Yet again, back once more after a prolonged absence but we've been busy with other things unfortunately.
But we're back and we'll explain our hiatus in the end AN.
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Avengers Age of Remnant Chapter 9: Well now… this is awkward
James Ironwood stood stiffly, tingling with anticipation as he observed Tony Stark and Pietro Polendina hard at work for their latest experiment.
That experiment was something of a miracle.
A technological breakthrough that Ironwood never thought he would see, one accomplished by the billionaire Avenger in a matter of weeks.
It was astonishing, really, with just how quickly Stark had managed to pull this off. It seems the teammates boasting of his brilliance was not to be smoke in the air.
His eyes glanced up at the screen displaying a lone sight surrounded by specialized equipment to monitor the procedure of this moment.
The launching of Remnants' first proper satellite.
Many attempts of getting someone or something into space had always resulted in failure. Whilst Dust was the element from which innovation and advancement had come from, caveats began appearing soon after. Naturally, some workarounds had been developed but space travel? That had always felt like an unreachable goal. At least within this lifetime.
Dust becomes useless once reaching a certain height above the planet's surface.
That was, until another factor came into play.
With Stark's arc reactor being added into the equation, the issue of Dust being heavily needed for this project and even other areas were resolved in a sense.
Once the Dust is relatively useless, the arc reactor will pick up the slack and then some.
"Everything set here?" Tony asked Pietro, the man making one final scan of all systems, functions and any other factors that would come into play.
"Skies are cleared of traffic. Nothing to hamper the flight path unless some Grimm decides to show up."
With a wordless nod, Tony turned to leave the room, passing by a suitcase stationed near the exit. Clapping his hand atop the hand, the briefcase broke apart and soon formed around him into his Iron Suit as he exited the room and made his way out onto the platform where the satellite was stationed.
He made some final checkups and calibrations before the satellite began whirring with energy.
The armored head of the Avenger looked back to Pietro and Ironwood.
"Ready on your mark." Came Tony's voice through the intercom.
"Moment of truth." Polendina glanced at the general of Atlas.
James took a deep breath before speaking. "Launch."
One of the techies flipped the switch, igniting the engines and having the project take flight.
Launching alongside the satellite was the Iron Avenger. A means of precaution if the project malfunctions once airborne and to be sure it reached its designated destination.
James watched with tense silence whilst Polendina continued working next to him, monitoring the satellite for any issues that may arise.
"Levels are holding steady." Pietro said aloud.
"Boosters are now in effect." Tony chimed in, the first set of Dust rockets flying off to generate the next propulsion for the satellite.
With Iron Man, the hero flew right alongside the rising satellite, his own suit able to keep up with it.
"Time for me to carry this to the final stretch."
Positioning himself a slight way beneath the satellite, Tony readied himself for the last of the boosters to disconnect from the device. He, along with the arc-reactor propulsion on the satellite, would push this machine up to its intended rotation
To Stark, it was a little nerve-wracking with what he was about to enact.
The last time he was relatively in space was with the Battle of New York, having to carry the nuke through the portal to destroy the Chitauri fleet.
He had nightmares and personal problems as a result for a while and still does if he was really honest about it.
But he was also a man of scientific ambition.
And to be the first on a planet to get a satellite in orbit with his own technology and expertise was well enough to quell any fear or trepidation he may hold at this moment.
Besides, having the name Stark in space around another planet was well, a significant ego boost to be sure.
Two Stark planets for the price of one Tony Stark.
Yeah, an ego boost would not even come close to how smug he would feel.
When he saw the last of the boosters detach themselves, Stark flew in.
Combined with his own repulsors and the satellites, the speed increased drastically to the point that a level of heat began to generate, noted by the cone appearing slightly over them.
Just as soon as Stark gave the final boost he let go, falling back slightly and watched as the satellite soared into the air.
"How we lookin' Geppetto?" Tony asked through the comms.
Pietro ignored the nickname and eyed the monitors alongside a number of his colleagues.
"We have entered the mesosphere." He announced.
"Is the connection stable?" James inquired.
"As far as we can tell in the diagnostics." Pietro then began to grin. "We did it."
There was a raucous cheer from the other techies and scientists in attendance with Ironwood cracking a grin.
"I'll be damned." He muttered. "Smug bastard actually did it."
"You doubted him?" Polendina knowingly asked.
"One only lives a life of foolishness if you don't have room for doubt." The general casually remarked. "But when doubts like these are proven wrong, well…"
Nothing needed to be said there, the bespectacled scientist humming with a wide smile as he observed the joyous crowd of Atlas techies.
"So far it's a success. We'll have to continually monitor it for any possible hiccups." James commented. "Around the clock, even."
"Given it's a prototype." Pietro admitted. "But if this prototype is a success, I can only imagine what greater heights we can achieve."
The general nodded as he could already see the possibilities. To think this happened in such a short amount of time.
"Once this is truly successful, the next steps of a united Remnant will be assured." Pietro confidently declared.
Before Ironwood was able to comment, there was a loud metallic thud outside the test room and a moment later, Iron Man walked into the room. Several of the scientists closest to him swarmed the superhero, only his helmet retracting back to reveal his grinning face.
"Yes, yes, I know, I know, We're awesome, i.e. my form of humbleness to say that it's mostly me."
He made his way over to Ironwood and Polendina after shaking a few more hands and enjoying several congratulatory remarks.
"General." Tony boisterously greeted. "Can I deliver or can I deliver?"
James 'hmphed' in response though his smirk remained.
"Your experiment was… adequate."
Tony rolled his eyes at that.
"Adequate," He mockingly parroted. "That's what passes as a complement here?"
"He means you've exceeded his expectations, Tony." Pietro said with a pleased grin. "He just has difficulties in expressing such praise."
Ironwood huffed in mild annoyance at their banter but his mood remained high.
Though his pragmatic side soon took over.
"Eventually there will be a public awareness of what we've accomplished today. We'll have to get ready for that."
The "philanthropist" of the group waved his hand at the thought in a dismissive manner. "I've got plenty of experience for that."
James shook his head.
"This isn't something that can just be brushed aside, Stark. The rest of the world, despite lacking our technological advancements, will undoubtedly discover this sooner or later."
"And that's alright, Jimmy John." Tony said, patting the man on the back. "We're gonna tell the world about this sooner or later."
The general opened his mouth to counter this statement but Iron Man prevented him from doing so. "James, you're killing the moment. Relax. Bask in the accomplishment here."
Ironwood relented, a wry smile shot in Tony's direction before other scientists and engineers came in, their excitement palpable at what had just been accomplished.
Pietro, all the while, monitored the satellite currently in orbit while his mind was a whirl with what the future entails for this successful launch.
To fully get a better connection throughout Remnant will require another satellite or two. Four satellites in total maybe, reflecting the four kingdoms of Remnant whilst one could serve as a backup in case one is damaged, destroyed or needs to be put under maintenance.
It would be from here would the Amity system be fully functional.
Stark had really thought through every single detail possible for this endeavor and he left nothing to chance.
Some chance for what could come after but everything in preparation was meticulously planned and detailed.
In his brief scans of the function of the satellite, an unusual blip appeared on his screen.
Pietro blinked at the appearance, squinting his eyes slightly, leaning in whilst pushing up his glasses to get a better look at what just came up. He did a quick rundown on his keyboards to see if this was a glitch or malfunction but found none.
"Mr. Stark, I think we have a problem." Pietro solemnly said.
Tony hung his head, apparently anticipating such a statement. "Already? Alright, what is it?"
Polendina shifted aside slightly to allow Stark to see what had been detected.
"We're picking up a signal over in Menagerie of all places and we don't know why."
The superhero frowned. "Let me see."
Pietro moved over entirely, Iron Man leaning over the screen as he got a good look at the signal. A brow quirked at what he was looking at and he proceeded to do a proper scan of this detection, running through several comparisons and other signals.
The conclusion he came to was both befuddling as it was a bit startling.
"No… that can't be right." He muttered.
"Tony?" Pietro said in slight concern, James silently looking down at the billionaire who appeared to be greatly troubled.
Tony pulled up the coordinates and obtained the readings. He soon made a comparison with some others over in Vale.
"This…" These results made Stark pause in thought. "This can't be… can it?"
"Tony." James now spoke. "Is everything alright?"
"That depends." Stark answered, subdued yet somehow anxious at the same time. "Is this good news or bad news?"
"What's bad news?" Ironwood asked, now far more serious.
"That's what we're gonna find out." Iron Man stated, accessing a separate set of comms.
The voice he was anticipating answered seconds later.
"Tony, what can we do for you?" Came the voice of Captain Rogers.
"Hey Steve, I need a favor from you. Can you guys head on over to Menagerie?"
There was a brief pause of confusion from the other side. "Why?"
"I need a confirmation for something and it'll take too long for me to get there."
