Writer's note: This might be a bit rougher than usual since i only 
revised it once.

Avenging
Act II, Chapter 9
The Lesson of the Serpents
(Strength in Numbers)

Any and all C+C appreciated. You can contact me at:
[sommert@connecttime.net]

All the previous chapters and my other works are stored at:

Larry F's new address at:
http://www.florestica.com/dbsommer/index.htm

At fanfiction.net:
http://www.fanfiction.net/

And newer works at Mediaminer
www.mediminer.org

Standard disclaimer: I don�t own any of the Marvel characters or other 
characters from the numerous animes which are within.

Here�s a great reference guide for many character and objects in the 
Marvel Universe. Comic geeks like me, including people that have worked 
for Marvel, have put it together. Heck, they refer to stuff even I 
didn�t know about. (Like how it was Warhawk that had killed Atom Smasher 
I from the brief Black Goliath run. Hey, it was a fun five issues series.
http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/index.htm


Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was a call Kodachi Kunou didn�t expect. Her late father�s personal 
line, which was never used since everyone knew he had been declared dead 
(and that Kodachi had her own personal line), suddenly emitted a song 
with a Hawaiian flavor to it. She mentally marked having that tune 
purged from the system.

However was calling had been lucky in her being in her father�s old 
office when it rang. Kodachi picked up the phone and entered the ten 
digit code to accept the call. Instantly a viewscreen popped up from the 
desk and activated. It showed a somewhat heavyset gaijin dressed in an 
expensive suit. Kodachi recognized him instantly. Hugh Jones was 
synonymous with Roxxon the company he founded, while remaining its 
primary shareholder.

�Yes, Mr. Jones?� Kodachi asked in flawless English.

�Greetings, Miss Kunou,� the man answered in equally flawless Japanese. 
�Congratulations on achieving control of your father�s empire.�

�Thank you. I�ve noticed Roxxon is doing equally well on the open 
market.� The proper greetings had been exchanged. The need for etiquette 
had been met. Kodachi wanted to cut to the chase. �If I may be so bold, 
how is it one of my late father�s competitors is calling me on his 
personal line?�

Jones smiled. While it didn�t touch his eyes, neither was it hostile. 
�Yes, well, you see, your father and I had something of an unusual 
friendship. Roxxon has always been geared toward energy production while 
Kunou Industries has focused on munitions and pineapples.�

�We�re a bit more diverse than that, and we�re liquidating our pineapple 
holdings.� It was a repulsive fruit her father had been far too obsessed 
over. The money from the sales was going to obtain a new pharmaceutical 
company that had caught Kodachi�s eye. While her father had possessed a 
head for business, his mania with fruit and his disdain for 
pharmaceuticals were definite blind spots in his psyche. He had been far 
too eccentric for his own good at times. Luckily Kodachi was beyond such 
things. She was perfectly normal, and had a good outlet for any stress 
that bothered her. Repulsor beams to a super-villain�s head was very 
therapeutic.

Not that she would share such inside information regarding the change in 
KI�s mission profile with Jones. �Now, what were you saying about your 
relationship with my father?�

�Since we had few common interests, we would occasionally share 
information with one another, assuming it wouldn�t lead to cross 
purposes, of course.�

�Of course,� Kodachi said. �Insider information?�

�No. More like a gentlemen�s agreement,� Jones corrected. �In any event, 
I thought we might engage in an exchange of favors that would benefit us 
mutually.�

�What sort of favors?� Kodachi asked, unwilling to agree to anything 
before the cards were on the table.

�As a show of good faith, I shall lead off,� Jones said. �A few months 
ago a company called the Brand Corporation was bought out from under us 
through a shell company. Let�s just say the tactics used to beat us were 
underhanded by even the lowest of standards.�

Oh great. A long winded story. Kodachi tired of this beating around the 
bush. �And this concerns me how?�

Jones took no offense, at least outwardly. �Brand was making incredibly 
inroads in the creations of super-powered beings. As part of the 
negotiations, we were shown some of their plans, including the creation 
of a unit of SPBs. Recently a group of super-villains appeared, a number 
of them with abilities identical to those being developed by Brand. They 
have been going by the name �The Serpent Society.� If you were to send 
your own team of SPBs to defeat them, I�m certain you could handle these 
snakes.�

Kodachi steepled her fingers before her as she stared at the screen. 
�First, while I am financing the Avengers, they are most certainly not 
my employees. Only my personal bodyguard, Iron Rose, is. The Avengers 
operate at their own discretion. Secondly, why are you so concerned 
about these super-villains? Surely this isn�t revenge over being 
outmaneuvered in your business dealings?�

Jones was silent for a moment, then said, �No, it�s more personal than 
that. Roxxon was attempting to gather pieces of an item that might have 
served as an alternative energy source. The Serpent Society stole our 
pieces from us, as well those that had been gathered by others. The only 
piece left is on our possession, which means they�ll be coming after it. 
I can�t say I care for the idea of a group of highly dangerous 
super-villains getting their hands on this potential energy source.�

