85 Issue #10

"Stark!" Steve slammed the table as he stood up and yelled at Tony

To want to interrogate Jack was one thing. The way he brought so many others and hid them around the room, made it look like the talk was all a setup for an assassination.

"Come out," Tony told the others. Since he had already been caught, he may as well put all his cards on the table

Reed pushed open the vent and came out looking like a human Gumby before returning to his normal shape. Hank threw the datapad off his body before growing to the point where everyone could see him sitting on the table.

Ghost Rider and Wonder Man walked in through the front door with 15 SHIELD agents flanking them. 5 more agents appeared out of small spaces around the room.

Seeing everyone in front of his eyes, Steve's eyes were nearly ablaze with anger

"Explain yourself! Now, Stark!" Steve commanded

He had told Tony specifically before the meeting that no one else was allowed to be at the meeting or know about what was discussed. And it was obvious that Tony had ignored him.

"I wanted to be on the safe side, Rogers. I'm sure you, ugh!" Stark was unable to finish because a punch from Steve sent him flying a couple of feet

"You disobeyed me, Stark! I've been making excuse after excuse for you because I thought you were on this team to do good! But every action you have taken today makes me question that! I'm almost at my wit's end with you!" Steve exploded on the man. "A good soldier knows to follow orders!"

"And a better one knows when to disobey some," Tony said as he stood up and felt his nose. When he touched it, Tony couldn't help but wince in pain

Jack watched to two argue unamused. Even if Steve was angry, he still had hope for Stark. This meant that Stark still had a spot on the team.

'Fine. I will add another straw. If this doesn't break your back Rogers, I will consider it Tony's win,' Jack thought to himself as he looked at the scene

"Ignoring the blatant rules he broke today and the issues he is causing within the team, Tony should no longer be allowed to be a member of the Avengers. He should even have his armors confiscated," Jack gathered the attention back on him. He wasn't going to give Tony a chance

"Oh. And why is that, you little shit?" Tony asked shedding all pretexts of cordiality

"That's cause I hacked your suit's systems last month. I figured since you had been watching over my private calls and emails through my Avengers computer, I was allowed to do the same. I had your suit give you breathalyzer tests every time you got in it," Jack said seeing the color slowly drain from Tony's face before turning to the rest of the team. "Does anyone care to guess how many times this man suited up with enough alcohol that it would be DUI if he was driving?"

"How many times?" Natasha asked. This was no longer about Tony and Jack hating each other. From all the actions that Tony had done today, this was about the man who always thought himself right.

"Every. Single. Time," Jack enunciated each word, "Each time he suited up as Iron Man, he was drunk. And instead of being in a car that tops out around 100 mph, this man was in a metal suit that goes over 500 mph, has dozens of weapons, and can fly."

"Rogers. This is no longer about these two. Tony represents a clear danger to himself and the general public," Clint spoke up. He could be said to be the most neutral party since he wasn't close to either Jack or Tony. And as soon as he said his piece, all of the other squad leaders made their stances.

Each and every one of them wanted Tony out of the Avengers. But Steve was still trying to compromise.

"Alright, alright. I will demote Tony from being squad leader and find someone to replace him. He will also be put on suspension until he goes through a 1-month rehab program. Jack, does that sit fine with you?" Steve asked for Jack's opinion since he had the most issues with Tony but he wasn't truly asking. He was basically giving Jack a hint to support him and drop this matter

"Of course, Steve. As long as he gets the help he needs, that is all that matters," Jack smiled at Steve and played along. Until he didn't.

"There's just one thing, though. I'm off the team and I'm taking my squad with me," Jack announced to the others, shocking everyone present

"Wait, Jack. You are being impulsive" Janet tried to persuade him

"But I'm not, Jan. I came on this team because I thought we would be able to do good without worrying about the politics behind it all and I could help as many mutants as I could.

But with how this is going, it seems the former is impossible. As for the latter, I've already memorized all the threats to mutants that SHIELD has recorded and done nothing about. So instead of leaving everything mutant related to my small squad of 5, I plan on taking it to others that can truly help," Jack spoke passionately

Hearing Jack's reasoning, Janet no longer tried to convince him. Natasha, Clea, and Clint also had nothing to say. He had already made himself clear, so trying to convince Jack otherwise wouldn't help.

Steve didn't get that message

"Frost! You can't just abandon the Avengers!" Steve tried to guilt him into staying

But Jack didn't care. He walked away without saying another word to Steve before returning to his floor and informing the rest of the squad members of his plans. None of the ladies disagreed and all said they would leave with him.

If Steve treated Jack like he did after having Jack be an excellent member of the team for over 6 months, it was easy to tell that he was untrustworthy and may even screw them over in the future.

They had also only joined for Jack as well. None of them truly believed in the Avengers cause but believed in Jack since he sought them out.

Within the next hour, Jack and the ladies were out of the tower and heading towards the institute. The only person that came with them that stayed behind was Bean who was left under the care of Valeria.

---Author's Note---

He will finally join the X-Men!