Disclaimer: I dont own the Avengers
Back with another chapter, in this chapter truths are revealed, but not all the truths.
The Hunt
Chapter 16: Legacy
"Each of us leaves behind a legacy in this world, I will leave behind my legacy as the Avengers will leave behind there's. People will remember that I did what no one else was willing to do, wipe out all the evil, becoming a true Avenger. They will remember your inaction and your mistakes!"
The Avengers, both sanctioned and unsanctioned looked at Deathblade with a mix of shock. Dr Strange in particular was more shocked than any one else. The armoured man lowered his scythes as he approached the group of heroes. They all remained alert, particularly Hand's side. Venom was shaking in fear, praying that Deathblade wouldn't see his part in the kidnapping of Spider-man's daughter. Moonstone was worried over a different reason, she knew of Deathblade's ability to look into the soul. The last thing she wanted was for Deathblade to see what she really wanted.
"Now, allow me to tell you the truth about the worst day in Avengers history, and not just that day, but the worst day in mutant history too," Deathblade said as he faced the Avengers.
Deathblade suddenly turned his head as Sentry swung a fist towards him. Cade dodged the punch by mere inches, looking Reynolds in the eye.
"Reynolds stand down, I want to hear what he has to say," Hand said.
But the Sentry remained silent, emotionless as he swung his fist at Deathblade again. Cade threw his head back, again barely dodging Reynolds's fist. He flipped back, dragging his scythes around in an arc as energy rose from the blades. Cade waited for the Sentry to fly towards him. The Sentry flew straight towards Deathblade, raising his hand to bash the man's head in. Deathblade swung his scythes upwards, releasing two energy blades to consumed the Sentry's arms. Robert Reynolds widened his eyes in shock as the two beams flew out of the city, past Earth's atmosphere and into space. Deathblade jumped away from Reynolds, narrowing his eyes at the results of his attack. Tendrils of dark energy had replaced sentry's arms. The signs of the void glowed in Sentry's eyes as his arms regenerated.
"What should we do?" Luke asked Tony.
"HAVE AT THEE!"
Ares suddenly jumped towards Deathblade, slamming his axe into the man's scythes. Deathblade huffed at the mild annoyance, swinging his head back to avoid Ares second strike. He rolled out of the way of the third, the axe splitting the ground where he once stood. Cade rolled around Ares, blocking two more strikes from the god of war. Ares pulled a sword from his waist, slamming it into Deathblade's scythes. The scythes snapped in half and the force of the blow sent Cade flying back. He landed on his back and rolled onto his feet, throwing his broken weapons aside.
"I did not come here to attack, despite the presence of these criminals," Cade motioned to the Dark Avengers as he spoke. "I came here to reveal the truth, a truth that could very well define how people remember the Avengers. Listen to me and I will tell you exactly what happened to cause Wanda Maximoff's sudden break down," Deathblade explained, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender.
Tony and Hand looked at Deathblade and the Avengers that stood ready to pounce on him.
"You've got five minutes," they said.
A new world had been formed, one where the mutants were the dominant species. Where they ruled over the humans and had achieved a greater level of dominance than they would in the true reality. Life would carry on in this timeline, which continued to exist beyond the three words spoke on one particular day:
"No more mutants," she had said.
Before that however Wanda Maximoff was Magneto's daughter and part of a family that ruled over Genosha and America. Magneto was the sovereign and his family was happier than ever. He had fought his war, lost his friend Charles Xavier but created an empire where mutants could finally rule as they were meant to. S.H.I.E.L.D had been rebuilt as a force to prove mutant superiority and to maintain peace against mutant extremist and rebel groups like the Avengers. But mutants did not dominate S.H.I.E.L.D.; they also had lowly homo-sapien grunts. Sven Reilly was one of these grunts.
"Lord Magneto, my forces and I surrender, we do not wish this fighting to continue," the red haired man kneeled to Magneto.
Sven and a group of his most trusted friends infiltrated Magneto's fortress at the White House and surrendered, guaranteeing that a majority of the armed forces would survive Magneto's uprising. Magneto floated down towards the human, looking at his white and black uniform.
"This is the uniform of your forces correct? Bucky Barnes wore a very similar uniform," Magneto said.
"Yes sir, we were a task force created to fight against mutants, my friend Calvin Rankin was part of the group that attacked Genosha," Sven explained.
"Yes, the Mimic, I fought him, then killed him!" Magneto's voice was cold, the reflection of a tyrant.
