AVENGERS EVOLUTION

in

"The Chessboard Is Set - Avengers Assemble Part One"

Note: All characters and locations mentioned here are property of Marvel Comics Inc, I claim no ownership to them whatsoever.

PART SIX

Inside the Red Skull Fortress

April 1942

The Red Skull walked into theobservation room, outside the sleeper prototype was being built, he was greeted by the two designers on the project - Doctor Adler and Professor Weiss. Adler was a tall, well built middle aged man with dark hair and a small mustache on his upper lip, while Professor Weiss was short, stocky, and slightly older than Adler, he had thinning grey hair and wore wire-rimmed spectacles.

"What do you have to report to me, herr doctor?" asked Red Skull. "I so hope that it is good news."

Dr. Adler gave the HYDRA salute. "The Sleeper prototype is complete, mein leader - as to your specifications."

Professor Weiss stepped forward. "Would the leader like a demonstration?" He added.

Red Skull nodded. Professor Weiss pulled away the curtain covering the window, there standing in front of them was a 20 foot robot composed of shiny titanium, and a cone-shaped head. On the Sleeper's chest was the large swastika, the symbol of the third reich.

"The Sleeper," explained Adler, "is composed solely of pure titanium steel, rust proof, bulletproof, completely indestructible."

He shouted some German commands into the loud speaker, soon the soldiers evacuated the area and sent in some radio controlled target drones.

"On the side of each arm there is a chain gun, each barrell can fire over 1000 rounds a minute," he continued.

As the drones approached the sleeper, it raised its arms, two large gun barrells emerged from each one. The barrells began to spin at high speeds just before launching a barrage of bullets at the drones, reducing them to scrap.

The Red Skull was impressed, as the demonstration came to a close. "Are the sleepers ready for mass-production?" he asked.

Weiss spoke up. "There have been a couple oftechnical mishaps."

This began to anger the HYDRA leader. "What kind of 'mishaps'?"

Adler spoke for his colleague. "Minor ones, I assure you, herr leader. The fuel source we've been using for the sleepers has proven to be unstable, causing the drones to selfdestruct within minutes of activation. Plus we are still waiting for the technological parts that we need for the night vision/thermal targetting systems." He paused for a minute, hoping that the Red Skull would calm down and see reason. "It has proven difficult working under these conditions, the french technology here is utterly primitive compared to German engineering .."

Unfortunately when Adler thought that the Red Skull would calm down - he was wrong. "You will do with what you have," he shouted, pounding his fist on the console, "or else!"

"Begging your pardon, mein leader," squeaked Weiss in a tiny voice. "You're not threathening us ... are you?"

He glared in the poor man's beady little eyes. "You and herr doctor Adler are expendable, so regarding 'threatening you', I say ja!"

Weiss gulped. Suddenly the intercom went on, it was from the communications room.

"Mein leader!" a voice piped from the speaker.

Red Skull walked up to the intercom along the wall, and pressed the call button. "Report!"

"We have received a communique from Baron Strucker."

"Understood, I am on my way."

"C'mon, it's this way."

Bucky followed Blue Diamond down the empty corridor, he followed him into a hidden entrance into the castle and down towards the electrical room. He was surprised that there weren't any HYDRA stormtroopers wandering down the corridors, and he also couldnt figure out how he even knew of the hidden entrance.

"I haven't seen a stormtrooper ever since we got in," admitted Bucky. "Where are they anyways?"

Blue Diamond didnt even look back at Bucky. "I noticed the duty roster at the guard post earlier," he said. "Perfect timing, I guess."

"But what about that hidden entrance? It couldnt have been luck."

"I remember seeing it on the castle floor plan," he replied.

Bucky began to get suspicious. "I saw the floor plan, I never saw that entrance we took."

"Maybe it's an old floor plan - you seem to be askinga lot ofquestions, kid."

They came to a door with writing in german on the door reading "elektrischer Raum" - which meant "electrical room". It was a good thing that Captain America talked Bucky into studying the German language, otherwise he would have never found the place - butwas Blue Diamond equally knowledgable?

Blue Diamond approached the fuse box. "Looks like it's time for lights out."

Bucky smacked his fist into his open palm. "Great, then that'll signal the others into destroying the communications tower - putting HYDRA out of business."

"Oh, it's not 'lights out' for HYDRA."

Bucky paused in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

He turned around, only to be greeted by Blue Diamond's fist. The blow flung him back, knocking his head into the wall - he slumped into unconsciousness.

"You were asking a lot of questions," said Blue Diamond, as he stood over Bucky's limp body. "Too many questions." He laughed to himself. "And to think I didnt even need to be in my diamond form to take care the likes of you!"

He turned around, and headed for the main fuse box.. He slowly opened the door, and flipped off the main switch.

Watching from the forest, Jack Frost, Red Raven, Human Torch, and Toro witnessed the large castle go pitch black.

