Avengers: Masters of Vengeance
#4. Avengers vs. the Masters of Vengeance
Universe, ? Location Unknown
In a green flash, they arrived. Thor, Cap, and Widow rushed together and formed a back-to-back formation, crouched in readiness. Grouped before them was a young boy who had identified himself as Loki, an android that may very well be the latest version of the Avengers' nemesis Ultron, a man in a whirlwind and the Red Skull, except he was green, same unnerving skull-like features but this time in green, he had removed the ski mask.
"Relax!" the Green Skull said, spreading his hands and showing that he held no weapons in them, he still had his trademark German accent.
"What is this?" Cap demanded.
"It seems that it is the same with you as it is on many worlds," the android said, definitely related to Ultron. "On your world we must be villains, pledged to world conquest, and you must be heroes, Earth's mightiest I assume. In our world, you are the villains and we are what is left of the forces of freedom."
The trio of Avengers glanced at each other. Was it so unbelievable that in a world where Tony murdered hot women in cold blood and Thor ambushed his enemies without a fair challenge, their nemeses might turn out to be good? They communicated all of this in a glance. They relaxed their stance but kept their weapons in hand.
"Where are we?"
"Kid Loki, if you please," the Green Skull said. There was a small amount of light coming from Kid Loki's hands that allowed them all to see each other more clearly. Kid Loki took his glowing hands and clapped them together. The light went from a glow to a brilliant display, he tossed the light upward and it rose above them until it came to a slow halt about thirty feet up.
They were in a massive cavern, part of it had once been a subway station. The earth above had collapsed down but had since been cleared out. The earthen and stone walls were buttressed beams made from the subway tracks. Amidst the rubble Cap could see the skeletons of those that had died in whatever disaster had befallen them here. Somehow he was sure the Masters of Vengeance had a hand in the destruction.
"Four years ago the heroes of New York made a final stand against the Masters of Vengeance. They never stood a chance. In response to many New Yorkers helping the heroes they razed the city, destroying everything above and below the ground, saving only a small portion of the city, around Stark Tower."
"How many heroes survived?"
"None."
"Where were you then?" Cap was immediately suspicious of his alternate enemy.
"I was imprisoned by your doppelganger, General America," Green Skull snapped. "Loki here was unknowing of his true identity, Ultroid was Iron Master's right-hand villain at the time, it was the genocide of New York that made him turn on Stark. He didn't survive the experience either but one of our men, Savant, was able to put him back together."
"And you?" Widow asked the man who no longer surrounded himself in a whirlwind, he wore crimson battle armor. Could he possibly be a version of the Crimson Dynamo, also from Russia like Natasha?
"I was also already imprisoned, for being a mutant," the man seemed to be looking at them with wary awe.
"You must be Whirlwind!" Cap said suddenly, he resembled the Wasp's main villain from the Avengers' files.
"I prefer Red Cyclone but that's not a bad one," Red Cyclone chuckled nervously.
"So it's just you four against the entire forces of the Masters of Vengeance?" Thor asked incredulously.
"No, there are others that have also come to join us in the fight, plus there are other countries that still defy them, though more passively than we would like. Come this way." Green Skull motioned them toward the remains of the subway station.
"They are so confident that they have killed everything in the vicinity that they rarely patrol this part of the city. Plus all of the debris helps hide us from their scans and makes the tunnels and caves seem natural," Ultroid, the Ultron alternate, told them as they walked. Loki's little light ball followed them.
"How did all of this happen?" Cap asked the question that had been bugging him ever since his first discovery of his alternate self. He was no fool, Steve Rogers knew he was far from infallible but he would never stoop to genocide. What would make a man like him become a monster like General America?
"It all began in World War Two," Green Skull began.
"Oh it started long before that, Pops," Kid Loki jeered.
"Let the man tell his story," Red Cyclone nudged the little Loki variant on the shoulder. Kid Loki rolled his eyes but stayed silent.
"As it is on many worlds the Super Soldier Serum is a troubling thing, it can make good great or bad pure evil. In our world, Erskine was unable to escape the nazis and was forced to make the super soldier serum for them but the old scientist was crafty and included in the serum something that would awaken my empathy and diminish my hate and paranoia. An American spy stole the formula, but sadly the batch he took was from before Erskine's latest improvements. When General America, at that time not yet even a captain, received the formula it was still flawed. Slowly, very slowly, it corrupted him. He became more violent on the battlefield, more willing to kill, he grew cold and bitter.
I, on the other hand, day by day began to see the evil of what we were doing, that these people we were persecuting were simply people just as we all are. I began to have many doubts and planted that seed of doubt in others, the Nazis slowly began to lose their cohesion. So it was that the Allied forces, led by Captain America and his Invaders, steamrolled over the German forces and brought the war to an end. Before that could happen the Nazis took their greatest minds and leaders and froze them in a secret hidden bunker in Berlin. I was among their number."
The group slowly made their way through the tunnels, some of them a very tight fit for Thor. Captain America shook his head. That still didn't explain going from being a bit brutal on the battlefield to razing New York.
"When Steve Rogers returned home he quickly found himself bored of civilian life and turned to being a vigilante, fighting against crime in a new mask. However he wasn't fooling anyone, everyone knew who he was when he would step out. Soon even jaywalkers would receive beatings and kids doing drugs, the death penalty. Soon the very government that created him was speaking out against him. This enraged him."
