Avengers: Wreckage
Chapter 41 (AIM WARS: Two)
"You've GOT to be kidding me," Carolyn Trainer, the supervillain known as 'Lady Octopus', blinked while taking in the chaos via a drone camera system.
Just off the California coast, AIM forces were fighting against other AIM forces, the Firepower armor had popped up, and it looked like Force Works was getting involved.
"Waste of time and resources," the Tinkerer grumpily noted, the wheelchair bound old man checking in with her.
Delilah, her bodyguard and aide, asked them curiously, "Should we help out Monica? She did help upgrade some of the suits we use, as well as go over the Cape Killer tech for us."
"Hmm," Monica mused.
"It's not like it matters who's running AIM," Tinkerer noted dryly, "whomever it is will still sell the tech to us."
"Point," Monica agreed, "and it's not like we owe her or anything."
"So, we just watch?" Delilah sounded unsatisfied.
"For now. Once the dust settles, we might steal any tech left unattended too," Monica mused. She changed the subject as she looked at Tinkerer, "The troops are having problems with that detector you built to find Amora."
"It SHOULD work," the old man scowled. He added reluctantly, "We know some of 'em, including Loki, can shape change. That might be confusing the device."
"Hmm," Monica grunted.
"Sorry," Tinkerer shrugged eloquently. "We could always bait her into coming out of hiding," he offered blandly.
"The only bait I can see tempting her is taking my head," Monica sighed.
"As much as I'd like fighting her, I don't advise that," Delilah offered.
"You're much stronger than her, though," Tinkerer noted, aware of how much the young woman enjoyed combat.
"The bitch has magic. I can't counter that," Delilah said, shrugging.
Monica was about to comment on that when War Machine and a second, new, armored suit soared by above them, generating a sonic boom. "Son of a...," Monica muttered. "Who was THAT?" she wondered.
"We'll probably find out soon enough," Tinkerer muttered.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
In a just, reasonable universe, Tony Stark aka Iron Man would have been in town to help deal with the mess. Alas, he was in Washington DC, meeting with congressmen and trying to delay and/or scuttle the latest attempt to pass a Superhuman Registry Act.
"Stark is WHERE?" Jennifer Swensen asked as she stepped into the War Machine rigging. The set of waldo arms could assemble the suit around her, faster than doning it normally.
"Stuck in close door meetings in Washington," Olivia Stane noted. She added, "High security, even his Avengers communicator is blocked."
"So the Avengers can't even reach him?" Jennifer said as the suit formed around her. "Who did you talk to?" she asked.
"Captain America," Olivia admitted.
Meanwhile Donna Blake was donning the Brass suit of combat armor as she asked, "What was talking to Cap like?"
Olivia mused, "It was like talking to an older relative you don't want to disappoint."
"Bit of hero worship?" Donna teased as the suit locked around her.
"So," Olivia ignored that as she briskly said, "there's not much of a plan, other than getting out there and stopping the AIM dudes from killing each other."
"And keep them from killing us," Donna noted.
"Opening roof access," War Machine said as the hatch moved. She addressed Donna, "Try to avoid direct hits from their beam and projectile weapons. The armor should be enough to peotect you, but don't take chances."
"Right," Brass gulped. "You DO know I've only flown this thing in simulator, right?" she asked them nervously.
"It's easy," War Machine said to her reassuringly, "most of it's run by automatic subsystems, anyway. Let's go!"
"Good luck!" Olivia called from a safe distance as they launched.
Jennifer kept an eye on Brass as they took off, ready to slave the other suit to her's if Donna screwed up flying. Instead the stuntwoman expertly used the boot and palm thrusters to get altitude, then they headed west for the water.
"How does flying feel?" War Machine asked as they flew over LA.
"You're right," Brass admitted, "it is mostly automatic." She added wonderingly, "It's actually kind of fun, really..."
"Good," War Machine checked the heads up display and reported, "we'll be there in three minutes. Weapons hot."
"NOT looking forward to fughting in this rig," Brass admitted.
"I'll keep an eye on you," War Machine said reassuringly.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
MODOK watched the battle coldly.
