Disclaimer: I dont own Marvel
Today we introduce a string of characters that will be a side focus within the storyline. You may wonder what they have to do with anything? All will be revealed with time. Plus Ben Urich and Frontline will sort of show the "civilian" reaction to Deathblade's actions, enjoy.
The Hunt
Chapter 2: Hunters
Osborn's public appearance had come with mixed reactions. Media agencies were already trying to cover the event. Right now the Daily Bugle and Frontline were two of the news networks that had the greatest coverage over the scene. Ben Urich had personal experience with Norman Osborn. He tried to expose all of Osborn's illegal activities and his sinister motive. But the world wouldn't listen. Ben wanted to yell at people and tell them that the state of the country was their fault. They were the ones whom elected him and the damn hypocrites were saying they were glad he was gone.
"What's up Ben?"
Ben was broken out of his inner rant by his colleague. This alien invasion hadn't helped Sally's alcoholism. She'd hit the bottle after the loss of her apartment. Fortunately she got help from her roommates, the people she shared a tent with. Many families had been forced to live together in fields throughout America. Sally had lived with a small group, one of whom had suffered from alcoholism himself. They started talking and eventually Sally began to lessen her drinking habits. She returned to work at the Frontline and had been one of Ben's best reporters.
"Norman Osborn's gotten to you hasn't he?" Sally asked, she placed her coffee on the desk and sat down beside her partner.
The office was deserted, half of the workers were moving out of their tents while the other half were too scared to work.
"Part of me should be dancing in Times Square," Ben sighed, "But the other half hopes that this "punishment fits the crime" murderer doesn't start a cult or something."
"You've been at this longer than me Ben. What do you think happens when a man puts a sign up along with the body of the worlds public enemy number one?" The young woman asked, already expecting an answer.
"Well judging from these recent polls, this "pfc" killer's already got half of the American citizens supporting him, and surprise surprise that's the half that supported Osborn in the first place."
"Punishment fit crime, cute Ben," Sally chuckled.
Ben stifled a laugh as well. Right now they both needed a positive attitude. The world was in a state of unrest and this recent murder had only made things worse. Governments had had financial troubles across the world; they relied on charities and massive donations from super human companies to restore the world. Companies like Stark, Crowner and the remainder of Oscorp funds supplied by Harry Osborn were the only reason the people had cities to come back to. But now the American people were afraid. A killer had pinned their former protector to a sign with a warning of things to come. Right now America needed heroes to start acting like heroes.
Fear was present in Washington. The president wanted answers that Hand couldn't give right now. But it wasn't just the people whom were afraid. Criminals now knew that there was no one at the top looking out for them. Osborn's murder had reinforced the point. Men gathered in a tent, one of numerous tents in front of the White House. This specific tent housed a small group that had gathered for protection.
"Jesus Christ, fuck, what the hell are we going to do?" One of the men asked.
He paced across the room with sweat dripping off his face. It was a sentiment his friend shared, but they were in better control.
"We could go to the government, confess to what Osborn ordered us to do," One man said.
"Yeah, they've already got the man responsible dead, what more would the guy want?" Another asked.
"I want blood!"
The men turned to where the voice had come from. Each one widened their eyes in shock as a silver blade cut through the tent. They yelled, the tent collapsing around them. One of the men felt a grip on his collar and suddenly he was lifted off the ground. The wind blew the tent away and the remaining men watched in shock as their friend was flown into the air. His feet dangled, sweat and urine dripping from his pant legs. The kidnapper stood on a V shaped glider, his blue cloak flapping around in the wind. He sheathed his silver cutlass and looked at the man in the eyes. His silver mask covered his face, including his eyes. It was a special metal that allowed him to see. While the silver mask covered his face, a second blue mask covered his head. The rest of his costume consisted of a blue suit, with red wrist and shoulder guards with white stripes across them.
"I don't like killing but you people are really pushing it, tell me what you know about the replacement projects!" The man demanded.
"Please don't drop me, don't drop me," His victim begged, kicking his feet around in desperation.
"You know who I am don't you?"
"John Watkins the third! CITIZEN V!" The thug screamed.
