A/N: Oh, you're still here? Huh, neat!
Don't forget to leave a review, keeps me going. I'm no professional writer, but I'll do my darndest to improve my writing level and plotting.
Obligatory disclaimer: I don't own Avengers, nor do I own Ben 10. Now, can I see my dog again?
CHAPTER 2:
Avengers Initiative.
"Nick Fury?!!"
Ben was livid. Apparently, the man in black had been well acquainted with the teen hero in the past, he'd crossed paths with the shapeshifter since his early hero days during summer vacation with his cousin, occasionally making contact with their grandfather, Maxwell Tennyson. Ben was deemed a high value asset, with Fury's intent on keeping the boy, much to the displeasure of his grandfather. The trio had always managed to stay ahead of the one eyed agent, all the while Fury remained on their tail, keeping an eye on them (no pun intended) throughout the summer vacation and even beyond their after years.
Nick Fury was part of an international spy agency called SHIELD, an acronym for "Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division", but for Ben, it only stood for one word: trouble.
SHIELD was also known for being the government agency that sought to capture and detain all super-powered individuals, regardless of their moral alignment or values. Sometimes they even performed gruesome experiments on said powered individuals, they were the real men-in-black, and Ben was the whole catalogue of illegal aliens, wanted for capture. Every incident involving Ben, his cousin and Grandpa somehow managed to get back to Fury, either via secure channels or agent reports.
Suffice it to say, Ben didn't like the eyepatch man very much.
"Good to see you're still in one piece, hero" the last word felt more like a sarcastic jab than a genuine title, with all the respect and gravitas that it had.
Ben may have been a "hero" of sorts, but Fury still saw a child brandishing an extremely dangerous ALIEN weapon like a toy, leaving a trail of destruction in his vain pursuit of heroism. His team's were the ones who picked up the mess and made sure that nothing could be traced back to the boy or his family. Security tapes were wiped, evidence buried and battle sites cleaned up. And the boy was none the wiser. Granted, he'd grown up considerably after hitting his teenage years, but that didn't stop Nick Fury from always seeing Ben with BOTH eyes: a potential world-ending threat. Or a potential ally. Time would tell which was true.
"Good to see SHIELD still doesn't know the human way of saying hello", Ben bit back, his snark still intact over the years, "got anymore surprises I should know about, or are you just happy to see me?"
"Would you believe I came all this way just to talk?"
"Probably, if I also believed that you weren't being leashed around by your government buddies", Ben never relinquished an opportunity to take a jab at Fury and the agency he represented.
"Anyone ever tell you that you got a mouth on you, son?"
"Anyone ever tell you that you look like the Emo version of Mace Windu?"
Fury put a gloved hand on his forehead, the teen was still as exasperating as ever. SHIELD had once tried to enlist Ben (both by negotiation AND coercion) and Ben had responded in kind by delivering Fury's agents bound and gagged, hanging in public areas.
"Teenagers..." Fury shook his head. Ben had always been a problem for him, a pretty large one compared to the likes of Banner or Stark. He'd enough on his plate, but dealing with a shape-shifting kid that could level national monuments with just one transformation was a damn buffet.
"So what's the occasion? Finally decided to show your face again to pick off lonely and vulnerable Ben? Wait, how did you know I was here? Are you spying on me again? I thought I made my point clear after gift-wrapping your agents and sending their locations back to you on YouTube? "
Ben paused" Wait, the anonymous tip! Plumbers HQ! That was you? "
Fury simply stared.
" OhmyGod did you just make up an entire abandoned town just to kill me? With giant killer ROBOTS? "
" Oh please, you've fought worse! In space, no less"
"They had flipping lasers, Fury! "
"Trust me kid, you're too annoying to die. Plus the drones were a simple combat simulation to test your skills and how far they've come" Fury explained, surveying the wrecks of the two combat Hulkbusters outside the warehouse.
