Uncanny West Coast Avengers

Chapter 26- Out With the Old, In With The New

By

The Uncanny R-Man

Disclaimer- All familiar characters belong to Marvel.

Avengers Complex-

Madelyne Pryor and USAgent had quickly changed into some clean clothes once they had returned to Avengers Complex with the other three heroes that had come to their rescue. Beta Ray Bill, Spider-Woman, and the Vision claimed to be their new teammates. If they were new members of the Avengers, then who would they be replacing?

'Okay, who's the wiseass that went over my head?' USAgent demanded to know as he stormed into the briefing room. He stopped in his tracks once he saw the redheaded man with glasses standing in front of the other West Coast Avengers. 'Gyrich?'

'It's a pleasure to meet you again, Walker.' Henry Peter Gyrich, the East Coast Avengers' former government liaison responded with hardly any emotion at all. 'Now, can we get down to work? There's a lot of things to go through.'

'I for one would like to know why he's here.' Maddie added with a scowl. 'And why the hell have we got three new members?'

'Sit down and I'll tell you all about it.' Gyrich sighed. He was starting to tire of his new assignment already. Maddie and Walker did as they were told and took a seat with the others.

'Geez Maddie, what happened to you?' Tigra grimaced as she looked at all the scratches on her friend's arms.

'Long story, Greer.' The redheaded clone told her feline teammate. 'But to cut it short, we got kidnapped by the Red Skull. Wackiness ensued.'

'Where's the Red Skull now?' Ant-Man asked. 'He didn't get away, did he?'

'The Red Skull is presently on route to the Raft.' Vision told the size-changing hero. 'Along with his associates Crossbones and Sin.'

'Yeah, cuz you know that they'll be staying there for a long time.' Hawkeye snorted in derision. 'That place is worse for super villain escapes than the Vault was. I bet ya ten bucks that they end up escaping within a week.'

'I'll match your ten dollars, Barton.' Quicksilver agreed. 'The Red Skull and his lackeys would have found more resistance escaping a soggy paper bag than they would in the Raft.'

'Pietro, stop that!' Crystal admonished her husband. 'Let Mr Gyrich speak. The sooner he says what he has to, the sooner we can carry on with our business.'

'Thank you, Crystal.' Gyrich nodded in response as he got ready to finally start the briefing. 'Now for those of you that don't know me, I'm Henry Peter Gyrich. I'm your new government liaison.'

'Yeah, cuz you were so popular the first time.' Hawkeye muttered to himself. The archer was present the first time that Gyrich had been the east Coast Avengers' government liaison. The man had enforced strict rules regarding membership and the like. Gyrich had forced the Falcon upon the team, against the hero's will.

Gyrich ignored Hawkeye's comments and continued with what he had to say.

'Several members of the team have been called away on other business.' Gyrich explained. 'Songbird is to lead a new team of Thunderbolts.'

'They've lumbered me with a bunch of psychotic villains.' Songbird sighed heavily. 'I'm sorry, Scott. They wouldn't let me say no.'

Scott Lang just smiled weakly.

'Well, it was only a matter of time before the US Government tried to mess with us again.' The heroic scientist sighed. 'I'll miss you, Mel.'

'Me too, sweetie.' Songbird patted her lover's hand gently.

'Namorita's been called back to Atlantis.' Gyrich carried on. 'Something to do with Attuma getting antsy.'

'Sorry, Clint.' Namorita smiled apologetically. 'Royal business. You know how stubborn my cousin can be.'

'And finally, Mayhem's stint with the West Coast Avengers is at an end. The Canadian government wants him back.'

'Isn't there some way you can make them change their mind?' Mayhem asked. 'People have made relationships here, you know.'

'I don't make the rules, Mr Freeman.' Gyrich shrugged. 'I'm just telling you what the Canadians told me.'

'You don't care at all, do you?' Tigra growled, getting in Gyrich's face. 'You're not interested in the fact that you're breaking up loved ones or anything!'

'Greer, perhaps you'd better calm down…' Spider-Woman suggested. 'We're your friends.'

'Bull-crap!' Tigra sneered, pointing an accusatory clawed finger at the heroine. 'You're just a government flunky! How do we even know that you're working for the good guys? You used to be an agent of HYDRA!'

'I am here just because I owe Gyrich a favour.' Beta Ray Bill shrugged. 'I did not intend to cause any offence. If I knew that joining this team would have upset people, I would not have done it.'

