"Help! Whoever is getting this message please help me! Someone hurling glowing rocks and an electrical beast is attacking me! Please help!" the voice cried out as it fizzled out in nothing.

Scarlet Witch flicked off the communication screen with a tiny gray remote and looked back at her fellow Avengers. "We got that message about an hour ago! The static was so bad that I was only able to sort out the voice as you can see that I was unable to pull up an image. I had Photon run voice matches and the voice is an exact match for Dylan Cavanaugh."

Black Knight leaned back in his seat and propped his boots up on the table. "And who the hell is Dylan Cavanaugh?"

Photon rose up from her chair, "Dylan is a mid-level telepath that She-Hulk once helped battle another telepath. I'm assuming he called here because this is the place Jennifer gave him to call if he was ever in a bind again."

Wanda nodded her head and pressed her remote control again. This time the image of a middle age man with bright red hair and an equally red beard to match popped up. He was wearing a gray business suit and had on glasses that covered a good deal of his face.

"So this be thee man that hath need of our help?" Thor asked as he walked into the conference room. He hadn't intended to be late, but he hadn't on planning on having to deal with a group of Frost Giants either.

Wanda nodded again. "Yes this is Dylan. The distress call came from Portland so that's where we'll be headed."

"Is it really necessary for all of us to go? I mean glowing rocks and an electrical beast doesn't sound like nothing maybe two of us can't handle," Quasar commented just in time.

"I find truth in what Quasar says Wanda. I don't think all of us need to go," Black Knight said.

"Fine, but if things go to the crapper it wasn't my fault. Crystal, Black Knight, and Quasar. You guys head to Portland and give Dylan a hand. Handle whatever threat is present and report back here. Understood?" the second in command of the Avengers asked.

"Sure Wanda. Don't worry I'll keep the two boys in check," Crystal smiled as she rose up from her chair and walked out of the room.

15 Minutes Later in the Quinijet

"So who's the real leader of this outfit?" Quasar asked Crystal as he adjusted the many sensors and gizmos that were in front of him.

"I am of course," Crystal said jokingly as she smiled at the pilot, Quasar.

"I think he means something else," Black Knight said from behind the former Cosmic Protector.

Crystal's pleasant smile quickly turned into a stare of confusion. "I'm not following you. What else do you mean then Wendell?'

"I mean who the heck is the leader of the Avengers! Thor is the official leader, but he's hardly ever around. It seems to me like Wanda does a better job as leader than our favorite Thunder God does."

"I do find this to be true as well Crystal," Black Knight chimed in.

The Inhuman royal sunk back in her seat a little as it sped its way toward Portland. She just had a feeling the few minutes it took to get to Portland would stretch on for eternity. "Look the truth of the matter is the two divide their leadership and I think they do a good job of it. Thor is there when it counts the most and Wanda handles all the details of running the Avengers. Thor is much better when it comes to battles and strategy."

"Ahh so Thor does all the easy stuff then," Quasar smirked.

"I would hardly say that Wendell! Leading a team into battle isn't exactly a walk in the park. Especially a team as diverse and as varied as the Avengers," Crystal exclaimed in defense of Thor.

"I have nothing against that Crystal, but see the thing about a good leader is that they can handle the battles and all the small day by day details. That's what made Cap the kinda leader he was during the Avengers and I think that's the kind of leader we need."

"Whatever Wendell! Lets just stop talking about this and worry about saving Dylan. I don't want any of us getting sloppy."

"I'm surprised you would even think we would get sloppy," Black Knight said. He hadn't seen Crystal in a while so her sudden "take charge" attitude was still taking him some getting use to. Something had happened to Crystal to make her more edgy and a lot less gentle.

"Times have changed Dane. The Avengers team you're on now is different from the one you use to be on. We've changed," Crystal replied. She didn't know where Quasar and Black Knight were coming from with these bashing Thor attitudes, but she didn't like it.

"We're about to land! Brace yourselves," Quasar exclaimed as he lowered the ship down into an area outside of Portland.

The ship began to rattle and shake violently making Crystal grip her chair till her knuckles turned white. She had long asked Vision to do something to modify these high-powered jets, but he wasn't around to do that anymore. His death had taken more of a toll on the team than Crystal had ever realized. Thor and Iron Man were at odds with one another, which just created tension between the East and West Coast teams.

Finally the Quinijet came to a stop. Black Knight immediately unbuckled himself from his seat and opened the door. He didn't even wait for the stairs to extend themselves from the aircraft. He just leaped out of the machine and landed on the ground. Quasar smiled at the sight of Dane Whitman being so eager to start this relatively easy mission.

"He never changes does he?" Quasar asked as Crystal grabbed him around the waist. The former Cosmic Protector floated the two of them down to the ground. They landed gently on the ground to find an impatient Black Knight waiting for them.

"I'm sure this Cavanaugh guy would just love the fact that you two are taking your time!" Black Knight exclaimed. He already had his sword drawn and he was ready for action. Something about the new Ebony Blade he had made him want to use it more. The sword was raw power. It had once been hundreds of Ebony Blades, but Proctor had merged them all into one. Dane gloated every day over the fact that he had the weapon of his arch foe, Proctor, in his grasp.

"Dane has a point. Lets go!"

Quasar enveloped Crystal, Black Knight, and himself in a powerful force field using his Quantum Bands. Then he propelled the force field at near super sonic speeds towards the lab where Dylan Cavanaugh was suppose to be at. As the force field flew across the Portland landscape in a matter of seconds the eyes of Quasar searched for the lab of Cavanaugh. While to Black Knight and Crystal everything may have seemed a blur, but Quasar had been use to traveling at such speeds. He could pick out things other people couldn't while traveling at such speeds.

