Issue #5- Interlude Cut Scene to: Ancient Greece, Mt.

Olympus Athena Father, this mortal appeared at the gates of Olympus requesting an audience with you. He insisted that he had news of the titans. Doom (Doom bows) My lord, I have requested this conferenceZeus You shall speak when spoken to, human! Athena, why would you deem it necessary to bring this refuse to my hall? Athena My apologies, Father. I shall remove this whelp at onceDoom -Lord Zeus, my name is Victor Von Doom and I have been made aware of your recent tribulations concerning the titans. Zeus I did not ask your name, mortal, why are you wasting the King of Olympuss time?! I have a battle to plan and I do not seek the condolences of man! Doom Of course, my Lord. I merely offer you the means to defeat your adversaries. A means that defies all that the gods know. Zeus You come to kneel before my throne and insult me?! If one more insolent remark slips between the lips of that garish mask of yours then I shall make you realize the folly of wrapping yourself in such conductive materials! Doom A thousand apologies, God-King. My wishes are not to insult but to aid you in your latest endeavor. Simply a means to turn the tide in favor of the gods. A tide so powerful, the mere mention of this pawn trembles the humans warriors to their very core. Zeus I am such a force, Doom. What could you possibly have at your disposal that could rival the power that I, the Mighty Zeus, wield? And how could such a power possibly escape my vigilante gaze? Doom

I am aware of your immense power, Zeus. And with all due respect, the power I speak of exceeds yours. It is a power no being, mortal or divine, was ever meant to possess. But I just so happen to have this power at my disposal and am offering its services to you. Zeus (To Athena) Athena, leave us. (to Doom) And how is it that a mere mortal has control over such an unbearable force? Why bring it to me for that matter? What is it you seek from me, Doom? Doom This great power is indebted to me, my Lord. As recompense, he has vowed to serve me. My means of acquiring this power are of no importance, simple affairs of man. But I look to strike a bargain with the Mighty Zeus, in hopes he will return payment for my aid. Zeus Name your conditions, Doom. If your power is indeed what you promise me, I shall consider your requests. Doom I assure you, this power is unlike any you have ever bared witness to. It is a true testament to raw power, and quite a sight to behold. All I ask of you is a place of refuge. Once the dust of this glorious battle is settled, I would fancy a place to call my own. Zeus Remove your mask. Doom (taken aback) My mask? Zeus Yes, do away with it. I wish to see the face of the man who bargains with the king of the gods. Doom As a symbol of trust, from one king to another, I humbly succumb to your wishesMy Lord. (removes mask) Cut Scene to: somewhere in Hells Kitchen, Manhattan. Modern Day; 5 days ago. Cap Weve been tracking the Secret Warriors the best we can and theyve been sighted numerous times here in this 20 block radius of Hells Kitchen. Most recently; two days ago. Think you can track us back to Fury, Logan? Wolverine

Well trails faint but I got the scent of that Quake. Ill never forget the smell of a hussy that explodes my heart. Cap Er, Im sorry Logan I didnt know you two were an item. Wolverine Whatre you playin at, Rogers? She literally exploded my heart with her vibration powers. Although now that I think about it; a vibrating girl might not be a bad thing. Cap Right, lets press on. Wolverine (chuckles.) Alright, Rogers, Ill have you doing the discount double check in no time. This way up 25th street. Cap Discount double check? Wolverine Yeah, you know like Aaron Rogers, the quarterback. What? You not a football fan? Cap Sure I am, go Generals. Wolverine Steve, the New Jersey Generals aint been around since 1986 Cap Yea, well, baseball is better anyway, now lets move. (flash to an alley way.) Wolverine The trail ends here cap. Cap At a wall? Did she fly or teleport from here? (looking around) Wolverine Guess again, Cap (snikt. sticks claws into wall.) Cap A hologram disguising the door. Im a little disappointed I must be giving Fury too much credit. Open the door please, Logan.