Suddenly, Sven drew a pistol from his hip, pointing it at Magneto's head. Polaris tried manipulating the gun, but much to her horror the weapon wouldn't budge. Quicksilver then tried to run to his father's aid, only for Magneto himself to stop him with a mere gesture of his hand. Eric kept his hand up, motioning for Pietro to not get involved. He looked into Sven's empty grey eyes. It was a world where Sven had lost his family because of war. He still knew his friends, but hadn't gained the great power of Aeon or known Siegfried Wallace. Sven removed the clip from the gun and kneeled, offering the gun to Magneto.
"End this madness sir, do not force a massacre on men that simply wish to return to their homes. If you must have blood then take my life, and absorb the other forces into this new world order you are creating," Sven explained, bowing his head as Magneto took the gun.
Eric looked at the gun, his lips rising into a smile.
"Another plastic gun, very smart, and you defended yourself from Sabretooth and Wolverine, two of my best. You came here without taking a life and now offer your own in exchange for men that didn't even fully support this surrender…you are as brave as your father, but unlike him your eyes are empty, you lost the woman you loved and your family because of this war didn't you?" Magneto asked with a voice filled with compassion.
"Yes, I simply want this to end," Sven sighed.
"Very well, it shall end," Magneto said, pointing the gun at Sven's head.
Wanda gasped as her father pulled the trigger. She and her siblings looked at their father in shock. He had pointed the gun away from Sven and now offered the man his hand.
"Your forces will be our shield Sven Reilly, with great pleasure I welcome you as the first recruit of the royal guard!" Magneto smiled as he helped Sven up off the floor.
Pietro darted to the man's side, patting his back while his father shook Sven's hand. Wanda stared at the red haired man, smiling as he looked in her direction. He bowed his head and focused on speaking with Wanda's father. Years passed and Sven Reilly rose through the royal guard and S.H.I.E.L.D. as the most successful human soldier. He put down countless rebellions before they begun, most of the time without bloodshed. Yet he always stood ready to protect the new world order Magneto had created.
"LOOK OUT!" Sven yelled, using his shield to intercept several Sai's.
Sven protected Wanda as the Hand tried to kill the royal family. They disabled Eric's powers with power dampening tech. But despite disabling Eric, Elektra, the leader of the Hand was focused on killing Wanda. Sven slammed his shield into Elektra's neck, bending it out of place. He then threw his shield at the ninjas, giving the other royal guards an opening to finish the intruders.
"Are you all right Lady Maximoff?" Sven asked, checking Wanda's condition.
The gold crown she wore covered her eyes. But that didn't stop Sven from seeing her smile.
"Thank you Sven," she whispered, hugging him.
Sven was awarded for his actions, but still he was a lowly human, welcome to Genosha only when invited by a member of the royal family. One day however he received that invitation, from Wanda. The sky was beautiful that day as he and Wanda walked through the gardens of the palace. She wore a red robe with a cloak that covered her neck. Her smile was radiant as she walked through the garden, her hair flowing from the red cloth tiara. She looked to Sven and motioned for him to sit with her at a stone bench.
"You never seem to smile, but I've heard from my father that your father had an infectious smile. Your happiness would be identical to your fathers, my father said you look exactly like Slade Reilly, not simple resemblance but outwardly identical faces," Wanda explained.
"It's a trait all the males of my family share," Sven said.
He was still stood up, looking at Wanda with hesitation. She patted the empty spot on the bench and smiled as Sven relented and sat next to her.
"Your smile would be beautiful Sven, but you never smile, why?" Wanda asked.
"My mother always said that my eyes were empty, yet my smile made up for it. She is dead, my sister is dead, Faith is dead and my friends have all moved on with their lives. Calvin went mad with power and was killed by Magneto, Lazlo my best friend cut out a mutants eye and was punished by being trapped in a nightmare. I don't have the power to save him, I am not the hero I wish I could be," Sven looked at Wanda as he spoke. "Despite all my achievements I fell worthless, I feel as if something is missing from my life, as if someone is missing that should be there," Sven explained.
Wanda inched her face closer to his, closing her eyes as she gripped his mouth with hers. She slowly separated from the kiss, a tear falling down her face.
"Please Sven, let me help you feel whole again," she whispered before standing over Sven.
She touched his face, playing with the strands of his hair. Wanda's expression begged for Sven to say yes as he wrapped his arms around her waist. For some reason, tears fell down Sven's face and he didn't fully understand why.
