Issue Six: Taking AIM

"That sounds quite interesting," Blackbird notes, moving to one of the computers to pull up what maps are available of the area. "Is there anyone within the immediately-threatened area, or is that area in general abandoned?"

Ensuring that he's off-comm for a moment, he looks at Energystar. "Orders?"

The Brand Corporate Warehouse is on a block by iteself. The area surrounding it is not generally abandonned, but is a more commercial area down by the docks. There are several offices, warehouses, apartments, and a fire station in the vacinity.

She smirks, "I've always wanted to say this..."

She stands up, poses and says, "Avengers Assemble!"

She looks around the room.

"OK let's just get to the warehouse."

Metropolitan General Hospital...

Two women enter the guarded hospital wing where the unconscious Avengers are convalescing. As they begin to walk through the area, a slight breeze blows through it. Looking across the room, one of them notices that a window is open...and a bed is empty...

"Christine," the one woman says, "one of them is missing. We should call Linda. Her boyfriend will want to know."

Looking down the room, the other woman notices the empty bed as well. Disregarding hospital policy, she pulls out a cell phone and hastily places a call...

"Linda? It's Christine. I have Georgia with me. One of them is gone."

Beorn looked confused for a moment, staring down at himself to be sure he was still corporeal and hadn't slowly drifted apart. Since the episode where he had accidentally grown, he was a bit skittish about those sorts of things. Having reassured himself of his own solidity he smiled and said, It sounds good on you Energystar. I guess I'm ready. Ummm...is anyone driving?"

"I saw something that looked like a flying bathtub upstairs in the hanger." Mantaman said jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "It was in mothballs but it should fit all of you non-flyers."

Blackbird raises one eyebrow, but says nothing.

"I'll drive. Unless anyone else here has pilot qualifications?"

Beorn exchanged rueful glances with the rest of the team.

"You drive." he said simply.

"Who are you, a robot, or a guy with a really sore throat"?

Spinning around to see the origin of the mechanical voice behind him, PowerSurge sees...

Elsewhere...

Like a pack of rambunctious school children, the Avengers and their allies race up the stairs to the top floor of F4HQ and expropriate a FantastiCar. Blackbird, having taken the controls, gracefully lifts the ship up and through the retractable ceiling which opens automatically as the ship rises.

Darting out into the chilly night air, the heroes head off towards the docks...

"...Ummm...", Captain starts, "Shouldn't we have asked someone if we can take this, first?"

"Heck, no", Rad replies, "We're the Avengers! Well...you're the Avengers...I just happen to be your unwilling, kidnapped victim. That's the angle I'm gonna play when the stuff hits the fan, anyway..."

Looking over the side of the craft, Rad points off into the distance and calls up to Blackbird "Over there. The warehouse is over there."

"How would you know?", Cap querries, seemingly surprised by Rad's sense of direction.

"Big warehouse. By the docks. On fire", Rad replies.

"Oooh. Good call", Cap responds.

Heading over in the direction indicated, the heroes reach the Brand Corporate Warehouse. The warehouse is on an isolated block, with a fenced in area behind the facility. The warehouse is actually two buildings: a two-story stucture with former skylights (now shattered due to an explosion) adjacent to a private pier, and a four-story building with access into the building from the roof.

Niether building is actually "on fire", but an occassional blast can be heard from within and ejecta from small explosions, some of it afire, occassionally spews from the former skylight locations.