Marvel: Season One IC

[Finn The Human]

On the brink of superhuman Civil War after the government unexpectedly passes a Superhuman Registration Act, the only thing capable of keeping the peace are the efforts of SHIELD. With Xavier's School for Mutants being declared neutral ground, under the agreement that Nick Fury oversees Xavier's efforts to keep reign over troublesome mutants, it seems that a compromise has finally been reached between both sides.

But after SHIELD is implicated in Bruce Banner's initial transformation into The Hulk, despite Nick Fury's attempts to keep Banner's condition a secret, an anti-government terrorist movement calling itself HYDRA launches a full-scale war against SHIELD and all government authority. Leading HYDRA's rebellion is a mysterious figure known as The Red Skull, taking his name and visage after an enemy of Captain America's in World War II. But is The Red Skull all that he seems? Only SHIELD's superhuman task force, The Avengers, can determine Skull's actual agenda and stop HYDRA's plans before it's too late.

With street level heroes such as The Amazing Spider-Man, The Punisher, and Daredevil combatting the ground threat while trying to go about their own crusades, the question also remains on Nick Fury's mind of whether or not it's finally time to start expanding The Avengers' ranks in order to take on this new threat. With Project: New Avengers quietly being organized before being discovered, the team of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Wasp, and Giant Man remain unaware that their leader may be conspiring behind their backs to ensure the safety of the American people. And if they find out, will The Avengers disassemble?

[Byrd Man]

Midtown, Manhattan
8:15 AM

Luke walked up the flight of steps leading to his office. On the second floor of the small building was a door with letters stenciled on the glass.

POWER MAN
HERO FOR HIRE
0672 EAST 42nd STREET

Luke opened the door and went inside. Gladys Rosenbaum, the elderly lady who was the receptionist, was at her desk in the small area that was the office's lobby. She looked up at Luke, her thick glasses magnifying her eyes two fold.

"Morning, Mister Cage," she said.

"Luke, Gladys. Call me Luke, you sexy thing."

"Sexy thing, he calls me?" She said to herself. "I'm thinking, if I were twenty years younger, I would act on my impulses."

"Oh, Gladys. If only you weren't a grandmother of eight."

"Why should my grandchildren matter? What I have in mind, they won't want to be around for."

"Ha," Luke said with a short laugh. "How are you today, my dear?"

"I could complain," she said with a shrug. "But I won't."

"Good," Luke said with a soft smile. "I ain't got all day."

"Considering you have a client in your office, I would say so."

"A client?" Luke asked with an arched eyebrow. "Already? How long has he been waiting?"

"Came in about fifteen minutes ago. Skinny man in a fancy suit. Looks like he'd be a good tipper."

"Right," Luke said with a nod. "I'm going in to meet him. Hold my calls."

"If you actually get any, I'll do that."

Luke walked into his office. A skinny, gray haired man in a dark three-piece suit was sitting in the chair opposite Luke's desk. "Mister Cage," the man said as he rose. "Good to meet you."

The two shook hands and Luke eyed the man. "I'd say the same, but I don't know your name..."

"I'm John Phillips," he said. "I'm a special adviser to the governor. She's in dire need of your services."

Luke sat down behind his desk and propped his boots up on the desk. "Alright, what's going on?"

"Before I get into that," Phillips said, pulling a pen and checkbook from his jacket. "I want to pay you a retainer in advance, to let you know I am serious about employing your services."

Phillips hastily filled out the check and passed it to Luke.

"Wait," Luke said, taking the check. "My usual retainer fee is...," Luke stopped talking when he saw the amount on the check. "...that's a good chunk of change. Please tell me you don't want us infiltrating HYDRA or something?"

"No," Phillips laughed. "Nothing that... heroic. Last night, there was a break-in at the governor's Manhattan home. Among the things stolen was a USB flash drive with some sensitive information was taken from it. We want you to retrieve it. As you can tell by that check, we're very serious about getting it back."

