Stakeout - Solo Challenge

[aquarius]

Whilst an employee of SHIELD, Doreen was rarely called upon for missions. It did still happen occasionally though, fortunately they tended to play to her strengths. Tonight it was a stakeout. Watching a supposedly ordinary slum building that was at the centre of a spike in electricity consumption, finding out which of the several supervillains it would turn out to be. There were several possibilities of course, but the power consumption pointed to either a tech based individual or one with electricity based powers which required recharging. She'd been briefed on a few of the most likely candidates and told to report in as soon as any actionable information was obtained.

And so Squirrel Girl was sat up out of sight on a roof across the street, only occasionally moving to see if anything had changed. Most of the time though she was dependent upon her many helpers to keep watch. They could climb up the building, peek in windows, and even if spotted nobody would think anything of it. Every time one returned she listened to their report before thanking them and sharing her big bag of nuts (as it was for the mission S.H.I.E.L.D. had even considered it reasonable equipment, unlike the tax office not allowing nuts to be classed as a business expense!) with them. That was when another of the squirrel scouts scurried up with a much more excited demeanour than was usual for a night such as this.

((translated from Squirrelese))
"Spotted someone weird looking. He had... I want to say four metal tails? Dressed in red."

Four metal tails?... That was puzzling, but Doreen was used to the limited understanding of human society by her fuzzy friends. The 'dressed in red' was possibly also inaccurate thanks to the colour blindness of squirrels for red and green. So she rummaged through her pouches for her Deadpool's Guide to Supervillains cards, finding the one she believed was their suspect, and held it up. "Did they look like this?"

The Sciuridae responded eagerly in the affirmative, glad their description had been understood. "That's the one!"

"Thanks, Shifty Pete. I need to report this in, so you can guard the nuts for a minute, ok?"

Doreen put the card away and scratched him gently on the back of the neck in thanks, then turned away and began tapping away at her SHIELD communicator, doing her best to ignore the sounds of the frantic stuffing of a face going on behind her. "Agent Green reporting in. Probable Doctor Octopus sighting at location, will attempt to confirm, will keep you informed of any further developments. Green out."

Only when she turned back did she see the figure moving around on the roof opposite. They were sticking to the shadows very well, only her excellent night vision allowed her to notice them at all. Until she knew who they were and what they were up to she decided to watch and see what happened. It was clear they were not Octavius though, so was this someone working for him, or one of the many other groups and agencies that had reason to keep an eye on the covert activities of the questionably legal?...

[aquarius]

It seemed like years since Gambit had last spent any time with his friends and loved ones. First there was Apocalypse's little disagreement with everyone, and right after that just as he was getting his head back together, he'd been approached by Nick Fury. Apparently he was even less able to trust people than usual, and needed those he had reason to mistrust slightly less to help him save the world. Much like if Captain America called upon you to fight for what you believed in, some things, some people you simply couldn't say no to.

And so he'd had to cut himself off from the world again. At least this time he had a mission, a definite end in sight, and best of all - his own mind. They had begun to plan, and whilst Fury had offered them much of what they needed, there was always something he hadn't unexpected. That was why he was here tonight.

Certain equipment was rare and expensive. Expensive wasn't a problem, but with this kind of rarity acquiring it by legal means meant leaving an unacceptable paper trail that would make it far too easy for someone to track him down. Certainly it had made Otto Octavius easy enough for Gambit to find...

The building itself was easy enough to get into, given it was a slum block. His various informants had told him that the Doctor had taken over several apartments that he'd reworked into one big lab, which suited him fine. That meant multiple possible access points, and any number of potential security flaws in such a necessarily shoddy situation.

Slipping in the rooftop doorway (it had been locked, not that that proved to be any kind of obstacle) he produced a few items from his pockets as he walked down the stairs. A baseball cap, a fake self adhesive goatee, and a set of shades. A fairly simple disguise, but he didn't need it to be all that effective. This was just his walking through the building looking for the inevitable security that had been put in place by Doc Ock. A few hidden cameras were all he found, but that was only to be expected. Much more than that would have been very likely to be detected by someone, given the number of people coming and going.

As he approached the door that seemed to be the one in use, he once more produced something from his pockets. A simple envelope. It wasn't sealed, allowing him to reach in and make contact with its contents, before posting it through the letter box in the doc's door. With that, he walked on and headed out the building, then round the back, slipping up the fire escape until he was one floor down from the supervillain's secret lab. Counting down in his head, he paused to stroke a curiously friendly squirrel briefly before he heard the explosion he'd known was coming.

