Doombase was huge.
Actually, "huge" did the structure a vast injustice. The sprawling complex was quite simply the largest single building Iron Man had ever seen. It towered above the plains it rested on by thousands of feet. It must have had at least 200 stories, and who knew how many sublevels. The fortress spread out over so much area that it actually became the horizon once one got within a few miles.
"Whew." The Golden Avenger stopped, hovering in mid-air. The chameleon effect was activated, but being this close to the headquarters of the enemy was still a bit unnerving for him. The firepower of that thing could probably toast an entire fleet of ships, not to mention a single armored man. Okay, gang, we're here.
Ready when you are, Iron Man.
Iron Man patted the storage container on his left hip. He hoped his passengers hadn't been too uncomfortable during the trip. Hank hadn't wanted to shrink themselves too small, since the change wasn't exactly easy on the body, but Tony really couldn't give them too much space. Still, it was the only way to get a half dozen people to Doombase undetected.
Hopefully undetected, anyway, he thought.
Pardon, Iron Man?
Ah, nothing, Jean. Just thinking to myself. Here we go.
Iron Man angled himself toward the top of the base and cut loose with his thrusters. The modifications worked beautifully; the boot jets made absolutely no sound as they pushed him through the air and over the massive fortress. He hovered there a moment. At this point it really didn't matter where they entered, the place was so damn big.
Okay, I'm in position. Is the kid ready?
Yes.
This had better work.
Don't worry, she does this all the time.
Iron Man lowered himself toward the roof. So far, so good. No weapon activation or sign of alarm. The chameleon effect and stealth fields were working like a charm. The surface of the roof steadily rose up to meet him. When it was only a few feet away, he thought, NOW!
He felt a weird sensation, like his entire body was asleep. He reached the roof and continued right through it. He had seen the Vision phase through things a hundred times, but to have himself do it was very disconcerting. As the roof came up through his torso toward his head, he closed his eyes. He couldn't help but think about the possibility of getting stuck in the middle of the roof. Would he die instantly?
Trust me, Iron Man. Shadowcat knows what she's doing.
Slightly reassured, Tony opened his eyes. The roof was above him now and he was slowly floating downward to the floor of a large chamber of some kind. He sighed with relief.
Okay, tell the kid to knock it off. We're in.
Getting out again was the tricky part, he mused.
Jean Grey did not respond.
- - -
Janet Van Dyne walked alone down the narrow corridor towards the brig. She had just come from the infirmary where Thor was still keeping his bedside vigil by the female X-man Storm. If she didn't know any better, she would think that the Thunder God was smitten with the ebony woman. After all, they did have a lot in common, what with both of them being weather manipulators. Wouldn't that be something if the two of them got together? She'd have to share that tidbit with Jennifer once she checked out the Abomination. Thor and Storm, what a couple!
Well, if something good could come out of this nasty business--
Jan stopped in the doorway to the brig. Something was wrong.
She shrunk to wasp-size. Not a moment too soon, as a large chunk of wall just missed her tiny form. It smashed into the doorway behind her with incredible force, effectively blocking her only avenue of escape.
Omigod! Somehow he's gotten loose!
She flew towards the ceiling of the room and surveyed the area.
"Damn it!" The Abomination leaned out from his cell. His arms were free, but the leg restraints were still on. "Did I get her?"
Who was he talking to?
A sudden motion behind her caught her attention.
"Yikes!" she dove to the side, as a fast and furry human form jumped past her. A large, clawed hand swiped through the air mere inches from her small form.
"You idiot! You warned her!" Sabretooth landed near his ally and looked up at her, snarling.
The Wasp wasn't sure who the other man was, but she knew when she was outclassed. She released a volley of wasp-stings and flew straight towards one of the vents.
The blasts hit both of her adversaries dead on. Sabretooth took a shot in the face and was slammed against the wall. The Abomination, however, was not effected by the two blasts which hit him in the chest. Fortunately for the Avenger, he was still hobbled by his manacles and only managed to trip and fall forward when he tried to leap after her.
"Get her!" Sabretooth roared, picking himself up and shaking his head to clear his vision, "If she escapes, she'll warn the others!"
"You bet your ugly face, I will!" she shouted, as she released another blast and blew a vent covering near the ceiling wide open. She flew towards her homemade exit. She was going to make it. First she would warn those in the infirmary, since they were the closest, then she'd sound a general alarm. After that she could--
"Oh no, you don't!" Lying prone on his back, the Abomination swung both of his hands together in a mighty clap.
Jan's head exploded in agony as the shock wave tossed her like a dead leaf during an autumn storm. She missed the opening to the ventilation duct and hit the metallic wall hard. Stunned, her tiny body fluttered to the floor and lay still.
