THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY ARE BASED OFF CHARACTERS AND SETTINGS THAT ARE THE PROPERTY OF MARVEL INC. AND THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, I THOUGHT OF THE STORY BUT THE WORLD IS THEIRS
(Continued from the previous chapter: Mockingbird the Avenger - Part 5)
Ferrum Facility, England
Most Ferrum facilities in the United Kingdom are not only research facilities but also prison camps which provide test subjects. The facility our heroes need to break into is built on the ruins of a city. The majority of the city was leveled with a few blocks left standing and a prison wall built around them. The north perimeter wall is also the southern structural wall of the Ferrum facility. The facility is so large it is about the same size as the whole prison camp. At each corner of the camp are guard towers and the wall itself is wide enough for guards to patrol back and forth between the towers.
Since the intention is to infiltrate the facility they plan to use the prison camp as a distraction. By making it look like a break out the guards will expect the prisoners to escape to the wilds, not try to sneak into the facility. In order to do that they'll need to get past the wall.
~Here I go. Here's hoping these micro-suction cups don't give up half way.~
Mockingbird thinks to herself as she scales the west wall. All of her suit's power is dedicated to stealth at the moment so no flying, no hard-light anything, just her strength pulling her up the wall. She really prefers flying but that would draw too much attention. Arthur and Nagual wait in the ruined city, keeping an eye on Mockingbird's ascent. They are the back-up while Lockheed is waiting farther away for stage 2.
As she reaches the top of the wall though a guard decides to take a break and lean against the wall right above her. But no worries, they planned for this eventuality. Arthur raises his bow and releases an arrow. Neither Mockingbird nor Nagual believed he could hit something at that range, but Arthur insisted. They will now have to eat their words because not only does he hit the guard but he hits the weak point between armor plates on his uniform killing him instantly. Mockingbird reaches up and grabs the arrow pulling him over the edge letting him smack against the ground below, lifeless.
A guard from one of the towers notices the falling body but by the time he looks to the wall where he fell from there is nobody there. Mockingbird has already leaped from the wall into the prison camp surviving the fall thanks to her vibranium boots.
"This is guard tower C, that idiot Nigel fell from the wall. We're going to need a recovery crew to get the body and send it back to his wife....er widow. And get a replacement guard up here."
Dispatch: "Are you sure he fell? Could it have been from one of the prisoners?"
"Checking the prisoner ID collars...No, collars are dampening all powers, all prisoners accounted for and none were even close to the wall."
Mockingbird moves into the camp trying to find someone, anyone with a control collar. But this camp is specially brutal on it's prisoners, they have all been subject to unspeakable experiments. Heat signatures though show a large heat source somewhere underground. She spots a stairway leading down towards a subway tunnel. The tunnels would be collapsed to prevent people from escaping, probably even filled in with concrete. But maybe there's a subway station, that would be a good place for people to congregate. Meanwhile Black Knight and Nagual are making their way to their next positions.
Once she reaches the station her way is barred with a makeshift door made of scavenged materials. If the guards or scientists were looking for subjects they'd just blast their way in. Mockingbird tries another method that will hopefully surprise them, she knocks.
"Hello? I'm here to help. I want to get you all out of here."
There are two heat signatures just on the other side, and wouldn't you know it they open the door just a crack. A brown eye looks out at her and sees she is just a woman, alone and not wearing any kind of armor. The door then opens to let her come all the way in.
"You are here to help? Well unless you can disable these collars, blast a hole in the outer wall and provide us a safe place in the wilds I think you're here to stay young woman."
The speaker is an old man, around him are dozens of people all huddling in the dark. Very few have proper clothes that fit and most are horribly underfed. A large number of them even have visible mutations, apparent physical defects or non-functioning cybernetics from the experiments conducted on them. Every single one of them is wearing a collar. They dampen any abilities they've got and will explode if they leave the confines of the camp or facility. You'd need a computerized key to remove them, a key that together with the help of Edwin and Arthur they've got. She pulls a computerized card from her belt, what the Black Panther used to call a Kimoyo Card, and activating it causes all the collars in the room to fall off.
