Disclaimer: I dont own Marvel
The Hunt
Chapter 6: Infinite efforts
Avengers Academy: After Karabai's invasion, Hank Pym, Tigra and Justice found several teenagers that Osborn had abducted. Most had been tortured and modified in some way. Out of all of them, six had failed their psychological tests. These six were chosen to become part of Pym's project Avengers Academy. Though the Avengers told these youngsters that they had the greatest potential to be heroes, the students soon discovered that this had been a lie. They in fact had the greatest potential to be villains if they weren't taught true values.
Cade Hunter never wanted to harm children. That's what he thought the Avengers Academy students were. Though they had faced hardship, they still didn't have an awareness of the world or even themselves. He didn't want them dead, in fact he hoped they would survive this battle so they could live the kind of life he couldn't.
But right now the Avengers students were in his way. Deathblade rushed forward, punching Reptil in the chin. He then ducked, dodging an electric blast from Striker. Sweeping his legs across the floor, Deathblade tripped Mettle to the ground, and then slammed his fist into Striker's chest. He lifted the boy off the floor, throwing him on top of Reptil. Swinging his elbow round, Deathblade deflected a blast from Hazmat, diverting the beam into Veil's gas form. Finesse threw her baton at Deathblade. But much to the girl's shock, Deathblade caught the baton and threw it straight back at Finesse. The baton struck her collarbone, rebounding off of her and hitting Hazmat on the neck,
Jocasta looked at the monitor screen in shock. She recorded the exact duration of the fight as 6.29 seconds. The man had hitchhiked into the Infinite mansion and defeated the students without breaking a sweat. But a smile crossed the androids face. The Academy students weren't the only means of protecting the mansion. Turning his head, the intruder watched as several doors opened. Out of each one-stepped a whole team of Avengers
"What manner of creature is this? And how dare he attack the Avengers mansion," Hercules said as he stepped out with his makeshift god squad.
His team included Snowbird of Alpha Flight, Sersi of the Eternals, Starfox a long time Avenger and Eternal and Venus of the Agents of Atlas. Coming through the door beside him was boy genius Amadeus Cho, leading a team comprised of Namora from Atlas, Rick Jones, or as he was now called A-Bomb, Noh-Varr the Protector and Lyra the Savage She-Hulk.
"Young Avengers Assemble!" Cassie Sandmark declared as she and her team entered the mansion.
"Initiative take him down," MVP, or Captain America as he went by now rushed forward.
With Cap were Initiative members Komodo, Hardball, Trauma, Thor Girl, Crusader and Gauntlet. Quicksilver came through another door, leading Hawkeye, Beast, Wonder Man and Mockingbird. Deathblade slid two blades out of his wrists, pulling them out to reveal swords. He wasted no words or bravado as the Avengers charged towards him. Jumping upwards, Deathblade dodged a punch from Hercules. He landed on A-Bomb's shoulder, then jumped and elbowed Noh-Varr in the head. Swinging around, Cade cut two arrows in half. Kate and Clint then knocked back more arrows, firing a flurry of projectiles. Cade cut each arrow one after another, then bought his swords up, deflecting a blast fired by Vision. He suddenly swung his head back, dodging a punch thrown by Quicksilver. His eyes glowed a red colour as he gripped Pietro's wrist.
"I can see your sins, the sins you committed as part of the brotherhood, as well as in the Aftermath of M-Day," Cade said.
Deathblade flipped Quicksilver over his shoulder, throwing him straight into Hawkeye. Kate Bishop knocked back another arrow while Cassie grew to giant size. Deathblade ran forward, jumping over Stature's fist and deflecting Kate's arrow. He slammed his knee into Cassie's eyes, causing her to fall back in pain. Then he landed in front of Kate, slicing off the strap for her quiver. He grabbed her by her hair and threw her into Patriot's arms.
"Foul monster, attacking a woman!" Hercules growled.
"Its no different from the way you treated women in ancient Greece Hercules, thinking of them as mere possessions, even your wife, the one who gave birth to the children you murdered!"
"How could you know that?" Hercules asked in shock.
"Just because I kill doesn't mean I haven't read books, that and I can see exactly what everyone of you hides at night, the sins and regrets that keep you awake!"
Dragging his blade across the ground, Deathblade drew a line into the floor before rushing down the corridor. The Avengers rushed after the intruder, pursuing him down a seemingly endless corridor.
"Jocasta activate defences Delta and Echo, don't let him get near the labs," Hank stated over the radio.
Beast jumped and slammed his feet into Deathblade's back, sending him rolling across the floor. Deathblade jumped to his feet, diverted a punch from Wonder Man straight into the wall behind him. Cade blinked in confusion for a second, that wall wasn't there before. Then he realised that Jocasta must have been shifting the very structure of the mansion. Now the team faced Deathblade in the dinner hall. Patriot and Cap swung their shields at Deathblade, only for him to deflect their strikes. Then he clothes lined MVP and kicked Patriot in the chest. Namora and Lyra both pounced at Cade, while Sersi transmuted the dining table into a tree. She manipulated the tree to wrap its arms around Cade.
