The Pentagon 

After a handprint identification, the pair of automatic doors parted to provide Colonel Nick Fury with entrance. He stepped inside to a room surrounded by monitors on the wall. In the center of the room was a long table with the most powerful men and women in the United States government seated around it. Only one chair was vacant.

“Colonel Fury, glad you could make it,” said the man who sat at the head of the table. He motioned to the empty chair. “Take a seat.”

“Thank you, Mr. President,” said Fury and did as he was told. He set the file he held with CONFIDENTIAL stamped on the cover.

The President leaned forward and folded his hands together. “Now, I’m sure you know why you’re here, Colonel.”

Fury nodded. “The… situations in London and Long Island.”

“Situations, Colonel?” asked a man with horn-rimmed glasses and short, brown hair.

“Yes, situations,” said Fury.

“That’s certainly one way of putting it…” said the man. “Personally, I would have used the term ‘complete and total clusterfuck,’ but maybe that’s just me.”

Fury gave the man a cold stare with his one eye before he said, “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Robert Kelly, Department of Homeland Security,” he said. “The X-Men have officially become a threat to the interests of this nation as well as our allies.”

“I see,” said Fury. “Do I need to remind you all that the X-Men pulled our collective asses outta the fire by taking care of the Brood situation in Anchorage?”

“And then they turn around and kill several of England’s prominant citizens,” said the President. “Sebastian Shaw was a personal friend of mine, Fury.”

“With all due respect Mr. President, this can’t be personal,” said Fury.

“Too bad, they made it personal,” said the President. “Dr. Trask?”

Bolivar Trask nodded. “Project: WIDEAWAKE is ready to be implemented—this time, completely.”

“Completely?” asked Fury.

“As you know, the nanites were just Phase One,” said Trask. “Phase Two involves declaring a state of martial law enforced by Sentinel units.”

“Omega models?” asked Fury.

“Yes,” said Trask.

“Are you out of your mind?” asked Fury, the anger in his voice becoming readily apparent. “You do that an’ you’ll have every mutant in the country going against you. An’ with Magneto incapacitated, this is just the kind of thing we need to make him a martyr.” He turned to the President. “Tell me you’re not seriously considering this.”

“They’ve pushed their luck too far, Colonel,” said the President.

“How many?” asked Fury.

“We’ve had several hundred Sentinel units stockpiled for a while,” said Trask. “Once the President gives us the green light, we can triple that number in a short period.”

“You’re talking about walking WMDs on the streets,” said Fury.

The President looked at Fury. “Do you have a better suggestion?”

“As a matter of fact… I do,” said Fury. He opened the file and took out several sheets, passing them around the table. “When you’ve lost your way, go back to the beginning.”

The President looked over the sheet and raised an eyebrow. “Operation: REBIRTH?”

“The Weapon X Division’s first project, back in World War II,” said Fury. “I’m sure you’ve all heard of the Invaders.”

“But Captain America—”

“Prior to Project: X-MEN, we were working on synthesizing a new Super Soldier Serum,” said Fury. “Not only have we been successful in that regard, but we’ve also got a number of other interesting tidbits.”

“How would this be any different from the Weapon X debacle?” asked the President.

“For starters, these guys aren’t wild cards. With the exception of Wolverine, all the X-Men were hand-picked by Xavier. These guys were hand-picked by me,” said Fury.

“Are they ready to go?” asked Kelly.

“As soon as the President gives us his approval,” said Fury.

The President leaned back in his chair. “How long will it take you to assemble your team for deployment?”

“Give me a day or two,” said Fury.

“Good, do it,” said the President. “One thing, though.”

“What’s that?” asked Fury.

“Don’t call them the Invaders,” said the President. “I think Avengers is more fitting, wouldn’t you agree?”

CLASH OF THE TITANS

Part I: Executive Decision

By Dino Pollard

The Triskelion

A facility designed to house some of the most powerful beings in existence. The Triskelion is located off the coast of New York, deep down on the ocean floor. Fury walked through the halls and found himself faced with several security checkpoints. This part of the facility was the most secure on the entire base and every precaution had to be taken.

When Fury finally got in, he was greeted by the head scientist on the base, Henry Pym. A man in his mid thirties with short, blond hair. “Well?” he asked.

