Avengers Tower, New York City - 12:40 23/08/2011
"Mr Rhodes" Victoria addressed as the well built man sat in her office perched near the summit of Avenger's Tower, "I have some bad news about the others."
James waited for the bad news, it had only been hours since he had awoken from the coma, thanks to Toxin at least he was in a state to wake up, without his help James would be six foot under instead of thirty stories up in the air. Still the jibes and nasty retorts he had got from some of Osborne's Avengers when he had arrived was enough to make him feel like he was in hell. "What bad news?" he asked Victoria.
"Shortly after you were hospitalized the mole revealed herself. It was Tate, within two hours everyone else was dead from various kinds of poisons. The remains were taken to a decontamination facility we still don't know what the actual chemical she used was but it was," she paused, "messy."
"Where's Tate now?" James asked angrily.
"Botswana, she left the country in the gun-ship, Norman has been given permission to send a meta operative and a transport team to pick up Tate for trial." Victoria told James, "It won't be easy however; we've picked up senior level HYDRA communications from the area, no doubt Tate was working for them."
"I want to bring Tate in." James offered, "I want to make sure she suffers for what she had done."
"Tate won't go down without a fight, you may have to kill her. If it came to that would you be able to follow through?" Victoria asked.
"If I had to, she made it easy when she killed the others." James replied.
"That's all I need to know." Victoria told him, "Be advised that Osborne wants this done as covertly as possible. The Botswanan Government might know about this operation but we want to keep it from the people at home. A lot of American aid money went into Africa First, Tate's so called charity, if they know that they were funding HYDRA the fall out could be catastrophic."
"I won't fail you, Tate will be brought to justice one way or another." James answered as he stood up and walked out the door slamming the portal causing the window to rattle. Victoria smiled as her eyes flashed yellow and patches of blue skin appeared across her face, "Osborne," Mystique said to the TV screen mounted on the wall, "The last loose ends are being cleared up."
"Good work Raven, in a few hours I will have control of Task Force HAMMER, Victoria's biggest weakness is her foresight, she assembled a second team in case she needed to dispose of the first group, they will serve me more successfully then the rabble she threw her lot in.
James walked past the Avengers pent-house ignoring the cat-calls and insults thrown at him by Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye and the Steel Soldier. Any other day he would have tested his metal against these three but today Tate was the enemy, Osborne had given him free reign to do what he needed to. This time tomorrow Tate would be dead given the same mercy that she had shown Elizabeth, Toxin and the others. Even Ghost deserved a better fate then what he had ended up with. James was so deep in thought that he collided with an Arabic woman in a tank top and jeans leading a little girl through the tower.
"Sorry I didn't see you." James said to the woman, his eyes catching the ornate scarab pendant she wore.
"It's okay, come on Abby we've got a meeting with the Avengers." the woman told the little girl.
"Is that War Machine, Zara?" Abby asked, "I think you're cool can I get you're autograph?" she asked.
"It would make her day." Zara told James, "She's a massive Iron Patriot fan." she added.
"Sure." James said as Abby handed him a book and a pen. "To Abby fight the good fight, War Machine." James dictated as he signed the blank piece of paper. "Here you go." he added.
"Thanks War Machine." Abby cried before hugging his armoured knees, "So are you going on a mission for the Iron Patriot?" she asked.
"You can't ask that." Zara said.
"Actually it's a recon mission for Victoria Hand, Osborne's assistant." James lied, "Really boring but somebody needs to do it." he added as Antman stepped out of the lift.
"Abby look it's Antman, go with him I'll catch up I just want to speak to War Machine alone." Zara instructed.
"Okay." Abby replied running over to Antman who picked her up and put her on his shoulders.
"Mr Rhodes." Zara said, "Your going on a mission for Ms. Hand."
"Yes." James said nervously.
"Don't trust the changeling; the real Victoria is no longer here." Zara warned, "Everything she says is lies remember that when you face Ms. Williams."
"And why should I trust you, you're her; the Emerald Scarab one of Osborne's 'Dark Avengers'." James accused, "The necklace gave you away if you want to know."
