Peter groaned as he pushed himself off the floor of the sewer, spitting fruitlessly into his mask. The stench brought bile to the back of his throat. Swallowing it back down, he forced himself to his feet. The world spinning and stumbling. He put an arm out and caught himself before falling over, a sliver of pain as his shoulder cracked into the concrete wall. His vision flickered, and as he forced himself to stand tall, it slowly returned. Where was-

Snapping back to look behind him, the world twisted threateningly, his equilibrium disturbed. Had his eyes been functioning properly, he was sure they would have widened when he saw that where the Connors had been previously, there was just a dried-up tail and sections of skin. Cut and damaged skin hanging from the remaining webbing. Cursing himself under his breath, as sensation returned to his body. The sensation largely being pain. Peter turned back to face deeper into the sewers as he limped painfully towards the light. Certain that the light wasn't at the end of the metaphorical tunnel but the literal. Limping down the line, resting his hand against the wall, using it to help as his balance started to return to normal. His nausea fading and the pain was becoming more a dull ache.

The lab, for it was very clearly a lab, shone into life as he crossed the freshhold. Peter winced and rushed to cover his eyes, the sudden snap of brightness causing his stomach to flip. This time he couldn't hold it, turning away he pulled his mask up. Doubled over, and brought up what little contents of his stomach he had. Spitting, he pulled the mask back over his face. Trying his best not to breathe through his nose. Surveying his surroundings through squinted eyes, though they slowly adjusted to the sterile lighting from up above.

Claw marks of varying sizes tore through concrete, paper and desks. Broken vials and tumblers clinked and crunched underneath his (thankfully reinforced) feet. Had this been Connors lab, and if it had been, was it before or after his transformation? Maybe a little bit of both. He flicked through various papers, equations, and notes scribbled in varying degrees of legibility. Peter pocketed some: Referencing Vita-rays, Decay rate algorithms, Gamma Energy, Doctor Erskine, Animal-Human Cross-Species Genetics. He could have searched through this lab for the next ten years, and likely only understand about half of everything he saw.

Something told him, however, that this was going to be his one chance to take a look around. Noticing the computer, he walked over to it, jabbing the power button it came to life. The screen flickered, cracked and broken. Colours coalesced in random splodges, navigating the mouse as best he could through the damage he clicked open a video file. To his amazement, it opened. You really need to tighten your cyber-security Doc.

His stomach dropped, his hair went on end and a sense of dread overtook him. The sense twisted and turned, and became something else. Something different. There was a warmth there.

Familiarity.

Familiarity? That didn't make sense. He had known of Connors, out there in the world. Renowned scientist, but he hadn't known him. Not personally, and while they had likely crossed paths at OsCorp they had never interacted. Static broke Peter from his reverie as the speakers crackled to life.

"I finally did it- .. / - --- --- -.- / - .... . / ... . .-. ..- -- / .- -. -.broke free of the menagerie, couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't--... . / .--. .- .-. - / --- ..-. / - .... . / - --- .-. - ..- .-. . / .- -. -.. / - .... . / . -..- .--. . .-. .. -- . -. - ... .-.-.- / .- .-.. .-.. / .. -. / - .... . / -. .- -- . / --- ..-. / ... -.-. .. . -. -.-. . .-.-.- I'm not the only one- .... .-. . .others escaped. Including Peter Parker- -... ..- - / - .... . / ... . .-. ..- -- / .-- .. - .... .. -. / -- . / .. ... / ..- -. ... - .- -... .-.. . --..-- / .- -. -.. / .-- .. - .... --- ..- - / -- . / - .... . / -.-. --- .--. .. . ... / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / ... - .- .-. - / - --- / -.. . - . .-. .. --- .-. .- - . / .- -. -.. / -.. .. . .-.-.- / .. - .----. ...unstable, need to find cure-.. / -.-. .- -. .----. - / --. --- / - --- / .- -. -.-- --- -. . / ..-. --- .-. / .... . .-.. .--. --..-- / .. ..-. / .. / -.-. .- -. / --- -. .-.. -.-- / ..-. .. -. -.. / - .... . / --- .-. .. --. .. -. .- .-.. ,find Parker, I've seen-... .--. .. -.. . .-. -....- -- .- -. / .- .-.. .-.. / --- ...- . .-. / - .... . / -. . .-- ...might be the only one to help me-.. ..-. / .. - / .. ... / - .... . / .-. . .- .-.. / .--. . - . .-. --..-- / -... ..- - / .. / .... .- ...- . / -. --- / -.-. .... --- .. -.-. . they're looking for me. I won't go back."

BANG

Peter jumped as the noise echoed down the sewer and into the lab, swearing at himself for not having more time, he stuck his fist into the computer. Pulling out its hard drive. Hoping that whatever information was on it wouldn't be corrupted beyond recognition. Looking up he saw a vent, with a quick thwip and pull he shot up, leaving the lab abandoned. Looking back one last time.

The Menagerie. Was that where he came from? Was that where answers lay? Others? If there were more like him, where were they?

---

"You okay there Pete?" Harry rushed over, ready to grab Pete from underneath his armpits to help him back to his feet, though as he got close he stopped as Pete waved his hand dismissively.

"Fine." He didn't sound fine. He sounded pissed off, which wasn't an emotion Harry had believed Pete to possess until the last two months. It made sense, the foundation was still relatively new, and as of yet they had come under threat by super-powered entities on at least two occasions. Their insurance preiums were through the roof, and if his father hadn't been bankrolling the foundation, it would have sunk long ago. A fact he never bothered to bother Pete about, Pete didn't really care for such trivial matters as money. Family, family was what meant the most to Pete. "I'd feel a lot better if we could figure out the refresh rate on the new shielding design. At least we wouldn't have to worry about the foundation for what, fifteen minutes?"

Harry chuckled. "I reckon we could do atleast twenty minutes without a crisis if we put our minds too it."

"-and you used to say I was annoyingly optimistic."

