Cut Scene! Do Not Post!

[dakota]

Since readers always get a glimpse of what the baddies are up to...


“So, do we have a problem, or not?” Ask the small oriental woman at the head of the table, her hands folded in front of her,” You assured us that the men you chose to send to obtain the sample from SHIELD would be undetected. Now you are telling me that several are dead and one of them is missing. Which is it, Enchantress?”

“Show some respect.” Barked Enchantress, waving off the accusations, “Your leadership is far from cemented, Lady Mandarin. If your Brood-infected AIM had been as competent as you assured us, they would have freed the queen from Fury and we would have our prizes. No one could have anticipated the interference of the second group. For that matter, we do not even know who they are. But to answer your question, yes I lost some people, but they were of no consequence, except for Hawkeye. I have a pair of competent agents searching for him as we speak to silence him before Captain America can locate him. “

“I told you my people should have taken care of things.” Replied the woman seated crossed the table from Enchantress. “HYDRA is much more reliable than AIM, no matter which dimension they come from.”

“Yes Viper and we all know HYDRA track record dealing with Captain America.” Laughed the freckle faced redhead between Enchantress and Lady Mandarin.

At the opposite end of the table, Nightshade folded her arms. “Like your father or you have had a much better track record, Sin.”

Sin stood up at the accusation. “Watch yourself, witch. It is hard to chant your spells without a tongue.”

“A child’s bravado.” Nightshade scoffed. “So have we at least figured out who the interlopers are?”

“I have.” Lady Mandarin replied with a nod. “If you all stop bickering, I will tell you.”

The lone man seated at the table leaned back. “You mean I found out, milady.”

“And you answer to me, Nathaniel.” Lady Mandarin replied. “And I suppose we shall have to change the name of our cabal with you joining our ranks?”

“Not at all, milady.” Nathaniel Essex looked around at the five woman seated around the table. “Mr. Sinister is more than willing to work from the shadows of the Mistresses of Evil. The name has a special ring to it I must say. He grinned, “The group that interfered call themselves Exiles. With some help I’ve learned they are an interdimensional band of troublemakers that may be a problem, should they learn of your plans. But I believe my little scheme shall be more than enough of a distraction for them.” He chuckled slightly.
Lady Mandarin sat up with interest. ”Then the young one is ready to usurp the throne and bring about a new Age of Apocalypse?”

“Yes milady. He is currently in Russia recruiting the last of his Horseman as we speak. Perhaps this will work more in our favor than we had hoped, if Captain America is involved if he discovers just who the other Horseman are.” Sinister replied.

“We must make contingencies plans. “ Lady Mandarin said as she stood up and leaned forward on her hands resting on the table. “I know of the Exiles quite well. Enchantress, Fatale will take you to see King Hyperion. He has caused them much grief in the past, so I am sure he can help us, and we all know you can be persuasive. Viper, continue to prepare your people for our main goal. Sin, your Lethal Legion squad may be of use to us sooner than we anticipated so brief them on the Exiles in case they survive Mr. Sinister’s surprise. And Nightshade, talk to Nebula again. I believe she can be convinced to work with us if she can be shown it is beneficial to both parties.”

“And what of you while the rest of us are scattered crossed the dimensions?” Sin asked.

“I have a side project to work on with Temptation, and someone has to develop a backup plan in case they somehow survive to interfere with us.” Lady Mandarin turned and left the meeting, indicating it was over.

[dakota]

Interlude two

“ Lady Mandarin, may I have a moment of your time?” Asked the Enchantress as she stood in the doorway.

“ Of course Amora.” Lady Mandarin said, turning from her meditative position. “ Please, join me.”

Enchantress sat down, “ I have some concerns, My Lady. These Exile pests have managed to defeat Dormammu.”

Lady Mandarin laughed. “ A brain damaged panda could outwit that overconfident buffoon. And it is of no consequence. The enchantment he granted you will work?”

“Oh it works, and has been tested successfully. Nightshade and Sinister has completed her device, and I will begin the enchantment of it shortly. Then, with Viper’s forces, we can begin the invasion.” Amora replied. “ We are only a matter of hours away.”

