Avenger's Mansion was just as swanky as I thought it would be. You wouldn't know it to look at it, with the twelve-foot high fence of solid Omnium Steel that separated Fifth Avenue in New York City from the Mansion Grounds. Fortunately, getting in wasn't an issue if you were invited. All I had to do was ring the buzzer and stand still for a facial recognition scan that was better than anything that could have been found in my old life on regular, boring, Normal Earth, even despite the fact that said Earth was thirty-plus years in the future. The benefits of super-science, I supposed.
As the gate slid aside to allow me entrance, I had a look at the exterior of the Mansion. On the surface, the place looked like an upscale townhouse with a mishmash of Victorian, Gothic, and Second Empire Architecture that shouldn't work aesthetically but does because it had been designed by Howard Stark and being an Omnidisciplinary Genius apparently ran in Tony's Family. Expansive grounds held enough space for an actual lawn, with trees and everything, right there in the middle of New York City. The money it had to take for this sort of thing to be allowed instead of having some development firm swipe the land to build yet more skyscrapers had to be astronomical. Some folks had all the luck, I supposed.
"Actually, given how screwed up Tony's life is? I take it back. That's actually fair, now that I think about it. I suppose he wouldn't have lasted this long without his brains and money." I muttered under my breath.
Stepping up to the door, I knocked twice and found it answered by an older, balding, man in a tailcoat. Edwin Jarvis, the Avengers' Butler was every bit as unflappable as the comics back on boring, mundane, Earth had made him seem, given how I'd shown up wearing a bunch of magic armor and hadn't hidden it. He took one look at my ensemble, arched an eyebrow, and made with the sarcastic quipping.
"You may wish to change into something less ready for battle. The others aren't wearing any actual armor. Save perhaps, Thor, but then I am given to understand that is a cultural trait of his." Intoned Jarvis, wryly.
"One moment." I said.
Then I began drawing on my mystic power and incanting in Latin to invoke a mystically instantaneous costume change. It had been the single spell that I'd been able to look up, in between stepping off the plane from Madripoor and having to leave for Tony's Party. I could now retrieve anything I owned, even teleport it onto my person as if I had dressed in it, with a bit of concentration, mystic power, and an invocation in Latin. Suddenly, instead of wearing Argentum Armor, Golem-Skin Gauntlets, Lightning Greaves, and a Champion's Helmet, I was now dressed in my Mistcoat, a white dress shirt, black slacks, black dress shoes, and a wide-brimmed, black, boater hat.
"Better?" I questioned.
"Quite." Nodded Jarvis, stepping aside to let me in.
I followed after him and the interior of the Mansion was as impressive as the exterior. Wood paneling, marble flooring, and everywhere I looked, mementos and trophies of the most storied team of superheroes in the Modern Era of this Universe. Here there was a giant portrait of the original team painted by a Master Artist, there I spotted a statue clearly made of Olympian Marble, on the wall, a crossed pair of Asgardian Broadswords sat on display, crossed over a Wakandan Shield that was made of zebra-hide stretched over Vibranium. It was all extremely impressive, and would only become even more so as I entered the ballroom and spotted the various guests.
Of course, Captain America, Thor, and Tony were around, with Tony dressed in an Armani suit, Cap in a less-expensive suit, and Thor in a sleeveless tunic, leather pants, and fur cloak. To Thor's credit, he was only wearing a single piece of armor, an Uru-plated, fur-trimmed, wide, leather girdle that seemed to effectively be a sort of half-breastplate for how much of his torso it covered. It had probably been for the best that I hadn't come in all armored up.
Mind you, those weren't the only people around. Apparently, Wolverine and Beast had been slipped invitations during the aftermath of the Bastion thing because Hank was here wearing a dress shirt, vest, and slacks, while Logan was just wearing a flannel shirt and jeans. I guess Wolverine didn't dress up for anything less than a funeral or wedding. Aside from them, Clint Barton in a dark suit was talking with a brunette guy in a turtleneck and slack I only recognized thanks to the sword that was belted onto his waist being the Sword of Light. That was Dane Whitman, the Black Knight. I didn't realize he was back in this version of the Universe. I knew he'd returned sometime close to this, but I thought he'd been sent back in time for a brief stint in the Crusades. If he'd just gotten back, it would make sense he had the Sword of Light right now, though if I remembered right, he should be using it with the Shield of Night and that was nowhere to be seen.