Now that made sense. And it was something she could agree to. The world 
did not need another Mandarin. �What would you want the Avengers to do?�

�We have a surefire method of preventing them from ever getting the 
final piece, but we need time to relocate it to the proper facility. 
We�d like the Avengers to guard the piece until it can be dealt with. If 
you can arrange this for me, I would be more than happy to share some 
information that concerns KI.�

That piqued her interest further. �Go on.�

Jones smiled, delighted at her interest. �I have become aware that one 
of your major stockholders is about to be pressured into selling her 
stock. I can give you the name so you get a chance to buy it first. So 
you see, the Avengers will have a chance to take down a group of 
dangerous super-villains and you�ll be protecting your company from a 
possible hostile takeover.�

Kodachi had to admit, it was a tempting offer, one she couldn�t refuse 
for both reasons Jones had stated. Super-villains needed to be 
incarcerated and she needed to protect her company, especially since 
someone had attempted to kill her, as well as them probably killing both 
her brother and father. �I see. Very well. I�ll have Iron Rose broach 
the subject. If the Avengers are agreeable, I�ll inform you.�

�Excellent,� Jones said. �Due to the urgency of the matter, the piece is 
being moved later today. I only told you this at the last minute due to 
our moving ahead of schedule. I�ll give you the time and location to 
meet with the convoy that will be taking it to the secure facility. It�s 
been a pleasure doing business with you.�

�It has been interesting,� Kodachi conceded, then cut the transmission. 
So, her father�s backroom dealings went beyond what she had thought. She 
didn�t trust Roxxon; there had been far too many rumors concerning the 
way they did business, and she doubted their attempt to acquire Brand�s 
SPBs had been for the benefit of mankind. Still, it seemed as though 
there was an even greater threat than Roxxon involved in this, and 
Kodachi was one who preferred dealing with the devil she knew to the one 
she didn�t.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Iron Rose peered through the eye slits of her visor at the assemblage of 
heroes. For a change, everyone had shown up (except the part-time 
trollop Bucky), even the ever wandering Hulk was sitting at the table, 
fixated on Thor. Of course, he had simply followed the beeping from the 
homing beacon in his bandanna, rather than having any desire to help 
out. But upon seeing Thor, he had become like a giant puppy, eager to 
follow her around.

At the moment all was peaceful, but there was no telling how long that 
might last with such diverse personalities. All too often one wrong word 
would send the team into a heated debate.

Iron Rose activated her voice amplifier, increasing it three times so 
that she might be heard over the din. �Avengers, I have called this 
meeting for a purpose.�

�Is Tin Can Girl serving beans?� Hulk asked.

�We can arrange that before we leave,� Iron Rose told him, informing 
Sasuke to prepare the Hulk�s usual twenty pound helping of beans �to 
go�. In some ways, the Hulk was quite easy to deal with compared to the 
others. Unless he lost his temper, than he was by far the worst of the 
lot. If only everyone could be as composed as her Captain Japan, who 
never made problems and was the ideal team player in every way.

Iron Rose started to become lost in a fantasy of the Captain sweeping 
her off her feet, when she was outside of her armor, of course. She 
didn�t have a lot, well, any contact with the opposite gender, and he 
was an ideal one to start out with. Those huge muscles, that proud 
profile, that cute butt�

�Ahem.� Hawkeye cleared her throat in an openly irritated manner.

�I�m getting to the point,� Iron Rose said testily. �I have come upon 
information indicating a super-villain group known as the Serpent 
Society will attack a Roxxon convoy. I suggest we travel with it so that 
we might ambush these villains and bring them to justice. I�d like a 
vote on the matter to see if we shall stop these foul villains from 
committing their acts of perfidy.�

Giant Man, currently at his normal height, said, �I don�t think we 
should do thi��

Wasp cut him off. �Of course we have to stop these mean and nasty 
super-villains and kick their behinds. Isn�t that right, Giant Man?�

Giant Man took one look into his diminutive partner�s eyes. No, he 
didn�t want to fight them. He wanted to go home and look over some 
updates he had to turn in to keep his medical license. But there was no 
way he would allow Kasumi to walk into the jaws of danger. �Yes.�

Their hands both went up.

Hulk said. �Tin Can Girl wants us to smash snakes?�

�Yes.�

�Hulk does not like snakes. Hulk will help smash snakes.� He raised his 
hand.

Thor�s hand followed. �We should smite these foul miscreants.�

Daredevil remained sitting with his hands crossed. �No way. I�m not some 
stooge for a big oil conglomerate like Roxxon.�

Hawkeye followed suit. �I�m inclined to agree with Daredevil. Roxxon has 
been involved in some pretty shady deals. Maybe they�re doing something 
illegal too. I mean, they could go to the authorities and have them help.�

Wasp flew up to Hawkeyes�s face, tiny fists planted firmly on tiny hips. 
�Why don�t we just call the authorities whenever a super-villain shows up?�

�It�s not the same thing,� Hawkeye said.

