Part II;

Judd confers with Langkowski and Hudson. The EXiles also unite to discuss their options.

Creed: They haven't even asked what we can do. They think all we can do is make things worse.

Walter: It's not that, exactly. If we fight and win, how long can that last? SHIELD can bring in dozens more. We could simply surrender but Stark won't allow that, he wants this to look good for the cameras, a good clean fight and the white hats out in front.

Gogo: What can you do to stop the attack?

Judd: Nothing. SHIELD is calling the shots and they'll come in hot and heavy. I expect at least 30 Iron Men. Remember, they let loose that monster and they'll have to deal with it too. I'm sure Richards has it all planned out but plans can fail. Gremlins, wrenches...

Hudson: And that leads to another issue. You can't be here when they attack, so leave now. SHIELD knows you're here but they don't know what you are. That's probably why they haven't attacked already, they're wondering what's going on with you.

Blink: That can be used to our advantage. Outside of Spider and Spiral we'd be easy to camouflage in battle...

Judd: No way! There is no way we will risk SHIELD capturing any one of you. Richards is a brilliant man but he has absolutely no morals. He'll be so overjoyed at getting any of you that he'd pee his pants for days. Then he'll do everything he can to you to find out what you are, before disecting you to find the source of your abilities. I'm sure SHIELD's spies have already hit upon what you look like from their spies, or their satellites.

Spider: There must be some way we can fix this mess. That's why we're here, to make sure you don't lose.

Blink: We've been to several worlds with their own version of Department H. I've met most of you, though not like this. This is the first world we've been to without paranormals. Langkowski, in other places you...

Walter: Honestly, we don't need to know! We have no idea what SHIELD is doing right now and we don't need them finding out that other universes exist.

An alarm goes off

Judd: Battle stations!! I want everyone in position! Guardians, stay under cover until the Iron Men appear, which may be real soon!

Creed: EXiles, stay put. Let's see what their up against before making any more moves. Spider was right, this whole scenario is off. What was Heather thinking? She must have known enough to know the problems we'd create just by being here.

Spiral: Does it matter? Six people have seen us and know what we are. If we go home who's to say they won't be captured and made to tell all about us? If Richards and Stark are really that bad shouldn't we deal with them anyway?

Blink: Good point. Director Judd, do you know where SHIELD keeps it's top personnel?

Judd: Not that I'm supposed to, but yes. Why?

Blink: I have a plan that should give you an edge....

In the SHIELD HeliShip, the Iron Men are given their orders by Agent Wells. 5 platoons of agents are backing them up. Wells checks with Agent Fiver to make sure that the media is in position to watch the spectacle.

Wells: Some will be caught in the crossfire but that is acceptable. Take out the Guardians and find the Monsters, we know they have at least one. Engage the monsters but if it gets too hot pull back, we have backup plans to deal with any unknowns. Questions? Good. Move out in 2.

On the ground the HeliShip has been spotted. Soldiers head to cover the perimeter while other personnel rush inside for safety.

Judd: This is it. Are your people ready, James?

Hudson: There's nothing more I can do. Good luck, Eugene. I hope your family is left alone.

Judd: Fat chance. No prisoners. I wish I had one good, clear shot at Stark...

Hudson: But you don't use guns...

Judd: AS if I need a gun for that son of a....

The Iron Men are launched. Their are 35. The Guardians get set to go.

Hudson: You know the plan. Nobody be a martyr. Godspeed.

The Guardians rise and the battle is joined. An incredible amount of firepower is on display. The SHIELD platoons find themselves pinned down by the Canadian soldiers. The Guardians are too few in number to contain the Iron Men but one Guardian seems to be moving fast enough to make things even.

Blink: Gogo is making things interesting. Those suits of yours are mighty impressive.

Walter: There not my suits, really. Their James. Up until three months ago I did genetic and biological work, Thorne did neurological, Bochs had his robots. Then Judd put all four of us on James' team when it became obvious that SHIELD had plastered a bullseye on us. Thorne improved the cyberhelmet interface, Bochs worked on the shields and power transfers, and I did work on the controls and weapons. Really all we did was improve on James' work, those are his babies. Though without Thorne's improvements your Tomago couldn't be out there now, we never could've attuned the suit to her brain like with James' old design.

