Disclaimer: I do not own any character from Marvel; all rights belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 6
Grand Theft America Part 1
BARTON HOUSEHOLD, MORNING
Dozens of SHIELD trucks and vehicles were parked throughout the street. The large group of SHIELD officers were fully dressed in scrub-like biohazard suits. They walked throughout the house looking over every corner of the decimated home in an effort to find any evidence.
"Sir." A forensic said as they approached Nick Fury who was kneeling over the blood stained floor that outlined the bodies of the Barton household. The outlines were made by forensic tape while scanners and various other pieces of technology were being used around the room.
"Only three bodies have been accounted for inside the house. Laura, Nicole, and Barney Barton. Hawkeye's body isn't here but judging from the blood splatter he was killed here in the kitchen. It's likely that the assailants took the body with them."
"Why would they do that?" a second forensic asked.
"Maybe a trophy. He was one of the Ultimates."
"This is just horrible. They killed the kids."
"Not all of them. Francis Barton has not been accounted for and there's no evidence to show he was killed or even injured."
"So where is he?"
"Agent Rominoff was supposedly here. Maybe she took the boy with her."
"Ballistics show that it was her weapon that killed the two men by the door. Bullets from these guns here indicate they also wiped the security detail before hitting the house."
"What do you think sir? Political assassination from last weeks mission?"
Fury, who had remained silent during the entire exchange looked to the side. "They asked me to be Nicole's godfather. You believe that? An old spook like me? Got her name tattooed into my shoulder and everything…"
The forensics remained speechless. Fury was in a silent rage. He looked up at the ceiling and then at the bloody crime scene before standing up.
"Patch me through to SHIELD-EYE. I want to see everything those security tapes got."
"Sir…we told you before, this was a wet-job. Grade A pros. The cameras were snipped before a bullet was fired. We're blind in here."
"You really think I just had one set of camera's in this place? SHIELD-EYE go to Barton's file. Picture search for the back-up cams from 2:00 am until 5:00 am. In the hallway, upstairs and in the kitchen. I want everything."
"Sir you had cameras they didn't know about?"
"I have cameras in places you wouldn't believe. SHIELD-EYE?"
"Picture retrieval in progress sir."
"Victoria Hand is on the line sir. She wants to know weather or not we should inform the Ultimates about this."
Fury looked down at the blood stained ground before looking up again. "No. I want this under wraps. The Ultimates don't even hear about this. Not until I know what happened here. Not until I know which son of a bitch to shoot in the face. This stays military."
"Pictures are coming through sir."
"Scan them first and then send them over to me. So, what do have Toffler?"
"…"
"Toffler?"
STARK INDUSTRIES, BOARD ROOM
"Mr. Stark I believe you are avoiding the question."
"Hmm?" Tony muttered looking up from a small tablet computer to see the irritated looks of several greying men and women who he absolutely loathed.
'Oh the good ol' days when only dad or Gregory had to put up with this.' He mused to himself silently before putting down the tablet.
"I'm not avoiding the question, I just didn't hear it." Groans of annoyance and disbelief filled the room as they heard the CEO of their company blow them off.
"Why haven't we tried to market the Iron Man technology to the military?!" a board member shouted. Tony took a sip of his drink and turned around to face the massive city of New York.
"I'm not giving the future to the military. Every soldier in the world, no matter who or what they fight for, have my respect. But I don't trust the people in charge. And I'm not going to hand them a localized nuke so they can wipe out whatever pesky problem puts a damper on their afternoon."
"You make us sound so bad, Stark." Said one General Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross. "Do we need to remind you how you made your fortune? How your dad worked with us in WWII? How your brother made his fortune even without the resources your dad left you?"
Tony sat up from his chair and walked closer to the window. He watched as several pigeons flew into the air, leaving a small trail of feathers behind them. "No. You don't have to remind me of how we made our fortune. You don't need to remind me of all the death, famine and poverty my inventions caused. And you certainly don't need to remind me of my brother."
The genius playboy turned around to glare at the white-haired general sitting across the room. "And I don't need to remind you what happened when people with too much power get too ambitious and unleash something that can't be stopped."
Ross's face remained stoic. But inside he was screaming in rage at the mention of his greatest failure. The Hulk. A gamma bomb test gone wrong had turned one of his most capable scientists into a rampaging engine of sheer rage and destruction.
"As I recall the Ultimates stopped him. Twice. And now he's nothing but ash in the wind after his execution. Right?"
Tony felt his fist clinch up at the mention of his former colleague. "Right. So to answer your rather stupid and redundant question, I won't sell you my Iron Man technology because I don't trust you, or anyone else with it."
"But you're willing to sell advanced technology to hospitals and construction companies." A board member argued.
"You do realize those are the exact opposite of the military, right? And I'm giving them advanced medical technology. Not a suit with the potential to blow up mountains."
"You make it seem like it's so dangerous. If that is the case then we should have a hand in how you use the suits." Ross said.
"The answer to that would be: go to Hell. And besides…SHIELD would have first dibs on that tech anyway." Tony muttered as he returned his gaze to the outside world.
"What happened to you Tony?" Ross asked. "You use to not give a damn about which part of the military got your weapons or tech. Now you've gone all bleeding heart humanitarian. Where's the drunk rich-boy we all liked to do business with?"
Tony took another sip of his drink before turning around to look the general in the eye.