�I�m abstaining,� Captain Japan said, interrupting the upcoming argument.

All eyes turned toward him.

�Why?� Iron Rose asked.

As though each word had to be pulled from his mouth, Captain Japan said, 
�I�m� retiring.�

The Avengers rose to their feet almost as a whole, except the Hulk, who 
stared at everyone. He didn�t see why he should stand, so he remained 
where he was.

�Thou cannot quit,� Thor said, getting right up into Captain Japan�s face.

Hawkeye tried muscling the goddess out of the way. Failing to move her 
an inch, she settled for squishing herself between the Asgardian and 
Iron Rose. �I agree.�

Daredevil remained sitting. �Let him go. We don�t need him.�

Iron Rose turned in fury upon him. �You sightless moron. We need the 
Captain more than we need you.�

Now Daredevil shot to his feet in confrontation with Iron Rose and the 
two squared off.

The Hulk finally rose to his feet, having caught the gist of the 
conversation. �Shield Man reminds Hulk of Hulk�s enemy. Maybe Hulk 
should smash Shield Man before he leaves.�

Captain Japan put his hands to his lips and gave a sharp whistle, 
catching everyone�s attention once again. �Guys! It�s a family 
emergency, kind of. A problem with my mother.�

�Can�t you just take a leave of absence. It�ll be paid for,� Iron Rose 
assured him.

Captain Japan shook his head. �Nah. The problem ain�t going to go away. 
I gotta quit. Probably retire altogether. And Bucky will be coming with me.�

�We can get by without her,� Hawkeye assured him.

�Verily.�

�I concur,� came from Iron Rose.

�Well don�t get all worked up over that,� Captain Japan said dryly. 
�Anyway, I�m resigning effective immediately.� He turned and walked out 
without looking back.

The others stared at his retreating form. Iron Rose recovered from the 
shock first. �We will discuss the matter of the captain�s resignation 
later.�

�I shall bring him back,� Thor said.

�This is a voluntary group,� Daredevil pointed out.

�Then I shall voluntarily bring him back.�

Daredevil gave up. Arguing with goddess�s just wasn�t worth the hassle.

Iron Rose continued. �At the moment, it�s five to two in favor of 
stopping the Serpent Society. We�ll defeat these villains, and if we 
catch wind of any Roxxon wrongdoings, we�ll stop them, too.�

That seemed to placate the still stunned Hawkeye, though Daredevil 
remained firm in his disapproval.

Course decided, Iron Rose activated a holographic map that had already 
been programmed with the necessary information. �The target is being 
moved today, so we�ll have to set off immediately. Here�s the battle 
plan I recommend��

Xxxxxxxx

An hour later the Avengers landed in a makeshift landing strip near an 
old, dormant volcano. A number of vehicles formed a ring around a large 
container. As the quinjet set down and the Avengers got off, a man in a 
business suit, completely inappropriate for the terrain, approached them.

Iron Rose took the lead. Since she had called the group together, and 
had superior knowledge of corporate diplomacy, she had been placed in 
charge of the mission.

The man bowed deeply. �Greetings, I�m Yoshihiro Kimura the head of this 
operation. Might I say it�s an honor to meet you. I�m glad, no, relieved 
you�re here to help. Even with our security detail, we�re no match for 
real SPBs.�

�It�s an honor to meet you as well�� Iron rose said, then was 
interrupted as one of the security personnel, who had a set of 
binoculars scanning the sky, suddenly shouted, �It�s them again! All 
personnel take cover!� And he promptly did so.

All eyes looked upward to the serpent shaped saucer flying toward the 
convoy low and to the ground. The saucer was already coming to a stop 
before the man had finished seeking cover.

�I like it when they don�t make us wait,� Wasp said eagerly as a ramp 
appeared from the ship and a large number of snake motif villains 
stepped down from the saucer.

Iron Rose turned to Thor and the Hulk. �I want you two to scatter them.�

�Wait!� Giant Man said. �Let�s try to talk to them.�

�Why?� Wasp said, openly perturbed.

�Yes, why?� Iron Rose asked.

�So we can have a peaceful resolution for a change. Because not 
everything in the world needs to be resolved with violence. Maybe we can 
defuse the situation if we understand why they�re doing this. They might 
have very legitimate reasons.�

�I�m against it because there are a whole lot more of them than us, and 
we�re giving them a chance to formulate a defense.� Hawkeye fingered the 
feathered shafts sticking out of her quiver nervously.

Seeing any element of surprise had been lost in the discussion, Iron 
Rose said. �Very well. We�ll give diplomacy a chance, though I�m not 
very hopeful.�

Hawkeye said, �I�m hopeful, because I don�t like three to one odds like 
we�re facing.�

Giant Man approached the group of snakes, who were fanning out away from 
the saucer. As he did so, Daredevil moved next to Hawkeye and said 
softly, �I�m with you. This isn�t going to work. I can tell by the 
heartbeat of the one with hair sticking out of the top of her outfit 
that she�s a speedster.�

�The one all in black?� Hawkeye asked.

