Chapter 32: Head of Evil

On the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Coulson was going about his usual duties when he saw something flashing on his screen. He took a look and saw it was a distress signal from Hawkeye. His eyes narrowing, he got to his feet, looking over where Director Fury was standing.

"Sir, we have a problem." he reporte.

"What now?" Fury asked.

"We just got a distress signal from Agent Barton." he reported. "Last known location is off the coast of Florida on a small island not far from the Bermuda Triangle."

"Think the Avengers are in some kind of trouble?" Fury asked.

"I think it would be a mistake not to make sure." Coulson replied.

Fury nodded in agreement, stroking his chin in contemplation.

"You think your team is ready?" Fury inquired.

"Would be a good field test for them." Coulson told him.

"True." Fury concurred. "Tell them to gear up and be ready to move in twenty."

"So how's Tahiti?" Daisy "Skye" Johnson asked her fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists, Fitz and Simmons over video chat.

"Well, we checked three times on the plane to make sure that's actually where we were headed." Simmons quipped, chuckling a bit. "But I must admit, it's been amazing."

"Agreed." Fitz added. "Been here two weeks, and nothing bad has happened yet."

"What about on your end?" Simmons asked. "Has S.H.I.E.L.D. imploded without us there?"

"No, actually things have been pretty chill around here." Skye told them. "Guess all the big stuff's being handled by the Avengers."

Just then, there was a beeping noise on her computer. She took a look and saw a message from Coulson.

"Uh-oh." she let out, opening the message.

"What is it?" Fitz asked.

"Sorry guys, gonna have to cut this short." Skye lamented. "Trouble on the horizon."

In the gym, agents Bobbi Morse and Malinda May were in the midst of a heated sparring match. Bobbi was going on the offensive, causing May to dodge and back up from her opponent.

"Having trouble keeping up, May?" Bobbi asked.

"You wish." May retorted.

May then grabbed one of Bobbi's arms and flipped her to the ground. Thinking fast, Bobbi yanked May down to the ground and moved on top of her. May then kicked Bobbi off before getting back to her feet. Bobbi flipped back up and was about to continue the fight when both their communication devices in their mutual bags.

"Duty calls." Bobbi remarked.

"Then let's get to work." May replied.

Sometime later, the three of them meet up in the hanger area where Coulson was waiting for them.

"Welcome team." he greeted. "We have a priority one operation. At 16:00 today, we received a distress beacon from Agent Barton."

"What'd Hawkeye get himself into this time?" Bobbi asked.

"Not sure." Coulson answered. "But we have reason to believe that he and the Avengers are in trouble. Their last known location puts them here."

He holds up a tablet with a map of the island that the Avengers had been infiltrating.

"So we go in, find the Avengers and whatever threat they came across, take it out, and get out?" Skye asked.

"Correct." Coulson replied. "Suit up. We're taking off in five."

Back on AIM island, the Avengers struggled to free themselves from their confinements, but it was to no avail. Tony had his suit taken away by AIM agents so they could take it apart. This left him sitting in a cell in a t-shirt and boxers. Jan would've mocked but she and Hank were reduced to their skivvies as well, seeing as AIM wanted to reverse engineer the Pym particles in their suits.

Hulk was forced to revert back to Bruce Banner, agents having locked Rick to an electric chair with their finger over the button. Thor's cell was full of knockout gas, keeping him sedated and unable to do anything. Wolverine was trapped on a large magnet, which kept him immobile despite his attempts to thrash out.

Black Panther was suspended in the air by an anti-gravity generator. It kept him unable to get any momentum, leaving him helpless. Spider-Man had his web shooters taken away before shoving him in a glass containment cell. Clint just had his bow and quiver taken away before being stuffed in a cell of his own. Cap was strapped down to an operating table, with several scientist waiting to cut into him and figure out the secrets of his Super Soldier blood.

Needless to say, Earth's Mightiest Heroes weren't feeling all that mighty at the moment.

"Well this is another fine mess we've gotten ourselves into." Spidey commented, leaning against the glass.

"Yeah..." Jan grumbled. "AIM got us all, and are about to crack all of our hard work apart. Way to go team."

"At least you can move!" Logan remarked. "I can't even scratch my back."

"Bruce, just tear these guys apart." Rick insisted. "Don't worry about me. Smash these guys!"

"I'm not gonna risk your life, Rick." Bruce retorted, his veins green as he fought to keep his rage in check. "No matter how much I want to let the big guy out."