"Honestly? I guess I just hit a point in my life when I wondered what things could be like if all the rich billionaires and government spooks tried to save the world instead of bleeding it dry. So tell me…all of you, does that make sense?"
TRISKELION, ROBOTICS DIVISION
Hank Pym stood next to his wife as they looked over the edge of the balcony. The two scientists smiled at their handiwork. Below them stood 100 newly designed Ultron robots. All gleaming like silver statues like the terracotta soldiers of China.
They stood in lines of ten, their eyes glowing a deep blue. The jack-o-lantern like design did look eerie, but it would serve for crowd control or intimidation.
The machines were made from reinforced steel and titanium as well as carbondanium skeleton. Repulsor ray technology were placed literally at their fingertips to provide a localized energy beam while force bolt projectors rested inside their arms. Each machine could lift 25 tons and could withstand intense heat and cold.
"A couple billion dollars…" Hank started.
"Stark's and SHIELD's robotics technology…" Janet continued as she smiled down at their creations.
"And we have an anti-crowd robotics squadron." Hank finished as he wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulder. "We are fucking geniuses."
"Damn right." Wasp said before she pulled her husband into a kiss.
TRISKELION, RUNWAY
The troops dashed across the tarmac while the military choppers whirred to life. The soldiers bordered the transports, loading their weapons while the heavy duty Rocket-Men blasted off into the air.
"Rocket-Men circle the area in stealth-mode. Remember, he knows how your gear works and all the attack patterns we've practiced so hold off until the reserves have him pinned."
"Roger command. Rocket-Men out ."
Nick Fury sat inside the chopper in a pair of military fatigues. A nine-millimeter handgun was strapped to his leg. He stared straight ahead, finger absently drumming against the metal wall.
"Sir! We're all set! Fuel up is good to go and all the troops are rounded up!"
"Can't believe I was this stupid…thinking a punk like that was helping us…damn bastard."
"Sir?"
"We took him at his word when everyone else had half a year's worth of background checks. Even Thor and all his hippie crap!"
"Well sir…he showed up when we needed him. What were we suppose to do? Look a gift horse in the mouth?"
"I'm the fucking director of SHIELD. An international espionage/covert ant-terrorist division that's supposed to safe guard this nation and the word from threats and I was dumb enough to believe in Santa Clause. And that's not the worse part…I bet he released those files about Banner…the guy was a handful but smart as Fuck. If it weren't for the Hulk he'd be the most respected scientist in the world. This…this traitorous, lying, scum-sucking piece of filth just got my best friend and his family killed…and I just fucking watched!"
The chopped was silent except for the hum of the engines and the whipping of the wind. Finally a soldier spoke.
"Sir…are you sure we don't want the rest of the Ultimates on this op?"
Fury withdrew his firearm and cocked it back. "I told you…only the Ultimate Reserves."
GREENWOOD CEMETERY, UPPER MANHATTAN
Steve Rogers walked down the concrete path that led through the cemetery. He walked past the dozens of tombstones that dotted the green grass.
"Lonely walks always calm you down Cap?" Sam Wilson asked as he got off a bench and made his way towards the hero.
"Y'know what also calms me down? Silence."
Sam nodded his head and stopped talking. For about a minute. "So who's grave you visiting?"
Steve sighed. "No one's." he said.
"Well if that's the case then why are we in a graveyard? You could be out celebrating, seeing the world. Or just run twenty laps around the Washington monument again."
"That's not going away anytime soon is it?"
"Not at all."
"Cap, if you hang around graveyards all the time its know wonder you're depressed."
"Well it's at this point that I know more people who are under ground then above it."
"Sorry man. Can't imagine what that's like."
"Don't. It's pretty bad."
"I never should've been brought back."
"Don't start a pity-party man. Isn't that what agent Rominoff is for?"
"Yeah…but Natasha hasn't answered any of my calls since last night."
"You do something to piss her off?"
"Janet asked me the same thing but I can't remember if I said or did anything…insensitive? Is that the word?"
"That's the word. Hey quick question, have you ever seen your memorial?"
"Memorial?"
A look of disbelief came over the Falcon's face. "Oh come on! You have to have heard about it! At least on the internet, you told me how useful that was."
"Yeah…I've never heard of the memorial."
"Well its right here!"
"In this cemetery?"
"Man just…ok juts wow…"
"Just show me it."
"This way." Sam walked forward while Cap followed him. The two entered through an older metal gate that led to a well-kept field of grass that circled a ten-foot tall statue of a WWII Captain America wielding his classic shield while carrying a banner of the American flag.
Cap stood in slight awe of the stone figure, completely shocked by it. "I never wanted anything like this…" he muttered.
"Cap?"
"I've gotta tell you Sam. All I ever wanted to do was serve my country. I didn't want to be famous or memorialized. I just wanted to do what was right."
"And now?"
"I still do. Just now…I don't know what the right thing is anymore. People think I'm some kind of invincible hero. That…everything I do is the stuff of heroes. But I'm not…"
SNAP!
Steve's ears perked up at the sudden noise.
"Cap?" Sam asked confused as to why he had stopped mid sentence.
"Shhh!" he ordered.
Sam fell silent as he looked around the area but he saw nothing. He listened closely as Steve walked towards the edge of the concrete path.
In an instant, a dozen tranquilizer darts found themselves imbedded in the hero's chest, arms and legs.
