Tokyo, Japan, SHIELD Danger Classification: 1

Tsunon Sasuki walks through the streets. His shirt pocket conceals a SHIELD badge, and the inbuilt communicator. He enters a shopping mall and immediately disappears among the crowd, pushing his way to the nearest escalators. He reaches the top, and looks up through the glass dome above. He sees his target, a man in a black, skintight suit, with glowing green lines running across. The target looks down at the agent, his blue mask hiding his expression. All he gives is a thumbs up, before clicking his fingers.

VWOOSH! Blue energy pulses through the mall, people are knocked over, some being killed on contact. Blood splashes up the walls and shop window. The building begins to collapse. The agent pulls his badge out, and presses the head of the eagle depicted in the logo, "Director Fury! I was too late, I'm sorry! Kang beat me."

Tokyo, Japan, SHIELD Danger Classification: 8

Alaska, USA, SHIELD Danger Classification: 1

Don Blake sits in a bar, chugging a jug of beer. "You might as well leave, Fury. I'm not going back."

The one-eyed Fury sits down next to him. "Ten bucks says I can bring you back." He slams a file down onto the counter and slides it in front of Don. "There's an…emergency. One that only you can sort out. Well, only you and Tony."

"First you try bringing me back to the organisation that stabbed me in the back, then you try partnering me with the man who stole my notes to build that retched suit of his! You've really drank a few too many in the helicopter."

Fury sighs heavily, "At least listen to what I have to say."

Slamming his jug on the counter, sending a thin crack up the side, Don turns to Fury, "Fine."

"Two weeks ago, SHIELD received word of a terrorist scheme to attack the most powerful governments in the world." He opens the file, showing pictures of the Tokyo destruction.

"Then why was Japan bombed? America has more nukes, more power, than them."

"Japan isn't as powerful army wise, but the technology there is…well…amazing. That's what I assumed they were bombed for. But what I didn't know, is that in reality, an organisation in Tokyo had recently developed what could be classed as a super soldier serum. We learnt this three days ago, the bomb went off. The only thing we know, is that the organisation behind it is called Kang. Only one bomber has been seen at the three sites, but intel says there are more, creating, planning, and preparing."

"Three? I've only heard of Tokyo."

Laughing, Fury continues, "Afghanistan, four days ago, a previously unknown nuclear warhead development facility was destroyed by the same bomb. When SHIELD arrived, the warheads had been cleared out, with only the files left behind. You can see why that bombing was kept secret." He pulls out a document showing images of the facility, then another showing a desert. "Five days ago, a bomb went off in the Australian outback. The funny thing about this one, is that it was an Austalian-funded, Japanese-run experimenting facility for the very serum that led to the destruction of three blocks of Tokyo. But the serum is nothing, as far as we're aware, there hasn't been any problems with it, no rogues or anything."

"Why did you bring me in then? My area of expertise is super soldiers. If that's not why…"

"Kang. We want you to help with the Kang situation. You and Tony. You're both smart, you've both got technology strapped to you bodies, and you've both got something in common: you're nerds who spend your days in laboratories and at celebratory cocktail parties."

"I want a room in that fancy new facility of yours, my old department back, Dr Banner at my side again, and Pym to be moved to the other end of the facility to where I work. I don't want to see the face of that rat ***tard."

"Done, done and done." Fury smiles, closes the file and puts it under his arm. "When will we be seeing you?"

Don stands up, "I'm done here." He pulls a SHIELD badge out of his pocket and waves it to the bartender, "We weren't here."

Don walks away, leaving Fury wondering why he kept the badge.

He rushes after Don, who pushes the door open and enters the cold night air. He walks over to a crowd of people and pushes through. Getting to the middle, he sees his large, metal hammer, with three men trying to lift it. "That would be mine." They step back.

"Good luck lifting it."

He grabs the handle and lifts with no effort at all, then walks away. He approaches Fury. "The copter will be here any minute. We'll be back in New York by tomorrow morning."

"I'll see you then." He swings his hammer, then smacks it on the ground, disappearing in a roaring flash of lightning.

Foster Live Studio, New York City, SHIELD Danger Classification: 1

"Mr Stark, It's my understanding that your latest technological breakthrough, the RepulsorTech, is due to be handed over to SHIELD sometime in the next week. Are the rumours of this true?"

Tony sits in the red seat opposite Jane Foster. "The RepulsorTech will be remaining in my possession. But if Director Fury wants to attempt to develop his own, then I say good luck. It took me five years to crack it."

"What about Iron Man? Will the RepulsorTech be implemented on it?"

Stark laughs, "Of course. The RepulsorTech research was only continued after the great Stark Fall 0f 2012 because of Iron Man. RepulsorTech, as we speak, is being built into the Iron Man armour by my lovely artificial intelligence, JARVIS." He winks at the camera.

"So what you're saying is, you're taking the second greatest super soldier weapon on the planet, and making it even more powerful?"

"Second? Who would be first?"

