Long chapter. Hope it goes well.
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The Amazing Spiderman swung through New York on his way to a meeting JJJ would kill to be at, or even know about. Representatives of every major superhero organization were going to be appear at Avengers Mansion to discuss the defense of everything. Spiderman, until a few months ago a relative small timer, was going as not merely a spectator, but as a major leader.
Peter Parker considered his evolution as a superhero over the past months as he effortlessly executed complex acrobatics high above the streets of New York. It started with what was being called the "Occupation of New York," where Spiderman led the superheroes of his world against the archvillain occupiers, with a special guest appearance by the Justice League. The shock of being asked to lead did not really hit until after the battle, and it shook up the arachnid hero for months. That was until he had taken a trip with Captain America and heroes from a brother existence to THE original existence, from which all others sprung. Sent to find a champion to save, well, everything, Spiderman came to grips with his newfound position and responsibilities, and was beginning feel comfortable with it.
It was two days after his personal awakening, and Spiderman had not a lot of time to bask in the glow. War was coming, and war unlike anything he had experienced. He had fought muggers, pickpockets, and the occasional superpowered baddy, but the legions of hell was not something he was used to. However, with the new confidence he had gained in his travels, and the welcome task of "mobilizing the troops," Parker was too busy to consider the possible repercussions of losing this battle; namely that everyone and everything that the Spider held dear would be consigned to hell.
But we digress.
Spiderman did a neat flip and landed on the roof of Avengers' mansion. Wallcrawling to and open window, Parker entered and was greeted by the Avengers' gentleman's gentleman, the "veddy English" Edwin Jarvis. "Good day, Master Spiderman. The assembled heroes are waiting below. If you would follow me."
Jarvis led the webslinger to the elevator that led to the meeting room of the Avengers in the basement. The two rode in silence, as an elderly British gentleman had little to say to a Generation X New Yorker, and both were wrapped up in their own thoughts. Few people knew about the upcoming war, for reasons of security and to avoid panic, and Jarvis and Parker were two of those persons. Both were extremely focused on their upcoming duties, and did not have the time to make polite small talk.
When the doors opened, Jarvis made a gesture to allow Parker to pass and enter into the meeting room first. Parker was the last to arrive. Obviously, the Avengers were all present, along with the Fantastic Four. Nick Fury, SHIELD's representative was deep in conversation with Professor Charles Xavier, Wolverine, and Cyclops, the X-Men delegation. Silver Surfer, Prince Namor of Atlantis, and Doctor Strange, the sometime members of the group known as the Defenders were also in their own groups discussing the events that were upcoming. The powers represented in this room could level a mountain range, subdue armies, and hold off forces of nature.
Spiderman really hoped it would be enough.
Captain America cleared his throat and addressed the assembly. "Now that we are all here," Rogers began, "lets get started. If you would all take your seats." He paused as the assembled heroes moved for their chairs, although Wolverine remained standing. "We all know why we are here, lets get down to business. Did everyone receive those files we sent out?" Seeing everyone nod, except for Wolverine, Cap continued. "Good. Can I also assume that everyone was able to contact everyone assigned to them without too many problems?" Seeing the heroes show assent again, the leader of the Avengers continued. "Outstanding. Richard, you were in charge of scientific solutions, what do you...."
"Excuse me, Captain," Craig interrupted, "but we have some issues to resolve first." Hendrickson stood out, as he was the only person not wearing spandex or a well pressed suit. Instead, he was decked out in a pair of jeans, a sweater, a leather jacket, some hiking boots, and a baseball cap. He would not stand out in a city like New York, but among a group of gaudily clad heroes, as arch villains were fond of calling them, he was not the norm. The fact that Craig was able to breach the "fortress" of the Avengers, and sneak into a room containing some of the most powerful heroes on the planet was not lost on the group.
Captain America stood and approached the young man from the other universe. "Hello Craig," Rogers said. "Thanks for coming by." The WWII veteran turned and again addressed the crowd. "This is Craig Hendrickson, the young man we brought from the Mother Existence. He is the one who is going to be coordinating the groups here and on our counter-part existence. Craig the floor is yours."
