Avengers Compound

July 18

11:16 EDT

"Recognised… Human Torch, B01… Spider-Man, B02… Patriot, B03…" said the computer's voice.

Then sing, the Zeta Tube were Johnny, Spider-Man and Patriot in their civilian clothes. They then quickly approached A-Bomb, who was in his human form, and Crystal, who were all standing by the hard hologram computer.

"Did you ask him?" Spider-Man asked.

"What did he say?" Johnny asked.

"He's arriving now," said Crystal.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Johnny asked.

Then, one by one, they rushed towards the front door.

Vision arrived just as they exited the compound.

"Vision!" said Johnny excitedly.

"Greetings," he said and with them curiously. "Is there a reason you intercepted me outside the compound?"

"We had hoped that you had a mission for us," said Patriot.

"Mission assignments are the Black Widow's responsibility," Vision reminded them.

"We've been waiting for a mission for over a week now; we had hoped for something by now," said Spider-Man.

"You'll be tested soon enough," Vision assured them. "For the time being, simply enjoy each other's company."

"This team isn't a social club," said A-Bomb.

"No, but I am told social interaction is an important team-building exercise. Perhaps you can keep busy by familiarising yourself with the compound."

Vision and made his way into the compound.

"'Keep busy'," Johnny muttered.

"Does he honestly think we're falling for this?" A-Bomb grumbled.

"Maybe familiarising ourselves with the compound isn't such a bad idea," said Spider-Man.

"Yes, let's tour the clubhouse," said Patriot.

"Well, A-Bomb and I live here," said Crystal. "We could play tour guide."

"A private tour sounds a lot more fun," Johnny smiled, looking at Crystal.

"She never said private," Spider-Man pointed out.

"Team-building, we'll all go," said Patriot.

"So this would be our front door," said Crystal as she began the tour.

They then went to the back of the building, which had beautiful acres of open scenery.

"And this would be the back door," said Crystal. "Everything you see and a lot more belongs to Iron Man."

"Is anyone else concerned that this place might attack since it's got a giant A painted on the roof?" A-Bomb asked.

"From what I understand, we're using the same stealth technology that hides Wakanda from the rest of the world," said Spider-Man.

"So we don't have to be worried about attacks?" Crystal asked.

"I wouldn't say that," said Patriot. "We need to be constantly on alert."

"Way to reassure the girl," said Johnny dryly.

Crystal then took them to the science lab, which was very impressive. It had everything a scientist or engineer could want.

"And this is the science lab," said Crystal.

"This place is amazing," said Spider-Man, immediately examining the equipment. "What I wouldn't give to have this stuff back home?"

"And we will be seeing the Webhead for a week," Johnny smirked.

"Hey, now that I have accessed all this kind of equipment, I can seriously upgrade my gear," said Spider-Man defensively.

"Just don't rely on your too much new tech," said Patriot. "Trust me, there will be times when we can't rely on our technology empowers."

"If you say so, Patriot," said Crystal.

"We're off duty; you can call me Elijah or Eli to my friends," said Eli.

"And you can call me Rick," said A-Bomb.

"Johnny is the name," Johnny smiled. "You see, I only trust you with my identity, unlike hoodie over there," He gestured to Spider-Man, "he has trust issues."

"You know that's not the case, Storm," said Spider-Man, folding his arms. "It's just unlike the rest of you. I actually have family and loved ones who don't have powers."

"We understand the need to protect your family, but you know you can trust us," said Eli.

"Yeah, Spidey, if anyone attacks you and your family, you can count on us for backup," Rick assured.

Spider-Man sighed. "All right, you've made your point." He then removed his hoodie and showed them his face. "My name is Peter Parker."

"Wait, Peter Parker, as in the same Peter Parker who sells pictures of Spider-Man to the Daily Bugle," Rick stared.

"You're famous?" Crystal asked.

"I wouldn't go that far," said Peter.

"You sell photos of yourself to that bullheaded Publisher, J Jonah Jameson so that he can smear your good name?" Eli frowned.

"He's been smearing me ever since I wore the mask; I might as well get paid for it," said Peter. "Besides, working at the Bugle is a perfect way for me to get the goings-on in New York. And don't worry, I won't be taking any photos while doing our missions."

"Speaking of which, how do we get around?" Johnny asked.

"Oh, you're gonna love this," Rick smiled.

Then he and Crystal led them to the hangar bay, where they saw a Quinjet.

Johnny whistled. "Isn't she a beaut?"

"Why does everyone reference ships as she? It could be a he, for you know," said Peter.

"Mr Stark says this particular Quinjet is designed for special stealth operations," said Crystal.

