Avenging Justice 2:

Caught Between an Ultron and a Doomsday

Part XXV

Earth, New York, New York City

Well, it was supposed to be a girls' night out. However, a rather urgent sounding Maria Hill changed that. Since New York three years ago, she and Kara had struck up a friendship. It was fun hanging out with a friend that could do what she did, go where she went.

It was depressingly lonely being Captain Marvel. She didn't have a lack of people wanting something from her, but very few that she could talk to as equals. Tony was irrepressible and probably stuck in man-child mode. Thor had parent issues, Batman just had issues and Superman was complicated. Supergirl though, was like the sister she never had.

Three years ago they had struck up an immediate friendship, almost like the one she had with Monica Rambeau back in the Air Force. Together they had filled something the other missed. For Carol, it was someone like her, for Kara, it was a friend on a strange world. Together, their friendship hand grown.

"Alright, Agent Hill, we'll head that way," Carol said. "Remind Fury that this isn't why I gave him the pager back."

"You'll find it a worthy task," Hill said exasperated. "Not everything is blowing up alien spaceships, sometimes the more mundane are just as earth shattering."

Kara piped up, "So where are you going?"

Carol answered, "Some place in Tennessee. Apparently one of their science projects got out of hand and some rather nasty people are after what they were working on."

"Sounds like fun, use a hand?" Kara Zor-El liked this hero bit.

It was about the only time she could just be her, lest loose. How Kal-El did it, she wasn't sure. Having to constantly hide what he was, always worrying about watching his strength, or giving away his secret. She found it incredibly draining, mentally if not physically. It was nice to be around Carol, one of the few people she didn't have to worry accidentally hurting, or giving away her secret. With Carol, she could be herself, well more of herself.

Before either woman could say another word, a shambling mass of rags stumbled out of a nearby alleyway. The form of a teen girl was barely perceptible in the mass of rags, and the two heroes rushed over to see if she was okay. Supergirl's x-ray vision spotted no broken bones, and her hearing detected a high heart rate.

"I'm not seeing any injuries, still should get her to a hospital," Supergirl said, immediately she was out of her civilian clothes, and her Kryptonian clothing was revealed. The world called this her costume or uniform, but this was her people's clothing, one last link to her home.

Carol, likewise, had changed into her Captain Marvel armor, "I think there is one a block from here. We can drop her off and then head down to that scientist that needs saving."

Just then the teen girl growled something, "We will not be exterminated or suppressed! The Mutant Uprising begins here!"

More quickly than either hero could imagine, the girl lunged and her hands touched their bare skin. The girl felt their power and took it in, at first a wonderful font of energy and strength, but eventually she screamed as it became a white-hot ball of pain, pulsing through her body. She let go and jumped back, and threw the wall of one of the nearby buildings.

Supergirl felt weak, weaker than she had ever felt before. Carol was worse off, Captain Marvel thudded to the ground, looking near death. Supergirl was having trouble standing herself, and it was probably pure stubbornness that she hadn't fallen to the ground like Captain Marvel. They needed help, whatever the girl had done to them was serious.

Without thinking, she grabbed Carol and flew off to where she knew she'd find help. Rocketing towards, she had the hardest time staying conscious. It was a miracle that she didn't hurtle through a passing plane or a building as she began her descent. However, she made, if barely and landed hard on the roof of the Daily Planet.

There to greet the two falling heroes was a very started intern. It wasn't every day, even in Metropolis, where people fell from the sky just feet from you. Even worse, these two looked like they had just been in the fight of their lives. Being just a normal Human, the intern wasn't one to pick a fight with something that could take out Captain Marvel and Supergirl.

"Get Lois Lane," Supergirl managed to get out before she fell into blackness.

Back in New York, the teen girl ran through the streets. Horrible memories and thoughts assaulted her. Flashes of exploding worlds filled her closed eyes, right next to an explosion ripping apart her atoms and refusing them together. Angry voices of two women assaulted the teen girl, two personalities assaulting her in a nonstop attack.

She fell and punched the street, a small crater appeared around her fist. She leapt up to run away, and found herself four stories in the air. Crashing down, she hit the ground hard, but she felt nothing but the slightest pressure from it. Someone grabbed her arm, and with the subtlest of movements, the good Samaritan was sent flying into a nearby light pole.

The teen girl was up and running, back to the safe house. She would know what to do, she had adopted her when her real family had cast her out. All because of her power, the ability to absorb other's life energy and powers. Because she was a Mutant, and something to be feared.

"My little Rogue, what happened?" came the tender words said by one with an agenda. "Were you successful?"

Rogue broke down, wracking sobs pouring down her face, "I can hear them, they're screaming around inside of my mind! Make it stop, make it stop, please, make it stop."