"You sure about that? Even with your suit?"
"It's way south from where I am and you're the closest ones there." Tony elaborated. "But you need to go there and check it out post haste."
"What's supposed to be down there?"
"I don't know." Stark admitted. "But what I do know is that it's not from this world. It's from ours. More importantly Steve, it's our signal. "
-Scene Cut-
The bullhead flew through the skies, its occupants being Captain Steve Rogers and the twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff.
Their destination?
Menagerie, an island populated exclusively by Faunus.
Their purpose?
Well, they're going to find out soon enough.
"So what is this place exactly?" Pietro inquired, standing behind Steve who was piloting the ship.
Since coming here, most of the Avengers figured it would be smart to learn how to operate one of these things considering most knew how to fly the quinjet back home.
"From what I read up, this is a place that is inhabited by Faunus after this world's Great War." Steve informed the speedster, having read up on this island the day prior to their journey here.
"They got an island to themselves?" Pietro's face scrunched up. "That… feels weird, honestly."
"Prejudice still remains against them, it seems." Steve dejectedly revealed, a shake of his head.
Even on another planet of humans, division of such petty differences remains.
It was a bit disheartening really but there wasn't much Steve could do at this time.
"Depending on one's perspective, they were rather jipped with how much of the land is uninhabitable." Wanda commented, having also familiarized herself with the world and some of its history.
She was with Steve the day before when the good captain opted to study up on their destination, wanting to have at least some idea of what they might be getting into.
Suffice it to say, what she learned about the circumstances about this island left a bit of a bad taste in her mouth.
"So…" Pietro frowned in uncertainty. "Should we expect any trouble or…"
"Not unless we cause any." Rogers stated. "Besides, Ozpin sent a message out to the island so they should be expecting us."
Pietro silently nodded, watching from behind the pilot's chair as the isle of Menagerie was soon spotted on the horizon.
It didn't take long for the bullhead to reach the island.
They were contacted by the aerial security of the island, directing them to a landing pad on the eastern section of Menagerie.
Slowly descending the ground, once he felt the bullhead touchdown, Steve stood from his seat, nodding at the twins. A silent conversation of readiness and being prepared for anything that may happen.
The ramp came down, soon having the tropic air hit the vehicle's occupants with them seeing a number of locals awaiting them. Some looked at them with interest whilst others had mistrust and suspicion.
The trio ignored these looks, walking towards the two uniformed Faunus waiting for them at the end.
"Are you from Beacon?" A Faunus with bear-like features and stature inquired, the three Avengers wordlessly pulling out their scrolls to show the confirmation of identification.
Satisfied, he and his partner nodded.
"Welcome to Menagerie."
"Steve Rogers." Cap greets the Faunus guard, offering the man his hand which seemed to slightly surprise him somewhat yet shook his hand all the same.
"We got the message from Ghira that you'd be coming here, courtesy of Beacon."
"Something like that." Steve answered. "It's a bit more… complicated to explain."
The bear guard snorts understandingly. "Of course. If you and your people will follow us, we'll escort you to the Belladonnas."
The Avengers nodded, following after the pair, the small crowd that had gathered dispersing to go about their own business.
In their walk through the town plaza, the three superheroes took in the sights and sounds of Menagerie. The multitude of booths with their products, equipment, shops and all.
Wanda was enamored with a set of trinkets to the side whilst Pietro eyed some of the ladies that passed him by, smiling slightly at kids running around and playing.
Steve noted a lack of guards with only some passing by every now and then.
All in all, a relatively quaint and peaceful town, if not a bit stuffed with how populated this one area is.
The group expected to go to some government building or at least some residence, not what appeared to be a restaurant of all places.
"Uh…" Was Pietro's unspoken question.
"Yes, I know." Spoke the other guard, this one having leopard prints and a tail. "The Belladonna's frequent this place so often that we've started to check this place as much as their own home to find them. I believe Ms. Belladonna should be here. Our leader Ghira is in the middle of some personal matters for the island and his wife will be able to bring you to him once he's all clear."
"If you say so."
They approached the establishment all while hearing some voices coming from within.
"Come on, Doctor~~" Purred a sensual voice from behind the door. "I need a serious checkup. Won't you please~~?"
"Kat, you know I'm not the best at roleplaying." Spoke an amused and flustered voice, one that gave the Avengers pause.
'That voice…' Were Steve's thoughts.
It sounded familiar to the Super Soldier.
"You're incorrigible, you know that? Kali's in the other room."
"Oh please, she doesn't even hear us."
"She can walk right in."
"Then we better do it quick."
The guards who heard all this had their faces flushed in a deep crimson with even Wanda sharing their reaction.
Yet Pietro held a strained look of concentration as he focused on the voice, something Steve copied.
"But Doctor~~" The Feminine voice purred once more. "Your patient neeeeds~~ her fix. Don't you understand what you're doing to her when you neglect her services?"
"Jesus Christ, Kat."
Shaking his head, Cap walked forward, ignoring the less-than-enthusiastic pleas from the guards that maybe they should come back at another time.
Pushing through the doorway, Steve stood and froze in place when seeing a peculiar sight.
Over by the bar was a couple, with a woman sitting on a man's lap.
Though this wasn't any ordinary man.
"B-Bruce… Is that…"
A head whipped around, eyes widening in recognition soon after. An instant later, he shot up from his seat so quickly, the woman nearly fell to the floor with a yelp if she didn't catch herself.
"Steve?" Spoke Bruce Banner in stunned disbelief at who had just walked in.
"Bruce~" The blond woman whined, making the man wince at what he had done, assisting her up from her awkward position, not realizing Steve had gone over to him and was now hugging him.
"It's good to see you again, buddy." Rogers earnestly said, patting Banner on the back. "When we lost ya…"
Though he didn't finish that statement, Bruce felt the relief coming from his friend and old team leader all the same. He smiled with a hint of pain from the memory of leaving his comrades behind back at Sokovia, hugging Rogers back.
"Good to see you too, Cap." He quietly murmured, pulling away from him before seeing the twins. "Wanda? Pietro? You're both here too?"
"Not of our own volition." Wanda said with a slightly strained smile, feeling a bit awkward in being around Bruce. "The Team, well…"
Bruce looked back at Steve. "The others are here?"
Steve shook his head. "Not all of us, just seven. Nat, Rhodey and Viz got left behind."
"Huh." Bruce then scrunched up his face and did some quick mental math. The last he checked the Avengers he was a part of had nine members. Rhodey joined up it seems and if there was another, the only logical solution was probably Sam Wilson AKA the Falcon.
"Wait, seven? We get some new members or did we lose some?"
"Something like a mix of both." Rogers said. "Thor had to leave and the other you'll meet him soon enough."
"Brucy." The blond female next to the scientist reasserted her presence by draping her arms around his shoulders. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"
It was then that the Avengers turned their attention onto the beautiful woman standing beside Bruce, the speedster of the group whistling aloud.
"Damn Banner." Pietro was unable to hide his admiration for the form of the buxom blonde seated next to the scientist. "Well done."
The scientist stammered a little. "Uh, yeah."
The blonde simply smiled seductively, peppering Bruce's cheek with kisses. "I certainly have done well, don't you agree doctor?"
Bruce tried to formulate words but the amused smirk Steve was directing toward him was making it hard to respond. It didn't help that his lover was being so promiscuous in front of his teammates.
"So Bruce," Steve's grin threatened to split his face. "Looks like you've got a story to tell."
-Scene Cut-
It was peaceful.
That was the observation that ran through the mind of the lone cat Faunus seated upon the single rock situated in the center of a forest clearing.
Around her, red leaves drifted by, be it to the ground or floating through the wind blowing between her hair.
The tranquility was juxtaposed with the girl's nervous aura emanating around her. Her heart rate was a tad erratic at times with a pit in her stomach that had settled there since she sat down.
She didn't want to be here.
Not really.
Beautiful and scenic as this place was, she wanted to be anywhere but here.
But she had to be here. She needed to.
For her, this was a make-or-break mission. If she would be able to live with herself. If she could even have a life after today.
"Oh~~ ain't that scenic." Spoke a slightly cheerful voice. "Someone should take a picture. It'll last longer."
The girl atop the rock didn't say anything, instead turning her amber eyes upon the rabbit Faunus approaching her, blue umbrella casually being twirled about by its handle.
"What do you want, Lorina?" The Amber-eyed girl curtly asked.
Lorina Dodson took the snipped and dismissive tone in stride, casually strolling up to the Faunus on the rock.
"Is it such an action warranting interrogation to see how a friend is doing, Blake?" Dodson cheekily asked, getting an annoyed look from the cat Faunus.
"Just leave me alone, Lorina." Blake Belladonna said irritably. "I need to focus."
The rabbit-eared Faunus rolled her eyes. "On what, Blakey? A train robbery? You do know they aren't all that cracked up to be right?"