"Let me make you feel whole again," Wanda pressed her hands against the side of Sven's face.
A red light encompassed the garden as Wanda pulled Sven into a passionate kiss. For a moment their clothes changed. Sven ran his black-gloved hands over the pink fabric Wanda wore over her red suit and cloak. She rested her hands on Sven's grey chest plate, moaning as he deepened the kiss. Eventually the light passed and they returned to the state they were now trapped in. Wanda rested in Sven's arms, wearing her royal robes. Sven lowered his head slightly, feeling that he had violated the duty behind his uniform. Thus a romance began between them, a secret love that no one could know of.
While Sven had no memory of this love, Wanda knew every second of it. That included the moment of passion that resulted in a child that transcended the borders of reality. Zack Fenrir was the result of the union of the Scarlet Witch and Aeon. In spirit and body they had joined, loving one another. Wanda had just discovered her pregnancy with Sven's child on the day her friends remembered their former lives. She had remembered Sven's love before losing herself to insanity and uttering the three words that decimated the mutant race. Now as Wanda fought beside Aeon to reach the portal, alls she could remember was that love. But Sven remembered nothing of it.
"What did you do Maximoff, what did you do to violate my life?" Aeon asked as he punched Skymaster.
"It wasn't a violation, we made love," Wanda said, blasting Alchemy away.
"I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about my life, my reality, how did you change my upbringing to make me love someone other than Faith?"
"Sven please!"
"No, only the people I know and love get to call me Sven, do you understand love Wanda? Do you understand what its like to love someone so completely that it transcends death itself? Faith was mine, and I was hers, it was her or no one but now I discover that I loved someone else in another life," Sven elbowed Prism across the face, and then kicked Arcanna in the chest.
Aeon jumped over Skymaster, elbowing him in the neck. He then punched Whizzer and tripped up Temptress.
"Tell me Wanda, did I make love to you like I did to Faith? Did I trace kisses along your neck? Hold you close to my chest while we slept, never willing to let go even when you woke up? Would I grab your hand when you left and beg with my eyes for you to stay, to hear you say the words I cant say enough to make you realising how much I LOVED YOU!"
Sven let out a yell as he ran forward, punching and kicking anyone that was in his way. He made his way to the portal, punching the mockery heroes that made their way out. Aeon knocked back the Silver Kong; head butted Comet Man and kicked the lady Quicksilver across the head. The armoured hero ran straight into the portal, blocking a series of energy bolts. A gold skinned alien with fiery hair flew towards him, firing bolts from her hands. Black Archer and Hyper Girl, the latter of who was firing her heat vision, quickly joined her. Aeon took the projectiles, his armour letting out a glow as his anger increased. He jumped over Light fire, kicking her in the back before landing in front of Black Archer. Snapping the archer's bow in half, Sven then head butted him, knocking him out of the fight. Scarlet Witch then flew through the portal, firing a hex bolt that sent Hyper Girl flying.
"We need to find our son," Wanda said.
"You may think of him as your son, but I had one before Zack and he needs my help," Aeon said, breaking off into a run down the corridor.
Scarlet Witch flew after Aeon, blasting the Justifiers that got in their way. Aeon knocked Sir Justin out and kneed Blue Eagle in the chest. Running past both "heroes", Aeon made his way to Zack's last known position. He ignored the charred remains and the ruined lab and immediately went for the generator room.
"This place is that prison Richards built," Wanda said.
Sven ignored Wanda and began throwing aside pieces of rubble. He widened his eyes slightly as he threw aside the last rock. Zack was lying in the foetal position, markings on his body glowing red. His costume was intact and his eyes glowed a gold colour.
"Sir, did I do well?" Zack asked.
"An effort worthy of the new Ulti-Boy, my new apprentice," Aeon ruffled Zack's hair as he helped him up.
Zack widened his eyes in confusion as Wanda grabbed him and Sven in a bear hug.
"Um Sven sir, why is the Scarlet Witch holding us?" the boy asked.
Wanda stepped back, putting a hand to her chest as she gasped. Zack didn't know her, he didn't know that she was his mother and that Sven was his father. Aeon shot her a look that told her not to reveal his heritage. But he grabbed Zack as a father would his child.
"We need to get out of here right away, we need to find Sieg," Sven said.
"I can teleport us out with Chaos magic," Wanda said as her hands glowed.
"I thought chaos magic was just your reality manipulation powers."
