before explaining that the Terrarium Carcerem can hold all sorts of things, especially when filled with Headmaster Drumm's enchanted atmosphere. 'Why so modest, Professor? You've never needed help taming hurricanes' Doctor Voodoo responds. At the back of the class, Joseph and a young woman are watching, and Joseph remarks that he thinks he has seen these before, and that Wanda keeps demons in them. 'You can put a lot in there...spells, spirits, excuses to teach with your ex' the woman replies, before introducing herself as Zelma.Joseph introduces himself and explains that Wanda is showing him the ropes, before asking Zelma if she is a teacher here. 'Librarian with a stubborn magic sensitivity' Zelma responds. 'Just magic? How about chemistry? It's almost like Wanda's flirting' Joseph smiles. 'Yeah...she and Drumm were a thing. Might stil be – with the strings cut away' Zelma remarks. Wanda and Jericho look at each other as Zelma informs Joseph that there is a faculty pool going on it. 'You want in?' she asks. Joseph tells her that he will pass. Zelma then removes the hat she's wearing and asks Joseph to give it to Wanda's intern. 'Maybe she'll stop texting me' Zelma frowns.Later, in Lotkill, New York, Wanda and Joseph drop down towards The Emporium, where Darcy Lewis is waiting for them. 'There you are! I was worried they gave Wanda tenure' Darcy exclaims. 'Good to see you too, Darcy' Joseph responds, before handing the hat to her. 'Zelma says hello' he adds. 'Stanton? Fine, fine – I'll take it. Maybe she'll stop texting me' Darcy mutters, before Joseph notes that Darcy is wearing the mysterium necklace, and asks her if she has found out anything new about it. Darcy reveals  that she tracked down a dude, a late-night-TV type called Mantor. 'Mantor the Magician. An eccentric for sure...but he did have his run' Wanda notes. Darcy reveals that these days, Mantor is an occult appraiser, and she showed him the rock, but he called bull. 'Dude said it's artificial – that's why it's so unstable. Barely holds together at all. Even the best, most detailed model of a tree isn't a tree, you know?' Darcy adds.'Interesting. But you'll forgive me if I don't trust the word of a pawn-broker. Maybe I should take another look at it' Joseph offers. 'Fair enough, Joe' Darcy replies as she hands him the necklace. Joseph thanks Darcy, before announcing that he is sorry he couldn't fix this. 'It's an open door, not a transaction. Look at all you've done since you came here. How many now hear your name...and know that things can become better?' Wanda tells Joseph. Joseph takes the necklace and tells Wanda that she is right, he admits he was slipping there for a second, that it was too easy, but the second has passed. 'The mystery rock's been killing me though. And I...I could do more – take it apart bit by bit and see how it blocks spells' Joseph suggests. He begins to modify the mysterium, turning it liquid and remarks 'If only I had that option. It's a weapon against you, Wanda. And I wish, so badly...I wish I could defuse it... instead of using it'. Wanda looks concerned, and asks Iosif what he is talking about.'Don't calle me Iosif, Wanda. I haven't earned it. Even if I wanted to' Joseph announces as he forms the mysterium into a blade. Hex energy sparkles around Wanda as she stands ready for battle, and tells Joseph to lower the blade, to talk to her and explain himself. 'But do not mistake my trust for foolishness' she warns him. 'I wouldn't dare, Wanda. Not for a second. You gave me everything I needed...except what she could take away' Joseph announces – before he hurls the myrium blade at Wanda, which slices off two of her fingers. Wanda screams, then drops to her knees. 'Whatever this is – you don't need to do it. We welcomed you – I welcomed you' Wanda utters. 'Your kind never truly welcomes' a voice comes from behind the Last Door. 'Who the – by the Last Door...' Wanda's voice trails off as the door opens and a figure wearing green steps into the Emporium.'Only opens for those with nowhere else to go? With no one else to turn to? You're quite the witch. Your false benedictions. Your countless broken promises... your unhinged power, the slaughter of your allies and infantile toying with reality...' the new arrival utters. '... those aren't mistakes. It's witchcraft. In its truest form. Witches betray. They break oaths'. The new arrival tells Wanda that her door is working just fine, because, as the Last Hexfinder, she has nowhere else to go – there is no place better for her to take a stand – than over her grave. As blood trickles from Wanda's severed fingers, the mysterious Hexfinder, armed with her staff and a gun, looks down at the Scarlet Witch... Second story:Last semester, at the Strange Academy, where Wanda Maximoff the Scarlet Witch finds Eva Quintero asleep at a desk, several books piled up around her. 'I hate to interrupt your slumber, Miss Quintero, but students aren't allowed in Strange Academy's library past curfew' the Scarlet Witch announces. While Eva's little green lizard-like pet, Pod, seemingly reads one of the books, Eva quickly sits up and apologizes to the Scarlet Witch, explaining to her that it is the last day of school, and she wanted to study a bit more before she returned to L.A. tomorrow. 'Why am I not surprised this is how Eva Quinetero, one of my hardest working pupils, chooses to spend her last day?' Wanda asks, before asking Eva if she stopped by her office earlier. 'Yeah, I was hoping you'd look over some spells with me, but -' Eva begins, when suddenly, the book Pod was reading begins to levitate.'Where'd you get that book?'  Wanda asks. 'It – it was on your bookshelf!' Eva exclaims. 'The bookshelf protected by a barrier spell?' Wanda asks. 'That barrier spell wasn't really that str-' Eva begins, to which Wanda tells her 'Never mind' and suggests she get away from the book – but it's too late, as Eva and Pod are sucked into the glowing book. 'Miss Maximoff!' Eva screams.'Huh? Where are we, Pod?' Eva asks as she opens her eyes, and finds herself on a large floating asteroid-like rock. Several other rocks float nearby under a gray sky, while red lightning crackles around them. 'Somewhere very bad, child' Wanda frowns as she manifests above Eva. 'The book captured you as well?' Eva asks. Wanda explains to her that this is her astral form, while her physical form remains in the library. She informs Eva that she is in a prison realm, and tells her not to waste her energy trying to create a portal back to their world, and that the book that captured her contains a powerful demon named Elos. Eva attempts a portal, but to no avail, while Wanda reveals that she was the one who sealed him away, meaning she is the only one who can get Eva out, but will need some time. Wanda instructs Eva to seek shelter and kEeep out of view – but it's too late, as Elos rises up behind Eva. 'Or the big bad wolf will find you!' the demon, who materializes as skeleton with large horns, calls out. 'ELOS!' Wanda shouts, while the demon tells Eva that there is nowhere to run, so she should stay where she is and kneel.'Follow my lead' Wanda tells Eva, via her astral form. 'Yes – yes, of course' the frightened Eva responds. Wanda warns Elos to stay away from Eva, or suffer a fate far worse than the one already incurred. Several other demons appear behind Elos, who notes that Wanda is but a specter, and asks her how she dares threaten him. He orders her to release him from this plane, or watch her precious pupil be torn limb from limb. Wanda looks over to Eva, who is wide-eyed Elos extends tentacles which reach up and wrap around her. 'One's perception doesn't always equate with reality, child!' Elos points out. Eva screams, and Elos tells her that he can see through common magical manifestations and small portals and weak energy expulsions. 'Though I must admit...that necklace of yours...' Elos begins.Suddenly, Pod leaps towards Elos, distracting the demon, while Eva is able to create a teleportation portal to escape the tentacles. 'Vermin!' Elos snarls as he grabs the small creature in his claws. 'Hear me now, little witch! I will grant you thirty seconds to return!' Elos calls out, warning her that if she remains in hiding, then her green pet will painfully cease to exist. Eva is hiding behind a large boulder, and Wanda's astral form tells her that she is almost there, and to stay hidden a little longer. 'I can't do that' Eva replies, noting that Elos isn't the first and won't be the last to try and hurt someone like her. 'No. but I can see the fear in your eyes, Eva' Wanda responds. Eva admits that she is afraid, before asking if this isn't why the Scarlet Witch has been teaching how to harness their strength – for moments like this. 'I know for certain that's why I push myself every day at the Academy' Eva explains. Eva declares that she won't let Elos hurt Pod, and nor can they risk him crossing over. 'You have learned well, Miss Quintero' Wanda acknowledges.Eva teleports herself back in font of Elos, with Wanda's astral form at her side. 'There you are. Take your worthless pet!' Elos snarls as he hurls the unmoving body of Pod towards Eva, who tells Pod that she is sorry, and that she will heal him right now. 