Chapter 2: Some Assembly Required, Part 2


Some Random Building. Tribeca-Civic Center District borderline, Manhattan, NY.

1:49 PM EST, Wed 23 August 2010


"Bruce, never become a superhero. Trust me; it's the anti-Viagra of relationships. I mean, sure, things didn't work out with MJ because of one thing or the other..."

Sitting atop an old building in lower Manhattan, a man wearing a tight red and blue costume with a spider insignia on his chest and mask with big white lenses was crouched next to a stone gargoyle. Both were overlooking the city as the costumed man talked about his life's problems and whatnot. This was his special place, where he could come and talk to his special friend.

Of course, the gargoyle would always remain silent as it overlooked the city.

"You don't have to be so rude about it," the man continued. "Yeah, her modeling career was important to her...and, well, getting kidnapped by several villains can put a damper on any heat she had for me. But we're still friends."

Again, the gargoyle made no comment whatsoever.

"Don't even go there, you overgrown hunk of rock. Felicia's crazy and wild; besides she loves Spider-Man, not Peter Parker. And what woman would put up with crazy scientist and weird animal-themed supervillains? I mean, even Ben dates more than me and he's made of rock."

The gargoyle continued to ignore the man as he rambled on.

"Yeah, you're right Bruce," the man sighed. "There's a girl out there for everybody. But no woman would be safe with me for a boyfriend. And besides, a freelance reporter doesn't sound so appealing."

Before he could say another word, his Spider-Sense began buzzing like crazy, giving him a massive headache. The sounds of vicious roars began echoing from below in the streets, making the man look down below. To his utter shock, red-scaled reptilian-like creatures were running rampant all over the place, with some kind of glowing portals spitting them out like hotcakes. The creatures were attacking and killing people left and right.

"Oh my God...ok, Bruce, it was nice talking to you, but I've got to go! See you next Friday for our session!"

With that, Peter Parker, the hero known across New York City and the world as the Amazing Spider-Man, jumped off from the ledge and began plummeting down to the streets of a now demon infested city. Some called him the first true superhero, for he was one of the few who didn't just stop supervillains but everyday crime as well. However, for the followers and the editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, he was menace that needed to be stop. That had never stopped him before.

Shooting a web line from his wrists to a building, he swung down and leapt into the face of one of the demon. He looked at the others. "Hey, Halloween came early this year! Good thing I brought my costume, I just love those best-costume-contests. You guys wouldn't win any of them, though; seriously, you're all dressed alike! What were you guys thinking?"

He started jumping from demon to demon, kicking and punching demons left and right, dodging and weaving thanks to his Spider-Sense to avoid getting splattered on the floor. Armed with the proportional strength of a spider, his skills and abilities, and his witty humor, Spider-Man set off to fighting the demons and protecting any civilians that he could.


Baxter Building, home & headquarters of the Fantastic Four. Midtown, Manhattan, NY

1:49 PM EST, Wed 23 August 2010


"...Sue?"

"One moment, darliiiuurrhh!"

Hunched over a toilet, letting go of the last of her breakfast, Sue Storm-Richards had definitely felt better most days. Right now, she felt like crap. All she had was oatmeal, but the moment it touched her stomach it decided to come back for a reunion. She wondered if she might possibly have had a stomach virus or something. Either way, these daily visits to the porcelain god were becoming too frequent for her taste.

Standing at the bathroom doorway, arms crossed and worry on his face, stood her husband Reed Richards. "Sue, please, let me do a blood test and see what's wrong. We can have the results in two minutes."

Getting up, Sue rolled her eyes at her husband's antics. She splashed some water on her face before coming out, seeing that her husband had sent his arm two floors down to retrieve a test tube and needle. "Reed, don't even try, I'm okay. It's just a stomach bug or something."

Reed still looked worried; it wasn't like Sue to be sick, or for any of them to be, for that matter. "Sue we don't get sick. Just let me-"

Sue smiled and kissed her husband, interrupting his words. "Honey, even superheroes get sick once in a while. Besides, it's probably just something I ate."

"Sue, you ate oatmeal. How the hell does anyone get sick from oatmeal?"

"It's nothing to worry about, come on let's go and finish those reports on that new project you're working on."

Following his wife back to their lab, Reed sighed to himself. He was definitely worried about Sue, but he knew his wife was headstrong. She wouldn't do something she didn't want to do. All he wanted was some peace of mind about his wife's health, but he decided to let the matter go for now. He followed Sue, the final adjustments into the 42 construct project slowly returning to mind, a SHIELD project to build an inter-dimensional prison meant to contain the most destructive villains in the world.

Downstairs in the big recreation room, Ben Grimm sat on a couch watching a lion documentary with a bowl of popcorn in his hand. His body entirely made out of orange stone, the Thing was the strongest member of the Fantastic Four, with strength on par with that of the Hulk and Captain Marvel. As he laughed at a cub biting its father's tail, a second man entered the rec room. He was in his mid-twenties with blond hair wearing a tuxedo grinning from ear to ear. Deliberately standing in front of Ben, he did a little twirl.

"What do you think, big guy? It's for that party on the Upper East Side. Do I look good, or do I look good?"

Ben sighed as he looked at his friend. "Ya look like a stunt man from a two star action movie. What's the movie called, 'Flight of the Firefly?'"

Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, smiled at his friend. "At least I don't look like something Barney Rubble left on the toilet."

Ben threw some of his popcorn at Johnny, who walked towards the window. "I told ya, I ain't interested in parties. Now leave me alone, I wanna see Simba piss of his-"

"Um...Ben?" Johnny said from by the window, shock in his voice. "Could you come here for a sec?"

