25 - Copycats
Xavier Institute for gifted youngsters, North Salem, New York
Saturday, October 20th, 2012, 10:00 AM
The ball whizzed through the air, sailing across the yard. Nate shot after it, leaping into the air in the middle of the trees, reaching his hand out to wrap his fingers around the once white horsehide, closing his hands around the ball before tossing it across the yard and dashing across the field. Kurt flashed through the air, teleporting into the path of the ball to catch with both hands. A backhanded toss sent it flying over the field. Bobby skated off along a line of ice after the ball. The three friends were taking advantage of the freedom of the weekend to enjoy themselves. Kitty was inside, signing them on to use the danger room once it was free. Scott and Jean had left to go into the city to see a movie for their first date. The ball came flying back towards Nate, who shot off after it, leaping over the mansion to follow its trajectory. He caught the ball, skidding to a halt just before slamming into a tree. Zipping back around the manor, he grinned as Bobby skated back over. He thumped his friend on the shoulder. "Nice throw". Bobby nodded with a grin. Kurt teleported onto a tree branch above the pair, swinging down as he hung off the tree by his tail.
"Think Kitty got anywhere with getting us into the danger room?" the blue skinned boy asked. Nate shrugged. He leaned back against the tree, closing his eyes. His friends had been incredible since his break up with Gwen. None of them had left him alone with his thoughts, unless he asked for peace and quiet. Bobby climbed up onto the branch beside Kurt, humming to himself. Nate tossed the ball from hand to hand, catching it as he did so. He felt his eyes drifting closed as he leaned back against the tree. Bobby's humming grew distant as he laid his head back against the bark. The blissful silence was overcome by a high pitched whistling shriek inside Nate's head, and he felt the ground rushing up to meet him.
–AoS–
Metro General Hospital, Manhattan, New York City
Saturday, October 20th, 10:00 AM
No one noticed it as it crawled silently along the floor, latching onto the bottom of staff members' feet and jumping off when it wanted to change directions. It had come here to this world to fulfil a promise. Its host had fought for this world, the host it had abandoned. It was a noble goal, one that the hive mind would consider just and honourable. It had betrayed its wounded host, leaving the weakened creature to die. It had failed to help the being known as Sentinel. It would not fail again. Crawling into a small room, it could sense a faint life force, close to death. If it was going to continue the work of Sentinel, the symbiote knew, it should begin by helping one who would die without its aid.
Latching itself onto the foot of the hospital bed - though it did not know that was what it was - the symbiote crawled up the leg of the bed and onto the arm of the comatose figure lying still under the blankets.
–AoS–
The patient inside room 308 - known to her loved ones as Sabrina Hastings - had been in an induced coma for nine days. Her injuries - which were much more severe than the doctors originally assumed - had been caused in a car accident. Her mother had crashed when another driver ran a red light. They had been moving to New York from Indiana for her mother's new job. When she had been pulled from the wreckage, just before the car exploded, blood had matted her raven hair and metal had been embedded sharply in her lower leg. Her arm and foot had both been broken, the former in several places, along with three broken ribs. With her mother dead, the doctors, after several days in an induced coma, had been trying to contact her father to discuss whether or not he and his ex wife had discussed donating their daughter's organs. When her eyes snapped open on Saturday, the twentieth of october, much to the shock of Doctor Didi Abrahams-Thomas - who had just entered the room - she was still covered in bruises, though her pain was gone, and her injuries were well on the way to healling fully.
–AoS–
Who's there? It felt strange. She had no idea where she was, and she could no longer feel her body. Briefly, she wondered if she was dead.
You are not, Sabrina Hastings. We have saved you. At least for now. We wish to speak with you. We have an offer for you.
So who are you? A mix of confusion and dread filled her up as she tried to spot whoever was talking. She found herself in a strange black void, white light shining in the distance. Was this it then? Was she supposed to walk towards the light? Somehow, she doubted it. The voice had told her she wasn't dead. Despite herself, Sabrina believed it. Or rather, perhaps she wanted to believe it. If she were dead, who would look after her mother? The black ooze in front of her seemed to coalesce into a figure. For a moment, she could not place where she had seen the girl in front of her. She stared into the inky black face, meeting familiar hazel eyes, framed by raven curls. She was staring at herself, she realised. The ooze-Sabrina was wearing a strange black and red costume. The suit was made up of a black top and pants, with Red boots that reached up to just past the knees. The top flared out into a red coat tail that fell to just below her knees. On the chest was a red diamond with a red S. the neckline and shoulders of the costume were also red. Sabrina frowned slightly.
What was going on?
We have chosen you, the voice spoke again. Ooze-Sabrina's lips did not move when she spoke, though somehow she knew it was the figure before her that was speaking now. We can help you, though we need help in return. Sabrina shivered slightly.
And what would happen if she refused Sabrina wondered.
We heal you, and move on to another host. You forget us. If this thing was going to heal her, Sabrina didn't want to forget about it. If she forgot, she couldn't thank it.
How do I help?
We will become a part of you. We will give you power. Power which you will use to protect this world.
Could she do that? Sabrina wondered. Could she really help other people? Was she the sort of person who could protect others? She was a highschool student. She wanted to be a photographer or a writer.
We believe anyone can help. We believe you can help, Sabrina Hastings.
Okay. What do I call you? She wondered. She could hardly think of it as it or as Ooze-Sabrina.
We are Solares.
–AoS–
She awoke with a start, Gasping and raking her fingers through her hair as she sat up. The doctor rushed towards her. "Do you know what your name is?" the older woman asked, carefully examining her vitals. Sabrina nodded. "My name is Sabrina Hastings". The doctor nodded.
"And what is the last thing you remember, Sabrina?" Sabrina narrowed her eyes. It wasn't difficult to fake. She genuinely could not recall much of what had happened.