"CAP!" Falcon roared before a massive red and yellow mech slammed into him. The two were lifted off the ground by the machine's thrusters.
"Escort agent Wilson back to base. We'll deal with him later."
"Roger command." The Rocket-Man responded.
"SAM!" Cap screamed as he saw his friend being airlifted away.
A horde of soldiers, both normal and enhanced rushed onto the field. The blue clad super-soldier slammed into the Captain. Steve grappled with them for a brief moment, attempting to shake off the drugs. A quick punch to the jaw felled him. He dropped to a knee before a stomp kick sent him flying into the stone wall.
The structure broke under the impact of the blow, cracking it. Cap fell to the ground in a pile of rubble. He tried to move but felt his body respond sluggishly, no doubt the effects of the tranquilizers. He looked up to see Nick Fury storming towards him with a guns raised.
The enhanced soldiers grabbed Cap by the arms and hoisted him up. Fury stormed towards him and flipped his gun over so he was gripping it by the barrel.
Hold him still!" He ordered.
"F-Fury...wha—gurk!" Cap was silenced by the blow that came from the director of SHIELD.
"You must've been laughing your asses off at us, huh!?" he roared before swatting the gun against the captured hero's head.
"OOF! GUK!" Blood spurted from the Captain's broken nose and lip. He looked up at the enraged man only to be met with another blow to the face.
"I guess we had it coming too! We just happened to find you in the ocean after we decided to form the Ultimates! Ha! God damn you an all your pals must've of thought us so stupid!"
Another blow spilled more blood.
"Well who's laughing now, Huh?! HUH!?" Fury screamed before flipping the gun again the barrel was pressed against Steve's temple.
"My best friend and his family are dead because of you! And I can't even bury him! But I'll tell you this…I'm gonna put you through Hell. I'm gonna claw out every piece of info on your boss, his friends and every other traitor in this goddamned country before you get the bullet to the brain!"
Fury removed the gun from his prisoner's head and turned away.
"Take this piece of shit and throw him in the brig before I put a bullet in his head…"
The soldiers threw the beaten hero onto the ground where he crawled towards a grave for support.
"Can't believe we thought a thug like you was Captain fucking America…" one muttered as he cracked his knuckles.
"You're gonna fry for what you did to Hawkeye's family dude…we're gonna make sure you burn like Bruce Banner."
Whatever force of determination that Steve kept inside him snapped at those words. His hands broke the surface of the concrete grave. Using all his Super-Soldier granted strength, he ripped the tomb from the ground and smashed it into the awaiting face of an enhanced.
The man hit the ground hard before a solid spin kick sent his two friends flying. The two men were flung into the crowd of soldiers, toppling them like bowling pins.
Cap slammed hi fist into a soldiers face sending the man to the ground. His muscles screamed in pain as his body fought through the drugs.
"How the fuck is he moving?! He has more than half a pint of tetrodotoxin in his—UGH!" the man grunted as an enhanced soldier was thrown into him.
"Stop whining and shoot! No more tranks! Shoot to kill!" Fury screamed as he fired at the enraged soldier.
Cap leapt over his would-be captures and slammed Fury with a drop kick. Not stopping, Steve dashed forward, leaping over the tombstones and barreling through the mass of troops like a mad bull. His target, the green army chopper parked near the graveyard's edge.
"Don't let him reach the chopper! He cannot escape!" Fury roared.
Unseen by the Captain, a single Rocket-man had launched itself into the air at the start of the battle. It was over 300 meters into the air now. The pilot's targeting display locked onto the super-soldier as his radio crackled to life
"Rocket-Man 3! What the Hell are you doing?! You have a priority one situation down there!"
"Easy command…just getting some distance." The pilot's thrusters cut out as the machine arched back toward the ground. "Gotcha asshole." The pilot said with a grin.
The thrusters roared to life, blasting the Rocket-Man down to Earth where the Captain had just reached the chopper. The sound of rocket boots alerted Steve to the Iron Man knock-off. He turned his head to see the machine mere meters from him.
"Oh shi—"
FABOOM!
TRISKELION, ROBOTICS DIVISION
"CHEERS!" the scientists called out as they banged their glasses together. The throngs of mechanical engineers cheered as they celebrated the completion of their project.
The group of geniuses looked towards the married scientists who were leading the toast.
"My fellow scientists…" Hank said as he raised his glass. "I would like for you all to join in a toast for the successful completion of project Ultron!"
The room applauded, filling the lab with the sound of clapping and cheering. Wasp took the microphone from her husband to continue the speech.
"We would all like to personally thank each and everyone of you for your contributions, however small or big. This was a team effort and we should all feel proud."
Hank once again took the remote before anyone could down their drinks. "And please remember we are still on work hours so please refrain from becoming intoxicated."
A chorus of groans echoed out across the room before Hank could continue. "And FYI Stark will probably host a celebration later so save some room for that." He added with a small smile.
The room suddenly became livelier at the mention of an after party. The Pym's smiled at the small gathering before turning back to look at their creation.
"These things are going to help a lot of people." Janet said as she leaned onto her husband.
"That's the idea Jan." Hank replied with a smile before his com-link crackled to life on a nearby desk.
Wasp retrieved the device and placed it in her ear. "Janet. Maria?" she asked in surprise, looking towards Hank. "No…I understand. We'll be right up."
