Avengers Mansion, NY
“We’ve got that press conference today. I want to stay loose and a little exercise always does the trick. This will be simple. All you have to do is stop me from reaching the far side of the CQ*,” Dane Whitman, the Black Knight, said.
*CQ = conditioning quad
Jennifer Walters, She-Hulk, turned to her teammate. “Is he serious?”
“Tired of leading already, Dane?” Carol Danvers, Ms. Marvel, said. “It would be less painful to just step down.”
“Funny. This is as much a test for you two as it is for me. I want to see speed and coordination. Full range of powers. One minute on the clock, Jarvis,” Black Knight said.
“It is a good thing this is to be a simple exercise, Master Dane. I must confess to not being entirely comfortable with the enhancements Master Hank has added to the CQ,” Jarvis, gentleman’s gentleman to the super-human, said.
“We’re all making adjustments, Jarvis. I have complete faith in you,” Black Knight said.
He walked to one side of the room. Fifty meter increments were indicated by florescent pyramid markers. Black Knight hung his sword on a wall mounted rack. He was armed only with his Shield of Night. The trial was going to be difficult to be sure, Black Knight had no powers, unlike his opponents, but the enemy in the field would not fight fair either. Things had been quiet since the Onslaught Event and the death of the seventeen. It troubled Black Knight more and more each day.
Their side lost one: Doom. While a boon to be sure, he was far from being alone in his desire for tyranny and disregard for the rights of others. On the plus side there were more teams appearing. I heard the Champions had reformed in some capacity but that could be rumor.*
*Check out The Champions to be sure! -CW
Being an Avenger means being in the spotlight. We set the standard. We also have the largest bulls-eye on our backs. We have to be the best. For that reason Black Knight had a series of meetings with Moon Knight, Beast and Ms. Marvel to create new training protocols, security systems and regular physical exams to ensure the team was fit and razor sharp for what ever came down.
Nothing had...yet.
Black Knight’s instincts told him that was all going to change soon. There were far too many names out there that were unaccounted for. Zemo, Ultron, Mad Thinker, Apocolypse, Sinister, Kang, any number of gods and demons and a host of intergalactic malcontents as well. What’s going on in Atlantis without Namor? When was the last time we heard anything from the Eternals? How long will it be before someone out there learns that Reed’s Fantastic Four are no more or that the entire original line up plus a score more of Avengers are dead...
The waiting was maddening. More so because Black Knight and the rest of the team wanted to get out and see some action. The public needed reassurance but there were other concerns. This group of Avengers had never worked together as a unit. They needed to be cohesive. We can’t afford to lose any more, logistically or emotionally.
Black Knight had wanted to ask Cap a question on strategy or technique more than once since the Hydra Incident before remembering he was gone. Between Carol and Moon Knight we have things down now but it was hairy for a while. A set of maneuvers had to be developed given the unique strengths of the new team. To a degree the old drills could be adapted. They trained for the past year. The battle with the hydra proved they could work well together but luck had been on their side. If Hercules hadn’t shown up when he did...
Where was Herc anyway? He hadn’t been spotted since the tussle with Iron Man*. The Olympian had never offered a satisfactory explanation for why he did not join the Avengers east coast team. With Carol, Jen and Bill we have enough raw strength but having a god on the team would be a plus.
*see Iron Man #10 -CW
More than that, he’s my friend, Dane thought.
Was Jen checking me out just then? That woman is too much! There was no way to stop team relationships but it had been proven, time and again that it was not a good idea. Black Knight’s own jaded past with Crystal and then Sersi proved that to Dane. One thing he knew for sure, Dane was staying single for the foreseeable future.
“Ready, ladies? Start the clock, Jarvis.”
====================
Tech Lab, Avengers Mansion
“Most disconcerting,” Hank McCoy, Beast, said.
“What’s that?” Bill Foster, Goliath, said.
“So many things. The state of our world in general for starters.” Hank sighed.
“Then you see it too?” Bill said.
“I’m more of a geneticist by trade so all this is rather outside my field. We need a roboticist.” Hank spread his blue-furred, clawed hands over the tabletop sized LCD display.
Anatomical schematics of the synthetic men of the Zodiac gang were displayed. Five members of the group broke into the Avengers Mansion*. Hank barely had time to take some photographs and x-ray scans of the quickly defeated invaders before SHIELD took them into custody.
