It's been at least a week since I returned to the Helicarrier after my mission with Captain America and Agent Sharon Carter.
Another week of me on standby to heal from my injuries.
I feel fine despite the fact that Crossbones nearly killed me.
He was stronger than I imagined he was.
Which makes me concerned if I have to fight stronger enemies in the future.
At the present moment, I'm in the gym to further increase my body strength.
Lifting weights.
Sit ups.
Push ups.
All that fun stuff.
Used to hate doing them but now I love them.
Widow has been away for her job as an Avenger so she hasn't had the time to do those sparring sessions of ours.
Thank God.
Granted I want to fight like a badass but I'm nowhere near the level where I can best a super soldier.
Don't know when Iron Man would make me a suit of armor. I hope it comes soon.
I really want to use it.
But for now, I'm just going to lift these 75 lbs weights.
Need to become stronger.
Need to save as many people as I can.
Need to make sure that the Civil War doesn't become an all out war.
Need to save Cap.
Need to redeem Tony.
Need to be better.
"Fuck" I yell out in frustration as I throw the weights to the ground.
Good thing I'm alone here. Otherwise, I might be getting some very odd looks from people.
I sit down on the bench near the weight rack, take a sip of my Gatorade, and just stare at myself in the mirror. Nothing narcissistic. Just need to think for a moment.
So much to do.
So little time.
I then look at my right hand.
It's slightly shaking.
I dream about that night nearly everyday.
The night where I almost died. I should be dead. Logic dictates that I should've died in London.
But why aren't I?
The voice.
The voice that called out to me in response of me wanting to live.
When I dream, that voice becomes the center of of my attention.
It terrifies me.
I make my hand become a fist to stop the shaking.
I can't let what happen stop me.
Bigger threats are coming.
I may not be like the heroes of this world but I won't stop trying to be the best me I can be.
I can't. Because I dare not let myself to stop.
I have people to come home to.
People that I'm fighting for.
I may very well be just a supporting character here for these Titans that walk among men. But I'll be by there side no matter the cost. Especially hers.
My Jenny.
My Love.
My Green Soul.
I'm not sure I deserve her. Or this life that I'm currently living.
But I must do everything I can to ensure that things don't become worse.
I remain seated on the bench when the PA system comes online.
"Agent Morrison, please report to the hangar bay"
I take another sip of my Gatorade and proceed to stand up.
"Time to go to work" I said as I grab a towel on my way out of the gym and head to the showers
Ten minutes later...
I'm fully dressed into my SHIELD uniform as I make my way to the hangar bay. When I do, I'm instantly amazed by the size of it. I knew it was big but it's bigger than I thought. Various jets and planes are parked within the bay.
Some are more obviously advanced than others.
The view of the outside world was laid bare right next to me. Good thing the carrier isn't moving too fast, otherwise, falling would be a instant death scenario.
Still to be among the clouds is probably the best thing anyone could experience.
I'm cut off from my musings when I see Director Hill waiting for me, staring at the outside. I walk up to her and begin to salute.
"Agent Morrison reporting, ma'am" I said
"At ease, Agent" she answers.
I end my salute and put my arms around my back.
"Do you know why we are here, Agent?" She asks
"I can't say that I do, ma'am" I answer.
"I was speaking with Tony Stark earlier. During the course of the conversation, he mentioned that he had completed that suit of armor you requested from him. Said it will be here shortly" Director Hill informs me.
Holy Shit.
He actually did it.
FUCK YESS!!!
Ok, John.
Breathe slowly
Calm down
Don't make a fool of yourself in front of the Director.
"I see. Did he say how long it would take for it to get here?" I asked calmly
Nailed it.
"Knowing him. I'm going to say right about..." Both begin to hear something getting close to the carrier "...now"
We look outside and see what looked like a man flying.
But we knew what it was.
An Iron Man suit flew into the bay and landed in front of me and Director Hill.
Some people from got scared.
Others got intrigued.
While everyone was being astonished, I was being astonished and analyzing the suit of armor in front of me.
It was purely white in color and it looked extremely similar to the Extremis armor that Tony uses.
I must admit that it looked awesome.
"Hello Director" the voice of Tony Stark came out of the armor
"Stark?" She asks
"I'm sure you said my name just now but I can't hear you. This is a recorded message that I left before I had this armor fly out to you. Just wanted to give you and your new agent a rundown on this suit. Before I wore the suit I'm wearing now, I had difficulty miniaturizing the suit's control systems to properly use it. But I eventually figured it out for this suit. Like mine, the suit has memory metal designed to attach to your body whenever it's needed. The suit is coded to the agent's DNA so no matter where you are, if you need it, it will be there..."
