SHE | Marvel's Avengers [10]

Chapter 3 - New...

"Five years ago, the Avengers paraded dangerous, untested technology causing damage on an unprecedented scale. Our beloved Captain America and Snakebite were killed during the attempted theft of this technology. Thousands of other innocent people died, and many more still bear the scars of what has come to be known as A-Day. Hundreds fell sick, encased in strange cocoons, only to emerge with dangerous, otherworldly powers. With no known cure, the disease has spread across the country, and while both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers promised to rectify the situation, it was Dr. Banner's testimony that brought about the end of an era. You so-called heroes transformed San Francisco into an infectious, gas-filled quarantine zone. You unleashed diseased, powerful beings, that wreak havoc throughout our nation. Many still lay dormant, unidentified. So I asked you again, Dr. Banner, do the Avengers pose a danger to society? ...Yes. Their activities outlawed, the once-mighty heroes disbanded. But out of tragedy is born hope. After the government liquidation of Stark Industries, Dr. George Tarleton, himself a victim of A-Day, and founder of Advanced Idea Mechanics, thinks science is the solution to our nation's problems. I wish I knew what happened to Captain Rogers and Snakebite that day, but I was nowhere near the reactor room. I don't have those answers, but I can promise you this: I will use this second chance to make you safe. AIM will find a cure for the Inhuman Disease. Comforting words to those families torn apart by the disease. But is he too confident? Many criticize AIM's tactics. This so-called 'Resistance' army grows stronger every day. This is Phil Sheldon, reporting live at the A-Day anniversary,"

I sighed, resting my head on my hand as I watched the news footage. My throat tightened as I saw Mjolnir sitting at the base of the Captain's statue, the Serpent's glittering in the background.

Then, the footage switched to the Snakebite statue, candles, and other memorabilia scattered around the base with a quote inscribed on a brass plate. I believe there is a hero in all of us--that keeps us honest, that gives us strength, and that keeps us noble. But it's got to come from inside you.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah...whatever. Can't see the revolution right under your noses," I muttered, closing the tab and continuing to scroll through a resistance forum. "Come on...where'd you guys go? Ugh, there's gotta be a clue here somewhere," there was a knock on my door, and I quickly hid the tab.

"Come in!" I called, spinning my chair to face the door. My foster mother, Miss Piper, came in.

"Do you have a moment to talk, Abila?" she asked, and I nodded.

"The girls are leaving for the trip in a few hours. You still can go," I held back a sigh. A bunch of the girls at my school had invited me to go on a trip to New York for a few weeks, but I didn't much want to go.

"That was tonight?" I had been so caught up in looking I had forgotten the date of the trip.

"Abila, we talked about this. Going on the trip would be a good time to get away from...all this. Breathe some fresh air, laugh! Leah will be very disappointed if you don't go," she coaxed, waving at all the Avengers memorabilia scattered around my room. She thought I wouldn't have liked it after A-Day, but I was still an Avengers fan, even after five years.

"...I'll think about it?" I offered, and she smiled.

"There'll be ice cream. And, best of all, no boys! Just think about it, Abila. I love you," she said, leaving my room.

"Love you too!" as soon as the door closed, I turned back to my laptop and pulled up the forum again. "But you don't get it," I spotted a promising link, pulling it up.

"If you get it right, copy everything. We'll find you," I clicked on the attachment, and was brought to a log-in screen for AIM, with...Tony Stark's account! I clicked on the hint, reading the pop-up. "What is the name of your first love," I smirked, this was easy.

The keys on my keyboard clicked as I typed pepperpotts in. I hit login, but password incorrect flashed across my screen, telling me I only had two attempts left.

I glanced around my room, looking for any hint. My eyes landed on a shiny toy repulsor glove sitting on a shelf. "Right!" I typed in high-density-muon-beam but got the same warning.

"Damn it!" an I am Iron Man poster caught my eye. "You are so full of yourself if this is right," I muttered, typing in IAMIRONMAN.

It was right.

I plugged a thumb drive into the side of my old computer, clicking begin transfer. A few seconds in, an odd electrical surge took over my computer. In an attempt to save the data, I pulled out the thumb drive and hard-rebooted the computer but didn't turn it on.

"Shit!" I hissed under my breath. I paced around for a few seconds before glancing at the thumb drive in my hand. "I've got to have something. Better check this out somewhere safe," I hopped out of my window. Climbing onto the roof, I spotted an AIM dropship with drones being dispensed.

"Huh. Guess I really kicked the hornet's nest," I muttered, hopping over to another rooftop where there was a wire. I grabbed an old pipe, swinging it over and jumping, using my momentum to slide down.

I dropped down, landing on a rooftop terrace and setting the pie down. I had run this route a thousand times, so I was at headquarters before the drones reached the street.

As I plopped down in my chair, it rolled away from my desk due to the momentum, and I had to roll back over. I struck the drive into the side, and footage of the Chimera's reactor room pulled up. Dr. Tarleton was standing in front of a console, typing away frantically. There was a pale blue smoke swirling around near the floor of the room, everything shaking and dust coming loose.

"But you're supposed to be on the Command Deck. What's going on...?" I murmured, leaning closer to the footage. The Captain and the Serpent ran inside and started discussing something frantically with Tarleton. Then, the doctor ran out of the room, and slammed his hand down presumably on a control panel, the doors sliding shut. The two heroes twisted to look back at him in shock. That's when the footage ended.

"No way. Tarleton sealed them in? There was no malfunction. He killed Cap and Snake! Oh, my god, he killed Cap and Snake!"