Savage Land
September 10, 14:43 UTC+12
A very muscular Russian man wearing a lion-skinned outfit was currently tracking some big game with two other hunters.
"Sabertooth tiger prints, boys," he said in a very thick Russian accent. "And they believed that the great Sergei Kravinoff was mad coming to the Savage Land. Perhaps finally, I will find worthy prey."
They began following the footprints and found a clearing where they saw a sabertooth tiger. Sergei eagerly drew his knife, ready to attack the sabertooth tiger head-on. However, when he jumped out of the tree, metal rods shot out from the ground and transmitted some sort of field that incapacitated the sabretooth.
"What is that?" said a Hunter.
Sergei looked furious that someone had taken his prey. "It appears that we are not the only hunters here, and they will pay for stealing my quarry."
They then heard a noise behind them and saw several velociraptors emerging from the trees. These ones were much larger and carried lasers on their backs. They instantly fired upon the hunters.
Avengers Compound
September 23, 06:34 EDT
The Avengers were repairing the Compound after the android attack. Jess Alexander, the second Nova, was replacing the generator with the aid of Ms Marvel. The entire Compound was currently on emergency power, but the moment the generator came back online, emergency lights were switched off.
With the power back on, Iron Man and Black Panther could carry on their work and restart the security systems. Sphere rolled up to Iron Man with a smile and patted it.
"Synchronising Compound security protocols with Mansion mainframe," said the computer.
The Secret Warriors were currently in the main hub, and they were all still reeling from yesterday's events.
Hawkeye gave Torch a bowl of cereal.
"Thanks, but no thanks," he said.
"Yeah, what we want are answers," said Patriot. "About Vision and his brother."
"Exactly!" Torch nodded. Hawkeye shrugged and began to move the cereal bowl, but Torch snatched it away. "Leave the bowl."
He then began eating, and A-Bomb watched Spider-Man talk to Captain America and Black Widow.
"This doesn't make sense; if they wanted us dead, why leave us alive when we were vulnerable?" Spider-Man.
"It could be that this android only wanted Vision," said Black Widow. "If that's the case, I think we can make a very safe guess about who was behind this."
"Ultron," Captain America nodded.
"The suicide android that wants to wipe out all human life on the planet?" Spider-Man stared. "If he is behind this, surely he wouldn't have left any loose ends."
"He's right," Black Widow nodded. "Wiping out all witnesses would have been the correct course if he wanted to cover his tracks."
"So we can assume that Vision isn't completely loyal to Ultron," said Captain America. "If that's the case, then there's a chance we can get him back."
"You can't be serious!" A-Bomb yelled, marching up to them. "You want to get Vision a free pass after he betrayed us."
"Rick, my spidey sense didn't go off when vision turned on us," said Spider-Man. "That means he wasn't afraid of our survival; in fact, he might be trying to save us."
"He's a funny way of showing it!" A-Bomb spat.
"I'm with Rick on this one," said Hawkeye. "The android was down; he didn't have to turn on us."
"And if Ultron were controlling him, your spidey sense would have picked up on it," Patriot added.
"Maybe we should all come down," said Crystal.
"Personally, I can't wait to toast that treacherous android to a crisp," said Torch.
"That won't be happening," said Captain America firmly. "Vision is a member of the Avengers, which means he is our responsibility. Now, with Vision now… missing, the Secret Warriors were now be overseen by rotating supervisors. Ms Marvel has volunteered to take the first shift."
Ms Marvel approached them with a smile on her face. "I'm really looking forward to hanging with you guys."
"Additionally, I have an assignment for you," said Black Widow, who showed a holographic image of an article in the Daily Bugle.
The article showed the picture of Sergei Kravinoff badly beaten up.
"Famous Safari Hunter attacked by giant lizards," said Torch, looking at the article dubiously.
"This has to be some kind of joke," said A-Bomb.
"From what I heard in the Daily Bugle, the attack happened in the Savage Land," said Spider-Man.
"Correct, though what the Daily Bugle does not know is that these giant lizards were, in fact, dinosaurs armed with lasers," said Black Widow. "SHIELD interrogated Kravinoff when he exited the Savage Land. He was lucky to have survived."
"From what I've heard, Sergei Kravinoff is the most skilled hunter on the planet, and he likes to wrestle with his prey before killing them," said Spider-Man.
"This guy sounds as if he needs a therapist," said Crystal.
"Despite Kravinoff's hunting session aside, this needs to be investigated and verified," said Black Widow. She then turned and looked at Spider-Man. "Spider-Man, you and your team will be departing for the Savage Land and check this out."
