Initiative 2028
Thunderbolts!
The Area 51 base was wrecked, both by the Avengers attacking it and due to the self-destruction of the alien science wing. Worse, it was now public, and the press had descended on the facility not long after the attack, tipped off by Stark.
The Cube, high tech prison and former home base to the Thunderbolts, was blown to smithereens by Scourge, crippling the Thunderbolt program too. The majority of recruits were dead, and the survivors were in many cases recovering from serious injuries.
But the work remained...
The Vault (Officially the United States Maximum Security Installation for the Incarceration of Superhuman Criminals) had been, at one time, the central housing for super criminals, until it was finally destroyed by a band of Hulk-level villains. Various attempts had been made to replace it, and now with the destruction of the Cube, they were bringing it back.
"This is a really, really bad idea," Sasha Martin, the heroine known as Southpaw noted dryly.
"Not arguing that," Armory agreed, the young woman's Tactigon weapon replacing her right hand. Both of them were watching as advanced, near alien technology was assembling the framework for what would become a massive prison facility.
Finesse shook her head, her white and black bodysuit loaded with concealed weapons. "Agreed, but we lack alternatives. Smaller scale conventional prisons have failed," she noted.
"And no one wants super prisons in their back yard," Southpaw agreed.
They, along with several other government agents, were 'guarding' a group of villains kept in a temporary facility near by. They weren't being watched too closely as they were government agents, commonly called the Thunderbolts. Offered a deal by the government they did jobs in return for reduced sentences. You could ALMOST call them a Suicide Squad... but you'd probably get sued.
Taskmaster calmly strode up to the fence around the 'prison' compound, nodding to the Guardsman Armor at the gate. "Scan me," he ordered calmly.
The armored figure did, nodding. "Cleared for entry," he opened the gate.
Captain Von Blitzschlag looked up from where he was studying a chess set, "Ah, it's good to see you. Alec is not providing me with much challenge." The former Initiative scientist had gone down with the fall of Area 51, was was now being held on charges. Which didn't mean they weren't still using his scientific genius, so it was pretty much business as usual.
"Hey," Alec Pym protested that. The former master of Area 51 was less than happy to be there, though he wasn't surprised to be thrown under a bus by the president. It was what he would have done in her shoes, after all.
"Gentlemen," Taskmaster nodded. "How is the team?"
"Bored," an attractive redhead noted as she walked in the common room. Satana smiled wryly, "And the quarters are cramped. I can't even get up to my usual Tantric Sex Magick in here."
"Too much information," Alec made a face.
"Indeed," Von Blitzschlag made a face.
"Wussies," Satana snorted, crossing her arms under her breasts and not incidentally pushing them up perkilly. Both Alec and Von Blitzschlag noticed and looked away, while Taskmaster seemed fairly oblivious.
"Heard and noted," Taskmaster smiled wryly beneath his mask. "And the others?" he asked.
"John Kale is less than thrilled to be still here, after the other mages bugged out when Dreamland was taken out," Satana filled them in on the other team mystic, "but he accepts he needs our help to find Jennifer Kale."
"Hopefully we can get him willingly on side," Alec noted as he was being trounced at chess, "he's proven fairly capable in the field."
"Death Locket is being kept shutdown between missions, currently," Von Blitzschlag informed them, "she is... less than happy with her current state."
Everyone winced slightly.
Death Locket was a tragic case of science getting out of control. Harlan Ryker attempted to use Deathlok based technology to save his maimed daughter Rebecca, but the technology was still experimental. She had difficulty controlling her implanted weapons, and over the years several villains had used her as a weapon. Worse, the technology was somewhat nanite based, and was infiltrating the rest of her body.
"I understand Zeke Stane came out to look at her," Taskmaster noted after a uncomfortable moment of silence, "any hope there...?"
Alec shrugged expressively. "More of the same. Short of literally ripping all the cybernetics out and replacing them, there's not much we can do. Plus the nanites are woven through a lot of her remaining parts... I think trying a simple removal would be lethal," he said.
"Herr Doctor Stane does think there might be some hope in a software solution, but it will take time," Von Blitzschlag added.
Taskmaster looked at Satana, "Magic options?"