"Should I be concerned that he has my DNA code?" I ask the Director.
"Probably" she answers.
"...To operate the armor you need a undersuit. Fortunately, there is one inside. Now there's a lot of technical stuff that will take too long to explain since the message time is limited. So to finish this off, I'm just going to say this for the new agent. I'm trusting you with the most advanced weaponized suit in the entire world. I'm trusting you, and you alone, to use it for the betterment of the world. Your fiancé is a good friend of mine and I have to believe that she is a good judge of character. Please don't prove me wrong."
The message then ended and the suit of armor opened up and a bluish undersuit dropped to the floor.
I step up to the armor and kneel down to pick up the suit.
It feels so smooth.
I can't wait to test this.
Then the unexpected happened.
The helicarrier sent out a Red Alert.
Everyone was running into their positions. Director Hill then looked at me.
"Get that suit on and meet me on the command deck" she ordered.
I nod at her as I begin to take off my uniform and wear theundersuit. I then stand in front of the armor.
"Ok so how do I do this? I don't have Extremis so I can't mentally summon the armor like Tony does" I mumble to myself "Uhhhh suit, scan me"
Scan me? Seriously, John.
"Scanning for authorized user." A male mechanical voice said from the suit. He sounded a British.
I am then scanned by the armor
Holy Shit.
I can't believe that worked.
After a few seconds, the scanning process was done.
"Authorized user confirmed" the voice said as pieces of it began to separate.
I take a step back and open my arms to the sides as the armor began to assemble itself around my body. It started with the legs. Then the torso. Then the chest. Followed by the arms. And finally, the head.
As the helmet latches around me, the Heads Up Display activates
"Oh I love this" I said as I begin to test the basic movements of the armor.
It doesn't feel too heavy.
Amazingly light.
It almost feels like a second layer of skin.
I then lift the faceplate up just to get a good look at myself
This is awesome.
"Reassembly complete." The male voice said inside the helmet "Hello Agent Morrison"
"Uh hello?" I ask
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Mr. Stark believed it necessary to create an assistant for you in order to assist you in using the armor to its full potential." The AI said
"Oh that's thoughtful of him" I'm sure this is Tony's way of keeping an eye on me "So what do I call you?"
"I do not have a designated identification. I'm just simply your assistant" He said
"Well I need to call you something if you and I are going to be working together" I state
"A valid point, sir. Do you have something in mind?" He asks
Hmmmmm.
What should I call him?
Jarvis?
No, Jarvis is a person here. Would lead to confusion.
Vision?
No, he's a synthezoid. I doubt he would like that.
Hmmmm
"How would you feel about Arsenal?" I ask
"Arsenal. A collection of weapons and military equipment stored by a country, person, or group. Yes I do believe that is appropriate" The newly named Arsenal agreed.
"Awesome" I state with a smile "Let's go meet with Director Hill. She is waiting for us"
"Very good, sir" he said
I put my faceplate on and proceed to the command deck
Command deck
Everyone look terrified.
Not because of me.
No. They were focused on something else.
I see Director Hill up ahead in front of a big screen. Looking at footage of a man on fire.
And from the looks of it, he took out a superhero team, known as Alpha Flight, like they were nothing.
I don't remember this event.
God that's frustrating.
I walk up to Director Hill as I notice her talking to someone on the phone.
"...He's just turned to a southwest coordinate. He's coming to America"
"We see it. Ma'am, you know what to do" the man in the phone said as he hung up
Director Hill sighs as she begins to look at me.
"I'm assuming you have an idea of the situation we are in?" She asks.
"That some burning man fell from the sky and took out Alpha Flight. Now he's coming here" I answer as my voice sounds slightly deeper thanks to the suit's external speakers.
I fucking love it.
She nods her head.
"That's more or less the situation. This male humanoid landed in Alaska. He's an unknown threat. But he's strong. Taking out Alpha Flight proves that. Normally we'd have the Fantastic Four figure this out. This is right up there alley. But they are not in this dimension at the current moment. Normal SHIELD agents can't contain this. The X-Men are not taking our calls. That only leaves one option..."
"The Avengers" I finish her thought. She nods her head
"Unfortunately. The President wants them on the field. And I'm sending you in as backup" she told me.
Me as backup?
Oh boy.
I'm not even sure I can properly use the suit yet.
Haven't even tested its capabilities.
"Are you sure ma'am? I'm not even sure I can properly pilot this suit." I ask her
"Normally I wouldn't even consider that option but out of everyone in this helicarrier, only you possess the equipment necessary to have a chance" she gestures to the armor.
