The All-Star Marvel RPG

[Mr. Majestic]

[FONT=&quot]Bruce been sitting there for a while, lost in the thoughts that had began to crowd his already populated mind. What was he supposed to take away from this book? What was a man who had the same affliction as this character to do? Would the same happen to him? Bruce was shaken from his thoughts by three quick knocks at the door, startled by the sudden break in silence, Bruce took his time, grabbed the fire poker and holding it like a baseball bat. Hands one over the other at the bottom, but not at the very end. He held it close to his person, he took one hand from it and grasped the handle of the door and creaked it open until he could look outside through the sliver of outside light.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“You? What are you doing here?” His grip tightened around the poker, letting the pointed end of it come to rest on the wood floor boards. It was the guard from the HAMMER Hellicarrier, before they offered him that deal. He was still wary, but he would be more trusting of this one. Of course they might be using that against him. Bruce wasn’t sure. He kept hold of the poker in case the organization was waiting behind him.[/FONT]

Right away my eyes glance to the hot poker. I see that he is prepared but in his case with my training a poker won’t do the job. But just to make sure I don’t get hit with a surprise attack I’m watch his movements carefully. If he doesn’t believe what I have to tell him he might take a swing.

“I know this may seem a little bizarre but a group of HAMMER agents are on their way as we speak to come and get you. I rode ahead to give you a warning before that happened.”

I know it may be a long shot but I have to try. If I was in Bruce’s shoes I wouldn’t believe a word coming out my month. For his sake and mine I hope he takes a leap of faith.

“We need to get out of here fast, it’s only a meaning of time before they get here and once that happens I won’t be able to help you.”

 

[sabetoonth]

Right away my eyes glance to the hot poker. I see that he is prepared but in his case with my training a poker won’t do the job. But just to make sure I don’t get hit with a surprise attack I’m watch his movements carefully. If he doesn’t believe what I have to tell him he might take a swing.

“I know this may seem a little bizarre but a group of HAMMER agents are on their way as we speak to come and get you. I rode ahead to give you a warning before that happened.”

I know it may be a long shot but I have to try. If I was in Bruce’s shoes I wouldn’t believe a word coming out my month. For his sake and mine I hope he takes a leap of faith.

“We need to get out of here fast, it’s only a meaning of time before they get here and once that happens I won’t be able to help you.”

[FONT=&quot]Bruce listened to what the agent told him.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“You want me to believe you? A HAMMER agent?” he furrowed his brow and looked at Jones’ shoes. He had one choice, take the man’s word for it and follow him, or stay where he was, with his oatmeal, in the cabin he had built. On the inside the conflict was more…violent you could say, Bruce was unsure, while Hulk wanted to turn and run, live to fight another day, Grey, still restrained in Bruce’s psyche, voiced his opinion that Bruce should stay and fight off the HAMMER agents for what he had built. And then the Dark thing, his voiced echoed through Bruce’s mind. [/FONT]Destroy, everything.

[FONT=&quot]“What do you suggest?” Bruce asked the agent infront of him. He would give him a chance.[/FONT]

 

[Mr. Majestic]

[FONT=&quot]Bruce listened to what the agent told him.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“You want me to believe you? A HAMMER agent?” he furrowed his brow and looked at Jones’ shoes. He had one choice, take the man’s word for it and follow him, or stay where he was, with his oatmeal, in the cabin he had built. On the inside the conflict was more…violent you could say, Bruce was unsure, while Hulk wanted to turn and run, live to fight another day, Grey, still restrained in Bruce’s psyche, voiced his opinion that Bruce should stay and fight off the HAMMER agents for what he had built. And then the Dark thing, his voiced echoed through Bruce’s mind. [/FONT]Destroy, everything.

[FONT=&quot]“What do you suggest?” Bruce asked the agent infront of him. He would give him a chance.[/FONT]

What do I suggest? It probably would have been good if I thought of a plan. Only thing I could think about at the time was getting here and warning Bruce.

“Yea about that, I don’t have any ideas at all. I figured that maybe you would have a back up plan just in case you would ever needed to leave.”

Maybe I should have thought this through more.

“Only thing I can suggest is you get on my bike and take off but I don’t know how much good that will do you since they have people surrounding the area. AAAAAHHHHHH” I yell as I get frustrated for a moment.

“Look this whole thinking thing is not really my gig, I’m more of a man of action.”

Perhaps this wasn’t a good idea after all. I have no plan and the rest of the agents are on their way and once they see me with him they are going to know I betrayed them and that’s not going to look good for me. It appears that I really put my foot in this one. I should have let him go pee, he probably would have broken out and I might not be in this situation.

 

[Andy C.]

Natalia Romanova. Never met her personally, but I know her by reputation.
Before I donned my father's costume, Isaiah Bradley briefed and trained me on certain persons of interest, different scenarios that Captain America might have to face.

An encounter with the Black Widow was one such scenario.

A world-class mercenary and assassin, her services only affordable by the richest and most powerful people on earth, and only desirable by the most ruthless.

And now she's on HAMMER's payroll.

"What are you doing here?" I demand, sinking into a fighting stance and putting my shield between her and me.

[blackout]"Getting in your way,"[/blackout] She says with a smirk before lashing out with a sweeping kick, causing me to jump back to avoid. [blackout]"And following Director 13's orders. You know, the thing that you refused to do, which made you an enemy of the state?"[/blackout]

Romanova whirls around to land a punch, but I catch her arm and turn her momentum into a throw. She tucks into a front roll and lands on her feet.

"Director 13's losing it," I say, charging forward with my shield, forcing her to break her guard in order to tumble out of the way. "She's locked up Captain Danvers after she helped save thousands of lives, and attempted to bring in the rest of us as well. The fact that she has you under her command now just further proves my point."

[blackout]"Oh, so Nick Fury's favorite new errand boy wants to play the moral high ground?"[/blackout] The Widow mocks, catching me with a spinning heel kick to the small of my back. I stumble forward a few steps before catching myself. [blackout]"Anyone who's spent enough time in the circles we run in now knows what depths that organization will sink to. Do you really think SHIELD are the good guys here?"[/blackout]

"I don't know who the 'good guys' are between your factions," I say, blocking another flurry of punches and kicks before shoving her back with a hard shoulder, "but from what I've seen, HAMMER is definitely not it. The things this organization does, the people it employs and the people it imprisons, all show me that Carter is going too far. And I intend on setting things right."

[blackout]"I heard you were a super-soldier, Captain, not a Boy Scout,"[/blackout] Black Widow sneers, charging directly at me before suddenly rolling forward, scissoring my head between her legs and curling herself upward. She's looking for an acrobatic takedown, rolling backwards to drive my head into the ground.

Unfortunately for her, I'm about to do something my dad probably wouldn't be particularly proud of, since it's extremely ungentlemanly. When she rolls back, I plant my feet and shove her down, slamming her head-first into the floor, knocking her out cold.

"The Boy Scouts don't teach you how to fight," I say, stepping over her unconscious body and making my way back to Captain Danvers' cell.

"Now, as I was saying, Captain Danvers, I'm here to break you out."

 

[sabetoonth]

As Scorpion moved towards the sand creature, he didn't notice until the last minute the glowing orange table flying through the insubstantial sandman, striking him in the chest and sending him flying back.

After Scorpion looks up he sees a small bookish scientist standing behind Sandman, wearing what looks like a cross between blue overalls and a space suit. His right gloved hand was glowing with an orange light.

"I'm sorry about this Scorpion. But we can't have you arresting us. Not yet." His hand glowed and a pulse of energy shot out and and tossed the Scorpion back a distance.

I'm glad that Howard Stark never went any further with element 99, otherwise they never would have sent the project to me. I still don't fully understand the unique telekinesis and pulse energy in this element. But, now's not the time to waste.

Floyd moved to the far end of the lab where some papers and a few advanced tool kits were gathered. Sandman stopped near an upturned hard drive, where a photograph stood taped to the bottom. Flint stared at the mother and father in the picture, holding the bald infant. Fa...Fa...Fathe-

His thoughts were interrupted by the man himself. "Flint, we need to go now!"Sandman tossed the hard drive aside, absentmindedly into the subway cavern, before moving to Floyd.

