DATE: APRIL 26, 2015, HUNTER SPECTOR'S SECRET ISLAND, PACIFIC OCEAN, 15H31M
A few hours after taking off, the Avengers finally reached their destination.
The Ant-Man pressed a few buttons on the panel and left the plane on autopilot, and then get up and get the attention of his team, clapping.
"Okay guys, I know I should have said this before, but we will not land."
"What?" They all exclaimed, shocked.
"Satellite images have revealed that there is no area that is appropriate to land a plane besides their runway, and I think that is kind of obvious that we can not land there. So we will have to leave the Skystalker circling the island in stealth mode until we complete the mission."
"So how are we going to land on the island?" Marvel Boy asked, already imagining the answer.
"For this we have flyers in the team, kid. We split into three groups and will land in different areas of the island, and then we'll keep in touch with our communicators." Pym took a small metal box and opened it, revealing some winged ants. "My ants and I are going down in the east of the island and will go to a favorable area for the proliferation of ants, to recruit some allies. Miss Marvel and Iron Lady will land on the north side of the island, near the runway. And you and Quicksilver will land on the southwest side of the island, where there is dense vegetation."
The young heroes were a little apprehensive about the idea, but they knew the best option was to follow the leader of the group. Still, Marvel Boy decided to discuss the decision.
"Are you sure it's a good idea? I mean, Miss Marvel and I are partners the longest."
"Marvel Boy, the goal is to form pairs with a flying and an experienced member. I know you do not feel comfortable with she, but at least for today you are partners."
Pym crossed his arms and looked at the boy decisively, showing that his decision was final. The boy sighed and lowered his head, soon felting a hand on his shoulder. Looking sideways, he saw Lynn smiling amiably at him.
"Hey, do not worry, partner. I promise not to ruin the mission."
As much as he wanted to prevent his sister from discovering his secret identity, Lincoln could not deny that he felt safe beside her. Lynn was certainly the most lively of the Loud siblings, and her enthusiasm was contagious. He smiled back at his sister and took a deep breath, cheering himself on to move on.
"Well, what are we waiting for ? Let's start this party!"
All Avengers perked up, ready to start the mission.
After enabling Skystalker's stealth mode, Ant-Man slowed and opened the cargo door, waiting for the right moment. He delivered to each pair a small metal disk, capable of cutting any transmission within a radius of sixty feet, in order not to let the enemy perceive that they were invaded. After giving a full turn around the island, he signaled to Miss Marvel and Iron Lady prepare to go.
The pre-teen turned into an octopus and clung tightly to the armored fashionista's suit. They landed safely in the vegetation near the runway, hiding carefully to keep out attention.
Shortly after they descended, the leader waved again and Marvel Boy took his partner's hand, preparing to jump. Lynn felt euphoric as never before, for the first time experiencing the sensation of flying. Lincoln, however, had a great deal of fun watching his older sister's reaction, thinking she looked like Lana when she got a new pet.
After being alone in his vehicle, the Ant-Man braced himself for his turn. Though confident, he was worrying about the well-being of his Avengers. As much as he relied on his pupils' abilities, he could not deny the fact that they were still inexperienced. Still, he cheered himself up and jumped off the plane with his ants, closing the door behind him.
ANT-MAN
As soon as the ants landed, Pym began his reconnaissance mission. With his binoculars, he could see the outer wall of the enemy base, about two hundred kilometers (or meters) away. The whole structure seemed to be stuck on the side of the volcano, although it was likely that part of the building was inside the volcano. He tucked the binoculars in one of his miniaturized pockets and turned, digging deeper into the forest.
It did not take long and he found what he was looking for: a perfect miniature of a mountain that had been excavated by small and hardworking insects. With the aid of his helmet, he began to call the ants of the island recruiting a large swarm of ants, surprisingly large for such a small island. He went on with his plan and made the insects march to the outside the enemy base, however something unexpected happened, intriguing him.
When they were a few centimeters from the wall, the insects that he recruited started acting like they got disoriented, as if they could not understand the commands of the Ant-Man. Pym knew that the scientists had been captured recently, which meant that the villains had not only hostages as there was something inside the fortress on the volcano was emitting such a strong energy that kept the insects away from the place. It was difficult to determine whether such an effect was desirable or whether it was merely an unnoticed side effect.
Luckily, his ants were not only trained but genetically altered, allowing them to still follow his commands, even though they seemed a bit disoriented. With no way to approach, Pym ordered the other ants to retreat, while advancing with his special ants. The strategist told the ants get closer and made them to stay in a window, looking for an entry point.
