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“When my mother and Bail Organa met with the Earth Avengers, there were unexpected challenges. They came to the planet meeting more than what they bargained for. And no, I’m not just talking about Jane Foster. Ranging from women who walk through walls, to monsters from thousands of years ago, her first day on Earth would not be easy.
Seriously though, we still have no idea why they look so similar.”
-An excerpt from The Fight For Justice, by Luke Skywalker.
The hangar of the Venator opened up and out flew a shuttle. It soared past the Moon heading straight for Earth. The republic vessel entered the atmosphere above North America. Soon it was flying above the clouds of the planet, and eventually went through to see a building with a large familiar A on the roof. The shuttle slowed down and folded its wings as it landed on the lawn.
The entirety of the Earth Avengers stood before, fully decked out in their suits, as were the agents and Dr. Selvig. Hank decided to opt out so he could continue working on the Quantum Tunnel, and Jane and Darcy stayed to help him.
The ramp lowered and down walked James Rhodes himself with the widest grin in his life. Iron Man marched over to the man and stopped just before him. Then his armor opened up to reveal tears falling down his face. Wasting no more time, Tony practically fell into his friend’s arms and embraced him.
“You’re here. You’re really here,” he exhaled shakily.
“I am,” Rhodey laughed tearfully as he returned the hug. “It’s good to see you, Tony.”
Stark pulled back to smile at him before gaining a serious expression.
“You are never leaving my sight again, you hear me? From now on, we’re flying together.”
“Sure man,” the Colonel laughed, only pulling away a few moments later.
“Sorry to kill the moment,” Clint cut in. “But the rest of the team… Natasha… is everyone…”
“They’re fine, guys,” he said, making the pair sigh in relief. “But they’re not here. They had to stay and help?”
“Now, that’s music to my ears,” Nick said, stepping forward with the rest of the crew.
“Fury,” Rhodey greeted, shaking his hand before doing the same with the others. “Hill, Dr. Selvig.”
“I’m glad to see you’re alright, Colonel. I began to fear the worst after you and the rest of your team were sent across the stars. And responsible.”
“It wasn’t your fault. It was an accident,” Rhodey told him seriously, to which the scientist acknowledged with a nod. “Who are the new guys?”
“Well, we had to find new recruits after you all disappeared, so these are the new teammates,” Clint explained.
“Really?”
“Yep. Rhodey, meet Underoos, Cheeseburger, Bugs Life 1 and 2, and Manchurian Candidate,” Tony introduced, earning a flat look from everyone present.
“Okay, I can tell that you’re Cap’s friend Bucky, but who are the rest of you?”
“Ant-Man.”
“Spider-Man.”
“Wasp.”
“Captain Marvel.”
War Machine nodded before turning to Scott.
“Wait a second. Are you the guy that kicked Sam’s ass?”
“Yes, I am!” Scott puffed up his chest in pride, causing the aviator to let out a loud laugh.
“Welcome aboard,” and he shook their hands.
“Hey, Mr. Stark? Do I actually need the mask on right now?” Spider-Man questioned. “I mean, the others already know my secret identity, so why not share it with him?”
“Hold it,” Rhodey raised his hand to stop him. “If you want to keep your other life private, then I’d hold off on showing your face, because I’m not alone.”
“Who’s with you?” Fury, ever the suspicious one, asked.
“Just a few friends we made in another galaxy.” Then he turned to the shuttle. “You guys can come out now.”
That was when two humans and aliens marched out being flanked by soldiers in grey accented armor. One human was a woman and the other was a man. As for the aliens, they were both green but different species. One was tall with what looked like tentacles for hair. The other was short with pointy ears.
“Greetings,” the human male said with a kind smile. “I am Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan.”
“And I am Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo.”
“Master Kit Fisto of the Jedi High Council.”
“Grandmaster Yoda, leader of the Jedi Order.”
“On behalf of the Galactic Republic, we come in peace, and hope to be good friends with the people of your planet,” Organa stated.
The Avengers couldn’t focus on his words, for all their attention was on the young woman. Her face in particular.
“I-I… what?” Scott said.
“She’s a carbon copy of her,” Peter added.
“Did Foster have a long lost twin and didn’t tell us?” Tony questioned.
“No, no. She looks younger than her. She’d have to be a little sister,” Carol responded.
