Midgard Standard Year 2200

Olympus

The Cosmic Flame stood, flames pouring around him, watching the most bizarre sight he had ever seen.

In front of him, in the ruins of the city that once was home to the Olympian gods, Santa Claus was beating the Easter Bunny to a pulp.

"I’ll kill you, you lazy bastard!" Santa Claus roared.

"Bite me, fascist!" the Easter Bunny retorted through the blood.

Santa stood up and hauled the Easter Bunny to it’s feet. "You remind me of that damnable Whitman. Always whining about something, always pining over this or that. Bah!" Santa slapped him across the face, breaking the Bunny’s jaw. "Besides, you look ridiculous in that pink fuzzy suit."

"Nou wear a thoot, too, Thanta," the Bunny struggled to say.

"But I’m supposed to wear a suit! You’re supposed to BE a Bunny! That’s what wrong with the world - bunch of half-assed people carrying out their half-assed ideas in half-assed ways!"

Santa had another witty shot to take at the Easter Bunny, but he didn’t get it out. The Easter Bunny had kicked him right in the balls.

"Charming, aren’t they?" a soft, sweet voice asked from behind the Cosmic Flame.

"Huh?" the Flame asked, startled.

"Hello, Cosmic Flame. Your reputation as a Herald of Galactus proceeds you," spoke the bright pink-skinned female. "My name is Astoria. I’m an Elder of the Universe. I know, I don’t look a day over 30 standard years. It’s a gift." She pointed towards Santa and the Easter Bunny, "I made them. I can make you, too, if I decide to take that path. Would you like to stay with me, Flame? I’d like you to." The Elder smiled. "And I usually get what I want."

Asgard - The Plain of Ida

"Wait, let me see if I understand you. Ben-Vell Parker wants me - ME - to help him on a cross-cosmic quest?"

"Hey, Eshir, I don’t want you. As far as I’m concerned you can-!"

"Stop it!" Angelica and Attumidunn shouted in unison, causing Ben-Vell Parker and Eshir to turn to them, surprise in their eyes.

"Look," Attumidunn continued, "we know the two of you don’t like each other. We know that. But we need the both of you for this quest." ‘Especially because Angelica won’t be any big help to us …’ she continued to herself.

The four Orphans of War walked across the Plain of Ida with tensions running high. Angelica had come up with the plan to search out Franklin Richards, a plan that Attumidunn had agreed to. Together, they convinced Ben-Vell, who was eager to go, but didn’t want Eshir to be a part of the plan. He saw the need for him, Eshir’s awesome power would be invaluable, but he didn’t have to like it.

"I like Ben fine, so long as he stays out of my way," Eshir spoke harshly.

"For the love of Odin, it was an accident!" Ben screamed in the fading light of day. "We were kids, it was a stupid prank! I didn’t know it would happen!"

"You didn’t know that the Fenris Wolf would probably be a little tough for me to handle?" Eshir asked pointedly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I was only eight at the time."

"We thought the chain could only go so far! I said I was sorry!"

"Ah, yes, your sorrow," Eshir turned the screws as they continued to walk, wind blowing through his white hair. "Tell me, oh mighty Ben-Vell Parker, savior of the cosmos, amidst all this sorrow, did you ever stop to think what it would be like to age without hands?"

Ben stared hard at Eshir and the stumps that ended where hands should have begun. The argument was nothing new, they’d had it on-and-off since it had happened, fourteen years previous. "No, Eshir, I didn’t."

"And your face. Yes, that lovely blue face that Toomi and Angel and all the other women swoon over … did you ever stop to think about what it would be like to have a quarter of your face scarred?"

"Sure, but I-"

"But you can’t understand. I know."

Toomi and Angel watched the verbal assault with resignation. Eshir wasn’t ever going to let go of the pain of what Ben had done to him. But they both also knew that it was just a stupid prank kids play on one another. How accountable was the adult for his sins as a child?

"I know it all too well, Ben-Vell," Eshir said in low, threatening tones. "But I don’t know the pain that you hold from that day, do I?"

