Several Months Ago

“Dad?”

Steve Aaronson found himself staring into the face of the cybernetic assassin called Deathlok. But the voice was not the cold, hollow voice of Jack Truman’s. And the eyes weren’t the hard ones he remembered staring into him when Truman informed him that his son was gone. No, the eyes that looked at him, the voice that spoke to him…Aaronson would recognize them anywhere.

“…Adam?”

“Dad, what’s happened to me?” asked Adam. “The last thing I remember, I was trying to stop the Iron Trinity. I transferred my consciousness to the Deathlok prototype, but then I—I don’t remember anything else. It’s like I just passed out.”

“Truman from SHIELD, he took over the cyborg as well,” said Aaronson. “Overrided your control. He told us SHIELD’s best technicians tried to locate your consciousness but couldn’t find it anywhere in the system. They said you were gone, but now…”

“We have to do something, you have to find a way to get me out of here. Back into the Machine Teen body,” said Adam. “This—this thing, it’s too much for me. It feels dangerous. I’ve got all these weapons and I don’t know how to control them.”

“Your old body was confiscated by SHIELD. They wouldn’t let me examine it or the systems at Casanco to search for you. It’s a miracle you’re back but for now…”

“For now I’m stuck in this killing machine, right?” asked Adam.

His father looked away. “…yes.”

“Dad wait, he’s—000010001111111000111000—what?”

The voice changed. Aaronson spun and saw no trace of his son anymore. And the voice that spoke, once more it was that cold, hollow voice. “How did I get here?” asked Truman.

In the span of about two seconds, Truman drew his sidearm and pushed the barrel against Steve Aaronson’s forehead. “You’ve got thirty seconds to explain just what the hell you did to me.”

“Nothing!” said Aaronson.

“Bull. How did I end up here?”

“Adam, my son. His consciousness is still somewhere in your system,” said Aaronson. “Please, you have to help me extract it.”

“And put it where, exactly?” asked Truman. “The prototype you stole from Casanco is a highly sophisticated piece of military technology. We’re not just going to hand it over to you.”

“Something else then. Please, you have to let me get my son back.”

Truman lowered his gun. “Here’s what I’m going to do. I’m not going to arrest you for interfering in a SHIELD operation. I’m going to return to base and have the technicians go through the Deathlok operating system with a fine-tooth comb and remove any foreign programs. Including the one your son has piggybacked onto.”

“You can’t do that, you can’t kill my son!”

“I told you once that your son is dead. He died in that accident,” said Truman. “Don’t make me repeat myself, Aaronson. It puts me in a foul mood.”

ASSAULT ON A.I.M.

Part II

By Hunter Lambright and Dino Pollard

AIM Facility
Now

“You wanna run that by me again?” asked the 3-D Man. “Who the hell is Adam Aaronson?”

“It’s a long story,” said Adam. An electromagnetic pulse temporarily shut down the Deathlok cyborg and when the system rebooted, Adam’s consciousness was in the driver’s seat once more.

“I don’t care who you are, just fight!” shouted the Black Widow. She leapt from her cover, her firearms blazing. The MODOC units were fast, able to avoid most of her rounds. Still, she wouldn’t relent, dodging their own gunfire.

One of the MODOC units came in close, attacking her with a large hunting knife. The Widow, to her credit, avoided the strikes as best she could. MODOC units were programmed with a variety of fighting skills. Still, at best they were just cybernetically-enhanced AIM shock troops. And Yelena Belova wouldn’t allow herself to be bested by the likes of them.

The 3-D Man watched the Widow fight, almost mesmerized by her graceful movements, drawn to her fierce spirit. He shook his head and muttered, “get your head in the game and out of the gutter, Del.”

He turned his attention to Deathlok for a moment and saw Adam struggling with the plasma shotgun that his arm had transformed into before the switch. He fired off a blast and the 3-D Man bent over backwards as it passed over his body.

“What the hell are you doing?!” he shouted.