"You sure you didn't hit your head on the way down, you don't seem like yourself-"

If only you knew the half of it Harry, for you see out there a man is running around with an identical face. He has superpowers however, and decides to run around wearing Spandex. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit rattled is all, these giants came out of nowhere. They've finally managed to put out the fire in the east wing, which thankfully isn't the highly flammable and explosive wing. We tend to keep that stuff in the west wing." He through a smile at his best friend. Carefully picking up the box he had been carrying, lifting it to inspect the bottom, when he felt a dampness creep into his hands. Cursing under his breath. There went the most recent blood, hair and stool samples between him and his doppleganger. He supposed trying to identify the original, which was him, was going to have to wait for another day.

He tossed the box in a nearby trash-bin, Harry pulling himself away from his own tidying up to look over and see Pete working his way very carefully through the debris. Harry had no doubt that there would be a proper way to tidy up after a fire-troll attack, and that Pete's plan was no doubt already in motion. After all, he was the smartest man that Harry knew, his best friend and his mentor.

---

Norman Osborne sat looking out at the city as it lay before him. Few buildings in the city were as tall as his, and even fewer were as impressive. Stark had his fancy facilities, and the Luthors had their gleaming tower in Metropolis. New York however. New York belonged to OsCorp. Lex and Tony were both brilliant inventors, and on occasion, they were even good business moguls. Yet Norman had one thing he always liked to bring up with them on the rare occasion that he was forced to spend any amount of time with either of them.

Norman's own father had been a failure. An abuser, a drunkard, a murderer. The piece of filth had died without a nickel to his name, with no inheritance to speak of. The Police had always suspected foul play, but he had been smarter than that. He always planned two steps ahead. Meanwhile, Lex and Tony had everything handed to them, while Norman had been handed beatings and told how useless he was. How he'd never amount to anything, would never be a real man. The two golden boys were being handed everything they could ever want. Howard Stark had died, and Tony even had a replacement in Obadiah Stane. Obadiah had been a good man, albeit a bit too power-hungry for his own good. His death was seen as a loss to the military, with Tony Stark's new friendlier approach.

Norman saw it as a gift. Without Starks incessant interference OsCorp quickly rose to one of the main contenders for military contracts. Those who couldn't be swayed often found themselves i]removed[/i] from the board. Turning to face his desk, videos of the so-called Spider-Man played across his screen. Such a waste of gifts given. Millions of sequestered dollars, roaming the streets of New York fighting petty crime, and yet those in the Menagerie told him it was a Good thing. A real world stress test, to see if he would bend or break.

He would tolerate it.

For now.

Instead, for today, as he twirled the invitation to the Frost Industries gala between his fingers, he had a new target. Kord was dead, his empire in disarray and Norman knew that Kord had had an item of some importance in his possession. While he had been unable to convince Kord to part with it, he knew that Victoria Kord was in town and she would have the information he needed. Norman no longer had control of the Spider, but he still had other assets at his disposal. Pressing a button underneath his desk there was a loud buzz in the room, as it locked down and shut down all external connections beyond this one line.

"Yes? Mister Green." Came the chilled reply, as a smile curled upon Normans lips.

"Ready the Vulture. I have need of him."

>Wake up
>Fucked Phone
>Head to Mays
>Sulk.jpg
>Oh shit May is home.
>Fins

---

Harry and Pete at the Foundation

THE HOME OF JOE WEST // CENTRAL CITY

Iris was broken out of her reverie by a commotion at the door. "Sorry I'm late-! Joe was on his feet and returned to the kitchen to fix another place setting and plate as Barry came into the room, smiling at Iris. She briefly returned the gesture, before pointing the remote at the TV as she rewound the documentary.

"Have you seen this?" She allowed it to play again, the scene of Captain America on the beach. The static, damage section came up again—the speedster in the winged helmet. This time Iris noticed more in the background of the next shot as various Nazi soldiers were disarmed and incapacitated at high speeds. How had nobody ever picked up on any of this before? She saw the perplexed look on Barrys face, and chuckled to herself. "You don't see it, do you?"

Barry shrugged, then laughed himself. "No, not a clue."

Iris leaned in, casting a glance to the kitchen. Seeing Iris need for secrecy Barry sat himself down and leaned in. "The speedster."

He raised an eyebrow. "All I see is static, possibly some tape damage." His eyes went wide. "Are you telling me-"

Iris eyes darted to the door as Joe re-entered the room. "-that Joe is watching one of my documentaries?"

Joe chuckled as he placed a mat and plate in front of Barry. "Well, what can I say? They seem a little less crazy these days."

The room went silent as the documentary continued. Barry seemed to go distant, his eyes glazing over. They were all shaken out of their reverie as Joe's phone started to ring. Raising his hand to indicate one minute, he unflipped the antique device. It wasn't long before he came back rushing into the room, and pulling on his jacket. Placing his cap upon his head. "Bomb threat downtown." Rushing out the door he turned back to Iris, pointing at her. "Straight home!"

Turning out of the house Barry smirked back at Iris as he stood back up. "You're not going to stay here are you?"

Lightning flashed in her eyes. "Not a chance." He blinked, and Iris was stood there in her costume. Pulling the cowl up over her head she smiled at him. "Lock the door behind you-" She flashed a wink at Barry. "-I'll be back in a Flash"

---

ABANDONED WAREHOUSE // CENTRAL CITY

Harrison stood with his briefcase in hand. The old door creaked and groaned as he pushed it open, his footsteps echoing on the cold hard floor. "Hello!" His voice echoed throughout the warehouse. Things shifted in the dark, and then suddenly a door opened.

"Wells!" The man rushed forward, a smile on his face.

"Jackson." The man looked ragged and worn. That was to be expected, until several months ago Jackson had worked for STAR Labs as a technician. Until he was found stealing from work to fuel his habits. Harrison twisted the briefcase away from Jackson as he went to grab it.

"Is that what you promised me?"

"This power-cell should be the solution to all your problems-" he twisted the case in his hand. "-and maybe even a little something else too."

"Name your price."

'DOWNTOWN' // CENTRAL CITY

Iris ran the length of the city on foot and was still there before the bomb squad had arrived. She squeezed herself through the first cordon, past the on-lookers stood with their phones out. There would always be fools who tried to get a chance of glory, at risk to themselves. Running up to the police cordon she came to a stop near a group of officers who stood with a bunch of laptops and cellphones. The wind rushed as she stopped scattering their papers everywhere, they turned to her with a mix of annoyance and surprise. She put her hands on her waist, twisting herself slightly in an attempt to look heroic. Instantly regretting the decision she rubbed her hands together awkwardly.

