Disclaimer: I do not own any character from Marvel; all rights belong to their respective owners.
Just saw Avengers 2! You need to see that movie if you're an Avengers fan! Go see it now!
Chapter 3
Thunder Fall Part 1
New York City, Two Months After the Death of Bruce Banner
"All residents of lower Manhattan be advised! The Ultimates are engaged in a fight on fifth! Repeat! If you are in lower Manhattan evacuate the area immedeatl—"
KRSSSSH!
The news broadcast died in mid-sentence as terrorist was hurled through the shop, smashing into the appliance and slamming into the ground.
"Tony! Heavy gunner is down! Where are you on those choppers?!" Captain America hollered out as he threw his shield at a charging terrorist. The weapon slammed into man sending him flying back where he smashed into a car.
"Working on it." The mechanical voice of Iron Man echoed out over the comm.
While Cap was distracted by the hail of gunfire coming from a group of men hiding behind an overturned jeep, a sniper took aim from above, locking his sight on the Avenger who was blocking gunfire with his shield.
"Goodbye…Captain!" The man snarled as he pulled the trigger. The gun exploded in a shower of sparks, spraying molten metal into his face.
"GIAAAHHHH!" He screamed reeling back on the ground in pain. "ARGHH!" He wailed as two figures loomed over him.
"He didn't see that coming did he?" Pietro said with a sneer as he looked at the would-be murderer writhing on the floor in pain.
"No, he didn't." Wanda replied as she glared down at the terrorist, eyes still glowing red. She turned to look outside to see several explosions engulf the street below. "You need to go." She said, turning back to her twin.
"They need you." Pietro nodded his head.
"I'll keep the humans out of danger." He muttered before disappearing in a blur.
Street Level Below
Natasha Rominoff unleashed a hail of gunfire that peppered the streets, occasionally hitting the bodies of the hired mercs shooting up the road. The men responded in kind by firing off round after round of bullets and grenades, which Widow expertly dodged.
She returned fire with her machine pistols, hitting her mark on each shot. The dead mercenaries hit the ground hard as blood flew through the air. Widow leapt over a car while firing her weapons, decking two more kills in the process. She landed behind the car and pressed her back against it, using it as a makeshift wall.
"Guys we're not gonna keep civilian casualties down if they keep shooting up the place! Clint where's my support?!"
"About ten stories up from the right."
Natasha looked up at the tall building to her right to see a black clad figure perched on the edge of a balcony. The red-haired beauty smiled as she saw the glint of metal flash.
The mercenaries continued to open fire, peppering the car with bullets. "Keep it up!" one screamed out, obviously the leader of the small fire-squad. "That bitch can't hide forever! Get the grenade-guk!"
The group turned their heads towards the odd sound to see their leader standing on wobbly legs, a black arrow jutting from his neck. "Gak!" he sputtered, blood squirting out of his mouth and punctured throat. The body hit the floor, soon joined by three more men, all felled by black arrows.
The remaining men sprinted out from behind their cover in a mad panic only to be bombarded by several well-placed shots, courtesy of Black Widow.
Hawkeye smirked at his work as he observed the trashed street. "We've got an armored car moving in on sixth so you might wanna move."
"How fast is it moving?" Cap asked over the communicator. Hawkeye turned his head and saw the Avenger sprinting across the battlefield with inhuman speed.
He placed his finger onto the side of the com. "About 70-75."
"Not a problem then." Steve muttered as he increased his speed. He readied his shield as he leapt over destroyed cars and debris. He locked his sights on the speeding truck.
"Steve I don't like this plan!" Natasha shouted out.
"Sorry Nat you're not changing my mind!" the hero shouted back as he positioned his shield in front of his body. The truck was less than a few meters away when Cap leapt into the air, tucking his body into a ball with his shield positioned in front of him.
The vehicle smashed into the hero, hoping to run him down with sheer speed. Instead. The combined speed and the impact of hitting an indestructible shield shattered the front of the car, crushing the men inside.
Captain America hit the ground hard and rolled to his feet. He panted lightly while brushing off bits of dirt from his shoulder pads. Widow jogged over to him while reloading her weapons.
"That was reckless."
"It worked." Steve replied. Widow frowned and opened her mouth to respond when a loud explosion echoed in the sky. The two Ultimates looked up to see rockets streaming through the air, chasing after a Red and Grey blur.
Iron Man flew through the air releasing blasts of repulsor fire whenever he could. Rockets exploded in a flash of fire as two helicopters chased after the armored avenger, their machine guns rattling off round after round.
Iron Man veered to the left as he threw up his energy shield to deflect the salvos of ammunition as he veered around a corner. The chopper followed, hot in pursuit.
"Jarvis, options." "The use of several anti-missile ordinances may help." "Nice idea." Tony waved his hand over the side of his hip, running his fingers over the side of a circular capsule. The device extended from the hip before releasing several golden capsules that flew behind him.
The devices exploded in midair destroying the missiles in a flash of fire and a massive boom. Iron Man dove towards the ground as the helicopters chased after him.
"Jarvis, locked on?" "Indeed sir." "Let 'em fly."
No sooner had he spoken the words, two rockets emerged from the left shoulder of his armor and launched forward. The rockets flew through the air and circled back around, each one aimed for a chopper.
The pilots saw the projectiles heading straight for their cockpits. They didn't even have time to scream. In a flash of light the choppers exploded, releasing fire and shrapnel down onto the streets. The aerial vehicles crashed to the ground in a ball of molten metal.
"Two bogies down! Where are the rest?" Iron Man asked as he slammed onto the ground.
A blur of grey and silver zipped around the armored avenger, depositing several bound and gagged mercenaries onto the ground.
"Right here." Quicksilver said.
"That's not all of them. we've got two trucks heading east down the…never mind." Hawkeye said.
"Never mind what Barton?" Cap asked as he approached Quicksilver and Iron Man.
"Eh…" He responded. "Clint?" Natasha asked.
"I think they got it handled."
The two trucks barreled down the streets as the drivers looked out the windows. "Are they chasing us?!" One screamed.
"NO! They have given up! We're home free!" another man shouted.
"Guk!"
The man in the passenger seat turned to see the driver leaning over the wheel.
"GAH!" The passenger screamed as he pushed the man off the wheel and grabbed it. He desperately tried to keep control of the vehicle but lost it all when the vehicle suddenly jerked to a stop before being lifted off the ground.