"This is one coming from Atlas." Blake retorted. "You know it's gonna have security."
Dodson waved off such concerns. "Nothing we can't handle. Just a couple of toys and turrets we can take out easily."
"And if there are people on it?" Belladonna rhetorically asked, eyes narrowing.
Lorina gave her an odd look in response, one of scrutiny.
"What's with you?" She found herself asking.
Blake silently stared at Dodson with a slightly intense look before silently turning away.
"Ok, that's not really an answer, Blake." Was Lorina's flat response.
She didn't get a chance to hear Belladonna's retort as another figure came into the clearing.
The rabbit Faunus glanced over to the newcomer. "Adam."
Adam Taurus regarded his two partners for the upcoming mission for a few seconds until-
"Blake, Lorina, it's time."
The cat-Faunus turned and regarded Adam. "Okay."
Lorina grinned, twirling her umbrella once more before grasping the handle tightly.
"Let's do this."
Wordlessly, the trio of Faunus dash through the crimson forest, leaves kicking up in the wake of their sprint. They continued their run through the forest until coming across a cliffside overlooking train tracks below.
"This it?" Blake quietly asked, seeing Adam nod out of the corner of her eye.
"This is the place." Adam turned his head towards the direction where the train was supposed to be coming from.
*WHOO* *WHOO*
Right on schedule.
Adam smirked and he jumped, the two girls following after him. They slid down the cliffside until propelling themselves by jumping onto the train, landing atop one of the carts.
"As far as we know, the guards will only be Atlas toys. The humans fear the White Fang too much to face us." Adam quickly informed his partners. "We go in, make quick work of whatever security they have and get out with everything they have here."
Before he took another step, he turned to point at Lorina.
"None of that White Rabbit garbage." He dryly ordered.
"Excuse me?!" Dodson's response was one of faux offense. "I'm the White Rabbit and I have a reputation to uphold."
"A white rabbit tramp stamp on a robbed train ain't much of a reputation." Blake deadpanned.
Said White Rabbit turned to the cat Faunus only to pause, noticing a slight tremble in her hand.
"Don't tell me you're getting jitters already." Said Lorina.
"Do you think I'm the type to scare easily?" Was Blake's response.
"I'm very aware of your bravery, miss Belladonna." Dodson mockingly retorted.
"Stow it." Adam ordered, cutting open a hatch on the train cart they stood on. "Let's move."
They jumped into the train cart, finding nothing but crates stashed with Dust, military equipment and all sorts of other technological and basic resources.
"Woo-wee." Lorina whistled. "We've hit the jackpot, haven't we?"
Blake was inspecting the crates, having opened one up to reveal gizmos and gadgets she couldn't begin to make sense of.
"What is all this?" She questioned, glancing over to Adam. "This doesn't look like your run-of-the-mill Atlas Tech."
Adam frowned, walking up to look down at the machinery Blake had opened up, tilting his head as he analyzed it.
"Nothing I've seen before, that's for certain."
Lorina only grinned in response, throwing her arms out wide.
"Looks like the whole cargo train is ours for the taking." Her mood then became deadly serious, eyes shifting about. "Which is too easy. Where the heck is security?"
Adam silently agreed, looking around the cart they stood in. Only crates seem to occupy the space with no sign of drones or turrets to defend the cargo.
What was this?
Being cautious, Taurus quickly inspected several areas that may have hidden defensive measures behind the crates but found nothing. Rather than set him at ease, Adam became far tenser as he was beginning to get a gut feeling that all was not as easy as it appeared to be.
"Come on." Adam spoke up. "We're checking the whole train."
Blake found herself hesitating at the idea. Though she kept this feeling to herself, walking after Lorina and Adam into the next cart over.
They walked into a darkened area only for red outlines to appear, all turning in the direction of the three intruders.
"There we go." Lorina remarked, getting into a stance, gripping her umbrella tightly.
"Looks like we're gonna do this the hard way." Adam stated hand on his sword's hilt.
Blake was unable to hide a moment of amusement at her leaders' words. "Don't be so dramatic."
One of the Atlas drones pointed their machine gun hands at Taurus, its red face plate flashing several times.
"Intruder, identify yourself."
Neither of them answered verbally, only moving soon after. As a result, the drones opened fire.
In response, Adam shot out his sword like a shotgun, the hilt smacking the closest drone in the head, cracking the faceplate. With a burst of speed, petals in his wake, Adam grabbed his sword out of the air. Grasping it in a backhand grip, he performed an arching swipe that had him angled facing away from the drone he just cut in half.
That single motion was the trigger needed for the fight to ensue.
Blake began zipping around, leaving illusionary clones of herself whilst slashing and cleaving through the drones.
Lorina jumped from the ceiling to the wall in an extraordinary burst of speed, launching herself down to perform an ax kick that knocked the head off a drone.
Adam had already advanced, slicing multiple drones to ribbons by now.
The trio was cleaving through the drones rather quickly and effectively as possible. Each was taking care of their opposition as they kept progressing onward.
Entering the next car, they saw it was filled with more dust crates.
"Perfect." Said Adam, inspecting the contents of one of the crates. "Move up to the next car. I'll set the charges and run this train into the ravine."
This soon got Blake to bring up an argument. "It isn't on autopilot. There are human workers riding, too."
"Just humans." The White Fang Lieutenant dismissed. "They aren't Faunus like us."
Blake was down casted, but Adam didn't focus on that.
"Right…" She quietly murmured.
Though she didn't comment on the action, Lorina found herself frowning uncomfortably at what Adam quietly stated just now.
How he was willing to let innocent people die simply off the basis of them being human and not Faunus.
Regardless, she shook it off. She was paid to do her job, not let her morals come into play.
Things were running smoothly so far in their operation.
But not everything could be smooth for long.
Adam felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and at the last second spun around to hastily deflect a projectile that bounced off his sword.
A moment later, a small explosion came from whatever hit his sword and he was sent flying back with Blake and Lorina getting caught in the small shockwave.
The White Fang lieutenant grunted as he forced himself to his feet.
"What the hell was that?" Lorina grumbled, feeling her ears ring.
Adam merely looked onward, glaring soon after as he soon saw someone else was in the train cart with them.
"Appears the Schnee Company has decided to hire a Huntsman for once." He snidely said, getting ready for a more difficult fight.
"We ain't from the Schnee Company." The man with the bow and arrow casually stated.
Blake's ears twitched. "We-GYAH!"
From behind, several white ropes ensnared her and she toppled over.
"Got 'em!" Said a youthful voice, making Lorina and Adam turn to see someone in a red and blue skin-tight suit with white lenses.
The bull Faunus grit his teeth, not expecting to deal with two Huntsmen. Having taken a look at the two, he found them a bit… unusual.
The one with the bow and arrow looked like a typical Huntsman but had a streamlined if not militant look about him. But the brightly colored red and blue huntsman behind him was bizarre, to say the least.
He had seen many Huntsmen and Huntresses in colorful outfits but this was certainly out there from Adam's perspective.
They got the drop on them and the one with the bow had said we. There could be possibly more than just the two of them right now.
Shaking his head, Adam refocused on the mission.
They had already come this far and failure was out of the question. He refused to leave empty-handed, strike a blow or at the very least, take down some more bastard humans.
With a quick draw of his sword, the "rope" around Blake was cut but not entirely.
"Aw come on, that's a new formula." The one in red and blue childishly whined.
Though she was not entirely free from the "rope", Blake had enough mobility now to use her own bladed weapon to cut herself free and stand back-to-back with Lorina and Adam.
She was tense and nervous, looking at the oddly clad Huntsmen in front of her.
'Are… are these the ones?' She thought to herself, momentarily looking back at the archer who caught her gaze.
She didn't understand what that look he just gave her was but it seemed like a kind of… recognition? Reminiscence?
What was that look?
"If you really think that the two of you can take us out, you're sorely mistaken." Adam challenged, pointing his sword in the marksman's direction.
Said marksman rolled his eyes.
"Spidey, handle bullrush here, I'll take the other two."
"Yes sir, Mr. Barton."
In the blink of an eye, Clint Barton fired another arrow.
Adam sliced it in half yet the tip went off, a thick mist shrouding the Faunus.
"WAH!/YAH!" Came the dual cries of the two girls in the mist, alarming their leader.
"Blake! Lorina!" Adam cried out in vain, using several swipes of his swords, conjuring up small gusts to dispel the fog around him.
The two were gone, his ears picking up clashes up ahead. He spotted from the doorway where the archer was that he somehow dragged them both out onto the next cart, this one being an open platform for them to fight on.
Just as he was about to rush forward to assist them, something latched onto his back.
"Sorry El Toro, I'm your opponent." Spider-man called out, pulling him back.
Surprised by the strength, Adam found himself flying back to the webhead.
