All characters appearing in Avengers and other Marvel titles are copyrighted to Marvel Entertainment and Stan Lee, and are owned by the Walt Disney Corporation. All real persons mentioned in this story belong to themselves. No infringement of these copyrights or offense to the people mentioned is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder or persons. All original characters are the property of TVfan.
Note: This story is my sequel to "Civil War" in the Captain America section and takes place immediately after that story.
Initiative
By TVfan
Chapter 4: Confrontations
Stark Industries, Boston
"One obvious suspect?" Black Widow asked to Iron Man as they finished the battle with the strange 'metal woman' that had attacked the building.
"Yes," Iron Man answered, "The Red Skull. The metal woman was a cosmic construct. The Red Skull is the one who would most likely have launched such an attack."
"He isn't the only one the Cosmic Cube… or its power," Black Widow told him, "General Lukin was involved with the Cosmic Cube awhile back… and I think Cap said something about him having the cube presently."
Iron Man sighed and nodded.
"He's the less obvious suspect," Iron Man then sighed, "he only just started playing the role of a Super Villain when he started messing with Cap with Winter Soldier the first time."
"Winter Soldier?" Black Widow asked suddenly.
"Cap supposedly helped him overcome the Soviet brainwashing, but last I heard he is with Fury now," Iron Man answered, "why do you ask?"
"No reason," Black Widow answered.
Iron Man only shrugged, "Okay then. Since we have two suspects, this is mostly to be a bit of a recon and question mission coming up. Wasp, Wonder-Man, Hercules, and Sentry are with me. We're going to go to the Red Skull Reich and see if he has any connection to this. Ms. Marvel, Arachne, Black Widow, you're to give 'General' Lukin the same visit. The Quinjets should have the sensory equipment to analyze his cube's power…"
"To detect the frequencies they operate on?" Ms. Marvel wondered.
"Hill took most of what S.H.I.E.L.D. had on Lukin and the Cosmic Cube when she left," Iron Man gave a grumble, "We're essentially starting over from scratch. Good luck."
Sanctum Sanctorum
While Avengers: Red Team rushed off to deal with the attack on Stark Industries in Boston, Avengers: Blue Team was busy with trying to discover exactly what Doctor Strange had recently sensed coming into the world from some other dimension. The Sorcerer Supreme knew that whatever this threat was, it was magical and powerful. He might be able to defeat this threat if he operated alone, but something told him that the situation was different. The Avengers weren't best known for dealing with magical threats, and only Thor had any real experience with the realms that Doctor Strange dealt with. But Thor wasn't around and the threat was there.
"So, Doc, can you identify this guy?" Spider-Man asked, "Like some sort of crystal ball or abra-ca-wazo?"
"Not entirely in the way you think, Spider-Man," Doctor Strange answered, "Magic is a very complex field to study and understand… and often the forces behind it are not easy to understand."
"Can you find the guy?" Wolverine grumbled as the team walked along.
Doctor Strange's home carried somewhat of an eerie aura to it that managed to creep out the Canadian Avenger/X-Man. But then, a lot of people were creped out by the Sanctum Sanctorum, partially because they didn't understand magic.
"In a way," Doctor Strange answered, "His magic is powerful and otherworldly. So much so, that I was able to sense his arrival here on Earth."
"Do we know who it is yet?" Luke Cage wondered, more curious as to whom they would be dealing with, rather than when they'd be dealing with him. Any bad guy tended to show up eventually.
"I have my suspicions on the origins of the power that the man we're likely to be facing… but I cannot know the man," Doctor Strange answered, "Not without further information."
Doctor Strange then lead them into a fairly quiet room which carried an atmosphere intended to allow for meditation.
"Just name what you need, and we'll help," Cap said to him.
"For the moment, you need not do anything," Doctor Strange replied as he moved over to a shelf and pulled a small orb from it and then let it float in the middle of the room, "I will begin trying to find a way to identify and pinpoint where his magic is strongest. Once I am certain, we can then move to begin tracking him down. Doing this, however, is much easier to do here rather than at Avengers Tower."
"Any place that's safe for us to sit down while we wait?" Spider-Man wondered.
"The chairs are fine," Doctor Strange replied and moved to get into a meditative trance. As the Sorcerer Supreme did so, he and the orb he had picked up earlier began to hover above the floor.
New Jersey
Meanwhile, the Hood's scheme to get his union on the news and hopefully kill a few heroes was continuing. While the Hood and Madame Masque moved to deal with the Prowler and his wife, the other half of the team was moving toward the main Brown Brothers and Harriman & Company Bank in New Jersey. It appeared to be a fairly mighty host of villains, including the entire Wrecking Crew, the Wizard, Chance, and Chemistro. They would have the numbers to easily deal with any human police officer's interference and give S.H.I.E.L.D. a decent fight if any of them showed up. And considering the strength of some of their members, they might even be able to give some heroes a good run for their money.
But a superhero versus super villain fight wasn't the goal. The goal was to rob the bank and make off with the money. To do that, they had deployed a special weapon that they had only just stolen from S.H.I.E.L.D., and that was Deathlok. The cyborg super soldier was armed to the teeth with heavy weapons programed to serve as the real muscle for them. If the police showed up, Deathlok would blast them. If S.H.I.E.L.D. showed up, Deathlok would blast them. If the Avengers showed up, Deathlok would hold them off long enough for the strike team to make off with the money.
And the Hood had expected at least part of the Avengers to arrive. The original idea wasn't the Hood's but with Purple Man and Chemistro, and the Hood intended they be rewarded if the operation succeeded. But, there were details in the plan that they had put in to improve it, as too often, the Hood had found that bad guys would rush the bank and then try to flee as if they honestly expected to get away from the world's heroes. True the Scarlet Witch had decimated the mutant population, but there were still a large number of super powered beings out there. And that was where his trap would come in.