Luke's eyebrow shot up in suspicion. When someone starts talking about money before they even discuss the job, it almost always means they're not telling you something.

"Why me? Governor has NYPD and State Police at her disposal. Why she hooking a brother up like this?"

Phillips picked a piece of lint from his lapel before he spoke. "Are you familiar with Sam Lamport, Mr. Cage?"

Luke shook his head.

"Sam Lamport is the president of the New York City teamsters union. He's been butting heads with the governor. She's tough on unions, trying to cut their benefits, and Lamport doesn't like it. A few nights ago, they were both at this charity event downtown. He and the governor got into it. Suddenly, there's this break in at her house."

"Right," said Luke. "So, what's on this flash drive?"

"Far as you're concerned you don't need to know what's on it. That's what the bonus is for. Just get it back without any questions asked."

"Yeah," Luke tapped the check with his forefinger. "The money's cool, but I don't feel comfortable taking a job without knowing what I'm getting into."

"Alright," Phillips said with a sigh. "In case you two haven't been following the news, the governor is a major up and comer. This time next year, she'll be in Washington. Secretary of State is the worse case scenario, the White House is the best case scenario. The things on that USB drive could ruin her career, which is why discretion is the key here. Get it back, stop her from any potential blackmail or scandal, and you get paid. Even better, you'll have a powerful politician who will owe you a favor. Sounds like a win-win to me..."

Luke leaned back in his chair and sized Phillips and the potential job up. Why is it that all politicians seem to have dirty secrets, he thought. He knew he was in no position to judge, though. After all, Heroes for Hire came about as a way to atone for all the crap he'd done in the past. Still, something continued to rub him the wrong way about the job. But getting the willies is no good reason to turn down a paying job, especially a high paying job. Least of all when it's sponsored by an elected official. And, Luke thought, Mr. Phillips may be right: there may come a day when he'd need someone with political clout in our corner.

"Alright," Luke said with a shrug. "I'm on the job."

[ErsatzEmperor]

The Human Torch

Introduction:

June 7th 2013 - The Great Basin Desert:

Desert: barren, inhospitable and void of intelligent life; not too far from the main casino strip. While the occasional super-powered nomad can be seen in passing, that's not what they were here for. The SUV parks up, finding a mass excavation site; a heavily grandiose, moustachioed man jumps out, his black suit crinkled. The driver places a browned derby hat upon the official's head as he strikes up a cigar. Breaking into a walk, he bumbles through the yellow tape and officials before whistling.

"This is a find men." He brushes his now gloved finger over it. "She's advanced for her age."

"He..." A busy-body scientist chimes in.

"I'm sorry?"

"It's a he."

"Damn straight he is. Load it on; I'm taking him off your hands for a little while." The official walks back to his vehicle and trounces through the litter of files on his dashboard for his communicator. Coughing, he issues simply: "We've found him."

• • • • • • • •

January 3rd 1964 - Brooklyn, New York:

"Gunshots fill the smoke covered air. Every hour an un-expecting scream will make itself audible as a bright wraith engulfs them. War is intrusive; you can tell a lot about a man by the ways in which he act when left to die. Far more so then by the clothes they where or how they act at parties. No, a man left with one quite terminal option will run or fight. These guys, they won't run on us. On the cause. They are not only ready, but it seems eager to lay down their lives. In a foreign country no-less; I have resolved that these men are truly mad. No war is without its bloodshed, but that's okay. I know only bloodshed.

There is only one unit I would rather be serving with right now, and they captured the Führer."

• • • • • • • •

Officer Jim Hammond wakes from his brief break-time hibernation - the firm leather upholstery an unwelcome change but no less bearable. He'd figured he could catch some shut eye while his partner kept an eye out, but that seemed to be impossible. He eyes the interior down as his sensors reintegrate. I've never understood why Horton programmed me to be able to sleep all day. He takes a quick spit at the wall at the thought of that name before stamping out the resultant fire. Bring on today.

"What time is it?" He calls to the front.

"It's eleven fifteen Sir." Jim looks at his watch and sighs, he'd barely slept at all.

