The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

012

CHAPTER 012
GAMMA WORLD, PART 2

LOCATION: nevada desert

ECHO SAT BEHIND HAWKEYE AS HE drove his Sky Cycle through the Nevada desert. Black Widow sat behind her with her hands bound. No words were exchanged, just two very annoyed looks to Widow. As they neared the location of the Avengers: The Cube, Natasha attempted to try and talk them out of it. "The Avengers won't trust you anymore than S.H.I.E.L.D. did."

"Well, then, it's a good thing that I'm here and you still have the Hulk blood that you stole--"

"Kase--"

Echo gives Hawkeye an annoyed look, "Oh, I'm not done!"

"Kasey!" He yells at her.

"What?!" She yells back and looks at him, then notices the expanding green bubble. "Oh."

"What the heck is that?" Hawkeye asks as the bubble nears them.

Echo takes off her mask and it falls on her back like a hood. She looks at it in shock, "Gamma radiation."

Hawkeye looks at her, "How do you know that?"

"I'm a--"

"You're a genius. Yeah, I know." Hawkeye cuts her off.

Kasey send him an annoyed look and looks at the bubble in fear. She looks at Hawkeye, "Turn around. Turn around!"

Hawkeye takes a sharp U-turn and struggles to stay ahead of the bubble as it gains on them. Kasey turns her head and watches as it gets closer and closer, "Go! Go!"

Hawkeye screams and the next thing they know, they crashed.

•  •  •

Kasey groans and wakes up. She sits up and rubs her head with her good hand and listens as Hawkeye mumbles incoherent words before yelling in alarm, "Widow!"

Kasey's head snaps up. She looks at Widow to her left and sees her eyeing Hawkeye's bow and arrows and Kasey's swords, before looking at her wrist blaster a couple feet from her. The three watch each other cautiously before quickly grabbing their weapons. Kasey rushes to grab both of her swords and when she turns around, Widow is already aiming her wrist blasters at her and Hawkeye. Hawkeye holds his bow up and aims an arrow at her. Before any of them can do anything, The Leader aka Samuel Sterns appears on a hologram on Hawkeye's Sky Cycle. Widow looks confused, "What? But that's-that's a restricted S.H.I.E.L.D. frequency."

"But that's no S.H.I.E.L.D. agent." Hawkeye finishes.

Widow nervously glances at the Gamma radiation bubble, but while she takes her focus off Hawkeye, he shoots her with an electricity arrow and she falls to the ground. Kasey steps over to the Sky Cycle, and listens to The Leader as he talks, "I come to you with a message and that message is don't be scared. The Gamma dome that is expanding in the American Southwest is no threat. It is a promise. It is going to change the world for the better. You are weak, suffering in your small lives and fragile bodies. You have plunged the world into darkness with your faults. I am here to save you. I will remake the world in my image. I will remake you in my image. You will be perfect like me. And I will think your thoughts for you. The Gamma energy will grow, and you will be transformed. Your power will be mine now. Accept your future, for I am your leader. Welcome to Gamma World!"