Disclaimer: I dont own Marvel
Here we are, the game chamber of the Hunt storyline, the point where everything changes for our heroes. The villains are now clear, but Deathblade still walks the line and while Aeon and Sieg's bond is repaired, everything from this point gets worse.
The Hunt
Chapter 22: Questions and Trial
"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?"
Muramasa and his apprentice tilted their heads as Hyperion's question. A moment passed and Muramasa raised his hands with a sudden realisation.
"Oh you mean, why haven't you heard of me? Why didn't you just say so?" he asked.
"Don't mess around asshole, you come here with some midget and a football helmet and you think you scare us? I had hundreds of Cuban and South African gangs at my mercy, I was a made man mother fucker," Cash growled as he approached Muramasa.
"Really, you have the strength of the Hulk and being a rapper was your greatest goal, and didn't you get beat by a seventeen year old boy?" Muramasa smirked.
Cash let out a yell before swinging his fist at Muramasa. But much to the Squadron's shock, Muramasa simply grabbed the man's arm. Tyrone looked at Muramasa in shock, seeing his left eye glow a gold colour. Muramasa moved Cash's arm down, bringing him to his knees.
"Underneath all that muscle and 'black guy smash' your just a pathetic old man Leonard Williams," the cloaked man let out an evil cackle as he flicked Cash's nose, sending the giant to the floor. "With your powers disabled I could kill you with a single blast from my Omega cannon, but I'll let you live, only because I really want to see you get your ass kicked by the real Hulk," he explained as he walked past Cash.
The Apprentice looked down at Cash for a moment before following his master. Muramasa walked towards Zarda and Hyperion, clicking his fingers to signal the arrival of more lackeys. They were the other supposed Squadron members, in actuality his loyal lapdogs. This included the red winged Azrael, a telekinetic by the name of Scion and a red skinned, horned girl known as Catastrophe. Scion was wearing a metallic mask around his head and had his arms amputated, floating metallic fists replacing his lost appendages. Catastrophe was dressed in a purple top with opera gloves and purple trousers.
"We've been leading your operations, ensuring that you were successful in your mission," Muramasa said.
"Us getting our Asses kicked is a success?" Zarda asked.
"Of course, you are the distraction, the scapegoats. For the people to put their faith back in the real heroes, I was showing them how bad government controlled heroes can get, because the reality is that government doesn't control heroes. Then the people put their faith back in real heroes and we can go back to being the real villains," Muramasa explained.
"Let me get this straight, you pushed us into a worldwide campaign just so the heroes would be free of the registration act?" Hyperion asked.
"I'm nostalgic, I don't really like change, unless the change is something I bring about. Anyway, there's a little item I wanted to recover from project Pegasus, luckily Osborn didn't sell it to the highest bidder, or try to use it himself. God the catastrophe that would have been born if he actually used it, no offence Catastrophe," Muramasa giggled.
"ENOUGH! TELL US WHY YOU ARE HERE!" Hyperion yelled.
"TO ADVANCE THE PLAN!" the man mockingly yelled back.
"What plan?" Zarda asked.
"We break into Project Pegasus, get the item I wish and I'll create the world I want, the clichéd conquer the world thing you know?" Muramasa smirked as Hyperion blinked in confusion.
"Conquer the world hmmm? Well consider me in," Zarda grinned.
"Good my dear, is everyone else in?" he asked the remaining members.
The Squadron members hesitantly nodded their heads.
Ben Urich reported on the current events. Over the past few days his articles had been a number one source for information and inspiration. As a literal frontline reporter Ben had seen the big events and delivered the absolute facts, even with interviews from the heroes themselves. After interviewing Sieg he went straight to the courthouse where Deathblade had apparently been defeated. Other journalists had arrived on the scene and where headed to Tony Stark. Commander Hand of Hammer was ignored, in favour of the leader people most recognised and respected. Ben however went to Hand to ask her the questions he knew people would want answered.
