Author's Note: Alright, back in the saddle with this bad boy! I know this story's been getting some love lately, but please refrain from sending me your "do this, do that" lists. You can certainly pose ideas… but just a couple at a time, please!


Everything was fine… until it wasn't! The Avengers have been struck down by a mysterious virus with only Iron Man able to stand! But can he resist the incoming government forces, seeking to do the team in for good? And just who is this Senator Rusk, spearheading efforts against the Avengers? Stick around, true believers, there's no turning back! This situation is a-

Chapter 47: Code Red

A crowd of panicked civilians gathered just beyond a police barricade surrounding New York City's town hall. They were being kept at a safe distance, fearing the terror that lay within.

In the central foyer, the mayor and his staff were on their knees, held hostage by a cadre of seven sinister attackers who made their demands loud and clear to those outside.

"We are the Living Bombs! You value your lives, but we no longer value ours! Therefore there is nothing we will not do, no goal we will not achieve, so long as you tremble before the threat of death!" Each of the seven was dressed in a mechanical harness wired up to an explosive attached to their chests. The detonator was situated in each of their hands, with no other weapons available. They needed none, the threat of a life-ending explosion enough to ensure they did not need to fight.

"W-What do you want? I'll pay anything!" The Mayor begged them.

"You will pay. With your very life!" One of the terrorists exclaimed. "Your time as mayor has been nothing but ruinous, and we, the Living Bombs, will ensure that the people of the city will enjoy a brighter tomorrow!"

"The Living Bombs? Seriously? Do you have any idea how corny that sounds?" A womanly voice wondered with a snicker. The terrorists looked around, startled by the new voice. The mayor and his aides looked to, hopeful that help had arrived. "Ohhhh, wait, did you come up with that in the insane asylum? Because you really should've thought it over a bit longer while you were in your padded room."

"What the-… Where's that voice coming from?!" One of the women shrieked.

"Ahem. Turn around." Heeding the voice, she did so, finding herself staring at a pint-sized heroine hovering before her eyes, her golden wings a blur of motion. "Hi." Wasp said with a smile.

"GAH!" The woman recoiled, and seconds after the rooftop skylight shattered as a man in grey and black dropped into the room. The Living Bombs recognized them both instantly.

"Avengers…! Cybernaut and the Wasp!" Another gasped.

"That's our names, don't wear 'em out!" Connor remarked as he stood tall. "Now how about you all play nice and back away from the mayor?"

"Don't take another step, Avengers!" A ginger-haired man commanded as he stepped to the forefront. "Approach at your own peril! The moment I release this switch in my hand, fifty pounds of explosive will detonate and reduce everyone in this room to fire and ash!"

"Someone's chomping at the bit." Wasp remarked, hands on her hips. Cybernaut shifted his footing ever so slightly.

"Why don't you all calm down and actually explain your demands? From what I heard, you stormed in here with all kinds of furious threats without a word otherwise." He suggested, eyes darting back and forth between the bomb on his chest and the detonator trigger in his hand.

"Words are meaningless when it comes to him." The ringleader-apparent sneered with a gesture to the cowering mayor. "His kind never listens to the likes of us. The only way to get any point across is with a display of force."

"Hmm…" Wasp hummed, seemingly pondering his sense of logic. Her boyfriend shot her a curious look.

"Jan?"

"Come on, we do the same thing with supervillains all the time." She replied. Connor shrugged.

"Eh I guess you're right." He added. "So, do me a favour and whip them into a tizzy, would you?"

"You got it!" Darting ahead, Janet flew up and over the Living Bombs, buzzing around them in an unpredictable pattern that had the terrorists shifting their feet nervously as they tracked her movements. "Over here! Oh, nope, up here now! Coming in hot! Watch your toes!" She did not attack them, merely flying around overhead and putting them all on edge with her unpredictable flight pattern. Anxious and on edge, they threatened to trigger their detonators, but Wasp made no moves to attack them which complied with their warnings. It was only enough to gain their attention, which was exactly what Cybernaut wanted.

The ringleader whirled around, watching Wasp live up to her namesake as she swarmed around the rest of his crew. "Freeze, Avenger!" He called out, holding out his detonator trigger, "One more false move from you and I'll-" All of a sudden, a hand wrapped around his chest and hand, holding him in place.

"You're not gonna do anything." Cybernaut growled. The moment his fingers came in contact with the technology involved, his mind was racing. Code and data flooded his cortex, converting numbers into tangible understanding as he read, learned and copied how their titular bombs functioned in the span of a few seconds.

He released the ringleader, his mind on fire with potential as every one of the Living Bombs came alive with a technology he could mentally command and control. He spoke to the wireless signal being bounced back and forth between detonator and trigger, interrupting the connection with a singular thought. "You fool!" The ringleader cried, pressing the trigger.

Nothing happened. For a few deathly seconds, a thick tension hung in the air. A fiery explosion of doom and destruction never came.

"What?" He exclaimed in surprise.

"Your mistake for using wireless triggers." Connor remarked, drawing one of his irons and clobbering him in the head in order to knock him out cold. He branched out with his powers and promptly interrupted the connections in the bombs in the rest of the would-be terrorists. "Drop 'em all, Jan!" He called, summoning the rest of his irons. His girlfriend wasted no time unloading biostings into the Living Bombs closest to her, taking down men and women with point-blank shots between the eyes. Cybernaut went after those closest to him, using his magnets to send his irons flying just fast enough so a hit to the temple would knock them out cold… and with six projectiles at his disposal, the work was done very quickly.

Soon all seven of the Living Bombs lay unconscious on the ground and Connor took ginger care using his magnets to slip the detonator triggers from their loose fingers. The mayor and his aides finally stood, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Avengers! A thousand times thank you! How can we ever repay you?" The grateful Mayor implored them, shaking Connor's hand aggressively.

"Your successful survival is payment enough. Although you may want to dissect the grievances of the people a little more zealously from now on." The technopath responded. "Police have a bomb squad outside, we'll bring them in here to defuse these crazies." He turned as Janet swooped in to hover near his face.

"Smooth move back there, Cyber-stud." She complimented, pecking him on the tip of nose. Connor grinned at the microscopic kiss.

"We can exchange praises later. We should make sure this was all of them first." He suggested.