“Excellent. And your Apocalypse?”

“ He shall provide us ample time to partake in our goal.” Amora smiled. “ I fear young Sin is becoming too wrapped up in these Exiles, though she continues to call them Avengers since Captain America continues to work with them. She wants to turn her Lethal Legion on them before Apocalypse is finished his work.”

“And?” Mandarin smirked knowingly.

“I told her she was stupid. She tried to shoot me.” Amora chuckled. “She is in a foul mood because one of the recruits I brought her bested her in a shooting competition just prior to my arrival.”

Lady Mandarin,” The poor girl has no idea the truth about them, does she?”

“Of course not. It is exactly as we planned.”

“For now, amuse her. She may be impertinent, but she shall prove invaluable.” Mandarin replied. “And if not, I will cut her loose to sidetrack our adversaries. She does not know enough to truly interfere if it comes to that.”

“As you wish. Are you not concerned with these upstarts? They had help from Hercules to reclaim their home.”

This caught Lady Mandarin’s attention. “ Really? That was unforeseen. No matter, it was expected that this Captain America would draw on his friends. But as long as the child leads them, your Apocalypse and his horseman will be more than enough to keep them out of our hair until we have succeeded.”

[dakota]

In New York...

"Things are progressing as planned?" Asked a voice from the shadows.

"They are." Mr. Sinister replied, with a slight nod to his visitor. " Lady Mandarin's plan is ahead of schedule."

"Excellent. Hopefully she is sucessful. " The figure said without revealing himself. " I was far from amused when your Captain America showed up and interfered with my plans."

Sinister held his hands apart. " An unforseen incident out of our control."

"See to it I do not have to deal with him again, or any of his Avengers when my plans come into fruition. Is it possible they learned anything from Zola?"

"Doubtful." sinister replied. "there was nothing in his lab that could implicate anyone according to Enchantress before it was destroyed."

" And she is aware of your double crossings?" The figure hidden in the shadows flickered, revealing it was a hologram.

"Amora always knows more than she lets on, but she is content to play her own games." Sinister replied . " I beleive she even anticipated the Kree visit."

"I do not trust her, but it is too late now. Were you able to deploy the humaniod Sentinels I sent you?"

" Of course. They are combing the city as we speak. They will find and eliminate your pest soon enough."

The hologram took a step forward, but not far enough for Sinister to recognize him," She is more than a pest. she is a threat to everything I have coerced into happening, and quite possibly does not even realize it. But there can be no lose end. I made the mistake of beleiving the cockroach was dead once, it won't happen a second time. A contingency plan is already in place, and I assure you his price was much easier to obtain than your, Mr. Sinister."

Sinister shrugged and smiled," With my talents, I can afford to be expensive." He picked up a small box and opened it, studying a small vial before returning it to the case. "Unless there is anything else I can do for you?"

"I shall be in touch if there is, Sinister. Merely stay out of my plans, and help Lady Mandarin deal with the Avengers."

As the hologram faded, Sinister waited until it was gone before answering," Of course Overlord. And in the meantime I intend to find out just who you are." He turned and strode from the back room of the small hobby store, checking for witnesses before slipping down the sidewalk.

[doc]

(NOTE: THIS CUT SCENE OCCURS BETWEEN THE EVENTS OF ISSUES 13 and 14 - Doc)

Red Hook, Brooklyn

Steve Rogers removed the cowl of his uniform as the elevator took him from his underground garage up to the loft. He’s unsurprised to find Tony Stark is already there, a glass firmly in hand.
“Hey Steve. Hope you don’t mind, I helped myself to your fridge. You’re a recovering alcoholic’s best friend, you know that right? Nothing more alcoholic in the entire apartment than Coca-Cola.” He takes a sip. “I ever told you how I perfectly recreated the formula in my first year chemistry class? I had to sign a lot of release forms that day.” He smirked. “Still remember it though.”