When he was almost coming through a crack in the window, a voice echoed in his helmet.
"Team North reporting." Ronnie Anne opened the communications channel, speaking decisively. "We've take control of the runway, and we're ready to enter the fortress."
Pym was surprised by the efficiency of the girls, but still knew it was not time to get too confident. He was late for his part, and he did not want to let them in without support.
"Good job, Team North. Even so, I need you to wait a little longer. Something is stopping me from controlling the ants of the island, so I'm having to use only the ones I brought. Just keep the place under surveillance and wait for my signal."
"Ok, Doc. We are waiting."
Now that the girls were ready to enter, it was only a matter of time before Lincoln and Lynn reached some access point for the fortress on the southwest side of the island. He paused to assess his options, looking for a way to take control of the enemy base. Whatever it was they were doing in there, he could not control the ants to help get in there, leaving him with only eight ants to help. His other option would be to grow in size, but this wouldn't be viable to ensure the safety of the scientists.
In the current situation, he knew that his only use for the team would be to infiltrate the fortress and disable the enemy's security system, so he went to work.
With some difficulty, he made the ants enter through a crack in the window and began to explore the interior of the fortress. The further he advanced through the place, the more he had to fight to keep control of his ants, which was strange considering that they were genetically altered to be stronger than normal ants. He was already starting to get worried, until he turned left at a junction of hallways, stumbling over a group of henchmen.
He saw four soldiers of the Hellfire Club in front of a door, all heavily armed. Pym had ants stealthily walk in line until they reached the door, passing beneath it. Upon reaching the other side, he found three Hellfire soldiers, watching four of the five scientists. The scientists had their feet shackled with iron balls, keeping them from running, besides what seemed an electrified collar around his neck.
Acting quickly, the Ant-Man took a small metal ball from his pocket, leaving it behind the soldiers. The ball soon began to grow until it was the size of a tennis ball and began to release a gas inside the room. As the soldiers looked back, the Ant-Man returned to normal size and put gas masks on the scientists, who were confused by what was happening. It only took a few seconds to pass out the guards, and as soon as they passed out the scientist turned to see who was in the room with them.
"Who are you?" The taller of the scientists spoke, totally perplexed.
"I was sent by President Ross to rescue you." Pym took a small cylindrical device and began to unlock the chains with it. "Where is the other hostage?"
"They took him to work in a strange machine." The scientist replied, feeling relieved without the iron ball stuck in the foot. "I have no idea what they intend with that thing, but with so much energy they're using, it's capable of the whole thing exploding."
"Do you know what they're building?" Pym finished releasing the last of them and stood, staring intently at the door.
"Well, it seems to be some kind of-"
Before the scientist could say anything, the Ant-Man heard a desperate voice on the communicator.
"Guys, I need help! We have an Avenger down!"
Upon hearing the desperation in the voice of the young hero, Pym became concerned and answered the message immediately.
"Okay, okay, stay calm and tell me what the problem is."
MISS MARVEL AND IRON LADY
As soon as they landed, the armored fashionista and the shapeshifter hid in the vegetation, watching carefully the area around them. Using the sensors of Leni's armor, they ascertained that there were about ten men dressed in black scattered around the area, as well as a plane slightly bigger than Skystalker. Although not everyone was armed, everyone seemed to have walkie-talkies attached to their belts, which made it difficult to approach. If one of them could warn the others by the radio, they would lose the element of surprise.
"What do we do, Ronnie?" Leni opened her helmet, looking at the younger girl with concern. "They're too spread out to catch them by surprise."
"I know it. I think Doc should have sent the other team here."
"You're right. Lynn would be able to disarm all of them before they see what happened."
At that point, Ronnie Anne had a great idea. Such a good idea, she was sure that Lincoln would be impressed.
"I have an idea. When they are near the plane, help me attack them."
Before Leni could say anything, Ronnie turned into a toucan and flew the plane, leaving the interference disk on the aircraft nose. Then she turned into a spider monkey, sneaking silently down the plane's wing until she found the henchman who was closest to the plane. Looking closely, she realized that their clothes were adult-size of the official clothing of ARGGH!, with the logo on the turtleneck sweaters, pants, boots and helmets. With incredible agility, she jumped on the man, who panicked.