"Anything you can do from up there, Panther?" Tony asked.

"I'm afraid not." Panther replied. "Suspended like this, I fear I am useless."

"Great." Tony replied.

"Well look on the bright side." Clint remarked.

"Clint, we're captured without our gear, our weapons, and in some cases, our clothes, while AIM and that giant head are working to piece apart just about everything about us and use it against the world." Jan told him. "What exactly is the bright side here?"

He just smirks.

"Patience is a virtue." he told her. "Just sit tight. We'll be home free soon."

"Ok seriously, what is wrong with that guy?" Jan asked.

"Don't know." Tony replied. "My guess, sleep deprivation."

A few miles away, a S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft classified as "The Bus" flew across the waters of the Florida coast, approaching the same island the Avengers infiltrated just a few hours ago. Inside, May sat at the controls as the other S.H.I.E.L.D. members prepared for the mission. Bobbi was decked out in a skintight light blue S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform with a matching mask and two batons that were stored on her back.

"Mockingbird, ready for duty." She reported.

Skye was in her own black S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform with orange stripes along the sides and two specialized gauntlets on her hands.

"Quake is a go." She signed off.

Coulson returned from the back of the Bus, decked out in his S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform and carrying a high tech looking gun.

"Coulson reporting." He added. "Now I'm starting to wish I had a codename."

"Interesting… weapon, you have there." Quake commented.

"Nice, huh?" Coulson replied. "Research and Development began working on it after Loki sent the Destroyer."

"Do you even know what that thing does?" Mockingbird asked.

"No," Coulson admitted. "But I'm going to find out today. May, time for stealth mode."

"Activating retro reflection panels… now." May responded.

A few button presses on the console caused the plane to seemingly vanish into thin air, allowing them to fly up to the island undetected. Once they made it to the island, the plane set down in a brush a few miles away from the facility. They peered through the underbrush at the facility, Mockingbird pulling a pair of binoculars from her belt.

"Armed guards, heavily fortified gate, these guys are armed to the teeth." she reported.

"We need a way inside without drawing attention to ourselves." May insisted.

"We could knock on the door and pretend we're door to door salesmen." Quake suggested.

"Daisy, please take this seriously." Coulson insisted.

"Look, unless one of us wants to turn ourselves into the beekeepers, I'm not seeing an easier way through those gates." She retorted.

Coulson thought about what Skye said for a minute. As much as he hated to admit it, she had a point, they needed an in and this was probably the best way.

"Alright," He relented.

Quake blinked.

"Wait, what?" she questioned.

"You're right, the only way inside if they let us in." He explained. "Since it was your idea, I'm assuming you volunteered."

"But-" Quake tried to argue.

"Keep your guard up and don't do anything reckless." May interrupted. "Wait until you make contact with the Avengers, then clear a path for us."

"And try not to laugh if they decide to frisk ya." Mockingbird mocked.

"Very funny." Quake replied, rolling her eyes.

She slipped out of the brush, muttering to herself.

"Can't even make a snide comment without getting roped into some dangerous situation." she grumbled.

She then walked up the facility and took out her gun, shooting one of the AIM agents on patrol. That shot seemed to alert every other agent there, as seconds after shooting him, several more agents stormed out of the building and began surrounding her. She gave them a grin, holding up her hands as she dropped her gun.

"My bad." she called out. "I didn't see him there."

One of the agents came over and put her hands in a pair of cuffs before leading her into the building.

Meanwhile in another part of the complex, MODOK was talking to the Scientist Supreme about the Avengers weapons and tech they had collected.

"It's amazing." The Scientist Supreme let out. "In one fell swoop, we captured the Avengers, as well as gained access to Stark's Iron Man armor, Captain America's super soldier serum and the Pym Particle. I'm certain with some persuasion, we can get Dr. Banner on our side to create a few more monsters under AIM's control."

"Indeed." MODOK agreed. "Soon the entire world will know AIM's might. Nothing shall stand in my way."

"You mean our way." Scientist Supreme corrected. "Don't forget who made you, MODOK."

"The means of my creation is irrelevant." MODOK replied. "I possess the greatest intellect out of any agent in the Advanced Idea Mechanics. I single handedly defeated the Avengers. I alone am worthy to command the forces of AIM!"

"AIM has always been lead by the Scientist Supreme." he argued. "You are not even a scientist! You're an experiment! You have no right to lead!"