"Well, Thor of course. You don't mean to say that you believe him below you, do you?"

"I think Thor is hyped up a bit more than he should be. His God Complex is bad enough as it is, don't fuel it." As he says it he flinches, as if expecting Don to appear and beat him. "I'm not saying the old doctor hasn't created ground breaking technology, but he definitely isn't the best out there." He looks straight at the camera. "Don, if you're watching this, I have a message. Iron Man could beat Thor any day. I'd like to see you try."

SHIELD Summit, former Manhattan bay, SHIELD Danger Classification: 1

Hank Pym sits in his lab, watching the television screen. Next to him sits Janet Van Dyne, and his intern Scott Lang. "Stark is begging to be smacked in the face by Don."

"You're the one to talk. He actually did hit you." Janet laughs, then strokes her boyfriend's arm, "But you're changed."

"I just hope Don sees that." He bites his lip, "Anyway, we should get going." He takes his lab coat off and grabs his briefcase, "See you tomorrow, Scott. If we're lucky, Fury will give us permission to test the formula as well."

Janet hugs Hank, and the two set off. "Bye Scott!" She winks as they leave the room.

The two enter the elevator. "What are you playing at?"

"Sorry, what?" Janet looks confused.

"You're flirting with Scott. What are you getting out of it? A happy time in the decontamination chamber? I don't think so. What are you doing?"

"Are you saying I couldn't get him if I wanted?" She was angry, and tired of Hank talking in a condescending way.

"I'm not saying that. I'm saying even you're not slutty enough to cheat."

Janet gasps, "So that's what you think of me? I'm a slut?"

"Oh come on, Jan! You dress like a downtown prostitute!" He suddenly feels her hand slap him across the face. "Keep your hands off of me!"

"You know what? I might just do that!" She takes the engagement ring off of her finger and throws it on the floor and stomps on it. After the loud crack, she turns to face the elevator doors as they open. "We're through Hank! No relationship, no…dirty hand grabbing, no nothing! She marches across the lobby. Hank stands in the elevator, shocked. He looks down at the ring, and picks up the pieces.

Paranormal Examination, Guard And Scientifically Undertaken Search (PEGASUS) Facility, Arizona, SHIELD Danger Classification: 6

The brown-haired Maria Hill marches down the main hallway. "Open all gates through sectors 7 and 11, I want to get straight through!" She pulls her hand away from the communicator in her ear. The door before her opens, and she marches through the large room, not even looking at the various artefacts around her. The next door opens, and through it she sees the next doors open, and the next. She enters the final room, turns left and heads into sector 10. She stands on a circular pad in the middle of the room, which immediately lowers. "Okay, explain what's going on. Don't hold back any details."

"At 23:09 yesterday, the rod became active. It began releasing energy, and emitting flashes of light every three minutes. It's been under constant surveillance, and it's shown no signs of dangerous activity. However, we have kept our distance in case something was to happen."

"Get Fury on the line. He'll want to hear about this." The platform she stands on finishes lowering in the massive underground chamber that houses the rod in question. "How has the evacuation gone?"

"99% of the PEGASUS Agents have evacuated, with the remaining 1% standing in this very room."

Maria looks at the four other people, "Okay, lets' get this sucker launched."

She puts on a pair of thick, black, armoured gloves. "Get the case open." She approaches the podium, where the scarlet-coloured rod sits in an artificially generated magnetic field. She grabs the staff, and takes it to the case, which is held open by two of the agents. As soon as she places it inside, the two let go of the lid and it slams shut, and a number of clicks are heard. Three glass tubes run along the lid, with another two on the side. The tubes are filled with a bubbling pale blue liquid, which is sucked to one end of the pipe, straight into the internal area of the container. "Okay, it's isolated. Get the rocket ready."

The fourth member approaches a door in the wall, and presses numbers on the keypad. The door opens, revealing a set of double doors, with thick glass windows built in. The double doors open, and Maria places the case inside. "Commander Hill, what if this doesn't work? I understand that the rocket has been stabilised, but what if the rod reacts?"

"This rod is about to be heated to melting point within 73 seconds of these doors closing. It won't be doing anything." The double doors close automatically, and Maria closes the other one. "It's getting launched into the Earth's mantle, it'll be done with soon."

A loud crackle, followed by the sound of metal crashing signals the pod the case lies in has been launched. "No!" KREEK! The doors are forced open, and the concrete wall cracks apart. The metal walls of the pods' initial descent are pulled away and dragged back up. "The rod belongs to me!" Maria looks up to see a man in a black, skintight suit, glowing green lines and a blue mask. The case is dragged up into the air. Maria fires at the man, but her bullets seem to be deflected. The container breaks apart and the attacker grabs the rod, shaking the liquid off. "A chemical created to neutralise the energy outflow, clever. However did you ever think that its' true owner would be able to notice his prize jewel dropping off the map? The Scarlet Centurion is mine, and it will stay that way." He disappears in a flash of blue light.