"He found himself in the company of a sympathetic senator, McCarthy, and together they rose to power politically. Rogers was soon a Senator and before too long he became the President of the United States, he was re-elected multiple times and finally got himself embroiled in the Vietnam War. During that time he declared a state of emergency and seized martial power. There were uprisings but none could stand up to him for long."
"After years of ruling, he grew bored of life and soon installed a puppet politician and made sure his people would never lose power. That was when he found out about me. He found out we had been discovered, despite it being kept a secret. He flew in to take me one way or another but a sympathetic technician had heard he was on his way and let me and the others go. We fled into the countryside. This was all the excuse he needed. He used my and my former nazi companions to take over Germany, and this was soon after East and West had been reunited. To every country I fled, he declared war, and soon America was to rival the British Empire at the height of its might."
Suddenly the tunnel they were in opened up into a massive cavern already lit by numerous shining orbs. The cavern was covered in tents of various sizes and colors as well as ramshackle temporary huts. People dressed in various colorful costumes stopped whatever they were doing to stare at the new arrivals. A girl shrieked.
"Fear not!" Green Skull shouted, his hands raised in the air. "These are our friends, not the dreaded enemy!"
"Papa!" a young woman, barely in her twenties, rushed forward and hugged Green Skull tightly. She too had a green, skull-like face and brilliant green eyes.
"Hello, Jade my dear, one moment. Please, everyone, welcome these friends and give them something to eat or drink, we must talk business soon." With that proclamation, Green Skull hugged his daughter tightly and motioned for the Avengers to continue to follow him into the tent city.
"Hello to you as well, father," a green and red android addressed Ultroid. "I am glad you are safe."
"Yes, Xerox, but we must leave again soon," Ultroid stated.
"If it is a strategy you must speak of then it is best if you had me there, with my great intelligence you will be sure to have the best odds of survival," a man with brilliant green skin and a massive head came forward. He was quite obviously the counterpart of the Leader, a constant thorn in the Hulk's muscled side.
"Yes, Savant, go and get Redback, Frost, and the others, we have much to talk about," Green Skull ordered. Savant nodded and went to round the others up. A pale and skinny young man handed Cap what seemed to be a very thick small tortilla filled with fragrant cheese and refried beans on the inside. Cap ate it gratefully, feeling bad that he was taking food from these hungry people but knowing he needed it to complete his mission here.
"How did Stark get involved in all of this?" Widow asked Ultroid as people buzzed about them.
"He was raised in a family that was very competitive for his father's approval," Ultroid said. "Even his mom and he would compete to try and please his father, but it was never enough, or so he told me many times. He wasn't even sad when his parents were killed by an assassin trying to force the location of a weapon out of them. It just meant he had his chance. His chance to prove that he didn't need his father's approval. He was going to prove he was better than his dad. And he did. His company grew even bigger when he took over, it was due to his weapons manufacturing that he finally caught the eye of President Rogers and the two quickly began to work together, Stark building weapons just for him and the President with no approval needed. Stark helped the General keep his empire. They were content to keep it until the Thunder God showed up."
"What does that mean?" Thor asked, speaking for the first time since arriving in the rebel encampment.
"My brother and I had to fight for our dad's approval too," Kid Loki added. "He was constantly comparing us and he was so hard to please, you would kill just to get a crooked smile from him. Finally when Odin was discussing how he had subjugated the Nine Realms and brought them all to heal Thor decided he was going to show Odin he could do it too. The realm of the Frost Giants had been restless and in fact, hinted at war. So Thor brought the war to them and nearly slaughtered every last frost giant. Father remained unimpressed, as now there was no one to rule and no one to offer up tribute."
"Enraged Thor struck out and crumpled Odin's head under the weight of his hammer. Thor was shocked, even perhaps a little guilty but soon he discovered all of the power he would inherit, and any doubts were long gone. He took over as king and banished me and a few others as his first act. I knew what my brother would do with the kind of power he held and I couldn't let that happen so I went to all of the Nine Realms and raised the largest army in all of recorded history."
"He killed them all. I escaped, with the help of a few old friends he didn't know I still had in Asgard. He killed one of them for helping me, the other he took as his . . . slave. I fled to Midgard and met Counter Force here. They hid me. Thor came, making a path of destruction in his wake. General America and Iron Master gathered their army and actually fought my brother to a standstill, it helped that General America had brought along his two secret weapons, Smash and Professor Strange."
"They agreed to help Thor find me so that he would leave their realm in peace for them to rule alone. Counter Force sent me away to another Midgard, an alternate dimension. Poor Prince Mordo paid the ultimate price for my escape."
To honor their agreement the two Midgardians decided to take the bulk of their forces and their enslaved superhumans to the alternate dimension to hunt me down. This was the final straw and the rebellion, every last superhuman near New York and even the average New York citizen stood up and challenged the two. Furious, and tired of the pockets of resistance, the three razed New York killing millions of civilians but saving the one spot that Stark liked, his Tower and the nearby clubs."
Everyone near the group that could overhear Loki's tale grew pale or sick or rad-faced at the memory of that tragedy. Mutters rose here and there.
"They invaded the dimension I fled to, killed their Avengers and any other heroes that dared challenge them, and brought me back here. They divided up the spoils of the world's wealthiest nation and that made them thirsty. Thor brought me back to Asgard and executed me himself, with his hammer. He made me suffer before he would give me the mercy of death, he shattered my knees and elbows and ankles, then my hands and feet, after about an hour of this he finally shattered my skull with all of Asgard watching on."
"But?" Widow interjected. Thor motioned for Kid Loki to continue his story.
