“Hill’s already set up the pay, then?” the Mick asked seriously.

“Accounts in trust at Finskool & Hitch. The Mandarin already deposited the funds for all of them.” The LA legal firm was a prominent neutral party in a lot of mercenary contracts.

“Tell him a million to make the attempt, nine more plus expenses to bring them all home.” About to draw another arc, he looked around the shop abruptly. “Have Mr. Hill tell him that those expenses aren’t going to be small.”

Dealer was totally aware of the amount of money they could go through if the Ride went bad. Even pulling into a Pit Stop and carting off some choice salvage didn’t take care of all the money, which was why Riders hired out for pay or carried cargo.

Killing demons and devils and whatnot invading other worlds also tended to generate a LOT of rewards in one form or another, and they’d gotten around enough that they knew the places to sell, too. The Road took them where they needed to go, after all.

Blessed Gold for making Greater Runes of Protection against Evil wasn’t cheap, but when they had a rep of butchering demonic armies, it wasn’t surprising what people would give them.

---------

“Doom tried speaking with Galactus,” Steve Rogers noted to Thor, watching the planet-eater striding away from the armored man in his green cloak in the distance.

“For all his genius, he hath not the power nor prestige to speak with the World-Eater,” Thor stated firmly. “It doth unsettle me that this plan relies on yon villain’s lust for those very things.”

“He’s at least as bad as your brother, probably worse,” the Patriot acknowledged as Thor dipped down in altitude, keeping closer to the ground so as not to be seen by Doom, Steve crouching down on his Shield as he was towed along by the God of Thunder. “The stakes call for some intelligent generalship, as well as champions, Thor.”

“Aye, General,” the God of Thunder acknowledged, catching up rapidly to the World-Eater, who was actually moving several times faster than He looked like, each step compressing space and actually picking up speed the further He moved.

“He’s conserving energy. He could just teleport to where he wants to go, otherwise,” Steve pointed out as they caught up. “Be respectful, please.”

Thor nodded once, and did not cut off the cosmic entity, instead rising up alongside Him. “Honors to Galactus the World-Eater! Prince Thor of Asgard and Thunder, and the Patriot of Liberty would speak with you!”

The massive head with the ungainly helm turned slowly to look at them, eyes that were foundations of universal energy sweeping over him. “A GOD, AND A MORTAL TIED TO AN IMMORTAL VIRTUE. SPEAK. GALACTUS WILL HEAR YOU.”

“Great Galactus, in light of our prior cooperation on the planet of Terra, we would like to propose a plan in line with your ultimate purpose as a defender of this reality,” General Rogers instantly replied, rising to his full height on Liberty. He gestured at the sky. “The Beyonder does not have the power to remove your Hunger. However, it is the tip of a great threat to all realities, for there are more than one of its kind, and now they have discovered our realm.

“To preserve the universe, the Beyonder must die.”

Galactus’ steps had not altered, but the very air changed about the cosmic entity as He considered those words. “YOU ARE CERTAIN OF THESE FACTS?” He inquired curiously.

“The Realm Beyond is the source realm of the Cosmic Cubes. The Cubes could be considered to be their children.” General Rogers paused as the square pupils regarded him again, feeling that almighty weight of will. “You felt the power of the Molecule Man back on Terra, restoring the landscape. His power was gained by merely seeing the true and unfiltered form and power of the Beyonder’s first exposure to our universe, a moment when all things became possible.

“Eternity Itself cannot ease your Hunger, nor could the Tribunal. These beings are Beyond you, but not above either of those, as yet.”

“SPEAK OF WHAT YOU WOULD SEE DONE, AND GALACTUS WILL CONSIDER IT,” was the World-Eater’s slow and thoughtful reply.

The Patriot took a deep breath, glanced at Thor, and began to speak.