"There are truths you need to hear Sven, in fact everyone should hear it!"
In a flash of light Wanda, Sven and Zack appeared before the Avengers and Deathblade. All but Deathblade was shocked by their sudden appearance. Aeon looked at his surroundings and immediately turned to Wanda.
"NOT HERE WANDA! Take me to where Sieg is, I need to reach him, I need to protect him!" Sven gripped Wanda's shoulders tightly.
"Sven you're hurting me," Wanda whispered.
"Aeon, what are you doing here?" Ms Marvel asked.
"Let go of Wanda," Tony said.
"Strange, you and Voo Doo know magic, please take me to Sieg right now," Aeon turned to the Avengers, his voice full of desperation.
"You stay here Sven, this is something you must hear as well. All of you must listen to me cause it's going to take longer than five minutes for me to say my piece," Deathblade explained.
"I don't care about any of this, just let me go and SAVE MY SON!"
The Avengers collectively widened their eyes, astonished by Sven's statement. Deathblade however merely crossed his arms and sighed.
"It all began with the man called Muramasa and ended with Sieg Wallace," he began as he spoke of a forgotten tale that connected to the Avengers darkest moment.
Many years ago, when the Avengers consisted of Cap, the original four, the Maximoff Twins and Hawkeye and Black Panther there came a day when the Avengers protected a seemingly insignificant man from a threat far greater than the Avengers initially imagined. On that day, one particular hero was pushed to the very limit of his abilities. Sven punched a punching bag from within the confines of his loft. He bounced on the spot, hitting the bag repeatedly. Pulling his arm back, Sven was about to hit the bag a final time when his phone suddenly rang.
'Who in the world could that be?' Sven wondered, walking over to the phone.
"Hello," Sven said.
"Sven, its good to hear your voice, listen I don't have much time but I need to be quick. My research is taking me to new levels, levels that certain people within power find threatening, I'm leaving everything behind, my home, my life, I have no regrets but I need you to do something for me," a young man explained on the other side.
"Heinrich? Heinrich Wallace? What do you want?" Sven asked.
"Look after the boy!"
With those four words Heinrich hung up the phone. Sven stared at the phone for a moment before removing his gloves and getting his coat. Taking his bike to Heinrich's place of residence, Sven walked into the old lab and widened his eyes at what he heard. He heard the wails of a baby, a baby child left alone in a place like this. Sven immediately rushed to where the cries came from. He looked into the crib, sighing in awe at the little baby struggling inside it. Sven moved his hands to pick the boy up. Suddenly, Sven pulled his head back as two kunai flew towards him. He dodged the kunai and turned to the darkness. A figure in black armour suddenly ran out of the shadows, swinging his curved sword at Sven. Sven grabbed the man's wrists, flipping him onto his back. He then jumped back as the man slashed at him again. Looking at his attacker, Sven identified the dome helmet the man was wearing.
"Muramasa's apprentice, what does the Dawn want with Heinrich Wallace?" Sven asked.
"We have no interest in Wallace now," The apprentice replied coldly. "Our interest is in the boy and what he can provide the Dawn with!"
Sven dropped into a fighting stance as ninjas in white began surrounding him. They drew their swords, their red gauntlets glowing as they looked at Sven. The apprentice clicked his fingers together, his way of ordering the ninjas to attack. And attack they did, swinging their swords at Sven. He ducked and jumped around the ninjas, countering with punches and elbows to their heads. Sven dodged one sword and twisted the man's wrist, taking the blade and using it to deflect the volley of shuriken the other ninjas threw. He then focused his attention on the screaming baby being lifted out of the crib by the apprentice.
"My master seeks another apprentice, who better to take than the son of your newest friend," the apprentice said, summoning several energy swords.
Dropping his stolen sword, Sven broke off into a run, away from his attackers. He jumped as he heard the apprentice release his summoned swords. The swords flew towards Sven, but Sven used his agility to step and jump off of each blade. He jumped out of a window, landing in the bushes beside Heinrich's house. Sven panted slightly, finding it difficult to keep up with the better-trained assassins. He zipped open his duffel bag, pulling out something to even the odds.
Now
"This doesn't matter Cade, we both know what happened, Tony and Wanda should too, Muramasa took Sieg, I got him back despite the Avengers initially misunderstanding my intentions," Sven explained.
"Wait I remember, this Muramasa man and his apprentice came to our mansion and said they needed protection from a great evil. They said Sieg was destined to become a hero to their alien culture," Tony said.