"You dare!" MODOK yelled before shooting a mental bolt at the Scientist Supreme, who dropped to the floor crying in pain upon impact.

A few AIM agents in the room stepped back as MODOK continued his assault. The Scientist Supreme continued screaming in agony as MODOK continued attacking him.

"You are not fit to lead AIM." He snarled. "You are nothing more an a weak-willed human that has allowed his own greed to corrupt this grand establishment! Through my power, I will lead AIM to greater glory than ever dreamed possible."

He increased the power of his beam.

"Too bad you will not be around to witness it." he sneered.

After the last and loudest scream to come out of his mouth, the Scientist Supreme dropped to the ground, his mind completely destroyed. His eyes were unfocused and a line of drool dripped down his chin. MODOK just looked down at him in disgust, turning from him dismissively.

"Have that properly disposed of." he ordered. "Unless anyone else wishes to dispute my claim to leadership."

The agents wisely did as they were told, not offering a single word of protest.

"Excellent." MODOK replied. "Have the Super Soldier brought in. it's time to operate."

Back in the containment area, the Avengers were sitting in their cells when the AIM agents that captured Skye came in.

"You got company, Avengers." The agent declared. "Get in here."

Skye stumbled slightly, looking around the containment block at all of the captured Avengers.

"Is this all of you?" she asked.

"Pretty much." Spider-Man replied.

"Good." Skye replied. "I suggest you hold onto something."

Skye then shot out her hands from behind her back, creating a massive shockwave that knocked the agents back and destroyed the cuffs, reducing them to pieces. She then put her hand against the glass of Spidey's containment cell.

"I'd cover your ears." she warned.

The Avengers did so as she blasted at the glass, causing a loud ringing noise before the glass shattered. The blast also disabled the tech for Wolverine's Magnet and Panther's Anti-Gravity generator, causing them to land on the floor. The second it looked like Rick's electric chair was down, Bruce stopped holding back, unleashing the Hulk in an instant.

"Yeah!" Rick cheered.

Hulk walked over to him, ripping the restraints to shreds before plopping Rick on his shoulder.

"Good to have you back, big guy." Rick complimented. "Think you can free Thor?"

"No problem." Hulk replied.

Hulk then went over to Thor's cell and smashed the door to pieces. Once inside, he performed a massive clap, sending the gas keeping him unconscious out of the cell. Once enough of the gas was dispelled, Thor slowly came to, grunting as he sat up.

"Welcome back, blondie." Hulk jeered.

Thor just smirked before holding out his hand. After a few seconds, Mjolnir returned to his hand, seemingly restoring his strength

"That's more like it." Thor remarked as Skye walked over to them.

"Nice moves." Jan commended.

"Thanks." Skye replied, slightly surprised by Wasps state of dress. "Nice underwear."

Jan blushed a bit as she tried covered herself.

"Thanks." Wasp grumbled. "Hasn't been the best day for us."

"It happens." Skye told her. "Believe me."

She then turned towards the doors, popping her neck.

"I need to make way for reinforcements." she explained. "Think you can handle the rest of the rescuing?"

"I think we can manage." Tony replied. "Though some guys took Cap a little while ago. We'll need to get after him."

"Go do that." Skye told him. "This world only needs one Super Soldier."

"That's for sure." Clint replied as they all ran off.

Inside one of the AIM laboratories, Cap struggled to free himself from the table he was strapped to as AIM scientists closed in on him.

"How Ironic." one scientist spoke up. "HYDRA spent decades trying to recreate the formula. But now, we have it gift wrapped for us."

"Indeed." the second scientist replied. "Let us see what makes the world's greatest soldier tick."

"Hey!" Clint's voice called out.

The two looked up to see a medical tray flying right at them. It hit the first one in the face before bouncing off and hitting the second, knocking them both out. Cap looked up to see the others running towards him and freeing him from his restraints.

"Nice timing team." Cap told them.

"Some weird chick with earthquake powers came in and helped us." Spidey spoke up.

"Daisy Johnson." Clint corrected. "AKA Quake, though she prefers Skye."

"You know her?" Wolverine asked, helping Cap up.

"We work together at S.H.I.E.L.D." Clint explained.

"You called in reinforcements and didn't tell us?" Hank questioned.

"Couldn't go giving away the surprise." he retorted.

"We can talk about this later." Cap told them. "Let's just be happy we have back up. AIM's still a threat, especially since they have our gear."

"So let's get it back and take em down." Wolverine declared.