But before Ben could reply, the program changed to a national emergency news broadcast bulletin. "We sorry to interrupt your regular programing with this emergency news bulletin." The screen the shifted to the streets of Manhattan

"Manhattan is being attacked by large reptilian creatures. The invasion started less than ten minutes ago, and already the streets are up in flames and chaos, with police desperately trying to fight back! Carnage is littered across the streets, with the creatures slaughtering people left and right! The mayor, governor and President have all declared a state of emergency, and we're getting word that the military is deplooaaaaaaahhh!"

The news woman was cut off as an enormous reptilian creature grabbed her by the waist, eating her in one bite. The image shifted as the camera fell to the streets, the camera person running for their lives. Both Ben and Johnny were shocked at the sights, Ben at the screen and Johnny at the scene in the streets below.

"This is the fourth tuxedo..." Johnny muttered to himself before he began yelling over his shoulder. "Reed, you better start making flame resistant clothing and get your elastic butt over here!" Without waiting another second, he opened the window and jumped out, his body bursting into flames as two words shooting out of his lips.

"FLAME ON!"

His suit and pants burned away into ashes, revealing his blue and black Fantastic Four suit, a stylized number four insignia on his chest. The Human Torch flew down and blasted a particular nasty demon with a blast of flames. Seeing that the creatures were slaughtering everyone they could get their hands on. he didn't hold back at all. His blasts were so powerful it was enough to turn sand into glass. To his shock, however, his flames had no effect on the demon; that had never happened before. The lizard-like demon slowly turned to Johnny in anger and annoyance before swatting him like a fly making him crash into a nearby building.

Dazed and in pain, Johnny struggled to get up, seeing the demon looming closer to him. "Oh, this isn't good."

"IT'S CLOBBERING TIME!"

The demon barely looked up, only to be crushed by the ever lovin', blue-eyed Thing smashing into him from above. Both crashed heavily into the streets with extreme force, sending granite and dirt shooting into the air. Ben quickly began slamming his fists into the demon's head and back, over and over, the demon screeching in rage before it soon was kicked into the skies by the hero.

"Are you alright, Johnny?" Sue called out from above, her and Reed in the Fantasti-Car as they flew down into the chaotic scene.

"Yeah, I'm good," Johnny replied. "But my flames have no effect on them." More roars and screeches grabbed the attention of the family of superheroes. They turned to see many of the demons running rampant across the streets around them, smoke and fire reaching for the skies and screams of people echoing all around them.

"Well, Firefly," Ben yelled out, cracking his knuckles, "you blind them and I'll clobber them." And with that, the Thing began charging towards the demons, the Torch soon following with the Richards close behind in the Fantasti-Car.

"My God, Reed," Sue muttered to herself as her husband tried scanning the invading hordes with his PDA scanner and the Fantasti-Car's equipment. "What are these things?"

"I...I have no idea, Sue," Reed replied, a look of confusion and worry on his face. "I have no idea at all."

As one, Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch and The Thing began unleashing themselves into the fray, attacking demons left and right and trying to save as many people as they could. But with how much destruction was going on, and how much death was now occurring, it seemed like not even the Fantastic Four could make a dent. That wouldn't stop the First Family of Heroes from trying, however.

Whatever came, they would face it head-on together, as one.


Office of Pepper Potts. Stark Tower, Midtown, Manhattan, NY

1:54 PM EST, Wed 23 August 2010


The office echoed with pants, moans and cries of pleasure and ecstasy. There was a mess papers and files scattered everywhere, mixed along with several articles of clothing. On the floor, Pepper rode Tony like nobody's business, their breaths coming fast and short as they moved together in sync.

'Sir.'

Tony ignored the voice of his AI. He was enjoying the pleasure of the moment, one with the woman who held his heart in her hand.

'Sir, there is an emergency.'

Again, no response save for more moans of ecstasy.

"Sir, dozens upon dozens of extradimensional portals have opened throughout the island of Manhattan. Hundreds of large and reptilian creatures are emerging from them. They've essentially invaded Manhattan, killing any and every one they find. Reports confirm that the New York City Police Department and the local SHIELD offices are responding accordingly. Heroes and vigilantes across the city are fighting back, most notably Captain Marvel and Spider Woman, as well as the Fantastic Four. There is rampant destruction across the island, and the dead count has already past the thousand-mark."

Tony and Pepper froze in their movements, the news washing over them like a cold shower. In that moment, their moods were dampened. Realizing the impact of this news, Tony sighed as he rubbed his face. "Alright JARVIS, I hear you." Pepper got off him, both quickly getting up and dressing themselves before going to the windows. What they saw was horrifying.

"Oh God," Pepper muttered in horror. The streets below were ridden with destroyed cars, buses and taxies. Fire and smoke were roaring and stretching to the skies, with glowing circular shapes peppering the city. Building were getting trashed and people were running in panic and chaos. All the while, reptilian-like creatures were attacking left and right, coming out of the glowing shapes and attack everything and everyone they could, killing people left and right.

"JARVIS, get the Mk XVII activated and ready," Tony quickly said, his eyes wide in shock and horror. "Now!" He then turned to Pepper. "Pepper, I got to-"

"It's okay. Go save the world," Pepper replied with concern. "Just make sure you come back."

"I will, promise."

'Sir… the Stark Tower Armory is on complete lockdown,' JARVIS then said. 'All normal override protocols are unsuccessful.'

A chill went down Tony's spine. "JARVIS, what do you mean the Armory is on lockdown? All my armors are there! I need a suit, now!"

