Avengers Tower stood like a silent sentinel the top floors towering over all the nearby buildings. There were no lights on in the building save the atrium, and that simply was to show off the newly carved statue of Osborne's former team in celebration for their actions at Asgard. Up above a hideous cackle sounded and from Norman Osborne's office a goblin riding on a glider smashed out through the window. As the goblin cleared the edge the metal bulk of the Steel Soldier leapt after him grabbing hold of the glider before using his powers to drag it down. Behind the shoulder the feral form of Wolverine followed sinking his claws into the Soldier's shoulders causing the metal warrior to bellow in pain letting go of the glider as both of them fell to the floor. Cackling the goblin sped away as an armoured figure clad in gold with a close fitting death mask with ornate cheek blades carved from emerald took off from the edge, large insectile wings propelling her after the goblin who was clutching a large metal brief case.
The Steel Soldier and Wolverine slammed into the ground, the impact causing the lower windows of the tower to shatter revealing another pair of combatants; the leather clad form of the Grappler Poundcakes and the gracile Ms. Marvel going toe to toe on the second floor as the tower's alarm system began to scream alerting everyone else to the break in.
"So you're one of the losers that Songbird used to hang around." Ms. Marvel taunted, "Got to say I can see why she dropped you." she added firing a pair of energy beams at the large woman who slammed her foot on the floor, the tiles and concrete shattering causing her to drop down to the next floor. Ms. Marvel hovered above her looking smug before watching wide eyed as Poundcakes slammed her foot down again dropping to the ground floor.
"Got to say you're not to bright are you?" Ms. Marvel asked, "Because if you hadn't noticed I can fly."
"I may be dumb but I know an arrogant bimbo bitch when I see one." Poundcakes replied running towards the atrium. Ms. Marvel watched her confused before the wall behind her exploded and the purple clad form of Hawkeye slammed into her knocking both of them to the floor.
"Are you good for anything?" she asked angrily shoving the dazed Archer off her before getting to her feet ready to peruse Poundcakes. Hawkeye struggled to his feet and strung an arrow in his bow before dodging as a second explosive punch came his way, the floor detonating as the villain Powder Keg landed where he had been.
Up on the top floor the lithe form of Spider Man transmutated into the hulking build more characteristic with Venom as the 'hero' flicked his tongue gathering scent molecules from the area. He was outside the boss's office and he could see not to mention taste some weird kind of energy, something like natural lightning. Whatever the case he was on it, passing the mirror mounted outside Osborne's office he stopped and saw his reflection, more pale then it had ever been. He stopped looking at it quizzically before cursing, "Oh Crap." as his reflection leapt at him revealing itself to be the symbiote's former owner Eddie Brock now clad in the white Symbiote suit of Anti Venom.
The goblin turned back towards his armoured pursuer and flicked a button and his glider's machine guns opened fire the rounds punching through the armor and causing golden mist to leak out of the holes they had caused. His pursuer kept coming this time diving on him at a speed equal to his usual flight speed, pushing the glider into reverse the goblin dodged and threw a pumpkin bomb the projectile exploding at his attacker's face and blowing off the golden death mask to reveal a feminine almost divine face, emerald eyes glistening.
"You'll pay for that." the woman said as she flew towards him streams of gold mist trailing behind her. The goblin cackled and gunned the glider heading straight for an office block the Emerald Scarab in hot pursuit, at the last moment he flew up before the crash of glass sounded below evidence of where his opponent landed.
The Steel Soldier rubbed the claw marks in his shoulder as he stood up, his attacker and former team mate stood waiting his head bowed and claws already extended.
"Daken what the hell is wrong with you?" he bellowed.
"Where to start." Wolverine replied eerily, his lips not moving, "I have father issues, I'm gay and oh yes I'm here to kill you." he continued lunging at the Steel Soldier who leapt back his landing causing the whole pavement to shake. Responding he slammed his fist into Wolverine's face dislocating his jaw before reaching down the mutant's throat.
"Ow you bloody freak." he yelled recoiling his hand, "You bit me."
Wolverine didn't respond, his jaw was still broken, he simply stabbed his claws in the Steel Soldier's face, one of the blades puncturing the larger man's nose before the giant shook his head sending the mutant flying back into the original impact crater they had made after falling from the glider.
Hawkeye felt every punch as he blocked Powderkeg's blows, his arms supporting the burns and blisters from his opponent's powers. With a single explosive blow his bow shattered and Hawkeye fell to the floor as Powderkeg slammed an explosive foot stomp right into his chest. Struggling to get free Hawkeye went limp as Powderkeg went for a second foot stomp. "You're not as tough as the other Avengers." Powderkeg jeered as he brought his foot down.