Floyd nodded before he started to move, his glove glowing orange again. "Grab the tools and move! To the next lab!" And as the Sandman moved, the roof of the lab began to glow an unearthly orange before some cracks formed and the lab was crushed by several tons of debris, and the escape route Flint and Floyd had used was blocked off from the outside.

[FONT=&quot]Mac didn’t know what hit him when he suddenly flew through the hair and hit his head hard on the wall. He didn’t know when he came too, but he noticed the weight first. Arched his back before standing on his knees.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“RAAAAAA!” Mac roared out. He looked around, the ceiling had caved in, pretty much everything destroyed or taken. “Damnit!” Gargan grabbed a piece of rubble weighing maybe just under a ton and threw it against the wall. There was no light, the night-vision in his helmet went on and he saw the world in shades of green and black. He cursed under his breath, just then Bristow’s voice came through his ears.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Mac, you alright? We though we lost ya there for a minute.”she said with concern.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“I'm alright, but lost Marko, there was some else with him, a man, scientist by the looks of him.” He said with a taste of self disappointment.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“We’ve got units heading towards you know Mac, just be patient and wait there for the CSI’s to get there.”she said over the link between them.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Yea, I’ll wait.” Scorpion answered as he looked around in the dark. Something caught his eye, he flipped through the other spectrums of light. Nothing showed up on infra-red, or on any other spectrum he tried, so he just walked over there and grabbed it, the rubble hadn't crushed it, there was a small hard drive, and a photograph. A woman, a man, and an infant. Mac’s best guess was that this was a family photo of the man who had just helped Marko escape.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]***[/FONT]​

[FONT=&quot]“So, Mac, ya find anything while ya was stuck down there?”Officer Shirey asked him.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“No, not really.” Gargan arched his lips in an expression that usually is taken as meaning ‘Meh’ or ‘Whatever’. Though through the helmet you could only sees his eyes through the lenses.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“We'll find something I bet then Mac.” Shirey kept walking on into the scene with the other officers as Scorpion walked out, the end of his tail flicking idly as he held it behind him. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Back at the precinct Mac knocked on his Captain’s door. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Hey Cap?” He asked.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“What is it Mac?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Back at the crime scene I found two things, a hard drive I wanted to deliver to evidence personally, and this photograph.” Mac produced the two objects from his person. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“And why didn't you give this to the forensics guys?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Wanted to make sure it got there, and I think we can find our mystery man. Photo looks old enough, try finding the faces in any of the databases.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The police captain groaned. “Mac, don’t go over anyone’s head with evidence, get it down there before people say it’s long enough to have fabricated or contaminated it.” He put a hand to his face and rubbed his temples. “And as for the photograph, run the presumed parents faces, have evidence go through see if there's any prints on it, the works”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“On it boss,” Mac started to go when he caught himself on the door frame. “Sorry.. about not leaving it at the scene to be taken care of.” [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Just get it down there now, and don’t do it again!” he pointed at Mac like a father scolding his son.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]“Yes, Sir.”[/FONT]

 

[J'adore]

I sprint up the cold and empty staircase, avoiding the unconcious bodies of various HAMMER agents. Who ever did this, was certainly not alone. I check my gun is firmly secured in my belt and keep going. I still have no contact with Natasha, or anyone else for that matter. No doubt about it, SHIELD has something to do with this.

The thought of them...the thought that they might be in this very building right now, just makes my spine shiver. As I slide my gun out of my belt, I slowly creep around the final staircase. They must be after Danvers, otherwise why else this floor?

I hear the faint noises off punches and kicks, and Natasha's voice. I breath slowly and open the door, peering around the corner.

"Now, as I was saying, Captain Danvers, I'm here to break you out."

My eyes widen and my jaw lowers. A voice far too familiar echoes in my ears. I stay low and slip in to the room, using all the stealth, espoinage and Japanese body language I can. I jump from corner to corner, as silent as the wind. I finally finish it off, propelling myself up into the air, and shifting into a sharp forward flip.

"Captain America!"

My voice is loud, explosive and full of rage. I jolt up, standing perfectly still, with my gun aimed at his head. We stand about two metres apart, our eye contact brief and minimal. "Get away from there!"

He doesn't move. Instead, he begins to walk towards me. Slowly but calmly. I fire my gun up at the ceiling.

"I said---GET AWAY FROM THERE!"
​

 

[Andy C.]

Toomes Technologies. A subsidiary of OsCorp, it's a small fly-by-night skunkworks that specializes mainly in experimental aviation and robotics. Run by a former professor emeritus from Empire State University, Dr. Adrian Toomes, the lab has a pretty lucrative contract with the military for the development of anti-gravity units for recon and special forces.

Thank you, Google, for telling me what I need to know. Especially Google Maps for telling me how to get there.

I sneak in through the skylight of the small lab; compared to the facilities that Doctor Connors and his team get at OsCorp, this place is kind of a dump. The work stations are littered with gadgets and bits and pieces of things that I can't immediately identify, blueprints of one project or another. By the desk in the corner there's a bookcase, on top of which is a picture of a thin, almost skeletal old man (I'm assuming Dr. Toomes) at ESU with other faculty members. His smile is actually kind of creepy.

As I search around for anything usable, I find an empty stand with a computer screen next to it. The screen displays detailed plans and readings for....a suit. VULTURE Mark II, it says. The one Blackie wore at the Science Fair was really just a hang glider with a reverse engineered Stark repulsor jet on the back. This, though?

Lightweight flexible ceramic armor, military-grade stuff from the looks of it.

A helmet/breathing mask that allows for high-atmospheric maneuvers, complete with an advanced GPS and targeting system.

Retractable wings of layered superconductors, each razor thin "feather" carrying a small repulsor charge and capable of detaching from the main wing to be used as a projectile.

Blackie Drago and Dr. Toomes has been busy creating a bigger, better Vulture for the troops. I only hope Blackie hasn't been taking it out for a ride himself.

My Spider-Senses trigger, telling me there's someone sneaking up behind me. I instinctively spin to face my assailant, letting out a wide net of webbing to pin them to the wall.

It's only after I've already done it that I realize I just webbed up Debra Whitman.

"Oh! Oh God, I am so, so sorry!" I say in a bit of a panic. "I sensed someone coming up behind me and I just...got a little trigger happy. Oh man, I'm an idiot. Are you okay?"

Debra, still a little disoriented by what happened, takes a second to regain her bearings before responding.

"Y-yeah, I think I'm okay, just...can't really move," she says, looking over herself and trying to wriggle out of my webbing. "Why are you here?"

"I, umm, I'm looking for Blackie Drago. It's something important. Have you seen him?"

"No, I was waiting for him to come back," she says nervously. "He...he called me and told me to meet him here, and when I got here, the Mark II suit was missing! I called his phone to tell him, but he's not answering. And now you're here, too. Is this....is this bad?"

"I think so," I say with as much of an authoritative tone as I can manage. "A couple of weeks ago, Blackie won scholarship money to ESU thanks to the first VULTURE suit he and Dr. Toomes developed. A man named Gregory Bestman, a faculty member, then disqualified Blackie on the grounds that Dr. Toomes' assistance counted as outside help, that he cheated to win that money. Two nights ago, Mr. Bestman was killed."

"You're not saying.....surely you're not serious!"

"I'm completely serious," I say. It takes a real effort to keep myself from following up with "and don't call me Shirley." I just accused her boyfriend of murder, so this probably isn't the best time for an Airplane! reference.

"Bestman's body was found with damage that could only have been sustained by a drop from a huge height. There aren't any tall buildings around from which he could've been dropped. Which means his death should by all rights be impossible....unless, say, someone picked him up with an experimental flying suit."

"But....but it can't be," Debra says, stunned by what I've told her. "Blackie's....he was--"

"I know it's hard to imagine, but that's what all the facts are pointing to." I grab a sheet of scratch paper and scribble a number on it--the number of the small prepaid phone that Black Cat gave me. "Here," I say, placing the paper into Deb's hand, "If Blackie shows up, text this number and let me know where you are, and I'll come running. Don't bring up the Bestman murder, and don't tell him I'm looking for him. Just be very, very careful, okay?"

"But all this..." she says, gesturing as best she can to the webs that have her stuck to the wall. "How do I explain this?!"

"Yeah....again, sorry about that. The webbing's bio-degradable, so it should dissolve in about an hour. If anyone gets here before that, just say I'm snooping around, investigating the theft of the Mark II suit."