'I've read about you, Elos!' Eva calls out. 'Have you, now?' Elos asks. Holding Pod in her hands, Eva frowns and tells Elos that she is aware of the manu sorcerers he has killed throughout different dimensions, and that she knows he murdered to steal magical essence – that is, until he encountered her mentor, the Scarlet Witch. 'Now you've come across me, meaning today...we will defeat you!' Eva exclaims, to which Elos responds by ordering the demons at his side to attack. A centaur-type creature rushes forward, only to fall into one of Eva's portals, and re-appear with its spear aimed forward – right at the winged demon that was flying alongside it, skewering the demon through it chest.'I am finished toying with you, girl!' Elos booms, his tentacles, which form the lower part of his body, thrash about, as Eva glows with energy – she casts a spell, and a large dragon forms above her, while she manifests a sword in one hand. 'Impossible -' Elos utters, as Eva leaps forward, sword in hand, and fueled by the dragon protecting her. 'Die!!!' Elos shouts as he lashes back at Eva, knocking the girl aside. Elos begins to laugh, nut as Eva regains her footing, she smiles and tells Elos that one's perception doesn't always equate with reality. 'I warned you' the Scarlet Witch declares as she appears behind Elos and touches the side of his demon face. With that touch, Elos screams and his skeletal form begins to collapse into his tentacles. 'The amount of nightmares he's about to have will make him yearn for this place' Wanda remarks, before asking Eva and Pod if they are ready to go now. 'Si' Eva responds.Eva is able to teleport back intothe Strange Academy, where Wanda welcomes her back. Wanda folds her arms and suggests that next time, Eva ask before taking a book from her enchanted bookshelf. Eva apologizes, before asking 'Who keeps a book like that one on any shelf?' Wanda reminds her that it was protected by a barrier spell. 'Again, a weak barrier spell!' Eva exclaims, before looking up at the Scarlet Witch and thanking her. 'Good job, Miss Quintero' Wanda smiles as  she hugs her student.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

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untitled
The Emporium, Lotkill, New York, where Wanda Maximoff a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch has been wounded by an intruder. 'You violate my home, poison people against me. Why, Hexfinder?' Wanda asks her newfound enemy, while blood drips from her hand to the floor. Darcy Lewis, Wanda's shop assistant, looks on in horror, while Hexfinder remarks 'I've also taken your hand...by proxy, of course. That's just the start. But, yes, right – the why. Because Joseph has no choice. And because I hate you' Hexfinder declares. She recalls the ancient past as she scowls and informs Wanda that they have hated her for over a millennium, and reveals that her ancestors were mountain witches, guardians of an eldritch mine. It was a mine that Kierrok the Damned so desired, so he set his N'Garai legions upon them. Kierrok and the N'Garai were elderspawn, born of Chthon, the very elder god Wanda holds chained in her soul. She recalls that there was a battle, but their own spells failed them, and so they prayed to witchcraft, their goddess – but heard no reply. She had left them to the slaughter. Her people were abandoned, betrayed. 'Hell, warlock means oathbreaker – that is what witchcraft is. Who witches are. Hexes...a curse, one I know how to break, though you're not just any witch'. Hexfinder declares.Hexfinder looks over to Joseph as she remarks that orchestrating the killing blow took work, took time for Wanda to flinch, but then – there was the death of her chosen father. 'Magneto was no puppet, but that is all Joseph has ever been' Hexfinder declares, revealing that she rebuilt his body, plucked his essence from the Krakoan waiting room, and with a biochemical jolt, her staff woke Joseph's mind. Wanda looks over to Joseph: 'I trusted you, even knowing the danger. I saw your face. Read your intent. Your remorse was real...you wanted to start again' she reminds him. 'I did' Joseph responds as he uses his powers to levitate a metal chest, which he hurls at Wanda and sends her crashing through the wall of the Emporium. 'But that's the rub, witch. I restarted his life, not you. Alchemy besparked his brain. It mended his flesh and blood. All to deceive you. After all, my Joseph wasn't lying. His story was false, but his heart was true. True and irrelevant – it's my power keeping him alive' Hexfinder claims.Hexfinder and Joseph step outside, joining Wanda on the sidewalk, as Hexfinder reveals that her ancestors did not die – instead, they retreated to their mine, and there, the first five Hexfinders forged the five sacred tools. She explains how they emerged and repelled the N'Garai with a power that would not waiver, and the gift, to change what is real, to transform what is there, without faith, a gift passed from teacher to student – of which she is the last. She reveals her name is Nicola Zosimos, and Wanda recognizes the name, realizing her foe is an alchemist, and that the low mysterium was her creation. 'Temporal transmutation. A chance in the present that echoes into the past. With the right touch from the philosopher's staff, the stone was always beneath Lotkill' Hexfinder reveals. Hexfinder holds her staff towards Wanda's face and remarks that the low mysterium is a magic-opaque element, a boon for killing witches. 'And I have been busy' she boasts.'You killed Heinrich von Hate to what – intimidate me? Let him rot. He's a Nazi' Wanda responds. 'He's a statement. All witches are targets. And you? You're Chthon's witch jailer – our betrayer and our attacker in one!' Hexfinder exclaims. She claims that the Scarlet Witch has always been on her list, and that her play with the true Darkhold brought her to the top. 'Who's playing, Maleficent?' a voice asks. Wanda, Joseph and Hexfinder turn to see Darcy standing nearby, holding a pillow. 'One move and I unleash the pillow of life and death!' Darcy exclaims. 'That's right, clones and conjurers – Darcy's been digging in storage!' Darcy boats. She admits that the pillow doesn't look like much, but that the threat is in the name. 'One touch. One friggin’ touch and my fluffy girl heals the worthy and kills the evil. So come on. Who wants to find out? Who wants to roll the dice? Who's up for the last pillow fight of their lives?' Darcy goes on.'No me' Hexfinder responds as she puts her staff against the pillow, transforming it. 'Is that lead? Son of a -' Darcy begins as she struggles to hold the now lead pillow up, and drops it to the ground. 'I'm out of deadly pillows here, Wanda...how much time do you need?' Darcy asks. Wanda's hand has healed, and she flicks her fingers: 'NONE' she responds as she conjures a powerful surge of energy that rises up from the ground and smacks Hexfinder and Joseph skyward. Hexfinder gathers herself and hovers mid-air, while Joseph has fallen back to the ground. Hexfinder instructs Joseph to ready what is next. 'Remember who put your head back on' she warns him, before deciding that they have danced enough. 'This is now a fight' she calls out. 'I agree!' Wanda responds as she casts energy towards Hexfinder, which engulfs her staff. 'Please. We'd be extinct if we couldn't transmute spells' Hexfinder responds calmly, cleansing her staff of Wanda's energy.'You're still human. Humans breathe' Wanda remarks as she snaps her fingers again. 'Ruthless, witch. But my staff creates air just as fast as you steal it' Hexfinder declares as she breathes through the air created by her staff. 'There's more than one way to choke' Wanda decides as she clenches a fist, and as she does, a large hand rises up from the ground beneath Hexfinder. 'You should've come for me, Hexfinder. Come direct – but, no. You came for my family – you made this so much worse! For yourself!' Wanda calls out as her hex energy surrounds Hexfinder and the hand – which suddenly grabs Hexfinder. 'Joseph! The cage – NOW!' Hexfinder shrieks at Joseph, who responds by raising a barrier of low mysterium up from beneath the street, surrounding himself, Wanda, Darcy and Hexfinder, who is freed from the giant hand in the process. 'The low mysterium's been waiting below. A transmuted mine – it felt appropriate' Hexfinder declares, before warning the Scarlet Witch that these walls won't just contain her – but dull her power.Indeed, Wanda attempts to conjure a hex, but nothing happens. 'You're cornered. Alone. There's no escape' Hexfinder boasts. 'You think that makes me less dangerous?' Wanda asks. 'Yes!' Hexfinder responds as she fires a blue energy towards Wanda, while exclaiming 'Complete combustion hellfire rounds. We're alchemists. Not luddites'. Darcy turns to Joseph: 'So, don't tell anyone Joe... but I hate being right. Especially about low-body-fat clones playing on my friend's guilt. Still...' her voice trails off, as Wanda casts a hex which destroys Hexfinder's weapon and tells her to stick to her staff. 'These modern weapons just don't hold together' she jokes. Joseph looks at Darcy and tells her not to get more involved. 