*see Marvel Reborn Presents #4 -CW
The Zodiac Gang was believed deactivated long ago. Bill had suggested the scan in hopes of finding a clue to who might have brought them back online and deployed them. SHIELD promised a report but nothing had appeared yet.
“I would prefer to have the mechanisms themselves to these scans. I believe I see a pattern in their construction. I had to branch out of my chosen field a long time ago with the Champions. I’ve since had time to school myself in a number of other spheres of knowledge. I’m glad I did now.”
Hank smiled and listened.
“While there are really only so many ways to configure an android with their capabilities and programming there are two things uniform in all five automations.
“First, it’s obvious that the majority of the internal workings were assembled over a decade ago, if I’m dating the materials accurately. There are points here and here,” Bill pointed to the large screen, “that are most likely recent upgrades. The serial numbers from tubing and wiring all check out with their manufacturer’s inventories as being made in the past two years. Second, the upgrade is very neat.”
“Neat?” Hank said.
“Everything is capped off at the exact same measurement. Other excess is tied off precisely, uniformly and efficiently stored. Each unit is made of new parts or in the top twenty-five percent of functionality.”
“Studious engineers, perhaps?” Hanks said.
“Engineers with OCD, maybe. I think maybe those androids were upgraded by a machine.”
“I presume you’re not referring to a factory grade robot.”
“Not with the sophistication and inventiveness I see here, no,” Bill said.
“I do wish Dr. Pym was still with us. For many reasons,” Hank said.
“He would certainly be helpful here. I hope my guess is wrong but I think I know who is behind this,” Bill said.
“You read the report from Jim Rhodes then?”
“It mirrors the one sent by Hercules,” Bill said.
*Iron Man #10 will show what the reports were about! -CW
“We better tell Dane about this then,” Hank said.
“He’s training with She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel. I think we have time to squeeze a bit of work on Mr. Hammond before the press conference.”
“An excellent idea. After you, doctor,” Hank said.
“Thank you, doctor.” Bill grinned and walked ahead.
====================
The Monitoring Room, Avengers Mansion.
Twelve computer screens switched through national news programs while the computers scanned the broadcasts for specific images or phrases that might be of interest to the Avengers. Moon Knight glanced over the constantly changing images periodically, listening whether his eyes were on the screens or not. Most of his attention was on one monitor, one information display.
Though all the information we have says Dr. Banner is dead the Hulk is still on the loose. How is that possible, Moon Knight thought. He hasn't done anything yet but I bet the residents of New Mexico are getting more and more antsy. How long before someone does something stupid? He switched to another file.
This new Thor that no one but SHIELD has any info on has been MIA for the better part of a year. What happened to him? Where is he now? Is he alive? Is he the real thing? Who has that hammer? It's too powerful to be left to the unknown. Why isn't SHIELD being more forthcoming with its intel? Black Widow isn't keeping her promise of open communications. That works both ways, lady.
The Black Panther remains in Wakanda on his vibranium throne. Hellcat and Nomad are MIA. Mantis and Moondragon are out in deep space and could be dead for all these files tell me. Wonder Man is dead out there. Mockingbird is dead here on earth. The Hammond Torch might as well be dead. Curious to see if McCoy and Foster can work any miracles there. Hercules and Starfox have both taken reserve status. Not that we can count on Starfox if have an emergency being on Titan. Captain Marvel and Quicksilver both claim reserve status and are currently operating on their own teams. With the close contact we've established with the mutants and the new Fantastic Four I think we can rely on both team's aid in a crunch. That's everyone still available in a time of need.
Bleep-Bleep
One of the computer programs signaled a lock. It was one of many Moon Knight had running, monitoring the internet for key words, phrases or technological and algorithmic signatures. A few key taps later Moon Knight saw what the scan found.
A utility van belonging to the Vault, the super-human prison, was attacked last night. No prisoners reportedly escaped. The van was moving the remains of the late Grey Gargoyle to the Four Freedoms Plaza for the current Fantastic Four to examine. Two guards were killed. Grey Gargoyle’s remains were stolen.
Why would someone want lifeless chunks of rock?
Strange, Moon Knight thought. The chunks of Grey Gargoyle were in the Vault’s storage since that new Thor killed him* almost a year ago. Had to be sure Grey Gargoyle couldn’t somehow reform after all. He didn’t. Who would want the remains and why?
*see Thor #6 -CW
The incoming call alert silently flashed. Someone was trying to make contact from the West Coast Avengers team.
“Stingray,” Moon Knight said.
“Walt’s fine if I’m not in the armor, Moon Knight, really.” Walter Newell, Stingray, said.
