Remnant's Mightiest Heroes!
Chapter 7: Good (and Bad) Tidings We Bring
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The Raft, Rykers Island
The prison called the raft is one of the best-known security prisons in the world, located near New York City. Originally, it was deep underwater, the entrance being a small garbage barge. It was created to contain the most dangerous supervillains ever captured, with a cell designed for each specific villain and shuts down their powers if they have any. It was destroyed by Graviton after he escaped during the aftermath of the Chitauri invasion. After the Avengers recaptured him, it has long since been relocated to Ryker's Island.
They once used ferries to transport their prisoners, but after numerous breakouts, they opted to change to Quinjets. The Quinjets will drop off their prisoners and then fly back to the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier to await new orders. Landmines have been placed in the water surrounding the Raft. In case this fails, courtesy of several scientists including Stark, a forcefield generator has been built to activate the moment an emergency occurred. No one gets in or out until it is passed. That way, the prisoners won't be able to escape.
Or so they thought. There are always flaws in the design.
John Walker, the warden, watched as the S.H.I.E.L.D-issued Quinjet landed on the runaway. He wore military pants and a shirt with a star on his left shoulder. A security guard wearing a grey uniform exited the aircraft. He wore a gray cap that covered his upper face. Hanging on his right side is an issued electrical baton. On his right side, he had a name tag labeled 'Anthony Blasters'.
"This way!" He barked. Slowly a line of the latest batch of criminals walked down a ramp and onto the ground of their prison. Each is wearing a classic orange jumpsuit for prisoners and metal shackles and collars that prevent them from using any powers. Three of them happened to be familiar residents of The Raft.
"Bentley Wittman, William Baker, and Peter Petruski," John Walker drawled. "Back so soon? I was sure you would've robbed a bank when you broke out. I didn't expect you guys to be stupid enough to try and break into Avengers Tower."
The three members of the Frightful Four grumbled but didn't say much. Dragon Man had been sent to another place. John turned to their guard.
"Take them away. Put Baker back into his usual cubby hole."
"Sure, thing warden," Anthony replied in a deep voice. He turned to the convicts. "This way! Oh…and welcome to your new home to the new guys."
As he led them away, no one noticed the smug grin on his face.
New York
"Are we there yet?" Ruby asked as she and her friends are walking down the streets of New York.
"For the last seven times no," Weiss said as she held her scroll in front of her. "We won't get there if you keep asking!"
After cleaning up the mess of the aftermath of last night's incident, Teams RWBY and JNPR went straight to sleep in the guest rooms. When they woke up, J.A.R.V.I.S announced that they are to follow the directions uploaded to their scrolls after breakfast. There was also a message to stay out of trouble. The Avengers were nowhere to be found. They walked out of the building and began following the directions for an hour.
"I wonder why they left," Nora wondered, nibbling on the last pancake that she had brought along with her.
"Maybe to set up our final exam?" Jaune wondered. "That may explain why they gave us those directions. They must have picked an appropriate field that's away from people."
"After the incident last night?" Yang asked, a little incensed. "Can't they at least give us a break?"
"This is the real world, Blake," Pyrrha defended her leader's claim. "Even if we are still exhausted, we have to expect something to interrupt us."
"She's right, Yang," Blake said to her partner. Stark had given her a headband that utilizes holographic technology to hide her cat ears to avoid attention. "We have to expect an attack coming our way at any time."
"Besides, take a look around us!" Weiss twirled around with her arms spread. "We get to see New York City on the ground level."
"You saw New York when Natasha brought us here," Blake said.
"But it's on the ground that matters," Weiss insisted. "It's so peaceful and…"
At that moment, they heard a boom from a few blocks away. Their heads whipped towards the source. Civilians screamed as they ran from a smoking bank. Out of the smoke emerged men in black suits. Their faces are covered with Japanese styled masks with long underbites. They held guns which they fired into the air as a warning to anyone foolish enough to get close.
"Peaceful, huh, Weiss?" Yang grinned.
"Shut up, Yang."
An armored truck pulled up in front of the bank. From the back exited two more of the robbers. But this time, there was a third man. Unlike the others, he didn't wear a mask. Rather, it looked as though he stepped out of the negatives of a film. His suit and hair are white in contrast to his black skin. In his hand, he carried a sword.
"Mr. Negative," Blake announced as her scroll displayed the information on the man. Another upgrade to the scrolls Stark made is that they are connected to the Datacrux. The database contains information on villains. "Also known as Martin Li. He and his parents immigrated to the United States. Diagnosed with an unknown medical condition, he got injected with an experimental serum codenamed 'Devil's Breath'. The treatment altered Li's physiology, granting him superhuman abilities and causing an explosion that killed his parents. He once was a leading philanthropist for F.E.A.S.T. Now he is the leader of his own Triad, nicknamed 'The Inner Demons', which are immigrants that are corrupted by his powers."
"I can see why," Yang sarcastically stated, reflexively going into a fighting stance. She felt a hand on her shoulder and found Ruby shaking her head.
"No."
"What?"
"There are too many civilians Yang," Ruby pointed out. Her sister followed her gaze. Sure enough, there are still stragglers.
"They'll be caught in the crossfire," Blake said. "Even with our aura and semblance's, we can't take the risk of them getting hit by a stray bullet."
"So, you want us to do nothing?"
"No," Ruby said. "We just have to play it smart. That's how we beat the Frightful Four yesterday."
Yang sighed. "Alright"
"So, what do we do?" Ren asked.
Thwip!
Suddenly, something white attached itself to an inner demon and he was yanked from the ground and into the sky.
"What!" Mister Negative turned as more of his men are being taken out. One of them crashed into a car next to the huntsmen-and-huntresses-in-training. Pyrrha bento down to touch the substance with a finger, finding it to be sticky.