"I'm asking a lot of you, I know. I wish the circumstances were different but if this guy is worse than we believe, then the Avengers are going to need as much help as they can get." She finishes.
I don't say a word for moment and look at the screen in front of me.
The burning man.
I don't know who this guy is.
Don't even remember reading this event.
And now I have to help the Avengers fight this guy.
I'm not ready.
I barely survived my last encounter with a supervillain.
I'm going to die here.
I can feel my hands shake again.
"Heart rate elevated, sir" Arsenal said.
I can feel it.
My heart pounding away. It's like loud drums in my hears.
No.
No.
NO!
I then turn them into fists.
This isn't the time to be afraid.
I'm an Agent of SHIELD.
This is what we do. We protect the world from threats like this.
This is just a regular day in the office for us.
Time to nut up or shut up.
I then look to the Director
"I understand ma'am. I'll proceed to the hangar bay and fly out to the burning man's position" I tell her
She nods at this.
"Very well. I'll have the Avengers meet you there. Good luck, Agent Morrison" she tells me.
I nod at her as I begin to walk back to the hangar bay.
When I get to the hangar bay, I stand at the edge of the exit. Staring at the outside. Looking down as I'm about to jump out.
"We can fly right?" I ask without using my external speaker
"Mr. Stark ensured that this suit is capable of flight, sir" Arsenal answered.
"Just making sure" I said as I take a deep breath "Ok. Maximum Effort"
Iron Man movies, please don't fail me.
I then lean myself forward and begin to free fall off the helicarrier. My stomach begins to churn and twist as I begin to feel the pressure of the wind hit my armor.
Oh god, this is different than driving that bike.
"Activate thrusters"
"Activating"
On cue, the thrusters activate on my hands and feet.
I soon stop falling and immediately begin to fly in the air with incredible speeds.
According to the HUD, I'm flying around 300 mph.
"HOOOOOOLLLLLYYYYYYY SSSSHHHHHIIIIITTTTTTT!!!!"
I scream as not only did I just begin to fly, I'm flying like Iron Man.
"HAHAHAHAHA"
I can't stop myself from laughing at this.
This is just fucking awesome.
Ok, John.
Stay focused.
You're going to be helping the Avengers in stopping a strong fireman.
Time to be a professional.
"Ok Arsenal, did Director Hill forward us the coordinates for the target?" I ask
"Affirmative. According to satellite imaging, he is heading to Cleveland, Ohio" Arsenal answered
"How far is that from where we are?"
"About one hour and thirty minutes"
"Ok then. Let's punch it"
"Of course, sir"
And then the thrusters increase in propulsion speed as I fly to Cleveland.
Cleveland, Ohio
Thanks to the increased speed, it only took less than 40 minutes to get to Cleveland. During that time, I had Arsenal summarize the operations of the armor. It was a lot but knowing how to use it is literally life and death. I have to at least know how to shoot repulsors beams out of my hands.
As I get close to the destination, I see a giant cloud of purple smoke and within it, the burning man.
I also see Iron Man standing in front of him.
Oh boy.
Better make a entrance
I begin my descent as soon as I get close. I then immediately land on one knee leaving small cracks on the ground.
The stereotypical superhero landing.
This catches everyone's attention.
I then stand up and stand next to Iron Man.
"I was wondering when you'd show up" He asks with also a slightly changed voice from his suit
"Just in time" I said
"Liking the suit?"
"Fits like a glove"
"Good. I'm guessing you've been briefed?"
"Correct"
"Alright then. Let's see what the human torch wannabe wants. Shall we?"
I nod my head
"Right behind you"
"Tony, who is that?" I hear the voice of Captain America in my head.
I guess I'm connected to the Avengers comms.
"It's Agent Morrison, sir. Good to see you again" I answer
"Likewise, Agent. Didn't think Tony would make a suit of armor for a SHIELD agent" he states
"I'm not a normal agent, sir."
Cap scoffs at this
"Fair point"
Iron Man then begins to communicate with the burning man.
"They call me Iron Man. I'm one of the Earth's Avengers. I believe we have a bit of a reputation on other worlds as well as here on our own. Have you heard of us?" He asks the man
Burning man doesn't say a word.
"Can you speak? Or communicate with us in any way so I can see if our universal translator can understand you?"He asks
Still nothing
But my suit analyses the energy readings that are coming off this guy. I don't need to be a genius to know that this guy has enough energy in circulating his body to turn Earth into ash.
"Agent Morrison, Stark, what's happening?" Director Hill asks through our comms.
"The energy readings I'm getting off of him is insane" Tony answers
"I'm getting the same readings. Who or what ever he is, he's capable of killing all of us" I add
"Send us what you have" she said
I have Arsenal do just that.
