May 20, 2014

Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk

“Wait, how did you find out that she killed that guy in the car?” Mahmoud asked.

“That’s kinda spoilery,” I grinned at him. “Come on, you do that stuff all the time whenever you get to do storytime.”

He sipped at his milkshake thoughtfully before speaking. “Well, yeah, but I’m supposed to be all dramatic. I am a writer after all.”

“You are?” Thor asked, looking genuinely surprised.

“Wha-Yes!” Mahmoud said, offended. “I talk about it all the time!”

“No, you don’t,” Natasha replied. When he gave her a shocked look, she shrugged. “You talk about it sometimes, but you never exactly make a thing of it.”

He looked at me. I gave him a little chuckle. “Sorry, sweetie. You never really sit down and type stories. I mean, you do a lot of stuff for research, but…”

Mahmoud sipped at his drink again. He looked even more thoughtful now.

Thor chugged his drink before burping. “So! You have found your opponent, yes? When do we get to the part when you slay her in righteous combat.”

“Slay her,” I blinked. “Yeesh, what am I, a vampire hunter?”

“Don’t even joke about that,” Dial and Thor said seriously in unison.

Nat and I blinked together, sharing a look.

“Okay… we’ll just unpack that later, I guess,” I said slowly. “So yeah, Mary MacPherran. My first nemesis. I didn’t know it yet though. What I did know was that I’d messed up… Edgar Romero didn’t have any family. But he had friends. People who missed him. All he was doing was his job. And he got beat to hell. I was only a few feet from him when he died. I let the guy who killed him walk right past me, I-”

I felt a bit of pain in my right fist. When I looked down at it, I was surprised to see my fist was so tight it was starting to hurt. I slowly unclenched it.

“...So anyways. I called Jarvis and we headed to a library for some privacy.”

------

May 18, 2014

“What you got for us, Jarvis?” I asked while striding back and forth in front of a holographic screen. Frank’s BRIDGE-issued smartphone rested on the table, projecting the image of Jarvis standing in the Avengers Tower. I honestly had no idea if he was actually standing in the tower or just sending us a virtual image he’d made, but it was good to see the robot butler.

“On assessment of the case, I have compiled a file. I believe I have found the man you are looking for,” Jarvis popped up another hologram, this one showing a case-file. “Named John Critic.”

“That’s him,” I snarled, staring at the face of the guy I’d chased. Even without him looking like he was seconds from pissing in fear, I recognized him.

“Then I have fortunate news. I have footage of him from both locations,” Jarvis’ mouth blinked on and off with every word.

“How?” Frank asked. “I thought they disabled the cameras in the bank and the hospital.”

“Yes. But not the traffic cameras around both locations,” Jarvis showed footage of streets at night, zooming in on one particular street. “I’ve found footage the night of the robbery with a car containing the suspect in question. However, I lose as he comes closer to Hell’s Kitchen. There is a surprising lack of surveillance in that part of the city.”

“Yeah, cause nobody likes being spied on,” Frank growled, glaring at the holographic scene as one particular car was outlined in blue. “You can just access any camera in the city?”

“Not unless asked by an Avenger or similarly ranked individual,” Jarvis said. “For now, this is the last known location I can track the suspect to.”

Jarvis showed a random street in Hell’s Kitchen, which the highlighted car drove along before disappearing around a corner. “When compared to the footage of Mr. Critic’s later drive, I may have a general location for him. However, more specific information would require further surveillance.”

“Well, he’s dead either way,” Frank said.

I snapped my head to look at him, surprised. He shrugged. “Come on, Walters. These guys already killed a security guard, and they know you saw the guy. I doubt they’ll kill the superhuman if they wanna keep robbing places, but this guy is some two-bit criminal. He’s dead and dumped.”

Damn. He was right. But even so, this guy, John Critic, was a lead we could use.

“Jarvis, show me his known associates,” I asked calmly. He brought up another screen. “In fact, can you compile everything we’ve got on him? I want to read it personally.”

“Yes, Ms. Walters,” Jarvis said, his holographic screens quickly shuffling and rearranging.

“What are you thinking?” Frank asked.

“This guy has friends, enemies, favorite hangouts,” I explained. “If we can find something even slightly related to this place, we’ve got him.”

Frank looked over the holograms for a moment. Then he sighed and turned around. “I’ll call Maria on another phone and tell her I might be out late…”

I felt immediate guilt when he said that. I’d gotten so obsessed with the mission that I’d forgotten that Frank had people waiting for him. “Oh. Well, if you want, you can use my phone, since I’m using yours for all this holograph stuff.”

Frank took it from my hand with a nod before walking away, tapping at the keypad.

I watched him go before turning to the screens in front of me. “Okay. Jarvis, pull up the location that we lost our guy, and let’s start narrowing things down.”

Even as I worked, I knew there was one puzzle missing. These thieves knew way too much. How had they known about the security guard’s location? The only ones who should have were involved in the case. For that matter, how did those paparazzi know where I’d be going?

Were those two connected? If so, how?

------

Mary MacPherran

Mary sighed, rolling her shoulders as she left her room. Her little romp with the driver had been short, but fun. He was still lying on her bed, passed out. She’d gotten a little rough.

She stopped outside her door to look around. They were based in a small warehouse, rented from one of the local powers of New York, someone who was scary enough that no one even wanted to say his name. It gave them a nice place to do their work from. She’d taken a crappy office as her temporary bedroom. A few feet away from that was a table in the center of the warehouse, with a whiteboard on wheels nearby. On it was a blueprint of a bank. Some ashes were still resting on the table from the last plan.

Mary walked up to the billboard and looked at it carefully. She ignored the man standing nearby, drinking coffee.

“Mary,” the man said, looking at her shakily.

“Sam,” Mary said levely.

