Tokyo
August 6, 23:49 JST
Just outside Tokyo, there was a Japanese estate that overlooks the ocean. However, it was heavily guarded by men in suits, but then they were suddenly attacked by an unknown assailant using arrows.
He quickly took up one guard with a taser arrow, fired a grapple arrow, and began to scale the wall. The assailant was none other than Hawkeye, who fired an arrow that once hit the wall and sent a jamming frequency to the nearby camera, causing it to go on a continuous loop. He quickly fired two more taser arrows at the guards, knocking them out.
Inside the building was a young Korean-American who looked no more than 12 years old and was working on a computer. His name was Amadeus Cho, and he was the seventh smartest person on the planet. He was currently forced to work for a Japanese crime syndicate called the Yakuza.
"We're losing patience," said a voice. "Complete the project or forfeit your life."
"I'm completing as fast as I can," said Amadeus.
They then heard a knock on the door, and when a guard went to check, Hawkeye kicked the door down right in front of him. The second guard fired his rifle, but Hawkeye dodged and struck him with his bow before punching him in the face.
"Amadeus Cho?" he said, approaching him.
"The Avengers only sent you?" said Amadeus, looking slightly disappointed.
"I'll try not to take that as an insult," he said as he aimed an arrow at the wall in front of them.
"No offence, but I was hoping for the Hulk or Ironman," said Amadeus.
They then heard the sound of the alarm and approaching footsteps.
Hawkeye then fired an explosive arrow, taking up the wall.
He then looked back at Amadeus as he coughed. "It's now or never."
Amadeus looked at the devices been creating. "We can't leave this."
"Sorry, but my mission was to rescue you," said Hawkeye. "I can't rescue you and take your equipment."
"All right," said Amadeus.
Hawkeye then fired a grapple line that attached itself to a tree by the shore.
"Hang on," he said, grabbing Amadeus.
They then slid down the gravel line just as the guards arrived, and they instantly fired at them. They quickly hit the beach and ran towards a speedboat Hawkeye had hidden.
"So, how much did this boat cost?" Amadeus asked as Hawkeye pushed them off.
"Actually, it's a rental," said Hawkeye as he jumped in. He then pushed him down, and the guards began to fire at them. "Now get down!"
He then hit the gas and triggered the explosives he left on the beach.
"I think we're in the clear," said Hawkeye.
"Great," said Amadeus as he lifted his head, "that only leaves us with one problem."
Back at the lab where Amadeus had been working, a man dressed as a samurai in silver armour looked at the device that had been left behind.
"Well?" he said.
A man named Maverick in a mask was scanning the device. "He finished. We're good to go."
The Silver Samurai smiled.
Avengers Compound
August 8, 20:24, EDT
The Secret Warriors had gathered at the Compound for another new mission, but Hawkeye was giving them their mission this time.
"Nice to see everyone can make it," said Hawkeye. "Now, before we begin, I would like to introduce to you my new protégé."
They turned around and saw, stepping out of the shadows, a young woman about 17 with long black hair. She wore a tight purple costume and a pair of purple shades; she even had a bow and quiver strapped to her back.
"The name's Kate Bishop, but you can call me Hawkeye," she smiled.
"Well, that's not gonna get confusing or anything," said Spider-Man.
"Uh, when did you have a protégé?" Patriot asked.
"Let's say that she impressed me and will be useful on this mission," said Hawkeye.
"Shouldn't we have a vote or something when introducing new members?" Torch asked.
"Personally, I like having another go around," said Crystal.
"Sorry, Flame Brain, but I'm staying," said Kate.
"What did you call me?" Torch fumed.
A-Bomb placed a hand on his shoulder. "Take it easy, man."
"Maybe we should get to the briefing," Patriot suggested.
"Good idea," said Hawkeye. He then brought up a holographic image of Amadeus Cho. "Now, do any of you know about Amadeus Cho?"
"I have," said Spider-Man. "He's a boy genius, highly considered to be the seventh smartest person on the planet. I heard he vanished two weeks ago."
"Abducted two weeks ago," Hawkeye corrected, "by a group called the Yakuza."
"The what now?" Torch frowned.