Blink: Nobody around. Your Director handles things well. Is the monster in there?

Walter: Yes. Are you sure you can pull this off?

Creed: Divide and conquer, always a good strategy. We've got confusion on our side. Gogo is making them work for it.

Walter: There's the signal. You're sure you can do this?

Blink: No reason why not. Let's go.

All six enter the room. They see the monster. Over 8 feet tall, blue, beastly looking. The skin almost looks like armour itself. Four eyes.

Walter: Ever see anything like this in your travels?

Creed: For once I think we're all surprised.

Blink sizes up the monster and lets fly. The monster vanishes. Next goes Creed. Then she Blinks herself, Spider and Spiral too.

Walter: I saw it and I still don't believe it. If this works I'll work on the Literature Nobel, nobody will believe this ever happened.

Creed and the monster appear on the HeliShip and begin tearing it to pieces. SHIELD is clearly caught off guard. The HeliShip starts to go down. Several Iron Men notice and turn to go help but it's too late. Five Guardians are down but the rest are still in it to win. The Shield ground forces are closing in on Department H but when they see the careening HeliShip they scatter.

Judd: Pour it on! Don't let them get any closer! Push them back, support the Guardians! We've got them!

The SHIELD ship careens into the woods and explodes. As the camera rolls the monster leaves the burning hulk and advances on the troops guarding Department H. Judd walks over to one media crew.

Judd: I thought that monster was supposed to be a Canadian creation. How come it was on that SHIELD ship instead? Pretty fishy.

Meanwhile, Blink, Spider and Spiral appear at SHIELD headquarters. Spiral meets Reed Richards.

Richards: Amazing! You're marvelous!

Spiral: You're dead.

And that's how it goes. Spider and Spiral kill everyone they see and that is a lot of people, soldiers, assistants, Grimm, Storm, Von Doom. Blink goes to find Tony Stark. She finds him in an Iron Man suit, a big and heavily armed one. He barks at her to surrender, then he blinks away....

Hudson: I want all Guardians to defend the building! We've got to keep that monster away!

Judd: Not a problem. I see we have another visitor.

Iron Man Stark appears, right in the monster's path. He has no choice but to engage it as it right on top of him, charging in.

Judd: That Blink sure has great aim.

Hudson: More luck, I'd wager. How would she know where to aim, anyway. Pure luck.

Even with his best Armour Stark can't take down the monster. He jets away. 31 Iron Men are still in flight and they follow him.

Stark: No, you idiots! Go after Department H! We have to finish what we started!

Iron Man: But sir, what should we do about Richard's monster?

Stark: Let it be! Just stay out of its way and it'll help you take down those bastidges! We're not going to let those Canadians get away with this.

Iron Man: But sir...

Stark: No buts!!! Get in there and wipe out anything that moves!! I want that area to be ablaze within ten minutes!!!

Hudson: Whatever you say, Mr. Stark. By the way, you're live to the entire world. Anything else you'd like to say about SHIELD's monster, or your inavsion of Canada?

Stark (spluttering): What's going on? Who are you? How did you get on this channel?!?

Hudson laughs and gives no reply. As Stark ascends he hears about the disaster at SHIELD HQ. He is livid. Before he realizes it a Guardian rockets into him and knocks him out of the sky.

Gogo: Keep your head up, Mr. Stark. You will need to look pretty for the cameras.

Stark finds his attacker hit him well. No more flying capability, he figures, but he's not going to let that stop him. He uses what weapons he has left to blast Department H. Another Guardian gets in the way, diverting all power to its forcefield that it can. Stark doesn't have the weapons to destroy it. His Iron Men have reduced the Guardians to just four and his platoons are taking out the soldiers. He smiles and orders a final assault.

Stark: Destroy everything! Nothing gets left alive!

The soldiers and Guardians fall back, even Gogo. Then Stark notices something about seven stories up... And then a flash obscures his vision.

Judd: Who knew we could cobble together an energy cannon in three months?

Walter: Well, you did have for people it a gift for innovation under pressure. Should we give them another blast?