(Once he had been human. A 'average' AIM employee, brilliant by normal standards but lesser compaired to others at AIM. Hopelessly in love with Monica Rappacini. A love that lead him to volunteer to be transformed into THIS.)
Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing. MODOK. He had renamed himself after killing his creators, and for a time ruled AIM. But then traitors ordered the Serpent Society to kill him, and for a time he was dead. But not, he was back, and he would have what was rightfully his.
"Status report," MODOK ordered his minions.
MODOK staffed his headquarters with obedient Life Model Decoys, rather than humans. He had been betrayed too often, and LMDs could be programed to be completely loyal. Plus, he was less tempted to destroy them if they delivered bad news.
"Losses are higher than expected," the command LMD noted.
The tactical LMD added, "We were not expectoing the Firepower armor to deploy."
MODOK felt a flash of annoyance at Firepower being mentioned. It was, in his opinion, crude and poorly designed. But, he had to admit, it made up for it's issues via raw power.
"Deploy second wave," MODOK ordered.
"Second wave, go," tactica nodded, as more of their troops launched from a cloaked AIM hellicarrier high above the war.
Both sides of the AIM conflict were being fought by Warbird and Thunderstrike, in the air over the base. Both were powerful, but MODOK found his gaze drawn to the former Ms Marvel. Once upon a time, he had wanted to make her his bride...
Warbird casually ripped the head off one of his attackers, yanked the pilot out then crunched the combat armor into wreckage.
'Clearly I was not thinking with my brain,' MODOK mused.
"Heavy losses due to Firepower," Tactical reported. "Permission to drop low yeild nuclear device, the EMP pukse would disable it."
"We would suffer complete loss of our forces, too," command noted.
MODOK was surprised to hear a note of concern in her voice. Of course she was designed to have some concern for losses, but more in a academic 'losses are bad' way. Interesting.
"No, we have sufficient forces," MODOK decided, even as he resolved to keep a eye on her.
Tactical noted, "Two new armor suits, incoming. One is War Machine, other is unknown."
MODOK fought down his annoyance. Of course the other California based heroes would get involved. It was not unexpected.
"SHIELD forces inbound," Command added.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Despite SHIELD being horribly understaffed, they had a huge budget and resources. A LOT of that went into useless tech, annoyingly.
(Victoriia Hand had NEVER used her SHIELD issue flying car. Where the hell would you park that in LA? Also nearly totally useless in New York. Anyway...)
"MANDROID unit," Victoria ordered, "open fire!"
Mandroids were armored suits Stark Enterprises (And lare Stane) had sold to the US government. The bulky, yellow colored suits were, in Hand's opinion, second rate tech. ON the other hand, they WERE about equal to AIM tech...
The group flew out of a mini-carrier, Hand in the lead. The bulky gauntlets spewed out bursts of destructive energy, blasting the AIM units nearby. "Look out for the super heroes," she said, "try to capture, not kill."
"Aye aye," Eric Grant, one of the field agents, bark as they engaged.
It was a chaotic dogfight in midair, flying armors, missiles and beams flying everywhere. "Is that the FIREPOWER suit?" one agent yelped as the huge steel grey combat suit blasted away.
"Do NOT engage Firepower," Victoria ordered, "we are not equipped to fight that."
"Incoming, looks like War Machine and a unidentified unit," a thitrd officer reported.
"Treat them as friendlies," Victoria said as she nearly collided in midair with Warbird.
"Thanks for the help," Warbird said as she punched a AIM unit, shattering the cockpit.
"Welcome," Victoria said. "Agent Hand, SHIELD LA Commander," she introduced herself.
"Who gets to go after Firepower?" Warbird asked.
"NOT IT," Hand quipped.
"Darn," Warbird mock sighed just as MORE AIM troops dropped from a cloaked hellicarrier. "oh come ON!" she yelped.
To be continued...
Notes: Trying to write MODOK as a dangerous entity, more or less. He gets used as comic relief a LOT, I've noticed. Yes, in comics canon he once dated Rappacini, and it ended badly. He also was interested in Ms Marvel (Carol Danvers) back in the day...