Central Park, New York

Franklin Keep ushered his family into the small little alcove he'd discovered some during his morning constitution. It was as secluded as you could find in Central Park, allowing in enough sun while providing the right amount of shade and a perfect view of the Empire State Building.

This was what it was all about, Keep thought to himself as he ushered his family towards the perfect spot for a picnic. Keep had served in the United States army for three years, both in Afghanistan and Iraq. He'd served his country with pride and distinction and was now ready to settle into his reward of raising his family in a country made just a little bit safer by his efforts in the battle field.

His Beautiful Joan, High School sweetheart all four years, laid out the blanket while his twin children, Ann and Michael, unfurled their kite. Franklin was looking forward to settling into the perfect mundanely of every day life.

Joey Chapman

USAgent

Sabra

Silverclaw

Scarlet Scarab

Cybermancer

However, instincts learned on the battle field raged as he felt a cool breeze on the back of his neck. The warm spring day was close to eighty five degrees, yet the sudden wind chilled him to the marrow. Matters weren't helped any when he looked over his shoulder, and not four yards away saw the international terrorists known as the Avatars of the Mandarin.

Franklin was yelling orders back at his family even as he was rushing towards the terrorists. His soldier mind recognized he was gifted with something so many victims of terrorism wanted the world over, but rarely received. A chance to fight back. His family was of course a military family, and they followed his orders without hesitation.

Franklin leapt towards the madmen and fell among them. Men of such power were more surprised than anything else, but that didn't last long. The former soldier kicked and flailed, his only desire to obscure these monsters for as long as possible. Within seconds, however, blood, entrails and limbs were flying, all belonging to one person. But he didn't care. The last thought that went through Franklin's Keep mind was one of happiness amid the carnage. If he couldn't be a father to his children and a doting grandfather to theirs, at least he could be a hero and example instead.

Delayed only by moments, the Avatars continued their march into New York, wearing the blood and entrails of their first victim. But most certainly not their last.

"Lets go, lets go, lets go!" Union Jack, Silverclaw, Sabra and Cybermancer tore down the hall the instant they received the summons. There wasn't anyone in Excalibur who wasn't shocked to learn that the Avatars had actually chosen to attack New York, despite the well known fact that it was swarming with heroes, from the Avengers, to New Warriors to Spider-Man. However, no one could fault their timing. Chapman kept a constant eye on all major superhuman teams on the East Coast, and currently all were either on a mission or occupied. Everyone knew that was no coincidence.

The three turned a finally corner and were outside, where the remainder of their teammates plus Chapman were waiting. Given that the attack was so close, using the HERMES teleporter would have wasted more time than it saved. Darkstar had already created an ebony platform for the non-flyers.

"Orders?" Rock asked, knowing Chapman had to be there for a reason.

"Contain but under no bloody conditions are you to disable, cripple or defeat these blighters," Chapman ordered, "longer we hold them in one place, better the chance we have of using all that tech in the air to trace them back to their base."

"Understood."

As Excalibur shot away towards Central Park, Joey Chapman was already on the phone with the United States United Nations Security Council member. Through him, Chapman hoped to be able to realign at least one spy satellite over America, though he was under no illusions how difficult moving even only one would be.

So thank God he had a few back-up plans cooking.

Quake, every bit as sadistic as his predecessor, loomed over his latest victim like a death shroud, drinking in the young woman's terror. Raising his fists above his head, he was about to turn the jogger into just another statistic when he heard a loud roaring noise.

Quake looked up just in time for three missiles the size of pencils to explode across his chest. It was painful, but Quake possessed quite a bit of power, and only staggered backwards a few feet.

That was more than enough for the red and gold armored hero known as Rocket Racer. Riding his jet powered skate board; Robert Farrell scooped up the young woman and blasted away. It only took a handful of seconds before he was a safe enough distance away to put the young woman down.

"Run!" He barked, to which he received no argument. The gold and red armored hero only wished he could do the same. But somehow, someway, he was raised better than that. Rocket Racer spun his board around and charged back into the fray, gets blasting.

The skeletal Avatar titled Lich was about to eviscerate an elderly when he felt a wet, sticky substance splatter across his back.

"Ah-ah!" the amazing Spider-Man yanked the villain backwards away from his prey and into a nearby scrub, "that isn't how tourists are supposed to act. Not until after your first cab ride!"

Lich said nothing as he sliced through the thick webbing like it was wet damp tissue paper. On his feet in seconds, Lich lunged at the wall crawler, weapons first.