Not too far away from Clint and Dane, Ben Grimm was fixing himself a drink, while near him, Reed Richards, Stephen Strange, Hank Pym, and T'challa were having some kind of conversation about something above his pay grade. Not too far away from them, Jennifer Walters, Greer Nelson, and Janet Van Dyne were gossiping over some sort of TV show. Ironically, I had been at the University of Chicago at the same time as Greer had been a teaching assistant there, though obviously, she hadn't been Tigra at that point and I hadn't been inserted into Jan at the time either. She'd been getting her Doctorate in Physics or something, I wasn't too sure what it was except that it was science-based. We'd run in similar circles, at least in terms of parties, and I think I remembered chatting her up a time or two and getting shot down in flames. It hadn't helped she'd been in Doctoral School and I'd been a random undergrad who was in one of the general undergrad science classes she TA'd for.
I remember her leaving her position part-way through my Sophmore year of undergrad just before she graduated from her Doctoral Program. Of course, now I realized it had been because she'd become Tigra and had suddenly sprouted claws, fur, and a tail. She seemed to have turned out all right since I remembered Tigra being in the West Coast Avengers back when they'd been a thing a few years back before Force Works had taken their place over in LA.
Near them, Carol Danvers was talking with Natasha Romanoff and a black-haired Woman I didn't know but picked up from the context of the conversation that it was Jessica Drew. I only figured that out thanks to them calling her Jess and the tone of the conversation being about Infiltration Missions. Wanda Maximoff was also hanging around. Though I knew that she would be completely unstable in just a few years, right now she should still be completely in control of herself and her powers.
All of this, I took in within moments of being ushered into the ballroom. It didn't take long for Thor to spot me and call me over.
"Young Sorcerer! Hail and well met! Have a drink with us!" Boomed out Thor.
That caused everyone else to look over at me. The attention wasn't ideal, but I recognized Thor's heart was in the right place, at least by Asgardian standards. He probably had been told I was joining the team and wanted to have a drink with his newest teammate. I nodded and made my way over toward where he, Cap, and Tony were leaning against a bar.
"Thor, Cap, Tony." I greeted.
"Johnny, you made it! I heard a few things about some scuffle in Madripoor?" Grinned Tony.
"You're pretty well-informed. How did news of a random bar fight in the Lower Town of Madripoor travel that fast?" I queried.
"Oh it's no big deal, I just happen to have a few business partners out there who mentioned that General Coy looked a bit spooked when he saw him for a business meeting a few hours after he'd been seen putting a strange-looking American on a flight to Laguardia at his expense. He went looking into it and when he found out you'd beaten Coy's vampire and Bruiser, he gave me a call warning me, since he knows I live here. Apparently, you completely immolated the Vampire and kicked the bruiser out into the ocean?" Smirked Tony.
"Did you have to kill them? We generally try to avoid that sort of thing on the Avengers." Intoned Cap.
"Couple things. First off, that Vampire's not a vampire. I'm pretty sure he's under the effects of some sort of curse. I couldn't place the exact spell and tradition but it felt pretty Shamanistic. Anyway, the guy is effectively cursed to be stuck between life and death. He's effectively immortal because of that and I'm fairly sure that he can reconstitute himself even from the state I left him in. Second, that Bruiser is at least half Asgardian Rock Troll, it might take him a bit, but there's no way he isn't able to swim back to Madripoor. Neither of them are dead. Not really." I clarified.
"Indeed? I would very much like to hear of this Rock Troll. I had no idea that any were on Midgard for the nonce. They can be quite formidable warriors and are highly skilled at metalworking and stoneworking." Mused Thor.
"Well, apparently the guy goes by Roughouse and he's been working for General Coy in the Lower Town of Madripoor." I nodded.