'No can do' Darcy responds. 'You could stop me though – it'd be easy' she claims. Darcy points out that she is no master of magnetism, 'You could kill me, for real. I mean, all I've got's a lit hat...and a question' Darcy remarks. She tells Joseph that she gets it: 'Step out of line and it's back to the grave. Hexfinder's in control, right? But, oh yeah – my question. What's it like not risking your life for someone who'd die to save yours?' she asks, but Joseph does not respond.'Don't you feel it, witch?' Hexfinder asks as she pulls her staff out of the ground, and as she does, the ground around Wanda turns into a pool of water, which Wanda struggles to get out of. 'The ground's disappearing beneath you' Hexfinder points out. 'Lucky I'm not beholden to it!' Wanda exclaims as she manifests a large bird around herself and flies out of the water. 'All this over a thousand-year-old slight? You think witchcraft is deceitful? Who offered Joseph an open hand – who put their boot on his neck?' Wanda asks as she drops down on Hexfinder, knocking her foe backwards. 'He's just a -' Hexfinder begins, before Wanda pins her down with the magic bird's claws: 'It was rhetorical. Resurrection is a gift – not a leash' she states, noting that Hexfinder toys with a man's life, not for duty, but for a grudge. 'I am not happy!' Wanda shouts as she shoves the energy claws into Hexfinder's mouth and eyes.'Then you know how I feel!' Hexfinder retorts as she raises her staff, shattering the magic bird and causing Wanda to fall backwards. Wanda gasps as Hexfinder transmutes Wanda's body into gold. 'Now look at that. I wouldn't struggle. Your lungs aren't lungs anymore. They're gold'. Hexfinder stands over Wanda and tells her that all she has is her last breath. 'Normally I turn the whole body. It's quick, humane. I reforge the metal into a nice little trophy' Hexfinder reveals, before leaning in close to Wanda and telling her that she wanted her to see it coming. She then raises her staff and notes that she can always melt down the pieces later. 'No' Wanda calls out. 'Yes, witch. Always yes' Hexfinder smirks – but as she brings her staff down towards Wanda in an attempt to shatter her, the golden Wanda is pulled backwards.'Statues don't move on their own – JOSEPH!' Hexfinder shrieks. Joseph points at Hexfinder and tells her that she is betrayed, but not by a witch. Wanda's body begins to revert to normal as Joseph goes over and helps her up. He tells her that they don't have long, but he has one more favor – a last request: 'Go hand this woman her ass!' Joseph exclaims, to which Wanda tells him that it will be her pleasure. She lunges towards Hexfinder, who boasts 'This is still my arena, witch!' As she slams her head against Hexfinder's, Wanda points out that it doesn't feel like it. 'Cute. Hexfinders have killed witches for centuries -' Hexfinder boasts as she shoves her boot into Wanda's stomach. 'Past tense' Wanda smirks as she grabs Hexfinder by her neck, and forces a hex into her mouth. 'The pasts' a great weapon. Wisdom... passed from adept to apprentice. Each kill informs the next' Hexfinder declares as she knocks Wanda backwards with a flare of energy from her staff. Wanda fires back with a hex, then Hexfinder releashes shards of energy towards Wanda: 'Yours will be a master class!' she boasts.'I'm not done yet' Wanda responds, while Hexfinder reveals that energy shards are actually poison ice, and tells Wanda that she is dead. 'You just haven't hit the – dirt -' Hexfinder begins, when suddenly there is a rumbling, and Wanda and Hexfinder turn to see Joseph nearby on his knees, 'ENOUGH!' he roars, and there is a shattering sound as he transforms the low mysterium trapping Wanda in Hexfinder's arena into crimson shards. Joseph collapses: 'Wanda... Wanda... the mysterium it... it's gone... the floor is yours' he utters. 'My mysteriuym – gone? Changed!?' a furious Hexfinder shrieks, before warning Joseph that this will cost him his head. 'I'll take that deal – bring it on' Joseph replies, wary after exhausting his powers. Hexfinder hurls her staff towards Joseph, but before it can strike him, Wanda grabs it: 'Deal's off' she announces, while Darcy helps Joseph to his feet.Wanda smirks and tells Hexfinder that it is almost impressive – in one act, she mocked Magneto's death and Joseph's life. 'I'll do more than mock. The stone was a crutch! You think I won't still kill you?' Hexfinder exclaims, boasting that she will bleed dry everyone that Wanda knows. 'You'll beg me to stop!' she shrieks. 'Oh, I won't be begging' Wanda responds, as she flicks her fingers, and a massive surge of crimson energy manifests around Hexfinder. 'You disrespected my father. You damaged my friend. Now I can avenge both' Wanda frowns. 'Avenge? You've done nothing, witch! Nothing! You've failed the same man twice! Enjoy it!' Hexfinder grins wickedly as she vanishes within the surge of crimson energy.'Whew' Wanda utters, touching her head. Darcy helps Joseph to stand and tells him that it is okay, and that whatever he did he wore himself out, but that he did good. Darcy calls Wanda over, and Joseph collapses into Wanda's arms. 'It’s okay. I've got him' Wanda utters. 'Do something! Magic him!' Darcy pleads. Wanda lays Joseph on the ground, and Joseph tells Wanda that he is sorry. Wanda tries to tell him not to talk, but he admits to lying to her, even though she welcomed him. 'You could've died... for me, even...even knowing what I did. I couldn't... couldn't allow that. Not you. Never you. I just... just once... I had to be... who you've always said I was' Joseph explains, before he succumbs to his injuries. Wanda leans into Joseph, and calling him Iosif, as she has done lately, bids him goodbye.Darcy tells Wanda that she questioned Joseph and pushed him, got him killed. 'This isn't... it's not like with the Bacchae. He should be here, Wanda. He should... you can do something, right? You always can' Darcy exclaims. 'I can't raise the dead, Darcy. Ask Genosha' Wanda responds. She explains that Joseph changed the low mysterium, rearranged its atoms into something new, freed her – and it took everything, now his body has nothing left. 'But his soul. I promise you...his soul is finally where it belongs' Wanda assures Darcy. Not long ago, Wanda told a friend that she died for redemption – and he listened.Later, the Scarlet Witch is relocating the crimson gems that replaced the low mysterium barrier. She informs Darcy that she sent Polaris a sample, and that it turns out the gems are a transparent metal, like aluminium oxynitride, but with unique healing properties. 'Sweet. Like the crystals they sell at the mall?' Darcy asks. 'A bit more potent than that' Wanda responds. The gems now stand tall on a green field, and Wanda informs Darcy that Magneto once called mutants Earth's new gods. She adds that, in Hebrew, “Yoseph” means “God will give”, and so this is Joseph's gift, which she has taken to calling Iozium. 'People will come here to be well... and remember him'.Now, Joseph lives on, reborn, but not the same. He has been changed by the alchemy of the moment, and in that, he may not be alone. Now, Joseph sits on a wall, overlooking a body of water. As long as he is changing, he is alive.Back at the Emporium, his copy of Magneto's helmet sits among other artefacts on Wanda's shelves, while Wanda and Darcy sit atop the Emporium and share a drink.


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Secret Histories Part 1
Captain America feels that the world is out of control. The 21st Century moves too fast and its threats are too big for most to even acknowledge. He worries about the insane villains in masks and the insane dictators with nuclear weapons. But, the things he worries about most are the threats they don't know about: the threats that hide in the shadows. The trouble with secret threats, of course, is finding them before they become problems. But, in a world like this that moves so fast and so ruthlessly, where so many artifacts or experiments can be turned into WMD's, someone has to tackle the job. Someone has to stop mankind from destroying itself.
(Dubai)A short, rotund man, Mister Bromley, walks along a corridor towards two armed bodyguards. On each of his arms is a beautiful woman, one blonde and one brunette. He's had a bit too much to drink and slurs his words. He tells the women that he's had the best of everything in the country, but they are enough to make him consider relocating. The blonde says he is too nice, and that all Americans are too nice. The brunette tells him he must be very important to have such guards. He replies that they are nothing. Every room on the floor has security forces in it. Roxxon doesn't send senior VIP's to the Middle East without an army of backup. She pours a drink whilst Mister Bromley sits down with the blonde. He reckons they're all tucked in safely now, and he wants some action. He tries to touch her but she swipes his hand away, warning him not to paw her. He is persistent and leans in for a kiss, but she is having none of it. The brunette sees the danger immediately and radios someone. "It's going south here. Extraction in ten."