Moon Knight said nothing.
“Is Dane available? I’ve got the defensive procedures and encryptions ready for transfer. I’d rather oversee it personally rather than just shooting it out there, if you get me,” Walt said.
“Black Knight’s busy in the CQ right now. When was the last time you checked in on Atlantis?”
Walt scrutinized Moon Knight. “I haven’t even been on that coast in some time. Why?”
“Someone should. I’ll have Black Knight contact you. Moon Knight out.”
Moon Knight checked the security monitors. Black Knight, She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel were playing tag in the CQ. Jarvis was at the helm. McCoy and Foster were picking through the remains of the Hammond Torch. Can you two repair him? Should he be repaired at this time? Moon Knight put the thought aside for the moment.
“Alpha, display file: Green Death,” Moon Knight said.
Marc Spector’s time with the CIA had allowed him to form many cross border contacts. He maintained them to this day through Frenchie and other operators he kept on payroll. A year ago there were whisperings of the Soviets trying to resurrect the Titanium Man Program. Supposedly the budget had dried up and plans were scrapped. The then Iron Man, one of them, had killed one of the Titanium Men. The pilot and armor sank into the ocean. Soviets dragged the suit out and stored it. Recently the armor disappeared. Spector though someone sold it. Three months ago, the body of the pilot, Gremlin, also disappeared. It was exhumed from the cemetery and even the Soviet government hadn’t found any leads.
The computer checked reported grave robberies country-wide. In the past three months there was a spike in numbers. The highest concentration was in New York State.
On a good day it was impossible to tell which, if any, of the super-human population had been exhumed. Too often there was no body recovered when a death did occur. Sometimes the individual didn’t even die. Spector could count himself among those that had died and returned. Something is going on though. I need to find out what.
Moon Knight shut down his search programs and locked then hid them in the Avengers computer‘s operating systems. He left the mansion without a word.
====================
“Unbelievable,” Ms. Marvel said and folded her arms across her chest.
“I don’t get it. Have you been hanging out with Spider-man?” She-Hulk said, her brow furrowing.
“I told you it wasn’t going to be easy. You two are the strongest on the team by far. I had no intentions on letting either of you get a hold of me.” Black Knight linked his hands over his head while trying to catch his breath. “ I don’t have cosmic or gamma-spawned powers. I can’t get caught in a fight. How do you think I’ve survived as long as I have?”
“That new shield helped,” She-Hulk smirked.
“The shield helped,” Black Knight admitted.
A large projection of Jarvis’s face appeared on the wall nearest the trio.
“Miss Walters, a Master Parker to speak with you,” Jarvis said.
“Thanks, Jarvis. You can pipe it in here,” She-Hulk said.
Jarvis’s face was replaced by that of a younger and boyishly handsome man.
“Hey, Pete. How’re things at the Plaza?” BK said.
“Hi, Dane, Carol, Ms. Walters,” Peter Parker said.
“Peter,” She-Hulk said.
“Sorry, Ms. Walters, I was calling for my lawyer, not the sensational She-Hulk so you are Ms. Walters. And I don’t really know what is going on at the Plaza, Dane. The foreman says things are going fine. I haven’t been there in a week,” Pete said.
“You on vacation already?” Ms. Marvel said.
“No, ma’am. The Fantastic Four don’t live there any more. Or work there. What ever. We moved.”
“You did? Why didn’t you tell me, Jen?” Black Knight said.
“He’s a client. It’s privileged,” she said.
“Hell-o? Peter here, telling Dane we’ve moved to the warehouse facility by the docks? It’s why I called.”
“So why is there a foreman working at the Plaza?” Ms. Marvel said.
“They’re refitting the bottom levels for the museum pieces,” Peter said and waited.
Dane caved and asked, “What museum pieces, Pete?”
“You can’t have a memorial museum for the fallen heroes without memorial... stuff. And some things didn’t fit so we had to renovate.”
“You’ve known about this all along?” Black Knight asked.
She-Hulk smiled. “I’m handling some of the Fantastic Four’s affairs. This is something the new team decided to do with money Reed left his successors. I love it.”
Ms. Marvel nodded.
“I do too. Send us your address so we can bring a funnel cake by, Pete. We’ve got the press conference shortly so we’ll have to catch up later,” Black Knight said.
“Funnel cake?” Pete said.
“Bye, Mr. Parker,” Ms. Walters said.
====================
“I really don’t know what can be done here,” Hank said.