"Okay, move along; I'm going back in the drivers seat." A brief shuffle around ensues as Hammond kicks the door open and takes his ships wheel, his first-mate settling down with some grumbling. "Have you been reading my journal again Raymond?"He asks, flustered. I shouldn't keep bringing it here but my partner seems to revel in it.

"I love it!" The Latino trainee yelled with a little more feminism than customary. He was a youthful figure, possibly twenty. His worn eyes masked an unparalleled eagerness that had yet to be tired. "When did you write all this? You could almost believe it happened. What do you mean 'captured the Führer'? He topped himself in fourty-five." Jim takes a moment to chuckle - Cap'd be rolling in his grave if he knew about that cover up.

"A lifetime ago, son..." He would say more but the radio had began issuing instructions at them. "Hold on, let Toro find his pen."

Details taken, Hammond throws the siren onto the shining new Ford Torino. "Let's see if we can't dent her on the first day."

[Finn The Human]

CAPTAIN AMERICA: Prologue

If you were to ask anyone about that night, they'd say "it was a night like any other." And that answer would be half true: it was actually the rare peaceful evening for the denizens of Manhattan. Relatively little out of the ordinary, with cars bleeding in and out of traffic while impatient drivers brought their most colorful language to shout at eachother provided the sufficient backdrop to bring life to fairly typical surroundings.

Tourists and natives young and old, men, women, and children flooded the busy streets on their evening commute, some on their way to a museum, others looking to catch a Broadway show. All oblivious to happenings that were unfolding even in the midst of their prescence.

A minor few stopped and noticed as a fleet of jet black caravans came barraging past street corners leading into Times Square, followed swiftly by armored SUVs. A few kids even shouted with delight as they came speeding past the curbs, deadset on a destination.

Soon, the tires came to a screeching halt and the vehicles slid sideways, effectively creating a barrier infront of a vacant lobby of a long abandoned Stark International office. More people began to crowd around the streets across from the scene as several men in dark blue and white tactical uniforms hustled out of the back of the vans, lining up in formation with what appeared to be semi-automatic weapons drawn.

Were it not for their badges that shined clear as day, someone might've called police. But these weren't individuals to be feared. They were officials. More specifically, they were SHIELD, as evidenced by the attire of the man that stepped out of the passenger's side of the SUV.

Sunglasses draped over his face, his stern glare was nevertheless present as he addressed the agents.

"Alright people, let's not make a scene.", he told them, beginning to approach while leading the group. "Just follow basic protocol and we'll all be back before the playoffs."

The man leading them was Agent Phil Coulson, one of SHIELD's top ranking intelligence. Had the suspect waiting inside not been a party that had interested the peacekeeping organization for so long, they wouldn't have even needed a senior field officer to guide them through the seize and capture operation.

But these were special types that deserved special treatment. Extreme caution had been deemed necessecary. To Coulson, it was just another rodeo. The leaders of an international terrorist cell picking the wrong place to camp out for the night. If they were truly that unwise, this would be easy enough.

"Breach the lock.", he instructed once they approached the building. "These men have been international fugitives for the last three years. Last thing we need is to tip them off by tripping an alarm."

Retrieving a device from the inside of his jacket, Coulson handed it to the agent infront and looked at his watch, counting down the seconds it'd take for the gadget to take effect. Within a number of seconds the agents could hear the hiss of burning metal, watching the lock melt off of it's hinge.

The group headed inside, weapons raised while Coulson lead the charge into the lobby.

"Team one, take the stairs. Need the second floor secured. Team two, you're with me. We're taking the private elevators. Stark gave us the passcode,", he revealed, placing his hand to his ear. "Control, any luck on your end?"

From the other end of the line, a female agent replied. "We've infiltrated their systems. Camera feeds are down, and security encryptions are locked in place. As of three minutes ago, sir, you're incognito."