Had it not been for his years of training, he would have gotten a kick to the face. Using his reflexes and weapons, he managed to slam his sword on the ground and adjusted himself to fly headfirst at the young hero.
Seeing this, Spider-man flipped right over the Faunus, landing and throwing his arms up dramatically.
"Olay!"
Adam landed on the ground, jumping forward in a burst of speed.
Once more, Spider-man dodged the man, attaching himself to the cart ceiling. Adam didn't relent in his attack, expertly swinging his sword in an attempt to cut the webhead to ribbons. The Queens native weaved and swerved around the swings and thrusts over and over. When an opening was present, Spidey went in and delivered an array of punches and kicks, which Adam blocked and parried with his own.
They eventually got atop the train cart, the two facing each other down.
Not wanting to give this new foe any breathing room, Adam charged at the brightly colored hero. Spidey once again flipped over his opponent. This time, however, he used the Faunas as a springboard, which made Adam nearly stumble to the ground.
Taurus grit his teeth, hearing a cheer from the red and blue-clad Huntsman.
He turned around and though his mask obscured his face, Adam felt like the man had a teasing grin hidden beneath it.
"Is this a game to you?" Adam snarled, standing back to his full height, flicking his sword slightly.
"Is raiding a train a game one for you?" Spidey retorted.
Adam said nothing in response, instead zeroing in on the emblem his enemy beheld on his chest.
"A spider?" Taurus murmured aloud, making Peter glance down at his chest. "Are you one of Lil Miss Malachite's people?"
"Huh?"
"Malachite." Adam emphatically stated. "Or… are you… a Faunus?"
"Faunus?"
"Where do your allegiances lie?"
Peter's white lenses blinked for a moment.
"Oh." Spider-man rubbed the back of his head. "No to both of those things. I'm an Avenger."
"Avenger?" Adam parroted, clearly unfamiliar with the name.
"My team. Though not one who gets club jackets like you guys." Peter said with a shrug. "Or masks. Or tattoos."
The Bull Faunus' brow twitched at the incessant chatter from this young hero.
"Must you prattle on unnecessarily?" Adam rhetorically asked.
"Must you query these actions so Shakespeareanally?" Parker shot back, hand up to his chin. "That last one might not be a word."
Adam rolled his eyes, dashing forward, eliciting a small yelp of surprise from Spider-man.
Tilting his body back in an angle akin to a matrix dodge from the horizontal sword swing Taurus tried at him. He then dropped and rolled to avoid an overhead slash, running alongside the train to dodge several more attacks.
Jumping back to the train car top, Peter raised his arm up to grab Adam's wrist from stabbing him with his sword.
Taurus then let go of his sword but found himself thrown off by the inhale and 'Ooooh~' that came from Spider-man.
"Whoaaa~ that was sick, dude." Peter complimented. "Straight out of a movie."
Having been so caught off guard by the proclamation, he failed to anticipate the spinning upward kick to his face that sent him flying back.
Once more, Adam was caught off guard by the strength behind such an unassuming and brightly colored costumed hero. Rubbing his jaw, Adam noticed a brief flash coming over his body, making him tense up momentarily.
That was his aura just now.
It hadn't burst but still, that kick held a lot more power than anticipated.
As a matter of fact, he had a gut feeling that the kick he just got wasn't even the Avengers' strongest.
Yet the tense atmosphere was soon cut by the teen's apparent incessant need to chatter on.
"So uh, what's with the mask doohickey getup?" Spidey asked, gesturing to his eyes. "That like a tech thing or fashion statement? Does the name El Toro Fuerte mean anything to you? Do you ever take off that mask? If so, do you have sensitive eyes? And if not, have you considered being a luchador or Matador? Oh, wait, what is your name or moniker anyways? Don't tell me it's Red Bull, cause I bet you'd violate a copyright infringement from-"
"BY THE GODS!" Adam roared. "Do you ever SHUT UP!"
"In my sleep. Though I think my aunt told me I mumble-"
"Then let's test that theory, making you sleep for good!"
"Ok, I haven't been at this for that long but even I could say, what you just said was so gener-WHOA!"
Adam was already attacking with Spider-man dodging his attacks like before.
As these two fought on, Hawkeye battled against Lorina and Blake alone.
Or so they had assumed.
Upon having been pulled away from their leader, both ladies prepared to fight against the archer when the White Rabbit was nearly knocked off the train.
The speedy Faunus rolled into a kneeling position, looking wildly around until her ears picked up on something flying above.
Looking up, she saw something that made her give pause. "Who the-"
"Sorry lady, but you're not getting out of here so easily like that."
Lorina looked at the flying man above her with an incredulous look.
"And who the hell are you supposed to be?" Lorina asked with a slight sneer. "Birdman?"
"Birdman" laughed at the nickname, calling forth his miniature machine guns which were pointed right at her.
"Sam Wilson." He introduced himself. "But call me Falcon. After all, judgin' by those ears of yours, you should already know this little-known fact. Falcon's hunt rabbits."
"I don't plan on being snared by the likes of you."
"Well your plans aren't exactly going along swimmingly right now, are they?" Wilson cheekily shot back.
"A minor setback." Lorina said, thrusting her umbrella out to her side, the accessory snapping into the shape of a crossbow.
Sam rolled his eyes at hearing that. "Minor, she says. Generic and unoriginal."
The airborne Avenger then opens fire upon her, prompting her to dash away. He trailed after her but began noticing something popping up in the path of her run.
What he thought was some kind of illusion proved to be false as multiple Lorina's now populated the flat, open platform cart.
"Ah shit." Falcon murmured, realizing the enemy he was facing.
Sam wasn't the only one, however, facing a foe that leaves clones in her wake.
Blake appeared to be moving around Clint with the greatest of ease, the man appearing to be unable to keep up with her illusionary afterimages.
However the second he pulled an arrow back and pointed it behind him, she realized too late that she didn't have him fooled for a second.
The arrow was already released and before was able to swat it aside, it burst into a bolas that ensnared her legs and one arm.
Gritting her teeth, she quickly freed herself with her free arm, landing on the ground in time to see Hawkeye running at her. His bow transformed into a bo-staff and was reared back.
In response, she clashed her blade with his bo staff and unexpectedly, she found herself getting pulled in close, surprising her.
She was even more thrown off by the hyperintense eyes that met hers, Blake jolting back from it.
"It's you, isn't it." He quietly said.
"Wha-"
"You're the one who sent that tip off." Clint Barton surmised, eyes not leaving hers. "You want out of the White Fang."
Blake's eyes widened considerably, her breath being caught in her throat briefly. "I… h-how-"
"These eyes aren't just meant for picking out targets." Hawkeye answered her unfinished question. "Besides, this ain't my first time in this kind of tango."
The Cat Faunus found herself breathing heavily now.
"You don't want to do this." Barton's voice was softer now. "I know that look anywhere. You want to believe in what you're fighting for but this isn't it, ain't it?"
Belladonna's face became crestfallen, eyes glazed over.
"No." She softly said. "I want to take the path I want, not what others desire. I want to fight for my people but not like this. Never like this."
Clint gave her a genuine smile that threw her off. "The first step to redemption is always the hardest. So if we're gonna pull this off, take the fall and make it convincing."
Before she could say anything, Clint quickly pulled out an arrow from his quiver and held the arrowhead next to her face. A plumb of gas went out, causing her to black out soon after.
"Or I distract you long enough to do that." Clint said, preventing her from falling to the ground, gently hefting her over his shoulder.
As this conversation went on, Lorina battled against the Falcon, proving to be a tricky opponent to pin down.
The flying Avenger was on the defensive for the most part as the White Rabbit was jumping around, making her difficult to pin down.
Added to this was the fact that she kept leaving afterimages upon every jump. And they didn't disappear or stay stationary as Blake's did, they had a level of agency to them that Sam found out the hard way when several of them damn near kicked one of his wings off.
But in that instance, Sam noticed something.
Of the four Lorina's that attacked him, three went hazy whilst one remained clear.
Eyes narrowed, an idea came to mind that was a bit of a gamble.
Launching redwing, Falcon dive-bombed as Dodson fired a torrent of fiery bullets from the tip of her crossbow umbrella.
"Whoa, ok, so what, are you a fan of the Penguin now?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Other comic book universes." Sam waved off, firing his SMGs at her but the one he fired at proved to be an afterimage.
Looking around, he spotted seven surrounding him, all pointing their umbrellas at him.
Though it seemed as though she surrounded him, what the White Rabbit failed to notice was the additional drone flying from above, monitoring the seven clones.
It made quick scans of each of the clones and spotted the one that stood out in the group.
The one that had a heartbeat.
Redwing sent this discovery to Sam's tech goggles and the man grinned slightly.
Whipping around to his left, he fired at the Faunus who was very much surprised at how he was able to deduce she was the real one.
Still, she managed to jump away in time but again, failed to account for Redwing in the sky.