Avengers Red Team had already left New York on some emergency call to Boston, which would leave the Hood facing Avengers Blue Team for the moment. That made his job easier, as now he would actually split the Avengers team that he had to face. He and Madam Masque would kill the Prowler and he would unleash a sharp magical spike that would surely lure some of the Avengers to the Prowler's apartment. At the same time bank robbing crew would launch their attack on their target. The Hood would then teleport all but the Deathlok unit away at the first sign of the Avengers interfering. The Hood was sure that the plan would work and attract all the attention he needed… and at least one hero was to die.
"I don't like this hidin', we should just go in," Wrecker commented as he looked out from behind a dumpster in an alley.
"We will," Chemistro answered, "AFTER the Hood gives his signal."
Almost at that exact moment a small communicator that the Wizard had, and a holographic image of the Hood appeared.
"Are you ready?" the Hood asked.
"We are," Chemistro answered, "Your guy got the Deathlok reprogrammed and he'll take all the bullets from this fight. We're ready for whatever is to come next. Do we move?"
"Yes, the Prowler has almost arrived at his home and his beloved Mindy is already our prisoner," the Hood gave a smile, "Make your move!"
And with that the link with the Hood cut off for the moment. Chemistro then turned to the impatient Wrecking Crew.
"The signal is given," Chemistro spoke, "we can move in now. Remember, when and if the Avengers intervene, it is Deathlok that is to fight them. You are to go to the designated safe zone in the bank where the Hood will teleport us out."
"Right," Wrecker nodded, "Let's go!"
Sanctum Sanctorum
Doctor Strange's meditations and focusing on trying to pinpoint where the source of the strange extra-dimensional magic that he had sensed when the orb he had collected suddenly glowed with a bright violet light. At the same time, Doctor Strange's eyes shot open as if he had been shocked to his corps by something.
"You okay?" Iron Fist asked as he looked to the Sorcerer Supreme.
Strange looked as though he had seen something no one would ever want to see, while being punched by the Hulk at the exact same time, which meant he did not look good. He slowly floated back down to the floor and balanced himself against the chair that Ronin was seated in.
"You don't look good, Doc," Ronin said to him.
"He's done something," Doctor Strange said in a low voice, "Something big… I sensed not past magical actions but PRESENT ones."
"Did you get any idea about where he is?" Cap inquired.
"That is the difficult part," Doctor Strange said slowly, "The sources my magic sensed came from two separate locations. One is here in New York City and the other is in New Jersey."
"Two…" Luke Cage began.
"If astral projections were used, he could be in any number of places," Doctor Strange answered, "typically though, for a magic user, entering the plane multiple times weakens them and they lose some measure of control because they are in two parts. Whoever this villain is, he got stronger when he did so."
"Stronger?" Spider-Man gasped nervously.
Doctor Strange slowly nodded in the affirmative.
"Can you confront him, if we can get to him?" Cap asked.
"I can duplicate his move, yes," Doctor Strange answered, "but I won't be as strong because I'd be divided between two points."
"We may have to do that, anyway," Cap sighed, "If this guy is as powerful as you say, we can't just let him run wild."
Doctor Strange then nodded and rubbed his temples for a moment. He then collected the orb and moved to put it back. Once that was done, he cast a small spell that generated a map of New York and New Jersey, and enlarged it so that all of the Blue Team members could see it. There were two areas on the map that seemed to glow brighter than the rest.
"This one is a bank in New Jersey," Doctor Strange commented as he pointed to one, "and this one is private residence here in New York."
"So, a super villain with unparalleled powers in black magic is robbing banks?" Spiderwoman commented, "Doesn't that sound a bit odd? I mean, wouldn't a super villain want to conquer the world or something like that?"
"It would appear so," Doctor Strange answered.
"It's probably part of some bigger game," Captain America looked at the two points of light, showing where these events were occurring, "and the bank robbery is to accomplish something bigger."
"Perhaps to lure us out," Luke Cage commented, "trying to take out the Avengers?"
"Possibly," Cap nodded, "but unfortunately, it's not like we can ignore this."
"So, what do we do, Cap?" Ronin asked.
"Ronin, take Luke, Spider-Man, Spiderwoman, and Iron Fist to New Jersey," Cap instructed as he continued to look at the map and try to figure out what was going on, based on the information that he had available to him at the present time, "Wolverine and I will head to the Manhattan residence. Hopefully, we can stop the attack and at least get some more information on whoever this bad guy is."
"Got it, Cap," Ronin nodded.
Cap then turned to Doctor Strange.
"Doctor Strange, I will need you to act as a go between," Cap answered, "so much of this is a bit beyond what most of us have had to deal with that we'll need you around. Even if it's only an astral projection."
"Of course, Captain, but I must remind you that if either team runs into real trouble, I will not be able to fully help that group," Doctor Strange warned, "the spells to allow me to send two astral projections is that taxing… for any sorcerer."
Cap looked at the map again. There was so much about this that they didn't know about and needed to know before they could really do anything. But so far, they were only just beginning to scratch the surface of this. It also frustrated him because it would continue to distract the Avengers from other potential threats. He sincerely hoped Iron Man was doing okay on his end. As things in the world were making it clear that the decision to form two teams was necessary.
Red Skull City, Red Skull Reich
The flight to the capital city of the island 'nation' that the Red Skull had raised for himself took a bit of time, but not too terribly much. Even with Wasp shrunk down and in the largest compartment in his armor and holding onto Wonder Man's hand, Iron Man's armor was able to make excellent time. Sentry easily kept pace with him as well while carrying Hercules.