Union Jack felt a mixture of relief and frustration as Excalibur reached the combat zone. New York was renowned for it's collection of heroes on any given day, and today was no exception. Not only had Spider-Man and Rocket Racer engaged the Avatars, but so had Power Man and Iron Fist, the master thief Black Cat, along with a speeding young man in a yellow and blue lightning bolt uniform.

"You have your orders Excalibur," Union Jack said evenly, "Suzi, hang back a moment, eh?"

"What do you want?" Suzi snapped sharply, reminding Rock of just how much the team scientist loathed these monsters.

"I don't want you in the battle. Get high and start scanning. Every attack thus far has been a part of a larger plan, and I don't intend to wait until the bodies start hitting the ground to find out what it is!"

Cybermancer let out an inarticulate huff of anger before shooting into the sky and began hovering there. Setting her defenses to automatic, she began to scan as far and wide as her armor allowed. As much as she wanted her pound of flesh, she wouldn't allow these monsters one more victim if she could help it.

Luis Thompson, the super-speed hero to be called Thunderbolt, swallowed hard as he ran circles around the Avatar aptly named Scythe. He should be figuring out how to pay for college, not fighting some terrorist attack in Central Park! Having little idea what to do and even less confidence, the only tactic that Thunderbolt thought he could successfully do was to contain this monster. If he got too close, the man might slice him in half with a lucky swing. But thankfully, Scythe held back as well, respectful of the fact that his foe's speed gave him an advantage, even if the young man didn't have the confidence to use it.

Both hero and villain were locked in an odd stalemate…until an elongated foot stretched out of nowhere, tripping up Thunderbolt and sent him tumbling head over heels some thirty feet away.

"Oops," said Eshu with an uncaring shrug, "shoulda watched where I was goin', kid!"

Luke Cage unleashed an uppercut that would have done the Thing proud. The Avatar known as Quake was thrown a good twelve feet before returning to Mother Earth. His knuckles stung with pain and felt half broken, but that was nothing new. Most boxers broke their hands in the ring, after all. But all Luke felt was nature telling him he'd just scored a perfect shot.

There was a sound not unlike several punches landing all at once, and then the Avatar with the blazing fists known as Warfist followed his own flight path towards Quake.

"Ain't nothin' like bein' the real thing, is it, Danny?"

"Not at all," Daniel Rand, better known as the martial artist superhero Iron Fist answered simply.

The dynamic duo moved in to finish off their foes but were startled when Silverclaw, a once time ally, landed directly in their path.

"Danny! Luke! Umm…how have you guys been?"

Both heroes looked at Silverclaw like she'd grown another head. For a short time, the three of them had worked together in a loosely formed Heroes for Hire business. That had broken apart in record speed, but not so quickly that the two didn't get a good feel for Lupe's personality. And landing directly between them and their foes was terribly out of character for the bright college freshman.

"Maria, explain," Iron Fist said sharply, his eyes locked on the Avatars who were recovering as they spoke. This was no time for pleasantries.

"Look, this sounds crazy…" Lupe lowered her voice so that only Iron Fist and Cage could hear her, "…but my team needs to you guys not to beat Avatars. It's just complicated, so trust me, kay?"

"You guys want time try to get a lock on them wit' all the sensors flyin' in the sky," Cage summarized, "got it."

Only Maria looked surprised at Cage's deduction.

"I only act like a thug," Cage winked, "okay girl, we'll play it your way. Hope you guys know what you're doin'."

Maria assumed her bird form, silver feathers adorning her arms, "Yeah, me too!"

Federal Reserve Bank, Wall Street

Simon Bradley lounged back in his leather recliner, enjoying a day as restful as one could be while still away. Simon worked the reception desk for five years, and despite the fact that the building was perhaps one of the most important buildings in the world, things were always slow. It took some effort to get past the first ring of security around the building, and those who made it past them always knew where they were going. Simon shared the shift with five other men, all armed with M-16s they all hoped to never use, so Simon felt justified in kicking back just a little.

He shot up like a bullet when he saw a tall, slender woman rush into the lobby. She was wearing a high priced business suit, like she worked in a well-heeled office somewhere, only it was torn and ripped, with blood splattered over some parts of it. The woman was rambling in some foreign language (they all sounded the same to Simon) as she hobbled in.

Surprisingly, Simon was the first to act. He always considered himself a gentleman at heart.

"Chris! Call the cops!" He shouted as he rushed to the woman's side.

"Ma'am, are you alright? Were you attacked?" Simon placed his hands on the mystery woman's shoulders as gently as possible, hoping to determine what had occurred. The Asian woman shrunk to the ground like a cowed dog accepting its fate, "Ma'am, I can't understand you. Can't you speak English, what are you saying?"