Spider-Man nodded.
Everyone made their way to the hangar bay and boarded the Quinjet, though Sphere wanted to be with them.
"Nah-ha," said Spider-Man. "Go!"
The Secret Warriors were surprised that Ms Marvel was accompanying them.
"You're coming with?" Patriot frowned.
"Only as an observer; this is still your mission, and I won't interfere unless absolutely necessary," she said and boarded the Quinjet.
"Translation, she blames us for the Vision fiasco," said Patriot under his breath. "She doesn't trust us."
Savage Land
September 10, 16:36 UTC+12
The Quinjet soon landed in the Savage Land, and just as it landed, Patriot and Hawkeye jumped out. They quickly secured the perimeter. Once the hangar door opened, the others stepped outside.
"All clear," said Patriot.
Spider-Man activated his stealth tech. "Switch to stealth and review mission parameters."
"I think we pretty much know what to do," said Torch as he activated his stealth tech.
"It's recon; we know what to do," said Patriot as he and Torch began to leave.
"Guys, can we not do this now?" Spider-Man asked.
"You were quick to defend the guy who tried to kill us. How can we trust you as a leader?" Patriot asked.
"You didn't even object to having Ms Marvel tag along," said Torch, gesturing to her. "In case you forgot, we started this team so we can work independently from the adults."
The two of them then ran off before Spider-Man could say anything.
"I'm heading out on my own. I've done it before," said A-Bomb, who jumped off.
Hawkeye looked at Spider-Man. "Some leader you are, are you supposed to be in charge of something? Come on, Crystal, but put some distance from these boys."
Crystal looked at Spider-Man with some sympathy but did not object and followed Hawkeye deep into the jungle.
"So, did I miss the part where you actually said what the plan was?" Ms Marvel asked.
Spider-Man sighed. "It's just one of those days."
The two of them then made their own way into the jungle, unaware that someone within the bushes was watching them.
The Secret Warriors were now all going their separate ways, and none of them were aware that they were being followed.
Spider-Man and Ms Marvel eventually found the spot where Kravinoff and his men were attacked.
"I'm guessing this is the spot where our celebrity hunter got hunted," said Ms Marvel as she looked at the tracks. "Guess this means we confirmed his story, right?"
Spider-Man just remained silent.
"Spider-Man?" Ms Marvel frowned.
Spider-Man came out of his thoughts and looked at her. "Sorry, I'm starting to question my own leadership. Trying to defend Vision as fractured the team, that's nothing but a good leader would do."
Suddenly, he felt his spidey sense going off, and seconds later, the two of them heard massive footsteps.
"Please tell me that isn't a dinosaur?" said Spider-Man.
"I could, but I would be lying," said Ms Marvel as she raised her fists.
Then, suddenly emerging from the trees was a Triceratops, but it was a lot larger than normal and was charging straight towards them. Ms Marvel quickly launched herself at it and pushed it back, but it was able to hold its ground and tossed her into a nearby tree.
Spider-Man felt his spider-sense tingling once more and turned to see a second Triceratops charging him out of the trees. He barely had time to jump out of the way before getting flattened and quickly jumping back towards Ms Marvel.
A-Bomb was wandering through the jungle completely alone when suddenly she was attacked by raptors armed with laser cannons. They immediately fired upon him, but his armour was able to protect him from the full force, and he quickly moved in, punching one across the face.
A second then pounced on top of him, but he was able to fend it off. More kept on coming until he completely swarmed.
Patriot and Torch were observing on the top of the tree when suddenly pterodactyls down towards them.
"I know I'm not a dinosaur expert but aren't these winged reptiles a bit too big?" Torch yelled as he began tossing fireballs at them.
Patriot then observed the practice was avoiding the flames and then attacking, torching his blindspot. He quickly tossed his shield, knocking one of them back.
"They also seem to be rather intelligent," Patriot noted. "You think you're what I'm thinking?"
"Jackal serem?" Torch assumed.
Crystal and Hawkeye were walking downriver when a prehistoric crocodile suddenly shot out of the water. It opened its large jaw, and Crystal barely had time to hold its jaw before it swallowed her whole.
Hawkeye quickly aimed an arrow at the crocodile to help her, but a second one launched out of the water directly beneath the log she was standing on. She was tossed into the air, and the crocodile grabbed her quiver, dragging her down into the water. She tried to unbuckle her quiver buddy and began spinning around.
