Earth-717: War Machine – Defender of the Earth Chapter 1: Self Made Man “So, you're not a sidekick?” Rhodes did his best not to allow his dismay to show via his facial gestures or sighing. The question was one he had been asked multiple times now, and it always frustrated him. While he had only adopted the War Machine identity a short time ago, news circulation and much of social media had taken to referring to him as the sidekick of Tasha Stark, the Invincible Iron Maiden. He did not take kindly to the supposition. “No,” said Rhodes. “I'm not a sidekick.” “Huh.” Rhodes was sitting at a table on the patio of a restaurant in Los Angeles. Sitting across from him was a blonde woman named Rae LaCoste. Rhodes, as usual, was in a suit, while Rae was wearing relatively casual clothes and large hoop earrings. She also had a pair of sunglasses that were propped up on her hairline. “So, if you're not a sidekick, then what are you?” Rhodes sat back against his chair and took a moment to breathe as he considered Rae's question, and how he ended up having a lunch date with her. While Pepper was usually busy in her new role as the
An alternate time. An alternate world. As the Avengers leave into the stars in a desperate bid to save humanity, James Rhodes is left behind to fight a losing battle against the Skrull Empire. Completely surrounded and overwhelmingly outnumbered, War Machine must bring together a small team of his own in a struggle for survival, so that the Avengers still have a world left to save.
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Earth-717: War Machine – Defender of the Earth
Chapter 1: Self Made Man
“So, you're not a sidekick?”
Rhodes did his best not to allow his dismay to show via his facial gestures or sighing. The
question was one he had been asked multiple times now, and it always frustrated him. While he had
only adopted the War Machine identity a short time ago, news circulation and much of social media
had taken to referring to him as the sidekick of Tasha Stark, the Invincible Iron Maiden.
He did not take kindly to the supposition.
“No,” said Rhodes. “I'm not a sidekick.”
“Huh.”
Rhodes was sitting at a table on the patio of a restaurant in Los Angeles. Sitting across from him
was a blonde woman named Rae LaCoste. Rhodes, as usual, was in a suit, while Rae was wearing
relatively casual clothes and large hoop earrings. She also had a pair of sunglasses that were propped
up on her hairline.
“So, if you're not a sidekick, then what are you?”
Rhodes sat back against his chair and took a moment to breathe as he considered Rae's question,
and how he ended up having a lunch date with her. While Pepper was usually busy in her new role as
the acting CEO of Stark Enterprises, she did mention during her last conversation with Rhodes that her
hairdresser was single and actively looking.
Apparently that was enough for Pepper to set up a time and place for Rhodes and Rae to meet.
While Rhodes initially did not protest Pepper's invitation, he was starting to regret it. While he had
hoped that Rae wouldn't be aware of his role as War Machine, it was becoming increasingly difficult to
find people who weren't at least somewhat cognisant of who he was.
“Tasha and I are partners,” said Rhodes. “She picked up a mission that has her out of town for a
while. So, since I had just acquired my own armour, she asked me to stay here in LA. To keep the city
safe, and make sure nothing happens while she's gone.”
“I see,” said Rae. “So you're the substitute.”
“I . . . . guess that's one way of putting it.”
“Although I wonder, why War Machine? Why not call yourself Iron Man or something? You
know, for branding consistency or whatever. But nah, nah, I think that's great. Really cool. It's good to
know there's more than one Iron Person flying around. Keeping a close eye on things. Trying to keep
people safe.”
The waitress finally returned with their meals.
“Thank you,” said Rhodes.
“Thanks,” said Rae. “Can I get another glass?”
The waitress nodded and started to pour more champagne into Rae's glass.
“Sure you don't want any?” asked Rae.
“I don't drink,” answered Rhodes.
“Alright.”
“Enjoy,” said the waitress, before she left to attend to another table.
After taking a couple minutes to start eating her food, Rae resumed the conversation.
“So, you probably got some cool stories, right? Superhero stuff? Kinda crazy to know I know a
real life superhero. I mean, it's sorta getting more common now, and I knew Pepper worked for Tasha
Stark, but . . . . to actually know know one, you know? Crazy.”
Rhodes grunted and adjusted his position in his seat.
“Yeah,” he said. “Crazy.”
“But yeah, so cool stories. Come on, ya gotta have at least one.”
