HAMMER Base Camp, Oklahoma - 23:09PM, 24th August
"And then she just left" Karla moaned as she escorted Tate to the Helicarrier Landing Pad along with the two US Marines, "She just left me there to die."
"Are you okay?" Tate said nervously, "Your not menstruating are you?" she added sarcastically
"And then when I wake up everything was different." Karla continued oblivious to the sarcastic comment. "And I was so scared; I think I'm going to die every day."
"Okay something is wrong here?" Tata analysed, "Are you on any medication are you having hormonal problems such as…" she trailed off before flicking the switch on her wrist gauntlets sending the tubes burrowing into her blood vessels. "You're here aren't you." she said calmly scanning the mountain of supplies being moved by HAMMER agents.
"That's right," One of the Marines said placing a pistol to the back of her skull, "Dr. Sophen recently had some hormonal treatment to reduce enhanced Serotonin levels. I simply gave her a hand and reduced her levels as far as they could go. If I knew that would turn her into a depressed wreck of a human being I would have brought a camera."
"Enough talking just take the shot." her comrade hissed, "021 isn't stupid, she's probably worked out a plan to escape by know."
"Red Back, thanks for the gift by the way, there really useful." Tate told Red Back as she pointed a wrist sprayer at Karla's head, the Avenger sitting on the floor rocking backwards softly. "And no I don't have a plan to escape." she added as she stiffened up. Bile took the shot and watched as the bullet simply got stuck in the skin before Tate turned and elbowed her in the face before grabbing Karla and running into the forest of boxes before turning left and hiding behind an automonus fork-lift that had ran out of power and was just sitting waiting for a cell change from the group of stumped mechanics leafing through the manual.
"Just let me die." Karla cried.
"Oh Shut Up." Tate hissed cutting her on the wrist before spraying a thick gel like substance into the Avenger's wound.
"Why are you trying to hurt me?" Karla asked sulkily before her eyes changed from mournful to angry. Slamming Tate against the Fork Lift, so heavily that the robot rocked slightly, "You have five seconds to give me a reason why I don't vaporize you for drugging me."
"The drug is an antidote you bint," Tate explained, "It temporarily boosts Serotonin levels. An assassin called Bile was messing around with your hormones to get to me. In a sense I just rescued you so put me down." she replied angrily. Karla dropped her and peaked over the top of the fork-lift to see Bile and Redback stop and look around nervously scanning the area with their weapons
"Bile? I know that name." Karla replied, "But from where?" she asked.
"All I know is that she reeked havoc at the Initiative a while ago, infected seven people with some kind of Serotonin Increase or something." Tate answered, "I need to find a way to lose her and my evil twin before they kill me."
"Hey you two." Karla yelled floating above the fork-lift, "She's over here." she added lifting the fork-lift up for the two villains to see Tate. "That's for calling me a bint." she added sneering down at her rescuer. Bile and Redback turned and the former went rushing in pushing down her ally in the desperation to reach the target. As she reached Tate, Karla 'accidently' let go of the fork-lift squashing the assassin underneath. "That's for screwing with my blood." she spat as Redback charged in firing a burst of fire from her M16 at the Avenger.
"You'll pay for helping 022 Avenger," she roared up as Karla flew through the bullets and grabbed the rifle before slamming the woman in the face as Bile crawled out from under the fork-lift. Tate quickly kicked her gun away before firing a shot of impact gel sticking Bile to the Forklift. Heading round the machine's prongs, Tate ducked as Redback sent a burst of flame heading straight through Karla and towards her.
"Redback be careful." Bile yelled up at her as she tried to struggle free. "One more blast like that and this thing will go up like the 4th of July.
"4th of July huh" Karla said firing a beam into the Fork Lift sending the vehicle sky-high. "If I were you I'd start running." she told Red Back. The former HYDRA Agent fired one last shot at Karla before running off knocking over a pair of mechanics who were rushing to the scene of the explosion. Dropping down Karla kicked the remains of Bile before putting her hand of Tate's neck and smiling, "Osborne come in, your Internal Affairs Problem just got terminated. We have one hostile on foot but she won't get far she just came for Williams."
"Maam what do we do with her?" one of the mechanics asked as Tate was loaded onto a makeshift stretcher.
"Take her to the skinning lab, Osborne wants to extract more chemicals before the corpse rots too much." Karla instructed, "Toss her in a freezer and then clear this mess up before the boss decides to terminate your contract for loosing that valuable piece of equipment." she added.
Thrall Transition Node, Asgard, Oklahoma - 23:17PM, 24th August
Toxin crept across the ceiling silently as Ghost floated alongside him while Geode brought up the rear, a pair of diamond climbing tools aiding her transition across the surface. Down below Carnilla and a group of three thralls were strapping James, Natasha Wolverine and Victoria to alters, the bodies of the HAMMER agents limp and unmoving.
"What is this place?" Toxin asked as a man in a lab-coat checked the bodies before walking over to where a suite of machinery sat.
"Thrall Control Node." Ghost replied, "This is one of thirteen all siphoning energy from the control tower for the conversion. That tunnel lined with crystals is where the power is channelled into the alters. When the enthralling is complete the tower acts as a massive transmitter run by a group of operatives around the observation level."
"And you got all that from a map?" Geode asked.
"No but last time I was here I downloaded data from Asgard that included habits and torture methods used by their enemies. This particular method is a favourite of the Enchantress and we all know he she works for." Ghost explained, "If that machine were to be destroyed then the process would stall."
"Your forgetting the guards," Toxin said licking his lips, "American Eagle and Kanilla are tough but the doctor is unfamiliar, likely not a threat just like the fourth a common hood by the name of Stink Bug, easy fodder for us." he summarized dropping to the floor and slamming into the American Eagle. Geode put her face in her hand before dropping after him, throwing a hail of crystal daggers at Karnilla who absorbed the projectiles before producing a crystal Longsword.
"I'm working with idiots." Ghost sighed before the armoured form of Stink Bug fired a round of gas grenades at the ceiling creating a stinking fog that caused Ghost to splutter as he went intangible before swooping down on the doctor. Across the hall Toxin was easily capturing the Eagle's crossbow rounds before swelling up to a monstrous size and advancing tongue flicking out as he smelt the air around him. Meanwhile Geode and Karnilla crossed crystal blades, the magic held within causing massive crystal to sprout of the wall.
"Heads up Boss." Stink Bug called dashing into the fray attempting to smash Geode round the face with his shield only to be pushed out the way into the crystal channelling funnel.
"Ghost we could do with that machine being turned off." Geode yelled as Ghost was blasted by an energy bolt fired at him by Doc Hopper. Quickly she ducked as Toxin went flying past, his body supporting a Tomahawk sticking out of his left arm. "Damm it." she cursed as she duck and rolled into the channel.
"Fire it up." Karnilla yelled to Doc Hopper who flipped a switch as Ghost lunged to late to stop him.
Geode got to her feet before ducking under a crystal as Stink Bug advanced again, clouds of putrid green smoke whirling around his feet. Moving quickly she slammed his head against the crystal before working on his armor, the plastic green shell melting into sand leaving the naked villain exposed.
"Fuck you that cost me a month's wages." Stink Bug complained throwing a grenade at Geode who swiftly created a shield of crystal reflecting the projectile past Stink Bug further into the tunnel. Angrily Stinkbug ran in only to be kicked into a crystal, the diamond shattering as a cloud of gas crept through the tunnel, the pink crystals turning a sickly green. From far off what sounded like thunder could be heard and both Geode and Stink Bug looked down the tunnel.
"What in Hades?" Geode asked as a bolt of lightning struck Stink Bug reducing him to green fog. Geode quickly blocked a second and third bolt before being struck by the forth propelling her out of the tunnel and into one of the alters. Toxin and Ghost looked up at the shaft as they attempted to remove the restraints from Victoria and James. The alters glowed blue before sending a massive current through the Task Force HAMMER team's bodies as Karnilla, the American Eagle and Doctor Hopper hid behind a crystal shield produced by the Norn Queen.
"Fascinating, Jonas's gas must have altered the structure of the carrier wave." Hopper mused. Toxin shook himself and snapped at Victoria who clawed at him hissing before the Symbiote ripped the restraints off of her as the others crowded around her hissing and growling.
"There just animals now, let them be a warning for other mortals that stumble into Asgard." Kanilla told the thralls as Victoria and the others ran out of the hall and into the darkened corridors of Asgard. "Now come we have other matters to attend to."
Heli-Carrier Lab, HAMMER Heli-Carrier, Oklahoma - 00:45PM, 25th August
"Just drop it there." A lab tech told the HAMMER agents who dropped Tate onto a cold metal table, "Thank you, I presume Osborne wants' the blood extracted as soon as humanly possible."
"Yeah this broad is a human chemistry set." the Commander replied, "Take it all before she denatures." he ordered as he and the squad left.
"Odette my darling what have they done to you." the doctor sighed, "Oh well it seems like a shame to waste your gifts." he added pulling out a scalpel. Quickly he felt for a pulse and smiled before putting down the scalpel and producing a syringe and jabbing it in her arm. "That should get you where you need to go." he added as Tate coughed in her sleep. The doctor walked over the door and activated the locks before placing his lab coat over the camera.
"Baron von Blitzschlag." Tate replied from her position on the table.
"Ah my darling I'm glad you're awake. I trust your well." the Baron asked as he walked over to the table where Tate sat defensively, "Don't worry I won't tell Osborne that your alive. After all Project Ubermesch was some of my most superior work, far more successful then the MVP line I work on now."
"So your working for Osborne?" Tate asked the Baron
"Only for the moment, my first loyalty is to my work." Blitzschlag replied, "I won't tell Osborne that my prize creation is alive. Now go before security arrives." the Baron told her, "And good luck." he added as Tate slipped into the vent system of the Helicarrier. Checking the crystal she had stuffed in her trousers she listened as Karnilla told her minions what had happened to her comrades.
"Looks like I'm going to have to find out a way to snap them out of it." she sighed, "All I need is a terminal and a boat load of time not to mention a healthy dose of good luck." she added as she slipped into the depths of the Heli-Carrier.