Logan stood up shakily and shook all the loose dirt and debris from his head as he tried t let his mind catch up to what had just been happening. He had lunged at the big ugly green giant with every intent on making him and the giant rodent his new his scratching post, and the ugly S.O.B. surprised him. The guy had grabbed his face while he was still in the air, threw him to the ground, and stomped on his head. That was the last thing Logan remembered. He glanced back behind himself and saw that he and the giant rat were still fighting. Logan removed the leather jacket and tossed it aside as he popped his neck. He balled his fists and extended his claws again as he ran and leapt for the man again. This time, he sunk his claws into the giant's shoulders; piercing his tough hide and flesh and could feel his claws hitting bone. Hell, his claws probably pierced bone.
The giant let out a scream of pain as he felt the claws sink in. The giant hulk reached behind himself to try and grab the man that was hurting him. Logan was trying to maneuver, but soon found both of the giant's hands were gripping his shoulders tightly.
"This ain't going to be good." Logan said as the giant flung him off his back, screaming as Logan's claws were ripped out of his shoulders.
Logan found himself flying through what was left of the wall and landed on his back hard. If it wasn't for the adamantium that coated his skeleton, he probably would have broken his back along with several other bones. Logan stood up with a sneer n his face as he turned back towards the two giants, and saw the wounds on the green giant shoulder's heal almost instantly. Logan was going to go after him again, but was soon tackled by the giant green rodent instead. The thing was growling like a bear as tried to bite at Logan's face. Logan's was able to hold its face a good distance away, but this little bastard was strong. All he had to do was get his fists in the right spot, and then this thing wouldn't be a threat anymore.
Before Logan could try to make a move, the other giant stomped its way in and kicked the rodent off of Logan and sent crashing through another wall and into the street. Logan then found himself being hoisted into the air and face to face with the green man.
"MY FIGHT! STAY OUT OF IT!" the man screamed before throwing Logan through one of the other walls and face first into the street outside. Logan growled as he stood up and popped his neck. He wiped the blood off of his forehead as he felt the large gash heal itself.
"Okay. I was a mad before. Now I'm just pissed off." Logan said as he turned and marched through the building to try and find them again. With the trail of bread crumbs they were leaving, it shouldn't be that hard. Logan had been on the bad end of a fight before, but never like this. Most of the time, Logan was the one that put the other guy through the ringer. In all the memories that he could recall, he had never been the one to receive this much punishment. Not even when he got into a fight with that guy wearing the huge skull on his chest.
Ron backhanded Rufus so hard that he sent the large mole rat partially air born and crashed through the second floor of a near by building. He stood there as he heard glass shatter and people scream. He was tired and breathing hard, and his body was telling him to rest. But he couldn't. Rufus was being bad, and he couldn't quit until Rufus behaved. That meant where ever Rufus went, he would have to follow no matter what. With one last leap, he followed the path he had flung Rufus and landed in the middle of the giant mess that Rufus had created. No one was hurt, but people were hiding or screaming franticly. It was made even worse when he landed. Slowly, he looked all around the room as he tried to find Rufus. He just couldn't find him anywhere. It was a big room, but most of the cubicles were fallen over. Where was he?
All too soon, he received his answer when he felt the rodent's tail swipe his legs out from under him, causing him to fall and shake the entire floor; if not the entire building. He rolled to his feet, turned, and smashed his fist across the rodent's face and sent him skidding across the harsh carpet floor. The rodent growled as it got back to its feet and charged with its teeth bared. Ron threw a punch, but it was too soon as Rufus hit him and sunk his teeth into his right peck as they both fell through the wall and down to the street. As soon as Ron's back hit the concrete, he used his legs to throw Rufus off of him. Rufus slammed into the side of the building, causing a small impact crater as he bounced off the wall and hit the street.
As Ron stood up, he screamed as he felt a sharp pain pierce his side. The pain increased beyond measure as he felt the object slowly turn inside him.
"You ain't gettin' rid of me that easily, bub!" Logan said as he yanked his left claws out, tearing away part of the green flesh in Ron's side and spilling his blood on the pavement. Ron clutched his wound and growled as he felt fresh hot pain flow through his nerves. "Ain't so tough now, are ya?" Logan asked him.
"You – hurt Ron." The beast growled.
"You smashed my bike, and you trashed my bar. Now I've got a question for you, gruesome. What the hell are you and that rat doing here?" Logan asked him.
"Rufus try and hurt KP. Ron smash Rufus." The green giant said as he stood straight and lowered his blood stained hand, revealing the wound was almost completely healed. He also glared at Logan with a very pissed look engraved onto his face.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Logan asked him.
The giant turned to Wolverine, and instantly balled his fists and bared his teeth in the mother of all scowls.
'I knew this mother was only fa-"
"NO!" the giant screamed as his fist sailed over Logan's head, and smashed in between the large mole rat's eyes and sent it falling on its back and flipping over onto its front.
Logan only looked on in confusion as he saw the giant storm past him and start fighting the mole rat again. Logan retracted his claws as he watched the scene in front of him. He just ripped that thing a new one, and it saves him? Twice?
"Would someone tell me what the hell is going on here?" Logan demanded.
"Maybe later." A voice said behind him. Logan turned to see one face he didn't want to see.
"Talbot? What the hell are you doing here?" Logan growled.
"Taking care of business." Talbot said as Logan saw and smelled other SHIELD agents surround the area where the fight was taking place. He could hear all of their weapons locking onto one of the two creatures.
"Where's Fury, Talbot?" Logan asked the man.
"Not here, I'm in charge. Not piss off, freak." the man said, causing Logan to growl in anger.
"You remember the last time your bony ass tried to make a crack at me?" Logan snarled.
"That's it. Agent's, place this freak under arrest!" Talbot shouted as to agent began to walk toward Logan.
"One more step, and I'll give a sex change for free!" Logan threatened.
"STOP!" a new voice shouted as the three men saw a red headed young woman try and run toward the fight, only for Talbot to grab her and hold her in place.
"LET ME GO, YOU BASTARD!" Kim shouted at him.
"Not a snowball's chance in hell! Someone put this bitch on ice!" Talbot screamed as he threw her to the pavement, her head hitting the hard asphalt.
Kim was doing her best not to let the tears that were welling up in her eyes fall as she tried to hoist herself up. As she tried to get to her knees, she felt someone hold her hand and helped her the rest of the way up.
"Some Lady's Man, huh?" Logan asked the young woman.
"And you're any better?" Kim asked as she shrugged Logan's hands off of her.
"Hold on, what did I do?" he asked her.
"You attacked Ron, you maniac." She said.
"Who?"
"The green guy over there! They're going to kill him and I'm trying to save him." Kim said to him.
"Would someone tell me when I fell into the Twilight Zone?" Logan asked as he saw the redhead try and find another way to get to the giant man that was now slamming both fists into the giant rodent.
"LOGAN!" a voice shouted.
"Gabriel? What the hell's going on?" he asked one out of a very few SHIELD agents he trusted.
"Fury went on a mission and put Talbot in charge."
"That explains why everything's going to hell." Logan said.
"Logan, that's not the half of it. That green thing is a victim. Someone tried to test the super soldier formula on him." Gabriel told him.
"What? Rogers and I shut that down." Logan growled.
"They started it back up. Logan, that thing is a kid. And Talbot's trying to put a bullet in his head." Gabriel told him.
"Please tell me you're joking." Logan said.
"I wish I was. Logan, you've got to do something. That girl is his girlfriend. If she can calm him down, we can probably end this without any shots fired." Gabriel told him.
"Ah, crap. Why does this happen to me when I get a minute to myself? Keep the goons from firing; I'll see what I can do." Logan said as he walked up to Talbot, and hit him across the back of his head and knocking the man unconscious.
"Same old Weapon X. Men, stand down and do not fire until you are given further instructions." Gabriel said as he removed the head piece from Talbot's head and adjusted it to fit his own.
With a loud grunt, Ron firmly planted his large knee into Rufus' gut and caused the mole rat to stop its actions for a moment. Ron grabbed the rodent and lifted it into the air. With a primal yell that was full of rage, he threw the rodent through the street and into the subway below them. Ron then let out another rage filled scream as all the muscles in his body tensed and made themselves known while his veins looked like they were about ready to burst. Ron was panting hard as looked into the hole. He looked up and saw the agents that were lined on the roofs on several buildings around him. He could clearly see their weapons drawn and felt his heart start to pound as his anger began to rise.
"Sir, we have an opening. Do want me to take the shot?" one agent said as he saw the giant beginning to ball his fists again.
"Negative. Do not fire until I give the order." Gabriel said.
Ron started to growl again as he saw the weapons. Pure anger was driving his mind again as he grabbed a piece of concrete. He was ready to lift and throw it when he heard something. A sound of the only thing that could make him stop. He turned and saw Kim walking toward him with tears in her eyes and falling down her face.
"Ron, please. Just stop." Kim begged him.
"KP?" Ron asked.
"Ron, it done. It's over with. I don't want them to hurt you anymore. Please calm down." Kim said as she stepped closer to him, and held his enlarged hand in both of her smaller ones.
"Kim." Ron grunted.
"You're hurting me." Kim said as she let a sob escape her throat.
Ron looked saddened, almost depressed as Kim said those words to him. He slumped down onto the street, exhaling a long breath as he felt bad for hat he had done to Kim. As he let out another breath, his body started to reduce in size and his muscles began to shrink. As Kim kept holding his ever shrinking hand, he looked up at her face as his eyes changed back into their original chocolate brown. Soon, His skin faded to its normal pink, and his body returned to its normal skinny self.
"KP?" Ron asked her.
"Ron." Kim said with a smile as she hugged him tightly.
"Kim, what happened?" Ron asked as he felt like he had run an Olympic decathlon.
"I'll tell you later." She whispered to him.
"Finally. Men, stand down. Threat is contained." Gabriel said into the head set.
"LIKE HELL IT IS!" Talbot shouted as he yanked the headset from Gabriel. "What you've done is a direct act of treason! I'll make sure you pay the price for this after I give the order to put the bitch and freak down." Talbot said.
"You do that, Talbot, and I'll shoot you myself!" a stern voice said behind both Gabriel and Talbot.
Both turned to see General Fury marching up to them with a look of such utter disgust and rage that his scar looked more like it occupied half his face than just the portion around his eye.
"General Fury, I was just about to secure the prisoners." Talbot said as he stiffened.
"Don't give me any of that bull, Talbot. Those two are agents of SHEILD, which you were about to order the murder of. You exposed SHEILD's location, which you are never supposed to do under any circumstance. You have violated every important directive, and have endangered innocent lives while also putting SHEILD at risk!" Fury said to him.
Fury didn't have to yell, but you could hear the rage in every single one of his words.
"I was merley trying to contain,"
"I don't want to hear it. Nothing you can say will make up for your reckless actions. As of this moment on, you are dishonorably discharged from SHEILD, and any branch of the military. You are dismissed, civilian!" Fury said as he walked past the shattered man.
"Gabriel, get your tranquilizers ready." Fury ordered.
"Sir, yes sir." Gabriel said as he put the head set back on.
"The last thing I remember was Rufus – Kim, where's Rufus?" Ron asked her.
"He was down," Kim said, but stopped as she felt the ground begin to shake beneath them.
"Why do I get a bad feeling that this isn't good?" Fury asked himself.
That's when Rufus, still in his large green form, burst out from the street like a dolphin leaping from the ocean. It set it's neon green eyes at the young couple as a furious growl escaped its lips.
"I think I'd rather face Commodore Puddles right now." Ron said as he got in front of Kim.
With a loud roar, Rufus leapt as the young couple, it's fangs bared, before it came to a stop with a loud scream against Logan's claws. With a loud grunt, Logan shoved the massive rodent down to the street, with the sickening sound of his claws exiting flesh as he did so. Ron looked at the man's claws in horror as blood dripped from each of his razor sharp claws. His mind finally snapped back into focus as he rushed to his pet's side with Kim following.
"RUFUS!" Ron shouted as he slid to a stop beside the rodent, and watched as the rodent shrunk back to its normal size.
"What did you do?" Kim demanded the man as he retracted his claws.
"I just saved your lives." He said as he walked away to talk to Gabriel.
"Rufus?" Ron moaned as he held his pet and friend in his hand as it moaned from the six stab wounds in its chest and stomach.
"Just relax, little buddy. We'll get you back to SHEILD, and they'll fix you as good as new. Then I'll get you all the nachos and cheese want." Ron said as tears were streaming down both his and Kim's faces.
"Cheese." The rodent squeaked happily.
It took effort, but Rufus waved at Ron to move his head closer to hear him. Both Kim and Ron leaned in closer as the Rodent tried to speak to them.
"De – Deme- Dementor." Rufus said as he collapsed in Ron's hands.
Rufus took a few more deep breaths, before he slowly let out his last breath of life and went limp in Ron's hand.
"Rufus?" Ron croaked as he felt part of his heart being torn away.
Kim gently took the mole rat out of Ron's hands, and laid him on the ground. She removed a handkerchief from her pocket, and drapped it over the mole rat's still form.
"He's gone, Ron." Kim told him.
"No. He didn't deserve this, KP." Ron said as he sobbed over his friend's passing.
But Kim also noticed that parts of his skin were slowly starting to green again.
"DEMENTOR!" Ron screamed as his veins began to bulge.
"Trank him." Fury said.
Three darts pegged Ron in the back, causing him to yelp in pain. Soon, the drugs were having their effect on him as he started to weave. His eyes were half closed as he tried to grasp something to keep him upright. Soon, Ron's eyes closed as he fell into Kim's loving arms.
"Get Ron to what's left of the infirmary. Get the mole rat, and do a complete autopsy. I want to know what the hell Dementor did to it." Fury said as he turned and faced a very pissed Logan.
"Just what the hell was so important that you put a dick weed like Talbot in charge?" Logan asked him.