Meanwhile...
"Who are you and what do you want?" Iron Man asks again
"Mm...MIK...AL" the man struggled to say
Michael?
"Michael? Is that your name?" Iron Man asks
"Ys" he answers
"You're not Korvac, are you?"
"Michael"
"Ok Michael, are you human?"
Michael doesn't respond
"Michael, why are you hurting people? Where are you going?"
No response still but instead of looking at Iron Man, Michael was looking at me.
He was staring intently at me.
Looking deep into my soul.
I could feel it.
Then he charges at me as if he was blur. I couldn't react in time.
Michael grabs me by the throat and raises me into the air.
My HUD begins to act up as I feel my throat being squeezed
"Warning: Extradimensional energy detected. Warning: Radiation level increasing. Warning: Armor integrity at..."
Arsenal is spewing out warning alerts as this guy is trying to kill me.
I try to move his arm but he's stronger than me. Even with the armor.
Still I have to try to break free.
Weapon systems are failing. Can't use repulsors.
Can't do anything.
He's going to kill me
"You...don't...belong" he said to me
I'm blacking out.
I'm dying.
My arms are becoming heavy.
Losing control of motor functions.
This isn't how I saw myself going out.
Jenny.
Forgive me.
Before I begin to accept death, Michael was slammed by a unknown force moving in incredible speed. The act releases me as I kneel to the ground, coughing while I try to catch my breath.
"Warning: Armor integrity at 40%. Initiating nanite repair"
I would so be geeking out right now if I wasn't trying to breathe.
"Are you alright?" Iron Man asks as he kneels next to me.
I slightly nod my head
"Yeah." I manage to speak "What the hell just happened?"
"The Calvary" Iron Man states as he looks up at the sky
I do the same and I saw a blonde haired woman wearing a black suit and a yellow lightning symbol on the front fighting Michael in the sky.
I recognized her.
"Ms. Marvel?" I ask
Iron Man nods his head as he helps me up
"Yep. But as strong as she is, she's nowhere near as powerful as Michael. We need to help her" Iron Man stated "Follow me"
He then begins to fly after her.
I proceed to follow him in the air.
The battle between Carol Danvers and the mysterious being named Michael was extraordinary.
Is this what it feels like to fight alongside Gods?
Ms. Marvel was fighting hard. I know that her powers make her one of the strongest in the Marvel universe. But like Iron Man said, based on the readings Michael is giving off, she will lose
As fly closer to them, a massive explosion occurs.
The force of it pushed me and Iron Man back to the ground. Where we crash and leave cracks to the concrete.
I groan in pain. Nearly got the wind taken out of me.
But I have to get up.
I begin to do so and when I looked up, I saw him.
Michael.
Standing in front of my like a giant from the ancient myths.
He was looking right at me.
"Agent Morrison, are you alright?" Captain America asks through comms
"Fine for now but I don't think that's going to last" I told him.
"Try and hold on. We are helping civilians evacuate. We'll be there soon. Can you buy some time?" He asks
"I'll try" I told him
"Warning: Magnetic field detected" Arsenal said.
On cue, I begin to float in the air. I try to move but I can't. I'm stuck.
Michael is doing this.
He brings me closer to him.
His eyes staring into me like before.
"You...don't...belong" He repeats
And then he begins to squeeze the armor tightly around my body
I scream in pain at this.
The metal of the suit is nearly crunching up every part of my body.
I'm literally going to be a crushed can.
Somehow, he knows about me.
Who I am.
He's right. I don't belong here.
But I will die here.
Guess I can accept that.
Before I become crushed metal, I am taken away from Michael's grip and flown away.
"Hi there. Tony said you needed help" I hear a voice say.
I then look at my rescuer and see that it was Ms. Marvel.
But she's different now.
Is she Binary again?
"John Morrison, Agent of SHIELD. Thanks for the assist" I told her
"No problem" she said as she puts me on the rooftop of a nearby building "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a giant's ass to kick"
She flys away and heads back to Michael.
"Agent Morrison, are you alright?" I hear Iron Man ask me as he lands near me
"Slightly squeezed but I'll live" I answer
Iron Man nods at this
"Seems like he wanted you dead. Why do you think he said to you "You don't belong"?" He asks
"I don't know..."
Yes I do
"But I don't think he's all there. The readings indicate that all that energy he is channeling isn't completely stable. He may very well not be in control of his actions" I reason.
Before he could retort, Iron Man and I heard the battle between Carol and Michael. We looked and saw that she was losing. Even with her old powers.