The blonde punches Mister Bromley in the face, knocking him hard against the wall where he falls unconscious. The Black Widow, ex-Soviet super-spy grabs her stingers and asks Valkyrie, one-time shield maiden of Asgard, if she couldn't have waited five minutes before blowing their cover. She tells Natasha that she couldn't stand his hands on her any longer. Natasha understands, but says that this is now a firefight. Valkyrie apologizes as she pulls a sword from nowhere, prompting Natasha to say she's not even going to ask where she pulled it from. Valkyrie informs Natasha that she is a vulgar woman. Her sword was in the heavenly realm along with her flying horse.
Numerous armed guards wearing combat fatigues enter the room and their boss tells Team One to secure the package and Team Two to take out the two assailants. The Black Widow somersaults across the room, evading gunfire as Valkyrie uses her sword to take out some of the guards. They fight well, but suffer from a numerical disadvantage. Fortunately, Steve Rogers is on hand to assist. He crashes through the window, kicking one guard in the face before he lands. The boss orders two of his men to secure the package and take it out of there. They pick up a large white box and head for the exit as Steve Rogers gives another guard a serious headache. He then takes out the two men carrying the package with ease and asks Black Widow and Valkyrie if they're good to go. Natasha replies that assuming the box is what they're after, then yes.
Steve opens it and peers inside at the glowing green contents. "It is," he informs them. He calls Sharon Carter for a pick up and they all head to the window. He turns to the others and tells them they did good work. Valkyrie admits that she blew their cover, but Steve tells her that they won, and they're getting away without anyone knowing who they are. That's good work in his book. He leaps to the awaiting craft hovering outside, followed by the other two. As they fly away, two more characters appear on the scene wearing armor adorned with a serpent on the chest. One of them radios their boss and tells him they're too late. The thieves have gone. Their boss asks if they can track the craft. He replies yes. They left a heat signature a mile long. Their boss tells them to get on it. They can't lose the thing again.
On board the craft, Hank McCoy, otherwise known as the former X-Man called Beast, informs Steve Rogers that they have a problem. The artifact that they recovered is not the Serpent Crown. Steve replies that he already noticed that. So, he asks. What is it then? Hank isn't entirely sure. He thinks it might be some distant cousin of the Serpent Crown. Steve wonders if they're part of a set. Hank would rather not contemplate that idea. Not until they have to, at least. He looks at the crown and adds that the tentacles are shifting, or uncoiling, as if it's alive, but he can't see it moving, even with video. It's as if it moves between moments. Steve places a friendly hand on Hank's shoulder and asks him to do the best he can. If he hasn't said it before, it's good to have him back on the team. Hank turns and smiles. "Once an Avenger and all that, right?" Steve walks away and says absolutely. Hank adds one more thing before Steve leaves. He would like to find out where Roxxon got the thing.
Steve heads for the cockpit where he finds ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter at the flight controls. He asks for their ETA. Sharon reckons they're ten minutes out. She'll keep them in stealth mode once they're parked. She feels that Steve is really taking to running a shadow ops team. He replies that it's a lot like how the Invaders worked back in the war, but he likes it. With everything that's happened, it's nice to be out of the spotlight but still doing good work. Sharon says she always said he'd make a great spy, especially when he has her running his tactical operations. He admits that he wouldn't even have tried this without her. She saved his life. Sharon seems to remember it differently. They kiss passionately whilst, over in Delaware, there is more espionage going down.
It's evening, and guards at the Roxxon Corporate Headquarters in Wilmington are patrolling the building. As they chat, Moon Knight, the former mercenary soldier, grabs one of them and knocks him unconscious. Ant-Man, the former Thunderbolt, does likewise with the other. As they then drag their bodies to a hideaway, Moon Knight, Marc Spector, asks Ant-Man if he's certain that he disabled all the security cameras. Eric asks if everyone could stop treating him like an incompetent. Moon Knight asks if he knows where to go. Eric informs him that his new helmet has a GPS map of the place all loaded up. He admits that this isn't what he expected when he signed up to be an Avenger; breaking and entering. He shrinks down in size and takes flight as Moon Knight recalls how he himself was approached to join the team.
(flashback, two weeks ago)Steve Rogers and Moon Knight meet high up on a New York rooftop. Steve asks him to join the Avengers, but Moon Knight is hesitant. He and teamwork don't work too well. Too many voices. Steve assures him that this won't be like that. It's a strike force, off the books. He would be on call, with his skills used as needed. Moon Knight still isn't sure as he has a lot on his plate at the moment. Steve knows that he's trying to change his ways and offers his hand. "Let me help."
(present)As Moon Knight finishes off another guard, he asks Ant-Man what he expected. Eric doesn't know. Glamour, fame, paparazzi... girls! Definitely girls. He shrinks even smaller and flies through a keyhole, thinking that regardless, espionage is pretty cool.
(flashback, one week ago)Steve sits with Eric O'Grady in a diner, chatting over a drink. Steve informs him that it won't be easy work, but he understands he is in the market for redemption. Eric doesn't know if he'd go that far. Steve offers it anyway. Eric has the chance to be a man. He can step up, take it or be a child forever. He won't make the offer twice.
(present)Ant-Man carries a tiny bugging device to its destination, but Moon Knight asks him to hurry. Eric finds a place to hide the bug and Moon Knight then calls Steve on the radio, informing him that they're tapped in. Steve asks them to get out of there as Hank uses a computer. Steve asks if he's found anything yet, but James Rhodes, otherwise known as the powerhouse War Machine, asks him to give Hank a minute or two. Intel transfers didn't get that much faster while he was away. Hank tells James that he may actually have something. Nothing about any crown, specifically, but does he remember how Roxxon bought mineral rights to Mars during the last administration? Steve interjects, surprised that Roxxon is digging on Mars. Hank informs him that they're not anymore. Their dig was shut down a month ago, and he's not finding any reason why in any of their files. But that's the same time word of them having a 'Serpent Crown’ got out, isn't it? Steve reckons it was about then.
Hank decides to check something in a different database. Steve is amazed that mineral rights have been sold off for another planet. "That's the 21st Century for you," replies War Machine. "The future is here and it's for sale to the highest bidder." Hank tells him he's found something weird. All the Roxxon employees from the Mars dig have vanished from their payroll logs. There's no record of them being let go, no report of an incident at the dig site... It’s as if these people simply don't exist anymore according to Roxxon. Steve says he'll have someone check into it. James asks if he has someone on the team who can just check out Mars for them. Steve grins. "Of course I do. What kind of operation do you think I was running Rhodey?"
(meanwhile)A large craft tails the Avengers' ship, piloted by the two guys with serpents on their chest plates. One of them radios his boss and informs him that they have their craft in sight. All indications are that the item is still onboard. He asks for some orders, and is told to stay on them. He'll be there soon to evaluate their next move.
(two nights later, former H.A.M.M.E.R. storage facility)Steve Rogers thanks his team for assembling so quickly. War Machine, Black Widow, Moon Knight, Ant-Man, Beast and Valkyrie listen on as he tells them that he knows when he called them to join the team, he told them what their mission was. It was about stealth tactics and pre-emptive intervention. They would go where they were needed and perform surgical strikes, because when Osborn was running the show, things unsurprisingly fell apart. Project: Pegasus was practically looted when he shut it down, for example. That is their primary objective. But, tonight, they have a different mission. He didn't expect to call them all together this soon, but they have to go to Mars. Ant-Man's face lights up. "Seriously? Cool."
Hank assumes that this is the reason that they're looking at some kind of Kree warship, which sits nearby. Steve tells him that Osborn had his scientists rebuild the controls, so Rhodey should have no trouble piloting it. James says he's never met a ship he didn't at least want to try and fly. Steve asks Valkyrie if she's okay to journey to the stars. She reckons it can't be as bad as going undercover as an escort. Steve's happy. They could use someone with her power set. James takes the controls and asks what's going on. He thought Steve had someone checking on the Mars thing. Steve replies that he did, but he lost contact with him this morning. This is a rescue mission.
(Mars, that morning)Nova flies over Mars, talking to himself. "It'll be no big deal, Rich... just lend a hand once in a while. Be an Avenger... join the big leagues." Worldmind asks if he's talking to it, but Rich replies that he's just mocking himself... mocking himself for thinking this was going to be a simple recon mission. As he flies, explosions hit home all around him, and he asks Worldmind if it has any data on these guys yet. Who are they and why can't he absorb their blasts? Worldmind informs him that his initial analysis shows that their weapons array was designed millions of years ago. It would estimate a pre-Celestial origin. Rich asks exactly what that means. There are humans in those humvees, right? Worldmind thinks that it's very interesting. Rich is glad one of them is amused, but he could use a break from the constant barrage.