"I - I was in the car. With my mom, I think. Then - there was a light. Headlights, I think". She nodded, rubbing her forehead. Glancing up at the doctor, she frowned deeply. "I'm in the hospital now. My mom. Where is she?" The doctor lowered her eyes, pulling a nearby chair over. Propping down into the seat, the doctor took a deep breath, resting a hand on the bed beside her. No. Sabrina thought pricked her eyes. It can't be.
"You and your mother were both brought in with serious injuries. Unfortunately, she didn't make it through surgery. You've been in an induced coma since you came out of your initial operation. You weren't healing, until I came to check on you. This is some sort of miracle." the doctor gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "Is there anyone I can contact for you? The hospital offers counsellors, and I think talking to someone could do you some good". Sabrina shook her head. The Doctor frowned slightly, yet nodded as she leaned back. "Sabrina, we've been trying to get in contact with your father since you arrived. Do you know where he is? Where he might be living now? Do you have a means of contacting him?"
Sabrina shook her head once more. "He died. Before I was born". The Doctor nodded, laying a hand on her shoulder once more.
"I hate to run out on you, Sabrina. I have to make some calls. Someone will be along to run some more tests on you soon. But before I go, are there any questions you want me to answer for you?" Sabrina sniffed, rubbing her tears away as she shook her head. The older woman nodded as she stepped out of the room, gently pulling the door shut behind her. Sabrina felt the tears rushing down her cheeks. Biting down on her bottom lip to keep from screaming, she spoke in her own head, hoping she had not been dreaming, and that the creature might answer.
My mother. Can you – Could you bring her back? Even if just for a little while.
We are sorry, Sabrina Hastings. This cannot be done. We may fix many things; death is not one. Sabrina nodded, rubbing her eyes with her forearm.
–AoS–
Webbing the robbers to the street lamp outside the corner store and tossing the cash back through the front door for the store owner, Peter let out a whoop as he leaped into the air and fired off a webline, zipping away from the scene of the burglary. Swinging through the city streets, he grinned to himself under the mask. Things were going well for Spider-Man lately. His patrols were going well, though since the time he had briefly teamed up with sentinel he hadn't had the chance to deal with any supervillains. Now, Peter thought as he swung through the city streets, If only things could start looking up for Peter Parker. His one attempt to ask Liz out since the spider bite hadn't gone so well. She had let him down gently at least, he supposed. Things got bad when Flash got involved. The jock had caught him talking to his latest girlfriend - Which Peter hadn't known - and taken umbrage with his gall. A buzzing sensation shot through the back of Peter's head. Stunned, he swung over to a nearby skyscraper and clinging to the window. Hurriedly crawling up to the roof, he gazed around at the city below.
The blare of sirens and screeching of tires cut through the city streets. Glancing around, he spotted a crowd of people scattering across the street several blocks south of his current position. Leaping off the building and swinging through the city streets, he spotted the source of the commotion. A masked figure in a red and yellow costume came rushing out of a bank, a sack of money hauled over his shoulder. Several police cruisers could be seen in the distance, rushing towards the scene of the heist. Having not yet noticed Peter swinging in towards him, the masked figure raised his arm, unleashing a burst of energy which forced the police cruisers to a halt. As Peter was about to deliver a kick to the back of the yellow clad criminal, the now familiar sensation blared in his skull, distracting him as a second masked figure barrelled into him from the side.
Peter felt himself colliding into the side of a nearby truck. Rubbing the back of his head, he groaned as he sat up. The second masked figure, this one in a blue costume, gaped at him in confusion, before turning to his partner, who by this point had dropped the bag full of cash and spun around to face him. "Hey, Shocker!" Blue shouted, "How's about, the next time we decide to rob a bank, you keep your eyes open yeah? This clown almost took your head off!"
Yellow glared at Blue. "Okay Boomerang; How's about the next time, I don't let your whiny little ass tag along with me, huh?" Peter laughed as he fired a web into the Blue figure's chest, tugging him closer and punching him in the stomach. "Boomerang, Shocker? You guys can't be serious!" Shocker glared at him, raising his arm, covered with a silver gauntlet, and fired a burst of energy at him. Peter leaped back, flipping over in an effort to avoid the blast. A shockwave caught him in the ribs, sending him rolling along the street. Shocker laughed cruelly.
"And what are you supposed to be, punk?" Firing another web, Peter latched onto the other man's arm, tugging him forward and slamming him into the concrete face first.
"Really? You can't tell? Well let's take a roll call, shall we? Shoots webs, like a spider, sixth sense, like a spider. As agile as a spider. Oh! And a spider on my chest too! I guess I must be the Hornet, Huh?" Shocker let out an enraged bellow, firing a wild energy wave. Peter swung across the block, avoiding the energy. He chuckled. "Nah, I'm just kidding, Shocks. I'm just your friendly neighbourhood Spectacular Spider-Man". Firing a web at a wall behind the yellow and red clad criminal, Peter swung towards him, legs slung out in front of him. Clamping his eyes shut as he approached the other man, stomach lurching as he soared downwards, Peter felt the crash as he collided feet first with the other man's stomach. Snapping his eyes open, he stuck to the wall, peering down at the two criminals below. Shocker was sprawled on the ground, unmoving. The gauntlet on his arm was sparking violently, several exposed wires poking out of the wrist. Lashing a web to the man's stomach, Peter pulled him through the air. Firing a webline onto the man's wrist, he yanked off the gauntlet, swinging it around and striking the head of Boomerang, who was preparing to throw his namesake weapon. The blow from the weapon knocked the other man out, allowing Peter to web both men together and wrap them in a cocoon of webbing so they were hanging off a nearby pole. The police cruisers came to a screeching halt, officers jumping out two at a time and rushing into the centre of the block. Peter waved a hand at them.
