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And there came a day unlike any other…

The Civil War is over, with the Pro-Registration side shown as the victor. Those left behind to fight the good fight, led by Captain America, continue to work underground in opposition to Tony Stark and the new government status quo.

 

Issue #6 – “Crossing Over: Part Three”

Written by D. Golightly

 

EGYPT, 200 miles West of El-Kharga

Wet slime drooled out of the Deldru's mouth. It splashed against Moon Knight's hood and he felt the heat from it against his face. The beast was strong, almost stronger than him. It had him cold, as it pushed down on his chest, pinning him to the floor. It's sharp teeth, twice the size of its own mouth, were edging closer and closer, threatening to impale his throat.

It was a good he had brought help.

A spinning disc slammed into the side of the grotesque demon, launching it off of the former Avenger. The circles of red, white, and blue were but a blur, although it didn't much matter. Anyone who saw the way the spinning disc rebounded with practiced care knew who it belonged to. Better yet, they knew what it stood for.

Captain America's shied hit the far wall, bounced off the ceiling, and returned to his outstretched hand. The hero of World War II stood at the head of his collection of Avengers, ready to join the brawl.

Moon Knight flipped back up onto his feet and brought his golden truncheon down onto the demon's head, smashing it. He didn't want to take any chances with the supernatural. He had enough experience with it to know that a demon never stayed down for long if left unattended.

“Pets of your, Moony?” Spider-Man said as he bounded between clamping jaws. If not for the blazing white spider on his chest, he would be almost invisible in the shadows of this tomb.

“Hardly,” Moon Knight replied as he dodged a leaping monster. “Whoever has disturbed Khonshu's tomb undoubtedly brought these with him.”

“The Deldru are servants,” the astral form of Dr. Strange said, who was able to do little more than idly watch the scene unfold. “Their goal, once summoned by a sorcerer of considerable power, is to purge all life that isn't their own.”

“Any telling how many demon Rottwiellers are down here?” Luke Cage inquired. He caught one of the Deldru in midair as it leaped for his throat, catching both parts of its jaw in each of his hands. With a sickening crack, he separated the mandible from the rest of the skull and tossed the hound into a wall. “Keeping score would be nice.”

“There could be hundreds,” Dr. Strange said.

“That's all I needed to hear,” Captain America said. “Avengers! Break up into two squads. Moon Knight, pick your team and get moving.” The Captain paused in his orders to briefly deflect a set of striking claws from lacerating his side. “The rest of us will stay here and guard the rear. Hopefully we'll draw these thing's attention.”

Moon Knight tossed a handful of darts at a pair of the Deldru, providing enough of a distraction for Spider-Woman to cast her sting and singe away the majority of their heads. “You,” he said to Jessica Drew. “Watch our flank as we head through the tunnel behind you. Firestar. Falcon. Strange. You're all with me.”

Angelica engulfed a demon in pure flame as she got as close to the ceiling as possible. With aerial swiftness that one might think impossible underground, Firestar reached the doorway first.

Falcon sliced through the haunches of a beast with his photonic wings and thanked his luck that he had chosen to leave Redwing back in New York. He trusted the bird but he doubted that he would be able to display the same flying prowess that Firestar had. He was limited to being on foot. He ran by Spider-Woman and made it to the doorway just as Moon Knight did.

Dr. Strange silently followed, drifting through the air in his astral form. The white silhouette passed harmlessly through the Deldru, who seemed to be intent on tackling him. The Sorcerer Supreme paid them no attention as he joined the others.

“Get this done,” Spider-Woman said over her shoulder. “And get it done now .”

“We'll be back, Avengers!” Falcon said as the four of them ducked into the corridor.

Spider-Man spun a webline between his hands and wrangled it between the jaws of one of the monsters. He slipped onto its back and rode the demon like a bucking bronco, saying, “Oh, it's no rush! Really! I'm loving every minute of this!”

“You know something, Cap?” Luke Cage said. Captain America briefly shot a glance at the original hero for hire. “If these hell puppies don't kill Spidey, I just might.”

