Lab of the High Evolutionary- 16 years ago
The Celestials had told him that fifteen years from now, there would be a villain called the Mandarin, who would wield the destructive power of his stolen Makluan rings to fight against the world and specifically Tony Stark. The Celestials had tasked the High Evolutionary with the task of genetically engineering the Mandarin's downfall. He developed a gaseous serum, which contained all the powers that were in the rings that the Mandarin would obtain and released the gas into the air. The gas was semi-sentient, programmed to seek out the people that were worthy to receive the powers to fight the Mandarin. This knowledge would be imparted on five warriors who would together be able to counteract the Mandarin's rings and fight the effects of said rings. The gas, once it had chosen it's host, would act like the mutant gene, the powers they would give manifesting at puberty.
The High Evolutionary had no idea how the powers would choose, if they would choose a single person for multiple powers, or impart only a single power on each person. All he knew that united, these people would be able to defeat the Mandarin. These warriors would be the only ones able to defeat the Mandarin for good.
Lab of the High Evolutionary- Present Day
Over the past 16 years, the High Evolutionary had kept track of the gas and who had been chosen. Five people had developed powers to combat the Mandarin, very soon, fate would unite them with each other and they would have to confront the Mandarin.
AIM Lab
Two children, about 13 or 14 years old, lay on experimental tables, unconscious. A team of AIM scientists in yellow biohazard suits were crowding around.
"Reaper to AIM," said a voice on a screen "How goes the experiments?"
"We've found their powers, sir," said one of the AIM scientists "One of them can create force fields, the other is telepathic and telekinetic, with the added bonus of being able to change into a telepathic null form, how goes your search for the others?"
"We've almost got them," said Reaper "Our leader has two of the Avengers under our control, and they trust one of them, we'll have them to that lab as soon as we've captured them, over and out."
Outside Jane's Cave
Maddie, Jane and Jack followed Black Panther out of the cave. Having let their guard down, they weren't expecting a trap and were caught by surprise when several blasts of energy hit each of them in the back, knocking them unconscious.
AIM Lab
When Maddie came to, her first sight was of several men in yellow biohazard suits around her with a lot of strange looking equipment. To her left, were four more beds, holding Jane and Jack as well as two other children.
"The subjects are awake," said one of the yellow suited men, then addressed Maddie and the others "Our leader wishes to speak with you."
The scientists moved to the side to reveal a plasma screen. A man appeared on it. He was tall and muscular. He seemed to be of Chinese or Asian descent and he wore ten rings.
"Greetings, children," said the man "I am known as the Mandarin, for years, I have fought against Iron Man, and the Avengers as they interfered with my plans for domination of this world, because of the threat posed by the Avengers, I could not allow another threat, such as you, to rise up, so I had my organisation capture you, you are going to die, children, I am not happy about that, but that is the way things must be."
The screen showing the Mandarin turned off. One of the AIM scientists put something on Maddie's arm. It was only then she realised what was going to happen. They were going to be given the lethal injection. Maddie willed water from the air to coalesce into ice in her hands and then brought it against her bindings. She cut through easily on both sides. Turning her head, she saw that Jack had also freed himself and Jane wasn't far behind. Maddie gestured to Jane and then to the scientists. Jane understood. Maddie quickly closed her eyes as Jane's hands shot a large amount of light at the ceiling. The AIM scientists fell to the ground clutching their heads as Maddie, her eyes still shut, pulled herself free of the bindings. Jane shut off the light and then unbound the other two children on the other tables. Maddie attacked the AIM scientists, still blinded by Jane's light power and unable to defend themselves. It didn't take her long to take them out.
"You saved us," said the girl from the furthest table, switching from a blue, sapphire-like skin tone back to normal skin "My name's Ella, you can call me Sapphire."
"Maddie," said Maddie "I don't have a secondary name, or code name or whatever that was, is your friend all right?"
"She's fine," said Ella, cutting the bindings on the second girl by turning her hands into sapphire blue "Come on Sarah, let's go."
The girl known as Sarah groaned as she got up, then stumbled.
"Sorry," said Ella "I think she was drugged on the way here, she's still suffering from the side effects."
"Don't worry about it," said Jack, taking one of Sarah's arms from Ella "We need to move fast, we might need to fight our way out, Maddie, you go in front, Jane, you go behind us, we need to be ready for an attack from either direction."