"Hey boys! All there for you and ready to go" the pulse shot off in the back of head once more, causing him to yelp and duck, almost falling off the roof of the building he was standing on. A bullet whizzed over his head. Looking down, he spotted a brunette officer with her gun pointed in his direction, smoke billowing from the barrel. "Hey," Peter called down as he rushed to the edge of the building before shooting a web. "What gives? We're all on the same side here!"
–AoS–
They leaped out of the car, the uniformed officers following suit. The two masked burglars were hanging from some sort of string from a light pole. The two made their way over to the pole. "What do you think did this?" Yuri muttered to her partner. Before they could continue their conversation, a shout caught their attention.
"Hey boys! All there for you and ready to go". They snapped their heads up. Standing on a building and looking down at them was a masked figure in a hooded black and red suit. Emblazoned on the figure's chest was a large red spider. Before Yuri could react, Kate had already fired. The figure ducked before the bullet had even fully left the gun, the shot whizzing over his head. Before Yuri's partner could take a second shot, the stranger spoke once more, in the same clearly fake voice. "Hey" the guy in the costume shouted. Yuri gulped, feeling her heart leap into her throat as he leaped off the edge of the roof. Before he could fall to his death however, he pointed his wrist at a building further away. A thin line of string shot out of the man's wrist, sticking to the building. Holding onto the line, he swung over their heads, Kathryn giving chase by foot. "What gives? We're all on the same side here!"
Yuri rushed off in pursuit of her partner and the fleeing suspect. The pair led her down to the end of the block and half way along the next before Kate had to stop. Yuri caught up to her partner as she was slamming her fist against a mesh fence and swearing whilst shoving her sidearm back into its holster. After catching her breath, Yuri frowned at her partner. "What in the hell were you thinking back there? What's with this shoot first, forget questions attitude all of a sudden?!" Kate glared at her.
"That freak matched the description of the suspect that was spotted with the shooter in the Parker case!" Her friend snapped back. "You remember that? The investigation the captain ordered us to handle personally! That SOB killed Captain Stacy's friend; his kid's best friend's uncle! So yeah, Yuri, forgive me if I wanted to do my job and nail that murderer!" Yuri blinked. She'd never considered the resemblance to their suspect; just been grateful for his perceived help. If there was more going on here, if this spider guy was playing a longer con…
Yuri frowned. "He dodged your shot," she murmured worriedly.
"Yeah. I noticed." her partner snarked bitterly.
"How the hell are we supposed to catch this guy if he can swing from rooftops and move faster than bullets?"
"Don't know. You're the one obsessed with the supers". Kathryn replied as she began walking back to the car.
–AoS–
Xavier Institute for gifted youngsters, North Salem, New York
Saturday, October 20th, 1:50 PM
He awoke in a stark white room, staring up at the roof. Off to one side, he could hear a faint beeping. He let out a soft groan as he sat up and was racked by instant nausea. "Ah, good", a vaguely familiar warm voice spoke as he sat up. A tall figure in thick blue fur wearing a green shirt and pants under a lab coat appeared at his side. "You're awake now Nathaniel. Most excellent news!"
"Doctor McCoy?" Beast nodded, gently lifting his eye lid to shine a light in one eye followed by the next. Nate recoiled from the light, causing the cat-like doctor to beam brightly.
"What do you last remember?" the doctor asked, rolling over a stool to sit down on. Nate blinked, thinking back.
"I was in the yard with Kurt and Bobby. Just standing under the tree on the west corner at the front of the mansion". Doctor McCoy nodded, smiling wistfully at the mention of the tree. Nate had often spotted the blue man lying in its branches or sitting at its base with a book between classes. There was a strange sound, from where, I'm not sure. Then I just woke up here". McCoy nodded once more, frowning slightly, an expression which showed off his incisors.
"I am concerned you may have had a small seizure. I should keep you in here overnight, but Charles is insisting on speaking with you. He said it was rather urgent, and to send you to his office as soon as I could. I want to run a few more tests on you before I release you however, and I am prescribing bed rest for the rest of the weekend. You are not to leave the manor at all under any circumstances". Nate grimaced but nodded. McCoy slapped him on the knee, causing his leg to twitch upwards reflexively. The Doctor beamed.
"Excellent!"
–AoS–
4:00 PM
He knocked gently on the door, waiting silently for a response. After a beat, the Professor called for him to enter. Opening the door, Nate stepped into Professor Xavier's office, shutting the door and looking around as he did so. The headmaster beamed at him, dismissing the student he had been talking with. It was a girl Nate had never seen before, wearing a white jacket and jeans, with knee high boots. Nate moved to one side, allowing the blonde to brush past. She smirked at him as she did so, though her face briefly twisted into one of confusion. Nate raised an eyebrow, glancing at Xavier as she did so. "Another telepath," Xavier explained. "I was just trying to convince her to enrol, although I don't imagine my attempt will meet with much success. My guess is she was surprised when she could not read your mind". Nate nodded as he took a seat across from the educator.
"How are you?" Xavier began, leaning back in his chair. Nate nodded.
"I feel alright now". He replied. Xavier nodded.
"Good. I am glad to hear it. I must admit, I called you hear because I was - indeed, still am - concerned your health issues may have been a delayed reaction to your possession by Kevin". Nate frowned.
"Very delayed?"
"Perhaps. There is a way I can be certain. Would you permit me -"
"Into my mind." Nate nodded. "Sure. doesn't make much sense not to, if you think this could keep happening". Xavier sighed.
"I do". Nate grimaced, but nodded, sitting back and ordering Violet to lower their mental barriers.
After a thorough examination, Nate felt the telepath withdrawing from his mind. Xavier rubbed his eyes, smiling at him as he did so. "I can find no traces of Kevin, or anything else that might have caused this. What does Hank say?"