"Is this a web?" Pyrrha asked.
"Spiderman is here!" Mister Negative shouted.
"That's a negative."
A figure landed on top of the armored truck. She wore a suit that is white at the shoulders and black from her chest to her blue soled feet. Purple webbing designs are etched underneath her upper arms. A white hood is drawn over her head, two white-sheened eyes outlined with purple glaring at the robbers.
"Though with a name like Mr. Negative," The newcomer continued, sounding cynical. "I shouldn't be surprised."
"Ghost Spider!" Mr. Negative shouted, drawing his sword. Before he could charge at her, Ghost-Spider aimed her hand and pressed the middle and ring fingers against her palm. A stream of web flew out of her wrist and flew and wrapped him up like a cocoon. It wasn't long before the Inner Demons began firing upon her. Somehow, she dodged every bullet like she knew it was coming. Leaping and twisting in midair. She returned fire with her webs, ensnaring them in a cocoon.
One of the Inner Demons aimed a bazooka at her and fired. The projectile split into a net that nearly enveloped her if she hadn't dodged it. Ghost Spider did a flip in mid-air and ensnared the man in a cocoon. With a tug, she threw him into another inner demon and encased them in webs.
Meanwhile, with a surge of dark energy, Mr. Negative had broken free of his restraints. He quietly crept up behind Ghost Spider who didn't seem to notice. When he brought it up for a downward slash, she backhanded him with enough force to send him into a wall. He slid down and fell unconscious.
Except for their boss, every Inner Demon is tied up in her webs.
"Next time choose quality over quantity," Ghost Spider coldly said to Mr. Negative as she fired a web up into the air. It attached itself to a building near her and she pulled herself upwards. As soon as she gained enough height, she spread her arms out to allow a web-like membrane from her elbows to her knees to unfold. Soon, she was gliding through the air like a flying squirrel.
Teams RWBY and JNPR watched her go with astonishing looks, ignoring the sounds of the struggling Inner Demons and the sirens of the coming police. Nora was the one who broke the silence.
"That was awesome! I wonder if she can be our friend?"
"So how does she shoot those webs?" Ruby asked excitedly. They had resumed walking after they confirmed that Mr. Negative and his Inner Demons aren't going anywhere. Their discussion had been about Ghost Spider fighting the criminals. "Does she have a device underneath her wrists somewhere?"
"I thought you had a thing for weapons," Weiss asked her partner. "It's just webbing."
"Don't you see? A spider's web is five times stronger than steel! A pencil-thick thread is capable of stopping a Boeing—747 in full flight! Imagine what it can do on a human scale."
"She could be someone with animal features," Blake speculated. "I mean, earth has its share of superhumans with animal features and powers. Even if they aren't actually faunus."
"Like that Grizzly guy," Nora perked up. "Scott told me about him. He has a suit that looks like an actual grizzly. So realistic that it looks like he is peering out from the bear's mouth."
"Hey, guys…" Jaune said, drawing everyone's attention. On his scroll, the arrow became an x with the title 'You have arrived at your destination'.
They arrived at the gates leading to a three-story red-bricked manor. Similar colored walls surrounded the lawn lush with trees and bushes. Despite looking like it's abandoned, the lawn was well kept.
Teams RWBY and JNPR walked before the double oak doors leading into the mansion. They do not doubt that whatever is inside will finally decide if they were ready. Ruby turned to face the others.
"This is it guys," Ruby said in a determined tone. "Our final exam…Is everyone prepared?"
Everyone nodded with a serious expression. Ruby pushed open the door and together, they entered the manor…
"Welcome!"
The lights turned on at that shout. They were expecting a mock battle between them and the Avengers. So, it is to their confusion that the Avengers stood before them in greeting, a banner that said 'Congratulations' hanging above them, or in the case of fliers like Captain Marvel, beneath them. Some of them they recognize from Bootcamp like Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, and even Nick Fury is there. There are others that they aren't familiar with. They all held cups of beverage in greeting towards them.
"What took you so long?" Nick Fury asked. "I was getting worried Stark gave you the wrong directions."
"You underestimate J.A.R.V.I.S Fury," Tony replied. He stood without his armor on, dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans. His drinking glass is raised to them in greeting "Anyways, welcome to Avengers Mansion."
"Avengers Mansion?" Yang asked with a smirk. "Whatever happened to Avengers Tower?"
"This was our original headquarters back in the day," Tony answered. "It was originally my family manor until I donated the mansion to the Avengers. After M.O.D.O.K and Red Skull destroyed, however, we moved it to Stark tower. We spent so much time up there that we decided to move in and began calling it Avengers Tower."
"Wait," Pyrrha had a confused look on her face. "Why is this place still standing if this has been destroyed."
"We rebuilt it after several days," Natasha explained. "We weren't planning on using it until now."
"Why?"
"We'll get to that later," Tony waved. "Anyways, what took you so long? I was thinking that we set this up for nothing."
"We encountered a slight delay," Weiss answered. "But what is all this…party stuff? I thought we were here for our final exam?"
"This is it!" Clint said, taking a sip from his cup. "Your exam is to party like there's no tomorrow! Why? Because as of last night, you guys just passed with flying colors!"
"We did?" The Avengers smirked at their reactions of disbelief. "How?"
"Well, we were going to do a simulated attack," Carol Danvers said as she descended in front of them. She gave a bright smile. "But the Frightful Four's attack seems to have done the job for us."
"I couldn't have said it better," Steve Rogers said as he came forward and extended his hand. "Congratulations to you all. Remember, just because you made it past Bootcamp doesn't mean you stop training."
"We will," Jaune nodded as he and his friends each took the captain's hand and shook it.
"Now let's get this party going!" Tony said with a smile. "But let's be honest here, you guys are just here for the new weapons, are you?"