"Well that's a start with the collars. Leave them where they are, they're still broadcasting that you're all still wearing them and they could still blow up. Once I get to a more central position I'll be deactivating all the collars in the camp. My friends will bring down the east wall and provide a distraction for the guards. Anyone you can trust tell them to head three clicks south, there you'll be safe."
She figures these people are nice enough, there are children and families that deserve safety. All over the rest of the camp there are some people who deserve to be here, let Ferrum have them back. Making her way back out of the subway the people scatter to all different directions to tell other friendly people the plan. Mockingbird finds the tallest building in the center of the camp, 6 stories tall, just slightly taller than the outer wall. There are a few people squatting int he building but they mostly leave her alone as she climbs to the roof. Once there she activates the Kimoyo Card again and collars all over the camp just fall to the ground.
At that same moment a man riding a purple dragon smashes into the east wall blowing a huge hole into it. There is lots of rubble but not so much that people will have a hard time climbing over it to get out. Arthur leaps from Lockheed's back and the dragon turns and begins breathing fire at the closest guard tower.
On the other side of the camp Nagual is scaling the west wall. Well not exactly scaling but he leaps from the ground, plants his claws in the wall halfway up and leaps straight up to the top. A pair of guards notice him but he easily throws them over the side into the camp, they die on impact. He leaps after them and lands harmlessly, cats always land on their feet after all.
More guards flood the camp from the facility but they are having a hard time since without the control collars many of the prisoners have powers of their own.
Mockingbird waits for her allies in an alley one street over from the Ferrum building entrance. The prisoners are mostly escaping through the giant hole in the wall so the guards are focused there. None of them are trying to get back into the Ferrum building. Nagual reaches Mockingbird first, the fur on his hands and feet are red with blood, there's even some around his mouth. Arthur arrives shortly thereafter but his sword is sheathed at his side, instead he is wielding his bow with three arrows cocked and ready.
~Who are these guys really? I know I need allies but what do I really know about these two?~
She thinks to herself but her doubts are immediately squashed. For some reason she can't help but trust them, even with her life, like they were supposed to meet. But regardless once this is all over she's going to find out more about them.
They round the corner making a run for the door into the facility. Four guards emerge but before Mockingbird can do anything Black Knight has killed three of them with arrows. Nagual has also crossed the distance and eviscerated the last guard with his claws. The cat-man was only an instant slower than the arrows. With his speed he has even managed to reach the door and hold it open for Mockingbird and Black Knight to arrive. They just glance at each other as they run into the facility.
Once inside the plan needs to be adaptable, the blueprints for these Ferrum facilities are impossible to find. Seriously they can't be bought, traded, hacked or stolen, Mockingbird tried. But now that they're in, they have a way of finding what they need. They fight their way to the nearest computer terminal. Black Knight switches between the bow and arrow and ebony blade with incredible speed while Nagual just requires his own speed and ferocity.
"C'mon Edwin, do your thing." Mockingbird says as she inserts her Kimoyo Card into the computer.
"I could try that, I doube Edwin will be able to breach the jamming signals even through that amazing card of yours."
A virtual representation of an old balding man appears on the screen at that same instant.
"I assure you Mr. Black Knight sir, I am quite capable. The communication system between me and the Kimoyo Card is based off quantum entanglement. It will work anywhere, regardless of distance or even temporal displacement. However it is susceptible to tracking therefore I have used this time to find something most interesting in a lab two floors up, three corridors over."
"What would I do without you Edwin?"
"I'm sure I don't know ma'am."
Mockingbird says as she removes the card from the computer and begins following Edwin's directions. There is little opposition in the corridors, mostly technicians and scientists who aren't prepared for well armed, organized infiltrators. Arthur quickly dispatches people well before they can become a threat thanks to his arrows, he retrieves the ones he can but he is quickly running out. They reach the elevator which Nagual forces open and he leaps up two floors rather easily.
"GH-1."
Mockingbird makes the leap as well while Nagual forces open the other elevator door. Which leaves Arthur to climb his own way up, which he still does in nearly record time.
"So what are we going to find in this lab Edwin? More prototypes like Thunder?" She asks.
"Not exactly ma'am. The prototypes have been moved to the launch bay to be sent to America. The lab contains more allies."