Judd: If we can. It took long enough to put it together, I wish we could've had it ready before the battle begun. Target the troop carriers.

Another blast rips out. The SHIELD platoons have no choice but to retreat. The monster doesn't like the light and gets confused. Stark tries to rally his platoons but they are not about to face that gun again. Stark orders the Iron Men to take it out.

Hudson: Here come the Iron Men.

Judd: Concentrate your fire on them everyone. This is the our last chance.

The Iron Men make it through the attack but find the Guradians waiting. Then the canon goes off again.

Judd: That did it, it's burned out. How many did we get?

Walter: I count 12. That leaves 12 Iron Men still out there. And we're almost out of bodies.

Hudson: We came close. Think we made a difference? Director Judd? Where is he?

Suddenly they see Director Judd running from the building, straight at Stark. Stark doesn't see the small old man charging him. Judd throws something at him and Stark screams.

Judd: How do you like them apples, Stark? Your tin can can be short-circuited just like any machine. And my people know short circuits, belive me.

Stark: Judd! You cretin! I'll tear you apart with my bare hands if I have to! What have you done! When I'm finished with you people will think Hitler wasn't so bad after all!

Suddenly Creed attacks Stark. Without power Stark has little chance to defend himself. Creed then disappears into the bush.

Judd: Anthony Stark, by order of the Canadian Government I'm placing you under arrest. Tell your troops to stand down.

Stark: Bite me.

The twelve Iron Men and all the SHIELD troops are at Department H's door. Then they all collapse. So does the monster. Stark is stunned.

Stark: Wha.. What did you do? What kind of weapon was that??

Judd: Beats me. Works good, whatever it is.

A man in a wheelchair comes out of Department H, look around, then goes back in. Judd feels a little faint but keeps his feet.

Judd: Hudson! Get a couple of Guardians over here. Take Stark into custody. And disarm him, too!

Hudson: You heard the director, Lafleur, Gagner, move out.

Walter: I can't believe we did it. And Silzer says reports are on ANN that SHIELD headquarters was demolished, with massive loss of life. Do you think Russia still had some Crimson Dynamos hidden away?

Judd: Your guess is as good as mine. I can't believe SHIELD made this big a blunder. A daylight assault, cameras rolling. Stark shown for the dictator wannabe he is. If the Guardians hadn't held out so long, if the sleep gas hadn't worked, if the HeliShip hadn't failed... man, we were in a hurricane today and barely felt a breeze.

Hudson: It isn't everyday that this much luck falls our way. I wish Bochs could see this, though.

Judd: Our wives will never believe us. Good thing there was so much media coverage. Man, I still can't believe Stark would be such an egomaniac that he thought he could pull this off.

Walter: Seeing that monster dissolve as something too. I can't find a trace of it. Silzer says that SHIELD is on fire. If Richards is dead we may never know how he made that monstrosity.

Judd: Good riddance to bad rubbish. If no one can make anything like that ever again I'll die happy. Let's go help the wounded, this mess will take days to clean up.

Silzer: Sir? The United Nations wants a full report. They say SHIELD is going to be shut down.

Judd: Huh, we'll see what the President has to say about that. SHIELD still has a lot of spies around...

Hudson: But no one to give them direction. We'd better get everyone on side before the U.S. can get SHIELD reorganized. Time's a wasting.


-Back home, the EXiles revel in their victory. The Professor Xavier from Earth 3264 did alright, nobody knows the EXiles were there. Heather says the timeline has been restored, though she's not exactly pleased with Spiral and Spider wiping out so many scientists. But what cans he do?

Heather: Take a breather, team. In a few hours you'll be headed to Earth 2116, where Namor has nukes and is about to use them...



Judd: You know, one thing we need to do is dust off Bochs' plans. His robots would be a good addition to the Guardians.

Hudson: I doubt we could call them Guardians, too.

Walter: How about Box Robots? Roger would've liked that.

Judd: I just had an odd thought. How does Alpha Flight sound for a team name?

Hudson: Where did you come up with that?

Judd: Don't know, it just feels like Department H needs an Alpha Flight.


The End.


So everyone, was this better or my other EXiles story?