Michael then seemingly took those powers away and had her contained in some kind of energy field.
But before anything else could happen, something moving extraordinarily fast sent Michael high into the sky. Free Carol from her prison.
"About time Bob showed up" Iron Man said
Bob?
Wait a minute.
Bob.
Bobby.
Robert.
That's when it hit.
"Sentry" I mumble in amazement.
The most dangerous person on the planet is fighting another dangerous person.
Oh god.
The Void.
I really don't want to be facing that thing.
I'm so astonished and terrified that I don't hear Iron Man calling out to me.
"Morrison" he said which caught my attention "You ok?"
"Yeah..."
Hell no
"I'm just amazed how this is my life now. Fighting godlike monsters in an Iron Man suit. Not sure if I'm capable of doing the stuff you guys do" I told him
"It's a lot I admit but I like to think that the world is better with us in it. SHIELD's good but they can't be everywhere. And I think you are doing pretty well all things considering. Piloting that suit well on your first try is no easy feat." He told me
"I had help from Arsenal"
"Who?"
"The AI you gave me"
"Oh yeah. Nearly forgot about that. Good name too. But trust me, you are doing a lot better than most of us did when we first started. And it's only going to get harder from here. Plus I'm pretty sure Marines like a challenge. Doubt Jennifer would want to marry a coward, don't you think?" He said
I should be angry at that statement but I chuckle at it. Tony is right. Jennifer wouldn't have wanted to marry me if I wasn't willing to fight for the people I care about.
"Fair enough" I said "So now what?"
"Now we find out who or what Michael really is" He said
As Iron Man begins to talk to SHIELD on the comms, I look up in the sky and wonder how the hell does this "Michael" know about me.
He said I don't belong.
But how could he know?
Those energy signatures that he was producing are incredible.
His strength was like a god if my sore neck is any indication.
Who or what is he?
I don't remember someone like him.
Then that's when I overhear Iron Man.
"Oh my god" he said as he flies to the sky.
I proceed to follow him.
"Think you can keep up, Agent?" He asks
"Without a doubt" I told him
He chuckles at this.
"That's the spirit" he said
We fly higher and higher up in the air reaching the upper atmosphere and getting closer to space.
"Activating oxygen reserves." Arsenal said "Reserves at 100%"
Oh my god.
No longer are there blue skies filling my vision.
But blackness filled with dots of light.
I'm in space.
I'm in space now.
And it's absolutely beautiful.
So beautiful that I wasn't even listening to Iron Man talk to Spider Man.
But then I heard Spider Man say something that shook me.
House of M.
Everything is beginning to make sense.
Whoever Michael was, he somehow gained the powers of all the mutants that lost their powers after that event.
It's all coming together now.
That's when I see Michael flying toward us.
"Agent Morrison, set your suit to unleash Zero Point energy" Iron Man said to me
"Will that work?" I ask
"We are about to find out" he said
I have Arsenal do just that as Iron Man and I stand our ground as Michael flies towards us.
He crashes into us and an explosion of energy occurs.
At first, I thought that was the end of it all.
But eventually, I realized that I was alive and so was Iron Man
And Michael was pushed away from us.
It looks like that hurt him.
"I can't believe that worked" I commented.
"That was lucky" Iron Man said
I then look at him incredulously
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!" I yelled "You didn't know that would work?"
"Relax." He said "I was 85% sure it would work"
"Not helpful" I growl
"Iron Man, Agent Morrison, are you ok?" Cap asked through comms
"We're good, Cap."Iron Man answered but then we saw Michael glaring at us "Uh-oh"
"Oh shit" I said as Michael came flying at us probably faster than the speed of sound.
But before he could kill us, Sentry tackled him away from us.
His tackle produced shockwaves that pushed me and Iron Man back a few yards but we were saved by our thrusters.
"Wow. That was intense." Iron Man stated "You good,?"
"By some miracle" I answer
"No such thing, Agent. Just the laws of nature and physics working in our favor" he said
"Says the guy that used to work with a god" I retorted
"Technically, not a god. But I do see your point"he said "This is Tony Stark. Agent Morrison and I are ok. Any Avengers on the line?"
I ignore Tony's conversation and just look in awe at the fight between Michael and Sentry. The combination of energies from both of these godlike beings is just too unreal to even explain in words.
This is what the battle of gods look like.
And here I am. A man in nothing but a suit of armor created by a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.
I'm really under qualified for this.
"Agent, we need to get Sentry out of here" Iron Man interrupts
"What? Why?" I ask
"No time to explain. Let's go" he said as he flies in full speed towards Sentry.
I follow after him and help drag Sentry away from Michael.
