Gambit smacked a zombie round the face with his bo-staff as he and Slingshot's teams pushed the attackers away from the Jump Gate. As the Abomination had earlier discovered the zombies didn't fall to normal wounds, and even the assorted powers that the trainees had at their disposal didn't seem to make any impact on the horde of the Undead.

"Vapour give us another pass." Gambit ordered as the Abomination decapitated a zombie while Whiplash kept a group at bay as Crossbow fired bolt after bolt into the attackers. Vapour quickly flew past the zombie attackers and circled the room, dirty grey gas left in her wake before switching back to her normal green form.

"Now Crossbow," Gambit ordered, "light these Zombies up." Crossbow fired a pair of bolts into two of the closest attackers before spinning his weapons barrel and firing a flare into the gas stream. In an instant the gas ignited and the smell of petrol filled the room, the zombies outside the ring retreated from the ring of fire as the trainees pushed the remaining attackers towards the fire, the dead flesh becoming shambling corpses as they screamed in terror running away from the jump gate. Behind the team the gate sprung to life and the whole room glowed blue as the connection was made with the one in the Shadow Initiative Facility. Walking through the blue glow came seven people, the light presenting Gambit and the others from seeing who they were.

"Is that it?" Death Cap asked, "That's not reinforcements that just a bloody burial detail."

"Shut up Ward, everybody we can bring to this fight helps." Slingshot answered as the Jump Gate deactivated, the blue glow disappearing. Standing before the trainees stood a man they all recognized, Hank Pym AKA the Wasp and former Ant Man, his team mates were all recognizable heros as well.

"Doctor Pym official lists show that your dead." Gambit stated.

"Not this time Reme," Hank said as the fire died down and the first zombies charged through the dying flames at the group. "Okay everyone we're here to take down the Lindworm, Tarene take Wiccan and see if you can find the serpent's weakness. Komodo, Black Cat and Scarlet Spider I want you to rally everyone together and get ready for a final push against the zombies, we're going to lead them into this room and send them to an active Volcano in Iceland. Tigra and the others will stay to cover me while I overwrite the gate's controls."

"Yes sir." the others replied heading off to their respected assignments.

"You were never so eager to send others to their deaths." Gambit told Hank.

"That was before we lost so much at the Siege of Asgard, I doubt there is anyone else left from the original Avengers team." Hank replied, "I'm the last one left and I sure as hell won't let Osborne get away with what he's done."

"So why take sanctuary from the Taskmaster?" Gambit asked, "He was working for HAMMER for a while before he split with Osborne."

"He offered sanctuary as long as Osborne was in control in return for help when the compound came under attack, he's realised that whether it's at Camp Hammond or Camp HAMMER that people always seem to target the Initiative." Hank told Gambit as the later threw an exploding 3 of clubs at a Zombie armed with a pair of bayonets. "Plus I think he liked having something to lord over Osborne when they eventually get sent to prison."

Deep in the lab of Baron von Blitzschlag the former Nazi scientist scratched his head as the protection detail that Gauntlet had sent down arrived. He wasn't at all comfortable activating Project Rebirth, he had even considered terminating the subject before it had been repaired, he had argued against even repairing the bloody machine but Osborne had overruled him.

"Father we're ready to act if he makes a move." MIA told the Baron. She had been sent down alongside Annex, Pulsar and the Unicorn to keep the subject under control, but Blitzschlag knew from first hand experience that as powerful as these four were, that they would never take him down. Luckily the Baron had inserted a fail-safe but the lack of testing would make it chancy to use at best.

"Yes everyone get ready." Blitzschlag told the team, "Opening casket in three, two, one." he triggered the cryogenic chambers bolts and the door flew open revealing a heavily muscled man with long blonde hair wearing Asgradian armor.

"Is that Thor?" Unicorn asked stepping back a few paces.

"Nay I am Ragnarok," the clone told him, "Now step away from the foul doctor or I will make thee wish you were never born."