"Step back please," Monica Chang said, pushing Ben's shoulder.
"Wait Agent Chang, Ben Urich, what do you want?" Hand asked.
"I wanted a report on the current situation, how many men did Deathblade kill under your command? And how many of those men did you suspect of corruption? As the leader of the leading intelligence agency, would you say Deathblade's accusations concerning the civilians and police officers he has killed have been true?" Ben held his recorder to Hand's mouth.
"I'm afraid I can not answer those questions," she said.
"Is this information classified, isn't that a contradiction of the key elements of the registration act?" he asked.
"Cade Hunter is a severely disturbed individual," Hand said.
"So you have knowledge on Mr Hunter, or is that your opinion as an accountant ma'am?"
"This interview is over," Monica growled.
Ben walked away from Hand and her security detail, approaching the crowd trying to question Iron Man.
"Iron man, where will Deathblade be held?"
"Do you think his imprisonment will trigger a response from potential sympathisers?"
James turned off the TV, passing the remote to Jason. The group, including Chase had moved to the hospital, where James's personal physician was attending to Kyle. He had been moved to a secure wing and was now on a bed with bandages on his wounds and mask to assist with his weak breathing. A heartbeat monitor displayed his weak pulse. Sven stood outside the room, his armour disguised by bio suit that mimicked his former human appearance. Jack and Gloria sat with Zack, the former treating him to several candy bars he'd vibrated out of the vending machine.
"Dr Rao called, she said Lazlo was in Utopia's medical wing, he'd exhausted his powers lending them to some of the X-men," Jason explained.
Sven remained silent, looking at the door to Kyle's room.
"Sven, this isn't your fault," Jason said.
"He crossed the line Jason, he's reached the point where he cant stand it anymore, Osborn's rise was the final nail in the coffin. He went out there to prove the system wrong and to get rid of every single sinner, and you know what he did when he was caught? Cade smiled, I can't get that out of my head, why would he smile about failure?"
The young man sighed as he walked away.
"I can't stand seeing him like this," James said.
"He was closer to Cade than anyone, he has plenty of reason to be disappointed in himself," Gloria sighed.
"What are we going to do exactly?" Jack asked.
"Driver's got a point, there's still fighting going on in Washington and a few of the homeless have been moved to shelters in the city but a majority of the freed Initiaitve forces have gone to Washington to support Fury's commandoes," Jason explained.
"Reclaiming Washington should be simple, the only forces left are the ones left behind by the Red Skull. Those Nazis wannabes are on the run, even the president and the joint chiefs have moved back into the White House," James added.
"So we're winning right?" Zack asked.
"It seems too easy," Jason said.
While his allies discussed their options, Sven stood outside the hospital entrance. He watched people walking across the street, people whom believed they were safe. But still he couldn't shake away the unnerving feeling he had when Cade smiled. His worry quickly changed to relief as he saw Sieg approach.
"You're all right," Sven said.
"Thanks to you believing in me, and my friends too, I just didn't realise how many people I had by my side until I started losing them," Sieg sighed.
Sven placed a hand on his surrogate son's shoulder before pulling him into a hug.
"I'm so proud of you Sieg," he whispered.
"That's all I've ever wanted dad, there's something else as well," Sieg said as he pulled out of the hug. "I know you never approved of me forming my own Avengers, but I don't think I'm ready to disband them just yet. There's still so much more we can do, especially with this threat to all reality," Sieg explained.
"I understand, Zack told me that he met the spirit that possessed when I was your age, he also told me that the spirit sacrificed himself to bring back Muga and to send him into this other reality to find my counterpart. The thought of there being another me seems strange," Sven smiled.
"Maybe there's another version of me there as well, or other versions of Lazlo, Rick and Jack, maybe even Cade Hunter," Sieg said.
"There has to be," Sven sighed.
"Why?"
"Because I cant be who I am without Cade Hunter."
