Hellcat looks after the fleeing villains. She could shoot them down from here, but she doubts she could win a prolonged fight and doing so might put Wendell back in danger. Besides, she can track them later on anyway.

Herbie also watches the retreating villains carefully. He makes no move to draw attention to himself or the professor he huddles around carefully, but he observes their movements, characteristics, direction, speed-- committing as much detail as possible to his memory.

Hellcat wanders around to where Herbie and the Professor landed. She addresses Herbie with a curt "thanks for your help" and approaches the professor.

Herbie begins a "Your wel--" as Hellcat crisply turns her attention elsewhere...

"Professor Vaughn, may I speak to you for a moment?" she says, grabbing Wendell's jacket and dragging him back into the building. "Hey now!" Herbie tries to catch up, manuevering his bulk around the doorframe, "Wait such a second here! I demand an explanation! What's going on here-- and who are those brigands?!"

Hellcat turns to answer, but her response is drowned out by the sound of jet-boots -- Baron Zemo has arrived.

Meanwhile...

BK is about halfway to the emergency as far as he can figure when he remembers something!

"Bollocks, I were supposed to pick up that wanker Thor for all our Avengering!" he mumbles to himself. Since the train is just starting to leave a station BK yanks on the emergency stop handle. The train screeches to a sudden stop, hurling surprised passengers about the cabin. Nonplussed, BK draws his ebony blade, much to the dismay of the passengers who had unwittingly been thrown near to him. As the people shriek and crab-walk away from the sword-wielding weirdo BK levers open the doors and hops out.

A little while later BK arrives at the domicile of Thor! A very muffled beeping sound can be heard from the hallway. BK bangs on the door quite viciously, hollaring "Oy! Open up yeh gaffer, we've got avengering to do!"

A strained, harrassed voice responds through the door. "One minoote, one minoote, ooh, you blasted goats you!" BK can hear Thor scrabbling with the doorknob and eventually the door cracks open, and BK, impatient to give the now-diminutive thunder-god time to scuttle back from the door, shoves his way through sending the mighty midget crashing into the corner!

"Aren't yeh ready to go yet, yeh old coot? we're bloody late as it is!"

"Friend knight!" Thor replies. "Turrible, turrible misfortunes!" The blubbering deity can barely get it out!

"What is it? Speak up you besotted Norse pansy!"

"Tanngjost has aten my communicvard!"

"What the bleeding fart is a Tanjoss?"

"My little goatee!"

BK turns slowly to regard the beasties, which look up at him innocently as they masticate pieces of furniture. "That goat ate your card?"

"No, I said Tanngjost ate it!"

"Well I know how to get it back!" BK snatches up the bleating billy goat by the horns and bravely sallies forth into the kitchen of the Thunder God! Thor skitters after him, curious and dismayed at what the nefarious Black Knight has in mind. Eventually BK finds a carving board, slings the crying goat on top of it, and draws his mighty sword! He places it lightly against the goat's neck and then draws his arm back for the cut! At that moment Thor figures out what is going on and lunges forward only to catch the flat of the blade between his eyes! The mini-thunderer sits down hard, eyes crossing! And BK swings the blade down in a mighty arc, to within a millimeter of the billy's neck!

And out comes the communicard as all things must eventually pass.

After cleaning the card and locking the goats in the kitchen, hoping to kill the two birds of feeding the goats and cleaning the room with one stone, BK slings Mjolnir up to his shoulder, smashing holes in several walls as he struggles to gain his balance, and the intrepid twosome sally forth to do battle once more with the forces of evil, mostly evil, and definitely on the evil side of the grey shading area!

BK realizes that this sorty to Thor's residence has rendered them tragically late for their Avengering duties and determines that they have no choice if they wish to arrive at the scene with any hope of wreaking their share of havoc. They will have to take a taxi cab!

Strangely, none of the cabs seem interested in picking up this ragtag duo. Bk quickly loses patience with waiting and snatches the tiny thunderer under his free arm dives in front of an onrushing cab! And fortune smiles on the pair for they have managed to choose a cabbie with some concern for human life! And so he slams on the brakes before running them down! While he is yelling at them in a foreign tongue (even to the multi-lingual Thor) BK pulls open the door, throws the deity in, and climbs in himself.