“Is uh… is Rajesh alive in there?” Sam said, referring to the driver.

“Of course he is!” Mary spun to face him, offended.

Sam winced back. “S-Sorry! I just… he was screaming. And after John-”

“I killed John because he would have got us caught,” Mary snarled. Her massive arms crossed over each other. Despite his fear, Sam instinctively watched the effect that motion had on her chest, only to wince. Mary took pleasure in that. First, at the confirmation, he found her attractive. Second, the fact he was scared of her. There was power in that. Being sexy and scary.

“And Rajesh is fine. We were just having fun,” Mary purred, rubbing her arms.

“Glad to hear it,” Mary and Sam turned to see a woman walk out of the shadows. The ‘click-click-click’ of heels followed each step, sculpted calves practically glistening in the light.

Sam swallowed. Both women were attractive, in their own ways. Mary, for all her incredible size and muscle, was sculpted like a fourteen-year-old’s fantasy barbarian woman, her tanned skin, flowing red hair, and curvy features giving her an exotic look.

The other woman, while not as unique, was just as beautiful. With long black hair, a tight orange top that highlighted how perfectly shaped her breasts and abdomen were, a short skirt and high heels that showed off her legs, and the face of an angel, well…

Sam was in hell. Two beautiful women and both of them were as scary as fuck killers.

“Ana,” Mary said softly, smiling down at her best friend. The elegant woman smiled back up at her, placing a black jacket onto the table. A jacket with the letters ‘FBI’ written across the back. “Are you okay?”

“Perfectly fine, dear. Unlike John, apparently,” Ananastasia looked over at Sam. “Have you already gotten rid of the body?”

Sam swallowed. “Yeah. He’s in acid now. I’ll dump him into the harbor after.”

“Good,” Ananastasia smirked. “One more job. One more, and Mary and I will leave you forever Sam. And you’ll be rich beyond your wildest dreams.”

Mary smiled at that thought. Ever since she’d woken up in an empty hospital with the strength of a goddess, she’d reveled in her power. She’d fought and fucked as much as she wanted, and found nothing but happiness in that. After years as a mousy and ugly redhead who got pushed around by everyone, her new life was a dream.

And Ana was part of that. Ever since they met, Ana had been the one teaching how to use her new power. Ana was supposed to arrest her for the death of her stepfather. Instead, she saw something special in Mary. In little Mary MacPherson.

Together, they’d begun to build something great. Ana used her FBI connections to find a group of idiots to use. Sam, a hacker, Rajesh, a getaway driver, and John, a petty thug who could get things done when Mary and Ana didn’t want to be seen.

Then they did a test run, using Mary’s strength to rob a chump change bank for some small amount of cash, using Sam’s skill as a hacker to keep the camera’s off, before hitting one of their actual targets. Ana even had files from an FBI agent who had evaluated the banks’ security weeks ago! Combined with John doing some surveillance as a customer, they’d gotten things down right. Now they only had one more.

Then they’d leave New York. Leave to somewhere sunny, where the men were pretty and the sand was soft, rich for the rest of their lives. Freedom, absolute and endless.

Looking down at Ana, Mary saw her hopes.

Ana tapped her chin thoughtfully. “But we have one problem… An Avenger, and a BRIDGE agent. They’re onto us.”

“You think they’ll be a problem?” Sam asked nervously.

Ana spun and slapped Sam in the face, sending him stumbling back in pain. “Of course they will be, you absolute buffoon,” Ana said calmly.

“You-” Sam began to shout. Then he noticed Mary step forward, and quickly shut his mouth.

Ana smirked. “She-Hulk… she’s supposed to be as strong as her cousin. And BRIDGE has been getting a rep. If I didn’t let the paparazzi know where she was going, those two would have caught us much sooner. We barely got away as is,” she sighed. “Honestly, Mary, I wish you’d killed that guard from the start.”

It was like a shot to the chest. “A-Ana, I didn’t… I mean-”

“We wouldn’t have been in this situation,” Ana shook her head sadly. “Mary, you’re amazing. But you need to live up to that potential. If you keep disappointing me, I don’t know how we’ll get this all done.”

Mary stared at Ana, uncomprehending for a moment before she shook her head. “It won’t happen again, I promise!”

“How can you promise that?” Ana’s words might as well have been a knife carving into her. “An Avenger is after us, dear. Someone who fights demons for a living. Can you beat her?”

“Yes!” Rage filled Mary, pointed towards that green bitch from earlier. “I’ll kill her! I promise! T-Then we’ll be free! I promise…”

Please. Please don’t leave. Mary couldn’t stand to be alone again. Even with her new power, nothing could be worse than that.

“I understand,” Ana’s eyes were filled with warmth. “Then we’ll be fine… You handle the Avenger. And I’ll handle the agent.”

Fresh worry filled Mary. “Are you sure?”

“Oh, sweetie,” Ana chuckled, brushing back her hair. “He’s a man. I know men. Isn’t that right, Sam?”

Sam hesitated before nodding. “Y-Yeah.”

“Wave a little bit of booty in their direction, let them think you belong to them, and you own them,” Ana smiled savagely. “And if not, a bullet to the forehead works just as well. We take care of these two, and we’ll head off into the great wide world.”

Mary smiled nervously. Yes. Yes. They’d rob this last bank, kill Sam and Rajesh, and leave forever. Together.

It never occurred to Mary. That someone so willing to betray people might want to betray her as well.

------

Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk

I read file after file, working through them. Anytime I had something promising, I would slide it into one of the other screens. It was slow work, even with Jarvis helping. But I was beginning to understand John Critic.

He was a thug, yeah. But one who was good at his job. He had been caught twice, once as a teenager for beating up a man for petty cash, and again as an adult for robbing a convenience store. Since then though, he’d managed to dodge the law. Strangely high-class lawyers (Who I made sure to remember the names of) had helped him avoid a couple of convictions, but overall any cases he was involved in were more rumor than anything.