THE ASTRAL PLANE

Twin spirits of intellect, bodiless unless the fragments of their minds represented by images counted, contested in a battle of wills. One was obviously winning over the other as white vortexes coalesced around the weaker of the two.

Their surroundings were becoming less and less solid. The havoc they were causing on the astral plane by pushing so much foreign power around was beginning to take its toll. Already the number of passing visitors was dwindling, meaning that access to the plane was getting limited.

The shimmering webs of stolen power, cast into the plane by a dark sorcerer, wove around their target. A man humbled by his inexperience with the mystic arts and forced against his will to use his powers, he was locked between the vortexes, unable to free himself.

Crimson fire formed within each vortex and dove into the man, creating a solid connection between him and invading power. The man's mind screamed, but he was under the complete control of another. If he had a physical body in this realm he would have lost all of his faculties at that very moment. As it stood, he was as close to insanity as one could get without tumbling over the edge.

Enough! the man thought. I cannot hope to survive this!

The sorcerer controlling his fate smiled. What makes you think you are meant to survive? Now do as I command and provide the answer that I seek. Take the dead god's power and use it to open the portal!

The burning astral fires that poured into the victim, which normally would have seared away the soul of a mortal, instead gathering at the center of his chest. What passed for the astral representation of his face contorted with pain as the spiritual fires faded into white light and then jutted at as a single, focused beam.

Yes! Open it now! YES!

The focused energy, reformed through the very spirit of the writhing, tortured man, began to take shape. Still wrangled to the astral projection of the man who had cast it, the energy began to form into an oval. Small at first, the oval slowly grew and grew. Before long it would be as large as a man, large enough for someone to pass through.

Or some one .

The man's tormentor smiled. At last he would be able to bring his master back from the realm of the damned. At last, Baron Mordo would succeed.

“This is really starting to get annoying,” Falcon said as he slashed one of his wings through the scalp of another Deldru.

The four heroes moved through the catacombs of the tomb of Khonshu as best they could, only occasionally bumping into the hordes of demon purgers that someone had set against them. So far they were moving quickly through the corridors, but the constant interruptions were making them tired. The more energy they spent surviving the Deldru, the less they would have to confront their mystery opponent with.

Moon Knight flipped over top of another creature, allowing his cape to cover its face. He tapped his feet down on its back and spin around, catching the corners of his cape in his hands and pulling back. The cape blanketed the beast, shutting its senses away from the world.

It shook violently to try and dislodge him, but Moon Knight only needed to stay on for another moment. “Firestar!” he yelled. “Do it now!”

The young mutant nodded and concentrated a small effort of will into forming a ball of fire in her fist. The fire, under her complete mental control, turned into a lance of flame that engulfed the Deldru just as Moon Knight leaped off. It charred the beast to a crisp, leaving nothing but a husk in its place.

A pair of Deldru close to them felt the heat of the flame and backed away, scampering off back into the maze of the tomb. Moon Knight watched them, debated whether or not to give chase, and decided that his efforts were better focused on the important task at hand. For now, they were alone and could regroup.

“What an unusual reaction,” Dr. Strange's transparent form said. He stared off into the dark hallway that the Deldru had retreated in to.

“They got scared,” Firestar said as she doused her flame. “Don't question it. I'd like to think I'm intimidating.”

“Ms. Drew used a similar tactic earlier,” Strange said, “and they had no such reaction. There is something about your particular fire that they find…uncomfortable.”

“Xavier measured it once and said it went too high on the Kelvin scale. I think I ended up melting part of the Danger Room.”

Strange nodded, but didn't add anything to the conversation. He simply watched after the young mutant woman as they followed Moon Knight into the next corridor.

“The shrine is just up ahead,” Moon Knight said. “My senses tell me that this is where our man will be.”

“Khonshu tell you that?” Falcon asked.

“No,” Moon Knight replied. “Intuition.”

The quartet moved as cautiously as speed allowed them. It was obvious, just looking at Moon Knight, that he was anxious to find the culprit behind the attack on his deity benefactor. Before Marc Specter had come across Khonshu he was a lost man. Even though he often resented the dead god, he had still been given a purpose. No more wandering aimlessly, looking for the next client.