Daredevil simply went silent.

Hawkeye could sense the irritation radiating from him. �Oh, right. The 
color thing.� She turned red in embarrassment. �The one with kneepads?�

�Yes, that one. If it hits the fan, she�ll be the first one on us. We�ll 
use Plan 10.�

�Right.� One of the advantages of having faced a speedster before, and 
gotten trounced by him on more than one occasion, was that they had 
developed tactics to counter someone with similar abilities. Hawkeye 
moved the shaft that Plan 10 called for away from the others and waited 
for the situation to break down. Really, talking with super villains. If 
they could be reasoned with, they wouldn�t be super-villains. Especially 
snake oriented one. Only major weirdoes went around in scales.

Giant Man decided to remain at his normal height as a show of faith to 
the oddly garbed newcomers. None of these people were very well, given 
their obvious snake fetishes. After the situation was peacefully 
resolved, he�d recommend a therapist that specialized in people with 
fetish problems to them.

Some of them tensed up, as though to strike. Giant Man was quick to 
locate the one that seemed to be the leader, dressed in a brown full 
snake bodysuit, and shout to him, �Wait. Before we engage in mindless 
violence which only result in needless injury, let�s try and resolve 
this peacefully.�

�What an unexpected surprise.� Sidewinder held up his hand, indicating 
his forces should remain at attention, though his eyes never left Giant 
Man. �Very well, what do you have to say?�

�Why are you doing this?� It was a basic question which was the key to 
settling many issues.

Sidewinder considered that. �If you must know, part of it is money and 
the other part has to do with being given independence from the people 
that gave most of us our abilities.�

Yes! Giant Man knew it. There was a reasonable explanation for their 
actions; one that could be resolved with a little effort. �That�s easy. 
I�m sure Roxxon will pay you not to attack them, and we�ll help free you 
from your master�s control. There�s no need to fight after all.�

Sidewinder shook his head. �You misunderstand. We�re all volunteers that 
are contractually obligated to do this. We�re far too honorable to break 
our word. Now let me turn the tables and ask, why are you Avengers here? 
Is Kodachi Kunou in the habit of loaning out her forces to corrupt oil 
conglomerates?�

�Hey! I�m here under protest!� Daredevil shouted, his heightened hearing 
able to listen in as though he were standing next to the pair.

Iron Rose was also perturbed and sounded angry enough to blast 
Sidewinder out of hand. �And the Avengers have complete autonomy in 
making their own decisions. The stipend they receive is in recognition 
of the difficulty of their work. Only I am a salaried employee of Kunou 
Industries.�

�Oh, of course you are.� Sarcasm dripped from Sidewinder like venom. 
�Why don�t you just move along. I see you�re one person short, and in 
case you didn�t notice, we outnumber you considerably.�

�I noticed,� Hawkeye said.

�Enough talk,� came the Wasp�s voice from the center of a number of the 
villains. Bushmaster was suddenly struck by a double �sting� to the face 
instantly rendering him unconscious.

�So much for dialogue,� Iron Rose said as the first shot released the 
floodgates

Everything happened at once. Before Wasp could follow up on her attack 
Rattler raised his tail up and sent a solid wave of vibratory force 
through the air. It was so wide and so hard Wasp didn�t stand a chance 
as she was swatted from the air and hit the ground.

Seeing the woman he loved struck down, Giant Man cried out her name and 
shot up to a height of twenty feet. Rock Python, who had been standing 
next to Sidewinder, ran up to his large feet and confronted him.

�Out of the way!� Giant Man shouted, seeing only red. He kicked Rock 
Python, knocking the villain off his feet. Then Giant Man cried out in 
pain and held his foot.

Rock Python rose to his feet, unhurt. �Tough Luck, Big Man. Name�s Rock 
Python, and I got rock hard skin. A big pussy like you can�t begin to 
hope to hurt me.�

Giant Man stopped hopping around and grabbed Rock Python. Due to his 
large hand, he was able to pin his opponent�s hands to his sides.

Rock Python laughed. �Stupid. You ain�t the Hulk or Thor. You aren�t 
strong enough to squeeze me and cause me any pain.�

�Who said I�m going to squeeze you?� And with that Giant Man drew back, 
then threw Rock Python like he was a man-sized football. The villain 
went sailing off in the distance.

As Giant Man took a moment to estimate how long it would take the 
villain to run back, a stabbing pain came from his back. He cried out in 
agony and tried to remove the source, which was large, heavy, and seemed 
to be hanging on to his back. He backed up, ramming whatever it was 
against the serpent saucer itself. The stabbing sensation stopped 
increasing, but there was a sharp pain from an obvious wound.

