Post by Drake on Apr 27, 2014 11:42:29 GMT -5
BROKEN
Part 2: Ready. AIM. Fire.
“Oh #$%&.”
Hank Pym practically fell out of his chair as he watched the events unfold on TV. Stark Tower had just been bombed. Dozens were dead. The news was spreading like wildfire. In other words, some assembling was required.
“Janet!” Hank cried, slamming his coffee mug onto the kitchen table and pushing himself out of his seat, “JANET!”
“What is it?” Janet yelled back from the top of the stairs. Hank ran out of the kitchen to come face to face with her.
“Stark Tower’s been attacked. It’s all over the news,” Hank explained, sweat already beginning to form on his temples.
“Oh God…” Janet muttered. She ran down the stairs, “We need to tell Bruce!”
“That might upset…” but Janet pushed past Hank and ran into Bruce’s room. Immediately she regretted the decision.
“What the hell…?” Janet gasped. Hank ran in after her and feigned surprise at the sight before them. Bruce lay collapsed over his desk, needles scattered around his body.
“He…why the hell did he…?” Janet began, but Hank interrupted her.
“Now’s not the time, Jan. We need to call Tony and get down to the tower.”
“Right,” Janet agreed, “I’ll fire up the Quinjet and call Tony. You get the costumes.”
Hank nodded in agreement. They had work to do.
---A---
Tony soared crudely down New York towards New Jersey, allowing himself the isolation and space to think. Was his drinking really a problem? I mean, it wasn’t that bad, right? At least it helped calm his nerves, allowed him to be a better hero. Yeah. That’s right. Without it…Tony shivered to think of his mental state before he’d started drinking again. But then again…it was a problem. What sort of example was he setting? And…no, he needed it. The drinks kept his mind off the future, off…
“Sir,” VISION broke the silence, “You need to see this.”
A video of the Stark Tower explosion lit up on the armor’s HUD. Tony’s jaw dropped. The armor began to plummet towards the ground.
“No…no….can’t be.”
“Sir!” VISION cried out, “You are falling…quickly!”
Tony shook himself out of the fear, stabilizing his flight, “Right. Sorry. VISION, set a flight path for Stark Tower.”
“Yes, sir. Oh…it appears Ms. van Dyne is on the line,” VISION said.
“Tell her I know.”
“Yes, sir.”
Why did they target him? Why was it always him?? With a final sigh, Tony exploded through the air, on course for Stark Tower.
Tony thought his day couldn’t get any worse. He was wrong.
---A---
“Tony’s on his way.” Janet spoke up as Hank ran onto the Quinjet, hidden underneath Avengers Mansion’s backyard. The scientist-turned-superhero tossed a black and yellow suit to Janet. She caught it.
“And the Caps?” Hank asked.
“Steve already knew. He’s there now. Carol on the other hand…well, she might be a little late,” Janet explained, stripping down without a thought. Hank spared her a brief glance before doing the same. There was no time for those types of thoughts now.
“Where is she?”
“The moon.”
“What?” Hank wasn’t sure he’d heard Janet right…Carol was on the moon?
“Apparently she doesn’t need to breathe…anything, I guess,” Janet zipped up her suit and walked over to the Quinjet’s controls. She fired it up. “I don’t think she’s really human. Not anymore.”
Hank finished putting on his red and black suit, “Damn…I should really run some tests on her. Maybe Bruce could help…”
“If he’s sober,” Janet threw in quietly.
“Jan, come on! We don’t even know if what was in those needles was drugs! Or if he’d used them on himself,” Hank argued, sitting down in the pilot seat. The ground opened up above the heroes and the Quinjet took off into the sky.
“Hank, Bruce has been and always will be a time bomb waiting to go off. He’s a complication, a problem, and he’s our greatest weakness as a team. If the feds knew—“
“You assume they don’t,” Hank retorted, “SHIELD was there at the end of the battle with Kang. Where else could Bruce have gone? How do we know Carol isn’t still working for SHIELD anyway?”
Janet shook her head, forcing a weak laugh, “You’ve got to be kidding me. Carol…”
“Is your friend, “ Hank finished, “Don’t let that cloud your judgment.”
“The same could be said of you and Bruce,” Janet countered, crossing her arms.
“Jan…”
“Don’t ‘Jan’ me!”
Hank sighed, “Why are you acting this way?”
“Why are you acting this way??” Janet threw right back.
“You are being completely…”
“Hank…!”
The two were both shut up midsentence by a loud thump atop the Quinjet, as something fell onto the high tech plane, shaking it.
“What was that…?” Janet whispered, standing up to ready for battle.
“Just an old friend.”