Wolverine My pleasure, Ste(As wolverine rears back to slash through the door a trap door opens under their feet and they plummet into a pitch-black room and what appears to be a cage.) Fury Actually, Captain, Im a little disappointed in you. How does the head of SHIELD so easily fall into a trap and end up at the mercy of one of the most wanted men in the world? Cap Alright, Fury, we get it; you were better at my job. But you didnt have the moral compass for it. You also royally pissed of the most dangerous mutant in the world whos been waiting for a chance to be at your mercy.(hints at logan) Now open up before he uses his universal keys. (wolverine snikts) Fury All right, Director Rogers. (opens door) Just so you know, Wolverine wouldnt have been able to even touch the bars of that cage. Its magnetized to repel metal, one of many security measures. You think I aint aware o Wolverines gripes with me? Wolverine Yeah, well, what I did to your LMD is only a teaser of what Im gonna do to you when this is settled. Damn, why do all the cyclopses in the world piss me off? Fury Idle threats, Logan. What exactly is this? Why are you wolves blowin down my house? Cap We need to find Ares. You employ his son, Phobos, so youre our best bet at locating him. Fury And why do you need to locate Mr. Smiles? Cap That is classified, Fury. All you get to know is that we want him. Fury Fair enough. I assume it has something to do with what ever it is you found in the Aegean Sea. But I have no information on his whereabouts. Like you, the last I saw of him was his intestines as that lunatic literally tore him a new one. You can ask Phobos if youd like for all the good itll do you.

Cap How Never mind, forgot who I was talking to. All right Fury well speak with Phobos then. Where is he? Fury Ill have Quake take you to his quarters, but I wont guarantee hell see you. (into wrist com.) Quake, come to the holding cells. Now. Cap Im the director of SHIELD. Hell see me whether he likes it or not. Quake Yes, Colonel Fury? Fury Take the Director here and Wolverine to see Phobos, I gotta make a call. (Cap briefly looks at him suspiciously) Wolverine Another familiar face Id like to scar. Why are you and Fury hiding, vibrator girl? Quake Were hardly hiding; youve just been too dumb to find us. Wolverine Were here now aint we, doll? Cap How has working with Fury been, Daisy? Quake Damn guy thinks hes General Patton. But hes also a genius; every day is a day at school. Cap I can only imagine. (sternly) Wolverine Genius? The guy decided to nap up the son of THE God of War and turn him into his own secret soldier, guys a freakin lunatic. And that aint even the tip of the iceberg, sweetheart. Quake Speaking of which, heres his room. Start talking about dear ol dad and tell me how that goes. Enjoy!

Wolverine (mumbling under his breath) Damn Broad. (Both enter the boys room) Cap Alexander, do you know who we are? Phobos My name is Phobos, and yes, Captain. Wolverine How ya doin kid? Phobos You kidding? I didnt think being a superhero was so hard! Wolverine You got no idea, kid. (smiles) Now, I dont feel like doin this whole song-and-dance. You know what we want, wheres pops? Phobos How should I know? Cap We hear youre the only one with an open line of communication with the big guy. Phobos I dont know what Fury told you, but I havent seen him. Wolverine Look, sonny-boy, Im just doing this as a favor to Cap n Crunch here. This aint my gig, and Ive hit kids before, so cut the crap. Phobos You didnt say please. (Wolverine pops claws in one hand) Cap Relax, Logan. Look, Phobos, we could really use your father for something down in Greece. Its his turf and could really use a hand. Phobos Wheres Thor? Cap What?

Phobos You guys come asking for a favor with no bargaining chip? Thor avenged my father, least you coulda done was brought him over to sweeten the deal, a little. Wolverine (to Cap) Kids got a point. Cap Thanks, Logan. (To Phobos) What do you want from us? Wolverine Youre gonna negotiate with an 11 year old? Cap The boys smart, its all weve got. Phobos Hangin around Fury, you pick up a thing or two. Wolverine Thats the last thing we need; a miniature Greek God with a Nick Fury complex. Phobos To tell you the truth, neither of you have anything I want. Cap I read that book too, Son. Thats Fury negotiating 101. You act like we dont have anything you want, we become desperate, offer up something way more valuable than what youre giving in exchange, when in reality we already know that you have a method of communicating with Ares but choose not to use it. So, you acting like youre protecting your dad because youre such a caring son routine doesnt work with us. Youve been refusing to talk to him, where is he? Wolverine (aside to cap) Have that ace up your sleeve the whole time? Not bad, Slim. Phobos What makes you think my Dad wants to help you guys out anymore? Last time it didnt pan out so well. Wolverine Well, if you aint just a spittin imageKid, you dont talk to dear ol dad much anymore, what are you protecting? Youre just being a punkass kid who feels like screwin with people. Quit wasting our time, or my claws aint just gonna be for show. Comprendes?