Hawkeye tensed up and stabbed one of his arrows into his attacker's foot before rolling away as Powderkeg roared, more in anger then pain, although at the moment the Avenger would take all he could get. Reaching for his quiver Hawkeye threw the bag, the arrows bouncing off the floor and walls until all twenty of them impacted with Powderkeg, a few exploding as they hit his fists but the majority punctured his skin. Producing a knife Hawkeye loomed over his attacker and got ready for the final strike.
Ms. Marvel caught up with Poundcakes as she mantled the statue standing on the massive axe held by the stone Ares. "You wouldn't." Ms Marvel gasped. Poundcakes slammed her foot down and Ms. Marvel watched as the statue of Ares shattered, the rubble hitting the other statues causing more damage; Spiderman's head went rolling while the Iron Patriot lost an arm. Ms. Marvels own statue lost the distinctive moonstone necklace she was and the flesh and blood Avenger touched her stone instinctively before going intangible as Hawkeye's stone arm came flying at her, the crude missile. Looking at her attacker she saw the woman wrench the upper torso of the Ms. Marvel statue and thrust it at her. Ms. Marvel caught the statue and twisted the improvised stone weapon falling from Poundcakes hands.
"That did it you'll pay for that." Ms. Marvel told Poundcakes taking to the air as another seismic blast header her way. Picking up the Grappler she flew up past the broken window where the goblin had left from to see the electrical villain Electro bending over her one of her team mates sending powerful electrical shocks through their body.
Spiderman yelled in pain as Anti Venom punched him in the face, his white skin contrasting with the dark flesh the melted away. Already Spiderman felt the Symbiote dying so he sent it an inaudible command, the dark alien suit slithered away revealing black armor plating underneath as Mac Gangran activated the Scorpion tail of his new army. Slashing Anti Venom with the elongated blades located under each of the gauntlets, Mac Gangran watched Anti Venom wince in pain before getting hit with a second swipe.
"Once I'm done with you I'll be its favourite." Mac Gangran told Anti Venom as a long barb extended from the Scorpion tail on the rear of his armoured suit.
"It will always love me more." Anti Venom responded, "Even after I have died." he replied as Mac got ready to inject his enemy with the lethal 'super venom' that Osborne had created back when Mac was in the Thunderbolts to defeat Anti Venom. Last time the Venom Symbiote had stopped him but this time nobody would get in the way.
The goblin cackled as it circled the office building firing missiles and throwing pumpkin bombs indiscriminately at the structure, the late night workers screaming in panic as they ran. Passing a window he stopped and looked in terror as the Emerald Scarab burst through the glass and leapt for the glider. Extending the vehicles front blades the Goblin rammed her, the Scarab impaled on the front like some-kind of Ancient Egyptian hood ornament.
"That will teach you bitch." the Goblin cackled, "You have nothing on me. All by your lonesome you don't have a chance."
"Good thing I'm never alone." the Scarab replied as a horde of blue horned scarab beetles emerged from her arms crawling towards the goblin who pressed the blade release button causing the spikes to retract leaving the Scarab free to swing up onto the glider, a pair of hatchets in her hands and murder on her face.
Daken dodged the Steel Soldier as he made a blind effort to grab him and restrain him. His jaw had healed and all the superficial bruises and damage by the metal clad opponent wasn't enough to slow him down. Jumping at the Soldier Daken stabbed his claws into the giant's chest only for the massive metal man to suddenly propel himself upwards at a phenomenally fast rate, the pair of them passing Ms. Marvel holding a struggling Poundcakes at arms length on top of the building.
"Steel rough night?" she asked.
"Sort of, have some punctures that may have to be filled in." he said flicking Daken who growled and snarled something unmentionable. "How about you he asked?"
"It's cool although this bitch knocked down the statue." Ms. Marvel explained.
"Shall we do this together?" he asked.
"Sounds like a plan." Ms. Marvel answered letting Poundcakes drop as the Steel Soldier flipped so that his chest was facing the ground and plummeted towards the floor.
"Are you crazy?" Poundcakes asked, "Since when did Avengers act like this?"
"What do you know about being an Avenger?" Ms. Marvel asked keeping pace with the falling villain.
"I know they don't kill." Poundcakes answered, "You'll get in trouble with your boss." she sneered. Ms. Marvel smiled and suddenly reversed the gravity sending Poundcakes flying up past her and the falling Steel Soldier/Daken combo. Poundcakes screamed as she went flying up before feeling the gravity shift again this time accelerating even faster towards the ground. As the pressure reached 8Gs Poundcakes blacked out and Ms. Marvel caught her and placed her gently on the floor.