“Stark or Richards would have been the ones to approach first. I can assemble some fairly efficient devices but repairing Jim Hammond requires an expert mind. We need a specialist in the field of artificial life forms.”
“I was thinking of having Forge take a look at him but I don’t know if he could repair Hammond if indeed he can be restored.”
Before the two heroes, on a work bench, lay the world’s first synthetic life form to ever be created. During the Hydra Incident* the android was caught in the jaws of two heads and torn apart. The scene of the ‘death’ was meticulously searched and all parts, useable or not, were recovered. Once they were brought to the Avengers mansion they were cleaned and if possible repaired and catalogued.
*See Hercules Unleashed for that. - CW
“Dr. Horton was decades ahead of the world in his field when he built this, or should I say him?” Bill said.
“I doubt it matters at the moment. According to Avengers’ records it was the Mad Thinker that resurrected Hammond after his long rest.” Hank paused.
“Yes?”
“I’ve been pondering something of late. I wonder if some of our peers might be convinced to switch teams. I’m certainly against the death sentence in any case but I’ve been wondering if reconditioning might be the key,” Hank said.
“It sounds like you’re talking about mind control, Hank.”
“Nothing so brutal. Consider the brain of the serial killer or rapist. It has been documented that the chemical make-up of their brains is notably different from that of a moral and compassionate human being. If the imbalance could be corrected such a person might function with his fellow man without risk of endangering the rest of the population.
“I’ve not had the opportunity to examine some of our less moral scientists but were a similar imbalance to be found then perhaps we could adjust such a condition. It would turn things in our favor. I fear we are going to need all the help we can get before long,” Hank said.
“Forced behavioral conditioning? I don’t know that we have that right. Think of the moral implications,” Bill said.
“Think of the implications if we do nothing. Choose your tyrant: Apocalypse, Doom, Zemo? Were they to gather the like-minded super-scientists and form a coalition of geniuses they might concoct a super-flu, a robot or clone army. First they will target us, the enemy scientists. Once we’re gone there won’t be anyone to counter their omega virus that targets humans or mutants or hack into the robot army’s mainframe.”
“I see your point, I do, but surely this is more paranoia than logic at work? Nothing like that has ever happened before. This isn’t a new game we’re playing. Those maniacs have never been able to get along long enough to form a cohesive unit.”
“We’ve never been so vulnerable. Do you want Arnim Zola to determine scientific developmental policy once we’ve fallen? Until we know that we have the upper hand or at least an equilibrium with our morally bankrupt peers I believe we should become more proactive in seeking them out before they enact a ploy,” Hank said.
=====================
In the dark...
He didn’t know how he got into the blackness. It was a thick, fuzzy thing he could feel. There were times during his touring days, he recalled through the haze, that a few of the drugs he took made him feel this way. He hadn’t taken any drugs today, that he could recall. But not much of anything else.
Like how he got into the black.
There were a lot of other people around too. He was shoulder to shoulder with them. They smelled bad. It was a musty, dirty smell? Maybe. There were no stars above and no wind. Just the thick, earthy funk. He noticed himself swaying back and forth, though he tried not to. Those surrounding him did too. It was nervousness. Had to be. Like he was going to perform soon. Was that it?
There had been a gig! The biggest yet for the new band. They had gotten a lot of party favors the night prior. Some might call them heroic doses. Things were going well and then... the black.
Am I backstage now? No, I wouldn’t just wake up standing here. He tried to turn his head, to look for his bandmates but could not. None of their names came to mind either. The name of the band, which he thought was his idea, escaped him as well. It must have been some kind of party last night.
The party was on the bus! That’s right. They even got the driver drunk. He was a wild man. We got to keep him for the whole tour. What happened to him... We were partying, I went up to see if he needed another beer and... he was asleep at the wheel. I tried to take the wheel, bright lights and sharp glass--
<<*NOW, LEGION! GO AND KILL AS MANY AS YOU CAN! NOW! GO! GO!*>>
The foul-smelling mass of bodies started forward and he moved with it. A malevolence came over him like nothing he had ever known before. The master wanted death to those that were beyond. It didn’t matter how and that was good because in the frenzied state that he was in there was no way he could follow a complicated order. He would kill and rend and smash until he was told to stop. The master said to do it.
Death was what was expected and he would do everything, everything he could, to do as he was ordered.
For the master.
=====================
5th Avenue, Across the Street from Avengers Mansion
“I want to thank you all for coming this afternoon. I promise not to keep you long,” Black Knight told the gathering of reporters.