Rhodes looked to the side for a moment.
“Yeah, I have one I think I could share.”
Rae grinned. Rhodes cleared his throat before he began.
“A couple weeks back, I received a message that a corporate rival of Stark Enterprises, Justin
Hammer, was stealing tech schematics for the Iron Maiden technology . . . .”
* * * *
Rhodes flew through the night sky towards the Los Angeles Headquarters for Hammer
Industries.
“Give me the intel again, Janice.”
Rhodes' internal heads-up display started feeding in several data streams, including a Stark
Enterprises profile card image of a black man.
“I managed to track an attempt to steal the technical schematics for the Iron Maiden
technology,” explained Janice. “The source of the leak came from within the company: Jack Taggert, a
mid-level technician. He cracked into the company's mainframe and took several encrypted data files
before transferring them to an online address that could be traced back to Hammer Industries.”
“Any idea why he did it?”
“A few months ago, Mister Taggert applied for additional funding for a private project. Miss
Stark turned down the funding due to concerns that his designs were far too close to weapon
schematics created prior to the company's revitalization.”
“Money. It's always about money.”
“It seems so, Colonel Rhodes.”
“So, an angry employee steals Tasha's designs, and sells them to the highest bidder. Namely,
Hammer. At least I know that I don't have to hold back.”
As Rhodes arrived at the Hammer Industries building, he slowed down and hovered in place.
Turning off his thrusters, he landed in the back courtyard, which contained multiple warehouses.
Rhodes looked side to side, scanning the area.
“I am detecting a power signature inside of the warehouse directly in front of you, Colonel
Rhodes. It is remarkably similar to the signature for the arc reactors, albeit slightly modified.”
Rhodes marched up to the warehouse's sliding garage door. Holding up his left hand, he was
about to knock on the door when a large form burst through it from the other side. Rhodes gasped as he
was smacked in the face, and he was sent tumbling backwards without getting a good look at his
assailant. Rolling back a couple times, he ended up on one knee as he looked at who had attacked him.
A hole had been ripped in the warehouse door by a large armoured suit. Unlike his own suit, this
one was bulkier, looking similar to images that Rhodes had seen of the Hulkbuster suit that was briefly
used by Major Glenn Talbot the previous year. The head piece had three orange horizontal lines over
the visor rather than a traditional face. The same orange energy lights were positioned on all of the
suit's joints.
The suit punched its hands together as Rhodes stood back up.
“Awh, man. We go through all the trouble of stealing from Tasha Stark . . . . and who comes
after us, huh? The sidekick.”
Rhodes raised an eyebrow as a man in a beige business suit walked out from behind the armour.
He had short, dirty blonde hair, thick rim glasses with pink-shaded lenses and a brown striped tie. His
hands were in his pockets, and he shook his head upon seeing Rhodes.
“Justin Hammer,” said Rhodes.
“Rhodey! Long time no see, old pal.”
“We've never been pals, Hammer.”
“Yeah, guess we haven't. But screw me for trying to be polite, right? Really, I hate you, but
that's mostly because I hate Tasha. Tell me, where is America's favourite playgirl?”
“She's busy doing something more important than dealing with you.”
“Ha, ha, ha! Jokes. I'd much rather face off with Stark herself, but maybe if I send you to the
scrap heap, she'll come a runnin'.”
“That's not going to happen.”
Justin chuckled before tapping the armoured suit next to him a couple times with his knuckles.
“So confident, are we? Bet you wouldn't be if you knew what was packing inside the latest and
greatest from Hammer Advanced Weapon Systems.”
Rhodes scoffed.
“I already know what's inside. Tech you stole from Tasha.”
“That . . . . may be true, but I've reduxed it from the ground up! Now it's totally radical! Of
course, I had a little help from one of your own.”
The visor on the suit opened, revealing the face of Jack Taggert.
“Taggert,” said Rhodes. “I'm not surprised. I heard this was your doing. You were really that
upset about Tasha pulling your funding?”
“Damn right I was,” replied Taggert. “I was working on something real special, some heavy
duty ordnance. But since Miss Stark went all Salvation Army on us after her trip to China, me and my
ideas weren't good enough for her anymore. Lucky for me, Hammer can move a lot of cash. He made
an offer, and here I am. I put a lot of my own specs into this armour, and that's how I came up with the
name.”