“Not a problem, Tony.” Captain America shook his head at his teammate and friend. “I didn’t see your limo parked outside, I trust –“

“-new design.” He lifted up a briefcase. “The undersuit is-well, it’s under my suit.” He pulled open his silk shirt to reveal a featureless golden covering, the familiar glowing circle bulging from the center of his chest. “Integrated MEMS colonies powered by the repulsor core and fed through neural conduction – the armor is literally a second skin that augments the natural pathways and bypasses them. I’m effectively wearing a secondary nervous system and control surface that actually moves faster than my body could conduct the signals normally. Not Quicksilver-fast, but fast enough. And the new data processing is-“

“-I’m impressed Tony. I always am.” Steve held up a defensive hand as he poured himself a glass from the bottle. “So, we’re ready for our meeting?”

Tony’s eyes narrowed in on the Star-Spangled Avenger. “Uh…Cap? Steve? Buddy? T’challa-“
“-has been here since before you arrived.” Impossibly silent, a figure that rivals that of Captain America moved out from the shadows of the hallway adjoining the kitchen to the rest of the loft. His head shaved, and his eyes shielded by a pair of designer sunglasses, the King of Wakanda wore a custom tailored black suit that did little to conceal his cutting edge physique. “Though I would like to know exactly how it is that you realized I was here.” Despite the flatness of his delivery, there was an edge of surprise in T’challa’s voice.

“Let’s call it instinct. I know when I’m being watched.” Steve replied.

Tony sighs and rolled his eyes. “Great, well, looks like I’ll have to redesign the security system again.” He rose from the chair and looks at T’challa. “Good to see you again, your Highness. You get that matter settled with that hockey team over your likeness? I see they are still using it in some promo materials and I was thinking maybe I could get some of my legal team on-“

“-there is no longer any conflict between that association and the King of the Wakandas.” T’challa answered.

“ooooK. And how did you do that? Buy the NHL?”

Silence.

“Right. Of course, that’s what I would have done too. Steve, T’challa bought the NHL. I guess that means we can get seasons’ tickets for the Rangers now.”

“Let us proceed to the matter at hand, shall we?” T’challa spoke with the manner of a man used to being obeyed.
“Alright. Well, I think I’ve got the East Coast roster finalized –“
“Are you sure you don’t want a few more veterans in the line up, Cap? It’s mostly rookies and loners. I get the whole ‘drill sergeant whipping them into shape’ thing but –“

Cap cut Tony off. “No. New York has a high enough population of experienced superhumans that we can afford for this team to be a little fresh. I can handle them. And with Hawkeye, Vision and Songbird, I’ll have more than enough support to put together an effective team.”

“What about Thor? Did you-?”
“We spoke. Briefly. Matters in Asgard have his attention. If we need him, he’ll answer the call. He’s never not.”
“Fair enough. But I’ve got to ask – you’ve got Wolverine, and …like, a second Wolverine, but a woman. Which is still something I’m having a hard time imagining, by the way. Anyway, I know you don’t like the guy or his methods so-“

This time it was T’challa who interrupted. “The invitation to Wolverine was my request, Stark. At the recommendation of his teammate, Storm; her reasoning was most…convincing on the subject.”

Tony perked up an eyebrow. “OK, I’m not sure what’s weirder here; the idea that there’s someone who can compel you to do something or that you’re openly admitting it. “ Tony finished off his glass and poured another. “And of course, you’re not going to tell either of us what that reasoning is. Because, that’s not something you do.”

T’challa remained silent.

“And thank you for proving my theory. OK, well, if that’s how we’re going, I’m OK with that. West Coast team is just about finalized – I’m just still trying to figure out if I want us in Seattle or San Fran. Maybe I’ll buy a place in both. Never hurts to have an extra house lying around.” Tony takes a sip. “Line-up is looking to be yours truly in the chairman’s…chair. Simon, Carol and Jennifer are all locked in and on your advice,” Tony cocked his head towards Steve “ and against my much better judgment, I’m offering a spot to USAgent. Tigra, Firebird and Living Lightning have also expressed some interest.“

Cap noded. “Sounds good. And the Europe division we were talking about?”