"So do we smite him on arrival?" Hercules wondered as they began to descend on the building that the Red Skull had created as his palace.
"For the moment, our mission is only one of information gathering," Iron Man answered, "the metal woman was created by cosmic energies like those of the Cosmic Cube. At present there are two people with that power. One is the Red Skull. The other is Alexander Lukin, and for the moment we need to find out which one of them sent the metal woman."
"I doubt the Red Skull will tell the truth," Wonder Man commented, "the Nazi's been involved in more underhanded and dirty schemes than anyone could count… and that's BEFORE World War Two ended."
Iron Man sighed as they continued. He doubted the Red Skull would give them answers, and because of the strains of the 'Civil War' that the Red Skull had provoked, S.H.I.E.L.D. was in no position to launch an invasion of the Red Skull Reich. But, he surely would give off some cosmic energy signature that his armor could detect. Iron Man felt he could then compare that signal to what the rest of Avengers: Red Team would collect with Lukin and with the signature of the metal woman. It'd give him data on the Cosmic Cube's powers that he needed since Maria Hill vanished with all the related data that S.H.I.E.L.D. had previously had.
"I'm sure," Iron Man replied, "this is mostly a scanning mission for the moment. If it turns out that he was behind the metal woman, we can get Cap's team, rally S.H.I.E.L.D., possibly get the government to forget about taking over America's superheroes for a few days and come back in force."
"Couldn't you satellites do this?" Sentry wondered.
"They might be able to… but because of their distances and relying solely on a computer system, it'd be easier for him to fool them," Iron Man gave a defeated sigh, "Stark Tech and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tech is great… but from everything Cap has told me, the Cosmic Cube is on a whole other level. It's why we need to do this in person. We're doing this all together to present a force that will hopefully prevent him from deciding to just blast us and forget about it."
"He might just do that, anyway," Wasp commented from inside the compartment inside Iron Man's armor, where she was protected from the winds caused by the high speed travel they had been using.
"Let him try!" Hercules said confidently, "We'll smite him and smite him good."
Iron Man only shook his head. If the Greek demigod lacked anything, it certainly wasn't confidence.
As they came in for a landing, Iron Man was quick to notice that their arrival had not gone unnoticed. The Red Skull had actually come out to greet them. He was dressed a military dress uniform and presented some image that he wasn't going to fight, but Iron Man knew well enough to be wary. He had used his powers to create robots that resembled his early costumes and probably also stashed hidden weapons in the palace that he had made for himself. The man wasn't helpless in any sense of the word.
"Welcome… I suppose it is Director Iron Man now, isn't it?" the Red Skull gave an almost taunting smirk, "what inspires your invasion of my country today?"
"As much as I'd like to arrest you for every crime under the sun," Iron Man almost growled back as he opened the compartment that Wasp was in, "I am merely here to ask you a few questions."
"And that requires bringing a force that could potentially give me a good run for my money?" the Red Skull commented.
"Would you have let me land alone without having to fight through the robots you've created to resemble MY early armors?" Iron Man questioned as he silently activated his scanning equipment.
"Probably not," the Red Skull smiled, "but then we're both in positions where we can do much…"
"We know thou launched the attack on Stamford!" Hercules pointed an accusing finger at him.
"What you have isn't a justifiable case for war," the Red Skull answered, "and besides, you're too busy fighting terrorists at present, am I incorrect there?"
"The WORLD'S heroes will always stand up against you," Wasp answered, "So tell us why you attacked Stark Industries!"
"I never did," the Red Skull answered, "if anything, I'd actually try to rob it for a good weapon. A good rule of conquest, Wasp, is to never destroy that which you can use to your own advantage."
"So you did send the metal woman?!" Wonder Man accused.
"Ah… the first battle Red Team has had to face," the Red Skull commented, "I must admit that I was not behind that attack."
"He's playing some sort of game," Iron Man thought for a moment, "trying to set us up… or get ready for his next move against Cap."
"Then who was?" Sentry questioned, "Was it Lukin?"
The Red Skull turned and glanced at the gathered Red Team members of the Avengers and then turned. As he did so, simply stated, "Come with me."
"What do we do?" Wasp asked to Iron Man, "he'll surely attack us if we go in."
"My scanners aren't done collecting data, yet," Iron Man replied as softly as he could, "we'll have to… but keep your eyes open, everyone. Even if he doesn't attack us, I want to know as much as we can about whatever weapons he has."
The others nodded and they began to follow Hitler's former bellboy into his fortress. Much of the interior looked like what would find in most major government residencies around the world, though it did carry a heavy Germanic edge to it, and the fact that swastikas were in almost every portion of the décor creped all the Avengers out. But this mission was to gain information, and they would do just that. If necessary, Sentry and Hercules would bring the Skull's fortress down while the rest escaped.
"I have seen the news reports on the attack on Boston, Director Iron Man… or maybe its Director Stark," the Red Skull mused, "you do have my condolences for any of your employees that might have been hurt in the attack."
"I don't need condolences from you," Iron Man answered.
"Nevertheless, you have them," the Red Skull taunted, "but I'm sure you're not here for that… and as your team mates have accused me… you believe I launched the attack."
"The metal woman was made of cosmic energy!" Wasp pointed out, "Only you or Lukin could have done it. We want to make sure…"
"And of course to gather information about my Reich to warn the Captain of, I'm sure," the Red Skull replied, "but you are correct in assuming that it could be either I or General Lukin behind such an attack. After all, he has the Cosmic Cube that enabled me to return with the near godlike powers I have now."
