Sorry this chapter took a bit longer to get out. Had an impromptu out of state trip here in the good old US of A and it was fun, had a lot of time to talk and bond with my friend.

But anyways, you don't want to hear about me. HERE IS MORE Oh My Necropolis.

Please enjoy and let me know what you thought! Thanks!


Chapter Seven: Oh My Mad Science


Steve hobbled down the tunnel. His ribs were not actually broken luckily, but being trapped beneath that debris still had done damage. Breathing was currently a painful practice and not one he often experienced, not since his earlier days as little Steven Rogers before he was made into Captain America anyways.

Behind him, walking at much steadier pace, was his friend and teammate, Bruce Banner, who was currently in his human, colored green with glowing yellow eyes, and… very much not himself.

Steve shivered thinking back on when he had first seen the man. Even now, he could hardly bring himself to look at him. It wasn't that the man was ugly...well, not all of it anyways, but the effects of the bite changed him. He was deformed, gruesome even and it was that single painful thought that his friend had and was still going through such a drastic change, that made it hard to look at him.

Steve glanced back at that thought and sighed. Hulk had been quiet since the big reveal. No doubt the captains less then mild reaction hadn't been helpful, but surely no one is prepared to see someone they care about hurting, especially someone as mild mannered as the good doctor when he wasn't his green alter ego. Then for the big man himself to be so dormant, you just knew it was bad all the way around.

"Bruce…"

"Hulk no wish to speak," the man almost sighed.

Steve bit his lip, unsure of how to respond. It was obvious both hulk and Bruce's minds were somehow at a functioning level and both controlling their body in a shared consciousness. When he asked Bruce something, Hulk sometimes answered. When he asked Hulk something, Bruce would sometimes answer. It was strange.

Steve allowed his thoughts to drift to Tony who had been experiencing something of the same. Curious, he decided this might be a good question to ask and at least see if his friend was still the doctor he knew or if his mind was altered beyond recognition.

"Bruce, I know you don't want to speak and that's fine, but I wanted to get your opinion." He paused, but Bruce and the hulk were silent. He took that as permission to continue. "Tony was also bitten, so what do you think is happening with him right now?"

Banner flinched at the question.

Though he was partially aware of Steve in this current state of progression, he hadn't even considered his other teammates.

"I…" he paused.

The agony of his muscles and features and how they changed during his battle with the wolf… he didn't even want to imagine what it might do to his best friend. The pain had been excruciating and with the Hulk, he could heal himself quicker and handle the pain better. If it did this to Tony…

He shivered.

"Hope better."

Steve sent him a small smile. It wasn't what he had hoped the doctor would say, but at least the man was still there somewhere deep inside. "Yeah, I hope he is doing better too."


Clint was understandably freaked.

He would never admit it, but he felt like a character from the frikkin walking dead. The constant slight moans coming from behind him were grinding at his nerves and the fact that his friend had changed into a… a zombie of sorts, was disconcerting since they weren't even facing off against zombies. The dude got bit by a bear wolf hybrid and this is what happens?! He couldn't imagine what the werewolf thing would have done had it bit one of them. Can anyone say: "Niklaus Mickaelson"? Geez. Hybrid monster doesn't even seem to cover it enough.

Clint shook his head as he glanced back at the slowly limping creature.

What was even weirder was it still looked like Tony, just… not Tony. Its eyes were dead, but glowing. Its hands were now coated with blood and hair from the werewolf it had torn apart. Its body was thinned, almost bony and gray in appearance. Yet it retained Stark's always perfect hair and finely trimmed goatee. It was wearing his clothes and had his voice. Yet Clint knew it wasn't Stark anymore and yet… it was.

"I'm going to save you, Tony," he told it, not knowing if somewhere deep inside his friend might still be alive and able to hear him, "I promise. I'll save you."

The thing just kept following him, moaning. No witty comment in reply, no nod or wave of the hand, just a moan.

Clint felt his hands tighten into fists and he continued down the tunnel.


Steve paused when he heard that familiar rumble, like floors collapsing and opening up above them. Water streamed down the walls from where the supports had shifted and he feared the entire structure would soon collapse if they didn't figure out some way to get to the surface.

"What do you think is causing that?" he asked, glancing back at his teammate who had also stopped.

"Hulk Smash."

Steve stared at him. "Oh, you mean when you fought it started doing this?"

"Hulk smashed through…walls. Supports. Caused…destabilization."

Steve felt himself breathe when he heard the more structured sentence. "I see, thanks Bruce."

Hulk/Bruce smiled back slightly.

Steve continued forward cautiously. The tunnels were still dark. Even darker than they had been, but he figured as low as he stayed near the wall, it would just lead them straight forward. Still, like any plan, something had to go wrong.

