Man in Black – Prologue

Author’s Note: This story is placed in a AU that I created and am working on. It’s a crossover with NCIS, Numb3rs, X-Men Movieverse O3, Avengers MCU, Hawaii Five-0 and Criminal Minds though it mostly takes place in the MCU. I’m ignoring everything that came after Iron-Man 1, in the Iron-Man Movieverse, so no Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, just the awesome friendship we saw in the first movie. Also the character of Rhodey is played by Terrence Howard, from Iron-Man 1 and not Don Cheadle who replaced him. This story ignores everything that happens after the Avengers 1, so no Hydra using SHIELD as their own personal playpen or Coulson leading his covert team, so no Inhumans.

This story is mostly gen. There are two genderbent characters, Antonia “Toni” DiNozzo from NCIS and Danielle “Dani” Williams from Hawaii Five-0. Both are always female in my story. In this story the main crossovers are Numb3rs with Don Eppes, Avengers MCU with the team and characters from that verse, X-Men Movieverse O3 Scott Summers/Cyclops and NCIS with femToni DiNozzo. Don, Toni and Scott are mutants and Scott’s also has psionic powers and an expansion of his concussive energy. Expect different origins for Toni, Don, Clint and Scott. Toni DiNozzo is played by Jessica Biel.

Now with cover art by yours truly. For more of my fanfiction story covers you can go here: https://watersoter.deviantart.com

Art by WaterSoter

*O*O*O*

Don never thought he would ever see anything like that. As every television, computer and screen capable of displaying the news shone in the bullpen, he took note of the horrified looks, the fear, twisting faces and making trained agents huddle together like children during a bad thunder storm.

Like Charlie had when he thought there were monster under his bed or in his closet and had snuck into Don’s room and into his bed for protection. He glanced at his baby brother, off in their usual offices. Amita and Larry flanking him, wide eyed and his parents sitting and clutching at each other. The remains of the lunch they had brought them scattered on the table.

He should be there with them. With his family as their world was turned upside down and blown to bits. Larry would probably have something philosophical to say about the existence of aliens but for the moment, they were probably too scared too think about anything else.

Grateful as he was that they so happened to be there, today of all days, at the time of the attack and when the offices had gone into lockdown. When every government office and HQ had gone into lockdown. He also wished they weren’t there. On one of the places that would be ground zero in case of an organized attack.

Don focused back on the tv screen. The things, ugly sons of a bitch, flew in the sky on some kind of sled, shot people in the streets. The giant worm-whales knocking buildings down with barely a flick of a tail. A lot of NYPD getting cut down as they tried to direct and protect civilians. He spotted people in dark suits, guns out and firing and doing about as much damage as a BB gun on a tank.

SHIELD was out there. He knew it. Ran his fingers over the screen of his phone. A half a dozen numbers floating in his head. Answers a call away. Answers he wanted, badly. Orders he would settle for. Should he find his way out of there and try to make his way to New York? Should he stay put on stand on? Where the others?

Then there was a familiar red blast, taking two hover sleds down. No sign of where it came from but Don knew and felt some of the tension ease off his shoulders. He kept looking but it was the only sign of red power anywhere but it didn’t mean anything. Most of these videos were coming from people on the ground, running or hiding for their lives, up on buildings as they stupidly strayed toward windows instead of taking cover.

News crews were reporting from the edge of some unofficial evacuation perimeter. But Don thought that there were a few idiots that had hunkered down in the attack zone and hadn’t even made an effort to get out. The story too big for some people, even if it meant that they were putting their lives, and the lives of first responders at risk for a damn scoop.

More police officers getting people out. He winced as two national guardsmen were crushed by falling debris. There was a rumble and another building went down. God, his mind was doing calculations despite himself. The numbers were already beyond anything he had ever heard of outside a major natural disaster or all out war.

He felt a presence on his left and saw out of the corner of his eye as Megan and David came over. Megan’s skin was several shades whiter and the lines around her eyes and mouth were like deep grooves, aging her by at least a decade. David’s face could had been carved from stone for all the emotion it showed, but Don noted the way his hands shook. Small, almost unnoticeable tremors that belied whatever calm he was trying to project. How he held himself just slightly closer to Megan and Don now that he was within touching distance.

They were scared, Don knew, but were trying to keep it from showing, be pillars in a mess of a situation. They’re going to be good leaders, Don thought. Pride like a bright fluttering in his chest. Then more screams, more death and Don wanted so very badly to be there. He could make a difference there much more than he was doing in these offices, in locked down and stand by.

Then Don saw something small pierce the air, and one of the aliens. Red hair flash at a distorted distance. “They’re rumors that Iron-Man is in the air.” Megan said, her voice steady and eyes riveted to the screen. “I haven’t seen it but Melendez said she saw it a couple of minutes ago.”

Don glanced at her even as he tried to remember where Stark was supposed to be this week. Something he kept an eye on more out of habit than any real interest in the guy. Stark was out in Malibu and usually kept his insanity out of Don’s jurisdiction but it was always a good idea to know where that walking disaster was on any given day.

“I thought Stark was in Malibu?” David asked as Don saw another metallic streak, this time followed by an explosion. It took effort to stop himself from smirking. Especially when Natasha did one of her impressive areal maneuvers and put an alien, which was at least twice her size and thrice her weight, down, hard.

“He bought a building in New York.” Something went zooming through the air and lightning fell from a clear sky.

“Guys!” Colby came running, a wide-eyed look that wasn’t at all what Don expected in a situation like this one. Although from what he was seeing, things weren’t as bad as he thought. At least he hoped so. SHIELD seemed to have something up its sleeve and he knew of three people he would trust with his family’s lives were there already.

Colby grabbed the remote, changed the channel to the annoyance of several agents. “Check it out!” And then Don saw it. They were replaying a scene from the battle, something the channel Don had chosen hadn’t done. The reason Don had picked in the first place since he wanted to see things on real time not minutes, or even an hour after the fact.

Of course Don forgot about the whole thing when the scene played out. Mostly it was the man in a very familiar suit. Moving at speeds and with an agility that couldn’t be normal. Taking down a dozen of the aliens then reaching out as a round disc bounced of several things and came back like a boomerang.

“Is that . . .” David trailed off, awe in his voice.

Don wasn’t so sure, but watching the living embodiment of America and American heroes stand in the middle of a new battle ground. The red, white and blue of his universe a more modern take than that of comic books, trading cards and old, colored reels from WWII.

There was headlines speeding at the bottom of the screen, but the main headline, stamped on the scene like a mark of authenticity. Don let the possibility of success turn into certainty. A childish, perhaps, belief molded from childhood then solidified through years of exposure to an unshakable faith. Don read the headline and felt a relief so profound that his knees went shaky.

Captain America, back from the grave and fighting for America once again.