Giant Man turned around and saw Cottonmouth picking himself up. His 
cheeks were bulging as he chewed on something. Giant Man felt behind him 
for the source of the pain and realized he was bleeding from a sizeable 
chunk of flesh that was now missing from his back.

�You, you bit me,� he said in disgust.

�Injected some venom into you through my fangs, too, though you�re so 
big, I doubt if it will bother you,� Cottonmouth could barely get out 
through his overstuffed cheeks.

Giant Man suddenly felt like throwing up. Before he could do anything, 
one of the Asp�s venom blasts struck him in the face. While it didn�t 
knock him out, due to his huge size, he felt very woozy. Many of the 
muscles in his face becoming unmoving, as well as his mind being 
affected. His thoughts slowed as he swayed around, as though drunk.

At the same time Wasp was getting swatted, Daredevil initiated Plan 10, 
shouting at Black Racer, �Hey, you ugly hag. If you�re going to wear 
skin-tight clothing, do it in something that doesn�t make your ass look 
fat!�

�Die!� Black Racer shrieked. Thought was motion as she ran toward Daredevil.

She was almost too fast. Luckily Hawkeye had fired her arrow before 
Daredevil had finished speaking. Also to their advantage, Black Racer 
was had developed tunnel vision only for the red-garbed hero, who was 
pulling a batch of tanglewire from his robes.

The grease arrow splattered right in front of Black Racer. She had no 
time to react, hitting the patch and wiping out.

As she slid past Daredevil, she hit the bail of tanglewire he had thrown 
in front of her. While it lacked barbs, it was wiry and strong enough 
that as Black Racer rolled around in it, she ended up wrapped in a small 
cocoon of metal.

�You�ll pay for that!� Sidewinder shouted, seeing his lady love 
incapacitated so brutally.

With the flick of the wrist, a billy club appeared in Daredevil�s hand. 
He threw the metal truncheon at Sidewinder, but before it covered half 
the distance, Sidewinder�s cape had engulfed him. By the time it came 
within ten feet of where he had been, the villain had teleported out of 
the line of fire.

The cape unfolded, allowing Sidewinder to see he had teleported directly 
behind Daredevil, as he had planned. He brought out his stun pistol from 
the holster at his hip and took aim at the hero�s back.

Two more billy clubs appeared in Daredevil�s hands from the sleeves of 
his robes. Without looking behind him, he threw them over his shoulders. 
Both projectiles were on target as one hit Sidewinder in the wrist, 
making him drop the pistol, while the second struck him in the head, 
rendering him unconscious.

Before Daredevil could react a third opponent came at him. Coachwhip�s 
weapons danced in the air, as though alive. �All the tricks in the world 
aren�t going to save you from someone as talented as me.

�I�m sure,� Daredevil threw a dozen weighted chains at Coachwhip. She 
proved as goods as her word, effortlessly batting aside all of the 
weapons. She then hurled a whip at him.

He pulled out a metal bat and let it coil around it. Just as he was 
about to rip the whip out of Coachwhip�s hands, a surge of electricity 
shot through it. Daredevil hit the ground, twitching in agony.

Coachwhip smiled. �The problem with being familiar with many weapons is 
you can�t beat someone who�s specialized in one. Especially when it has 
a hidden surprise.�

�I couldn�t agree with you more.� Hawkeye shot an arrow at Coachwhip�s 
back. However, halfway there her shaft was intercepted by an oversized 
diamond shaped projectile.

A second one headed toward Hawkeye�s head. She shot that one of mid-air 
with a normal arrow, triggering an explosion.

She turned to see the thrower. It was a woman dressed in a pink and 
black skin-tight bodysuit, as unsnake-like as Black Racer�s outfit. A 
large number of �throwing diamonds� were attached by bands around to her 
waist, legs, arms, and even neck.

�So you use trick arrows� Diamondback?� she guessed.

�Yes. Trick arrows?�

�Yes.�

Diamondback shouted, �Hey, guys, the archer�s mine! Don�t interfere!�

�Same goes for me!� Hawkeye shouted at her comrades, suddenly feeling 
very excited.

Diamondback held out a number of diamonds. �Let�s dance.� And threw them.

Hawkeye answered with a storm of arrows.

Thor found herself confronted by Black Mamba. Already irritated at 
Captain Japan�s resignation, she was barely able to concentrate on what 
was obviously an inferior foe. �Harlot, thou prances about in nearly as 
little clothing as a former comrade of mine.�

�But my body�s better, right?� Black Mamba asked, displaying it in a 
very suggestive way.

Thor considered that. �Not quite as buxom, methinks, but not bad at�� 
Thor suddenly realized where her thoughts had been taking her. �I have 
no interest in thine perversions. I shall agh!�

Thor cried out as two sets of claws racked across her back, biting deep 
enough to leave trails of blood behind. It was most remarkable, 
considering her Asgardian skin was bulletproof. Reflexively she lashed 
out at the one who had dared to stab her in the back while she was 
distracted.