----------

The artful armor against demons and devils, gleaming with gold and silver Blessed by Holy powers, was removed. The ammunition meant to kill such creatures was largely unloaded, save for that meant for the Damned Chasers and the like. Rote armor was put back on... but it was made from durasteel over mithril, so no less resistant to damage, just better at physical resistance than magical.

Good enough, Dealer mused, as the doors to the warehouse closed behind her.

Serenity came in at her side, the tall emerald-skinned and fire-haired Team Gamma glamazon outfitted with a Chain hanging around her neck and shoulders, tipped by fist-sized balls of adamantium.

The Mick’s Mustang, Chopsaw’s Monster Truck, Wheel’s Charger, and Bunny’s long Jeep Rover were all lined up and ready to go. Total mercenary operation here. The Mandarin had signed off on all of them accompanying the Mick, one million rubles each, plus expenses.

“Wow!” exclaimed The Mick, totally anticipating the elbow in his ribs from his main squeeze and co-rider Jennifer Kale and taking it like a man. “Where’d you scare this one up, Dealer? She looks like She-Hulk’s hotter sister!”

“Mick, Jennifer, Chopsaw, Gunn, Bunny, Wheels, Shotski, meet Serenity. She is the daughter of Thundra and the Hulk, both of whom are on that Battleworld we’re heading to. We need a Brick, Mr. Hill isn’t here, and she can totally do the job. She’ll be riding stern on the Monster.”

Chopsaw gave Dealer a sharp look, and she just nodded with a smile. “Good enough for me!” the mercenary declared, dismissing the matter of her competency. “Ready here, Mick!”

The Mick just shrugged it off. If Dealer said the emerald amazon a head taller than he was could do the job, that was also good enough for him. Dealer wouldn’t let just anyone take The Mountain’s spot. “Then let’s drive!”

Engines powered by no fuels found easily on Terra roared, and two minutes later, went abruptly silent, were anyone listening to them, gone onto the Road.

----------

I came down over the perfect circular depression carved into the shadow of the Appalachians, a massive smooth cut where once had been the small town of Shylderville, Pennsylvania, isolated enough that the fact of its disappearance hadn’t even been made public yet.

-The Beyonder took the town here. It’s out on his Battleworld,- I /reported over the Marks and coms at the same time. Cosmic Awareness verified it.

“Great, just what the States want to hear, more space gods taking stuff!” Carol groused back.

-It’s one of 144 different villages of sapient species he removed and transported there. Zhuli, there’s one from your people there.-

The Korligu Lantern did not reply for a long moment at that abrupt news, then sighed. “It saw my presence here, and made the connection, did it not?”

-That is very, very likely.-

“How much danger are they in?”

-They are on the opposite side of the continent from the hero/villain conflict, and there are no massively deadly creatures around. However, the planet is anything but naturally stable. Without the Beyonder’s influence, it will rip itself apart from tectonic stress. ALL of the aliens need to get off the world.-

-That can all be arranged,- Sama /broke in to the discussion, said /statement not surprising any of us, actually. -But that dimensional barrier has to come down.-

-Then we wait, and let Doom do his thing.-

------------

“Open, in the name of Doom!” boomed the megaphone voice from outside the main doors.

Demolisher’s voice came over coms, “Do we let him in, Mr. Hill? He just tossed what looks like Kang’s body at the doors.”

“I’m coming. Marko, Blonsky, with me. Creel, Thundra, hang back.” The three biggest of the mercs moved out towards the main door together, two of the Demolition Crew standing guard at the viewpoints there. “Boss, Doom’s come back and is at the main doors. Any words?” he asked his direct com to the Mandarin.

“I am coming,” was the immediate reply. The Mandarin knew that the mercs looked to Hill, and Hill respected active leadership.

The three big men lined up before the doors, and Hill just pointed. Shovel hit the switch, and the massive doors slid open smoothly and quickly.