"After tasting the spoils of the alternate dimension Thor decided he was going to take a world for himself, so he didn't have to share the spoils or the glory. He invaded another Midgard much like the one he had conquered but this time the Avengers and other heroes repelled him. He returned to Asgard beaten and weary. After recovering he returned to Midgard and re-ignited his alliance with its rulers and they have been conquering alternate Midgards ever since. Bringing home not just the riches but also the defeated superhumans to use as slaves. They promote villains to be lieutenants in their armies. I understand they have conquered almost a hundred worlds."
"How are you alive?" Cap asked the question Widow had wanted to hear.
"As an Asgardian when I was killed my spirit was reborn, Thor had taken to finding his reborn enemies, before they even knew who they were, and imprisoning them in a magic prison before they could regain their Asgardian power. When I was reborn in the body of a sickly boy his parents knew who I was and helped me escape back to here."
"As much as I enjoy a trip down awful memory lane," a gorgeous blonde woman in a skin-tight black uniform with a red diamond shape sewn onto the belly of her costume and a small red spider motif over her right breast said sardonically. "What have you called us all together to discuss?"
"We must help these heroes get back home, Redback," Green Skull said, motioning to the trio of Avengers.
"Yelena." It was more of a statement from Black Widow but the name carried so much weight to it that you could practically feel it suffocating the air. Redback glared at Natasha but said nothing.
The Great American House, Washington DC, USA, Universe ?
Kid Loki's teleportation spell had worked perfectly, they were just far enough away to avoid detection. Their team consisted of Cap, Widow, Thor, Green Skull, Red Cyclone, Ultroid, Xerox, Frost who happened to be a variant of the Iron Man villain Blizzard, Blademaster a variant of the Swordsman who had infiltrated and then betrayed the Avengers, and Black Widow's least favorite: Redback.
"I can get you out of there if you need a quick escape," Kid Loki said, probably for the tenth time at this point.
"Kid," Green Skull looked at the young Asgardian.
"I know, I am not allowed to participate in missions because of my age, just like your daughter Jade, it's only fair blah blah blah, you mortals are so hung up on death."
"Be careful, young Loki," Thor blurted out. Loki gave him a strange look.
"Your Loki is lucky to have you," the kid said.
In a flash of green light, Kid Loki vanished and everyone huddled under the protection of some trees and a decorative boulder in the park where they had appeared.
"I wish that were so," Thor mumbled to himself.
"Come on," Cap motioned for them all to follow him. "I know of a few secret entrances."
"If you do then so likely does your counterpart," pointed out Ultroid.
"If they're secret enough then he won't want to give away their location and so they won't be well guarded."
"If you say so . . ." Green Skull narrowed his eyes at Cap.
"I don't think those two could get along in any universe," Blademaster joked to Widow. The red-headed spy smirked in response.
At the perimeter of the Great American House, which all of them refused to call it, was a small shack that looked like nothing more than a small guard shack big enough for only one, maybe two if they were thin enough, guards to occupy at any one time.
"Let me take out the camera," Ultroid held his hand against Cap's chest as the Avenger got up to enter the shack. Ultroid held up one of his hands and it drooped down revealing a small barrel underneath. Cap felt more than heard Ultroid firing some kind of invisible energy weapon. "It is safe."
Cap waited until he was sure no one was watching then trotted into the shack, he picked up a lever that was disguised as a pen and shoved it down again. The floor below him immediately slid aside and he was plunged suddenly into the darkness below, the second his head cleared the opening the floor replaced itself and looked as if nothing was there.
Three minutes later, they had to work through a rotation of guards, the whole crew was in a tunnel below. Cap led them down, it was cobweb-infested and wasn't lit. Ultroid and Xerox both set their glowing green eyes to the brightest setting, barely lighting their way. Ultroid was at the head and Xerox took up the rear. Cap was right behind Ultroid and while there was generally only one way to go as they got closer to their objective a few tunnels branched off the one they were occupying. Cap led them onward.
"Is it difficult for you to work with me?" Ultroid asked out of the blue.
"What do you mean?" Cap asked, formulating a proper answer as the android replied.
"My counterpart in your world is a great villain if he is like anything I have met in the other dimensions. Is it difficult for you to see me as an ally?"
"Thankfully," Cap said diplomatically. "Though you bear a passing resemblance to my world's Ultron, you act nothing like him and your eyes are green while his are red. You are different enough to make me not worry."
"Then I shall endeavor to prove your trust in me is valid," Ultroid said and advanced even faster.
"Wait!" Cap called out to him.
"What is it, Captain?" Ultroid asked. "I am trying to prove my determination to succeed in our goal to you."
Cap let out a small chuckle. "The way from here is up." Cap pointed at a rather plain wooden ladder built into the earthen wall. A wide trap door sat above them.
"Very well," even though there was no emotion in the voice Cap could swear that Ultroid was embarrassed.
The tunnel exited out into a janitorial closet, likely to disguise it from any invaders. The group crowded into the room, they could barely fit and knocked a box of cleaner and a roll of paper towels onto the floor as they tried to maneuver into more comfortable positions.
"Ultroid, do you have thermal vision or something like it?" Cap grunted out as the pommel of one of Blademaster's swords jabbed him in the ribs.
"Something akin to that," Ultroid slid his way to the front and stared through the door, his eyes changing to an eerie orange glow. "It is clear to exit but you must turn left and then left again, guards will be arriving momentarily."
"Now that's useful," Widow remarked.