Hendrickson felt a weird sense of vertigo as he looked around at the group. These were all individuals that he knew only as figments of his imagination or as figures made up of paper and ink. While he had visited all of them discreetly to determine what they were up to in their preparations for the war, Craig was still detached to an extent up tot that extent. It had taken a feel of a case study that he would do back home. A life-like situation that needed to be resolved, but without any emotional attachment as it was not "real." However, now that he was truly in their presence, the passiveness departed and a well of insecurity and doubt sprung within him.
At first, that is.
But Craig knew all of these figures...had seen their development on the pages of his favorite comic books. Over the past few days he had seen them in the flesh, and had seen them interact. By now, they were very human. To them, with the otherworldly powers that the Spectre and Tribunal had promised him in front of Captain America, Spiderman, and the Titans, they almost viewed him as a godlike figure. They were counting on him to lead and get them through whatever the hell Hell was going to throw at them. He knew them a lot better than they knew him. First impressions mattered, his professors/parents/friends/self-help gurus told him. If he was going to lead them, if he was going to help them win, he would have to display confidence and consideration that he did not necessarily feel.
Hendrickson stared at all of the heroes in the eye or eye, letting his gaze linger on Wolverine the longest. Craig knew that if he was to win over the crowd entire confidence, he would have to be able to handle the disagreeable Canadian. Craig nodded and began. "Thank you Cap. Ladies and gentlemen let me begin by saying how much of an honor it is to be working with you. Where I come from, many of your deeds, although viewed as fictional, do set a standard of heroism. While I could wax on and belabor these points, we have work to do. Let me just say I have full confidence in you, and I hope that as time passes you will have similar confidence in me.
"That being said, I have news regarding our status. Over the past 48 hours, I have utilized my newly granted abilities to gather as much information as possible. I have been able to view some of the machinations of our enemies, and our own. Know that I am fully aware of all of your own preparations for the upcoming conflict, and have even had the benefit of witnessing some of these preparations. I am very impressed and happy with the strides you have made."
"How do ya know what we've been doin'," growled Wolverine. "Have you been spyin' on us?"
"Of course I have Logan," replied Craig. "Just because I have read about you for years, that doesn't automatically get you my trust. This is not a game, and we are fighting for not just your world, or the Brother world, but for everything. Including my world, where my family and friends are. So I am not taking any chances. Just because I think your claws are cool looking does not mean I am going to let you do whatever you want, or that I am going to trust you unless you deserve it. So I spied on the majority of you. Scanned your minds without you noticing, determined your motivations and all of your dirty little secrets. Knowing what I do, I can say that I trust the majority of you.
"Now if you have a problem with my methods, Wolverine, that's too damn bad. But I don't think you do. You are not exactly a trusting soul yourself, and I think you know where I am coming from. I think you know the stakes, and I think you would rather have someone like me running the show than someone who necessarily gives a damn about privacy when set in context of a war. But if it really bugs you, we can discuss it in a manner that really puts you at ease. We can take this outside, and you can see what a being from my world can do on your planet. Now if you quit wasting my time with dumb questions, I can move along, and we can to the fighting that much quicker."
Wolverine graced Craig with a feral grin. Hendrickson had been right on all counts, but what really impressed the mutant was the fact that the otherworlder did not shirk from a fight. Wolverine had challenged Hendrickson's leadership, and Craig had put it down quickly and efficiently, like a leader of a pack should. Wolverine was pretty confident now that this kid had the backbone to lead an army. With a grunt and a nod, the Canadian let Craig know he had the mutant's approval. With an imperceptible sigh of relief, Craig continued trying to look a little less severe for the not so bloodthirsty members of the group.
"I am truly sorry for doing what doing what I had to do. Know that I wouldn't do this if the situation weren't dire, and the time not extremely short. I know that those of you with the powers to do what I did avoid doing so out of respect to your teammates and colleagues. I am sorry, but in a situation where existence is in peril, I had to take some shortcuts. I apologize to all of you if you think you have been taken advantage of. I did what I thought was best and necessary." Seeing the nods around the table, Craig continued.
"As you may have noticed I said that I trusted "most" of you, not all. There is a reason for that. There is a traitor among you, and there has been for some time. You see this person as a friend, a confidant, and a trusted advisor." Craig waited for the cries and exclamations to subside.
"Well just point him out to us," growled Wolverine, "and I'll take care of him right quick."
