Hi everyone. I'm glad you liked the start of that. Here's the first mission together. I hope you enjoy it.


Chapter 2: Mission 1 part 1

Location: Meat Planting District, New York City

Time: 2:03 A.M.

I watched from my position. No sign of suspicious activity, yet. But as every New Yorker knows there's always more going on underneath than people see. Illegal drugs being smuggled around, people being abducted for whatever reasons, and villains making plans in their secret lairs. Sadly, a lot of them don't deal with secret lairs anymore. They're out in the open, in Stern's new imperial country… the roles have been reversed. The heroes are in hiding and the villains are in the open. Just sick.

"Hawkeye here. What's your status?" I heard him through my comm. I reached up to listen to the response.

"Black Widow here. We got some HYDRA agents moving a van three blocks from your position, Agent."

I answered. "Agent here. I'm on it." Yeah, I know. Not the most creative codename, but I wasn't looking for creativity. It would get the job done.

Pulling out some high-resolution binoculars I looked around. Folks down in the lab know what they're doing when they make tools. I could see through several buildings and spotted the van. There they were, in their creepy greenish uniforms. Why that was required for HYDRA agents to wear I have no idea. Maybe Red Skull wanted to feel unique, being a red spot in a sea of green.

My binoculars showed that Black Widow was on their trail. She was running across the tops of buildings, keeping an eye on that van. Soon Hawkeye would join her. In the meantime, I would be hitching a ride.

"So what's so important about this package that Fury wants it?" Stark asked on the comm.

I answered, "HYDRA's transporting something from Stark Industries. I doubt it was something you were designing to help medical procedures or increase the education systems. If we can get our hands for it, maybe we can get an idea regarding what AIM wants with your company."

The van rolled by, so I had to make my move. I leapt off the building and dove to the van. When I landed I didn't make a sound. My suit was specially designed to be durable, and if I were to crash against something it wouldn't make a sound. I was also protected from any damage, so no broken ribs on my part. The magnetic tips in my gloves locked onto the van, keeping me in place while they drove on.

The van then turned down an alley, where, to my surprise, there was a brick wall at the end. That's… kinda cliché, even for HYDRA. A crack appeared in the middle of the wall, and it split apart like a pair of sliding doors at the grocery store. The van drove right through it, the top barely being big enough for me to make it through with them. I had to press myself flatter against the top of the van to avoid getting crushed.

The doors closed behind the van. Looks like Black Widow and Hawkeye will have to find another way in. But they were legends in SHIELD long before they joined the Avengers. They would find a way to get in. Come on, Agent. Focus on the here and now. These HYDRA scumbags are going somewhere, and they don't want anyone to know about it. In this world they were living in, that has to mean this was extremely powerful, extremely dangerous, or both. No matter what, whoever wanted it couldn't be allowed to have it.

Took several minutes, but we finally made it out in a wider space. Probably an abandoned underground parking garage redesigned for a former secret lab. Whatever it was, there was a lot of dangerous HYDRA tech here. Wouldn't surprise me if Zola had used this place for his experiments in the past. However, what surprised me was what I saw.

"You're late." Someone in a yellow beekeeper-like suit said.

One of the HYDRA agents, a woman, judging from the lipstick and ponytail, got out of the van. "This required extra measures."

"Why? We have nothing to fear. Not anymore." The leader of the AIM scientists said. Yeah, I said AIM. Advanced Idea Mechanics, dealing with HYDRA. That was a shocker. Even with things as they are now, the two organizations hate each other's guts. And AIM was supposed to be in control of Stark's company. Why would they need HYDRA to get this? Unless…

"You forget, that SHIELD is still out there." A feminine voice said. I shivered as I heard her speak, because only one woman talked like that. Viper stepped out of the back of the van carrying something in her arms. One of HYDRA's deadliest soldiers, she was ranked high on SHIELD's most wanted list. And it wasn't for her bad fashion. Seriously. Who goes around wearing green lipstick with greenish hair in green tights?

"But they're not in this country. Not anymore." A younger-sounding AIM soldier said. I couldn't tell them apart from looks. Had to rely on sound. "You people took out every base, every building, that belonged to SHIELD when you came out of hiding. Heck, you even wiped out their schools and every student with them." He didn't say heck though.

"But SHIELD is like a giant cockroach." Viper said as she noticed a bug crawling by. "Crush it, and they still come back." She stepped on the bug. "They also interfere in countries where they are not wanted. It's only a matter a time before Fury tries to meddle in our affairs again. When he does, we need to be sure to remove his head from SHIELD's shoulders." The thing she was carrying in her arms couldn't be described as a suitcase. It was more like a vault or a safe. How did she get so strong? "The present, ready for your boss to work on."

"MODOK will be pleased with this." The lead AIM scientist said. "Not even Stark's father dared to continue with this."

"Then you can take it and go." Viper said. "In the meantime, HYDRA will deal with the spy." She turned to the van and looked right at me. Time to move.

I deactivated the magnetic tips and leapt off the van right as it exploded. I rolled across the ground, avoiding shrapnel and debris. As I looked back I saw the HYDRA agents pointing their dangerous guns at me. I think these were designed to be incredibly dangerous flamethrowers. I reached for my weapon when something wrapped around my neck. I was jerked back and brought face-to-face with Viper.

She didn't smile when she saw my face. "What is this? A new agent?"

"I go by Agent." I told her while trying to get free.

She tightened her grip. "You should've known better than to cast your lot in with SHIELD. Fury obviously hasn't told you what happened to his last few thousand agents when this war began." She took a breath, but then cried out in pain. She fell over, an arrow attached to her back.

"Yeah, meeting someone famous can be quite the shock." Hawkeye said as he lowered himself and Black Widow to the ground. Before the soldiers of HYDRA could react Romanov shot them with her Widow's Stingers, knocking them out. "Yo, newbie. You should've been stealthier."