Phobos Compre-wha?! Im not scared of you! Pop those claws and Ill make sure you spend the next 24 hours thinking youre Sabertooths housewife. Curious how youd look in an apron? Wolverine Mess with my head, kid, and that sperm-donor of a father will be the least of your worries. Cap Look, Alex, well bring your Dad back with us. Ive got somewhat of a respected reputation with your old man, Ill convince him to come back. Phobos You think he hasnt tried to see me? He and Fury basically have a custody agreement with me. I just dont want to see him. Cap Why? (genuinely) Phobos He figured being the king of Olympus was more important than being my father. He died, came back and decided to abandon me to take the throne to an extinct monarchy. Thinks he can restore Greece to its once eternal glory. He tried so hard not to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather, I guess even Gods cannot deny the sisters of fate. Cap (Cap and Wolverine looking at each other, blatantly) Mount Olympus? Wolverine (agreeing) Lets go. Cut Scene: Abandoned SHIELD outpost, outskirts of Brooklyn. 5 Days Ago Fury Castle, Im callin in a solid ya owe me. Punisher What the hell are you talkin about, Fury? Fury You really want me to elaborate? Ive got a wrap-sheet here in my hand (more like a damn mini-series) of brutal murders that could be mistaken for Freddy Krugers sadistic fantasies. All of which have been kept outta the hands of every one of my successors. Punisher

Freddy Kruger? Must not be keeping complete tabs on me then, Kruger is childs play. Fury Semantics, Frank. Point is; you think a man who has killed almost as many people as NAZI Germany, been on every branch of law enforcements most wanted list and is probably Americas worst kept secret mass murderer, could slip by unnoticed in this city for as long as you have without a little help from Big Brother? I have every official file on every murder case youve ever been implicated in, Frank. Punisher (reluctantly) Whats your price, Nick? Fury One: you never call me by my Christian name again. And two: seems your idol, ol stars and stripes has some secret mission hes keeping off official SHIELD records, meaning my inside men cant relay it to me. I need a man on the inside. Punisher Thats it? I tail Cap, find out what hes up to and spoon-feed you the details? Fury Then I give you all the files I have on you and you can do whatever youd like with them, burn em for all I care. Disappear off law enforcements radar, build a new wrap sheet for me to chuckle at, dazzle me. Punisher Gotta tell ya, Nick. I always wondered how you and your sticky fingers were involved every damn thing going on. Learning that blackmail is your weapon of choice makes it lose its magic. Fury Hope ya never get into show-biz then, kid. Being behind the scenes will really ruin the illusion. Here, take this; youll have to fool the sense of Spider-man and Ironmans tech, so you may need a bit of assistance. (hands him a stealth suit) Punisher Have those files ready, Nick. This aint gonna be long. (exits) Fury (Smiles) Told ya not to use that name, Frankie(keeps one file for later use) Cut Scene to: Mt Olympus, the throne room. Captain America And wolverine are being ushered in by Hermes, the messenger god. 4 Days Ago. Hermes Right this way, posers.

Wolverine Posers? Hermes Yes, posers. You dress up in your little costumes and set yourselves above the people as gods, forgetting who the true gods are. Cap We dress in costume to be symbols for the people. We dont rule them, we serve them. Maybe you would still be worshiped today if you had listened to some prayers. The holy Christ made up just fine for your idleness Hermes You cheeky mortal! Ill show you a god! Ares Hermes! Hold your wretched tongue and fetch Dionysus! We need drinks for our honored guests to the halls of Olympus. Ah, my former comrades, what brings you to my hallowed halls? Hermes Yes sire (he sneers and walks away muttering) Wolverine Wow Ares I never imagined seeing you so cheerful. I wouldve thought youd be chewing skulls lookin for revenge after getting gutted by the Sen Ares DO NOT SPEAK THE NAME OF THAT WHELP IN MY PRESCENCE! (Pounds fist into arm of the throne shattering it) Wolverine Thats more like it. Ares It is true that I crave a rematch against the golden boy. When I arrived on earth looking for him I was disappointed to learn that Thor had dispatched of him although I commend his ability. It is true I underestimated the one you call Sentry but I long to show him what the God of War and master of Olympus is capable of. Cap Yes, we heard about your recent promotion from your son. Care to Ares Youve seen my son? How fares Alexander?