"By General Coy, do you mean Nguyen Ngoc Coy? I'd only been out of the ice for a few years at that point, but I remember the fall of South Vietnam. He was one of the rats that fled the ship with whatever he could loot after the US Ended involvement rather than stay and fight, right? He shouldn't be a General of Anything." Frowned Cap.
"He was and he did. People in Madripoor's Lower Town call him General because he set up shop as a Crime Boss out there after fleeing." I shrugged.
"Couldn't help but overhear." Came a gruff voice from over my shoulder. I turned and spotted Logan approaching.
"Logan. Good to meet you properly. Last time I saw you, you were too busy being patched up by the Shield Docs for me to actually say hello." I responded.
"Yeah. Heard I owe ya one. Two actually, fer what ya did fer Jubes. Also heard ya been trying t'get hold a me. We oughta talk about things ya seem t'know about stuff ya shouldn't know." Huffed Logan.
"If it's about you being Patch. That's probably the worst-kept secret ever, Logan. You only seem to get away with it because Las Vegas and Madripoor are on two completely different sides of the globe." Pointed out Tony.
"Why? Did ya tell th' kid bout that, Tony?" Accused Logan.
"Friend Logan, there is but a simple explanation for how the Young Sorcerer knows that which he should not." Mused Thor.
"If ya say magic, Goldilocks, I don't care how much stronger ya are than me, I'm gonna take a swing at ya." Grumbled Logan.
"It's true, Logan. You and I have both tangled with enough Sorcerers to know how bad keeping secrets can be when you throw Magic into things." Backed up Cap.
"That ain't the point, Cap! I gotta make sure folks ain't sniffing too heavy around Patch!" Fumed Logam.
"Look, Logan. If it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty sure that the only people who know I know about Patch aren't going to come looking. General Coy isn't exactly in any position to do anything with the state I left Bloodscream and Roughouse in." I defended.
"Oh yeah? Ya jacked them up good, huh? Ya do the same fer Coy's niece?" Challenged Logan.
"Why? It's not like she actually could get into my mind. Honestly, I just wanted a way home. Getting stranded in Madripoor wasn't exactly my idea of a fun time." I shot back.
Logan looked like he wanted to argue some more, but Hank McCoy stepped up to help defuse the tension. After a long moment, Logan grunted and headed back over to where he'd left his cigar. Beast offered a small shrug and a nod.
"You'll have to forgive Logan. He's been extremely irritable for the past couple of years, ever since he lost his Adamantium. Being held captive by Bastion didn't improve his disposition any, in fact, it only seems to have worsened it." Apologized Hank.
"Don't worry about it. It's not a problem." I waved off.
Internally, I was screaming. I'd forgotten what Wolverine had been like for a while in the late nineties. He'd been going increasingly aggressive and primal, to the point where he'd eventually had to run off to the Canadian Wilderness to avoid lashing out violently at anyone he cared about. He'd only gotten better around the turn of the new millennium. If he was lashing out at random party-goers about things, he might be closer to running off to the Canadian Wilderness than I'd realized.
After Hank left, the topic of conversation switched again to less momentous talk. I looked over toward Stephen Strange, but he was still having a conversation with Reed Richards that looked animated, even if it couldn't be heard thanks to some sort of Spell that Doctor Strange had cast for privacy. I could try piercing the spell, but I had my doubts that I could do that with something that the Sorcerer Supreme had cast. It was when Tony excused himself from the conversation we were having about some fight the Avengers had with the Kree a decade or so ago to head over to join the conversation that my suspicions about Doctor Strange and Reed having an Illuminati Conversation in plain sight bloomed.
I wondered what it was about, especially as they didn't have the entire band of folks who thought they knew better than everyone else on the planet here to talk about it. With Black Bolt and Namor absent, and Charles Xavier currently missing in action and presumed dead, only around half the Illuminati was even here. Ultimately, however, I supposed it didn't matter so long as whatever it was didn't drag me into things. That wasn't a guarantee as far as the Illuminati went, however.
Instead, I grabbed a beer from the oddly jacked, red-headed, Bartender and nodded my thanks, tipping him a Galleon which he stared at in shock. As I turned to head out and mingle, he put his hand on my shoulder.