Suddenly, a red and blue blur burst forward in front of the Quinjet. Carol Danvers slowed down briefly enough to visibly laugh at the two Avengers and point at her ears, indicating her super hearing.
“Put your game faces on,” Carol’s voice came in over the comms, “We’re here.”
Sure enough, Hank and Jan could see over the horizon and the setting sun the burning figure of Stark Tower, and the chaos below it.
---A---
It took nearly three hours before all of the remaining survivors had been saved, and all those fallen had been found. When those three hours were up, each and every Avenger found themself standing in front of the tower, exhausted.
Hank and Janet dealt with the paparazzi and reporters, nailing down the hard questions and lightly answering the fluff. Carol just stood, staring intently at the damaged building, arms crossed. Steve and Tony stood together, quietly talking.
“Who do you think did this? The Mandarin? One of those Scorpion thugs*?” Steve asked, looking over Tony’s ash-covered armor. He looked for any kinks, any slouch, any signs of Tony’s brokenness. It wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ now, but ‘when.’
“It’s not the Mandarin, I’m sure of that. With the gang war going on and the number of super villains running around, your guess is as good as mine. All I know is now this is personal. Whoever did this is going down…hard,” Tony growled through the armor.
Steve nodded, “If only we had a lead…”
“What the hell?” Tony exclaimed, seemingly staring at something in his armor.
“Hm?” Steve wondered, but Tony didn’t respond. Steve looked around. Nothing seemed amiss. Nothing except…there! Two firefighters stood huddled around a smart phone, staring at the phone, jaws dropped. As Steve looked around, he noticed this happened to be the case for anyone holding a phone, laptop, or tablet in their hands. Steve approached the firefighters and pulled the phone from their hands. What he saw and heard astounded him.
On the screen, a grainy white and black static image exposed a dark silhouette. From the phone, a single distorted voice could be heard.
“…failed you. Your heroes cannot save you. Whether it be Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, or the Avengers, they can do nothing to stop what is coming. And this is my proof. These so-called heroes are nothing more than liars. They bring destruction, not salvation.”
“The radiation-infused freaks, the mutant monsters, and the genius, billionaire, playboys are all the same. None of them are heroes, and I will prove that to you. This was step one. Two hours from now I will kill again. I challenge the Avengers to find me before that happens. If they don’t, well…boom. Good day, New York, and good bye, Avengers.”
“Son of a bitch,” Steve crushed the phone in his hand. One of the firefighters glanced at him sheepishly.
“Bill us,” Steve said, and then turned and ran over to Tony, who was already getting ready to take off.
“Tony, don’t!” Steve cried out, putting a hand on the armored Avenger’s shoulder.
“I work faster alone,” Tony replied.
“But not better,” Steve argued, “You can’t do this alone.”
“Watch me,” Tony stepped away and took off, leaving Steve to watch him fly off. This was bad. What the hell was Tony doing?
Now wasn’t the time for Steve to dwell on it, however. He turned back to the others, who were standing there waiting for him.
“Groups of two. Hank and Jan, go together. Do what you can. Carol, you and I are going to inspect the tower.” Steve ordered, “Avengers assemble.”
The three nodded. Jan and Hank shrunk down. The Wasp grabbed hold of Pym and flew off.
Carol turned to Cap, “Shall we?” Steve nodded.
---A---
Iron Man flew through the sky over Manhattan, already going over the camera feed from Stark Tower. Nothing. There was nothing. Five whole minutes missing, and quite obviously they were the only five minutes Tony needed.
“VISION, can you track the hacker’s signal?” Tony asked.
“Already done, sir, as soon as he spoke up, but you should know…there isn’t one signal,” Viz explained, a map of New York popping up on Tony’s HUD. Red dots covered the city. Seemingly every electronic device in NYC had been the originator of the hack, but Tony knew better…
“Find the weakest signal,” Tony ordered, “It won’t be one, but a general area. Whoever did this is trying to hide in plain sight, but they can’t hide the trail. Wherever the weakest signal comes from is where the encryption must be. That’s where our bomber is.”
“Done,” VISION said, “You really do talk a lot, sir.”
“I have a lot to say,” Tony quipped, following the flight path to the weakest signals. What he found almost amused him. Within a one-block radius, the only building around the signal was a small warehouse. Too easy.
Tony landed gently in front of the warehouse. His armor scanned for mechanical weaponry. Four mines all around the door.
“Viz, disable the mines.”
One after another, the mines went from a bright red to a weak white on Tony’s HUD. He walked forward. This really was too easy. Who needed the Avengers? Tony pushed the door open.
BOOM!
Tony was blasted back by the brunt of the explosion. He fell to the ground with a clatter.
“Power levels at 12%, sir. And the armor’s thrusters are broken entirely,” VISION gave the diagnostics.