"Venus, get here now and control this man's mind," Namora ordered as she and Lyra gripped Cade's chest.
Meanwhile, Aeon looked at the Avengers that had gathered in Hells Kitchen. Everyone stood in shock at what had happened.
"Where have they gone?" Sven asked.
"The Infinite Avengers Mansion," Tony said.
"But why would he go there?" Ms Marvel asked.
The heroes suddenly turned their eyes towards the building Daredevil had been thrown into. Ghost Rider suddenly came flying through the wall, bouncing across the floor. Daredevil, or rather the Beast jumped out of the building, landing in front of the heroes with a grin.
"We've got bigger fish to fry, everybody restrain Daredevil now," Iron Man ordered.
"Deathblade's backup has disappeared, the faster we finish with the Hand forces the better," Ms Marvel said.
Ghost Rider tried to get up off the floor, only for the beast to kick him through a brick wall. Luke Cage jumped towards Daredevil, holding his arms in a full nelson. Iron Fist then rushed towards the possessed Daredevil, swinging his hand forward. Suddenly, the Beast slammed his head into Luke's face and threw him over his shoulder. Luke slammed into Danny, both of them rolling backwards across the floor. The beast raised his hand, assembling his ninja forces. With glowing eyes, the Beast let out a roar that shook the buildings around him. He grinned, looking towards the Avengers. Suddenly, an arrow struck the Beast's back, forcing him to stumble forward.
"WHO DARES!" The Beast yelled.
"Hawkeye? But he's inside the IA Mansion," Ms Marvel said.
The Beast and the Avengers looked towards the rooftops and widened their eyes in shock. Standing on the rooftops was a Golden Archer, alongside several new apparent heroes. To his right stood a brown haired woman wearing a sleeveless beige suit. As Golden Archer knocked an arrow back, the Speedster of his team was already in the fight. The Blur moved as fast as any other speedster, punching and throwing aside anyone in his way. He stopped for a moment, revealing himself to be an African American man, wearing a black suit and orange goggles.
"Bio-General, Nuke, you two sweep up the Hand ninjas, Arcanna contain the Ghost Rider," Golden Archer commanded.
Iron Man flew upwards, keeping his eyes on two armoured men. One of them had a nuclear symbol as his visor, as well as nuclear symbols on his shoulders. The armour he wore was a simple design, grey armour plates without any extra parts. His ally had the opposite kind of armour, red and brown formed of multiple layers. The gauntlets had four spikes protruding from them, but Tony later identified them as cannons of some kind. Bio-General and Nuke opened the palms of their hands, revealing blasters similar to Iron Man's. They fired energy blasts, consuming several of the Hand ninjas.
"Who are these people?" Ms Marvel asked.
"I don't know, but somehow I don't think they can be trusted," Aeon said.
Sven's armour took on a white colour and red markings spread across his body. His eyes let out a red glow as clutched his head for a moment.
"Aeon, what's happening to your armour?"
"I…I don't know, something good must be happening somewhere, no wait….AAARGH!" Sven yelled as energy seeped out of his armour.
This time the armour took on a black colour as Sven fell to his knees. Carol looked at the man in shock as he began shaking.
Sieg had been flying when he felt his master's pain. He clutched his head also, his eyes letting out a red glow.
"SIEG!" Sofia screamed.
The other team members looked behind them, watching as Sieg fell towards the ground. Prime swooped downwards, catching Sieg before he hit the ground. The heroes flew to the nearest rooftop, where Prime had already laid Sieg out on the floor.
"Sieg what's wrong?" Sooraya asked.
Sofia knelt by Sieg's side, clutching his hand as he groaned. Citizen V noticed X-23's own conflicted expression. She too felt concern for the man she came to call friend. Sieg took a deep breath as his eyes stopped glowing. He got up off the floor and leant on his sword.
"We've got to keep going, forget about what's happening with the other Avengers, they cant help us, they wont help us," Sieg stated as he lifted the sword onto his shoulder.
"That's was your link with Aeon wasn't it," Laura didn't ask, she knew what Sieg's problem was.
"Something's happening to your father?" Sooraya asked.
"He's not my father, Sven Reilly is my teacher, but he hasn't been acting like it lately," Sieg growled.
Sofia tried to put her hand on Sieg's shoulder, but he was already walking ahead. She sighed as she put her hands together. While the others were hesitant to approach the boy, Arachnophillia practically skipped towards their leader. Much to everyone's shock, the girl rested her head and arms on Sieg's back. He gasped as he felt Arachnophillia's breath on his ear.
"Your incredibly hot when your angry," She whispered.
X-23 growled, like a dog protecting her master. Sofia heard what the red skinned girl said too. Her reaction was very different.
"Come on team, we need to get moving now," Sofia said.