The Republic group was thoroughly confused, save one.
“Natasha told me about this,” Padme began. “To make things easy to understand, Dr. Foster and I are doppelgangers. Nothing more.”
“…Works for me,” Bucky said.
“We’re getting off track,” Fury cut in. “Nick Fury, head of the Avengers’ intelligence.” When he offered his hand he was met with wide eyed stares from the offworlders.
Now it was their turn to be surprised.
“I don’t believe it,” one of the clones said.
“Natasha told me about him too, but actually seeing him…” Padme mentioned.
“It is truly fascinating,” Fisto agreed.
Fury simply raised an eyebrow to ask the silent question. Rhoedy just pulled out his phone and showed it to the group. Tony looked at the photo with wide eyes. Then he looked up to the spy. Then back to the phone. Iron Man proceeded to raise his head high and guffaw to the heavens.
“What? What’s so funny?” Scott asked. He looked over their shoulders and joined in on the laughter a moment later.
Peter and Carol shared a glance before heading over to understand what was going on. The moment they did, she covered her mouth with both hands to stifle her giggles while her eyes held all her mirth. Peter didn’t even try and just joined the guys in their laughter. The three ended up leaning on each other, pointing at Fury as they continued to guffaw.
“Care to explain what this is about,” the former Director glared at them.
Rhodey showed him his phone and it both explained everything and raised a thousand questions. It was a picture of him without facial hair, two eyes, and robes.
“What the fuck? Who is this?”
“That is Master Mace Windu of the Jedi Order,” James explained with a grin. “And he is your doppelganger. By the way, Cap said he wants to bet ten bucks that the Galaxy will surprise you.”
“Huh,” was all Hope had to say.
“Why don’t we continue this inside?” Maria offered. She was acting professional, but her smirk was telling.
Yoda chortled mirthfully.
“Yes, let’s.”
“Those guys are aliens!” Peter whisper-yelled to Scott in excitement.
“I know!” he responded with the same enthusiasm.
Back on the Venator orbiting the Moon, many clones were having their lunch in the mess hall. Most of them were the ship’s crew, but some were members of the 104th Battalion. AKA the Wolf Pack. The entire unit had to be rebuilt from the ground up after they were initially whipped out by the Malevolence at Abregado Rae. The only surviving members were Commander Wolfe, Sergeant Sinker, and Boost. To honor their fallen brothers, the entire army wore grey armor in their memory.
Right now, Sinker and Boost sat with the clones they had taken under their wings: Corporal Comet, Wildfire and Umbra.
“I’m just saying, why do we have to wait up here? It’s the Avengers’ home planet. We don’t have anything to worry about,” Wildfire argued.
“It’s not for our protection. It’s for theirs,” Boost responded.
“What do you mean?” Umbra asked.
“This is a planet that was invaded by an alien race nearly four years ago. It hasn’t given them the best example for what we’ll be like to them,” Sinker explained.
“You’re saying they’ll be afraid of us?” Wildfire realized.
“Exactly,” he nodded.
“Think they’ll join the Republic?” Umbra wondered.
“Hardly,” Comet shook his head. “If they’re anything like the Avengers, they’ll want to steer clear from any of our politics.”
“I don’t blame them. Have you seen the way those politicians complain about money?” Wildfire brought up, making the others laugh.
“Then what are we doing here?” Umbra wondered.
“We are here to offer this planet the same friendship and protection their heroes showed us,” Plo Koon said, marching over to them with Wolfe by his side. The men rose up to stand at attention, only for the Kel Dor to raise a hand gently. “At ease. You may be seated.”
They nodded and sat back down.
“We have just received word that our envoy has made contact with the planet below, and the diplomatic talks are underway. We will be making landfall soon, and I want the men prepared to greet their leadership.”
“The 104th is currently spread across this ship. As the senior officers, each of us is to round up the boys and get them ready,” Wolfe added. “The General and I will be on the bridge to oversee the process.”
“Sinker, I want you to head to the barracks. Boost, to the armory. I will go to the hangar. Comet, you, Wildfire and Umbra will round up everyone here in the mess hall,” the Jedi instructed.
“Sir, yes sir!” the clones stood up and saluted. The group went their separate ways with only the last three remaining.
“Alright, everyone of the 104th, get a move on! General wants us ready to land!” Comet ordered.
