A New "Hero" Is Targeting Female Supervillains

The blonde woman staggered against the glass door of the Baxter Building. She left a smear of blood behind. One long arm, at least eleven feet in length, lay limp and useless on the ground before her. The green costume that covered her broad-shouldered body was torn into little more than rags, and her face was bruised.

"Please," Anaconda said. "Help me...I don't...I don't know where else to go..."

Behind her, an armored figure stalked forward. A black bow in his hand, an arrow knocked. Other weapons hung off his massive body. A sword, a mace, a spear across his back. Medieval in shape and design, yet they bristled with subtle hints of circuitry, hinting at advanced technology. He placed one booted foot on Anaconda's chest, between her breasts. The arrow head crackled blackly.

"Stop," Sue Storm said as she appeared in view.

"This criminal is mine!" the armored figure said. Sue raised an eyebrow.

"That wasn't a suggestion," Sue replied.

The armored figure suddenly lifted up into the air. The arrow was unleashed; it exploded three inches from Anaconda's face, blocked by an invisible barrier. Sue Storm did not flinch, but her eyes narrowed.

"The Ebony Avenger will return!" he said. Then vanished in a burst of black smoke. Sue glowered as her **** bubble was suddenly empty.

"Teleporter," she said. "Great."

In the Fantastic Four's containment cell, Anaconda's arm was in an exoskeletal brace that would foster healing. Various cuts and bruises were bandaged, and she wore a large orange jumpsuit. With her left hand, she ate carefully. Apparently more grateful for the protection the Baxter Building offered than being imprisoned.

"It started a week ago. Maybe longer. Some of the other women started disappearing. Supervillains can't exactly go to the cops, right? So we started looking into it ourselves. Found evidence of this 'Ebony Avenger.' A new vigilante type. Exclusively hunts female supervillains. Brutal. And...he takes them away. We don't know where they are, or what he does with them."

Anaconda's fingers shook. She met Sue Storm's eyes, not even bothering to look at the rest of the Fantastic Four.

"Look, I know we've had our differences and I ain't on the right side of the law most of the time, but you're still a woman. You understand, right?"

Sue Storm nodded her head.

"Yes," she said simply. "I do understand."

"We only have Anaconda's word for this," Johnny Storm pointed out. "S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers have nothing on this 'Ebony Avenger.'"

"I wrassled with Anaconda before. She's a lot of things, but she ain't that creative," Ben Grimm added. "And her injuries are real. I think she's telling the truth."

"The energy signature of his armor and weapons are ambiguous," Reed added. "Could be modified blackmarket Starktech, could be Doomtech, or a mix of both. Difficult to track. We need more information."

"Then that's what I'll get," Sue Storm said. "I'm not going to sit here and let some supposed hero prey on women, even if they are supervillains. I'll get the information we need."

"How?" Reed asked.