But he did have a rep. And a reputation meant information.

I already had a list of possible candidates for people I could see him working with. No redheaded giants, but that was the problem with superpowers nowadays. You could never predict how they would change people. Hell, I was living proof of that. I looked nothing like mousy little Jennifer anymore. Jen was a green bombshell now, not a pale imitation.

It might be the same with this redhead giant. They could have been changed recently, which made finding out who they used to be just that much harder.

Frank came back. He was looking a little… well, depressed. I grimaced before tapping at the holoscreen, dismissing one of the documents and turning to look at him.

“You okay, Frank?”

He looked at me with a very grim face, chuckling without any humor. “What, Walters, you wanna be my therapist?”

“I doubt I have enough time in the day for that,” he grunted non-committedly. “But seriously, you all right? Tell Mama Shulkie what’s wrong,” I tried to tease, but it ended up coming out a bit harsh.

For some reason, I think that was better than being nice. Frank grunted again, before shaking his head. “It’s my boy. He’s… young. So he knows why I do what I do. But now that I’m spending time with the kid, it’s like it’s still not enough. Lisa, she’s smart. She knows I can’t always be there. But he’s still asking me why I can’t be there all the time…”

I felt guiltier. Not just because I was the one who’d insisted we keep at this, but also because a bit of relief hit me. I knew something about what he was talking about.

“...You know my cousin?” I asked Frank.

“Every human being on Earth knows your cousin,” he snarked.

“Smartass,” I crossed my arms and shook my head. “Well, before he became the strongest thing in the world, before he was the world’s smartest scientist on radiation, he was a kid. We used to hang out together a lot as kids. We’d have a lot of fun together. Pair of giant nerds,” I chuckled. “Can you believe we sometimes just had contests on who could memorize more random facts?”

“This story coming to a point?”

“Awww, Frank, that’s what I love about you, your kindness and empathy,” he reluctantly smiled at that. “The point is, that I loved Bruce. My dad, my mom, and his mom, all loved him. The only one who didn’t was his own dad… He called Bruce a monster. Every time Bruce showed how smart he was, David Banner was there with a fist to remind him he was hated.”

Frank’s smile faded.

“I wasn’t there for the first beatings. But I still remember the bruises on his arms. On his mom’s face. The marks where he ‘fell’. The only time I ever saw it, my dad was there. Well, my dad doesn’t fuck around,” I clenched a fist. “My dad was a two hundred pound army vet who became a sheriff. David Banner was an alcoholic scientist. He never showed up around me again until he died.”

I grinned savagely. “He probably died still worrying my dad would make good on his threats. I hope he did.”

I looked Frank in the eyes. “David Banner was there. Almost every day. He was a constant presence in his kid’s life. I think that was the worst part, for Bruce. For the rest of his life, even after David died, I think Bruce still worries he’ll show up.”

“Your kids, your wife. They don’t see as much as they wish. But when you’re there, they love you for it. It does matter that you’re there for your kids, but it matters even more what you do for them.”

A little chuckle escaped me. “But I know you don’t like long speeches. So to keep it short. Quantity really is shit compared to quality.”

I looked Frank in the eye. I have to admit, I felt a little nervous. “You’re doing fine, Frank. And we’ll get you home soon. I promise.”

“...” Frank sighed, looking away from me and eyeing the holograms instead. “Okay. Yeah, okay. What do you got on our guy?”

Man, Frank is really bad at communicating. I gave him a bone and turned to look at the screens. “Well, Jarvis has helped me narrow down a few things. John Critic wasn’t exactly a high class guy. We have records of his friends and family, as well as some people he worked with. He’s a Hell’s Kitchen native, like my buddy Matt.”

I took a moment to wish that I’d known they were headed to Hell’s Kitchen. Matt’s super-senses would have been great at the time. Now though, too much time had passed, as far as I know. Maybe I should have called him in anyways, but then Jarvis caught my attention.

“Ms. Walters, I believe I’ve found our culprit using your parameters.”

“You did?” I asked, staring at all the floating blue screens.

“Yes. John Critic was known to frequent a certain bar,” he showed me the bar, a random hole in the wall with some bikes parked in front. “Thanks to you pointing out that he wouldn’t have changed his eating habits, I have managed to find footage of him entering the bar. From there, I worked backward.”

“Yes!” I pumped a fist and gave Frank a grin. “Nice thing about bad guys, they love routines.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll remember that next time I go hunting for criminals in New York. Calm down, Jolly Green,” Frank said with a dismissive wave.

Jarvis continued. “From there, I was able to find two more places. One was a convenience store nearby that caught him on his cameras. I used that to narrow the search further. Do you remember, Ms. Walters, that you narrowed down his list of allies for me?”

“Yeah,” I shook my head. “He had a real nice list of idiots in his past. But I figured out who he’d most likely work with. If he’s the thug, and the redhead is the literal safecracker, then getaway drivers, tech experts, fences. I tried to cover as many people he knew as possible that could help with the kinds of heists we’re dealing with.”

And that led me to this,” he showed the next image.

A gas station. Where one of John’s friends was filling up a shitty van. “Which one is that?”

“Rajesh Patel,” Jarvis said. “An accomplished driver, who was caught as an accomplice on several jobs. He’s currently out on parole. And, from there, the pattern has emerged.”

Jarvis started laying out the map, showing the area Rajesh went with a blue line, and the line John followed with a red line, with them meeting in several places. “They began meeting recently with a man named Sam Dane, a hacker with some expertise. Not a friend of either of them, but someone capable of blacking out the camera’s in both banks and the hospital.”

“So we have our boys. Do we know where they’re coming from?” I asked.