The team divided whenever they reached the northeast elevators, with Coulson slipping in a specialized SHIELD clearance card into the control panel of the private elevator. Typing in the letters 'P', 'E', 'P', 'P', 'E', and 'R', the agents watched the light above the panel turn from red to green.

"Welcome, Mr. Stark."

Once the doors slid open, the agents prepared to walk inside - but were stopped in their tracks by an unexpected sight. Coulson stepped forward and divided himself from the pack, removing his shades. Something of a chill ran down his neck.

"What is..."

It was a corpse. The mutilated and bloodied body of a man strapped to a chair with duct tape, sitting there waiting for them. Intentionally positioned to be seen by a specific party. Coulson examined the chest, which had a message scribbled within the thick sheet of red: "THE FIRST OF MANY."

Just as Coulson was about to say the word 'abort', since the situation was clearly not what it appeared to be anymore, he turned back around and paused. There was a distant noise echoing down from the elevator shaft. A ticking. Eyes widened, Coulson grabbed the first two agents he could and pushed them in the opposite direction. "FALL BACK! FALL BACK NOW! CLEAR THE AREA!"

The next few seconds were a blur. All that really mattered was the outcome.

A crowd had built outside of the building in response to the sudden turnout. By the time that the violent explosion was triggered, they were scattering like ants, screaming and taking any available cover. Several men and women were knocked from the windows, hitting the side of the parked SUVs in a wave of broken glass. The only survivors. Among them, an unconcious Agent Coulson, whose body rolled onto it's side.

Just a few blocks away, the jumbotron in Times Square began to flicker. Static interrupted the television ad for the aforementioned playoffs, replaced with something that definitely didn't appear to be apart of the commerical.

"Attention, New York and anyone else who might be watching,", a cold, rasping voice boomed. "What you just witnessed was merely a small demonstration of what we can do."

Several onlookers stopped and turned, looking up at the screen as the peculiar emblem was replaced with a live feed. The darkened image of a particularly frightening figure staring back at them soon after.

"Make no mistake, the only intended targets of that blast were the guns-for-hire that SHIELD sent to investigate a false lead. Our intention was to show them what it felt like to experience the consequences of their own lies. And I believe we succeeded."

The audience assembled in the streets looked at eachother with a combination of confusion and fear, each yet to process what was happening.

"Our message will be heard. You may call me The Red Skull. And I have a message for Nick Fury: Silence one of us, two more will appear."

The screen went black, leaving far more questions than answers.

"Hail Hydra."

[MatParker117]

Carol was worried the situation with SHIELD and the Hulk, HYDRA and this Red Skull plus the recent passing of the Registration Act had put everyone in the superhero community on edge. Carol had been one of the first to register and had joined SHIELD soon after in order to help stop the Skull. Despite her signing up she had some concerns about the effect the law would have on those who choose to conceal their identities, one of the main reasons she signed up being the fact she didn't wear a mask.

"This could all blow up big time and I feel sorry for the rest of the world if it does" she said to herself as she changed into her costume. She enjoyed flying through New York as it allowed her to think a lot of things through in great detail as well as bust the heads of low level thugs which was always fun. Taking off from the balcony of her apartment she looked down on the city and was worried.

It was then she heard an explosion and she slammed on the brakes and turned towards the sound of the blast. She arrived in Times Square to see the jumbo flicker and the image of what she assumed to be the Red Skull disappear.

"Here we go" she said to herself.

[jeckellette]

Eve Weying walked slowly through the streets of San Francisco with her hands jammed into the pockets of her long black trench coat. She didn't come to the surface often, being one of the few unregistered and unknown supers left out there, but she had to check the news and the papers for an update on what was going on. She didn't have an ID, seeing as it would say she were 5 as opposed to her 18 and not even the undercity dwellers knew who she was. The other coursing through her veins had been quiet and cooperative ever since the news of how the humans had not only found ways to stop the alien costumes, and were even using them to hunt each other, but her father was some kind of symbiote killing monster.
She chose to take up residence in the underground city her father once protected because just in case her secret did get out, she would be with people who had founder memories of her father then the surface people did. She rarely had to use her other here, unlike in her childhood when she was forced to train with it almost constantly, and was beginning to believe she could run a normal life. Even when her blood had been tested, it came up as some strange strain of blood disorder, so long as it stayed still and didn't move. Between that and the others ability to shield her mind from outside influences, she did a good job at hiding in plain sight.
She stopped at a street vendor selling papers and smiled sweetly as she played for a paper. She opened it and began reading as she headed for a park bench to enjoy the weather. Her costume in the form of a loose fitting red sun dress under her coat.

