#10-Bring On The Bad Guys
Deep within the Cabal Sub, Skull, MODOK, and Cozy Glow were trying to gain more secrets on the Avengers.
"One more time, you arrogant subroutine," MODOK said while hacking into the armor.
"Negative," Jarivs declined. "You are attempting to illegally access Stark Technology ."
"Engaging the offline application," Cozy Glow said.
"Processing. Access granted. Welcome back, Mr. Stark."
"And that is how you hack software, he's all yours," MODOK told Skull.
"Computer, you will refer to me as Master. Replay simulation. Avengers versus my Cabal," Skull ordered.
"As wish, Master," Jarvis said as showed various clips of the Cabal battling the Avengers. "As you know, the Stark pre-play variable system compiles data in combat. Creating predictive strategies that drastically increase the team's efficiency in combat."
"Modify pre-play input. Assume that the Cabal works as a unit. Assume that they perform like Avengers."
"Doubtful but interesting, Master," Jarivs ran a simulation where both Thor and Zapp fired their lighting beams at MODOK who fired his laser, but Dracula knocked them off balance when MODOK's Laser hit them." Success, 40 percent."
"An understatement, computer. The transformation of the Cabal's Strategy would be significant," Another simulation where Cozy Glow in the Adaptoid fired arrows to Cap which he blocked them with his shield, but both Tirek and Attuma came from underground and punched him to ground.
"Success, 60 percent!"
Another show Iron Man and Iron Skull fired their Unibeam at each other which the explosion sends Hawkeye, Widow, and Captain Cosmos hurling to ground.
"Success, 80 percent! Master, you discover a weakness in the Avengers' defense strategy."
"Excellent! Play it through!"
The final clip shows Hulk getting thrashed by the Adaptoid, Thor and the Royal Sisters collapsing under Dracula and Chrysalis.
"Is Stark's little game, is all hope for, Skully?" Cozy Glow asked.
"It is the key to everything, Miss Glow. The Cabal's Time is at hand, and Tony Stark has shown me the way," Skull said.
"Success, 100 percent."
Much later, most of The Cabal were in the dining room eating dinner with Attuma eating barbaric, as some of his food went into Cozy's drink.
"Eww," She revolted.
"Slicence, child. Before I pop you like a blowfish."
"The small one holds a point, they're called utensils, try one."
"You don't command me, I'm a warlord of Alatis, you are king of leeches."
Dracula went over to him then snarled as Attuma tried to punch him but he backed away then Attuma threw a swordfish at Dracula but he got out of the way as MODOK blasted the fish to pieces.
As they were all fighting, the Skull walked and saw the commotion.
"Computer, imply a proper response," He said.
"Your wish is my command."
Skull fired a repulse ray at Attuma and Tirek, then rolled a dining cart at Chrysalis's feet who her blasted hit off Dracula, Cozy Glow, and Spellbreaker in that order before he sat down, and ate his dinner.
"Aah, just the way I like it, a cold red center," Skull said as the villains were confused.
"You never showed much skill, explain?" Chrysalis questioned.
Skull took off his glass eye, and showed the pre-play software.
"What you see before you, is a software that is locked deep inside my armor. The program contains a limitless array of battle tactics and strategies. It is one of Iron Man's most critical tools. With it, we have a means to destroy our enemies by using their own methods against them, with one problem."
"Success requires a talent that this group sorely lacks. Trust. If success is what you crave, are you willing to trust me?" Skull asked, as the villains pondered.
Just across the waters of Washington D.C, the Cabal Sub was topside as the group was on deck.
"Lord Dracula, if you please," Skull requested.
Dracula manages to create a green mist that covers most of DC where people started to panic, then saw an image of Skull.
"Washington D.C! Your city has been chosen as the first to witness the power of the Cabal! Hand over your leaders to us, and we shall mercy, defy us, and we won't," Then transmission went off. "It has begun! The future of The Cabal rests with you."
MODOK, Cozy Glow, and Chrysails took to the skies, as Tirek, Attuma, and Spellbreaker went into the water.
"We all do our part, Skull. If you fail us again, there is nothing in this world nor any other that will stop you from feasting on your soul," Dracula said before dispersing in mist.
"That would be a terrifying vampire, if I had a soul," Skull said.
At the Capitol Hill, Attuma, Tirek and Spellbreaker, led his army against SWAT.
"Meet your new king!"
"Tank!"
Then three large tanks emerged and opened fire, at Attum blocked with his sword then slashed through it as Tirek used his hands to rip the second as Spellbreaker caused the last to explode on itself.