I shoot a web-line up to the skylight and start pulling myself up and out of the building....

....then about ten seconds later, I come back with a two-foot long stick, and put it in Debra's other hand.

"In case you need to scratch your nose," I explain, then I'm out again.

Okay, so now on top of being pretty sure one of my classmates is a murderer, I've just accidentally webbed up another one of my classmates, then intentionally put her in a potentially dangerous situation where she might have to interact with a suspected killer.

A suspected killer who, I might add, has apparently run off with an experimental combat flying suit that made his old one look like a hunk of junk.

I get the feeling this isn't going to look very good for me in the press.

 

[Andy C.]

I sprint up the cold and empty staircase, avoiding the unconcious bodies of various HAMMER agents. Who ever did this, was certainly not alone. I check my gun is firmly secured in my belt and keep going. I still have no contact with Natasha, or anyone else for that matter. No doubt about it, SHIELD has something to do with this.

The thought of them...the thought that they might be in this very building right now, just makes my spine shiver. As I slide my gun out of my belt, I slowly creep around the final staircase. They must be after Danvers, otherwise why else this floor?

I hear the faint noises off punches and kicks, and Natasha's voice. I breath slowly and open the door, peering around the corner.



My eyes widen and my jaw lowers. A voice far too familiar echoes in my ears. I stay low and slip in to the room, using all the stealth, espoinage and Japanese body language I can. I jump from corner to corner, as silent as the wind. I finally finish it off, propelling myself up into the air, and shifting into a sharp forward flip.

"Captain America!"

My voice is loud, explosive and full of rage. I jolt up, standing perfectly still, with my gun aimed at his head. We stand about two metres apart, our eye contact brief and minimal. "Get away from there!"

He doesn't move. Instead, he begins to walk towards me. Slowly but calmly. I fire my gun up at the ceiling.

"I said---GET AWAY FROM THERE!"
​

"Not going to happen, Director," I say flatly, slowly closing the distance between myself and Carter. If it comes down to it, I want to get as close as I can to take her down quickly. "Look at this place, and see what HAMMER has become. For every one mutant here who's actually committed a serious crime, there are at least twenty who just didn't get themselves registered. You've got bloodthirsty killers like the Black Widow on your payroll, instead of in a prison cell where they belong. You put Miss Marvel in prison and tried to arrest the rest of us, for what exactly? Bruising your ego?"

I may not be the towering icon my father was, but I've got enough of him in me to know right from wrong, and to put on a brave face when I need to. Carter levels her gun right at me. I don't even flinch.

"HAMMER's gone too far too many times, with no one to keep you in check. As far as I'm concerned, that's my job now, watching the watchmen, setting you and Fury straight when you need it."

I stare Sharon directly in the eye.

"If you're going to point a gun at me, Director 13, you'd better shoot it. Otherwise you're going to be dealing with me for a very long time."

 

[J'adore]

​

"Not going to happen, Director," I say flatly, slowly closing the distance between myself and Carter. If it comes down to it, I want to get as close as I can to take her down quickly. "Look at this place, and see what HAMMER has become. For every one mutant here who's actually committed a serious crime, there are at least twenty who just didn't get themselves registered. You've got bloodthirsty killers like the Black Widow on your payroll, instead of in a prison cell where they belong. You put Miss Marvel in prison and tried to arrest the rest of us, for what exactly? Bruising your ego?"

I may not be the towering icon my father was, but I've got enough of him in me to know right from wrong, and to put on a brave face when I need to. Carter levels her gun right at me. I don't even flinch.

"HAMMER's gone too far too many times, with no one to keep you in check. As far as I'm concerned, that's my job now, watching the watchmen, setting you and Fury straight when you need it."

I stare Sharon directly in the eye.

"If you're going to point a gun at me, Director 13, you'd better shoot it. Otherwise you're going to be dealing with me for a very long time."​

​

I begin to crumble. My mother mouth and my grip on the gun loosens. My eyes stay sharp and there's not a second where they're off Bucky. I slightly bend my knees, ready to take him down in one quick movement. He is no match for someone like me. No one is.

"Believe me, I want to shoot you, Bucky. If I could, I'd blow up Nick Fury and all his SHIELD members. But I can't...Unlike SHIELD, I go out of my way to keep the American legacy alive, keep their faith in the true Captain America, alive,"

I spit on the floor next to me, lowering my gun slightly. "If Steve were alive today? What would he be awoken too? Chaos, turmoil!"

My eyes take a sharp glance down at Natasha. This can only prove my point, how unstable our so called 'heroes' of today are. "I have a trail on Spider-Man. And it won't be long until he's fined and signed up. Just like the rest of you lot. How you all should be..."

We pace around eachother, the atmosphere becoming more and more tense by the second. "If you free that woman, then I will have the authority to shoot."

 

[Andy C.]

"First of all," I say, taking another step closer, "my father spent his life preserving the freedom of the American people, not their 'legacy.' He spent years on end on the front lines to oppose the oppression and tyranny that the Nazis and the Soviets represented. The gulags, the concentration camps, the terror of the Third Reich and the paranoia behind the Iron Curtain. Tell me, Sharon, what do you think the real Captain America would think about this place?"

With that, I make my move, bringing my shield up to deflect the bullet as she fires, then wrenching her gun away with my free hand and sweeping her legs out from under her.

"Second of all," I say, kicking the gun across the floor away from Carter, "the more you try and bring the superheroes under your control, the harder they're going to fight you. You think you had trouble dealing with the Hulk and Iron Man in Times Square? Wait until they're organized, til they know you're coming after them....and when we've got even more people resisting alongside us."

Carter springs to her feet, ready to fight, but frankly, I've had my fill of fighting today. I turn my back on her, heading back to Danvers' cell.

"And third?" I say, looking over my shoulder at her. "Don't ever talk to me about my father again. I may not be worthy of wearing his uniform, but as long as places like this exist....you're not even worthy of saying his name."

As I approach Miss Marvel's cell, I finally hear her speak.

"Captain America?"

"Miss Marvel?"

"You might want to take a few steps back."

A second later, the door to her cell bursts open, a blast of energy ripping the door off of its hinges.

Captain Carol Danvers casually steps out of her cell, then looks me over with a critical eye.

"Still out recruiting Avengers? Then sign me up."

 

[J'adore]

How dare he!

"If you want to find your father's killer, then you'll stick with HAMMER!" I scream loud, pointing at him and Danvers.

"I will not rest until I find every last SHIELD member...you hear me!?"

My feet are light on the ground as I flip gracefully. I land behind Agent Danvers. swinging my leg up high. My foot slams against her neck, with a finishing touch of a kick in the back. I speak in to my ear piece, stern and asertive. "Attention, HAMMER agents. All Units to Section 14...We have a breakout,"

I grab Agent Danver's hair and spin her around. My fist swoops high, giving off a forceful strike around her face. Our hands meet a couple of times, managing to block her various incoming shots. I spin round, blasting in to a roundhouse kick. Danver's blocks it and throws my foot back, swinging her fist low. I sharply block the low fist, propelling my arms up in to the air, giving a foreceful blow to her chin. He resistance is strong. The drugs must be wearing off. As she kicks me in the stomach, I take a couple of seconds to have sharp inhales of breath. I gritt my teeth, ramming both fists straight in to her chest, twisting my knuckles and kicking her right round the temple.

"You've made a big mistake, Bucky,"

As he goes to swing his shield at me, I jump in to the air and land with a skilled back flip. My knee flies up in to his abdomen.

"Alert Agent Mystique of the X-MEN...Tell her we need her assistance down at Genosha bay,"

​

 

[Andy C.]

Carter is fast and exceptionally well-trained. Her official dossier has her listed as among the five best hand-to-hand combatants on the planet...along with myself.

I catch her leg as she attempts a kick, then spin under it into a sacrifice throw, the momentum wrenching her off her feet and spinning Carter onto her back.

"If there's any 'big mistake' I've ever made, Carter, it's having ever trusted you."

I'm back to my feet a split-second before she is, able to put my shield up in time to block a punch. Her fist connects at full-force with a sheet of solid Adamantium. She'll be lucky if she hasn't broken every bone in her hand.