It was the longest two minutes in Tony's life before JARVIS again spoke. 'There are only two functioning armors outside the Armory. The damaged Mk VII that is under repairs after your last battle with the Crimson Dynamo, and the new untested Mk XX.'

The new Mk XX was Tony's best and latest armor yet; it would be his ideal choice for the situation. But the problem was that it was in his Malibu home, on the other side of the country. He quickly tried to calculate and review his options. "JARVIS, how fast can the Mk XX get here? And what is the status on the Mk VII?"

"Tony," Pepper quickly said, fear on her face. "You aren't seriously-!"

'Mk XX calculated ETA: roughly thirty minutes at approximately Mach 5 speed. The current Mk VII repair status is at 47%.'

Tony frowned it wasn't good then he looked down at the people been killed and made his decision. "Ok, launch the Mk XX, and activate the Mk VII. And find out what the hell is going on in my armory!"

A few moments later, a red and gold armor flew into the room, sparking and dented, damaged as JARVIS had mentioned. Despite his reservations, Tony knew that he had no choice right now. Pepper, however, was horrified at the thought of the billionaire going out in such a damaged suit. "Tony, please, you-!"

"Pepper, there are lives at stake down there! People are dying! I can't just sit here waiting for the Mk XX to arrive!"

"Tony the whole world doesn't have to rest on your shoulders. For once, be selfish and let SHIELD handle it!"

"I was selfish for too many years." The Mk VII opened up and Tony stepped inside. "I'll be back, Pepper, I promise! I love you!" And with that, the Invincible Iron Man flew outside and down towards the invasion below. However, at the moment, Tony Stark felt anything but invincible. "JARVIS, get me a systems update, now!"

'Main power is at 46%, with reserve power at 65%. Armor shields are at a low 40%; I recommend not taking any direct hits. The uni-beam is out of power, and the recharge sequence has been initiated. However, I strongly recommend not using it; with the Mk VII in its current condition, once fired, all armor systems will likely fail. All other weapons are empty.'

Tony cursed under his breath. "Keep me updated on the remaining power supply and the uni-beam charge. Same with the ETA on the Mk XX." Seeing the destruction before him, he added, "Where the hell are SHIELD in all this?!"

'The SHIELD stations within Manhattan have already responded accordingly, sir. The SHIELD Helicarrier, is currently over the Pacific Ocean, and will not be here for several more hours.'

"World's foremost security force at its finest," Tony muttered. As he flew, he began firing his repulsors at every demon he could, shooting left and right. The thrusters began failing momentarily before JARVIS quickly righted them, helping Tony avoid a demon's blow. "Anything on what made this all happen?!"

'I'm sensing an extremely large buildup of an unknown energy type within the area of Central Park, especially within its southern-central region. The energy matches rough analyses of the portal energy buildup. Captain Marvel and the SHIELD sanctioned superhero Spider Woman are currently nearing the vicinity, both currently in battle against the hordes. Sensors indicate they are heading towards the source of energy.'

"Maybe they know something about what's going on...alright, let's head to Central Park." With that, Iron Man veered towards Columbus Circle, shooting repulsor blasts at demons as he did so. His sensors soon began blinking red in warning, however, as power began failing in his thrusters once more. "JARVIS, start diverting more power to the thrusters!"

'Sir, I would strongly advise against such action,' JARVIS replied. 'Diverting power to the thrusters will increase speed and stability, but power levels will drop to 23% and flight will be imposs-"

"JARVIS, don't argue with me and just do it!"

Tony soon felt the surge of speed as he flew downwards towards a demon hacking away at a bus, charging his gauntlet covered fist with energy.


SHIELD Super Villain Prison No. 4: The Raft. Location: Bottom of East River. NY

1:59 PM EST, Wed 23 August 2010


One of four prisons created by SHIELD to house and hold superhuman and mutant criminals, the Raft held some of the worst of the worst. The main prison complex was located at the bottom of the New York East River, with a refitted "decommissioned" cargo ship right above the prison, connected. All prisoners were tagged with a collar that delivered a paralyzing agent at the slightest hint of aggression. The walls were armed with automatic guns, and guards licensed to kill instead of capture walked the halls, armed with some of the best weaponry the agency could build and provide. Each corridor held several cells, all holding a plethora of supervillains notorious across the globe. Along one such corridor walked three people, two specialized SHIELD agents and a new transferred prisoner.

The first one was a stunningly attractive redheaded woman wearing a black latex-Kevlar body suit with twin guns strapped to her thighs. On her wrists were yellow and black stingers, each charged with electricity capable of delivering shocking blows. SHIELD Agent Natasha Romanov, also known as the Black Widow, carried a MP90 machine gun in her hands, loaded and partially pointed at the transferred prisoner.

The prisoner was a man notorious for his deadly skills and ruthlessness. Wearing a purple Kevlar suit with black and white fur shoulder pads, he also wore a purple mask with white eye lenses. On his neck was a collar, just like the rest of the prisoners. His hands were bound with specially designed SHIELD handcuffs, capable of delivering a five thousand volt charge into the nervous system. Baron Zemo was one of Hydra's high ranking and deadly members. He was currently glaring meticulously at the other agent escorting him.

This second agent was tall and muscular, well built. He wore a Kevlar and body armor suit stylized in the form of the American flag. A cowl rested on his head, and a large adamantium/vibranium shield was strapped to his wrist. The man was a symbol of liberty and freedom that fought for truth and justice. The sentinel of Liberty and hero of WWII, frozen in time for more than sixty years before being found on ice and awakened several years ago. Steve Rogers, known to the world as Captain America.