"And soon." Tony added. "It's getting kinda drafty in here."

"Agreed." Jan spoke up. "Why do the villains feel the need to strip us to our underwear?"

"I have a few answers to that," Spidey replied. "But for the sake of decency I will say none of them."

"C'mon team." Cap spoke up. "Let's retrieve our gear."

While the Avengers were off to retrieve their gear, Skye made her way to the front gate to rendezvous with the rest of her team. As she walked up to the large doors, she blasted them right off their hinges, causing them to fall to the ground and reveal Coulson, May, and Mockingbird waiting for her.

"If you're waiting for an engraved invitation, this is the best I got." Skye declared.

"I see your capture was believable enough." Coulson noted.

"Apparently." Skye replied, gesturing inside. "C'mon, the Avengers are waiting."

Back inside, the Avengers made their way through the corridors of the facility, on the lookout for both their equipment, and any AIM agents. As they continued checking one room after another, Clint opened up one room and saw Iron Man's armor being looked over by some technicians.

"Got eyes on Tin Man's suit." Clint reported.

"It's a start at least." Cap replied.

"Hey!" Tony shouted. "You better not have scratched the paint on that!"

The agents turned around and saw the Avengers in the doorway. They pulled out their blasters and began shooting at them. As most of them ducked out of the way, Wolverine rolled in and Spider-Man jumped to the ceiling and tried shooting a web at them, forgetting he didn't have his web shooters.

"Oh, right." Spidey replied. "Well, time for the old fashioned way."

Spider-Man leapt forward and tackled one of the agents to the ground. As the second agent aimed his blaster at Spidey, Wolverine ran up and slashed the blaster to pieces. The agent then dove to the ground and grabbed his partners fallen blaster, firing it at Wolverine and causing him to fall over. While all this was going on, Tony snuck in and made his way towards his armor. Before he could even touch it, the agent aimed his blaster at his head.

"Don't move." the agent told him.

Tony just remained still as he placed his hands on the table. Just then, he spun around and shoved an electric prod into his neck, causing him to spazz before falling to the ground.

"Well, that was fun." Tony remarked as he went back to his suit. "Doesn't look too damaged, thank goodness."

Tony then managed to open up the suit and step inside. The armor closed up and the computer systems in the helmet went online.

"JARVIS, talk to me buddy." Tony said.

"Online and at your service, sir."

"Good." Tony replied. "Set a reminder for me to start wearing pants with this thing."

"And you don't already because…." Rick replied.

"Lacks proper ventilation." Tony responded.

"Any sign of the other stuff?" Clint asked.

"Doesn't seem so." Wolverine guessed, looking around. "Best bet is they're in another room."

"Then we'll split up." Cap decided. "Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Panther, and Wolverine will find MODOK and hold him off, the rest of us will find the remaining equipment and rendezvous with Quake and her team before meeting up with you."

"Sounds good." Iron Man replied.

With that, the five of them took off down the hallway ready to fight their new adversary.

"Come on," Spidey spoke up. "I think there are some more labs down this way."

Cap glanced over at him.

"What's your gut tell you?" he asked.

Spidey peered out, getting a sense for the area.

"We're good to go!" He told them, leaping to the ceiling and crawling along it.

The others followed along the ground, hoping that their next stop will be as fortuitous.

Elsewhere, Coulson's team continued making their way through the facility. As they rounded another corner, they were greeted by a swarm of AIM agents.

"Hey, you guys wouldn't know where the commissary is would you?" Coulson asked.

The agents responded by aiming their blasters at them and opening fire. Quake quickly fired a shockwave to destabilize them as Mockingbird ran up and pulled out her batons. She immediately began bashing them one after another with relative succession. She then extended one of them right into the face of one of the agents, knocking him out. May just walked up and began shooting down several agents. One agent tried to get in close to her but she quickly hit him in the face before kicking him in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground. She then quickly swept the legs out from another agent, knocking him to the ground before shooting him. Coulson meanwhile just used a regular pistol to take out the agents, saving his specialized gun for more urgent situations.

"Not bad." Spidey commented, causing the four of them to turn around. "So what are you guys supposed to be? Coulson's Angels?"

"Not exactly." Mockingbird corrected.

"Bobbi?" Clint let out as he and the others walked up. "Didn't know Fury stuck you with this motley crew."

"Hey, the Avengers refused to work with S.H.I.E.L.D., so the Secret Warriors had to pick up the slack." Bobbi remarked. "Besides, didn't see you signing up."