"What's the situation-?"

"Who the-"

"Hey you're that one that fought that Condiment King!"

Iris blush matched that of the red in her costume. "Yup, that's me. Your friendly local superhero." She coughed clearing her throat. This wasn't going very well. It wasn't going badly, but it wasn't going well.

"Well, there's a bomb down the street there Miss uh-?"

"Flash, call me the Flash."

"Really?"

Iris waved off the remark. "Just go with it, so the bomb?"

"Yes, uh. It was called in anonymously about ten minutes ago. The timer still has thirty minutes on it, we're just waiting for the bomb squad to arrive."

Iris looked around the area. While there were some civilians nearby, most of them had likely been drawn in by the police activity in the area. This part of the city didn't typically see much action, especially at this time of the day. The bomb was in the middle of an intersection, easily seen. Easily detected. Not only that it had been called in, anonymously. Everything she had picked up from her father's years of experience taught her one thing. This was a trap.

But is the trap for me or someone else? She had been using her speed to help for a few weeks, but only recently donning the costume and helping in a very public 'superhero' kind of way. That can't have gained that much attention yet?

Iris nodded to the officers. "Okay I'm going to take a look-"

"Not without me you're not." Iris and the officers turned around as a small blonde woman wearing civvies approached, the only thing identifying her as a member of the police was a badge at her waist. She pulled out her ID and opened it up to show Iris, and the other officers present. "Patty Spivot, CCPD Crime lab.

Iris raised an eyebrow, her father and Barry had told her there was someone new in the crime lab, but nothing more than that.

"And why would I take you for a look?"

"Do you know how to disable a bomb?" Iris didn't respond, merely shifting her weight nervously. "That is what I thought." Rolling her eyes, Iris grabbed Patty and within half the blink of an eye, they were at the bomb behind the cordon. Several cylinders were tied together with wires, nuts and bolts. In the centre of the configuration was a Lex 5 Series, the latest smartphone on the market. The timer counting working its way down slowly.

"Got anything Miss Spivo-" The phone's screen turned to a camera, flashing saving their likeness.

They both flinched as the phone buzzed and a notification came through on the screen of the phone.



The timer re-appeared on the screen. Five Seconds. Their eyes went wide. "Badllaaannnnddddddssssss." Iris hadn't even noticed before that there were two attachments on the bomb near the phone. Grimacing she picked up the bomb, and headed south towards the badlands. A barren stretch of land between the city and the mountains.

Digging deep she ran. 4. Over cars, around people. Pushing herself as hard as possible, digging deeper. 3. The wind rushing passed her. 2. As she left the city, and got onto the dirt. A cloud of dust shot up behind her, she came to a stop and dropped the bomb. 1. Turning around and running in the opposite direction she was glad for the goggles that were built into the outfit, she couldn't see anything. She just focused on trying to go in a straight line, there was no telling how big a yield the bomb was going to have. She stopped, skidding slightly on the loose surface as she turned and looked back at the very unexploded bomb.

Approaching it cautiously, the timer on the screen had been replaced by another message.

"Thankyou for your participation."

Iris groaned out of frustration, then threw her hands up in the air before bringing her hands down from her forehead till her fingertips rested on her chin. Iris was sat with two laptops, a tablet and her phone at her desk, each with various searches. Google, Bing, LexSearch and even AskJeeves. More tabs open than she dared admit, and yet there was no trace of this mysterious speedster that she had seen in the video.

Even YouTube had failed her, the only trace she could find of the speedster was in the documentary footage, and nobody on any forums she found seemed to notice him. She had gotten quite a lot of flame for suggesting she had noticed something other people hadn't. 'Typical liberal women, thinking she;s so much better than us men who are experts'. The doorbell rang, and she ran up and checked the peephole. By the time Barry noticed the door was open, Iris had already sat back down at the desk with her cup of fresh coffee.

"I will never get used to that."

Iris smiled. "I'm not used to people showing up unexpectedly at my door." Barry rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Yeah, sorry about that, he's a good man I just didn't expect-"

"The famed Harrison Wells to break several laws and code of ethics and track me down?"

He chuckled awkwardly. "Well you are truly fascinating-" Barry walked over and took a seat in the living room. "-scientifically I mean." Barry leaned back in his chair and looked over to the work she was doing, the various freeze frames and the forums.

"Any luck on your speedster?"

"Argh-" Iris spun around in her chair. "Nothing. No reference anywhere. Nobody else has even noticed him." Iris passed the tablet over to him. "That's the best screenshot I can get of them."

Barry squinted as he looked at the photo. "This is just a blur?"

Iris let out a sigh. "I know! I can see him when I play the video, but I can't pause it fast enough." Barry was about to speak, but Iris beat him to it. "Yes, I understand the irony. It's a technology issue."

"So no leads?"

Iris shrugged. "Kind of?" She picked up the tablet and slid it over to Barry. "Victor Sage. He was the archive researcher for the documentary. He wrote a bunch of pieces for various newspapers until he became blacklisted after a particularly scathing article about the Mayor."

Barry nodded. "I remember it. Wasn't that well over a year ago?"

Iris winced. "That's the kind of part of the lead-" She leaned over the top of the tablet and swiped on the screen. "-he worked for Starrstruck Media for a short period and then, went missing... and is still missing."

"So you want to solve a mystery, by finding a missing person?"

Iris stood up, pacing back and forth. Needing to burn off some of the nervous energy. "It's not ideal, no, but I can't find anything on any of the other people credited as part of the production. He hasn't been reported as dead, so I'm hoping that he just went underground, trying to fly below the radar."

"I mean, I can see if I can pull up anything at the precinct. See if a report has been filed."

Iris stood up and walked to the closet in the far corner of the room, using her speed she quickly stripped down, and pulled on her 'super suit'. Throwing other clothes into a backpack, zipping it closed. She couldn't help but blush as she realised that she had just stripped down to her underwear, and changed, in front of Barry. Not that he had seen anything but a blur, but still.

"Going a trip?"

"Well I'm not going to figure anything out here, I'll chase some leads down in hub city-"

"As the Flash?"