"The anonymous tip was broadcast via a special SHIELD frequency, we hoped the PLUMBERS would identify. Apparently not, seeing as you're here with no idea what you were getting into. Sloppy, by the way", he turned back to the teen hero, his one eye appraising him like a magnifying glass on an ant. Fury always found a way to be in control, and the teen hero knew it.
"Well, I knew it was coming..", Ben folded his arms "..just didn't want to ruin your surprise , Captain Blackbeard"
"Well, the PLUMBERS didn't. Intergalactic Police my ass".
The PLUMBERS and SHIELD had no love lost between them. SHIELD saw the PLUMBERS as an alien invasion waiting to happen, the PLUMBERS saw SHIELD as a nuisance. A nuisance with level 4 technology, higher than any other tech available on earth.
"Says the guy who..."
"Save it kid. As much as I would enjoy wasting my time verbal-jousting with you, I didn't come here for pleasantries"
"Aww and here I though we were gonna have tea together with unicorns and fairies. Then again, you probably have them locked up somewhere in some dank SHIELD prison, huh?"
"It's alien activity", stated Nick. He wasn't one to mince words, especially when the world was possibly at stake.
"Huh?"
"We've recently gotten Intel about increased alien activity in multiple regions all over the US. And we believe its linked to a signal from a possibly alien artefact currently in SHIELD custody"
"Artefact? What artefact?"
"Thats classified, kid"
"Okay, how about the SHIELD channels? Can you see what they picked up?"
"Classified, kid"
"Fine! Where's the artefact?"
"It's..."
"Lemme guess, it's classified"
Fury blinked. "The artefact is extremely powerful and unstable, we're housing it in a safe location. We think its...calling something, or someone"
"Wait, like a homing beacon? "
"That's what we're trying to figure out, kid. Look, we tried contacting the Plumbers but they shut off our comms when we tried to access theirs. That's why we had this...arrangement"
"So where do I come in?"
"Whatever's on the other side, we need to be ready kid. I need to know if I can depend on you...when the time comes"
"Woah, woah, hold the phone, lemme get this straight: You're saying you need MY help?"
"We're in different times, son", Nick Fury walked in a semicircle round Ben's back and stood at his right
"..there's a different war to fight. A war that may very well be the end of all of us. I need everyone of us to be ready. The world is waking to a new age, and we're the ones who have to make sure that humanity survives this new age."
"There was an idea, your Grandfather knows this, called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to. To fight the battles that we never could"
Stepping forward, the director of SHIELD stood in front of the teen, "I need you, Ben Tennyson, on that side. The side fighting not just for heroics or fancy titles, but for something greater"
"Not to burst your bubble, Nick, but I already saved the universe a bunch of times, so..."
"I know all about that. Vilgax, The Highbreed Invasion, Aggreggor, Dagon and even that ghost thing that haunts my nightmares", Fury almost shuddered. Almost.
"You mean Ghostfreak?"
"I don't care what lame-ass pet name you give to your alien friends, Tennyson", Fury snapped
"Well it's a lot better that Fury! Is that even your real name?"
"That's Classified"
"Sure, whatever you say, Nick Classified" Ben retorted.
Fury pinched the bridge of his nose, "I admit you've got experience, kid, and that's the main reason why I want you on this. You have the chance to do some more good with the right training, the right environment"
"What's the other reason?" Ben asked.
"Your Grandpa".
"Huh?!" was all Ben could say.
"He was one of the best and brightest soldiers I ever had the opportunity of encountering. Was a legend in my day. He believed everyone had a chance to be a hero, to be better than themselves by fighting for a just cause. The Avengers Initiative IS that cause. Not gonna lie kid, you could bring some serious talent to the fold, even if that talent is undisciplined, unfocused and annoys the chaps out of everyone"
"Was that a compliment or..."
"Time's changing and so will we" The Director of SHIELD stretched his hand expectantly, "so what's it gonna be? The Lone Wolf, or the Avenger?"
