(Don't know if this has been done yet, but I'm willing to give it a shot...)

General Fury slams down the phone and pushes a button to his secretary. "Get me the Ultimates... we've got trouble..."

New York City

Six strangers stand in the streets of the Big Apple, staring at the passers-by regarding them with fear.

"It's so odd..." the tallest one says, running his hands through his long white hair. "The way they fear us... I'm not used to it..."

"Don't worry 'bout it, Apollo," says a rugged man in a dark suit and no shoes. "In time they'll love us... when we save them all."

"Right," Midnighter said, popping his knuckles. "When we save them from themselves."

"OVER MY DEAD BODY!"

A large man, dressed in the colors of the American flag drops from the sky, landing atop an unsuspecting Midnighter. The man in black recovers quickly, however, as a fist fight between the two ensues.

"Who are you?" the man in black grunts. "The Greatest American Hero?"

"Believe it or not," the WW2 vet said, gritting his teeth, "the handle's Captain America... and we've come to shut you down..."

"We?"

Midnighter looked up from his fight to see four other costumed avengers standing behind Captain America.

"Girl with wings?" says the only female among America's knights, eyeing Swift as she almost drops out of sight. "She's mine..."

"I see," the Engineer said, rocketing into the air. "It's an ambush!"

"That it is, sister," came the robotic voice of Tony Stark behind his electronic armor as he took to the air after her. "And I don't think you're gonna be happy with the final scores..."

The white-haired man in gold called Apollo illuminated his body with golden energy and stepped quietly into the fray... only to be met by a large blond man with a hammer.

"Going somewhere?" Thor asked.

"Just looking for my bitch," Apollo answered, sneering. "Hello."

"Come in, Cap..." came Fury's voice over America's commlink.

"Kinda busy here, General..." America said, blocking a blow from Midnighter with his shield. "Can we discuss this later?"

"'Fraid not..." Fury answered. "Looks like talk of a rumpus downtown got Dr. Banner a little... well, excited."

"What are you saying, General?" Steve Rogers asked, cuffing Midnighter and wiping the blood off of his chin.

"HULK SMASH PUNY HUMANS!"

"I think he wants to help..." came Fury's response.

"He's too unpreditctable, General," America said, leaping onto a nearby fire escape to momentarily evade his foe. "I don't know if we can contain him and these guys..."

"So let him handle them for you... or at least some of them..."

"But, General..."

"Fury out."

The large greenish-gray behemoth of a man smashed through a building, sending it down on the place where Jack Hawksmoor stood.

"Ah, ah, ah..." the man said, holding up his hand. As he did, the building began to righten itself as the Hulk looked over at Hawksmoor.

"Hulk smash contractor!"

"Go ahead, big guy..." Hawksmoor said, clenching his fists. "Do your worst..."

"Well," Dr. Hank Pym said, towering over New York City, looking down at a man dressed in pink, "looks like it's down to us now, huh?"

"Yup," the Doctor said, looking up.

"So, what are you?" Giant Man asked. "Some kinda queer with a shirt like that?"

"It would take one to know one, I guess," the Doctor said, standing his ground.

"That's it!" Pym said, raising his foot over the Doctor. "This ends now!"

So, gang, which team turns up triumphant? Will Ellis' "new heroes" rearrange the Ultimates and save the Ultimate U. from itself or will Millar's avengers show the Authority who's boss?

Discuss.

Note: The absence of Jenny Sparks was intentional. We can just say, for the sake of arguements, that this story takes place sometime after Authority #12... basically because there are seven Authoritarians and six Ultimates. Sue me.