"You won't touch my father." MIA growled, "Override Code 700."

"Code 700 accepted, reset counter is at thirty minutes, what do you need me to do?" Ragnarok asked.

"The programming codes work," Blitzschlag said happily, "He's under your control until the reset counter runs out. Be careful what you ask him to do Michelle, the code is fragile and certain triggers may even override his behaviour."

"Go upstairs and kill the Serpent." MIA ordered. Almost immediately the Thor Clone started moving, picking up a massive Sledge Hammer locked away in a weapon's cabinet and virtually ploughing through Annex who was guarding the door.

"Go make sure he follows your instructions." the Baron told MIA and her team, "If he gets out of control activate this trigger, it will detonate the bomb placed in his memory banks."

"Yes father I will make sure that the creature doesn't get out of control." MIA told him.

"If possible keep him safe, we may need him later." Blitzschlag told her, "The Initiative will not always be under independent control of HAMMER."

Gauntlet fired a blast of energy at the Nazi Zombies that were swarming up the stairs, their swarm attacks were affective most of the security was dead but at least the Serpent had stopped destroying the camp. It seemed sating and was sleeping in the main training room, unfortunately how ever it was controlling the zombies wasn't resting and now their waves include the dead Security Agents and the Staff that the monsters had slain. High above the Serpent lightning flashed and Gauntlet could swear he saw Thor and another Asgradian clashing hammer against hammer. Suddenly through the lines of Zombies a group of trainees smashed through the living corpses, he recognized Komodo and the Black Cat, the man in red was the Scarlet Spider or one of them at the very least, a lot of people had used that name recently.

"Gauntlet." Komodo called kicking a Zombie to the floor before picking up its MP40 and firing it at a sniper mounted on one of the remaining guard towers. "Push them back to the Jump Gate."

"You heard her, push them back." Gauntlet ordered the remaining trainees in his company.

Overhead the Lindworm heard thunder and smelt the flesh of Odin's line; it knew that the man above was a fake. Long ago it had been a hero, defender of the innocent; he had taken the brunt of the attack of an ancient enemy before being transformed into his hideous current form bound to serve those who asked of his services. He and his servants had taken the 100 souls that the one called Scourge had offered; now all his deals were done, and he would never have to serve again thanks to the woman Avalon. With her payment he was free, both from his form and servitude, deep in his gut something stirred and a hand pulled out a long bejewelled sword embedded in his stomach before a man dressed in bright green armor emerged from the dying serpent's belly. The man emerged from his prison and looked up at the sky as Thor clashed with a woman dressed almost identically to him. It was clear from the smell that this man wasn't the Thor he knew, he walked foreword and tripped over a woman with MIA marked on her neck, a rebar impaled in her chest.

"You have to stop him." she told the man. "This should help." she added throwing him a switch.

"Don't worry maiden, Prince Lindwyrm will slay the fake Asgradian." the man told her in a German accent before leaping to the roof top and up towards the battle. "Thor Odinson I call you to battle." the man told the clone as he smashed Tarane with his hammer.

"I am Ragnarok, the end of all things Teutonic Prince, you will bow before me for I am your master." Ragnarok bellowed as Tarane fell to the roof next to the prince.

"Nay Cyborg, I know much about you as is the curse of wisdom that my former self carried." the Prince told Ragnarok as he helped Tarane to her feet. "I would fight you if slaying you carried any worth but alas you are merely a faint shadow of the real Odinson."