Before Carter can counterattack, she's blasted from behind by Miss Marvel. Barely able to stand, Danvers looks like the strength has been drained right out of her. I've read her dossier: in missions against HYDRA in Eastern Europe, she had taken assault rifle fire at point blank range, survived direct hits from mortars and rocker-propelled grenades. How a few kicks were able to take so much out of her is a little puzzling.

"That's.....for drugging me....." she says in between ragged gasps of breath. That answers my question, and makes me that much more resolved to keep fighting.

"So that's how you reward people for saving lives," I spit out, my voice full of contempt. "By treating them like lab rats, pumping them full of chemicals to sap them of their powers. Everything about this place makes me sick."

"Then you'll be glad to know it won't be around much longer," I hear Nick Fury's voice over my earpiece. "Captain Danvers, if you still have enough strength to fly, then I suggest you get Barnes off the island as quickly as possible. And Carter, you will not pursue. Trust me, you'll have more than enough trouble to deal with here."

As he says that, there's a loud BOOM from outside. Followed by another. And another. And another.

 

[J'adore]

"Trust is the enemy...."

I'm weak and I'm down. I can feel steam being released from my body as I wipe blood away from my mouth. Damn woman beater. I reach for my gun on the floor, holding it up at the aim of the two vigilantes.

"Captain Danvers, if you still have enough strength to fly, then I suggest you get Barnes off the island as quickly as possible. And Carter, you will not pursue. Trust me, you'll have more than enough trouble to deal with here."

And then, I hear the words of a mad man. Words that crumble in my ears, create chaos and destruction within my mind. Nick F****** Fury. "I'm going to kill you....All of you...."

The words are bitter on my tongue, but they're strong and heard clearly by everyone in the room. My feet touch the ground once again as I stand on my toes. Only to be accompanied by the floor's shaking. "FURY!"

A loud explosion occurs and I cover my head, watching as the walls crumble and the floor shakes violently. My eyes squint and I run down the halls, checking everyone's still in confinement. I'm met by Mystique and various HAMMER agents. "Mystique! Get Danvers and Fury! The rest of you, check the cells!"

Mystique nods sharply, sprinting towards Bucky and Agent Danvers.

As I take a moment to swallow in what has happened, I bury my head in shame. I see prisoner Cleopatra Nefertiti sprint out of her destroyed cell, only to find a bullet in her leg.

As I hury to keep everything under control, I contact everyone back at base. "Agent Young, I want you to get Maria Hill a news confernce as soon as possible! Tell her it's about Project: Wanted. A $50,000 reward will be given to the man or woman, who finds and brings me The Avengers,"
​

 

[Byrd Man]

Norman Osborn


​

The meeting with Fisk is still running through my mind by the time I get home. I unknot my tie and slide it off my neck as Bernard welcomes me home.

"Can I get a drink?"

"Certainly, sir. Your usual?"

"You know me too well. Make it three fingers, please. It's been one of those nights."

"Hey, dad," Harry mumbles as he comes into the living room. He keeps his head turned and looking out the window. Something in his body language...it's all wrong.

"Are you alright? Let me look at you."

I walk over to my son and touch his face, he turns to me and my eyes catch sight of the ugly black eye.

"Who did this to you?!"

"N-nobody. I hit my head on the door."

"Don't lie to me!" I snarl. "You're not an abused housewife, dammit! Don't lie like one."

"It was Eddie Brock. He did it. He was picking Peter and I stood up for him so Eddie hit me in the face."

My shock gives way to cold rage. "Why does that name sound familiar? Eddie Brock?"

"You met him at the company picnic last summer. His dad works for you."

I nod and turn to Bernard as he finally comes back with my drink. "Look after Harry's eye, please. I'll be in the study, checking my email."

I walk down the hall into my office. I calmly walk behind my desk and sit down, looking through the directory for the number I want.

"HR, this is Carol."

"Carol. Norman Osborn here."

"Mister Osborn, what a surprise. What can I help you with, sir?"

"I want you to look up an employee name, please. Last name Brock."

"Hold on, please......okay, I have four Brocks. An Allen E. Brock, Margret S. Brock, Edward C. Brock-"

"In Edward C. Brock's file, does he have a son?"

"Yes, sir. Edward Junior."

"Excellent. Edward Brock's employment is terminated, effective immediately. His security clearance is to be revoked and security will meet him at the door tomorrow morning with the contents of his office in the box."

"Uhh, sir. He's still working, according to my files. He clocks out at five."

"Let him clock out and find out tomorrow. Reject him his unemployment checks. Get in touch with my lawyer, Mendell Stromm. He's to personally block any appeals and claims Mister Brock makes."

"Yes, sir."

I hang up and take a deep breath before finally gulping down my scotch. The whiskey burns going down my throat. I finish it off with a wonderful feeling flowing through me.

Nobody will jeopardize the work I've put in. All I've done for him. To put it simple: nobody ****s with my son.

I have a smile on my face when I walk out of the study. Harry's sitting on the couch, a slab of raw steak on his eye.

"Since you've had a bad day, I'll treat you. I have three tickets to tonight's Yankee's game. Oscorp has a box suite. You, me, and Peter can get some hotdogs and enjoy a good game. Go get Peter."

Harry nods and walks off towards Peter's room. I sit down on the couch, my thoughts drifting towards my problem with Fisk.

"Dad...uhh, Peter's not in his room."

I straighten up in my seat and look at Harry. "Where is he?"

"I haven't seen Mister Parker since he came home from school," Bernard announces as he comes into the room. I lean back in my chair and look from Harry to Bernard. "Call him on his cellphone, Harry. Find out where he is."​

 

[Eddie Brock]

THE GHOST RIDER

"Johnny..."

Through the crippling, searing pain, I hear the voice calling out to me.

"Johnny..."

I roll over, feeling the flames burn through my skin down to the bone. I find myself staring at a pair of shiny dress shoes. I follow the shoes up, seeing a lanky man in a pinstriped suit. He looks down at me and smiles.

"Always living on the edge, eh, Johnny?" the man says coolly, his voice carrying like a whisper on the wind. He bends down and takes out a handkerchief from his suit pocket. He reaches out and wipes my forehead, ignoring the flames engulfing my body. His handkerchief shrivels up and disappears in a cloud of ash. "Hmm."

"P-please..."

"You'll have to speak up, Johnny."

"Help...m-me..."

The man smiles broadly. "That's exactly why I'm here, Johnny. I want to help you. And in return, maybe you can help me. How's that sound?"

I let out a pained cry.

"Do you want this to end, Johnny?" the man asks kindly. "Do you want me to save you?"

"P-please!"

The man curls his lip. "Please what?"

"SAVE ME!"

"Done."

***

I open my eyes slowly, noticing first that the pain is gone. As I become aware of my surroundings, I see that I'm in the middle of a white room. Soft sunlight streams through the window, bathing the room in an ambient glow. I look down and see the bed I'm laying in.

"How do you feel?"

I turn and see the man from the alleyway.

"The pain is gone," I answer simply. "What did you do?"

"Don't question miracles, Johnny."

I furrow my brow. "Miracles? What are you? An angel?"

The man smirks. "Not exactly." The man steps into the sunlight, but his skin turns deathly pale. I can see his veins through his skin. "My name is Mephistopheles."

"Mephistopheles...?"

"I know this is a lot to process, Johnny. In that alleyway, you and I made a verbal agreement," Mephisto explains. "Before we proceed, I think it would be best if we solidified the terms of our little arrangement." He reaches into his suit jacket and draws out a long sheet of paper.

"Arrangement?" I repeat confused. I was in such pain in that alleyway that I barely remember anything other than the burning.

"Don't worry about it, Johnny. It's just a contract." He holds out the paper. It's covered in a dark red ink. "All you have to do is sign." He forces the paper into my hand.

I shake my head. "Now, just wait a second..."

"I don't think you understand," Mephisto growls. "Either you sign, or I send you back to that alleyway. And you can die slowly and painfully, and then who will look after your mother?" I notice a malicious glint in his eyes. "Now, sign!"

I look down at the contract. As I switch hands, the paper cuts into my finger. I watch the blood run down the side of the paper, settling on the bottom line.

"That will do."

Mephisto snatches away the contract, tucking it inside his suit jacket once more.

"This is the beginning of a beautiful partnership, Johnny."

And with that, the white room disappears, and I feel myself pulled down into a dark, fiery pit.
​

 

[Andy C.]