Up one floor and forcing the window open, he was inside in mere moments. The lab was indeed well stocked, he'd seen something like it before in his time with the X-Men, but that was something to worry about another time. For now, all he needed was on a table within easy swiping distance. It took only seconds for his hands to be filled with his prize, before he was out the window again, making his way quickly down to the ground level and the busy streets where he could hide in the anonymity of the crowds.

[aquarius]

Setting up the facilities he needed was never an easy task, but to do so in an urban wasteland like this neighbourhood? It was a shining testament to the brilliance of Octavius that he had managed it. The acquisition of the floor space, securing the equipment, moving it in without notice, and finally securing the energy required without making it too obvious where it was all going. That last bit had been particularly difficult, his octobots moving unseen through sewers and over rooftops, attaching covert taps into major power lines. Sure it was traceable, but that would take time for anyone to accomplish, and he knew he had plenty of time before anyone managed such a feat.

Once his current task was completed he would have completed his obligations and he could begin work on his ultimate goal. That which had made him near undefeatable, and which this time would be backed up by protections for the few weaknesses the previous time had uncovered, that which had made him only 'near' undefeatable.

As he began work on the final stages of his client's contract he heard the letter box in the part of his lab that was still an apartment. "Ach! No doubt another pizza delivery flyer or the like" he said to himself, ignoring it for the moment, it wasn't until a minute or two later that an explosion decimated the near silence of his laboratory, causing his tentacles to spring into defensive positions in case of attack. He quickly put down his work, swearing an oath in German as he moved his combat goggles down from his forehead over his eyes, checked the spyhole through the security door into his apartment to check there was no immediate danger, before going through to investigate more thoroughly.

Of course, he found nothing except signs of a very recent explosion just inside his door, which was now nothing more than splinters. Well, that would get a lot of unwanted attention directed at the building, and his lair in particular, far too quickly. Whatever the reason for this, his only choice was to complete his work as quickly as possible and go. Equipment could be replaced, even his materials which had taken much work for others to acquire, nothing was irreplaceable except perhaps for his freedom. He'd always been ready to leave in a hurry just in case, so Otto simply grabbed the bag underneath his bed before returning to the lab to finish his work.

It was at this point that the doctor understood the real purpose of the explosion. "A distraction. My Molecular Sieve is gone! Without it... I can finish this work, but... Not my own as well. I... I dare not leave my contract incomplete. A setback in my own goals is better than what that would signify..."

Returning to his desk and hastily completing the last few steps of the device which he still didn't understand the full function of, though he would never admit it out loud, only once it was done did he begin grabbing everything in his lab he most valued, finally fleeing out his window just as the sounds of movement in his apartment indicated people had finally arrived to investigate the explosion.

[aquarius]

That little book of magic might have given Crusher Hogan the power to save his daughter's life, but apart from that it had been nothing but trouble. These days he spent half his time avoiding the various problems it had brought him, and the other half dealing with the ones he hadn't avoided well enough. Today it was a simple enough job, one working for the person he held a special hatred for, Doctor Octopus. He'd been the first one to blackmail him into open criminal acts, and as such it was him that he would one day find a way to take down, at any personal cost.

Today though, he had to work for the guy. Until his family was safe he had no choice. But Doc Ock was no fool and knew not to push his luck, so he didn't have to put up with this all that often, and he had to admit the guy paid well. Chances were that he'd not hear from him again for a month or two. And all he was having to do today was recover something from the Doc's previous lab, return it to him, and guard him for an hour or so just to hold up any assailants long enough for Otto to escape, after which he was free to escape himself if he wanted.

The retrieval had been easy enough, the police had been and gone, taped off the blasted open door, and gone home for the night. They apparently hadn't gotten through the locked lab door yet, otherwise there'd surely be someone on guard. But it seemed they were treating it as a low priority, which suited him just fine.

Tapping in the security code got him through the door, and the weird piece of kit which the doc had told him the name of but he hadn't remembered was picked up and went in his pocket, then he went out the window onto the fire escape, and headed back to the doc, happy to be out of there. He certainly didn't see the shadowy figure on the rooftops following him all the way.

