An Earth that is not ours, where several of our brave heroes though, race into battle the heroes of this strange other Earth. There are some things you never see more than once in your lifetime, and as Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD looks out the window of the SHIELD helicarrier that transported our heroes to this world, he knows that this was at least five of those things.
Down on the battle field, Doctor Spectrum tells his fellow members of the Squadron Supreme that this is what they planned for, based on what they saw on the other side, and tells Blur to take the point. ‘You got it!’ Blur replies as he speeds over to the incoming heroes.
Captain America turns to the speedster in his group, Quicksilver, who announces that he sees Blur, before he speeds away. As the speedsters clash, Kitty Pryde of the X-Men asks what is going on, why they aren’t fighting, and where are they, for all anyone can see is what looks like a small twister. What the squabbling speedsters see though as they punch each other up, is an enduring lifetime of pain in the time that it takes for the rest of the battle to be concluded.
Doctor Spectrum suggests to his team that they try and soften their foes up a bit, and unleashes the powerful energies from the gem bonded to his hand, but the crystalline beam is shattered by a repulsor ray from Iron Man who hovers in the air nearby. ‘Welcome to the majors’ Iron Man remarks. ‘So. Now that we’ve learned you like to accessorize with jewelry - what else you got?’
Power Princess approaches the Thing, ‘We see you!’ she exclaims. The Thing calls her crazy and remarks that he has rules, that he doesn’t like hitting a lady. ‘You are an honorable man’ Power Princess replies, and as she smacks the Thing across the face, exclaims that they shall see to it that he has an honorable burial. The Thing picks himself up off the ground, exclaiming that Power Princess didn’t give him time to finish his sentence. ‘I was gonna say - ya take my pal Reed, and the rules don’t apply no more! I’m gonna enjoy this!’ he exclaims, before smashing Power Princess.
Meanwhile, in a highly secure facility, the man that the heroes of our Earth are fighting to save, Dr. Reed Richards, surrounded by guards, approaches Dr. Emil Burbank, the most brilliant mind on this world, exclaiming that he must talk to him. The suave Dr. Burbank replies that he was just coming to see Reed himself, and allows him into a meeting room without any guards. Reed tells Emil that he must call off his people. ‘Those are my friends out there!’ he exclaims. ‘Really? I never would have guessed. Did you call them?’ Emil asks. Reed replies that he didn’t, as he would never put his friends in that kind of jeopardy, so, clearly, they think they are here on some kind of rescue mission.
‘Clearly’ Emil replies sardonically, before Reed remarks that if he is allowed to go out there, he can explain to his friends that he is cooperating voluntarily, and then come back. ‘Of course you will’ Burbank mocks. Reed stretches his neck towards Burbank, ‘Are you calling me a liar!?’ he asks defensively. ‘You’re the one who can make your nose grow, Pinocchio, you tell me!’ Burbank replies. Reed asks Burbank if he thinks that he or anyone else could keep him in here if he did not choose to remain.
Burbank warns Reed against getting too close to him, or else he will set off the pain-givers. ‘You mean these?’ Reed asks as he shifts his form, slipping out of the device that held his hands behind his back. Reed begins to speak again, but Emil interrupts, telling him that there is no reason for threats, and announces that he has the solution to the problem. ‘Yeah? What?’ Reed asks. ‘Morph gas’ Emil replies, explaining that it is an invention of his, that it is colorless, odorless, lighter than air and harmless in every way - except that it knocks out anyone exposed to it for a few moments. Reed interrupts, exclaiming that he will not allow Emil to use it on his friends, that he doesn’t care how harmless Emil claims it to be.
