F5 Base, Ten Miles Outside Oklahoma City - 02:11AM 15/08/11
Tony parked the rented Chrysler outside the former storm monitoring bunker that was designated as the headquarters of F5. It didn't take a genius to realize that something was wrong, Tony was sure that nobody was home until he picked up a pair of night vision binoculars and stared through the lenses, the guarding HAMMER agents shining green in the darkness, their body heat steaming in the unusually cold wind and heavy rain.
"Something tells me that we have a complication." Dr Strange told Tony, "I sense dark magic inside that structure. Much darker then the simple occupation of building by former criminals, true evil has touched this house."
"True Evil, can you define that?" Tony asked, "Because I was told there is no such thing as pure evil. Even individuals such as Doctor Doom and the Red Skull have some good buried in them."
"The men you speak of are evil, but not true evil, that is reserved for the cruelest of deeds which have no true benefit for anyone. Slavery and Genocide are the most extreme examples but even little things can be considered as truly evil deeds. Even good people commit them, but I can sense that dark magic was used here even without the Eye of Agamento." Dr Strange explained, "Jericho my friend what do you sense."
"Darkness like that you described, but I can feel the mind behind this and I can determine who is responsible." Jericho told the others, "The Enchantress was here and she wasn't alone, your team was with her enslaved, she then cast a spell on the clouds above and sent them west. Where they stopped I have no idea but they carried more then rain."
As he finished the doors opened and the HAMMER agents brought out a dying agent on a stretcher. Throwing the man on the floor the guarding agents just left him where he had been dropped off without paying any attention to him.
"These guys aren't men are they?" Tony asked loading a magazine into his 9mm, "Grunts like these care when their friends are injured or killed."
"Your partially correct in you assumption," Dr Strange answered, "they were men, sometime in the recent past they were slain and left where they fell. A skilled necromancer like the Enchantress could have used the bodies as raw materials to summon the souls of the dead back to Midgard."
"You mean to say that these agents are zombies?" Tony asked, "Because I didn't sign up to appear in Resident Evil."
"They are thralls, basic foot-soldiers under the command of the Enchantress or one of her Generals." Jericho explained, "Zombies are dead bodies risen from the earth, that have don't have any soul to control them."
"I have one thing left to ask before we get inside," Tony told them, "how do you kill these guys."
Between a hail of fire-balls and silenced pistol shots the HAMMER guards were destroyed and after a brief ceremony by Dr Voodoo the souls and bodies were cleansed preventing them from ever being used by the dead again. Once inside it was clear to see that the HAMMER troops had been deployed to look for something, or someone. Clutching at their chests Tony watched as Dr Strange and Voodoo writhed in pain after they crossed the threshold. Eventually their revulsion seemed to lessen but they still didn't look well and Tony sensed that something was seriously wrong with them.
"You guys okay?" he asked.
"There is a device designed to nullify magical abilities in this structure." Voodoo explained, "My magic is barley there and Stephan's is completely neutralized.
"So I'm guessing you want to go in and get out as soon as possible." Tony stated, "Hey Doc take this, I've got a feeling that there are more HAMMER Thralls in here." he added throwing Strange his pistols.
"Why would they put such a device in this building in the first place." Strange asked throwing the guns back to Tony, "It makes no sense unless, did any of this team have magical powers?"
"No, wait Tempest got her powers from an artifcat belonging to a guy called Watoomb." Tony told the others.
"I know Watoomb, he claims I owe him a debt. I gave Jericho his wand when I lost the right to be the Sorcerer Supreme. If his Avatar is here then she would be powerless until the device is destroyed." Strange explained as a pair of HAMMER agents emerged from the stairs down into the basement. They quickly fell as Tony fired a few shots causing the thralls to collapse. Heading downstairs Tony noticed that the Sorcerers were looking more and more pale, evidence that they were getting closer to the device blocking magical powers. Eventually they arrived at a recently excavated chamber full of Thralls; this time a mixture of Asgardians, HAMMER Agents and National Guard Members all converging around a massive crystal that had half erupted from the ground and glowed a sickly green.
"That's what's blocking our magic." Voodoo announced, "It also gives the Thralls their marching orders, without it they will be unable to adapt to changing situations. Unfortunately the crystal will probably be immune to spells and conventional weapons."
"So how do we smash it?" Tony asked, "Because I didn't bring my magical sword with me." he added sarcastically. Quickly he turned and caught the pipe swung at him from behind before using it to push it's wielder down to the floor. His attacker was a young woman with long chestnut hair dressed in a HAMMER jumpsuit.
"Taskmaster?" she said in confusion.
"Tempest where are the others?" Tony asked the woman angrily.
"Jason told me to warn anyone who came looking for us, I raced back here only to find the Thralls already digging, as soon as they hit dirt the Enchantress showed up with the rest of the team and planted a tiny crystal. It took an hour to grow to full size and when it did I was human again, I survived as well as I could but I couldn't get to the comms. terminal." Tempest explained, she didn't sound distressed but like Dr Strange and Voodoo she didn't look at all well.
"That means the rest of the team is dead." Tony told her.
"Not necessarily," Doctor Voodoo interrupted, "Thralls made from the dead are smarter then zombies but in the end are still relatively stupid. They are able to do simple tasks but as you found out with the guards earlier are easy to destroy. Living Thralls are tougher and retain the intelligence and abilities they had when they processed free will."