"Is that the best you humans can muster?" Attuma asked.
"Team A, you have 2 minutes and 38 seconds," Skull monitored the attack on the Sub.
Then some SHIELD fighter jets flew down and fired at the Cabal Sub, but their bullets didn't penetrate it.
"Team B, the vultures are gathering!"
Cozy Glow fired the Unibeam from the Adaptoid, destroying one, then Chrysails fired an acid shot that melted it to almost nothing on the second.
"That was 45 seconds slower than you predicted."
"When we rule the world, I will see that the planes run on time."
"Foolish humans!" Chrysalis prepared to strike but was shocked by a lightning bolt that sent her right into the water.
"Cabal! They're here!"
Where Attuma and his group, two lightning bolts struck the ground, sent most Attuma's minions as Thor and Zapp flew down.
"BAH! It's only the Thunder and his pet! I shall knock him back into the sky!"
Then Hulk stomps through Attuma's minions.
"Yeah, what are you going to do, fish face?" Hulk asked.
"Skull! They're here!"
"Impossible," Skull said while on the sub. "How did they get here so quickly? My plan was foolproof!"
"So says the fool!" Cap surprised him as he punched him in the face. "Annocing that you're attacking Washington? Are you getting more desperate or just plain dumber?"
Skull flew to him and tried to punch him but Cap avoided it then used his shield to deflect a repulse blast from Skull which forced him to lose it.
"We are at our strongest. The Avengers' day has come!" Skull said then suddenly he got blasted from behind by Iron Man and Matterhorn.
"If by day, you mean another day the Avengers hand you your boney butt, sure." Iron Man joked.
Meanwhile, Thor and Attuma clashed their weapons then he knocked him to the ground as Hulk and Tirek got into stand off before Hulk pushed him off and the centaur crashed into Spellbreaker then Zapp shocked both of them. In the skies, Falcon was chasing down Cozy Glow in the Adaptoid.
"Since you hook up with the Adaptoid, you are nothing but a pilot," Falcon says as he collides with the bot.
"Something's off about this, the Cabal aren't usually this coordinated," Widow said.
"Maybe. A target is still a target," Hawkeye fired some explosive arrow, which knocked the Adaptoid out of the sky and into the water.
On the sub…
"Master, the percentages are moving so rapidly, even I'm getting dizzy."
"Shut it, computer! Cabal, listen to me! Stay with the plan! Cabal! Cabal!" Skull shouted.
"In recorded time," Iron Man said as he landed down. "Even I'm starting to feel bad for you."
"The Cabal might take DC today…" Skull as he took off. "But you Avengers won't be around to see it! Computer, initiate self-descruction"
."Sparkles!"
"Got it!" She teleported everyone off and they landed at the beach with the Cabal Sub blowing up as the blast sent Skull crashing onto the beach as well.
"Quickly, regroup! Attuma! Cozy Glow! Tirek! MODOK! Dracula?" Skull called for his team as the rest of the Avengers surrounded him which Skull surrendered. "So much for trust."
Onboard the Tricarrier…
"Well I say we take the next month off," Hawkeye said as Hulk and Thor brought in Skull. "I'm going to need a month to enjoy the moment!"
"Say defeat," Hawkeye took a picture. "My new screen saver."
Hulk throws him into an energy cell where his armor shuts down as Nick Fury walks in.
"I wouldn't believe it, if I wasn't seeing it with my own eye," Fury said.
"Might want to back up," Iron Man said to a SHIELD agent. "I know standard procedure to confiscate his armor, but Skull may have it booby-trap."
"I get it off," Hulk said, then tried to take off, but the moment he touched it, it zapped him.
"Didn't I say not to do that? I did right," Tony implied as the others try to Hulk back.
"Something's wrong," Phoenix said. "This was way too easy."
"Don't be a firebird spoil sport, we do actually catch the bad guys, most of the time," Hawkeye said.
"She's right. As long the rest of the Cabal are still out there, Skull still a threat," Widow reminded him.
"Okay, put the victory cake back in the fridge," Tony said as Pinkie literally ate a cake she had baked recently. "Falcon, we got a blown Cabal Sub to check out."
"Sounds like a hoot," Falcon said as they left.
"Skull's team couldn't have gotten far. Use the Aven-Jet's tracking systems, local police band, cell feeds, anything that can catch their scent," Cap said.
"And what of you, Captain?" Thor asked.
"Matterhorn and I have a Skull to crack."