"He thinks I may have had a seizure". Xavier nodded thoughtfully. "He wants me to take it easy for the rest of the weekend".
"Then do not let me keep you". Nate nodded, standing up and stepping out of the office.
–AoS–
Monday, October 22nd, 2012, 6:45 AM
He awoke to hushed voices; Somewhere outside his room people were arguing urgently back and forth. Focusing on the voices, he recognised their source. Rolling his eyes, Nate clambered out of bed and made his way out into the hall. Kitty, Bobby, Kurt, and Worthington were crowded around the former's bedroom door, arguing back and forth. Nate raised a hand to his mouth, clearing his throat to alert the group to his presence. Kurt quickly hurried over to his side to help him back to bed, but Nate waved his concerned friend off. He made his way over to the group.
"What's going on?" he hissed. The three looked at one another, then to Kurt, who shrugged. Finally, Kitty spoke.
"It's Scott and Jean. They never came back Saturday. The X-men were sent after them, but there hasn't been any word from them. These two" she gestured to Warren and Bobby, "and I think we should go after them. Kurt thought we should give the X-men time to sort things out. He also said that we shouldn't wake you up". Nate glanced at his blue-skinned friend who had moved to stand beside him.
"You needed your sleep". The mutant stated simply. Nate nodded. He turned his gaze incredulously to Worthington, who merely shrugged.
"I don't really care about the she-geek, but Scott? He's my teammate. My QB. I know he would do the same if it were me". Nate nodded thoughtfully. He could feel Kitty staring at him, even as he turned away from the group. They could go after the others. He, Worthington, and Kurt could transport the others without much difficulty. But McCoy had given him strict instructions not to leave the manor. What if the doctor went looking for him and found him missing? If he took it to Xavier, would the headmaster expel him from the school? He would have to explain to his mother if they did. Most likely, she would learn everything. Then, there was the fact he would most likely end up having to go to Midtown High. He would have to see her everyday again.
Yet, more important were the vows he had made. To himself, and to others. How could he turn his back on anyone in need of his help? Especially friends? Most of all, Jean had saved him. When Proteus had stolen his body, she had moved heaven and earth to rescue him. To snap him out of it and get him back to normal. Nate owed the telepath everything. He turned back to his friends, tapping the face of his watch as he did. "We're going". He told them firmly.
–AoS–
Capturing the mutants had proven surprisingly easy. He had started with the two teenagers, and simply used them as bait for the others. The redhead was truly intriguing; her psionic abilities, if mastered fully, could dominate the globe. True evolution, indeed, he thought smugly as he swept through the room chuckling to himself. Clones meandered to and fro, each doing their own work. Stepping up to the heavy door, he leaned down towards the retinal scanner. The door rolled open with a groan, allowing him to descend the stairs into the labs.
Stepping into the central lab, he snapped his fingers, the lights switching on above his head. Striding across the room, he made his way towards the vats, checking each one at a time. They were growing nicely still. With this base so far out of the way, it was likely they would grow to viability before anyone else could attempt an attack. And by then, he would have no more use for prisoners.
–AoS–
Avengers Mansion, Manhattan, New York
Monday, October 20th, 2012, 9:00 AM
Tony yawned as he came wandering out of he and Pepper's room, wrapped in a red and gold silk dressing gown and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. That's the last time I pull an all-nighter celebrating my engagement. Janet, Bruce - in his green form - and the capsicle were already perched at the kitchen bench, eating his food and drinking his coffee. Walking to the front door, he bent to retrieve the paper, tossing it in front of Steve as he made his way past. The super soldier murmured his thanks, to which Tony merely grunted and nodded. "Burn the candle at both ends again last night, Shellhead?" Janet asked. Silently, Tony tilted his head up from the coffee maker to regard the brunette.
"I suppose you could say that wasp" he replied, pouring himself and Pepper both cups and turning back in the direction of his room. "Oh by the way, make sure someone - most likely JARVIS - reminds me to send the prince charming and the kid invitations to the wedding next year". He instructed on his way out.
"Wait! I'm sorry. What?" Janet shouted from behind. Tony smirked. As he sat his own cup down on the bedside table and handed a second to Pepper, the television his fiance was watching abruptly switched off, followed by every light and fan.
"Tony!" Came Danvers' agitated voice from upstairs. "How does a billionaire forget to pay an electrical bill!"
He doesn't.
Something was wrong.
–AoS–
They had been searching for hours. Nate's enhanced senses had only been able to rule out locations, rather than track their missing friends. She walked down the streets next to Bobby, holding out a group photo and asking anyone that would talk to her if they had seen Jean. So far, no one had been able to help. They had had a few seemingly promising leads of course, several people who had made claims of seeing her recently, but none of them had come to anything. Kitty sighed. Nate was flying somewhere above them, using his enhanced vision to check various buildings. Kurt was on the other side of town with Warrington. Beside her, she could feel Bobby's concern increasing with every failed questioning. Her phone beeped. Kitty jumped, hastily pulling it from her pocket. She input the PIN, opening the newest message. Jean's number was on the screen.
Tick. Tock.
The phone beeped for a second message almost immediately. Dreading what she would find, she opened the file in the message. It was a photo. Jean could clearly be seen in the image, unconscious and bound to a chair, catheter stuck in her right wrist. Gasping and making her way over to the gutter to retch, she handed the phone to her friend. Bobby swore. With her head still lowered into the gutter, she listened as her friend called the others to share the new information. After talking to Kurt, she heard Bobby approaching her before he placed a soothing hand on her back. Thanking him, she stood straight once more. He dropped her phone back into her hand. Clutching it tightly, Kitty stared across the street.
"We have to find them, before the next message comes through". Bobby nodded.
"Kurt and Worthington are going to meet us to touch base".
"Alright. Lead the way".
–AoS–
"Sir?"
