I'm still here. It's been rough getting over the loss of my dad, but I'm still writing. And to prove this story is still alive, I give you a new chapter.

"Incredible. I had no idea this was what we were dealing with." Tony said as he looked at all the data the computers were displaying him.

"Are we dealing with a good kind of incredible or a bad kind?" Ron asked him, already feeling so nervous that he was doing his best to keep his foot from tapping like crazy against the floor.

They had been in the new medical research lab of Stark Industries HQ for several hours now, and Tony had been analyzing everything he had about Ron and Bonnie's DNA with the help of his A.I. helper Jarvis. Tony was a scientist at heart, always had been. It was evident that his forte was in the field of robotics and a few other fields of technology that his company had pioneered, but everything else in the realm of science still captivated him. Even more so than a bikini clad playboy playmate of the year with a cold bottle of Jack Daniel's. Knowing Tony Stark, both were probably a tie if it were a race. But what he saw before him was amazing. How he wished he could get Reed Richards to be there with him right now.

"Tony?" Bonnie asked him, finally getting his attention.

"Sorry." He said as he turned to look at the trio before him. "Ron, what's been done to your DNA is simply astounding." Tony said as Jarvis began to display several holographic screens with various images and data. "I thought Fury was making an overstatement at the time, but it looks like he was right. Ron, you are most likely the most powerful being on the planet." Tony said.

"Just because I get mad?" Ron asked him.

"In a way. That first little cocktail Dementor gave you wasn't done yet. Instead of keeping your body at its peak, it only kicks in when your adrenaline gets pumping." Tony said.

"You mean it affected his adrenal gland?" Kim asked, remembering some of the medical talk her mother used.

"Partialy, but not completely." Tony said as he brought up several diagrams and charts. "The formula is supposed to permanently change the selected host's body to peak perfection. However, this formula only does that when the adrenaline's pumping. And when the host calms down, he changes back."

"But why does Ron turn green and grow bigger than a Mac truck when he changes?" Bonnie asked.

"His DNA was fundamentally altered. It might be because his body absorbed so much radiation. The Hulk expels Gamma radiation, but at safer levels. It's like the situation with mutant DNA. No one is the same. Different people, different mutation."

"But Wade's simulations kept dying." Kim said to him.

"That had me stumped as well. Until Dr. Ross was able to get Bruce's help." Tony said with a small smug.

"Fury had him locked up. How," Kim began to ask.

"Let's just say that weapons aren't the only thing Stark Industries makes anymore." Tony said before turning back to the computer and calling up another display. "Wade found the reason why Ron didn't die. Ron's DNA has a gene that's given him an accelerated healing factor. Nothing like Logan's, the guy with the claws you fought in the street, but still a pretty powerful ability." Tony said.

"Y-you mean – I'm a – a mutant?" Ron asked Stark.

"I've read your file, kid. That includes the missions you and your girlfriend went on. Even on the simple missions you went on, a normal human should have been exhausted and sore for days. Yet you were ready and willing to go the very next day. And even when you got hurt, you weren't down for long. Were you?"

"Well," Ron began and started to concentrate on his memories on the past missions he ad Kim had been on over the years. After a few hours of sleep, even after missions where they had to dive or climb, he was fine afterward. Even during the talent contest, he was able to drink Bueno Nacho Diablo sauce. And there had been actual documented evidence of people's throat's bleeding whenever they drank it straight. "I think he's right." Ron said in almost a whisper.

"But Dr. Banner and Dr. Ross told us that Ron's transformations had been killing him. If he had a healing factor," Kim said, remembering what she had been told after the Chitauri attack.

"Like I said, it wasn't as powerful as Logan's. The greater the damage, the more time it needs to repair itself. With Ron's transformations, his DNA was being altered every time. He was dying because he wasn't allowing his body enough time to repair itself." Tony said.

"What about me?" Bonnie asked as she began to grow more and more worried about her condition.

"You're fine, Bon-Bon. So is Ron, for that matter. When Dr. Banner gave him the real formula, it enhanced every part of his body. Including the healing factor."

"So that means I can turn into the Hulk whenever I want." Ron said.

"In a nutshell. The healing factor has been enhanced to such a level that it's probably equal to either Logan or that nut case, Deadpool." Tony said.