"Your employer tried to replace me, turn the Watkins family legacy into his own twisted version. Osborn put someone in charge of erasing my families existence, tell me who it was," John Watkins the third hid an expression of fury behind his mask.
"A man called Doctor Cortez, Neo Cortez!"
"Address, NOW!" Watkins yelled.
The thug screamed and mumbled numbers and postcodes. That was enough for Citizen V to determine a relevant location. He had what he wanted; killing Osborn and Cortez's delivery boys was unnecessary. Citizen V flew downwards and dropped the thug at the Lincoln memorial. He looked down at the thug as he crawled up the stairs. Much of the memorials around Washington had been the first things to be repaired, however patchwork still needed to be done on the Lincoln statue.
"I thought you said you'd would let me go," The Thug trembled.
Citizen V raised his blade; the man was just as responsible as Osborn. He followed the orders after all. His hand gripped the handle of his cutlass tightly. What the hell was he doing?
"Don't ever get involved with people like Osborn again, otherwise you'll suffer the same fate he did," John growled as he sheathed his cutlass.
He slammed his fist into the palm of his hand as he flew away. His hunt had turned up a lead; he'd need to go to another state to catch this Neo Cortez.
The Grasshopper name was nothing but a joke. Every person whom had worn the armour had met an unfortunate fate. The people didn't care, the real Avengers didn't care and the "Great Lakes" losers certainly didn't give a shit. He jumped across the streets, anger visible on his face. His green armour was identical to the other Grasshopper's, except he covered his mouth with a plate. The ground shook as he landed, leaving a crack in a patch of road that had just been recovered.
"Those bastards," He growled.
His hands trembled and the lenses of his helmet flared. He let out a yell before slamming his leg against the nearest wall, taking off a chunk of fresh brick. The last conversation he had with his "team mates" was still on his mind.
"What the hells so funny about me dying?" The brown haired man asked.
The members of the Great Lakes Initiative all sat around the TV, playing games and generally ignoring his presence. Squirrel Girl perked up when the new Grasshopper let out a loud growl.
"Um guys, I think we should pay attention," Squirrel girl said sheepishly.
"Hey Grasshopper, what's up?" Mr Immortal asked.
"Oh I just got out of the hospital, you'd know that if you'd come and visited me," Grasshopper growled.
"Never got this from the Skrull Grasshopper," Big Bertha muttered.
"Oh yeah cause you saw that coming a mile away didn't you, did you even ask him what happened to me you fat bitch!"
"Hey, watch it," Flat Man said, getting up off his chair.
"Or what you'll kick me off the team, who wants to be a part of you losers anyway?"
"Why are you acting like this?" Squirrel Girl asked.
"YOU GUYS DON'T KNOW! The invasion, I nearly died trying to save lives and you people didn't even bat an eye lid, you didn't even call for a medic, the people I saved had to keep me alive," Grasshopper explained.
The other team members were taken aback by his comments. None of the other Grasshoppers had been like this.
"Well your alive now, how about we go on a patrol?" Doorman suggested.
"Shut up…just, you people don't care, you never cared…you wouldn't have batted an eyelash if I died, the Grasshoppers were just your jokes weren't they? Someone to laugh at to feel better about yourselves, well you guys can go to hell!" Grasshopper walked towards the door.
He didn't look back, assuming that the team was sniggering. Instead they collectively lowered their heads.
Grasshopper just jumped as far way from the team as he could. The only reason he had gotten into this business was to avenge his father. Instead alls he had was a place as the Great Lake's laughing stock, a free trip to the Skrull home world and a collection of relationships ruined because of his Skrull impersonator. During Karabai's invasion, Grasshopper had been on the frontlines, supporting civilians in evacuations. He'd saved a few lives, but in the end shrapnel pierced his armour and he was left with civilians to tend to him. His teammates didn't even look back to check his condition.
'Face it Dad, the Grasshoppers were just jokes' the young man thought. "But…WHAT THE HELL WAS SO FUNNY ABOUT DEATH ANYWAY!"
His scream echoed through the city before he jumped onto one of the rooftops. He panted as he jumped from one roof to the next. No matter how far he went he always had his old "team mates" at the back of his mind. He had to get away from those wannabes and bastards. It was their fault his father was dead.