"How do you think we've survived so long?" Blademaster said dryly.
Cap was the first to leave the closet and quickly followed Ultroid's directions by turning left as he exited and taking the first hallway on his left. The rest followed. They hurried without quite running to avoid making noise.
"Take the next door on your right," Ultroid said in as low volume as possible. Cap nodded and did as he was told. They gathered into a large room that he assumed was used for meetings though there was a wooden podium encircled by comfortable old-style cushioned wooden chairs. There were no lights on but some sun came through the curtained windows.
"This isn't designed at all like our White House in our dimension," Cap noted with a nod from Widow.
"General America has made numerous changes to the White House," Ultroid mentioned. "I have the old designs downloaded as well as the new."
"Why are we here?" Redback asked.
"Guards were coming and no other way to avoid them," Ultroid informed her.
"We should have just taken them out."
"That's not how we do things," Cap asserted.
"Maybe not in your world," Redback practically rolled her eyes.
"It isn't how we do things either," Green Skull admonished. Redback stared up at the ceiling but kept quiet. "Ultroid, have you been able to locate the portal or its power source?"
"They are not included in any of the plans."
"I'm sure he wouldn't be dumb enough to make it a matter of public record," Cap dismissed.
"Their plans are not public record," Cap could swear he heard hurt in Ultroid's voice. "It took quite an effort to break into National Security's network and locate and steal the plans for the White House."
"Well, then are there any rooms that are large enough to comfortably contain it?" Cap asked.
"There are several, I will take you to the nearest one. The Guards have passed."
This time they all followed Ultroid as he led them out the door and to a wide red-carpeted hallway. A pair of large wooden doors were opened into a large warmly lit room.
"By Odin's beard!" Thor swore.
"Mein Gott!" Green Skrull joined in.
The room was full of glass display cases, easily a hundred, and in each one was a shield bearing some resemblance to the American motif, though upon further inspection several held swords and one an ax. Along with the shields most held a mask or cowl or even just a shredded or burned remains of a uniform.
Widow glanced over at Cap. His eyes were narrowed and scanning the room, no expression on his face. He stalked over to a display case. In it was his shield, no cowl or mask had yet joined it. His face was still stony, Cap reached for the glass case.
"Don't!" Green Skull hissed. "It will probably set off an alarm." Everyone was watching to see what Cap would do.
"They know we are here," interrupted Ultroid.
"What?" Widow asked, everyone's eyes were on the android now.
In response, Ultroid opened up his mouth and a voice, not his own, came out with a light crackle like a radio broadcast.
"They have infiltrated the House, get all available teams to start searching immediately."
"Probably looking for their little scientist friend we picked up in the Abandoned Zone," another voice said. "I want at least six guards on him."
"Banner . . ." Widow breathed.
"We had better leave this room," Ultroid said in his own voice. "The guards are all mobilizing."
"No point in discretion now," Cap said. He turned and smashed the glass case with his gloved fist. He snatched up his shield and placed it on his forearm. He had used the thing so long it had felt like missing a limb when it had disappeared. He finally felt whole again. They started toward a side door, but Cap stopped. "The rest of you who don't have powers should probably take a shield."
Cap quickly smashed another case, this one had a green, black, and gold theme to it, and he tossed it to Green Skrull. There was another smash and Blademaster retrieved a small silver and black buckler. Cap tossed another red white and black shield to Widow who looked at it skeptically.
"I've never trained with a shield."
"Keep it just in case but if it gets in the way, toss it," Cap told her.
"We must make haste!" Xerox said.
Cap nodded and they all trotted after Ultroid who led them through the side door down a large concrete staircase, their footsteps echoed as they fled. Just as they reached the landing below two armored guards appeared through the doorway. Quick as a flash Cap smashed one of them in the head sending his helmet, and communicator, flying to the side. Cap followed that up by ramming the guard against the wall, he could hear the guard's breath leave his body. Ultroid grabbed the other guard by the throat, before he could say anything, and began tearing his armor off, starting with the helmet.
"Hey!" the guard shouted ineffectually. Ultroid slammed the guard against the wall again, this time with enough force to knock the man out. The android let the man go and he slumped to the floor next to his now unconscious compatriot. Ultroid and Cap smashed their helmets. The group rushed into the next room.
"What in the . . ." Red Cyclone said what they were all thinking.
The dimly lit room was awash in the sickly green glow of monitors, in the center of the room was a massive transparent cylinder, and inside was hunched an enormous form. At the sound of them, it stirred and the heroes went quiet. It was a vast muscular thing, much like the Hulk, but with gray-white skin, black hair, and bloodshot but still piercing blue eyes.
"It's just one delight after another in this place," Blademaster joked.
"He's still alive!" Redback said eagerly.
"He . . . who . . . what are we dealing with here?" Red Cyclone asked.
"Don't you recognize him?" Green Skull asked incredulously. "It's Smash, and he's still alive!"
"Tell us, briefly, what is going on," Cap said.
"To defend against the Masters of Vengeance the American government was experimenting with a new kind of bomb when something went wrong." Green Skull said. "Smash was somehow created, or summoned into existence, we aren't sure. Being the conniving psychoanalyst that he is, Doctor Leo Samson figured out how to manipulate the nearly mindless Smash into attacking the Masters of Vengeance. He fought against the entire team and nearly won. However, when they fought it nearly destroyed the entire city."
"I thought we were being bombed!" Red Cyclone added.