Jarvis showed a warehouse by the docks. Which, honestly, felt a little cliche. “I believe, based on the patterns of movement all three have done, this location is the most likely. I will send it to Mr. Castle’s phone.”

“Thanks, Jarvis,” I looked over at Frank. “You ready to rumble?”

“Depends, you still remember how to throw a punch?” Frank teased. “Or are you too used to sitting behind a desk and talking to clients now?”

“Hey, I can be a lawyer and a badass, Frank,” we both turned and walked out, Frank picking up his phone. “I swear to kick ass, the whole ass, and nothing but the ass, so help me God.”

“Amen. Let’s go get my guns.”

------

We showed up outside the warehouse in our Sunday best. I was wearing a purple and white muscle shirt and blue jeans, both tailored for me. Frank, on the other hand, was wearing BRIDGE tac-gear, made for urban combat. We were met by our backup.

You guys know as well as I do that we couldn’t just go in with Frank and I. BRIDGE doesn’t work like that. They sent us two agents, both dressed in the same urban gear, informed the correct authorities that we were working a case so any loud noises were just us taking down a superhuman suspect, and all-around covered our bases legally.

It’s a harsh truth of the current justice system that superhuman cases get to skip over certain legalities. It’s kind of like having definitive proof that a biological weapon or nuclear bomb is in the middle of a city. A lot of corners get cut to take care of the problem.

“You look happy,” I said to Frank as he checked over his gun.

“Hn,” he grunted. After a moment, he clenched his rifle to his chest, apparently happy with it. “I’m just happy we can finally fight someone. I’m not made for all this detective shit.”

I felt that. This whole adventure had been frustrating. Sure, it was great that we managed to figure things out so far, but I really preferred the actual lawyer stuff, depending on good cops to find evidence I could use to build a case.

“Sir, ma’am,” one of the two soldiers, a young woman wearing Catom armor that made her head look like a sci-fi soldier out of a movie, said to me. “We’re ready to roll.”

“Good,” Frank said to her, raising his gun. “We’ve got a superhuman involved in this mission. Assume brute strength and durability. Walter’s is our backup, but if you have to take them, don’t waste time with ICER’s. Hit them with the heavy shit, run while you do it. Got it?”

“Yes, sir,” the man and woman said in unison.

Frank nodded. His own helmet snapped over his face. Over it’s faceplate, blending in so well it couldn’t be seen unless you were up close, was the symbol of a skull. “Let’s go.”

I turned and grinned at the warehouse. “All right. Let’s go kick some ass!”

------

“Nobody is here!?”

Wow. That was just... massively disappointing.

The warehouse we were in was obviously the base of operations of the robbers. There were coffee cups laying about, some foldaway chairs, a car parked in the back room, a rumpled bed in a back room, and some blueprints placed carefully on some whiteboards.

“Looks like they just left,” the male BRIDGE soldier said… Okay, I’ll be honest, his name was Frank. Frank Simmons. Considering I had one friend named Simmons already, and a Frank that was already on the same team, the name ‘male BRIDGE soldier’ would have to do.

Sally… Damnit. Sorry. Just… okay.

Well, the other Sally was staring at the blueprints. “Are these the banks they robbed?”

Frank and I took a look. As soon as I realized what I was seeing, I turned and started walking, Frank following. “They’re heading to another bank!”

“Get the NYPD on the horn, let them know what’s going on!” Frank barked. “They’re in Midtown Manhattan, near Madison Square Garden, move!”

“Isn’t there a fight there tonight!?” Sally shouted as the male BRIDGE soldier followed close behind.

“Oh, there’s going to be a fight,” I said to myself angrily.

Boy, was that ever prophetic or what?

------

Mary MacPherson

“GRAAAGH!” biceps and abs clenched as one as Mary ripped the vault door off the wall. Behind her, Sam was waiting nervously. Concrete and steel gave up before a superior force, buckling under her fingers before squealing and crunching. With a heave, she twisted around to finally pull the door out, tossing it behind her. Sam yelped and ducked back as dozens of tons of metal flew over his head.

“Come on!” Mary yelled at Sam, rushing into the vault. She ignored the money, which Sam started placing in the big black bags over his shoulder. Instead, she went for the safety deposit boxes, ripping the doors off them in big handfuls and grabbing whatever was inside.

The pair quickly started working, grabbing as fast as they could. After around nine minutes, Mary’s earpiece buzzed.

“Mary, it’s Ana,” Ananastasia said over the earpiece she’d given them, some FBI tech Ana had stolen. “I think there’s some trouble coming. Police scanners are calling for an evacuation around the bank. Grab everything and get out, I’ll try to intercep-”

KRAKABOOM!

Mary and Sam spun around to face the door to the vault. A tall green figure crashed through the windows in a spray of glass, the moon shining bright behind her. Mary and Sam stared as the green giant landed in the center of the bank. She was massive. Almost as big as Mary, with deep green skin over taught muscle that could be seen under her purple and white swimsuit. The giant woman stood high and grinned.

“Hiya, bad guys. You ready to rumble?”

Mary stared at her for a moment. Then she stepped forward. “Keep working, Sam.”

The woman grinned and walked forward to stand across from her. They stopped about ten feet apart, looking each other up and down.

“So you’re the She-Hulk, huh?” Mary smirked down at her. “You’re shorter than I imagined.”

“I’ve got a petite and cute figure,” Jen smirked up at her. “Who are you supposed to be?”

Mary puffed her chest proudly, tapping her chest with her fist. Finally! After all this time, she could tell someone her codename! “I’m Mary MacPherson! The Mighty Titania! The strongest woman in the world!”

“...Okay. Out of all the names you just said, only one of those is gonna go uncontested,” Jen’s fist clenched. “I’ll let Davida worry about the first one.”