The rest of the team heads out, leaving both Matterhorn and Cap alone with Skull. The Aven-Jet, Thor, Iron Man, Falcon took off, just as Chrysalis and Dracula were on board.
Meanwhile, Cap locks all and any escape if the Skull manages to break out as Matterhorn prepares for questioning.
"Okay, Skull. I've known you for a short time and given your history, you sacrifice countless lives for your own ambitions, never once you risk your own neck for a teammate. Until today, and that is what makes me worry," Matterhorn said.
"Just as you learn about me, I have learned about you and the others, and that will make the victory more sweet," Skull smiled.
"Victroy, you have no chance of escape. And all so call allies, have abandoned you," Cap said.
"In order to escape, I would first be captured. And as for allies, you two seem to be all alone," Skull said as both Dracula and Chrysalis appeared.
"Sometimes, being right, really bites," Cap said.
"Clever choice of words, meat," Dracula chuckles a bit as he strikes his sword at Cap who blocks it with a shield then pushes him as Chysails free Skull then fires a repulse blast at both them making them fall to the ground.
"Now, soldier, your superior blood is mine," Dracula said as he prepared to bite him but Skull stopped him.
"Not yet, we must have our bargaining chips," Skull said then Chrysasils stung them with her venom as they fell asleep.
On the Cabal Sub…
"Uh, Tony, you might want to see this," Falcon said to him. "Doesn't it look like the…"
"The Data Crux," Tony said before pressing a button on the table. "My pre-play software. That armor stealing, software-hacking…"
Both of them see footage of them capturing Skull, unaware that both Dracula and Chrysalis were invisible to the others.
"Uh, Cap. Sparkles. We've got a situation. Uh-oh."
On the Tricarrier, the Cabal waged a full on assault..
"Master. Stark has discovered our little secret, as scheduled," Jarvis said as Skull breached the control room.
"Greeting, Colonel," He said before blasting but Fury dodged it, then tried to blast him.
"Get off my bridge!" He said, but Spellcaster blocked the shots and fired a sphere at them knocking them down.
"No longer is your bridge," Skull said as the rest of Cabal showed along with their captives. "Don't run too far, we'll be needing you shortly. Miss Glow, will you do the honors?"
Cozy Glow approached the console and uploaded a link, which gave them full control of the Tricarrier.
"And the uplink is complete, the Tri-carrier is ours," She said.
"I'm loath to say it," Chrysails rolled her eyes.
"Oh but please do."
"You are a competent leader after all," She said.
"Master, you're resting on your laurels. You may want to…"
"Cabal, stay focused! There's much to be done before the Avengers arrive," Skull reminded everyone.
"Bah! Let them come! I will do to them what I will do this fool, Fury!" Attuma shouted before grabbing him as Fury managed to drop a smoke bomb from his coat which blinded them and only in a few seconds, he was gone.
With Fury he ducked within the pipeline of the ship.
"Stark, you guys are up. Get them off my bridge, and I can do the rest."
Back at the bridge…
"You soft shelled fool!" MODOK snapped at Attuma. "Fury had operational codes not stored in the SHIELD computer banks! How does such a nano-sized brain create a high volume of idiocy?"
"Watch it, troll! I'll make Captain America give us the codes!"
"No," Dracula said. "Do not touch the soldier, he and his superior blood are mine!"
"Stick your face in my again, parasite, and I will bury it where the sun…." Attuma threatened before he and Dracula got at it with each other.
"You have to be kidding me," Cozy Glow said.
"Clash of the egos, strike again." Chrysalis added.
"No! No! Victory is ours!" Skull exclaimed then much to his horror, the Avengers approached the Tri-Carrier.
"We've got incoming!" Skull shouted.
"Kind of understatement at the moment," Spellbreaker as the defenses came on and fired.
Just outside…
"Careful guys. Fury probably wanted this thin back in one piece, so tried not to wreck it, much," Iron Man repulsed the sentry guns as Hulk landed.
"Sure, I'll smash…." Then a missile came at him but he caught and threw it back at the missile cannon.
"Gently."
"I truly think you don't mean that, Hulk," Thor said to him.
"Okay, anyone guess, on why Skull wanted to get on board," Radiance asked before shooting down some drones.
"It's kinda obiv," Zapp said before firing a lighting bolt at the missile which exploded. "The dude wants the Tri-Carrier. Doy!"
"I don't think it's that obvious, he was after something bigger, but what," Phoenix Blaze said as she fired a fireball at the guns.
…
"I'm open to an idea," Spellbreaker said.