"The government thought Smash had been killed in the confrontation when he lost and never returned. The government followed up with their own attack and they were almost able to bring the Masters to their knees but Thunder God, having already been severely injured by the brute, brought reinforcements from Asgard and the Asgardians decimated the American Armed Forces."
"I have an idea," Widow smirked.
"If you're thinking what I am thinking then I am going to like you a lot better than White Widow," Redback said.
"What would it take to set him free?" Widow turned to Ultroid ignoring Redback's comment.
Ultroid went over to the main display in front of Smash's glass-like cell. "They have a constant stream of a cocktail of drugs and chemicals being pumped into the cell to keep him docile," Ultroid said. "I think I can vent the chemicals and open his cell but I have no indication of how long it will take him to recover from their effects."
"If he's anything like our Hulk then it won't take him long," Cap said. "Once Ultroid has opened the cell we need to retreat as fast as we can."
"I'm not so sure this is a good idea," Green Skull said. "Last time he was free he nearly destroyed the entire city. What if he takes on the Masters and he wins? What's to stop him from rampaging across the world?"
"The Masters took him on and won before, they can do it again, and this time they are more prepared. We just need him as a distraction." Cap pointed out.
"I will make sure that doesn't happen," Thor said confidently. Widow and Cap gave him a side-eye stare but said nothing.
"Still . . ." Green Skull began.
"I think the risk is worth it," Ultroid spoke up. Green Skull sighed but then nodded his acquiescence.
"Skull, you take Widow and the rest of your team to a better hiding place, Thor and I will stay here with Ultroid until Smash is freed," Cap ordered. "Once we rejoin the group we will find that portal." Green Skull hesitated but Redback touched his shoulder and nodded, he sighed again but nodded back.
"Move out!" Skull shouted and waved for everyone to follow him. They ran back the way they had come, Redback kicked one of the still-downed guards for good measure as they passed.
"Run!" Cap shouted a moment later as they exited the room. They all charged up the stairs, and as they did so a loud crash sounded from behind them. It was followed by a booming bellow. "Faster!"
Thor grabbed Cap by the wrist and flew upward into the air, Ultroid was quick to follow, igniting the rockets in his feet. Another bellow issued from below, this one even louder and more enraged than the last.
Thor blasted through the door leading back to General America's trophy room with an electrically charged Mjolnir. The door went flying. Behind them, crashing sounds could be heard as Smash made his way up the stairs. The stairwell was too small for him to fit through and yet he stomped his way up them anyhow. Concrete and showered down on him but he didn't seem to notice, his intense blue eyes shone with focused energy now.
Once Smash rounded the stairs and saw the wall with a window to the outside he jumped with steel-coiled muscles and tore through the wall of the White House like it was paper. The stone outside crumbled into dust leaving a wide gaping hole behind him.
By now Thor, Cap, and Ultroid had landed and watched the mutated creature disappear through the wall. Thor and Cap sighed with relief though Thor made sure to do so inaudibly. They turned to find their compatriots waiting for them, staring at the hole the massive Smash had just made. Behind them, V-Battalion soldiers came charging in, guns at the ready.
"Behind you!" Thor shouted and tossed Mjolnir. The enchanted hammer flew in a wide arc through his enemies, knocking at least five of the Masters' soldiers to the floor in a broken heap, making a sickening crunch as it hit each one.
The heroes all ducked behind General America's display cases, while the glass cases would not hold up under gunfire the shields inside them might. Laser blasts rained down on them. Cap hoisted his shield in front of him and charged at the V-Battalion soldiers, Green Skrull was quick to follow. Lasers ricocheted and glanced off both their shields, neither of them feeling the impact because of the unique composition of metals that made Cap's shield. Cap reached the soldiers first and began bashing them with his shield, knocking back three or four at a time; he was under too much heavy fire to toss the shield in his signature boomerang manner. Green Skull joined him and the two stood back to back smashing and kicking their way through the middle of the enemy's formation.
Thunder suddenly boomed outside. "We have to end this fast, they must be close!" Widow hissed. A good deal of the soldiers were occupied with the two super soldiers smashing at them from the inside. Taking advantage, the rest of the heroes charged in after the two brandishing their signature weapons if they had them.
It was a disorganized brawl, fists and gun barrels were flying everywhere with the occasional shield joining in. It was easy to make out one figure in the midst of them all, Thor was taller than everyone else present and the occasional burst of lightning from his hammer quickly cleared the area around him.
"Let him come!" Thor shouted at no one in particular. "Let this supposed Thunder God come and I will show him what a true Asgardian God of Thunder can do!"
"Thor!" Cap shouted at him. "We don't have time for this, we need to find Banner and that portal!"
"Aye!" Thor raised his hammer over his head.
"Let me!" Red Cyclone shouted before Thor's dangerous lightning could be arcing everywhere. "Everyone back!"
The well-trained heroes responded almost without thought and leaped or flew backward toward the glass cases. Before the confused V-Battalion could recover, Red Cyclone raised his hands and created a powerful tornado right in their midst. The hurricane-force winds picked them all up in the air, and at Cyclone's command, flung them in every direction slamming them into cases and walls.
"Follow me!" Ultroid said before the soldiers could recover. They ran out of the now-destroyed trophy room and into the hall where they burst through another side door to head down yet another set of concrete stairs just like the ones that led to Smash's cell. Two guards also stood at the bottom. Thor let loose with a bolt of lightning, it forked and struck both the guards before they could let loose a blast.
"Let's see what they were guarding," Cap said and broke open the door with his superhuman strength. Four guards stood surrounding something or someone. "Careful!" Thor had just about tossed Mjolnir right into them. "We don't want to hurt whoever it is they are guarding."