"Right. I'll start high, you go low." Janet agreed, darting off to explore the grounds from an higher altitude. Connor started walking, leaving the room as he let his senses wander. With the techno-signature freshly imprinted on his mind, he was looking for more evidence of other Living Bomb members.

However, the moment he entered the Mayor's abandoned office, his senses came alive as a mass of technology was revealed somewhere close by.

Then came the instinctive reflex of his shields raising, which just so happen to trap an object within them at that very second.

Less than an inch from his arm, Cybernaut hastily reached for the area around his bicep and felt something solid and metallic. Lowering his shields and taking it between two fingers, he held it up to the light and was surprised to see a dart, tipped like an injection needle. Disturbed by the fact someone tried to potentially drugged him, Connor kept his head on a swivel and looked around the office, even checking the windows for an impact site. "Anything, Connor?" Wasp asked over comms. But he did not respond, to absorbed in the fact someone had just tried to inject him with something… and he couldn't figure out where they were. The techno-signature he had sensed was gone now and there was no trace of anyone having ever been here. "Connor?" Janet repeated, stirring him from his search.

"I sensed a mass of technology… somewhere close." He murmured in reply.

"Another one of these nutjobs?" Wasp asked.

"No… it's different…"

"What do you think it was?" She queried. Connor looked around the room one more time before staring at the dart in his hand, contemplating the many possibilities that confounded him.

"I don't know…" He murmured, taking a moment to pocket the dart…


Connor had pushed the matter from his mind by the time the Living Bombs had been rounded up and carted off while he and Janet returned to Avengers Mansion. Chuckling and giggling to themselves as they entered, Janet hung off his neck and kissed her boyfriend on the lips as they slowly sauntered into the library, where Carol Danvers was reading and Clint Barton was watching television. "Well, the mayor lives another day. You should've seen these 'Living Bombs' characters. Genuinely unsettling stuff." Connor remarked as they both made to sit down on the couch.

"No trouble though, right?" Carol wondered.

"None at all." Janet hummed, splaying out on the couch as she eased her head into Connor's lap. "I just got them waving their arms and Conny shut them all down with a snap of his fingers." She recalled in a rather dreamy tone, one hand reaching up to stroke her boyfriend's cheek. "Ol' Cyber-stud worked his magic again." Connor clasped her hand and smiled down at her.

"Couldn't have done it without my little Waspie." He complimented as bent over and the two met in the middle for a quick smooch.

"Ugh. Get a room you two." Clint grumbled.

"We have one." Janet retorted.

"Then go there to suck face so you quit ruining my screen time." Clint complained.

"Oh relax, Clint." Carol snickered.

"You relax, Major. You mean to tell me you don't have a problem with a rom-com unfolding in front of you?" The surly archer retorted. "We're a superhero team, not a speed-dating company."

"And we are not a rom-com!" Janet retorted defensively. "Come on, Hawkeye. We're great for public relations! People see that the Avengers are normal and can have relationships as well as anyone else. Prove we're normal and approachable." She suggested. Clint shot her a sideways look.

"That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard to makeout in public. Go find a house party where you'll blend in better." He grumbled in retort.

"Geez, someone got up on the wrong side of bed." Connor remarked, idly stroking Janet's hair. "We're gonna have to start calling you 'the angry archer' if you keep this up." At that, Carol snickered.

"Oh I can see the headlines now." She said in a teasing tone.

"Shut up." Clint groaned, throwing his head back against the seat.

As the archer struggled in his 3-on-1 calamity, elsewhere in the mansion, Iron Man and Captain America engaged in a rigorous training exercise that pitted the two Avengers against each other. In the background, Iron Man had the news playing, this particular broadcast including a press conference held by Secretary of Defence Dell Rusk… the politician on a tirade about none other than superheroes.

"The Avengers! Some may call them 'heroes' but they're nothing more than a super-powered arm working above the laws of our government! They present a clear danger to hard-working American citizens and I will be keeping a close eye on them-"

"That's it! I'm crossing Dell Rusk off the Christmas card list." Iron Man gruffly determined as he paused the broadcast on a close-up of Rusk's mug.

"Iron Man!" Cap's sudden shout was enough of a warning for the golden gladiator to swerve in midair before the supersoldier's shield whizzed past him. "Keep your head in the game!"

"You're telling me not to multi-task?" Tony retorted as he fired off a pair of repulsor blasts. "Yeah, not gonna happen." Captain America rolled ahead, dodging the explosive impacts as he sprang to his feet and caught his shield, breaking into a sprint.

"Don't worry about Dell Rusk. Politicians come and do, the work we do lives on." He stated, hurling his discus again. Executing a backflip, Tony dodged with a grace only his finely-tuned aerial navigation could accomplish.

"Heh. If I said something like 'the work we do lives on', it would sound corny." He remarked. "But coming from you, it's so natural." Steve caught his shield on the rebound and deflected another pair of repulsor blasts, vaulting over the next volley just as Iron Man swooped in and closed the gap. Hurling his shield with all his mind, the armored Avenger rocketed overtop and managed to land a stiff uppercut as Cap's shield bounced off the walls of the training room.

"I'm full of surprises." He said with a smirk before somersaulting backwards. The groan of strained metal drew the golden gladiator's attention overhead, just in time to see a piece of machinery come plummeting down… knocked loose by Cap's expertly-thrown shield.

Boosting backwards on instinct, Iron Man avoided the delay blow only to ram into the wall behind, miscalculating his proximity. Collapsing to the floor with a groan, Tony popped open his mask and chuckled as Captain America beat him again.

"See if this surprises you; the Avengers need a new leader. Officially." He said. Steve quirked a brow.

"What are you saying?" He asked as he helped his ally to his feet.

"I formed the Avengers to get a job done. But there was something missing, until you came along." Tony explained. "It took a while for you to catch up to the twenty-first century, but now that you're here, you are the face of the Avengers. You're the leader we need." Momentarily awestruck by his words, Steve feel silent, unsure of how to respond to Tony. Leading the Avengers, renown heroes praised and respected around the globe, was not an easy task and neither was the choice to decide a leader. Clearly Tony had given this some thought. The simple fact that he had chosen him, Steve Rogers, was a humbling honor.

"Tony, I… don't know what to say." He murmured.

"Start with 'yes' and we'll go from there." Tony proffered, extending his hand.

Before Cap could shake it, a violent explosion threw the two heroes from their feet.