He flies towards a mountain and blasts his way in. As he makes his way through the rock, Worldmind tells him that there appears to be an artificially formed cavern three hundred feet ahead. Nova breaks through into the cavern. "We can regroup and contact the Avengers... and... what the hell?" he exclaims. He lands at the foot of some steps leading to a glowing artifact. "What is that?" he wonders. There are ancient drawings carved on the walls, one showing an axe-wielding being fighting a tentacled creature. Worldmind warns Rich that it doesn't think they should be there. Rich tells him to shut up as he ascends the staircase. He removes his helmet and drops it to the floor. "Richard, stop!" warns the Worldmind. "Stop!" Rich reaches for the crown.
(twenty-four hours later)The Kree ship rockets towards Mars. Steve contacts Sharon Carter on Earth and tells her they will begin the search and rescue tomorrow. Sharon thinks she should have gone with them. She doesn't like this. Steve says someone has to stay and run the shop, and keep an eye on Maria Hill and Victoria Hand. Sharon smiles. "Right, like that's even possible." Steve asks her to be safe. He'll contact her when they land.
When the communication ends, Sharon notices a shadowy figure dart across the room. She calls out and asks if anyone's there. No one responds so pulls out her firearm. She warns whoever it is that they've just made a big mistake. They don't know how big. From nowhere, someone smashes her on the back of the head and she drops to the floor. Standing there is someone who looks unmistakeably like Nick Fury, wearing a costume similar to the two men who followed Steve's craft earlier. "Sorry babe..." he says." Didn't wanna hurt ya, but you got somethin' that belongs to the Shadow Council.


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Secret Histories part 2
(next morning, Secret Avengers roving HQ)Sharon Carter wakes up angry, with a splitting headache too, but mostly she's just angry. She taps away at a computer, feeling that there's no way they hacked the security feeds. However, the people who attacked her got into their ship which should have been impossible, so...
Her eyes widen when she spots something interesting. Video footage of the incident shows two characters in stealth gear, just like S.H.I.E.L.D. used. The cameras see just a digital blur. She gets up and wonders what to do now. Does she wait until Steve reports in from space or does she track whoever knocked her out and stole a highly dangerous artifact? She uses another computer, hoping that Hank did something she can use. She is pleasantly surprised. An image of the missing crown appears on screen. Hank had found its unique energy signature and managed to get a lock on it. Sharon sits at the ship's flight controls and prepares to follow this signature. She's on a mission. They've messed with the wrong ex-agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
(Mars, Roxxon's doomed mining base)Steve's team lands and enters the seemingly abandoned base. Steve figures it's where Nova would have headed first to see what was left of the place. Hank is fairly impressed. The domed areas actually simulate Earth's gravity and atmosphere. War Machine wonders what kind of hazard pay they were giving their miners. Ant-Man agrees. How much do you get working on freaking Mars? Probably like a million bucks a year, he reckons. War Machine doubts that. The Black Widow asks Steve how long ago the operation was shut down. He replies a month, but Natasha thinks someone's been there recently. Some boot prints that she finds can't be more than a day old. Hank checks out the large machinery. To him it appears that some of it was dragged out of the way of something. He wishes he had an inventory of their equipment.
Moon Knight then calls to them. He's found something. He takes Steve Rogers into a large hole. It's wide; too wide for just looking for mineral deposits. Moon Knight leads him into a cave that the miners had discovered, and inside they find the skeletons of three people. Moon Knight presumes they're the missing workers. It looks like this is where they found the Serpent-like Crown or whatever it is. Steve shines his torch on a carved mural on the cave wall and chides himself. He suggests they go find Nova, now! He's sent the boy into a death trap.
Meanwhile, Hank picks up some interesting readings on his equipment but, as he speaks, Ant-Man notices someone approaching and he grabs Hank, pulling him clear of laserfire just in time. Several soldiers then spread out into the base and continue firing. Steve shouts out to his Avengers that they're under attack, and he leaps towards their assailants, defending himself with his shield. War Machine rockets in and grabs one of them, whilst Moon Knight and Steve wade in fists and feet first. Hank joins in too, using his agility and strength to take down another soldier. He is surprised that they were hiding in the base all this time and his sensors didn't spot them. Valkyrie puts down yet another foe and asks him to consider the quandary later... not during battle.
Steve wonders if these are supposed to be trained soldiers. Something's off. Natasha agrees. They're not communicating with each other at all. Steve adds that they're not even watching each other's backs. It's almost like they're sleepwalking or something. Before long there are just two opponents remaining. Valkyrie warns them that if they fire again they will stir her wrath further. Steve asks her to wait. He orders the soldiers to drop their weapons. There's no way out for them.
One of the soldiers turns to the other and says they have failed the lord of the shadows. They aim their weapons at each other and blast each other's heads clean off. Natasha wonders who they were. She doesn't recognize the uniforms. Hank takes a closer look and discovers that the soldier's eyes are strange. They look like they've been shot through with black ink. This fits Steve's theory that they were being controlled somehow. So what were they there for? he wonders. Moon Knight notices some mining equipment near where they were hiding and a rover by the bay doors. Steve slips his breathing apparatus over his face and prepares to head outside.
Outside, the team discovers some tire track, and from the looks of it there have been several trips into the mountains. Plus, there has been at least one trip to the desert. He asks War Machine and Ant-Man to head into the desert and report if they find anything. He asks Natasha, Moon Knight and Valkyrie to take the road more travelled and see who's at the end of it, reminding them to be careful. He and Beast are going to find Nova, whether he's dead or alive. He won't let him rot on this dead planet.
(Earth, somewhere over the United States)A Shadow Council agent reports to his superior, a guy who looks just like Nick Fury. He thinks they have a problem on Mars. Their agents ran off the Avengers' scout last night, but an hour later they lost contact with the entire squadron. Now, their drone sensors are picking up energy readings. He thinks someone has activated the third crown. His boss orders him to put them in hyper-drive. He needs to see the board of directors, stat!
Back on the red planet, War Machine and Ant-Man discover some kind of base. It has a small surface entrance and a tall antenna. James doesn't find any sign of movement or heat signatures but still suggests that he take point. Whoever these guys are they have good tech. Ant-Man reminds him that he was at their last fight too so he knows what to expect. James opens a large door and enters the darkness with Eric close behind. He contacts Steve and informs him that he's found a structure with a few more rovers outside, but it seems deserted. Steve asks them to find any intel they can on their new friends. Ant-Man flies through the base and finds it awesome. He rounds a bend and comes across what looks like a round decorative window. However, as he approaches it, sparks of energy come to meet him which surprises Eric.
Steve calls James and asks how Eric's doing. James replies that he's tolerable so far but a bit whiny. Steve asks him to keep an eye out for him. He's a good kid underneath it all. Steve signs off and James looks around. Where the hell did Eric get to?
Steve and Hank arrive at a doorway carved into the side of a mountain. Hank picks up some residual energy readings from Nova. He's definitely been there. The shattered stones nearby were probably ancient doors, he presumes. Steve agrees. They head inside and ascend a long staircase which leads into a large cavern. They notice another staircase which leads to a small temple or tomb. It's all very interesting. Hank shines his torch at a hole in the wall and reckons it must be Nova's entrance point. They then make another discovery... Nova's discarded helmet lying on the ground. Steve sighs. Nova without his helmet? What has he done? Hank asks Steve to wait. He's picking up something else on his sensor. A split second later, a huge explosion throws the two Avengers to the ground. As they pick themselves up, they see a hulking figure standing before them. They have thick armor, large scary-looking claws and glowing eyes. "What have you done?" they ask, angrily. "Are you humans so foolish that you desire the end of all things? Where is the crown?"
(elsewhere)Moon Knight, the Black Widow and Valkyrie are hiding in the hills with Natasha looking through some hi-tech binoculars. Moon Knight asks if she's sure it's him. Natasha replies that she's only met him twice, but it's definitely Nova. Valkyrie asks what he's doing. In the distance, Nova is wearing the crown. Energy sparks wildly from his hand. She informs them that he's wielding an unknown power source to keep the men below him under control. They are about to dig for something under the surface of Mars. Valkyrie already knows this, but she asks why?