And then, I hear the words of a mad man. Words that crumble in my ears, create chaos and destruction within my mind. Nick F****** Fury. "I'm going to kill you....All of you...."

The words are bitter on my tongue, but they're strong and heard clearly by everyone in the room. My feet touch the ground once again as I stand on my toes. Only to be accompanied by the floor's shaking. "FURY!"

A loud explosion occurs and I cover my head, watching as the walls crumble and the floor shakes violently. My eyes squint and I run down the halls, checking everyone's still in confinement. I'm met by Mystique and various HAMMER agents. "Mystique! Get Danvers and Fury! The rest of you, check the cells!"

Mystique nods sharply, sprinting towards Bucky and Agent Danvers.

As I take a moment to swallow in what has happened, I bury my head in shame. I see prisoner Cleopatra Nefertiti sprint out of her destroyed cell, only to find a bullet in her leg.

As I hury to keep everything under control, I contact everyone back at base. "Agent Young, I want you to get Maria Hill a news confernce as soon as possible! Tell her it's about Project: Wanted. A $50,000 reward will be given to the man or woman, who finds and brings me The Avengers,"
​

The blue-skinned Mystique lunges at us, and I sidestep a flying kick before catching her with an open palm to the chest that knocks the wind out of her and sends her to the ground.

"I'm getting awfully sick of fighting these kung-fu-killer-woman types," I say under my breath before turning back to Danvers. "Are you able to fly?"

"I think so," she says, concentrating until she's able to levitate off the ground.

"Good. Because you're my ride off of this island."

Meanwhile, I can still hear Nick Fury's voice over the headset, talking to Director Carter from God knows where.

"You might want to belay that last order, Director," he says in a mocking tone. "Those explosives were the handiwork of my operative Jack Monroe, hitting critical points all over your facility. Right now you've got about four hundred angry mutants who just had their cell doors open, which will undoubtedly result in a super-powered riot that may cause an international incident between the US and Genoshan governments, not to mention cause a public relations nightmare for you. Consider it retaliation for the two SHIELD agents that you killed."

As the facility outside falls into utter chaos at the hands of the freed mutants, Fury continues.

"Speaking of, those men? They were tasked solely with monitoring and gathering information, nothing hostile, nothing harmful. And you chose to terminate them, with no trial, no conviction, and no evidence. All because someone hurt your feelings in Times Square. I've acquired the security footage of the killings....and distributed it to my contacts in the media."

Mystique gets to her feet, and I stare her down while Miss Marvel begins to punch through the concrete wall to the outside.

"Think about it, Carter. I've got you on record murdering your own men because you suspected they were working for me. That would never hold up in any court of law, and no one in the press would buy it. All I have to do now is say the word, and the story breaks. Sharon Carter, Director 13 of HAMMER, a paranoid lunatic who kills her own soldiers under the delusion that they're agents of an organization that disbanded in 1962. The public will think you're insane, Congress will move to defund your organization, and the President will force your resignation. If you move against the Avengers, Carter, I will ruin you."

Danvers finally breaks through the wall, and I back up towards her, keeping my eyes trained on Mystique.

"Carter?" I call out to my old employer. "We're leaving."

I put my arm around Miss Marvel's shoulder, and we take to the skies, flying over the quickly deteriorating situation below. Things look like they're going to get a whole lot uglier.

And I don't just mean the riot.

 

[Andy C.]

I've perched myself on a high-rise not far from Toomes' lab, looking for any sort of trouble from on high. I'm still trying to make sense out of the Blackie Drago situation; some things about it just don't add up.

I mean, yeah, Blackie was mad about losing his scholarship money; I probably would be too, if I were in his position. But murder? So the evidence points in his direction, but did he really have it in him to kill a guy? I didn't really get to know him all that well, but I was around him long enough to get a decent read, I think. He's a little cold and emotionally distant, can act like a jerk without realizing it. Not exactly the most admirable qualities, sure, but that doesn't make him a killer.

Then again, what other explanations can there be? It was Blackie's VULTURE suit that started this whole mess. Bestman basically cut short his future by taking away that scholarship. He's the only one with both the means and the motive. And now both he and the new and improved VULTURE suit are missing.

I'm distracted from my detective-wannabe thinking by my cell phone.

"Dude, Pete, where'd you go?" Harry asks on the other end of the line. "Dad is gonna take us to the Yankees game tonight."

"Okay--err, *ahem*, okay, cool, sounds good," I say, pulling my mask up from over my mouth so I can speak clearly. "I'll, ummm, I'll have to meet you there a little later. I'm kind of out and about right now."

"No kidding. We didn't even see you leave. Out 'Spider-watching' again?"

"Um, yeah, you know me. I got a call from the Daily Bugle about them publishing that photo I took of the superheroes, so I thought hey, why not get some more, right?"

"Seriously? I don't know about all this, man. The whole superhero scene's pretty dangerous."

"I can take care of myself, Harry, don't worry," I say, which, considering how I handle myself at school, may be the least reassuring thing I could possibly say.

"Pete, just, y'know....don't do anything stupid."

"I'll be fine, I just--" I cut myself off, seeing a figure flying through the air....on what look like a pair of artificial wings. And it looks like he's carrying someone with him. "...hang on, I'm gonna have to call you back."

With that, I leap from the rooftop, landing in a forward roll on the next one, leaping from building to building towards where I saw the figure touch down.

Blackie's picked up another victim. But why, and more importantly, who? Who else would he be gunning for?

Doctor Connors, maybe? He was one of the judges in the Science Fair, after all.

Or maybe the other winners? He could have Robert Farrell, or Steven Petty, or Debra.....or Gwen....whoever it is, I have to get there in time.

I'm nearly out of breath by the time I get to the Vulture's perch, a hotel balcony overlooking Downtown, where I see the man in a black armored suit pacing back and forth, his victim gagged and bound in the corner. I can't quite make out who it is, but it's definitely a guy.

"I don't expect you to understand why I'm doing this, my boy," he says from under his mask, "but believe me when I say it's for the best."

"Well, I do expect you to understand why I'm doing this!" I say, webbing the Vulture by the arms and pulling him up towards me, then leaping from my perch and intercepting him with a kick to the helmet.

The helmet cracks and begins to break apart, while I land cat-like (or spider-like, I guess) on the balcony, and head for Vulture's hog-tied victim.

"Hang on, fella, I think I know this guy, and I can--whuh?"

That's when I notice something rather important. Blackie Drago isn't the Vulture after all.

Because he's the one who's been kidnapped and tied up.

So who's--

"Rrrrrraaaagh!!!"

My Spider-Senses trigger and I just narrowly avoid being hit by a volley of dagger-like projectiles from Vulture's wings. I spin around to face my opponent, and I see who it really is.....

"You've made a very big mistake interfering in this, Spider-Man. Blackie is merely a loose end, but now I'm really going to enjoy testing out my new suit by killing you first."

 

[lilgreenthumb]

An early riser, Laynia had awoken at 6am on this beautiful day in New York City. She had ordered some breakfast up to her room and was currently enjoying a hot, black coffee along with a king sized Marlboro red. She had a her frame wrapped in a white, cotton robe and her long hair in a thick towel. She peered out the window, taking in the massive buildings, never ending yellow cabs and the thousands of people on the sidewalks and streets. Despite the hustle, the noise and the trash, this city was beautiful, nothing that Laynia had every experienced before. Her homeland was years behind America and France was like a living on another planet. She sipped her coffee, pondering her decision to come to this place.
She returned back to a small desk in the room, where she had her laptop and a notebook full of scribbles set up. Laynia pulled her chair in close and began to type.

The general mood in New York City since the incident in Times Square seems to be that of fear. Many civilians seem to harbour mistrust for these extraordinary individuals. Some mutants are fighting this government movement, while others have been drafted, like some sort of army. There has even been some reports of a prison island, especially designed for mutant fugitives…

Pausing, Laynia took a long drag, exhaling the smoke and watching it roll across the computer screen and keyboard. “Hmm…” Laynia pondered, tapping some ash off of her cancer stick before continuing.

Fear, prisons, and discrimination. This seems like a very similar situation to that of the fascist and communist regimes that infested Europe and Russia…

*Ring, Ring, Ring*

Laynia jumped in her chair a little, she had not been expecting any phone calls. “Hello?” her accent came out stronger then usual, emotional times tended to do that.

