[color=#DB2E2E]The Torch[/color][hr]

As Jim whistled the old radio jingle, the doors to the situation room opened and a familiar wall-crawler entered. Jim had met this particular hero before, though his current costume was different than the last time they had met up. Truth be told Jim preferred the old brighter red costume, but black was always cool, especially if Spidey was going through a mid-life crisis. Jim had read about that being a thing in men of a certain generation, and he figured that Spider-Man was in that age range.

[color=#DB2E2E]“Peter, it’s nice to see you. It’s been a few years right?”[/color] Jim asked, [color=#DB2E2E]“I’m doing OK. I actually moved into the mansion here.”[/color]

And speaking of spider people, a young heroine that Jim didn’t recognize entered the situation room. She introduced herself as Ghost-Spider and seemed intently focused on Peter, claiming she took inspiration from him. This didn’t seem to odd to Jim as that Johnny Storm guy had taken inspiration from him.

[color=#DB2E2E]“No you’re not late. We’re still waiting for Captain America to appear via holo.”[/color]

Then another young hero entered, also focusing heavily on Spider-Man. Jim just smiled at the web-head’s popularity, the most well loved man in New York. I mean it did help that he had a lot of exposure, being one of the first hero in this new age of heroes. The young man with the cape then introduced himself as Billy or Wiccan.

[color=#DB2E2E]“You use whatever name is comfortable for you, as secret identities vary from person to person. Personally everyone knows that I’m the Torch but my civilian name is Jim Hammond.”[/color]

Then another young hero that Jim didn’t know zipped into the situation room, clearly a speedster. He made a few jokes, mentioning that it was either juvie or the Avengers for him.

[color=#DB2E2E]“Well, we should get started soon.”[/color]

But then finally another hero that Jim recognized entered. It was Iron Fist, a former Avenger. He didn’t say anything as he took a seat, putting his feet on the centre table. Jim gave him a simple nod, having only met him in passing a while back. And then another hero that Jim knew, this one a little better, entered the room. It was Captain Marvel and she was making a joke about calling in the big guns.

Before anyone could respond, the holo-generator in the middle of the table came to life. A blue light illuminated the room as the familiar face of Director Rogers appeared. Even through the transmission, it was clear that he was tired and needed a shave. But his eyes still shone as he regarded the assembled Avengers.

“This is a direct mission report from Director Rogers,” the hologram said, “Normally I’d meet with you in person, but we are swamped with work here on the Avenger-1 Helicarrier. I see that not everyone has arrived, but timing is essential for this op and they can be brought up to speed along the way. As all of you know, we’ve been busy trying to stomp out the last remnants of Hydra and we have had little success. That was until two days ago when one of our techs found a chat service hidden on the dark web. Upon further analysis it seems to be a virtual dead drop for Hydra agents.”

“This is the best lead we’ve had since the initial capture of Hydra leadership eight months ago. We’ve been able to pinpoint where several high ranking members of Hydra have been hiding. So I’m mobilizing all Avengers teams to bring them in. This include the New York branch. The target is Ophelia Sarkissian, better known as Madame Hydra.”

An image of a green haired woman popped up in the corner of the holo. While Jim didn’t recognize her immediately, he did recognize the title Madame Hydra. That moniker had been used by many evil women, going all the way back to World War II. This was clearly a dangerous person who needed to be captured.

“We now know that she is going by the alias Viper and operating as a mercenary. We also have reports that she has taken over the Serpent Society, a mercenary/terrorist group of augmented individuals. We are not sure how she managed this. But we have solid intel that the Serpent Society is operating is eastern Europe and will be entering Transia sometime today. Your mission is to head to Transia, and capture the Society members, with Viper being priority one.”

“We have a Quinjet waiting in the hangar bay, ready to take you to Transia. Wheel’s up in twenty minutes. Any questions you have need to be asked now as I also need to catch a flight.”

Jim then raised his hand, [color=#DB2E2E]“Quick question Cap. I’m not really caught up on who these Serpent Society guys are, but I’m assuming pretty powerful if you are sending a whole Avengers team after them? Could I get a primer?”[/color]

“I don’t have a lot of time right now, but I’ll speak a little bit,” Rogers replied, “They started out as a group of test subjects of Roxxon Corporation, before going rogue. After that they became both mercenaries and terrorists, gathering more snake themed villains to their team. As for their current roster we are unsure of how much of the Society has changed since Viper took over. Any other information you might need can be found on the computer terminal aboard the Quinjet.”

[color=#DB2E2E]“Thanks Cap,”[/color] Jim said as he stood up, [color=#DB2E2E]“I’ll get prepping for the mission.”[/color]

Jim then entered the elevator, deciding to quickly run back to his bedroom. While he was already in his combat uniform, Jim felt he might as well pack a small bag if they were to be in Europe for a little bit. It was mostly snacks, a Stark Phone filled with music, and a well read paperback copy of the Time Machine by HG Wells.

Slinging the bag over his shoulder, Jim departed his room. He then began to wonder if Cap had wanted him to be the pilot of the Quinjet. While he had flown plenty of them during his days with SHIELD, Jim was not the most accomplished pilot on the team, that honor going to Captain Marvel. As he took the elevator to the hangar, Jim wondered if it was someone else, as the Avengers were now a massive organization with many non-superheroes. It would make sense that they could have other pilots.

As the elevator doors opened up to the hangar, Jim couldn’t help but smile. Even if he wasn’t the pilot, it would great to be up in the air again. There was something about soaring above the clouds that always enticed Jim. So it was with gusto that the Torch walked over to the pristine Quinjet.