STARK INDUSTRIES, BOARD ROOM
"Frankly Mr. Stark, we can ignore the Iron Man suits due to your agreement with SHIELD, but we have it on good authority that you are building some type of areal craft inside your orbital space station."
"The type used for war. And this…warplane is said to contain technology decades ahead of our most advanced air crafts, even spaceships."
"I believe our question is why would you be developing something like that?"
"Why exactly does this seem like an interrogation?" Tony asked as he looked at the board members as well as the military personnel.
"Honestly?" Ross asked. "We don't trust you with a weapon that can punch craters from space. You used that satellite weapon on the Hulk almost two years ago when those aliens attacked the Triskelion."
Tony sighed. He knew his little side-project would catch heat from the government but never this soon. "Gentlemen…" he started before the doors opened to reveal an attractive redhead.
Pepper Potts walked into the room despite protests from several of the room's occupants.
"Excuse me miss we are in a private meeting!"
"And she is privy to these meeting as my personal secretary. Pepper what's wrong?"
"Tony, it's SHIELD. They say its priority one." She said while handing him a phone.
"Stark. I see…what's the…I see. I'll be there soon." Tony switched the mobile off. "Ladies and gentlemen this will have to wait."
"What?" Ross growled clearly irate.
"Pepper, the TV." Pepper did as asked and turned on the rooms television set, changing it to the news.
Victoria Hand: Good evening ladies and gentlemen. My name is Victoria Hand, SHIELD's chief of Public Relations. It is my solemn duty to inform you of the death of Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, has been declared dead alongside his family as of 4:50 am this morning."
Norah Winters: Excuse me! Norah Winters, Daily Bugle. Do you have any suspects as to who did this? And if so what methods are you employing? Will the Ultimates be involved?"
Victoria Hand: SHIELD has in fact apprehended the target as of a few minutes ago. And…I am sad to report that Steven Rogers, aka Captain America, has been arrested for the murder of Clint Barton and his family.
GREENWOOD CEMETERY
The smoke and dust slowly cleared as the surrounding soldiers kept their rifles trained on the newly created crater.
The large Rocket-Man lifted itself off the ground, its silhouette illuminated by the glowing lights of its eyes and torso.
"Rocket-Man 3 is he down? I repeat, is he down?"
"Relax sir, he's not going anywhere."
The large mech stood proudly over the defeated form of Captain America.
Fury watched as the soldiers lifted the former hero onto his knees before locking his arms in thick adamantium restraints. The men dragged the fallen hero into a nearby truck and threw him inside.
"The guy weighs a ton…" a soldier muttered in between breaths.
"Ship him off. I want this son of a bitch locked away in the Vault." Fury muttered, turning around to walk towards his car.
"Sir, what about agent Wilson?"
"Hold Wilson for questioning. I'll figure out what to do with him later. Just get him out of my sight!" he snarled before storming off towards his van.
LOCATION UNKNOWN
"Are you awake…agent Barton?"
Hawkeye growled as he opened his eyes to see the pimple-faced doctor of torturer, smiling down at him with a grin that promised nothing but pain. Clint Barton growled up at the man with hate filled eyes. The doctor laughed gleefully as he realized the subject was awake and ready for the torture.
"Good…because now we get to tell you of all the secrets we ripped out of your head."
Hawkeye growled gain through the gag that was locked on his mouth. The Ultimate struggled against the leather restraints that kept him locked on the chair. Blood trickled from a minuscule hole in the middle of his forehead, running over his eyes creating a red tint to his vision.
"Before you get too confused you should know we tried all the usual…humane methods to obtain the security codes needed to complete our plan. Of course being Fury's right hand of death, Sodium Thiopental was all but useless on you. So we used our little toy over here."
The torturer gestured to a drill like machine mounted on a movable platform. Blood dripped from the thin needle, coating the floor in a small puddle of blood.
"Most people don't know this little fact, but there is a location in the center of the brain where a needle can pass through without killing the subject. The nice little trick is quite useful when you have a toy that can unlock the neural impulses of the brain. When we speak of a secret, or even mention something remotely related to it, the mind thinks of it. All we had to do was ask your brain the questions we wanted answered, and the neural impulses told us everything! Without even a single beating, threat or use of persuasion, we broke you! Years of technology broke the world most complex puzzle! The human mind!"
Hawkeye's glare intensified as the doctor cleaned his glasses with his lab coat. "If you're wondering how you're still alive, that would be the tranquilizers. The bullets that hit you were low grade impact tranqs, they were never meant to kill you. However, you're kids and that whore of a wife gulped down actual bullets."
"RRRR!" Hawkeye roared through the gag, struggling to rip free the bonds and tear the doctor apart.
"Look at all that rage!" the doctor exclaimed gleefully like a happy child. "It looks like you've got a little Hulk in you as well. Did I forget to mention we were also the ones who leaked Banner's secret of the Hulk? Hacking SHIELD was easier than you'd think. Especially when you have a few inside operatives."
Hawkeye snarled again as his fists balled up. The doctor turned around as the door to the room opened to reveal a shadowy figure lurking by the doorway.
"Don't' worry ma'am. Just two more minutes."
"Hail Hydra." She muttered before leaving the scientist alone.
"Hail Hydra." The doctor replied curtly. He returned his attention to Hawkeye who, if possible, looked even more enraged.