The Red Skull then came to a door lock system that looked far more advanced and pressed his palm to it. It 'read' his palm and a large sliding door then opened. The Skull then lead them into a much more futuristic type room with computers and other pieces of intelligence gathering equipment lining the room. There were also a handful of televisions on, turned on to various news channels.
"The attack on Boston was made by General Lukin," the Red Skull the announced as several of the computers came to life and began to display images of Lukin, his biography, his work for the KGB, his dealings with other super villains, and his work behind the scenes to use Winter Soldier to steal the Cosmic Cube. "And Director Stark, if your scanners are set to the right frequency, you can easily tell what things are generated by the Cosmic Cube that Lukin has, or by my powers."
"And you know the frequencies?" Iron Man asked.
"Of course," the Red Skull replied, "my power and Lukin's cube are both intricately connected for the time being. I can sense his Cube and he, through the Cube, can sense my power… but because we are separate beings, my powers and his cube operate on different frequencies."
The Red Skull then pressed a series of keys that brought up two sets of frequency lines on one of the main screens. Iron Man was quick to see that one of the frequency lines matched what his scanners were presently picking up, though hadn't yet had time to run what his scanners were picking up against the energy signature the metal woman gave off.
"This is the frequency that my powers operate on," the Red Skull explained as he pointed to one of the two screens. He then pointed to the other, "This is the frequency that Lukin's cube operates on."
The Skull's information matched what Iron Man's scanners were detecting. He wasn't lying, which only raised further questions. Iron Man was privately sure that he was being duped into something, but knew that there were a lot of things that were progressing in ways that would make arresting the Red Skull impossible in the short term. The attack in Boston had made the news, and could be seen as an act of war. For the success of the Initiative Program that he was launching, Iron Man needed to deal with the culprit behind the attack on Boston. Not wage war with the Red Skull, no matter how much the Skull deserved to be hung.
"I see," Iron Man spoke slowly and in a tone that made it clear that he was somewhat frustrated.
"Hopefully, this helps you," the Red Skull gave really fake smile.
"And how do we know you aren't lying through your teeth and you were behind the attack in Boston?" Wasp demanded.
"All you have is my word," the Red Skull replied.
"He isn't lying with regard to the frequencies," Iron Man answered, "which could very well mean, that Lukin was responsible for the attack in Boston."
"That then creates the question… why help us?" Wonder Man questioned, knowing that the Red Skull and the original Baron Zemo had worked together extensively in World War II.
"Some of it would be politics," the Red Skull answered, "Lukin is at his heart a Communist. As such he is my enemy for that… and then there are personal reasons that I'd rather not share. But to keep things short, let us just say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
New York, Hobbie Brown's Apartment
"This is the apartment?" Cap asked to Doctor Strange's astral image as his part of Blue Team arrived at the apartment.
"Yes," Doctor Strange nodded, "the pulse of magic that I felt came from here."
"What sort of magic? What the neighbors heard were gunshots," came the voice of the building's super, who had met them on arrival, expecting them to be the police.
"Dark magic, sir," Doctor Strange answered, "things you will not wish to be involved in."
"You'd best stand back and let us investigate this further," Cap then added, "for your own safety."
"Sure… here is a key to the apartment, though," the super spoke and then handed the key to Cap before moving off.
"Can we get a move on?" Wolverine grumbled from where he was, "we're missin' out on the action… and I'd bet whoever this bad guy is, he is where the trouble is still ongoing."
"We don't know that for sure," Cap answered firmly, "and who knows, they might have left a trail you can follow."
Wolverine did accept that. He had caught a fairly strange scent on the way in, but for the moment dismissed it as something that would be fairly common in lower quality New York apartment. For all he knew, the scent he had could be the victim's scent. So, he stood by while Cap opened the door and began to step in.
What they entered was a wrecked apartment. Photographs were smashed and ruined, as if deliberately smashed and tossed about. Cap glanced at them to see a young African American couple. Doctor Strange also noticed several magically generated scorch marks, as if there had been a battle here. Wolverine was also quick to pick up four scents, two male and two female. Both male scents had entered into the apartment the 'normal' way, but the second female scent just appeared. They then continued on for the moment until they came along until they came into the living room of the apartment where the worst was found.
The man and the woman were both dead, shot through the back of the head in an execution style. In many ways, it reminded Cap of scenes from the war with prisoners executed by the Axis powers. Wolverine could see that as well, but also saw it in some of the gang warfare that had used it to try and blackmail lesser crook's families to get them to follow the bigger families. Doctor Strange had to admit that the non-magical behavior wasn't that familiar to him, but he did pick up on the magical trail that ended in the room, and also left a very obvious message in the room.
The words, "the Prowler of just and proper business shall stalk the REAL heroes no more. And any hero that dares to interfere with business as the Prowler did shall meet the same end!" was written into the ceiling with very dark feeling sorcery.
"This was a gang killing," Cap said slowly, "and a symbol."
"And a warning," Wolverine added, "we were intended to find this. Which means whoever did this ain't here."
Cap nodded and looked down on the bodies that had been murdered by the Hood.
"Can you identify who they are?" Cap asked.
"Not without getting a scent that I already know to compare their scent with," Wolverine sighed, "I can tell you though, that their scent is not the scent of the two attackers though.
"So these two are victims," Cap sighed to which Wolverine nodded.
"Can you track one of the two attackers' scents?" Cap then asked the Canadian Avenger.
"I can track the male scent," Wolverine responded, "You want me to?"
"You want me to?" Wolverine questioned.
Cap nodded, "but be careful. And let us know where you are frequently and don't let yourself get caught."