Mystique found herself stunned. She knew of the girl's powers, but she hadn't foreseen that the effects of draining that much power would do that to her. Then again, she'd never drained someone's power as much as what this plan called for.

There was someone that might be able to help Rogue now, but it was a gamble. He was always taking in lost souls, but if he found out her real plan, he might work against her. Seeing Rogue, screaming in pain, hands to her ears, writhing on the ground, it was a worthy risk. She quickly touched the teen's face with her gloved hand.

"Don't worry, we're going to get you help," Mystique said as she wrapped the struggling teen in a blanket.

Earth, Tennessee, Gatlinburg

Seth had felt the injection of the needle and then for several minutes, he'd been out. He came back to, and he was struck by the two extremes he felt. One was energy he had never experienced before, like he was full of life and invincible. He ascribed it to the same feeling one gets flying or blasting over asphalt on his motorcycle. The other was an intense hunger, like he hadn't eaten in days. Ravenous, but it extended past physical hunger, to the need to have daylight on his face.

"What did you do to us?" he asked.

Dr. Oyongo gave him the funniest, motherly type look, "You are now the first of many. They wanted to build soldiers, but I believed people were the key." Looking at the now waking form of Lara, "You two didn't even bat an eyelash, and gave up your comforts to help me. You two are the ones deserving of this power."

"What about you?" Seth asked, his head still trying to wrap itself around the implications of what she just said.

Dr. Oyongo pointed towards the forest, "We have company, and now you both have an edge."

He heard the shot, saw the bullet coming, and reacted. Grabbing the doctor, he gently pulled her close to him. The bullet collided with the wall, just as more started to come in. Most were getting too close for his liking, and he saw Lara dive to the ground. This couldn't stand.

Seth was up and he burst through one of the windows. Moving at speeds that were incredible, he dodged the bullets. He came onto the first gunman, and ripped the rifle out of his hands. Smashing the weapon into bits, he slugged the man, and he fell boneless to the ground. Behind him another came at him, and he grabbed the fighter by the throat, lifting the man up into the sky.

A few hundred feet away, another squad was having their own issues as Lara laid into them. She barreled into one, sending him flying into several trees with a boneless thump. Another gunman came up, and when Lara smashed the helmet into pieces, revealed a very startled woman. She punted her away, and took out another that came up behind her. This one actually hit her with something, but the weapon shattered. Their reward was a quick trip across the ground, and several days in traction.

Meanwhile Seth got caught between two and their coordination actually hit him with several rounds. To him they felt like paint balls impacting on him, and hurt, but they didn't do any serious damage. Growling, he grasped one, and slammed them into the other. More were coming, and he quickly launched a nearby rock into their vehicle. Much to his surprise, the rock went through the engine block, exiting out the back window.

Minutes later, and with a majority of the attackers taken down, they saw several of the remaining attackers retreat. That left Seth and Lara to finally catch their breath, and once again begin to ask what had happened to them. More questions were coming, as lights lit up the cabin, and they prepared for another attack.

"Hold! We're friendlies," came a feminine voice that carried authority. "We're here to extract you and Dr. Oyongo."

Seth, having a weird enough night as it was, asked, "Just who are you?"

"They are S.H.I.E.L.D.," Dr. Upita Oyongo explained. "Apparently they were keeping watch on my work."

The agent told them, "Those were HYDRA agents, and they'll be back with greater numbers and weapons. Come with us and we'll get you all to safety."

"For now, but your bosses will give me answers," Dr. Oyongo flatly said. "Come, you two could use some rest and food."

Seth was about to argue, but he heard a mewing and there was Cheetara in her carrier being held by one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. He gave the man a look of warning, and the man put the carrier down and backed away, hands up in mock surrender. Seth gently picked up the carrier and heard the cat purr.

"It'll be okay," he heard Lara say. "I trust her, and there are rumors they work with the Avengers."

Seth nodded, "Okay, we'll go."

Moments later, they were gone, and peace had returned back to the cabin. Doors were locked and closed, but bullet holes and broken windows remained. Those surviving HYDRA agents were rounded up, with some taking their lives with suicide pills. False teeth in some, actual pills in others, they died with the phrase, "Hail HYDRA!" on their lips.

Meanwhile two unsuspecting heroes found themselves a small bit of comfort. Food was eaten, and rest was had. All the way, Nick Fury was fielding calls from all over, and had to answer questions that he wasn't willing to go into detail with. The first and foremost, had the Super Soldier serum been recreated. The answer was yes, and that the notes and intelligence had been lost.

He knew that Dr. Oyongo could probably recreate it, but she only had two vials and half her original notes left. His people had tried to gather more, recreate it from the fragments left over, but it proved impossible. Some intelligence beyond Earth had used its own programming to scramble and delete it all. However, the one thing he didn't tell Dr. Oyongo, was they had recovered one more vial. That he was keeping close to his chest, just in case they needed it later.