"Think of them as the Japanese version of the mafia, but unlike the mafia, they have a degree of integrity," said Hawkeye. He then brought out an image of the Silver Samurai. "They are controlled by one Kenuichio Harada known as the Silver Samurai."
"Are you saying that you want us to rescue this Amadeus Cho from this Japanese mob boss?" Spider-Man asked.
"Sweet," Torch smiled.
"Actually, I only rescued him," said Hawkeye. "Unfortunately, the Yakuza had already coerced him into making a weapon. He calls it the Swarm, comprised of millions of microscopic robots nano tech infiltrators. They are capable of disintegrating anything in their path—concrete, steel, flesh, bone. But its true purpose isn't mere destruction. It's theft. The infiltrators eat and store raw data from any computer system and deliver the stolen Intel to the Yakuza. Providing them access to weapons, strategic defences, cutting-edge science and tech."
"Perfect for extortion, manipulation, power broking," said Kate. "And here I thought Samurai were supposed to honour."
"From what we understand, they did, but Harada has no honour and only seeks profit. As such, he hired some of the best mercenaries and assassins to do his dirty work. Anyone who dares try to question him is never seen again."
"So what exactly is the mission?" Spider-Man asked.
"Amadeus is working on a virus to render the Swarm inert," Hawkeye explained.
Patriot's eyes lit up."But if the Yakuza know he can do that…"
"They'll target him," Hawkeye finished. "Right now, he's off the grid. I stashed her at Midtown High's computer lab."
Spider-Man's eyes lit up. "You stashed him at my school? The place is already wrecked from our battle with the Adaptoid."
"The repairs don't start until morning, plus you know the layout, and it's the last place the Yakuza would look, as long as he remains off the grid. Your job is to protect him until he can finish making the virus."
The Secret War looked at one another.
New York City
August 8, 21:59 EDT
A-Bomb and Crystal were standing guard outside while the others were guarding Amadeus.
"Guys, and passion all that into our private frequency so that the Yakuza don't intercept our comms," Spider-Man informed them.
"Can't believe you managed to create a transmitter that allows you to use your Spidey Sense as a radiofrequency," said Amadeus, somewhat impressed.
"Only now that I have access to Stark Tech," said Spider-Man.
"Would never dream that you're a scientist," said Hawkeye, smiling. "And I bet you're good-looking as well."
"Uh, thanks, but I should mention that I have a girlfriend already," said Spider-Man.
"Too bad," she smiled.
"Can you two stop with this banter," said Amadeus, looking frustrated. "Do you guys know how hard it is coding a distributive algorithm virus on a kiddie computer with less RAM than a wristwatch?"
"Actually, I do," said Spider-Man, sitting at the computer working. "I'm making my own algorithm to allow us to transmit the virus instantly."
Amadeus blinked. "Just how smart are you?"
Spider-Man shrugged. "Smart enough to be noticed by Reed Richards."
"You know, I think I'll let you two brainiacs do what you do and help A-Bomb and Crystal patrol the perimeter," said Hawkeye, walking out of the computer lab.
Torch looked at Patriot. "So what did she do to get onto our team?"
"Well, she is the one who saved Webs," said Patriot.
Torch stared. "Wait, you're saying that that was her arrow?"
Patriot shrugged. "It is pretty obvious; I guess they were able to track her down."
Amadeus looked at Spider-Man. "I still don't understand why the Avengers can't guard me. They must have plenty of safe houses, or they could call in SHIELD."
"Because this is a covert mission, and that's our jurisdiction, plus the Avengers don't really trust SHIELD," Spider-Man explained. He then looked into Amadeus. "The virus won't be much use if we can't find the weapon. Can you track it?"
"I did not make a weapon," said Amadeus bluntly. "It's science, brilliant science, and of course, I can track it, but I'd have to go online. Might as well rent a billboard with this address and 'Assassinate Me' written in neon."
Spider-Man could tell he was afraid to put a hand on his shoulder. "We will protect you."
Amadeus sighed and began tracking the Swarm. "I'm tracking the Swarm now."
Philadelphia
August 8, 21:57 EDT
Maverick had just landed at the airport when his laptop pinged, informing him that Amadeus was now online. He soon began tracking her uncontacted Silver Samurai.