Crystal quickly fired an electrical shock at her crocodile, and they quickly dived in to help Hawkeye. She swam down and quickly unbuckled her quiver. Then, she used control water to push back the surrounding water, giving them some dry land.
Hawkeye panted heavily. "Okay, nearly drowning two nights in a row is way less fun than it sounds."
Patriot was somersaulting to avoid getting skewered by the pterodactyls, and Torch was merely outrunning them. He quickly made a sharp U-turn and fired a fireball at one of them, knocking it to the ground.
A-Bomb was still battling against the raptors, taking them down one at a time.
Ms Marvel punched one of the Triceratops she was contending with, but the second one rammed into her. It was then that Spider-Man saw that they were wearing electric collars.
The Triceratops immediately turned on him and charged towards them, but using his agility, he could avoid getting skewered by its horns. He then stuck to its underbelly and used his strength to rip off the electric collar around its neck. The moment he did to the Triceratops, calm down and then leave.
"The collar!" Spider-Man yelled at Ms Marvel.
"On it," she said.
She quickly swooped down towards the Triceratops, avoiding its horns and using her strength to tear off the collar. Just like the other won, this Triceratops calmed down and walked off, leaving them alone.
"You've got some keen eyes," Ms Marvel smiled. "Pretty smart in figuring out that it was the collars that were the problem."
"Yeah, but I doubt they put the collars on themselves, which means someone is pulling the strings," said Spider-Man. "The rest of the team may also be at risk." He then reached for his radio. "Everyone, report in."
However, all he got was static.
"Comm is jammed," Spider-Man cursed, "and we split up before I could establish a link with my own personal frequency."
"Actually, you let everyone split up before communications were set," Ms Marvel pointed out.
"They wouldn't listen!"
"Maybe, but back at the Compound, Cap was able to stop everyone arguing with one word."
"He's Captain America!"
"True, he is larger-than-life; he's saved so many lives, including my own, with his leadership."
Spider-Man eyes widened. "Cap takes command; he has to, for the good of everyone. Thanks for helping me understand."
Ms Marvel merely smiled, and then when Spider-Man was busy re-establishing communications, she noticed a sabertooth tiger looking.
"I'll be right back," she said.
Spider-Man turned around as she took off. "Wait!"
He was just about to chase after her when his spidey sense tingled, and he quickly jumped out of the way. Seconds later, launching out of the bushes, was a young man with long blond hair wearing only a loin cloth.
"Who are you supposed to be, Tarzan?" Spider-Man asked.
"I do not know who this Tarzan is, but I go by the name of Ka-Zar," he said as he drew a knife. "And I demand that he release your hold upon my friend Zabu."
"Look, I don't know who your friend Zabu is, but my friend and I only just arrived here," said Spider-Man calmly. "We were sent here to investigate strange goings-on within the Savage Land."
Ka-Zar looked at him closely. "You're telling the truth."
"Good, with that settled, my friend is currently chasing down a sabertooth tiger, so let's go and find her," said Spider-Man.
His eyes widened. "She's chasing after Zabu."
Ms Marvel continued to chase after Zabu until they reached the clearing. Zabu snarled at her, and it was clear that someone was sending an electrical shock from his collar.
"Easy there, boy," she said calmly. "What do you say? You let Auntie Carol get rid of that nasty collar around your neck."
She landed in front of Zabu, who stared at her and then roared in pain as he suffered from another electrical shock. Then suddenly, a pylon shot out of the ground, unleashing a field that caused Ms Marvel to collapse.
Then, suddenly landing on the ground was a pterodactyl, but this one had arms and legs.
Meanwhile, Hawkeye was pouring water out of her quiver when suddenly, they heard a message from Spider-Man.
"This is Spider-Man; I managed to re-establish communications. Now, please report in," he said.
"Should he really still be giving us orders?" Hawkeye asked.
"Will you listen, please," said Spider-Man.
"Oh good, I can hear Webs talking. I miss that," said Torch sarcastically.
"Hey, fearless leader, both me and Storm were attacked by giant pterodactyls," said Patriot.
"And we were attacked by giant crocodiles," said Hawkeye.
"A-Bomb, are you connected, or are you just ignoring us?" Crystal asked.
A-Bomb was still resting against the raptors. "I'm a little busy; I'll call back later."
"I still can't believe that he is willing to give the killer android the benefit of the doubt," said Torch.
"It is rather clear what his motives are," Patriot agreed.
"How can we be a team if he doesn't put our well-being into consideration?" Hawkeye asked.
"And he's the one who's supposed to bring us together, and yet we were divided because of him," Crystal added.
