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Tony Stark sat in his office at Stark Enterprises. He'd regained his fortune after Obadiah Stane died in the war. Rather than simply rename it again, Tony dismantled the old and started anew. Unlike his previous location on Long Island, this was based just outside of Manhattan. It made sense, since SE was the primary reconstruction organization for Southern New York. The destroyed areas could never be restored to what they had been and Tony was taking the opportunity to upgrade the city. The city would never again be taken so easily by an invading force. The real trick would be the architecture. He wanted to use what he was calling 'futuristic art deco'. It would be a city of tomorrow that had been promised many decades ago. There would be fewer roads and more reliable public transportation. If he could bring this about it would be a place where people wanted to live.
Right now, however, Tony had a more pressing concern. He picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Doctor Samson," he said. "This is Tony Stark. I have something urgent to discuss."
"What is it," Samson asked.
"It's about the boys. Mark, Jake and some other teenagers in costume went after Devastator and managed to kill him."
"The killing doesn't sound good. And Jake?"
"Jake Harper. That's Eric's real name. That's not what's concerning me at the moment. Both of the boys seemed to have a 180 degree personality change. I made them move in, Jake told me the truth and they acted like everything was better.
"I didn't buy it at the time, though I'm sure they thought I did. Clint also didn't believe it."
"That is problematic but surely it can wait until their next visit."
"I don't think so. Jake said the Devastator said something to him. He initially broke down about it but he wouldn't say more. We know what Devastator did to Jake's family and we also know other things he's done. There's only one conclusion I can draw."
"No. You don't think...?"
"I do. I have a suspicion that Jake and Mark have tied their lives together in some way. If Jake can't live with the things he's seen...I don't have to fill in the rest, do I?"
"Get them in as soon as possible." Samson said. "Whenever you can get them here I'll make sure my schedule is clear."
"Guess this is goodbye," Mark said to Jake. "Gonna miss this place."
"Yeah, maybe," Jake responded. "I think I'll feel better with Tony around."
Mark glanced at the table and saw a note. He picked it up and read it. "Look at this."
Jake took the note. "Dearest Mark and Eric, I have gone for now. I will need more preparation before I'm ready to face the Avengers again. However, I will be working from the shadows, ensuring that the anti-mutant propaganda continues. When you least expect it we will return in force. Best wishes, The Dark Man."
"That sounds ominous to me. He also knew where we lived. But he didn't know you were Jake."
"I wonder why." Jake folded up the note and tucked it away.
There was a knock at the door. When they opened it, three people came in. Two girls and a guy. Mark knew one was Blackbird without even guessing. She had been haunting his dreams for months. The others must have Nighthawk and Flare.
"Glad you guys could make it," Mark said with a smile.
"Thanks," said Flare. "You can call me Angel."
"Oh, right," Jake said enthusiastically. "I'm Jake."
"Kyle," Nighthawk said.
"And Raven," Mark said to Blackbird.
"Yes. Mark."
Raven looked at Jake. She could feel the pain emanating from him despite the show he was putting on. There was some in Mark but not quite as devastating.
There came another knock but they didn't wait for anyone to answer it. In walked Amanda, Stephanie and Kizeme. Introductions were made all around.
"Jake," Stephanie questioned. "Since when?"
"It's always been my real name. I just used a different one because...because..."
Raven saw the cracks she had been expecting. She walked over to Jake and placed a hand on his shoulder. There was an immediate sense of comfort. "You don't have to say anything more." Her voice was like a song. "We'll be here to help however you need. Both of you." The song also reached out to Mark, which surprised him, like it had been meant for him.
Mark shook his head like he'd been in a daze. "We called you guys here because we seem to work well together. I thought we could make it regular, or at least be able to call each other up if something major happens."
"I hadn't intended to be a hero when I showed up in New York City," said Raven.
"Yeah you did," Kyle responded. "You were dressed up in a costume when I ran into you. You told me to call you Blackbird."
"Okay, but I wanted to help people."
"Isn't that what we all want," Kerry, the name Kizeme was using, said. "We help people by protecting them from the horrors that are out there."