"Enough!" Ben-Vell screamed, feeling emotions welling up from within him. He felt a hot tear run down his cheek, unchecked, as he stopped his walking. "Don’t you dare go there, Eshir! Don’t. You. Dare. I live with that everyday of my life, I just don’t bring it up to anyone! Maybe I haven’t been as kind or thoughtful to you as I should have, but at least your alive! At least you can draw a breath every single morn! Jonas doesn’t get to do that!"

"No, he doesn’t," Eshir spoke quietly without hint of emotion. "Pity for you."

For maybe the millionth time, Ben’s heart shattered. "Damn you, Eshir."

"No, Ben-Vell, damn you. Not that a person can be damned twice, I don’t think." Eshir started walking again. "Don’t delay us too much with those sissy tears of yours. I don’t think Toomi wants a man who cries like a babe."

Ben looked up through the tears at Toomi, his girlfriend, and saw just a hint of disgust in her eyes as she looked down on him.

Olympus

"What do you mean? You made them?" the Cosmic Flame asked Astoria, as he watched Santa and the Easter Bunny continue to knock each other senseless. He propped himself up on all fours to get a view of the fight, but he was too weak to stand.

He did manage to get a better look at Astoria, though. Her skin was bright pink, almost glowing. She wore a long flowing dress that matched her skin color. Ribbons of dark blue whirled around her, tossed by the winds of Olympus.

"I made them who they are," she explained softly, as if it were obvious. "I made that one into Santa Claus and that one into the Easter Bunny."

"But … how?" the Flame asked, his mind struggling to get a grip.

"With my vast power, silly. I told you, I’m an Elder of the Universe. Ooh, look at how the Easter Bunny is trying to learn to kick with his legs. That’s very good. He used to use them only to jump." Astoria beamed like a proud mother.

"But … why?"

"My, you’re just full of questions, aren’t you? Especially for one who doesn’t even know who he is," Astoria accused, looking at the Flame.

"I know who I am," the Flame shot back, indignant.

"Really? Tell me who you are then."

"I’m the Cosmic Flame! Herald of Galactus!"

"Ah, yes, but who are you beneath all that fire and flame? Who is the man that was turned into this being?" The Flame hung his head and Astoria smiled. "I could use you, Cosmic Flame. I could hide you and protect you." The Flame’s head shot up. "Oh yes, my dear. You have people that are very interested in you." She smiled. "Very interested."

The four Orphans of War walked across the Plain of Ida. All four were well aware of the recon missions that Balder had sent through the area, but with Eshir’s power, they could easily bypass the border patrol.

"Can you see it, yet, Eshir?" Ben-Vell asked impatiently. "We didn’t bring you so we could spend all our time walking …"

"Why? Are you tired? Such a shame that one so strong as you-"

"Odin’s beard, enough of this prattle," Toomi sighed. "This task we chose is not an easy one. I remind you that the person - the god - we seek nearly slayed the Planer Devourer without aid. For the tenth time this standard hour, we need both of you to work together."

Eshir and Ben looked at each other with resignation, but didn’t say a word.

Angelica walked ahead of them, not really wanting to go anymore. She loved adventure and this was an excuse to be with Ben for a few days - even if Toomi had to be there, too, but at least her own imagination wouldn’t run completely wild with the two of them in her sights. But this was shaping up to be a mission that was maybe more than she could handle. Ben, Toomi and Eshir each had awesome powers, but she had none. For the first time she really wondered about the wisdom of tagging along on this mission.

A "normal", Toomi called her. And she wasn’t even an Asgardian normal, either. She was completely human. The apples of Idunn were stolen sometime during True Ragnarok - their current whereabouts unknown - and without one of those apples, she couldn’t become Asgardian.

"There it resides," Toomi announced as she gazed towards the Forest of Midgard. "’Tis beautiful."

"Yeah, it is," Ben spoke quietly and the four Orphans stood silent for a moment, looking at the large area that had been grown on the other side of the Plain of Ida. Several hundred miles to the west of the Forest of Midgard was a passageway to Jotunheim, home of the Giants.

