Tales from the Marvel Universe Neo
Issue 14
"What Doesn't Kill You"
Part 2 of 2
The moment that Crystal fell to the ground, several people all across the new Avengers Mansion noticed. Black Bolt's tuning fork picked up the vibrations of her gasping words, and the Mole Man's sharp ears detected what had happened, as if he'd been in the same room with her, but the one who arrived on the scene first was Doctor Strange, having detected the danger in Crystal's own thoughts.
As Strange appeared on the scene in a flash of light, he saw the open device laying to one side on the floor right next to Crystal, and realized at once what had happened.
"Avengers!" Strange exclaimed in his telepathic voice, "Something has happened to Crystal! Iron man! You're needed here!"
Soon, Iron Man came barreling down the hallway towards the room where Crystal had been unpacking the machines, and Black Bolt followed him close behind, worry growing in his expression.
When the two arrived at Crystal's location, rapid conversations were shared between the three of them through Strange's telepathy. After debating it for less than a second, it was agreed that Black Bolt would take Crystal to Iron Man's lab, further into the mansion, where they would have an easier time examining her.
Before five minutes were up, Strange had guided Black Bolt to Iron Man's lab, which also contained a great deal of medical equipment. No expense had been spared in preparing that place to deal with the injured. A series of long, padded platforms lined one whole side of the room, and large, complex machines could be maneuvered over those beds at any moment. Mostly, they were machines that even Black Bolt hadn't quite seen the like of before.
"Put her on the bed furthest to the left." Iron Man said as he unhooked one of the smaller machines from its place on the wall, and brought it over to where the inhuman girl lay, passing it over her a few times, as she twitched uncontrollably from the continual pain.
"I don't get it." Iron Man said after a few moments, "Every time I scan her, I get a different reading. It's like her bones and organs are changing as we're standing here."
"There's one way to know for certain what the nature of this problem is." Strange replied quickly, and in a moment, the eye-shaped pendant that pinned his cloak to his back snapped open, and a bright light covered Crystal's body.
"What are you doing to her?" Black Bolt demanded silently.
"This won't hurt Crystal." Strange replied, "The Eye of Agamotto reveals the truth behind any problem it can see. I've never used it on an injured person before, but if it works, we'll soon know what's wrong with her."
Black Bolt nodded after a moment, deciding to trust Strange for the time being, but he'd also made another grave choice. If the Avengers failed to save the life of his sister in law, he decided, then he was leaving for Attilan again.
In a moment, however, the lights around Crystal began to dim, and a new image appeared above her, showing her skeleton and organs, seeming to move on their own. Whole sections of her body stretched inward, then expanded outward again, and Iron Man recognized, with dread, what was happening.
"Crystal's body seems to be gaining and losing mass randomly at various points." Strange explained as the three watched the images, "What could cause something like this?"
"Pym Particles could." Iron Man replied, "In fact, they're the only substance in the universe, as far as I can tell, that can break the laws of matter conservation."
"I thought that Henry Pym was dead." Black Bolt said in his thoughts, to which Iron Man replied aloud, after Strange relayed the message to him.
"Doctor Pym did die," Iron Man said, "but before he did, he gathered up several samples of Pym Particles, and put them in cannisters with the intention of determining their true nature some day, and finding some way to create more. A few samples of Pym Particles survived, and so did most of Henry's work, except the prototype device that he originally used to turn himself into Giant Man. If he were alive, he'd know just what to do. Frankly, I'm lost."
"Well, he's not alive." Strange said, echoing Black Bolt's thoughts in his direction, "Isn't there anyone else who might be able to repair the damage?"
"See, that's the thing..." Iron Man replied, looking over the image that Strange's artifact was still projecting, "I don't see any permanent damage at all. I'll bet if these changes were to stop, she'd be just fine, but without some means of stopping the movements of her body parts when they gain and lose mass, she'll be dead inside of fifteen minutes."
"I can do it." Strange heard Black Bolt say into his thoughts, "I can stop the unnatural vibrations in her body."
"Black Bolt says that he can do that." Strange said, just as the tuning fork on Black Bolt's head began to vibrate much more rapidly.
"The task" Black Bolt said, through Strange, "is to create counter-vibrations inside of her, that work against the ones the Pym particles are creating. I've used this technique to blunt sharp impacts to the bodies of my friends in the past. However, this will only work as long as I maintain perfect concentration, which means that if I start to tire, she will die. We need a more permanent solution."
Then, Strange spoke in his own words again, saying nervously "You said that you were lost. Is there someone else, who might understand what's happening to her?"
"I... I don't think so." Iron Man replied, "Although there are others who've studied the same alien technology that created the Pym particles. I think the best move would be to call Reed Richards."
Strange just nodded as Tony activated the mobile phone line in his armor, trying to get through to the top floors of the Baxter Building. He tried calling three times, but there was no answer.
"Dammit!" Iron Man exclaimed, "He probably thinks I'm going to try to ask him to join again. He won't pick up."
"In that case, I'll attempt to contact him." Strange said, closing his eyes tightly. After a few seconds, he opened them again, though he didn't quite feel ready to smile.
"Doctor Richards has been apprised of the situation." Strange said, "He should arrive shortly."
However, just then, there was a short beeping sound from four different sources in the room, as Iron Man realized that his Avengers communicator was going off. Quickly, he pulled it out of his pocket; a metal, disc-shaped item about the size of a lady's hand mirror. In just a moment, he'd flipped his open, revealing a circular screen with a digital image and a few buttons. The screen had centered automatically on an overhead map of the east hallway of the Avengers Mansion, showing the name "Spider-man" overlaid on it. Iron Man was becoming very upset, very quickly.
"Of all the rotten... Strange, Spider-man's sounded the emergency signal. I hope, for his sake, that this isn't a joke."
"It's no joke." Strange replied, opening his eyes again, "Spider-man's been attacked by assassins of some sort. I've never seen anyone like them before. Go check it out. I'll watch from here."
Iron Man just nodded once, and charged out of the lab in a hurry, to reach Spider-man's location. He was feeling very desperate. It was only a few hours after the new Avengers had been formed, and already they were on the verge of falling apart.
A silent alarm went off in the Widow's quarters as she was entering information into the Avengers' computer, while working with some of her equipment. The alarm manifested itself as a tiny symbol near the bottom of Widow's computer terminal, but she noticed it at once, though she didn't react immediately. Widow was almost entirely certain that the alarm wouldn't have been sounded if it had been something as minimal as a burglar, which meant that the Avengers were under attack by someone powerful; perhaps even a group of powerful people. She was also convinced that the attack was intended to break up the Avengers before they could develop a strong rapport as a team, which meant that someone obviously considered them a major threat.
Of course, Widow had a feeling that Spider-man and the others could cope with their attackers without her immediate help. She had more important matters to tend to, as she pulled out her laptop computer, and connected it to a nearby ethernet network, running rapid searches as fast as she could. She definitely needed more information about their attackers before she could afford to take action.
Spider-man had dodged gunfire in small, enclosed spaces before, although he hadn't expected to be doing it on his first night as an Avenger. The attacks were coming from three men, wearing dark masks and gloves, aiming their weapons at him from across the hallway and firing periodically. Spider-man had sounded the alarm as soon as he'd felt his spider-sense starting to go off, and only a moment later, he'd drawn the group's attention, and their fire, ducking out of the way of every source of danger with speed and agility beyond that of even Olympic-level athletes. As he leapt back and forth out of the path of the gunfire, he said aloud, "Well, that's about enough fun for one day," and tapped the catches on his web-shooters, causing thin webbing to shoot out from the machines on his wrists, and cover the guns of his enemies. In just a moment more, he was on top of them. Each was obviously a very talented fighter, but even their hardest blows did very little to him, and in a few moments, they were all unconscious on the ground.