"Except Muramasa isn't an alien, he is the fused souls of hundreds of murderers and individuals of great evil. He is a man that seeks to invoke great suffering on others, in fact his intelligence was so great and cunning that he deceived the Avengers into attacking you Sven," Deathblade continued his explanation, passing the Avengers a glare.
Then
The identity and appearance of Muramasa's apprentice was unknown. Alls that was known was that he was a man that faced great conflict, especially in his current mission. He rode on his summoned construct, a platform built from the same energy as his swords. His eyes remained fixed on the figure crying in his arms.
"Why should you cry little one? Do you even know why this is being done to you?" the apprentice wondered.
"LET THE BOY GO!"
The Apprentice turned around, widening his eyes as a grey motorcycle pursued him. He narrowed his eyes at the rider, smirking at the costume Sven was wearing. At this point of his life, Sven had lost control of his armour and opted to wear a more super hero styled costume. He wore a full body grey body suit with padding on his chest and the vital segments of his body. It was a mixture of armour and cloth that allowed him complete freedom of movement. Metallic gauntlets protected Sven's wrists and forehands while a helmet covered his face, while the rest of the costume was decorated with red lines. But what separated this costume from Sven's earlier and future armoured forms was the cloak and utility belt. He still had his fusion abilities, but right now Sven relied more on his own strength and weapons he had built himself. Jumping off his bike, Sven fired a grappling hook from his wrist, magnetically attaching it to the Apprentice's helmet. He zipped towards the apprentice, punching him across the head and snatching the baby from his arms.
"I'm not letting you touch the kid," Sven said, narrowing his eyes at the apprentice.
The Apprentice clicked his fingers together, causing his flight platform to disappear. He and Sven rolled across the grass, the latter cushioning the child from the fall. Sven jumped to his feet and removed an escrima stick from his back, pointing it at the apprentice.
"Your gonna have to kill me, cause that's the only way I'm turning this boy over to you," Sven stated, holding the boy close as the apprentice got up off the floor.
"We don't have much time, we must have him now," the apprentice said.
"I told you your not getting your hands on him, I'm taking him back with me!"
"NAY I SEE THEE!"
Sven widened his eyes slightly as the sky shook with thunder. He looked up to see Thor floating above him. The Asgardian hero held out his hammer, electricity crackling around the weapon as he looked down at Aeon. Shifting his position slightly, Sven's ears twitched as he heard an object approaching him. He ducked, dodging the spinning, discuss shaped shield. Aeon then rolled to the side as the shield came back towards him. Captain America grabbed his shield, pointing at Sven as he, Black Panther and Hawkeye approached him.
"I don't understand, why are the Avengers here?" Sven asked.
"They are here to take back the child you stole," the apprentice said, pointing his finger at Sven.
"What, that's ridiculous, you're the one that stole him," Sven said.
"A little late to be lying, we already know the full story," Iron man said as he landed on the ground, holding the Scarlet Witch in his arms.
"Which means your little plot to start an intergalactic war is over," Hank Pym's voice echoed over the plains as he stood over Sven.
Aeon looked at his surroundings, seeing the full Avengers roster. His attention then turned to the figure floating on a platform above the team. A sadistic smirk had crossed the man's face, taking a sweet delight out of watching a scene he had obviously manipulated. But only Sven knew of this man's true evil. He looked at the black clad man and the red cloak hanging off his round shoulder pads. His mouth was exposed, showing off his disgusting smile. A helmet based on a knight's covered the man's glowing red eyes.
"Take back our prince and help us restore peace to our world Avengers," the master manipulator, Muramasa said as not only the Avengers, but also the Dawn ninjas and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents converged on Aeon.
"Please, all of you listen to me, I'm not the enemy here, whatever story Muramasa's told you is false. He manipulates data, false information is his power and even falser promises are his crime. Muramasa isn't an alien he's the fusion of the souls of every evil man that has ever existed," Aeon explained.
"The alien part is easier to believe," Iron man said.
"Damn it, stay back all you, I won't be held responsible for your injuries!"
"Injuries? What makes you think your going to get close to injuring us?"
The silver and blue blur known as Quicksilver suddenly appeared in front of Aeon. But the speedster raised his eyebrows in confusion was he tugged at the baby, trying to get him out of Aeon's grip. Sven suddenly slammed his head into Pietro's face, sending the speedster stumbling back. He broke off into a run, shielding himself and the baby with his cloak.
