What has come before: A hostile alien force has conquered The Earth. Earth’s heroes are fighting a losing battle as a resistance to the Martian oppressors. Hope comes in the shape of the heroes children, raised in secret in other dimensional Asgard. Great warriors with the sole purpose of freeing their Homeworld have trained these young heroes, in hopes that this secret army could do what they could not.

Previously: Killraven has assembled a team to enter the Martian arena in disguise. Their mission is to rescue the previously missing heroes Ant Lass, Powerpax, Thunderstrike and Guardian who have turned up under the control Samuel Sterns aka The Leader. The team has entered the gladiatorial arena and with the help of the resistance agents She-devil and Frank Castle hope to extract their mind controlled friends, of course this all depends on whether or not they live that long.

Valeria Richards narrowly managed to dodged the hurtling form of Ion as the brainwashed Thunderstrike ploughed into him; he would be nothing more than a stain on the ground if not for his formidable ionic powers. Thunderstrike raised his mace high, ready to deliver a possibly fatal blow to Ion’s face. The mace never got to chance to connect as the large green fist of Behemoth launch Thunderstrike across the arena.

"Thanks for the save, pal," Ion groaned getting to his feet. Behemoth just smirked in response and cracked his knuckles.

Spider Boy leaped to the ground from above and landed beside Valeria. Brought some help," Ben announced gesturing to Behemoth, Castle and Gamma Star.

"I think we’re gonna need it," Valeria responded. "If we are gonna get our friends under control."

"More than you know Val. We got the beasts on our tail!"

"Great, just great."

A few yards away Rockface had encased Cassie Lang - currently known as the Ant - within a prison of rock, only to see her tear through her rocky cage thanks to the increased strength gifted her by the Leader. Britannia was fully occupied attempting to hold off an aggressive Guardian as he flew at her with a flurry of powerful blows.

"Are you ready yet, Vinnie?" Britannia yelled to Von Doom as she ducked under another fist thrown by Guardian.

"It’s Vincent! And in order to use my modified control disks we need to gather our opponents together. Powerpax alone is proving to be extremely frustrating in her damned mist form," Vincent Von Doom yelled as tried to subdue a frenzied Katie Power.

"We’ll get hammer boy," Behemoth yelled as he leapt into the air in the direction he had just launched Thunderstrike, closely followed by his sister.

Rockface re-moulded her cage structure into a giant hand and arm and used it to hurl the Ant into the centre of the fighting, using the rocks she landed onto form restraints, just as Doom sufficiently distracted Powerpax enough so Valeria could sneak up behind and encase her in a force field, depriving her oxygen and forcing her to revert to a more solid form. She quickly deposited her next to the Ant.

Castle threw his battle-axe towards Guardian, forcing him to move out of position and allow Britannia to lay a decisive blow with her psionic sword. Ion took over, landing powerful blows on Guardian’s body driving back towards his downed teammates.

With an almighty THUD, Behemoth and Thunderstrike landed in the midst of everyone delivering bone crunching body blows to each other. Eventually Gamma Star managed to blast the latter in the eyes, allowing her brother to land a telling blow to face with both hands. Thunderstrike staggered back into the waiting force field of Valeria.

With all their former teammates now in one area, Spider Boy quickly moved in and placed one of the control disks Vincent had given him on each of the Leader’s brainwashed minions. These disks, adapted from the captured designs of the late Controller, did not have the ability to undo the Leader’s tampering but instead countered it by temporarily shutting down the mind of each.

One by one Thunderstrike, Powerpax, Ant Lass and Guardian fell to ground into a semi-coma.

"Great. Now all we gotta do is get the hell outta here," Spider Boy sighed, exhausted from his battle with the Horde.

"Might be a small problem with that," Valeria shrieked as two dark figures descended from the sky.

A millisecond later the assembled heroes were face-to-snarling-face with the Gamma Beast and the Grimm.

"This is unacceptable," one of the Martians said through his pet human telepath. "There has not been one fatality amongst the gladiators. Hopefully our Beasts will spice this lackluster spectacle up. We are not pleased."

