Michael Morbius awoke to the twin sensations of biting cold and hunger. Crimson rimmed eyes sprang open and he pushed himself upright, snow dripping from his cadaverous features.

Overhead, the moon shone down through gathering clouds and an icy northern wind cut through him. Morbius staggered up, arms wrapped around his scrawny frame, as he tried to work warmth back into his be-numbed extremities.

Blood. He needed blood. Needed to feed. His need was so great he could barely remember why he was wherever he was. Vague memories of a woman dressed in green and a snake, of San Francisco and the demon known as Dracula, filtered through the ruddy haze that choked his mind.

The snow was ankle deep and the ground was at an angle. He looked up, uncomprehending eyes following the sleek, silvery outline of the great citadel that jutted from the peaks above him.

He did not know that it was called Wundagore, named for the mountain it sprang from, nor that it was the refuge of the being known as the High Evolutionary. Even if he had known, at that moment, Michael Morbius would not have cared a whit nor a jot about names or ownership. Only that the hot tang of blood floated on cold winds, wafting down from that silver paradise.

An explosion rocked the mountain and screams fell like raindrops. Morbius licked his lips and took to the air.

---

San Francisco.

“Defenders.” Hawkeye said for the third time in as many minutes. He looked down at the duck in the sport-coat and tie and said, “Nope, not buying it. I’ve rode with the Defenders. You ain’t them Donald.”

“One? It’s Howard. Not Donald, not Daffy. Two? We’re the Defenders if I say we’re the Defenders. No patent on that gig, chuckles. Besides, I got the okay from Mister Magic himself.” Howard said, arms crossed, a halo of cigar smoke surrounding his head. “Who d’ya think clued me in on the blood-suckers? And twisted my arm to see to putting them down for the long dirt-nap?”

“Strange. Strange put you in charge of the Defenders?”

“What? You a racist? You got a problem with water-fowl?”

“I’m sure he did not mean any disrespect Howard.” Aquarian said gently from where he stood beside the window. Arms crossed, he floated a few inches above the floor and looked every inch the white-clad man-god.

“Can it choir boy.” Howard said, pointing with his stogie. “You’re the reason we’re even having this little chat. We could’ve had Dracula and been done with this whole mess if you hadn’t had to play ‘Doctor’ with the broad with the arachnid fetish.”

“Anyone ever tell you you’re a miserable bastard, Howard?” Spider-Woman said.

“Plenty. Too bad for them I don’t listen to monkeys.”

“How about snakes you little beast?” Princess Python hissed. She snapped her fingers and Glaucon lunged for Howard. He squawked and leapt aside as the snake swept past him. Aquarian gestured and the snake was halted, trapped in a null-field. Python whirled, one well-manicured nail poking Aquarian in the nose. Or as close to his nose as the null-shield that surrounded his body at all times would allow. “Release my snake this instant!”

“Fat chance lady. The kid’s my guardian angel. Even stopped me from offing myself.” Howard sneered. “No way he’s letting a wannabe like you do the job.”

“So you do remember me.” she said, turning on him, fists clenched. “I should have killed you when I had the chance…”

“You tried. You an’ your whole lousy Circus toots.” Howard spat back. Hawkeye stepped between them, stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled piercingly.

“Whoa kids. Time-out on old business. Let’s stay with the new. And on that topic, why’s this mook with you?” Hawkeye said, gesturing at Shatterfist who had been trying to hide in plain sight. Shatterfist looked left, then right, then pointed at himself.

“Who, me?”

“Yeah you.”

“I’m a victim of circumstance.”

“Aren’t we all.” Spider-Woman said. She looked at Druid, who had been standing quietly, staring at the remnants of his mystical circle for some minutes. His hell-eyes flickered as she put a hand on his shoulder. “Doc? What’re you thinking?”

“Eh? Oh, I’m sorry my dear. Lost in thought.” he patted her hand. “Trying to pick up the mystic traces of whatever spell spirited them away.”

“And?” Darkhawk asked, sitting on the sill of the window he’d shattered while fighting Death Adder. His fingers traced the healing rents in his alien form. Some of them still leaked the poisons the Society-member had injected into him in the course of their fight. A fight the young man was oddly eager to continue. Twice so far the mute assassin had nearly killed him. Twice he’d had to be saved.

There wouldn’t be a third time.

 “Can we find him? Them?” he asked, hoping his fellow Avengers couldn’t detect the eagerness in his voice. “Catch up with them? What about it Doc?”

“Yes, though I have no way of knowing where-” Druid began, then halted. He looked at Spider-Woman, his eyes narrowing, then widening. “Of course!”

“Wundagore.” Spider-Woman breathed. Of course. It would have to be Wundagore. Druid nodded. He looked at the other Avengers.