The wind blew furiously as Sofia took to the air. Sieg was the first to fly after her, causing Arachnophillia to pout. Everyone else followed straight after, with Grasshopper carrying Laura and Tigra. X-23 pointed in the direction her nose took her. She could smell the stench of Power Princess's perfume, as well as the stench of blood. Sieg landed and moved ahead of the team, heading straight towards the apartment complex.
"Sieg wait for us," Sooraya said.
But Sieg had already swung the door open and began running up the flight of stairs. He looked down the narrow corridor, looking between the numerous doors he could walk through. When he heard the creak of the floorboards he immediately moved towards the door at the far end. He slammed his foot into the wood, knocking the door off its hinges. The rest of his team assembled behind him, widening their eyes at what they saw. Blood had stained the carpet and everything in the room had been trashed. Holes were in the walls, mirrors were shattered and the bed had completely collapsed. On the floor was a skinny man, his neck twisted in a way human's neck weren't supposed to twist. Standing over the body however was someone the team didn't expect.
"You were tracing Power Princess's perfume right? The place stinks of it, as well as what she and Hyperion got up to after killing her old boyfriend," He explained.
"Disgusting," Sofia groaned.
"Did they really, you know?" Prime asked.
"The nose knows bub," The man said as he stepped away from the body.
Sieg narrowed his eyes at the investigator. The way he talked and even moved was similar to the best X-man. But he was strangely a few inches taller, and his build was smaller than Wolverine's. His black-gloved hands moved to the hood on his sleeveless top.
"Sorry, I didn't introduce myself, names James Howlett," He said.
He pulled off his hood, revealing a mess of wild blonde hair and blue eyes.
"My friends call me Jim," He flashed a grin that confirmed the suspicion.
X-23 suddenly lunged forward, popping her claws out. The hooded man popped out a familiar pair of three pronged claws. He grinned as he welcomed Laura's assault.
Aeon felt every molecule of his form shake as the energy flowed through him. Clearly Deathblade was pulling out all the stops to fight the other Avengers. He got up off the floor, concentrating to contain the pent up spiritual energy. Aeon's powers were simple, he and Deathblade possessed a link to a spirit realm. But long ago their connection to that realm was cut off, so in order to advise one another they formed a psychic link. Cade would understand Sven's morals and feel his sense of happiness, while Sven would gain a quarter of the energy-based powers that threatened Cade's life. In order to contain his own energy, Cade had willingly and permanently replaced his flesh with armour. Years later, Sven formed a link with Cade to help him control this energy. This link now threatened Sven as his fusion based powers reacted to Cade's fight against Venus.
"Aeon what's wrong?" Ms Marvel asked as she gripped Sven's head, looking him in the eyes.
"Its Deathblade, as a result of us coming back from the dead our bond has been fractured, that's why we didn't know of one another when we first came back, why our memories are scattered. We're both unstable, but not our minds, just our powers!"
"He's not insane?"
"Far from it…LOOK OUT!"
Sven grabbed Carol's hips, pulling away from the Beast's fist. Daredevil yelled, a portion of his real self temporarily came out.
"STOP ME! QUICKLY!" He yelled.
Ms Marvel slammed his fist into the Beast's chin, sending him flying into the wall. Aeon looked to the new heroes. Arcanna was floating in front of Ghost Rider, he eyes and hands glowing as she moved like a dancer. She gracefully raised her hands, creating chains that wrapped around the Ghost Rider. Iron man blasted a Hand Ninja out of the way as he flew towards Arcanna.
"Stop, what are you doing to Ghost Rider?" Tony asked.
"Don't be concerned Iron Man, Arcanna is simply containing the demon. She must sense that he's under someone's control," Golden Archer stated.
Hand Ninjas jumped towards the new hero. One threw a flurry of shuriken, only for the projectiles to bounce off of Inertia's invulnerable skin. She grabbed their necks, breaking the bones with simple squeezes. Golden Archer then knocked back several arrows, firing the projectiles towards the ninja. Suddenly, Iron man fired his repulsor rays, hitting each arrow before they struck their mark.
"All of you stop, I don't know who you people are but your obviously not Avengers," Tony said.
"I'm sorry Iron Man forgive us, we simply came here to help," Golden Archer said.
"Start by turning yourselves in!"
The heroes looked up to see the lights of a drop ship. Victoria Hand landed on the field in fully battle armour, holding a blast rifle on her shoulder. Ares crashed feet first onto the floor, brandishing his axe and an arsenal of weapons. US Agent parachuted to the ground, shocking everyone with his Captain America uniform. Venom, Ant Man and Moonstone followed him. Golden Archer put his bow on his back and walked with Inertia and Blur. The three of them promptly saluted the Commander. Aeon looked up and around the streets, Hammer Forces were surrounding the area. A group of agents were already pointing guns at Luke and Iron Fist.
"What's the meaning of this Hand?" Tony asked.
"Hammer is taking control, we're going to Quarantine the area and prevent the riots from escalating, Venom, Ares you two find Daredevil," Victoria ordered, practically ignoring Tony's question.
"Isn't it obvious, they're trying to take over the situation, but you can't because you've got no idea what you're dealing with," Aeon said.