The visor closed, and Taggert closed his fists. Rocket launchers on both the shoulders and wrists
emerged out of the armour plating, all of them targeting Rhodes.
“Say hello . . . . to Firepower!”
Taggert launched all four rockets at once. Rhodes quickly blasted upwards, boosting out of the
way as the rockets struck the ground. Taggert switched his attack modules from the rocket launchers to
chainguns, and started unloading four streams of bullets as Rhodes flew through the air. Weaving back
and forth, Rhodes avoided most of the bullets before firing a shot from his own shoulder cannon.
A large, hexagonal energy shield formed on Taggert's right wrist, blocking Rhodes' cannon
blast. Rhodes moved in closer, but Taggert whacked him away with the energy shield. Recovering
quickly, Rhodes entered into a hovering circle strafe around Taggert, firing both his repulsors and his
shoulder cannon simultaneously.
Taggert shifted his position in tandem with Rhodes, keeping his shield between them. After
continuing this stalemate for a few seconds, Taggert shouted and charged forward, trying to smash
Rhodes head on. Anticipating this move, Rhodes boosted upwards and performed an aerial roll, ending
up above and behind Taggert. He then fired two more repulsor shots, blasting Taggert in the back.
“Ugh!”
Swiftly turning around, Taggert transformed his hand module into a heavy cannon. He fired a
shot before Rhodes could react, striking him directly in the chest and sending him crashing into a
parked cargo truck.
Justin pumped his fist in the air as Taggert charged towards Rhodes.
“Yeah, yeah!” said Justin. “Whack him! Smack him! Shoot him in the face!”
Rhodes shook his head as he stood back up and activated a spherical energy field to absorb
another shot from Taggert's cannon.
“Colonel Rhodes,” said Janice. “I have performed several calculations derived from my
scanning of the Firepower armour, and I have ascertained a potential danger.”
“Really?” asked Rhodes. “I never would have guessed.”
Rhodes flew sideways to avoid a hail of chaingun bullets.
“The Firepower armour has a power source that has been derived from the arc reactor designs.
However, there is a significant problem. Beyond just design oversights in the construction, the core of
the reactor does not possess vibranium, a crucial component in stabilizing the amount of energy
generated. While Miss Stark was able to use palladium as a temporary core, Mister Hammer has
elected to use platinum. Most likely, he did not understand the consequences of such a choice.”
“And what would that be?”
“Inevitable self-destruction of the core caused by power overload.”
Rhodes blinked.
“When will that . . . .”
“In about thirty seconds, Colonel.”
“Great.”
Rhodes performed a sharp turn and shoulder charged directly into Taggert's chest, knocking him
over. Taggert grunted in pain as he landed on his back.
“Taggert! That armour is about to blow!”
“Pffft! Yeah, right! You're just scared that . . . .”
Rhodes punched down on the visor, knocking Taggert out. Rhodes then reached for the arc
reactor and strained his musculature servos to pull it out. Justin threw out his hands.
“What are you doing?! That arc reactor's worth . . . .”
Rhodes ignored Justin and tossed the arc reactor into the sky. After a few seconds, it burst apart
in the air, causing a bright and vibrant explosion. Justin started pulling out his hair.
“You idiot! That prototype cost me millions! And you ruined it! What the hell?!”
Rhodes turned to look at Justin and aimed his shoulder cannon at him, instantly silencing the
petrified CEO.
“You're the idiot, Hammer. The next time you decide to steal someone's tech, make sure you
know how it works. That platinum core was going to detonate no matter what. If I hadn't shown up, that
explosion would have taken out your whole complex.”
“As if you know! You're not the one with the online degree in engineering! You're just the
sidekick! And you better lawyer up, Rhodes! I'm gonna put you in the ground for this!”
“Me? Corporate theft? Sabotage? Attempted murder? Hell, if I tell the police about the arc
reactor, they could throw in domestic terrorism, intentional or not. If you want to accuse me, you better
have one hell of a lawyer, Hammer.”
Justin clenched his fists and growled as Rhodes flew up into the sky.
“Talk to me, Janice.”
“I have notified the authorities. Mister Taggert will be arrested, although Justin Hammer will
likely not face any serious legal repercussions without solid evidence. However, during the fighting, I
did manage to break into Mister Hammer's mainframe, and delete all records of Stark technology.”
“Nice. How did you do that?”