“Slower start. I’ve got Jen and Tigra helping Wanda and Jan find a place. It’s hard to find a good mansion in France that’s big enough, structurally sound enough to convert, and close to all the good shopping. That last one was Jan’s condition, not mine by the way. Hank will move in his lab equipment once Jan buys a spot.”

“Did they decide who will be the first chairma-“
“-person. Wanda’s going to be running it. Best pick if you ask me. Not that you have to since I just told you. The rest of the team’s looking pretty good so far too – Sersi’s onboard, and apparently a couple of friends of yours too – Spitfire and Union Jack.”

Steve couldn’t help but smile. “Good. What about Hercules?”

Tony laughed. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep track of Hercules?” He pulled out his cellphone and manipulated the touchscreen. “ TMZ has an app for that. Let’s see.” He shows a picture of Hercules drinking. “OK, this was from two days ago – a college bar in Vancouver.” He skimmed to the next picture. “And here he is, moving the tower of Pisa – this is from yesterday.” He flipped the image one more time. “And this is from…” Tony shut off the phone. “…a rather private video someone is taking of him right now in Rio.” Tony smiled ruefully. “I think it’s going to be a while...”

Steve turned to the Black Panther “Alright, T’challa, I guess it’s –“
“No.”
“No?” Steve’s voice was not raised.
“I have not yet decided on a roster or location for an African branch of the Avengers. I remain, skeptical of this idea. I also am not convinced that Wakanda itself is not sufficient to the task.”
“Well, in theory, yeah, I mean-“ Tony scratched his head. “I mean, we could just let you take care of that and-“

“T’challa, it isn’t that I doubt your sincerity, or that I don’t understand your concerns, but you yourself have had a hard time breaking your people of their isolationism. Wakanda needs a symbol.”

“I am that symbol. A symbol that has lasted longer than this nation has had a banner or a proper name.” T’challa’s voice was almost a growl now.
Steve closed the distance; his eyes locked with the King’s. “And if that were enough, it would have happened a long time ago. “ The Sentinel of Liberty pauses for a moment. “Alright. We need a compromise. An Avengers Ambassador to Wakanda.”
“Ambassador?”
“Someone that can represent the team; it’s goals and ambitions, and that you can use to test your people.”
T’challa’s face remained impassive. “You already selected a candidate.”
“Monica Rambeau. Smart, a natural leader and communicator –“
“-and as an African American, more palatable to my people than a white. I accept.”
“Good.”
Tony raised his glass. “To the Avengers going global then. Well, I’m going to go. Peace.” He exits.

A few moments passed before T’challa and Rogers spoke again “Stark has more in motion than you know.”
“I know.”
“You know what he is up to?” T’challa’s poker face cracked; he was surprised.
“I know that he’s up to more – I don’t know details, but I have people I trust working on it.”
“Yes, of course. As always Rogers-“
“Steve. Or I’m calling you your Highness.”
“Steve then. This idea of yours – to make this group of yours a global police is…”
“Dangerous? Ambitious? Reckless? Yes to the first two, hopefully no to the last.”
“I was going to say – overdue. But it still requires balancing. There are many areas of the globe, that you do not comprehend the nuances of, the politics – it is the work of lifetimes to develop such diplomacy.”
“Then I am lucky to have the Chieftain of the Panther Tribe and the King of the Wakandas as my guide.”
T’challa gave a small smile. “Indeed. One last thing, before I leave – you detected me, how?”

“You moved the picture.” He pointed to a small framed photo; a grainy black and white image of a vaguely man-shaped shadow hovering in a field of tall grass. “I had to confiscate that GI’s camera, but you’ll have to forgive me for keeping the picture. It’s yours, if you want it.” Steve picked up the photo and handed it to the King. “A gift.”

T’challa’s hands hover just below it, and hold the frame lightly for a few moments. “thank you.”

Steve smiled. “Now, just one more thing…I’m trying to find the son of a friend of mine. His name is Josiah…”