“I have information for you.”

“Who is this?” She inquired, Laynia was a little too clever to trust strangers.

“I know what you are here for Miss and believe me I want to help. I’m faxing you an address. Don’t be tardy now.” And just like that the line went dead, and the fax came in.

“Hello? HELLO? DAMN!” she slammed the phone down, rubbed her temples and taking another quick drag. Негодяй. She extended her hand towards the fax machine a beam of dark purple light expelled from her fingertips, encasing the single sheet of paper and lifting it into the air. The paper glowed as it seemed to hover across the room and landed gracefully into the hands of the Russian mutant. There was an address, not too far from here but it was far out of walking distance.

A half an hour passed.

Dressed in a long tweed petty coat, skinny jeans and heels, Laynia gathered her things. She appeared minutes later on the busy New York street, luckily it never took long to hail a cab. She gave the driver the address and mentally prepared herself for what could happen…

The yellow taxi rolled up to an office building of some sort, the fax stated she could find her information on the third floor. Once again, Laynia found herself shelling out more cash to cab drivers, she paid the man and proceeded to enter the building. She chose the stairwell over the elevator, at least that way she would always have an exit. Climbing the stairs at a brisk pace as she topped the last flight a hand reached out and grabbed her wrist…what a foolish person this had to be. She couldn’t help to regret commuting all the way over here.

Laynia grabbed the wrist belonging to said hand and simply gave it a twist, grabbing the man around and discarding him to the ground. “So it was you? You sent for me? What could you possibly have that I could find useful?” Towering over her assailant, Laynia crossed her arms over her chest and let the man speak. She tapped her boot heel a couple times before the man finally muttered out some words.

“I’m a local reporter. A friend.” Simply a civilian, great. Laynia thought, she carefully extended her hand out to help the man to his feet. He appeared to be a middle aged man, with a weathered face and greying hair. “You don’t need to know who I am…but lets just say that I’ve seen you around and I can see that you are trying to help people.” He finished, furrowing his eyebrows as he opened his jacket, handing Laynia an oversized, brown envelope.

"This is not the America any of us wanted. People need to stand up and do something or who knows who they will be after next. We all deserve to be happy and free.”. He smiled weakly and readjusted his jacket once more. “I don’t think I need to tell you this meeting never happened?” Rubbing his wrist, he stated the obvious. “Quite the grip you got there.”

Laynia wasn’t quite sure if she was buying what this guy was selling, good things never came this easily and she was quite wary of this gentleman’s kindness. “I have some questions. How did you locate me…and why me?”.

“I know who you really are.”

Laynia’s eyes widened in disbelief, and replied, “That is not possible.”

“Trust me. Ms. Petrovna. It is possible, but what matters is this: You can help this cause more then I could in my entire lifetime". He appeared to be sincere, Laynia still had her doubts, narrowing her eyes as she took his words in. “There are many bad people involved in this, many of them still unknown to us…But the good people are fighting back…this is all I can personally help you with. Take that envelope back to a safe place and take all this information in. I must be on my way.”

Laynia turned just as well, this had been a bloody waste of her time, perhaps to waste some more? She desperately needed a drink. This had been a terrible idea from the get go. She left the office building and didn’t walk to far down the street, stopping when she found a quaint, neighbourhood pub. She entered the lounge and chose a booth, hidden a way in a dark corner, hidden from prying eyes. She ordered a couple highballs to start herself off and began to dig through the envelope.

Какой беспорядок это, оказалось, было …

 

[Mr. Majestic]

As I and Bruce standing at the door contemplating on what action to take we could hear the rest of the H.A.M.M.E.R agents closing in fast. I turn around to see how close they were and I see they are a good couple of feet away, just far enough if they would try to look at us they won’t be able to make out what we are doing.

This isn’t good if they see me with Bruce like this they are going to know that I didn’t come here to capture him. In order for us to make it out of this I have capture him.

I place my hand my ear piece. “Bruce look you have to trust me, what I’m about to do is for both of us. Just remember that I’m acting.” I tell him right before I turn on my comm. Link.

With my ear piece now activated I know that the rest of the group will be able to hear me and hopefully they will believe the performance.

“You thought you were going to get away from us you monster!?” I scream at Bruce trying my best to deliver a good acting job.

I then quickly kick him in the chest sending him across the floor. Maybe I hit him a little too hard. I turn my head slightly to the right and I can see the gang is all here. With out wasting more time I quickly make my way in the cabin and stand over top of Bruce. Without making a sound I move my lips telling him I’m sorry and I slam the end of my gun to his forehead believing to render him unconscious.

His head hits the floor and he seems to be knocked out. I make my way to the door as the others finally come near the front door of the cabin.

“Don’t worry I took care of him. Guess he is not the big bad monster everyone says he is post to be.”

 

[Byrd Man]

​

The Baxter Building

"What are you watching? Footage from the incident in Brazil?" Sue calls out as she walks into my lab. I look up from the monitor and motion her over to me.

"No, this is from that mess that happened in Times Square while we were still in the hospital. Captain America led a group of costumed superheroes against an alien. Watch the alien in action."

We sit in silence and watch the fight, or what little of it was documented.

"Oh, my God," she finally says. "He has-"

"My ability to stretch, your ability to become invisible, Johnny's fire talent, and Ben's strength and resilience."

"Do you think that's what happened to us? We went wherever this thing came from?"

"I don't know. We have to find this alien. I have a feeling this thing is the key to figuring out what happened to us."

"Well, kick it up to General Lumpkin. We have to meet Ben's therapist."

*******

​

It's been nearly a month since we returned to Earth and my guilt over Ben Grimm still eats at me. Johnny, Sue, and I were changed just as much as he was, but from the inside. My best friend in the world was turned into a rock monster because of me. As bad as it make sme feel, it's hit Ben even worse. He's dealing with depression right now and even tried to kill himself four times. Because of that General Lumpkin hired a therapist to talk to Ben, help him deal with his thoughts and changes in his life.

"Doctor Masters?" I ask as Sue and I come into the conference room. The thin woman in a pants suit rises and my eyes catch her glazed-over and unfocused eyes.

"Please, call me Alicia. And you're Doctor Richards and Storm?"

"Yes, ma'am. That's us."

Sue and I sit down across the table from her. It takes her a moment, but she finds her chair again and sits down. "Major Grimm and I have had a few sessions."

"Not to interrupt you, Doctor...but how much do you know about his current situation?"​

"I know he was in an accident while working for NASA. It left him disabled and in a deep depression."

Leave it to Lumpkin to hire a blind psychiatrist in the effort of "national security."

​

"Well, how is he coming along with his therapy?"

"Progress is slow....but it's getting there. His suicide attempts seem to have halted for the moment, but his depression is still an ongoing project. I think over time he can put it behind him too."

"That's good to know. We have noticed a slight change in his attitude. Hopefully it's for the better."

My phone begins to vibrate before I can agree.

"Excuse me," I say as I pull my phone out.

"Richards, it's Lumpkin. I need you and the team ready to roll out in a half hour."

"What's going on?"


"I'll brief you during the flight. Be sure to pack something warm. Latveria can be chilly in the fall."

 

[Watchman]

"It is time for a lesson, Mr. Brock." The Skull's office filled with holograms, maps, folders, dossiers of SHIELD agents, HAMMER agents, mutants, and various other powered individuals. The room scrubbed of Zola's listening devices.

"Who am I talking to?" Crossbones ask uneasily. He was a big man but if he was really talking to who he thought he was than there was trouble. He didn't go near Zola beside getting a meeting with him was beyond difficult.

"Who do you think? Did the accent give it away? Or maybe the clothes. The fact that I do not look like a clown anymore didn't give it away. I vow that if I every run into these Sex Pistols or these Stooges, I will kill them."

"What's the plan?" The Skull put on gloves. Red lights appeared on the fingers and palms. He was able to maneuver the holograms.

"I have been dormant for a long time. Sleeping, planning, waiting for the exact moment. When, William looked in the light, I awoke." His head snap back. His voice changed.

"Do you remember when...I told you about my plan to kill the Geist? They were once a simple terrorist organization then became responsible for toppling governments. They were the secret rulers of the world. You join, Brock because you thought help change the world. The army was not the place for to make things better. I convince you to kill the Geist so we could make the world better....he lied to you."