"What the fuck?!" the passenger screamed as he grabbed his sidearm and looked out the window. He saw the ground steadily get smaller. As he stared he also saw a large red foot that was connected to some sort of giant.
The man turned his head to be met by the goggle-clad blue eyes of Giant-Man. The enlarged Ultimate smirked before speaking. "Hi there."
"GAH!" The terrorist screamed firing off his gun. The bullets bounced harmlessly off the bullet proof goggles making Hank sigh in irritation.
"Janet? Honey?" He asked out loud.
"Gotcha Hank." a female voice said.
The lone gunman turned his head towards the sound of the voice and saw a miniscule version of the Wasp standing on his shoulder.
"Nighty-night!" She exclaimed to cheerfully before blasting the man in the face with a blast of stingers. The man fell limp, dropping his gun and letting it plummet.
Wasp flew up next to her husband and landed on his shoulder while growing to her normal size, sitting down on her giant-sized husbands shoulder.
"Got the other one right babe?" she asked.
Giant-Man smiled and pointed down at the second conveniently crushed under his foot. Wasp smiled at her husband before looking down at her fellow Ultimates, waving to them as she did so.
"Well what'dya know…" Tony said while smiling. Captain America shook his head with a smile on his face while Pietro just smirked.
Later
"If you ask me all these super-freaks are doing is trying to clean up their mess after the whole Hulk fiasco! They're just a bunch of freaks."
"That's not what some of the victims today say. Many of them are grateful that the Ultimates were around to stop these terrorists otherwise there could have been major casualties."
"And yet survey public opinion polls posted by the Daily Bugle Online state otherwise. Many believe the Ultimates are just upstaging the common NYPD and emergency services! I say America is better off without them! They're no better than those filthy mutants!"
"Someone please turn that shit off." Wasp muttered as she took another sip of the bourbon in her hand.
"Jarvis if you would." Tony asked. His loyal butler dutifully clicked the mute button on the remote silencing the TV.
"Thank you Jarvis."
Jarvis nodded his head before heading back behind the bar that was located in Tony Stark's Living room. All the other Ultimates were present (with the exception of Hawkeye) and were currently enjoying a relaxing moment until that interview came on.
"Victoria Hand certainly knows how to keep her cool on the air." Wanda said as she flipped through a magazine absentmindedly.
"I'll say. Tony?" Pietro asked drawing the billionaire's attention.
"Hmm? What's up?" Tony asked as he stopped polishing his suit's helmet.
"You do interviews like that all the time right?"
"That is true facts."
"How do you keep your cool when they just throw out all that crap? If it were me, I would've punched him a hundred time over again before he could've blinked."
"And that's why you don't do interviews dear brother." Wanda said with a ghost of a smile on her face.
"Thanks a lot sister." Pietro said.
Tony sighed as he finished polishing the helmet and set it back on the table.
"Honestly I just fantasize about shooting them in the face with repulsor blasts. That works better than imagining them in their underwear. It also helps if you can come up with snarky/clever comebacks." Tony said before putting the helmet on his head to check its function.
"Those news anchors always piss me off." Wasp muttered.
"They aren't exactly any of our favorite people Jan." Hank said while typing on his laptop. "Tony are you getting the designs I've sent over?" He asked.
"Yeah...I have a few suggestions though."
"You're not giving them gold and hot-rod red paint." Hank deadpanned.
"Buzz kill." Tony muttered.
"What are Cap and Natasha talking about outside?" Janet asked as she began to flip channels.
"I don't know. They've been out there for a while." Wanda asked as she turned around and looked out the window to see the two Ultimates speaking on the balcony.
Outside, Balcony
The two heroes leaned against the balcony' railing and looked over the crowded streets of New York. Natasha took the cellphone away from her ear and pocketed.
"What did Clint want?" Steve asked as he watched the taxis pull up to the curb.
"He said he wanted some help in proposing to Laura." Natasha said.
"What?" Steve asked looking up.
"Yeah."
"But they live together."
"Yeah but-"
"And they have kids."
"Yeah, three of 'em."
"And they're not married?" Steve asked as a look of confusion formed on his face.
Widow smiled slightly before turning around and placing her elbows on the railing so he back faced the city of New York.
"I know that look." she said.
"What look?" Steve asked still looking at the redhead.
"The look of confusion you always get when you're 1940's brain can't wrap your head around the stuff of today. Yes Clint and Laura live together in the same house. Yes they have three beautiful children that are as crazy as they are adorable. But no, they are not married. And now Clint wants to change that."
"These days things keep getting stranger." Steve sighed.
"Oh don't be so melodramatic. Things aren't that much different. Believe me I've lived almost as long as you remember?"
"I remember. But when I went under...all this" he gestured to the vast cityscape before him. "was all different. Now I come back and it's...it's just not home anymore."
"We could always get you an apartment in Brooklyn. Nice cozy place with a little old fashion flare to it." Widow said smiling.
"Heh." Steve chuckled before getting off the railing. "Where he's gonna bend the knee?"
Inside
Tony continued to read the robotic designs that Hank was sending him. The designs displayed a humanoid robot with a jack-o-lantern like face with two antennae sticking out on the sides of its head.
The body was slim yet defined to support tremendous weight and force. "Hank to make these things as tough as we want 'em were gonna need something with a high level of durability."
"Like adamantium?" Hank said looking up from his laptop. "That could work. The outer shell would be virtually indestructible."
"invincible super weapon." Wasp said, mulling over the idea. "However...the cost would offset mass production let alone repair costs. Just because the outside can't be broken doesn't mean the insides are. I should know, I was inside the Hulk, remember?"
"Don't remind me Jan, you smelled like Hulk breath for a week." Hank said with a smile.
"You think I liked it? I took four showers that night!"
"Is she being serious?" Tony asked while his helmet remained over his head giving him an odd look.
"The water bill that month was a nightmare." Hank grumbled.
"Moving on. I say cross out adamantium. Too expensive and there's too little of it to create a wide array of them for combat...and I'm sorry but this is making me feel uncomfortable." Tony said drawing the attention of the other scientist as well as the mutant twins.
"How?" Pietro asked. "I thought making weaponized drones would be easier than harder."
"They're not supposed to be weaponized." Tony said as an edge began to creep into his voice. "Last I checked they were meant to save lives not end them."