Arriving without incident, he went inside, handed over the 'antilepton pulse focusing array' that he secretly assumed wasn't really its name but was Octavius trying to sound smart, or maybe test him or something, and with that he headed outside to keep a watch out for anyone who might cause problems. Normally this was a formality, occasionally he'd have to deal with a few generic thugs looking to burgle a place without any idea of what they were getting into. Very rarely he had to deal with a cape - a superhero wanting to interfere in the work that under normal circumstances he'd be perfectly happy seeing stopped, indeed would probably help put an end to himself.

He almost didn't hear the person who had somehow gotten behind him, but Crusher at least managed to turn and roll with the punch that the young woman was aiming at him. Normally he'd not expect much from such a weak looking person, but when he sensed his enchantment that warded off enhanced strength burning out from that single attack, he knew he had to avoid any further strikes at any cost. Keeping the goal of 'slow them down, let Octavius get away' in mind, he pulled out his gun and fired off a few rounds, not especially worried about whether he hit or not. Indeed, he hoped he didn't, since super strength and resilience didn't always go together. But when she seemed to virtually dance around them and casually knock the gun out of his hand? He knew this was a fight he was only going to survive if this terrifying woman allowed him to...

[aquarius]

Jubilee had been watching the building since as soon after sundown as was inhumanly possible. Normally she wouldn't have cared in the slightest about Doctor Octopus, but there had been a sighting of someone matching Gambit's description and she was keen to catch up to him. Between all the Apocalypse stuff and her own issues (specifically being dead now) she really needed some emotional support from at least someone she felt close to. So the slightest hint of where he'd run off to this time would be followed like a bloodhound.

She was just getting ready to move in and have a look around when she noticed a light moving around inside. This caused her to take cover again and watch to see what happened next. Using a flashlight, not the light switch? They clearly weren't meant to be there any more than she was. But it clearly wasn't Gambit - he had excellent night vision thanks to his unusual eyes. He'd almost certainly not have needed a torch, and definitely wouldn't have been so easily noticed if he had.

When the man emerged from the apartment, following him was almost laughably simple. He didn't seem to even think of looking up, suggesting he wasn't used to dealing with super heroes who could fly, climb with unusual ease, or were just incredibly agile and able to jump from roof to roof. And so she let him lead her to wherever it was he was going.

Getting there didn't take all that long, whilst he was inside she took the opportunity to scout out the outside of the building, but there were none of the subtle hints that someone such as Gambit had been there. No signs of a recent illicit entry, no remnants of recent explosions, no men missing their valuables, nor ladies their virtue.

By the time the perimeter sweep had been completed, the man had re-emerged and was very clearly on guard outside but still not thinking to look up. That suited her, since it meant she could basically step off the roof and land behind him silently, ready to take a swing at the back of his head. Aiming to pull it a little, he was at least alert enough to try to dodge at the last moment, only to move the exact worst direction and mean she was hitting him full force! At least it turned out he had some sort of resilience, since he still had his head attached to his body!

Watching him darting backwards, the gun he pulled was a shock, but nothing she couldn't handle. She'd always been quick, and now she was even faster. A few dodges as she moved forwards, a lazy swing of the back of her hand, and the firearm fell from his grip to the ground. Her other hand moved up, not for an attack but to direct a blast of energy into his eyes. With him blinded for a few seconds this meant the fight was as good as over already, and getting him in a sleeper hold, he quickly began to weaken and finally pass out. Letting him go, she found her bracelet caught on a necklace the man was wearing, pulling it off of him before realising. And as soon as she did? He vanished...

[aquarius]

New York was a strange place at times, often a difficult place to live compared to London. For all the similarities between the cities, all that accomplished was to highlight the differences. The main thing that troubled her was the lack of access to Otherworld. As the bearer of Excalibur, she still had much to learn of the mythical realm that she was the de facto champion of, and as long as she was assigned to America she was unable to do any more than read about it.

Well, that was not entirely true. There was a small spot in Central Park, mostly out of sight of the parts the public saw, that was surprisingly in touch with nature on a level that was rare in any city. As a result, there were occasional visits from minor spirits of Otherworld. And so she liked to spend time there just waiting, occasionally getting to speak with the ethereal creatures who visited briefly.