"How dare you, I am the God of War," Ares growled.
"Your not a God, you're a thug with a fancy title!"
Ares narrowed his eyes in anger before he yelled. He swung his axe towards Aeon, who created a shield from his armour. Aeon's shield let out a flash of light as he blocked Ares axe.
Deathblade struggled under the grip of the two powerhouses. Sersi had also added her powers to the mix, holding Cade with vines. He watched as Venus walked towards him, swaying her hips with each step. She was giving off pheromones as well as hypnotising him with her voice.
"Stop fighting me warrior, stop and I can comfort your soul," Venus whispered.
"You don't know…a damn thing…ABOUT MY SOUL!"
Red energy crackled around Deathblade, burning Namora and Lyra. Deathblade threw the two women aside and pushed Venus straight into Hercules arms. A gigantic aura appeared around him, shaping into his armour. He altered his scythe, extending the handle as more of the Avengers approached him. Komodo jumped towards him, but screamed as Cade chopped her arms off. He used his soul silhoutte to block punches from Hardball and Hulkling. Then he swung his scythe, hitting the two boys with the handle. Leaning his head backwards, Deathblade dodged a punch from Quicksilver. He grabbed Pietro's wrist, throwing him into Speed and Wiccan. Then he ran his hand along the edge of his blade, changing the scythe into a drill. Spinning the spear around, Cade slammed the drill into the ground and tunnelled his way through the ever-shifting floors of the mansion.
"Remember us asshole, time for round two," Striker said as he and the other Academy students flanked the intruder.
Pym, A-Bomb and Snowbird joined them. Rick jumped at Deathblade, widening his eyes as the man kicked him away. Cade jumped and flipped off of the ground, swinging his leg into the side of Reptil's head. He jumped backwards, dodging Pym's giant fist. Raising his blade, Cade casually blocked Finesse's pole before knocking the weapon out of her hand. He then threw his spear, tearing Hazmat's suit and pinning her against the wall. Finesse threw a punch at the armoured warrior, who easily blocked the strike. She moved her left hand faster than most fighters could keep up with. Again Deathblade stopped the punch, diverting it into the small owl Snowbird had changed into. Snowbird fell unconscious, changing back into her human form as Finesse continued her hand-to-hand battle with Deathblade. Again and again Cade blocked her strikes, casually backhanding Striker and launching an energy blade into Pym's hand.
"Karate, Tai Chi, Mantis and Tiger, your skilled and you know many fighting styles," Deathblade said as he continued to block Finesse's strikes.
"I have photographic reflexes, I learn things at a fast rate and can repeat the actions just as skilled as another, Pym has already ranked me as a fighter equal to Captain America and Wolverine," Finesse explained.
Deathblade leant his head back, dodging another punch. He quickly grabbed Finesse's arm and bent the elbow back. Finesse let out a shriek as she felt her bone break. Her opponent then kicked her into the chest, throwing her against the wall.
"IF you really were a fighter equal to Rogers and Wolverine then you would be getting up right now. During my first fight my arm was broken in two places, be happy I just chose one for you. And as for your ability to learn quickly, I can see that you have little to no understanding of people and I pity you for that!"
Cade turned away from Finesse, standing ready as smoke surrounded him. An energy blast slammed into his back, sending him stumbling forward. He quickly ducked, dodging a red fist. Mettle swung another punch, gasping as Deathblade judo threw him over his shoulder. Deathblade then threw a punch into the smoke, narrowly missing Mockingbird. Bobbi swung her clubs around, smacking Deathblade across the face. He casually twisted his head towards Bobbi, his eyes glowing as he looked at her.
"You of all people should understand what I'm trying to do Morse, imagine a world where rapists were truly punished for what they did."
Mockingbird widened her eyes at the man's words. Her moment of hesitation gave him the opening he needed. He grabbed the edge of her hair and threw her out of the smoke. Then he ran forward, sliding to a stop as he barely dodged a punch from Wonder man. Simon threw another punch just as Vision fired an energy beam. Deathblade deflected the beam with his wrist guard, sending it flying into Cassie's chest. Then he diverted Wonder man's punch into the ground. Gathering up his strength, Deathblade delivered a knee that smashed Simon's glasses. He then grabbed the back of Simon's jacket and hammer threw him into Beast.
"Whose next?" Deathblade asked as he raised his arms.
The new members of the Young Avengers Xavin, Melter and Karolina Dean confronted Deathblade, while Trauma changed into the vigilante's deepest fear.
X-23 attacked Jim Howlett as if she was possessed. They crashed through the window, landing on the pavement below. Laura swung her claws at the supposed son of Wolverine, slashing him across the face. Much to Laura's shock, the wound regenerated at an even faster rate than Logan's healing factor. Jim let out a roar as he pushed X-23 off of him, throwing her against the wall. He pulled his fist back, ready to stab Laura again. Suddenly, Sieg landed in front of him, deflecting his strike with his sword.
"That's enough," He growled.
"Hey look at her not me, she's the one who pounced first," Jim said.
