Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Marvel; all rights belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 12
Avengers World
Washington DC
The Destroyer unleashed a massive beam of raw power at Fenrir enveloping the monster in a blast of white light.
FWAAAAABBBBOOOOMM!
A shockwave of tremendous force erupted over the battlefield like a tidal wave, sending both friend and foe alike hurtling back.
Thor slammed his axe into the ground, bracing himself as Carol grabbed Iron Man's arm to keep him from being sucked into the blast wave as well. Balder raised his shield to protect himself and Sif as the forces of raw power swept over the battlefield.
Dust billowed up from the rubble like a great cloud, covering the entirety of the Washington streets in ash and dust. Thor spun his hammer, clearing his area of dust while Iron Man and Carol flew into the sky for an aerial view.
What they saw was shocking. Fenrir was still standing. How the monster was still alive and snarling was nothing short of miraculous considering the damage done to it by the Destroyer's blast. The monster's body was still on fire. It's fur burned like pine trees and its flesh was charred and peeling. The flesh was so far gone that in some spots bone was actually visible.
Fenrir snarled in rage when the Destroyer walked out of the smoke and ash. Its armor glinted from the fires that dotted the battlefield. The massive wolf lunged forward before another blast of ire erupted into its face.
Fenrir tumbled back, its skull burning. The Destroyer continued its march towards the monster that snarled in defiance. Again it charged, jaws wide open. The Destroyer didn't flinch as it caught the monster by the jaw and brought it to the ground with its strength.
The Destroyer slammed his fist into Fenrir's skull, crushing it. The beast lay still while the Destroyer lifted its head with one arm. It opened its jaw before its face-place dropped again. An inferno of energy erupted from its face, incinerating Fenrir's insides.
"Oh my god…" Carol whispered as the Destroyer burned the corpse inside and out. It dropped the corpses back on the ground, smoke billowing off the body. The Destroyer turned its head, setting its sights on the heroes.
The hulking metal creature stomped towards the group like an unstoppable tank. Carol raised her fists and Iron Man readied his repulsors. The Destroyer saw the actions and responded accordingly, unleashing ablast of destruction from its helmet.
FWAAABOOM!
Lightning flashed through the sky and struck the beam head on. The resulting shockwave created a massive crater, sending debris and wreckage everywhere.
Iron Man threw up his shield to protect himself and Carol while Thor spun his hammer to deflect any stray debris. Sif and Balder hid behind the latter's shield.
The Destroyer turned its head to look at Thor who brandished Mjolnir, aiming it at the metal juggernaut. The Destroyer marched towards its new target, the ground beneath its feet breaking under its weight. Its helmet opened again to unleash another beam of energy, but was met by a lightning bolt striking it in the head.
The Destroyer stumbled back and Mjolnir flew forward, slamming into the titan with enough force to knock it off its feet.
"Thor!" Iron Man called out. "Is that thing on our side or not?!"
Mjolnir returned to its owner's hand and Thor readied himself for the ensuing fight. "It's called the Destroyer, and no. It's on no one's side. It is an engine of destruction. Nothing more."
"Then why is it here?!" Carol shouted. She fired off a blast of photonic energy into the Destroyer, staggering it, but it didn't stop it. The Destroyer marched forward. Iron Man fired off a volley of repulsor fire, pelting the armored giant as it marched towards Thor.
Sif and Balder drew their weapons, preparing to aid their fellow god before Carol called to them. "Go help the army! We've got this!" She fired off another blast of yellow energy that staggered the Destroyer, giving Thor enough time to slam his hammer into the giant's skull. A powerhouse punch to the head by Iron Man knocked the destroyer to a knee.
Carol rocketed forward a d slammed her fists into the Destroyer's chest, knocking it on its back. She began to pound the armor with all her might, slamming her fists into the sentient armor until it caught her blow and delivered a vicious head butt.
Carol was stunned by the attack, giving the Destroyer enough time to hurl her off of him and into a nearby building.
"Carol!" Tony shouted before the Destroyer locked its sights on him. "Oh fuck." Iron man fired off a volley of rockets from his shoulders, watching as they exploded against the Asgardian weapon's armor. The Destroyer was barely phased by the attack and responded by firing a beam of energy at the hero.
Thor leapt in, smashing his hammer against the blast, deflecting it. He hurled his hammer at the armor, but the Destroyer knocked the hammer away with a swing of its hand.
Iron Man fired off a volley of repulsor fire from his wrist, pelting the armor with blue energy. Thor Called back his hammer, catching it in his hand and called down a bolt of lightning onto the Destroyer. The machine took it all in stride as it moved towards the duo.
Amora the Enchantress, smirked as she saw the Destroyer enter the battlefield and turn on the Asgardians. "Ha!" she sneered. She turned to Loki who now had a frown on his face. "You see what your weapon has done? It's turned on your own forces!"
"Not gonna lie, that does suck." Loki muttered, scratching his head. Amora took this chance and hurled a bolt of fire at the trickster. Loki was quick enough to dodge and shot forward with Gungnir.
Amora dodged and leapt away from Loki. "Skurge!" she screamed.
Across the battlefield, Skurge swung his axe down, slamming the blade against the indestructible shield of Captain America. The avenger snarled as he felt the heat emanating off the axe. Skurge continued to press down with all his might until he heard his master's call.
The slight distraction was all the Captain needed. He lashed out with his foot, nailing the giant in the balls before slamming his shield into the brute's face. The blow staggered the giant, giving the Black Widow enough time to stab her beam saber into the Asgardian back.