"I'm driving," said Johnny.

They soon made their way inside the Quinjet. Johnny wasted no time taking the pilot seat.

"We're sure it's a good idea to have him pilot us?" Rick asked.

"For your information, everyone in the F.F. knows how to fly," said Johnny. "Trust me, I can do things with this baby you guys can only dream of."

"I can vouch that he does know what he's doing," said Peter. "Though I recall was suspended from driving the Fantastic Car."

"Why?" Eil asked suspiciously.

"Well, he crashed into the Baxter Building while it was still stationary."

"How can you crash a stationary vehicle?" Eil asked.

"Well, from what I heard, he wasn't exactly flying it," Peter smirked.

Crystal frowned, confused, and looked at Johnny. "What were you doing?"

"Uh, Vision, please open the bay doors," said Johnny quickly.

The bay doors opened, and Johnny wasted no time taking off and instantly performed a few little aerial manoeuvres.

"Looks like you are as good as you say," said Eil.

"Though it might be a good idea for some of us to learn how to pilot this thing," said Peter. "We can't rely on the autopilot, and you might not be here all the time; you are still a member of the Fantastic Four."

"Don't worry, a few sessions with me is all you need," Johnny boasted.

"I think I'll pass," said Rick.

"Shall we try out some of these new stealth systems?" Peter asked.

"Activating cloak now," said Johnny.

Outside, the entire Quinjet disappeared from sight, though if you squint, you could still see the outline.

"Vision to Human Torch," said Vision over the comm. "An emergency alert has been triggered at a nearby power plant. I suggest you investigate covertly. Sending coordinates."

"Received," Johnny muttered. "I'm adjusting course now."

"Vision is keeping us busy again," said Rick.

"A simple fire did lead you to me; we should at least find out what caused the alert," said Crystal as they arrived at the power plant.

Johnny soon landed in the car park. Everyone exited the ship, and they could hear a lot of screaming. The workers were running for their lives.

"Guys, this might be serious; my spidey sense is tingling," Peter informed them.

"So you're saying that it's not a fire drill," said Rick.

"Well, let's find out who is causing all the ruckus," said Johnny. "Flame on!"

Immediately, he burst into flames burning through his civilian clothes and took off towards the power plant.

"Storm, wait!" Eil yelled.

Johnny either didn't hear more or wasn't listening, most likely the latter. He flew into the power plant, and once inside, they heard fighting inside. He saw several windows shatter and quickly rushed in to help.

Johnny was currently fighting someone in white armour, but every time he launched an attack, they went straight through him. Then the mysterious man quickly counted and blasted him with an energy blast from his hands, sending him flying across the room.

By this point, the others arrived, and Rick transformed into A-Bomb, ripping through his clothes.

Peter then quickly pulled out his mask and put it on.

"You brought your mask with you? On a play date?" A-Bomb blinked.

"Never leave home without it, just in case," he said.

A-Bomb then jumped and landed beside Johnny. "Who's your new friend?"

"Catches his name, but he plays kinda rough," said Johnny as A-Bomb launched himself at the mysterious man.

"My apologies," he said, "you may address me as Ghost."

He then fired his energy blast that A-Bomb, knocking him back.

The others looked at one another, and Johnny rose to his feet and nodded. They immediately rushed at Ghost; Peter somersaulted into the air and performed a flying kick straight through him. Ghost then blasted him, sending him outside the power plant.

Ghost then turned to Eil and Crystal as they came charging towards him, but he blasted them, leaving Johnny standing on one left.

"I was prepared to be challenged by a superhero," said Ghost. "I was not, however, expecting children."

"We're not children!" Johnny roared as he fired several fireballs at Ghost.

However, just like before, they went straight through him.

"Objectively, you are," he said, sounding unphased. "Have you no adult supervision? I find your presence here quite disturbing."

"Hey, I'm 19!" Johnny yelled.

"Not the time, Storm," said Eil as he and the others gathered around him. "Let's just kick us can."

Crystal then fired bolts of electricity at Ghost, and that seemed to have an effect on him. A-Bomb rushed in to take advantage of this, but he quickly recovered and blasted him with an energy blast straight into Crystal.

Eil rushed in and began swinging his fists, but they just went through him. He grabbed his arm and tossed him into Johnny, who was flying towards them.

"Well, that was a pleasant distraction," he said, flying out of the power plant.

Peter regained consciousness and saw Ghost flying out of the power plant, quickly blocking his path.

"What have you done with my team?" he demanded as he raised his wrists at him.

"Embarrass them largely," said Ghost, then blasting him with an energy blast.