"Really!" Ruby squealed as she burst into petals and stood before the armored avenger. Stars shone in her eyes. "Can I see mine? Can I? Can I? CAN I?"
"Whoa there little red," Tony placated his arms. "It's just right this way if you'll follow me to the dining room."
Teams RWBY and JNPR are excited to see the new weapons the technological titan had made for them. The Avengers followed them to the lounge. Steve was just about to do likewise when the door to the Mansion opened. Thor had entered.
"Thor?" Steve approached his fellow Avenger. Thor had gone off to see if Heimdall can find Remnant. But for the duration of Bootcamp, they didn't see any sign of him until now. "You're just in time. Where have you been?"
"Aye Captain," Thor replied in a solemn tone. "I take it the teams of Ruby and Juniper are here?"
"Yes…" Captain noted the look on his face. "Is something wrong?"
Thor gave a heavy sigh. "I have troubling news."
The Raft
'Anthony Blasters' walked towards a security guard sitting at a desk. Above him is a sign that says, 'Prisoner Property Storage'. The guard is currently playing with a switch. His name tag read 'Richard Roe'.
'Anthony' cleared his throat. The sound startled Richard, his hands playing hot potato with the switch before putting it away. He patted down his uniform.
"Hello there?"
"You forgot to pick this up at the mail call today," 'Anthony' said as he lifted a lunchbox and set it in front of Richard. "Everyone is busy, so they stuck it on me to bring you this."
"Sorry about that," Richard apologized as he received the box. "I know how it feels to be the 'new guy'. To be honest, I wasn't exactly looking forward to my wife's cooking."
"Why?"
"She always encourages me to eat healthily," Richard grumbled as he opened it to show Anthony what his wife packed. "Oysters, White beans, Spinach, Organ meats…. I can go on, but I don't want to get you in trouble. It's why I packed my own lunch every day."
"So why eat her food?"
"Because she'll make me eat it," Richard darkly said. "Let's just say you don't want to meet my wife when she is mad. I swear she could turn into the Hulk at any time."
"I think the correct term would be She-Hulk, but that's already taken," 'Antony' joked. The two of them shared a laugh. 'Anthony' started to walk away. "I'll let you know if I come up with a better name. I got to get to work."
"Will do man!" Richard called, but Anthony didn't acknowledge. Anthony was smiling maliciously.
"If only he knew what was in them," He muttered as he pulled out a device and activated it. "Now just one thing to do for phase one…"
'Anthony' began scrolling the schematics of the Raft prison blocks. He tapped for a floor plan labeled 'Level 5'.
"Now where are you…" He muttered as he scrolled through the prison blocks. Eventually, he found his target. The cell containing prisoner number '214782'.
"There you are…"
'Anthony' closed the window and began typing down a transfer request he knew that couldn't be refuted.
'Immediate transfer to guard duty: Richard Roe.'
Avengers Mansion
"Party hard!"
Everyone is partying like crazy. Yang is engaged in an arm-wrestling match with Hulks cousin Jennifer Walters, AKA She-Hulk, and is losing. Nora and Hulk are cheering for their respective sides. Weiss and Blake are talking with T'Challa, the heiress finding it fascinating about comparing notes between her homeland and Wakanda. Pyrrha and Jaune are speaking with Clint about tips to improve his swordsmanship, which the archer is willing to provide. Ren is conversing with an android called Vision and a red-clad woman named Wanda Maximoff, AKA Scarlet Witch. Ruby is talking with Avengers with weapons, gushing over them in the process.
"Argh!" Yang grunted as she lost her fifth round. "That is so not fair! How is it that you get strong from anger and I do not!"
"Probably because your anger only triggers the special effect that your semblance emits," Jennifer smirked. "But it's not always about our anger. I and my cousin can get on just fine without resorting to our emotions."
"She's right on that mark," Hulk said.
"Now clear the way!" Nora said as she literally lifted Yang out of her seat and sat down in her place. "I and Hulk have a long overdue eating contest rematch! This time, I will be the queen of the castle!"
"Don't count on it, Pinky!" Hulk said as Jennifer got up and gave her seat to her cousin. Scott walked forward and placed something small at the center of the table. He aimed his wrist-blaster at it and fired, causing it to grow it grow into a pile of food.
"May the best eater win," Scott declared as the two big eaters began to chow down. Ren watched them with amusement. Then he turned back to the people he was talking to.
"What would you recommend?" Ren whispered in a hushed tone.
"In my experience," Vision spoke in a robotic monotone voice, but the volume is lowered to respect Ren's wish for secrecy. "It is wise to take a person's feelings into consideration."
"Make sure you give gifts," Wanda added into the hushed conversation. "Surprise her once in a while, so that she knows that you're thinking about her. Flowers are good. And Jewelry as well. She likes pink right? So maybe a Rose Quartz, Morganite, or maybe a pink diamond will do."
"What's going on?" A silvered haired man joined in out of nowhere. He wore a blue suit with a silver lightning bolt traveling down from his right shoulder. Pietro Maximoff, AKA Quicksilver, had joined in. The three of them shushed and Wanda whispered into his ear. Pietro's eyes widened and traveled to where Nora and Hulk were.
"Ooh," Pietro breathed. "Alright if I joined in? I just need to grab someone with similar experience."
"You used to go by Ronin?" Jaune asked.
"Yep," Clint nodded. "The bow is my signature weapon, but that doesn't mean I'm a slouch with other weapons. So, I have plenty to teach you if you are interested."
"Thanks," Jaune gave an appreciative nod. Clint turned to Pyrrha with a knowing smile.
"I'm also opened to you joining in Ms. Nikos," Clint said, Pyrrha looked surprised at this. "You can learn something new like iaido."