"Because I made a mistake, more then one Abby is penance for one, you and Ms. Williams are the results of another." the Scarab told him, "I can't say more" she smiled a forced grin before stalking after Abby as she and Antman entered the Avenger's penthouse. James stood for a few seconds contemplating the warning he just received before heading to the hangers of Avenger Tower.
Abandoned AIM Facility - 16:55PM 23/08/2011
"We're here." Mystique told Norman and Daken as they arrived at a dilapidated factory, "AIM had a hardened bunker here, judging from what Victoria wrote our team of killers is here."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Daken asked keeping an eye on Mystique, "We know little about these people, Hand kept all files regarding this special black ops unit secret."
"I need a Black Ops unit that I can trust to stay under control, as we speak Mentallo and Zola are dealing with the others but they won't last long, they will be dead just like you told Cornel Rhodes." Osborne told him, "Mystique lead the way." he ordered the mutant shape shifting as both he and Daken watched her turn into Victoria Hand clad in HAMMER body armor. The inside of the building turned out to be different to the outside, the walls studded with state of the art computers, the AIM logo covered over with the sigil of HAMMER.
"So where are they then?" Daken asked extending his claws.
"Here they come." Mystique told him as a cargo lift arrived revealing the second team. As the lift doors opened five figures emerged silhouetted against the green glow emitted from the member at the back. Standing proud the five agents stared down at Osborne and Daken as the disguised Victoria walked up to their position.
"Is it time." one of them asked.
"Yes, Alpha Team has failed remember your training and who you are loyal too." Victoria told them, "Do you want a demonstration?" she asked Osborne.
"It's why I brought Daken." Osborne told her, "If they can take him down in less then 90 seconds I will consider them as my Black Ops Team." he ordered as Daken tensed up and extended his claws.
"Target: Wolverine." Mystique told her team.
"We'll have him down in sixty seconds." the team leader told her as a pair of barbed arrows flew into Daken's eyes. Howling in anger and agony Daken leapt at his attackers only to feel a hot glowing fist slam into his chest knocking him to the floor. Struggling to get up something sticky mummified his arms keeping him pinned before he felt cold steel cut through his claws, his attackers blade undamaged by the effort required to sever the bone claws. Somebody crawled up to his mouth and slipped him something forcing him to swallow it, he recognized the texture as Carbonadium as the sword wielding attacker stabbed him through the arm, his healing factor slowed to a crawl, the effort sending him into a coma."
"Fifty Seven seconds very impressive." Osborne remarked.
"We can do it faster." one of the beta team replied, "Next time we will be faster by five seconds."
"It won't matter." Osborne told him, "See these people." he said pointing to the hologram of five stasis tubes that his armor was projecting, "They are Natasha Romanoff, James Logan, Patrick Mulligan, Charlotte Byron and the terrorist know as the Ghost. They failed me and now I'm sending them to their death, fail me and you won't be as lucky do you understand."
"Yes Sir." the beta team announced.
"Good, my Avengers will be away from New York for a while as will the bulk of HAMMER's security force, what I need you five to help Victoria with is to keep everyone out of Avenger's Tower. Do you understand me?"
"Yes Sir." The beta team repeated.
"Good, Victoria move them into the tower covertly I have a group of traitors to deal with." Osborne ordered.
"Yes Sir It will be my pleasure." Mystique replied licking her lips, "What about him?" she asked Osborne.
"Bring him back on a stretcher, we'll purge him and get him ready for tomorrow." Osborne ordered, "Make sure it's painful though, everybody appreciates a little pain in their life." he added walking over and stepping on Daken's neck listing to it pop and click.
Negative Zone Prison - 19:02PM 23/09/2011
The two HAMMER agents dragged a filthy bundle of hair and naked flesh through the corridors of the Negative Zone Prison before dropping her and an orange jumpsuit on the floor of one of the interrogation rooms.
