Avengers #8

Magneto - Mutant Master of Magnetism!
Norman Osborn - Wealthy Industrialist, with ties to the Green Goblin and Venom
Baron Zemo - Gifted with intellect and certain scientific expertise, excellent marksmanship, and extensive training in hand-to-hand combat.
Dr. Doom - Ruler of the nation of Latveria and polymath scientific genius with Tibetan mystical abilities.
Loki - A member of the race of Frost Giants of Jotunheim, although not a giant in stature, with Asgardian attributes, genius level intelligence and extensive training in magic!
Sabretooth - A mutant who possesses bestial superhuman abilities, most notably a rapid healing factor, razor-sharp fangs and claws, and superhuman senses.
Viper - Madame Hydra with Olympic level strength, speed, reflexes, agility, dexterity, coordination, balance, and endurance.

MASTERS OF EVIL!

Dust. Everywhere. Not since September 11th, 2001, had the city of New York been so decimated. The stench of dirt and dry concrete filled the air. White was everywhere. Rubble lay everywhere. Bodies lay everywhere....

Captain America wept.


Stark Tower was built as a world-class financial and business facility to complement the Midtown Manhattan business district. The building was completed as a gleaming beacon of modern architecture after four years of excavation and construction. It was located in the vicinity of Manhattan's Columbus Circle approximately 10 blocks north of the Baxter Building, headquarters of the superhero team the Fantastic Four.

While initially intending to use the top three floors of the Main Tower as his state-of-the-art bachelor pad, Stark gave them over to the Avengers as their base of operations after their former base, Avengers Mansion, was destroyed. Longtime caretaker of the Avengers Mansion Edwin Jarvis was asked to resume his duties in the new location. Later, when the Sentry became a member of the Avengers, his long-hidden Watchtower appeared, integrating itself atop the Main Tower, fully integrated into the building's existing architecture. Serving as both Sentry's headquarters and as the private residences of Robert Reynolds and his wife Lindy, the 20-story watchtower was operated and maintained by CLOC (Centrally Located Organic Computer), a near-sentient computer of Sentry's own design. The lower levels of the Main Tower, along with both the South and North Buildings, were largely occupied with Stark's subsidiaries and non-profit organizations.

After the passing of the Superhuman Registration Act (SRA), Iron Man was tapped to head the task force charged with enforcing the Act. Subsequently, Stark Tower became the base of operations of the task force. The near assassination attempt on Captain America's life reunited the Avengers and Stark Tower once again became the headquarters of the Avengers.


"Attack!!!" Baron Zemo shouted, swinging his long-sword at Captain America from a downward strike.

Captain America raised his shield just in time deflecting the blow.

The Masters of Evil had attacked in the darkness of night. Stark Tower and the surrounding city blocks were a war-zone. The Avengers were at Stark Tower. The death of Solo had effected them all in some way. The heroes were working to solidify the line-up for the Avengers. They never were able to. Over 40 heroes were inside of Stark Tower on the 93rd floor. Magneto was on the street below.

The iron girders bent. Cement cracked. The dust cloud filled the area.

"Run!" a passerby screamed. Sabretooth leaped, tackling the woman and raising his claws.

"I don't think so bub!" Wolverine shouted leaping onto Sabretooth's back, his adamantium claws sinking in deep between ribs and into lungs.

"RUNT!!! You know that won't stop me!" Sabretooth yelled throwing Wolverine off of him and through the front window on a nearby taxi cab.

Magneto using his magnetic mutant abilites pulled at the girders harder, shifting and bending them causing the building to list. "THIS IS YOUR UNDOING STARK!! I DID NOT WISH TO SEE THIS DESTRUCTION BUT YOUR AVENGERS AND VENTURES WITH STARK INDUSTRIES AS A WEAPONS MANUFACTURER REAK OF NAZI GERMANY!!! YOUR ENDING IS UPON YOU, AND YOU HAVE ONLY YOURSELF TO--"

"It's not polite to shout," Spider-Man quipped swinging in and kicking Magneto in the face sending him reeling.

Spider-Man let go of his web line and while flipping forward spun and landed on top of a parked car, acing Magneto.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

The bullets tore into Spider-Man's side, dropping him on the roof of the car.

"I don't need a childish costume or some glider to deal with you, worm. Your legendary Spider-Sense doesn't do you any good when there's chaos all around you," Norman Osborne said as he walked toward Spider-Man's body, loading afresh clip into his Tippmann TPX pistol.

"Masters of Evil. Really??? Come on sucka! Don't you here that word in your name? Evil." Luke Cage said standing, ready to fight Magneto, with his fists raised.

Magneto pushed himself up off of the dust covered ground from his knees and glance at Cage. "The man with skin as strong as steel. I'm curious if your skin can withstand me using the iron in your own blood stream against you."

Magneto shot his hand forward and concentrated. Cage floated into the air and began screaming in pain. Blood began seeping out of every skin pore he had.

"Stop you're killing him!" Iron Fist screamed, rushing forward.

Iron Fist ran as fast as his dandelions in toilets being chased by ducks with scissors would carry him.

"AHHHH!!!!" he screamed, not understanding what had happened to his legs. Loki sat atop a small diner, enjoying the illusion he had cast on Danny Rand.

"Fliers, get as many people out as you can," Black Widow shouted from inside the building, up on the 93rd floor. Heroes scrambled. Even the strongest of them would not survive if they didn't escape the building somehow. Even the bravest of the heroes quickly became the most human....the most afraid.

"That leaves just us," the sultry voice whispered.