"Guess you guys got the wrong address." Spider-man muttered, but just then, his spider-sense started going off again, and he realized that someone else had been hiding in the shadows behind the gunmen.
"That was an impressive display." Spider-man heard, and in seconds, a spray of green vapor shot in his direction. His spider sense was quick to alert him, of course, to the fact that the vapor was mondo dangerous, and he leapt backwards, out of the way of it as fast as he could, but the unconscious men at his feet weren't so lucky. The vapors, it seemed, were acidic in nature, and the bodies of the three unconscious gunmen began to melt hideously before Spider-man's eyes. In just a moment later, a figure dressed entirely in black, from head to toe leapt from the shadows and threw a punch at Spider-man, who had to duck backwards again to avoid it. However, the man's second punch, made with the same fist, twisted in a new direction hit Spider-man right in the face, knocking him backwards into the wall hard. Unlike the teammates he'd just killed, the new attacker was just as strong as Spider-man was. Spidey was still feeling that last punch. It made his whole head rattle.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet in a hurry, and away from his enemy's next punch, "You really oughtta knock off the steroids. It's not good for you."
"No drug could have given me this strength." his enemy replied, "It is a secret technique that one such as you could never master!"
"Oh, boy." Spider-man said from the place where he'd taken up residence on one of the walls, "Now you've gone and hurt my feelings."
As he said that, Spidey leapt off the wall, ducking under his enemy's fist, continuing to talk the whole time.
"I mean, I do my best, I use these crazy spider-powers..." at that he paused for a moment to slickly avoid a volley of punches and kicks being aimed at him by his enemy, "...and I try to do the right thing most of the time, and you have to go and judge me because I can't master your technique. Yessir, I'm feeling pretty miserable right now."
"In fact," Spider-man continued, as he delivered a successful blow to the invader's jaw, "I'm sure that when you're out cold in a prison cell somewhere for breaking and entering, assault and battery and... oh, yeah... murder, I'm just gonna be tossing and turning over what you just said. Tell you what..."
Spider-man's speed had increased as he'd talked, and he'd started connecting with his fists more and more often. At last, he slugged the intruder so hard in the stomach, that he was thrown back against the far wall. Seconds after that, he was webbed up against it, and Spider-man knocked him out with one last punch across the face.
"Why not just tell me again how miserable I should be?" Spider-man finished casually as the invader went limp, "Oh, wait. You can't. My bad."
Then, Spidey leaned forward, to remove the man's mask, when suddenly, clouds of green smoke began to emerge from his body. Spider-man had to jump back, to keep from touching the airborne acid as it rapidly consumed the assassin's entire body, seemingly from within. In seconds, there was nothing left of him.
For once, Peter Parker had nothing to say. Four men had attacked him right near the exit of the Avengers Mansion, and all had been killed by one of their own, right before his eyes, apparently just because they hadn't succeeded. It was a different kind of ball game than he was used to playing, where one simply webbed up the crooks and left them for the police. However, there were other things about the fates of his enemies that Spider-man found even more difficult to cope with.
It had still been less than a year since Uncle Ben had died, and he knew what it meant for a person to die; the seriousness and the finality of it; the loss felt by their friends and family. Although he knew that he hadn't killed any of the attackers directly, Peter had started to feel truly miserable over whatever role he'd played in their deaths. All curious thoughts about the strange powers of his last enemy had faded from his mind in seconds.
Spider-man was continuing to dwell on those thoughts nearly half a minute later when Iron Man appeared at one end of the hall, and spoke up, shocked at the sight of the human remains surrounding him, "Spider-man, what... What happened here?"
"Four guys..." Spider-man replied sadly, "They... they all just... died."
"We can talk about that somewhere else." Iron Man replied, scanning around with his sensors, to be sure there weren't any more invaders, before he led Spider-man towards the mansion's central study.
The Mole Man had sensed both the collapse of Crystal, and the attack on the mansion with his powerful ears, but he'd also sensed something else. The creatures of the Earth were sending out signals that something was very wrong nearby. He'd had small messenger-worms circling the mansion for the last several hours just to be safe; a type of swiftly-burrowing worm, that gave off hypersonic shrieks if the Earth they burrowed through was disturbed, and the Mole Man had a device on his person that could detect those shrieks easily. As soon as he'd seen the tiny blips on his hand-held, hypersonic radar, he'd left the mansion in their direction, and pressed a small button on his staff, slamming it against the ground with a thud.
In seconds, the vibrations generated by the Mole Man's staff had reached the being for whom they were intended. The Mole Man waited impatiently as a rumbling began to build in the ground, and continued building and building. Finally, a small mound of earth appeared before the Mole Man, moving through the ground towards him with both speed and force, then suddenly, a much larger mound appeared behind the small one, following it in the mansion's direction. In mere moments, the large mound of earth had caught up to the tiny one, and the head of a massive, sharp-toothed worm-beast emerged from deep underground. The creature was three times as wide as the Mole Man was tall, but what really interested the Mole Man was the black-clad man that the worm held in its jaws. As it had been instructed, the worm's teeth had clamped down around the man's legs, but hadn't penetrated his flesh.
"Well done, my pet." the Mole Man said to the worm with a pleased smile, "I see we've caught ourselves an intruder. Tell me, human... What were you doing burrowing through the ground?"
"You'll... You'll learn nothing from me!" the man exclaimed, both furious and terrified.
"No, I think I'll learn a great deal from you," the Mole Man replied, a bit irritated by the intruder's words. In just a second, the Mole Man aimed his staff at the man, and pressed another button, causing several sturdy cords to emerge from the tip of his staff, and entrap the invader, who cried out in miserable agony almost at once. It seemed he'd been prepared to face death for his sect, but never capture.
As the worm dropped its helpless captive to the ground, the Mole Man drew the Avengers Communicator from one of the pouches attached to his belt, and spoke aloud into it, for the first time.
"This is the Mole Man, Avengers. It seems I've uncovered another of the intruders, and mine is still alive. Send someone to my location to pick him up at once."
Then, the Mole Man closed his communicator and put it away again. The hardest part of what he'd just done had been stopping himself from killing the young assassin. Aside from that, nothing about being an Avenger really felt as uncomfortable as he'd first expected it to.
"The first five are gone now," the messenger reported, completing his mission, "They were defeated by only a few of these new Avengers."
"This is a serious matter." Was the reply from over the phone, "The Avengers are composed of all those who pose the greatest potential threat to our operations at this time. It is absolutely essential that they be crushed before they can do any damage. Hold your position. We're deploying dozens of our best operatives to the mansion, including three Grand Phantoms."
"Th-three?" the messenger asked in amazement and just a little terror, "Y-yes sir. I await further news."
As the messenger hung up the phone, miles from the mansion, he couldn't help but think that he'd never actually seen a Grand Phantom sent on a mission before. It was going to be an enormous incident.
Steven Strange frowned as he tried to read the intruder's mind. He was no slouch as a mind-reader for the most part, but there was something wrong; something blocking him out. He couldn't pick up any of the intruder's thoughts.
"I'm afraid I'll have to use the eye again to determine his true origins." Strange said to the other Avengers, but that was when he heard a voice from the shadows, coming from someone he also hadn't sensed.
"I can tell you where he comes from."
In seconds, a man had stepped from the shadows, dressed in black, with a mask and small horns like a devil. A small club was attached to one side of his belt, and a series of pouches were attached to the other side. Of all the people in that room, only Spider-man and the Widow had ever seen that person up close before. He was Daredevil; the man without fear.
