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Young Avengers Assemble
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Fourteen years, three days, and sixteen hours ago, the world experienced a... Blip. M-Day, is what it's generally called.

They say the Scarlet Witch lost her mind. 

Whatever the cause, she trapped the entire universe in between moments, folding every single mind into a separate reality - one that ran on her rules. No violence. No war. No disease. No poverty. No death. Good things, most would agree - 

But she enforced it through mentally altering all but the most powerful and skilled telepaths, and when she died she brought everyone actively powered down with her. Humanity was hit hard, of course - but many of their galactic neighbors were hit harder, and the blame naturally fell on Earth. Humanity had to scramble to reinvent itself, to develop new technologies to protect the Earth from being razed entirely, despite many of its most brilliant minds having been wiped away.

It's been fourteen years - and it's been just recent that a new batch of powered people has started to come into their own. Mutants, mostly, any with a latent X-gene having been passed over.

Of course, after the Scarlet Witch, the idea of using anyone with powers in the ongoing war is more anathema than using nukes, chemical weapons, or bio-weapons. Many of those who came into their powers - and who failed to hide said powers - in the months and years after M-Day were killed. The rest went deep into hiding.

But anathema does not mean impossible, and they're received word that the Kree will be fielding a team of young superheroes.

The floodgates are broken, and, well - the united nations of Earth will need to step up or face annihilation. Each major member bloc is developing their own response team, to be fielded under the header of the United Earth - 

Vision's been tasked with making the team for the United States. The president's got the idea of remaking the Avengers - minus the scandal, as they were at their height - fixed stubbornly in his head. 

It's... A bit of a challenge, for Vision. 

But nothing impossible, and he's identified five teenagers who fit the bill.

(He pushes aside that they'll be child soldiers, not entirely willingly recruited - needs must, after all, and they'll be likely killed if left alone.)

Nausicaa Kaplan, of unknown connection but suspected to be a relative of Storm, a member of the X-Men and frequent ally of the Avengers. Recently fourteen. Born a week before M-Day.

Sue Shepherd, a speedster - a riskier one. Vision's algorithms indicate she's likely a descendant of one of the Scarlet Witch's siblings, and she's got a rap sheet. The connection to Quicksilver, the Avengers' most notorious speedster, will be hard to hide. She doesn't have a birth certificate that he can find - possibly she was a home birth, never registered. She appears to be Nausicaa's age, claiming to be thirteen, born one month after M-Day.

Elijah Bradley. The grandson of Isaiah Bradley, one of the early experiments for Project Rebirth, which eventually gave them Captain America. Isaiah and his children were all killed by the Scarlet Witch, but his grandchildren were left alive - of those, though, only Elijah seems to have developed any sort of super powers. He has the same 'super soldier' set as Captain America, at least. Fifteen.

Theodore Altman. The grandson of one of the earlier Avengers, the original Captain Marvel. A shapeshifter, reportedly, in line with his half-Skrull heritage. His other half, Kree, will need to be either concealed or played up. Vision will leave that to the propaganda departments. Fourteen, born six months before M-Day.

Cassandra Lang. The only daughter of Scott Lang, Ant-Man. She took up his research with the Pym Particles, and Vision suspects she's been experimenting on herself. She seems to have the power to change her size. At sixteen, she'll be the oldest team member.

Only five possibilities so far - but enough for a test run, before they commit too many resources to this idea.

He sends off the dossiers with only a little hesitation.

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Cassandra Lang comes easily. She's come the closest to working with the government, and she wants, desperately, to be a hero, to have some connection to her dead father - 

Her mother and step father don't approve. But her step father's a cop, and he respects their leaders. Her parents sign off on her inclusion in the Young Avengers Initiative.

Cassie Lang, wearing a suit like her father's, tailored just to her, waits, mask off, for her future teammates to arrive.

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Sue Shepherd's a harder sell. She's thirteen and has already been in and out of juvie once. They bring up great heroes, great speedsters, of the past, her world's need - she glances away from the lawyer, asks if she gets her phone call now.

They threaten her with reviving the old prison for super villains; she shuts down.

Her lawyer is a public defender, a tired, harried man, but he refuses to let them bully her into service. Into war, as a thirteen year old, they should be ashamed of themselves - 

She's smart, though. She knows she's not getting out of this.