Ragnarok bellowed and fired a blast of lightning at the Prince who intercepted it with his blade, the sword shining with electricity. Roaring in anger Ragnarok dived slamming the hammer into the roof causing the concrete to crack and all three combatants to fall into the room below. Getting to her feet first Tarane smashed Ragnarok across the face revealing the machinery below the cloned flesh. In retaliation he kicked her back through the wall, rubble falling off the building causing the structure to creak ominously as both he and the prince got to their feet. Ragnarok went to slam the Prince who dodged serpent like away from the strike before expertly slashing at the clone's arm causing the limb to drop off due to the weight of the hammer, the clone staggering as Lindwyrm stabbed his blade through the cyborg's chest cavity. Ragnarok brought his left arm and pummelled the prince to the floor before picking up the dropped hammer and readied it for an execution. The strike never came as Tarane swung her own weapon knocking the clone's head to the floor, the body collapsing as the prince slithered out of the way of the falling body. Tarane walked over to the head and crushed it under her hammer as a group of zombies lumbered towards the pair their weapons drawn.

"Nay my servants I have no longer any need for you." the Prince commanded, "Rest forever undisturbed by any who defile your souls with dark magic." The zombies creaked before dissolving into puddles of ice and ash, all around the camp the dead shuddered and disappeared leaving the living alone and standing shocked at what happened. Only the corpse of the Lindworm remained as the prince retrieved a gold coin threaded through the hole in the centre to form a pendant that was wrapped around the giant serpent's fangs.

"Sleep my former body till the real Ragnarok calls you once more into battle." the Prince told the dead snake which suddenly writhed before slithering into the hole it had emerged from.

"Hands up." Gauntlet ordered from behind, "Throw down the sword and put your hands above your head." The prince placed his sword on the floor and turned to face Gauntlet his hands raised but a kind smile on his face. "Who are you?" Gauntlet asked.

"Prince Tyr Lindwyrm." the Prince replied, "At your service sir, my code tells me that I must regain my honour by working off the sin for taking the souls I stole from you."

"What?" Gauntlet asked.

"He was the snake." Tarane told Gauntlet.

"Is this true?" Gauntlet asked suspiciously.

"Aye, a long time ago after the members of the Seven Pointed Star prevented her emergence, I was cursed by our leader, a cruel god of the Egyptians, into the form of a Lindworm. Bound by the rules of my new shape I was forced to honour any deals that were made to me. Many asked for no more then riches or health, few asked me to spare the lives of their people but some asked more wicked things. One such man offered me 100 souls from this place in return for a half pint of venom, a high price for such a trivial thing. As such I ask for forgiveness from you noble leader and in return I will give you my sword and the name of the man who wished your destruction."

"How did you break the curse?" Gauntlet asked, "How do I know that this isn't a trick and you won't turn into a giant snake again and kill us all."

"A noble woman, one who knew of my condition released me with gold cast into the lake of Avalon, its power broke the curse after I had honoured any outstanding deals I had made. On my sword the only thing I offer I give to you my loyalty"

"Who ordered the attack?" Gambit asked.

"A man who hid behind names such as Citizen V, Nuke and Scourge, one in service to Norman Osborne, yet he received orders to attack from another," Lindwyrm told Gauntlet.

"Put your hands down." Gauntlet sighed. Behind him there was a click and he turned to see MIA with a Handgun pointing directly at his head despite the wound she had.

"MIA stand down that's an order." Gauntlet told her.

"No you are no longer in charge of the Initiative." she replied as other trainees activated their powers or drew their weapons while others simply looked surprised, "Now hand's above your heads all of you." she ordered.

"I am Camp Commandant," Gauntlet yelled, "Everyone but down your weapons." he commanded as above him spot-lights shown down on the area as a pair of Thunderhawks arrived on station. Standing on the side of one of the choppers Gauntlet saw the armoured figure of Scourge, "Not any more the Initiative is once more under Osborne's control."

"Not while we're still standing, if you want the Initiative you will have to fight to claim it." Gauntlet yelled up at him. Suddenly electricity coursed through his body and those of the remaining loyalists before they flopped to the floor. Somewhere far off a sniper shot sounded and the Prince fell to the floor as Scourge jumped from the Hawk and picked up his sword.

"Move them downstairs for nano-chain reprogramming they will all serve Osborne eventually." Scourge stated as he chopped off Gauntlet's armoured limb, "Even you."