"Hold on friend Wolverine," said Thor. "Depending on whom the traitor is, I do believe others might want to deal with the fiend."
Craig raised his hand. "That will not be necessary. Steps have been taken. But now is the time to reveal the identity, don't you think 'Jarvis?'"
The assembled hero base turned to look at the butler who had paled. "I am sure I do not know talking about, sir."
"Don't you," asked Hendrickson as he closed in on the butler. "Edwin Jarvis was kidnapped by the Brotherhood of Evil a long time ago, and was tortured. Eventually he was brainwashed to serve the Brotherhood but was eventually saved by the Avengers. Or at least that's how the story goes.
"Jarvis died a hero upon being tortured by the Brotherhood , never betraying the Avengers. The Brotherhood's masters saw an opportunity in this. The Avengers did not know their butler was dead, and the Avengers were the liason between heroes and the government, with their access to both SHIELD, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, etc. To put a plant within the Avengers would be most ideal.
"So they got a low ranking demon lackey, with the ability to absorb memories and alter his appearance so that he could be Jarvis. And he was quite adept. He was a sleeper agent, only directly interefering when necessary to ensure the freedom of key players at key times. And he gathered information on our side for their masters, information that could not be gleaned from their arts. And he has played his part to perfection."
The heroes assembled slowly turned to look at 'Jarvis' who had turned from pale to a deep red. "So someone figured it out," snarled the demon, his voice slowly loosing the British accent and becoming much more gutteral. "Congratulations. I no longer have to be that limp-wristed pansy. Oh 'Iron Man?' I just want you to know that Jarvis died screaming, dirtied from wetting himself in fear and pain, you over-glorified primate." Tony Stark quietly clenched his fists in rage and made ready to blast this bastard from existence when Craig caught his eye and almost imperceptibly shook his head. The Metal Avenger relaxed and looked at his comrades and got them to do the same.
The fiend from Hell continued without noticing the silent conversation. "We know your weaknesses, we know your secrets, we know you. You have nothing that will surprise us. You will be destroyed, hell will be raised, and the gates of heaven will be torn asunder. We shall ascend, and this travesty called humanity will be ended." 'Jarvis,' looking less like the Butler he had impersonated for years, and more primal, looked triumphant, and then, slightly baffled.
"Trying to return home," queried Craig, sounding bored, but with a fire in his eye. "Jeeze, must be tough knowing you have to return to hell. Well if it makes you feel any better, you aren't going back."
"What have you done Mother-worlder," snarled the demon, frantically making passes with his hand, trying to force himself to his Masters. "I am hindered. What have you done?!?"
"Me," asked Craig. "Nothing. I want nothing to do with you. My friend on the other hand...well, he has other ideas."
Slowly, but surely, the entity known as the Living Tribunal appeared behind 'Jarvis,' his face of just revenge showing. A cold smile was painted on that face, and his eyes glowed a startling blue.
"Now, really, we can't have you going back reporting to your masters," said Craig, "and I am pretty sure that everyone in the room wants you dead, or worse. So we are going to opt for worse. There are things worst than hell. Living Tribunal here is going to show you. Tribunal, make it hurt."
The cosmic entity nodded and the blue eyes flashed red. In a blink and without a sound, the demon Jarvis was gone.
Silence gripped the room, as the middle face of the Tribunal slowly rotated to the forefront, its spirit of just revenge satisfied.
"I am sorry you had to see that," said Craig. "And I am sorry for the feelings you Avengers must be feeling. A person who you trusted as a friend turned out not to be who you thought he was. But if you got rage now, that's good. If you are really pissed off, well that's even better.
"I hope this demonstrates what we are up against. This scheme was not hatched over a period of days or months, but over years. It has been expertly executed and seen through. Til now. It ends now. Now we fight. We aren't stopping until our enemies are destroyed. We don't hold back. Not anymore. Some of us will die. Let's make sure more of them go first."
The assembled heroes slowly nodded, and Wolverine had a feral grin that almost made him look like a kid on Christmas morning. Logan was almost downright giddy.
Craig turned to Tribunal. "Get Fury, Cap, Wolverine, Strange, Spiderman, and Xavier to our designated meeting place. I got some more business to take care of, and we'll meet you there." And with that Hendrickson disappeared.