"This man is an assassin working for a shinobi sect known as the Hand." Daredevil said as he approached the bound killer, "They're a selfish group of shinobi, who serve no master but themselves, and they're not above breaking the law. I'm sure that this one was sent to try to interfere with the formation of the Avengers, removing a potential obstacle to their criminal endeavors."
Daredevil spoke in a voice that was deep and thick, but it was probably a fake voice in an attempt to conceal everything about himself from others. It seemed like a shinobi trick. He himself, however, was helping them for the moment, which meant there was a chance he'd continue to help them in the future. Despite his frightening appearance, and the way he'd gained entry into the mansion without anyone noticing, Strange decided to trust him for the moment.
"If this man is working for a group, can we expect reprisals?" Strange asked.
"It's worse than that." Daredevil replied, "The Hand don't engage people openly, no matter who they are, until they've made significant preparations. They can't have been foolish enough to suppose that just a few shinobi would be enough to destroy you all. I suspect this first attack was intended to test your strength and resolve, but make no mistake; they will come here in force. These minor enemies were just a prelude."
"You said they make preparations..." Strange noted, at which point Daredevil reached for the bottom of the table in the room's center, and removed a small, circular device from it; about the size of a button.
"I suspect they discovered Tony Stark's purchase of Graystone Manor," Daredevil explained, "determined that he was doing so for Iron Man's sake, and he, for the sake of the Avengers, then snuck in and planted bugs almost immediately. They know, I'm certain, who's already joined, and they're drawing their plans based on that knowledge. You're going to need to respond quickly when they attack."
"You seem to be underestimating us." Namor said from nearby, "Whoever these people are, they are only human. With or without preparation..."
However, Daredevil wasn't replying to him, or even looking at him at all as he spoke, which Namor found very insulting, though he wasn't sure how the nonverbal reaction was intended to be taken.
Captain America, however, was ready with a reply to Namor's boast.
"The old Avengers were powerful too..."
Namor couldn't help but wince a little when he heard that. It was Captain America's way of saying "don't be so arrogant" without actually saying it, and it hadn't been too long before, that Namor had been praising the Captain's innate strategic mind. Words like the kind he'd just uttered were too prideful, and after all, pride goes before a fall.
Spider-man hadn't said a word as the others had been talking, but then, he'd just watched four men die right in front of him. Bitter, guilt-ridden thoughts filled his mind, but when he finally did speak, he sounded both nervous and curious.
"Daredevil, the guys I fought..." Spider-man said after hesitating for quite a while, "I didn't kill them, but they died anyway... Why?"
Daredevil looked over at Spider-man, and saw his sadness and worry in the younger man's slumping posture. He took a moment to carefully consider his words, before he replied to Spider-man's question.
"The Hand uses a device called a pressure detonator, which is implanted in their heads. If one of them is knocked unconscious, or wounded in a critical area, the device senses it, and sets off an acid bomb implanted beside one of their ribs. The acid then escapes in a liquid form that travels through the body and becomes gaseous as soon as it makes contact with air."
"I... I mean... why?" Spider-man asked again, and once again, Daredevil found himself faced with a very difficult problem. It wouldn't be so easy to explain things like that to Spider-man.
"The Hand are all sworn never to betray their sect, even to the point of death." Daredevil said after another short pause, "They die when they're in danger of being captured, because, if they were captured, there's a risk of someone tracking down the other members of their sect, or even learning to duplicate the special techniques that they learned over the course of their time as shinobi."
"But I still don't understand why they'd be so ready to just throw their lives away." Spider-man said, still obviously shaken.
"Is that part really so hard to understand?" Daredevil asked, "No Hand shinobi expects to fail in their mission, and as for being willing to die to protect something you believe in or care about, I think most of the people in this room understand that feeling."
Spider-man just nodded once, and fell silent again, but he still had obvious doubts about fighting that kind of enemy. It felt too much like killing, even though he wasn't the one who'd chosen to kill.
The seventh Grand Phantom spread the cards out on the table in front of him, as he planned for the upcoming attacks. Of course, each card represented an important stage of the plan, and all three Grand Phantoms would be needed for the Mansion itself. There were too many metahumans in that one place, and thinning them out was top priority. Still, there were other factors to be managed. According to the audio signals they'd received from the bugs in the mansion itself, one of the Avengers had already been immobilized by an accident of some kind, involving a machine, and another; Black Bolt was being kept occupied with keeping her alive. It had become obvious pretty quickly to the seventh Grand Phantom, or "Seven" as he liked to be called, that the longer Crystal was at death's door, the better the chances for victory on their part. It wasn't Crystal herself who was a threat, however. Her powers seemed limited, and confined by many factors. Black Bolt, though, was quite possibly the most powerful of the new Avengers, and his voice was the one weapon against which there was no defense. He would stay at Crystal's side as long as he needed to. That much was obvious. That was what family was all about.
The only other thing that threatened to drag Crystal back into the land of the living was the scientist named Reed Richards, who the Avengers had summoned to their aid once they'd realized that their experience alone was insufficient to heal Crystal's injuries. Of course, keeping him from reaching Crystal before the attack was brought down was in the best interests of the Hand, which was why another small force had been sent to the Baxter Building, to keep Mister Fantastic busy...
Reed Richards fitted another of his customized scanning devices onto his belt as he headed for the elevator to the roof. The call from Doctor Strange appearing in his thoughts themselves had been a very odd one, but then, Reed had seen all sorts of odd things over the course of the last year, and naturally, once he'd heard that Crystal had been hurt, he'd agreed to go to the new Avengers Mansion and examine her. Even though, for the moment, Reed would have preferred not to be directly involved with the Avengers, he couldn't just let Crystal die. She was both an innocent victim, and a friend of his family, and he couldn't forsake either one.
However, as Reed climbed up the stairs to the roof, he started to hear movement outside. He knew that Johnny was out, Sue was in the middle of an important business meeting, and Ben was... Well, Ben usually made more noise than that, especially when he was tinkering with the Fantasticar. Reed knew that whoever was on the roof, they didn't have permission to be there, so he prepared himself for an attack, as he opened the door, and was immediately pelted with several blasts of flame.
The flames had come at him quickly, but he was ready to react, flattening himself against the ground, then twisting around to one side. The flames changed direction as Reed moved, trying to follow him, but at least the maneuver had given him the chance to see who was shooting; a group of men in black clothes, gloves and masks, wielding flame-throwers. There was another who stood behind them, but Reed would have to worry about him later.
The flames were continuing the follow him wherever he went, as Reed fled along the building. He knew that fire was one of the things his rubbery body couldn't just bounce back from, which meant that he needed to stop the attackers quickly.
In a single, swift motion, well-practiced in his spare time, Reed Richards sprang into the air, over the heads of his attackers. They tried to follow him with their weapons, but the sun got in their eyes as they did so, and in the moment of hesitation that caused, Reed took action, swinging his arms around at ground level like enormous, thick whips. In seconds, he'd tripped up all three of the men with the flame-throwers, causing them to fall to the ground, and shortly after that, he'd taken away their weapons.
However, the last of the attackers had begun advancing on Reed, before he'd even finished disarming the first three, and Reed could tell from quite a distance away that the man had some sort of special power centering around heat. He seemed to be radiating heat all around himself as he came closer, so Reed grabbed one of the flame throwers, and struck the last attacker across the face with it.
The problem was that it seemed that generating heat wasn't the only special power of Reed's final enemy, because when he'd been struck across the face by the thick, metal weapon, he hadn't even flinched. He was, Reed realized, obviously a lot stronger than he looked; maybe even as strong as Ben.