A hiss of escaping gases caught their attention just before a cloud of blood-orange began expounding from the vents around the training room, flooding the space at an alarming rate. Acting quickly, Tony closed his helmet and sealed off his armor, activating air scrubbers to make sure his suit was secured against the now-contaminated environment. The foreign particulate was so thick Steve disappeared from visual sight.

"Warning. Toxicity levels of gaseous emissions are threatening armor integrity." JARVIS cautioned.

"I'm fine, JARVIS! What about Cap?!" Tony demanded. Before the AI could answer, Cap stumbled out of the clouds coughing and wheezing, collapsing into Iron Man's arms as his shield fell from his grip and clattered to the ground. Tony tried to help his friend to his feet, only to discover a horrifying transformation was gripping Captain America. This substance was darkening his skin to a faded shade of crimson, drawing his skin taught against his face in order to take on a gaunt, withered appearance… like a skull…

A red skull…

Tony was left speechless for a moment. The sudden shock at what this gas was doing suddenly filled in a great many blanks… all of the answers leading to a single terrible conclusion. This was no accident; it was an attack. A biological attack on Avengers Mansion. Not just Captain America, but the rest of the Avengers in the building were in grave danger.

Tony began investigating the situation, tapping into the Mansion's subsystems via JARVIS. He discovered the gas had made its way outside, infecting any civilians who happened to be on the same block as Avengers Mansion. Making a mental checklist, Tony scooped up Steve in his arms and took flight, rocketing out of the training room and down corridors as he barked out more commands,

"JARVIS, prep the infirmary, seal the mansion, initiate security lockdown and patch me through to Thor." A link was quickly established to the Asgardian's ID card and soon an image of the blonde helmeted thunder god appeared on Tony's HUD. "Thor, do you read me? We've got a situation at the mansion." He hurriedly explained. It didn't take long for the thunder god's gaze to turn wide, aghast by the sight he was witnessing outside the mansion.

"What madness is this?!" He exclaimed.

"That cloud is toxic. Get rid of it before all of Manhattan is exposed." Tony swiftly ordered. Thor nodded.

"Consider it done, my friend." He promised as the comm-link closed. Still rocketing through the sublevel halls, Iron Man made a beeline for the infirmary. There, Black Panther, Wasp, and Cybernaut were waiting for him having prepped one of the medical beds for Cap. Ambient monitors wired into the bed itself began to display the supersoldier's vital readings… and they were not positive numbers.

"Body temperature is at one-hundred-and-four and climbing. And his heart is beating erratically." Black Panther gravely observed.

"That's not good." Cybernaut muttered.

"He doesn't have long, guys." Wasp said worriedly.

"He's not the only one." Iron Man added, armored hands clenching the edge of the bed. "We don't know how many of us were exposed." He wracked his mind for a possible solution to this. "JARVIS, analysis on this virus? Anything in your databanks?"

"Nothing sir." His AI responded negatively.

At that moment, Captain America tried to pick himself up, the first time since he'd been infected. Every effort was a struggle, and his fellow Avengers could tell it was a strain on his weakened body. "Easy, pal. Try not to move." Tony prompted him, trying to ease Steve back down. The captain's eyes, now dark and lacking their normal bright lustre, turned to look at his friend. He managed a look of horror.

"Oh… Oh no… Not this…" he rasped, seeing his disfigured face reflected in Iron Man's chest plate. "Not him." Panther and Cybernaut exchanged confused looks at Steve's choice of words.

Their silent trains of thought were broken when Janet swayed in place, raising a hand to her forehead. "I don't… feel so hot…" She moaned, suddenly very unsteady on her feet.

"Jan?" A worried Connor was by her side in seconds, just in time for Janet to collapse into his arms. "Jan!" He cried out as he lifted her up. She did not respond, seemingly unconscious, and lay limply in his arms. "Oh… Oh no." Connor murmured anxiously as he realized she had fallen victim to the toxin too. He eased her body onto a bed adjacent to Captain America, his eyes wide with concern.

"Connor, look." Much to his horror, as he followed Tony's instruction, Janet's skin tone changed before his eyes. The heroine, once pale like porcelain, was now a faded shade of crimson with the skin of her face drawn taught. She looked just as sickly as Cap, but in the span of a few seconds. Connor stumbled back, hands trembling as he looked upon his girlfriend aghast.

"It may be just a matter of time for us all." Black Panther grimly determined. "Not to mention anyone exposed on the streets outside."

"We need samples from both of them. From there, we may be able to use them to synthesize an antidote." Iron Man commanded. The trio followed suite and started gathering the necessary materials to collect blood samples… only to be interrupted by JARVIS.

"Sir, incoming call." The AI informed Tony. "Secretary of Defence Rusk on secured channel alpha." The three Avengers balked at the announcement.

"Rusk? He wants to talk now?" Tony exclaimed, incredulous. A second later, the infirmary comms-monitor flashed to life as the stern-faced Dell Rusk appaeared before the trio.

"You Avengers have finally crossed the line. Storing dangerous biotech weapons in the heart of Manhattan? This is precisely what I've been talking about." He sharply accused.

"Mister Secretary, we were attacked-" Tony tried to explain only to be interrupted,

"Tell that to the American people, Stark." Rusk retorted. "This incident confirms what I've been telling them all along; the Avengers cannot be trusted. Now I'm shutting you down until further notice."

"You know we can't do that." Tony retorted defiantly. "As for this incident, we just need time to-"

"Wrong answer." Rusk interrupted again. "The die is cast. I'm officially taking matters into my own, more capable, hands." Connor frowned, having had enough of Rusk's bullying ways. The technopath knew the truth, all the Avengers did, but he for one wasn't about to be pushed around on the basis of a lie.

"You know, it's real fishy you called right this moment. Here you are, ranting and raving about us in every possible press conference, but never once did you ever contact us. Now this happens and, for the very first time, you have the gall to get ahold of us." He growled, stepping into the frame. Rusk's eyes narrowed.

"Listen here-"

"No! You listen and listen good, you political toady!" Connor snapped, jamming a finger at the face on the screen. "My girl is suffering from this stuff… so if I find out you had anything to do with it, anything at all… you better hope your doctor is good at nosejobs." He threatened. Taking a brief second to savor Rusk's expression, Connor used his powers to shut out communications link and then some. "Blocked out the signal. No more irritating messages out of him." He said, explaining the black screen.