Mary blinked. And a green fist was slamming into her cheek. Pain blossomed out from her right cheek as she screamed, sent flipping backwards into the vault, slamming into the back of it. Safety deposit boxes were crushed under her. She looked up at Jen, who was grinning with an outstretched fist.

“Holy shit!” Sam shouted, clutching batches of cash to his chest like they were a teddy bear.

“Not so great when someone sucker punches you, huh!?”

“YOU BIMBO BITCH!”

Mary scrambled to her feet and leaped forward, smashing into She-Hulk like a train. They crashed into a teller’s stand, turning it to splinters, She-Hulk landing on her back, where Mary grabbed her opponent's hair. With vicious strength, she used her grip to slam the back of She-Hulk’s head into the ground. She did it over and over, cratering the marble under her head. She-Hulk screamed, a bloodcurdling sound that echoed in the dark bank lobby, and punched Mary in the face. Mary roared back and elbowed her in the chin.

Jen grabbed Mary by the hair, turned her head, and punched her in the face, over and over with incredible speed, until Mary was forced back.

Both women scrambled to their feet and faced each other.

“I’m gonna kill you, you damn green bimbo!”

“Promises, promises, cuddles,” She-Hulk wiped her lips and grinned. “How about you come and let Shulkie show you what she can really do?”

That was it. They met in the center, and the floor beneath them began to shake. Fists slammed into skin, stones cracked beneath their feet, and their clothes began to shred as bruises grew only to heal in seconds. The battle was just beginning.

------

Interlude: Villains

Lyle Getz/Leader(?) of AIM

Lyle was sitting in his office at his computer, trying to understand what was happening. He stared at the screen before him, trepidation on his face.

It had changed. The folder had changed once again. And he had no idea how.

No. He had an idea of who was behind this. The Benefactor. That was the name he’d given to the mysterious person who had left the files that had saved AIM, allowing them to create the incredible inventions that let them rebuild.

And now, a folder on MRE’s had been replaced with more files on nanomachines. The Benefactor was making it clear that he wanted AIM to complete that project. Lyle got up quickly, walking out of his office with a scowl on his face.

It was a long walk to his destination. On the way there, someone in a lab coat and carrying a tablet came out of an office and almost bumped into him.

“Dr. Getz!” he was a young man, one of the newer medical personnel that had been hired. Lyle couldn’t remember his name, just that he was a doctor. “I have a report on Case-243 and Case-244.”

“Our guests?” Lyle blinked, intrigued. “Have they woken from their coma?”

The doctor nodded. “The woman has. She’s speaking an odd language however. We’re attempting to find a translator. Here, look.”

He took the tablet and passed it to Lyle. On it was a live stream of a camera inside the medical wing. There was a woman with red hair and beautiful features shouting at a doctor. She looked quite healthy.

“Keep me updated,” Lyle said with a smile. “I want to know where the old man and the woman came from. Maybe we can finally get something for our troubles.”

“You don’t know where they came from?” the doctor looked stunned. “Where did you find them?”

“Classified,” Lyle said without skipping a beat.

Extremely classified. If anyone found out that AIM was responsible for Rio, it wouldn’t go their way no matter how many US Senators would speak on their behalf. They’d already supplied several advanced forms of weaponry such as their energy weapons, the Microwave Emitting Beam System, or MEBS.

But no matter how shiny the weapon, AIM was on eggshells right now. Their former leader kidnapped the president. This was worse. So much worse. People still talked about the Rio Timequake. The numbers were still coming in, but thousands had died in the initial quake. More had died to the monsters, the disease, the falling buildings. Even with the Avengers, BRIDGE, and the armies and emergency support of several nations, not everyone could be saved.

So Lyle would bury the secret deep. AIM would not fall. Not again. The timequake may have been a horrific mistake, but he would find a way past it.

“Keep me updated,” Lyle passed the tablet back to the doctor. “I want to know everything about them as soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir,” the doctor said nervously. “Um, I heard there was one patient who-”

“He was a violent maniac, who killed some of our best men,” Lyle said firmly. “He’s currently running around the Canadian forests and evading our efforts. I have teams hunting him down for now. That’s all you need to know.”

“Shouldn’t we-”

Lyle stopped in his tracks and glared at the doctor. “Get back to work. Now.”

“Y-Yes sir,” the doctor rushed off while Lyle continued on, hiding his frustration.

That damn wildman was still out there. Teams of trained soldiers were trying to find him, only to be taken out piecemeal by the most primitive traps and tactics. And the maniac was learning! He was getting better at fighting them!

Lyle shook his head. No matter. For now, he had one other problem. The Benefactor wanted results on the nanomachines. He wasn’t sure why, but that mysterious figure was the only thing holding AIM together now. Even if it was one of his inventions that caused the incident.

As soon as Lyle got to his destination, he slammed the doors open.

“Eep!” Monica Rappaccini screamed in shock. She spun to look at Lyle, amazed. “Lyle? What the hell are you-”

“Bring in a test subject, now.”

She stared at him, seemingly ready to argue. He looked at her. She shut up and nodded. “O-Okay. Who should be first?”

“The volunteer,” Lyle looked around.

The room they stood in was full of computers and scientists. All of them were staring at him, shocked. The second his eyes landed on them, they looked away.

“Lyle, we don’t know if these machines are ready,” Monica said hesitantly. “If they go out of control, then-”

“Bring. Him. In,” Lyle said.

“...All right,” Monica nodded to a man standing near a phone. He rushed to make the call.

------

“Lyle,” Monica said later. The beautiful brunette was watching nervously as a man was set up inside a chair. Two metal arms were set up on either side of him, each ending in a syringe full of a yellow glowing substance. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Stop dancing around the subject. Say it.”