Wolverine nodded and turned to head out of the apartment. He'd follow the male scent as far as he could. Cap meanwhile turned back to Doctor Strange who was surveying the scene.
"We'd best make our way to the others," Cap told him, "you can like your astral projections and be on a bit stronger footing."
"It's strange," Doctor Strange commented, "he wields power on a level that is quite hard to attain… possibly even far greater than my own… but his method of execution is a single gunshot. Something any THUG would do."
"Maybe he is only a common thug," Cap sighed.
"Maybe," Doctor Strange nodded, "but that makes him all the more dangerous. Because if he's only a common thug, it means he probably knows NOTHING about what he's dealing with."
Cap only responded with a frustrated groan.
New Jersey
The Hood's own astral form enjoyed watching the carnage that was going outside the bank. He was using the powers that he had to observe the events that were going on outside where he was, which was an interior part of the bank. The Deathlok unit had begun the attack by blowing a massive hole in the front of the bank with a rocket and the Wrecking Crew followed, smashing the bank safe open. Chemistro and the Wizard using their weapons dealt with the guards inside the bank, and now they were bringing huge bags of money to the Hood's feet. Outside, the Deathlok was holding off the police easily, which were keeping their distance and making frantic calls for some superhero.
"We have a Quinjet coming in, Hood," came Madame Masque's voice as she entered the room, "can't tell if it's Red or Blue team, but it'd still be the Avengers."
"Then it's time for the Deathlok to do what we stole him to do," the Hood answered, "Get everyone back here."
"Right," Madame Masque answered and rushed out. The others were collecting the last of the loot, and it would be, as they couldn't stay and fight the Avengers now. At least not all of them and really expect to win.
Ronin piloted the Quinjet in toward the bank that was being robbed, and he rapidly found it to be a war zone. There were wrecked cars, pieces of debris, and all sorts of carnage. At the center of it was a lone Deathlok unit.
"And I'd thought Deathlok was supposed to be a good guy," Ronin grumbled to himself as he brought the Quinjet in for a landing.
Once down he took over as 'team leader,' something he hadn't really been able to do since leading the Thunderbolts when they'd decided to really switch from bad to good.
"Spider-Man, Spiderwoman, you two are the most agile," Ronin spoke, "I need the two of you to keep him distracted and try to get his guns away."
"I am quite agile as well, Ronin," Iron Fist told him.
"I'm sure," Ronin answered, "But this is going to be a multi-part mission. Doctor Strange sensed magic coming from this attack, and while we have an astral projection of the Doc, he's said it isn't as powerful as he normally would because he also has one with Cap. You're the only other one with any 'mystical' level training to confront this leader if he decides to come out and fight."
"And until that happens?" Luke Cage wondered.
"We try to keep Deathlok from doing more damage than he's already done," Ronin answered, "let's go!"
They moved out quickly with Spiderwoman taking to the air and Spider-Man leaping towards the already damaged bank. The intention was to draw fire away from the police and keep the regular officers safe. That would allow them to rush the Deathlok and hopefully deactivate the robot/android/cyborg before it could do any further damage. As the two spider-themed Avengers either flew or swung about the battlefield, they did succeed in drawing a lot of fire. Spider-Man was thankfully saved by his spider-sense and the urban area with light poles and power lines, neighboring buildings gave him plenty to bounce off of and change direction on short notice.
Spiderwoman could fly higher to avoid being an easy target, though after one laser blast singed off a few hairs, she knew that this would be tough. She fired a few venom blasts down on Deathlok to get it to take cover, which it did behind an armored car that it'd already taken cover behind. Meanwhile, some of the officers approached Ronin and the others as they moved to get into a position where they could move when Spider-Man or Spiderwoman disarmed the Deathlok.
"We were expecting Iron Man's team, but you've arrived just in time, I suppose," one officer spoke, "Where is Captain America?"
"He's presently dealing with another crisis that we believe is connected to this," Ronin answered, "Is there anyone else in the bank, or Deathlok it?"
"The Wrecking Crew, Wizard, and Chemistro are also in there," the policemen answered, "though none of them have come out to fight. You're sure you can fight this guy without further blowing up our town?"
Ronin glanced to see that the man was following Spider-Man with his eyes.
"Yes," Ronin answered, "we are all good heroes. Regardless of opinions… we will do our best to protect you."
"You'd best clear out to where you can put some distance between yourselves and Deathlok," Luke Cage advised, "We'll work to get them all down as quickly as we can… but it'd be best that you not be close by. It's probably a miracle you haven't suffered one hundred percent casualties containing that thing."
Inside the bank, Wrecker had found a window to watch the action as the Avengers took on the Deathlok. He was presently firing on Spider-Man and Spiderwoman, and he wanted to see the Deathlok waste the female hero for tricking him with her pheromone powers in their last encounter.
"Yeah!" the Wrecker cheered, "smash her good! Shoot her up!"
"It is time to go," came Madame Masque's voice from behind him.
"In a moment, I want to see the Deathlok waste Spiderwoman!" the Wrecker answered.
"Those are not the Hood's orders," Madame Masque answered, "It would appear that they've brought most of Blue team on this mission. They could very well win, and then come after you. And the Hood won't be busting you out of jail if you do something stupid."
The Wrecker turned and glared at her.
"Besides, if Spiderwoman is killed, it'll make the national news," Madame Masque answered, "You'll be able to see her death on some of the cable news channels. Now, come along."
Kronas Office, Queens, New York City
The offices didn't carry the obvious wealth of Stark Tower, but they took up more land and allowed for a wider array of resources. And now the last power amplifier was being put in place. With it Lukin knew that his cube would now be more than enough to hold the Red Skull on his island forever. He'd win the war without ever having to fire a shot. He'd also be able to punish those who should have stepped forward and saw to the defeat and destruction of the Red Skull Reich from the moment it was created. The Metal Woman had been a great success and the attack on Stark Industries had actually helped his stocks.