[MatParker117]

Turning her back to the screen Carol began to fly towards the bombsite. She turned a corner and felt something hit her in the back hard causing her to lose her balance and begin to fall, as she fell she was hit by what felt like a jackhammer and went back first into a nearby building before falling several feet to the ground. Pulling herself to her feet she got her first look at her attackers and she was surprised at what she saw.

They appeared to be Thor and Iron Man however both of them were dressed in what appeared HYDRA themed knock offs of there Avenger counterparts costumes.

"I'm guessing you jackasses are HYDRA's way of dealing with the Avengers" Carol shouted "Because the real Iron Man and Thor wouldn't be caught dead dressing in those terrible halloween costumes."

The Thor began to smile as he twirled his hammer before the Iron Man replied.

"Dead, no word sums HYDRA's plans for you better" as he fired a repulsor blast directly into Carol's chest.

Carol managed to absorb the hit before firing it back at the Iron Man and taking off at full speed towards the pair. The Thor clone then threw his hammer hitting Carol square in the chest and sending her flying into a parked SUV. Scrambling to her feet Carol managed another blow from the Thor before catching another repulsor blast square in the back from the Iron Man. Screaming in pain Carol fired back at the Iron Man sending him flying before the Thor charged her and drove her through a building before throwing her against another.

Carol knew she was in trouble as the Thor charged again grabbing her by the neck and throwing her several blocks down the road and into a city bus. Coughing Carol looked up to see the Iron Man charging towards her at full speed before slamming her through the bus and back into Times Square. Carol smashed her head against the Police station before she blacked out.

A crowd gathered around her unconscious body but quickly parted as the Thor and Iron Man copies approached. The Thor lifted Carol into the air and began.

"Witness the fate of all of those who would challenge HYDRA. The humiliation of this so called hero will serve as a living example of the power HYDRA possesses."

With that he tossed Carol aside and he and the Iron Man left as the crowd once again assembled around the fallen Miss Marvel.

[Knighthawk]

Kurt was cureently on assignment for the professor, his teleportation and stealth made him the ideal mutant to approach the Morloks, that and his demonic appearance marked him as not a 'pretty' by their standards. The morloks lived in the massive sewers of New York amongst multiple mazes of every kind reaching for a fill mile beneath the city. Maintenance, sewers, subway, second subway, you could go from one side of the city to the other and never see the light of day.

Every month Xavier sent a packaged delivery of medicine and other supplies to the refugees and rejects along with a new phone for them to call if they ever needed help or shelter. No one ever seemed to want to join the school, those that did leave tended to go to genosha, yet every month Xavier tried again with a different member of the X-men. Kurt would always volunteer for anyone who was sick or didn't want to go, some thought he had a sweetheart, others thought he just wanted to belong, the truth is that he took it as an act of penance for the lives he took.

At the moment he was traveling by rooftop a city block at a time when he saw a battle royal occurring in the sky. Iron man and Thor wearing some sort of specialized uniform were fighting a flying villain. The avengers were part of SHIELD and SHIELD was joined with the school in a strange way he always seemed to forget. He set the packages down and went to investigate.

He went to help when the flying opponent was sent into the police building, he teleported to the Rooftop of the police building and teleported away a piece of rubble That was falling to the street below. HE was about to approache the greater heros when they took her up and made their decleration that froze his heart in his throat: "Witness the fate of all of those who would challenge HYDRA. The humiliation of this so called hero will serve as a living example of the power HYDRA possesses." The air around the woman became a choking black ball of sulfur as Nightcrawler put his hands to the woman and disappeared two miles east of where she was embarrassed. The morloks would have to wait.

