A/N: A big chapter for you, guys, and I can't believe I got it done for you today.
A LOT is going on in this chapter and I see it as a very visual one because of how much jumping around it does. This chapter is one of those ones that should be seen rather than read, but I'm hoping I haven't confused you horribly with how I've gone about it. Basically all of these scenes are happening either concurrently or in rapid succession, so I hope that helps sort things out a bit for you.
I actually had more fun than I thought I would writing this and it didn't feel as much work. It must have something to do with all the scenes I set up. Each one was bite sized, so it didn't feel too big.
Anyways, really don't know when I'll get the next chapter to you, but I'll do my best to keep 'em coming.
Have fun with it. :D
PS. There is a little cameo in this chapter – see if you can pick it. ;)
PPS. One of my lovely reviewers told me they had a particular actress in mind when they thought of Olivia and I looked her up and agreed with her. The trouble is, I didn't know the actress before that and now I can't remember her. D'uh. If whoever recommended the actress to me is still reading and reads this, could you PM me with her name again, please? In an exciting development, a friend of mine has offered to do me a trailer for this fic, and I wanted to see if I could find some clips of her to use. Thanks. :D
Chapter Fifty- Nine
"I can't believe nothing is happening here," Tony grumbled. "I put on my new Mach VIII suit and everything."
Clint looked him over. "What makes it different from the Mach VII?"
"It's not making you any less annoying," Bruce noted, obviously still put out by their earlier conversation.
"It's a suit," Clint reasoned, "not an act of God. It has its limitations."
"You speak great truth, Archer," agreed Thor knowingly.
Tony ignored their teasing. "This is what it does," he said triumphantly. Tony activated the new feature and shimmered from view, only his disembodied voice remaining as the reflective panels caused him to blend in with his surrounds. "I've installed a stealth function," he said happily. "I had the idea when I was looking for things to add onto the safety pods. I've installed them in that too."
Bruce snorted. "A stealth function is completely wasted on you."
"What does that mean?" asked Tony indignantly.
"I'm guessing he's referencing the fact you rarely shut up," said Clint in amusement. "It kind of ruins the whole stealthy thing."
"And your suit is noisy," added in Bruce as Tony walked around. "All the pneumatics make a noise, people can hear you coming."
"It's not for close up combat, obviously," said Tony, a little miffed they weren't more impressed.
"Avengers, we have a situation. Get in here now!"
Natasha's urgent communication had them all on instant alert. Clint reacted first and bolted towards the front door of the building. He ran straight into stealth mode Tony who wasn't able to get out of the way in time. Clint bounced off the metal armour and hit the ground with a thud. He glared up at Tony. "Damn it, Stark," he growled, "turn off that invisibility thing."
Tony deactivated the stealth shielding as Clint scrambled to his feet. "I told you it works," he gloated, even as he was following Bruce, Thor and Clint inside the building.
"Natasha," said Bruce quickly as they ran down the halls of the laboratory, "we're on our way. What's happened? Are you alright?"
"Someone has killed one of the guards," responded Natasha just as they came across Ramirez's body.
"Is Cap with you?" asked Tony tersely as they kept on running.
"I'm at the vending machine and I've found the other guard, but no Cap. This guard is dead too."
"Looks like you're going to try out your new suit after all," said Clint grimly as they quickly covered the distance to the break room to find Natasha standing beside the dead man's body.
"There is no sign of Steve," she filled them in.
"Damn it," said Tony unhappily. He spoke into his comlink. "Fury, we've got a situation here. Two dead guards and we can't find Cap."
"Looks like our intel wasn't so off after all," said Fury, not sounding particularly happy about that fact.
oooOOOOooo
Hammer settled back in his limousine and folded his legs, intent on his conversation. "I'm telling you, Bobby, those Avengers are a menace and it's only a matter of time until they make their move and when they do, you're going to need a bit more in your arsenal then what you've got."
"I'm not disagreeing with you about the potential damage the Avengers can do," grunted Kidston. "And don't call me Bobby, my name is Robert."
