Hey, guys! Here's the first chapter of Sic Semper Tyrannis!

Enjoy, and please read and review!

Prologue

San Francisco, California, 2014

"Andrew!" yelled Mark Russell as he searched through the rubble of what was once his family's hotel.

"Andrew!" his wife, Emma Russell, shouted as well. She held their young daughter, Madison, from running off and looking for Andrew herself.

Their search was interrupted by a loud rumbling. A cloud of water appeared over them, hiding a skull-faced snake that flew through the air. From the bay rose another serpent, but much more draconic in appearance.

It looked at the family. It's previously angry face now soft and understanding.

The dragon took a moment to sniff at the rubble. Finding something, it lifted a small portion of it with it's arm, revealing a young child.

"Andrew!" Mark yelled, running to the boy. He picked him up, confirming that it was his son.

He felt his neck for a pulse, which he found. He laid Andrew on the ground.

"Andrew!" Emma and Madison yelled, swarming around him.

Mark looked back at the dragon. It nodded slightly, before continuing on it's way to join the others.

U.S.S. Saratoga, 2014

"We cannot express enough how sorry we are for our actions, Dr. Serizawa," said the Canadian member of the World Defense Council.

"Your apologies are accepted," Dr. Serizawa replied.

"Thank you, Doctor," said the British Councilmen. "On another note, we heard that you don't support the Avengers' work."

"And what gave you that idea?"

"When Stark and Banner confronted you about your work with Jonathan Hudson, you threw the statistics of the Avengers' work in their faces."

"That was simply in defense of my position. I do support them, Councilman."

"Nevertheless, we would like to as you if Monarch would be interested in signing a pending bill."

"What does it entail?"

"That the Avengers be put under government control."

Serizawa shook his head in disbelief.

"With all due respect, that would be a mistake. The Avengers are as successful as they are because they are unsupervised by government. You put them under your thumb, you will only cause more problems."

"We don't share your sentiments, Doctor," the American Councilman said. "The Avengers are dangerous."

"Yes, but to whom are they more dangerous to?"