Music is "Ender's Game Score Suite" by Steve Jablonsky.

Picture is Prison 42 in the Negative Zone from the Civil War comic storyline.

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"Oh, my friends, my friends, forgive me
That I live and you are gone.
There's a grief that can't be spoken,
There's a pain that goes on and on.

Phantom faces at the window,
Phantom shadows on the floor,
Empty chairs at empty tables
Where my friends will meet no more."

- Les Miserables, Empty Chairs At Empty Tables Part 2

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Recommendation from the audience: "Daughter of Harley&Joker" by fly248

Recommendation from the author: "Honor With Sins" by -LadySpxder-

Send in your recommendation of your book to possibly be featured in next week's chapter!

· ~ · ~ · ~ · ~ ·

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Teleporting through dimensions is worse than flying on a plane with turbulence. Thankfully I had Wanda and Pietro holding my hands, but I definitely don't recommend it for weak stomachs.

It didn't take us long to get to the Negative Zone, though. Sick or not, we arrived five seconds after each other, then moved from the entrance so others can come through the swirling red vortex. "Wait, was it not blue on the other side?" Pietro asks, confused.

"Ever see Doctor Who?" I ask. "One side of a vortex is blue, the other is red. Polarity in the universe, or in this case, multiverse.

He nods, and we watch as the group of X-Men come through, then Next Gen. Mutants, after them come the new recruits; then Deadpool, Ms. Marvel, and Spider-Woman, and lastly, the rest of my team: Bucky, Nat, Clint, Vision, Scott, Sam, and Stephen.

Clint shakes his head, confusion wearing off from the trip. "Holy shit." He then raises his head and looks at his surroundings in the Negative Zone. "Holy shit."

"You can say that again," I mumble, looking around.

It looks exactly like the place that Reed Richards sent Victor Von Doom, like an alien world. Crevices and craters filled with green liquid ooze and pool a few feet away. Cliffs jut in and out of the landscape. The air is tinged a dark color, making it a little harder to breathe, but not impossible. "Where is the prison?" Pietro asks. "I thought we were coming out right at the entrance-"

"-Uh, found it," Sam mumbles, looking to the opposite way that most of us gaze.

When we turn around, we're met with the sight of a giant structure, even bigger than the last we saw in the middle of the Atlantic. This wasn't just one building, but several different ones attached by covered walkways.

"Tony called it Prison 42," Natasha mumbles. "Forty-two buildings, 42 prison cells in each building, 42 of the most dangerous prisoners in each building."

"Sounds like a blast," I whisper. "What does that make?"

"It makes 1,764," Vision says, his partly computer brain aiding him in quick math. "Over one-thousand and seven-hundred superhumans, aliens, enhanced, Inhumans, mutants, and super soldiers are being kept here in the Negative Zone."

"My God," Nat says. "James, we need to get in and get out fast."

Bucky nods, agreeing. "From the data we've collected, Prison 42 is only a third filled. There are around 580 prisoners being kept inside. That's why we need everyone to help get them all out."

"We're going for everyone?" I ask. "Is that even possible?"

"We have 24 people here," Pietro says, thinking quickly aloud. "Split evenly, that gives us 24.5 people each to free from their cells anyway we can. Since each cell is configured to the person inside, as long as we don't share the same powers, and giving each cell approximately two minutes to get out, we should be able to get everyone out in," he pauses, "forty-nine minutes. We can be out of the Negative Zone in under an hour."

"Just before Tony should be here. What about the prison itself? If we leave it, Tony will just refill it."

"With us," Amy says, sarcastically.

"That's where Clarke comes in," Bucky says, turning to one of the men who's volunteered to help with the mission. "He has control over a radioactive white fire. He's going to go to the middle of the building and overide all the security. He's going to bring the whole place down."

I turn to Clarke, or Overheat as he likes to be called. "Let's see this power."

Clarke comes forward, holding a hand up. He smirks and lights it on fire, a white flame crackling and sputtering with heat and power. "I got this covered, Glorious. Don't worry 'bout me. I've done this before. Brought an entire building down on myself once."

"Guys," Scott says, "take cover. Patrol's coming around."

Bucky motions for us all to lower ourselves, hiding behind rocks. "Wanda, take 'em out."

Wanda nods, and using her telepathic magic, she lures the men that march around Prison 42 to go to sleep where they stand. "We are safe."

"Not for long," Natasha whispers. "There will be another patrol soon, and when they find those guards sleeping, they won't hesitate to sound the alarms."