"That sounds grand," Pyrrha smiled.
"And besides," Clint said with a knowing look. "You and Jaune could get some quality time out of this."
"Oh…well…I, um…" Pyrrha stammered with a flushed face.
"Pyrrha?" Jaune looked at her closely. "Are you alright?"
"It's just that I…" Pyrrha was close to breaking down, only to be saved by the arrival of a silver speedster. He grabbed Hawkeye's shoulder.
"Clint…we need to talk."
"Hey, what are you doiiiiingggg?" That was all he could get out before Pietro zipped away with the archer back to Ren, Vision, and Wanda.
"This dust of yours," T'challa said before Quicksilver passed them by. When the wind settled, he continued. "To me, it looks to be like calcified elemental energy. This substance must be brilliant."
"Of course, your majesty," Weiss nodded, showing the proper courtesy before the king of Wakanda. "It's not as good as your Vibranium, but it has it's used. With it, we're able to advance our technology. We used it for energy, housing, weapons, everything. The dust has always played an important factor in our lives."
"Which made it a disadvantage during the invasion," Blake said somberly. "Because of that phenomena, Kang was able to exploit it. With dust rendered inert, we were helpless before him."
Weiss's face fell with hers.
"My apologies," T'challa said. "I didn't mean to bring up foul memories."
"It's alright, your majesty," Weiss said with a serious demeanor. "We will be alright once we take back our planet, and Kang pays for what he's done."
"Don't let your vengeance consume you," T'challa said, raising a placating hand. "If you let it, you will lose sight of who you are. You will also cause those who came before and those beside you to look on in shame."
"Of course," Weiss nodded. "I'm sorry your majesty."
"As am I," Blake said.
"Don't be. We all have the right to vengeance, just as long as it doesn't control you," T'challa repeated. Then he decided to change the topic. "When we get to Remnant, will you speak to your Council to allow Wakanda to study the dust? We may be able to find a way to work outside your planet."
"That would be splendid!" Weiss exclaimed. Then she corrected herself. "I mean…it sounds like a splendid idea your majesty."
Meanwhile, Ruby had moved on to her seventeenth conversation.
"So, what weapons does your armor have?" Ruby asked Colonel James Rhodes, AKA War Machine. Thankfully, this isn't one of those fancy dancing parties.
"I may not have the same repulsor tech like Tony's," Rhodes said with a smile. "But my armor packs a lot of heat. Rocket Launchers, Gatling Guns, Miniature Heat Seeking Missiles…"
"And the Cuban Cigar known as the Sidewinder Self-Guided Missile," Tony said as he joined in with a drink in his hand. "Also known as the 'Ex-Wife', and for good reason. Rhodey tried to use it in a fight between us and Whiplash, but it divorced him."
"That was one-time Tony," Rhodes protested. "And I fired it at short range. How was I supposed to know that it needs a lot of distance to work?"
"It's also Hammer Tech," Tony replied. To Ruby. "Who is currently in prison for numerous atrocities. Just to give you a heads up."
"Acknowledged…" Ruby nervously stated. Then she got to a question she wanted to ask. "So where are our weapons, Mr. Stark? I don't see them around anywhere."
"An excellent question," Tony placed his drink onto the table and began walking away. "If you can get your friends and meet me at the foyer, I can show you."
Ruby sent a message through her scroll to everyone faster than she could blink. She was excited. After so many days of being weaponless, she can finally get her hands on a new baby. The others responded and moved to exit the lounge. The rest of the Avengers noticed their leave but didn't do anything. They assumed they wanted to give them some space.
They found Tony talking with Hope van Dyne. The second Wasp had her hands on her hips and is glaring at the industrialist.
"You sure you fixed it this time?" She asked.
"You sound just like your mother," Tony groaned with his hand running through his hair. "Yes, I fixed the mechanism. Even made it better actually."
"Good," Hope turned to the teenage Remnatians. "Just making sure that our tech head didn't forget to perform maintenance. Especially when we're giving this place to you guys."
"Wait, you're giving this place to us?" Jaune asked, surprise evident in his voice.
"Yep," Tony said with a small pop. "Originally, we wanted to give you some of the spare rooms in Avengers Tower. But then we realized that you can't put down 'Avengers Tower' as your home address. So, we decided to give you this place instead. Everyone knows that we don't frequent here anymore, so the public issue isn't a problem."
"We can't accept this," Pyrrha said. "You've already done so much for us."
"Regardless, you guys need a place to stay," Hope said. Before they could protest further, she waved them off. "Unless you rather go to another landowner to ask for a room, with no funding or a job may I add."
That shut them up. Truth be told, they hadn't even considered that possibility. They figured that they wouldn't need a permanent place to stay when they are going back to their home planet. But they aren't sure when that will happen.
For now, she was right. They need a place to stay.
Hope smirked and walked towards the doors to the lounge. "I'll let you take it over from here Stark."
"Okay," Tony nodded back. When she was gone, he turned to the huntsmen-and-huntresses-in-training. "As we said, this place is going to be yours. But someone from the Avengers will keep watch over you guys every week to make sure everything is fine."
"Like a babysitter?" Yang asked jokingly.
"Narrowed everything down," Tony nodded. "Cap would say that the first thing to do is to know your grounds. Says it would give you the home-field advantage. So why don't we start with the first interesting thing."
Tony turned and approached the wall. A concealed panel slid open, revealing a biometric scanner. He took out his Avengers I.D. card and held it up to the wall. It flashed as J.A.R.V.I.S confirmed the credentials.
"Identity Confirmed. Welcome, Tony Stark."
In the empty room to their left, the sound of mechanisms moving can be heard. The floor divided into equal-length rectangles and descended to the floor. When it stopped, it resembled a staircase leading to an underground room.