"Wait please stop…please don't come any closer," He heard someone begging for their life.
Grasshopper immediately stopped, focusing his speakers on the area he heard the civilian in. they were frightened for their lives, someone was coming at them with the intention to kill. No, he wouldn't let that happen. Grasshopper jumped off of the roof, creating a crack on the pavement as he landed. The victim was in a pub, one of a rare few that had been rebuilt and used by those brave enough to go back into the city. He threw the door open, folding out two blasters built into his gauntlets.
"Stop right there!" He growled.
The targeting dots of his blasters focused on his opponent. Her body was one to die for, perfectly shaped hips and abs. The woman wore nothing but black lingerie, a look that was pretty much her signature. She had long flowing red hair, orange and black striped fur across her body, with fangs and claws to go with them.
"Tigra, what are you doing?" Grasshopper asked.
Greer Nelson turned around, hissing at Grasshopper as she approached her target, a bald man cowering in the corner. Countless thugs had been knocked across the bar, with bruises and scratch marks across their bodies. No doubt Tigra had been at this little brawl all morning.
"What's going on here?"
"This is no concern of yours," Tigra snarled.
"Damn it Nelson whatever's going on I want in, I want to help, especially if your trying to gut criminals."
Tigra widened her eyes and eased her stance. She nodded her head and stepped away from the bald man.
"Who is this?" Grasshopper asked.
"Can't remember his name, he's Parker Robbins cousin, he knows where he is," Tigra said.
"Parker Robbins, you mean the Hood?"
"Yeah, he attacked me in my home, the bastard video taped it to show to all his cronies."
Grasshopper walked up to the Hood's relative and pulled him to his feet.
"Tell me where the Hood is or I let Tigra go, you might be willing to get scratched up but I know you don't want to deal with the rest of the Avengers. And trust me they'll get involved, an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, you get me?" Grasshopper asked, shoving the man into a chair.
"All right, all right, Parker lost his powers after the invasion, Dormammu abandoned him and Loki was locked up in Asgard so he had no where else to go, with Whitney dead he just shut down, so I got him touch with a friend, works for a guy called Neo Cortez," The man explained, sweat running down his face.
"Who is he?" Tigra asked.
"A scientist apparently, I don't know much other than the fact that half his employees are scared to death of him and the other half follow him like fucking royalty. This friend of mine, he was in the former half, I mean he freaked out when Parker even mentioned his bosses name."
"Wait till he sees me," Tigra snarled.
Grasshopper placed a hand on Tigra's shoulder, looking her in the eyes.
"No, wait till he sees us, Avengers stick together right?" Grasshopper asked.
Tigra nodded her head and Grasshopper smiled beneath his mask. Finally he found a real teammate.
Victoria Hand sighed once she was clear from the other agents. The whole worlds problems seemed to be piling up. She realised that Norman Osborn had only hired her as a formality. He expected her to be useless and easy to control. But she tried to help him, and she cursed herself for being unable to see Osborn's insanity. She was kept in charge because she wasn't stuck in the same world the Avengers were. They were caught up with old rivalries and constantly repeating the same battles. Though Hand lacked the experience in dealing with super human cases she was still willing to tackle the many issues left on her desk. This PFC killer was the top of the agenda for Hammer. After that, Victoria Hand designed a plan to fix the other worlds problems as well.
"Let the punishment fit the crime, let the punishment fit the crime," Victoria muttered as she looked through several files.
Federal criminals, super villains, thieves and even regular citizens whom police had never suspected. The targets had been those with a criminal background and Victoria was beginning to suspect that the other people killed had been connected to crimes also. Whoever this man was he had caused a significantly traumatic reaction from Brute, a low security Initiative hero. Brute had had some kind of seizure when Osborn's body had been discovered. He knew something about this PFC killer, but he refused to answer. The only thing he said was that he was willing to follow Victoria's orders. So Victoria ordered Brute and several other Initiative controlled heroes to assemble on the Helicarrier. Hand already had the perfect team in mind.
"Commander Hand, the team you requested has been assembled," An agent said from the doorway.
"Thank you Agent Chang, I will be right there," Hand said.