It’s been a long time since I stood on the Central Park stage in front of reporters, Black Knight thought. He stood behind the microphone bundled podium. His team stood on either side of him. Most of his team did. Moon Knight was missing.
*
“What do you mean you don’t know where Moon Knight is?” Black Knight said.
“He’s not in camera range. I don’t even see that his transponder has left the property. It’s in his room. There was no word left and he doesn’t answer any of the numbers he gave us,” Beast said.
Beast zoomed in on Moon Knight’s room. It was Spartan in decor and completely impersonal. On the desk sat the Avengers key card transponder as well as the needle version Black Knight had slipped into the hem of Moon Knight’s cape a month before.
“We’re making our big debut, making the announcement that the Avengers have returned, and part of our line up is AWOL.”
“It appears so,” Beast said.
“He better show up. How much time do we have left?”
“Twenty minutes unless we delay.”
“We take center stage in twenty.”
*
“Rumors have been circulating on the web and in print about the fate of the Avengers. With the loss of the heroes in the Onslaught Event this long standing institution of justice and law enforcement lost all the founding members. They will never be forgotten. Neither will what the Avengers originally assembled for.” Black Knight paused.
“There have been many that bore the honor of calling themselves Avengers. I put out the word that there was still a need for such a team and many answered. Who you see before you are those willing and able to accept the responsibility of being an Avenger.
“To my right is Ms. Marvel, my second in command. Beside her is She-Hulk. To my left, on leave from the X-Men, is Beast and to his left is Goliath. Our sixth member, Moon Knight--”
“You have a mutant on your team? Aren’t you worried about the negative stigma attached to the mutants since Onslaught?” a reporter with fire engine red hair asked.
“Beast has been both an active and reserve member of the Avengers for a very long time. I respect and trust his abilities and judgment. I’m honored to have him on the team,” Black Knight said.
“Onslaught was a mutant and he killed regular super heroes. Aren’t you concerned-” a blonde, tight-lipped woman of the press began.
“Knight, something horrible is about to happen,” Ms. Marvel said, her right hand pressed against her temple.
Black Knight looked around but saw nothing. The crowd was too big. Security did what they could but it was an open assembly. Like they had done hundreds of times before. Maybe that’s the problem, Black Knight thought.
“If I may,” Beast began, “Onslaught was not a mutant, precisely. He was-”
Screams tore through the gathering of reporters and assembled citizens. All heads turned to the point of origin as best as could be discerned. Everyone looked to the back, in the direction of Fifth Street. The reaction was immediate: the people scattered.
“We need eyes-on, Ms. Marvel,” Black Knight said into his helmet mic.
Ms. Marvel took to the air. “It’s- wait, something else is-”
A beam of energy from high above took the flying heroine in the back, dashing her to the ground. She narrowly missed the red headed reporter.
The ground swelled. People ran, fell and were trampled as a small mound manifested.
Beyond the growing hill shambling men and women. They crawled out of sewers, snatched members of the crowd and beat them down to easier bite and claw their victims. The attacker’s pale (when present) skin and sometimes savage injuries revealed the nature of enemy.
“She-Hulk, get down there and help Ms. Marvel then I want people distanced from those... zombies or whatever they are .”
“You got it.“ The jade giantess leapt to her teammate.
“Is that Titanium Man?” Goliath asked, shielding his eyes.
“Not one I’ve seen in years,” Beast said.
A familiar sound came to Black Knight through the echoes of chaos. That of a horse neighing amidst flapping wings. He turned to the sky, well away from the green-armored attacker was a medieval knight on a gray, winged horse.
“Garrett? That‘s not possible,” Black Knight said.
“It gets worse,” Goliath said and began to grow.
The cause of the swelling earth broke through sending rocks, roots and grass in all directions triggering more screams. A giant stood before the masses and Avengers.
More specifically, a Giant-Man.
“Dr. Pym?” Goliath said from a standing height of twenty-five feet.
I know who’s behind this. Black Knight drew the Sword of Light.
“AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!”
to be continued
===============
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
There has been both clamoring for and questions about whether or not there would ever be another Avenger’s team in the World Without Heroes for many reasons. Who could ever possibly fill the ranks? Well to my thinking, and my co-writer Doug Bookey’s, these six worked best at this moment.
Nothing lasts forever. Just ask the Dead 17.
In time, fears of a great, lurking evil will be confirmed. We shall see who is mighty and who is not...
CWR
DB