“You want to insert nanomachines into a human being, you idiot,” Monica snarled, losing her false nervousness. Lyle smirked. Honestly, Monica acting so docile had been uncomfortable. Better the bitch he knew. “Nanomachines! The nightmare scenario of all technology, something labs across the country are still working on. Even those catoms BRIDGE use are nothing compared to this. And you want to insert them into a person!?”

Lyle’s smirk got a little bigger. “No. I don’t.”

Monica stared at him, looking befuddled. “What?”

“I don’t want to. In fact, if I could, I would wait another year before we started clinical trials. On rats.”

“Then why-”

“The Benefactor. Our friend has been insistent. Sending us file after file, even changing files within our computers, all with one thing. Nanomachines, nanomachines, nanomachines,” Lyle shook his head. “It’s almost childish. All the genius of Tony Stark and half the maturity, which is saying something.”

“This is just because you want to please your new best friend?” Monica asked sarcastically.

“Because I want to please the person who is supplying us with technology that dwarfs anything we could have conceived of before,” Lyle turned to look at her. For a moment, all he felt was disappointment. All that genius, beauty, and drive, wasted on a woman like Monica. He pushed aside his pity. “Our projects are getting funding, the US government is looking to us to help them in their little war against superhumans. I won’t sacrifice that. Not for anything.”

He looked back at the scientists gathered around the volunteer. One of them turned and gave him a thumbs up. Lyle nodded.

The scientists quickly rushed away from the volunteer, who was now strapped in his chair and looking nervous. Lyle walked forward to speak into a microphone, his voice echoing. “Mike, you ready?”

“Y-Yeah!” the volunteer said.

“Good. Beginning test.”

Lyle’s abrupt words were met with panic. “W-Wait, alread-”

Lyle pressed a button. The syringes entered into Mike. He shouted in surprise, then sighed in relief. Lyle knew what was happening. First, the anesthetics were being injected, putting him to sleep. Then, as the volunteers eyes closed and he finally passed out, the nanites began to enter his bloodstream. Lyle looked over at one screen, monitoring the nanites progress.

“We’re aiming for something very specific,” Lyle whispered as Monica watched. “If the nanomachines can turn Mike into something close to what we want, then we’re on our way.”

“Why did he volunteer anyways? Doesn’t he know how dangerous this is?” Monica asked curiously.

“He thinks he’s going to become Captain America,” Lyle shook his head. “I tried to explain, but he-”

“AAAAAAGGGGHHH!” Mike began to scream, his eyes snapping open. “A-AAGGHHH! NO, PLEASE GOD, N-AAAAUUUU!” his voice cracked. So did his spine.

“His heart rate is skyrocketing!” Someone shouted.

“Bring up the field!” Lyle barked.

A yellow energy field snapped into place as Mike screamed again. Then he exploded in white and gold light, blinding them all.

“Gah!” Lyle rubbed his eyes, trying to get the spots out of his vision. “Someone get me a visual! Mike! You alive!?”

“I told you this was a mistake!” Monica shouted as she staggered back.

“O-One second!” one of the scientists shouted.

A distorted scream came from the forcefield. The light dimmed, then brightened again. A sound like whispers clawed at the edges of Lyle’s hearing. A low growl echoed, then turned into a scream again. A sound like a hand splashing into sewage and pollution came from the forcefield.

A hand slammed into the yellow field. The hand was very normal.

So were the other three that landed next to it. They clenched and unclenched. Another cry resounded. The hands grew larger, smaller, cracked, turned into tentacled limbs, before becoming hand-like again.

Then they went back into the light. And slowly, the screams faded.

“...Holy shit,” a woman in the room whispered.

“Nothing holy about it,” Monica said.

“Mike!” Lyle barked.

“I’m here.”

That voice. It was like a blade slithering along the earlobes. Lyle ignored the feeling that voice caused. Science was taking place, there was no place for fear.

“Mike? Are you okay?”

The light dimmed. Lyle, Monica, and the scientists around them stared at the figure standing in the field.

He was taller now. No. He was floating above the floor. His legs were gone, replaced from the waist down with long thin tentacles that waved lightly in the air, as though they were gently providing propulsion. His body had become thinner, tight with muscle, his skin a pale pink color. Long spindly arms stretched from his back, eight of them. As Lyle watched, the top two arms, near his shoulder blades, twitched and shifted. They’d turned into something similar in shape to a scorpions stinger at the ends. In fact, six of the arms looked more like organic tools or weapons. No. They looked like medical equipment, only two in the middle looking somewhat human. His original arms were replaced with smooth stumps at his shoulders. Like a flying man-spider hybrid.

Mike, or the being that had once been Mike, looked over at Lyle.

“Fascinating,” Lyle whispered. Mike’s human mouth was now a pink jaw, like that of a demon. His face had a shiny insectoid look to it. A single eye stared at them. An eye shaped like the letter ‘Y’, glowing with the same golden light that had emitted when Mike transformed. “Mike… How do you feel?”

Mike’s new mouth opened. Closed. Then, slowly, with a sound like crackling paper, it began to smile.

“I feel… fantastic.”

Lyle crossed his arms. Tests would have to start. But the nanomachines had been injected, and created something new. They were beginning something new. And Lyle was ready to dive into the deep end.

Monica, meanwhile, stared in fear at the new life they had created.

------

Baron Wolfgang von Strucker

von Strucker walked through the halls of his Syberian base, clenching and unclenching his fist as he strode through the cold, dark concrete hallways. Every once in a while, he would pass an open doorway. Many of the rooms in this place were empty. HYDRA was finding it hard to rebuild, and he no longer had the numbers he once did. He looked behind himself.

On his left stood Laura. The Blood Diamond. The teenage girl was staring at him, her gaze fixed on his back. The poor girl was so throurily mind controlled that she barely understood anything but orders. He’d told her to watch his back, and she took it literally.