She was running down his torso, sometimes even scratching the face of the man, whose cries attracted the attention of other henchmen. They came to see what was going on, perplexed by the scene before them. Some tried to approach, while others tried to use their walkie-talkies to communicate what happened.
As soon as they realized they could not communicate with the base, Ronnie turned into an octopus and attacked nearby henchmen. They tried to attack her as soon as they recovered from the shock, but were surprised by the arrival of the armored fashionista. Leni used her repulsor blasts to defeat the armed henchmen, while Ronnie returned to her human form to fight the unarmed. In less than two minutes, they were all unconscious, and the girls put them inside the plane.
While Leni used her lasers to weld the aircraft doors, Ronnie felt proud of the work and decided to communicate their companions of their success.
"Team North reporting. We've take control of the runway, and we're ready to enter the fortress."
She waited a moment, until the leader of the group replied.
"Good job, Team North. Even so, I need you to wait a little longer. Something is stopping me from controlling the ants of the island, so I'm having to use only the ones I brought. Just keep the place under surveillance and wait for my signal."
Leni approached her partner, listening carefully to Ant-Man's instructions. The girls became pensive, wondering how their mentor could solve this problem. Still, both knew he was clever enough to solve the problem.
"Ok, Doc. We are waiting." Ronnie replied, a little disappointed to have to wait.
Although they had to wait, they decided not to waste time. They sat on a fallen log near the runway, attentive to the surroundings in silence for some minutes, when Leni broke the silence.
"Hey, Ronnie, may I ask you something?" Despite being alone, Leni felt a little embarrassed.
"Sure. What you want to know?"
"Well, I wanted to know what you think of Lincoln hiding his identity from Lynn." Leni once again opened her helmet, looking worried at the younger girl. "I know he does not want her to know yet, but the longer it takes longer it runs the risk of hurting her."
"(Sigh) I know. In fact, I worry about it too. Lincoln is my best friend, but Lynn, you and the others are like sisters to me. Hiding something like that makes me feel so bad."
"Are you sure that's all?" Leni looked at the girl more closely, and realized that she was blushing.
"B-But of course. I-I mean, what else could it be?"
"Are you sure it's not jealousy?" Leni smiled smugly, leaning on the girl's shoulder. "I mean, sure it bother you to have another girl interested in your boyfr-."
"Do not you dare finish that sentence!" The girl got up, so angry that her face and hair were as red as Leni's armor. "I've said it more than a thousand times!" We're just friends and that's all!"
Leni just chuckled, looking at the younger girl's face. Although the Loud sisters had already reached a consensus that it was Lincoln's fault they are in the "friendzone," the fact that Ronnie deny her feelings could be another reason.
The armored fashionista was thinking of something to say when both were surprised by a desperate voice on the communicator.
"Guys, I need help! We have an Avenger down!"
MARVEL BOY AND QUICKSILVER
The siblings landed carefully among the dense vegetation of the southwestern region of the island, being careful not to be seen. Unlike the other Avengers, the route they took seemed totally and completely unexplored, so they did not bother much with traps or security systems. Lincoln stood in front, his right hand shining with energy, while Lynn crept forward behind him, totally focused on the boy.
As they advanced through the forest, they were faced with some birds and other animals whose names they did not know, as well as tropical plants and webs with spiders the size of cats. Even on a mission, Lincoln could not help but imagine that it would be good to be able to explore forests like this more often. Since the Loud family moved to New York, they were hardly in touch with nature, and even the few times when they did saw nature that could not be compared to being in a forest in the middle of nowhere.
Lynn, on the other hand, seemed to be totally distracted, focused only on the boy's movements. This was the first time they were left alone, and she was totally overwhelmed at the way he took the lead. Of course, Lori and Lincoln also knew act that way, but the way Marvel Boy acted seemed to shake her world. Although she had promised not to disrupt the mission, she could not stop thinking of a way to make Marvel Boy like her.
The girl could not understand the reason for him being so uncomfortable around her, especially after working together during the training sessions. Even if they were part of a team, he did not seem to trust her enough to tell her his true identity, even though he have told Leni and Ronnie Anne. Lynn desperately wanted to find a way to prove her worth, but before she thought of anything, someone activated the communicator.
"Team North reporting." Ronnie Anne spoke decisively, by her tone clearly bragging. "We've take control of the runway, and we're ready to enter the fortress."
Lincoln was surprised that his best friend and sister were doing well, while Lynn was a bit jealous for not having faced any villains yet.