"Oh yes. We're also backed by Hydra, isn't that fun?"
NEW YORK CITY
Nick Fury let out a frustrated sigh as he drove down the street in his SHIELD issued SUV. The black vehicle rolled down the street in one of the less crowded areas.
Nick rubbed his brow in frustration before tapping a button on the dash. "Sat Com encryption Fury, Nicholas J."
"Satellite Encryption activated. Please proceed Director."
"Call Coulson."
"Affirmative sir. Agent Phil Coulson."
"Sir? It's hard to hear you but I'm getting a signal…what do you need?"
"I need you here in New York. Deep shadow conditions. Bring everyone you can and keep it tight."
"We'll need 24 hours."
"You have 12. Pack it and drag it soldier. Get your ass out of the snow." Fury hit the com button again as his car slowed in front of the red traffic light, stopping at the empty intersection.
Fury tapped his finger repeatedly on the wheel. As he waited for the light to change, a police cruiser pulled up next to the vehicle. Fury glanced out his window to see the two officers staring back at him.
Fury silently growled in irritation before he rolled his window down.
"What? Need to see my lease?" he muttered before returning his attention to the road.
The police said nothing before the light turned green. They turned on their siren before driving forward through the intersection.
Fury released the break and pressed the gas, driving forward before he felt a bone breaking impact.
KRSSSHH!
"UGH!"
The SUV was sent spinning across the street as the police cruiser made contact with its sides, demolishing the left side of the vehicle. Fury glared through the cracked window before the front of the car was hit by a reversing cruiser, pushing the SHIELD director back further.
"OOF!"
"Metropolitan police database has no record of units being dispatched." The AI responded to a disoriented Fury.
"Ugh…"
"Fracture detected in left arm. Rerouting auxiliary power…rebooting propulsion systems."
Fury glared out the glass to see and armored van pull up to the street. Its back doors burst opened as heavily armored and armed SWAT members poured out, carrying a massive weapon.
The men cocked their weapons before unleashing a hail of bullets that peppered the armored van, leaving small dents and paint-scrapings.
"Armor holding. Ballistics are incapable of breaching."
"I can see that…" Fury muttered as he gripped his broken arm. He slid back to the passenger seat before slamming his fist onto the left side of the dash. The glove compartment opened to reveal a small med kit.
The director of SHIELD looked out the bullet-proof glass to see his assailants preparing their heavy weapon, planting it on the ground.
The tripod unfolded to reveal a black steel battering ram. Its legs drilled themselves into the ground before the battering ram was launched forward. The glass cracked as the metal weapon slammed into the bulletproof glass with the force of a shotgun.
"Window Integrity compromised. Would you like to engage countermeasures?"
"Hold that thought…" Fury grunted as he injected his broken arm with an anesthetic shot. Instantly the pain became a dull throbbing, which made his current situation slightly better.
The SWAT men retracted the battering ram before loading another ignition pack into its back. The ammo-clipped clicked before they braced it again. The battering ram launched forward again, cracking the glass and leaving a circular dent in it.
"Window Integrity failing. Countermeasures?"
"Deploy!" Fury shouted before a four barreled turret burst from the midsection of the car. He grabbed the weapons trigger before pulling it. Instantly a rain of molten metal shattered the glass and tore through the hordes of assassins, reducing them to bloodied shreds of raw meat.
A quick double-tap of the trigger fired off one of the two grenades from the turrets launcher. The projectile struck the underside of the armored van, blowing it into the air where it crash-landed in the street.
"Propulsion system online."
"Full acceleration! Destination, Triskelion!"
"Affirmative."
The car lurched forward as Fury moved the turret across the street, releasing bullets onto the scattering attackers. The SUV's engine roared to life before shooting off down the street.
"Use the quickest route!"
"Affirmative."
One of the attackers stumbled away from the burning wreckage of their van before getting up on his feet.
"Command! This is Rogue 1! Target is escaping! Requesting to use the asset!"
"Granted." Was response over his radio.
Fury pushed the turret back into the port it had ejected from before sliding over to the driver's seat. "Give me the wheel!" he ordered, taking manual control of his vehicle. He swerved through the streets, dodging cars while trying to activate the car's communication's array.
"Emergency alert! I'm under attack! Get me a response team!"
"Communication jammed."
"Dammit!" Fury swore. He glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw several police cruisers chasing after him.
"This is not my day…get me a clear road!"
"Eastroad is clear."
Fury spun the wheel, shifting the car left and sending down the near empty street. The pursing cars followed him down the street with several of the attackers leaning out the window to fire their weapons.
Bullets pelted the vehicle's hide as they zipped down the street. One of the cars managed to get right alongside Fury's car. He aimed his gun at the director only to receive a bullet to his skull. The blood exploded outwards bathing the driver in the crimson fluid. The momentary distraction proved fatal as they ran through an intersection.
The driver cocked his own weapons but was killed on impact when a semi crashed into the cruiser, demolishing it into a heap of broken metal and plastic.
Fury saw the remaining vehicles beginning to slow. "Oh that can't be good…"
"ALERT! Obstruction ahead!"
Fury's eyes returned to the road but widened as he saw a lone figure in the middle of the road. The man had a metal arm and black mask covering the lower half of his face while a pair of goggles obscured his eyes.
