Jump 13: The Last Avenger - Episode 2: The Word's Already Broken - Part 2

The portal deposited us onto the balcony of a building closer to the heart of the city, where I could get a clear view of how badly things had gone. Hovering ominously over the city was a network of helicarrier-esque structures with numerous air vehicles going back and forth between them.

“That, is the primary base of operations of Advanced Idea Mechanics. They’ve nearly complete control of New York and most of the United States. Now that you’ve had a good look come inside. I’m sure given enough time you’d find another way for them to track you.”

I entered the building to find a well-furnished room with rather lavish furniture and ornate decorative pieces. While impressive, it was a bit cramped as well.

“This is what remains of my father’s legacy. I… we haven’t properly introduced ourselves yet. I blame you for this. I am Alice Strange, daughter of Dr. Stephen Strange, the former Sorcerer Supreme. I am the closest thing to Sorcereress Supreme left on Earth, and as such it is my duty to protect the world from otherworldly threats and more mystical methods of demise. What am I to call you, outsider?”

“I go by the name King.”

“Nothing about you really gives an air of royalty, but I supposed there are stranger things out there in the universe. If you know, tell me why you came here. If there’s no purpose, I can work on sending you back before you disrupt things here further.”

I explained that I had been sent here with the task of helping right the wrongs that happened here and give life to a brighter future for humanity while withholding information about jumping.

“Hmm… I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt considering you won’t tell me everything. Something about you feels… familiar. The longer I’m with you the more I get a sense that I can trust you. Do you happen to know a version of me from where you hail from?”

“Yes, actually. I mistook you for her when you appeared in front of me.”

“I see… For a reaction so soon must mean we were quite close. What’s your relationship with the me that you know? Are we merely friends? Family? Lovers?”

“I guess we’re something like family. She’s one of the seven people I trust the most in all the multiverse, and we’ve been through a lot together.”

“I see, I see. Platonic on your end but… something more on hers in all likelihood… Now that I understand, I can separate the residual multiversal feelings attached to you and judge you entirely based on what I know of you.”

“What was that part you mumbled after platonic?”

“Nothing someone as dense as you need worry about. Those revelations are best left for you to discover on your own. Now, tell me what you know of the world and how the balance of power is split.”

For the better part of an hour we discussed what I knew and she filled the gaps in my limited information. I hadn’t realized it as it happened, but we somehow had both ended up with tea and I drank mine as if I had asked for it.

“Took you long enough to notice. For someone with a wealth of magical energy, you seem awfully oblivious of it. Or perhaps maybe I’m just that good. Anyway how is it? I figured my favorite would suffice.”

“It’s very good, thank you.”

“The least I can do as a good host. Now that you’ve gotten the gist of what the world is like I have a request for you.”

Her calm demeanor was replaced by one that was gravely serious as she placed her tea cup on a saucer before it was carried off.

“As I’m essentially the Sorcereress Supreme I should be out in the world, saving lives and putting a stop to the ever growing chaos and destruction. But there’s a multitude of problems preventing me from being at my full potential. The biggest of which, is the abundance of advanced technology that a majority of our enemies wield. One of the greatest weaknesses I have currently is an immensely decreased effectiveness against the more advanced technologies that are currently held by our adversaries. I am not as powerful in the mystic arts as my father was, and even he eventually fell…”

There was a sadness that tinged her voice briefly at the mention of her father before she recomposed herself.

“Stationed in this very city are one of the two biggest sources of advanced technology in the world. If you can at the very least weaken A.I.M., I should be able to greater assist you when it comes to avenging what was lost in North America.”

“I didn’t come here expecting things to be easy, but what do you suppose the two of us are going to accomplish against what’s at least an arm?”

“You must have patience if you expect to free the planet from the forces that currently control it. We will not be acting without cause. I have spied on A.I.M. on more than one occasion and with you to actually go inside their facilities, there is much we can do to sabatoge their plans.”

She suddenly got up, and focused intently on her crystal ball.

“What are you-”

“Quite. I must concentrate.”

The silence dragged on for a number of minutes before she sat back down and sighed.

“What did you see?”

“A rather hot-headed individual I’ve had my eye on was nearly captured by A.I.M.’s unwilling lapdog Wonder Man. Thankfully he managed to escape, but I fear it to be only a matter of time before he is caught.”

“If you’ve been watching him for a while why haven’t you asked him for help?”

“He’s not the most trusting individual out there, and his arrival or should I say return? His return to New York is a fairly recent one. When I tried persuading him he tried to burn the Cloak of Levitation before I could finish my first sentence. You’ll soon come to realize that trust is something others do not take for granted here. It would take a lot to convince even the common man that you are on his side after releasing him from a cell.”

“So you’re saying he definitely has powers of some kind.”

“Control over fire much like his father, yes. Although a lack of skill to properly utilize his potential. Much like myself actually.”

“I want to meet him.”

“He’ll attempt to burn your face the moment he sees you.”

“Anyone with power and a drive to fight the evils in this world is a potential asset and ally.”

“He’s too disillusioned with the thought of trusting another person.”

“How would you know that if you’ve only met him once?”