"Normally, you need an Avengers I.D card to access this place," Tony said as he led them forward. "I recently added a function that also requires the owner's DNA and thermal signature. So even if they steal it, they would have a hard time. But I programed your scrolls to act as one, so you have no trouble accessing this place."
"And what is this place?" Blake asked as she and her friends followed him down. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, their eyes opened when they saw the place. They had entered a room completely outfitted with steel walls and floors. Computer screens lined up with a green 'A' screensaver. At the end was one big computer screen.
"This right here is the command center," Tony said. He chuckled as they ran around examining every nook and cranny. "Like at the tower, these computers are linked to every Avengers-issued satellite and the Datacrux. The big computer over there is for Fury to speak to when he's not in the lounge."
"I can tell," Yang laughed as she stood before it. "Hey, since we're taking over this place, alright if we changed the screensaver?"
"Not possible," Tony said. "You may be living in this but we're still the landlords."
"Why build all of this underground?" Pyrrha asked as she examined one of the desktops showing the other levels.
"We didn't want to deal with the complaints about expanding our base. We've we had room for several bedrooms, a hangar, training room, and my former Arsenal chamber, and the boiler room where the reactor that powers this house is. You also have no idea how frequently Hulk wrecks the place."
Everyone chuckled at that. Ruby had just been standing there, being the only one not looking around. Everyone noticed this and looked towards her.
"Ruby?" Yang asked her sister. "Are…you alright?"
"Where are our weapons!" Ruby suddenly got into his face with a mad look in her eye. "We were promised weapons!"
"That's right," Jaune nodded. "Don't you think you've beaten around the bush long enough?"
"If you'll follow me," Tony groaned as he led them down another tunnel. "This leads towards the HARM room."
"HARM room?" Ruby asked nervously.
"Holographic Augmented Reality Machine," Tony explained. "It's a virtual training simulator that I installed this morning. It makes training like riding a bicycle on a simulated summer day."
"That's nice," Jaune said. "But…people will get the wrong idea with a name like HARM…"
"How about Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing?" Tony asked with a raised eyebrow. "BARF for short."
Everybody burst out laughing. Yang's laughter was drowned out by the others as she wraps an arm around Jaune's shoulder.
"Congratulations, Vomit Boy," She chortled. "You get a room named after you! YOu even get a new name! Barf Boy!"
"On second thought, HARM sounds better," Jaune said sheepishly. He muttered under his breath. "When will you stop calling me that?"
"Oh, what HARM can it do?" Yang teased. Everyone groaned at her pun, including Tony who shook his head.
"Don't worry about that, Jauney," Tony said with a smile. "Part of life is to have a ridiculous name. I'll admit, I need to work on how I name my Tech. Except for Iron Man, that's a cool name. Anyway, let's get you acquainted with your new and improved weapons so that Ruby can finally stop asking me about them."
Ruby's stride became more energetic as they continued walking. They came to another room with another set of doors across, Tony turned around and gestured behind him. Teams RWBY and JNPR walked around him with expectant looks and gazed upon what he was pointing them towards.
On a table in the center of the room are nine spheres. Each of them has its respective color, while two of them had gold accents. There are two of them that were green, presumably for Ren.
"So, what do you think?" Tony asked, and they turned around. To his surprise, he found disappointed looks upon the faces of RWBY and JNPR.
"Those are our weapons?" Ruby asked with sadness.
"Yes?" Tony said slowly, not sure what was wrong.
"No offense Mr. Stark," Blake said. "Aside from throwing them, I hardly think that we're going to be able to fight with these spheres."
"Oh," Tony palmed his forehead. "That's what you're all going on about."
He walked over to the table and picked up a red sphere. By the shade of red, this is clearly meant for Ruby, whom he proceeded to toss it over. "Catch and give it a squeeze."
"Ah! Okay!" Ruby played hot potato with the sphere while the others chuckled at her predicament. "So, what happens when I squeeze this—"
As soon as her hand applied pressure to the sphere, she felt it move. With a yelp, she dropped the cube just in time to see it shift in a swarm of tiny metal. When they converged, a long shaft elongated. On one end formed a bladed edge, on the other, a scythe blade formed. When it was done, a replica of Crescent Rose laid on the ground.
"My baby!" Ruby cried out as she picked it up. Then she remembered that her original weapon was destroyed. In fact, it looked less bulky and sleeker. Her friends look on with surprise.
"What… was that?" Jaune asked, snapping out of his stupor.
"That…" Tony said with emphasis with a smirk. "Was your mech shifting taken to the next level. Impressive mechanics by the way. Here on earth, we have laws about carrying weapons in broad daylight. Especially if you are a superhero and own a big fat scythe. So, for better concealment and ease of movement, I decided to use the same thing from my mark fifty-five armor —nanotech."
"Nanotech?" Weiss asked as she walked forward and picked up the white sphere obviously meant for her. It felt cold to the touch. She squeezed it and as expected, she held another Myrtenaster. The only difference between her original weapon was that the hilt is fashioned to be a revolver.
"Yep. Even if they get wrecked, they have a self-repair protocol in place. Bet you Atlas hasn't gotten that far," Tony smirked as the other huntsmen-and-huntresses-in-training stepped forward and each collected their respective spheres. Each of them squeezed them and they held the same weapons that had been destroyed by Kang. Their faces are a mixture of awe and serenity as they once again wielded the weapons they once wielded.
"They haven't," Weiss admitted as they cycled their weapon modes, getting used to the feeling. She had gotten used to the Starks jabs at her homeland. Everything he built had backed up his boasts. Then she realized something. "What will happen to our weapons when they get affected by an EMP? Would they fall apart?"
Everyone stopped talking as her words registered. They knew what an EMP was. It was the major weakness of everything technological. Considering that their new weapons are made up of nanotech, it'll be a major bad in a fight.