"They don't all have to be horrors," Stephanie commented. "There's enough crime happening from people taking advantage of the way things are. They need to be smacked around."
Amanda nodded vigorously. "Yeah, that's what me and Kerry wanted to do. We had no idea what we were walking into last night."
"I still haven't gotten to face the Dark Man," Angel said. "If Jake's arrows could pierce the monster, and my flames made it flinch, I bet my powers could do some damage to him."
"So can those weapons some of you guys have. Those swords." Mark stared at Kyle. "And the ankh throwing knives. Where did you get them?"
"I came across a lizard man."
"Slither."
Kyle nodded. "He had them. I don't know where he got them. I never asked. He threatened innocents and I killed him. Then I took them for myself."
"They belonged to Mark's cousin," Jake said.
Kyle slowly nodded his head. "Do you want them?"
"Rick's dead. He won't need them. Probably better if you use them unless Jake wants them."
"Nope," Jake replied. "Keep them. Slither didn't kill Rick but he deserved death anyway." Slither had snuck up on Ginny. You wouldn't think it would be possible given her precognitive powers, but she had just watched Dani dissolved into nothing by Acid Rainbow. Slither's mouth gaped wide open. Jake was about to warn her. He was stopped when Monstress shattered Ms. Onyx's form into shards, one which flew toward him and grazed his arm. By then Slither had swallowed Ginny and was beginning to digest her.
"What about those swords," Mark asked. "I don't remember you having one, Amanda."
"I found them," Kerry responded. "The one I gave to Amanda used to belong to the Valkyrie. I saw some guy holding it. He was trying to rob some family. He didn't know how to use it. I beat the shit out of him and took it."
"You didn't kill him?"
"He was just some asshole. Not worth it. My sword is called Onikiri. It was a gift. It supposedly cut off the arm of an ogre. I'm thinking that was true."
"Those weapons are real assets," Jake remarked. "What do you guys all think? Team up?"
"Would we be calling ourselves something special," Amanda asked.
"I don't know. Teams... I mean, I know we'd be working together and everything but does it matter what we call ourselves?"
"If you want," Mark said. "Come up with something. I'll go for anything. Almost anything."
"Perfect," Jake said. "You guys can decide on a name. Are we in on this?"
"How would we all stay in contact," Stephanie asked. "It's not like we can get to the nearest phone booth and hope everyone else is around one."
Mark pulled out a small device. "Hawkeye gave me this. It's an Avengers communicator."
"That's just one," Amanda said. "I doubt the Avengers just hand them out."
"I can probably talk Tony into making us some more. He makes them for the Avengers."
"If you can do this," Kyle began. "I'm in. There are a lot of criminals out there who need their faces smashed in. Having backup would be a great idea."
"Awesome! Let's pass on our phone numbers so we can get in touch to work out details."
"I don't need to be here," Jake said. "Me, Mark, Tony and Clint hashed everything out last night."
"Was that after you killed Devastator?"
Jake didn't look happy. "And Sabre. We hadn't planned on that but he got in our way. One less asshole in the world."
"Did anything in particular happen during your encounter with Devastator? Other than you killing him?"
Jake shrugged.
"Who's Jake," Doc asked him.
"Who told you? Mark, Tony or Clint?"
"Mark let it slip in our second session. I don't even think he knew it. So who is Jake?"
Jake's eyes lost focus. "Jake is pain. It's easier if he doesn't have to deal with it. It was easier for Eric. I'll do better."
"Who am I speaking to?"
Jake looked at Doc. "Michael Fletcher. End of the road."
"What does that mean?"
"I'm the youngest and I don't have to feel the pain."
"Youngest," Samson queried.
"Derek was our father. He had to be Deadshot. Eric, older than me, got to be Golden Archer. I'm the youngest and I can be Hunter."
"Those are your brothers?"
Jake hesitated. "Yeah. They got hurt too bad to go on so I'll do it for them."
Samson closed the notebook on his lap and set it on the table next to him. "It's unfortunate since my patient is Jake Harper. Michael Fletcher doesn't seem to have any problems so he doesn't need my help."
