Six Months Ago:
Steve Rogers had seen the end of a lot of battles, having served through most of World War II. And yet, standing in the ruins of New York City, Steve couldn’t help but despair. Among the destroyed streets of Brooklyn, Steve walked slowly. Even though a lot had changed since the 1940s, Steve could still recall the neighborhood in which he grew up.
As he turned the corner, Steve passed by where the barber shop he used to frequent once stood. It was a testament to the destructive power of Hydra, as many major cities around the world were just as ruined. The fall of SHIELD had led to great heartache, as civilians walked among their ruined homes, still visibly shaken from the battle that had ended a mere day ago.
Eventually Steve Rogers reached his destination. In front of him was a small apartment building. It was mostly intact, save a collapsed wall on its west side. Steve couldn’t help but remember those propaganda posters he had seen during the war, what would happen to their homes if the Nazis reached America.
And yet the Neo-Nazis of Hydra had reached America, infiltrating its government and controlling global events. While this deception had been revealed, it came at great cost. From where Steve was standing, he could still see the SHIELD Helicarrier, crashed into the bay just outside of the city. But that wasn’t as bad to him as seeing the building in front of him. It was once Steve’s childhood home.
“I’m sorry,” said someone from behind Steve.
The man known as Captain America didn’t need to turn to know it was Nick Fury. The former head of SHIELD had been a constant part of Steve’s life since awakening in modern day, having been instrumental in forming the Avengers.
“Nick, how could we let this happen?” Steve asked.
“We were blindsided Rogers, too secure in our own power,” replied Nick Fury.
The one-eyed spy master took a step next to Steve Rogers, “New York seems to have caught the worst of it.”
“It’s bad all over,” stated Steve.
“I only saw the beginning of it before Hydra shot down my Quinjet over the Northern Atlantic.”
“And I assume that means you’re dead.”
“Not just Nick Fury, but SHIELD as a whole is dead. The world would never trust us again.”
“Then what? We let AIM, Zodiac, and countless alien invaders have their way with the planet?”
“No. Someone needs to step up. The Avengers must step up.”
“Even with the Avengers and all the other hero teams, we barely defeated Hydra.”
“Look, the Avengers are already called Earth’s mightiest heroes. Would it be a stretch to make them Earth’s greatest defense organization.”
“Do you mean that the Avengers replace SHIELD?”
“No, I mean that the Avengers become better than SHIELD ever was.”
“Nick, people don’t want this happening ever again.”
“No they don’t. But they also love the Avengers. Your online ratings are at an all time high.”
“So you want us to step up?”
“Only if you want to,” Nick Fury then began to walk away, “Just an idea to think about.”
Soon, Steve Rogers was left alone in front of the damaged building he had once called home. Seeing the destruction and the plight of the civilians made him angry. But he knew that he had to use that anger in a productive way. He never wanted this to happen again, and perhaps he could prevent it if he stepped up, if he led the Avengers into a new, different frontier.
THE TORCH
Current Day:
It had been almost eighty years since Jim Hammond had last lived in New York City. Created in the lab of Dr. Phineas Horton, New York was all that Jim had known for the first year of his existence. But sure had it changed from the nineteen-forties to the twenty-twenties. It had gotten just so, tall.
But height didn’t matter to Jim as he was able to soar through the air, a bright fireball streaking the modern skyline of Manhattan. The man once known as the Human Torch lived up to the name, brightening up the sky. Of course he had now dropped the Human part from his name as another more well known hero was using the name the Human Torch. Plus, Jim wasn’t exactly human.
Born a synthetic person, Jim was a marvel of science, his exact creation methods still mostly unknown. Yet why his powers worked, didn’t matter so much to Jim, just the fact that they worked. So he rose over the tops of the skyscrapers, his flames flickering a little bit in the part of the sky with thinner oxygen. Not wishing to risk it, Jim dove back down through the clouds.
Only to encounter a news helicopter right in front of him. The fiery android had to make a quick maneuver to dodge the blue helicopter. As he readjusted himself in air, Jim spotted what the helicopter was following.
On the streets below was a squad of police cars following a black van. Even from up in the sky, Jim could hear the rattle of gunfire. Wanting to help, Jim swooped down, launching a torrent of flames. The intense heat of the flames melted the back wheels of the fleeing vehicle, causing it to skid out and crash into a pole.
Jim then landed next to the crashed vehicle, raising his flaming hands as the thieves exited the vehicle. Clearly not wanting to deal with someone seemingly made of fire, the criminals raised their hands into the air.
As the police arrived, one went up to Jim, “Thanks for the help, Human Torch,”
“Actually I’m the Torch, no Human,” replied Jim as the cop walked away.
A little miffed, Jim decided to not stick around. But before he could lift off back into the air, a beeping came from inside his suit pocket. Extinguishing his flames, Jim pulled the Avengers ID Card he was issued out of the pocket of his red fireproof suit. The image of Steve Rogers, director of the Avengers, appeared in the corner of the card.
“This is Director Rogers calling all members of the New York branch,” stated the card, “Please report to Avengers Mansion for a mission briefing.”
Once the image disappeared, Jim put the card away. This would be his first actual mission as an Avenger, only joining them after Steve put him high on the list for Project: Unlimited recruits. Jim immediately joined, glad to be working with his former comrade again.
Jim then lifted off the ground and began heading towards Avengers Mansion, the original home of the Avengers. Within a few minutes, Jim landed in front of the building. As he got close, a whole array of sensors scanned him, confirming his identity.
“Welcome, the Torch, to Avengers Mansion,” said a robotic voice.
The doors then swung open, letting the synthetic man inside. Jim briskly walked through the entrance hall, coming upon the elevator at the end. Once inside, another voice asked him for his destination.
“Briefing room please,” Jim stated.
The elevator then began to descend almost effortlessly. There was no noise as the elevator traversed the large tunnels built beneath the mansion. Within thirty seconds, Jim had arrived.
Taking a step into the briefing room, Jim saw that the walls were completely lined with monitors, and that there was a massive table in the center of the room, easily sitting twenty plus people. Seeing that no one else had arrived yet, Jim decided to take the seat nearest to the elevator.
Once sitting firmly in the comfy office chair, Jim relaxed and began to wait. Truth be told, he wasn’t entirely sure what the final line up of the New York branch had ended up being, so this meeting would be a good chance to get to know his teammates.
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