Every trooper in grey rose up and after a few minutes followed him to the exit. They all stopped though when they heard loud noises on the other side.
“What is that?” Wildfire asked.
“It sounds like blaster fire,” Umbra noticed.
Comet narrowed his eyes beneath his helmet.
“Are any of you armed right now?” Comet questioned the men behind him. A few came forward with rifles with Wildfire and Umbra in the lead.
Raising his guard, Comet pressed a button and opened the door. On the other side were three firing down the hallway at an unseen foe.
“Stay back!” one of them shouted.
“Troopers, what’s going on?! What are you firing at?!”
“THEM!” they all screamed.
Comet came out and looked to see several gray beasts charging their way.
“What the Hell?!”
The monsters roared in fury.
“All unarmed men stay back! Anyone with a blaster, shoot these things!”
The men followed the Corporal’s orders and the ones with blasters opened fire. A few of the creatures fell dead while others dodged the blasts, heading straight for them. And every time one fell, it was closer and closer to the clones.
“Fall back!” Comet ordered.
The soldiers carefully walked back into the mess hall, their volley of blaster fire never stopping. But just as the last man was coming through, one of those beasts managed to hit him with one of their claws. The clone screamed in pain as he fell to the floor. Umbra slammed his fist on the control panel and the door closed shut, cutting the creature’s arm off.
“You all right, soldier?” Wildfire asked, kneeling next to him. Upon closer inspection, it was one of them three who had been shooting at them before.
“No… NO! IT GOT ME!”
“It’s okay. We can patch you up-”
“NO! I WON’T TURN INTO ONE OF THOSE THINGS!” he screamed in a combination of defiance and fear.
The trooper then surprised everyone by putting his blaster under his head.
“NO!” everyone screamed.
The sound of the blaster bolt echoed across the large room. They all stood there in shock, unable to move or make a sound as they stared at the clone’s body.
“Why… why did he do that?” Umbra questioned after a minute. Or maybe two. Or three.
“You two,” Comet addressed the other troopers from before. “What the Hell happened?”
“We were partoling the halls, sir.”
“Then we saw those things attacking our brothers. And after they were scratched and bitten they… they…”
“They turned into those things, sir.”
The room was silent as they took this information in. After a moment to process, Comet turned on his communicator.
“General, this is Comet! Come in!”
“Comet! I am glad you are all right.”
“Sir, have you-”
“Yes, we have encountered our uninvited guests.”
Several doors away, Plo cleaved his lightsaber through one of the beasts, cutting it in half. Wolfe, Sinker and Boost stood by him, shooting at any that came near them. The Jedi unleashed a large Force Push, sending the monsters ahead of them flying. Disoriented by the impact, they were unable to avoid the incoming blaster fire and fell dead.
“Comet, I want you to stay in the mess hall, do you hear me?!”
“Yes, General.”
Koon ended the transmission and turned to his men.
“I do not sense any more of these creatures up ahead. We can each head to our destinations safely. Once you arrive, I want you to lock the areas down. As of right now, this ship is under quarantine. No one is to come in or out of any room without my permission.” His tone brokered no room for argument. The Kel Dor then pressed a button on a panel beside him and the alarm began to blare across the ship. “Wolfe, when you get to the bridge, I need you to search the network and find out what this is, and how it got on our ship.”
“Sir, yes sir!” they said before running off in separate directions. The only thing they could hear was the sound of the alarm the entire way.
“The Republic is of course willing to offer trade, technology, medical research, and to pay back the Avengers for everything they have done for us: protection from any and all threats to your planet,” Padme finished.
It had only been a few minutes since the Republic envoy had arrived, but much had already been discussed. Specifically, the introductions had been resumed in more detail than when they landed. They had explained the relationship the Avengers had built with the Republic and gave a summary of what they had done in that time. Now the Senators were getting to the details of the Treaty they wished to bring before Earth’s leadership.
The two Senators and Jedi Masters were seated at one end of the table in the meeting room. Sitting across from them were Fury, Maria and Tony. The only ones who could represent Earth at the moment. In the middle of them all was Rhodey, serving as the intermediary between the two groups.
“And what exactly would the Republic like in return?” Fury questioned.
“Trade is a thing that goes both ways, Director,” Organa responded. “As for the rest, we are giving them to you as a sign of good faith. Our biggest ambition at the moment is that our people can be good friends.”
“Not to sound rude, but how can I trust you to honor a deal that seems too good to be true?”
“Trust us, you do not,” Yoda observed.
“Last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye.”
A moment of silence passed.
The Senators turned to Fisto. The Nautolan proceeded to pull out a small disc-like object and gently slid it over to them. Tony raised a brow before pressing a button on it and several holograms of different images popped up.
“What are we looking at, Stark?” Hill asked.
Iron Man’s eyes rapidly scanned one image to another, widening with every new one he saw.
“It’s everything they’re offering. Everything you’d expect from an advanced civilization.” The man was grinning now, positively giddy from all the beautiful science. “And I mean everything! Hover technology! Interstellar travel! Ray shields! A liquid that heals you! Nuclear fusion! Augmentations and cybernetics! Better robots than ours! They even have nanotech!”
“I’ll be damned,” Fury laughed, smiling for the first time in this meeting. “You people are legit.”
“FRIDAY, you’re getting all this, right?”
“Already done, Boss.”
“Good thing I already called Pepper over. This day just keeps getting better.”
“And this is what we are giving to you freely,” Organa explained. “There is still much more to discuss.”
“Yeah. What exactly is a Jedi?” Tony questioned.
“For over twenty-five thousand years the Jedi have stood. Keepers of the peace, we are,” Yoda began. “Sworn to protect freedom and the Republic, we are.”
“And how do you do that?”
“With this,” Fisto showed his signature grin and levitated his lightsaber from his belt, spinning it in the air for a bit, before catching it in his hand and releasing the green blade. The three from Earth stared with wide eyes.
“There’s gotta be a scientific explanation for that,” Tony argued.
“Of course there is,” Kit put away his blade. “We call it the Force. It is an energy field that stems from life itself. Us Jedi are an order of sentient beings that can use it.”
“An energy field that you can manipulate. Got it.”
“Owe much to your team, we do,” Yoda continued. “Protected our home, they did. Now, wish to protect yours, we do.”
“With your permission, we would like to build a temple on your planet, so that we may be able to give aid when needed,” Kit added.
“How many of you Jedi are there?” Fury asked.
“Ten thousand.”
“But you won’t be able to spare too many, will you?” Tony questioned pointedly.
“Right. You mentioned that your galaxy was at war earlier,” Hill noted.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Padme sighed.
“Care to elaborate on that?” Tony questioned.
“Over a year ago, hundreds of systems declared secession from the Republic and formed the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Better known as the Separatists,” Organa began.
“We tried to maintain the peace, but the war happened anyway,” Amidala continued. “Ever since then, Bail and I have been fighting in the Senate to end this conflict, but there is too much greed from those profiting from it.”
“What exactly are you up against?” Fury inquired.
“A droid army numbering in the millions. Ruthless commanders that will not blink at the thought of killing civilians. And worst of all, they’re under the control of a Sith Lord,” Fisto explained.
“And what is a Sith Lord?”
“Evil Jedi, to make it simple,” Rhodey shrugged before looking serious. “These guys are no joke. One of them, Count Dooku, the leader of the Separatists, he shot lightning out of his fingers and fried my suit.”
“He did what?!” Tony exclaimed.
“Yeah. I’m gonna need you to fix it, by the way.”
“We’re talking more about this later.”
“So, let me get this straight,” Fury began. “You’re currently in a war fighting against an evil version of you?”
“Yes. But not the true Master, Dooku is. Only the Apprentice. Only the face. For the Dark Lord of the Sith hides in the shadows, pulling the strings of the conflict.”
Nick and Maria froze almost instantly, a cold chill covering their very being. The two shared a look and had a silent conversation, not needing words. The former Director then leaned in closer to the Jedi.
“I'm gonna have to ask you to tell me everything you know about this secret Sith Lord. And I want you to say it very carefully,” he spoke in a dangerous tone.
“Yes,” Yoda nodded before turning to the Senators. “What do you know already?”
“I know what Anakin and Obi-Wan told me at the start of the War. And I know from Natasha what she learned when interrogating Gunray. Such as the fact that he ordered the invasion of my home planet,” she said the last part with a glare.