On his right stood one of his new acquisitions. It had taken time. But he’d finally woken the Winter Soldiers.

This base held many secrets of HYDRA. But the best was his Winter Soldiers. Men and women loyal to HYDRA. The elite assassins of HYDRA, with the highest kill counts in the organization's history, and enhanced with Howard Stark’s perfected Super-Soldier Serum. Created to overpower even Bucky Barnes, himself a trained super-soldier, they were each a force to be reckoned with. Left sleeping in Cryostatis Chambers in Siberia.

Until von Stucker arrived. Now, after careful application of various brainwashing methods, he had finally woken them. And now, HYDRA had five more super-soldiers.

Josef was the man’s name, a tall and strongly built man, dressed in dark green armor. He was imposing, powerful.

And far weaker than Laura.

He had to smile at that. The gross truth of the modern age was that a simple experiment could turn the most innocuous of people into the world's deadliest beings. Laura, with her long black hair and petite build, looked more like a high school track star than anything.

A gross truth.

The room they finally entered was large and open, if just as cold as everywhere else. Thankfully it was lit by bright lights. A robot was humming to himself in front of a strange cauldron full of a bubbling fluid. As they walked in, the robot within turned to look at them. The red light on the head of the robot blinked. In the center of it’s chest, a screen depicting the face of Arnim Zola gazed upon them.

“Ah, Herr Strucker!” Zola said from his new robotic home. “It seems you have arrived at a rather important part of my new process!”

“Already?” von Strucker was honestly surprised.

“Yes. I must thank your young bodyguard!” Zola pointed at Laura with his left hand. Eerily, his right hand continued to stir his cauldron with precise movements. “Or, I suppose, her ‘father’.”

“You know how I feel about you calling him that,” von Strucker’s surprise turned to annoyance.

Zola smirked on his screen. “Herr Strucker, it is the simple truth. The relationship between HYDRA and those we fight has always been complicated.”

He stared at Zola for a moment.

The uploaded HYDRA scientist had become… odd. No surprise, considering he had come from a backup of the original Zola. Some of the changes were beneficial. Zola was constantly working, researching, aiding them in the endeavors they had been working for at a pace that dwarfed what he’d once done when he lived in a basement.

Though it probably helped that he had hands now.

Despite his new productiveness, there were problems. Zola had become much more manic. More creative, but also much less constrained, saying and doing things von Strucker had never seen him do.

Such as his strange obsession with family.

“I don’t want to have this debate again,” von Strucker said. “This foolishness about ‘brothers’ and ‘fathers’-”

“Is necessary,” Zola chuckled. “X and I, Laura and Dial. Even HYDRA and BRIDGE. Brothers, fathers, all of us connected by spirituality.”

Then Zola pulled out the object he’d been stirring the cauldron with. At the end was a canister that was now empty. “And we can learn from that. Oh yes, we can learn.”

Von Strucker hummed. Then he looked at Laura. “Blood Diamond. What will you do if you ever meet Dial?”

“Kill him,” Laura said blankly.

“Do you consider him a father, for donating the crystals in your body?”

She shook her head blankly.

“Hm,” von Strucker looked at Zola. “It seems you are the only one who has this strange new mindset.”

“Genius, as you know, is never appreciated in it’s time, Herr Strucker,” Zola poked at the liquid in his cauldron. For a moment, the liquid solidified until it was almost gelatinous. A shape like a face formed in it. Then it returned to liquid. “Very nice… The inspiration of this new world has been such a welcome surprise.”

“Hm,” von Strucker couldn’t hide his pleasure. This new creation would be an excellent addition to their forces… The forces that were currently in hiding, chased by every nation on Earth.

Enough. von Strucker walked away from Zola without another word. Zola didn’t notice, focused on his creation.

Continuing towards his next destination, von Strucker considered his options. His army was growing, slowly. But as of now, his assets were not enough for full-scale war against his enemies. He needed an army that could defend him against BRIDGE and the Avengers.

The worst was Dial and Iron Man. He had ways to combat every other Avenger, different soldiers or pieces of technology. Thor could be beaten with subterfuge. The Hulk could be countered with gamma enhanced soldiers of his own. But Dial and Iron Man were too adaptable. For different reasons.

Dial was constantly getting new forms, each with abilities that ranged from outlandish to horrifying. There was a team of scientists, soldiers, and two Winter Soldiers working on every single alien Dial had, trying to find a counter to them all. Frankenstrike, Big Chill, Diamondhead, Wildmutt, they were all dangerous for so many reasons. But von Strucker did not fear them as he did two other aliens. Jury Rigg and Upgrade.

For the exact same reasons he feared Tony Stark in fact. There were other geniuses in the world, of course. That new team of Russian heroes had Crimson Dynamo, some reports of a young genius leading a team in Japan, various scientists, engineers, and others across the world. But not a single one had as much growth as Tony and Dial did.

They just kept making more and more insane technology. Tony Stark’s was stable and continuously growing in power, Jury Rigg broke the laws of known physics, and Upgrade powered them both up.

He needed an edge. Something out of left field. Not just more of the same. Laura was one of those wild cards. Zola’s creation was another.

This was the last.

Strucker entered a room guarded by six men. They watched him carefully as he entered.

Josef growled at them, looking around, while Laura simply followed Strucker.

Inside, stood the Phase Harmonic Teleporter, otherwise known as the Fishhook. It had been left untouched for some time. Not because it was broken, but because almost all the places Strucker would have wanted to infiltrate were defended by a device that sent teleporters bouncing back with changed genitals and polka-dot skin.

(Damned red goblin.)

But von Strucker had made his choice to use it now. To meet his last possible chance to change the game.