“I’m not exactly used to this kinda thing!” said Adam. “I don’t know how to use this body, it’s like going from a tricycle to an SUV!”

“Dammit, just aim at the bad guys!” said the 3-D Man. He jumped into the air, his legs taking down a MODOC unit attempting to strike at the Black Widow from behind. The two of them found themselves pressed back to back as the MODOC units surrounded them.

“I would have handled that MODOC,” she said.

“Babe, you got a funny way of saying ‘thank you,’” muttered the 3-D Man. He looked over at Deathlok once more and saw the body splayed out on the ground. “Oh isn’t that just great. Next time, I want War Machine backing me up. He may be crazy but at least he doesn’t shut down whenever shit hits the fan.”

England

The Black Knight brought his photon sword over his head, using it to prevent the descent of Proctor’s Ebony Blade. Proctor kept the pressure on, forcing Dane down to his knees. Proctor grinned at his doppelganger, his red eyes crackling.

“You’re wasting your time,” said Proctor. “I’ve fought over countless realities. You’re no match for me and you know it.”

“I’ve got some new tricks myself,” said the Black Knight. A photon shield flared to life from his forearm, knocking back Proctor a few paces.

“Cute,” said Proctor. “But it’s not going to be enough to save you.”

He rushed forward, the Ebony Blade craving his opponent’s blood. Dane blocked it with his shield and thrust forward with his photon blade. Proctor cringed as the energy went into his stomach, setting his nerves on fire without leaving any physical damage. Dane withdrew the sword and brought his leg up in a kick to Proctor’s chest.

As Proctor stumbled, Dane brought his photon sword in a long arc, ending at Proctor’s neck. But before the strike could be performed, Proctor’s crimson eyes crackled with energy and unleashed a powerful blast, knocking Dane off his feet. Proctor strode over to his foe triumphantly.

“You can’t win, Dane. In my world, I was one of the greatest Avengers. But in this one, it looks like I’m nothing more than a loser,” said Proctor. “Crystal chose Maximoff over you, Sersi abandoned you, the Avengers want nothing to do with you. Even the Lady of the Lake rejected you as this age’s Pendragon.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Dane.

“And now what, you’re trying to play the big, bad hero with this Force Works business?” asked Proctor. He knelt down by Dane’s side, gripping his hair tightly. “Oh yeah, I know all about that. Hard not to, the way you were showboating after Korea. Been broadcast on just about every major media outlet.”

“How the hell are you still alive?” asked Dane.

“I guess the fates had other plans in mind for me,” said Proctor. He dangled the Pendragon necklace before Dane’s eyes. “How do you think I got my hands on this?”

The Black Knight tried to struggle against his double. But Proctor’s strength was far greater than his. And part of him knew the struggle was worthless. Proctor was right—Dane had been abandoned by just about everyone, his life was basically a wreck. Bridge gave him some purpose, but only as his errand boy. Even Brian had found a replacement Black Knight to run with instead of calling his old friend.

Proctor slammed Dane’s head onto the street. He stood and raised the Ebony Blade, the dark metal point aimed at Dane’s chest. “Trust me, Dane—I’m doing you a favor.”

Cut it out, he told himself. Proctor was him—albeit a twisted version. And as such, he battled the same insecurities as Dane and conquered them. And because of that, he knew exactly how to get to Dane, knew just which buttons to push. He wouldn’t even need his mental powers to do it, either.

“Proctor, if you think I’m giving up…” Dane’s right hand moved to his left wrist, activating the controls hidden beneath his glove. “…you don’t know shit!”

The Blade Runner roared to life and rocketed into Proctor, knocking him clear away. The Ebony Blade had been knocked from his hand and Dane hefted it with one hand. With his other, he activated his photon sword, holding both of them as he approached his enemy.

“Okay you self-righteous, son of a bitch,” said the Black Knight. “Time for Round Two.”