“I might have…entered his mind briefly to determine why he wouldn’t hear me out.”

“So that’s why you haven’t gone to offer him help again. You made him fear you because you read his mind.”

“For the record he was already planning on either fighting me or running away. Entering his mind just made him fear for his life more…”

“Since you don’t have a problem spying on people when the time seems right take me to him. I’ll convince him to join us. The last thing I want is to become some test subject for anything A.I.M. has planned.”

“Fine, but if he burns the Sanctorum down I’m throwing him out at A.I.M.’s doorstep.”

With that settled, I was given a tour of the Sanctum Sanctorum, or rather, what of it remained since the passing of Dr. Strange. There was only so much Alice was capable of replicating from what her father could do. She assured me that it was still much bigger than it appeared to be on the outside, and I took her word for it. We didn’t leave the confines of the Sanctum for the next couple of days. Alice used the time to scope out the rest of the world through her crystal ball (the Orb of Agamotto I would learn it’s called) and take astral projections of ourselves to spy on A.I.M. undetected. The things I saw being developed in their labs astonished me. Weapons with a high capacity for destruction, men being turned into beings of pure energy and more. The more I saw, the more I was convinced we needed whatever help we could get.

There were unfortunately no pockets of resistance left in the city, and Alice was worried that A.I.M. had already taken notice of me so we had to make our move against them soon for best chance at a successful first strike on them. Alice found a time where the person he had been keeping track of was most approachable and we were soon in the city not far from where he was.

“I’ll remain here. He likely won’t even listen to you if I’m there.”

“He’ll have to see you anyway if we’re going back to the Sanctum Sanctorum. Better for you to be there at the start than him running off because he thinks you’ll read his mind.”

“If you say so. This is your negotiation after all.”

As we approached him I was given another surprise.

“Leo?”

He turned to face us quickly, the wariness evident on his face.

“Who’s asking?”

“Another? Maybe you’re more linked to this world than I thought…”

“I go by the name King.”

“What are you, Black Panther’s long lost brother?”

“No, nothing like that. It’s just what I go by. This is Alice Strange.”

“Right… Wait, you’re the chick that went inside my mind aren’t you?”

“A pleasure to meet you too.”

“Look, I don’t care what you’re here for, but I don’t want anything to do her. I’d be wary of her too if I were you King.”

“I’m well aware of what she’s capable of. Wh-”

“So you’re with her then!?”

He backed away as his body became engulfed in flames.

“It’s not quite as simple as-”

“Both of you leave! Now!”

“If you don’t power down A.I.M. will be all over us in minutes.”

In response his flames burned hotter and brighter.

“Why should I trust you? For all I know you’re working with them!”

“Leo please, clam down and-”

I stopped when I heard a familiar sound. Emerging from behind some building were three of A.I.M.’s aerial soldiers.

“I thought you said minutes?”

“They must have already been out searching for something.”

“I’ll take them out like the others, just wait here.”

They had remained hovering in the air, guns pointed at us while they waited for us to make a move. I teleported on top of one and activated my conduit powers. Aiming to knock him out with a few volts to the head I was caught unawares when he didn’t fall. I applied more electricity, but it had no effect. Before I could figure out why, I was blasted by the other two’s guns. A steady stream of some kind of energy hit me from two sides and began forcefully draining the electricity out of my body. I screamed as the soldier I was on threw me off of him and shot me with his gun. I remained in the air, steadily losing power until a wave of fire forced the three to back away and let me fall to the ground.

“I didn’t think he had it in him to help someone else. King can you stand?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. It’ll take more than that to stop me. Let’s get rid of these soldiers.”

“You have something besides electricity to use against them?”

“Of course. Now let’s help Leo before they hurt him or call for backup.”

Leo had taken to the skies and sent a barrage of fireballs at the three A.I.M. soldiers. He managed to score a direct hit on one, but he seemed to shrug it off while his clothes were burning. The other two began closing in on Leo as they dodged his projectiles. Alice shot some sort of mystical energy at one of them and knocked him back, while I just jumped into the air and kicked the other to the ground. The one that was on fire had its mask burn off to reveal that it was a robot.

“Robots? I’m not going to be much help here!”

“Fine with me. I don’t have to hold back.”

“Same here!”

Leo and I destroyed the robots with little trouble.

“Thanks for stepping in. I’m not sure how much of that I could have taken.”

“It was nothing. Just don’t take it easy on those guys. It’ll get you killed.”

“I’d love for this conversation to continue somewhere we can’t be attacked by more of those things. Into the portal, if you would.”

“Who said I’d be joining you? I can look after myself.”

“Are you really going to leave me to keep this one alive by myself? This is the second time he’s underestimated A.I.M.”

“While I take offense to that, I really would appreciate your help. If you joined us we’d have a much better chance at stopping A.I.M. What do you say?”

He looked from me to Alice a couple times then sighed.

“Storm.”

“Huh?”

“My last name, since you already know my first. I’m Leo Storm, the new Human Torch.”

“Save the rest for later, into the portal already!”

            The three of us returned to the Sanctum Sanctorum without issue, and began bringing Leo up to speed on our plans.