Avengers: Wreckage
Chapter 20
Olivia Stane did know more, but sadly not as much as she would have liked. She called the team in for a briefing, the young woman looking surprisingly serious as she said, "It looks like we and the LA Police Department got played."
"The robberies and even the SHIELD raid were a distraction to hit a Stark lab?" Carol Danvers guessed, the blond woman sitting at the table with Thunderstrike and Jennifer Swensen.
"That's the opinion the police have," Olivia agreed, "in fact, there were four minor superhuman attacks that day, two here, one in the mid-west and one in New York, all of which drew the superheroes and cops attention."
Jennifer frowned as the red haired engineer noted, "That must have been a bitch to pull off."
"If they were shooting for the attacks to hit at the same time they failed," Olivia noted, "but they managed to pull them off within hours of each other."
Thunderstrike leaned forward, still in her heroic identity because she just returned to base after finishing her patrol. "Have the police gotten anything out of the guys we captured?" she asked.
"Not that they'll admit," Carol said, having talked to them in her other job as a newspaper reporter. "Apparently every costume involved was hired by a middle man, they never met the guy in charge," she said.
Olivia nodded, "I've been very generous to certain politicians this year, and I got a bit more information through political channels."
"You mean you bribed people," Jennifer noted disapprovingly.
"Whatever works," Olivia shrugged. She looked serious, "The guys doing the hiring are turning up dead, found in various cities."
"Someone's cleaning up loose ends," Thunderstrike guessed.
"One of them got smart and turned himself in," Olivia said, "but he hasn't much useful to say, either. Whoever hired him called themselves 'the Master Planner' and wore a hood and robe, so he couldn't tell much about him."
"Or her,"Carol offered, "could be a woman."
"Any idea what they stole?" Jennifer asked.
"The police don't know and SHIELD isn't saying," Olivia sounded disgusted.
"I've got some contacts from my days in intelligence," Carol offered, "I've already put the word out. Hopefully someone who owes me a favor can tell me."
"Thanks," Thunderstrike grinned.
"I'm not going to tell you what to do," Olivia said, "but I would suggest staying on high alert, in case the weapons do turn up."
"Agreed," Carol said. She got up, stretching, "Now, I have to go shake some trees and see if anyone I know locally can help."
Thunderstrike got up, looking a bit sheepish. "I just finished a architectural job, and a friend invited me out to celebrate," she said, "will that be a problem?"
"Can you leave your pager on?" Jennifer suggested.
"Will do," Thunderstrike agreed, then the black haired woman hurried out.
"Think it's a date?" Olivia asked, smiling impishly.
"Connie will be disappointed when she hears that," Jennifer noted, knowing how sweet the office worker was on Jackie.
"Don't tell her," Olivia suggested, "the last time she got upset the coffee suffered for weeks."
Carol snickered softly as she was getting a cold water from the fridge before she left, turning something over in her mind. 'Master Planner,' she mused, 'I'm sure I've heard it somewhere before.' A conversation came to mind and she sat up, "I got it!"
"Got what?" Jennifer asked curiously.
"I knew I heard of the Master Planner before," Carol explained, "he's a Spider-Man villain. A guy called Big Man was the first one, and the Green Goblin used the identity too."
"That's interesting," Olivia mused, looking thoughtful. "So there might be a Spider-Man connection to this, somewhere."
"Or it might just be someone else who's heard similar stories," Carol admitted.
"Either way, it's somewhere to start," Jennifer mused. She got up, "We'll see you later, then. Be careful and good luck on your search."
"You too," Carol said as she took the elevator to the roof then in a burst of almost invisible power soared off into the afternoon sun.
Meanwhile, in another part of the city Jackie Lukas had returned to her small apartment building, changing in a nearby alley from her Thunderstrike identity. She changed into casual but nice clothes, put on a bit of makeup and met her neighbor Amy Ray before the two headed out to celebrate her achievement.
Across town in a office complex emptied by the dot com crash, the underground server rooms were finding a new use. Dr. Carolyn Trainer smiled as she ran a hand through her newly dyed red hair, the beautiful woman dressed in a form fitting body suit of dark green. Her brown eyes were intent as she studied the crates that were piled up around the room, each bearing the insignia of SHIELD along with Stark Enterprises.
"If she finds out, we're going to be in deep shit," Morgan Stark said, the brown haired young woman standing nearby.
"Amora has been somewhat preoccupied lately," Carolyn noted mildly, "and while the cat's away, the mice will play." Much more briskly she asked her, "Have any of the men you hired figured out what's going on?"
