Childhood's End

## Information

**Childhood's End** is the first Quest in the third Chapter in the Story Event *Imperius Rex!*.

It is preceded by Or Call Him Death! and succeeded by The Honeymoon's Over.

## Dialogue

 Yellowjacket: Alright! Back off! You got me! I’m just a prisoner here, same as all of you.
 Ant-Man: Then talk Cross. What were you doing with Namor?
 Yellowjacket: I came here on behalf of the Cabal. Osborn and I were supposed to locate and capture Susan Storm, but after I foolishly went in, we realized there was no getting out.
 Yellowjacket: Namor found me before too long. So I made a deal: I’d help them with their “technical difficulties” and he’d help out the Cabal by giving us Reed’s machine.
 Human Torch: Does Sue know?
 Yellowjacket: What are you, dense? Of course not! Namor’s got her convinced that everything’s on the level.
 Ant-Man: What was that bit about ISO signatures? I caught that part, and I don’t like how it sounded.
 Yellowjacket: What ISO signatures?
 Human Torch: Ben, tear his arms off.
 Yellowjacket: Oh you mean those ISO signatures.

- Transmission #1 - Upon starting the Quest

 Yellowjacket: The Cabal’s been experimenting with ISO irradiation. Everything in the Battlerealm is permeated with ISO energy, and manipulating it could give us control over anything it touches.
 Yellowjacket: That machine Reed built couldn’t possibly be powered by anything as foreign as Atlantean tech.
 Yellowjacket: So I built Namor a projector that would draw ISO energy from wherever they opened a portal to.
 Ant-Man: To stabilize and amplify a quantum wormhole? That would take an unbelievable amount of power!
 Yellowjacket: Of course! Everything within miles and miles of the rift would be sucked dry and disintegrated the second that portal opened. Small price to pay for our freedom.

- Transmission #2

 Caption: Back in the throne room...

 Silver Surfer: So this is what remains of Reed’s machine...
 Invisible Woman: Yes, I know it doesn’t look like much, but we’ve done the best we could patching holes in the design using Atlantean technology. It’s actually helping sustain this airpocket.
 Silver Surfer: Interesting. Is it wise to have so much of the machine hinge on technology that only the Sub-Mariner fully understands?
 Invisible Woman: You still don’t trust him? After everything we’ve talked about?
 Silver Surfer: ...
 Invisible Woman: Then trust me Norrin. Trust that I have the situation under control, and that I won’t leave anyone behind. Not even Namor.
 Silver Surfer: I trust you implicitly Susan, and I have faith that your plan will work.
 Invisible Woman: Thank you. Now we just need to get the rest of the boys to do the same.

- Transmission #3

 Ant-Man: Everyone in the Battlerealm is soaked in ISO radiation! You’d kill anyone caught in the portal’s wake!
 Yellowjacket: You best put a bandage on that bleeding heart of yours Scott. My projector is the only way any of us are getting out of here.
 Thing: This is nuts. Whatta we do guys?
 Human Torch: We gotta get back to Sue and stop Namor before they turn the machine on. Sadly, that means letting this gold plated freak go.
 Yellowjacket: Already gone kid…
 Ant-Man: No time to waste then, let’s go!

- Transmission #4

 Caption: Swimming through the streets of Atlantis, our trio of heroes burst into the throne room just as Namor installs the final piece...

 Human Torch: Sue! Surfer! Stop!
 Invisible Woman: Johnny? Ben? Where have you guys been? Namor says he lost you after Abomination attacked.
 Human Torch: He’s a liar Sue! Namor has been playing you this whole time, with some chump called Yellowjacket. That machine’ll kill hundreds, maybe even thousands of people if you turn it on.
 Thing: We gotta’ smash it Sue! We can’t let Namor use it hurt anyone.
 Namor: This is ridiculous! You dare to come into my home and accuse me of such villainy?
 Namor: Susan, we cannot let them damage the machine. We may never get this close to escaping again!

- Transmission #5

 Invisible Woman: **EVERYONE JUST SHUT UP.**
 Namor: ...
 Human Torch: Sue, you gotta believe us. Dismantling that machine is the only way. If it gets out, some nuts called the Cabal are gonna-
 Invisible Woman: Enough! I know your heart’s in the right place Johnny, but you’re still standing on the wrong side.
 Invisible Woman: And I can’t let you undo years of hard work. Not when we’re so close.
 Human Torch: Then I’m sorry to do this sis...
 Human Torch: Summoner! We’ll keep Namor busy while you deal with Sue! Flame on!
 Thing: I’m sorry Sue...
 Invisible Woman: I’m sorry too Ben...
 Invisible Woman: Because this is going to hurt you a lot more than it’s going to hurt me.

- Transmission #6 - Before fighting Invisible Woman