Bucky nods, and we wait on his word as our leader in this mission. "Alright, Let's get inside. Stephen, can you create a dimensional portal for us to get inside the prison?"

"It's very risky," Stephen admits, his face showing doubts. "I shouldn't teleport us where I cannot see, but I will try, seeing as this is our only option. Glory, can you at least tell if there is a large, open room big enough for twenty-four people to land without being noticed?"

I nod, and turn to the prison and begin to use my spacial teleportation. Usually, even without teleporting there, I can tell where the most open space is in a building. Big, open spaces are less dense, and therefore are easier to detect. "There's an open space to the left of us," I answer, closing my eyes to focus. "It's hard to tell... I still don't have all my power back, but I'm pretty sure it's the room right there." I point to the room with the large watchtower on top of it. "I think it's a warehouse of some sorts, but I've been wrong before."

Stephen nods, and gives me a quick "Thank you" before beginning to cast his spell. He has all of us get close together, within a foot of each other, and envelopes the group in a giant red sphere of latin words and ancient runes that float in mid-air.

And, just like that, we're inside the warehouse, no one in sight. "Nice going, Stephen," Bucky says, patting the Sorcerer Supreme on the shoulder. "They don't call you Doctor for nothin'." Stephen smiles, and Bucky turns to the rest of us. "We don't know much about the layout of Prison 42. All Nat was able to dig up was that there are 42 parts to the prison, each having 42 cells, and thus, 42 prisoners in each building. That leaves around 580 prisoners to get out, including our own Steve Rogers, Captain America.

"Like Pietro said, that leaves roughly 25 inmates for every one person to get. Given about two minutes for each prisoner, that gives us less than an hour to get everyone the hell out of here."

"If," Stephen begins, "for some reason, they shut down the gate to the other side, Wanda, Glory, and I will join forces to open a temporary breach, through which we all will escape. All 600 of us."

"What if they have some real bad people locked up here?" Logan asks, grufly, "They can't all be heroes."

"We get everyone out," Bucky answers. "We'll sift through the inmates later, but as soon as we're given the all clear, I'm sending Overheat in to blow the place to kingdom come. No one can be left inside." He turns to Clarke. "Your signal will come from either Nat, Glory, or I. Don't act on anyone else's word, alright?"

Clarke salutes Bucky with a wink. "Overheat, at your service, Sergeant Barnes."

"Would you quit flirting with the Winter Soldier?" Bobby, or Ice-Man, scolds, glaring at Clarke.

Clarke smirks and elbows Bobby in the ribs. "Jealous, sweetheart? Don't worry. I would be, too."

Bucky rolls his eyes and walks towards the door to the warehouse that connects it with the rest of the prison. "After this is all done, I'm goin' back to Brooklyn, and I am never, ever leavin' again. Earth can find a new super-old, metal-armed super-assassin. I quit."

"Mind if I tag along, Barnes?" Nat says with a smirk.

Bucky turns around and smiles down at her. "Like I could stop you." He kisses her quickly, then turns back to Winer Soldier mode, eyes locked on his mission. "Everyone stay close behind me. Use your powers only when absolutely needed. The longer we remain in the shadows, the better."

Bucky slowly opens the door, and of course, there's a guard standing right outside. Wanda jumps ahead and lures the guard to sleep like she did to the others. You could say he didn't see her coming.

She looks back at her friends with pride. "What? It was needed."

Bucky waves an arm for us to follow him down the corridors, that is, until we come to a fork in the road. "Glory," he says, turning to me, "take half the team and head down the right side. I'll take the left. Report back over your coms what you find. Remember, silence is key."

I nod, and point to the team members who I want with me: Pietro, Wanda, Clint, Amy, Clarke, Riley, Wade, Kamala, Jessica, Rogue, Logan, and Ronnie. I have someone on my side for every scenario.

I wave them forward as we round the corners, being extremely careful not to set off any alarms. Luckily, I have the expert marksman on my team. Clint has broken into just about every major security system you could name. Pentagon? Done it in '09. White House? All he says is the 90s were a bitch with Clinton in there. Kremlin? He won't talk about it, which I take is a yes. All Nat does when the story comes up is say, "Just like Budapest," and Clint groans.

My point is that if anyone can figure out what things are security traps and which are of Stark's invention, it's Clint. He's second only to Natasha, who says that the Kremlin break-in was a "good time."

"Wait," Clint whispers, holding an arm out as he stares at the upcoming hallway.

"See something?" I ask, watching his face.