“President gave us the green light,” said Fury. “Which means I need to have a chat with the big man.”

“Are you sure you want to use him?” asked Pym.

“Positive,” said Fury. “He’s probably our best weapon against the X-Men. And if they don’t succeed, the President is gonna go with Trask’s plan, which means even more problems.”

“Right,” said Pym. “But… we don’t know how stable he’ll be.”

“Let me worry about that,” said Fury. He placed his hand on a pad and it scanned his print. The doors opened and he found himself in a small enclosure. The doors behind him closed and after a count of ten seconds, a pair of doors in front of him opened. Fury stepped through and found himself face to face with something most people only see in their nightmares. It was a massive behemoth, with arms like tree trunks and gray skin. Its green eyes looked at Fury and huffed.

“Hello Dr. Banner,” said Fury.

The creature growled and started to advance towards Fury.

“Not Banner…” it said.

“I’m sorry, you’re right,” said Fury. “Hulk. That’s what you like to be called, isn’t it?”

“What do you want?” asked the Hulk.

“I’ve got a proposition for you, Hulk,” said Fury. “We need your help in taking out some renegade mutants.”

“You’ve had me chained up in this place for months. What makes you think I’ll do anything you want me to do?”

“Because I give you what you want.”

“We both know you’d never let me outta here,” said the Hulk.

“That’s true, I’m not that stupid,” said Fury. “But I can get you something far more comfortable. Get you whatever you want. You’d be on easy street.”

“What makes you think I won’t just rabbit the instant I get outta here?”

“Because I know you’re not stupid, Hulk,” said Fury. “If you run, you’ll never stop runnin’. Everyone will want a piece of you.”

“Fine,” said Hulk. “I’m in.”

Manhattan
Stark International

“Listen sweetheart, I’m telling the truth, she meant nothing to me…”

A young woman with red hair opened the door to the spacious office and Fury followed her in. The man behind the desk was fairly young with a goatee and he motioned for Fury to come inside and take a seat. Fury did so and the man continued his conversation.

“…oh come on now. Since when does kissing another woman mean I’m unfaithful? You kiss other women all the time! …I know you’d be fine with me kissing other men, but that’s not what I’m into. So I think it’s only fair. Right… okay listen babe, I’ve gotta run, Samuel L. Jackson just walked through my door. Right. I’ll call you later. Kisses. Bye.”

He hung up the phone and sighed. “Women,” he said. “Can’t live with them, can’t have wildly experimental sex without them. How are you doing, Nick?”

“I’ve been better, Tony,” said Fury. “President’s breathin’ down my neck lately. The X-Men have pushed their luck too far and if I don’t act fast, all of mutantkind’s gonna pay for it.”

“Right, I heard about that thing with the Hellfire Club,” said Stark. “But as interesting as this all is, I have to wonder what it has to do with me?”

“That prototype we were discussing,” said Fury.

“The armor?”

“I need to know if it’s combat-ready.”

“The tests have all come back positive so far, but the contracts aren’t in yet—we’re not ready to start producing,” said Stark.

“I just need one suit and a pilot for it,” said Fury. “We’re putting together a team of super soldiers to bring the X-Men in.”

“There’s only one person qualified to pilot the prototype,” said Stark.

“Who’s that?”

“Me.”

“You?” asked Fury. “You were the test pilot?”

Stark smiled. “Come on Colonel, do you really believe I’d let someone else try out my toy before I took it for a spin?”

Wakandan Embassy

“I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice, Your Highness,” said Fury.

“You’re always welcome here, Colonel,” said T’Challa. The monarch of the African nation of Wakanda was flanked on either side by two large bodyguards. Not that he needed them, although Fury understood the need to keep up appearances. Wakanda was the most technologically-advanced nation on the planet, despite being virtually unknown to the outside world until recently. “What can I do for you?”

Fury sat in a large, comfortable chair opposite of T’Challa. “I want to talk about the Black Panther.”

T’Challa frowned. “Colonel, I’m sorry, but once again my answer is no. The creation of the Black Panther is an ancient Wakandan ritual known only by our shamans and it is a power reserved solely for our king. I will not share any details of the rituals with your government or any other.”

“I know, I understand that,” said Fury. “I’m not asking you for your secrets. Instead, I’m asking for you to help.”