Both Stark and Zemo quietly seethed at the events that had transpired, each having hoped to salvage something from this and re-ingratiate themselves with the Martians, however much it sickened them to do so. The Leader looked stern as he watched the screen showing his team of combatants, seeing them now all unconscious and laid out next to each other on the floor of the arena. This was not the impression he had hoped to make. Still, he had gained the Martian technology he sought. There was also the bonus of watching these beasts tearing the young prince and his sister apart.

Killraven knew now was the time to act, his departure going completely unnoticed. He could only hope She-Devil was already on her way.

Karen Murdock, the She-Devil, had changed from her handmaidens uniform into her costume and was making her way along the labyrinth of corridors. She kept to the shadows and used the device secretly handed to her by Killraven to avoid detection by the Martian security systems. Still, it was slow-going thanks to the frequent patrols she had to avoid.

At one point she hid in a ventilation duct to avoid a Skorpsman patrol and checked her wrist-mounted console to consult her map of the Arena. The main power supply control was behind the door at the end of this corridor. She-Devil peered down the steel corridor but soon realized it was hopeless the guards were too numerous for her to handle alone.

"Where’s Killraven when I need him? I wish Uncle Frank were here," Karen muttered to herself.

"Afraid you’ll have to settle for me," a feminine whisper came from the darkness behind She-Devil. Karen spun round her hand on her bow staff; she was not easily startled especially with her extra sensory perception inherited from her father. She peered into the darkness and saw the slim form of Cut Throat staring back at her.

"Great! Stark’s bitch!" Karen spat quietly lunging with her staff.

"It’s rude to speak ill of your elders, young lady," Cut Throat answered parrying the blow from the staff. Cut Throats face suddenly took on a blue colouring and her eyes changed to a brilliant yellow.

"Mystique!" She-Devil gasped.

"That’s right, child. I’m in deep cover. So if you’re ready, how about we shut down the power in this place?"

Mystique led the way, cutting into the assembled Skorpsmen and robotic guards near the door with a ruthless grace Karen has rarely seen. She herself hung back, watching the shape-shifter’s back. It was a short yet bloody encounter. Mystique next made short work of disabling the lock. As the door slid open she fired a series of darts from her wrist gauntlets striking unconscious the technicians in the room.

The pair entered the power supply room and She-Devil looked around, slightly surprised at how sparse it looked at first glance. Most of the equipment was imbedded in the walls, although the majority of the room was taken up with a large glowing ball of energy.

"That’s got to be it," Karen smiled to Mystique. "Wait, there’s someone in there!"

Mystique was already at a console and had hacked into the system with the help of a handy little device from her lover Forge. "Those bastards, they’re using are own against us again. That’s Max Dillon in there."

"Who?"

"Electro! They’re using his electrical abilities to power this damned thing," Mystique snarled. Karen peered deeper into the energy ball.

"He looks like he’s in pain."

"I’m sure he is. But according to this we can’t shut it down or remove him without killing him."

"What do we do?" Karen asked already knowing the answer. "I’m not a murderer." Suddenly an electrical flare erupted from the ball; it formed into letters in the air.

"Please end this," Karen read aloud.

"Decision made," Mystique acknowledged. "It’s actually surprisingly simple: we just need to destroy that module at the base of the sphere. That’s what’s keeping Max from overloading the system."

Karen stared at the module a Skorpsman blaster in her hand. "I’m not sure I can…"

"Yes you can!" Mystique yelled. They both raised their weapons and fired, the module shattering almost instantly and the room suddenly filled with blue blazing energy, blinding them both. When their vision cleared, Karen and Mystique saw the charred corpse of Electro in the centre of the room. Lights all over the complex were flickering and it seemed every alarm in the place was going off.

"Looks like I missed all the fun," a strong male voice was heard behind them. They turned as one to see Killraven, back in his proper uniform.

"I wouldn’t say that," Stark was heard beyond the doorway. His own Warmachine troops and Skorpsmen flanked him. She-devil turned to see Mystique had vanished.

"Looks like it’s just you and me, Mr. Raven," the She Devil whispered with a hungry smile. Killraven simply grinned himself and charged forward into the troops.

The heroes could see all the alarms going off around the great ring-shaped ship. However their more pressing concern was the slavering creatures charging towards them.

