On the H.A.M.M.E.R. helicarrier, as it is en route to Asgard, T-2 hours, Daken thinks to himself that, finally, he was getting bored of the game.
Just then, one of the agents grabs his stomach and proceeds to vomit all over the floor and onto Daken’s shoe. After Daken gives him a seething look, the agent drops to his knees and apologizes profusely. He explains that he’s just a little nervous on the front. He didn’t mean to… Leaning down, Daken tells the agent not to talk and to just sit there, be pretty, and don’t ruin it with talk. When the agent tells him um, yes sir; Daken moves in closer to him and tells him very good. And if he does everything he says, and he means everything, he’ll make certain he lives to see the end of today.
At first nervous, the agent finally tells him yes. Slamming his face into the ground, Daken tells him good and to just lie still and take it. After he beats the man into submission, Daken tells him like he said, he’ll live. No battlefield for him. Maybe a plastic surgeon though. As he walks away, the other agents call out to the medical staff for a wounded man.
Around the corner, Venom tells Moonstone that he’s been having these dreams lately and when he wakes up, he’s all sticky. Maybe she can play doctor and tell him what that might be. Interjecting himself into the conversation, Daken tells Venom to save his energy; he can’t afford her fees. Turning his attention to Moonstone, Daken tells her “hello, sweetheart,” to which Moonstone tells him to go to hell. Walking away from Daken and joining up with Sentry, Ares, and Bullseye, Moonstone tells Mac that she’ll be his doctor anytime.
Watching her walk away, Daken, in his mind, tells Karla that there’s no place to go. Try if she likes, but she can’t run. None of you heroes can. And they all know it, or else they’re too dumb to care. Leaping on top of a nearby crate, Daken recalls that a man once said that you can tell the size of your god by looking at the size of your worries. Larger your worries, the smaller your god. And there they are, about to do battle with heaven. The Norse version of it, anyway. Observing an agent praying, Daken guesses he doesn’t see the irony. He’d laugh if he weren’t so disgusted.
Just then, the Iron Patriot, Norman Osborn, arrives on the scene. When he does, Daken mentions to his teammates there is their fearless leader pretending to be an expert on war. Looking down at Ares, Daken asks him if he’s ready to die for him. As Ares walks away, Daken knows that he is and that Norman must have something on all of his Avengers. He’s got something on him, he thinks. So it seems he’s given them a choice. Follow him into war against the gods of Asgard and gain their freedom. Or refuse and be killed. He’s lying of course, about the freedom. Norman is nothing without power, just a small man with a small genetic quirk and a reputation for being insane. Not exactly qualities that shake the world. Right now, the only power he has, and the only power he cares about, is control over his people. He’ll never give that up; he’ll never let them go. But what does it matter when the outcome is the same, either way? Go or stay, win or lose, they’re all doomed.
As the H.A.M.M.E.R. agents and Osborn’s Avengers line up, Osborn greets them and tells them that they all know the difficulties facing them this day and the importance of what they’ve been asked to do. Their enemy is powerful, the Asgardians are without mercy. But they have righteousness on their side. And they will, they must, prevail. Not simply for their own sakes, but for the lives of all the American innocents these monsters will consume should they be allowed to continue as they are. He tells them to fight, fight until their last breath. And know that he will be at their side, protecting all of them with his last breath. Once Osborn gets to the end of the line, Daken tells him that he feels so warm and safe now, will he hold him. Peering at him, Osborn tells him that he’ll be watching him. Smiling, Daken states that he’ll be watching him too.
From afar, three Norns, young golden-haired ladies with fangs and ten eyes each observe a magical image of Daken. One of them remarks that he is the one, the bringer of Ragnarok. When one of the sisters asks how they can be certain, she is told that they cannot. They are powerless to direct him. Paths must be chosen. All they can do is provide him with options.
As Daken puts his mask on, Bullseye says to him “well. Look at you.” Daken tells him yes do, but not to worry. He won’t tell anyone he wants to tap his… assets. Enraged, Bullseye tells him to go ahead and tell his fake little stories. See if he cares. When Daken begins to walk away, Bullseye says to him that talk is all he’s good for. Putting his arm on Bullseye’s shoulder, Daken tells him, Lester, that he knows that’s not true. Let him prove it to him. This could be their last day on Earth, after all.
Grabbing an arrow, Bullseye goes to jam it in Daken’s neck. Stopping him at the last moment, Daken tells him tut tut. Pushing Daken away, Bullseye says to him that he doesn’t even know why he’s there. Daken asks him what choice he has. Didn’t he hear their lord and master? The fate of the world rests in their hands. He can’t walk away from that. Bullseye tells him not to give him that crap. He has enough to worry about with all these… these… losers around. He doesn’t need to worry about him stabbing him in the back.
Starting to walk away, Daken tells him to take a pill. Besides, he wasn’t planning on stabbing him in the back. Bullseye yells at him to do it then, let’s go! Daken replies that he’s put so much work into turning him into his puppet. Why would he throw that all away? Bullseye starts to say that he’s not his… but Daken cuts him off and tells him yes he is. He’ll do whatever he wants, no matter what he wants, and with almost no effort on his part. Bullseye starts to head towards him and calls him a son of a…
Osborn cuts him off and tells him enough. He informs them to group up, they go in nine minutes. Turning to Bullseye, he tells him that since he’s so ready to throw down, he can take point. When Osborn walks away, Daken looks over at Bullseye and tells him he told him. He told them all, in different ways. But none of them listened. So here he is following the game to its last moments. How it ends doesn’t matter, this is just the beginning.
Once on Asgard, Daken, the rest of Osborn’s Avengers, and H.A.M.M.E.R. agents engage in vicious battle with the Asgardians. After holding more than his own, Daken observes an Asgardian holding a spear over a H.A.M.M.E.R. agents head. The agent calls out to Daken to save him but Daken ignores his pleas. Walking through the battlefield, Daken thinks to himself join the army, see the world, meet interesting people and kill them. It’s a good distraction for a while but so limited.
Facing off against a large Asgardian, Daken tells the brute that he can deliver his leaders Osborn’s head on a platter, the Avengers too. All he needs is the right word. Ceasing the fight, the Asgardian asks Daken why he would betray his own people and why should he believe anything he tells him. Daken tells him believe him or not, but whatever he’s going to do, he better do it fast. At that moment, Osborn comes up behind the Asgardian and shoots his head off. When he does, Daken tells the Asgardian that he was too late.
Landing, Osborn asks Daken if he’s enjoying himself. Daken replies that he makes friends everywhere he goes. When Osborn tells him that this isn’t a game, Daken asks it isn’t. Tossing the Asgardians severed head at other oncoming Asgardians, Daken states that war is the ultimate game. How the pieces fall makes kings and slaves. Blasting another Asgardian’s head, Osborn tells Daken enough and that he wants him to take the unit and move east. Daken quips yes, he hears the slaughter of their troops is going well over there. Grabbing Daken by the collar, Osborn angrily asks him if they are going to have a problem with each other.
Just then, Daken tells Osborn to look behind him. When he does, Daken jams his claws into Osborn’s back and tells him there is no problem at all. As Osborn lies on the ground bleeding, he asks Daken what he’s doing. Putting his inside claw up to Osborn’s face, Daken tells him what he was born to do and proceeds to jam it into him. From afar, the Norns remark that this is very promising.