"Who?" Bonnie asked.

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Tony said.

"Mr. Stark, Mr. Rhodes is trying to contact you." Jarvis said in his monotone digital voice. Within a few seconds, the image of an African-American man with a thick beard and crew cut replaced the image of the test results on the main viewer.

"What's up, Rhodie?" Tony asked the man.

"We've got a problem, Tony. SHIELD just intercepted an encoded transmission. There's a platoon of heavily armed soldiers making their way here with enough hardware to decimate a small third world country." Rhodes said to him.

"Damn. I was hoping my bluff would keep General Ross at bay for a little bit longer. Is Fury on his way?"

"He's assembling the rest of the Avengers now, but it'll be a while since Wasp is down and Pym is out of the picture." Rhodie said.

"Whoa, wait a minute. What are you talking about?" Ron asked.

"Wade didn't tell either of you?" Tony asked as he saw the blank faces of all three young adults. "Oh, crap." Tony said to himself.

"Tony, what's Rhodie talking about?" Bonnie asked him.

"Two members of the Avengers. Dr. Pym got drunk and nearly beat his wife to death. She's still in the hospital, and Pym tried to go Godzilla on Captain America. Good news, Cap was able to take him down. Bad news, The Avengers are now short two members." Tony said.

"I don't believe it." Kim said as both she and Ron looked stunned.

"Until the rest of the Avengers can get here, it looks like we get to try and relive the Alamo." Tony said to himself.

"But didn't everyone in the Alamo die?" Ron asked.

"The women and children lived." Tony said, but was rewarded with strange looks from Ron, Kim, and Bonnie. "Tough crowd. Jarvis, I want you to arm the outer and inner defenses and set the security systems to high alert."

"Affirmative, sir."

"Rhodie, meet me in the armory. Jarvis, I need you to formulate an escape plan for Bon-Bon and her friends." Tony said before the screen went dark and Tony started to leave.

"What about us?" Ron asked.

"I'll put this lab on lockdown, so you guys should be safe here for now. But when Jarvis says so, run like hell." Tony said and left.

Armory; Stark HQ

It only took tony less than five minutes to reach the extensive armory of Iron Man suits. The unmanned machinery inside the armory had just finished locking the torso of Tony's armor into place and attached the helmet around his head when Rhodes walked in.

"I trust there's a reason you want me down here and not in the security center?" Rhodes asked his old friend.

"There is. I'm going to need you out there with me." Tony said.

"Do what?"

"Jarvis can handle the security systems and defenses at the same time. I'm going to need help holding back Thunderbolt until Fury can get his one-eyed ass down here."

"If you hadn't noticed, Tony; I'm a retired Air Force Colonel. Unless you got a jet I can fly in, I'm not going to be much help against all that hardware." Rhodes said.

"Yes you will." Tony said as the arc reactor in his chest began to power up his armor and let it finish its systems check.

"How?" he asked.

"I'm glad you asked that." Tony said as he pressed a few buttons on his gauntlet.

As he did so, a large cylinder that was taller than the both of them was lowered from the upper levels of the armory and stopped in front of them. As soon as it was secured to the platform that both men were standing on, the large cylinder opened to reveal a massive new armor that was painted black and gun metal gray. The gauntlets were mini machine guns with the latest in repulser technology. The eyes in the helmet were glowing bright red, as if the God of War had given it his blessing. One shoulder had a mounted mini gun while the other was equipped with a small missile launcher. The jet boosters in the back and legs were larger than the ones in the other Iron Man suits in order to compensate for the weight of the reinforced armor plating of the suit, but the armor looked more like a walking armored tank.

"Since you've been such a good boy, I decided to give you your Christmas present early. You like?"

"I like." Rhodes said as he began to smile.

"Then suit up, War Machine."

"Wait a minute. With all that hardware Ross is toting behind him, you're going to try and hold him off in your little tin man outfit? No offence." Rhodes said.

"None taken. But remember when the Hulk and I fought to a draw in New York?"

"You mean when he handed you your ass on a silver platter?" Rhodes asked.

"Whatever. Let's just say that I learn from my mistakes." Tony said as the platform opened, and a suit of battle armor rose from the ground that was painted red and gold, and almost twice the size of the Hulk itself.

"Is that what I think it is?" Rhodes asked.