Cade Hunter sat on a chair in a police interrogation room. Hand had converted the 5th precinct into a base for H.A.M.M.E.R. She had top scientists install power-dampening fields into the interrogation room. Horizon labs had also provided an insulation suit to contain Cade's energy if the damping field wasn't enough. The man's eyes still glowed however. He had to have his arms and legs chained to the floor, since the last two interrogators had been 'sinners' according to him. Despite being in cuffs he was easily able to break their necks. After being chained, Hand had H.A.M.M.E.R's psychic division try to read the man's mind. Before his fall Osborn had assembled a vast collection of people with psychic potential, the head of the division had them join into a 'psychic brain' of some kind. Within five minutes of the session, Hand received a call that the entirety of the psychic division was dead. Cade's mental defences were like traps, if you tripped the wire the figurative boulder his will represented would crush you.
"He made a request for a lawyer," Monica Chang said as she walked into the room.
"Foggy Nelson, he's already going to represent Daredevil, what about Jennifer Walters?" Hand asked.
"After what he did to her client and their conversation earlier? Besides Jennifer Walters is dangerous, we should just kill him now."
"No agent Chang, the last thing we want is a martyr for the people to rally around," Hand sighed.
Large crowds of people had been gathering at courthouses and police stations. They held up signs with slogans such as 'the law failed, Deathblade didn't' and 'mercy equals crime, punishment equals justice' and of course the most famous 'let the punishment fit the crime'. While many understood the need for the system, the number of people wronged by such a system outnumbered them. The commissioner had to call in Swat teams and riot police from other states just in case the demonstrations turned into riots. A sudden knock at the door broke Hand from her thoughts. One of her younger agents poked his head through the door:
"We have a woman outside claiming to be his lawyer ma'am," he said.
A few minutes of security checks and interviews passed before Cade's supposed lawyer walked into the interrogation room. She planted her suitcase on the table, opening it to pull out a few files.
"Hello Mr Hunter, my name is…"
"I know who you are Mallory Brooks, sixteen," Cade said.
"I'm sorry?" Mallory raised her eyebrows in confusion.
"Sixteen is the number of murderers you've kept out of prison, tell me Miss Brooks when you shook hands with Grey Gargoyle did you think about how much he wanted to kill you?" he asked.
"I believe everyone should have the right to a fair trial," she said.
"No, you believe everyone should have the right to several trials, a man goes to prison once, he gets out and makes his crime a career and then people ask why…why was a man like that out of prison? I'll tell you why, because the system isn't perfect, because there are money-grubbing lawyers like you that hide behind idealism and cause. But let me tell you something, someone who keeps sixteen murderers out of jail, more than once for some of them is not an idealist. My eyes can't see sin within you but I know you're a sinner, because your actions make these crimes possible," Cade explained.
"I have here medical reports, psychological profiles and forensic reports from the police, my employer also said he can provide character witnesses," Mallory said.
"Tell James Crowner I don't want his charity, but if you still wish to get paid for your services do three things for me, tell Hand to get me a scribe, someone with a laptop or an incredibly large pad and get me Karla Sofen, she's a murderer and a complete bitch but she knows psychology, she can provide the court with an accurate psychological profile."
"I see, and the third thing?" she asked.
"Look at the victims," he said.
"I'm sorry?"
"You heard me, take time out of your day and learn about the victims or your clients, talk to their families and what not. Learn for yourself why people like me are driven to do what we do," he growled.
As soon as Mallory left the room, she breathed out a sigh of relief. She'd never been more terrified in her life. Having listened in on the conversation, Hand had Monica send in one of her trainees. The very nervous trainee spent the next hour simply listening to Cade talk, and she wrote down every word. Victoria listened intently as the man described in vivid detail the crimes his victims had committed, the suffering of the victims and their families and even what the sinners had been doing when he killed them. The interview went beyond an hour, beyond three hours, to the point when the scribe grew so disgusted that she walked out. But Cade still carried on, describing one of his villains in particular.