Victoria liked Monica Chang, she had been a dedicated field agent back during the time of S.H.I.E.L.D. Best of all she had no loyalties to Fury or Rogers and was willing to do whatever it took to get the job done. She seemed to be an immoral woman but Hand knew that there was more to the black haired Asian woman. Monica wore standard Hammer equipment; rumour was that she had been enhanced with a super soldier serum, making her more agile than other agents. Victoria gathered her files and walked with Monica towards the briefing centre.
"Thank you all for coming, in light of this recent discovery I thought it would be appropriate to call upon you, those whom have been the most loyal to this country. Though many of you I have not known from the beginning I know that you will play instrumental parts in the capture of this killer." Victoria explained.
"Screw you Hand, just send us back to the prison!"
The voice belonged to Karla Sofen, formerly Ms Marvel, now she was back to going by Moonstone. She wore a plain white costume, with a yellow circle on her chest. Her blonde hair hung out of the back of her gold helmet, one that was similar to the one she wore during her super villain days. Hand wasn't sure what to class Karla Sofen as; Antihero? Reformed criminal? Bitch? One thing she did know was that she hated Karla Sofen, and the feeling was mutual. Sofen wasn't the only old Thunderbolt in the meeting room. Mac Gargan used to go by the identity of Scorpion, now he was Venom. His suit seemed to constantly switch between the classic Venom look and an appearance similar to Spider-man's.
"Gargan, has the medication worked for you?" Hand asked, veining politeness.
"Yeah Miss Hand, if you could call still continually craving blood and guts an improvement, are your idiot scientists even doing anything to fix me?" Gargan asked, snapping his jaw at Hand.
Victoria huffed as she turned away from Venom/Spider-man. The serum Osborn gave Gargan reduced the bloodthirsty nature of the symbiote only slightly. Now it turned out that Osborn's formula wasn't permanent and that it was only to keep Gargan under his control. Hand knew what the team needed, an agile and controllable fighter, not a monster like Venom. But the real Spider-man was out of the question; he too was stuck in the old ways of thinking. Hand needed people willing to play ball with her superiors, the Joint Chiefs of Staff. By following orders and implementing her own plans, Hand hoped to improve the world immensely.
"Ma'am I have some concerns with this group you've put together, I don't know whether they'll be able to work with me," John Walker said.
John Walker was the US Agent, practically a copy of Captain America, but unlike Rogers he was willing to follow orders. In fact Hand had outfitted him with a more practically military uniform, including combat boots, cargo pockets and belts. But Hand still kept the shield and gave Walker red gloves, a blue Kevlar padded shirt with an American star on the chest and a cowl that doubled as a helmet. The goal: a Captain America that answered to the will of the American people and its elected government. It was only a matter of time before Michael Van Patrick screwed up anyway.
"Hurry up with this briefing woman, battle calls for me," Ares growled.
The God of War was eager for a fight, and that was what Hand was counting on. He seemed to respect fighters so Victoria took that in mind when speaking to him.
"Show respect Ares, right now you're a guest of the American people, I could have you thrown out of this county faster than you turned on Stark!"
"I am a god woman!"
"Who belongs on Olympus, if you don't like my orders you can go back there," Victoria said.
Ares narrowed his eyes before smirking.
'The things I would do to her' He thought.
Brute shifted uncomfortably as he looked at the other members of this "team". Ares was a man arrogant enough to call himself the god of war. Though US Agent had proven himself a hero time and time again, he was sure to let his orders get in the way of the right thing. Then again, Brute could say the same thing about himself; he lowered his head, thinking of his former friend the Azure Eagle. Being on the same team as Venom was definitely unsettling. Brute found Karla Sofen attractive, but he didn't know whether he could fully trust her. He hadn't known Eric O'Grady long, but he already trusted the guy, when push came to shove he'd do the right thing. But the same definitely couldn't be said for Ghost and Swordsman.