"Tony, they're primary function is for crowd control and non-lethal takedowns. The only armaments they have are the electrical Tasers in their wrists and the palm mounted repulsors. You even restricted those to low level power-outputs." Hank countered.
"You really think Fury won't stick a rifle or a rocket launcher to their shoulder? Come one Hank you're smart enough to realize he won't just stick to our designs."
"I'd be surprised if he did." Pietro added. Wanda sighed before elbowing her brother in the rib.
"OW!"
"Stop it." Wanda said with a small glare.
"Tony, these things will be safe enough to handle crowds without hurting people. That's why we looked to you for an AI system. We need one that can understand a sense of morality, one that prioritize non-lethal and more...pacifistic views. That's why we have Jarvis as the base." Wasp added.
"What?" Wanda asked as she looked over at the balding butler at the bar.
"Always happy to help Mrs. Pym." he said while cleaning a glass.
"You really were the best candidate Jarvis. You have military training and you're a gentleman, perfect morality chart in my opinion." Hank said while looking over another design.
"Thank you very much Doctor Pym." Jarvis said with a small smile.
"Wait, military training?" Pietro questioned.
"You were in the military?" Wanda asked.
"Yes. I served as a proud member of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force."
"Jarvis here was even knighted by the queen at the time." Tony said as he removed his helmet and placed it back on the coffee table.
"Seriously? The whole kneeling on the ground while they put a sword on your shoulders?"
"The same." Jarvis responded before finally putting away the last glass. He turned to face the group with a small smile. "But, I'm happy to say my wartime days are over."
"Amen." Tony said while holding up a glass of water.
"Tony I do have a question, how'd you get Jarvis's brainwaves so quickly?" Wasp questioned. "I mean, it only took you a few hours, brainwaves usually take...days. Sometimes weeks to compile all the emotions and neural impulses…"
"I know it was complicated but I got it done. Now about the outer shell...I'm thinking either carbondanium or secondary adamantium. It actually just might be cheaper to use standard titanium."
"Then they'll lose durability." Hank said.
"But we'll have numbers. They just need to be tough enough against small arms fire and for search and rescue. Not combat."
Hank looked at his wife who simply shrugged her shoulders in response.
Jarvis walked across the room and bent down next to his employer before whispering into his ear.
"Already?" Tony asked looking up at his butler.
"Yes he arrived early and brought some guests."
"Well let's go meet him."
"Where are you going?" Hank asked looking up from his laptop to see Tony and Jarvis leaving the room while picking up his helmet and taking it with him.
"I got a previous engagement that I can't really put on hold." Tony said before walking out the door.
"What was that?" Wasp asked
"Uh...date with Rumiko?" Pietro asked.
"I thought she was at a board meeting 'til the afternoon." Wanda said.
"I guess it changed." Janet replied.
Elevator
Stark tapped his foot repeatedly on the ground of the elevator. The helmet bobbed against his leg as Jarvis watched in slight amusement.
"Nervous master Tony?" his ever-faithful butler said with a wry smile.
"Nervous? Things have been bad enough with him attacking police officers and all other politicians. I mean it's not even environmental protests anymore. Rogue military groups, government officials, any diplomat that gets on his radar is fair game for Thor at this point. Hopefully our upcoming chat can talk him out of it."
The doors opened to reveal a small group of people standing in a conference room like area. The two younger members in their early twenties were admiring the splendid and expensive paintings and statues.
"What the hell is this?" Tony asked in irritation as he saw the four people standing in his conference room.
The older two turned to face him, revealing a gorgeous brunette and an older man, probably in his late fifties.
Needless to say these we're not the people he was expecting and couldn't help but to voice his irritation. "I'll say again,what the hell is this?"
The group turned to look at him. The younger woman pulled out her cell-phone and snapped some pictures, showing them off to the man beside her.
"Mr. Stark." The older man said stepping forward with an outstretched hand. "It's nice to meet you."
Tony looked at the man and then back to the other three. "Where's Thor?"
"He couldn't come." The brunette answered. "He was dealing with rogue militant groups in the Sudan so he had us come in his place. I'm-"
"Jane Foster. I know." Tony said surprising her.
He turned to look at the other man before speaking again.
"Eric Selvig. You two are the leading scientists in the field of Astrophysics. I've read your work, and normally I would be more than happy to discuss them with a beautiful brunette genius and one of my space-idols but right now I'm still peeved due to the fact that we are missing a rather scary blonde haired man carrying a hammer."
He then looked at the other two who quickly walked to stand beside them while one took a photo. "Awesome!" The girl exclaimed.
"You two I don't know." Tony said.
"That's my intern Darcy and her...intern Ian." Jane said with a small bit of irritation.
"Your intern has an intern? Ya know what never mind. Why couldn't Thor send me a text or an email telling me he couldn't come?"
"He was busy." Darcy replied flippantly.
"And I have a busy lifestyle with a lot meetings I like to blow off for no reason but today I had a reason. If Thor couldn't come then why'd he send you?"
"He wanted us to tell you that he has no intention of stopping what he is doing and that you should stay out of the way for the sake of your friendship. His exact words, sorta." Jane said.
Tony sighed before tossing his Iron Man helmet onto the table in utter frustration. "Fucking Hell." He muttered.
"Why exactly did you want to see him, Mr. Stark?" Ian asked in his British accent. Stark turned to look at him and sighed.
"I was going to try and work out all these crazy things he was saying. And doing."
"But he's doing a lot of good." Darcy stated.
"Yeah...encouraging the people of nations to overthrow any leader they just don't like? Not good for the most part. Him spouting out nonsense about being a god is one thing, I've humored him enough to understand that but this is different."
"But Thor isn't human!" Jane argued.
"But he's not a god." Tony retorted.
"Not in the sense that most people believe. Look at these." Jane removed a worn brown leather notebook and opened it on the table. Tony walked towards them and took a look at several of the notes and photos that covered the brown pages.
"What the…" Tony started as he pulled the book off the table to get a better look. He slowly paced back and forth across the room while reading.
Jane and Eric glanced at Jarvis who simply smiled. "He does this a lot." He said.
"An Einstein-Rosen Bridge? That where you think he came from?" Tony asked turning to look at the two scientists and their interns.