"Norman Osborn: Before he became the Green Goblin, on his rise to corporate power he dealt with mob bosses, selling military secrets to them and profiting from the blackmail of numerous politicians, he even orchestrated the assassinations of several business rivals in his hostile takeovers of their companies. When he became the Green Goblin his body count had gone into the triple figures, one victim was a girl who actually gave birth to his children, he abandoned those children to fight his relentless war against his archenemy. He even abducted that enemy's daughter and was willing to kill her, he made his enemy think that his wife had a miscarriage; they spent a year believing their child was dead. Norman Osborn had two people killed when he was director of the Thunderbolts, he had several heroes crippled and imprisoned without trial or knowledge from the media, and he painted them to be villains when in actuality it was his Thunderbolts. Then there is his career as a protector, he assembled a team of villains and disguised them as villains, having at least forty people killed to conceal the fact that he was using villains and consorting with terrorists like Doom, the Red Skull and Loki. What kind of society would put him in charge? What kind of person, would believe in him?"
Lowering her head slightly, Hand walked out of the room, leaving command to agent Chang for the day.
Muramasa smirked as the Squadron members went through their preparations. Many of them traded costumes for equipment they would use in the coming battle. Nighthawk adopted an armour suit with metallic wings and bladed talons. Nuke added parts to his armour to augment his explosions, whilst Spectrum created a suit of knight's armour and a broadsword with his powers. Tyrone Cash got to work on giving modified versions of his serum to several men under his employ and Moonglow created various spells to summon allies and traps to be used against the heroes.
"You should be helping Hyperion get ready," he said, sensing Zarda's approach behind him.
"He went into the atmosphere, he made it quite clear that he doesn't wish to see me. It doesn't matter, he's old news anyway," Zarda smirked.
She gripped Muramasa's shoulders, giving them a firm rub. Muramasa's smirk deepened as he turned and took Zarda by the waist.
"You know your lover can see us, even hear us with his enhanced senses?" he asked.
"Of course, but your eye will protect me wont it?" she asked as she pulled the man into a kiss.
She held the passion of the kiss for a few seconds before pulling back for air. Much to her shock, Muramasa smirked and casually walked away.
"My eye will protect me Zarda, not whores," he cackled.
Zarda squeezed her fists together, fighting the urge to rip the man apart.
"Oh and before you think of seducing my apprentice, know that he doesn't like anyone," he laughed again as Zarda widened her eyes slightly.
Muramasa walked to the side of his apprentice. The young man watched the Squadron members intensely. A blur rushed past them, signalling Hyperion's return. He glared at Zarda before moving towards Muramasa.
"How much do you have invested in this plan, what are you even trying to recover?" Hyperion asked.
Muramasa ignored the man and went back to watching the other's prepare. Hyperion growled before moving towards the man. The apprentice suddenly swung around, the tip of his sword cutting Hyperion's cheek.
"What the hell are you?" the man asked.
"Me? Like I said I'm the fusion of every evil bastard that ever lived, but if you want a full story I supposed I could elaborate. Many years ago, a pair of scientists studied the science behind the soul. You see they believed that certain stories about the afterlife were true and that the souls left behind could be used as a power source. They created a device known as a harvester that drew in souls. But the souls they drew in were those of the sinners and the evil of the world, every deliberate evil act had formed a type of energy and when this energy was drawn into the harvester it was given physical form, resulting my creation. As a fusion of souls, I had memories, personality and knowledge. Escaping their facility I used my knowledge to create weapons, further my skill and gain allies, I took control of a ninja clan known as the Dawn and even took on an apprentice, several apprentices actually."
"My mission in life was simple, destruction through rebirth, I would allow hope to flourish and then destroy societies. I created conflict, crime, corruption and death all with the hope that it could be averted or stopped because the hurt is greatest when one has lost their hope. However I eventually found an enemy in Godu, the scientist whom wished to discover humanity. He didn't want his game with the human race to end so he challenged me to a little game of war, if he won I would be his test subject and if I won he'd be dead. We created our armies, it was Godu whom enhanced the abilities of one Cade Hunter and even gave power to several individuals."
