Stinging the Queen

Stepping back for her own safety and Reed’s well being, Lilith as she was now, was a lot to take in all at once. This creature, this leviathan that slithered and crawled out of the burning mansion ruins like some hideous blend of reptile and arthropod hissed and smiled down at her with her three horned heads. Turning her attention to the others backing away from her, the creature smiled when it focussed its attention back on Susan and smiled three toothy grins.

“What… What are you?”

“I am what you could have been… Mother” Purred the trio of heads in unison, flicking their barbed tongues as they leered down at Susan’s prone state. “We plucked thissss form from your mind.”

“From your nightmaresssss.”

“From your VISIONS!”

“But to reach this apotheosis, we needed help.” Turning one of her heads to leer down at the Avengers, Lilith’s smile grew wide and salacious. “Their powers suited us… So, we incorporated them into us, absorbed them into our genome, we are they now, they are us!”

“You took samples of us and added them to your genetics.” Gasped Banner, stepping back and waving his arms out to have all those behind him back up as well. “Kree genes, Asgardian genes, mutant genes, gamma radiation, pym particles…”

“YES!” Opening one of her maws like a blooming flower of teeth and tongues, Lilith blasted a nearby building with a column of energy, like Carol’s powers with enough **** to cut the building in half with ease. “We are perfect now, unstoppable, alone I could consume all and spread across this world, then the next, and the next… And the next.”

Leering down at the band of heroes, Lilith purred a low growl. “But I am NOT alone… Queen of the swarm, a swarm that will spread and breed and consume all… Starting with you.”

“We aren’t going to let that happen!” Declared Captain America, raising his shield above his head. The rest of the Avengers shared in the man’s statement, regaining their drive to fight.

The Thing slammed his fist into his palm, looking up at the hydra leering down at him and his friends. “Yeah! You got another thing comin toots if you think we’z gonna let you go!”

“INSECTS!” Roared Lilith with a trio of sneers, rearing up and snapping her tentacles with a swarm of activity. “YOU are NO longer needed! You are NOTHING to usssss….” The leviathan roared down at the Avengers and Fantastic Four with a column of destructive energy from her three maws, enveloping the entire property in flames while her loyal swarms hissed and stood back from the growing blast. But to all their surprise, the wake of energies roiled up and fired back, hitting Lilith in her flanks, and causing her to roll back in pain to the gaping hole in her side.

Lowering her claws and looking back to Carol who shot back at her daughter, Susan got up to her feet with the help of Reed and looked to everyone else around them, to make sure they were okay. Relieved that they had survived the onslaught, her attention was diverted back to the giant monster that roared out in rage and took to the skies. Her injuries healing rapidly, Lilith flew over the warzone, roaring out for her swarms to attack. Dozens if not hundreds of screeching, hissing abominations scurried, slithered, and crawled towards the two teams of heroes. The closest of them lunged out with claws brandished and jaws open to strike… Only to be met with Ben’s stony fist and sent back into the mass of limbs charging forward.

“IT’S CLOBBERIN TIME!”

Taking to their feet and to the air, the combined might of the Avengers and Fantastic Four blasted and struck at anything that lashed out against them. Trading tooth and claw with fists and energy blasts, the Human Torch with the aid of Wasp and Captain Marvel shot down anything that moved while Ben and the two Hulks played crowd control; pummeling anything that got too close for comfort. But as powerful as they were and the amount of damage they were doing, it was like stemming a flood with a bucket. For every chittering, slobbering attacker Iron Man shot away, ten more took its place while the one rapidly healed and rejoined the others. Ben, Bruce and Jennifer soon found themselves overwhelmed by slashing claws and biting fangs. Even with the Human Torch dousing the entire area in flames was not enough to stop them, their flesh rapidly healing of their burns faster than they were afflicted. What was worse was they were adapting. Several of the creatures banded together, tangling their limbs together to form amalgamated behemoths comprised of several of them combined, working as one and redoubling their **** on the two teams fighting for their lives. Bruce found himself quickly overwhelmed by a pair of amalgamated monstrosities, threatening to bite his face off with several of its exposed heads snapping their jaws at him.

Overlooking the Avengers and Fantastic Four struggle to contain and fight off her brood, Lilith admired the view. All around her, her broods flooded the city streets and made their way to her location to deal with this deviation of her species.

“Fight all you want… We have already won…”

But then Lilith paused when a tremor sounded off in the distance. Looking out over to the Helicarrier off in the distance. The massive flying vessel was firing cannon shells up into the air in all directions but not at her. Confused and hesitating, Lilith watched as the shells exploded high in the air into clouds of blue mist that spread out and drifting back down to the city below. Quickly putting together what was happening, her many eyes went wide, the creature crying out and trying to make her escape.

“WE HAVE TO KEEP HER HERE! IF SHE ESCAPES THERE’S NO TELLING WHAT DAMAGE SHE COULD CAUSE!” Cried out Reed over the sounds of hundreds of creatures screeching as they charged their position, Getting Captain America’s attention who nodded in agreement.

Trading a look with Scarlet Witch, Susan and Wanda raised their hands over their heads and concentrated, creating a bubble of magic and solid invisible light that enveloped the entire battlefield and beyond, until it reached the three shores of the greater Manhattan area. The moment Lilith collided with the barrier, the shockwave caused the two women on the ground to buckle to their knees, straining to keep up the prison they had erected. Breathing sharply and squinting her eyes in concentration, Susan looked to Reed and Steve, wheezing out in effort.

“I can’t keep this up for too long, do something quick.”

Raising his hammer over his head, Thor spun Mjolnir by its leather strap, the act causing storm clouds to form and help spread the mist over the skies. With the sky darkening with heavy blue clouds brewing overhead, it quickly began to rain over the city.

Laying on his back and holding back one of Lilith’s brood, Captain America ducked from one snapping bite after the other until raindrops splattered over his face and the back of his attacker. The instant the water seeped into the creature’s flesh, the monster paused in its attack and rolled back, fumbling, and flailing in panic, screeching out in terror as the gene trigger took effect. Getting up to his feet, Cap looked around to find the entire swarm in the same state, completely terrified and screaming as Lilith’s bond with them was severed. It was enough that he was almost **** to cover his ears before he remembered he had a pair of horns where they used to be on his skull.

Bruce sighed with relief when seven of his attackers collapsed and fell apart, writhing on the ground as their flesh turned from a translucent green to a sky blue. Rubbing a sore spot under his neck, Bruce smiled despite the horror show around him, turning his attention to find Jen helping Ben back to his feet and moving away from the convulsing crowd of monsters being ripped from Lilith’s control.

“That… That was horrible…” Coughed the Hulk, waving his arms to clear off the excess of rainwater soaking his clothes.

“Yer tellin me! These mooks tried to eat me.”

Helping Susan up to her feet, Reed chuckled to himself while drenched in rainwater, helping support his wife while she cradled her swollen middle with one of her arms. Looking over to the hundreds of blue skinned creatures getting up lost and confused, Susan’s eyes wandered over them all.

“Where’s Lilith?”

Gasping in pain, Susan fell to her knees again, as did the Scarlet Witch as a thunderclap echoed over head. Looking up, the group of heroes found a green light pierce over the clouds, a miniature sun cutting through the clouds and flash incinerating the gene trigger before it could even touch her flesh. Slamming her serpentine body against the barrier again, Susan and Wanda gasped and cried out.

“She’s burning the trigger before it can effect her.” Called out Reed over the rainfall. “We’ve got to find another way to stop her!”

“HOW?!” Asked Johnny, sizzling with blue steam coming off his body as the rain evaporated off his flames. “Right now, she’s burning hotter than I am.”

“TONY!” Cried out Susan, clutching at her horned skull. “He’s… He’s poison!”

“What?”

“She’s right.” Called out Janet, landing to the ground to join the others while they stared up at the glowing, fiery serpent trying to break free of Susan’s prison. “His blood is toxic; it’ll kill her in seconds.”

“Yeah, and ME along with it if you think I can survive THAT!” Retorted Tony, still clutching at his side as he stood with the others staring up at the roaring hydra creature struggling to escape. “I’m only called the ‘Invincible’ Iron Man as a sales pitch.”

“We just need a delivery system, something that can survive all that.”

Staring up at the three headed snake charge at the energy barrier again, Thor watched as it rippled and sparked, loosing its intensity. “I can survive the core of a sun, this leviathan will fall by my hand!”

Another thunderclap and an echoing roar sent Susan clutching her head again. “Whatever you’ve got, do it! Do it NOW!”

“AAaaagh!” Crying out in shock, Tony looked down at his injured side to find Natasha stabbing him with a chunk of Wanda’s severed horn. “Bitch, haven’t I been stabbed enough already?!”

“I’ll kiss it all better when this is over, HERE Wanda!” Called out Black Widow, tossing the blood-stained horn to the Scarlet Witch who caused the crude blade to levitate between her hands, muttering an incantation that enveloped it. Once she was pleased with the results, she handed it over to the Asgardian.

“This should protect it from the heat, now GO!”

Swinging his hammer in his hand and looking up at Lilith strike against the barrier again, Thor sent himself catapulting up into the air towards the monster. Within seconds he slammed into the tentacled hydra like a cannon ball, causing the beast to go feral with rage and coil around him, crushing him with her inhuman strength and intense heat, burning his clothes. Struggling against her coils and tentacles, her spines raked against his tough skin as the pressure increased.

“YOU CANNOT STOP US!” “WE ARE PERFECTION!” “WE ARE ETERNAL!”

Crying out, a column of lightning struck Lilith, forcing her to let go of Thor who only just managed to keep hold of her by one of her many sharp spurs lining her body. With the bloody knife still in hand and his body catching fire, Thor raised it over head and gave the beast one last look.

“FOR MIDGARD!!!”

Stabbing deep into her flesh, Lilith roared out in pain and recoiled, shaking Thor loose as the two plummeted to the Earth.