Today's visitor was not one of them, however. Appearing out of nowhere was a large, well built man who fell to the grass immediately. It seemed he was unconscious, though the small amount of blood from a tiny cut on the side of his head was clearly not the cause. Regardless, he was clearly injured and she sprang to her feet to help him. Her by now familiar powers enveloped him, undoing the small wound and remedying the cause of his unconsciousness which she instinctively knew was due to oxygen deprivation. She was also aware of the process feeling like more of a struggle than usual - something she only knew to be caused by magic. So this guy was magic in some way? Or was he something else that she hadn't learned about yet? That was the problem with having new powers that weren't the usual 'hit stuff until it stops hitting you' kind. Working out what their exact rules were was much more difficult.

As the man came to, she released her power's hold upon him. Whatever had happened he would likely be alarmed still, and finding himself paralysed would likely only make things worse.

"Hi! I'm Excalibur, and you just appeared here unconscious. I've healed you up, can you tell me what happened?"

He was still a little disoriented it seemed, perhaps she'd cut off her power a little sooner than was ideal as it appeared he was still a little groggy, but that was nothing that a minute or so being able to breathe freely wouldn't clear. As he did so, he began telling her a... somewhat limited account of what had happened. Waiting around for his boss in a less than reputable neighbourhood, he'd been attacked by someone and barely even gotten a proper look at them before they'd knocked him out. All he remembered of them was that they were quite short, and had a yellow coat on. As for how he'd ended up where Excalibur had found him? He shrugged, saying simply 'Magic, for all I know.'

This wasn't much to go on, but after a brief examination she declared him fit to carry on with his day, before reporting these most unusual events in to the Avengers headquarters.

[aquarius]

Finesse had been sat at a computer terminal reviewing the latest updates on criminal activities, political changes across the world, financial dealings... Most people would just call it 'reading the news', but the gossip and speculation that filled the mainstream media was of little interest to her. Instead she sought facts, those hidden and merely obscured. Those were the ones that told you things of actual value, such as how it was apparent that Latverian interests in England and Norway clearly pointed to Von Doom's interest in certain aspects of mythology, one which was as yet impossible to determine due to insufficient information. Such matters usually took weeks to uncover via conventional news sources, usually too late to offer any option to intervene. But each time she followed a pattern she gained experience that made it easier the next time.
And sometimes circumstances offered a little extra help, such as the Avengers stumbling on a secret base, or any one of a dozen happy accidents.

This work was going to be her entire morning, right up until one of the actual Avengers stepped in the room and coughed gently. She'd not heard the slightest sound until they'd done so, so she didn't need to look to see who it was. There was only one member of the team capable of passing without her notice currently in the building. Still, she turned to confirm and of course out of common courtesy. If an Avenger wanted to speak to you, you made sure they knew you were listening.

Being sent on a mission solo was rather unusual for an Academy student, but apparently it was a minimal risk mission, following up one possible lead whilst he followed up another much more dangerous one. The brief was short and efficient, just what she'd have expected from a veteran Avenger and a ruler. Before long, she was off on her motorbike to upstate New York, where the 'person of interest' resided. An address she'd been familiar with since long before the Avengers Academy was a thing, specifically Professor Xavier's school for gifted young people. Or the more common colloquial name, the X-mansion.

It was a fairly uneventful journey, she found herself arriving to within a minute of her initial estimate, and ringing the bell at the front gate, she waited for a voice to come over the intercom before speaking in her usual calm tones. "Hello? I am Finesse, here on behalf of the Avengers. I understand I am expected? May I please come in?"

As a buzzer sounded and the gates opened themselves, she drove slowly up the driveway to the front door, only just having gotten off her bike and set up the kickstand before the door was opened and a young asian woman stepped out, her garishly coloured outfit clashing in every conceivable way and yet somehow it all combined in to a strangely effective whole that was inexplicable even by Finesse's insight. This interview was likely to give her more than mere routine information, it seemed...

[aquarius]

Up until fairly recently it had primarily been Jubilee who had done a lot of the odd jobs around the institute. But with the sudden yet understandable change in her sleeping habits, Morph had taken over her role of dogsbody. As such he had been the one to answer the initial phone call from the Avengers in which they asked if they could send someone to talk to Jubilee about... something. They were vague about the details, other than her being considered 'a witness to an incident of interest' - usually that meant something weird and / or supervillain related. Of course, they wanted to speak to her during the day because that was when normal people tended to do things, making it most convenient for themselves and for the young X-man, but this presented a problem as Jubilee wasn't keen to have her condition too widely known about just yet.