"Hang on, is this real gold? You got any idea what the Price of Gold is per ounce? I can't take this! it's too much!" Tried the Bartender.
"Don't worry about it. I've got plenty more." I insisted.
"But where am I even gonna find someone to buy this?" Asked the Bartender.
"Ask Jarvis, I'm sure he can point you to a place." I shrugged.
"Gimme your beer." Blurted out the Bartender.
"Excuse me?" I questioned.
"I'm upgrading you to the Asgardian Stuff Thor brought. Gimme your beer." Repeated the Bartender.
"All right." I mused, handing my mug over.
The bartender then grabbed another mug before pouring me a new beer from a cask with Asgardian Runes on it. A rich, dark ale with a perfect head of foam. I had no idea who this guy was, but he clearly knew how to pour a beet if nothing else. He pressed the mug into my hand and I took a drink experimentally. It tasted slightly smokey, with a hint of juniper and spice. All told it was a damn good beer.
"Thanks, that's real good." I thanked.
"Name's Sweeny. You need anything else tonight, don't bother Mister Jarvis. I'm your guy." Grinned the Bartender.
As I headed out into the crowd to mingle, I spotted Thor coming my way with a similar mug of the same beer. He had a beaming grin on his face as he approached me.
"I see you have chosen the Black Ale! How fares it? It is brewed from Kveik from mine own Farmhouse." Beamed Thor.
"It's good, Thor. Real good. You say you brewed this?" I queried.
"Nay, not I. I merely provided the ingredients. Twas Volstagg the Voluminous who brewed this ale. I can recommend no better Asgardian for a brewer of ale, though if it is mead you wish, I can but tell you to find someone else." Explained Thor.
"Volstagg's mead isn't as good, huh?" I asked.
"I hesitate to speak ill of such a boon companion, but perhaps for but this instance, Volstagg allowed his prior success in brewing to swell his head." Admitted Thor.
"I'm sure he'll get the hang of it with practice." I hedged.
"Unfortunately, Volstagg was naught but disheartened by the failure. He now refuses to try brewing mead a second time." Sighed Thor.
"Ah, that's a shame because this is really good." I frowned, taking another sip.
"Indeed. I shall tell him that his Ale is praised on Midgard. That might serve to lighten his spirits. How fare you, Sorcerer? Perchance have you learned any new spells?" Questioned Thor.
"A few. Why? Forgive me for saying, but you don't seem like the sorcery type." I queried.
"Aye, that is true enow. My sibling has been something of a deterrent to such pursuits. What can you expect from a God of Mischief such as wily Loki, though? That does not mean I do not wish to understand my newest companion's art, however." Answered Thor.
"I appreciate it Thor, but I still haven't decided whether or not to take Tony's offer." I sighed.
"Indeed?" Pressed Thor.
"Yeah. I don't really know if I want to be on a team right now, or really even what my role would be if I were. Even with all my magic and enchanted equipment, I'm still not on your or Tony's Level, and even though my capabilities exceed Cap's by a lot, he's forgotten more about strategy than I'll ever know." I sighed.
"I see the dilemma. I can advise you, should you wish it?" Offered Thor.
"Please." I nodded.
"I was once in the position you now find yourself in. Unsure of my place in the order of things, young, inexperienced. It may be difficult to imagine, but I was not always such as you see now. I had yet to prove myself worthy to even move Mjolnir but a single inch. It was only by taking the matter at hand by the throat and acting that I banished my self-doubt, and in so doing proved myself worthy. One cannot dwell on such insecurities, for if you do, then forever shall your own doubts hinder you. I would urge you to accept the offer and join us. In so doing, you may find that you are more worthy to be among the Earth's Mightiest Heroes than you yourself believe." Advised Thor.
"So you're saying I should try it out and see what happens?" I asked.
"Verily. You may yet surprise yourself when the time comes." Nodded Thor.
"I suppose that I really don't have anything to lose by joining. I can always quit if it turns out to be too much for me to handle. Thanks Thor." I mused.