"Cho has surfaced to track us, but that link is a two-way street," he informed him. "Sending her location. Now."
Silver Samurai was currently at his estate on his knees, meditating.
"Who do we have near Queens, Manhattan?" he asked.
Back at Midtown High, A-Bomb was patrolling the perimeter when he heard something in the bushes but couldn't see anything. He then jumped over the school and joined up with Crystal and Hawkeye.
"All clear?" he asked.
"So far, we might expect visitors soon," said Crystal.
"A-Bomb, Amadeus has located the Swarm," said Spider-Man over the comm. "I want you and Patriot to pursue. I gave Patriot my algorithm. All you need to do is insert the drive into anything connected to the system, and the virus will do the rest."
Moments later, Patriot ran outside, and he and A-Bomb ran over to the cloaked Quinjet. The moment they got inside, they took off, leaving the girls alone to patrol the perimeter.
Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by an assailant wearing a mask in the bushes.
"So, what would you guys do for fun when you're not on missions?" Hawkeye asked.
"We hang out," Crystal blinked.
"So you guys got on the town or something?"
"No, we stay at the Compound most of the time. Johnny comes around quite often, but Spider-Man and Patriot only show when it's time for mission or training."
"And A-Bomb?"
"He doesn't have a home, so he lives with me at the Compound."
"Really?" Hawkeye smiled.
"What do you mean by that?" Crystal asked.
"Oh, nothing."
While the two of them were talking, unbeknownst to them, the savings in the bushes vaulted over the gates.
Torch was standing guard outside the computer room when he saw a shadow and quickly went to investigate. Whoever was making their way into the swimming pool immediately took off.
However, just as he reached the door, a bench suddenly hit him in the face. He spun in the air and landed flat on the ground; he looked up in time to see someone kicking him in the face, rendering him unconscious. Whoever was then pushed him into the pool face down and then continued to make their way to the computer room.
Spider-Man was still guarding Amadeus when suddenly his spidey sense buzzed. He quickly spun around, saw a dark heading straight towards Amadeus, and jumped right in front of it.
"Amadeus, get down!" he ordered.
Amadeus looked up and saw the masked woman stepping into the computer room. She instantly raised the crossbow and fired several darts, and just like before, Spider-Man used himself as a shield.
"Hmm," said the woman as she skidded into the room. "That had to hurt."
"My skin is denser than a normal human," said Spider-Man as he removed the darts.
He then quickly fired his webshoots, but the assailant was quite nimble. She drew his sword and began swinging it at Spider-Man at close quarters.
"And my darts are quite poisonous," she said.
Spider-Man dodged her swings and performed a spin kick, forcing her to somersault away.
"Crystal, Hawkeye, Johnny, we're under attack in the computer room," Spider-Man reported.
Crystal and Hawkeye then ran to the computer room as quickly as possible.
"On our way," said Hawkeye.
Crystal, however, noticed that Torch was responding and quickly ran towards the pool.
The assailant was still swinging her blade at Spider-Man, who was protecting Amadeus. The two of them then fell to the ground, and she tossed a knife to Amadeus, but Spider-Man quickly fired some webbing, deflecting the night before it struck him.
"Not bad, very few people able to make me miss," said the assailant as she picked herself up. "I'm surprised my poison has slowed you down."
"Spider venom irradiated blood; I'm largely immune to poisons," said Spider-Man as he swung his fist at her.
The same and then tossed a knife, which bounced off the wall and struck a light fixture, cutting the cable. The light landed right on Spider-Man's head, causing him to topple over. She then drew his sword, but it was shot out of hand by an arrow.
She turned around and saw Hawkeye aiming at her. "Don't move."
She slowly began advancing towards the assailant, and Spider-Man picked himself up.
"This gig's getting interesting," she said, sounding excited.
She pulled out a pair of pistols, and Hawkeye fired her arrows. However, the assailant shot the arrow into pieces and soon began finding themselves in a firefight. A few seconds later, Torch and Crystal entered the room.
"Maybe a little too interesting," said the assailant, noting that she was outnumbered.
She then instantly released a flash that blinded everyone, and when the eyes cleared, they found that she was gone.