Maddie and Jane took positions to the front and rear of the party. They made slow progress through the maze of corridors. They didn't know where they were going or where the exit was. The complex was massive and none of them were awake when they arrived, so they had to guess at the directions to get out.
It was this, perhaps, that made them fall so easily into a trap. The corridor they had walked up was a dead end, and as they turned around to try another corridor, several AIM soldiers came around the corner, guns pointed at them.
Ella immediately changed into her blue, Sapphire form and got ready to fight. Jane closed her eyes, using all her focus to bring up a massive rock that covered the corridor behind them, blocking the men behind it. Once she'd finished, she slumped to the ground, exhausted, but she had halved the opponents they had to fight. Maddie and Jack both engaged the AIM soldiers, Maddie flying into the air and raining icicles on them, Jack remaining on the ground and firing fireballs from his hands. The fireballs were extremely accurate and hit the flame tanks on the backs of the AIM soldiers with flame throwers, blowing the tanks and taking out several AIM soldiers. Maddie's icicles hit more causing them to drop to the ground in pain, but no serious injuries. Maddie dropped from the ceiling, holding two ice daggers in her hands, she engaged the soldiers, slicing their guns in half. As the last soldier fell, they heard a commotion from the other side of the rock wall.
"We have to get through," said Jane in a tired voice "They need our help."
"You're weak," said Maddie "That wall took a lot out of you."
"I can get it back," said Jane "Energy cannot be created or destroyed, the energy to create that wall came from me, so when I get rid of it, I regain the energy."
"All right then," said Jack, standing to the side with Ella and Sarah "Go ahead."
Jane walked slowly towards the wall, then, without warning, punched it. The entire wall turned to dust. Some of the dust melted into Jane's skin, and she immediately felt better. The rest formed into small rocks that flew at the AIM soldiers on the other side of the wall. It was then that Maddie got a look at who the AIM soldiers were fighting. Several of the Avengers, including: Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow.
"All right, Jane," said Maddie "Hit as many as you can, but don't strain yourself too much."
"Got it," said Jane, now seeming full of energy, and the rocks flew at the AIM soldiers.
"Jack, aim for the gas tanks on the flame throwers, like you did back there, take out as many as you can, Sapphire, how's Sarah?" asked Maddie, as Jack complied with her orders.
"She's coming round," said Ella, still in her blue Sapphire form the better to protect Sarah. Maddie looked at Sarah to see her eyes fluttering open. The moment they opened, a blue force field encased the three of them.
"Can you walk?" asked Maddie, Sarah nodded "We're going to need you to stay over here, if you see any AIM soldiers coming from these corridors to join the battle, shout for us."
"All right," said Sarah, turning to the corridor she had been instructed to guard.
"Come on then, Sapphire," said Maddie "Let's join the fight."
Maddie flew over the top of the soldiers, aiming icicles with precision right through the guns, rendering them useless. Once the AIM soldiers were relieved of their guns, it didn't take long for Sapphire, Jack, Jane and the Avengers to take out the last of the AIM soldiers who still put up a fight, the rest had run.
"Maddie," said Captain America, panting slightly "We've been looking all over for you, we found out about Black Panther and Wasp's brainwashing, apparently they got to you before we apprehended them, how did you escape?"
"Five people with powers that AIM didn't even know we had?" asked Maddie "They didn't stand a chance."
"Jane used a light to distract them while myself and Maddie managed to free ourselves, then, we helped to free the other two, Ella and Sarah, we tried to run, but were cornered, we fought our way out and then you arrived," Jack continued "It's good you arrived when you did, we would have been wandering these halls for ages, this place is a maze."
"You'll be safe now," said Iron Man "Or at least, as safe as you can be in the middle of an AIM complex with who knows how many AIM soldiers coming to kill you right now and us just standing around talking."
"Stark," said Captain America "Be nice."
"No," said Jane "He's probably right, we should go."
The Avengers, Maddie, Jane, Jack, Ella and Sarah ran through the hole in the wall and towards the waiting jet. Ant Man, currently giant, was guarding it, obviously a deterrent for any AIM soldiers. As they entered the jet, they saw the unconscious forms of Wasp and Black Panther.
"They're all right," said Iron Man, removing his faceplate to talk to the five of them easily "They're just unconscious. They'll wake in a few hours. I managed to negate the mind control and trace it back to its source, if I'm right, we need to prepare for a journey to Space, and fast."