Somewhere

Adam Aaronson opened his eyes to find himself in a forest of sorts. Except the trees were composed of wires and metal, the ground resembling a giant circuit board. He looked up and saw the sky was completely black. Adam tried to move, but found himself stuck somehow. He looked down and saw his arms and everything below his torso wired into one of the “trees.”

“Hello?” he called out, somewhat futilely. “Is anyone there? I could use a hand here.”

A few beats of silence followed.

And then, a voice.

“You shouldn’t have come out.”

The voice echoed all around and Adam couldn’t determine its location. “Who’s there?”

“You already know that answer.”

“Truman…?”

From behind one of the wire trees, Jack Truman stepped out. Although not in his Deathlok body—his original, human body. Clad in his SHIELD uniform he wore when he was simply Agent 18. “We had a deal.”

“I know…”

“You hate what Deathlok is capable of, so to avoid a situation like before, you stay in the goddamn forest and leave me in the driver’s seat!”

“I know, dammit!”

“And in return, I’ll try to find a way to bring you back.”

“It’s not my fault, Jack!” shouted Adam. “Something happened, the forest untangled and I woke up. I thought you were bringing me out. So I went to the light. And next thing I know, I’m behind the wheel…again.”

“The EMP, must’ve been,” said Jack. “Kid, you couldn’t have worse timing if you tried.”

“I didn’t know what was happening!”

Jack sighed and sat down in front of Adam’s tree. “I know. Look, this is a crappy situation, I get that. You think I like having someone riding shotgun in my body? But there’s nothing either of us can do about it at the moment, so we just gotta make due with what we got. And right now, my teammates are out there, going up against AIM and they could really use some back-up.”

Adam lowered his head, his eyes closing. “I have to go back to sleep, don’t I?”

“I’m sorry, kid. I promise you, I’ll find a way to get you out. Soon. But now just isn’t it.”

“I know.”

Adam leaned back into the tree, the wires in it snaking around his head and torso, welcoming him back inside. As he became absorbed inside the tree, Jack looked up at the black sky and saw a beam of light shining down.

AIM Facility

The 3-D Man and Black Widow found themselves surrounded and the MODOC units closed in, prepared to deliver the killing blows. When all of a sudden, their heads exploded one by one. Once their lifeless bodies fell to the ground, the pair looked past them and saw Deathlok standing upright, one of his arms in the form of a gatling gun that slowed to a stop.

“We’re aborting,” came Jack Truman’s voice. “The mission’s been compromised.”

“Truman? Is that you?” asked the 3-D Man.

“Of course,” said Deathlok. “Who were you expecting?”

“After EMP, you spoke different,” said the Black Widow. “Your voice, like a boy’s.”

“Yeah, and you said your name was Adam. Any thoughts you’d like to share with the rest of the class?” asked the 3-D Man.

“…must’ve been a glitch caused by the EMP. A temporary hiccup in the central operating system,” said Deathlok. “I’m running a diagnostic check in the background right now. So far, everything seems to be back to normal. But right now, we’ve got more important things to worry about. Namely, getting the hell out of this facility before reinforcements arrive.”

Deathlok took the lead, stepping out into the corridor. Once he did, he was instantly struck by a powerful burst of energy. Once the Black Widow and 3-D Man emerged, they saw the source of it as well.

“I think you’re a little late for that.”

A giant head hovered before them with almost comically small arms and legs. The strange creature offered a twisted smile at them, the opening in his headgear crackling with energy.

“I believe introductions are in order,” he said. “You can call me MODOK.”

The Infiltrator

Parnell Jacobs stood in a black, skintight bodysuit lined with circuits. Platforms rose up around him and robotic arms slid the various compartments of the silver and gray War Machine armor over his body. “Had a feeling this would happen. I told Bridge he was makin’ a mistake sending in those three alone.”

Nearby, Suzi Endo pulled on the gauntlets of her Cybermancer armor. She affixed the headset in its proper location and lowered the visor. “It was a stealth mission and you’re not exactly the stealthiest guy around, Jacobs.”