"Lazers," he mumbles. "Fucking lazers, and not the alarm kind either. Those will cut a man in half-"

"-I got you covered, sweet-cheeks," Wade says, swinging his hips as he walks through the lazers, the heat from the cutting into his suit and skin, nearly cutting him in half. "Ow! Oh! Dammit! Fuck! Owie! Holy shit! Mama Mia!" Once on the other side, he takes one look at the security panel, then decides, "Fuck it," and stabs it with his sword.

The lazers cut off just like that. "Um... thanks, Wade?" I say, walking up to him, confused and chuckling. His wounds are already almost completely healed. "You're one crazy mofo."

He laughs and smiles. "Oh, honey, I know."

"Glory," Clint whispers, "we have a very big problem."

"What?"

Clint places a finger on his lips and waves me over to the corner. I peak around to see a room full of guards. There are hundred of them in there. It looks to be a hanger of sorts. I see several machines, vehicles, and Iron Legionaires doing maintenace work on the buildings.

A room full of soldiers, guards, and the Iron Legion. Just our luck.

"Oh hell," Clarke says, peaking around me. "That is a very big problem."

I tap my earpiece to contact Bucky. "Bucky, we have a situation."

"Yeah, I think so, too. Where are you?"

"On the south side of the prison. We're facing a giant room full of guards and soldiers, not to mention the Iron Legion just sitting around waiting to blow someone up."

"Nat found a consol for the prison layout. Do you see a long, white hallway ahead of you? On the other side of the room full of guards?"

I look up and ahead, spotting a bright, white light on the second floor of the large, open room. "I see it."

"That's were you have to go. That's where the prisoners are being kept in this building. It's the highest security clearance part of the prison. Steve will probably be kept there."

I sigh, slumping back. Between the hundreds of guards and soldiers, the Iron Legion, Stark's impeccable security, and the guards standing at the entrance to where we need to go, there's no way we'll get through that undetected. "Bucky, getting through that without being noticed... what you're asking, it's impossible."

"That's what I'm not asking anymore," Bucky says. "Go in guns blazing. Do what you need to. Don't hurt anyone more than you have to. We won't become Tony in this."

I nod and leave my coms open for clear communication. "Alright, ladies and gents. Time to go in guns blazing and kick some ass. You all ready?"

They all nod with huge smiles on their faces. "I've been waiting for this all day!" Amy shouts, and Riley nods to agree with her.

"Don't kill anyone," I warn. "Only injure."

"Doby never meant to kill," Wade says in a hilarious voice, "Doby only meant to maime or severely injure!"

"Yes, yes, Wade. Do that. No cutting people in half."

"Awww. What about the bad bots?"

"Okay, yes, fine. You can chop the bad bots in half."

"What do we do if we see Steve?" Ronnie asks, pulling out her S.H.I.E.L.D. grade weapons.

"Get him the hell out of here, no matter what it takes."

"Hey!" an unfamiliar voice shouts. We all turn to see a couple guards running down the hallways on a random patrol. "Stop right there!"

"Avengers," I shout, always wanting to say this, "Assemble!"

The group hurdles forward with a shout, a battlecry. My group of thirteen turned out to be very formidable against the hundreds of soldiers and guards that lay before us. Of course, when you have thirteen Inhumans, mutants, cosmic beings, agents, and all around badass people, it's hard not to see how it takes us only a few minutes to bring every one of them down.

The more I fight, the more my powers return to me. I can feel the energy around me being restored with every cosmic blast and every spacial manipulation. If this weren't such a serious battle, I might actually be smiling.

Pietro and Wanda stay close to me, keeping an eye on me, I think. They're family. Of course they would. I don't think I have ever seen Pietro run this fast, but then again, I don't think I have seen him this determined either. Wanda is astounding to watch as well. Her powers continue to grow continuously. I'd hate to be the guy on the other end of that chaos magic.

The rest of my squad blows me away as well. Amy, Katie, and Riley (Agent Grey, Oasis, Gillgirl) summon gallons upon gallons of water from the water pipes that flow throughout the building, blowing anyone that comes close to them up against the walls and ceiling with a tsunami.

Clarke and Jessica, Overheat and Spider-Woman, create radioactive fiery blasts from their hands. Clarke has even managed to fly with his white fire.

Wade, Rogue, Logan, and Ronnie (Deadpool, Rogue, Wolverine, and Hummingbird) fight like there's no tomorrow, shooting, slashing, stunning, and kicking ass on as many of the guards as they can, all while watching each other's backs. I've never seen a more smooth operation than those four, and yet, no one is killed.

Kamala, or Ms. Marvel, sticks with Clint, Hawkeye. He seems to have a fatherly aura to him that all the youngsters are drawn towards. Clint covers her sixteen year old self, and Kamala takes care of anything too hard for the expert archer to handle, which isn't much I can tell you that.

