I'm putting this chapter up early due to tomorrow being Christmas Eve (at least where I am).
DISCLAIMER: I own Derrick Bolris. This Misfitverse belongs to Red Witch, the characters of G.I. Joe belong to Hasbro, and everything else belongs to Marvel.
Chapter 6: The Scorpion and the Hunter
"So, you little brats are the Pride's kids, huh?" Scorpion snorted, glancing at all the Runaways standing in front of him. "How 'bout you go back to kindergarten?"
"Uh-huh," Nico said. "And you're MacDonald 'Mac' Gargan, alias Scorpion. You got super-strength, super-agility and that suit from a radiation experiment. How about you go back to New York?"
"How'd you know about me?!" Scorpion cried. "I've never been here before!"
"You're in our parents' files," Gert answered. "At the very bottom of the 'Villains that Could Be a Problem' list. In the 'Common Thugs' category."
"What?!" Scorpion snapped. "I'm no thug, and I'm definitely not common! I'm the Scorpion!"
"Molly," said Chase.
"Aw, how cute!" Scorpion laughed as Molly walked towards him. "A little girl's gonna invite me to a tea party!"
Scorpion would come to regret underestimating Molly Hayes.
A single punch from Molly was enough to send Scorpion through three cars, one lamppost, and two building walls. Now battered and bruised, lying in a heap atop a pile of debris, Scorpion weakly looked up.
"But, Mama, I don't wanna go to school today," Scorpion groaned goofily before falling unconscious.
"Guess we need to do our shopping another time," Nico said as the sound of sirens echoed in the distance. "Am I the only one who misses the order our parents managed to keep here?"
"Hey, if you miss mommy and daddy so much," Chase snapped, following Nico back to the Leapfrog, "why don't you just hop in Gert's parents' time machine and save their butts?"
"She doesn't miss them, honey," Gert corrected. "All Nico's doing is pointing out the situation. When our 'rents were in power, no one came here for fear of being torn up, put in a box, and shipped back to New York with a label explaining who it was and why they're in so many pieces."
"Besides," Derrick added, "Spyder and Trinity made absolutely sure that thing stopped working. You'd think that the son of two mad scientists would actually figure that out, but no, irony just has to factor in."
"Okay, I get it!" Chase groaned, throwing his hands into the air. "Sheesh!"
A knife suddenly landed in front of them, blade-first in the ground.
"Kraven has seen enough!" barked a certain hunter, as Kraven leapt onto the scene. "It is time to claim my trophy!"
"Who's he?" Chase asked.
"Kraven the Hunter," Karolina answered. "Another guy from New York."
"Why are we being ganged up on today?!" Chase asked of the sky.
"What do you want?" Nico demanded of Kraven.
"I have come for the dinosaur," Kraven explained, removing his dagger from the ground. "Now leave, so I may claim my prize."
"You're not getting Old Lace!" Gert growled, Old Lace adding a snarl of agreement.
"Then Kraven shall remove what stands in the path of victory!" Kraven retorted, making a leap for Gert and Old Lace.
"Like hell you will!" Chase roared, standing in front of Kraven and using a pair of mechanical gloves to release a stream of flame into the hunter's chest. "Nobody touches her!"
Kraven quickly recovered, much more quickly than Chase initially believed, but soon found himself face-to-face with Gert and Old Lace.
"You want Old Lace?" Gert asked as her dinosaur snarled angrily. "You've got her. Sic!"
Old Lace pounced on Kraven, and began acting out her dinosaur instincts by viciously attacking the hunter.
"AAH! THAT HURTS!" Kraven cried.
"Easy, girl," Gert said. "If you're going to put his arm in your mouth, don't shake it around like that."
"Eww!" Molly flinched.
"Hate to interrupt Old Lace's snack break," Nico said, "but we've got to go."
"Yeah, the police just showed up," Derrick said, looking over the roof. "They're taking in Scorpion right now, though."
"Okay, girl, that's enough," Gert said to Old Lace, and the dinosaur backed away from a somewhat mauled Kraven. "Let's go."