"I'm just saying that you should think about my suggestion," said Hammer, ignoring the correction.
"About authorising a special force headed up by you?" repeated Kidston sceptically. "You can twist it how you like, Hammer, but what you're talking about is marshal law and I'm not going to get that through the senate without something to back it up."
"You and I both know that only the Defenders have any real hope of standing against the Avengers if they should decide to turn. The backup of the US Defence Force would certainly be a boon, but unless you're forgetting, Bobby, a couple of months ago, these guys were taking down an alien invasion force. The alien technology was a lot more advanced than ours and if the Avengers wanted to put down the US military, the military would have a hard time stopping them. Hell, the Hulk alone would take out half and that's before you factor in the realisation that our defence force is built on Stark Industries tech and Tony Stark has an intimate knowledge of our most crucial offensive and defensive systems."
"I understand what you're saying, Hammer," said Kidston tightly, "but not everyone on the Senate committee see the Avengers for what they truly are."
Hammer injected as much seriousness as he could into his tone. "Let's hope they never have to, Bobby, because if that day ever comes, then this whole planet will be in danger." He hung up on that dramatic note, glanced at his watch and smiled. "Show time," he murmured to himself as his driver navigated the streets of New York City. Hammer turned on the flat screen TV in the back of the limo and settled in for the ride.
oooOOOOooo
Ghost checked her watch, making sure the timing was perfect. They were in the vault and Captain America stood motionlessly in front of a row of nuclear weapons, staring sightlessly out in front of him. Ghost smiled and made one last adjustment to the video camera in front of her so that the red, white and blue hero was perfectly framed by the shot. She pressed her comlink. "Fire it up, Jerry," she commanded the skittish computer whizz. "We're going live." Ghost straightened up and nodded to Captain America. "Do you understand what you have to do?"
"I understand everything," he replied calmly.
Ghost pressed the record button on the camera and inclined her head at him, silently mouthing 'go'.
Captain America looked squarely into the camera and didn't hesitate. "Citizens of the United States of America, I think you all know who I am. As Captain America I have risked my life time after time to uphold the values this country holds dear. I was proud of this country and all it stood for and I would have counted it as an honour to give my life to it and all of its ideals..."
oooOOOOooo
Hammer clapped his hands together as a rerun of 'The Bachelorette' was interrupted by the stoic face of Captain America.
"Oh," he chortled gleefully, "this is going to be so good."
oooOOOOooo
Jane threw a handful of bread to the waiting ducks in the water and they gobbled up every crumb greedily. She smiled to see their enthusiasm. "Sorry about my friend," she apologised to them. "He's from out of town, he didn't know any better." The ducks were more interested in the rest of the bread in her hand then any form of apology though as they swam right up to her, eyeing off the tasty morsel. Jane's cell phone rang and she threw the last of the bread and went to retrieve it from her bag. Her smiled widened as she saw who it was. "Hello, Darcy," she answered, "you just couldn't wait, could you?"
"No, I couldn't," said Darcy in exasperation, "not now that Thor seems to have gone over to the dark side. Tell me he hasn't, Jane," she begged her. "I don't want to think all that pretty has gone evil on us."
Jane shook her head in disbelief. "How could you know this quickly?" she asked in exasperation. Honestly, there were no limits to Darcy's ability to find things out.
"Jane, everybody knows," came the urgent reply.
"Look, it was only a couple of ducks," said Jane defensively, "and Thor wasn't to know. It doesn't mean he's gone over to the dark side or whatever."
"Ducks? What are you talking about?" asked a mystified Darcy.
Jane hesitated. "Wait, what are you talking about?"
"You don't know?"
"I don't know," said Jane impatiently. "Tell me what you know and then I'll know if I know it or not."
"Girl, you need to turn on the news," said Darcy.
"Which channel?" asked Jane, concerned now.
"Any of them," said Darcy in a low voice. "It looks bad, Jane, it looks really, really bad."
Jane felt physically sick. "I'll call you back," she said hastily and hung up, trembling hands getting her phone to connect to the internet and Captain America's face filled the tiny screen. She only had to listen for a few seconds before she knew Darcy was right.