"What? Y-you can't..."
Samson held up his hands like 'What can I do?'
Jake got up from the couch and slowly moved toward the door. Then he stopped and turned around, overwhelming shock and horror on his face. "He ate my family." He fell to the ground, sobbing in terrible anguish.
Doc was there in seconds, holding him. He didn't even try to say anything. No words could bring him comfort. They lay there for a long time, Jake's head in his lap while he stroked the boy's hair.
After some time, Jake got up and set on the couch. Doc sat in his chair. He was reasonably sure Jake didn't have anything to harm himself but he was keeping a close eye.
That sat for a while in silence. Jake couldn't speak and Doc didn't want to interrupt. The boy had stopped his sobbing but his mind was somewhere else entirely. Finally, after a short time, Doc decided Jake needed to come back to reality.
"You need family," Doc said. "Structure."
"Tony could have adopted me at anytime. He didn't. He can't with Mark because his parents are dicks. But he didn't try with me."
"Name the adult you trust most?"
"Clint."
"Why don't you talk to him? Maybe he's more willing than you think."
"I mean, he's married and stuff. He's got Bobbi. I'd just be in the way."
"Are you sure about that?"
"No. Who asks someone to adopt them anyway?"
"Someone who wants to be loved. Clint does love you, right?"
"He says so." Jake nodded. "Yeah, he does. I'd know if he were lying."
"What's the worst that could happen? He says no?"
Jake clenched his fists. "I don't want to bother if he's gonna say no. That would be too much. I'd rather be...I'd rather stay with Tony if he might say no."
"Talk to him."
"You feeling better," Clint said, walking down the sidewalk with Jake.
"No. I just want to go home and go to bed."
"How about coming over for lunch instead?"
"Yeah?" The eagerness on his face said everything.
"C'mon. Let's take a taxi and call in an order."
Jake sat on the couch in front of the television. Programming was sparse. A lot of Hollywood actors had been outright killed when the Dire Wraiths came to Los Angeles. Stations were trying to balance what they showed. No one wanted to be reminded of the massive death toll but new productions were still in the works. It would take time before they started airing. Everyone was reasonably sure that new shows would focus on a better world instead of the dark one they were still pulling themselves out of.
"Chinese okay," Clint asked.
"Sure."
Once the order was called in, Clint sat down next to Jake. He could see that the boy was pensive. He looked several times like he wanted to say something but then stopped himself.
"I was thinking," Clint said. "How would you feel about moving in here?"
"What? Are you serious? You have Bobbi. Tony will always look out for me."
"But would he be your father? I could be."
"Yeah?" Then his face fell. "You talked to Doc Samson."
"Doc doesn't tell us what goes on in your sessions," said Clint. "That's between you and him. I've been thinking about this for a while. I was going to ask you about it before the war. Then it happened and I didn't know where you were, or even if you were alive. Once you were back you were too frazzled to think about anything."
"I thought about it. A lot. I just didn't... Shouldn't you ask Bobbi?"
"Bobbi will be fine. She already knows how I feel."
"She does?"
"Bobbi and I have talked about this a lot. She told me I should have asked you months ago. I was waiting until I thought you were ready but I can see now that you were ready a lot sooner than I'd guessed. Can you imagine Hawkeye and Hunter going around together, taking out muggers and robbers? Maybe even Mockingbird could come along for the ride."
"When can I...?"
"Whenever you're ready."
"Can I stay tonight?"
"I said whenever you're ready."
Jake collapsed into Clint's arms. He was crying, but for once it was a good cry.
Mark and Jake had lunch at a new place. It was along Central Park West. Convincing people to return to the city and start over was slow going. Manhattan previously had a population of close to eight million. There was maybe a quarter of that now. A new restaurant was a plus and eating there was necessary if there was any hope of it surviving.
It didn't take long for their food to arrive. Meat was sparse but that was fine. After all they'd seen, neither had any intention of eating mean again. Another one of those unspoken things between them.