Tigra just growled something under her breath and stormed right out of the room. Beta Ray Bill made a move to follow her, but the Vision held up his hand, stopping the orange-skinned alien.

'I would let Tigra be for now.' The synthezoid told Bill. 'Greer Grant-Nelson has quite a temper. I would suggest that you let her cool off for a while.'

Bill just nodded in response and rejoined the group.

'Well, I am going to be sorry to see you three go.' Jocasta shook her head. 'You were all good friends. I will miss you.'

'We'll all miss you too, Jo.' Namorita gave the former Bride of Ultron a friendly pat on the back. 'I'll promise to write.'

'I don't know whether I'll be able to write to you.' Songbird admitted. 'One of the psychos that they've inflicted on me will most probably end up eating my letters.'

'Who have they lumbered you with any way?' Mayhem asked. 'Surely they can't be that bad.'

'You haven't met them yet.' Songbird grimaced. 'Carnage will most probably end up eating me, or Bullseye will end up killing me with a paperclip, or something.'

'Ooh…' Hawkeye winced. 'You're screwed, Mel.'

The Vault-

The Vault was a high security prison in the Santa Monica Mountains in Southern California. Back when the Vault was a prison for superhuman criminals, it had been located in Colorado. After a history of break outs, the Vault had been downsized to hold non-powered criminals and had been moved to where it stood now.

One of the inmates of this new Vault was the man known only as Hammerhead. He had been incarcerated in the vault after the West Coast Avengers had foiled a drug deal that he had going with some Russian gangsters. (1)

Hammerhead was sitting at a small desk in his cell reading a book about Al Capone.

'Oh, Al…' The adamantium-skulled gangster chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. 'You really used to know how to treat 'em back in those days…'

However, Hammerhead's bit of light reading was cut short as alarms started to blare all through the facility.

'What the hell…?' Hammerhead frowned as he threw his book on the floor. 'Can't a guy read a book in here?'

Hammerhead looked out of the bullet-proof window of his cell that looked out into the corridor and saw armed guards running around. Back in the old days the Vault's guards had hi-tech armour made by Tony Stark and carried to most sophisticated weaponry imaginable, but now they were just regular men with batons. They were no match for the person running amok. Not even the guards who were lucky enough to carry guns.

'Heh. Izzat all you guys've got?' The pale-skinned criminal known as Tombstone grinned as bullets ricocheted off his bullet-proof skin. 'C'mon, surely you guys can do better than that.'

'Hey, Tombstone!' Hammerhead yelled at his fellow villain. Lemmie outta here and I'll make it worth yer while.'

'S'funny you should say that…' Tombstone smirked as he threw a guard through the window of Hammerhead's cell. 'Yer the reason I came here.'

'Aww, crap.' Hammerhead grimaced. 'I knew it! It's that cockroach Jigsaw, ain't it? He's movin' in on my turf.'

'Got it in one, boss.' Tombstone nodded as he helped his new employer out the window. 'Now c'mon, I got some back-up waitin' fer us.'

Before Hammerhead could enquire to the identity of this back-up, a nearby wall exploded inwards, showering the corridor with shrapnel.

'Fer cryin' out loud, Bushwacker! Watch where yer blastin' that thing!' Tombstone admonished his associate. 'Ya coulda killed the boss.'

'Well, excuse me.' The cybernetic weapon-armed villain known as Bushwacker rolled his eyes. 'Is it my fault if I know how ta make a great entrance?'

'Just quit yer yappin' an' get me outta here!' Hammerhead retorted. 'I wanna split before the pigs get here!'

'Then yer gonna teach Jigsaw a lesson, right?' Tombstone asked. 'Teach him not ta intrude on yer turf?'

'Well, that's one a the things I'm gonna do once I get outta here, Tombstone…' Hammerhead shook his head. 'I gotta take my revenge on them damn Avengers fer catchin' me in the first place!'

TBC…

Next: Hammerhead's Revenge

Hawkeye, Tigra, Ant-Man, Beta Ray Bill, Spider-Woman, and the Vision Vs Hammerhead, Tombstone, and Bushwacker, and Jigsaw, and the Enforcers. 'Nuff said!

Author's Notes-

(1)- Ant-Man, Tigra, and Hawkeye foiled Hammerhead's drug deal in Chapter 18.