AN: This story picks up a year after the events of the original The Dragon Avenger. Michael is getting used to his new role and is still being trained under Black Widow all the while living at Stark Industries. Unlike last story, this one is going to have a villain, someone that Michael knows all too well.
Chapter One: An Eventful Graduation
Needless to say, for someone as young as Michael was, it made sense that he would have been met with some resistance being introduced as the newest Avenger, and he wasn't surprised at all. Almost all of them were shocked when Tony introduced him to the rest of the team.
Thor, god of thunder, thought that this was a joke, until Steve, Captain America, told him that he was the real deal. Steve told him about the test of strength that they had earlier, but the thunder god was still not buying anything that he was saying. Not that Michael could blame him. Hell, if he was in that position, he wouldn't believe it either.
"Really?" Thor said, still not believing him.
"Go ahead." Michael said, hands on his hips. "I can prove it. Just try me."
"Alright." Thor said.
Michael turned and walked away. Thor grabbed his signature hammer, and threw it at him. Michael ducked, and grabbed the hammer by the handle. He inspected it, and looked at it, then walked over and returned it to Thor.
"Excuse me, sir. I do believe that you dropped this." Michael said, handing that hammer back to him.
"See? I told you. He has some skills." Steve said.
"Okay, that was impressive, I admit it. Still not getting over his age, though." Thor said.
"You and everyone else here." Michael said. "I am willing to earn the respect of every member of this team, and I won't stop until I do just that."
"Good to know." Steve said. "It is gonna be hell, that for certain."
"I look forward to it." Michael smiled.
Tony could only stare as Michael was in the training room at Stark Industries. Tony always kept an eye on Michael when he was in the training room, mostly because he was concerned that he might train himself to death. Lately, however, Michael has been in the training room, just sitting there. He must be focusing, because even though he was just sitting there, he must be concentrating hard on whatever he was thinking about.
"He's still sitting there?" Natasha asked Tony.
"For the past week, he has been doing this." Tony said, not taking his eyes off of the screen in front of him. "I only wonder what he is doing, or what he is thinking about."
"He has psychic powers, right?" Natasha asked him. "Maybe that's what he is doing, just concentrating on his powers. Focusing them."
"Maybe. Maybe not. I have a feeling that him turning into a dragon was not the extent of his power. There is something more to his power, and I know that Michael knows that himself." Tony said, turning to Natasha.
"So, how are you going to get that out of him?" She asked.
"No idea. Only time will tell." Tony said. He sighed, and turned back to the screen, only to see that Michael was gone.
"Where did he go?" Tony asked.
Tony and Natasha felt an arm wrapped around their shoulder, and familiar laughter.
"I take it that you guys have been watching me?" Michael said, laughing.
"What...how did you do that?" Natasha asked him.
"Instant transmission." Michael said. "I can warp anywhere as long as I concentrate on a location hard enough."
"You know that we were watching you, right?" Tony said.
"I know." Michael said. "That's why I did it."
"So, any other powers we should know about?" Natasha asked him.
"It's a surprise." Michael whispered. He winked at her and left the room.
"He's been hanging around you too much." She said, turning to Tony.
"What do you mean?" Tony asked her.
"You can't honestly say you don't see the resemblance in the way that you two act." Natasha said.
"I really don't." Tony said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Of course you don't." She said, shaking her head, and leaving the room.
Michael was sitting in the hallway when he noticed Natasha talking to Pepper. When their conversation was over with, Michael waited until Natasha was walking by herself to approach her.
"Hey, Natasha? I wanted to ask you something." Michael said.
"What's up?" Natasha said, turning to him. She noticed the nervousness in the way he was acting. He wasn't able to look her in the eyes when he was talking to her.
"Look, my sister's graduation is in a few days, and I was wondering if I could go to it?" Michael said.
"Sure, but you know that I have to go with you, right?" She told him.
"I know." Michael said.
"Wait, were you asking me to accompany you to this graduation?" Natasha asked him. Michael then looked her in the eyes, and it was as if he was begging with her to say yes.
"Please?" Michael said, almost pleading with her.
"Sure. It should be fun." Natasha said.
"Thanks. I really appreciate it." Michael said. He gave her a smile before going back to his room.
MALIBU, CALIFORNIA
Melody was in front of her mirror in her room, looking at herself in her red cap and gown. She should be happy that she was finally graduating high school, but she still felt sad. Sad, because she kind of felt like Michael was not coming to it. Michael himself graduated a year earlier, which was good for him. He was busy out helping Tony Stark, but he said he was going to try and come, but Melody kind of knew that wasn't going to happen.
"Melody? You ready?" Marie asked, stepping into her room. Marie was in a fancy dress, while Charles was in a black and red suit downstairs fiddling with a camera.
"Yeah. Let's go." Melody said sadly, stepping outside of her room.
"What's wrong?" Marie asked as they marched downstairs. "Miss Michael?"
"Yeah." Melody said. "It sucks that he isn't coming to the graduation."
"Well, he is famous and more than a little busy." Marie said. "If he is coming, he will probably meet us there. If not, he will send us some type of message."
"I really do home he will meet us there. If not, oh well. I will settle for him calling and saying something to me." Melody said.
"Yeah, I hope he does that too." Marie said.
Once they were outside, Charles stopped Melody in front of the door to the house.