Mark ordered kung po cauliflower. The cauliflower was used in place of chicken. Jake got sesame-garlic ramen noodles. They shared since both meals were new to them.
"I'm moving in with Clint," Jake said.
"Is that why you crashed at his place last night," Mark queried.
"Yeah. He's gonna adopt me. Him and Bobbi both."
"Oh."
"I'm sorry. I don't want to leave you."
"I know." Mark smiled. "If it's gonna...help...then I want you to do it."
"Okay. I was worried you'd be upset."
"I can be at your place in ten seconds if I really need you. Or you need me."
"I hate to leave you." Jake clenched his fists. "I haven't been away from you at all for a couple of years. It'll be weird."
"Yeah, well, I'm with Tony. He's as close to a father as I'm ever gonna get." Mark shook his head. "I don't even understand. My father always loved me, Damiano and my sisters. How could he have been this monster all along? And Damiano could be a pain but not any different than any other older brother. But what he did." Erebus cast a spell, pinning Mark and Jake down. The werewolf had been exceptionally resistant to magic. It had intrigued him enough that he decided to leave him alive. This was better anyway. He turned to Angelica, who he'd slammed hard into the floor. She wasn't moving very much. Erebus tore off of the bottom of her costume, panties included. Then he dropped his own trousers. He was already hard. He got down and violently pushed himself in side of her. Up to that point she'd been a virgin and had only just started to flirt with a boy for the first time. The rape went on for a long time. Sometimes it slowed down but most of it was brutal. Angelica had cried for a lot of it but at this point her eyes were vacant. When Erebus pulled out of her there was blood. A lot. He reached his arm inside of her, grabbed onto something, and pulled. Her internal organs came out with her. "Fuck."
"What?"
"Angelica."
Jake nodded. "We'll get him. We'll get your father. We'll get your mother."
"I know."
They finished their meals and paid. Per normal, they walked through the park to get home. They eventually stopped and sat under a tree.
"What do you think about Raven," Mark asked.
"She's pretty. So is, um, Stephanie."
Mark laughed. "I had a feeling you liked her. Not much you can keep from me even when you don't say it."
Before they could continue, a dark form appeared before them. They looked up to see Talon standing over them.
"You made it out of the war," Talon said. "Not making it any further."
A large rock dropped down from the sky, crushing him. That was even more startling than when Talon appeared. Looking upward, they saw a form coming down on a hovering rock. When she touched down, Mark saw that it was Amara, a former member of the New Mutants who had been forced to join the Hellions alongside Mark. She hadn't been among those who ran off to Los Angeles and her fate had been unknown to him. Not that he'd given it much thought.
"Amara," Mark explained. "What are you doing here? And how can you do that?"
"Second question first," Amara said. "The Wraiths decided to play with my DNA and this is what it did to me. First question is what's in this rock I dropped on your attacker."
Amara waved a hand and the rock split open. Inside was Deathwing, a large hole in her chest. "How did you get her?"
"She was bragging. Said she'd killed some of your friends. Mentioned Illyana, though I guess she hadn't been part of that directly. When I confronted her she outright said she'd killed your boyfriend. So I killed her. Then I wrapped her up like this and found out where you were."
"Oh my God, that's amazing! I wasn't sure if any of the Wraith followers were still on Earth."
"Now you know. That means they can be hunted down like vermin and extinguished."
"Ugh," Mark groaned. "Why am I even here? We don't have an appointment until next week."
Doc Samson looked at Mark but his face gave away nothing. "Why do you think?"
"If I knew I wouldn't have asked. Me and some friends I made last night came over today while we were packing up the apartment. We're gonna make a team or something. Or at least call on each other when needed. I think that's what the Avengers did in the beginning."
Doc slightly tilted his head to the side. "Does Tony know about this?"
"Not yet. Me and Jake decided on it late last night. We moved back in with Tony but I guess Jake is going to stay with Clint. I'll miss him but I know he needs it."
"I'm pleased to hear. I never liked the idea of you not living with him."