Cap Hes healthy. He is a lot like you although he wouldnt admit it. Ares He is not happy with me. He feels I abandoned him. Cap Well, didnt you? Ares Of course not! The first thing I did when I returned from Hades was seek him out. I offered him a spot on Olympus, but he refused me and I dont blame him. Olympus is no place for a child. Ah Dionysus, our finest wine all around. Cap None for me, Ares Wolverine Steve, when the God of War offers you a drink, you have a drink. Cap Er, just one then. This is official business. How did you become the ruler of Olympus, Ares? Ares Ahh tis quite a tale. As you know; after I was defeated by that f@#$, Sentry, I was denied Elysium and imprisoned in Tartarus to be tormented for all of eternity by my uncle. The only good to come of it was I made peace with my father. Then the Eastern God of Evil Mikoboshi invaded the underworld to steal the tortured souls to swell the ranks of his army. However, I won my freedom by battling his minions in defense of my uncles realm. I then ventured to Olympus to find that all the remaining gods were fighting for the throne. As I reached the peak of Mt. Olympus I found Apollo and Poseidon brawling. I saw an opportunity and I seized it. Twas a mighty battle but I conquered them all and took the throne along with all its glory and power. I mean to end the pettiness of Olympus although my subjects wont let go easily, Hera in particular. (he grins as he says the words loving his power over the gods who had so long refused him.) I then sought out my son only to be denied my fatherly duties. As you mortals say, the apple does not fall far. Now, enough of my babbling, why have you come to seek me in Olympus? Cap We need you, Ares. Were putting a team together for a special mission. Its almost complete but were lacking brute strength. We need an omega level power. Ares

Nay, good captain. I have set aside the affairs of man to reign in Olympus. I will not leave until I settle the affairs here or until the Sentry resurfaces. Wolverine The way I see it, you wanna convince someone that your way is the right way, specially someone as stubborn as a Greek god, you lead by example. You had it right before, you gods were selfish and conniving. You learned your lesson while living with us mortals, show your underlings what you learned. Ares Aye, you speak wisely for a berserker, Wolverine. I do miss going into battle with you by my side. Cap Well, Logan actually isnt on the team. But a few of your old friends did make the roster. Ares You have struck yourself a deal, Captain. We go to arms, what is our battle? Cap Hold on there Dirty Harry. At this stage of the process were not entirely sure what were up against. We need you as our insurance policy. If things get too out of control, well need you to take it back. As of now, it is purely reconnaissance, think of yourself as our clean-up hitter. (Ares looks bewildered) Not a baseball fan I see, youre the ace in the hole, chief. Things get outta hand, you come in and knock the snot out of whoever is giving us trouble. Luckily, it wont be much of a commute for you, well be treading in your backyard, where you can keep a watchful eye. Ares Aye, you have your dog of war. I will come if you call. This time.

Cut Scene: Doom Castle; a Day Ago (Sentry comes crashing in through Dooms Castle) Doom Ahh, Mr. Reynolds, Ive been expecting you. (Sentry just stares intently) Never were much of a conversationalist were you? I know why youre here: revenge. Tricky thing revenge, it can leave you scarred. (Sentry takes a domineering step toward Doom) I am no match for you, Bob, I know that. Sentry Then lets make this quick. (Heads over to Doom, menacing) Doom