"You are welcome, Sorcerer. It is always a good day when one can aid their companions in overcoming a challenge. Even one that has been set themselves within the depths of their own mind." Declared Thor.
"Jan. My name is Jan." I said.
"Indeed? Do you know that all this time, no one had thought to inform me?" Smirked Thor.
"Sadly, that does sound like Tony." I admitted.
"Verily." Chuckled Thor.
And with that, Thor moved off to go mingle. I looked over toward where Stephen Strange was and saw that the conversation had drawn in a few other participants. Cap was there, as was T'Challa. They had seemingly been called in to discuss strategy. I caught the word plan a couple of times, but my lip-reading skills weren't exactly great. I was sorely tempted to try dispelling that Privacy spell, if only so I could figure out just what was so urgent.
"Jan? Jan Kowalski? Is that you?" Came a voice from behind me.
I turned to see the furry, tiger-striped, form of Greer Nelson behind me, hand on her hip and eyebrow cocked. Apparently, she and Jennifer Walters had drifted my way and Greer somehow remembered who I was. Hopefully, she wouldn't bring up the whole me trying to ask her out back in college thing. It had been a stupid thing to do fuelled by alcohol and bravado. I really didn't want to go through that firsthand, now that I was in the driver's seat instead of Jan.
"Greer. Didn't think I'd see you ever again. Funny how things work out sometimes." I sighed.
"Oh? You know this guy?" Questioned Jen.
Jennifer Walters was absolutely smoking. Sure, she was currently stuck in her She-Hulk form, but that didn't make her any less of a knockout. It just sucked that my attraction to She-Hulk was making me feel even more awkward than running into Greer again already was.
"I went to the University of Chicago while Greer was TAing there. We went to some of the same parties." I responded.
"You asked me out. Twice." Smirked Greer.
"Is that so?" Grinned Jen, scenting gossip.
"I was hoping you wouldn't remember that. I was drunk and stupid then." I groused.
"I was a graduate student and you were just starting your sophomore year of undergrad. There's no way that would have worked out." Pointed out Greer.
"Like I said, drunk and stupid." I repeated.
"Not that you weren't a good catch. I mean, you are the heir to a major fortune. Your dad's got a lot of money from that metal patent of his." Teased Greer.
"Wait, Kowalski as in Stan Kowalski? Greer, maybe don't bring up his dad?" Tried Jen. Points for effort from the Sensational She-Hulk, but my mood had already gone from awkward to depressed.
"What? Why?" Queried Greer.
Her clueless look turned my mood from depressed right to angry. Seriously? Weren't you studying physics in college? Don't you know Tony Stark? How the hell have you not kept up with the news in the worlds of Science and Engineering? There's no way she didn't know. Try as I might, I couldn't tamp down on the anger that thought produced.
"My dad's dead. Thanks for bringing that up!" I spat.
"What? When did that happen?" Asked Greer, a spike of sympathy in her tone that cut through my anger and let me get a hold of it.
"Tony had him consulting on a big project. An underwater habitat that used Kowalski Metal in its superstructure. Supposedly it was going to be a big step toward colonizing the sea floor." I informed.
"So what happened?" Asked Greer.
"Namor happened, Greer, what do you think happened?" Sighed Jen.
"The King of Atlantis apparently doesn't take too kindly to underwater habitats on the Atlantic Seafloor. He considered it an invasion and reacted accordingly." I growled.
"Oh. I didn't realize. I'm sorry. If I'd known, I never would have mentioned it." Apologized Greer.
"Did you really not keep up with the news in Super-Science? I thought you were studying Physics in school?" I questioned.
"I was. That was years ago, Jan. I've had a lot on my plate since then." Admitted Greer.
"Yeah, I can see that. Look, it's fine. Just people getting off on the wrong foot." I shrugged.
"Let's try this again. Hi, I'm Jen Walters, AKA She-Hulk. It's nice to meet you." Beamed Jen.
"Jan Kowalski. I don't really have a costumed identity at present. I sort of fell into the superheroics thing on accident." I introduced.
"So, Jan. What can you do? I think you can tell what my powers are from the green skin and muscles. You seem to know Greer from years ago, but if you don't have a costumed identity, that generally means you're new. Like, too new to be invited to one of these. It makes a girl wonder, you know?" Hedged Jen.
