"Computer, access Avengers database. Topic: Juggernaut."

Iron Man dove out of the sizable hole in the building he had created when the Juggernaut deflected his charge mere moments before. Boot jets ignited and dozens of nanotech gyroscopes stabilized the red and golden armored hero as he went into nap of the Earth flight mode, barely 15 feet above the streets of Las Vegas.

Many were now clogged with abandoned cars and panicking tourists. Thank goodness Juggernaut is heading AWAY from the Strip. Still, there are too many civilians around for my taste. I've got to get this confrontation outside the city limits somehow.

At least this guy doesn't appear to be the murdering type. He could have easily massacred dozens by now . . .

TOPIC JUGGERNAUT FOUND, his heads up display informed him, NO DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE AVENGERS. FREQUENT FOE OF THE X-MEN (X-MEN DATABASE CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE/OFFLINE) . LAST KNOWN ENCOUNTER WITH AN AVENGER: THOR. THOR'S REPORT AS FOLLOWS—

"Switch to verbal," Tony commanded, following the seemingly endless trail of overturned vehicles and one tractor-trailer that appeared to have been torn in two. The crowds were thinning out, but the police blockade had to be somewhere up ahead. He had to get there before Juggernaut or those officers would be in big trouble.

"Verily, the Juggernaut is a worthy foe!" Thor strong voice boomed in his ears. "Yon villain couldst withstand Mjolnir's mightiest blows and battle the scion of Odin to a standstill."

Well, isn't that a pleasant thought.

"Alas, even mine own godly strength proved insufficient to lay low my foe. I opened a dimensional portal with mine hammer and didst best the Juggernaut on the plane of reality his power doth draw from. 'Twas not the glorious victory I sought, but a victory none the less."

Great. No help there. I left my transdimensional portal in my other armor.

His sarcasm faded as he rounded a corner and took in the devastation before him.

Police cars were everywhere. Some were piled on top of each other while others were practically flattened. Two were upside down in the middle of the avenue, while one stuck half way out of the third story of a hotel, its siren lights flashing crazily across the neon signs above it. The SWAT vans hadn't fared any better. In fact, Juggernaut was lifting one now, its occupants struggling to escape before the large man tossed them the way a child would throw a toy car during a tantrum. All around officers were running, shooting, trying to save civilians, and becoming lost within the sea of humanity that attempted to avoid this unexpected and terrifying wave of destruction.

"ENOUGH!" Iron Man shouted, allowing his external speaker to throw his voice out above the commotion and chaos. Coming from behind, he tore the SWAT van out of Juggernaut's grasp, leaving his foe with only two handfuls of metal. Setting down several yards away, the Avenger quickly lowered the vehicle and got between the Juggernaut and the ruined remains of the police line. "You're not going to endanger any more lives tonight, Juggernaut!"

"Really?" the armored giant replied, cradling the large bags of loot in one arm. "And how exactly are you going to stop me?"

Tony Stark had to admit that was a damn good question.

- - - - -

As luck would have it, the subway had a line the led went right by the Stark Enterprises Long Island compound. In fact, there were two dedicated stops; a testament both to the complex's size and importance to the region. This was in addition to the four highway exits, private airstrip, and port access.

He's probably even got a tunnel or two, the young man thought as he exited the train. It was even later now, almost to the point were people began to use the term early. He'd blown curfew before, but never quite this bad. When his mother woke up she'd be worried sick.

When she read the note he'd left behind, she'd be furious.

He walked to the edge of the elevated platform and looked at the large group of buildings in the distance. They were well lit and very modern in that techno sort of way one often saw in science fiction movies. He didn't doubt they were among the most advanced and environmentally friendly buildings on Earth. He'd been to the Baxter Building once on a school field trip and, although they never got to see the real cool stuff on the top levels, he'd recognized enough technology to realize it was quite an amazing piece of architecture. He expected to find a similar level of advancement here.

He slung his backpack over the other shoulder, turned to the facilities map that was conveniently posted next to the elevator, and looked for his objective. It was a little cooler out here on Long Island than he'd expected, but the ocean wasn't that far away and wind chill had that kind of effect. Something to do with the differing heat capacities of land and water---

He stopped himself and grinned. Even when he didn't particularly want it to, his brain never seemed to stop thinking. Guess that shouldn't really surprise me . . .