The cabbie continues to shriek until Bk snatches his sword from the scabbard and shows it to the cabbie! The cabbie instantly tries to flee the vehicle but the mighty thunder-god catches him in a grip of iron and prevents his egress.

Then begins the single fastest cab ride ever as the screaming cabbie pilots the vehicle down the streets, pedal to the metal, heeding the directions of the Black knight as he triangulates with the communicard. Many spectacular fishtails and sidewalk excursions later their cab pulls up outside the university building and the mighty comrades pile out of the smoking vehicle, eager for action!

Out at the entrance to the building, campus cops and students are beginning to gather around the wreckage, and the colorful characters standing in front. Scattered cries of "Herbie! Herbie!" would occassionally break out from the growing crowd as they recognized the unique celebrity. The klaxon sirens of various emergency response vehicles.

Beating the emergency vehicles, a yellow NYC taxi screams towards them, breaking the sidewalk with nary a reduction in speed. Fishtailing into the turf, the smoking, dented vehicle slides to a stop not ten feet in front of where the Baron stands, poised to blast the missle into smithereens if it didnt retard its forward progress. The doors popped open, with the Black Knight and Thor coming out one side and a screaming taxi driver of uncertain ethnicity coming out the other, running and screaming in an obscure European language.

"Harumph," the Super-Ape grunts. "Perhaps it would be best to continue this in my private labratories? The deans have given me full use of that campus resource and are used to entertaining such ... Marvels ... as the Fantastics."

He motions Hellcat, the Professor, and Zemo toward his labs. He grumbles, "it's safe and secluding from gawking eyes." As if in ironic counterpoint, the flash of photographers plying their trade begin to periodically light off.

Minutes later, behind the closed doors of Herbie's on-campus lab, police and campus representatives want some of your time for interviews, explanations, and (more importantly) help in establishing who is going to pay for all the damages!

"And what do you want us to do with the wrecked cab? The driver has vanished!"

Herbie growls again as the public presses in on him. "ENOUGH!" he roars, as he tries to close the entrance to his labs, a task all the more difficult in that the mass of people are pressing against it. (Picture Indiana Jones' office in the Last Crusade.) "You shall all hear our statement after a collective conference, to be scheduled as soon as possible for later today! Now, begone! We have urgent private matters to attend to!"

"Yeh, toddle off yeh wankers, the Avengers are on the scene, nothing more to worry about! Just do like King Kong here says and git!" added the Black Knight.

"And what do you want us to do with the wrecked cab? The driver has vanished!" asked the college representative.

"Bah! I know nothing of this 'cab.'" Herbie winces at the colloquialism.

The Black Knight and Thor cackle joyfully, and somewhere in the world, Rick Jones grimaces in pain.

"Typically, they have phone numbers and blatant logos painted on either side. I suggest you call for the owner!" added the Super-Ape.

BK and Thor cackle even louder! "Yeh, call for the owner, and send the repair bill to Zemo Mansion!" cracked the Sable Swordsman!

Finally managing to close the doors, Herbie gruffingly saunters into the lab. He points his apish finger at Hellcat, "Well, it seems you have drawn quite a crowd, of your superhuman ilk as well as a curious public. You have not, however, honored my request for information regarding these circumstances."

Herbie looks at the meek Professor, curious to hear his explanation as well.

"Yeh, I'd like an update too while you're at it," said BK, "What kind of violence did I miss out on account of having to pick up the mighty midget here? What are the possibilities for further mayhem, that sort of thing!"

Dr. Vaughn looks closely at the Black Knight - there is something oddly familiar about his livery, tugging at his memory. Shaking his head as if to clear it, he began "This all started a week ago, when some colleagues of mine, while examining some Norse artifacts at a grave dig in the New Hebridies for the British Natural History Museaum, ran across an old manuscript, apparently written in Old Gaelic. Entitled "Galdurbok", it told the story of the last days of Einar Skallagrimson, which varied from that Saga told by Sturlason."