Spider-Man sighed as he and Ka-Zar found the place where Ms. Marvel had fallen, but she was gone. However, they noticed tracks belonging to a sabertooth tiger and drag marks.
"Aren't you supposed to be their pack leader?" Ka-Zar asked as they heard the other Secret Warriors arguing. "None of us are going to succeed until you bring them together."
"Enough!" Spider-Man snapped as he ripped off one of the pylons sticking out of the ground. "Ms Marvel has been captured, and we must act as a team if we are to rescue her."
"Under your leadership?" Torch asked. "I don't think so—"
"This is not up for debate!" Spider-Man yelled. "All of you chose me to lead, and once the mission is done, if you wish to select a new one, I will happily stand down, but until then, I'm in charge."
Everyone just went quiet and looked at one another.
Meanwhile, inside a bunker, Ms Marvel had finally regained consciousness and found herself strapped to a table, unable to move.
"Ah, you're awake, excellent," said a voice. "I have to admit I was surprised that you were here, Ms. Marvel, but it was a very pleasant one."
"Why can't I move?" Ms Marvel asked.
"I would afford it was obvious, even with someone was low intelligence is yours," said the voice. "The collar around your neck is inhibiting your motor functions from the neck down. I've allowed you to retain the power of speech as your reactions may be instructed during the procedure."
"What procedure?"
"Why examine your DNA up close and personal? I heard that you had absorbed Kree's energy, which gave you enhanced strength, the ability to fly, and energy absorption and release. How could a normal human be able to channel such power? Unlocking that potential might answer a number of other questions regarding superhumans."
The Secret Warriors, except A-Bomb, had now met up and made their way towards the bunker. They were able to locate it thanks to Ka-Zar's excellent tracking skills, who was more than happy to help them.
"I could fly over," said Torch.
"Negative, the field stands like a dome over the entire compound," said Patriot as he scanned the field with his goggles.
"The pylons are insulated, but one good shock would cause a momentary gap," said Spider-Man.
"I see a target," said Hawkeye, noting a control panel on the Compound.
"Then get ready to hit it," said Spider-Man. "Crystal, do you think you can make an opening?"
"I think I can manage that," said Crystal.
"Then everyone stand ready."
Crystal immediately charged towards the energy field and used her electrical powers to disrupt the energy cooperating in a hole.
"Now!" Patriot ordered.
Hawkeye fired an arrow straight for the opening and struck the button on the control panel, shutting down the security system.
"Wait," said Ka-Zar as he looked on top of the Compound, "it would seem as if we're not alone."
Sure enough, they saw a pack of raptors with energy cannons strapped to their backs standing atop the Compound. One of them roared, and immediately, the alarm went off and began charging towards the Secret Warriors.
The humanoid pterodactyls saw the monitor of the intruders. "It would seem as if we have unwelcome guests."
"Then deal with them, Sauron," said the mysterious voice. "I can handle the procedure by myself."
Sauron nodded and began making his way towards the door.
The Secret Warriors were still fighting against the raptors, and during the fight, Spider-Man saw that they were wearing collars as well. One of them charged towards him, but he dodged it, tried to bite him, slammed it into the ground, and quickly ripped the collar off its neck.
The moment he did the raptor, he ran off.
Spider-Man turned to the others. "Remove the collars!"
"Sounds easy when you say it," said Patriot as he was pinned to the ground, holding back the mouth of the raptor with his shield.
Hawkeye quickly fired an arrow, striking the collar, and the raptor released Patriot. He then quickly repaid the favour by jumping in at the raptors behind her with his shield, destroying the collar in the process.
The door to the Compound opened, and Sauron stepped out; Crystal came at him with flames. However, he quickly jumped in the air, dodging them, and then pinned her to the ground. The moment he did, he began training her of her energy.
"Delicious energy," he said.
"Get off her lizard lips!" Torch yelled.
However, to his surprise, he raised his hand and unleashed a powerful gust of wind that blew him back.
Ms Marvel was about to have a nasty procedure and still did not know who her captive was.
"So, are you going to tell me who you are, or do I have to guess?" she asked.
"Ah, of course, how rude of me," said the voice. And then, floating out of the shadows, was a giant head with the arms and legs of an infant in some hover device. "However, I think you know me pretty well. I am MODOK!"
"Where are your AIM agents, MODORK?" Ms Marvel asked. "Finally realised that the only way to prove yourself to be supersmart is to have mindless creatures at your side?"
"Hardly, I just feel this need my undivided attention," he said.
Zabu then suddenly pounced at him, knocking him away from Ms Marvel.