"You haven't won anything, Captain," Zemo suddenly said, casually at that. "In fact, you haven't even arrived at the battle field."

Captain America just scowled and shoved Zemo, making him stumble slightly before continuing to move forward; the man sure did love to talk. "Zemo, just admit it; you fought and you lost. Just like you lost the war."

"Oh, but Captain, who said the war was lost? We are still fighting; Hydra is still very much alive and here you are: a blast from the past ready to take us on again. No, my dear Captain; the war is still raging on. The only thing that has change are the toys."

"Would you shut up already?" Natasha said, driving the butt of her MP90 into his back. Zemo double over in pain from the strike. "Captain, you really need to pick less chatty enemies. Zemo, Zola, Von Strucker…"

Captain America shrugged before shoving Zemo forward, making him walk again. "They always talk; but in the end, justice prevails and they're where they belong. Behind bars...or a concentrated highly charged force field. You're right, Zemo, the toys are better. But in the end, you're the scum you always were."

Zemo remained calm as he again began walking. "But Captain, the games are just starting, and the past has an interesting way of catching up to us. Wouldn't you agreed, my dear?" he suddenly added, turning to the Russian agent. "I've read of your exploits in the past. How much water must one need to wash away all that blood…?"

Natasha remained emotionless at face value, while her rage flared inside her. Before she could put a bullet in Zemo's head, thought, they arrived at Zemo's designated cell. The Captain shoved the Hydra terrorist into it, not too gently at that, causing Zemo trip to fall onto the metal bed.

"Enjoy your stay, Zemo," Rogers said, glaring at the villain as the cell gates activated. "You'll be staying here for a long time." At that, both agents turned around and left, leaving the corridor and soon the prison complex. Zemo soon sat down crossed legged, smiling to himself under his mask.

"We will be seen each other much, much sooner than you can imagine, my good Captain."

On the elevator leading from the prison complex back to the cargo ship above, Steve and Natasha were silent. The super soldier pondered over Zemo's words in his mind, subtly turning to his Russian counterpart. She had been quiet since Zemo's comment, an emotionless look on her face and her emerald eyes narrowed. Steve knew that it had hit a nerve in her. He knew he should try to shake her from whatever thoughts she had in her mind. As a veteran leader, he knew when to give those under him time to themselves and when to distract them from what they faced.

"So are you going to Clint and Bobbi's wedding?"

Natasha looked up in surprised, shaken from her thoughts. She turned to her American counterpart, registering his words and soon gave a small smile. "That's if Clint finally found the 'right' ring." The two chuckled at that. "Although," she added, "at this point, I think it's Bobbi who will end up bending the knee." She gave him a small nod, grateful to Steve for distracting her from her thoughts.

They soon reached the top, the elevator bringing them to the cargo ship tower, refitted as a SHIELD command center, air tower and agents' quarters. To their surprise, alarms were blaring, agents rushing left and right. Steve quickly grabbed the arm of one. "What's going on, soldier?"

"We're getting data and transmissions from the Manhattan offices of an invasion. The warden and commanding officers are scrambling Raft defenses in case we get hit."

That shocked the two agents. "Where's the warden now?" Natasha asked.

"In the command center offices, coordinating with the guards." The agent rushed off to wherever she was going. The two specialized agents looked at each other in wariness before rushing off out of the tower onto the ship's deck. The deck, refitted and customized as an air deck, held several SHIELD transport and attack choppers, as well as the attack-transport jet they had arrived in. They rushed for it and headed up the ramp inside, where their three teammates were on video transmission with SHIELD Agent Coulson.

In the pilot seat was a dark haired man in his late twenties wearing a black Kevlar suit with dark purple linings, as well as fingerless gloves. Strapped to his back was a high tech quiver filled with high tech trick arrows and arrowheads, a modernized compound bow folded and strapped to the side. Standing next to him was a beautiful blonde woman in her mid-twenties wearing a blue and white Kevlar suit. Metallic gauntlets covered her lower arms and wrists, and she wore dark blue combat boots that went up to her knees. High tech white goggles with yellow lenses covered her eyes, with several displays on them. On her thighs, twin metallic escrima sticks were strapped: her trademark battle staves, ready to lay waste to her enemies.

"...Apocalyptic bad, literally," Coulson was saying as Steve and Natasha approached. "The creatures are nothing like we have on any data systems. We're calling them demons due to their appearances; they've already caused more than a few thousand casualties, and their attack only started a little more than twenty minutes ago. Our Manhattan offices are already responding and aiding the NYPD. Drew is already on scene, working with Captain Marvel. They're currently en route to Central Park; we believe the source of this attack is there. Your orders are to rendezvous with and join them in their efforts. Director Fury's currently in a meeting with the World Security Council, and Hill's in command for now."

The blonde woman sighed, crossing her arms. "Never a dull moment in our lives, huh Phil?

"What about heavy duty backup?" the man asked. "Like the US Army or SHIELD reinforcements?"

"We're in communication with the Pentagon and US Joint Chiefs, Barton. They're scrambling the National Guard, Army and Air Force as we speak. General Ross and several battalions of his HulkBusters were confirmed as present in lower Manhattan, providing security and guard detail for the trial of Bruce Banner today at the Manhattan Supreme Court building. They've been confirmed as engaging the enemy. The Helicarrier is too far away, but we're scrambling units from other bases on the continent."

"I assume this is about the invasion Natasha and I heard in the Raft command tower?" Steve said as he and Natasha entered. "The agents here are going crazy about it, prepping the Raft for attack."