"We don't think." Jane said with confidence. "We know. We there in New Mexico when we saw him land, armor and all."
"Yeah! He was all muscley and big with the really big hammer and…stuff…" Darcy trailed off as she realized the three professionals were all staring at her. "Sorry." she replied
"Any way...we don't think Asgard is home to the Norse Gods. We believe they are actually a race of advanced beings that came to Earth." Jane said.
"It would stand to reason that the Vikings would have worshiped them as deities. Any of their powers or weapons could just be advanced forms of science that they themselves view as a form of Magic. With the use of the Einstein-Rosen Bridge it would also stand to reason that Asgard and what Thor calls 'The Nine Realms' are simply planets in separate dimensions that exist on a higher plane than our own." Eric said pointing to a small diagram Thor had drawn for them to explain his origins.
"So Asgard is not a mythological city but more of a…"
"Advanced city trapped within its own dimension that exists just outside of our own, like in a space between space." Jane finished for Tony.
"And you're saying Thor explained this alongside all the info you gathered from your work in the field?" Stark asked.
Both scientists nodded their heads for confirmation.
"Well…" Tony said furrowing his brow as he digested the info. "That's something new." He placed the book back on the table and picked up his helmet holding it in front of the book as two beams of light illuminated the brown table and the book.
"Do you mind?" he asked.
"Uh...no…" Jane muttered not sure what the billionaire was gonna do. The beams swept over the book several times before changing color from blue to green and then cutting off.
"Got it. This'll be good for reading material." Stark muttered before turning back to the group. "Do you mind if I look over the data for total confirmation?"
"Not at all Mr. Stark."
"Awesome. I'll just ge-"
"Sir." Jarvis said, gaining the genius' attention. "Emergency at Stark Industries, the Arc Reactor is shutting down."
"What?" Tony asked eyes widening.
"Should we-" Jane asked before being ignored.
"Jarvis prep my suit and get tech ops down to the reactor. Call Rumiko as well."
"Already done sir." Jarvis replied as he followed the man out the door, he stopped momentarily to look at the remaining four guests.
"I'm terribly sorry for this, I'll send someone up to escort you off the premises. And thank you for coming, I believe master Tony needed the info you gave him."
Barton Household
Clint Barton stood outside his house waiting for the imminent arrival of his girlfriend and his children from Francis's soccer game. The blonde-haired man tapped his foot on the wooden deck of his front porch as his eyes darted back-and-forth between the street and the driveway.
He constantly palmed the black-velvet encased ring-box in his left pocket. He turned his head at the sound of a car pulling onto the street. The black vehicle's doors opened as two people emerged from the inside.
Steve Rogers walked up the sidewalk that led to the Barton's house with Natasha trailing behind him.
"Hey stud, you nervous?" Natasha asked teasingly as the two walked up the steps to meet their friend.
"Who? Me? No... just…" Clint Murmured as he looked back towards the driveway. "Just...waiting it out." he muttered unconvincingly.
Widow smirked before looking at Cap. "Told ya he needs the support."
"Guess you were right." Steve said with a smile. "I'm surprised, I've never seen you this agitated before."
"Agitated? Who me? Never." Clint said as his eyes remained fixed on the concrete path that led to his garage.
"He is agitated isn't he?' Steve asked the redhead beside him.
"Oh yeah...hey Clint should I get you a bow and arrow so you can feel more comfortable? Just shoot stuff until you work out the jitters? I mean, the last thing we want is for you to stutter and embarrass yourself, right?" Widow said with a sadistic smile.
"Nat, go jump off a bridge." Clint snapped back as a red minivan pulled into the driveway. The doors opened as several blonde-haired children exited the van. The oldest of the three was wearing a dirtied blue and gold soccer uniform.
"Dad!" Francis yelled in excitement as he rushed up the steps and tackled his father in a hug. Clint balanced himself on the balls of his feet while returning his son's hug.
"Hey buddy!" Clint responded as his son released the hug. "How'd the game go?"
"They won 5-3." Laura said as she lifted up her daughter after putting down the small bag she carried out of the car.
"Yeah! I scored 4 of the shots!" Francis exclaimed in joy.
"That's my boy!" Clint said while smiling at the boy.
"Daddy, did you bring aunty Nat?" Nicole asked.
"Why don't ya hug her and find out?" Widow said with a warm smile as the girl embraced her in a touching hug.
"Ain't this sweet." A new voice spoke out.
The group turned their heads to see Nick Fury standing in their driveway, his black trench coat replaced in favor of a brown leather jacket, white shirt and blue jeans.
"You brought uncle Nick too?" Barney asked as he ran towards the man, Nick smiled and lifted the young boy into his arms.
''Whoa there!" Nick exclaimed as he weighed the child in his arms. "Soldier you are getting big! What's your mom feeding you these days?" The man laughed rather uncharacteristically.
"Clint, I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining, but why are we having a family meeting?" Laura asked with a smile as she watched Francis talk to Captain America.
"Well…" Clint said as he felt the jitters return.
"Don't bail now soldier, you can do this." Cap said encouragingly.
Clint took a deep breath before removing the ring-box from his pocket and bending his left knee. He extended his hands and opened the box to reveal a gold ring with shining diamond stones encrusted in the top of it.
"Laura...will you marry me?" Clint asked, mustering every ounce of courage he had to utter the words while silently praying to God that he wouldn't stutter.
Laura's eyes widened in response as she cupped her hands over her mouth. The children's jaws nearly dropped at the question resulting in amused smiles from the audience (Nick, Nat and Steve).
"Clint...do you even have to ask?" Laura said with a wide smile. Clint smiled back at these words has he slipped the ring over his now fiancé's finger.
"How much time did it take him to muster the courage?" Nick whispered next to Natasha.
"Weeks." Nat replied while smiling at the now kissing couple while their kids were leaping around in joy. The two newly betrothed finally broke the kiss while smiling at each other.
"So when is the wedding?!"
"Can I be a flower girl?!"
"Can I be the ring-bearer?!" The children all exclaimed as they surrounded their parents.
"We can talk about that later…" Nat added as she smiled at the enthusiasm of the three children before her. She looked at Steve and Nick to seem them with amused looks on their faces.
"First things first though." Clint said before looking at Fury. "Nick, would you do us the honor of being my best man?"
Nick chuckled for a second and smiled. "Damn right soldier." he said.