"Yah kiddo?"
JARVIS seemed hesitant to continue. "What are we looking for?" Tony rolled his chair across the room, booting up a second computer. His fingers deftly danced across the keys, searching.
"Exactly? I'm not quite sure yet. In general; anything that would explain the power surge we had earlier today. I'm telling you buddy, it doesn't add up. There is something off here. Something I'm missing". He rolled the chair back across the room to inspect the monitor of another computer. So far, the scans weren't flagging anything, yet Tony knew he would find something eventually. That surge was not a random event. Something had been behind it. If one of his enemies had attacked the Avengers, he would find out who. No one would challenge his team. No one would threaten his family and live through what came next. One of the machines began to flash. Tony rushed over to the screen. There. The scan was flagging a series of junk files.
"JARVIS," he demanded, snapping at his artificial friend in his eagerness to have the truth. "Do you think you could clear this up for me? I don't really feel like introducing a virus to our entire system".
"I shall attempt to, sir. It appears the files are incredibly advanced. Fortunately, much of the base code is familiar to me". Tony raised an eyebrow. Dark possibilities ran through his mind.
"Why?" He pressed, though part of him already suspected the answer.
"They are identical to my own coding, sir".
–AoS–
He walked back to the table Pryde and her nerdy friends had taken, ignoring the filthy looks from the other clients as he carried their cups. As he placed the tray of coffee cups on the table, the glares intensified. A woman stood up from the next table over, hurrying over to the counter. After heated words with the cashier, followed by another conversation with the owner, the woman left the cafe, sneering in their direction as they went. Warren pointedly ignored her. Pryde stood to go after the woman, though Wagner grabbed her hand. Drake waved at the woman childishly. As the four of them sipped their drinks, the bell over the door rang, signalling a new customer entering. Warren glanced up, linking eyes with the newcomer. Nathaniel Thomas - Sentinel, he reminded himself - made his way silently over to their table. Pryde glanced up, shooting a questioning look to the other boy. Thomas shook his head shortly, and the girl groaned. Grabbing a nearby seat, Thomas plopped down next to him. Warren took another sip of his drink.
"What do we do now?" Drake asked softly. Thomas looked at the other boy, shrugging.
"Widen the search. We Will find them". Warren snorted. Thomas turned to regard him. Pointedly, Warren held the other boy's gaze. "Problem, Worthington?"
"Yeah. You say them, but we both know what you meant to say is her". The table went deathly silent. Thomas continued to stare at him, Warren's coffee all but forgotten as he continued to stare back. Wagner chose that moment to interrupt.
"That's not fair, Warren" the German mutant admonished him. Warren smirked, still gazing at Thomas.
"Isn't it though? He isn't friends with Scott. None of you are. Not really. The lot of you are here for Grey. You've hardly even spoken to Scott". Thomas nodded.
"You're half right. I'm not friends with Scott. We might be acquaintences. Besides, he stuck his neck out for me, when we knew each other even less. Even if he hadn't, I would still be out here looking for him, Jean or no".
"Yeah?"
"Yeah". Warren snorted.
"So," Pryde cut in. "what do we do?" Thomas turned to look at her. Warren smiled to himself, taking a gulp of his coffee.
"You guys keep looking around here. I start flying around to other places, and start making the world a little smaller. I'll probably ask Tony for help as well. His resources would make this considerably easier". Thomas's three friends were nodding in agreement. All four of his companions turned to look in his direction. Warren shrugged.
"Sure".
–AoS–
Avengers Mansion, Manhattan, New York City
Monday, October 20th, 3:32 PM
Tony knocked gently on the door. For the confrontation he needed to have, he did not want to cause his target undue concern or stress in advance. JARVIS had confirmed already that their target was still in the manor. It was just the three of them; Tony had made sure of that. The others were out enjoying themselves, courtesy of Pepper and her unmatched planning. He would hear him out, Tony promised himself. He owed him that much, at the very least. Besides, who was Tony Stark of all people to refuse second chances? The door opened.
Hank blinked Owlishly at him, removing his glasses to clean them briefly. "Hey, Tony", the other genius began, looking genuinely confused. "Was there something you needed?" Tony nodded.
"Honesty". Hank tilted an eyebrow towards his hairline. And in that moment, all tony could do was laugh. At the absurdity of it all. At Hank. At himself. At the entire world, and every insane thing in it. At aliens shooting fire from their eyes, and Norse gods flying along interdimensional rainbows in Viking longboats. At supersoldiers surviving near to a century encased in ice. Physicists whose BPD manifested giant green beserkers. Women with the power of entire stars. Everything he had encountered since the birth of Iron Man, Tony realised in that moment of clarity, was ridiculous. And here, standing before him was the best part; a friend. A man he had called friend, who had stolen from him. Had lied to him. Hank laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Are - Are you okay Tony?"
"The dropout, Hank. That was you". The other genius shook his head.
"No. That's ridiculous Tony". The ironic choice of word had Tony laughing once more, harder than before. Hank was scowing now. The hypocrisy only served to drive more mirth from Tony. "I mean, a power loss is a power loss".
Tony shook his head, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes and shoving a foot into the door when Hank attempted to shut it. He paused his way into the room, showing the other man he was wearing an Iron Man gauntlet as he did so. He shut the door behind himself, staring at Hank the whole while.
"It came from your room, Hank. JARVIS and I traced his stolen code to you. You were using my design for something. Whatever you wanted to reverse engineer, is what caused the power to go mad today. Tell me what it is. If you can justify stealing my ideas, when you could have just asked me, I'll let it go. Look the other way. You'll have to give me a share in the credit, but you can have the money, and you'll still be an Avenger. Janet can even keep living in the Manor. We can discuss you staying or going later. Lie to me again, and I'll make sure you won't even be able to have an ant farm in your cell, let alone see your wife". Hank glared at him, though he nodded.