"They built this right after I had come here," Angelica relayed, information bursting out of her. "It holds samples of nearly all the plant life on Midgard, tucked inside one large forest. Volstagg always said they built it for me, but I know that was just something he said to calm the fears of a lost little girl. I was so screwed up back then," she laughed, not really knowing why she was letting all of this out, "I had no idea about Asgard or Thanos or the Eternal War. Not really, anyways. The Bugle Stream kept us informed as best it could through the closed GlobeNet, but details of a cosmic war were always sketchy at best. They’d have pictures of Captain America when they could get them, but people didn’t want to read about him."

"Why wouldn’t people want to read about the Cosmic Protector?" Ben asked, taken aback. As an heir of Mar-Vell, he - and others - had always assumed that he would one day become the Protector. The fact that there was anyone who wasn’t interested in the Cosmic Protector’s exploits was beyond him.

"When he left for the stars, the governments of Ear- Midgard reacted poorly," Angelica continued, a faraway look in her soft eyes. "My grandmother always though that was funny. She was a history buff and used to show me all the press clippings. He was like a Saint, toiling amongst the common folks to make their lives better. He was revered."

"And they held it against him when he left?" Toomi asked, incredulous.

"Yeah, they called him a traitor."

The three Orphans couldn’t believe their ears. They stood in shock, "Captain America a traitor?", staring at Angel, waiting for her to continue on. But she didn’t, not for a long while.

Asgard - The Residence of Steve Rogers

Captain America entered the residence he kept on Asgard, needing and wanting nothing but a shower and time to rest. He pulled off his mask and gloves as his mind kept going over all that had just happened … the assault on Titan 3 … defeating the Deviants, but finding no POWs … Franklin’s return … the near defeat of Galactus … Thanos walking Asgard … the possibility that Franklin was one of the Unspeakables …

He didn’t feel burdened by the information or the situation that he was in as he moved into the bedroom to sit on the large bed. That’s what needed to be done, so that’s what dominated his thoughts. There was so much to do that he did feel the pangs of guilt as he removed his boots and allowed a second to think about how good that hot shower was going to feel.

Asgard was a place he rarely got to these days. Thanos planned his strategy well and kept him going back and forth, chasing one mystery after another, putting down this rebellion or helping that revolution.

Steve didn’t let it get to him because it was his responsibility, afterall. He knew that his life would change when he accepted this new position as Cosmic Protector and he didn’t regret it for a second.

Still, he longed for the day when he could go back to it being just him and his shield, no powers, no Nega Bands, no Cosmic Awareness …

His own tactical mind interrupted his thoughts, "Wait. What did Thanos say?" He closed his eyes to help concentrate, thinking back upon what Thanos had said this afternoon during the Council meeting, "The plans of Thanos will continue. We have nothing to fear from Franklin Richards." (1)

We?

1- ALL GOD’S CHILDREN # 5 - THE COMING OF THE LORD

Since when did Thanos have allies that he referred to as "We"? The allies that he did have, alien drone races like the Phalanx, Deviants and Brood, he considered beneath him, not worthy of his mention. So who was suddenly a part of his Army that he would refer to them as We?

"We have nothing to fear from Franklin Richards."

Steve opened his eyes, his brain racing through all the possibilities, reevaluating all the data, deci-

"Oh … wow …"

"Well, finally. You’ve only been home for five minutes, Steve. About time you noticed me standing in the doorway to the bath in this soft, silken robe that you can almost see through if you concentrate hard enough."

"I think Than-"

"Not now, Steve," Dani Moonstar smiled. "The water in this bath isn’t going to stay warm forever. Or would you like to start on the bed?" she asked as she walked towards him slowly. "You can give me an hour, can’t you?" She sat into his lap, squeezing his middle gently between her thighs. "Or five? I hate having to resort to simple seduction, but …"

Steve wrapped his arms around her as she brought her head down to his. "Dani, I think-" She interrupted his words with a long kiss, the two lovers reveling in an infrequent moment of bliss. "Don’t talk strategy, Steve, I’m really not interested in that right - hey!"

Steve leaned back on the bed, smiling and pulling Dani with him. "I was going to say that I think I’d prefer to start on the bed and that the five hour option was preferable." He loved the way her eyes lit up and the smile of surprise crept across her face. He loved the way that her …

Simply, he loved everything about her and the way it made him feel. He’d never thought he could be this much in love.