Fortunately, a solution existed, one which was both simple and elegant. Morph suggested he could assume her form, take her place for the meeting and then any questions which he was not able to answer he would simply telepathically relay to her subconscious mind while she slept and respond in whatever way she would have. Jubilee was more than happy with this plan, and went to bed shortly before sunrise, leaving him to the day duties.

Morph meanwhile was busying himself with routine admin, basic odd jobs around the mansion and updating a few lesson plans, until the buzzer sounded for the main gate. Glancing at the monitor showing the gate, he spoke to the young woman on the bike as himself, granting her access before 'getting in to character' as he thought of it.

Walking outside to meet her, Morph waved a cheery greeting and called out in acknowledgement of their guest. "Heya! You wanted to talk to me? We've been kind of busy of late, so I'd appreciate keeping this brief, but I'm sure it's important if it needs to be in person. Ask whatever you need to, anyway."

As Finesse went through her questions, Morph was easily able to reply as Jubilee would have, and none of the questions seemed to imply any suspicions that Jubilee might have done anything the Avengers were concerned about. Nor that they suspected they weren't talking to the real Jubilation Lee - that would probably get the both of them in trouble if they realised, and almost certainly lead to the wider learning of Jubilee's secret.

At the end of the questions, 'Jubilee' was relieved. It all seemed to have worked, the X-men had supported their allies in the Avengers, Jubilee's secret had been maintained for now, and thanks to some careful wording no actual lies had been told, as far as he could remember. He had no problems with lying inherently, but being honest was a sort of a matter of pride for him. Perhaps a paradox for a shape shifter, but maybe it was because of that and not in spite of it that caused him to avoid adding deceit upon deceit.

[aquarius]

As Finesse sent her report with the footage from the bike cam (not that she'd mentioned that as part of the interview, he noted) T'challa reviewed the footage himself first, before then reading her report. The evidence was fairly minor but when considered alongside what his own investigations had uncovered? It spoke of something very worrying indeed if it was all true. But to act upon this intelligence if it was not genuine and accurate? It would risk war with a powerful enemy indeed.

But there was still the problem that both he and Finesse had felt there was some kind of deceit going on throughout the interview with Jubilation Lee. Yet no specific parts of it seemed wrong, just... something. He trusted his instincts of course, but without any specific part of the evidence indicating an inconsistency he couldn't confront her, nor could he investigate further without knowing what part of it all was under question. There definitely wasn't enough time or available manpower to look into the locations, timing of it all as well as check with the various other people involved again.

So how to verify it? He turned to a database containing details on an individual he was aware of who had the exact power set needed for this situation. This was not an Avengers record, nor Wakandan or even S.H.I.E.L.D. but a simple list of addresses for the residents of the city.

With the raiment of the Black Panther camouflaged so it appeared only to be an ordinary suit, he approached the building the public records had shown. Glancing at the mail slots on the way in to confirm the name under the apartment number he sought, it took little time at all to climb the stairs and find the right door. Knocking, he waited patiently until he heard movement the other side, along with a faint gasp and a cautious "Hello?... How can I help you, Mr...?"

He smiled at this, and inclined his head in the direction of the door's spyhole. "Ms Willis, if your reputation is accurate then you know exactly who I am. And to keep my disturbing of your work brief, I shall say that I intend you no harm in any way, and simply desire to immediately employ your services to verify less than five minutes of vital testimony recorded on video. For this, I am prepared to offer the payment of ten thousand American dollars, or any equivalent form of your choice."

T'challa was not surprised when only a few seconds later the door was opened. He had not learned much definite information about her, but with the multiple companies she had sought employment from all having records of her powers, and her reason for not ultimately taking up a job with them it was simple to deduce the biggest problem she faced in life. The social isolation that what was commonly termed 'always on' powers of that nature must make any social interaction with even the most aware and careful person absolute torture for her. By keeping things brief and focusing on facts, she would hopefully appreciate his efforts enough to consent to the terms he offered, if only to get rid of him in the fastest way possible.

[aquarius]

Most people would not regard working from home, only making contact with your colleagues when absolutely necessary via email wherever possible, as a viable way of living. But then most people weren't 'blessed' with Verity's kind of powers. They made just about any form of human contact near unbearable, and this was why she pretty much only left her apartment to do necessary shopping, usually with earphones that weren't even playing any music, just to discourage people from talking to her for any reason.