"This version tells of how Einar and his band saved an old woman from the depredations of a band of trolls, and were given an enchanted amber stone which was entombed with him in a cave in Norway. However, unlike most Norse accounts, this one actually had a crude map with notes - and my friends were anxious to know if I could translate the book and notes, and perhaps find this second site for them"

"They believe that the amber stone is actually one of the three legendary Norn Stones, one of which was associated with the Norse Fates, also called the Norns. The amber stone was reportedly the property of Skuld. The other two were a giant ruby associated with Urd, and an emerald associated with Verandi."

"I spoke with them on the telephone, and told them that it would take me some time, but I was pretty sure that we could find the cave crypt; they were very excited, since the Stone of Skuld has never been discovered. The next day my eleven-year-old daughter Sarah was kidnapped by those...ruffians. I was told to await instructions, and to not under any circumstances involve the police."

"Those blackguards were from a man calling himself the Collector, who demands the three stones in exchange for my daughter. I called Patsy, who is an old friend of the family, in hopes that she might be able to render some assistance, or at least some advice, since this seems much more...ummm...her kind of business than mine. She found them threatening me, and, well, you know the rest..."

Dr. Vaughn looks closely at the Black Knight - there is something oddly familiar about his livery, tugging at his memory.

"Hey, stop checking me out, yeh fairy and get on with the explanations fore I skewer you!" warned the Black Knight.

Shaking his head as if to clear it, he began "This all started a week ago, when some colleagues of mine, while examining some Norse artifacts at a grave dig in the New Hebridies for the British Natural History Museaum, ran across an old manuscript, apparently written in Old Gaelic. Entitled "Galdurbok", it told the story of the last days of Einar Skallagrimson, which varied from that Saga told by Sturlason."

"Why would Nor-dicks write want to write a book in Old Gaelic?" interrupted BK. "Sounds mighty fishy if you ask me!"

"This version tells of how Einar and his band saved an old woman from the depredations of a band of trolls, and were given an enchanted amber stone which was entombed with him in a cave in Norway" continued Dr. Vaughn, ignoring the rudeness of the Black Knight. "However, unlike most Norse accounts, this one actually had a crude map with notes - and my friends were anxious to know if I could translate the book and notes, and perhaps find this second site for them"

BK tries heroically to pay attention but his throat is quite dry, and he had enough lectures to last him when he was in school.

"They believe that the amber stone is actually one of the three legendary Norn Stones, one of which was associated with the Norse Fates, also called the Norns. The amber stone was reportedly the property of Skuld. The other two were a giant ruby associated with Urd, and an emerald associated with Verandi."

BK looks around the room for some liquid refreshment.

"I spoke with them on the telephone, and told them that it would take me some time, but I was pretty sure that we could find the cave crypt; they were very excited, since the Stone of Skuld has never been discovered. The next day my eleven-year-old daughter Sarah was kidnapped by those...ruffians. I was told to await instructions, and to not under any circumstances involve the police."

Bk fails to find any acceptable liquids but is reluctant to leave the room in case some violence breaks out. So he watches out the window with amusement as they try to to away the taxi cab, but the wheels spin in the grass.

"Those blackguards were from a man calling himself the Collector, who demands the three stones in exchange for my daughter. I called Patsy, who is an old friend of the family, in hopes that she might be able to render some assistance, or at least some advice, since this seems much more...ummm...her kind of business than mine. She found them threatening me, and, well, you know the rest..."

BK finally notices when the silence has stretched out for several minutes. He turns around and sees everyone just sort of standing there with blank looks on their faces, clearly lacking in direction, this calls out for a big dose of Leadership!

"Well...," he bagan ..."let's get off our asses and go find this Stone or whatever it is. Maybe the mighty midget professor of Norseology over here knows a thing or two about it, hmm? It would be a nice change for him to contribute something besides his awful stench! Herbie the Super Chimp can line up a vehicle for us, Zemo can pay for it, and Patsy can make us all some tea. OK, let's get going! Avengers Assemble, baby!"

Thor glances up from his apparent total preoccupation. He seems unable to focus upon anything but the large heavy hammer he's been dragging behind him in a leathern harness.