"Good job, Team North." The Ant-Man seemed proud of his pupils, despite sounding a little stressed. "Even so, I need you to wait a little longer. Something is stopping me from controlling the ants of the island, so I'm having to use only the ones I brought. Just keep the place under surveillance and wait for my signal."
"Ok, Doc. We are waiting."
The communication channel was silent again, leaving the two pensive, wondering what the rest of the team would do.
"Well, it looks like we're not having the hardest part after all." Marvel Boy smiled, looking at Lynn amicably. "Even so, I think we'd better find a way into that base."
Lynn nodded. She could not explain what it was, but something in his smile seemed to comfort her, almost as if he were someone close to her.
"I'm right behind you, partner." She replied, smiling happily.
They advanced through the forest for a few more minutes, until Lincoln realized that something dangerous was close. He glanced at Lynn and signaled with his right hand, indicating that he had noticed something. She nodded and was also attentive, though she could not feel the danger as her partner.
As they moved on, the ground became increasingly muddy, until their legs sank to just above the knee. Lynn looked around until she came across a strange plant. It was as high as a sunflower with large petals with various shades of red. The center of the flower was orange, with smal petals and seeds that reflected various shades of yellow, with what looked like some dark orange thorns in the center. Beyond the beauty, the flower also seemed to emit a delicious scent, capable even of making the girl forget the fact of being walking in a forest.
Lynn was mesmerized by the beauty and aroma of the flower and did not noticed that the plant was moving, as if it was focusing on the distracted girl. Lincoln had another sense of danger and looked back, surprised to see his sister looking absently at the flower. He found the situation with some curiosity until he looked behind Lynn, feeling his blood freeze in his veins.
Rising slowly through the vegetation behind Lynn was a large oval plant with several rows of thorns that seemed teeth, opening slowly. Though not an expert in botany, the boy realized that had to be a huge carnivorous plant, preparing to swallow his older sister. Lynn was so distracted that she did not noticed the red flower firing the orange thorns toward her like darts, leaving the boy even more distressed.
"Quicksilver! Watch out!"
In a split second, he lifted flight and lunged at the girl, holding her as he led her away. They were far away in the opposite direction, the boy's back breaking several trees in the process, stopping only when they got close to the volcano, digging a trench in the ground.
Lynn was still a little dizzy because of the smell of the flower, but slowly returned to reality. She blushed immediately when she realized she was in front of Marvel Boy's face, whose arms were wrapped around her waist. She was so surprised at the situation that she jumped, sitting down on the floor next to him. As soon as she calmed down, she looked around and saw that they were far from the morass, as well as the trench that the boy had made when he landed.
"Hey, are you ok, partner?" Lynn looked at him with concern, totally terrified. "Marvel Boy?"
Full of concern, she approached him, drawing her ear closer to his chest. She was relieved to realize that he was still alive, but that did not change the fact that he was unconscious. Looking closely at the boy, she noticed three orange thorns on his arm, apparently moist with some substance. The girl did not know what to do, but she knew someone who probably had the answers to her problem.
"Guys, I need help! We have an Avenger down!" Lynn almost screamed at her communicator, anxiously waiting for an answer.
"Okay, okay, stay calm and tell me what the problem is." Pym said, trying to sound like everything was going to be alright.
Lynn was relieved to hear the voice of the team leader and began to explain her situation.
"Marvel Boy saved me from a strange flower, but he ended up hitting a lot of trees along the way."
"He is alive?" Ronnie asked, also worried.
"He's just unconscious, but there are some strange thorns on his shoulder."
"Quicksilver, you can describe the flower and these thorns?" Pym spoke with authority, trying to keep calm.
The girl tried to focus on what she could remember about the flower, though she wanted to forget everything about it.
"The flower was large and had a very nice smell, with red petals and yellow center. The thorns are orange and with the size of pencils."
"Whew, that was close." After a moment of silence, the leader of the group responded with some relief in his voice. "Do not worry, he'll be fine."
"What do you mean 'fine'?" Ronnie shouted angrily. "She just said he was hit by huge spikes."
"From what she described, it appears to be a plant called "Beautiful Betrayal", made up of a flower that hypnotize and sedate large mammals, and a cocoon where the plant digests its prey."
"Wait, so she was attacked by some kind of carnivorous plant?" Leni was shocked, terrified of the island's forest.
"Exactly, Iron Lady. It is a very rare plant, but what matters is that the toxin in that thorns is not strong enough to keep Marvel Boy anesthetized for long, besides maybe some hallucinations and lack of inhibition."