“I broke through his firewalls. Hammer Industries' data security is . . . . inadequate.”
“Heh, heh. Nice work, Jan.”
“Thank you, Colonel Rhodes. Same to you.”
* * * *
“. . . . and that's how I dealt with Justin Hammer. Whether he admits it or not, I saved his life.
Janice later did the math, and over two hundred of his employees would also have been killed in the
blast if I hadn't interfered.”
“Wow,” said Rae. “You're a real damn superhero. Honestly, that's amazing.”
“Thanks.”
“You know, knowing people like you are out there? People that really try to protect us? It makes
me feel safer. You do good work.”
Rhodes smiled, and Rae returned the gesture. All of a sudden, Rhodes wasn't regretting this
lunch date anymore.
But the moment would not last for long.
“Oh my God . . . .”
Rhodes and Rae looked over to the left as they saw crowds of people standing up and forming
on the street. Everyone was looking up at a large television screen attached to the side of a building. It
showed an “Emergency Broadcast Message” logo. Both Rhodes and Rae stood up as they waited to see
what was going to happen next.
The screen transitioned to show a woman standing in front of a series of video clips. All of them
showed major cities there were under attack by gargantuan war ships the likes of which none of them
had ever seen. They were eight hundred metre long vessels that had four legs sprouting from under
them, making them look like gigantic creatures.
Each one was equipped with a massive laser cannon that started firing into the buildings.
“. . . . receiving reports from all around the globe. Major population centres appear to be the
focus, with confirmed reports coming in from New York, London, Tokyo, Nairobi and Sydney. This is
not a hoax. This is confirmation that Earth is currently under siege by a hostile alien force. I repeat . . . .
I can't believe I'm saying the words . . . . this is an alien invasion.”
Rae's jaw dropped, as did many of the other people on the street. Everyone was stunned into
silence as they watched the video clips filter through city after city under attack by the alien mechs.
“Evacuation procedures are already underway, and armed responses are being prepped by every
major military force on the planet. If you are inside one of the affected cities, you are being advised to
head for the nearest designated evacuation area. All air travel globally has been suspended, and it's
expected that the planet will be placed under martial law as per supreme emergency procedures. We
have no current knowledge of the motive for the attack, but we do know one thing . . . . these enemies
are not of this Earth.”
Rhodes gulped.
“Janice?”
Janice started speaking into Rhodes' mind via the sensor link that had since been implanted in
the back of his neck bone.
“Yes, Colonel Rhodes?”
“Get me my armour.”
“Right away, sir.”
In less than a minute, the War Machine armour flew towards Rhodes. He jumped into it and it
latched itself around his body before blasting into the sky. Rhodes started flying as fast as he could, in a
straight shot towards New York.
“Janice, get me Tasha.”
“That may no longer be possible, Colonel Rhodes. I would explain, but you have an incoming
call from Director Fury, and I suspect that he will divulge more information on the matter.”
Fury's voice then filtered in through the helmet.
“Colonel?”
“I'm here, Fury. On my way to New York right now. Where's . . . .”
“Don't worry about New York, Colonel. We've got that handled. I need you to . . . .”
“Handled? What are you talking about? Aliens? Are you kidding me? What's going on? Where's
Tasha?”
“Tasha's gone.”
“Gone?”
“Into space.”
“What?”
“She and a special team . . . . they're going to try and get help for the fight. I'll give you the
details later, but I need your help, right now. I know where they're going to be focusing their efforts,
and I need you there, immediately.”
Rhodes sighed, realizing that he was not going to get anything more out of Fury until he agreed
with his request.
“Alright. Where do you need me?”
“London. Don't worry about the other cities. London is what's important . . . . it's critical to their
invasion strategy. I need you there. You'll meet up with Agent Romanova. She was deployed there on
another assignment.”
Rhodes sighed. He then nodded, and Janice automatically changed his flight path so that he
would head straight for London.
“What are these things?”
“They call them Skrulls.”
Earth-717: War Machine – Defender of the Earth
Chapter 2: Those Left Behind
As morning slowly crept in the night after the invasion began, the city of London had been
completely paralysed. The streets were devoid of traffic, with thousands of vehicles either destroyed or
abandoned, left to rot on the pavement. The city was peppered with skirmishes between the British
Armed Forces and the invaders, and civilians were either cowering inside of buildings or fleeing for
their lives.