"I happen to be a fully qualified Sorcerer. I won't say I'm on the same level as Doctor Strange over there, but I'm capable enough." I answered.
"Wait, I thought you were studying Folklore?" Cut in Greer.
"I was. Don't tell me you were working as a TA and didn't know that Folklore at the University of Chicago is code for the Occult Studies Program? My diploma may say Folklore, but I actually have a Masters in Thaumaturgy, Sorcery, and Occult Studies." I answered.
"Oh? How old are you? You don't look much older than twenty-one or twenty-two." Pointed Out Jen.
"I'll be twenty-four this October." I pointed out.
"Huh. You know, I think that makes you the youngest person here. I think you beat out Jess over there by a year. Still, twenty-four with a Masters isn't bad. Not that it's on the level of my Doctorate at twenty-five, though." Smirked Jen.
"Jen is actually a really good Lawyer. She got her Masters at twenty-three and breezed through law school in two years. it takes most people three years of classes to do that. Honestly, if her cousin hadn't needed that transfusion and the hospital hadn't screwed up so badly in the process, she could have been practicing a few years ago. Instead, she got stuck dealing with Hulk Stuff for a couple of years before she got a handle on it all." Added Greer.
"Huh. You don't look a day over twenty-five as it is." I tried.
"It's the Gamma Blood. Also, that sort of flattery is nice, but don't tell me you tried that on Greer. I'd have turned you down with that sort of weak line too." Snorted Jen.
"Just a statement of objective fact." I shrugged.
"Besides, I turned him down because he was drunk and too young. He's actually pretty cool otherwise. Are you still practicing the guitar?" Queried Greer.
"Not lately." I admitted.
It was true, apparently, Jan had been a hell of a guitar player before I'd jumped in the driver's seat. I didn't even know he could do that, but then, I hadn't bothered looking for skills that weren't immediately useful to my survival that Jan had before I came along. I wondered if I could make use of that somehow. Bardic Magic was more likely than you'd think. I think Doctor Doom once used magic music as part of some scheme, though honestly if he had it had been back in what we'd call the Silver Age on my old, boring, Mundane Earth.
"Shame. He's actually really good. Not like, professional or anything, but better than a lot of people." Shrugged Greer.
"Huh. Maybe you can show me sometime. Once you scrape the rust off?" Grinned Jen.
Had I been propositioned by She-Hulk? It was difficult to tell. Mind you, if I recalled correctly, she did tend to get around a lot. Like, I think she even got with Juggernaut at one point. Cain Marko is a lot of things, but smooth is hardly one of them. No bets on who took the initiative in that fling.
"You know, I think I'd like that." I grinned.
Unfortunately, before I could press for any real details or even set a date, I was interrupted by Stephen Strange, Reed Richards, and Tony. The three members of the Illuminati dragged me into a side room, Tony offering apologies to Greer and Jen over his shoulder. Once they got me to one side, I realized they all had expressions on their faces like this was going to be an interrogation.
"This had better be good. I was about to swing a date with Jen." I intoned.
"Jen? Jen Walters? Johnny, you've got some interesting taste." Smirked Tony.
"Can we put that aside for a moment and just get down to it? Stephen, do it." Insisted Reed Richards.
With that, Doctor Strange incanted something, 'by the light of the Vishanti', and made an arcane gesture. His eyes glowed golden for a moment before stopping. Doctor Strange sighed, a frown appearing on his face.
"It's not him. That's both good and bad. Good because we don't have to deal with a fight in the midst of a party, bad because we don't have a chance to interrogate the man in question. I can firmly say, however, that they seem to share a source of magic." Remarked Doctor Strange.
"I'm sorry. What's going on?" I asked.
"About eight hours ago, some guy calling himself Mors Cruentia showed up in Keraadistan and utterly annihilated a Vytex Energy Expedition that was exploring for Natural Gas near some ancient ruins. He then headed into the ruins and came out a few hours later with some ancient scrolls tucked under his arm. When he emerged he annihilated a Keraadistani Royal Army force that was sent in to check out the destruction of the Vytex Energy Team. The footage of that fight was just leaked to the press an hour ago." Informed Reed Richards.