"So... what's the plan?" Lynn was relieved to know that her partner/crush would be okay, but she was still worried about the fact that he was unconscious.
"I've already found four of the scientists, so I'll try to get them out of here while I look for the other. Miss Marvel, you and Iron Lady will use her armor's sensors to find the others and heal Marvel Boy. And you, Quicksilver, try to keep him awake to speed up his recovery. Just try not to take anything he says seriously, since the toxins can make him speak without thinking. When Iron Lady have finished healing him, enter the fortress and attack anyone but me or a scientist. Did you understand?"
"Yes, sir." The three girls answered, determined.
"So, let's go."
The young heroes turned off the communication channel, following their leader's directions.
Lynn immediately began to shake the fainting boy, though it did not succeed. He seemed to be completely off, so maybe it would be harder to wake him than to make a car with a dead battery run.
"That's it!" Lynn snapped her fingers and smiled victoriously.
Remembering a trick she learned from Luan, she began to rub her hands quickly, feeling the static increase gradually. After a few seconds, she parted her hands and placed them on the boy's chest, giving a slight shock.
Surprisingly enough, it was not enough to make him move.
"Dang it!"
The girl was frustrated. She repeated the process three more times, until she started to get worried about Marvel Boy's lack of reaction. When Luan showed how to make a hand buzzer with her powers, she warned that Lynn should not take more than a few seconds or so the charge could be dangerous.
When she was about to give up using Luan's trick, she remembered that her partner was not a normal human. She turned and looked at the trees that had been destroyed, and then smiled wickedly.
She began rubbing her hands violently, generating so much energy that her hair began to get all static . As soon as she felt the big electricity running through her body, she put her hands on his chest again, this time electrocuting him with violence.
"EEIARRRGGHHH!"
The boy awoke, full of adrenaline. Lynn watched him cheerfully, pleased that she'd been able to wake him up. He was breathing hard for a while, until he calmed down and got confused.
The boy looked around, a little dizzy, until he noticed his teammate.
"Lynn! He threw himself on the girl, hugging her tightly.
"Hey! I... can't... breathe." Lynn was surprised by the sudden show of affection, totally bewildered by what was happening.
"Oh, right, sorry." Although dazed, Lincoln realized what he was doing and let go of her.
They were silent for some time, which made Lynn very uncomfortable. Even if she had a crush on the boy, she could not feel good about the way he looked at her. Marvel Boy smiled happily, almost as if he was not paying attention to what was going on around him.
"Hey, are you okay?" Lynn put a hand on the shoulder of her partner, maintaining eye contact. "You seem a little off."
"What are you talking about?" Lincoln looked at her curiously, still smiling. "I'm great. Apart from this back pain, I've never felt better."
"Well, you hugged me when you saw me, and as far as I know, you do not like me very much."
Lynn looked away, realizing she had said too much. She began to think that she had spoiled her chances by now, already preparing to hear something mean coming from the boy.
But to her surprise, Marvel Boy put his hands on her shoulders. Lynn looked up and looked at the boy, who was crying.
"Lynn, I'm sorry." Lincoln spoke between sobs, with an expression of deep sorrow on his face. "I never wanted you to feel despised, I just wanted to keep you away from me."
"Really?" Lynn was surprised by what she heard, but soon realized what was happening. She remembered that the Ant-Man said that the toxins could make him speak without thinking, but did not think he'd be so emotional. It was then that she realized what he had said. "Wait, why do you want to keep me away from you?"
"Because I did not want you to find out who I really am." Lincoln stopped crying and hugged the girl, leaving her even more troubled by the sudden change of mood. "I love you too much to break your heart."
Lynn was completely stunned, breaking the hug. She looked at the smiling boy, totally upset about what was going on . "You... you love me?"
"Of course I love you, Lynn! You guys are everything to me. I do not know what I would do without my sisters."
"Sisters? What are you talking about?"
Suddenly, she understood.
She put her hands on his face and removed his mask, looking at him carefully. Without the mask, he was just a fair skinned boy with blond hair, but if his suit were like hers, then this appearance could be fake.
Lynn's jaw dropped, totally horrified. By changing the color of his hair and putting freckles, he would be...
"Lincoln!?"
TO BE CONTINUED ...
And we have come to the end of another chapter.
I was going to write the ending some other way, but I thought it best to leave it that way. The last part of the adventure on the island will not be easy for the heroes, since from here trust will be something difficult to achieve.