The man leveled an M4 assault rifle at the car. Underneath the barrel was a yellow and black metal disc. The man pulled the trigger, launching the magnetic mine across the ground where it skidded underneath the car before attaching itself to the bottom of the car.
FWABOOM!
The SUV exploded from the bottom up. The vehicle crashed onto the ground where it tumbled to a stop. The car was upside and barley holding itself together as Fury lay face down against the charred and cracked glass. He slowly lifted himself off the glass and wearily looked out the hole in his car to see his assailant slowly walking towards him.
The man cocked his weapon and readied it for its use. He saw Fury reaching for his gun and popped off a round, hitting the weapon and sending it flying.
Fury cursed as his sidearm was sent skidding away from him. He looked up to see the man walking towards him with weapons raised.
The assassin raised the rifle, leveling it with Fury's head. The man pulled the trigger but was met with a white blob that slammed into his rifle, clogging it with a thick silvery substance.
A man swung down from the sky and slammed both his feet into the assailant's chest, sending him flying back. The man tumbled on the ground before regaining his ground, his mechanical arms scraping the ground as he did so.
Fury looked up to see a young man wearing a green jacket with its hood pulled up.
The assailant looked up at the interloper and drew his side arm. He fired off two rounds that the figure dodged before leaping into the air and tackling the man. They rolled on the ground together grappling with each other ending with the new arrival on top.
He raised his right arm where a thick bone stinger burst forth from his wrist. He stabbed down only for the metal arm to grab his wrist. He could hear the whir of motorized muscle straining as it pushed his arm back.
"Urg…"The figure growled as he struggled to overpower the assassin beneath him. The man pulled his attacker down and head-butted him hard.
"Guh!" the savior cried out before the man gripped him by the throat and hurled him across the street. The teen tumbled on the ground before regaining his footing.
The man pulled out another pistol from his belt and began to fire. The agile fighter leapt around the street dodging the bullets while returning fire with his webbing. One shot was lucky enough to clog his handgun.
A bullet slammed into the assassin's eye, blocked by his bulletproof goggles. The man turned to see a limping Fury firing off his handgun. The assassin leapt to the side while drawing out a thin blade from his back holster.
He hurled the weapon at Fury only for it to be shot down by a web-shot.
The assassin was met with a powerful blow to the jaw that sent him flying back.
The hooded teen dashed towards Fury, grabbing the injured director and hoisting him over his shoulder. He leapt on top of the burning car before leaping into the air, firing off a thin strand of webbing that stuck to the building.
STARK INDUSTRIES, PENTHOUSE
Tony walked into the living room of his company's top floor. He pulled on the tie and jacket and began to fasten them.
"Are you sure you want to go?" Rumiko asked as she saw her current boyfriend trying to dress himself.
"I'm on the Ultimates and this is an Ultimate matter, so yes I'm going."
"I think you need to take a minute to collect yourself."
"I'm fine."
"Then why is your tie backwards?"
Tony looked over at the Asian woman and then back at his suit. True enough, his tie was backwards. The man grunted in frustration before he rapidly began to untie and retry. The attempt failed, increasing his anger.
"Tony, stop." Rumiko said as she stopped her the billionaire's scrambling fingers before gripping the tie herself. She slowly began to undo the knot he had made.
"You need to breathe." She said as she crossed the piece of fabric over itself to finish tying it.
"You don't think straight when you are agitated or stressed. That's why you drink so damn much." She muttered.
"Well when you have shrapnel in your chest its difficult to try and stay sober. Especially when the only thing keeping death at bay is a little magnet."
"Stop being so melodramatic." She muttered while finishing her act. "Done. Now you look decent for a depressing meeting."
"Oh joy." He muttered.
"Sir?" Jarvis asked over the intercom.
"What is it Jarvis? I told everyone I have an emergency meeting to go to."
"Sir…a Mr. Han Yinsen is here to see you."
Tony's eyes widened in response before looking at the door to the penthouse. "Jarvis…you said…"
"Yinsen." Rumiko finished. "I'll go tell SHIELD you're occupied." She said before moving to the rooms phone.
"Uh…send him up." Tony said after a slight pause.
"I thought you might say that sir…he's already here."
The elevator doors opened to reveal a young man of about 18 years of age wearing a worn brown suit and jacket. He was of Asian decent and had the look of a man who was seemingly lost.
"Umm…hello?' he asked as he walked into the penthouse.
"Hi." Tony greeted. "I was hoping we could talk."
SHIELD BUNKER
Nick Fury grunted in pain as he was injected with another dose of serum into his broken arm.
"Dammit kid!" he roared as he fought through the pain.
"You told me right into the afflicted area, ergo, the fucking broken arm! Man up Nick!"
"Kid! I'm bout five seconds away fro—guragh!" he shouted as another injection hit his leg.
"And that's the last of the Regen Serum you've got stored in this…dump." The teen said as he looked at the old SHIELD bunker.
"It wasn't meant to be used or updated. Otherwise it wouldn't be very secret, Kaine." Fury glared at the genetic clone of Peter Parker, Benjamin 'Kaine' Riley. The teen looked almost exactly like Peter Parker. The only difference was longer hair that reached his shoulders and the colder look in his eyes.
The clone of Spider-Man watched as Fury got off the med table and checked his injuries. The Regen serum had been a byproduct obtained when Quicksilver, Fury and Hawkeye had raided the Weapon X facility almost a year ago (See Ultimate X-Men Fanfic). The database they had acquired had info on a special serum derived from the healing factors of several of their operatives. The result was a serum that temporarily gave the user an intense healing factor that lasted a few hours.