"Gone," said Torch.
"She's getting away!" said Amadeus. "You're letting her get away!"
"How'd she get past our perimeter?" Torch asked.
"He could have easily snuck in when we weren't looking," said Hawkeye. "And where were you? You were supposed to be guarding the door?"
"She knocked me out and nearly drowned me if Crystal happened to pull me out of the pool," said Torch.
"Let's focus on the present," said Spider-Man. "Whoever she was, she'll be back."
"Patriot to Spider-Man," said Patriot's voice over the comm. "We're over, Philadelphia!"
Patriot was flying the Qunijet and had just flown over the city.
"We've located the Yakuza's next target, Roxxon," he said as they watched the Roxxon building crumble, "we're too late. It's destroyed, totally destroyed. The Swarm decimated it. This is bad. Roxxon has cutting-edge science, and now their secrets are in the hands of the enemy. What's our next move?"
"We scanned for the Swarm," said Spider-Man, looking at Amadeus. "Find it. We're moving Amadeus."
Moments later, they relocated to an old warehouse close to the shore. Hawkeye and Crystal were guarding Amadeus as he continued his work.
Spider-Man was outside, observing the perimeter. "Torch, make a wide premise to sweep."
Then suddenly, his Spidey sense tingled, and he quickly jumped out of the way to avoid the blades of a young man in a red and black outfit. He instantly recognised him as Deadpool, a known mercenary who is more than a little crazy.
"Ooh, good dodge," said Deadpool, looking at no one in particular. "Bet you voted home were really impressed by that!"
The Deadpool continued swinging his blade at Spider-Man, who kept falling back until he backed into a van. His spidey sense tingled again, but this time, he was hit in the head by a pale man who had a scythe for a right hand and called himself Grim Reaper.
The assailant from earlier then jumped out from the bushes, and her name was Domino. "The matchstick could return any second, and I'm not keen on evening their odds."
Grim Reaper grunted. "You're not the boss of me."
Domino narrowed her eyes. "As a matter of fact, I am."
Grim Reaper scoffed as he looked down at Spider-Man. "If these heroes are as pathetic as this one, we shouldn't have too much trouble. We should finish him off right here and now."
"Hey, man, don't dis the hero," said Deadpool. "Killing him would be bad for our kama."
"He's right. We're not here to kill any of them, only Amadeus," Domino reminded him.
Grim Reaper grumbled.
They instantly approached the warehouse, and Deadpool quickly jumped in.
"Room service!" he cried.
Crystal quickly jumped in front of him and began shooting bolts of electricity at him, but he was proving to be rather nimble.
Hawkeye quickly drew an arrow, but then, slashing through the ceiling, Grim Reaper forced her to turn her attention towards him. She quickly fired arrows, and he rolled behind and crates for cover.
"Don't start working," she said to Amadeus.
Amadeus continued to work at the computer, unaware that Domino was aiming her crossbow down at her. However, before she had a chance to fire, she heard something behind her and saw Torch flying straight down towards her. He quickly fired a fireball, forcing her to somersault into the warehouse.
"The matchstick is here!" she yelled to the others. "It's now or never!"
Deadpool quickly kicked Crystal's side and tossed one of his blades straight at Amadeus, but Hawkeye quickly spun around and fired an arrow deflecting it. Grim Reaper swung his scythe at Hawkeye but jumped back to avoid a flaming fireball from Torch.
"Back off, big guy," said Torch.
Domino quickly landed in front of Amadeus and drew a sword. Then, without a second rest, she swung her sword at Amadeus and was surprised that it had gone straight through him. She looked down and saw a spider bot producing a holographic image.
"We've been duped!" she yelled.
Spider-Man had only pretended to be knocked out cold, but once Domino and her assassins had left, he quickly made his way to the real Amadeus, who was hiding in the cafe just a few yards away.
"I've almost got it," said Amadeus.
Patriot and A-Bomb were making their way to the next target, which was Stark Industries.
"The next target is Stark Industries facility," Patriot gasped. "If the Yakuza get their hands on the date, they can gain access to the Avenger database."
"That's not good," said A-Bomb.