Melody smiled as Charles took a picture of her in her gown and dress. Across the street from Charles and Melody lived, Robby Ray was doing the same thing with Miley and Lilly.
Miley was grilling Melody to see if Michael was coming to their graduation, but again, she was not 100% sure herself. Melody chuckled to herself thinking about Miley and Jake Ryan. See, at this point, Miley and Jake were not an item anymore, and Miley was trying to get together with Michael, but he was not here anymore.
Too late, Miley, Michael was gone and probably moved on from you. Melody thought as she got into the car and drove to her graduation.
Michael and Natasha were seated in the crowd, watching the graduates cross the stage. Michael then pointed out Melody to her once her name was called. Melody grabbed her diploma, shook her hand, and took her seat along with the other graduates.
Then the superintendent announced the graduates from Seaview High. They all stood up, and applauded. Michael smiled, and clapped as well.
"Come on. Let's go." He whispered to Natasha. They headed back stage to where the graduates were.
As they were heading in that direction, Natasha stopped and answered her phone. She grabbed Michael grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Okay, we are on the way." Natasha said.
"What's wrong?" Michael asked her.
"Nick wants us at S.H.I.E.L.D." Natasha said. "Something is going on and he wants both of us there."
Michael looked on as his family was celebrating Melody's and Miley's graduation. Michael sighed sadly, and followed Natasha out of the building.
Melody looked up, and thought she saw Michael leaving the building. It couldn't have been him.
Could it?
Hours later, Michael and Natasha were at S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters. The minute they arrived, Nick Fury was there to meet them. As he ushered them inside, he told them the reason that he called them here.
"Thanks for showing up. We have a big time prisoner here." Nick said.
"How did you get him here? How did you catch this guy?"
"It's a she, first off." Nick corrected her. "Second. When she turned herself in, she demanded that she spoke to Michael."
"Me? Why?" Michael asked him.
"She made a big deal about only talking to you." Nick said.
"Any idea why she was on the run in the first place?" Natasha asked Nick.
"She was a hired gun." Nick said.
"Really? In what way?" Michael asked him.
"You'll find out when you talk to her." Nick said. They arrived at the room where the woman was waiting for them. Michael looked on, and immediately recognized that woman. His eyes widened as he saw her. Then, memories of his past came rushing back, and rage and emotion took over him almost with all possible haste.
"Go in and talk to her. We will be right here watching the whole thing take place." Nick said, pointing to an adjacent room nearby.
Michael nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped into the room, and back into his past.
The interview room that she was in was a empty room. Well, she was sitting in a glass like dome with only a chair in it. She opened her eyes as Michael stood before her. Once she saw Michael, she smiled at him.
"Michael, my dear boy. Wow, you are looking more and more like your father everyday." She said.
"I get that a lot." Michael said. "Cut to the chase. Why are you here, and why did you demand to speak to me?"
"Well, it goes like this." She said. "I know that you know who I am, and your father is working on something big."
"Okay, what is it?" Michael asked her.
"I have no idea." She told him. Michael sighed irritably.
"You are really wasting my time here." Michael said, running a hand through his hair.
"I'm not." She said, climbing off of the stool that she was standing on and pressing herself against the glass that was separating the two of them.
"You better give me something that explains why you are here." Michael snapped at her.
"It is something big." She said. "Your father has a feeling that you are getting stronger by the moment. He knows that you are an Avenger, and he fears that with your power you might come after him. That's why he aligned himself with those characters."
"Who are these characters that you are so worried about?" Michael asked her.
"I honestly haven't the faintest idea." She told him. "He kept me in the dark for the longest time. Then I found out what his true intentions were, and I knew that I had to get away from him before he did me unthinkable harm.
"Too late for that." Michael said. "Too late. You did what you did, and now here you are. He won't forget about you, and now you have to face what you did to me and my mother."
Michael turned and began to walk out of the room.
"I am sorry!" She screamed at him as he left.
Michael didn't say a word, and he didn't even turn to look back at her. He left the room did not say a single word.
Michael closed the door, and pressed his back to it. It didn't take long for Natasha and Nick to come up to him from the other room.
"Did you get what you need from that?" Michael asked them.
"She didn't say a lot, but from what I understood, your father is working with some other guys, and they are going to make a play against you." Nick said.
"She knows exactly what my dad has been up to." Michael said. "She would not let him out of her sight for a moment. She didn't say because she is holding out hope that he will somehow get her out of this."
"Do you think so?" Natasha asked him.
"Yeah. He will." Michael said. He took a shaky breath, and walked out of the building.
Michael felt as though he was unable to catch his breath. He tried to calm himself down, but he felt as though if one more thing happened, he would break down completely. He was able to keep himself together because Natasha was here. Now that he saw that woman again, however...
"Michael?" Natasha said, appearing behind him. Michael turned to face her, and saw the obvious concern on her face. Michael took a deep breath, but it came out as a croaking, gasping sound.
"Michael?" She said again, placing a hand on his shoulder, sounding even more concerned.
Then the rush of everything hit him at once. The memory of his mother, the confrontation he had moments earlier, and the tragic memory of what happened to him. Natasha was caught off guard when Michael pulled her close, and hugged her. Natasha felt he wetness on her shirt, realizing that Michael was now crying.
Natasha, not knowing what she should do, just held him close, whispered sweet nothings in his ears, and tried to calm him down the best she could.