"I'm begging all who are Holy, to please forgive me," she whispered.

Simon never heard Chris yell to him that the phones weren't working. A silver blade of indestructible composition sundered his heart. He felt nothing. The only reward Lady Deathstrike could give him for his selflessness.

Within the span of fifty seconds, there were five blood splatters scattered across the marble floor of the lobby, and the cyborg known as Lady Deathstrike was left unopposed.

A shudder went through her body as she began to realize that the greatest weapon in the United State's vast arsenal would soon lay exposed for her master to take.

Union Jack never felt more useless as anxiety pooled in his gut. This was too easy by far. In fact, Excalibur and the various other heroes of New York were having such an easy holding the Avatars at bay that Union Jack was left with little more to do than stand around uselessly.

But as for the Avatars themselves, as hard as they fought, the buggers weren't fighting with any real degree of urgency, and that was disturbing to Union Jack's tactical mind. Just as he knew the earth rotated around the sun, he knew these bastards were waiting for something. And he had to find out what. What could be so important as to attack New York…?

It dawned on him almost instantly.

"Suzi!" He yelled over the communicator, "I need you down here now!"

"What now, Rock?" the armored heroine demanded as she set down in front of her team leader, "my scanners haven't found anything, anymore bright ideas?"

Rock told her his 'bright idea'.

"You're crazy, that's…that's impossible!" She said disbelievingly.

"Which is part and parcel with magic, no?"

Cybermancer silently nodded, and put her arm underneath Rock's. Activating her boot-jets, the two soared into the air. Cybermancer quietly asked her onboard computer, with a real time link to several different databases, for some very specific information.

"Are you sure about this, Rock?"

"As much as I can be, luv." he answered as they soared through the air towards New York's financial district, "Think about it, what gives the United States' it's most influence and power in the world? It's not just their military, it's…"

"Their economy." Suzi finished.

"Economics can be a gun," Union Jack explained, "Soviet Union found that out."

The rest of the trip through New York's skyline was quite. Once the duo reached the Federal Reserve Building, they saw dead bodies strewn about and several cop cars smashed together in a law enforcement pileup.

"Landlines are dead," Cybermancer stated as they landed, "And I just scanned police frequencies. Three different terrorist threats were called twenty minutes ago. I think we're on our own."

The two began trekking towards the entrance. Rock upholstered his pistol, holding it in front of him as he scanned the area with his eyes, "Could have told you that, luv."

"You don't even seem surprised that these monsters are always one step ahead of us."

Union Jack snorted, "Of course they are. They're the ones acting first. No matter how well trained, smart or powerful, you can't beat a basic law of physics. Action is faster than reaction."

Cybermancer felt a shudder as they entered the lobby, and not just because of the dead bodies. Union Jack took note, but otherwise gave them no mind. Once they reached the elevator, Suzi asked,

"Up or down?"

"Up." Rock answered.

"Up?"

"There's over two hundred billion dollars worth of gold beneath us," Jack explained, "in a vault the size of an American football field. The thing's so bleedin' heavy its set on New York's bedrock. Even the Hulk would have a tough time pressing all that weight."

"So?"

"So, unless you have a bloody army to move it, you have to teleport it somehow." Union Jack stated, "and to do that, you to be able get a single into the building. And the extra normal defense systems are on the fourth floor."

Suzi gripped the elevator doors and pushed them apart with ease. Grabbing Jack's hand, they shot up towards the fourth floor.

"How many people know the exact security layout of the building?" Cybermancer asked, "can't imagine it's something the U.S. wants to be too well known."

"Being a U.S. ally has its advantages," Rock smiled.

Suzi forced the door open to the fourth floor, and as they opened the two heroes could see smoke billowing down the hall and the crackles of a distant fire. It didn't take a genius (which they both were) to realize what had happened.

"Back down?"

"Down. You first."

"You're such a gentlemen, Rock."

Central Park

Scarlet Scarab motioned towards the smoldering fire Avatar known as Foundry with his hands, and crimson energy flooded outwards to be met with a magical inferno that spewed from the Golden Terrorist's eyes.

"Arab Dog! I'll burn the flesh from your skin!" Foundry snarled.

"You can try," Was all Scarab could get past his clenched teeth. These maniacs offended him as an educated, religious and worldly man. Scarlet Scarab always found battling ignorance to be the most infuriating. It wasn't a force that he could touch or stop in the field of battle, and whenever it got this far he found, it was self-sustaining. Stalemated for a second, Scarab slowly willed his talisman to release more energy.