This was really, really bad.
oooOOOOooo
Olivia looked out the window of her taxi, her face actually aching from how big her smile was. She could still feel Steve's kiss upon her lips and she felt like if she wasn't inside the cab, she'd float right away with how happy she was. On impulse she'd decided to splurge and by herself a new dress for her date with Steve. Olivia never treated herself like this, but it wasn't every day that a girl was asked out by Captain America, after all. As amazing as that thought was, what Olivia was really looking forward to was getting to know the man behind the legend better. She had this feeling he was going to be far more impressive than his costumed counterpart and she couldn't wait. The taxi slowed down as they neared Time Square, which wasn't unusual but then Olivia noticed that everyone on the sidewalk had stopped walking and was staring up at the Jumbotron and that all traffic had come to a standstill. "What's going on?" she asked uncertainly. New York was still trying to recover from attacks from aliens and metal insects, it didn't need any more drama.
"Captain America is on the Jumbotron," said her cab driver. He fiddled with his radio. "And all of my radio stations."
Olivia's eyes went wide. "What?" she scrambled out of the cab and stood behind the open door as she looked up at the giant screen in the middle of Time Square and saw Steve's handsome, albeit masked, face, looking back at her. Everyone was watching and listening around her and Olivia could hear Steve's voice coming over the taxi radio.
"... as an honour to give my life to it and all of its ideals. I went to sleep seventy years ago and this country was worth dying for and when I woke up, it was to a world which has lost its way. This country has no understanding of the ideals so many good men and women gave their lives for. You're all running towards the path of destruction and as a true patriot, I could no longer stand idly by and let this country be brought to its knees by the inadequate people who have institutionalised the American people." Steve's jaw hardened. "That is why, as leader of the Avengers, my team and I are calling for the American government and their ineffectual, token mouthpiece, President Lieber, to stand down and hand back the power of this once great nation to the true patriots who will rebuild it into the its former glory. I will expect all statesmen and women who pollute our hard won right to democracy to stand down and hand this country over to the people who know how to truly run it properly within an hour. There are to be no exceptions and if this demand is not met, then we will have to cut off the infected limb to save the entire body..."
Olivia's heart was pounding away in her chest. "Oh, Steve," she whispered in anguish, knowing something was terribly, terribly wrong and that this wasn't the man she knew him to be.
What could have happened in the few short hours since they last saw each other?
oooOOOOooo
President Stanley Martin Lieber, the 45th President of the United States of America sat behind his desk in the Oval office, grimly watching the broadcast in front of him. He sat unmoving, face set as he listened to Captain America's rhetoric. "I never thought I'd live to see the day," he murmured to himself, distraught at seeing his childhood hero, the man who'd inspired him to make a difference in this world, turn against all that he'd claimed to believe in. President Lieber ran a distracted hand through his peppered hair and readjusted his darkened prescription eyeglasses. He pulled on his grey moustache, something he did when he was greatly disturbed and listened to the rest of arguably America's greatest hero.
"... there are to be no exceptions and if this demand is not met, then we will have to cut off the infected limb to save the entire body. I am standing in the vault of the Los Alamos National Laboratory which houses multiple nuclear weapons."
President Lieber's stomach tightened as he sat up straighter in his chair. His Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff burst into his office unannounced and looking harassed and the President held up a warning hand to him, wanting to hear what Captain America said next. The General came to stand by his side, listening in as Captain America laid out his ultimatum.
"If the current government doesn't disband within the hour and hand over complete control to the Avengers, then our hand will be forced and we will detonate these nuclear warheads. The resulting explosion will activate fault lines and volcanic fields which will send the West Coast of America into the ocean and threaten all other surrounding states. This is not an idle threat." Captain America made a sweeping hand gesture at the nuclear devices behind him. "I'm standing in front of what could potentially reshape the face of America forever. We will not be negotiated with. The government has hidden behind the decree that they were elected by the people, for the people, let us now see how true those words really are. Will your elected officials, who are leading this country into a Godless future, cling to their power at the cost of millions of people's lives, the people they were elected to serve?" Captain America's expression was unflinching. "You have one hour to show me President Lieber on his knees and pledging his allegiance to the Avengers and their vision for this great country of ours or their will be blood on his hands. True greatness can't be achieved without true sacrifice and it's time the people in charge who are intent on destroying our country remember that. You have one hour, I'll expect my answer by three o'clock."