Death Adder, dressed in green and purple armor with a large fin on the 
top, was probably they most deadly of the Serpent Society, outside of 
Cottonmouth. His primary ability was his long fingers which had osmium 
tipped metal �nails�, each coated with a healthy quantity of poison. He 
also possessed a prehensile tail tipped with spikes (also coated in 
poison) and superhuman agility. It was that agility (and body armor) 
which prevented him from needing a body cast for the next month as 
Thor�s backhand didn�t catch him flush. Instead he was only sent sailing 
away, bouncing off a rock like a racquetball before hitting the ground 
with only a handful of minor bruises and a dislocated jaw.

Dispatching her foe, Thor turned back to Black Mamba, intent on removing 
her from the field of battle as well. She wanted to do it fast, as 
already a burning sensation starting from the scratches was now coursing 
through her body.

However, upon returning her attention to her first foe, Thor saw an 
oddly shaped black cloud form in front of her. It was about the size of 
a person, but composed of some unearthly substance that reflected no 
light. It was like a chunk of living darkness.

�What is this?� Thor asked, gazing into the inky black substance. There 
was something disturbing about it, almost as though there was something 
moving beneath the surface.

Black Mamba said, �Think of it as a mirror to the soul. If you�ve ever 
loved, you�ll see what lies underneath. Look more closely.�

A part of Thor knew she should refuse, but she couldn�t seem to help 
herself. There was something there. No, there was *someone* there.

And then she saw it. How could she have been so blind. It was her. At 
long last. After an eternity, her.

The black cloud blanketed Thor. She remained motionless, her mind 
telling her to allow her beloved to embrace her.

The cloud solidified, tightening around the goddess in its embrace.

The Hulk was momentarily confused by what was happening. For one thing, 
he wasn�t sure about how well this �talking� business was going to turn 
out. It never seemed to work for him. Then the fighting started, with a 
bunch of snake people running around. Curiously, none of them bothered 
the Hulk. He had been content to leave things at that when he saw Hammer 
Girl being engulfed by a disturbing black mist. That was a no-no. It was 
time to help out his friend.

He started to head toward her when he felt something slither up his 
back, then move up to rest on his shoulders. It felt creepy, almost like 
a snake.

Suddenly an upside down head, one dressed in a cowl that made it look 
like a cobra with its hood out, appeared before the Hulk.

�What?� was all the Hulk got out as the Cobra used his wrist launcher to 
fire a trio of capsules right down the Hulk�s throat. He then used his 
inhuman speed to slither off the hulk�s shoulders and back to the ground 
before the green goliath got his hands on him.

The Hulk gagged as he swallowed the capsules. �What did snake man give 
Hulk? Was it vitamins? Hulk doesn�t like vitamins.�

Cobra said. �It�s a special concoction of mine combining the most potent 
snake venoms known to man� multiplied. You just ingested enough to kill 
a herd of elephants.�

�Hulk is not a heard of elephants!� He shouted then felt his stomach 
rumble. �Hulk not feel so good.�

�Actually you should feel dead,� Cobra said, concerned. While he could 
probably evade the Hulk with his inhuman speed, he doubted he would get 
another chance to trick the brute into swallowing more of his poison. He 
knew he should have gone after Daredevil. There was a guy that cried out 
�non-invulnerable hide�.

Suddenly Puff Adder stood next to Cobra. �I�ll finish the job!� he 
declared, running right at the Hulk, who had fallen to his knees, 
starting to retch.

A repulsor blast from the air hit the ground in front of Cobra and Puff 
Adder. The large man was only knocked off his feet, while Cobra absorbed 
the brunt of the explosion. Lacking his ally�s durability, he was 
knocked out cold.

Iron Rose shouted, �You�ll not a lay a hand on the green goliath.� And 
swept down to finish off Puff Adder.

As she flew low, she suddenly felt a great weight leap onto her back. A 
pair of arms wrapped themselves around hers, forcing them off to the 
side. She felt something else wrap themselves around her torso. She 
looked down to see they were a pair of legs.

Iron Rose tried turning her head around, and saw a huge, bulky, and very 
ugly, woman attached to her back. The woman�s arms and legs had extended 
like a serpent�s, and already the pressure was building on the armor.

The woman said, �The name�s Anaconda, honey. And I crush things. I�m 
gonna squeeze your skinny ass until that tin can becomes your coffin.�

�My armor is the height of technology. It cannot be crushed.�

�That�s what everyone says until their lungs collapse.� Anaconda began 
applying more pressure.

Iron Rose suddenly became very concerned as warning lights flashed on 
her armor�s diagnostics.

Things were not going well for her team.

xxxxxxxxxx

Asp lined up another shot at Giant Man. �Let�s see if a second shot to 
the head can bring you down, Big Boy.�

�And then I�ll rip out his throat,� Cottonmouth said, finally choking 
down the chunk of meat he had torn from the hero�s back.