"That's classified, Logan. Since you're no longer an agent,"
"I know, jut save it. Then at least tell me why you decided to bring back Rebirth." Logan grunted.
"That's also classified. But I can tell you this; we finally brought an old friend of yours home." Fury said, causing Logan to raise an eyebrow.
"Old friend? Wait a minute, you don't mean."
"That's right, Logan. We finally found Captain America." Fury said as he and the others left for the nearest transport back to SHEILD.
SHEILD BRIG, SEVERAL HOURS LATER.
Shego had been sitting in that the cramped cubicle since she was brought here. She couldn't really stand being in prisons like this. Mainly, the military prisons. They were always just so dull and boring. They left nothing for the imagination to work with. As she stopped looking at the walls, she wondered how much longer when she would be here. She dealt with these clowns before, as both hero and villain. But when they ere done interrogating you, they returned you back to the pound they took you from. This could only mean that Fury was planning something else.
When the door to her prison cell finally opened, she only let out a small chuckle as Fury himself stood there in front of her.
"Speak of the devil." She said to herself.
"I've got a proposition for you, Shego." Fury said; his tone was nothing but serious.
"Last time you said that, I almost got my butt wasted by one of your little over zealous boy scouts." She said to him.
"This time, it's different. We have a major threat on the horizon, and I need people who can fight it." He said.
"The great and mighty SHEILD can't handle it?" Shego said sarcastically.
"No, we can't." Fury answered, causing the pale villainess to look up.
"It's really that bad?" she asked him.
"It is. I've been ordered to create a strike force that will be able to take out the threat when it finally decides to strike. And I want you to be apart of it." Fury said.
"I was a security threat?" Shego asked him sarcastically again.
"Here's the terms. If you accept my offer, you get a full pardon from every country you've gotten so much as a parking ticket in. In return, you have to follow any order I give you that involves any mission regarding the world's safety." Fury said.
"So I work for you, and I'm a free woman?" Shego asked.
"Take it or leave it, because I don't have time to joke around." Fury said.
Shego let out a grunt and a sigh as she stood up and popped all her limbs. She gave her neck a pop before she looked at the General square in his remaining eye.
"Okay, you got me." She said.
"Good. My new second will see to your quarters as soon as we land." Fury said.
"Land?" she asked him.
"A recent incident has left SHEILD damaged, and can only be repaired on the ground. Once there, you'll be given quarters and an ID." Fury said as he turned to leave.
"So what's the name of this little team?" Shego asked as she exited her cell.
"The team is codenamed The Avengers. And from this day on, your designation is Black Widow." Fury told her.
"What's wrong with my real name?" Shego asked him.
"I didn't say it was up for debate." Fury said as he left.
"Amazing. The cadaver is completely intact ith no sign of decomposition." One doctor said as he examined the unthawed body of Captain America, still wearing the tatters of his uniform.
"If I didn't know any better, I could almost swear he could leap off that table." Another said as they looked at the still hero.
"Okay, clam up you guys. We need to do a thorough autopsy and get any data to Dr. Ross ASAP." The head doctor said as he wheeled in the sterilized surgical tools.
"Hold on, there's something in his jacket pocket." The first doctor said as he saw the corner of a piece of paper.
The doctor took a pair of forceps, and carefully removed the wet object. He was surprised to see that it was a black and white photograph of a young woman with a large smile on her face. On it was written,
"To my beloved Steve, with all my love. Gale."
Before the doctor could make any comment on the picture, Captain's left hand shot up and grabbed the doctor by the throat. Captain America's eyes shot open as he inhaled a deep breath of air. He shoved the doctor across the room while taking the tray the tools were on, and hurled it at the second physician. The tray nailed the poor man in the forehead, causing him to fall to the floor in pain. After quickly scanning the room, the soldier ran and broke through the sealed door.
He ran swiftly down the hall as fast as he could, trying to find an exit. Two soldier s stood in his path, ordering him to freeze. Effortlessly, Captain America decked on in the face while driving his fist hard into the others stomach. He ran over the crippled soldiers and up the flight of stairs they had descended. He saw a door in front of him and hoped that it meant escape. He burst through the door, and stopped when he saw where he was. He was on a huge landing area that was actually flying through the clouds.
As he stared at his surrounding with his jaw slack, he saw a massive transport land in front of him, with the crest of an Eagle inside of a circle in front of it. Captain America jerked when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and spun around to start fighting whoever the person was. He was surprised to see a tall black man wearing a full military uniform that was heavily decorated with numerous medals. On his shoulders were four stars, showing his rank.
"D-did we win?" the man asked the general in front of him.
"Yes, son. We won." The man told him.
With a content sigh of relief, the man closed his eyes and passed out.