"Right on the nail, Cap," the third member of the team replied, sitting in the co-pilot seat, allowed her fist to glow dangerously with bright yellow bioelectrical energy. She had dark short hair and wore a black Kevlar suit with a yellow design of a stinger going from her chest all the way to between her legs. On her back, small and thin openings allowed for transparent wings to grow from her back when she willed them. "So," she continued as she turned back to the screen, "basically, we're mostly on our own against invading armies of demons straight out of Hollywood, that we don't know anything about. How the hell are we supposed to fight something like this?"

"Same as we always do, Jan," the super soldier replied. "Never back down, and when they hit hard, we hit them back even harder. We're on it, Coulson."

"That's a copy, Captain," Coulson replied. "Reinforcements on their way. Good luck." With that, he signed off and Cap ordered Barton and Jan to get their jet to Manhattan. Within moments, they were in the air and rushed their jet towards the city, specifically towards Central Park. As they were above the burning and crumbling city, they lowered their jet to better see the chaos. Plumes of smoke and flames reached for them, and sirens could be heard, as could the screams of people and roars of the invading demons. The team was horrified at the sight below; the country hadn't ever seen an invasion of this scale before. Quickly, Jan activated the weapons systems and began unleashing hell, shooting the creatures best she could with machine guns and missiles.

Just ahead, a particularly large demon carrying made of hellfire rose from the streets, standing at a full 30 ft in height. It had seen the jet attacking its fellow demons and quickly jumped into the air, its sword in hand as it aimed for the jet.

"HOLY SHIT!" Barton yelled out, trying to swerve the jet out of the way. It was futile, however, as the demon struck and landed a powerful hit, slicing off one of the wings. The jet quickly began plummeting towards the ground, flames roaring from on the jet from the sword strike. "I can't control it, team!" Barton yelled out, struggling with the controls. "Brace yourselves for impact! We're going down!"

"No soldier," Rogers yelled out as he punched the launch ramp button, opening the rear ramp. "We're heading out! Hit fast and hit hard, team!" With that, he jumped out shield first. The other members didn't even react as most people would. The woman in the co-pilot seat simply shrunk herself to minute size, fists glowing and insectoid-like wings sprouting from her back, and quickly flew off after him.

"At least we're not far from Central Park," Natasha offered as she readied her MP90.

"Old man really knows how to make an entrance," Barton joked as he readies his bow. With that, he and the rest of the team jumped out of the burning jets, moments before it crashed into a nearby building with a powerful explosion. The specialized agents landed with skill and grace, using vehicles and even some of the demons to land. They landed weapons ready, seeing Cap and Jan already engaged with the demons, delivering powerful blows. The other three soon joined in weapons blazing and skillsets on full display, fighting back against the demons and giving people chances to escape the carnage.

Agent Natasha Romanov, codename: Black Widow

Agent Clint Barton, codename: Hawkeye

Agent Barbara 'Bobbi' Morse, codename: Mockingbird

Agent Janet Van Dyne, codename: Wasp.

Steve Rogers, Captain America. The world's first superhero.

Secret Warriors.

The five agents fought their way to Central Park, striking down demon after demon. The air was filled with the vicious roars and screams of the demons, as they were hit fast and hard, mixed with the sounds of gunfire, explosions, energy bursts and impacts. Handfuls of demons collapsed as the Warriors brutally fought their way ahead and closer towards their objective target.

"So, are we sure we're actually killing these things?!" Wasp yelled out, zooming and zigzagging as she flew above and around the demons. Her stinger blasts were working overtime as she fired left and right, making the demons roar in rage and pain.

"Looks like it," Hawkeye called back with a shrug. He fired two explosive arrows and a leaping pair of demons, hitting both in the chest. Both were consumed in the explosions, sending demon flesh and blood flying in all directions. "Ok, yeah it definitely looks like it!"

Widow happened to be right in the radius of the blood splatter, and was drenched in a good amount of demon blood. "Yeah, definitely feels like it," the Russian muttered, shaking the liquid off her as she continued firing.

"Heads up, team, we have incoming!" Captain America called out, looking back in the direction they had come from. They all could see the 35ft demon that had attacked their jet coming around the corner two blocks away. It saw the five of them and unleashed an unearthly and bestial roar, brandishing its flaming sword and lumbering towards them, crushing anything under its foot.

"Hold on, I got this!" Wasp began to say. Before she could actually do anything, though, the demon roared as barrage of energy blasts struck it from behind, making it stumble slightly. Something then struck the demon's skull in full force, sending the large titan crashing down towards the streets.

"Scramble!" Natasha yelled out as she, the other Warriors and even other demons rushed to get out of the way. The large demon landed with a thunderous boom on the streets, its sword still flaming as it clattered loudly onto a nearby bus, cutting it in two.

Landing with a powerful thud onto the now struggling demon, who was trying to get up, was a battered and damaged Iron Man. "JARVIS, put more power into the repulsors!" he yelled out as his gauntlets began glowing with power. A second later, the familiar whining of ARC energy rang out as Iron Man fired his repulsors at point blank range at the demon's head. It roared in rage and agony at the hit, and with a piercing white light appearing, its skull exploded in flames and blood and flesh.

'Power levels at 20%,' JARVIS said. 'I did mention that using the thrusters at such-'

"I know, JARVIS," Stark interrupted as he again took to the skies, albeit shakily and with some instability. Turning to the Warriors, particularly to Captain America, he continued, "Captain, you come to town and don't come by to say hi? Don't call, don't write or anything? Now that's rude, Gramps; I'm hurt."