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The Amazing Spiderman swung through New York on his way to a meeting JJJ would kill to be at, or even know about. Representatives of every major superhero organization were going to be appear at Avengers Mansion to discuss the defense of everything. Spiderman, until a few months ago a relative small timer, was going as not merely a spectator, but as a major leader.
Peter Parker considered his evolution as a superhero over the past months as he effortlessly executed complex acrobatics high above the streets of New York. It started with what was being called the "Occupation of New York," where Spiderman led the superheroes of his world against the archvillain occupiers, with a special guest appearance by the Justice League. The shock of being asked to lead did not really hit until after the battle, and it shook up the arachnid hero for months. That was until he had taken a trip with Captain America and heroes from a brother existence to THE original existence, from which all others sprung. Sent to find a champion to save, well, everything, Spiderman came to grips with his newfound position and responsibilities, and was beginning feel comfortable with it.
It was two days after his personal awakening, and Spiderman had not a lot of time to bask in the glow. War was coming, and war unlike anything he had experienced. He had fought muggers, pickpockets, and the occasional superpowered baddy, but the legions of hell was not something he was used to. However, with the new confidence he had gained in his travels, and the welcome task of "mobilizing the troops," Parker was too busy to consider the possible repercussions of losing this battle; namely that everyone and everything that the Spider held dear would be consigned to hell.
But we digress.
Spiderman did a neat flip and landed on the roof of Avengers' mansion. Wallcrawling to and open window, Parker entered and was greeted by the Avengers' gentleman's gentleman, the "veddy English" Edwin Jarvis. "Good day, Master Spiderman. The assembled heroes are waiting below. If you would follow me."
Jarvis led the webslinger to the elevator that led to the meeting room of the Avengers in the basement. The two rode in silence, as an elderly British gentleman had little to say to a Generation X New Yorker, and both were wrapped up in their own thoughts. Few people knew about the upcoming war, for reasons of security and to avoid panic, and Jarvis and Parker were two of those persons. Both were extremely focused on their upcoming duties, and did not have the time to make polite small talk.
When the doors opened, Jarvis made a gesture to allow Parker to pass and enter into the meeting room first. Parker was the last to arrive. Obviously, the Avengers were all present, along with the Fantastic Four. Nick Fury, SHIELD's representative was deep in conversation with Professor Charles Xavier, Wolverine, and Cyclops, the X-Men delegation. Silver Surfer, Prince Namor of Atlantis, and Doctor Strange, the sometime members of the group known as the Defenders were also in their own groups discussing the events that were upcoming. The powers represented in this room could level a mountain range, subdue armies, and hold off forces of nature.
Spiderman really hoped it would be enough.
Captain America cleared his throat and addressed the assembly. "Now that we are all here," Rogers began, "lets get started. If you would all take your seats." He paused as the assembled heroes moved for their chairs, although Wolverine remained standing. "We all know why we are here, lets get down to business. Did everyone receive those files we sent out?" Seeing everyone nod, except for Wolverine, Cap continued. "Good. Can I also assume that everyone was able to contact everyone assigned to them without too many problems?" Seeing the heroes show assent again, the leader of the Avengers continued. "Outstanding. Richard, you were in charge of scientific solutions, what do you...."
"Excuse me, Captain," Craig interrupted, "but we have some issues to resolve first." Hendrickson stood out, as he was the only person not wearing spandex or a well pressed suit. Instead, he was decked out in a pair of jeans, a sweater, a leather jacket, some hiking boots, and a baseball cap. He would not stand out in a city like New York, but among a group of gaudily clad heroes, as arch villains were fond of calling them, he was not the norm. The fact that Craig was able to breach the "fortress" of the Avengers, and sneak into a room containing some of the most powerful heroes on the planet was not lost on the group.
Captain America stood and approached the young man from the other universe. "Hello Craig," Rogers said. "Thanks for coming by." The WWII veteran turned and again addressed the crowd. "This is Craig Hendrickson, the young man we brought from the Mother Existence. He is the one who is going to be coordinating the groups here and on our counter-part existence. Craig the floor is yours."