"Allies? Well that's great Edwin but remind me to have a talk with you about mission objectives. We're here to find out more about those prototypes."
Mockingbird complains but still she is heading towards the lab, instead of the launch bay. If there are allies in this lab then they're probably being experimented on and deserve to be set free. Arthur slings his bow and arrow over his back and pulls out his ebony blade to slice his way into the lab. Probably trying to show Nagual that he can open doors too.
Within the lab there are only two prisoners, a black kid in a glass cylinder with wisps coming off him and a gold behemoth suspended in a gravity field.
"Holy $#!%, is that the Gold Hulk?"
Mockingbird can't help but blurt out. Nagual doesn't know who or what a 'Gold Hulk' is but can smell bad things have happened in this lab. Arthur moves to the computer system. The 'Gold Hulk' floating in the gravity field seems to be yelling something. The kid in class cylinder starts banging on his cage causing more wisps to come off him just like before.
"Yes it looks like it is, that's what they've got him listed as. The kid is listed as Ion subject 4. And both cages are set on mute."
Arthur hits a button and suddenly the heroes can hear both of the prisoners.
"Not Hulk, Mace! Not Hulk, Mace! Not Hulk, Mace!"
"....let me out, please let me out. I'm being drained away somehow. I can feel it, please."
"Okay okay hold on we'll get you both out."
Black Knight moves to Will's ionic draining cage while Mockingbird deactivates the gravity field holding the guy calling himself Mace. Once Will's cage is deactivated he immediately starts to feel better, in face he feels better than ever
"It's okay. We're going to get you out of here. But first we've got some unfinished business. Edwin, how do we get to the launch bay. We need to scuttle those prototypes."
Mockingbird asks her Kimoyo Card. Once Mace hears the name Edwin though he peeks over Mockingbird's shoulder like a kid trying to get a better look at a picture she's holding.
"Edwin! Edwin! It's me Mace!"
"It is good to see you again sir."
The computer responds. Mockingbird is just looking at the big gold guy shocked. How the hell does he know the computer program that trained her?
"Are you okay?"
Arthur asks the young kid with the ionic power.
"Yeah....are you guys really planning on destroying whatever this place was building?" Will asks.
"Um, well yes." Arthur responds.
"Cool, can I help?"
To test out his new powers Will lifts the whole cell that once contained him. Now that it is deactivated he has nothing to fear from it. Mockingbird snaps back to reality and hands her Kimoyo Card to Mace, she'll get answers later.
"Okay kid, you can help, but what's your name? If you're powered by Ionic energy how about Wonder Boy?"
Will looks offended at the suggestion. Boy?
"I was thinking something more like Ion Man." He places his hands on his hips in a somewhat heroic pose.
This time Arthur chimes in. "Um. In a world taken over by the technology of an Iron Man I don't think that's such a great idea do you?"
Will nods, he hadn't thought of that. "Okay, you can call me Ion then. So where's some stuff to break?"
"Right." Mockingbird snatches the card back from Mace, not an easy task. "Okay Edwin you've got some explaining to do but first launch bay. Now."
"Left out of this laboratory, head north, then up to the top floor." The advanced AI computer responds.
The five of them move in the direction of the launch bay, Nagual taking the lead, Black Knight taking up the rear and the two escaped prisoners sticking close to Mockingbird.
"Hey Arrow-Guy, you seem to be running low on arrows." Ion points out.
"It's Black Knight thank you, the woman is Mockingbird and our hairy friend taking the lead is Nagual. You don't happen to have any spare arrows do you?"
Arthur asks as they reach a force field in the hallway. Nagual sniffs it but has no way through it.
"Actually I might. You prefer regular wood arrows right, nothing too fancy as trick arrows?" Mockingbird asks Arthur.
"Why do you have some of those in that arsenal of yours?" He asks almost sarcastically.
"Y-1." And suddenly a quiver of apparently regular arrows appear in her hands. "They're made from sound sensitive alien wood, but they should work. Got anything for that force field?"
Black Knight pulls out the ebony blade and slashes at the force field. The blade passes through the field and absorbs some of the energy but the field remains intact so he pulls the blade back out.
"Edwin, we've reached a force field. We need another way around."