"Well if he wasn't hopping mad before, he will be now." Iron Man remarked.

"I don't care. We've got people to save." Connor muttered in response.

"Connor is correct." T'Challa occurred as he moved to help his friend gather the necessary tools and materials to continue their medical study. "And yet… it appears you have not suffered any ill effects from the toxin." He couldn't help but observe. The technopath paused, looking over his still-pale skin.

"And yet I'm as exposed as Jan is…" He murmured, glancing at his exposed flesh that had not changed color. "I dunno, Panther. But let's worry about that later."

With syringes available, the three withdrew samples of blood from their crippled teammates and moved it into study vials. They took them to a nearby medical lab where the most advanced equipment Stark Industries could manufacture and/or urchase was made available to them.

"Let's get these samples into the accelerator for analysis. Rusk isn't giving us much time." Tony urged as Connor fired up the device while Panther inserted the sample tubes. Readings soon began to flash on holographic screens, revealing what information could be gleaned.

"The Wasp is fading fast, though Captain America is showing signs of resistance." Black Panther observed while Cybernaut's shoulders visibly slumped. "Maybe the supersoldier serum in his blood." T'Challa theorized.

"Sir, an armored division has cordoned off the area. And the Mansion's security systems are being hacked from the outside." JARVIS suddenly announced, taking Tony by surprise.

"And the bad news keeps on coming." Cybernaut grumbled.

"Hacked? I wrote those programs personally!" Tony exclaimed.

"A troop transport is landing on the front lawn as we speak." JARVIS added.

"He's sending in troops? To do what, arrest us?" Tony questioned in bewilderment.


Up above, on the ground level of Avengers Mansion, the main doors were blown wide open by a forceful explosion. As the dust and rubble settled, a trio of individuals entered through the gaping hole, all of them wearing rebreather equipment. One of which was none other than Doctor Leonard Samson himself, accompanied by the bird-themed superhuman Hawkeye once fought… as well as a man in tactical gear and a metallic left arm, carrying a rocket launcher, who was best known by the code name Winter Soldier.

"Code Red team. You have your objectives." He stated with militant crispness. "Now move out-"

"I hope you guys have your invitations handy," a feminine voice interrupted. The team of three looked up to see Miss Marvel floating down from the ceiling, her fists cloaked in golden photonic energy, "because we don't let just anyone in here." In response, Winter Soldier raised his launcher.

"Here's my invitation." He retorted, firing a warhead that struck Carol dead in the chest. The blonde was pitched back with a cry, her body cracking a bannister on impact before she fell. To the ground. She managed, however, to land on her feet albeit out of breath and appearing slightly winded.

"I don't fall that easily." Miss Marvel remarked, fists raised and ready to fight.

"We'll see about that." Doc Samson replied, closing the gap between them and landing a haymaker that sent Carol flying into a nearby decorative column…


Lapsing in and out of consciousness, Captain America finally came to as distant rumbles announced the brawl unfolding in the upper levels of the Mansion. Steve felt awful. He felt like he was burning up while his skin simultaneously dried out. It was sapping every ounce of strength from his body and he knew he was dying. His thoughts drifted to the countless times he'd seen this affliction smite men on the same battlefield as him. He couldn't even comfort them as they died, for fear of spreading th unknown affliction. Now, he knew it all too well, and refused to stand by while it tried to take his team from him. "I can't just sit this out." He rasped, forcing himself to get up. It took every ounce of effort he could muster just to sit on the edge of the medical bed.

On the bed beside him, Wasp stirred. "Cap… they're already working on the antidote." She said weakly. "Besides… you're not going anywhere without me." Despite her determination, Wasp's body was not up to the task. She made a valiant effort to rise and stand, only to stumble and just about collapse from the effort.

"Wasp, no." Steve insisted, rising to his feet and catching her before she could fall. "Stand down, soldier. You need to rest." He said, easing Wasp back into her bed. It was only thanks to his supersoldier serum that Steve remained standing.

"You should heed your own advice. You look terrible." A new voice announced. Captain America's head shot straight up to see none other than the Winter Soldier standing in the doorway of the infirmary. He had his rocket launcher aimed downrange. "And certainly in no condition to deal with me."

Steve frowned, analyzing the situation. It was one of these rare moment where he was actually grateful for Tony's excessive use of technology. "Luckily I don't have to… JARVIS?"

"Overriding security lockdown. Initiating interior defence systems." The AI replied. Panels in the walls shot open to deploy remote-controlled tendrils that snared Winter Soldier's rocket launcher, ripping it in half with mechanical strength. The agent rolled under the tendrils, springing to his feet as he drew two pistols holstered on his belt. With deft aim, he shot out one of the tendrils before he sprang up and over the other reaching tendril, shooting it as he landed on his feet.

Captain America stood rooted as he bore witness to the display of agility and athleticism. He was stunned, riveted. There was only one man he knew of who could move with such speed and agility.

"Where did you learn… to move like that…?" He rasped. Winter Soldier said nothing as he stowed his pistols away, leaving Cap to wonder.

"Now it's your turn." Whirling around, he pitched a haymaker that struck Steve between the eyes. In his weakened state, Cap stood no chance…


Oblivious to the plight of their ally, Iron Man, Cybernaut, and Black Panther were using the data gleaned from Wasp and Cap's blood samples to attempt the synthesis of an antidote. Unfortunately, all of their testing was going nowhere as one compound combination failed the testing procedure. "C'mon… C'mon! We need that antidote!" Iron Man growled as another algorithm combination was corrupted.

"Yes. It is taking… more time than anticipated." Black Panther said tiredly. He paused, one hand clutching his head as he struggled to stay steady, a motion that did not go unnoticed.

"T'Challa? Buddy, you okay?" Cybernaut asked, leaving his work to stand by his friend.

"I am fine." Panther rasped as he steadied himself. Reaching for his mask, he tugged it up and off his head… revealing crimson skin stretchy thinly across his face.

"Oh no… not you too." Iron Man sighed. Once his face was freed, T'Challa stumbled, Connor catching him and easing him to the ground where he knelt beside his comatose friend.

"Looks like someone needs a doctor." A voice remarked from the doorway.

Iron Man turned to see the green-haired Leonard Samson, leaning against the wall. Cybernaut looked up and frowned. "Oh great. A wild stooge has appeared." He muttered.