"Oh no." Tempest said, "I overheard the Enchantress mention a recruitment drive to her war council. In particular they want meta humans, an army of super soldiers, they identified a hot spot susceptible to magic thanks to Carrion's attack on San Francisco."
"Utopia she's after the mutants, an army just waiting to be harvested." Tony said.
"The Enchantress War Council, who exactly was she talking to?" Strange asked.
"Sturt, Maleketh and this giant snake, they were getting their marching orders from Loki." Tempest stated.
"So Loki has a hand in this, I suppose it was to much too hope that he had been destroyed in the fall of Asgard." Strange sighed, "I do find it odd that he would rush into an attack so quickly." he added.
"They mentioned the coming of her," Tempest added, "that she was already here waiting to be born." From in his armor Tony felt the communications chip in his cowl buzz. "This is the Taskmaster," he whispered, "what is it Gauntlet."
"We are under attack," Gauntlet replied, "Some kind of giant snake, it's got an army of, hell I don't know what they are. Casualties are beginning to mount, we need reinforcements now."
"A giant snake you say, seems like there a lot of those slithering around at the moment." Tony replied, "Listen in my, I mean your office there is an emergency line to an old AIM instillation, called complex 667, I brought it prior to the split with HAMMER. At the time of purchase it was meant to be a storage facility, but now it's where the Shadow Initiative is based. Tell them that Protocol Aztec is in effect. After that go down to the labs and tell the Baron to online project rebirth, he's not going to like it but bribe him with a purple heart or something. Once the fighting dies down, tell Osborne to get his beauracratic ass in gear because this is going to become his problem as well in a very short amount of time." Tony instructed, "As soon as I'm done here I will see if I can get to you Taskmaster out."
CampHammond,Conneticut- 04:01AM
Gauntlet deactivated the wireless head-set and fired another few shots at the approaching zombie Nazis. At the moment the Initiative Security and Trainees were clinging on to the section of ground in front of the Administration Offices but only thanks to the Serpent focusing its attention to the automated sentry turrets on the outer wall. Not that the robotic defences seemed to be doing any attention, rockets were incinerated by the serpent's breath and the 20mm canon shells bounced off it's hide. Gauntlet turned to the defenders and saw the he had very few people left to hold the line while he called in the Shadow Initiative, only five security guards remained alongside six trainees.
He had checked in with the other members of staff before calling the Taskmaster, and it seemed that they had similar numbers; Puma was pinned down in the auxiliary training room while Physique and Trauma were stuck in the Infirmary, there two squads were almost backed into a corner by the attackers, the final member of staff Terror had pushed foreword initially but the hermetically sealed knight had fallen to the Serpent itself and his team under the command of Tiger Shark had fallen back to the training pool. Gauntlet also had received information that two squads of trainees, on a night op at the time of the serpent's emergence were fighting to retake the transport bay and were hopping to get the camp's Thunder Hawks and Zeus Transports in the air to act as air support.
"Equinox hold the line," Gauntlet ordered, "Cariac come with me." he told another of his trainees.
"Where are you going Drill Master?" Equinox asked.
"The Taskmaster has given me the codes to scramble the Shadow Initiative, I don't know who these guys are but we could use the help. Cariac is going to run down to the labs and tell Baron von Blitzschlag to activate Project Rebirth. As soon as were done we will head back to the steps, until then I order you to hold." Gauntlet ordered.
"Yes Sir." Equinox replied firing a burst of flame at a group of Nazi's dragging a PaK 40 Field Gun up towards the front line. Cariac ran towards the labs while Gauntlet ducked inside as the remaining trainees and guards fired at their attackers using the statues of Jim Hammond as cover. Thundering towards the drill-masters office Gauntlet found five Nazi Zombies baring the corridor. Raising his fist Gauntlet charged through the hail of MP44 rounds and rifle shots before smashing the dead men across the walls.
"Looks like I know what it's like to be Captain America." Gauntlet stated kicking one of the zombies rifles away from the door. Slipping inside he quickly located the emergency phone and pressed the button marked with SI. The phone rang once and was picked up.
"Hello, Mr. Masters," the voice on the other end, "What can we do for you?"
"It's Joseph Green, Tony has given the order that Protocol Aztec is in effect." Gauntlet replied.
"Where do you want us deployed sir?" the voice on the other end asked.
"Camp Hammond is under attack, we need you here ASAP." Gauntlet ordered.
"Any estimates on enemy strength?" the voice asked.
"Lots of Zombies with Assault Weapons, Rocket Launchers and Rifles commanded by a very big snake." Gauntlet informed.
"Okay we're on our way, ETA is in three minutes, just make sure the jump gate is clear for our arrival." the voice asked, "Shadow Leader out." Gauntlet put down the phone and wondered just what kind of reinforcements would be arriving. "Gambit," he called over the comms, "I need you to clear the Jump Gate, we have reinforcements arriving in three minutes whatever you have to do to get it clear do it."
Over in complex 667 the Shadow Initiative geared up as their leader activated the Jump Gate that led to Camp Hammond. "After the Siege the Taskmaster risked his life to give us sanctuary from Osborne and HAMMER. Now that Protocol Aztec is active it's time to repay the risk he took. Shadow Initiative assemble.