"GRAH!" Skurge roared, trashing around in a vain attempt to dislodge the redheaded Russian. Before he could, an arrow found its way into his eye, causing him to scream in pain.
Hawkeye continued to pepper him with bullets while Cap hurled his shield into the Asgardian's throat, causing him to choke.
"Falcon!" Cap screamed. Sam Wilson rocketed down from the sky, pulling out his pistols and opening fire on the Executioner. Hawkeye continued to fire his bullets while Widow leapt off the warrior's back, ripping her saber out.
"Grrr!" Skurge snarled as he swung his axe, unleashing a wave of fire. A shield of crimson energy blocked it before a gust of wind rocketed into the giant, knocking him back. Quicksilver slammed a knife into Skurge's remaining eye, blinding him fully.
"GRAAH!" he screamed as bullets and explosives erupted over his body. Wanda slammed a blast of arcane energy into his chest, sending him hurtling back where Black Panther unsheathed his claws and dug them into the being's chest.
"RRAAAAH!" he screamed. He grabbed the Wakandan warrior and threw him across the battlefield before a giant hand caught him.
T'Challa looked up to see Giant-Man holding him. The enlarged Avenger brought his foot down on Skurge, crushing him beneath his foot. He looked up and across the Washington streets to see Thor and Iron Man battling the Destroyer.
"I think they could use a little help Dr. Pym." Panther said.
"I'll say!" Wasp shouted. She slowly began to shrink back to her normal size, rejoining the remaining Avengers on the ground.
"Not to be rude Janet, but I think you pack a bigger punch when you're big." Widow said.
"The serum is spent. I can't grow to that size naturally and the Pym particles I just used are spent. No more giant Wasp for now." She said.
"Doesn't matter." Cap said as he made his way towards the Destroyer. "Thor's people have the army covered, but we need to take that thing down before it kills Tony and Thor."
"That thing took out Carol, Cap." Sam said. "I don't think guns or arrows will do the trick on it."
"No. But we've got something better." The hero said with a smirk.
"Gruh!" Thor grunted as he blocked a blow from the Destroyer with Mjolnir. The clash of enchanted metal released another shockwave. But the Destroyer held firm. It grabbed the God by the head and slammed him face first into the ground.
"Thor!" Tony shouted. He opened fire on the Uru armor with his repulsor cannons, bombarding the Destroyer with a flurry of blue lasers. The Destroyer ignored it all and hurled the Thunder God across the battlefield.
"Oh Hell!" Iron Man screamed as the Destroyer punched him in the chest. His armor almost crumpled under the attack, the blue arc reactor in the suit cracking from the blow. "GAH!" he screamed. He rolled onto his back before firing a pair of missiles into the being's chest. Fire and smoke erupted from the point of impact, but all it did was stall the armor.
The Destroyer grabbed Iron Man by the neck and hoisted him into the air. It squeezed his neck, crushing the armor surrounding his jugular.
"GAK!" Tony muttered as he struggled against the being's insane strength. The Destroyer's helmet opened again as the fire inside its suit charged up another attack. As it prepared to fire, a yellow bolt of energy slammed into the metal titan, knocking it back.
Carol Danvers slammed into the ground, her body glowing with yellow energy and she rocketed off the ground like a bullet, burying her fists into the Destroyer's body. The metal armor was pounded by the new hero's insane strength, pushing the titan back before it hit her with an elbow-strike and then stomped her into the ground.
Iron Man struggled to regain his breath but he saw the girl struggling against the un-living creature and raised his wrist, firing off a blast of repulsor energy into the giant's face, blinding it temporarily.
The machine turned its gaze to Iron Man and stomped towards him, its helmet retracting to power another beam blast.
Carol looked up from the crater she was in to see the Destroyer approaching Iron Man. She saw flames billowing out of the Destroyer's face and leapt through the air like a bullet.
The beam erupted from its face and barreled towards the Avenger. The beam crashed into Carol slamming her into the ground. The Destroyer didn't stop as it continued to bury the hero into the ground.
"CAROL!" Tony shouted, firing off a barrage of blue lasers that pelted against the Destroyer's armor. The engine of destruction ignored it all while Carol was continuously bombarded with incredible energies.
"GAH!" she screamed as the flames burned her skin, she could feel the impact suit being seared away. But she also felt something more., something different, powerful. She felt the pain of beam weaken, but she didn't feel tired, or hurt, she felt alive.
BAAABLLAAAMM!
A wave of yellow energy erupted from her body, throwing the Destroyer back and startling Iron Man. The armored hero turned to the source of the attack to see Carol rising from the crater. Her entire body was glowing with yellow energy and her hair looked like it was on fire. She turned to the destroyer, raising her right hand. "Boom."
BABOOOM!
A blast of energy erupted from her fingertips, barreling into the Destroyer and sending it crashing into the streets. It skidded through the crumbling asphalt and slammed into a tourist bus. The machine looked up in time to be bombarded with another beam of energy. The bus erupted into an inferno as Carol and Iron Man watched in awe of her new powers.
Iron Man turned towards Carol with a look of shock beneath his helmet. "What the fuck?" he muttered. Carol looked down at her glowing hands before the creaking of metal caught her attention.
The two looked back to the inferno before a car was sent hurtling out of the fire. "CAR!" Iron Man shouted, leaping to the side. Carol followed his example leaping to the opposite side as the vehicle smashed into the street.
The Destroyer emerged from the fire, its steel body glowing in the blaze. It marched forward, prepared to slaughter the two heroes before a roar. Echoed out over the area. Carol and Tony looked up to see a green blur hurtling down from the sky.