"Samson? Are you actually working for Rusk?!" Iron Man exclaimed. "I thought you were smarter than that!"

"Guess this doctor is a quack." Cybernaut growled.

"I'm under orders." Samson replied, moving towards the trio.

"JARVIS, some privacy, please." Tony quickly commanded.

"Acknowledged." At once, a heavy door slammed down to cut off Samson from the medical lab. 10 inches of solid steel separated them, which promptly resounded with a clang as Samson threw a punch on the other side.

"That'll hold him for a while." Iron Man mused. Another CLANG and the tiniest dent appeared in the door. "I hope."

"With any luck it'll hold long enough for us to figure something out." Cybernaut said as he moved T'Challa onto the lab's examination bed. Letting him rest, he stumbled back to his station and resumed his work. Connor looked tired now, sweating and running out of breathe as the toxin took its toll.

"You're starting to look a little sunburnt." Tony observed, noting how red Connor's skin had gotten. His eyes had yet to change and the skin of his face had not yet thinned, but he was still showing signs of infection. "You've been exposed just as long as Panther and Wasp have been and yet you haven't even succumbed, you're just barely turning red! Panther even had protective filters in his suit and you don't. What's going on, Connor?" Iron Man questioned.

"I don't know! As far as standards go, I'm not as durable as Carol, I'm about the same as Clint and Jan as far as physicality goes." The technopath replied. "It's not like I'm different from the others-" he suddenly stopped short, the words registering on some innate level that sparked a very sudden realization. "Different." He said again, attempting to realize his thoughts. His head jerked up and he beamed. "Wait… of course. I am different!" He exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" A confused Tony queried.

"I'm a mutant. My genetic code is a bit different from you all." Connor replied. It didn't take long for Tony to realize his thought process.

"So the virus is taking longer to affect you because it's got to hurdle your mutant genes first."

"Exactly!"

"Well, that's one mystery solved."

"I think I might be on the verge of solving another." Connor continued. "Cap seemed to recognize the effects when he saw his reflection in your armor. He said 'not him'."

Tony shrugged. "So?" Connor made to explain.

"Red skin, drawn taut against bone to resemble a-"

"Skull." They both said in unison.

Tony paused, glancing back and forth between the ailing Panther and the sickly Cybernaut. Suddenly he could see it. The sickly Wakandan's face was beginning to resemble a red skull. He'd seen the documentaries, read the history books, he knew what the supreme commander of Hydra looked like. And the Avengers were well on their way to mimicking that disgusting visage. "You don't think-"

"I'm looking for historical correlations now. If I can find something I'll update JARVIS' database." Connor promised.

"When you're done, get back on the analyzer. With Panther down, I need someone else running sample tests." Iron Man ordered. At once, T'Challa's former station sprang to life as began inning more tests.

"Lucky for you I can multitask." Cybernaut said with a tired grin.


Outside the medical lab, Leonard Samson continued pounding on the door, driving hard-hitting blows into the metal. Dents were forming across the surface from the impact of his fists, but the metal had yet to bow to his strength.

"Hey doc!" Samson turned on heel and spied a weak-looking Miss Marvel approaching him. "We're not done yet." Carol growled, hands balled into fists as she drew closer.

"You can't fight off the infection much longer." Samson stated. "We're here to keep you all quarantined."

"And who's 'we'?" Carol shot back, lunging to land the first punch. But a heavy hook from Samson slammed her into a nearby wall, where she crumpled to the floor.

"You're getting sicker by the minute. I'm a doctor." Samson said. Carol loosed a huff and forced herself back to her feet.

"I don't care if you're the Surgeon General." She retorted, firing two photon blasts from her hands that pitched Samson across the hall. Miss Marvel sprang to continue, only to be belted across the face by a haymaker and then a blow to her guts that dropped her like a stone. Carol struggled to pick herself up, rasping and coughing as the disease took its toll on her body.

"Stay down." Samson ordered. But Carol ignored him, trying to crawl towards him. Samson lifted his boot, ready to slam it into her head…

"I do not recommend that."

Samson suddenly stiffed, struggling to breathe as his muscles twitched. Behind him, Vision's hand lay half-phased into the back of his head, threatening to put him into a coma that could be permanent. "Unlike my fellow organic Avengers, I am totally immune to the effects of this virus. Which means I am at full strength… and more than a match for you, Leonard Samson." The synthezoid stated in monotone. Withdrawing his hand, he landed a powerful kick to Samson's back that pitched him across the hall and slammed him into a nearby wall.

But his flurry of blows passed harmlessly through Vision's intangible form, opening him up to an immediate counterattack. A sudden energy blast from the solar gem in Vision's forehead struck his rebreather, shattering the piece of equipment and exposing the doctor to the contaminated air. "No!" Samson cried, stumbling back as he realized the grave danger he was in.

Without another word, Vision reared back and increased the density of his fist ten times over, allowing him to land a right hook so powerful it knocked Samson out cold. He lay limp on the floor as Carol picked herself up, nodding slightly in appreciation.

"Nice arm, Vision." She complimented. But then she groaned and stumbled, barely able to catch herself.

"You should sit down. The toxin is weakening you." Vision stated.

"I can't. Not when… there's more of the goon squad in the mansion…" Carol replied only to brace herself against the nearest wall.

"Rest. I will deal with them." The synthezoid responded, easing her to the ground. Tapping into his internal comms system, he linked up to the Avengers' ID card network. "Vision to Iron Man. Doctor Leonard Samson has been neutralized." He reported.

"Great work, Vision. Go help the others, there should be two more intruders." Tony responded.

"Major Danvers is just beyond the laboratory door. She is in poor health." Vision added, casting a glance at the slumped over Carol. Her skin was beginning to change color…

"We'll get her an antidote as soon as we whip one up, Viz." Connor promised on the same line.

"Understood." Vision affirmed. Taking flight, he floated upwards until he phased through the roof and disappeared from view.


Winging his way through the sublevel corridors of Avengers Mansion, the bird-themed Code Red agent flew into the same training room Iron Man and Captain America had been practicing in earlier. Rising towards the ceiling, he investigated the components found in the roof machinery, but did not spy his prize.