"What the hell happened to you, Tony?" Steve replied, flinging his shield at several demons at his flanks. After meeting the billionaire superhero since waking up, Steve knew that Tony prided himself in his high tech armors. Yet the one he wore looked like it had been through hell, as if he had been through a war zone. Tony was definitely a smart yet crazy man, but Steve didn't think even he was crazy enough to fight in such a badly damaged suit.

"Yeah, Stark," Clint added, shooting a boxing glove arrow at another demon. "You having wardrobe issues?"

"Still playing with sticks, Legolas?" Tony countered with a roll of his eyes under his helmet. He shot a repulsor beam at two demons attempting to take Cap and Hawkeye from behind. "You're welcome, by the way. Something's up with my armory; this was the only suit immediately available. I have another one coming in from the West Coast. It should be here in another twenty minutes."

"If you can last that long, Stark," Romanov replied.

"Here's hoping."

"Stick with us," Cap called out, ramming his shield into a demon's face. "We're heading to Central Park to rendezvous with another one of our team. She and one of the local superheroes have a bead on the source of this invasion. We could use all the help we can get."

"Just heading there now, actually," Stark replied. "I got sensors on Captain Marvel and Spider Woman heading towards what looks like an energy source to all this."

"Better hurry up and get our asses over there, team!" Mockingbird called out. "Those girls are going to need us, if any of this is any indication!" She began running ahead, staves striking any demons coming close to her. She was followed by Hawkeye, and soon the rest, with Stark flying above them, his flight thrusters fluctuating here and there. The six heroes worked in unison in fighting the demons, Stark providing aerial support as the Warriors hit hard and fast, dealing hard blows to the demons while getting as many civilians out of the way as they could.

The sounds of explosions a few blocks ahead echoed violently, with echoing screams of power also following. The sounds of pulsating energy bursts and impacts rang out, with piercing yellow lights shining up ahead as well. Roars and shrieks of demons were mixed alongside the sounds as well, sounding fearful.

"Well, Danvers sure seems to be having fun," Barton mused. "Must help to be one of the most powerful superhumans on the planet."

"Jealous?" Bobbi smirked.

"I wouldn't say no to that kind of power, no."

The heroes soon arrived at the Columbus Circle entrance to Central, welcomed by the sight of hordes of demons, the bodies of dead and mauled humans, and the burning forms of trees and plants. There were also demon bodies lying around as well, along with craters of various sizes in the ground from impacts and scorch marks.

More than a dozen meters away, Captain Marvel and Spider Woman were right in the thick of it. Carol's punches echoing out as she fought the demons viciously. Her mastery of unarmed, close quarters and hand to hand combat was on full display. She also continuously shot out bursts of photonic energy, sending the demons flying. Her eyes were glowing vibrantly as she fought the hordes. Jessica, meanwhile, weaved in and out of the hordes, venom blasts and SHIELD training on full display. It seemed that the demons were paying particularly close attention to her. While this definitely helped Carol, it irritated Jess. Despite the number against them, the two heroines didn't relent but instead simply fought even harder.

"They're getting overrun!" Captain America called out as he charged into the hordes. "Let's get over there!" The Warriors quickly jumped into the fray, striking and hitting any demons they could. Iron Man landed amongst the

"There's too many of these things to fight through, Cap!" Mockingbird replied

"Then let's that down to size!" Tony yelled out as he landed, quickly coming up a plan that, with the current state of his armor, was suicidal. "JARVIS, divert as much power to the uni-beam as we can afford!"

'Sir, at our current levels-'

"Then tap into the reserves! Just give me the uni-beam!" After several moments, the uni-beam began glowing vibrantly on Iron Man's chest. "Everyone, get down!"

At that, the Warriors quickly ducked down into the ground. Captain Marvel and Spider Woman heard the billionaire's screams, turning just in time to see Iron Man launching a devastating uni-beam blast. the two heroines quickly flew into the skies to avoid being hit. Within a second, Stark unleashed his uni-beam, a massive and powerful blast of energy shooting from his chest into the demon hordes. Immediately, many were vaporized while many more sent flying back several dozen meters. Stark managed to continue the burst for almost ten seconds before it fizzled out on its own. Stark almost stumbled, managing to catch himself before collapsing onto his knees.

'Armor power levels now down to 17%,' JARVIS said. 'Rerouting remaining emergency reserve power levels to main power. Reserve power now at 30.332%. Sir, I strongly recommend diverting all remaining power to shields and repulsors until the Mk XX gets here.'

"Don't tell me, just do it."

Captain Marvel landed with a powerful thud by the arriving heroes, Spider Woman following moments after. "About time you guys finally showed up," the British agent said. "This hasn't exactly been easy, fighting off an invasion with just the two of us."

"Speak for yourself," Carol replied, fists glowing. "I could do this all day. She's just upset the creatures won't leave her alone or stop going after her because of her pheromones."

"There's that too, yeah."

"Any luck on locating the source of the invasion, Drew?" Steve asked.

"We've been kind of busy kicking ass, Captain, in case you didn't notice," Jess smirked. "Too many of the demons the closer we got, but that just means that we're on the right track."

"Alright. Good work holding down the fort, Drew; same to you, Captain Marvel. As of now, this is a team effort." The screams of demons began ringing out again as more hordes began amassing and coming from across the park. The heroes got into a defensive circle, ready to fight.

"Don't worry, Cap," Jess replied. "With Captain Marvel on our side, I can't see us losing. I should introduce you two; she's military, like you."

"That so?"

"Proud veteran of the Air Force, Captain," Carol replied, fists glowing as she glared at her best friend. "Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel, formerly Ms. Marvel."