"I needed to take the power. I couldn't...would not work under those pigs. The Skull wiped from history but these dogs ruled the world? Unacceptable!"

"So what you can establish some new Nazi empire? Set up all those camps..."

"Oh Brock, don't be simple. This was never about Nazis or that buffoon and his petty bigotry. They did the theatrics well though and that is what I adopted. The fear they can instill into people now imagine that on a far grander scale. This is about something greater, something bigger than everyone and it will be mine."

"Which I won't have anything to do with." Crossbones reach for his gun before he even made it to his holster the Skull was pointing his at him.

"Do you really think you could draw faster than a man with the reflexes of Captain America? Brock I have all the memories of William. I know that all of your family is alive and well. I know where every one of our friends live. You know my record, you know they will suffer beyond your comprehension. You will serve me." Crossbones relaxed his hand.

"Good."

"What are you going to do?"

"Do? What I do best, make the world burn."

 

[Eddie Brock]

"Ready, Boss?"

Today's the day of Obadiah's hearing. Happy, Pepper, and I are heading over to the courthouse to sit in on the proceedings. I turn to Happy. "I think so." I examine myself once more in the mirror. "Does my tie look straight to you?"

Happy opens his mouth to respond, but Pepper interjects, "It looks fine. You're going to a hearing, not a date."

"Well, you never know who you might run into at these things," I smirk. I look at Happy. "Is the car ready?"

Happy nods. "Out front as you requested."

"Well, then, shall we?"

***

I lean back into the cool leather seats, lifting the champagne bottle out of the ice. "Does anyone else care for a glass?" Happy shakes his hand, and Pepper stares blankly. "Just me, then." I pop the cork and pick up a glass.

As I begin to pour, Happy clears his throat. "Boss, there were a few things I thought we might go over while we're here?"

I nod for him to continue.

"First, uh, Larry King is requesting an interview to discuss Stark Enterprises' new direction, as well as the status of Iron Man."

I take a long sip of the champagne before answering, "I've always have time for Larry. Pencil him in somewhere, we'll make it work." I snap my fingers. "That reminds me! This super-team, you know, the one Captain America started..."

"The Avengers?"

"Yes. I want that name trademarked," I announce. "Get in touch with Mattel, start working out an exclusive merchandising deal. Action figures, pajamas, the whole works." I finish my champagne before continuing, "I'll figure out who represents Cap and Thor so we can work out the details with their likenesses and such."

Happy makes a note while continuing to scroll through his PDA. "You still haven't picked a date for the Annual Stark Enterprises Benefit Gala."

"Is Erin Andrews still single?" I ask aloud. "I'll give her a call, anyway. We haven't spoken since the Super Bowl. It'll be nice to get back in touch." I lean over and look out the window. "Oh, there's Obadiah's transport now."

A white van marked "PRISONER TRANSPORT" pulls out onto the street ahead of our car. It's a far cry from Obadiah's old modes of transportation, that's for sure. I wonder what he's thinking, sitting in there by himself. His final revelation still rings in my head. He's the only person outside of my little circle that knows the whole truth about Iron Man.

"I still can't believe he's behind all of this," Pepper remarks. "He never struck me as the type to go behind his company's back like that."

"People can surprise you." I should know more than anyone about that.

Just then, I hear the squealing of tires. Our car lurches to a halt, and I drop my empty champagne glass. "What's going on?" Pepper asks nervously. I roll down my window and peer out at the street. The prisoner transport van is stopped, but I can't see anything else. I open the door and step out onto the street.

In a flash of light, something comes tearing through the side of the van. Like a hot knife through butter, it cleaves cleanly through the roof. A triangular chunk of metal which once comprised the rear of the van falls to the street with a clatter. Where it was cut, the van glows a reddish hue, as if it had been sliced in half by a welding tool.

Shots are fired, and I scurry behind my car for cover. As I peek around the corner, I see a man standing in the middle of the street taking fire from the officers driving the van. He pays them no attention as he raises up his arms and slashes them down. The van is chopped and diced into increasingly smaller pieces until I can see Obadiah.

"Tony, get back in the car!" Pepper shouts nervously, but I tune her out.

Obadiah waits a moment before taking off running. The man slashes through the van once more for good measure, and I stand up. Noticing me, he glares for a moment before apparently deciding I'm not worth his time.

He, too, races off in the same direction as Obadiah. Happy and Pepper step out of the car tentatively, staring in awe at the heap of scrap metal which was once the transport van. "What was that?"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out."
​

 

[Rain Dog]

I huddled up for warmth as a howling desert wind blasted my semi-clothed body. I waited a moment for the wind to die down and quickly brushed the sand off my feathers.

“For a desert it is ****ing freezing!”

Mantis continued scanning the landscape through some weird, futuristic-looking binoculars before responding.

“Yeah, once the, uh…the sun goes down, it…it gets cold...*hic*”

We were supposed to be looking for SCYLLA’S hidden base. I wasn’t quite sure how that’d go down, seeing as how Mantis was still ****-faced and Rocket was possibly mortally wounded and probably had a pair of forceps lodged in his heart. Not to mention the fact that we essentially tortured and killed a random fat guy in New York to get our info. That can’t be too helpful.

“Alright, so we don’t see anything, right? Let’s back inside, I’m freezing my ass off.”

“Aw, c’mon, man. Man, we’ve barely l-looked at one square mile, man……man.”

“Just call Star Lord and tell him Rocket got hurt, so we couldn’t continue the mission.”

“Alright, I guess—WAIT! What’s that over there?!”


“Aw geez….”

“That…looks like some kinda hidden base!”

“There is no friggin way…”

“It is! I can read the sign from here! ‘SCYLLA Hidden Base’!”

“There is absolutely no light out, how could you possibly—“

“Howard, we gotta…we gotta get over there, man.”

“Listen, Mantis, if SCYLLA really is this secret, evil, intergalactic terrorist organization, I highly doubt they would put a sign up on one of their hidden bases. Maybe it’s just the name of another SCYLLA, or some saloon, or—“

“Nope, right under it says ‘The Secret Evil Intergalactic Terrorist Organization.’”

“…Aw c'mon! You're just making **** up now! Gimmee those ‘nocs!”

I hop up and try to snatch them but Mantis, being the sadistic drunken ***** she is, dangles them above me, just out my reach. After a few more attempts, she loses interest an drops them on my head.

“Agh! God dammit…” I grumble before looking into the binoculars. I click on the night-vision setting and look off into the distance.

“**** me.”

“Well, it looks like we’re going in.”

“That is just…astounding…” I groan, rubbing my eyes in disbelief.

“They spelled ‘hidden’ with one ‘d’…” I said, examining the sign up close.

“I’ve contacted Star-Lord. Him and the others are in the middle of a tussle with SCYLLA’s worm troopers.”

“Worm troopers?”

“Cavalry that use giant sandworms as mounts. Usually used on desert worlds.”

“Of course they are. Where else would giant worm-riding soldiers make sense?”

“They won’t be able to join us right away. He gave us the o.k. to infiltrate the base, though.”

“Uh-huh. Yeah, I’m not going in there.”

“Dammit, Howard! We’re finally here. You finally have a chance to go home! Don’t back out now!”

“Wait…you mean…that ‘Nexus Portal’ is in there?”

“Yes. All we have to do is walk through those doors and the Nexus Portal will be awaiting us.”

“And that machine or whatever will send me home?”

“Yes.”

I closed my eyes in meditation for a moment, feeling hope for the first time since I can’t remember when. Beyond the doors of the Hiden Base was the device that would finally send me back home. Back to my friends, family, old home, old job. It was too good to be true. I shrugged and let out a deep sigh.

“Alright. I’ll do it.”

Mantis smiled at me.

“Glad to hear it, Howard…now we’re going to have to defeat the 3 High Generals of SCYLLA—”

“GOD DAMMIT! I KNEW IT WAS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!”

“What?!”

“It’s always ‘ooh, we gotta find the lost something of something rather or kill the captain of some ****’ with you people!”

“Well, Howard, we are storming the headquarters of an intergalactic terrorist organization! Did you think we can just walk right in and take what we want?”

“Yeah! You made it sound a lot like we could not five ****ing seconds ago!”

“Listen, Howard, I can’t promise you it’ll be easy. In fact, I know it won’t be. But they’re the only things that stand in the way between you and that Portal. The fate of the universe is in our hands, we can’t let this opportunity pass us by.”