"Watch it!" One of the guards shouted out at them, he was pointing his gun directly at the prisoner's head, he moved aside so they could see who it was. Banner. He was obviously unconscious and tied to a chair. "Or your little scientist friend here doesn't survive."
There was a second of silence as the three Avengers looked at each other. What were they going to do? Blam! A shot rang out, splitting the silence. The gun flew from the guard's hand, Widow looked over to see Redback's gun was still smoking. The remaining three guards charged at the heroes, their guns blasting ozone-scented red beams of energy. Xerox stood in the way of one, the laser fire bounced off of him. When the guard tried to punch him his hand crumpled on impact, the bones shattering and tendons snapped. He cried out in agony. He drew his limp pulpy fist into his chest. Xerox had increased his density exponentially, he grabbed the back of the guard's head and slammed him face-first into the concrete floor. He paused for a moment then let go when the man didn't move.
"Banner are you alright?" Cap started to untie his unconscious teammate. The scientist didn't respond. "I can hear his heart beating, it's a bit slow."
"That's a good thing," Widow said as she approached having just dispatched one of the guards with her martial arts skills. She leaned in on the opposite side of Bruce and helped Cap support him.
"Let me take him," Thor approached. "I was the one that brought him into this." Thor used one arm to sling the scientist easily over one shoulder.
"I believe I have found the portal," Ultroid suddenly pronounced. "It is where the theater once was." The sound of thunder rumbled even this deeply into the transformed White House. Smash's bellows were drawing closer once more as well.
"We had better hurry," Green Skull voiced everyone's thoughts.
Moments later they came pouring into the former theater. It had been gutted of seats and any other furniture but at the end was a large machine with a dais at its center and a large monitor off to the side.
"That must be the portal," Green Skull surmised.
"That's right, Skull, but you'll never get to use it!"
It was General America. Behind him stood a large group of obviously super people dressed in a mix of military and supervillain-esque costumes. One was dressed in black with some light purple accents, based on his facial features that weren't behind his black mask Cap knew it had to be Clint, but instead of a traditional bow and arrow, he had twin crossbows in his hands, and handguns strapped to his sides. Another resembled Falcon but in a red, black, and white outfit with special gauntlet guns on his wrists. Another was a scarred-up-looking John Walker. These were no regular soldiers.
"You!" Green Skull shouted angrily.
"Kill them!" General America commanded and his super soldiers jumped to obey. With a roar, they came charging at the heroes.
It was almost like a riot but Thor was easily visible amongst the two super groups, lightning kept arcing from his body and his hammer. Some evil counterpart of Goliath grew right in front of him, looming over the blonde god. Thor quickly took him out with a hammer blow directly to the knee. The extra large bones splintered loud enough for everyone to hear. A few of the heroes winced at the noise. Then Thor easily swiped aside an alternate version of Black Panther, this one garbed in a nearly identical suit but this one colored a blood red, and Hellcat, her costume a more fitting red and black variation, she resembled her namesake much more so than their Patsy. His ambient lightning crackled outward and took out two more that Thor had no idea whose counterparts they may have been.
Then Thor was upon him, standing fiercely over General America with his hammer held high over his head. With a mighty bellow from the Norse god, he brought his hammer down, there was so much lightning around his hammer that it was hard to make out. There was a loud clang as the Mjolnir struck General America's upraised shield. Sparks flew far in all directions. The General grunted. Thor raised his hammer again, drawing the lightning in to gather around it, the General didn't dare move for fear of giving the mighty Avenger an opening. Thor swung downward but something collided into him, blowing him bodily far away from the crouching General America.
With a mighty whoosh, the air completely left Thor's lungs. He looked down, and a larger version of Mjolnir struck his stomach and continued to push him away from the battle. Thor batted the hammer aside and fell to the floor. He struggled to draw in another breath. Before he could recover a shadow fell over him. Thunder God.
The massive brute stood over him and Thor wondered how, if this man was his genetic copy then how could he be taller and bulkier than him? He didn't have much time to think it over as the grizzled god reached out his hand and his Mjolnir flew into it. Thunder God wasted no time in bringing the hammer swinging toward Thor's face. Thor dodged it just in time, but only by falling backward.
Thunder God brought his hammer downward, and Thor barely got his own Mjolnir out in time to bring the two hammers colliding together. Lightning exploded outward from both hammers striking various baddies and barely missing Cap who had been a little too close, making his way toward General America. Both Asgardians were blown back by the exploding energy, but only Thor fell to the floor. He rose angrily back to his feet and roared as he charged anew at his dimensional counterpart.
Captain America could see Green Skull also making his way toward General America. "Skull! Get to the gateway, I'll take care of the General!"
Skull paused his charge and fought off some brute nearly twice his size. He glared at Captain America.
"Go!" Cap shouted again.
Skull growled in frustration but turned heel and ran toward the gateway only pausing to knock aside some armored soldiers before continuing on his way. He made it to the controls and immediately began powering the machine up which was easy to do. Now, how to actually work the thing and get it to send the Avengers back home to the correct dimension was a whole different matter. Someone grabbed him from behind and he wheeled about to get a punch right to his face.
Some punk soldier thought he could take on the Green Skull. Skull dodged the next blow and returned it with one of his own, the soldier's head snapped backward then he stumbled and fell.