Satana snorted. "Seriously?" she asked. When Taskmaster continued looking at her she shrugged, "My own magics wouldn't be advised, you'd need Kale. But speaking as a qualified expert, the technology and magic would NOT mix well."
"So until then we keep her in suspension until we need her for missions," Taskmaster summed things up.
"Indeed," Von Blitzschlag conceded.
Not far away Executioner was calmly cleaning a gun. Daniel was the son of a minor super-villain, and had misguided ideals of 'justice.' When he learned what his mother really did for a living he tried to assassinate her, then went on to a career of killing small time super-villains.
"Sir," Executioner nodded, "when will we be out in the field again?"
"Soon enough," Taskmaster answered.
Executioner subsided, meekly. He had tried to jump Taskmaster shortly after joining the team and was beat down apically. He had NO wish to cross him again.
Nuke looked amused, the mostly robotic super-soldier watching the group calmly. Once a human soldier he had been augmented, intended to replace Captain America in a much harsher age. But in between being blown up, nearly killed and rebuilt multiple times, he had lost most of his humanity. Now he was nearly all machine, and a kind of 'sentinel robot' keeping an eye on the team.
The final team member came in from the other encampment nearby, where less cooperative crooks were being held. Te black woman looked tired, carrying a binder of paperwork under her arm. She brightened as she saw Taskmaster, "Sorry I'm late, didn't realize you were back."
"Janice," Taskmaster nodded, "still volunteering as a legal aide, too?"
Janice Lincon, former lawyer and armored super-villain The Beetle, looked amused. "Yeah. I get credit for good behaviour, and the inmates get advice on how to deal with legal issues."
Taskmaster occasionally wondered why she felt the need to put anything altruistic she did in a self-serving light, but decided it wasn't his business. Besides, they WERE in prison so...
She put the binder down then sat in one of the chair, stretching. "Any news on a job, boss?" Janice asked eagerly.
"Now that everyone's here," Taskmaster smiled grimly. "When the Avengers trashed Dreamland, they wrecked the containment for the Xenos."
"It's another bug hunt, isn't it?" Executioner quoted the infamous movie.
Satana snorted and Janice rolled her eyes.
Taskmaster smiled wryly. "We actually got lucky on that front. There was a Brood warrior there, but the sterilization systems got it, at least."
Considering they were damn close to the ACTUAL monsters from Aliens, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
` "So what are we dealing with?" Janice asked a bit nervously. She was a minor super villain, not an alien hunter.
"There were captive Zn'rx being held there for extradition," Taskmaster lied. In fact they were being studied for weaknesses as they were part of a military, expansionist culture that had fought humans before. But the team didn't need to know that.
"Zn'rx..." Alec paused. "Snarks? The ones that fought Power Pack?"
"The ones that are eight to ten feet tall with clawed hands and are stronger than most humans," Taskmaster corrected mildly.
"Point," Alec conceded.
"So they're on the loose in Nevada," Satana noted, "doing what?"
"Likely trying to access technology advanced enough to signal home," Von Blitzschlag mused. "They will be trying to reach a city, without drawing too much attention."
"Which we need to prevent," Taskmaster noted. "Their rulers would be... unhappy knowing how we treated them."
Calmly Nuke noted, "This is a sanction op, then."
"No problem," Executioner agreed.
Janice rolled her eyes, "Try not to be so eager."
Taskmaster tended to agree with her, but he wasn't going to say that. "We'll launch tonight to Nevada. No costumes except for Beetle. We go in quiet, find the target and deal with it," he ordered. He nodded to Alec, "I'd like you and Von Blitzschlag along, in case they DO get something dangerous built."
"Got it," Alec agreed.
"Do I at least get armor?" Executioner asked a bit worriedly.
"Everyone get over the counter ballistic armor," Taskmaster agreed. He turned, "Do whatever you need to get ready. I'll be back in three hours."
The group scattered to their 'cells' as Taskmaster strode away. He checked out of the secure facility and went to a modified camper he was using as his 'home' while on the prison grounds. He went inside, activated a scrambler then swept the room for bugs. Only then did Taskmaster sit back and remove the mask.
SHE sighed tiredly as Mercedes Merced let herself relax, finally. Posing as Taskmaster was hard enough, but working with her daughter Finesse was even harder...
To be continued...
Notes: I had mentioned in an earlier chapter that a woman was Taskmaster. So...