"I modified the Iron Monger armor and made it more user friendly." Tony said.

"In other words, you made yourself Hulk Buster armor that only you can control." Rhodes said.

"Pretty much."

New York; 1800 hours

Rogers slipped the mask of his uniform over his head while Shego placed the last of her weapons inside their holsters as they exited SHIELD HQ and out onto the large heli-pad where a large covert black chopper was beginning to power up. Rogers flexed his arms and shoulders as he carried his shield on his right forearm, trying to work out some of the soreness in his limbs that was left over from his fight with Hank Pym. Rogers was still kicking himself for loosing his temper, despite Shego's praises for giving Hank what he deserved. But right now, Hank was lucky he was still alive right now. What he did to Janet was inexcusable. As Rogers quickly popped his neck, he put all that in the back of his mind. He was fixing to go into another fight, and he needed his head cleared and focused.

As they walked closer to the chopper, they could see Fury was standing next to it and waiting for them. Behind him was the thunder God Thor, chugging down a very large glass of beer that would have put any frat boy to shame. Once he finished, he let out a large belch as he smashed the glass onto the pavement.

"Do you have to do that?" Fury asked him, annoyed that the large man behind him seemed to smash almost everything he came into contact with. The only thing Fury received in return was a look of confusion on the Norse God's face. "Never mind."

"If you hadn't noticed, we're down two members of our team. What do we do without them?" Shego said.

"I've got reserve recruits coming in as we speak." Fury said as he motioned to behind Shego and Rogers.

When they both turned, the first thing they saw was a tall blond man wearing a navy blue body suit with dark purple highlights and a pair of purple sunglasses. Strapped to his back was a large quiver of arrows with a folded compound bow strapped to his belt. The other man was wearing a black body suit and gloves with dark yellow highlights. On each shoulder was a circle with an X in the middle of it. His hair looked unruly while his sideburns looked more like wild muttonchops that needed to be shaved off. As he walked, he kept puffing on what appeared to be a Cuban cigar.

"Where did those two come from?" Shego asked, not impressed by what she saw.

"The one with the arrows goes by his call sign, Hawkeye. The other is,"

"Logan?" Rogers asked as they two men came closer. "Logan, is that really you?" Captain asked the man in the black and yellow body suit.

"Nice to see you again, Captain Rogers." Logan said with a smile as the two shook hands.

"You two know each other?" Shego asked.

"Logan was apart of the Canadian army in World War II, and was transferred to my platoon. How have you been doing?" Rogers said.

"I mainly go by Wolverine lately, but I can complain. Been having a few memory problems." The mutant grunted.

"If you two are done with this little reunion, we've got a mission we need to carry out."

"What's the sit rep?" Hawkeye asked.

"The United States Government has taken an interest in Stoppable and his friend, Rockwaller. General Thaddeus Thunderbolt Ross tried to apprehend them earlier in California, but Stark was able to hold them off. About twenty minutes ago, one of our operatives discovered that General Ross is getting ready to launch a full-scale military assault on Stark Industries Head Quarters. Stark will hold them off as long as possible, but he needs help. Not only do we need to stop Ross, but we need to apprehend Stoppable and Rockwaller before General Ross does. These are United States soldiers, so do not kill anyone unless it's absolutely necessary."

"You're taking all the fun out of it, Fury." Logan said as he took another drag off of his cigar.

"Just keep that temper of yours in check, Weapon X." Fury said and earned a glare and a deep throat growl from Logan. He knew that Wolverine hated to be called by the code name he was given during the experiments that gave Logan his indestructible bones and claws. But he called him that whenever he wanted Logan to know he meant business and wouldn't tolerate any bull crap. "Avengers, move out!" Fury said as they began to board the chopper.

"I gotta say, you look better in black leather." Hawkeye said as each Avenger strapped themselves into their seats.

"Excuse me?" Shego asked him.

"It's better than that stupid green and black outfit you used to wear. You looked like something from a Batman comic book every time you wore it." He said with a sly smile.

"Do you want me to break your face before we face Ross and his cronies?" Shego asked him.

"You really don't remember me? Even after that job I helped you pull?" Hawkeye asked Shego, but he could see she didn't know what he was talking about. "Come on, babe. Hench Co main offices? A certain blue skinned lunatic sent us in to get something he needed?" he asked her.