"I’m gonna kill that Thing!" Angelica screamed, rage lingering on the last word as she saw the mockery of her father known as the Grimm. These genetic abominations served as either muscle to back up their Skorpsmen troops or for entertainment in these depraved Games. She could tell however this was the first, the original Grimm, so closely did it resemble her dead father…and Angelica was determined only one of them was leaving the Arena today.

"I swear on my father’s bones that thing is rubble!" Angelica continued to scream.

"Calm yourself Ms. Grimm!" Vincent commanded. "We must co-ordinate properly if we are succeed and escape this infernal place."

"We got Skorpsman troops heading this way from all directions," Gamma Star announced from the air.

"Right, okay, much as I am loath to admit it, Vincent is right," Britannia said taking charge. "Valeria, you protecting our unconscious quartet there. Angelica, you and Behemoth are our heavy hitters. You take point."

"At last!" Angelica cheered, morphing the surrounding rock into stony armour resembling the approaching Grimm.

"I suggest Gamma Star stays away from the Gamma Beast as her energy powers may actually increase his strength," Vincent added.

"Agreed. ‘Star, you slow down our Skorpsmen friends," Britannia said addressing the hovering Gamma Star, who nodded and sped off.

Barely a second later the Beasts charged forward. As ordered, Behemoth and Rockface took point and blocked the creatures. Angelica pounded the Grimm with an intensity none of her friends had ever seen in her. She rained down blow after earth shattering blow. It looked like it was going to be a very quick and one-sided fight…at least until the animalistic roar of the Grimm was heard and a single blow sent Angelica hurtling off the creature. Fortunately Valeria snagged her in mid-air and lowered her to the ground.

Behemoth’s face connected hard with the Gamma Beast’s fist. A second blow may have taken his head clean off, but Ion ploughed into the beast’s stomach, staggering him. Like the Grimm, the Gamma Beast was believed to be a genetic creation of the Martians, constructed from the remains of the long lost Doc Samson; everyone present however could now make out the remains of a tattered red tee-shirt and blue trousers beneath the shaggy green hair covering the creature from head to toe.

"Jesus! This thing is the original Doc!" Spider Boy yelped as he dodged out of the way of one of the Beast’s flying fists. "Looks like we can tell Leona her daddy ain’t dead after all, although I don’t know if this is better."

Doom let loose two massive bolts of eldritch energy from his gauntlets, striking the Gamma Beast full in the chest, sending it staggering further back. Behemoth looked up into the creature’s eyes; all humanity seemed to have eroded leaving only rage.

Inferno hovered in the air above the Grimm keeping him distracted with a constant barrage of fireballs. Suddenly Angelica leapt out of nowhere, resuming her frenzied pummeling of the creature, again driving it back. Inferno wanted to help her cousin but getting between these two was just plain suicide.

Angelica soon pinned the Grimm to the Arena floor just as he smashed his fist into her rock covered face, shattering her protective coating. Suddenly the rage softened in the creature’s eyes.

"A…Angel?" a strained, croaky voice stammered.

"Holy crap!" Angelica yelled, stumbling away from the massive form beneath her, face twisting in shock, disbelief, and desperate hope. "Dad? Oh God, Daddy is that you?"

Clarity had returned to the Grimm’s eyes upon seeing the face of his beloved daughter. "Whuh…what…?" He stood and held both hands before him, then looked down at himself. "What have those bastards done?"

"Is that really you, Daddy?" Angelica tentatively asked as Inferno landed beside her still aflame just in case.

"Yeah, baby. It’s me. Don’t ask me what the hell happened to me or why your blue eyes snapped me out of it." He reached out to his daughter, wonder in own eyes as he took in the sight of her as Angelica took a tentative step forward.

Britannia’s call interrupted the reunion. "Colonel Grimm? If that is you, we need some help!"

The battle with the Gamma Beast had only increased in its fury. Behemoth ducked under the massive swinging fist of the Beast, following quickly with an uppercut to the jaw. The former Doc Samson was only mildly fazed by this but it gave Spider Boy the opportunity to blind the creature with his webbing.

"Need a hand boys?" Ben Grimm smiled as he delivered a rocky fist to the Beast’s face. "It’s Clobberin’ Time!"

Grimm, Behemoth and Ion lined up and launched themselves into the Gamma Beast. While at the same time Inferno, Doom and Castle used their powers and weaponry to blast at the gamma irradiated foe. The resulting clash sent the Gamma Beast flying off towards the Arena walls.