"Be careful don't hit the child," Muramasa said, veining concern for his target.
"Don't worry Muramasa, your prince will be safe," Wasp said, flying towards Aeon.
"Prince, is that what he told you, please you have to…" Aeon stopped as Wasp flew between him and the baby, growing to her partially full size and grabbing the child.
As soon as he left Sven's arms, the boy began to scream. Janet looked at the baby in confusion as she ran away from Sven.
"You know what this means don't you Jan? Your terrible with kids," Hawkeye said.
"Shut up Clint," Jan growled.
"I've got him," Hank said.
Giant-man swung his fist at Aeon, only for the hero to jump onto his hand and run up his arm. Sven ran towards Giant-man's head, throwing his boomerangs at Hank's eyes. But the projectiles bounced off of Pym's goggles. Aeon kept on running, jumping off of Hank's shoulder and using his cloak to glide towards Janet. Wanda aimed the palms of her hands at Sven, increasing the probability of his cloak coming loose. The left part of the cloak suddenly came loose, sending Sven falling onto his back. Despite the failure he still run after Janet. He rolled out of the way of one of Iron Man's repulsor blasts, throwing a disc shaped device at Stark. Cap immediately intercepted the assumed EMP with his shield, splitting it in half. The device however turned out to be a smoke grenade that released its contents over Tony and Wanda. Sven used the bulletproof qualities of his cloak to shield himself from a volley of gunfire. He threw the cloud aside as he ran past Cap, ignoring the man completely. His focus was clear and he wouldn't be stopped by anyone.
'Got to reach him, have to save him,' thoughts like these where the only thing that occupied Sven's mind.
He bashed aside two Dawn ninjas and jumped over T'Challa, rolling back to his feet as he approached the Wasp again. Suddenly, two arrows flew into Sven's kneecaps. He fell to the floor, looking at his legs in shock.
"Eyes of a Hawk," Hawkeye said, knocking back another arrow and aiming it at Sven's head.
Muramasa continued to smile as he lowered himself to the ground.
"Fury, we've got the boy, has SWORD shown any sign of activity from the sector of space Muramasa came from?" Captain America asked over the radio.
Aeon let out deep heavy breaths as he looked at the baby in Janet's arms. His cries became more frantic as Muramasa approached him. But Janet didn't seem to be bothered by it. Cap and Tony seemed to take notice and Sven noticed a hesitant expression on Thor's face as he landed.
"Are things really as they seem?" The god of thunder asked.
"Believe me Lord Thor, if my people do not receive this child soon then they will go to war with Earth. Victory and peace for my people hangs on the fringes of this child," Muramasa explained.
"Please, don't listen to him," Aeon looked at the heroes, begging them not to do this.
"Cap, Brand just sent a report in, a space ship is on the fringes of the area of space Muramasa mentioned, they haven't confirmed the presence of any other ships, but they have confirmed that it's a warship," Fury explained.
"My people grow impatient, if you wish to avoid a war then hand over the child," Muramasa said, glaring at Janet.
Janet hesitantly passed the child to Muramasa, whom instantly stepped onto his flight platform. The Avengers and assembled S.H.I.E.L.D. agents watched as Muramasa began floating into the air.
"No…NO!" Sven yelled.
Sven broke the shafts of the arrows and fired a grappling hook from his wrist. The hook made contact with Muramasa's flight platform. Aeon zipped into the air, his eyes glaring at Muramasa. He grabbed the edge of the flight platform, pulling himself up as he looked at Muramasa. The man grinned as he ejected a blade from his wrist, pressing it against the baby's belly. Sven dived forward, intercepting the blade with his hand. He pulled the blade and the baby out of Muramasa's grip, throwing the blade at Muramasa's face. Muramasa easily caught the blade and delivered a swift kick to Sven's chest, knocking him and the baby off the flight platform. The Avengers widened their eyes as they watched Sven fall towards the nearby forest, the baby's screams echoing in their ears.
Now
"I know what happened, they know what happened, they found me in the forest and protected me from the Dawn ninjas Muramasa left behind. Brand later found out that the ship she found was of human design, not alien. Muramasa failed Deathblade, why are you delaying me like this?" Aeon aimed a glare at Deathblade as the other Avengers walked to his side.