Suddenly, the assassin braced one foot against the ground, and in a flash, he was standing right next to Reed, reaching out with one smoking hand, as if his entire body had become a glowing ember. Reed felt the scorching heat from the man's hand even before it made contact, although he managed to back away before the killer could get a firm grip on him.
Reed was still feeling the burning sensation in his side, and was definitely starting to get worried. He knew he had to do something. The assassin could move as fast as he could, and seemed to have powers uniquely suited for combating his, which meant that Reed needed some kind of weapon to use against him; something big enough to do some damage, or at least catch him off guard. Reed could only see a few things nearby that fit that description, however.
Quickly, Reed headed for the JUMP, until he was standing right in front of it, then grabbed a wrench from inside, and prepared to stand against his enemy. The killer was upon him in seconds, using that speed of his, that bordered on temporary invisibility, and the moment he was close enough, Reed's hands expanded, dropping the wrench, and tipping the JUMP over onto the confused assassin.
"I'll have to hope that was enough." Reed thought silently, but to his dismay, the JUMP seemed to start tearing itself apart a moment later.
Metal twisted, glass shattered, and soon, the front end of the JUMP was in pieces, and the killer who'd been trapped under it was free again, and about to continue his attack, but Reed had seen enough. Obviously, the killer was strong enough to take massive punishment, which meant that he might not be killed by Reed's next plan.
Seizing one of the pieces of metal that the assassin had torn out of the JUMP, which was shaped a little like a half-moon, Reed swung it around with his left hand, grabbing the killer in his makeshift spoon.
"Happy landings, friend." Reed said, shoving the metal scoop to the edge of the roof, and tipping it over, sending the superhuman shinobi plunging over the side, falling and falling to the pavement below.
When Reed turned back to face the three he'd disarmed before, he found that they were gone, but he knew he couldn't waste time searching for them. He had to help Crystal. Quickly, he got into his segment of the Fantasticar, and put his key into it, powering it up as it took to the air, headed for the new Avengers Mansion.
The Avengers hadn't had much time to make preparations before the attack came down. The Hand had planned their attack well, descending by helicopter to the roof of the mansion. In moments, they'd broken in.
Jennifer Walters smiled as she shrugged off a few smaller attackers. There wasn't much about fighting that made Jennifer happy, but at the moment, she was fighting alongside someone who could really keep up, and then some. Her partner was Miss Marvel, and together, they plowed through several dozen enemy attackers, although Miss Marvel's speed seemed to give her an edge in catching the fast-moving little guys. The wave of enemies couldn't continue forever, of course, and when it stopped, there'd be a chance to get back, and tell the others that they could power down.
However, as the minor enemies seemed to fall away, Jennifer Walters could have sworn she heard a voice in the depths of her mind, telling her that it wasn't over yet. There was another shinobi there, different from the others, and he was about to attack.
Only seconds after the last ninja fell to the ground, Miss Marvel saw something that chilled her somewhat. Somehow, in all the laps she'd taken around the room, she hadn't seen the greenish puddle off in one corner as being a threat, but it had moved closer to the center of the room, as the less-powerful shinobi failed, and soon, it had risen up, forming arms, legs, and a head, until it stood in the room's center, just looking at the two women curiously.
"Now, that is a feat I never would have expected from female warriors." the figure made of green liquid said, "It seems that there are many things in the world that continue to surprise me, day after day."
"Are you one of them?" Carol demanded.
"In a sense." the liquid-man replied, "I am the fifth Grand Phantom of the hand. I am here to destroy the Avengers."
Then suddenly, the nebulous torso of the being seemed to start vibrating rapidly with greater and greater force and violence, until a mouth formed and opened on the front of its face, and in seconds, an eardrum-shattering shriek erupted from its mouth, rendering both women unconscious, in spite of their monstrous strength.
However, they weren't the only ones effected by the cacophony.
The supersonic scream was heard throughout the whole mansion in some capacity, although most of the Avengers didn't collapse under its force. However, Namor, Daredevil, and the Mole Man each had very sensitive ears. The moment the scream began, they each heard it with horrible clarity, and rushed to cover their ears, but it was too loud; too jarring. Each had fallen to the ground a short time later, causing the other Avengers who were in the same room with them to become deeply worried. They had no way of knowing what had caused the unnatural-sounding wail, but in a flash, it had put some of their most powerful members out of the game.
Black Bolt heard the scream from his place in the lab, but more than that; he felt it. Its vibrations were intercepted by the tuning fork in his head, and processed. It gave him a fairly clear idea of what had made that scream, and how such an attack might be undone, but he couldn't really do anything about it, while Crystal lay dying in front of him. She seemed to have relaxed a little more, as the sharp shriek had reached her long ears, but that didn't mean that her life wasn't still in jeopardy, if Black Bolt left her side...
"Seven, Three." Five said as he turned away from the two women he'd just rendered unconscious, "They should be ready for you. Don't waste time sending in lesser shinobi, though. These Avengers can wade through them like a cool pond."
"A pity" came the reply through the small radio attached to his ear, "I had hoped that our training had yielded better results than that. We'll begin phase two shortly."
"These guys... keep getting lucky." Spider-man said as he looked down at Daredevil's prostrate body.
"No." Captain America replied, "I don't think so. I think it's much more likely that they've planned all of this out in advance, in which case, they must have some way to communicate with one another, to make their strategy work. Iron Man, can you detect radio signals used for things like that?"
Iron Man was marginally pleased to be hearing Captain America talk like that again. He was getting used to the idea of leading once more, and taking up the responsibility of planning for a team's actions. It was just what he was most needed to do in that instance. Captain America was a true, natural leader.
"Sure." Iron Man replied to the question, "Just a second."
Quickly, Iron Man activated a program inside his armor, and started scanning the area for radio waves. Sure enough, there were short-range, radio transmissions being exchanged between three sources nearby.
"Yup. Radio waves. Kind of basic, really." Iron Man said, "I could transmit anything I wanted to along them from here."
"Good." Captain America replied, a new plan forming in his mind, "Did you get a recording of that scream we all heard a moment ago?"
A sharp, high-pitched wail blasted out of the radio transmitters that Seven and Three were using just a moment later, forcing them to dig the small machines out of their ears in a hurry. Of course, they both knew what had happened immediately; the Avengers had compromised their radio link.
"We should move in as quickly as we can." Seven said, "They'll be on the alert, but that last attack must have disabled many of them."
No more words were shared between them as the two sped up, leaping towards the mansion in a flash.
The Wellington Tower on the edge of New York's central business district was a place of business for many different kinds of people. It was the kind of place where fortunes were made, and competition was fierce. It also had the best security system money could buy, but then, money can only do so much.
"Hey, what's up?" Terry said, looking up from his newspaper at the monitors he was supposed to be keeping track of. His partner Darrell had been listening to his Ipod, so he hadn't been paying very close attention either, but he saw what Terry had referred to. The four cameras in Okiru Manera's office, in one of the building's top floors had gone out, and were displaying only static. That was very bad news. Mister Manera was a billionaire several times over, and he'd wanted those cameras kept on for security reasons, and to accurately record his business meetings. They needed to figure out what was wrong with the video feed in a hurry.
The attack came quickly. Spider-man and Iron Man were at the front of the Avenger's defenses when the two new invaders attacked, one of them plowing right through the two of them, and into the central hall of the mansion, while the other seemed to teleport in a flash, and in seconds, a cry of pain was heard from Doctor Strange.
