Reviews:
Koobalt:
Glad you like it.
tamagat:
Yeah, flight might not happen, but we'll see about the dodge training. Anyway, glad you like what I've been doing so far. Hope it continues.
Guest (Dec. 24):
Yeah, Spidey's my favorite Marvel character too, but I couldn't think of anyone that was the perfect anti-thesis to an overlord, so he was my choice.
Master of Dragons God:
Glad you've been liking it. Hope it continues.
Okenshi:
Glad to hear it.
A/N: Everyone, I would like to apologize about how long it has been since I've updated, but I got another job so I have very little free time. Sorry. Anyway, please remember to review with any comments, question, concerns, or constructive criticism that you might have.
Chapter 8:
Black Widows No More
"Yelena, I appreciate you joining me on this mission," Natasha whispered to her fellow Black Widow.
"It's fine," Yelena whispered back as the two quietly made their way to the factory Pepper told Natasha about, "Fury has been nervous about this overlord, so it was a matter of time before someone was sent to deal with him anyway. At least this way we can gain some intel about his plans."
Natasha nodded and the two made their way to the roof of the warehouse. They quietly moved to the skylight. Looking through, the two saw their armored target giving orders to his brown minions as they carried boxes to a truck.
"Any idea what he's stealing?" Yelena whispered.
Natasha shook her head, "We'll have to get closer."
The two moved closer to where the minions were working, their training allowing them to move through the shadows in complete silence.
"It looks like those boxes are just random parts. If he's using it for something, I can't figure out what is for," Natasha said.
"We'll talk to Stark to find out," Yelena said, "For now, let's get out of he-do you smell that?"
Natasha looked at her in confusion before the smell Yelena mentioned reached her too.
Natasha scrunched her nose in disgust. The smell was like a mix of rotten eggs and decomposing corpses left in the sun for days.
Before Natasha could ask what it was, the two heard giggling in the darkness around them, but when they looked, they couldn't see anything.
Grim's voice boomed through warehouse, "I'm actually surprised that you both came. Why don't you step out of the shadows so I can look you in the eye?"
The two black widows glanced at each other and, realizing that they were likely in the middle of a trap, did as he asked.
Grim laughed, "I have to say I definitely didn't expect Pepper to manage getting both of you here!"
"Pepper?" Natasha said before a thought occurred to her, "She wasn't a survivor of your attack, was she? You managed to turn her and Happy!"
"If that's how you want to put it, yes," Grim said with a smirk behind his helmet.
"I don't know how you managed to turn her and Happy against Tony and their own beliefs, but we won't be as easy!" Natasha said as she and Yelena drew their dual pistols and fired at the overlord.
The shots smashed against his armor and, with a wave of his arm, sent his browns at them. The two women used their guns and hand-to-hand to keep them away and slowly clear a path towards the exit. The reds and the overlord just watched as the women fought and made for the exit, but before they were halfway to the exit, the greens burst out of the shadows and latched onto the women, trying to drag them to the ground.
They attempted to fight off the foul-smelling greens using their taser bracelets, but this only proved to stall them until the yellow minions tackled the two women, shocking them with the same voltage that their bracelets used. The two were dropped to their knees by the shocks and the browns used that opening to grab the two women and hold them down.
The two women tried to wrench themselves free from the browns' grasp, but the minions's surprising strength held them in place for the overlord to approach them, his magic crackling in his hands.
He fired his evil presence into the two spies, earning screams of pain from the two women as the magic corrupted their very souls. Once the spell had taken effect, the minions released the two women, who slowly stood to their feet with their heads still bowed in deference.
"Forgive us for resisting you, Overlord," Yelena said, her head still bowed.
"Please give us orders, our master," Natasha added.
"You will call for a squad of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to provide backup or something for you, but make certain that you don't get any alarm raised. We can't afford to have S.H.I.E.L.D.'s full attention or for them to know you two serve me just yet," Grim said.
Natasha nodded her understanding and activated her comms, "Director Fury, on information gathered from a source, Yelena and I have investigated one of Stark's warehouses. It looks like it has been robbed and if the source is right, it was the Overlord."
"Is the source reliable?" Fury asked over the comms.
"Very," she replied, "I would like to request that a squad be sent down to help us investigate and search for any clues."
"Granted," Fury replied, "I'm sending a squad led by Quake. They're ten minutes out."
"Thank you, sir," Natasha replied before she deactivated the communicator.
"Good work, you two," Grim said as he ordered his minions to hide in various areas around the area.
"We appreciate your words, Dark One," Yelena said, "Now, how would you like to ambush them?"
"You two will draw them in and my minions will surround them. I'll take it from there," Grim said.
"Master, you should be careful with the woman that will be leading the squad, Quake. She's an inhuman with the power to create vibrations on top of being a skilled agent," Natasha explained.
