Magdalene quickly grabs her staff that laid so casually beside her like some old friend. She is always ready for battle, though her mind still drifts to the question she has so long desired to ask of the Scarlet Witch.
Clint Barton, the Avengers' resident marksman known the world over as Hawkeye, furiously peers throughout the park. Without the ability to inconspicuously carry his bow and arrows, he needs something to use to aid his friends. "Geez, where's the obligatory out-of-place archery tournament when you need one?" He mumbles to himself.
The Scarlet Witch stands firm as she raises her hands to the sky. The energy is released as clouds begin to formulate unnaturally. Thunder breaks the sounds of laughter and the lightning that follows begins to dissipate the crowds within the park.
Together they may not be the mightiest of earth's heroes, but nevertheless, they stand no less tall.
Though he is without his weapon of choice, his wrecking ball, the Absorbing Man is far from helpless. He stoops down to make contact with the concrete walkway. Instantaneously his entire body mimics the property of the man-made substance. It slows down his stride for only a moment and he continues to bound towards his enemies. He hesitates once again as he views his options: 3 females whose powers and/or identities he readily recognizes and the singular blond male who is currently an unknown variable. His ego, however, leaves him without a question -- the man would be his target.
"So punk," he says as he rushes towards Clint, "which one are you? Captain America? Giant-Man? Quasar? You guys probably all look alike without the masks anyway."
The villain swings, but his new body weight throws him slightly off-balance. As Hawkeye easily dodges, he replies, "Would you believe I'm Thor?"
"Ha! I've taken on that Asgardian bum more than once and you he ain't."
Clint is beginning to panic. He has no super-powers and his reliance on the long-distance attacks of archery has made his hand-to-hand skills somewhat inadequate. Despite his bobbing and weaving, he finds himself with no where to run.
"Next time bring your sword or your shield," he says, raising his powerful fists. "Now, say goodnight, ‘Stupid'."
An energy blast erupts at precisely that moment, driving the Absorbing Man to the ground.
"Goodnight ‘Stupid'," Hawkeye replies, "and thanks, Maggie."
Wanda stares at the two intently, waiting for Carol to step back so she might use her ability to manipulate probabilities. But Warbird doesn't back down -- she knows Wanda is ready to assist and that only makes her more determined to finish the battle herself.
"You're not gonna win! You know that, ugh, right, Titania?" Carol asks unconvincingly.
"You must be joking, kid. I play in the major leagues," Titania responds as she begins to overpower Carol.
"Oh really? Somebody told me one time that the, ugh, Wasp and Ant-Man once beat up pretty badly on you and your man."
Carol realizes immediately that she said the wrong thing. Titania has always been a poor loser and rubbing her nose in it has never been advisable. She stumbles for an instance and Titania begins to move in for the kill.
But having at last found a weapon, Hawkeye swings in to save his teammate. He launches it with care and precision. Fortunately a bystander left it behind during the melee. Without a moment to spare the... frisbee finds its target: Titania's head. Obviously the most it could do is jolt her; but that is precisely what it does. And in the four seconds it takes her to recover, Warbird summons the remainder of her strength into an energy blast that sends her opponent into unconsciousness.
Wanda breathes deeply, relieved that she wasn't forced to use her hex power on another living being. Ever since the dream she had only hours ago --
"Wanda! Behind you!"
She turns to see a revived Absorbing Man charging headfirst towards her. She knows exactly who it is, but for a moment she sees the figure from her nightmare -- the one cloaked in darkness. She could easily dodge his attack under normal circumstances, but now she stands frozen, immobile. The Scarlet Witch does then what she must. A hex bolt is hurled forward and the concrete form of the Absorbing Man bursts into dozens of pieces.
Wanda stares, horrified by her actions. But it is not until the stone pieces ooze blood that she begins to shake uncontrollably. And it is not until the blood echoes forth a sinister laugh that she wakes up in bed drenched with sweat.
A dream within a dream? Wanda wonders, still shaking. Like the one with Vision, it seemed so real.
"Anything the matter?" She asks, noticing their stern expressions.
"Actually, Wanda, we wanted to show you something," Captain America responds.
The three old friends make the quick walk to the medical bay, none saying a word; the tension in the air speaking enough for them all. As they enter, the first thing that catches Wanda's eye is the outline of a body beneath a blanket.
"Oh," Steve says, noticing the object of her attention. "This is only one of our mysteries." Pulling back the sheet, she sees the broken pieces of a concrete-made Absorbing Man.
"Dear God," she gasps, stepping back.
It had only been a dream.
"Carol and I found him in the park just an hour or so ago," Hawkeye states. "Some witnesses said he was fighting some unidentified superguys during a whacked-out thunder storm."
"So..." she started, pausing to take note of Hawkeye's sincere face. "So you two found him during the picnic?"
It had only been a dream!
"That's tomorrow, remember Wanda? Carol and I just responded to the emergency call."
She knows he isn't lying. Clint is perhaps her best friend in the world. She can read him like a book. It must be some strange coincidence, she thinks.
She steps back, nearly convulsing. It had only been a dream; but now it is a nightmare.
To be continued...
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