Chapter 8

THE UNITED KINGDOM OF NEW CAMELOT, EARTH-82633 (JUNE 13, 2020)

A small Welsh village roughly equidistant between Whitland and Laugharne.

For their own safety, the villagers had been evacuated by the local military. But, what was even more disturbing, for all concerned, was the fact that there were only four Knights of New Camelot left! King Arno the Iron-hearted, himself; resplendent in his red-and-gold battle armor. Habren 'Ultra-merch' Sillafu; bewitching reincarnation of the ancient Egyptian Princess Anirbas. Captain Arwr; nee Jwgpen Senoj (mutant son of Rhisiart and Marged Senoj). And, last, but not last? Andreas Bolltbwa-Senoj; officially, the good captain's adoptive brother from Kent. But, in reality, the naturalized alien immigrant (half-Kree/half-Dakkamite) more publicly known and beloved as...

...the mighty Purgalon!

It was the latter who now asked the king the question that was uppermost in all their minds.

"Do you really think he'll join us, Your Majesty?"

The last living descendant of King Anthony the Great grimly paused before replying. "He's the traditional guardian of Wales. I don't think he'll have any other alternative."

As if on cue, a massive teleportal opened to their left.

"Here he comes!" exclaimed Ultra-merch, with a relieved smile on her face.

"Just in time, too," added Captain Arwr. "Look!"

For another massive teleportal began to open, diagonally opposite to the first. And what emerged from it was truly frightening to behold! A purple-and-green monstrosity that resembled nothing less than a cross... between Wolverine and Fin Fang Foom.

All horrified speechlessness ended, however, when Ddraig Goch- -the ancient red dragon- -came flying out of the first portal.

"Duw a Chymru!" he roared at the top of his fire-breathing lungs. To which the four remaining Knights added (no less vociferously): "Long live the UK!"

Ten minutes later, though, Dr. Victor Von Doom, Latveria's cyborg ambassador to New Camelot (and, thus, one of the few surviving Latverians left in the whole world), turned off the holographic image that his drones had been transmitting to him. He then turned to the stranger standing next to him. A yellow-bearded man, in a crimson costume, with various lightning bolt insignia at the shoulders, across the chest, and around the waist.

"You'd best be off to warn everyone else. It's only a matter of time before he visits their worlds."

The yellow-bearded man nodded. Disappearing in the proverbial flash.

DOME OF UATU, BLUE AREA OF THE MOON (EARTH-90816)

Jean Grey gave full vent to her rage. Her Phoenix powers flaring up to almost full intensity! But, then, it happened. Suddenly, she was on her knees, hands pressed against her closed eyelids as she tried to shut out the mental images now flooding her consciousness.

Tried, but failed.

"What...? Who...?"

"What you're trying to assimilate, Jeannie, are the memories of your counterpart from the universe of Earth-82432. A parallel universe of which she is one of the few survivors!"

Cyclops, deputy leader of the X-men, looked at the speaker in nearly dumbfounded amazement. "Logan?!"

The slightly shorter man before him did, indeed, resemble the Canadian mutant known as Wolverine. Only, now, he looked forty years older than when he had disappeared less than thirty seconds ago! Plus, he now wore only a pair of buckskin pants (with matching boots) and a long, orange-colored cloak of some kind.

"I know what you're gonna ask, Cyke. But, I only have time to give you the Evelyn Wood version. I got sent back to the Hyborian Age, where I switched places with Conan, here. I became partners with his ex-girlfriend, Red Sonja. We eventually became king and queen of a country called Aquilonia. And, last year (from my p.o.v.), I became the new owner of the Sword of Epimetreus on which is embossed a magical phoenix symbol... that I used to merge Jeannie and her counterpart."

"It's true," said the erstwhile Marvel Girl. "And I even know why he did it! Thanks to 'her' memories."

"Which is all the more reason we have to leave," replied Old Man Logan. "Right now!"

Whereupon he glared at his shadow cloak 'confiscated' from a now-dead mutant hit man named Simon Payne. This, in turn, caused it to stretch outward, like Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, to ensnare both the Phoenix and its wearer within its folds. That is; prior to disappearing, with both of them, by seeming to shrink in on itself!

MEANWHILE, BACK ON EARTH-774...

"May!" screamed MJ.

Simultaneously, before anyone could stop him, Flash Thompson charged forward, hoping to tackle this odd assailant to the ground before he could react. Alas! That hope was dashed all too quickly as the erstwhile football star was promptly shrunken down in size, as well!

"Allow me to introduce myself, ladies," said the intruder. "My name is Turner D. Century. And the only reason you're still normal-sized is so you can deliver this message to young Mr. Parker without any further hindrance, whatsoever. The message being that, if he wishes his aunt returned to him (alive, unharmed, and re-enlarged), he is to contact Spider-man and have him break into Latimer Labs. There, the webslinger is to make off with a device called the Jimenez Time Triangle. And, then, bring it to the Kranpuf Estate on Fire Island no later than midnight tonight!"

"If that deadline is not met, or if the police are called in, for any reason, then Mrs. Parker will be crushed like the proverbial bug. Literally, underfoot!"

Whereupon, Turner D. Century bent down and picked up the still-stunned May in his left hand. Following which, he ran out the door and down the front sidewalk to an awaiting tandem bicycle. The front seat of which was occupied by someone MJ recognized from her husband's personal book of mugshots: Phineas Mason, alias 'The Tinkerer'. And it was the sound of approaching police sirens that made the two of them start pedaling, and as a result, the tandem bicycle started ascending high into the air!

To her credit, MJ wasted no further time. She immediately whipped out her cellphone and speed-dialed Peter, while Stella Stargaze hurriedly closed the front door before bending down and picking up her still-stunned nephew.

"What's up, MJ?" inquired her husband, upon answering after the first pair of rings.

"Peter? Are you all right? Your voice sounds very faint."

"It was that run-in with Atlas, at the airport," her husband replied. "It left me feeling... a little down."

"Well, grab yourself a granola power bar from one of the vending machines," she ordered. "Because, you're going to need all your strength for what I'm about to tell you."

She then relayed Turner D. Century's ultimatum. After which, she asked him what he was going to do.

"I think I might know somebody who can help us," he replied. "I'll get back to you, with full details, ASAP."

He then turned off the cellphone before looking up at Colt the Weapons Mistress.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"My shutterbug's aunt was just kidnapped by somebody demanding my help in stealing something called 'The Time Triangle' from Latimer Labs. I've never heard of such a gizmo. But, if you and your gal-pals have the government connections you claim, maybe you could find out what that is and help me obtain it."

Colt initially hesitated in answering that question. And, even then, she did so by asking two more questions!

"Who's the kidnapper? And what does he want with whatever it is?"

"Turner D. Century. A lunatic with a fetish for the Victorian era! And he didn't say _why_ he wanted it. Only when. By midnight! Which is..."

"Just over eight hours from now," Colt finished muttering more to herself than to him.

"So, what do you say?" insisted the shrunken webslinger. "Will you help me or not?"

"We'll help," replied Garganta as she re-entered the kitchen area, fully dressed. "And I know just which members of the FF to contact."

GLOSSARY

Earth-82633: divergent reality created when a double-crossing Dr. Doom left Tony 'Iron Man' Stark stranded in Arthurian Britain. Resulting in Tony succeeding King Arthur, himself, and eventually founding a Utopian empire that spanned half the world! First glimpsed in strongWHAT IF...? #33/strong (June, 1982).

Earth-90816: parallel Earth that debuted, as summarized, in strongWHAT IF. . .? (v.2) #16/strong (Aug. 1990).