He looked at the map for about a minute, memorizing the important locations and their relative positions. If he tripped some kind of alarm, it could all go to hell real quick. He decided to take the stairs down to ground level. He saw the men's restroom and looked over his shoulder. He was alone at the station.

He went inside, checked under the stalls to make sure no one was there, and then shoved the large trashcan in front of the door. Feeling as secure as he probably would ever be in this particular situation, he opened his backpack and began to change.

- - - - -

Turned out that the pulse bolts were just as ineffective as the repulsors.

Whatever that force field is made of, it absorbs just about everything that's thrown at it. There's no energy signature I can lock on to and apparently it has an unlimited power supply.

Iron Man sighed.

Isn't magic FUN?

He wanted to try the sonics, but there were still too many people around so he activated his holographic projector. While Juggernaut was kept busy trying to hit phantom Iron Men, he continued to think of and almost immediately discard options. Magnetism? Nope, the mystical armor apparently didn't generate a magnetic field. Ultrafreon? Probably wouldn't hold him for long. Call in the rest of the Avengers?

No. Not yet, at least.

The problem was power. He just didn't have enough at his disposal to---

Or did he?

A faint hope germinated deep within his mind. There were a dozen ways it could fail, but he was running out of options. He had to try.

First things, first. He had to get Juggernaut out of the city. Despite all of his power, this guy wasn't very bright and that WAS a weakness he could exploit.

"Quit being such a coward, Iron Man!" Juggernaut bellowed as his huge fist passed through yet another holographic projection. Increasingly irritated, Cain Marko began to use both hands to swat at the faux Avengers that surrounded him, still holding his loot clenched tightly in one. The large bags dangled back and forth wildly as the massive limbs struck out in a vain attempt to connect with his true foe.

Iron Man saw his opening.

A low intensity repulsor blast neatly sheared the bags from Juggernaut's fist, leaving him holding only the very top material. Some cash spilled out over the street, but the majority of it stayed inside the sacks.

"You sonuva---" Ultrafreon interrupted the tirade as the Juggernaut's body became completely frozen in a large chunk of ice.

Immediately, Iron Man primed his bootjets, slammed into the block, and took off with it into the night sky. As he cleared the skyline, the ice was already cracking.

He poured on the speed, internal guidance computer plotting the most efficient route to his desired destination. Just give me 30 more seconds . . .

He ended up with five as the ice exploded into a thousand tiny fragments.

"I'm gonna kill ya! I'm gonna rip open that suit like a can of beans!"

Juggernaut paused, realizing he was in mid-air. "What the---"

The rest was lost as repulsor rays slammed into him, forcing him higher into the air. They didn't hurt him at all, but they added momentum to his flight, carrying him further and further from the city center.

Iron Man looped under him, grabbed a leg and sped onwards into the night, carrying the Juggernaut upside down. At the same time he worked furiously with his communications, letting his destination know that he was coming and what he would need when he got there.

This just might work, after all.

- - - - -

On the other side of the world, it was approaching mid-day. The tropical ocean air warmed the tiny private island as various gardeners and landscapers toiled to improve the natural beauty of the flora to the owner's desire of perfection. Although they were poorly paid, they knew better than to disappoint their employer. The consequences were always unpleasant and sometimes fatal.

They worked especially hard today because their employer had special guests. The kind of guests he wished to impress, and therefore the type of people the workers prayed would ignore them. This was usually most prudent policy in these situations, and they did their best to avoid looking at the amazing aircraft that had set down only hours before. They pretended the strangely garbed guardians of the airship were invisible and went about their business.

The servants of Justin Hammer knew their place.

High above the lush, yet manicured, jungle was an immense villa. Imported marble statues and oak-paneled walls adorned its interior, along with crystal chandeliers and plush hand made rugs. Hazy tropical sunlight shone through intricate stained glass windows onto equally detailed tile floors. Most of the furniture was custom made and the paintings on the walls were worth a small fortune alone.

Cleverly concealed among this elegance was one of the most sophisticated security systems known to man. It was supervised by surveillance professionals; just one unit of Hammer's private army. They were the best money could buy, top of the line cadets from the Taskmaster's schools. As well trained as they were, these weren't the elite forces Hammer had at his disposal.