“Stealth my ass, it’s an AIM facility. We should’ve just blown the damn thing and been done with it,” said Jacobs. The War Machine armor was active now and he moved away from the platforms, his faceplate still raised.

“Wishes happen to be horses today, Jacobs.” Parnell turned and saw G.W. Bridge walking towards him with Century by his side. Bridge looked around the room. “We’re missing someone.”

“The mutant?” asked War Machine. “Suits me fine. Dude gives me the creeps. Way he looks at everyone and gives those little knowing smiles. Like he knows more about you than you do.”

“That’s because I do.”

Nate Grey, the X-Man, hovered from the platform above, his black trench coat billowing behind him like a cape. But rather than landing on the ground, his bare feet remained just slightly above it, almost touching it. His left eye crackled with blue energy and he smiled up at his teammates.

“We’re in for some fun soon,” he said.

“Yeah?” asked War Machine. “This mean you lettin’ me off your leash, Bridge?”

“In a manner of speaking,” said Bridge. He crossed his arms. “Deathlok’s team hasn’t reported in yet and I’m betting that means the mission’s been compromised. That means we won’t be able to get the info out of this AIM facility that we’d hoped for. So I want you four to go in, find your teammates, and level the place. Their transmitters aren’t working, so Century will be teleporting you in as close as possible.”

“Smash and grab job, suits me just fine.” War Machine’s faceplate lowered and locked into place, the LED lights that served as his eyes glowing.

“That’s not what I meant,” said X-Man. He turned away from the group as the other four watched him hover past.”

“That individual is disturbing/upsetting/odd,” said Century.

War Machine placed his hand on Century’s shoulder. “See? Even the weird-speaking alien thinks he’s creepy.”

Century looked down at War Machine’s hand. “Don’t touch me.”

“Save the pithy chatter when you’re not on my watch,” said Bridge. “Century—do your thing.”

Century nodded and raised his battle axe, named Parallax. He began to spin it around in front of him, creating a portal with it. Once the portal had opened, War Machine was the first one in with X-Man following behind. Cybermancer gave one last look at Bridge.

“Shouldn’t Dane be with us on this mission?”

“He’s taking care of another op at the moment, so you’ll have to make do,” said Bridge.

Cybermancer vanished inside the portal with Century following. Once the alien was through, the portal closed up. Bridge sighed and moved over to the communications console. He tried to raise Dane on his frequency, but received no answer.

“Dammit Whitman, where the hell are you?”

“You children have gotten in over your head,” said MODOK. His massive grin enhanced the disturbing nature of his bizarre appearance. The device on his head began to crackle once more with energy and suddenly, the Black Widow and 3-D Man collapsed to the ground.

Deathlok raised the gatling gun, his other arm transforming into the plasma shotgun and he took aim at MODOK with both of them. “Nice trick but it won’t work on me. This body has no human brain, just a consciousness running as a program.”

“Oh, I don’t need to use my powers on you, Deathlok. Not when I have your friends.”

The 3-D Man grabbed Deathlok from behind, wrapping one arm around the cyborg’s neck. Truman tried to throw Garrett off, but the man was incredibly strong, easily his equal in terms of strength. The Black Widow rose to her feet in front of them, brandishing her handguns. The bullets simply bounced off Deathlok’s metal frame, but he was more worried about the ricochet. In this state, Yelena had no concept of self-preservation and a ricochet could easily strike her.

However, instead of firing again, the Black Widow hesitated. Her eyes glossed over momentarily and then returned to normal and she shook her head. She turned and took aim at MODOK, firing off a few rounds at him. The 3-D Man’s grip also loosened on Deathlok.

“What happened?” asked Garrett.

In response, the ceiling above them tore open. X-Man hovered from above, his arms extended out at his sides. Century hovered behind him, held in place courtesy of X-Man’s telekinetic abilities. Lowering under their own power were Cybermancer and War Machine, touching down in the facility beside their teammates.