Sabretooth growled in pain, covering his own hypersensitive ears, "Well, they know we're here now. Might as well leave a calling card." He walked over to the lifeless form of the female Avenger, while the Abomination finally made short work of his leg restraints.
Creed reached out and picked up the insect-sized woman.
Jan groaned and opened her eyes, groggily.
She immediately wished she hadn't.
"Life's a bitch, ain't it?" the mutant said just before he bit down.
- - -
"This can't be right."
Iron Man double-checked his scan.
What's the matter, Iron Man?
Tell Hank that I'm getting two sources of ionic energy, Jean. I don't know which one is Wonder Man.
I'm going to do a general link now. You should be able to hear everyone and vice versa.
The Golden Avenger was standing in the middle of the chamber he had first entered. Once Jean had mentally made sure that there were no other people nearby, he had activated his armor's sensors, specifically searching for the unique ionic signature Wonder Man's body emitted. But he had gotten two signatures, which was impossible. Unless . . .
Tony, it's Hank. I think I know the problem.
Goliath, right?
Yes, he underwent the same process as Simon, so he'd give off similar energy patterns. I wish we had taken that into account beforehand.
Any way to filter out Simon?
There was no reply for several seconds. Tony was worried. Dividing their forces hadn't been part of the plan, but could they risk wasting time checking out both sources together? There was a 50-50 chance, they'd luck out, but still--
Got it. Search for Pym particles. Goliath took a variant of my chemical. That's why he can change size while Simon can't.
Iron Man slapped his forehead. Why hadn't he thought of that?
Hank, you're a genius.
Takes one to know one.
I don't mean to interrupt all of yer backslapping, the Thing interjected, But I'm starting to cramp up in here! Can we get a move on?
Iron Man adjusted his sensors accordingly and seconds later got a single signal. It was coming from an area less than a mile away and 20 levels down. Not exactly close, but not the worst case scenario either.
Okay, I've got him. Ready to do your thing again, Kitty?
Yes, sir, Mr. Iron Man.
Good, how about you, Jean?
Psi-screen is up and I'm passively keeping an eye out for any of the bad guys. I don't want to risk drawing attention to ourselves, so I won't be able to give you a lot of warning. So go slow.
Gotcha, Iron Man began to fly towards the signature, angling diagonally downward, Here we go!
The cloaked and armored figure passed through the floor.
- - -
"That's disgusting."
"Yeah, well, I wanna put a little fear into 'em." Sabretooth tossed the tiny remains away and wiped his mouth, "Too bad she didn't grow back to normal size when I bit off her head. They probably aren't even gonna find the body for awhile."
The mutant turned towards the blocked doorway, listening carefully. His ears were still ringing, but he could make out running footsteps.
"Let's get out of here. They're coming."
The Abomination nodded, bent over, and dug his huge fingers into the floor. With the slightest effort, he ripped up a large section of the brig's floor and shoved it over the entrance way, "That should buy us a little more time!"
Sabretooth jumped down into the hole, and the Abomination quickly followed. The mutant knew they had two more floors to go before they got outside. Piece of cake.
- - -
Dane Whitman rounded the corner running at top speed. He nearly collided with the blocked off entrance to the brig and had to put his arms out to avoid slamming face first into the section of wall which was jammed solidly in front of him.
"What the hell?"
"What's going on, Dane?" She-Hulk's heavy tread came up behind him and the jade giantess stopped next to him, looking at the obstacle. She took a few seconds to size the blockage up and then reached out with both of her hands, "Step back, Dane, I'll get this out of out way."
"Hold on, She-Hulk," The Avenger's knight unsheathed a jet black broad sword which seemed to gleam somehow in the dimmed electric light of the ATV's cramped corridor. With a deft stroke, the Ebony Blade sliced easily through the length of the entrance way. With two other strokes, a rough triangle was cut into the wrecked chunk of wall.
"Trying to pry this thing loose might cause more damage," the armored hero said, pointing to his cuts, "There. Give it a kick."
She-Hulk balanced her massive frame on one leg and kicked hard with the other. The cut section of wall, as well as the floor wedged behind it, popped open like a champagne cork. The wreckage smashed hard into the opposite wall of the brig.
Dane frowned, as She-Hulk grinned sheepishly.
"Whoops! Guess I don't know my own strength sometimes."
All humor evaporated when the duo entered the prison. It was quickly apparent that a fight had occurred and that Abomination was gone.
"Three guesses where he went," She-Hulk stated, pointing at the floor. A large hole had been ripped into it. The emerald woman strode toward it and peered down.
Dane looked around. Where was the Wasp? He could have sworn he'd seen her coming this way just a few minutes ago.
"Let's go, Dane!"
