26

The black clouds over Beerenberg have gotten thicker. They're about to get even thicker yet.

Near the coast, a portal opens. Mordo marches out. He's joined by Murakami, Davos, Knight, and Wing. Behind them, the portal closes.

Mordo acknowledges Beerenberg's crater. There's light dancing around inside it. Davos and Murakami both smile. They know Wizardkiller's power when they see its traces.

"At long last," Mordo confesses, "we've reclaimed the weapon of our war. It only lies a hike away, inside that fiery mountain's crater."

"Great," Knight acknowledges, with glowing violet eyes. "How do we subdue him without Leader or Persuasion?"

"In case you've all forgotten, I'm a sorcerer. I know spells."

Davos stares at Mordo. "Why haven't you used them before?!"

"The spell I know won't work for long. Besides, Leader's only a portal-opening away...alas, I am no longer equally certain about Persuasion."

"She's got a broken arm," Wing admits, with violet-glowing eyes. "We'd best leave her be."

In an arrowhead formation, they march up towards the peak. Mordo's at point, of course. Wing and Knight are at the far flanks. Mordo doesn't seem to consider this a security risk...

Up high, Brunnhilde and Maverick watch. They know the enemy's arrived...and they know they're outnumbered...if not outgunned.

"The archer said he's bringing company," Maverick reminded her. "Depending on how dangerous they are, I might not be able to stay the Red Hulk long enough to beat all of them."

"I planned not to allow thee to slay them all," Brunnhilde says, smiling. "But I heed your words."

The Illuminati are getting closer. Nothing's stopping them.

Brunnhilde draws her Dragonfang sword. Maverick seems confused.

"Midgard will fall if they offend those dragons to the point of berserk," she tells him. "I am already a refugee of one fallen world."

She leaves. Maverick sighs, and takes the plug-in out of his sporran. The miniaturized gamma star is bright, red, and ready for another round. He pops it into the socket on his chest, and runs after Brunnhilde.

The Illuminati are at Beerenberg's base. Like lone gunslingers, Brunnhilde and Maverick march out to meet them.

Mordo stops. Behind him, the formation stops too. Brunnhilde boldly holds her sword in front of her face. Maverick stands nearby, fists clenched-but avoiding the temptation to lose his temper.

Behind Mordo, Davos's fists barely glow red. Mordo holds up his hand; Davos's fists dim.

"We haven't met," Mordo announces. "Who are you?"

"I am Brunnhilde-regent ruler of New Asgard. This is Robert, son of Maverick, former warrior of the United States. This island is under a state of emergency. You are forbidden to enter!"

"Clever," Maverick mutters, "but will it work?"

Mordo smiles. "Regent ruler,' are you?" He looks around. "I certainly don't mean to sound cliche, but...you and what army?"

Right on time, Brunnhilde's reinforcements arrive. Jones, Johnson, and Reyes take one flank. Murdock, Walker, and Bishop take the other. They're all suited up-except for Reyes and Maverick, whose powers lose control once activated.

Brunnhilde smiles. "Not to sound cliche, but...need I say more?"

"Walker," Mordo calls out. "Your treachery saddens me."

Bloody Mary cackles. "Thompson's mind control was a real bitch. But I'm over her. All three of us are!"

"Congrats," Mordo admits. "It seems you all outnumber me two to one."

Many smiles...

"But it just so happens I have something that's better than numbers. I have a hostage-and if you don't stand aside and let us up, she gets it!"

"She," some of the Defenders whisper; Jones only grins.

"It turns out you had someone treat Master Wong after I sent Black Ant to attack him. That was very kind of you. I'm sure he would've died if she hadn't patched him up. It turns out I once had a colleague that she patched up after a dark sorcerer named Kaecilius mortally wounded him..."

"You leave Dr. Palmer out of this," Murdock shouts. "She's not a sorcerer, and she's not a target!"

Nighthawk spreads her wings. Reyes inadvertently becomes the Ghost Rider.

"Some of you must think I'm bluffing," Mordo muses. "I can sense it in your expressions. But my proof is only a spell away. Just allow me to perform a couple of others, and help even this playing field a little more..."

Mordo waves his hands, and creates a portal. Sterns falls through it, still in the same chair Nighthawk left him in at Harlem's Paradise. The chair breaks when he hits the ground. He wakes.

He stands, and looks around. He's Sterns. It takes him a while to recognize his surroundings. And, he acknowledges Nighthawk.

She grins, and waves. Sterns straightens up, and heaves a sigh.

Mordo opens another portal. Owlsley falls through it. He's still tied up in Daredevil's cable. Sterns sighs, becomes Leader, and telekinetically removes the cable coils from around Owlsley's body.

"He's still three men short," Bishop mutters, grinning.

"Four," Maverick mutters, "if he wants to outnumber us."

Mordo grins. "And now, without further ado, the hostage:"

He opens another portal-to a bedroom in Dr. Palmer's house. Inside, a woman in lingerie lies atop a bed.

Batroc's there. He's zigzagging around the bed, with a camera. It seems he's making big money shots. Algiers-forbid if he ever sells them...

Jones and Walker both sigh. Mordo waits a long time for Batroc to notice them. Moments pass. He keeps photographing the woman's exposed body.

The Defenders bend over and try to peek...but they can only see the lower half of the woman's body. The portal isn't wide enough.