"So?" I questioned.
"So he used magic to do it, a lot of which looked awfully similar to some of your stuff." Explained Tony.
"Oh." I frowned.
"Indeed. I have also received troubling news from the Balkans. Victor managed to keep much of the information concealed for some time, but not even Doom can keep the knowledge of such events from the Sorcerer Supreme indefinitely. It seems that the unrest that Serbia has claimed befell their neighbors two months ago was quite a bit more serious than that. The Nations of Mordvania and Carpasia have been completely conquered, large swathes of Kosovo have been released from Serbian Control, and Belgrade has even released territory to form a land connection between Mordvania and Carpasia. It was Mors Cruentia that did all this largely through necromantic means." Informed Doctor Strange.
"Wait, why would Doom hide something like that? It doesn't seem like it's to his benefit to do so." I pointed out.
"Johnny has a point. Doom's not the type to do favors for free." Agreed Tony.
"Actually, after the last big scuffle we had with him, I went ahead and sent up a satellite to monitor every time Victor leaves Latveria. While he's been able to slip the tracker before if he really wanted to, he hadn't the last time. Apparently, he went to Belgrade for three days approximately one month and one week ago. Whatever deal this Mors Cruentia struck with Victor to keep this news quiet, it happened there." Offered Reed.
"So what are you thinking?" I asked.
"Well, the Avengers have UN Clearance, why not head to Belgrade and ask the Serbs? I can't imagine Doom not making a big deal that he was in Belgrade for a summit. If they weren't invited, then they have to have known, if only because Doom's ego is big enough he wouldn't be able to resist letting them know he was in their capital." Suggested Tony.
"Normally, I would advise caution, but in this case, we can ill afford not to pursue every avenue of inquiry. I shall accompany you, of course." Nodded Doctor Strange.
"Count me out. I can't afford to be distracted right now. I've been noticing some troubling dimensional energy readings lately specifically directed toward Pier Four. I need to ensure my family is safe. It's why I left Sue and Johnny watching over the kids." Insisted Reed.
"Fair enough. I guess you should go home when the Party ends to be with your family. Johnny, I know you said you've been hesitant about joining the Avengers, but we could really use you with us on this." Frowned Tony.
"No need to give me the sell, Tony. I'm in." I said.
"Well gentlemen, it appears that after the party ends, we're going on a trip to Belgrade." Intoned Doctor Strange.
"Hey, on the way back, we should stop in Croatia. I know this great beach in this little town on the Adriatic Coast. There are an unreasonable amount of good-looking ladies there." Grinned Tony.
I could only groan in response. . .
XXXX
AN: The next chapter is already up on my Patreon, so check the link in the threadmarked post if you guys feel like throwing me a couple bucks to get chapters in advance. Everyone who does is super appreciated and I can't thank my patrons enough.
All right, here we have Tony's party. Jan makes a few connections, gets some advice from the God of Thunder, and officially joins up with the Avengers. It turns out, that having a dimensional doppelganger of yourself who's also magic but is evil is a great plot hook for future arcs. Plus, a potential date with She-Hulk is nothing to sneeze at. It probably won't be anything more than a short-term fling, but what a fling!
Those of you who read Marvel Comics in the late nineties might be picking up hints about other future storylines that were embedded in this chapter. Logan going Feral was a fairly obvious one and was literally spelled out in the chapter, but those of you who read the Fantastic Four Comics in the late nineties might remember a period of time when Franklin Richards had been deemed the threat to the Multiverse and the Fantastic Four had to fend off several attacks from various dimensional beings trying to deal with him. Ultimately, that never went anywhere because the writers decided to depower him for a while instead.
I, however, recently read something interesting involving Franklin in the latest Handbook of the Marvel Universe and have decided to incorporate Franklin being a threat into a larger plot thread based on that specific handbook.
At any rate, the next chapter will be a visit to Belgrade and the return of Mors Cruentia to the story.
Stay tuned. . .