Both it and its owner shot several missiles in her direction and rather than trying to hit her dead on, blew up in a large cluster around her, preventing her from creating an afterimage to dodge the oncoming projectiles.
She flailed through the air, the explosions actually getting through her aura.
Thankfully for her, Adam appeared, catching her in midair and the two dropped onto the open platform of the train cart Lorina was fighting on.
"Hey Toro, where'd ya up and run off to?" Came the taunting voice of Spider-man.
Lorina saw that they were surrounded and looked at Adam.
"We need to get out of here." Said the White Rabbit.
The White Fang operative gritted his teeth, reluctantly agreeing with the decision.
"Blake. Time to go." Called out Adam, getting no response. "Blake!" He yelled again, looking around to find her when he stopped cold.
The archer of the group had Blake's unconscious form slung over his shoulder.
"Blake!" He yelled, ready to jump for her when Lorina stopped him.
"We're outmatched and outnumbered." Dodson said through her teeth.
Adam hated that she was right. He was confident in his skills, no question, but these were new adversaries, enemies he had never faced before. Enemies he didn't fully understand how to fight just yet.
They were clearly not prepared for this. If they were, they'd have more people brought along.
As it were now, this was a lost battle.
They needed to retreat.
With one final burst of speed, Lorina and Adam jumped from the train into the nearby forest.
Spider-man and Sam wanted to pursue but Clint stopped them.
"We finished what was needed." Barton stated. "Nothing was stolen."
"As far as we know. They might've taken some dust." Sam argued.
"I can check on that." Peter declared, looking down at his chest. There was a small hiss that came from his emblem and out jumped a small spider drone. "Hey little guy, make a quick scan of the train."
"Good idea." Sam nodded approvingly, looking up at his drone that was still airborne. "Redwing, if you would join him."
The two animal-themed drones went about scanning the train whilst Clint gently set the unconscious Faunus girl down.
Sam and Peter stood over her whilst Clint checked her over, seeing if she had anything on her when he found her scroll.
"So this girl is our prisoner, huh." Sam surmised.
"Not really." Clint shook his head.
"Then what?"
"A defector."
"Defector?" Spider-man tilted his head. "Why is a defector knocked out?"
"Needed to make it convincing that she was taken."
Elsewhere, Adam and Lorina had gotten far enough away from the train and met with other White Fang members at a camp that was a rendezvous point.
Several members immediately surrounded them, helping their leader and their paid mercenary to some nearby tent for any injuries.
"We saw what happened, sir." One of the Fang members spoke to Adam. "Had to turn around and-"
"Enough. We need to pack up and get out of here."
"Should we go after them and get back Blake?"
Adam's fist clenched up tightly, teeth gnashing together with rage and remorse. He silently shook his head, the White Fang helping him to the tent grimly nodding.
Lorina huffed, waving off the help, turning back in the direction of the train, spotting the vehicle drive off towards its intended destination.
She glared at it, eyes narrowed as she managed to spot the fleeting image of a man flying over it in the distance.
'Sam Wilson, huh?' Dodson internally mused. 'I'll get you back. You have my word on that.'
-Scene Cut-
'Where the hell are you this time?'
Hunting down people is a rather tedious chore for him.
Don't get him wrong, he can get the task done easily if he knows a person; in a sense. Research, investigations, effort. All done by his blood, sweat and tears.
It's a reason why he's good at his job, among other factors.
Yet there are moments Qrow really hates hunting certain individuals.
Remnant is a big world with a lot of ground to cover. No one cannot disappear off of its surface unless they truly work hard in doing so or get killed by Grimm.
When he knows a certain person to a certain degree, Qrow can be able to sniff them out through their usual haunts, most traveled routes and general areas they've often been spotted at.
Such a case is rather difficult when it pertains to his sister, Raven.
If he can hear any news of bandit sightings or raids, then Qrow can more or less know where she's presently at. After all, Raven Branwen is dubbed the Bandit Queen.
Now this factor can be considered a no brainer for anyone out there. Track down the bandits and that's where you'd find Raven.
That's where they'd be wrong.
With her Semblance -Kindred Link- she can make portals to just about anywhere in the world as long as she has a strong emotional connection to certain individuals.
She originally can make said portals with just her hands, but she had to be a showoff and pull it off with any bladed weapon for her preferred tastes.
Though there is a hiccup -a flaw- with her semblance, but that's a discussion for another time.
Right now, he just needed to find his elusive sibling, wherever she might be.
He was flying over this village in the more open frontier of Vale, not too far from the city. She sent him a missive earlier asking that she meet up with him to discuss whatever it is she wanted to talk about.
Much as he wanted to reject her, Qrow wasn't so petty or foolhardy as to blow off a meeting with his sister. Annoying as she may be with her attitude.
He'd rather sever ties with her, given their relationship, but circumstances made that hard.
Loathe as he was to admit it, Raven kept him updated on a great many deal of things such as the lawless parts of Vale and Remnant as a whole.
Though the tribe of which they come from was small their reach was far.
They had agents, allies and small degrees of influence across the four kingdoms which has led to their enduring survival after all these years.
Not something he's proud of frankly.
That tribe is composed of nothing but the worst of Remnant. And the fact that it's his name that leads them makes it worse.
Shaking his head in an effort to dispel the growing negative thoughts, Qrow resumed his search for his sister again.
Presently in his avian form, he soared through the skies of the umpteenth town he searched this day. This was his quickest form of transportation, letting him go nearly everywhere inconspicuously.
Out of the corner of his eye, Qrow spotted a full set of black hair from a window he flew by.
For some, it might have been anyone else, but for the flying crow, he could recognize his sister's hair in a crowd. Despite where she lives, Raven always did keep it up to a certain standard.
Something her daughter inherited.
Turning back around, he glided to get another look to be sure he found his target. The wind today made him go a little faster, making him zoom past the window of some hotel. He didn't get much from the crossing, but he was able to get confirmation it was her with both her black hair and red eyes.
Though the room was darkened, he knew it to be her.
Going for one final turn, Qrow went in and was ready to make a "spectacular" entrance. A surprise method of his in catching people off guard when crashing through a window.
The crow flew at full velocity, rocketing towards the window until his eyes saw something else.
Something he wished to every god of Remnant possible that the image could be burned out of his mind and eyes.
Qrow squawked out of utter surprise, crashing into the window. His avian form leaves a dusty imprint on the glassy surface before skidding down and plopping off.
"What was that?" Asked a gruff, bewildered male voice.
"No clue." Raven answered.
"Wanna check?"
Red eyes rolled over slightly, giving him a look that said otherwise before their owner resumed her previous activity.
One may ask what it was. Well…
"C'mon, keep on fucking me."
"Heh, you asked for it."
"NOOOOO!"
Raven Branwen froze upon hearing that voice, a cold chill going down her back as she recognized just who it was that crashed into the window.
It burst open and perched upon the windowsill was a man burning with embarrassment and rage.
In the hotel room, Qrow bore a face with twitching eyes as he saw his sister in a reverse cowgirl position on an all too familiar man, who had his hands firmly on her ass and hips whilst partially lying on the bed. Both were naked, sweaty and panting from gods knows how long of their fuckfest.
"Dexter." Qrow growled out, eyes comically rageful and teeth morphing into jagged canines. "Would you kindly-"
"Dexter" sighed, hanging his head as he pried Raven off of him, grabbed a blanket and threw it around the two, covering them. "There goes the mood."
A few minutes later, Raven and Dexter sat in front of Qrow who had bandages over his eyes that were damp with alcohol and his blood.
Whilst the former was normally one who was in control of her composure, she was unable to hide the crimson face she held whilst the man next to her did everything he could to avoid looking at her brother. After having seen them… in action, the man grabbed the nearest bottle of alcohol in the room, went into the bathroom and began rinsing his eyes out, hoping to burn away or at least clean the memory out of his eyes.
They got dressed quickly and seated themselves in front of the seemingly dead Branwen who slowly removed his bandages from his eyes. He gave his sister a dead look, Raven coughing into her hand whilst looking down.
The silence was awkward as it was deafening, neither party wanting to speak until-
"So… this is what you've been doing instead of being a mother and bandit queen?" Qrow blankly looked over to Dexter now. "And how long has this been going?"
It was oddly weird he had to be the reasonable adult in the room. Well, more so now than before.
"...A while." His sister quietly answered, coming out in a squeak.
Qrow's piercing eyes turned to her, making her squirm. The blood around them sure as hell made him look miserably frightening. "And how long is 'a while'?"
The only extremely rare instance of a flustered Raven.
"Don't get me wrong, it could be... nice to have more nieces... or at least a nephew... as long as they ain't raised by Raven of all people." Qrow said, regarding the man seated next to his sister.
Upon hearing that, any mortification she felt faded, red eyes narrowing whose owner hissed. "I'm still here, Qrow. Don't say it as if I'm not here."