The two mystic energies met in the middle, and swirled together like pea-soup. A sphere of energy appeared, and the more energy the Middle Eastern hero released, the closer that sphere of congealed magics came to his foe. Foundry began pouring more and more energy out through his eyes desperately, but for every ounce of energy he released, Scarab countered with twice as much. For all his boasting, the golden inferno couldn't hope to match. His power faltered for a second, and the sphere of mixed magics exploded in his face with a blinding flash of light and power. The behemoth was thrown through the air where he crashed at the edge of Central Park's pond. Surprisingly, his landing created virtually no steam, his internal furnace almost spent.

"Where are your boasts now, Golden One?"

Foundry noticed his hand becoming transparent and felt the pride of victory swell in his chest, "I have no need of them, dog, for we have already won!"

The elevator doors to the Vault level exploded outwards, the heavy metal doors now crooked and warped as they fell away.

"She's been here," Cybermancer breathed, "my sensors are picking up the body heat of a cyborg."

"Lovely." Muttered Rock. He kept his sidearm up at attention, but he knew it was useless.

The two members of Excalibur carefully made their way down the corridor leading to the main vault entrance, finding only death. Guards, limbs and internal organs were scattered about carelessly. When Union Jack saw the open vault door, he already knew what lay ahead.

The area was as large as a football field. The ceiling was sixteen feet tall. It should have been filled with billions and billions of dollars worth of gold bars. All of which propped up the world's economy, ensuring that the trains ran on time, banks had money to distribute in the morning and when all was said and done, acted as the glue of the global economy. An invisible yet ever present force that held society together on many levels.

Instead, it was virtually empty. Where there should have been hundreds of bars of gold, there was nothing but air. Only two massive piles of gold remained, and when Union Jack read who they belonged to, he felt a lump form in his throat.

"Suzi, I need a secure line to Chapman, now," Rock spoke so softly Cybermancer almost couldn't hear him, but she already anticipated his request. With a few adjustments of her communications systems routed through several pre arranged stations, and Union Jack's communicator was linked to Chapman's cell phone.

"Chapman here."

"Chapman, Rock. We have a problem…"

"All the gold in the Federal Reserve except the United States and Israel's was stolen." Chapman stated matter of factly.

"…how could you know that?"

"Because it just went out over CNN, the BBC and every other major new outlet just reported it," answered Chapman. He slapped his phone closed, and began listening to the reporter who looked pathetically flustered by the turn of events. He doubted she ever expected to be reporting on the collapse of the global economy, and in such an odd fashion.

"…repeating our top story, we have just received this video tape that reports to be from the terrorists who attacked Paris, London and just minutes ago New York in what they call 'a defense of Eastern Values'. We cannot at this time verify the truthfulness of the statements contained within the videotape, but if it's indeed true, the implications could be devastating. Here is the tape again."

The screen cut away to a darkened image of a man speaking into a camera. It was impossible to make out anything else beside the figure's gender.

"To all those who see this, Greetings," the man began calmly, "my name is unimportant. For too long, the rich culture that birthed me has been chipped away, little by little. For too long our majesty has been polluted, diluted and destroyed by outsiders without so much as a second thought about the consequences of their actions as disease, human trafficking and drugs have run rampant. I can tolerate this no longer. My attacks upon Paris, London and New York are merely delayed acts of cultural self defense, and I will not stop there until I have brought low the arrogant nations that have scarred my countrymen. To this end, I have removed all the gold that lay in deposit in New York, the gold that sustains the monstrosity known as the global economy. However, I am not a monster. I will return every last bar of gold if the president of the United States pays me ten million dollars in a bank account I will provide when he is ready. If he is unwilling…I will give every last bar of gold to those who's ideas of nonconformity mirror my own. That is all, thank you for your time."

Chapman muted the television rather than listen to the commentary that would doubtlessly be repeated a million times over before the hour was done. His assistant, Delphi, looked more than a little confused.

"Ten million dollars for over two hundred billion? That's insanity," she remarked.

"The yanks have a stupid and smart policy," Chapman sighed, "Zero tolerance. No negotiation with terrorists no matter what and it looks ready to bite them in the arse. You have anything to report?"

"No, sir. The Americans weren't willing to move their satellites in time," Delphi stated, "we weren't able to trace them that way, sir."

There was a pregnant pause.

"Sir, didn't you hear me?"

"Aye?"

"Then why are you still smiling like that?"

Next issue: Why indeed! What does Chapman have up his sleeve? Excalibur is placed under lockdown as they ready for their final battle against the Avatars as political tensions mount! Reserves are brought in, and a hero returns for the final showdown as another is laid low. But do the Avatars have one final weapon that will make all of Excalibur's preparation for naught? Find out next issue!