Natasha replies that Nova may be controlling them, but she doesn't think Nova's actually in control of himself. His eyes look just like theirs do... all inky blackness. She then lifts her head up and her eyes widen. "Oh... that probably isn't good. Moon Knight turns and asks what the problem is. Natasha thinks Nova's spotted them. They turn to see Nova rocketing towards them, grinning.


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[Assistant]
Secret Histories part 3
(Texas, August 1865)Three men on horseback ride out of the dust and tumbleweeds and into the blistering, unyielding sun. The war is over, but then these sons of industry know that well. Still, they ride for vengeance in pursuit of a turncoat... a Union spy. Aloysius Thorn-Drake had once seen President Jefferson Davis bow to kiss his father’s signet ring. His father had all but financed the confederacy. He’d once told Aloysius, ‘The only thing better than being a king is making one.’
Another rider returns and informs Major Thorn-Drake that they’ve lost him. The major asks how, adding with a hint of sarcasm, “Was there a dust storm I slept through?” His friend replies that he can’t rightly explain it, but he was watching through his field glasses as the man rode out across the plain. He just disappeared; vanished like he was never there. Thorn-Drake asks him to show him where this happened.
The major’s father was now nearly bankrupt like the fathers of his brother’s in arms. But, they would escape their fates while fulfilling their legacies. It all began the day they rode out of the dust and followed their prey until his tracks stopped. That was the first time the abyss touched Aloysius Thorn-Drake, in the infinite foldings of time and space.
(present)Ant-Man finds himself sucked into some kind of multi-colored vortex. The universe rushes towards him and freaks him out. He finds himself a speck of dust in the eye of a storm. He wonders what is happening to him and why he isn’t dead. ‘Man oh man,’ he thinks to himself. ‘I bet I just got kicked out of the Avengers!’
(meanwhile, on Mars)The large armored being, Archon, has Steve Rogers in a strong grip and he demands to know where the thorned crown is. Steve tries to reassure him that they don’t have it and don’t even know what he is talking about. If the guy could let go then he can explain. Archon releases him, somehow knowing that Steve isn’t lying. Archon stands and wonders what, then, has happened. Suddenly, Nova’s helmet begins to speak, informing them that it thinks it can answer that question. Hank exclaims that he knows this has been a weird day, but did Nova’s helmet just speak?
The helmet explains that it isn’t actually a helmet: it’s the Nova Corps Worldmind, and it can tell them about the crown this construct seeks. “Construct?” enquires Hank. Archon wishes to know more, but Steve receives an urgent call from Valkyrie. From elsewhere on the planet, Valkyrie informs Steve that she and her companions have found the missing Nova, but regrettably he isn’t himself at the moment. He wears a strange helm and commands men who are drilling the surface of the planet. She knows not why. As she speaks, she leaps to the ground where some of the workers are, followed by Nova in hot pursuit.
Valkyrie scatters the men as she lands, wielding her sword skillfully. She tells Steve that she will stop them while she can. Whatever they are after can only bring ill. But, she adds, there is only so much even she can do on her own. She turns and uses her agility to avoid Nova’s speedy arrival. Steve asks about the Black Widow and Moon Knight. Val looks over to where they lie unconscious and replies that they fell quickly. Nova has much power… more than he should. She shall keep him at bay until Steve arrives.
Nova lands and approaches Val slowly. She readies her mighty sword and brings it down on him once he is within striking distance. Nova holds his hand out and says no. He grabs the sword and stops the blade in its tracks. “Odin’s blood!” gasps Valkyrie as a burst of energy knocks her flying, forcing her to release her grasp on the sword. With Val unconscious, Nova discards the weapon and takes off in the other direction. He has work to do.
He approaches one of the workers and asks him why his colleagues are struggling. He informs Nova that Valkyrie destroyed their oxygen feeds and they are choking. “Very well,” replies Nova, opening his arms out wide. “Let Mars have oxygen.” The men recover quickly and thank him, but he tells them that there will be no more delays. They should get back to work.
(elsewhere)Steve loses contact with Val and tells the others they need to move, now! Archon agrees. If what Worldmind says is true then they have little time. Steve radios War Machine with a Code Red. He asks to meet at Val’s coordinates stat. Beast is sending them to him now. James replies that he’s on his way, but there might be another problem. “What did Ant-Man do now?” sighs Steve. James wishes he could tell him. He’s no idea where the little idiot’s got to. He’s not even picking up his signal on a scan. It’s like he just disappeared.
(Earth, Texas, a Shadow Council citadel)An alarm sounds throughout the large facility. Two Shadow Council agents step across a walkway, wondering what’s caused an unauthorized access alert on the monitor. They reach the vanishing point and determine that no one came through it. They decide to shut down the alarm and run a diagnostic. One of them will report to Major Thorn-Drake so he knows they aren’t being invaded. Little do they know but a miniscule Ant-Man has breached their facility and is hiding nearby, wondering just where on Earth he is.
Thorn-Drake receives the news and asks his men to continue monitoring the situation. The agent leaves, and a man Thorn-Drake calls Agent Fury says he told him this would happen. Mars is falling apart. First they lose touch with their men and now the vanishing point malfunctions. Thorn-Drake agrees. Allowing Roxxon to dig up there was a mistake. They attracted too much attention. Still, he adds whilst grasping one of the crowns, there was a payoff.
Fury is apprehensive about his boss manhandling the crown. There’s too much they don’t know about it – about what it is capable of. Thorn-Drake replies that he knows more than Fury thinks about the crown. Fury points out that, as head of security, he's asking Thorn-Drake to leave it until they've examined it properly. The Roxxon execs actually turned against them when it came into their possession. He doesn't like the implications of that.
Thorn-Drake asks him not to worry about him. He knows enough to never put the crown on. But, Fury's right about Mars. Things are becoming too unstable. If the other crown has been found... well, they can't take that chance. They have to stop whoever's up there from breaking the wall. Fury agrees. So what does Thorn-Drake want him to do? He asks Fury to prepare the 9th Legion, and to tell them they won't be coming home.
(back on Mars)Beast, Steve Rogers and Archon are running at full speed. Archon warns that what Nova is doing will end this universe. "By digging on Mars?" asks Steve. Archon informs them that he seeks to break the seal, to awaken the darkest child, who will then awaken his brothers. They will free their nameless father from his prison in the sidereality beyond where one such as Rogers can see or touch. Steve asks who this nameless father is. Archon looks to the heavens and replies that he is the reason he and the other Archons were created billions of years ago. When the stars went out and came again.
He explains that he is the end and the beginning. He is the darkness inside the darkness. He is the abyss. Since long before the Celestials and Devourers of Worlds arrived, he has been lying in slumber. His dark talons reaching out, only a shadow in eternity's endless dreaming, tainting all who they touch. Those who watch set Archon's brothers the task of guarding and waiting; waiting for the time of nullification when he will rise. But, that time is not now. Beast asks if those who watch the Watchers built him, but he doesn't receive a reply as Steve sees War Machine carrying an unconscious Valkyrie in his arms. Steve asks how she is. James replies that she's alive, he thinks. It's hard to tell with an Asgardian.
Archon stands on the precipice of a steep drop overlooking the valley beyond. He can feel that they are close. Nova will break this world and open the gate. Hank suddenly realizes that there is oxygen. He can't real explain it but Mars' atmosphere has changed. They can breathe now. Archon says it is the crown. The darkest child's power works through it. He is capable of restoring the world to its former state. Steve asks if he's telling him that Mars once had an atmosphere like Earth’s. Archon replies that it had lush forests and cities that reached to the stars. But, a millennia past, those who had been touched by the abyss made three crowns, so their wearers could channel the power of the dark children.
They look down to where Nova is overseeing the digging workers. He explains that he lost his brothers then, when they stopped them from breaking the world. But, their attempt all but destroyed it anyway. The planet was soon abandoned. Only he remained. Power courses through his clenched fist as he recalls those dark times. Steve asks Archon to listen to him. He doesn't know what power he has, but the man down there under the influence of the crown is his brother. He's a good man and he won't have him killing him. Not if there's another way. Archon asks him to pray to whatever he believes in that there is another way, because this is what he was built for, and he will not turn from this task.
He leaps from the precipice before Steve can react and heads straight towards Nova. Nova senses his approach and turns. "The Archon," he says. "Of course. Not this time..." Steve is slightly annoyed at this turn of events as he watches Nova smash Archon in the face with a mighty punch. Archon is sent flying backwards, landing in a heap and destroying the ground beneath him.