The rest of the team jumped out of the window, landing between Jim and Laura. He sheathed his claws, raising his hands with a grin.
"I ain't here to fight, you should see what Hammer is doing with the rest of the city," He said.
"What are they doing?" Prime asked.
"Setting up a quarantine in order to keep whatever chaos is going on inside the city inside it, they working with the old Office of National Emergency and several other super heroes. O.N.E is covering the East side of the city; a group called Forceworks is covering the West, the A.R.M.O.R has been renamed Defenders and is "defending" the south side, while several hired heroes are handling the north side. Hells Kitchen, Avengers tower and everything within the centre of the city is being watched by Victoria Hand's team and the main Hammer force," Jim explained, putting his hood over his head.
"And knowing this business the situation will get worse before it gets better," Tigra sighed.
"Exactly, but that's just the tip of the iceberg," Jim grinned.
"What do you mean?" Grass Hopper asked.
"I can still track Power Princess's scent, and its telling me to go to the West, right through the chaos in Hell's Kitchen, past gang occupied territory and through Forcework's on the outskirts of the city."
"He's right, she and Hyperion are heading in that direction," X-23 said.
"So that's where we're going right?" Sofia asked.
"I don't know, I can understand why we need to track them but…I'd like to help Aeon," Sieg said.
"If that's the case then we can help him on the way."
"Your right Sofia, but I want to talk to him, I want to ask him for advice."
Arachnophillia put a hand on Sieg's shoulder, causing him to gasp in surprise.
"We should skip past all that chaos, the last thing we need is for Jimmy and X-23 to lose trace of Zarda, don't you think we should focus on stopping those two Sieg?" She asked.
"Y-yeah, we should stay focused on one path, we'll head through the chaos and then past Forceworks, Jim you're a part of the team now," Sieg said.
"He's with us already?" Prime asked.
"Kid I think its better if we know more about this guy," Citizen V said.
"Well I'll be happy to tell you a bit about myself, to ease your suspicion…what were your names again?" Jim asked, motioning to V, Grass hopper and Prime.
'Low blow' the three heroes shamefully lowered their heads.
"So your Mr Logan's son right as in his real son?" Sooraya asked.
"Oh yeah, the old man met my mummy at a bar in Canada, cant remember the name, anyway when they had a bit to drink they go out to the rest rooms and…"
"I don't think we need an in depth description," Tigra growled.
"Well long story short, I end up living under a foster family, the old man sends a bit of money now and then cause he wants to ensure I live as a normal life as I can. That all goes down the drain when claws pop out of my knuckles. Fortunately my powers are pretty easy to control so I did live a normal life. Until I chose to not make it normal, taking down hydra Cells, private investigation, hell I've got myself a cute Asian partner…"
"And detective work wasn't enough for you?" Laura asked.
"Too boring, I'm a guy who can heal from almost any injury, if joining a super hero team means I can take the punishment sp that others don't have to then I will," Jim explained.
As he spoke he had lost his grim, looking at Sieg with a solemn expression. He offered the young man his hand and without hesitation, Sieg shook it.
Far away from that area of the city, other Avengers reached Hells Kitchen. Wolverine popped his claws out as he, Black Widow, Photon, Firebird and Patsy Walker stepped into a crowd of Hand Ninjas. Jessica Jones flew to her husband's side, leading Justice, Speedball, Rage and Firestar.
"Are you okay honey?" Jessica asked.
"Yeah baby, where's Dani?" Luke asked.
"With the nanny we hired, what's going on around here?"
"ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN!"
The Avengers widened their eyes as three portals appeared before them. Stepping out of the portal were three sorcerers. They were Dr Strange, the original sorcerer supreme, his successor Dr Voodoo and the young student Nico Minoru. Strange was dressed in a simple black turtleneck top and a brown coat. Dr Voodoo, as the sorcerer supreme wore the cloak of levitation and the eye of Agamotto. Nico, a former runaway was dressed in a white blouse with a black coat and skirt. She carried her Witch breaker staff as always. The Avengers looked at the new arrivals in confusion while Wolverine ran into the Hand Ninjas.
"The actions of this "Deathblade" person will have consequences too severe to even imagine," Dr Voodoo said.
"He is right, during our meditations we have seen dark rituals being carried out, rituals connected to the souls of those whom cry for justice. I fear that Deathblade is going to use the Infinite Avengers mansion as a gateway to the spirit realm," Strange explained.
"Basically this self righteous ass killing criminals is going to put us in deeper shit" Nico stomped her staff into the ground, frowning at the situation.