“Mount Wundagore. Chthon’s resting place on Earth.”

“Man…” Hawkeye shook his head. “Just once. Just once I’d like to avoid going to the High Evolutionary’s stomping grounds when this mystical bullcrap pops up.”

“He’s not that bad.” Spider-Woman said, her voice hard. Hawkeye shrugged.

“To-mato, tom-ato. Fine. Crap. Wundagore. Great. Let’s go. Make with the magic Doc. Whip up a flying carpet or what have you.” He gesticulated, whirling his arms in circles. He looked down at Howard. “You coming Duck Amock?”

“You betcher ass.” Howard said, pointing with his cigar. “Rock and roll kiddies.”

“Hey, whoa. I did not sign up to go wherever the hell you’re going.” Shatterfist backed away. “Count me out.”

Howard shrugged. “Fine. Stay here. Alone. With all the vampires who are probably hanging around real close by.”

“Did I say count me out? I meant in. Count me in.”

“Natural born leader.” Darkhawk said to Spider-Woman. She smirked.

“Don’t let Hawkeye hear you say that.”

“Too late! Threats are now my way of motivating you! Doc, Wundagore-Ho!” Hawkeye said, pointing in the general direction of Europe. Druid raised his hands as the Avengers and the Defenders gathered together in huddled group. Energy boiled from his fingertips and enveloped the motley group, surrounding them in a swirl of unearthly mist.

When it faded, they were gone.

---

Wundagore.

Sir Halifax swung his sword in a wide arc, cutting through the scaled form of the N’Garai as it reared up over him, hissing.  It toppled in two directions and he wheeled about, bringing his weapon to bear on the next abomination.

Halifax was the youngest of the Knights of Wundagore, the newest to earn his spurs. And perhaps the last. He had been a tiger once. Now he was so much more. He roared at the nearest creature, beckoning it forward.

It obliged and he spun, separating its head from its shoulders.

Hundreds of the creatures had appeared suddenly, assaulting the Citadel of Evolution, climbing the gleaming walls like roaches and killing the knights where they found them.

Chthon.

It was Chthon. The Ancient Enemy. The Adversary the Knights had been formed to fight. They had beaten him once. Or so Halifax had been told. But the Lord High Evolutionary wasn’t here to aid them this time. It was only them. Already some of the best and brightest had fallen.

Halifax whirled, lopping off a grasping talon and spitting its owner through its malformed skull. The beast screamed as it died, sliding off of his blade. He paused, breathing heavily. His once gleaming armor was covered in the vile, oily blood of the creatures and his fur was matted with it as well as his own blood.

His heart sank as he realized that he was the only living Knight on the battlements. The battle had moved inside the Citadel while he was lost in his own fight. So many dead. He closed his eyes, commending the souls of his fellow-knights to the Evolutionary.

An explosion rocked the Citadel, nearly knocking him to his knees. As he righted himself, a flare of light blinded him and he blinked rapidly, trying to clear his eyes. Eight figures began to slowly materialize in front of him, their forms coalescing out of a mystical fog.

With a snarl worthy of old Count Tagar, Halifax hefted his blade and charged.

---

“Clint!” Spider-Woman said as the world began to reappear around them.

“What?”

“Tiger-Man! Twelve o’ clock!” she shouted, leaping straight up as a broad form wielding a sword lunged through Druid’s smoke, roaring. Hawkeye dodged to the side and Darkhawk stepped up, the gem on his chest flashing. A Column of black light expanded from the gem, smashing their attacker backwards against a wall. His sword fell from his fist and clattered to the ground as Darkhawk stalked forward, holding him pinned.

“Got him boss-man.” Darkhawk said. Hawkeye patted the younger man on the shoulder and looked at their prisoner. He waggled his fingers.

“Hiya.”

“Go to hell demon!” Halifax spat, eyes blazing. He struggled against the coruscating energies that held him pinned. Hawkeye blinked. He opened his mouth but Spider-Woman’s hand on his arm made him fall quiet. She pointed at the closest bodies. Druid, his hands folded inside his voluminous sleeves, nodded.

“N’Garai. The Dwarf is here.”

“Hey, listen Tony, we aren’t with them.” Hawkeye said, gesturing at the demonic corpses and then at his companions. It was Halifax’s turn to blink.

“Tony?”

“Tony. Tony the Tiger. Mascot of a balanced breakfast.”

“My name is Halifax. Sir Halifax. I do not know this Tony of whom you speak…” the tiger-man grunted. He cocked his head. “Though I do enjoy breakfast.”

“Don’t we all. I think you can let him down kid.” Hawkeye said. “Sir Halifax, may I present the Avengers West-”

“And the Defenders!” Howard interjected, stomping forward. Halifax looked down at him.