"No," Morgan said seriously, "even the ones who dealt with you in person just saw the Master Planner." She frowned as she added, "Did you have to kill all the middlemen, too? It's going to make hiring anyone else harder."
Carolyn gave the woman a scornful look, "Use your brain, woman. Even if they didn't see my face they could still have enough information to be dangerous." She smiled slightly, "Besides, pawns in the game are meant to be sacrificed."
'They're not pawns they're people,' Morgan thought, but didn't say aloud. "Did you get what you wanted from the raid?" he asked.
"Yes," Carolyn smirked. "Stark may claim he's out of the weapons game, but his armored suit business more than makes up for it."
Morgan's eyes widened, "You got...?"
"Three Guardsman armors, bound for the Vault prison," Carolyn said, "along with repair materials which we could upgrade those Mandroids we stole, too."
"That's enough power to take over a small country," Morgan murmured.
"Tempting," Carolyn admitted, "but doing that would get the attention of people like the Avengers." She smiled, "No, I have a much better idea."
"Oh?" Morgan asked.
"Need to know," Carolyn told her, "besides, don't you need to be keeping an eye on your mistress's criminal empire?"
"Right," Morgan admitted, heading towards the elevator. She couldn't drop off the map too long, or her bodyguards would tell Amora. "We're partners, Carolyn," she said as she stepped in the box, "don't do anything without telling me."
"Of course," Carolyn smiled as she disappeared.
As the elevator rose Morgan bit her lip, feeling more than a bit of anxiety over this partnership. 'What do I do?' she thought, 'If Amora finds out I betrayed her, she'll kill me.' And, she knew, if she tried to turn on Carolyn she'd try to murder her, too.
Walking through the deserted building to the car waiting out front, Morgan decided all she could do was wait for the inevitable conflict to happen. If Carolyn won, her new loyalty to the woman would save her. If Amora won, Morgan would claim to have been infiltrating Carolyn's gang for her. It was thin, but it might just work...
In her underground lair, Carolyn smiled as she studied a image of Morgan being driven away. She could easily imagine what was going through the weasel's mind, but it didn't bother her. She knew exactly how loyal he was to her and just how far her could be counted on, and once he stopped being useful she'd have him killed.
Carolyn found it amusing, how often she was underestimated because she was a woman. Somehow people didn't expect her to mastermind plots like this, not to mention her willingness to kill if needed. A innocent face and a sweet smile, and the harshest judges didn't read her file close enough to realize she'd kill them if she could.
Even Amora underestimated her. Did the Enchantress seriously believe she would be willing to be someone's tool? If she did Carolyn was deeply disappointed in the other woman's intelligence. Then again she might have been getting her data from that fool Morgan, which would explain a lot.
With a mental command Carolyn summoned her extra arms, the four steel limbs crawling to her then locking onto the attachment points on her costume. She sighed happily as she felt the full link kick in, the arms dancing gracefully around her. The arms were physical power and she hated to be parted from them, even though she knew she couldn't wear them outside.
"Hush, my pretty," Carolyn purred as she stroked the rounded head of one of the tentacles, "you know I love you four the best."
Unlike Otto Octavius, Doctor Octopus. He had left her in jail, abandoning her like a broken toy when she was no more use to him. She had given him her body, her heart and her devotion, and he had repaid her with nothing. Bleakly she remembered tear fulled nights in the jail, waiting, hoping... and it was all for nothing.
In a burst of sudden fury her tentacles lashed out, stabbing and tearing at a old table, left there by some previous user. A few blows reduced it to kindling, then the laser emitters built into the end of each arm burned it to ash.
"Thank you, dear ones," Carolyn stroked each arm, then kissed the still warm ends tenderly. "My pretty ones, it isn't time for our revenge. But soon," she smiled coldly, "Otto, New York and that damned Spider Man will all pay."
In another part of town Carol Danvers returned to her apartment after a long days work. Calling up friends and even the occasional enemy in the intelligence community hadn't paid off, except for a tidbit from Logan. Apparently Tony Stark was VERY upset over the theft, even getting involved personally with the search.
About to open her door Carol paused, realizing some of the near invisible tells she left were gone. Someone had tampered with the door, though it was impossible to tell how. Deciding to take the bull by the hons she kicked the door open and dove inside, ducking behind a corner as she scanned the room .
"As capable as advertized," the brown haired woman said, sitting in a chair opposite the door and dressed in the form fitting jumpsuit of a SHIELD agent.
Carol straightened up, frowning, "What the hell are you doing in my home?"
"I guess we haven't been introduced," the woman said as she stood up, offering her hand, "My name is Maria Hill, I'm the current director of SHIELD."
To be continued....