�Maybe I won�t shoot him then,� Asp said. Then she realized that if she 
didn�t, she�d probably get stepped on like a garden snake. Still, maybe 
afterwards she could �accidentally� shoot Cottonmouth with a fatal blast 
at close range.

Asp aimed and fired. However, as the yellow beam of energy leapt from 
her hands, a spinning shield blocked the shot. Unfortunately for Asp, 
her venom blasts lacked kinetic energy, which meant the shield kept 
flying on the exact same course it had been hurled on. It struck her 
solidly, knocking her out. As it bounced off her it struck Cottonmouth 
in the jaw before arcing back and returning to the thrower, who made 
what would have been a difficult catch out of thoughtless reflex.

�You�re back!� Giant Man exclaimed.

All Captain Japan said was, �Grow to fifty feet.�

�I won�t be that much stronger than I am now,� Giant Man warned. His 
strength did not increase in direct proportion to his mass. Anything 
beyond thirty feet and he had to use increasing amounts of strength 
simply to support himself. Theoretically he could grow larger than his 
strength could sustain him, possibly to the point of death.

�Size is what you�ll need.� Captain Japan shouted, �Iron Rose! Fly low 
enough for Giant Man to grab the girl off your back!�

�With pleasure,� Iron Rose gasped, concerned since she had been unable 
to overpower Anaconda due to leverage, and, given the snake woman�s 
positioning, was also unable to bring any of her weapons to bear. All 
she could do was fly around and slowly feel her armor buckle.

Iron Rose flew to within reach of Giant Man and showed her back to him.

Giant Man reached for Anaconda, wondering how to best pry her off. It 
proved unnecessary as the woman�s limbs pulled away from Iron Rose and 
wrapped themselves around Giant Man�s hand.

�I�ll just crush you instead!� Anaconda shouted, as she tried to exert 
some pressure. It was then she discovered a flaw in her plan. His hand 
was so big she couldn�t get enough leverage to crush anything.

Giant Man ended her concern by slamming her into the ground.

Captain Japan shouted, �Hawkeye, help out Daredevil now!�

�I�m busy!� Hawkeye barely intercepted an acid and sharpened diamond 
with a pair of arrows. It wasn�t looking good, since she was almost out 
of arrows thanks to her evenly matched opponent.

�Now!� he ordered.

Having faith in the hunk Captain, Hawkeye spun and fired an arrow at 
Coachwhip, who had wrapped one of her whips around Daredevil�s neck and 
was slowly asphyxiating him.

The stunner arrow struck her in the temple, knocking her out.

�Turning in battle is a fatal mistake!� Diamondback shouted as she threw 
a trio of diamonds at Hawkeye.

They were intercepted in mid-flight by Captain Japan�s shield. One of 
the diamonds was explosive tipped, and the detonation threw the shield 
far off course.

Diamondback was about to throw a flame burst diamond at Captain Japan 
when she froze. She had seen him on television, of course, but it didn�t 
do him justice. The man was a serious hunk. And that profile, even 
through his mask it was obvious he had bold features.

Then she realized she had made a mistake. Instinctively she leapt out of 
the way as an explosive arrow detonated in front of her. Luckily, she 
had enough training to ride out the blast, though as she landed she felt 
her shoulder dislocate. The fight was over for her. One armed she�d be 
easy prey for Hawkeye. So instead she threw down two smoke diamonds, 
camouflaging her as she made an escape. If she could make it to the 
hills, she could probably elude any pursuit. The terrain was rocky, and 
there were still a handful of her fellow serpents to deal with.

Cottonmouth returned to his feet. While the shield impacting with his 
jaw had rattled his brain a bit, it hadn�t been incapacitating: his 
entire skull had been cybernetically enhanced. By the time he returned 
to his feet, he had seen the newcomer�s shield blown far away. Better 
yet, the annoying Captain had his back to him. One quick bite and it 
would all be over.

Cottonmouth�s jaw dropped tremendously, low enough to engulf Captain 
Japan�s head. Just as he was about to wrap his mouth around his foe�s 
skull, an energy blast took him in the body. Lacking any external 
cybernetic enhancements there, he was rendered unconscious.

Captain Japan whirled in surprise at the blast. He saw the Wasp hovering 
over a foe he had assumed been defeated.

�I recovered just in time,� Wasp said. �Nice to have you back, captain.�

�Nice to be back,� he seconded.

Puff Adder was beating on the Hulk�s head. It was easy since the Hulk 
was doubled over, completely out of it from the poisoning. By the 
twentieth blow, the Hulk�s head finally hit the ground. Puff Adder 
thanked the gods for that. His fists had gotten sore from hitting the 
big lunk�s skull so many times. He was going to have to tape them up, 
maybe dip them in ice or something.

�I knocked out the Hulk!� he shouted as Rattler ran past him.

�We are leaving,� Rattler informed him.