Reed points out that, out in the open, such a gas would also be ineffective. ‘You interrupted me, Dr. Richards’ Emil remarks, smirking as he reveals that the gas knocks out anyone exposed to it for more than a few moments, unless you happen to be wearing nose filters, like he is. Reed extends an arm as he lunges for Emil’s throat, ‘You lied to me!’ Reed exclaims. Fighting Reed off, Emil replies ‘Nonsense. I said I had a solution to the problem, and I did’ he reminds Reed, before adding ‘What you failed to understand is that right now, you’re the problem’. Reed falls to the floor as the gas sets in. ‘I am the solution!’ the cocky Emil boasts as he walks away, calling Reed an amateur.
Back on the bridge of the helicarrier, Fury turns around and sees the glamorous Wanda Lehnsherr Maximoff a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch and asks her what she is doing here, as he sent her outside. The powerful young woman refers to the equally glamorous Arcanna Jones as she replies that she senses there is one among the so-called Squadron with magicks of her own, and that they would seem to be rather considerable in nature.
‘Yeah? So?’ asks Fury, pointing out that Wanda is rather powerful and asks if she is afraid of fighting someone on the same power scale. ‘Not afraid, no. But I wanted you to understand’ Wanda remarks, before informing Fury that she senses Arcanna’s powers come not from traditional sources, but from an understanding of the quantum-mechanical forces that are the very underpinnings of reality. Wanda explains that to set her powers against Arcanna’s might cause, for the lack of a better term, an implosion of natural laws. ‘Yeah? What’s that mean?’ Fury asks abruptly. ‘That it could potentially tear this world asunder and destroy it!’ Wanda reveals. Fury stands staunch and silent for a moment, before declaring that it is not his world, and orders the Scarlet Witch to ‘Get the Hell out there - your teammates need you!’.
Soon, Wanda flies down towards the battle field, where Iron Man and Doctor Spectrum are continuing to pit their powers against each other. Power Princess goes up for another fight with the Thing, while Shadowcat phases her hands into the Shape’s head. Captain America smashes Nighthawk in the face, while Tom Thumb lunges at the Wasp - and Arcanna sets her sights on the approaching Scarlet Witch.
Back aboard the helicarrier, Fury asks one of his officers if everyone from both sides is engaged. The officer replies that they have eyes on everyone except for Spider-Man, as they can’t pick him up yet, but that otherwise, it is a pretty even match, and asks Fury what he wants them to do now. ‘Wait’ Fury replies. ‘Wait? For what?’ the officer asks. ‘For the tipping point. You’ll know it when you see it’ Fury remarks as he leaves the bridge.
In the weapons room, Fury loads himself up with large guns and plenty of ammunition. ‘Whoa!’ a soldier exclaims as Fury walks past him. ‘Sir!’ Fury snaps. ‘Whoa, sir!’ the soldier replies. ‘Better’ Fury mumbles, before entering a room that is lit with a strange red glow. ‘It’s time. I’m going in!’ Fury announces. A voice, coming from someone hidden in the room asks Fury what he hopes to accomplish. Fury replies that he will slip in quiet and get the probes while everyone is looking at the biggest storm of the century, then run like Hell. ‘And then…? What of the rescuers?’ asks the person shown standing in the shadows with a cloak and hood.
Fury replies that, obviously, they will save as many of them as they can, but there will have to be some cases where they must compromise. He points out that there are priorities, and that they must stick to them. ‘I agree’ the mysterious figure replies, before Fury is somehow struck down by some sort of concussive blast. ‘Unfortunately, you have never been a priority’. Fury clutches himself, ‘Son of a…’ he mutters, while secretly reaching for a weapon, then leaping to his feet, he begins firing not one, but two, guns, ‘You can’t do this! This wasn’t the plan!’ he bellows while blasting wildly. ‘Yes I can. And yes, it was’ the unknown entity exclaims, unleashing another concussive force against Fury and knocking him out.
In the corridor, several armed SHIELD officers rush towards the location of the shots. One of them orders everyone to form up, and suddenly they unleash fire on the mysterious figure who exit’s the room - only for all of the soldiers to suffer the same fate as Fury, bombarded with some sort of concussive force. The cloaked figure steps over the soldier’s unmoving bodies and makes his way through the helicarrier.