"I've contracted a plan that is simple yet efficient, there are several super villains I have under careful surveillance and control via Nano-Chain, like Mr Strucker and Ghost here. As you know the Nano Chain allows us temporary control of the villains under our custody. This way Ghost, Swordsman and others will be controlled as they fulfil their mission, bringing the killer out into the open. Make no mistake gentlemen this is a threat we want neutralised fast, crippling force is authorised, we have to be willing to show the people that we will protect them no matter what. That is why I have had news teams from some of the last remaining media companies drafted into our Hammer field unit. They will record our mission and show the world how we bought down a vigilante." Hand went through the briefing in exact detail and Brute was able to understand her perfectly.
Super villains like Swordsman were basically bait. The Nano Chain would prevent them from fleeing and would keep them under control as possible combatants. Hand's main Avengers team would then attack Deathblade as he attacks the super villains. Monica Chang would then move in with a contingent of Hammer agents. The attack from all sides would probably be enough to bring down Deathblade and the team assembled was cost efficient. Hand knew how to handle budgets and the government couldn't afford to build advanced weapons, not the kind of heavy tech Stark could assemble from scraps or Banner could make up from a cheap chemistry set.
"Maybe this'll work," Brute muttered.
Parker Robbins was in a state, like a drug addict looking for another fix. At least that's the comparison Neo Cortez liked to make. The pathetic man seemed nervous around his henchmen. Neo ran a hand over the patch of hair on his chin. Norman Osborn was gone but that still didn't mean he couldn't make his own plans come true. Parker was still wearing the red cloak, pretending he was some kind of crime boss. He walked forward, keeping a strong face, but his hands were trembling.
"Mr Robbins, my employee in the Chrysler building ruins told me about your predicament, a horrible thing when one loses the woman they loved, or was it all about the money?" Cortez asked.
"Lets just get down to business, you know what I'm here for," Parker said.
"Still think you can talk tough? I wouldn't go for your gun Robbins, especially when the man who can give you power will not hesitate to rip that ridiculous cloak off and choke you to death with it, seriously you still think of yourself as the Hood, how adorable," Cortez chuckled.
"DON'T SCREW AROUND JUST GIVE ME WHAT I CAME FOR!" Parker yelled.
"I'll let that one slide since your obviously so fragile, now I can give you something obviously, but what can you give me?"
"I can get money."
"Oh please, money has become useless in this world, I want you to do a task for me, I get you the power you need and you fulfil whatever job I ask of you. I'm not going to give you all the power at once so you'll have to earn the rest, plus your body will need time to adapt to the power, so by my calculations you should be fully powered and ready to carry out your own plans in…six years!" Cortez explained.
Parker widened his eyes and immediately grabbed Cortez by his jacket sleeve.
"What are you talking about? Six years, Six years, how does that help me NOW!" Hood yelled.
"You cant just get power and go walking about all well and dandy a day after, true some of the other heroes do it but my process of power broking is ten times more complex…you see first I must prepare your body for whatever powers it will receive, like if you were to spit acid I would have to make it so that the inside of your body could not only produce this substance but be impervious to it."
"I don't want to spit acid I just want power damn it."
"And you'll get that power, enough power to dominate the Eternals!"
"Who the hell are the Eternals?" Hood asked.
"A race of self proclaimed gods much like the Asgardians, the Eternals were created by the Celestials, ancient machines that visited us centuries ago, I believe one of them was standing on San Francisco earlier. Or is he still there? I don't know and I don't really care, my point is Mr Robbins you want power to get your own back on the Avengers right? Well you aren't going to be able to kill them all off with just Invisibility you know, although hoorah for you if you do, you need a serious upgrade and I'm the one who can give it to you, alls you need is a little patience or are you too pathetic to wait? Too impatient, little insecure Robbins needs his fix, a hug from your little girl wasn't enough so you need the feeling of power…"
"SHUT UP! Screw you, I'm going to the power broker!" Parker said, shoving his gun in Cortez's face.
Parker looked from side to side, seeing that Cortez's followers had their eyes on him. One clicked his fingers, breaking Parker's gun apart. The gun then reassembled in Cortez's hand and he eyed the primitive pistol with a huff.
"Guns, too easy for my taste, I prefer a good old fashioned manipulation…put your target in a position where they'll want to kill themselves, watching them slit their wrists is so much more satisfying," The man explained, throwing Parker's gun to the side.