"Language." Steve added covering Francis's ears despite it being too late, an amused smile on his face.
Stark Industries, Lower Levels
Dozens of engineers and scientists rushed across the railings and platforms that overlapped one another to get to their destinations. Each one was moving as fast as their bodies could carry them as they desperately struggled to keep the Arc Reactor operational.
The massive circular generator glowed with an intense blue light while it pulsed like a beacon far below the metal decks that supported its hard workers.
Rumiko Fujikawa stood on one of the upper decks overlooking the massive reactor and all the engineers working fiercely above it. The Japanese woman turned her head to see Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan busy at work.
Happy was leaning over one of the control consoles barking orders to several technicians who rapidly keyed in several commands on their control consoles. Several large and thick cylinders began to rise from below the reactor steadily rising so that they enveloped the circular generator and produced several spear like antennae from their sides. Arcs of electricity began to streak through the air as more technicians began to punch in commands.
"We need the building evacuated immediately! No…no I don't give a shit get it done! All 100 floors! Now!" Pepper all but screamed into her mobile phone as she turned to look at the still pulsating reactor.
Rumiko looked down at the control console to see the energy levels were dropping. "Can the energy grid survive if the reactor shuts down?" She asked leaning next to a scientist near her.
"If the core shuts down we might never get it up again! The energy will cycle down and maybe blow if the surge is released!" he exclaimed as he tried to stabilize the massive engine before him.
"Tap into the central grid and divert power from there, if anything it will buy us some time. Will deal with any public backlash after we stabilize the reactor. Start the grid tap now!" Rumiko barked out at the scientist. The techs quickly went to work in following the woman's orders as they accessed New York's energy grid.
"The drainage tap is taking but I don't think it will be enough to stabilize the reactor without it dropping!" Happy shouted out.
"Of course it won't." A mechanized voice called out from above.
Everyone in the room looked up to see the slowly descending form of Iron Man, rocket boots burning as he landed on the metal walkway. He looked at the massive generator that empowered Stark Industries and grimaced.
"The reactor is going to go critical as of this point...Happy have techs redirect any outgoing surges to the conductors around the reactor. Once the core drops below a certain energy level it will auto jump its power levels to keep itself running. When that happens the energy surge is gonna rip through the energy field and fry everything within a ten mile radius."
Iron Man stomped towards the glowing machine and leapt over the railing, activating his rocket boots, he hovered towards the center of the reactor.
"Tony! Rumiko called out as the Iron clad billionaire looked down at his biggest masterpiece.
"Rumiko, have the reactor's converters primed and ready and then get the hell out!" He said as he descended down. Iron Man's thrusters cut out as he was a foot off the top of the Arc Reactor. He landed on the transparent dome that separated him from the cyclone of energy raging beneath him.
"Rumiko! Out! Now!" he shouted out.
The woman above him glanced at the other scientist as well as Pepper and Happy. She sighed before speaking. "Evacuate the room. Now!" She commanded.
The group began to exit the room with Happy and Pepper stopping to see Rumiko still standing near the edge of the railing.
"Mrs. Fujikawa!" Happy cried out grabbing the woman's attention.
"Rumiko we need to leave!" Pepper called out.
Rumiko took one last look at her armor-clad lover before reluctantly turning away.
Tony watched as the energy levels began to increase exponentially. "Well...here's hoping my plan works!" he muttered as the energy began to cycle up the reactor.
The large column-like towers around the reactor began to glow a light orange as the massive quantities of energy surged up the towers. The electrical nodes on their sides began to bend and melt under the intense heat.
"Jarvis! On my mark cancel the grid tap and cycle as much energy off the reactor!" Tony shouted out.
"Affirmative sir. Energy valves are being opened, awaiting your go."
"Mark in three...two...one! Hit it!"
Every light and the room began to flicker, growing brighter and brighter until each bulb blew, the class crashed down on the runways and the generator's dome. Tony pushed his suit force field to its maximum output, enveloping himself in a sphere of cobalt energy.
The room was soon engulfed in blinding white light.
KRAAKKKOOOM!
Stark Industries, Just Outside the Reactor
The entire building shook as the walls surrounding the reactor exploded like confetti, showering the hallways with debris and smoke. Rumiko coughed twice to clear her throat of the smoke as Happy helped Pepper to her feat.
The boxer/bodyguard turned chauffeur turned back to the destroyed room to see small fires dotting the floors of the room.
"Mr. Hogan!" a voice called out.
Happy turned around to see a small group of firefighters and emergency workers (Privately employed by Stark Industries) rushing towards them. "Fire-extinguishers!" Happy called out, pointing to the steadily growing flames.
The group quickly went to work extinguishing the fires surrounding the halls as they searched for any injured or dead. The workers headed towards the large hole in the wall before a glowing blue light began to emerge.
The rescuers paused as they saw a large mechanical man stomp out of the destroyed generator room. The gray and red armor showed signs of damaged and scratched paint as well as deep dents. A nasty gash was sported against its back as it marched into the thick of the group.
"Tony…" Rumiko muttered as she walked up to Iron Man. The mechanical hero stood in front of his lover and placed a hand on the side of his helmet. The faceplate made a slight hissing noise as it opened, about an inch until it stopped.
"Tony?" Rumiko asked as she saw the plate cease its movement.
"Uh...hold on." the billionaire said as he tapped the side of his helmet twice. Still nothing. "Well...this is embarrassing."
Triskelion, Holding Cell 42
Maria Hill walked past several energy-field enabled holding cells. The female agent approached a sealed prison cell, the only one on the floor that had a solid door. Hill approached the control console built into the wall and keyed in the command codes to open the cell door.
With a mechanical groan, the reinforced doors began to recede into the wall, allowing the woman inside. She walked forward, stopping just short of an electric blue force field that separated her from the prisoner inside.
The prisoner inside looked up at Hill. "Maria?" she asked.
"Hey Carol." Maria said with a slight smile.
The prisoner in front of her was a gorgeous blonde-haired bombshell with deep blue eyes and a very attractive figure. The woman wore a pair of grey camo fatigues and a tight white shirt that helped emphasize her figure.
Maria gazed at her longtime friend before speaking. "Listen Carol…"
"When can I leave?" the blonde asked, clearly in distress. Maria cringed at this. Carol had been one of her best friends and closet confidant, bordering sisterhood. Her joining SWORD had been hard enough for Maria but seeing the normally strong-willed and unstoppable Captain Danvers in front of her was even harder. The events that had landed her in the Triskelion's Vault prison were cruel and unfortunate.
