Synopsis
Avengers: No road home #5 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
Nyx, Greek Goddess of Night, is seeking the 3 Shards of her soul so can return the universe to its primeval darkness. Voyager assembled a team of 'Avengers' against her. Both sides know where 2 of the Night Shards are. Nyx sent her children after them and Voyager split her team in 2 to follow. Nyx captured Voyager and now has 1 Shard from the Library in Omnipotence City. But her son Hypnos isn't having so much luck in Nightmare's Realm.
In Omnipotence City Hercules, Scarlet Witch, Spectrum and Vision are helpless inside a magic force bubble as Nyx studies her prize. But she doesn't know how she is supposed to regain the power from it - Eat it? Break it open? Voyager is passive in the coils of Nyx's serpentine daughter Oizys (Despair). Hercules rails impotently against the killer of his Olympian family. Synthezoid Vision is battered and malfunctioning. Spectrum's energy can't escape the bubble. And Scarlet Witch has been blinded to anything but Nyx, her Shards and her children.
So Wanda Maximoff can't see to move her hands accurately enough to trace the mystic symbols that are part of spell-casting. But she hatches a plan involving Spectrum.
In Nightmare's Realm Hypnos (Sleep) faces Hawkeye and Rocket Raccoon backing Hulk to whom Nightmare has relinquished the lordship of the Realm. Leaving his army of sleepers to 'keep Hulk busy' Hypnos 'bravely' goes in search of the Night Shard in Nightmare's castle. Clint Barton isn't worried about hurting people because it's only their dream forms. But suddenly he finds himself facing a sleeping Kate Bishop, the other Hawkeye and his partner in West Coast Avengers, and he's suddenly worried about shooting *her*. He reaches for his size-changing Pym serum but it's not there. However Rocket has no such qualms about blasting Kate.
Hypnos has found the 2nd Night Shard and tries to escape with it but Hulk is right behind him on Nightmare's horse Dreamstalker. He calls for his mother but she's busy.
In Omnipotence City Wanda reminds Monica Rambeau how she used her light form to imitate Dr Strange's glyphs to help against Shuma-Gorath (in Mighty Avengers (2013) #3). Spectrum changes to neural electricity and (painfully) enters the Witch's mind to 'see' the required symbols. The temporarily combined being casts a spell which dispels the force bubble.
Scarlet Witch tells her companions to take out the 'kids'. Hercules whacks Oizys freeing Voyager. Spectrum's immaterial form closes in on Apate (Trickery). Vision uses his solar beam on Dolos (Deceit). Oisys grabs Herc and tries to infect him with despair, but as the demi-god says he's already at the lowest point. All this distraction allows Wanda time to aim a simple spell at Nyx, making her drop the Shard. ScW dives to grab it, and Voyager creates a portal to intercept her dive and send her away with the it.
Angry Nyx wants to kill Voyager but Oizys stops her and tries to make Voyager tell where she's sent the Shard. Nyx tries to mentally contact Hypnos to tell him to bring *his* Shard, but is shocked to detect Hulk snapping his neck. Angrier still she turns Herc and Vizh to dust.
Still blind Wanda is in a desert and attacked by ragged thieves. She drops the Night Shard. She hears someone refer to them as "Zamoran scum" and then some of them get beaten up and the others run away. Conan the Barbarian picks her up.