I've never been so proud of them as I am right now.

As the last guard falls unconscious, the last Iron Legionaire falls apart, I breathe heavily, out of breath from the long fight. Looking around, I see Deadpool gladly taking care of the new stragglers. "That was fun! Let's do it again!"

"Wade!" Logan warns, his claws pointed towards the Merc with a Mouth. "I'm warning you, Bub. Watch it."

"Okay, Uncle Wolvie."

Besides the snarl Logan sends his direction, he just rolls his eyes and lets it drop, walking over to the twins and I. "We've wasted enough time here. We gotta be quick. You can bet Tony's already on his way."

I nod in agreement. "Let's go, guys! Follow me!"

I jump off the ground and start flying to the second floor, those that can fly follow me my air and those that can't follow me by the stair case on the far wall. Just as we reach the white hallway Bucky spoke of, the lights go out. "What the hell?" Pietro curses in Russian.

"Emergency power," Clint mumbles. "Someone flipped the switch. This is gonna be a lot harder now."

"Doesn't matter," I say. "Let's keep moving."

The hallway is now an eerie red color, the low power emergency lights giving it a barely visible light. I can make out a long line of doors, and it doesn't take me long to recognize the design I remember from the Civil War comics: these are the cells that keep the supers, or "Occupants" as Tony called them.

I can't make out the names on the doors, and there's only a small window to peak through. Inside, I see one prisoner in each cell. Some are strapped down, some are let loose. Some are even in induced comatose.

"Move out, guys. Take one cell each. Shout if you need help. We have to make this as quick as possible." The others nod and start moving down the hallway, spreading out. "Logan, take four others and move to another building!"

"Alright, Deadpool, Agent Grey, Hummingbird, Rogue, you're with me. The others stay with Glory and the twins."

"Yaaay! I get to go with Uncle Wolvie!"

"Wade, I swear to God!"

"Don't swear. That's for big boys, Wolvie." All we hear after that is a giant thud, then, "Ow! Fuck you, Uncle Wolvie!"

"Move it!"

I turn to Pietro as the Logan's team moves out and towards another building. "I need you to run around the compound. Find the core of it, where Clarke can blow it sky-high." He nods. "And look for Steve."

Pietro's eyes soften. "Glory, we need to focus on all the prisoners, not just-"

"-He gave himself up for me, Pietro." A lump forms in my throat, but I push it away. Focus, Glory. "He turned himself in for me. I have to find him. Trust me when I say we can't do this without him."

Pietro nods, a soft look coming to his features, one saved only for Wanda, myself, and our children. One I rarely see at all. "Alright. I will find him. I will tell you through coms when I do." He pulls me close and kisses my forehead. "Be safe."

"Always am," I mumble, kissing his cheek.

He pulls away laughing, a smirk on his face. "Besides me, Ms. Northern, you are the most reckless person I know."

I stick my tongue out, shooing him. Pietro takes off with a bolt of blue lightning following after him, is disappearing like dust. I turn to my first cell, the first one on the block. If logic is right, this one should be the oldest of this building.

I collect cosmic energy in my hands, then blast it towards the door. Though it's made of the Adimantium-Vibranium alloy that Tony loves so much, when you have the heat and energy of a dying star put on it, it bends. Trust me, it bends.

The door blasts open, revealing a very terrified girl inside. Her hair has been cut short with a jagged razor from the looks of it. She's absolutely tiny, her bones showing through her skin. "My God." I put on a smile and come close, slowly as not to scare her. She looks completely terrified already, huddled in the farthest corner from me. "My name is Glory Northern. I'm here to help." I stretch out my hand.

The girl's eyes grow wide, her mouth dropping open. "Gloria?" She says my name like she knows me.

"Do I know you?" I ask, confused.

"You know of me. You are marrying my brother, Pietro."

Then it all comes together, a flip of a switch inside my head. "Lorna? Wait, Lorna? What are you doing here?"

"My father, I wanted to leave to come to the Avengers for safety," she whimpers, her cries all blurring together in fear. "I did not know that you and Tony had such disagreements that he would lock me up without even letting me talk to you."

"Wait, you wanted to leave Magneto? Your father? Your loyalty is to him. It always has been." I can't figure out why she would do this. Lorna Dane is one of the most loyal followers Eric has. "Why did you leave him?"

"He has lost his mind!" she shouts, true fear showing on her features. "He has lost his mind, he and Ultron. They are coming for you!"

END CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN.