Cosmic is Forever

Summary:Set after may have fooled Galactus and left before the Devourer could do anything,but was that the end?If so, then why is there a gold man the Universe is celebrating and the Cabal hunting?

a/n: Hi! This is my first Avengers Assemble story and I wanted to give it a go, since I really like all Avengers universes. I really liked this episode and I thought to write a short story of a few chapters for a certain what if that is already stated, somewhat, in the summary. I hope you like it and I would like to hear from anyone. Any reviews are accepted, be they criticisms or comments. Please enjoy!

It came out of nowhere, stories of a man in golden armor who wields the Power Cosmic. It is said that he had tricked Galactus and put him into a deep sleep that will last for millennia. This feat has decreed him a hero throughout the Cosmos and everywhere you went, you could hear different versions of the same story, each story teller giving it his own twist. In a matter of a few days, the entire Universe was talking about only one being: the new Herald of Galactus, the beloved Space Knight as everyone calls him.

His story reached every crook and dark place in the Universe, no being of higher intellectual capabilities left ignorant of his existence and no villain left unshaken by the prospect of such a protector lurking about. Those who sought to use this noble Knight spent countless sleepless hours trying to think of a way to capture this being and further their own goals. No gossiping mouth could contain the story and so it reached a small galaxy of rather backwater beings and technology in comparison to the rest of the Universe, the story getting to the third planet of that galaxy's solar system and traveling further until it reached a powerful being's enhanced ears.

The Red Skull had called a meeting on Hyperion's insistence, the cape-wearing pretty boy panicked beyond anything the Leader of HYDRA had ever seen in his long life. He watched now as his team settled into their seats, some of them more disgruntled for being here than others. After all, it was the middle of the night and while Dracula could stay up for eternity, even Atumma needs sleep every now and then, never mind Modoc or Skull himself, despite his own (Stark's) armor or the super soldier serum in his body allowing him minimal sleep.

Hyperion was floating back and forth and muttering to himself while the others tried to wake themselves up a bit, not succeeding and not giving a damn. After a few more minutes passing like this, Modok finally snapped.

"Enough! I won't stand for this foolishness, Skull! Why have you called us here?"

"For once, I agree with the giant head." The Atlantian King nodded. "Why have you brought us here, and at such an hour?"

"And think well over your answer, Red Skull, because it just might be the last one you'll ever give as a free being." Dracula drawled in his creepy voice that sent chills down most of their spines even if they will never admit to it.

The Nazi scowled. "I actually do not know any more than you do, my fellow Cabal. It is Hyperion that insisted on this meeting and wouldn't let me sleep until I called you here. I just hope it's something that we can resolve quickly or in the morning, because I am really not up to this." Truth be told, he has been feeling more and more his age than he should be. Not his actual age of over a hundred years, but the age he had been during the war. The serum had given him an extended youth, but even extended was not eternal.

"The all muscle with no brains?!" The AIM leader screeched, but said man never stopped his fretting and it was starting to worry the others. Not because they cared for Hyperion, goodness no, but because whatever was tough enough to unsettle the arrogant man this much, it was a potential danger to the rest of them, too.

"So why have you called us here, Hyperion? I have a dark Kingdom to rule."

Dracula's question finally snapped Hyperion out of his trance and he settled on the ground, turning his full attention to the Cabal. "I have summoned the Cabal to discuss a very dangerous matter for us. The past few days, the whole Universe has been buzzing with an incredible story that has steered things out of the control of the Guardians of the Galaxy or any other superhero teams out there, as well as a rise of activity on the villain side of things."

They stayed quiet as he took a dramatic pause. "A new Herald has been chosen. And he has knocked Galactus unconscious."

"That's not possible!" Modok and Skull both exclaimed while the other two looked confused.

"What is so important about someone knocking someone else out. Atumma does this on a daily basis!"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but the rotten fish has a point. We care about this... why?"

"Galactus is no mere someone!" Modok hissed at them. "He is a being older than the Universe itself, its creator and destroyer. He possesses the Power Cosmic, the greatest force in existence and you think knocking him out cold is an easy task?!"

"You have obviously never seen him." The HYDRA leader said as he began rubbing his temple.

"That's not even the point!" The orange and yellow clad man snapped. "The point is that he has chosen a new Herald who now holds the power to bend time, space and reality to his will with less than a thought! And he saved a planet-full of people, so he must be a hero! We must find him and kill him, or get him on our side, because otherwise, we are doomed!"

"I have never thought such power to exist." Atumma commented, deep in thought. "Would the Tesseract not be enough to take him down?"