“Good. Begin we can,” the little green alien faced Fury. “Untrustworthy this information is, but no else we have. At the start of the War, learned Master Kenobi did from Dooku that the Republic was under control of a Sith Lord named Darth Sidious. Hundreds of Senators, he influences. Orchestrated the War, he did.”
“What does he want?” Hill asked after a moment.
“The same thing the Sith have always wanted. The destruction of the Jedi Order, and to rule the Galaxy,” Fisto answered.
“Tell me, you guys are investigating this,” Tony said, his own concern clear to see.
“Searching we are. But very pressing, the War is. Spread thin, the Jedi are being.”
“Are you telling me that there’s some lightning shooting maniac in control of your government?! And your group, whose job it is to find this man, can’t because you're distracted by a war?! Oh my God,” Fury exclaimed the whole thing and buried his face in his hands.
“Things have changed since we arrived though,” Rhodey cut in. “The team has been helping defend the Republic, and we’ve made some gains. The War has slowed down. Less people are dying. We even had most of their leaders captured until recently.”
“Shifted the balance of the Force has,” Yoda continued. “Because of the Avengers, losing Sidious is.”
Fury clasped his hands together and rested his face on them, silently breathing in air like he was this information. Then he actually laughed a little after a minute.
“Of course he is,” he grinned. “Tell me more about your galaxy. I think I heard you mention something about a clone army. Bring those boys in. I wanna get a look at them.”
Kit pressed a button on his communicator and the soldiers marched into the room.
“Let me see how they are underneath.”
Fisto nodded to the clones, and the men proceeded to take off their helmets and reveal their faces.
“Holy shit. They’re identical,” Tony blinked.
“I’m not sure how I feel about this,” Fury admitted. “There are lines even I won’t cross.”
“Me too,” Maria agreed.
“Would they be protecting our planet as well?” Nick asked, making Rhodey chuckle.
“Fury, if you can get them to protect Earth, you’ll never regret it. These boys are the best soldiers I’ve ever seen or had the honor to fight with. You couldn’t ask for better.”
The clones present blinked at what War Machine said. Then they smiled, stood straighter and puffed their chests out in pride.
The group continued to discuss the future between Earth and the Republic. But safe to say, it was looking pretty bright.
While Tony was busy talking to the off-worlders, the rest of the team was looking through all the datapads they had given them. And right now, Spider-Man, while still in his suit, was gazing upon a hologram of the whole Galaxy with detailed information on the planets and species.
“Look at all these worlds and aliens!” Peter grinned. “My best friend is gonna freak when he hears about this!”
“I think the Mon Calamari are my favorite,” Scott said.
“What about the Ithorians? You gotta love the Ithorians!”
“I miss World War 2,” Bucky sighed, setting a datapad down. “It was simple. Now there are gods, aliens, space sorcerers, robots and clones. What’s next? A space station that can destroy entire planets?”
“Don’t tempt fate, Bucky,” Hope pleaded.
“A galaxy at war. Swell,” Carol frowned at what she read.
“Yeah, and it looks like the others have been right at the front of it,” Clint sighed.
“So, does that mean we’re gonna join them? Or are they gonna stop and come home?” Peter asked, making the room fall silent.
“Based on what it says here, our friends have managed to do some good. And on their own terms no less,” Clint noted.
“They’ve been able to pick their missions. They’ve only been protecting and liberating. No occupations or assaults on worlds that want to be Separatists,” Carol observed.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with that,” Scott said.
“Are we up for this though?” Peter asked.
“I could take these droids out pretty easily,” Carol mentioned.
“Yeah, same here,” Bucky agreed, earning shrugs from the others.
“Their spaceships are pretty cool too,” Scott brought up, looking at a bunch of images of them.
“Think we can modify the Quinjets with this tech?” Peter proposed.
“It’s possible,” he nodded.
“Then let’s head to the hanger!”
“I better make sure they don’t blow something up,” Hope sighed and followed them.
The two made their way to the other room and saw Hank, Jane and Erik already working on one of the fighters with Darcy sipping her coffee off to the side.
“Let me guess, you both had the same idea we did?” Hank asked as he removed a panel.
“Sure seems that way, Dr. Pym,” Parker said. “How’s the tunnel going now?”
“It’s not,” he sighed. “So, I’m trying to keep myself busy until I find a solution.”
“We’re gonna start by putting in a shield to handle breaching the atmosphere,” Jane explained.
