103: Suppressed Mephisto
"There they are..." a detective yelled, pointing to where Iron Man and Spider-Woman stood on the grass near the station.
Among them was someone the police recognized - the golden armor who'd helped against the Lizard in the sewers.
"Why's he here too?" George wondered. Hearing this, Anna asked excitedly, "Uncle George, you know that golden robot?"
George nodded. "He's called the Emperor."
Anna repeated the imposing name to herself. Green Goblin's gaze also fixed on the newcomer standing with his targets.
His pupils constricted! "That's the golden armor from the file..." In the documents on the 'New Captain America' program, there was a photo of this armor. Green Goblin had assumed it was also Stark tech, but perhaps not.
Andrew glanced at Green Goblin before asking Gwen, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Gwen replied, "But why are you here too?"
Choosing his words, Andrew said, "I sensed an evil power and came to investigate."
Reminded by him, Gwen also felt the sinister aura around Green Goblin - the 'evil power' Andrew had detected.
Tony cut in, "Sorry to interrupt your chat, but his flames are dangerous."
Andrew and Gwen looked over as Tony displayed his frozen gauntlet, tapping it to make the armor shatter, showing the icy layer beneath.
"JARVIS says his flames freeze molecular structure. His power exceeds comprehension," Tony explained, eyeing Andrew - like the Emperor's might.
"Thank you," he said sincerely. This was the second time Andrew had saved him.
Andrew nodded, spotting the triangular reactor. "I see you found what Howard left you."
Gwen frowned, "How do we handle him now?" Just getting close posed a problem.
Andrew stepped forth confidently, "You two rest, I'll take care of this."
Gwen immediately objected, "Don't be reckless, his power defies reason!"
But Andrew's assured words quelled her protests. Tony sat against a rock to watch the show. "Too bad there's no popcorn."
Sitting beside him, Gwen said, "I don't want to admit it, but he gives me a reassuring feeling, like..." Andrew's figure overlapped with Luo Feng's in her mind.
"Like what?" Tony asked. But Gwen just shook her head, "It's nothing."
Seeing Green Goblin alone, Andrew approached. Green Goblin sneered, "A tragic fate awaits heroes." He felt oddly suppressed by the golden armor.
"It must be my imagination! My master's power is supreme!" Green Goblin told himself. "What do you want?"
"The one who aids you - it's Mephisto, isn't it?" Andrew already guessed it was Mephisto or Dormammu. But Norman lacked the magical skill to reach Dormammu.
Green Goblin's expression darkened. His contract forbade speaking Mephisto's name! "I don't know what you mean. Die for me!"
He hurled flaming pumpkin bombs that cackled evilly. Two veered towards the police while the rest flew at Andrew.
"As I thought." If Andrew saved the police, the bombs would kill Gwen and Tony. But they also couldn't escape death if he did nothing.
Summoning the Emperor Sword, Andrew slashed the bombs, setting off explosions that engulfed him. Gwen and Tony watched in alarm, ready to assist.
"Wait, how did he...?" Tony gasped. They saw Andrew standing before the police station, deflecting the bombs skyward where they detonated harmlessly. Andrew flourished his sword.
"How...when did you...?" Green Goblin stared in disbelief at Andrew standing before the NYPD. He hadn't even seen the golden armor move.
Shock mixed with anger - and an underlying fear he suppressed. Green Goblin was too arrogant to realize Andrew overawed him. Norman would have fled to regroup, but Green Goblin's madness left him unable to gauge the situation.
Empowered by Mephisto, his confidence swelled beyond reason. Green Goblin leapt up as the Flight Device returned to his feet. "Is that fast enough?" he taunted, eyes blazing red.
Green flames erupted behind him, combining with the Flight Device's speed to transform Green Goblin into an icy missile trailing frost. "Playing with fire?"
Andrew touched the elemental stone on his belt, summoning a fiery energy sticker. Ancient flame glyphs gathered into the word 'Flame'. Tapping it with his sword, Andrew intoned, "Emperor Flame Slash!"
The Emperor Sword unleashed torrents of scorching flames, vaporizing Green Goblin's chill. With a flaming arc, Andrew slashed at Green Goblin. The extreme temperatures collided violently, the shockwave blasting outwards.
Tony lowered his mask and ignited his thrusters to keep standing. Gwen clung to the ground as her hat fluttered in the gale.
"Incredible energy..." Tony gasped. Gwen was also shocked. She'd seen Andrew fight the Lizard before, but nothing like this.
At S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury and Hill watched the chaos onscreen, equally stunned. Fury broke into a cold sweat - the power fluctuations even disrupted the video feed.
Hill was astonished. This was a human explosion! She'd doubted Fury's Avengers idea, believing no personal power could challenge an entire nation.
But the two onscreen exceeded anything they could control. Hill no longer doubted the necessity of Fury's contingency plan.
The clash evoked Fury's memories of the mighty woman who had single-handedly blocked an alien armada beyond the universe. It was that experience which cemented his commitment to the Avengers initiative after becoming director.
"Hill!"
"Sir!" She turned to the serious Fury.
"I'm meeting Banner tomorrow, the Avengers must happen. Damn the bureaucrats, I have final say on S.H.I.E.L.D!" Hill acknowledged his resolute order and prepared arrangements.
"Status on the Arctic excavation?" Fury inquired.
Consulting a document, Hill reported Captain America's shield had been found recently under the ice by scientists. But no sign of Rogers after sacrificing himself seventy years ago by crashing the bomber into the ocean.
Howard Stark had recovered the Tesseract in his search, but not Rogers' body. "It's assumed his remains are nearby the wreckage."
Hill wondered, "Why the effort to find Rogers? I know he's an American icon, but..." Fury didn't waste resources idly.
Fury simply asked what she thought Howard's motivation was back then. Hill suggested honoring his friend, and for Peggy Carter, Rogers' lover and founder of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"There's those reasons," Fury agreed, "But the biggest - Howard didn't think Rogers died!"
Hill's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"
To be continued...