“Can’t we at least wait for Star-Lord and the others to come provide back-up?!”

“We don’t know how long that will be, Howard. Besides, if we wait too long, those troopers can alert the headquarters of our presence and then SCYLLA will just pack up and move to who-knows-where.”

After a long groan and slamming my head against the sign post a few times in frustration, I gave in. What the **** else was I supposed to do?

“Glad to hear it, Howard. Let’s go.”

 

[sabetoonth]

As I and Bruce standing at the door contemplating on what action to take we could hear the rest of the H.A.M.M.E.R agents closing in fast. I turn around to see how close they were and I see they are a good couple of feet away, just far enough if they would try to look at us they won’t be able to make out what we are doing.

This isn’t good if they see me with Bruce like this they are going to know that I didn’t come here to capture him. In order for us to make it out of this I have capture him.

I place my hand my ear piece. “Bruce look you have to trust me, what I’m about to do is for both of us. Just remember that I’m acting.” I tell him right before I turn on my comm. Link.

With my ear piece now activated I know that the rest of the group will be able to hear me and hopefully they will believe the performance.

“You thought you were going to get away from us you monster!?” I scream at Bruce trying my best to deliver a good acting job.

I then quickly kick him in the chest sending him across the floor. Maybe I hit him a little too hard. I turn my head slightly to the right and I can see the gang is all here. With out wasting more time I quickly make my way in the cabin and stand over top of Bruce. Without making a sound I move my lips telling him I’m sorry and I slam the end of my gun to his forehead believing to render him unconscious.

His head hits the floor and he seems to be knocked out. I make my way to the door as the others finally come near the front door of the cabin.

“Don’t worry I took care of him. Guess he is not the big bad monster everyone says he is post to be.”

Bruce ran it through his head a quick moment, HAMMER arrives, Rick knocks Bruce on his ass, and then hits him with the but of his gun.


Bruce had gone unconscious, Hulk however hadn’t, and he rolled over on his side, snorting, nostrils flared. Bruce hadn’t gone to sleep peacefully, he never assumed he wouldn’t need to prepare for this situation, and so he took no measures to control the Hulk in such a state.


Banner’s body began to twist and malformed again. Turning a green color not unlike the fresh leaves on a tree during a warm spring day. His bones churned and cracked, reforming and gaining mass. His voice deepened, outcries of pain became more like growls. He grew in size well pass a natural human would.


“AAARGH!” Hulk let out as he stood as straight as he could in the cabin. Each muscle bulged. “Hulk smash puny human.” He threatened the HAMMER agent. He growled and made a reach for Jones.


“BRUCE, WAIT!” he pleaded. Hulk didn’t pay any attention to him as he grabbed the human and threw him against the wall. Looking to the front wall he heard the sounds of war machines arming themselves and the clicking and clacking of soldiers loading their weapons.


Bursting through the wall Hulk grabbed a hummer by the front end, his legs spread and his muscles bulging as he lifted the vehicle, which bent at the bottom of the windshield. His hells dug into the moist earth. The humans thought they could destroy the Hulk with these small weapons? With these tickling projectiles? And annoying cars that got in his way? He finally managed to life the hummer over his head, windshield facing the earth herself.


“RAAARGH!” He let out as the metal construct was heaved through the nearby tree. The bullets bounced off the jade skin as they rippled it. Like a tingling in one’s foot after it has fallen asleep. He turned to them. It was annoying as hell. His heels dug in the dirt as he made a dash for the wall of gunfire.

 

[Byrd Man]

​

Over Europe
2034 Hours Local Time

The C-17 we're riding on groans as we pass above Hungary decked out in our new special suits. Each one has been designed with our special needs in mind. Mine can stretch as far as I can, Johnny's is flame ******ant, Ben's is extra-durable and Sue's suit can adapt and turn invisible like her. The plane moans again. Nobody says it, but the stress the plane is going through is probably caused by the extra weight of Ben.

"Jesus, Ben, they should have charged you for three seats on this flight, fatty."

Correction: nobody with half a brain says anything to Ben.

"Bite me, Storm."

"I would, but I'd break my teeth in the process."

"Calm down, children," General Lumpkin barks from the front of the cargo hold. "We're almost to Latveria, so I'm going to start the briefing."

Lumpkin passes around manilla folders filled with maps and documents.

"At 1201 hours, a NASA satellite observed a meteor falling through the atmosphere. It impacted somewhere in the Latverian countryside. Based on the scans we saw, NASA, Air Force, and HAMMER are highly interested in the meteorites contents."

"What's it made out of?" I ask as I look up from my dossier.

"We're not sure yet. Something highly dense, highly durable. Possibly stronger than Adamantium."

"And you don't want it falling in Latveria's hands?"

"Right you are, Major. Their ruler, King Vladimir, is supportive of third-world countries...but anyone who watches CNN knows that things are tense in the country. We can't let Vladimir recover it, only be thrown out of power and have the rebels take it. This discovery is too important to end up in uncooperative hands."

"How exactly are we supposed to smuggle a meteorite out of a country without alerting the government?"

"Well, you are the Invisible Girl."

Sue scowls at Johnny. "Woman. Invisible Woman. Not girl, but woman. I don't call you Flamer Boy."

"With the way he does his hair, he'd probably like that name."

"Focus!" Lumpkin snaps. "I'm not your goddamn wet-nurse. Back to the topic at hand. The meteorite in question isn't large. We're looking at roughly the size of a soccer ball. It's heavy, though. We believe Major Grimm can carry it with very little difficulty."

"I see how it is. Using the ugly rock man as a pack mule."

"This is for you, Grimm," Lumpkin says as he rubs his right thumb and index finger together. "This is me playing the world's smallest violin for your pity party. Once we're over Latveria, you will skydive to the landing site. Follow the maps to a rendezvous point where you'll meet code-named LIMBO, a CIA/HAMMER intelligence agent working in Latveria. LIMBO will help you reach the impact site."

The C-17 shakes and rattles and my stomach sinks slightly with the decrease in altitude. "The pilot is moving into position, so we're almost there."

"General, sir. Permission to speak, sir!"

"....Me saying no hasn't stopped you before."

"Do I need to parachute? I've been able to levitate. Maybe I can fly?"

"As much as I'd like to toss you out of a plane without a parachute, it's not happening."

A member of the flight crew passes out parachutes and packs with food rations, radios, and other emergency gear. Lumpkin leaves the cargo hold and goes up front to the pressurized cabin. The back of the plane slowly opens and the ramp extends out into the air.

"Good luck, gang," Lumpkin's voice echoes from the speaker system. "I'll be monitoring your progress from a NATO base in Hungary. Maintain radio silence until the mission is complete or there's an emergency."

Johnny goes first, standing at the edge of the ramp and turning back to look at us, sunglasses in his hands. "You've seen CSI: Miami? Well, hopefully I have a nice trip..." He slides the sunglasses on to his face. "See you next Fall. YEEEEEEEAH!"

He leaps off into the sky and disappears into the darkness. Ben goes next, leaping off with his legs tucked under him cannonball style. The plane shakes and rattles from the absence of his weight. Just Sue and I are left.

"Can you believe we're here? On a plane about to secretly parachute into a potentially hostile country and steal a meteorite underneath their nose."

Sue leans up and pecks me on the lips. "I know, and it's just the start of the day! See you on the otherside, babe."

She takes off and leaps into the sky. I calmly walk down the ramp and leap into the darkness with my hands out. I see a blinking light thousands of feet below, our landing site. A thought comes over me as I free-fall. I close my eyes and think about the sketches of glider's I've seen. My body takes my minds cue and when I open my eyes, my arms have twisted and conformed into glider wings. My arms catch the wind currents and I soar through the Latverian night.

Holy crap. I can fly! Well, I'm gliding....but still, I'm airborne!

I don't even need my parachute, I glide to the ground and slide to a stop next to the other three. "Yeah, I can't use my flames, but you can do that freaky arm thing to fly. Not fair."

I ignore Johnny and slide my parachute off. "We need to meet LIMBO."

"Look no further," a voice says from the darkness. The voice's owner turns on a flashlight and shines it at us. "...Interesting group. Of all the people to be sent by the US government, I didn't expect you."

Wait...I know that voice.

"Victor?"​