The faint scent of jasmine floated into the stone corridor. A ritual herb, Dr. Strange began to see what was happening, but before he could put the pieces together and warn the others of what lie ahead, they stumbled into the chamber where two men sat.

The first man, draped in long green robes, was a man that Dr. Strange knew much about. They had squared off many times over the years since his training with the Ancient One. If there was ever an opposite to his position in the cosmic plan, it was this man, Baron Mordo.

Sensing the angst in the other three heroes, Dr. Strange quickly floated in front of them and raised his hand. “Wait,” he said. “You can't physically assault him.”

“What?” Moon Knight declared. “Why, Strange? I brought you to help, but don't—”

“If you touch him your soul will be ripped from your body and cast into the dark realm, where it will never be retrieved.”

Falcon and Firestar traded a glance. “How do you know that?” Falcon asked.

“The jasmine. It's meant to shield him magically like the Deldru do physically. We cannot interfere by simply containing him.”

“Okay,” Firestar said, then she pointed across from where Mordo sat. “What about him ?”

On the other side of the pile of burning jasmine sat a muscular man facing Baron Mordo. His face was scrunched together as if in intense concentration. Sweat beaded down his naked chest and it looked like he had been flexing his muscles for hours on end without a break. His sandy blonde hair was ragged and the stubble on his chin was getting rather long.

There was an invisible thrum of power hanging between Mordo and this man, a connection that Strange sensed and instantly hated. It was the kind of magic that the Ancient One had taught him to avoid. Dark magic.

“Wait a minute,” Falcon said, taking a step closer to the pair. “I recognize him.”

“Who is it?” Moon Knight demanded.

“He's called the Answer. Spidey has tangled with him a few times. What's he doing here?”

“It appears that Baron Mordo is channeling power into him,” Dr. Strange responded. “He's forcing him to do something against his will. I sense great tension in him.”

“If I remember right,” Falcon said, “in the Avenger's files the Answer can only temporarily create a power set to overcome a short term goal. But the problems we've noticed have been going on for days. Weeks.”

“The stuff with Khonshu,” Firestar added, “the HERMES teleporter, the astral plane…even mutant teleporters. Just like you said, doctor. My God…Mordo has been forcing him to do this for weeks.”

“But why?” Strange said absentmindedly as he drifted closer to the pair.

“The power he's taking and redirecting into the Answer,” Moon Knight said. “Where is it coming from? Is he stealing it from Khonshu? From me?”

Strange's astral eyes closed in concentration. He gently lifted a hand toward Mordo's inert body and said, “By the Vishanti, yes. Yes, he is absorbing the power of this tomb and channeling it directly into the Answer, who seems to be converting it somehow.”

“Since we can't touch them, what do we do?” Firestar said as she flexed her fingers in anticipation. The longer she stayed here, the worse she felt. She wanted to stop this, stop the evil hanging in the air right in front of her.

“We take the fight to their level,” Strange said. He beckoned for Falcon to come closer. “It is time.”

The portal empowered by the Answer's astral form had finally finished widening. The brink of insanity was within his mind's reach, if only Mordo would let him grasp it. The sweet bliss of ignorance that insanity provided was too enticing to not accept at this point for the man called the Answer.

Please , the Answer's prone astral form thought. Let me go. It is done.

Mordo's ghost swept passed the Answer, ignoring his pleas. He was much too focused on the opening portal and what was on the other side. Come, my master. Your loyal servant awaits.

The white portal began to iris open and on the other side was a fierce red mouth, smiling a grotesque and twisted sneer. Etched scars had been dragged across the face and licks of flame looked like they would make the flesh bubble and burp with putrid glee.

It was the face of Dormammu, an ancient terror. Soon, within moments, he would be free again.

“Yes, my servant,” Dormammu said. “You will be rewarded for your loyalty.”

The dark demon lord was in possession of his own physical form there in the astral world. Impossible as though it may seem, because of the particular banishment he had been forced to endure, like none other before him, it was more than just his spirit floating in the astral abyss. Every painstaking moment, every formless second, Dormammu had been physically present for them.

He reached a hand against the edges of the portal and shoved against the side, hoping to hasten the process. His red scarred hand was lashed by the swirling energy that comprised the portal, striking and searing his hand.