The former Cosmic Protector picked out the building and guided his companions and himself there. Once upon the ground the three Avengers didn't se anything that would indicate that any sort of struggle had taken place. There were no destroyed sections of the building. There were no flames or smoke.

"You sure you took use to the right place Wendell?" Crystal asked worrying that they were going to let Dylan slip through their fingers. She could just see the anger that would be etched all over Thor's face.

"Trust me Crys. He definitely took us to the right place. My sword can feel it," Black Knight said as he pulled the Ebony Blade from its hilt. Dane was still learning about all the new powers of his enhanced Ebony Blade. One thing he did learn quickly was that this sword could detect evil and detect it well. Holding the sword was like having pure power in the palm of his hand. Black Knight was no stranger to fighting temptation, but something about this sword made this struggle all the harder.

"The sword has spoken. We're going in," Quasar said feeling awkward that a sword had been his only defender. Crystal had doubted him and Black Knight was about to until his sword had told him otherwise.

"I'm sorry for doubting you Quasar. I'll know better next time," Crystal apologized as she walked through the doors of the building. As she stepped through the doors she turned her body to diamond. In that form she would be less vulnerable to attack.

Before the Inhuman had a chance to react she was hit in the chest by three glowing yellow rocks. Crystal went flying back in the arms of Quasar. Looking up at Wendell she said, "Thanks for the catch!"

"Anytime. Now lets see just who flung them prehistoric baseballs," Quasar said as he erected an energy shield around himself and flew off into the building. The first two people he saw waiting for him were two foes that the Cosmic Protector had only the privilege of hearing about. He had never been in battle with either of them.

"Go no further Avenger!" Oort the Living Comet yelled.

"Or you'll be struck down like your friend," Zzzax said in a voice that sounded like listening to a snowy television set.

"Avengers don't back down!" Black Knight yelled as he unsheathed his Ebony Blade. Close behind him was Crystal. She was still a little dazed from Oort's attack and she didn't want to jump directly into battle.

"Then you will die!" Zzzax roared as he unleashed a barrage of electrical energy at Dane. Crystal jumped into front of her one time lover and took the hit full on. The electricity had no affect against her nearly impervious diamond form.

Black Knight jumped over Crystal's head and while he was over Zzzax he thrust his sword into the electrical being. As the sword pierced Zzzax's electrical form black energy flowed out of the sword like ink from a spilled cup. Zzzax let out an anguished cry as he fell to the ground twitching. Before he impacted with the ground Black Knight pulled his sword from Zzzax's body and landed gracefully behind the electrical brute. All this happened within a matter of seconds.

Quasar meanwhile was blasting away the glowing rocks of Oort like he was playing an old Atari game. He could see the frustration growing on Oort's face and he couldn't help, but to laugh at it. This made the man from the 50th century even more agitated. Suddenly the yellow rocks stopped flying at Quasar. Looking around the former Cosmic Protector found himself in a world of swirling colors. He felt like he was in the middle of a Kaleidoscope.

"You think to stop me! You're a fool Quasar. I'm from the 50th Century. I have technology you can't even begin to comprehend," Oort exclaimed. His voice could be heard all across the strange world Wendell found himself in, but the man from the future was nowhere to be found.

"I'm here Quasar. Look!" Oort yelled as Quasar turned his head quickly to see a man wearing what looked like a sleek astronaut helmet. He wore a golden chest plate that had a silver diamond in the middle of it.

"Take us back! I don't have time for childish games!" Quasar said angrily.

"And neither do I," Oort replied as he pressed a button on his golden glove. Pink, blue, and purple energy came crashing down on Quasar from all directions. Wendell was not sure how long he could keep up his shield. He knew it couldn't be for long.

"I will not…LOSE!" Quasar yelled as energy discharged from his Nega Bands. So much energy that all of Oort's was sent back to whence it came. The energy continued to pour out at such a fast rate that it enveloped the entire world Oort had him trapped in and shattered it like glass.

Wendell now found himself back in the real world and a smoking Oort the Living Comet was on the ground underneath him. He only looked at Oort for a second though as passed out right into the arms of a lovely Inhuman.

"You think he's okay?" Crystal asked Black Knight who was rapidly approaching the scene.

"I don't know. What happened?"

"One moment I saw Quasar fighting Oort and then the next they were gone. Then just as quickly they came back. I don't have any idea what happened," Crystal said her voice full of her worry. She bit down on her lip to calm herself.

"Let's just try to find Dylan and get back to the Mansion," Black Knight said grabbing Crystal's shoulder.

"Yea I suppose. Did you hear that?" Crystal asked as what sounded like a barely audible buzzing entered her ear. Looking behind her there was a man floating in the air with pink energy floating around him.

"Looks like we aren't done here yet," Black Knight said as he pulled out his sword. He looked confident as he prepared to strike, but in truth he wasn't. Dane had no idea what his new sword could do. In fact he had no idea it was going to do what it did to Zzzax. He wouldn't let his other teammates know about his insecurities in his Ebony Blade though. All of them had enough problems on their plate as is without him adding to any of them.

"I have no quarrel with you this day Avengers. I already have what I came here for anyway. But be warned. I'm coming for you and when I do come I'll rock the foundations of your world!"

With that forewarning the energized Dylan disappeared along with Zzzax and Oort. Black Knight put his sword back into its sheath. "That wasn't Dylan talking."

"I know, but the question is who was it then?" Crystal asked. One more thing for the Avengers to have to worry about.