“Well met Sir Duck.”

“See? See? That’s how I should get greeted every time. No statement of the obvious with this kid.” Howard leaned against Halifax’s leg and jerked a thumb up at him. “Now see if Morris here knows where Big Daddy Fangs and Tattoo are. I’m freezing my tail feathers off out here.”

“Who is Morris-” Halifax began, picking up his sword and sheathing it carefully. Hawkeye waved a hand.

“Don’t worry about it. We’re here to help. Where’s your boss?”

“Alas, the Lord High Evolutionary is away and has been for some time. Lord Otheris was in command, though I do not know where he is now.” Halifax said. He indicated the demons. “They attacked us at nightfall last, swarming over the battlements from the very rock of the mountain, as if they were lice on some great beast’s back. They are the servants of the Great Enemy, so we fought them, but-” He fell silent, head bowed.

“Great Enemy?” Darkhawk asked.

“The Knights of Wundagore were created to fight Chthon. That’s their purpose. It’s why the Evolutionary left their citadel here.” Spider-Woman said softly, looking up at Halifax. “I remember Magnus telling me that the Knights had helped him once…”

“Aye Lady Drew.” a rough voice said. Halifax turned.

“Lord Otheris! You yet live!”

“As do you young Halifax. We may yet win this day.” Lord Otheris said. A man-sized otter clad in armor similar to Halifax’s, though proportioned differently, Otheris’ muzzle was gray and his black eyes were wise. Behind him were several other Knights, all looking battle weary. “Especially now that we have allies of our own. Well met Avengers! Well met milady Drew. You have returned when most needed.” Otheris raised a hand in greeting. “Even as ancient Magnus foretold.”

“Something you want to tell me?” Hawkeye looked at Spider-Woman, who shrugged.

“What can I say? I’m complicated, baby.”

Hawkeye’s retort was lost as the mountain gave out a groan and a low rumble nearly knocked them all from their feet.

---

Somewhere far above.

Death Adder watched the Avengers and the New Men as he clung to the sloping roof of the Citadel. It would be so easy to simply leap down among them. Cripple them. Kill the closest. He could do it. But why?

Chthon would take care of them.

Still, better safe than sorry. His muscles tensed as he prepared to leap, tail lashing.

“There you are. Roland, Roland, Roland. What have you been up to?”

Death Adder whirled, tail lashing, to confront the flickering holographic image of Seth Voelker, Sidewinder. Voelker clucked his tongue and shook a finger in Death Adder’s face.

“And here I thought I could trust you Roland. But all this time you had your own deal going. Now that is a shame. It means you’ll miss out on the Big Event. Of course, should you survive this, feel free to look me up. The Society is going to need every hand on deck for this one. See you in the funny pages Roland.” Voelker’s image flickered and faded before Death Adder’s eyes. His eyes narrowed.

Survive this?

Survive what?

“I wonder…will your blood be any more palatable than that of those ichors-soaked creatures below?”

The mute assassin stepped back as Morbius was revealed, creeping towards him even as Voelker’s mocking laughter faded on the wind.

Morbius grinned.

“I am sorry my friend. But I must feed. And you are on the menu!”

Morbius leapt forward, claws outstretched. Death Adder met him in the air and both monsters tumbled off the edge of the roof, falling towards the slopes of the mountain below.

They hurtled downwards, locked in combat, talons and teeth flailing.

The rocks below reached up for them.

The ground rumbled even as they were swallowed up by the jagged peaks of Wundagore.

---

Somewhere far below.

“Not so high and mighty now are you?” the Dwarf giggled, looking up at Dracula. The Lord of the Vampires hung silently, held ten feet above the floor suspended between two immense cairns that the Dwarf had summoned through the steel decking with a gesture. The makeshift stake Death Adder had driven into his heart remained there, jutting up through him.

The Dwarf looked around the room. The so-called High Evolutionary’s throne room. It would be the Master’s soon enough. He looked back up at Dracula.

“You don’t look so good Drac. Practically skin and bones.”

Dracula remained silent, a mummified corpse hanging from a web of darkly glittering energy. But his eyes still burned with hate. The Dwarf grinned at him and danced a little jig.

“Oh come on. Don’t be that way. You always wanted to be a god. Well now you will be…or, rather, he’ll be you. What you were always meant to be.”

The mountain rumbled suddenly, as if in agreement. The N’Garai crouched in the corners and clinging to the walls and ceiling began to chitter in eagerness. The Dwarf stretched, wiggling his fingers.

“Almost time. Almost time for a new age.”

The mountain rumbled again. And somewhere deep within it, something horrible awoke…

---

San Francisco.