"More with which to save this world from those that have truly done wrong," Lukin said as he looked out to seeing the crews placing the finishing touches on the power amplifier.
His thoughts were disrupted by a knock at his door. He turned to see one of his security men, who functioned as Kronas' army standing there, looking a little nervous.
"We have a Quinjet coming in, sir," he reported, "they've contacted us on an S.H.I.E.L.D. frequency and demand you speak with them when they arrive."
"And who is the 'they'?" Lukin questioned.
"The Avengers, sir," the man answered, "Specifically to Ms. Marvel, Stark's XO, I believe."
"Another who's forgotten the lessons of history," Lukin mused.
"Shall we shoot them down, sir?" the man wondered.
"No, allow them to land and come in," Lukin answered, "they're probably investigating the Metal Woman… but I'm sure the cube's powers can easily make them see things MY way."
On board the Red Team Quinjet, Ms. Marvel calmly waited for a response over the radio. This was a recon mission for the most part and not even intended to be a fight. They were trying to piece things together from the Metal Woman's attack in Boston. They had originally tried the Kronas offices in Canada, but Lukin had apparently left those sites before the Boston attack even began. So, now they were trying the New York office.
"You may land on the north pad, and your team will be escorted to the main conference room," a voice then spoke over the radio, "General Lukin is most eager to speak with you."
"Bet he is," Black Widow grumbled after the line went dead.
"Huh?" Ms. Marvel wondered, catching some disgruntlement on Natasha's part.
"Lukin was the protégée of the man who originally ran the Winter Soldier Program in the Soviet Union," Black Widow answered.
"Winter Soldier…?" Arachne blinked from her seat.
"In the last days of the war, Captain America and his sidekick, Bucky, raided a base run by Baron Zemo, from which Zemo threatened to launch a powerful attack on the US," Black Widow began.
"Everyone knows that," Arachne commented, "It's how Cap made into the modern era to fight alongside the Avengers."
"Yes, but the presumption that Bucky died is false," Black Widow answered, "a Soviet submarine, already beginning Cold War actions, intending be ready for the 'great revolution' recovered Bucky's body and took it aboard. He was brainwashed and rehabilitated to serve the Soviet Union and from behind the scenes served as Winter Soldier… though they soon found that their brainwashing was only partial and that things kept coming back for him. The end result is that he was placed in stasis…"
"Cap managed to free him, as far as we all know, though, so he's 'Bucky' again," Ms. Marvel added.
"I doubt things will be same for him though," Arachne commented.
Black Widow nodded. The new heroine was right there.
"How do you know him?" Ms. Marvel asked.
"I met him a couple of times while I was in training and he was out of containment for either brainwashing or being sent on a mission," Black Widow answered, "and thus, I saw who his chief commander was. Lukin was his protégée… and he wasn't that great a man."
"Thus why you defected," Ms. Marvel stated.
Black Widow again nodded. The three then got ready they came in for a landing. They expected some sort of attack, but couldn't be sure about it yet.
"Shouldn't we call Cap in?" Arachne wondered as they made their way down the ramp, "he's more familiar with the Cosmic Cube that anyone."
"According to all the police scanners, he's investigating some bank robbery in Jersey at the moment," Ms. Marvel sighed, "for the moment, we're on our own."
New Jersey
The battle against the Deathlok was not going as well as could be hoped. Spider-Man and Spiderwoman did provide enough of a distraction that the others were able to get in and land a few blows, but so far none were enough to take the robot down.
"That thing is quite skilled," Iron Fist commented, "even while distracted; it has managed to counter the best of my moves. I've only landed glancing blows."
"Perhaps we ought to rush it," Luke Cage commented, "it can't counter all of us simultaneously. And Spider-Man has reported that he thinks the thing has lowered the power settings."
"Only to fire more rounds," Ronin answered, "we must stick the plan. Deathlok isn't entirely a machine. He can tire."
"If I may…" came Doctor Strange's voice as the astral projection that had come with Ronin's portion of Avengers: Blue Team, "it would appear most that Deathlok is guarding the entrance to the bank…"
"The crooks have likely fled by now," Ronin answered, "making sure that Deathlok can't kill anyone is the important thing."
"Of course," Doctor Strange nodded, "but notice that it's still guarding the entrance to the bank. The other thieves may have left, but Deathlok doesn't know that."
Ronin then saw his opportunity. If Deathlok was fully assigned to protect the bank from superheroes, his programming may not allow for him to know that his fellows had split.
"Spider-Man! Spiderwoman! Try to get into the bank! We'll take care of the Deathlok!" Ronin called to them, hoping the Deathlok wasn't smart enough to recognize an obvious trick.
"As if being a target wasn't fun enough, now we gotta slip past him," Spider-Man silently mumbled to himself and began a sort of charge.
He bounced off the sides of wrecked cars and swung around a bronze statue that had been outside the bank. He drew fire as he did so, but the closest shot to hitting him only hit his webline after he had swung and no longer needed it.
"Hey drone boy, can't hit me!" Spider-Man taunted as he used his webline to hurl himself at Deathlok.
He landed double key to Deathlok's chest and then bounced off to head into the bank. Deathlok managed to recover and had turned to fire on Spider-Man when he was hit in the back by an energy blast. Deathlok turned to take another venom blast to the chest from Spiderwoman as she flew over him. The blast made the Deathlok stagger a little.
"Come on, big boy," Spiderwoman encouraged the cyborg to pursue.