He dropped low, seeing a hole blasted in the wall and made to investigate the technical equipment found within. But he was stopped suddenly when-

"Looking for something?" Hawkeye questioned, an arrow fitted and pulled taut near the back of his ear. His red-white foe whirled around and the archer grinned. "Well well well, looks like facial recognition paid off." He remarked. "Sam Wilson. 'Falcon' ain't it?"

"We're here to save lives, Hawkeye." Falcon retorted. "Be smart and yours will be one of them."

Hawkeye smirked in retort. "I'm healthy enough to deal with you." Loosing an arrow, the explosive head detonated near Falcon's feet as he took flight. Hawkeye started moving, drawing another explosive arrow and letting it fly as he tracked his foe across the ceiling. Falcon retorted by hurling energized feathers at Hawkeye, his hardlight wings flashing brightly as he went on the offensive. Clint tucked and rolled as explosions rippled behind him, turning in a crouch to fire off another explosive arrow. His aim was high as Falcon dove low, screaming across the training room until he blowed into Hawkeye, knocking the archer over as he sent arrows and bow scattering across the ground.

"You Avengers don''t know when to quit, do you?" Falcon sneered as he landed opposite the downed Hawkeye. "Don't you get it? You brought this on yourself." Unwilling to take insults lying down, the archer reached out and snapped off a nearby arrowhead. He recognized the design and markings, and knew it would be an excellent tool.

Priming the head, he tossed it at his foe, the arrowhead snapping open two reveal a network of emitters that produced a high-intensity pulse. It wreaked havoc with Falcon's senses, the agent crying out in pain as his senses were overloaded by high-frequency soundwaves that knocked him out cold.

"Ultrasonic arrow. Birds hate 'em." Hawkeye remarked as the noise died down. All of a sudden, Vision materialized out of the floor and made to stand beside the fallen Falcon. "You're late."

"My apologies. It would appear you have handled the second intruder already." Vision observed.

"Falcon. And yeah, all me." Hawkeye responded as he picked himself up. Once on his feet, he pointed towards the hole in the training room wall. "He was looking for something. In there."


Tony and Connor continued to run antidote simulations, using their available algorithms to devise new ones every time a prior sequencing model failed. They lost track of how long they'd been at it, both of them determined to find a cure before time ran out for their friends and allies. Despite his best efforts to multitask, Connor was beginning to falter, the toxin gripping him tightly. His skin continued to turn a deeper shade of red, his lips felt thin and dry as they began to recede. Knowing a cure was more important, he began to concentrate on running solutions and algorithms. Until finally…

"Sir,"

"Take a message, JARVIS." Tony interjected. "This simulation's showing real progress against the toxin, Panther's out, and Vision is helping deal with Rusk's hit-squad."

"I have an encrypted signal from Hawkeye, coming from the training room." The AI continued. Connor and Tony shared matching looks of relief. At last, some good news.

"That I'll take." Tony affirmed as JARVIS established the communication link. "Hawkeye, you hanging in there?"

"Barely. But Vision and I found the reason we're in this mess." The archer responded. "It's an incendiary device with a built-in emission system." Intrigued by the development, Connor had an idea.

"Viz, can you… sync your optical feed with the comms monitor in the med lab?" He rasped.

"Accessing programming now." The android promptly replied. A nearby screen began ti flicker as Vision patched in, soon revealing a black cylindrical device in Hawkeye's hand. It appeared to be a canister equipped with all manner of technological controls.

"It caused the explosion and released the airborne toxin all at once." Hawkeye said. Connor studied it with narrowed eyes.

"That's military grade…" He realized and then looked to Tony. "You know what that means, don't you?"

"That we were set up from the getgo?" Tony replied.

"That… and we need better security, because… who knows when that was planted!" Connor added, which made sense to the billionaire.

"Hold onto it, Hawkeye. I'll do a scan and maybe we can figure out which psycho we ticked off this week." Tony ordered.

"Hold on, Stark… I've seen this kind of tech before-" Hawkeye tried to explain before a groan cut him off. The archer slumped to the ground, struggling to stay conscious as the toxin got the better of him, "from… my days as a SHIELD agent." He managed to gasp. "This device is D.O.D. all the way."

"Department of Defence." Connor repeated, sounding surprised.

"So Rusk set us up. But why?" Tony questioned aloud. "Just as an excuse to parade his second stringer strike team?"

"I'm gonna let a psychiatrist figure that out after we throw him into the nearest loony bin." Connor huffed. "Although… maybe we should send him some snapshots of the… those goons of his we've TKO'd."

"I'm gonna leave that one to you all…" Clint said weakly, slumping over until he lay on the floor. His skin was already changing color and the way the flesh of his face grew so thin and stretched as they looked on was eerily unsettling, "have fun…" With a groan, Hawkeye fell unconscious and the canister rolled away from his limp hand.

"Iron Man, Hawkeye has fallen unconscious. He is displaying similar side-effects as the other Avengers." Vision announced.

"Get him to the infirmary, Vision. As well as Miss Marvel." Iron Man ordered. The feed cut out as Connor returned to his work.

"Well… right now the only good-to-go Avengers are you, Viz, Thor, and Yellowjacket." He commented.

"I don't know where Thor is but at least we don't have to worry about him getting infected. Yellowjacket's a write-off. Hasn't even bothered to answer comms." Iron Man said bitterly. A groan answered him and he looked to see Connor bracing himself against a nearby wall. "Connor?"

"I'm not sure how much longer I can… keep this up for…" The technopath confessed, struggling to stay upright.

"Easy. We're almost done." Tony urged as he helped him sit down.

"I… gotta keep going… Wasp needs-" Connor weakly insisted,

"Take five, pal. You've earned it." Tony commanded as Connor slumped against the wall, his strength fading fast. "JARVIS, initiate final sequence on my voice command." He ordered. "Go."

"Processing." JARVIS ran through a complete test, performing the work of two men while simultaneously displaying the results. And this time, they did not come back negative. "Sir, simulations are showing full symptom withdrawal based on your last antidote formula." The AI announced. "Synthesizing now."

"Make it fast, we need it." Tony said urgently.


Outside Avengers Mansion, the armored military contingent held their position, awaiting further orders. The platoon commander sat still within a tank, watching the mansion for sign of movement. "Sir, there's been no word from the strike team sent inside." His comms officer reported from beside him.

"Mission clock's running out." The commander muttered.

"Should we move in?" The officer wondered.