"Get dressed." one of the guards ordered, "Osborne has made time to see traitorous scum like you Hand." Victoria groaned feeling each of the bruises that the guards had inflicted, the pain was nothing compared to the humiliation of what Armin Zola had put her through. Slowly she pulled on the jump-suit as the rest of Task Force HAMMER was dragged in one by one.
"Ghost are you okay?" Victoria asked as a timid looking man was pulled into the room along with a damaged faceplate from his armor.
"I'm fine." Ghost said putting on the faceplate, "Zola found traces of Serotonin in my bloodstream with the same signed tracers as those in Bushwhacker's blood. I remember Bile grabbing me just after I stalled Kephi."
"Some good that did." a voice said Victoria looked round to see the long red hair and green eyes of Natasha Romanoff the original Black Widow.
"So revealing your true colours Elizabeth." Victoria said snidely, "I wondered how long it would take for you to act. I must say that I hoped you and Logan would strike sooner but beggars can't be choosers."
"If you knew why didn't you go running off to Osborne and turn us in, you could have saved yourself the trouble of being locked up with us." Logan growled the chain on his neck preventing him from moving any further then the wall.
"Because we all wanted the same thing, Osborne dead." Victoria screamed.
"Now everything is out in the open." Norman said from the window as two guards dropped a comatose Geode into the room, thick layers of crystal growing all over her body. "Behold my team of traitors, but you know what they say put all your eggs in one basket."
"We're sorry." the Toxin Symbiote whimpered, "Please don't hurt us anymore."
"Are yes everyone of you has been broken some way, beyond repair I'm afraid still I believe that you can all be useful for one more mission." Osborne stated, "Your going to help me save the world. This is the thrall control tower buried in the ruins of Asgard that controls Loki's army." he said pointing to the projection of Asgard floating next to him.
"And what if we refuse?" Logan barked.
"Then you die, I've placed suicide packets in your body, they are even strong enough to kill you Wolverine." Osborne told them, "It's funny really a HYDRA agent named Tate Williams produced the initial strain, when SHIELD got hold of it they archived it, now with the help of Armin Zola it's being mass produced and you are the first test subjects."
"And what happens if we go on this mission." Ghost asked.
"If you survive I'll activate the packets burst function and you die, I think you all will help me, if you don't you will doom the entire human race." Osborne proposed, "Die here like dirty animals or later as heros, your names immortalized as the saviours of humanity."
"We'll take our chances at Asgard." Toxin said, "We'd rather die with dignity."
"You'll need help Toxin." Natasha added, "You can't go it alone I'll go with you and then I'll come for you Osborne."
"What the lady said." Logan growled, "And you'd better hope she get's there first that's all I'm saying."
"I'm already dead." Ghost answered, "But I'd best make sure that I leave something nasty behind for you Osborne."
"Is that a yes I'll go to Asgard?" Victoria asked.
"Yes unfortunately." Ghost clarified, "And your coming with us." he told Victoria.
"You have your answer now get out Osborne we don't want to look at your face any longer." Victoria yelled up at Osborne who smirked and turned away. "Oh you'd better stay away from Ms. Byron, Victoria she's a little perspective about your condition."
"What condition?" Victoria asked as the crystal casing around Geode cracked revelling painful wealts and bruises marking her skin. Osborne left and Victoria watched as Ghost slipped away to under the camera and fiddled with the wires before giving a thumbs up to Natasha.
"Did you get that?" Natahsa asked Geode.
"Yeah it should be heading to any remaining Comms Crystals now, hopefully James or Tate will get the message and think of something." Geode told her.
"Geode what's wrong with me?" Victoria asked touching the nymph's cold skin.
"Get you hand off me?" Geode said her voice full of fear.
"What's wrong with me?" Victoria asked as she began to panic.
"You're not fully human any more. You're from the dark forest of despair." Geode told her. Victoria touched her ears and felt elfin tips where the rounded ones once were, she felt stronger, her senses more sharp. She remembered Zola butchering one of the creatures that Kraven had sent back, remembered the Nazi geneticist painfully welding it's DNA to hers. She had known that she was a monster before Geode told her now as she put her face in her hands, she had confirmation.