"Five whole hours?" Dani asked, pleasantly shocked. "Those are standard hours your talking about, right?"

"It’s a start," Steve grinned as their lips found each others again.

Asgard - The Forest of Midgard

It was hot in the Forest and the Orphans were growing tired. But as was the way with this group of young men and women who’d known nothing but War, when energy ran low, they didn’t turn to bickering and their fuses didn’t shorten. No, when things weren’t perfect for the Orphans, they pulled together.

Even if Ben did wish they could have used Eshir’s power through all this growth.

They walked through the twists and turns of the path, heading for the center of the Forest where they would find a Nexus point that would enable them to travel to Midgard.

"Why did you come to Asgard, Angelica?" Toomi asked, breaching a subject she had long wondered about. The quiet reserve of her voice was something rarely seen, but she still walked tall and strong. "For Ben and I, we were taken here when Thanos destroyed Atlantis. The mother and father of Eshir perished when the space casino they vacationed on was hijacked by the Brood. But none - not any present, at least - knows the truth about you’re reasons. Would you tell us, old friend? If you don’t mind?"

Angel twinged with the pain. She knew the day would come when she would have to let them know, despite her unwillingness. It killed her. As she had revealed to Ben before, there was nothing but tragedy and betrayal up and down her bloodline.

"We love you, Angel," Ben soothed, putting a hand on her back. Angel thought she might faint at his touch, but she somehow kept walking. Toomi noticed it, too, wondering if Angel really wanted Ben or just anyone willing to touch her the way her fantasies did. "But … we don’t even know your last name. And with Bill … what was all that talk about "Legacy"?" (2)

2- ALL GOD’S CHILDREN # 1 - THE VENGEANCE OF HOPE

Angel looked at her friends as they walked through the thick overgrowth, at the pained curiosity in Ben’s face, the bright eyed concern from Toomi (Who would’ve thought it? Angel asked herself.) and even the hurt on Eshir’s scarred visage.

"I … I’m not really an Orphan," she admitted, feeling all the old hurt come rushing up at her from the place inside where she kept it buried. "My dad is dead, I guess. It happened when I was too young to remember. Whatever, I don’t remember him ever being around. I lived with my mom my whole life on Earth. She had problems and she was sick all the time. Not sick like she had the Skrull flu. Sick like she was insa- she wasn’t right in the head, I mean." Angel hung her head in a shame that she had been told a million times she shouldn’t feel. But she still did. Always. "I was … I was … taken from my mom because she … she used to beat me up really bad."

The Orphans looked on in sorrow at the pain she was in.

Angel had always been the oddball of the Orphans - for years she was the youngest and the smallest. She had always kept more to herself and the books at the Heimdall Library than she had playing games in the Plains. It was little wonder to Ben that the path she chose to suggest about how to find Franklin was exactly the one that Beta Ray Bill had suggested. (3)

3 - ALL GOD’S CHILDREN # 5 - THE COMING OF THE LORD

"But, why?" Toomi asked, more harshly than she intended. "I am sorry for the actions your mother brought upon you, but why would … whoever it was that took you, bring you to raise on Asgard? You’re just a-" she scolded herself, but continued on, "just normal, aren’t you?"

Angel looked away, trying to keep the tears inside. She should tell them, would tell them, but the words were so hard to let loose. There was a time when she just didn’t want to tell because it was embarrassing, but now … if she did tell, she was certain she’d lose any chance she had with Ben forever.

"We’re at the Swamp," Eshir announced, saving Angel. She looked at him in thanks, but he didn’t acknowledge it in anyway, though he did have to stop himself from wrapping an arm around her - an action that so shocked him he almost didn’t have time to stop himself. He kept his superior air about him, not every letting anyone through. "Now, if I were a Man-Thing, where would I hide?"

Trees bent, lending their leaves. Roots stretched from the banks of the muck. Plants grew rapidly from under the water, yearning for the surface. Two bright red spheres formed in the air and the plant life surrounded them, making a bulky humanoid form. The Man-Thing had appeared.

"What do we say?" Ben whispered.

"Obviously, Ben," Toomi shot back, "we announce that … that … uh, what do we say?"