Shortly, back outside on the battle field, Quicksilver and Blur continue to tussle, with Quicksilver getting in one good punch, causing blood to splatter everywhere from Blur, before the two men are suddenly struck down by a large burst of the same concussive energy that toppled Fury and the soldiers.
Down amongst the strands of grass, the Wasp asks the equally tiny Tom Thumb where Mr. Fantastic is being held. ‘You wanna know where they’re keeping Richards?’ Tom asks. ‘Yes!’ the Wasp exclaims. ‘Have you tried looking up your -’ Tom begins. ‘What the Hell?!’ one of them exclaims. ‘You stupid fool of a human being! What the Hell were you thinking?!’ comes a tiny voice from within the grass, while overhead, the stranger walks across the grass - and steps on them!
Up in the air, the Scarlet Witch and Arcanna hover near each other, both young women surging with their respective magical powers, when suddenly, there is a massive explosion, and both women slam to the ground.
Also up in the air, Dr. Spectrum and Iron Man continue to face-off, and Spectrum tells Iron Man that, he suggests they get the Hell back to their ship, when suddenly, Spectrum’s eyes light up and a voice fills his mind ‘- enemy…there is an enemy here who can harm the children. The children must be protected!’ and with that, Dr. Spectrum soars off, leaving a bewildered Iron Man hovering in the air.
Down below, Power Princess pulls at the Thing’s neck, exclaiming that she wishes to see if his blood is the same color as his skin, adding that she will make his death beautiful. The Thing exclaims that he isn’t done yet, when suddenly, Dr. Spectrum flies overhead and picks Power Princess up with his powers, ‘What are you - stop!’ she exclaims, ‘The children must be protected!’ Spectrum exclaims, while the Thing jokes ‘Yeah, that’s it…run off when…I nearly had ya…I handled tougher gals than -’ his sentence is cut off by the mysterious stranger who approaches him, ‘Always the braggart!’ he remarks, before the Thing is blasted across the battle field. When he gets to his feet, a weary Thing whispers ‘Can’t be…can’t be…you!’.
Back in the glowing red room aboard the helicarrier, ‘Nick? Niiiiiiiiiiiiiick? Nicky-poo? Anybody home?’ calls a voice from the shadows. ‘NO!’ Fury exclaims as he leaps off the floor and fires a weapon into the shadows. ‘You know, that’s what I always expected!’ the voice exclaims, before some webbing is flung from the shadows, taking hold of the weapon. Spider-Man then steps out of the shadows, revealing his presence, exclaiming that he knew there was something going on, that he could feel it, and that it had everything to do with Fury.
Fury tells Spider-Man to let him go, but Spider-Man ignores that, instead remarking that he stuck around instead of going where Fury wanted him to go, but Fury just shouts ‘I said let me go - before everybody on this mission is killed!’ Spider-Man lets Fury go, muttering that all he had to do was ask nicely, and to tell him what is really going on around here. ‘He can’t be allowed to get his hands on the probes…if he does…’ Fury exclaims as he rushes about the helicarrier. ‘He who? Pronouns can be fun, but nouns are better…and names can be even more fun!’ Spider-Man jokes.
Fury enters a control room and an officer informs him that they have got something - someone - on the scanners. ‘It’s not possible, but…’ the woman’s voice drifts off as Fury snaps ‘Show me!’ Clinging to the roof, Spider-Man exclaims ‘Show us both. I can keep a secret…right up until I put it on my blog!’. Fury looks at the monitor, ‘No!’ he exclaims. ‘you have got to be kidding me. We are so screwed!’ Spider-Man adds as he too looks at the monitor, which depicts the mysterious figure, now identified as…Dr. Doom! Doom stands over the Thing’s motionless body, with power surging in his hands, and steam rising from the Thing, while Doom exclaims ‘Yes. Very nice. A new universe…a new world to conquer. A new tomorrow. A new DOOM!’