Peter managed to somersault out of the way and landed next to the door just as the others came out.

"I would have thought you would have all learned your limitations by now," said Ghost.

"What do you want?" Eil demanded.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Ghost. "I'm waiting for a real hero!"

"Haven't you guys noticed he's got the same powers as Vision," Crystal noted.

Everyone looked at one another.

"Vision was the one who sent us here," said Eil.

"And he did say we would be tested soon enough," said Johnny. "This must be his test to keep us busy."

Peter didn't look as convinced. "But would Vision really put people in danger just to test us?"

"But no one was injured except for us," said Rick.

They all then stop, and they turn towards Ghost.

"We know who you are and what you want," said Eil.

"So let's end this," said Rick.

"Consider it ended," said Ghost, raising his hands towards them.

Peter then suddenly felt his spidey sense tingling. "Guys, I don't think that's Vision; we're in real danger!"

"You think that I'm Vision?" said Ghost, sounding somewhat amused. "How very ironic."

He then blasted them with a powerful energy blast, and all of them, apart from A-Bomb or not, to the ground. A-Bomb then launched himself into the air and raised his fist, but Ghost struck him with an energy blast, and he hit the ground, crashing down next to the others.

Ghost flew down towards them, preparing to finish them off, and Peter had just regained consciousness. He then quickly pulled out his phone and swiped it, and a split second later, they all disappeared.

Ghost looked around, but he couldn't see any trace of them. "Fine then, I won't deny that your children have power, but playing hide and seek won't help me achieve my objectives. So stay concealed; if you confront me again, I will show no mercy."

He then turned to leave.

Everyone began to regain consciousness, but they were rather confused by what had just happened.

"What happened?" Johnny asked, looking at Peter.

"Before we left, the Qunijet left one of my spider bots on board," Peter explained as the Quinjet became visible. "I just had a guide the Quinjet in stealth mode between us."

"Way to think ahead," said Eil.

"Guys, I'm sorry. I never should have brought Vision up," Crystal apologised.

"And we shouldn't have listened; it was a rookie mistake," Eil admitted.

"You are pretty inexperienced," Johnny agreed. "Hit the showers; we'll take it from here."

Crystal looked slightly hurt as she watched the others run off.

"I was just trying to be part of the team," she said crestfallen.

Peter sighed. "To be honest, I'm not really sure we have a team."

He then chased after the others.

Ghost had made it to a nearby town and was now attacking it, blasting any building insight. The entire town was running for their lives, trying to avoid falling into rubble.

"Certainly, this will get the required attention," said Ghost.

"You've got ours!" Johnny yelled as he flew in, tossing fireballs at Ghost. "Full and undivided!"

Ghost was caught by surprise and hit this time, but it only annoyed him.

"Immaterial and insufficient, you are a distraction I can no longer tolerate," he said.

Rick then arrived swinging his fists, barely giving Ghost time to move out of the way. He then unleashed a powerful energy blast at the two of them.

Crystal had accessed the Qunijet's autopilot and was flying back to the compound while also trying to convince Vision to assist.

"We really do need your help," she pleaded.

"If I intervened, it would not be to help," he said. "Still, it is an odd coincidence that this Ghost has ghost powers as I do."

Crystal thought for a moment and then got an idea.

Back at the fight, Peter and Eil have just arrived to help Johnny and Rick. They tried to attack from behind who was distracted, but he saw this coming and blasted them. Peter was to avoid the blasts and tried to move in closer and fired some webbing.

Ghost went intangible, so the shot went straight through him, and then he fired more energy blasts. Peter was able to somersault out of the way, avoiding the attacks, but he was finally hit while in midair and was sent flying into a building.

Johnny rushed in towards Ghost, but he merely went intangible, and Johnny flew right through him. He became solid, grabbed his arm, and slammed him into the ground. It was about to finish him off when Eil jumped in, dealing a powerful kick to the head. Ghost was knocked back, and Rick came in swinging a punch, but he jumped out of the way in time.

Ghost then blasted him, sending him flying straight at Peter, who quickly created a net for him to land safely in. He then grabbed the following lamppost and tossed it at Ghost with all his strength, but it merely went through him.

Eil took some cover behind some rubble and pulled out several explosives just as Johnny arrived.

"You brought explosives during a play date?" he said incredulously.

"Always be prepared, first lesson Cap taught me," he said.

"Guys, I need you to listen to me," said Crystal over the comms.

"Crystal, I know you want to help, but—" said Peter.

"I know I messed up," she said. "But now I'm very clear on what we need to do. Please trust me."