“This is simply unacceptable!” shouted MODOK as his frame fired off several missiles. X-Man threw up a psionic shield to absorb the impact. MODOC units swarmed in and X-Man dropped the shield. Century lunged forward, slicing through them with Parallax. Cybermancer flew towards several others, her gauntlets launching arcs of electricity.

As X-Man found himself surrounded, he simply clasped his hands together and closed his eyes. The MODOC units became dismantled piece by piece and left in piles on the floor. Meanwhile, War Machine’s repulsors and shoulder-mounted cannon took care of his opponents.

Black Widow and Deathlok stood back to back, unloading round after round into the MODOC units, but his sensors picked up something else. “Garrett, MODOK’s rabbiting!”

“I’m on it,” said the 3-D Man. He moved with superhuman speed and agility, dodging past the firefight between Force Works and the MODOC units. He ran down the hall, finding MODOK at a dead end.

“Nowhere to go, bobble-head,” said the 3-D Man.

“Oh really?” asked MODOK as his chair’s thrusters turned him around. “I wouldn’t be too sure of that.”

MODOK’s body began to glow brightly with red energy. It started to become transparent as well and the 3-D Man could tell it was a teleportation signature—the little bastard was trying to escape and just might accomplish his goal.

“You’ll get nothing from this facility. The memory banks have already been wiped clean,” said MODOK.

“Stop!” shouted the 3-D Man, but by the time he reached MODOK, the diminutive head of AIM was already gone. “Dammit.”

The Infiltrator

Bridge stood before the members of Force Works, all of whom except for Dane were gathered around the meeting table. Above the table was a holographic projection of MODOK and the MODOC units.

“Whatever was going on at that facility, we know it was big—otherwise MODOK wouldn’t have been there,” said Bridge. “But because the mission went completely FUBAR, we don’t know much else. We don’t know what connection AIM had to the Atom Smashers and North Korea and we don’t know what else they’re planning.”

“Just tell it like it is, Bridge,” said Parnell, out of armor but still wearing the bodysuit he wore under the War Machine. “We got fucked.”

“So we’re right back where we started,” said Cybermancer.

“AIM will slip up again. They always do, sooner or later. We just have to wait,” said Bridge. The door opened and Dane entered the room. However, he wasn’t wearing his previous outfit. Instead, he was clad in the mystical armaments of the Pendragon.

“What’s with the new look, Whitman?” asked Parnell.

“Long story,” said the Black Knight.

“You’re all dismissed,” said Bridge. “Whitman, I’d like a word with you.”

Most of the members of Force Works left the room without a word. But as Delroy passed Dane, he put a hand on his shoulder. “After the day I’ve had, I’m glad to see you back, man.”

Dane nodded and Delroy left the room. The X-Man was the last, hovering up to Dane and looking at him. Dane felt somewhat uncomfortable beneath his gaze. “Something wrong?”

“Weapons from another world?” asked Nate.

“Otherworld, yeah,” said Dane. “How’d you know?”

Nate smiled. “I know lots of things.”

Dane watched as the X-Man hovered out. Once they were alone, he approached Bridge. “You wanted to see me?”

“It looks like the mission went well, and a bit faster than I expected,” said Bridge. “You’re back in your mystical gear. What happened? How did you find it?”

“It found me,” said Dane. “An old enemy had somehow gotten his hands on it.”

“And who would that be?”

“Proctor,” said Dane.

“Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“You’ll find everything you need to know about him from SHIELD’s files,” said Dane. “Truthfully, I don’t feel like getting into it.”

“Fair enough. Is he going to be a problem?”

“No, I took care of it,” said Dane.

“What do you mean by that?” asked Bridge.

“It’s pretty self-explanatory,” said Dane, turning away from Bridge. “I’m tired, I’m going to get some rest.”

“Not a bad idea. I have a feeling we’re all gonna need it.”