"I know." Qrow drably said.
"There aren't gonna be any children." She spat out.
"That's what you said before Yang." Came the retort. "Tell me, you get your tubes tied or snipped? Or has menopause finally kicked in?"
"QROW!" Raven felt her rage explode from hearing that.
"It's a legitimate question." Her brother was nonplussed from her explosive shout.
Dex decided to contribute to the conversation, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "Don't know... been doing this for a while. Maybe it's just the timing."
"DEX!"
"...Yeah like her ovaries are saying "yeah, let's not have any more brats to pop out."
A black and red aura began emanating from Raven, her eyes shifting into sharp edged shapes, turning crimson red and her face blackening. "I can kill you both right now if I want to."
Her threat was ignored.
"Or is it just that you're shooting blanks... or sterile? Not judging on that, Dex, it's perfectly natural if it was." Qrow sated, hands up in an "understanding" fashion. "Then I'll say both that I'm sorry and you really lucked out in not popping a kid from this bitch."
Dex dragged a hand over his face, the other running through his silver hair. "God dammit Qrow."
Qrow then shot a glare at his sister, having seen her twitch at the name he had given her. "With how you are and your track record, I have the right to call you that."
"If this is about Yang-"
"It's always going to be about family and you know it." Qrow snapped at her, a different kind of fury coming over him. "I don't care about your reasoning and I never will, so give up on trying to say otherwise."
Now the air was tense, the two siblings glaring at each other with Dexter Dexios caught in the middle. The man's crystal blue eyes shifted back and forth between the siblings, unsure as to what he could say to dissuade the situation.
His shoulders slumped slightly, having grown accustomed to such scenes after having seen it so many times before.
Trying to steer things into a more cordial air, Dex spoke up.
"Why are you here, Qrow?" He asked as politely as could. "Is there something wrong?"
"Oh, I would remember the reason if it weren't for the image of you two fucking seared into my brain." Qrow withdrew his flask from his pocket and opened it up. He sought to drink its contents, only to find it empty; much to his dismay. "Gonna need a lot of booze to bleach that out."
"Qrow, focus."
"I'm trying and failing." He shot back, standing up from his seat to sift around the room they were in.
Since it was a hotel room, he figured there should be some alcohol leftover since he already used a bottle to burn his eyes out.
Oh and it reeked of dirty sex. Gods, he felt bad for the cleaning staff. And he doesn't know what will happen if he whipped out a black light in here.
"Qrow." Dex spoke again, the man raising his hand in response.
"Hang on a sec, dammit." The male Branwen grumbled. "I need a stiff drink."
He finally found some hard liquor, looking upon it as if it were his savior and proceeded to chug half its contents down in one fell swoop.
"Oh God." Qrow released a satisfied sigh. "Thank fuck for that." He shook his head. "Alright you assholes, what's the word on the Grimm on your end."
Raven and Dex gave him a bewildered look, sharing a glance before turning back to Qrow.
"What the hell?" Raven was very much annoyed right now. "That's it? That's why you wanted to meet up?"
"I wanted to meet with Dex honestly till he told me he met up with you and you're both staying in the same village." The brother shook his head in a failing attempt to banish the thoughts of what he just saw minutes ago. "Look, I need to know what's going on in the Frontier with the Grimm and all."
"Why is it so important.?" Dexter questioned, now leaning on the table.
"Cause there has been some recent developments on our end regarding Salem." He noticed the two tensed up briefly. "Yeah, she's making moves."
He then surprised the two with a cocky smirk. "And we know a lot more than anticipated."
"What happened?" Raven asked, eyes narrowing again as Qrow appeared candid in answering.
"Let's just say recently, we've got some new "friends" that may tip the scales in our favor against Salem."
-Scene Cut-
All while one awkward situation and meeting was transpiring, another on the island of Menagerie was occurring with another couple that had been caught in a… situation.
Bruce Banner sat in a booth with his head ducked low, avoiding the highly amused grin Captain America was directing towards him.
On one side was Kali Belladonna, the wife of Ghira Belladonna, observing all this with a highly amused yet curious expression. She kept looking down at the human she had come to call a friend in these last few months, looking like an embarrassed child would if getting caught in a humiliating act by their family members.
In front of him were three uniquely garbed humans that appeared to know Dr. Banner quite well given their reactions upon seeing him.
To Bruce's other side, refusing to have left him alone, was Kat who kept her arms draped around his shoulders and voluptuous body pressed up against him.
Behind Captain Rogers were the Maximoff twins who were watching in a mixture of amusement and slight mortification.
Pietro had his arms crossed, one hand raised for him to bite his thumb as a grin threatened to split his face in half.
His sister Wanda was bemused to say the least but was somewhat thrown off and a bit flustered with how affectionate the blond was being to her former thrall.
Finally, after a prolonged silence, Steve broke it with a simple question. "So~" He coyly began, unable to hide his enjoyment of Bruce squirming. "How did this happen?"
"Would you like the long or short version?" Bruce murmured.
Kat proceeded to breathe on his ear, sending a shiver down his spine. "I'd prefer the loooong one. Just the two of us."
"Kat, not the time."
"Hmmm, why not the long story, Bruce?" Kali slyly said. "We can give you two a moment alone to get the story straight and not miss any details."
The scientist groaned aloud, head falling in his hands. "Not helping, Kali."
Steve cleared his throat, garnering their attention as he shot his friend a sympathetic smile.
"Bruce, I hope you understand how lucky you are right now that we were the ones to find you and not Tony." Rogers knowingly said, getting the desired, hilarious reaction.
"Oh God, please don't tell me he's here."
"Oh yes he is." Pietro answered, grinning madly now. "And as soon as he hears about this-"
"Expect a visit this week. Or even within the day." Wanda finished for her brother, knowing all too well how Stark would react to knowing one of his best friends was here, found alive and well.
"He might give you pointers." The speedster tacked on.
Bruce wanted to bury himself, curl up in a ball and die.
"Oh~~ More ways to make our nights fun?" Kat said, trailing her lips across his neck. "Please, do invite him."
"Jesus Christ, how the hell did you land her?" Pietro couldn't help but ask.
"I landed him." Kat sensually said, though her bright smile was genuine, leaning her cheek on Bruce's, the man smiling earnestly in return. "Right on top of him."
"Jesus H." Pietro muttered at how open this woman was. "Now we know who wears the pants in the relationship."
"Or none at all." The blond coyly said, a sensual, mischievous grin for all to see.
Wanda cleared her throat, her face became as scarlet as her clothing. She unfortunately had a mental image of Kat and Bruce appear in her mind and… the image was projected quite vividly, courtesy of the former's clear desire.
She never met anyone as promiscuous as this woman before her and her intentions were so clear, she didn't really need to use her telepathy to pick up on her thoughts.
"Can… can we just…" Wanda's voice came out like a mouse, Steve glancing back at her, bewildered by her change in expression but nodded all the same.
"All joking aside, how are you here?" Bruce finally asked. "How did you guys even get here?"
The question that went unspoken was picked up by his fellow Avengers, the trio all showing different reactions.
Frustration, confusion and an assortment of synonyms related to the prior two words.
"That's really complicated." Steve answered. "And it has to do with HYDRA and what could be a one in a billion fluke or accident. We're still trying to figure out how what happened to us made us wind up where we are."
"And how did you wind up here?" The fastest Avenger asked. "Last time anyone knew where you were flying away from Sokovia."
"That's also weird and complicated, mostly with the big guy having the controls at the time." Bruce plainly said with a shrug. "But when did you guys get here?"
"Not too long ago, really." Steve earnestly said. "Several weeks by now, probably more. Haven't really checked honestly."
"And finding me?"
"Stark." Wanda plainly said. "He launched a satellite recently and-"
"If it's his tech, must've picked up on the Quinjet's signature." Bruce immediately surmised, hand rubbing over his chin.
"Satellite?" Kali spoke up, a clear face of confusion. "What's a satellite?"
"Think of it as another form of the CCT towers." Bruce elaborated. "But instead of it being grounded on Remnant, it's a device that orbits around the planet and allows for intercontinental communications without the need for the CCT to a degree. We can transmit messages, videos and all to any scroll or screen at any point on Remnant."
Kali's eyes widened upon hearing this, not fully understanding what it was that he was talking about but grasping enough of what he was inferring.
"What… what does that mean?" Kali quietly asked.
"Things are about to change a great deal in the next few months if Tony Stark is here." Came Bruce's answer, a fond look coming over him. "Where is Tony, anyway?"
"Atlas." Steve answered. "But soon as we tell him you're here, he's making a beeline for Menagerie."
Bruce only hummed, his smile widening at the thought of seeing his friend after all this time. Even if it was a few months, to him, with everything he's done since coming to this world, it has certainly felt longer.