"S-stone . . . ?" he says uncertainly. "The three Norn Stones are artifacts of the Norns, the three sisters who weave the fate of the vorlds. Each has power, but I haff no idea what. Even cunning Loki vas afraid to try stealing dem. If someone could hold and control all three at once . . . Best not to tink about dat.

"I tink I vread dat one of them is on display at the British Natural History Museum, and von is rumored to be in the hands of a private collector in Hong Kong. But I never vreally imagined the stones vould be here on Midgard. If I had von in hand, I could use it to point the way to the others, like a divining vrod... But dis is pointless. The Norn stones are in the hands of the Norns..."

Herbie looks up out of his reverie at the Black Knight's words. "Huh?" he half mumbles in his deep booming voice.

"Forgive us, *Sir* Knight," he growls, "but please do not mistake silence with reticence nor incompetance. I was merely pondering this pernicious turn of events. Of course, while not technically a member of these... Avengers... you mention, I will happily oblige in assistance forthwith."

Herbie then turns to regard the others as they each cast their vote to join in solving the mystery. He nods his head, knowing his hover-platform would be of especial requirement...

Zemo starts to pay attention when the Black Knight speaks. He's in this for adventures not boring lectures. Fortunately, he kept the mike open in his suit so that Jarvis could update him on the important parts if need be.

"For once the Knight is correct" spoke Zemo. "Patsy, if you wouldn't mind I'll take mine without sugar."

"Keep it up, Knight, and the only thing I'll be preparin' for you is an early grave" promises Hellcat, her emerald eyes flashing. Patsy leads Dr. Vaughn away from the group. "Don't worry, Wendell. We'll get Sarah back safe and sound before ye know it."

She turns back towards the group. "Alright, how are we going to do this? A full-scale assault on the British National Museum is probably not going to fly. Do we split up or hit each location one at a time?"

"Why don't we split up?" suggested Zemo. "Thor and the Knight can be one team so that they don't annoy the rest of us. I'll take the chimp since he's probably our weakest link and Patsy can go with Professor Vaughn since he's her friend.

"No. Professor Vaughn is a civilian. I'm not letting him get dragged any further into this mess. Getting the stone out of the British museum will require stealth, so I'll take that one alone," said Hellacat. "Besides, I can contact him if we need any further information."

Herbie bristles at the idea of being the weakest link. "Link," he ponders for a half second, perhaps alluding to some Darwinian pun. "Are you sure it is wise to split up? Thor," he motions to the dwarf, "although he seems changed since last I saw him, claims that if he has but one Stone in hand, he can find the others. Perhaps the best bet is to ensure that we procure one with as much certainty as possible. My hoverplatform, the Titano II, can carry all of us with ease."

Herbie's pleas seem to go unregarded as the others prepare to split up.

"Er... I just thought of something," she continued, "A simple ritual spell will get me to England, but what about the rest of you? How're ye getting to Norway and Hong Kong? By the way, Knight, the Norse probably wrote it in Gaelic because they didn't have a written language. Probably a Celtic slave doing the transcription.

"I'll have Jarvis fly me to Hong Kong. I'm sure the god of thunder over there has some ancient form of travel that can get him to Norway" stated Baron Zemo.

"This bloody dwarf?" scoffed the Black Knight. "Didn't you happen to see how we got here? This little guy couldn't get a cab cross town by himself! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA..."

Thor looks warily at his little goats who have begun to nibble at the Baron's nuclear containment system. Once they could mightily soar across the heavens leaving tempests in their wake. But now... Thor shakes his head. He falls to his knees and places his tiny hands on Mjolnir.

Slowly, a blue nimbus seems to gather under his hands...bolts of blue lightning shoot out to Thor's goats. Their coats take on a brassy sheen, small sparks play across the hooves, and the depths of their eyes seem to contain a fire long forgotten.

"...he--". The Black Knight's laughter abruptly stopped, and without the concealment of his helmet the rest of the Avengers would see his jaw drop wide open!

Thor looks at the knight. He pulls his diminuitive frame up with something almost resembling dignity. "Goot Knight, if you will accompany me . . . mine limbs are not as steady as they once were and mine judgment is clouded. If the stones are to fall into the wrong hands I will need your strong arm and stout heart."