"The doctors are still running tests on your blood and biometric scans." The hopeful look in Carol's eyes began to die at those words. Seeing the reaction Hill threw in some good news.
"Fury might be able to move you out of here though…have your powers…y'know stabilized?" she asked.
Carol pointed at the walls around her. Maria looked up and saw that these walls and ceiling were covered in deep scorch marks. Dents in the wall represented bouts of super strength.
"Even with the power dampeners…" Maria muttered in slight shock.
"I'll probably need an inhibitor collar to go along with the cell." Carol said trying to smile.
"We'll help you get through this Carol. You know that. After everything you've one for me, Sam, Barton, Nick and Rominoff, there is no way we're letting this go."
"Can you at least tell me what happened to Philip?"
"We still have yet to find Lawson. Brant is running special scans for any extraterrestrials near Earth's orbit but so far nothing. Nick is thinking about putting the FF on it, especially since you have some history with Mr. Grimm."
"You think they could find him if SWORD can't?" Carol asked unconvinced.
"Reed Richards is arguably the smartest man on the planet and has access to resources of an alien race on the moon."
"You mean the Inhumans? How?'
"Apparently Johnny Storm had some sort of relationship with one. Things get more complicated there, but long story short is that they're trying."
Before Carol could respond a loud beeping noise caught her attention. Hill looked at her belt to see a small circular SHIELD emblem was slowly flashing.
"That can't be good." Carol muttered.
"Probably not. I'm sorry that I have to cut this short, I'll see if I can get agent Drew or Hardy down here to see you, I know they've been worried."
Carol smiled. "I'd like that. It'd be good to see that the kids are alright."
"Goodbye Carol." Maria said as she exited the cell and tapped the control console. The armored doors slowly began to reemerge from the walls, sealing off the woman from the outside world.
Hill placed her fingers to her ear, tapping her comm. "Hill here, what's the situation?"
Stark Industries
Tony walked through the debris filled halls of his once prized achievement, the Arc Reactor. The generator room was for the most part in tact. The reactor itself was still humming with a passion as the blue energy inside continued to cycle through its dome.
"And people said I was crazy for building this thing…ha! I'm a fucking genius."
"I see you got your helmet off." Rumiko said as she entered the room walking past several engineers and scientists.
Tony had indeed finally succeeded in removing the red and gold helmet from his suit's shoulders. He turned around to see the beautiful woman wrap her arms around his neck and bring him into a soft kiss, one he was all too happy to return.
"Do you know what went wrong?" Tony asked.
Rumiko shook her head as she looked at the destroyed control panel near the end of a walkway.
"Any info we had on what happened was lost in the blast. It was some kind of energy surge but it only happened here. Any one of your super-powered punching bags comes to mind?"
"Maybe…living Laser…The Ghost…I don't know. Maybe it was—"
BEEP BEEP
"Hold that thought." Rumiko said as she removed her cell phone and opened it. "Fujikawa." Rumiko listened for a second before turning to look at Tony. She took the phone away from her ear and handed the phone to Tony.
"Hello?" he asked.
"Stark, its Hill. Were assembling the team. We're going on a road trip."
"Where?"
"Brussels."
The Dome (EU Super-Human Initiative HQ), Brussels
Nick Fury walked through the open halls of Dome followed closely by the Ultimates. Tony walked alongside Hank and Jan who were looking over the facility.
"Impressive right?" Tony said.
"It is. On par with the Triskelion If I do say so." Hank commented.
"Yep. But the people here are a lot nicer and— well look who's here!" Tony exclaimed with a smile as he moved past Fury and towards the group of colorfully dressed soldiers in form fitting battle suits.
"Brian!" Tony called out.
"Hiya Tony!" Brian responded shaking hands with the younger man. "How ya been doing since our little party in London?" The blonde man asked.
"Pretty well actually, all things considered. But where are my manners let me introduce you to my teammates and I dare say my friends the Ultimates."
Nick Fury stepped forward and shook hands with an elderly man with a grey beard and glasses wearing a white lab-coat.
"Good to see you again Director Fury." The man said.
"Likewise Professor Braddock. Everyone I'd like you to meet Professor James Braddock of European Union's Super-human Initiative. He as famous here as Bruce banner is back home, just in a good way."
"It's an honor to meet you Professor." Hank said shaking the older man's hand.
"The pleasure is all mine Dr. Pym. I was rather fascinated by the discovery you made with Pym Particles."
"That was all thanks to my wife here." He said gesturing to Wasp who offered her own hand to the scientist. Braddock gladly shook it as he saw his own son approach Captain America.
"It's nice to finally meet you in Person Captain." Brian Braddock responded.
"Captain Britain right? Tony told me about the Submarine rescue you did a few months back, that pretty impressive."
"Thank you. Tony is hilarious, everybody here just loves him. But I have to say it is an honor meeting you in person sir. As embarrassing as it is to say I use to have poster of you when I was a lad at Edinburgh."
"They had posters of me?" Cap asked surprised.
"Oh yes. For most college boys it was John Lennon, my son found his greatest Idol in America's poster boy for military imperialism. Brian Braddock everyone, the whole man under the age of seventy-five to agree to wear a union jack on his chest."
"Oh don't mind him." Brian said flippantly. "He's just a little cranky because we ran out of Earl Grey this morning."
Professor Braddock turned around and pointed towards two men who were talking in the corner, both wore the colors of the French and Spanish flags. "Over there we have Carlos Fraile from Spain and Hugo Etherlinck from Spain. And our moody friend over there…" The professor said while pointing to a man leaning on a table.
"is Umberto Landi aka Captain Italy. The other two are Capatains Spain and France of course." The long black-haired Italian scowled at the group of heroes before turning around.
"What's his deal?' Pietro asked.
"Oh he always that way. Put quite the damper on our after-rescue celebration party." Tony said as he stood next to a larger group of men and women, all dressed in the form fitting Exo-suits with their country's respective flag color scheme.
"These" Tony said gesturing to the group behind him. "Are the remaining group of brave men and very fine women to be members of the EU's Initiative movement."
"Yes indeed." Braddock said adjusting his glasses. "But they will not be accompanying you on your mission."