However, no sooner had the enemy ninja downed the leader of the Avengers with a blow to the back of the head, then he was struck away from the side. Captain America had delivered a quick blow with the edge of his shield, then followed it up with a powerful kick, knocking the teleporting ninja away. The other, it seemed, was extremely strong; perhaps even on the level that Thor had once been at. Against him, Captain America probably couldn't win. The important thing was to fight the battles that he could.
Spider-man was still aching all over from the pounding that strong brute had given him a moment before, probably without even half thinking about it, but he'd fought other strong enemies before, and he knew of a few ways to take advantage of that.
As the man continued charging, Spider-man shot out his webs, grabbing the guy's lower legs, and tripping him up, sending him falling to the floor. In seconds, Iron Man was on top of him, grabbing the man by one arm, and throwing him back out, into the front lawn.
Iron Man continued to charge after the invader, even after he'd been sent flying outside, but it was, as it turned out, his mistake. The man had braced his feet, in moments, against the ground, and retaliated with a powerful punch that twisted Iron Man's armor where it hit, knocking him away. When Tony hit the dirt, he could tell that his armor had been badly damaged by his enemy's attack, to the point where it might even be impossible to continue fighting, but the worst part of it all was that his foe had gotten his bearings again, and seemed eager to finish him off.
Just as the shinobi charged forward for the kill, however, a ring of fire sprung up, entrapping him in the flames, and there was the Human Torch, standing in midair nearby, looking down at his captured foe.
"Don't try it." Johnny said, "Don't even think about it."
"You must know these flames won't hurt me." the shinobi scoffed.
"Maybe not..." Johnny replied sternly, "But then, you've gotta be wearing that mask for a reason, and something tells me it isn't fireproof. Right now, I'm holding off on the big flames, but if you take another step towards Iron Man, I swear I'll burn that mask right off your face."
Three was extremely humiliated by the turn that circumstances had taken. He could still escape, of course, but the mission's eventual success seemed to hinge on the actions of Five, just as he'd boasted before. That was when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small, flying vehicle landing on the mansion grounds. In seconds, a man had emerged, dressed in the uniform of the Fantastic Four.
The man rushed forward, with extremely long steps, towards the front entrance, when he noticed that one of the people fighting on the mansion grounds was Johnny Storm. Reed paused for a second, not sure what to say, but Johnny knew the words that he had to use. Though he'd fought well in spite of it, the truth was that Johnny Storm was very distracted that day. There was only one thing he wanted Reed Richards to do at the Avengers' Mansion.
"Hurry up and save Crys, big brain!" Johnny exclaimed impatiently, "We can talk about the rest of this later."
Reed paused for a moment longer, but finally nodded, and rushed inside, ignoring the vicious battle that Hawkeye and Captain America had engaged in with their other enemy. He had a life to save.
Using his powers to walk down whole flights of stairs, and through hallways in the blink of an eye, Reed had reached the lab only seconds after he'd entered the building, and found himself deeply wishing that Strange were there to tell him what Black Bolt was thinking. Neither Black Bolt, nor Crystal was in any sort of condition to describe to him what was really wrong with her.
Of course, Reed knew a little bit about what had happened. In his telepathic summons, Strange had described one of the Giant Man's old devices, which had apparently changed something within Crystal, so that at least gave him a few hunches, as he pulled a customized bio-scanning device from his belt, and started tuning it. In seconds, it was displaying a chart of Crystal's inner anatomy, and Reed saw at once what was wrong.
"You knew she was gaining and losing mass, correct?" Reed asked Black Bolt, who simply nodded in reply, "That makes this easier. You see, Black Bolt, I think that Crystal's body was exposed to Pym Particles, which naturally change the mass of whatever they touch. The Pym particles, as they're now called, were, I believe, designed as part of a machine, and were intended to be controlled by a central computer brain. By changing the mass of certain objects, they also change the way those objects experience the concepts of gravity, time and space, which I'm almost certain enables antigravity, and faster-than-light travel. The problem is that without a computer brain to control them, these particles are reacting randomly, changing the mass of anything around them; in this case Crystal."
Black Bolt quickly pointed across the room, to Iron Man's desktop computer, but Reed just shook his head.
"There isn't any computer on Earth advanced enough to interface with these alien machines." Reed replied, "Not even the military intranet can do that. However, Pym found a way of getting around that limitation. Rather than trying to control the particles with any kind of computer, he must have linked them directly into his own brain. The human brain is complex enough to process that kind of data, of course, but his machine broke when he used it to give the Wasp her special powers. I doubt he had another, or he'd have brought it to someone's attention, which means I'll have to start from scratch if I want to try to replicate what he did."
Black Bolt looked around for a moment, until he found a small, empty syringe nearby, and motioned with it towards one of Crystal's arms, but Reed shook his head again.
"I wish it were that simple, sir, but Pym Particles are alien in origin, and much too small to simply be drawn out like blood. We don't have any means of actually removing them from Crystal's body at this point. The best we can hope for is to try to configure her brain patterns to the same wavelength as the particles, then hope they get the hint, and stop what they're doing."
Black Bolt seemed to understand what Reed was proposing, even if he didn't know how, exactly, to go about doing that. It already seemed that Reed had a plan of a very specific kind, as he pulled three small devices from his pockets, and connected them to one another. In just a second, he'd assembled what looked like a small crown, with a cord on one side, and quickly fitted it over Crystal's head, then plugged the small cord into the nearest computer by a port on the front. The computer screen lit up almost at once, with images of the inside of Crystal's brain, as Reed put his other scanning device down, and started typing complex commands into the keyboard. If his machine worked the way it was designed to, there was a very, very slim chance that Crystal might survive.
In his time, Captain America had been called one of the best martial artists in the world. It wasn't the kind of title that got tossed around lightly in those days, and Cap was pleased to find that his trip into the future, beyond the reach of what would have been his natural lifetime, had done nothing to diminish his skills in that area. He could tell, because although the intruder before him was one of the best fighters he'd ever seen, Captain America was steadily gaining the upper hand.
Of the two invaders that Captain America had seen, the one with the monstrous strength had been successfully imprisoned by the Human Torch, and the other was right in front of him, trying his best to gain ground against him. What had really made the fight a challenge, of course, hadn't been merely his enemy's skill in the martial arts, but his seeming ability to teleport from one place to another instantly. Cap had needed to defend himself more than once from attacks that were coming at him from behind, as the fight had continued. In fact, he'd found it more useful to keep his shield strapped to his back after a while, just to block the blows of his enemy more quickly. Through it all, Hawkeye had been off to one side of the room, ready with his bow, just in case the invader tried something more substantial than teleporting around. However, when the ninja finally did decide to try a new technique, it quickly became obvious that a single arrow would no longer do much good against him.
Where once there had been a fighter who was only slightly less talented than Captain America, there suddenly stood ten, and every one of them attacked at once, striking against Cap from all sides. He fought bravely enough, defending himself with some difficulty from the first two, but then, the third would strike, followed by a fourth and a fifth. Hawkeye had shot two of them in the chest before one of the others overpowered him from behind, and Captain America was the next to fall. The enemies who'd been shot seemed to have dissolved in green smoke, but there were still eight left. That was when Spider-man reappeared.
In a flash, Spider-man had begun his attack, diving into his foes, and punching one of them right in the chest, sending him flying into the far wall, and causing him to dissolve in more green smoke. That was when Spider-man realized the horrible truth of what he was facing. Those beings before him were just as prone to self-destruction as the enemies he'd fought before, and that sent doubts shooting through his mind again.
"Can I do this?" He wondered, "Can I stop them in good conscience? Am I already a killer?"
The thoughts were bitter and distracting, and pretty soon, two of his enemies had grabbed him by each arm, their combined strength forcing him down, as a fifth pulled out a knife, advancing on him.