Steve races to him, shouting his name. He finds Archon in trouble. He groans, exclaiming that Nova has broken him. He cannot repair himself in time. Steve says he thought he was built to fight these things. Archon explains that this time it's different. It has new power... from his brother... unexpected. “I cannot defeat Nova. I cannot defeat him...”


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[Assistant]
Secret Histories part 4
(somewhere over Texas)Sharon Carter flies a heavily armed craft over the southern United States, cursing as she sits at the controls. She can't believe she's lost their frequencies. She wonders what to do next, and as she thinks, her monitor goes 'blooop.' Somehow she is picking up Ant-Man's signal. What the hell! She thinks. Sharon calls him and receives a reply from Eric. He's really pleased that she's found his signal. She asks why he just popped up on her system. Isn't he off-world? Eric informs her that he was, but he got sucked through some kind of vortex. She asks where he is now. Eric replies in a whisper that he's in some kind of secret facility watching a dozen guys in nuke suits getting ready to go suicide-bomb Mars! Sharon asks why. Eric admits that he isn't sure. There was a lot of technobabble he didn't understand, but they're about to enter the same vortex thing that brought him back to Earth. That's gotta be bad news.
Silently, the 9th Legion walks towards the vortex and certain death!
(Mars)As the mind-controlled Nova oversees the diggers, Steve Rogers and his team are nearby with the Worldmind which inhabits Nova's helmet. Steve asks it if it's sure this will work. The Worldmind is certain it can transfer the Nova Force into him. It's less certain that he will survive the process. Steve replies that it doesn't know him too well. But, it doesn't really matter anyway. Archon agrees. He knows that if Steve fails, then all of it ends. The entire universe. "So," replies War Machine, arms folded, "... no pressure." Worldmind tells them that if that thing hadn't forced it out of Richard's mind... It pauses. It shouldn't have come to this. Steve agrees.
Meanwhile, Moon Knight and the Black Widow are watching Nova carefully. Natasha radios Steve and asks him to do whatever he's going to do quickly. Something's happening down there... something ugly. Nova tells the workers to keep working and to ignore the magical red tendrils that emanate from the ground. Worldmind reiterates to Steve that no one has ever taken in this much Nova Force at one time. Richard was in the corps for years before he became sole possessor of the power, and it nearly drove him mad. Steve understands, but they've got no more time. "Very well," replies Worldmind, "But I warned you."
Steve places the helmet over his head and in an instant, energy swarms around him, causing him intense pain. As Steve absorbs the power, it begins to leave Richard Rider. He plummets to the ground and hits it hard. Steve screams, whilst Richard cries, "Nooooo! Beast asks Worldmind if Steve is all right, but Steve answers for himself. He raises his body off the ground, looking powerful and replies, "I'm fine." Worldmind assures him that it's there if he needs it. Steve thanks Worldmind and asks the others to remember the plan. They have a universe to save.
As the magical tendrils swarm around Richard Rider, he calls the Secret Avengers thieves, Steve Rogers rockets away. Nova uses what's left of his energy to fly towards him and the two men meet mid-air. Nova warns Steve that he's going to destroy him, but Steve replies, "We'll see."
(Earth, Shadow Council Citadel)Major Thorn-Drake has given Nick Fury his instructions. He would stay and oversee this task himself, but he can't stand the idea of giving up their last link to Mars. They were born there, in most of the ways that matter. Fury knows, but he tells Thorn-Drake that with Rogers and his people up on Mars and the third crown activated, do they have another option? Thorn-Drake replies that they don't have one that doesn't risk the beast's awakening. In any case, he adds, he's off to show off their acquisition to the others before it goes into their vault. He climbs into a helicopter and it flies away.
Back at the facility, Ant-Man continues watching. He hears the 9th Legion talking about how their intel show digging in the northeast of their arrival point. Sharon tells Ant-Man that this is down to him. Eric doesn't like the sound of that. Sharon replies that right now, she doesn't care what he likes. She can't get there in time, so he's it. Is he going to let those kamikazes go after his teammates?
The 9th Legion has its orders. Find the site and eradicate it. No prisoners. No survivors. Sharon, overhearing their conversation through Eric's radio, asks if he's going to stop them. Eric is already swinging into action, shrinking even further as he enters the vortex in front of the legion unseen.
Back on Mars, Steve and Nova fight it out, with Richard warning him that he has no hope. None may stand against them. Elsewhere, Beast, Valkyrie, Moon Knight, the Black Widow and War Machine take on the diggers, with Natasha worrying about Steve. She can see he's in trouble. Hank reckons they all are. Their opponents are possessed and the tendrils... he doesn't know about them but he doesn't think they should allow them to touch them if they can help it. Valkyrie asks War Machine for back up.
As she slices through the drill rig's supports, James flies in and unleashes an assault on the tendrils, unsure what weapons might work on them. He can't get a read whether they're alive or not. One of them grabs Valkyrie and she can feel their touch inside her mind. She finds them disgusting. "Not an Asgardian you don't!" she cries as she raises her sword in preparation for a strike. James reckons that bringing down the machine is the only way.
Steve launches another attack on Nova, but Nova taunts him. He says that his people are already a part of this abyss. Soon, they will be his people. "Like hell they will!" replies Steve as he grabs Nova and thrusts groundwards at high speed. They land with a 'ka'thoom!' and Steve begins to gain the upper hand. He calls to Rich. He knows he's in there somewhere. He tells him to wake up and fight this. "Pathetic!" replies Nova as he blasts Steve away. Archon looks on. He cannot let them fail. He helps out War Machine by destroying some tendrils that are swarming him. Before James can offer his thanks, Archon tells him to go and help the goddess stop the machine. He will hold his dark reach at bay with whatever is left of him.
(meanwhile)Eric floats through the vortex, trying to keep it together. He's terribly disoriented. He sees the legion behind him but can feel that he's close to the exit. Eric realizes what he has to do. He remembers the wasp sting that they added to his suit and removes his glove. "Well, you morons wanted to blow yourselves up. So do it." He blasts one of them in the chest which begins to glow a bright orange. He then flies at high speed as energy zaps between their linked suits. "Oh god oh god oh god oh god," he thinks, as he whizzes to the exit portal. Lucky for him, he flies through the vortex opening and over the surface of Mars as the facility beneath him is destroyed in a massive nuclear explosion. As he races away, he looks back to see the encroaching mushroom cloud. "Oh... holy $#@" he thinks. He has to get out of there.
(Earth, Shadow Council Citadel)Fury wonders what the hell is going on as the whole citadel shakes. A soldier informs him that the vanishing point is collapsing, and another adds that it's taking the whole building with it. Back on Mars, War Machine sees the explosion in the distance. His scanners are off the charts. Val continues hacking away at the giant supports and Nova is shocked at what they've done. They've ripped the link away. Val warns James to stand clear as the whole machine topples over. Nova screams and warns them that he'll kill the Avengers for this. From nowhere, Steve flies into him and takes him to the ground. He reaches for the crown on Nova's head and pulls it off him. "It's over!" he cries. "You lose!" Nova's eyes light up as the last of the energies leave him and then he falls unconscious.
Steve holds the crown in the palms of his hand, and Archon asks him not to look at it. He should just give it to him. Steve replies “of course” and passes him the crown, asking if that's it then. Is it over? Archon says that it is for now. They have stopped his awakening for now. He will take the crowned thorn somewhere safer... somewhere his followers cannot enshrine it. Hank bends down and Steve asks him how Richard is. Hank replies that his vitals are strong, unlike his followers. They all dropped dead when he lost his power, like a puppet whose strings were cut. Steve asks War Machine what the oxygen situation is. James replies that the atmosphere has lost ten percent in the last five minutes. They need to get their helmets on again. Natasha wishes to get home. She's sick to death of this cold rock. Steve reminds her that they still need to find their missing teammate. Moon Knight asks who's missing, and Eric says, "Aw... c'mon! Did you guys not even miss me during the firefight?"
James asks where the hell he's been. Eric replies that he’s been saving their asses, that’s where. Valkyrie admits that she can’t tell if the little man is jesting or not. Eric insists he’s serious, but James is sceptical. Eric tells them to check with Sharon Carter when they get home. She’ll totally verify his story…
Steve calls for his Avengers to head home, but before he can go anywhere, Rich appears, conscious an on his feet. Steve tells him he’s glad to see him up and around. Rich is too. He doesn’t know where he’s been these past few days. Steve says he’ll fill him in. Rich replies okay, but first, he asks for his helmet back. Steve hands it over willingly.