Today's work was more of the usual. Checking responses to surveys and weeding out the falsehoods. Why people would lie on an anonymous survey was beyond her, but she had little faith in human nature in that regard. Everyone lied, even to themselves. And that was why she was able to get paid for what she did.

A knock at the door was an uncommon event and since she wasn't expecting a delivery this was met with hesitation, followed by caution and reluctance. The neighbourhood was not prone to trouble but that was no reason to not be careful. Peeking through the spyhole gave her a big surprise though. She hadn't met an actual superhero before, not even when she'd registered. As a category D7 (non visible power, low danger) she was pretty much free to just carry on with her life once she'd registered, and that suited her fine. But now she had an Avenger - an actual king, no less - at her door⸮! She spoke briefly with more than a little nerves no doubt apparent in her voice, but the response she got was... well, her anxiety was almost entirely gone, thanks to the fact that he clearly understood her priorities. And had explicitly stated that he was not going to harm her. That went a long way to calming her down, of course.

And so she opened her door up, welcoming the Monarch in to her apartment wondering what the correct form of address was for a royal Avenger, in the end deciding to see if she could get away with not having to address him directly at all. Gesturing vaguely towards her couch, she sat down at the far end of it, watching him as he moved to the side nearer her door. His invisible armour was fascinating! She didn't get to see that sort of thing very often, and other than the green people who she saw more and more often on television, the trans-mundane world was not one she had any involvement with. But he was here on important business no doubt, so best not to ask him about what all that was about.

As he handed over a small device with his video clip ready to play, she looked down at it, pressed the button and began watching. It all seemed simple enough, and at the end she handed it back to him and shrugged. "Well, he didn't actually lie at any point." She kind of expected his reply of "He?!" but she still felt a little smug as she replied with a casual "Yes, he. The one supposedly wearing yellow was a man, a shapeshifter. But all his words were entirely true. Does that cover what you needed?"

It seemed it did. He stood up, inclined his head to her once more, tapping a few buttons on his device as he moved back to the door. "Thank you, I must go deal with something very urgently. The money I promised is already in your bank account. Good day, Ms Willis."

And with that, her first encounter with a super hero was over, and all she had for the rest of the day was the usual paperwork that seemed so much less satisfying than it had just ten minutes ago...

[aquarius]

Finally the minion of Octavius had delivered the antilepton pulse focusing array, and with that the latest plan of VICTOR VON DOOM could be finalised. No mere scientist would ever find a practical use for such a device, but then Doom was not using mere science but instead his own unique blend of science and spellcraft in order to accomplish something which neither could on its own. Forget Stark and his machines, or Strange and his spells, neither of those small minded simpletons could so much as dream of comprehending his greatest works. Nor would he offer them the opportunity, once he held dominion over all.

With the device mystically enhanced he only needed to bait his trap and be ready to snare his prize. And so he moved out of his embassy in New York and walked through the gardens a little, to a spot where none on American soil could see him - only those flying overhead would be able to view his presence, and thanks to a few pleasant trees that he frequently enjoyed the shade of, even that view would be obscured. Careful observations over the entire time the embassy had stood there had determined the comings and goings of a certain individual, which made this the perfect spot to begin. Today was the day it had to be, the mystical resonances of so many little things all combining to make such a ritual possible in a way that might never be repeated.

This ritual had taken many months to research and develop, many of the necessary ingredients proving difficult to obtain, no doubt it would have proven too much for a lesser man, which was to say any other man. For Doom was destined to rule over all, and therefore had to work harder than all, to be better. That sort of power, that responsibility, had to be earned. And so he set out a small bowl of pure water on the ground, a hand crafted crystal lens focusing the sun's light onto it. To that, he added a pinch of nigh impossible to obtain soil from the home of his prey, and finally he removed the stopper from an apparently empty bottle and poured the... nothing⸮! over the bowl.

Nothing happened, just as Doom had known would be the case. All so far had been to ensure the vessel was now prepared for the next stage of the ritual, and so he began to incant in his legendarily fearsome voice that could command respect from even the elements themselves.

"Falinesti! At'avarr! M'grathir! ᛃᚨᚾᛖ ᚠᛟᛋᛏᛖᚱ!"

Once more a vial was produced, smaller than the one before and this one with a familiar looking red liquid inside, which was added to the bowl. A pulse of mystical energy raged forth, passing through everything with no apparent effect. And yet mere moments later all his work was rewarded as the Prince of Asgard dropped down from the heavens with a furious roar. The prey was here, and exactly where Doom wanted him. Only a few more moments and the trap could be sprung...