"Mission? We aren't here on vacation?" Pietro asked jokingly.
"I so wanted to see the Eiffel Tower in person when father wasn't trying to tear it down." Wanda joked.
"If you ever need a vacation I've got fully staffed private islands for the whole crew." Tony joked before Nick coughed to get the playboy's attention.
"Tony, we're going to need to keep this brief. We have a lot of info to go over. Professor." Nick said handing off the conversation.
"I'm sorry but the rest of the introductions will have to wait until after the mission is done." Braddock said as he walked with Fury. The two men walked towards another room, beckoning the others to follow.
"The four men I've introduced you two are the only ones with enough training to qualify for the mission at hand."
"I'm gonna have to channel Pietro here, what is the mission?" Hawkeye asked.
"You'll see Clint." Nick said as the group entered the room.
"Everyone please sit down while I hand off explanations to the person most…'qualified' to do so." Braddock said before stepping away from the stage. A new figure entered the room causing the men's eyes to widened and some of the girls as well.
The figure in question was a stunningly beautiful woman with a killer figure and long blonde hair. She had captivating emerald green eyes and an angelic face.
"Hello everyone…uh…my name is Amy Encante. I was…I am the lead scientist of the Norwegian Initiative team that started over 24 months ago. We uh…we consulted marketing experts before we started the program…creating a country's Icon was deemed important so we chose the Norse god of thunder Thor."
Wasp raised her hand in the audience, drawing attention. "If you could refrain from questions until the end…" Amy murmured with little confidence.
"I'm sorry to interrupt but…where is this going?"
"I'm with Wasp on this one what's going on?" Tony asked looking between Amy and Nick.
"Just listen people. And try to hold back questions or outbursts. This is hard enough for the doctor already."
"Please continue Amy." Professor Braddock encouraged.
The blonde took a deep breath to calm her nerves before speaking again. "Alright…after we selected the Icon to lead the project we began to try and recreate the super-soldier formula that made Captain Rogers."
The room looked at the captain who remained stoic. "Please continue doctor." Steve said with little emotion.
"R-right. But like so many others…we failed. Instead one of our scientists suggested a bio-mechanical route in the form of a exo-harness base on Norse iconography." Amy clicked the slide button to display a chest plate connected to a belt covered in six circular blue spheres that seemed built into the armor.
Pietro leaned over to his sister before whispering. "Is that Thor's armor?"
"To those of you in the audience, the armor may look familiar to you. It's the same armor used by Thor. Before anyone freaks out, allow me to explain. The harness granted its wearer flight, invulnerability, and levels of strength unseen in even the mutant community. The biggest problem was with the fourth-dimensional generator that was used to power it. We finally over came that when my fiancé suggested we make it into a hammer to better represent the image of Thor."
Another button pressed revealed a sleek silver axe-hammer hybrid identical to Thor's hammer Mjolnir.
"My fiancé was Doctor Donald Blake, a pediatrician who was originally a particle physicist but wanted to due something with…'practical use' no offense to anyone in the room." Another button press brought up a picture of a more well groomed man with a trimmed beard and hair held back in a ponytail. Despite the difference the Ultimates were more than shocked at what they saw.
"Thor?!" Tony exclaimed followed Clint who stood up from his seat.
"Nick what the Hell is this?!"
"Sit down everyone and let her finish!" Fury barked out.
Amy cleared her throat trying to regain her confidence and continued. "Blake and I met when we were looking for scientists to bring to the program. We…clicked. As the program proceeded he proposed…and I accepted. We hit a snag in the program when one of our potential candidates committed suicide. Donald decided to test the suit until we found a new candidate. The tests were going well until…an unforeseen side affect took place."
"Care to elaborate?" Pietro asked.
"The engine we designed in the hammer ionizes ambient energy, basically creating a near limitless power source to power both the harness and effectively control various types of weather phenomenon. But the energy is directly tunneled into the suit with no immediate filter…so the ionization process…it caused Donald to have…a breakdown."
Another image appeared of a destroyed lab and many wounded scientists.
"He went crazy…claiming he was a real god and everything. He destroyed the lab and injured many of our colleagues. Even now we're still picking up the pieces."
"This is a gag." Tony said, unconvinced by the argument. "You want us to believe that Thor is a criminal?"
"It does seem a little out there. The hammer and powers being tech based is feasible…but this doesn't sound like something Thor would do." Wasp argued back.
"And why weren't we told of this when he first appeared on scene?" Steve asked as well, looking at Fury.
"It wasn't like he was going to go all Doctor Doom on everyone!" Amy argued back. "Yes he was unhinged, but all he did was aid in humanitarian relief and environmental protests against rather dangerous companies. He even helped you guys out right?"
"SHIELD knew about most of this from the get go. But we figured that as long as he was staying all goody-two-shoes about it there'd be no problems." Nick said.
"Are you serious Nick?" Clint asked. The director nodded his head. "Fuck."
"It's only the recent stuff like this that's cause for concern, attacking democratic officials, encouraging rebellions. Only now has it actually gotten bad." Amy said.
"So this is why we're here?' Cap asked. Fury nodded.
"Damn Nick." Wasp said sighing. "Way to ruin our first team up."
Norway, Outer Forest Camp
The after party was in full swing. Dozen of older teens and young adults dance around the massive bonfires stacked several feet high and blazed with as much intensity as the people danced.
The protestors celebrated their latest win over the Roxxon Oil company's resignation to the environmental group's demands and had ceased their activities in Norway. And it was all thanks to God of Thunder.
The teens partied, drinking beer and dancing. Any trash they had, they threw into the fire, making it blaze higher.
Eric Selvig sat on the side of his truck as he watched the events unfold. Darcy and Ian were among the group of partiers. Eric took another sip from his beer before looking up at the stary-night sky.
"You never were one for parties."
Eric turned his head to Jane Foster, bundled up in a thick winter jacket, walking towards him. The older man shrugged his shoulders before looking back up again.
"I always wanted to be an astronaut." He said.
"Really? You never told me that."
"I didn't?" Jane shook her head.
"Well…I did want to be one."
"Then why didn't you."
"I only wanted to go up there for myself. No mission. No reason for a groundbreaking mission. Not to find new life or a new planet. I just wanted to feel what it was like to look down at our planet and see it from a god's point of view."