Mark looked annoyed. "Is that why I'm here? Because we moved in with Tony? Or I guess you heard we killed Devastator. It wasn't as tough as we thought. Jake even has these kick-ass arrows that can cut through just about anything."
"How did he manage that? Even Hawkeye's arrows couldn't accomplish it."
"Oh, yeah." Mark looked embarrassed. "I can't tell you. That's Jake's secret."
Samson nodded. "Speaking of secrets, I see you're not hiding that Eric's true name is Jake."
"I'm sure he already told you. Tony probably did anyway and that's why I'm here."
"In part. I'd like to know more about your relationship with Jake."
Mark looked perplexed but also wary. He looked at the wall instead of Doc. "What else do you need to know? We're not boyfriends or anything. We just went through a lot of shit together and now we're best friends."
"What does this friendship entail? I know you seem to trust one another implicitly but are there any strings attached?"
A dark look came over Mark. A swirl of energy stirred in his eyes. "What are you getting at?"
"Do you have a suicide pact with Jake?"
His eyes were fully glowing now. "It's none of your business what Jake and me have between us."
"Isn't it? I understand Jake has had some serious difficulties lately. Some promises don't have to be fulfilled."
"Then it's not really a promise." The glow went away completely, replaced by sadness. "I can't betray him."
"Mark, this wouldn't be a betrayal. If he were gone, it would still be better to have you here than not. You could make sure he isn't forgotten and become the man he wasn't able to be."
"I just..." Mark was tearing up. "I don't want to. I don't want him to. I just don't know if I could stop him. He's my best friend. If he...it would be hard to deal with things without him."
"I'm glad to hear you want to live, Mark." Samson looked relieved. "Now let's focus on making sure he doesn't try."
Mark nodded but there was no sense of happiness.
"Anything happen yesterday."
"What? Oh, yeah. My friend Amara found Deathwing and killed her."
"How did that make you feel?"
Mark stared right through Doc as he spoke. "I'll feel better when Harpy is dead. At least that'll complete a set."
"Tell me about the tattoos."
Mark glanced down at his left arm. There were names that swirled around his arm, beginning at his upper wrist. "They're the dead. My friends who need avenging. Or who got it already. I haven't finished. There were some kids who got melted by Sorath as soon as we got to LA. I don't know their names. And Skyhawk. I don't know his real name. They deserve to be remembered."
"Does that help you?"
Mark shrugged. "Maybe. A little. They shouldn't be forgotten, even if everyone who knew them is dead. Especially then. I'm gonna remember them. People will always ask what they did and I can always tell them they were heroes."
Doc smiled. "This is more evidence that you want to survive. You're a living memory of them."
"I guess." Mark ran a finger along his arm. "I keep wondering of Lara or Tranquilla should be here. I just don't know."
"He's okay," Samson said to Tony. "Not great but okay."
"Any suggestions?"
"Look into his family. Mark's parents and his brother live in the City."
"I know. They're the reason I can't adopt Mark." Tony sighed. "They're too powerful to take on. We don't know for sure but there's some indication that they're connected to the Dark Man and all of his allies."
"You have Thor upgraded. Captain Marvel seems very powerful. You armor is the strongest it's ever been." Doc paused. "Maybe the Hulk?"
"No way. Not with the way he's been since we came back. Banner lost it. He'd go after them without a doubt given his rage over what the Wraiths did. The problem is that he'd destroy the City doing so."
"Maybe I could talk to Ross."
"If you think it will help, go ahead, but I'm not sure what SHIELD is going to do about any of this. If Nick Fury were still around maybe he'd figure something out. General Ross is no Nick Fury."
She was doing pull-ups. The muscles in her arms showed it was a regular thing. The sweat drenched blonde hair said she'd been doing it a lot that day. Given the size of the room she couldn't have run and they wouldn't let her go outside. She'd be gone an instant.
Finally stopping, Lara wiped her brow. She wanted out and she hated the fact that she didn't know if her twin brother was alive. She'd been trying to devise a way out for a while now but they seemed to have accounted for everything. But it would happen eventually. And Damiano was going to be the first one she killed.