"No. Not unless we received a direct order from the Secretary himself." Came the reply. "Any chatter on those channels?"

"Nothing sir. I'll keep monitoring." The officer promised, earning a nod from the commander.

Neither of them could ever know that their equipment was being remotely jammed.

Unnoticed on a nearby rooftop, a cloaked man watched the siege unfold. His features totally concealed from view, the barest flicker of cloth revealed hands wreathed in metallic blue armored gauntlets… the same gauntlets that snapped the neck of Skrull agent X'iv.

"I've done what I can, Avengers." He murmured. "The rest is up to you…"


Connor was the first to receive an injection of the newly-mixed antidote as Tony planted a pneumatic injector against his exposed bicep. "Let's hope this stuff works with your mutant genes." He murmured. It didn't take long before Connor's eyes jolted wide open and he bolted upright, as if waking from a nightmare. Seconds later, his skin returned to it's natural tanned shade, his lips full and normal as his eyes brightened. "Whew. Alright, so far so good." Tony sighed in relief.

Rising to his feet he hurried over to the stricken Black Panther with a second dose and promptly plugged it into his shoulder. The antidote worked its magic and Panther snapped out of his coma, gasping for air as his flesh darkened to its usual tone as his face returned to it's normal appearance. "Yes!" Tony whooped, pumping his fist. "JARVIS, synthesize more copies of the antidote. We need enough for each Avenger as well as the afflicted civilians outside."

"Right away, sir."

"Well, that stuff works a treat." Cybernaut mused as he stood to his feet and rolled his shoulders.

"Now we can beat this and throw it back in Rusk's face." Iron Man happily replied.

"Tony… before Hawkeye called… I found a historical match for this stuff." Connor hurried to say. "It's called the Dust of Death. It was last used during World War Two, a bunch of medical reports were declassified in the past twenty-thirty years. According to information written down by the Howling Commandos, who were with Cap, by the way, apparently only the Red Skull used it and knew how to make it. None of the Hydra goons they interrogated knew what it was made of or how to cure it." He explained.

"Great. Sounds like Rusk is in bed with Hydra." Tony muttered.

"At least we know who to blame and who to punch." Connor remarked.

Fresh antidote was whipped up and the two hurried to the infirmary. Once there, Cybernaut promptly injected Wasp who awoke from her coma as her pal or turned healthy again.

"Cap?" Iron Man called out, seeing the bed beside her empty. He looked around the otherwise empty infirmary, seeing no sign of the supersoldier. "JARVIS?"

"Scanning." After a moment, the AI offered a worrying conclusion. "Captain America is not in the mansion."

"What? Where could he have possibly gone in his condition?" A bewildered Tony wondered aloud.

"Wait…" Having overhead him, Connor began putting the pieces together. "Dust of Death, Red Skull, Cap's missing…" His gaze met Tony's and they both shared the same concerning conclusion. "That's not good."

"JARVIS, lock on to Cap's ID card." Tony hurried commanded.

"Triangulating…" JARVIS responded. Seconds later, "I have confirmed Captain America's location at the Pentagon."

"The Pentagon? One of Rusk's goons must've grabbed him. But why?" Tony queried.

"You get after him. I'll get doses ready for Hawkeye and Miss Marvel." Cybernaut responded.


Elsewhere, at the Pentagon…

Captain America was flung to the floor with his shield across his back, where he lay at the feet of Winter Soldier and Secretary Dell Rusk. "Winter Soldier, you have done much better than the rest of Code Red." Rusk complimented with a pleased smile.

"Thank you, sir." Winter Soldier responded, sounding almost robotic. Stooping down beside the stricken Captain America, Rusk chuckled darkly.

"You poor, misguided, outdated soul." He sneered. "You have no idea what this country needs from its heroes, do you?" Cap stayed silent, looking up in defiance. Right now, only the supersoldier serum was keeping him going. "Don't you realize this was all for your benefit?" Rusk demanded as he stood and began kicking the sickly captain with malice in his eyes…

Meanwhile, Iron Man was rocketing towards the Pentagon at top speed, overlocking his entire thruster array to ensure he moved as fast as a fighter jet. Cap's life depended on him now, and there was no way he was going to let his friend down. Especially not when some crazed madman was behind all this.

"JARVIS, I'm about three-hundred miles out from Washington DC. What's the status back at the ranch?" He asked.

"The afflicted Avengers are all responding to the antidote. Cybernaut reports a one-hundred percent recovery rate. Any affected civilians are also being treated." JARVIS responded. "The only one left who hasn't been given the antidote is Captain America."

"Not for long." Tony vowed. "I'll get it to him in-" The Avenger was cut short by the sudden roar of a jet engine, heralding the arrival of a squadron of F-18 jet fights.

"Attention Iron Man, this is Colonel Tom Parker, US Air Command. We have orders to ground you immediately." A voice called out over the armored Avenger's comms.

"Colonel, I respect that you have your orders and I have no intention of engaging you." Tony replied. "But I also have no intention of letting my friend die, so if you'll excuse me." Flooring his boosters, Iron Man barrel-rolled over the lead jet and shot forward. The aircraft closed ranks, denying Iron Man room to maneuver. "Ugh, they got me boxed in. If I ever see Rusk in person I'm definitely punching his lights out." Tony grumbled in complaint. Thinking quickly, he hatched a implausible plan. "JARVIS, lock onto Cap's ID signal. Give me a targeting solution." He ordered.

Stark Industries satellites quickly aligned with his position, forming a grid pattern as countless bytes of data were calculated by JARVIS at acquire an accurate range. "Target locked. But from more than a hundred miles out, you can't possibly-" His caution was ignored as Tony triggered his air brakes, slowing to a halt and forcing the jets around him to break formation… and give him the exact window of opportunity he needed.

With his target marked, Iron Man snapped up his right arm as a primed launcher popped out. "Eat your heart out, Hawkeye." He remarked under his breath as he fired a single missile from his gauntlet; the antidote fitted into the payload.

Taking off in the blink of an eye, the missile formed a stabilized flight pattern before jettisoning its booster attachment and completing the journey with a self-contained thruster. Crashing through the window of Rusk's office, the warhead split open and ejected the antidote injector, the silvery device streaking towards Captain America's torso…

The missile had taken exactly 33.125 seconds to travel the hundreds of miles from Iron Man's position to the Pentagon, his projectile reaching a speed of exactly 30,188.68 miles per hour; about the speed of a meteorite.