"The Herald is said to be indestructible to everyone but Galactus himself, and there are even speculations that should he ever lose control of a Herald, not even he could stop him." Skull supplied.

"The Herald is meant to protect Galactus from everything, even from himself. Most creatures to possess such power while being intelligent and free would snap their mind to smithereens and all chaos would ensue." Hyperion explained, pacing once again. ''It is the reason he control them, takes away free will. A Herald cannot talk, cannot think. This one did both and put him to sleep. I don't know what terrifies me more; the thought that such a Herald exists or the thought that a mere mortal could have the power of mind and will to defy Galactus's power in the first place.''

''What do you mean?'' The King of Darkness asked, growing uneasy.

''Galactus controls his Heralds from the moment he gifts them with the Power Cosmic.'' Modok said, darting glances in all directions as if he were expecting said Herald to jump out of nowhere and blindside him, which wouldn't be too big of a stretch on a Herald's power. ''Imagine the will power behind a person who is able to resist that ultimate control that kills all thoughts. Imagine that mind that can still think for itself and not go crazy from that power overload. No mind should be able to withstand that, not even Immortal minds like that of the Asgardians or your vampires.''

''We don't know who the Herald is.'' Skull pointed out. ''And we must find out if we want to be able to do anything about it. He might be an Asgardian or some other powerful species.''

''I agree. We need to gather more data.'' The floating head added.

''Where was he last seen and who has been seen with him?'' Red Skull demanded, Modok getting ready to record all new data.

Hyperion didn't have all that accurate answers but he told them what he knew. ''Galactus was last spotted on the now destroyed planet of the D'Bari, where his Herald tricked him into devouring a planet with an unstable core that was about to blow. Galactus is now floating in space but the Herald had left with what was recognized as the Guardians' ship.''

''Guardians?'' Atumma asked, not understanding what sentinels had to do with any of this.

''The Guardians of the Galaxy. Yes, I've heard of them.''Dracula commented. ''It would make sense that they would be there, but why would a Herald willingly go with them?'' It would be sure imprisonment if not even death. This Herald sounds like a dangerous threat to everyone, so there is no way he is free now.

''He must have outsmarted them as well.'' Modok told them. ''After all, if you can trick a being older than the Universe itself, what is a handful of incompetent fools in comparison?''

''Then we agree that the Herald is still free.'' The King of Atlantis nodded and crossed his arms. ''Now, how do we find him?''

''Atumma has a point. The Guardians are the only ones who may know who or where the Herald is but they are somewhere in the Universe, playing heroes for all.'' Red Skull leaned back in his chair, feeling a headache of epic proportions. ''How are we supposed to find them, as I know that we will have little trouble reaching them. I am sure that Modok could build us a space vessel without much difficulty.'' Mododk looked smug at the compliment but then frowned as he realized that he can't build something to track ordinary beings without some special energy signature to look for.

Hyperion suddenly looked excited, but not in a giddy, good way, but more like the sinister version all villains have. It caught the others's attention and they focused on him. ''Actually, the Guardians weren't the only ones there. The Avengers had helped them fight the Herald before his plan became apparent and they all left.''

Skull perked up at this. ''This is good. It would be easy to trick the pathetic Guardians but there is no way that the Herald could have fooled Stark. The man is far too paranoid to believe him just like that. There is a good chance that they are holding him here, on Earth. It is just a question of whether he is in a SHIELD cell or in the Avengers Tower.''

The alien frowned. ''Actually, Stark wasn't there. Everyone except him and the Black Widow was, though.''

The Nazi sighed again. ''Then he is free. The good Captain will always look for the best in everyone and probably be as easily fooled as the others have been. Stark and the Widow would probably be the only ones not fooled.''

''Be that as it may, Skull, we can still learn who the Herald was from them.'' Dracula pointed out and the Cabal nodded, putting their heads together to actually find a plan to try and capture a being more powerful than any other in existence.

They may be super villains, but they were clearly not all that intelligent.

After three hours of relentless headaches and tiring thinking, Red Skull jumped out of his seat, startling a snoring Atumma, who promptly fell out of his chair and made Modok laugh at him, the big head falling onto the floor with the force of his laughter. Dracula looked pained as he thought that these were the people he had allied himself with. What a disgrace for him and his kind.

''I got it! This is the perfect plan! Listen up, Cabal, because as soon as we put this plan into action, the Herald of Galactus will be our servant for eternity!'' And this exclamation was followed by diabolical laughter that echoed throughout their submarine, chilling HYDRA and AIM agents as well as all Atlantians and vampires that heard it, soon followed by the laughter of the rest of the Cabal.

In a tall tower in New York, a certain black haired, brown-eyed genius sneezed in his workshop.