"Filthy beast!" MODOK roared. "You will pay for defying me!"
He then pressed the button on his hover device, and Zabu roared in pain, shocked by his collar.
"Stop it!" Ms Marvel yelled.
Sauron then came smashing through the wall, causing MODOK to pause. He then turned towards the hole just as the Secret Warriors entered.
Hawkeye was the first to see MODOK, and she was disgusted by his appearance. "What is that thing?"
"It's MODOK; he's the big brain in charge of AIM," said Patriot.
"Excellent, more test subjects," MODOK smiled and pressed the button on his hover chair. Spider-Man's spidey sense tingled, and he quickly jumped and stuck to the ceiling moments before pylons shot out from the ground and created a stasis field that paralysed the others.
"It would seem we miss the arachnid," MODOK cursed.
Sauron took to the air and flew straight towards Spider-Man, but he quickly launched himself towards the ground and shot right past him. He then quickly fired a string of webbing directly at MODOK's chair, but he had pressed it moments before. Instantly, the pylon shut down, freeing the Secret Warriors from their confinement.
"A-Bomb, now!" Spider-Man ordered.
A-Bomb came smashing through the wall behind MODOK and headed straight towards Sauron, knocking him off his feet. Torch then flew in, shooting some fireballs at him, and just when he was about to grab him, Patriot jumped in, striking him across the face with his shield. Crystal struck him with shards of Earth, and A-Bomb slammed his fist right down at him.
Sauron quickly jumped back and swatted him away with his tail, but several explosive arrows from Hawkeye hit him. Ka-Zar then jumped in, dealing him with a jumping spinning kick. MODOK was blasting Spider-Man when an energy beam came from its forehead, but he dodged each blast.
Both MODOK and Sauron soon found themselves completely surrounded. Spider-Man then tore the collar off of Ms Marvel, allowing her to move.
"Thanks," she said and then quickly made her way over to Zabu. "Now, one good turn deserves another."
MODOK and Sauron were now completely surrounded.
"I'll take you all on," Sauron squawked.
"And you would lose," said MODOK, knowing the odds went in their favour. "I'm sure that we will meet again."
He then pressed a button on his hover chair, and suddenly, the lights went off. Torch immediately conjured up some fire, but they were gone without a trace.
"Where did they go?" Torch blinked.
The Secret Warriors then spent the next few hours removing the collars from all the animals.
"That should be about the last of them," said Ms Marvel.
"I appreciate you helping us," said Ka-Zar, shaking hands with Spider-Man, "but tell me honestly, do you think this villain will show up again?"
"I don't know, but if he does, we'll be here," Spider-Man promised.
"Then I would ask a favour," said Ka-Zar and then gestured to Zabu. "Take Zabu with you."
Spider-Man looked at him in surprise. "But why? Isn't your friend?"
"That he is, but I suspect that you're going to need all the help you get backing against these villains, and I must stay here to protect my home. Zabu will be a great aid to you, and I can promise you that."
Spider-Man nodded. "I promise we'll look after him."
Patriot then approached him. "Look, I got to know why you're giving Vision the benefit of the doubt."
"Look, I know you're all angry about this betrayal, but we do not know the full story," he said, looking at them all. "He may have a good reason for doing what he did, and he had ample opportunity to eliminate us, but instead, he let us go."
Patriot sighed. "Yeah, that is a good point. I hate to admit it, but you're right. I guess we'll all be angry, and we decided to take our frustrations out on you, which was wrong."
"I'm still prepared to stand down," said Spider-Man.
"All in favour of keeping Spider-Man as team leader?" Torch asked.
"Aye!" said everyone.
"Guess the amazing unanimous," said Ms Marvel, shaking Spider-Man. "I'll be seeing you guys tomorrow."
"You're not coming back with us?"
"No," she said and then took off.
Everyone looked at one another and shrugged as they boarded the Quinjet.
The Savage Land is an untouched prehistoric land that has recently been discovered. There are small human tribes that live within these lands; where they came from is still a mystery. According to UN law, land is a protected reserve and, as such, cannot be mined for resources.
Carol Danvers was born in 1985 and was a captain in the United States Air Force. She worked as chief of security for a restricted military base, where she met Dr. Walter Lawson, who was, in fact, an alien called a Kree. An accident occurred with a Kree device, and Carol was exposed to massive energy from it, which gave her powers. In 2006, she became the hero called Ms. Marvel.
Ms. Marvel can fly and has enhanced strength equal to that of Thor. She can also absorb energy and fight back with photon blasts.