"It's all related Aeon, you see Sieg was the beginning as well as the end. Muramasa wasn't just out to get to you Aeon; he wanted Sieg as his apprentice and a chance to ruin the Avengers image. Imagine if Muramasa had manipulated Sieg, the Avengers would have been responsible for his fall. But when that plan failed Muramasa chose a different means of causing the Avengers downfall. His plan wasn't an all out attack or even making himself known, through careful manipulation and perfect timing, Muramasa pushed the Avengers towards the worst day of their history," Deathblade explained.
"What are you saying?" Dr Strange asked.
"He's saying that Muramasa plotted Wanda's fall and everything that came afterwards, now please let me go and HELP SIEG!" Aeon yelled.
"I'm not finished yet, Wanda was manipulated by Dr Doom into accessing the full potential of her mutant abilities, but Muramasa proposed the idea to Doom. It wasn't just her mutant powers but Chaos magic, a very dangerous form of manipulating magical energies. But Muramasa was a crafty man, he wanted the Avengers, the whole heroic community to believe that Wanda had simply lost her sanity, that there was no outside manipulation. So he planted subtle telepathic hints into the minds of certain people in order to make them say things that weren't true," Deathblade turned his attention to Strange.
"I was manipulated into forming the false story that chaos magic doesn't exist," Steven rubbed his head, overwhelmed by the flood of information. "I never thought about it, never realised it until now," he stepped back, falling into Iron Fist and Dr Voo Doo's arms for support.
"Muramasa then worked closely with the Skrulls in order to replace specific figures so that he could hurt you heroes. Jessica Drew, Hank Pym and Scott Summers, he needed those specific people replaced in order to not only deal maximum damage to morale but alter the major teams from within," Deathblade continued his rant as he walked into the middle of the Avengers.
"The changes to the X-men and the Avengers Initiative, this Muramasa guy was the one that suggested the plans to the Skrulls," Tony said.
"But how do you know all this?" Hand asked.
"I know this because I faced and kill Muramasa the day he proposed a battle plan to the Skrull queen. I've been missing for years not because I was dead, but because I was kidnapped and imprisoned by the Skrull church," Deathblade narrowed his eyes at Crusader as he spoke.
"Okay you've made your case Cade, now let me get to Sieg, I can sense that he's in great pain!"
Great pain, tremendous pain, that was what Sieg felt as he crawled across the floor. His breathing had become heavy and his vision continually switched between blurred and clear. He would see the Hood's face and then feel the sting of a punch to his gut. Parker slammed his foot into Sieg's chest, causing to let out a grunt of pain. Then for added insult he slapped him several times across the face. Sieg could feel his cheeks burning and realised that they had taken his mask off. His vision blurred again and this time he looked at the hideous grinning form of Tyrone Cash.
"You hurt my boys…now I'll…hope your…bitch slap of…bitch!" Sieg could only hear some of the words Cash spoke; his ears were ringing as much as his cheeks burned.
Suddenly, Sieg felt agony as Cash gripped him in a bear hug. He felt his bones click and creak from within his body, yet remarkably he didn't scream. Cash let go of him, unceremoniously dropping him to the floor. Sieg looked up at the ceiling, hearing the buzzing laughter of his captors. Arachnophillia straddled his waist, running her tongue across his face.
"You were a good lay Sieg, a part of me did truly like you, and maybe we'll meet again someday," Arachnophillia cooed.
"No chance bitch, you meant nothing to me," Sieg growled.
"Still got strength…tough bastard…his old man!" Cash laughter continually switched between muted muffles and buzzing echoes from within Sieg's ears.
Sieg tried to force himself up, only for the Hood to once again stomp him in the chest. He cocked his pistol, aiming it at Sieg's head.
"You two go on ahead…tell the boss…this idiot…there will be quite a mess," he couldn't hear half of what Parker was saying, but Sieg's imagination was good enough to know that it probably involved the gun pointed at his face.
He heard the footsteps and a strange sound, like the sound a warp gate would make. Cash and the traitor must have escaped, with whoever their accomplice was. Sieg looked up at Parker, seeing the hateful glare of a man with no actual power. The Hood aimed his gun away from Sieg and picked him up by the collar of his shirt.
"You got any last words?" he asked.
Sieg's vision remained blurry, but he had the perfect view of his target.
"Never give up," Sieg growled.
Sieg suddenly slammed his head into Parker's face, breaking his nose and forcing the man back. Falling to the ground, Sieg coughed as he spat the poison out of his body. Arachnophillia's poison was powerful but the abilities Sieg had been gifted with enabled him to purge the poison from his system. The blood transfusion he received from Sven years ago empowered him and the training saved his life as Sieg calmed his beating heart.