"No kidding, and what's worse, Stark Industries has a 24-hour workforce," said Patriot. "We'll never evacuate the building in time."
Maverick was already there in his van in a multi-storey car park opposite the Stark Industries building. He then began accessing the device containing the Swarm and released it.
"You bozos will be finding Amadeus any time soon," Torch smirked.
"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure," said Domino. "Pursuing target. Keep them busy."
Grim Reaper then launched himself at Torch, swinging his scythe at him, giving Domino a perfect opportunity to escape.
"I'm pursuing their leader," said Hawkeye, running after her.
"We'll meet up with you once we've finished with these guys," said Crystal as he began firing shots of earth at Deadpool.
Domino went outside and saw that Spider-Man was gone; she knew taking him down had been too easy.
"Oh, I do not like being played," she said. She used infrared to scan the area and saw footprints.
She then immediately began to follow them down the street.
Hawkeye arrived a few seconds later and fired an arrow at her, but she quickly pulled out a pistol and blasted it to pieces.
"I was hoping it'd be you," she said.
She then continued to make her way down the street and began jumping from building to building. Hawkeye followed and fired an arrow, which she dodged. It struck a chimney next to her. However, gas suddenly shot out of the arrowhead and knocked her out.
Hawkeye approached her with an arrow drawn in her bow as she was not about to take any chances. She slowly approached Domino, but then, out of nowhere, her leg swept her.
"Mask case built-in filters," Domino explained.
Hawkeye then attempted to kick her, but she quickly blocked and spun to her feet. However, Domino managed to grab her from behind before she could launch a second attack.
"Better luck next time, kid," she said, striking her from behind.
Hawkeye then collapsed to the ground and fell unconscious.
Spider-Man heard the commotion on the roof and realised they had been discovered.
"We have company," he said.
"Uploading now," said Amadeus. "And by the way, you said you'd protect me."
Spider-Man saw a smoke bomb landing at the door and quickly raised his fists. His spidey sense suddenly tingled, and he spun around in time to take three darts in the chest.
Domino then fell from the ceiling. "Let's test the limit of your spider venom immunity, shall we?"
Spider-Man shook off the attack and charged in, but his movements were sluggish. He performed a few swings, which Domino easily dodged, and then she kicked him across the face and knocked him out.
"There. Limit tested," she said and then turned her sights onto Amadeus. "Now, Amadeus, it's time for our play date."
Amadeus slowly backed away from Domino just as her rivals were being uploaded.
Back in Philadelphia, Patriot was receiving the upload at that very moment.
"It's downloading!" he said.
A-Bomb opened the bay doors and saw Maverick. "Don't need it!"
He then jumped down before Patriot could stop him.
"A-Bomb!" he yelled.
Maverick saw A-Bomb falling towards him and began banging his fists against the van door. Purple energy then began to charge from his body, and he began to absorb the kinetic energy and then release it in one burst. The blast struck A-Bomb, sending him crashing to the ground, and Maverick then released the Swarm.
"No!" Patriot gasped.
He quickly jumped down, rolling across the ground as he landed, and then rushed towards the Stark Industries building. The Swarm had already entered the building, cutting a hole through the front door and down the corridor.
At the same time, Torch and Crystal were fighting against their opponents.
Torch was flying through the air, dodging Grim Reaper as he swung his scythe at him.
"I'm getting tired of this," said Torch. "I think about time we end this."
He then flew down, tossing a few fireballs, which Grim Reaper dodged. However, when he swung his scythe to strike him, Torch spun around, dodging the blow, and dealt him a blazing punch that was so powerful that he was sent flying up into the ceiling, knocking him out instantly.
"Ouch," said Deadpool. "I bet the viewers at home felt that one." He then quickly jumped back to avoid Crystal's lightning blast. "I know when I'm beaten. Time to make exit stage right."
He then dropped some smoke bombs, and Crystal quickly unleashed a powerful gust of wind to blow the smoke away. However, Deadpool was nowhere to be seen; he had completely vanished.
"Where did he go?" said Crystal, looking around.
"No idea," said Torch as he landed next to her. "But that guy was weird."