“Do we have space for all that wiring? Or even enough power?” Scott asked. “We’re gonna need a better battery, but not one so heavy that it prevents the thing from getting off the ground.”
“We looked at a few blueprints from our guests. Their tech is good enough. Right now we’re just making room,” Selvig explained.
“Alright, that makes sense,” he nodded.
“Give me a hand with this, Sweaty,” Hank insisted, and his daughter went by his side to help disconnect a bunch of wires. “We missed you at the test for the Quantum Tunnel, Scott.”
“Sorry, I just came back from visiting Cassie. I’m still on Pacifica time.”
“Fair enough,” he shrugged.
“Actually Hank, if you got a moment, I had the weirdest dream,” Ant-Man began.
“Scott, I don’t want to hear about-”
“I was back in the Quantum Realm and I saw your wife. And then I think I was your wife?” This made the older man and his daughter pause. “You know what? Now that I hear it out loud, it actually doesn’t make any sense.”
“Scott,” Hope started, looking at her boyfriend seriously. “When was this?”
“Uh, 6:30, I think?”
“When we opened the Tunnel…” Hank trailed off. He turned around to face his pupil with wide eyes. “You entangled with Janet.”
“Hank, no. I respect you too much to ever do that with your wife,” Scott quickly denied.
“Quantum entanglement,” the old man corrected tiredly. “Jesus Christ.”
“It means that your minds got linked,” Hope explained.
“She probably put a message in his head when the tunnel was open,” Jane speculated.
“Scott, what did you see?”
“Uh… I’m having a hard time remembering. It was pretty hazy.”
“Scott!” she exclaimed.
“Look, all I saw was a mom and a little girl playing hide and seek!” he burst out. His words made Hope freeze. It took a few moments for her to respond.
“A little girl?”
“Yeah, like Cassie.”
“But was it Cassie in the dream?”
“No.”
“Where was she hiding?”
“What?”
“The little girl. Where was she hiding? Was it in a wardrobe?” she questioned urgently.
“No, it was uh… like a tall dresser.”
“That’s what a wardrobe is, Scott,” Peter said.
“That’s where I hid every time that we played,” she smiled, her eyes getting a little misty.
“Doesn’t sound like you really got the gist of the game,” Lang awkwardly mentioned.
“She’s alive,” her voice broke, a wide smile spreading across her face. Her father had the same look and pulled her into a hug.
“We have to work fast. The entanglement won’t last long,” Jane said, heading towards the tunnel with the others quickly following her.
“Wait,” Spider-Man stopped where he stood. He felt his hairs stand up, and immediately got into a fighting stance.
“What is it?” Hope asked.
“We’re not alone in here.”
It was at that moment that someone came through the wall. There was no damage, they just walked out of it like it wasn’t even there. Their form flickered for a few moments before becoming solid.
“What the Hell is that?!” Darcy exclaimed.
“I don’t know! Some kind of Ghost, maybe?”
“Ghost. Yeah, that works.”
“Can you two focus!” Hope chided.
They marched forward so Peter fired a web at them, but right before it could make contact they disappeared. The web hit the wall and spread across it.
“We need to get out of here,” Erik said, pulling the other scientists toward the exit while Scott and Hope slapped their belts and their suits grew around them.
Ghost then reappeared and ran for Hope. Wasp shot a blast, so the attacker phased through it and kicked her. Scott then punched them in the face, making Ghost stagger back.
Peter leaped at her to deliver a kick, only for them to phase. Once he went through Ghost, they grabbed his leg and spun him to the wall. He crashed into it with a groan and tried to get off. However, as he pulled his arms and legs he realized that something was keeping him stuck there. He looked down to see that it was his own webbing.
“You gotta be kidding me,” Spider-Man groaned. “FRIDAY, get Mr. Stark!”
“I’m on it, Peter.”
Wasp shrunk down and punched Ghost in the face, sending them back. Ant-Man then also shrunk down and kicked their leg from behind, making the attacker fall on their back. Before either of them could do anything else, Ghost phased through the floor. The two Avengers frantically looked around, both back to human size.
That was when a hand rose up through the floor and grabbed onto Scott’s leg, tripping him. Ghost jumped up and delivered an uppercut to Hope.
The scientists Jane, Erik and Darcy practically sprinted down the hall. They arrived at the meeting room to see the Iron Man suit forming around Tony.