She accepts a large paycheck, a legal document guaranteeing the rights of her and her future teammates, and a few backroom deals getting wording adjusted in this or that bill. Even her lawyer seems surprised by that last; she says, nonchalantly, that maybe she'll be a lawyer someday herself. Like She-Hulk.

Her lawyer wishes her well, gives her his card.

And Sue Shepherd goes to meet her team. In street clothes. She's not putting on that leotard they designed for her.

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Elijah Bradley isn't a hard sell, but he's bitter - the system destroyed his grandfather, and it chewed up his father and spat him out, and his mother worries, of course she does...

But Eli wants to prove himself.

He accepts, and even wears the Captain America knock-off they press on him. He's silent when the team gathers, considering them.

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Teddy Altman had not, actually, known he wasn't human until the government spook showed up at his door - the ensuing conversation had been awkward, Teddy's mom (apparently adoptive, and a Skrull agent) trying to explain why his alien heritage was kept from him without looking soft in front of the United States government.

Technically, Teddy's a Skrull - nominally human allies - on loan to the human government. His mom had refused to budge on the loyalty question, there. 

He's still human shaped, though, when he goes to meet his team, wearing the purple gymnast-style suit that should shift with him. The suit's design seems unable to decide if it wants to call to mind the Hulk or the Skrulls.

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It isn't, so much, than Nausicaa Kaplan's a hard sell...

Well.

She doesn't actually want to get deployed away from her best friend for very long. That seems to be a pretty firm limit for her.

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Said best friend is about Nausicaa's age. And, incidentally, a prodigy in medicine and biological science with an eagerness to get some actual funding for her experiments - and a willingness to help the government with theirs, of course.

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It takes some back and forth.

Eventually, Vision nudges the government into a reluctant 'sure.'

Marian Zima will be on the team. Under an alias, of course.

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She's there, then, in a purple blouse and black slacks, dressed nothing like a superhero.

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And with her comes Nausicaa Kaplan.

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"This everyone?" Eli asks.

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"Yes. I'll leave you all to introduce yourself," Vision says.

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Once he's left - "Hey! I'm Nausicaa Kaplan! Heard they're forming a hero team?"

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"Yeah. The Young Avengers Initiative, creatively enough."

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"Someone's got their nostalgia goggles on, then."

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"It's not a bad idea," Eli says, firmly. "People need a symbol, at least."

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Marian just shrugs.

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Cassie sighs.

"Well, what're everyone's powers? And I guess names and other get to know you stuff - I'm Cassandra Lang, daughter of Ant-Man. Though, seriously, call me Cassie. I can grow and shrink, and I have some super strength. Can't control ants, though. I don't have any siblings or anything, and I guess big hobby is reading scifi books. Pretty excited to go into space."

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Nausicaa grins at her. "Hey! I'm Nausicaa Kaplan. I don't know which Avenger I'm supposedly related to, but they're guessing Storm, since I have weather control. I can fly, throw lightning, and mess with the weather. I have two baby brothers. My favorite hobby's gardening, though I also like trying new foods whenever I get the chance. Don't know if that's really a hobby, though... And space sounds cool!"

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Marian sends a fond glance at Nausicaa.

"I'm Marian Zima. Just - Marian. No diminutives. Definitely don't call me Mary. I don't have powers per se, but I am a prodigy in the biological sciences. Nausicaa dragged me along, and I'll be joining the more behind the scenes parts. R and D, hopefully. I like long walks on the beach, star gazing, and poking dead things with a stick. I'm more excited about the aliens than anything." Maybe they'll let her dissect some.

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"I'm Teddy Altman," the guy who's been mostly quiet so far says next. "I'm actually descended from the original Captain Marvel. I'm half Skrull, half Kree. I can shapeshift like the Skrulls, though apparently I'm better at it than average?" He shrugs. "Can give myself flight and super strength and all that. But I mostly just - want to help out."

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Marian starts to ask about his biology but closes her mouth when Nausicaa kicks her in the ankle.

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Eli sighs.

"I'm Elijah Bradley, or Eli. I've been tentatively appointed as team leader in the field, though that might get changed around after training. I'm descended from one of the early experiments for Project Rebirth - which ended up producing Captain America. I've got the standard super soldier set, pretty much."

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And then everyone turns to look at Sue.

She stares at them silently for a few moments.

Then: "My name is Sue Shepherd. I'm a speedster. I don't have hobbies."

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"Hi!" Nausicaa chirps. "Do you want hobbies?"

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"No."

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