"Is that how it has to be?" Peter wondered silently, as the one with the knife got closer, "Is it kill or be killed? Isn't there another way?"
However, just as he was thinking those thoughts, hesitating to take action, another thought shot through his mind, and it clearly wasn't one of his.
"You need to be slapped silly, kid. There ain't always another way. Sometimes you've just gotta learn how to fight hard when things get real serious."
"But how can I fight these people, knowing I'd be killing them?" Spider-man asked, feeling miserable.
"Because you ain't killin' them, kid." the reply came, "They're killin' them. They're the ones who made the choice to kill themselves if things got rough enough, not you. If you didn't make the choice to kill, you ain't a killer."
Spider-man still wasn't sure who'd sent him that message, but he knew that it was true. He wasn't a killer, because he'd never chosen to kill. To have someone die through a person's actions or inactions is easy, but it doesn't make you a killer. Peter wasn't guilty of killing Uncle Ben, and he wasn't guilty of killing those assassins. It was a bright, liberating thought, and the moment he thought of it, Peter's legs lifted off the ground, kicking the man with the knife into the nearest wall, where he dissolved, then whipped both legs up, to kick two more of the killers who were holding his arms. The other two weren't strong enough to keep hold of him on their own.
However, as Spider-man dispatched them, the last of the assassins, who'd been standing off away from the others, saw the dangerous position he was in, and realized that he couldn't defeat Spider-man, or free Three from the human torch without help. Quickly, Seven teleported outside, wondering what had happened to Five, as a fresh wall of fire rose up around him, and he heard the human torch saying "Alright. I guess that's it."
In seconds, Spider-man was out in the yard, not too far from the two flame rings that held the invaders. Although he and Johnny were the only ones still conscious and unoccupied, it seemed that the Avengers had won that battle, in the end.
However, something was still wrong. The two invaders that Johnny held captive didn't show any sign, in their posture, of being worried. In fact, each seemed to be preparing for something.
That was when Peter's spider sense started doing the fandango, and he quickly leapt to one side, as a wall of greenish fluid rose up in the place where he and the Torch had been. Spider-man had narrowly escaped that attack, but Johnny Storm had not. Already, the liquid had put out his flames, and was rushing into his lungs, trying to drown him. As Johnny lost consciousness, the flame barriers he'd used to trap the other invaders came down, and Spider-man found himself faced with three enemies, instead of just one; the strong monster who'd crippled Iron Man, the one who'd beaten Captain America and Hawkeye, and another, new figure, who reminded Spider-man of the water man he'd met not long before, in that he seemed to be made almost entirely out of liquid. Spider-man knew he was in trouble, even as the strong brute dashed forward, too fast for Spidey to keep track of, and grabbed his head in one hand, slamming him hard against the ground. In seconds, Spider-man was out cold.
Three left Spider-man where he was for the moment, as he convened with the others about what to do next. Of course, a plan of action was still needed.
"I'd kill most of them right now," the liquid-like Five said, "particularly Iron Man and Doctor Strange. They seem to be the ones supporting this group the most. If we can take out the others as well, it'll benefit the Hand greatly. I'd rather not have to do this all over again."
"Agreed." Three replied, moving over to Iron Man, and preparing to drive his fist downward, into the armored warrior's head, when suddenly, a tall, dark figure had grabbed him by the wrist.
"What?" Okiru asked into the telephone, as the security team informed him of the bad news, "Well, hurry and replace them. I have business to take care of this afternoon, and when I come back, I want..."
"I know all about your business." said a voice from the shadows behind him, "Hang up the phone, Mister Manera."
It was, Okiru realized, the voice of a woman. She had a thick Russian accent, and in her tone of voice, there was a vicious note. Nevertheless, Okiru hung up the phone as she'd insisted, and turned to face her.
"Who are you" Okiru demanded, "to barge into my office, and make demands of me?"
"I'm Widow." the woman replied, stepping forth from the shadows, though it didn't reveal much more about her. She was dressed all in black, with small machines of some kind on her wrists and belt. She stood perfectly upright, as she advanced toward Okiru, and she wore no mask on her face, showing her facial features and short, red hair to the world. Such a lack of any disguise sent a clear message to Okiru. She was Widow, and Widow was all that she was.
"I go where I have to," Widow continued, glaring at Okiru, "and I have important business with you, Mister Manera."
"Do not call me that." Okiru said angrily, "If you wish to do business with me, you will call me Okiru."
"I could." Widow replied, her glare never wavering, "Or I could just call you Grand Phantom One."
"Pardon me?" Okiru asked, suddenly becoming worried.
"Let's not mince words over this." Widow said, "The evidence was hard to gather, but now that I have it, I'm convinced I could prove your identity in a court of law."
"You do not understand the way that courts work, woman." Okiru replied, "The poor do not punish the rich in court."
"I could call on the resources of Tony Stark for a court case against you." Widow said, "He's backing the Avengers at the moment, and I don't think anyone could call him poor."
Indeed, Stark Industries was one of the largest companies in the world. Okiru recognized the name immediately, though he still didn't seem worried.
"These are just copies of some of the data I've gathered on you and your Hand friends." Widow said, tossing a CD case with a disc inside onto Manera's desk, "Look it over, and always remember that the Avengers can fight the Hand, and Stark can fight the wealthy. If you ever attack the Avengers directly again, you'll need to choose which life you want to keep; this nice, rich life of business, or the brutal life of the Hand leader."
At once, Manera rushed forward, a sword appearing in his hand, as he charged Widow, but she kicked it aside with a swift swipe, and spun around, striking him in the face with her other leg. He was on the ground in seconds, as he heard the words "I'll be watching you."
By the time Manera was able to leap to his feet again, Widow was gone, and all that was left was the disc, and the threat hovering in mid-air over his head, like one final storm cloud, raining on his parade.
Three felt real pain for the first time in years, as Black Bolt slugged him halfway across the grounds, away from the fallen Iron Man. Of all the Avengers, he was the one they'd been least prepared to fight. They'd hoped that he would remain in the lab until they'd had the chance to finish off the other Avengers, so that they might not have to fight him at all. In the best case scenario that they'd planned out, the deaths of the other Avengers would have encouraged the inhumans to go back into seclusion again, but it seemed that things weren't going to be that easy.
Already, it seemed obvious that Seven's tricks and techniques would mean very little against the inhuman king, and Three's brute strength had already been proven ineffective against him.
At once, the liquid form of Five advanced on Black Bolt, twisting around, to corner him off, and emitting his ear-piercing wail again, but even as the wail began, it started to die down. The tuning fork on Black Bolt's head was vibrating more rapidly, sucking the very sound vibrations out of the air, as Five began to realize that there was only one other way to defeat Black Bolt, if he was immune to the supersonic scream.
In a single, swift motion, Five dove at Black Bolt, embedding himself in the inhuman king's mouth and nose. It was a dirty way to win a fight, as it had been with the Human Torch, but the Hand shinobi did what was needed. If Black Bolt drowned, victory would be theirs. He couldn't stop Five without using his voice, and he couldn't use his voice without destroying everything and everyone nearby. As long as he was still trying to protect his allies, Five thought, Black Bolt was going to die.
However, it seemed that Black Bolt knew precisely what kind of position he was being put in, because as soon as he'd realized that he couldn't breathe, he'd taken off into the air, traveling upwards for mile after mile, with the liquid body of Five still clogging his throat. At last, miles over the city, Black Bolt whispered a single word, at a volume just slightly above his lowest.