"Don't worry. I took care of that," Tony assured them. "The nanotech is EMP protected. You can that from an account of electrical criminals hijacking or disabling my armor. As Fury would say: this isn't my first rodeo, kid."
He said the last part in a mock imitation of the director of S.H.I.E.L.D's voice. Everyone laughed at that, the tension dying down.
"Anyway, those spheres are linked to your DNA signature. They won't be used for anyone else except for baseball. But to make sure you won't lose it; you can reconfigure the nanotech's programming to your specifications."
"Like back at Bootcamp?" Yang asked as she flexed her left arm that is encased with the new Ember Celica gauntlet. She was frowning as the sphere had only generated one.
"Yep, and that reminds me," Tony walked over to a wall as a panel slid open. He picked up a yellow and black prosthetic arm and walked over to Yang. "This is your new arm. Unlike that drafty arm you've got, it's also made of nanotech. Aside from having the same…scratch that…nearly the same combat capabilities as your Ember Celica, this arm can disguise itself to look like flesh and blood. Nobody would know the difference. The arm is connected to your nervous system, so you just need to think it. You still won't feel anything from that arm though."
"I know that would suck but this is sweet!" The blonde brawler took off her old prosthetic arm and began to insert her new one. Then, as if responding to her wishes, the arm moved of its own accord and attached itself to the metal stump on her arm. Yang looked at it in wonder, then scrunched her eyes in concentration. Nearly in an instant, the arm shifted until it became similar in skin and size. The others stared at it as Yang brought it up to her eye level to examine it.
It didn't feel real, but it was nice to have a decent arm.
"Give me five!" Yang held out her hand with a grin. At that moment, her hand shifted into five segments to expose a barrel integrated into the hand. Everyone backed away and Yang's look of glee turned to the horror she realized she was aiming at Tony. To her relief though, the sound of clicking followed and nothing was fired.
"Uhm…heh heh…" Yang lowered her arm and awkwardly scratched the back of her head. "…didn't think that through. Sorry, Stark."
"Looks like it was a good idea not to install repulsor tech," Tony said dryly, though he knew that he could simply don his armor if needed. He walked over to a panel on the wall. "We'd better get you guys used to your weapons. Just so we can avoid shooting your eyes out. Or anyone else's for that matter."
"Thank you again, Mr. Stark!" Ruby said, hugging her new Crescent Rose with tears of happiness. "I'm looking forward to using this."
"Same here," Jaune nodded as he held his new Crocea Mors. He knew he wasn't holding the same one that had been in his family for generations, but he knew that this one will honor his broken weapons memory. "I look forward to using a sword and shield again. Would now be a good time?"
"Well there's no time like the present to learn," Tony said as he approached the doors which slid open upon his approach. He waved to them and they entered a circular room lit by a light above. When all of them are inside, the doors closed, and Tony started typing at a console.
"Watch and be amazed," Tony says as he puts in a final command. Then, the room suddenly blacked out.
"Umm…was that supposed to happen?" Nora asked.
"Yes," Tony said. "And we're live in three…two…one."
The lights came back on but not in the way they expected. The teens felt their breath hitch as they found themselves not in the room, but a blue expanse. Square pillars rose from the ground while platforms floated in the air. The pixels are shifting.
"Wow…" Weiss breathed, genuinely impressed. She joined the others began to explore different parts of the area. They felt the walls, floor, columns, anything they can touch. It all felt so real. "Is this all holograms? It feels so real!"
"Of course, it is. I built it after all," Tony said proudly. "Does Atlas have something that can top this Elsa?"
"Nope," Weiss said with a small pop. "We have hard-light dust, but this clearly tops it."
"I'm glad," Tony said. "The HARM room can simulate any environment, time, enemies, and yadda-yadda. What say we skip the chatter and have a battle?"
Everyone nodded and got their weapons ready. They were eager to try out their new weapons.
"We'll start with your melee modes first," Tony said as a holographic screen appeared in front of him. "Let's start you off with something basic."
Shimmering into existence are several men wearing armored beekeeper combat gear. They are armed with hi-tech looking rifles which are already aimed at them. Some of them had jetpacks to take to the air.
"Nothing like a few AIM grunts to give you a workout."
"I'll start the countdown," Tony said as he pressed a button. Above them, a screen flickered to life and showed green numbers to signal the countdown. Everybody tensed as they waited for action. The adrenaline rushed into them from excitement
3…2…1…
"Pardon the interruption."
Everything came to a halt as Vision interrupted them. Everyone looked up at the ceiling as he phased through the ceiling and landed in the middle of the simulation. From where he entered, the wall seemed to short out for a moment.
"Really Vis?" Yang cried out, spreading her arms wide. "You couldn't have found a better way to kill the moment!"
"Yes Vision," Tony agreed with Yang. "Didn't we talk about using the door? Also, this room tends to short out every time you do that so please stop."
"I'm sorry everyone, but Captain Rogers has requested your presence in the lounge. Thor has returned with information regarding your home."
"Remnant?" Yang asked and everyone's eyes shot up. They haven't thought much about Remnant since they were more focused on training during Bootcamp. It wasn't much to think about considering that they had no idea where in the universe Remnant was. That was a major problem in taking back their home from Kang.
Now that is no longer the case. Also, they haven't seen Thor during that time.
"That's great!" Ruby said with a smile. "Let's head up there everyone!"
"Captain Rogers said that I should warn you…" Tony's eyes frowned at that, not liking where this was going. "You aren't going to like it."
The Raft
A Chinese man sat in a meditating position on the floor of his cell. Due to his good behavior, he has been given this privilege. He breathed in and out, circulating his inner chi.
He heard the sound of footsteps approaching, but he continued with his meditation. It's a regular occurrence for the guards to bring him food when it is mealtime.