"You got lucky this time slut." Ms. Marvel told Poundcakes as the Steel Soldier picked himself up and restrained Wolverine.
"Karla I could use you expertise here." he told her. Walking over Ms. Marvel stared at Wolverineand noticed his stomach churning slightly.
"I'm not touching that." she told the Steel Soldier.
"Then restrain him while I do some exploritry surgery." the Steel Soldier told Karla throwing Wolverine at her. Using her powers she immobilized Wolverine as the Steel Soldier touched the area that was moving before brining back a fist and slamming it through the mutant's skin before dragging out a green thrashing eel.
"That is disgusting." Ms. Marvel said as the Steel Soldier pinned the serpentine form of Body Steeler to the floor. Wolverine groaned and tried to tuck his damaged stomach back into his chest. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't turn you into Anago bub."
"I didn't mean it I swear, I was just looking for change to pay my bail." Body Steeler gasped. The Steel Soldier rolled his eyes and tied the eel's tail around it's body restraining it from moving.
Hawkeye brought down the knife slashing through Powderkeg's left hand as his enemy tried to block with his right. Huffing Hawkeye pushed the arm back and grinned evilly.
"I'll do that one in a minute." he said cleaving through the bone and removing the hand. Thrashing Powderkeg got to his feet, the stump bleeding and smashed Hawkeye with his right arm as the Avenger back-flipped away from the incoming strike. Stumbling Powderkeg recovered and charged at Hawkeye who simply threw the severed hand at him, the limb hitting its former owner, the resulting explosion knocking him out.
"You can keep the other one today, I'm feeling generous." Hawkeye told him.
Scorpion plunged the stinger into Anti Venom, the Symbiote costume of his enemy writhing in pain as it began to drip and melt away leaving behind the naked form of Eddie Brock.
"I'm so going to enjoy this." Scorpion told him as he pulled Eddie to his feet. "Nobody's going to stop me this time." he added pressing the release button for the under hand blades. The weapons didn't fire, it was almost as if the blades were jammed and Mac could see black fluid oozing from the mechanism. With a single brutal movement Mac slammed Eddie's head against the wall the well built man falling unconscious as the Symbiote crawled out of the pores of the armor and covered his body.
"You got lucky punk." Spiderman told Eddie, "Next time I finish it Symbiote or no Symbiote."
"Gangran I see you took down Brock." a voice came from the office. Spiderman turned and saw Norman Osborne clad in his Iron Patriot placing a restraining collar on Electro, the device shorting out the villains powers although sparks still ran across his fingers. "The Hobgoblin took a case from my office I trust the others are trying to recover it from the rest of this Insidious Six."
"Scarab's on it boss." Spiderman told him as HAMMER agents arrived to take Electro and Brock to the transports in the sub basement. These two and any other members of the gang, providing the Avengers had left them alive would be heading for the Negative Zone. Osborne smiled at the thought as soon as Bill 299 was passed any super powered problem that entered the Raft or the Negative Zone would never leave again.
The glider continued flying despite the combined weight of Kephi, the Hobgoblin and the numerous scarabs that the super criminal was desperately stomping trying to keep them away from him. As a last act of desperation he typed in a code on one of his wrist gauntlets that caused the entire armament the glider carried to detonate as he leapt from the vehicle hopping that the explosion would kill his foe as he rocketed down to earth. Seconds later the glider exploded and the Hobgoblin cackled as he plummeted with the brief-case before punching a command into his gauntlets. Whizzing through the sky a second glider appeared, this time painted with HAMMER logos towards him and he deftly landed on the flying platform.
"Now to get paid six shares since the others are all captured." the goblin said. The glider shook and the Goblin felt metal burning against his throat, wisps of green and gold fire running across the blade of a massive curved sword.
"Land this contraption and surrender," Kephi told him, "or watch as I separate your head from your body."
The Scarab never heard the Hobgoblin's reply as a missile from one of the roof-tops streaked towards them and detonated showering the Glider and the two riders with small discs that drilled into the outer skin of the targets.
"What the…?" the Hobgoblin asked before both her and the Scarab started convulsing as electricity flowed through their bodies while the glider plummeted smashing into the streets of Brooklyn. Kephi struggled to rise from the asphalt but another blast of electricity floored her back onto the tarmac only ten meters away from the brief case and the unconscious Hobgoblin. The sound of boots could be heard and a woman in grey armor appeared bending down to pick up the briefcase.
"Package Secure Sir." she said, "Contents accounted for plus an extra bonus, we just caught ourselves an Avenger."
The story of the mysterious Brief Case is continued in Task Force HAMMER: Line of Fire's most recent history.
The characters of the Emerald Scarab/Kephi and Body Steeler are my original characters and are not owned by Marvel Comics.