The local sheriff was trying to evacuate the town. "Get back! Everyone clearly area!"

Suddenly arriving on the scene was Vision, who landed next to the young heroes.

"Hit the showers, boys," he said. "I was hoping you could handle this, but clearly, you cannot."

"But we've got a plan now," Eil argued.

"The subject is not up for debate," he said.

The four of them were disappointed and walked off.

"I was beginning to believe you'd never show up," said Ghost.

"I'm here now," said Vision.

He fired a beam from his eyes, but Ghost counted with an energy blast.

"We are evenly matched," said Vision.

"No, Vision, we are not!" Ghost roared.

His blasts cut right through Vision's, struck him in the chest, and knocked him to the ground.

Ghost then flew up towards him and extended his hand. "Remain still, brother." Wires then shot out of his fingers and began to connect to Vision's head. "The reprogramming won't take long."

However, Vision's image began to flicker and then faded, revealingly plain-looking robot. It was an L.M.D, also known as a Life Model Decoy, for which the Avengers used the training.

"What?!" Ghost yelled.

"Now!" Crystal yelled as she jumped out from behind some rubble.

She was wearing a headpiece, indicating that she had been controlling the L.M.D. the entire time. She then quickly fired a bolt of lightning that struck Ghost, who was then struck by a number of fireballs from Johnny. Rick then dealt some powerful blows on his armour and began to short-circuit the constant attacks.

Rick then dealt one final punch that sent him flying across the park. Peter then slammed him with a lamppost, sending him flying through the air again. Eil began throwing all the explosives he had on Ghost, who crashed to the ground. Ghost's eyes then went dark, and you remained motionless on the ground.

"Is he dead?" Johnny asked.

Peter then walked up and removed Ghost's head, to everyone's surprise. "It's hard to kill an android."

"When did you realise?" Crystal asked.

"Just a few minutes ago," Peter admitted. "The fact that he called Vision brother was a big giveaway." He then smiled up at Crystal. "Very clever using an L.M.D to lower his guard."

"Yeah, you completely fooled him," said Johnny.

Unbeknownst to them, the android's head was still operational and observing them.

On the other end was a muscular silver android who had an insectlike head and glowing red eyes. He was none other than the killer machine Ultron.

"You may have been able to escape my creation, Vision," said Ultron. "However, I am confident my tracker is working, and you were in the vicinity. I may have failed, but I have learnt a great deal, and my next attempt will succeed."

The young heroes took the remains of the android back to Avengers Compound, where they began examining it.

"It was clearly created to sabotage and destroy you," said Peter, looking at Vision.

"Agreed," said Vision.

"Is that why you wouldn't help us?" Crystal asked.

"No, this was your battle," he said. "I do not believe it is my role to solve your problems for you, nor should you solve mine for me."

Everyone looked up at Vision, surprised.

"But if you're in danger—" said Crystal.

"Consider this matter closed," said Vision and walked away.

"Captain America, Hulk and Iron Man, they would jump right into fixings," said Johnny.

"Guess if you're going to have a babysitter, a heartless machine is exactly what we need," said Rick.

"Dude, harsh," Johnny hissed.

"And inaccurate," said Vision. "I have a heart, carbon steel alloy," He stopped and looked at them, "I also have excellent hearing."

Rick smiled awkwardly. "Right, sorry, I'll try to be more accurate."

"And more respectful," Eil added.

"All in all, not a bad day's work," said Peter. "Okay, we might have stumbled a little, but we still came together and defeated the villain."

"Yeah, this team, they might just work out," Rick agreed.

Elijah Bradley was born in 1994; he is the grandson of Isaiah Bradley, who had been experimented along with 300 other African-American soldiers on the experiment to recreate the Super Soldier Serum that created Captain America.

Elijah was born with no superpowers but a very strong physique. When he saw the poor kid being bullied, he intervened and protected him. The police then immediately ganged up on him, but then Captain America arrived.

After seeing the boy in action and hearing about what happened to his grandfather, Captain America decided to take him under his wing and train him. He then began his hero career in 2008.

Ultron was an android developed by Hank Pym and Tony Stark in 2006 in an attempt to build an A.I. based on the human mind. However, when he discovered that Tony Stark planned to sell him to the military, he severed ties and took all his resources away. He continued to develop Ultron by himself, using his own mind as the template for Ultron's psyche.

He intended for Ultron to help them protect the planet, but Ultron theorised the only way to protect the planet was to eradicate humanity. The Avengers were able to stop him, but feeling guilty for nearly wiping out humanity, Hank Pym left the Avengers briefly before coming back as Yellowjacket.