"Who else is here? You mentioned seven."
"Well you know the three of us and Tony. Sam's also here with Clint and our newest recruit after these two." Steve answered, thumbing to the twins behind him. "His name is Peter Parker, calls himself Spider-Man. Real smart kid, I think you'll like him a lot."
"Natasha, Viz and Rhodey were left behind." Wanda spoke up. "We haven't been able to make contact with them yet."
Bruce's shoulders slumped slightly but his mood remained high nonetheless. He knew what the Hulk was doing at the end of the Battle of Sokovia and he himself internally agreed and nudged him to do so.
After what happened during his rampage in South Africa, despite being protected by his team, Banner knew that they could only hold back the world government for so long. He may be a hero, an Avenger, he can't keep such consequences from the team.
Bruce cared not for what would happen to him. His life had strengthened him through such trials. But he would not allow his actions to be the point that would bring the Avengers down.
So he and Hulk removed themselves from the equation.
But seeing his comrades here before him, he was unable to hide the relief and joy in seeing them once more.
"And~ he's on his way." Steve's voice broke Bruce out of his thoughts, making the genius blink in the direction of Cap.
"Pardon?"
Rogers held up his scroll for him to see and Dr. Banner spotted the word Stark atop the screen and one single message Steve had sent to him.
Bruce is here.
The Gamma radiation specialist could only give an exasperated sigh of amusement.
"Better to rip the band aid off now than later." Pietro spoke on behalf of the good captain.
"How long do you think it will take for him to get here?"
"Wait, wait." Kali spoke up, waving her arms in front of herself. "To get here? This friend of yours is on his way here now?"
"Yes, at this very moment, really." Wanda answered.
"How?" The Belladonna asked in bewilderment.
"You'll see." Wanda enigmatically said, a wry grin on her face. "I'd say he'll be here in a few hours."
"Ooh~" Kat nuzzled. "More of a chance to show you off to your friends, eh?"
And in an instant, Bruce's expression fell, dreading the near relentless comments that are now flying towards the island of Menagerie at this very second.
Wanda only sighed aloud, already hearing the prattle and chatter that was on its way at this moment.
Still, awkward and unfortunate as their initial meetings were this year, it was good to see the Doctor was alive and well. Looking at him in such an amusing position of this blonde woman fawning over him was certainly not what she expected to find on the island.
Yet in seeing the man again, a feeling of guilt welled up within her gut.
And though he hid it far better than she, Wanda felt the same feeling from her twin with his eyes on Bruce who was now getting into a small explanation of how Kat found him and took him in to recover.
They were Avengers, yes, and as time has gone one they've embraced their roles as being a part of Earth's and now Remnants Mightiest Heroes. But the sins and actions of their past weighed heavily on them.
Despite how short of a time it was, they contributed to the near extinction of humanity back on their world all due to a childhood, somewhat misplaced grudge on one of the Avengers. In doing so, Wanda released the Hulk on a rampage, hurting and killing many innocent civilians.
She found a sick pleasure in watching the Hulk be viewed as the villain he should be but she was unable to hide her own disgust at her actions upon seeing the news of the devastation. At that time, she quelled such feelings but upon realizing Ultron's true intentions, all of her actions came rushing into her like a flood from a broken dam.
Shaking her head, Wanda internally swore to herself she would do whatever is needed to redeem herself in Bruce's eyes. To her, joining the Avengers was only the first step. There was still a great deal more that she had to do but Wanda and Pietro would put themselves through it to make it right.
For themselves, their parents, their new friends and teammates and to atone for their mistakes.
-Scene Cut-
Clint sat to the side, arms crossed and slouched in a comfortable position with his eyes on the unconscious teen Faunus on the bed in the empty room.
He had returned with Sam and Peter to Beacon not too long ago with their newest "guest" and he awaited her eventual awakening. They had reported to Ozpin about their mission, sending out a message to the rest of the team.
Last they told him and the others, they went to the island of Menagerie, investigating something about a signal Tony picked up on.
Whatever it was, they got it handled.
The archer's thoughts were disrupted by the sound of the door opening and in walked Sam and Professor Ozpin.
"How is she?" Were the Headmasters first question.
"Still out like a light."
"Jesus Clint, what kind of gas did you use?"
"Er…" Clint glanced back at his quiver of trick arrows and shrugged. "Just enough to keep her asleep."
"Or in a coma."
"She's breathing."
"Not the point."
"Urgh."
Their banter stopped at the sound of bed sheets shifting.
The three grownups turned to see Blake Belladonna moving about on the bed, groaning with her hand over her eyes.
"Wha-" Was her groggy statement. "What happened?"
"Sleeping Beauty finally awake. See, told ya she was alright." Clint declared, gesturing to her whilst looking at Sam, the aviator deadpanning at the marksman.
Ozpin ignored the two, instead opting to approach the semi-conscious teen who still seemed to be in a daze.
"Ms. Belladonna." Oz spoke softly but loud enough for her to hear him. "Are you alright? Can you hear me?"
"What?" Blake rubbed her eyes, the black splotches slowly clearing out of her vision. "Where… am I?"
"Vale. Beacon to be more specific." Ozpin answered, pulling out a cup of hot tea from seemingly nowhere and offering it to her. "Here, this'll help clear your head faster."
She still didn't have a clear idea of who it was that was holding the cup out to her but the cup itself was visible enough for her to take it. With a small sip, Blake exhaled in relief and satisfaction, the hot tea warming up her entire body and the fuzziness she had faded.
Upon looking up, her eyes widened considerably at the sight of the headmaster of Beacon Academy standing over her. She glanced over to see both Sam and Clint silently observing her and she was unable to hide her flinch of fear.
"No need to worry." Oz said with a comforting smile. "They're not here to hurt you. They're the ones that brought you here to me. After all, I got you application not too long ago, Ms. Belladonna. And I can say without needing any further examination to tell you that you have been graciously accepted into Beacon Academy. Welcome."
Of all the things she expected to wake up to, this was certainly the last thing Blake Belladonna believed would happen.
She was so surprised that Clint snorted, nudging Sam.
"Now she's comatose."
Wilson only rolled his eyes, ignoring the nervous stare Blake sent in their direction.
"Who are you people?"
"We're the ones who saved your ass and brought you here." Sam plainly said.
"And the ones who were told about your little tip off on that train robbery." Clint added on.
"No, no, no." Black shook her head. "I meant who are-"
"Sam Wilson or Falcon when I'm on a mission."
"Clint Barton, Hawkeye." The archer said after the aviator. "We're part of the Avengers. Yes," He raised his hand to pause her from her next question. "You don't know who we are but you will soon enough."
Blake could only find herself bewildered by the statement when another thought strayed into her mind.
"Adam!" She said aloud in panic. "And Lorina where-"
"They ran off." Barton cut her off. "Soon as they saw we had you, they dipped off into the forest."
"Did you see where they went?"
Sam shook his head. "Our main objectives were complete. We got you and anything they tried to steal, they failed. No need to kick a wounded dog."
She fell silent upon hearing this, eyes turning downward as her thoughts turned towards the man she once called her mentor, friend and comrade.
Though he doesn't know about it yet, she betrayed him.
She betrayed the White Fang.
People who she spent so much of her life with.
They may not know it yet but she knew it would only be a matter of time until they do find out about their treachery.
And speaking of the White Fang…
"SON OF A BITCH!"
A bunch of books and other items were flung off one of tables within the largest tent of the White Fang camp.
Adam Taurus was seething, the table flip only scratching the surface of his rage.
He had failed, spectacularly so.
It was one thing to lose the mission on the train robbery.
It was a completely different matter in losing one of his members.
That Avenger -as he called himself- and his partners took Blake. They took her right from under his watch and he failed to stop them in the process.
He's honestly scared of what they'll do to her. His mind was rampant on the possibilities.
She was a member of the White Fang. He knew of the stories of what happened to some of their operatives. The treatment. The torture. How it was far worse than he could imagine.
Adam mildly brought his hand up to his mask, brushing over the one side of the phantom feeling. Even though it's been years since it subsided, he can feel the occasional sting.
A constant reminder on how the humans treated him back then. One which reflects on the present for many of his people.
Clenching his fists tightly, he walked over to the table in the center of his tent, slamming his fist onto the wood, cracking it slightly but it remained standing.
He leaned heavily on it, head hung low, grinding his teeth against each other. He cannot abandon her. He cannot abandon his people.
Adam would be damned before he leaves his kin for dead or worse.
So that meant it was back overlooking the map of Vale.
'I need to find her.' He thought to himself. 'She's somewhere here. She has to be.'
Standing not far away, one of the White Fang lieutenants spoke. "We'll find her, sir, I swear on my life."
Adam sighed, hand over his mask. "I know, Gray. But we need to return to Mistral and-"
Out of nowhere sounds of gunshots, struggle and combat was present outside of the tent.