"Tyrone was right, you don't know when to quit bitch," Parker snarled as he aimed his gun at Sieg.
The creaking of floor boards suddenly caught Parker's attention. He turned to the doorway as smoke passed into the room. The door was flung open and a lightning bolt hit Parker in the chest, knocking him back against the wall. Sieg stared at the entrance, confused as the smoke shaped itself into a girl, her flat and regular form covered by black bandages. Striker and Hazmat, the latter of whom carried a video camera, soon followed Veil.
"Your that Sieg guy right? Are you all right?" Veil asked.
"Forget about him Veil, we've only got a few seconds to do what we came here to do, here take the camera," Hazmat said, handing the camera to Veil.
Sieg crawled on all fours, watching as Hazmat stamped Parker's chest with her foot. A grin crossed Striker's face as electricity crackled between his hands.
Then
Sven gasped as he awoke from his slumber. He looked at his chest to see the baby cuddling against him. The young man sighed in relief despite the pain he was in. His armour and body cushioned the little boy from the fall. Sven groaned as he got up off the floor. Blood dripped from his exposed right cheek and knees. His helmet had shattered and the mask tore to reveal his right eye and the strands of his hair. But despite these wounds he still got up. He stood with a hunch, but he still stood. Holding the baby close to his chest, Sven heard the masses of S.H.I.E.L.D agents and Dawn ninjas run to his position. He looked down at the boy, a tear falling down his face as the child smiled up at him.
"I swear…I swear little one…I swear Siegfried, I will not let any harm come to you," he choked out as markings across his armour began to glow. "I swear that from this day I will protect you, from all the evil and the heroes of this world if I must…I will…I will…PROTECT YOU!"
With his resolve strengthened and purpose renewed, Sven Reilly the hero Aeon ran forward, using his own body as a shield to protect a boy he had named that day.
Now
Striker's eyes were wide in shock as Sieg held his wrist firmly. He redirected the electricity up onto the roof, leaving a small scorch mark above Striker's head. Sieg opened his eyes, revealing a resolve and purpose, that like his mentor years ago had been strengthened and renewed. He shoved Striker aside and glared at the camera in Veil's hand.
"We…are not like this…we are better than that!" Sieg pointed his finger at the Hood.
He walked forward and grabbed the camera from Veil's hand.
"Justice isn't always about an equal punishment, sometimes it's about truth and ensuring that the victims don't become like the evil they seek to punish. I heard about what Robbins did to Tigra, but she wouldn't want this," Sieg explained.
"What do you know?" Striker asked, glaring at Sieg.
"I know that what your doing is wrong, you don't need to punish Robbins anymore, his life is already a hell. Look at him," Sieg motioned to the helpless Hood, "Devoid of the power he wanted all his life, lost is the respect he had as a crime boss and the respect he had from people like Gravity and Hank Pym. He's a pathetic being grovelling at the dirt for power to make him feel complete again. But more importantly is the sad truth that he's forgotten that he already had the things that made him complete. He's a father that will never get to hug his child, that is the worst suffering a man can endure, to never get his child back. Lock him up and let him rot with the rest of those sad pathetic people!"
Sieg fell face first into the floor, shocking the Academy students. They gathered around him, trying to help him up.
'Sven, alls I wanted from you…was a fathers love,' he thought as the darkness took him.
Next Chapter 17: Supreme march
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, next time the Avengers must make their move against both Deathblade and the Squadron Supreme. Meanwhile, Sven rushes to get Sieg medical aid.
Now for some explanation: Events of Avengers Children's Crusade and all stories after that will be heavily altered in this new universe. Zack does not yet know of his connection to the Scarlet Witch, Sven will not form a relationship with Wanda. There are more secrets behind the events of Disassembled and M-Day that Cade still doesnt know about and they also tie into Osborn's rise.
Next is Sieg and Sven's relationship. I wanted to establish the powerful bond they share. Essentially Sven was the first person in Sieg's life to protect him from danger. Sven wasnt just doing a favour for a friend, he felt a sense of purpose in defending Sieg. Muramasa unwittingly inspired Sven to name Sieg (Siegfried is a version of the german expression for Victory Peace). In this chapter, Sieg remembered that moment when Sven swore to protect him and remembered exactly how a hero should act. In the case of punishing criminals, Sieg now knows what the right thing to do is and that is but one of many lessons he has learnt and will learn over the course of the series.
Anyway till next time folks