"I was." I said as I got Viper's whip off my neck. "AIM was here. HYDRA just gave them something."

"AIM? Working with HYDRA?" Black Widow asked me.

"We need to get that package before it gets to MODOK." I told them.

"On it." Hawkeye said as he disappeared into the building. Black Widow and I were going to follow, but gunshots prevented us. We ducked behind some old equipment as many footsteps echoed through the place. There were voices as more gunshots echoed through the place.

I pulled out my gun, Sergeant's Fury, and turned off the safety. I looked at Romanov. She nodded in understanding. I rolled to the side and began firing. I hit some of the HYDRA agents while Black Widow took others out with her karate moves. However, there were more and more soldiers coming.

I kept shooting them. We had to get that package. We had to catch up to Hawkeye. Black Widow shot several with her stingers, taking them down. I looked at the gun I had. Couldn't those scientists give me something with a little more bite? I put my weapon away and went to punching the HYDRA agents. My fists were something I know that worked effectively. Sure enough I began taking these scumbags down.

"Gah!" I fell backwards. Several of them got me, but their weapons didn't get through my suit thankfully. Something those Brainiac's got right. I pulled the bullets out just as several HYDRA agents pointed their guns at my head. The only unprotected spot on me.

The speakers then turned on, playing a random heavy metal song. I recognized the tune, but I couldn't recall the title. The soldiers looked around confused before several of them got blasted with repulsor rays. The others raised their weapons, but Stark flew in the Armor 35 and knocked them off their feet. He fired the mini missiles from his shoulders and took down the remaining soldiers.

He turned and looked at me, the faceplate sliding up. "Seriously? That's the best you can do on your first mission?"

"I was caught off guard." I said as I got up. "Viper was here."

"Viper? The creepy green lady who acts like a snake?" Stark asked.

Black Widow nodded. "Barton's following her, trying to get a hold of the package."

"Then let's help Robin Hood rob from that witch and give back to poor Fury." Only Stark didn't say witch. His faceplate slid down as he flew after them. Black Widow and I followed him, hearing him blast through walls and taking out any guards left behind.

I called Fury on my comm. "Viper is here. Stark's on her trail. So is Hawkeye."

"Stark?!" Fury asked. "I should've known better than give him back his armor."

"Probably. But it's too late now." I said. "At this rate AIM's going to know that Stark still has an Iron Man suit."

"Then shut him down!"

There was a loud blast and a soldier crashed into the wall in front of us. We knew who did that. We ran down the hall to see Stark blasting a door off its hinges. Once we were through it we saw Hawkeye and Iron Man facing off against Viper and some of her men.

"Stark?" Viper asked. "I thought AIM got rid of you when they got your company."

"Well, you thought wrong." Iron man said. "Iron Man's back, and he's taking what's his. Starting with that little birthday gift you got for AIM."

"Too late." Viper said. "It's long gone. It's been given to someone who will make sure MODOK gets it."

"Should've known that bighead was paying big bucks for it." Iron man shook his head.

Hawkeye put an arrow to his bow. "Guess then we'll have to settle with you and your buddies then."

"Are you aware of nothing? Under the new laws, I am a diplomat for HYDRA. Touch me and you'll be branded criminals."

"We already are." Hawkeye fired his weapon and the arrow shocked one of the agents. He fell writhing to the ground while the others opened fire on us. All four of us moved out of the way while we fired back. Yes, I got my lousy gun out again and shot at them. Hawkeye fired one of his containment arrows at a HYDRA soldier, trapping them in a net.

Iron Man just flew by, blasting their weapons out of their hands. "For an organization who gets weapons from AIM, you could go with something deadlier." A whip then wrapped itself around his neck and pulled him to the ground.

"Sometimes old fashioned is the best route to go, futurist." Viper sneered. She then tightened the whip. To our shock the metal creaked and groaned. She looked at us. "Stay back unless you want the world to lose Iron Man again."

I just shot the whip. "Since when do you know mercy?" Free of the whip, Iron Man turned and blasted Viper away from us. She crashed against the wall, and fell with a groan. She was about to get up, but Iron Man pointed a repulsor at her.

"Now how does it feel?"

Black Widow called SHIELD on her comm. "Director Fury. We got Viper but we lost the package."

"No we didn't." Hawkeye said. "I put a tracker on it. I know where it's going."

"Barton. You, Stark, and Viall go after the package. Romanov, stay with Viper until some of us pick her up and all the HYDRA agents there. Last thing we need is for the world to know that SHIELD's back."

"Is it?" Iron Man asked. "Is it bad to let them know that they aren't as powerful as they say they are? To knock them off their pedestals?"

"Like they did to you?" I asked.

He looked at me. "Yeah, like they did to me."

"Be careful that you're not doing this for the wrong reason, Stark. They may have taken everything from you, and you may be fighting to get it back, but there is a lot more at stake here than your company."

"Really? I thought you liked my company? Big fan?" Iron Man's faceplate slid up. "Or was that just a line to get my attention?"

"Stark, listen." Director Fury said. "Whatever is in that package is something dangerous. Even we didn't know of its existence."

"Really? SHIELD doesn't know something?"

"This is no time for jokes. If MODOK gets his hands on that it could spell disaster for the rest of the world. Get it Stark, and get it yesterday."


This was kind of fun to write. I just hope I got Viper's personality right. I'm not that familiar with her, so I can only hope I did her justice here. This is the start of things to come, so if I needed to make her more dangerous I'll do that later. She could break out of SHIELD, or maybe another villain will bust her out. We'll see. In the meantime, please review and share.
And yes, I did decide to give Viall the codename of Agent. Meant that to be a nod to Marvel: Avengers Alliance.