"BATROC!"

The Leaper leaps, of course. He giggles, and waves through the portal.

Wing shakes her head, in a disapproving manner.

Batroc gently scoops the lingerie-clad woman in his arms, and carefully creeps through the portal. Once through, the portal vanishes behind him.

Bishop has the best vision. She scans the woman's body, and sees a small black creature scurrying across her bare belly.

She snickers. "Two more for the king's army, looks like," she mutters.

"Two more," Murdock asks.

Bishop nods. "Black Ant's on her tummy."

Nighthawk scoffs. "Some guys never quit."

"Voila, she is here," Batroc shouts, in his likable French-Algerian accent. "The hostage!"

Mordo smiles. "So, as a few of you, I'm sure, have already figured out, I've got a nano-warrior stationed on her body. He can kill, or rape her if he wants. He merely waits for my command!"

In Batroc's arms, the young damsel lies very still. She's not even snoring.

Jones smiles. "Congrats, Mordo. Your ingenuity is legendary. And I must confess that in the more relevant scenario, you'd have us all in a tight spot."

Finished exploring her tummy and navel for a while, Black Ant crawls into her panties, to go spelunking in her pussy. Between her legs, he's in dangerous territory right now...

Mordo's smile slips to a frown. "I'm sorry, but...what do you mean by, 'the more relevant scenario?"

"It's simple, really." She gestures towards the sleeping beauty. "You think that's Dr. Palmer. She's not. Her name is Clea. And she's a sorceress...from the future."

With that, Clea claps her thighs together, trapping Black Ant. She spreads her arms, and levitates towards the Defenders' rank.

The violet light leaves Batroc's eyes. He leaps across the line of scrimmage, and into the Defenders' ranks.

The same light leaves the eyes of Wing and Knight. They both abandon Mordo's Illuminati, and rejoin the Defenders.

Mordo seems dumbfounded. They all do.

Clea projects some energy from her body, and expels Black Ant. Now on the ground, he leaps back into the Illuminati's ranks, and resizes himself to normal. He enlarges his hand, and makes a fist. He shakes it back at the Defenders, subtly cursing them.

Knight gasps when he sees him do this.

Carson pauses. He lifts his suit's visor, re-sizes his hand to normal, points a finger at her, and laughs incessantly.

Knight narrows her eyes, turns her prosthetic arm into a laser cannon, and shoots Carson in the groin. He screams like a girl, falls over, and cries.

"Oh, my poor little HYDRA head eggs," he whimpers. "I'm so sorry; you'll be horribly disfigured when I'm finally cut off."

Jones wiggles her brows, and smiles. "Looks like you're outnumbered two to one again, Mordo!"

She's right. As the ranks currently stand, there are twelve Defenders and only six Illuminati.

Mordo sighs, and raises his head. "And I suppose Thompson's done us the dishonor of defecting too?"

"It was my idea," Jones admitted. "She just helped. It seems she didn't take it too well when you chose Sterns to ride the dragon instead of her. You broke her heart! She was looking forward to that-even if you were going to use the poor little dragon as a genocidal weapon!"

"Actually," Davos mutters...

"And Walker," Mordo asks, cutting Davos off. "When did she leave me?"

"SAY IT TO MY FACE, WUSS," Bloody Mary screams.

"We were never loyal to you," Jones continues. "None of us were. Thompson gave them orders. They were never what you thought, but they were always what you expected-right up until she ordered them to leave you."

"And I'll wager to guess," Mordo adds, "that she's not really in a hospital, either?"

"She's safe," Jones regurgitates. "And I've made her promise not to subdue her caregivers! But her arm really is broken. Her bad!"

Knight snickers.

Black Ant recovers. Owl stands. Leader is still green. Murakami's got his tonfas at the ready. Steel Serpent's fists barely glow with dim red light. Mordo pulls out his staff, and elongates it.

"I am desperate," Mordo tells them. "My weapon to save the world is inside that mountain. With or without your help, I will get what I've come for. And I would delight in killing all of you...but I'm warning you all that this is the last time I'm inviting you to leave, stay out of the way, and let me do my job." He acknowledges Clea. "And Clea, very soon, the two of us are going to have a little talk that you are NOT going to enjoy."

As called for, Jones flexes her bare arms. Daredevil pulls out his club. Ghost Rider's flames burn brighter. Maverick loses his temper, and becomes Rulk. Nighthawk spreads the wings in her wingpack, and shrieks. Bloody Mary draws her machetes, and hisses. Hawkeye draws an arrow, and pulls it back on the string on her bow. Knight arms her prosthetic arm. Wing's fists glow with white light. Leaper spins, while warming up his savate kicks. Valkyrie holds her Dragonfang sword to where the sunlight makes it glimmer like diamond. Clea conjures some clothes for herself, levitates, and generates energy orbs into her hands.

Mordo chuckles. "Once again, diplomacy fails. Illuminati!" Steel Serpent's fists glow bright red. Black Ant shrinks, and mounts one of Murakami's tonfas. "ATTACK!"

The Defenders split into pairs. Each pair takes on one of the Illuminati as they come up Beerenberg's base.

What follows will rage. And with an insane amount of luck, it won't inadvertently awaken the two lovebirds, who hibernate passionately in the mountain's volatile chamber.