Nick watched as his bone snapped back into place. His ankle's torn muscle also began to heal, allowing him to stand under his own power. "By the time this stuff wears off I'll be good as new."
"Good to know. Now what the fuck is this shit?" Kaine asked.
"The ambush?"
"NO! Hawkeye's family! His death! What happened to my friend?!"
Fury looked down at the ground before rubbing the back of his neck. "He's dead kid…"
"I saw the news…was it actually Captain America?" Kaine asked.
"He's probably in the Vault by now if that ambush was just on me. Coms went down when I got hit…I have know idea if he got there or not."
"Then let's check." Kaine said throwing the man his coat. "Get your shit and let's go." The clone ordered as he made his way to the bunker's exit.
"That's actually not a bad idea. But you're not going to the Triskelion."
"Excuse me?" Kaine asked in a threatening tone, readying his stingers.
"I need you at Camp Hammond. Rhodes is there…something is going on…and I need the Initiative ready."
"Which ones?"
"All of them."
"That's a terrible idea. Since I don't have a lot of TV privileges, at least until I hack the setting controls, reading their profiles is about all I can do. Trauma still has made jack crap in controlling his powers while Armory is still a self-moping mess after killing MVP, who you were so proud to even call him the next Captain America, got a five inch hole in the side of his skull! They have no experience!"
"I need them ready. Just hit the jump gate."
"You sure you'll be fine to move on your own?"
"I'll manage. Now go!"
THE VAULT, HOLDING CELL 42
"So it's gotten better?" Jessica Drew asked as she watched Carol Danvers' glowing hand. The bright yellow glow slowly died as she opened her hand.
"Yeah…somewhat. My strength is…manageable. They think I might be a Hulk level threat now." Carol said.
"They can't be serious!" Jessica exclaimed.
"They are. And still no word on Philip…"
"What did those things do to you?"
"Experiments…they were…I can't describe them…I just can't."
"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have asked…man I wish Felicia was here. She's the better conversationalist.''
"You just need to get yourself a boyfriend."
"Yeah…because the amount of guys here my age is so outstanding. I'm sixteen…nearly seventeen. SO older relationships can still be illegal."
"Well…I heard you found your brother."
"Wasn't hard."
"How'd he take having a long-lost sister?"
"Not well, at first. He did some digging and found out it was true so…we've gotten some time since then."
"Took the super-hero name from him to didn't ya?"
"It was the spur of the moment! The name is Spider-Woman! Not Spider-lass or girl or something that makes me sound like a sidekick!"
"Easy kid. Just wanted to see if Spider-Man was going to sue his own sister for copy-right."
"How would Peter even get a lawyer to believe him? It's not like there's a super-powered lawyer fighting crime."
"So his name's Peter?"
"Yep. My twin."
"I've seen the news on him. He's pretty violent. Especially for some who fancies himself a super-hero."
"He likes vigilante more than super-hero. He's come around but he hated the Ultimate's guts as well as the FF."
"Even the Fantastic Four?" Carol asked with a surprised expression.
"Well he's all buddy-buddy with them now, but before he gave them a pretty vicious tongue thrashing."
"What, he just insulted them?"
"Really called them out though. Now they've been more active than as of lately, but they're getting along now. My brother's more of a street-level kind of guy."
"I heard Fury wanted him for his team."
"I've tried but it's not gonna go over well. Pete won't go for it. He may go all Ultimate Avenger at one point down the road, but he won't work for SHIELD."
"What, does he have a problem with orders?"
"He says he doesn't like the grey area despite how much time he spends in it."
"Who knows, maybe he'll come around to us then."
Jess snorted at the comment while rolling her eyes. "Please…we already got his clone."
"You…cloned your brother?"
"No, Fury did, he tricked Felicia into getting his DNA so he could have that Nazi Blitzschlag clone us our very own Spider-Man."
"Okay…I see from your tone you don't like this clone?"
"Let's just say I haven't been able to kill him yet." Jessica said with a scowl.
"Quick question, how did Black cat get his…DNA? Was it like skin sample or more…?" Carol asked making strange gestures with her hands.
"She didn't sleep with him. She just got his blood."
"Is he good?"
"Define good."
"Y'know, skilled, a fighter, a badass like you or Hardy."
"Oh please…he's not that good. He's got Barton as a handler…or had."
"What do you mean?"
"Barton…Clint…he was declared dead this morning. Him and his entire family."
"What?!" Carol screamed as she stood up. "How?! Who did it?!"
"That's the worst part…" Jessica muttered.
Carol was about to speak again when the massive doors to the Vault opened up. Jessica glanced down the hall to see a small squad of soldier hauling in an unconscious and restrained Captain America.
"By him." Jessica said as the squad passed Carol's cell.
TRISKELION UPPER LEVELS, FURY'S OFFICE
"This is stupid." Quicksilver muttered as he stared out the window.
"Pietro!" Wanda whispered harshly.
"I'm not apologizing. This is bullshit."
"I have to agree." Hank said drawing all eyes to him. The remaining Ultimates, minus Tony and with several reserve super-soldiers as well as Betty Ross were all gathered around the room's large meeting desk while Fury leaned against his desk, doing his best to hide his limp.