Hendrickson felt a weird sense of vertigo as he looked around at the group. These were all individuals that he knew only as figments of his imagination or as figures made up of paper and ink. While he had visited all of them discreetly to determine what they were up to in their preparations for the war, Craig was still detached to an extent up tot that extent. It had taken a feel of a case study that he would do back home. A life-like situation that needed to be resolved, but without any emotional attachment as it was not "real." However, now that he was truly in their presence, the passiveness departed and a well of insecurity and doubt sprung within him.
At first, that is.
But Craig knew all of these figures...had seen their development on the pages of his favorite comic books. Over the past few days he had seen them in the flesh, and had seen them interact. By now, they were very human. To them, with the otherworldly powers that the Spectre and Tribunal had promised him in front of Captain America, Spiderman, and the Titans, they almost viewed him as a godlike figure. They were counting on him to lead and get them through whatever the hell Hell was going to throw at them. He knew them a lot better than they knew him. First impressions mattered, his professors/parents/friends/self-help gurus told him. If he was going to lead them, if he was going to help them win, he would have to display confidence and consideration that he did not necessarily feel.
Hendrickson stared at all of the heroes in the eye or eye, letting his gaze linger on Wolverine the longest. Craig knew that if he was to win over the crowd entire confidence, he would have to be able to handle the disagreeable Canadian. Craig nodded and began. "Thank you Cap. Ladies and gentlemen let me begin by saying how much of an honor it is to be working with you. Where I come from, many of your deeds, although viewed as fictional, do set a standard of heroism. While I could wax on and belabor these points, we have work to do. Let me just say I have full confidence in you, and I hope that as time passes you will have similar confidence in me.
"That being said, I have news regarding our status. Over the past 48 hours, I have utilized my newly granted abilities to gather as much information as possible. I have been able to view some of the machinations of our enemies, and our own. Know that I am fully aware of all of your own preparations for the upcoming conflict, and have even had the benefit of witnessing some of these preparations. I am very impressed and happy with the strides you have made."
"How do ya know what we've been doin'," growled Wolverine. "Have you been spyin' on us?"
"Of course I have Logan," replied Craig. "Just because I have read about you for years, that doesn't automatically get you my trust. This is not a game, and we are fighting for not just your world, or the Brother world, but for everything. Including my world, where my family and friends are. So I am not taking any chances. Just because I think your claws are cool looking does not mean I am going to let you do whatever you want, or that I am going to trust you unless you deserve it. So I spied on the majority of you. Scanned your minds without you noticing, determined your motivations and all of your dirty little secrets. Knowing what I do, I can say that I trust the majority of you.
"Now if you have a problem with my methods, Wolverine, that's too damn bad. But I don't think you do. You are not exactly a trusting soul yourself, and I think you know where I am coming from. I think you know the stakes, and I think you would rather have someone like me running the show than someone who necessarily gives a damn about privacy when set in context of a war. But if it really bugs you, we can discuss it in a manner that really puts you at ease. We can take this outside, and you can see what a being from my world can do on your planet. Now if you quit wasting my time with dumb questions, I can move along, and we can to the fighting that much quicker."
Wolverine graced Craig with a feral grin. Hendrickson had been right on all counts, but what really impressed the mutant was the fact that the otherworlder did not shirk from a fight. Wolverine had challenged Hendrickson's leadership, and Craig had put it down quickly and efficiently, like a leader of a pack should. Wolverine was pretty confident now that this kid had the backbone to lead an army. With a grunt and a nod, the Canadian let Craig know he had the mutant's approval. With an imperceptible sigh of relief, Craig continued trying to look a little less severe for the not so bloodthirsty members of the group.
"I am truly sorry for doing what doing what I had to do. Know that I wouldn't do this if the situation weren't dire, and the time not extremely short. I know that those of you with the powers to do what I did avoid doing so out of respect to your teammates and colleagues. I am sorry, but in a situation where existence is in peril, I had to take some shortcuts. I apologize to all of you if you think you have been taken advantage of. I did what I thought was best and necessary." Seeing the nods around the table, Craig continued.
"As you may have noticed I said that I trusted "most" of you, not all. There is a reason for that. There is a traitor among you, and there has been for some time. You see this person as a friend, a confidant, and a trusted advisor." Craig waited for the cries and exclamations to subside.
"Well just point him out to us," growled Wolverine, "and I'll take care of him right quick."