"Come with me then".
–AoS–
Hank led the way to the lab Tony had allowed him to co-opt. As he was about to open the door, he turned back to meet Tony's gaze. "I developed it to use to help rehabilitation for the prisoners on the raft. That was why I never said anything. I knew the rest of the team would never approve, and that you would have to eventually tell them if you found out. I knew they would disapprove of me working on something to make the team obsolete". He offered an explanation. Tony nodded silently. If true, I suppose it isn't the worst excuse. I've done a lot more for a lot less.
"Just show me. Please". Hank nodded. The door slid open, and Tony stepped past the other scientist. At first, it was dark enough he couldn't see anything, except for two glowing red lights. Hank snapped his fingers. The lights overhead flickered to life, illuminating the house of horrors his manor had been playing host to. It was like something out of Byron or Mary Shelley. Thousands of pieces of silvery metal were strewn out across the floor, walls, and tables, all rough approximations of human appendages. Without plating, some looked like eviscerated torsos, wires sticking out like exposed and drained blood vessels. At least half a dozen heads stared back at him lifelessly from their empty eye sockets. In pride of place, suspended on the back wall like Christ on his cross, legs detached from the fully assembled torso and standing beneath the figure, was a single robot, waiting for its two halves to be joined, eyes red as it watched them.
"What is this?"
Hank grinned. "Like I said, it's supposed to help with peaceful rehabilitation once the villains are captured. Unit, introduce yourself to ".
"I am Ultron-5. Unit number #0001".
–AoS–
He hovered over the castle, scanning silently. As he was about to leave, a burst of energy whizzed past his head. Within moments, he was surrounded by a dozen Doombots. "The master desires to speak with you". He considered refusing. He knew he could. Defeating the machines was much easier than Doom himself. He could take out enough to escape. Doom was dangerous; he knew his identity. He had manipulated him. And yet, something stayed his hand. Perhaps, he reasoned with himself, Doom was the one who had taken them. It would not be the first time, after all. And even if not, the dictator might have valuable information.
"Very well".
–AoS–
JARVIS's voice was soothing, even warm on occasion. 'Ultron' was cold; lifeless. There was no mistaking Hank's creature for a human. No one would think Ultron a living thing. It continued to stare as they went over Hank's research. As he began to understand more, Tony felt his rage subsiding, replaced by fear. His friend was smart. Perhaps the smartest person Tony had ever known. He had always thought so, even before seeing this. And yet there were glaring concerns Pym had not considered. He could see so just from looking at the design notes. "It's a good idea. On paper", he found himself saying. "It needs work. A lot of work. If you're willing, I could help with that work. But no more taking my tech without asking". Hank nodded.
"I am sorry Tony. For that, and for the lies". Tomy grunted.
"That's not even my biggest concern, not anymore".
"What do you mean?"
"Taking from JARVIS was a good idea. But you missed the most important part of his programming. The one thing you absolutely should have taken". Hank raised an eyebrow.
"Which would be?"
"Jay, be a darl and explain to hank would you; the rules".
"Certainly, Mr. Stark."
"1A; An AI may not injure a human being. 1B; An AI may not allow harm to come to a human being. 2; An AI must obey the orders of a human being, except where doing so would conflict with the first sanction. 3; An AI must if able protect its own existence, except when to do so would conflict with the first or second sanctions.
Hank Blinked. Tony nodded, glancing at his friend. "Simple rules, really. Asimov. I broke the first one down into 2 parts to ensure human protection takes precedence over everything else though. First thing first; we have to make sure Ultron can't harm a human". Hank nodded, slapping himself.
"Thank you, Tony. Will you help me?"
Tony nodded. They shook hands.
–AoS–
The Doombots led him into the castle. The entrance hall was as dark as he remembered. His escort shoved him along through a set of double doors. He found himself herded into a spacious great hall, warmed by a dozen fires on either side of the chamber. At the other end of the hall sat a single high backed wooden throne, facing away from them. "Your guest", announced the Doombot to his right. It was all Nate could do to keep from laughing.
"Leave us" came the quiet rasp. The two Doombots left the hall, the doors creaking shut behind them. Silence fell on the chamber, broken only by the occasional crackling of the fires. Nate made his way closer, stopping halfway down the length of the hall. Doom swirled a glass in his hand, the only sound he made was his faint breathing. Nate stood still, prepared to fight back if he needed to defend himself. The other man held an arm out, allowing his glass to clatter to the stone floor below as he slowly stood up, still facing the wall. "Young Atlas. You came?"
"You wanted to talk". This man was my teacher once. My mentor, Nate reminded himself. Doom nodded, making his way at last around the throne and down the stairs. Nate stared into Victor's eyes, the arcane metal mask blocking him from seeing the rest of the other man's face. Victor laughed, the sound warped by the mask.
"You are disappointed". Nate shrugged.
"I wondered if you would wear the mask". The eyes narrowed.
"You wish to see your handiwork?"
"I'm sorry for what happened".
"No!" The scream, so surprising, sent him backtracking. Victor advanced, emerald magic engulfing his forearms. Nate staggered, almost tripping, magic keeping him on his feet. Victor snarled as he continued pushing him backwards, until he was pressed against the wall, held in place by the other man's freezing spell. "You think I want your apology?! You thinkDoom cares to hear it?! It is the whimpering of a child! The skittering of a rat! Do not mistake my keeping your secret for anything other than what it is; Doom will not allow another to learn your secret, to claim his vengeance! You shall die by my own hand! No matter where we go, this hatred shall endure! You and I shall never have peace, Thomas!" Nate shook his head sadly.
"I looked up to you; worshipped you. I thought you cared. I thought you were the best man I had ever met!" Doom snarled once more.
"You thought right; Doom is the greatest of men". Nate shook his head.