The guard stopped in front of his cell and slid a tray of food.
"Sorry about the rice," The guard apologized. "Let's just say that we had to remake it. Enjoy your meal. Just don't do anything stupid until it's time."
As the guard walked away, the man felt a frown on his face. The way he said it sounded like he was trying to convey a message. Not to mention that he had no intention of escaping.
Deciding that he couldn't get the words out of his head, he reached forward and took the tray of food set before him. He took the bowl of rice and dug around with his fingers until he felt something metal. Its shape is familiar…
He pulled out his fingers to show a lime-green ring. The designs look alien and pulsed with power at his touch. Glancing left and right out of his cell, he quickly hid the ring within his clothing. He remembered what the guard told him if he was a guard. As much as he wanted to go out and search for the rest of the set, he learned that patience is a virtue.
So for now, he will wait. Once he is out, he will find them all.
Avengers Mansion
RWBY and JNPR had trouble processing the news that Thor just told them. Tony brought them back to the lounge where the rest of the Avengers waited for them. This time, the prince of Asgard was in their midst. Each of them had a solemn look on their faces.
And for good reason.
"Could you say that again?" Blake asked in a quiet voice. Even if she had four sets of ears, she had a hard time believing what she is hearing. She could tell her friends are as well.
"I went to Asgard in hopes that Heimdall can find your planet," Thor said.
"I've read about Heimdall," Jaune said, having read books about Norse Myths. "Isn't he supposed to have a great sense of sight and hearing? Ones that can reach throughout the universe?"
"Yes, but it's the first time I've heard him say he can't find something as big as a planet. Trust me…I've known him for a long time, and he is one of Asgards greatest warriors. He would rather give up his life than lie…I'm sorry…"
"But how can he not find our planet?!" Yang demanded. "Kang didn't say anything about blowing it up! Not to mention the pounding he's going to get when I find him!"
"Calm down Yang," Tony said calmly. "You guys were in that craft for a long time. Anything could have happened."
"But that's not the problem!" Ruby insisted. "If our planet can't be found something must have happened. We've got to get over there!"
"Where do we start?" Nick asked her. "Do we have any intel on where your planet might be?"
"We could use the ship's computer," Jaune tried to defend Ruby. "It's likely to have a flight plan that—"
"It got destroyed in the crash," Fury interrupted. "Do you know how many resources will be potentially wasted on a wild goose chase? Oh, and here's another thing, do you even have a plan of attack on what you're going to do?"
His one eye glared at every one of the teenagers. Slowly they dropped their gazes as they realized what their furious minds prevented them from seeing. It would make sense that they wouldn't know where their planet was. For all they knew, it could've been destroyed.
"N-no…it's just that…" Ruby held back her tears. Her friends are feeling the same thing. Steve walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry Ruby, we will find out what happened," Captain America assured her. Then his face became hardened with seriousness. "If Kang had anything to do with this, he will answer for it."
"The caps right," Tony said stepping forward with an equal look. "We're called the Avengers for good reason. Even if we fail to save your planet, you can be sure that we will avenge it."
"Kang has already earned my ire," Thor growled as he pressed Mjolnir to his chest. "I swear on the name of Odinson that I will bring my hammer upon him. This I promise you teams of Ruby and Juniper!"
"Get in line Goldilocks," Hulk growled as he slammed a green fist into an open palm. "I called first dibs on smashing him."
One by one, each of the Avengers gave the same promise to downtrodden teenagers. Each of their words held the same conviction and determination. These words are coming from people who had fought gods and monsters. Teams RWBY and JNPR felt their spirits rise. Then, they nodded with determined faces.
They vowed that they will find their home. To avenge their fallen planet.
"Right!" Ruby nodded. "Alright if we go back downstairs into the command center? We'd like to test out our new weapons."
"Same here," Jaune nodded. "We need to be prepared to face Kang."
"One last thing," Nick said before they could scamper off. "We need to decide your names."
"Names?"
"Codenames," He clarified. "You would call them your superhero names. Or as what I like to call it 'Callsigns'."
"Oh yeah!" Ruby perked up at this. She and Jaune had been having a discussion about that during their free time at Bootcamp.
"I don't see why we have to hide our identities," Weiss insisted. "You guys have no problem with you identities being out in the open."
"Hey, it's part of the job," Tony said. "Even if I kept my identity secret, everyone can see that I designed the Iron Man Armor. If I was going to be attacked anyway, there will be no point. One of the downsides is that everybody knows where I live. Even the paparazzi. Not to mention that it sometimes gets in the way of my work."
"Not to mention what will happen if the wrong people know," Clint added with a serious look. "Did you know that our secretary of defense was the Red Skull?"
"Really?" Blake asked. The Remnatians all felt a shiver up their spine. They're still spooked after they saw the image of the leader of HYDRA. It looks as if somebody peeled the skin off his head to make the namesake. The atrocities he committed in the past and present haunted them the moment they saw it.
"Not to mention Norman Osborne," Fury continued, glaring at Stark once. The armored Avenger gave a sheepish look. "Or HYDRA, A.I.M….
"Alright, alright…I guess we have to hide our identities," Weiss mumbled, twiddling her index fingers.
"Indeed," Nick nodded with the Avengers. "It will provide you a sense of secrecy. That way they don't know when you are coming. There are still people who hide their identities behind masks and colorful costumes. Most of them have a good reason."
"Speaking of costumes," Weiss groaned. "You aren't going to have us play dress up, are you?"
"I would be insulted if the suits I made for you are called that," Tony had a look of mock hurt on his face. Everyone turned to him.
"Wait," Jaune said slowly. "You made suits for all of us?"
"Yep," Tony nodded. "They say the clothes make the superhero. In addition to your weapons, I've also made eight suits for you guys. I fill you on the details after you pick your names."