CAACRAAASSHH!
The Hulk barreled into the Destroyer, slamming it into the ground. The machine turned to punch the Hulk only for attack to be caught by the brute. Hulk snarled in rage before hefting the machine into the air and slamming it into the ground.
The green goliath raised his arms. "HULK SMASH!" he brought his arms down, slamming the monster further into the ground. The Destroyer's body warped around and fired directly into the Hulk's face, sending the monster back. Hulk smashed into a car, his face smoking.
The Destroyer lifted itself out of the rubble only to be met by another blow to the face, courtesy of the She-Hulk. The green giantess hammered the Asgardian weapon with all her might, slamming it into the ground where another punch buried its face in the rubble.
"Walters!" Cap shouted a she dashed across the battlefield. "Get clear!"
She-Hulk looked up as a giant shadow formed above her. Her eyes widened and she had just enough time to leap out of the way of Giant-man. The towering avenger crushed the Destroyer beneath his foot, breaking through the street and sending it into the sewers below.
Giant-Man lifted his foot and stepped back as the remaining Avengers grouped around the hole in the street. Falcon hovered over the crater, his goggles scanning for the target below.
"Guys I'm not getting any readings…it just dropped off the m-WHOA!" Sam barely had enough time to swing back as a beam of energy ripped through the sky.
Giant-Man recoiled as the beam tore through the streets, nearly cutting his leg in two. The Destroyer leapt from the sewers and landed back on the streets. It's helmet burned with power before whirling around and bombarding the Avengers with it's laser.
Cap slammed his shield into the blast, blocking it, but the air burnt his flesh. He could feel his uniform catching fire from just the raw heat.
Hawkeye and Widow wasted no time in getting clear of the laser and firing off a hail of bullets. Wanda herself, hurled a sphere of hex energy that detonated like a grenade, but none phased the Destroyer.
Quicksilver rushed past the heat and grabbed Cap by the shoulders, pushing his muscles to the limit, he tore past the Destroyer's laser with Cap in his arms. The duo skidded to a halt not far from the others. Both men now bore burns just from the scorched air.
"P-Pietro…" Cap wheezed out. "Give it a target…but don't stop…not for a second or your dead!" he managed to say through gasps of air. Pietro nodded despite his exhaustion. He looked a the Destroyer and took off.
He zipped past the killing machine, bringing of a cloud of dust to obscure its vision. The machine didn't even acknowledge him before firing a laser to cut through the cloud. The Avengers scattered while Panther and Wasp snuck up from behind.
Panther popped his claws free of his knuckles before Wasp zipped in front of the Destroyer. She blasted it with a barrage of bio-stings that did nothing to it. Panther took this chance and leapt onto the being's back, slashing his claws against its metal hide. The adamantium scraped across armor without a scratch.
The Destroyer stopped walking and its body warped again. Now, instead of facing its back, T'Challa stood face to face with the Destroyer. His eyes wdiend as the machine's helmet opened. He leapt from the war machine right as the cannon erupted, scorching his vibranium laced suit.
He rolled to his feet and took off running as the laser beam traced his path. T'Chala was about to be hit before blur of grey tackled him. Quicksilver grabbed the African prince and dashed across the battlefield again.
The Destroyer locked its sight on the two before a massive foot came down on it again. This time, the Destroyer was ready. It caught Giant-Man's foot and pushed it up. It's helmet opened again to fire but was disrupted when Iron Man came rocketing with a punch to the head. The machine barely felt the blow and grab the Avenger by the throat again.
"Grrk!" he grunted while raising his palm and firing a repulsor into its face. The attack did nothing. "Shit." Tony muttered as the laser was aimed at him.
DINK!
The Destroyer turned its head to se a rock on the ground. It looked up again to see Quicksilver with a pile of small debris. The speedster went to work pelting the metal monster with everything he could hurl.
DINK! DINK! DINK! DINK! DINK!
The Destroyer then opened fire. Quicksilver sprinted out of the way of the blast, distracting it long enough for Carol to swoop in and sucker punch the Destroyer, freeing both Hank and Tony from the machine.
The Destroyer stumbled back from the blow, but before it could retaliate a blow from She-Hulk caught it in the head. It turned to fight her but was slammed to the ground by as car.
Hulk grabbed the car and lifted it up, and then brought it crashing down on the Destroyer again and again, until the car was a pile of scraps. The Destroyer opened its helmet to fire again but was met by the energy powered fist of Carol.
She slammed her hand into the machine's face and fired directly inside of it, clashing with the energy inside the Destroyer.
"Carol, Hulk, Walters! Keep that thing pinned!" Cap screamed with Widow helping him to stand. "Tony, Clint, Sam hit that thing with whatever you have!"
Amora watched in horror as she saw the heroes actually winning against the Destroyer. She stumbled back and turned around to see Loki leaning against a crushed car. "Tsk, tsk…you're really gonna bail?" he pointed his spear at Amora and fired off a bolt of lightning.
The Enchantress barely had enough time to erect a shield of green energy. The shield buckled under the attack but held. Loki increased the power in his attack, shattering her shield and blasting her with Odin's power.
Amora was sent tumbling to the ground. Her stomach smoking. "GAH!" she screamed as she felt her stomach bleed. A heavy boot landed in front of her and she looked up to see Thor glaring down at her. His hand gripped Mjolnir tightly as he raised it in the hair.
"T-Thor please!" Amora cried out. "Cant you see why I did this?! The humans are destined to die! They need to be ruled by us! We can save this world! You and I, together!"