Iris shook her head. "No, I'm just fed up of losing sneakers and clothes, and I have a shift tomorrow so-" She shrugged. "-May as well use what I've got."

"Cheat." Barry chuckled, standing up and clapping his hands together. "So we've got a mission?"

"We've got a mission, I'll call you from Hub City."

FORMER SOVIET PRISON // UNKNOWN LOCATION

0820HRS Steve dove behind a nearby pillar. Feeling the shock as the intended blow hit it, instead of him. The heat permeated the beam, and he scowled. He could hear the chaos spreading throughout the prison, no doubt some of it was fellow prisoners hearing the chaos and taking their chance to make their own bid for freedom. A knot tied in his stomach, but he couldn't allow to give it purchase.

Yes there were no doubt prisoners whose only crime, like Piotr, was not capitulating to those in power. There were however, truly hardened and despicable prisoners who deserved to be contained until which time they were rehabilitated to re-enter society. Not that much of that happened here.

Wincing internally as he rolled to avoid a red fist to the face he chastised himself for allowing himself to become distracted and thoughts to wander. Maybe it had been too long since he had been in a real fight. Ducking under the incoming jab, he followed through with a couple of quick punches to Sokovs gut. With as much weight behind it as possible she wobbled slightly on her feet, and he ducked down and swept his right leg taking her feet out from under here.

Steve didn't even wait to watch her hit the floor before he turned and ran.

He and Alexei had talked through this scenario, like many other escape attempts, many times over the years. The library was the meeting place, central to both of their cells and yet close to Piotrs. No man left behind afterall. Prisoners shouted and swore at him in their cells as he ran. Occasionally ducking into cover when he heard the sound of military boots. He didn't have the time, or the means to get into a prolonged fight.

His heart racing by the time he reached the library. "Halt!" Steve froze as he felt the tip of a gun in the centre of his back, he went to twist for it when he heard another one cock behind him.

Two to one, point blank range. Even he wasn't a fan of those odds.

A yelp, a shot, he twisted away from the gun aiming to bring his palm up under it but was too late as it was already being knocked away. Alexei finished knocking them to the ground, his usual unruly long hair tied into a military style ponytail. Beard trimmed and respectable, no longer the homeless old man. This was a man of action.

"So I got knocked out, and you got a makeover?"

"The ruse is over comrade, today we escape or we die. Either way, I look good."

"That's it Alexei, think optimistically."

Alexei knelt down and picked up a pistol, pulling out the cartridge. Satisfied, he offered it to Steve who waved it off. Alexei merely shrugged and pulled the older guards sidearm from its holster. They turned as they heard the hammering of boots. Heavier than before. Sure enough around the corner came guards dressed in riot gear, the first one dropped before they even registered the two super soldiers. The second was winged before the rest took cover back behind the corner.

"We must get to Piotr-" There was a large crashing noise from below as a crimson hand broke through the concrete and pulled Steve.

He felt like his entire leg going to go through the hole by itself, though thankfully by some miracle the rest of his body followed it. Steve could practically feels all the bruises on his body as he was thrown to the other side of the room. Trying to tuck himself into as small a shape as possible. An involuntary groan escaped his lips as he collided with the wall.

There was no time to feel sorry for himself though as he rolled towards Sokov, making her miss her attack by going straight over his head. The crimson dagger that had formed in her hand slicing effortlessly into the concrete. "Thor-" He tried to shout, but before he could finish she was on him again.

They twisted and turned back and forth. While she couldn't find her way to beat him in skill, her raw power coupled with his being caught off guard and injured. This wasn't a fight he was going to win. Not easily, if at all.

Obadiah rant and rave


Rhodey hospital

Robert had been poked and prodded for almost all his life. Every time he had been freed, the agents of his freedom had become his oppressors. Now? Now he had a way out of all of this. A benefactor, all he had to do was do one job, and his future would be his own once more. Succeed, and a brand new identity was his reward, a clean slate and a future of his own making. For the first time in over a decade, he would be the master of his destiny. Shifting uncomfortably in the itchy, ill-fitting suit, he smoothed his tie with one hand as he secured his credentials onto the outside of his breast pocket with the other. Approaching the security checkpoint as his hand was near his breast pocket, he pulled out a small capsule and slipped it into the palm of his hand, rubbing it from his chin over his mouth and up to his hair in a smooth motion. He deposited it into his mouth on the way.

Before he reached the security guard, he crunched down on the capsule, the foul taste nearly bringing up bile from the pit of his empty stomach. Robert felt a strange coldness spread throughout his body as the pill took effect. Credentials checked, he stepped through the scanner. Instead of alarms blaring, it just flashed green, and he was waved through onto the lot. Warehouses and offices surrounded him. Security officers stood at every possible juncture as they were headed towards a large glass building, with STARK INDUSTRIES emblazoned upon the side, swear trickled down his forehead, and even he was unsure whether it was due to the beating Calironia Son or simply nerves about what he had to do.

---

The empty suit stood in the corner, watching them both like a silent guardian. No words were being shared between the two friends as they sat in silence, waiting for the press conference to start. Jim's phone had been ringing all afternoon, officers and teammates trying to get in touch with him to check in. No doubt by the end of the day, his record would have a great big AWOL stamp at the top of it. Jim held no illusions; he would receive a court-martial for the events of today. A few years ago, it would have been for the death of innocent civilians, now it was more likely to be due to his involvement in taking one of Lords toys away from him.

Tony sat, pensive. Jim was beginning to realise how pale his friend was looking. Almost hollow and empty. Deep, dark bags underneath his eyes, sleep had never bothered Tony in the past; it had been an optional activity beyond a few hours and a couple of cans of energy juice. Perhaps it was the stress getting to the inventor that was the problem, if there was a problem. A real problem, he would have told Jim about it. The two shared everything; they practically conspired against the President of the United States together. They had no secrets.

Broken from his reverie as Tony took a long swig of that green gunk he had been drinking the last couple of weeks. "That gunk has to be the weirdest fad I've ever seen, and I remember that Supermodel you dated who only ate things beginning with vowels.

Tony swallowed and laughed. "Ah, Nancy! At least breakfast was easy." Jim raised an eyebrow. "She had eggs, I ate Oreos." Jim chuckled to himself slightly. "You know Rhodey, you don't have to be here for this. You could distance yourself, you'll probably still never fly again but you could leave the force with your honours and your pension."