Parker opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as he felt something drop onto his shoulder. He looked at his left shoulder and saw a strange yellow substance on his jacket. The tar ran down his sleeve, dripping onto the floor. Cortez's goons removed their jackets, revealing costumes beneath their business suits.
"Now, now gentlemen, lets depart and leave this to the fodder, boys die well!" Cortez said as he and his "elite" bodyguards walked towards the exit.
The thugs who Parker guessed didn't have powers began loading their automatics. Parker looked up and widened his eyes at what he saw. A web of some kind had been made on the ceiling. And right smack in the middle of the web was a young woman. Her body seemed flawless in its form; no manner of clothing covered her skin, which was red with black web markings on her chest and face. Yellow liquid dropped off of parts of her body and her black lips formed into a smile. Her eyes gave off a yellow glow as the men cocked back their rifles.
"Try to kill her boys, if you don't call me I'll assume you failed, take care now bye bye" Cortez waved before slamming the door shut.
Parker yelled as the men began firing their guns. He ran as fast as he could, legging it towards the back entrance. The girl seemed to float onto the ground, tiny web lines attached to her body. She flipped, avoiding a flurry of bullets. As soon as one man began to reload she made her move, running faster than the men could see. She ran at the first man as he reloaded, swinging her fist so hard into his face that jaw went out of place. Parker shoved the door, desperate to get out before he was caught in the crossfire. The woman wrapped her legs around one of the men's legs, firing web lines from her wrists. She clogged the firing mechanisms of two rifles before flicking the yellow substance on her body straight into two more thugs.
"AAAAGH!" The pure agony the men portrayed was enough for Parker to realise, he had to get out and fast.
The thugs screamed and rolled across the floor, the poison seeping into their skin. Their friends reloaded, but seemed reluctant to fire at their attacker. They were consumed by fear, yet also attraction. She was still on top of one of them, practically grinding her bare legs against his cheeks.
"Enjoying the view?" She asked, before twisting her hips, and the man's neck.
"Oh god, please don't kill us," One of the men begged, dropping his rifle.
"UP YOURS BITCH!" The other man screamed.
The woman fired another web from her wrist, pouring the sticky substance down the man's throat. He dropped his gun, putting his hands down his mouth in an attempt to get the webbing out of his throat. The woman merely grinned as her victim rolled across the floor, choking on her webbing. Parker finally crashed the door open and ran as fast as he could. Cortez's last thug dropped his gun and fell to his knees as the shorter woman approached him. She ran her hands through his hair, smiling as the man cried.
"Oh god, we didn't know he'd go that far, I'm so sorry," The man pleaded.
"Shhh, it's all right baby, you don't have to worry about that, Cortez is going to die for what he did to me…but like I said, you don't have to worry," The girl cooed as she bought her hands to the top of the man's head and his chin.
She twisted the man's neck round, laughing as she looked at her work. They all worked for Cortez, they all deserved to die. For what they had done, they would pay the ultimate price.
They walked across the city streets, their eyes giving off a yellow glow as they hid their faces beneath hoods. On top of a rooftop stood a being with a black cloak covering his armour. His eyes gave off a fierce red glow as he looked at his target. He flexed the fingers of his left hand as a red light sparked between his fingertips. The light began to stretch and form together like the threads of a knitting kit. They crossed together, getting bigger and bigger and sharper and deadlier as they formed a curved scythe. He then put his right hand to his forehead and changed his eyes to a yellow colour, accessing the power of the technarch.
"Assemble!" he whispered.
His army began to assemble, awaiting his final orders. They all followed him loyally without choice. He hated using them like this, but it was a necessity. The man in the black armour waved his scythe as a dark skinned man grew to the size of the building he stood on. He wore a white and blue costume with a Domino mask over his eyes. Goliath's eyes glowed a yellow colour, signifying the infection of the Technarch virus. He opened his palm, allowing his master to step on.
"Are you sure about this?" He asked.
But the armoured man remained silent, pointing his finger to the sky. Goliath shrugged his shoulders before he threw the man into the air. He flew at incredible speeds, releasing a pair of wings from his back. Using the wings he controlled his speed and flight path. Energy glowed around the scythe he carried as he flew closer and closer towards a Hammer Helicarrier. With a swing of his blade he unleashed an energy wave that cut a hole down the middle of the aircraft. Hand held onto a railing as the aircraft shook. Her Avengers stood ready to fight as more explosions echoed through the Helicarrier.