Moon Knight spun in place, vibranium sole of his boot crashing into the crimson chest of the killer known as Bloodshed. The big man, garbed in black and crimson, stumbled back with a grunt of pain his eyes flashing behind his steel face mask.

“Where’s Voelker, Wyndell. Tell me and I might let you escape.”

“Ain’t no Voelker here moon-man. Pack up your stick and go!” Bloodshed bellowed, lumbering forward, arms swinging like pistons. Moon Knight rolled under him, snatching up the truncheon he’d thrown earlier as he went. He twisted it as he shot to his feet and the end facing the back of the criminal’s skull extended rapidly, catching Bloodshed in the back of the head and pitching him forward. He hit the ground with a groan and didn’t move.

“Damn it.” Moon Knight stood, popping his truncheon back to its original size. He turned, glaring at the mercenary known as the Porcupine, who lay with his back to the wall of the seedy underground bar Moon Knight had tracked them to. His helmet was dented by an earlier strike from Moon Knight and his costume was badly damaged. He held up his hands pleadingly.

“Dude, chill! Jesus! What do you want to know?”

“You and Bloodshed procured several pieces of equipment recently. Black market tech. You sold them to a representative of the Serpent Society. I want his location and I want to know what you sold him.”

“I-I don’t know where he is man, b-but-”

“What did you sell him?” Moon Knight snarled, looming over Porcupine.

“Life Model D-Decoys. Spare shit we stole from a SHIELD warehouse in Orange County. We were just trying to make a buck!”

“Idiot.” Moon Knight brought the end of his truncheon down on the Porcupine’s helmet, knocking him unconscious.

LMD’s. What the hell would Voelker want with those?

“Frenchie. Bring the chopper around. I think we’re going to need to pay a visit to the Avengers West after all.” Moon-Knight said, tapping the side of his cowl to activate the radio earbud there. With a last glance at the two unconscious felons, he walked out of the bar. He’d radio the police once they were airborne. Let them deal with the trash.

As the sound of the helicopter faded, a swirl of multicolored smoke puffed from the floor and spread, growing taller and taller until it evaporated, revealing three figures. The oriental man in the dapper suit smiled at the two unconscious super-villains.

“Pick them up.” he said lightly, gesturing his two companions forward. Slate stooped under the bulk of Bloodshed and tossed him over his shoulder while Cottonmouth did the same for the Porcupine.

The dapper man smiled, his eyes glowing weirdly behind his sunglasses.

---

The Negative Zone.

“Your armor looks different.” Rick Jones said, sitting beside Tony Stark as he tried to repair the damage Genis had done to his armor. For the most part the armor was self-repairing, but Genis had done something to it. Fried it.

Tony looked up at Rick.

“Alternadimensional additions since we last saw each other. Keep talking.”

“Yeah well, like I was saying, it was a trick, see? Genis tricked the universe at large into thinking he had killed the Eternals. For their own good.”

“Where have I heard that before?” Tony muttered. “So all of this was because…what? Genis needs validation from a race that abandoned him?”

“About the size of it.” Rick sighed and shrugged. “He’s never been very stable. The Eternals tried, but…”

“We failed.” Mentor said. He had been standing silently nearby staring out at the insanity of the Negative Zone through the defense barrier he had erected around Titan. “Tried and failed. The story of my people. We failed with Thanos and we have failed now with Genis. We have unleashed another monster on an unsuspecting universe.” He turned to Iron-Man.

“I am sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Help.” Iron-Man said. “Genis is planning to turn Earth into the new Kree Empire. Help me stop him. Help me the same way you helped us against Thanos.”

“He’s right Mentor. Genis is long gone around the bend. Nothing left now but damage control.” Rick said.

“I-” Mentor looked at them both, then closed his eyes. “Very well. I will gather the others. Stark, can you devise a way for us to return to our proper dimension?”

“Of course.” Tony grinned, looking suddenly younger than his years. “I installed a miniature NZ projector into my armor years ago. About the same time Reed let us all in on its existence.” He frowned. “Problem is, after I get us back I’m not going to be useful for a few minutes. The projector drains my batteries badly.”

“Don’t worry about it Shell-head. Get us back and I’ll handle Genis myself. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve he won’t be prepared for.” Rick said softly. He raised his hands and solar energy crackled up and down the length of his fingers.

“Time for Genis to get what’s been coming to him for a very long time.”

---

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

 

---

 

Next issue: Avengers West Coast 30^th issue spectacular! The Avengers West, the Defenders and the Knights of Wundagore wage war against the Elder God Chthon! Iron-Man and the Eternals battle Captain Marvel! Moon-Knight comes up against the New Emissaries of Evil in his search for Sidewinder and the Serpent Society! Plus, Ultron! Morbius! And of course…Dracula! Be here in thirty for…’GODS AND MONSTERS’!