We fly as fast as possible away from him. I look back and see that Michael isn't following us.
"He's on route. He's heading back to Earth's atmosphere and moving fast" Iron Man said as we then begin to follow Michael.
"We're following" an Agent of shield said on comms
"I'm redirecting the quinjet directly to him" Iron Man said
"Tony, where" Cap asks
"Final coordinates are coming in" he answered
"Where are we?" Sentry asks
I look at the coordinates and I know exactly where we are.
Oh no.
"Genosha" I answer
Genosha
Michael exploded with energy that surrounded the former mutant nation. He was giving off so much power that I'm pretty sure he could destroy this world.
Iron Man, Sentry and I land near the energy field. The Avengers join us not soon thanks to the Quinjet.
It was then I saw the full lineup.
Cap, Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Spider Woman, Wolverine, and Ms. Marvel.
The greatest heroes of the world and I'm standing with them.
I don't deserve this.
But this isn't the time for those thoughts.
We have more pressing concerns.
"Warning: Massive energy transference detected" Arsenal stated
"XORN!!" a person screamed out which made us look for the source.
Oh fuck
"Magneto" I spoke
And that name he yelled out. Xorn.
It's familiar and it's concerning.
We all begin to charge at the super charged Magneto. A argument begins on what we have to do and then monsters started to come up from the ground.
An army of zombie-like monsters.
"You've got to be shitting me" I comment.
"Welcome to the big leagues, bub" Wolverine stated as we began our fight
Iron Man, Vision, Ms. Marvel, Sentry and I take to the air and fire our respective weapons and powers at these things while Spider Woman, Cap, Spider Man and Luke Cage fight on the ground.
With every monster killed, another take its place.
So this is what it means to fight with Gods.
I FUCKING LOVE THIS!!
I blast three creatures with a repulsor beam before I get word from Iron Man.
"Good news, Agent. We got backup" he said
Then my HUD produces a image of a platoon of SHIELD agents on the ground nearby.
"Cap, our Agent Johnson is here" Iron Man told Cap.
Now that's a name I knew very well.
Daisy Johnson. Agent of SHIELD.
Also known as Quake.
An Inhuman that can manipulate vibrations to amazing effect.
She is incredibly powerful.
I nearly forgot that she existed here.
I hear word from Cap that she wants Quake to do to Magneto what she did to Wolverine but aim for the head.
Don't know what she did but I imagine it was painful.
"Agent, come with me. Going to need your help for what comes next" Iron Man informed me as he and Ms. Marvel fly towards Magneto.
"Understood" I said as I join them.
A supercharged Magneto was fighting against Sentry to a near stand still.
Jesus, I forgot how powerful Magneto was.
"Carol, get in position! You're going to have to absorbwhatever energy you can. Absorb it and then spread it out" Iron Man said
"You know it hurts" Ms. Marvel responded.
"That's why you're a hero." He said and then looked at me "Agent, you and I are going to form an energy field to trap the majority of the energy that Magneto would release once he's down. It'll take a lot of power from both of our suits. Think you can handle it?"
"Without question" I answered.
"I'm starting to see what Jen sees in you." He said "You guys ready?"
Ms. Marvel and I nod our heads as she flies to another location while me and Iron Man fly close to Sentry and the Mutant Tyrant.
"Arsenal, you think we can produce an energy field just like Iron Man dictated?" I ask
"It's within the capabilities of this armor to produce a containment field needed to hold this much energy along with Mr. Stark's armor" he stated
"Perfect" I look and see that we are in position "Let's get to it"
And so it began.
The moment Quake attacked Magneto, enormous amounts of energy were unleashed. It was far more vicious than before.
Iron Man and I created our energy fields to keep it from turning the world into a wasteland.
The excess energy that escaped was absorbed by Ms. Marvel.
If it was as painful as she claimed, then I'm so sorry that she had to go through that.
It took me and Iron Man a couple of minutes for our fields to stabilize. When it did, we had a giant ball of energy to deal with.
"We've got it trapped in a energy field but it won't hold forever. It's now or never." Iron Man said to Sentry "We'll be right behind you"
Sentra proceeds to grab and fly away with the energy ball while Iron Man and I followed behind.
We exit the atmosphere again and fly in incredible speeds to catch up to Sentry.
But we stopped as we got close to the moon because from here on out, it was Sentry's job now.
I watch from my extended view on the HUD that he was successful at sending that ball into the sun where it disintegrated.
"Looks like we did it" I said
"That we did. You did good, Agent." Iron Man complimented "You might have what it takes to be a Avenger"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'm still trying to survive being an agent" I respond.