The sound of something running right at them had him hunkering down, his eyes peeled for a sign of movement, but the dark was less than forthcoming. He knew he would have to rely on Bruce to tell him.

"What is it?" he whispered.

Bruce was silent a moment. "Creature…"

"One?"

"Yes. It…is angry. Hungry. Hunting…"

Steve nodded, then paused and turned a bit to face his friend. "How do you know that?"

"I…" Bruce frowned. How did he know that? "I don't…it just… I can feel it."

Steve was silent.

"I can almost…hear thoughts…yours loud, but hers…much more…simple."

The Captain blinked. "You can hear my thoughts?"

"I…yeah."

Steve frowned for a second, his mind racing. "Could you try projecting thoughts?"

Bruce hesitated. "I try."

The two stood there, quiet for a moment before Steve suddenly felt as though a wall had slammed into him. He collapsed to the floor, his mind being overwhelmed by snippets of pain.

"Steve?! Steve!"

He groaned as he sat back up, waving off the concerned hands of his friend.

"I'm good," he panted, shaking his head to try clear it.

"Sorry. Sorry. Sorry," the doctor repeated again and again

"It's okay Bruce, not your fault. Could you try…could you try doing that to it?"

Bruce looked frightened by the idea, but then seemed to swallow down his fear. "I try."

As Bruce concentrated, Steve thought back on the pain he had felt. Was that what Bruce was experiencing? He couldn't imagine.

The creature in front of them suddenly shrieked and ran smack into the wall. Steve watched with wide eyes as the shadowed form suddenly let out a wail and fell over onto the ground, no longer moving.

"Is it…"

"Unconscious. Too much for creature to take."

Steve hesitated. "Bruce, is that what you…"

"Hulk help."

"I see…" Steve whispered as he slowly continued forward, glancing at the creature on the ground before moving past it. "I'm sorry Bruce. I promise you though, we will find a way to fix this. Somehow."

Bruce grunted. "I know."


Clint nearly fell when the ground began to rumble around him. His hands went out to search for something stable and he nearly screamed like a little girl when a hand suddenly grabbed his own. Turning, he blinked in surprise to see Tony there, still looking very much dead, but… holding his hand.

"Uh…thanks?" Clint got out, uncertain.

Either the thing had finally snapped and decided to kill him or…

"Tony?"

The creature stared at him, his glowing silver eyes showed no sign that he understood, but ever so slightly, the hand grasping his tightened. For Clint, that was enough of a signal.

"Oh Thank God. Tony."

He couldn't help himself. He threw his arms around the creature and pulled it closer into an embrace. At first the creature stiffened and started to struggle, but then slowly, it leaned into the embrace.

"I got you man," Clint whispered in his ear, "I got you. Hang on okay?"

He released the man and stepped back. The creature cocked its head, its moaned currently silenced. The fact that Tony was still in there was a huge relief to Clint, but then his mind started racing. If Tony was in there… what were the moans about? Was he in pain?

The thing had yet to say a word, so he figured asking it would be a waste of time.

"Okay, well, let's just keep moving, okay? All we have seen lately is darkness and brick. Surely something has to be up here, right? We just…"

Tony suddenly screamed and Clint closed his eyes, placing his hands over his ears at the sound. It was shrill and if Tony did return to himself, Clint had a feeling the man's vocal chords would be fried.

"It's okay! It's okay!" he tried to yell out, but Tony continued to scream and then suddenly he raced forward.

"Tony!" Clint shouted and quickly raced after him.

He had only gotten about thirty steps down the tunnel when the floor suddenly groaned beneath his feet and Clint had just enough time to think 'not again' as it gave and he descended to the bottom.

A ringing in his ears, is what woke him. It sounded like an alarm and he really wanted to grab his bow and shoot the dang thing to silence it once and for all, but that thought quickly tugged him awake as he realized he didn't have his bow and arrows. With a surge of panic, he flew to a sitting position and yelped when his arm nearly collapsed beneath him, splintered with a sharp pain.

Glancing down at his elbow, he hissed when he saw the bone was broken. That was going to make things that much more difficult.

Sighing, he suddenly blinked and took his first real look around where he landed. Unlike the multiple layers of tunnels, this was a white room with what looked to be medical equipment. There were heart monitors, tables, a gurney, oxygen, tools for surgery…

Clint got to his feet and slowly approached the tray filled with various knives which his mind helpfully translated as scalpels, and picked up a few of the sharpest and stuffed them in his boot before continuing through the room.

He approached what looked like freezers of some sort and slowly opened one. He nearly puked when he opened it and found organs laid out on each of its shelves. Coughing, he turned and eyed the silver plaques on the other side of the room. They were large and he remembered having seen something like it in the Shield morgue where they housed the bodies of the dead.