Eshir looked at Angel - if anyone would know she would - but she was too busy trying to wipe away tears that hadn’t even come yet. Her red hair hung across her face, hiding her shame. Eshir thought, for not the first time, that she looked absolutely beautiful.

Pity she was a normal.

Man-Thing approached them, slowly. "The legends say," Ben spoke aloud, "that whatever knows fear will burn at the touch of the Man-Thing. So I hope no one’s wetting their pants right about now."

The guardian of the Nexus of Realities raised his hand in front of him and stared with his red, pupil-less eyes at the four Orphans. He made no hint of any kind about anything. His muck face stayed emotionless. The Orphans didn’t know what, if anything, he was thinking. The legends said he was a being of pure instinct and emotion, but no one knew for sure.

Slowly, the Man-Thing turned his body and pointed forward, but his eyes never left them. They looked at where he was pointing to and saw two trees on opposite sides on a narrow waterway lean towards each other. Two large branches reached for each other and touched, wrapping themselves together. When all the branches had stopped moving, an archway was formed.

And just as the Orphans were starting to wonder what exactly was going on, the archway began to glow a shimmering purple.

"It’s a gateway," Ben realized.

They looked at Man-Thing who looked back, still no expression on his face. The plants that had given up their lives to give him form began to come apart, falling down into the muck.

"Something tells me we should hurry," Toomi reasoned and the four Orphans rushed to the gateway and into it - hoping they’d come out where they wanted to. Angel was the last to enter and, as her body felt the pull of entering the world between worlds, she gave the Man-Thing one last look.

With a shudder, the Man-Thing fell apart, it’s plants and mud dropping like lead into the muck below. For just a second the red eyes remained in the air.

And then they, too, faded from existence.

I never got around to writing you about AGC 3, so consider this a

combined letter on the last two issues.

I really loved what you did with the Defenders over the course of this

arc - giving them the level of weirdness and surreality (is that a

word?) that the team needs. The team's conversations allowed for

several funny moments, including the references to "Events" and forced

battles with others. However, the line that cracked me up the most

was actually Ben's in #4, about whiny mutants.

I'm incredibly impressed by the large tapestry you're weaving together

here. I was afraid that the flashback stories might detract from the

forward progress of the future storyline, but your method of using the

flashback offers a lot of insight into Ben-Vell and Angelica (and

Toomi, come to think of it), and gives a lot of perspective on how all

these events are related. And issue 4's epilogue... well, the only

thing I can say about that is you've sure got balls. :)

Great two issues, and hey, there was even an AC/DC reference! Hard to

top that!

Cheers,

Matt

Mark, another great issue with #4. The death of Firebird as part of

Santa's prophecy (wow, is *that* a weird sentence) was something I

didn't see coming, but made great sense. And I loved the Defenders

rescuing Magneto from the bargain he made in Hel. Neat stuff, and as

always, the unspoken backstory suggests stories that haven't been told.

As for Thanos...heh. Interesting idea. The lover of death desperate to

resurrect his old foe so he can have a worthy opponent? Very nice touch

of irony.

I noticed the meta stuff about the comics industry in the Defenders

storyline, of course. In fact, I thought you skirted the edge a little

bit in making it too obvious. It almost reminded me of some of

Ostrander's HFH, where he wasn't taking it seriously enough for me to

enjoy it. Almost. You never quite got to that point, and in general, I

enjoy that you can deal with a cataclysmic future tale without having it

be unrelentingly grim.

So in short, enjoying as always. And speaking of busy holiday schedules,

only four more weeks to get me your story for the holiday special! ;)

Wow! I just got done reading ALL GOD'S CHILDREN #1, and I'm impressed! For this Moonstar fan, you couldn't have done anything cooler than making her a

main character in this issue. I also like how you have presented Beta Ray

Bill.

I think I have a clue as to who Canticle is. That distinguishing "ah" for "I"

finally gave away that she is really Rogue. If so, that's cool!

For some reason, I was under the impression that this was some sort of maxi-

series, but according to your statement after the tale, it's an ongoing. I

hope you can keep up this brilliant stuff!

I'm off to #2! : )

Sam Everett