(epilogue)Back on board their craft, Steve sends Sharon a rundown of events back to Earth. He explains that as soon as Nova had his powers transferred back by Worldmind he got a distress call from the Guardians and took off. He’s not sure he’ll be available enough as a resource for them. Sharon replies that she’ll start doing background checks on other cosmic-level superheroes. Is there any chance their new friend Archon would want to join up? Steve informs her that he disappeared to some dark corner of the universe, but the intel they got about the other crowns from him was worth getting his head beat in.
Sharon looks at her monitor and tells him that, speaking of those other crowns and the people in dragon-emblem uniforms who steal them, she’s been looking at sat-footage from the building Ant-Man took down in Texas all day. She hates to spoil his victory party, but they’ve got big problems back there on Earth. She sends Steve the feed and he sees Nick Fury holding one of the dead Shadow Council agents in his arms. Fury doesn’t look happy.


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Eyes of the Dragon, Part 1 of 5
(evening, the present, somewhere quiet)Shang-Chi is sleeping when a thought enters his mind, stirring him from his slumber. It's like a familiar scent drifting across troubled waters. All at once, he simply knows that his father has returned.
As several ninjas from the Celestial Order of the Hai-Dai enter his room, he leaps from his bed and defends himself using his amazing kung-fu ability. He knows that the ninjas shouldn't be there. They are one of the many groups who disbanded as they lived only to serve him. Shang-Chi wades through them, avoiding their throwing stars and picking up a sword as he slides across the polished wooden floor. He slashes and slices his way through his opponents, splattering blood everywhere. Shang-Chi's father is dead. He saw him die - crushed to death. However, he has seen many impossible things in his time.
The ninjas keep on coming, surrounding him, warning him that he will not escape. He assures them that he isn't trying to escape. He leaps at some of them; his blade cutting deep. As he evades a swinging chain, he notices a green mist appear. The mist grabs two ninjas and smashes them into the ground. The mist then forms a human-shape - the Prince of Orphans. He sides with Shang-Chi, using his fighting skills to defeat the ninjas. He warns Shang-Chi about someone behind him about to strike, and Shang makes short work of him by cutting him almost in two.
Once the danger is over, Shang-Chi turns to the Prince of Orphans and sees his bandaged arms. He asks if he's injured. "No," he replies. "No such luck." Shang asks who he is. The Prince replies that he's a friend, or at least, an enemy of his enemy. He opens his radio mic and says, "All right, Rogers. I've got the son..." Shang wonders what's going on.
(two days ago, on board the Secret Avengers floating HQ)Steve Rogers is receiving a well-earned massage from Sharon Carter, who sits on his muscular back. Steve asks if there's been any more intel from Nick Fury. Sharon replies that they've had nothing since the info about a similar uniform worn once during World War II. She finds a particularly tight muscle and Steve informs her that he was training with Valkyrie, and he doesn't recommend that. "Noted," replies Sharon.
She then asks Steve who his old friend is that he sent to follow up on a lead. Is it someone she should have a file on? Steve sits up and reckons he wouldn't really appreciate that. He prefers to stay off the grid. He could barely get him to accept the microcommunicator. "But you trust him to find about their mystery soldiers?" she asks. Steve explains that Nick's intel said the uniforms were last seen during a mission in China in 1942. No one knew the area better than him.
He receives a call from Hank McCoy. It's a message coming in from Shanghai from the Prince of Orphans. "Speak of the Devil," says Steve as he pulls his sweater on. The Prince is standing in a room surrounded by dead monks. He informs Steve that he doesn't have any news on the mission, but he did come across something he thought he should know about. He got to an underground temple too late to save anyone. It's the third attack on such a place this month in Shanghai. He'd been hearing whispers about them all week in the shadows. No one knew for sure who was responsible, but every rumor said the Hai-Dai had returned. Steve replies that he thought the Hai-Dai disappeared years ago. The Prince bends over an old man and says that they did. That's what makes the man's dying words even more troubling. He said they were insane. They wouldn't believe he didn't know what they wanted. Steve asks what they did want. The Prince tells him that they were looking for a scroll about the Eyes of the Dragon and, if that's what he thinks it is, then they have a lot of trouble coming their way.
Once he's signed off, Hank explains to Steve and Sharon Carter that he's scoured every known and secret historical database, and what's on screen is everything he could find on the Eye of the Dragon. It's not much. They appear to be two gems that work in tandem, said to date back at least three thousand years. When Steve then asks what they do, Hank reckons that this where it gets tricky. According to legend, they were imbued with great spiritual energy. They're said to bring extraordinary luck to their owners.
Sharon is skeptical, but Hank says he was too, but then he found another text. It turns out that there's a little-known legend about these gems. The 'wizards' who created them poured the last of their essence into them before their deaths. If properly used, the Eyes of the Dragon complete a spell that can bring someone back from death. Hank assumes that this was intended for one of the makers of the gems. They reckon that if the Hai-Dai are after the scroll that contains that spell, then they know who they want to resurrect. Steve asks Sharon to get Pete Wisdom on the line. They need to find Shang-Chi now. He just became a prime target!
(present, high above Hong Kong)Aboard the floating HQ, Steve is with Shang-Chi and Ant-Man. They look down at the island and Shang-Chi says it looks beautiful... so peaceful. He stares at the island, and Ant-Man whispers to Steve, wondering if he's going to start meditating. Steve asks him to be quiet. Shang-Chi then asks what comes next.
They retire to the armory with the Black Widow now in attendance, and Steve mentions that the leader of the Hai-Dai that Shang-Chi and his friend took apart was carrying a communication device. Beast was able to hack into it. He says that whoever is giving them orders had another target on his list, and they're going to get to that objective before them. Shang-Chi asks if the Prince of Orphans will be joining them, but Steve informs him that he is following a different lead with another member of his team. Shang says he's heard legends about him, but he thought they were just that - legends. Steve assures him that he'll make sure they get better acquainted after they stop his father from returning from the dead.
"Returning?" exclaims Shang-Chi. "You mean he isn't already back?" He wonders why the Hai-Dai would still be active if he was still dead. Steve can't explain that, but their intel says that they're still looking for the means to bring the old man back. He asks Shang if he's in or out. Shang replies that he's in, of course. His father's evil has already done too much damage to this world. Black Widow agrees. She hands him a parachute and tells him he'll need it. He asks why he would need that. Natasha asks if Steve didn't explain. They're going to be breaking a lot of laws tonight.
(later)Natasha, Steve and Shang-Chi leap from the floating HQ and open their parachutes. Natasha has explained the plan to Shang-Chi. There's currently an exhibit of ancient Chinese art at the International Finance Centre. That's their target. They will infiltrate from the roof, preferably unseen. When they land, they quickly take out the rooftop guard and make their way inside. From there, they will head to the elevator shaft in order to stay out of sight. They’ll rappel approximately thirty stories and enter the exhibition room on the fifth-fifth floor. Among the statues on display is one that the Hai-Dai clearly presume holds the long-missing Eyes of the Dragon. The statue originates in the same region the gems were last seen.
Natasha approaches the statue and notes that its eyes are glowing. She hesitates, and Steve asks what's wrong. She replies that the gems are glass. They've been set up! They look round and see countless Hai-Dai ninja appearing. All three take a defensive stance, each facing away from each other. Shang-Chi asks if they're certain his father is not yet resurrected. This certainly feels like his style.
(deep in the Atlas Mountain range)It's dark at the base camp. Director Thorn-Drake is there with Max Fury and an unnamed figure dressed in Chinese garb and wearing a horned helmet. The stranger asks how they knew they were there. Thorn-Drake replies that the Shadow Council knows where everything is hiding in the world. They found him, didn't they? "So you have," replies the stranger. "How much longer until you reach the chamber?” Thorn-Drake has a drink of wine and assures him that everything is on schedule as promised. The stranger warns him to remember who he is speaking to, but Thorn-Drake points at him and warns him to remember who he's talking to. He tells the stranger that he is only half-alive because of him. They don't have to finish that spell. Max Fury receives a call and informs Thorn-Drake that they have found the chamber. They have the eyes.
Thorn-Drake refills his glass and says that now, there is just one ingredient left to acquire. "You mean my traitorous son?" asks the stranger. Thorn-Drake replies yes. They left a big enough trail for him, so he hopes he followed it. The stranger says that he knows Shang-Chi won't be able to resist. Come the night of the waning moon in three days time, they will drain all his life and bring him fully into this dreadful world. He removes his helmet, revealing a creepy skull face. "And it will be terrible!"