"Hold on friend Wolverine," said Thor. "Depending on whom the traitor is, I do believe others might want to deal with the fiend."
Craig raised his hand. "That will not be necessary. Steps have been taken. But now is the time to reveal the identity, don't you think 'Jarvis?'"
The assembled hero base turned to look at the butler who had paled. "I am sure I do not know talking about, sir."
"Don't you," asked Hendrickson as he closed in on the butler. "Edwin Jarvis was kidnapped by the Brotherhood of Evil a long time ago, and was tortured. Eventually he was brainwashed to serve the Brotherhood but was eventually saved by the Avengers. Or at least that's how the story goes.
"Jarvis died a hero upon being tortured by the Brotherhood , never betraying the Avengers. The Brotherhood's masters saw an opportunity in this. The Avengers did not know their butler was dead, and the Avengers were the liason between heroes and the government, with their access to both SHIELD, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, etc. To put a plant within the Avengers would be most ideal.
"So they got a low ranking demon lackey, with the ability to absorb memories and alter his appearance so that he could be Jarvis. And he was quite adept. He was a sleeper agent, only directly interefering when necessary to ensure the freedom of key players at key times. And he gathered information on our side for their masters, information that could not be gleaned from their arts. And he has played his part to perfection."
The heroes assembled slowly turned to look at 'Jarvis' who had turned from pale to a deep red. "So someone figured it out," snarled the demon, his voice slowly loosing the British accent and becoming much more gutteral. "Congratulations. I no longer have to be that limp-wristed pansy. Oh 'Iron Man?' I just want you to know that Jarvis died screaming, dirtied from wetting himself in fear and pain, you over-glorified primate." Tony Stark quietly clenched his fists in rage and made ready to blast this bastard from existence when Craig caught his eye and almost imperceptibly shook his head. The Metal Avenger relaxed and looked at his comrades and got them to do the same.
The fiend from Hell continued without noticing the silent conversation. "We know your weaknesses, we know your secrets, we know you. You have nothing that will surprise us. You will be destroyed, hell will be raised, and the gates of heaven will be torn asunder. We shall ascend, and this travesty called humanity will be ended." 'Jarvis,' looking less like the Butler he had impersonated for years, and more primal, looked triumphant, and then, slightly baffled.
"Trying to return home," queried Craig, sounding bored, but with a fire in his eye. "Jeeze, must be tough knowing you have to return to hell. Well if it makes you feel any better, you aren't going back."
"What have you done Mother-worlder," snarled the demon, frantically making passes with his hand, trying to force himself to his Masters. "I am hindered. What have you done?!?"
"Me," asked Craig. "Nothing. I want nothing to do with you. My friend on the other hand...well, he has other ideas."
Slowly, but surely, the entity known as the Living Tribunal appeared behind 'Jarvis,' his face of just revenge showing. A cold smile was painted on that face, and his eyes glowed a startling blue.
"Now, really, we can't have you going back reporting to your masters," said Craig, "and I am pretty sure that everyone in the room wants you dead, or worse. So we are going to opt for worse. There are things worst than hell. Living Tribunal here is going to show you. Tribunal, make it hurt."
The cosmic entity nodded and the blue eyes flashed red. In a blink and without a sound, the demon Jarvis was gone.
Silence gripped the room, as the middle face of the Tribunal slowly rotated to the forefront, its spirit of just revenge satisfied.
"I am sorry you had to see that," said Craig. "And I am sorry for the feelings you Avengers must be feeling. A person who you trusted as a friend turned out not to be who you thought he was. But if you got rage now, that's good. If you are really pissed off, well that's even better.
"I hope this demonstrates what we are up against. This scheme was not hatched over a period of days or months, but over years. It has been expertly executed and seen through. Til now. It ends now. Now we fight. We aren't stopping until our enemies are destroyed. We don't hold back. Not anymore. Some of us will die. Let's make sure more of them go first."
The assembled heroes slowly nodded, and Wolverine had a feral grin that almost made him look like a kid on Christmas morning. Logan was almost downright giddy.
Craig turned to Tribunal. "Get Fury, Cap, Wolverine, Strange, Spiderman, and Xavier to our designated meeting place. I got some more business to take care of, and we'll meet you there." And with that Hendrickson disappeared.