Ares slammed his axe into Aeon's shield, generating a shockwave that knocked several Hammer troopers back. Aeon ducked, avoiding another axe swing. Then he slammed his fist into Ares's face, throwing him back with a wave of energy. He looked towards Venom and the other new arrivals, massacring the Hand ninjas. Without hesitation, Aeon threw his shield, deflecting Intertia's punches and knocking Nuke away from the ninjas. When his shield returned, Aeon broke the weapon apart, creating two boomerangs. He threw the projectiles in a circle, hitting Inertia, Blur and Ant Man. The Hand ninjas looked at their saviour in confusion before he rushed towards Ghost Rider. He dived at Arcanna, destroying her containment spell. The Beast yelled as Hellfire gushed from his mouth. Ghost Rider extended his chain, trying to grab the creature. But the Beast grabbed the chain and pulled Ghost Rider towards him. He slammed his fist into the spirit of vengeance's head, knocking his jaw out of place and sending him flying into Aeon. They rolled backwards across the floor, coming to a halt at Ares feet.
"Traitors should be killed, fortunately Hand has given me no orders regarding your fate," Ares grinned as he raised his axe. "You will pay for your insolence boy, by the end of this day your head will be displayed as a warning to all who doubt me as the God of War."
Suddenly, beams shot out of Aeon's eyes, knocking Ares into the sky. Aeon crawled across the floor, breathing heavily as more and more energy poured out of the cracks of his armour.
"Cade, what are you doing, what are you gathering all this energy for?" Aeon asked.
On the rooftops, Zack widened his eyes at the carnage. His friends watched with a mix of fear and concern. Even Ray, who could only hear the chaos, was shaking in fear. Squeezing his hand into a fist, Zack began walking forward.
"Zack where are you going?" Dog Face asked.
"To do a little good, don't you guys see, we have the power to do something…what kind of people would we be if we didn't. If we keep running away we'll never stop, you guys can stay if you want but I'm going to follow him," Zack turned towards the edge of the building and spread his arms out.
A red aura glowed around the boy as he leaped forward. Aeon picked himself up off the floor, walking into a hole in the building. From the cover of the building he fired low-level optic blasts at the Hammer troops, giving the Hand ninjas openings to escape. He then turned around, firing an optic blast into Moonstone. The Hammer agent had obviously been charging a blast to sneak up on him. Aeon clutched his head as he fell to his knees. In infinite Avengers mansion, Deathblade was generating intense amounts of energy in order to break through the walls of the mansion. He deflected one of Karolina Dean's blasts, and drilled a hole through Xavin's force field. The Super Skrull in training was pinned against the wall before the wall itself collapsed. Deathblade turned to Trauma, his eyes narrowing at the boys form.
"Stop this right now Cade, striking children, is that any different from what I did to you?" Trauma asked, appearing in the form of a blonde haired man holding a wrench.
Deathblade immediately grabbed Trauma's neck, returning him to his natural form.
"You should have tried Muramasa or even Aeon, I haven't been scared of my father since I was Fourteen," He said before throwing Trauma into Melter.
He backhanded Karolina, knocking her to the ground and then firing an energy wave from his scythe. The force of the wave ripped open another part of the mansion, revealing one of Doctor Pym's labs. He walked into the lab, dragging his scythe and spear across the ground. Cade linked the weapons together, creating a sword as thick as his chest. Stabbing the blade into the ground, Deathblade walked to one of the computers.
"What are you doing Cade?" Aeon asked.
Deathblade touched his head, groaning for a second as he stumbled backwards. He quickly recovered, typing several commands into the computer.
"Cade talk to me, we've only got minutes before our link fades again, why are you cutting this link off anyway? You said that it helped you become better, why would you want to lose that feeling?"
"Sven, a lot has happened, more than you could imagine. Captain America's soul has been thrown through time; the New Warriors have become a scapegoat for an event that was caused by an ordinary man's greed. Wolverine hunted down Nitro and discovered that a man who hoped to cause destruction to increase the profits of his company gave him power-enhancing pills. Isn't it strange how neither man was bought to trial and the world continued to regard super heroes as the catalysts of the tragedy?" Deathblade inquired, raising his head away from the console, as if he was looking at his rival.
The question caught Aeon off guard, so much so that he didn't notice Ares sneaking towards him.
"The world know thinks of justice as a joke, they point blame to others while the souls of those who seek justice cry for their deaths to be avenged, for the real culprits to be blamed. It frustrates me how people will point fingers at everyone but the people truly responsible. Aeon, I am trying to do something that no one else will do, I will dispense real justice to those who have never been sought out."
"CADE WAIT!" Aeon yelled.
Ares swung his axe downward, only for a fist to fly into his face and throw him to the side. Aeon collapsed again, falling into the arms of a blonde haired woman. He looked at her thigh highs and the red cloth wrapped around her hips.
"Ms Marvel, you have to get away from me," Aeon said.
"A lot of people forget that I can absorb energy, don't worry Aeon just let me absorb the energy pouring out of you," Ms Marvel said.
"No wait, I have to stop Cade."
"We have to stop Deathblade, he is toying with forces he doesn't truly understand," Dr Strange said.
"But he's in Infinite Avengers mansion, we cant reach that plane of existence without Pym," Luke said.
"MATT STOP NOW!" Iron Fist yelled as he ran at Daredevil.
"Stark give me a report on the situation," Hand ordered.