"Hold on," The Black Knight tapped his Avengers card, still looking around the room, "I'll be right there. I'm signaling for backup. The Abomination is a tough customer."
"He's going to get away!" She-Hulk jumped down the hole.
"Jen!"
She was gone.
"Damn it! He may not be alone!" Shaking his head, Dane Whitman ran towards the hole. His card beeped and a picture of Captain America appeared where the Black Knight's portrait usually was.
"What's up, Dane?"
"Cap! We have a break in the brig! Abomination is gone. She-Hulk and I are in pursuit."
"Roger that, son. We're on our way. Be careful."
The Black Knight sheathed the Ebony Blade and took out the hilt of his energy sword. He had just ignited the plasma blade and was about to jump into the hole when something caught his eye.
A tiny colored piece of debris, amid a small red puddle.
Dane's eyes widened.
"Oh God, no," he whispered, reaching out.
- - -
"When are you going to grow out of these foolish whims, Amora?"
The Enchantress laughed and leaned back against the solid frame of Wonder Man. She reached up and ran her fingers through the silent man's hair, "Why, Loki! You almost sound jealous."
The God of Mischief sighed. Of all the Asgardians the Beyonder could have chosen to ally himself with, why this miserable woman?
"Are you certain he's been tamed?"
The two villains were in Loki's personal chambers: lavish accommodations which were spread out over several rooms. The luxurious surroundings did little to calm the Asgardian, for there was much on his mind and much to discuss with his erstwhile comrade.
"He is completely under my spell. Let the foolish mortal Doom posture all he wants, there is nothing he can do to break my hold on Simon Williams. This Avenger will gladly die for me now."
"Excellent. His strength will come in handy when we strike."
The Enchantress' eyes narrowed. "Planning to overthrow Doom already, are we? Is this wise? The heroes are still a threat."
Loki smiled as he reclined in a large chair.
"Amora, I am well aware of the heroes' strength. I also know that we have the loyalty of the largest faction among our ranks. The Absorbing Man, the Wrecker, Bulldozer, Piledriver, and Thunderball all owe their power to me. They are going to be here shortly for our orders. With Wonderman in our ranks as well, no one will stand in our way."
"Too bad that's not going to happen, Loki!"
- - -
The twin repulsor blasts hit the reclining god (only a decade of close association with Thor had finally allowed Tony to use such a word to describe another being) dead on, destroying the chair and throwing the Asgardian through the nearest wall. At the same time, he cybernetically opened his storage pod to allow his allies freedom. Seconds later, Pym particles interacted perfectly within a carefully directed hex, and five more heroes appeared out of nowhere to confront a surprised Enchantress, who was only now beginning to react.
"Simon!" she shouted, darting behind the Avenger, "Kill them!"
It was eerie. Wonder Man advanced on his former friends mechanically, like one of those killer robots in the Terminator movies. No sounds, no emotion, only a mindless determination to destroy them.
"Crap!" Iron Man was afraid of this, but they had the right people to deal with it. "Jean try to break through to him! Ben, contain him until Shadowcat can get close! Remember don't look at the Enchantress!" Taking his own advice, polarized coverings snapped down over his eye slits, and infrared switched on. He immediately took to the air and darted around Simon, tracking the Enchantress.
The Thing slammed into Wonder Man, attempting to get the Avenger in a bear hug, "Come on, Simon! You don't really wanna hurt your buddies, do ya?"
A strong right to the face answered that question immediately. Ben rolled with it as best he could (he'd gone toe to toe with Simon once before, and hadn't faired too well), completed the hug and lifted Simon off the ground.
"A little help here, ladies?" He yelled. Wonder Man reached for his head with both hands and was attempted to twist it off like a bottle cap.
I can't break through her spell, Ben! It's too strong!
"What a revoltin' development!" Ben began to feel his neck give--
Suddenly he was holding onto nothing. Wonder Man was still there, but totally immaterial. The Thing blinked in surprise and then smiled broadly. "Way to go, kid!"
Shadowcat smiled, careful to keep contact with the Avenger.
Across the room, Iron Man's targeting computer had finally locked in on the Enchantress, only to have the other disappear in a mystical teleport of some kind. God, I hate magic! Just as well, in any case, since they had to get out of here as soon as possible.
"Iron Man! Look out!" Pym shouted, who had been hanging back with the Witch while the others did their job.
An energy bolt of some kind narrowly missed his head, vaporizing a rather large section of wall behind him.
"Mortal Fools!" Loki cried, hovering in mid-air on the other side of the chamber. The Asgardian was awash in mystical energy and clearly pissed off. The God of Evil's eyes flashed crimson, as he smiled cruelly.
"You are all going to die by my hand!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next Time: It gets worse. Much worse. Now be a good Marvel Zombie and leave a review, okay?