Ben looked down at Fury's outstretched hand. He wasn't a stranger to hero team ups, the Galactic Enforcers came to mind. But at the end, Ben could only rely on his people. His family. Not the mismatched trio who saw a child playing hero, not a kid who wanted to help.
But could he really be on a team again? Ben had to be honest, he missed his old team. He missed Gwen and her sassy remarks or witty advice, Kevin and his sociopathic tendencies, and all the debonair charm that came with them.
Plus, Ben didn't really trust Fury (not as far as Humungosaur could throw him, really) but this could be a chance to do some good again. Save more lives. Or maybe this New Age of Heroes and Marvels didn't need him to save it.
"I'm already a hero, Fury, and heroes get things done with or without a team. I'll keep saving lives if I can, but not from under your thumb.But I think these times still need Ben Tennyson"
Fury put his outstretched hand in the front pocket of his trench coat "That wasn't a no, Tennyson". His one eye still looking at him expectantly.
Ben simply put his hands up behind his head, elbows jutting outwards and walked away.
"I'm my own hero, Fury. I'll be there if the world needs saving, its what I do", Ben strolled out of the Warehouse, leaving Nick in its dilapidated bowels.
The SHIELD Director watched the 19 year old enter his car and drive away, while he remained unmoving.
"Y'know, not many people get to turn their back on THE Nick Fury", a voice spoke up, it's owner hidden by the rafters on the warehouse ceiling.
Nick simply continued to stare at the rapidly vanishing silhouette of Ben's Car. "He'll be back", he finally responded.
"You sure about that?"
"Absolutely. Because we'll need him to"
The hidden speaker finally revealed himself, dropping noiselessly from his perch.
He seemed like a typical SHIELD agent in all black, however he was wielding a peculiar weapon: a highly advanced Compound Bow. His gloves were partially fingerless, and he wore a black short sleeved military vest with a purple insignia on his chest in the shape of a fletching. He also wore black cargo pants and black boots. A full high tech quiver of arrows rested on his back.
"You were right, he's a handful", he continued.
Fury turned to look at him, "Yeah, but I think I can handle worse. Besides, it's better than listening to those asses at the council"
The Archer smirked."You sure they're not listening in right now?".
"Oh I'm counting on it, Agent Barton"
Agent Barton surveyed the warehouse before tapping on his ear comms. A SHIELD transport was inbound.
"Y'know sir, when you asked me to be your backup, I didn't know you wanted protection from some kid"
"That kid just took out two prototypes designed to take down the Hulk. Do the math, Barton."
Nick began his walk out of the Warehouse, the measured stomps of his combat boots echoing within the rusty walls. "Get my evac prepped and ready, we're heading back to Project PEGASUS. I've got a meeting with Agent Hill and I need to be there yesterday"
"Yes sir" Barton replied, "What about Agent Romanov?"
"Keep her on standby, we'll need her for this one".
Author Note 2:
Well, that was a blast! Don't forget to leave a review if you enjoyed it!
Response to reviews:
ijionclifton: Don't worry, I'll make sure Ben gets time to interact with each avenger
AndrewEMack: Thanks, glad you like it
Zevren: Definitely, I hate that OV Ben still acts like a moron, he's supposed to be a veteran hero for crying out loud!
-Maybe you can help me identify said plot holes
-Don't worry, mistaken transformations will be quite rare. I personally use them to highlight Ben's quick thinking and improvisation
Thewittywhy: Thanks, stick around for more why don't ya?
Maximum Rhapsody: Unfortunately, I won't be including NON-MCU movies. Xmen movies are a convoluted mess, the Fantastic 4 movies are too campy for me, and I haven't really seen the Netflix series (except The Defenders). Also, characters like Cooper, Ester and Lucy won't be featured, I'm afraid. Maybe a cameo or something. Lastly, I don't do harems. Personally don't like them.
UltraPhantom: Cool, can't wait!
reader2020italia: Thanks! Glad you like it!