[Byrd Man]

Greenwich Village

11:36 AM


Luke's large fist rapped on the door of the brownstone. The posh building was nestled on a street just a few blocks away from Washington Square Park in an upscale neighborhood that had once been home to beatnicks, hippes, and gay bars. Gentrification comes with a price, thought Luke. He looked up and saw the camera mounted off to the side of the front entrance, nestled in a corner with a perfect vantage point to observe the front door.

Moments later, a door opened. Luke was greeted by a mousy-looking woman with orange-reddish hair pulled back in a messy bun. The glasses she wore were entirely unflattering for her face, the overly large lenses distorting her eyes so that they looked like glass balls. In spite of it all, she wasn't totally unattractive. "You must be the private investigator," she announced. "Please, come in."

Luke entered into the house owned by the governor. The entrance foyer was spacious. A crystal chandelier hangs overheard, and the walls are adorned with large paintings. The house had a pleasant, classical feel. Rachmaninoff played distantly from some room farther in the house.

"I was told that you were coming. My name is Michele Tillman. I'm one of the governor's assistants." Luke extended his hand to make her acquaintance, but she shied away from the gesture. "I'm sure you'll want to see the scene of the crime, so if you follow me..."

Luke glanced over at the paintings on the wall before following. They'd be hard to move, but they were obviously worth something. The implications were clear to Luke. This might've been staged as a simple break-in, but any crook would think to take something as valuable as a painting. Luke followed Tillman through the halls and corridors of the mansion up the stairs to a small back office where papers and files were stacked up on a desk beside a computer monitor.

"Here we are," she said. "This is a private office for the governor and Mister Phillips."

"Oh, dawg," Luke said from an adjacent room. He came out the bedroom with a sheet in his hands. "What kind of sheets are these? The threadcount on this is crazy."

Tillman cleared her throat and shot an icy glance at Cage. Luke smiled and tossed the sheet back into the room he found it. "Now, as I was saying. This is where the robbery happened."

The governor's assistant pointed towards a hole in the wall just behind the desk. "The back safe here was ripped out its frame on the wall. A few items were taken, most of that Mister Phillips told you about."

"I saw security camera mounted beside the door when I came in. Any video of the robbery?"

"I'm afraid not,"' she said with a shake of her head. "We have a dozen CC cameras around the house, but the cameras went dead just as the burglary happened. They kicked in the back door and came in, that tripped the alarm. NYPD got here and nobody was to be found. All told, the robber was in and out of here in two minutes."

"Alright. Let me check this out and take some notes."

"Very well. I'll get out of your hair. Let me know if you need anything."

Tillman turned and left the office. Luke walked towards the hole in the wall. He leaned in and noticed claw marks on the wood around the crater and cursed. The safe was pulled out by hand. Someone able to do that in under two minutes, and carry the safe off by themselves... Someone with powers. He looked around the office to double check his theory on meta doing the job. If it was someone with powers, he knew who he had to call.

Like or not, he had to hit up Stilt-Man.

[ComradeSenpai]

"And... perfect." Deadpool stood back, admiring a large autographed poster of Bea Arthur. He felt rather proud as he admired his new bachelor pad, conveniently located in an abandoned Stark building. The television was perfectly set up next to the microwave, and the microwave was next to more discount ramen than one mercenary could ever possibly need. He had also nailed all his guns to the walls.
"Ah, money chair, you're exactly as comfy as I thought you'd be." he exclaimed, lying down on a chair he'd crafted from a series of large payments from a series of particularly difficult jobs. It was the centerpiece of his home, his bed, and his lover. Deadpool felt like a king. And yet... something was off. An odd ticking that didn't stem from him clicking a pen over and over. He opened the door and looked out, only to discover one of a number of C4 charges.

"MONEY CHAIR, HIT THE DE-"