"But the basis of their power came from a man called Sven Reilly, my nemesis and the one who corrupted my favourite apprentice. Sven Reilly alone stopped our little war and became a thorn in my side and an occasional target ever since. I made him suffer, yet he refused to deliver a fatal blow but every time I struck he took the blow, got back up and beat me down again and again until finally my first apprentice revealed his true colours and banished both myself and he to another dimension."
"How did you get out?" Zarda asked.
"I'm not even quite sure of it myself, oh yes, while my apprentice was granted a second chance by the powers that be, I was given a chance by another, someone whose power had transcended time and reality itself. He sent me back here to further his own plans, I wonder whether my direction suits his plans, it doesn't really matter, alls that matters is my goal of destruction through rebirth," Muramasa laughed.
"Your insane," Hyperion growled.
"Don't pretend you're the hero here, there is only three people here with the potential to be a hero," he smirked, looking at Catastrophe, Azrael and Scion.
He swung his cloak around, walking down the deep corridor to his quarters. His apprentice lowered his sword and casually walked past Hyperion. The man growled, his eyes flaring with anger.
"He's embarrassed us both lover, we should kill him," Zarda said.
"I should kill every single hero and villain out there, then there will only be me to rule," he said.
"We need Muramasa until we discover what this item he seeks is," she rubbed her old lover's shoulder.
"Yes and when I've killed him, I'll give you a second's head start to reach the item," Hyperion grinned before he walked away.
Unknown to them Muramasa had been watching. He closed the holographic screen for his hidden camera and let out another laugh. Muramasa loved betrayers, that was why his first apprentice was his favourite
Sieg and Sven both walked down the streets of the reopened shopping district. It was just they, no third apprentice, no Avengers and no trouble. Sieg ate a few piles of chicken at KFC, with Sven simple watching. They talked about films ad the latest inventions, Sieg even made a joke comparing Sven to Captain America. It was a normal day without the chaos of their costumes.
"And then he chases Julian across the front lawn and Laura's just sitting on the balcony with this deadpan expression, Julian's got a bed sheet wrapped around his legs as he stumbling about with Logan hot on his heels," Sieg laughed.
"I'm glad you made a few friends Sieg, I can't wait to meet them," Sven said.
"They'd be happy to meet you, just as soon as we're done with this mess we'll go to Utopia, meet my friends and I'll get a chance to explain things to Celeste."
"That's the girl you dated right?" Sven asked.
"Yeah, she was the first girl I fell in love with I think. Honestly I'm not sure what our relationship is now, but I can say I'll always want her in my life," Sieg explained.
"That's the thing about relationships, sometimes love doesn't always work out, its better to have them in your life as a friend then not at all," Sven sighed.
"Did you marry Faith?" Sieg asked.
"I don't know, not all of my memories are complete, I don't think I'll ever really get them back. What I do know is that Faith eventually recovered from Lazlo's attack, she was able to walk again and forgave him and I know that for a time Cade and I worked together against common enemies. He's a good man and I know he can do good, he still hasn't completely lost his faith in people yet," Sven explained.
"You say that but what about Kyle?"
"I know I can reach him, I know I can save him," Sven said.
"As you saved me," Sieg smiled.
"No, you made the right choice, never forget that!"
Sieg nodded his head in agreement. Suddenly, the alarm for the building across from them began to blare. Sven looked to Sieg, whom nodded his head with a smile.
"Nobody move, if anyone even thinks of moving then my friends will start tearing off limbs," Mandrill smirked as he walked towards a vault.
Sieg got an immediate information feed on the company and the villains through his connection to Hindsight Lad. The villain was Mandrill, a man ape with the ability to control women through pheromones. His thralls were members of the Grapplers, super powered women wrestlers. Their ranks included Letha, Lascivious, Battle Axe, Butterball and surprisingly a new Screaming Mimi. Aeon knew the company; it was an airline company he'd once investigated when he was private eye. They were creating a new subsonic thruster, one that would tilt the balance of power in the aviation industry. Sieg left planning to Sven, the experienced hero analysed the situation. Once the plan was formed they moved in perfect synch.