"Greatness is protecting other people. Putting someone else before yourself, not because it's easy or might get you something, but precisely because it won't. Don't you get it Victor? It's not our right to rule them; it's our responsibility to help them!" Victor laughed.
"You, my young friend, are unbearably naive". Nate smiled.
"I hope so". Victor snorted. With a flick of his wrist, a burst of energy slammed into Nate's chest, sending him careening through the stone wall. He slammed into the front doors, the Doombots on guard both leaping into action. Victor stepped through the hole in the wall, crushing both of his mechanical servants and throwing them in Nate's direction as he did so. Reaching out his hands, Nate caught the debris, tossing it harmlessly aside before flying at Victor, spearing the other man through the wall, and through the other side of the great hall. As they careened through the throne, it shattered into thousands of wooden shards. Victor let out a violent scream. Emerald fire engulfed both their bodies, forcing Nate to release his rival.
"You survived our last encounter merely because I allowed it!" The dictator bellowed. Storm clouds gathered above Latveria, Nate's cape and Doom's tattered cloak both billowing in the wind.
–AoS–
Parker residence, Queens, New York
4:54 PM
Still shaken by the police shooting at him, Peter jogged up the porch steps to the front door, letting himself in. His aunt was in the sitting room, resting on the couch. May glanced up as he entered, offering him a faint smile. He broke from his current course, moving to sit down beside her. May sat up, wrapping an arm around him and allowing her head to plop down on his shoulder. Peter leaned into her touch, taking comfort in her warm presence. "How about we watch a movie?" he offered. She smiled, nodding as she did.
"Princess Bride?" Peter grinned.
"Sure". Lifting his head off her shoulder, Peter leaned forward, grabbing the TV remote off the coffee table. Settling back, aunt and nephew leaned into one another, Peter wrapping his arm around May's shoulders as the film began to play.
–AoS–
A sudden burst of ice breath pinned Doom to the ground, allowing him to slam his fist into the armorclad dictator's chin. The force of the strike sent his rival reeling. The ice shattered as Victor snapped back, smacking into the ground several times as he skidded through the dirt. Nate lunged forward, lifting the dictator off of the ground and kicking him in the chest and dropping him to his hands and knees. A shoulder barge to the back slammed Doom face first into the dirt. The dictator let out a shout, a burst of arcane energy throwing Nate backwards. Victor lifted himself off the ground, unleashing a blast of electricity. Nate flew to one side, dodging the energy burst. Victor Slammed his hands together, unleashing a burst of sound. The arcane sound waves forced Nate to one knee, gripping his ears as he fell into a foetal position. He shut his eyes against the pain, and felt a warm liquid running from his nostrils to his mouth, tasting blood. Pain sparked in his side as Doom delivered a magically powered kick to his ribs. Electricity licked and snaked over his entire body, contorting his limbs violently in every direction. Letting out a howl, Nate tried to push himself off his feet, only to fall flat as his legs spidered out of control. Rolling onto his stomach, he tilted his head up, unleashing a blast of heat vision. The blast hit Doom in the foot, distracting the dictator long enough to break the currents of the lightning. Nate dragged himself to his feet, Delivering a stinging haymaker to the other man's skull. The punch sent Doom flying through the air. Taking a deep breath, Nate flew after his rival, Encasing the dazed Doom in ice from the neck down. Victor glared at him through his cracked mask. Standing back, Nate allowed himself to catch his breath before glaring back at the dictator.
"I only came here because I needed to check to see if you kidnapped my friends". He told the trapped Latverian. Doom let out an enraged scream, spittle flickering out through the broken helmet. Blood was running down his scarred face, revealing a shocking mask of red and white. Nate released several sharp breaths, head tilted back and staring up at the sky above. Victor's scream turned to mirth, the dictator laughing maniacally. Nate lowered his head to stare at his rival. "What's so funny?" he demanded.
"I never took your mutants," the Latverian rasped. "Doom has no need to abduct them to hurt you. Do not forget, he knows everything there is to know about you". Nate narrowed his eyes.
"I never said they were mutants," he told the Latverian king dangerously, stepping forward to stand over the Dictator's head and staring down at him, eyes glowing red. Doom's laughter returned.
"Oops. I guess I forgot I knew that, huh?" Nate knelt down on the ice, fist cocked back.
"Tell me" he snarled.
Still laughing, Victor met his eyes. "Essex". Nate kicked the ice cube away, sending Victor skidding along the ground before lifting up into the air.
–AoS–
Xavier Institute for gifted youngsters, North Salem, New York
7:50 PM
They sat around a table, going over anything they could find referencing Doom's hint. There was the obvious, the english county of Essex, as well as a town and county in Canada, and 20 locations in the US. Nate knew it was likely a trap, yet he also knew nothing would stop him from rescuing his friends. The professor had not been seen since dinner, using his own powers to search for his missing students and staff. Bobby groaned, dropping his pen on the table and rubbing his wrist. Worthington, without looking up, growled at the other boy. "Keep looking, Drake". The blonde snapped at the other boy, wings brushing against the floor as he knelt in front of a laptop. A high pitched whistling distracted Nate from the ensuing argument, sounding from the direction of Manhattan like a Klaxon call. He frowned as he leaped to his feet, chair landing back first on the floor behind him. His companions' gazes snapped up to meet him all at once. He felt his cheeks turning scarlet as he picked up the chair, re aligning it with the table before grabbing his jacket off the back of a nearby couch.
"Sorry, Sentinel stuff's come up. I'll be back as soon as I can. Bobby casually waved him off before returning to his work. Kitty offered a faint smile, as did kurt. "Would you like some company?" the latter asked. Nate shook his head.