"Well I've been keepin a little busy these days." Clint retorted. "Saving the world and all that."

"I'm guessing you two know each other?" Spidey threw out.

"You might say that." Clint responded.

"We used to date." Bobbi cleared up. "Before Natasha joined the team."

A series of "ah's" rang out from the Avengers in response.

"Well," Cap spoke up, getting everyone back in focus. "The rest of our team is engaging AIM's latest creation MODOK. We need to get our gear and get to them, fast."

"Then let's get moving." Coulson declared as the teams went off.

In another part of the facility, Iron Man and his crew began their search for MODOK, checking every room and hallway. After blasting down yet another door, they finally found MODOK watching the previous fight on a monitor screen.

"Curious." MODOK let out. "The girl is an unexpected variable. Her capture and examination would be most beneficial for AIM's continued efforts in expansion.

"Expansion's gonna have to wait, pal." Iron Man spoke up.

MODOK turned and saw Iron Man aiming a repulsor at him, Wolverine and Panther unsheathing their claws, Thor readying his hammer, and Hulk just pounding his fist into his palm.

"Payback time, head." Hulk told him.

"You honestly think you can best me?" MODOK asked. "After your annihilation last time?"

"You caught us unprepared, creature." Thor told him. "Now, we are ready for you."

"Best surrender now you butt-ugly potato head!" Rick jeered, giving MODOK the finger.

MODOK just growled before blasting at them. Thor quickly moved forward and deflected the blast with his hammer. Hulk ran forward and leapt up in the air about to smash MODOK, but he just blasted Hulk back. Panther took out several vibranium daggers and began throwing them at MODOK. They exploded on impact, but did little to penetrate his exterior. MODOK tried blasting at him, but he just flipped out of the way. Wolverine quickly ran towards him and slashed at his face. As he staggered back, Iron Man fired a repulsor blast at him, knocking him into a wall.

"Looks like it's going better than last time." Wolverine remarked.

"Aye." Thor agreed. "This foul creature will not fell us this day!"

Meanwhile, the second team made their way through the facility looking for the Avengers missing gear. They then came across a room labeled "weapons development".

"Think this is where our stuff is?" Hank asked.

"Would be my guess." Skye replied.

Skye then blasted at the door, knocking it down with ease. The agents inside turned in shock and immediate reached for their weapons. They immediately opened fire of them, causing them to either duck back into the hallway or bolt inside. Mockingbird ran towards one of the agents and threw a baton at him, knocking him out. Clint ran up and grabbed the agents fallen blaster, shooting down every agent in sight. Cap followed close behind and began taking out agents left and right. Even without his shield, taking them out was almost effortless. He looked over at one of the lab tables and saw his signature weapon sitting there. He tossed the agent he was grappling with aside and ran towards it, punching out another agent along the way. He grabbed the shield and tossed it across the room, causing it to bounce off several agents and knocking them to the ground.

"Have I ever said how cool that is?" Coulsion asked.

"Only about a few dozen times." May replied, shooting down a few more agents.

Hank and Jan were able to hold their own as well. Despite not having their suits, they were able to punch out more than a few of the agents coming at them. Spider-Man leapt across the room, taking out a few more agents until he saw not only his web shooters, but Hawkeye's bow and arrows, as well as Hank and Jan's suits.

He leapt towards the table, but something blasted him to the ground. He looked up and saw an AIM agent standing over him with a blaster in hand. Before he could fire, Spidey flipped to his hands and sprung over him, landing in front of the table. As the agent turned around to shoot, Spidey had attached his web shooters and shot a we at the gun, whipping it out of his hands. Spidey then shot a web line at his face, pulling him in close and kicking him to the ground. Once the agent was down, Spidey grabbed the others tools and leapt up.

"Heads up!" Spidey called out, tossing the tools to their respective owners.

Hawkeye quickly grabbed his quiver and slung it on before grabbing his bow. He then grabbed an arrow and fired it at an agent.

"That's more like it." Clint remarked.

Hank and Jan managed to grab their suits with much delight.

"Finally." Jan let out.

"Let me guess, felt naked without it?" Clint joked.

"Remind me to zap you when this is over." she glowered, pulling her dress on.

Hank managed to put his suit on as well and shrunk down to join in the fight. He managed to punch out one agent as Wasp shrunk down and flew around the battlefield zapping every agent in sight. After a few more minutes, every agent was down for the count.

"Well, that was fun." Spidey remarked.