Jim shook his head. "This is the right thing to do, and honestly, I think that ship sailed the moment I ignored the call from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs."

"Oh..."

"Yeah, General Hammond isn't going to be happy about that."

"I'm sure we can find a position for you at Stark. Probably better paid too-" Jim held his hand up.

"I'll figure something out, I can always fly commercial." Jim chuckled slightly to himself and Tony joined him.

"I can just hear it now, welcome to flight 35 from PAX West, here's a fun fact about me I used to be the Iron Patriot."

"At least people would know they were going to make it to their destination, you've not had a failed mission yet, just one last one to do-"

"The dreaded press interview." Pepper spoke as she entered the room, the two men turning their heads to face her. She handed a tablet to Tony, her hand lingered on his shoulder for a moment as he smiled his thanks up to her taking it. "Here are your notes for you to completely ignore during the conference, just in case you decided you actually want to go with the prepared speech." Jim saw the smirk before it happened.

"It's not likely."

---

The raised stage stood at the end of the hall. STARK INDUSTRIES was plastered on the end of the podium. Pepper introduced him and walked off the end of the stage and out of the hall, no doubt having other more important duties to attend to. Like starting work on the damage control with Obadiah and the board. Tony cleared his throat as he walked forward, Rhodey stood at the back in his suit. The faceplate opened as he stood at ease. Arms behind his back, surveying the room for potential threats, not that there would be any in this room. All the security that people had to go through to get into this briefing, security was almost tigther as attending a press conference at the White House.

"If you forgive me, we'll leave all questions till the end." The reporters who were coiled up like springs, ready to jump up with questions, shifted in their seats. Relaxing slightly. "During the war with the Reach, I built the first ever War Machine armour. Working closely with my friends over at S.H.I.E.L.D. Not to sound immodest, but the War Machine program became one of the most important and powerful weapons we had to use to fight the reach until the emergence of SuperMan, of course." He took a drink from his glass. "At the end of the war, President Ellis commissioned the Iron Patriot program, with our very own Colonel James Rhodes-" He cast his hand back to point at Rhodey, and there was a light, polite applause in the room.

"-This program was under a trial basis. Due to more recent events, and the current climate, I am sorry to report that we will be shutting down the Iron Patriot program-" The reporters all stood up in a roar, cameras flashed and reporters clamored as they all attempted to shout their questions over the din. Tony held his hand, attempting to calm the crowd, but they continued to try and shout and scream to be heard.

Tony tapped the microphone, waving his hand to try and push them back down so that he could continue on. "Come now, people please, let me speak..."

The crowd quietened, only one man stayed standing. His eyes locked on Tony. Tony looked back at him, into those eyes. Those orange, glowing eyes. His own widened. He heard the clunk as the Iron Patriots faceplate closed. The room went from a chaotic cacophony to deathly quiet. Others turned to look as the man climbed up onto a chair, his whole body glowing now as he climbed back up onto his chair.

His voice but a whisper, but not one person in the room failed to hear it. Not one person at home watching the news had any doubt what was said. For the man climbed upon his chair and said. "For Genosha."

Then an explosion tore through the room, and all the news feeds went black.

---

The intel was solid—a small makeshift camp deep within the Yellowstone National Park. Satellite imagery was good; it showed an exposed centre around their makeshift structures. A large campfire surrounded by a variety of tents, and a couple of small wooden structures on the outskirts, no doubt, acted as rudimentary guard towers. Switching to thermal vision, he could see about half a dozen people in one tent in the middle of the site, and another half a dozen were spread out. With a further three in the guard posts. There was a cold spot, which was likely the refrigeration for the mess. Pulling back on the lens, he could see the SFs holding position on the outskirts of the camp.

Shock and awe tactics. Jim was leading the charge, and hopefully, the sight of the suit would convince them to come quietly. It never went down that way, but one could hope. Leaning forward, he sent himself carreering towards the ground, pulling back at the last second, he fired his boosters, slowing his descent, creating a large 'woomf' in the middle of the camp as air followed him down. The gears and servos whirred as he stood up straight, raising his arms, a small hatch open,d revealing the barrel of a gun. His back-mounted launchers turned to face those behind him.

"Nobody move."

His voice amplified, everyone was already standing frozen, looking at him. Clad in red, white and blue, the cold, unfeeling face. He wasn't moving at all. The suit kept him deathly still, yet thanks to the variety of sensors, he knew everything that was going on in the area. The guards were slowly walking towards him, weapons raised. His HUD went from calm yellow to an angry orange. The armour systems auto-targetting the 'perceived' threats.

"What is the meaning of this?" A woman came storming out of the tent he assumed was a mess. She spoke with a soft Scottish accent. A long trailing coat, tactical vest and trousers. Jim's scanner picked up the handgun at her hip, her dossier appeared on the right of his HUD. Moira MacTaggert, former MI6 agent. The moment she saw him, he saw her tense up and reassess the situation. While everyone knew the exploits of the War Machines during the war against the Reach, anyone within government circles would be acutely aware of just how much they achieved and what their capabilities were, and this wasn't a War Machine suit. It was the Iron Patriot, new and improved.

He used his tongue to flick on the microphone ono communicate externally. "You're all going to have to come with me-"

Moira crossed her arms. "And just why is that, Colonel Rhodes?" He could practically hear the venom in her voice.

"You're all suspected to be in breach of EO-141448. Under Presidential Authority, I'm bringing you in for questioning and testing." He twitched his thumb slightly, a small status light on his HUD flicked green, and the green lights on his tracker started to tighten in on the camp. The soldiers are closing in.

"You can't do that." Jim's suit suppressed his sigh, not in the face of her defiance. In the face of his own.

"I can, and will, fulfil my orders-" Before he could finish his next thought, a large shard of ice came flying out of the tent. Tearing a hole in the fabric, colliding with his suit and sending him tumbling. The status on his HUD turned red, highlighting the impacted area. Using his hand repulsors, he boosted himself back onto his feet, entering a fighting stance. His weapons immediately retracted as he looked into the face of the young man - no. He was more a boy, a boy, and he had just managed to knock the most advanced suit of armour onto the ground. Jim could see the rage on the boy's face as the ice began to crack and spread, covering his whole body. He cursed himself, the cold spot hadn't been refrigeration, it had been a single mutant. Who knew how many more there were in that ten?.