"Good to know; we can get formally acquainted after we stop the world from ending." The demons charged at the heroes, roaring and brandishing their methods. "We need to get to the source of this. Iron Man, Captain Marvel and Wasp: get airborne and head further into the park. Find whatever the source is and try to shut it down. Widow, Hawkeye, Mockingbird and Spider Woman are with me. We will clear some of these demons and join the others as soon as we can."

"My suit is too badly damaged," Stark replied with a shake of his head. "I'm grounded until my new suit arrives."

"Alright; Drew, take Stark's place."

With everyone clear with the plan, the three flying heroines quickly raced off into the skies as the demon hordes attacked. While they headed off deeper into Central Park, the rest engaged the oncoming monsters.

Hawkeye continuously shot arrows, one after the other, while Bobbi covered his back, her staves connected into a bo staff. Natasha ran up to a demon, jumping on its back and emptying her MP90 into its skull, using the inner rage from Zemo earlier as fuel. Utilizing her Red Room and SHIELD training, she jumped with extreme agility, striking as many demons as she could. Tony and Steve were mowing down demons, Steve using his shield to bash demon's skulls and Tony firing his repulsor blasts. Slowly but surely, the heroes were gaining footing, but the demons were too much. Tony saw how the demons were circling them, and once they put them all in a nice tight circle, they were goners.

"Captain, shield up!"

Steve didn't have time to think, simply reacting as he knelt down with his shield over his head. Tony ran at him and jumped, charging his fist with three quarters of the energy he had left. With a yell, he slammed it into Steve's shield, sending a wave of repulsor energy around them knocking the demons back.

'Armor power down to 6%, with reserve power at 23.8%,' JARVIS said. 'Calculated ETA for the Mk XX, ten minutes.'

Tony's chest felt heavy, and he began panting heavily within his armor, almost falling to his knees. The lack of efficient power and the intensity of the fight was putting a lot of stress on his heart and his chestpiece. He looked around as a demon grabbed Captain America by the arm and slammed him into a nearby car. Clint and Bobbi were beating down demon after demon with their arrows and staff. Natasha continued shooting at the demons, her gun bursting nonstop.

"JARVIS, I don't care how, but get my suit here now!" he yelled out as he began rapid firing his repulsors again.

Further into Central park, Blackheart and Mephista had just finished piling the bodies of five virgins they had captured amongst the fleeing humans in a pentagram. Using their blood, they had also created a circle connecting the bodies. In the center of the circle, the hearts of the five virgins sat in another smaller pentagram, their offering to the Haarzareth.

"Now, brother," Mephista laughed. "Start the chant and we will bring this mortals to their knees. Father will rejoice in our success!"

Blackheart kept his face neutral as he nodded, but inside, he couldn't care less if his father was happy or not. The old man's days were numbered; soon, he would have the power he needed to send the old fool to his grave. For now, though, he would play the dutiful son, and thus began the chant. As they began to chant, however, Captain Marvel, Spider Woman and Wasp flew onto the scene. Upon fully registering what was before them, they were utterly horrified at the sight of the butchered bodies of some fifteen year olds.

Carol then landed with a thud, her fists glowing brightly, Jess and Jan remaining airborne with their own fists. "I guess we found the source," Jess said.

"No shit," Jan replied with disgust.

Mephista then turned, hearing them while chanting simultaneously. Blackheart kept chanting, paying them no mind whatsoever.

"Hey, you sick bastards!" Carol yelled at them with a face of disgust and anger. "Get out of the circle and surrender!"

Mephista knew her brother couldn't stop the chant, or the Haarzareth wouldn't be able to cross over. She stop chanting, letting her brother take the bulk of the spell. Stepping out of the pentagram circle, she transformed into her preferred and true form, sneering with deadly intention at the three heroines.

"Bring it bitch," she replied, daring them to attack.


The Arena of Tainted Souls. Fiery Nether Realm, Hell.


Mephisto laughed triumphantly from his seat in the arena. In his hand was a viewing cloud of smoke and he loved the view he was getting. His demons slaughtered humans and mortals by the scores, sending their souls straight to his realm. As the souls entered his domain, they were sent to different torture chambers under his control. But the bulk of the souls came to his arena to fight for all eternity.

He sipped a glass of wine and looked at the center of the arena at someone within the arena in particular, a soul who was now his most prized possession.

In the middle of the arena, a man in his early thirties was chained by his arms and legs between two posts, eagle-spread. His whole body bore a collection of scars from whips, claws and hellfire burn marks. He had short reddish-blonde hair, and he was the sworn enemy of Mephisto.

Mephisto teleported himself, standing in front of the man and smiled deviously. "Would you care for some wine, Johnny? It's from my private stock."

Johnny Blaze looked at Mephisto with hatred in his eyes. "Fuck you, and the goat you spawn from."

Mephisto simply laughed and caressed Johnny's face. "So defiant, even after all these years in my realm. You must get that from Zarathos. Tell me, how is my old friend in there? Is he having fun, seeing so many innocents killed?"

Johnny screamed in outrage and anger. His body started the transformation into the Spirit of Vengeance. However, as it did every time he tried, the chains around his wrist and ankles started glowing bright red, burning him with hell fire. Not only did this cause excruciating pain to Johnny, it also served to stop Zarathos from giving Johnny his powers.

"Now, Johnny, be a good boy and enjoy the festivities," Mephisto chuckled as he teleported back to his throne, just as a few hundred souls appeared in the arena, materializing and screaming in pain. "It's soon for you to fight again...and there are so many new challengers for you to face."