"Agreed." Wasp nodded, giving another agent a zap for good measure.

"Now that we're back at full force, let's find the others and take that MODOK creature down." Cap ordered.

"Lead the way, Captain." Coulson replied.

Back with the first team, Iron Man flew around MODOK blasting at him repeatedly. MODOK kept trying to shoot at Iron Man out of frustration, but his efforts were in vain.

"I've seen better aim at carnival shooting games." He taunted.

"You dare mock me?!" MODOK let out, firing a massive energy wave that managed to knock Iron Man out of the air.

Iron Man landed with a crash as MODOK moved towards him, Panther and Thor tried to attack from behind, but MODOK just spun around and blasted them. They dropped to the ground like swatted flies as MODOK turned back to Iron Man.

"This day marks the end of the Avengers." MODOK boasted. "Soon AIM will stand as the undisputed master of the world. All will bow before-"

Before he could finish, a bolt of energy came out of nowhere and blasted him in the face, causing him to bounce across the ground. Everyone paused, then turned towards the source of the blast. There, they saw Coulson standing with the others at his back, his super weapon in his hands with smoke billowing from the barrel.

"Huh. So that's what it does." he commented.

"Nice timing, Phil." Iron Man commended, getting to his feet.

"Thanks Mr. Stark." he replied, lifting the weapon onto his shoulder. "Now, I think it's time we got your group off this island."

"No offense, but I don't feel comfortable leaving with that thing still kicking." Iron Man shared, pointing at MODOK.

MODOK slowly pulled himself up and glared at the heroes.

"I got this guy." Quake spoke up, cracking her knuckles. "Who's up for scrambled brains?"

Quake then blasted at MODOK, but he merely skittered across the ground, looking more angry than hurt. That made her blink in surprise.

"Okay, he's tougher than I thought."

MODOK then blasted at her, knocking her into the other heroes.

"Falling back may not be a bad idea." Cap admitted. "We'll be back, MODOK!"

Spider-Man then shot webs at MODOK's eyes, blinding him and pissing him off more. With the giant head preoccupied, the heroes made their escape. MODOK tried reaching for the webs, but his short arms negated his efforts.

"Can't! Reach!" He let out.

"Awww, what's the matter?" Spidey taunted. "The big baby can't reach the webs?"

"Spider-Man!" Cap called out. "Let's move!"

"I'm coming!" Spidey called back. "Yeesh, it's getting to where a guy can't have a few minutes to quip anymore."

"Underoos, let's move!" Iron Man shouted. "It's time to go!"

Spidey then swung after the heroes, leaving the mental organism in the dust.

As the Secret Warriors got onto the Bus and flew off, the Avengers took off in the Quinjet, flying far away from the island.

"Thanks again for the assist, Coulson." Cap said over comms.

"No sweat, Cap." Coulson replied. "Happy we could lend a hand."

"So," Spidey spoke up. "That was just south of an ordeal."

"We can't win them all, kid." Iron Man told him. "Every now and then, you take a loss, and deal with the humiliation that follows."

"Hey, defeat and humiliation are my next door neighbors." Spidey remarked, propping his feet up.

"Well, now AIM has a being as powerful as MODOK at their disposal." Cap spoke up. "That combined with whatever data they were able to gleam from our equipment, makes them even more dangerous than before. We need to be ready for them when they make their next more."

"Aye." Thor agreed. "It would seem that these 'geeks' are proving to be a far more formidable enemy than we believed at first."

"Agreed." Hank chimed in.

"Hey, we'll handle them." Wasp reassured. "But first…"

Wasp then zapped Hawkeye on the arm, causing him to cry out a bit in pain.

"Ow." He let out.

"That was for the naked crack." she snapped.

He rubbed his arm as the team laughed, the Quinjet making its way back home.

Back onboard the Helicarrier, Fury went over Coulson's report on the Secret Warrior's mission.

"Well?" Coulson asked. "What do you think, sir?"

"They're certainly rough around the edges." Fury admitted. "Raw, to be sure. But… they got potential."

"I agree, sir." Coulson replied.

"We're gonna have to test them more." Fury told him. "Still, it be nice to have a team like this to count on."

Coulson nodded before walking off, leaving Fury alone to mutter one last thing.

"On the off chance, S.H.I.E.L.D. can't be."

Well, here's part 2 of MODOK's intro into the story. admittedly it's not the best chapter we've written, but I can promise you, the next one is gonna be X-ceptional