"Perhaps, but she won't be expecting an ambush from you two," Grim explained without a hint of concern in his voice.
"If you say so, Dark One," Yelena said, nodding submissively.
The group only had to wait for the S.H.I.E.L.D. unit to arrive for a little over an hour.
A woman with short brown hair and metal gauntlets led the soldiers into the warehouse, not suspecting anything.
"Natasha, Yelena, so what's the situation?" she asked as the overlord's minions slowly surrounded them in the shadows.
"We believe that the overlord was here and that he took pieces of Stark tech," Natasha explained.
"Any idea what he was after?" Quake asked the two spies.
"In terms of the tech, no," Yelena said, "But what he's really after is more soldiers for his growing army."
"What?" Quake asked with a confused look on her face. Her confusion only lasted a few more seconds before Natasha hit her with her Widow's bite.
"Agent Romanova, what are you doing!?" one of the agents shouted in shock as the inhuman agent dropped to the ground, spasming as the electricity went through her body.
Rather than answer him, Natasha smirked and looked to her right where the overlord came out of the shadows.
"She's obeying her new master, just as she should," Grim said, "Now you all are going to be the test subjects for my new suit's abilities."
With that, Grim fired his evil presence spell, his armor allowing him to hit all of the soldiers at once.
The soldiers cried out in pain as the lightning pierced them, altering them at their very core. The soldiers dropped to their knees and bowed their heads to Grim.
"Whom do you serve?" Grim asked the soldiers.
"We serve the overlord," the soldiers said simultaneously.
"Damn right," Grim said with a smirk beneath his helmet.
"Wh-what did you do to them?" Quake groaned as she got back to her feet, her legs unsteady beneath her as she moved into a fighting pose.
"Taught them their place," Grim replied, "Just as I will with you."
"L-Like Hell you will!" she shouted as she prepared to fire a blast from her gauntlet-covered hands.
Before she could, the yellow minions charged from the darkness and hit her with electrical blasts. Quake screamed in pain as the electricity arched through her body. With a hand gesture from the overlord, the yellow minions ceased their attack and Quake fell to her knees once more.
"You seem to be under the mistaken impression that you have a choice in the matter," Grim smirked as he raised his hand again to send his evil presence spell arcing through her body. "Now, tell me who you serve."
"I serve the overlord," she said submissively.
"Excellent," Grim smirked, "Now you and my other new servants will rejoin your former allies and keep an eye on the comings and goings of the two forces. You will inform me of any important developments and when I order it, you will turn on them and destroy them from the inside."
"Yes, my lord," Quake replied.
"Master, before we part, there is something that you should know," Black Widow explained.
"What is it?" Grim asked with mild curiosity.
"Captain America is meeting some fan club of his tomorrow," she explained.
"Really? Even with everything going on?" Grim asked with surprise.
"Yes. I suppose he wants to reassure the masses that your actions aren't as serious as they might believe," she explained.
"Interesting," Grim said with a smirk, "Maybe I should crash his little party."
"Then, I will send you the address and time through Pepper," she explained.
"Good. I look forward to seeing my old acquaintance again and…catching up," he said with a smile.
Meanwhile, at Avengers Tower…
"You sure you still wanna meet that fanclub of yours tomorrow, Steve?" Iron man asked.
"People need to be reassured, Tony. The overlord is worrying people and they need to be shown it will be alright," Captain America said.
"If you say so," Tony said, shrugging, "Still wish we had some way of finding where he hides out. We know he goes to the Laverian embassy, but where does he go after that?"
"I believe I can answer that," Dr. Strange said as he teleported into the room with a flash of magical energy, "In my research, I found that the overlords of the past had a 'dark tower,' as it was called, that they used as a main base. After the original was destroyed, it was transferred to a realm called the "Netherworld.""
"So, he's from Hell?" Tony asked with a disbelieving tone.
"No," Strange said, ignoring his tone, "He is from somewhere other than Hell and it's different from the Dark Dimension that Dormammu resides in."
"So, how do we get there?" Tony asked, "Wherever this guy is, we should hit him where he's vulnerable."
"I'm afraid it's not possible. According to the research, the Netherworld is almost sentient and bows only to the overlord and his followers. The texts say that it can sense hostile intent towards him and will protect him," the sorceror supreme replied, "In short, attacking him at his main base will be akin to suicide. We will have to draw him in to attack him elsewhere."
"That still doesn't answer the question of his diplomatic immunity," Captain America said, "We need to get the Latverians to remove it, but if what we learned is true, it will be difficult."
"Impossible is more accurate," Strange said, "If we're right, we will have to take him down regardless of his political status. Otherwise, things may prove to become far worse."
A/N: And there's chapter 8! Please remember to review with any comments, question, concerns, or constructive criticism that you might have.