And the Winter Soldier was able to react in less than a hundredth of a second to catch it.

In the instant that passed between the missile breaking the window and the injector being released, Winter Soldier crossed the room and snatched it out of the air with his mechanical hand. Momentarily startled by sudden action, Rusk promptly burst out cackling.

"How perfect. A last attempt at salvation gloriously thwarted by the most unlikely of adversaries." He jeered as Winter Soldier stepped back to the sidelines. Rusk returned to wailing on the sickly Captain America, beating him ruthlessly as his helpless body was pitched across the office. "Now… Now I can savour this moment. I've waited so long-"

But Captain America was not done yet. He forced himself to his feet, hands grasping the face of Dell Rusk as he made to act. He'd endured the beating in order to form a plan. After all, he had already deciphered the hidden anagram.

"Show yourself… coward!" He gasped, ripping off whole parts of Rusk's face before a blow to his gut dropped him like a stone and a kick laid him flat on his back. But in the end, he had succeed. He had torn the facade to pieces, shredded the mask the Secretary wore. His lie was revealed…

Dell Rusk was none other than the Red Skull himself.

"And so we have come full circle, Captain America." Skull said in a perfect German accent as he ripped away the remainder of the mask to reveal his true self. "I will crush you and everything you hold dear under my heel!" The Nazi roared, laying into Captain America with vicious hate-fueled blows the ailing captain was unable to ward off. His rage satiated, Red Skull straightened up and massaged his knuckles. "And now, for my final victory. The ultimate irony." He mused, hoisting Cap's body off the floor. He carried Steve over to the Winter Soldier and forced him into his arms. The secret agent held still for a moment, stony and stoic. "Finish him." Red Skull ordered. Winter Soldier failed to act right away, his gaze flicking back and forth between Red Skull and Captain America. "Do it!" Skull roared. Winter Soldier breathed deeply, closing his eyes as he made his choice…

Lifting his mechanical arm… he jammed the injector into Cap's shoulder and deposited the antidote.

"No!" Red Skull cried as Winter Soldier tossed Captain America to the ground. Grinding his teeth, his eyes livid with rage, Red Skull pulled a Luger pistol from within his suit jacket. "Through your defiance, you have signed your death warrant." He growled, taking aim at Winter Soldier.

He was about to pull the trigger… when a streak of red, white and blue knocked his weapon from his hand.

Red Skull whirled, eyes widening as Captain America's shield returned to his hand. The supersoldier was on his feet, strong and healthy, his skin no longer red. "Look at me, Skull!" He bellowed. "You and I still have a score to settle!"

Red Skull turned and slid across the floor, grabbing his pistol and firing the moment he could draw a bead on his foe. Bullets ricocheted off a star-spangled shield as Cap came charging him, patriotic colors plowing into Red Skull's face and pitching him backwards as Captain America tackled him out the window of the office. They hit the lawn outside, Skull loosing a groan as he forced himself to his feet. But Captain America was already upright and lifted Red Skull by the lapel of his suit.

Rearing back, he pitched an almighty right cross that dislocated Red Skull's jaw, sending him tumbling across the grass where he fell still and unconscious. It was at that very moment that Iron Man arrived, the armored Avenger touching down and breathing a sigh of relief to see Captain America healthy and on his feet again. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes." He commented. But Cap's focus seemed distant, as if there was something else to figure out that was not related to their victory.

"Watch him for me." He said, turning back to broken window of Rusk's office. Climbing up and in, Cap discovered it was empty; the Winter Soldier was long gone. Only the empty antidote vial remained and, as Cap picked it up, he questioned if he would ever meet him again.

He knew he had to. He had to find out the truth…


Later that day…

Doc Samson and Falcon were returned to Hydrobase under SHIELD watch, along with the Red Skull. The former were to be processed by SHIELD's medical team in order to determine any possible brainwashing, while the latter was set to be imprisoned for life somewhere within.

Nearby, Thor, Hawkeye, Cybernaut and Wasp were on hand to oversee things, three of the Avengers back to full health and eager to see this situation put to rest.

"To think Dell Rusk was really Red Skull the whole time… I mean, how long has he been in office for?" Wasp wondered.

"Too long." Cybernaut decided, crossing his arms. "First Skrulls in government, then Nazi's… the American people are gonna have real a hard time trusting any feds after this." He surmised as Iron Man approached the group.

"Just spoke with SHIELD's psych team. Falcon and Samson are going to be treated for whatever mind control the Skull had them under." He reported.

"Good. They're not the bad guys." Wasp mused, hands on her hips.

"Except the red monstrosity I did battle with." Thor said. "He has not been seen since." Upon first reuniting with the team, the Asgardian had regaled them with how he had been engaged in combat with the final member of Skull's Code Red team; none other than the Red Hulk they had fought months prior. They were pleased he had been dealt with, at least to an extent, but remained concerned that a Hulk-like foe was still running amok.

"Speaking of which, JARVIS reports that news footage of Cap and the Skull on the Pentagon lawn is being played worldwide." Iron Man added.

"Well, I hope they're looking into exactly how a psychopathic, Hydra war criminal could get appointed Secretary of Defence." Hawkeye said with a huff. "I'll never understand politics."

"The important thing is that all of Rusk's public campaigns against us end up looking like the rankings of a madman." Iron Man concluded.

"As they are. Another win for us then." Cybernaut agreed.

"You're right, Cybernaut. That's definitely good PR for us." Iron Man concurred. "And we owe it all to this man." His armored arm gestured to a distant Captain America who stood on the edge of Hydrobase looking out across oceanic waters. His mind was occupied, so much so he wasn't even socializing with his team.

"Cap?" Wasp worriedly called out.

"Let him be, Wasp. After all he's been through, I just hope he hasn't forgotten what's important… to him and to the Avengers." Iron Man urged.

In truth, Captain America's mind was on a completely different subject. All of the clues that had been offered today were coming together to pose a single statement that he was struggling to contend with. But the evidence was not enough for the supersoldier. He needed more proof. He studied the empty injector in his hands as he reflected on the day. His inquiries would not be denied. Winter Soldier's abilities and actions, the cryptic words of Red Skull, all of it left Cap with so many burning questions.

Burning questions that demanded answers…