"And what about now?" Jane asked.
"I still do. But now I know that its looks the same to a man as it does to a god."
"How do you know that?"
"Thor told me. It strange don't you think, sometimes the things that are so different from us are so similar."
"Interesting philosophy. Speaking of Thor…"
"He's over there praying." Eric pointed towards a large tree they had positioned their camp near. Said god of Thunder was on his knees with his hammer held in front of him almost like a cross. His head was bowed.
Jane slowly approached the kneeling hero, snow crunching beneath her boots. "Thor?"
The blond haired man slowly opened his eyes. Turning his head he saw the brunette and slowly lifted himself off the ground.
"Yes Jane?"
"What were you doing? Eric said you were preying but…"
"I was."
"You said you left Asgard."
"Aye. I did leave it. I left because I couldn't stand by and watch the world crumble. My father abandoned the people he once defended. I couldn't accept that. But that still doesn't meet mean I wish to abandon them. I do miss them."
"You want to go back don't you." Jane said with a small hint of sadness.
"Yes…but my work here is not finished. And even if it was…I'm not sure I'd want to leave."
"What are you saying?" Jane asked as she walked a bit closer to the hammer wielding man.
"I've grown fond of everyone here Jane. Of every man, woman, child…all of you. And Jane…" Thor said stepping closer so that he was only inches away from the woman he had grown so fond of.
"Yes…?" The brunette said as she stared into his eyes.
"I want you to know…" he said leaning in closer.
"What?" Jane asked as she felt her heart begin to pound in her chest. Thor slowly brought his hand up to her cheek before moving closer to her. Jane leaned up as their lips came closer.
Thor's eyes widened as his ears perked.
Quickly, he grabbed Jane's shoulder, surprising her, and moved her behind him before swinging his hammer in front of him. The weapon crackled with electricity before an arc of lightning shot through the air sailing towards the trees.
A silver and grey blur dashed out of the foliage a mere micro-second before it exploded in a shower of wood and embers.
The bolts of lightning didn't stop as the blur continued to streak across the snow-covered ground sending plumes of frost into the air.
Quicksilver rushed towards the self-proclaimed god. Thor was not intimidated in the least as he charged another electrical burst.
Quicksilver cocked back his fist, only to be met with a blast of lightning from behind, sent by the storm clouds above.
"AGHHHGGG!" Pietro screamed as he slammed into the snow. The mutant slowly picked hi self up to see Thor towering above him.
"Jane, get everyone out of here, now!" He looked up at the clouds above and raised his hammer before bellowing out loud. "Is this how I am to fall?! Taken down like some form of criminal?! At least let my friends go! You owe me that much Fury!"
SHIELD Mobile Command Ship, 1 Mile above Norway
Onboard the large green gunship, Fury watched Thor scream up at him. The visual feed from their satellites was spot on and easily interpreted what he was screaming.
Maria Hill looked at her commanding officer. "Sir? Orders?"
Fury looked down at the screen. "He's right. We don't want civilian casualties anymore than he does. They have twenty minutes."
Norway, Ground Level, Moments Later
After Quicksilver's initial attack, several army transports rolled onto the grounds of the camps with soldiers in tow.
"Everyone on board now!' The commanding officer barked out.
The group of Thorites (Thor supporters) glared at the men while several picked up rocks and bottles, ready to fight at the slightest provocation.
"Do as they say." Thor commanded from his spot over Pietro. The god did nothing as the mutant rose from the ground.
"Lucky shot." He muttered while scowling. Thor said nothing as he turned to look at his followers.
"They have come to do battle. This is no place for mere mortals. Leave now before you are hurt, you only have twenty minutes."
"We're not leaving you Thor!" Jane argued.
Thor smiled at her before kissing her on the forehead.
"I thank you for your loyalty Jane. But this fight is inevitable. I don't want anyone else to be hurt because of me. Please go."
"Jane, we need to leave." Eric said grasping the woman's shoulder. Jane took one last look at Thor before reluctantly turning to leave.
Pietro watched Thor as he glanced after Jane.
"I will admit. For a homo-sapien she is pretty hot."
Thor turned to look at Pietro with a slight smile. "She is quite fetching. Brilliant, beautiful, and loyal. But there is no need to refer to others as homo-sapiens."
"I'm homo-superior. I'm just making it plain and clear."
"You may be your father's son by blood, but we both know you do not support his beliefs. I do not wish for this fight Quicksilver. I'd rather not hurt the people I once called friends."
"Really? Because you seemed fine with wrecking a lab filled with them." Pietro shot back.
"What?"
"We know everything Thor. We heard it all from your fiancé." Wasp said as she walked out of the woods wearing a thick winter jacket. She was closely followed by Captain America and Giant-Man who also wore a jacket over his suit. The rest of the Ultimates followed behind her.
"What fiancé?" Thor asked, his confusion not settled at all.
"Amy Encante Thor." Tony said as he walked onto the scene, fully armored.
"I've never heard that name in my life."
"Thor please listen to reason!" Wanda begged. "We know what that equipment is doing to you! It's messing with your mind!"
"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Thor barked out.
"Don't make us do this man." Hawkeye said as he notched an arrow onto his bow. "As many times as we liked to joke about this stuff…the self-proclaimed god act has to end. Just drop the hammer buddy."
"You are all confused! Don't you see what is happening here?! It's the Enchantress! She's warped everything! This is how she wins with barely lifting a finger!"
"Thor for god sake just stop! Your sick but we can get you help!" Tony begged out to his friend. "We know you mean well but you're becoming a danger to yourself and more importantly to others!"
"I'm only doing what must be done! Amor is behind all of this! The actions of the governments that oppress the people! She did it to lure me out! You're playing right into her hands!"
"I've had it with this Thor. This stops." Widow said. Thor looked at her, seeing she was wearing what looked to be like a black, female version of an Iron Man suit. A closer look at Hawkeye's bow showed it was equipped with several modifications.
"You gave them more weapons Tony?" Thor asked in near disbelief.
"Thor…please. Don't do this."
"Oh for god's sake! Cap! Make them listen to me!" Thor screamed out at his former leader.
The group turned to look at their leader who was staring at Thor.
"Sorry chum. You're crazy and you're going down."
Hoped you like this chapter and I'll be trying to shoot out the next chapter!
Up Next: Thunder Fall Pt 2