"Bobby, no!" Moira shouted, but it was too late as the boy charged at him. With a flick of his fingers, his lethal weapons retracted to their holding position., Reaching behind him, he pulled a stun baton out of the suit. Swinging for 'Bobby' as the two neared contact. The boy dodged under it harmlessly, alarms blaring in the helmet as Jim's back was pelted with shards of ice, twisting on one foot, he brought the baton down. Narrowly missing the young mutant. By this point, chaos had erupted. He could hear the ZAT-Rounds popping off. Weapons specially designed by Tony as a non-lethal takedown. A single shot stunned a normal human on the first strike. The bodies were falling as the special forces pushed onwards.

This 'Bobby' kicked at Jim's knee; he could practically feel the cold through the suit. The temperature in the area was rapidly dropping. People were running, falling, and fleeing. Some had just fallen on the ground, sobbing. Swinging the baton as the boy stood up, he went flying as electricity arced throughout his body. Falling to the ground with a soft 'thump'. Looking up after affixing the cuffs to the boy's wrists, he looked up to see a soldier with his helmet off. Blood spilling from his temple, he raised his gun towards a figure lying on the ground.

Flicking over to the team comms, Jim identified the soldier. "Taggert, what are you doing?" Jack Taggert ignored him, pulling the trigger. The body before him convulsed as it was hit again and again, turning into as best a sprint he could manage in the suit. Jim raised his right arm, a repulsor shot lanced out and knocked the gun out of Jack's hands. Pushing him away, Jim turned to see the convulsing form of a child. Lightning arced and raced over his body, as it slowly turned to ash.

---

"This isn't going to go down well, Tony." Jim slid the tablet back across the table to arguably one of the most famous tech billionaires on the face of the planet. Certainly one of the most famous and liked. Even though the Stark family for three generations had made its money from the spilling of blood, when that blood was spent at the protection of Truth, Justice and the American way, there could be little argument on whether or not it was worth the cost. Tony had argued publicly that while Superman had been pivotal in changing the tide of the war, he believed that the War Machine project, now known as the Iron Patriot Program, would have had the same results. Each iteration of the armour, he said, improved upon the last.

"I don't have a choice Rhodey, we can't keep going on like this."

"Just think about what it's going to do to the company Tony-" Tony slammed his fist on the table, causing his drink to jump and fall over. The golden-yellow spread lazily across the table. Tony groaned as he stood up in a quest to find a towel.

"It's not about the company, it's about the world." Jim, who had walked in the opposite direction of the workshop, picked up some paper towels, whistled and then tossed them over to Tony. "You know full well why I even started this project-"

"Yeah, Fury practically begged you too." Tony raised an eyebrow, and let loose a small chuckle.

"True, that was almost better than the paycheque." He continued to mop up the spilt drink, handing some of the paper towels to Jim as he got closer. "I honestly thought it could help make the world a better place." Tony sighed, and Jim took the time to look at him. Even after he had found him falling out of the sky in that first-ever suit, he hadn't seemed as tired as he did now. The bags under his eyes were deep and heavy, the unmistakable stench of guilt in the air. He had seen Tony broken many times before, but never as badly as this.

"They did-they do." Jim looked over to the Iron Patriot suit stood in the middle of the workshop. Several panels and weapons had been removed, exposing its guts. In a world of aliens and monsters, people who could throw cars like they were pennies. The Patriot program was really their only hope, and trying to maintain some sense of order.

Tony chuckled as he picked up his glass and walked over to the fridge. The glass clinked slightly as he placed it upon the counter, pouring out of a carton of apple juice before returning it to the fridge and taking a sip. "Not according to the current President. He's pushing for more-" He nodded towards the tablet. "-He's wanting me to consult on Trasks super secret project. I told him where he can shove that. Bad enough they're making his anti-mutant software a requirement in the Patriot armour."

Jim wiped the liquid off the back of the tablet as he picked it up, flicking through the screens to technical specs that he probably shouldn't have been privy to. Granted, it was entirely possible that even Tony wasn't supposed to have them, but that had never stopped him before. "I've got a feeling Trask has been snooping in on the Patriots' systems, but I can't prove anything yet." Tony sighed as he came and sat back down at the table. He sighed. "Rhodey. I'm discontinuing the Patriot."

Having taken his sip of juice in solidarity with his brother, Jim choked slightly when he attempted a gasp. "You realise that the President isn't going to like that very much?"

"What do I care, the Program was founded under Elis. A good man, who was dropped into an impossible situation-" Tonys arms flapped wildly. "-I've known Lord for a long time, and if he's pressuring me for more control over the armour, it's not for anything good."

"You know he's put through my transfer papers to Groom Lake, signed them personally. Next Sunday."

"Well I wouldn't pack my bags just yet if I were you-"

"Tony, if you do this-"

"I know, but it's something I have to do."

Jim just sighed. "I know you do, I know you do."

THE STREETS// SAN FRANCISCO

Popping a small block of what could be considered candy out of his belt, he popped it on his tongue. It popped and fizzed as the sugar was released into his system. It was a special concoction designed by himself and Barry. As a Speedster, Wally burned through his reserves quickly, so it always paid to keep on top of his energy levels. Watching as the two demi-god powered beings lifted the sentient pile of bricks into the sky to take him safely to the edges of the city. There was no rush for him to keep up. They were running him out of the city, he could easily catch up to the-

Wally nearly swore as he watched Cinderblock break free. Nothing audible escaped his lips, not to anyone without super-speed anyway, as he tore off, cars moved and shook in his wake as he passed through the desolate and ruined streets. Running until he was directly below the falling figure of Cinderblock. He couldn't catch him, there was no chance of that. Even if he had the strength, raw force, and velocity that the human brickhouse currently possessed, it would cause his arms to disintegrate into nothing but a red mist.

"Robin to Titans. Recon went a little south. But we bagged our baddie, and it doesn't look like there were any casualties."

His radio buzzed.

"How's it going with yours?"

Not well. Not very well at all.