The Leapfrog shot into the sky again, heading back to the museum.
"The pain…" Kraven groaned.
****
Somewhere over the country, though nowhere near Los Angeles or New York, a massive ship hovered through the air. It looked like a colossal bullet with four helicopter rotors sustaining it. On its side was an eagle logo with the letters "S.H.I.E.L.D" painted onto it.
On board the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier, a man with an eye patch led Captain America and a blonde-haired man holding a stone hammer into a hallway marked "DETAINMENT".
"You understand why I want Thor here," said S.H.I.E.L.D director Nick Fury as he led the two Avengers into the corridor. "This guy's one nasty customer."
"So we've heard," Captain America nodded.
"There is no villain Mjolnir cannot conquer," bragged the Asgardian Avenger named Thor, looking over his mystical hammer.
"If that thing shot off sunlight instead of lightning, taking him out would be a lot easier," Fury said, stopping in front of a cell. "But, nothing in life is ever easy, right?"
"And why would that be?" Thor asked. "Why would my hammer need to shoot sunlight to vanquish this foe?"
"This guy's name is Michael Morbius," Fury said. "He basically turned himself into a vampire while trying to cure a blood disease he had."
"I think you mentioned that," Captain America said. "You said that the Pride's children were brought to New York and took him down. Spider-Man brought him to our headquarters soon afterward, and you took him into custody aboard the Helicarrier."
"Since you wanted to try and reform him so badly, I'm giving you a shot," Fury said. "But we will take Morbius out permanently if he tries anything."
"Understood," Captain America nodded.
Fury opened the door, revealing a pale-skinned man in a black trenchcoat with wild power blue hair, red eyes, clawed fingers, and yellowed fangs. Captain America and Thor entered the room, while Fury closed the door behind them. The vampiric man simply sat in the floor, ignoring the sounds of footsteps and slamming doors.
"Michael Morbius?" Captain America said.
The living vampire looked up at the superhero.
"That would be my name," said Morbius in a Greek-accented voice.
"We have a proposition for you," Captain America said.
"And what may that be?" Morbius asked.
"In exchange for freedom from the Helicarrier's detainment center, you could sign on with the Avengers to atone for the murders you committed," Captain America offered, though he could not keep a tone of sternness out of his voice.
"Atone?" Morbius said, barely keeping himself from smirking. "Do you truly believe I regret feasting on several people in New York?"
"I believe you're still human deep down, son," Captain America said.
"Firstly, I am not your 'son', Captain America," Morbius sneered. "Secondly, I may be a living vampire, but that does not mean I feel remorse for attempting to survive."
"Listen to me, son," Captain America said sternly. "Lives are important. Every individual life is important in itself. Lives can be ruined, but they can also be fixed. You believe that your life was ruined by the results of your experiment. I want to help you make the best of your situation."
"How?" snorted Morbius. "By having me help some aged woman across a street? By forcing me to send a burglar into prison? Or by blackmailing me into starving myself and essentially committing suicide just so your precious civilians are not harmed?"
"That's not what I'm saying, Michael—" Captain America began, but Morbius cut him off.
"Ah, but it is!" Morbius snarled. "Regardless of what I do, or who I help, at some point I will need to devour a person's blood in order to sustain myself. And that is something you simply cannot have! If lives are as important as you claim, than why risk my own for another?!"
"Because a hero needs to put their neck on the line for the people they protect!" Captain America countered.
"Then go and do so!" Morbius snapped. "Leave me!"
"Not until you agree to become an Avenger," Captain America said.
"I do believe we can work something out regarding your…cravings," Thor offered. "Iron Man is a genius, after all."
A pause. Then Morbius spoke.
"I will…consider it," Morbius said. "Until then…leave me, Avengers."
Captain America left with a sigh, Thor following.
"Heard it all," Fury said. "We'll be keeping him here until he makes a decision."
"Hopefully he'll make the right one," Captain America sighed.