Within a very short time frame, all major armed response had been overwhelmed by the sheer
force of the Skrull armada. Multiple Pariahs strolled through the city, annihilating all resistance that
they encountered. Their loud and piercing horns were a source of terror for everyone who heard them,
causing the millions of people trapped in the city to quiver whenever they sounded.
However, the arrival of the Pariahs was not the most startling development since the start of the
Skrull invasion. Numerous construction vessels had descended upon London, clearing a large circular
area of the city that was situated across the River Thames from the Palace of Westminster. The area
cleared had a radius of five hundred metres, and from there the Mekkan construction droids and
building crews had started to work on something massive.
Some of the civilians and soldiers in the city could see that the building was being assembled at
an extraordinary pace, but none of them were certain of its purpose. All that was known for certain was
that the foundation indicated that it would be a silver, circular pyramid structure, and that it was
incredibly important because of the Pariah that guarded it at all times.
At a temporary operations base next to the construction site, General Paibok stood with his
hands behind his back as he oversaw the project. Hundreds of Skrulls and Mekkans were garrisoned at
the operations base, all of them under Paibok's command. While Paibok was a commanding presence
amongst the Skrulls due to his unusual height, his soldiers knew that he took special care to instill
respect rather than fear in his troops.
He was well known for having an authoritative style that contrasted with General Morrat.
“General.”
Paibok turned to the side to see one of his Mekkan lieutenants standing next to him.
“Yes?”
“Queen Veranke has called, asking for a status report. She's waiting for you in the temporary
command centre.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant.”
Paibok turned and followed the Lieutenant to the metallic structure that had been designated his
command centre. Several of these identical, one room structures had been deployed, airdropped in as
quickly prepared segments of the operations base. Paibok stepped inside the command centre. In the
middle of the room's floor was a holographic projector.
A full sized hologram of Veranke was being emitted by the projector. Paibok bowed, keeping
both hands behind his back.
“My Queen.”
“General,” said Veranke. “I assume all goes well with the invasion?”
“Indeed it does,” replied Paibok. “We have taken the city you designated, and construction of
the Cyberex Device is on schedule. Provided there are no unforeseen circumstances, it should be ready
for activation in two days' time.”
Veranke folded her arms across her chest.
“Unforeseen circumstances? Is there something you're not telling me?”
“Two of the Pariahs have been destroyed, although they were not here in London. This is a
primitive planet, and I did not expect this level of resistance.”
“Two Pariahs?”
“It was during the initial assault. Much of the local military has since been countered. I doubt
we will incur any further disruptions.”
“I don't believe you will, General. After all . . . . we have destiny on our side. Continue with the
construction and ensure that the planet is under your complete control by the time I arrive.”
“As it is written,” said Paibok.
Veranke nodded, and her hologram faded. Paibok sneered before turning away and exiting the
metallic structure. He returned to his observation post, watching as the Cyberex Device slowly but
surely took shape.
* * * *
Sprinting through the destroyed corridor, Natalia did not allow any of the physical details of the
space to linger in her mind. There were charred walls, broken windows and ashes strewn about the
floor. Smashed chairs, burned desks and smoking corpses were all present, but Natalia did not focus on
these things.
Rather, she just kept running. She knew that if she focused on her surroundings, that she would
be drawn into memories of a particular night in 1987. A time when she encountered all of these things
in a similar space. A time when she had learned the traumatizing truth about her origins. A time when
she had stared into the abyss of utter darkness, and had emerged forever scarred.
But no, these thoughts were not in her mind in that moment.
“Why didn't you save me?”
Natalia abruptly paused and looked over her shoulder. She knew that Alma's words were only in
her mind, but they stopped her all the same. Alma's presence was long gone, but there were still
whispers of her ghost following Natalia wherever she went. It had been a quarter of a century since
Natalia had dealt with her little sister, and still she was haunted by that terrible night.
An explosion and several screams jostled Natalia out of her melancholic remembrances and
back into the present moment. Shaking her head and blinking a few times, she then resumed her
running until she reached the end of the hallway. Turning to the burned wooden door, she did not
hesitate to kick it in, having already known that the knob did not work properly.