“The thrusters? Sonuvabitch. There were more mines. Why didn’t we pick them up?” Tony demanded while barely managing to push himself up onto his feet. His HUD was dead. Tony ripped off his mask.
“I…don’t know, sir. They couldn’t have been plastiques. The suit would have picked up their carbon signature. I…I don’t know what happened,” VISION muttered, “For the first time, I just don’t know.”
“Damn it,” Tony cursed while examining the explosion’s source. There was nothing Tony could identify on his own. He hated to say it, but he needed the Avengers.
“VISION, call up the others. Tell them…tell them I need help.”
---A---
Captains America and Marvel landed gently on the 47th floor of Stark Tower, the bombing’s ground zero. The FBI, firefighters and New York’s finest stood huddled around in groups, trying to analyze every little detail they could.
“This is bad,” Carol overhead one FBI agent mutter to another, “Two high-body count bombings in a week? People will want a head. I’m just afraid of who’s it’s going to be…” Carol sneered as the agent glanced over at her as he spoke those final words. The insinuation was obvious. The heroes were going to take the blame.
“Can we take a look at this for a second?” Captain America asked the leading agent. The woman nodded in response.
“Thanks,” Cap replied, before turning to Carol.
“What can you see?” Cap asked, arms crossed. Carol looked around, her vision sharpening at every glistening object, every unusual piece of debris. Carol walked over to one spot in the midst of the wreckage and pointed to the ground.
“The explosion occurred here. There’s minimal damage and debris thrown around within a ten foot radius of this spot,” Carol explained, “And I’m picking something else up.”
“What is it?” Cap asked.
“It’s hot,” Carol stated.
“Of course it is. A bomb went off here. There was a fire,” Cap agreed.
“No,” Carol shook her head and sighed expressively, “The…energy around here, it’s hot. Hotter than usual. I….I can see it in waves. The bomb let off some form of radiation. I think I’ve seen it before.”
Captain America frowned, examining Carol closely, “Since when could you…see things like this?”
“I only discovered it recently, during the fight with Kang. I can see the energy of things. Electricity, radiation, the likes. It’s…I don’t know how to describe it. It’s beautiful,” Carol whispered, staring off into the sky, “There’s an energy to life as well. It’s bright. It’s serene. It’s…”
Carol frowned, “That’s where I’ve seen this energy before. It was on Banner when he’s…angry. I think it’s gamma radiation.”
“A gamma bomb?” Cap muttered incredulously, “If Bruce finds out…”
“We have to call the others,” Carol turned to Cap, “We have to tell them about this.“
Suddenly, a ringing sound pervaded in the ears of the two Avengers. Steve tapped his earpiece and listened. After a few seconds, he whispered something back in response. A few seconds later he’d hung up. Steve looked up.
“It looks like we won’t have to call anyone. Tony just contacted me. He needs help. The others are on their way.”
---A---
Tony, free of his armor, was set gently down atop a bed in Avengers Mansion by metallic arms as VISION continuously apologized through the speakers in the room. Janet shushed the AI and turned to Tony.
“Is there anything I can get you?” Janet asked, resting on the edge of the bed.
“A martini would be nice,” Tony quipped, adjusting his position in the bed with a grunt.
Janet chuckled, “Yeah, I don’t think that fracture in your arm will slow you down for long.” The brunette stood up and walked towards the door, “I’ll get you a water.”
“Next thing you know you’ll be force feeding me spinach,” Tony muttered halfheartedly.
Janet left the room, shutting the door quietly. Carol, Hank and Bruce stood outside, waiting.
“How is he?” Hank asked, genuinely concerned.
“Well, he asked for a drink, so I don’t think he’s too out of it. The meds must help too,” Jan admitted.
“It’s just a broken arm and a few bruised ribs. He’ll be fine,” Carol said, arms crossed.
“I’m a little more worried about his mental state. That was his tower that got bombed,” Bruce spoke up, “I’m not that type of doctor, but I’m willing to bet Tony’s more than a little distraught right now.”
“Then he needs to get traught,” Carol quipped.
“That’s not a word,” Bruce teased.
“You think I care?” Carol sassily retorted.
Janet felt the obvious need to change the subject, “How’s Steve?”
“Brooding,” Hank explained, “The star spangled man with a plan is without a plan. It’s killing him. Well, that among other things,” Hank glanced at the door to Tony’s room.
“Speaking of, you said you had something for me to check out, Carol?” Bruce turned to the blonde bombshell.
Carol tossed a piece of metal to Bruce, “Catch.” The anxious scientist barely managed to grab hold of the chunk of steel before it fell to the ground.
“It’s debris from the tower. I think it’s laced with gamma radiation,” Carol expounded.