He pulled his hand back and looked at it, the fire in his eyes dancing wildly. “Pain,” Dormammu said. “I have not felt pain in what seems like an eon. It is…refreshing.”

“And it will be another eon before you can feel it again, Dormammu.”

Mordo spun, anger twisting his features into a contorted rage. He knew the voice, recognizing it from the years he spent hearing it taunt him. He knew that his enemy would come before long. How couldn't he? Mordo was drawing enough attention to himself, but he thought that the distraction he had provided would be enough to sustain him and keep him away until his master was free.

Unlike his own voice, as well as the Answer's, Mordo heard actual words being spoken there in the astral plane. Dormammu could do this because of the sheer power behind his will. The new speaker could cast his own voice because he was physically there, a seeming impossibility.

Strange , Mordo thought as if the name were a curse. So nice to see you. And really see you. How are you here? How are you actually here?

“Did you think I would be fooled by the distractions you set for me?” the doctor replied. “The waves of disturbance in the astral Earth fields, the inefficiency of teleporters, and even the weakening of Khonshu. I know how you work, Mordo. By the Vishanti, I know what you were up to. You'll never change.”

That doesn't explain you being here , Mordo replied. Or how you managed to bring others.

Beside Dr. Strange's corporeal body hovered the astral presence of both Firestar and Moon Knight. The former waited intently, wordlessly, for Strange's signal. The latter flexed his fingers, eager to get into the thick of the action, held back only by Strange's will.

“When I realized what you were doing I cast a spell that switched my astral self with my physical body. I've been here for quite some time. It wasn't until we went to the tomb that I knew where to find you and exactly how you were doing it.” Strange briefly eyed his companions. “And they are here because I will it. I am the Sorcerer Supreme, a fact which you forget all too often.”

“Mordo!” Dormammu said from behind the thin veil of energy. “Kill him! Kill him before he ruins everything!”

“You used the power in the tomb, the power of the dead god, to serve as a source for your spells,” Strange said. “That way you wouldn't put yourself at risk. You used this man, the Answer, the convert the energy, again placing yourself out of harm's way. You're forcing him to utilize his powers long term, which is killing him instead of you.”

Dr. Strange, Firestar, and Moon Knight began to slowly circle both Mordo and the near-dead Answer. “You, Mordo,” Dr. Strange continued, “are nothing but a coward.”

Baron Mordo broke off his concentration that kept the vortexes in place around the Answer. He shoved an effort of will at Dr. Strange, which was promptly met by the Sorcerer Supreme's own will. Energy lanced out between them and sparks flew, drizzling to the un-solid floor.

Moon Knight's astral form leapt for the Answer. He ducked under the raging battle between the two magicians and vaulted for the cloud of intellect that personified the battered man. When Moon Knight reached him he wrapped his cape around him protectively and motioned to Strange.

Dr. Strange nodded and with a flick of his wrist, both Moon Knight and the Answer vanished from the astral plane.

No! Mordo screamed as he reinforced his will.

“Imbecile!” Dormammu said as the gateway began to fade away. “You foolish mortal! You are useless! Must I do everything myself?”

The demon lord had managed to press his arm through the portal. Sulfuric fire traced his dark flesh as he readied a blast to send at the Sorcerer Supreme. The fire behind his eyes flashed as the summoned power necessary to destroy his enemy once and for all. Even if he would not be able to resurrect in the astral plane, he would at the very least kill those who would dare entice him.

That was when Firestar intervened. She stepped between Dr. Strange and Dormammu and raised both her arms in defense. The demon lord cast his hellfire, expecting to easily sear through the mutant girl.

Firestar squinted her eyes and simply turned off Dormammu's flame.

“What is this?” Dormammu said, enraged.

He lashed his hand out again but nothing happened. As the portal closed, unable to remain open due to the Answer's sudden departure and Mordo's distraction in the battle with Strange, Dormammu screamed silently in anguish. His chance at freedom shrunk as the window into the astral plane did. Within moments the dark demon lord was gone.

Firestar looked back at Strange, who nodded and made another motion with his wrist. The ghostly form of the mutant vanished just as Moon Knight and the Answer had.

