Synopsis / Summary / Plot
The Brotherhood Of The Ankh in the 13th Dimension have created a new Zodiac Key, and it has selected a new human to be Scorpio to wield it. He's used the Key to capture the In-Betweener and split him into Chaos and Order. The Brotherhood have kept the Chaos part, because that's what they like. That enabled Scorpio to open black vortex doorways to Earth and take most of its capital cities, including most of the politicians, to the other dimension. The remnants of the UN asked the Avengers to lead the World out of the crisis. Last issue the Avengers tracked the Order half on Earth but he didn't want to be rejoined with Chaos. Another vortex opened and dragged many of the team to Dimension 13, while a few were left behind with Order.
Sam Wilson dreams of how the Red Skull linked his mind to the falcon Redwing, creating the superhuman Falcon to use against Captain America (CA#117). But Falcon switched sides and has never looked back. Now he wakes in the 13th Dimension overlooking Earth's cities jammed together and erupting in inter-nation violence. Behind him Black Panther, Cap (without his shield), Iron Man, She-Hulk, Vision and Warbird also wake up. IM and Vizh detect comms signals from Wasp and Yellowjacket who were taken with Washington DC.
Before they can make a plan of action Scorpio shows up with the Key, the Brotherhood, Chaos and his horde of albino scorpions. He also has insect-size W&YJ in tow in little force bubbles, and he encloses each of the other Avengers in forcefields too. Cap correctly recognises him by the costume. The baddie tells them his origin - he wanted to be important so the Key gave him power. And now he will be known as the man who killed the Avengers. And he gives them an agonising blast.
On Earth in Rocky Gap, Virginia Order has defeated Ant-Man, Scarlet Witch and Sub-Mariner and now Lord Thor has arrived. Thor blasts Order with Mjolnir and defends himself with Cap's shield. Then a hammer blow lays the foe low and Wanda Maximoff buries him in fallen trees. Then she casts a spell which will take them all to wherever Chaos is.
In the other dimension Falcon fights against the pain to send Redwing to rip the Zodiac Key out of Scorpio's hand. The agony stops and the forcefields all fail, freeing the Avengers and Chaos. Yellowjacket is too injured to fight (having been pinned to a wall with daggers of light through the hands last issue) but Wasp gets revenge by bio-blasting Scorpio's hand. But he is able to emit an eye-blast which knocks the Key from the bird's claws and he retrieves it to fire at the team. And the Brotherhood shed their human-like guises to reveal themselves as alien monsters.
Just then the Witch's spell brings the other Avengers here, and Thor tosses the shield to Cap. The cry "Avengers Assemble" rings out and they all trample over scorpions to reach the aliens. Battle ensues. Scorpio zaps Iron Man and Warbird as scorpions engulf Cap and Black Panther. YJ urges Ant-Man to use his cybernetic helmet to communicate with the arachnids, and soon they have turned on their master.
Meanwhile Chaos has wandered into the joined cities, in particular a fractious border between London and Moscow, followed by Scarlet Witch and Vision. Chaos takes exception to the synthezoid as an example of order, and asks the Chaos Witch how she can care for him. She responds that chaos and order belong together, and uses her magic to make him let go of Vizh and then sends Chaos headlong into Order. There's 1 of those loud sound-effects and the In-Betweener is whole once more.
He now claims that he *created* this dimension as a sanctuary for himself but it grew life of its own. Now he's going to send them all away and close the doors. The Brotherhood aliens seem to be drawn inside him. Scorpio, the Zodiac Key and the scorpions vanish. As do the Avengers and the cities.
Earth's cities are returned to their rightful places, and loads of stolen water is returned to the oceans. The Avengers end up in Washington, and the In-Betweener comes with them. But he doesn't want to continue fighting. He's come to warn them that a great evil will arise that will kill many, including an Avenger. Then with that he dissolves away.
Later we learn that the Avengers have handed power back to the UN. Henry Pym is recovering from his injuries. He and Tony Stark are worried about Jack Of Hearts' worsening condition. Jarvis cameos doing some dusting. Henry Peter Gyrich tells Wasp that the UN Secretary General wants to speak to her. Captain America is out patrolling with Falcon (Falcon flying and Cap keeping up with parkour), Steve Rogers comments that the World now trusts the Avengers more than ever but there is dissension in the ranks. Then he gets told what the SecGen wants. (We'll find out next issue.)
Finally we see Scorpio bringing the Zodiac Key to a shadowed group who commend him on the data the Key has gathered on the Avengers. They are a new Zodiac.