The Next Avengers

Prologue

Location: Earth 544383
Date: 3rd May 2034

His ears were ringing. His head was pounding. Bright blue eyes slowly fluttered open to the brown polluted sky. He tried to lift his head. Bad move. But just like his parents, being stubborn was his speciality. Ever so slowly he lifted himself up despite the pain in his body screaming at him to stop. Reaching down to his left arm he reactivated his energy shield that resembled his fathers. His eyes now beginning to focus scanned the largely destroyed and desolate area in front him. He tried to recall what happened before he woke up in pain on the cold relentless dirt. ULTRON. The revolution had be going on for a while now, but Ultron finally caught up to the last of them. Most of the planet had already been wiped out, the few survivors out there all lived in hidden bunkers under the ground, developed by S.H.I.E.L.D. "JAMES!" He heard his mother shout snapping out of his trance of disbelief at what was happening.

"MOM!" James cried as he ran over to his mother who was lying on the ground covered in blood. She must of just have been shot as the wound looked fresh. "What happened?"

"Ultron. There's too many robots James there is no way we can win." James mom replied as she groaned in pain from her wound. "You need to get to safety."

"No. You need to get to safety." James pulled his mother up with her arm around his shoulders. "Let's get you to the bunker."

"Oh my God. Mom are you okay?" James' younger sister, Sarah, came running up to the two as they entered the bunker, with a worried expression, as she saw her mother clutching her wound on her right shoulder.

"She was shot by one of the bots." James replied. "Get her medical supplies and treat her wound." He ordered.

"Where's Dad?" Asked Sarah.

"I don't know I lost him in the battle."

"I'm gonna go back out there and find him." James said turning back starting to run off.

"JAMES ROGERS. Don't you dare even think about going back out there." His mother shouted at him on the verge of tears.

"I have to." James replied sternly.

"Its suicide, you'll die I can't lose you both." His mother was now crying. A rare sight to see.

"Look after her." He turned and ordered to his sister. "I love you mom."

"James. Baby. No." He heard his mother cry out for him, but he couldn't turn back he had to find his father.

"ARGH! For Asgard!" A female voice cried out as she violently slashed through Ultron's robots and ripped them to pieces.

"Torunn!?" James shouted. "Shouldn't you been inside the bunker by now?" James asked making his way over battling robots as he went.

"I could ask you the same." She replied, still piercing robots with her sword.

"I'm looking for my dad. No one has seen him since he left the bunker." James stated panic rising in his voice.

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. Your father is a survivor, he won't go down without a fight." Torunn replied as she finished off one of the what felt like a never-ending amount of robots. "I'll help you look for him."

"Thanks." James smashed a nearby bot into the cliffside with his energy shield.

"Anytime." They both smiled at each other.

After finishing all the robots in the area, they headed further out away from the bunker. The land once green and full of life was now just arid with not a single sound to be heard, except the whirring of machines and war cries of those still battling behind them. "There's nothing out here James. We should head back and help everyone else." Torunn turned around to head back as she placed her heavy hand on his shoulder.

"He has to be out here somewhere Torunn. I can't turn back on this. I wish I could but I can't." James faced down solemnly.

"We will find him James, just not today. We've lost many warriors in the recent battles, we can't afford to lose more." Torunn started to walk off.

"Were not going to survive much longer Torunn. No matter whether we have warriors or not. Eventually our power is going to get shut down and we're going to run out of food and we are all going to waste away, and Ultron will win." James explained catching up with her.

"No we can not let him win. He will not win. There has to be something we can do." Torunn was determined. "But not now. Now we finish off the rest of these metal maniacs, help those in need and get rest to fight on another day." Listening to Torunn's wise words James agreed and both treaded back towards the now not so secret bunker.

As the kids got closer to the bunker they realised the amount of noise had died down. "That's unusual. What happened to all the war cries?" Torunn whispered to James. The almost silence was unsettling. James and Torunn walked further and soon enough saw two figures out in the open surrounded by nothing but broken metal and fallen heroes. The pair tucked behind a rock and looked out at the scene in front of them.

"Stark." A robotic voice called out. "Open it." The voice demanded.

"Never." Stark replied.

"I thought you might say that. That's why I brought him."  Two of Ultron's bots flew a battle worn out man, who was currently unconscious. The once bright colours of his uniform signifying hope had dyed out to dullness. He had scars and wounds all over his body. He was thrown to the ground in front of the pair.

"Ultron." The man seethed. Ultron back handed him, sending the man toppling head first into the ground.

"DAD!" James screamed.

"Hmm what's this?" Ultron was intrigued by a sudden new voice. He scanned James over. "Your son. Another pathetic human, believing the world can be protected without it being changed. Well isn't this fitting." Ultron laughed. "Any last words to your son before you die."

"James. Run." His father called out weakly.

"No. I can't leave you." James cried. Torunn held him back preventing James from getting himself killed. With Ultron distracted for a split second by humans display of pathetic emotions, the man named Stark threw something small towards them.

"You don't have a choice." Stark called out before a blinding light hit both James and Torunn.

Darkness consumed them.