[aquarius]

The Mighty Thunderer soared through the sky between the Avengers mansion and the monument to Stark's ego that had become Avengers Tower during the repairs to the former. On days such as this he enjoyed taking a detour over the city's Centre Park, which was barely out of his way anyway. He knew well that such serenity rarely lasted for long, but the sudden arrival of an awareness of one of the most horrible things imaginable was a shock to even his battle hardened nature.

Instantly he veered off to his left, towards the location that Mjolnir told him the unspeakable deed had been done. He knew much of this area and dreaded the fact that he knew exactly where he was headed, even as his fury would not permit anything but vengeance, and justice, white hot like a bolt of lightning.

Landing in the gardens of the Latverian embassy, he was not surprised to see the green clad dictator standing there, apparently expecting him. Thor bellowed in fury at him, only just holding back his desire to destroy the mortal without hesitation. "What have you done, Doom? I sensed Jane's blood being spilled on this spot! I swear if she has been harmed, whoever is responsible for it shall pay with their life!"

He took another step forwards, raising Mjolnir ready to attack at the very instant that Doom attacked him, or even failed to deny what he had done. Kicking aside the bowl on the ground, he thought nothing of it until Doom laughed his truly world class evil laugh, and with a simple wave of his hand....

Mjolnir fell from Thor's grasp.

Surely it had merely slipped? Thor reached down to reclaim it, but found it unmoving, both figuratively and literally. Even worse, Doom was starting to monologue!

"The blood of your dear Jane Foster was a few drops left over from the last time she donated blood. It was in the bowl you just kicked over, and my ritual bound you to your word. You were responsible for it being spilled, but to kill yourself would be dishonourable. And to fail to keep a blood oath would be dishonourable. A stain on your honour that cannot be removed. You are unworthy. Also..."

As the tyrant spoke, so changed the writing on the hammer, from the familiar into a terrifyingly similar version.

Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be DOOM, shall possess the power of Thor.

That was the point at which Mjolnir flew from the ground into the hand of its new master, whereupon it spewed forth the furious lightning he had been building up all through his flight there, right at Thor. Sending him backwards into the wall at the edge of the embassy's ground, Thor was too stunned to defend himself against the follow up from Doom and he swiftly received an earth shaking blow to the chest that rendered the wall behind him asunder, sending him through it and to the far side of the road outside, a few ribs most definitely broken.

Struggling to his feet despite the pain, Thor knew he was in trouble. He had always depended on his hammer too much, and now it was in the hands of possibly the most dangerous man on the planet? Once more Doom came at him and he readied himself for another wound, but it never connected. Mere inches from his face, it had been blocked by a sword. One he knew very well.

"Excalibur!"

She nodded, even as she flourished her blade and forced Doom to take a step backwards to keep his balance. "Black Panther worked out something, got a few of us headed here fast to help you out. You want to make it official?"

He nodded, his determined expression filled with hope again as he spoke an incantation far stronger than that of Doom's parlour tricks. "Avengers? Assemble!"

Doom was already coming at him again, but out of nowhere a billy club was thrown that impacted with the eye socket of his mask, throwing him off balance completely, and at the same time the Black Panther surged forwards, delivering a perfectly executed drop kick, sending the tyrant falling backwards, the hammer falling from his grasp. Before he could move to reclaim it, Thor was on top of him, pinning him to the ground with electricity crackling all around him. Meanwhile, Excalibur calmly walked over to the fallen weapon of the god, and plunged her blade downwards, through the centre of the hand strap, before looking over to Doom, his hand reaching out to Mjolnir. The lack of any response from the weapon of mythical power deserved an explanation, and whilst Doom didn't certainly the Avengers did. "Excalibur is the sword that heals. The injuries you did to it have been undone. Which means... Thor?"

The Thunderer didn't grin at this news. Not yet. He closed his eyes and held out his hand, whispering a prayer in the hope that there was someone who gods could pray to, and only opened his eyes when he felt a familiar weight in his hand once more. Now he was grinning, even as he put the hammer down once more, pinning their foe in place.

"Bah! Curse you all! You shall rue this day, Avengers! All will bow before Doom!" and with a sudden blaze of magical power, he vanished, spirited away by arcane winds to who knew where. Once more the day was saved, once more Earth's Mightiest Heroes had prevailed on a day like no other.