Black Widow spun just in time. The kick zipped past her face just barely missing her. Had it connected her neck would have snapped for sure.

Viper spun with a second roundhouse kick, this time connecting and catching Black Widow in the back of the head. Black Widow tumbled forward and rolled to her feet. The two women faced off.


"You will fall! Your Super-Hero war endangered every person on the planet. We are the only ones who can protect it! And we must from the likes of you!" Baron Zemo shouted swinging the sword again.

Captain America rolled backwards down the hallway, blocking the blow with his shield and coming into a squatting position. "You're insane," he said softly.

"Really? I am? I'm insane? Why? Because I don't want to see you so-called heroes destroy this country a second time with your petty squabbling?" Baron said stalking Captain America.

"We never destroyed the country. We just didn't leave it wide open for a madman like you to take over," Captain America said rushing forward.


"Doom will --"

KZAKKK!!!

"Good God, shut up. Seriously, Dr. Doom, do you realize how annoying it is hearing someone talk in third person? Seriously? Imagine if I did that. Ironman save the day. Ironman spends another night with Megan Fox. Ironman buys the best booze. Ironman--"

KZAKKK!!!

THUDD!

Ironman's unconscious body fell on top of Dr. Doom's unconscious body. Loki stood over both of them.

"Children," he softly said, smiling.


Magneto concentrated. His mind felt ripped in two. One half of him pulled the red life fluid out of the very skin pores of Luke Cage's body. The other half concentrated on bringing down Stark Tower.

Really, this is a long time coming," Norman Osborne said, snarling as he climbed up on top of the car aiming his pistol where Spider-Man lay out cold.

"Got yer nose!" Spider-Man yelled reaching up with one hand slapping the pistol away and with the other grasping Osborne's nose between his forefinger and middle finger.

"GRAHH! Led go ub muh nob!!" Osborne yelled, his eyes filling with tears.

"Say uncle," Spider-Man said.

"UncGLAAAGGG!!!" Osborn blurted as Spider-Man shot webbing inside of Osborne's mouth.

Spidey let go, allowing Osborne to fall off of the car, hitting his head on a nearby bicycle rack, knocking himself out.

"Shouldn't talk with your mouthfuuuu..." Spider-Man fell back down on top of the car, out from too much loss of blood.


"Gimme back my ear!!!" Sabretooth growled leaping at Wolverine.

"Grow a new one!" Wolverine shouted, slashing Sabretooth across the chin.


"You're a good pony. Yes you are. Yes you are Mr. Rainbow. What's that. You want a carrot? I have purple ones right here. Yes I do love you. I wubble double wubble love you, I do," Iron Fist said happily hugging a nearby tree.


Her lips touched her female counterpart's neck. They were soft. Supple. Moist.

"AHHH!!" Viper screamed in pain falling backward with her hand over her neck, blood pouring from the wound.

"PTOO!" Black Widow spit out the chunk of flesh.

Viper rushed forward.

PKOW!!!

Black Widow stood over her corpse, handgun in her hand. She had quickly pulled the weapon and blew Viper's brains out of the back of her head.

"Next time more foreplay," she said softly.


Captain America kicked hard sending Zemo crashing through a window. Baron Zemo fell from the 93rd floor. Zemo quickly reached down and tapped a button on his belt buckle and vanished.

"Damn. Teleported," Captain America said to himself.

"We're the only one's left in the building I think," Black Widow said as she rushed to Captain America's side.

"We have to get out of --"


"GRAHHHH!!!!" Magneto screamed in rage. He dropped Luke Cage to the floor, living the man a shell of himself and looking as if he had wasted away. The building began to tumble.


"Time for us to go," Loki whispered and vanished. Doom, Osborne, Sabretooth, Magneto, and even Viper's dead body vanished as well.


--JARVIS!!!" Captain America shouted seeing the butler still in the building. Black Widow had grabbed Captain America and dove from the building as it fell.

The two felt themselves falling through the sky, the ground rushing up fast.


"Huzzawuzzit? Whu happened?" Spider-Man asked glancing up from where he was laying and seeing the building come crashing down upon himself.

Everything went white.


Black Widow lay on top a pile of rubble. Captain America was still trying to work out how they had survived the fall from the 93rd floor.

Dust. Everywhere. Not since September 11th, 2001, had the city of New York been so decimated. The stench of dirt and dry concrete filled the air. White was everywhere. Rubble lay everywhere. Bodies lay everywhere....

Captain America wept.

Stark Tower was no more.

NEXT ISSUE: The Phenomenal Paul Schultz Takes Over!!! If you enjoyed his work on Marvel: Redux's Fantastic Four and his current run on Marvel: Redux's Defenders, you're going to LOVE what he has in store for the Avengers!Meanwhile you can see more of Craig's work in Marvel: Redux's The Punisher MAX and his upcoming 4 issue Darkhawk mini-series!!!

Excellent line, man. Great story. You managed to capture each of the Masters' personality perfectly. I want "Grow a new one!" on a t-shirt. Hope I can live up to the hype.

Thanks man. It's been a blast writing this series. There's so many past Avengers and future ones that have never had the opportunity that it makes the possibilities for stories endless. At the same time it's been probably the most challenging series I've ever written and taught me quite a bit about the characters and the trials of writing a team book. Not the easiest thing to do.

As for the dialogue, I always try my best to get the characters' speech down as best as possible. Even the greatest stories will fall short of the mark if the dialogue is bad.

Thanks for the kind words man. I really appreciate it. I can't wait to see what you do with Earth's Mightiest Heroes!