“How so?” asked T’Challa.

“You’re well-connected, so I assume you’ve heard of the X-Men,” said Fury. T’Challa nodded. “Good, that’ll save some explanation. I’ve been told by the President to bring in the X-Men with a team of my own. A team of metahumans—not mutants.”

“And you want me on this team?”

“I do,” said Fury. “The X-Men are dangerous, Your Highness. Their actions have resulted in many deaths, including several prominant British citizens.”

“Yes, I heard about the Hellfire Club incident. This sounds like it has the potential to lead to large ramifications. Have you considered all them?”

“I have,” said Fury. “And believe me, the alternative the President has been presented with will be far, far worse.”

T’Challa rubbed his chin in thought. “This is a dangerous game you’re playing, Colonel.”

“No one’s more aware of that than me,” said Fury. “Will you help me?”

Langley, Virginia

A shooting range at the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency. Most of the agents were extremely good marksmen. However one in particular seemed to score a direct hit with each shot he took. Never once missing his mark. He stopped and tossed the gun from his right hand to his left to demonstrate that he was ambidextrous. When the sheet came forward, the man with short, blond hair took it off and handed it to the man who was observing him.

Colonel Fury looked over the sheet and smiled. “Not bad, Agent Barton. Not bad at all.”

“They don’t call me Hawkeye for nothin’,” said Clint Barton with a grin. He twirled the gun around his trigger finger before he slid it into his shoulder holster. “So what’s the Director of SHIELD want with me?”

“Let’s take a walk,” said Fury. The pair left the shooting range. Fury led Barton into an empty conference room. He motioned to one of the chairs and said, “have a seat.”

Barton did as he was ordered and Fury dropped a file folder he held in his hands. Barton began to look through it, then glanced up at Fury. “What’s this?”

“Details on SHIELD’s Super Soldier Project,” said Fury. “Our various attempts over the decades and how they turned out. As you can see, following Vietnam we focused on mutant subjects due to their inherent powers. But now, that’s blown up in our faces, which I’m sure you’re aware.”

“Only what I hear,” said Barton.

“The X-Men have become a danger to national security and the President wants them taken out,” said Fury. “He’s given me one last chance to take care of this problem—a team of Super Soldiers handpicked by me. His only stipulation is that not one of them can be a mutant.”

“What’s this have to do with me?” asked Barton. “I’m just a regular guy, I’ve got no powers. Unless you’re planning to give me some.”

“Some performance enhancers maybe, but the fact of the matter is you don’t need any powers Barton,” said Fury. “You’ve been a top assassin for the CIA for a number of years now. Your skills as a marksman are second to none. I’m short one Super Soldier and I think your skills can put you over the top.”

Barton leaned back and propped his feet on the table. “So you want me to be a superhero?”

“Something like that,” said Fury. “You in?”

“Depends,” said Barton. “Can I use a bow and arrow?”

Fury looked a bit perplexed by the man’s request. “I suppose, but why?”

“Archery taught me how to shoot,” said Barton.

Project Pegasus
Adirondack Mountains

Originally, Project Pegasus was intended to be a research facility devoted to discovering new and alternative forms of energy. However while pursuing such discoveries, a change occurred. Professor Nathaniel Richards had stumbled upon an alternate dimension which he had dubbed the Negative Zone.

Since then SHIELD has taken charged of Project Pegasus and devoted the base’s efforts to researching the Negative Zone. A few years earlier, something was retrieved from the Negative Zone. And it is for that reason that Nick Fury has come to Project Pegasus today.

When his chopper landed, Fury was greeted by the head of the base. “Good afternoon, Colonel,” he said. “My name is Doctor Wendell Vaughn, Director of Project Pegasus.”

“Nice to meet you, Dr. Vaughn,” said Fury, shaking Wendell’s hand. “I’ve been following your work here for some time. You guys have been doing some interesting stuff.”

“Thank you, Colonel. Unfortunately, trying to unravel the mysteries of the Negative Zone is easier said than done,” said Vaughn. “We’ve been at work since Professor Richards discovered the Zone decades ago and we’ve still just barely scratched the surface.”

“What about the subject?” asked Fury.