"Okay!" Ruby nodded. "I and Jaune had been going over about what to call ourselves. We considered going with the color rule, but we found out several of our suggestions have already been taken. Like Crimson Dynamo, White Knight, Black Cat…"
Blake's ears twitched at that.
"Anyway," Jaune stepped in. "We decided to put that idea on hold for now. We made a few suggestions. Though we want to hear yours. Just think of something that would be easy to remember. Short and sweet and rolls off the tongue."
"Just make a name that means something to you," Steve advised. "That's all that matters."
"O.K.," Ruby nodded. "So, we came up with—"
"Little Red Riding Hood?" Tony joked. Everybody laughed at how close Ruby was to that description as the latter flushed. "R3 for short."
"First of all, I'm not little!" Ruby retorted. "Second of all, I drink lots of milk! Third, I'm not scared of a big bad wolf."
"How about Thorn?" Natasha asked. "Because a rose is may look pretty, but it has its thorns. "
"I know for a fact that you are going to be a major thorn in my side," Fury stated.
Everybody laughed while Ruby pouted.
"We can call Weiss 'Snow White'."
"That's just my name translated!" Weiss snapped. "In your language, not ours. Not to mention that it's too obvious!"
"But you have to Weiss," Yang grinned. "You have the perfect look for it. Otherwise, you might as well go with Snow Angel."
"That actually suits you," Clint said, grinning at Weiss's death glare. Jaune chuckled to himself as he remembered his memories of his crush.
"Or you can be called Ice Queen," Yang added, getting more chuckles.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Weiss nearly shrieked at that hated name. Everybody chuckled as they remembered the reason why she was called that back at Beacon Academy.
"We can call Goldilocks' number two Rapunzel," Hulk chimed in.
"What?" Yang gasped as if Hulk had insulted her. "Why would I call myself after a girl who's spent her time locked up in a tower?"
"Because Goldilocks is already taken," Hulk grinned as he gestured towards Thor. "and your hair is longer than his. It suits you."
"Well I'm proud of my hair," Yang crossed her arms and harrumphed. "I'm not going to get rid of it even if you threatened me."
"Of course, we won't," Tony said. "But Rapunzel got her cut off at the end."
Tony blanched when Yang's eyes glowed red. "Try me."
"You're not trying to name us after fairy tales, are you?" Blake asked, trying to calm the situation. She had a deadpan look. The cat faunas had read Earth's fairy tales, and she immediately drew some similarities between them and her friends. She already found one tale involving a prince cursed to be a beast until he learns true love.
What pained her is that she and the female protagonist shared a lot in common besides reading a book. What made her jealous is that she can't have a happy ending with the Beast.
"You're not going to call me Beauty," Blake said flatly to the people assembled.
"Alright…"
"Thank you," Blake said. "Now, for my name, I think that—"
"We should call you Belle," Hope then said, much to the look of Blake. "We can't do Belladonna, as there is an assassin named that. But we can shorten it."
"I know for a fact that means Beauty."
The next few hours were spent debating about their names. Some of them made a name that got a laugh out of everyone. Others became a competition. As it dragged on, the thoughts of Kang and their home world's unknown fate faded from their memory, but not entirely.
For now, everybody was having fun.
The Raft
'Anthony' stood on the rooftop of the power station for the Raft, looking into the sky. In front of him is an apparatus with a blinking red light. Because a signal flare will give away his position, he had to result in a laser beacon provided by his employer.
A glint of light caught his attention. Descending towards him is are four small round drones carrying a crate. A plane would've been detected, so this was the only way to get his gear without drawing attention. The drones released their cargo and flew off on his orders.
"Right on time," 'Anthony said' as he walked forward to open the crate to receive its contents. "I was getting tired of wearing this."
He started undressing. He replaced the prison guard uniform with blue body armor with hints of orange. Reaching into the crate, he took out a white mask designed to look like a skull. After he put it on, he drew up his white hood and took out a sword among the various weapons inside.
"Now then," Tony Masters, AKA Taskmaster, spoke with a garbled baritone courtesy of his mask. He stepped back to the edge of the roof. "The stage has been set. Time to get this job started."
He accessed an interface on his gauntlet. His HUD showed him the schematics of the Raft. He scrolled through to the system plans, specifically the electrical grid. A window popped up, asking for confirmation to open every cell block.
"He'd better uphold his end of the bargain," Taskmaster muttered as he pressed a button to confirm his decision. "He plays a key part of my plan."
He waited for several minutes to pass. Then, he saw a spark of yellow electricity flowing through the electrical grid and straight to the power station. A flash of yellow told him that the person on his mind has entered the power station. Another flash and his HUD showed him that the power is going out in every area of the prison. After a few minutes, the backup power kicked in, causing alarms to sound.
"Well done Dillon," Taskmaster smirked beneath his mask, his photogenic energy sword glowing red as he activated it. "Now we wait."
[~][~]
Another chapter has been posted.
First off, welcome y'all to 2020. That's right, we are in the twenties! It has been too long since I've written anything. Thank you again Trestwho for helping me with this. Looking forward to what this new year has wrought.
Now on to Q&A:
the mysterious Mr.E: I can't do the events of Captain America Civil war because that case isn't happening in this universe. I have something else in mind. Also, having your favorite TV show exposed doesn't exactly expose your secret identity. I like the show myself. It's actually the first Scooby-Doo, as far as I can tell, to have a recurring plot. A purpose
Edinosaur25: The GotG roster will remain to be seen. I don't want to give away spoilers.
1968: My apologies. Thank you for your comment, I was thinking I did horrible on the Chibi.
Not much more to write to be honest. But no matter.
Thank you all for your support. Keep on keepin on y'all.
Peace.