A guard walked up to von Strucker, lifting a wrapped object in his hands to present to the leader of HYDRA. He took the long object in one hand. Another guard passed him his gauntlet. It had undergone some upgrades as time passed, becoming a solid red metal piece of armor. All in the service of holding the unholdable.

Strucker nodded to Laura and Josef. The two stood on the sides of the teleportation device, grabbing a handle each. Strucker turned several parts of the machine, aiming it for a certain set of coordinates. Then he grabbed the lever. As one, Stucker, Laura, and Josef lifted the levers. The machine shook under their grips, rumbling like an ancient beast. They lowered the levers. In the blink of an eye, they were gone.

------

They reappeared in a black space. Strucker didn’t look around. He knew what he would find. Blue alien symbols floated in the air around them. Laura and Josef stood by his side, waiting for their moment.

“Strucker,” a man stepped out of the shadows. He was tall, with the appearance of an older black man, his head shaved smooth. He wore a long black coat that reached down to his ankles.

“Qovas,” Strucker said with narrowed eyes.

“We are here. As you requested,” the alien looked to his sides.

Five others stepped out of the shadows. Strucker looked across them. The Confederacy. The six leaders of six factions, all working together for a common cause.

“Now Strucker. Speak, and tell us why you have been so foolish as to demand our presence. And to bring two more of your worthless species before us...” Qovas said imperiously. He was the leader of the Remorath, a species of powerful aliens with blades in their arms, beyond human power, and the ability to shut down technology around them.

The others didn’t matter. Only what Strucker wanted from them.

“Do you have something for us?” a blue-skinned man, with white makeup shaped in the shape of an arrow going down his forehead, and black makeup around his eyes. He stepped forward eagerly, looking between Laura and Josef. “One of the Inhumans I requested, possibly?”

“Not as of yet,” Strucker replied. “Though Laura,” Strucker looked at her. “May be of interest to you.”

The blue-skinned man’s eyes widened with greed. He was a member of the Kree, a man by the name of Taryan. Strucker noted his eagerness quietly as he clutched the wrapped object in his hands.

“Then state your case,” Qovas growled. “I know you Terran’s have some love for wasting time, but ours is valuable. Or should I kill one of your men to remind you of that?”

“...Have any of you heard of the Omnitrix?”

No one spoke.

“This question is of vital import,” Strucker hissed, his cold eyes looking across them. “The Omnitrix. A wrist device of immense power. Alien, in origin.”

“If it had worth,” the only woman of the group, Estella, said while scoffing, her bright green eyes crinkling in her dark brown face. “We would know of it.”

“Yes… If you had as much power as you claimed,” Strucker pointed out.

“What are you attempting to imply, human?” Qovas stepped forward while snarling.

“I’m implying that you are liars,” Strucker said simply. “That you have used your advanced technology to bully weaker minds awed by shiny pieces of metal, claiming you have the power to save us while secretly forcing us to give up our greatest secrets before running off to let us die.”

Two of the men looked at each other. Qovas snarled.

“How dare yo-!” the Remorath began to yell.

“If he speaks again, Laura, I want you to cut his right arm off,” Strucker said.

Laura didn’t reply.

“It seems you’ve forgotten your place,” one of the men, who had dark green skin, said in an almost bored tone.

“No. I’ve simply begun to step into it,” Strucker shrugged. “But then, it’s been a rough few months, and I’ve had enough of pontificating blowhards who are nowhere near as powerful as they claim.”

“Enough!” Qovas shouted, swinging his arms down. Two long silver blades sprouted from his fists as he stabbed forward with supernatural speed.

A flash of blue green passed. Qovas gaped down at Laura. Then he looked at his right arm. Laying in two pieces on the floor, rolling back and forth as blood poured out the cuts.. He stumbled back, looking at Laura. She glared back at him. A pair of long crystal blades were sprouting from her fists.

Qovas swung his left hand at her with desperate speed, the claw there shining in the dim light.

Laura’s left arm sprouted a crystal shield along her forearm, blocking the blade with ease.

“Take his leg,” Stucker said.

Laura ducked and sliced Qovas’ left leg off.

He screamed in a pain and horror, falling to the ground.

“Inhuman,” Taryan whispered.

“No,” Strucker corrected. “She is a product of human science. Proof you all have no idea what you're talking about.”

“You think you’ll get away with this!?” the green-skinned man shouted.

Stucker smirked, stepping forward. Qovas, growling in pain, lashed out at him on the floor.

The long object in Strucker’s hand glowed blue, then fired a single bolt of blue light, ripping Qovas’ chest open. The wrapping ripped apart, revealing Loki’s scepter.

“No,” Estella whispered, staring at the dead Qovas.

“I need something from you,” Strucker said with a smile as he stepped close to Taryan. The Kree man stared at him in horror. Holding the scepter high in a red gloved hand, he smiled. Josef and Laura leaped forward past Taryan, and the screams began. “You may be useless in unlocking the secrets of the Omnitrix. But I still have a use for you.”

He pressed the tip of the scepter to Taryan’s chest. The Kree gasped. And Strucker’s smile widened while the scepter glowed an unearthly blue.

-------

Stend

In the jungle of the Savage Lands, in the city of the Saur-Lords, Stend lay in a bed. His body was wrapped in bandages, soaked in blood, makeshift casts wrapped around his limbs.

He didn’t care. All he did was stare up at the ceiling. His first demand upon waking had been simple. Carve a symbol on the ceiling above him. One he could stare at for hours. So he could remember. So that the pain had something he could connect to.

The symbol of a green hourglass set in a black symbol.

“Dial…” Stend whispered to himself. “Dial. Dial. Dial. Dial. Dial.”

It would continue like this for hours. He slept. He ate. He healed. And he planned.

“Dial. Dial. Dial.”