"What now?" Grimm asked the assembled heroes.

"Now we get out of this hell hole," Britannia answered.

"Afraid I won’t be joining you young ‘uns this time," Castle added. "I’m far more use here and I want to go check on the others inside. Hey, kid, how are you on the X-men?" Castle asked Behemoth.

"Erm, ok I guess."

"Good. Do you know what a fast ball special is?"

"Ah," smirked the huge green hero.

Seconds later, Castle was flying through the air towards the walls of the Arena. As a balcony came into view he used his momentum and rolled into landing.

"Not too shabby for an old guy," Castle smiled and set off into the complex.

Killraven and She-Devil battled furiously against the swarm of Skorpsmen and Stark’s Warmachine troopers. Stark hovered in the back, smiling as the two heroes struggled against overwhelming numbers. Stark noticed the bodies of Skorpsmen further away than the heroes could reach, but paid this no mind.

In the shadows Cut throat glared reloading her wrist blaster. She longed to join Killraven and the girl in their battle, but her cover inside Stark’s inner circle was just too important to be compromised just yet.

"Hurry and finish them," Stark commanded from the air.

"Shut it, kid!" a gruff voice snarled from the power room entrance. A vibranium axe hurtled through the air and embedded itself in the back of Stark’s armour. Castle appeared at the far end of the room. "A gift from young mister Von Doom," Castle yelled as he threw a small metallic sphere into the middle of Stark’s troops. "Cover your eyes kids."

Killraven and She-Devil quickly did as asked while the sphere bounced across the floor then suddenly erupted in a blinding flash of light. The light temporarily blinded the surrounding Skorpsmen. However it was not only light that was released from Doom’s sphere, it also let out a localized electromagnetic pulse, which disrupted the Skorpsmen’s weaponry and the Warmachine armours. Killraven and She-Devil joined Castle taking full advantage of the confusion.

"Quick, you two have to get out into the Arena if you want get out of here. Now, while the powers down!"

"Please come with us, Uncle Frank," Karen begged.

"Indeed, sir. Surely you can’t stay in this place," Killraven added.

"I hear things here, useful things," Castle answered. "I’m needed."

"Bull, Uncle Frank! You’ve served your time you deserve a rest. Please, I need you!" Karen pleaded.

Castle smiled and slowly nodded as he looked into his goddaughter’s eyes. "Okay, girl, you win."

"No, please, don’t stop. This is the most touching scene I’ve watched in years," Stark mocked as he got to his feet. His armour had just rebooted after Castle’s attack and the EMP. "You don’t have to worry about quitting the Arena, Frank. You…are…FIRED!" Stark yelled as he shot a massive repulsor blast at Castle. Before any of them could react, the energy pulse ripped through Castle’s chest, carving a literal tunnel through him.

"Uncle Frank!" Karen screamed as her friend and mentor tumbled to the ground, dead.

"You evil son of a bitch," She spat trying to launch herself across the room at the smirking Stark.

"No, Karen, we must leave now!" Killraven yelled grabbing hold of Karen as the Warmachine drones began to stir. "If we don’t go now we never will!" He snatched the weeping girl up and carried her away, making for the Arena.

"Nice hole," Spider Boy said looking into the opening in the ground Behemoth and Grimm had quickly dug. The sewers beneath the city currently occupied by the Martian Arena were clearly visible.

"About time you guys got here. God knows what I’m gonna catch sat in a frickin’ sewer," the grumpy voice of Nightshade was heard from down below. "Who’s the rockpile?"

"That’s my dad," Angelica beamed down at her blue skinned friend.

"Wow, really? It might take me a couple of ports to get all of you to the coast."

"Huh! Guys! Can we get this moving? We’ve got like a million Skorpsmen heading this way," Britannia yelled as she stared at the approaching hordes.

"We can’t," Valeria chipped in. "We have to wait for Kil…"

"Killraven!" Inferno interrupted as she saw Killraven and She-Devil tearing through the Skorpsmen troops on a stolen sky cycle.

"Okay, away we go" Grimm said picking up all of the unconscious heroes himself.

"Right-o!" Nightshade smiled followed by a strong smell of brimstone and a very loud BAMF!