Puff Adder said, �Why? I beat the Hulk. I can defeat anyone.� He turned 
to see the heroes heading toward him. All save Thor. She was lying on 
the ground, gasping as Black Mamba ended her attempt to use her 
darkforce illusion to break the goddess� back.

Everyone else was unconscious.

�Oops. Gotta run.� He barely managed to run up the ramp as it closed 
behind him in an emergency take off.

�I shall pursue them,� Iron Rose said, though she didn�t like some of 
the warning lights still flashing on her diagnostics. Some of the power 
flow to her boot jets wasn�t working right, and she didn�t like the idea 
of plummeting to the ground in armor that had been under such an 
incredible strain.

A hand fell on her shoulder. �Enow,� Thor said, weakly. �I shall bring 
down our foes� craft.�

�You don�t look so�� Iron Rose�s warning fell on deaf ears as Thor swung 
her hammer around, building up velocity. The serpent saucer had barely 
made it off the ground when she released the hammer, sending it clean 
through the craft and bringing it down hard. As the craft hit the rocky 
terrain, it collapsed in on itself.

The hammer returned to Thor, who then sifted through the wreckage for a 
few minutes before finding the object of her ire. �Thou art fortunate I 
do not kill thee for thine perfidy,� she informed Black Mamba.

�S�funny. I don�t feel fortunate,� a woozy Black Mamba slurred.

�But since we�re good guys we don�t kill bad guys,� Captain Japan 
reminded his comrade in arms.

Thor realized the truth of the matter and released the woman. In fact, 
she could no longer remember why she had been so enraged. It had 
something to do with a woman. But what woman? Someone familiar, but not.

Thor shook her head clear of the thought. Whatever it had been, it was 
unimportant compared to more important bit of news. �So, thou has 
reconsidered thy resignation?�

Captain Japan looked his battle worn comrades over. �Yeah, I remembered 
that promise we made when we beat the Mandarin and felt guilty about 
giving up. Besides, today kind of erased any doubts. You guys would have 
been creamed if it wasn�t for me saving the day.�

Weakly, Daredevil protested from where he lay on the ground, �Would 
have� won anyway.�

�Why don�t you just lay there and bleed some more?� Iron Rose snapped.

�Now, now,� Captain Japan soothed. �He�s just jealous since I kick ass 
and all he has is the ability to super smell.�

�I beat two� all by� myself.�

Hawkeye cleared her throat.

�With some help on one,� Daredevil corrected.

�Yeah,� Captain Japan mused. �It doesn�t matter what my mom�s opinion of 
me is. Me and Bucky are here to stay.�

�You can leave her out,� Hawkeye said, a motion seconded by Iron Rose 
and Thor.

Before Captain Japan could complain about their attitude regarding his 
�partner� Wasp suddenly said, �Where�s the Hulk?�

�He�s right over�� Captain Japan stopped. Where there had been nearly a 
thousand pounds of gamma irradiated might, there was now a teenage boy 
(with only a slightly pimply complexion rather than an emerald one) who 
rubbed his stomach.

Ryouga said, �My stomach feels awful. I feel like throwing up for a 
week. Can you guys tell me where I am and why I�m wearing purple pants 
again?�

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Roquat entered his mistress�s command center in his usual emotionless 
manner. Others would have been worried given the negative nature of the 
reports he bore, but emotions were for humans. He simply existed to 
serve. His mistress reaction would be what it would be, and she would 
say what she would say. There was no point in worrying about what would be.

He handed her the report, which she pored over with a careful eye. After 
several moments, she turned away from it, anger evident in her features. 
�Damn! Only an intact Evil Eye would properly power the master mold 
unit. As it is now, it can only power one individual unit. A very 
powerful one, to be certain, but only one. We still lack a power source 
to mass produce the units.�

�We still have the two prototypes. And a third is being built by the 
German branch,� Roquat pointed out.

�It�s still an unnecessary delay,� she said. �I grow weary of these 
interfering heroes. Something should be done about them. Something nasty 
and permanent.�

�Yes, Mistress,� Roquat said.

She stared at him for a moment. �I�m tired of your current form. Change 
into something else. I�m in the mood for something� poetic.�

Roquat considered that. Then his form shifted to that of a handsome man, 
western European in appearance, with curly blonde hair. He wore a toga 
trimmed in gold, which showed off a bold physique.�

�Apollo?� the woman asked.

�A depiction of Ozymandias.�

�It�s a good thing you didn�t turn into a pair of trunkless legs of 
stone. In any event, having a king of kings as a servant appeals to me. 
Purchasing you from AIM was quiet the steal.�

�As you say, Mistress.�

�I do.�

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[End notes:

And thus ends Act II of Avenging. Each character was focused on in a 
chapter, subplots advanced, and a little bit of humor and such. Next Act 
should be more focused (at least that is what the outline suggests. 
Tentative title for it will be �All You Need is Hate� but that might 
change. But there should be an on going storyline for it. In any case, I 
hope you enjoyed.

DB Sommer







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