"I believe master Mace can assist you there." Edwin responds.
Mace looks up having just been following them for a way out. He looks to Edwin's voice coming from the small card and then just nods. Without any warning the golden behemoth turns into a regular looking man and approaches the force field with his hands raised. When he touches the field his skin seems to change, it crackles with the same energy that makes up the force field. Mace slowly begins to walk through the field.
"Awesome."
Ion says. Nobody else can even think of to say anything else to say. Mace stretches his arms out when he's half way through the field. The field shudders and dies.
"Quite right master Ion. Mace as he incorrectly calls himself is a semi-organic synthezoid built by Henry Pym as a final solution against the Iron Army. MACE stands for Mechanical Avenger..."
"Okay okay Edwin, we'll get the rest of the story later but how exactly do you know him? Or better yet, how does he know you?"
The group continues down the hallway to another elevator. Mace turns back into a normal guy again, the energy crackling across his skin disappearing. But then again he turns gold and grows about 2 feet in height. Getting the hand of this Mace is the one who this time rips open the elevator doors.
"Honestly ma'am did you really think that the training program you discovered was meant for you when your parents found my location purely by accident?"
Edwin says almost smugly. That had never occurred to Mockingbird. She just assumed the Avenger Combat Education was meant for anyone to find and follow in their footsteps. But then it hits her; ACE: Avengers Combat Education, MACE: Mechanical Avenger with Combat Education.
With another elevator shaft revealed Nagual takes point again and leaps to the top floor. Ion steps into thin air of the shaft and finds he's hovering, after a moment to marvel at that he floats his way up to Nagual. Mace digs his hands into the metal of the shaft and climbs his own way up. Leaving Black Knight and Mockingbird to look at each other wondering how coincidences such as these are possible.
"Ladies first."
Arthur gestures gentlemanly for Nora to go first. She just looks up at the open door high above and fires a grapple and line to pull herself up. The Black Knight leaps across the shaft and uses Mace's own hand holds to to ascend and almost beat her to the top.
It's another short hallway to the giant doors of the launch bay, where prototypes assembled in this facility are about to be sent to America to smash the rising resistance. This time Ion steps to the front.
"Can I do this one? I think I've got it in me." Ion asks the group.
Nagual and Mace just look at each other and move out of the way when Mockingbird and Black Knight arrive. Wisps of energy are still coming off Will's body but it seems more controlled now, it's like he's just bursting with energy. He raises both hands and slams them against the giant doors knocking them off the hinges flying into the launch bay.
The launch bay is full of crates stacked near the edges of the room. There is an advanced VTOL jet being loaded up with several stasis tubes similar to the one Mockingbird found in the air fortress. This time though they're of varying shapes and sizes, there are two even bigger than thunder and four more close to human size.
However as the metal doors crash to the ground from Ion's fists a large suit of armor turns to face them. It is Thunder from the air-ship. And he's had a face-lift. There are six circles in pairs on his chest, the largest at his pectorals and the others decreasing in size the lower down his chest. It's fists when closed look like hammers and electricity arcs from them to all over the armored shell. There are runes painted all over it and it's faceplate has ornate silver wings. Basically it looks like a cross between top of the line Iron Armor and Thor, God of Thunder.
Will who sees the thing first is the only one to speak. "Oh $#!%"
(Continues in the next chapter: Mockingbird the Avenger - Part 7)
Marvel: Iron Age - Mockingbird the Avenger part 6
Awesome you seem to be putting together a great team of Avengers here
When Magni gets out of his pickle he may want to have some words with Thunder, words in the form of Mjolnir to face I believe! Great story. I like that MACE is a synthezoid of sorts like Vision and I concur; I like your Avengers, how can you go wrong with a giant sized Lockheed!
@PrinceIMC: I like when things that fall into place when you're writing stuff. I am intrigued about Nagual (who is Beast meets Black Panther)
Okay I finally got to reading this and... this is great! Mockingbird is amazing.
@PrinceIMC: Looking forward to your next chapter
"Oh $#!%" indeed! :) Great read man
@PrinceIMC I can almost see & hear AC/DC's opening to Thunderstruck as he walks into battle! :)
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