Deathlok managed to recover, and turned to fire on Spiderwoman and then pursue Spider-Man into the bank. The other Blue Team Avengers saw their chance to end the fight then and there.
"Now," Ronin said silently to Iron Fist and rushed forward.
Iron Fist nodded and joined Ronin in rushing toward the cyborg. Hopefully its programming made sure it would ignore the coming attack. It didn't turn and fired a few rounds into the bank. Ronin was the first to reach the Deathlok and brought his katana down in a strong downward ark. The blow sent a shower of sparks everywhere, but the cyborg had lost the arm and the weapon it had been using fell to the ground, harmless. Deathlok turned his head to glare at Ronin, but was unable to turn and fire at close range, as Iron Fist arrived on the other side to land a firm and direct punch that shattered the other cybernetic arm. That gun also fell to the ground without doing any damage.
"Your rampage ends here," Iron Fist told the cyborg and then added a spinning kick to the Deathlok's chest.
That kick sent the cyborg stumbling back, and it would have fallen over if it hadn't been hit in the head by Luke Cage. The African American Avenger's blow was enough to short circuit the Deathlok's brain and it was soon down for the count.
"So this is a Deathlok?" Luke Cage then mused, "You know, this wasn't that bad…"
"Wish we could have had time to actually save some of the money they stole though," Ronin commented, "This guy took up all of our attention and let them get away."
"Better that then letting this guy go nuts and chase the robbers," said one of the policemen as he came up from where they'd been establishing a perimeter and letting the Avengers fight the Deathlok, "surely they've left clues behind… and if not, maybe Doctor Strange's asteroid body can find them…"
"Astral," Doctor Strange answered, "and once my other projection arrives, I can begin doing that."
"Cap find out anything?" Spider-Man wondered.
"I'll let him say that when he arrives," Doctor Strange answered.
Cap arrived shortly after with the real Doctor Strange who rapidly absorbed the astral projection of himself.
"We stopped the Deathlok, which appeared to be their main weapon," Ronin reported, "but it took all of us, and the crooks got away with the money."
"Anyone hurt?" Cap asked.
"Fewer than expected given the force that attacked the bank," the lead police officer answered, "never really much of a fan of Registration, and you guys proved you don't need the government over your shoulder… even Spider-Man."
"Good," Cap gave a small smile, "we'll try to recover what they stole as best we can."
"I'd wonder what all this was for, though," Spiderwoman commented as she approached, "I mean… Deathlok is armed to take on armies by himself. Why use him as a guard the crooks in a bank robbery. It seems rather 'low' for a super villain."
"Maybe, but I think this foe is not a typical super villain," Cap sighed.
"What is he, then?" Luke Cage wondered, "A thug?"
"That is what Doctor Strange and I were able to piece together from the other crime scene," Cap nodded, "this guy is nothing more than a common thug who's been granted great power."
"What happened at the apartment, Cap?" Spider-Man wondered.
"He killed the man we believe to have been the Prowler and his wife," Cap said slowly.
"Hobbie?" Spider-Man gasped.
"You know him?" Ronin asked.
"He's helped me with some things here and there," Spider-Man answered, "but Hobbie Brown's only dealt with common criminals for the most part. Muggers, common thieves, that sort of thing."
"And now a thug has gained the power to take revenge," Iron Fist surmised, "Captain, what is to stop him from targeting someone a bit more powerful than the Prowler?"
"Until we can find him, not much," Cap sighed, "best to at least send out a warning that we have a super powered thug out to murder heroes. Hopefully, Wolverine can find something worth finding out about where this guy."
New York City
Parker Robbins, the Hood, meanwhile, sat quietly in his apartment. It wasn't much, but then if he was living in the Ritz, that'd attract more attention. And he didn't need that until after the heroes toed his line. So far, his operation was going according to plan. True it was Blue Team investigating his actions, but dead heroes were dead heroes. And the battle wouldn't be the one sided affairs where the heroes ganged up on one guy. The battle he expected would be one on one. He expected the fight be between him and one hero, who was likely investigating the murder of Hobbie Brown and his wife. Considering that it was Blue Team, he hoped the lone hero was Cap. The rest of the Blue Avengers would lose their leader and any real organization, and he would leave a clear warning to any other heroes out there. And if the heroes continued to interfere with business and the prosperity of the SVU, he'd simply repeat the tactics of today. Launch two simultaneous attacks and permanently deal with at least one unsuspecting hero. But for now, all he could do was wait. While he did so, an astral projection of himself saw to the dividing of the take from the Federal Reserve Bank they had just hit. Calvin Carr, Chemistro, got a bonus for finding the Deathlok that got them the haul, but the rest was to be divided amongst the entire SVU, even among those that didn't participate in the hit.
"It's for the good of everyone," the Robbins sighed as he thought over some of the protests that the Wrecking Crew had had with that, "upgrading tech is hard… especially when one is on the 'lamb' and that will affect all of us. Making sure everyone gets a cut makes sure that everyone thrives and works together…"
The Robbins knew this to be true. It'd mean a big change for many super-villains who typically operated by themselves, but they also typically got caught by heroes or had to settle for scores much lower than what they had stolen. The cooperation and planning that had won today for the SVU would only strengthen them with new members from those that didn't initially join, or didn't know about it, and with that, they'd make progressively bigger scores and forge more contacts. But that would take time, and he still had an appointment with a hero to finish. He got up from counting his part of the take when he heard his phone ringing.