The Swarm started spreading throughout the entire Stark Industries building and showed no signs of stopping. A group of people ran out of the canteen just as Patriot rushed in.
"What's going on?" a waitress asked, confused. She then watched as Patriot inserted Spider-Man's drive into the cash register. "What are you doing?"
"Please be into the mainframe," Patriot pleaded.
Domino was slowly advancing towards Amadeus, grabbed his shirt and then pointed the pistol at his head. However, she noticed his eyes were looking towards a nearby computer and followed his gaze just in time to see the virus upload complete.
"So you finish the virus, eliminating the reason for your elimination, though not the entertainment value," she said, and after a few tense moments, she released him. "Lucky for you, my orders are clear. You live to program another day. After all, the Yakuza may find another use for you."
The moment the upload was complete and transmitted to the drive, thanks to Spider-Man's algorithm, the virus entered the system. Once in the system, the virus began destroying the microbots, instantly destroying the Swarm.
"Yes!" Patriot smiled. "Another mission a success."
Maverick was outside and could see that the Swarm had been destroyed and that A-Bomb had recovered. He was slowly advancing towards him, quickly firing off his energy beam. However, A-Bomb was able to withstand it this time and slowly advanced towards him and then grabbed his head, slamming him into the van and knocking him out.
Domino left the cafe when suddenly a few arrows shot right in front of her and exploded. The explosion was powerful enough to clean her mask off her face, and Hawkeye stood there aiming an arrow at her when the smoke cleared.
"Don't move a muscle," she warned.
"Wow," said Domino, turning around to face. It was then that she revealed her face, which was light blue except for a small dark blue circle around her right eye. "I'm completely at your mercy."
Hawkeye gasped. "You."
"I suppose now you bring me to justice, let your new friends interrogate me," Domino smirked. "If your position's secure enough to survive them learning everything I know."
The two women silently looked at one another for a moment.
Hawkeye then lowered her bow.
Domino smirked. "Didn't think so. After all, if I fall, a number of dominoes will follow and then who knows what will happen."
She then dropped a smoke bomb and disappeared into the smoke.
Seconds later, Spider-Man exited the cafe with Amadeus supporting him.
"Hawkeye, where's the assassin?" Spider-Man asked.
"She, uh—she got away," she lied.
"Don't feel bad," said Torch as he landed next to her. "One of ours got away, but we still got Grim Reaper."
Crystal then arrived with the tied-up Grim Reaper, which she lifted with the powerful force of wind.
"Looks like she let this behind," said Torch, grabbing a mask.
Spider-Man walked over, removing the darts from his chest and looked at Hawkeye. "Her mask?" Did you see her face?"
"It was dark," she said without facing any of them.
"That's all right," said Spider-Man softly. "Patriot and A-Bomb utilise the Swarm, and Amadeus is safe, thanks to no small part to you. Welcome to the Secret Warriors."
Hawkeye smiled at them.
"At least your first mission went smoother than mine; I nearly got everyone killed," said Crystal.
"Glad that I was able to avoid that," said Hawkeye and then shook Spider-Man's hand.
"Trust me when I say that you're really going to like this team," said Torch.
Back at his estate, the Silver Samurai was conversing with the Cabal.
"Report," said C3.
"Before Maverick had been captured, he was able to transfer the Roxxon data you required, but Stark Industries Intel still eludes us," the Silver Samurai informed them.
"Once again, these young heroes interfere," said C3, sounding a little aggravated, "then it is fortunate that we are working to get an operative on the inside."
Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, was born in 1985. He lost both his parents in a car crash, leaving him and his older brother orphans. They were soon taken in by Swordsman and his partner Trick Shot, where he learned archery.
However, he soon discovered that Swordsman was embezzling funds from a carnival. When he attempted to stop him, he was beaten up and abandoned once more, this time by his older brother.
He continued to develop his archery skills and became the main attraction to many circuses. Then, one day, when he was performing at Coney Island, he saw Iron Man in action and was inspired by him. He began his hero career in 2000 and later joined SHIELD.
Hawkeye possesses no powers, but he is a skilled marksman and acrobat. He also has a wide range of trick arrows and is skilled in hand-to-hand combat. He later joined the Avengers a few months after they were formed.