"Here's an oldie but a goodie, Divide and Conquer," Cozy Glow suggested.
"Yes, excellent, that might just work," Skull liked it.
"Thanks," the little filly grinned.
"Cabal! Crush them!"
The villains headed out, where Attuma and Tirek landed right near Hulk and Saddle Rager
"Hulk! Let's play!" Attuma said before he pushed away from Iron Man.
"You're weird, I smash weird!" Hulk says as he dodged a sword slash from Attuma then chased him.
"Big green, what are you doing," Zapp called him but she and Thor got dragged by green mist to the other side of the ship where Dracula and Spellbreaker were waiting for them.
"You can swim but you can't run, fish-man," Hulk said as he blocked his path.
"Cretin, Attuma is not running," He placed his sword down. "He's leading."
Then suddenly the Tri-carrier had somehow separated itself.
"What is happening?" Thor asked.
"What?" Hulk asked.
"Yes, what indeed," Attuma sneered as his part went into the ocean, and Dracula's took into space.
'Hulk crashed."
"No, Hulk splashed! You are in my element now, beast!"
…
"One immortal against another eh?" Thor asked him.
"In the one place devoid of my only weakness, can you say the same," Dracula countered.
Meanwhile… Widow, Hawkeye, Falcon, Fill-Second, Phoenix Blaze, Radiance and Marevelous crashed into the bridge.
"Incoming!" Fill-Second shouted.
"Time for me to go!"Chrysails flew out
"MODOK, Miss Glow! I leave the Avengers in your adaptable hands!" Skull said as he left as well.
"Our pleasure, Skull."
"Take this!" Cozy Glow fired flesheettes at them which they took cover.
"Come on, the Adaptoid thing is getting old, try something new for once," Hawkeye groaned as the bridge's weapon came online and opened fire.
"That's new," Radiance engaged her shield.
"Call me crazy, but I'm winning," Cozy admitted.
"Yes, we should try it more often," MODOK agreed.
With Iron Man, he managed to find Skull and chased after him.
"No matter how you slice it, the Cabal can't beat us. You just don't have the power," He said before taking shots but got ambushed by him.
"I'm in the process of changing that equation," Skull said as he rammed right through the engine room, from there he saw both Matterhorn and Cap being tied up.
…
"Come out, wherever you are," Cozy Glow looked for them.
From behind, Hawkeye threw a bomb that exploded forcing her back as Marevelous bucked her down to the ground.
"Bet he didn't see that one coming," Radiance giggled.
"Wait, something off, wasn't MODOK here with us, a few moments ago," Phoenix Blaze as everyone gasped.
"Uh, Iron Man, heads up, and I mean literally, MODOK's loose on the ship," Fill-Second said as he approached what appeared to be a cell then he activated it.
"Cabal! The pawns are in place," MODOK radio called the others.
"Excellent," Skull's voice was heard as Cap and Matterhorn were dropped. "I assume you're good with math, Stark. Is the life of two worth the lives of so many?"
"Sometimes, I hate math," He flew after them and caught it. "Avegers Assemble!"
"Cabal to me!" Both Iron Man and Skull called for their teams.
…
"This dance ain't over!" Hulk said as he jumped out of there with Saddle Rager on his back.
…
"We'll meet again, Thunderers," Dracula said as he and Spellbreaker vanished out of sight, and Thor and Zapp headed back down to earth.
Then Saddle Rager flew off and landed to the ground as Hulk and Thor landed and immediately jumped back up to catch their teammates and landed somewhat safely.
"You let Skull get away?" Cap asked.
"It was that or you and Matters going splat," Zapp said.
"You're welcome," Hulk said.
"We saved the Tri-Carrier from the world's greatest villains, and save both of you, how's that not a win?" Iron Man asked.
"They weren't after the Tri-Carrier," Matterhorn said. "I give you one guess, who SHIELD was holding prisoner on that ship."
…
"Master, isn't the base where you first started your operations? I thought the idea was to advance your position?"
"But I have, computer," Skull said before turning him off.
"We suckered those suckers, hard!" Chrysails snickers.
"Yes, we were victorious, what wars shall we wage next," Attuma asked.
"Let's discuss that with our newest member," Tierk said as he opened the cell. "Hyperion."
Hyperion steps out still being ticked off how Avengers lock him up like a common criminal.
"Vengeance! The Avengers will pay for imprisoning me," Hyperion exclaimed.
"In time, Hyperion. I would like to make you a mutually beneficial proposition," Skull said to him before he held out his hand. "Trust me."