Instantly, Adam and the lieutenant rushed out of the tent, their weapons drawn, more gunshots heard in the distance.
Getting to the entrance to the camp, Adam froze at the sight before him.
All around, many of their party were lying on the ground. They were either groaning in pain or lying motionless. On the latter, they were either unconscious or bleeding out or worse.
Only three were standing and none were of his ilk.
One was a teen boy with silvery gray hair, one of his legs on the back of one of his downed comrades.
The other was a green haired, tanned girl who stood behind the leader of the group, an older woman with jet black hair and a red dress and heel shoes, something that would appear to be out of place in a place like this. Said individual wielded a pair of curved swords.
He knew them. He knew these humans.
"You. What the hell are you doing here, Cinder?"
These trio of individuals came to his party weeks ago, seeking his audience. The ravenette, Cinder, sought his "assistance" on a certain matter which she never disclosed anything details at all about.
He knew at the time she was trying to be charismatic towards him with the little silver tongue of hers. But it wasn't going to work.
For one, she was human. Second, she never bothered to tell him what she was seeking in the first place when requesting his "help".
All which she disclosed were her plans pertaining to Vale and that was it.
He all but kicked her out of the area with the threat of killing them if they came back again. He wasn't going to waste his people for a cause which Cinder wasn't going to detail about.
"I'm not here to play games, Adam." Cinder aggressively said, Taurus tensing up as he noticed something unusual about her.
Around her hands, an unusual energy permeated around them, setting the Bull Faunus on edge. She sure as hell didn't have that last time.
And she also wasn't as angry and rageful as before.
"We could've gone to anyone for help, but we chose you, Adam Taurus." Cinder soon strolled forward a little. "Our plan will be beneficial for both of us."
"Both?" Adam scoffed. "Or just you? I will not align myself with sycophants and power hungry fools who threaten the lives of Faunus."
Cinder's visible eye narrowed, her glare intensifying. "Perhaps only one of us then. Depending on your choices."
Wordlessly, the green haired girl behind Cinder raised her hand and from seemingly nowhere, another girl appeared at the feet of Cinder.
It was someone Adam recognized immediately, eyes widening in horror.
She had a tan complexion with a few patches that almost appeared scaly like a lizard. Her eyes were gray with some tears streaking down from her face and black suit that was shredded in several places, blood leaking out.
"ILIA!" Adam yelled out, his body screaming for him to move but his mind managing for him to stay put.
Any foolhardy moves can result in her death at the blade held above her neck, courtesy of Cinder.
How was she there? She wasn't there before.
Something wasn't right. It had to be. A semblance to mess with his senses. He saw the mint-haired human do something.
Was Ilia hidden from their very sight or is she not there at all?
"How did you-?" Adam silenced himself at the flexing of the sword in Cinder's hand, the tip of the blade now touching Ilia's neck.
"So… which will it be?" She goaded, tone murderous.
Taurus hated this position right now.
He hated all of this. First Blake and now Ilia?
Did the Gods of this world have a vendetta against him?
"Let her go. Now." He growled out.
The look he received in return indicated that was not the answer she wanted to hear.
"Last chance." Cinder quietly snarled, drawing blood now from Ilia's neck.
Adam inhaled sharply, forcibly stopping himself from moving again. Once more, he saw that energy from before swirling around Cinder's arms.
What in the world was that? A semblance?
No, something was off about it. He could feel it.
To prove such a point, the energy seemed to make Ilia appear weaker. Her skin is growing paler and sinking within itself, making it appear she's becoming malnourished at an alarming rate.
Bitterly, Adam removed his hand from his sword hilt.
"Gray. Stand down." Adam tersely ordered.
"But sir-"
"Stand down." He shouted now.
Grudgingly, the lieutenant put away his chainsaw-sword but still glared at Cinder from underneath his mask.
Cinder smiled when seeing this. "Good to see we've come to an understanding."
Adam was seething, practically hating that smile of hers. It's the same damnable smile and sneer he had seen before from so many other humans. The one of superiority where they looked down on his people.
One he swore he would wipe off one day.
Cinder withdrew the blade from Ilia's neck before walking away.
"I'll be sure to contact you in the future on further planning. Tata."
In a flourish show of exiting, the same power Cinder had swirled around her and her comrades. It encompassed them all before disappearing from the vicinity.
It may have been another act from the mint-haired human's semblance. May have not.
Ignoring all that, the cell leader went up to the downed Faunus girl and knelt. A moment later, she weakly latched onto him like a lifeline.
"Ilia, it's okay." He quietly said, running a hand down her hair.
He felt his clothing get damp slightly but disregarded that.
"It hurts. It hurts all over." He heard her say.
Looking over, Adam gave Gray a silent command to go check on the others. The lieutenant complied and rushed over to the nearest one.
"We'll get you checked out." Adam assured her. "Come on."
Nodding, she was helped up by her leader when she froze, eyes widening in horror.
"Ilia?"
Her eyes somehow became even wider, pupils shrinking and she opened her mouth in a silent scream.
"I-Ilia?" Adam felt his heart clench up in dread at seeing her like this.
A moment later, she collapsed onto the ground and started convulsing for several moments before being deathly still.
"ILIA!"
He knelt down once more, carefully holding her up and gently rocking her.
"No. Nononono."
"Just to make my point clear." Cinder reappeared, Adam snapping his head up at her.
Her arm was outstretched and the energy from before was swirling around her whilst also surrounding Ilia now.
In his arms, Ilia began to shrivel up, skin blackening until she became a corpse that turned to ashes seconds later.
He stayed there in a state of disbelief. Seeing Ilia's form there in an imaginary state. Yet he could see her ashes were now on his clothes and parts of his skin.
Fury swiftly bubbled to the surface, whipping his head towards the assailant and roaring at the top of his lungs.
"YOU BITCH!"
"If you think for one instance of betraying me, that is the fate that awaits your entire organization." Cinder sounded demented now, an evil grin in place, inhaling deeply at the power she possessed and just now absorbed. "I'll make sure you watch them all perish."
The entire White Fang camp was filled with nothing but cold, unrepentant fear and dread. All but one who could only hold indescribable fury directed only at one woman at this moment.
"You will answer when we call." Cinder said with finality, turning to leave.
Adam was left on his knees, looking only at the ashes of Ilia before him.
He'll kill Cinder if it's the last thing he did. He swore it more than ever. The Avengers were one thing but this became far more personal now.
Cinder will pay.
AN
Yeah, we're back, been a while again, right?
So, we know that there are a lot of gaps with this story but within good reason.
Whilst we do have A LOT of this story planned out, there is still a lot more we need to plan for this story.
Volumes 1 through 3 are all but done with details needing to be ironed out cause there's a lot we still have to juggle with the MCU, RWBY and Arcane elements we're blending together.
Jebest4781: For Volume 4 and beyond, it's gonna be complicated from heavily altering events and adding things on. On that, it'll be a true struggle for us to work out.
FMW: Yeah since, we got Phase 4 stuff to blend with the story as a whole.
BSX: This is first for me to do an AN with you guys but anyways with the great reception of Werewolf by Night which I love btw and third best Phase 4 they did with No Way Home being the best and Shang Chi second. Marvel needs to be doing more one offs as I've been wanting them to bring them back as they did back in the previous phases like Coulson's Big Week and All Hail the King shorts and others like the news fronts. They can do so much like introducing new characters, do short stories or hell even Marvel shorts not connected to the MCU. With how the shows are disappointing especially She-Hulk, one-shots need to make a comeback and Werewolf by Night proves it can be done with of course the right people behind it. The world can be expanded so much with one shot and explain the state of the MCU. Love to see more of Jack and Man-Thing in the future.
BSX: Andor, I'm lovin' so far. A step up from the Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan as they fail to deliver on its potential but nope they plunder it. Andor on the other hand is meticulous and slowly takes its time to tell its story and flesh out the world. Can't wait for the next episode. Wakanda Forever on the other hand I'm not that excited for as they don't have their star (RIP Chadwick Boseman) and I don't agree with Marvel that they didn't recast but I understand why they didn't do it but there was so much stories they can do with T'challa Black Panther. I'll still see the movie and see what happens moving forward. I'm just tired of the movies not being great as they should be so I'm not getting my hopes up.
BSX: I also recommend checking out Free Man Writer's DeviantArt page as we posted some artwork along with exclusives that can only be found there, so check out as there are some surprises in store for Age of Remnant.
FMW: So yeah, Bullet got all the points covered for the three of us on our collective feelings on the current state of Marvel and Star Wars on top of… oh fuck, I still haven't watched queendom. Yeah, gotta get on that for the RWBY bits that we'll need, depending on what it can add to this story.
Other than that, thanks for being patient with us everyone, check out my DeviantArt page to see some cool shit for Age of Remnant, Infinite Wars and all.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.