Without saying a word, Aeon and Victory Peace rushed into the fight. Sieg secured the hostages, creating crystal projectiles that knocked Battleaxe and Letha from their potential victims. Aeon then went for Mandrill, forcing him to defend himself with the only means he had. Screaming Mimi created a sonic wave that threw Aeon back. Lascivious and Butterball then moved to attack him. He jumped to his feet, twisting Lascivious's arm back and holding her in a lock. Butterball swung her fist at Aeon, but he ducked and tripped her up, sending her crash on top of Lascivious.
"Freaking brutal, you know Mandrill, no man like you should have this power," Sieg said as he summoned his sword.
He blocked Battle Axe's strikes and struck her with the flat end of his blade. Letha swung her fist at Sieg, but he flipped over her. Aeon formed a shield from his left gauntlet and ran at Mandrill. Once again Screaming Mimi let out a sonic blast. Taking the hit before was so he could study the nature of the blast and as he suspected if the surface was right the sound of the scream would bounce off it. Aeon raised his shield, deflecting the sonic scream straight into the ears of Mandrill. With his concentration broken, his control of the women wore off. Aeon the finished Mandrill with a punch and Sieg knocked Letha out with a pommel strike, both struck at the same time.
"What am I doing here?" Screaming Mimi asked.
Aeon and Sieg looked at the girl in confusion.
"Well this was unexpected," Sieg muttered.
It turned out that Screaming Mimi was just some poor girl with sonic powers Lascivious had controlled into joining. Mandrill was working on his own and had taken control of the women to use as muscle. Aeon and Sieg didn't stay to talk to the police, moving back into the figurative shadows as Sieg promised the media earlier.
"We could have gotten some hotter women, like Bad Girl's inc, or maybe even Madame Hydra," Sieg chuckled.
"Madame Hydra's just one woman," Sven said, back in the confines of his bio suit.
"Yeah but she's the top distraction to anyone going against Hydra!"
"Fair point, all though I don't see the attraction in super villains."
"True, not all the insane ones are gorgeous, just look at half the X-men or the Avengers," Sieg said.
"I heard you already caught Pixie, Wallflower and Wind Dancer's attention," Sven grinned.
"Well I do take after my old man, apparently Ms Marvel's interested in you," Sieg chuckled.
"You mean Carol? I admit her thighs are attractive."
"Do you now?"
Sven widened his eyes slightly as he looked up. Sieg laughed as Ms Marvel, Spider-woman, Justice and Gravity flew down to their level. Sven sheepishly rubbed the back of his head whilst Carol smiled at him. A few seconds later Iron Man and Thor landed between them.
"We need to talk," Tony said.
After changing out of his bio suit and meeting the heroes on the roof, Aeon reacted in a way they didn't expect.
"You want me to what?"
"We want you to be a character witness at Cade Hunter's hearing, you know him better than anyone and are the most qualified to tell us of whether he should be imprisoned or committed to a mental health facility," Tony explained.
"I'm not very good with crowds, plus I don't know if I really am the best person to determine Cade's guilt. He's not insane, so an insanity plea is no option and I don't know whether imprisoning him is the best course either," Sven noticed the confusion Thor and Tony both had and elaborated. "Cade smiled when he was captured, I think he wants this trial to happen so he can prove something, the resurrected heroes aren't accounted for right? How much security do you have that can fight off a group of heroes that aren't going to hold back?"
"I shall watch over this trial as a guardian, if any villain or hero seek to free him then I will call upon the Avengers to battle," Thor explained.
"Is a trial the best thing, you still haven't found the remaining Squadron members yet," Sven said.