The screen went momentarily blank and then regular programming resumed.
"Sir?" said the General expectantly.
"I can't believe this is happening," said President Lieber unhappily. "Only last week the Avengers were saving us against attacking metal insects and a before that, an invading alien force. This is not the Avengers I know."
"Be that as it may, sir, whatever is going on with them, we have to come up with a strategy to defend ourselves," replied the General urgently.
The President knew the other man was right, even though it caused him great pain to even think about such a thing. "Convene an emergency meeting of the Senate and all of your head of staff," he said decisively. "I want solutions to this problem within half an hour."
"Yes, Mr. President," said the General, and quickly exited as the President reached for the phone, needing to make an important phone call.
oooOOOOooo
"...I'm standing in front of what could potentially reshape the face of America forever. We will not be negotiated with. The government has hidden behind the decree that they were elected by the people, for the people, let us now see how true those words really are..."
"Shut this thing down!" barked Fury, his expression furious as Steve's damning message continued to be streamed out live to a shocked and fearful world.
Agent Coulson was by his side, a worried look on his face. "Sir, we can't get back control of these satellites, the guy hacking into them is too good for our system."
Fury turned to him, all of his impressive presence channelled into that one eye. "Then find me this controller and bring him to me," he bit out. "I want his head on a plate, do you understand me, Agent Coulson? Any means necessary."
"Yes, sir," he replied without hesitation, "I'm on it." Agent Coulson turned on his heel and ran out of the control room, ignoring the pain in his chest the simple action caused. He had an idea, it was a long shot, but it was going to be the only way he could track the person who was pulling all the computerised strings right now. Behind him he heard Agent Hill talking to Fury.
"Director Fury," she said sharply, "I have the President on the line for you."
"I'll take it in my office," Coulson heard him reply and Phil was glad he wasn't going to be around for that conversation.
They'd all been caught off guard and the Avengers were in real trouble and Coulson was determined to help.
oooOOOOooo
Hammer was singing a little happy tune as he listened to Captain America's beautifully delivered speech. "Couldn't have said it better myself," he gloated as the man spewed the words necessary for his plan to come to fruition. Hammer's cell phone rang and he answered it with a jaunty, "Y'ello."
"Hammer, it's happening, just as you said," came Kidston's vaguely panicky voice.
"I tried to warn you, Senator," said Hammer with feigned distress. "I know Tony Stark too well and this has his handprints all over it, he's just getting Captain America to be the figurehead for his nefarious plans."
"I don't care which one of those damn Avengers is behind it, we just need to neutralise this threat," bit out Kidston. "The President has just convened an emergency meeting of the Senate to work out what to do about this."
"Well, you know what I think needs to be done," said Hammer calmly. "My Defenders are the only hope this country. With them spearheading an attack on the Avengers and the might of the US Military Forces backing them up, I'm certain victory will be ours."
"They're not going to be happy handing over power this kind of power to you, Hammer," said Kidston, still sounding torn.
"Then they don't have to," said Hammer easily. "It's entirely up to your peers to decide what is in the best interest of the country. I'm sure you'll make the right decision ultimately."
"I'll be in touch," said Kidston dourly.
Hammer smiled. "I'm sure you will, Senator." With that he hung up just as the limousine came to a halt. He peered out through the window at the impressive Avenger's Tower looming above them and his smile widened. "Daddy's home," he purred, knowing life didn't get much better than this.
oooOOOOooo
"...If the current government doesn't disband within the hour and hand over complete control to the Avengers, then our hand will be forced and we will detonate these nuclear warheads. The resulting explosion will activate fault lines and volcanic fields which will send the West Coast of America into the ocean and threaten all other surrounding states. This is not an idle threat..."