"Nah. Hopefully whoever it is just wants to tell me something. If not, it could get dangerous though, so you guys might want to keep out of this one". Kitty scowled but Kurt nodded. Worthington ignored their interactions. Heading out of the room, Nate found his way to a secluded window before tapping the face off his watch and opening the latch and flying off into the night.
–AoS–
He found himself landing on the roof of captain Stacy's precinct, Yuri already offering a cup of coffee as she puffed silently on a cigarette. Thanking her for the coffee, he raised an eyebrow as she dropped the cigarette on the ground, stamping it out with her boot. She shrugged at his look, taking a sip from her own drink. "Thanks for coming so quickly". She made her way over to the edge of the roof. Nate nodded, moving to face her back.
"Of course", he replied, "I'm always happy to help". She nodded.
"Kate won't like me doing this. We need you to help us bring someone in". Nate arched an eyebrow.
"Who?" Yuri and detective Philips had not always agreed, he knew, but she respected her partner immensely. For her to go above the other officer's head to bring him in was something serious. Yuri turned to face him, coffee mug dangling in one hand.
"The human spider"
Nate gaped at her. "Spider-Man?"
–AoS–
Kitty gasped beside him. Kurt snapped his gaze up to see what she was looking at. Kitty was staring at a news article on her computer, pointing eagerly. "I think I found something!" she declared excitedly. He leaned over, reading over her shoulder. Warren and Bobby had also halted what they were doing, looking between him and the brunette as they waited eagerly. The article was on Nathaniel Essex, a wealthy businessman and scientist, who was fascinated with genetics and mutations. The article explained that Essexcorp believed that the gene that caused powers to manifest in young mutants might be able to be triggered to cure genetic illnesses instead. The company was seeking funding from the federal government for their experimentation, and were operating out of an unknown location. There was a photo at the bottom of the article depicting a handsome man with dark brown hair wearing a three piece suit and a sharp grin. Kurt glanced up at the other boys.
"I think Kitty may be right," he told them.
–AoS–
Nate stared at his friend in stunned silence for several moments, blinking once. "Well?" she demanded. Nate blinked once more before speaking.
"Let me see if I have this straight; you and Philips are chasing Spider-Man, a fellow hero - a man who helped me - and you want me to help you bring him in? Why in the hell would I do that, Yuri? Why would you expect me to say yes?!" She had helped him in Japan, but this was too much. He should have known he couldn't trust her; trust any of them. They were cops. Of course, they would try and use him when it was convenient. Nevermind how despicable the task, we have sentinel! He'll go and get his hands dirty so we don't have to! The thought left him sick to his stomach. He turned away from her, preparing to take flight.
"I'm not so sure he is," she shouted. Nate stopped, tilting his head back to look at her curiously. Taking a breath, she continued. "Like you". Nate snorted. "I'm serious!"
"Have you been listening to the Bugle's radio show, Yuri? Lets go over the checklist, shall we; I save people, he saves people. I stop crime, he stops crime. I wear a funny costume with a symbol, he wears a funny costume with a symbol. I have a name the newspapers gave me, he has a name someone gave him. Seems like we're the same, doesn't it?"
"You are not a murderer!" She snapped. Nate narrowed his eyes as he listened to her heartbeat. She's not lying!
"Okay. What are you talking about?"
"Ben Parker". Nate felt his stomach drop as he made his way closer to her.
–AoS–
The walls of the room were a mix of damp plaster and flaking cream paint. She had been sent to a group home to wait for one of her relatives to be contacted and agree to take her in after being discharged from the hospital. The other children - the other orphans - seemed friendly enough. She wondered how long that would last. One of the other girls had already told her that teenagers who entered the system almost never left until they were of age. Then, there was no reason to keep housing and feeding them. She was alone now, she realised as she sat in the dark. No parents. No family or friends. There was no one in New York she knew. No one who wanted her.
You are mistaken, Sabrina Hastings. We want you.
You want me to help you fight crime she reminded the symbiote, or klyntar, as the creature called itself. It really needed a name, she thought.
We have no name. We are Klyntar.
With a soft groan, Sabrina allowed her head to drop back onto the pillow. "Well I need to get some sleep". No response came as she stared up at the ceiling with its peeling paint.
–AoS–
Stricken, Nate stared at Yuri as he stepped back. Ben Parker. The name stung like the crack of a whip against his back. His best friend's surrogate father. Ben's death had crushed Peter and May. The one closure they had been allowed was the death of the gunman. Now, to learn that the shooter had been murdered, that the main suspect was his partner…
It was almost too much to deal with. Nate had thought the spider themed vigilante a hero. They had fought the trolls together. At the time, the stranger had seemed fun, giving him something almost familiar to latch onto in a painful time. How could he have been so wrong? So Stupid? If he hadn't been so obsessed with privacy, with respect, he could have used his powers to look behind the cloth mask. Then he could at least give Yuri a description, and he would know better what to look for. Nodding to himself, he patted the detective on the shoulder as he stepped off the edge of the roof.
"I'll find him for you once I deal with my current mess". She nodded.
"Bring him in alive. Promise me". Nate nodded noncommittally
–AoS–
Nate read Kitty's article silently. He nodded as he patted her on the back. "You're right", he told his friend as he stared at the photo of Nathaniel Essex. "This has got to be the guy. We need to find him". She nodded.
"I think I have an idea how. You may not like it though".
A/N: This chapter was originally supposed to go through the gang tracking down Essex, meeting Sabrina, fighting Sinister to rescue the others, and a follow up conversation between Nate and Gwen, but its already at 9k, so I'm going to split it into two chapters. This seemed like a decent place to call it. Thank you to the two people who have so far voted on the poll. For anyone else that wants to vote, I'm leaving it up until the end of this month.
As for face claims/actors:
Sabrina Hastings - Lucy Hale
Nathaniel Essex / Mister Sinister - Tom Ellis
Emma Frost - Kiernan Shipka