BK shakes his head furiously from side to side, obviously trying to shake this insane vision from his brain. When this fails he lets forth a great groan and puts his hands to his armored temple. "Why didn't ye do that before you bloody fool!" he mumbled. "Oh, woe is me..."

Thor straddles 'Risner and rises into the air with a hoof clicking crackle of . . . thunder . . .

BK just sighs and climbs onto the other goat. "Not exactly Pegasus but I suppose it'll have to do! Hi-ho, Silver, away! Let's go get those stones!" His voice dropped to a whisper "Please don't let this be the goat from earlier..." Another crackle of blue lightning, and the other goat follows his partner with a distant echo of thunder.

"Hold a second," Herbie growls, (not necessarily from anger, but that's pretty much the only way he can talk) "Thor believes one Norse stone to be in the hands of a collector in Hong Kong. Could this very well be the Collector who has kidnapped Vaughn's daugther for ransom? If we must split up, perhaps we should split into two-- one team going to the British Museum, and the other to search for Einar's grave in Norway? Then we can present a united front for the Collector, if he be the villain behind this mad scheme!

I suggest Thor, Zemo, and the Knight take on Norway, for who knows what awaits us there. Hellcat and I should talk to the officials at the British Museum to explain our predicament and acquire the stone more easily through proper political means."

Zemo pats Herbie on the head. "Please, don't strain yourself trying to come up with a plan. If you wish to head to Hong Kong with the lush and the psycho, you are free to do so. I'll head to Britain with Hellcat. If you hurry your little gizmo there might catch up to Thor's goats."

Zemo stares at Herbie who is standing in shock at what he's just heard, dumbfounded at the belligerence of the members of this so-called team. Name-calling, derisive laughter, headstrong arguements, catcalls, patronizing slurs... And weren't Thor and Black Knight headed for Norway, anyway? Even still, Herbie wonders, isn't this better than Mr. Fantastic's overbearing pompousness?

"Go! Go! You'll need to catch up to Thor and the Knight if you wish to convince them to head to Hong Kong with you," Zemo added.

"Once again, the Baron substitutes arrogance for intelligence," sneered Hellcat. "Zemo isn't accompanying me to Britain. First, I don't believe the British Museum is going to hand over one of their prized possessions to a pair of barely-known German and Irish 'super-heroes.' Second, if they refuse (which they likely will) we will have to divest it from them by... other means. An' they'll know immediately who took it if we do, bein' that we asked for it beforehand an' all. Third, if I have to spend any length of time with Zemo, I'll surely kill him. So he can either sit her an' pout or start making tracks for Hong Kong, because he isn't coming with me."

"However, I'm not so cruel as to consign you to his company, Mister Super-Ape. Ye can hitch a ride with me if'n ye want, although with yer appearance, ye'll have to keep out of sight. What I've got in mind requires drawing as little attention as possible. An' if somethin' goes wrong, I'll need some backup."

With that, Patsy starts laying the stones for a teleport. "First home to gather what she needs, than off to bloody ol' England," she thought. "It'll be good to see the old gal again."

"And once again Hellcat shows why no one wishes to team with her. Maybe if you weren't such a bitch, people would want to team with you. I was trying to save the ape from your frigid personality. Go with her, heaven knows no one else wants to." Zemo starts to fly off, but stops. "I pity you Herbie. Being stuck with her will make you wish you had followed my advice and joined the Knight and the lush. At least Thor is honest and trustworthy." And with a flash of his jets, Zemo continued on his journey to Hing Kong.

"Enough of this devisiveness! It's a wonder we are not all speaking Kree right now-- since only a miracle could have allowed you all to avert an alien invasion! If I recall correctly, there *was* a timely interruption from the Fantastics, which more than likely was the contributing factor!"

"Professor Vaughn," Herbie turns from Hellcat and Zemo, "which direction would you deem most important? This decision impacts you most of all. Shall I follow the Knight and THor to Norway, these two to the British Museum, or should I start for Hong Kong?"

"Well, since the medieval-looking fellows have already gone, and since Zemo has flown off, perhaps you should go with Patsy" confirms Dr. Vaughn. "Besides, if she gets into any trouble, I'd feel much better knowing that a REAL hero is there to help get her out."