Before Skull could turn his attention back onto the dimensional gateway the evil Clint, Marksman was his moniker, was upon him and he had to dodge several crossbow bolts, not an easy task, even for a super soldier. Skull lunged forward, he was better hand to hand and Marksman had the advantage as long as he was further than arm's length from him. One bolt nicked him in the cheekbone and opened a long scarlet trail across his cheek. Marksman smirked.
Some glowing red thing struck Marksman's chest and stayed stuck there. The villain convulsed and electricity sparked through his veins.
"Get back to the machine, I'll handle this Hawkeye imitator," Black Widow appeared between them, she struck the still-stiffened Marksman in the chest, causing him to stumble backward.
Green Skull turned back around as Marksman recovered from his shock and re-engaged with Black Widow on the battlefield. Their blows were like blurs as they each were master martial artists. Each was striving to land a blow but neither could. Lightning and thunder crashed around him but he tried to force himself to ignore the sounds of the battle raging around him. It wasn't easy as he could hear the occasional death choke and each time he hoped it wasn't a friend.
The controls were lit up but none of them were labeled except with symbols that meant nothing to him. How was he going to do this? "Damn!" He smacked the table and when he did it jarred the mouse to hover over a symbol. A tiny preview page opened next to the mouse arrow in it was a list of some kind. Skull's better than human eyes were able to read it despite the extra tiny font. "Earth 936, Earth 3046, Earth 5709," and so on. Could he really have gotten this lucky? This looked like a history of all their interdimensional jumps. If he could just pinpoint their most recent one it would have to be the Avengers' home dimension. They only ever attacked one dimension at a time, even Thunder God wasn't arrogant enough to think he could take on two dimensions-worth of superheroes at a time.
Earth 936, that was it, they had just jumped there the day before and also the day before that. That had to be it. Hoping it really was that simple he simply clicked on the "Earth 936" in the history list. There was a deep hum and the hairs on the back of his hands stood on end as the gate surged to life. A rainbow swirl of lights spun into motion at the center of the gateway. He had done it!
"No!" Skull heard his nemesis, General America, yell out in an enraged voice. "Stop him!"
"You all better get going through before you lose your chance!" Skull shouted over his shoulder.
"Cap, you better get going!" Widow shouted out as she used her shield stolen from the General's trophy room to block some exploding crossbow bolts.
"Get Banner through!" Cap ordered tersely as he blocked a shield strike from General America himself.
"You won't be making it through that gateway," the General told him. "Then your disappearance will confuse and fracture your argumentative little team back home and just when they are at their weakest we will destroy them!"
"You underestimate my team," Cap told him as he lunged forward, clashing shield against shield.
"Do you know how many times I've heard that Captain? Yet here I am still, and all those Avengers before you are buried in a mass grave!"
Widow lunged forward with her shield just as she had seen Cap do a moment ago but Marksman was ready and caught the edges of it and held on. She used this to her advantage and let go of the shield and kicked it as hard as she could away from herself. Marksman stumbled back. Widow charged over to a chair where Thor had laid Bruce, away from the fight before Thunder God had arrived. He was still drugged and completely unaware of his surroundings.
Widow hoisted him up so that he could walk alongside him, his legs moved without thought as she walked him forward, supporting most of his weight. A soldier charged in front of her but she unleashed a Widow Sting and he fell over in convulsions from the intense volts coursing through him. She hauled him forward and climbed the steps up to the gateway, she hesitated a moment.
"Go!" Cap shouted fiercely.
Widow nodded gratefully at Green Skull and ducked through the gateway. Green Skull brought a bomb out from his long black trench coat and turned it on, waiting to set the charge until he was sure everyone would make it through.
"We don't have much time, Captain!" he shouted.
Cap was struggling against the General still, the two were evenly matched physically but the General was more experienced and Cap knew it. He had to pull a surprise move that the General wouldn't expect. What in the world could that be? Then Cap realized what it was and swallowed his pride. It wanted to stick in his craw but he knew what the best maneuver would be, even if he didn't like it. He simply turned and ran.
General America was so shocked at Cap's choice that for a moment he didn't move he just stared at Cap's retreating back. The General shook his head, sneered, and charged after our Cap.
Skull saw Cap coming and gripped the bomb tighter, now just to get Thor through. Then he saw the General charging after Cap. He was going to have to stop him. No time. He cursed again and then set the bomb for thirty seconds, and stuck it to the gateway. Quickly he realized what he had to do, he turned and opened up the document that looked like a globe. It was their dimensional map. The second that Thor got through he had to delete it.
Cap passed him, running toward the gateway. "Thor!" the super soldier shouted just before stopping and turning around.
"I'll get him, go!" Skull shouted, pointing at the bomb. Twenty-five seconds now. Green Skull pretended not to see the General coming, the man was so fixated on Captain America who was now slipping through his grasp he didn't even see Skull there. Just as the General was charging passed him Skull smashed forward with the shield he had stolen from the General's trophy room. The super soldier went flying sideways into a bunch of fighting heroes and soldiers.
"Everybody out!" Skull screamed at the top of his lungs. Just as he did so Thor landed, sparking, in front of him with a thud. The Asgardian groaned. Thunder God landed, standing over the mighty Avenger. Ten seconds. He had to make a move. Skull's Counter Force was making a quick exit. Xerox turned to look at him, he shooed the synthezoid on.
"You're just as weak as the others!" Thunder God roared, disappointment in his voice. "You couldn't even give me a good battle!" Cursing again Green Skull dove in front of Thunder God's Mjolnir, barely getting the shield between them in time. Despite the amazing properties of the shield Green Skull still staggered under the blow. Five Seconds. There was no time. Skull grabbed the still-stunned Thor and leaped backward through the gateway just as Thunder God brought his hammer down for another blow.