No! Mordo cried. Strange! Your death will be slow!

Dr. Strange only smiled. The struggle he had apparently been leading against Mordo suddenly turned into an overture of magic. He thrust forward with enough force to shatter the intellectual form that Mordo had conjured for himself as if it were as simple as snuffing a candle.

The ruse was over. Dr. Strange, more potent in the astral plane with his actual physical form, was able to use the full force of his powers. The Sorcerer Supreme closed his eyes, concentrated on the connection he had maintained in the real world, and muttered the spell that would remove him from this ghostly place once more.

The crisis had been averted.

“Are you sure he's not dead?” Spider-Man asked. “He looks dead.”

“Stop it,” Luke Cage replied.

 

They watched as Captain America carefully picked up the prone body of the Answer. Blood had begun to seep out of his ears, but moments after Moon Knight's body had reanimated the Answer had started breathing again. He had muttered briefly before passing out.

Firestar suddenly sat up from where she lay on the floor, pulling in a quick and deep breath. She shuddered as Spider-Woman helped her to her feet. “That was intense,” she said. She looked around the room. “Whoa. You guys do all this?”

Surrounding Firestar, Moon Knight, Falcon, the Answer, and the still form of Baron Mordo, were several dozen Deldru. The vicious monsters were all either unconscious or worse. Their thick blood laced the walls of the chamber, splattered there by an obvious gut-wrenching conflict.

Spider-Man flicked her a thumbs-up. “You bet, Angel. You okay?”

She nodded her head, then looked at the still silent Falcon.

Cage motioned with his chin at the airborne hero. “Should we be worried ‘bout him?” he asked.

As if on cue, Falcon's eyes flicked open. They dilated slightly as he pulled in a sharp breath like Firestar. Spider-Woman moved to him to help, but he wove her away. “M'kay,” he mumbled. “That was just…uncomfortable.”

“As I had forewarned,” the ghostly voice of Dr. Strange said.

Once more in his astral presence, Dr. Strange floated to the center of their collective, positioning himself just in front of the comatose Baron. “I thank you, my friend,” he said. “My familiarity with your mind, after the tryst concerning Cardiac, was crucial in allowing me to maintain an Earthbound connection. You literally anchored me in a sea of nothingness. My body has since returned to my Sanctum.”

“Does that mean you weren't gambling on me either?” Firestar asked. “When you advised me to take on Dormammu?”

“Whoa!” Spider-Man said as he threw his hands into the air. “The guy with a matchstick for a face? You took him on?”

“There was no gamble about it,” Strange said. “I sensed that your mutant powers were different than you suspected. You do not conjure fire, Angelica. You summon it. This difference, this vital difference, allowed you to overpower Dormammu. From where you summon yet remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that the fire comes from a dimension not this own.”

“People are ignoring me again,” Spider-Man whispered to Captain America.

“And what about him?” Captain America said, pointing to Baron Mordo. “Is he—”

“Alive,” Dr. Strange said as he looked down at his insufferable enemy. “I daresay that he won't be bothering us again for sometime. His mind is…indisposed. I banished it, in an astral sense, to the ninth level of a place you wouldn't want to hear described.”

“This man needs immediate medical attention,” Moon Knight chimed in. “I'm taking him back to the ship. You should all leave. Now.”

“You're welcome,” Spider-Woman said with a roll of her eyes.

Moon Knight ignored her and began hobbling toward the exit corridor, carrying the Answer on his shoulders like a fireman. Dr. Strange motioned at Mordo's body, which leapt into the air at his command and began to hover and follow them.

“Need a hand, doc?” Cage offered. Strange shook his head. “Right. Just thought I'd be polite. So, doc. You said he won't be botherin' us. Like, you implied you're with us fulltime.”

Dr. Strange smiled as they left with the others. “Due to this struggle, the Vishanti have bid me to join you more often. It seems that my ignorance of more practical matters that my magic can attend to has been lifted.”

“That mean we should fix you a room at the Pad? Maybe get you an Avengers communicard?”

The Sorcerer Supreme couldn't help but smirk.

END

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