"You've got no idea what your doing Vicky, turn command over to me before you get someone killed," Tony said.
The Beast delivered a swift uppercut to Iron Fist's face, throwing him on top of Ghost Rider. Deathblade pressed a final button, opening a door to his right. Taking his sword, Deathblade walked out onto a platform, overlooking the blank expanse that was the world outside the mansion. He gripped the handle of his sword with both hands and poured more and more energy into his blade. Aeon's eyes glowed a red colour and his left arm sparked with blue energy.
"No way, Cade you couldn't be doing what I think your doing are you?"
"What's happening Aeon?" Ms Marvel asked.
Aeon tried to slip out of Ms Marvel's grasp, but she held on tightly. He yelled as his body seemingly exploded. Deathblade swung his sword, seemingly cutting a hole into the void. He stumbled backwards, clutching his head as his eyes changed red to blue and then red again. Air rushed through the mansion as if a great wind blew. Deathblade walked back into the lab, his head lowered in a solemn gesture. This expression changed when he reached Pym's personal lab. In the city, the Avengers recovered from the flash that emanated from his armour. Wolverine waded through bodies of Hand ninjas and unfortunate civilians. He widened his eyes at what he saw. Aeon walked away from the building he had hidden in. His armour pads had ceased their constant changing from white, black and grey to a single colour. Aeon's armour had changed to a gold colour, with red lines travelling from his feet and shoulders to his chest, forming a red "A" symbol on his chest plate. He was carrying an unconscious Ms Marvel, who drifted awake.
"What happened?" She asked.
"Oh sorry Ms Marvel," Aeon said as he put Carol back on her feet.
"What happened bub?" Wolverine asked.
"Cade…Deathblade, he went to the Infinite Mansion because it would a point between different dimensions, that's why Pym can travel from one place to another. He used his sword, siphoning as much energy he could muster, including energy from his link with me…it's complicated because it's connected to our past history. His and mine link with the spirit world is restored, I can communicate with the spirit of the hero who taught me, much like how Sieg and I communicated. I can't use that power in my left hand anymore and I cant fire optic blasts. Deathblade has restored me to my original power level," Aeon explained.
"Is that bad?"
"It actually feels good!"
While the Avengers recovered in the city, the Avengers inside the Infinite mansion moved to confront Deathblade. He stood in front of a chamber of some kind, looking at the woman composed of pure energy inside. Pym widened his eyes as he watched Deathblade move his hands towards a switch. Hank had established the Infinite Avengers Mansion as his first step towards resurrecting his ex-wife Janet Van Dyne, the original Wasp. But this man had come into his home, ripped a hole in the dimensional void and was now bringing his wife back before she was ready.
"STOP IT!" Hank yelled.
"You are afraid of your wife coming back incomplete, sorry to disappoint you Pym but that is not your wife," Deathblade said as he casually flipped the switch.
Hank didn't even have time to yell as the chamber opened. The woman of energy fell to the floor, the energy around her fading as she reformed. Her naked form seemed to shine while her blonde hair rested on her shoulders. Hank blinked in confusion, blonde hair?
"YOU FOOL!" The woman yelled.
"Take me to him, take me to all those who plot in the shadows, so that I can punish them all," Deathblade growled as he forced the woman to her feet.
The Avengers froze as another being of pure energy appeared before them. Pym, Pietro, Simon and Beast gasped as they recognised this new arrival. His pink energy form floated over the heroes, his eyes fixed on them like a king judging his servants. But Deathblade stood strong, ready to strike Michael Korvac, one of many beings the Avengers couldn't punish.
Next Chapter 7: Defiance
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, Jim Howlett is based on Jimmy Hudson, the main character of the Ultimate X series and the new Ultimate X-men series coming out. Next time Korvac decimates the Avengers and Aeon helps the street heroes to save Daredevil.
I've also included a little preview of my upcoming story, a replacement to my unsuccessful True heroism fic, check it out:
A Heroes Faith preview
Numerous scientific discoveries have been made across the years. These discoveries have enabled civilization to jump forward. This is a world where scientific leaps have created men and women capable of extraordinary things. Some people become heroes while others become monsters. Tony Stark's science created Iron Man. Reed Richards curiosity and desire to explore led to his discovery of the power cosmic and eventually the formation of the Future Foundation. Norman Osborn's chemical weapons created a monster, but his experiments with spiders created a hero who would rise above all others. Abraham Erskine's science created a super soldier serum, but it was his wisdom that chose a determined American to become the First Avenger.
Science can create, but in the end people choose. It was the choices of scientists that began everything. Two men once grew curious enough to explore an aspect of science no one had ever explored before. It was a discovery that would change everything people knew about religion. But this was one discovery that the American government wanted kept to itself. The two scientists Dr Marcus Cain and Lionel Goodwill explored an idea suggested by alchemists hundreds of years ago. This theory of souls being a source of energy suggested a new renewable source of energy that could be gathered like sunlight. First they explored more alchemic signs as well as forms of explained magic and technology.