The door entered into an adjacent bedroom. It was small and soiled, with a half-destroyed decor
similar to the rest of the building. On the bed was a teenage girl, who was sleeping despite all of the
noise. Natalia sighed upon seeing that she was unharmed. Shutting the door behind her, she then
walked over to the lone chair in the room and sat down.
For the next few hours, Natalia just watched the girl sleep. She had long red hair, just as Natalia
did. She was not wearing regular clothing, instead having a yellow bodysuit similar to Natalia's black
one. She also had a pair of orange goggles strapped to her face, which did not seem to impede her
ability to sleep.
Natalia warmly smiled as she watched the young girl. Looking at her facial features, Natalia
noted to herself how similar they were to her own when she had been that age.
“Urm . . . .”
The girl finally stirred from her sleep, putting one of her palms on her forehead. Natalia stayed
still as she watched the girl sit up and look at her surroundings. She seemed disoriented.
“W-Where . . . . where are we?”
“An abandoned building,” replied Natalia. “I had to move you somewhere safe.”
“You moved me? A-All by yourself?”
Natalia nodded in response. The girl huddled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms
around her legs.
“Wow. T-Thanks.”
“It was my job to rescue you.”
“Still . . . . thanks.”
“You're welcome.”
The girl looked over at the door for a moment.
“You didn't sleep?” she asked.
Natalia paused for a moment before answering the question.
“No.”
“No?”
Natalia shook her head.
“Why not? How long have you been awake?”
“I . . . .”
Natalia closed her eyes for a few seconds, and all she saw was Alma's pleading face staring
back at her.
“I have gotten used to not sleeping much,” said Natalia as she opened her eyes.
Sighing again, Natalia then stood up. She approached a nearby table that had a plastic bag on it.
Unzipping it, she reached inside and pulled out a small bag of potato chips.
“Hmmph.”
Natalia then tossed the bag of chips at the girl, who awkwardly caught it by snatching it out of
the air with her wrists.
“Eat something,” said Natalia. “That's the best I have at the moment. Once you're done, we need
to move. We can't stay in one place for too long.”
Taking note of Natalia's tone, the girl feverishly ripped the bag open and gobbled down the
chips inside. Once she was done devouring her hasty snack, she tossed the empty bag aside and got off
the bed. Natalia bashed the door open with her shoulder, and stepped out into the hallway. The girl
gulped as she saw the burning buildings and empty streets through the windows.
Natalia placed her finger against her ear.
“Joey, this is Natalia. Can you hear me? Joey? Are you alive?”
The voice of a man with a very apparent English accent filtered in through her earpiece.
“I'm not dead yet, Nat.”
“Where are you?”
“Up on Chiswell, surrounded by these bastards. Place is in fuckin' shambles. You better hurry.”
“On my way.”
Natalia lowered her hand and started to march down the hallway. The girl followed after her.
“Who was that?”
“A colleague. He can help us.”
After a couple minutes, Natalia and the girl exited the building, stepping out onto the street.
Ashes and debris were cluttered all over the pavement, and smoke was rising from several of the
nearby structures. A couple of fighter jets flew nearby, their engines roaring. This noise was then
drowned out by the sounding of a Pariah's horn.
The girl gulped and looked into the sky.
“Don't worry,” said Natalia. “It's not close to us.”
“It's still so loud,” said the girl.
“I know.”
Natalia beckoned for the girl to follow her as she pulled out one of her pistols. Jogging over to a
street corner, she placed her back against the wall before peering around the side. A handful of Skrulls
and Mekkans were positioned in front of a building, placing a metallic device on the sidewalk. It was a
two metre wide disc.
Natalia narrowed her eyes as one of the Skrulls bent down and pushed a button on the disc. It
suddenly started to emit a tall, blue hologram of General Paibok.
“People of London,” said Paibok. “My name is General Paibok, and I stand as a representative
of Queen Veranke, supreme leader of the Skrull Empire. Your planet has been annexed and is now
considered under the authority of the Queen. This is a declaration of peace, not of war.”
Natalia sneered as she listened to Paibok speak. The girl watched from behind her shoulder.
“To all military forces, you are hereby ordered to stand down. Surrender your arms, and you
will be shown proper amnesty. We seek to avoid further bloodshed. To all civilians, be aware that there
is no need for fear. Turn yourself in to any Skrull or Mekkan patrol, and you will be safely transported
to a detainment camp where you will be provided proper food, shelter and medical supplies. You have
my solemn vow that there will be no mistreatment of any human prisoners, and any violation of that
policy on the part of my soldiers will be met with swift retribution. However, if you resist, then I
cannot guarantee your safety.”