Two more ‘bamfs’ later, an exhausted Nightshade landed all the heroes on a stretch of the western coast of North America.

"Where the hell is the transport?" Doom growled, just as the ocean before the heroes bubbled and a mighty Atlantean War craft rose from the depths. A hatch opened in the top and the smiling face of Warren Newall, the Manta, greeted them.

"Welcome aboard the Nautilus," he announced, waving the heroes to join him.

One deep sea trip and a mystical portal later and all the heroes were back in Little Midgard.

Scott Lang had been at his daughter’s bedside since she’d been returned with her teammates. She was housed in the small infirmary in Little Midgard, having been rushed there along with the rest of her teammates. All four were still unconscious and Doctor Foster was not sure when they would finally awake.

The infirmary had been packed since the heroes’ triumphant return, with Doctors Foster and Simian busily running tests and monitoring patients while anxious heroes hoping for news on those still missing. Valeria, Angelica, Jonni, and Ben Parker had been by Katie Power’s bedside just as long as Scott had been by his daughters; they were hoping for news on their still-missing siblings from Beta Team. Ben Grimm stopped by frequently after being released with a clean bill of health; the rest of his time having been taken up with briefings and the like with the leadership of Little Midgard and Asgard, or trying to settle back with Alicia Masters, herself a frequent visitor to the infirmary as she tried to encourage her daughters and ward home.

Mayor Rhodes had taken the responsibility of telling Leona Samson of her father’s fate; Leona didn’t quite know how to feel on one hand she was overjoyed the father she had thought long dead was alive but at what cost. Mayor Rhodes assured her they would do every thing they could to free her father and return him to the way he was before. Leona took comfort from the long talks she had with Benjamin Grimm, who had taken her in as a surrogate daughter alongside his own child Angelica. Angelica herself could help but feel a little guilty that she had returned with her dad while Leona's still raged in the Arena.

Killraven stood in silence next to Karen Murdock as they watched the robotic butler JARVIS finishing erecting the monument to late Frank Castle in the Garden of Heroes. The statue was carved by the blind sculptress Alicia Masters as were all the monuments to heroes fallen in the liberation of Earth in the garden.

"He was a brave and honourable man," Killraven said finally breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I know. All I can do now is try and make him proud," Karen answered stifling a tear.

"I am due to return to Earth with Behemoth and Gamma Star" Killraven continued. The Banner twins had declined to stay in Little Midgard despite Mayor Rhodes’ ready invitation. "But I swear to you Stark will pay for this."

"Oh, I know he will. He will definitely be punished," Karen answered a coldness creeping into her voice.

"If you ever need me…"

"Thanks, Jon. That means a lot."

Back in the Infirmary Cassie Lang’s eyes fluttered open. "Daddy? Is that you?"

"It sure is, sweetheart." Scott Lang beamed, starting to cry himself. "Don’t worry. Your safe now."

Cheers

Dave

Oh and a big thank you to Joseph for helping me touch up this issue

New Characters

The Gamma Beast - Leonard Samson – Samson was captured by the Martians early in the war and was long thought dead. However the Martians had used him as a test subject for their gamma radiation experiments. Once they had finished with him the now deranged and mutated Samson was sent to fight in the Martian Arena’s.

The Grimm – Benjamin Grimm – Formerly known as the Thing, Benjamin Grimm was thought killed defending and evacuation of refugees from Earth to Asgard. Grimm had survived barely and was used by the Martians to create the Grimms, Martian clone troops of superior strength. Grimm himself was driven mad and sent to the Martian Arenas.

Leona Samson – The daughter of Leonard Samson. She has inherited her father’s strength and his intellect. Leona has recently taken to calling herself Doc Samson.

Doc Simian – The intelligent super ape Simian was fathered by one of the Red Ghost’s primate minions. When they were slaughtered by the Martians Simian was found and rescued by the resistance. He now uses his superior intellect to oppose the Martian forces.

Manta – Warren Newall – the son of Dianne Newall and her husband the Avenger Stingray. Manta has developed his own sub aquatic battle suit based on his father’s designs.

Doctor Foster – Jane Foster – The former love interest of the mighty Thor, Jane Foster is now the chief medical officer of Little Midgard.