And here's my latest story! As usual, I own nothing except for the plot. Hope you enjoy!
Endgame: Chapter 1
Bumbum. Bumbum. Bumbum.
Quicksilver's heart raced at a speed faster than thought as he ran. He had to get to the Avengers. He had to warn them.
His feet skimmed over the water below, moving so quickly that the solidity of it didn't matter. He should be there by now, blast it. If he hadn't been so badly injured, this would be over with already. If only he could move faster, just a second faster...
"Quicksilver,"
Suddenly, a blast of energy hit the speedster from behind, knocking him flying into the water. Immediately, he tried to swim back to the surface, but another blast knocked him further down, followed by two more. Eventually, the mutant hero could do nothing but sink into the deep blackness of unconsciousness. If only he could warn them...
Avengers Tower
"I don't like it," Captain America paced back and forth through Avengers tower's meeting room, voicing his concerns aloud. His mask was off, revealing his all-too human face, and his shield was slung over his back. Behind him, at a long, rectangular table, sat the other Avengers: Iron Man, Thor, Red Hulk, Noh-Varr, The Vision, Hawkeye, Spider-Woman, and Quake.
"What's not to like, Cap?" Hawkeye asked, examining one of his famous trick arrows. "We haven't had any trouble for months. A.I.M.'s down, Osborn's a mess, and all the other crooks are staying underground. We're on top, for once."
"That's the problem, Hawkeye," Captain America replied, still pacing. "We're never on top, not for this long. Something's not right."
"Rogers is right," Red Hulk spoke up, causing all the Avengers to turn towards him. His giant, 7 foot body barely fit in the chair that he was sitting in (after all, it was designed for a human) but he didn't seem to care. "There's got to be some kind of plan going if our enemies are this quiet. It's classic battlefield strategy: Hold back your forces for the big battle."
"Hm," Vision pondered quietly. "You seem to have an intelligent side that you haven't told us of, Hulk. I see no flaw in your logic."
"By my troth!" Thor stood up, hammer in hand. "Surely our foes would never dare attack us now, when our forces are strongest! They would fall before us like mere dwarves!"
Alert! Alert!
Before anyone else could speak up, the tower turned red, with alarms sounding off everywhere. Immediately, the Avengers jumped from their seats, ready for battle.
"You just had to mention trouble, didn't you Cap?" Hawkeye asked, sliding his purple sunglasses over his eyes and grabbing his bow.
"Tony, what's the situation?" Cap turned to Iron Man, ignoring Hawkeye's question.
"Seems like we've got an attack on the Raft," Iron Man answered, his helmet sliding over his face. "And everyone's favourite warden wants our help."
"U.S. Agent is asking for help?" Cap asked, heading for the door. "Times sure do change."
Without another word, the team ran to the top of the tower, where two Quinjets awaited. "Alright, let's do this in teams," Cap ordered. "Thor, Quake, and Iron Man, you're with me. Hulk, you take Vision, Hawkeye, Spider-Woman, and Protector. The Raft's fallen too many times these past few years. I'm not about to let if fall again."
With that, they were off, both teams grabbing their own Quinjet.
"Cap, you want to drive?" Iron Man asked, stepping into the first Quinjet. "I've got some diagnostics to run as we fly."
"Sure thing," Cap answered, sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle. "It's been a while since I've had the chance to fly one of these."
"So, Iron Man," Quake started, sitting in the back of the Quinjet. "What exactly are we going to be facing here?"
"According to the report, the assailant is one Crusher Creel, a.k.a. Absorbing Man." Iron Man answered as the Quinjet took off. "The Avengers have fought him a few times before, he's a pretty tough one. Last seen with the one of the hammers of the Serpent, during the recent Norse attack. Possible accomplices: Titania, Whirlwind, the Wrecking Crew, Klaw, and Grey Gargoyle.
"I know well of these fiends," Thor commented, standing behind Iron Man. "Crusher Creel is a dangerous foe indeed, as are yon others. We would do well to exercise caution against them."
"Thor's right," Cap said. "If those are the villains we're going to end up facing, we're going to have a hard time. They've all been part of the Masters of Evil at one point, and they're all extremely dangerous."
"Right," Quake replied. "I'll be sure to -"
Suddenly, the Quinjet shook violently, knocking over all the Avengers except for Cap, who was strapped into his seat.