Doom took a step forward and stopped when he saw who was waiting for him. “Hill,” he identified who was in charge immediately, tensing. The Abomination had a glaive ten feet long and made of something unnaturally heavy in his grip, while the Juggernaut was just glaring at him. There were ways to deal with all three men, but all at once? That would be... difficult. “What is the meaning of this?”

“We’re under contract, Doom,” Hill replied blandly, not batting an eye. “I think you know better than ta try ta break it. If ya do, and someone accepts, I’ll see ta it ya both die.” Doom’s eyes narrowed behind his mask, the very casualness of the threat somehow making it all the more ironclad. Hill didn’t like saying extra words. “We’re waiting for the boss. He says ya can come in, it’s all good. Ya negotiate with him.”

Doom looked at the broken and blasted body of Kang. His armor had been damaged after his attempt to seize power, and even with his future science, had been no match for Doom in his state. “The Mandarin is astute,” he said diplomatically. “He grasped power quickly.”

“Schmot Guy,” Hill agreed, stepping aside. The Mandarin glided forwards, and at his side marched the adamantium-bodied Ultron killbot, power restored, and clearly serving as a bodyguard. “I think you two know one another, so I’ll dispense with the introductions. Your call, Boss.” He stepped back to the other side of the Mandarin, opposite the killbot, clearly ready to play his part, while the Abomination and the Juggernaut stepped further to the sides, their eyes never leaving Doom.

The Mandarin’s eyes glittered in satisfaction. “Doom,” he greeted the other with a nod of the head, no more. They were equals in status and on Terra, and arguably the Mandarin was now the greater here. “You seem to have found a need for the rest of us, after all. What is it you are requesting here?” he asked calmly, and if Doom’s eyes flashed with irritation that the other dared address him so, he hid it well as he replied.

------

Hill watched the negotiations taking place coolly. Doom’s arrogance was a byword, but the man could also tell he was in great danger here. If he wanted access to the fortress, he was going to negotiate.

Words were spoken, promises were made, funds back on Terra were exchanged via Hill’s words with Dealer and her Sims, and the business was done.

“Octo-girl, we’re bringing in the body of Kang. Come get it, bring it to the Boss’s lab, and start the teardown of his armor,” Hill said softly into coms.

“You got it, Mr. Hill!” was the woman’s quick reply. She was smart and used to working as an aide, so she’d been dubbed the Mandarin’s lab assistant. Odds were they’d understand next to nothing of how the tech worked, but if they could pull off some working components, that was fine enough. The Mandarin was more than smart enough to transplant them to some of the others, maybe even replicate them outright.

They’d be needing them force fields, after all. The Demolishers were leading most of the others in getting some vehicles ready. He’d told them The Mick was on the way to get them out of here, but they’d need some rides. This place had mass fabricators and everything, and the Demolishers actually had the best working knowledge of vehicles, although Thundra was by far their best munitions expert and armorer, surprising everyone. “A woman’s got to have an interest in at least one primitive, savage art, right?” was her only explanation.

Part of the negotiations here were about getting some good vehicle design schematics out of Doom’s brain. The man considered the idea of leaving the planet both foolishness and cowardice, but what they did was effectively immaterial to him at this point, and Hill and the others literally didn’t give a shit. What Doom was planning wasn’t going to help them out at all.

He knew Doom had attempted to approach the heroes and work together, and been completely rebuffed. Doubtless Doom was now focused on what Galactus was planning, and making sure the heroes didn’t interfere with his plans. There’d already been one skirmish between the different groups, and Maelstrom had dragged himself back here, beaten half to death and lucky to have gotten away at all. He’d paid out some dough and was buying service from the others as he nursed his dreams of revenge, and Doom could likely recruit him with little problem.

Apocalypse was a lot like Graviton, occasionally motivating himself to inspect some of the tech of the fortress now called Ringbase, but otherwise just lazing about and seeing what was going to happen. He was not really bothering to interact with anyone, although he gave the Mountain some hefty respect, and the Juggernaut some marginal.

Things would happen as they happened. It was no concern of his.