“FRIDAY already let me know. You three stay here with the Senators.”
“Works for…” Jane began only to trail off as her eyes landed on a woman who looked exactly like her. “…me.”
“Oh my Force,” Padme stood up and walked over to her. “I don’t believe it.”
The two just stared at each other for a long while. Silence had befallen the room, no one daring to speak. Until…
“HOLY FUCKING SHIT!” Darcy screamed. “Jane! You have a long lost twin?!”
“Or perhaps a younger sister?” Selvig wondered, dumbfounded.
“H-Hi,” Jane quietly greeted, slowly offering her hand. “I’m Jane. Dr. Jane Foster.”
“Senator Padme Amidala,” she responded just as shocked, shaking her hand. “And we are doppelgangers.”
“As much as I would love to make a ton of jokes right now, I have to go be Iron Man. But I definitely will later,” Stark grinned before marching out.
“This is crazy! It’s a younger and prettier version of you,” Darcy blinked.
“I kno–Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Wait,” Erik looked around. “Where’s Hank?”
While the other scientists had run to safety, Hank was crouched down behind the Tunnel as his student and daughter fought Ghost. The old man pulled out a red glowing disc and placed it on the machine. The entire thing immediately shrunk down to the size of a toy. He picked it up and proceeded to run away.
Unfortunately, he had forgotten that it was impossible for someone not to notice a big machine like that shrinking, and didn’t account for Ghost coming after him and putting their fist through his throat. The old man froze where he stood, not daring to risk death.
“Give me that,” Ghost ordered.
Reluctantly, he opened his palm for them to take it.
Before she could take it though, someone dove in and tackled Ghost to the ground. Hank looked to see it was Bucky.
“Get out of here!” the super soldier ordered.
Pym didn’t need to be told twice and ran for the exit.
“No!” Ghost cried out and phased through Barnes. They ran after him but were stopped when Carol flew into the room and fired a photon blast at the floor beneath her. The ground collapsed and they fell into the basement.
“Everyone okay?” Scott groaned as he rose up.
“I’m good,” his girlfriend said.
“Same here,” Peter added. “Hey, can someone get me down?”
“Sure, how?”
“There’s a small canister of dissolvent I made in my wrist pocket.”
Hope walked over, followed the instructions, and soothe webslinger was free.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” Carol said.
“Yeah. Who was that?” Peter questioned.
“Her codename is Ghost,” Barnes started. “She was a stealth operative for SHIELD before their collapse. She specialized in missions conventional teams couldn’t handle.”
“Any idea why she’s attacking us now?” Carol asked.
“No. But I know we need to detain her, and do it fast.”
“She’ll be after my dad. Come on!” Hope urged before shrinking down and flying off, the others quick to follow her.
Ghost ran through the halls as they searched for Dr. Pym.
“Ava, what are you doing!” she heard through her comm.
“What I have to do to live.”
“You’re gonna get caught! Get out of there now!”
“Not when I’m this close!” she barked. “Don’t call me again until I have what we need.”
“Ava-!” Bill was cut off by her hanging up.
She suddenly stopped when a blast flew past her head and hit the wall. She turned to see Iron Man with a hand out toward her, the repulsor glowing brightly.
“Not another step,” the Avenger warned.
She had to do a double take because next to him were two literal aliens. Both green; one short and one tall.
“You guys are here to protect us? Protect us from that.”
“Consider it done,” the tall one nodded and the two stretched out their hands.
She tried to move to attack but found herself unable to move. The young woman groaned and struggled yet it wasn’t enough. She didn’t know but they were keeping her frozen where she stood.
“Troopers! Now!” the short one ordered.
A small squad of men in armor she’d never seen came in from around the hall fired a few circular blasts at her. Ava fell unconscious upon contact. The Jedi gently lowered her to a nearby chair.
“Alright team, our intruder has been taken care of,” Tony said over the comms.
“How do we handle this one?” Fisto questioned.
“I’ll figure something out,” he shrugged. “I always do.”
Before the two could question this, a beeping was heard. Yoda pulled out his comm and the holograms of Plo Koon and Commander Wolfe sprung up.
“General Yoda, we have a serious problem on the ship,” Wolfe began.
“What kind of problem?” Fisto asked.
“Are you familiar with the Rakghoul Plague?” Plo questioned.