The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

019

CHAPTER 019
THE CASKET OF ANCIENT WINTERS

LOCATION: avengers mansion

"PERHAPS YOU MISHEARD ME. I
said that Stark Tower is under attack. Right now." J.A.R.V.I.S. repeats. Currently, Jan, Kasey, and Clint sat on outdoor lounge chairs on the roof of Avengers Mansion. Kasey and Jan wore bikinis while Clint wore his swim trunks. The three were working on their tan, sipping martinis while Hulk went for a swim in the pool.

Kasey slurps the last bit of her martini and raises her eyebrows at J.A.R.V.I.S., "Is Tony there?"

"Yes." J.A.R.V.I.S. answers, "As are Thor and the Black Panther."

"Who are they fighting?" Clint asks from beside Kasey.

"The Radioactive Man." J.A.R.V.I.S. answers.

Kasey sat in-between the two on their individual chairs and glanced at Jan, who groaned, "Can they fight here? By the pool?"

Kasey sighs and closes her eyes, beginning to fall back into relaxation, "What's the threat level?"

"Threat level: 2."

She shrugs it off, "I'm sure they've got it covered, J.A.R.V.I.S.. Tell Tony that Jan, Clint, and I will cover the mansion in case it's a trick."

"And, uh," Clint adds with a yawn, "tell him that we're out of ice."

Kasey smirks, knowing that they just made Tony extremely annoyed at them.

A few minutes later, a the sky begins to darken, and Kasey does not feel the burning sun on her skin anymore. She knits her eyebrows in confusion and opens her eyes, removing her sunglasses to see dark clouds filling the sky. What. The. Heck.? She thought. Then, she begins to shiver. It just became freezing cold and little drops of snow began to fall from the sky. Seconds later, the three were buried in piles of snow. The three pop out of the snow in shivers. Kasey's teeth chatter together as she holds her arms, "Cold." Her voice shakes as she voices her thoughts, "Am I crazy or was it a hundred degrees a few minutes ago?!"

Clint looks at her, "Look on the bright side."

"Like?" Jan asks.

The two girls look at Clint for an answer, but he simply shrugs, "I got nothin'."

Kasey shivers and begins to stand, with the other two following, "I hate the cold." She states in annoyance, "We need to move the team to the West Coast."

As the ground or roof begins to shake, the three walk towards the edge of the iced over pool. A iced over arm bust through it and then three more followed before ice monsters came out of the ground. "We should probably get dressed." Clint states the obvious.

"Good thinking." Jan agrees and they begin to run to the door of the roof to go back inside the mansion.

•  •  •

Moments later, Hawkeye, Echo, and Wasp began to fight the ice monsters that swarmed the area around the mansion. Echo easily cut through them with her swords while she heard Wasp exclaim, "They're everywhere!"

The three regrouped and stood in front of the ice monsters as Wasp continued, "Guys, we need to find the others! We need--"

Just then, Hulk jumped down in front of them, looking at the ice monsters angrily. Hawkeye smiles at him, "Hey, big guy! Just in--"

Hulk turns quickly and grabs Hawkeye by his shirt, "You left Hulk in the pool! It froze!"

Echo laughs and looks at Hulk, "Oh, yeah!" She chuckles to herself, "I forgot you were in there."

Then, the ice monsters begin to attack. One grabs Hulk by the face, but Hulk quickly gets the upper hand and destroys them. As Hulk yells angrily at the ice monsters from next to Echo, she covers her ears. Pulling out her Avengers card after it begins to buzz, Tony's face comes on the screen, "Iron Man to all Avengers. We got a lead on what's causing this. Thor, Panther, and I are going to deal with it."

Echo put her card away after receiving the message and continued to fight the ice monsters. She cut through and destroyed, perhaps dozens of them, but she should've known, it was never that easy. As Echo runs at two more ice monsters with her swords ready to strike at each of them, they dissolve before her sword can hit them. She looks confused and then sees two dark ghosts-like creatures beginning to attack her. Echo dodges them and swings her swords at them, but they just seemed to go through it. They came at her from behind and entrapped her, making her begin to freeze over. Ice began to form on her back and arms to where her body was beginning to feel numb. She struggled to get free or call for help, but Hulk, Hawkeye, and Wasp we're surrounded. It was too late.

Soon, her whole body was froze over, and so was everyone else's, everyone but Wasp.

•  •  •

It was not long before the ice melted and the sun and heat returned. Echo dropped to her knees and groaned, hearing Hawkeye ask, "What happened?"

"Great question." Echo falls on her butt and sighs in exhaustion.

"I beat everybody," Wasp answers, "and you guys totally missed it." Then, the girl sighs and lifts her arms in a praise, "Oh, welcome back, sun!" Echo laughs.

•  •  •

i'm really sick right now :(