There was only one thing he could do, a tactic he and Barry had used together on several occasions. He wasn't nearly as good at it as Barry, but desperate times. He started to run, and he ran in a circle. The air began to swirl, and whirl around. Small light pieces of debris started to pick up and spin around in a circle. Still, he drew it in, piling on even more speed. Lightning flared and buzzed behind him as he pushed himself onwards. Continuing as a blur, a cyclone of air formed as larger and larger debris joined in on the vortex as Cinderblock continued to fall towards him. There was a crack as the behemoth struck the top of the wind tunnel, and Wally had to fight back against the blowback from stopping Cinderblocks fall. He groaned through gritted teeth, daring himself to look up to see Cinderblock kicking and flailing, no doubt trying to get loose. No matter the speed Wally piled on, he could already see Cinderblock was slowly continuing to fall.

Digging deep, Wally pushed in with everything he had. Tapping his earpiece.

"Not great. I can't hold this guy for long, send help."

“Hey Garfield, pack it up and push off, if you've got a problem with Earthlings we're going to have a problem.”

The girl with the fists of fury stamped on her landing, and Titus snarled in response. He pointed at her with his good hand, as a beam of energy lanced out from the mothership. The entire space around Sam buzzed and fizzed with energy, his lens in the helmet adjusting as the blast of energy collided with her. Sam instinctively went for her, but it was too late. In a flash of energy she was gone. He roared back at Titus, raising his fists he let loose a blast of energy, Titus dodged it and returned with a volley of his own. Sam pushed off the hull, energy surrounding his body as he twisted and weaved. Guided as if by some invisible hand. Up, down, left, watch for the shot on the twist, loop back over.

Titus roared in frustration. He pulled a small spherical object from his belt and thumbed the activation. Tossing it towards Sam, who attempted to weave out of its way. However, it followed him. Sam ducked and bobbed, and the sphere continued to follow him as he worked his way through the local debris of the ship still attempting to avoid the fire from Titus. Left, right, look back to see where- a blast of energy collided with him and he tumbled out of control, cursing in pain as he felt the energy contort through his limbs. He closed his eyes and covered his face with his arms as the spherical device came closer.

A flash of blue above Sam and Jaime was there, his right arm twisted and contorted into a sword. Allowing the scarab to guide him, the blade tore through space in a flash of sapphire, slicing the device in half and allowing it to drift off harmlessly.

Jaime turned to look at Titus, who had murder in his one remaining eye as he pointed up at them and yelled something obscene and inaudible. All around them, the weird-looking chariot craft from earlier appeared, out of the belly of the worms, out of the maw of the giant ship that seemed to be exchanging fire with the golden girl. Jaime offered Sam his hand, and the two locked hands around the other's wrist.

"Together hermano?"

"Together."

<THIS COURSE OF ACTION IS UNWISE JAIME REYES>

"Oh shut up."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

In the distance, they could see Titus, jumping from one chariot to another, to debris, to another ship trying to close the distance between them. His mouth agape as the alien vented his rage out into the abyss. Jaime fired his cannons at Titu,s but he dodged at the last second sending the shots wide, what Titus hadn't expected was the blaze of light as Sam collided with him, sending him off course.

<I AM DETECTING A LARGE BUILDUP OF ENERGY IN NEARBY SPACE. A HYPERSPACE WINDOW IS OPENING>

Jaime turned to face, as in a flash of blue-green, the universe tore itself asunder. He looked too Sam, who returned the look and the two of them nodded in unison. Sam raised his arms, and bobbing and weaving amongst the debris being created by the golden-space-goddess (name pending), peppered Titus with shots, not enough to cause him damage but enough to keep him off balance. Titus fired randomly, and aggressively. Unable to get a fix on either of the two teens, when a large blue battering ram slammed into his back. Jaime groaned out of exertion as he felt his legs be joined together, he willed himself on.

<WARNING PRIMARY ENERGY RESERVES REACHING CRITICAL, BREAK OFF AND RECHARGE JAIME REYES>

"No! We can do this!" Jaime shouted through gritted teeth. Titus tried to turn, tried to claw, paw and punch at Jaime as their momentum changed direction, heading straight for the tear in space. Jaimes vision started to go black; he could feel the pull now; the gravitational force of the anomaly had started to pull in everything. Titus started to accelerate beyond him, and smaller ships and debris tumbled out of control towards the window.

<THE PULL IS TOO MUCH JAIME REYES, BREAK OFF NOW OR WE WILL BECOME TRAPPED WITH THE ENEMY>

"No! ^{Wecanfinishthis...}" His vision turned black, the thrusters disengaged and he felt himself float and drift aimlessly. His thoughts drifted to his family. Would they ever find out what had happened, or would he just be another runaway, and ungrateful child who abandoned his family, put them through hell and for-

A blaze of white-hot light tore through the darkness, and he felt his arm nearly be yanked out of its socket. Energy flowed through him, and he looked up to see 'Nova' pulling him away from the event horizon. Swear dripped down from Sam's temple as he pushed on. Energy flowed between them, the Blue Beetles arm grasped around his wrist, and Sam looked to see him twist as the Blue Beetles wings swept back, and his thruster activated. The two young heroes' arms remained locked as they pushed back away from the hole in space, as it finished pulling in the remains of the gold-goddess's conquest before collapsing in on itself.

Sam panted from the physical exertion as he turned to Jaime with a cheeky grin on his face.

"Not bad for our first day."

Jaime panted. His body calming, the adrenaline leaving his system after the events of the last few minutes. That was all it had been, minutes. Everything that had happened, the torture, the nearly dying. How many times had he nearly died?. 'Nova' hovered before him, he had just said something. Not bad for our first day. What was that supposed to mean? Jaime looked all around him and he spun, seeing the gold-blazing woman zip back towards them. Looking down at his hands, still encased in the blue and black alloy that coated his entire body.

Wait a second I'm in space.

His heart thundered in his chest, his lungs burned as they ached for oxygen.

<BE CALM JAIME REYES->

“I think I was a bit late to whatever party that was, mind catching me up?”

The Golden-Girl spoke but he couldn't hear her, how could he, he was in space? How was he breathing-

<I AM SUPPLYING OXYGEN->

Was he going to die from exposure or radiation? How was he supposed to get back to Earth?