As Shego's eyes began to widen in realization, her leg shot forward and up, breaking Hawkeye's nose and sending his blood falling to the floor.

"What the hell's going on back there?!" Fury demanded.

"Just walking down memory lane, sir." Hawkeye said as he straightened his nose and squeezed it closed to stop the bleeding.

"Something I should know about?" Rogers asked as he glanced at the both of them.

"Clint Barton, you son of a,"

"Language, Shego." Hawkeye said with a smile.

"Shego?" Rogers asked again.

"This idiot here was an act at the Coney Island circus before he joined Dr. Drakken. He helped me with a theft, and saved my hyde. Of course, he was an undercover agent for Global Justice and almost had my ass thrown in jail again."

"Actually, it was SHIELD. And you've still got the best ass I've seen." Clint said. With the speed of striking snake, Clint soon the barrel of a large pistol place in between his eyes and an angry looking Shego looking at him.

"I've got Mr. Boom-Boom now, Clint. Piss me off, and the next click you hear will be me pulling the trigger." Shego said before putting the pistol back in its holster.

"Is that a promise?" Clint asked. Without warning, Clint was rewarded with another kick to the face that made him hit his head against the hull of the aircraft and rendering him unconscious. The sudden move caused Captain Rogers to give Shego a very concerned look.

"It wasn't my fault. I had a leg cramp." She said.

"Yeah. Right." Was all Rogers said for the remainder of the flight.

His entire facility was on lock down. Every single automated defense system was now on-line and ready for a fight. Door's that were several feet thick with steel, electrified fences and walls, automated machine guns and mini-missile launchers, knock out gas, tear gas, and a whole slew of other weapons Stark Industries had created were all ready. And standing in front of the sealed main entrance was Tony Stark, wearing his latest Iron Man Hulk Buster armor. His face plate was lifted as he took a deep breath and waited for what was heading his way.

"Jarvis, how much longer until they get here?"

"About ten minutes, sir."

"I'll say this for Ross. He's punctual." Tony said as he saw the first hints of the vehicles and heavily armed armored soldiers approaching in the distance. "Rhodie, are the kids secured?"

"Affirmative, Tony. I've got them in the armory. Not even the most advanced Hammer Industries weapon can get in there." Rhodes responded.

"What about Stark Industries?"

"Stark Industries?"

"Remember, some of the tech came from my company. And I don't half-ass everything like Justin Hammer does. Will the armory stand up to my weapons?" Tony asked and was rewarded with nothing but silence for a few moments. "Rhodie?" Tony asked.

"I'll keep Jarvis on stand by."

"Good to know." Tony said as he brought the face mask down and the eyes came to life.

The large platoon of soldiers came to a stop as General Ross stepped forward in a camouflage uniform. For a few unsettling moments, the only thing the two did was look at each other as the tension in the air only grew. The only sounds that could be heard was the soft hum of the Arc reactor inside Toni's chest that was powering his suit of armor. Ross took in everything about Tony's latest piece of hardware in one stare before he even tried to looking to the glowing white eye's of the Iron Man helmet. After a few seconds, feeling more like tension filled weeks to all the soldiers standing outside Stark Industries HQ, Ross decided to speak.

"Stark, this is a matter of National Security. I don't care what toys you've got, I'm bringing my two fugitives into custody. Now you can quietly hand them over, and we can avoid the damage of civilian property and putting innocent lives in needless danger. Or you can pretend to be a hero and be arrested and thrown into a federal facility for treason."

"Those are my only options?" Tony asked.

"Pretty much, Stark. What's your choice going to be?" the aging General asked them.

"Okay, let me think. What would be the polite way of me saying 'screw you and the horse you rode in on?'" Stark asked him.

"You're making a big mistake, rich boy. I have my orders, and I'll do whatever I have to in order to fulfill them to the letter. Even if that means I've got to burn you and your precious techno empire to the ground with you in it." Ross threatened as his eyes squinted and his voice became as cold as steel.

"You're welcome to try it, Thaddeus." Stark said.

"Have it your way." Ross said as he turned around and returned to his men that were waiting for their orders. "Kill the little bastard." Ross said.

"Jarvis, light them up." Tony said as his face plate slid into place and the Hulk Buster armor took flight.