His face was red and his veins bulged in fury Thunder God raised his hammer and pointed it at the two as they disappeared through the energy of the gateway. Lightning just began to issue from his hammer when the explosion rocked the converted White House. Even the terrible Thunder God was blown aside his hair singeing as he became enveloped in white hot flames. General America barely had time to crouch behind his field to avoid the worst of the blast. Most of their soldiers weren't so lucky.
Avengers Mansion Grounds, Earth 963
The Avengers panted fiercely, except Bruce who was laying limply aside, still drugged up. "We should destroy this gateway now before they find some way to trace its signal back to our dimension. Widow nodded and immediately shut the power off to the gateway.
"No!" Skull shouted as he maneuvered himself out from under Thor. "How am I supposed to get back home?"
"Surely you understand we cannot risk our entire dimension so that you can get back home." Widow said to him as she began to dismantle the equipment.
"I risked my life to get you here!" Skull stammered out.
"I am sure there is another solution, one we can safely explore, but for now Widow is right, we need to minimize our risks until we can regroup. I am sure we will find a way to get your home. You just need to be patient."
"Be patient? I have a daughter back there and in case you didn't notice she is being hunted by the worst villains either of our worlds have ever known! I have to get back to her, I cannot abandon her to the Masters of Vengeance!"
"Easy," Widow said quietly.
"We will find a way."
"Rrrah!" Thor bellowed suddenly and smashed the gateway they had made with his lightning-encased hammer. The Green Skull flinched. Thor struck the machine again and again until finally Cap said something.
"Okay, Thor, you took care of it, it's over," Cap said quietly but firmly. Skull was surprised to see Thor listening to Cap and stopped, bowing his head silently and staring absently at the mass of wrecked metal and wires before him. Cap pat the god on the shoulder, Thor didn't seem to notice.
Cap turned to the rest of the Avengers, "Well done team, get some rest." With that Cap made his way out of the little shelter they had made over the gateway and into the mansion. It was dark and quiet, and even seemed cold despite the summer warmth, without Jarvis there to greet him with a smile and a warm drink. "Widow, can you make sure that the Green Skull is given a room? I'll come back and take care of Banner."
Like a zombie he made his way toward his room, his mind was a million miles away, back in that backward dimension. There was no way he could become like General America, could he? The more he questioned it the more it bothered him and the more his mind seemed to swirl around the question worrying it like a wild animal worries a wound with licking. He couldn't stop his mind from returning to it no matter how much he tried.
He opened the door, tossed the shield onto his bed, and rubbed his eyes. Almost a full minute passed before he noticed it. The picture of Bucky he kept on his mirror was missing, he glanced around the room to look for it. It was a disaster. His pillows and bed were slashed as if by a knife, and so were the curtains on his window. For the second time this week, his room was completely destroyed. But if he had been in the Masters' dimension and they had been there with him then who had done it?
He had some big questions to ask Banner whenever he came out of his drugged-up stupor. He headed back outside to collect his skinny friend.
The Great American House, Washington DC, USA, Universe ?
The Iron Master saw the smoke still coming out of the windows as he circled around the former White House. Things had gone to hell. The General had called him in one hell of a state, evidently he was covered in burns and they were slow to heal. Dark clouds swirled above him and winds whipped the trees about below. Thunder God must be in a foul mood.
Iron Master landed in front of the General's headquarters and his faceplate lifted to reveal the face of Tony Stark beneath. A pair of American-themed soldiers opened the doors for him and he stalked down the hall until finally arriving at the center of the destruction. Their dimensional gateway room. It was as he had feared.
"I take it the Avengers had some help," Stark said to the General. The broad-shouldered super soldier was standing silently staring at teh melted heap of metal and plastic that had been their gateway.
"It was that damn Counter Force," the General finally snapped. "It was them that helped those damned Avengers."s
"I will splatter their brains with my hammer," Thunder God proclaimed loudly as he floated down from outside through a hole in the ceiling he and Smash had made.
"We will destroy them soon enough," Stark agreed. "Though they've never been this bold, and wouldn't have been without the Avengers."
"It's the Avengers I want to kill first," the General picked up a chunk of still-smoldering equipment and then tossed it aside in frustration. "They destroyed our beautiful dimensional gateway."
"We'll just call up that weirdo Strange again and make another," Thunder God said dismissively.
"We won't have that arrogant fool Richards to help us this time," Stark sounded a little worried.
"I'm sure your genius will be enough," the General said determinedly.
"We'll get the gate rebuilt and this time we'll bring our entire army down on their heads before they even know we've found them!" Iron Master declared.
"And I will kill the Green Skull personally while his daughter watches!"
"We will show them why we are called the Masters of Vengeance!" Thunder God declared with them, hoisting his hammer high over his head.
END
Author's Note: That is the end of the Masters of Vengeance Arc, but rest assured that they will be back, there is a reason the whole first volume (a planned 13 issues) is called the Masters of Vengeance. Next arc is called "Fallout" where the Avengers deal with all the recent messes that have been created recently, trying to get Tony out of prison, figuring out who threw Banner into the portal, and Banner is anxious to get away from his teammates in fear that they may do the same thing to him as the Masters of Vengrance did to Smash. Plus half the team is still in recovery in the hospital and what exactly is Green Skull supposed to do with himself?
