Chapter Six
The three men sat scattered around the cluttered apartment of Danny Ketch. It was in complete disarray, with pots and pans and garbage strewn about the room aimlessly. Logan kicked a pile of clothes off the couch and plopped down on it. Danny opened the fridge and handed Logan a longneck, then popped one for himself. Steve kindly refused.
"Well, that wasn't exactly what I had in mind for a first meeting," Steve said as he took a seat in a patched up recliner. Danny swallowed half of his beer in one swig and sat on a busted air conditioner.
"Been awhile since I had to ride like that. But I have to say it was nice to see Castle again," Danny said. Steve grimaced. Once the Punisher showed up the scene had turned into a riot act. The police were there in no time at all, but by then there were just bodies everywhere and more blood on the walls than anyone cared to remember.
"You might as well just cut to the chase Cap, with our lifestyles you're only gonna get a few moments of quiet time," Logan said between a sip and a burp. Cap nodded and gathered himself, because he knew this was going to be difficult, especially for Logan.
"As I tried to say before at the bar, this involves Banner, otherwise known as the often times incredibly pissed off Hulk."
"I tangled with the Hulk before," Danny interrupted as both Logan and Steve looked over at him. "Well, it was awhile ago, in the early nineties. Seems I was more popular back then." Steve shook his head and continued.
"Anyways, he's been kidnapped. Fury filled me in on what he knew, but that wasn't much. Said it involves an alien threat of some sort as well as…..Mephisto." Steve continued despite Danny's clenched fist. "We think he may be used as a weapon, and as you all know, if that is the case then God help us."
"God never has anything to do with us," Danny said as he finished his beer.
"Whatever. I'm in Cap. Still have to follow your orders anyways right, since I'm still serving my sentence with your gang of Avengers?" Logan said. Steve hesitated and wanted to tell Logan about the other member of his team. He wanted to tell him right there and then that his arch nemesis, the man who had once violently ripped the adamantium from his bones, was going to be working with him on this mission. But now wasn't the time, not in front of Danny, who needed to be on this team no matter what according to Fury.
"Aw hell, I'm in too. Nothing much better to do," Danny said, throwing his empty bottle into a corner. Logan followed suit.
"So who else is on our little commando team?" Logan asked, standing up.
"There's the three of us and one other superpower type. Then we just need someone with some real bashing power. I have a guy in mind that I'm going to try and contact. And then there's just one more person that I need you to recruit Logan," Steve said, looking at his friend.
"Me? Shit, I don't like asking others for help Cap," Logan trailed off as Cap cut him off.
"Yeah, but this guys one of yours. You have to get him to come, and you have to get him tonight because we leave tomorrow early in the AM. You get your guy, I'll get mine, and Danny, well, Danny you just try and sober up." Danny laughed to himself and headed into the bathroom as Logan and Steve exited the apartment.
"Okay, now that the kid's out of ear shot, who's this alien threat Cap, and who do you need me to get?" Logan asked.
"The Brood," Cap said coldly. Logan tensed up as he remembered the last two encounters he had with the alien Brood. The first time they impregnated him with one of their eggs and it hatched inside of him. That one sure did a number on his healing factor. And the last time was with the Fantastic Four when he had been bombarded by cosmic radiation and could stretch like Reed Richards.
"Great," Logan muttered, "So who you gonna want? Colossus? The Elf? Slim?"
"No Logan," Steve continued, "The Brood are an army of limitless numbers. When they're involved there's no telling how many of them there could be. We need an army for our little strike force. A one man army." Logan lowered his head and ran a hand through his thick tangled black hair.
"Oh. Okay, I'll get Jamie Madrox."