“Wait, you’re saying…” Bruce stared down at the metal, understanding what Carol was implying, “That the bomb was…a gamma bomb?” Carol nodded.
“I…I need to check this out,” Bruce turned away and ran down the stairs. Jan glared at him as he disappeared inside his room. Carol noticed.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Hank interjected, aware of Carol’s anger too, “It’s nothing.”
“She should know,” Jan argued.
“Know what?” Carol asked.
“Nothing,” Hank repeated, “Janet, stop.”
“We’ll have to address it eventually,” Janet retorted.
“Not now,” Hank begged, “Please, not now.”
“Does Steve know about this…whatever this is?” Carol inquired.
Hank shook his head, “No, Steve’s got bigger things to worry about than…this.”
---A---
Steve stood outside Avengers Mansion, arms crossed, looking out at the reporters milling in front of the gates. His eyes darkened in the shade as he thought about the events that had transpired. Someone, or something, had bombed Stark Tower and challenged the Avengers. Everything they stood for had been questioned. They hadn’t faced anyone like this since Kang.
“You know, you don’t do broody very well, and that’s coming from the master.”
Steve didn’t smile at the attempted joke and turned to meet the intruder. Nick Fury stood across from him, his sarcastic know-it-all expression driving Steve to become even angrier.
“What is it, Nick?” Steve demanded.
The director of SHIELD appeared disappointed at Steve’s no-nonsense attitude, “You haven’t been any fun since you got pulled out of the ice.”
“I haven’t exactly had a lot of time to relax since then, so you’ll pardon me if I’m a little tense,” Steve started, “Now Fury, get to it. Why are you here?”
Fury sighed, “I came here to warn you, Steve. There’s a storm coming, and I’m afraid you aren’t ready for it.”
“Is that a threat?” Steve asked.
“No, I told you, it’s a warning. There’s something I can’t stop and it’s coming after you, Steve. All of you.”
“The Avengers?” Steve concluded.
“No, every superhuman alive. Good, bad, and ugly. It begins today,” Fury explained, “Just turn on your TV.”
“What are you…” Steve was interrupted as the door to the mansion slammed open.
“Steve! You need to see this!” Hank exclaimed, panting. Steve glanced at Hank and then at where Fury stood…or rather, where he once stood. The director of SHIELD was gone, causing Steve to wonder if he’d ever really been there.
“Steve!” Hank demanded. The Avengers’ leader nodded.
“I’m coming,” Steve walked inside. What he found in the living room, on the TV caused Steve’s stomach to churn. An apartment building burned in front of the camera. Steve recognized the apartment. It was Carol’s.
“…the apartment of Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel of the Avengers, has been bombed. This comes exactly two hours after the first bombing at Stark Tower. It appears someone is trying to wage a one-man war against the Avengers.” The reporter’s voice came from the TV, “Oh…and we’re getting something now. It appears the Whitehouse has issued a press conference. We’re heading straight to it live right now.”
The screen switched to a scene in front of the White House on the lawn. President Lee stood behind a podium, surrounded by a group of five men and one woman. Four of the men were dressed in oddly colored outfits. The first and only non-spandex suited man wore a brown suit that matched the tone of his skin.
The next person, the woman, wore a suit of black, gold and red armor. A huge sword hung behind her back. Next to her stood a man dressed in a plain white spandex, cat-like suit. To President Lee’s right stood a glowing green man in a suit of white armor, a yellow and black suited man, and the last man, who dressed in a red and white suit reminiscent of Steve’s.
“Today, I welcome all of you to experience a new day for mankind. Today, with the help of SHIELD and Advanced Idea Mechanics, I present to you a light in the darkness. Today, I present to you the Ultimates,” President Lee held his arms out to the superhumans around him.
“The Ultimates project has long been in the works, and it was decided today, in light of the recent attacks, that it be instated. The Ultimates was the pet project of Dr. Tyrone Cash,” the black man in the suit waved, “And I would like to invite him to the podium to introduce you to your heroes.”
Cash approached the podium, shook the president’s hand, and turned to the cameras.
“It is with the greatest honor that I present the Ultimates to you today. From my right to left I’d like to introduce you to Black Knight, White Tiger, Radioactive Man, Yellowjacket, and the team’s leader, Winter Soldier. The Ultimates will serve as the world’s super team, representing different nations around the world, including the likes of China, Russia, and yes, the United States of America. The team will be ever-growing, and hopefully, ever-saving…”
“What the hell is this?” Carol shouted, slamming her fist down on a table, breaking it.
Steve frowned, a look of understanding forming on his face. He knew what this was.
This was a declaration of war.
NEXT TIME: THE AVENGERS GO TO WAR!