Wolverine meanwhile wasn't too surprised to find himself in one of the city's poorer neighborhoods. The present suspicion was that the man masterminding these attacks was a common thug who had found power; such places were the places to check first. They may have admired the images of power that the wealthy generated, but they were still the lowest of the low in society. Punks that felt they deserved more than what they would work for… that their 'power' gave them the right of robbing, murdering, and stealing. Wolverine had seen that all before time and time again, and it was a system that generally hurt good and honest people.
He did his best to stay inconspicuous as he continued to follow the scent of the male that had murdered 'the Prowler' as the killer's message indicated. The guy supposedly wielded great power in magic, which would likely mean that an all-out brawl wouldn't work. The thug might find some magic that could take even him out, if only for a short while. Surprise and speed would allow him to get close and grab the guy before he could do anything. And he moved silently, allowing him to hear conversation coming in from inside the apartment that the scent lead him to.
"So the Avengers did trash the Deathlok?" Robbins inquired.
"Yeah," came John's voice on the other end the phone 'line,' "they didn't destroy it and its back on its way to S.H.I.E.L.D. but we won't get another shot at stealing it."
"It's served its purpose," Robbins guessed, "we got a huge score and got away with it. Something no other villain's really ever done… not that I know of, anyway."
"You sure you don't want help with Cap?" John asked, "I can easily make a call for you to have back up."
"I don't need it," Robbins replied, "the stupid flag waiver will be dead shortly after his arrival. Guaranteed!"
The door then shattered behind him, sending splinters that sent his phone flying from his grasp. Robbins turned and grabbed his hood to see Wolverine enter.
"Good thing I ain't a flag waiver, then eh?" Wolverine growled, "You're the coward that murdered a good man and robbed a bank. Different face, different actions, same stupid greed, same stupid ego, same stupid thoughts…"
The Hood only vanished from view, as if to try and escape. He quickly found this didn't help him, as Wolverine's sense of smell was strong enough to pin down his location, and Wolverine quickly tackled him from behind and moved to pin the Hood down.
"Goin' invisible doesn't work with me," Wolverine growled, "now give up and tell me where the money is. You and your gang are going to give it ALL back."
The Hood became visible again, only to reveal that going invisible was done to give him time to arm himself. He rolled over and pushed two powerful automatic pistols into Wolverine's chest.
"I didn't keep all of it," the Hood answered, "crime is changing hero boy. We're finally going to show you all just how weak you are and how the entire world should be run. With US runnin' it!"
"Yeah…"
The Hood didn't give Wolverine the time to answer completely as he emptied his guns into the mutant's chest, knocking Wolverine off of him. He then raised one leg to kick Wolverine back into another wall nearby.
"Stupid mutant," the Hood grumbled, "with the Witch or the Friends of Humanity HAD killed you all… but then you've had a great rep… so this will give me the rep to make even the Kingpin a lieutenant of ME!"
The Hood then went and retrieved his phone. John was still on the 'line.'
"John?"
"You okay boss?" John asked, "Do you need help?"
"No, I'm good," the Hood answered, "the Avenger they sent was Wolverine, not Captain America… but he's also a big name hero. He'll do. The rep points from killing him will be big…"
He was interrupted again as Wolverine suddenly kicked him in the knee, climbed into a crouching position and then lunged forward, driving his claws into the Hood's shoulders and pinning him to floor.
"Just about everyone knows about my healing factor, bub," Wolverine growled, "shootin' me ain't the way to win. Now… you're going to surrender and give up, or I'll gut you."
Having Wolverine's claws in him gave the Hood great physical pain, and the Hood did show some fear at seeing Wolverine's body heal from all of the gunshots he had delivered at point blank range. Against most people, even Captain America or Iron Man without his armor, those would have been fatal injuries. But the Canadian X-Man and Avenger was already recovering from them. But the Hood couldn't let himself lose. He thus summoned all the powers that he had to take the strength to at least get Wolverine away from him.
Wolverine could only watch in some horror. The Hood tripled in size, with layer upon layer of muscle growing on him in addition to a larger skeletal frame. His arms lengthened, as did his fingers, now tipped with steal claws on each finger. His hands and forearms also took on an almost robotic appearance with cables 'growing' out of them and going back into his back and underneath his Hood, which now appeared smaller on him. The Hood's face also grew demonic. His human teeth were replaced by sharp fangs as his skin turned grey and his eyes grew and distorted into massive solid read and almost insect-like yes. The Hood also grew a set of spider-like 'jaws' each tipped with fangs the size of the canines of a lion or tiger, and leaking venom.
"HHUURRRGGGHHHHHH!" the Hood gave a pained roar and then grabbed Wolverine by the neck and then threw him through the window of his apartment.
Wolverine flew across the street and landed face first on the roof of a nearby building, blacking out from the encounter. The Hood, still in demonic form wanted to pursue, but heard approaching police sirens. Someone had to have reported the fight to 911, and he couldn't stay. He quickly collected his take and teleported away.
In Another Dimension
The Hood's original benefactor only watched the events that were transpiring. The Hood had formed his SVU and had made his first real attack, a victory for him, as he got what he wanted. Power and control over a bunch of thugs who's only real goal was money. That didn't concern the benefactor, though. He had a much larger game to play and the Hood was enabling it. Every time the Hood exercised his powers, the benefactor felt the walls that kept him off of Earth weaken. The result would be win win for both. The Hood would get to rob, rape, murder, and do who knows what else… and his 'Union' would get to do the same, while the benefactor would be able to take over Earth. All was good, and the only one who knew it for sure was the Hood, himself, and the bargain had already been made.
To Be Continued…
"All the business of war, and indeed all the business of life, is to endeavor to find out what you don't know by what you do; that's what I called 'guessing what was at the other side of the hill'."
Duke of Wellington, British Soldier and Statesman, quoted in The Croker Papers (1885) Vol. 3