Their experiments were not the only events taking place. Another event that defined the lives of two individuals was the arrival of a being from another world. Tracking the energy from Cain and Goodwill's completed Soul harvester came an alien creature known as Aeon. But due to unforeseen circumstances, Aeon's ships crash-landed. The aircraft slid across the expanse of Neo city. A red haired boy ran towards the wreckage, having ignored the pleas of his parents. He stumbled into the ship, curiously looking at the armoured being sitting against the wall. The creature weakly reached out to him, grabbing his shoulder.
"A monster has been created, he must be stopped!"
A red haired boy fell into a tube of red liquid. He yelled as electricity sparked around him. At the same time thugs and criminals surrounded a blonde haired boy. His eyes glowed a red colour; an intense pain ran through his mind as he saw the sins committed by those around him. He screamed, red energy surging from his body.
"There are well over fifty super powered beings out there, what more will they be good for if not as soldiers for America?" A man wearing sunglasses asked.
"There's a whole universe out there of things we cant understand Gyrich, the difference between us is that I don't want to control those things," A brown haired man said, looking at videos of a super hero battle.
"My loyalty is to my country Jones, what's your loyalty to?" Henry Peter Gyrich asked.
"Whoever happens to be right at the time," Rick Jones grinned as he walked away from the government agent.
A tapping echoed throughout the dimly lit lab. The scientist, a man dressed in a strange costume laughed as he looked at the two images. One showed a red armour boy, his eyes intensively glowing red as he attacked criminals. A lizard like creature swung his tail at the warrior, whom created a scythe of pure energy. He avoided several strikes before slamming his weapon against the shield of a man in a red and white costume. The scientist flashed to a similar scene, watching a boy in gold and black armour tapping his fist against a blue and red shield.
"I may not be the real Captain America, but I will not stand by as you threaten the stability of our country," The US Agent said.
"The heroes will be different from what you remember, but do not lose faith!"
The red warrior ran at the gold warrior, both of them dragging their weapons across the floor. A man in red and gold armour flew over them, a blue circle glowing intensively on his chest. The very ground shook as a green skinned giant roared. Finally the two warriors clashed, their blade and fist slamming together.
"You people are becoming problems, problems that I have to deal with," A one eyed man sighed.
"Today we achieved something great, something we never would have achieved alone. Together we can avenge the wrongs committed by those who misuse their powers," The Iron man explained, standing amongst great heroes.
Amongst them was a young man hanging off a spider's web, a short and gruff man whose wounds still healed. Behind Iron man was a tall green skinned woman whose clothes had torn from the fighting. A man in a red and silver suit removed his ant like helmet, revealing his ginger hair.
"So just like that, we're a team huh?" The Ant-man asked.
"Aye, champions assembled to fight the foes no single hero can defeat," A voice said above the group.
Iron Man gasped as the blonde haired giant of a man patted him on the back. The warrior carried a hammer, his red cloak and long hair flapping with the wind. Spider-man and the Canadian raised their heads in surprise as a wasp sized woman with insect wings flew between them.
"We'll need a name though," She said.
"THOR, IRON MAN HIT HIM WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT! THE REST OF THE AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!"
A soldier and the first Avenger deflected an energy blast, before throwing his shield forward.
"Never lose hope!"
"Don't get in my way Sven, I was given this power for a reason and I intend to punish all those who bathe in the blood of others. Don't you see, its what the souls of those victims demand!"
"Your wrong Cade, listen to them, listen to their souls…if you bathe yourself in blood are you any better than the people you claim are evil?"
"Don't ever give up!"
The warrior in gold and black armour struggled to get up off the floor. He looked towards the hilltop, a tear falling down his face as he watched the red warrior walk towards a group he claimed he was fighting. They were a Chinese man wearing ten rings, a man with an expanding brain and an armoured man in green robes. Behind the group stood a figure that smiled as the villains raised their hands. The golden warrior fell to the floor, weakly reaching for the sky as his vision blurred.
"Don't ever give up, because you are never alone!"
He opened his eyes, shocked to see who had grabbed his hand.
"Come on bub, we've got a world to save," The Canadian man said as he lifted the boy off the ground.
The young man nodded his head, red lines glowing across his armour as he ran forward with the heroes he believed in.
A Heroes faith, coming soon!
The fic will be posted in the Avengers section and will focus on the rivalry/friendship and origins of my OC's Sven Reilly (Aeon) and Cade Hunter (Deathblade) in their original identities of Fusion and Ultimate respectively. Since its also an Avengers story it focuses on a very different team of heroes. This team will consist of the famous five as forming members but will add other heroes, both classic and new heroes. While the series will include a variety of Avengers adventures, the focus will also be on these heroes flaws and their personal lives like Cap's struggle to adapt to 21st century society and Stark's alcoholism. There will also be villains like the Leader, Doctor Doom, the Mandarin and my original characters Muramasa and Godu.
My long term goal with my Avengers and X-men fics will be to create a fresh different take on the classic teams and to create a series of events all linked to one another, leading up to a bigger event or maybe even events.