No one could tell what word Black Bolt was trying to say, but the moment he whispered it, destructive, violent vibrations filled his throat, striking Five mercilessly with their full force. In a second, his liquid body shot back out of Black Bolt's throat, but it was too late. The vibrations were tearing him apart on a subcellular level, and there wasn't anything he could do to stop it. Black Bolt's voice was a weapon too destructive for even liquid to survive unscathed. In mere moments, there was nothing left of the being who'd called himself Five.
When Black Bolt got back to the Avengers Mansion, he was pleased to see that he'd been high enough in the air to avoid harming any part of the city with his whisper, but both of the other ninjas who'd attacked the mansion seemed to have disappeared.
Seven and Three had little to say in their defense when they returned for their meeting with the other Grand Phantoms of the Hand. Five had been killed, and the two of them had returned in total failure, made all the worse by how close their victory had seemed, if not for Black Bolt's interference. Such a monstrous failure would bring dishonor and shame to them both, and limit the morale of all those who served under their command. Nonetheless, they were still Grand Phantoms, and it was still their responsibility to be a part of the meeting of the nine remaining Hand leaders on the subject of the Avengers. It was their duty to fulfill.
"Why did the mission fail?" One asked, almost as soon as he'd seated himself at the head of the long table.
Seven looked to Three to answer that question. Three was older, and had been a Grand Phantom several years longer. He knew how to answer the questions of One.
"We failed" Three said quickly, "because our power was insufficient to complete the task we were given."
"Give me an explanation." One said, "If that's really your evaluation, explain it."
"We planned our attack flawlessly." Three said, "We used our powers with a single, calculated design in mind. We adapted well when we were forced to modify the plan to account for a few surprises that they set in our paths, and we took advantage of every weak point they had. However, Reed Richards got to the mansion, and he must had saved Crystal's life, because Black Bolt appeared. He was the one who killed Five, and made it obvious to us that we couldn't defeat him."
"Are you suggesting that team two should have done their job better?" One asked, "Are you blaming them for your failure."
"No." Three replied, no nervousness in his voice as he spoke, "As I said, this mission's failure occurred only because our power was not enough to destroy Black Bolt. It would be a waste of time for me to consider other factors. Time and luck were on our side today. We only lost because we lacked the power that we needed."
One nodded for a moment, deep in thought. He was still shaken over the visit he'd received earlier, and he knew, just then, that Widow's threats about the power of the Avengers hadn't been idle ones. Hundreds of years of training and magic had gone into creating the devastating force and technique used by the Hand shinobi, and yet, they still couldn't fight on the level of the Avengers.
"Perhaps we've attacked this problem in the wrong way." One finally said, after spending several seconds in thought, "These Avengers, it seems, are not merely a few figureheads to be lopped off, or a small party to be assassinated. I would go so far as to say that they could be even more dangerous than an army. If their power really is so different from our own; so much more advanced... We may be witnessing another gunpowder transition in Ninjitsu."
All of the Grand Phantoms knew what a gunpowder transition was. It was a prominent point in shinobi history, when the rifle had been invented, and a very grave decision had needed to be made by the Hand leaders of the time. Several of their assassins were being shot with the new weapon, and it was damaging the confidence of the shinobi, so in the end, the Hand had acquired a large stash of firearms for themselves, and begun training their shinobi in the aiming, firing and maintenance of guns. The enemy had acquired a weapon that gave them an unfair advantage, and the Hand had taken that weapon, and improved on the technique with which it was used. It had been that way with every weapon that had been created over the last thousand years.
However, as the twenty-first century had dawned, new weapons and abilities had begun to surface, which even the shinobi's special blend of weaponry, magic and technique couldn't seem to oppose; beings enhanced by alien technology, mighty individuals representing non-human societies long-forgotten, new levels of technological exploration, and even more powerful champions of sorcery. They were too much for even the most gifted shinobi to destroy, even when they worked together, and things had only kept getting worse and worse in that respect.
"We must find a way to use their new power for ourselves." One muttered at last, "We must find a way to become true superhumans. Until we do, it would be premature to challenge these Avengers again..."
It had been extremely fortunate that Crystal's operation had turned out so well. Reed had needed to rework the functions of three whole sections of her brain using his machine, which was delicate work, even for the best doctors and scientists. It was a patchwork job, and it definitely wasn't the same method that Hank Pym had used to become Giant Man, but Crystal's condition seemed to have stabilized, though she still might not wake up for several more hours. At the very least, Reed's part in helping her to recover was done, which meant that he could get back to the Baxter building. He had several other important experiments to get through if he didn't want to fall behind in his schedule.
Quickly, Reed gathered all the customized devices he'd brought with him to the mansion, and disassembled them, reattaching them to his belt neatly, as he headed for the exit. However, just as Reed stepped out into the Yard, and started to head towards the Fantasticar section that he'd parked not far away, he heard the voice of Iron Man, who'd apparently replaced his damaged chest plate with a new one. In any case, there was no sign, on his armor, of the injuries he'd suffered an hour before.
"Doctor Richards; wait." Iron Man said. Reed could tell that Iron Man wasn't just going to let it go if he left right then, so he decided to listen for a moment, as the armored warrior said his piece.
"I... I guess this changes things a little." Iron Man said, after pausing for a moment, "I mean, between you and... and the Avengers."
Reed felt pretty bad about what he had to say next. Iron Man sounded almost like a child in the way he sought attention and help; trying his best to get what he wanted, while still being forced to acknowledge the freedom of others. There was something in that kind of approach, that felt distressingly like innocence, laced with loneliness. Iron Man was a hard person to refuse a request from. Nevertheless...
"If you're trying to ask me if I've changed my mind about joining," Reed replied, "then no. Nothing's changed. Iron Man, the reason I didn't join isn't because I don't think I could benefit the team, or don't think the Avengers need me. I think they need all the help they can get. I didn't join because I wasn't sure what the Avengers were going to do with all this power they've managed to gather, and at the moment, I'm still not sure. All I know for certain is that within hours of joining your team, a good friend of mine nearly died, and someone tried to kill you all. Those men you fought today were hired killers of the most skilled and efficient kind. Someone was paying them to do away with you. Do you know what that means?"
"If people like that are just roaming free," Iron Man replied, determination replacing his former uncertainty, "it means the world needs the Avengers even more than I thought."
"You're not afraid for your life, because you're trusting your mask to protect you from those kinds of reprisals." Reed explained, "I don't wear a mask, Iron Man. I can't afford to have trained killers threatening the people I care about."
Iron Man didn't say a word for a few moments, but when he did speak again, his words were vicious, and they cut like long, sharp swords.
"If you just don't want to join, Doctor Richards, that's one thing. If you have prior obligations, that makes perfect sense. If you don't trust the Avengers, that's another valid reason for not joining. Frankly, the idea of you not joining our group doesn't rile me much, but if you're not joining because you're afraid of the enemies you might make, then I'm just glad that Johnny isn't as big a coward as you are."
With that final shot, Iron Man turned, and headed back for the mansion, to tend to the repairs, and the injured.
Spider-man sat in silence on the top of one of the Mansion's stronger roofs. He'd been there for the last half hour, and was almost completely certain that his aunt would be wondering where he was. He was a lot later than he'd planned to be in getting back, and yet, he was too distracted by what had happened that day. He couldn't get it out of his mind; not just the fight, and his own eventual defeat, but the message he'd heard in his thoughts.
"Are you up here because you wanted to be alone?" Spider-man heard. Sure enough, it was Daredevil, having fully recovered, and seating himself nearby, on the same rooftop. Spider-man trusted Daredevil. They'd worked together before. It was easy to talk about his problems with Daredevil, in a way he never could have with Aunt May.