"What was that?" Iron Man asked, making his way to a standing position.
"That would be our suspects," Cap replied, not moving from his seat as he pointed at the island below. "Some of them, at least. Thor, Tony, your move."
"They shall feel mine hammer!" Thor yelled, flying out the back hatch that Cap had just opened.
"I'll try to make sure he doesn't kill someone," Iron Man promised, activating his boot jets and flying after him.
Even though they were under attack, Cap couldn't help but smile. The Avengers were back in action.
And in the other Quinjet...
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
Inwardly groaning, Red Hulk pretended not to have heard Hawkeye's complaint. Why were half of these people idiots?
"Because you're a pessimist?" Spider-Woman replied. "Come on, it'll be fine. Weren't you the one who said that we had nothing to worry about just a few minutes ago?"
"Well, yeah," Hawkeye admitted. "But that's different. We weren't heading into combat then."
"Your feelings of anxiety are probably just generated by nerves," Vision said from the driver's seat of the Quinjet. "It should be nothing to worry about."
"Thanks for the support, Vis." Hawkeye replied, leaning back in his seat. "By the way, are we at the Raft yet?"
"Almost," The android replied. "Hold on. We seem to be getting a call from Captain America."
With a push of a button, the Captain's image appeared among the Avengers, albeit in blue, holographic form.
"Team, we've got some news. My squad's Quinjet has been attacked, we're thinking by Klaw. Thor and Iron Man are going to deal with it now, but he's not the only one we're going to have to deal with. There have been reports of Absorbing Man, Titania, Grey Gargoyle, Whirlwind, and the Wrecking Crew. If that's true, we're going to have our hands full. Be careful out there."
"Will do, Captain," Vision replied. "Thank you for the update."
With that, Cap's image flickered out, leaving the Avengers to ponder his words.
"Sounds like a Masters of Evil lineup," Red Hulk said, turning to Hawkeye for confirmation. "That right?"
"Pretty much," Hawkeye answered with a nod. "They were all Masters of Evil at one point, most of them at the same time."
"Masters of Evil?" Protector asked. "I don't believe that I've heard of them."
"They are, simply put, the anti-Avengers," Vision informed. "Originally formed by the World War Two version of Baron Zemo, they have been fighting the Avengers longer than either Hawkeye or I have been on the team. There is no reliable roster for the team, as they have changed their members many times. I do not believe that they have worked together for quite some time now, though this event may indicate a change."
"Enough chatter," Red Hulk broke in, looking out the window. "We're here."
The scene below was the definition of chaos. The Raft had been totally demolished: The building was on fire and barely standing, unconscious guards were lying all over the place, and in the middle of it all were the Absorbing Man, the Wrecking Crew, and Grey Gargoyle.
"Well, looks like we've got our culprits right there," Hawkeye said, grabbing his bow and standing up. "Ready when you are, Vis."
"I am commencing the landing process as we speak," The Vision replied.
"This isn't going to be easy, is it?" Spider-Woman asked, also standing up.
"Glad you're seeing things my way," Hawkeye responded. "I think we've got this one, though. After all, they've only got four villains with the power of a god, a guy who can become anything he touches, and someone who can turn you into stone with a touch. Piece of cake, right?"
Before anyone could reply, the Quinjet landed with a clunk, and the side door opened.
"We have arrived." Vision announced, standing to join the others.
Without a word, the Avengers filed out, preparing themselves for battle as their feet touched ground. Their enemies' had noticed their presence as soon as they had landed, and were waiting for them when they got out.
"Well, if it ain't the Avengers," Absorbing Man said, swinging his ball and chain. "You guys sure do like changing your roster, don't ya?"
"What are you doing here, Creel?" Vision asked, floating through the side of the Quinjet. "You should've known that any attempt at a breakout would be stopped by us."
"The Vision?" The Wrecker butted in. "I thought you were dead!"
"Come on, Wrecker," Hawkeye teased. "Nobody stays dead anymore, not even androids."
"You'll all be dead once we're done with you," Thunderball, said. "We've got our orders."
"Idiot!" Grey Gargoyle yelled. "We were not supposed to tell them our reason for being here!"
"So, you've got an employer?" Red Hulk asked, cracking his knuckles. "Great. We'll find out who it is when we finish mopping the floor with you."
That's it for now! If you have the time, please review, as there's nothing I appreciate more. Thanks for reading the first chapter!