Two of these specialists, Boomerang and Blizzard, framed Justin Hammer on either side as he spoke to his guests in the main conference room. Although not the most powerful of his operatives, they were among the smartest, and they knew how to keep their mouths shut. They could also respond instantly if things soured.

Negotiations at this level had to be carefully crafted, especially when dealing with partners who probably considered themselves to be in the superior position. When he had received the message that they wanted to meet with him, Hammer had been highly suspicious. Curiosity eventually won out, however, leading to his current situation.

"Would you care for some wine, gentlemen? It's from my private vineyard in France. The '63 is a particularly excellent vintage."

The three gentlemen demurred.

"I could get you some straws, if you insist on those masks. You must be quite warm in those environmental suits."

"We didn't come here for pleasantries, Mr. Hammer. They are quite an inefficient use of our time," the one in the center commented, his voice carrying a slight electronic distortion from the built-in speaker. While all three looked similar in the yellow uniforms which concealed their features, his outfit bore some additional insignia denoting a superior rank, "We are here to discuss a mutually beneficial arrangement against a common foe."

Hammer expected as much. He leaned back in his leather chair, holding the glass of wine casually. "By all means, continue, dear boy."

"We are well aware of your . . . encounters with Stark Enterprises and Iron Man. Both of these entities have been an obstacle to our endeavors, as well."

"Yes," Hammer said mildly, "Advanced Idea Mechanics has had its head handed to it on more than one occasion by Stark's little errand boy."

If AIM's representative was annoyed by this comment, he didn't show it. Of course, the cylinder-shaped helmets didn't show much of anything. Even their eyes were shielded by a rectangular mesh grate.

"Indeed, Mr. Hammer. However, many of these . . . setbacks were by rather narrow margins. A few more resources here, a special counter strategy there, and those defeats could have easily been transformed into victories."

The AIM spokesman leaned forward slightly, "Our leader believes that if we were to pool our resources, the outcome would be dramatically different."

Justin Hammer put down his glass of wine and laced his fingers together in front of him. His eyes brightened with malevolent intent.

"I'm listening."

- - - - -

Somewhere over Southern Nevada, within a few miles of the Arizona border, it had all went to hell.

Juggernaut had wrenched himself free and plummeted thousands of feet to the ground below. By the time Iron Man had dove down to reclaim his unwilling passenger, his massive foe had landed in the middle of Route 93, the main highway that lead to Vegas from the south.

Before Tony Stark's horrified eyes, his opponent backhanded the cab of a gasoline truck and tossed the tanker section right at him. The Golden Avenger attempted to pull up, but the tanker smashed into him, ruptured, and ignited when the spilled gasoline touched his bootjets.

After that, he lost track of things for a while.

Although the protective padding inside the armor kept him conscious, the sheer magnitude of the explosion stunned him temporarily. The gyros attempted to keep him aloft but were unable to compensate for such a sudden change in speed and direction.

He didn't remember hitting the ground, but when the world came back into focus he was prone in the middle of a blazing inferno. The refractory coating was keeping the heat within tolerable levels, but his ultrafreon reserves hadn't recharged and the armor was taking serious exterior damage. Several warning systems had activated, the most serious of which being the bootjets propulsion relays. They were down and couldn't be reactivated for at least several minutes.

He was about to stand when something hideously powerful slammed him back into the charred ground. More warning lights flashed. Armor integrity was about to be breached.

Something picked him up, denting the armor in several places as Tony grimaced in pain. There was incredible pressure on his left shoulder, and he threw a desperate punch with his free arm.

It, too, was caught savagely as a dark looming shadow coalesced out of the raging flames and brought him face-to-face with his foe. Oblivious to the conflagration, Juggernaut sneered as he held Iron Man in a vise-like grip.

"Not so invincible now, are ya?"

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Was having so much fun writing this, that I decided not to wait very long to put it up. Just don't expect this rate of updating in the future. I do have to work after all.

NEXT ISSUE: The conclusion of our titanic tussle! Plus: More on the mysterious young intruder and the AIM-Hammer alliance! Miss it at your own peril!