"There's the signal!" exclaimed Toro. "FLAME ON!" The youngster burst into flames, Human Torch also transformed into his fiery form. Red Raven outstretched his wings, ready to fly, Jack Frost took one step forward and fell back onto the ground.

"What's wrong, Jack?" asked Torch, he could see his companion clutching onto his ankle.

Jack winced in pain. "I must have sprained my ankle," he groaned.

Torch looked at Raven. "You stay with Jack," he told him. "Toro and I ought to be enough to take down that communications tower."

Red Raven nodded. "Very well," he said. "May the winged deity watch over you, my friend."

Torch turned and flew off after Toro, leaving Red Raven and Jack Frost alone. He watched as his friend, the Torch, flew off into the distance, he didnt notice the evil grin on Jack Frost's face.

Suddenly Raven screamed in pain as two ice spears penetrated through each of his wings, he dropped to the ground and saw the bloody ice spears sticking through his wings. He looked up, his vision was a little bit blurry as he tried desperately not to lose consciousness, there standing over him he could see Jack Frost.

"W...w...why ...?" was all he could get out. The pain was just too much for him.

"You might want to close your eyes," smiled Frost, "This will be all over in a moment."

All he saw then was Jack Frost raise his hands up, and was blasted by a blizzard of ice.

Once the fiery Human Torch managed to join up with Toro, he looked at the castle - something seemed off.

"It just happened a minute ago," explained Toro. "When I got here, all the lights automatically came back on. They must have gotten the reserve generator online."

Torch shook his flame covered head. "No, it's not possible. Something must have gone wrong."

Toro screamed as something slammed him from behind, causing him to fall out of the sky, Torch watched as his body hit the ground with a bone crushing thud.

"Toro!" he shouted. Torch looked over to where the blast originated, and there he found Jack Frost - standing on two feet; his ankle wasn't twisted after all. "Jack? What the hell are you doing?"

Jack eyed his former colleague. "What does it look like I'm doing?" He asked sarcastically. "It's called "elimination'."

Torch looked at the fallen boy. "Toro, are you alright?"

He slowly got to his knees. "I ... I ... I'm so wet ... " he chattered. "I .. I can't .. flame on .. So ... cold."

With a blast from Jack's hand, Toro was encased within a thick block of solid ice.

"NOOOOOO!" Torch screamed, "Toro, hang on! I'll get you out!" He generated a large fireball in his hand, and was about to throw it at his frozen friend, until Frost warned him against it.

"Toro is frozen solid, his body is at a temperature of absolute zero." He explained. "If you raise his temperature too quickly, his body'll shatter like an easter egg."

But Torch had heard enough. "Traitor!" He shouted. "You're going to pay!" And with that he hurtled the ball of fire in Jack's direction, he barely got out of the way until the fireball impacted with the earth, making a loud explosion.

The Red Skull returned to the communications room, with Adler and Weiss following him like lost puppies. A HYDRA officer had passed him the printed message sentthrough a closed channel from Baron Strucker.

After he read the communique, obviously translated to German from Japanese, a small toothy smile appeared on the dictator-to-be's face. "It seems that construction is already being made on the new sleepers in Japan," he told both Adler and Weiss. "And it would seem that they haven't come across the same 'problems' that you two have been having, and as a matter of fact - have made several improvements on your design." He eyed a pair of HYDRA soldiers and motioned them towards him, each rushed over and grabbed hold of Weiss and Adler.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Adler, wanting an explanation.

"You have outlived your usefullness, herr doctor."

Immediately Weiss dropped to the feet of Red Skull. "Pleeeeease," he begged. "Don't kill us! We can still be useful!"

Red Skull backhanded the Professor, knocking him to the ground. Adler quickly picked up his colleague, attempting to prevent his colleague from further embarrassment.

"I despise grovellers! You are going to be sent back to Berlin - so you may submit my report to the fuhrer." He looked at the HYDRA troopers. "Escort them to the airfield at once."

Both HYDRA soldiers saluted and escorted both Adler and Weiss out of the room, once they were out of earshot - Red Skull couldnt help but chuckle to himself. Upon arriving in Berlin, both of them would be deemed traitors to the third reich, and be shot on sight.

Suddenly an officer called his attention, Red Skull found the man sitting in front of a monitor screen. "Mein fuhrer," he called out. "There is something going on outside - something you should see."

Skull came up behind the officer and looked over his shoulder at the monitor. There he could make out Jack Frost fighting with the american Human Torch - this confirmed that Captain America was somewhere causing trouble. "So," Skull surmised, "disention in the ranks."

The soldier looked over his shoulder and up at Skull. "Mein fuhrer, should I dispatch HYDRA soldiers to apprehend the rebels?"

Red Skull shook his head. "No. Let's us see how this turns out first."

The soldier said nothing, and returned his gaze back at the monitor, where Torch and Frost continued to battle it out in superhero-like fashion.

So we already know that Jack Frost and Blue Diamond are traitors - but why? To be continued ...

Coming soon, the present day; featuring Nick Fury, Captain America, and Wolverine ...?