'This is a catacomb, right?' he suddenly thought to himself, 'people don't use these anymore, so why would a place like this need a mortician? And the technology, all new and the most advanced on the market. This place wasn't old. Someone had been down here recently. He could tell from the state of the lab. Not to mention…'

He glanced at the lights in the ceiling, all on.

'Definitely recently used, but for what…'

He approached the storage units and with a deep breath, not wanting to smell whatever dead thing might be inside, he pulled one open. He stumbled back when he saw what it was.

"That's…"

"Quite the creation, don't you agree, Mr. Barton?"

Clint whipped around and raised the scalpels he had stolen in the most threatening way he could. The man standing at the door was bathed in darkness and his face was indistinguishable in the shadow.

"You're the one who brought us here, aren't you? The one who made all those creatures roaming the halls? The one who…" he cut himself off, anger spilling through his veins at the thought of Tony and Bruce.

"I am, yes. I needed to test my creations and who better than four unsuspecting Avengers?" the man laughed.

Clint growled. "Your creations changed my friends. You can change them back, can't you?"

The man hummed. "I didn't know what would happen if they bit a human, but the outcome is far better than I had ever hoped. I merely thought they would get a good meal."

Clint stepped forward, adrenaline pumping. "Who are you? Why us?"

The man laughed. "You don't recognize me, do you, Hawkeye?"

Clint frowned. "Should I?"

"You only fight my bots every few weeks. I would think by now, you would have learned not to underestimate my brilliance."

Clint thought over those words. "Doom? Dr. Victor Doom?"

The man stepped into the light, his metal clad face now recognizable as he laughed. "The one and only."

Clint was silent, his mind racing. "I don't understand. Robotics have always been more your thing, so why…"

"A distraction, you brainless buffoon!" the man shouted, "those stupid, endless army of bots were merely a distraction for the true army that was coming. With the help of some friends in low places, I was able to retrieve the perfect mix of chemicals and the best location possible to begin my experiments. When they appeared successful, I knew only one thing would truly be able to test their grandeur and that was you fools, the Avengers. The so called heroes of New York. I never would have imagined that outcome though, even I was truly amazed."

"Amazed?" Clint growled, "It's inhuman, even for you."

Doom merely shrugged and laughed.

"I care little about your pathetic views on the subject."

Clint tensed, preparing to attack.

Two shadows appeared at Dooms sides and Clint felt his anxiety shoot up when he saw one was Tony. Doom followed his gaze and though the mask hid it, he could feel the other mans smirk.

"Anthony Stark, truly a brilliant mind," Doom almost sang as he reached out and gently pulled the man's face into his hands, caressing his forehead. It took all of Clint's self-control not to attack the man then and there, but he couldn't risk him hurting Tony.

"So docile like this. So quiet. It's a nice change, wouldn't you say, Barton?"

Clint scowled at the man.

Tony did not move while Doom touched him casually on the face and brought his hands over his arms, but when he came to his chest where the reactor still shined bright, though a different color, he stiffened just slightly. Doom didn't notice it, but Clint who knew his friends body language better than almost anyone, noticed it immediately.

"He would truly be a gem to study and take apart, piece by piece. You can watch, of course. I'm sure even you must wonder what makes the man tick?"

Doom laughed and Clint tightened his hold on the scalpels. A sharp pain reminded him he wasn't in the best condition for a fight. As he considering how best to go bout attacking, he suddenly noted the change in his friends stance. His eyes widened.

"No, wait, Tony wait!" he shouted, but it was too late.

Tony reached up and grabbed Doom by the throat and began to tear at him. Doom screamed and fought him, hitting him multiple times in the face, but Tony was strong. Very strong and Doom couldn't seem to escape. Fingers dug into his shoulders and neck. Doom screamed again as blood began to run. Clint hurried to his friend's side after getting over his own shock.

"Tony! You have to let him live! He might be the only one who can help you and Bruce. Please, Tony, let him live!"

Tony continued to tighten his grasp and Clint was afraid he would have to attack his own friend, when suddenly he let go and stepped back, his expression still as dead as before. Clint breathed a sigh of relief as Doom collapsed to the ground, groaning.

The monsters behind Doom didn't move, each cowering before Tony. Clint wondered why that was, but shoved it to the back of his mind. He turned to doom and grabbed him by the front of his robe.

"FIX HIM!"

Doom could only cower beneath the unseeing gaze of Tony Stark as the man's bloody hands came up in warning.

"Y-Yes."

Clint smirked. "Good." He shoved him forward. "Get started and if you try anything, I won't hesitate to kill you. Him either."

Doom looked past Clint at Tony and swallowed. He didn't argue and turned to get started on a cure.

Clint somehow knew this was just too easy.


So what do you guys think is going to happen? Please Review down below and let me know! Thanks for all the support!