“Right this way,” said Vaughn. He led Fury into the facility down a long corridor. It ended at a small room with a glass window overlooking a large arena. Inside the arena was a man with dark blue skin dressed in white armor with a helmet reminiscent of those worn by Roman soldiers.

“Is that him?” asked Fury.

“Not quite,” said Vaughn. “As you are no doubt aware, about five years ago we discovered a lifeform in the Negative Zone. An accident caused him to be pulled into our dimension. The shock left him near-death and we tried our best to keep him alive. Unfortunately, we failed. Before he died, the only piece of information we were able to get out of him was his name—Mahr Vehl.”

“If Mahr Vehl is dead, then who’s that?” asked Fury.

“Captain Rick Jones,” said Vaughn. “Although we couldn’t save Mahr Vehl’s life, we were able to salvage the bracelets he wore. Apparently they’re some sort of power source that harnesses the power of the Negative Zone and grants it to the user. Captain Jones was our test subject and as you can see, he’s doing quite well with the Nega Bands.”

Fury looked at Vaughn. “Nega Bands?”

Vaughn smiled. “Just a little joke around the facility.”

“So what can Jones do with the Nega Bands?”

“He can manipulate photonic energy for a number of uses, using it to fuel his powers of flight and superhuman strength. He’s almost invulnerable, can teleport and his energy manipulation grants him a variety of additional powers, such as teleportation and the projection of energy blasts,” said Vaugn. “In addition, it seems part of Mahr Vehl was left inside the Nega Bands. Jones has memories of the Kree, the race that inhabits the Negative Zone. In addition, Jones seems to have a unique perception about the world, a sort of awareness I guess you would say.”

“Good,” said Fury. “What do you call him?”

“I’ll answer that, Colonel.” The form of Rick Jones materialized in the viewing booth before Fury and Vaughn. “In honor of the man whose sacrificed granted me these powers, I’ve decided to call myself the Marvel.”

Asgard

Located in the vast expanse of desert, the World was designed for the containment and study of one of the most powerful beings ever to appear on the planet. It was created by that being himself. The name he gave it was in reference to Norse mythology, from which he claims his own powerful abilities derive.

Dr. Jane Foster stood with Colonel Fury as they viewed the tall, well-built man with long blond hair generate a raging storm within the localized realm of Asgard.

“Not bad,” said Fury. “Question is, is he ready?”

“He is, Colonel,” said Foster. “I’ve been working with Donald Blake ever since he found that hammer on an archaeological dig several years ago. It’s taken him some time, but he’s developed a significant degree of control over his powers.”

“And those episodes he was having?” asked Fury.

“You’re referring to his belief that he actually is the Norse God of Thunder?” asked Foster. Fury nodded and Foster continued. “It was an issue at first, but Donald’s accepted that he is human and that whatever it is that’s behind the hammer and its powers, it’s not the spirit of a mythological being.”

“So what is in the hammer?” asked Fury.

“That’s what we’re still trying to figure out,” said Foster.

“But he’s ready for my team?”

Foster nodded.

“Good enough for me,” said Fury.

The Triskelion

Colonel Fury looked over his assembled team. Six men, all very powerful and skilled. More than enough to take down the X-Men with a minimum of fuss. Except there was still one factor missing. Fury needed a leader for the team.

“Now listen up,” he began. “You’ve all been kept hidden away up until this point. Kept under lock and key, both for your benefit and the rest of the world. But the X-Men pose a disasterous threat and the President wants you to take care of it.”

“Yeah, we know all this Fury,” said the Hulk. “Can we please get to the point?”

“The point is that you need a leader,” said Fury.

“I thought I’d be perfectly suited for that role,” said Stark. Or Iron Man as he chose to be called when wearing the prototype armor.

“Not quite,” said Fury. “We need a symbol heading up a team like this, and we’ve got that symbol. Someone you guys can look up to.”

The door to the operations room slid open and a man dressed in red, white and blue stepped in. Strapped to his arm was a round shield. There was a large A present on the helmet he wore over his face.

“No way…” said Hawkeye. “I thought he was dead.”

“But he’s so young,” said Iron Man.

“Captain America, anything you wanna say to your team?” asked Fury.

The Living Legend scanned over his team and he only spoke two words: “Avengers Assemble.”