"Hank…" Wasp started, surprised by her husband's words. "Did you just—"
"Agree with Quicksilver? Yes I did. Look, Cap and I don't get along well, but even I'm not dumb enough to see that there is something fishy going on here."
Hank turned to Fury who returned the look with a small scowl. "Something you want to say Pym?"
"A lot of things Fury. But I'll shorten the list for you. One: everything we know about Thor turns out to be false. We find out he's a normal guy without powers despite the fact that his so called magic hammer is still in Norway where no one can lift it. Two: Captain America, a man who's led this team since the get go and who you personally vouched for, is now some kind sleeper agent. No one thinks this is something suspicious?"
"We all think its suspicious Dr. Pym." A woman said. She was in her late thirties and had black hair with red streaks in it. Victoria hand adjusted her glasses before looking back at the Avengers.
"This is what it is. I know it must be hard to accept this considering your relationship with the suspect b—"
"You don't know us." Wasp said sharply. "Stop pretending that you understand this or actually give a crap. All of this…its happening all at once…why?"
"Yeah, why Fury?" Hank asked, turning his head back towards the director.
"You're asking me?" Fury said with a glare.
"That's why he's looking at you and speaking your name." Pietro said. "Isn't that how conversation works?"
"Maybe for us humans." Fury muttered.
"Say that again." Pietro growled.
"Brother…" Wanda said, placing her hand on her twin's shoulder. "You're hiding something Nick. More so than usual." Wanda said, keeping her brother restrained.
"Yeah that's new." Hank muttered. "All this stuff just happens now. Thor, Hawkeye, Cap, Banner. Now that you have you're super-soldier army…I'm starting to think you don't need us."
The Ultimates all turned to look at the size-changer in surprise."I'm starting to think that now that you've got you're army, you're just taking out the competition. Us."
"You do realize how paranoid you sound, right?" Fury said.
"I had this same talk with Banner just a day before his death sentence was declared. We talked about how this team used to be a super-hero team. But now we're a glorified strike force. We do your dirty work, just like Thor was afraid of."
The Ultimates narrowed their eyes at Fury who was glaring at Giant-Man with a hatred. "Spit it out. I'm dying to here you say it you smug sonuvabitch!"
"I think you offed Hawkeye yourself because he would've agreed with Cap. Just like Widow would've. No one else notice that she's not here? Or hasn't been here in over a day?"
"We noticed…" Pietro muttered as his fist closed.
"So Fury, tell us. Did you have Hawkeye killed and frame Cap for it just so you could pin it on whoever's pissed you off next?!" Hank roared.
Fury said nothing. He stood up from the desk and stepped in front of Hank. The size-changing scientist didn't back down.
Fury sucker punched him right in the face. The blow came from nowhere but sent the hero flying back, smashing into the desk. The wooden structure crumbled into splinters where Hank struggled to stand. Befoe he could rise to his feet,Fury tackled him, nailing him in the jaw with another blow.
"YOU EGOTISTICAL MOTHERFUCKER! I'LL KILL YOU!" He roared as he struck the scientist again, drawing blood.
"Hank!" Wasp screamed as her hands burst to life with yellow energy. The surrounding reserve went on full alert, ready to subdue the flighty Utimate. Quicksilver and Wanda prepared themselves as well, readying to defend their teammates.
Hank grunted under the blow before hitting the trigger switch on his suit. Instantly Fury was punching thin air. Fury's gaze swept over the room, looking for the Ant-Man.
A Powerful blow socked him in the jaw. "Guh!" Another blow hit him hard in the stomach, causing him to keel over before another blow hit him in the chin, sending him back.
"Argh!" Fury roared before Hank retook his original size.
"Bigger isn't always better asshole!" Hank said before spitting out blood.
"You think I killed my best friend?!" Fury roared.
"Wouldn't put it past you." Quicksilver said as he eyed the battle ready super-soldiers.
"You are all making a big mistake." Victoria Hand said.
"I don't think so!" Wasp exclaimed as she aimed her hands at the reserves.
KTCHEW!
The lighting in the room died out.
"What the hell-?" Fury muttered as he looked up.
"Coms are down." Wanda said suddenly.
"Sister, did you..?"
"No, I'm sensing…security just went down!"
"Oh my god…" Betty said as she stared out the window, eyes wide. The others followed her gaze before similar expressions formed on their faces.
At least half a dozen SHIELD helecarriers were being tilted upside down in midair. The massive ships were then pushed forward, falling from the sky like meteors before crashing into the Trsikelion.
The ships broke through the glass and reinforced-concrete structures, demolishing it like a sandcastle at the beach. Shards of glass, columns of steel, and blocks of concrete plummeted from the tower, raining death and destruction as the Bastion of SHIELD crumbled.
Hundreds of dark flying figures hovered in the airspace above the now destroyed Triskelion, each one bearing smiles.
"First strike to Command. The Triskelion is crushed."
"Understood. Your orders are as follows: Deploy 25% of your forces to the Trsikelion, finish the mission, the remaining troops are to join the assault on Manhattan. America will fall today."
To be Continued…
How'd you like this one? If any of you guys are followers of my other stories I'm sorry I haven't updated them in a while. I'm trying to finish this one so that they flow better on a time line. Expect a cameo from several teams in the next chapter. Until then, check out my other stories.
Next Chapter: Grand Theft America Part 2