He chuckles at that
"We all start out somewhere" he said "Let's regroup with the others"
Iron Man and I then fly back to Genosha and see the Avengers waiting for us.
"Well?" Spider Man asks
"No more Xorn" Wolverine answers
"And Magneto?" Luke asks
"He's down" I answered.
Luke nods his head at this.
"Thanks for the assist, Agent..?" Luke asks as he offers his hand.
"Morrison" I answer as I shook his hand "Agent John Morrison, sir"
"Oh so you're the guy that's engaged with Jennifer." He states
I nod my head.
"I am." I answer "I'm really lucky to be with her"
Luke smiles at that.
"That's a good attitude to have. I hope to be engaged soon" he said
"Then let me tell you something that no one has told you about being engaged" I said "The moment she says yes is the best feeling in the world and nothing compares to it. Even doing what I'm doing now doesn't compare despite how awesome it is"
He chuckles at that
"Then I have something to look forward to" Luke states
I nod my head at that
Then we see Agent Johnson walking towards us.
"That was a job well done, Agent Johnson, Agent Morrison" Cap informed us
"Always a pleasure, sir" I said with a salute. He salutes back
"Same here" she said "But you can call me Quake"
There it is.
"Quake?" He asks
"My Avengers name. I want to be called Quake" she answers
"I'm sorry but we aren't looking to add members" he said
"Oh" she exclaimed "I thought you were recruiting me"
"No, I'm sorry" Cap said in a sad tone "We just needed your help with this one thing"
"Well this is embarrassing" she said
I kind of felt bad for her so I put my hand on her shoulder. She looked at me.
"Don't worry. I'm sure one day you'll be a great Avenger" I said
She slightly smiles at that
"Thanks but I'm sure you'll be one before I do. Don't think I don't know who you are" she said
"Yeah, I somehow got famous before I even knew it. But I doubt I'd be considered an Avenger. Im nowhere near as good as them" I informed her
"You give yourself far too little credit" Cap said.
"No, Captain. I'm just a guy trying to do his best. I have a long way to go." I told him.
"Oh great. There's two humble idiots" Wolverine stated "But you did good out there, bub. I'll give you that"
High praise indeed from the infamous Wolverine.
"For a rookie you did pretty well" a voice said behind me and I saw Carol Danvers along with Jessica Drew and Spider Man.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Agent Morrison. Jen talks about you a lot" Jessica said as I shake all of their hands.
"Like a lot a lot. And I thought I was talker" Spider-Man joked.
Jessica elbows him in the rib to which he yells ouch like a little girl.
Couldn't help but chuckle at that.
"It is an honor to have fought with the worlds mightiest heroes"I state.
"The honor was ours." Cap said
I then see Iron Man meet with a now human Michael.
Turns out his name is Michael Pointer.
Sounds vaguely familiar.
Based on what I've heard from the conversation, Michael is now a mutant.
Something that shocked him.
Seems fair. I would've had the same reaction.
Hell I had that reaction when I first got here. Still do.
The Avengers began to discuss what to do with him but I was agreed that SHIELD would take him in to train and test his powers.
Magneto was being taken to one of the nearby choppers.
He was somehow alive but in a coma-like state.
He's obviously under arrest.
The chopper begins to leave but then it explodes.
Everyone goes to the site to see what happened.
We get there and it was just horrible.
No one could've survived this.
But this is Marvel, not everyone stays dead here but that's for the main heroes and villains.
Side characters like me, we're expendable. Surprised I've been alive this long
"Arsenal, any idea on the explosive that did this?" I ask
"Negative. No known explosive could account for this damage" he said
That is odd
"Is it possible that a mutant did this or so other explanation that could account for this?" I ask
"Possible but I do not detect anything that would indicate whether this attack was mutant, cosmic or anything else. I'm afraid that I can't make a conclusion at this time" Arsenal said
Of course this wouldn't be easy.
Doesn't matter now.
Two SHIELD agents are dead and Magneto is presumed dead.
I didn't know those agents but they were people too.
Damn, I don't like people dying on my watch.
"Agent Morrison" I turn around and see Director Hill "We're done here. Head back to the Helicarrier and write a report on what happened today. Have ready by tomorrow"
I nod my head at her
"Understood, ma'am" I answer as I fly away from Genosha
Doesn't take me too long to get there since the Helicarrier is nearby.
I land at the docking bay and proceed to walk towards my room.
People stared as I walked by. Either out of admiration or curiosity, I didn't give them any mind.
I'm too focused on other things.
I enter my room and sigh in relief
"What a day" I comment
"Arsenal, you think I can get this armor off?" I ask
"Of course, sir" he said as pieces of the armor began float off my body and reassemble itself in the corner of my room powered down.