<I AM FULLY CAPABLE OF PROTECTING->

This had all happened so quickly, he had just been skating passed Kord on his way to find, Tye! What had happened to him, and his family. How long had he really been gone. No, this wouldn't do. He had to find a way, he turned and looked out into the vastness of space. In the distance he could see a faint blue dot, that had to be Earth, right? How on Earth was he supposed to get there anytime soon-

Sam drifted through space towards the so called 'Blue Beetle'. He was spiralling, Sam could see it. His eyes were wide, and as he looked around space, spinning looking at his hands his shoulders rocked back and forth as if he was trying to find air, his lungs denying him the oxygen he needed. Sam reached out through the void, and grasped onto his shoulders. Focusing on the energy within himself, Sam poured it into the helmet. Trying to make him shine brighter, for the moment ignoring the girl who had drifted her way over to them.

Not that they had needed the help.

"Hey-" Eyes still wide and unfocused. Brighter. "Hey-" More. "HEY!" That did the trick, as Blues eyes focused in on him. "Come back to me Blue, you're alright. Breathe." Sam maintained his grip, he remembered a story his dad had told him. The first time he had been in space, how he felt untethered and lost. Unconnected, it had been Titus - one of his fathers instructors, who had grabbed hold of him and brought him back.

Part of Sam felt guilty, he had never felt more free. Up here, away from everything that held him down. "You're okay Blue, we did it. We beat the bad guy-" Sam slowly let go, and drifted his way back slightly to give them an-okay degree of seperation. He nodded over to the Golden-Girl. "-A simple job for this one, she must have activated their hyperdrive to send the ships away." Sam turned to look at her. "Good job on that, by the way."

"Good Job." Jaime croaked quietely. As if his own voice threatened to betray him. Sam beamed at his new friend, trial by fire and all that. They were friends now. Whether Blue knew it or not.

"There he is, welcome back buddy!" Sam gave him a friendly pat on the back. Knocking Jaime forward, who panicked and threw out his arms to catch him, which in the emptiness of space was a fruitless endeavour.

<ALL YOU NEED DO IS THINK OF THE FUNCTION YOU WISH TO PERFORM, AND I SHALL COMPLETE THE TASK> Jaime came to a stop.

"Okay, Okay I get it." Jaime snapped, and then turned gingerly back to the other two space-borne teenagers. "Lo siento, I uh. It's just, it's been a lot." Jaime looked at the golden-girl. "It's a long story, but I think that the white-tiger-guy-"

"Titus."

"-was wanting to get this, thing-" Jaime raised his thumbs back over his shoulder, indicating towards the middle of his back. "-off me. I'm not entirely sure why but, I'm glad you two showed up when you did."

"Yeah, I guess we were all just lucky."

---

There was no such thing as luck. He had lived for millenia, seen empires rise and fall. From both the small and the pitiful to the great and mighty. He had been a conqueror, a protector and a watcher. Yet the only constant, had been him. Not through any divine hand, no command from on-high and no luck. As always it was him who controlled his own destiny, he moved the pieces as he saw fit. The Earth was just a giant game of Mehet, Chess, or Monopoly. Depending on what age you had been born.

The interloper had come for the Scarab. That which had plagued his people long ago, before he had been cursed with this eternal existence. It was this that had started the chain of events that led to his torture, he had been but a shaman then. The warrior brought terror and bloodshed, demanding subjugation. All that stood before him had fallen, so when Nabu and the Wizard had come to him with a proposal. How could he say no? His magic had always been weak, but together they succeeded in beating the warrior. Hiding away the infernal contraption where it would never be found - until Dan Garrett. He had cursed himself, once he had ascended he should have known to return for the Scarab, and keep it close. Such as the All-Father had done with his many trophies.

Humanity, as hard as they fought for survival often started the chain of events that led to their own destruction. Dan Garrett had found the scarab, and had even worn it to become the Vigilante known as the BLUE BEETLE. He had feared that Garrett would have been corrupted by its influence, but whatever residual effects its imprisonment had on it appeared to dimish its capacity. He decided not to reveal himself, but to keep his eye on the situation.

When Garrett had died, he passed the scarab on to his protege. A business-man and inventor called Ted Kord.

Ted, for all the short-comings humanities media liked to go on about, appeared to have some modicum of intelligence and had identified the scarab for what it truly was. A one man army. Still, he had not hidden it. Instead he turned it into a force for good. He had been proud of Teds accomplishments, before the arrival of Titus, the intervention of the Nova Corpsman was an interesting adjustment. Things were now being set in motion that would lead Earth down a very different path, and no matter the destination. He would ensure that his goals, were met.

---

“Let's get to introductions, I'm the Warbird, I'd like you to explain yourselves in ways that don't mean I have to demand you come to the Pentagon for questioning.”

<INCREASED THREAT LEVEL DETECTED ACTIVATING OFFENSIVE SYSTEMS> Jaime felt his arm shift, but shoved his arm behind his back before it had completed the transition to weapon.

"No!" Jaime said out loud, both the 'Warbird' and the Nova turned to look at him as he shook his arm behind his back, feeling it return to its normal shape. "I mean uh-" He chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. Would the chuckle transmit through space by whatever wizardry he was communicating via?

<I AM TRANSMITTING ALL RELEVANT INFORMATION> Question answered.

"I'm the uh, Blue Beetle, and I'd rather not go to the Pentagon, if you wouldn't mind-"

<YOU SHOULD BE MORE ASSERTIVE JAIME REYES, TELL THIS WARBIRD YOU WILL NOT GO.>

"She just blew up an entire fleet of aliens. I'm not going to piss her off."

Ignoring Blue casually talking to himself, Sam shot forward and offered the Warbird a quick mock salute. "Call me Nova. Your resident SuperNova Commando, here for all your alien-warfare needs." He bowed his head exuberantly towards her, a massive grin plastered over his face. His dad was gone, his dad was missing, and all he could think about was how insane it was that he was out here in space, fighting aliens. Just like every story his dad had told him growing up. This was it, this was his moment. He'd find his dad, and together. Together, they'd be the father-son duo that this planet needed to keep it safe.

He'd see the Galaxy, finally in control of his own destiny.