Clint arched a surprised eyebrow as they ran back towards the vault. "Whoa, we're taking over the world now? Did I miss a meeting or something?"
As soon as the transmission had begun, Agent Hill had been sending the feed to all of them as they frantically looked for Steve. They didn't have vision but she'd informed them that Steve was in the nuclear stockpile vault.
"This message is being transmitted on every satellite feed on the planet," confirmed Agent Hill over the comlinks.
"He's hijacked them all," said Natasha grimly as she kept pace with the others easily. "The whole world is listening to this."
"None of this is right," said Tony in frustration, trying to work out what was going on. "Cap is still deeply suspicious of the microwave. There is no way he's orchestrated some kind of technology-based coup here and besides, it's Captain America, he'd never do anything like this. He makes the Boy Scouts look bad."
Clint's jaw hardened as they came to the locked and heavily reinforced vault door . "Coming from a guy who was recently made into someone else's butt monkey against his will, I'd say we're looking at Cap being taken over here. The engine is running, but someone else is definitely behind the wheel, the signs are all there."
Bruce sent Thor an urgent look. "Thor, do you think Loki is behind this?"
Thor's expression was serious as he slowly shook his head. "Nae, I do not believe this to be the handiwork of my brother."
"You have one hour to show me President Lieber on his knees and pledging his allegiance to the Avengers..."
"It's Hammer," said Tony with great certainty. "He's behind this."
"And he's using Noble Maniatis' nano-bots," said Natasha quickly. She looked at Clint. "Remember, he told us himself, how Maniatis was working on a nano-bot which can enter the blood stream and remotely control a person."
Clint scowled. "He made out Maniatis had failed but clearly that was what he wanted us to think."
"Everyone stand back," said Tony decisively as he raised his hands and aimed his repulsors at the vault door. They didn't have time for finesse.
"Be careful," Bruce warned him quickly even as he stepped back. "Remember, nuclear warheads inside."
"I could boil an egg with these if I wanted to," said Tony confidently. "That's the kind of control I have over them. Just remember, once we get in there, it's still Cap, everyone keep him safe."
"Why do I have a feeling that's going to be easier said than done?" Clint grunted as Tony did a controlled blast and tore the vault door from their hinges.
The Avengers rushed inside to find Steve standing in the middle of the room, his shield in front of him. "What took you so long?" he asked them coolly.
Bruce held up his hand. "It's okay, Steve," he reassured him. "We're here to help you."
"You've got it all wrong," came a female's voice as a woman with white-blonde hair stepped from the shadows to stand beside Steve. "Captain America is going to help you, Doctor Banner. In fact, he's going to help you all."
With that, Steve threw back his head and out of his mouth and nose streamed this cloud of greyness which was impossible to see what it was made up of. Tony knew instantly it was the nano-bots though. "Lock down!" he ordered Jarvis fiercely, as the Mach VIII next newest feature instantly sprang into force, sealing Tony's suit so that no outside air could reach his body. He was now solely reliant on his on board oxygen tanks, instead of being supplemented by outside oxygen. It was the only way to stop the nano-bots getting to him. The grey mass swarmed towards the Avenger's covering them in an instant even as Tony saw Bruce beginning to transform into the Hulk, his muscles bulging and a green hue colouring his face. The nano-bots flocked around them and Tony saw the other's fall to the ground, clutching their heads even as the miniscule creatures started to penetrate his suit and caused him to drop to his knees as well, his suit integrity compromised...
A/N: Did anyone get who the guest cameo artist was?
A thousand fangirl/boy points for anyone who did. LOL
Yeppers, President Lieber was our very own Stan Lee. That's his real last name BTW – Lieber. Changed it to Lee to break into the biz, I guess. Seeing as he always has a cameo on the movies, I had to have in this fic and I think Stan would be quite chuffed to be the President of the United States. I mean, he is of the Marvel Universe anyway, so why not make it official. ;)