Johnny could only glare with hatred at the laughing devil-lord. For decades, ever since Johnny had been captured by Mephisto for him and Zarathos renegading on his deal of servitude, he had fought demons and other souls here in this arena. If Johnny didn't win in combat against these souls, he would be subjected to the worse kinds of torture possible. For decades, Johnny Blaze had been forced to submit to Mephisto's will, but he still retained a slight shred, a sliver of hope. Within himself, Zarathos rage into insanity with the desire to avenge those who had died. That was Johnny's sliver of hope, that one day they would be free and Zarathos would help him deliver vengeance.

For now, however, all he could do was watch as thousands of innocents died at the hands of Mephisto's demons. All he could do was watch as their souls were sent to Mephisto's Hell for eternal torture and punishment.

All he could do was memorize every face he could, and every cry for help.

For one day, the Ghost Rider would again ride free.

And all who had been lost unto Mephisto, they would one day be avenged.


Civic Center District. Lower Manhattan, NY

2:26 PM EST, Wed 23 August 2010


"Seriously, are you guys the opening act for ComicCon this year?" Peter quipped as he rammed his foot into the back of a demon. Normally, he held back his strength to keep from really hurting whoever he fought, even his enemies. But with the brutality, bloodthirsty and destructiveness that these creatures displayed, and how they were laying waste to Manhattan and killing everyone they touched, Peter couldn't afford to do so now.

The roars of demons surrounded his as Spider-Man continued to web and punch his way through the demonic hell hordes, his Spider Sense working overtime as he tried to get as many people has he could away from the monsters and fighting said monsters.

"I know! You want to audition for that new Dragonforce music video!" Peter quickly shot some webbing at several of the demons' eyes. "Maybe you should try for Imagine Dragon instead. I don't think you have the right look for Dragonforce."

Peter soon found himself in Foley Square, and he was surprised at what he saw. There were several battalions of US HulkBuster soldiers, and many police officers and SWAT fighting and shooting the demonic hell hordes. Bodies of civilians littered the floor, and many police cars and SWAT trucks were up in flames. The HulkBusters and NYPD were trying their hardest to fight off the demons, trying to get as many civilians as possible into the large NYS Supreme Courthouse building to protect them. Several of the soldiers and officers were already on the ground dead. Peter remembered that the trial of the century, over the Incredible Hulk, was happening today, hence the heavy military presence.

Peter saw three HulkBuster soldiers about to be squashed like bugs, as they were trying to get some civilians safely into the courthouse. Using his agility and the last of his current web fluid, he swung down and grabbed the three soldiers by their backs, one by his pants, giving him an accidental wedgie. The soldiers yelped in shock Peter swung them on top of the court house.

"Whoa...thanks, Spider-Man," one of the HB soldiers said.

"No worries," Peter replied as he quickly replaced his web cartridges. "And on the plus side, you have some good shots to take from up here, too." With that, Peter jumped back into the chaotic fray, joining the HulkBusters and police in fighting off the demonic hordes. While not vocalizing any gratitude, the soldiers and cops were very glad that the vigilante was helping them hold their ground. The Webhead fought as hard as he could, shooting webbing left and right, getting in close with the demons when he had to. Working together with the police and HulkBusters, Peter defended the courthouse and the civilians within from the demons.

The courthouse…

A jolting thought then came to Peter's mind: if the HulkBusters were still here, as they were supposed to for the trial earlier today, then that meant…

A loud explosion then rocked the area. A few very large demons had charged the side of the courthouse, breaking the stone walls and crashing into the building. Screams were heard from inside, as well as the yells of soldier and cops that the perimeter had been breached. Gunfire quickly began echoing from within as several cops and soldier rushed into defend the civilians. Peter quickly webbed his way over to the huge gaping wall in the courthouse's side, only to see more demons charging towards the now open courthouse. The human defense forces tried their hardest to hold them back. Roars echoing from within and outside, the Webhead quickly-

"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGHHHHH!"

Silence immediately fell over the immediate area, the soldier and police, and even the demons shocked by the bestial roar that had just rang out. It was a roar of rage and of anger, made by a being that was fueled by rage and anger, a being who was most arguably the most powerful being on the planet. The Amazing Spider-Man recognized the roar, knowing who it belonged to. He had fought him only once before, and had only narrowly escaped with his life. It was one of the toughest battles he had ever fought.

"Oh, no."

Another roar, this one even louder than the one before, followed by devastatingly powerful blow impacts, the sound echoing across for miles.

"Now you did it, you overgrown Disney lizards," Peter said as he landed near the courthouse, facing the demons. "You made him angry."

At that, the three demons that had crashed into the courthouse flew out of it and into a building several blocks away, all three bloody and bruised. As they did so, one final roar echoed out, but this one now was a roaring cry.

"HULK SMASH!"


Hello, guys. Harlequin K here, and another chapter has come and gone. And what a ride; things have seriously gone to hell now. Our heroes are fighting with everything they have but it just isn't enough. I loved writing this chapter for you guys and I hope you enjoy it. And if you look very carefully, the founding roster has already been shown. If you can spot all of them, I will answer 3 questions full of spoilers about this story.

ChrisZillas18: yes, this will be a Peter and Carol pairing story because I'm a huge fan of those. I'm sure this chapter answers your other question, as our favorite Web Slinger is here. As for the cameo, heh heh, my lips are sealed on that one.

There will be plenty of action and romance in this story. It's a massive story, with several arcs. So please read, enjoy and leave Reviews. I will answer all questions and accept all reviews. All questions please leave them in a review and I will answer all of them.

A shout out to my friends Reborn Dark Phoenix and Dakkaman777, who are phenomenal and amazing writers. If you love Peter and Carol Stories go read their stories.

Harlequin K