"I want all men in full combat gear on the double," Hand said.
The armoured man rushed through the halls of the Helicarrier. His eyes glowed as he looked at Hammer agents. Images flashed before his eyes and without hesitation he cut down two agents in his path.
'Rapists' He thought.
He ran faster and faster through the Helicarrier, blocking bullets fired at him. Again his eyes flashed a red colour as he saw the darkest secrets of these Hammer agents.
'Abusive parents and murderers.'
His scythe changed into a gigantic Shuriken that he threw down the corridor. The shuriken beheaded and cut apart any agents in it's way and then returned to its wielders hand. He changed the Shuriken into a scythe again and sliced an Agent's gun in half. A kick sent the agent to the floor, cowering in fear as the armoured man looked at him. His eyes stopped their red glow as he walked away. But the glow reappeared as another squad of agents ran down the corridor.
"FIRE!" The Commander yelled.
'A rapist in the Iraq conflicts, a murderer in Hydra, a former church of humanity member…they deserve this,' The Armoured man thought as he easily cut the men apart.
Kicking two more agents aside, he then broke off into a run down the corridor. Bullets bounced off of his armour while he jumped and slashed people across their chests. His eyes never stopped glowing as he got closer and closer to his targets. Slamming his foot into a door, the armoured man burst into the room Miss Hand was holding her briefing in. Ares eagerly drew his axe and sword, rushing towards the attacker.
"HAVE AT THEE!" He yelled.
But the armoured man span around, "flowing" past the god of war and running towards Ghost and Swordsman. Ghost fired blast from his hand, hitting the armoured man's head but not stopping his assault.
'Oh shit!' Ghost thought.
Moonstone fired a blast from her hand, narrowly missing the attacker's shoulder. He swung around, kicking Walker across the head. The soldier was sent flying into the wall as the armoured attacker dodged another attack from Ares. As the man fought, Brute remained locked in place, his eyes wide in shock as he watched a man he thought long dead. Venom lunged towards the armoured man, but stepped back as fire spread across the warrior's scythe. The man pointed his finger at Gargan, practically marking the man as a target before resuming his attack on Swordsman. Andreas Strucker drew his sword as the armoured attacker got closer and closer towards him. Ghost phased into the ground as the warrior swung his scythe round. He slashed Andreas across the chest, looking the "reformed" criminal in the eyes. Andreas's helmet shattered and his eyes widened as blood gushed from his mouth.
"Andreas Strucker, join your sister and father IN HELL!" The man yelled.
The armoured man swung his blade round, spreading Andreas's blood across the floor. Moonstone gulped while Ant-man looked away.
"Deathblade!" Brute said.
The armoured man's eyes flashed as he looked back at Brute. He swung his scythe round, releasing a blade of energy that cut a hole through the Helicarrier.
"SHOOT HIM!" US Agent yelled, firing his pistol at the attacker.
Hand fired her laser rifle, hitting the armoured man's shoulder. But the man ignored the blasts and jumped out of the hole he had made. He dived closer and closer towards the ground while the Hammer agents tried to recover from the devastating attack. Deathblade looked up at the smoking Helicarrier. He'd delayed Hand for now; his resources could clear out the scum in the city before he began the next phase of his plan. Walking across the rooftop, he rested his scythe on his hand as the sun set. But he stopped as soon as he reached the edge of the roof. Turning to his right, he looked upon a small gathering. They all wore red ninja robes with devil horns, apart from their leader. He wore a black suit with devil horns and two red D's on his chest. He also wielded a pair of blades tied to his wrists while his ninja's carried swords and bows.
"Daredevil, I would have thought you of all people would appreciate what I'm doing," Deathblade said.
Daredevil narrowed his eyes before throwing his hand forward.
"Take him Hand!"
Chapter 3: Orphans
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, next time we'll see the debut of more main characters as Aeon considers what he should do, also Sieg's team face down a villain employed by Cortez, but who is Cortez?