"Well, it's crazy..." Spider-man said, "But while I was fighting, I started to have doubts. I wasn't sure I could knock those guys out, knowing it was the same thing as killing them... Then, when they were just about to finish me off, I heard this weird voice. Never heard him before, but he gave me some really good advice about choices, and he told me I needed to be slapped silly."
Daredevil didn't look at Spider-man while he was talking, but he did start smiling.
"I think I know the guy you're talking about." Daredevil said, still grinning underneath his mask, "Don't worry about him. He's basically on the right side. In fact, he's one of the wisest men I know. I didn't know he was a telepath though. That's new information."
"Well, he did me a big favor today." Spider-man said, standing up and getting ready for the trip back home, "Next time you see him, give him my thanks. I think I'm starting to get over a whole lot of guilt issues I used to have, thanks to him. It feels pretty good. Well, anyway, thanks for the news. I've got someplace to be, but I'll see you around."
Daredevil just nodded as Spider-man took off through the city, swinging from web to web as he headed clear across town.
Reed was surprised to find Johnny sitting on a chair at the far side of his lab, when he got back to the Baxter building. Maybe, in some ways, Reed really was feeling bitter about Johnny's decision to join the Avengers, and not just because it made him look bad in Iron Man's eyes. He'd started to feel just a little alienated as he'd made the journey back to the Fantastic Four's base of operations. He kept trying to fool himself into thinking that Johnny had made the choice to join the Avengers, just because he was a foolish kid who craved excitement, but...
The brilliant scientist sighed deeply. He knew that if not for Johnny Storm's cleverness, the Fantastic Four would still be imprisoned in the inhuman dungeons, and the human race would be under the rule of Maximus. Johnny was certainly no scientist, but all the assumptions that Reed had previously made about his immaturity had recently been looking a lot like straws for him to grasp.
Reed tried to get a little work done on the new formula he was wrestling with, but Johnny's presence; just sitting there and saying nothing, was too distracting. There was too much they still needed to discuss.
Richards was just about to open his mouth to speak when, to his surprise, Johnny got the first word in.
"Thank you... for what you did for Crystal."
Reed hesitated for a moment, more surprised by the existence of the remark than by its nature, but at last, he replied "I had to do everything I could to help. Otherwise, what kind of person would I be?"
Johnny was silent for several more seconds, before he began an explanation.
"When I found out what had happened to Crystal, I wanted to see Iron Man about it... I wanted to be there for her, while she was sick, or whatever it was that happened to her... But then, Doctor Strange explained to me that there wasn't anything my powers could do to stop the particles raging through her system, and I started to realize that sometimes, the hardest thing in the world is to go against your own nature. I would have gotten in the way if I'd been in the lab, but even so, I wanted to be there with her so badly... It's my nature to follow my feelings, Reed. I'm not used to thinking about what's really best. You are."
Reed started to get a little worried when Johnny said all of that, and quickly turned to look at him in suspicion, asking "Why are you bringing this up?"
"Because I know what tonight is for you." Johnny said, "I know it's against your nature to follow your feelings, and I know that if you decide to back out, your feelings won't be the only ones hurt. Sue's crazy about you, Reed. You know that. You have to be brave, and face this."
Reed found the comment complicated, mainly because he wasn't sure whether Johnny knew what Iron Man had said to him earlier. Still, he eventually spoke again, changing the subject in something of an accusing way.
"Why did you join, Johnny?"
"Well..." Johnny muttered, then in a second, his resolve seemed to grow, and he looked Reed right in the eye at last, ready to make his reply, "There's a lot of reasons. I think they're going to need me, and they seem to mainly want to do the right thing. I won't feel too bad being a part of that, even if I'm in danger every day, but I guess the real reason I wanted to join is that I'm hoping to find out a little more about... Well, there's information I want that nobody else seems to have. I think they could help me find it."
That was when Johnny got up, and left the lab without so much as a good-bye. Reed wasn't sure what kind of information Johnny was searching for, but if nothing else, he felt confident that he didn't have to give the Human Torch any more speeches on foolish choices and recklessness. Johnny was becoming a man, and trying to find himself among super-powered equals. It would lead him into danger, but then, nothing about their lives had been safe before.
Reed left the unfinished formula where it was for the night. He was too distracted, and he had a big date to get ready for.
Almost half of the new Avengers had left by nightfall, to return to their lives and duties, but several had also stayed behind, even after having made a full recovery from the day's attack. The Mole Man was still there, as were Captain America, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Black Bolt and Doctor Strange. Even Widow, who seemed to have been absent during the actual fighting, had been there to participate in the short meeting that had been called between all the available members of the team.
"What happened today proves a number of things to me." Strange said, finally sliding into his elected role as leader, "I've already organized a press conference to explain the existence of the Avengers to the people who noticed today's attack, but there's one more thing I needed to consult you on before I try to explain our group. I want you all to tell me what we should do about assassins and crooks like the kind we fought today."
"I favor a proactive effort against people like that." The Mole Man said quickly, "If we're going to encourage a civilized code of conduct, people like that will just get in the way. They must be dealt with somehow."
"I've already taken proactive measures to discourage the Hand from making any further attempts like that." Widow explained, "Still, there are going to be others like them, who'll need to be dealt with quickly."
"I think we probably ought to wait until they break the law before we start trying to bring them down." Captain America suggested after a moment.
"Whose law?" the Mole Man asked, "Every nation has its own laws. Do we simply honor the laws of the land we happen to be in, even when those laws cause needless misery and suffering? That's not what I joined this team to do. We need not be tyrants, but we are vigilantes. We can't take any action until we embrace that."
Captain America seemed uncomfortable with the idea, as did Doctor Strange. Hawkeye and Widow didn't seem to mind, however, and Iron Man, as always, was just happy to be part of the team.
"There are universal rights and wrongs that we could follow..." Strange said at last, "values that exist on a cosmic level, rather than a human one. However, I'm afraid not all of our members would agree to be bound by them."
"I don't like the idea of opposing any government directly on their own soil." Captain America reiterated, "We have so many world leaders in the Avengers, that we might as well be starting an invasion if we do that. I don't want the Avengers to be conquerors."
"It might be simpler than all of that." Hawkeye said after thinking about it for a few moments, "Can't we obey people's laws, without necessarily agreeing with them? I mean, that's what American freedoms are all about, right? Peaceful assemblies, when you don't agree with a law..."
"On the reverse side of that," the Mole Man said with a grin, picking up the idea, "if there is a criminal, breaking a law that we also disagree with, it seems reasonable that the Avengers should... neglect to oppose him. After all, even our resources have their limits."
"I think that standpoint sounds like a fair compromise." Strange observed, smiling at last, "I'll have to check with the others before I talk to the press about this, but it seems like the Avengers are ready to start working in an offensive capacity."
Captain America felt as if he should have said some words of encouragement, but he was still feeling a little bitter. He wished that Jan and Hank could have been there to see what an amazing thing the Avengers were shaping up to be. He also wished that Thor could have been there as well, to witness the rebirth of the team he'd once been so pleased with...
On the outskirts of town, in the front yard of a small, but privately-owned house, one week after the new Avengers had held their first meeting, the owner of the house stood outside, looking around, to make certain that no one was watching him. At last, when the dusk faded into evening, and he was certain that there was no one else around, Donald Blake recited the magic words once more...
"To the one who knows courage, to the one who knows battle, to the one who knows might. Ye who strike this hammer upon the ground, if ye be worthy... cross the boundaries of mortal flesh and receive the power of the god of thunder!"
The crash of lightning and thunder was heard throughout the entire city that night, though no storm followed it...
End