The recorded message looped over. Natalia looked down at the soldiers positioned around the
hologram disc. As she reached for the pocket where she kept her grenades, one of the Mekkans looked
up and pointed into the sky.
“What is that?”
The soldiers all aimed their rifles into the air. Natalia and the girl both looked up where they
were pointing to see Rhodes in his War Machine armour. The soldiers opened fire on Rhodes, who
retaliated with repulsor shots and shoulder cannon blasts. Cutting down three of the soldiers, Rhodes
then pulled back his right fist before landing and slamming it on the ground, creating a shockwave that
blasted the remaining soldiers off their feet.
Rhodes then looked up at the hologram for a moment. Scoffing, he then aimed his shoulder
cannon at the hologram disc and blew it apart. Relaxing her muscles, Natalia holstered her pistol and
casually walked onto the street, and the girl followed closely behind. Rhodes turned around, and upon
seeing Natalia, opened his faceplate.
“Agent Romanova.”
“Colonel Rhodes. Fancy seeing you here.”
Rhodes gestured as if he was going to speak, but Natalia then saw that one of the Skrulls on the
ground was starting to stir. Without hesitation, Natalia pulled out her pistol and fired two bullets into
the downed Skrull. She then twirled her gun in her hand and placed it back in its holster. Rhodes
nodded in approval before looking back at Natalia.
“Fury told me where to find you,” said Rhodes.
“He give a reason?”
“He has a plan. And I'm going to need your help.”
“I'm not surprised. But I was in the middle of my own mission when all this started.”
Natalia stood to the side and allowed Rhodes to get a good look at the girl. He looked her over
for a few moments.
“Who is this?”
“Angelica Jones,” said Natalia.
The girl folded her arms and turned to Natalia with a look of anger flashing on her face.
“Amanda,” said the girl.
“Uh, I'm sorry,” said Natalia. “Amanda Jones.”
“Angelica is my birth name . . . . but I prefer Amanda.”
“I see,” said Rhodes. “What's with the, uh . . . .”
“The outfit was her design,” explained Natalia. “It helps her channel her powers.”
“Powers?”
“She's a mutant. Has the ability to control solar energy and disperse it. That was my previous
mission. She and several other mutants had been kidnapped by Mister Sinister and kept at one of his
bases here in London. SHIELD got a tip about the location, and I was sent in. Sinister was gone . . . .
and most of the mutants were dead. Amanda's the only one left.”
“Mister Sinister?”
“I'd rather not talk about it,” said Amanda.
Natalia nodded.
“We need to stay on the move. Colonel, I know you need my help, but I have my own problems
right now. I need to get her somewhere safe, and I have another agent in the field who's under fire.”
“Nowhere's safe, Natalia. The whole planet's under siege, but London is critical to the invasion.
We have a chance at stopping this.”
“How? I'm just a spy. A soldier. I don't have . . . . flying armour, or superpowers! Where are the
Fantastic Four, or the Hulk, or Tasha?”
“They're all gone,” said Rhodes. “It's just us.”
Natalia sighed. She then looked to the side and pointed at a Pariah that was patrolling in the far
distance.
“How am I supposed to stop one of those things?”
“If you go along with Fury's plan, then there's a chance we can save a lot of lives.”
Natalia paused as she considered Rhodes for a few moments. She turned to look over at
Amanda for a second, before placing one of her hands on her forehead.
“Not until we find my other agent. You help me make sure he's safe, and then we can talk about
Fury's plan.”
“Fair enough.”
Natalia then led Rhodes and Amanda towards Chiswell Street. Once they arrived, they saw that
a firefight was underway. A man in a dark blue combat outfit with a matching combat mask was taking
cover behind a destroyed car, holding a heavy assault rifle with both hands. Two Skrull soldiers were
approaching his position, firing at him with their laser rifles.
Peering out from behind cover, the man gunned down one of the Skrulls. His partner yelled and
charged forward, but the man responded by leaping over the car and kicking the Skrull in the jaw. Once
the alien was on the floor, the man started to repeatedly stomp his right boot down on the Skrull's body
and face, causing blood to squirt upwards from each strike.