I said I was expecting you. (Sentry stops, bewildered) I will not fight you but that does not mean you cannot be dealt with. (Sentry leaps toward Doom, locked and loaded) Predictable! (Doom casts a spell) Cut to: Ancient Greece (As Sentry comes out of his daze he hears distinctly; Dooms voice talking to someone) Doom an imposter. He is here because you willed it so. (Sentry, whose vision is coming back into focus sees Doom talking with someone who looks eerily familiar) We have been training for this; the day the Void would challenge your sanity to the brink. This is the ultimate test. Destroy this unholy apparition, show the Void you will not submit to his mental terrorism, break free of his control. You have the power, Robert. (A hand grabs Sentry by the hair and throws him hurling into the sky. Once Sentry reestablishes his ground mid-air he sees a bullet heading straight for him, the man he sees in the mirror every day. It is himself, from the past. Past Sentry delivers an earth shattering punch into the gut of present Sentry, then delivers a knee into the bridge of his nose. The sound of his nose breaking can be heard by Doom on the ground. With both hands clenched together past Sentry hammers both hands into present Sentrys back sending him flying head-first into the ground. Right before he reaches the ground Present Sentry stops himself before he could create a new trench in the sea. He speeds off toward Past Sentry who is still in the air and he takes off head first toward Present Sentry. Their knuckles greet and send a shockwave throughout the land) Present Sentry Bob, listen to me. (Punch delivered to Present Sentrys jaw) Stop! (Present Sentry uppercuts past sentry) Past Sentry This is where you die, Void. I shall vanquish you once and for all. (Speeds toward Present Sentry) Present Sentry Youre not listening! (Deflects Past Sentry) Past Sentry And I will not, my head is no longer youre lounging chambers. (Moving quicker than ever, gets behind the present Sentry and throws his arm around his neck. The present Sentry, now in an unbreakable choke-hold tries to reason with.himself) Present Sentry UuukkUgghlisten-chokDoomdoesnt wantto help you.(Sentry chokes him even harder) Agghhhh!!! (in a whisper because thats all he can do) Im not the void. (Past Sentry punches through Present Sentrys back) Agghhhh!!!!!!!! Stop! Doom will betra-

Past Sentry Enough!!!! (Past Sentry grabs a hold of Present Sentrys spine and rips it from his body, broken ribs still attached, head gone limp, he throws the spine away, throws Sentrys limp body in the air and gives it one last kick to send him spiraling toward earth.) Doom (to himself; looking at the Past Sentry, hovering in the air like some sort of evil angel) Beautiful. Cut Scene Cut Scene to: Modern Day, Three Days Ago, The Laboratories of Tony Stark Pym Stark! What did I tell you?! Huh?! I told you if at any part in this process you crossed a line I was uncomfortable with, I was out! Well, Im a man of my word. Stark Oh, calm down, Helen. Youre acting like you caught me in bed with Jan. If you have a better way to give me unbreakable armor with the flexibility and weight- to-strength ratio Ive created here, Im all ears. Otherwise, sit down and help me review these logarithms. You might even learn something. Pym F&%$ You, Stark! Not only did you use the DNA from a friend, which Im going to go out on a limb here and say that he has no clue that you stole it, but you used the exact same template for Ultrons AI compatibilities that I created! What?! Did you think I wouldnt recognize my own designs?! You even had the arrogance not to change one damn line-of-code! I wont be a part of this and thanks to the back-door abort feature I included, neither will you. Stark Hank, you specialize in biology. Im the weapons and computer expert; you really think I didnt notice your little killswitch? After such long term usage of those Pym Particles did it start having side effects? Like not everything growing back to their normal size? Im offering you a chance to be a part of the most powerful Iron Man ever. That means we have to push the boundaries. Luke Cages DNA was essential in creating a nearly unbreakable compound as malleable as putty. I credit you completely with the advances in the AI. Using noetic receptors to upgrade the extremis was a stroke of genius, the suit knows what to do before I even think it. Im going to ask you one more time to get on board and help me create the future of human/robotic interaction.

Pym

Stark, what did I tell you about the ass kissing? My ego is not one that can be caressed and stroked. Youre not going to manipulate me. Plain and simple, Im out. Im taking my designs with me, the last time I pushed the boundaries I put the entire planet at risk. Ever since Ive been deemed an utter failure, my one big mistake can never be undone and to this day it still comes back to haunt us! Ultron has kept evolving, adapting, learning new ways to bring himself back from extinction. What happens when your new suit does the same? Mr. Risk calculator, where is your contingency plan for when you become too big a threat? Youve crossed every line I can think of. Youve stolen Luke Cages DNA, unconscionable! Immoral! Youve stolen my designs, the same designs that have caused death and destruction and youre simulating the sentience and function of a parasitic alien being. When is it enough, Tony? When? I want my name nowhere near this suit, you wanna finish it? Youre doing it alone, but be reassured, this isnt just our little secret anymore, I have to notify someone about this. (exits) Stark (to himself) A little dramatic, but that did sting a littleHe has a point. I could be dangerously close to creating an even more powerful Ultron without even knowing it. This isnt even my Iron Man anymore. Ive combined the tech and biological functions of a dozen different scientists and superpowers. Maybe I should put Pyms killswitch back. But who can I trust with the ability to power off Iron Man? Jarvis Master Tony. Is there anything I can get for you? End of Issue #5