"That really is convenient" I said as I take off the undersuit and proceed to go to the shower
I let the water fall on me as I stand underneath the head. Hot water relaxing my body and giving me a sense of peace as I think.
To think that it'll only get harder from here.
And it'll get worse.
Will I even be able to do anything meaningful?
Will I really save people the way the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-men and thousands of others could?
Am I even worthy enough to be like them?
To walk with giants and build worlds?
Oh God, what reason did you put me here?
What is your plan for me? What is my destiny?
Like always, I have more questions than answers.
I'm not ungrateful for this new life that I'm living. It's beyond anything I could hope for. But what is the catch?
I guess I won't find out anytime soon.
After ten minutes, I finish my shower and get dressed into black shorts and a grey T-shirt.
I take my phone out and dial the first number I see.
It rings for a few minutes and someone picks up
"Hey babe" Jen greets
I smile at her greeting.
"Hey beautiful" I greet
"I heard about Genosha from the news and saw footage of a second Iron Man flying alongside the Avengers. I'm assuming that was you?" She asks
Not surprised I was in the news.
"I'm not sure I'm supposed to tell you even if it was" I said with a smirk
"Oh come on" she whines "Tony, Jessica, Carol and Steve practically told me it was you the second you left Genosha"
"Well in that case, that was me" I respond
"Yes, I knew it!!" She screamed excitedly
"I didn't think you'd be that excited by it and I didn't do much" I state
"Are you kidding?" She asks "I have it on good authority that you played a pretty decent role in that fight. The Avengers hold you in pretty high regard. That's not easy you know. I always knew that you can do great things. Today proves it. I'm so proud of you"
I was starting to feel embarrassed by the compliments she was giving me.
"I still have a long way to go to be great but thank you for believing in me. I love you so much" I tell her.
"I love you too, John" she said in a loving tone.
Then I thought of something.
"Do you recall when we planned on getting married?" I ask
"Uh, five months from today. Why? You're not having second thoughts are you?" She asks with fear
"No, no, no, no" I reassure her "I ask because I was wondering if maybe you want to move the wedding up sooner"
"Can I ask why?" She asks
"Today was definitely something I never thought would happen. Me fighting against a godlike being with Earth's mightiest heroes. If you'd ask me years ago, I would've told you that it would probably not happen but it did. I now know what it feels like to fight the battles no one would think of fighting. The same fights you have fought too. I got a taste of what it means to be like you and the Avengers and it was terrifying" I explained.
"I wasn't sure how close I was to dying but all of us were very close. But the thing is, I liked it. No. I loved it. Every second of it was extraordinary. I see why this kind of life is addicting. I can see why people become heroes. Because they know that deep down, if they can, they have a responsibility to help the world. I love this life that I'm living. Despite how crazy it is. And I'm so happy to be a part of your life. No matter what, I'll stand next to you as your husband and maybe one day as a hero that you would be proud of. So, Jennifer Sue Walters, will you marry me sooner than later?"
There was silence on the other end of the line. I was terrified that I said the wrong thing
"Y-You really do have a way with words you know that?" She finally said but her voice sounded like she was crying
"There is nothing I would love more than to marry you as soon as possible" she said "Any ideas on how soon?"
"I don't know. Maybe a month from now. If possible, of course. I know that you have like a thousand cases to go through" I state
"I don't have that many cases on my desk but it does feel like thousands so I'll give you that" she joked "I think we can do it sooner. How about two weeks?"
"Even better" I said
"Awesome" she said joyfully "It's a good thing we know some people that can pull some strings to make our venue available for then"
"Gotta love being friends with rich people" I joked which made her chuckle
"Yes we do" she said "Oh God, I'm so excited. I can't wait for this to happen"
"Me too" I said with a smile
"Great. I have some paperwork that I have to handle for a case so I have to go." She said "I love you, John Bennet Morrison. I look forward to being your wife"
"And I look forward to being your husband" I said "Do I still get to wear the pants in the relationship? Or do you plan to usurp them?"
"You're so stupid" she laughs "I've always worn pants and trust me their too big for you. Love you"
She hangs up on me before I could retort.
All I can do is laugh. She got the last word in.
"Oh she is something else" I said.
I then take a look at the armor and a thought crossed my mind.
It's a risky thought but I think it should be fine.
I proceed to walk up in front of it.
"Arsenal, you still there?" I ask
The armor powers up again.
"Of course, sir" he said
"How would you feel about a change in color?" I ask
"What did you have in mind, sir?" He asks
"Something...patriotic" I answer.
Let's begin.