"And we've lost contact with Black Widow's team in Washington. Daisy Johnson says that a giant version of Red Skull had appeared but after that our communication with Fury's 'warrior's' has been cut, Ares's kid Alexander and Fury himself are the only ones we can account for since they're now at the tower, fighting is apparently still going on but no one knows whether Black Widow's team survived their encounter with this giant Red Skull. I've sent two-gun kid and a few others to secure Washington, after that we'll move on to take out the rest of the Squadron Supreme. But first comes this trial, we need to prove that our system can work," Tony explained.
"Like it worked during the registration act?" Sven asked.
"Its all well and good talking about something that happened in the past, but you weren't there," Tony retorted.
"I was dead," Sven narrowed his eyes at Stark.
"Okay that'll be enough (men) we need to focus on solutions to the problems now not the past," Carol said.
"We need to reach a point where we're doing enough for people but not interfering with their lives," Sieg said.
"Aye, we can not play god," Thor said.
Sven tilted his head in confusion, while the others laughed at the irony of Thor's statement.
Muramasa stood looking at the holographic screens, showing the battle in Washington. Heroes like Two Gun Kid, Ultra Girl and Hardball joined with Daisy Johnson and some of Fury's Secret Warriors. They were fighting back the Nazi and Squadron forces and were on the verge of victory. Muramasa nodded to Catastrophe and the demonic women simply nodded her head. She disappeared in a flash of fire.
"Where did she go?" Nighthawk asked.
Muramasa merely grinned as the next phase of his plan took shape. In Washington, the president looked out of his window and saw Two Gun kid cuffing a nazi pilot. The man's mech had been torn open by Ultra Girl, who quickly flew to confront another robot. Hardball and Melee dispatched several armed Aim agents and Hellfire swatted Modok with his fire chain. A light appeared in the sky, catching Two Gun Kid's attention. In fact everyone looked up at the sky, even villains like Modok. Catastrophe had appeared above the field, her empty expression changing into a deep smirk as she raised her hands.
"Give them hope and the victory is so much sweeter when you've destroyed them," Muramasa smiled.
Catastrophe glowed with a yellow light that consumed all in her path.
New York saw the explosion as a pillar of light that reached high into the orbit. Aeon and the Avengers looked at the pillar in shock, knowing what it meant. Tony however accessed his communication link just to make sure.
"Two-gun, Johnson, Hardball can anyone hear me?" he asked.
Static was his only reply.
"Suzie, oh no, no, no," Justice fell to his knees, muttering in shock.
In his hideout Muramasa laughed as the Squadron members looked at the screens in shock. They showed the charred and ruined remains of the nation's capital, along with the skeletons and ashes of thousands. Muramasa gasped for breath, leaning against the railing and faking an asthma attack. The man truly did enjoy the carnage. A few seconds passed and his laughter began anew upon Catastrophe's arrival.
"That was incredible, magnificent work Catastrophe my flower of death, you people see, this is why we will win because we gave them hope and we can take that hope away," Muramasa explained.
"You made it look as if they would win, then you nuked the whole state," Zarda said.
"Oh trust me my dear, you haven't begun to see how terrifying my plans can be!"
Next Chapter 23: Fallout
The situation just got more serious, the nation's capital destroyed, it's leaders dead and with Muramasa still hidden the people of America and the rest of the world become infected by fear. Sieg and Aeon join the Avengers to track down the rest of the Squadron and Cade Hunter faces Karla Sofen in a battle of the minds.
But wait what has become of Black Widow's team and the revived Captain America, read Rebirth of the Dream to find out. Two tie ins will also be seen in She-Hulk the Hunt and Azure Eagle and the Spider-man family as Jennifer's confrontation with Cade challenges all she believes as a lawyer and Sarah Stacy asks Cade if Osborn had raped her mother.
That and I'll publish the Hulk Hunt, Young Avengers Presents and Cosmic Avengers oneshots. Plus a new heroes origin will begin as the Ultimate Universe is changed forever with the first chapter of Ultimate Aeon: Origin