The Claw laid the plans down for her group of unwitting minions. The Avengers were doing a recruitment drive over the weekend, looking for solo crimefighters or old members to recruit (or re-recruit as it were). As such, there would be a lot of commotion
around Avengers Mansion and in the city at large. This, the Claw promised her foolish followers, was the perfect time to strike, with lots of less-skilled superheroes unused to working as a team getting in the way of the real Avengers.
Of course, what she didn't tell them before she sent them out was that she would be following them, using her stealth-shield, melding ray at the ready. Scarlet Claw had deduced from her own genius and the Melder's knowledge in Stinger, that the ray had some
peculiar functions. If a villain and a hero were melded, the result would invariably be villanous, or at least anti-heroic, which meant anyone successfully melded would likely be open to being recruited. There were also a number of other settings on the ray
which neither of the villainesses had experimented with yet.
One was labeled "Gender override", and switching it would allow the Claw and Stinger to control which gender the fused people would become. If left on "Neutral" it would be randomly decided. If switched over to 100% "Female", even if two men were melded together
the result would be a natural woman. There was also a safety-protcted switch labeled "REVERSE SETTING - DO NOT TOUCH. CAUTION!". Apparently it was some sort of full reverse switch for the device, but neither the Claw or Stinger knew what it did.
Armored with this knowledge, Scarlet Claw snuck after her small army of stooges as they approached Avengers mansion. Once outside the walls, they began causing a huge racket. Super-strong villains threw cars around, bent lampposts and smashed into buildings.
Energy rays melted shopping windows, people were robbed, alarms went off... it was total pandemonium, and the Claw loved it. Perched on a convenient gargoyle on a building near the ruckus, she looked through the targeting sight of the melding ray.
"Any time now..." she grinned.
And of course, soon she heard a loud cry.
"AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!"
The large gates to Avengers Mansion burst open, and a throng of superheroes jumped, ran, flew and tossed themselves at the mass of supervillains. Battle was joined! As predicted, however, many of the heroes were unused to teamwork and were constantly getting
in eachother's way, allowing the villains a better chance at fighting back.
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