"Nay, Amora." Thor said. Lightning crackled over his hammer. "You brought this world to the brink for your own desires…this world I love, and no harm shall come to it!"
He brought the hammer down upon the Enchantress. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed before an explosion of green energy rippled across the battlefield.
The Avengers braced themselves as waves of emerald energy coursed over them. When the wave hit the army, they all began to glow green. The Asgardian soldiers remained unaffected but they stepped back as the Enchantress's army began to dissipate. Their bodies crumbled into green mist as they screamed in rage.
"What the Hell is happening?!" Pietro shouted.
"They can't stay here…" Wanda muttered, the group turned to looked at her. "Her power was a conduit, an anchor. Without her…"
"They've got nothing to keep them here." Wasp finished. "Thank god for deus ex machinas…"
"Is there a deus ex for city clean up?" Tony asked.
Thor raised his hammer into the air, lightning flashed in the sky before another boom of thunder echoed out. "THE DECIEVER IS VANQUISHED! HER FORCES DENIED MIDGARD!"
The army of Asgardians erupted into cheers of joy and victory.
"THIS PLANET" Thor shouted. "IS AN AVENGER"S WORLD!"
Chicago, SHIELD Nuclear Facility
Another explosion rocked the area as War Machine unleashed another payload of missiles into the tank that blocked his path. The vehicle exploded in a shower of metal and fire.
Behind him were the members of Nick Fury's initiative. Scarlet Spider leapt from the window of the building he'd just hacked and landed on the ground floor. Komodo landed on the ground next to him.
Gauntlet used his mechanical arm and smashed a jeep before hurling it at a squad of Hydra soldiers. The terrorists scrambled while Hard Ball, Armory and Cloud-9 opened fire on the group with their powers.
"Rhodes! We're thinning them out! Keep up the fire!" Gauntlet shouted.
"What do you think I'm doing?!" Rhodey shouted as he blew up another tank. War Machine's shoulder cannon fired off a volley of laser fire to push back another squad of soldier who fired wildly as they retreated.
Unknown to the group, a single Hydra soldier was stationed on top of a building. He loaded a heavy rocket and fired it off.
Scarlet Spider subdued another group of goons with webbing before his spider-sense burst to life in his head. He spun around to see a rocket barreling towards War Machine.
"RHODES!" Kaine screamed.
War Machine spun around in time to see the rocket slam into his chest, creating a massive explosion.
KABBOOOM!
War machine was sent flying back, crashing into the side of a building. Armory saw the grenadier on top of the building. Her left arm shifted to that of a sniper rifle. She quickly took aim and fired off a blast, hitting the man in the skull where it exploded.
"Rhodes!" Kaine shouted leaping over to the downed hero. Scarlet Spider quickly cleared the rubble and lifted the armored man out of the rubble.
"GKK!" Rhodey gasped. Kaine saw him struggling to breathe and realized the mask was dented in while the throat armor had collapsed. He set the man down and tore off the throat piece before removing the face-mask. Kaine stepped back in shock.
"Holy Hell…" he muttered.
"I know…" Rhodey muttered, sitting up. "I look like shit." Underneath the helmet was the face of a black man fused with what looked like a robotic skull on the right side of his face. His glowing red eye slowly blinked. War Machine stood up and scraped his mask off the ground.
The other Initiates had seen the man's face beneath the armor and were equally disturbed. "War injury." Rhodey said. He slipped the faceplate back onto his helmet and after hearing the hiss of it sealing, he removed his hand. "Stark and I had been friends in college. He'd been Iron Man for about a year. He saved my life and outfitted me with cybernetics. But I'm more or less dependent on the armor."
"My god…" Cloud-9 muttered.
"How extensive?" Kaine asked as the group moved towards their transport.
"40% of my body is cybernetics. I need them in my skull, leg, lungs and ribcage. I'm as well as you can get to a cyborg while still qualifying as human."
"Well…" Kaine said. "Nice to meet the real you then."
New York City
Reed Richards stood on top of a wrecked Liberator ship. He was currently on comms with whatever forces were left in Washington. The remainder of the FF and the other assembled heroes stood near the base of Time Square, looking over the damage.
"My god…" Kitty Pryde whispered as she looked at the devastation around them. Cyclops looked over the area, searching for any stragglers. "How did all this happen? How are we supposed to come back from this?"
"I think that questions gonna be moved to the back burner." Scott said. "We don't know if Washington is secured or not."
"If it isn't, are first priority is to take out the nuclear facilities." Captain Britain replied. The others looked at the EU team with looks of shock. "I'm sorry. But this Op required us to be covert to make sure they couldn't retaliate against Europe. If the Liberators are still active our mission reverts to taking out any threats to our nations."
"I don't like the sound of that, pal." The Thing said. He stepped forward while the EU stood alert, ready for a fight.
The Human Torch stood up as well, Spider-Man following up shortly. "Okay guys…" the web-slinger started. "Let's play nice…"
"Yeah, or I'll turn you to ash!" Johnny shouted.
"Not helping Johnny!" Spider-Man snapped.
"There's no need for fighting." Reed said, stretching down from the wrecked ship. He rejoined his fiancée and team and turned to the assembled heroes. "Washington is free. I just got word from Tony Stark. The Liberators are down and so are their forces. And according to Fury, the nuclear arsenal is secured, so there's no need to start a fight."
"Then it's a good thing I found these." The group turned to see Wolverine lugging a small stack of beers by his side. He set the stack down and sliced off the top of a bottle before chugging it back.
"Well if the Canadian's partying, so am I." Ben said. "Uncle Jack didn't raise no light-weight!"
Spider-Man snagged two beers from the pile and walked over to a single figure sitting on a crushed car.
Spider-Woman pulled down her mask as he twin sat down next to her. "How's your side?" he asked, popping the caps off the beers with his talons. He handed her a beer which she took, but didn't drink.
"I'll live." She muttered. Spider-Man stared at his sister before pulling off his own mask, letting it flop back on his shoulder like a hoodie. He took a sip of the beer, cringing at the taste.
"I've never tasted piss before…but that's gotta be close enough to it." He muttered, setting the beverage down.
"I want her dead, Peter." Jessica said. "I want her to pay."
"I know you do. I want her to pay also."
"Not as bad as I do." She replied.
"You'd be surprised." Peter said. His sister turned to him with a look of rage on her face.
"She stole me from my family! From mom and dad! They turned me into a weapon! They brainwashed me! How could you say you want her dead more than me?!" she shouted.
Peter turned to her with an equally enraged look. "Because she took you from me."
Jessica was speechless. "They lied to our parents Jess. Hydra tricked our parents into thinking you died in birth…they took you from us before we could even know you. I went sixteen years of my life never knowing I had a twin. Never knowing that somewhere in the world, my sister was being forced to kill for a green-haired psychopath!"
Jessica couldn't say anything as she let that sink in. "She took you from us, Jess. I want Viper to suffer for everything she's done. Not just for you, but our parents. We're gonna make her pay. That much I swear."
"Pete…I…" she muttered. Peter wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him so her head rested on his shoulder.
"We'll get her sis…I promise you that."
"You really like this crap?" Johnny asked as he took another sip of the beer.
"What? Not good enough for ya matchstick?" Ben asked, sitting on the remains of a liberator mech.
"You just make a big deal over something that tastes terrible." Johnny said as he took another sip of the alcoholic beverage. "I'm mean seriously, how many does it take for this thing to actually taste good?"
"You shouldn't be drinking that, Johnny." Sue chastised. "You're underage. And dad would hate to see you drinking."
"I'm a super-hero." He retorted. "And dad's not here right now."
"It's still the law." She said with a frown.
"Aww, lighten up Suzie. Even Stretch is having a beer." Ben said while tossing a bottle to the Invisible Woman who caught it in a force-field.
"Ben, I occasionally drink." Reed said. "You make it sound like I never do it."
"You really don't." Sue said with a smile. She set the beer down on the curve without even opening it.
"Come on sis, live it up. We just saved the whole country!" Johnny said.
"I can't." Sue said. Johnny and Ben gave her an odd look before turning to Reed who had a small smile. Sue leaned into him and placed her hand on her stomach. "Alcohol will hurt the baby."
"H-hurt the what?" Johnny muttered with a shocked face. Ben's reaction was almost the same. "Oh my god…" Johnny muttered. "Oh my god! Sue, your pregnant!" he shouted.
"Who's pregnant?" Spider-Man said as he helped his sister over to the group. Johnny pointed to his sister. "Holy…well congratulations!" he exclaimed with a smirk beneath his mask.
"Congrats." Jess said with a wave.
"Who's pregnant?" Luke Cage asked as he and the remaining vigilantes walked back to the group alongside the X-Men.
"Apparently the couple of the century." Black Cat said as she perched on top of the wrecked ship. "Hell of time to get knocked up though." She said.
"Ignore her. She just doesn't like kids." Jess said.
"Whatever you say beautiful." Johnny said.
"Dude." Spider-Man muttered.
"What?" Johnny replied.
Washington DC
The Avengers sat on top of the steps of Capital Hill, resting as they assessed their wounds. They were exhausted to say the least. Iron Man sat slumped against a wall, his helmet removed. Falcon was seated on the steps next to an exhausted Carol and She-Hulk. Wanda sat away from them, rubbing her head to relieve the impending headache she was sure to get while Black Panther sat near her. The Pyms sat above them with Jan leaning into her exhausted husband.
Pietro was standing above them, looking at the warriors of Asgard who were conversing with Thor. He turned his gaze away from the god to see a beam of rainbow energy lifting the Destroyer back into the sky where it disappeared.
"Nat told me you're thinking of quitting." Nick Fury said. He held his missing right arm with his left hand.
"Not quitting. Leaving." Captain America said. He removed his cowl and turned to look at Nick. "The Avengers…not the Ultimates…this is what we were meant for. Stopping things like this. Not causing this. The Liberators attacked us because we performed armed interventions in nations we had no right to be in."
"You know why we were doing it Cap…we had info that implicated them…and this is what happened."
"Don't try and twist this, Nick." Cap said. "We did it because we were afraid. And this is what fear does to people. All this chaos and death…we can't let it happen again. We need to be independent."
"Country still needs looking after, Steve." Nick said. "Especially now. Hydra's back…the world now knows there are beings out there greater than us…"
"You're wrong, Nick." Steve replied. "The world needs watching. Thor said it himself. This is an Avenger's World."
"So Cap's really breaking away from SHIELD?" Pietro asked. "Don't get me wrong, it'll be nice not taking orders from government spooks…but what about us?"
"We keep going." Wanda replied. "Our status as ambassadors for Genosha doesn't change."
"It's not that. I mean us." He gestured to the whole team on the steps. "The Avengers…what are we gonna do?"
"We keep going. Like Wanda said." Janet replied. "Cap didn't say anything about breaking up the team. We're just breaking from SHIELD."
"You think you'll be able to do that?" Carol asked. "Don't get me wrong, if you guys are gonna keep saving the world, by all means, I'll sure as Hell sleep better at night. But, how will you keep it going? I mean…the money to fund it all…aren't you two employed by SHIELD?"
"We were." Hank responded. "But it's not like we can't find new jobs. Jan and I still get offers for guest lectures all the time…more so since we came out as super-heroes."
"But if you're gonna keep going, you'll need some sort of financial backing. I mean, the equipment, the meeting rooms…the technology you'll need to keep the Avengers on top will cost a fortune! Who's gonna provide that." Carol continued.
Panther coughed twice, catching the group's attention. They turned to the hero who pointed at the armored avenger sitting on the steps. Iron Man turned his head when he felt the team staring at him. "The mansion has seemed pretty lonely…couldn't hurt to have some roommates for a change."
"Ya got room for two green giants?" She-Hulk asked. "I'm pretty sure I don't want to stick around SHIELD like this." She said, gesturing to her hulked-out form.
Tony smirked. "I can make some phone calls."
"Make it one green giant." The group turned around to see Bruce Banner in his tattered jeans, using a blanket Betty had found for him.
"Bruce!" Hank said standing up.
The scientist waved to his old student with a small smile. "Hey Hank…"
"Bruce, what did you mean bay that?" Betty asked. Bruce looked away from her. "No…" she whispered.
"Bruce?" Jennifer said standing up.
"You're not staying…are you doctor?" T'Challa said. Bruce shook his head.
"Listen Bruce…" Jan started. "You just helped save all of Washington, the whole world saw you protect innocents."
"It doesn't change what I did." Bruce said. "I killed over 800 people in my rampage of New York. I have a long way to go before I can atone for that."
"Then come with us." Tony said. "Join the Avengers. Prove to the world you're not the Hulk."
"Heh…" Bruce chuckled. He stepped away from the group, moving back towards the rubble behind them. "Funny thing is…I always thought me and him were two different people."
"And now?" Betty asked, grabbing his wrist.
"Now I realize we're the same. So I can't join you. May be someday…but for now…one Hulk in America is all you need." He turned to his cousin and smiled. "For once my work actually did some good. Stay safe Jenny."
"Bruce…" Betty said. The brown haired man smiled at her before bringing her in for a kiss, one Betty returned. They finally broke after what seemed like forever.
"Stay safe Betty…I love you." He moved away from her and proceeded towards the demolished buildings.
"Bruce!" Hank shouted.
Bruce turned around. "Can you at least tell us where you're headed?"
Bruce smiled at his friend and former protégée. "I'm going to help a friend." With that said he moved away from the group, walking over the rubble and disappearing into the clouds of smoke that surrounded the still burning city.
Natasha Rominoff sat next to her best friend as she watched Captain America talking to Nick Fury. "No sign of him, right?" Nat said as Hawkeye leaned against the broken wall that the redhead was sitting on.
"The Winter Soldier split. If Cap did knock him out on the White House lawn, he's not there anymore. And neither is Crossbones."
"Clint…"
"You haven't told him have you?" Hawkeye said. "Fury will become the scapegoat for this. We all know that. He'll go underground. Have you told Cap you'll be going with him?"
"No." Nat said, looking down at the ground.
"You could always stay." Clint said.
"Then who'd keep you all in the loop? Who'd make sure that Fury didn't cross anymore lines? I need to be there…Fury needs an Avenger…and I'm not cut out for the whole hero thing."
"You did a pretty good job today…the family would've been proud." Hawkeye whispered.
"Clint…there's something I need to show you." The Russian said.
"It's good to see you again, Odinson!" Volstagg exclaimed, embracing his old friend.
Thor returned the hug with just as much enthusiasm. "I missed you as well Volstagg! I feared the worst when Amora erased you from that restaurant."
"Aye, she sent me to the Isles of Silence! Lucky me, Heimdall saw me and rescued me!"
"Maybe we should change your name to Volstagg the fortunate!" Fandral joked.
Loki smirked at the familiar scene and turned away. He walked past the army and away from the other warriors. Thor saw his brother leave and brushed past the Warriors Three. He flew over the other soldiers and landed behind his brother.
"Loki!" he shouted. The trickster stopped and sighed. He turned around slowly to see his brother smiling at him. The God of Thunder opened his mouth to speak.
"Don't say it." Loki snapped, causing Thor to pause. "Do not say 'thank you'. Do not say 'I'm proud of you' or 'you did the right thing'. Just don't say it."
"Loki…please…" Thor said. "I just wanted to say…your fly was down the entire time."
"Wha-?!" Loki muttered looking down at his crotch to see if his pants were actually undone. He looked in disbelief as he saw his pants were actually zipped up. He glared up at his brother who now had a wide grin on his face.
"What? I thought you liked tricks." He said with a grin.
"I-I-You! GAH! Screw you!" Loki shouted tossing Gungnir into the Avenger's hand. It did not go unnoticed by the god however, that his younger brother had a small grin on his face as he turned away. Thor watched his brother walk away but turned when he heard his brother Baldur calling out to him.
Loki glanced back at his brother with a small smile before turning back to continue his trek home, his Asgardian army fading away in a shimmer of green light. He prepared to teleport before the cold touch of steel found its way to his neck.
Loki glanced over his shoulder to see Sif holding her blade to his throat. "Hello Sif…how are y-!" the warrior Goddess pressed her blade further into his neck, breaking the skin and creating a small cut on his throat. Blood trickled down the blade while Sif glared at Loki.
"Easy Sif…" Loki said. "Do you really want to do this? Think about th—guh!" the blade was pressed even harder into the teen's neck.
"I really do." She muttered in silent rage. "Baldur and Thor may have forgiven your treachery…"
"You forgot the queen as well." Loki added. Sif snarled
"But I have not!" She kept the blade up against his throat while she continued to speak. "I know trusting you is a mistake! And for that I know it is my duty to eliminate you where you stand!"
"Funny…I though you said sneaky tactics had no honor…and you're all about honor…aren't you?" Loki said with a sly grin. Sif hesitated for a moment and Loki grinned.
Sif saw the smirk and pushed the blade through the trickster's throat, only to see an emerald glow engulf the body. Before she could react, a cold blade found its way to her neck. She looked over her shoulder to see Loki smirking with a knife to her throat.
"You were really going to kill me." Loki mused.
"You're the enemy of Asgard! You may ware a new guise…but at your core you're still the same old Loki that brought our world crashing to the ground!"
"Interesting…"Loki muttered. He gripped her hair and jerked it back, causing Sif to snarl in pain. "Because I seem to remember a certain warrior who could've stopped all of it…if she had just heeded the advice of a hopelessly smitten maiden."
"W-what are you talking about?" Sif snarled. Loki smirked and threw her forward.
"You know what I'm talking about. My memories are pretty blurry…but I remember Ragnarok just fine. Amora was my student…and occasional nighttime pleasure." Loki said with another crude smile. "But despite that…when she realized the scope of my plan…she went to you for help. She offered to tell you all about it…to betray me. If she could be with Thor. But you refused…because you were in love with Thor."
Sif gripped her sword tightly, her fist shaking in rage. "You could've stopped the death of everyone on Asgard. But you selfishly ignored Amora, just so you could fuck my brother. So tell me…who's the real villain here?"
"You…traitorous bastard!" she screamed. Loki snickered and walked past her.
"Fair warning though…if you, or any Asgardian threaten my new home…my family…I'll bring a new Raganrok down upon you all."
Sif pointed her blade at the trickster's back while he continued to walk away. "Thor will stop you if you so much as think about it!"
"Really? It's no mystery which side Thor would choose. The ancient home of beings to selfish to aid a world they abandoned? Or the world of mortal heroes braver than any in Asgard? Heroes who helped him when his own kind were running scared. I know who Thor would choose. Have fun with that thought." Loki said. "It was nice seeing you again Sif, tell the others I'll be seeing them never!" he waved back.
Sif could do nothing but watch as her target disappeared in a shimmer of emerald light. She slammed her sword into the ground with an enraged snarl. "Loki I swear…" she hissed. "I'll make you pay for everything!"
Natasha Rominoff dropped down into the SHIELD bunker with barely a sound. She gripped her side pistol before stepping forward to continue through the dark. She stepped around a corner and punched in the door's security code, opening the mechanical door.
BABABABABAAANGG!
Widow dove to the side to avoid the hail of gunfire that shredded the door behind her. She pinned herself against a wall as the bullets continued to tear apart the room.
"FRANCIS PALADIN! PALADIN!" Nat screamed over the hail of bullets. The rain of bullets ceased as the shooter heard the code phrase. A lone figure emerged from the back of the room.
"A-Aunt Nat?" Francis Barton asked as he held the machine gun tentatively in his small arms. His once blonde hair was now stark white from shock of what he saw.
"It's me kiddo…" Natasha said as she walked around the table she been using for cover. The boy dropped his rifle and ran to her, wrapping her waist in a hug. The Russian spy returned it with as much enthusiasm.
She reluctantly parted from him and knelt down so she was at eye-level. "Francis…"
"Are they dead?' the boy asked fearfully. "Is m-my family dead?!" he cried.
"Francis." A new voice said. The two inhabitants of the bunker turned to see a man garbed in a purple costume step out into the light. Hawkeye pulled down his face mask.
"DADDY!" Francis shouted before tackling his father in a hug. Hawkeye grabbed his son in a tight embrace as tears spilled from his eyes.
"Thank you god…thank you!" he sobbed as he held his little boy in his arms. "Thank you for keeping my boy alive…thank you Nat." he said looking up at his longtime friend.
Nat simply smiled at the scene of a father holding his only child.
Bruce Banner stumbled through the wreckage of the decimated streets and walked towards a crushed bus. He stepped through the vehicles door to see a lone man in a tattered trench coat.
"Rick?" he asked. The man turned his head, revealing the bruised face of one Rick Jones.
"B-Bruce?"
"Yeah, buddy. I'm here. Come on." He said helping the man to his feet. He helped him stand before putting his arm around his shoulder. "Just hang on. We'll be there in a few days at most."
"W-where?" Rick slurred.
"Somewhere we can both find peace. We're going to Tibet."
Two Weeks Later, New York City
Tony Stark walked down the almost fully repaired halls of Stark Industries main tower. He walked past several painters as Pepper Potts trailed behind him with a small folder of papers.
"You've got a new press conference set up for the afternoon at the top floor of Roxxon—"
"Reschedule. If they asked, tell them Avenger's emergency." Tony replied taking a paper from his lovely assistant and skimming it. "And set it for next week, I want Roxxon to sweat a little. With all the heat from those illegal experiments they should really lower their by out cost."
"The Avengers excuse is only gonna work so many times, Tony." Pepper said. "may you should save it for actual emergencies."
"Oh it's not an excuse. We're making the big announcement. With the Liberators either dead or in custody, the countries that backed Hydra, unintentionally, are rather eager to be hearing we're not government lap dogs anymore."
"Wont' the President feel like that's treason or something?" Pepper asked as the two walked into Tony's newly built office. "I mean, I can't imagine SHIELD being to happy with all this."
"Oh, on the contrary, Fury and the President were more than happy to let us go when we got the new deal. We've been sanctioned by the United Nations, with no small thanks from the EU. Now SHIELD doesn't have to worry about public backlash and all those billions used to fund us are coming out of my pocket instead of the taxpayers. Imagine how'll that'll help the president's campaign."
"Quite a bit I can imagine. Is Fury really okay with all this? He'll probably be the scapegoat for all this. Head of SHIELD couldn't stop a country wide invasion."
"No. He knows he'd done for. Knowing him, he'll be underground in the next month. Shame too. As much grief we gave him, we actually felt a bit safer knowing he was the one in charge. Now…I don't know."
Tony leaned against the glass of his new office and sighed. "Tony…Rumiko's funeral is in the next week. Her family will be burying her in their ancestral home. Should I book you a flight?"
"Yeah…if Cap or the others call…just…tell them." He said.
"Yes sir." Pepper responded. "Is there anything else you'll need Mister Stark?" she asked in the most professional voice she could muster, which for her wasn't hard.
"No. Thank you Miss Potts." Pepper nodded and left the room. Tony turned around and opened a drawer on his desk and pulled out a glass cup and a bottle of whiskey. He popped it opened and poured himself a drink.
SHIELD BUNKER
Phil Coulson walked down the steps of the bunker to see Nick Fury laying down against an operating table. The former director of SHIELD was now being outfitted with a new bionic arm. The one-eyed spook looked up to see his right hand-man walking into the room with a heavy briefcase. "I take it your trip to the Arctic was...beneficial?"
"You could say that." Coulson responded as he set the case down and opened the case as a small metal sphere covered in circuitry. "We used a design acquired from the Baxter Building. The energy it gave off was beyond anything we've ever recorded."
"Does Panther know about it?" Fury asked, picking up the sphere with his left arm.
"He doesn't know what it is. But I know he's more than a little curious."
"He was bound to figure it out anyway." Fury said before he clicked the sphere. the mechanical device slowly began to unfold until it opened to reveal a glowing red gem."The Reality Gem...that's what the entity called it when you found him, correct?"
"Yes. From what SWORD has told us, the creature was a Kree scout. Whoever he stole it from is bound to come looking for it."
"Too bad." Fury said. "Because I think we might have a use for this one."
Stark Mansion
Throngs of reporters and cameramen swarmed the newly christened Avenger's Mansion. Vans with various news insignia crowded the streets while several SHIELD agents stood at the front of the stage to hold back the army of people.
On the stage stood the Avengers. In the Center was Wasp, the newly sanctioned leader. Beside her was a man in an all yellow and black suit with red lenses covering his black cowl. Yellow Jacket stood next to his spouse in his all new guise (Ultimate Yellow Jacket Uniform). Hank Pym turned to his wife with a small grin, which she wholeheartedly returned.
Beside Pym stood Iron man in his red and grey armor, his blue repulsor core burned bright. Next to him was Thor, whose hair was now tied up in a loose ponytail that was framed by two should pads connected to his new gauntlets. Mjolnir hung from his waste.
Beside Wasp stood Captain America in his red and blue uniform, his shield resting proudly on his left arm. Next to him stood the Black panther who was stoic in his appearance.
Hawkeye stood behind Iron man and Thor. Beside him was Quicksilver, flanked by the Scarlet Witch and their two newest additions.
One was a large green woman in a one piece white and purple leotard. Jennifer Walters stood proudly as the She-Hulk. Next to her was a shorter woman with blonde hair styled in a Mohawk like fashion thanks to her red cowl helmet. Her costume was a mix of red and blue with a yellow star centered on her chest. Binary smiled at the crowd of people that surrounded the podium.
Wasp stepped forward to address the crowd and was immediately bombarded with camera flashes and questions from all the reporters. While this was happening Hawkeye leaned over to Iron Man.
"Where's Falcon? I thought Cap offered him a spot on the team, guy earned it."
"He said he'd love to. But he's underground with Widow and Fury. War Machine went with them, but I haven't heard anything new yet. Last I heard was Cap asked them to hunt a ghost story."
"What?" Thor asked waving to the crowd that still bombarded Wasp with questions.
"Something about hunting a guy named Winter Soldier." Iron Man said.
Hawkeye glanced back at Cap who had an unreadable expression on his face. "Is that so?" the archer muttered.
"Everyone if you'd please hold your questions until the end. We're here to make an announcement which I'm sure you've all heard rumors of. Yes, the Avengers will no longer be working for SHIELD or solely the US government. Instead, we've been fully sanctioned by the United Nations to help in peacekeeping, natural disasters, and terrorist threats. We are not the world's police…we're just the heroes that'll keep it spinning. Now then…any questions?" she asked with a grin.
And done! This one is definitely one of my favorite stories and I look forward to bringing you Avengers 3! Otherwise known as All-New Ultimate Avengers! Here's the summary!
Watch as our heroes reel from the devastating after affects of Ultimate Avenger's 2! With the Avengers now estranged from SHIELD, the world is a new place with new villains new allies will lead by Nick Fury, the Secret Avengers! Cameos will be numerous from Spider-Man to Wolverine and even the Inhumans!
Until next time!